Community BUDGET Forums

The district has scheduled

community forums to discuss the budget.

Each is scheduled from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 17 - Oak Park Community Center

3425 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.

Oak Park Community Center
3425 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Sacramento CA 95817
Driving Directions

Tuesday, March 23 - George Sim Community Center

6207 Logan St.

George Sim Community Center
6207 Logan St.
Sacramento CA 95824
Driving Directions

"It's absolutely critical that the community is part of these decisions. It's their schools, after all."

Hello DAC members & Community Partners:

May 23, 2010 the California Parent Center will be in Sacramento. See below. School can use their Title I 1% parent engagement money to attend this training.
Wanda Yañez Chairperson
District Advisory Committee (DAC)
Sacramento City Unified School District
Work: (916) 654-7729

Website: http://sacdac.org/Dacupdate.aspx

California Parent Center

San Diego State University Research Foundation

Date:

March 4, 2010

To:

Administrators, Teachers, Title I Coordinators, Parent Involvement Staff, Counselors, Parent Leaders and School Site Council Members

From:

Jeana Preston, Director – California Parent Center

San Diego State University Research Foundation

Subject:

Using Achievement-Focused Partnerships as a School

Improvement Strategy for Title I Schools

AND
New! Best Practices, Research, and Strategies Summit for

Middle and High Schools

Use Achievement-Focused Partnerships to increase academic achievement and school success for students. These trainings are specifically designed to refocus and enhance existing parental involvement programs at districts and Title I funded schools, especially those in Program Improvement. The trainings use the newest research-based strategies to help schools engage all families to work as partners, to increase achievement and school success for students.

All trainings, and the Best Practices Summit, meet the Title I requirements for districts to provide technical assistance and parental involvement trainings for staff and parents and are a compliant use of Title I funds--including 1% set aside for parental involvement activities and professional development--and for ARRA funds.

USING ACHIEVEMENT-FOCUSED PARTNERSHIPS

AS A SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT STRATEGY

TRAINING DESCRIPTION

DATES

LOCATION

NEW ! Best Practices, Research, and Strategies Summit

for Middle and High Schools

Best Practices SUMMIT

Keynote Speaker:Dr. Nancy Hill

Graduate School of Education

Harvard University

March 25, 2010

Doubletree/Mission Valley

7450 Hazard Center Dr

San Diego, CA 92108

LEVEL I PARENT INVOLVEMENT TRAININGS

2-DAY Closing the Gap:

Using Parent Involvement to

Increase Student Achievement

April 13-14, 2010

Ventura County Office of Ed

Conference & Ed. Services Center

5100 Adolfo Rd.

Camarillo, CA 93012

Title I Pre-Conference

Using Parent Involvement to

Increase Student Achievement

April 28, 2010

Anaheim Marriott

700 West Convention Way

Anaheim, CA 92802

2-DAY Closing the Gap:

Using Parent Involvement to

Increase Student Achievement

May 5-6, 2010

Los Angeles County

Dept of Education

9300 Imperial Highway

Downey. CA 90242

Title I Pre-Conference

Using Parent Involvement to

Increase Student Achievement

May 23, 2010

Doubletree Hotel

Point West Way

Sacramento, CA 95815

For cost and registration information for trainings or Best Practices Summit, visit our Website http://parent.sdsu.edu or contact Melissa Popovich at 619-594-4756, mpopovich@projects.sdsu.edu

If you no longer wish to receive emails from The California Parent Center please, Click here to unsubscribe from our mailing list.

Beleagured East Sacramento school tries sharing a principal

mgutierrez@sacbee.com

Two east Sacramento schools sit just five blocks apart, but the desirable neighborhood has been the only thing they had in common.

Phoebe Hearst Elementary is among the area's most sought-after elementary schools. Kit Carson Middle School, on the other hand, has routinely been threatened with closure because of low enrollment and poor test scores.

After five years of watching his students at Phoebe Hearst ignore Kit Carson, Principal Charlie Watters decided the best way to change that was to become principal of both.

As part of the Sacramento City Unified School District's new pilot program, Watters splits his time between campuses, enlisting the help of vice principals he hand-picked for both sites.

"I want Kit Carson to be a college preparatory middle school," he said. "It's about changing the stereotype."

Currently, the high-achieving Phoebe Hearst students flock to Sutter Middle School, despite being just blocks from Kit Carson.

Sutter, with an enrollment hovering near 1,300 students and dozens of students on its waiting list, boasted an 884 API score in 2009. The state's goal is for schools to reach scores of 800 out of 1000.

Kit Carson has 430 students at an attractive brick campus that fits 800, Watters said. Yet many parents in the surrounding neighborhood have steered clear of Kit Carson because of its reputation of catering to low achievers and disruptive students. The middle school scored a 679 API in 2009 and is in its second year of program improvement.

"There are a lot of wonderful things happening there, but they are overshadowed by Sutter and negative publicity," Watters said. "My goal is to make systemic changes that will last a long time."

The discrepancies in enrollment at Kit Carson and Sutter middle schools prompted the district to talk of blending the two campuses during budget discussions last year. That sparked concern among parents, teachers and community members – particularly those associated with Sutter.

After the proposal was quashed, Watters and district associate superintendent Mary Hardin Young talked about creating connections between Phoebe Hearst and Kit Carson. Principal-sharing seemed an ideal first step.

"He had already built credibility with the parents at Phoebe Hearst," said Hardin Young. "He's a dynamic kind of guy. If there is anyone who can really turn the corner with Kit Carson and make it a vital neighborhood school, it would be Charlie."

Each school has a vice principal who is in charge of the daily responsibilities while Watters splits his time between campuses. The result is a small savings to the district.

The juggling hasn't been without challenges. Some Phoebe Hearst teachers have complained to the Sacramento City Teachers Association that Watters is disconnected from their campus, said union president Linda Tuttle. "Both sites probably feel like they want me on campus more, because having a full-time principal is a good thing," Watters said.

Kit Carson art teacher Christine Helweh said she is excited about the new leadership and hopes that the school's reputation can receive a makeover.

"I want parents to be excited about coming here," Helweh said. "The reputation is a hard thing to beat. I'm hoping that connection (with Phoebe Hearst) will help."

Watters said his top priority at Kit Carson was to encourage the district to take the middle school off the closure list to allow time for the pilot program to work.

Helweh said teachers have been fearful each year that Kit Carson would close.

"In order for them to buy into the changes we want to make, I wanted to be able to assure them we have a couple years to turn this around," Watters said.

Watters said he's already seen disciplinary problems decrease dramatically by installing a rewards program for students.

The school will add a student council in the spring. Watters reaches out to parents as they drop off their kids in the morning. He said he thinks he'll see results in two to three years.

"One parent has said to me that she is coming (to Kit Carson)," Watters said. "That's a huge step in the right direction. I'm not going to be disappointed if we still only have one or two. I knew this plan would take a while."

This story is taken from Sacbee / Our Region / Education

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CREDO Charter Report

Click Here to go to The Charter School Paradox Page

The Discussion is at DAC!
Less Clock...More Talk!
Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail.
What you gain at one end you lose at the other.
It's like feeding a dog on his own tail.
It won't fatten the dog. ~Mark Twain

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Parent Driven Schools Web site

California High School Proficiency Examination

Are you ready to get your high school equivalency certificate?

Are you ready to continue your education at a college or university?

The CHSPE Exam could help you with your future!

This site will educate you about CHSPE and provide registration information and instructions for taking the test in your area.

¿Está listo para obtener un certificado de equivalencia de la escuela preparatoria?

¿Está listo para continuar su educación en una universidad?

¡El examen CHSPE puede ayudarlo con su futuro!

Este sitio Web lo educará sobre el CHSPE, le proporcionará información para matricularse e instrucciones para tomar el examen en su zona.

http://www.chspe.net/

BLACK MALE DROPOUTS LEAD NATION IN INCARCERATION

New report released by national coalition demonstrates need for national dropout re-enrollment strategy

CHICAGO – On any given day, nearly 23 percent of all young Black men ages 16 to 24 who have dropped out of high school are in jail, prison, or a juvenile justice institution in America, according to a disturbing new national report released today on the dire economic and social consequences of not graduating from high school.

Dropouts become incarcerated at a shocking rate: 23 of every 100 young Black male dropouts were in jail on any given day in 2006-07 compared to only 6 to 7 of every 100 Asian, Hispanic or White dropouts. While young Black men are disproportionately affected, the report found that this crisis cuts across racial and ethnic lines. Male dropouts of all races were 47 times more likely to be incarcerated than their peers of a similar age who had graduated from a four-year college or university.

“For too long, and in too many ways, young people across the country have been let down by the education system and by the adults responsible for their care and development. Now is the time to increase the investments we make in young people, enhance the content, opportunities and supports we provide, and empower them to make better choices about both their individual future and the future of our nation. This report is another important step towards those ends,” said Marc Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League.

Released today by a coalition of leading national and regional education, advocacy, and social service groups, the report, Consequences of Dropping Out of High School: Joblessness and Jailing for High School Dropouts and the High Cost for Taxpayers – 22% Daily Jailing Rate for Young Black Men Who Drop Out of High School is available online at http//www.clms.neu.edu.

Professor Andrew Sum, Center for Labor Market Studies (CLMS), Northeastern University in Boston was commissioned

Tracking An Emerging Movement:

A Report on

Expanded Time Schools in America

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A Message from

Joe Sison

DAC Vice Chair

Dear DAC Parents. (for feedback, please respond directly to Joe Sison at: sison.joseph@gmail.com)

Thank you so much for forwarding my email to your classroom parents regarding possible recommendations for changes to the district's calendar for the next 3 years. I received over 70 responses and I forwarded everyone's comments to the Calendar Committee. Overall there was near-unanimous agreement from those who gave me feedback for a Thanksgiving Week off. The other options were overall split in half. There is a meeting scheduled with collective bargaining in the district and the issues you responded to will also be part of the discussion. Once I hear more of the results, I will email everyone.

I am also on another committee that convened today per the request of the superintendent: Fingerprinting Committee. This committee is looking at the fingerprinting process in the district. There are at least three issues related to parents and below are some comments that came up during the meeting:

Many parents feel that the cost of fingerprinting ($59.00/fingerprinting) is cost-prohibitive and may be a hurdle for some to volunteer and engage at the school-site level.

a. Consider fully subsidizing some parents. One criteria would be to make it free for parents whose children meet criteria for the "Free and Reduced Lunch Program."

b. For those parents who don't meet criteria for the "Free and Reduced Lunch Programs," but who may still be having financial hardship to afford the fingerprinting fee, they may apply for some sort of "fee waiver/scholarship." -- process will be "to be determined." Any comments regarding this "to be determined process" will be helpful.

c. Decreasing the fee from $59.00 to $47.00 for parent volunteers (which is the actual cost to the district for the FBI and DOJ checks).

2. Many parents would like to have a more convenient way to be fingerprinted. Currently, fingerprinting is only at the Serna Center and on certain hours as the machine involved is stationary.

a. Allow fingerprinting during district-wide events, such as Passport to Success, Open Enrollment events, etc.

b. Consider purchasing a "mobile unit" so the fingerprinting staff can go to individual school sites.

3. Currently there are 3 tiers of volunteers: 1st tier are for parents who volunteer off campus (i.e. baking cookies for "cookie sales," correcting papers at home, typing up reports at home, etc.); A 2nd tier exists where parents volunteer "onsite"/on campus and work with students in the classroom, "supervised" by the teacher, though are free to work individually with the students with the teacher present in the classroom. The 3rd tier are parents who are also on campus volunteers and go on field trips, etc. and who may have "alone" time with students during outings, school events, etc. This also applies to volunteers who may be providing individual or group tutoring for kids.

a. Currently only tier 3 is required fingerprinting. Tier 1 clearly does not need fingerprinting as there is no contact with students at all. Tier 3 requires fingerprinting because of the possibility that the parent volunteer may be alone with students at some point during the event involved. The "grey area" appears to be "Tier 2" where the parent volunteer has direct contact with the students while the teacher is present in the classroom. Some parents have expressed concerns that the "Tier 2" parents should also be fingerprinted.

The committee will meet again next week. I would like to get as many feedback as I can related to these issues. In particular, comment on whether you as a parent would become more active in the school-site if the fingerprinting cost was less, more convenient, etc. Also, please comment on your thoughts regarding whether Tier 2 should be fingerprint required or not.

Thanks again for your help. I will bring everyone's comments to the committee next week.

Joe Sison

DAC Vice Chair

State Laws on Family Engagement in Education

http://www.donorschoose.org/

Invisible: 1.4 Percent Coverage for

Education is Not Enough

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DonorsChoose.org is open to every public school in America

http://www.donorschoose.org/

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James Baldwin said it best: "For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."

California High School Proficiency Examination