While the content of the Advanced Placement* tests is very different, the basic format of the tests is very similar. Most questions are multiple choice, and it includes document based essays.
* Learn the test structure, time period for each section, and directions for each section. Knowing this information has two benefits for you. First, you will know ahead of time what you are expected to do, so you can practice. Second, knowing what kinds of tasks you will need to perform will relieve some of your test anxiety.
* Learn the vocabulary of the subject matter. You will not be able to answer questions if you do not understand what the terms mean. The glossary at the back of your textbooks can be handy study guides.
* Annotate the questions. Circle, bracket, underline, checkmark—in some way highlight the key words in the question. Use these to help you find the right answer choice.
* Use the process of elimination when you are not sure about an answer. Even the College Board suggests that if you are not sure about an answer but can eliminate at least one answer choice as being wrong, guess. Use logic to work your way through the answer choices until, through the process of elimination, you can select one answer as your best "guess."
* Guess if you have to. Part of pacing is moving on when you come to a question that stumps you. But if, when you come back to it, you still are not sure of the answer and hesitate to use the process of elimination, think of these facts: A wrong answer deducts a 1/4 point from your score. A right answer adds a point. You would need to guess wrong four times to lose a whole point.
* Pace yourself; this is a major benefit of practicing for the test. You may be expected to answer 80 multiple-choice questions in 55 minutes and plan and write an essay in 35 minutes. Only by pacing yourself will you be able to come near to accomplishing these tasks. Work out a pacing schedule for yourself. Write it in your test booklet if you have to in order to remind yourself to work steadily and efficiently. It will help keep your anxiety level under control.
* Don't be careless in marking or erasing answers on the answer sheet. In other words, blacken answer ovals completely and erase your changes completely. You have probably heard this every time you have taken a standardized test, but it is true. Multiple-choice tests are scored by machine and the machine is not programmed to deal with pencil marks, only blackened answer ovals.
* If you skip answering a question, circle the question number in the test booklet, not on the answer sheet. The same reason applies; stray marks confuse the machine.
* If you skip a question, be sure you skip the answer line for that question.
Essay Tips
* Choose the order in which you want to write the essays. You do not have to answer the essay questions in the order in which the test preparers listed them. Skim the essay questions quickly and then renumber them 1, 2, etc. Tackle them in that order.
* Use an abbreviated outline form to structure your essay, but do outline it. After you have read the question and highlighted the key words so you know what you are being asked, restate the question to yourself. Then brainstorm ideas to answer that question. You will not have time to write a full outline, but number the ideas that you just generated in the best order to state, develop, and conclude your essay.
* Try for at least a five-paragraph essay—an introduction to state your thesis, three paragraphs to develop your points, and a strong conclusion to summarize and restate your thesis.
* Write clearly and legibly. The readers of your essay have only 2 or 3 minutes to read and score your essay. No matter how well meaning and fair they are, they just do not have time to puzzle over illegible handwriting. Practice writing neatly—and quickly.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
World History Review Project- For 10th Grade World History
Due Date: Tuesday November 29th, 2011
Step 1: Pick a unit/Select a Topic
1) Foundations of Democracy: Greece/Rome
2) Glorious Revolution
3) Enlightenment
4) French Revolution
5) The Rise of Napoleon
6) The Industrial Revolution
7) New Imperialism
Step 2: Research
• You must research at least two sources of information for your research paper on your chosen topic
• Sources can include, but are not limited to newspapers, magazines, books, internet, interviews, etc. – all sources must be photocopied or transcribed, so that you can refer back to them as needed
• The following information must be available for each source – if you do not have the information, you cannot use the source:
- The article/book’s title
- The name of the author/authors
- Magazine, newspaper, or book’s title
- Date of publication
- Page numbers
- Section number (newspaper)
- Internet address (website)
Step 3: For this assignment to receive full credit, the research paper must also include the following items:
1) You must locate and define 8 vocabulary words for your unit
2) Create a visual that represents the section (Images, terms, drawings, themes, major figures, ideas, quotes, etc.)
3) Submit a 2-3 page paper explaining all of the important causes, course of events, and the significance (importance of this event).
4) A works cited page: See Below
5) A presentation when we return to class. You will share your research and your poster with your classmates.
Step – Works Cited Page (List All Sources – Do not Plagiarize)
• A list of sources must be compiled – these are sources that you quote , paraphrase, and get information from to write your paper
• Copy the important information (so that someone else could find the resource) onto a notecard (3x5) – one notecard for each source
• This information will be used to create your “Works Cited” page – see below for examples of the formats of sources:
Book:
Name of author, author’s initials. (Date of Publication). Book Title. Place of Publication: Publisher.
Journal, Newspaper, and Magazine Articles:
Last name of author, author’s initials. (Date of publication – including month and day if any). Title of article. Title of Journal/Magazine, volume number (issue number – if any), page(s).
Internet:
Last name of author, author’s initials. (Date of publication). Title of article. Title of Journal/Magazine, volume number (issue number – if any), page(s). Date retrieved from which subscription database: website
Step 1: Pick a unit/Select a Topic
1) Foundations of Democracy: Greece/Rome
2) Glorious Revolution
3) Enlightenment
4) French Revolution
5) The Rise of Napoleon
6) The Industrial Revolution
7) New Imperialism
Step 2: Research
• You must research at least two sources of information for your research paper on your chosen topic
• Sources can include, but are not limited to newspapers, magazines, books, internet, interviews, etc. – all sources must be photocopied or transcribed, so that you can refer back to them as needed
• The following information must be available for each source – if you do not have the information, you cannot use the source:
- The article/book’s title
- The name of the author/authors
- Magazine, newspaper, or book’s title
- Date of publication
- Page numbers
- Section number (newspaper)
- Internet address (website)
Step 3: For this assignment to receive full credit, the research paper must also include the following items:
1) You must locate and define 8 vocabulary words for your unit
2) Create a visual that represents the section (Images, terms, drawings, themes, major figures, ideas, quotes, etc.)
3) Submit a 2-3 page paper explaining all of the important causes, course of events, and the significance (importance of this event).
4) A works cited page: See Below
5) A presentation when we return to class. You will share your research and your poster with your classmates.
Step – Works Cited Page (List All Sources – Do not Plagiarize)
• A list of sources must be compiled – these are sources that you quote , paraphrase, and get information from to write your paper
• Copy the important information (so that someone else could find the resource) onto a notecard (3x5) – one notecard for each source
• This information will be used to create your “Works Cited” page – see below for examples of the formats of sources:
Book:
Name of author, author’s initials. (Date of Publication). Book Title. Place of Publication: Publisher.
Journal, Newspaper, and Magazine Articles:
Last name of author, author’s initials. (Date of publication – including month and day if any). Title of article. Title of Journal/Magazine, volume number (issue number – if any), page(s).
Internet:
Last name of author, author’s initials. (Date of publication). Title of article. Title of Journal/Magazine, volume number (issue number – if any), page(s). Date retrieved from which subscription database: website
Monday, November 28, 2011
SOAPSToneS: A STRATEGY FOR ANALYZING PRIMARY SOURCES
SOAPSToneS is a variation of a Building Success strategy that helps students make meaning out of material that may at first appear confusing or irrelevant It provides a strategy for analyzing any text, and Can even be used for visual pieces such as paintings, photographs and political cartoons. Using SOAPSToneS facilitates the kind of critical thin long that leads to the writing of essays whose purpose is to argue or evaluate.
What is the Subject?
The general topic, content, and ideas contained in the text. Students should be able to state the subject in a few words or a short phrase.
What is the Occasion?
The time and place of the piece; the current situation. It is particularly important that students understand the context that encouraged the creation of the document. The circumstances which gave rise to the creation of the piece.
Who is the Audience?
The group of people to whom the piece is directed. The audience may be one person, a small group or a large group; it may be a certain person or a certain people. It is important for students to know that whether the piece is written or an artistic creation, the creator had a particular audience in mind.
What is the Purpose?
The reason behind the piece. What did the creator want the audience to think, say, do, become?
Who is the Speaker?
The voice that tells the story or the one through whose eyes you see the picture. It is important to point out, especially in writing, that the author and the speaker are not always the same. The information can be told from any number of different viewpoints. Furthermore, students often think that what the speaker believes, the author believes. In a painting, point out the position from which the picture is presented as a key to identifying the speaker. In nonfiction, which U.S. history students will be working with, it is important to find out something about the author's background in order to clarify the point of view being presented.
What is the Tone?
What is the underlying emotion being communicated? For historical documents, it might be official and neutral in feeling or an emotional attitude may be present
What is the Significance (or So What?)?
What important meaning or understandings does the piece illuminate? How has your understanding of the topic, time period, event been enhanced as the result of this document? How does this piece relate to other pieces of evidence on the same topic, time period or event?
What is the Subject?
The general topic, content, and ideas contained in the text. Students should be able to state the subject in a few words or a short phrase.
What is the Occasion?
The time and place of the piece; the current situation. It is particularly important that students understand the context that encouraged the creation of the document. The circumstances which gave rise to the creation of the piece.
Who is the Audience?
The group of people to whom the piece is directed. The audience may be one person, a small group or a large group; it may be a certain person or a certain people. It is important for students to know that whether the piece is written or an artistic creation, the creator had a particular audience in mind.
What is the Purpose?
The reason behind the piece. What did the creator want the audience to think, say, do, become?
Who is the Speaker?
The voice that tells the story or the one through whose eyes you see the picture. It is important to point out, especially in writing, that the author and the speaker are not always the same. The information can be told from any number of different viewpoints. Furthermore, students often think that what the speaker believes, the author believes. In a painting, point out the position from which the picture is presented as a key to identifying the speaker. In nonfiction, which U.S. history students will be working with, it is important to find out something about the author's background in order to clarify the point of view being presented.
What is the Tone?
What is the underlying emotion being communicated? For historical documents, it might be official and neutral in feeling or an emotional attitude may be present
What is the Significance (or So What?)?
What important meaning or understandings does the piece illuminate? How has your understanding of the topic, time period, event been enhanced as the result of this document? How does this piece relate to other pieces of evidence on the same topic, time period or event?
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Historical Profile - Crispus Attucks
Crispus Attucks (c. 1723 – March 5, 1770) was a dockworker of Wampanoag and African descent. He was the first person shot to death by British redcoats during the Boston Massacre, in Boston, Massachusetts. He has been called the first martyr of the revolution.
Little is known for certain about Crispus Attucks beyond that he, along with Samuel Gray and James Caldwell, died "on the spot" during the incident. Two major sources of eyewitness testimony about the Boston Massacre, both published in 1770, did not refer to Attucks as a "Negro," or "black" man; it appeared that Bostonians accepted him as mixed race. Historians disagree on whether Crispus Attucks was a free man or an escaped slave; but agree that he was of Wampanoag and African descent.
While the extent of his participation is unclear, Attucks became an icon of the anti-slavery movement and was held up as an example of the first black hero of the American Revolution. The other victims of the attack were Samuel Gray and James Caldwell who, like Attucks, died immediately during the attack; Samuel Maverick and Patrick Carr died from their wounds afterward. In the early nineteenth century, as the Abolitionist movement gained momentum in Boston, supporters lauded Attucks as a black American who played a heroic role in the history of the United States Because Attucks had Wampanoag ancestors, his story also holds special significance for many Native Americans.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Crispus-Attucks/105578286141553?ref=ts&sk=info
Little is known for certain about Crispus Attucks beyond that he, along with Samuel Gray and James Caldwell, died "on the spot" during the incident. Two major sources of eyewitness testimony about the Boston Massacre, both published in 1770, did not refer to Attucks as a "Negro," or "black" man; it appeared that Bostonians accepted him as mixed race. Historians disagree on whether Crispus Attucks was a free man or an escaped slave; but agree that he was of Wampanoag and African descent.
While the extent of his participation is unclear, Attucks became an icon of the anti-slavery movement and was held up as an example of the first black hero of the American Revolution. The other victims of the attack were Samuel Gray and James Caldwell who, like Attucks, died immediately during the attack; Samuel Maverick and Patrick Carr died from their wounds afterward. In the early nineteenth century, as the Abolitionist movement gained momentum in Boston, supporters lauded Attucks as a black American who played a heroic role in the history of the United States Because Attucks had Wampanoag ancestors, his story also holds special significance for many Native Americans.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Crispus-Attucks/105578286141553?ref=ts&sk=info
Friday, November 25, 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
AP U.S History Review Project
Due Date: Tuesday November 29th, 2011
Step 1: Pick a unit/Select a Topic
1) The Founding of America
2) The American Revolutionary War
3) The Drafting and Ratification of the Constitution
4) The Civil War
5) The Reconstruction Era
6) Industrialization
7) Migration and Immigration to America
8) The Americanization Movement
9) Social Darwinism
Step 2: Research
• You must research at least six sources of information for your research paper on your chosen topic
• Sources can include, but are not limited to newspapers, magazines, books, internet, interviews, etc. – all sources must be photocopied or transcribed, so that you can refer back to them as needed
• The following information must be available for each source – if you do not have the information, you cannot use the source:
- The article/book’s title
- The name of the author/authors
- Magazine, newspaper, or book’s title
- Date of publication
- Page numbers
- Section number (newspaper)
- Internet address (website)
Step 3: For this assignment to receive full credit, the research paper must also include the following items:
1) You must locate and define 15 vocabulary words for your unit
2) Create a visual that represents the section (Images, terms, drawings, themes, major figures, ideas, quotes, etc.)
3) Submit a 6-7 page paper (Times New Roman 12pt Font, Double Spaced) explaining all of the important causes, course of events, and the significance (importance) of this event.
4) A works cited page: See Below
5) A presentation when we return to class. You will share your research and your poster with your classmates.
Step 4– Works Cited Page (List All Sources – Do not Plagiarize)
• A list of sources must be compiled – these are sources that you quote , paraphrase, and get information from to write your paper
• Copy the important information (so that someone else could find the resource) onto a notecard (3x5) – one notecard for each source
• This information will be used to create your “Works Cited” page – see below for examples of the formats of sources:
Book:
Name of author, author’s initials. (Date of Publication). Book Title. Place of Publication: Publisher.
Journal, Newspaper, and Magazine Articles:
Last name of author, author’s initials. (Date of publication – including month and day if any). Title of article. Title of Journal/Magazine, volume number (issue number – if any), page(s).
Internet:
Last name of author, author’s initials. (Date of publication). Title of article. Title of Journal/Magazine, volume number (issue number – if any), page(s). Date retrieved from which subscription database: website
Step 1: Pick a unit/Select a Topic
1) The Founding of America
2) The American Revolutionary War
3) The Drafting and Ratification of the Constitution
4) The Civil War
5) The Reconstruction Era
6) Industrialization
7) Migration and Immigration to America
8) The Americanization Movement
9) Social Darwinism
Step 2: Research
• You must research at least six sources of information for your research paper on your chosen topic
• Sources can include, but are not limited to newspapers, magazines, books, internet, interviews, etc. – all sources must be photocopied or transcribed, so that you can refer back to them as needed
• The following information must be available for each source – if you do not have the information, you cannot use the source:
- The article/book’s title
- The name of the author/authors
- Magazine, newspaper, or book’s title
- Date of publication
- Page numbers
- Section number (newspaper)
- Internet address (website)
Step 3: For this assignment to receive full credit, the research paper must also include the following items:
1) You must locate and define 15 vocabulary words for your unit
2) Create a visual that represents the section (Images, terms, drawings, themes, major figures, ideas, quotes, etc.)
3) Submit a 6-7 page paper (Times New Roman 12pt Font, Double Spaced) explaining all of the important causes, course of events, and the significance (importance) of this event.
4) A works cited page: See Below
5) A presentation when we return to class. You will share your research and your poster with your classmates.
Step 4– Works Cited Page (List All Sources – Do not Plagiarize)
• A list of sources must be compiled – these are sources that you quote , paraphrase, and get information from to write your paper
• Copy the important information (so that someone else could find the resource) onto a notecard (3x5) – one notecard for each source
• This information will be used to create your “Works Cited” page – see below for examples of the formats of sources:
Book:
Name of author, author’s initials. (Date of Publication). Book Title. Place of Publication: Publisher.
Journal, Newspaper, and Magazine Articles:
Last name of author, author’s initials. (Date of publication – including month and day if any). Title of article. Title of Journal/Magazine, volume number (issue number – if any), page(s).
Internet:
Last name of author, author’s initials. (Date of publication). Title of article. Title of Journal/Magazine, volume number (issue number – if any), page(s). Date retrieved from which subscription database: website
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Cal State Long Beach Protests 9% Tuition Hike, Chanting 'Make The 1% Pay'
Kathleen Miles (Huffington Post)
Violent protests erupted outside of the California State University Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday in Long Beach, where the board members voted 9 to 6 in favor of increasing annual tuition by 9%.
The violence, depicted in the KTLA video below, occurred as police officers tried to close doors on protestors to keep them outside of the building. According to the Associated Press, "Demonstrators tried to keep the glass doors open and one finally shattered, cutting an officer's arm. It appeared that pepper spray was used because a choking vapor filled the air. Three people were quickly taken into custody."
The tuition increase is the ninth increase in nine years, and it leaves annual tuition at just under $6,000. Students, protestors and members of the group ReFund California, which largely planned the Long Beach protest, say this makes public higher education unaffordable to many Californians.
ReFund California has organized a Nov 9-16th Week of Action, which includes week-long protests at CSU, UC and community college campuses throughout the state. The group's website reads, "We already paid! It's time to make Wall Street corporations and the wealthy pay to refund education!"
Cal State Long Beach senior James Suazo, who was at the protest earlier in the day, expressed a similar sentiment to KPCC. "They needed to create a campaign to tax the wealthiest 1 percent," Suazo said. "They need to close the corporate loopholes created by Prop 13."
In response to protestors, Assistant Chancellor Robert Turnage told the AP, "I understand why people are frustrated. A lot of this energy is misplaced." He continued, "It needs to be directed at people who have decision-making power over taxes. We have institutions to run. We have to make payroll every month."
Looking at the last two years of California tuition hikes, the Daily 49er reports on an Arizona State University study that shows California students are leaving the state to get their education elsewhere. According to the report, ASU received a 42 percent increase of California freshmen from 2008 to 2010.
The Cal State tuition increase vote came on the same day that California's nonpartisan fiscal analyst projected the state will face a $13 billion budget shortfall over the next 18 months. This budget shortfall would mean another round of budget cuts from Gov. Jerry Brown.
UPDATE -- The Associated Press confirms that three people were arrested in Long Beach after the protest and one officer suffered a cut arm from a shattered door.
Violent protests erupted outside of the California State University Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday in Long Beach, where the board members voted 9 to 6 in favor of increasing annual tuition by 9%.
The violence, depicted in the KTLA video below, occurred as police officers tried to close doors on protestors to keep them outside of the building. According to the Associated Press, "Demonstrators tried to keep the glass doors open and one finally shattered, cutting an officer's arm. It appeared that pepper spray was used because a choking vapor filled the air. Three people were quickly taken into custody."
The tuition increase is the ninth increase in nine years, and it leaves annual tuition at just under $6,000. Students, protestors and members of the group ReFund California, which largely planned the Long Beach protest, say this makes public higher education unaffordable to many Californians.
ReFund California has organized a Nov 9-16th Week of Action, which includes week-long protests at CSU, UC and community college campuses throughout the state. The group's website reads, "We already paid! It's time to make Wall Street corporations and the wealthy pay to refund education!"
Cal State Long Beach senior James Suazo, who was at the protest earlier in the day, expressed a similar sentiment to KPCC. "They needed to create a campaign to tax the wealthiest 1 percent," Suazo said. "They need to close the corporate loopholes created by Prop 13."
In response to protestors, Assistant Chancellor Robert Turnage told the AP, "I understand why people are frustrated. A lot of this energy is misplaced." He continued, "It needs to be directed at people who have decision-making power over taxes. We have institutions to run. We have to make payroll every month."
Looking at the last two years of California tuition hikes, the Daily 49er reports on an Arizona State University study that shows California students are leaving the state to get their education elsewhere. According to the report, ASU received a 42 percent increase of California freshmen from 2008 to 2010.
The Cal State tuition increase vote came on the same day that California's nonpartisan fiscal analyst projected the state will face a $13 billion budget shortfall over the next 18 months. This budget shortfall would mean another round of budget cuts from Gov. Jerry Brown.
UPDATE -- The Associated Press confirms that three people were arrested in Long Beach after the protest and one officer suffered a cut arm from a shattered door.
Monday, November 14, 2011
How to Write A Pro/Con Essay- Attn. AP and US Hist. Students...
Pros/Cons Essay Writing: Take Both Sides, Present Strengths and Weaknesses
Submitted by Tom on Mon, 10/06/2008 - 08:42. @ http://www.personal-writer.com/blog/proscons-essay-writing-take-both-sides-present-stehgths-and-weaknessesA pro/con essay is an essentially a persuasive essay where the object is for you to convince the reader that his or her position is more valid by presenting facts to prove the point. In a pros and cons essay, the writer will support the argument through both presenting facts and also “objections”, or counter-arguments, to other elements that are not in support of the argument. Even though a pro/con essay is the author’s attempt to subjectively prove his or her opinion, the bulk of the pro/con essay must be well researched facts that either prove the argument or disprove the counter argument. Your success will rise and fall based on how well facts are presented and whether or not your reader comes to a different view of the topic.
How to Write a Pro/Con Essay
The first step is to choose and understand the topic. Sometimes you will be able to choose the topic, and if so, make sure that the topic that is chosen is one with clearly defined viewpoints. Usually current event topics are excellent for this.Once the topic is chosen, you must decide the side of the issue of which he or she is in support. This will help to guide research and writing.
A strong thesis statement that makes a claim is also necessary at this point. Make the thesis statement clear and able to be defended and promoted. All of the points of a pro/con essay should either prove the thesis or undercut the opposing position. Ensure that your viewpoints have credibility by sticking to the facts when presenting information, even though a pro/con essay will have some subjectivity to it because of the persuasive element.
When writing the conclusion, be sure to reiterate the thesis and main points, but do not include any new information. Crisp, clean writing that effectively argues the point will set a great essay apart from a good essay.
Outline Template
Introduction
- Introduce the topic
- Thesis: Pick a side of the topic to be advocated for through the essay
Body
- Present arguments and evidence supporting the thesis
- Undercut arguments and evidence against the thesis
Conclusion
- Summarize main points
- Reiterate thesis
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Jay Z Attempts to Profit From Occupy Wall Street Movement
Occupy Wall Street protesters are outraged at the fact that Jay Z is the creative mind behind Rocawear Clothings' "Occupy All Streetz" apparel. Protestors say that Jay Z is another example of corporate greed, since he has not vowed to support the movement or donate proceeds from his sales of the shirts toward the Occupy Wall Street Social Movement.
“Jay-Z, as talented as he is, has the political sensibility of a hood rat and is a scrotum. To attempt to profit off of the first important social moment of 50 years with an overpriced piece of cotton is an insult to the fight for economic civil rights known as #occupywallstreet.” [Grim-TMZ, SandraRose.com]
Why would try to profit off of the first big social movement in the last 50 years without at least mentioning those who are struggling against injustice for change. Jay Z, Russell Simmons, and Kanye West have all been criticized publicly for their focus on cash in the light of recent ongoing injustices.
The shirt in question has vanished from the Rocawear.com site amid negative press.
“Jay-Z, as talented as he is, has the political sensibility of a hood rat and is a scrotum. To attempt to profit off of the first important social moment of 50 years with an overpriced piece of cotton is an insult to the fight for economic civil rights known as #occupywallstreet.” [Grim-TMZ, SandraRose.com]
Why would try to profit off of the first big social movement in the last 50 years without at least mentioning those who are struggling against injustice for change. Jay Z, Russell Simmons, and Kanye West have all been criticized publicly for their focus on cash in the light of recent ongoing injustices.
The shirt in question has vanished from the Rocawear.com site amid negative press.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Its Awful To Be a Young Man in America Right Now.....
Matt Cantor
(Newser) – Few Americans were immune to the recession, but the plight of young men continues to be particularly dire. The unemployment rate for male high-school grads ages 25 to 34 is 14.4%, far above the 9% national average; the figure also marks a huge jump from the 6.1% jobless rate they faced before the downturn, the Wall Street Journal reports. Even worse off are high-school educated men ages 20 to 24, who suffer a whopping 22.5% jobless rate.
Meanwhile, some 18.6% of men 25 to 34 are living with their parents, the highest rate since 1960. “We're at risk of having a generation of young males who aren't well-connected to the labor market and who don't feel strong ownership of community or society because they haven't benefited from it,” says a public health professor. The Journal follows the story of two 25-year-old men who went from comfortable construction jobs and up-and-coming lifestyles to sporadic, lesser-paid jobs and living with multiple roommates or mom and dad. “I wasn't living, I was surviving,” says one.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Shaking up the status quo in L.A. schools - LA Times
Steve Lopez
A disparate alliance called Don't Hold Us Back is calling on L.A. Unified and the teachers union to lay down their weapons in contract negotiations and hammer out some big-ticket reforms.
Six million, give or take. That's how many children are in public school in California.Arguably, we won't have a strong economic future if they don't get a good education.
But boy, do the grown-ups love to muck things up for the kids.
Politics, ego, endless skirmishes between school districts and teacher unions — it all gets in the way of the kids' best interests. And California spends less per pupil than all but a few states when you adjust for regional cost-of-living differences, leading to an annual ritual of laying off thousands of teachers and other staffers.
But in Los Angeles, the status quo is under attack.
Parents and education advocates are suing L.A. Unified in an effort to enforce an overlooked state law that requires teacher and principal evaluations to be linked to student achievement.
Meanwhile, a phalanx of parents, advocates and organizations, including the United Way, is demanding that L.A. Unified and United Teachers Los Angeles lay down their weapons in current contract negotiations and hammer out some big-ticket reforms. Doing so, of course, would require changes UTLA has militantly resisted.
The movement is calling itself Don't Hold Us Back, suggesting it's ready for a fight. And because it includes organizations and people who have seldom been fans of unions, critics say it's all a conspiracy to privatize public schools for personal gain. But the alliance also includes groups that have traditionally backed UTLA.
So alongside bankers and lawyers and big business, you've got the Urban League, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Community Coalition, to name a few. On Oct. 24, the group sent a letter to L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy, UTLA leader Warren Fletcher and L.A. Unified board members, demanding reforms for the sake of the district's 700,000 students.
"We recognize student test scores have been increasing incrementally over the last few years," said the letter. "However, incremental advances are simply not enough. When only 56% of our students graduate from high school in four years, we are failing close to half of our kids and consigning them to a life of poverty."
The rabble-rousers want to give more power to schools to make their own decisions on curriculum and hiring, with guarantees that parents and staff at failing schools can opt to turn things over to charter organizations or other alternative operators. They want quality, rather than just seniority, to be considered in personnel moves. They want student achievement to be a part of teacher evaluations, with professional development provided for instructors who need it and higher pay for more effective teachers.
OK, I have trouble disagreeing with much of that, and Supt. Deasy himself has been angling for those kinds of changes. But we've heard reformers call for a new day more than once, with nothing to show for it. So will things really be different this time? It's hard to see how anyone can make much of a difference unless California climbs out of the basement in education funding.
"A lot of teachers we work with are just absolutely fed up with both the funding situation and the bureaucratic nature of teaching in LAUSD," said Marqueece Harris-Dawson, president of South L.A.'s Community Coalition. Although it's parents and activists who are demanding changes, he thinks it's teachers who can best make that happen by challenging UTLA and the district to better represent their interests.
Enrique Legaspi, who teaches history at Hollenbeck Middle School, is ready to sign up. He wants teacher innovations supported rather than crushed, he wants underperforming teachers helped or dismissed so he doesn't inherit their underprepared students. He can't understand why in the age of social media, teachers aren't provided with information about innovations around the country. And he'd be happy to have 25% of his evaluation based on how well his students are testing.
David Wu, head of the Dorsey High science department at the age of 26, said he wants his union to lead the way on reforms rather than defending a status quo that's not working. He's all for using multiple measures to judge his performance because he wants more feedback on what he's doing well and what needs improving.
Kyle Hunsberger, who teaches math at Cochran Middle School, said he wishes the union would take "more initiative" in promoting a better teacher evaluation system, and he wishes the district was better equipped to address the needs of struggling students rather than "just pushing them through."
Is some of this finally possible?
"I think there's a possibility of change for schools and, more importantly, for kids. But I worry that so much of it is just a matter of political rhetoric and posturing … and that we are simply finding new ways to figure out who's going to control things," said Hunsberger, a wise young man of 29.
So what does Fletcher, the new UTLA boss, have to say about it all? I always knew where I stood with his predecessor, A.J. Duffy, who speaks bluntly. My first conversation with Fletcher was more of a dance. He told me UTLA supports much of what Don't Hold Us Back wants. But he said "the devil is in the details" and added that "collective bargaining is designed so neither side gets everything they want."
Well, here's what I want as an L.A. Unified parent.
I want good teachers protected when layoffs are necessary, regardless of their seniority, and financial incentives for great teachers who agree to work at tougher schools. I want struggling teachers identified, not so they can be punished but so they can get the help they need. I want at least as much scrutiny of principals as teachers, because they can make all the difference in the quality of a school. And I want both the district and the union to know how absurd it is that when both sides acknowledge the current teacher evaluation system is useless, years have passed without them agreeing on a better one.
It's time for the grown-ups to stop mucking things up for the kids.
steve.lopez@latimes.com
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Occupy Oakland - A day of Vandelism and Protest
LA Times
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/11/occupy-oakland-protesters-vandalize-grocery-store-banks.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+(L.A.+Now)&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
Anti-Wall Street protesters in Oakland have vandalized a Whole Foods store and shattered windows at two downtown banks.
Windows were shattered at a Bank of America branch, where someone also spraypainted "Class War" and "Shut it Down," near Lake Merritt and a Chase bank at 20th and Webster streets.
Police officers on Wednesday afternoon stood outside the Chase bank, where vandals also defaced the ATM machines, spray painting them black.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/11/occupy-oakland-protesters-vandalize-grocery-store-banks.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+(L.A.+Now)&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
Anti-Wall Street protesters in Oakland have vandalized a Whole Foods store and shattered windows at two downtown banks.
Windows were shattered at a Bank of America branch, where someone also spraypainted "Class War" and "Shut it Down," near Lake Merritt and a Chase bank at 20th and Webster streets.
Police officers on Wednesday afternoon stood outside the Chase bank, where vandals also defaced the ATM machines, spray painting them black.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
New report warns shorter school year would hurt low-income, other students
LA Times: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/10/a-new-report-warns-that-low-income-other-students-would-suffer-under-shorter-school.html
Carla Rivera
A report released Monday by a statewide advocacy group warns that low-income students, students of color and English learners will be disproportionately harmed if school districts in California move to further shorten the academic calender due to budget cuts.
The report by the nonprofit The Education Trust-West cites research findings that extending instructional time leads to academic gains and narrows the achievement gap for low-income students and struggling schools. Yet two years ago, amid a floundering economy, the state allowed districts to reduce the calender from 180 to 175 days.
And in June, Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation -– AB 114 -- that permits districts to further shorten the school year by up to seven additional days to accommodate a $1.8-billion cut in school funding that would be triggered if tax revenues fall $2 billion below projections.
If districts follow through, California could have among the shortest school calenders in the nation, and significantly shorter than countries such as the Netherlands, with 200 instructional days, and Japan with 243.
“Taking away days impacts all students, but particulary in a state like ours, has the higest impact on our highest needs students,” said Ed Trust-West Executive Director Arun Ramanathan. “We should be restoring on a state level the requirement for a full school year and should do what is necessary at the district and state level to target funds to make that happen.”
The report cited a survey of nearly 400 districts by the state Legislative Analyst’s Office, in which 57% reported shortening the school calender in 2010-2011. Meanwhile, a March study by UCLA’s Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access found that more than half of principals from schools serving low- and medium-income students reported cutting instructional days compared to only 25% of those in districts with high levels of local revenue.
AB 114, which, among other provisions, prohibits teachers from being laid off midyear, has divided the education community. To shorten the school calender, districts would have to negotiate furlough days with local teachers unions.
Even in that eventuality, a shorter school year covers only about two-thirds of the cuts schools would sustain if the midyear trigger is pulled, according to several school board associations in a September letter to Gov. Brown expressing their concern about the effect of the legislation.
State education leaders are also worried about the potential consequences of further trimming the school year.
"It would be catastrophic,” said Erin Gabel, director of government affairs for the Department of Education. “We’re talking about basic access to students’ instructional time.”
Carla Rivera
A report released Monday by a statewide advocacy group warns that low-income students, students of color and English learners will be disproportionately harmed if school districts in California move to further shorten the academic calender due to budget cuts.
The report by the nonprofit The Education Trust-West cites research findings that extending instructional time leads to academic gains and narrows the achievement gap for low-income students and struggling schools. Yet two years ago, amid a floundering economy, the state allowed districts to reduce the calender from 180 to 175 days.
And in June, Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation -– AB 114 -- that permits districts to further shorten the school year by up to seven additional days to accommodate a $1.8-billion cut in school funding that would be triggered if tax revenues fall $2 billion below projections.
If districts follow through, California could have among the shortest school calenders in the nation, and significantly shorter than countries such as the Netherlands, with 200 instructional days, and Japan with 243.
“Taking away days impacts all students, but particulary in a state like ours, has the higest impact on our highest needs students,” said Ed Trust-West Executive Director Arun Ramanathan. “We should be restoring on a state level the requirement for a full school year and should do what is necessary at the district and state level to target funds to make that happen.”
The report cited a survey of nearly 400 districts by the state Legislative Analyst’s Office, in which 57% reported shortening the school calender in 2010-2011. Meanwhile, a March study by UCLA’s Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access found that more than half of principals from schools serving low- and medium-income students reported cutting instructional days compared to only 25% of those in districts with high levels of local revenue.
AB 114, which, among other provisions, prohibits teachers from being laid off midyear, has divided the education community. To shorten the school calender, districts would have to negotiate furlough days with local teachers unions.
Even in that eventuality, a shorter school year covers only about two-thirds of the cuts schools would sustain if the midyear trigger is pulled, according to several school board associations in a September letter to Gov. Brown expressing their concern about the effect of the legislation.
State education leaders are also worried about the potential consequences of further trimming the school year.
"It would be catastrophic,” said Erin Gabel, director of government affairs for the Department of Education. “We’re talking about basic access to students’ instructional time.”
Spikes in Tuition Anger UCLA students
It was only a matter of time before college students get into the action.....Recent spikes in tuition have outraged university students who are wishing to let their voice be heard.....
LA Times:
Apparently, the 99% includes university students too.
As of Sunday, the fervor from Occupy Los Angeles and similar movements across the nation trickled down to Westwood where a group of about 20 students began occupying Bruin Plaza in the center of campus.
Occupy UCLA joins a wave of college groups across the nation who have adopted similar protests.
The group’s Facebook page has more than 200 members and lists among its goals informing and engaging students with the Occupy movement.
Protest organizer Joseph Silva said this is an opportunity for students to show solidarity with other protesters across the country.
"We need to have our own modern global student engagement movement," he said, recalling the student protests in the civil rights era.
As of now, the students do not camp out overnight on campus -- as many have at the Occupy L.A. protest downtown. They have organized meetings and information sessions on campus and in students' private residences through the end of the weekend.
Silva said the group is planning events such as a bank transfer day, during which students move their money from big banks to smaller credit unions, and a "week of action" at the end of November that will protest tuition increases with a campus sit-in.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/10/occupy-movement-goes-on-campus-.html
Occupy UCLA Facebook Page @ this link: http://www.facebook.com/groups/272814516086752/
LA Times:
Apparently, the 99% includes university students too.
As of Sunday, the fervor from Occupy Los Angeles and similar movements across the nation trickled down to Westwood where a group of about 20 students began occupying Bruin Plaza in the center of campus.
Occupy UCLA joins a wave of college groups across the nation who have adopted similar protests.
The group’s Facebook page has more than 200 members and lists among its goals informing and engaging students with the Occupy movement.
Protest organizer Joseph Silva said this is an opportunity for students to show solidarity with other protesters across the country.
"We need to have our own modern global student engagement movement," he said, recalling the student protests in the civil rights era.
As of now, the students do not camp out overnight on campus -- as many have at the Occupy L.A. protest downtown. They have organized meetings and information sessions on campus and in students' private residences through the end of the weekend.
Silva said the group is planning events such as a bank transfer day, during which students move their money from big banks to smaller credit unions, and a "week of action" at the end of November that will protest tuition increases with a campus sit-in.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/10/occupy-movement-goes-on-campus-.html
Occupy UCLA Facebook Page @ this link: http://www.facebook.com/groups/272814516086752/
An Epic Failure: Jon Corzine
John CookThere's no better argument against the privilege of wealth than Jon Corzine, the clownish former Goldman Sachs CEO who thought his facility for extracting money from a rigged financial game entitled him to run the state of New Jersey. After getting roundly rejected by voters after one term, he got a job from a friend running derivatives firm MF Global. Yesterday it went bankrupt. And today we learned that he's lost $700 million of his clients' money.
That's right—$700 million from client accounts have simply disappeared from MF Global. The missing money first came to light over the weekend as a potential buyer for the struggling firm pored over its books. When it realized that hundreds of millions in client dollars were unaccounted for, it backed out, leaving MF no choice but to file for bankruptcy yesterday.
Now the SEC, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and CME Group—a commodities exchange where MF Global did business—are investigating. According to the New York Times, it appears that the firm used client money to finance its own trades, a big no no. Either way, not being able to answer the question, "Where are you keeping the $700 million these folks gave you?" is a sign that something is very, very wrong.
Jon Corzine, the man responsible for all this, is worth a half a billion dollars.
http://gawker.com/5855259/jon-corzines-spectacular-failure-just-got-more-spectacular
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