[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Peter Schrag

As California approaches the "year of education" that won't be, what education consultant John Mockler calls the "schools suck" industry continues to churn out information falling somewhere between distorted and flat wrong.

Although California's fiscal problems are likely to limit "reform" next year to a lot of low-cost stuff, it might still be nice to get the picture right.

The most recent flagrantly false factoid appeared in a news story late last month asserting that California's is a "system in which fewer than half of all ninth-graders end up with a high school diploma."

In 2002-3 there were 520,000 ninth-graders in California schools. In 2006, the most recent year for which data are available, 349,000 (67 percent) got diplomas. But since ninth-grade enrollment is famously bloated by the thousands of students who are held back, the better base is probably eighth grade. Using that number (for 2001-2) 75 percent got diplomas.

That's still not great – especially considering the many black and Latino students who don't make it – but a long way from "fewer than half." And if you count those who get general education diplomas outside the regular school system, the count is still higher.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Despite a much earlier primary of February 5, California has still missed out on a lot of the presidential action, the Sacramento Bee reports. Analysts are saying the Super Tuesdaystates, which includes New York, New Jersey, Texas, California andothers, may simply serve to validate a presumed nominee. But if theresults of the earliest states are mixed, things might get moreinteresting.

The Los Angeles Times editorializes with some straight talk on education reform this morning, calling for higher accountability, merit pay for teachersand more aggressive re-assignment of gifted teaches to troubledschools. These are not the only answers—funding is often what holdsback reform—but the problems facing California schools are more thanbudgetary.

Governor Schwarzenegger has been kind to the chiropractic industry, stacking the state's oversight board with appointees who a lax with therules and light on discipline, according to the Bee. Interestingly, theGovernor also slashed the oversight board's budget, making them lessable to regulate even if they wanted to.

There's more... 

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Peter Schrag

Brace yourself: California is about to get another "year of education." It will almost inevitably come with high-decibel laments about the dismal performance of California schools, excessive expectations about all the things schools can do and Bulfinch-size volumes of myths about how great they once were.

There'll be lots of modish talk – about categorical programs, testing, standards, proficiency, funding, governance, college preparation, career technical education, merit pay, class size, accountability, English learners – but little attention to what's worked.

David Long, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's secretary of education, told an interviewer for California Schools Magazine recently that the year of education "means that we'll start that creative, assertive, thoughtful conversation. ... It's going to take some time, so I always caution people that everything isn't going to be accomplished in 12 months."

That's a relief. The governor's man says it will take more than 12 months to do the job. Since the nation has been fixing schools since the founding of the Boston Latin School in 1635, it shows a rare glimmer of realism. It's especially encouraging in a governor's office that hasn't shown much capacity for, or interest in, serious educational matters.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Governor Schwarzenegger has canceled trips to England and India in case he needs to call a special legislative session to addresshealth care, water storage, and redistricting, according to the SacBee. These issues, which the Governor identifies as among his toppriorities, have been delayed due to the budget impasse.

High temperatures are expected to continue into the Labor Day weekend, including in the Los Angeles area, whereincreased use of electricity has strained power grids and causedoutages, reports the San Jose Merc. Utilities are supplying recordamounts of energy, mostly due to increased use of air conditioning.

One third of California’s schools failed to meet benchmarksset by the No Child Left Behind program this year, according to the SanJose Merc. California schools also showed little improvement on thestate’s Academic Performance Index. The SF Chron further highlights the failure of 37 schools in the Bay Area.