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LONG BEACH -- Members of the California State University faculty union have voted to support a plan requiring them to take two unpaid furlough days per month for a one-year period, union officials announced Friday.
Members of the California Faculty Association voted 54 percent to 46 percent in favor of the furlough plan proposed by the CSU administration as a budget-saving measure, union officials said.
Voting results for Cal State Long Beach faculty were not immediately available.
"This vote has been a painful exercise. The choices were terrible," CFA President Lillian Taiz, a professor of history at CSU Los Angeles, said in a statement. "There were principled positions on both sides of this thorny question."

This interesting Associated Press "Fact Check" article looks at some of the claims that people make frequently about international comparisons, saying that U.S. kids test worse than other countries, spend less time in school and have a lower graduation rate. According to the AP, statistics tell a more complicated story, with U.S. performance - although not absolutely stellar - comparing more favorably than some education critics assume. An excerpt:

"The U.S. does trail the most high-achieving countries, mostly developed nations in Asia such as Singapore, Taiwan and Japan. But the U.S. holds its own in the group that comes next, a group of developed countries that, depending on the test, includes England, Germany and Russia. In fact, the U.S. has gained on some of its toughest competitors since 1995, making bigger strides in math than Singapore and Japan, and in science than Japan."

Corporal punishment in school is illegal in California, but a spanking controversy has hit a publicly funded charter middle school in Memphis, prompting opposition from the California-based activist group "Hitting Stops Here!", according to this story from the Commercial Appeal newspaper.  Males get a wooden paddle, while girls are given "lashes to the fingers with a leather strap," according to the article. In an unusual twist, much of the discipline is meted out at student assemblies. An excerpt:

Spanking has been part of MAHS's strategy since the school opened in 2003, said principal Curtis Weathers. Parents must sign a contract before their children are admitted."This is nothing that we are ashamed of," Weathers said. "It's very effective for us as a strategy for avoiding certain conducts."

[The director of  "Hitting Stops Here!" said that she] wants parents to know "there are other ways to treat children without beating the tar out of them."

At San Jose State University, apparently yes. According to this Mercury News story, the university is encouraging its "super seniors" to graduate to open spots for some freshmen. An excerpt:

A startling new analysis shows that about 1,500 students have perched at senior status for at least three years. Of these, 35 have been enrolled at SJSU for at least a decade. Two particularly scholarly souls have studied for 15 years, each earning about 360 units toward a bachelor's degree -- enough to have graduated three times over. That's how long it takes to become a doctor, then a lawyer, then earn a Ph.D.  School officials say they're flattered that students want to stay -- but it's too much of a good thing. "So other people can come, somebody has to leave," urged SJSU Provost Carmen Sigler.

 

But the article rightly notes that when economies sour and jobs dry up, seniors often find it in their self-interest to spend another year in school getting more skills.

According to a study by Sallie Mae, students are increasing their use of credit cards to pay for books and tuition. An excerpt from a summary:

Nearly one-third (30 percent) put tuition on their credit card, an increase from 24 percent in 2004, when the study was last conducted. In total, 92 percent of undergraduate credit cardholders charged textbooks, school supplies, or other direct education expenses, up from 85 percent in the previous study. Students who used credit cards to pay for direct education expenses estimated charging $2,200, more than double 2004's average of $942.

An interesting Associated Press article about how rising joblessness and a sour economy are affecting job opportunities for special education students during high school to gain skills and training. Students in occupational diploma programs typically have a cognitive or physical impairment. An excerpt:

The occupational diploma programs emerged in recent years across some Southern states -- Alabama and Mississippi included -- to help young people with disabilities enter the work force through paid jobs while they complete high school. Hundreds have used the programs to acquire the skills employers demand, often landing permanent jobs after graduating. Yet this isn't a normal economy, and the work force is shrinking daily.

Tommy McWhorter, who owns a Piggly Wiggly supermarket in east Alabama's Chambers County, has employed three occupational diploma candidates on average each of the past eight years. He didn't take any students this year as his staff shriveled from 22 to 15 workers. When minimum wage went up, and gas went up, and plastic went up ... everything hit us at one time," he said. "We had to take cuts, and in retail the first cut is naturally payroll."

This one is at the University of Maryland, where some students screened a portion of a pornographic film in the student union, despite threats from a state legislator that he would seek to withhold construction funds until the school develops an "acceptable" policy on pornography on campus, according to this Washington Post story. The university says that it could not block the screening but insisted on an academic component. Professors discussed the issue of pornography and free-speech at the screening. Here's an excerpt from the Post article: (I'd be curious to hear your opinion on the incident.)

About half an hour of the 2 1/2 -hour film was shown. The point was the principle, not the porn, several student leaders said. Besides, the NCAA championship game was starting about 9. "That was crazy. I don't know what they were thinking, to put that in a public viewing, especially on a college campus," said Idara Inokon, 19. "It's just not appropriate." But Dmytro Berkout, a 19-year-old student from Ukraine, said the controversy was a lot of fuss -- by both sides -- over nothing. State Sen. Andrew P. Harris (R-Baltimore County) last week threatened to block the university's $424 million share of state operating funds over plans to show the film at a theater in the student union.

Colleges and universities are increasingly posting on YouTube footage of tours, lectures and classes, available for viewing by anyone with a computer. The videos are hosted on YouTube's web site here. An excerpt from an Associated Press report

There are promotional videos like campus tours, but the more interesting content is straight from the classroom or lecture hall. Many schools have posted videos of guest lecturers, introductory classes and even a full semester's course. At a time when many are finding college unaffordable and the ranks of the unemployed are swelling, free higher learning can sound like a good way to spend some free time. "There's a huge appetite around the world for people to better themselves, to study subjects that they either never got a chance to or haven't studied in a while," said Obadiah Greenberg, the strategic partnership manager for YouTube.

Just for fun, I'm posting periodic math questions from the California High School Exit Exam or the SAT. This is from the exit exam (sample question released by the state.) As it's about sales taxes, I find it pretty topical given our recent increase in California. See if you can get it, and post your answer as a comment if you like. I'll post the answer on Monday.

Marcus plans to buy a Compact Disc (CD) that has a regular price of $13.99. It is on sale for 10% off, but Marcus will have to pay 7% sales tax. Which is the MOST reasonable estimate of the total cost of the CD including tax?

A) $12.50
B) $13.50
C) $14.50
D) $15.50

In an unusual case, parents of an Ohio boy who committed suicide after being persistently bullied have sued the school district in federal court, alleging that officials were negligent in failing to address the bullying. An excerpt from News-Herald story:

The day of his suicide "classmate told him .... within earshot of other Mentor High students and his math teacher, "Why don't you go home and shoot yourself? No one would miss you," the lawsuit claims. .... Teasing, verbal intimidation and name-calling -- terms such as "gay," "queer" and "homo" -- would lead to pushing, shoving and hitting in the classroom and hallways, according to the lawsuit. An administrator even saw Eric crying in the hallway the day of his death but took no action, the lawsuits claims. Eric's mother, who works at Roosevelt Elementary in Euclid, calls the filing a final effort to get the Mentor School District to admit it has a problem.

The suit says the district violated Eric's civil right to safety and the family's 14th Amendment rights to raise and educate him in a safe environment. I don't know much specifics behind the case, but I'm curious to hear what you think about this. Transferring to another high school doesn't appear to be an option in the Mentor, Ohio school district, which apparently has only one high school. Anyone have any thoughts on this lawsuit?