School Notebook

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded California State University, Dominguez Hills a $1.1 million grant to further a program aimed at preparing low-income and traditionally under-represented students for doctoral study.

The Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program was established by Congress in honor of the astronaut who grew up disadvantaged and became the second African-American in space. He died in the 1986 space shuttle Challenger disaster.

The federal department adminsters funding to universities for the program through a competitive grant process. This is the second four-year grant awarded to Dominguez Hills, which has seven continuing McNair scholars and an additional 19 new students just accepted into the research-intensive program.

"We are thrilled," local program director Michelle Waiters said, calling the school's McNair scholars "a source of pride for the university" and a "dynamic group of students."

Since 2003, some 50 students have participated in the CSUDH McNair program, which boasts a 100% graduation rate and a 93% graduate school acceptance rate.

The McNair program is open to undergraduates with sophomore status or higher, who are either first-generation college students from low-income families or from racial groups underrepresented in graduate degree programs. As McNair scholars, students must maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher, participate in scholarly activities outside the classroom, complete a research project in their field of study and present a project at a research symposium.

Posted by Shelly Leachman at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Four South Bay schools have landed on U.S. News & World Report's first ever-ranking of the 100 best high schools in America.

The California Academy of Math and Science, a charter of Long Beach Unified but housed in Carson at CSU Dominguez Hills, topped the local presence with its 21st place ranking nationwide. The Animo Leadership Academy in Inglewood landed at No. 31, while Palos Verdes Peninsula High came in at No. 89. Palos Verdes High School also made the list, at No. 93.

The magazine, which for years has been so ranking colleges and universities, teamed with analysts from School Evaluation Services to develop the methodology to analyze how well high schools serve their students. They factored in poverty and economic status, including disadvantaged students, average students, and college-bound students to make those measurements.

According to the methodology, a best high school is one that succeeds at the following:

1) Attains performance levels that exceed statistical expectations given the school's relative level of student poverty, as measured by state accountability test scores for all the school's students in the core subjects of reading and math;

2) Achieves proficiency rates on state tests for their least advantaged student groups (e.g., black, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged students) that exceed state averages; and

3) Prepares its students for college, as measured by student participation in and performance on Advanced Placement (AP) tests, which are administered by the College Board.

Using this methodology, more than 18,500 high schools in 40 states were analyzed for inclusion.

The issue hits newsstands on Monday, but the "America's Best High Schools" package is available now online.

Posted by Shelly Leachman at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A communications consultant hired by LAUSD says the district needs his expertise because the daily newspapers in Los Angeles "love to focus on all the negative going on in the district." Victor Abalos, a strategist for Brewer has been signed to a one-year, $178,000 contract to develop communication strategies, including restructuring LAUSD's communications department.

Read Naush Boghossian's story for more.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

California State University, Dominguez Hills will host an informational session today (Nov. 29) for people interested in switching careers to teach at LAUSD or Lynwood Unified School District.

With Transition to Teaching, the university offers a one-year training program for people with a bachelor's degree in mathematics, science, English or other subjects.

Students earn a preliminary credential, gain placement in a middle- or high-school, get ongoing coaching and can qualify for as much as $5,000 in financial assistance. They teach full-time and complete the program during the evening.

The university's briefing is set for 5:30 p.m. For the location, call 310-243-2668. For more information, check out the program's Web site.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 6:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New York Times has a fascinating piece about how self-marketing and branding has become part of the college application process and the extent to which kids are encouraged to sell themselves to schools rather than just present their CVs and see what happens.

From Joseph Berger's story:

"The language is pure Madison Avenue, but it is richly in vogue among paid counselors who advise students on how to make strong impressions with top-flight colleges. Package yourself, they say. Brand yourself.

Branding is a buzzword among corporations, and colleges, too, are desperate to distinguish themselves. And so the philosophy — some might call it an affliction — has filtered down to those applying to the most selective colleges. "

Click here to read the article in its entirety.

Posted by Shelly Leachman at 6:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Torrance resident Andrew Hua, a junior at CSU Long Beach currently studying abroad through the Semester At Sea program, has been awarded a scholarship by Denny's, in partnership with the Hispanic College Fund.

The communications studies major was one of only 27 Latino students nationwide to receive the scholarship of up to $5,000, a merit and financial need-based award. The 2007 HCF Denny's Scholars were honored at a special gala in Washington D.C.

Speaking from his location in Egypt, having already been to Japan, China, Vietnam, India and elsewhere, Hua said: "Without this scholarship, my dream of traveling the world wouldn't have come true ... It has been an opportunity of a lifetime and I can't express how thankful I am."

Denny's partnership with HCF has helped more than 370 Hispanic students by providing more than $515,000 in scholarships over the past five years. To be eligible for the award, students must be a U.S. citizen of Hispanic/Latino heritage; be pursuing a bachelor's degree in a major related to business, engineering, technology or entrepreneurship; in good academic standing with a minimum 3.0 GPA; and enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student for a full academic year.

The Hispanic College Fund is a private non-profit organization dedicated to developing the next generation of Hispanic professionals in America. Its mission is to provide Hispanic students with the vision, resources and mentorship needed to attain successful careers and become community leaders.

Posted by Shelly Leachman at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In a special meeting Monday night, the Torrance Unified School District board of trustees reappointed Owen Griffith to the personnel commission for a three-year term commencing Dec. 1.

Griffith has served the commission since May 1999. He previously sat on the district's school board from 1967-1995, with five terms as president.

Posted by Shelly Leachman at 3:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Los Angeles Unified's seven Westchester-area schools will decide next month whether to join a reform effort led by Loyola Marymount University.

LMU's "family of schools" reform blueprint is moving closer to shifting more power locally. In the coming weeks, votes will be taken at the five elementary schools, Wright Middle School and Westchester High School.

Read Paul's story for more.

To learn more, attend a town hall meeting at 5:30 p.m. today at LMU's Ahmanson Auditorium. A second is set for 9 a.m. Dec. 8 at MacIntosh Center.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The L.A. Board of Ed reversed a move by Supt. David Brewer that would have eliminated up to six teachers from each LAUSD high school and probably not lowered class sizes, as promised.

Read Paul's story for the whole story.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 9:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After volunteering at the San Pedro-Harbor Animal Shelter, Rolling Hills Preparatory 11th-grader Sarah Ruttenberg became attached to a Chihuahua she named Mel. The pup was misdiagnosed with a thyroid problem and it was going to be put to sleep, but Ruttenberg decided to foster Mel until she could find him a home.

For all the details, read Rebecca Villaneda's story in the Palos Verdes Peninsula News.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Torrance Sister City Association is seeking Torrance residents who are high school sophomores through college freshmen, aged 19 or younger, to serve as cultural ambassadors in the Student Cultural Exchange Program.

Selected students will spend three weeks in July in Kashiwa, Japan, Torrance's sister city. The trip includes visits to Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima. Travelers are housed in Kashiwa homes.

The local association has sponsored the trip since 1974. Applications for the Summer 2008 journey are due by December 21. Interested students can find applications in their school's counseling office or by calling the Torrance Community Services Department at (310) 618-2930.

Posted by Shelly Leachman at 4:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An article in Newsweek magazine suggests that learning good, old-fashioned penmanship is still a necessity in the age of text messaging and computers and laments the declining instruction time it has been given in the classroom. (I think it struck a chord with me because lately I have been trying to help my 4-year-old learn to write legible letters on her list for Santa and I see how hard she has to concentrate.)

Anyway, here's the premise of the article:

Handwriting is important because research shows that when children are taught how to do it, they are also being taught how to learn and how to express themselves. A new study to be released this month by Vanderbilt University professor Steve Graham finds that a majority of primary-school teachers believe that students with fluent handwriting produced written assignments that were superior in quantity and quality and resulted in higher grades—aside from being easier to read. The College Board recognized this in 2005 when it added a handwritten essay to the SAT—an effort to reverse the de-emphasis on handwriting and composition that may be adversely affecting children's learning all the way through high school and beyond.

Posted by Toni Sciacqua at 3:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Charles Fleming's op-ed in the L.A. Times on Sunday offers the rare viewpoint of a parent who likes LAUSD's year-round schedule, which almost a third of district students use.

When reading, watch for Fleming's pretzel-like description of the labyrinthine four-track schedule. Fleming, a communications teacher at USC, offers this rationale for why he likes the schedule for his daughters:

Both of my daughters, in addition to taking summer family vacations, working summer jobs and enjoying the traditional summer hang-time with friends, have gotten excellent value out of their winter breaks, or "intersessions." Katie used one year's holiday to go on an extended class visit to Spain and still had time to squeeze a semester's worth of "health and life skills" into a slightly more intensive six-week class during the intersession -- like attending summer school in the winter. The next year, she toured college campuses in Washington, Oregon and Northern California and still had time to prepare for a tae kwon do black-belt examination in the spring. (She passed.)

Posted by Paul Clinton at 2:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An 1,800-page analysis of the two-year private college's plan to refurbish its library and build on-campus dormitories has hit the table, but has yet to win over activists who have complained about it.

Here's the gist of the objection from Megan Bagdonas' story:

But the sticking point for neighbors remains a proposal to build two on-campus dormitories to house 255 students. Residents say the neighborhood isn't compatible with potentially rowdy coeds bunking down in their bucolic enclave.

The Concerned Citizen Coalition, which formed in 2000 in response to Marymount's expansion plans, says it's not the increased number of cars that worries them but who's behind the wheel.

"We're not talking about traffic doubling or tripling; we're talking about the nature of it," activist Tom Redfield said. "As it is, the campus gets very quiet in the late afternoon. "But with (the dorms) we would have (students) here 24/7, and that would totally change the nature of our community."

Attend the Rancho Palos Verdes Planning Commission meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday (Nov. 27) at Fred Hesse Community Park, 29301 Hawthorne Blvd.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 1:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An article on the Newsweek web site says NYC is taking a cue from LAUSD and launching a marketing campaign to promote school attendance and lower its dropout rate:

Here's the plan: in January about 15,000 middle-schoolers from high-poverty neighborhoods will be given free cell phones. Through those phones kids will then receive taped—and perhaps even personal—messages from entertainment and sports celebrities reminding them to try their best in class. They'll be able to download "interviews" with well-to-do men and women who work as dentists, technicians, scientists and accountants and who will discuss the way they parlayed school success into financial security. Teachers will also use the phones to remind pupils about upcoming tests or an overdue homework assignment. When individuals or groups of kids improve their attendance, up their grades or display good citizenship in school, they'll be rewarded with free minutes on their phones and tickets to shows and sporting events. Kids who get phones will also be assigned mentors.

Posted by Toni Sciacqua at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By spending $4.3 million to develop a hybrid K-8 school in Wilmington, LAUSD may have paid for information it won't (for the most part) use. Board Member Richard Vladovic has proposed downsizing the project to an elementary school and shifting it to a location other than the one the district has chosen, which would essentially restart four years of planning.

Read Paul's story to find out how they spent the funds.

For a project update, attend a meeting at 6 p.m. today at Banning High, 1527 Lakme Ave.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Students enrolling in Westchester High School's aerospace magnet can expect to take two extra mathematics and science classes. What they shouldn't expect are courses in satellite technology, flight training or engineering.

Although some people may infer the school's curriculum focuses on space technology, its name is actually something of an outdated misnomer.

However that hasn't stopped the magnet school's Web page from advertizing it as such.

Read Paul's story for the full details.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Checking back with the LAUSD's much-touted dropout-prevention effort, which includes setting up a MySpace page.

Turns out LAUSD is a 17-year old male and a Capricorn. Heroes: "Students who take control of their future and make the decision to stay and earn a high school diploma."

So far, 20 friends have signed up, including "Freak," a 16-year-old girl from Carson and "Sarahi," a 17-year-old girl from Gardena. Freak is still in high school, but lists her income level as "$250,000 or higher." Maybe her pop career is starting to take off...

Posted by Paul Clinton at 6:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An LAUSD cleaning crew disinfected four classrooms at Lomita's Fleming Middle School on Monday and Tuesday. Read our story for more.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The residents of Lomita spoke out to their city leaders against a plan (pursued by Councilman Barry Waite) to build a high school at Lomita Park. They headed to the City Council meeting Monday with their southeast Torrance neighbors to protest.

Read Paul's story for more details...

Posted by Paul Clinton at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fifty-five students of the Centinela Valley Union High School District have earned the designation of AP Scholar by the College Board, in recognition of their achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Program Exams.

The AP program offers students the opportunity to take college-level courses while still in high school and receive college credit. About 18 percent of the more than 1.3 million students worldwide who took the AP exams performed at a level high enough to merit the designation AP Scholar. The award is given to students who take three or more AP exams and score a 3 or higher.

See below for the list of Centinela's so-honored.

LAWNDALE HIGH
Hazel Claros, Jonathan Loyola, Phuonghoa Nguyen, Steven Nguyen

LEUZINGER HIGH
Josue Munoz, Fatima Murrietta, Anh Minh Nguyen, Johana Perez

HAWTHORNE HIGH
Josue Aparicio, Kevin Castillo, Amirari Diego, Ennis Harrison, Ana Espinoza, Michael Gee, Andrea Hernandez, Cristina Hernandez, Alejandra Jaime, Monica Jauregui, Brenda Leon, Jessica Lopez, Adriana Luna, Miguel Martinez, Crystal Merrill, Michelle Mitchell, Tiffany Narvaez, Amy Nguyen, Martin Oropeza, Donna Orozco, Sara Peral, Brenda Perez, Gerardo Ramirez, Catherine Rios, Connie Rivera, Neil Roxas, Lizette Rubio, Salvador Sandoval, Elizabeth Serrano, Martha Villa-Guardado

Posted by Shelly Leachman at 5:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Los Angeles school board member Richard Vladovic is hosting a field event in Carson on Wednesday to answer questions or concerns. The meetings will take place one on one.

From 8 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, Vladovic will meet with community members in Room 111 of the Carson Community Center, 801 E. Carson St.

Questions should be directed to Lyle Tooks, Vladovic’s Carson field representative, at 213-241-5693.
Similar events are planned for Carson in the coming months.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 6:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kristin Mae Albaniel, a fifth-grader at Bonita Street Elementary School in Carson, was named one of 20 finalists of a science competition sponsored by KOST 103.5 FM.

For the competition, students were asked to invent a toy and describe it. Albaniel invented a board game called "The 50 States Game." She won a $100 gift card to purchase materials to build the game. On Sunday (Nov. 18), she'll participate in the Excitement of Science Fair in Los Angeles to show off her invention.

Following the fair, students will watch Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium during a private screening.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 7:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Players from the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team headed two blocks south of their Home Depot Center base to Leapwood Avenue Elementary School to read and distribute books to students.

The event is a partnership between the Wonder of Reading organization, the L.A Galaxy Foundation and the Reading is Fundamental of Southern California, all of which work to promote family literacy
programs and a life-long love of learning, according to an LAUSD release.

In this picture, forward Edson Buddle greets a student at a reading table.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 6:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Port of Los Angeles High School ran over a few humps on the road to a 5-year lease for their San Pedro school site, at 250 W. Fifth St. They could exhale Thursday, as the Harbor Commission granted them the deal, which allows the school to purchase the building by 2012.

Read Paul's story for more.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Students involved in the South Bay high school football rivalry have been getting carried away, by vandalizing the campuses. Here's a snippet from a staff report.

Buckets of green paint were unloaded on the Redondo Union High School football field and cafeteria, officials discovered this morning.

The words "Mira Costa" and initials "MC" were sprayed on the field and building in retaliation for vandalism at their field last week, said Redondo Principal Mary Little.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Parents interested in enrolling their children in Los Angeles Unified School District magnet schools for next year and getting bus transportation to classes could begin applying Thursday.

The district has more than 160 magnet schools and centers with specialties ranging from math and science and technology to the performing arts and music.

Magnet schools and the accompanying transportation program have been a key component of the district’s voluntary integration efforts.

Complete information is available in the 2008-09 CHOICES brochure sent to all LAUSD students’ parents.
The application period closes Jan. 11.

For a list of local magnet programs, see the extended entry.

Local magnet programs

Ambler Gifted/High Ability, Carson, 310-532-4090
Amestoy Trilingual, Gardena, 310-327-3716
Banning College Incentive Program, Wilmington, 310-549-7500
Curtiss Math Science, Carson, 310-537-3551
Dodson Gifted/High Ability Center, Rancho Palos Verdes, 310-833-4877
Fleming Math/Science/Technology, Lomita, 310-326-4242
Gardena Foreign Language/International Studies Center, Gardena, 310-327-5900
Harbor Math Science Gifted/High Ability Center, San Pedro, 310-833-3591
Lomita Math/Science, Lomita, 310-326-1655
Loyola Village Fine and Performing Arts Center, Westchester, 310-670-0480
Marina del Rey Performing Arts, Marina del Rey, 310-822-6788
Narbonne Math Science Center, Harbor City, 310-326-0920
Paseo del Rey Natural Science, Paseo del Rey, 310-823-2356
Peary Math Science Technology, Gardena, 310-324-1419
Purche Science/Technology, Gardena, 310-323-3184
San Pedro Marine Science, San Pedro, 310-241-5800
San Pedro Police Academy, San Pedro, 310-241-5800
South Shores Performing Arts, San Pedro, 310-832-6596
Taper Technology, San Pedro, 310-832-3056
Westchester Math Science (Aerospace) Center, Westchester, 310-338-2400
Wright Math/Science/Aerospace, Westchester, 310-258-6670

Posted by Paul Clinton at 4:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The family of a girl who was molested by a former South High School coach is suing the Torrance Unified School District, saying they hope the claim will spare others a similar fate.

Leonard Butler, 48, pleaded no contest last week to molesting the 14-year-old and another girl. He returns to court Dec. 3 for sentencing and faces up to three years in state prison. The district terminated Butler.

Read Denise Nix's story for more.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A man dressed in black clothing and a ski mask sexually assaulted a 20-year-old female student at El Camino College on Tuesday evening outside the gymnasium.

Here's an exerpt from Larry Altman's story:

The assailant ran after the Tuesday night attack outside the women's gym, leaving his victim crying on the ground. Police said she dialed 911 to summon help. A campus public safety officer found her in tears.

"The commission of the crime is so savage, we just think this guy is perhaps a habitual offender," said El Camino College Interim Police Chief Steve Port.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A group set up and funded by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett (The Birth to Five Policy Alliance) has set up a slick Web site with a wealth of information pertaining to education and resources for child development and learning before kindergarten.

The site has an extensive collection of information about child development, economic implications and evaluations of Head Start, pre-K initiatives and other programs. You can pull out a comprehensive profile of California that includes descriptions of several of the "at least 23 bills that relate to early childhood issues (that) were introduced in the California Legislature" in 2007.

Here's the mission statement:

The Birth to Five Policy Alliance works to fulfill the American promise of opportunity for all. Forty-two percent of our nation’s children under 6 live in low-income families and the “opportunity gap” is rooted in these very early years. The Alliance’s goal is to shift the odds for our youngest, most vulnerable children so they can grow up eager to learn and ready for success in life.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 6:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Three public and seven private school educators were honored Wednesday by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club of Palos Verdes Peninsula as top educators on The Hill. The kudos flew at an awards luncheon at the Los Verdes Country Club. Here they are:

1) Bob Adam, English-as-a-Second-Language teacher, Rolling Hills Preparatory School.
2) Margaret Butler, fifth-grade teacher, St. John Fisher School.
3) Margaret "Peggy" Costello, social science teacher, Rancho del Mar Continuation High School.
4) Stacy Dunn, fifth-grade teacher, Dapplegray Elementary School.
5) Malynn Hogan, social studies and math teacher, Miraleste Intermediate School.
6) Charlton Jackson, math teacher and coach, Chadwick School.
7) Sean Lathrom, social studies instructor, Riviera Hall Lutheran School.
8) Carol Murin, kindergarten teacher, Lunada Bay Elementary School.
9) Nancy Sanders, English professor, Marymount College.
10) Duncan Sutton, music and worship ministries director, Crestmont College.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 5:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reading Shelly's story today, we find out Spc. Lester Roque was attending classes at Harbor College in Wilmington. The Army soldier was killed in an ambush in Afghanistan over the weekend.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Web site of the National Center for Children in Poverty is loaded with usefull information. Here are a few of the site's nuggets:

1) The Family Resource Simulator. You can plug in your income and expenses. Based on those answers, the site generates graphs that show how family resources and expenses change as earnings increase.

2) A fact sheet illustrating that higher education is one of the most effective ways parents can increase their family income. In low-income families, 25% of children (almost 7.2 million) have parents with less than a high school diploma.

3) Data showing a decline in household income since 2000, even as the number of children living in low-income families is rising. In low-income families, 56% of children (16 million) have at least one parent who works full-time and year-round.

4) Using the "50-State Policy Wizard," you can pull out a wealth of policy data about family eligibility for Head Start, food stamps, income tax liability, minimum wage standards, Section 8 vouchers, tax credits and unemployment insurace.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to the Modern Language Association of America, enrollment in foreing language classes is up 12.9 percent from 2002 to 2006.

From the Associated Press story:

Spanish remains the most popular subject, with more than 823,000 students enrolled — up 10.3 percent since 2002 and nearly four times higher than No. 2 French.

But Arabic is the fastest-growing major language, breaking the top 10 for the first time with just under 24,000 enrollments, compared to about 10,600 in 2002. The number of institutions offering Arabic has nearly doubled to 466, including both two- and four-year colleges.

Between 2002 and 2006, Arabic enrollment jumped from 222 to 482 at Georgetown University, from 37 to 156 at Boston College and from 65 to 184 at Arizona State.

Enrollments in languages such as Russian and Arabic have traditionally spiked with world events, but Karin Ryding of the MLA and a professor of Arabic at Georgetown said she thinks these increases will stick. “Young people today understand that the world is truly and inevitably smaller, and they’re coming to the study of Arabic with serious, professional goals in mind,” she said.

Posted by Toni Sciacqua at 2:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The annual boutique to benefit the preschool comes to the Rolling Hills Estates campus Thursday and will run through Sunday.

A variety of items will be sold that are made or donated by parents, friends, families and many local merchants. The proceeds will go toward buying new educational and outdoor equipment for students at the private school.

Beautiful holiday gifts, handmade items, baked goods; fresh herbal gourmet vinegars, Broadacres' famous bean soup mix, cookie mixes, candy, and paintings will be sold. There will be silent auctions offering dinners at local restaurants and a new edition of the "Broadacres Cookbook" celebrating the school's 56 years of operation.

The holiday boutique's hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday at the school, 4915 Palos Verdes Drive North (one and a half blocks west of Silver Spur).

Please call if you have any merchandise you would like to donate and the school will arrange a pick up for you. Call 310-375-7301 and aks for Director Gayle Walti or owner Bettie Brown.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 6:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Liu, who lives in Rancho Palos Verdes, earned $1,000 for herself and $2,000 for her high school for research she presented relating to skin cancer. Liu’s research focuses on developing a method to sensitively detect melanoma cells circulating in the blood. Her research may eventually help predict cancer metastasis and enhance targeted cancer therapies, a competition spokesman said.

Liu is quickly building an impressive track record. She co-authored a paper on melanoma detection accepted for publication in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. She is currently a student researcher at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center near Torrance. Liu excels in piano, flute, voice studies, ballet and modern jazz. Her audiences may be surprised, when she discusses her cancer research before her piano performances.

Liu plans to study neuroscience and molecular biology, along with public policy, and would like to work in public health.

She also currently represents 6.4 million students in California as a full-voting student member of the California State Board of Education.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 5:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Local school board member Richard Vladovic is backing up teachers, by lobbying to nix a plan from Superintendent David Brewer that would have caused a loss of three to six teachers from each high school.

Read Paul's story for all the details.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Los Angeles School Board Tamar Galatzan's description perhaps typifies the high expectations for Superintendent David Brewer during his first year on the job as LAUSD's superintendent. Naush Boghossian's story takes a look at Brewer's performance, as well as his "rocky initiation into city and union politics as well as the massive bureaucracy at the nation's second-largest school district."

One nugget: the former Navy Admiral compares reforming LAUSD to steering a battleship. "When you put the rudder over, you don't necessarily get any movement initially."

Pick up the Daily Breeze on Sunday and you'll get Brewer's first-year report card of what he's promised and what he's delivered. Click on the video link below the story's headline online to hear the audio from Boghossian's interview with Brewer.

Brewer's true test will come starting Tuesday, when he presents his reform plan for the district to the board at a 2 p.m. meeting that can be viewed on the district's Web site.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lana Buu, this year's The Freshman columnist, was mightily impressed, when she met Andreas Kakouris, the ambassador of Cyprus.

At the Cypriot embassy, we asked about the Turkish invasion in 1974 and the current United Nations peacekeeping forces in Cyprus. We impressed the information minister and got the chance to talk to Ambassador Andreas Kakouris.

Ambassador Kakouris spoke with us for half an hour on the history of Cyprus, its role in the European Union and his personal feelings on Turkey vying for a place in the EU. After our fascinating discussion, we took a picture with the ambassador that I now proudly have framed next to my desk.

Here's the full account.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A fairly discouraging study out of UCLA reports that California students aren't making the grade. Here's an exerpt from Naush Boghossian's story, which includes info about South Bay schools.

California students are among the nation's worst academic achievers, and although some South Bay schools are bucking the trend, those in the Los Angeles Unified School District are faring even worse than the statewide average, according to a UCLA study released Thursday.

In one of the broadest looks at California's educational system, the state's high-school students ranked near the bottom nationwide on key markers including achievement, graduation and college-enrollment rates.

If current trends continue, every high school in California will fail to achieve proficiency in math by the 2014 goal set by the federal No Child Left Behind law, the report's researchers found.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the LAUSD's (protracted?) process to develop a school in Wilmington, two new sites have emerged as viable alternatives to the unpopular "Site F," a commercial block in the heart of town with a Wells Fargo bank, Latino market and other homes and businesses. The district must decide by Dec. 11 whether to roll back its approval of that site and choose one of the new ones. Trustee Richard Vladovic has called for more community input with meetings on Wednesday and Nov. 26.

Here's Paul's story.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 9:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Associated Press has a story that says California's lack of adequate technology to track its students makes it unable to properly comply with No Child Left Behind.

While the state collects reams of information about students, from their ethnicity and poverty status to their scores on the high school exit exam, most of that data is not linked. That gap means state officials do not know the answer to such basic questions as whether special programs have helped third-graders read better or how many students drop out and where they go.

There also is no way to make sure records are transferred when students move to another city or to see what courses they’ve taken.

The lack of data has kept the state perpetually at odds with federal education officials over how to measure student progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Here's the story.

Posted by Toni Sciacqua at 6:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For a few lessons on Tuesday, five classes at Torrance Elementary School had some surprise substitute teachers – professional hockey players from the Los Angeles Kings.

The local campus was one stop on the athletes “Amazing Race”-style, scavenger hunt-esque team-building activity designed by coach Marc Crawford. Among the tasks he assigned them: hitting balls at Dodger stadium, stand on a surfboard in the waters off Manhattan Beach for at least five seconds and teaching a 10-minute lesson at the Torrance school.

Five groups of players visited the campus on Tuesday, one every hour between 9 a.m. And 2 p.m. According to Principal Gerardo Yepez. They visited first-, second- and third-grade classroom, as well as a fourth-fifth-grade combination class, sometimes reading to kids and in other rooms teaching math.

“But more than that,” Yepez said, “they were presenting important messages about having dreams, pursuing them, working hard, being responsible and persistent ... I think it was a very positive experience for the kids and for the players as well.”

The players also took a few questions from their pint-sized audiences, answering everything from “How do you put on your jersey?” to “Do you guys all get along?” Yepez related.

Each teacher whose room was visited sported a Kings jersey for the day, courtesy of the educator who got the team there in the first place. Second-grade teacher Rebecca Kanehl, a devoted hockey fan, hosted a visit from Coach Crawford last year after writing him a letter, “so when he thought of this idea, he remembered Torrance El and made us a stop for this team activity,” Yepez explained.

Posted by Shelly Leachman at 5:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The two-year private college added financier Alexander Cappello and educator Joan Lescinski to its 22-member Board of Trustees. They'll begin duties in the summer of 2008.

Cappello, 52, has more than 30 years experiance in corporate management and finance, investment and merchant banking. Companies under his direction have completed in excess of $50 billion in transactions and operate in 40 countries.

The Brentwood resident has also served on boards such as YPO International, the USC Board of Trustees, RAND Corporation and Catholic Big Brothers of Los Angeles.

Lescinski, 60, currently serves as president of St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. Previously, she served as president of St. Mary-of-the-Woods College and had teaching positions at College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York, Fontbonne University in St. Louis and Avila University in Kansas City, Missouri.

Posted by Paul Clinton at 5:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)