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	Take action to help kids in math and science Nothing has a greater impact on student learning than the quality of the teacher in the classroom. SB 1660 helps struggling schools hire more quality math and science teachers to help students succeed. Click here to here to send a letter to ask your Assemblymember to support the bill. The proposed budget deals a huge cut to our schools. Click here to send a letter to your Assemblymember to oppose the reduction. On the same day the Governor released the initial budget, a major national study gave California a D+ in school funding. And that was before this new round of cuts. To learn more about the state budet click here. Visit www.ebudget.ca.gov to see the Governor's latest budget. It's clearly going to be a tough year, but we all know our schools are already underfunded. The latest Education Week report ranked California 46th in the nation in per-pupil funding, nearly $2000 below the national average. Click here to send a letter to let your Assemblymember know that budget cuts for schools shortchange our children and compromise our future. May 12 \| Despite high school algebra focus, more students need remedial college math By Deb Kollars The Sacramento Bee Five years ago, California took a bold step and began requiring algebra of every graduating high school senior. The grumbling ran deep. The work was hard. The underlying equation came through loud and clear: More math in high school would equal more students prepared for college. For many, it hasn't added up. Click here to read more... Click here to send a letter to your Assemblymember to help put more quality math and science teachers in California classrooms. May 2 \| California Senate approves bonus plan to draw experienced teachers to struggling schools *The Los Angeles Times* SACRAMENTO -- -- Legislators on Thursday advanced proposals to help poor-performing schools attract experienced teachers... The proposal, which will now go to the Assembly, addresses concerns that students at the worst-performing schools are more likely to have science and math teachers who are on emergency credentials or who lack the training, experience and specialization to teach the subjects effectively, according to state Sen. Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles), author of the measure. Click here to read more... April 21 \| Pay incentive can lure teachers to poor schools The San Jose Mercury News California faces a shortage of math and science teachers, but it's not evenly spread. In low-performing districts, the proportion of teachers lacking sufficient knowledge of these subjects is far greater, and it presents one more obstacle to preparing students for college. The state has the legal and moral obligation to erase this inequity. Last week, the Senate Education Committee took a small but monumental step when it passed a bill providing districts with a way to pay higher salaries to math and science teachers in troubled schools. Click here to read more... Click here to send a letter to your Assemblymember on the bill. April 15 \| Opportunity knocks: Don't keep schoolchildren waiting By Ted Mitchell The San Jose Mercury News After seven months of waiting, William Chavarin recently got the phone call he'd been hoping for: His son, long on the waiting list for the second grade at a well-reputed school, was in. If Chavarin had been applying to a pricey private school, the moment would hardly have been unusual. But the school in question is a public one, in the heart of the Oakland flatlands, with no admission requirements - just a long waiting list stemming from its strong reputation. Click here to read more... April 7 \| Handwriting is on the wall *The Lompoc Record* Every so often, the U.S. Department of Education conducts what it calls a “National Assessment of Educational Progress,” which is bureaucrateze for what is, essentially, a national report card. The purpose of the assessment is to let everyone know just how our youngsters are doing in school - just as the report card that comes home with your child periodically is supposed to give you a snapshot of how he or she is doing in the classroom. The latest report card concerns writing skills, one of the bedrocks of a good education. If this assessment were a real report card being sent home with your child, and if the kid had any duplicity in his or her body, it's one you might not get to see. Click here to read more... April 1 \| U.S. to Require States to Use a Single School Dropout Formula By SAM DILLON The New York Times Moving to sweep away the tangle of inaccurate state data that has obscured the severity of the nation’s high school dropout crisis, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings will require all states to use one federal formula to calculate graduation and dropout rates, Bush administration officials said on Monday. Click here to read more... March 20 \| Major education report hits Capitol with a thud By Anthony York Capitol Weekly It was supposed to the blueprint for the governor's Year of Education Reform. Instead, it has become a metaphor for the fleeting nature of political promises and the state's hummingbird-like focus when it comes to major policy overhauls. The once much-anticipated report from the Governor's Committee of Education Excellence was released Friday with a resounding shrug of the shoulders, and it could become the latest in a long line of little-noticed and little-covered policy reports commissioned by the governor's office. Click here to read more... Click here to read a summary of the report March 18 \| State's school districts prepare for cuts, layoffs Austerity measures may not be enough, officials say. By Jason Song The Los Angeles Times A clearer -- and more ominous -- picture emerged Monday of school districts' struggles to balance their budgets in preparation for a potential $4.8-billion state funding shortfall. Districts around the state met two deadlines Monday: They were required to notify employees of possible layoffs and they had to report their financial data to county offices of education. Click here to read more. March 8 \| Governor vows to protect homeschooling By Jill Tucker & Bob Egelko The San Francisco Chronicle SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger denounced a state appeals court ruling that severely restricts homeschooling and promised Friday to change the law if necessary to guarantee that parents are able to educate their children at home. "Every California child deserves a quality education, and parents should have the right to decide what's best for their children," Schwarzenegger said in response to the ruling, which said children educated at home must be taught by a credentialed teacher. Click here to read more... Click here to read more about the court reading.