Department of Education

Dr. Sandra Stotsky, Endowed Chair in Teacher Quality at the University of Arkansas’s Department of Education Reform and Chair of the Sadlier Mathematics Advisory Board, along with Dr. James Milgram, Emeritus Professor at Stanford University’s Department of Mathematics, will be speaking about why Common Core is not good for our children or our country, at events in Carson City, Fallon and Reno, on January 13th and 14th.

We are very fortunate to have Dr. Sandra Stotsky and Dr. James Milgram, the most qualified people on the Common Core Validation Committee, coming to northern Nevada for three public events.

They were the only two people on the committee who are content area specialists and who have written high K-12 standards; Dr. Stotsky English Lanugage Arts Massachusetts, Dr. Milgram math California.

The two of them plus three others on the committee would not sign off on Common Core. Both Stotsky and Milgram are for national standards but they both oppose Common Core.

The inaugural Nevada Governor’s Conference on Agriculture will be Nov. 13 at the Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa in Reno, the Nevada Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday.

“I am pleased to announce the very first Nevada Governor’s Conference on Agriculture,” said Gov. Brian Sandoval. “Agriculture is one of Nevada’s leading industries, contributing more than $3 billion to the state’s economy. This includes our rich and diverse agricultural industries, from ranching and farming to all the associated businesses that keep these industries vibrant.”

The 2014-2015 school year marks the 10th anniversary of the Poetry Out Loud program. Since 2005, more than 16,000 students throughout Nevada have powered up poetry by memorizing and reciting the words of classic and contemporary poets. Students can be a part of this creative community and join the celebration of the spoken word.

Carson High School officially opened its new, very modern engineering computer lab Friday. The room's previous purpose was the old weight training facility but with the new addition of the wrestling room the logical place to break ground for the new lab was the old weight room.

Public concerns over Nevada’s super-data system – which will soon track every public school student from pre-kindergarten to college and into the workforce – has prompted the Nevada Department of Education to invite public input on its proposed policies for securing student information and regulating who has access to it.

A FORUM for PARENTS, STUDENTS, TEACHERS, and CONCERNED CITIZENS

THE COMMON CORE CONTROVERSY, CONCERNS, COSTS
All you need to know about COMMON CORE's impact on K‐12 Students

TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2014
4:30 PM ‐ 7:30 PM
Nevada Room, Governor's Mansion, 606 Mountain Street, Carson City

PANEL of SPEAKERS

LANCE IZUMI, J.D., Senior Fellow, Pacific Research Institute
Author of “Obama's Education Takeover; Not as Good as You Think.”

Title:
The Shortcomings of COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS.

Julia Teska has been appointed by Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval as state budget director replacing Jeff Mohlenkamp who will be leaving April 4. Teska is currently the deputy superintendent for Business and Support Services at the Department of Education.

The adoption and implementation of Common Core (CCSS) in Nevada is patently ILLEGAL. Everything they are doing, everything they have done, and the way they have gone about it is illegal.

On the Nevada side,

According to the NRS 389.520, the authority to determine what STANDARDS will be imposed on Nevada's schools is assigned to the Council To Establish Academic Standards. 

NRS 389.520

1.  The Council shall:
     
(a) Establish standards of content and performance, including, without limitation, a prescription of the resulting level of achievement

Finding ordinary magic just became a little easier for Amanda Aldridge, who teaches high school English in the agricultural community of Yerington, 80 miles outside of Reno. Thanks to money awarded through the Nevada Poetry Out Loud Program, a national poetry recitation competition for high school students, Aldridge added $500 in her budget for resources to help students overcome fears and experience the magic of poetry.

This is a plea to the readers of this great news site to educate themselves about the Common Core "State" Standards being implemented in our schools, and to join with the growing numbers of parents and concerned citizens who seek to reverse course and do something better before it's too late for our children and grandchildren.

The Carson City School District is seeking applicants for substitute teaching positions for the current 2013-2014 school year. Additional substitute teachers are needed to support the implementation of the district’s bold reforms, supported by the highest nationally rated $10 million Race to the Top Grant.

Achieving their goals - to "strike out the stigma" of the LD / ADHD label and to empower those living with learning disabilities (LDs) and ADHD - is the focus of 5 college students, Eye to Eye mentors, who will make a special stop in Reno during a 12-day road trip: the Eye to Eye LD / ADHD STRIKE OUT STIGMA NATIONAL TOUR.

The bill requires officers to take certain actions when they encounter possible victims of human trafficking. It also requires the state Department of Education to develop and distribute material relating to the trafficking of children.

Assemblyman John Hambrick, R-Las Vegas, read the bill on the Assembly floor.

Cybersecurity, prevention, community planning, intelligence and public information are among 10 priorities outlined by the Nevada Commission on Homeland Security for future funding, officials announced Friday.
Gov. Brian Sandoval and 16 voting members of the Commission made the recommendations, according to a news release.
Below is the release:

Recently, while dialing thru the radio spectrum I stumbled upon the “conservative” Mike Gallagher talk show, which is broadcast locally here in Carson City, on KKFT-99.1.

Mr. Gallagher stated (and I am paraphrasing here) “our children are not allowed to pray in public schools”

“The United States Supreme Court has never held that students cannot pray in school.

CARSON CITY – The U.S. Department of Education announced today that 16 applicants, including the Carson City School District, will share nearly $400 million in Race to the Top funds to improve student learning.

The award will mean up to $10 million to the district. An application submitted by the Clark County School District did not receive funding.

The Carson City School District is a finalist for millions of dollars in federal money through the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top program. Grants range from $5 million to $40 million.
Superintendent Richard Stokes said he learned the district was a finalist on Monday. There were 61 applications for the money.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval announced today that the Clark County School District’s  $40 million Race to the Top grant application will move forward with the support of the Clark County Education Association.

CARSON CITY – Forget the tame, staid, policy driven debates seen in most races in Nevada so far this year.

High school teachers and students are invited to get involved in Nevada Poetry Out Loud, the dynamic poetry program that is structured similarly to the National Spelling Bee, but focuses on literary heritage through memorization and performance of classic and contemporary poetry. Registration for The Eighth Annual Nevada Poetry Out Loud competition is open to all Nevada public, private, charter, parochial and alternative schools and home school associations through Dec. 1.

CARSON CITY – It took all of about ten minutes for Sen. Dean Heller and Rep Shelley Berkley to mix it up in their first debate in the U.S. Senate race Thursday, criticizing each other on campaign issues ranging from ethics to Medicare to big oil subsidies.

The hour-long debate on KNPB-TV in Reno was the first chance for many voters to see the two candidates spar on the issues, most of which have already been the focus of campaign attacks in the race to date.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval will support some level of funding in his next budget to continue the work of implementing a statewide longitudinal data system (SLDS) to allow for the measurement of individual student performance over time.

CARSON CITY – A panel of lawmakers today recommended that Nevada’s public education funding formula be revised to take into account the higher cost of educating specific groups of students, including English-language learners and children in poverty.

But lawmakers also acknowledged that updating the formula won’t mean any significant changes in funding for the state’s 17 school districts until the state’s economy improves and tax revenues increase.

There is no proposal to shift funding from one district to another to fund a new weighted formula.

CARSON CITY – The U.S. Department of Education today approved Nevada’s request for a waiver from the No Child Left Behind Act in exchange for state-developed accountability measures.

Nevada’s accountability plan is designed to prepare all students for college and career readiness, substantially raise the achievement of the lowest achieving students, and support effective teaching and administration.

CARSON CITY – A state panel charged with implementing a system to track individual student performance from preschool through entry into the workforce is recommending that $4 million in state funds be appropriated by Gov. Brian Sandoval and the 2013 Legislature to help accomplish the task.

LAS VEGAS – State senate Majority Leader and 4th Congressional District candidate Steven Horsford, D-North Las Vegas, said he supports the federal health care law that was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in late June.

CARSON CITY – Three of the Republicans seeking the right to challenge state Democratic Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford for Nevada’s new 4^th Congressional District seat sought to establish their conservative credentials in a televised debate today.

CARSON CITY – Two Nevadans and a scholar from Texas made the final cut today for the job of state superintendent of public instruction.

René Cantú Jr., Caroline McIntosh and James Guthrie were selected from among five finalists by the state Board of Education to forward to Gov. Brian Sandoval for him to select the new state public schools chief. Sandoval is expected to announce his choice sometime next month.

CARSON CITY – Nevada is joining with many other states in seeking a waiver from the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, a state panel was told today.