Best Grassroots Activism: Si se puede!

Hundreds of thousands of immigrants hit the streets around the nation in a series of rallies, parades and street protests to fight changes in immigration laws that would make things even tougher for immigrants.

The protests began in response to proposed legislation known as H.R. 4437, (The Border Protection, Anti terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005) which raised penalties for illegal immigration and classify unauthorized immigrants and anyone who helped them enter or remain in the US as felons.

1. San Diego Tribune-Union reports that California community schools’ fees will drop on Jan. 1. The fee decrease – from $26 to $20 per unit – was approved this fall over concerns about falling enrollment in the state community college system.

http://tinyurl.com/vkyzu

2. The San Francisco Chronicle lists the obituary of Jerry Kenney, the former principal of Hillcrest Elementary School and a graduate of Mission HS.

http://tinyurl.com/ykc92o

3. The BBC reports that the Queen honored a school clerk and paraprofessional in this year’s New Year’s Honors List. Both were made Members of the Order of the British Empire. (MBE) Way to go, Elizabeth II!!

Due to the holiday season, there hasn’t been any announcements of new grants that I could find in my research. But here are two foundations that do give grants to public schools in San Francisco.

1. The San Francisco Foundation, Attention: Dr. Sandra Hernandez, 225 Bush Street, Ste. 500, San Francisco, CA 94104, intent to apply email: apps@sff.org, www.sff.org (This is the largest foundation funding education in SF.)

Deadline: June and December for Intent to Apply; Feb. and August for full proposal approval.

As noted in earlier posts, “No Child Left Behind” requires that all students must be at grade level (”proficient”) or above. Students in grades 6-8 take a standardized test for English Language Arts. Only students in the 6th grade take a mathematics test.

To achieve the goal of all students testing at grade level, the state sets a yearly Annual Measurable Objective (AMO) for each district. The state set SFUSD’s 2005-06 Annual Measurable Objective (AMO) at 23% for English Language Arts and 23.7% for mathematics. This means that 23% of the students in the District must test at grade level/proficient or above in English Language Arts and 23.7% for mathematics.

A senior from Galileo High School has been missing. He was last seen on Thursday, Dec. 14-and his parents are still waiting for his return. Please keep an eye for him.

His description is:

MISSING: Metwally, Joseph BM DOB:05/26/1989, HGT:5′07″, WGT:150 lbs., black hair and brown eyes, LSW a black beanie, a black shirt, dark blue “ECKO” jeans, and black running shoes.

Missing from the 2900 block of block of Pacific Ave. on 12-14-2006 at 07:30 a.m.

IF YOU SEE OR LOCATE JOSEPH METWALLY PLEASE CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY.

SFPD Missing Persons Unit: 415-558-5508
Operations Center: 415-553-1071

SFPD Case #: 061327465

Under “No Child Left Behind,” public schools are required to ensure that all students are at grade level (proficient) or above by 2013-14 in English Languge Arts and mathematics. Elementary students in grades 2nd through 5th are tested in April at each school.

To achieve this goal, the state sets a yearly Annual Measurable Objective (AMO) for each district. This year, the state has set SFUSD’s 2005-06 Annual Measurable Objective (AMO) at 23% for English Language Arts and 23.7% for mathematics. This means that 23% of the students in the District must test at grade level/proficient or above in English Language Arts and 23.7% for mathematics.
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The results are shown in the percentage of the school’s students that tested above proficient, proficient (grade level), basic and far below basic. The results are then provided by the state in the following August. You can see SFUSD’s results at: http://star.cde.ca.gov/star2006/Viewreport.asp

Under “No Child Left Behind,” each school district makes adequate yearly progress (AYP) to ensure that each child is at grade level (i.e. proficient) by 2013-14 in English Language Arts and Mathematics.

To get to this goal, each district must have a certain percentage of number of students tested and they must meet a specific Annual Measurable Objective (a certain percentage of students who are proficient or above proficient) for English Language Arts and Mathematics for every subpopulation. A subpopulation is an identificable group of students (i.e. African American, Asian American, Latino and students with disabilities).

SFUSD along wtih Parents for Public Schools and SF Education Fund, is
doing a series of community meetings on Student Retention, Enrollment
and Recruitment. The meetings are designed to get input from the
community through a series of questions about the criteria that the district should use to close schools.

The next meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday,
January 3 from 7-9 p.m. at the Northern Police Station’s Community
Room, 1125 Fillmore Street.

The SF Chronicle reports that School Board President Yee was in surgery today after he was hit by a car late Tuesday night.

We wish a speedy and full recovery for President Yee. Our thoughts and best wishes are with him and his family.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/28/BAG3RN9EU04.DTL

Just a little over a year since Katrina, New Orleans has gone from “the city that care forgot” to “the city that forgot to care” On January 4th, one more battle in the struggle for housing rights will end. More than 115 families will be evicted from the Woodlands apartment complex in Algiers. Approximately 300 residents, more than 80% of whom are women and children, will be turned out of the Woodlands. A brief stay of eviction allowed them to remain home through the holidays. Although some have managed to find some place to move to, approximately half the residents have been unable to find housing in the post-Katrina inflated housing market. With little over two weeks left, in the midst of the holiday season, these families are scrambling to stay off the streets.