Keeping quality educators in the California schools is of primary concern to everyone in the state. Without well-educated California schools youth, the city, businesses and economy of the state will suffer. Thus, when Lionstone Group, a research-based real estate investment firm, announced last month they and CSTRS had formed a discretionary $100 million real estate investment fund, the news was well received by everyone. As with any organization, good benefits will attract and keep quality educators in the California schools.

What makes the announcement so exciting is Lionstone’s track record with another fund it created with the Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund (OPERF). Called the Cash Flow Office One, the fund has consistently exceeded expectations since its inception in December 2002. At that time, OPERF committed $75 million to the fund, expecting Lionstone to invest the capital within 24 months. Lionstone invested over 80 percent of OPERF’s capital within 12 months with excellent returns. OPERF expanded its funding commitment in 2004 and now has over $200 million of equity and owns 20 office buildings around the country that are valued at $550 million.

Like OPERF’s fund, the California schools educators’ fund, known as the Cash Flow Office Two, will target high occupancy office buildings in permanent locations across the United States.

CSTRS has committed $100 million to the fund, which can grow to over $500 million over time. Lionstone contributes one percent of the fund’s total equity. With the combined equity added to debt of up to 50 percent loan-to-value (LTV), the total buying power of the fund is approximately $1 billion.

The Lionstone Group was formed in 2001. It creates national investment strategies using primary research. Dedicated teams execute each investment strategy, including the fund for the California schools educators. Before creating the fund with the California schools educators’ retirement system, Lionstone refined their investment process to target locations that produce buildings with lower risk factors, according to Lionstone Principal Dan Dubrowski.

The California schools CSTRS Portfolio Manager Michael Thompson stated that the Lionstone management team over the Cash Flow Office Two fund is very entrepreneurial. He added that their skill set will enable CSTRS to continue to grow their core real estate portfolio.

This news gives all California schools educators hope for a better future, knowing they have an excellent resource during their tenure with the California schools and in retirement.

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Patricia has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues. For more information on California schools visit California Schools

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patricia_Hawke

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act has been mired in controversy ever since it was introduced by president Bush five years ago. Its proponents insist the bill is the only solution to improve the education system in the country. Opponents argue that it’s a one size fits all option that attempts to micromanage schools with out taking into consideration other factors that are a measure of a school’s success.

California school districts have been vociferous in their opposition to NCLB, and now teachers in the state’s schools are demanding that the state’s politicians do their bit to help block NCLB. Authorities in California schools have appealed to Congress to block the reauthorization plans for NCLB that have been brought forward by two of the state’s most prominent politicians -Democratic senator George Miller of Solano, Chairman of the House Labor Relations and Education Committee, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat from San Francisco. California schools say Miller and Pelosi’s proposed reauthorization continues to focus on school scores on standardized tests as a measure of the school’s ranking and does not take into consideration other factors like attendance rates in California schools and the difficulty of the curriculum. They also propose that NCLB should take into consideration the numbers of students graduating from California schools, and the numbers of students taking part in honors or advanced placement courses in deciding school rankings.

How NCLB Negatively Impacts California Schools

This year NCLB labeled one in every four California schools as “failing.” Among the California schools labeled with this dreaded tag was a distinguished school that had managed to successfully clear 45 out of the 46 components in NCLB. The reason it was labeled “failing”? Ten students did not score high enough on one English language test. It is situations like these that are getting people in the California schools up in arms about a law they feel punishes low performing schools and teachers to the extent that they fall further down the rankings. It also pulls down high performing schools because of low test scores in one isolated subject.

Experts at California schools insist the NCLB has a blinkered approach, and their fears have been compounded by the Miller Pelosi reauthorization proposal which they say will continue to punish teachers in California schools. The state estimates that it will need at least 100,000 teachers in the next 10 years and fears the continuation of NCLB will discourage new recruits. The Miller-Pelosi proposal erodes local control while giving Washington the power to micromanage its schools. California schools are equipped to handle their own affairs and decide what works best for their students, and should be allowed to do so.

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information please visit California School Districts

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patricia_Hawke

His acting career took off with the successful Conan the Barbarian with Schwarzenegger in the lead and chosen specifically for his perfect physique. In 1997, he was proclaimed the greatest bodybuilder of the 20th century, and the Guiness Book of World Records named him “the most perfectly developed man in the history of the world”.

Among his many business ventures, Schwarzenegger owns World Gym Enterprises and All Star Fitness Products, and is co-responsible for the Arnold Classic Pro Bodybuilding and Fitness shows. Additionally, he headed the Council on Physical Fitness and Sports for former President Bush.

Is it any wonder that, as governor for the state of California, Schwarzenegger wants California schools’ students to exercise more, eat better, and be more physically fit. To that end, he has issued a challenge to all California schools’ students in order promote an increased level of physical activity.

He wants all kindergarten through 12th grade California schools’ students to run, jump and squat for 30-to-60 minutes a day, at least three times a week for the next four weeks. The incentive — the school with the highest percentage of participation at the end of the four-week challenge wins a new fitness center/gymnasium. The next eleven school runner-ups will each receive $1,000 with which to purchase fitness equipment.

Schwarzenegger’s promotion of healthy California schools’ students doesn’t end there. Two bills have been introduced to improve school nutrition, effective July 2007. One bill requires all foods sold in California schools’ vending machines to meet high nutritional standards, regulating the number of calories for both fat and sugar. The second bill limits the type of drinks sold at California schools to water, milk, and some fruit and sport drinks that are low in sweeteners.

Not only is Schwarzenegger big on physical fitness and its benefits to California schools’ children, who are among the nation’s growing obese statistics, but a statewide review on physical fitness within the California schools was released last November 2006. The findings were atrocious.

The study found that nearly half of the California school’s ninth graders could not briskly run one mile. Almost 1.4 million California school’s students were tested in fifth, seventh and ninth grades. Less than a third met all minimum benchmarks for body fat, abdominal strength, and flexibility.

Governor Schwarzenegger is doing what it takes to help California schools’ students become and stay physically fit. If children do not do it while in school, it can affect their entire adult life with obese-related illnesses and health problems.

Parents, teachers and California schools interested in participating can register online and track their schools’ progress against other California schools at: www.calgovcouncil.org.

Patricia Hawke is an expert researcher and writer on real estate topics such as economics, credit improvement tips, home selling advice and home buying preparations and education for relocating families. For more information please California Schools

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patricia_Hawke

Currently, there are numerous jobs in the healthcare industry for applicants with college and only high school degrees. The healthcare industry is in desperate need of well-educated people to fill an increasing number of positions projected for the future. This need gives today’s California schools students opportunities for future careers that will provide them a comfortable lifestyle.

These healthcare jobs are demanding; however, and require rich and rigorous core curriculums for students from kindergarten through high school. The grants will help prepare California schools students for such careers, as well as meet the demand for well-educated workers in the healthcare industry — a win-win situation for everyone.

The funds ultimately are designed to help California schools students consider such careers. The eligible districts within the California schools already have Health Science Pathways in place. They are quality programs that help prepare students for healthcare careers. Districts that participate are eligible for up to $15,000 in grant money, distributed in two payments. The first payment of 75 percent is received before students attend the Institute. The remaining 25 percent is received upon completion of Institute attendance and application requirements.

The fulfillment of each district grant requires:

• Development teams that consist of teachers, administrators, counselors, postsecondary partners, and healthcare industry partners;

• District teams must attend the annual California Health Science Educators Institute, held in Los Angeles every June;

• Teams develop and submit a health science pathway strategic plan, as directed by the Institute;

• A team approach is used in all facets of the California schools program;

• Districts and their teams also must submit to the California schools letters of commitment to the California Health Science Education Institute program; and

• California schools students must attend the California Health Science Education Institute.

The funds for the new California schools program were made available through a partnership between the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency and the California schools. The new programs goes a long way to support enrichment and improvement of the Health Science Pathway program in the California schools, as well as satisfying a community need and offering more opportunities for students in the future.

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Patricia has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues. For more on California schools visit California Schools

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patricia_Hawke

Singer Bonnie Raitt said, “It’s a shame we are depriving so many California children of the benefits of music in schools.” She stated that every child deserves the chance to develop their fullest with a well-rounded education, including the arts.

To that end, the California Arts Council spearheaded the California Music Project (CMP), a 401(c)(3) nonprofit, long-term initiative. The California schools, music industry executives, and the council will work together through the CMP to bring much needed revenues and music programs back into the California schools. The goals of the CMP are to:

• Provide grant funding to music teachers, music professionals, and the California schools to bring more music leaning to students;

• Develop joint ventures with universities, businesses, foundations and music-focused organizations to fund, pilot and expand music programs within the California schools; and

• Serve as an advocate to both the public and private sectors to further music as a core discipline, so that every California schools students has equal access.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed and approved a state budget with the California schools slated to receive an estimated $105 million in ongoing funding for arts education. That is an estimated $17-18 per student. Included is a one-time allocation of $500 million for arts, music and physical education equipment. Yet, it will not be enough to reverse the tremendous, almost ten-year decline of music education within the California schools. The California schools remain underfunded and understaffed in music education.

The CMP plans to heighten awareness and raise funds through all-star music CDs with top California performers, special events, and concerts around the state.

The first CD is scheduled for release in late October. Artists, publishers and labels donate all the songs and performances, with proceeds going to the CMP. It features a variety of genres from 18 California singers, musicians and bands. Included are: Los Lobos, Leela James, Beck, Dwight Yoakam, Warrne Zevon, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and others.

The artists are very passionate about their work and want to see California schools students get some of the same attention they received while growing up around music. Working with the CMP, the artists may get their wish.

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Patricia has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues. For more information on California schools visit California Schools

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patricia_Hawke

The article cited a situation of one California schools child with a disability. The assigned public middle school offered special college prep classes, daily help from a special education expert, a laptop computer, extra time for tests, the opportunity to temporarily leave class if the child’s had an anxiety attack, and a special advocate to smooth over any problems with teachers.

The parents hired a special consultant instead, who found alternative schooling opportunities — all were private schools and all were out-of-state. They settled on a boarding school in Maine, outside the main city, that had one-tenth of the enrollment of the California schools. The one thing this school did not offer was a special education program. The mother said that smaller classrooms and a smaller campus were more important than a special education program. Since the possibility of anxiety attacks was mentioned in the article, no one can truly judge the merit of this situation except the child’s physician and/or psychologist.

After the child was placed into the private school, the parents then hired an attorney, who specializes in special education cases, to file papers with the court demanding the California schools pay four years of tuition and family travel costs between California and Maine. Tuition was $30,000 annually. The California schools met the demands.

This is only one such case in the California schools, which may or may not have been justified. The problem is that it is not the only case. In 2005, there were 3,763 California schools children with disabilities that were the focus of formal complaints — the vast majority of which came from parents. This is triple the number of only ten years ago, and the numbers are growing.

With a cost of almost $40,000 to go to a court hearing and the possibility of an expensive judgment, the California schools attempt to settle cases before they get that far. In 2005, ten percent of the California schools’ cases went to a full hearing — 386 in all. The remaining 90 percent were resolved through confidential settlements. With 700,000 special needs students currently in the California schools and already paying hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for private placements, the school system is headed for a financial crisis.

In 2004, the California schools received $4.1 billion for special education from the government and local sources. It was still not enough to pay these extra settlement costs, and the California schools had to take $1.6 billion from the regular class budget. Twenty-eight percent of the special education expenditures that year came from the regular education budget.

California schools educators complain that parents who are able to afford an attorney are assured more opportunities for their children than those who cannot afford to do so, creating an inequity between the haves and have-nots. Additionally, special education teachers see benefits to special programs, such as horseback riding therapy, but acknowledge that such parent demands are not education related. California schools parents and educators are at odds.

Parents are making tuition payment demands of the California schools for such programs as private day schools, boarding schools, summer camps, horseback riding therapy, and aqua therapy. Additionally, the California schools are expected to pay for computers, airfare, car rental, hotel stays, meals, new clothing and tailoring for the children, cell phone calls, stamps, gas and tolls, and future round-trip visits from time of enrollment until the children graduate from high school.

In all, the California schools are paying billions of dollars each year for private placements and auxiliary costs. It is creating an inequity for children the civil rights law was passed to protect and a financial crisis for the California schools.

I have to admit that I wanted every opportunity possible for my child to live a happy and normal adult life. I had a special needs child and spent many hours sitting in principals’ offices and at the school board demanding that his needs be met. I was thankful that he received access to the available offerings within the public school system.

In my view, however, it is not a question of right or wrong, justified expenditure or not. It is a question of the legislators going back and specifically defining the word “appropriate”. Until then, the California schools are borrowing from Peter to pay Paul, which means less opportunities all the way around.

This information on California schools is brought to you by http://www.schoolsk-12.com

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Patricia has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues. For more on California schools visit California Schools.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patricia_Hawke

The California Schools in question shared one common characteristic – a relatively high level of student poverty. Many but not all of them have high percentages of students who were English learners and/or Hispanic, a statistic that has been correlated with student poverty. Most have very small populations of white students.

These troubled California Schools tended to be larger than average and were much more likely to be on a multitrack, year-round calendar. This type of school calendar allows the school in question to serve a greater number of students by being open all 12 months of the year; with some California Schools teachers and classes sharing rooms with those who are off on a break.

In terms of staffing, these California Schools had a much higher proportion of teachers not fully credentialed and were also more likely to have a high percentage of first- and second-year teachers.

Principals of the California Schools in question were surveyed to determine the differences in the challenges faced by their particular schools. School district officials were also able to provide more information.

California has operated its school accountability system for nine years now and the average API (Academic Performance Index) scores for all schools have risen. Elementary schools have shown the most progress. However, as a whole, elementary level California Schools have faced greater challenges than their middle- and high-school counterparts. On average, they had either similar or more challenging proportions of English learners and students living in poverty. School sizes are modestly large and the proportion of fully credentialed teachers is somewhat lower than middle- and high-school teachers working in California Schools.

Conversely, California Schools in the middle and high school levels have consistently shown less improvement than elementary schools. From a statistical perspective, secondary California Schools often face different challenges than elementary schools do in attempting to meet their API growth targets.

Middle Schools have not had the full benefit of the state’s investment in K–12 education since the mid-to-late 1990s, however. From an instructional perspective, the state has put more focus on improving achievement in the earliest grades, most likely with the belief that if a student’s academic success can be improved upon at an early age, they will continue to be successful throughout their school careers.

While there many changes that need to be made to improve the quality of California Schools, it is indeed heartening to see that the state’s board of education is up to the challenge of helping schools make the improvements needed to produce successful and vital members of tomorrow’s society.

California Public Schools Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information please visit California Public Schools

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patricia_Hawke

The examination concerns specific restructuring methods used by California Schools and their success. According to CEP founder and president Jack Jennings, “While it is still too early to tell whether restructuring is working, it is clear from the experience of California and Michigan, the two states we have studied in-depth, that simply requiring schools to replace staff does not guarantee increased student achievement. Rather, success is linked to implementing multiple improvement strategies.”

This is of critical concern to California Schools for a couple of reasons. California Schools have more schools facing restructuring than most other states for several reasons. School restructuring is mandated by the NCLB act for any schools unable to meet its Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) markers for five or more consecutive years. One reason that California Schools saw the number of its schools facing this mandate double to 8% in the last year is because of its massive size. Also, California Schools implemented AYP markers a year before it was federally mandated. Of the California Schools facing restructuring, over 60% are in urban areas.

The numbers don’t look good. 207 of the California Schools in the implementation phase of restructuring failed to meet AYP standards for seven consecutive years. That’s why the CEP study has such import. The study concluded that the California Schools that were most successful in raising student achievement were those that analyzed school data and implemented initiatives designed to meet those specific needs. This is important because the US Department of Education previously recommended replacing staff rather than other forms of restructuring.

Other reform methods in California Schools include instituting English Language Learner programs, direct coaching for teachers and principals, changes in scheduling and the hiring of a district-level coordinator. The California Schools that used the above methods, without replacing staff or changing to a charter system, were generally more successful than the other schools studied. What will this mean for the future of California Schools?

It’s likely that funds for teacher planning time, instructional coaches and special instruction for at-risk students will appear on coming legislation. As noted by Jennings, the California Schools still have a long road ahead before the success of many programs can be fully evaluated. That’s why California Schools need the quantifiable results of a study like this one.

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information please visit California Public Schools

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patricia_Hawke