Education Board expected to approve Chinese-language school

(BOSTON). The state's top education official has recommended that the Board of Education approve Massachusetts' first charter school taught mostly in Chinese.

The nine-member board was expected to grant a charter for the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion School Tuesday after the endorsement from Education Commissioner David Driscoll, said Heidi Guarino, a spokeswoman for the Department of Education.

The charter school eventually would be open to 300 students, kindergarten through eight grade, from Amherst, Springfield and dozens of other cities in western Massachusetts. Teachers would follow a traditional public school curriculum with one twist _ most classes would be exclusively taught in Mandarin Chinese.

Alcorn, an Easthampton businessman who imports rare Chinese books and artifacts, said he has lobbied several individual school districts in western Massachusetts to start Mandarin immersion programs for the past six years because he wants his young children to learn in Chinese.

The districts balked, but Alcorn said a regional charter school was more viable because it could draw interested students from a wider area. He said research showed that students who learn in French, Spanish, Chinese or any other immersion programs perform better in all subjects, not just foreign languages.

In the first year, the school would teach kindergarten and first-grade classes and gradually phase in curriculum through eighth grade, according to the school's application filed with the state. Students would still have to meet state-mandated thresholds on the MCAS standardized tests and take typical classes in English and language arts.

Massachusetts operates 59 charter schools - 51 with state oversight and eight that operate under local school districts - with a waiting list of more than 16,000 students.

University governors want your opinions

Florida's public universities are being told they need an extreme makeover if they want to boost their reputations and make room for thousands of new students.

What's uncertain is whether the schools, the public and state government are open to big changes.

Prospects might become clearer today at the University of Central Florida as the Board of Governors launches a series of hearings to collect ideas as it shapes a blueprint for the state's higher education of the future.

Florida's initiative mirrors plans on improving higher education developing at the national level over worries about global competitiveness, access and skyrocketing costs.

After hearing the public's priorities, the board will set a timeline in June for developing the strategic plan, which could take a couple of years to hash out, Rosenberg said.

Money - how much is available and how it's spent -- already is the buzz topic on the state blog dedicated to the process.

Fueling the early debate is a provocative report on Florida's higher-education outlook that suggests radical revisions of some dearly held programs, notably the twin darlings of every parent of college-bound students: the Bright Futures scholarship program and the prepaid-tuition program. Bright Futures is especially popular because it covers tuition costs at Florida public universities for students who make high enough grades.

But research suggests the programs need restructuring to remain solvent.

UCF officials, meanwhile, say the medical school is proceeding because of private funding and that its research programs will be of significant economic benefit to the region and the state. Both universities point to Florida's need for more medical doctors.

Questions about the medical schools underscore one of the key challenges ahead: reconciling state needs with ambitious programs already at individual campuses.

Meanwhile, the university system and its governing board are committed to an open discussion, Rosenberg said, regardless of the time it takes.

$1.2 billion more for education sought

(OLYMPIA). The state would increase education spending by $1.2 billion over the next two years under a budget plan state legislators unveiled Monday.

The plan, released by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, represents the first time lawmakers have weighed in on the education budget this session and is expected to act as a blueprint for final budget negotiations. The state Senate is expected to release its version next month.

The House plan is in line with Gov. Christine Gregoire's proposed education budget, although some of the details differ. Most notably, the subcommittee would do away with one of Gregoire's pet projects — to spend $90 million reducing math and science class sizes in high schools and middle schools to one teacher for every 25 students.

The House plan would instead put money toward various fixes in math and science, including employing more teachers, hiring academic coaches, and awarding grants to teachers who improve their skills. The House would also spend an extra $30 million to reduce class sizes in kindergarten through third grade.

Rep. Kathy Haigh, D-Shelton, who chaired the subcommittee, said the changes were the result of a philosophical difference: Legislators thought improving the quality of instruction in math and science was more important than simply reducing class sizes. She said the committee thought a different approach was needed for younger students, for whom class size is more important.

The major changes to higher education came in tuition. The subcommittee would increase tuition at community colleges by 2 percent annually, as opposed to Gregoire's plan to freeze tuition for two years. And the subcommittee would cap tuition increases at the University of Washington and Washington State University at 5 percent — as opposed to the governor's suggested 7 percent.

House Appropriations Chairwoman Helen Sommers, D-Seattle, attended the budget release Monday and praised the subcommittee for its "strong proposal."

Hasse said education is woefully underfunded, and he would like to see a six-year plan that continues to increase funding and outlines specific targets and goals. A study sponsored by the WEA last week recommended the state increase education funding by $3.5 billion annually.

Brown pledges $10 million for schools

Brown University on Saturday promised to raise $10 million for local public schools and give free tuition to graduate students who pledge to work there in response to a report that found slave labor played a role in the university's beginnings.

The university will also explore creating an academic center on slavery and justice, strengthen its Africana Studies Department, begin planning for a slavery memorial and revise its official history to provide a more accurate account of the school's early years.

"One of the clearest messages in the Slavery and Justice Report is that institutions of higher education must take a greater interest in the health of their local communities, especially kindergarten through 12th-grade education," Brown President Ruth J. Simmons said in a statement.

The report was issued last fall by a committee that was instructed in 2003 to study the university's early relationship with slavery and recommend how the school should take responsibility.

It identified about 30 former members of the college's governing corporation who at one time owned or captained slave ships. It also found that slave labor was used in the construction of Brown's oldest building, and money used to create the university and ensure its early growth was derived directly or indirectly from slave trade.

Free truck driver training program available

A new, free Nevada Department of Transportation construction truck driver training program continues to accept new student applicants.

Aimed at integrating minorities and women into Nevada's vital construction industry, the free seven-week courses focus on construction truck driving and safety skills, from water and dump truck driving to snowplows and safety checks. Graduates receive a commercial driver's license.

The courses are scheduled at Reno's Horizon Commercial Truck School, 12123 Canyon River Court, with close to five spots available for each seven-week class. Registration for qualified candidates is available through Horizon Commercial Truck School at (800) 377-3503 or 342-0238 or Truckee Meadows Community College at 829-9010.

The Nevada Department of Transportation secured a $200,000 on-the-job-services supportive services fund grant from the Federal Highway Administration to provide the courses free of charge to qualified individuals and help fill a need for qualified construction truck drivers.

"At NDOT, we're dedicated to inviting qualified, safety-minded construction workers to join Nevada's construction and road trades," said Roc Stacey, NDOT contract compliance manager said.