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	<title>Thoughts on Public Education &#187; Arun Ramanathan</title>
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	<link>http://toped.svefoundation.org</link>
	<description>Analysis, opinion and ruminations on California education policy</description>
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		<title>Leaders who don’t protect students from predators violate public trust - by Arun Ramanathan</title>
		<link>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2012/06/22/leaders-who-dont-support-passing-sexual-predator-bill-violate-public-trust/</link>
		<comments>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2012/06/22/leaders-who-dont-support-passing-sexual-predator-bill-violate-public-trust/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Jun 2012 07:07:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Arun Ramanathan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Unions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alex Padilla]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bob Huff]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LAUSD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Miramonte Elementary]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toped.svefoundation.org/?p=15957</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As a former counselor in a facility for teenagers who had been physically and sexually abused, I witnessed the indelible impact of this abuse on young men and women. As I read the stories about the sexual abuse scandal at Miramonte Elementary School in Los Angeles Unified, I remembered these young people and the destruction that twisted adults had wrought on their lives. Then I waited for the calls for reform from those with the power to make changes.
After all, the allegations are monstrous. The [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2012/06/22/leaders-who-dont-support-passing-sexual-predator-bill-violate-public-trust/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>7</slash:comments>
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		<title>Persuade, not threaten, me to vote for your initiative, Governor - by Arun Ramanathan</title>
		<link>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2012/05/16/persuade-not-threaten-me-to-vote-for-your-initiative-governor/</link>
		<comments>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2012/05/16/persuade-not-threaten-me-to-vote-for-your-initiative-governor/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 07:05:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Arun Ramanathan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[2012 election]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jerry Brown]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[State Budget]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Student spending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Taxes]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toped.svefoundation.org/?p=15177</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A few Saturdays ago, my kids and I walked through a crowd of signature gatherers for ballot initiatives outside Trader Joe’s. Some of them all but tackled me as they pitched their proposals. All of them promised more money for education and a better future for my children. Unfortunately for the signature gatherers’ bottom line, I didn’t have time to stop. My children and their school had more immediate needs. We were on our way to a Dance-A-Thon, one of many “-thons” that California parents [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2012/05/16/persuade-not-threaten-me-to-vote-for-your-initiative-governor/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>10</slash:comments>
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		<title>San Francisco Unified blazes civil rights path for California districts to follow - by Arun Ramanathan</title>
		<link>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2012/03/09/san-francisco-unified-blazes-civil-rights-path-for-california-districts-to-follow/</link>
		<comments>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2012/03/09/san-francisco-unified-blazes-civil-rights-path-for-california-districts-to-follow/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 Mar 2012 08:07:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Arun Ramanathan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Achievement Gap]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tenure]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toped.svefoundation.org/?p=13822</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As an education civil rights organization, we are far more accustomed  to seeing school districts violate the rights of underserved students  to a quality education than protect them from harm. But sometimes a school district’s leadership takes such a strong and courageous stance  on behalf of their most vulnerable students that it takes your breath  away. This was the type of courage shown by Superintendent Carlos Garcia  and five members of the San Francisco Unified School Board when they  [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2012/03/09/san-francisco-unified-blazes-civil-rights-path-for-california-districts-to-follow/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>21</slash:comments>
		</item>
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		<title>A blank check to Sacramento would be a Dickens of a bad deal - by Arun Ramanathan</title>
		<link>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2012/01/03/a-blank-check-to-sacramento-would-be-a-dickens-of-a-bad-deal/</link>
		<comments>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2012/01/03/a-blank-check-to-sacramento-would-be-a-dickens-of-a-bad-deal/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:07:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Arun Ramanathan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Revenue and taxes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[State Budget]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Taxes]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toped.svefoundation.org/?p=12188</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Back when I was working in schools in New England, we had snow days. In California, our kids have “budget cut days.” Unlike the snow days, there’s no surprise or joy to them and they never get made up. Once they’re gone, they’re gone forever. For those kids who need them the most, like the hundreds of thousands of students in our state who are learning English, the learning time is irretrievably lost.
This November, California voters are going to be asked to vote for ballot [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2012/01/03/a-blank-check-to-sacramento-would-be-a-dickens-of-a-bad-deal/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>40</slash:comments>
		</item>
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		<title>We should never waver from an opportunity to do what’s best for kids - by Arun Ramanathan</title>
		<link>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2011/11/18/we-should-never-waver-from-an-opportunity-to-do-what%e2%80%99s-best-for-kids/</link>
		<comments>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2011/11/18/we-should-never-waver-from-an-opportunity-to-do-what%e2%80%99s-best-for-kids/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:52:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Arun Ramanathan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[No Child Left Behind]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toped.svefoundation.org/?p=11094</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It’s  become pretty commonplace to bash the federal government’s role in  education. Barely a day goes by without someone taking a jab at the  Feds, attacking federal education policy and calling for more local  control. When I hear those attacks, I remember Lynn.
I  met Lynn in the hills of Western Pennsylvania. I’d come to her community  to serve as a Volunteer in Service to America (VISTA). I had no idea  what I was getting into. The community was [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2011/11/18/we-should-never-waver-from-an-opportunity-to-do-what%e2%80%99s-best-for-kids/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>13</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>California’s Greek tragedy: New lows in mortgaging our children’s future - by Arun Ramanathan</title>
		<link>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2011/07/08/californias-greek-tragedy-new-lows-in-mortgaging-our-childrens-future/</link>
		<comments>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2011/07/08/californias-greek-tragedy-new-lows-in-mortgaging-our-childrens-future/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 08 Jul 2011 22:59:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Arun Ramanathan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[State Budget]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toped.svefoundation.org/?p=8513</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[World events sometimes display an odd connection. On June 30th, in a closely watched vote, the Greek Parliament approved a package of financial stability measures while angry protestors clashed with police in the streets. The vote stabilized Greece’s finances, reassured its creditors and calmed nervous investors worldwide.
For years, the Greeks rang up outrageous debts. Their tax system was broken and they couldn’t offset lavish spending on public sector pensions and benefits. At all levels, from the average household to the national government, the country had [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2011/07/08/californias-greek-tragedy-new-lows-in-mortgaging-our-childrens-future/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Legislature should follow gutsy districts challenging seniority-based layoffs - by Arun Ramanathan</title>
		<link>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2011/06/12/legislature-should-follow-gutsy-districts-challenging-seniority-based-layoffs/</link>
		<comments>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2011/06/12/legislature-should-follow-gutsy-districts-challenging-seniority-based-layoffs/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Jun 2011 06:47:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Arun Ramanathan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[State Budget]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teacher Development]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toped.svefoundation.org/?p=8021</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When the Governor waved his May Revise wand, a lot people who were holding their breath expecting a “doomsday budget” exhaled in relief and breathed in the magic budget dust. With a sudden influx in revenue, Jerry Brown lopped $6.5 billion off the budget deficit and convinced Californians that education would be spared.
Of course, school districts and communities have been down this yellow brick road before, only to find that the great and powerful Oz doesn’t really have the power to fix the budget. In [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2011/06/12/legislature-should-follow-gutsy-districts-challenging-seniority-based-layoffs/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Dollars for tamales: poor schools can&#8217;t get by on home cooking - by Arun Ramanathan</title>
		<link>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2011/04/19/dollars-for-tamales-poor-schools-cant-get-by-on-home-cookin/</link>
		<comments>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2011/04/19/dollars-for-tamales-poor-schools-cant-get-by-on-home-cookin/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2011 07:49:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Arun Ramanathan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Equity issues]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Student spending]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toped.svefoundation.org/?p=7002</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For weeks, I haven’t been able to open my refrigerator without getting attacked by a bag of tamales. Our fridge is stuffed with bags of them. Two of the bags are ours. The rest were purchased by family and friends all over the Bay Area. The proceeds go to our daughter’s Spanish immersion elementary school in Oakland Unified.
Like schools all over California, her school faces a massive deficit – in this case over $200,000. After hearing the news, a group of mothers worked for days [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2011/04/19/dollars-for-tamales-poor-schools-cant-get-by-on-home-cookin/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>11</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Districts will lay off some of their best and brightest today; that must change - by Arun Ramanathan</title>
		<link>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2011/03/15/districts-will-lay-off-some-of-their-best-and-brightest-today-that-must-change/</link>
		<comments>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2011/03/15/districts-will-lay-off-some-of-their-best-and-brightest-today-that-must-change/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Mar 2011 07:02:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Arun Ramanathan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Equity issues]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tenure]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toped.svefoundation.org/?p=6398</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Kaitlin Donovan, Nicholas Melvoin, Emilie Smith, and Tyler Hester didn’t expect to get a layoff notice. They were the kind of teachers typically romanticized in Hollywood movies. Young, energetic, and idealistic, they sought out the challenge of teaching in high-poverty urban schools and set high expectations for their students. Yet, each of them went to their teacher mailbox and found a pink slip.
As a young teacher in San Francisco in the &#8217;90s, I experienced a similar layoff. Reading the pink slip was a like a [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2011/03/15/districts-will-lay-off-some-of-their-best-and-brightest-today-that-must-change/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Low science scores should shock state at the center of technology universe - by Arun Ramanathan</title>
		<link>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2011/02/04/low-science-scores-should-shock-state-at-the-center-of-technology-universe/</link>
		<comments>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2011/02/04/low-science-scores-should-shock-state-at-the-center-of-technology-universe/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 Feb 2011 08:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Arun Ramanathan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[STEM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tests]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toped.svefoundation.org/?p=5565</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Remember the old song “The Sound of Silence” by Simon &#38; Garfunkel from the &#8217;60s? I thought about the song last week after the results of the NAEP science tests showed that California students were at or near the bottom in our nation in nearly every measure of performance in science. The lack of outrage from our leaders in Sacramento that greeted these depressing results made me “picture the sound of silence.”
Back when that song was topping the charts, you could still graduate from high [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://toped.svefoundation.org/2011/02/04/low-science-scores-should-shock-state-at-the-center-of-technology-universe/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>7</slash:comments>
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