Accountability in schools and parents’ right to choose were the two solutions to Sacramento’s low education achievement that Howard L. Fuller, founder of the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO), former superintendent, educator and education reformer, focused on during his discussion with more than 100 Sacramento community members at the Stand Up Monthly Meeting on Monday. “How can we tell how our schools are doing when their performance is labeled by a three-digit code nobody understands?” Fuller asked at the opening of his speech, referring to the state’s Academic Performance Index. “We need to give schools grades just like we do our students.” Fuller extended his discussion f

Plans were announced at the Mayor's press conference Tuesday to construct a running track and community garden at Will C. Woods Middle School where U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius spoke to mark the one year anniversary of the “Let's Move” campaign. Initiated by First Lady Michelle Obama on Feb. 8, 2010, “Let’s Move” is a healthy lifestyle campaign to address childhood obesity. Sacramento City Unified School District was chosen as one of the 14 community sites in California, to receive a grant from the California Endowment with help through local partners The Sacramento Kings and UC Davis Health Services. California Endowment spokeswoman Marley Klaus said SC

The new Sacred Heart Parish School has been open almost two months and its 310 students traded their old digs for a state-of-the-art facility that boasts projection microscopes, skylights and Smart Boards in every room. In 2007, Mercy General Hospital agreed to build Sacred Heart a new school at 856 39th St., in exchange for the property of its former campus across the street. “The other building was 75 years old, so it’s nice to have something nice for the children,” said Sacred Heart Principal Theresa Spark. With an average class size of 35 students to every teacher and teaching assistant, the campus is fitted to provide a highly interactive learning experience for each one. The new

Springtime will soon be in the air and you and your family are invited to get take a break from the 9 to 5 and city life to experience the awakening of life. The Center For Land-Based Learning at the Farm on Putah Creek is hosting Welcome Back Springtime at the Farm on Putah Creek Sunday March 28, 2010 from 10:00am – 4:00pm. The Center For Land-Based Learning is a non-profit whose stated mission is to “engage youth in learning experiences on the land that foster respect for the critical interplay of agriculture, nature and society.” Under the leadership of Mary Kimball, Executive Director, the Center uses a network of farms, ranches, and natural ecosystems as educational laboratories for

Opponents have argued that one of Mayor Johnson's ultimate goals is to move Sacramento's public schools under the control of the city's mayor, however, the Mayor has consistently insisted that this is not the case. In Inside City Hall, Ryan Lillis gives us some insight into Mayor Johnson's intentions. The mayor maintains that he does not wish to take control of the schools, clarifying, "what's on my radar is the mayor playing a critical role in our schools." Fair enough, complete control and "a critical role" are two very different phrases. The Mayor then expands on what he has in mind. While he notes that he does not like the term education "czar", the Mayor confirms that he would like