Q: My 7-year-old daughter is dealing with a bully at school. She comes home almost daily and relates stories about how another girl in her class makes fun of her. Apparently she is making fun of her clothes, the words she uses, her school work... anything she can think of. I have always thought my little girl was pretty outgoing and strong, but lately she seems to be breaking under the weight of the bullying. I have given her all the pep talks I can think of (kill her with kindness, avoid her at all costs, and compliment her when she bullies you). Nothing has changed and I feel like I need to step in on a more parental level, but I don't know where to start. A: I am sorry for the trouble

Dear Colleagues: From magazine covers to movie screens to MSNBC’s Education Nation, public schools are a growing topic of national discourse. This interest is understandable. With economic recovery slow, unemployment high and a barrage of data about how American students stack up against their global counterparts, many across the country worry about the status of public education. On Saturday, I attended a screening of the documentary “Waiting for Superman” and participated in a panel discussion that followed. The film tells the story of five families fed-up with low-performing schools in their neighborhoods and their attempts to enroll their children in higher-performing charters. I c

 150-Mile Non-Stop Education Run Culminates on State Capitol Steps Students, parents, teachers and supporters who ran a 150-mile non-stop day-and-night relay from San Carlos to Sacramento to invite lawmakers to spend a day in a public school finished their journey yesterday, Monday, May 17, with a rally on the steps of the California State Capitol Building.  Event participants included Assemblymember Ira Ruskin, State Senator Gloria Romero, and Assemblymember Tom Torlakson; the latter two are candidates for California Superintendent of Public Instruction.  Following the rally, the group fanned out to deliver their invitation letters to the state’s lawmakers.  Participants in the “Spend 1

The Class ("Entre les murs") Director: Laurent Cantent By Tony Sheppard Capitol Weekly   Set in Paris, "The Class" follows a year in the life of teacher Francois Marin as he tackles assorted challenges with students in his inner city high school. "Entre les murs" which is also the title of the adapted book, translates as "between the walls" and this may have been a better English title for the film also, as it conveys a better sense of the film being about a place and a dynamic as much as people that inhabit it. Much of the film takes place in one classroom. The director has described his approach to the film's style in part like that of a tennis match, with the majority of the perspect