MEETING POSTPONE UNTIL 3/13/13

Due to inclement weather, the parent meeting at HHS is rescheduled to 7pm on March 13th. 

Meeting Scheduled on Reconfiguration- Wednesday, March 6 at 7:00 p.m at HHS

Hoboken Patch reports that there will be a public meeting on Wednesday, March 6 at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium of Hoboken High School to discuss Junior High School and Middle School options and possible reconfigurations for the 2013-2014 school year. You can read more by clicking HERE. 

Hoboken District Looking to add 7th Grade to High School

Claire Moses of Hoboken Patch reports that The Hoboken Board of Education is looking to move the seventh grade into the high school. A public meeting to discuss this with parents will be held.

The Board of Education is considering a plan in which Hoboken's seventh graders would move into the High School for the 2013-2014 school year. 

Rather than adopting a middle school model in the district —the district administration indicates they are looking into an option of a junior-senior high school.

The seventh graders would be able to use the high school's resources, but won't be in class with the high schoolers, according to administrators.

Before a decision will be made, parents will have the opportunity to comment. A forum will be scheduled for the last week of February.

The Trouble With Online College

The following is a thoughtful editorial from the NY Times which was published on February 18, 2013. It provides some insight into online course and some challenges that such courses face. -Dr. Petrosino 

Stanford University ratcheted up interest in online education when a pair of celebrity professors attracted more than 150,000 students from around the world to a noncredit, open enrollment course on artificial intelligence. This development, though, says very little about what role online courses could have as part of standard college instruction. College administrators who dream of emulating this strategy for classes like freshman English would be irresponsible not to consider two serious issues.

First, student attrition rates — around 90 percent for some huge online courses — appear to be a problem even in small-scale online courses when compared with traditional face-to-face classes. Second, courses delivered solely online may be fine for highly skilled, highly motivated people, but they are inappropriate for struggling students who make up a significant portion of college enrollment and who need close contact with instructors to succeed.

Online classes are already common in colleges, and, on the whole, the record is not encouraging. According to Columbia University’s Community College Research Center, for example, about seven million students — about a third of all those enrolled in college — are enrolled in what the center describes as traditional online courses. These typically have about 25 students and are run by professors who often have little interaction with students. Over all, the center has produced nine studies covering hundreds of thousands of classes in two states, Washington and Virginia. The picture the studies offer of the online revolution is distressing.

The research has shown over and over again that community college students who enroll in online courses are significantly more likely to fail or withdraw than those in traditional classes, which means that they spend hard-earned tuition dollars and get nothing in return. Worse still, low-performing students who may be just barely hanging on in traditional classes tend to fall even further behind in online courses.

A five-year study, issued in 2011, tracked 51,000 students enrolled in Washington State community and technical colleges. It found that those who took higher proportions of online courses were less likely to earn degrees or transfer to four-year colleges. The reasons for such failures are well known. Many students, for example, show up at college (or junior college) unprepared to learn, unable to manage time and having failed to master basics like math and English.

Lacking confidence as well as competence, these students need engagement with their teachers to feel comfortable and to succeed. What they often get online is estrangement from the instructor who rarely can get to know them directly. Colleges need to improve online courses before they deploy them widely. Moreover, schools with high numbers of students needing remedial education should consider requiring at least some students to demonstrate success in traditional classes before allowing them to take online courses.

Interestingly, the center found that students in hybrid classes — those that blended online instruction with a face-to-face component — performed as well academically as those in traditional classes. But hybrid courses are rare, and teaching professors how to manage them is costly and time-consuming.

The online revolution offers intriguing opportunities for broadening access to education. But, so far, the evidence shows that poorly designed courses can seriously shortchange the most vulnerable students.

Picture: Firemen at work at Newark and Madison where a three alarm fire blazed through two residential buildings.  Credit: Chris Costa/Hoboken Patch 

Meeting Agenda for the Hoboken Board of Education's Meeting on February 12, 2013

The following is the Meeting Agenda for the Hoboken Board of Education's Meeting on February 12, 2013.


FUTURE PUBLIC BOARD MEETINGS
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013

  Hoboken Board of Education Meeting Agenda February 2013 by  

Feb 7-8 National Weather Service Blizzard Warning Hoboken, NJ

The National Weather Service has issued a Blizzard Warning for our area which is in effect from Friday 6:00am through Saturday 1:00pm. Damaging winds and snow accumulation of 10 to 14 inches with localized higher amounts are possible.

Residents are encouraged to monitor the City website, www.hobokennj.org or sign up to receive free email or text updates by visiting www.hobokennj.org/alerts.

For emergencies, call 911 or the Hoboken Police Department at 201-420-2100. Downed power lines should be reported to 911.

Emergency Snow Routes

Residents are reminded not to park along emergency snow routes. Emergency Snow Routes in Hoboken are labeled with street signs that read “No Parking When Road Is Snow Covered.” When streets are snow covered, no parking is permitted on these streets (a snow emergency does not need to be declared). Vehicles parked on snow emergency routes are subject to towing. This is necessary to move police, fire and ambulances throughout Hoboken in time of emergency for the safety and welfare of all our citizens. A list and map of emergency snow routes is available on the City website: www.hobokennj.org/snow.

Keeping Sidewalks Clear

Property owners/occupants are reminded that they have six hours after the completion of a storm to remove snow and ice from sidewalks adjacent to their property, along with adjoining wheelchair ramps or curb cuts. Residents are urged to assist elderly or disabled neighbors with clearing snow from their properties. It is illegal to shovel snow back onto streets or onto fire hydrants. The City is responsible for clearing sidewalks around City-owned properties.

The City performs proactive inspections and also relies on citizen complaints to help us identify those property owners that are not meeting sidewalk safety requirements. The vast majority of property owners comply with these regulations, but the City will issue fines to those who do not keep sidewalks clear.

Reporting Problems

To report an unplowed street, unshoveled sidewalk, or other problem, residents can submit an online complaint via www.hoboken311.com. During normal business hours, they can also call the Department of Environmental Services at 201-420-2012.

Discounted Garage Parking

Due to the predicted storm, a special rate of $5 per 24 hour period is being offered in Garages B (28 2nd Street) and D (215 Hudson Street) to residents with a parking permit decal or Temporary parking permit placard beginning at 8am on Friday, February 8 through 8am on Sunday, February 10. In addition, Hoboken residents with disabilities who possess either a handicapped license plate or hang tag for their permitted vehicle may also park in the Midtown garage (371 4th Street) for the same reduced rate. Garage space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Regular rates apply at other times.

Residents who have a parking permit decal or Temporary parking permit placard are reminded that overnight parking (8pm to 8am) is available at a rate of $5.00 in Garages B, D and Midtown every day of the year.

Judge Rules Texas' School-Funding Method Unconstitutional

The following is excerpted from the Texas Tribune and was written by Morgan Smith. This post also contains the official ruling by the Judge as well as the judge's remarks. This is a very important decision concerning the funding of education in the State of Texas and will have far reaching impacts across the country. In addition, the judge also ruled on 3 issues related to charter schools which will have statewide and potential national impact. -Dr. Petrosino

In a decision certain to be appealed to the Texas Supreme Court, state district Judge John Dietz ruled Monday in favor of more than 600 school districts on all of their major claims against the state's school finance system. With a swift ruling issued from the bench shortly after the state finished its closing arguments, Dietz said that the state does not adequately or efficiently fund public schools — and that it has created an unconstitutional de-facto property tax in shifting the burden of paying for them to the local level.

"There is no free lunch," he said. "We either want increased standards and are willing to pay the price, or we don't."

Dietz said that issues raised by another party in the lawsuit, Texans for Real Efficiency and Equity in Education — a group representing parents, school choice advocates and the business community that argued the current system was inefficient and overregulated — were better solved by the Legislature. He also declined to find the state cap on charter school contracts, or the charters' lack of access to facilities funding, unconstitutional.

Moments after Dietz spoke, Texas Education Agency Commissioner Michael Williams issued a statement emphasizing that the ruling is "simply one step on this litigation’s path."

“All sides have known that, regardless of the outcome at the district level, final resolution will not come until this case reaches the Texas Supreme Court," he said. "I’m appreciative of the strong case presented by the Attorney General’s Office on behalf of the state. The Texas Education Agency will continue to carry out its mission of serving the students and educators across our state.”

Though he did not rule in favor of TREEE's claims, which challenged the statutory cap on charters, the alleged overregulation of public schools and the state's system for rating for financial accountability, Dietz said that they should "bear the Legislature's scrutiny."

The judge, who is expected to issue a more detailed decision in several weeks, did not elaborate further on his ruling against the charter school plaintiffs. He said that it was within the Legislature's discretion to fund charter schools differently than traditional public schools, and that any disparities in funding "do not rise to the level" of unconstitutionality.

The executive director of the Texas Charter School Association, David Dunn, issued a statement in response to the ruling Monday evening.

“We are disappointed that Judge Dietz ruled against charter school students and their parents, denying them constitutional protections,” he said. “They have the same constitutional right to facilities funding as every other Texas public school student.  Parents and students do not give up their right to facilities funding by choosing the best public school option for their child.  However, we are thrilled that the judge ruled the overall public education system, of which charters are an integral part, inadequate.”

NPR reports: 

After a 12-week trial, Judge John Dietz took only moments to agree with schools that the current funding mechanism violates the state Constitution.

"It was a great relief," said Wayne Pierce, executive director of the Equity Center, an organization of some 675 of the school districts arguing that the system is "hopelessly broken."

Texas does not have a state income tax and relies on local property taxes to fund schools. A so-called "Robin Hood" scheme, enacted in 1993 as a result of an earlier lawsuit, requires schools with more resources to share with those in poorer districts.

Plaintiffs such as Wayne Pierce say lawmakers should not wait to act.

"The longer you wait before you fix the system that funds [kids'] education, the more you hurt them," Pierce says. "And if we have to wait two more years before this goes through the full process, there are sophomores in high school right now that will not benefit one day."

Some state lawmakers had already begun making contingency plans, setting aside some money in case they need to increase funding. But even after Monday's ruling, Republican Sen. Kel Seliger — who sits on the state Senate Finance and Education committees — says the debate on the nature of the fix will continue.

"The judge said [the current system] was unconstitutional, but he did not prescribe any remedies," Seliger says. "We're just going to have to come up with a remedy that may not be a preferred one but that it is constitutional.

Judge John Dietz's Remarks In School Finance Ruling: CLICK HERE 

  Dietz Ruling by   Kimberly Reeves

Picture: fineartamerica.com

Which Study Strategies Make the Grade? Practice Testing and Distributed Practice Score High; Summarization, Highlighting and Underlining, and Rereading Score Low

In a new article, psychological scientists review the scientific evidence for ten learning techniques commonly used by students. While the ten learning techniques vary widely in effectiveness, two strategies -- practice testing and distributed practice -- made the grade, receiving the highest overall utility rating.

While the ten learning techniques vary widely in effectiveness, two strategies -- practice testing and distributed practice -- made the grade, receiving the highest overall utility rating.

Based on the available evidence, the researchers provide recommendations about the applicability and usefulness of each technique.

Most students are probably familiar with practice testing, having used flash cards or answered the questions at the end of a textbook chapter. Students who prefer last-minute cram sessions, however, may not be as familiar with the idea of distributed practice.

Dunlosky and colleagues report that spreading out your studying over time and quizzing yourself on material before the big test are highly effective learning strategies. Both techniques have been shown to boost students' performance across many different kinds of tests, and their effectiveness has been repeatedly demonstrated for students of all ages.

In contrast, five of the techniques received a low utility rating from the researchers. Notably, these techniques are some of the most common learning strategies used by students, including summarization, highlighting and underlining, and rereading.

"I was shocked that some strategies that students use a lot -- such as rereading and highlighting -- seem to provide minimal benefits to their learning and performance. By just replacing rereading with delayed retrieval practice, students would benefit," says Dunlosky.

So why don't they? Why aren't students and teachers using the learning strategies that have been shown to be effective and inexpensive?

Dunlosky and colleagues found that the answer may have to do with how future teachers are taught.

"These strategies are largely overlooked in the educational psychology textbooks that beginning teachers read, so they don't get a good introduction to them or how to use them while teaching," Dunlosky explains. As a result, teachers are less likely to fully exploit some of these easy-to-use and effective techniques.

The report, "Improving Students' Learning With Effective Learning Techniques: Promising Directions From Cognitive and Educational Psychology," is published in the January 2013 issue of Psychological Science in the Public Interest and is authored by John Dunlosky and Katherine A. Rawson of Kent State University, Elizabeth J. Marsh of Duke University, Mitchell J. Nathan of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Daniel T. Willingham of the University of Virginia. The research included in the report was supported by a Bridging Brain, Mind and Behavior Collaborative Award through the James S. McDonnell Foundation's 21^st Century Science Initiative.

Photo: Demarest High School Cheerleaders- circa mid-1950's (then Hoboken High School)

Superintendent Salary Cap Blamed for High Turnover Rate in New Jersey School Districts- by Lauren Wanko

“It’s has definitely changed education in New Jersey, not for the better, but for the worse,” said Eva Nagy of the Franklin Township Board of Education. It’s been over a year and a half since the superintendent salary cap took effect in school districts across the state. Gov. Chris Christie insisted the cap was a critical aspect of education reform in New Jersey, but now a question is if the cap has negatively affected school districts. Nagy is talking about the superintendent salary cap that took effect in February 2011. Superintendent contracts are capped at $175,000 for districts with up to 10,000 students. “In terms of employment of superintendents, it has had an effect. Right now we’re seeing the largest turnover of superintendents on record,” said Deputy Executive Director of the New Jersey School Boards Association Frank Belluscio. “This past year we’ve had over 30 percent of school districts with new superintendents and a major reason has been the salary cap.”

Watch Superintendent Salary Cap Blamed for High Turnover Rate on PBS. See more from NJToday.

“New Jersey schools spend a lower percentage of their budgets on school and school district administration, than the majority of other states,” Belluscio said. “New Jersey ranks 41st among the states in the percentage of their current expenses that go toward school and building administration.” The New Jersey School Boards Association says their members feel there needs to be some control in superintendent salaries but they think other factors need to be taken into account, like superintendents who take on additional responsibilities who don’t receive additional stipends for that work. Belluscio says New Jersey’s school have been controlling administrative costs without a superintendent salary cap.

For full story: http://www.njtvonline.org/njtoday/video/superintendent-salary-cap-blamed-for-high-turnover-rate/

Picture: Sinatra Park, Hoboken NJ 

Special Hoboken Board of Education Meeting (Reorganization) - Monday January 7, 2013

On Monday night, the three winners of the Hoboken School Board elections are being sworn in in the Board of Education meeting room. The ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. The agenda also includes the formation of new committees for the new Board of Education as well as some modifications to the Open Public Meetings Act including the following proposal which would REQUIRE an individual give their home address and declare any affiliation with an organization, company, or group (political or non-political); limiting any individual's comments to under 5 minutes, and granting the Board President the authority to terminate anyone's remarks for "the best interest of those present" : 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, in order to conduct its meetings properly and efficiently, the Board shall require the following procedures pertaining to public participation at Board meetings:

Any individual desiring to speak shall give his or her name, address, and the group, if any, that is represented.

The presentation shall be as brief as possible but no more than five (5) minutes per individual.

The Board vests in its president, or other presiding officer, authority to terminate the remarks of any individual if he/she deems it in the best interest of those present to do so.

01-07-13 Public Notice of Meeting


01 07 13 Reorganization Meeting

Picture: Construction underway for Church Square Park (4th Street Park), December 2012.

Position Announcement- STEM Education; Tenured/Tenure Track: College of Education- The University of Texas at Austin

The following position is available at The University of Texas at Austin. This is an open rank position in STEM Education and the position is offered from the College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin. Any specific questions on the position to be directed to Dr. Larry Abraham (l.abraham@austin.utexas.edu) who is the co-Chair of the faculty search along with Dr. Michael Marder (marder@chaos.utexas.edu). Other information for applicants can be viewed at the end of the ad. -Dr. Petrosino

Job Type: Tenured/Tenure Track 
Job Rank: Tenured Faculty Job ID: (0) 12121800001 
College: Education College URL: www.utexas.edu/education/ 
Department/Unit: Curriculum and Instruction Department/Unit URL: http://ci.edb.utexas.edu 

 Closing Date: Until Filled 

Field of Specialization: STEM Education 

 Job Description: The University of Texas at Austin invites applications for a full professor to be the inaugural holder of the Elizabeth Shatto Massey Endowed Chair in Education. The successful candidate will be a highly productive scholar with a consistent record of publication in top tier research journals, a successful track record of research funding, and a history as a leader in academic and/or professional settings. We are looking for a scholar committed to integrated STEM education, with an energetic and collaborative work style. This position involves teaching and leadership at the graduate level as well as in undergraduate teacher education, as the department works with the UTeach program in secondary STEM education as well as a large and high-profile elementary teacher education program. The STEM Education program is a partnership with the College of Natural Sciences and the Cockrell School of Engineering, and as a growing program, includes the possibility for the successful applicant to help shape the faculty by recruiting future colleagues. Salary is highly competitive.

Applicant Instructions: Please submit a cover letter addressing the above listed qualifications, a curriculum vitae, a statement of teaching philosophy and research interests, and names of three references to: Massey Endowed Chair Search Committee Attn: Mr. Jim Maxwell 1912 Speedway, Stop D5700 Austin, TX 78712-1293 USA Or electronically: jmax@austin.utexas.edu Subject line: Massey Endowed Chair Search Review of applications will begin January 15, 2013 and continue to be accepted until the position is filled.

Position Announcement: Elementary Mathematics Education- The University of Texas at Austin

The following position is available at The University of Texas at Austin. This is an open rank position in Mathematics Education and the position is offered from the College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin. Any specific questions on the position to be directed to Dr. Jill Marshall (marshall@mail.utexas.edu) who is the co-Chair of the faculty search along with Dr. Susan Empson (empson@austin.utexas.edu). Other information for applicants can be viewed at the end of the ad. To be clear, I am NOT on the Search Committee for this position. -Dr. Petrosino

Job Type: Tenured/Tenure Track

Job Rank: Rank Open

Job ID: (0) 12092700001

College: Education

College URL: www.utexas.edu/education/

Department/Unit: Curriculum and Instruction

Department/Unit URL: http://ci.edb.utexas.edu

Closing Date: Until Filled

Field of Specialization: Elementary Mathematics Education

Job Description:

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction at The University of Texas at Austin invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position, or a tenured Associate or Full Professor position with a specialization in elementary Mathematics Education beginning in Fall 2013. The rank depends upon the candidate's qualifications. Highly qualified applicants may be eligible for an endowed professorship, at the Dean's discretion. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: • A doctorate in Mathematics Education, Learning Sciences, or related field • Demonstrated excellence or potential for excellence in research and teaching DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS: • Funded or externally fundable research program • Teaching Experience (K-12) Any programmatic research agenda in STEM education will be considered but preference will be given to those that complement and extend existing faculty's expertise and focus on access to quality STEM curriculum and instruction for populations historically underserved by the education system. Successful candidates will be expected to teach undergraduate courses in our teacher certification programs and graduate courses in our STEM Education graduate programs (including research methods courses in the department of Curriculum and Instruction). Above all, we seek a talented, productive scholar to join a faculty committed to innovative and socially responsive research and teaching in graduate and undergraduate programs in STEM Education with strong ties to the College of Natural Sciences and the Cockrell School of Engineering, a partnership with the University of Texas Elementary School, over 50 full-time graduate students, two nationally recognized teacher certification programs, including UTeach (7-12) and the Laptop Initiative for Future Educators (K-6), and a location in a diverse, rapidly growing, urban setting. This position offers a unique combination of opportunities for interdisciplinary inquiry, design-based research, program development, and impact on schools. The department of Curriculum and Instruction has a strong commitment to issues of equity in education, effective and innovative learning technology, and field-based teacher education.

Applicant Instructions:

Please submit a cover letter addressing the required and preferred qualifications, a curriculum vitae, a statement of teaching philosophy and research interests, and three letters of recommendation to: ATTN: STEM EDUCATION SEARCH/Elementary Mathematics 1912 Speedway, Stop D5700 The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712-1293 USA. Electronic submissions should be sent c/o Ann Ford [annford@austin.utexas.edu]. Review of applications will begin November 15, 2012. Applications will continue to be accepted until the position is filled.