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En Clay ter the ton 10th Pioneer Annu al
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IT’S YOUR PAPER www.claytonpioneer.com
November 22, 2013
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Common Core standards will change the way students learn PEGGY SPEAR Clayton Pioneer
[EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a series of articles about how Common Core State Standards will affect Clayton Valley-area students.] A new way of teaching is barreling down into California classrooms that has educators scrambling, parents puzzled, and unwary students at the forefront
of what is being described as an educational revolution. When Common Core curriculum hits local schools next year, gone will be cursive writing, traditional math tracks and some classic literature. But in its place, supporters hope, will be a new style of teaching that will raise U.S. students’ “accountability” at an international level, and teach critical thinking skills some say colleges are craving.
“We absolutely support the new Common Core State Standards,” says Clayton Valley Charter High School Executive Director David Linzey. “ The advantages for all students is that they are going to have access to a more rigorous and relevant curriculum. The previous California State Standards focused more on breadth of knowledge by testing students on a high number of standards for each content area.
The new CCSS were developed to be fewer, clearer, and higher.” PROCESS WAS FLAWED The Common Core movement launched in 2008, when some educators and politicians, concerned about dismal achievement among U.S. students, put forth the idea is to “modernize” education and share state standards. Forty-five states and the District of Columbia will share
K-12 goals, which include more relevant lessons and higher critical thinking skills, and in return receive funding from President Obama’s federal “Race to the Top” initiative It sounds like manna from Heaven, but across the country, opponents of Common Core are increasing in number, decrying everything from the actual material being taught to the way Common Core was approved and
implemented. Northgate High School mom Lisa Ackerman is an unofficial leaders of the anti-Common Core movement in Mount Diablo Unified School District, and she says that from the very beginning there was something wrong with the process. “Politicians would like you to
See Core page 3
Wide gulf remains between MDUSD and teacher demands DENISEN HARTLOVE Clayton Pioneer
JULIE PIERCE
MAYOR’S CORNER
Giving thanks for our close-knit community As we look forward to the holidays, my thoughts turn to how fortunate we are to live in such a caring and beautiful community. What makes our neighborhoods and community so special? We are more than a collection of houses planted side by side on a street. Clayton is a place where people connect with each other. Residents know who’s who and recognize familiar faces. We embrace our commonalities and appreciate our diversities. We
See Mayor page 9
Fire issues addressed at Town Hall meeting
Rochelle Douglass, Rochellez Photography
BOTH SIDES IN THE LATEST MDUSD MDEA DISPUTE NAMED THE PASSAGE OF PROP 30 as the reason the District has funds to increase their employees' compensation. The District however questions how far the funds can stretch to ensure all employees reap the benefits.
TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
Although it looks pretty black, the grasses are already beginning to sprout in the areas charred by the recent Morgan Fire. The fire, which started on Sept. 8, burned 3,111 acres, much of which had not seen fire in over 100 years. The blackened hillsides and downed trees have many residents concerned about runoff and mud slides during the rainy season. Representatives from CalFire, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Mt. Diablo State Park and Save Mount Diablo met with locals at a Town Hall meeting on Nov. 6 at the Clayton Library to answer questions. “The fire was a fairly moderate burn and nature will repair itself if left alone,” said Rich
It was a familiar sight to many on a recent Wednesday evening in front of the Mt. Diablo Unified School District offices: Teachers and parents crowded outside a Board of Education meeting, angrily shouting union slogans, waving signs and demanding increases in teacher compensation, while district negotiators and board members stared worriedly back. The rancor between union negotiators and MDUSD’s bargaining team has been ongoing. Previous negotiations between Mt. Diablo Education Association and the district relating to compensation and furlough days have resulted in impasses between the parties. Sacramento-based Public Employment Relations Board has been forced, like an annoyed parent, to mediate the disputes again and again. Currently, MDEA teachers are given $3,300 in compensation annually towards medical See MDUSD page 6
50 years...can it be? TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
John Fitzgerald Kennedy May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963
Today marks 50 years since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. For the past month, TV specials, magazines and newspapers have relived, recreated and remembered the 1000 days of “Camelot” and the horror of that day in Dallas. What have we learned in the past 50 years? Are we smarter? Are we more prepared? What did we lose? What did we gain. How would the world be different today if he’d lived? Would there have been a 9/11?
See Fire page 3
What’s Inside Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Community Calendar . . . . .16 Concord City Beat . . . . . . . .8 Design and Décor . . . . . . . .15 Directory of Advertisers . . . . .5 DVMS Reporter . . . . . . . . . .6 Food for Thought . . . . . . . .20 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Get Up & Get OutHoliday . .17 Shopping Guide . . . . . . . . .10 Letters to the Editor . . . . . . .6 Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Performing Arts . . . . . . . . . .18 Police Activity Report . . . . . .5 Resal Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
WWKD? What would Kennedy do? We can’t timetravel and the dead can’t speak. We can only speculate thoughtfully, read and re-read his words carefully and act deliberately. Fifty years sounds like a long time – a half a century. But, it still seems so fresh. I was 17 in 1963 and in love with a sandy-haired man who looked me in the eye and told me it was not only possible to be better than we are, it was expected of us. He told me the world was bigger than I thought. He told me to question and search -- to ask what I could do for my Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Sports Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Sports Shorts . . . . . . . . . . .14 Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Teen Reads . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Teen Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 The Pocket Parent . . . . . . . .6
country. He told me to strive and to never stop thinking. He said education was the answer to peace and that we would go to the moon. He said ideals came before ideas.He spoke to the world. He spoke to me. I heard him. And I still believe. Inside are four personal reflections on the assassination of President Kennedy, all by someone who was a young adult in 1963. Each of us remembers differently. But, we all remember …and we still cry. Turn to page 7 for more JFK photos and remembrances.
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