Building Resilience - The Upside of Down

I’ve just finished reading The Upside of Down, which is very disturbing, but at the same confirms some of my own directions in life. A good part of this book reads like An Inconvenient Truth, but Homer-Dixon adds more detail about how we got into this mess. Much of the book is dedicated to an explanation of the five tectonic stresses that we face as a civilization - population; energy; environmental; climate and economic. About 80% of this book is depressing to any thoughtful or caring person.

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MPS rejects deal on lawsuit

MPS rejects deal on lawsuit District critical of costs to settle special education litigationBy ALAN J. BORSUK
aborsuk@journalsentinel.comPosted: March 14, 2008

Private negotiations to settle a lawsuit over how Milwaukee Public Schools handles special education students broke into the open Thursday when MPS rejected a proposal that could extend such services to thousands of students who are suspended from school frequently or held back a grade.

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Grace period for ad buyer?

Grace period for ad buyer? DA considers waiting for advocacy papers involving referendumBy AMY HETZNER
ahetzner@journalsentinel.comPosted: March 14, 2008

Brookfield - Waukesha County's district attorney said he might give the purchaser of an advertisement urging "Vote Yes" on the Elmbrook School District's upcoming building referendum until March 24 to register advocacy papers and file financial reports.

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Distributed Content Creation Model

One of the things I’ve noticed this week as I’ve been going around to some of the key stakeholders here is that my explanation or pitch concerning this idea is getting more and more focused. It almost feels like a politician on the stump, trying out phrases, seeing what works, taking a refined version to the next audience. Most of the time I just kind of hit on a word or a phrase that seems to click, and one that has really worked is this idea that we’re moving to a “distributed creation of content model”. Used to be that all content for our Website was approved by the public information officer who sent it to the Webmaster who put it online. (Which, of course, is why so little content was every created.) In this new model, the pipe to posting information is open for those that have relevant content and are positions to take responsibility for it.

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Timing of gift questioned

Timing of gift questioned MATC gives computers to Germantown libraryBy TOM KERTSCHER
tkertscher@journalsentinel.comPosted: Dec. 14, 2007

Five years ago, after the Germantown village administrator complained about services being provided by Milwaukee Area Technical College, MATC responded by donating wireless laptop computers and related equipment worth $65,000 to the Germantown public library.

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Whitnall schools’ Petric to retire early

Whitnall schools' Petric to retire early By DANI McCLAIN
dmcclain@journalsentinel.comPosted: Dec. 13, 2007

Whitnall School District's superintendent is expected to request early retirement at a School Board meeting Monday, a board member said Thursday.

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4-K program endorsed

4-K program endorsed Pewaukee School Board could act next monthBy AMY HETZNER
ahetzner@journalsentinel.comPosted: Dec. 12, 2007

Village of Pewaukee - Citing possible academic benefits and parent support, a task force has recommended that the Pewaukee School District implement a 4-year-old kindergarten program in partnership with preschool providers.

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Web opening new classroom doors

Web opening new classroom doors Online teaching tools catching on in traditional schoolsBy AMY HETZNER
ahetzner@journalsentinel.comPosted: Dec. 13, 2007

When students from her 10th-grade honors class returned from summer break, Arrowhead High School teacher Kathy Nelson organized an online open-house activity to discuss three novels they had read during their time off.

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Curriculum chief leaving in Falls job

Curriculum chief leaving in Falls job By AMY HETZNER
ahetzner@journalsentinel.comPosted: Dec. 11, 2007

Menomonee Falls - The School District will be looking for a new curriculum chief after accepting the resignation of Assistant Superintendent Susan Bennett.

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12 county teachers earn national certification

12 county teachers earn national certification High-level of teaching is recognizedBy AMY HETZNER
ahetzner@journalsentinel.comPosted: Dec. 11, 2007

Twelve teachers from Waukesha County schools were among 110 educators statewide who earned national certification this year, qualifying them for the state's new master educator license, the state Department of Public Instruction has announced.

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