Accelerated Learning Resources

Carlos Covarrubias, former assistant principal at Pacific High, takes over as principal at E.P. Foster School in Ventura. Covarrubias started his career in education as a paraeducator at E.P. Foster.

Occupation: Principal at E.P. Foster School in Ventura.

Age: 35.

Education: Bachelor’s degree, liberal studies, and master’s degree, educational leadership, both from CSU Northridge.

Residence: Oxnard.

Last book read: “What the Dog Saw,” by Malcolm Gladwell.

Favorite place: Anywhere he can watch the Dodgers play.

Quote: “There’s no such thing as ‘I can’t do it.’ ”

Other interests: Die-hard Dodgers baseball fan, jazz, reading.

For him, it feels like a return to his roots.

“I think my heart and soul are working with that community,” said Covarrubias, 35, an assistant principal in the Ventura Unified School District for the past three years.

“That’s where I grew as an educator. Read more…

Tags: Foster Principal, Principal

Ive seen my fair share of awful translations into English, which I forgive because most of the time they are hilarious, and I imagine that the people who commissioned them probably dont have much more than an online translator available to help them.

Sometimes, though, I come across words that look like legitimate English words, but I have no idea what they mean. Sometimes I can glean a fair idea from the context, but there are times when I just have to look up the word to see what they are talking about. I dont know why, but people seem to pick the most obscure or out-of-date words they can when doing formal translations.

I was editing an English translation of a Chinese document and one of the sentences said that there was no disporting allowed in the office. The word sounds like the opposite of porting, whatever that might mean. Or does it have something to do with sport? Teleporting? Apparently it means To amuse oneself in a light, frolicsome manner. Like, to frolic. I guess the sentence wanted to say no jacking around or no horseplay.

Read more…

Las Virgenes school officials want to know what parents, teachers, staff members and high school students think about changing the school calendar. So they’re asking them when school should start and when spring break should be.

“These are issues that may energize people, especially the start of school,” said Dan Stepenosky, assistant superintendent of personnel for the Las Virgenes Unified School District.

The district is considering starting school earlier — about mid-August, beginning in 2012 — so high school students can finish their first semester and take finals before winter break. School now starts toward the end of August.

The earlier start also would give students taking advanced placement classes more instruction time before exams.

Las Virgenes also is considering scheduling spring break at the end of the third grading quarter, generally at the end of March, instead of tying it to Easter. That way, spring break would come at about the same time each year, instead of moving with Easter.

These are issues that may energize people, especially the start of school.

Read more…

Tags: Calendar, Las Virgenes School, School Calendar, Virgenes School

COLUMBIA — Claflin University is kicking off a major fundraising drive with two events in Columbia.

The university launches a $96.4 million capital campaign Thursday. The campaign aims to enhance Claflins facilities, endowment, scholarship opportunities and academic programs. The money will also be used to build a state-of-the-art science and technology center.

Congressman James Clyburn and Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin are guest speakers at a symposium of representatives from the business, political and university communities.

To date, the campaign has raised $55 million toward their goal.

Tags: Claflin University, Drive, Fundraising Drive

Last August I reviewed Salman Khans Khan Academy. This incredible online video resource has many hundreds of free videos from the simplest math basics through the most complicated calculus and trigonometry, biology, organic chemistry, physics and more. Key features of the site include:

• Videos with informal, but powerful, explanations that take you step-by-step through each topic you can stop or rewind them as needed, creating your own self-paced instruction.
• An enthusiastic group of contributors that keep the list of exercises and videos continually growing.

Read more…

Tags: Salman Khan, Ted