Math Program's Flaws Hidden from Board, Public

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Math Program's Flaws Hidden from Board, Public INSIDE THIS ISSUE Camp 1st Place Connection GENERAL Summer 2017 EXCELLENCE California Newspaper Publishers Association FEBRUARY 24, 2017 VOLUME 25, NO. 5 www.MountainViewOnline.com 650.964.6300 MOVIES | 20 Math program’s flaws hidden from board, public MV WHISMAN DISTRICT OFFICIALS HID COMPLAINTS, PROBLEMS PLAGUING TEACH TO ONE By Kevin Forestieri that adjust daily lessons based on each student’s needs. The or Mountain View Whis- pilot launched at the start of the man School District’s elect- school year for the roughly 500 Fed board members, the sixth-grade students attending cascade of problems that flowed Crittenden and Graham middle from the ill-fated new Teach schools, and it didn’t take long for to One math program wasn’t troubling signs to appear. even on the radar. Every passing Using a Public Records Act week that teachers grappled with request, the Voice obtained emails technological crises and numer- between district staff and employ- ous parents demanded fixes was ees of New Classrooms, the com- another week the district office pany behind Teach to One; the stayed mum about the problems. emails revealed one major snag MICHELLE LE Emmett Carson is CEO of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. The Mountain View-based charity But for anyone in the know, in the system after another — controls $8.2 billion in assets that are directed to philanthropic efforts both at home and abroad. the writing a teacher get- was on the ting assigned 49 wall as early ‘I cannot add more students in her as November class, identi- Silicon Valley’s rainmaker charity turns 10 that Teach parent concerns about cal lessons from to One was TTO than we already one day to the FOUNDATION’S GROWTH SPURS IT TO LOOK BEYOND BAY AREA going to fall next, week-long apart. Dis- have or we are going tech hangups, By Mark Noack all have in common? rainmaker like none other. trict officials math problems Money — specifically money Considered the largest orga- feared “some- to run the risk of for sixth-graders hat do a rural arts that flows to each of these nization of its kind, SVCF has thing ugly” full-scale parent and that inexplicably center in Kyrgyzstan, initiatives from the Silicon become a lifeline for hun- was bound extended into Wa climate-change Valley Community Founda- dreds of nonprofits, NGOs to happen — teacher revolt.’ trigonometry, think tank in metropolitan tion (SVCF), the Mountain and independent do-gooders, whether it be and students with Chicago and a science banquet View-based organization that ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT a total revolt disabilities being held each year at Moffett Field has become a philanthropic See SVCF, page 10 by parents CATHY BAUR illegally denied and teachers extra time to fin- or bad press — that would kill the ish exams. program. The emails show that a deluge Publicly, however, Superinten- of parent concerns would fre- Wanted: more applicants for rent-control board dent Ayinde Rudolph announced quently pour into the district that “mixed test results” were to office after teachers and district QUALIFICATIONS: MUST BE A MOUNTAIN VIEW LANDLORD blame when the district abruptly staff sent out messages attempt- pulled the plug on Teach to One in ing to demystify Teach to One. By Mark Noack Council members were sched- apartments in the city but its January. After an email blast on Sept. 16 uled to pick their top candidates implementation has been delayed Last year, district officials about how Teach to One works, t didn’t quite rise to the level for Mountain View’s new Rental by a lawsuit filed by a landlord decided to run a “pilot project” one parent raised concerns that of naming a new justice to the Housing Committee, the pow- group. using Teach to One, a digital the curriculum was impossible IU.S. Supreme Court — but at erful new panel in charge of After putting candi- math curriculum that prom- to follow, and made it impossible times the Mountain View City implementing Measure V, the dates through two rounds of ises individualized learning plans Council’s Feb. 21 meeting sure rent control regulations. Rent for students through algorithms See MATH PROGRAM, page 8 did resemble that kind of ordeal. control will affect thousands of See RENT CONTROL, page 7 INSIDE Fantastic Fijian food WEEKEND | 17 VIEWPOINT 13 | GOINGS ON 21 | MARKETPLACE 22 | REAL ESTATE 24 JUDY SHERI CINDY BOGARD-TANIGAMI BOGARD-HUGHES BOGARD-O’GORMAN (650) 207-2111 (650) 279-4003 (650) 924-8365 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] CalBRE# 00298975 CalBRE# 01060012 CalBRE# 01918407 ConsultantsInRealEstate.com Ranked Among Top Agents in The Wall Street Journal for 8 Consecutive Years. 26707 Tanglewood Lane, Los Altos Hills OPEN SUNDAY Surrounded By Complete Privacy and Sweeping Views of the Hills 1:30 PM-4:30 PM • Custom-built by the current owners with sophisticated contemporary appeal • 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and 2 offices arranged over 2 levels • Approximately 5,724* square feet • Just over 2.5 acres with complete privacy and sweeping views • Located just 5 minutes to Highway 280 and 7 minutes to the Village • Dramatic ceiling heights, travertine floors, unique imported finishes, and hand-painted artistry • 1,000+ bottle custom wine cellar • Wonderful outdoor venues for dining and entertaining • Landscaped gardens with full deer fencing • Attached 3-car garage, currently designed for 2 cars with significant built-in storage • Top-rated Los Altos schools *buyer to verify Offered at $4,895,000 | www.26707TanglewoodLane.com For more information, call Cindy Bogard-O’Gorman 650-924-8365 136 Azalea Drive, Mountain View SOLD OVER ASKING The Best in Downtown Mountain View Living WITH MULTIPLE OFFERS • 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms • Less than 9 years old • Approximately 1,850* square feet • Charming curb appeal with large, wrap-around front porch • Formal entry with soaring ceiling • Inviting living room with fireplace • Kitchen with granite counter tops, abundant cabinetry and counter space, stainless steel appliances, plus breakfast bar • Family room open to the kitchen; media alcove • Spacious dining room adjacent to the kitchen/family room, ideal for entertaining • Generous-sized under stairs storage and ample storage throughout • Distinguished Schools - Landels Elementary, Graham Middle, Mountain View High *buyer to verify Offered at $1,628,000 | www.136AzaleaDrive.com For more information,Call Sheri Bogard-Hughes 650.279.4003 631 Manresa Lane, Los Altos COMING SOON! Rare Opportunity – Minutes from the Village of Los Altos • 3 bedrooms with 3 private bathrooms • Approximately 3,400* square feet • Gallery-like foyer, high ceilings, and skylights • Three fireplaces, hardwood floors, and multiple decks • Generous storage; 2-car garage • Private, gated community on park-like grounds with pool • Sought-after North Los Altos and just minutes to downtown *buyer to verify Price Upon Request For more information, Call Judy Bogard-Tanigami 650.207.2111 2 Q Mountain View Voice Q MountainViewOnline.com Q February 24, 2017 QA+E BRIEFS Are you missing a tooth (or teeth)? Have you considered Dental Implants? Dental Implant Free Consultation A $250 Value! COURTESY OF WILLIAM RUSHTON/ BRYANT STREET GALLERY William Rushton’s California-themed oil paintings are on display at the Are your Wisdom Teeth causing Bryant Street Gallery. you pain? Do you need your ‘CALIFORNIA 2’ AT half of the 20th century due in Wisdom Teeth removed? BRYANT STREET GALLERY part to her scandalous romance with mining tycoon Horace Second opinions welcome. “California 2,” an exhibition Tabor and the rise and fall of Call for your complementary consultation. of William Rushton’s oil-on- their fortunes, is the subject of canvas paintings celebrating a 1956 opera by Douglas Moore the Golden State, are on display and John Latouche (considered through the end of February one of the first successful Ameri- Having Trouble With Snoring/Sleeping? at Bryant Street Gallery, 532 can operas). The Stanford Light We Have The Solution! Bryant St, Palo Alto. Rushton’s Opera Company and voice stu- work in this series depict life in dents from the Stanford Univer- Call Smiles Dental to Learn More! 650.665.5001 sunny, seaside California in an sity Department of Music present impressionistic style, created by “The Ballad of Baby Doe” Feb. using thick paint and irregular 24-26 at 7:30 p.m. (Friday) and brushes. The gallery is open 2:30 p.m. (Saturday and Sunday) 100 W. El Camino Real, Suite 63A Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. at Dinkelspiel Auditorium, 471 Mountain View ( Corner of El Camino & Calderon ) to 5:30 p.m. (Thursdays open Lagunita Drive, Stanford. Based until 7 p.m.). Go to bryant on historical facts about the life SmilesDental.com | 650.665.5001 street.com. and times of Tabor and company, the opera includes characters such as President Chester Arthur. DAVID BROZA & ALI PARIS It made its West Coast premiere Israeli singer-songwriter David back in 1957 at the then-brand- Broza and Palestinian musician new Dinkelspiel Auditorium. www.demartiniorchard.com Ali Paris will join forces for Tickets are $10-$20. Go to events. 66 N. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos Open Daily 650-948-0881 a special concert at the Osh- stanford.edu/events/661/66119/. 8am-7pm man Family Jewish Community Prices Effective Farm Fresh and Center (3921 Fabian Way, Palo 2/22 thru 2/28 Always the Best Alto) on Thursday, March 2, at ‘LEGISLATE THIS!’ 8 p.m. with the goal of showcas- Local theatrical burlesque LONG GREEN NOW IN STOCK ATUFLO ing peaceful coexistence and the company Curtains Cabaret will PIXIE MANDARINS power of music to unite people. present a fundraising benefit for ASPARAGUS CHERIMOYA MANGOES Rock-and-roll artist Broza, who Planned Parenthood titled “Leg- grew up in Israel, Spain and islate This! South Bay” at Dragon TENDER SIX PLUMS LARGE England, plays guitar in a percus- Theatre, 2120 Broadway St., LARGE MUSCAT GRAPES SWEET sive style inspired by flamenco Redwood City, on Friday, March $ 49 SPRING GARLIC AND ¢ rhythms and he is dedicated to 3, at 7:30 p.m.
Recommended publications
  • The Pilot Light
    T H E PILOT LIGHT Lower and Upper School Academic Scholars’ Journal of South Hampstead High School ISSUE 01 Ignition IGNI TION As a Year 10 scholar, my first introduction to this journal It has been an incredible experience to The symposia for the Lower and Upper have been a part of the curation of the first School Academic Scholars provided the was helping my Year 8 buddies. I thoroughly enjoyed edition of The Pilot Light; hopefully this opportunity for the Scholars to share their will be the only edition to be published in a thoughts on ‘ignition’ in the form of a speech discussing their ideas with them and then seeing how they national lockdown! The Academic Scholars’ to other Scholars, followed by questions from programme has expanded rapidly in the past their mentors. It was a pleasure to mentor explored them individually in their essays. Their ideas also year with now three Scholars' Symposia and two of the Upper School Scholars during influenced me in choosing what to write about. I loved this two separate journals. This journal is a clear the writing of their respective articles and testament to the hard work by the Lower and I was struck by the creativity, diligence and opportunity to explore areas outside the curriculum and Upper School Scholars, especially given these dedication shown which shines through in challenging times. every article. allow myself to travel far down ‘information rabbit holes’. It was also fascinating to attend the two Scholars' Symposia At South Hampstead, something that all I hope you all enjoy reading through these students have in common is being passionate, essays and that they inspire and possibly and to see how all the other girls had interpreted the theme which is why the theme of ‘ignition’ was ignite your own passion to discover and of ‘ignition’ in such a variety of ways, really showcasing the so fitting.
    [Show full text]
  • Film Stills: Background Briefing with Themes & Color on Program
    Film stills: http://bit.ly/filmstill2018 Background briefing with themes & color on program: http://bit.ly/filmbriefing TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL® ANNOUNCES FEATURE FILM LINEUP FOR 17th EDITION, RUNNING APRIL 18-29 Liz Garbus’ THE FOURTH ESTATE to Close Festival; Drake Doremus’ ZOE selected as the Centerpiece Gala NEW YORK, NY (March 7, 2018) – The 17th annual Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, revealed its feature film lineup championing the discovery of emerging voices and celebrating new work from established filmmaking talent. To close the Festival, Tribeca will World Premiere The Fourth Estate, from Oscar®-nominated director Liz Garbus, which follows The New York Times’ coverage of the Trump administration’s first year. The Centerpiece Gala will be the World Premiere of Drake Doremus’ sci-fi romance Zoe starring Ewan McGregor, Léa Seydoux, Rashida Jones, and Theo James. The 2018 Tribeca Film Festival takes place April 18-29. The 2018 feature film program includes 96 films from 103 filmmakers. Of the 96 films, 46% of them are directed by women, the highest percentage in the Festival’s history. The lineup includes 74 World Premieres, 6 International Premieres, 9 North American Premieres, 3 U.S. Premieres, and 4 New York Premieres from 30 countries. This year’s program includes 46 first time filmmakers, with 18 directors returning to the Festival with their latest feature film projects. Tribeca’s 2018 slate was programmed from more than 8,789 total submissions. “We are proud to present a lineup that celebrates American diversity and welcomes new international voices in a time of cultural and social activism,” said Paula Weinstein, Executive Vice President of Tribeca Enterprises.
    [Show full text]
  • Apple Confidential 2.0 the Definitive History of the World's Most Colorful
    vi Reviewers love Apple Confidential “The Apple story itself is here in all its drama.” New York Times Book Review “An excellent textbook for Apple historians.” San Francisco Chronicle “Written with humor, respect, and care, it absolutely is a must-read for every Apple fan.” InfoWorld “Pretty much irresistible is the only way to describe this quirky, highly detailed and illustrated look at the computer maker’s history.” The Business Reader Review “The book is full of basic facts anyone will appreciate. But it’s also full of interesting extras that Apple fanatics should love.” Arizona Republic “I must warn you. This 268-page book is hard to put down for a MacHead like me, and probably you too.” MacNEWS “You’ll love this book. It’s a wealth of information.” AppleInsider “Rife with gems that will appeal to Apple fanatics and followers of the computer industry.” Amazon.com “Mr. Linzmayer has managed to deliver, within the confines of a single book, just about every juicy little tidbit that was ever leaked from the company.” MacTimes “The most entertaining book about Apple yet to be published.” Booklist i …and readers love it too! “Congratulations! You should be very proud. I picked up Apple Confidential and had a hard time putting it down. Obviously, you invested a ton of time in this. I hope it zooms off the shelves.” David Lubar, Nazareth, PA “I just read Apple Confidentialfrom cover to cover…you have written a great book!” Jason Whong, Rochester, NY “There are few books out there that reveal so much about Apple and in such a fun and entertaining manner.
    [Show full text]
  • Wizards of The
    In our connected data societies, the importance of algorithms and automated systems is obvious. They determine search engines’ rankings, what driverless cars do when a child appears on the road, and stock market changes. Today data-driven algorithms and automated systems are everywhere. While algorithms and automated systems themselves are often a topic of controversy WIZARDS OF THE WEB JAKOB SVENSSON WIZARDS OF THE WEB JAKOB and debate, this book is about the people behind them; it is an account of the cultures, values, and imaginations that guide programmers in their work designing and engineering software and digital technology. Technology, it is argued, is not neutral and developed free of context. And since algorithms and automated WIZARDS systems exercise power in connected data societies, it is pivotal to understand their creators, who could be labelled, it is argued in the book, Wizards of the Web. This book is the result of an ethnographically inspired study based on interviews with software engineers and programmers, observations made at tech head quarters and conferences in Denmark, Sweden, Brazil, Germany, India, and the US, and a OF case study of the introduction of algorithmic automation on the front page of a Scandinavian newspaper. The author, Jakob Svensson, is professor of Media and Communication Studies at Malmö University. The book is part of the research project Behind the Algorithm (funded by the Swedish Research Council, 2018–2020). THE WEB AN OUTSIDER'S JOURNEY INTO TECH CULTURE, PROGRAMMING, AND MATHEMAGICS NordicomNordicom is a centre is a forcentre Nordic for media Nordic research media at the University research of Gothenburg, at the University of Gothenburg,supported supported by the by Nordic the Council Nordic of Ministers.
    [Show full text]
  • Oral History of Joanna Hoffman, Part 2
    Oral History of Joanna Hoffman, part 2 Interviewed by: Marguerite Gong Hancock Hansen Hsu Marc Weber Recorded March 9, 2018 Mountain View, CA CHM Reference number: X8464.2018 © 2018 Computer History Museum Oral History of Joanna Hoffman, part 2 Hancock: Today is March 9th, 2018. We’re really delighted to welcome you, Joanna Hoffman, back to the Computer History Museum. I’m Marguerite Gong Hancock, together with Hansen Hsu and Marc Weber of the museum and we’re delighted to have you here for Part 2 of your oral history. Today we’ll be focusing on your time with the Mac team at Apple, moving onto NeXT; Hansen will be leading that portion. Marc will be leading the portion on General Magic. And then I’ll be closing up with a review of your career and work afterwards. Of course, we’ll be really interactive, but we’re really delighted to have you here. Hoffman: Well, thank you very much. It’s such a privilege. I can’t even imagine doing this, but I’m very excited to do it. Hancock: Thank you. Hsu: So, to start off, could you maybe talk a little bit about Steve Job’s charisma and the reality distortion field? Hoffman: Well, you know, because Steve had a very strong vision of what he intended to do—and I don’t want to label him as a mere visionary, because, frankly speaking, visionaries are one in a million. People who are able to bring visions into reality, and make them successful, and make them stick are one in a billion.
    [Show full text]