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SCOE to Coordinate Mock Trial and Moot Court Competitions

Sacramento County Competitions Scheduled for Mid-February 2011

The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) is pleased to announce that it will coordinate the Gordon D. Schaber Mock Trial and Moot Court Program for the 2010–11 school year.

The Mock Trial competition simulates a trial-level proceeding in which students portray the roles of pre-trial counsel, prosecuting and defense attorneys, witnesses, court clerks, bailiffs, and jurors before a single presiding judge and two scoring judges. It includes courtroom art and courtroom journalism competitions.

The Moot Court competition is an appellate-level proceeding in which students prepare and argue a case before a panel of three judges that evaluates participants on the quality and persuasiveness of their legal reasoning and presentation, as well as their unscripted responses to spontaneous questions from the bench. The county Mock Trial winner advances to a statewide competition.

School teams and students compete for individual, county, and competition titles. “High school law court programs are excellent extracurricular activities that encourage leadership, critical thinking, and organization,” said David W. Gordon, Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools. “The County Office is proud to coordinate the Mock Trial and Moot Court programs.” Last year in Sacramento County, 20 teams and nearly 375 students participated in Mock Trial, and eight teams and approximately 55 students competed in Moot Court. More than 150 legal professionals and judicial leaders volunteer to help educate youth about the courts, assess participants’ skills, and provide real-world perspectives on the rule of law.

SCOE will coordinate a Mock Trial coaches meeting on Monday, October 4, 2010, and a Moot Court coach meeting on Thursday, October 7, 2010, to provide more information about the program. These meetings will take place from 4-5 p.m. in the Mather Room at the David P. Meaney Education Center.

The competition rounds are scheduled for the month of February 2011. In addition, SCOE is looking forward to developing partnerships with the local legal community to ensure the program’s future.

Anyone with questions about the Mock Trial or Moot Court competitions may e-mail or phone Craig Irish at (916) 228-2660.

IG: ED Could Have Done a Better Job Tracking Stim Funds

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Today is Sept. 30, officially the very last day covered by most of the $100 billion provided for education under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (aka the stimulus.) So, to um, celebrate … it’s worth taking a look at this final audit by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General audit, which was released this week.

The audit examines the department’s work in pushing the $53.6 billion in state stabilization funding, the largest single program in the stimulus, out the door.

And the IG found some issues. Namely, they said the department didn’t do a good enough job in making sure states actually provided the necessary information to support their claims about how much money the states had provided out of their own coffers for higher education and K-12 schools before they got their stimulus checks.

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Still Time To Take Advantage Of College Illinois!® September Discounts – College Savings Month in Illinois runs through September 30

CHICAGO, Ill. — As College Savings Month comes to a close September 30, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) says now is the best time to lock in college tuition prices with the College Illinois!® 529 Prepaid Tuition Program’s discounted September prices before prices increase Friday, October 1. 

 “The College Illinois! Prepaid Tuition Program is a powerful tool to help families save for college without incurring market risk,” said ISAC Executive Director Andrew Davis.  “The sooner parents, grandparents and even godparents get started, the more they save with College Savings Month discounts while avoiding tuition inflation that’s increased 10 percent annually in Illinois over the past decade.” 

Unlike other college savings plans, a College Illinois! 529 Prepaid Tuitio

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Education Department Launches Teacher Recruitment Campaign

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U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced today that the department is launching a national teacher recruitment campaign, complete with a web site that offers information on how to join the profession.

The administration is particularly interested in getting new teachers to work in high-need schools, and in recruiting them for subjects where there is a shortage of qualified instructors, including science, technology, engineering, and math, as well as to serve English-Language Learners and students in special education. The department also is hoping to attract a more diverse workforce, particularly minority males.

Duncan unveiled the initiative on MSNBC today, in a conversation with Tom Brokaw, just hours after Obama announced that he wants to see more math and science teachers.

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Duncan Hopeful on ESEA, and Eager for Campaign Trail

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U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told a room full of Washington reporters today that he’s still hoping to move on a bipartisan reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act early next year. But, when asked if he’d like to change anything in the Obama administration’s blueprint for renewal, released last March, he said only that he’d like to beef-up parent involvement, while offering few other specifics.

Duncan was also asked about the four school Improvement models outlined as a condition for federal turnaround aid, which folks (including members of Congress) have said are too prescriptive. The models will almost certainly be a major ESEA flashpoint, whenever reauthorization happens.

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Alamo Colleges’ registration process fails some students

Ruben Siller can’t pay his rent because his financial aid checks have not come in.

Amanda Hurtz has been dropped from her classes multiple times for non-payment, the result of a clerical error.

Ernesto Olivares is driving across town to a distant campus because he somehow registered for the wrong class.

All three are foster kids who have aged out of the system. By law, they receive tuition waivers to attend public colleges and universities in Texas, and use financial aid money for living expenses while attending school.

But this year, the systems set up to help them have gone haywire because of Banner, a new software program at the Alamo Colleges that has spawned chaos, confusion and long lines of students trying to register for classes and get their financial aid disbursements.

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