Adviser workshop August 9; sign up today!
Improve your practice, connect with peers, pick up the latest in advising tips, Saturday, Aug. 9, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with lunch included. You can register online. Registration is $25 for current JEANC members, $35 for non-members. The deadline is Aug. 1. The event will be held at Convent of the Sacred Heart High School in San Francisco. Address, directions and contact info available online when you register.

Adviser protection bill on way to governor
Sen. Leland Yee’s bill, SB 1370,which will protect journalism advisers from retaliation and punishment by administrators for students exercising their First Amendment and California guaranteed free expression rights, has passed the Senate and Assembly by huge margins. Next stop: the governor’s desk. Sen. Yee has assurance from the governor’s staff he will sign the bill.

Time to prepare for annual mail-in contest
In an attempt to recognize student journalists and their work for student publications, JEANC offers the annual mail-in contest with newspaper and yearbook categories. With the shift in graduation credits, AP course offerings and curriculum standards and administrators placing more emphasis on testing, advisers need every possible resource to promote their programs and remain afloat. Our aim is to promote the good things happening in scholastic journalism. All entries must reach us by Oct. 15 and will be judged by experienced journalism advisers. Directions and forms are online.

Fed push for career, technical education opportunity for journalism
The latest reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act requires that schools and two-year colleges accepting Perkins money must, for the first time, integrate rigorous academic and career and technical instruction, and link secondary and postsecondary education. A recent study by the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education showed that high school students at all levels of achievement were less likely to drop out if they took a combination of academic and career or technical courses. The SREB report calls for states to align their career and technical curriculum with college-readiness standards, conduct end-of-course assessments, and establish panels of college faculty, high school teachers, school officials and employers to devise curriculum frameworks and course syllabuses. Additionally, it encourages states to provide incentives for districts and high schools to work together with two-year colleges, technology centers and employers to craft occupation-specific courses.

JEA mentors complete training, begin work in NorCal
Five California advisers, including Jim Shuman, Katherine Swan and Rick Brown from JEANC, completed training for the JEA Mentor Program at the Graduate School of Journalism, University of California, Berkeley, the week of July 14. Each mentor will work with two to four new advisers to help them learn the ropes of scholastic journalism and survive those challenging first couple of years. If you know new advisers in Modesto area, San Francisco or the foothills near Auburn, connect them to a mentor by contacting Jim, Katherine or Rick.

MySpace ruling may limit school reach into social networking sites
The Indiana Supreme Court rejected a finding of child delinquency for a middle school student who posted a vulgarity-laced tirade against her principal on MySpace.com. A state appeals court reversed a state trial court decision, ruling that the student’s speech was protected by the First Amendment. The Indiana Supreme Court then also ruled for the student, but on different grounds. In a unanimous opinion, the court said the student’s message was not truly directed at the principal because he was not among the MySpace subscribers authorized to view it.

Filo named adviser of the year
Angela Filo, 2008 Cal-JEC High School Journalism Adviser of the Year, received her award in a surprise classroom visit on May 27 to Eastside Preparatory in East Palo Alto. Esther Wojcicki of Palo Alto High School, 2007 Lifetime Achievement winner, made the presentation. Filo is framed by her student editors Chelsea McLaughlin, Aaminah Khan and Elibet Jemenez and Principal Chris Bishof.

Get 'High School Journalism Matters'
Here is all the evidence you need to prove the value of journalism. An executive summary and entire report are in a free download at the Newspaper Association of America Foundation website (plus lots more free downloads and an online press rights test). “New research conducted for the NAA Foundation provides clear evidence that student journalists earn better high school grades, perform at higher levels on college entrance exams and receive higher grades in college writing and grammar courses than students who lack that experience. The “High School Journalism Matters” study builds on previous NAA Foundation research showing that students who work on their high school newspapers or student-oriented sections of their hometown papers and who use newspapers in class or for homework are more engaged in civic activities, better educated and more involved citizens as they grow older.”

Events

Aug. 9: Adviser Workshop, San Francisco. Contact Sarah Nichols

Sept. 27: Journalism Day, CSU Sacramento. Contact Steve O'Donoghue