Biden Calls School Reopening A 'National Emergency' | 89.3 KPCC

Biden Calls School Reopening A 'National Emergency' | 89.3 KPCC

Biden Calls School Reopening A 'National Emergency'

There's a LOT of education news these days. Here's an overview of the stories from this week that you might have missed, plus some valuable links we've gleaned from around the web.

First let's turn to the world of higher education.

As we reported last week, college towns are driving coronavirus outbreaks nationwide. There were over 50,000 reported cases on campuses as of Friday morning, a figure that had doubled from the day before, according to The New York Times.

Iowa State University canceled its first football game because of alarming rates of coronavirus on campus; the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign told students to stop all non-essential in-person contact after a spike — this despite their much-touted, twice-weekly testing plan.

Meanwhile, campus Greek organizations are grappling with how to adapt to COVID-19 policies. For some, it's an existential threat.

And we talked with public health experts who said shaming and blaming students for socializing is unlikely to be effective.

Meanwhile, in K-12 education, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden focused on the issue of school reopening with a series of briefings, campaign events and a CONTINUE READING: Biden Calls School Reopening A 'National Emergency' | 89.3 KPCC

Maurice Cunningham: Why the Waltons and Koch Support Charter Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

Maurice Cunningham: Why the Waltons and Koch Support Charter Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

Maurice Cunningham: Why the Waltons and Koch Support Charter Schools

Maurice Cunningham, a political science professor at the University of Massachusetts, specializes in exposing the role of Dark Money in education. If you read my book, Slaying Goliath, you know that Cunningham’s research and blog posts helped to turn the tide against a state referendum in 2016 to expand the number of charter schools in Massachusetts. Cunningham showed that “Yes on Two” Organization was funded by billionaires and that the billionaires were hiding their identities. Despite being outspent, the parent-teacher-local school committee won handily.

In this post, originally from February, Cunningham explains why the Waltons and Charles Koch are so devoted to privatizing public school governance. He’s right that they want to lower their taxes. They also want to smash teachers’ unions; more than 90% of charters are non-union. The corporate sector doesn’t like unions, and most private unions have been eliminated. The teachers’ unions are still standing, which annoys the billionaires

Maurice Cunningham: Why the Waltons and Koch Support Charter Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

It’s an honor to even be mentioned for US Secretary of Education | Cloaking Inequity

It’s an honor to even be mentioned for US Secretary of Education | Cloaking Inequity

IT’S AN HONOR TO EVEN BE MENTIONED FOR US SECRETARY OF EDUCATION

There are many shortlists appearing nowadays for US Secretary of Education— upon a change of administration. I blogged a few weeks ago about an interesting list that covered the ideological spectrum in the post Biden’s U.S. Secretary of Education shortlist? It’s a blessing to even be mentioned in the @DiverseIssues article considering who will be the next US Secretary of Education. My vote is for @LDH_ed or @Lily_NEA and some others in the article.

I’m so honored to wake up every morning and lead the approximately 3,000 students, faculty and staff in the University of Kentucky College of Education. The work we are doing here to turn ideas into action has been a lifelong dream.

59 days until the election. Let’s see who wins!

Please Facebook Like, Tweet, etc below and/or reblog to share this discussion with others.

Check out and follow my YouTube channel here.

Twitter: @ProfessorJVH

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It’s an honor to even be mentioned for US Secretary of Education | Cloaking Inequity

Teacher Tom: And They Are Perfect

Teacher Tom: And They Are Perfect

And They Are Perfect

I have spent my adult life trying to figure out why parents and society put themselves into a race -- what's the hurry? I keep trying to convey the pleasure every parent and teacher could feel while observing, appreciating and enjoying what the infant is doing. This attitude would change our educational climate from worry to joy. ~Magda Gerber

It seems to me that the greatest gift we can give to other people is to let them know we love them just as they are. That we've all heard this before in some version or other makes it no less profound and no less precious.

I think that's what we do when we simply let ourselves be with young children, without that sense of possession or protectiveness or responsibility that too often attends our interactions. It's in those moments of two humans simply being together that we convey this vital knowledge of unwavering love to even the youngest children, who themselves are then permitted to be, without the obligations that come with being possessed, protected, or a CONTINUE READING: Teacher Tom: And They Are Perfect

A Seventh Grader Kicks Edgenuity's Dumb Robograding Butt

 A Seventh Grader Kicks Edgenuity's Dumb Robograding Butt

A Seventh Grader Kicks Edgenuity's Dumb Robograding Butt

The story comes to us from Francesca Paris at NPR's Here and Now, and it can serve as our sixty-gazillionth reminder that computer algorithms-- even ones that are marketed as Artificial Intelligence-- cannot grade student work to save their cybernetic lives.

A student in LAUSD's virtual school was dismayed when his first history assignment came back an F. It was short written responses, and the score came back instantly, so his mother figured out that it had been graded by the software and not a human being. But we just saw here a short time ago, computer algorithms can't really read, and they don't understand content--which would seem to be a real drawback when scoring history assignments.

This particular virtual school product is from Edgenuity, one of the more widely used school-in-a-can computer products. Its CEO won recognition at the EdTech Awards last year, and the company is in something like 20,000 schools. But it gets plenty of criticism for being standardized to death. It doesn't appear to have a great deal of bench strength when it comes to questions; users talk about how easy it is to just google answers while taking assessments, and Slate discovered that students can do well by just repeatedly taking tests, which turn out to ask mostly the same CONTINUE READING:  A Seventh Grader Kicks Edgenuity's Dumb Robograding Butt

Open Letter to Joe Biden: Ed Sec “That Has Been in Public Schools” is Not Enough

 Open Letter to Joe Biden: Ed Sec “That Has Been in Public Schools” is Not Enough

Open Letter to Joe Biden: Ed Sec “That Has Been in Public Schools” is Not Enough

Dear Candidate Biden:

On September 01, 2020, I saw part of the interview your wife, Jill, did with CNN contributor, Biana Goldryga, on the topic of K12 education. In that interview, Jill said that you plan to replace Betsy DeVos as US secretary of education “with somebody that has been in the public schools.”

On the surface, that sounds fantastic. On the surface.

The problem is that the education reform movement specializes in its members having temp time “in the public schools” as a resume-padding device designed to catapult them into leadership positions in K12 education, such as district and state superintendents. So, technically, one of these classroom-exiting, sleight-of-experience resume padders could slide right on in as the next secretary of education, without spending but a moment’s time as a classroom teacher, and you, sir, might not know the difference because the person is *technically* able to declare having been “in the public schools.”

In fact, hearing Jill Biden say that you plan to appoint as next ed sec “someone who has been in the public schools” makes me realize that being “in” the public schools doesn’t really commit to having as ed sec someone who has spent time in the classroom at all, much less years enough in the classroom to see a wave of ed trends come and go. I’ll pursue the classroom longevity issue in more detail shortly; for now, I will assume that Jill Biden’s use of “in the public schools” means having been a classroom teacher “in the public schools.”

Let’s return to the education reform movement’s penchant for churning out token teachers who really desire speedy procurement of positions of power and influence over the K12 classroom, not an actual classroom teaching career.

The principal vehicle for this career catapult is ed-reform teacher-temp agency, CONTINUE READING:  Open Letter to Joe Biden: Ed Sec “That Has Been in Public Schools” is Not Enough

Serie de módulos sobre la participación de padres - Parent Engagement Modules Series - Migrant (CA Dept of Education)

Parent Engagement Modules Series - Migrant (CA Dept of Education)

Parent Engagement Modules Series

The Parent Engagement Modules Series presents information and strategies for parents to develop their capacity to support their children at school and at home.

Serie de módulos sobre la participación de padres

La Serie de módulos sobre la participación de padres tiene información y estrategias para que los padres desarrollen la capacidad de apoyar a sus hijos en la escuela y en su casa.

English version of the Parent Engagement Modules Series

Un factor principal en el desempeño del estudiante y en su bienestar general es que los padres (o los tutores) tengan un papel integral en la vida de sus hijos. Es por eso que la Oficina de Educación Migrante (MEO, por sus siglas en inglés) del Departamento de Educación de California, en colaboración con WestEd, creó la Serie de módulos sobre la participación de padres, con el fin de que los padres desarrollen la capacidad de apoyar a sus hijos en la escuela y en su casa. En el Plan de Prestación de Servicios Estatales de la MEO, un marco curricular para la prestación de servicios relacionados con la educación migrante, se establece la necesidad de apoyar y de aumentar la participación de los padres y de la familia. Estos siete módulos para padres se desarrollaron para darles a los padres y a la familia información y estrategias para tratar temas importantes; por ejemplo, utilización de la disciplina positiva para apoyar el desarrollo de los niños, maneras de criar niños seguros de sí mismos, acoso escolar y otros temas. Todos los módulos están diseñados para que los presente un facilitador, pero los padres también pueden verlos por su cuenta.

Módulo 1: Resumen para el facilitador de los Módulos de Participación de Padres y documentos de apoyo

El módulo 1 es una introducción, de entre 15 y 20 minutos, a la Serie de módulos sobre la participación de padres, donde se da una breve presentación de todos los módulos y los documentos de apoyo. En él se indica cómo utilizar los módulos como un recurso para las capacitaciones de padres o como una herramienta informativa para uso personal.

Resumen para el facilitador de los Módulos de Participación de Padres y documentos de apoyo

English version of Facilitator Overview of Migrant Modules and Handouts

Módulo 2: Utilizar disciplina positiva para ser un padre más eficaz

A través del módulo 2, los participantes recibirán información contextual, estrategias de implementación y ejemplos prácticos sobre cómo utilizar la disciplina positiva para ser un padre más eficaz. Podrán reflexionar sobre cómo este material se aplica a su vida diaria, practicar nuevas estrategias y realizar un plan para aplicar las nuevas estrategias.

Utilizar disciplina positiva para ser un padre más eficaz

English version of Using Positive Discipline to Be a More Effective Parent

Módulo 3: Criar a niños seguros de sí mismos implementando objetivos y una actitud orientada al crecimiento

A través del módulo 3, los participantes recibirán información contextual, estrategias de implementación y ejemplos prácticos sobre cómo criar niños seguros de sí mismos implementando objetivos y una actitud orientada al crecimiento. Podrán reflexionar sobre cómo este material se aplica a su vida diaria, practicar nuevas estrategias y realizar un plan para aplicar las nuevas estrategias.

Criar a niños seguros de sí mismos implementando objetivos y una actitud orientada al crecimiento

English version of Growing Self-Confident Children Through Goal Setting and Growth Mindset

Módulo 4: Sistemas escolares y múltiples culturas

A través del módulo 4, los participantes recibirán información contextual sobre los sistemas escolares estadounidenses y las diferencias culturales con otros sistemas y recibirán estrategias prácticas para superar las diferencias, centrándose en ejemplos de las escuelas mexicanas y estadounidenses. Podrán reflexionar sobre cómo este material se aplica a su vida diaria, practicar nuevas estrategias y realizar un plan para aplicar las nuevas estrategias.

Sistemas escolares y múltiples culturas

English version of School Systems and Multiple Cultures

Módulo 5: Ayudar a que su hijo/a tenga éxito en la escuela

A través del módulo 5, los participantes recibirán información contextual, estrategias de implementación y ejemplos prácticos sobre cómo ayudar a que sus hijos tengan éxito en la escuela. Podrán reflexionar sobre cómo este material se aplica a su vida diaria, practicar nuevas estrategias y realizar un plan para aplicar las nuevas estrategias.

Ayudar a que su hijo/a tenga éxito en la escuela

English version of Supporting Your Child to Be Successful in School

Módulo 6: Entender y comunicarse con sus hijos adolescentes

A través del módulo 6, los participantes recibirán información contextual, estrategias de implementación y ejemplos prácticos sobre cómo comunicarse de manera efectiva con sus hijos adolescentes. Podrán reflexionar sobre cómo este material se aplica a su vida diaria, practicar nuevas estrategias y realizar un plan para aplicar las nuevas estrategias.

Entender y comunicarse con sus hijos adolescentes

English version of Understanding and Communicating with Your Teenager

Módulo 7: El acoso escolar: Qué es y cómo ayudar a sus hijos

A través del módulo 7, los participantes recibirán información contextual, estrategias de implementación y ejemplos prácticos sobre cómo ayudar a prevenir y apoyar a los niños en relación al acoso escolar.

El acoso escolar: Qué es y cómo ayudar a sus hijos

English version of Bullying: What It is and How to Help Your Child

Questions:   Migrant Education Office | 916-319-0851

Versión en español de la Serie de módulos sobre la participación de padres

A primary factor in student achievement and overall well-being, parents (or guardians) play an integral part in their children’s lives. For this reason, the California Department of Education’s Migrant Education Office (MEO), in collaboration with WestEd, created the Parent Engagement Module Series for parents to develop their capacity to support their children at school and at home. The MEO’s State Service Delivery Plan, a framework for migrant education service delivery, identifies the need to support and increase parent and family engagement. These seven parent modules were developed to provide parents and family with information and strategies to address important topics such as the use of positive discipline to support child development, ways to raise self-confident children, bullying at school, and more. All of the modules are intended to be presented by a facilitator but can also be viewed independently by parents.

Module 1, Facilitator Overview of Migrant Modules and Handouts

Module 1 is a 15 to 20 minute introduction to the Parent Engagement Module Series and provides a short overview of all the modules and handouts. It details how to use the modules as a resource for parent trainings or as an informational tool for individual use.

Facilitator Overview of Migrant Modules and Handouts

Versión en español de Resumen para el facilitador de los Módulos de Participación de Padres y documentos de apoyo

Module 2, Using Positive Discipline to Be a More Effective Parent

Module 2 participants will receive background information, implementation strategies, and practical examples of using positive discipline to be a more effective parent; reflect upon how this material applies to their daily lives; practice new strategies; and make a plan for applying new strategies.

Using Positive Discipline to Be a More Effective Parent

Versión en español de Utilizar disciplina positiva para ser un padre más eficaz

Module 3, Growing Self-Confident Children Through Goal Setting and Growth Mindset

Module 3 participants will receive background information, implementation strategies, and practical examples of growing self-confident children through goal setting and growth mindset; reflect upon how this material applies to their daily lives; practice new strategies; and make a plan for applying new strategies.

Growing Self-Confident Children Through Goal Setting and Growth Mindset

Versión en español de Criar a niños seguros de sí mismos implementando objetivos y una actitud orientada al crecimiento

Module 4, School Systems and Multiple Cultures

Module 4 participants will receive background information about the U.S. school systems and cultural differences with other systems; receive practical strategies for bridging the differences, with a focus on examples of Mexican and U.S. schools; reflect upon how this material applies to their daily lives; practice new strategies; and make a plan for applying new strategies.

School Systems and Multiple Cultures

Versión en español de Sistemas escolares y múltiples culturas

Module 5, Supporting Your Child to Be Successful in School

Module 5 participants will receive background information, implementation strategies, and practical examples of helping their children be successful in school; reflect upon how this material applies to their daily lives; practice new strategies; and make a plan for applying new strategies.

Supporting Your Child to Be Successful in School

Versión en español de Ayudar a que su hijo/a tenga éxito en la escuela

Module 6, Understanding and Communicating with Your Teenager

Module 6 participants will receive background information, implementation strategies, and practical examples of effectively communicating with teenage children; reflect upon how this material applies to their daily lives; practice new strategies; and make a plan for applying new strategies.

Understanding and Communicating with Your Teenager

Versión en español de Entender y comunicarse con sus hijos adolescentes

Module 7, Bullying: What It is and How to Help Your Child

Module 7 participants will receive will background information, implementation strategies, and practical examples of how to help prevent and support children with regard to bullying.

Bullying: What It is and How to Help Your Child

Versión en español de El acoso escolar: Qué es y cómo ayudar a sus hijos

Questions:   Migrant Education Office | 916-319-0851

Parent Engagement Modules Series - Migrant (CA Dept of Education)

DeVos Stands Up For Testocracy

 DeVos Stands Up For Testocracy

DeVos Stands Up For Testocracy

Thursday, Betsy DeVos issued a letter clarifying the Department of Education's position on postponing the Big Standardized Test this year, and it closes one of the few remaining gaps between DeVos and Arne Duncan.

In a letter to chief state school officers, DeVos noted that there has been a pandemic. She thanked the school leaders for their efforts to meet the needs of all students (forgetting, perhaps, all the times she has recently claimed that most pubic schools haven't done a damn thing) and notes that some of the crew has been bringing up the issue of testing waivers for this school year.

The answer, she says, is a big fat "Nope." She expects that the BS Tests will be given. And she offers this:

As you’ll recall, statewide assessments are at the very core of the bipartisan agreement that forged ESSA. They are among the most reliable tools available to help us understand how children are performing in school. The data from assessments can help inform personalized
support to children based on their individual needs and provide transparency about their progress. There is broad and consistent support for assessments because there is general agreement among CONTINUE READING:  DeVos Stands Up For Testocracy

Video: Start off school by watching, “Teaching When The World Is On Fire”

 Video: Start off school by watching, “Teaching When The World Is On Fire”

Video: Start off school by watching, “Teaching When The World Is On Fire”

Dr. Lisa Delpit, Sarah Ishmael, Jonathan Tunstall, & Jesse Hagopian on the struggle for racial justice in education.

Our world is literally on fire–whether it’s the climate change fueled fires in California or the police terror fulled fires from the uprising for Black lives–and educators have a special responsibility in this era to help students make sense of the these realities and empower them to help make collective change.

With school starting back, now is a good time to check out this video, hosted by Dr. Lisa Delpit, on “Teaching When The World Is On Fire.”

As part of the 2020 “Reimagining Education: Teaching, Learning, and Leading for a Racially Just Society Summer Institute,” I joined the amazing Dr. Lisa Delpit for a discussion on themes from her newest book, Teaching While the World is on Fire–a book I contributed to with a co-authored chapter with Dr. Wayne Au titled, “How One Elementary School Sparked a Citywide Movement to Make Black Students’ Lives Matter.” Also joining the panel were book CONTINUE READING:  Video: Start off school by watching, “Teaching When The World Is On Fire” 

The School Reopening Gamble

 The School Reopening Gamble

The School Reopening Gamble

In the next week or so, schools districts all over the country will reopen their buildings as their new year begins. During our pre-service training, a teacher colleague of mine described the process as a “grand experiment.”

But he’s wrong; it’s not an experiment. It’s a gamble.

An experiment, by definition, is a controlled, scientific procedure designed to gain knowledge. When a researcher conducts an experiment, they try, as much as possible, to control for outside factors that may affect an outcome. The goal is to see relationships between causes and effects, and better understand how the world works.

A gamble, on the other hand, is a risky action taken with the hopes of getting a favorable result. A gambler isn’t trying to learn anything – all they want is a win.

America’s school reopening plans aren’t experiments; we aren’t trying to learn more about how COVID-19 spreads, or its effects. We are, instead, making a huge bet: we’re hoping that we’ll get the benefits of sending children into school buildings without making the pandemic worse.

The problem, however, is that a good gambler always knows the odds. Before placing a bet, a gambler weighs the risks of losing against the rewards of winning. Las Vegas is full of CONTINUE READING:  The School Reopening Gamble

Talk out of School podcast with Jamaal Bowman and Randi Levine

 Talk out of School podcast with Jamaal Bowman and Randi Levine

Talk out of School podcast with Jamaal Bowman and Randi Levine

Check out our latest "Talk out of School" podcast with former principal Jamaal Bowman about his landslide primary win in NY's District16 and what he intends to do for our public schools when he gets to Congress.

Then we spoke to Randi Levine, Policy Director of Advocates for Children, about what she thinks of the city's just-released school reopening plan  and whether it does enough for the more than 200,000 students with special needs and the 114,000 students who are homeless.  More information below.

  

More resources:

Jamaal Bowman’s education platform and his ideas for opening schools in a time of COVID-19. 

Advocates for Children website 

AFC Guides and resources

AFC NY Helpline: Call (866) 427-6033 on Monday to Thursday, 10 am to 4 pm 

AFC Op Ed on how homeless students deserve special attention in NYC’s school reopening plan 

 Talk out of School podcast with Jamaal Bowman and Randi Levine

Charter Schools Find Gold in Federal Government Aid to Small Businesses While Black-Owned Firms Get the Shaft - Citizen Truth

Charter Schools Find Gold in Federal Government Aid to Small Businesses While Black-Owned Firms Get the Shaft - Citizen Truth

Charter Schools Find Gold in Federal Government Aid to Small Businesses While Black-Owned Firms Get the Shaft

During the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing economic fallout, the charter industry added to systemic inequities that afflict Black communities.

The charter school industry has done much during the COVID-19 pandemic to add to systemic inequities that afflict Black communities by hijacking small business relief aid originally intended for minority-owned businesses and redirecting these funds to schools that further isolate Black families.

When emergency aid for small businesses hit by the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic rolled out in North and South Carolina, Black-owned businesses were mostly bypassed. Only 3 percent of loans worth $150,000 or more went to Black-owned businesses, according to Charlotte-based WCNC, which analyzed loans awarded to small businesses that included race on their applications. Of the 2,026 small business owners and nonprofits who got the loans, only 64 of them were Black, and 1,791 were white.

In Tennessee, the story was much the same. When a Nashville Fox News affiliate compared the amounts of small business emergency aid given out to businesses in Black communities in the city to those in whiter, wealthier parts of town, it found “a huge [negative] discrepancy when it comes to historically Black neighborhoods.”

This pattern held true on the other side of the country where San Diego public media station KPBS reported, “Storefronts in underserved communities south of I-8 couldn’t get any money.”

In heartland Kansas City, KCTV reported, out of 4,677 emergency loans given to small businesses in the CONTINUE READING: Charter Schools Find Gold in Federal Government Aid to Small Businesses While Black-Owned Firms Get the Shaft - Citizen Truth

A VERY BUSY DAY Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007

   Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

A VERY BUSY DAY

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

The latest news and resources in education since 2007

 

 

Ed Tech Digest

by Larry Ferlazzo / 4h

Nine years ago, in another somewhat futile attempt to reduce the backlog of resources I want to share, I began this occasional “” post where I share three or four links I think are particularly useful and related to…ed tech, including some Web 2.0 apps. You might also be interested in THE BEST ED TECH RESOURCES OF 2020 – PART ONE , as well as checking out all my edtech resources . Here are this w

“Lessons for Teachers From George Floyd’s Death & Black Lives Matter”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h

Lessons for Teachers From George Floyd’s Death & Black Lives Matter is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Four educators share changes they are making in their teaching as a result of the violent death of George Floyd and subsequent protests, such as trying to leave a deficit framework behind and looking at more systemic causes of racism. Here are some excerpts:

Friday’s Two Must-Read Articles & One Must-Watch Video On School Reopening

by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h

hitesh0141 / Pixabay Here are new additions to THE BEST POSTS PREDICTING WHAT SCHOOLS WILL LOOK LIKE IN THE FALL : Why Does My Kid’s Online School Still Start at 7:50 in the Freaking Morning? is from Slate. How 3 Countries Are Educating Their Kids During The Pandemic is from NPR.

First Day Of School In Three Tweets

by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h

stux / Pixabay Dysfunction in our district is beyond belief. Tchers were told we didn’t need invite stdnts 2 Google Classroom & dist would do it 1st day of class. It didn’t work. Now we have to send out invites manually. But dist won’t cancel PD we’re in. Schl starts in hour. — Larry Ferlazzo (@Larryferlazzo) September 3, 2020 So, everyone has cameras off, turned off volume and sending out invite

Three More New – And Good – Resources For Teaching About The Presidential Election

by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h

AnnaliseArt / Pixabay Here are three new additions to THE BEST RESOURCES FOR TEACHING ABOUT THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION : The Battleground States Biden and Trump Need to Win 270 is a cool interactive from The NY Times. The True Colors of America’s Political Spectrum Are Gray and Green is also from The NY Times. Election 2020 is from Scholastic.

New TED-Ed Video & Lesson: “Why people fall for misinformation”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h

The new TED-Ed lesson and video is on “Why people fall for misinformation.” I’m adding it to The Best Tools & Lessons For Teaching Information Literacy – Help Me Find More .

  Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007