Northwest Voices | Education: merit pay, teachers' strikes, raises and alternative schools | Seattle Times Newspaper

Northwest Voices Education: merit pay, teachers' strikes, raises and alternative schools Seattle Times Newspaper:

"In the so-called failing schools, a teacher using all effort and resources may move a student only one bump on a progress chart. This hardly measurable step represents the best and deserves recognition.

In these poor achieving schools:

Income issues dominate family life, and one parent, grandparent or foster family are all too often the home life of many students. Parent involvement is minimal and adults at home are frequently victims of school failure while serious language and cultural issues run deep.

Class sizes can't be reduced but school aids are. Volunteers are few and far between. Discipline is complicated and daily disruptions rob children of learning."

Joel Klein vs. New York City teachers : The New Yorker

Joel Klein vs. New York City teachers : The New Yorker

The United Federation of Teachers, the U.F.T., was founded in 1960. Before that, teachers endured meagre salaries, tyrannical principals, witch hunts for Communists, and gender discrimination against a mostly female workforce (at one point, there was a rule requiring any woman who got pregnant to take a two-year unpaid leave). Drawing its members from a number of smaller and ineffective teachers’ groups, the U.F.T. coalesced into a tough trade union that used strikes and political organizing to fight back. By the time Bloomberg took office, forty-two years later, many education reformers believed that the U.F.T. and its political allies had gained so much clout that it had become impossible for the city’s Board of Education, which already shared a lot of power with local boards, to maintain effective school oversight. In 2002, with the city’s public schools clearly failing, the State Legislature granted control of a new Department of Education to the new mayor, who had become a billionaire by building an immense media company, Bloomberg L.P., that is renowned for firing employees at will and not giving contracts even to senior executives.

Education News & Comment

Education News & Comment:

"New SCUSD WEB SITE!"

Wash. latest state to be sued for school dollars

Wash. latest state to be sued for school dollars Seattle Times Newspaper

The timing wasn't planned, but that doesn't make it any less auspicious.

Right in the middle of a recession that has created the worst atmosphere for school budgeting in decades, a coalition of Washington school districts, parents, teachers and community groups is going to court Monday to demand that the state start paying the full cost of education.

Attorneys for both sides say the economy will have little or no influence on the outcome of the non-jury trail, scheduled to begin on the first day of the school year for many district and to continue for six weeks of testimony in King County Superior Court before Judge John Erlick.

School districts have been struggling economically for decades, so while the recession makes things worse it doesn't make them different, said Mike Blair, chair of the group calling itself Network for Excellence in Washington Schools.

School funding adequacy has been the subject of lawsuits around the country during the past decade. The Columbia University-based National Access Network, which advocates for school funding fairness and maintains a database of current litigation, reports that 45 of the 50 states have been sued over their methods of paying for public schools.

State and federal dollars pay most, but not all the cost to educate Washington's students. The rest of the money comes from local tax levies, donations and PTA fundraisers. Meanwhile, the Washington Constitution makes education the state's highest priority.

Time for lunch - for kids' health

Time for lunch - for kids' health:


"On Labor Day, Sept. 7, every American is invited to take a stand for kids' health and send the message to Congress that our children deserve real food in their school meals. Slow Food USA has organized 'Time for Lunch,' a nationwide potluck to bring people together to share food and take action in support of better school lunches.

More than 250 potluck Eat Ins have been organized around the country to draw attention to the need for healthier food for the more than 30 million children who participate in the National School Lunch Program. The program is part of the Child Nutrition Act that Congress will reauthorize later this year.
In addition to the shared meal, each Labor Day Eat In will have tables set up for guests to send petitions and postcards to Congress. The goal is to increase funding in the Child Nutrition Act reauthorization so schools can afford to serve fresh local produce, lean meats and whole grains, all of which cost more than current school lunches."

Slow Food CNY
Growing our food economy, one salt potato at a time!

http://slowfoodcny.org/index.php/2009/08/public-potluck-picnic/

Fight Over Payment for Tutoring Fairfax Special-Ed Student Marks Growing Trend - washingtonpost.com

Fight Over Payment for Tutoring Fairfax Special-Ed Student Marks Growing Trend - washingtonpost.com:

"Schools are required by federal law to provide a free and appropriate education for the country's more than 6 million special education students. But parents are not entitled to 'write a prescription for an ideal education and to have the prescription filled at the public expense,' the Fairfax school system argued in legal documents in 2004.

Fairfax officials said they try to be proactive so they can avoid costly, protracted disputes. The school system reorganized this year to create 25 positions to develop partnerships with parents and build education plans for its 24,000 special education students."

Views: Camps disagree on way to fix public schools

Views: Camps disagree on way to fix public schools

Privatization will help just a few, hurt overall system

True school reform
is based on well-researched and well-organized changes in the classroom that would help all students in all public schools perform better. Instead, America has pursued school-choice reforms that help a few students and ultimately degrade the public system as a whole, those on one side of the argument say.

School choice is a political movement disguised as school reform that gives high-frequency, middle-class voters access to free private-school quality education, said Gene Glass, an Arizona State University
education professor. Glass said the choice movement is spurred by exaggerating the problems within America's schools.

If not stopped, this privatization of the public system will leave behind a generation of Americans to intellectually wither in underfunded neighborhood schools, short on supplies and qualified teachers, said Glass, who examines this debate in his latest book "Fertilizers, Pills and Magnetic Strips: The Fate of Public Education in America."

School choice is cheaper for states than raising the entire public-school system to achieve higher standards, and that appeases a growing number of voters, Glass said. Among them are older voters who are retiring deeply in debt and are less willing to pay the taxes needed to fund true reform, and families who want private-style education but can't afford to pay tuition. School choice allows politicians to promise lower taxes while delivering quality education to the important few. In the competition to keep the best and brightest students in public schools, districts are creating their own elite "boutique" schools for gifted and accelerated students, where students get better technology and teaching and more attention than typical neighborhood schools.

Little Red Schoolhouse: gone, but unforgettable

Little Red Schoolhouse: gone, but unforgettable

School days, school days,

Dear old golden rule days

Readin' and 'ritin' and 'rithmetic

Taught to the tune of the hickory stick

You were my queen in calico

I was your bashful, barefoot beau

And you wrote on my slate, "I love you, Joe"

When we were a couple of kids.

The Future of Reading - ‘Reading Workshop’ Approach Lets Students Pick the Books - Series - NYTimes.com

The Future of Reading - ‘Reading Workshop’ Approach Lets Students Pick the Books - Series - NYTimes.com:

"The approach Ms. McNeill uses, in which students choose their own books, discuss them individually with their teacher and one another, and keep detailed journals about their reading, is part of a movement to revolutionize the way literature is taught in America’s schools. While there is no clear consensus among English teachers, variations on the approach, known as reading workshop, are catching on.

In New York City many public and private elementary schools and some middle schools already employ versions of reading workshop. Starting this fall, the school district in Chappaqua, N.Y., is setting aside 40 minutes every other day for all sixth, seventh and eighth graders to read books of their own choosing."

HISD chief-in-waiting has a reputation of pushing reform | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

HISD chief-in-waiting has a reputation of pushing reform Houston & Texas News Chron.com - Houston Chronicle:

"The sun was shining on this hot August morning, but Superintendent Terry Grier was talking to his principals about rain.

Inside a large, drab high school auditorium, he recounted the “stormy times” of the last 18 months. California's financial disaster forced Grier to chop $250 million from the San Diego school district's budget. He froze hiring, slashed central-office jobs and cut back on textbooks. But he also launched a virtual high school, ordered campuses to offer more advanced courses and employed graduation coaches to help failing students retake classes online."

How much do teachers make? - Peoria, IL - pjstar.com

How much do teachers make? - Peoria, IL - pjstar.com:

"They immerse themselves in a room full of kids, ensure all the rules are followed, look for signs of abuse or disability, instill proper morals and judgment.

In the middle of it all, their jobs are to educate - to teach reading, math, science history, geography and everything in between.

For nine months out of the year, teachers are expected to do it all - the be-all for many.

So how much should they get paid?"

Innovation proposals aim to transform Michigan education | Detroit Free Press | Freep.com

Innovation proposals aim to transform Michigan education Detroit Free Press Freep.com:

"It's an exciting time because we're breaking traditional wisdom with the approach we're taking. We're investing in our schools,' said Gibbons, president of the Oxford Education Association.

Oxford is among dozens of school districts across Michigan that submitted proposals to the Michigan Department of Education as part of its Project Reimagine, an initiative to get school leaders to rethink the way they educate kids.

The state will sift through the 70 proposals and choose up to 20 that would become what the department is calling demonstration districts -- so called because they will become models for reform in the state. It is crucial to reinvent the way students are taught because on just about every national measure of academic success, Michigan consistently ranks as average at a time when being OK isn't good enough to compete globally, many education experts say"

http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-43092_52788---,00.html

Teachers praised for sacrifices - MassLive.com

Teachers praised for sacrifices - MassLive.com:

"Teachers have excused the city and School Department from required professional development funding several times in recent years.

'It has been a long year and I think we handled it politely. We are the only city employees that responded to a call from the City Council and mayor to give up financial items to help the city. And, we were bludgeoned by some City Councilors. They fail to recognize what we gave up, that school administrators like principals are taking furlough days and the top administrative positions received no salary increase,' Hovey said.

Challenges cited by Alvira facing the School Department involve the transfer of teachers and students from Moseley Elementary School, which was closed in June, to Southampton Road and Paper Mill schools, the notification of layoff to 34 teachers in June which ultimately resulted in most being recalled, and continued financial constraints because school funding this year is at $51 million, some $2 million below last year's level."

An Interview with Philanthropist Eli Broad - WSJ.com

An Interview with Philanthropist Eli Broad - WSJ.com:

"Which brings us back to the unions. Mr. Broad says that he doesn't blame teachers for organizing. 'If you have poor management that's not doing the right job, you end up with unions filling the void and . . . page after page of work rules and thicker and thicker contracts. If you have strong management and the teaching corps is relatively pleased with the relationships, you do not end up with a strong regressive union.'

In one of the foundation's brochures, you will find a picture of New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein embracing then-United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten. The two are at a ceremony in which Mr. Broad awarded the city $1 million for improving student performance. Mr. Broad cites Ms. Weingarten's acceptance of a merit pay program for teachers in New York, albeit one based on school—rather than individual—performance. 'Look, is Randi the second coming of Al Shanker?' Mr. Broad asks, referring to the UFT founder, whom many consider more moderate. 'I don't know. But Randi is the most progressive national labor leader you'll find in education.'

Mr. Broad tells me in no uncertain terms that it is time to get rid of education schools—'they're the lowest ranking students at a university.' And he is enthusiastic about all the change that is possible when urban school districts go bankrupt—as Oakland, Calif., did a few years ago—'or what happened in New Orleans, which is the equivalent of bankruptcy.'"

Chicago Arne Duncan presided over a schools grade changing scandal

Chicago Arne Duncan presided over a schools grade changing scandal:

"Rossi and Golab wrote: Teachers reported pressure from principals, ’upset’ (euphemism for wild, crazy, and frightening) parents and even other CPS employees who were parents of their students. They said the squeeze was put on them to pass failing students, to give ill students a break or to help athletes. Some felt prodded to goose up grades to help kids graduate, avoid summer school or get into an elite high school (uh ho!). Such heat was twice as common among teachers in high schools, where the push is on to reduce failure rates. (Duncan reform scam at work) One teacher said her school lowered its grading scale and ’still we are pressured to change grades.’"

La Opinión - noticias locales, nacionales e internacionales desde Los Ángeles - impre.com - LAUSD’s next step

La Opinión - noticias locales, nacionales e internacionales desde Los Ángeles - impre.com - LAUSD’s next step:

"It should be apparent to all that simply shifting a school to a charter system doesn’t guarantee success as a site of excellence in teaching and learning. While some studies have shown better results than from public schools, other studies have shown no improvement. The LAUSD has as much responsibility in the selection of a school operator as it does in its oversight.

Selecting new management will be the key for low-performing schools. The goal is to stimulate innovation with rigorous and creative curriculum as well as with the provision of extra-curricular activities and an environment conducive to learning.

In this respect, LAUSD needs to correct current problems with the division that addresses charter schools. Some administrators of smaller charter schools have complained that they do not receive the same treatment as larger operators, charging that they are measured by different standards and that the LAUSD guidelines lack consistency."

Editorial: Avoiding strike raises teachers' reputation | burlingtonfreepress.com | The Burlington Free Press

Editorial: Avoiding strike raises teachers' reputation burlingtonfreepress.com The Burlington Free Press:

"Foregoing a strike is indeed the 'high road' that will help tone down the rhetoric and bring relations between the teachers union and school boards back to a more constructive level.

The unions bolster their credibility in saying they are putting the interest of students first and are willing to look forward, as union negotiator Jon Harris told the Free Press, to take the high road to avoid disrupting the start of the school year.

The decision to forego a strike opens the door for repairing relations between the union and the school boards in each community -- strained by past contract negotiations -- an opportunity school board members must embrace."

Examiner Editorial: Tough teaching assignments get recognition | San Francisco Examiner

Examiner Editorial: Tough teaching assignments get recognition San Francisco Examiner:

"San Francisco teachers will receive more money if they opt to work at one of the 25 lowest scoring schools in The City — instead of transferring to more easily controlled classrooms as soon as they build up enough seniority.

The San Francisco Unified School District incentive program pays teachers $2,000 more a year to remain in the more arduous assignments. There will also be an extra $2,500 bonus to teachers finishing their fifth year at hard-to-staff schools and $3,000 for completing eight years.

This largely symbolic monetary “carrot” could significantly help the district’s lowest achieving students. Educators have long understood that hard-to-staff schools have high turnover and are mostly taught by inexperienced teachers less skilled dealing with discouraged and somewhat unmotivated students."

U.S. schools chief seeks big changes, has money to spend - Las Vegas Sun

U.S. schools chief seeks big changes, has money to spend - Las Vegas Sun:

"Some of the program’s requirements, such as replacing staff, have teachers worried. How are you addressing that?

I’ve had long conversations with the leadership of the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association. What the teachers unions have asked is that these ideas and reforms happen with them, not to them, and that’s absolutely fair. There are examples of real innovation and ideas coming from local union leaders. Albert Shanker (former president of the AFT) is considered the godfather of charter schools.

Are we asking unions to move outside their comfort zone and do things differently? Absolutely. But we’re asking everybody to do that. It’s not just unions that have to change. We’re pushing parents harder than ever to step up. Students have to do more. Principal leadership is hugely important."

Parents play critical role in education

Parents play critical role in education:

"Even those who assess student performance as part of the No Child Left Behind Act stray from placing too much blame. In their reports on outcomes, at one end of the spectrum they speak of high-performing students and at the other, they talk about low-performing schools.

Certainly there are a number of parents who are deeply immersed in raising their children and most likely there are stories of classroom success and behavior to match. Among the factors related to student success, those involving parents are the most profound.

Says Oregon's Chalkboard Project, 'The research is clear: when families are engaged in their children's education, those children do better in school.'"

Schools have cut many jobs, programs : Local News : Ventura County Star

Schools have cut many jobs, programs : Local News : Ventura County Star:

"The districts reported a total of 770 positions lost this year, including 445 teacher jobs — about 58 percent of the total cuts.

About three-quarters of the districts raised class sizes in kindergarten through third grade, which used to top out at 20 students under a statewide reduction program. Most have increased to 22 to 24 students this fall.

About half of the districts used furloughs to cut workdays and save cash but kept the same number of student instruction days. Only Ojai Unified School District cut instructional days, shaving five from the end of the school year.

Still, it could have been worse if school districts had not received federal stimulus funds, about $64 million locally. Without that cash, next year could be even bleaker, educators say.

“A lot of people have been describing it as a cliff — or Niagara Falls,” said Stan Mantooth, county superintendent of schools. “It’s putting off a day of reckoning. Things are going to be potentially catastrophic in 2011 unless schools get some other source of relief.”"

Our education system cheats blacks, here's why | thestarpress.com | The Star Press

Our education system cheats blacks, here's why thestarpress.com The Star Press:

"The education system is fundamentally broken, and all attempts at artificial reform would only prove futile in the long run. What is needed at this junction is a transformation of not only school policies, but of attitudes, values and perceptions in a way that holds sacred the humanity of every child -- especially the black ones.

For too long, misconceptions about black students' academic abilities have gone unchallenged, creating an atmosphere in which teachers, principals and, inevitably, parents believe that African American kids lack the intellectual capacity to function parallel with their white and Asian counterparts. And, for too long, much has either not been done about it, or much too little has been done to bridge this ever-widening gap of inequality. It's time for substantive engagement of these issues that deeply affect kids whose socio-economic background is often the indicator of how far toward the goal of success they're likely to get."

AFP: Recession, swine flu cloud US back-to-school

AFP: Recession, swine flu cloud US back-to-school:

"But that did not stop some states from having to cut back their education budgets including New York and California, which is grappling with an historic deficit.

'Larger class sizes, canceled summer school, a shorter school year, and no new textbooks are just a few of the painful results,' said California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell.

'It's not uniform,' noted Whitehurst. 'In most states we are not dealing with cuts but rather the school's districts are having to work with the same budget or close to it.'
'Some states have... cut back the transportation budget to save (for) education,' he said.

While some school districts have a limit on how much parents can be asked to spend, Whitehurst said, 'at the other end, you'll find districts that are requiring parents to cover more the cost of sports and other extracurricular activities.'

With the recession making lower spending the watchword parents are also tightening pursestrings. This year they will spend an average 82.62 dollars on supplies, down 7.7 percent from 2008."

Study Finds Widespread Grade Inflation at L.A. County Schools | The Daily Mirror | Los Angeles Times

Study Finds Widespread Grade Inflation at L.A. County Schools The Daily Mirror Los Angeles Times:

"The county Board of Education finds 'deplorable laxness and inefficiency' in most Los Angeles County schools.

By 1899, California required each county to send standardized tests to all its schools for students in fifth grade and above. The graded exams were to be returned to the county boards as a check on teachers' effectiveness.

In previous years, the magnitude of the paperwork precluded a detailed study of the exams. This time, however, thorough scrutiny of the tests reveals widespread falsification of grades. 'Some of the teachers have sent in correctly marked examination papers, but the great majority have marked their pupils' examination papers from 5 to 50 percent higher than deserved,' says Luther G. Brown, president of the Board of Education.

'In a number of instances the children of trustees were graded with very much more leniency than other pupils,' Brown says"

Appearance of conflict | Recordnet.com

Appearance of conflict Recordnet.com:

"A clause in Amato's contract permits 'outside professional activities,' which apparently is interpreted as consulting work.

That's deeply troubling for at least two reasons. First, it sets the stage for exactly the kind of potential conflict of interest that is being investigated. Second, the many and complex problems facing SUSD are more than enough for any superintendent without being pulled away to address the energy-draining problems of others.

Amato is being paid a full-time salary to devote his full energies to Stockton Unified. That should be enough without consulting, too.

It is common for superintendents, trustees and other school officials to attend educational conferences. Valuable information and personal connections can result.

But there are dangers in such conferences, too, especially those sponsored by companies trying to sell their products or services.

As Lincoln Unified Superintendent Steve Lowder said, 'It's easy to make mistakes.'"

Ted Kennedy buried, most influential liberal of our time?

Ted Kennedy buried, most influential liberal of our time?:

"It was onto that final point that Senator Ted Kennedy held the strongest. Ted Kennedy’s actions as a senator championed a long list of causes to not only give all citizens equal rights, but also to give them equal access to services and a helping hand when nobody else would.

He proposed Head Start in 1964, to provide comprehensive education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and their families.

He strongly supported Title IX, 'No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.'

He fought for the Family and Medical Leave Act, allowing an employee to take job-protected unpaid leave due to a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform his or her job, to care for a sick family member, or to care for a new child (including by birth, adoption or foster care).

Though proposed by Republican President George W. Bush immediately after he took office, Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy believed in its principal and led the fight as a sponsor of the No Child Left Behind Act which was a form of standards-based education reform in hopes of improving education in this country."

Back to school tips: Play even if your child won't

Back to school tips: Play even if your child won't:

"But when you have a child with special needs in a neurotypical school, sometimes you may feel it's hard to find a place for both you and your autie child.

This is why volunteering is so much more important for us AU parents. Being a part of your child's school will give you many chances to educate other parents about your child and what autism means in the public schools. You would be surprised at how many parents in your child's school don't know what autism is or even that there are children diagnosed with autism there in the school.

It also gives you a chance to get to know other parents and learn about what the typical kids are up to in their school classrooms and activities. If your child is in a contained or clustered classroom (with only other AU children) you may feel a bit isolated from the other activities going on in school.

Many parents of autie children feel that the school activities just aren't made for their kids. For instance, my child's school has an evening dance every year. Even though this event isn't yet suitable for my seven year-old, I still attend every year and help with the festivities. When the year arrives that my child is ready to attend, I'll know just what to expect."

Boston schools to help parents take a wider role in education - The Boston Globe

Boston schools to help parents take a wider role in education - The Boston Globe:

"Boston school officials, increasingly concerned about a lack of parental involvement, will launch a program this fall to give mothers and fathers an opportunity to learn how to help their children with homework, talk with teachers, or take on a volunteer leadership role.

Parent University will also help parents write résumés and develop career goals and will hold a graduation for participants at year’s end.
The program opens as state and national policy makers stress the need for urban parents to take an active role in their children’s education."

Tweet the Governor about Education… and other topics too

Tweet the Governor about Education… and other topics too:

"On Tuesday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger launched www.MyIdea4CA.com, a Web site for Twitter users to share their ideas about improving California. The website acts as a Twitter forum, and follows up from the June 2009 public invitation to tweet the Governor about new ideas on the state budget. Not everyone thinks this is a great idea, however.

A recent USA Today article explores the perspectives of “Twitter haters”. In sum, “Twitter haters” lament the way that Twitter and other forms of social media seem to dull users’ desire for face to face interaction.

There is an alternate, and perhaps more popular, perspective: The adoption of social media by public figures from President Obama to Ashton Kutcher and everyone in between, have provided a way for everyday Americans to be more engaged than ever in public life."

Larry Levine: I want the California spirit of my childhood back - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Larry Levine: I want the California spirit of my childhood back - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:


"California was a place of soaring hopes and dreams, of optimism and strength. We paid our taxes and enjoyed the fruits of what we sowed. Our community colleges were the envy of the nation; our highway system was unrivaled; we created a conveyance system to move water to build great cities and a giant agricultural economy; our university and state college systems set a standard to which others would aspire. Republican and Democratic legislators put their partisan ideologies aside to focus on what was best for California and its people. Besides, I could play golf in January and drive around with the top down on my car in February."