GothamSchools - Breaking News and Analysis of the NYC Public Schools

GothamSchools - Breaking News and Analysis of the NYC Public Schools:

Rise & Shine: Chancellor Klein skeptical of new teacher evals

by Anna Phillips

• Joel Klein thinks the new teacher evaluation system is “problematical” and too vague. (Post)
• The Post calls the evaluation agreement “dubious” because it leaves much to union negotiations.
• Though the deal likely means more testing, it’s not clear what the local tests will look like. (DN)
• Commissioner David Steiner: the new evaluations could pave way to individual merit pay. (DN)
• Dan Brown, author of “The Great Expectations School,” thinks an evaluation overhaul was overdue. (DN)
• A Long Island economist calls on NY school districts to reject budgets calling for tax increases. (Post)
• A charter school group is running ads against seniority based layoffs, which charters don’t have. (DN)
• Parents at P.S. 15 in Red Hook are still fighting to get PAVE charter school out of the building. (DN)
• Gov. Paterson will introduce Rochester’s mayoral control bill into the legislature. (Gannett)
• A spate of attacks on school children in China continues with the death of seven students. (NY Times)
• A PA state senator and gubernatorial candidate calls for more school choice. (Wall Street Journal)
• Michelle Obama rolled out obesity-fighting measures that may include regulation (Washington Post)

Remainders: Gap in charters’ special ed service real, but not huge

by Maura Walz and Anna Phillips

• NYC charters enroll fewer special education students, but the gap isn’t as big as the union says.
• Today’s evaluation deal got mixed reactions from Paterson, Silver, and the school board association.
• Chaz wonders if the teacher evaluation deal will lead to the end of teacher tenure.
• The Chicago schools chief says he’s firing bad principals, but he may be exploiting normal turnover.
• A Brooklyn teachers union chapter leader calls on parents to get political over school budgets.
• The SUNY charter authorizer has already received 22 applications for its remaining 12 school spots.
• Suburban school districts in NY are freezing teachers’ salaries or cutting back raises.
• But Mike Petrilli at Fordham isn’t impressed by some of their sacrifices.
• Students at Buffalo’s Oracle Charter School made a video pitch for Obama to visit them.
• Rick Hess says the education bailout bill may be popular, but it’s not financially sound.
• New federal funding guidelines mean that Stuyvesant HS qualifies for Title I money.
• Diane Ravitch: there’s a double standard for interpreting students’ test scores.
• Peter Murphy says union fliers are claiming “big corporations” are behind the charter cap lift.
• A DOE official’s comment on teacher quality has Miss Eyre wondering if she would try the ‘burbs.
• Why would Duncan tell a reporter his agenda has “no public opposition“? Linda Perlstein asks.
• Norm Scott says Mulgrew’s big election win has given him license to make unpopular calls.
• Either home schooling is very popular in Houston, or the district is hiding HS drop outs.
• And NPR interviews Doug Lemov about the teaching techniques he’s studied.