Latest News and Comment from Education

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Remainders: Are good teachers like good waiters? | GothamSchools

Remainders: Are good teachers like good waiters? | GothamSchools

Remainders: Are good teachers like good waiters?

Blackwater in Kabul, or Eric Cartman Gets an AK-47 | Danger Room | Wired.com

Blackwater in Kabul, or Eric Cartman Gets an AK-47 | Danger Room | Wired.com

Blackwater in Kabul, or Eric Cartman Gets an AK-47

cartmanThe Senate Armed Services Committee is holding a hearing today on Paravant, a previously little-known subsidiary of Xe Services (aka Blackwater). It caps a six-month investigation by the committee, and it promises to be a doozy.
Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, the Democratic chair of the committee, met with reporters yesterday to give a sneak preview. According to a statement released last night by Levin, the investigation revealed “failures in U.S. government oversight” that allowed employees of Blackwater — sorry, Paravant (Levin said he saw “no meaningful distinction between the two”) — to go buck wild in Afghanistan.
Paravant employees were supposed to be helping train Afghan security forces. But according to the committee investigation, Paravant employees were also indulging in extracurricular activities like joyriding with automatic weapons, and treating an Afghan National Police arsenal like their own personal weapons stash.
The company first garnered headlines after two former Paravant contractors were arrested on murder charges in the shootings of two Afghans in a May 2009 traffic accident in Kabul. They were charged under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act.
According to the Senate investigation, Paravant employees were involved in a second, previously undisclosed shooting that happened in December 2008. Paravant program manager Johnnie Walker told committee staff the incident happened after an employee decided to get on the back of a moving car with a loaded AK-47 and “ride it like a stagecoach.” The employee accidentally discharged the rifle when the vehicle hit a bump. The round struck another Paravant team member, who was seriously injured.
“The reckless disregard for weapons safety is particularly striking given that he and his team were hired for the specific purpose of teaching the Afghan National Army how to safely use their weapons,” Levin’s statement dryly notes.
Another issue the committee probed was Bunker 22, an armory near the notorious Pol-e-Charki prison that held weapons meant for the Afghan National Police. According to the committee investigation, more than 200 AK-47s were taken out of Bunker 22 in September 2008 and signed for by a Paravant/Blackwater employee named “Eric Cartman.” Some of the weapons apparently withdrawn by our favoriteSouth Park character were unaccounted for for months afterward, according to the committee.
Blackwater’s reputation is already in tatters, thanks to a string of deadly incidents. And the conduct of some private security contractors in Afghanistan hasn’t done much for the industry either. But getting a

Read More http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/02/blackwater-in-kabul-or-eric-cartman-gets-an-ak-47/#ixzz0gVuLkjP4

Sacramento Press / SFBFS March Volunteer Spotlight

Sacramento Press / SFBFS March Volunteer Spotlight


About one year ago, Erv Bradley heard about Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS) from a longtime SFBFS volunteer. Since retirement, Erv had been looking for a place to serve where he might be able to use his Spanish speaking skills. His wife’s friend, a volunteer in the Adult Education program at SFBFS, suggested the program to Erv, and he’s been volunteering ever since.
Erv has found that the program allows him to help a wide variety of adult students, several of whom are learning English, but the majority who are studying for their GED exam or taking community college courses and need additional help. He admires the students who have made the time in their often busy and difficult lives to come receive tutoring.
“Education is one of the many challenges facing our students,” he says. “Tutoring is just one part of helping them put their lives back together.” Erv works with students in reading, writing, and occasionally math, science, and social studies. The moment that keeps him coming back is when students finally grasp a concept they’ve been struggling with. “That’s a very satisfying feeling,” he says.

Study finds charter schools get less money, how much less varies | GothamSchools

Study finds charter schools get less money, how much less varies | GothamSchools


Study finds charter schools get less money, how much less varies

picture-11Charter schools receive less public funding per student than their district school peers, according to a report released today by the city’s Independent Budget Office.
But the size of that disparity varies widely according to whether the charter school is housed in a city-owned building, the report said.
Charter schools that are housed in public school buildings receive only $300 less per student than district schools, according to the IBO’s calculations.
But charter schools that own their own buildings or lease them receive more than $3,000 less per student in public funding than district schools, the report said. In those schools, charters must pay for maintenance and other building costs themselves. Those costs are covered by the Department of Education for charters in city-owned buildings.
The report, prepared at the request of Panel for Educational Policy member Patrick

The Day - Public education war launched in Central Falls | News from southeastern Connecticut

The Day - Public education war launched in Central Falls | News from southeastern Connecticut


The first salvo in the new frontier of reforming America’s public schools was fired Tuesday night in Rhode Island.
Fired is a key word here.
Every single professional staff member, all 74 teachers, as well as the principal, three assistant principals, reading specialists, guidance counselors, and school psychologist at Central Falls High School — where just 48 percent of students graduate on average each year — were terminated. Rhode Island is sprinting ahead to become the nation’s first state to embrace new federal guidelines aimed at making failing public schools whole again.
For comprehensive converage of the controversy visit theProvidence Journal Web site.
Something is drastically wrong at a high school where year after year 52 percent of students fail to earn a diploma. That’s not to say it’s the sole fault of teachers.
But given the option to "transform" Central Falls — one of four federal options — the union representing teachers at the school refused to allow its members to assume more responsibility without adequate reimbursement.
In the end, the union wanted more hours compensated for and at a higher rate — $90 per hour, not the $30 offered — curtailing  "transformation" talks.
 So the Central Fall’s superintendent and a majority of its trustees opted to "turnaround" the school instead, leading to termination of the entire 93-member professional staff. They’ll all lose their jobs effective the end of this school year, and no more than 50 percent can be rehired next fall.
It’ll be a fresh start.
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is forcing states to identify their lowest 5 percent of schools — those with chronically poor performance and low graduation rates — and fix them. Beyond "transformation" and "takeover,"  districts have two other options: close the failing schools or convert them to charter or school-management organizations.
It’s thinking that upsets conventional public school 

Union-Supported School Operators Take to High Wire in L.A. - Teacher Beat - Education Week

Union-Supported School Operators Take to High Wire in L.A. - Teacher Beat - Education Week:

"Big news out of Los Angeles on school management: The district's school board will give control to nonprofits made up mainly of teachers and administrators already in the district to open new schools and turn around old ones, rather than to the charter school operators who hoped to expand in the district.

It's all something of a repudiation of Superintendent Ramon Cortines, who supported some of the charter proposals.

The charter organizers are pretty upset about this, while United Teachers Los Angeles chief A.J. Duffy—who's famous for denouncing charters, saying principals are vindictive, and claiming L.A.'s bureaucracy prevents innovation—seems happy overall with the news. The union backed the nonprofit bids and, of course, those schools will be unionized. That probably wouldn't have happened if the charters had won those bids.

Still, it's unclear whether Duffy is cognizant of how much this really seems to call UTLA's bluff. The teachers and administrators will be freed up from some rules, but will they manage to improve instruction? What happens if these schools don't turn out to be successful? If they aren't, don't expect the school board to be so generous the next time around."


'Turnaround' Not Only Policy Issue in R.I. Teacher Firings

The decision of Central Falls, R.I., Superintendent Frances Gallo to fire every teacher in a high school building is making big headlines in Rhode Island, attracting outrage from teachers' unions and from AFT President Randi Weingarten, and becoming a big education reform story now that The New York Times has picked it up.

Under No Child Left Behind's1003(g) school improvement grants, which are doled out by formula to states and districts, the Obama administration outlined four possible models for dealing with the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools. Gallo initially wanted to use a "transformation" model with extended learning time and other changes to instruction but couldn't reach agreement with the union about how to compensate teachers for putting in extra hours. So now she's going with the "turnaround" model, which requires teacher firing.

A couple things to keep in mind: This is not, repeat NOT the first time that teachers have been fired in the name of federal law. NCLB allows for teacher firing in schools reaching the "restructuring" phase of sanctions.

So the reasons this is especially newsy are twofold. First, the Obama administration's requirements for the grants are stricter than the NCLB law is—and much more prescriptive than the Bush administration sought to be when Congress first gave the 1003(g) program money back in 2007. It's clear from this example that the beefed-up program is going to come as political cover for districts that want to take aggressive action.

The Muddled State of K-12 Virtual Learning Policy � The Quick and the Ed

The Muddled State of K-12 Virtual Learning Policy � The Quick and the Ed

K-12 virtual schooling’s rapid growth continues, but state policy remains muddled. More ominously, many state funding decisions are disappointingly unrelated from quality, performance, or demand for these programs.

In states like Missouri, state-run virtual schools that are funded by appropriations outside of the traditional funding formulas are easy targets for budget-cutters.

Other state programs, for example in Idaho, are threatened because of their growing total costs–even if the program is cost-effective on a per student basis and the cost growth is directly related to increased student demand and enrollment.

Ironically, while Missouri and Idaho are working to undermine investments in their state virtual schools, other states such as OklahomaNebraska, and New York are trying to get statewide efforts started.

Many states, such as Oregon and Wisconsin, are bumping up against limits on enrollment in full-time virtual programs.

There’s not really a consistent partisan rhyme or reason to these efforts. For example, in Idaho, the Republican governor is attempting to zero-out the state program. While in Virginia, the new Republican governor is pushing hard for new virtual schooling legislation. North Carolina’s Democratic governor was a proponent of the state’s very popular virtual school when

The Lantern - Angelou to share story of civil rights activism at Ohio State

The Lantern - Angelou to share story of civil rights activism at Ohio State


One of the world’s most notable women, Maya Angelou, will be lecturing at Ohio State in celebration of United Black World Month.
Angelou is a poet, author, civil rights activist, dancer, producer, playwright, actress, film director and professor. She is most recognized for her six autobiographical books, including the award-winning, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”
Throughout her lifetime, Angelou has worked with historical American figures, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King, Malcolm X, James Baldwin, Bill Clinton and John F. Kennedy. Now more than 50 years after the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Angelou has witnessed an African-American man become president of the United States of America.
Angelou said with the opening of the Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro, N.C., the future of the African-American community is looking “rosier and rosier.”
At an F.W. Woolworth’s Lunch Counter in 1960, four African American men were refused service, bullied, and put in jail, she said. Fifty years later, they are owners of the building and the building has been converted into the International Civil Rights Center and Museum.
“The same people enslaved 100 years ago now have a representative in the White House and some little black children in the White House. I know that there are some black women and men who head up some of the major universities in this country, and some are top CEOs,” Angelou said in an interview with The Lantern.
Although Angelou recognizes these as major achievements for the African-American community, she said that in no way does she feel the United States has come far enough. Angelou said the election of Barack Obama made a statement that human beings are more alike than what we claim to be. She said African-Americans were instrumental in putting an black family in the White House, but it took the work of multiple groups of Americans to win the election.
For college students to become successful future leaders of this country, Angelou said they must first know their history. By knowing their history, Angelou believes this will prevent the country from starting back at square one. She said if young people knew their history they would be less likely to walk around speaking offensive language.
The life experiences shared and the topics discussed in Angelou’s works have highlighted major issues within 

Lots of Love, But Also Questions for Charter Schools - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Lots of Love, But Also Questions for Charter Schools - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Lots of Love, But Also Questions for Charter Schools

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Yesterday, I said that the House Committee on Education and Labor was likely to be able to come together on a bipartisan basis to embrace the proliferation of good charter schools. (This was also the very first hearing this year on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.)
And, as expected, there was a lot of praise for charter schools at the committee's hearing today and for the the potential of charters to serve as laboratories to improve public schools, tailor services to students with a range of learning needs, and emphasize subjects (like science) that sometimes get short-shrift in traditional public schools.
But it seems that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are focusing not just on how they can expand good charter schools. They're also looking at how Congress can make sure the expansion of charters goes hand-in-hand with quality and help ensure that special populations have access to good charter schools.
In his opening statement, Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, who has traditionally been a cheerleader for charters, said these schools can be better equipped to engage parents, provide extended learning time, and encourage effective teaching than many traditional public schools.

GothamSchools - Breaking News and Analysis of the NYC Public Schools

GothamSchools - Breaking News and Analysis of the NYC Public Schools


Squeezed by ballooning pension costs, charters cut programs

A Queens charter school that pays for pension costs directly out of its budget is cutting programs to afford pensions.
A Queens charter school that pays for pension costs directly out of its budget is cutting programs to afford pensions.
Stacey Gauthier at the Renaissance Charter School is worrying a lot these days — about money. This year she’s had to increase class sizes, cut the summer school program, and forgo hiring experienced teachers when an older teacher retires. Yet she still hasn’t cut enough to be able to afford the school’s rising pension costs, whichhave grown from $12,000 per teacher in 2004 to $21,000 per teacher this year.
Pension costs for city teachers have been rising steadily over the past decade, but for the most part the expenses have been hidden from individual schools, which rely on the city to cover all pension 

We have the Parent Trigger, Now the Question is Who Shot NCPIE?

National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE)

Building Family-School Partnerships That Work

Building Family-School Partnerships That Work

The evidence is in: when schools and families work together to support learning, everyone benefits.
  • Students do better in school and in life.
  • Parents become empowered.
  • Teacher morale improves.
  • Schools get better.
  • Communities grow stronger.

What's New

Dear NCPIE Members and Friends,
In llight of our grave concern over this administrations 2011 budget and the proposed elimination of the PIRCs, we are sending you the attached letters to Congress. We hope you sign on! We will need the name of  your organization as it should be presented on the letter and your city and state. Please send this to:Lela Spielberg at lspielberg@pta.org  and cc me at ferguson@ncpie.org. 
Many thanks for all your support!
Sue Ferguson, Chair
National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE)

voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence.

voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence.

Bright and Early: The Education Newsblitz
I'm off to two schools today to get schooled. But first I've got to school you with the newsblitz:

Charters edged out in L.A. The Educated Guess

The Educated Guess

Charters edged out in L.A.

Posted in ChartersProgram innovation
A six-month stab at school competition with nationwide interest ended Tuesday when Los Angeles Unified school board members turned control of more schools to groups of teachers than Superintendent Ramon Cortines had recommended. There will certainly  be an injection of experimentation in schools organized by unionized teachers as a result– but also fewer quality charter schools than had been predicted in August when the trustees opened up 12 low-performing schools and 18 new schools to bids by outside groups.
United Teachers Los Angeles, which has seen a decline in membership and could lose hundreds more teachers to layoffs next fall, lobbied hard to keep the 30 schools under its control. In the end, board members gave union-affiliated teachers 22 of the 30 campuses, with four new schools turned over to charters and three to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s non-profit Partnership for Los Angeles Schools.
(Read more and comment on this post)