Thursday, September 23, 2010

Schools Matter: New Dem Strategy: Stop Voting on Anything That May Bring Corporate Ire

Schools Matter: New Dem Strategy: Stop Voting on Anything That May Bring Corporate Ire

New Dem Strategy: Stop Voting on Anything That May Bring Corporate Ire

Today the Dems showed once again what cowards they truly are, preferring to be led by their own pack of Blue Dogs, those Democants with their noses closest to the wallets of corporate America. It seems there will be no vote on discontinuing tax cuts for the wealthy until after the election.

This brilliant move that was apparently approved by the bumbling Axelrod takes away the only remaining issue that may have
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Three more upcoming films � Failing Schools

Three more upcoming films � Failing Schools

Three more upcoming films

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010
by Sabrina

Race to Nowhere examines the downside of America’s achievement culture, and its ill-effects on children’s health and well-being. (I’m working with a few other folks to host a screening here in Denver; we’ll keep you posted about the where and when!)

Director Vicki Abeles turns the personal political, igniting a national conversation in her new documentary about the pressures faced by American schoolchildren and their teachers in a system and culture obsessed with the illusion of achievement, competition and the pressure to perform. Featuring the heartbreaking stories of

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School district leaders consider new parcel tax - Inside Bay Area

School district leaders consider new parcel tax - Inside Bay Area
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Money: $36M TIF Grant To CPS - District 299: Chicago Public Schools Blog

Money: $36M TIF Grant To CPS - District 299: Chicago Public Schools Blog

Money: $36M TIF Grant To CPS

by Alexander Russo
Thanks to a friend of the site for passing along this letter from Huberman about a big federal grant for performance pay linked to evaluation and professional development.

To: All teachers, principals, and assistant principals

Dear Colleagues,

Today, the U.S. Department of Education awarded Chicago Public Schools $35.9 million--the
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Gotta Get Yer Gadfly! � The Quick and the Ed

Gotta Get Yer Gadfly! � The Quick and the Ed

Gotta Get Yer Gadfly!

by Chad Aldeman


Mike Petrilli and Checker Finn penned a must-read (and long overdue?) piece for this week’s Gadfly urging Republicans to take a hard look at what local control for schools really means. My favorite paragraph:

States’ rights in education today mean weak standards, shaky accountability, ed school

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Deposing the ‘strong mayor’ | Homer Tribune

Deposing the ‘strong mayor’ | Homer Tribune

Deposing the ‘strong mayor’

• Measure 2 initiative asks voters to decide if they would rather have borough manager
By Naomi Klouda
Homer Tribune

election bug

On an October 5 ballot initiative, Kenai Peninsula Borough voters will be asked to decide whether they are of a mind to depose of the strong mayor system, and hire a manager.
The ballot reads, “Shall the Kenai Peninsula Borough adopt a manager plan of government, effective upon certification of the regular October 2011 election, where the chief administrative officer is a manager appointed by the assembly, instead of the current form where the elected mayor runs the borough administration?”
The city or county manager form of government is used in 48.9 percent of American cities with a population of 2,500 or more, according to the International City/County Management Association. The manager position in this form of municipal government is similar to that of

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D.C. Wire - Gray: Rhee's future not discussed in 'philosophical' meeting

D.C. Wire - Gray: Rhee's future not discussed in 'philosophical' meeting

Gray: Rhee's future not discussed in 'philosophical' meeting

Update: A number of readers have questioned my suggestion that Rhee was close to tears. After reviewing the video, I've thought about it and have removed the reference.

Video: Rhee grim-faced after meeting | Photos: The press conference

D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray and Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee met for 90 minutes today for what Gray called a "philosophical discussion" about public education but they did not talk about her future in the administration.

Following the highly anticipated meeting, Gray and Rhee emerged to

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PURE - Providing Advocacy and Training to Empower Parents, Schools and Communities

PURE - Providing Advocacy and Training to Empower Parents, Schools and Communities

Welcome to PURE!

Education news from the Chicago parents' perspective!Learn more about PURE here.

TAKE ACTION!

  • PSAT for 9-21: Go citywide, go local - join the CTU rally for education rights and support Camp Whitter. Here's how.
  • The most important thing you can do for education this summer. Talk to Congress about ESEA. Here's how.
  • We are looking for students who are being retained based on ISAT scores for possible legal action. More here.
  • Sign Parents Across America petition re: Blueprint for schools. Here's how.

What's wrong with Fed Ed Head Duncan's Blueprint for Education/RTTT? Here are some of the major problems.

Failures of Arne Duncan's Renaissance 2010:Research summary by Dr. Pauline Lipman

Research shows that African-American and Latino students do worse in Illinois charter schools: read about it here.

Read about the accountability problems PURE uncovered in Renaissance 2010 schools: our report

WHAT IS PURE?

Parents United for Responsible Education (PURE) is a nationally-recognized public school parent advocacy group based in Chicago.

PURE’s web site provides news, analysis, information and resources for parents, local school councils (the elected, parent-majority bodies in Chicago’s public schools), and anyone else who is interested in improving public schools for all children.

On the right hand side of this page, you can read PURE's blog, PURE Thoughts, and download two recent publications, one on how school reform “Chicago-style” relates to the No Child Left Behind Act, and one detailing the results of our 2006 parent involvement survey.

On the left hand side are links to a variety of PURE resources.

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Sector Snap: For-profit school stocks jump - Boston.com

Sector Snap: For-profit school stocks jump - Boston.com

NEW YORK—Shares of education companies got a big boost Thursday on hopes for a change in tough new regulations that schools have said would hurt their business.

The new rules include a "gainful employment" measure that many education companies have lobbied hard against.

DoE spokesman Justin Hamilton on Thursday said, "Tomorrow, the Department of Education will announce the timeline for publishing final regulations around higher



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Winners Announced in Teacher Incentive Fund Grant Contest - Teacher Beat - Education Week

Winners Announced in Teacher Incentive Fund Grant Contest - Teacher Beat - Education Week

Winners Announced in Teacher Incentive Fund Grant Contest

by Stephen Sawchuk

From guest blogger Catherine Gewertz:

While Stephen is away on assignment, we are making sure to keep you updated on the Ed Department's Teacher Incentive Fund competition. Winners have been announced; See the post on our Politics K-12 blog.

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ASCD Inservice: Making Education Personal

ASCD Inservice: Making Education Personal

Making Education Personal

Much of the recent conversation about education centers on effective teaching, and I’ve noticed a tendency to oversimplify the issue and assume that teachers fall into one of two buckets: they’re either good teachers, or they’re bad ones. There’s not been enough acknowledgement of the fact that teaching is a complex profession, and like other challenging professions, ongoing education and support is necessary for success.

Take, for example, the concept of personalizing learning for students. Most people would agree that good teachers tap into each student’s interests and needs so that learning becomes relevant and engaging. But, in this month’s

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Dallas ISD blog: Las Vegas school district will pick new chief next week | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

Dallas ISD blog: Las Vegas school district will pick new chief next week | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

Dallas ISD blog: Las Vegas school district will pick new chief next week

03:38 PM CDT on Thursday, September 23, 2010

By TAWNELL D. HOBBS / The Dallas Morning News
thobbs@dallasnews.com

Editor's note: This item originally appeared on dallasnews.com'sDallas ISD blog.

The Las Vegas school board will not expand its superintendent search to include more candidates but will decide between two finalists. The decision will be made at the board's 5:30 p.m. meeting on Wednesday.

Dallas Superintendent Michael Hinojosa is competing against Coloradoeducation commissioner Dwight D. Jones for the post.

Two members of the board also will conduct site visits in the finalists' home states, possibly beginning as early as Monday. They'll likely meet with Dallas school trustees and members of the community.

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Daily Advisory iPhone & Android Web App | California Government & Politics

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Tom King's Blog of De-Fog!: Animated Version of "To Grade Or Not To Grade"

Tom King's Blog of De-Fog!: Animated Version of "To Grade Or Not To Grade"
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Democurmudgeon: Vouchers do poorly, do well, Just like public schools.

Democurmudgeon: Vouchers do poorly, do well, Just like public schools.

Vouchers do poorly, do well, Just like public schools.

by Democurmudgeon


How are voucher schools doing against public schools in Ohio? The results again are mixed, and actual apples to apples comparisons still haven't been done. The Columbus Dispatch:
The statewide comparison of voucher to public-school students isn't all that usefull … It pits students who use vouchers to avoid academically troubled public schools against the entire state's public schools, most of
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CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: New York Flex Charter High School

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: New York Flex Charter High School

New York Flex Charter High School

by The Perimeter Primate

PEDAGOGY AND PROFITS: CHARTER SCHOOL BID RAISES QUESTIONS, September 21, 2010, City Limits Magazine (NYC, NY)

Upper East Side — A new charter high school proposed for Manhattan has close ties to a for-profit curriculum provider with family links to the chair of the state board that will decide on the school's application…

At the proposed New York Flex Charter High School, a company called K12 Classroom LLC will supply the curriculum to support that model, along with other services. The involvement of K12—whose chairman, Andrew H. Tisch, is the brother-in-law of New York State Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch—could be a test of the state's new charter-schools law, passed in late May, which forbids for-profit charter school management. At the very least, the proposal raises questions abo

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Media Advisories | U.S. Department of Education

Media Advisories | U.S. Department of Education

Media Advisories
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SEPTEMBER 24, 2010

U.S. Education Official to Discuss Improving Access to College

The U.S. Department of Education's Senior Advisor to the Secretary on the College Access Initiative, Greg Darnieder will deliver the keynote address on improving college access as part of a conference sponsored by the Iowa College Access Network (ICAN) Friday in Des Moines, Iowa.

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SEPTEMBER 24, 2010

Under Secretary Kanter to Address National Community College Hispanic Council

U.S. Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter will address the 2010 Leadership Symposium of the National Community College Hispanic Council (NCCHC) at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 24, in Miami, Fla.

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SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

Under Secretary Kanter to Deliver Keynote Address at National Conference on Developmental Education

U.S. Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter will deliver the keynote address at the conference, "Developmental Education: What Policies and Practices Work for Students?," on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 8 a.m. in New York City.

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