Sunday, October 3, 2010

Blaming teachers is the easy way out - Letters to the Editor - The Buffalo News

Blaming teachers is the easy way out

Let me start by saying that I am not a teacher. It really bothers me when I hear or read about how easy teachers have it. Students’ underachieving probably has more to do with the students’ attitude and home life than the teacher taking a day off or not teaching properly. Are parents concerned about their child’s grades and behavior? Are they reading with their child, and checking his homework? Are they backing up the teacher and holding their child accountable, or are they singing the “not my child” song?

Classrooms are filled to the max. Students come unprepared, uninterested and, on top of that, are disrespectful and disruptive to the teacher and their classmates. Teachers work more than a six-hour day. They arrive early, stay late and bring their work home with them. They stay after school for parent conferences, open houses and a variety of after-school and weekend school functions.

They spend plenty of their own money for classroom supplies. They are our children’s teacher, counselor, mentor and friend. It is a highly rewarding profession, but it is also emotionally and mentally exhausting.

Budget cuts affect the staff, supplies and resources that are needed in the

How Americans spread the wealth - St. Petersburg Times

How Americans spread the wealth

By Robert Trigaux, Times Staff Writer

Amid raucous political debate over tax cuts for the rich and who owns most of America's wealth, university researchers have found at least one reason why we suffer such bruising public policy stalemates in this country.

When it comes to wealth inequity in the United States, we just don't know what we're talking about.

Two professors, psychologist Michael Norton from Harvard Business School and behavioral economist Daniel Ariely at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, surveyed more than 5,500 Americans who had been chosen at random to create a nationally representative sample. Those surveyed were asked to do two things.

First, they had to estimate the current distribution of wealth in the United States. And second, they were asked to "build a better America" by spreading the nation's wealth among five quintiles, poorest to richest, based on their own, ideal or optimal level of inequality.

Key findings appe

Barack Obama to spotlight education - Carol E. Lee - POLITICO.com

Barack Obama to spotlight education

Barack Obama meets students at Julia R. Masterman School in Philadelphia. | AP Photo

The W.H. says education reform is "a fundamental difference" between Barack Obama and Republicans. | AP PhotoClose

By CAROL E. LEE | 10/3/10 5:06 PM EDT

The White House will focus on education this week as an economic issue and political wedge that contrasts Democrats and Republicans, senior administration officials said Sunday in a conference call with reporters.

“The issue of education and reforming education so we can be more competitive in the long term is a fundamental difference between President Obama and Republicans,” said White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer. “The Republican pledge that was unveiled a few weeks ago would include the largest cut in education in history. ... We think that is inexcusable

Queens Teacher: I Heart Leonie Too!!!

I Heart Leonie Too!!!

by Queens Teacher

Popout

Class Size Matters Leonie Haimson gives us the truth about comparisons of our schools to Finland's and the difficult task many of our teachers have in this country.

The Human Pursuit of Learning in the Education Industrial Complex | Lefty Parent

The Human Pursuit of Learning in the Education Industrial Complex

by Cooper Zale

Following up on my piece yesterday that called out the “Education Industrial Complex”, I want to talk more about the impact of this hugely hierarchical and bureaucratic leviathan and its impact of the very personal, naturally self-initiated process of learning. These mega institutions that exercise such control over us rather than facilitating our own initiative (though well intentioned) I see as remnants of an ancient world view of external authority (which I call “Patriarchy”) that I see as an obstacle towards our human development in the direction of a a more evolved “Circle of Equals”.

To set the context again for this follow-up, I want to go back to Dave Chandler’s words that I think capture the

The Washington Teacher: Let The WTU Races Begin !

Let The WTU Races Begin !

by The Wash. Teacher

We Want Your Vote !
Even though the May 2010 of WTU officers election was hindered by the current 'Hold Over' union presidentdue to his failure to turn over the necessary documents to the American federation of Teachers (AFT), Washington Teachers' Union members will finally be able to elect a new union president and a slate of officers.

According to AFT , ballots will be mailed to members mid-

Bera for Congress Day of Action

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: KIPP Gaston College Preparatory

KIPP Gaston College Preparatory *KIPP FAILS TO STAND UP FOR ITS REPUTATION*, September 30, 2010, The Daily Herald (Roanoke Rapids, NC) …As many have undoubtedly already heard, 10 KIPP football players have been suspended for Friday’s game for their role in a fight last week on ...

Northeast Academy Charter School *CHARTER SCHOOL'S GIFT-CARD OFFER IN STUDENT-ENROLLMENT DRIVE ILLEGAL*, October 2, 2010, The Denver Post (CO) A Denver charter school broke a new state law by offering families $400 worth of gift cards if they brought new students to the school ...

McKeel Charter School System *MAREADY DEFENDS MCKEEL'S POLICIES; MCKEEL CHARTER SUPERINTENDENT DEFENDS POLICIES AND PRACTICES,* October 1, 2010, The Ledger (Lakeland, FL) LAKELAND | McKeel Charter School System has no control over which students are admitted to its three ...

Discovery School of Tulsa *The following news story is an example of the teacher salary practices at other Gulen charter schools. As reported by a former teacher at one of the NJ charter schools: “The school had my credentials and previous salaries, promised the same, and ...

Sunday links. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Sunday links.

by preaprez

On the right, candidate for Chicago Mayor, Miguel del Valle at the Logan Square Farmers Market today.

Charter schools haven’t lived up to their promise says Marion Brady.

Back over Labor Day weekend I argued that the Republicans had peaked and that if the Democrats

The Wall.

by preaprez

Chicago.

t r u t h o u t | Back to School: An Interview With Bill Ayers

Back to School: An Interview With Bill Ayers

Friday 01 October 2010

by: Maya Schenwar, Executive Director, t r u t h o u t | Interview

Bill Ayers. (Photo: lloyd89)

As the 2010-2011 school year grumbled to a start - and millions of public school students settled into overcrowded, underfunded, under-resourced classrooms - I sat down in Chicago with education theorist and activist Bill Ayers to discuss true democracy, false reform and his latest book (co-authored with cartoonist Ryan Alexander-Tanner), "To Teach: The Journey in Comics." In an educational culture increasingly permeated by top-down marketplace values, Ayers, who taught primary school for years, still believes in the possibility of a schooliverse where every teacher is respected and every student is valued as a full human being, where collaborative learning and growth trump

t r u t h o u t | Are Charter Schools Really Innovative?

Are Charter Schools Really Innovative?

Wednesday 22 September 2010

by: Marion Brady | The Washington Post | Op-Ed

Peter Ruddy Wallace was the speaker of Florida’s House of Representatives years ago when charter-school legislation was adopted. He saw charters as incubators of innovation and experimentation.

So did I. Indeed, not long thereafter, I accepted an invitation to serve on the board of governors of a new charter school serving a built-from-scratch new town in a neighboring county. And, partly to enhance my board member-related knowledge and skills, and partly to gather material for Knight-Ridder/Tribune columns on the subject of charters, I visited those within reasonable driving distance.

I believe America’s broad-based system of public schools is a bedrock of the Republic, and that the country has gotten a better return on its investment than it deserves. But I also believe that major changes are long overdue, that fresh thinking is essential, and that serious problems

Imagine John Lennon's 70th Birthday

Roundup: What's Happening In Other Districts? - District 299: Chicago Public Schools Blog

Roundup: What's Happening In Other Districts?

by Alexander Russo

Baltimore revamps teachers' pay Baltimore Sun: By the third year, all schools will let teachers "help set working conditions not outlined in the general contract, such as a longer work day or more planning time."

Seattle school board recall effort failsSeattle Times:The parents based their case on a state audit of Seattle Public Schools that found deficiencies in the district's financial controls and said the district doesn't have controls in place to ensure that it complies with state law or its own policies.

In Louisville, a new turn in school integration USA Today: Before the ruling, Louisville's Roosevelt-Perry Elementary, for example, "was beautifully balanced (racially) but was a disaster" academically since it was

Maps: Chicago's Racial Isolation & Integration

by Alexander Russo

About Darrel Woo

Darrel Woo for School Board 2010

Jeff Cuneo for School Board: SCUSD Area 2

Jeff Cuneo for School Board 2010

Ellyne Bell for School Board |

Ellyne Bell for School Board 2010

A generation of ninnies — Joanne Jacobs

A generation of ninnies

by Joanne

Are we raising a generation of nincompoops? asks Beth Harpaz of the Boston Globe.

Susan Maushart, a mother of three, says her teenage daughter “literally does not know how to use a can opener. Most cans come with pull-tops these days. I see her reaching for a can that requires a can opener, and her shoulders slump and she goes for something else.”
Teenagers are so accustomed to either throwing their clothes on the floor or hanging them on hooks that Maushart says her “kids actually struggle with the mechanics of a clothes hanger.”
. . . “It’s so all laid out for them,” said Maushart, author of the forthcoming book “The Winter of Ou

Schools Matter: Jay P. Green Celebrates Victory

Jay P. Green Celebrates Victory

by Kenneth Libby

I wouldn't normally post/quote the thoughts of Jay P. Greene, but his commentary on the changing winds in education reform is highly relevant. Why do I read Greene's writings? Because it's worth reading the thoughts of those with drastically different viewpoints; because Greene is, like it or not, influential; and because the best way to critique your enemy is to do your best to get into their head and discover the weaknesses in their argument. From the mind of Greene:

I have no idea why a bunch of ed reformers are so gloomy. Matt [Ladner] has already observed how Rick Hess and Mike Petrilli can’t seem to enjoy the moment when ed reform ideas go

Jeff Cuneo for School Board: SCUSD Area 2

“I am proud to announce my candidacy for the Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Education. I am a parent. I am a dedicated public servant and child advocate. You can trust that I will make the right decisions for our children. I look forward to meeting you and asking for your vote in the coming months.”

Ellyne Bell for School Board |

Sac City school board calls for CSBA's executive board to resign

Mon, 09/20/2010 - 14:25 — admin

Sac City school board calls for CSBA's executive board to resign
mgutierrez@sacbee.com
Published Friday, Sep. 17, 2010

The Sacramento City Unified School District board is calling for the resignation of the executive board of the California School Boards Association, the embattled nonprofit group caught in a salary scandal.

District trustees voted 5-2 Thursday evening to pass a resolution that also requires its $36,161 annual fees to be reduced by 50 percent if CSBA wants to retain Sacramento City Unified's business.

Trustees Gustavo Arroyo and Jerry Houseman voted against the resolution, which will be sent to CSBA.

"I feel strongly that a message needs to be sent," said Ellyne Bell, school board president.

Race To The Wha?

Mon, 09/20/2010 - 14:18 — admin

By Cosmo Garvin
cosmog@newsreview.com

The normally sleepy school board elections in the Sacramento City Unified School District have been enlivened by two developments. First is the recent introduction of district elections—which have made the contests more competitive, and more personal.

Then there are the efforts of Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson—who’s been tied to some very controversial education issues in the past—to inject himself into the process.

Both factors seem to be at work in the race for District 1—covering Midtown, downtown, Curtis Park and much of Land Park—between Paige Powell and Ellyne Bell.

Three Great Reads on High-Stakes Standardized Tests - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

Three Great Reads on High-Stakes Standardized Tests

Three highly recommended reads on this subject are:

1) FairTest.org

2) The book, "Measuring Up - What Educational Testing Really Tells Us" by Daniel Koretz, Professor of Education at Harvard University. Written for a layperson to understand, every parent and educator should read this book, winner of the outstanding book award, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. An excerpt:

"Achievement testing is a very complex enterprise, and as a result, test scores are widely misunderstood and misused. And

Saying No to Standardized Testing for College?
by CJW
Colleges & Universities Jump On Board the "Test Optional" Movement: No SAT or ACT
VIDEO: One Student's Journey + Lawrence University Shares Views
Continue Reading at The Daily Riff

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