Nite Cap UPDATE
UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE
The first mayoral debate on education!
The consensus among most of the observers I talked to afterwards is that the candidates did not distinguish themselves much from one another on the hot-button issues. Also, despite the best efforts of the
Study: More than half of LAUSD students overweight
Fewer than half of the Los Angeles Unified students have a healthy body composition and one in three are considered at risk of future medical problems, according to a new state study.
Profiles in Courageousness Wins Prestigious Award
Sales at Amazon have been brisk, but equally impressive has been the critical acclaim. Today, Congressman Kimble can add award winner to his growing resume as a writer. The Profiles in Courageousness Foundation
Alliance for Education Strategic Plan
"On a mission to ensure every child in Seattle Public Schools is prepared for success in college, career and life."
That's what is says at the top of the Alliance for Education home page. With that mission, the Alliance has no business with anything outside Seattle Public Schools. This includes private schools, schools in other districts, and, of course, any charter schools should they appear.
That mission statement is repeated on the web page for their Strategic Plan. C'mon. You had to know that they would have a strategic plan, didn't you? I suggest you read it. It is an illuminating document. This tells what the Alliance sees when it looks at itself in the mirror. It may be a different vision of what you and I see when we look at the Alliance.
The Alliance includes, among their internal strengths: "Convener of disparate voices" Yeah. Seriously. That
That's what is says at the top of the Alliance for Education home page. With that mission, the Alliance has no business with anything outside Seattle Public Schools. This includes private schools, schools in other districts, and, of course, any charter schools should they appear.
That mission statement is repeated on the web page for their Strategic Plan. C'mon. You had to know that they would have a strategic plan, didn't you? I suggest you read it. It is an illuminating document. This tells what the Alliance sees when it looks at itself in the mirror. It may be a different vision of what you and I see when we look at the Alliance.
The Alliance includes, among their internal strengths: "Convener of disparate voices" Yeah. Seriously. That
No Child Left Behind Reauthorization Debate Likely To Continue In Obama Second Term
In 2008, Barack Obama campaigned on the promise that his administration would oversee the rewriting of the expired No Child Left Behind Act. But four years later, education experts and legislators don't see any end to the negotiations with and within Congress.
"The administration needs to figure out what they want," said Charles Barone, a drafter of the 2002 law who now serves as legislative director at Democrats for Education Reform. "They've been hedgy."
The sweeping No Child Left Behind, a Texas-grown product of the George W. Bush presidency, was roundly criticized as being too onerous and unrealistic in its expectations for student achievement: One hundred percent of students were supposed to perform at "proficient" levels on standardized tests by 2014. Even its creators acknowledge that the law, which expired 1,877 days ago in 2007, was never supposed to exist unmodified for as
"The administration needs to figure out what they want," said Charles Barone, a drafter of the 2002 law who now serves as legislative director at Democrats for Education Reform. "They've been hedgy."
The sweeping No Child Left Behind, a Texas-grown product of the George W. Bush presidency, was roundly criticized as being too onerous and unrealistic in its expectations for student achievement: One hundred percent of students were supposed to perform at "proficient" levels on standardized tests by 2014. Even its creators acknowledge that the law, which expired 1,877 days ago in 2007, was never supposed to exist unmodified for as
Massachusetts Grants In-State Tuition to Undocumented Students. Sort of.
There’s been a lot of cheering today for the news that Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick plans to direct public colleges in the state to allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition, but a peek at the fine print shows that the policy shift isn’t anywhere near what it could be.
The policy covers undocumented Massachusetts residents eligible for temporary immunity from deportation under the Obama administration’s new DREAM-Act-like policy, but there’s a catch. Actually two.
First, in order to qualify for in-state tuition, you have to have made your way through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) hoops and been granted the reprieve from deportation it provides. That means that if you’ve got qualms about coming forward, or you’re having trouble proving eligibility, or are stuck in the
The policy covers undocumented Massachusetts residents eligible for temporary immunity from deportation under the Obama administration’s new DREAM-Act-like policy, but there’s a catch. Actually two.
First, in order to qualify for in-state tuition, you have to have made your way through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) hoops and been granted the reprieve from deportation it provides. That means that if you’ve got qualms about coming forward, or you’re having trouble proving eligibility, or are stuck in the
We Treat Monkeys Better Than Teachers
Hat tip to the great Nancy Flanagan. Here we see two teachers under a merit pay system:
Popout
"Wait!" screams the reformer (or the newspaper editor). "That's not what we mean! We want to reward the monkey who obeys our commands better than the other monkeys!"
Yes, you do.
ADDING: Hat tip this time to the great EduShyster. Because everyone knows in the "real" world, merit pay is totally freakin' awesome:
Popout
"Wait!" screams the reformer (or the newspaper editor). "That's not what we mean! We want to reward the monkey who obeys our commands better than the other monkeys!"
Yes, you do.
ADDING: Hat tip this time to the great EduShyster. Because everyone knows in the "real" world, merit pay is totally freakin' awesome:
A few weeks later, the Cravath lawyers assembled and unanimously voted her into the partnership. She received no signing bonus, no guarantee, no special
Teachers Unions As Evaluators: A Conflict of Interest?
Let's say you're a teacher in a city with a large population of children in poverty... like, say, Newark.
Under the district's new evaluation system, you are judged "ineffective." You don't think you've been treated fairly. Maybe you were assigned many children who live in deep poverty, or don't speak English at home, or who are just generally known in your school to be the hardest kids to educate; consequently, your students "growth" on test scores was not as large as your colleagues.
Maybe you don't think your principal wrote up your evaluations correctly, and you're prepared to challenge them. Maybe you're outspoken about changes in your district and the central office administration thinks of you as a
Under the district's new evaluation system, you are judged "ineffective." You don't think you've been treated fairly. Maybe you were assigned many children who live in deep poverty, or don't speak English at home, or who are just generally known in your school to be the hardest kids to educate; consequently, your students "growth" on test scores was not as large as your colleagues.
Maybe you don't think your principal wrote up your evaluations correctly, and you're prepared to challenge them. Maybe you're outspoken about changes in your district and the central office administration thinks of you as a
A Teacher Accused!:When He Said/She Said Turns Ugly!
I learned about it by accident. I approached my principal about another child and she asked me not to get upset. I wondered why a simple response to a question about a situation with a student, could possibly upset me. And that’s when she told me what a student had accused me of. I really [...]
Gresham-Barlow dedicates Wednesday mornings to teacher collaboration for teacher, student benefit
The across-the-board late-start Wednesday has fostered teacher collaboration that is already showing results, administrators say. With better information earlier in the year, they expect the change to improve student achievement.
Memorial service set for Charles Hopson, former deputy superintendent of Portland Public Schools
Hopson, who was known in the district as a champion of students of color, died Oct. 9.
US DOE: Lowest performing schools are improving
From US DOE on its School Improvement Grants:
The U.S. Department of Education today released an early snapshot of student performance data at schools that have received federal School Improvement Grants (SIG) program funds, a key component of the Department’s blueprint for helping states and districts turn around the nation’s lowest-performing schools.
Under the Obama Administration, the SIG program has invested up to $2 million per school at
Community college programs in Pasadena and Santa Barbara honored
Community colleges in Pasadena and Santa Barbara have been honored for helping new and underprepared students reach their educational goals.
The First Year Pathway program at Pasadena City College and Santa Barbara City College’s Express to Success program were given the 2012 Chancellor’s Student Success Award at the Community College League of California’s annual convention in Los Angeles.
The Pasadena program guarantees placement of participants in hard-to-obtain English and math classes during the fall and spring semester of their first year and provides counseling and other support services. Data show that
The First Year Pathway program at Pasadena City College and Santa Barbara City College’s Express to Success program were given the 2012 Chancellor’s Student Success Award at the Community College League of California’s annual convention in Los Angeles.
The Pasadena program guarantees placement of participants in hard-to-obtain English and math classes during the fall and spring semester of their first year and provides counseling and other support services. Data show that