Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Report: A black male disabled student is most likely to be suspended | 89.3 KPCC

Report: A black male disabled student is most likely to be suspended | 89.3 KPCC:


Report: A black male disabled student is most likely to be suspended

4:18 p.m. | By Tami Abdollah
Mercer 4587
A student on his way to school walks past a Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) school, in Los Angeles, California on February 13, 2009.
If you're a black male student who is disabled, you are more likely to be suspended from the classroom in California's largest districts than any other student, according to a report released today by UCLA's The Civil Rights Project.
The report, and its spreadsheet, covers 500 districts statewide and are based on 2009-10 data from the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. It shows significant disparities in suspension rates based on gender and race as well as disability status in statewide and district 

THE UNCHALLENGED FRAUD OF LAUSD AND WHERE IT HAS LED - Perdaily.com

THE UNCHALLENGED FRAUD OF LAUSD AND WHERE IT HAS LED - Perdaily.com:


THE UNCHALLENGED FRAUD OF LAUSD AND WHERE IT HAS LED

Roach Motel.jpg
THE STUDENT AND TEACHER TRAP THAT IS LAUSD
(Mensaje se repite en Español)

(For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)


The supposed operating premise of Superintendent John Deasy and his predecessors at LAUSD that has been accepted without question by the mainstream media has been that they want the best possible public education for all students. What the reality of LAUSD continues to tell us is that Nothing could be further from the truth.

The shameful state of public education in general, and minority filled inner-city schools in particular, is that no good faith attempt has been made over the last 58 years - since Brown vs. Board of Education - to address these inherently "separate and unequal" public schools that are clearly and by any reasonable measure, worse 

COULD WE PLEASE GET CREATIVE AND ALSO SHOW SOME OUTRAGE ? « Teachers Fight Back

COULD WE PLEASE GET CREATIVE AND ALSO SHOW SOME OUTRAGE ? « Teachers Fight Back:


COULD WE PLEASE GET CREATIVE AND ALSO SHOW SOME OUTRAGE ?

I would like to see the Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System officials come up with some ideas for alternative funding in order to lower the unfunded liability of the system. Rather than appear to roll over and cave in to the suggestions of some state legislators and the anti public employee forces, how about some outrage and demands for funds to be restored by the State?
Here are some ideas I would suggest:
1. State legislators and government officials must reduce or eliminate their own pensions and health insurance, and those savings be put into TRS.
2.  TRS should sue all legislators who previously voted to violate the State constitution and steal,(‘borrow” was their term, but something borrowed is usually returned) from TRS. The resulting money from the lawsuit could be 

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Evening Posts 4-10 #SOSchat #p2 #edreform


RheeFirst! » Video: Students and parents from New York to Seattle are fighting corporate education reform agenda

RheeFirst! » Video: Students and parents from New York to Seattle are fighting corporate education reform agenda: Video: Students and parents from New York to Seattle are fighting corporate education reform agendabyadminPopoutWritten by Laura Clawson for the DailyKos. Read theentire post here.“Michelle Rhee calls her organization StudentsFirst, a common affectation among corporate-style education reformers, who often like to claim that the tens of millions of dollars they pour into remaking education policy are spent on behalf of students and parents. ... more »

Go to the Movies. Save a Life - Lily's Blackboard – Lily's Blackboard

Go to the Movies. Save a Life - Lily's Blackboard – Lily's Blackboard: Go to the Movies. Save a LifeApr 10th, 2012byLily.This Friday you need to go to see the movieBully.You need to fill up the minivan, the truck, the car, the bus, walk, run, andjust go to see the movieBully.You need to take your kids and your grand-kids and your nieces and nephews. You need to take the church groups and the Little League team and the chess club ... more »

Out-of-School Suspensions in California’s School Districts Reveal Hidden Crisis — The Civil Rights Project at UCLA

Out-of-School Suspensions in California’s School Districts Reveal Hidden Crisis — The Civil Rights Project at UCLA: Out-of-School Suspensions in California’s School Districts Reveal Hidden Crisis Los Angeles--A new report from the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the Civil Rights Project,Suspended Education in California’s Public Schools,estimates that more than 400,000 students were suspended and removed from classrooms at least one time during the 2009-10 school year in California – enough to fill every seat in all the professional baseball and ... more »

Report spotlights out-of-school suspensions in California - Inside Bay Area

Report spotlights out-of-school suspensions in California - Inside Bay Area: Report spotlights out-of-school suspensions in CaliforniaByKaty MurphyOakland TribunePosted: 04/10/2012 10:33:58 AM PDTUpdated: 04/10/2012 10:34:40 AM PDTA new analysis by the Civil Rights Project at UCLA found that California students with disabilities were twice as likely to receive an out-of-school suspension as their non-disabled peers, and African American students were three times as likely as white students to be suspended at least once.In the 2009-10 school year alone, 18 percent of ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Mid Day Posts 4-10 #edreform #soschat

George Zimmerman Emerges, Endorses Campus Vandalism « Student ActivismBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-13 minutes agoGeorge Zimmerman Emerges, Endorses Campus Vandalism « Student Activism: George Zimmerman Emerges, Endorses Campus VandalismbyAngus JohnstonUtterly bizarre, yet somehow unsurprising.George Zimmerman, the self-proclaimed neighborhood watch leader who shot Trayvon Martin, has made his first public comments since the killing, ona websitehe’s created “to provide an avenue to thank my supporters personally” and solicit funds for legal and living expenses.One pag... more »

Report details Latino education gap in California and nationwide - latimes.com

Report details Latino education gap in California and nationwide - latimes.com: Report details Latino education gap in California and nationwideJust 16% of California Latinos have college degrees compared with 39% of all California adults, an education gap for Latinos that is reflected widely across the country, according to data compiled by a nonprofit research and advocacy group.The national and state-by-state data was compiled from various official sources and released Tuesday by Washington, D.C.-basedExcelencia in Education.A focus on education is especially ... more »

School Tech Connect: The Big Schism

School Tech Connect: The Big Schism: The Big Schismbynoreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)Dennis Van Roekel doesn't clear his messaging with me, so it will come as no surprise that I find his messaging to be irrelevant, obscure, and ineffective.Here he is over at TPMyammering away about corporate tax loopholes.“President Obama from the first day he started campaigning, he’s been a champion for education,” he said. “I know he will put education at the forefront, and if there’s another place in the budget ... more »

Gates pulls support for ALEC. Gates gave money to ALEC? « Fred Klonsky

Gates pulls support for ALEC. Gates gave money to ALEC? « Fred Klonsky: Gates pulls support for ALEC. Gates gave money to ALEC?byFred KlonskyThe campaign to get corporations to divest in the American Legislative Exchange Council took an odd turn today with news that the Gates Foundation would no longer participate in ALEC funding.Who knew?Like moving a rock and finding the bugs scurry.Gates people denyhaving any interest in the normal right-wing anti-labor, stand-and-shoot legislation that ALEC

Gerald E. Sroufe, Politics of Education at the Federal Level | Federal Education Policy History

Gerald E. Sroufe, Politics of Education at the Federal Level | Federal Education Policy History: Gerald E. Sroufe, Politics of Education at the FederalLevelGerald Sroufe, "Politics of Education at the Federal Level 1994"Why bother studying the federal politics of education? Today, the question seems a little obtuse, what with the recent outpouring of studies on the topic. But when Gerald Sroufe posed the question in 1994, it was not in jest. The federal government supplied six to eight percent of ... more »

Hechinger Report | Teaching software flooding into New Jersey classrooms

Hechinger Report | Teaching software flooding into New Jersey classrooms: Teaching software flooding into New Jersey classroomsbyJill BarshayStudents in Linda Smolinski's class learn directly from a computer for part of the hour. (Photo courtesy of Asbury Park Board of Education)A computer voice guides Accoo to spell the words he hears through his headphones. Emergency. Bulldozer. Minutes. Accoo gets minutes wrong and is asked to spell that one again, several times. Later, he clicks on a proofreading button.“You check what you ... more »

George Zimmerman Emerges, Endorses Campus Vandalism « Student Activism

George Zimmerman Emerges, Endorses Campus Vandalism « Student Activism: George Zimmerman Emerges, Endorses Campus VandalismbyAngus JohnstonUtterly bizarre, yet somehow unsurprising.George Zimmerman, the self-proclaimed neighborhood watch leader who shot Trayvon Martin, has made his first public comments since the killing, ona websitehe’s created “to provide an avenue to thank my supporters personally” and solicit funds for legal and living expenses.One page of that website isa photo album“dedicated to persons whom have displayed their support of Justice forall.” At the time of ...more »

Educators Issue VAM Report for Secretary Duncan - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Educators Issue VAM Report for Secretary Duncan - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Educators Issue VAM Report for Secretary DuncanbyAnthony CodyGuest post by Educators for Shared Accountability.A new group, Educators for Shared Accountability (ESA), has issued the first-ever Value-Added Measurement (VAM) evaluation of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Secretary Duncan was rated "ineffective," based on four indicators.The United States Department of Education had adiscretionary budget of $68.3 billion in fiscal year 2011. This amount was up from $64.1 ... more »

The inevitable dark side of ‘school choice’ - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

The inevitable dark side of ‘school choice’ - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: The inevitable dark side of ‘school choice’byValerie StraussThis waswritten by Ann Geiger, who served on the Orange County School Board in Orlando, Fl., from 2004-2008. A native of Virginia, she lives in Arlington and blogs atwww.publicpolicyblogger.com, where this appeared.By Ann GeigerAt first glance,Ross Douthat’s recent column on religionseems unrelated to the reshaping of public education in the United States, but bear with me. Mr. Douthat ... more »

Rethinking the Department of Education | Seattle Education

Rethinking the Department of Education | Seattle Education: Rethinking the Department of Educationbyseattleducation2011I was challenged last weekend to come up with an idea on how to improve government and I immediately considered the area of education. To follow was my recommendation.The Department of Education was established by President Carter in 1979 and the first Secretary of Education, Shirley Hufstedler, was an attorney and judge. Since then we have had eight Secretaries of Education and only three of those eight individuals ... more »

Report: Funding cuts are eroding the quality of the nation's subsidized preschools - Inside Bay Area

Report: Funding cuts are eroding the quality of the nation's subsidized preschools - Inside Bay Area: Report: Funding cuts are eroding the quality of the nation's subsidized preschoolsByKaty MurphyOakland TribunePosted: 04/09/2012 09:09:23 PM PDTDespite $127 million in federal stimulus funds, state spending for pre-kindergarten programs dropped by almost $60 million in 2010-11, according to the annual State of Preschool report published by the National Institute for Early Education Research. From 2001 to 2011, spending per child declined by about $700 ... more »

Early Education Faces 'Crisis' As Funding Plummets, Report Says

Early Education Faces 'Crisis' As Funding Plummets, Report Says: Early Education Faces 'Crisis' As Funding Plummets, Report SaysbyJoy ResmovitsBefore Diamande Montague started preschool, she was the kind of kid who clung to her mother's skirt. When she and her mom went outside and other kids gravitated to each other, she'd hover close to mom. If they were in a doctor's office with a play area and the other kids were helping themselves to books and blocks, Diamande wouldnâ�™t join them.Besides ... more »

Scott Signs Another Expansion of the Voucher Program; Meanwhile a Zephyrhills Private School is Investigated for McCay Abuse | Scathing Purple Musings

Scott Signs Another Expansion of the Voucher Program; Meanwhile a Zephyrhills Private School is Investigated for McCay Abuse | Scathing Purple Musings: Scott Signs Another Expansion of the Voucher Program; Meanwhile a Zephyrhills Private School is Investigated for McCay AbusebyBob SikesThetax credit scholarshipthat Rick Scott expanded this week is different from the McCay Scholarship plan, but both are taxpayer-funded programs which take money away from public schools. Florida’s policy-makers emerged unscathed fromlast summers’ revelations of wide-spread abuse of the McCay ...more »

Jersey Jazzman: What Research?!

Jersey Jazzman: What Research?!: What Research?!byDukeThis is amazing; Tom Moran of theStar-Ledgerdid it again!Tenure reform, the most important part of this package, is facing stubborn opposition. Democrats won’t kill it outright, but they may weaken it enough to justify a veto by Christie.Research shows that children suffer lasting damage when they have a bad teacher for even one or two years.In urban districts, where more kids are struggling to begin with, the damage is magnified. [emphasis mine]Not even a high ... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: The Sad Tale of Education Reform that Just Creates More Centralized Control

Missouri Education Watchdog: The Sad Tale of Education Reform that Just Creates More Centralized Control: The Sad Tale of Education Reform that Just Creates More Centralized ControlbystlgretchenI've been in contact with a fellow traveler on the education reform road and he's sent me a couple of items worth reading.The first follows up onwhy your vote does count,as evidenced in Missouri's recent school board elections and razor thin margins for candidates in many townships. He writes with some dismay, about correspondence ... more »

Duncan Democracy? Algiers Charter Schools Association | NOLA.com

3 new board members join Algiers Charter Schools Association | NOLA.com: 3 new board members join Algiers Charter Schools AssociationPublished: Monday, June 28, 2010, 8:45 PM Updated:Tuesday, June 29, 2010, 12:18 AMTheAlgiers Charter Schools Association's board of trustees experienced a changing of the guard last week, withthree members departingand three newcomers taking their places.Susan Poag, The Times-PicayuneStudents from McDonogh 32 Elementary Charter School in Algiers check out a chicken during Agriculture Day in May.Board members Elsie Rose, Donna St. Louis ... more »

ILLINOIS RETIRED TEACHERS AND PUBLIC PERCEPTION « Teachers Fight Back

ILLINOIS RETIRED TEACHERS AND PUBLIC PERCEPTION « Teachers Fight Back: ILLINOIS RETIRED TEACHERS AND PUBLIC PERCEPTIONbyalkleenThe Chicago Tribune, certain business leaders, anti union forces, and groups like ‘Illinois is Broke”, have done an amazing job at convincing the public that retired teachers and other retired public employees are bankrupting the State of Illinois by getting incredibly lucrative pensions.I recently had three instances where I was with a group of people who were discussing political issues. These people didn’t know I ... more »

Yo El Jefe - Both of Obama's HEAT Jerseys were in the wash - Hispanically Speaking News

Castro Pokes Fun at Obama's Plan to Wear "Cuban Garment" to Summit - Hispanically Speaking News: Fidel Castro Pokes Fun at President Obama’s Plan to Wear Cuba’s “Official Garment” to SummitPublished at 7:25 pm EST, April 9, 2012Photo: Fidel Castro Pokes Fun at President Obama's Plan to Wear Cuba's "Official Shirt" to SummitClick Here to Enlarge PhotoFidel Castro is poking fun at U.S. President Barack Obama’s plans to sport a guayabera - a tropical shirt that is Cuba’s official garment ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: School closing hearings at John Ericsson JHS and Grover Cleveland HS

NYC Public School Parents: School closing hearings at John Ericsson JHS and Grover Cleveland HS: School closing hearings at John Ericsson JHS and Grover Cleveland HSbyLeonie HaimsonThe following is by Pat Dobosz, a teacher and a graduate of John Ericson MS 126:On Wednesday, April 4 we attended the closing hearing at John Ericsson MS 126 in Brooklyn. This was a "restart" school that is now becoming a "turnaround" school. This euphemism means it will close, lose 50% of its staff ... more »

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Week 26: Over the hump…

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Week 26: Over the hump…: Week 26: Over the hump…byalicemercerThis has been a hard “Spring” in some ways, but easier in others. One part of the “hard” has been the fact that I’m in one of the few local districts that still does a Spring Break aligned with Easter, and this year, that wasn’t until last week. Both students and adults were more than ready for a “time out” by the time that ... more »