Continuing to collectively bargain over teacher evaluation makes sense | EdSource Today

Continuing to collectively bargain over teacher evaluation makes sense | EdSource Today:

Continuing to collectively bargain over teacher evaluation makes sense

August 28th, 2012 | Add a Comment | 
By Dean Vogel

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Dean Vogel

As professionals, educators practice their vocation with seriousness and dedication with the single purpose of helping students. The California Teachers Association believes it is a primary part of our mission to improve the conditions of teaching and learning and to advance the cause of free, universal, and quality public education.

CTA supports pending legislation, AB 5 by Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes, that has refocused attention on teacher evaluation.  Some have expressed criticism that requiring school districts to bargain over this topic is an “expansion” of bargaining rights.  This criticism is incorrect, unwarranted, and contrary to making meaningful changes to an evaluation system aimed at improving the quality of teaching and learning.  To have a fair and comprehensive system you must include the professionals who are in California classrooms every day.

Current law, as well as administrative and court decisions interpreting it, already supports 

On Why IDFAG About Dress Code … Kinda [Future of Teaching] | The Jose Vilson

On Why IDFAG About Dress Code … Kinda [Future of Teaching] | The Jose Vilson:

On Why IDFAG About Dress Code … Kinda [Future of Teaching]

by Jose

Excerpt:

Having a dress code matters in far too many schools. I know of schools where, on dress down days, kids wear strictly primary colors depending on their affiliations, or look down on one another for inexpensive wardrobe. It also sets a tone, teaching students early that coming to school is like coming to work in a way where looks matters, so dress appropriately. At least these are some of the arguments people use for dress code. In fact, the middle and high schools I went to as a student had strict guidelines for everything from summer dress to facial hair.
As a teacher, however, I just don’t think this needs to take precedence over my students’ learning.

Read. Comment. Share and share alike. You keep me writing. Thank you.
Jose, who had over 100 shares in his first Edutopia post … and he has you to thank for that 

Engaging Parents In School… » National PTA Changes Stance On Charter Schools, & It’s A Disappointing One…

Engaging Parents In School… » National PTA Changes Stance On Charter Schools, & It’s A Disappointing One…:

National PTA Changes Stance On Charter Schools, & It’s A Disappointing One…

by Larry Ferlazzo

The National PTA now supports letting other bodies besides local school boards authorize charter schools. That’s a big disappointment, since charter school operators are now often making “end-runs” around local school boards who won’t approve them by going to county boards of education or other bodies.
For example, here in Sacramento a charter chain couldn’t get any local school district to approve their schools, so they got the county board to do so. So, the county board of education, which is responsible by state law for 

What Are the Bounds of Civil Discussion? « Diane Ravitch's blog

What Are the Bounds of Civil Discussion? « Diane Ravitch's blog:

What Are the Bounds of Civil Discussion?

by dianerav

Earlier today I published a biting critique of John White and Bobby Jindal, who are doing their best to privatize public education in Louisiana. I happen to think the pair have turned the state of Louisiana into an international laughing stock and put the future of a generation of children at risk.
The writer, who lives in Louisiana, called them vandals, said that John White is a hack, and referred to White’s staff as “the TFA  Goon Squad.”
Two people wrote to say how shocked they were that I would permit such language to be used. They said I called for civility and had violated my own pledge.
I am reminded that when I used to tweet, I would find myself at the receiving end  of really nasty, vituperative insults. I never responded in kind. But if I dared to show that I was offended, I could count on several reformer-

An Angry Teacher in Louisiana Replies

by dianerav

A reader said he was shocked, shocked by a post that linked to an article that spoke disparagingly of Governor Bobby Jindal and State Commissioner of Education John White. He thought it was “uncivil” to refer to them in disrespectful language.
This teacher from Louisiana disagrees. Since there aren’t many places in Louisiana where his or her views may be expressed in print, I am happy to print them here.
But they are thieves, vandals, liars and profiteers here in Louisiana!
They are also people I disagree with. I disagree with them because I disagree with rating teachers on student 

Secret of Successful Boston Charter Schools?

by dianerav

This just in from a teacher in Boston:
Check out the number of special education students and limited English speakers in Boston Public Schools compared to these charter schools where genius teachers from fancy universities are such a great success. BPS has 18.3% special education and 30% limited English speakers. The Edward Brooke has 7.4% special education students and .2% limited English speakers. The Edward Brooke, which is scary with their extreme military style discipline, has the lowest percentage of pesky resistant learners at the charters mentioned in this 

What GOP platform says on education - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

What GOP platform says on education - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

What GOP platform says on education

By Valerie Strauss

Here’s what the 2012 Republican Party platform calls for regarding education:

Education: A Chance for Every Child

Parents are responsible for the education of their children. We do not believe in a one size fits all approach to education and support providing broad education choices to parents and children at the State and local level. Maintaining American preeminence requires a world-class system of education, with high standards, in which all students can reach their potential. Today’s education reform movement calls for accountability at 

Diva Against Insanity: A Revolution in our schools is not always the answer...

Diva Against Insanity: A Revolution in our schools is not always the answer...:

A Revolution in our schools is not always the answer...

This past weekend I saw the movie "Won't Back Down" with Viola Davis and Maggie Gyllenhall. It was a movie about a poor working class mother who can't afford a private education for her child so must send her to the neighborhood school. That school is failing, her daughter is not learning, and she believes she has no options. As she agonizes over her situation, she finds out about a provision in the law that says that parents and teachers can "take over the school" by getting about 150 parental signatures and at least 18 teachers on board so they can create a Charter school in its place.  Viola Davis plays a hard working and stifled teacher who's son has some learning disabilities but is also 

In Sacto. Schools, Heroes in the Kitchen - New America Media

In Sacto. Schools, Heroes in the Kitchen - New America Media:

In Sacto. Schools, Heroes in the Kitchen

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New America Media, Video, Peter Schurmann, Posted: Aug 28, 2012

SACRAMENTO - Gabriel Ramirez describes how he runs to get his first choice at the school cafeteria these days -- a far cry from when the only food served was "those little burrito things...I didn't even know what was in 'em."

Ramirez, 17, spoke recently at a news briefing sponsored by the California Endowment, whose “Health Happens in Schools” initiative promotes healthful meals in all of California’s 9,800 public 

After a Year Teaching High School, Tony Danza Says We Owe Educators an Apology - Education - GOOD

After a Year Teaching High School, Tony Danza Says We Owe Educators an Apology - Education - GOOD:

After a Year Teaching High School, Tony Danza Says We Owe Educators an Apology

by Liz Dwyer

Don't be surprised if the nation's teachers start a fan club for actor Tony Danza. Unlike the countless policy makers and talking heads who offer up suggestions for improving education without ever teaching a day in their lives, during the 2009-2010 school year the actor ditched Hollywood for a gig teaching tenth grade English at Northeast High School in Philadelphia. Now Danza's written a book, I’d Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had, about the experience.
What's Danza apologizing for? He readily admits that he wasn't the best student in school, and since he'd earned a degree in history education, he wanted to make a difference. Perhaps he's also regretting the disrespectful assumption too many in our society make: educators don't really want to work hard and are incompetent.
During his year in the classroom, Danza dealt with the tough challenges so many teachers face: Over 60 percent of Northeast's majority minority student population are economically disadvantaged and the year Danza taught 

RheeFirst! » Remember Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s no show rally in Connecticut? Now we know why no one showed up…

RheeFirst! » Remember Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s no show rally in Connecticut? Now we know why no one showed up…:

Remember Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s no show rally in Connecticut? Now we know why no one showed up…

by admin

Leaked documents revealed today by The Daily Change appear to shed light on why Michelle Rhee could muster only a handful of people outside the Connecticut statehouse last March. Although Rhee cheered on Gov. Malloy’s education proposal, Malloy himself declined to participate, saying through a spokesperson that Rhee was too “divisive.” Malloy wasn’t the only who refused to participate. As noted at the time, the rally was very sparsely attended. 
According to the document, StudentsFirst just couldn’t turn out a crowd despite shelling out $10,000 (costs 

Origins of a Dream

Origins of a Dream:

Origins of a Dream

by Sam

Every year, we pay tribute to the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with school assemblies, community programs and – to the delight of students and teachers alike – a national holiday. Yet how many of us directly connect Dr. King’s heroism and accomplishments to his faith in – and use of – the five freedoms of the First Amendment?
Consider the August 28, 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the iconic rally that introduced King’s “I Have a Dream” speech to white America – he had delivered those lines to black audiences many times before – and produced the most memorable petition for a redress of grievances in the nation’s history. Nearly every American is familiar with King’s speech that day. Many of us were asked to memorize it as students. But 

Commentary: Making sense of what's happening in the School District | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Commentary: Making sense of what's happening in the School District | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

Commentary: Making sense of what's happening in the School District

by thenotebook

This week's guest commentary about changes in the Philadelphia school landscape is from James M. "Torch" Lytle, a former Philadelphia administrator and Trenton superintendent, now a professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. The Notebookinvites guest blog posts on current topics in Philadelphia education from its readers. Conact us at notebook@thenotebook.org to make a submission.

_________________________________________________________________

As the School District of Philadelphia deals with leadership transition, budget cuts, funding shortfalls, declining enrollment, school closings, charter school waiting lists, and the most turbulent period in its history, it’s easy to get focused on the turmoil and lose sight of the big picture.

I am a longtime District administrator and former superintendent in Trenton who has watched with dismay the development of policies, starting in 2001 in the Bush administration, that have been designed not so much to raise standards and improve student achievement, but to promote privatization.

Jersey Jazzman: Rosie Perez Embarrasses Herself Badly

Jersey Jazzman: Rosie Perez Embarrasses Herself Badly:

Rosie Perez Embarrasses Herself Badly

by Duke

So the stars of Won't Back Down are starting their press junkets. Let the embarrassment commence, starting with Rosie Perez on Good Morning, America (no embed code; you'll have to click through to watch).

Perez says, "We have the worst education system, K through 12." Leave aside how such a sweeping statement is absurd on its face; not once in her little TV visit does Perez bother to mention that we have almost the worst childhood poverty in the developed world. It's probably too much to expect Perez to know that when you control for poverty, American children are at the top of the world.

We get a clip of WBD next, with Perez's character complaining about another teacher's poor work. Obviously, the primary difference between the educational outcomes of students in and out of poverty is their teachers, right?

Why Washington state schools are #47 in education funding: Let’s start with Bill Gates | Seattle Education

Why Washington state schools are #47 in education funding: Let’s start with Bill Gates | Seattle Education:

Why Washington state schools are #47 in education funding: Let’s start with Bill Gates

by seattleducation2011

At a community forum that I attended about three years ago in the Central District, neighbors were meeting withRepresentative Eric Pettigrew and Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos regarding issues of concern.
There didn’t seem to be enough money for the public funded services that were needed including our schools.
One person got up and said that she was willing to pay a state income tax to begin to subsidize what was needed by the community. To my surprise, most  of the people in the audience applauded and shouted out that they would as well.
What is ironic about this is that the second wealthiest individual in the world and number one in the United 

UPDATE: They’re still fighting for social justice at Social Justice High School. « Fred Klonsky

They’re still fighting for social justice at Social Justice High School. « Fred Klonsky:

hey’re still fighting for social justice at Social Justice High School.

by Fred Klonsky

Social Justice students speak at community protest. Photo: Substance, Sarah Chambers.
The story of Chicago’s Social Justice High School began with a hunger strike in 2001.

Starting on Mother’s Day, 17 members of the Little Village community, a Mexican neighborhood in southwest Chicago, drank only water and juice for 19 days. They camped out in unseasonably cold and rainy weather on a vacant strip of land across from a demolished cooking-oil factory.

The group, mostly mothers, explained that while they were hungry, their 

Ten minute drawing: N.J. Governor Christie and the Union thug.

by Fred Klonsky

How can Illinois’ Governor Quinn lead a grassroots movement if he is afraid to show up at the Fair?

by Fred Klonsky

One-term Governor Pat Quinn has promised to lead a grassroots movement to gut public employee pensions.
But how can he lead a movement of people who he is afraid to meet?
Two weeks ago he was met by hundreds of union members who booed him of the stage and out of the Sprinfield State Fair grounds.
Saturday he was a no-show at the State Fair in Du Quoin.

Governor Quinn ‘No Show’ For Democrat Day At DuQuion State Fair8/27/12 @ 9:12:24 am (Du Quoin, IL) — The state’s highest ranking Democrat didn’t show up for

This Week In Education: Thompson: District Claims Turnaround Failures Were Successes

This Week In Education: Thompson: District Claims Turnaround Failures Were Successes:

Thompson: District Claims Turnaround Failures Were Successes

by john thompson

"Nothing illustrates the elusiveness of school reform like Reid Park Academy," writes the Charlotte Observer's Ann Doss Helms in "Westside's Reid Park Elementary Shows the Challenge of Reform." Four years ago, the school "became a pioneer in a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools push to get strong faculty into weak schools. One year ago, then-Superintendent Peter Gorman added middle school students, assuring skeptical families it was a successful school. But 2012 state ratings list it as one of the worst in CMS and the state." In 2008, Helms reports, seven struggling

Charts: 32 Percent Of Charter Kids Pulled From Privates

by Alexander Russo

Jersey Jazzman: Cokie's Law and Education Reforminess

Jersey Jazzman: Cokie's Law and Education Reforminess:

Cokie's Law and Education Reforminess

by Duke

Randi Weingarten does a nice job taking down Won't Back Down, the reformy, fictional film that ignorant pundits are already using to push an anti-union agenda. I particularly liked what Weingarten has to say here:

The film features the union leader sharing a quote that anti-public education ideologues and right-wing politicians often attribute to former AFT president Albert Shanker: “When schoolchildren start paying union dues, that’s when I’ll start representing the interests of schoolchildren.” Despite the frequency with which corporate interests claim Shanker said this, a review of news reports, speeches, and interviews with Shanker’s aides and biographers, and even an analysis by the Washington Post, failed to find any person or report that could corroborate the statement. [emphasis mine]

Digby calls this "Cokie's Law," named after uber-Washington insider and moral scold Cokie Roberts. See, kids, some time in the 1990's, this country's punditocracy lost its freaking mind and became obsessed with stains on 

What do the available data tell us about NYC charter school teachers & their jobs? « School Finance 101

What do the available data tell us about NYC charter school teachers & their jobs? « School Finance 101:

What do the available data tell us about NYC charter school teachers & their jobs?

by schoolfinance101

This post is about rolling out some of the left over data I have from my various endeavors this summer.  These data include data from New York State personnel master files (PMFs) linked to New York City public schools and charter schools, NYC teacher value-added scores, and various bits of data on New York City charter and district schools including school site budget/annual financial report information.
Here, I use these data combined with some of my previous stuff, to take a first, cursory shot at characterizing the teaching workforce of charter school teachers in New York City. All findings use data from 2008 to 2010.
To summarize the following figures, New York City charter school teachers:

1. Are relatively inexperienced (but not all in their first 3 years)

Another Successful FCAT Opt Out | United Opt Out National

Another Successful FCAT Opt Out | United Opt Out National:

Another Successful FCAT Opt Out

by admin

United Opt Out National received the following letter regarding another successful FCAT opt out.  Royellen Moore, parent in Orlando, has also said she is happy to answer any questions about her experience. Please read the letter and also check our Florida section for more information. If you have questions for Royellen please post them in the comment section.

My son opted out of FCAT two years ago (the 2010/11 school year) in Orange County, Fl (Orlando). We were told, incorrectly, we couldn’t opt out because he’d fail 3rd grade, have to take summer remedial reading, be truant b/c he couldn’t be at school or he’d be tested, etc. All the usual stuff. 

My husband and I decided to skip further talks with the principal and District personnel (since they didn’t know the law) and go straight to the district’s legal adviser.  We met and on May 19th, 2011 received a letter indicating that yes, a student portfolio was an option to allow our son’s promotion to 4th grade. Our son didn’t take the FCAT, the school provided a student portfolio and he was promoted to fourth grade.

The fact that my husband and I are both lawyers helped of course- we 

Vanessa D’Egidio on Teaching for Social Justice in Primary School Classrooms « Feminist Teacher

Vanessa D’Egidio on Teaching for Social Justice in Primary School Classrooms « Feminist Teacher:

Vanessa D’Egidio on Teaching for Social Justice in Primary School Classrooms

by feministteacher

Vanessa D’Egidio teaches for social justice in primary school classrooms (photo courtesy: Vanessa D’Egidio).

The following guest blog is the first in a three-part series on teaching for social justice featuring educators in primary, middle, and high school classrooms.
Vanessa D’Egidio is currently a second grade teacher in New York City. As a graduate of both Barnard College’s Childhood Education Program and the Curriculum and Teaching Master’s Program at Teachers College, Vanessa brings to the classroom a passion for teaching for social justice. Vanessa has gained a diverse wealth of experiences studying and working in Hong Kong,  Italy, and New York and is a member of the Teaching Tolerance advisory board.
“Children, not yet aware that it is dangerous to look too deeply at anything, look at everything, look at each