Nite Cap UPDATE
UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE
NEA President supports Seattle educators who refuse to give flawed standardized test
Standardized test takes away from student learning
WASHINGTON - January 23, 2013 -
National Education Association (NEA) members at Garfield High School in Seattle, Wash., voted to not administer the district-mandated Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) standardized test that is not aligned with state standards or the district curriculum. NEA has long urged for the careful consideration of the fact that these tests are being used to make decisions about students’ and teachers’ futures, and have corrupted the pursuit of improving real learning and effective teaching.
A rally event organized by the Seattle Education Association in support of Garfield High School educators will be held in Seattle on Wednesday, January 23, 2013, at 4 p.m. PST at the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence.
The following is a statement by NEA President Dennis Van Roekel:
The following is a statement by NEA President Dennis Van Roekel:
“Today is a defining moment within the education profession as educators at Seattle’s Garfield High School take a heroic stand against using the MAP test as a basis for measuring academic performance and teacher
Chief Sealth Teachers to Boycott MAP
It appears that at least some of Chief Sealth teachers will be boycotting the MAP. (I received this statement via Facebook from a teacher at Sealth.)
Be it resolved that we, the undersigned educators from Chief Sealth International High School do hereby support statements and actions of our colleagues at Garfield High School regarding the MAP test. Furthermore, we join our colleagues in their boycott and refuse to administer the MAP test to students at Chief SealthInternational High School.
Support for a moratorium on school closures gains steam
After protesting in New York City for years, critics of school closures and co-locations are taking their fight to Albany.Three mayoral candidates joined parents, advocates, and union representatives on the steps of City Hall today in calling for a moratorium on school closures and co-locations, centerpieces of the Bloomberg administration’s education policy.
The press conference was organized by New Yorkers for Great Public Schools, a group formed to oppose Mayor Bloomberg’s education policies in the lead-up to the mayoral election.
Earlier this month, State Sen. Tony Avella introduced a bill that would impose halt school closures until a state
It's More Than He Said-She Said
Ok, this is an important matter here--- and to be dramatic, it goes right to the heart of journalism. In this excellent piece by Bryan Lowry, CPS Communications person Becky Carrol distributes a considerable spray of flak in response to the premise of the utilization criticism. Read it carefully.
Feeding the testing-industrial-complex
Published in Education Week: January 23, 2013,
To the Editor:
"Testing Group Selects Exam to Gauge 'College Readiness'" (Jan. 9, 2013) announces yet another test to add to the staggering pile of tests our students must take.
When will this end? Because there is no evidence that adding more tests helps students, and plenty of evidence
To the Editor:
"Testing Group Selects Exam to Gauge 'College Readiness'" (Jan. 9, 2013) announces yet another test to add to the staggering pile of tests our students must take.
When will this end? Because there is no evidence that adding more tests helps students, and plenty of evidence
Race to the Bottom (sic-Top) and Most Children Left Behind (NCLB – sic) frame how we talk about education
Can culture-civilization-the world-with-us survive as schools privatize, turn into pipelines to prison and fall prey to charter schools for the rich & broken windows and computers for the poor?
Preface — Thanks to DV for providing teachers, et al this column-writing space. It’s absolutely important to emphasize the School Yard Fights our culture and the globe are fomenting. As a call to others out there – theorists, higher education teachers, PK12 educators, cognitive behaviorists, creative artists, planners, anyone with a point or points to make around E-D-U-C-A-T-I-O-N – I want your stuff sent to me, atmoc.liamgnull@luapredeah. It’s a great big topic. Lots of leeway. So bring it on: Poems, photographs, personal narratives, wonky stuff, and just good old opinion writing and creative non-fiction. Hell, fiction is accepted to.Capiche? And, yes, adjunc
Last week was a busy week for the Robert D. Skeels for LAUSD School Board campaign
Monday saw Robert D. Skeels at the Northeast Democratic Club (NEDC) where he and three other candidates, including the incumbent, were asked a series of questions in addition to making an opening statement. The questions were challenging and policy oriented, allowing each candidate's fundamental principles to show. The incumbent, who easily thought she'd win the endorsement, lost heartily with only 70 of the 110 necessary votes to win. We believe that this vote of open endorsement along with the one earlier this month at the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, demonstrates that Los Angeles Democrats have grown tired of the harmful right wing policies embodied by Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) and anti-public
Interim Plan Vote Postponed at Least a Week
Life in a global society demands a balance between cognitive, personal, and interpersonal skills. International Baccalaureate offers the educational community a uniquely global perspective when discussing educational change in the context of the Common Core.
UFT Elections: The Game is ON
LAUSD board candidate Iris Zuniga drops out of race for Nury Martinez seat
NEA President Dennis Van Roekel finally steps up for Garfield teachers. He calls it, “A defining moment within the education profession.’
Remainders: Details about new school calm Park Slope parents
Michelle Malkin Comes Out Against Common Core Standards
From the National Review and Michelle Malkin on Common Core Standards:
Robberies of Denny Students Cause Concern
Last week was a busy week for the Robert D. Skeels for LAUSD School Board campaign
Monday saw Robert D. Skeels at the Northeast Democratic Club (NEDC) where he and three other candidates, including the incumbent, were asked a series of questions in addition to making an opening statement. The questions were challenging and policy oriented, allowing each candidate's fundamental principles to show. The incumbent, who easily thought she'd win the endorsement, lost heartily with only 70 of the 110 necessary votes to win. We believe that this vote of open endorsement along with the one earlier this month at the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, demonstrates that Los Angeles Democrats have grown tired of the harmful right wing policies embodied by
ACLU: state, school districts failing English learners
ACLU attorney Jessica Price says school districts up and down California are failing to enroll all English learners in the instruction mandated by law. Credit: Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
More than 20,000 students whose first language isn’t English are not getting proper instruction according to the American Civil Liberties Union, which threatened California education officials with a lawsuit Wednesday.
Mark Rosenbaum, chief counsel of the ACLU of Southern California, said 251 school districts are failing to
Ya know what? @educationweek has a good piece up on new teacher surplus. Zang!
Just as I compliment @educationweek…
NJ Charter School Circus: LEAPin' Lizards!
thoughts on the day
Preface — Thanks to DV for providing teachers, et al this column-writing space. It’s absolutely important to emphasize the School Yard Fights our culture and the globe are fomenting. As a call to others out there – theorists, higher education teachers, PK12 educators, cognitive behaviorists, creative artists, planners, anyone with a point or points to make around E-D-U-C-A-T-I-O-N – I want your stuff sent to me, atmoc.liamgnull@luapredeah. It’s a great big topic. Lots of leeway. So bring it on: Poems, photographs, personal narratives, wonky stuff, and just good old opinion writing and creative non-fiction. Hell, fiction is accepted to.Capiche? And, yes, adjunc
Last week was a busy week for the Robert D. Skeels for LAUSD School Board campaign
Monday saw Robert D. Skeels at the Northeast Democratic Club (NEDC) where he and three other candidates, including the incumbent, were asked a series of questions in addition to making an opening statement. The questions were challenging and policy oriented, allowing each candidate's fundamental principles to show. The incumbent, who easily thought she'd win the endorsement, lost heartily with only 70 of the 110 necessary votes to win. We believe that this vote of open endorsement along with the one earlier this month at the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, demonstrates that Los Angeles Democrats have grown tired of the harmful right wing policies embodied by Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) and anti-public
Interim Plan Vote Postponed at Least a Week
The Board is currently voting to extend the voting time and will NOT be voting tonight. They are extending it at least a week (or more) but need to get it done before enrollment starts in late Feb.
I believe the Board must have gotten tremendous pressure about the plan to change the voting date.
They will be receiving new enrollment data from the Enrollment office. Directors are debating whether gettting the
I believe the Board must have gotten tremendous pressure about the plan to change the voting date.
They will be receiving new enrollment data from the Enrollment office. Directors are debating whether gettting the
What Is Missing in the Common Core?
January 23, 2013 by Maria Hersey
UFT Elections: The Game is ON
I guess the UFT leadership feels they have a good election window given the breakdown of negotiations and Mulgrew coming out of it looking enhanced with Bloomberg clearly being proven as a liar.
So finally, at last night's UFT Executive Board meeting, an election committee was formed and expected to report back to the Feb. 2 EB meeting where the recommendations for ground rules will be voted on. That will probably kick off the petitioning campaign beginning at the Feb. 4 Delegate Assembly, usually a 6 week process, followed by a few weeks of campaigning, followed by roughly 3-4 weeks of balloting -- they are sent to the homes and returned by mail. So by my estimate, we are about 3 weeks behind previous elections, so expect April balloting with a count in the neighborhood of May 1. Just my guess.
MORE and New Action each get a rep on the election committee along with about 20 Unity people. Amy Arundel
So finally, at last night's UFT Executive Board meeting, an election committee was formed and expected to report back to the Feb. 2 EB meeting where the recommendations for ground rules will be voted on. That will probably kick off the petitioning campaign beginning at the Feb. 4 Delegate Assembly, usually a 6 week process, followed by a few weeks of campaigning, followed by roughly 3-4 weeks of balloting -- they are sent to the homes and returned by mail. So by my estimate, we are about 3 weeks behind previous elections, so expect April balloting with a count in the neighborhood of May 1. Just my guess.
MORE and New Action each get a rep on the election committee along with about 20 Unity people. Amy Arundel
LAUSD board candidate Iris Zuniga drops out of race for Nury Martinez seat
Iris Zuniga, one of five candidates to succeed LAUSD board member Nury Martinez in the East San Fernando Valley, announced Wednesday she has dropped out of the Distrct 6 race.
NEA President Dennis Van Roekel finally steps up for Garfield teachers. He calls it, “A defining moment within the education profession.’
Statement from NEA President Dennis Van Roekel.
“Today is a defining moment within the education profession as educators at Seattle’s Garfield High School take a heroic stand against using the MAP test as a basis for measuring academic performance and teacher effectiveness. I, along with 3 million educators across the country, proudly support their efforts in saying ‘no’ to giving their students a flawed test that takes away from learning and is not aligned with the curriculum. Garfield High School educators are
Remainders: Details about new school calm Park Slope parents
- The head of Park Slope’s new elementary school calmed rezoned families’ fears with details. (DNA Info)
- A city parents group has launched a campaign to urge a teacher evaluation deal. (NYC Parents Union)
- Ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools in Brooklyn tend to teach girls things they won’t teach boys. (DNA Info)
- It bears repeating: City charter schools are held to different standards for school closures. (SchoolBook)
- A blow-by-blow of Chicago’s school closures and changes suggests little in the way of strategy. (Reader)
- A teacher says we unfortunately can’t assume the best about rising graduation rates. (Assailed Teacher)
- A city teacher says he wants specifics about Gov. Cuomo’s plan for longer school days. (NYC Educator)
- By replacing “or” with “and,” a literacy teacher got excited about the Common Core. (EdNews Colorado)
- Attention is turning to the puzzle of why there are too many elementary school teachers. (Teacher Beat)
- A second “reformer,” TFA founder Wendy Kopp, writes back to a critic’s open letter. (Gary Rubinstein)
- A 99-year-old home economics teacher in New Jersey says she isn’t quite ready to retire yet. (HuffPo)
Michelle Malkin Comes Out Against Common Core Standards
From the National Review and Michelle Malkin on Common Core Standards:
America’s downfall doesn’t begin with the “low-information voter.” It starts with the no-knowledge student.
For decades, collectivist agitators in our schools have chipped away at academic excellence in the name of fairness, diversity, and social justice. “Progressive” reformers denounced Western-civilization requirements, the Founding Fathers, and the Great Books as racist. They attacked traditional grammar classes as irrelevant in
Robberies of Denny Students Cause Concern
From West Seattle Blog:
3:13 PM UPDATE: The SPD report says this was one of TWO robberies targeting kids that age, in that area, in the past four days – the first one was near 27th and Cambridge last Sunday, and yesterday’s robbery is now described as having happened in Roxhill Park itself. Details here
3:13 PM UPDATE: The SPD report says this was one of TWO robberies targeting kids that age, in that area, in the past four days – the first one was near 27th and Cambridge last Sunday, and yesterday’s robbery is now described as having happened in Roxhill Park itself. Details here
Last week was a busy week for the Robert D. Skeels for LAUSD School Board campaign
Monday saw Robert D. Skeels at the Northeast Democratic Club (NEDC) where he and three other candidates, including the incumbent, were asked a series of questions in addition to making an opening statement. The questions were challenging and policy oriented, allowing each candidate's fundamental principles to show. The incumbent, who easily thought she'd win the endorsement, lost heartily with only 70 of the 110 necessary votes to win. We believe that this vote of open endorsement along with the one earlier this month at the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, demonstrates that Los Angeles Democrats have grown tired of the harmful right wing policies embodied by
ACLU: state, school districts failing English learners
ACLU attorney Jessica Price says school districts up and down California are failing to enroll all English learners in the instruction mandated by law. Credit: Adolfo Guzman-LopezMore than 20,000 students whose first language isn’t English are not getting proper instruction according to the American Civil Liberties Union, which threatened California education officials with a lawsuit Wednesday.
Mark Rosenbaum, chief counsel of the ACLU of Southern California, said 251 school districts are failing to
Ya know what? @educationweek has a good piece up on new teacher surplus. Zang!
Here’s the entire piece, but stay with me. Now, this is all in response to a recent NCTQ report, which ...
Continue reading
Continue reading
Just as I compliment @educationweek…
I keep getting these dadblamed common core updates from them. Just stop it, stop it already.
NJ Charter School Circus: LEAPin' Lizards!
Camden's charter schools are both an educational failure and a fiscal disaster:
The tax-exempt status of a Camden charter school was revoked by the Internal Revenue Service following the school's failure to file proper nonprofit financial statements for three years, putting $8.5 million of bonds at risk of losing their tax exemption.
LEAP Academy University Charter School said in a statement its decision not to file the IRS annual Form 990 for a three-year period was "due to conflicting advice on the administrative need to do so as a New Jersey charter school."
Through its spokesman, James McQueeny of Winning Strategies, LEAP would not elaborate on the "conflicting advice" and declined to provide any info beyond the
thoughts on the day
Barry Goldwater said it didn't matter if you were straight or gay, only if you could shoot straight.
Combat no longer has clearly delineated fronts.
Woman have been in combat.
It is overdue that we recognize their service.
When I was the age of the students I now teach, women could not be on juries in most states. Remember the great jury movie was 12 Angry MEN.
Today another part of the mission of Seneca Falls was achieved.
When my mother graduated from Columbia law 2nd in her class in 1937, she could not get a job as a lawyer except with her father, although during WWII the Office of Price Administration hired her. When Sandra Day O'Connor graduated 3rd in her class from Stanford Law in the early 1950s, neither could she. Now 1/3 of the Supreme Court is female, and there are more women in law school then men.
That is progress.
Please keep reading.
Combat no longer has clearly delineated fronts.
Woman have been in combat.
It is overdue that we recognize their service.
When I was the age of the students I now teach, women could not be on juries in most states. Remember the great jury movie was 12 Angry MEN.
Today another part of the mission of Seneca Falls was achieved.
When my mother graduated from Columbia law 2nd in her class in 1937, she could not get a job as a lawyer except with her father, although during WWII the Office of Price Administration hired her. When Sandra Day O'Connor graduated 3rd in her class from Stanford Law in the early 1950s, neither could she. Now 1/3 of the Supreme Court is female, and there are more women in law school then men.
That is progress.
Please keep reading.