Perdido Street School:
President Obama On Obamacore: You Can Keep Your Teachers And Your Schools If You Like Them!
Arne Duncan Insults White Suburban Moms, Says Kids Aren't "As Brilliant As They Thought"
Arne Duncan - One Of The Best And Brightest Of Our Generation
NYSED Commissioner King Compares Himself To Martin Luther King Jr.
Boycotting Tisch-Owned Businesses
Perdido Street School
President Obama On Obamacore: You Can Keep Your Teachers And Your Schools If You Like Them!
Good line in the comments of Valerie Strauss's blog post on Arnie Duncan's attack on white suburban moms who dare to criticize the Common Core State Standards movement: Obamacore: you can keep your teachers and your school if you like them. Oh no! -- CT TeacherIn fact, just as some Americans are now surprised to find out that the president misled them over his health care plan and they cannot keep
Arne Duncan Insults White Suburban Moms, Says Kids Aren't "As Brilliant As They Thought"
I wrote this morning how US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan shows us daily with every word he says how he is an exemplar of the "Best and Brightest" this country has to offer.Duncan underscored that with this doozy from a speech he gave to state superintendents yesterday:.@arneduncan says foes of Common Core = white suburban moms who find their "child isn’t as brilliant as they t
mark as read
We need the best & brightest to #teach. Join the @TEACHorg Thunderclap to recruit the next generation http://t.co/uauAhwfL9V— Arne Duncan (@arneduncan) November 9, 2013The phrase "Best and Brightest" doesn't mean what Arne Duncan seems to think it means. In modern usage, "Best and Brightest" has a negative connotation. David Halberstam used it to describe the geniuses in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations who, despite their Ivy League pedigrees and high IQ's, managed to take the country into a quagmire of a war that it still hasn't recovered from. Halberstam mea
I bet you're thinking, nah, he didn't do that.Yeah, he did - on Tuesday.Jessica Bakeman had the story at Capital NY.Here's the set-up:ALBANY—In a keynote speech to teachers on Tuesday, education commissioner John King began by describing a cartoon about turkeys who revolt to avoid becoming Thanksgiving dinner, and he ended by comparing the state's adoption of the Common Core standards to the U.S. Civil Rights movement. King spoke Tuesday morning to teachers from Hudson Valley school districts who traveled to Albany for a Common Core training, and he stressed thankfulness and perseverance.OK, g
A commenter raises the following point:We might get "Money Honey" Tisch's ear by boycotting ALL Tisch family products and services, here and nationally. Aren't they in movie houses, entertainment, real estate...weren't they in big tobacco at one point...? Since this is a class war brought on us from the oligarchy....we gotta hit em where it hurts...that goes for Money Honey's empire...Rupert "The Hacker" Murdoch's educational pots and pans...Fox News, NY Post...Kaplan Inc...and many more....I think huge national boycotts on certain corp. products are the way to go...I used
YESTERDAY
Obama's ACA Mess Foreshadowed By Race To The Top
The NY Times compares Barack Obama to George W. Bush on its front page and wonders which president was more incompetent:WASHINGTON — Barack Obama won the presidency by exploiting a political environment that devoured George W. Bush in a second term plagued by sinking credibility, failed legislative battles, fractured world relations and revolts inside his own party. President Obama is now threaten
Why Isn't Michelle Rhee Getting Scrutiny In The Calderon Scandal?
Cosmo Garvin:Everything connected to the Calderon political family is getting media scrutiny now, since state Sen. Ron Calderon was named in an FBI affidavit, made public by the Al Jazeera America news organization, alleging the Montebello Democrat took bribes from undercover agents. One Sacramento Bee follow-up story looked at allegations that Calderon and his brother Tom Calderon, a lobbyist and
NOV 14
Time To Make The Politicians Understand That They Willl Pay Politically If They Support King, Tisch And The Reform Agenda
Here's how you know the Common Core reforms are going to end up in the graveyard sooner rather than later.At a State Senate Education Committee meeting yesterday, attending senators said they have been receiving more calls, complaints and emails to their office over the Common Core standards than any other issue.Think about that for a minute.The ACA implementation has been a mess and many people h
NYSED Commissioner King Claims Common Core "Allows Students To Be Joyful In Their Learning"
He says it at the end of this video from last night's Common Core meeting in Mineola.Watch the video at Newsday here. He says this after hearing parent after parent tell him and his boss, Merryl Tisch, that their kids are faking illness so that they don't have to go to school because they hate the Common Core so much, after a union leader told him about a new illness called Common Core syndrome th
It's Governor Cuomo's Education Reform Agenda
There's a lot of attention aimed at NYSED Commissioner King and Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch over the state education reform agenda, but let's remember that while King and Tisch are the people out front selling the agenda, in the end this is Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's education reform agenda.Start making calls to Governor Cuomo and let him know what you think about his agenda, how much you disl
NOV 13
NYSED Commissioner King Booed At Common Core Meeting In Mineola
Commissioner King continues to preach the Gospel of the Common Core but the people are having none of it: State Education Commissioner John B. King Jr. was greeted by a crowd of parents and demonstrators with signs that read "Down with King" and "It's freezing and we are here -- Just wait until Election Day" as he arrived Wednesday for an education forum at Mineola High School.
Looks Like Cuomo Is Paying Attention To The Parent Uprising
@BadassTeachersA @NYStateBATs @lacetothetop Got a pollster call about Cuomo,APPR,Charters,tonight.This Dem'll NEVER vote 4 @NYGovCuomo again— Gail Richmond (@gailDrich) November 13, 2013Leonie Haimson asks: .@gailDrich @BadassTeachersA @NYStateBATs @lacetothetop @NYGovCuomo Who was poll for? Hope Cuomo b/c means he's paying attention— leonie haimson (@leoniehaimson) November 13, 2013Leonie asks if
NYC Educator Puts It All In Perspective
Great post this afternoon from NYC Educator - an important post. Read it all, but savor this part:But whatever they do, I will do everything in my power to get the truth out, and to make sure children and teachers who come after us don't have to suffer through such nonsense. King and Tisch can sit and pretend to listen today, tomorrow, or a hundred times more.But those of us who care about educati
Wonder What Tisch And King Will Do To Prepare For Tonight's Common Core Forum In Mineola?
After last night's Common Core forum in East Setauket turned ugly for Commissioner King and Chancellor Tisch, a commeter at Perdido Street School has an idea how they might be preparingfor tonight's Common Core forum in Mineola:Believe me...shes been on a conferance call today with "the best and brightest" to shape her rhetoric for the next time shes forced to slum with the folkdom...The
The New York State PTA Turns On Commissioner King
The NY State PTA takes a lot of money from the Gates Foundation, so it's generally a reform-friendly group.After Commissioner King got booed at a forum they sponsored in Poughkeepsie on the Common Core last month, they backed King when he announced he was canceling future forums because of the criticism.But yesterday, they launched an attack on the state's Common Core implementation that is really
Merryl Tisch Should Shut Up And Listen
Merryl Tisch at last night's Common Core forum at Ward Melville High School in East Setauket, where she and her NYSED Commissioner King were repeatedly booed by 1,500 people as they tried to preach the Gospel of the Common Core to the masses:Tisch observed that "rhetoric is very high," and said, "I would urge everyone on both sides to take a breath and listen."A commenter on th
1,500 Boo NYSED Commissioner King, Regents Chancellor Tisch At Common Core Forum In East Setauket
Last night's forum at Ward Melville High School in East Setauket did not go well for the King.The Newsday story is behind a pay wall, so I am putting the whole story up:An emotional crowd of about 1,500 parents and educators packed Ward Melville High School's auditorium and cafeteria last night for a forum with state Education Commissioner John B. King Jr., cheering speakers who assailed state tes
Good News From Tish James
Good to hear her get very specific about education and where she would like to see the de Blasio administration go:Over the course of the campaign, de Blasio made some of his own educational priorities clear: universal pre-K, a plan to charge well-financed charter school networks to operate in public space, a moratorium on school closures, and the elimination of the school letter-grade system. Mor
NOV 12
Occupy Activists Buy $15 Million In Debt For $400,000 As Part Of Rolling Jubilee Movement
This is doing God's work:A group of Occupy Wall Street activists has bought almost $15m of Americans' personal debt over the last year as part of the Rolling Jubilee project to help people pay off their outstanding credit. Rolling Jubilee, set up by Occupy's Strike Debt group following the street protests that swept the world in 2011, launched on 15 November 2012. The group purchases personal debt
Bloomberg Experiences A Major Post-Election Defeat
This will not make the Mayor of Money happy:A plan to dramatically re-zone East Midtown has fizzled, members of the City Council announced this evening. The plan–one of departing Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s most ambitious legacy projects–was aimed at transforming 73 blocks around the Empire State Building to allow the kind of modern, soaring skyscrapers that currently dot Lower Manhattan. But today,
Better When Bush Was President
"Frankly, the public education system was better off when George W. Bush was president because Democrats fought him." ~ Diane Ravitch— TCBGP (@TCBGP) November 12, 2013Indeed.They would have fought Bush on NSA spying and the drone bomb slaughter Obama has ordered in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and elsewhere too.Alas, because a Democrat has ordered these things, many partisan Dems fall al
Cuomo Let Gas Company Write Safety Regulations
Sheriff Andy, the lobbyist for students, turns out to also be the lobbyist for the gas companies:ALBANY—A company that helped the Cuomo administration formulate new safety regulations for the liquefied natural gas industry stands to profit from the changes it recommended.Expansion Energy, which develops mobile storage facilities for liquefied natural gas, was hired by the state to study the possib
Cuomo Spends $21 Million To Use Headhunter Service For Patronage Positions
The fiscal genius in Albany showing more fiscal genius: ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo’s drive to hire the “best and brightest” for state government could end up costing taxpayers $20.6 million, the Daily News has learned. That’s the amount the Cuomo administration has quietly agreed to pay a Rochester-area company for “talent acquisition services” over the next five years. Cuomo administration officials def
Common Core Problems Just Like Obamacare Problems
From Politico:Democrats have a general idea of what it would take to put the Obamacare rollout back on track. Fix the damn website, they say, and most of the other problems will take care of themselves.Common Core proponents have a general idea of what a successful implementation of Common Core and the ancillary tests, curricula, and data collection will look like, but so far implementation has be
Today's Protest Against Tisch And King At Ward Melville High School
Mark Naison writes:Woke up this morning in a GREAT MOOD, ready to join THOUSANDS of Long Island parents, teachers and students at 5:45 protesting another closed forum sponsored by NY Ed Commissioner John King at Ward Melville HS in East Setauket. Since Commissioner King seems constitutionally incapable of actually listening to parents, teachers and principals, I doubt if this demonstration will ha
Contract Negotiations - Teachers Already Gave At The Office
Times article out on how union contract negotiations may go under de Blasio.All I know is, not only did teachers not get the 8% raises all the other unions got under the last pattern, we gave up concessions via the APPR teacher evaluation law that include a loss of tenure, yearly ratings tied to test scores, and a lot more work under the Danielson rubric.I blame my union leadership as much for tha
NOV 11
Bloomberg Heckled At Final Veterans Day Memorial Service As Mayor
Authoritarian mayor Michel Bloomberg celebrates First Amendment rights:NEW YORK—Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s final address at the Veterans Day ceremony at Madison Square Park was interrupted by a heckler on Monday. The mayor, who arrived after the festivities started due to heavy traffic, was interrupted by mid-way through his short speech. A man seated near the front and dressed in a camouflage jack
National Protest Against Common Core - November 18
Those in the corporate education reform establishment who like to paint opponents and critics of the Common Core as "special interests" should take note of this:Elbridge, NY - On Nov. 18, Danielle and Tim Karlik plan to keep their teenage daughters home from the Jordan-Elbridge schools for National Keep Your Child Out of School Day, a nationwide protest of the Common Core educational sta
Commissioner King And Chancellor Tisch Restrict Public Access At Common Core Meetings
They're doing anything they can to make it look like they're having open public forums on the SED reform agenda without actually having open public forums on the SED reform agenda: Controversy is swirling over advance selection of speakers and admittance restrictions to education forums this week on Long Island featuring state Education Commissioner John B. King Jr., with some angry parents saying
Maybe Somebody Should Look Into Bloomberg's Bribe Money?
Buzzfeed:One of Mike Bloomberg’s signal accomplishments in New York City was reversing the flow of corruption. In the old days, and in every other city in the world most days, favor-seekers bribe politicians — with cash in envelopes, with legal contributions, or with political support. In Mike Bloomerg’s New York, the mayor bribed you, buying the silence or cooperation of individuals, cultural org
NOV 10
When Will Merryl Tisch Be Investigated For Corruption?
A commenter at Capital Confidential wants to know:Why are INVESTIGATIVE journalists so afraid to investigate Tisch? Everyone is afraid of her. King is just doing her bidding. If he had a real original thought (not likely), it would not happen without her permission. There is soooo much more to this story. I think Tisch is controlling the journalists..maybe she has connections to the heads of all o
Regents Refuse To Meet With Parents Over Testing Concerns In NY State
That's the essential takeaway from this exchange:A group of parents concerned about the Board of Regents standardized testing program called on the board to meet with them. Dennis Tompkins, a spokesman for the State Education Department, said people are welcome to show up during the 20 SED meetings scheduled statewide to address concerns and take comments. The fourth session is Thursday evening in
Not De Blasio's Fault
In two months, the NY Post will directly blame this kind of incident on Bill de Blasio:Blood stained the ice at the Bryant Park rink Saturday night, after a feud over a coat erupted in gunfire and two skaters who had been struck by bullets were rushed to the hospital still wearing their skates. Screams rose from a crowd of 150 park-goers as four or five shots rang out at just after 11 p.m. The gun
NOV 09
In Which I Use The Danielson Rubric To Evaluate Buster Keaton
Everyone knows that just as a teacher cannot be a great teacher without a great lesson plan, a director cannot be a great director without a great script.Those teachers who say they use bare bones notes to teach their classes, no matter how great those classes appear to be or how much the students in those classes appear to learn, this teacher can never be a great teacher because she/he does not s
What Did NYSED Commissioner King Know About Pine Bush And When Did He Know It?
That's the question Sheriff Andy Cuomo is asking in his letter to SED over the Pine Bush anti-Semitism charges the NY Times revealed yesterday.Here's the text of the letter Cuomo sent to SED:Dear Commissioner King, I write to express my serious concern with reports of anti-Semitic harassment including physical attacks at Pine Bush Central School District. The alleged behavior is nothing that shoul
Sheriff Andy Cuomo In A Huff Over All The De Blasio Attention
You can tell the mark of a man by how he handles the success of someone he considers a friend.Sheriff Andy says Bill de Blasio is a friend of his from their Clinton days, but boy, he doesn't seem to be happy about the success de Blasio is enjoying these heady, post-election days:NY1′s Zack Fink sent the following dispatch from the Somos el Futuro conference in San Juan: I have a handful of friend