Ed Notes Online
Updated: Ruling on Portelos Right to Attend SLT Meetings as Chapter Leader
Jeff Kaufman reports another nail in the rights of the union at EdLawFaqs blog. This ruling impacts on the rights of the teachers to have an effective chapter leader. The fact that Portelos has to hold meetings through Skype and by standing in front of the school should be challenged by the UFT. I think that may be a separate issue.This ruling says: [T]he law is well settled that the courts may no
The Obligatory Thanksgiving Extended Family Photo
This just appeared on Facebook so I might as well publish it here -- and of course it will then reappear on FB and Twitter since I somehow have automated Ed Notes posts to end up on both places. One cousin said yesterday she gets so much FB crap from me she had to block me -- she did not seem to believe me when I said I almost never go on FB -- though I did tonight and friended a former student fr
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Lets hope Bill DB's new administration moves in quickly to deliver us from Eva and her destructive ways ASAP.... Eva can afford to rent her own buildings w/ all the philanthropy and savings she has amassed..... Lisa Donlan, CEC1Is there a push for reversing the co-loco charter school giveaways or are those outrageous acts of a dying administration being submerged in all the other stuff going on? One would hope that Annenberg/the Alliance for Quality Education with their gal Zakiyah Ansari on the di B transition team would make this a top-level priority. Lisa Donlan points to one of the outra
My message to CWC: If you have money to pay Heather Vega and Larson Communications, PAY THE DAMN RENT.Who is Heather Vega?Heather has been writing emails to major press on behalf of CWC to try to get some positive press and offset their history of racist marketing, investigations into fraud, the incompetence of their Board of Directors, and the widespread opposition to the school in District 14... WAGPOPSI saw the letter that Heather Vega sent out as an advertisement/propaganda/press release to get ANYone in the press to write a story about Citizens that doesn't mention the IRS investigation,
Gene Prisco's activism proves that you can make a difference in the world by living up to your ideals. Our condolences go to Loretta and the entire family... James EternoJames posted this at the ICE blog. He makes the important point that Gene and Loretta were an activist couple -- that activism was built into the fabric of their daily lives. Was there anyone on Staten Island who did not know them or of them? We rarely said "Gene" or "Loretta" - it was always "Gene 'n Loretta."The loss of Paul Baizerman just about 2 years ago and now, Gene Prisco, is enormous for
NOV 27
Staten Island Advance: Gene Prisco, liberal lion of Staten Island, educator, and activist for the disenfranchised, dies at 70
Excellent obit on Gene. Though I knew this was coming for the past month - and probably longer than that, I'm still having trouble breathing. Just last January we all celebrated Gene and Loretta's 70th birthday - I have some really bad video and so sorry I didn't bring the good camera -- dumb, dumb, dumb. Glad the old crew got to see him a few times since things went downhill starting in August. W
Frank Bruni Coddles Ed Deformers
I'm not sure where to draw that line. Its my kids. Its all personal... Patrick Sullivan in response to "Let's minimize getting personal just because someone has a an opposing viewpoint" on the NYCEd listserve.So much reaction to another no-nothing NY Times columnist: Are kids too coddled: Op-Ed NY Times Raging Horse took 2 shots at Frank Bruni:Are New York Times Opinion Writers Too Coddl
Fred Smith: Mayor Bloomberg's Education Turkey
Public Education Panel Testing, Testing, Testing Teacher Ratings Consultant Stuffing School Closings Charter Schools Co-locations Chancellor Klein Flouting Laws, Rules and Regs. Overcooked Grad Stats Phony Test Bus Drivers Strike Sco
Democratic Committee of Richmond County Annouces Passing of Gene Prisco
Having been a fellow activist and friend for over 40 years, at this point I am not capable of commenting on Gene's passing. We saw him last Tuesday when we picked up Loretta to drive her back to Staten Island from her daughter's place in Villanover where Gene was in hospice care for the past month. There is the medical story, the political story, the friendship story to tell. Due to Loretta's bein
Report on John King/Merryl Tisch Dog and Pony Show in Binghamton
Bearing signs reading “We are human, not machines,” “Oust the King” and “End Fed Ed,” Binghamton area residents let state Education Commissioner John King see — and hear — their discontent with Common Core state standards. “Tell the assembly we’re coming for them. We’re coming for them, we’re angry and we vote,” said Christina Bangel, a seventh-grade social studies teacher at Owego-Apalachin Middl
NOV 26
The Opt-Outers: Focus on Change the Stakes in NY Mag
Despite some inaccuracies, overall a positive article featuring Change the Stakes parents and Jane Hirschman from Time Out From Testing. Here are some comments from the CTS listserve, some focused on one serious factual error in the piece.Article shows opposition NOT driven solely by white suburban moms... Leonie Haimson It was a great article. But the part about losing federal funds is not true.
Susan Ohanian Reports, November 26, 2013
Ten Top Reasons the U. S. Congress Would Be a Good Place to Field Test the Common Core TestsSusan Ohanian blog 2013-11-23http://susanohanian.org/core.php?id=626I usually post Susan's stuff on Saturday morning but call this a Thanksgiving special. Susan's point about Bill Clinton joining hands with Lou Gerstner should be amended with the 3rd party - Al Shanker, who led the UFT/AFT into the entire
NOV 25
Morna McDermott: Flow Chart Exposes Common Core's Myriad Corporate Connections
The friends of my enemies are not my friends. I can't find the AFT/UFT and NEA connections on this chart. Where would you put them on this chart? Where there is the biggest chance to get a brown nose. Here is Morna McDermott on the video version: Walking the Labyrinth of the Corporate-Owned-Common Core And the Truthdig article:U.S. education reform isn't so much a "Race to the Top," beca
Network for Public Education to Hold First Annual Conference in March
Volume 1, Issue: #30 November 23, 2013 Inside NPE News Election 2013: The ResultsVictorious Sue Peters Thanks NPECheck out NPE News Briefs - a service from the Network for Public Education - for the latest headlines from journalists and bloggers around the country. You can even subscribe to our once-daily digest - delivered via email every day.NPE News BriefsNPE News BriefsPODCASTSThis week,
NOV 24
JFK: Political Thoughts
....during a reception at the National Gallery of Art, the Kennedys were supposed to take an elevator to greet their guests. But the elevator was not working, and when they stepped out, the lieutenant said, he was so close to Mrs. Kennedy that he could smell her perfume. Here is how he remembers what happened next: “I’m in my mannequin face, and she said words to the effect, “Jack, let’s take the
Lisa Donlan Judges Bloomberg Ed Legacy in Comparison to the Old System
The argument ed deformers made for mayoral control wascorruption, chaos, inequity and cronyism by the old school boards. Many of us fought to reform that system, not to eliminate it. In fact I and my pals went to many school board meetings in District 14 through the 70s arguing for less supervisors and lower class size and for fundamental reform.But the horror story of the chaos, inequity and cron
NOV 23
Susan's Saturday Special
We're getting into the habit of posting an Ohanian compendium every Saturday morning so we all have stuff to read in all our spare weekend time. As usual, she tears up the common core.We're serving Thanksgiving lunch at the Senior Center today. Turkey and all the trimmings.There are new cartoons, but I'm in a rush. You can find them on the home page. Two categories: Cartoons and NCLB Cartoons.Yes
Oh, God, Another November 22, 1963 Remembrance
Yes, I can't resist the call. I was an 18-year old sophomore at Brooklyn College, living at home in a quickly changing East New York section of Brooklyn. I finally had my driver's license and didn't have to take the train from Pennsylvania Ave., change at Franklin for the Flatbush line - an hour trip. By car I had a special route that got me to BC in 17 minutes. Followed by a half hour looking for