Perdido Street School:
Is Obama Administration Lobbying De Blasio To Go With A Pro-Testing Chancellor?
Adding A 5th Reason To Why Kaya Henderson Won't Be NYCDOE Chancellor
Daily News: Carmen Farina Back On Chancellor List, No Decision Made Yet
Let De Blasio Know Rahm Emanuel's School CEO And DCPS Rhee Acolyte Are Unacceptable For NYCDOE
The Latest Cache Of Cathie Black Emails
How Many Schools In Chicago Did BBB Close?
Perdido Street School Week
Is Obama Administration Lobbying De Blasio To Go With A Pro-Testing Chancellor?
In the DN article that reported Carmina Farina is back on the short list to be de Blasio's chancellor pick is this doozy:Montgomery County Superintendent Joshua Starr has been mentioned, but may have Obama administration heavyweights lobbying de Blasio not to consider him because of his strong anti-testing positions, sources said.Not a surprise, given how much weight they have put on high stakes t
Adding A 5th Reason To Why Kaya Henderson Won't Be NYCDOE Chancellor
Valerie Strauss lists four reasons why she thinks DCPS chancellor Kaya Henderson won't be NYCDOE chancellor despite rumors that her name is on Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio's short list for the job.The four reasons are 1) Henderson's staunch support of charter schools 2) Henderson's emphasis on standardized tests as the most important measure of educational achievement 3) her antagonism toward the un
Educational Myopia
Barney Miller is my favorite television show - has been ever since I was a little kid.I loved the off-beat and often dark humor, the pathos, the gritty NYC setting and the well-developed characters.One of the recurring themes to the show is the frustration of working in a bureaucracy that strips people of their autonomy and their humanity.A two part, hour long episode of Barney Miller from Season
Daily News: Carmen Farina Back On Chancellor List, No Decision Made Yet
Went up at 10:28 AM: Carmen Farina, a former deputy city schools chancellor, has emerged as a leading contender for the top education job, the Daily News has learned. Farina — an unofficial yet key education adviser to Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio — has repeatedly denied a willingness to return from retirement. This week she’s made the slight shift of refusing to answer a reporter’s questions about
mark as read
Gotham Schools posted rumors that Rahm Emanuel's schools CEO, Barbara Byrd-Bennett, the woman who helped oversee the closing of 50 Chicago schools in one fell swoop this year, is on Bill de Blasio's short list to be NYCDOE chancellor.The NY Times reported that Michelle Rhee's old DCPS deputy, Kaya Henderson, now the chancellor of DC schools, is also on the de Blasio short list to be chancellor.De Blasio ran a campaign that was opposed to the Bloomberg corporate education reforms and called for a transition away from them.And yet, there are rumors that two of the people on his list for chancell
The DOE saved the best for last, I have to say that - here's a rundown on some of the stuff from the latest batch of Black emails that's come out so far:.@MikeBloomberg to Cathie Black: "All we have to do next week is fix public education. Alot easier than creating a national newspaper."— Lisa Fleisher (@lisafleisher) December 7, 2013 She needed @NYCSchools staff to give her SUBWAY DIRECTIONS #CBEmails— Sergio Hernandez (@cerealcommas) December 7, 2013 Cathie Black’s child abuse prevention training was an online course.— Sergio Hernandez (@cerealcommas) December 6, 2013 .@artmcfarlan
Gotham Schools says Barbara Byrd-Bennett is on the short list to be the next NYCDOE chancellor.Didn't she close like 50 schools in Chicago?Didn't de Blasio run for mayor in opposition to Bloomberg's school closure policy?And yet, GS says BBB is rumored to be a possible successor to Walcott.The Times reported earlier in the week that Michelle Rhee's buddy from DCPS, Kaya Henderson, is also on the list to be chancellor.How many teachers did she fire in DC?I expected de Blasio to pick Bratton to replace Kelly because it made political sense - Bratton is a change from Kelly's top down autocratic l
YESTERDAY
Byrd-Bennett And Henderson In Running For Chancellor Gig?
Oy:say it ain't so @BilldeBlasio: Byrd-Bennett & Henderson considered as Chancellors despite #corpreform policies http://t.co/sBXOnEYJm2— leonie haimson (@leoniehaimson) December 6, 2013If these two are in the running, then we are really in trouble. I've been sick the last day, so my brain isn't working so well.But with news of Henderson and now Byrd-Bennett, I'm starting to get a bad feeling
De Blasio's NYCDOE - Probably Not Going To Be Too Much Different Than Bloomberg's
In picking William Bratton to replace Ray Kelly as NYPD commissioner, Mayor-Elect De Blasio has shown that while he is looking to make a break from some of the Bloomberg NYPD policies of the past, he is not looking to make a "clean" break:Michael Bloomberg's police commissioner, Ray Kelly, waited 63 days before sending police officers in riot gear to clear Occupy Wall Street protesters f
Another Bloomberg Absurdity
Mayor: we'll honor him by opening the Nelson Mandela School of Social Justice, small school in famed Boys and Girls HS building in Bed-Stuy— Lindsey Christ (@LindseyChrist) December 6, 2013Mayor Bloomberg ran New York City as Soweto on the Hudson, a place where hundreds of thousands of men of color were stopped and searched just because they were of color.His police chief, Raymond Kelly, is famed
What The Bratton Pick Could Mean For Schools
I know there have been some people who were disappointed by de Blasio's pick of William Bratton to be NYPD Commissioner, but I see the Bratton pick as a positive for both the city and the NYPD.The NY Times provided some analysis on where Bratton may take the NYPD that leaves me feeling hopeful on a number of fronts: Speaking at the news conference where Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio announced his ap
DEC 05
Mandela
The Guardian puts his death in perspective:The death of Mandela will send South Africa deep into mourning and self-reflection nearly 20 years after he led the country from racial apartheid to inclusive democracy.But his passing will also be keenly felt by people around the world who revered Mandela as one of history's last great statesmen, and a moral paragon comparable with Mohandas Gandhi and Ma
Anthony Cody on The Standardization Of Schooling
Why turn school into drudge work for the overwhelming majority of children in this country via the Common Core and the Common Core testing?Here's why:In practice what this is likely to yield is an intensification of factory-style education for these low-scoring populations. Students who perform well may be somewhat relieved of this, but those in the low-scoring schools and social classes will get
Andrew Cuomo Needs A Corruption Commission Of His Own
Fred Dicker outdoes himself with this:ALBANY – To many observers, the contrast between the new Moreland Commission’s findings on public corruption and Gov. Cuomo’s actions is nothing short of breathtaking. Monday night, Cuomo’s commission released a much-anticipated report that found the state’s “pay to play political culture” of big campaign contributions and special interest access had so badly
DEC 04
I Have A Twitter Conversation With Randi Weingarten
This was fun.Had a little conversation with AFT President Randi Weingarten on the Twitter. Randi wrote yesterday:This is a dark day 4 the people of Detroit who worked hard,played by the rules & are at risk of losing everything: http://t.co/5hZmQlyj1k It— Randi Weingarten (@rweingarten) December 4, 2013To which I replied:@rweingarten @BAT_teacher Illinois too. Maybe labor should forgo seat at t
NYSED Commissioner King And Regents Chancellor Tisch Show Their Cowardice
Via Ed Notes, we find that King and Tisch have just announced Common Core meetings, giving about a week's notice, give or take a day:More from Leonie:Just learned that the first NYC NYSED/Regents forums on Common Core, testing and privacy – of which 16 others have already been scheduled and most held elsewhere in the state – are going to be held in Bronx and Brooklyn on the same night, just one we
No Wonder De Blasio Didn't Want An Open Process For The Chancellor Pick
With the news that Bill de Blasio's team may have reached out to Michelle Rhee acolyte/DCPS chancellor Kaya Henderson to interview her for the NYCDOE chancellor position, we now can see why he got snarky yesterday over his flip flop on having an open process to pick the chancellor.To recap, De Blasio said the following about picking a chancellor last year: He said at a mayoral forum a year ago tha
Even Michael Goodwin Thinks Bloomberg Is Lame
From the Goodwin in the Post:Mayor Bloomberg deserves an answer. “What can I do?” he demanded to know when reporters pressed him about his absence following Sunday’s train crash. Here’s his answer: Show up. That’s the job, and until Jan. 1, he should do it without whining. It is a blot on his record that he remained AWOL despite knowing the horrific details. As four riders lay dead and scores were
Did De Blasio Interview Kaya Henderson To Be The Next NYCDOE Chancellor?
On the heels of Bill de Blasio's flip flop over wanting an open process for the picking of the chancellor comes this doozy from the NY Times:In recent weeks, Mr. de Blasio and his team have reached out to Dr. Starr, the superintendent of the Montgomery County school district, and Kaya Henderson, chancellor of the Washington school system, say people close to Dr. Starr and Ms. Henderson. It was unc
De Blasio Is Full Of @#$% Over Chancellor Pick Process Flip Flop
And so we get the first slimy move post-election by de Blasio:Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that when he called for a public screening of schools chancellor candidates, his point was merely that the city must avoid a repeat of the Cathie Black debacle.De Blasio was asked to explain an apparent reversal: He said at a mayoral forum a year ago that schools chancellor candidates must undergo a “serious
DEC 03
Disgrace In Illinois
RT @twilight2000: Why would anyone work for any state gov't if they can steal the pension you worked for for 30 years? #PensionTheft— RayBeckerman (@RayBeckerman) December 3, 2013And Let the lawyering begin. Illinois #PensionTheft is against our state constitution @GovernorQuinn.— Michelle Gunderson (@MSGunderson) December 3, 2013The corporatists will stop at nothing to feudalize every part of hum
De Blasio And His Team Push Pre-K Program
From Politicker:Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio rolled out an “all-star” brain trust today that will work to implement his ambitious universal pre-kindergarten agenda....This was not the first time Mr. de Blasio held a press event at a childcare center to promote the centerpiece of his policy platform: a tax hike on the city’s wealthiest residents to pay for universal pre-K. While his last Manhattan st
What Does Andrew Cuomo Want To Do With His Education Reform Agenda?
From the Hudson Valley United site:In a meeting with parents, educators, and union leaders, Regent Harry Phillips resounded the cries of public school teachers and parents from across New York. “We botched this,” Regent Phillips said, describing the Danielson rubric as “impossible,” the current testing of special education and ESL students as “cruel” and SLO’s as “stupid.”But mostly, Regent Phill
Children Better Protected By Criminal Justice System Than By NY State Education Department
Devastating indictment of NYSED and the Board of Regents at a meeting about inBloom, the data collection project the state insists is happening whether the public wants it or not:WHITE PLAINS — Local school officials are adamant that they do not want student records being shipped to the inBloom data cloud, setting up a tense showdown with the state Education Department that will play out over the
Shouldn't Tisch, King And Steiner Be Under Investigation For Corruption?
There is a shadow government running the state education department here in NY State. We know that Regents Chancellor Tisch paid out of her own pocket for these private employees to run NYSED offices.Millions more came from the Gates Foundation, the Robin Hood Foundation, General Electric and a bunch of other corporate entities - $19 million in total from more than two dozen private employees.Thes
DEC 02
FireDoglake Obained Documents Detailing Chris Christie's Lobbying Career For Edison Schools And University Of Phoenix
Great, great piece at Firedoglake looking at New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's lobbying days for the education privatization industry, including his wining and dining a corrupt NJ politician to help University of Phoenix with their state licensing problems.Firedoglake also sheds some light on the work Christie did for the Securities Industry Association, which had Bernie Madoff on its board.Chr
Manic Monday
Interesting post NYC Educator wrote about the anxiety some teachers are feeling Sunday night/Monday morning as they try and sleep before returning to the work week.I awoke at 3:30 this morning and had some difficulty getting back to sleep.I kept thinking about that 15 minute mini observation that's coming.I kept thinking about the lessons I had for today (which were good ones, but nonetheless I wo
Bloomberg Kept Playing Golf After Being Told Of Metro North Train Derailment
His aides didn't want to say where he was yesterday when there was no sight of him or press release from him for hours after the news of the train derailment broke:The Bloomberg administration has a longstanding policy of not disclosing the mayor's whereabouts when he has no public events scheduled, but many suspected the billionaire was in Bermuda this weekend when he failed to surface after a Me
NY Times: Teacher MUST Make Concessions on Seniority, ATR'S, Pay And Scheduling
Usual neo-liberal claptrap in the NY Times on the teachers contract.The Timesmen want teachers to agree to get rid of salary steps and tie teacher pay to the new APPR teacher evaluation system ("highly effective" teachers would be paid more than other teachers - so what if the system is under attack all across the state, the Timesmen think pay should be based upon it.)They want the union
Time To Dispense With The Sham That SED Will Make Reform "Adjustments"
The Syracuse Post Standard editorial board wants to know what NYSED Commissioner King and Regents Chancellor Tisch are going to do with all the insights they've heard the past few weeks at the Common Core forums:On Tuesday, New York state Education Commissioner John B. King Jr. will sit in front of an audience at Fayetteville-Manlius High School for his ninth public forum on the Common Core standa
DEC 01
Gothamist: Bloomberg Only Makes Appearances Or Issues Press Releases When It Matters To Him
Bloomberg hasn't returned from wherever the hell he is this weekend, let along visited the Metro North train derailment, but the usually compliant press is starting to ask questions like "Where The Hell Is Bloomberg?"This summer, Mayor Bloomberg's office had something to say about the IRS' decision to recognize same-sex marriages, so they issued a press release. The mayor's voice also ch
Should Bring Them To A Public School Too
From the DN weekend news round-up:With his two daughters in tow, President Obama visited popular D.C. bookstore “Politics and Prose” Saturday to encourage holiday shoppers to support local businesses. (NYDN)Great, Barry, now bring them to a public school and show them what a mess you've made of the public education system with your Racing to the Top and No Child Left Behind waivers that have broug
Bloomberg: Any Questions On Train Derailment, Call 311
The mayor, or somebody using his twitter account, issued the following statement on the Metro North train derailment:Thoughts and prayers with those impacted by today's train derailment. If you are looking for a loved one who was onboard, call 311.— Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) December 1, 2013Call 311.That's his advice.Gee, thanks for your concern, Mr. Mayor.I'd say this is outrageous, but we'
Bloomberg's Whereabouts Unknown, Aides Refuse To Say Where He Is
Horrific train derailment in NYC today.Governor Cuomo was at the scene, updating New Yorkers on the injuries and fatalities, doing something a chief executive should in a time of crisis.Mayor Bloomberg on the other hand was MIA:Mayor @MikeBloomberg not at news conference on train derailment. Spokesman has not answered questions as to mayor's whereabouts.— jdavidgoodman (@jdavidgoodman) December 1,
Tear Up The Teaching Scripts - AND The Danielson Rubric
Great piece at Answer Sheet by a teacher sick of having to teach to scripts:I can’t do projects with my students anymore because I have to teach the curriculum word-for word, and I am only allowed to use standards-based assessments (which I must create myself). It doesn’t matter how my students learn best. It doesn’t matter that the Common Core State Standards assume a steady progression of ski
Politicians In Albany Scared Over Common Core
Commenter at a Buffalo News article on the increasing opposition to the CCSS in NY State:A childhood friend of mine works in politics. I saw him recently and conversation turned to the issues highlighted in this article. He said, and I'll never forget the look on his face, "the Common Core has politicians in Albany scared." His office's experience mirrors Corwin's. Calls and letters rega
NOV 30
Send Your Kids To Public Schools, Mr. President
POTUS might keep kids is Sidwell after his term is up. Why not a public school w/ CCLS & hi-stakes testing? http://t.co/aF1AUnON7z— Chris Cerrone (@Stoptesting15) November 30, 2013Of course we all know why he wouldn't send his girls to public schools with all the Common Core "rigor" and high stakes testing.Because that stuff is for other people's kids...
Complete List Of De Blasio Inaugural Committee Members
Here's the list, via Politicker:MEMBERS OF THE INAUGURAL COMMITTEE Gabrielle Fialkoff, Chair of the InaugurationEugenia Acuna, Former Director, Adolescent Reproductive Health Programs, Consultant at NYC Department of Health and Mental HygieneYvette Aguirre, Retired Principal, P.S. 24Marisol Alcantara, District LeaderJordan Barowitz, Director of External Affairs, The Durst OrganizationHarry Belafon
De Blasio Puts Diane Ravitch On Inaugural Committee
This is a good sign:.@deBlasioNYC puts @DianeRavitch on his inaugural committee— Lisa Fleisher (@lisafleisher) November 30, 2013Again, putting a few pro-traditional public school advocates on his transition team and inaugural committee does not guarantee a pro-traditional public school agenda for his administration, but it surely is a good sign.He could have put a DFER like Resham Saujani (whom he
Leadership Of AFT Are Full Of Crap As Usual
This tweet from the AFT set me off:December 9th is the Day of Action to Reclaim the Promise of Public Education: http://t.co/m4hlAgtUPs #reclaimit— AFT (@AFTunion) November 30, 2013My response: @AFTunion @gailDrich Start w/ not taking $11 million in Gates Foundation cash into AFT coffers http://t.co/Ut8GINitDA— realitybasededucator (@perdidostschool) November 30, 2013I added another tweet asking j
Free Stuff Isn't Really Free
A commenter on an article in the Lancaster Eagle Gazette covering Republican criticism of the Common Core implementation in Ohio:Thank you to the OHIO GOP for finally agreeing to study this important issue. We appreciate it! The National GOP came out against this 6 months or more ago. It is not for the good of the child. It seems to be for the good of Bill Gates, GE, Exxon Mobil and those who make
On The Commons: Bll Gates Is Responsible For The Teacher Evaluation Mess
Nice post that puts all the pieces together - the VAM, the bell curve that ensures a certain number of "ineffectives" every year, how the new teacher evaluation systems are based on Microsoft's stack ranking system, how destructive stack ranking has been to Microsoft, how Microsoft just got rid of stack ranking because it is so destructive but how school districts all across the country