Nite Cap UPDATE
UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE
"$700 billion K-12 ed market is "ripe for disruption" says Klein
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| Klein |
Asserting that the K-12 education market is “ripe for disruption," Joel Klein, former New York City schools chancellor, now executive v-p at News Corp. and director of Amplify, its education unit, offered a presentation of Amplify’s business model and plans to release hardware and software solutions optimized for a new generation of digitally savvy students and teachers. Klein outlined plans to release an open source tablet device, and specialized teaching software tied to it and to Common Core standards and data
If You’re Teaching Black History Month This Way, Please Stop
Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson with wife Rachel, Hall of Fame
But, has it ever occurred to you that, as well-intentioned as this might be, we ought to take the next step and celebrate Black history on March 1st as well?
We already know that Black History Month wasn’t meant to stay as lack History Month. Carter G. Woodson
Poll: Counselors are more important for school safety than police officers - by Susan Frey
To improve school safety, Californians overwhelmingly believe that having guidance counselors in every school would be more effective than deploying armed police officers. That is a principal finding of a poll of 1,200 registered voters conducted in the wake of the Newtown school massacre, which has raised concerns about school safety throughout the nation. Two-thirds of those surveyed said they...
Part Two of Interim Meeting
Sorry, having some issue live blogging.
Director Peaslee is submitting her amendment. She stated that her amendment was basically what the staff said a week ago with just a few modification. She believes that it does include relief for Eckstein and Hamilton (but just as with the staff's rec, who really knows because there is so much churn that it is near impossible to know what or where students will be enrolled). She also says that Principal Debbie Nelson at JA K-8 supports this plan and Laurelhurst supports being moved to Eckstein. She says, "This will give parents choice. And I believe they will choose well for their students."
DeBell question: K-8 capacity in 6th grade except for Pinehurst? Are we going to change the enrollment caps that we have in place? Physical space for K-8s for additional 6th graders except at JA K-8 (but that enlarges JA K-8).
Morello - capacity at K-8 is 841 for 608 is about 439 and these numbers are without portables on site. Looking
Director Peaslee is submitting her amendment. She stated that her amendment was basically what the staff said a week ago with just a few modification. She believes that it does include relief for Eckstein and Hamilton (but just as with the staff's rec, who really knows because there is so much churn that it is near impossible to know what or where students will be enrolled). She also says that Principal Debbie Nelson at JA K-8 supports this plan and Laurelhurst supports being moved to Eckstein. She says, "This will give parents choice. And I believe they will choose well for their students."
DeBell question: K-8 capacity in 6th grade except for Pinehurst? Are we going to change the enrollment caps that we have in place? Physical space for K-8s for additional 6th graders except at JA K-8 (but that enlarges JA K-8).
Morello - capacity at K-8 is 841 for 608 is about 439 and these numbers are without portables on site. Looking
Part Three of Interim Meeting
We are getting close to the vote and yet the directors seem to have endless questions. It is quite clear that directors do not see these enrollment and boundary issues the same way (and watch for that to come out when boundaries start being considered).
Patu - Pegi, if rolling up middle school, can we do this in 6 months time?
McEvoy - Deferred to Phil Brockman.
Brockman - We would have to immediately hire a planning principal and contact communities and have those meetings. Have a marketing campaign. (But DeBell says marketing costs money so wouldn't that be as bad as a recruiting campaign?)
Patu - Pegi, if rolling up middle school, can we do this in 6 months time?
McEvoy - Deferred to Phil Brockman.
Brockman - We would have to immediately hire a planning principal and contact communities and have those meetings. Have a marketing campaign. (But DeBell says marketing costs money so wouldn't that be as bad as a recruiting campaign?)
Board Votes to NOT Open New JA Middle School Next Year
If I had to say, it seems that Director McLaren was the swing vote. It came down to equity even as Director Martin-Morris tried to say that equity was only about school quality. It's also about how you treat parents and students as you move in that direction. I'm surprised he doesn't see this.
DeBell spoke out someone angrily about the vote saying the Board lacked courage. He said public expected clear and decisive action when there is an obvious problem.
This is somewhat unusual to have directors debate a vote AFTER the vote.
DeBell spoke out someone angrily about the vote saying the Board lacked courage. He said public expected clear and decisive action when there is an obvious problem.
This is somewhat unusual to have directors debate a vote AFTER the vote.
Mayoral candidate debate on education sponsored by principals union
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| credit: Epoch Times |
Last night there was a lively education debate sponsored by the CSA, the principals union, with all the Democratic mayoral candidates and Tom Allon, who is running as a Republican. I was busily tweeting throughout.
Except for a rather tiresome exchange as to who had the best public school alma mater, it was an interesting discussion, well moderated by Liz Willen of Hechinger and Pedro Noguera of NYU. ( In case you’re interested, Liu went to Bronx Science; Allon attended Stuyvesant; Bill Thompson graduated from Midwood HS; and Bill De Blasio’s son attends Brooklyn Tech. Chris Quinn said she wasn’t “smart enough” to go to Bronx Sci or Stuy but actually she grew up on Long Island.)
Each of the candidates had his or her high points:
· Bill de Blasio got the biggest applause of the evening; when he said that come January, Eva Moskowitz of Success Academy Charters will no longer “have the run of the place”; i.e. be running the school system in the city
Getting prepared for the future
which of course means there will be a future, which is always good news!
Sometime in the next few days Leaves will leave the hospital and return to our home. Bt it will not be the same, certainly in the short term, but also probably long term as well.
We pretty much know the diagnosis and what will happen from here on out.
But let me talk about what is already changing.
Today she learned how to test her blood sugar and inject insulin if necessary. One side effect of the steroids being used to shrink the soft-tissue mass that caused the instability to her spine is that it causes a temporary diabetic condition. There is a possibility this could convert to Type II Diabetes in the future. She may when she is undergoing chemo have to return to steroids after tapering off from this original application. Thus there are diet and other changes that might be permanent.
When she returns home, at least at first it will not be to our bedroom on the upper floor. We are bringing in a hospital bed which will be put in the room with the TV, which has a bathroom right there and the kitchen right next door. We need at least for a while to limit her use of stairs.
We have reached out to a friend who is an expert on blood-born cancers and he is helping guide us through what we need to know. We are both learning a lot.
And not just about medicine. Please continue below the whirly-gig for more.
Remainders: A mayoral contender has harsh words for the UFT
- Dem-turned-Republican mayoral candidate Adolfo Carrion Jr. said the UFT is “out of touch.” (Capital NY)
- Some students who store cell phones during the day use BlackBerrys, but few want to. (Metropolis)
- Looking back on his own schooling, an educator asks how much testing is enough. (More Thoughtful)
- A Missouri lawmaker wants gun safety classes for all students and assailant training for teachers. (KCTV)
- And a Tennessee lawmaker would cut welfare payments for families whose kids lag in school. (HuffPo)
- Bill Gates’ stance on teacher evals has not changed, though he agrees the devil’s in the details. (Atlantic)
- Newly released emails suggest that Jeb Bush is trying to influence state education laws. (Answer Sheet)
- What happens when students from “no excuses” schools get to college remains unresolved. (Ed Next)
- True or false: “Ninth graders like learning colorful expressions in Yiddish” and so on? (McSweeney’s)
Live Updates from the District 6 Forum
Follow along (or catch up) on the 5:30-7:30 pm District 6 candidate forum via these live updates from LA School Report‘s intrepid reporter, Hillel Aron:
Comment below on how it’s going, or Tweet us back at @laschoolreport. Then come back for a full recap of the event, plus pictures and reactions.
Comment below on how it’s going, or Tweet us back at @laschoolreport. Then come back for a full recap of the event, plus pictures and reactions.
New system allows more students to get college Cal Grants
For some high school seniors, applying to college is stressful enough. An added layer of having to search for their grade point average and Social Security number was enough for thousands not to bother seeking financial aid.
Now, Los Angeles Unified School District students can breathe a little easier.
A new system will allow the district to share required information with the California Student Aid Commission
Now, Los Angeles Unified School District students can breathe a little easier.
A new system will allow the district to share required information with the California Student Aid Commission
More Super Bowl Resources
Here are the newest additions to The Best Sites Where ELL’s Can Learn About The Super Bowl:
Seven Super Bowl Lesson Plans and Resources for the Classroom is from Edutopia.
Here’s a good infographic on the history of football, though I wish it hadn’t been produced by a gambling company:
Seven Super Bowl Lesson Plans and Resources for the Classroom is from Edutopia.
Here’s a good infographic on the history of football, though I wish it hadn’t been produced by a gambling company:
Spread the Movement to Opt Out of Standardized Testing
Learn how to raise awareness about the real impact of standardized testing on America's children and equip yourself and your community with the tools to opt-out of them with this free downloadable toolkit.
Survey: CALIFORNIANS SAY MENTAL HEALTH CARE AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS ARE BEST WAYS TO PREVENT SCHOOL VIOLENCE
Voters Back Counselors over Cops by More Than 2-to-1; Oppose Arming Teachers from the office of Rusty Selix | by email Rusty Selix is the Executive Director and legislative advocate of the Mental Health Association in California and the California Council of Community Mental Health Agencies. For nearly 20 years, he has been one of the state's most successful advocates for increased
Bill Introduced: S.Res.13 A resolution congratulating the members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. for 100 years of service to communities throughout the United States and the world, and commending Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. for its promotion of sisterhood, scholarship, and service.
A resolution congratulating the members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. for 100 years of service to communities throughout the United States and the world, and commending Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. for its promotion of sisterhood, scholarship, and service.
UPDATE on our charter co-location lawsuit
Yesterday morning in the State Supreme Court, Judge Barbara Jaffe heard arguments from attorneys working for the city and the charter schools who want to dismiss our lawsuit against the practice of DOE providing free space and services to charters, which we believeviolates state law.
The attorney from the City's Corporation Counsel said the administration's co-location policy goes back more than ten years and has never before been challenged, and that the judge should give deference to DOE and State Ed Commissioner on this matter, especially if it’s a close call. Judge Jaffe responded that she didn’t need to defer if she didn’t see ambiguity in the statute. Then the charter school attorney got up and made a lot of other arguments, each of which were quite hard to swallow.
Why don’t they want history taught right? A response to a History Commentary on Education Week
Sometimes it isn’t about whether someone is right or wrong.Sometimes you’re just in the wrong conversation altogether.
That’s the vibe I got as I read a recent article in Education Week about how history is taught. Even though the arguments in the piece are largely plausible and totally defensible, I got a sense that the debate was altogether needless: the blame is completely misplaced, and the wrong questions are asked.
The article, by volunteer tutor and grant writer Vicky Schippers, stands as a polemic that history shouldn’t be taught as “a litany of disconnected names, dates, and events to be memorized before an exam.” Rather,
More Oversight Failure from NJDOE
Keep in mind - this is all alleged:
An employee of LEAP Academy University Charter School claims in a lawsuit that he was ordered to make repeated repairs to the home of the school’s founder, Gloria Bonilla-Santiago.Mark Paoli, who was facilities manager at the Camden school for more than a decade, contends Bonilla-Santiago “routinely demanded that he perform work on her home
New Research Shows Why Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Character Education Are Not Enough
With my two books and constant blogging about Social Emotional Learning/Character Education, it’s obvious that I’m a big believer on its importance for our students. It’s critical for our students to strengthen their appetite for learning, their self-control, their perseverance, etc.
At the same time, as Mike Rose writes in the Christian Science Monitor, Character education is not enough to help poor kids :
…it is difficult for enrichment programs alone to lead to educational mobility. Children from poor communities
At the same time, as Mike Rose writes in the Christian Science Monitor, Character education is not enough to help poor kids :
…it is difficult for enrichment programs alone to lead to educational mobility. Children from poor communities
L.A. teachers' union endorses Garcetti, Feuer
The teachers union for the Los Angeles Unified School District has weighed in on all but one of the City Hall races on the March 5 ballot.
City Councilman Eric Garcetti got United Teachers Los Angeles' endorsement for mayor. And it has decided to back past city councilman and former Assemblyman Mike Feuer for city attorney.
Garcetti is a presumed front-runner, along with Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel, in the crowded Mar
City Councilman Eric Garcetti got United Teachers Los Angeles' endorsement for mayor. And it has decided to back past city councilman and former Assemblyman Mike Feuer for city attorney.
Garcetti is a presumed front-runner, along with Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel, in the crowded Mar
BAY AREA EDUCATION TAKES ANOTER HIT: A fond farewell - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 30 minutes ago
A fond farewell - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools: A fond farewell By Katy Murphy Thursday, January 31st, 2013 at 2:17 pm in Uncategorized. Reporters change beats all the time. We’re not in the habit of telling our readers goodbye unless we’re leaving the paper, and maybe not even then. But given all the time we’ve spent together on this forum – me writing about Oakland school news and you telling me what I missed and what I should look into (or debating something different altogether) – this feels different. I’m going to be covering colleges and univer... more »
A Creepy Student Essay Contest Reflects Wall Street’s War For Young Minds - Richard Eskow
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
A Creepy Student Essay Contest Reflects Wall Street’s War For Young Minds - Richard Eskow: A Creepy Student Essay Contest Reflects Wall Street’s War For Young Minds by Richard Eskow It may be the creepiest student competition in history, but Foreclosure.Com’s essay contest is trivial compared to what Wall Street’s doing to undermine our educational system and manipulate our values. The Campaign for a Fair Settlement’s Dan Petegorsky commented on the contest, which led us to its entry requirements: “You’ve been tasked with analyzing two foreclosure properties to determine which on... more »
Pass / Fail : Out-of-state students surpass Calfornians vying for entry to USC | 89.3 KPCC
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Pass / Fail : Out-of-state students surpass Calfornians vying for entry to USC | 89.3 KPCC: Out-of-state students surpass Calfornians vying for entry to USC by Adolfo Guzman-Lopez [image: California v USC]*The USC Trojans enter the field. For the first time in the school's history, out-of-state applicants surpassed in-state. Credit: Jonathan Moore/Getty Images* The University of Southern California is pushing to attract students from all over the country and the world. And it's paying off. For the first time in its 133 year history, a majority of applications for admission this year... more »
CTU President Karen Lewis on the death of Chicago high school student, Hadiya Pendleton. « Fred Klonsky
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
CTU President Karen Lewis on the death of Chicago high school student, Hadiya Pendleton. « Fred Klonsky: CTU President Karen Lewis on the death of Chicago high school student, Hadiya Pendleton. by Fred Klonsky [image: chi-6pendleton-20130130-1] *Hadiya Pendleton* Chicago Teachers Union President Karen GJ Lewis, NBCT, today issued a formal statement on the shooting death of King College Prep student Hadiya Pendleton: *“This has been a trying week for our brothers and sisters in Chicago schools and all of us at the Chicago Teachers Union. We had these same feelings after losing Heav... more »
CA Dept of Education - What's New » Grant to Improve Service To Disabled Students - Year 2013 + 2013 SFSP Sponsor Training (CA Dept of Education)
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Grant to Improve Service To Disabled Students - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces $11 Million Grant to Improve Services for Students with Disabilities SACRAMENTO—Students with disabilities in approximately 44 middle schools throughout California will benefit from a five-year, $11 million federal grant intended to improve their educational outcomes, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today. "This grant will fund teacher training and academic services that go a long way toward helping all students, including t... more »
Teacher Pensions: Illinois Democrats and Florida Tea Party Republicans are Twins | Reclaim Reform
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Teacher Pensions: Illinois Democrats and Florida Tea Party Republicans are Twins | Reclaim Reform: Teacher Pensions: Illinois Democrats and Florida Tea Party Republicans are Twins by kenpreviti [image: money grabbed 2]State pension plans differ widely, especially teacher pension plans. The attack on state pension plans is the same because the big money behind the power politics wants it to be. Illinois Democrats and Florida Tea Party Republicans are twins – not identical twins, but twins nonetheless. Neither is trustworthy or completely honest. Pension reform? Florida: “Legislativ... more »
Great Groundhog Day Infographic
I’m definitely adding this infographic to The Best Resources For Groundhog Day (which occurs on February 2nd):
