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Sunday, September 8, 2013

UPDATE: Twas the Night before Philly Schools Start - Philly in Focus

Twas the Night before Philly Schools Start - Philly in Focus:



Parents question safe routes to Philly schools
by Holly Otterbein for NewsWorks Safely steering kids to and from school is never an easy task. In Philadelphia, there's an extra challenge this year. As the School District faces an unprecedented financial crisis, about 9,000 of the city's 134,000 students will be heading to a new school because their former one was closed or consolidated in June. That means kids will be traversing through unfami

Twas the Night before Philly Schools Start

PHILLY DRUMMER ON DEMAND - FLOOD THE DRUMMER®'S GREATEST HITS An Ode to Philadelphia Schools

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By Christopher “Flood the Drummer®” Norris

9.8.13: Philadelphia – (Education/Politics): ‘Twas the night before Philly Schools start and all through the city, tax-payers share the feeling of worry, confusion and pity.
The lies of the politicians were crafted with care; to make tax-payer believe long-term solutions will soon be here.
Unsuspecting students rest snuggled in their beds, while visions of music and arts classes danced in their heads.
With overcrowded classroom and no new books in sight, skeleton crews are already bracing themselves for the daily fist fights.
With not enough staff to tend to the matter, the only art on the walls will be a result of blood splatter.
Do you think this a game? Do you think this is funny? The only potential politicians see in our kids is the ability to make the jailhouse money.
Wise up my city and wake from your slumber, our politicians are getting richer and our kids are getting dumber.
With less than 1% of Black kids graduating from the School District with interest in STEM, the future our children under 

9-8-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:




Seattle Schools and Arts Education - Part Two
(Forgot I wanted to fire this off so it's on the fly.)When we last left this discussion, the district had received a $1M grant from the Wallace Foundation to improve arts education in SPS.  The money was enough to allow surveys among parents and school staff, create a plan and then plan how to roll it out.The district did not get the implementation grant money (very few districts did) BUT the City

Grants Available for Family Engagement/Books
(Yes, I know I'm supposed to be gone but I saw this in my mail and wanted to pass it along to any interested groups.)The W.K. Kellogg Foundation yesterday announced a $5 million investment to identify and expand promising family engagement efforts that support early childhood educational success.Given your interest in education and family engagement issues, I thought you might be interested in sha
School Board Retreat report
I spent all of Saturday - from 10:30am to 5:00pm - at the School Board Retreat along with the school board directors (except Director Martin-Morris who was at a school board directors conference in Washington, D.C.) and much of the senior staff.The morning session was focused on relationship and trust. The afternoon session was focused on setting the Board's priorities for the coming school year.

9-7-13 Seattle Schools This Week Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Charlie in ChargeDear Readers,I'm taking a brief, scheduled hiatus and have decided to not check in/post while I am gone. So Charlie will carry the banner for the blog.  He does have a full-time job so it's harder for him to post.  But I'm sure he will get the Tuesday and Friday Open Threads going. If you want to guest post, send it to him, he'll vet it and likely


NYC Public School Parents: Obama Taps DOE for Syria Plan B

NYC Public School Parents: Obama Taps DOE for Syria Plan B:

Obama Taps DOE for Syria Plan B


September 8, 2013 (GBN News): If Congress fails to approve an attack on Syria, President Obama is ready with a “Plan B”, according to a high level Administration source. Under this scenario, the President will put the bombing campaign under the auspices of the US Department of Education rather than the Defense Department.

In the President’s view, by using the DOE, the Administration could get around the war powers requirement simply by having Mr. Duncan grant the operation a No Child Left Behind waiver, which would not require Congressional approval. According to the source, the DOE has prepared thousands of Common Core Curriculum bombs, which are armed and ready to be delivered on cruise missiles by the US Sixth Fleet.

Some Middle East experts are saying that Mr. Obama’s plan could actually tip the balance in the Syrian civil war. J. Fredrick Mugson, political science professor at Manhattan University and a recognized authority on educational warfare, told GBN News that Syrian President Bashar Assad is reportedly panicked at the prospect of being 

John White Shoots Self in Foot with Loaded SLTs | deutsch29

John White Shoots Self in Foot with Loaded SLTs | deutsch29:

John White Shoots Self in Foot with Loaded SLTs

September 8, 2013

Former-TFAer and Broad-trained Louisiana “Superintendent” John White must broadcast something data-ish to demonstrate that He Is Right and Reforms Are Working. Mind you, his reforms are not working; they are a repeatedly demonstrated con perpetrated on Louisiana’s education system. Nevertheless, White insists on issuing the following press release regarding the “usefulness” of Louisiana’s first student learning target (SLT) result. White actually released this statement. I bolded the Dodo-race nonsense White promotes as Proof That the Reforms Are Working:
The Department of Education today released a list of schools across the state that had successful student outcomes and set a high bar for what students would learn during the school year. Yesterday, the Department released a list of schools with a high bar for excellence in classroom teaching, and todays release highlights schools that have made a similar commitment to setting a high bar for the progress students are expected to achieve.
Each of the schools on the list was in the states top 10 percent for student improvement or overall achievement and at the same time had 20 percent fewer 

Former-TFAer and Broad-trained Louisiana “Superintendent” John White must broadcast something VAM-ish to demonstrate that He Is Right and Reforms Are Working. Mind you, his reforms are not working; they are a repeatedly demonstrated con perpetrated on Louisiana’s education system. Nevertheless, White insists on issuing the following press release regarding the “usefulness” of Louisiana’s first val

More to come from… but speaking of Arne Duncan, CCSS and testing | Reclaim Reform

More to come from… but speaking of Arne Duncan, CCSS and testing | Reclaim Reform:

More to come from… but speaking of Arne Duncan, CCSS and testing

Expect more insights to come with Diane Ravitch’s new book, Reign of Error. Arne Duncan’s machinations must be substantially updated considering how damaging he and his leadership have been to public education in the previous three years since Ravitch’s last book.
arne-duncan
Arne Duncan was in charge of Chicago Public Schools for the years which are now pointed to as years of abject failure; that was when high stakes testing scores were plunging. Now 

UPDATE: Michelle Rhee’s Teacher Town Hall… Through A Student’s Eyes « inspirEDucation

Michelle Rhee’s Teacher Town Hall… Through A Student’s Eyes « inspirEDucation:




Michelle Rhee’s Teacher Town Hall… Through A Student’s Eyes

Michelle and I after the event when she spoke directly to me. Taken by Alexis Estioko.
Last Thursday, I met Michelle Rhee for the first time. After months of writing about her, researching her, and reading her book (which I couldn’t finish out of boredom), I finally got to see in person the woman I once adored and now completely mistrust. Not only that, but I got to speak directly to her. Needless to say, it was quite an interesting encounter.
Thanks to my network of support on and off line you’ve probably already heard about the speech that I gave to Michelle Rhee, Steve Perry, and George Parker during the Los Angeles Teacher Town Hall. But a lot went on before and after that I would like to bring light to now, especially for the folks who plan to attend the Teacher Town Halls in Birmingham, Alabama on 9/12 or Philadelphia on 9/16. 
Please use my experience to help you plan some sort of resistance. We need our voices to be heard.
In summary, the event was a complete disappointment. I came in expecting a vibrant and balanced discussion with equal opportunity for both sides to speak. After all, the word “conversation” was on the screen behind the panelists the entire night. By the end of the night, I seriously wondered if they even understood the concept of a conversation at all. 
Here’s a bullet-point breakdown of what happened:
Before
  • In my apartment before the event, I made this poster:
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  • I also bought masking tape that I planned to put over my mouth during the event. I meant to allude to the incident where Michelle Rhee taped the mouths of her 1st grade students.
  • When I arrived, I was greeted by members of United Teachers Los Angeles (LA’s teachers’ union) who were passing out flyers and holding up signs outside the library where the event was held. One of them was my friend Noah, who I met a few weeks back and am currently working with on a campaign called Schools LA Students Deserve. I also met the one and only activist teacher Alex Caputo-Pearl, who was recently fired from Crenshaw High for leading an educational program that taught students to *gasp* think for themselves and learn through a social justice/civic 

Nite Cap 9-8-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change


James Baldwin said it best: 

"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."


A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP


TODAY

Coop Goes to High School Part 1 – Good Riddance to Junior High | Lefty Parent
Coop Goes to High School Part 1 – Good Riddance to Junior High | Lefty Parent: Coop Goes to High School Part 1 – Good Riddance to Junior HighSeptember 8th, 2013 at 14:22A junior high yearbook pictureIn the summer of 1969, at age 14, it was a still recovering soul that did his best to psych up for yet another year of going to school after barely surviving the last three very difficult years at Tapp
Gloves off: It’s time for parents to exercise our legal rights | Parents United for Public Education
Gloves off: It’s time for parents to exercise our legal rights | Parents United for Public Education: Gloves off: It’s time for parents to exercise our legal rightsPosted on September 8, 2013 by PARENTSUNITEDPHILALeave a comment(Cartoon: Signe Wilkinson, May 2012)As we enter the school year, the purposeful underfunding and abuse of the state-run School District has never been more clear: 24 schoo
Countdown, Day 1: The night before schools open | Philadelphia Public School Notebook
Countdown, Day 1: The night before schools open | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Countdown, Day 1: The night before schools openby thenotebook on Sep 08 2013 Posted in Countdown to calamity?="" style="color: rgb(76, 153, 72); cursor: pointer; float: left; padding: 0px 2px;">Share on emailCOMMENTS (0)PRINTOn the eve of schools opening, staff are working hard to prepare for a critical and high
Diane in the Evening 9-8-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Teacher: a Letter to My Union LeaderRandi, Dennis, I have a B.S. in Biology from UCLA and have a M.S. from Texas A&M University. I decided to go into public school teaching to share my love of science with children . However, ever since I entered the public schhols in NYS, I have been placed in the most economically challenged
Short Notes: Back To School 2013 OMG What Have I Done? Edition - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson
Short Notes: Back To School 2013 OMG What Have I Done? Edition - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson: Short Notes: Back To School 2013 OMG What Have I Done? Editionby JOSE VILSON on SEPTEMBER 8, 2013in SHORT NOTESA few notes:Hannah Nguyen bursts onto the scene with a comment at Michelle Rhee’s Teacher Town Hall last week. Check this out! [InspirEDucation]Richard Rothstein just earned himself a new f
Former L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa Accepts Job with Herbalife | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com
Former L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa Accepts Job with Herbalife | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com: Former L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa Accepts Job with Herbalife, Criticism Swift & HarshThe former Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa has been hired to be an adviser to the controversial Herbalife Ltd., the company announced through a press release.  The announcement received swift and harsh criticism f
9-8-13 Missouri Education Watchdog
Missouri Education Watchdog: We Must Have Testing Parody VideoIt's making the rounds, but in case you haven't seen it, this video is a funny take on a serious problem. Enjoy.by Anngie / 6min Illinois Takes On Common CoreA few weeks ago Gretchen and I traveled to Quincy IL to talk about Common Core. We did an interview with news anchor Matt Schmidt on the local NBC affiliate. Part 2: News This Week
9-8-13 Wait What?
Wait What?:  Commissioner’s Network Turnaround Plan: Strategy #1: “Increase fidelity”…As if calling Steven Adamowski a “Special Master” wasn’t odd and disturbing enough, a recent document coming out of Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor’s office highlighted the bizarre, and quite frankly demeaning, approach taken by the corporate education reform industry when it comes to public education and
9-8-13 Jersey Jazzman: New Depths of Ignorance For the Star-Ledger
Jersey Jazzman: New Depths of Ignorance For the Star-Ledger: New Depths of Ignorance For the Star-LedgerME (speaking with mouthful of muffin): Would it be wrong for me to write a post entitled: "Star-Ledger Editorial Board: the Stupidest People on Earth!" MRS. JAZZMAN (looking up from sipping smoothie): Yes, it would. Not only is it unnecessarily provocative, it's untrue. They're not the stupidest
Opt-Out/Refusal Guides for each State | United Opt Out National
Opt-Out/Refusal Guides for each State | United Opt Out National: OPT-OUT/REFUSAL GUIDES FOR EACH STATEAll documents are for informational purposes only and do not substitute as legal advice or legal counsel. The information contained in these documents and this website may or may not reflect the most current developments in education policy within our nation or within each state. Information share
The Rising Costs of a 'Free' Public Education - WSJ.com
The Rising Costs of a 'Free' Public Education - WSJ.com: The Rising Costs of a 'Free' Public EducationSchools are charging parents for programs and items that have traditionally come standardFat Profits May Be Cause...Privatization Sucks! By  LINDSAY GELLMAN  CONNECTThe kids are back in school. And you've probably shelled out for pencil cases, notebooks, a new backpack—and AP French."Free public e
Tony Mullen, Teacher of the Year, Offers Core Knowledge for Teaching - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
Tony Mullen, Teacher of the Year, Offers Core Knowledge for Teaching - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Tony Mullen, Teacher of the Year, Offers Core Knowledge for TeachingBy Anthony Cody on September 8, 2013 11:07 AMGuest post by Tony Mullen.You may have read 2009 Teacher of the Year Tony Mullen's classic post from a few years ago, Teachers Should Be Seen and Not Heard. Today I am sha
9-8-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Sunday reads. Don’t bomb Syria.  Illinois State Senator Barack Obama, 2002. “War is not an option.” Call your representatives. Concerned about Syrian children? Here is an alternative to bombs. Bernie Sanders is a skeptic on Syria. Protesters for peace. Skeptical? We don’t believe a word you say. Gener
Diane Ravitch calls Yevonne Brannon "a hero of public education in North Carolina" | Under The Dome
Diane Ravitch calls Yevonne Brannon "a hero of public education in North Carolina" | Under The Dome: Diane Ravitch calls Yevonne Brannon "a hero of public education in North Carolina"Submitted by KeungHui on 2013-09-08 08:48Tags: Under the Dome | Diane Ravitch | Moral Monday | Moral Mondays | Public Schools First NC | school vouchers | Wake County schools | Yevonne BrannonEducation commentator Dia
9-8-143 teacherken at Daily Kos
teacherken at Daily Kos: A daughter of Auschwitz in Northern Virginiathere is an amazing story in the Washington Post, titled Hiding in N. Virginia, a daughter of Auschwitz.  It is about Brigitt Höss  (born Inge-Brigitt Höss in 1933), whose father was the Commandant of Auschwitz.  The story is written by Thomas Alexander, who writes I discovered where she lived while doing research for “Hanns and
Who Benefits from Ignoring Poverty and Race? | the becoming radical
Who Benefits from Ignoring Poverty and Race? | the becoming radical: Who Benefits from Ignoring Poverty and Race?Posted on September 8, 2013 by plthomaseddIn his spring 2013 commencement address at Morehouse College, Barack Obama offered a compelling message:Obama said he was lucky to have his mother and grandparents, who raised him, and said that under different circumstances, he could have ended
Morning Wink 9-8-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSTODAYHow one great teacher was wronged by flawed evaluation systemHow one great teacher was wronged by flawed evaluation system: How one great teacher was wronged by flawed evaluation systemBy Valerie Strauss, Published: September 8 at 10:30 amE-mail the writer0CommentsMorePrincipal Carol Burris of South Side High School in New York has for some time been
How one great teacher was wronged by flawed evaluation system
How one great teacher was wronged by flawed evaluation system: How one great teacher was wronged by flawed evaluation systemBy Valerie Strauss, Published: September 8 at 10:30 amE-mail the writer0CommentsMorePrincipal Carol Burris of South Side High School in New York has for some time been chronicling the consequences of standardized test-driven reform in her state (here, andhere and here, for ex
My Speech at the Los Angeles Teacher Town Hall, AND a VERY Important Message
My Speech at the Los Angeles Teacher Town Hall, AND a VERY Important Message « inspirEDucation: My Speech at the Los Angeles Teacher Town Hall, AND a VERY Important MessageI’m just posting the video here so that people can connect the video to my blog and vice versa. I will be posting a lot of important things on here soon, so please stay tuned.Here’s the main gist of my very important message (co
Failing charter schools often close, reopen with little change - Education - Ohio
Failing charter schools often close, reopen with little change - Education - Ohio: Failing charter schools often close, reopen with little changeBy Doug Livingston Beacon Journal education writerMore Sharing Services16Published: September 6, 2013 - 08:21 PMMackenzie Samuel (front) and her classmate Mia Davis, (rear) both 9, get their reading books in Sami Conrad's fourth grade classroom at Imagine
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-8-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Welcome to Charterland: The GameThe National Opportunity to Learn campaign has created a game called Charterland, based on the popular children’s game Candyland. Test your skills. Would you make it to the finish lime?6 by dianerav / 1h Everything You Wanted to Know about Teacher Evaluation But Were Afraid to AskThis is a terrific n
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL:  I'm Larry Ferlazzo and here you will catch me talking about websites that will help you teach ELL, ESL and EFL!“Teachers Need To Behave Like Johnny Appleseeds”: An Interview With Daniel Coyle“Teachers Need To Behave Like Johnny Appleseeds”: An Interview With Daniel Coyle is my new post over at Education Week Teacher. I’m a
Warm and fuzzy, “Teach” offers more sentiment than insight | InterACT
Warm and fuzzy, “Teach” offers more sentiment than insight | InterACT: Warm and fuzzy, “Teach” offers more sentiment than insightSEPTEMBER 8, 2013tags: film, Guggenheim, Khan Academy, Teach, teacher recruitmentby David B. CohenThanks to the technology of the DVR, I was able to watch “Teach” a day later than most viewers, and by the time I finished it, I’d already seen other people’s reactions onli
9-8-13 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: UFT Misleads Membership in Latest Thompson Mailer Claiming Offer of Retro PayWith Thompson still unable to move into second place, and DiBlasio in striking distance of avoiding a runoff entirely, this UFT leadership has reached a new desperate low... Peter LamphereWill Thompson offer teachers a chicken in every pot just as Herbert Hoover did in the 1928 election? (How did that wor
Syria to Strike the US! | Bill Ayers
Syria to Strike the US! | Bill Ayers: Syria to Strike the US!President Assad of Syria announced yesterday that he had authorized limited missile strikes against the United States of America. “The United States has consistently violated international law and civilized standards of behavior,” he said. “It has gathered the greatest arsenal of weapons of mass destruction ever assembled, and it is in f
9-8-13 Schools Matter @ The Chalk Face
SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE: TEACH Documentary Delivers Same, Tired InfomercialOn the evening of September 6, CBS aired Davis Guggenheim’s latest tear-jerker hack job dedicated to public education: TEACH.  While featuring four young and relatively inexperienced teachers, we were told much of the same nonsense we’ve been hearing for years, since the release of the anti-teacher and anti-public-e
9-8-13 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: NY Post Publishes Devastating Article About NYC Economy - Never Once Mentions Bloomberg As The CulpritHere's a taste of the Post article:New York City is stuck in the economic misery lane of middle-class jobs flight and an unemployed and underemployed class faced with long-term joblessness and rising hunger, according to the latest economic research. The city is emerging fro
For-profit colleges soaking up tax dollars despite student loan defaults, low graduation rates -- and could be in trouble - Inside Bay Area
For-profit colleges soaking up tax dollars despite student loan defaults, low graduation rates -- and could be in trouble - Inside Bay Area: For-profit colleges soaking up tax dollars despite student loan defaults, low graduation rates -- and could be in troubleBy Katy Murphy and Thomas Peele Staff writersPOSTED:   09/07/2013 03:58:26 PM PDT | UPDATED:   ABOUT 14 HOURS AGO Click photo to enlargeEx
Public School Shakedown: An alternative to accountability-based education reform
Public School Shakedown: An alternative to accountability-based education reform « Education Votes: By Paul Thomas. This article originally appeared on PublicSchoolShakedown.org, the new site from The Progressive Magazine dedicated to unmasking corporate-education reformers and fighting back against the attacks on public schools.Education reform in the U.S. now faces a potential watershed moment i

YESTERDAY

Is DR Alison Coviello, Principal and PhD. at PS 154 in the Bronx Anti-Semitic?.southbronxschool.com
http://www.southbronxschool.com: Is DR Alison Coviello, Principal and PhD. at PS 154 in the Bronx Anti-Semitic?Rosh Hashanah, is the second holiest day of the Jewish calendar.How does DR Alison Coviello, Principal and PhD. at PS 154 in the Bronx recognize the beginning of 5774? She "suggests", i.e. calls, for the teachers of PS 154 not to blow the shofar, but rather to come into school to work on
Diane in the Evening 9-7-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Bill de Blasio Is NOT Running a Racist CampaignIn an interview with New York magazine, outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg accused frontunner Bill de Blasio of running a “racist” campaign. He graciously conceded that de Blasio is not a “racist” personally, just that his campaign is racist. He accused de Blasio of appealing to the blac
The Great Stagnation of American Education - NYTimes.com
The Great Stagnation of American Education - NYTimes.com: The Great Stagnation of American EducationBy ROBERT J. GORDONJavier JaénThe Great Divideis a series about inequality.TAGS:EDUCATION, INCOME INEQUALITY, WAGES AND SALARIESFor most of American history, parents could expect that their children would, on average, be much better educated than they were. But that is no longer true. This developme
Data Center: Cost and loan data for Bay Area public, private and for-profit colleges - San Jose Mercury News
Data Center: Cost and loan data for Bay Area public, private and for-profit colleges - San Jose Mercury News: Data Center: Cost and loan data for Bay Area public, private and for-profit collegesby Daniel J. WillisBay Area News GroupPOSTED:   09/04/2013 12:22:23 PM PDT | UPDATED:   A DAY AGO NameAllAcademy of Art UniversityAcademy of Chinese Culture and Health SciencesAcupuncture and Integrative Me
esol students could be victims of English-only testing - OrlandoSentinel.com
esol students could be victims of English-only testing - OrlandoSentinel.com: Are Florida tests unfair to non-English-speaking students? Some say yesComments37EmailShare18Wekiva High School junior Walfrank Piñeiro shows off some of the awards he has won, on Tuesday, August 6, 2013. Walfrank, who has been in the United States after moving from Cuba about two years ago, is an honor roll student and
Nite Cap 9-7-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change
James Baldwin said it best: "For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAPTODAYDiane Ravitch and the Tooth Fairy | Reclaim ReformDiane Ravitch and the Tooth Fairy | Reclaim Reform: Diane Ravitch and the Tooth FairyPosted on September 7, 2013by Ken PrevitiWouldn’t it be wonderful if the Tooth Fairy left a copy of Diane Ravitch’s