Latest News and Comment from Education

Sunday, December 15, 2013

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: All I Want for Christmas:An Educator's List!

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: All I Want for Christmas:An Educator's List!:

All I Want for Christmas:An Educator's List!

When my siblings and I were younger, my parents had us write a list of everything we wanted for Christmas. Of course, raising 5 kids, we never got everything we put on that list. But it felt so good writing it because you knew you were going to get something on that list.


MY EDUCATOR WISH LIST


1.productive professional development throughout the school year-teacher-driven PD,what a concept!

2.smaller class size - this year I learned that 5 less kids makes a HUGE difference


3.a deep-seated belief in my professional judgement- I do know what I'm doing

4.education as a priority - school is not a babysitting service

5.not another "new thing" - made up by non-educators

6.the complete removal of standardized testing- the word "standardized" is a problem

7.returning the 

BREAKING NEWS!! EVA MOSKOWITZ EXPOSED ON INNER WORKINGS OF SUCCESS ACADEMY!!! .southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com:

BREAKING NEWS!! EVA MOSKOWITZ EXPOSED ON INNER WORKINGS OF SUCCESS ACADEMY!!!

This past Thursday as I was hanging out in my favorite post-work coffee house I began a conversation with another human being about the state of education in this country. Even though this person is somewhat new to teaching, this person was not drinking the Kool-Aid of the deformer and
was very bright and quite perceptive.

As we talked, I learned that this person, who shall henceforth be known in this posting as Cher, was a former employee of the Success Academy charter schools which are led by the irascible Eva Moskowitz. We both smiled and told the barista to brew up another pot of Guatemala-Antigua Original Medium Roast and soon Cher was dishing dirt on Success.

Cher had been what is known as a "associate teacher" at Success at the salary of $50,000. As an associate teacher, Cher did all the grunt work for the head teacher or as she said of what an associate teacher is nothing more than a "bitch for the teacher."

The associate teacher makes all the photo copies, writes the lessons and homework on the boards, if a child is misbehaving, the associate teacher takes that student for a walk. In fact speaking of walking, Cher shared that not only are individual students singled out for not walking correctly in the hall but entire classes as well for the smallest of infractions.

Funny how students need to practice walking in the hall. As Cher mentioned, the first month of school is spent on discipline. How to walk in the halls, how to sit down, when to sit down. In fact she shared with me how the little children are forced to sit quietly for hours at a time.

One thing Cher shared, and I did not know this, but the teachers at Success do not have to write 

Santa Claus, WMD, and the Teacher Pension Crisis | Reclaim Reform

Santa Claus, WMD, and the Teacher Pension Crisis | Reclaim Reform:

Santa Claus, WMD, and the Teacher Pension Crisis

Reality: There is no Santa Claus. There were no secret, hidden weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq. There is no pension crisis for teachers and public employees in any state.
Easter Bunny
In spite of Fox’s Megyn Kelly claiming that the North Pole living, flying reindeer driving, white skinned, immortal man named Santa Claus is real, he is not.

-
Bush - WEven ex-President George W. Bush has repeatedly admitted that there were no weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq. In spite of what Ann Coulter says.
coulter-wmd
In spite of the massive propaganda to the contrary, there is no pension crisis in any state.  Read HERE.
There has been massive fraud in state after state to rationalize the ongoing attacks against public pension funds. Fraud committed for years and years by legislators to misuse earned and contracted compensation (deferred compensation). Fraud that those same lawmakers made new laws for in order to indemnify their own legal status regarding their fraud. Fraud that continues as those same legislators give away massive amounts of state money 

Awake You Sleeping Giant! | Parents United for Public Education

Awake You Sleeping Giant! | Parents United for Public Education:

Awake You Sleeping Giant!

(Photo: Harvey Finkle)
(Photo: Harvey Finkle)
Parent Tonayia Coffer
Parent Tonayia Coffer
Despite the frigid temperature on Thursday afternoon, over 100 people crowded the corners of Bustleton and Cottman Avenues, one of the busiest intersections in Northeast Philadelphia chanting to the beat of Northeast High School’s marching band: “S.O.S. – Save our Schools!” “Whose schools? Our Schools!”
The rally – supported by PCAPs and Parents United for Public Education – was not only a protest against the funding levels for Philadelphia’s public schools. It was a call to action for the entire Northeast. As a member of the Northeast community and a parent of public school children, I feel we have been way too quiet.  It is far time for us to join the fight and make ourselves heard about our wonderful yet overcrowded and poorly funded neighborhood schools.
NErally-Tonayia
Parent Tonayia Coffer helped organize a rally for the Northeast that drew more than 100 teachers, parents, and students to call for full funding of schools. (Photo: Harvey Finkle)
It was empowering to be among the crowd of fellow parents, teachers, students, and advocates. PCAPS stated in an article that:
Rally organizers hope to build on this and develop a Northeast area network that can strengthen the fight for public education. The Northeast region has a reputation for strong, neighborhood schools, but the current budget crisis threatens to unravel public education throughout the city. Cuts to bi-lingual staff at schools that serve 

About Pearson, the Golden Goose State Standards, And Then Some | deutsch29

About Pearson, the Golden Goose State Standards, And Then Some | deutsch29:

About Pearson, the Golden Goose State Standards, And Then Some

December 15, 2013


On December 13, 2013, Pearson, Inc., agreed to pay a $7.7 million settlement for allegedly using its nonprofit, Pearson Charitable Foundation (PCF), to assist its profit-making parent corporation in developing educational materials– including software.
In this post, I would like to offer additional discussion of Pearson the For-Profit, Pearson the Nonprofit, and some friends both have made along the Common Core way.
I’ve been reading tax forms again.
Allow me to begin with a word about nonprofits.
Nonprofits 101
Any corporation is able to start its own foundation– the idea being that the foundation provides an opportunity for the corporation to spend charitably– and garner a tax break for doing so.
Under the US tax code, foundations fall under 501(c)– tax-exempt organizations. The tax-exempt code specific to public charities and private foundations is 501(c)3.
The 501(c)3 nonprofit is limited in its ability to lobby since contributors are allowed to deduct contributions. For this reason, some 501(c)3 nonprofits also have a 501(c)4 “social welfare” counterpart. The 501(c)4 allows for unlimited lobbying but not for tax deduction of contributions. Therefore, donors wishing to both support the lobbying and take the tax deduction are able to donate to the 501(c)3, with the 501(c)3 passing the money on to the lobbying 501(c)4.
Such activity is perfectly legal.
What is not legal is for a 501(c)3 to use its tax-exempt positioning in order to profit itsparent corporation.
It is legal for Pearson, Inc., to have its own nonprofit, tax-exempt foundation, PCF.
It is also legal for the for-profit Pearson, Inc., to donate up to ten percent of its taxable income. (Other stipulations are involved here, including the rule that to qualify as  “publicly supported charity,” at least ten percent of PCF’s income must come from public support.)
As noted on the PCF 2011 990, Pearson, Inc., is the parent organization of PCF, with Pearson North America, Pearson United Kingdom, and The Penguin Group listed as 

Nite Cap 12-15-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2


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

mark as read

12-15-13 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: Change the Stakes end of year meeting - Tuesday 12/17, 5:30Join what promises to be a lively discussion about the issues and how we – as parents, teachers and students – can respond individually and collectively.....Change the Stakes Press Conference re: City Council Resolution on High-Stakes Testing - On December 9th, Change the Stakes participated in a press conference held on the steps of City Hall in support of Resolution 1394, which calls for high-stby ed notes online / 2min   12-14-13 Ed Notes Online WeekEd Notes Online: Ed Notes Online mark as readSusan's Saturday Morni
Unpacking political contrition | BCS in Context
Unpacking political contrition | BCS in Context: Unpacking political contrition On the evening of Sep. 20, 2012, the Los Altos United Methodist Church held a facilitated “listening” and “healing” event in a well-meaning attempt to bring together reasonable minds on both sides of the increasingly bitter BCS-vs-LASD battle.This worthwhile peacemaking event was promoted by, among others, BCS Foundation Board Member Gil Ahrens, as a way to “lower the level of hostility”:“There will be an opportunity for everyone to speak and be heard on the question of: “How have you experienced the BCS-LASD confl
Please Excuse Davontaye, He Suffers From Povertenza | Our Legaci
Please Excuse Davontaye, He Suffers From Povertenza | Our Legaci: PLEASE EXCUSE DAVONTAYE, HE SUFFERS FROM POVERTENZADear Judge,I know that Davontaye’s actions caused the deaths of four people. But please don’t give him life in prison. He suffers from Povertenza. You may not know about this condition but Povertenza is an illness that people from impoverished socio-economic backgrounds have.Due to the inability to access quality education and employment, Davontaye’s development has been stifled. This leads to poor decision making and I would further argue that since his neighborhood sees so muc

TODAY

Misleading the Public | PWC Education Reform Blog
Misleading the Public | PWC Education Reform Blog: Misleading the PublicDecember 15, 2013 — pwceducationreform On Wendesday night the PWC School board will vote to approve the bids for building the 12th high school.  I suspect the votes will go in favor of the school plus the pool. Chairman Johns, Dr Otaigbe, Mrs Jessie, and Mrs Williams have all said they strongly support the pool.  Mrs Covingto
DailyCensoredcom – Investing in for-profit college stocks: public pension funds aid and abet corporate crime
DailyCensored.com – Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal NewsInvesting in for-profit college stocks: public pension funds aid and abet corporate crime: Investing in for-profit college stocks: public pension funds aid and abet corporate crimeBy Danny Weil on December 15, 2013 9:14 pm / no comments The featured image is a picture of the home of the Murphys.  It is for sale for $27 mil
12-15-13 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness
the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): GUEST POST: Literature, Young Adult Fiction, and the Common Core, Lauren GirouardLauren Girouard is a student in my first year seminar (writing intensive). Lauren is an avid reader—a Neil Gaiman fan—and when she chose to write about Common Core, I asked her permission to
CPS releases charter proposals - chicagotribune.com
CPS releases charter proposals - chicagotribune.com: CPS releases detailed proposals for 21 charter campusesEmailChicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel discusses at a Phalanx Family Services press conference the challenges both public schools and charter schools face in Chicago. (Posted on Aug. 6, 2013)By Noreen S. Ahmed-UllahTribune reporter8:36 p.m. CST, December 13, 2013Chicago Public Schools on Friday rel
Former schools chief Tony Bennett finds new work
Former schools chief Tony Bennett finds new work: Former schools chief Tony Bennett finds new workFormer Indiana Schools Superintendent Tony Bennett is back in the public eye, helping to pitch a Common Core test to state education leaders four months after he resigned as Florida’s schools chief in the midst of a school grade-change scandal.ACT spokesman Ed Colby said Friday that Bennett will help
12-15-13 The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: How much teachers get paid — state by stateHow much do teachers across the United States get paid? Here is data, state by state, collected from the National Center for Education Statistics by Jon Boeckenstedt, associate vice president at DePaul University in Chicago. The data are for 2013 and represent the estimated average annual salary of teachers in public elementary and secon
12-15-13 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: One Hundred KIPP 5th Graders in a Single Classroom on the Floor for a Week Until They "Earned" Their DesksKIPP spends a great deal of money promoting their brand of total compliance segregated charter schools as the tough love, no excuses solution for schooling in urban communities disabled by poverty and the lack of hope. KIPP and its billionaire supporters contend that
¡QUEME LOS BARCOS!: Politics, Repercussions, and Cloaking Inequity | Cloaking Inequity
¡QUEME LOS BARCOS!: Politics, Repercussions, and Cloaking Inequity | Cloaking Inequity: ¡QUEME LOS BARCOS!: Politics, Repercussions, and Cloaking InequityFirst, let me say thank you for reading Cloaking Inequity. Since 2012, this labor of love focused on the inequities that are purposefully hidden in the educational policy discourse has been read by hundreds of thousands of people from 161 countri
Student Prepares for Hunger Strike for Democracy in Education - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
Student Prepares for Hunger Strike for Democracy in Education - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Student Prepares for Hunger Strike for Democracy in EducationBy Anthony Cody on December 15, 2013 11:40 AMOn Friday I asked the question "Who gets to decide what is taught in our schools?" and suggested that teachers and students ought to have the biggest role in these decisions.
12-15-13 Jersey Jazzman
Jersey Jazzman: Will the Star-Ledger Editorial Board EVER Get Education Right?Once again, the Star-Ledger's editorial board can't get the basic facts about education correct; this time, it's the Newark teachers contract:Under the new system, 190 of the best teachers have received merit pay bonuses so far, in amounts ranging from $5,000 to $12,500. The greater bonuses went to those teaching hard-to
12-15-13 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: Do you think charter schools “know how to do middle school really well?”According to DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson, charter schools “know how to do middle school really well.” When it comes to defining the phrase “really well,” are education reformers basing their narrative of quantity over quality, i.e. proficiency rates versus growth? What do you – @thechalkfacers – think? In
A New Majority for Our Schools, Our Solutions | Randi Weingarten
A New Majority for Our Schools, Our Solutions | Randi Weingarten: A New Majority for Our Schools, Our SolutionsPosted: 12/15/2013 10:41 am It has the feel of Groundhog Day: Another international education comparison, another round of hand-wringing and finger-pointing, and then right back to the same policies. You know what they say about the definition of insanity.The latest results come from the
When Private Firms Run Schools, Financial Secrecy Is Allowed - NYTimes.com
When Private Firms Run Schools, Financial Secrecy Is Allowed - NYTimes.com: By MORGAN SMITHPublished: December 14, 2013Expanded coverage of Texas is produced by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit news organization. To join the conversation about this article, go totexastribune.org.Connect With Us on TwitterFollow@NYTNational for breaking news and headlines.Twitter List: Reporters and EditorsRedactions
Morning Wink 12-15-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSmark as read12-15-13 Wait What?Wait What?: Numbers Don’t Lie, Unless Someone Wants Them To“Never in my career as a high school English teacher — as an instructor of reading and writing, as a purveyor of literature — have I been asked to collect more “student data” and create more “spreadsheets” than I have in the past several years.”  - Barth Keck Barth Ke
12-15-13 Wait What?
Wait What?: Numbers Don’t Lie, Unless Someone Wants Them To“Never in my career as a high school English teacher — as an instructor of reading and writing, as a purveyor of literature — have I been asked to collect more “student data” and create more “spreadsheets” than I have in the past several years.”  - Barth Keck Barth Keck is an English teacher and […]The post Numbers Don’t Lie, Unless Someon
Disrupting Innovation | educarenow
Disrupting Innovation | educarenow: Disrupting InnovationPosted on December 15, 2013 | Leave a commentThe buzz word everywhere is “innovation.”  You can’t avoid it.  And who wants to?  It means positive change, connotes growth and goodness.  It’s a wonderful word.  Who can possibly be against innovation?Right?So last week I went to the Michigan Innovative Schools Conference.  (The conference was a
North Jersey mom bloggers meet to talk about their lives online and off - NorthJersey.com
North Jersey mom bloggers meet to talk about their lives online and off - NorthJersey.com: North Jersey mom bloggers meet to talk about their lives online and offSUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2013    LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY DECEMBER 15, 2013, 9:34 AMBY  KARA YORIOSTAFF WRITERTHE RECORDPAGES: 1 2 > DISPLAY ON ONE PAGE | PRINT | E-MAILThe women greet one another like lifelong friends who are mid-conversation. A
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-15-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: What Happens When Educators Make Their Own Documentary?In 2011, Rocky Killion, the superintendent of schools in West Lafayette, Indiana, had an idea: What if we made our own documentary about the schools? What if we became our own production crew? What if we traveled the country and interviewed experts with our questions? They did
12-15-13 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:  VOTE DELAYED TO JANUARY ON L.A. UNIFIED’S iPAD PROGRAMThe death of school board member Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte is being cited as the reason for delaying a vote on the next phase of the $1-billion iPad project in L.A. Unified. By Howard Blume, LA Times | http://lat.ms/1cKbAG6 December 11, 2013, 6:37 p.m.  ::  Los Angeles Unified School District of
12-14-13 Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog
Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: Video Games?With the release of the Xbox1 and Ps4 I am not going to sit around and play fire emblem on my Ds. The go to games this holiday season (parents take note) are violence filled so good you'll want to slap your mama releases like Call of Duty: Ghost, Dead Rising 3, and Assassin's Creed. All of wich are Restricted, but the FTC found 70% of restricted games are ad
12-15-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Study: Standardized Tests Don’t Measure “Fluid Intelligence”People might differ with my interpretation of a new study that has just come out (and I’d love to hear if you do), but it seems to me that it has found that standardized testing may measure how well a school is doing on training students on lower-level thinking ski
12-15-13 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.: Votes.  Fred, I believe the original quote came from Stalin. His sense of humor ran in that direction, too. Monitoring election integrity has to be done everywhere, but in the Chicago Teachers Union’s major elections, the votes are counted by the American Arbitration Association, and in the Chicago Te
12-15-13 Education Research Report
Education Research Report: Using Above-Level Testing to Track Growth in Academic Achievement in Gifted StudentsAbove-level testing is the practice of administering aptitude or academic achievement tests that are designed for typical students in higher grades or older age-groups to gifted or high-achieving students. Although widely accepted in gifted education, above-level testing has not been subj
Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education
Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: CATO Slams Michelle Rhee’s “Common Core Crud”H/T to Russ Walsh. CATO Institute scholar Neal McCluskey takes Michelle Rhee to the woodshed: I don’t dislike the oft-attacked Michelle Rhee. I don’t even know her. But I do dislike disingenuous or empirically anemic arguments
12-14-13 teacherken at Daily Kos: 222 years ago today
Daily Kos: 222 years ago today: 222 years ago todaythe Bill of Rights was ratified and went into effect. We do not honor this day as we do Constitution Day, the day the Convention accepted the document that established our system of government. We should. George Mason would not sign the original because it lacked a Bill of Rights, and after all, he was the author of the Virginia Declaration of Rig
12-15-13 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Mary Pat Christie Isn't Laughing This WeekendThe George Washington Bridge traffic lane closures scandal in New Jersey just gets more and more troublesome for Governor Blustery himself, Chris Christie.In the beginning, when critics first began to ask questions about why Christie's Port Authority appointees closed lanes to the GWB on the NJ side in September for an alleged tra
Sacramento City Unified trustees to consider transgender policy - Education - The Sacramento Bee
Sacramento City Unified trustees to consider transgender policy - Education - The Sacramento Bee: Sacramento City Unified trustees to consider transgender policyBy Loretta Kalblkalb@sacbee.comPublished: Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013 - 12:00 amSacramento City Unified School District trustees are poised this week to approve new guidelines designed to accommodate and protect transgender students.The policy,

YESTERDAY

Get Up, Stand Up: Boycott FedEx for their Hypocrisy and Support of TFA | Cloaking Inequity
Get Up, Stand Up: Boycott FedEx for their Hypocrisy and Support of TFA | Cloaking Inequity: Get Up, Stand Up: Boycott FedEx for their Hypocrisy and Support of TFAToday a reader gave me the heads up that FedEx wants to make a $300,000 commitment to Teach For America (TFA). (See http://blog.van.fedex.com/countlesspossibilities) They will donate a dollar of every One Rate transaction (Their attempt t
Teachers Seek to ‘Reclaim’ Education | MyFDL
Teachers Seek to ‘Reclaim’ Education | MyFDL: Teachers Seek to ‘Reclaim’ EducationBy: Michelle Chen Saturday December 14, 2013 6:48 am  Tweet3  (Chicago Teachers Local Union 1/Flickr/Creative Commons)Originally published at In These TimesAfter years of being backed into a corner, on Monday public-school teachers stood up in defiance against what they see as their chief bully—budget-slashing school
Nite Cap 12-14-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
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 mark as read4LAKids - BLACK TO SCHOOL?4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: BLACK TO SCHOOL?: BLACK TO SCHOOL? BY ERIN AUBRY KAPLAN  / CITYWATCHLA/ PUBLISHED BY THE LA PROGRESSIVE | HTTP://BIT.LY/1CJ3DRZDecember 13, 2013  ::  Los Angeles