Perdido Street School:
Common Core Now Reported As "Federal" Or "National" Standards
Perdido Street School Week
Common Core Now Reported As "Federal" Or "National" Standards
One of the deceptions of the education reform movement is that the Common Core State Standards were put together by the states and voluntarily adopted.The reality is, while the Obama administration did not create the CCSS themselves, the Obama USDOE used the carrot of Race to the Top money and the stick of No Child Left Behind waivers to force states to adopt the standards.In the end, 45 states di
The Sham Regents Task Force
The Regents have let us know - there will be no meaningful change to their education reform agenda:New York's education policymakers say they really were listening, even to the shouting, during a series of volatile public forums held to explain a slate of education reforms intended to better prepare public school students for college and the job market.This month, a newly appointed Regents task fo
What Shael Polakow-Suransky Should Do Now
I wondered in a post yesterday if Shael Polakow-Suransky might continue on at Tweed even though a new administration has taken over that is supposed to be at odds with many of the education reform policies Polakow-Suransky developed and/or implemented as deputy chancellor.Carmen Farina told a reporter from Capital NY that she has made no decisions on personnel yet, but Norm Scott has a fabulous id
YESTERDAY
Is Shael Polakow-Suransky Staying On At Tweed?
Buried in Eliza Shapiro's Capital NY article about Carmen Farina's first workday as NYCDOE schools chancellor is this:Asked about whether the D.O.E's chief academic officer, Shael Polakow-Suransky, will stay on, Fariña said "no personnel decisions have been made yet."This wasn't the only polite answer she gave. When asked about charters, Shapiro reported that Farina said that "the d
Snow Day Playlist
Pulled some of my Ramones discography out for a snow day listen:Also writing some college recommendations. How about you?What are you up to do this fine snow day?
Snow Day
NEW snow totals. 7-9" in #Queens, #Bronx, & #Brooklyn http://t.co/9clr0yZqEG @ABC7NY @Evansweather @JeffSmithABC7 @AmyFreeze7— Lee Goldberg (@LeeGoldbergABC7) January 3, 2014No school anywhere in the area - even NYC public schools.Would have been nice of the new mayor to make the call for closure before 4:45 AM.Some teachers have to make a decision on whether to try and get in to work by
JAN 02
Good Question!
A commenter on the weather forum:When will our new mayor realize that windchills below zero 8 inches of snow and 30mph winds don't make sense to keep NYC schools open since the rush to work/ school begins between 6am and 7am?A commenter here at Perdido Street School blog:That combo of wind, ice, and cold is reason to call school. Just dangerous to all the moving parts in the morning. Who knows...?
Perdido Street School Snow Update
Been monitoring the weather forum, the National Weather Service and various reports on the radio about the snow storm.WCBS is reporting that this storm will not be measured so much in total snow fall as in blowing snow and plunging temperatures that will disrupt travel for the next 12-15 hours.Total accumulations are going to be somewhere between 6-10 inches, but then we have 30-40 mph gusts of wi
How Was Your First Bloomberg-Less Day?
The impending snow storm and the short school week had attendance down, so it really didn't quite feel like a regular schoolday.Also, I was scrambling to get some grading done and get some ELA Regents work put together for next week, so I was a little preoccupied today.Nonetheless, it was kind of fun to come to work in a NYC school and think "Hey, Bloomberg doesn't run this thing anymore!&quo
Lee Goldberg's Snow Forecast
Brunt is overnight. All travel shud be suspended. Sunrise Fri: Blowing snow.14 feels like -5. Snow tapers during AM. pic.twitter.com/rlU65ycMWh— Lee Goldberg (@LeeGoldbergABC7) January 2, 2014
Update On Incoming Snowstorm
Reading through the weather forum and looking at the National Weather Service updates, the models have backed off the heaviest amounts of snow they were showing earlier in the day.National Weather Service now says 4-8 inches of snow overall from the incoming storm.If the storm comes in on the low end, it's hard to see how de Blasio calls school for a 4 inch snowstorm.But here's where things get fu
De Blasio Appoints Bob Linn Negotiator For Union Contracts
In the fun of Bloomberg's last day in office and de Blasio's inaugural ceremony today, I missed this piece of news: In a dramatic acceleration of his transition to City Hall, Mayor de Blasio made five appointments to his administration, including a veteran negotiator to be his point man in forging new contracts with all of the municipal unions. As the city’s next director of labor relations, Bob L
JAN 01
Ain't Gonna Work On Mayor Mike's Plantation No More
Apparently the invocation at today's de Blasio inaugural ceremony threw some people off:During the election season, Bill de Blasio was often painted by conservatives as a leftist radical. But at his inauguration today, it was not Mr. de Blasio who dropped the most aggressive lines, but the first two speakers at the event.In particular, Rev. Fred Lucas Jr., who was among several chaplains represent
Potential Blizzard Takes Aim At NYC Thursday-Friday
Yikes - from Accuweather:A snowstorm taking aim at New York City Thursday will evolve into a blizzard Thursday night. Expect dry travel weather into Wednesday night in the immediate area. A snowstorm will affect New York City and much of the Northeast on Thursday into Friday. As the storm strengthens Thursday night, increasing winds, powdery snow and plunging temperatures will allow a blizzard to
Does The Obama Administration Have A "Starr Group" Out To Destroy Joshua Starr?
Valeria Strauss reported in the Washington Post that two members of the USDOE, including Arne Duncan himself, lobbied against Montgomery County Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr for the NYC schools chancellor position.Duncan and Company don't like Starr because he has called for a three year moratorium on high stakes standardized testing and has expressed skepticism around the validity of the te
Arne Duncan Personally Lobbied De Blasio NOT To Pick Joshua Starr For Chancellor
So much for that "The Federal Government Doesn't Interfere In Local Districts" nonsense:U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and at least one other Education Department official urged New York Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio and his team not to choose Montgomery County Schools Superintendent Joshua P. Starr as the city’s next schools chancellor, according to several people knowledgable about
Bloomberg Couldn't Resist Reminding Us How Wealthy He Is
Bloomberg left amid crowd of cheering supporters and staff. Gold balloons were released as he walked out— Hunter Walker (@hunterw) December 31, 2013What an ass.Good riddance.
DEC 31
Bloomberg Bans A Couple Of More Things, Just For Old Time's Sake
Mayor Bloomberg to ban 10 new items in spectacular New Year's Eve blowout countdown.— Rob Webber (@planetwebber) December 31, 2013If anybody thinks he's really going anywhere, I'd like to note that Bloomberg Philanthropy is open for business and all those aides he just walked out of City Hall with will continue to work for him in private life helping him to use his billions as bludsgeons to get wh
Seven Hours Left In Bloomberg's Reign Of Error
In honor of Bloomberg's 12 years of "service": Buh-bye.
Carmen Farina And Bill de Blasio CAN Change Worst Excesses Of Ed Deform Movement
I keep seeing this kind of thing around:.@bethfertig points out Farina and de Blasio can't stop much of testing, which comes from state level - Common Core and teacher eval.— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) December 31, 2013To which I replied: @BrianLehrer @zansari8 @bethfertig Jive excuse to say state and fed mandates mean little change. Plenty can be done!— realitybasededucator (@perdidostschoo
Are We Sure Carmen Farina Is More "Pro-Teacher" Than Current DOE Leadership?
Farina is seen as much more pro-teacher than recent DOE leadership, but she's a tough boss. As principal, she replaced 80% of her staff.— Lindsey Christ (@LindseyChrist) December 30, 2013Jose Vilson responded: @MrHonner @LindseyChrist Agreed too. I don’t know enough about that school to make a determination, but 80% is pretty high.— Jose Vilson (@TheJLV) December 31, 201380% is indeed a pretty hig
How You'll Know Things Are Really Different
Geo Karo - from a comment on this post:1) How much day to day life in the school-building changes from the BloomCott era will be the ultimate measure of how much things change under BlasRina.2) How much things change for the better depends on how much teachers and parents push back against the toxic status quo of corporate education "reform."In New York City, the teachers' group pushing
DEC 30 2013
Eric Nadelstern: Farina Had Better Have 100% Graduation Rate in Five Years Time
The ever youthful Eric Nadelstern, former deputy chancellor to Joel Klein and the architect of many a reform idea, showed up in both the Huff Post and Capital NY stories about Carmen Farina's appointment to chancellor.In the Capital NY story, he has a particularly telling quote:Eric Nadelstern, a former deputy chancellor under Joel Klein credited with helping to implement some of the Bloomberg adm
NYSED Commissioner John King: Critics Of SED/Regents Reforms Are "Misinformed"
You thought the Gospel of the Common Core Tour starring Merryl Tisch and John King was over?You thought wrong - the propaganda-fest continues:ALBANY—State education commissioner John King argued in a letter to New York educators Monday that concerns raised by teachers and parents at a series of public hearings were based on “misinformation.” Particularly, he refuted claims that students are facing
Wait And See On Carmen Farina
There is much rejoicing in the twitterverse and on the edu-blogosphere over the announcement that Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio has finally appointed Carmen Farina to replace Dennis Walcott as NYC schools chancellor.Farina has "progressive" educator credentials, spent decades working as a real educator, and has recently fought charter school land grabs in Brooklyn, so there is certainly som
Cuomo Attacks De Blasio Behind The Scenes
Sheriff Andy looking to promote his own agenda and taking it out on anybody he thinks is in his way:Gov. Cuomo, in his first major battle with Bill de Blasio, is engaged in a last-ditch effort to block leftist Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito from becoming council speaker, Democratic insiders have told The Post. Cuomo has been working behind the scenes with city Democratic leaders, including Ass
De Blasio To Appoint Carmen Farina As NYC Schools Chancellor
Given all the rumors around this selection, I'll believe this when I see it:Carmen Farina, a Department of Education veteran and a longtime informal adviser to Bill de Blasio, will be named chancellor Monday after months of speculation about who would manage the city’s school system.De Blasio will name Farina head of the nation's largest public school system at M.S. 51, the Park Slope middle schoo
DEC 29 2013
The Hypocrisy Of Michael Bloomberg
Little send away tweet to Mike Bloomberg as he spends his last weekend in power, sunning himself at his Bermuda home:.@MikeBloomberg Sick of plutocrat w/ 12 houses, private jet, copter and 2 idling SUV's pontificating about environment!— realitybasededucator (@perdidostschool) December 29, 2013Bloomberg pontificates about environment all the time, but few individuals in this world have as big a ca
Bill De Blasio Vows To Have Chancellor In Place By 2015 - 2016 At The Latest
Citing concerns from students, parents, teachers, administrators and education bloggers over his failure to announce a chancellor to replace Dennis Walcott at the helm of the NYCDOE, Bill de Blasio stepped away from having brunch with family and friends at a diner in Park Slope to offer a brief statement.De Blasio was 25 minutes late to his statement, getting caught up at the mint bowl by the cash
What's Wrong With Bill De Blasio?
One of the knocks in the primary against Bill de Blasio was that some of his campaign promises were not serious ones, that in the "real world" the NY Legislature and Governor Cuomo were not going to raise taxes on rich people in order to give de Blasio his universal pre-K proposal.The De Blasio Campaign countered that de Blasio's campaign proposals were serious one's coming from a seriou
NYCDOE Investigator Demanded Sex From Teacher To Save Her Job
Here's Mayor Bloomberg's NYCDOE in action - the story is so horrifying via Susan Edelman at the NY Post, I repost it in full:A Department of Education detective tried to have sex with a Brooklyn teacher he was probing in exchange for letting her keep her job, she charges. Investigator Lawrence Scott, 40, allegedly sent scores of X-rated texts, a photo of his penis and explicit demands for sex to N
DEC 28 2013
Clinton To Administer Oath Of Office To De Blasio
The only oath Bill Clinton should be taking is raising his right hand in court and promising to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth:Former President Clinton will administer the oath of office for the mayor-elect at his Jan. 1 inauguration ceremony at City Hall, the transition team announced Saturday.And former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — who hired de Blasio as her ca
NY Sttae Politiicans Are Doing Little To End The Ravages Of CCSS, APPR And InBloom
As the public protests over the Common Core State Standards, the APPR teacher evaluation testing that has added so much extra testing to schools and the inBloom data project that is forcing districts to hand over student information to Bill Gates and Rupert Murdoch gain steam, some politicians in NY State have begun to talk about rolling back some of this education reform agenda being imposed by t