Ed Notes Online
Susan's Saturday Special
Here is a collection for your weekend reading. I know the latest Common Core outrage is long but I hope you will read it with careful attention. This assault on first graders sits at the core of what corporate ed deform is all about.http://susanohanian.org/core.php?id=675Contrast this with Kate DiCamillo's wonderful memories of a read-aloud.With the help of teachers who refuse to remain silent, I
BREAKING NEWS: the Assembly will do last minute interviews on Monday because Democrats are saying they will VOTE NO on incumbents
I dropped by my state assemblyman Phi Goldfeder's office the other day with some materials on this Regent election. From Carol Burris:Dear friend of public education, On Tuesday, the legislature will vote yea or nay on the re-appointment of the 4 incumbent Regents. Often we hear that the legislature does not control education policy and therefore there is little that can be done to influence the
YESTERDAY
The Nation: The Absurd NY Tabloid Propaganda War Against de Blasio's Reasonable Charter School Policies
...The New York Post's false attacks on de Blasio and charter schools.... The NationI have more on the anti-Eva counterattack -- but with no strong response from de B it all goes for naught. How weak is de Blasio/Farina turning out to be? I predicted that charters won't pay one dime in rent. RBE at Perdido points this out and how deB is already pretty much a one-term mayor --- guess who will chall
Support and Criticism for de Blasio from from Anti-Charter Wing
How weak can they get? I voted for de Blasio in the primary because of the poor options. But when it came to the general election I just couldn't do it and wrote in the name of a real reform Staten Island activist who is running for the state board of regents. I'm so glad my instinct that deB would cave won out.Perdido Street School De Blasio Caves To Eva - That didn't take long, did it? City edu
Zakiyah Ansari: Fed up with Cuomo - But is She Fed Up With UFT Assault on NYSUT Leadership for opposing Cuomo?
Join Zakiyah's Fight! Click Here To Sign The Petition Demanding Governor Cuomo Fully Fund Public Schools in NY State Dear Norm, I want to pass along this email from Zakiyah Ansari, public school parent and Advocacy Director for the Alliance for Quality Education. She is furious with the governor's abandonment of public schools in this state, and you should be too.
CamiGate II - Continues to Threaten Tenured Newark Teachers
Just read this horseshit.Effective means you had 6 weeks training from TFA. Remember that contract Randi and Cami signed a year and a half ago? Why not just ignore it? The waiver she is asking for apparently violates the modified state tenure law, but why quibble? From: Superintendent AndersonSent: Friday, March 07, 2014 11:32 AMTo: Teachers - ALLSubject: Update Dear Teachers, As I have shared in
Brooklyn Community Education Councils Slam De Blasio Giveway to Moskowitz and Other Charters
The Community Education council of District 20 and 21 invites all community members to join them at I.S. 96 Seth Low to Rally on Friday, March 7, 2014 at 2:30 PM.Imagine if these communities and the principals closed all the schools in these 2 districts so people could attend the rallies. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECommunity Education Council District 21 calls on Chancellor Farina and Mayor de Blasio to
MAR 06
EvaGate: Media Worm Turning on Moskowitz - and Cuomo
...what is potentially precedent setting is Moskowitz’s possibly using taxpayer money given to her school for the purposes of educating kids and using it instead to finance a political protest that deployed those kids as lobbyists for her agenda. Also precedent setting is what this does to the definition of the very term “public school.” Remember, charters are privately administered but they are s
De Blasio Wasting His Charter Election Mandate - It is Time for He and Tish James to Make a Stand
Candidate de Blasio promised he’d start charging well-financed charter schools that got rent-free use of space in public schools. He did not like the idea of two different sets of kids getting different educations under the same school roof. One group gets a quasi-private school with no overhead in public school space. Grade that F — for favoritism.Mayor de Blasio is just doing what he promised
MAR 05
Chris Pavone's "The Accident" Gets NY Times Rave Review
Mr. Pavone writes: “First the web devoured book clubs, then magazines, and now its maw is agape, ravenous, ready to swallow the whole bloody publishing business.” Luckily, unputdownable books like Mr. Pavone’s help keep the business alive and well... Janet Maslin, NYTimes Chris, who is my long-time friend Vera Pavone's son, hits another home run with his 2nd novel. Since I am way behind on my read
Tish James Calls for March 8 Meeting: Dear CEC, PTA presidents and Elected Officials Impacted by Co-Locations
Letitia James is making some noise, but it remains to be seen if that is all it is. The meeting announcement doesn't seem to call for de Blasio to revisit the recent decisions and announces an update on the law suit against co-locos. My guess this is not a good sign.With de Blasio waffling and shaky on the charter/co-loco issue - see Ravitch - The Big Lie about Mayor Bill de Blasio and Charters -
DOE Gives UFT Ed Foundation Over Million $$ Contract to Implement
Contract Agenda Item 13 Professional development for schools that adapt the New York State P-12 common core learning standards vendor name: UFT-Educational Foundation, Inc. Annual amount $1,223,646 Options (renewal options) : none http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/2E3F10A7-9BC0-4807-8152-A0226C4A0F7C/160165/March182014Agenda.pdfTo be voted on at March 18 PEP at Prospect Hts HS.
Chicago: Testing Opt-Out Capital
In some cases, principals have told teachers they will be arrested if they leaflet parents on the public sidewalks outside their schools, even though the teachers are distributing the materials on their own time.The explosion of the Chicago Opt Out movement comes despite orders from CPS administrators -- usually "Chief Officers" of the school system's 13 so-called "Networks" (w
Dear Ms. Kopp - from a Newark Teacher
Dear Wendy Kopp,I am in a bit of a jam and I thought maybe you could help me out. State Superintendent Cami Anderson has announced plans to lay off one thousand Newark Public School teachers over the next three years. I do not yet know if I am on the list, but understandably I am feeling very nervous.It occurred to me that Teach for America could be the solution to my problems. I would like to app
MAR 04
More Protests Against de Blasio Co-Loco Decision
Press Advisory: JHS 52 families, HSEI families and CEC6 Members call for reversal of decision to co-locate M052 Families from JHS 52 and High School for Excellence and Innovation, Members of CEC6 and the District Six Pubic Education Advocacy Community call for reversal of DOE decision to proceed with co-location of M052 in Inwood, upper Manhattan. Press conference tomorrow morning at 9AM outsi
Campaigning for Union Office: An Excerpt from How to Jump-Start Your Union: Lessons from the Chicago Teachers
This looks like one interesting book. I just started reading it. Here is a selection and somewhat of a blueprint for people to use. My advice for organizers: first start in your own schools with an organization sheet and some analysis of where people you work with stand. Then work within districts. Easier said than done but until we see this happening here, Unity will be in power.Campaigning for U
Putin Sites Mulgrew/Randi Takeover of NYSUT as Inspitation for Crimean Invasion
I admire the Unity Caucus operation tremendously. I only wish I had such control....My next invasion will be Brighton Beach to protect the Russian speaking population in Brooklyn.... I am looking for a condo in Brooklyn as a base of operation but the real estate prices are crazy.... Vladimir Putin
Brooklyn Rally Friday to Oppose de Blasio School Giveaway to Moskowitz/Success Charter
"We want our schools back." Laticia James, at PEP, Oct. 2013.. RALLY, Friday, March 7, 2:30PM at Seth Low, 99 Ave. P.Will James be there? The counterattack begins. I know, how many of these anti-Eva rallies have we seen in school after school? Water off her back as she knows that when school opens in the fall the fait accompli will sink in and people will stop protesting. But here she is
MAR 03
MORE March Membership Madness Meeting Sat, Mar 8 - and Help Mike, Peter and Me Celebrate Our B-Days
Even if you can't make the noon-time meeting, join us after. We will be talking about the NYSUT split towards the end of the meeting around 2:30 so if you are interested in that angle come on down. The rest of the agenda to come.Hi all,As you know our general meeting is next Saturday at YaYa at 224 W. 29th st NYC --It's our March Membership Madness campaignDetails click hereWe are also hosting a p
Deny Them the Data - Opt Out Grows - Chicago Rocks While UFT Twiddles its Thumbs
What is the scariest words an ed deformer, privatizer, profiteer can hear? OPT-OUT.As we work here in New York with the Change the Stakes group as we build alliances with other groups we are seeing the growth of the movement around the nation, even spreading from parents to teachers willing to risk their careers. (Though many teachers ARE opting out their own kids). Of course the UFT leadership is
MAR 02
Video Inspiration: Karen Lewis and John Kuhn @ Network for Public Education Conf, Austin, TX
from Vincent Precht at http://vimeo.com/87984834
Modeling the Education They Want To Be: The Great Chicago Teachers Union Transformation
"By 2010, the UPC leadership had atrophied," Uetricht explains, and was cowering in the face of school closures, the growth of nonunion charter schools, and the Renaissance 2010 "free market education reforms" Sound familiar? Any resemblance between the CTU and the UFT is purely coincidental. http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/22148-modeling-the-education-they-want-to-be-the-gr
North Rockland TA Pres Slams Revive NYSUT
As I'll report in a later post, it's all over but the shouting in the upcoming NYSUT election on April 5, given the big locals all came in for the UFT's absolute takeover of NYSUT by endorsing the misnamed Revive NYSUT slate over the incumbent Stronger Together slate.Currently there is also a small independent slate running out of MORE for the city NYSUT election districts plus Arthur Goldstein di
JOIN US! March 10 @ 6p.m. for Earth School's Forum on Current Education Policies and Testing
From the always awesome Jia Lee, star of MORE, Change the Stakes, chapter leader and parent at the Earth School on the lower east side and a Korean non-tiger mom.Jia is one of the leaders of the NYC Opt-out movement at her school and in CTS. The goal is to get 100% of the parents there to opt-out and end testing child abuse. The Earth School Parent-Teacher Advocacy is organizing a forum on high-s
Portelos on SCI Lies
If you had sat through the 23 day3020a trial and listened to the evidence, there were many "break out laughing" moments at the farce the DOE was engaging in. But more of that another time.Many people who have dealt with the office of the Special Commissioner of Investigations (SCI), which goes after school employees, don't believe there arehonest brokers there. SCI is not the same as OSI
NYSAPE Urges NO VOTE FOR Board of Regents Incumbents
Parents across New York State have expressed outrage at the Board of Regents’ failure to respond to the concerns of both parents and educators. The incumbent Regent candidates have failed to take action to amend current policies or speak out against them. ... NY State Allies for Public EducationState legislators vote -- they'll be watched.Posted on NYC Public School ParentsFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -
MAR 01
Councilman Danny Dromm to Investigate Success School Closing for Naked Political Reasons
I also intend to use my oversight powers to investigate Moskowitz’s extensive marketing campaigns costing millions of dollars. Field trips can be an important part of the educational experience. Dragging children to Albany to further Moskowitz’s political agenda serves no public or pedagogical purpose.... Danny DrommDromm for Mayor. Dromm Statement on Moskowitz School Closing on March 4, 2014Stat
Saturday Ohanian Special
I'm sending the piece about the disastrous Vermont RTTT grant again because now it has a link to a cleaner version.Big news today comes form Chicago, with two schools boycotting the ISAT, a low-impact. Don't miss the great videos the Chicago Teachers Union is producing.CartoonStudent-Teacher Relationship Advocated by the US Department of EducationDon't Let the Feds Destroy Child Wonderhttp://susa
Outrage at De Blasio Letting Eva Charters Off the Hook and at Press for Supporting Her Spin
...you can't have FDA II and Wadleigh students spread out all over the building, learning in the basement just to give Success premium contiguous learning space in the building. FDA and Wadleigh are entitled to premium contiguous learning space too... the admissions restrictions that Bloomberg placed on these public schools to give the public the impression that these public schools were not in de
Eva's Phony Numbers at Success Charters
83 students entered kindergarten in 2006-07, the school’s first year of operation. When that class reached 4th grade in 2010-11, it had only 53 students — a drop of 36 percent. Harlem Success also took in a 1st grade class with 73 students in 2006. When that group reached 5th grade, it too had shrunk appreciably — by 36 percent. The attrition accelerated as the classes advanced..... The school ha