Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, September 6, 2014

9-6-14 Hemlock on the Rocks (The Big Gulp)

Hemlock on the Rocks






Dr. John Deasy, LAUSD Superintendent | BLAH BLAH BLAH
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/interviews/john-deasy-2/ Dr. John Deasy, LAUSD SuperintendentGuest interviews are usually available online within 24 hours of broadcast.Deasy shares his mission for educating students in one of the largest and most diverse public school districts in the U.S. As superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, Dr. John C. Deasy helms the second largest
11 years in ‘labor’: Maternity-leave probe for union prez sis | New York Post
11 years in 'labor': Maternity-leave probe for union prez sis By Susan Edelman April 28, 2013 | 4:00am Modal Trigger Kathleen Mulgrew-Daretany (left), sister of union chief Michael Mulgrew (right). Photo: () The sister of teachers-union president Michael Mulgrew is under investigation for failing to disclose she managed a company that raked in $39.6 million in public-school con
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: ALL THE SUPERINTENDENT’S MEN by Martin Eden
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: ALL THE SUPERINTENDENT’S MEN by Martin Eden: Found scattered at the LA School report | http://bit.ly/YdmgdD smf: “Martin Eden” is the name of a commenter on the LA School Report w...

PRO Active in Eagle Rock, Parents Organize to Demand Change : Use this as Your Model
http://www.lausdcommunity.com/involved.html Get Involved The Army can't grow without you Making change to LAUSD will only come from the pressure we as parents, teachers, administrators, union officials and politicians place on those doing a disservice to us all. In the field of education. You can apply this pressure by calling or emailing form our list below or your own those that don't support


LA Schools: Restoring The SUPER In Tendent by Sara Roos
http://www.citywatchla.com/lead-stories-hidden/7465-la-schools-restoring-the-super-in-tendent -When my home town built a new school in the early '70′s, a whole era vanished in concert with the disappearance of gilded letters proclaiming the "Superintendent's Office" within. I never did figure out what a "Superintendent" was and I was always vaguely disappointed that that wing,
Supt. Deasy's early and avid support of iPads under intense scrutiny - LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-lausd-deasy-20140904-story.html# Supt. Deasy's early and avid support of iPads under intense scrutiny The pitch came from a smiling man in a jacket and tie, sitting at his desk and rhapsodizing about the wonders one product could bring to the sprawling Los Angeles Unified School District. The new item would lead to "huge leaps in what's pos
OSI Rent-a-Cop Comes Calling on a Teacher
http://www.southbronxschool.com/2014/09/osi-rent-cop-comes-calling-on-teacher.html I have been transferred. For those that recall, last year I spent my Rubber Room time at 4360 Broadway. Worse, I was held captive alone for over 6 months until I was allowed compatriots. I shared with the readers of this blog my captivity, my friends, and how I acclimated myself to the whims of my captors. I am
CAN YOU SEE WHERE THIS IS HEADED , TEACHERS? Controversial alternative teaching permit approved by Indiana State Board of Education
http://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2014/09/03/state-board-vote-controversial-alternative-teaching-permit/15013745/ Controversial alternative teaching permit approved by Indiana State Board of EducationFORT WAYNE — The Indiana State Board of Education on Wednesday approved a controversial proposal to provide another way for people without a teaching degree to teach high school students,
OH YOU! Mike Mulgrew's free-spending, party hearty attitude and disregard for due paying members win him new label of "knucklehead"
ED NOTES: White chalk criminal is more like it. Like Randi Weingarten, Warren Fletcher, Alex Caputo Pearl and others, his desire to lead an opulent, entitled life flies in the face of the labor union's philosophy's proletariate sensibilities and dues paying members' best interest. More and more I see the resistance gaining an advantage by thwarting teacher unions in a very public fashion. Dinner a
Paying Teachers Less Will Make them MORE Effective
America's Schools Could Be More Efficient If Teachers Were Paid Less: Report Posted: 09/04/2014 7:19 pm EDT Updated: 29 minutes ago  When it comes to education, the United States isn't getting all the bang it could for its buck, according to a new report. GEMS Education, an education consulting firm, released its "Efficiency Index" and an accompanying report on Thursday, rankin

SEP 04

DIY INVESTIGATIVE Journalism: How Bloggers Became Watchdogs in the LAUSD iPad Boondoggle | BlogHer
DIY Investigative Journalism: How Bloggers Became Watchdogs in the LAUSD iPad Boondoggle By cynematic on September 04, 2014  Syndicated 0 0 1 "If you don't like the news," an old saying goes, "make your own." Doubly so when you're an education news blogger and parent of a school-aged child. In 2010, my hometown newspaper the Los Angeles Times released a
No Parlo Italiano But I Will Teach It - Educator Fights Back
No Parlo Italiano But I Will Teach It   SEPTEMBER 3, 2014 In case you missed it,  I won my 3020-a termination hearing and wasn't terminated.  Instead I was fined $10,000 that the DOE began taking out of my paycheck immediately.  About $300 a pay period. Arbitrator Felice Busto stated that I should be returned to my classroom.  Violating the contract,  the DOE had other plans.  They were goi
SUPERINTENDENT JOHN DEASY'S IPAD SCANDAL- JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG. ( We are in the Titanic )
SUPERINTENDENT JOHN DEASY'S IPAD SCANDAL- JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG(Mensaje se repite en Español)Given the present iPAD scandal that in reality is just the latest incarnation of a long list of corrupt practices at the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), one can only hope that finally the curtain will be opened on illegal practices to expose a long history of enumerable improper actions
AFT leaders talk tough...while backing down | SocialistWorker.org
http://socialistworker.org/2014/07/22/tough-talk-while-backing-down AFT leaders talk tough...while backing downAFT President Randi Weingarten THE AMERICAN Federation of Teachers (AFT) leadership is straining to balance growing unrest among union members and their strategy of making concessions in the name of "partnership." That effort was on display at the union's convention July 11-14
Dropout Nation » Thoughts: Jindal and Ravitch Division
http://dropoutnation.net/2014/07/24/thoughts-jindal-and-ravitch-division/ Thoughts: Jindal and Ravitch Division Bobby Jindal's Politics of Personal Destruction: One of the less-settling themes of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's tenure has been his penchant for being petty in dealing with his opponents and even otherwise allies. As I mentioned in yesterday's piece on Jindal's faltering anti-Common C
Randi Weingarten : " Boycott Walmart!" IS SHE JUST CATCHING ON ABOUT THIS? I guess she is nit shopping suer stores anyway... But self-respecting teachers haven't shopped at Wally World ( self respecting teachers have not shopped at Wally World in years.)
http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-wal-mart-ization-of-education-wal.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FeIOnDP+%28Big+Education+Ape%29 The Wal-Mart-ization of Education: Wal-Mart Wants Classrooms to Run More Like a Business, Teachers Are Fighting BackAs part of Wal-Mart's back-to-school marketing efforts, the company recently launched
Pearson: Inside the Belly of a Very Troubled Beast | Alan Singer
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-singer/pearson-inside-the-belly-_b_5749708.html Pearson: Inside the Belly of a Very Troubled Beast "And the noise was in the beast's belly like unto the questing of thirty couple hounds." -Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, Book 1, chapter XIX, c. 14769Being trapped in the belly of the beast is scary. In the Old Testament, Jonah was trapped in th
Schools Matter: Ravitch Lashes Out at Union Misleadership Critique
http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2014/07/ravitch-lashes-out-at-union.html Schools Matter "Hope. It is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective. A lot of hope is dangerous. Spark is fine, as long as it's contained."--President Snow, The Hunger Games    When Diane Ravitch spoke at the National Association of School Psychologists in February 2012, her hefty speaking fee
Accountability - ChangeTheLAUSD
http://www.changethelausd.com/accountability.html Accountability - ChangeTheLAUSD"It was controversial?"- John Deasy (1)At the beginning of this month, Superintendent Deasy was mocking opponents of his plan "to provide an iPad to every Los Angeles student, teacher and school administrator." (2) Yesterday he cancelled the project as the controversy grew over mounting evidence o
Burned out teachers, too, deserve day in court | EdSource
http://edsource.org/2014/burned-out-teachers-too-deserve-day-in-court/66545#.VAgXktq9KSN Burned out teachers, too, deserve day in courtAugust 24, 2014 | By Dave Orphal / commentary | 29 Comments Dave OrphalMy friend is being fired from her teaching job. As sad and sympathetic as I am for my friend, I can't say that I am surprised. I've known this teacher for several years, and I've seen the burn

SEP 03

Martin Eden : ALL THE SUPERINTENDENT'S MEN PART2
Martin Eden on September 3, 2014 5:26 pm at 5:26 pm said:ALL THE SUPERINTENDENT'S MENThis urgent appeal was sent out today from somewhere in the bowels of Beaudry.LETTER FROM THE TEACHER JAILLife is so cruel and unfair.Is justice to be found anywhere?The inmates here in LAUSD Teacher Jail read with sorrowful outrage John Deasy's plaintive lament over his recent woes. "It feels like a witch hu
From Last November : LAUSD BOE GUSH OVERBTHE IPAD ROLL OUT-- We are committed to this '
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/06/lausd-ipad-status-good_n_4226209.html LAUSD iPad Status Looks Good, School Board Vows 'We Are Committed To This. We Will Move Forward' After taking a second, deeper look at Los Angeles Unified's controversial iPad project, school board members reiterated their support Tuesday for the plan to equip all 600,000 students with tablet computers while hearing ab
Martin Eden: ALL THE SUPERINTENDENT’S MEN
The Board was meeting in a half hour, but Deasy had plenty of last minute prepping to consider.He tried to take assurance from The Boys who said, "Everything is gonna be fine, John. Relax. You put out some bland, milquetoast statement of how the iPad Third Wave is going to be changed. Now at the Board meeting, apologize only for the 'appearance' of impropriety, but don't forget to act indigna
Union Demands "Teacher Jail" For Schools Chief | NBC Southern California
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Union-Demands-Teacher-Jail-For-Schools-Chief-273795871.html Union Demands "Teacher Jail" For Schools Chief Teachers are calling for Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy to be sent to "teacher jail" in response to stumbling, multi-million dollar technology changes the education chief championed. Leaders of United
L.A. schools Supt. Deasy defends his dealings with Apple, Pearson - LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-lausd-ipads-20140903-story.html L.A. schools Supt. Deasy defends his dealings with Apple, Pearson Los Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy on Tuesday issued his most extensive and passionate defense yet of his actions involving Apple and Pearson, the companies that received the major contract in a $1.3-billion technology program. He asserted that he
I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn
                I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.   - rene     Confirm that you know rene       rene diedrich writer/poet at Freelance Greater Los A
WARY EXCHANGE BETWEEN LAUSD SCAPEGOAT TEACHERS That Lays the Scams Out, Exposing much more than iPad and MiSIS
BMW Went to the dentist and read the MSIS article after I returned.Almost all  big projects fail with the district because there are money and other profit to be made from these.  Whenever there are huge projects like is, people see $$$ in them instead of make them successful.  Failed projects cost more and people involved gain more.  As to this MSIS, what all people talked about it in the interv
Here.Mia the leader of our schools.... “Hedge-Fund Guy” Emails Support to School Reformers - Education Next : Education Next
http://educationnext.org/%E2%80%9Chedge-fund-guy%E2%80%9D-emails-support-to-school-reformers/ "Hedge-Fund Guy" Emails Support to School Reformers It's sunset over Manhattan, and from the 35th floor of a Park Avenue skyscraper the vista is pure gold. The soaring buildings are bathed in the deep rich colors of, well, money. As visitors take their seats in the sedately cavernous room, a s
NPR Whitewashes Charter Schools and Disaster Capitalism in New Orleans | the becoming radical
NPR WHITEWASHES CHARTER SCHOOLS AND DISASTER CAPITALISM IN NEW ORLEANS It was bad enough when NPR whitewashed the "grit" narrative, but now NPR is whitewashing charter schools and disaster capitalism in New Orleans. Framed as "remarkable changes," erasing public schools and firing all public school faculty (a significant percentage of the black middle class in New Orle
Why The Obama Administration Won't Back Off Its Disastrous Education Policies
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2014 Why The Obama Administration Won't Back Off Its Disastrous Education Policies    As I was sitting watching the US Open after a day of preparing for classes, I started thinking of why state after state, with the encouragement of the US Department of Education, keeps subjecting teachers to evaluation systems which are humiliating, time consuming and ina
The Coming Revolution in Public Education - Atlantic Mobile
The Coming Revolution in Public Education - Atlantic MobileIt's always hard to tell for sure exactly when a revolution starts. Is it when a few discontented people gather in a room to discuss how the ruling regime might be opposed? Is it when first shots are fired? When a critical mass forms and the opposition acquires sufficient weight to have a chance of prevailing? I'm not an expert on revoluti
ON THIS LABOR DAY LET US REMEMBER THAT ALL STUDENTS NEED MORE EDUCATORS NOT AN ARCHAIC COMPUTER SYSTEM | Parents, Teachers and Students In Action For Better Schools
http://parentsinactionforbetterschools.org/on-this-labor-day-let-us-remember-that-all-students-need-more-educators-not-an-archaic-computer-system/ ON THIS LABOR DAY LET US REMEMBER THAT ALL STUDENTS NEED MORE EDUCATORS NOT AN ARCHAIC COMPUTER SYSTEM Numerous reports have surfaced recently about the failures of MiSiS, the recently installed computer system of the Los Angeles Unified School Distric
Deconstructing Deasy: Annotations on His BOE Letter Expose Flawed Reason
www.hemlockontherocks.com
Education Post aims to take the sting out of national conversations about school reform - The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/education-post-aims-to-take-the-sting-out-of-national-conversations-about-school-reform/2014/09/01/65f11832-2fb2-11e4-bb9b-997ae96fad33_story.html Education Post aims to take the sting out of national conversations about school reform Spend any time on Twitter or in the blogosphere and the national debate about public education quickly resembles a sch
California Governor Appeals Teacher-Tenure Ruling - Education Week
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/08/30/california-appeals-teacher-tenure-ruling_ap.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2 California Governor Appeals Teacher-Tenure Ruling Published Online: September 2, 2014 By The Associated Press Los Angeles Gov. Jerry Brown appealed a court ruling that struck down tenure and other job protections for California's teachers, setting himself apart from leaders in s
'Grit' May Not Spur Creative Success, Scholars Say - Education Week
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/08/20/01grit.h34.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2 'Grit' May Not Spur Creative Success, Scholars Say Published Online: August 19, 2014 Published in Print: August 20, 2014, as 'Grit' May Not Spur Creative Success, Say Researchers By Sarah D. Sparks Washington Inventor Thomas A. Edison once famously said, "Genius is 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspi
Fwd: Petition update – The LAUSD Board of Education: Fire Superintendent John Deasy
Petition Update rene, Carl Petersen just posted an update on the petition you signed: The LAUSD Board of Education: Fire Superintendent John Deasy 139 supporters We are up to 137 signatures... Carl Petersen Petition Organizer Sep 02, 2014 But we need many more if we are going to
Curt Hagman | Join Assemblyman Curt Hagman on KFI as He Speaks on LAUSD’s Failing iPad Project
http://arc.asm.ca.gov/member/AD55/?p=article&sid=214&id=259009 Join Assemblyman Curt Hagman on KFI as He Speaks on LAUSD's Failing iPad Project SACRAMENTO – Tomorrow at 10:30 AM, Assemblyman Curt Hagman (R-Chino Hills) will be on the Bill Carroll Show on KFI AM 640 to speak on Los Angeles Unified School District's (LAUSD) failing iPad project. At the end of last year, LAUSD began impleme
Lawmaker Calls For DA To Probe ‘Suspicious’ LAUSD iPad Rollout « CBS Los Angeles
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2014/09/02/chino-hills-lawmaker-calls-for-da-to-probe-lausd-ipad-rollout/ Lawmaker Calls For DA To Probe 'Suspicious' LAUSD iPad  LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A Chino Hills lawmaker Tuesday called upon Los Angeles County prosecutors to investigate a controversial bidding process used to bring iPad tablets to students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)

SEP 02

Teachers union to superintendent: Go to 'teacher jail' - LosAngelesRegister.com
http://www.losangelesregister.com/articles/district-604296-deasy-system.html Teachers union to superintendent: Go to 'teacher jail' The Los Angeles Unified School District’s teachers union will call Wednesday on Superintendent John Deasy to report to â€Å“teacher jail†until investigations into the district’s much-maligned iPad program and MiSiS student data system have concluded. Leaders of
Largest school district, highest litigation costs: Guest commentary
http://www.sgvtribune.com/opinion/20140902/largest-school-district-highest-litigation-costs-guest-commentary Largest school district, highest litigation costs: Guest commentary Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is the largest public school district in California, and second-largest district in the nation. LAUSD provides an educational system for more than 600,000 K-12 students, four
Gates and the Teacher Wars: It Matters Where You Stand | Cult of Pedagogy
http://www.cultofpedagogy.com/gates-teacher-wars/ Gates and the Teacher Wars: It Matters Where You StandDoes staying out of the ed reform debate make you out of touch, a peacekeeper, or a self-serving a-hole? There was a time, not long ago, when I was a Bill Gates defender. His foundation has done incredible things to slow the spread of HIV in the third world. They are improving infrastructure a
Why Do Americans Love to Blame Teachers? - The Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/09/the-war-on-teachers/379403/ Why Do Americans Love to Blame Teachers? Oleg Golovnev/Shutterstock America hates teachers. That's not exactly the thesis of Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, but her account of 200 years of education policy provides plenty of evidence for it. "The history of education reform," she notes, "show
The Pain and Isolation of an ATR ( ABSENT TEACHER RESERVE )
One of the first people I thought of yesterday when I read the Daily News article with Chancellor Farina's hopes for the upcoming year was blogger Fidgety Teach.Fidgety was a highly regarded and loved pre-K teacher in Brooklyn when she got caught up in the evilness of her principal, Kristine Mustillo. One mistake, forever altered the course of Fidgety's career. One mistake, cost the children of Br
Will rebidding for LAUSD tablets bring more of the same?: Letters to DN Editor on iPad
http://www.dailynews.com/opinion/20140902/will-rebidding-for-lausd-tablets-bring-more-of-the-same-lettersWill rebidding for LAUSD tablets be more of same?Re: "LAUSD rebidding contract for iPads" (Aug. 27):Los Angeles Unified School Superintendent John Deasy acts like a man in the midst of a bank heist who suddenly claims King's X, as in a game of tag, saying, "Hey this one was great

SEP 01

An Audit and Grand Jury are Next , Right?
http://www.citywatchla.com/8br-hidden/7451-lausd-super-finally-exposed-an-audit-and-grand-jury-should-be-next LAUSD Super Finally Exposed … An Audit and Grand Jury Should be Next Ellen LubicEDUCATION POLITICS-Finally the lack of transparency of the mismanaged leadership of LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy is seeing the light of day.  The excellent investigative journalism by the LA Times education
iFail: Why John Deasy's Risky iPad Gambit Crashed and Burned at LAUSD | The Informer | Los Angeles | Los Angeles News and Events | LA Weekly
http://www.laweekly.com/informer/2014/08/26/ifail-why-john-deasys-risky-ipad-gambit-crashed-and-burned-at-lausd iFail: Why John Deasy's Risky iPad Gambit Crashed and Burned at LAUSDIn a surprising reversal, L.A. Unified Superintendent John Deasy has abruptly halted the district's billion-dollar technology program, which aimed to put an iPad into the hands of every student and teacher by the end o
Law firm supporting New York Parents Union quits, parents blame bullying by Campbell Brown’s education reform group | Eclectablog
http://www.eclectablog.com/2014/08/law-firm-supporting-new-york-parents-union-quits-parents-blame-bullying-by-campbell-browns-education-reform-group.html Law firm supporting New York Parents Union quits, parents blame bullying by Campbell Brown's education reform group Campbell Brown In early June, a decision in the California court case Vergara v. California deemed the state's teacher tenure law
Open Letter to President Obama — The One Book You Should Read on Public Education: Reign of Error, By Diane Ravitch
http://thewire.k12newsnetwork.com/2013/09/20/open-letter-to-president-obama-the-one-book-you-should-read-on-public-education-_reign-of-error_by-diane-ravitchs/ Open Letter to President Obama — The One Book You Should Read on Public Education: Reign of Error, By Diane Ravitchby Cynthia Liu Dear President Obama, You must read Professor Diane Ravitch's latest book, Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Pr
DEASY 'S Ethics Meets UTLA Ambition at Drago's for Dinner...Provoking a Series of Pointed Questions from an Outraged Teacher
Dear Rene,I am a concerned UTLA member writing about what is happening between UTLA and LAUSD. I hope you will consider publishing this, for the sake of the survival of public education. I want my union to be successful, yet I'm also concerned by some of the behavior I've seen from UTLA.During the recent UTLA election, it came to light that a secret backroom meeting was held between then elected U
Los Angeles Parents Need To Ask These Questions If They Have A Child In Public School
1)  How many teachers/staff left the year before and why?Schools all over L.A. are in chaos.  Intentional chaos.  The purge of veteran teachers and cuts to arts have been the cause of destruction and pain.  Get the information from teachers and staff at your child's school about how many teachers left and what's going on that so many are getting out or being out outl  Ask about the school climate,
Carmen Farina Vows To Drain ATR Pool By Having Principals Target ATR's
Sunday, August 31, 2014 Carmen Farina Vows To Drain ATR Pool By Having Principals Target ATR's Buried at the bottom of this Daily News story on Chancellor Farina's goals for the new school year is this: Fariña pledged to announce in the next two weeks a big reduction in the number of teachers getting paid despite not having steady classroom jobs. Earlier this month 114 of the roughly 1,10
Back to School with a New Position -Ambassador Teacher on Rotation - Educator Fights Back
Back to School with a New Position -Ambassador Teacher on Rotation   SEPTEMBER 1, 2014 Back to School… I can't wait! No Sarcasm. I'm seriously eager to start teaching again. I took some time off from blogging and attempted to spend more quality time with family this summer. Aside from a short trip to Jamaica, for my sister's wedding, and a road trip to Maine, the backyard was our summer hot-sp
STOP LAUSD From Throwing Good Money After Bad: Investigate/Audit Bad Ed Tech Deals
Dear Friends, Thank you for signing the petition "Reappoint Architect Stuart Magruder to the LAUSD Bond Oversight Committee" a while back. Together we restored a watchdog with integrity to his rightful role as member of the BOC. Now your powerful voice is needed again in LAUSD to help kids. Who throws good money after bad? Call for an independent external investigation and audit of LAUSD
Fwd: Sales of Chromebooks Rising Rapidly, Fueled by Education Sector - Marketplace K-12 - Education Week
Sales of Chromebooks Rising Rapidly, Fueled by Education Sector By Sean Cavanagh on August 12, 2014 1:53 PM | No comments The worldwide market for Chromebooks, while relatively small, is surging, a growth fueled primarily by sales of the devices in the U.S. education market, according to newly published market research. Sales of the devices—defined as mobile devices that run on Google
Tenure Appeal By Tom Torlakson
Friends, Earlier today I issued a statement regarding my decision to seek appellate review of the Vergara case, which has drawn considerable public attention in recent weeks. Here is the complete text of my public statement: "The people who dedicate their lives to the teaching profession deserve our admiration and support. Instead, this ruling lays the failings of our education sy
From a Soap Box : About This Case - Vergara
http://www.vergaratrial.com/who About This Case Vergara v. California is the latest in a long line of attempts to rob teachers of the flexibility and support they need to be creative and innovative in the classroom and to advocate for their students. Having lost at the ballot box and in the Statehouse, Students Matter, a nonprofit created by wealthy Silicon Valley investors, has now brought its c
Teaching Machines
http://teachingmachin.es/ Teaching Machines "Jujitsu? I'm going to learn Jujitsu?" Neo asks incredulously, as he's plugged in to a machine for the first time since his rescue by Morpheus and the members of the ship Nebuchadnezzar. The operator Tank loads a virtual training program, and Neo clamps his eyes shut, his body jolting in response as the data floods his visual cortex. Seconds
PPRIVATIZATION PUNKS THE PUBLIC BY Commandeering Assets on Top of Taxes
Schooling should be a "free" public service that does not treat one individual or group differently because of their (family) financial resources. Privatization inherently leads to discrimination on that basis for reasons that should be obvious to any high school student. Any use of taxpayer funds should not be sidetracked in any way that can even potentially benefit private parties or b

AUG 31

Embrace The Common Core – IQ2 Debates WEIGH IN ! TONIGHT 80% are Saying Hell No to theCommon Core
http://intelligencesquaredus.org/debates/upcoming-debates/item/1154-embrace-the-common-core&tab=2The reasons CCSS should not be implemented are numerous. Academic freedom is lost when teaching to tests and relying on scripted lessons. No higher intellectual processes are cultuvated. No creativity and despite lies to the contrary, no critical thinking either.Who likes canned dialogue that refra
Are Supt. John Deasy's days numbered? They should be after cozy iPad deal - LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-rall-ipads-lausd-20140827-story.html Opinion It sounded like a great idea at the time: L.A. would give students a boost into the 21st century by putting tech directly into their hands. The Los Angeles Unified School District would buy an Apple iPad for every student,  more than 600,000,  each loaded with educational software supplied by Pe
L.A. Unified exemplifies the forces that stifle public school reform - LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-0830-banks-lausd-ipads-20140830-column.html By now, Los Angeles Unified was supposed to be the technological model for big-city school systems.All of its pupils would have iPads, teachers could access student data with the click of a mouse, and parents could check their children's attendance and grades daily online.But the student data and tracking syste
Half a Million NYC Parents Support their Kid’s Teachers - Don't Tread on Educators
                                         http://dtoe.org/2014/08/31/parents-support-teachers/ Half a Million NYC Parents Support their Kid's TeachersAccording to the NYC Department of Education' School Survey, that was just released, 485,696 parents took part.  When asked about the quality of their teachers,  96% stated they were satisfied or very satisfied.  http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/E9
The Soap Opera of Teacher “Tenure” in AMERICA and Beyond
deutsch29 posted: "I am a tenured, career public school teacher. As such, I realize I am Public Enemy Number One to the fiscally-well-backed, non-teaching finger-pointers who call themselves "education reformers." If only I could be fired without recourse, American ed" Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on deutsch29
Fwd: SOLIDARITY? Call in or/and Listen !To Lois Wiener Scholar on What is Going Down in Education ! Radio show/ call in today -
Your participation is most welcome!Special Labor Day program on teachers unions on the War Report with Mary Compton and yours truly: Where we are, where we should be this Labor Day. 2pm PT, 5pm ET Listen (phone in too - 888.627.6008) http://bbsradio.com/thewarreport -- Lois Weiner, ProfessorElementary and Secondary EducationNew Jersey City University2039 Kennedy Blvd.Jersey City, NJ 07305ph
So apparently something is going down with Tenure Terrorists in NYC : here is a snippet of the crazy thread between Weingarten, Wiener, Portelos, Ravitch and other members of the Resistance.
Sounds like campbell brownt  really put the squeeze on mona d and sam p.....  All these folks volunteered to help them until the cases were on track to be consolidated, then they all withdrew.......its Mona's word against Campbell's-- but the withdrawals suggest Mona is right.Follow the money-leads to Eva M and the Success Charters.  One wonders why they-who don't have to follow these due process
Do criticisms of U.S. schools rely on. False information, bad Data and distortions
http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/get-schooled/2014/aug/30/education-mythbusters/ LIKE......DUH! University of Georgia professor and frequent AJC Get Schooled contributor Peter Smagorinsky discusses an interesting new book exposing the misperceptions and distortions about America's schools. By Peter SmagorinskyA years back there was a public service ad on TV that featured a teenaged boy discussing a maj
SAY what, Mister Deasy? County education officials question LA schools' financial plans |
http://www.scpr.org/blogs/education/2014/08/20/17182/county-education-officials-question-la-schools-fin/ County education officials question LA schools' financial plans Pete/ Flickr Creative Commons The Los Angeles County Office of Education is questioning the L.A. Unified school district's report on how it plans to spend new state funds targeted at disadvantaged youth - asking whether ad
Privatization Public Education Launches a Full Frontal Attack on Califormia
http://upwa.info/documents/Public%20Education.htm United Public Workers for Action Stop Privatization of Public Education & Union Busting! No More Public Money To Charters, End Teach For America TFA And Stop The "Common Core" Testing Scam Public education is under a frontal attack organized and supported by the Democratic president Obama, his Education Secretary Arnie Duncan with
Adapt or Die: The Political Evolution of Jerry Brown « Calbuzz
http://www.calbuzz.com/2010/03/adapt-or-die-how-jerry-sees-political-evolution/ Adapt or Die: The Political Evolution of Jerry Brown Jerry Brown roared back into California politics last week, putting on a clinic on how to win free media exposure, with a webcast announcement, CBS Evening News and Larry King Live appearances, sit-downs with more than three dozen newspaper, TV and radio outlets in

AUG 30

Teacher Resistance to Reform is Good Sense....
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WHAT THE...? : Is justice near for New Orleans teachers wrongly fired after Katrina?
107 social shares Thousands of members of the United Teachers of New Orleans were fired without due process after Hurricane Katrina. But they are fighting back in court and winning -- and also making inroads in unionizing teachers in a public
Labor and “Ed Deform” - John C. Antush | Monthly Review
Art by Robert Rendo Labor and "Ed Deform" The Degradation of Teachers' Work through Standardized Testing and the New York City Evaluation System by John C. Antush    topics: Education  places: Americas, United States John C. Antush is a public high school teacher in New York City, a delegate in the United Federation of Teachers, and
Song For Gloria Astro Turf Queen
“Gloria” With apologies to Laura Branigan Gloria, you’re always on the run now.Running after teachers, you gotta get them somehow.I think you’ve got to get a teaching job, but you’ll probably blow it.I think you’re headed for a breakdown, so be careful not to show it You really don’t know squat, you just follow what Gates and Broad say?All the rich voices in your head calling, Gloria?Gloria,
A crash course in Corporate ed reform-- Schneider’s Ten Reform Claims: A Reader | the becoming radicali
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A Call for the Next Phase in the Resistance | the becoming radical
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open letter to lausd boe
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MiSiS: 45,000 students missing from Los Angeles Unified’s new tracking system; efforts to help potential dropouts canceled
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Annie Gilbertson: L.A. Officials on Tech Bid Committee Got Free iPads, Resort Trip | Diane Ravitch's blog
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Gov. Jerry Brown Appeals California Teacher Tenure Ruling « CBS San Francisco
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/08/29/california-public-schools-chief-to-appeal-teacher-tenure-ruling-superintendent-of-public-instruction-tom-torlakson-education-schools/ Gov. Jerry Brown Appeals California Teacher Tenure Ruling August 29, 2014 11:01 PM