Latest News and Comment from Education

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Under new law, school nurses aim to stop rise in vaccination opt-outs | EdSource Today

Under new law, school nurses aim to stop rise in vaccination opt-outs | EdSource Today:



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Interested in vaccination rates at your child’s school? Want to see how vaccination rates vary between charter, private and public schools throughout California? Check out the EdSource vaccination data app.
In her 33 years as a school nurse, Robyn Ettl has listened, sometimes quietly, sometimes not, to parents in rural Nevada County explain why their children don’t need vaccinations against contagious and potentially fatal diseases, including polio, diphtheria, measles and pertussis.
Now, with nearly a half a million 5-year-olds and soon-to-be-5-year-olds registering for kindergarten in the fall, school nurses like Ettl are more invested than ever in a delicate task: trying to change the minds of parents intent on opting out of school-entrance immunizations.
Under a state law that took effect Jan. 1, parents are required to consult with a health practitioner – doctor, naturopath or credentialed school nurse – before they’re allowed to obtain a personal-belief exemption from their child’s required immunizations. Prior to the legal change, parents could receive an exemption by stopping by the school secretary’s desk and signing the back of their child’s blue immunization card.
Nowhere is the impact of the law, Assembly Bill 2109, more anticipated than in Nevada County, a 

New Issue of Cream and Cherries: CPS: Expulsion rate higher at charter schools - Chicago Tribune

CPS: Expulsion rate higher at charter schools - Chicago Tribune:



CPS: Expulsion rate higher at charter schools

Disparity sure to become fuel in ongoing education debate

February 26, 2014|By Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah and Alex Richards, Tribune reporters




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  • Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett said she inherited "a really punitive zero-tolerance code of conduct" and that the district will continue to seek to reduce the number of students who are suspended and expelled.
Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett said she inherited "a really punitive zero-tolerance code of conduct" and that the district will continue to seek to reduce the number of students who are suspended and expelled. (Nancy Stone, Chicago Tribune)
As it continues to modify strict disciplinary policies in an effort to keep students in the classroom, Chicago Public Schools on Tuesday released data showing privately run charter schools expel students at a vastly higher rate than the rest of the district.
The data reveal that during the last school year, 307 students were kicked out of charter schools, which have a total enrollment of about 50,000. In district-run schools, there were 182 kids expelled out of a student body of more than 353,000.
That means charters expelled 61 of every 10,000 students while the district-run schools expelled just 5 of every 10,000 students.
It's the first time the district has released student suspension data for every school and also the first time it has released data on expulsions for charters. For charter critics, the numbers will buttress long-standing complaints that the privately run operations push out troubled students, allowing their schools to record stronger academic performances.
CPS chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett acknowledged the figures will become additional fuel in the ongoing debate over charters in the city.
"I think there's been a lot of supposition and conversation about what and how the charter success is measured, whether they throw kids out or they keep kids in," Byrd-Bennett said. "I think having the data is going to now lead to productive conversations."
Andrew Broy, president of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, noted that the data show several charter schools do not have high expulsion rates, and discounted the argument that charters use discipline to improve their academic record.
"There's some above and some below the district average," Broy said. "You can't make the 

Study: Los Angeles charter schools outperform traditional district schools | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC
Study: Los Angeles charter schools outperform traditional district schools | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC: Study: Los Angeles charter schools outperform traditional district schoolsKristen Muller | March 15th, 2014, 4:04pmPhoto by Don Harder via Flickr Creative CommonsStanford University's Center for Research on Economic Outcomes (CREDO) issued a report Saturday that found charter school students in Lo

Another Lawsuit in Tennessee |

Another Lawsuit in Tennessee |:



Another Lawsuit in Tennessee





 As per Diane Ravitch’s blog, “The Tennessee Education Association filed a second lawsuit against the use if value-added assessment (called TVAAS in Tennessee), this time including extremist Governor Haslam and ex-TFA state commissioner Huffman in their suit.

As per a more detailed post about this lawsuit, “The state’s largest association for teachers filed a second lawsuit on behalf of a Knox County teacher, calling the use of the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS), which uses students’ growth on state assessments to evaluate teachers, unconstitutional.
Farragut Middle School eighth grade science teacher Mark Taylor believes he was unfairly denied a bonus after his value-added estimate was based on the standardized test scores of 22 of his 142 students. “Mr. Taylor teaches four upper-level physical science courses and one regular eighth grade science class,” said Richard Colbert, TEA general counsel, in a press release. “The students in the upper-level course take a locally developed end-of-course test in place of the state’s TCAP assessment. As a result, those high-performing students were not included in Mr. Taylor’s TVAAS estimate.”
Taylor received ‘exceeding expectations’ classroom observation scores, but a low value-added estimate reduced his final evaluation score below the requirement to receive the 

Why do the Koch brothers want to end public education?




This film and investigation connects the dots and reveals why the Koch brothers are trying to end public education and how their wealth winds up in the hands of Jim Crow. Watch the video, then call David Koch and tell him to stop funding school resegregation now. His number is 212-319-1100. 

Discuss at: http://facebook.com/KochBrothers 
More at: http://KochBrothersExposed.com/education

Sol Stern Thinks Common Core Is About “Rich Curriculum” | deutsch29

Sol Stern Thinks Common Core Is About “Rich Curriculum” | deutsch29:



Sol Stern Thinks Common Core Is About “Rich Curriculum”

April 6, 2014

If one is going to entitle a post, A Sorry Attack on the Common Core, which is what Sol Stern did on March 2, 2014, one should really be certain that one’s logic is flawless.
Otherwise, someone might come along and write a post that rips through those weaknesses in logic and, well, show just how “sorry” a rebuttal the Sorry post is.
There was sooo much to address regarding Stern’s Sorry post that my original draft ran upwards 4,000 words. In order to reduce the length, I cut some sections andincluded them here for those who wish to read on.
Who Is Sol Stern? Setting the Stage
Who is Sol Stern? you ask.
Allow me to provide some background on Stern and his involvements.
Stern is a Manhattan Institute for Policy Research (MI) “scholar.” The MI has a board of trustees noticeably heavy on hedge fund managers; it should come as no surprise that MI promotes ”economic choice”;  ”market-oriented policies,” and “free market ideas.”
In other words, MI is a cousin to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). ALEC initially opposed CCSS; however, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush stepped in and changed that. Now ALEC “does not stand against” CCSS.
Stern also promotes E.D. Hirsch’s curriculum, Core Knowledge (CK), which was Sol Stern Thinks Common Core Is About “Rich Curriculum” | deutsch29:

4-6-14 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE:









Sol Stern Thinks Common Core Is About “Rich Curriculum”
If one is going to entitle a post, A Sorry Attack on the Common Core, which is what Sol Stern did on March 2, 2014, one should really be certain that one’s logic is flawless. Otherwise, someone might come along and write a post that rips through those weaknesses in logic and, well, show just how “sorry” a rebuttal […]
  

All Week 4-5-14 @ THE CHALK FACE
@ THE CHALK FACE : All Week @ THE CHALK FACE Remember the musicians who changed their tuneAs organizations jumble and revise their official positions, remember those who tried to stifle you in the past. Forgive, cooperate, but never forget those who told you that, for instance, opting out was a great and radical evil. Remember those who called you crazy, passionate with no sense, and tried to teas

The Classroom of the Future: Student Centered or Device Centered? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

The Classroom of the Future: Student Centered or Device Centered? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:



The Classroom of the Future: Student Centered or Device Centered?

A basic question is emerging as our schools are urged to embrace the Common Core and the computer-based learning systems aligned to the standards. Are these digital devices becoming central to the classroom -- and coming to dominate the way we teach and learn? And how will this serve our students? 
 From Bill Gates last month we heard the virtues of the Common Core explained this way:
"If you have 50 different plug types, appliances wouldn't be available and would be very expensive," he said. But once an electric outlet becomes standardized, many companies can design appliances and competition ensues, creating variety and better prices for consumers, he said.
In the classroom, these "appliances" are the tablets and other digital devices now being aggressively sold. Gates explained this model of device-centered  "personalization" last year: 
Teachers have not had these tools before. Fragmented standards that differ from state to state and district to district have made it hard for innovators to design tools to reach a wide market. The common core will help change that.
In the classroom of the not-too-far-off future, kids will have computer devices with phenomenal interactive content. This will allow teachers to do what they call "flip the classroom." Instead of learning a concept in class and applying it at home, students would learn 

Nite Cap 4-6-14 #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




All in the Family | Deborah Meier on Education
All in the Family | Deborah Meier on Education: All in the FamilyPosted on April 6, 2014 by debmeierDear readers, friends, and all,A story about “All In the Family” caught my eye. (New Yorker, The Great Divide, by Emily Nussbaum, April 7, 2014) It retells an anecdote that I’ve used many times, but somewhat differently. She recounts how this clever satire by liberal Norman Lear intended to defuse a
4-6-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Please Vote for Prop 1Why?1) We should not be cutting back on public transportation.  It's just ridiculous when so many people count on it especially to get to work.2) The Times says you should vote no.  That pretty much should be your tip-off to vote Yes.  From The Slog:Their reasoning? Metro should cut more costs before asking for money, and Prop 1, which include
The Daily Censored » The San Francisco State Strike of 1968 vs. City College of San Francisco 2014
The Daily Censored » The San Francisco State Strike of 1968 vs. City College of San Francisco 2014: The San Francisco State Strike of 1968 vs. City College of San Francisco 2014Why did the 1968 SF State Strike succeed, grabbing the attention of the entire nation (and that is no exaggeration) and yet City College of San Francisco in 2014 still barely elicits local attention, much more any notable v
4-6-14 The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: Michelle Rhee still doesn’t get itMichelle Rhee still doesn’t get it. The former D.C. schools chancellor and now leader of a national organization that pushes corporate school and attacks teachers unions,  just wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post that uses bad analogies and a number of straw men to argue against the growing “opt out” movement in which parents are refusing […]  
4-6-14 Ed Notes Online Week
Ed Notes Online: On DIscontinue - MORE's Paul Hogan - Mr. de Blasio: Tear Up This BlacklistMy fellow MOREista retiree Paul Hogan urges you to sign a petition against the DOE blacklist, where any principal has the power to ruin a non-tenured teacher's entire career with a swoop of a computer stroke. Paul is another outstanding MORE activist, thoughtful, analytical, smart -- the kind of person MORE
Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee still doesn’t get it
Michelle Rhee still doesn’t get it: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee still doesn’t get itBY VALERIE STRAUSSApril 6 at 11:36 am Michelle Rhee still doesn’t get it.The former D.C. schools chancellor and now leader of a national organization that pushes corporate school and attacks teachers unions,  just wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post that uses bad analogies and a number of straw men to argu
NYC Educator: UFT-Unity Caucus Demonstrates How It Handles Dissent
NYC Educator: UFT-Unity Caucus Demonstrates How It Handles Dissent: UFT-Unity Caucus Demonstrates How It Handles DissentYesterday morning I watched from the audience as Lauren Cohen, a petite young woman from the UFT MORE caucus, got up and addressed the NYSUT Representative Assembly as a candidate. When Lauren mentioned the UFT-Unity Loyalty oath, my 800 brothers and sisters from UFT-Unity tried
Louisiana Educator: Good Legislative News for Our Students
Louisiana Educator: Good Legislative News for Our Students: Good Legislative News for Our StudentsIn my opinion, the best development last week for our students was the quiet approval of HB 944 by the full House of Representatives by a vote of 94 to 0. This legislation finally provides real support for students who want and need technical and career education as part of their high school curriculu
4-6-14 Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All Week
Jersey Jazzman: Uncommon Comes To Camden: Let The Segregation Begin!Camden's State Superintendent, Paymon Rouhanifard, shares much in common with his friend form the good old days in NYC, Newark State Superintendent Cami Anderson. Anderson, for example, believes she can simply ignore the law whenever she wants, as she does not answer to the citizens of Newark, with whom she has lost all credibilit
Marie Corfield: The school to prison pipeline just got a whole lot shorter
Marie Corfield: The school to prison pipeline just got a whole lot shorter: The school to prison pipeline just got a whole lot shorterListen… do you hear it? CLICK! Buzzzzz... Whirrr… Do you see it? Locks! Cameras! Action!All across America public schools are looking more like prisons. With every school shooting more and more security measures are being put in place, and that effort ratcheted up e
Morning Wink 4-6-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS4-6-13 Curmudgucation WeekCURMUDGUCATION: Six Heads of the Reformy HydraPublic education really does have many enemies these days, and while it may sometimes seem like they are a large amorphous mass, there are distinctions to be made. These six groups have come together in a perfect storm to bring us to the mess that is our current high stakes test driven
4-6-13 Curmudgucation Week
CURMUDGUCATION: Six Heads of the Reformy HydraPublic education really does have many enemies these days, and while it may sometimes seem like they are a large amorphous mass, there are distinctions to be made. These six groups have come together in a perfect storm to bring us to the mess that is our current high stakes test driven corporate agenda status quo. To defend ourselves, it's best to see
4-6-14 Perdido Street School Week
Perdido Street School: Solidarity ForeverWell, the results haven't been officially announced, but the pro-Andy Cuomo, Michael Mulgrew- and Randi Weingarten-backed Revive NYSUT slate has won the NYSUT election.Given how many votes the UFT bloc of delegates had and how some smaller locals had fallen in line with the larger bloc, the results were not unexpected.Despite her protests to the contrary, t
4-6-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Sunday reads.  IEA Retired members vote #19 on your mail-in ballot. Schools will be a big issue in Illinois governor’s race. Rauner and Quinn/Vallas on opposite sides? Really? Looking back to when Rahm was the Wolf of Wall Street. Coaches are management. Players are employees. Classroom teachers sayin
Pointing To Your True North | Connected Principals
Pointing To Your True North | Connected Principals: Pointing To Your True Northby Sandra Trach • April 6, 2014 • 0 Comments     Instructionally savvy educators know that personalized learning is the heart of student success.  As schools strive to customize education through instructional design, technology efforts and professional learning, highly successful schools know that these initiatives in
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-6-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Good News: You Will Never Need to Think for Yourself Again!Deborah Meier brought to my attention this series of workbooks that contain 180 days of Common Core worksheets in math and English. What a relief for anxious teachers! No more worrying about what to do. Here are the daily activities you need. No more planning or thinking. A
4-6-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": Secretary Duncan To Be Guest On Next #PTchatAs I’ve previously posted, Education Secretary Arne Duncan will be participating in April 8th’s #PTchat on Twitter. Here’s the announcement on the DOE’s blog: On April 8, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will be taking to Twitter to gain additional feedback from parents and educ
Video: Best Documentary of Evolution Crushing Faith for Education's Sake | MyFDL
Video: Best Documentary of Evolution Crushing Faith for Education's Sake | MyFDL: Video: Best Documentary of Evolution Crushing Faith for Education’s SakeBy: jbade Sunday April 6, 2014 6:00 amTweet Faith- “the strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.”Why is faith in anything, without proof, in spite of proof, a virtue? Those are the
4-6-14 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs
With A Brooklyn Accent: Under Pressure: Does Test Stress at School Added to Economic Stress at Home Constitute a Toxic Combination?During the last decade, America's public school students have seen a steady increase in the amount of testing they have to endure. As a result of state policies and federal mandates, schools have transformed curricula from Pre-K up to raise scores on standardized tests
4-6-14 Wait What?
Wait What?: Susan Ohanian – “On 21st Century Drones, Destroyers and Teachers”Teacher, author, and public school advocate Susan Ohanian is one of the nation’s leading voices in the battle to take back control of the public education system from the corporate education reform industry.  She is also a winner of the NCTE George Award for Distinguished Contribution to Honesty and Clarity in Public Lang
4-6-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida ALL Week
Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: Florida Republicans, Chamber of Commerce Can’t Recocile Conflicts Between Vouchers and STEM AdvocacyWriting in the Lakeland Ledger, Floridian Citizens for Science president Jonathan Smith points to some alarming numbers about private schools which receive voucher money:
4-6-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: This Week In Web 2.0In yet another attempt to get at the enormous backlog I have of sites worth , I’ve recently begin a regular feature called “The Week In Web 2.0.” (you might also be interested in The Best Web 2.0 Applications For Education In 2013). I also sometimes include tech tools that might not exactly fit the defin
Business as Usual in Corporations and Schools | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
Business as Usual in Corporations and Schools | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Business as Usual in Corporations and SchoolsIn the heart of Silicon Valley where start-ups are a way of life, open space offices and teams rule the landscape. Even at the biggest of the big companies such as Google and Facebook, power struggles among and between bureaucrats are a thing of the past
Common Core Copyright Fine for Students? | Missouri Education Watchdog
Common Core Copyright Fine for Students? | Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core Copyright Fine for Students?inShareAs seen on Facebook.  Is this true?This Facebook message has been circulating in several anti-Common Core groups.  Would children actually be threatened with a fine anywhere from $750 to $30,000?  The language mirrors that in the copyright notice from the US Copyright Office:Would
empathyeducates – Can Schools Be Held Accountable Without Standardized Tests?
empathyeducates – Can Schools Be Held Accountable Without Standardized Tests?: Can Schools Be Held Accountable Without Standardized Tests?By Katrina Schwartz | Originally Published at MindShift. April 2, 2014The focus on scoring well on standardized tests has wedged educators into a difficult spot. Teachers are concerned that a poor showing on the tests will jeopardize school funding, or even thei

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Classroom Struggle: Vision – Platform – Strategy | Classroom Struggle
Classroom Struggle: Vision – Platform – Strategy | Classroom Struggle: Classroom Struggle: Vision – Platform – StrategyVISIONWe are Oakland parents, students, teachers and school workers who are organizing for the defense and transformation of our public schools. We are fighting for the public schools that students and communities deserve. These are public schools that are fully-funded, safe, demo
Charter School Refugees - NYTimes.com
Charter School Refugees - NYTimes.com: Charter School Refugees LAST week, the New York State Legislature struck a deal ensuring thatcharter schools in New York City would have access to space, either in already crowded public school buildings or in rented spaces largely paid for by the city. Over the next few years, charters are expected to serve an increasing proportion of city students — perhaps
Nite Cap 4-5-14 #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 CAPOur Contract = a Social Justice Document | Classroom StruggleOur Contract = a Social Justice Document | Classroom Struggle: Our Contract = a Social Justice DocumentWhat is the future of collective bargaining? According to the Saint Paul Federatio