Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, May 5, 2014

Measuring a ‘growth mindset’ in a new school accountability system | EdSource Today

Measuring a ‘growth mindset’ in a new school accountability system | EdSource Today:



Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck’s research on intelligence, motivation and achievement has changed the thinking of educators around the globe – and now it’s helping to drive a first-in-the-nation experiment in seven of California’s largest school districts.
CarolDweckApril2014JMA-600px
Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck’s research on the “growth mindset” is one of the measures of student success in seven large school districts. Photo credit: EdSource Today/ Jane Meredith Adams
In a 2007 studyDweck and her colleagues found that students who believed they could increase their intelligence worked harder in mathematics and outperformed peers of similar ability, who believed that intelligence was a fixed trait given at birth.
Dweck dubbed the belief that intelligence can be developed a “growth mindset” and has charted its power to shift students’ academic attitudes and achievements. This spring, students’ beliefs about intelligence are among the social and emotional factors to be measured in the new school rating system under development in the seven districts.
After receiving an unprecedented waiver from the requirements of the No Child Left Behind law, the districts are replacing standardized test scores as the sole measure of school success. Instead, the districts’ are developing a new accountability system that also includes school climate and culture measurements, suspension and expulsion rates, and the hard-to-define qualities of motivation, self-management, empathy and agrowth mindset. With nearly 1 million students enrolled in the districts, the new accountability system is thought to be the largest effort to focus on and evaluate students’ habits of mind.
In a pilot test of measurement tools, the seven unified districts – Los Angeles, Long Beach, Fresno, San Francisco, Santa Ana, Oakland and Sanger – are trying to figure out how to quantify these so-called non-cognitive factors. Together the districts formed a collaborative called CORE, or theCalifornia Office to Reform Education. Sacramento City Unified, an original member of CORE, announced in April that it will not seek an extension of the one-year waiver to the No Child Left Behind law – as the seven districts are planning to do – and will return to a standardized-test-Measuring a ‘growth mindset’ in a new school accountability system | EdSource Today:

Hey Mulgrew! Where's The Beef For The ATR's?.southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com:



Hey Mulgrew! Where's The Beef For The ATR's?

I wish to thank UFT President Mike Mulgrew for graciously sending out not one, but two, emails

regarding the new contract. It was chock full of information that I, an informed UFT member, need and which will allow me to properly discuss when mocked by the chimps at the Bronx Zoo for being part of a union that can't do right by it's members.



As discussed on these pages this past Thursday, the throwing under the bus of theATR's is a deal breaker for us here at SBSB and apparently all those with a modicum of independent thought. As we were reading our personal message from President Mulgrew we sucked in the detailshe wished to share with us. Unfortunately, President Mulgrew only wants us to know the news he wants us to know and not anything else. Which leaves it up to us, myself and The Crack Team, to share what wasn't shared.



President Mulgrew is super duper excited about how great the contract is. I have never read such a superbly excited letter addressed to me ever in my life. But one thing is bugging us here at SBSB. Something seems to be missing. Can you guess what it is?




Figure it out? Who needs more time? Of all the new and exciting thingys we now have in the contract, the pay raise and retro pay that will take almost a decade to receive, the new merit pay for teachers with levels that seems to be named after trim models for automobiles, to the new (I have goosebumps now as I am writing this!) lack of rules, contract, and chancellor's regs for 200 schools, there is nary a word from President Mulgrew about the plight of the ATR's. Why is that?

We here at SBSB feel it is safe to assume that President Mulgrew knows that he threw the ATR's out with the bath water. That he personally threw them under the proverbial bus and that he thinks we, the rank and file are so stupid, so greedy, so desperate for contract, that he hopes we think of the ATR's are non-people. Mulgrew is using the old, "Out of sight, out of mind," Jedi mind trick and praying that no one notices their not being mentioned.

But the deception gets better. On the official UFT propaganda blog, The People's Daily, oops, we http://www.southbronxschool.com:

‘Ashamed’ Teacher Calls Common Core Exams ‘Institutional Abuse’ | TheBlaze.com

‘Ashamed’ Teacher Calls Common Core Exams ‘Institutional Abuse’ | TheBlaze.com:



‘Ashamed’ Teacher Calls Common Core Exams ‘Institutional Abuse’

A Long Island, New York elementary school teacher who gained national attention for blogging that he was ashamed for his role in administering Common Core tests to students told TheBlaze he wants to see the K-12 math and science standards done away with in his state.
“I’d like to see it repealed,” said Ralph Ratto, a teacher and president of the local teachers union. “I’m not against tough standards. I’m against these standards. They have not been tested and have not been researched.”
‘Ashamed’ Teacher Calls Common Core Exams ‘Institutional Abuse’
Signs are raised during the Hoosiers Against Common Core rally at the Statehouse, Monday, April 21, 2014. (AP Photo/The Indianapolis Star, Kelly Wilkinson)
Ratto expressed his profound frustration with the New York state Common Core exams that he said were ridiculously confusing for his class of 10-year-old students.
“Historically, my students excel on standardized tests, often finishing near the top of our district and state. Today I witnessed – no I was part of!! – a situation in which students were forced to endure what amounted to what I would call an abusive situation,” Ratto wrote on his blog “Opine I Will,” which was later republished in the Washington Post. “Today I am ashamed. I am ashamed I didn’t do enough to stop this madness.”
He told TheBlaze he will continue to work at preventing the exams from being given next year, but was unsure what he would do if ordered to administer the exam again.
New York is among the numerous states where the Common Core State Standards are hotly debated. Indiana dropped the standards altogether last month, while most of the 44 states that adopted the standards are at least debating the implementation.
The controversial standards are backed by the Obama administration and the national teacher unions – though are opposed by many local and state teacher unions.
“I was angry at my administrators for not stepping up to the plate and attempting to end this ‘Ashamed’ Teacher Calls Common Core Exams ‘Institutional Abuse’ | TheBlaze.com:


Two More Excerpts from My Book, A Chronicle of Echoes | deutsch29

Two More Excerpts from My Book, A Chronicle of Echoes | deutsch29:



Two More Excerpts from My Book, A Chronicle of Echoes

May 5, 2014




Here is the book description:
“Corporate reform” is not reform at all. Instead, it is the systematic destruction of the foundational American institution of public education. The primary motivation behind this destruction is greed. Public education in America is worth almost a trillion dollars a year.
Whereas American public education is a democratic institution, its destruction is being choreographed by a few wealthy, well-positioned individuals and organizations. This book investigates and exposes the handful of people and institutions that are often working together to
become the driving force behind destroying the community public school.
The paperback and hardback versions are now available.
The Kindle version is on its way. (I will announce once it is available.)
Since the cover image on Amazon.com does not offer the interactive “preview” feature, I would like to offer a glimpse into a couple of chapters.
The two I have selected for this post are chapters 2 and 3, on Eva Moskowitz and Wendy Kopp, respectively.
One of my favorite chapters in the entire book is the one on New York education privatizer Eva Moskowitz. Here is the opening paragraph, with additional excerpts:
Chapter 2: Eva Moskowitz: Stage Mother of Charter School “Success”
            If Mama Rose had forsaken Vaudeville and instead had focused upon a career establishing and running charter schools, she might have been mistaken for Eva Moskowitz. And just as Mama Rose did whatever she needed to do in order to propel her daughter Gypsy Rose Lee’s career, Moskowitz is equally as pushy and controversial in the charter school arena. …
            Moskowitz insists that her obsession is “for the children.” Yet she has chosen to surround herself with career financiers and pays herself handsomely. She is a driven, controlling woman running a business in education.
            Nowhere is Moskowitz’ drive clearer than in the 125, now-public emails between her and former New York Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and, to some extenTwo More Excerpts from My Book, A Chronicle of Echoes | deutsch29:

Title I Acadamic Achievement Schools Named - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)

Title I Acadamic Achievement Schools Named - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education):



State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces 2013-14 Title I Academic Achievement Award Schools



SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced that 106 public schools will be receiving the 2013-14 Title I Academic Achievement Award.
"I am proud of what these schools have accomplished under often challenging circumstances," Torlakson said. "Their administrators and teachers are committed to giving their students every opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills that will help them in school and throughout their lives."
The Title I Academic Achievement Award is given to schools receiving federal Title I funds as authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Title I, the single largest federal educational program for K-12 public education, assists schools in meeting the educational needs of students living at or below the poverty line. Of the approximately 10,000 schools in California, more than 6,000 of them participate in the Title I program.
To receive this distinction, the school must demonstrate that all students are making significant progress toward proficiency on California's academic content standards. Additionally, the school's socioeconomically disadvantaged students must have doubled the achievement targets set for them for two consecutive years.
The National Title I Association also presents each year two National Title I Distinguished School Awards per state. The awards are given to one Academic Achievement Award-winning school that has demonstrated exceptional student performance for two or more consecutive years and to one that made the most progress in closing the achievement gap between student groups.
To learn more about Title I awards, please visit the California Department of Education (CDE) Web page at: Academic Achievement Awards.
Attachment
2013-14 Title I Academic Achievement Award Schools
County
District
School
Alameda
Alameda Unified
Henry Haight Elementary
Alameda
Hayward Unified
Burbank Elementary
Alameda
Oakland Unified
Aspire ERES Academy
Alameda
San Lorenzo Unified
KIPP Summit Academy
Calaveras
Mark Twain Union Elementary
Copperopolis Elementary
Contra Costa
West Contra Costa Unified
Richmond College Preparatory
El Dorado
SBC - Pacific Technology
Pacific Technology School Santa Ana
Fresno
Clovis Unified
Lincoln Elementary
Fresno
Clovis Unified
Weldon Elementary
Fresno
Kings Canyon Joint Unified
Jefferson Elementary
Fresno
Riverdale Joint Unified
Fipps Primary
Fresno
Sanger Unified
Jefferson Elementary
Fresno
Selma Unified
Woodrow Wilson Elementary
Imperial
Heber Elementary
Heber Elementary
Kern
Sierra Sands Unified
Inyokern Elementary
Kern
Sierra Sands Unified
Las Flores Elementary
Los Angeles
ABC Unified
William F. Elliott Elementary
Los Angeles
Compton Unified
Anderson Elementary
Los Angeles
Compton Unified
Jefferson Elementary
Los Angeles
Compton Unified
Tibby Elementary
Los Angeles
Covina-Valley Unified
Merwin Elementary
Los Angeles
Covina-Valley Unified
Mesa Elementary
Los Angeles
Culver City Unified
Linwood E. Howe Elementary
Los Angeles
East Whittier City Elementary
Evergreen Elementary
Los Angeles
El Monte City
Wilkerson Elementary
Los Angeles
Garvey Elementary
Monterey Vista Elementary
Los Angeles
Garvey Elementary
Frances E. Willard Elementary
Los Angeles
Glendale Unified
Cerritos Elementary
Los Angeles
Glendale Unified
Horace Mann Elementary
Los Angeles
Glendale Unified
Mark Keppel Elementary
Los Angeles
Glendale Unified
Thomas Edison Elementary
Los Angeles
Hacienda la Puente Unified
Sunset Elementary
Los Angeles
Long Beach Unified
Henry K-8
Los Angeles
Los Angeles County Office of Ed.
Los Angeles International Charter High
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Unified
Avalon Gardens Elementary
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Unified
Chapman Elementary
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Unified
Crescent Heights Boulevard Elementary
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Unified
Florence Avenue Elementary
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Unified
Fullbright Avenue Elementary
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Unified
Global Education Academy
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Unified
Gulf Avenue Elementary
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Unified
ICEF Vista Elementary Academy
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Unified
Kester Avenue Elementary
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Unified
Mountain View Elementary
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Unified
Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Unified
Playa del Rey Elementary
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Unified
Robert Hill Lane Elementary
Los Angeles
Lynwood Unified
Washington Elementary
Los Angeles
Pomona Unified
Kellogg Polytechnic Elementary
Los Angeles
Whittier City Elementary
Wallen L. Andrews Elementary
Merced
Merced City Elementary
Luther Burbank Elementary
Merced
Winton
Frank Sparkes Elementary
Monterey
Soledad Unified
Frank Ledesma Elementary
Orange
Centralia Elementary
Centralia Elementary
Orange
Garden Grove Unified
A. J. Cook Elementary
Orange
Garden Grove Unified
John Murdy Elementary
Orange
La Habra City Elementary
Arbolita Elementary
Orange
Orange Unified
Sycamore Elementary
Orange
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified
Melrose Elementary
Orange
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified
Morse Avenue Elementary
Orange
Tustin Unified
A. G. Currie Middle
Orange
Tustin Unified
Benjamin F. Beswick Elementary
Placer
Tahoe-Truckee Unified
North Tahoe High
Riverside
Desert Sands Unified
Dr. Reynaldo J. Carreon Jr. Academy
Riverside
Hemet Unified
Harmony Elementary
Riverside
Hemet Unified
Idyllwild
Riverside
Jurupa Unified
Camino Real Elementary
Riverside
Palm Springs Unified
Cielo Vista Charter
Riverside
Palm Springs Unified
Rio Vista Elementary
Riverside
Temecula Valley Unified
Vail Elementary
Sacramento
River Delta Joint Unified
Bates Elementary
San Bernardino
Morongo Unified
Condor Elementary
San Bernardino
Morongo Unified
Friendly Hills Elementary
San Bernardino
Morongo Unified
Landers Elementary
San Bernardino
Morongo Unified
Morongo Valley Elementary
San Bernardino
Ontario-Montclair
Buena Vista Arts-Integrated
San Bernardino
Redlands Unified
Franklin Elementary
San Bernardino
Redlands Unified
Mentone Elementary
San Bernardino
Rim of the World Unified
Lake Arrowhead Elementary
San Bernardino
San Bernardino City Unified
Hillside Elementary
San Bernardino
Silver Valley Unified
Congressman Jerry Lewis Elementary
San Bernardino
Upland Unified
Cabrillo Elementary
San Diego
Chula Vista Elementary
Lilian J. Rice Elementary
San Diego
Encinitas Union Elementary
Ocean Knoll Elementary
San Diego
San Diego Unified
Barnard Elementary
San Diego
San Diego Unified
Health Sciences High
San Diego
San Diego Unified
Sherman Elementary
San Diego
Vallecitos Elementary
Vallecitos Elementary
San Francisco
San Francisco Unified
Chin (John Yehall) Elementary
San Francisco
San Francisco Unified
Gordon J. Lau Elementary
San Francisco
San Francisco Unified
Sutro Elementary
Santa Clara
Alum Rock Union Elementary
Cesar Chavez Elementary
Santa Clara
Alum Rock Union Elementary
KIPP Heartwood Academy
Santa Clara
Alum Rock Union Elementary
Learning in an Urban Community with High Achievement
Santa Clara
Evergreen Elementary
Cadwallader Elementary
Santa Clara
Franklin-McKinley Elementary
Stonegate Elementary
Santa Clara
Franklin-McKinley Elementary
Voices College-Bound Language Academy
Shasta
Bella Vista Elementary
Bella Vista Elementary
Siskiyou
Scott Valley Unified
Etna Union High
Sonoma
Cinnabar Elementary
Cinnabar Charter
Stanislaus
Ceres Unified
Sinclear Elementary
Sutter
Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary
Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary
Sutter
Pleasant Grove Joint Union
Pleasant Grove
Trinity
Trinity Alps Unified
Weaverville Elementary
Tuolumne
Columbia Union
Columbia Elementary
Ventura
Santa Paula Elementary
Barbara Webster Elementary
# # # #
Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

Marie Corfield: Happy Teacher Appreciation Week: How China and the US are swapping education philosophies

Marie Corfield: Happy Teacher Appreciation Week: How China and the US are swapping education philosophies:



Happy Teacher Appreciation Week: How China and the US are swapping education philosophies




Early on in my teaching career I taught elementary art in the Bernards Township School District in Somerset County. The township is about 83% white with the largest minority being Asian at 14%. With a median family income of $153,000 and poverty below 3%, the children don't want for much. Many parents take an active role in their children's education, encouraging and even demanding they be involved in several after school activities. They expect the schools to offer top-notch curriculums including the arts, foreign languages, plenty of AP classes, sports and extracurricular programs because they pay top dollar in property taxes and they want their children to attend excellent colleges and universities. And the schools deliver.

US News and World Report gave the only high school in the district, Ridge High School, a gold medal in its annual rankings of US high schools. It placed 177th in the country overall, 7th in the state, 136th in the country for STEM education, with almost 100% of its students proficient in math and language arts, and a College and Career index of 65%.

This is an excellent school fed by excellent elementary and middle schools.

My story is about a 3rd grade girl whom I taught there. I don't remember her name, but she was Chinese American. Her father worked at one of the big pharmaceutical companies for which New Jersey was once famous. (Many are pulling up stakes and leaving the state.) She was very bright and eager to please.

She was done with her project and was doing some free drawing when it was time to clean up. She begged me to let her finish her drawing. I couldn't let her stay because I had another class coming in. She was really pushing me on this. When I suggested she take it home and finish it, she told me she couldn't; she didn't have any time. I jokingly told her I found that hard to believe, to which she replied, "I have no time at home. I have violin lessons and soccer practice after school, then I
 Marie Corfield: Happy Teacher Appreciation Week: How China and the US are swapping education philosophies:

Nite Cap 5-5-14 #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 CAP




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Local Accountability and Astroturf: Local Control without the Local Control | Cloaking Inequity
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empathyeducates – Consumed by the Digital Divide
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Morning Wink 5-5-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
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NGA Chair Gov. Mary Fallin Target of Campaign to End Common Core | Truth in American Education
NGA Chair Gov. Mary Fallin Target of Campaign to End Common Core | Truth in American Education: NGA Chair Gov. Mary Fallin Target of Campaign to End Common CoreFiled in Common Core State Standards by Shane Vander Hart on May 5, 2014 • 0 Comments34101American Principles Project, Eagle Forum, Concerned Women for America, Home School Legal Defense Association and several other grassroots conservative
Piketty in the Pines Going camping with the 1% | EduShyster
Piketty in the Pines | EduShyster: Piketty in the PinesGoing camping with the 1%Reader: even upon today’s comically overpopulated education reform landscape, the men of Democrats for Education Reform or DFER (say it with me; Dee Furr) stand alone. That’s because, with thier unapologetic ties to all things hedge fundy, DFER man’s net worth towers above even his well-off reform-minded peers. Also, t
Failing Schools: Conflicts over How to Write, Talk, and Make Films about Them | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
Failing Schools: Conflicts over How to Write, Talk, and Make Films about Them | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Failing Schools: Conflicts over How to Write, Talk, and Make Films about ThemI have been a social studies teacher for 14 years in schools that were black and poor. Even before test scores determined whether a school was failing, the three urban schools I taught in we
GUEST: Christie aims at unions | Bob Braun's Ledger
GUEST: Christie aims at unions | Bob Braun's Ledger: GUEST: Christie aims at unionsWill he eat unions now?By Becca FieldsA budget crisis—that’s what the main-stream media are calling it. A shortfall of $800 million in THIS year’s state budget that has to be resolved by June 30, a matter of weeks.  But the real crisis isn’t simply a collection of numbers on a ledger book. The real crisis is the opp
New York City’s New Teachers’ Contract Matters—To All of Us | janresseger
New York City’s New Teachers’ Contract Matters—To All of Us | janresseger: New York City’s New Teachers’ Contract Matters—To All of UsPosted on May 5, 2014 by janressegerThe Rev. John Thomas, former General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ, is now a professor and administrator at Chicago Theological Seminary, where he writes a blog.  Last Thursday, the 1st of May, the Rev. Tho
Release: New Report On Charter Industry Exposes $100 Million in Taxpayer Funds Meant For Children Instead Lost To Fraud, Waste & Abuse - Integrity in Education
Blog - Integrity in Education: Release: New Report On Charter Industry Exposes $100 Million in Taxpayer Funds Meant For Children Instead Lost To Fraud, Waste & AbuseFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 5, 2014CONTACT:Kyle Serrette: KSerrette@populardemocracy.org, 202-304-8027Sabrina Stevens: media@integrityineducation.org, 720-295-0238A new report released today reveals that fraudulent charter operators
Government actions, unintended outcomes with S&Ls, schools
Government actions, unintended outcomes with S&Ls, schools: Government actions, unintended outcomes with S&Ls, schoolsFast-forward to 1997 and the passage of the Pennsylvania Charter School Law: Act 22. This effectively deregulated the public educational system. Act 22 made the financial crisis facing the Philadelphia School District inevitable.If you want to see how seemingly logical gove
Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Week in Class Week 31: Is WYSWIG?
Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Week in Class Week 31: Is WYSWIG?: Week in Class Week 31: Is WYSWIG?This was the second week back from Spring Break. I didn’t write after the first week (Week 30) because as things were “sub-optimal” that week, and I really wasn’t in the mood to voluntarily call up memories of what had happened, let alone reflect on it. This week started off much better. Ho
NYC Educator: How Much Does This Contract Cost?
NYC Educator: How Much Does This Contract Cost?: How Much Does This Contract Cost?There were no givebacks in the 2008-2010 round of contract bargaining for FDNY, NYPD, or DSNY. They got 4% one year, and 4% the next. That was pretty much it.UFT, on the other hand, went to Albany to help write a draconian junk science law that makes every teacher in the state subject to VAM, which AFT President Rand
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLESLouis C.K."Well, the way I understand it, if a school’s kids don’t test well, they burn the school down. It’s pretty high-pressure." -- Actually, Louis C.K. was right about Common Core — RavitchWashington school board member tells Arne Duncan..."You can keep the waiver. And regarding your failure letter – I have litt

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Geaux Teacher!: John a White Misrepresents Eureka Math?
Geaux Teacher!: John a White Misrepresents Eureka Math?: John a White Misrepresents Eureka Math?How can we believe anything John White says when he has misrepresented so much.  John White is NOT telling the truth about Eureka Math -the Common Core aligned math curriculum he has chosen for Louisiana.  Why has he said publicly on several occasions that Eureka Math was developed by LSU?  Is it becaus
Roaring in the rain at Lake Placid: "Public education is not for sale!" | NYSUT.org
Roaring in the rain at Lake Placid: "Public education is not for sale!" | NYSUT.org: Roaring in the rain at Lake Placid: 'Public education is not for sale!'Author: Liza FrenetteSource: NYSUT CommunicationsCaption: "Picket in the Pines felt more like Maid of the Mist," said one activist in a tweet, "but everyone left today with big smiles!" Photos on this page by Karen
Teacher Alert: The Case of the Missing Corruption-Tip Hotline | Reclaim Reform
Teacher Alert: The Case of the Missing Corruption-Tip Hotline | Reclaim Reform: Teacher Alert: The Case of the Missing Corruption-Tip HotlinePosted on May 4, 2014by Ken PrevitiThere seems to be a state-by-state Race to the Top for corruption, theft and fraud against teachers.The grossest form of theft is wage theft from active and retired teachers.Steal a percentage of every teacher’s paycheck by
Teachers Under Attack The Walton Family: Welfare Frauds and Destroyers of Public Education 2014 Medley #11 | Live Long and Prosper
2014 Medley #11 | Live Long and Prosper: Teachers Under AttackThe Walton Family: Welfare Frauds and Destroyers of Public EducationTEACHERS UNDER ATTACKBetter preparing our nation’s educatorsArne Duncan spoke with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell last month. The interview was proof that the privatization of public education and the destruction of the teaching profession is a bipartisan effort. The liberal l
NYC Public School Parents: How DFER and the charter lobby hijacked our politicians, who are allowing them to hijack our public schools in an "inside job"
NYC Public School Parents: How DFER and the charter lobby hijacked our politicians, who are allowing them to hijack our public schools in an "inside job": How DFER and the charter lobby hijacked our politicians, who are allowing them to hijack our public schools in an "inside job"Today, hundreds of parents and teachers stood in the rain, protesting the first day of Camp Philos
Coop’s Childhood Part 6 – Childhood’s End | Lefty Parent
Coop’s Childhood Part 6 – Childhood’s End | Lefty Parent: Coop’s Childhood Part 6 – Childhood’s EndMay 4th, 2014 at 16:48My mom rose to the occasion after the divorce with my dad. Though she continued to have a great deal of unresolved anger towards him, and ongoing worries about paying the bills, plus other disruptions in her life, it seems it was perhaps the first real opportunity in that life t
5-4-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This WeekMonday, May 5th Community meeting with Director McLaren from 6-7:30 pm at the High Point Community Center.Tuesday, May 6thSpecial Education Advisory and Advocacy Council (SEEAC) Meeting starting at 6:30 pm at JSCEE in room 2700.Wednesday, May 7thSchool Board meeting starting at 4:15 pm.  Agenda- I see from the Personnel report that there is
5-4-14 Jersey Jazzman NJ Jammin' All Week
Jersey Jazzman: The One Thing You Must Remember During NJ's Testing SeasonTomorrow, the 2014 NJASK testing season continues as Grades 5 and 6 give up a week of instruction -- all so politicians can moan and charter schools can brag and teachers can be fired and tablets can be sold.It's all about the kids, dontcha know...Let me make my little contribution to the chaos: here are three graphs to keep
Louisiana’s Texbook Selection Shenanigans | Crazy Crawfish's Blog
Louisiana’s Texbook Selection Shenanigans | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: Crazy Crawfish's BlogZesty Louisiana Education PoliticsLouisiana’s Texbook Selection ShenanigansPosted on May 4, 20140I was recently contacted to investigate some the selection process used by LDOE to select their textbook vendors for the upcoming school year. I was informed that LDOE had chosen only a single vendor for Tier 1 stat
Nite Cap 5-4-14 #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 CAPCommon Core Tests: Educational Malpractice for Students with Special Needs | Teachers' Letters to Bill GatesCommon Core Tests: Educational Malpractice for Students with Special Needs | Teachers' Letters to Bill Gates: Common Core Tests: Education