Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, June 16, 2014

6-14-14 Jersey Jazzman The @starledger's Reformy Fantasyland

Jersey Jazzman:







The @starledger's Reformy Fantasyland
I really can't tell you how grateful I am to have Bob Braun blogging; for a while there, it felt like I was the only one who cared to point out that the Star-Ledger, Bob's former paper, was writing education editorials that were both massively ignorant and callously dismissive of the needs of children in New Jersey's cities.Bob's skewering of the Star-Ledger Editorial Board (SLEB) includes a histo








6-14-14 Jersey Jazzman NJ Ed News Round-up Jammin' All Week
Jersey Jazzman:Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All WeekMore Reformy Billionaires Wasting Money: Jersey City EditionLast week, I told the story of how New Jersey's reformiest billionaires, David Tepper and Alan Fournier, are planning on wasting at least $3 million on a "principals training" program in Jersey City run by SUPES, an unaccredited, for-profit group with a tainted past and questionable

AFT’s Randi Weingarten, Jonathan Pelto, Dan Malloy, Connecticut and the Fate of Public Education | Reclaim Reform

AFT’s Randi Weingarten, Jonathan Pelto, Dan Malloy, Connecticut and the Fate of Public Education | Reclaim Reform:



AFT’s Randi Weingarten, Jonathan Pelto, Dan Malloy, Connecticut and the Fate of Public Education

What happens to public education, real education minus the corporate reform movement which drains hundreds of millions of dollars from public education funds to pay private multinational corporations for insane levels of high stakes testing along with all the requisite expensive paraphernalia while leaving schools in need of basic necessities, when the majority Democratic Party legislators and governor promote draconian Tea Party cuts and the feeding of corporate bottom lines?
Well, first, all political opposition needs to be stonewalled. Silenced. Then the dismantling of decent public education can proceed undiminished.
Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy (D) in conjunction with buddies in the AFL-CIO won’t even permit opposition candidate Jonathan Pelto to speak to delegates at the annual endorsing convention.
“The Connecticut AFL-CIO will be holding their 10th Biennial Political Convention starting today at the Omni Hotel in New Haven.  Although Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley and Lieutenant Governor candidate, Penny Bacchiochi will be addressing delegates at 11:00 am today and Governor Dannel P. Malloy and his Democratic running mate, Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, will speak to delegates this afternoon, repeated requests by third party gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Pelto to speak to the delegates have gone unanswered and it appears that Pelto will not be allowed to address the union delegates who will be endorsing a gubernatorial candidate during the second day of the AFL-CIO convention tomorrow.”Pelto must be very strongly supported to be feared to the point of not allowing him to speak publicly at the convention.
Read the entire Wait… What? article HERE.
How much of a sell-out ,right-wing, corporate toadie has Malloy become? Read about his condemnation of public education as he seeks financial backing from the rightest of right-wing extremist wealth groups, the American Heritage Foundation.
“In his re-election campaign, Governor Malloy can count on the financial support of AFT’s Randi Weingarten, Jonathan Pelto, Dan Malloy, Connecticut and the Fate of Public Education | Reclaim Reform:

Those Nonsense Annual NCTQ Ratings Are Coming on June 17 | deutsch29

Those Nonsense Annual NCTQ Ratings Are Coming on June 17 | deutsch29:



Those Nonsense Annual NCTQ Ratings Are Coming on June 17

June 16, 2014



On June 17, 2014, the so-called National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) will unleash upon the world its ratings of teacher training programs.
Here is part of an announcement sent on June 9, 2014, to members of the press:
Washington, DC – On Tuesday, June 17, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) will release the highly anticipated 2014 Teacher Prep Review – an annual evaluation of the nation’s teacher preparation programs. This year’s Review will include an expanded and more comprehensive evaluation of teacher preparation programs, which, for the first time, are ranked numerically. [Emphasis added.]
Grade ‘em and rank ‘em, because we can.
NCTQ is well funded. Of course Gates money is in there, as is Broad Foundation money (big supporters of Teach for America and promoters of its own brand of nonaccredited superintendent via its superintendents academy) and Arnold Foundation money (also huge supporters of TFA).
Surely NCTQ is not biased by its funders (tongue in cheek).
In yet another advertisement, this one dated June 10, 2014, NCTQ states,
This year’s edition repeats our analysis of elementary, secondary, special ed undergrad and grad programs but includes 38% more institutions with full ratings on 836. [Emphasis added.]
For NCTQ, getting “full ratings” is tough since they are a non-accredited, self-appointed, antagonistic rater of traditional teacher training programs.
NCTQ “rates” teacher training programs based upon artifacts. An NCTQ rating does not require a site visit.
NCTQ even hires students and others to gather the superficial information upon which it bases its ratings.
Shallow as it is, NCTQ feels the need to branch out, as noted in that June 10th advertisement:
In addition to analyzing colleges and universities providing traditional teacher preparation, NCTQ rated–for the first time–secondary alternative certification providers.
Now this is going to be interesting since for years the NCTQ advisory board has Those Nonsense Annual NCTQ Ratings Are Coming on June 17 | deutsch29:

Adam Bessie: Retiring the "Bad Teacher" Boogeyman - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Adam Bessie: Retiring the "Bad Teacher" Boogeyman - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:



Adam Bessie: Retiring the "Bad Teacher" Boogeyman

Guest post by Adam Bessie. 


"I support our teachers, but my daughter was traumatized by an unfirable 1st grade teacher," so read a tweet I received after expressing concern that Vergara v. California decision - which declared K-12 teacher tenure unconstitutional for violating the civil rights of students - had nothing to do with civil rights, little to do with students, and everything to do with the continued efforts to privatize public education.  If you publically critiqued the Vergara verdict, you no doubt received a similar reply, which I've described by the following equation, dubbed VAM [Vergara Attack Method]:
Compliment of teachers in general ["I love teachers"]
-      [BUT] there are "bad teachers"
+  vague and/or extreme personal anecdote about "bad teacher"
=  you must be a "bad teacher" and hate children if you support tenure or any other rights for teachers.  Also, you are against civil rights, likely a socialist, and most definitely are destroying the economy.
Rhetorically, it's almost impossible to respond to VAM - Who can disagree that there are "bad teachers?"  Who wants a child to be subjected to such a horrible person? Who wants a child to be traumatized?   
VAM works especially well when coupled with civil rights rhetoric, as I wrote about in my last essay "A Tale of Two Vergaras: Of Stardom and Civil Rights".  Who could be against civil rights?  And so, in a masterful rhetorical twist, if you're for tenure, you're also against helping impoverished minority children - you're standing in the way of equality.  In more advanced versions of VAM, civil rights rhetoric is seamlessly connected with fixing the sagging economy as we see in an op-ed in USA Today claiming "There is no war on teachers." The author assures us that there is "no such war," and that if anything, the focus is on firing just a "very small minority of teachers" who are not just harming children, but according to his calculations, would actually fix our current financial crisis:
The gains according to historical economic patterns would be measured in trillions of dollars and would be sufficient to solve our national fiscal problems as well as the vexing income Adam Bessie: Retiring the "Bad Teacher" Boogeyman - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

Architecture 101 Summer Workshops for Kids | Seattle Education

Architecture 101 Summer Workshops for Kids | Seattle Education:



Architecture 101 Summer Workshops for Kids

Indoor playground in Tokyo.
Twice each year I yield to commercialism and post information about classes that I offer to kids and teens. It’s an introductory class to architecture. I provide a studio environment and interesting design challenges for the students. It’s a hands-on workshop where the students enjoy themselves, pick up new information on varied subjects, reinforce what they have learned in school and just generally have a good time.
There is space available in three of the workshops.
I also teach the subject of architecture through enrichment programs in elementary and middle schools and work with high school teachers who are focusing on subjects such as Geometry and History. I started teaching these classes when my daughter was in third grade and it was my turn to join her class and share with the students what an architect does. It was so much fun for me and the students that I was asked to continue teaching on a part time basis.
My educational background is a Bachelors of Science in Psychology and a Masters in Architecture. I have been practicing as an Architect for over 20 years and teaching for 12 years.
If you have a student who likes to draw and build things out of whatever they can get their hands on, this class is for them. If you have a student who is curious about the field of architecture and wants to know more, this is the opportunity for them to learn what Architecture 101 Summer Workshops for Kids | Seattle Education:

Make No Mistake About It: When You Attack Public Workers Unions, You Attack New York’s Black Middle Class By: Dr Mark Naison

Badass Teachers Association:



Make No Mistake About It: When You Attack Public Workers Unions, You Attack New York’s Black Middle Class
By: Dr Mark Naison

During my forty plus years as a scholar, teacher, coach and community organizer, I have had the opportunity to spend a great deal of time in the outer boroughs, not only in neighborhoods adjoining Manhattan, but in places where the Manhattan skyline sometimes looks like a distant universe. Whether it was through conducting oral histories, coaching basketball and baseball games, doing workshops in schools or advising community organizations on how to better reach neighborhood youth, I can say, with confidence that I am spent time in every single neighborhood in Brooklyn and the Bronx, and in large portions of Queens and Staten Island

When I visit these neighborhoods, I can’t help but take note of the age and quality of the housing stock, the variety of stores in local business district, the atmosphere in the streets, and the demographic distribution of the population, not only in terms of race, but occupation.

I have learned many things from these visits, but one of the things that leaps at me is the size of the City’s Black middle class and the its almost complete physical separation from the majority white upper class that sets the tone, and has the power in Michael Bloomberg’s New York.

There are three large cooperative housing developments in New York City that I visit regularly that are majority Black and majority middle class—Rochdale Village in Queens, Starrett City in Brooklyn, and Co-Op City in the Bronx. Located at the very outskirts of each borough, more than ten miles from Manhattan- they are self contained communities with their own shopping centers, schools and ball fields. While they are not without problems, and have only a small number of white families left, for the most part they are safe, well kept communities which are good places to raise families and which, though they are far from Manhattan have excellent shopping, decent public services, and vibrant churches and community organizations.

There is one other thing about these communities, other than their racial composition that distinguishes them from most Manhattan neighborhoods and that is where the people who live in them work. Overwhelmingly, the people in these communities are civil servants or people who work in health care. They are teachers, transit workers, police officers, prison guards, nurses and nurses aids, bus drivers, and clerks and administrators in city agencies. Literally, they are the people who make New York City run.

 And almost all of them are members of unions- the UFT, the PBA, the Transport Workers Union, DC 37, Local 1199. The people here – the older generation- are the ones who unionizedBadass Teachers Association:

Why Does it Seem Like It’s the Same Few Parents Fighting for Philly’s Schools? | Philly in Focus

Why Does it Seem Like It’s the Same Few Parents Fighting for Philly’s Schools? | Philly in Focus:



Why Does it Seem Like It’s the Same Few Parents Fighting for Philly’s Schools?

PHILLYACTIVE™ (NEWS THAT GETS PHILLY ACTIVE) Active parent Felicia Roche, distressed by Philly’s education crisis, urges her peers to get involved in the fight for fairness.








 By Felicia Roche

 (Video features activist Helen Gym)

6.16.14: Philadelphia – (Education): I had the unfortunate opportunity recently to “vent” to one of my child’s teachers and other staff members.  My daughter attends one of the top middle schools in the Philadelphia School District, and after an entire school year of built up frustration and trying my best to politely voice my concerns, I finally did what most would refer to as “telling them off.”
This is something I try to avoid doing because I never want to look like the “angry black woman” to a staff of mostly white teachers.  Throughout the year I was consistently challenged by circumstances in which I knew had I not advocated for my child, she would have suffered academic injustices. Other situations involved me speaking up for all the students when they were being mistreated. I struggled with what, when and how I should say something to the staff; should I communicate my concerns through email, phone, or a face-to-face meetings?
Although I never let it silence me, I’ve always feared being viewed as the nagging, crazy or over involved parent. We’ve all seen them: the parent that comes up to the school yelling, cursing and ready to fight. These parents come to the school often infuriated and ready for war. Many think the parent’s complaints are ridiculous.
In most cases it’s the same parents every time! Are these parents irrational? Surely, they must be, since they are the ONLY ones that always have something to complain about. I wondered this about myself recently: am I being crazy? Am I asking for too much? Why are only a few of us making complaints or questioning staff?

CLICK HERE to read "Meet the Grandma Who Geared Up to Fight for Philly's Schools."

CLICK HERE to read “Meet the Grandma Who Geared Up to Fight for Philly’s Schools.”

When the same three or four parents are consistently making complaints or questioning things that are happening at their child school, staff and administration tend to look at them as just that: the complainers. But I have found that if those parents express their concerns to their peers more often than not they’re able to agree on the concerns they have about their kid’s education. I myself have had parents come to me and say they feel the same way I do about Why Does it Seem Like It’s the Same Few Parents Fighting for Philly’s Schools? | Philly in Focus:

Gülen Gang Schools in Mosul evacuated 3 days before ISIL invasion,

Madness and masochism of the Turkish regime: Gülen Gang Schools in Mosul evacuated 3 days before ISIL invasion, while Iraqi politicians Usama al-Nujayfi and Tariq al-Hashimi (USA and AKP government ally) called a ‘Revolution’ the foreign terroristic operations | the real SyrianFreePress network:



Madness and masochism of the Turkish regime: Gülen Gang Schools in Mosul evacuated 3 days before ISIL invasion, while Iraqi politicians Usama al-Nujayfi and Tariq al-Hashimi (USA and AKP government ally) called a ‘Revolution’ the foreign terroristic operations







 Gülen-Gang-Schools-Evacuate-Mosul-Three-Days-Before-Invasion-08941.gülenschool

Gülen Gang Schools Evacuate Mosul Three Days Before Invasion

Gülen Gang Schools have reportedly abandoned Mosul three days before the ISIS invasion.
Turkish Kanal TV Executive Editor Süleyman Sarılar tweeted that the schools belonging to Gülen Gang in Mosul, Iraq were evacuated 3 days before the attacks by the ISIS.
Here are his tweets regarding the issue:
“We should have known that Mosul’s invasion was coming. Fethullah Gülen’s schools were evacuated 3 days before. But, it is like Turkish Embassy was waiting for the invasion.”
“Even Gülen Gang foresees what will happen. The embassy cannot. Is there no intelligence at all?”
AKP’s-Ally-AlHashimi-Called-Mosul’s-Invasion-A-Revolution-11096.akp’s-ally-alnujayfi-called-mosul’s-invasion-a-revolution-00158.isismosul2

AKP’s Ally al-Hashimi Called Mosul’s Invasion a Revolution

The al-Nujayfi family, reportedly linked to the AKP government, has justified the invasion of Mosul by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Iraqi politicians Usama al-Nujayfi and Tariq al-Hashimi, also known for being close to the USA and AKP government, have allegedly opened the Mosul border gate to the militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
The governor of Ninewa state where Mosul province located, Atheel al-Nujayfi, is the brother of Usama al-Nujayfi who had a meeting with the Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu.
The al-Nujayfi family, being close to the AKP government, has condoned the invasion of Mosul by ISIS, while Tariq al-Hashami, Iraq’s fugitive vice-president currently living in a villa provided by the AKP in Turkey, commented on the Mosul invasion by Islamist fundamentalists as a revolution.
Governor Atheel al-Nujayfi sent a memorandum to all state departments on the 6 June ordering the destruction of all the documents bearing his signature, telling them to also not resist ISIS militants, and prohibiting mobile phones in offices.
The editor-in-chief of the Turkish branch of the Moroccan Biladi TV, Cevat Gök, claimed that ISIS was not alone in the gradual invasion of Iraq.
“Major Sunni tribes, in particular Naksibendi, support ISIS. They paved the way for ISIS so that they can invade Mosul easily. ISIS is just the tip of the iceberg.” stated Gök.
Gök also pointed out the claim that the main goal of the ISIS is to conquer Baghdad as the army withdraws.
He went on to say: “ISIS is the new neighbour now that it seized a big portion of oil fields, including the ones from which Turkey imports oil.”

Nite Cap 6-16-14 #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




Have Elevator, Will Elevate (the Teaching Profession) | EduShyster
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DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Making "Tenure" a Bad Word Helped Steal "Due Process!"
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How many bad teachers are there? | Hechinger Report
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Morning Wink 6-16-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
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6-16-14 Perdido Street School Week
Perdido Street School: De Blasio Finally Gets Some Profession Public Relations HelpFrom State of Politics:by reality-based edu... / 1h hide  //  saveEva Moskowitz Plans To Double Success Academies Network In Size In The Next Few YearsFrom the NY Times:The network, the Success Academy, said that it was submitting applications to the state to open schools in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens
Louisiana Educator: New Educational Series on Recovery District
Louisiana Educator: New Educational Series on Recovery District: New Educational Series on Recovery District A Perfect Storm: The Takeover of New Orleans Public Schools Part One 17 Days in November from N.O. Education Equity Roundtable on Vimeo.The New Orleans Equity Roundtable has produced a series of short videos that tell the true story about the takeover of public schools in New Orleans by the
Teacher tenure ruling energizes race for state school chief :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet
Teacher tenure ruling energizes race for state school chief :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: JUNE 16, 2014Teacher tenure ruling energizes race for state school chiefby Tom Chorneau(Calif.) Last week’s decision that invalidated the state’s teacher tenure law sent proponents on both sides scrambling to prepare for the appeals process and to do
David Berliner—Witness in Vergara Courtroom—Denies He Called Any Teachers “Grossly Ineffective” | janresseger
David Berliner—Witness in Vergara Courtroom—Denies He Called Any Teachers “Grossly Ineffective” | janresseger: David Berliner—Witness in Vergara Courtroom—Denies He Called Any Teachers “Grossly Ineffective”Posted on June 16, 2014 by janressegerLast week I blogged on the California teacher tenure decision in Vergara v. California. I concluded overall that, “The Vergara attorneys sought to portray t
Did Cami lose–or is she just lying again? | Bob Braun's Ledger
Did Cami lose–or is she just lying again? | Bob Braun's Ledger: Did Cami lose–or is she just lying again?Cami Anderson: Beaten–or just lying?Cami Anderson, the state-imposed Newark school superintendent,  can be beaten and already has lost a major battle in her drive to privatize Newark schools to help her friends in the charter school industry. That’s what parent leaders at the Hawthorne Avenue s
NYC Educator: Teacher Season Begins Nationwide
NYC Educator: Teacher Season Begins Nationwide: Teacher Season Begins NationwideIn the wake of Vergara, corporate reformers are smelling blood in the water, and see this as the time to pounce. How else would you explain the sudden return of education expert Campbell Brown to the tabloids, and the banner article on the cover of yesterday's Post? (I'm not linking to it.)The recipe is quite simple. T
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Billionaire Griffin's influence will be felt no matter who wins the election
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Billionaire Griffin's influence will be felt no matter who wins the election: Billionaire Griffin's influence will be felt no matter who wins the electionChicago MagazineThe Billionaire Boys Club is flexing it's electoral political muscles again in Illinois. The Sun-Times reports that Citadel hedge-fund CEO Ken Griffinhas kicked in a tidy $2.5 million to fellow

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6-15-14 Schools Matter: NYT Finally Gets another Education Reporter who Gets It
Schools Matter: NYT Finally Gets another Education Reporter who Gets It: NYT Finally Gets another Education Reporter who Gets ItCommon Core, in 9-Year-Old EyesBy JAVIER C. HERNÁNDEZJUNE 14, 2014On that April day, Chrispin was determined. As one of the smallest children in the fourth grade, he had grown accustomed to being underestimated. With the right luck, he thought, he would earn high marks wh
6-15-14 Ed Notes Online Week
Ed Notes Online: MORE, Change the Stakes Sponsor Jose Vilson Book Conversation in InwoodThis Is Not a Test: A New Narrative on Race, Class, and Education with Jose VilsonWed. June 18 * 5-7pm * Inwood Local Beer Garden * 4957 BroadwayRSVP on Facebook.Join a discussion with Jose Vilson on the joys and burdens of today’s education system, celebrating the release of his first book, This Is Not a Test,
Success Academy Charter Schools Force Mayor Bill de Blasio to Confront New Law - NYTimes.com
Success Academy Charter Schools Force Mayor Bill de Blasio to Confront New Law - NYTimes.com: Success Academy’s Expansion Plans Put de Blasio in a Tough SpotSuccess Academy Charter Schools Force Mayor Bill de Blasio to Confront New LawA charter school network’s plan to double in size over the next few years could reignite a war over classroom space in New York City, only this time with the ground
Arne Duncan issues new statement with the ‘right lessons’ from Vergara trial - The Washington Post
Arne Duncan issues new statement with the ‘right lessons’ from Vergara trial - The Washington Post: Arne Duncan issues new statement with the ‘right lessons’ from Vergara trialIn case you weren’t sure what to think about last week’s verdict in the “Vergara trial” — in which a Los Angeles court judge tossed out state statutes giving job protections to teachers — Education Secretary Arne Duncan issu
Father's Day As A Healing Day - The Jose Vilson
Father's Day As A Healing Day - The Jose Vilson: Father’s Day As A Healing Dayby JOSE VILSON on JUNE 15, 2014in JOSEIt’s weird.With the World Cup in Brazil going and Father’s Day happening all around me (and for me), I’m reminded how, once or twice a year, I’d spend hours watching my father watch soccer in my grandmother’s (his mother’s) house in Brooklyn. I didn’t get why it was so exciting, espe
empathyeducates – Will California’s Ruling Against Teacher Tenure Change Schools?
empathyeducates – Will California’s Ruling Against Teacher Tenure Change Schools?: Will California’s Ruling Against Teacher Tenure Change Schools?Photograph Credit; Steven Depolo/FlickrBy Dana Goldstein | Originally Published at The Atlantic. June 11, 2014A judge said the state discriminates against poor and minority students by protecting the jobs of ineffective instructors. What will this mean f
Universal (for profit) Pre-K, DFER and the suits | Seattle Education
Universal (for profit) Pre-K, DFER and the suits | Seattle Education: Universal (for profit) Pre-K, DFER and the suitsFirst, a bit of background about my family and why I am concerned about preschool and what “Universal pre-K” really means.As I have mentioned before, my family is African American. My mother grew up in South Carolina in the early 1900′s with four siblings, a mother who was a music
Nite Cap 6-15-14 #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 CAPThe Key to Ensuring Unconstitutionality-Strict Scrutiny A Key That Doesn't Fit in the Vergara Case By Kathleen Carroll - Perdaily.comThe Key to Ensuring Unconstitutionality-Strict Scrutiny A Key That Doesn't Fit in the Vergara Case By Kathleen Ca