Friday, March 20, 2015

46th District Seattle Democrats pass a resolution to support Nathan Hale High School teachers who do not administer the SBAC | Seattle Education

46th District Seattle Democrats pass a resolution to support Nathan Hale High School teachers who do not administer the SBAC | Seattle Education:

46th District Seattle Democrats pass a resolution to support Nathan Hale High School teachers who do not administer the SBAC

46th
This resolution is a highly shortened version of other legislative district resolutions but it does show support for the Nathan Hale teachers who choose not to administer the SBAC.
I have a feeling that the 46th will have wished they passed something stronger after the reaction of parents whose students go through the SBAC testing begin to surface.
At least Representative Gerry Pollett took a stab at it. One must give him credit because he was one of the state legislators who voted for the original Common Core Standards bill that was approved before the Common Core Standards had even been released.
Kudos to the 46th District voters who understood and appreciated the seriousness of what is happening in our schools. All but one member voted for the resolution. The person who voted against the resolution was Lisa Macfarlane of DFER. No surprise there.
And for the record, School Board Director Stephan Blanford, who lives in the 37th District, spoke rather in-eloquently against the resolution with some rather unbelievable mis-information. Not surprising given his financial backers. See the Post Script for more on his mis-representations.
To follow is the resolution:

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NJ, Pearson, and PARCC: Lies or ineptitude? | Bob Braun's Ledger

NJ, Pearson, and PARCC: Lies or ineptitude? | Bob Braun's Ledger:

NJ, Pearson, and PARCC: Lies or ineptitude?

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 A legal analyst for the New Jersey education department told a legislative committee the other day that Pearson, the multi-billion British corporation that produces the PARCC tests,  could protect its “intellectual property” rights in the test by searching out what students are posting about the test on social media sites. The only problem with what Patrician Morgan said it this: Pearson doesn’t own the tests or the test questions.

A few days earlier, The New York Times blog “Bits” reported that PARCC–a coalition of a dozen states that hired Pearson to develop the tests–had ordered Pearson to stop using a database of student information to search out the students. There is a problem with that, too–few, if any, people outside the PARCC coalition even knew Pearson, a private company, had access to such a database.
Someone is lying. Or obfuscating. And the pity is that, given how feckless the New Jersey Assembly Education Committee was the other day in drawing out information from the education department, most parents are left not knowing what was going on.
State Education Commissioner David Hespe, in a move of breathtaking cowardice, refused to show up to answer the committee’s questions. He had been asked to come to the meeting days before but somehow could not clear his calendar in time to address the uproar over the revelations in his site that Pearson was spying on the social media postings of New Jersey children. Pearson also didn’t show him. To plead a previous engagement was, pure and simple, a lie.
Instead, he sent a young lawyer, Patricia Morgan, who read from a script and then offered  to answer questions, although it was clear she knew very little about the NJ, Pearson, and PARCC: Lies or ineptitude? | Bob Braun's Ledger:
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Winner Of $1 Million Teaching Prize Has Some Depressing Thoughts About The State Of Education

Winner Of $1 Million Teaching Prize Has Some Depressing Thoughts About The State Of Education:
Winner Of $1 Million Teaching Prize Has Some Depressing Thoughts About The State Of Education



Nancie Atwell, who over the weekend won a $1 million award for her accomplishments in education, has been a teacher for more than four decades -- but she said she would not advise her students to go down the same career path.

After Atwell was awarded the first Global Teacher Prize from the Varkey Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to improving education for underprivileged students, she told The Associated Press that she feels "validated every day just by the experiences I have with children in the classroom."
However, in a subsequent interview with CNN, she said that she would not advise kids to become teachers.
"Honestly, right now, I encourage them to look in the private sector," she said during an appearance on "New Day." "Public school teachers are so constrained right now by the Common Core Standards and the tests that are developed to monitor what teachers are doing with them. It's a movement that's turned teachers into technicians, not reflective practitioners."
"If you're a creative, smart young person," she continued, "I don't think this is the time to go into teaching."
Depressing words -- especially coming from someone who has been in the field for 42 years.
The Common Core State Standards are a set of math and English standards that have been adopted in a majority of states in an effort to make sure students around the country are being held to the same learning benchmarks. In theory, Common Core issupposed to give teachers freedom over what is taught in their classrooms on a day-to-day basis. Some teachers, however, echo Atwell's complaints and say the standards actually limit them.
Atwell beat out 1,300 applicants from 127 countries to receive the prize, which the Varkey Foundation describes as the "Nobel Prize of teaching," Education Week reports. Atwell currently works at The Center for Teaching and Learning in Edgecomb, Maine, a school she founded in 1990. She has said that she plans to donateWinner Of $1 Million Teaching Prize Has Some Depressing Thoughts About The State Of Education:
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Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on All the Days Post 3/20/15


Special Nite Cap Catch Up on All the Days Post 3/19/15


Pearson Edition

Special Nite Cap 

CORPORATE ED REFORM



PARCC’s Lately-Published “Test Fairness and Security” Statement | deutsch29: PARCC’s Lately-Published “Test Fairness and Security” StatementUnder the heading, “Latest News,” the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) has posted a message entitled, Test Fairness and Security. Here is the document: Here is the text:Test Fairness and Security The PARCC states are comm
by mike simpson / 0min 
Until Pearson is investigated by the DOJ and the NSA, all “no laws broken” statements are hype | Reclaim Reform: Until Pearson is investigated by the DOJ and the NSA, all “no laws broken” statements are hypePosted on March 20, 2015by Ken PrevitiUntil a full investigation by the Department of Justice is completed, any “no law was broken” statements are political hype or mere conjecture. A foreign c
by mike simpson / 1h 
Arrogant Columnists Who Love High-Stakes Tests: Arrogant Columnists Who Love High-Stakes TestsMARCH 20, 2015 BY NANCY BAILEY 1 COMMENTI probably would have ignored a recent smug opinion piece by Beth Kassab in theOrlando Sentinel, who scoffs at parents who choose opting their children out of the tests. But another snotty write-up in a similar vein by Mike Thomas, from Jeb Bush’s Foundation of Exce
by mike simpson / 3h 
The #PinkGlitterStorm Challenge on Vimeo: The #PinkGlitterStorm Challenge on Vimeo The #PinkGlitterStorm Challenge from Antavia Hamilton on Vimeo. This is the launch video for the #pinkglitterstorm challenge! Ms. Hamilton invites you to spread the word about #Literacy #EdTech and #Education. Check out more information about her classroom fundraising project at gofundme.com/Ms-Hamilton-Cares.The #P
by mike simpson / 3h 
shine on productions - Defies Measurement:Defies Measurementa documentaryDefies Measurement strengthens the discussion about public education by taking a much-needed, fresh, hard look at why it is so important to address the social and emotional needs of every student, and what happens when the wrong people make decisions for schools.The purpose of this film is to inform and inspire discussion. In
by mike simpson / 7h 
Competing Visions: President Obama, House Budget Committee, Senate Budget Committee, and Congressional Progressive Caucus Release Budget Proposals for 2016: Competing Visions: President Obama, House Budget Committee, Senate Budget Committee, and Congressional Progressive Caucus Release Budget Proposals for 2016March 19, 2015 - Download PDF VersionNational Priorities Project examines how new budget
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Competing Visions: President Obama, House Budget Committee, Senate Budget CommitteeCompeting Visions: President Obama, House Budget Committee, Senate Budget Committee, and Congressional Progressive Caucus Release Budget Proposals for 2016 March 19, 2015 - Download PDF Version National Priorities Project examines how new budget proposals stack up against Americans' priorities. By Jasmine Tucker Public Opinion: What Do Americans Want? President Obama House Budget Committee Senate Budget Committee House Congressional Progressive Caucus Domestic Discretionary Funding (Education, energy and environment, housing, job training, etc.) Opinion polls suggest that domestic investment in areas such as infrastructure, climate change, the economy, and immigration are top priorities for Americans. Other polls show Americans would prefer to see higher tax revenue to fund these priorities. Provides an additional $37 billion for domestic investment above Budget Control Act spending levels…
Competing Visions: President Obama, House Budget Committee, Senate Budget Committee, and Congressional Progressive Caucus Release Budget Proposals for 2016: Competing Visions: President Obama, House Budget Committee, Senate Budget Committee, and Congressional Progressive Caucus Release Budget Proposals for 2016  March 19, 2015 - Download PDF VersionNational Priorities Project examines how new budg
by mike simpson / 9h 
Don’t Close Schools, Fix Schools! «Education Talk New Orleans Education Talk New Orleans: Don’t Close Schools, Fix Schools! For many years parents and special education advocates have alerted the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) of special education violations in the charter system in New Orleans. Years before the creation of the Recovery School District (RSD), I did the same with the Orle
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Student Privacy Debate Dominates Assembly Panel’s Meeting on PARCC Tests - NJ Spotlight: STUDENT PRIVACY DEBATE DOMINATES ASSEMBLY PANEL’S MEETING ON PARCC TESTSJOHN MOONEY | MARCH 20, 2015Lawmakers, education officials at loggerheads over monitoring of student postings on social mediaAudience members listen to debate over student privacy and PARCC during yesterday's Assembly education committee m
by mike simpson / 10h 
Badass Teachers Association: Between PARCC and a Hard PlaceOriginally posted on Buckeye BATs Blog Board  https://buckeyebats.wordpress.com/2015/03/18/between-parcc-and-a-hard-place/Torn. Emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually torn. At present, this is my frame of mind. The conscience wrestling is exhausting and draining me at every moment. It does not stop. An endless loop of guilt, pain, an
by mike simpson / 10h 
Schools Matter: Alliance corporate charters, teacher organizing, and moral imperatives: Alliance corporate charters, teacher organizing, and moral imperativesFirst published on solidaridad on March 19, 2015"The shady nature of Alliance's real estate dealings, their dismal SAT scores and CSU remediation rates, and their refusal to educate every child are all compelling… [a]llowing these privat
by mike simpson / 10h 
From Crenshaw to Hartsville: Race, Poverty, and Education Reform | the becoming radical:FROM CRENSHAW TO HARTSVILLE: RACE, POVERTY, AND EDUCATION REFORMIn order to avoid the existential hell known as I-85 where morning commuters creep along bug-like in a daily Kafkan nightmare, I take winding backroads through the Upstate of South Carolina to my university.Recently, I noticed a real estate sign ad
1 by mike simpson / 10h 
Bad Apples: One Company's Stranglehold on the American Education System | Common Dreams | Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community: Bad Apples: One Company's Stranglehold on the American Education System'The story of Pearson’s rise is very much a story about America’s obsession with education reform over the past few decades.'"Pearson has aggressive lobbyists, top-notch marketi
by mike simpson / 10h 
China Needs More Creativity - Bloomberg Business: China Needs More CreativityAs it shifts from being the world's factory to a source of innovationChinaPearson ChinaSuite 1208, Tower D,Beijing Global Trade Center36 North Third Ring Road EastDongcheng District, Beijing, 100013ChinaTel +86 10 5735 5000Fax +86 10 5825 7950www.pearsoned.com.cnwww.edexcelchina.com www.nyif.com.cnSina Weibo:http://weibo.
by mike simpson / 10h 
Schools Wait to See What Becomes of No Child Left Behind Law - NYTimes.com: Schools Wait to See What Becomes of No Child Left Behind Law CLEVELAND — Ginn Academy, the first and only public high school in Ohio just for boys, was conceived to help at-risk students make it through school — experimenting with small classes, a tough discipline code and life coaches around the clock.Its graduation rate
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California’s teacher shortage is becoming a crisis | The Sacramento Bee The Sacramento Bee: California’s teacher shortage is becoming a crisis It’s hard to imagine that after nearly six years of constant pressure on school districts to balance budgets through teacher layoffs, we could be talking about a serious teacher shortage.But here we are. As a report by the California Commission on Teacher C
1 by mike simpson / 11h 
Rahm's Accomplishments - Home: RAHM'S ACCOMPLISHMENTSFour years of Rahm's AchievementsChicago likes a tough mayor that gets things done.  Let's take a look at what Mayor Rahm Emanuel has done in his short tenure.  From finance and crime, to education and jobs, Rahm has touched every aspect of our city in less than four years.Finance & EthicsOf Emanuel’s top 106 contributors, 60 of them receive
1 by mike simpson / 12h 

Education Department does reboot for computer services deal - NY Daily News: Department of Education does an about-face, cancels firm's $637M contract to provide computer services to public schools In a startling reversal, the city’s Department of Education has canceled a $637 million contract it approved only a month ago for a private firm to provide computer services to all public schools, the D
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Special Nite Cap CORPORATE ED REFORMWhat is the Young Teachers Collective? | Young Teachers CollectiveWhat is the Young Teachers Collective? | Young Teachers Collective: What is the Young Teachers Collective?MARCH 19, 2015 / STEPHRRIVERAAs future and young teachers, we are constantly advised not to go into teaching. We are painted as apathetic and unaware of “what we’re getting ourselves into.” Th
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