Just when you thought you had enough, the Seattle Public School district bought another standardized test, Amplify | Seattle Education

Just when you thought you had enough, the Seattle Public School district bought another standardized test, Amplify | Seattle Education:

Just when you thought you had enough, the Seattle Public School district bought another standardized test, Amplify

Created and funded by the Gates and Carnegie Foundations with $100 million, inBloom Inc. was designed to collect a maximum amount of confidential and personally identifiable student and teacher data from school districts and states throughout the country. This information — including student names, addresses, grades, test scores, economic, race, special education status, disciplinary status and more — was to be stored on a data cloud run by Amazon.com, with an operating system by Wireless/Amplify, a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation. InBloom Inc. planned to share this highly sensitive information with software companies and other for-profit vendors.

Leonie Haimson, InBloom and the need to protect student privacy

Just when you thought you had enough, the district is spending more money on more standardized tests. The Seattle Public School district wants to buy Amplify’s mClass Beacon to implement it district-wide in 2016. It is to be administered at the end of the school year but because of the testing that is already set into place, there is no time for students to take it in May or June so it will be given in February.

The cost of the pilot program implemented in 50 schools in 2014 came just under $250k. That is under the $250,000 threshold required for approval by the Seattle school board. Coincidence? I think not. This was the same tactic used when folks at the Stanford Center decided we needed more of the MAP test. The school board and public were not given the opportunity to discuss, debate or vote on either battery of tests.

Now the district wants to implement Amplify across the district at an estimated cost of $433,160.

Unfortunately there are those at the Stanford Center who have different agendas from that of the public’s best interest, but more on that later.

I asked Leonie Haimson with NPE, who is a founding member of Parents Across America and who also founded Class Size Matters, recently about Amplify. It was to be a part of a data collection and sharing system in New York State called in-Bloom until parents pressured the state to pull out of the agreement.

In Leonie Haimson’s post InBloom and the need to protect student privacy:

The backers of inBloom pitched the project as an effort to help students by providing more personalized learning tools, yet there are no proven benefits to online learning and there are huge risks involved in commercializing this data and storing it on a Just when you thought you had enough, the Seattle Public School district bought another standardized test, Amplify | Seattle Education:

The CPS No-Bid Investigation Spreads to CPEF, Once Chaired By Bruce Rauner | Chicago magazine | Felsenthal Files April 2015

The CPS No-Bid Investigation Spreads to CPEF, Once Chaired By Bruce Rauner | Chicago magazine | Felsenthal Files April 2015:

The CPS No-Bid Investigation Spreads to CPEF, Once Chaired By Bruce Rauner

The principal-training consultants who received the $20 million contract, the focus of a federal investigation, got seed funding from the Chicago Public Education Fund—whose board is a who’s-who of Chicago power brokers.

Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett is facing scrutiny for a $20.5 million contracted awarded to SUPES Academy, which previously received money from the Chicago Public Education Fund.

When I was writing a profile of Bruce Rauner last summer, his friends and admirers gushed over his dedication to creating and nurturing charters and improving Chicago Public Schools. CPEF—the Chicago Public Education Fund—came up time again as the nonprofit that allowed Rauner, who joined CPEF’s board in 2001, served as CPEF chairman, and is now an emeritus member, to pursue his passion for education reform. CPEF board member Susan Crown told me that the future governor was “incredibly dedicated to CPEF. Put everything he had into it.”

Now CPEF has been drawn into the latest CPS controversy—one that goes straight to the top.

The focus in early reporting from the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times was on Rahm Emanuel-appointed CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett, who is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s office regarding a no-bid $20.5 million contract awarded in June 2013 to a Wilmette-based for-profit company called SUPES Academy. Hardly a household name, SUPES was hired to provide training to CPS principals.

What made the story so damaging to “B-Three,” as Rahm calls Byrd-Bennett, is that until she joined CPS as a coach and a consultant in 2012, quickly becoming CPS’s Chief Education Officer and then CEO, BBB had worked for SUPES. According to Sarah Karp, who writes for Catalyst, an education watchdog, BBB was still listed as working as a senior associate for a superintendent search firm called PROACT Search—with the same ownership as SUPES—four months after joining CPS. (BBB denied at the time that she had ever workeded for PROACT.)

Why fund an obscure for-profit firm when the city is so rich in universities, several of which have programs to train principals?

Issued so far are subpoenas for grand jury appearances to aides close to BBB—three of whom she had worked with previously in other cities and brought to Chicago for six-figure jobs—seeking records pertaining to “financial benefits, gifts, honoraria, meals and reimbursements” from SUPES.

Over the last few days came reports that CPEF—its board loaded with wealthy friends and donors to both Rahm Emanuel and Rauner, and also with advocates of charter schools and Teach For America, both targets of the Chicago Teachers Union—was also in the headlights. The feds demanded CPS records pertaining to CPEF, which according to the Tribunehad provided the “seed money” to “launch” the SUPES training program for principals, called  Chicago Executive Leadership Academy (CELA).

Were there better options than SUPES?

Why CPEF funded SUPES is, at this point, anyone’s guess. True, one of CPEF’s published goals is to create better principals through training. “Everyone [at CPEF],” Susan Crown told me, “is interested in quality principals and how to get better leadership.” CPEF’s website describes its goal as “build[ing] a critical mass of great public schools in Chicago by investing in talented principals.”

But there should have been some warning flags about SUPES, not only BBB’s prior relationship with the company (which was no secret) but also the background of one of the company’s owners, Gary Solomon. A former dean and teacher at Niles West, Solomon, the Tribune reported in 2001, accepted a settlement with Niles Township High School District 219 after being “accused of sending sexually explicit e-mail messages to female students before he left his position in 1999.” The $50,000 settlement included the stipulation that Solomon could never again work in the District.

Solomon aside—he denied the allegations and was never criminally charged—why fund an obscure for-profit firm when the city is so rich in universities, several of which have programs to train principals?

Had anyone at CPS or CPEF ever heard of the University of Illinois or the University of Chicago? Catalyst’s Sarah Karp quotes UIC professor Steven The CPS No-Bid Investigation Spreads to CPEF, Once Chaired By Bruce Rauner | Chicago magazine | Felsenthal Files April 2015:

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 5/10/15

Special Nite Cap 

CORPORATE ED REFORM

CURMUDGUCATION: Is the Right Splintering on Testing?

CURMUDGUCATION: Is the Right Splintering on Testing?: Is the Right Splintering on Testing?Last week both Rick Hess (American Enterprise Institute) and Robert Pondiscio (Fordham) turned up in the pages of US News, each to post his own response to the opt out movement. Since both of these guys come from the Fordham-AEI-Stanford axis of market-based reformsterism, it's interesting to note that they s

by mike simpson / 0min 

Charter school politics may change with Santa Clara County school board appointment - San Jose Mercury News

Charter school politics may change with Santa Clara County school board appointment - San Jose Mercury News: Charter school politics may change with Santa Clara County school board appointmentIn an apparent victory for teachers unions and a setback for charter schools, the Santa Clara County Board of Education has filled a vacancy on its board -- setting the stage for a possibly dramatic change in

by mike simpson / 3min 

A Child's First Teacher | The Jose Vilson

A Child's First Teacher | The Jose Vilson: A Child’s First Teacher [Today’s special guest is Anthony Mullen, 2009 Teacher of the Year and awesome writer. Feel free to tell us what you think about his post in the comments below.]Spring is in the air and I am surrounded by death. The countless small white headstones seem so clean, neat, tidy – each a small but insignificant reminder that a person on

by mike simpson / 6min 

Will anything convince Connecticut’s teacher unions to join the Common Core Opt-Out Movement? - Wait What?

Will anything convince Connecticut’s teacher unions to join the Common Core Opt-Out Movement? - Wait What?: Will anything convince Connecticut’s teacher unions to join the Common Core Opt-Out Movement?All across the nation, teacher unions at the state and local level are joining parents, students and teachers in an unprecedented uprising against the massive unfair, inappropriate and discriminatory

by mike simpson / 9min 

With A Brooklyn Accent: The Seven Deadly Sins of Educational "Reform"- A Buffalo Story by Publius

With A Brooklyn Accent: The Seven Deadly Sins of Educational "Reform"- A Buffalo Story by Publius: The Seven Deadly Sins of Educational "Reform"- A Buffalo Story by PubliusThe Seven Deadly Sins (+1) of Educational “Reform” St. Bonaventure is a small, sleepy Franciscan catholic university in Olean, NY. Located among the gently rolling hills of the Allegheny Mountains. There is n

1 by mike simpson / 2h 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: I'm not 'anti-charter' but I am anti-this...

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: I'm not 'anti-charter' but I am anti-this...: I'm not 'anti-charter' but I am anti-this... Mavericks charter founder Frank Biden, brother of V.P. Joe Biden."I give you my word of honor on my family name that this system is sustainable.”"I'm very proud of what we're doing." We're on a  mission from God."  --  Frank BidenAs I have pointed out many t

1 by mike simpson / 3h 

The Circle of Courage – Native American Model of Education | Creative by Nature

The Circle of Courage – Native American Model of Education | Creative by Nature: The Circle of Courage – Native American Model of EducationPosted on February 18, 2015by Christopher Chase“Anthropologists have long known that Native Americans reared courageous, respectful children without using harsh coercive controls. Nevertheless, Europeans colonizing North America tried to “civilize” indigenous c

2 by mike simpson / 7h 

MOMS and dads: teachers “in loco parentis” | Reclaim Reform

MOMS and dads: teachers “in loco parentis” | Reclaim Reform: MOMS and dads: teachers “in loco parentis”Posted on May 10, 2015by Ken PrevitiOn Mother’s Day it seems right to celebrate all MOMS – biological, adoptive, guardians, step-mothers, grandmothers, etc.Since the vast majority of teachers are women, and since all teachers are, by law, “in loco parentis” (Latin – meaning “in place of the paren

2 by mike simpson / 8h 

Education “reform’s” big lie: The real reason the right has declared war on our public schools - Salon.com

Education “reform’s” big lie: The real reason the right has declared war on our public schools - Salon.com: Education “reform’s” big lie: The real reason the right has declared war on our public schoolsPro-business conservatives see U.S. public education budgets as pots of gold to be mined for private gainCampbell Brown, Arne Duncan, Michelle Rhee (Credit: AP/Reuters/Jacquelyn Martin/Larry Downing

20 by mike simpson / 8h 

Boycotters Might Be Winning the Battle Over Standardized Testing | TakePart

Boycotters Might Be Winning the Battle Over Standardized Testing | TakePart: Boycotters Might Be Winning the Battle Over Standardized TestingThanks to pressure from parents and activists, a growing number of school districts and state boards of education are putting the brakes on new high-stakes exams.In Chicago, home to the nation’s third-largest school system, the city superintendent has decided

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

“I’ve Got Ants in My Pants and I Need to Dance” - Students Need Physical Education

Students Need Physical Education: “I’ve Got Ants in My Pants and I Need to Dance”Students Need Physical Activity to ExcelNothing gets me angrier or more upset than hearing that students in the Bronx, and other high needs communities, have almost no access to physical activity during their school day, both because they lack gym access and school teams, and because schools are now now using recess a

2 by mike simpson / 9h 

Quality of So-Called “Education” Journalism Actually Low | the becoming radical

Quality of So-Called “Education” Journalism Actually Low | the becoming radical: QUALITY OF SO-CALLED “EDUCATION” JOURNALISM ACTUALLY LOW In both my May Experience course on education documentaries and my foundations in education course, we view and discuss the 2008 HBO documentary Hard Times at Douglass High:Shot in classic cinema verité style, the film captures the complex realities of life at D

1 by mike simpson / 10h 

Serving Moms of Students with Special Needs in Public Schools

Serving Moms of Students with Special Needs in Public Schools: Serving Moms of Students with Special Needs in Public SchoolsMAY 10, 2015 BY NANCY BAILEY LEAVE A COMMENTThis Mother’s Day I thought I’d direct my attention to moms who have students with special needs, and ask, “How could public schools do a better job of helping them out?” Of course this relates to dads too, but usually moms are more

1 by mike simpson / 10h 

NC Bill Could Send Teachers to Jail For Wearing a Red Shirt | Women AdvaNCe

NC Bill Could Send Teachers to Jail For Wearing a Red Shirt | Women AdvaNCe: NC Bill Could Send Teachers to Jail For Wearing a Red ShirtThis article referred to a previous version of this bill, which would have made political activity a misdemeanor. The current bill still includes the misdemeanor language, but applies it to a different situation. Ann McColl, an education law attorney and writer fo

by mike simpson / 10h 

Charter Scam Week 2015 | The Progressive

Charter Scam Week 2015 | The Progressive: Charter Scam Week 2015It’s Charter Scam Week again—time for the annual corporate Charter School Week P.R. campaign. Time to point out how that charter advocacy has revealed itself in the following ways:Charter advocacy cannot be about improving student achievement since charter schools consistently have a range of outcomes similar to public schools.Charter

3 by mike simpson / 10h 

Schools Matter: Rhee and former Union Chief in Memphis to Sell Charters

Schools Matter: Rhee and former Union Chief in Memphis to Sell Charters: Rhee and former Union Chief in Memphis to Sell ChartersAs I noted in 2011, "after DC voters last year repudiated Fenty and Rhee, one of the first actions by DC teachers was to replace the scheming, ineffectual, and bought union president, George Parker, who had sold out and signed on to the contract crafted by Weingarten

3 by mike simpson / 10h 

Wildly varying teacher salaries part of state budget debate | The Seattle Times

Wildly varying teacher salaries part of state budget debate | The Seattle Times: Wildly varying teacher salaries part of state budget debate When it comes to adequately funding Washington’s public schools, the state Supreme Court says teacher pay is key.In the landmark McCleary case that’s at the center of budget negotiations in Olympia this year, the justices ruled that the state doesn’t give sch

1 by mike simpson / 11h 

Joseph Rogan: How should teachers prepare themselves? - Times Leader - timesleader.com

Joseph Rogan: How should teachers prepare themselves? - Times Leader - timesleader.com: Joseph Rogan: How should teachers prepare themselves?Teachers have become somewhat of a punching bag for politicians who unfairly paint us as selfish and ineffective – or even worse. It started with President Ronald Reagan who claimed government is bad. Teachers work for governments, so teachers are guilty by a

by mike simpson / 11h 

The Ohio Charter School Accountability Project

News & Analysis - The Ohio Charter School Accountability Project:  Charter SchoolGrade State FundingPer Student % Spentin Classroom Avg. TeacherExperience $ Transferredfrom District Electronic Classroom Of TomorrowD$6,81989.4 %8 yrs.$6,931,125Northeast Ohio College Preparatory SchoolC$8,21786.0 %3 yrs.$3,915,831Harvard Avenue Community SchoolD$7,20780.8 %5 yrs.$3,424,139Ohio Virtual AcademyC$6

4 by mike simpson / 11h hide  //  save

YESTERDAY

The Big Lie: No money for children, the elderly, the disabled, our infrastructure. | Reclaim Reform

The Big Lie: No money for children, the elderly, the disabled, our infrastructure. | Reclaim Reform: The Big Lie: No money for children, the elderly, the disabled, our infrastructure.Posted on May 9, 2015by Ken PrevitiNine corporations get to keep the state income taxes paid by all of their employees. No money for children, the elderly, the disabled, our infrastructure?Yes. Nine of the largest cor

1 by mike simpson / 22h 

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 5/9/15

Special Nite Cap CORPORATE ED REFORMMichelle Rhee, ed choice advocates gather at MeharryMichelle Rhee, ed choice advocates gather at Meharry: Michelle Rhee, ed choice advocates gather at MeharryA list of big-name pro-choice education advocates gathered Saturday as part of the Stand Up Organization’s seminar in Nashville to call for better outcomes for black students.The overriding message was that

2 by mike simpson / 23h