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Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Poorly performing charter schools sue Ohio for trying to shut them down - Break News - Ohio

Poorly performing charter schools sue Ohio for trying to shut them down - Break News - Ohio:

Poorly performing charter schools sue Ohio for trying to shut them down




Two Northeast Ohio charter schools run by an out-of-state, for-profit company are suing the state for trying to shut them down, arguing that there are other charter schools performing worse.
The non-elected school boards overseeing Imagine Cleveland Academy and Imagine on Superior, a Canton elementary school enrolling about 140 children, have filed a civil suit in Franklin County against the Ohio Department of Education and its Office of School Sponsorship.
Two attorneys are named as filing the suit, one representing the school boards, and another representing the management company, Imagine Schools, in Arlington, Va.
The lawsuit alleges that the state had not given the charter schools ample time to respond to an “intent to close” letter issued on June 3. The notice permitted five days for the schools to provide a corrective action plan.
The lawsuit also says that the Imagine schools “are providing better educational opportunities than schools [the Ohio Department of Education and Office of School Sponsorship] are not seeking to close.”
When asked what lower performing charter schools the lawsuit might be referring to, Ohio Department of Education spokesman John Charlton said: “I don’t know.”
He did note that the Office of School Sponsorship made the decision to close the charter schools and that “they do operate somewhat independently” of the Ohio Department of Education.
The state-run sponsorship office assumed oversight of the Cleveland and Canton elementary charter schools this year after the Portage County Educational Service Center, their previous sponsor, closed.
Per Ohio law, the state picked up sponsorship for the center’s eight charter schools.
On state tests last year, Imagine on Superior performed worse than 87 percent of Ohio charter schools and Imagine Cleveland Academy scored lower than 75 percent. Each scored in the middle of the state’s charter schools on student growth, or how much a student learns in a year.
Inheriting the schools from another sponsor brought with it complications. The schools had contracts with management companies that could not be automatically broken, even if the academic performance was considered unacceptably low to the new sponsor. However, in the case of the two Imagine schools, the contracts expire June 30.
Charlton said the state followed Ohio law and the ongoing sponsorship agreements to determine that the “overall poor performance” at the schools merited closure.
The state also had moved to close two more of the eight charter schools — Villaview Community School and Cleveland Community School. Each has Poorly performing charter schools sue Ohio for trying to shut them down - Break News - Ohio:

A Bad Day for the RSD “Improvement” Narrative: The History of La. Graduation Rates | deutsch29

A Bad Day for the RSD “Improvement” Narrative: The History of La. Graduation Rates | deutsch29:

A Bad Day for the RSD “Improvement” Narrative: The History of La. Graduation Rates



jane kaczmarek


One of my all-time favorite sitcoms is Malcolm in the Middle, starring Jane Kaczmarek (“Lois”) and Bryan Cranston (“Hal”) as the no-nonsense and often crude parents of five sons. In one episode, Lois is ticketed for reckless driving involving cutting off another car as she enters a road. Lois insists that she was not in the wrong; however, the incident was caught on video, and it appears that Lois is indeed at fault.
One of her coworkers realizes that another surveillance camera caught the entire incident from a better angle. The video shows that it was Lois who was in the right and the car that she supposedly cut off made an illegal u-turn and actually cut off Lois.
The difference between partial information and the full story.
Unfortunately for Lois, her husband Hal is enjoying her more submissive attitude as she second guesses herself in general based upon her seeing the partial video account and now doubting her own perceptions.
Jane Kaczmarek as “Lois”
Hal destroys the video of the full account and intimidates Lois’ co-worker into keeping his mouth shut.
What results is a comical sketch based upon the idea that controlling access to complete and accurate information allows one to manipulate others.
Sounds like a lesson from Corporate Education Reform Marketing 101.
The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) hides information and releases delayed or partial information in an effort to keep the public ill-informed regarding the state of education in Louisiana and especially as concerns the now-all-charter Recovery School District (RSD) in New Orleans, which White and other well-A Bad Day for the RSD “Improvement” Narrative: The History of La. Graduation Rates | deutsch29:

Is the Common Core killing kindergarten? | Deborah Meier on Education

Is the Common Core killing kindergarten? | Deborah Meier on Education:

Is the Common Core killing kindergarten?

Read this article from the Boston Globe
By Chris Berdik   June 14, 2015
Last spring, Susan Sluyter quit teaching kindergarten in the Cambridge Public Schools. She’d spent nearly two decades in the classroom, and her departure wasn’t a happy one. In a resignation letter, Sluyter railed against a “disturbing era of testing and data” that had trickled down from the upper grades and was now assaulting kindergartners with a barrage of new academic demands that “smack of 1st or 2nd grade.” The school district did not respond to a request for comment.
But Sluyter’s complaints touched a national nerve. Her letter went viral, prompting scores of sympathetic comments by other frustrated teachers and parents. Sluyter’s letter was fresh evidence for groups of early-childhood educators who oppose the kindergarten expectations for math and English Language Arts, or ELA, set by the new Common Core, the academic benchmarks for K-12 that most states have adopted to Is the Common Core killing kindergarten? | Deborah Meier on Education:





Terrific Tuesday! Anti CCSS News | commoncorediva

Terrific Tuesday! Anti CCSS News | commoncorediva:

Terrific Tuesday! Anti CCSS News





Both the HR5 AND the HEA re-authorizations are being fast tracked!
Both the HR5 AND the HEA re-authorizations are being fast tracked!
Hi Anti CCSS Warriors, it’s been a whirlwind of busy times for the CC Diva, but have no fear, I’m back with anti Common Core news you can use!! I’m breaking from the my “From the Files” Tuesday to bring you important information. Please read on….
Fresh from the News:
The HR5, aka “Every Child Succeeds” Act (the most current name to the re-authorization of No Child Left Behind) is set to be back in front of our Congress members in the upcoming week. However, don’t stop there. The HEA, aka “Higher Education Act” re-authorization is ALSO being fast tracked. Why? Well for starters, BOTH are being re-written by the SAME pro CCSS/CTE Congress member. At least he’s heading up the re-write team. Sen. Alexander has a long track record of education reform that’s down right scary. Many anti CCSS warriors, myself included, have warned of his activity, some for a very long time, and others, more recent.
While the HR5 has gotten most of the spotlight due to the K-12th grade nature, please don’t overlook the post-secondary bill or think the CCSS/CTE moves begun in the HR5 will stop once your student graduates high school. Far from it, the purpose and intent is to CONTINUE the CCSS/CTE pipeline from one bill to the other! All the curriculum alignment, the assessments, and the data mining are locked in from PreK-20. But, stop to consider, what if I’m an older adult seeking to go back and earn a degree from a post-secondary school.. you’ll be in the pipeline too!
While I Was Away:
When I last posted it was a few days ago. Since then I’ve attended an out of state educational conference which catered to home educators. While Common Core wasn’t a main feature I did observe quite a bit of the CC in plain sight. Trouble was, not many Terrific Tuesday! Anti CCSS News | commoncorediva:

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 6/16/15



SPECIAL NITE CAP 

CORPORATE ED REFORM




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