Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 7/19/15

SPECIAL NITE CAP 

CORPORATE ED REFORM

The Senate Debate on Lee’s Opt Out Amendment | deutsch29

The Senate Debate on Lee’s Opt Out Amendment | deutsch29: The Senate Debate on Lee’s Opt Out AmendmentIn the House version of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, the Student Success Act (SSA), parental opt-out is written into the legislation, bypassing any state positions on the issue:(2) ACADEMIC ASSESSMENTS.—(B) REQUIREMENTS.—Such assessments shall—‘

by mike simpson / 2min 

What will local control in Newark look like? | Bob Braun's Ledger

What will local control in Newark look like? | Bob Braun's Ledger: What will local control in Newark look like?A veteran Newark teacher who knows she will be brought up on tenure charges when she returns to school in the fall writes she was “heartbroken” by events in Newark because it appears nothing much will change for teachers who spent their careers in the city and face dismissal or “rubber ro

by mike simpson / 5min 

We Shall Overcome…Our Lack of Standardized Tests!?

Fight for Standarded Testing: We Shall Overcome…Our Lack of Standardized Tests!?Civil Rights groups have long championed the needs of people of color, women and minorities.Segregated schools, voting rights, police brutality – all of these have been the subject of long and brutal fights for equality.Perhaps the strangest turn in 2015 has been the fight for standardized testing.Organizations that yo

by mike simpson / 6h 

How Clinton, Sanders, O’Malley answer union’s questions about education - The Washington Post

How Clinton, Sanders, O’Malley answer union’s questions about education - The Washington Post: How Clinton, Sanders, O’Malley answer union’s questions about education Sen. Bernie Sanders of VermontToday, almost 50 million students attend our nation’s public schools. Along with their parents, communities, teachers, paraprofessionals and other school employees, these students have been forced to liv

by mike simpson / 6h 

Support for Sanders Grows in Unions | Labor Notes

Support for Sanders Grows in Unions | Labor Notes: Support for Sanders Grows in UnionsBernie Sanders’ campaign for president is drawing impressive crowds to rallies across the country—from 7,500 in Burlington, Vermont, to 300 in Birmingham, Alabama.And it’s no wonder that many union members are part of this groundswell of support, or that he’s already won endorsements from a number of locals and s

by mike simpson / 6h 

CURMUDGUCATION: The L Word

CURMUDGUCATION: The L Word: The L WordWe talk about teaching as an act of pedagogy or inquiry or coaching or guidance. We talk about data and programs and techniques and the words of experts to the point that we can, at times, sound like mechanics talking about how to work on cars. And there are plenty of people who want to talk about teaching as if it's a science, a series of data-driven stimuli

by mike simpson / 8h 

Bill and Melinda Gates’s Pillow Talk - The New York Times

Bill and Melinda Gates’s Pillow Talk - The New York Times: Bill and Melinda Gates’s Pillow TalkWHAT do Bill and Melinda Gates argue about?Not whose turn it is to wash the dishes or take out the garbage, it seems, but headier stuff. The prospects for eradicating polio. The utility of empowering women. The best ways to save lives.Oh, and maybe how much to acknowledge to a prying columnist that they

by mike simpson / 9h 

Common Core in place regardless of rhetoric - Opinion - The Times-Tribune

Common Core in place regardless of rhetoric - Opinion - The Times-Tribune: Common Core in place regardless of rhetoricAs we prepare to start a new academic year, the specter of a new presidential campaign season looms. Its issues are numerous, but one that just about all candidates have addressed is the future of Common Core.Common Core identifies what students should learn about reading and mathe

by mike simpson / 9h 

Diverse Challenges: Charter Schools Look at How They Reflect Community's Population | TheLedger.com

Diverse Challenges: Charter Schools Look at How They Reflect Community's Population | TheLedger.com: Diverse Challenges: Charter Schools Look at How They Reflect Community's PopulationThis graphic shows the ethnic diversity in Polk County's population as a whole. the circular pies are the population diversity breakdown of selected cities. The most recent population figures are from the AMERICAN CO

by mike simpson / 9h 

Time for a stronger No Child Left Behind - LA Times

Time for a stronger No Child Left Behind - LA Times: Time for a stronger No Child Left BehindHere are two things that should seem obvious about the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the George W. Bush-era law that for the last 14 years has, for both better and worse, been pushing schools to improve education for disadvantaged students:One is that the nation's schools have waited far too long for a

by mike simpson / 9h 

Education commissioner to Buffalo: Fix your schools, or I will - City & Region - The Buffalo News

Education commissioner to Buffalo: Fix your schools, or I will - City & Region - The Buffalo News: Education commissioner to Buffalo: Fix your schools, or I willState Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia isn’t buying excuses for a lack of solutions inactionIf there was any question how serious the state is about taking control of Buffalo’s schools, new Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia ma

by mike simpson / 9h 

The Power of Collective Voice | Randi Weingarten

The Power of Collective Voice | Randi Weingarten: The Power of Collective VoiceTeaching is our heart. Our students are our soul. And the union is our spine.I heard that sentiment over and over again this past week during the American Federation of Teachers' biennial TEACH conference, one of the largest professional development conferences for educators in the nation. That's right, a conference on

by mike simpson / 10h 

YESTERDAY

What I Learned at My First NEA RA Assembly!-July 2015 DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!:

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: What I Learned at My First NEA RA Assembly!-July 2015: What I Learned at My First NEA RA Assembly!-July 2015NEA stands for the National Education Association.RA stands for Representative Assembly.I attended my 1st NEA Representative Assembly as a delegate. What an amazing experience!My observations:One of the delegates spoke about using the words of the oppressor

by mike simpson / 1d hide  //  save

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 7/18/15

SPECIAL NITE CAP CORPORATE ED REFORMLAUSD OR TARGETED TEACHERS- A SIMPLE WAY TO KNOW WHO'S TELLING THE TRUTH - Perdaily.comLAUSD OR TARGETED TEACHERS- A SIMPLE WAY TO KNOW WHO'S TELLING THE TRUTH - Perdaily.com: LAUSD OR TARGETED TEACHERS- A SIMPLE WAY TO KNOW WHO'S TELLING THE TRUTH(Mensaje se repite en Español)While poligraph or lie detector tests remain inadmissible in most court and other proc

by mike simpson / 1d 

The Senate Debate on Lee’s Opt Out Amendment | deutsch29

The Senate Debate on Lee’s Opt Out Amendment | deutsch29:

The Senate Debate on Lee’s Opt Out Amendment

In the House version of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, the Student Success Act (SSA), parental opt-out is written into the legislation, bypassing any state positions on the issue:

(2) ACADEMIC ASSESSMENTS.—

(B) REQUIREMENTS.—Such assessments shall—

‘‘(xiii) be administered to not less than 95 percent of all students, and not less than 95 percent of each subgroup of students described in paragraph 18 (3)(B)(ii)(II), except that States shall allow the parent of a student to opt such student out of the assessments required under this paragraph for any reason and shall not include such students in calculating the participation rate under this clause…. (pg 31)

The Senate version of the ESEA reauthorization chaired by Senators Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray, the Every Child Achieves Act (ECAA) of 2015, does not have a blanket opt-out amendment as does the House’s SSA. However, Senator Mike Lee’s amendment 2162 was an attempt to include a blanket opt-out statement in ECAA.

On July 14, 2015, Lee’s amendment 2162 was rejected by a vote of 32-64.

In this post, I will present the text of the few minutes of debate allowed prior to the roll call vote on amendment 2162. Senator Lee spoke first, for about a minute; then, Senators Alexander and Murray spoke for a combined couple of minutes. The video is available here; amendment 2162 debate begins at the 06:29:27 mark.

Lee: Mr. President, my amendment (2162) would clarify that parents, not the federal government, are the primary educators of their children. It would ensure that parents may allow their children to opt out of federally-mandated tests. Now, the gentleman from Tennessee, Mr. Alexander, is right that states should be free to make their own tests mandatory if they so choose. However, that is not what this bill (ECAA) allows. This bill mandates that states give these tests and requires them to get the content of such tests approved by the US secretary of education.

My amendment is silent on the question of state tests. It simply clarifies that the tests mandated by this bill– mandated by this Congress– are in fact 

The Senate Debate on Lee’s Opt Out Amendment | deutsch29:

What will local control in Newark look like? | Bob Braun's Ledger

What will local control in Newark look like? | Bob Braun's Ledger:

What will local control in Newark look like?

A veteran Newark teacher who knows she will be brought up on tenure charges when she returns to school in the fall writes she was “heartbroken” by events in Newark because it appears nothing much will change for teachers who spent their careers in the city and face dismissal or “rubber rooms.” A parent leader describes how the “One Newark” plan continues unabated and is clearly aimed at helping to expand charters. The new superintendent will continue the old superintendent’s policies because they were, after all, the policies of Gov. Chris Christie. The strong opposition that had been building to state control has vanished in the heat of the summer–and anyone who wonders why is branded a “crackpot” or “paternalistic” or worse.

Christie has won peace in Newark while he roams Iowa and New Hampshire in pursuit of the Republican presidential nomination, bragging about how he knows how to cut deals with those who disagree with him. While he hasn’t yet specifically spoken of the Newark deal, it’s only a matter of time.  Christie already is pushing for charters and voucher schools and he blames teacher unions for the problems of urban schools–as if the problems of urban schools were created by job protections that have been in place for decades in urban and suburban schools.

Angry students, parents and school employees were ready to shut down traffic in North Jersey on May 22. Only 46 days later,  a “March for Dignity” failed to take What will local control in Newark look like? | Bob Braun's Ledger:

Fight for Standarded Testing:

We Shall Overcome…Our Lack of Standardized Tests!?

Civil Rights groups have long championed the needs of people of color, women and minorities.

Segregated schools, voting rights, police brutality – all of these have been the subject of long and brutal fights for equality.

Perhaps the strangest turn in 2015 has been the fight for standardized testing.

Organizations that you’d expect to see fighting against racism have been clamoring for access to multiple choice bubble exams.

That’s right. Organizations that you’d expect to see fighting against racism have been clamoring for access to multiple choice bubble exams.

In fact, the Democrats have used this as an excuse for their failed attempts to keep the much maligned Test and Punish policies of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama in the rewrite of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

The law – currently called No Child Left Behind (NCLB) – is a testing corporation’s dream filled with policies that have been failing our childrenfor 13 years. Unsurprisingly, teachers, parents and students are demanding relief.

But do Civil Rights groups who fought against unfair testing as a prerequisite to vote now really demand unfair testing as a prerequisite for a high school diploma?

The answer is yes and no.

SOME Civil Rights groups have demanded more testing, and others have demanded LESS.

The Journey for Justice Alliance (JJA), a group made up of 38 organizations of Black and Brown parents and students in 23 states, wrote Congress an open letter in July asking for an end to high stakes testing. And the JJA wasn’t alone. The alliance was joined by 175 other national and local grassroots community, youth and civil rights organizations who signed on to the letter to “…call on Fight for Standarded Testing:

How Clinton, Sanders, O’Malley answer union’s questions about education - The Washington Post

How Clinton, Sanders, O’Malley answer union’s questions about education - The Washington Post:

How Clinton, Sanders, O’Malley answer union’s questions about education

 Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont

Today, almost 50 million students attend our nation’s public schools. Along with their parents, communities, teachers, paraprofessionals and other school employees, these students have been forced to live under test-and-punish policies that include sanctions and school closings, high-stakes assessments, and federalized teacher evaluations that are counterproductive and have taken the joy out of teaching and learning.

Q. What is your view of the current version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (also known as the No Child Left Behind Act)? What changes, if any, would you make to the law, and why? Please include positions on:
• The federal government’s role in ensuring equity and access to resources for all children;
• The role of standards, assessments and accountability in public education;
• Ensuring that all students have access to a broad curriculum that includes art and music,
as well as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM);
• Professional development for school staff; and
• Community schools.

BS: I voted against No Child Left Behind in 2001, and continue to oppose the bill’s reliance on high-stakes standardized testing to direct draconian interventions. In my view, No Child Left Behind ignores several important factors in a student’s academic performance, specifically the impact of poverty, access to adequate health care, mental health, nutrition, and a wide variety of supports that children in poverty should have access to. By placing so much emphasis on standardized testing, No Child Left Behind ignores many of the skills and qualities that are vitally important in our 21st century economy, like problem solving, critical thinking, and teamwork, in favor of test preparation that provides no benefit to students after they leave school.In my home state of Vermont, almost every school is identified as “failing” under the requirements of No Child Left Behind, despite the fact that we have one of the highest graduation rates in the country, and students from Vermont continually score among the highest in the country on annual NAEP assessments.

As a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, I have worked to reform No Child Left Behind. My top priorities during the most recent iteration of the bill have been:
• Reducing the high-stakes nature of standardized tests by basing accountability on multiple measures of a school’s effectiveness.
• Including a pilot program that allows states to implement innovative systems of assessment that do not rely on standardized tests. Instead, new innovative assessments will empower educators by providing actionable information during the school year that can inform instructional practice.
• Maintaining federal support for afterschool programs provided through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program.
• The inclusion of wrap-around support services like health, mental health, nutrition and family supports.

I believe guaranteeing resource equity is a core tenet of the federal government’s role in education policy, and if elected, I will work reduce the resource disparities that currently exist between schools in wealthy and low-income areas.

In addition, I strongly support increased emphasis on a well-rounded curriculum. No Child Left Behind’s narrow focus on math and literacy has deprived children, especially low-income children, from critical opportunities in the arts, music, physical education, civics and STEM fields.

I also believe that not enough emphasis has been placed on effective professional development for educators and school leaders. Districts and schools must provide more time and support for educators to pursue highly effective professional development. We should be encouraging innovation in professional development, and ensuring that teachers will be able to incorporate professional development into their classroom practice. Finally, we must provide the resources necessary to provide effective professional development for all teachers, and have consistently supported efforts to increase Title II funding.

Q: Do you support any of the current reauthorization proposals under consideration in the 114thCongress?

BS: I believe the Alexander-Murray compromise on No Child Left Behind reauthorization represents a step in the right direction, and voted for the bill in Committee. While this legislation could go much further to provide adequate resources to our lowest-income students, I believe it is an important step forward. I strongly oppose the Student Success Act because it would gut the core provisions of federal law that direct education funding toward the low-income students who need it most.

Q: What role do you think the federal government can play in providing access to early childhood education? What specific policy proposals would your administration pursue?

BS: Every child in the United States should have access to high quality early childhood education programs, and that the federal government has a critical role to play. If elected, I would pursue a federal program to guarantee access for every child, and ensure early-childhood educators receive compensation that is commensurate with elementary school teachers.

Q: What are your views on private school vouchers, tuition tax credits, and charter school accountability and transparency?

BS: I am strongly opposed to any voucher system that would re-direct public education dollars to private schools, including through the use of tax credits. In addition, I believe charter schools should be held to the same standards of transparency as public schools, and that these standards should also apply to the non-profit and for-profit entities that organize charter schools.

Q: Escalating tuition and fees are leading to a growing number of students leaving college with overwhelming debt from student loans. This burden of rising costs and rising debt makes access to higher education increasingly difficult for many students and their families. What is the role of the federal government in ensuring that higher education is affordable and accessible?

BS: Skyrocketing college tuition has left college out of reach for hundreds of thousands of students, and left millions more deeply in debt. In an increasingly global economy, I believe it is unfair and bad economic policy to force our young people to compete with workers from other countries who can pursue a higher education at little or no cost. This is why I introduced the College How Clinton, Sanders, O’Malley answer union’s questions about education - The Washington Post: