Guest post: We need a shake-up at Seattle Public Schools | Seattle Education

Guest post: We need a shake-up at Seattle Public Schools | Seattle Education:

Guest post: We need a shake-up at Seattle Public Schools

The recent storm of controversy created by the announcement of the Seattle Public Schools central office of plans to cut 25-28 teachers across the school district in late October, and well into the semester, required student classroom reshuffling and disruption and necessitated additional grade-split classes. It was another example of irresponsible management by the Seattle Public School district.  If Seattle expects to attract and retain a high caliber workforce and citizenry, our public school central management needs drastic improvement and Seattle parents are uniting to demand it.

What emerged in that controversy was a saga of the school district’s dodgy planning and data gathering, opaque process, blaming and excuses which resulted in more bad decisions that impact tens of thousands of students around the city.

WHERE’S THE DATA? While Seattle Public Schools (SPS) hatched and finalized its plans to cut teaching staff, they were unable to provide supporting enrollment data because “they are still working out those numbers” and relied on enrollment numbers that were not the most current.

BLAMING. Superintendent Nyland and his top staff blamed the severity of the cuts on the September teacher strike but could not point to any data to support their claims. They claimed similar cuts were happening around the state in October but when King 5 News reached out to other districts, only Kent reported making cuts in early September. 

VERY LOW BAR. Washington State has the dubious distinction of being 47th in the nation in class size, with only three states ranking worse. Planned cuts maintained these large classroom sizes thereby subverting Seattle voter’s mandate to reduce class sizes Guest post: We need a shake-up at Seattle Public Schools | Seattle Education:

After a $45 billion announcement, a question looms: What is personalized learning? - The Hechinger Report

After a $45 billion announcement, a question looms: What is personalized learning? - The Hechinger Report:

After a $45 billion announcement, a question looms: What is personalized learning?

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and co-founder of Facebook, plans to give away much of his wealth, and cites personalized learning as a particular interest

 remains to be seen exactly how and where Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, will spend the estimated $45 billion they’ve declared they will donate to charitable ventures, including education. But their announcement this week made one thing clear: in education, the two are focused on the potential of “personalized learning.”

For those who don’t follow education trends closely, the couple’s charity announcement Tuesday, in the form of anopen letter to their newborn daughter, served to introduce the idea of “personalized learning.” Many people equate it with any classroom that is technology-rich, but that isn’t always the case. Personalized learning can be achieved without high-tech tools, and the underlying concept reaches back long before computers were commonplace. Generally speaking, personalized learning gives students lessons that match their individual preferences and needs. Children get choice and flexibility in how they will spend their school day. They can move faster or slower than peers; they are, at times, autodidacts. The idea is that this will be more engaging, and also prepare students to be independent and take responsibility for their own progress,

Here’s a look at some of the projects in education that Zuckerberg has already announced. They provide clues to what types of projects might get money and technical support in coming years.

Facebook founder and others invest $100 million in a private school model they hope can take root in the public system

A technology team from Facebook works to serve classroom teachers

Mark Zuckerberg donates $20 million to improve school Internet access

Do custom-fit lessons help students succeed?

What happened with the $100 million that Newark schools got from Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg? Not much

This story was written by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation After a $45 billion announcement, a question looms: What is personalized learning? - The Hechinger Report:

The College Board under David Coleman: Bad for SAT Business | deutsch29

The College Board under David Coleman: Bad for SAT Business | deutsch29:

The College Board under David Coleman: Bad for SAT Business

In 2009, the College Board was one of three nonprofits that were listed by name on the memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). (The other two were Achieve, Inc., and ACT.)

Though not specified by name in the CCSS MOU, David Coleman was also there with his standards-writing company that later became a nonprofit, Student Achievement Partners (SAP).

In May 2012, Coleman was selected president of the College Board (effective October 2012)– where he intended to deliver curriculum through College Board tests– but that’s okay because there is a “crisis in education,” and he is here to save the day:

Mr. Coleman’s new position will involve a continued focus on college readiness. “We have a crisis in education, and over the next few years, the main thing on the College Board’s agenda is to deliver its social mission,” he said in an interview on Tuesday. “The College Board is not just about measuring and testing, but designing high-quality curriculum.”

In February 2013, Coleman announced an SAT redesign, “so that it better meets the needs of students, schools, and colleges at all levels.” However, it seems that Coleman is royally botching meeting the needs of students, schools, and colleges before his touted redesign is even launched.

Coleman needs to forget his world-domination aims of revamping the SAT as a means of controlling curriculum. Apparently he is failing at providing an SAT free of typos, preventing widespread cheating due to recycling test forms, and delivering early scores on time.

Consider June 2015: The SAT had a typo in the testing time for one of its sections of the June 06, 2015, admission– 25 minutes instead of the correct 20 minutes. College Board’s response involved refunding testing fees and offering for students to retake in The College Board under David Coleman: Bad for SAT Business | deutsch29:

Through The Wire [This Is Still Not A Test] | The Jose Vilson

Through The Wire [This Is Still Not A Test] | The Jose Vilson:

Through The Wire [This Is Still Not A Test]

No one asked me to write This Is Not A Test, but I still felt it necessary.

About two years ago, I was in the middle of one of the weirdest weeks of my life, capped off with my father passing away and me finding out 30 minutes before class started. My shoulders buckled, my face felt pulled an inch closer to the earth, and my feet felt light. I knew there was nothing I could do about it since his body was over a thousand miles away in Florida.

When I informed Liliana Segura, my editor, that my father passed, she asked if I needed time. I said, “Nah, gimme more.”

For about a year or two prior to my father passing, I struggled with this idea of a published book. How many people back then got their Internet-based thoughts turned into an IRL cover-bound thingie? In education, the chances were slimmer. I found myself staring at the Education section of Barnes & Noble, doing my research on what publishers call the market. I didn’t know that publishers paid for book placement, and whether the covers faced the customers or the spine did. All I knew was that there were no books that truly spoke to me from a K-12 educator as a K-12 educator.

With all due respect to folks to folks I call colleagues or even friends, all I saw were education professors, politicians, billionaires, journalists, and plenty of former educators who had friends in mainstream media spaces. What was a current classroom teacher to do? I tried the education publisher route, only to be rebuffed for being instructional enough. I tried the agent route, only to be rejected dozens of times, many of them citing that they didn’t know how to sell my story. I tried Through The Wire [This Is Still Not A Test] | The Jose Vilson:

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 12/3/15

CORPORATE ED REFORM

 

CURMUDGUCATION: NEA on ESSA

CURMUDGUCATION: NEA on ESSA: NEA on ESSAThursday evening NEA Government Relations Director Mary Kulser andDirector of Education Policy and Practice Donna Harris-Aikensspoke on a brief conference call about NEA and the New ESSA. This will be as disjointed as my notes, and there aren't many surprises here, though a few pieces of clarifying information.Richard Allen Smith opened by observing that &qu

by mike simpson / 1h 

Pssst…Mark, it’s me again. | Save Maine Schools

Pssst…Mark, it’s me again. | Save Maine Schools: Pssst…Mark, it’s me again.Dear Mark,First – my sincerest congratulations on the birth of your baby girl.  My son (now sleeping in my arms and making typing a bit difficult) was born just over a year ago, so I know quite well the wonder and fatigue of those first few weeks. I hope you and your wife have gotten some sleep since you’ve been home, and i

by mike simpson / 1h 

NEA - NEA welcomes historic step to usher in new era in public education

NEA - NEA welcomes historic step to usher in new era in public education: NEA welcomes historic step to usher in new era in public educationU.S. House approves bill to create greater opportunity for every student to succeedWASHINGTON - December 02, 2015 -The U.S. House of Representatives today approved S. 1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a bipartisan and bicameral bill to reauthorize t

by mike simpson / 2h 

L.A. school board to consider revised motion against rapid charter expansion - LA Times

L.A. school board to consider revised motion against rapid charter expansion - LA Times: L.A. school board to consider revised motion against rapid charter expansionLos Angeles school board member Scott Schmerelson, who recently urged his colleagues to oppose a massive charter school expansion plan, has revised a proposal to make it more general — opposing market-driven education reforms and no lo

by mike simpson / 2h 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Rich People: Why Do They ALL Have to Come After Public Ed?

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Rich People: Why Do They ALL Have to Come After Public Ed?: Rich People: Why Do They ALL Have to Come After Public Ed?To start, consider this from Inside Philanthropy (one of my new favorite places to stop by and read awhile:)Now, with the rise of Big Philanthropy, we’re seeing the logical next act in this age of inequality—the conversion of all those big piles of

by mike simpson / 2h 

Jersey Jazzman: Return To Teachers Village, Part III: Who's Learning At Teachers Village?

Jersey Jazzman: Return To Teachers Village, Part III: Who's Learning At Teachers Village?: Return To Teachers Village, Part III: Who's Learning At Teachers Village? Here's Part I of this series, and here's Part II.Let's ask again: how much money have the taxpayers spent on Newark's Teachers Village?Teachers’ Village represents a complex mixture of innovatively structured public and private financi

by mike simpson / 3h 

‘It pains me to write this': Obama’s first summit on high schools was a big fail - The Washington Post

‘It pains me to write this': Obama’s first summit on high schools was a big fail - The Washington Post: ‘It pains me to write this': Obama’s first summit on high schools was a big failTed Dintersmith is a venture capitalist and father of two who is now focused on education-related initiatives that call for a radical restructuring of what and how students learn. He organized, funded and produced th

by mike simpson / 4h 

Victory in Court: Consequences Attached to VAMs Suspended Throughout New Mexico | VAMboozled!

Victory in Court: Consequences Attached to VAMs Suspended Throughout New Mexico | VAMboozled!: Victory in Court: Consequences Attached to VAMs Suspended Throughout New MexicoGreat news for New Mexico and New Mexico’s approximately 23,000 teachers, and great news for states and teachers potentially elsewhere, in terms of setting precedent!Late yesterday, state District Judge David K. Thomson, who p

by mike simpson / 4h 

Rise to the Challenge - The Crucial VoiceThe Crucial Voice

Rise to the Challenge - The Crucial VoiceThe Crucial Voice: Rise to the ChallengeWhen I last posted a blog, I was challenged. The challenge was to THINK…AND DO!I responded…Well, life doesn’t lend itself well to being put on hold, but I did my best with the time I had and produced an alternative for Congress to consider. The problem is, Congress never wanted to consider any of the good ideas concer

by mike simpson / 5h 

CURMUDGUCATION: The New ESEA and Content

CURMUDGUCATION: The New ESEA and Content: The New ESEA and ContentThere's a huge amount of discussion about how the New ESEA will affect policy and the flow of money and the new ways that privateers can grub for that money and just how big a hash states will make out of education, anyway etc etc etc,But over at the Fordham blog, Robert Pondiscio has put a bit of focus where focus ought to be-- the

by mike simpson / 5h 

Charter group tells LAUSD board contribution process was lawful - LA School Report

Charter group tells LAUSD board contribution process was lawful - LA School Report: Charter group tells LAUSD board contribution process was lawful The executive director of the state charter schoolspolitical action committee sent anemail to the LA Unified school board and other district officials yesterday, offering a sharp response to a storyin the Los Angeles Times that was highly critical of t

by mike simpson / 5h 

Stefanie Fuhr, a Colorado Opt Out Leader, says: I Trust the Teachers - UNITED OPT OUT: The Movement to End Corporate Education Reform

Stefanie Fuhr, a Colorado Opt Out Leader, says: I Trust the Teachers - UNITED OPT OUT: The Movement to End Corporate Education Reform: Stefanie Fuhr, a Colorado Opt Out Leader, says: I Trust the TeachersColorado is gearing up for mass Opt Out action via the informal RAVE caucus (Re-igniting Association Values for Educators).Recently one of the founders of RAVE, Stefanie Fuhr, was interviewed on Ch

by mike simpson / 6h 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: We need an independent People's Task Force in Chicago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: We need an independent People's Task Force in Chicago: We need an independent People's Task Force in ChicagoI'm all for the call by A.G. Lisa Madigan,  for a federal civil rights investigation of the Chicago PD and City Hall's ongoing cover-up of recent police killings. I'm glad to see that the call to bring in the feds is gaining broad support, including most recent

by mike simpson / 6h 

Education Votes: IDEA at 40: Has Congress abandoned the promise of the special education law? - Lily's Blackboard

Education Votes: IDEA at 40: Has Congress abandoned the promise of the special education law? - Lily's Blackboard: Education Votes: IDEA at 40: Has Congress abandoned the promise of the special education law?Featured on Education Votes:“When President Gerald Ford signed the law now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 40 years ago, he was committed to the law’s goals but

by mike simpson / 6h 

New Mexico judge hits pause on controversial test-based teacher evaluations - The Washington Post

New Mexico judge hits pause on controversial test-based teacher evaluations - The Washington Post: New Mexico judge hits pause on controversial test-based teacher evaluationsAmerican Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten testifies before Congress in 2008. REUTERS/Mitch DumkeA New Mexico judge has temporarily barred schools from using the state’s controversial test-based teacher evaluat

by mike simpson / 6h 

SFER - The $7 million+ “student run” Corporate Education Reform Industry Front Group - Wait What?

SFER - The $7 million+ “student run” Corporate Education Reform Industry Front Group - Wait What?: SFER – The $7 million+ “student run” Corporate Education Reform Industry Front GroupAn update on Students for Education Reform, Inc.SFER is a model of how the Pro-Charter School and Corporate Education Reform Industry works to control the narrative surrounding public education while seeking to “win t

by mike simpson / 6h 

Some look Zuckerberg's gift horse in the mouth - POLITICO

Some look Zuckerberg's gift horse in the mouth - POLITICO: Some look Zuckerberg's gift horse in the mouth“If I was advising Zuckerberg, I think the question is: Is he searching for a silver-bullet solution?”Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to pour billions of dollars into a high-tech idea that has been billed as the future of learning, but which critics see as a half-baked notion that could jeop

by mike simpson / 7h 

Judge suspends penalties linked to state’s teacher eval system - The Santa Fe New Mexican: Northern New Mexico Education

Judge suspends penalties linked to state’s teacher eval system - The Santa Fe New Mexican: Northern New Mexico Education: Judge suspends penalties linked to state’s teacher eval systemA Santa Fe judge struck a blow against the state’s contentious teacher evaluation system Wednesday, temporarily halting provisions that would punish teachers for poor scores until a trial can determine whether the ra

by mike simpson / 7h 

No Child Left Behind replacement would give other states the freedom California has already claimed - LA Times

No Child Left Behind replacement would give other states the freedom California has already claimed - LA Times: No Child Left Behind replacement would give other states the freedom California has already claimedWith No Child Left Behind one step closer to being a thing of the past, the governance of schools in other states is poised to look a lot more like California’s. On Wednesday afternoon, the

by mike simpson / 7h 

TeachStrong: Will New Campaign Undo Teacher Bashing and Sustain Those Called to Teach? | janresseger

TeachStrong: Will New Campaign Undo Teacher Bashing and Sustain Those Called to Teach? | janresseger: TeachStrong: Will New Campaign Undo Teacher Bashing and Sustain Those Called to Teach?Did you know there’s a brand new campaign to improve teaching, a campaign, according toLyndsey Layton of the Washington Post, that says its goal is “modernizing and elevating” the teaching profession?   This is a

by mike simpson / 8h 

Before Minecraft, The Blocks Were Made Of Wood : NPR Ed : NPR

Before Minecraft, The Blocks Were Made Of Wood : NPR Ed : NPR: Before Minecraft, The Blocks Were Made Of WoodFor our Tools of the Trade series, we're exploring the iconic, seminal tools that some of us remember using in our early schooling. Things like the slide rule and protractor, the Bunsen burner and the planetarium.Today we explore the simple, powerful tool that is still alive and well in som

by mike simpson / 8h 

House Restores Local Education Control in Revising No Child Left Behind - The New York Times

House Restores Local Education Control in Revising No Child Left Behind - The New York Times: House Restores Local Education Control in Revising No Child Left BehindSenator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee, left, and Representative John Kline, a Minnesota Republican. Credit Jacquelyn Martin/Associated PressWASHINGTON — The House on Wednesday approved a sweeping bill to revise the contentio

by mike simpson / 8h 

Go Ahead, Pass Every Student Succeeds Act, But Don’t Celebrate It

12/3/2015 – Pass Every Student Succeeds Act, But Don’t Celebrate It: Go Ahead, Pass Every Student Succeeds Act, But Don’t Celebrate ItDecember 3, 2015 SubscribeTHIS WEEK: US Falling Behind … College Attendance Rates Fall … Diversity Works … California’s Alternative To Testing … Teacher-Powered Schools GrowTOP STORYGo Ahead, Pass Every Student Succeeds Act, But Don’t Celebrate ItBy Jeff Bryant“On W

by mike simpson / 8h 

John Thompson: The Failed Claims for Market-Driven Reforms | Diane Ravitch's blog

John Thompson: The Failed Claims for Market-Driven Reforms | Diane Ravitch's blog: John Thompson: The Failed Claims for Market-Driven ReformsJohn Thompson, historian and teacher, analyzes the specious arguments for market-driven reforms. (Note: Although John says that Susan Dynarsky’s New York Times article is “intellectually honest,” Ipreviously wrote that she pulled the reformer trick of studyin

by mike simpson / 8h 

Are Republicans who Voted For ESEA Really Democrats in Drag? » Missouri Education Watchdog

Are Republicans who Voted For ESEA Really Democrats in Drag? » Missouri Education Watchdog: Are Republicans who Voted For ESEA Really Democrats in Drag?Is this the face of the GOP?  Are the GOP House members who voted for the ESEA reauthorization–a 1000 plus page bill that was made public only two days ago and filled with Federal carrots/sticks to make sure states don’t direct their own educationa

by mike simpson / 8h 

Fact Sheet: Congress Acts to Fix No Child Left Behind | U.S. Department of Education

Fact Sheet: Congress Acts to Fix No Child Left Behind | U.S. Department of Education: Statement by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on House Passage of the Every Student Succeeds ActDECEMBER 2, 2015Contact:   Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov"It is good news for our nation's schools that the House has passed a serious bipartisan plan to fix the No Child Left Behind law. No Chi

by mike simpson / 8h 

End Voodoo Education: Vote "NO" on Revised no Child Left Behind | John C. Fager

End Voodoo Education: Vote "NO" on Revised no Child Left Behind | John C. Fager:End Voodoo Education: Vote "NO" on Revised no Child Left BehindDear Senators Sanders, Warren, Tester, & Paul,Next week you should vote a loud "NO" on the legislation to revise No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the current version of the basic American education law the Elementary and Second

by mike simpson / 8h 

How To Oust a Right-Wing School Board - NEA Today

How To Oust a Right-Wing School Board - NEA Today: How To Oust a Right-Wing School BoardJefferson County election workers count and stamp recall petitions collected by parents and educators to remove anti-public education school board members. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)Let’s rewind two years to Election Day 2013, in Jefferson County, Colorado, when it became quite clear that educators, paren

by mike simpson / 8h 

Congress is getting rid of No Child Left Behind. Here’s what will replace it. - Vox

Congress is getting rid of No Child Left Behind. Here’s what will replace it. - Vox: Congress is getting rid of No Child Left Behind. Here’s what will replace it.The days of No Child Left Behind are numbered.The House of Representatives voted Wednesday night, with a massive bipartisan majority of 359 to 64, in favor of a new education bill that would reduce the federal role in K-12 education for t

by mike simpson / 9h 

What proposed changes to ESEA mean for students of color | TheHill

What proposed changes to ESEA mean for students of color | TheHill: What proposed changes to ESEA mean for students of color“There’s no use in passing a federal education bill if it’s not a civil rights bill” —Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.)Many of us can agree that the most recent iteration of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), commonly referred to as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and p

by mike simpson / 9h 

All the philanthropic causes near and dear to the hearts of Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan - Quartz

All the philanthropic causes near and dear to the hearts of Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan - Quartz: All the philanthropic causes near and dear to the hearts of Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla ChanWelcoming his new daughter to the world, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced yesterday (Dec. 1) that he and his wife Priscilla Chan plan to donate 99% of their shares in the social network to a new

by mike simpson / 9h 

Giving it away: A look at past decade's $1 billion donations

Giving it away: A look at past decade's $1 billion donations: Giving it away: A look at past decade's $1 billion donationsWarren Buffett, right, stands with Bill and Melinda Gates June 26, 2006 at a news conference where Buffett spoke about his financial gift to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in New York City.The elite list includes three men—Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, stock market sa

by mike simpson / 9h 

Teachers union president apologizes for remarks about ‘chronically tarded’ and ‘medically annoying’ kids - The Washington Post

Teachers union president apologizes for remarks about ‘chronically tarded’ and ‘medically annoying’ kids - The Washington Post: Teachers union president apologizes for remarks about ‘chronically tarded’ and ‘medically annoying’ kidsThe president of the nation’s largest teachers union has apologized for referring to “chronically tarded” and “medically annoying” children, remarks that drew stiff reb

by mike simpson / 9h 

YESTERDAY

Jersey Jazzman: The @starledger's Editorial Page Editor, @tomamoran, Is Once Again a Massive Hypocrite

Jersey Jazzman: The @starledger's Editorial Page Editor, @tomamoran, Is Once Again a Massive Hypocrite: The @starledger's Editorial Page Editor, @tomamoran, Is Once Again a Massive Hypocrite Just when I think my world can't get any more bizarre:The New Hampshire Union Leader's endorsement of Chris Christie for president has drawn fire from an unexpected quarter: another newspaper. A few days after

by mike simpson / 20h 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: It Appears Many Are Lining Up to "Save" Washington State Charter Schools

Seattle Schools Community Forum: It Appears Many Are Lining Up to "Save" Washington State Charter Schools: It Appears Many Are Lining Up to "Save" Washington State Charter SchoolsWould that be as many folks lining up to support McCleary funding for over 1M Washington state public school students.Here's the latest.I asked OSPI some questions and got some curious answers. Me 1) i

by mike simpson / 20h 

Jersey Jazzman: Star-Ledger: Christie Stinks, But We Hate Teachers Unions More

Jersey Jazzman: Star-Ledger: Christie Stinks, But We Hate Teachers Unions More: Star-Ledger: Christie Stinks, But We Hate Teachers Unions MoreNOTE: I accidentally erased this post on 12/2/15. I retrieved it through Google Cache and have printed it with the original publishing date.When it comes to generating illogical, incoherent, self-contradictory claptrap, Editorial Page Editor Tom Moran and hi

by mike simpson / 21h 

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Passes House 359-64 | deutsch29

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Passes House 359-64 | deutsch29: Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Passes House 359-64On December 02, 2015, the Every Student Achieves Act (ESSA) passed the Houseby a vote of 359-64.All 64 Nay votes were Republican, with three Democrats and seven Republicans not voting.ESSA is the long-overdue reauthorization of the Ele,entary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (

by mike simpson / 22h 

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 12/2/15

CORPORATE ED REFORM  Put the brakes on the ESEA reauthorization bill | Seattle EducationPut the brakes on the ESEA reauthorization bill | Seattle Education: Put the brakes on the ESEA reauthorization billThe ESEA reauthorization bill was released on Monday, November 30th. The bill is over 1,000 pages long and is scheduled for a vote this week on the House floor. It is not possible for citizens to

by mike simpson / 23h