F is for Friedrichs… and Freeloader: A Supreme Court Nightmare | gadflyonthewallblog

F is for Friedrichs… and Freeloader: A Supreme Court Nightmare | gadflyonthewallblog:

F is for Friedrichs… and Freeloader: A Supreme Court Nightmare

Say you’re on an airplane flying high over the Rockies.

The plane is going down.

You need a parachute.

Luckily, before you took off, all the passengers got together and pooled their money to buy them.

There’s enough for everyone. We’re all going to make it out of this alive.

People line up at the doors getting ready to jump.

Right in front of you is a lady with a sour look on her face.

“I can’t believe they’re making us pay for these parachutes,” she says.

“Really?” you reply. “Don’t you want one?”

“Sure I do!” she says. “I just don’t think I should be forced to pay for it.”

You give her a look. You can’t help it.

“But how else can they buy the parachutes?” you say.

She puts her hands on her hips and says, “There are some people on other airplanes F is for Friedrichs… and Freeloader: A Supreme Court Nightmare | gadflyonthewallblog:

CURMUDGUCATION: Ranking Is Not Measuring

CURMUDGUCATION: Ranking Is Not Measuring:

Ranking Is Not Measuring

This point came up in passing a few days ago when I was reviewing some writing by Mark Garrison,
but it is worth hammering home all by itself.

We have been told repeatedly that we need to take the Big Standardized Tests so that we can hold schools accountable and tell whether our teachers are succeeding or not. "Of course we need accountability systems," the policy makers say. "Don't you want to know how well we're doing?"

And then we rank schools and teachers and students. But ranking is not measuring.

Would you rather be operated on by a top-ranking surgeon or one who was the bottom of his class? What if the former is the top graduate of Bob's Backyard School of Surgical Stuff and the latter is the bottom of Harvard Medical School? Would you like homework help from the dumbest person in MENSA or the smartest person in a 6th grade remedial class? And does that prompt you to ask what we even mean by "dumb" or "smart"? 

"But hey," you may reply. "If I'm going to rank people by a particular quality, I have to measure that quality, don't I?"

Of course not. You can find the tallest student in a classroom without measuring any of them. You can find the heaviest box of rocks by using a scale that doesn't ever tell you how much they weigh. Ranking requires no actual measurement at all.

Not only that, but when we are forced to measure, ranking encourages us to do it badly. Many qualities or characteristics would best be described or measured with a many-dimensional matrix with a dozen different axes. But to rank-- we have to reduce complex multidimensional CURMUDGUCATION: Ranking Is Not Measuring:

LAUSD board picks long-time administrator Michelle King as new superintendent | 89.3 KPCC

LAUSD board picks long-time administrator Michelle King as new superintendent | 89.3 KPCC:

LAUSD board picks long-time administrator Michelle King as new superintendent

After months of speculation and a closed-door search process, the seven members of the Los Angeles Unified Board of Education announced on Monday that they have selected long-time district administrator Michelle King to be the district's next superintendent.

King, 54, has served as the district's chief deputy superintendent since October 2014. She has worked in the district since 1984, first as a life sciences teacher and then in a variety of academic and administrative roles, including as a high school principal, local district superintendent and the district's chief instructional officer for secondary schools. 

Her appointment caps a months-long national search for an educational leader who can fix the school district’s financial and academic problems. 

All eyes will be on how the new superintendent will turn around the school district’s dire financial outlook and raise academic achievement levels that have been inching up but are still far below state averages.

In November, a financial review panel commissioned by Cortines reported that the district faces a $333 million budget deficit by the 2017-18 school year and that shortfall could grow to more than $600 million two years after that.

The report found that the school district lost 100,000 students in the past six years, in part due to an exodus to independent charter schools. Additionally, a 2012 state LAUSD board picks long-time administrator Michelle King as new superintendent | 89.3 KPCC:

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/11/15

CORPORATE ED REFORM

Cloaking Inequity makes Top 50 in World! – Cloaking Inequity

Cloaking Inequity makes Top 50 in World! – Cloaking Inequity: Cloaking Inequity makes Top 50 in World! Honored that Cloaking Inequity was ranked today as the 43rd best education blog in the world!Thank you to everyone who has contributed over the years!From Feedspot:Check out the top 50 education blogs to stay up to date on what people are talking about in the education space. This list is a resou

by mike simpson / 7min 

What's Going Down in Detroit Today? Teacher in a Strange Land - Ed Week Teacher

What's Going Down in Detroit Today? - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: What's Going Down in Detroit Today? I follow K-12 policy and practice across the nation--teacher leadership and teacher professionalism are my personal passion. And I think teachers across the country know far more about what's happening in public schools in Chicago, New York, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles

by mike simpson / 11min 

Public Sector Unions Just Got Brutalized In The Supreme Court | ThinkProgress

Public Sector Unions Just Got Brutalized In The Supreme Court | ThinkProgress: Public Sector Unions Just Got Brutalized In The Supreme CourtWASHINGTON, DC — Let’s not beat around the bush.Public sector unions just had a simply terrible day in the Supreme Court on Monday. Justice Antonin Scalia, the justice who seemed most inclined to agree with them prior to oral argument, took a hard turn against

by mike simpson / 3h 

DPS emergency manager criticizes 'sickout' | Blogs | Detroit Metro Times

DPS emergency manager criticizes 'sickout' | Blogs | Detroit Metro Times: DPS emergency manager criticizes 'sickout'The list of Detroit schools closed due to a teacher-organized "sickout" protest has grown to over 60, according to a poston the Detroit Public Schools' Facebook page. (Read the full list of closed schoolsover at the Detroit Free Press.)Writing in The Guardian, former Metro

by mike simpson / 3h 

Argument analysisin Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association: The question not asked : SCOTUSblog

Argument analysis: The question not asked : SCOTUSblog: Argument analysis: The question not askedArguments in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association. Michael Carvin at lectern for petitioners. (Art Lien)Early in the argument, a Washington, D.C., lawyer, Michael A. Carvin, made clear the basic complaint of the non-union California teachers he represents when he told the Court that the teache

by mike simpson / 4h 

The Argument transcript in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association is here.: SCOTUSblog

Argument transcript : SCOTUSblog: Argument transcriptThe transcript in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association is here.Posted in Merits CasesRecommended Citation: Andrew Hamm, Argument transcript, SCOTUSblog (Jan. 11, 2016, 2:05 PM), http://www.scotusblog.com/2016/01/argument-transcript-4/

by mike simpson / 5h 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The False Promise of Choice

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The False Promise of Choice: The False Promise of ChoiceOne of the charms that ed reformers like to dangle before public school parents is choice.  It's quite the appealing siren call because 1) we're Americans and we love choices (even when they can overwhelm and even paralyze us) and 2) the idea that "wealthy people have choices when it comes to their childr

by mike simpson / 5h 

The Continuing Battle in the U.S. Over Free-Range Parenting and Letting Kids Walk to School Alone - The Atlantic

The Continuing Battle in the U.S. Over Free-Range Parenting and Letting Kids Walk to School Alone - The Atlantic: The Legal Standing of Free-Range ParentingAn amendment in the new federal education law seeks to clarify when kids are allowed to walk to school alone. A provision tucked deep within a gargantuan education bill passed in December clarifies the murky legal standing of free-range parenti

by mike simpson / 5h 

Education Spending Per Student by State

Education Spending Per Student by State: Education Spending Per Student by StateThe Census Bureau compiles data on education spending per pupil and elementary/secondary education revenues for each state.Spending amounts shown reflects current spending, which does not include capital outlays, interest on debts and payments to other governments. Data was last updated in June 2015 for fiscal year 201

by mike simpson / 5h 

Whistleblower Fights New York Officials to Enforce Their Own Child Safety Laws | gadflyonthewallblog

Whistleblower Fights New York Officials to Enforce Their Own Child Safety Laws | gadflyonthewallblog: Whistleblower Fights New York Officials to Enforce Their Own Child Safety LawsStephen and Cathy Cole with their device for safe use of gym partitions. Photo: Long Island Business Times.Are New York city and state officials doing enough to protect public school students?Kathy Cole says no.The co-ow

by mike simpson / 5h 

John Bel Edwards has said he wants to replace schools chief John White, but it's not clear he can | NOLA.com

John Bel Edwards has said he wants to replace schools chief John White, but it's not clear he can | NOLA.com: John Bel Edwards has said he wants to replace schools chief John White, but it's not clear he canGov.-elect John Bel Edwards finished up announcing most of his major cabinet appointments and other top staff selections this week -- with one notable exception. Edwards has been quiet recently

by mike simpson / 6h 

For Immediate Release: DPS Teachers Fight Back Rally, Monday, January 11, 2016, 12 p.m.

For Immediate Release: DPS Teachers Fight Back Rally, Monday, January 11, 2016, 12 p.m.: DPS TEACHERS FIGHT BACK!"A Union Within a Union""Teachers from more than 40 DPS schools are demanding safe conditions, adequate learning environments, and a level playing field for DPS Students."  Detroit- DPS Teachers Fight Back (A union Within a Union), is a group of teachers mobilizing t

by mike simpson / 6h 

Tentative agenda for the 2016 California Title I Conference. - Improving Academic Achievement (CA Dept of Education)

Tentative Agenda - Improving Academic Achievement (CA Dept of Education):Tentative agenda for the 2016 California Title I Conference.Early Check-in – Monday, February 29, 20163:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Conference Check-InDay One – Tuesday, March 1, 20167:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Conference Check-In7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast Buffet8:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. General Session:Tom Torlakson, State Su

by mike simpson / 6h 

Parents Be on the Lookout: Districts Are Sending Opt Out Info Thanks to HB 2655! Oregon Save Our Schools

Oregon Save Our Schools: Parents Be on the Lookout: Districts Are Sending Opt Out Info Thanks to HB 2655!: Parents Be on the Lookout: Districts Are Sending Opt Out Info Thanks to HB 2655!Thanks to the efforts of all who helped to pass HB 2655 in this past legislative session, districts now have to inform parents of their right to opt out of state summative testing (currently SBAC) for any reason. 

by mike simpson / 6h 

A “Zombie” Reform: Outcome Based Education (OBE) in Medical Education and K-12 Schools | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

A “Zombie” Reform: Outcome Based Education (OBE) in Medical Education and K-12 Schools | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: A “Zombie” Reform: Outcome Based Education (OBE) in Medical Education and K-12 SchoolsOutcome Based Education (OBE) rolled through U.S. public schools in the 1980s and 1990s. Yes, OBE (a.k.a “mastery learning,” “competency-based education”) is still around (

by mike simpson / 6h 

L.A. schools insider and an outsider emerge as favorites to lead the district - LA Times

L.A. schools insider and an outsider emerge as favorites to lead the district - LA Times: L.A. schools insider and an outsider emerge as favorites to lead the districtAt the Los Angeles Board of Education closes in on choosing a new leader, attention appears to be focused on two candidates: Deputy Supt. Michelle King, an L.A. Unified School District insider, and Kelvin Adams, a superintendent from

by mike simpson / 7h 

Two NJ Cities Test Today’s School Reform: Disruption and Privatization Fail | janresseger

Two NJ Cities Test Today’s School Reform: Disruption and Privatization Fail | janresseger: Two NJ Cities Test Today’s School Reform: Disruption and Privatization FailI hope you read David Kirp’s fine commentary on school reform in yesterday’s NY Times.  As the author of one of two excellent recent books on school policy in New Jersey—the 2013,Improbable Scholars—Kirp, a Berkeley professor of publi

by mike simpson / 7h 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLESThe mayor of San Francisco is sworn in — to boos and arrestsValerie Jarrett on #RahmResign“So I really shouldn’t comment on Chicago in particular because it’s under that investigation of [Loretta Lynch] hers.” In the interview with BuzzFeed at the White House Friday, Jarrett praised the protests, giving them credit for the current

by mike simpson / 7h 

Jersey Jazzman: The Friedrichs Freeloaders Go To Court

Jersey Jazzman: The Friedrichs Freeloaders Go To Court:The Friedrichs Freeloaders Go To CourtRebecca Friedrichs and her fellow plaintiffs going before the Supreme Court today are those kind of teachers.Those of you who've been working in schools for a while know what I mean. The kind of teacher who keeps pouring themselves coffee from the pot in the faculty lounge, but never thinks to put some mon

by mike simpson / 7h 

The Future of Big Data and Analytics in K-12 Education - Education Week

Schools Push Personalized Learning to New Heights - Education Week: SCHOOLS PUSH PERSONALIZED LEARNING TO NEW HEIGHTSFor most schools, reaching the next level of digitally driven, personalized learning is far from reality. Still, some schools are extending their digital reach in significant and sometimes groundbreaking ways, as the stories in this special report illustrate. They are making moves t

by mike simpson / 7h 

Transgender policy sparks heated debate at St. Paul charter school - StarTribune.com

Transgender policy sparks heated debate at St. Paul charter school - StarTribune.com: Transgender policy sparks heated debate at St. Paul charter schoolCase of 5-year-old is controversial territory as parents and outside groups weigh in. A heated debate over how to address the needs of transgender and gender-nonconforming students has dragged out for months at a public charter school in St. Paul,

by mike simpson / 7h 

John Thompson on Education and the Media | Diane Ravitch's blog

John Thompson on Education and the Media | Diane Ravitch's blog: John Thompson on Education and the MediaJohn Thompson, historian and teacher in Oklahoma, writes here about a growing awareness in the mainstream media of the infusion of Big Money into education. The New York Review of Books is a major influence among highly educated people and has a reach far beyond professional educators.The New Y

by mike simpson / 7h 

Friedrichs Case Threatens To Take Away Fairness - Lily's Blackboard

Friedrichs Case Threatens To Take Away Fairness - Lily's Blackboard: Friedrichs Case Threatens To Take Away FairnessThe U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Monday in a case over whether teachers in California and 22 other states working under a union contract must pay union fees even if they are not union members. Friedrichs vs. California Teachers Association seeks to make it harder for e

by mike simpson / 8h 

CURMUDGUCATION: DFER: Trust Clinton To Betray Unions

CURMUDGUCATION: DFER: Trust Clinton To Betray Unions: DFER: Trust Clinton To Betray UnionsIn his semi-regular email to supporters, allies, and hate-readers, Whitney Tilson led one item with this subheading:Hillary (and Bill) have a long history of breaking with the teachers’ unions, which bodes well: Tilson is a leading light of DFER (Democrats for Education Reform), a group of faux Democrat, hedg

by mike simpson / 8h 

4LAKids - Friedrichs v. CTA: 3 ARTICLES TODAY'S SUPREME COURT HEARING FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Friedrichs v. CTA: 3 ARTICLES ABOUT TODAY'S SUPREME COURT HEARING FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES: Friedrichs v. CTA: 3 ARTICLES ABOUT TODAY'S SUPREME COURT HEARING FROM THE NEW YORK TIMESIssues and Implications inSupremeCourt’s Public Union CaseWASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Monday in a case that is making the labor movement nervous. Her

by mike simpson / 8h 

Educators are Ready to Lead on ESSA Implementation - Lily's Blackboard

Educators are Ready to Lead on ESSA Implementation - Lily's Blackboard: Educators are Ready to Lead on ESSA ImplementationWe want to see more listening, not less.More engagement, not less.More stakeholder engagement, not less.Read Lily’s testimony at the Department of Education on the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act¡Buenos días! My name is Lily Eskelsen García and I am proud to be

by mike simpson / 8h 

Teacher Autonomy Declined Over Past Decade, New Data Shows - NEA Today

Teacher Autonomy Declined Over Past Decade, New Data Shows - NEA Today: Teacher Autonomy Declined Over Past Decade, New Data Shows Not exactly breaking news: Teachers believe their classroom autonomy suffered during the No Child Left behind era. According to just-released federal data from theNational Center for Education Statistics (NCES), educators reported less classroom autonomy in school year

by mike simpson / 8h 

Common Core’s Lasting Damage – Missouri Education Watchdog

Common Core’s Lasting Damage – Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core’s Lasting DamageHave you ever watched Americans line up informally? An ex-CIA analyst once said the best way to tell if you are not in America is to watch if people line up to receive things without instruction. In other countries, large mobs will rush the distributor. In America people line up. And where no formal stanchions

by mike simpson / 8h 

The Future of Big Data and Analytics in K-12 Education - Education Week

The Future of Big Data and Analytics in K-12 Education - Education Week: The Future of Big Data and Analytics in K-12 EducationAre schools ready for the power and problems of big data?By Benjamin HeroldImagine classrooms outfitted with cameras that run constantly, capturing each child's every facial expression, fidget, and social interaction, every day, all year long.Then imagine on the ceilings o

by mike simpson / 8h 

Teachers' unions unite to highlight 'national crisis' in profession | Education | The Guardian

Teachers' unions unite to highlight 'national crisis' in profession | Education | The Guardian: Teachers' unions unite to highlight 'national crisis' in professionSix unions call for pay increases above proposed 1% annual level, and warn more pupils are being taught by unqualified staffTeachers’ unions are urging the government to ward off a “national crisis” in the profession, warning that increa

by mike simpson / 8h 

Detroit teacher 'sick-out' closes many schools - CNN.com

Detroit teacher 'sick-out' closes many schools - CNN.com: Teacher 'sick-out' keeps thousands of Detroit students home from school(CNN)Thousands of students were out of school Monday in Detroit after a planned teacher "sick-out" forced the school system to close nearly two-thirds of the city's public schools, according to alerts sent out by the district.Detroit parents were warned Sunday

by mike simpson / 9h 

Anaheim School Board Calls for Statewide Moratorium on Charter Schools | Alternet

Anaheim School Board Calls for Statewide Moratorium on Charter Schools | Alternet: Anaheim School Board Calls for Statewide Moratorium on Charter SchoolsSaying no to privatization, profiteering and operating secretly.Editor's note: Across the country, a coalition of billionaires and entrepreneurs has been promoting and imposing charter schools on the traditional public school system. These schools

by mike simpson / 9h 

We Have A New Education Secretary. Here's Why It Matters. | ThinkProgress

We Have A New Education Secretary. Here's Why It Matters. | ThinkProgress: We Have A New Education Secretary. Here’s Why It Matters.It was a surprise to those working in education policy when Arne Duncan, who has served as the education secretary since the beginning of the Obama administration, announced he would step down by the end of last year. Now, with only one year to go until a new administ

by mike simpson / 9h 

YESTERDAY

New York stumbles, California advances on Common Core implementation | EdSource

New York stumbles, California advances on Common Core implementation | EdSource: New York stumbles, California advances on Common Core implementationIf there is a prime example of how one state mismanaged the implementation of the Common Core standards, triggering massive opposition, and how another did it deliberately, with a relatively smooth implementation and considerable public support, look

1 by mike simpson / 19h 

The Washington Teacher: Did You Know?

The Washington Teacher: Did You Know?: Did You Know?By: Candi Peterson, WTU General Vice PresidentStatements or expressions of opinions herein 'do not' represent the views or official positions of DCPS, AFT, Washington Teachers' Union (WTU) or its members. Views are my own. The recent emails you have received about me from Coach Spinner are accusations, half-truths and lies intended to mislead tea

1 by mike simpson / 21h 

My New Year's Resolve | The Jose Vilson

My New Year's Resolve | The Jose Vilson: My New Year’s ResolveI’m supposed to tell you that I want to lose weight. I’m rounder than ever, so that’s a lofty goal.But that’s no fun, and I’d rather not spend your time talking about dietary supplements and instead tell you about my visit to the US Department of Education, my second trip to Washington D.C. in as many months. This time, I got the chance

1 by mike simpson / 21h 

Second Charter School Fix is also a Framework for Fraud

Second Charter School Fix is also a Framework for Fraud: Second Charter School Fix is also a Framework for FraudEven though the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that charter schools are unconstitutional and ordered the State legislature to fully fund our real public schools, some of the leaders of the State legislature, in a blatant act of defiance, have decided to hold hearings on two "c

1 by mike simpson / 23h 

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/10/15

CORPORATE ED REFORMA 'No-Nonsense' Classroom Where Teachers Don't Say 'Please' : NPR Ed : NPRA 'No-Nonsense' Classroom Where Teachers Don't Say 'Please' : NPR Ed : NPR: A 'No-Nonsense' Classroom Where Teachers Don't Say 'Please'Any classroom can get out of control from time to time. But one unique teaching method empowers teachers to stop behavior problems before they begin.You can see No-Nonsense

4 by mike simpson / 23h