Latest News and Comment from Education

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 2/3/16



CORPORATE ED REFORM





DPS Bans Health Inspectors
Detroit Federation of Teachers | Stateweb: DPS Bans AFT Health Inspectors DPS refused to allow nationally recognized industrial hygienists from entering schools today to conduct health inspections based on reports from teachers and parents that conditions are dangerous.The DFT plans to file an emergency motion with the Third District Court of Michigan to permit the inspectors to enter the schools.
How did your state do? Finally, a report card for us! | Parents Across America
How did your state do? Finally, a report card for us! | Parents Across America: How did your state do? Finally, a report card for us! We so used to hearing about the education-related report cards the corporate reform world is always giving out. Achieve just released its state-by-state “honesty gap” report comparing state test scores with NAEP national test scores. ALEC, the American Legislative E
California's Annual State Application for 2016 - Administration & Support (CA Dept of Education)
California's Annual State Application for 2016 - Administration & Support (CA Dept of Education): California's Annual State Application for 2016Annual State Application under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is to be submitted by May 12, 2016, for federal fiscal year (FFY) 2016.The California Department of Education (CDE), Special Education Division, completed i
Malloy presents a state budget plan that would make hip hop artist B.o.B. proud - Wait What?
Malloy presents a state budget plan that would make hip hop artist B.o.B. proud - Wait What?: Malloy presents a state budget plan that would make hip hop artist B.o.B. proudFlanked by Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman, his “policy-partner,” Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy lectured a joint session of the Connecticut General Assembly today about the importance of being fiscally responsible.It was a grand t
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle's School Levies (and other state funding issues)
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle's School Levies (and other state funding issues): Seattle's School Levies (and other state funding issues)Next Tuesday, Feb. 9th, Seattle voters will decide on the Seattle Schools' Operations levy and the BTA levy.  Both are renewals but at higher amounts than were voted on last time.Most of you know this is a sticky wicket for me.  I've frequently spoken o
Why Computer Science for All? – Save Maine Schools
Why Computer Science for All? – Save Maine Schools: Why Computer Science for All?President Obama’s recent announcement of a $4 billion initiative to bring computer science to all has many people scratching their heads.“The message is that computer knowledge is needed in many professions. (The president mentioned auto mechanics and nursing.) But this is computer use, and does not require knowing ho
Rahm declares war on Chicago teachers | SocialistWorker.org
Rahm declares war on Chicago teachers | SocialistWorker.org: Rahm declares war on Chicago teachersChicago teacher Anthony Cappetta and Socialist Worker's Lee Sustar explain how the lines were drawn in the latest battle over public education in the city.Members of the Chicago Teachers Union rally for a fair contract (Bob Simpson | SW) FACED WITH the city's threat to lay off 1,000 educators and impo
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Raise the Volume in Olympia
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Raise the Volume in Olympia: Raise the Volume in Olympia"Nothing big happens in Olympia unless the external voices become so loud that the legislators can't ignore it."                          State Superintendent Randy Dorn speaking to Washington State PTA Focus day.Have you e-mailed/called your reps?  Let them know McCleary IS the thing and your disapp
Gates Gives Common Core Owner, CCSSO, $15.4 Million Just to Keep ‘Em in Business | deutsch29
Gates Gives Common Core Owner, CCSSO, $15.4 Million Just to Keep ‘Em in Business | deutsch29: Gates Gives Common Core Owner, CCSSO, $15.4 Million Just to Keep ‘Em in BusinessThe Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)  is one of two owners of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). In fact, former CCSSO CEO Gene Wilhoit approached Gates in the summer of 2008 to ask Gates to fund CCSS.Despit
Putting California first in driving education reform | EdSource
Putting California first in driving education reform | EdSource: Putting California first in driving education reformIn his State of the State speech last month, Gov. Jerry Brown laid down a marker on the decades-old but profoundly important question that is still dividing key constituencies in the education reform movement in California and nationally: Just how much say should Washington have ove
ALERT – Lobbyists for the "Education Reformers" spend $1.9 million more in Connecticut. - Wait What?
ALERT – Lobbyists for the "Education Reformers" spend $1.9 million more in Connecticut. - Wait What?: ALERT – Lobbyists for the “Education Reformers” spend $1.9 million more in Connecticut.While 2015 was a bad year for many Connecticut taxpayers and for those that rely on vital state services, it was a very, very good year for Connecticut’s charter school industry.Making deep and signifi
Procurement in Child Nutrition Programs - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)
Procurement in Child Nutrition Programs - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education): Procurement in Child Nutrition ProgramsFederal and state information for the procurement of food service related goods and services across all federally funded child nutrition programs and the USDA Foods Program.IntroductionThis Web page provides procurement information for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) child nutri
Please Join Truth For America Thunderclap – Cloaking Inequity
Please Join Truth For America Thunderclap – Cloaking Inequity: Please Join Truth For America ThunderclapOn February 5th, 6th, and 7th in Washington DC, TFA will have their 25 year anniversary alumni summit. Time to fact check and share the real truth about TFA.The Network for Public Education Action and the Badass Teachers have planned a social media Thunderclap. Please sign up here.Teach For Amer
Lack of quality schools will doom common enrollment in New Orleans: Andre Perry | NOLA.com
Lack of quality schools will doom common enrollment in New Orleans: Andre Perry | NOLA.com:Lack of quality schools will doom common enrollment in New Orleans: Andre PerryStudents aren't randomly assigned to schools that all operate under the same set of rules and that means we can't think of schools as stock cars in the same race. But it's still how public school parents capitulate to Louisiana's 
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Claypool threatens war on schools if CTU won't bend.
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Claypool threatens war on schools if CTU won't bend.:Claypool threatens war on schools if CTU won't bend.Claypool's threatening letterLEFT COAST--I'm blogging from L.A. this week and missing all the action back in Chiraq. If I had the dough, I would fly back just for Thursday's big blowout CTU rally in response to Rahm's threatened $100M in new school cuts.A letter s
Hidden computer algorithms in schools: Personalized Learning #RobotTeaching – Missouri Education Watchdog
Hidden computer algorithms in schools: Personalized Learning #RobotTeaching – Missouri Education Watchdog: Hidden computer algorithms in schools: Personalized Learning #RobotTeachingYour internet searches say a lot about you (or your children) and it might not be all good, or even accurate. The information collected by hidden algorithms is not limited to what you search for, it’s everything you do
The Washington Teacher: Coming Soon To A School Near You: DC Mayor Announces Extended School Year
The Washington Teacher: Coming Soon To A School Near You: DC Mayor Announces Extended School Year: Coming Soon To A School Near You: DC Mayor Announces Extended School Year Written 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 o
“Cross Pollinating” Special and General Education Teachers
“Cross Pollinating” Special and General Education Teachers: “Cross Pollinating” Special and General Education TeachersCan one teacher effectively teach students with a variety of disability and/or language needs? Or do we need special education teachers?Perhaps a better question is, can computers do the job of both regular and special education teachers?Here is an example of what I am talking abou
All out for the CTU on Thursday. | Fred Klonsky
All out for the CTU on Thursday. | Fred Klonsky: All out for the CTU on Thursday.Graphic: Ellen Gradman.The Chicago Teachers Union has called for a large turnout on Thursday of teachers, parents and community members to demonstrate their outrage over the move by CPS CEO Forrres Clayfool to shred the collective bargaining process. Clayfool is acting unilaterally, promising to layoff hundreds, maybe
Network for Public Education Rates States’ Support for Public Education | janresseger
Network for Public Education Rates States’ Support for Public Education | janresseger: Network for Public Education Rates States’ Support for Public EducationOn Tuesday afternoon, the Network for Public Education (NPE) released a report that evaluates the states by what is today an unconventional set of standards. States earn points if they have valued school teachers and supported the professiona
State legislators pitch 3 ideas to combat California teacher shortage | 89.3 KPCC
State legislators pitch 3 ideas to combat California teacher shortage | 89.3 KPCC: State legislators pitch 3 ideas to combat California teacher shortageState legislators unveiled three proposals on Tuesday to address California's teacher shortage. The state Senate bills aim to improve recruitment of college students thinking about becoming teachers, increase mentorship of beginning teachers, and f
CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE FAILING: The spectacular collapse of Deion Sanders’ Prime Prep Academy | | Dallas Morning News
The spectacular collapse of Deion Sanders’ Prime Prep Academy | | Dallas Morning News:The spectacular collapse of Deion Sanders’ Prime Prep AcademyThe now infamous Prime Prep Academy shut its door permanently a year ago with less than an hour’s notice. Students walked away from the Dallas and Fort Worth campuses with no school. Employees left without jobs or paychecks for their final month of work
CEO to take over academics of four East Detroit schools
CEO to take over academics of four East Detroit schools:CEO to take over academics of four East Detroit schoolsThe state will appoint a chief executive officer to oversee four chronically low-performing schools in East Detroit Public Schools.It's an aggressive move by the State School Reform Office — and the biggest since Gov. Rick Snyder removed the office from the Michigan Department of Educatio
Charter schools: Tricky, dangerous issue for Gov. Jay Inslee - seattlepi.com
Charter schools: Tricky, dangerous issue for Gov. Jay Inslee - seattlepi.com: Charter schools: Tricky, dangerous issue for Gov. Jay InsleeWashington voters, by the barest of margins, voted in 2012 to allow the setup of charter schools, after three previous rejections of proposals to create independently run, publicly financed schools.But support for charter schools has since grown. It has been gal
Teachers Union Chief Calls CPS' $100M in School Cuts an 'Act of War' - The Loop - DNAinfo.com Chicago
Teachers Union Chief Calls CPS' $100M in School Cuts an 'Act of War' - The Loop - DNAinfo.com Chicago: Teachers Union Chief Calls CPS' $100M in School Cuts an 'Act of War'Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis and Vice President Jesse Sharkey (r.) say CPS' actions could speed a teacher strike.  DNAinfo/Ted CoxTHE LOOP — Rebuffed by teachers who rejected a contract proposal Monday, the Chicag

YESTERDAY

Why CTU still doesn’t have a contract. | Sustainable Education Transformation
Why CTU still doesn’t have a contract. | Sustainable Education Transformation: Why CTU still doesn’t have a contract.Two days ago I posed the question, “Does CPS have a contract?” The answer is clearly a strong “NO.” The Chicago Teachers Union 40 person Big Bargaining Team unanimously rejected the tentative agreement that CPS had proposed.The CPS offer basically froze compensation for most teacher
Detroit Schools’ Darnell Earley Resigns; FBI Involved in Investigating Flint | deutsch29
Detroit Schools’ Darnell Earley Resigns; FBI Involved in Investigating Flint | deutsch29:Detroit Schools’ Darnell Earley Resigns; FBI Involved in Investigating FlintThe latest emergency manager over the dilapidated Detroit Public Schools, Darnell Earley, resigned on February 02, 2016, according to this bulletin from the Detroit Free Press:Detroit Public Schools emergency manager Darnell Earley, fa
Legislators challenge Sacramento to tackle teacher shortage | EdSource
Legislators challenge Sacramento to tackle teacher shortage | EdSource: Legislators challenge Sacramento to tackle teacher shortage CREDIT: LILLIAN MONGEAU/EDSOURCE TODAYIn the most concerted effort to tackle the teacher shortage in years, three California lawmakers have introduced a package of bills designed to attract new teachers to the profession, ease the burden of getting through preparation
‘Pay Our Special Education Teachers Before Vulture Capitalists’ Demand Puerto Rican Protesters | gadflyonthewallblog
‘Pay Our Special Education Teachers Before Vulture Capitalists’ Demand Puerto Rican Protesters | gadflyonthewallblog: ‘Pay Our Special Education Teachers Before Vulture Capitalists’ Demand Puerto Rican ProtestersEvery student with special needs in the United States is guaranteed a Free and Appropriate Public Education under national law.So why has the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico stopped paying i
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 2/2/16
CORPORATE ED REFORMSeattle Schools Community Forum: LGBTQ Youth Leadership ConferenceSeattle Schools Community Forum: LGBTQ Youth Leadership Conference: LGBTQ Youth Leadership Conference From the GLSEN Washington State Chapter:GLSEN Washington State is excited to announce that this year's Puget Sound LGBT Youth Conference will be held Saturday, February 6th at Miller Community Center in Seattle fr