Progress in Organizing: Minneapolis Says No to Police in Public Schools | Schott Foundation for Public Education

Progress in Organizing: Minneapolis Says No to Police in Public Schools | Schott Foundation for Public Education

Progress in Organizing: Minneapolis Says No to Police in Public Schools

Progress in Organizing:  Minneapolis Says No to Police in Public Schools

The Schott team is personally devastated by the brutal killing of George Floyd, yet one more tragedy that further exposes the deep systemic racism in America.  We mourn for his family, and for all Black families who must continually face the fear of death at the hands of the police or, as we have seen during COVID-19, from inequities in our health care system.

The changes needed to truly eradicate systemic racism cut cross every sector, from health, to policing and incarceration, to housing and employment, to our public education system. We want to lift up one ray of hope in this dark moment:  The Minneapolis Board of Education made an important step in that journey when it voted to sever its relationship with the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD), which until now had been the recipient of more than $1 million in education funds to put its officers in schools. The danger of police officers in schools—and their contribution to creating the school-to-prison pipeline that threatens so many children of color—is well documented and their removal has been a central demand of education justice organizations that Schott is proud to support, including members of the Dignity in Schools Campaign and the Journey for Justice Alliance. (To learn more, visit DSC’s “Counselors Not Cops” initiative.) As solidarity between teachers, parents, and students has grown, the decision was also supported by the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers.

While each loss of life and each moment is unique, the dynamic at work—the inevitable result of policing under white supremacist systems—is a story as old as the antebellum slave catchers. We believe philanthropy has a particular role to play in assisting the dismantling of these oppressive systems—and that is to fund community-based organizations led by people of color.  Not for a short-term project, but for the serious, sustained effort to build their capacity, to help grow their critical organizing efforts to make community voices heard and impact the policy decisions that affect their lives. In short, to invest in strengthening the infrastructure of the justice movement. That is the work we engage donors to support and build capacity around every day—and as heavy as our hearts are now, we will continue even more fiercely—in partnership with other CONTINUE READING: Progress in Organizing: Minneapolis Says No to Police in Public Schools | Schott Foundation for Public Education

A Citizens’ Rebellion 2020 – Seattle Education

A Citizens’ Rebellion 2020 – Seattle Education

A Citizens’ Rebellion 2020

The United States began to form after the rebellion against the King of England when the settlers in the colonies along the eastern coast reacted to the injustice of having to pay taxes without representation in Parliament starting on December 16, 1773, at Griffin’s Wharf in Boston.

Another big step in US history was the rebellion of workers in factories and the longshoremen on the docks which brought with it the establishment of unions and the protection of workers along with the eight hour, five day work week.

Now we are seeing another rebellion which I call the Citizens’ Rebellion because the people in the streets are citizens of all ages, races and religions who live in the US, pay taxes, work hard and have families. The majority of people are not “rioters” and these are not “riots”. These are citizens protesting the financial and racial inequalities that have plagued the nation for over 200 years and have now become acute with CONTINUE READING: A Citizens’ Rebellion 2020 – Seattle Education

Betsy DeVos Made More Than $56 Million Last Year - CREW

Betsy DeVos Made More Than $56 Million Last Year - CREW

Betsy DeVos Made More Than $56 Million Last Year 

Betsy DeVos reported up to $100 million or more in income last year while serving as the Secretary of Education, according to a review of her personal financial disclosures by CREW. More than $20 million of that came from Alticor, the parent company of multi-level marketing behemoth Amway, co-founded by DeVos’ late father-in-law Rich DeVos.

The copy of the report that CREW obtained has not been certified by the Department of Education or the Office of Government Ethics, and the report may yet be revised. Regardless, this version gives a peek behind the curtain at the finances of the richest member of Trump’s cabinet. DeVos, who along with her husband is worth billions, reported income last year that ranges between $56,311,836 – $100,496,358.00, according to CREW’s analysis, but could be much higher due to the vagueness of reporting requirements.

Despite donating her official salary, DeVos’ time in the Trump administration has still been very profitable, as she reported a similar amount of income the year before.

It is possible that DeVos earned significantly more than $100 million in 2019 because she is not required to specify amounts received from particular assets above $1 million for her spouse or amounts above $5 million for herself. In her most recent disclosure, DeVos reported income from 11 sources that exceeded $1 million or $5 million without specifying the actual amount received.

DeVos reported earning between $100,001 and $1,000,000 in interest from a loan given to Neurocore, a significant increase over the $5,001 – $15,000 she reported in 2018. Neurocore operates brain performance centers that use unproven techniques to treat conditions in children and adults such as anxiety and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. 

DeVos’ interest in Neurocore has drawn scrutiny in the past due to the possibility that Neurocore, like some of its peers, might seek to CONTINUE READING: Betsy DeVos Made More Than $56 Million Last Year - CREW

Book Review – Parenting for Liberation

Book Review – Parenting for Liberation

Book Review

Trina Greene Brown’s ‘Parenting for Liberation’ Redefines Black Parenting in All Its Strength and Beauty

One of the most compelling elements of Parenting for Liberation is the freedom woven into its fabric, right down to how you read it. Brown’s philosophy is rooted in the transformation of Black parenting from a style defined by fear to a style focused on liberation. Through her three sections, Brown encourages her readers to take time to reflect on the stories, advice, and techniques the guide offers. Each section — focusing on reconnection to self, children, and community — facilitates a different type of reflection, aiming to offer a progressive and liberated understanding of the Black family, which ultimately includes the active agency of parents and children.

ELIZABETH VINSON

CONTINUE READING: Book Review – Parenting for Liberation

How Are Schools And Non-Profit Leaders Speaking To Their Staff About America's Racism Pandemic? - Philly's 7th Ward

How Are Schools And Non-Profit Leaders Speaking To Their Staff About America's Racism Pandemic? - Philly's 7th Ward

HOW ARE SCHOOLS AND NON-PROFIT LEADERS SPEAKING TO THEIR STAFF ABOUT AMERICA’S RACISM PANDEMIC?

Courage, commitment, and foresight are consistently needed when you work in schools, districts, and organizations that claim to be doing the work of anti-racism. There are too many organizations and school/district leaders today, who can’t even muster the ounce of courage it takes to speak with their teams about the context in which they do their so-called anti-racism work. Everyone talks about speaking truth to power, but many can’t even speak truth to their direct reports, colleagues, and families.

There are school and district leaders who have been silent despite the murder and mayhem that police officers unleash on our communities across the generations, but quick to condemn the heated responses of the generationally aggrieved. They fail to realize being Black in America has always meant trying to navigate persistent and pervasive racism – the quintessential American pandemic.

Below I have shared three letters written by leaders in schools and adjacent to schools. They wrote these messages to their staff, but they are instructive and insightful.

I hope you share the messages you have given to the teams you lead and CONTINUE READING: How Are Schools And Non-Profit Leaders Speaking To Their Staff About America's Racism Pandemic? - Philly's 7th Ward

MY BIRTHDAY RIDE WILL BE ON ESPN THIS YEAR | The Merrow Report

MY BIRTHDAY RIDE WILL BE ON ESPN THIS YEAR | The Merrow Report

MY BIRTHDAY RIDE WILL BE ON ESPN THIS YEAR

Sometime between today and June 14th, my 79th birthday, I will once again attempt to bike my age.  This will mark the 14th year in a row of this challenge, which, so far, I have been able to meet. 

But this time things are more exciting and more challenging for these five reasons:

1 & 2: The ride is a mile longer, and I am a year older.

3:  I cannot use my familiar (and very flat) route outside New York City because we are now living in Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard, a hilly and windy island.  

4: For the first time, my attempt is authorized by the Association of Birthday Bicycle Athletes (ABBA), which will be monitoring my effort from its international headquarters in Sweden. If I make it, it will be certified and officially recognized. ABBA has some pretty serious rules and regulations, including these four:  

A.  The cyclist may not get off the bike more than 7 times during the ride;

B.  Nap or rest breaks cannot exceed 15 minutes, and no more than two naps are allowed during the competitive effort;

C.  No performance-enhancing drugs;

D. No sex during the ride. (This provision is the subject of much debate within ABBA. All of the French and Italian ABBA members, men and women, want the rule revised CONTINUE READING: MY BIRTHDAY RIDE WILL BE ON ESPN THIS YEAR | The Merrow Report

NYC Educator: On Union in Apocalypse Times

NYC Educator: On Union in Apocolypse Times

On Union in Apocalypse Times

Dudley Do-Right Intro

https://youtu.be/Npfi0UZL2ow via @YouTube

The other day I read a post on Facebook that asked what our union was doing about the outlandish work/ PD day we have tomorrow. It continued to say something like, "I don't want to hear any of that we are the union crap." This member, like a whole lot of us, sees the union as a separate entity. When you're in trouble, the union should come riding on a white horse and untie you from the railroad tracks.

Of course someone should get you off of those tracks. But first, you have to be on them. You have to be somewhere. The truth is you aren't some helpless innocent at the mercy of whatever bad guy twirls his mustache. You can set your own course.

Tomorrow is more of a nuisance than anything else. It's wasteful, it's stupid, and it's poorly conceived. Truth be told, though, the DOE was supposed to put up work yesterday that required no correction or input from teachers. (Maybe they did. I haven't checked.) It's not like they're oppressing us. They're simply wasting our time, and that of 1.1 million schoolchildren.

So tomorrow, a lot of teachers will go to some crappy useless PD brought to you by people who have no idea what we actually do. I'm going to teach. We don't have that much time left, and as much as I want to hear from the people who brought us two extra weeks in overcrowded, Covid-infested buildings, I'm pretty sure that the kids I serve need English more than I need another PD session. I've been taking PD from the DOE for 35 years, and so far the most it's ever been useful has been never.

Leadership has not taken exactly my position on this, but they know what it is regardless. I haven't been shy with it. They know the DOE failed to plan, and they know tomorrow is nonsense. Beyond that, it's insulting to working teachers. We do not just give busy work.

There were things I really liked about the chancellor. I've seen him speak well of teachers, and I've seen him stand for students I serve. That said, I've found him disappointing of late. I was shocked that he rejected our petition to close the schools, demanding 108,000 signatures from epidemiologists rather than working teachers. We, working teachers, were standing up for health and safety, and that of our students. We were absolutely right, and days later the chancellor's boss acceded to our demands.

That's what happens when we, the union, stand together. The union is you and me. It's not just Michael Mulgrew sitting on a throne on top of  CONTINUE READING: NYC Educator: On Union in Apocolypse Times

Community Schools May Be the Best Post-Pandemic Educational Strategy | janresseger

Community Schools May Be the Best Post-Pandemic Educational Strategy | janresseger

Community Schools May Be the Best Post-Pandemic Educational Strategy

Jeff Bryant recently profiled Mary Parr-Sanchez, the current president of the National Education Association’s New Mexico affiliate, speaking about what education will be like after the pandemic: “‘I think we’re all going to be different after this… When I first learned of the community schools model, it hit me like a lightning bolt,’ she told me. ‘I loved it because it focused on the academic and nonacademic needs of children, and the focus was on learning and a culturally relevant curriculum, not just test scores.’ Now, she is convinced the community schools model is the most promising way forward for schools as they reopen to the new realities of recovering from the fallout of COVID-19.”

Here is how the New York City Children’s Aid Society’s National Center for Community Schools defines a full-service, wraparound community school: “The foundations for community schools can be conceptualized as a Developmental Triangle that places children at the center, surrounded by families and communities. Because students’ educational success, health and well-being are the focus of every community school, the legs of the triangle consist of three interconnected support systems: A strong core instructional program… expanded learning opportunities… and a full range of health, mental health and social services designed to promote children’s well-being and remove barriers to learning.”

Community schools are designed locally to meet the needs of the particular school community, but they share essential characteristics. The Children’s Aid Society explains that community schools are not mere ad hoc school community partnerships, but are instead the product of careful planning and staffing. A Community School Director—an administrator—partners CONTINUE READING: Community Schools May Be the Best Post-Pandemic Educational Strategy | janresseger

With A Brooklyn Accent: My Top Three Policy Proposals for Getting Us Out of This Crisis

With A Brooklyn Accent: My Top Three Policy Proposals for Getting Us Out of This Crisis

My Top Three Policy Proposals for Getting Us Out of This Crisis

What this crisis tells us is that people have been pushed to the wall economically as well as victimized on the basis of their race. We have to deal with both issues to heal our wounded country. In response, I propose the following three initiatives

1. A New Deal Style jobs and public works program, modeled on the WPA and the CCC, that creates millions of jobs for unemployed people, particularly unemployed youth, rebuilding our infrastructure, repairing business districts damaged in the uprisings sweeping the nation and creating millions of units of affordable housing.

2. A demilitarization of urban police forces and an end to "broken windows policing" which targets people for non violent offenses and makes our cities safe for gentrification while making poor and working class people feel insecure in their own communities

3. A continuation of the national conversation on race, coupled with an effort to identify and remove open racists and white supremacists from our police forces, our military, and our schools. We need to restore confidence in the fairness of our most important government institutions.

There are obviously other reforms that could be envisioned but these are my top three.

With A Brooklyn Accent: My Top Three Policy Proposals for Getting Us Out of This Crisis

Revenue and Cost Report in public school districts (PSD) and county offices of education (COE) - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)

Revenue and Cost Report (PSD and COE) - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)

Revenue and Cost Report (PSD and COE)

Revenue and Cost Report (Other agency types) - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education) - https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/snprevcostreportother.asp

Unprocessed Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Applications - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education) - https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/usdapilotprojectapp.asp

This message reminds California school food authorities (SFA) in public school districts (PSD) and county offices of education (COE) of the change to the information that the California Department of Education (CDE) requires on the final claim submission of the school year. This change is specific to the revenue and cost (R&C) data that SFAs submit annually through the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) as part of the SFA’s last monthly claim for reimbursement for the School Year (SY) 2019–20.

With the availability of alternative resources to obtain unaudited actual financial data, the CDE Child Nutrition Fiscal Services Unit will not require full completion of the CNIPS R&C section from public school districts and county offices of education when submitting the last reimbursement claim for the year.

Since the CDE will not be able to modify the CNIPS, SFAs will still need to submit a simplified data entry in the CNIPS per the instructions below.

After accessing and entering the claim data for the last claiming month for SY 2019–20:

• Select Save
• Select Finish; the Claim Month Details screen will appear
• Claim Items: Claim, Costs, and Summary will appear on the left of the screen
• Select Costs; the Revenue and Cost Data Entry screen will appear on the Claim Cost Details page
• On PART III—Cost Incurred, only enter 1.00 on line 39 Other
• No other data is required on the Claim Cost Details page
• Select Save
• Select Finish

Frequently Asked Questions

When I try to enter my claim, I receive a message that states, "Claims are closed for the selected year." Is there a problem with CNIPS?

Not necessarily. Please be certain you have selected the correct school year at the top right of your CNIPS screen. When SY 2020–21 is open for sponsors to complete their annual applications update, the CNIPS will default to SY 2020–21.

To access SY 2019–20 claims:

• Log into the CNIPS
• Select Year on the blue toolbar at the top right of your screen
• Select 2019–20
• Select Claims
• Select Claim Entry
• Select your SFA’s last claiming month for the SY 2019–20

After I enter my last monthly claim for reimbursement for SY 2019–20, I receive an error message that reads, “Last claiming month of the year cannot be submitted until Revenue and Cost portion is filled out.” How do I fix this?

Access and fill out the Year-end R&C data report:

• Log into the CNIPS
• Select Year in the upper right top of your screen
• Select 2019–20
• Select Claims
• Select Claim Entry
• Select your SFAs last claiming month for the SY 2019–20
• Under Claim Items, select Costs
• Complete the form by skipping lines 1 through 38, entering 1.00 only on line 39 Other, and then select Save
• Select Submit the Claim for Payment

Contact Information

If you have any claim questions, please contact your agency’s assigned Nutrition Fiscal Analyst. A directory of these analysts can be found under the Analyst Directory tab on the CDE Nutrition Services webpage.

For program-related questions, please contact your county’s School Nutrition Program (SNP) Specialist. The Directory of Staff County Assignments is located in the CNIPS Download Forms section, Form ID Caseload. You may also contact one of our SNP Office Technician’s by phone at 916-322-3005 or at 916-322-1450.

If you have CNIPS technical questions or need your password reset, please contact the CNIPS Help Desk by phone at 1-800-952-5609, option 6, or by email at cnips@cde.ca.gov; or visit the CDE CNIPS webpage.

Questions:   Nutrition Services Division | 800-952-5609

Revenue and Cost Report (PSD and COE) - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)

SPECIAL EDITION PROTEST AND EDUCATION: Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

SPECIAL EDITION PROTEST AND EDUCATION

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... 

The latest news and resources in education since 2007

TODAY

Video: “Kids Around the World Share Their Lockdown Experiences”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h

MiroslavaChrienova / Pixabay I’m adding this new video to A BEGINNING LIST OF THE BEST RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS :

Ed Tech Digest

by Larry Ferlazzo / 3h

Eight years ago, in another somewhat futile attempt to reduce the backlog of resources I want to share, I began this occasional “” post where I share three or four links I think are particularly useful and related to…ed tech, including some Web 2.0 apps. You might also be interested in THE BEST ED TECH RESOURCES OF 2019 – PART TWO , as well as checking out all my edtech resources . Here are this

YESTERDAY

Part Five: Important Tweets About The Murder of George Floyd

by Larry Ferlazzo / 11h

Check out: Part One: Important Tweets About The Murder Of George Floyd Part Two: Important Tweets About The Murder of George Floyd Part Three – Important Tweets About The Murder Of George Floyd Part Four – Important Tweets About The Murder Of George Floyd You might also be interested in all my “Best’ lists related to racism , particularly: New & Revised: Resources To Help Us Predominantly White T

Useful Book Excerpt On Differentiated Math Instruction

by Larry Ferlazzo / 11h

PublicDomainPictures / Pixabay Tiered Activities Make Math More Inclusive is the headline of a book excerpt appearing over at Middleweb. The book it’s excerpted from is The Math Teacher’s Toolbox by Bobson Wong and Larisa Bukalov, which is one of the three Toolbox books that Katie Hull and I have edited. I’m adding the excerpt to a post where you can find a ton of free materials from all the book

New CNN Video: “Schools in Hong Kong reopen after 4 months”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 13h

Bob_Dmyt / Pixabay I’m adding this new CNN video to THE BEST POSTS PREDICTING WHAT SCHOOLS WILL LOOK LIKE IN THE FALL :

How My Theory Of Knowledge Students Evaluated Our Class – And Me!

by Larry Ferlazzo / 13h

Clker-Free-Vector-Images / Pixabay As I always do at the end of a semester and a school year, students do anonymous evaluations of our classes and me. I’ve previously posted: Here Are The Questions I’m Having ELL Newcomer Students Answer In An End-Of-Year Class Evaluation The Results Are In! Here Is How My ELL Newcomer Students Evaluated Our Distance Learning Class Here Are The Questions I’m Havi

Video: “U.S. Protests Spark Reactions Around the World, From Citizens to Leaders”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 16h

OpenClipart-Vectors / Pixabay This Wall Street Journal video is interesting for a whole lot of reasons, including to help students see how the U.S. is being perceived around the world:

Must-Watch Video: “Nikole Hannah-Jones on protests and the roots of racism in the U.S.”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 16h

Here’s how CBS News describes this video: Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times Magazine won a Pulitzer Prize for her work as the creator of “The 1619 Project,” which explored the legacy of slavery in the United States. She joined CBSN to discuss why that history is critical to understanding the protests that have spread across the country since the death of George Floyd in police custody las

Sacramento County Office Of Education Releases Fall Re-Opening Guidelines, Apparently Without Talking To Unions?

by Larry Ferlazzo / 17h

The Sacramento County Office of Education today released their guidelines for re-opening schools in the fall. You can read about it at the Sacramento Bee article, Sports canceled. Students in masks. Sacramento health officials urge big changes for schools . That article also has embedded the entire report which, as far as I can tell, is the only place you can get it right now. I called SCOE’s off

“What Educators Should – and Should Not Do – in Response to George Floyd’s Death”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 17h

What Educators Should – and Should Not Do – in Response to George Floyd’s Death is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Two educators offer suggestions on what to do – and not do – in the wake of George Floyd’s death, such as learning about the legacy of racism before taking action and not just limiting actions to empty messages of support. Here are some excerpts:

JUN 01

Part Four – Important Tweets About The Murder Of George Floyd

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

Check out: Part One: Important Tweets About The Murder Of George Floyd Part Two: Important Tweets About The Murder of George Floyd Part Three – Important Tweets About The Murder Of George Floyd You might also be interested in all my “Best’ lists related to racism , particularly: New & Revised: Resources To Help Us Predominantly White Teachers To Reflect On How Race Influences Our Work New & Revis

New TED-Ed Video & Lesson: “When is a pandemic over?”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

MirceaIancu / Pixabay I’m adding this new TED-Ed lesson and video to A BEGINNING LIST OF THE BEST RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS :

“What Teachers Should Learn From the Murder of George Floyd”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

What Teachers Should Learn From the Murder of George Floyd is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Two teachers (one is Antoine Germany, my colleague and friend) reflect and communicate about what they think educators should learn from the murder of George Floyd, including the importance of being anti-racist and challenging White teachers to acknowledge their implicit biases.

Very Good Interview: “What’s motivating nationwide protests?”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2d

GDJ / Pixabay This is a very good ABC News interview with Marc Lamont Hill:

Part Three – Important Tweets About The Murder Of George Floyd

32by Larry Ferlazzo / 2d

Check out: Part One: Important Tweets About The Murder Of George Floyd Part Two: Important Tweets About The Murder of George Floyd You might also be interested in all my “Best’ lists related to racism , particularly: New & Revised: Resources To Help Us Predominantly White Teachers To Reflect On How Race Influences Our Work New & Revised: A Collection Of Advice On Talking To Students About Race &

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007