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Wednesday, January 19, 2011

South Florida Schools | Sun Sentinel blogs | Grading parents is a degrading idea

South Florida Schools | Sun Sentinel blogs | Grading parents is a degrading idea

Grading parents is a degrading idea


By Rafael OlmedaJanuary 19, 2011 10:45 AM
I'm trying to think of a policy that would be more destructive to the teacher-parent relationship than the one proposed yesterday by State Rep. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland. I can't.

Stargel filed a bill in the Legislature that would require teachers to grade parents on their level of involvement in their kids' education. Because apparently getting these two critical groups (parents and teachers) on the same team can best be served by having one judge the other.

"Without proper parental involvement in all aspects of a child's life, the child's prospects to be a well-equipped and useful member of society are greatly diminished," the bill states.

That is true. It's also irrelevant to the bill, which would require teachers to grade parents on "their response to requests for meetings or communication, their children's completion of
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Special education costs seen as costly service

Special education costs seen as costly service

Special education costs seen as costly service

Jan 19, 2011 11:39am

WASHINGTON (AP) — Educating students with disabilities — a federally mandated responsibility — is seen as one of the costliest services school districts must provide, and one of the last that can be cut.

The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act provides a set of protections for 6.6 million students — about 13 percent of total student enrollment — who have dyslexia, autism, intellectual disabilities, blindness, or other impairments that affect educational performance. Those students are entitled to a "free, appropriate public education" in the least-restrictive environment that meets their needs. Fail to provide such services, and parents can sue in federal court.

Those guidelines have led to the perception that special education is an untouchable expense, even in lean economic times. While states and school districts are encouraged to squeeze out every dime in other areas of spending, trying to save money in special education services is thought to be a third rail: Touch it, and you'll get shocked.

"A lot of school districts want to avoid even the threat of litigation," says Michael Griffith, a school finance expert with the Denver-based Education Commission of the States. "The minute you start talking about efficiencies for special education, there is a huge uproar from parents. People look at that as cutting back on things."

But like everything else in the world of special education, the reality is complicated.

States and districts are able to adjust what they spend on special education, though

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Dissent Magazine - Winter 2011 Issue - Got Dough? How Billion...

Dissent Magazine - Winter 2011 Issue - Got Dough? How Billion...

Got Dough? How Billionaires Rule Our Schools

By Joanne Barkan
THE cost of K–12 public schooling in the United States comes to well over $500 billion per year. So, how much influence could anyone in the private sector exert by controlling just a few billion dollars of that immense sum? Decisive influence, it turns out. A few billion dollars in private foundation money, strategically invested every year for a decade, has sufficed to define the national debate on education; sustain a crusade for a set of mostly ill-conceived reforms; and determine public policy at the local, state, and national levels. In the domain of venture philanthropy—where donors decide what social transformation they want to engineer and then design and fund projects to implement their vision—investing in education yields great bang for the buck.

Hundreds of private philanthropies together spend almost $4 billion annually to support or transform K–12 education, most of it directed to schools that serve low-income children (only religious organizations receive more money). But three funders—the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Eli and Edythe Broad (rhymes with road) Foundation, and the Walton Family Foundation—working in sync, command the field.
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Will Dallas school trustees follow L.A.'s lead? | The Education Front Blog | dallasnews.com

Will Dallas school trustees follow L.A.'s lead? | The Education Front Blog | dallasnews.com

Will Dallas school trustees follow L.A.'s lead?

by William McKenzie/ Editorial Columnist

So, why did the Los Angeles public school system hire John Deasy as their next superintendent? And hire him by a unanimous vote?

The decision is a surprising one because education unions have been strong in L.A. They frustrated the likes of Roy Romer, the former Democratic governor of Colorado who served as L.A.'s superintendent from 2000 through 2006.

But the board apparently has enough members who are willing to back a superintendent that wants to make students his first constituency. Yes, that sounds pretty cloying, but it's true. Among other things, Deasy wants to link a teacher's evaluation to the performance of his or her students in the classroom.

This Wall Street Journal profile highlights how Deasy is well known for his beliefs about linking the two. He had

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Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Education researchers from throughout Chicagoland have prepared this fact sheet to distinguish myths from realities, and to provide new visions.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Education researchers from throughout Chicagoland have prepared this fact sheet to distinguish myths from realities, and to provide new visions.

Education researchers from throughout Chicagoland have prepared this fact sheet to distinguish myths from realities, and to provide new visions.

by Mike Klonsky

Chicagoland Researchers and Advocates for Transformative Education (CReATE)

Chicago School Reform: Myths, Realities, and New Visions


Public education in a democratic society is based on the principle that every child is of equal and incalculable value. This guiding principle requires the fullest development of every member of our nation. Effective public schools are necessary to enable every member of our nation to reach his or her fullest potential. Schools in a democracy aim to prepare the next generation to be knowledgeable and informed citizens and residents; to be
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This Week In Education: Media: Education's Huffington Post

This Week In Education: Media: Education's Huffington Post

Media: Education's Huffington Post

by Alexander Russo

ScreenHunter_21 Jan. 19 10.42Much to the consternation of the centrist reformers who simply can't believe that they don't own every media outlet out there, Valerie Strauss has turned her Washington Post blog into an education version of the Huffington Post, filled with mostly progressive voices poking holes in the centrist belief system. Sure, the Huffington Post has an education page, too, but the emphasis there seems to be on feel-good stories and quantity. Once in a

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Are Good Grades the Norm at Your School? - voiceofsandiego.org: Schooled: The Education Blog

Are Good Grades the Norm at Your School? - voiceofsandiego.org: Schooled: The Education Blog
18Jan
Are Good Grades the Norm at Your School?Comments (1) | 4:15 pm

Curious how grades break down at your local school?

Check out this chart, which shows how report cards differ at San Diego Unified high schools. Schools are ranked on the percentage of students in grades 10-12 getting a B average or higher. High grades are much more common at some schools than others. So are low ones, as you can see here:

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18Jan
How We Analyzed Grades at the MetComments (2) | 12:00 pm

Last year, concerns about grade changing surfaced at a small San Diego school called the Met. Students there can improve grades they earned earlier by doing additional work.

But school district internal auditors argued that the alternative school located on the Mesa College campus couldn't alter grades given by other school districts.

Beyond the investigation over changed grades, I got interested in the bigger picture: What were grades like at the Met? How did its different approach to grading shape the marks that students got?

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17Jan
A School Where Grades Are Tops, But Test Scores Are NotComments (7) | 7:15 pm

Students' report cards glow at this unusual, small school. Their test scores look good, too — but they don't shine as brightly as their grades.

Students at the San Diego Metropolitan Career and Technical High School, known as the Met, were more likely to get As and Bs than kids at any San Diego high school last year. Nearly three out of four students had at least a B average in grades 10 to 12, almost twice the average at local schools.

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New Posts on Parents 4 democratic Schools 1-19-11 Get Involved- Read Education News

New Posts on Parents 4 democratic Schools
Get Involved- Read Education News


Parents 4 democratic Schools

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