Saturday, July 16, 2011

Dusty & Gay: The Historic Roots of Public Education

Dusty & Gay: The Historic Roots of Public Education

by NancyFlanagan

July 15, 2011

Cross Country by Bike – Christiansburg – The Natural Bridge of Virginia – Mineral – Ashland, Virginia
As we near the end, the beginning becomes clearer. The historical roots of American Public Education become visible. From Christiansburg, Virginia to Ashland, Virginia, our bike trail closely follows The Indian Trace, an old Indian route through The Great Valley. We ride a part of the Blue Ridge and below us, the Shenandoah Valley.

At Buchanan, we cross the James River at a point (the fall line) where rapids make the river less navigable

What Do Teachers Make? A Difference! | The Transformation Times

What Do Teachers Make? A Difference!

by Harvin Moore

This is a powerful video that has been making the circuit among teachers for several years. It captures the passion it takes to teach, and the essence of why it matters so much more than almost anything else.

Twelve years ago when Taylor Mali (of National Poetry Slam fame) first wrote this “poem” (which appears in full

Yong Zhao » Blog Archive » Ditch Testing: Lessons from the Atlanta Scandal (Part 3): Human Nature?

Ditch Testing: Lessons from the Atlanta Scandal (Part 3): Human Nature?

16 JULY 2011 6 NO COMMENT

Ditch Testing: Lessons from the Atlanta Scandal (Part 3): No Technical Fix: Human Nature?

Chester E. Finn says cheating on test scores “is about human nature.” Assuming cheating is human nature, then it would be logical to accept one of two assumptions: a) everyone cheats or has the tendency to cheat or b) some people are more likely to cheat than others by nature. But applying either one to the Atlanta situation raises more questions.

Fact 1: 80% of schools, nearly 200 educators, and 1,508 classes participated in cheating that had been ongoing for almost a decade in APS.

Fact 2: “Ninety percent of Georgia schools raised minimal or no concern [of cheating]. Of the schools that raised “severe” concern, half were in Atlanta Public Schools even though the system has less than 5% of the state’s schools and students.”

Question 1: If everyone cheats or has the tendency to do so by nature, why didn’t educators in other Georgia schools participate in cheating?

Question 2: If some people are more likely to cheat than others by nature, can it be true that Atlanta just has

The Future of EDU in SIX Hours « My Island View

The Future of EDU in SIX Hours

by tomwhitby

Every three years I force myself to do something that, although it is geared to save me money and provide for my safety, I dread it more than the possibility of Kidney Stones. New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, the DMV provides a Defensive Driving Course for drivers to complete and earn a reduction on their insurance premium, or a reduction on points on their license as a result of traffic infractions. Not wanting to suffer alone, and needing to get the highest reduction possible on my insurance premium, I enlisted my wife and daughter to attend the SIX hour course with me. Misery loves company. We did have a choice of two, three-hour sessions, or one, SIX hour course. Our choice was to not prolong the agony over two sessions. We opted for the SIX hour course

I do not know for sure, but I imagine other states offer such courses for their drivers. The entire SIX hour course was developed by the DMV. The instructors are all certified by the DMV. The 56 page workbook was developed

“You Are Not An Equation” (And Neither Are Your Students) | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

“You Are Not An Equation” (And Neither Are Your Students)

by Larry Ferlazzo

2 people liked this

I’ve written a fair amount about the importance of being “Data-Informed” and not “Data-Driven.” In fact, I’ve posted The Best Resources Showing Why We Need To Be “Data-Informed” & Not “Data-Driven.”

The newest addition to that list is a short article, which includes a video, titled You Are Not An Equation. It’s about Emanuel Derman, who the article describes as “a Quant, one of the shadowy legion of mathematicians on whose models Wall Street relies to make trading decisions.”

Derman has become highly critical of the use of these kinds of mathematical models — not just for Wall Street,

Cheating scandal overview | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Cheating scandal overview

by April Lin

The Notebook has compiled a summary of recent coverage of the unfolding investigations of possible cheating in Pennsylvania.

Notebook coverage to date

The Notebook uncovers a report on suspicious PSSA results commissioned by the Pa. Department of Education.
The report reveals that a number of state and area schools had been flagged for a high number of wrong-right erasures.
The report was unaddressed by state officials for two years.
The School District of Philadelphia says they never received the report.
State officials order districts and charter operations to investigate possible cheating in 2009.
The state released the list of 89 schools under scrutiny.

REMEMBERING MALCOLM AND MANNING

SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: REMEMBERING MALCOLM AND MANNING

REMEMBERING MALCOLM AND MANNING

by Paul B

Harry Targ
http://www.heartlandradical.blogspot.com/, July 14, 2011

And finally, I am deeply grateful to the real Malcolm X, the man behind the myth, who courageously challenged and transformed himself, seeking to achieve a vision of a world without racism. Without erasing his mistakes and contradictions, Malcolm embodies a definitive yardstick by which all other Americans who aspire to a mantle of leadership should be measured (Manning Marable, Malcolm X, A Life of Reinvention, 2011, 493).

Professor Manning Marable was a member of the Political Science and Sociology Departments at Purdue University during the 1986-87 academic year. His scholarship, activism, and ground-breaking books and articles inspired faculty and students even though his stay at our university was brief. His classic theoretical work, "How Capitalism Underdeveloped Black America," along with over 20 books and hundreds of articles, inspired social

Rachel Anne Levy responds to conservative edu-pundit Michael Petrelli's edu-fixes

by admin

Written by Rachel Levy for her All Things Education blog. Read the entire post here.

“So affluent people’s dedication to improving education for poor children is measured by the amount of money they fork over to people like Michelle Rhee and organizations like Students First? Really? First of all, where’s the evidence that Michelle Rhee is “fixing the schools” of anybody’s children? And wasn’t it the affluent DC residents who overwhelmingly supported her while the ones who didn’t were the poorer people whose schools she was supposedly fixing? I have no tolerance, either, for Richard Whitmire’s cringe-worthy thesis that the poorer, black

Yong Zhao Ditch Testing: Lessons from the Atlanta Cheating Scandal (Part 2): Not An Anomaly

Yong Zhao » Blog Archive » Ditch Testing: Lessons from the Atlanta Cheating Scandal (Part 2): Not An Anomaly

Ditch Testing: Lessons from the Atlanta Cheating Scandal (Part 2): Not An Anomaly

by YongZhao

Not an Anomaly: Systemic Ills Caused by Test-based Accountability Policies Secretary Duncan is not the only who tries to minimize the scale of the problem and reduce it to a technical issue. Chester E. Finn, a senior fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution and president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. He is a former assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Education under President Ronald Reagan, tries to do same. In his essay entitled Don’t ditch testing after Atlanta cheating, boost test security and published as a CNN special on July ...

“Watch Your Mouth!” « Diary of a Public School Teacher!

“Watch Your Mouth!”

by Oldschoolteach

In my last post, “Sit Your A** Down…” I used the expression, “Excuse My French“. A reader took me to task for the use of this expression because she took offense to it. After reading her comment, and looking up the origin of the term, I realized that it could be considered offensive and changed the word “French” to “Language.”. I also posted a reply to her comment. I am aware that I am the author of this post, and can write what I like, but I also realize that I have a global audience, so I should be careful of the terms I use.

In the classroom, we also have to be aware of what we say, or allow to be said, to, and around, our students. Our classrooms are populated with children from different backgrounds, religion, cultures, etc… What may be harmless or funny to us, may not be to a student or a colleague. How many students are willing to

SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: Why is the Most Wasteful Government Agency Not Part of the Deficit Discussion?

Why is the Most Wasteful Government Agency Not Part of the Deficit Discussion?

by Paul B

Published on Tuesday, July 12, 2011 by On the Commons
Why is the Most Wasteful Government Agency Not Part of the Deficit Discussion?
Republicans ignore incompetence, bloat and corruption at the Pentagon
by David Morris

In all the talk about the federal deficit, why is the single largest culprit left out of the conversation? Why is the one part of government that best epitomizes everything conservatives say they hate about government—- waste,

Teacher Evaluation and the Triumph of Empiricism

by Kevin Carey

A year ago, Adrian Fenty was the mayor of Washington, DC and Michelle Rhee was the chancellor of DC Public Schools. Rhee had made overhauling the DC system of teacher evaluation the centerpiece of her controversial and widely noted reforms. Instead of the standard system of seniority-based raises and nobody ever being fired for bad teaching, Rhee wanted to give the best teachers big raises and show the worst teachers the door.

The American Federation of Teachers was so alarmed by the prospect of the DC teachers union acceding to this plan that AFT President Randi Weingarten shoved aside local leadership and forced Rhee into a protracted series of negotiations. But because teacher evaluation is legally excluded from collective bargaining in DC, Rhee was able to put her system in place unilaterally. After a year of evaluations under the new IMPACT evaluation system, she made good on her promise: big raises for the highest performers in a time when teacher salaries

4LAKids -LA’s DEVELOPERS ARE ABOVE THE LAW + smf’s 2c

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: LA’s DEVELOPERS ARE ABOVE THE LAW + smf’s 2c

LA’s DEVELOPERS ARE ABOVE THE LAW + smf’s 2c

BY STEPHEN BOX IN CITYWATCH LA | HTTP://BIT.LY/PYFWXH

07.14.2011 - RETHINKING LA
- Only in LA can a developer come to town with a $20 Billion budget, go to work on a construction campaign that impacts literally every neighborhood in the city, and not take responsibility for traffic mitigation, pedestrian and cyclist access, ADA compliance, roadway improvements, signalization enhancements, or simply adhering to LA’s municipal code.

This cavalier behavior is the work of the LAUSD, they’re LA’s largest developer, [link] and they are above the law.

When the LAUSD’s building program gets implemented in a neighborhood, it doesn’t come with the expected community benefits that would demonstrate a partnership, it comes with an expectation that the local municipal authority will take responsibility for any street improvements and traffic mitigation.

The LAUSD spent $228 million on Central Los Angeles High School #9, [link] aka the Visual and Performing Arts High School, and failed to deliver an ADA accessible

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Power Philanthropy's biggest givers & getters

Power Philanthropy's biggest givers & getters

by Mike Klonsky

A new report on foundation activity, Critical Contributions: Philanthropic Investment in Teachers and Teaching(www.criticalcontributions.org), released today by the University of Georgia and Kronley & Associates, found that foundations directed $684 million to teachers and teaching between 2000 and 2008.

The analysis, the first comprehensive examination of philanthropy activity in this area, also revealed that much of the funding came from a relatively small number of foundations.

The top 10 foundations accounted for 50 percent of all grants and include:
1.Carnegie Corporation of New York $81,969,575
2.Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $78,167,363
3.Annenberg Foundation $36,725,000
4.Michael and Susan Dell Foundation $25,401,978

KOCH BREAK News | www.kochwatch.org

News | www.kochwatch.org

Palm Beach Post: Ex-Solantic doctor tells of intense pressure on staff to reap revenue *-By Stacey Singer* *July 10, 2011-* When family practice physician Randy Prokes joined Solantic Urgent Care in 2004, he told state investigators, his Neptune Beach clinic brought in just $2,000 a day. By the time he was fired from that job nearly ...

Keith Olbermann: Wisconsin Recall Elections

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Lawyer named to investigate Nickolaus complaint *-By Laurel Walker* *July 13, 2011-* *Waukesha* - A former Dane County deputy district attorney who is now a criminal defense attorney has notified the JoAnne Kloppenburg campaign that he is investigating the campaign's April 20 complaint accusing ...

2011 NYC School Survey Results - NYC School Survey - New York City Department of Education

2011 NYC School Survey Results

The NYC School Survey helps school leaders understand what key members of the school community say about the learning environment at each school. The information captured by the survey is designed to support a dialogue among all members of the school community about how to make the school a better place to learn.

New York City parents, students, and teachers reached new all-time participation highs on the 2011 School Survey. 960,191 surveys were submitted. Feedback gathered by the survey is aggregated at the citywide level and also summarized and reported for each individual school.

Find a school's 2011 School Survey report

View the citywide analysis of survey results.
View the citywide report of survey responses from community schools.
View the citywide report of survey responses from District 75 schools.

A few resources used during the 2011 School Survey:

Review the Survey Coordinator training materials and print the cheat sheet for Survey Coordinators for more information about the process.
Review the Code of Ethics for guidance on open and fair administration of the School Survey.
Review guidance on distributing survey materials to school staff members.
Get information on the Chinese-language parent translation issue.
Download survey graphics.

School Survey Overview

Every year, all parents, all teachers, and students in grades 6 - 12 take the NYC School Survey. The survey ranks among the largest surveys of any kind ever conducted nationally.

Survey results provide insight into a school's learning environment and contribute a measure of diversification that goes beyond test scores on the Progress Report. NYC School Survey results contribute 10% - 15% of a school's Progress Report grade (the exact contribution to the Progress Report is dependant on school type). Survey questions assess the community's opinions on academic expectations, communication, engagement, and safety and respect. School leaders can use survey results to better understand their own school's strengths and target areas for improvement.

Results from the 2010 NYC School Survey

New York City parents, teachers, and students reached new participation heights on the 2010 School Survey. 922,694 surveys were submitted. Feedback gathered by the survey is aggregated at the citywide level and also summarized and reported for each individual school.

View the citywide analysis of 2010 survey results.
View the citywide report of survey responses from community schools.
View the citywide report of survey responses from District 75 schools.
Download the 2010 School Survey data.
View the 2010 Scoring Guide for community schools.
View the 2010 surveys.

Survey Archives

The NYC School Survey has been taken annually since its inception in 2007. Survey information from 2007 through 2009 is archived below.

View the 2009 Citywide Report of survey responses from community schools
View the 2009 Citywide Report of survey responses from District 75 schools
View the 2009 Citywide Analysis of survey results
Download the 2009 Survey Data
Read the 2009 press release
Find the 2009 School Surveys and translations
View the 2009 Scoring Guide for community schools
View the 2009 Scoring Guide for District 75 schools

2008 School Survey

2007 School Survey

Teach Plus: Astroturf In Indiana? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Teach Plus: Astroturf In Indiana?

by Anthony Cody

On Thursday I shared an interview with education historian Diane Ravitch on the controversy surrounding the video of Jonah Edelman, CEO of the non-profit advocacy group Stand For Children. She discussed how a number of supposedly grassroots groups like this have cropped up and had a significant impact on education policy. She listed several groups, including one called Teach Plus.

I did a bit of digging to find out more about the role Teach Plus played supporting Senate Bill 1, passed this spring in Indiana. I found out that Stand For Children was responsible for active support of the law, including sponsoring polls that showed public support for the idea of basing teacher pay and layoffs primarily on "student academic growth."

So there is the big footprint of Jonah Edelman's Stand For Children. But what was the role of Teach Plus? In this New York Times article in May, Behind Grass-Roots (sic) Advocacy, Bill Gates the story leads off by describing

Atlanta schools created culture of cheating, fear - Boston.com

Atlanta schools created culture of cheating, fear

FILE - In a July 13, 2011 file photo, students at Emma Hutchinson School in Atlanta leave after the day's classes. Hutchinson has been identified as one of forty four schools involved in a test cheating scandal. A new state report reveals how far some Atlanta public schools went to raise test scores in the nation’s largest-ever cheating scandal. The scandal first came to light two years ago. Now, investigators have concluded that nearly half the city’s schools allowed cheating to go unchecked for as long as a decade, beginning in 2001. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

By Dorie Turner

Associated Press / July 16, 2011

Text size – +

ATLANTA—Teachers spent nights huddled in a back room, erasing wrong answers on students' test sheets and filling in the correct bubbles. At another school, struggling students were seated next to higher-performing classmates so they could copy answers.

Those and other confessions are contained in a new state report that reveals how far some Atlanta public schools went to raise test scores in the nation's largest-ever cheating scandal. Investigators concluded that nearly half the city's schools allowed the cheating to go unchecked for as long as a decade, beginning in 2001.

Administrators -- pressured to maintain high scores under the federal No Child Left Behind law -- punished or fired those who reported anything

Jersey Jazzman: Teacher Eval by Test = Lawyer Employment

Teacher Eval by Test = Lawyer Employment

by Duke

The lawsuits are coming! The lawsuits are coming!

For the second year in a row, a disproportionate number of "highly effective" teachers are employed in affluent, white areas of the District, school officials confirmed.
"We're continuing to look at that, and it's a trend we saw this year as well," said Jason Kamras, chief of human capital for D.C. Public Schools.
In 2010, nearly one-quarter of top-performing teachers were in Ward 3 schools, while only 5 percent taught in Ward 8 — even though affluent Ward 3 has 60 percent the enrollment

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Murdoch moves on public education in Indiana, N.Y.

Murdoch moves on public education in Indiana, N.Y.