Much still unresolved with SRC | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Much still unresolved with SRC | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

Much still unresolved with SRC

by Benjamin Herold

Philadelphia’s School Reform Commission can now muster a quorum, but there's still no word on when it will resume business.

On Tuesday, the SRC indefinitely postponed its scheduled Wednesday meeting, the second such cancellation this month. By not meeting, the commission delayed action on approximately 29 pending resolutions dealing with issues ranging from operations to procurement.

Featured Title:

Pritchett to fill Archie's term; no news on chair or meeting date

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My Testimony on National Standards before US House | Truth in American Education

My Testimony on National Standards before US House | Truth in American Education:

My Testimony on National Standards before US House

by chascherrie

My Testimony on National Standards before US House
Sept. 21, 2011 Jay P. Greene’s Blog

As I mentioned yesterday, I testified before the US House Subcommittee on Early Education, Elementary, and Secondary Education. Here is the written testimony I submitted:

Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, thank you for having me here to testify today. My name is Jay P. Greene and I am the 21st Century Professor of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas. I am also a fellow at the George W. Bush Institute located at Southern Methodist University.

I am here today to talk with you about how we can best achieve high standards and improve outcomes in education. There is a large effort underway to change educational standards, curriculum, and assessments by centralizing the process. This effort is based on the belief that we will get more rigorous standards and better student outcomes if standards, curriculum, and assessments are determined, or at least coordinated, at the national level. It began with the use of Race to the Top to push states to adopt the Common Core standards, but will also require national curriculum and assessments to be fully implemented.

I believe this centralized approach is mistaken. The best way to produce high academic standards and better

Schools Matter: Using Federal Power to Resegregate American Schools

Schools Matter: Using Federal Power to Resegregate American Schools:

Using Federal Power to Resegregate American Schools

by Jim Horn

Using Federal Power to Resegregate American Schools

Prior to passage of the Elementary and Secondary Act (ESEA) in1965, a savvy Lyndon Johnson, who knew the South would never willinglydesegregate schools, crafted the federal legislation so that large sums ofmoney would go to any of the segregated systems of the South that would complywith the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which, of course, banned racialdiscrimination in any public institution receiving federal funds. This strategy of carrot (ESEA) followingstick (Civil Rights Act) worked like a charm, and the “segregation now,segregation forever” crowd quietly resolved to accept the federal millions and,in doing so, reluctantly complied with the Supreme Court’s mandate handed downin the unanimous 1954 Brown decision,which had been largely ignored in the South.

I was a sophomore in one of those small segregated Southernhigh schools in 1965, and I remember the first black kids who, until that time,had had a 60-mile roundtrip daily bus ride to endure if they wanted to go tohigh

IEA’s chief lobbyist tells members it’s “too early” to mobilize around defense of pensions. « Fred Klonsky's blog

IEA’s chief lobbyist tells members it’s “too early” to mobilize around defense of pensions. « Fred Klonsky's blog:

IEA’s chief lobbyist tells members it’s “too early” to mobilize around defense of pensions.

by Fred Klonsky

IEA’s chief legislative lobbyist Jim Reed posted a video on the IEA website today. The purpose of the video was to inform members of the results of this past week’s meetings with the so-called stake-holders involved in pension legislation.

The meetings included legislators, the unions, and the corporate interests represented by Ty Fahner’s Civic Committee.

When asked directly in the video if this was too early for members to mobilize, Jim said he thought it was too

Key Conservative Smacks Romney for Siding with Arne Duncan | Scathing Purple Musings

Key Conservative Smacks Romney for Siding with Arne Duncan | Scathing Purple Musings:

Key Conservative Smacks Romney for Siding with Arne Duncan

by Bob Sikes

There are few conservative commentators with the juice that Red State‘s Erick Erickson has. In a post this afternoon, Erickson clearly distinguished the clear differences between the education policies of presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Perry. Erickson sees that Romney supports the Barack Obama-Arne Duncan reforms while the Perry bristles at the intrusion of the federal government into state’s school system.

Romney said today at a campaign stop in Florida that “I think Secretary Duncan has done some good things. I hope that’s not heresy in this room.” Erickson is skeptical of Romney’s position and writes:

In other words, Mitt Romney is on the record supporting No Child Left Behind and Arne Duncan’s reforms geared toward discrediting Texas, but he would not support school choice and while he said he’d support charter schools he’d never meet with charter schools leaders.

What the hell does Mitt Romney believe in other than saying or doing anything right now to hurt Team Perry, including tacking to the left? But hey! At least in 1994 Mitt Romney supported the

Save Seattle Schools Community Blog: TFA Fights Back

Save Seattle Schools Community Blog: TFA Fights Back:

TFA Fights Back

by Melissa Westbrook

I was wondering where local TFA was all this time.


We'll find out out tonight's School Board meeting as it looks like at least five people who signed up to speak are TFA. One, Lindsay Hill, is the executive director of TFA in the Puget Sound area, and another is one of the teachers hired for SPS, Kenneth Maldonado.


I note that there are still four places left on the speakers list.


I also note that the action item for the conditional certifications has changed under Alternatives:


Do not authorize application for conditional certificates for these candidates. This is not

School Cuts Hurt! « EdVox

School Cuts Hurt! « EdVox:

School Cuts Hurt!

by edvoxny

Parents, Students, Teachers, Elected Officials and Community Members Gather on Steps of DOE Headquarters to Protest Schools Cuts, Present Personal Stories Detailing How They’ve Been Hurt by Slashed Budgets

Three weeks into the 2011- 2012 school year, local parents, students, teachers and community members presented personal stories detailing how the recent $1.3 billion cut to public education have impacted their schools. Parents spoke of what it feels like to lose 2600 teachers, 777 school employees, as well as art, music, tutoring services, afterschool, guidance counselors, and more. The first-hand testimonials were given to send a message to the Governor and legislature that “School Cuts Hurt.” City Councilmembers Robert Jackson (Chair of the Education Committee), Brad Lander (Chair of the Progressive Caucus) and Ydanis Rodriguez (Chair of the Higher Education Committee) also spoke at the event about how the cuts were hurting their communities, and all advocated for the extension of the millionaire’s tax.

The group of parents and advocates called on their elected officials to take action to restore cuts to classroom instruction and programs, and protested layoffs of key City schools personnel in their testimonials:

“Just weeks into the school year, the stories of pain due to massive state education budget cuts are being

Tell President Obama to take action to save the life of Troy Davis

Tell President Obama to take action to save the life of Troy Davis:

Over 8,000 letters sent in first 5 hours to Pres. Obama, Attorney General Holder

Save Troy Davis!

Let's keep up the pressure! In the first five hours after we issued our appeal, more than 8,000 letters have been sent on behalf of Troy Davis. If you have not sent a letter yet, send one right now. If you've already sent a letter, share this with everyone you know urging them to take action. Time is running out.

1. Send a letter to President Obama and Attorney General Holder demanding a federal civil rights investigation that could stay tonight’s execution of Troy Davis.
2. Spread the word about this urgent call to action:

---

Tell President Obama to take action to save the life of Troy Davis

Send this appeal to everyone you know

Send a letter right now to President Obama and Attorney General Holder demanding a federal civil rights investigation that could stay tonight’s execution of Troy Davis.

TOP: Troy Davis. BOTTOM: Supporters of Troy Davis demand justice in front of the Georgia Capitol building, Sept. 20.

Dear supporter of the ANSWER Coalition,

The Obama/Holder Justice Department should launch a federal civil rights investigation right now into the case of Troy Davis and seek a stay of his execution that is scheduled for tonight at 7pm.

President Obama, who routinely lectures sovereign governments abroad about civil rights and human rights issues within their countries, has until now said nothing to the state government of Georgia that allowed racist police forces to intimidate and coerce witnesses in the effort to execute an innocent Black man.

It’s not too late to act. The clock is ticking before an innocent man is put to death.

Send a letter right this second to President Obama and Attorney General Holder insisting that he speak up and use the authority of the Presidency to prevent this outrage. Tell President Obama to order a Federal Civil Rights investigation into the case of Troy Davis.

You can also call the White House switchboard and tell them that you want President Obama to initiate a federal civil rights investigation and seek a stay of execution. Call the White House at 202-456-1414.

Background to the case of Troy Davis

More than 1 million people have signed a petition in support of Troy Davis. Demonstrations have taken place around the country and the world. Even the former director of the FBI has said that this execution is an injustice and should not go forward.

Of the nine witnesses, seven have recanted or altered their version of events. Five have signed statements saying they were coerced by police to testify against Davis, a common element of many racist “legal lynchings” targeting Black people. Three witnesses said that another man confessed to them that he killed the police officer.

The execution of Troy Davis shows with full clarity the true character of the racist legal system in the United States—its complete failing as any arbiter of justice. Davis has accessed all allowed avenues of appeal in the U.S. justice system in his quest not be put to death, an innocent man.

The members of the politically appointed Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, impervious to any accountability to the people, have decided that they wish for Troy Davis to die. With their announcement today that they have denied clemency to Troy Davis, he is on course to be executed this Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 7pm Eastern, in the state of Georgia.

Absolutely no physical evidence has been found that implicates Davis in the killing. No murder weapon has ever been found, exposing yet another major gap in the prosecution’s case. This is the fourth time the state of Georgia has set an execution date for Davis, who was wrongly convicted of killing a police officer in 1989.

The ANSWER Coalition has been joining with hundreds of other organizations in demonstrations throughout the country in recent days and weeks.

There is worldwide opposition to Troy Davis's execution. On Sept. 16, coordinated protests took place in cities all over the United States and the world.

Over 650,000 signatures in support of Troy Davis were delivered to the parole board. Now, over 1 million people have signed petitions in his support. Prominent signers include South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former President Jimmy Carter, more than four dozen members of Congress, and many celebrities.

The decision to deny clemency to Davis reaffirms the unabashed racism and bankruptcy of the justice system. We are staying in the streets to demand justice! Stop the execution of Troy Davis! End the racist death penalty!

Send a letter to President Obama and Attorney General Holder right now demanding that the Justice department order a Federal Civil Rights investigation into the case of Troy Davis. Prevent the the state sponsored murder of an innocent man.

THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: Elizabeth Warren on class warfare, etc.

THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: Elizabeth Warren on class warfare, etc.:

Elizabeth Warren on class warfare, etc.

by The Perimeter Primate

A breath of fresh air.

“There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody. You build a factory out there – good for you.

But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for...

Now look. You built a factory and it turned into something terrific or a great idea – God bless! Keep

Mixed Feelings about CMS’s Broad Prize « Parents Across America

Mixed Feelings about CMS’s Broad Prize « Parents Across America:

Mixed Feelings about CMS’s Broad Prize

by pagrundy

PAA co-founder Pamela Grundy has a son in fifth grade in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

So we finally won the Broad Prize. After two stints as a finalist, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools took home this year’s prize, which the Charlotte Observer termed “the nation’s top award for urban education.” CMS leaders celebrated. Our mayor called the prize “a huge shot in the arm.”

I have mixed feelings.

I don’t care for Eli Broad or the movement he is part of. His support for privatizing public education, his disdain for elected school boards and his push for disruptive policies

Stimulus money for Florida school districts misused | Extra! Extra!

Stimulus money for Florida school districts misused | Extra! Extra!:

Stimulus money for Florida school districts misused

by Beth

President Obama’s 2009 economic stimulus package granted “millions of federal dollars” to public school districts in Florida. As part of the President’s vision “to accelerate improvement in schools,” the money was meant to provide a means to improve low performing schools and prevent teacher layoffs. However, this investigation by Mc Nelly Torres of the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting reveals that the money was not being spent in the way that it was intended.

” … with the aid of federal waivers, school districts were allowed to divert money from education reform to patch

What the U.S. Can Learn from China:

What the U.S. Can Learn from China

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2011 AT 1:07 PM

I just returned from my first visit to China in 15 years, and I still can’t get over howaligned the Middle Kingdom remains around its core “mission statement” – and how misaligned we remain in the United States.

In China, the mission that directs the priorities of its private, public and social sectors is the one first laid out by former premier Deng Xiaoping back in 1984 –“building socialism with Chinese characteristics.” Deng’s vision was an unlikely pairing – on one hand, robust financial freedoms and a willingness to welcome foreign economic influences (like McDonald’s and Microsoft); on the other, sharply circumscribed social freedoms and a determination to forbid foreign cultural influences (like Facebook and Twitter).

Back in 1994, when I taught at a university in Beijing, this shared purpose was

Troy Davis Execution Incites Twitter Outrage, Protests Worldwide - ABC News

Troy Davis Execution Incites Twitter Outrage, Protests Worldwide - ABC News:

By COLLEEN CURRY

Sept. 21, 2011

Hip hop stars used Twitter today to urge their fans to protest and the NAACP has scheduled a news conference in an effort halt this evening's execution of convicted Georgia cop killer Troy Davis.

Davis's attorneys have launched a series of last-ditch efforts just hours before he is scheduled to receive a lethal injection for the 1989 murder of Savannah cop Mark MacPhail.

A Georgia board of pardons and paroles today rejected Davis' offer to take a lie detector test, and his attorney Brian Kammer submitted a petition to the county where the jail is located to block the execution, although it is unclear whether the jail has any jurisdiction.

Davis, 42, is scheduled to be executed at 7 p.m. He has refused the option of a final meal. His lawyers said he will spend his remaining hours with friends, family, and supporters instead.

He has spent 22 years on death row and in recent years support for his plea of innocence has grown as several witnesses recanted their testimony that he fired the shot that killed MacPhail. His impending execution has brought those efforts to a head.

In the 24 hours before his scheduled death, a flurry of messages on 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Low poverty rates = high scores on int'l tests

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Low poverty rates = high scores on int'l tests:

Low poverty rates = high scores on int'l tests

An email from a colleague in California caused me to reflect once again on the results of the 2009 PISA exams. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a worldwide evaluation of 15-year-old school pupils' scholastic performance, performed first in 2000 and repeated every three years. It is coordinated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), with a view to improving educational policies and outcomes. Another similar study is the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, which

All Education Matters: Congressman DeFazio: "We need to help the next generation to succeed! We need money to pay for it!"

All Education Matters: Congressman DeFazio: "We need to help the next generation to succeed! We need money to pay for it!":

Congressman DeFazio: "We need to help the next generation to succeed! We need money to pay for it!"

by Cryn Johannsen

Fellow activist and author, Nando of Third Tier Reality, was watching C-SPAN Live this morning, and shared this clip with me. Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) took the floor of the House and gave an impassioned speech. The overall talk was about jobs and taxes, but he then mentioned the need to INVEST in the next generation. We're apparently lost in the mix, but that will change. (I have already reached out to Congressman DeFazio's office and let them know how much I appreciated his remarks about higher education).

The gentleman from Oregon was given five minutes to speak. DeFazio first stated:

Well, I was, uh, initially very supportive of the President's proposed Buffet tax based on the

Stat of the Day: Executing the Innocent | Mother Jones

Stat of the Day: Executing the Innocent | Mother Jones:

Stat of the Day: Executing the Innocent

The state of Georgia is scheduled to execute Troy Davis sometime after 7 p.m. tonight, even though there are serious doubts as to whether he ever committed the crime he was convicted of (seven of the nine witnesses at his trial have since recanted). The debate over capital punishment has picked up noticabely over the last month, with the Davis execution, the Supreme Court's intervention in the case of Texas death row inmate Duane Buck, and Texas Governor Rick Perry's insistence—in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary—that the state has never executed an innocent man on his watch. In an editorial today, the New York Times takes the occasion to call for capital punishment to be permanently abolished.

They make a pretty compelling case. But this might not be a fight they can win—at least not for a while. Some death penalty supporters believe that the government is infallible when it comes to doling out capital punishment. But the numbers show that even people who think the state sometimes gets the wrong guy are still likely to support the death penalty. Here's a 2009 Gallup poll, via Grits for Breakfast:

All Things Education: The Context of Character Education

All Things Education: The Context of Character Education:

The Context of Character Education

by Rachel Levy

I was up late last night and early this morning reading and thinking about the Troy Davis case, our deeply unjust criminal justice system, and character education. I'm tired and out of blogging practice, so I may have some things to update or clarify later.

I read this New York Times Magazine article by Paul Tough about character education at KIPP middle schools in New York City and at Riverdale Country School, an elite private school also in New York City, expecting to be aggravated by it, but I wasn't at all. It was a solid piece of journalism--nuanced, thought provoking, and objective. That being said, I see some real problems in the approach being described.

I hadn't liked the sound of KIPP co-founder Mike Feinberg's recent quote that: "KIPP teachers believe their job is to teach 49 percent academic and 51 percent character," so I was relieved when I read the other KIPP co-

Shanker Blog » What Are "Middle Class Schools"?

Shanker Blog » What Are "Middle Class Schools"?:

What Are “Middle Class Schools”?

by Matthew Di Carlo

An organization called “The Third Way” released a report last week, in which they present descriptive data on what they call “middle class schools.” The primary conclusion of their analysis is that “middle class schools” aren’t “making the grade,” and that they are “falling short on their most basic 21st century mission: To prepare kids to get a college degree.” They also argue that “middle class schools” are largely ignored in our debate and policymaking, and we need a “second phase of school reform” in order to address this deficit.

The Wall Street Journal swallowed the report whole, running a story presenting Third Way’s findings under the headline “Middle class schools fail to make the grade.”

To be clear, I think that our education policy debates do focus on lower-income schools to a degree that sometimes ignores those closer to the middle of the distribution. So, it’s definitely worthwhile to take a look at