Pass / Fail : School closures, employee cuts, selling land debated by near bankrupt Inglewood Unified | 89.3 KPCC

Pass / Fail : School closures, employee cuts, selling land debated by near bankrupt Inglewood Unified | 89.3 KPCC:

School closures, employee cuts, selling land debated by near bankrupt Inglewood Unified

by By Adolfo Guzman-Lopez

Inglewood Unified staff recommends big cuts to avoid bankruptcy and state takeover, including 20 furlough days for employees and district land. Credit: Grant Slater/KPCC

All public school districts in the Golden State have suffered budget cuts this year, but at Inglewood Unified School District administrators are considering some drastic measures to avoid bankruptcy.

The proposals on the school board agenda's Wednesday night include employee furlough days, closing down schools and cuts to employee benefits. Also on the chopping block are the district’s six police officers and police chief, although school board president Trina Williams assures residents the district won't compromise 

Following up on the Illinois forced choice: food or health care. « Fred Klonsky

Following up on the Illinois forced choice: food or health care. « Fred Klonsky:

Following up on the Illinois forced choice: food or health care.

by Fred Klonsky

In a previous post I wrote about the fact that the GOP Romney/Ryan attack on Medicare was as close as two coats of paint to what the Illinois Democrats are doing to retired state employees. Specifically to those depending on the Teacher Retirement Insurance Plan.
To check my numbers, I gave Will Lovett a call.
Will Lovett is an IEA Lobbyist and knows pensions.
I asked Will, “I just want to confirm that my understanding is correct. As a result of the forced choice between 

Fattah highlights think-tank report showing fewer dollars spent on students of color | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Fattah highlights think-tank report showing fewer dollars spent on students of color | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

Fattah highlights think-tank report showing fewer dollars spent on students of color

by Dale Mezzacappa

A national report released Wednesday showed that far fewer dollars are spent per student in schools with predominantly Black and Latino enrollments, and that staffing those schools with less experienced teachers accounts for much of the spending disparity.

The Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank, along with U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattahand the National Council of La Raza, issued the study.

Federal policy allows this disparity to happen by letting districts budget for individual schools by using an average teacher salary for the entire district instead of the actual salaries of teachers in each building, the report said. Overwhelmingly, less-experienced teachers work in schools serving poor students of color 

How showing leadership gets you into college:

How showing leadership gets you into college

08/22/2012 By Yessenia Gutierrez 1 Comment

Michael Duffy, The News Times

 I’ve been talking lately about how to improve a college application through academic preparation as well as volunteering.

This week we’re talking about a more mysterious quality admissions committees look for: leadership. What exactly counts as leadership? There are some obvious examples, such as serving as an officer of a school club. An officer is part of a group in an organization that makes decisions for the group, and common positions include president, vice president, treasurer, and so on. These positions entail more responsibility and usually are selected through either an election or 

Been down so long it looks like up | AMPS

Been down so long it looks like up | AMPS:

Been down so long it looks like up

by Thomas J. Mertz

The dbs – “Ups and Downs” (click to listen or download)

This story  — “Bonduel school taxes going down: Increase in state aid one of reasons,” by Lee Pulaski in today’s Shawano Leader made me think of Richard Farina’s novel Been Down So Long it Looks Like Up to Me.  That’s what has been going on with school funding in Wisconsin and around the nation, the cuts have been so regular and difficult that any relief, no matter how small, appears like forward movement.  The reality,  — in the Bonduel district, in Wisconsin and in most of the United States  –  is that these small steps forward don’t come 

Breaking: CTU House of Delegates meeting this PM. « Fred Klonsky

Breaking: CTU House of Delegates meeting this PM. « Fred Klonsky:

Breaking: CTU House of Delegates meeting this PM.

by Fred Klonsky

Members of the Chicago Teachers Union arriving at Lane Tech for a possible 10-day strike notification vote. They signed off for picket signs as they entered the meeting.
The Chicago Teachers Union’s largest governing body, the House of Delegates, is meeting at this moment (5PM CDT) at Lane Technical High School on the city’s north side.
WBEZ is reporting that teachers in red CTU t-shirts have been arriving for a while. No press are allowed in the meeting.
CTU Presdient Karen Lewis is reported to have said she will not bring up the question of a 10-day strike notification. That notification is required by law.
However, any CTU House of Delegates member may bring it up according to Lewis.
Members of the House of Delegates have been picking up picket signs as they entered the meeting.

Jersey Jazzman: Obama's Mixed Message on Education

Jersey Jazzman: Obama's Mixed Message on Education:

Obama's Mixed Message on Education

by Duke

I'm voting for Obama, but it's stuff like this - which I'm told airs this Thursday in Virginia and Ohio - that makes it hard for me to do so without holding my nose:

Popout

 (0:16) You can't do this just by shoving 30, 35 people in a class, and just teaching to some test.

Seriously?! The Obama administration - which include the Racin' To The Top maniac Arne Duncan - is going to fault Mitt Romney for pushing education policies that "just teach to some test"?!

The Arne Duncan who pushes what Diane Ravitch calls the "junk science" of test-based teacher evaluation? The Arne Duncan who is using RTTT as a bribe to force states into a regime of test-based teacher evaluation, even 

Duncan Tells Teachers: Change is Hard | ED.gov Blog

Duncan Tells Teachers: Change is Hard | ED.gov Blog:

Duncan Tells Teachers: Change is Hard

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Cameron Brenchley

Secretary Duncan spoke to over 800 teachers in Baltimore County, Maryland. Official Department of Education photo by Joshua Hoover.

Teaching is really hard work, Secretary Duncan told a group of more than 800 teachers this morning in Baltimore County, and the job is becoming more challenging as education reforms take hold in classrooms.

The Secretary spoke frankly about the changes that teachers will face as states implement rigorous academic standards and introduce new evaluation systems. These changes are necessary, he noted, because nearly 25 percent of America’s youth don’t graduate from high school, and about half of all students who go to community college need remedial education.

“We won’t change those numbers without high standards and high expectations,” Duncan said.

The Secretary explained how the Obama Administration through No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waivers has given states flexibility in exchange for raising standards, setting performance targets that are ambitious and achievable, and designing local interventions that focus closely on the neediest children.

We also asked states to come up with a better way to support teachers and principals.  Look at annual student growth rather than proficiency — and use other measures of effectiveness – like classroom observation, peer review, and parent and student feedback.

We further encouraged states to develop new ways to support and evaluate teachers in all subjects –the arts, foreign languages, science, history, and physical education.

We didn’t eliminate testing because we believe it is important to measure progress.  We need to know who is ahead and who is behind – who is succeeding and who needs more support.  In an ideal world, that data should also drive instruction and drive useful professional development.

We fully understand that standardized tests don’t capture all of the subtle qualities of successful teaching.  That’s why we call for multiple measures in evaluating teachers.

Duncan also spoke about the ongoing conversation about teacher evaluation that now includes a full range of issues like teacher prep, professional development, career ladders, tenure, and compensation. He cited ED’s labor-management conference and RESPECT project as recent examples of the department seeking input from teachers, unions, administrators and school boards.

“You know what success looks like,” he said. “You know what it would take to transform the field.”

Check back for the full video and transcript of the speech, or sign up to receive the speech via email here.

Polls vs Polls vs Reality « Deborah Meier on Education

Polls vs Polls vs Reality « Deborah Meier on Education:

Polls vs Polls vs Reality

by debmeier

The nice news in the Phi Delt Kappan poll on education is that after an unprecedented onslaught from the media, columnists (see Friedman’s column in today’s NYT) movies, TV shows and on and on–going back a decade or more, about half those polled are with us and half against us–or in-between. But more important is realizing how critical wording is. Had the public been asked “should schools owned by private groups, religious organization or corporations be funded by public monies?” what would the polls demonstrate? Or if we added “operated for profit” somewhere in there?
I was reminded of how deceptive polls can be by looking more closely at a headline in today’s NY Times; 

Remarks by the President in Roundtable with Teachers | The White House

Remarks by the President in Roundtable with Teachers | The White House:

Remarks by the President in Roundtable with Teachers

Canyon Springs High School
North Las Vegas, Nevada

9:36 A.M. PDT
 
MR. BARRON:  I just want to convey the genuine appreciation and sincere thank you on behalf of not only my school but my community, and now generations of the DREAM Act kids -- we really appreciate your sincerity and, more than anything, the courage that you've had to come out and help us with the --

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, when we spoke, Isaac was passionate about it, and I told you I share that passion in making sure every kid is getting a fair shot.  All these pieces fit together -- good teachers, college access, making sure that every one of our kids, if they're willing to work hard, then they've got a shot. 

Now, we can't do everything for them, and in the end -- my sister is a teacher, and she now is out of the classroom.  She's actually at the college -- at the University of Hawaii.  So she teaches teachers and sort of advises them, and works with them on a curriculum.  But I see how hard you guys work and I know that you don't do it for the money.  (Laughter.)  You're doing it because you really, deeply care about these kids.

You guys, I'm sure, recognize that you have them for a limited part of the day, and if they're not getting reinforced at home, that's a problem.  So my message is always, parents, you guys have to be part of this team.  You can't just drop your kid off and expect --

MS. HENRICKSON:  The triangle -- my friend says it's a triangle between the teacher, the parent, and the student.  If you don't have all three, it's not there. 

THE PRESIDENT:  That's exactly right.  But you guys need to make -- you guys need to have the support and the resources in order to be successful as well.  And one of the things that I know that a lot of you guys are concerned about is class size, which is something that's subject to periodic debate.  But I don't know too many teachers who don't think that having smaller class size allows you to do a better job.  And, Lori, you --

MS. HENRICKSON:  Well, I teach science, and it's such a hands-on activity.  If I want to do a hands-on activity, it's so hard when there's -- if I have 40 kids in that class.  Like I have it set up now -- I have six groups of six.  And I'm thinking, what if I had 38 students?  What am I going to do with those kids?  Am I going to have enough supplies?  That's one thing.  If I have big class sizes, am I going to have enough supplies to make those groups work?

And I think in science -- I know it's probably in every subject, but it's the meaningful experience, the hands-on, meaningful experiences that those kids need to call upon when they're tested or in life -- that if they don't have those hands-on experiences, it's just -- it's so hard for them to -- and, yes, but 40 12-year-olds, like holy cow, that's -- your daughter is 13, yes?  Your oldest?

THE PRESIDENT:  She's 14.

MS. HENRICKSON:  Oh, 14 -- okay.  But imagine 40 --

THE PRESIDENT:  Forty of them.

MS. HENRICKSON:  -- yes, in one room for 50 minutes and I need to teach them --

THE PRESIDENT:  It's frightening.  (Laughter.) 

MS. HENRICKSON:  Yes.  And it's so -- or I do Earth Science, and so we get to do space, and space is so exciting, with the Mars Curiosity -- 

THE PRESIDENT:  Right.

MS. HENRICKSON:  -- and so many things.  And I'm about to do technology and I do -- I've been following the Mars Curiosity on Twitter, and it's hilarious.  And I want to incorporate those things, and it's just -- when there's so many kids in that classroom, it's how do I touch them, how do I get those students to be excited about -- as excited as I am?  How do I give that to them?

THE PRESIDENT:  And then if one of them is stuck, you need to --

Q    Have that one-on-one time.

THE PRESIDENT:  -- have the one-on-one time. 

In terms of that, I was talking to a math teacher in Pennsylvania, in Scranton, and -- I think he was middle school -- no, it was probably high school, because he was teaching geometry so I suspect it was probably 9th grade or 10th grade.  But he was saying his traditional pattern has been that after people do the overall assignment as a group, then he’d give everybody problem sets.  And he’d go around the room and when he had 28 kids or 25 kids, then he’d go around three times.  And you add an extra five, six, seven kids in the class and then he could only go around twice. 

So he was explaining how each class for the entire year he’s touching each one of those kids one less time per class in individualized instruction, which meant that if they got stuck or they got lost it was going to make a difference. 

And you’ve seen this, right, Claritssa?  Your classes actually have increased since you started teaching.

(Travel pool exits.)

END 
9:41 A.M. PDT

Head Start To Absentee Dads: Please Come Back : NPR

Head Start To Absentee Dads: Please Come Back : NPR:

Head Start To Absentee Dads: Please Come Back

by CLAUDIO SANCHEZ

EnlargeSam Sanders/NPR

Rickie Knox (left) meets with Keith Young at New Haven's Head Start center. Knox comes here almost every day to be with his two grandchildren.

It's a typical day at a Head Start center near downtown New Haven, Conn., and restless 3- and 4-year-olds squirm and bounce on a colorful shaggy rug vying for their teacher's attention. Down the hallway several women make their way to a parenting class, stopping to marvel at a 4-month-old baby.

What you don't see, says the center's Keith Young, is men, fathers.

"Head Start is not just about the child going to school, not just about the child. It's about the whole family and that male is a part of that, so let's put them back in the picture and see what happens," Young says.

Young is the center's male involvement coordinator and community outreach partner liaison, a complicated title for a man with a simple message about fathers.

"We want to be

Unequal Education Federal Loophole Enables Lower Spending on Students of Color Education Research Report

Education Research Report: Unequal Education:

Unequal Education

Federal Loophole Enables Lower Spending on Students of Color

Today, nearly 60 years after Brown v. Board of Education, our schools remain separate and unequal. Almost 40 percent of black and Hispanic students attend schools where more than 90 percent of students are nonwhite. The average white student attends a school where 77 percent of his or her peers are also white. Schools today are “as segregated as they were in the 1960s before busing began.”.

Separate will always be unequal. But just how unequal is the education we offer our students of color today? This paper answers this question using one small but important measure—per-pupil state and local spending. 

For the first time ever, the U.S. Department of Education in 2009 collected school-level expenditure data that includes real teacher salaries. Amazingly, this had never been done before. The author uses these data to examine per-pupil spending in public schools, finding that: 

It’s Official: We’re Out of Ideas | Mr. Teachbad

It’s Official: We’re Out of Ideas | Mr. Teachbad:

It’s Official: We’re Out of Ideas

by teachbad

This is just get­ting embar­rass­ing now; the way admin­is­tra­tors flail about in hopes of find­ing the right com­bi­na­tion of gim­micks to turn their schools around. It would be merely funny if it wasn’t also guar­an­teed to cause addi­tional unnec­es­sary stress for teach­ers, waste their time, and gen­er­ally con­tribute to the disin­gen­u­ous atmos­phere of the school.

Let me explain.

I was told of a new ini­tia­tive at my old school by a friend. That there is a new ini­tia­tive is not sur­pris­ing; there are many every year and they hardly ever fail to not suc­ceed. Most of them dis­ap­pear within weeks or months; crushed to dust by the weight of their own silli­ness and the ratio­nal, pas­sive non-compliance this elic­its in teach­ers. The new ini­tia­tive is this:

All teach­ers are required to shake hands with all stu­dents at the begin­ning of all periods.

If car­ried out, this pol­icy would pro­duce about 6000 extra total hand­shakes in the school per day and a yearly total of just over 1 mil­lion. No doubt this ini­tia­tive is designed to demon­strate a coerced out­ward dis­play of respect for stu­

Town Hall Meeting. « Fred Klonsky

Town Hall Meeting. « Fred Klonsky:

Town Hall Meeting.

by Fred Klonsky

Why are tycoons, politicians pushing ‘rigor’ for preschoolers? « Parents Across America

Why are tycoons, politicians pushing ‘rigor’ for preschoolers? « Parents Across America:

Why are ‘tycoons and politicians’ pushing ‘academic rigor’ for preschoolers?

by CarolineSF

An author with whom I collaborate as editor asked me to write her a brief summary explaining who’s behind the current brand of education reform. Her topic – and concern – is the increasing academic “rigor” being imposed on young children.

 Here’s the question behind this: Teachers overwhelmingly – and parents generally – know that mandating academic rigor for young children is developmentally inappropriate. So if teachers and parents know that it’s wrongheaded and harmful to impose academic rigor on kindergartners and preschoolers, who is making it happen?

 I suggested defining the forces as “politicians and policymakers.” The author asked me to give some history, as she doesn’t follow the politics of education, so she could decide whether that was the accurate characterization. I wrote her my own brief, highly opinionated history, which I’m sharing as a blog post.

During the Reagan administration, the U.S. Dept. of Education commissioned the 1983 

Cutting health care for seniors and selective outrage. The Romney/Ryan plan and Illinois Democrats’ plan are as close as two coats of paint. « Fred Klonsky

Cutting health care for seniors and selective outrage. The Romney/Ryan plan and Illinois Democrats’ plan are as close as two coats of paint. « Fred Klonsky:

Cutting health care for seniors and selective outrage. The Romney/Ryan plan and Illinois Democrats’ plan are as close as two coats of paint.

by Fred Klonsky

Democrats and many voters are justifiably outraged at the Romney/Ryan plan for Medicare.
If the GOP plan were to take effect it is projected that Medicare will go broke by 2016.
But where is the outrage when Illinois’ Democrats are proposing a similar assault on the health insurance of Illinois’ retired state employees?
Selective outrage? Election year opportunism? A double standard?
Yes. Yes. And you betcha.
Take Senate Bill 1313 which has already been signed by the Democratic Illinois Governor and impacts thousands of retired state employees who have had state subsidized health care. That promised subsidy is 

Everything You've Heard About Failing Schools Is Wrong | Mother Jones

Everything You've Heard About Failing Schools Is Wrong | Mother Jones:

Everything You've Heard About Failing Schools Is Wrong

Attendance: up. Dropout rates: plummeting. College acceptance: through the roof. My mind-blowing year inside a "low-performing" school.

—By Kristina Rizga

| September/October 2012 Issue

15

Illustration by Jon Krause"SPEEK EENGLISH, TACO," THE GIRL with the giant backpack yelled when Maria asked where to find a bathroom. The backpack giggled as it bounced down the hall. It had been hours since Maria began looking for a bathroom. Anger boiled inside her, but she didn't know any English words to yell back. That was the hardest part. Back in El Salvador she'd always had something to say.

The bell rang. A flood of shoulders and sneakers swirled around Maria, and she couldn't see much until the sea of strangers streamed back into classrooms. Then she stood alone in the hallway.

It was Maria's first day at school, her first week in the United States. Her middle school in San Francisco was the biggest building she'd ever seen. It was bigger than the entire Best Buy store she'd walked through in awe on her first day in the city.

Eventually, Maria found her way to class, a special setting for Spanish-speaking newcomers. There she would practice English words for colors and numbers, learn how to introduce herself 

Diane in the Afternoon 8-22-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

American College Grads Face Weak Job Market

by dianerav

Many young college graduates in the U.S. are either unemployed or underemployed, working at jobs that don’t call upon the skills or knowledge they acquired while getting a bachelor’s degree. And many are burdened with student loans they can’t repay.
President Obama has set a goal to raise our college graduation rates to become first in the world by 2020, but 

Why Are So Many College Grads in China Underemployed?

by dianerav

A reader sent this article. It made me wonder how many college graduates in the U.S. are unemployed or underemployed. I have met recent college graduates who work in fast-food restaurants or who are waiting on tables or in other jobs that don’t require a college degree. How unusual is that? Anyone have anything other than anecdotes about friends and family?

• Updated August 22, 2012, 10:59 a.m. ET

China’s Graduates Face Glut

Mismatch Between Their Skills, Job Market’s Needs Results in 

Where Are the Unions?

by dianerav

This teacher (from the west) agrees with a previous post that the real goal of the reform movement is to do away with unions. That would leave them clear sailing to cut budgets even more, lay off teachers, increase class size, encourage for-profit ventures, and privatize at will, with no one powerful enough to stop them. What is sometimes called the “neoliberal” agenda is actually the old rightwing agenda, and it starts with union-busting and concludes with privatization.

Here is My Interview on CNN

by dianerav

Many readers have contacted me to ask why CNN has not posted Randi Kaye’s interview with me, rebutting Michelle Rhee’s assertions.
This reader, Michael Brocoum, made a copy of the interview and posted it on Youtube. Here it is.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, the interview began with a question about the National Assessment of Educational Progress (you will note that it is misspelled by CNN as the National Assessment of Educational

Is This the True Goal of “Reform” Today?

by dianerav

I have often been struck by the uneven playing field that policymakers and legislators establish for charter schools and public schools. The public schools are increasingly strangled by regulations and by high-stakes testing and punitive evaluations, at the same time that the charter schools are exempt from most of the strangulation. I have heard many times from principals who say that they want to turn their public school into a charter so they can escape the tentacles of regulation that are wrapped tight around their school. And I have wondered whether the purpose of “reform” was to make public schools fail while the deregulated charter schools

Can You Answer Her Question re CCSS?

by dianerav

Kipp Dawson invites others to answer her question:
A question for each of you, and anyone else. In its Winter 2011 issue, the American Federation of Teachers magazine, “American Educator” carried several articles and an editorial touting the benefits of Common Core. One argument in particular grabbed my attention and made sense, at least on the surface. The point was, if we are concerned about children in underfunded schools and in isolated (rural) settings, should we not embrace Common Core national standards and curriculum (by whatever name) to ensure that these children’s education 

Shanker Blog » A Look At The Changes To D.C.'s Teacher Evaluation System

Shanker Blog » A Look At The Changes To D.C.'s Teacher Evaluation System:

A Look At The Changes To D.C.’s Teacher Evaluation System

by Matthew Di Carlo

D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) recently announced a few significant changes to its teacher evaluation system (called IMPACT), including the alteration of its test-based components, the creation of a new performance category (“developing”), and a few tweaks to the observational component (discussed below). These changes will be effective starting this year.
As with any new evaluation system, a period of adjustment and revision should be expected and encouraged (though it might be preferable if the first round of changes occurs during a phase-in period, prior to stakes becoming attached). Yet, despite all the attention given to the IMPACT system over the past few years, these new changes have not been discussed much beyond a few quick news articles.
I think that’s unfortunate: DCPS is an early adopter of the “new breed” of teacher evaluation policies being rolled