Tuesday, October 30, 2012

by Michael Dunn

Stacie Halas was a science teacher at Richard B. Haydock Intermediate School, in Oxnard, California, until she was fired for having once been a porn actress. Her school board argued that her past was disruptive to the teaching environment. Halas is now appealing her dismissal.

Halas acted in pornographic films for 8 months from 2005 to 2006 because of financial duress, her attorney told a panel of judges last week, but she never acted in any pornographic films during her teaching career, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Nitasha Sawhney, one of the attorneys representing the school district, said the case was about “whether the students of the Oxnard School District are required to incorporate into their learning environment the choice Ms. Halas made to be a porn star." This, of course, is an

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Who's In?

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Who's In?:

Who's In?

by Melissa Westbrook

It's an interesting thing to see who has endorsed which campaign around I-1240.

First, you can thank me for the Yes side even having an endorsement page because they didn't have one for months. But I kept calling it out at debates and I guess they got embarrassed. What is kind of cute is the little mini-bios they have for every single person listed (but it does make the page look longer).

For variety, there isn't a lot of comparison. The Yes is a lot of business groups/ed reformers and, for the elected officials, Republicans (with the "roadkill" Dems thrown in).

The No side/No side is quite varied and long on elected officials (but yes, very Democrat-heavy).

As far as educators and those in education, there is no comparison. Educators, administrators and elected officials in education are overwhelmingly against I-1240.

Community groups? Quite a variety especially up against the Yes side.

Newspapers? Very much for the Yes side but I note that there is an oddly same argument in most of the newspapers (almost akin to having received talking points). At least three newspapers got it wrong about how many times we have voted on charters (which tells you how much homework they did in getting to their editorial

‘Open’ and ‘closed’ education: In between face-to-face and online learning | Education | M.A.Escotet

‘Open’ and ‘closed’ education: In between face-to-face and online learning | Education | M.A.Escotet:

‘Open’ and ‘closed’ education: In between face-to-face and online learning

by Miguel Angel Escotet

Open education is particularly characterized by the removal of restrictions, exclusions and privileges; by the accreditation of students’ previous experience; by the flexibility of the management of the time variable; and by substantial changes in the traditional relationship between professors and students. On the other hand, distance or virtual education is a modality which permits the delivery of a group of didactic media without the necessity of regular class participation or face-to-face interaction, where the individual is responsible for his own learning.

However, there exists a similar use of both terms as a result of the transfer to other countries of the concept which originally was produced in England, derived from the term ‘University of the Air’ and reinforced by other concepts such as ‘lifelong learning’, ‘permanent education’, ‘endless education’, etc. The transition which the English leaders made with the terms university of the air and Open University is a product of a reorientation of the objectives and

Charter school Initiative 1240: A video | Seattle Education

Charter school Initiative 1240: A video | Seattle Education:

Charter school Initiative 1240: A video

Posted on October 30, 2012 by seattleducation2011 | Leave a comment

Single White Female | EduShyster

Single White Female | EduShyster:

Single White Female

by edushyster2012

Many studies show that young white teachers are fresher and more innovative than their LIFO lifer peers of other races.

The achievement gap is the civil rights issue of our time—which is why it may be necessary for us to destroy a large part of the Black middle class in order to achieve our goal of closing said gap. No doubt you think I’m being all hyperbolick-y up in here but allow me to explain.
During the Chicago Teachers Union strike I encountered a stunning statistic. Since education reform arrived in Chicago, African Americans have dropped from 45% of the teaching force to just 19%. But how can that be? you must be wondering. Arne Duncan LUVS Black people. Alas reader, while the schools slated for closure, turnaround or charterization have had a significant percentage of African American teachers, the ones replacing

So Much On My Mind That I Can’t Recline [On Hurricane Sandy] | The Jose Vilson

So Much On My Mind That I Can’t Recline [On Hurricane Sandy] | The Jose Vilson:

So Much On My Mind That I Can’t Recline [On Hurricane Sandy]

by Jose

ap_hurricane_sandy_south_carolina_beach_jt_121027_wg

Hurricane Sandy Hits South Carolina Beach

The new moon rode high in the crown of the metropolis,
Shinin’, like “Who on top of this?”

- Mos Def in Blackstar’s “Respiration”

Flashlights. Bottles of water. Cereal. Baby food. Milk. Batteries. Charged devices. Landline phone on deck. Ready-to-eat foods.
As we went through the list at the supermarket, I found myself feeling stupid for thinking it wasn’t going to be that bad. Chalk it up to a New Yorker’s bravado. The citadel that survived the riots of the 70s, the drug wars of

Newsflash: The Vallas Group and Cambium Education in Divorce proceedings? - Wait, What?

Newsflash: The Vallas Group and Cambium Education in Divorce proceedings? - Wait, What?:

Newsflash: The Vallas Group and Cambium Education in Divorce proceedings?

by jonpelto

In June, Wall Street investors were told the “Cambium Learning® Group, the nation’s leading educational provider focused primarily on serving the needs of at-risk and special student populations, announced an exclusive partnership with The Vallas Group, Inc. to bring nationally known education reform leader Paul Vallas’ unique school improvement model to struggling schools across the nation.”

Weeks later came the word that the new entity has signed an $18 million dollar contract with the Indianapolis Public School Systems.

Rumors have been building over the last few days the The Vallas Group and Cambium were going through or about to go through an ugly divorce.

Still looking for final confirmation, but sources “close to the parties” have reported that the

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Some "Truths" About Teaching!

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Some "Truths" About Teaching!:

Some "Truths" About Teaching!

by Lisa M

Source: elementary-teacher-resources.com via TeachHUB.com on Pinterest

Since I'm not at work because of Hurricane Sandy, it gave me some time to peruse Pinterest, and I came across this poster. I think it's funny.:)
It also made me think about some of the "truths" about teaching, especially if someone is choosing to go into this profession now. So, here are my "truths."

You can not go to the bathroom whenever you want. You will have to either hold it, or get someone to watch your class. Depending on how desperate you are, you will either run to the Teacher's bathroom, or use the student one. (I never use the student one unless there are no kids)
You will be thrown into a classroom and told to teach. Nowadays though, you don't have to worry too much, because they tell you what to teach, how long to teach it ("I hate you pacing guide!"), and when to

Daily Kos: Frank Schaeffer is on fire today

Daily Kos: Frank Schaeffer is on fire today:

Frank Schaeffer is on fire today

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

as I discovered by following his Twitter feed where he is laying it out bluntly for White Evangelicals who say they are voting for Romney, with tweets like these:
point out they

are working to elect a job-destroying tax-avoiding lying flip-flopping Swiss bank account collecting draft dodger

who is

running with a disciple of the God-hating, Jesus-mocking hater-of-the-poor Ayn Rand, for their presidential candidate

and these back to back:

at the very same time as Franklin Graham sold his ailing father Billy's soul

and denied core evangelical theology by taking Mormonism off the Billy Graham organization's list

The No on Initiative 1240 campaign needs YOU | Seattle Education

The No on Initiative 1240 campaign needs YOU | Seattle Education:

The No on Initiative 1240 campaign needs YOU

Posted on October 30, 2012 by seattleducation2011 | Leave a comment

From the No on Initiative 1240 campaign:

Last week an unprecedented 20,000 Washington voters joined a state wide conference call to learn about the damaging effect I-1240 would have on our public schools.

Despite a $9 million advertising blitz in support of I-1240, an overwhelming majority of voters on the call said that they preferred reducing classroom size over funding charter schools. By a whopping 3 to 1 margin voters also said they opposed using taxpayer money to fund privately run schools.

With only 6 days left we need your help today to make more calls and get our message out. If you can help, please click here.

Voters understand what’s at stake. During the question and answer portion of the meeting voters expressed concern about I-1240 charter schools taking away local school levy funds and asked why voters have rejected charter schools three times in the past.

Our challenge is reaching more voters with our message and getting them to cast their ballots. Please help with a contribution of $50, $100 or $200 today (click here).

This is our last chance. Ballots are in hand, pens are poised, and some people are still unsure how to vote.

Let’s give them the information they need to make an informed decision on the damaging prospects of Initiative 1240. The undemocratic and unelected board in Olympia, and the uncertainties and instability involved with the charter conversion provision, the divisive and unfair lottery. They need to know!

Help People for Our Public Schools reach voters this week and tell them to vote NO on I-1240!

1. Phonebank – THIS WEEK, Tuesday Oct 30th, Thursday Nov 1 and Monday Nov 5th from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., as well as from 3:00-8:00 p.m. on Sunday Nov 4th at our office in Seattle, 1914 N. 34th Street, Suite 209. Call (206) 545-1240 to RSVP. Or pick up a phone list and call from home.

Give of your time: Commit to 3 hours of phone time. Of all contact we could make with a voter – paid ads, mail, robo calls – the most compelling, by far, is a personal call from you. Please, give us just 3 hours this week.

2. Doorbelling – This final WEEKEND we will meet in South Park at 9:45 a.m. Sat Nov 3, two shifts: 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Please RSVP by replying to this email. Call (206) 853-7594 that day with questions. Meet us at Via Vadi Cafe 8600 14th Avenue South Seattle, WA 98108.

3. Signs – There are still signs left. Please come by our office to get one. Phone ahead: (206) 545-1240.

4. Donate to the campaign – It isn’t too late to make a difference. Every penny counts!

Make a contribution: Give what you can. But we need contributions in today so we can put your donations to work.

5. Spread the Word – Tell your friends on Facebook & Twitter to Vote NO on I-1240 with the links below.

Like us on Facebook

VOTE NO ON 1240!

On behalf of People for Our Public Schools, thank you!

Sue Tupper

Campaign Manager

www.peopleforourpublicschools.org

Vote NO! on 1240. Vote by Nov. 6.

Schools Matter: A Lesson In Thinking About Education

Schools Matter: A Lesson In Thinking About Education:

A Lesson In Thinking About Education

by Storm

I imagine too few of us know well Mill's On Liberty. Let me press you to read it at the first opportunity, no, make an opportunity to read it now. (There is a good audio version available as well.)

What is this essay about but the education of the human species and the role of social management in that education?

I hope you can at least find the time to bear with this excerpt as it seems to me most pertinent for this audience of readers and bloggers. I am not comfortable with much of what Mill proposes, but there is no one better at convincing you that the propositions are well-considered and just. In other words, it is hard to argue against Mill. I would love for there to be a discussion about this.

I'll follow this excerpt with a portion from Chapter 5 of Huck Finn.

On Liberty was published in 1859 and Huck was published in 1885. Where are we now?

***

This is from Chapter V: Applications.

I have already observed that, owing to the absence of any recognised general principles, liberty is often granted where it should be withheld, as well as withheld where it should be granted; and one of the cases in which, in the modern European world, the sentiment of liberty is the strongest, is a case where, in my view, it is altogether misplaced. A person should be free to do as he likes in his own concerns; but he ought not to be free to do as

Shanker Blog » Surveying The Teacher Opinion Landscape

Shanker Blog » Surveying The Teacher Opinion Landscape:

Surveying The Teacher Opinion Landscape

by Matthew Di Carlo

I’m a big fan of surveys of teachers’ opinions of education policy, not only because of educators’ valuable policy-relevant knowledge, but also because their views are sometimes misrepresented or disregarded in our public discourse.
For instance, the diverse set of ideas that might be loosely characterized as “market-based reform” faces a bit of tension when it comes to teacher support. Without question, some teachers support the more controversial market-based policy ideas, such as pay and evaluations based substantially on test scores, but most do not. The relatively low levels of teacher endorsement don’t necessarily mean these ideas are “bad,” and much of the disagreement is less about the desirability of general policies (e.g., new teacher evaluations) than the specifics

Diane in the Evening 10-30-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

Teacher Who Said “I Quit” Responds to Some Critics

by dianerav

Kris Neilsen is the teacher who wrote the post explaining why he quit in North Carolina. His post went viral.
He has posted several comments on the blog. Here is one of them:
Victims are the ones who stay, play by the crushing rules, and churn out students who are good at passing tests.
I am not that. I am an activist. I got the attention of the leadership in my state, and I plan to engage them over

Is Rocketship the Wave of the Future?

by dianerav

Experienced journalist Tom Toch visited a Rocketship charter school in San Jose, California, and came away impressed.
What impressed him most, however, was not the ubiquitous computer instruction, but the intensity of the human interactions.
He took away a lesson about the importance of parent involvement and support, as well as the intense engagement of teachers.
Conservative commentators see the Rocketship model as a way to reduce the number of teachers and to break the hold of teachers’ unions.
Toch is not so sure.
Rocketship charters are now expanding rapidly into other markets outside California.
What do you think?

7 Days Until the Election, Polls Show Youth Still Need Basic Info. on Voting

CIRCLE » Knowledge about Voter Laws Still Lacking:

Knowledge about Voter Laws Still Lacking

Over 40% of young Americans “don’t know” key information about voting process

On Monday, CIRCLE released a groundbreaking poll of young people’s views of the election. The survey, commissioned by the Youth Education Fund, is unique in that it polled 1,695 youth (ages 18-29) in June/July and 1,109 of the same youth between October 12 and 23. Surveying the same people twice provides powerful evidence of change over time.

State of Young American’s Voter Law Knowledge

State voting and registration laws can have an influence on youth electoral participation, as previous researchindicates. Many states have changed their voting laws since 2010. Although the impact of those laws is unknown as yet, one pressing question is whether young people know what laws apply in their states. In our October national poll of young adults, we asked respondents about photo identification requirements, early voting opportunities, and voter registration deadlines. More than forty percent answered they were “unsure” to each question about these laws. For instance, 41.7% said they didn’t know what the photo ID requirements were in their state. This was down slightly from the 44.2% who weren’t sure when polled in the summer. While 43.3% didn’t know what the early voting options were in their states, this was a definite change from the 51.6% who were unsure in the summer. In the summer, 61.0% of respondents were unsure whether they needed to register 30 days or more before the election. In this poll, only 40.4% didn’t know. Across the board, likely voters were more than twice as likely to choose an answer to each of the voter law questions than unlikely voters. They were also more likely to be correct.

Of those who thought they knew the answer to voter law questions, respondents were most likely to know early voting requirements in their state (84.1% correct) and least likely to know whether the registration deadline was 30 days or more from the election (22.5% correct). A little over half (53.5%) were able to correctly identify the photo ID requirements for voting in their state. When young people chose an incorrect response in October, it was more

PSAT for 10-30-12: Boycott Amazon? Parents United for Responsible Education

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 10-30-12: Boycott Amazon?:

PSAT for 10-30-12: Boycott Amazon?

by admin

I try to use the first PSAT of the month (when I remember) to identify some of the worst enemies of public education for us to boycott. So far, I’ve gleefully picked on Bill Gates,Penny Pritzker, Bruce Rauner and Walmart, and generally followed my own advice. I’m doing November’s entry a week early to highlight a ballot proposition in Washington state that will be decided next Tuesday.
And this time I have to pick on Amazon, a tough one for me since I am a persistent Amazon shopper (like, yesterday, for example). They just make it it so darn easy…
But pick on Amazon I must, in special solidarity with the citizens of Washington State and especially my great Parents Across America friend Dora Taylor who writes the wonderful blog seattleeducation.com.
Why? Well, despite the fact that the folks out there in Washington, Bill Gates’ own neighbors, have repeatedly rejected the establishment of charter schools in their state, Bill and his know-nothing-about-education pals keep

UPDATE: Should a teacher lose job for urging kids to check answers? | Get Schooled

Should a teacher lose job for urging kids to check answers? | Get Schooled:

Should a teacher lose job for urging kids to check answers?

11:05 am October 30, 2012, by Maureen Downey

Kent D. Johnson, kdjohnson@ajc.com

Precious Moon testifies during her tribunal Oct. 29, 2012. Moon, a teacher and CRCT test administrator at M.A. Jones Elementary School, is accused of prompting students to change the answers on their tests when she knew they had marked an incorrect answer. She also allegedly provided the students with the correct answers on the tests, and received outside awards and bonuses worth $3,000, based on students improved scores on the CRCT.

As demonstrated with North Atlanta High School, APS chief Erroll Davis is fond of the emphatic gesture. That was also evident when he suspended all the educators implicated in the cheating investigation by Gov. Sonny Perdue.

But some of those educators are winning back their jobs as a tribunal sorts through the evidence against them and finds it wanting.

One of those may be Precious Moon. Her case seems among the murkiest, given the lack of evidence against her. Take a look at the AJC story on this week’s hearing and let us know what you think.

According to the AJC:

Atlanta Public Schools pressed its case Monday to terminate M. A. Jones Elementary School 5th-grade teacher Precious Moon for her alleged involvement in the 2009 Criterion-Referenced Competency Test cheating scandal that has implicated about 180 educators.

APS Superintendent Erroll Davis testified before a three-person tribunal that he had lost

Candidate takes fake Twitter account in stride even though it’s designed to miff teachers

12:41 pm October 30, 2012, by Maureen Downey

GOP House District 81 candidate Chris Boedeker is not losing sleep over a fake Twitter account that someone started last week, even though the spoof tweets about education are clearly designed to provoke educators.

“I looked at it briefly,” he told me on the phone today. “I noticed it over the weekend and I faxed in the identifying stuff to Twitter to get it taken down.”

Boedeker has no idea who created the fake account, but says Twitter has not played a big role

Please Vote For President Obama because Uh Oh, Ann Romney Wants to Champion Education | Education on GOOD

Uh Oh, Ann Romney Wants to Champion Education | Education on GOOD:

Uh Oh, Ann Romney Wants to Champion Education

It's become a tradition for the First Lady to become an advocate for an issue most Americans can get behind. With her "Let’s Move!" childhood obesity campaign, First Lady Michelle Obama's brought some fun to healthy eating healthy and getting fit—she got Beyoncé on board and Mrs. O actually did the Dougie with middle schoolers in Washington D.C. last spring. Well, it turns out that if she becomes First Lady, Ann Romney wants to be involved with schools and kids, too. In a Q&A with Good Housekeeping, Romney revealed that she intends to focus on education and at-risk kids if her husband wins the Presidency.
Romney told the magazine that she's "seen what happens to people's lives if they don't get a proper education."

UPDATE: FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, October 30, 2012

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

DR. AMI BERA | BERA FOR CONGRESS

Education Headlines

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

New charter school proposed in Yreka

Hope Charter School would hold classes three days a week from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. for instruction on the core subjects – mathematics and language arts.

One class nullifies Westside School's API scores

An eastern Coachella Valley elementary school’s entire student body, composed of nearly 600 children, saw its standardized test scores thrown out this year after a third-grade teacher helped at least some of the kids in her class correct their answers, state documents show.

Natomas charter school one of six opening this year in Sacramento area

Leroy Greene Academy in Natomas was among 109 charter schools that opened in California this school year, pushing the number to more than 1,000 charters, according to the California Charter Schools Association.

FAQs about charter schools

Charter schools generally are organized by teachers, parents, community groups or nonprofits. The charters are granted by a school district, county office of education or the state for a fixed period of time, usually five years in California. They are exempt from most laws that apply to public schools but must meet student performance goals outlined in their charters.

L.A. schools fail to gain union backing for grant application

The teachers union declined to sign the Los Angeles Unified School District's bid for a $40-million grant, a condition for the competition imposed by the federal education department.

49ers, South Bay schools denied $30 million settlement by state

Just when the battle between the San Francisco 49ers and South Bay schools was supposed to be over, the state of California has rejected a $30 million settlement that sought to split taxpayer funds between a football stadium and the classroom.

Schrag: Texas, California do compete – in funding race to the bottom

Substitute California for Texas and adjust the numbers for population differences and you get the same message. Our state funding for schools, never adequate and as inequitable as Texas’s, has shrunk as much in the past half dozen years.

Fensterwald: Boards, teachers must be careful to toe the line on advocacy

The simplest advice that can keep elected officials and public officials out of trouble is campaign on your own dime and your own time. And when on the job or in an official capacity, educate, not advocate.

Fresno Unified School District still has a shot at big grant

Days after venting his frustration that the Fresno Teachers Association hadn't signed a $37.3 million federal grant application, Fresno Unified Superintendent Michael Hanson sounded a conciliatory note Monday.

S.F., Oakland drop bid for U.S. school funds

Stuck in a standoff with teachers unions, the San Francisco and Oakland school districts have abandoned efforts to bring in up to $15 million each to develop high-quality math classes for upper-elementary and middle school students.

Think tank report slams Jerry Brown's school finance plan

Using data from state and federal reports, "Tipping the Scale Towards Equity" says that just giving school districts with high levels of poverty more money won't necessarily help students because of inequitable distribution of funds within districts.

Taxing questions on the ballot

What California needs is tax reform that would simplify the system, broaden the tax base and lower the rates while bringing in more revenue, if not in the short term then over time, as the economy grows. If that sort of reform is not possible, then the state ought to have a rainy day fund that forces legislators to set aside money in boom years to cushion the blow when the economy slows. But neither of those options is on the ballot this year.

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