The Ethical Core of Common Core — Whole Child Education

The Ethical Core of Common Core — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

The Ethical Core of Common Core

January 3, 2013 by Paula Mirk

Both the whole child approach and the Common Core State Standards "compel school instructional staff to develop and deliver effective, engaging instruction reflective of individual student needs and strengths." That's what we all want for our students, and we should expect nothing less. But the standards are undergirded by an "ethical core," and all educators should keep in mind that our ultimate purpose in teaching—indeed in creating schools in the first place—remains preparing the next generation to contribute to and improve our society. The Common Core State Standards are one dimension of delivering toward the aim of healthy students ready to be competent, thoughtful and informed citizens.

The standards are set up with plenty of room for creativity and connection, and encourage real-life opportunities for learning. The Ethical Literacy Learning Community approach and process helps teachers of any topic provide effective, engaging instruction that can meet students at their experience level and take them on amazing, inspiring journeys that will further understanding of the topic.

Our recent Making School Meaningful conference is a great case in point. Hosted at the Catharine Cook 

Armed Teacher Training Program launches in 15 states; ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws = increase in homicides | Pam's House Blend

Armed Teacher Training Program launches in 15 states; ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws = increase in homicides | Pam's House Blend:

Armed Teacher Training Program launches in 15 states; study reveals impact of ‘Stand Your Ground’ on homicides

by Pam Spaulding

Boy, this is a bad idea on so many levels. Teachers are already in high-stress positions — imagine dealing with middle-school-age, hormone-racing kids all day for one thing. Add on the responsibility of being in charge of your firearm, to keep it safeguarded yet accessible on the chance someone is going to come in randomly guns-ablazing? It sounds like a recipe for disaster to me, but apparently we’ve got states ready to go forward with this “plan” to address gun massacres in schools. (Think Progress):

In Ohio, the Buckeye Firearms Foundation, along with a group called the Tactical Defense Institute, is crafting a curriculum specifically designed for teachers and school staff. A local Fox affiliate has details on who is signing up– they report that more than one third of the applicants are women, and that “more than half of the applicants work in high schools”:

As of Wednesday, the Armed Teacher Training Program has attracted more than 600 applicants from several states including Ohio, Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, 

Diane in the EVENING 1-3-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

Rocketship to Nowhere

by dianerav

I posted a couple of times about John Merrow’s PBS profile of the Rocketship charter chain, but I think there is more to be said on the subject.
The chain now has seven charters in San Jose, California, and it will soon expand into many more urban “markets.” When it enters a new territory, it expects a commitment for at least five charters. It aims to enroll one million children eventually. It is presently planning new schools in Nashville, San Antonio, Milwaukee, and other cities.
Merrow’s show was well done and nicely framed. He begins with old documentary footage of Henry Ford’s 

FOUND: One Brave Superintendent in Connecticut!

by dianerav

Earlier today, I posted Wendy Lecker’s article, in which she said she was in search of one brave superintendent in Connecticut, who would stand up against the data-driven, test-obsessed climate of the times.
I have found him.
He is Thomas Starice, the superintendent of the Madison, Connecticut, public schools. Superintendent Scarice consulted with his school board, parents and the local community. He has shown leadership in responding to the state’s recently passed legislation about linking teacher evaluations to test scores.
I am happy to add Thomas Scarice to the honor roll as a champion of public education.
Like Superintendents Heath Morrison in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina, and Joshua Starr in 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-3-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] The War on Local School Boards, Bridgeport Edition by dianerav Josh Eidelson explains in Salon.com what happened in Bridgeport, Connecticut, when the corporate reformers promoted a referendum to abolish the elected school boards and give the public schools to the mayor. Despite the active support of Michelle Rhee and a heavy infusion of money, the voters of Bridgeport decided they preferred to keep their right to choose those who control their schools. Gary Rubinstein Talks to the Reform Leaders by dianer... more »

Blame the Teachers « PWC Education Reform Blog

Blame the Teachers « PWC Education Reform Blog:

Blame the Teachers

by pwceducationreform

Blame the teachers.  That’s the advice from PWCS for anyone with concerns about the Math program. According to PWCS staff, teachers developed the assessments and have the authority and autonomy to select and use any materials they want in any order no matter what the recommended pacing might suggest.  Teachers can even disavow instructional materials [...]

Blame the Teachers, Part (2)

by pwceducationreform

Blame the teachers.  That’s the advice from PWCS for anyone with concerns about the Math program. During the Math informational presentation at the January 2 2013 school board meeting PWCS staff made a number of statements that I felt deserved a bit more clarification.  This is part (2) of that series. The PWC Math Curriculum [...]

Quick! Look Busy, Set up a Sandy Hook Advisory Commission to Study the Problem - Wait, What?

Quick! Look Busy, Set up a Sandy Hook Advisory Commission to Study the Problem - Wait, What?:

Quick! Look Busy, Set up a Sandy Hook Advisory Commission to Study the Problem

by jonpelto

A couple of hours ago, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced that he was creating the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission, a committee of 15 members who will “explore relevant issues of gun control, school security and mental health.”

The governor named Hamden Mayor Scott Jackson to lead the committee and instructed him that an initial round of recommendations are expected no later than March 15, which would give the Governor and the General Assembly about three months to decide whether to turn any of the ideas into law before the end of the 2013 legislative session.

According to a story posted on the CTMirror website, “No other commission members were identified, but Malloy said they will include experts in education, mental health, law enforcement and emergency response. All are outside state government, but Michael Lawlor, the governor’s adviser on criminal justice issues, will staff the panel…Lawlor said 

Schools Matter: National Opt Out Day January 7

Schools Matter: National Opt Out Day January 7:

National Opt Out Day January 7

by Jim Horn

From Peg with Pen:

Children are NOT Numbers: National Opt Out Day, January 7th

Teachers, as you plan how to resist corporate education reform and rebuild public schools on National Opt Out Day (Jan.7th)  - or any day for that matter - here is one way to do it - do not allow others to refer to children based on their test scores. Children cannot be called "UnSats" or "Partials" or any other label attached to a number.

It is beyond disrespectful and allows teachers to become removed from the actions they are taking, therefore, they/teachers are less likely to wake up to the pain and 

Tested to Destruction

by Jim Horn

A clip from The Guardian:

With the demise of the "big society", the coalition's claims to be anything more than an unimaginative deficit-cutter are in tatters – except in education, where it has been extraordinarily radical. Last year saw, among other things, plans to impose performance-related pay on teachers, the development of the EBacc exam, and the introduction of£9,000 university tuition fees.

What lies behind this hyperactivity? Critics accuse the government of softening up the sector for privatisation. But the education secretary, Michael Gove, and the universities minister, David Willetts, insist that ensuring accountability for taxpayers' money and driving up academic standards are their goals. Gove's own fogeyish style completes the picture of the old-fashioned, no-nonsense grammar school headmaster. But the government is not simply stuck in 1950s "3Rism", nor is it planning wholesale privatisation (yet). Rather, it is still stubbornly pursuing a discredited 1980s ideology of quasi-markets, even though 30 years of experience shows that far from improving quality, it is 

Questions about school closings:

Questions about school closings

Posted by Valerie Strauss on January 3, 2013 at 3:15 pm

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Here is a letter sent to Barbara Byrd-Bennett, chief executive officer of Chicago Public Schools, asking important questions about the process being used to determine which public schools will be closed. It was written by Wendy Katten, executive director of a nonprofit organization called Raise Your Hand for Illinois Public Education, a grassroots coalition of parents and citizens who advocate for quality public education. The questions asked about the process are specific to Chicago Public Schools (CPS) but they also speak to other problematic policy decision processes in districts around the country. Last month, Ipublished a piece about a suit that parents and other education activists in Philadelphia filed with the City Ethics Board requesting an investigation into some of the behind-the-scenes players in school policy decisions.

Dear Ms. Byrd-Bennett,

We are sending this letter because we have made numerous requests through various staff members at CPS to set up a meeting with you to discuss our space utilization findings presented at the last CPS board meeting and have not yet received a response. We also presented to the CEFTF [Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force] and 

NYU's 2 1/2-week for-credit winter term (where you can study 'Jersey Shore')

by Valerie Strauss

It's not too late to sign up for New York University's two-week January term, where visiting and already enrolled students can enroll in business, arts and sciences courses and earn up to four college credits.
Read full article >>

California School Funding: Jerry Brown To Pursue Sweeping Overhaul | toteachornototeach

California School Funding: Jerry Brown To Pursue Sweeping Overhaul | toteachornototeach:

California School Funding: Jerry Brown To Pursue Sweeping Overhaul

by aristotlethewise

California School Funding: Jerry Brown To Pursue Sweeping Overhaul

By Theresa Harrington and Steve Harmon
SACRAMENTO — In what promises to be one of his most significant policy moves this year, Gov. Jerry Brown will pursue a sweeping overhaul of the way California schools are funded, changing the way money has been allocated for four decades.
Although the administration hasn’t released specifics, Brown wants to simplify funding streams, giving more local control to school boards and more money to districts with low-income students and those who don’t speak English fluently.
He also wants to wipe out dozens of rules that districts must now follow to receive billions of state dollars annually. Some of those mandates, such as a requirement to limit class size in exchange for additional money, were suspended because of Sacramento’s persistent budget problems but are set to resume by 2015.
Brown and his advisers met with a large committee of educators to discuss the funding proposal three times in 

The grand education bargain Texas needs in 2013 | Education Blog

The grand education bargain Texas needs in 2013 | Education Blog:

The grand education bargain Texas needs in 2013

by Bill McKenzie / Editorial Columnist

We are hearing a lot about grand bargains in Washington, so here is the grand bargain I’d like to see for education in Texas in 2013:

First, legislators make some restitution to schools for the $5.4 billion in cuts that education took in the 2011 session. It may not be possible to put every single dime back into education, given competing budget priorities. But Austin should do more than look askance at restoring funding, as this DMN articlesuggests some budget writers are doing.

For example, lawmakers dealt a body blow to the Student Success Initiative, which has been around since 1999. The initiative helps schools intervene with struggling students so they move from grade to grade ready to learn at the appropriate level. Legislators whacked this program when funding could have helped secure more interventionists for classrooms, create pilot programs for middle schools and give students access to qualified math tutors, among other smart strategies.

But here’s the second part of the bargain:

In return for more funds, legislators insis

Ed Notes Online: MORE Press Release on Cuomo's report

Ed Notes Online: MORE Press Release on Cuomo's report:

MORE Press Release on Cuomo's report

by ed notes online

UFT Presidential candidate Julie Cavanagh said, "We hoped the Commission would place a greater emphasis on giving schools and teachers the tools they need to truly put children first. This would mean lowering class sizes,  accepting parents as stakeholders in public education, listening to the perspective of career educators, and equitable funding for our schools. Unfortunately, it is precisely these issues the Commission has largely ignored."--- MORE press release

I'm sure the UFT leaders also had something to say. Ho-hum

 

MORE on Governor Cuomo’s Education Commission Report

 

Excerpts

The Movement of Rank-and-File Educators (MORE) is pleased that Governor 

It is unfortunate to note, however, that the report released today says nothing about lowering class size. It says nothing about ensuring that a fair amount of funding reaches New York City's classrooms. The report is silent on the need to provide fair funding for urban districts in general, where the overwhelming majority of impoverished students live.  

Further, its recommendations regarding technology and teacher recruitment and retention are untested and unsupported. These are, essentially, corporate-minded reforms that we 

Rally at Illinois Capitol: Representatives Abandon Teachers and All | Reclaim Reform

Rally at Illinois Capitol: Representatives Abandon Teachers and All | Reclaim Reform:

Rally at Illinois Capitol: Representatives Abandon Teachers and All

by kenpreviti

We Are One Illinois created a massive Jan. 3, 2002 rally in the capitol to address the pension crisis created by state representatives. The representatives canceled their scheduled legislative session.
Shakespeare famously wrote, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” The reason for this is simply that Springfield, Illinois had not yet been founded when he wrote the line.
The Illinois Education Association was a major organizer of the teachers who are most harmed by the prospective legislative bill. The teachers and retirees who traveled hundreds of miles in the dead of winter from all over the state arrived at offices abandoned by the representatives who fail to solve the actual problem. Because 

Five Things That Changed At My School When We Adopted A Competency-Based Model | Connected Principals

Five Things That Changed At My School When We Adopted A Competency-Based Model | Connected Principals:

Five Things That Changed At My School When We Adopted A Competency-Based Model

by Brian Stack

“The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.”

This ancient Chinese proverb sums up my view on why just three years ago it was time for my school, Sanborn Regional High School in Kingston, NH,  to stop “talking” about making the change to a competency-based grading and reporting model and why it was time to start “doing it.” With a leap of faith in support of the latest educational research from authors Colby, Marzano, O’Connor, Reeves, Stiggins, and Wormeli, our school community “jumped into the deep end of the pool” of high school redesign. Looking back on this now, I firmly believe it was the best thing we could have done. While we haven’t solved all of our issues yet, I think we are well on our way toward realizing our vision of “learning for all, whatever it takes.”

As you might expect, our leap of faith into the deep end of the pool didn’t happen without some advanced strategic planning and groundwork. In the years leading up to our jump, teachers in my school spent a great deal of time developing common course-based competencies and making sure they were aligned to the New

Purposeful leadership demands civility

by John Marschhausen

“With malice toward none, with charity for all” are the sentiments President Abraham Lincoln shared in his second inaugural address.Lincoln’s leadership, steadfast in his beliefs while compassionate in his approach, reunited a country ravaged by civil war.  Lincoln’s desire “to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle” is apropos to today’s cultural environment.
I feel it is essential to model and display kindness, humility, and patience as Lincoln said, “…with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right.” Some in our society today have chosen vitriolic attacks on those who do not share their particular views. Social media and electronic communications tools have provided the opportunity to use venomous pros and caustic attacks when disagreements surface. Passionate attacks have replaced civil discussions, acceptance of differing opinions is met with personal 

Michigan Parents for Schools – story from new PAA affiliate | Parents Across America

Michigan Parents for Schools – story from new PAA affiliate | Parents Across America:

Michigan Parents for Schools – story from new PAA affiliate

by pureparents

Michigan public school supporters have just come out of a bruising lame duck session of the state legislature that promises even greater battles to come next year. I think our experience may be helpful to other states because of the common ideological framework behind all these attacks on public education.

You may have heard about some of the damaging, and in come cases bizarre, bills that became law in the last days of the session. Among those which impact education:  “right to work” was signed into law, barring unions from collecting an agency fee from employees covered by collective bargaining; elimination of the local “personal property tax” which is actually a tax on business equipment, without any guarantee of replacement revenue for school districts and municipalities (this is important in a state dependent on manufacturing); and in a bizarre turn, a law which would allow those with a permit to carry concealed weapons to apply for a waiver so that they might carry those weapons in what are now “no carry zones” including schools, places of worship, university classrooms, and more. This last measure was adopted only one day before the terrible events in Newtown, CT.

We did eek out a couple of important “victories,” in that we were able to stop two damaging pieces of legislation from coming to a vote. Proposals to codify a state-wide school district empowered to take over the “bottom 5%” of all schools in the state and charter an unlimited number of new schools, and another to 

Welcome new Congress! | Parents Across America

Welcome new Congress! | Parents Across America:

Welcome new Congress!

by pureparents

Today is the opening day of the new Congress. A couple of weeks ago, PAA sent a letter to three new Democratic members of the Senate education committee. Today we sent a similar letter to three new Republican members of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, Susan Brooks (R-IN), Luke Messer (R-IN) and Richard Hudson (R-NC) as well as the new chair of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education, Todd Rokita (R-IN). We will reach out to any other new Senate or House education committee members as they are named.

Why not use this letter to reach out to your own Congressional representatives as they take office? Their contact information is at house.gov and senate.gov.

January 3, 2013

Dear Member of Congress:

Congratulations on your (re-)election! There are so many challenges ahead and we wish you the best as you begin your term. We are a grass-roots network of activist public school parents from all across the U.S. We will be in touch with you regularly to share our concerns and recommendations for ways that the federal government can support and strengthen our cherished public schools so that every child receives a high-quality education.

In brief, Parents Across America supports:

• Sufficient and equitable resources in all public schools, so that every child receives a high-quality education.

• Improving schools rather than closing them, by means of evidence-based solutions backed by parents and other stakeholders.

• Less standardized testing and fairer, more reliable accountability and assessment practices.

• Programs that encourage the retention of professional, experienced teachers.

• A full range of parent involvement opportunities including a stronger parent voice in decision making at the school, district, state, and national levels.

• The right of parents to opt their children out of standardized tests.

PAA opposes:

• Policies that use standardized test scores as the most important accountability measure for schools, teachers or students, and/or expand the use of standardized testing in our schools.

• Competition for federal funds; a quality education is not a race but a right.

• “Parent trigger” laws, vouchers, charter takeovers or other forms of school privatizationthat take resources from the schools attended by most students and put them into private hands, with less oversight.

• Limiting federally-mandated school improvement models to a narrow set of strategies, including charter schools and privatization, which are favored by corporate reformers but which have had little verified success.

Our full ESEA reauthorization position paper is available at http://parentsacrossamerica.org/paa-reforming-esea/. We are also very concerned that federal education funding not be cut as budget decisions are made over the next two months. Thank you so much for your time and attention, and for your service to our children and our nation. We look forward to working with you. 

Julie Woestehoff, Legislative Chair, Parents Across America

Visit our web site, www.parentsacrossamerica.org.

Melinda Gates Leaves Post Board After Report Criticizes Kaplan - DiversityInc

Melinda Gates Leaves Post Board After Report Criticizes Kaplan - DiversityInc:

Melinda Gates Leaves Post Board After Report Criticizes Kaplan

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Melinda French Gates, philanthropist and wife of Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates, has resigned from The Washington Post Co.’s board of directors.

Her resignation comes shortly after the release of a highly critical report, funded partly by her foundation, which likened for-profit colleges to subprime-mortgage lenders, targeting low-income and traditionally underrepresented students. The Washington Post Co. gets more than half of its revenues from its for-profit higher-education unit, Kaplan.

Neither Gates nor The Washington Post gave a reason for her departure.

Gates, who runs the multibillion-dollar Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with her husband, joined The Washington Post Co.’s board in 2004.

The report, “Subprime Opportunity,”  authored by the Washington, D.C.–based Education Trust, said low-income students make up half of the enrollment at for-profit colleges and Blacks, Latinos and American Indians comprise 37 percent. The Education Trust is a nonprofit research and advocacy