7-18-14 The Whole Child Blog — How Do We Build Systems for All Learners?

The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education:

How Do We Build Systems for All Learners?

All the talk of closing the achievement gap in schools obscures a more fundamental issue: do the grades we assign to students truly reflect the extent of their learning? In a new ASCD book, Grading Smarter, Not Harder, Myron Dueck reveals how many of the assessment policies that teachers adopt can actually prove detrimental to student motivation and achievement and shows how we can tailor policies

by ASCD Whole Child ... / 33min 

7-17-14 The Whole Child Blog — Tacoma Public Schools: Measuring the Whole Child

The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education: Tacoma Public Schools: Measuring the Whole ChildEducators across the nation are working to improve their students' academic achievement, engage families and communities in learning, and maintain safe and healthy learning environments. But in Washington State's Tacoma Public Schools, educators are being held accountable for all of these responsibilities

by mike simpson / 20h 

7-18-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

I Defend Tenure in the Indypendent

Thanks to John Tarleton for a great editing job. Making me look literate ain't easy.Teacher Bashing Knows No Summer Vacation By Norm ScottJuly 16, 2014Issue # 198  In a closely watched case, a California judge ruled on June 10 that the state’s teacher tenure laws infringed on the civil rights of students in schools in poor communities to a proper education guaranteed under the state constitution.

by ed notes online / 8min 

Gypsy Opens Tonight at Rockaway Theatre Company in Fort Tilden

Last night was the final dress rehearsal and I put on my suit for my 5 minute stint as Mr. Goldstone where I end up standing on a chair. Don't tell me to break a leg - because I probably will. Tonight begins the first of 10 performances. Tickets are selling out, so come on down to the theater at the very hot Fort Tilden. And there are scads of NYC teachers in the show. Maybe we can start a MORE ch

by ed notes online / 1h 

7-17-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Speculating on Karen Lewis Challenge to Rahm: Who Will Get the Jewish VoteTwo Jewish candidates to square off in Chicago. (If you don't believe me ask Karen to show you her CHI.Someone emailed me when I was in LA, cocerned that Karen and Chicago crew weren't challenging Randi enough - that was before the Common Core shootout (AFT14 Report - Common Core Debate - Epic Battle B....).

by mike simpson / 3min 

New Sacramento schools superintendent seeks to stem falling enrollment - Education - The Sacramento Bee

New Sacramento schools superintendent seeks to stem falling enrollment - Education - The Sacramento Bee:

New Sacramento schools superintendent seeks to stem falling enrollment

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

Published: Friday, Jul. 18, 2014 - 1:04 pm

Last Modified: Friday, Jul. 18, 2014 - 1:15 pm

José L. Banda, the newly appointed Sacramento City Unified School District superintendent, said today he will work to ensure that the district becomes more competitive in the face of falling enrollment, with an eye toward reversing the trend.

During a press conference at district headquarters in South Sacramento, Banda also said that he will put special emphasis on equality for minority and disadvantaged students – what he called “race and equity.” Minority students comprise about 80 percent of the district’s population, while nearly 70 percent of Sacramento City Unified students qualify for free or reduced-price meals based on low household income.

Banda, 57, arrives after having served for two years as superintendent of Seattle Public Schools. He spent the remainder of his career in California, including a four-year stint as head of the Anaheim City School District.

Board members voted 6-1 Thursday night to select Banda for the job, with only trustee Jay Hansen opposed. Banda’s three-year contract starts Aug. 1 and will provide him $290,000 yearly in total compensation. He replaces Jonathan Raymond, who left the district in December.

Sacramento City Unified is the only district in the region that remains on the state’s fiscal warning list, which officials attribute to a continued loss of students in future years.

While some of the trend can be blamed on an aging city population, the district’s traditional campuses are facing steeper competition from private and charter programs. In one case, Fruit Ridge Elementary School lost 400 students to a new Spanish immersion charter school two years before it closed in 2013.

On that point, Banda said Friday he aims to make the Sacramento district a better student draw.

“We’re going to have to make sure we’re very competitive with those around us,” he said. “WeNew Sacramento schools superintendent seeks to stem falling enrollment - Education - The Sacramento Bee:

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/18/6566376/new-sacramento-schools-superintendent.html#mi_rss=Education#storylink=cpy

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Greg Hinz has more sage advice for Karen Lewis. Really?

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Greg Hinz has more sage advice for Karen Lewis. Really?:

Greg Hinz has more sage advice for Karen Lewis. Really?

Harold Washington's 1987 victory speech at Navy Pier.

Although I rarely agree with his take on Chicago politics, I have generally foundGreg Hinz  to be a knowledgeable, dispassionate and relatively sane pro-business commentator. That was, until he started writing about a possible Karen Lewisrun for mayor. There's something about a Karen Lewis campaign for mayor that pushes Crain's main corporate blogger over the edge.

No sooner had she hinted that she was "seriously considering" taking on Rahm, then Hinz jumped out with a patronizing, borderline racist column, warning Lewis to rethink the prospect. In that post, Hinz portrayed Lewis as the stereotypical angry black woman who "needs to dial down her public persona."

Will Karen be standing alone on those bus stops?

In today's column, Hinz outdoes himself, debasing Karen's supporters and offering her some strange advice (coming from him at least). Instead of telling her to "tone it down", this time around Hinz asks Karen to "be more like Harold" and tell her Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Greg Hinz has more sage advice for Karen Lewis. Really?:

Who Got Capped? | EduShyster

Who Got Capped? | EduShyster:

Who Got Capped?

 What really went down in Massachusetts this week…

It seems like only yesteryear that an extraordinary amount of money and influence was lining up behind the long-suffering public school students of the Bay State. But this week state senators overwhelmingly declined to doff the *cap of excellence.* Wha happened??? And are there important lessons for us to ignore from what happened? (Like that making thin-skinned white guys the irritable face of a movement that’s supposed to be about low-income kids might not have been the smartest move…) Strap yourself in, reader, because it’s time for the official EduShyster cap the cap recap.  

Pale, male and stale
Can we just start by acknowledging that making entitled suburban men who are both white-skinned and extraordinarily thin skinned the most visible *shoutsmen* on behalf of poor minority students was a dud? Fine—I’ll name names. I’m talking about this guy, this guy, and, my one true love,this guy.

Just say no
If there’s one thing the kids hate it’s compromise. Which is why the Massachusetts charter Who Got Capped? | EduShyster:

An Update on the Continued Constriction of Roemer’s and White’s 2014-15 Assessment Corner | deutsch29

An Update on the Continued Constriction of Roemer’s and White’s 2014-15 Assessment Corner | deutsch29:

An Update on the Continued Constriction of Roemer’s and White’s 2014-15 Assessment Corner

July 18, 2014

So much has transpired in the situation regarding the state of Louisiana education for 2014-15. For those attempting to keep up with the situation, let me briefly summarize:

On June 18, 2014, Governor Bobby Jindal declared that he wanted Louisiana out of both the Partnership for Assessment of College and Careers (PARCC) consortium (the now-nonprofit that is responsible for the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) tests) and CCSS itself.

In order to release Louisiana from both PARCC and CCSS, Jindal had the Office of Contractual Renewal (OCR) (part of the Division of Administration–DOA) begin an investigation into the assessment contracts that the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) supposedly had for PARCC tests. OCR froze LDOE spending on assessments at that time.

As it turns out, LDOE has no direct and properly-procured contract for PARCC tests for 2014-15. So, the Division of Administration (DOA) began an investigation into LDOE assessment contracts.

Meanwhile, on July 1, 2014, the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) held a special meeting, the apparent goal of which was to “explore” suing the governor for interfering in the BESE business of PARCC and CCSS.

Not all BESE members wanted to turn attention to suing Jindal. One of the outcomes of the July 1, 2014, meeting was a resolution by BESE member Jane Smith that Louisiana State Superintendent John White and Governor Jindal meet prior to any decision to file suit and that White report back to the full board. Her resolution passed. Smith suggested that the meeting be on July 18, 2014. The meeting was scheduled for July 17, 2014.

BESE member James Garvey also proposed that BESE investigate legal action. His resolution passed.

On July 2, 2014, DOA Commissioner Kristy Nichol supported a decision by OCR Interim Director Pamela Barfay Rice to restrict any non-OCR-approved BESE An Update on the Continued Constriction of Roemer’s and White’s 2014-15 Assessment Corner | deutsch29:

7-18-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE:

About the radio show

Join Drs. Shaun Johnson and Tim Slekar 

LIVE Sundays at 6PM EST and Wednesdays at 7PM EST 

on Blog Talk Radio for progressive, pro-public education talk radio. 

Call in to speak live with Tim and Shaun during the show, (805) 727-7111. 

You can also listen to our Monday "Sunday-Replay" at 7PM EST, and re-broadcasts of the archives every Tuesday and Thursday at 7PM EST.

Visit the @ the Chalk Face radio main page for more information on the show and syndication.

An Update on the Continued Constriction of Roemer’s and White’s 2014-15 Assessment Corner

So much has transpired in the situation regarding the state of Louisiana education for 2014-15. For those attempting to keep up with the situation, let me briefly summarize: On June 18, 2014, Governor Bobby Jindal declared that he wanted Louisiana out of both the Partnership for Assessment of College and Careers (PARCC) consortium (the now-nonprofit […]

1 by deutsch29 / 23min hide  //  save

Understanding Why the TURN Cancer Has to Be Cut Out of NEA and AFT

With a concerted effort among AFT and NEA misleadership shills to make TURN appear be a kinder and gentler form of corporate union takeover, it’s important to “replay the tape” in order to understand the history that has been made and the history that is being made.  There are some who pretend to believe that […]

1 by Jim Horn / 31min 

O, Free Press, Where Art Thou?

O, Free Press, Where Art Thou?. via O, Free Press, Where Art Thou?.

1 by plthomasedd / 19min 

7-16-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: About the radio showJoin Drs. Shaun Johnson and Tim Slekar LIVE Sundays at 6PM EST and Wednesdays at 7PM EST on Blog Talk Radio for progressive, pro-public education talk radio. Call in to speak live with Tim and Shaun during the show, (805) 727-7111. You can also listen to our Monday "Sunday-Replay" at 7PM EST, and re-broadcasts of the archives every Tuesday and Thursd

by mike simpson / 11h 

7-18-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University)

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University):

O, Free Press, Where Art Thou?

As I have noted, a common thread running through my blogs is the carelessness among the media covering education. Case in point, yet another tone-deaf and completely unsupportable piece has appeared in the The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC): Duncan deserves high marks. With just a modicum of effort, almost every claim made in this piece is easily refuted by something the mainstream press seems

by plthomasedd / 17min 

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University)

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): GUEST POST: Denny Taylor, Garn Press  Dear Friends and Colleagues, I am writing to urgently request your help. If you find the political circumstance and the research base for the four propositions that I have outlined in this letter are compelling, and you support the c

by mike simpson / 17h 

The Answer Sheet 7-18-14

Answer Sheet:

Mom’s letter to college-bound daughter: Why ‘I have reason to fear’

Vicki Abeles is a filmmaker, attorney and mother of three. She is also the co-director and producer of the education documentary “Race to Nowhere,” which revealed the damage to young people being done by the pressures of school, homework, tutoring and extracurricular activities. In the following letter Abeles tells her daughter Jamey, who will be […]

by Valerie Strauss / 22min 

The Answer Sheet 7-17-14

Answer Sheet: A basic flaw in the argument against affirmative actionA panel of judges from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals just issued a ruling saying that the University of Texas can continue to use race as one factor in undergraduate admissions decisions in an effort to create a diverse student body. The judges were ruling in the high-profile case of a white Texas […]by Valerie Strauss / 

by mike simpson / 17h 

7-18-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD

LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District):

PAC spending for Johnson gives him $200,000 advantage

PAC spending for Johnson gives him $200,000 advantage As the week comes to a close, Alex Johnson has expanded his overall lead in financial support over George McKenna in their quest to win election as the new District 1 board member in LA Unified, according to the latest figures from the City Ethics Commission. At mid-day, he held the same ratio of support, about 8-to-1, in individual contributio

37min hide  //  save

Magnolia charter troubles having an impact beyond LA Unified

Magnolia charter troubles having an impact beyond LA Unified New troubles for the non-profit charter school network, Magnolia Public Schools (MPS), are beginning to raise concerns beyond LA Unified, where the sudden closure of two schools for fiscal mismanagement expanded yesterday into what could be a larger investigation. In a letter outlining a recent fiscal audit that led to the closure of the

2 by Jamie Alter Lynto... / 1h 

Morning Read: Vergara splits Tuck and Torlakson campaigns

Morning Read: Vergara splits Tuck and Torlakson campaigns Vergara ruling becomes campaign issue State Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate Marshall Tuck this week launched a petition calling on his opponent, incumbent Superintendent Tom Torlakson, not to appeal a lawsuit ruling that struck down statutes giving California teachers firing protections and rights to tenure and seniority. EdS

17min 

7-17-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD

LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District): Morning read: National poll shows public suport for preschoolMorning read: National poll shows public suport for preschool Poll shows support for public preschool funding In a new national poll conducted by a bipartisan research team, respondents voiced their strong support for expanding public preschool,

by mike simpson / 21h 

PAA opposes US Senate charter expansion bill S.2304 | Parents Across America

PAA opposes US Senate charter expansion bill S.2304 | Parents Across America:

Parents OPPOSE S.2304,

the “Expanding Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Act”

Downloadable version of this position paper here.

On May 7, 2014, S.2304 was introduced to the US Senate for consideration. The bill is currently in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. It is the Seante’s response to HR 10, the House version of charter school expansion legislation, which passed on May 9, 2014, on a vote of 360 to 45. PAA opposed HR 10. We also oppose this Senate bill:

PAA’s position: PAA opposes efforts to privatize public education through the expansion of charters, vouchers or other privately-run programs at the expense of regular public schools. Over the years, PAA has shared our concerns that:

• Charter schools have turned out to be no better academically overall, and many cases worse than traditional schools.
• Charter school “choice” too often lies with the charter school and not the families, as reports of skimming and push-out practices grow.
• Some franchises like Chicago’s Noble Network use regressive discipline measures and expel students at many times the district rate.
• Charter schools historically enroll fewer students with disabilities or English language learners.
• The increased proliferation of charter schools could be harmful to students and communities, and may waste scarce education dollars.

PAA OPPOSES S.2304: PAA is opposed to any legislation that promotes expansion of charter schools without addressing most of the above problems. At a time when so many public schools are drastically cutting their basic budgets, why would Congress provide millions more to private school management companies that have not proven they are better alternatives?

PAA’s recommendations:

• We believe in improving the schools we have, rather than shutting schools down in order to expand charter schools.
• All charter schools should have neighborhood boundaries and accept all children from within those boundaries whose parents choose to enroll their child at the charter school. Charter school enrollment processes should be consistent with and as simple as those of neighborhood public schools.
• Charter schools should not require fees, charge financial penalties, or otherwise create a financial barrier for students to be in school.
• Charter schools and all other schools receiving public funds must be equally transparent and accountable to the public.

For more detail on PAA’s position on charter schools, please see http://tinyurl.com/bczrjqa

Contact us at info@parentsacrossamerica.org

- See more at: http://parentsacrossamerica.org/paa-opposes-s-2304/