Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Betsy DeVos: Dangerous for Students and the Promise of Public Education

Betsy DeVos: Dangerous for Students and the Promise of Public Education:

Betsy DeVos: Dangerous for Students and the Promise of Public Education

With no experience as an educator or elected official, and despite a decades-long record of undermining public schools by promoting taxpayer-funded vouchers for private and religious schools, lobbyist and Republican donor Betsy DeVos could become the next secretary of education.

The confirmation hearing for President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for education secretary is set for January 17 before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP).

“It’s hard to imagine a less qualified candidate for secretary of education than Betsy DeVos,” says Cheryl Lake, a third-grade teacher from Michigan, where DeVos is based and has funded privatization and online learning schemes as well as an effort against a Michigan bill to hold charter schools accountable to taxpayers.

“Her complete lack of public education experience alone is troubling,” says Lake, “but worse yet is her decades of work to undermine public education through for-profit charter school and voucher schemes.”

While seeking to lead the nation’s public education system, DeVos’ lack of experience and training in public schools has been a cause of great concern.

What she’s really done is use her wealth as a pay-to-play political donor, getting pro-corporate education policies passed in exchange for massive campaign contributions from the DeVos family” – Michigan Education Association President Steven Cook

“The chances children have for success should not depend on living in the right neighborhood or whether they can afford private school. Instead, her involvement in education has been advocating for school privatization and vouchers that run contrary to supporting public education,” says NEA President Lily Eskelsen García.

“We should be investing in smart strategies that we know help to improve the success of all our students, including creating more opportunities and equity for students, classes small enough for one-on-one attention, modern textbooks and a well-rounded curriculum for every student.”

According to a Washington Post analysis of Federal Election Commission records, the DeVos family, heirs to the Amway fortune, has given at least $20.2 million to Republican candidates at all levels over the years. DeVos and her husband Betsy DeVos: Dangerous for Students and the Promise of Public Education:

Yes, Bill Gates really compared Donald Trump to JFK — and said Trump could help education - The Washington Post

Yes, Bill Gates really compared Donald Trump to JFK — and said Trump could help education - The Washington Post:

Yes, Bill Gates really compared Donald Trump to JFK — and said Trump could help education

Image result for i threw up a little in my mouth animated gif

Bill Gates, the world’s biggest-spending philanthropist, poured so much private money into pet education reform projects that he helped drive the public education policy agenda. His foundation funded the development, implementation and promotion of the Common Core State Standards, for one thing, and spent millions on other controversial school reforms that were supported by President Obama’s Education Department.

[What are Bill and Melinda Gates talking about?]

Now, it seems, Gates is looking ahead. On Dec. 13, 2016, he met with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in Manhattan and had some kind words about him afterward. Really kind words, such as comparing him to John F. Kennedy.

Here’s what Gates told CNBC during an interview on “Squawk Box” broadcast the same day as the meeting with Trump:

“I had an opportunity to talk to him about innovation. A lot of his message has been about things where he sees things not as good as he’d like. But in the same way that President Kennedy talked about the space mission and got the country behind that, I think that whether it’s education or stopping epidemics, other health breakthroughs, finishing polio, and in this energy space, there can be a very upbeat message that his administration is going to organize things, get rid of regulatory barriers, and have American leadership through innovation be one of the things that he gets behind. Of course, my whole career has been along those lines. And he was interested in listening to that. And I’m sure there will be further conversation.”

Transforming education through “innovation” is a Gates mantra, as expressed on the education homepage of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which lists it as one of three focuses, along with teaching and learning:

[Gates foundation chief admits Common Core mistakes]

Our goal: to support innovation that can improve U.S. K-12 public schools and ensure that students graduate from high school ready to succeed in college.

And there’s this:

The Opportunity
By focusing on the common goal of improving education through innovation — and by building on and sharing effective tools, strategies, and standards — educators, school leaders, and nonprofit partners across the country can Yes, Bill Gates really compared Donald Trump to JFK — and said Trump could help education - The Washington Post:

The Heart Of Special Education Was Argued Before The U.S. Supreme Court Today – Exceptional Delaware 2017

The Heart Of Special Education Was Argued Before The U.S. Supreme Court Today – Exceptional Delaware 2017:

The Heart Of Special Education Was Argued Before The U.S. Supreme Court Today

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The United States Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments for the Endrew v. Douglas County School District today. This case could determine the goal of special education in America: a bare minimum special education or a more than minimum special education. These arguments weigh the words “significant” and “meaningful” quite a lot since it is the center of the case. Another question is how do you measure progress for a student with an Individualized Education Program. Does the IEP team just write the IEP and make sure the student is on target to perform as well as their non-disabled peers or do you go above and beyond?

Another huge issue is funding for special education. The fact that the Federal government spends less than 15% of what they promised to do for special education is a large problem. It was not the Congressional intent to dump all of this on the states and local school districts but that is exactly what happened. As well, what does “standard” mean in this context? Is it the Common Core State Standards and the high-stakes testing that supposedly measures the ability of the student to grasp those standards? Do classroom grades count for anything anymore?

The case is officially submitted into the highest court in the country. This will be fascinating to watch, especially the final ruling.

View this document on Scribd

The Heart Of Special Education Was Argued Before The U.S. Supreme Court Today – Exceptional Delaware 2017:

Digital Citizenship Week - Resources (CA Dept of Education)

Digital Citizenship Week - Resources (CA Dept of Education):

Digital Citizenship Week

The California Department of Education (CDE) in collaboration with Common Sense Media will celebrate CDE Digital Citizenship Week January 23 - 27, 2017.

Digital Citizenship

The California Education Technology Blueprint titled: Empowering Learning (PDF) makes 19 recommendations. Recommendation 2 states: Ensure student safety by outlining policies and best practices to prevent cyberbullying and protect student data.

The blueprint calls to “ensure student safety by outlining policies and best practices to prevent cyberbullying and protect student data. It is important to teach students about the ethical, legal, and safe use of online information and resources. It is also important to help students learn about how they can protect themselves and their personal information in online environments.”

The goal is to identify resources that can help students learn 21st century skills such as digital citizenship, information literacy, and safe and legal Internet use (for example, those surrounding plagiarism and pirating music and movies).

Deliver Digital Citizenship Lessons

Common Sense Media organization offers free, research-based K-12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum

with lesson plans for you to teach students how to:

Manage their online information and keep it secure.
Protect their own online privacy while respecting others'.
Explore, examine, and protect their online reputations.
Reflect on their responsibilities and rights as creators online.
Identify, find, evaluate, and use information effectively.
Deal with a cyberbullying situation appropriately.
Stay safe online through positive connections.

The comprehensive digital citizenship lessons are aligned to the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Students

, include resources to share with families, can be delivered offline or in a blended format, and provide the option for student assessments. Additionally, Common Sense Media has invested in designing professional development resources to support educators with the implementation of the materials.

Certify Your School or District

Common Sense Media offers the ability for educators, schools, and districts to be Digital Citizenship Certified. See California certified schools and districts and learn how to join this growing list

(PDF). Common Sense Media’s Digital Citizenship Certification signifies that districts have engaged not only in providing instruction using a comprehensive, research-based curriculum, but that stakeholders have been engaged at every level from administration to families.

Meet CIPA Requirements

Common Sense Media offers CIPA Toolkits

for Administrators and Teachers. What is CIPA? The Children’s Internet Protection Act

is a federal law enacted by Congress to address concerns about access to offensive content over the Internet on school and library computers. CIPA imposes certain types of requirements on any school or library that receives funding for Internet access or internal connections from the E-rate program. Since July 2012, schools subject to CIPA are required by the Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act

, to provide for educating minors about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms, and cyberbullying awareness and response. The suggested lessons for California’s Digital Citizenship Week also provide suitable selections to meet the CIPA requirement for the 2016–2017 school year.

California Department of Education Digital Citizenship Week

The California Department of Education (CDE) in collaboration with Common Sense Media will celebrate CDE Digital Citizenship Week January 23 – 27, 2017. This will continue ongoing efforts to teach students how to make safe, smart, and ethical decisions in the digital world. Please view the weekly plan here.

Quick Links

Partners
Common Sense Media

Questions: Geoff Belleau | gbelleau@cde.ca.gov | 916-324-9943

Digital Citizenship Weekly Plan

The weekly plan of events for Digital Citizenship week which provides Resouces and Family Resources links in English and Spanish.

Day/Theme

Monday - THIS IS YOUR DIGITAL LIFE

Resources	Family Resources	Model School Library Standards
K2 - Follow the Digital Trail 3-5 - Ring of Responsibility 6-8 - Digital Life 101 9-12 - Oops! I Broadcast It on the Internet	Common Sense on Privacy and Digital Footprints for Elementary, English (PDF) Common Sense on Privacy and Digital Footprints for Elementary, Spanish (PDF) Common Sense on Digital Life for Middle/ High School, English (PDF) Common Sense on Digital Life for Middle/ High School, Spanish (PDF)	K-2: K.2.3.a, K.3.1.a, K.3.1.b, 1.1.4.a, 1.3.1.b, 2.3.1.d, 2.3.1.e 3-5: 3.3.1.a, 3.3.1.b, 4.3.1.a, 4.3.1.b, 4.3.1.c, 5.3.1.b, 5.3.1.c, 5.3.1.d, 6.3.1.a, 6.3.1.b, 6.3.1.c, 6.3/1.e, 6.3.1.f, 6.3.3.a, 6.4.2.a MS.3.1.a, MS.3.1.b, MS.3.1.c, MS.3.1e, MS.4.2.b HS.3.1.d, HS.3.1.g

Tuesday - PRIVACY/SECURITY

Resources	Family Resources	Model School Library Standards
K2 - Going places safely 3-5 - Private and Personal Information 6-8 - Scams & Schemes 9-12 - Does it matter who has your data	Common Sense on Online Security for Elementary, English (PDF) Common Sense on Online Security for Elementary, Spanish (PDF) Common Sense on Online Security for Middle/ High School, English (PDF) Common Sense on Online Security for Middle/ High School, Spanish (PDF)	K-2: K.1.4.a, K.3.1.b, 1.1.4.a,, 1.3.1.b, 2.1.4.a, 2.3.1.d, 3-5: 3.3.1.b, 4.3.1.c, 5.3.1.e, 5.3.1.f 6-8: (7&8 = M) 6.1.4.a, 6.3.1.a 9-12 (HS): HS.3.1.d, HS.3.1.e

Wednesday - COPYRIGHT & GIVING CREDIT WHERE IT’S DUE

Resources	Family Resources	Model School Library Standards
K2 - My creative work 3-5 - Whose is it anyway 6-8 - Rework, reuse and remix 9-12 - Copyrights and wrongs	Common Sense on Respecting Creative Work for Elementary, English (PDF) Common Sense on Respecting Creative Work for Elementary, Spanish (PDF) Common Sense on Respecting Creative Work for Middle/ High School, English (PDF) Common Sense on Respecting Creative Work for Middle/ High School, Spanish (PDF)	K: 3.1, 1: 3.1.a , 2: 3.1.a, 2: 4.2.a 3-5: 3: 1.4.a, 3: 2.2.a,b,4: 3.1.a 5: 3.1.b,c,6: 1.4.b,6: 3.1.h MS: 2.2.c, MS: 3.1.a,b,c,d,e HS: 1.4.a, HS: 2.2, HS: 3.1.a,b,c, HS: 4.2.c HS: 4.3.b

Thursday - CYBER BULLYING

Resources	Family Resources	Model School Library Standards
K2 - Screen out the mean 3-5 - The power of words 6-8 - Reality of Digital Drama 9-12 - Taking perspectives on cyberbullying	Common Sense on Cyberbullying for Elementary, English (PDF) Common Sense on Cyberbullying for Elementary, Spanish (PDF) Common Sense on Cyberbullying for Middle/ High School, English (PDF) Common Sense on Cyberbullying for Middle/ High School, Spanish (PDF)	2.3.1.e 3-5: 3.3.1.a,b, 4.3.1c, 5.3.1.b,d,e, 6.3.1.b,f MS.3.1.b,c HS.3.1.d

Friday - CELEBRATE

Diane Ravitch: Trump’s Nominee for Secretary of Education Could Gut Public Ed - In These Times

Diane Ravitch: Trump’s Nominee for Secretary of Education Could Gut Public Ed - In These Times:

Diane Ravitch: Trump’s Nominee for Secretary of Education Could Gut Public Ed
Billionaire Betsy DeVos will be great for private, religious and charter schools—and bad news for students and teachers.

If there’s an upside to her nomination, it’s that she may force policymakers to admit the U.S. is headed toward privatization of its education system.

It’s hard to imagine someone less qualified to oversee the nation’s schools than Betsy DeVos, the Trump nominee for secretary of education whose Senate confirmation hearing is set for Wednesday. DeVos did not attend public schools, nor did her children. She has never been a teacher, administrator, practitioner or scholar of education. In fact, one wonders whether she has ever actually set foot in a public school.

Instead, DeVos is a billionaire who grew up in the Christian Reformed Church and would like to see religious schools supported by public funding. She once described education reform as a way to “advance God’s kingdom.” Born into the powerful Prince family of Michigan, DeVos is part of the Christian right royalty in the United States. Her father, Edgar Prince, helped found the anti-gay Family Research Council. Her brother, Erik Prince, is founder of the mercenary group Blackwater Worldwide, which received large contracts from the government during the Iraq War. Betsy later married into the DeVos family, billionaires who founded the Amway company and also have deep ties to the Christian right.

The two families have contributed generously to anti-gay and anti-labor causes over the years, but Betsy DeVos and her husband, Dick, have shown a special passion for privatizing public education. In 2000, they used their clout to organize and fund a referendum in Michigan that would have allowed public money to flow to private and religious schools through the use of school vouchers, a practice the state constitution forbids. Michigan voters defeated the referendum resoundingly, 69-31 percent, but that didn’t end DeVos’ crusade.

She also chairs the American Federation for Children, a lobbying group that advocates for so-called school choice. DeVos has become a leading national proponent of school Diane Ravitch: Trump’s Nominee for Secretary of Education Could Gut Public Ed - In These Times:

What’s Behind Increased Teaching of Self-Regulation in Children?

What’s Behind Increased Teaching of Self-Regulation in Children?:

What’s Behind Increased Teaching of Self-Regulation in Children?

It’s normal to expect children to pay attention and learn good behavior. It’s part of growing up. But self-regulatory learning (SRL) forced on children so they will be computer learners is a different story.

Why is there such a drive to make children more independent and self-sufficient?

How is it justifiable to push students to have increased self-control—beyond what has been expected in the past—what is appropriate for their age and development?

Whether it’s mindfulness, direct instruction, or social-emotional learning SRL is a hot topic. It’s everywhere!

The drive is to get children on tech devices to do schoolwork. The goal is for them to be able to sit still, concentrate, and learn on their own, at home, or in the classroom with no human assistance.

You cannot sell parents on taking their children out of school and sticking them on the What’s Behind Increased Teaching of Self-Regulation in Children?:

To Kill a Mockingbird, White Saviors, and the Paradox of Obama and Race | radical eyes for equity

To Kill a Mockingbird, White Saviors, and the Paradox of Obama and Race | radical eyes for equity:

To Kill a Mockingbird, White Saviors, and the Paradox of Obama and Race

Image result for To Kill a Mockingbird, White Saviour, and the Paradox of Obama and Race

White progressives, academics, and book lovers were all atwitter on social media because in his farewell address, Barack Obama quoted from literature:

Similar to my concern about Michelle Obama’s recent comments on education and teachers, my response to this excitement was tempered:

During the praise tour for the Obamas, I have taken this stance on social media:

Praise for Michelle and Barack Obama has begun as Obama’s presidency comes to an end. That praise poses a few problems:
Praise is warranted, must be supported against the inherent racism that demands perfection from minorities and not from white males.
However Michelle and Barack have allowed, supported policies that contradict the often wonderful rhetoric, notably about education.
Michelle’s recent praise of teachers and the power of education is hard to let lie since Obama’s 8 years have been horrible for education.
The policies and rhetoric from the DOE/SOE have been horrible for black, brown, poor students since they have fed deficit ideology.
Let us be careful to honor but not idealize, not gloss over the failure of policy beneath the veneer of rhetoric.

Here, I want to deal directly with the paradox of race surrounding Obama’s presidency as that is reflected in Obama’s choice to quote Atticus Finch and not, for example, the essays of James Baldwin or the literature and public To Kill a Mockingbird, White Saviors, and the Paradox of Obama and Race | radical eyes for equity:

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