Californians must support all students | EdSource

Californians must support all students | EdSource:

Californians must support all students

In this new era of local control, a teacher’s role in school improvement is changing. Educator-driven school improvement works because what teachers do is an art as much as it is a science, and it is a lot more than a test score. The best teachers understand their students’ strengths and weaknesses, and adapt their practices to both.

Real education improvement capitalizes on the fantastic pool of talent California has in classrooms today, and the diverse approaches we offer our students.

California’s Day of the Teacher on May 10 has its roots in the community and is patterned after the celebration of the traditional “El Día del Maestro,” which is observed in Mexico and Latin America countries. Our California’s Day of the Teacher arose out of legislation cosponsored by the California Teachers Association and the Association of Mexican American Educators in 1982. Since then, as our student population has grown and become much more diverse, California has increased in prominence on the world stage, and is now home to the 6th-largest economy in the world.

As teachers, we know that our diversity makes us stronger. We see it play out every day in our classrooms and on the playgrounds, and that’s why we celebrate, embrace and protect it. Teachers know what works best when it comes to improving student learning, and the simple fact is…one size doesn’t fit all. Some students need more one-on-one attention that’s only possible with smaller class sizes. Some need after-Californians must support all students | EdSource:

Betsy DeVos likens education technology to “a thousand flowers” that have yet to bloom - The Hechinger Report

Betsy DeVos likens education technology to “a thousand flowers” that have yet to bloom - The Hechinger Report:

Betsy DeVos likens education technology to “a thousand flowers” that have yet to bloom

Education secretary praises technology and pans government interference in the classroom in speech to techies at `Davos by the Desert?’

ALT LAKE CITY – A well-heeled crowd of venture capitalists, investment bankers and educators sat quietly in a cavernous ballroom Wednesday, listening to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos repeat themes she sounds regularly: Choice is good, government is bad, kids are trapped in failing schools.

Outside the Grand America Hotel was a different story: More than 100 protestors complained that DeVos is against public education, a perception that’s dogged the wealthy Republican donor since the historic tie-breaking vote put her in a job she had little experience for.

“We want someone who will actually be good for education and is not just in their seat basically because they have money and influence,’’ said protestor Kellie Henderson, of Utah Indivisible, an anti-Trump resistance group.

DeVos’ appearance at ASU+GSV, the annual tech and investment conference known as “Davos by the Desert,” gave her an unprecedented opportunity to speak with a non-confrontational audience on innovation and technology in schools.

She didn’t take it, however, and never went beyond the usual talking points about expanding school choice as the best option for helping children stuck in struggling schools. And there was no audience Q&A.

Related: New era of education passion, protest and politics will follow DeVos nomination

Instead, the crowd, which included hundreds of companies deeply involved in “disrupting” the education landscape, settled for hearing DeVos liken choosing a school to switching phone carriers: If schools aren’t meeting children’s needs, they are “failing that child,” she said.

“We’ve just scratched the surface in the role that technology can play. I only have to look at my young grandchildren to see how powerful tech is. It is a thousand flowers, and we haven’t planted the whole garden.”

U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos

“Think of it like your cell phone AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile,’’ she said. “They all have great networks, but if you can’t get cell phone service in your living room, then that particular provider is failing you.”

DeVos got no pushback; she was questioned by one of her most ardent supporters, Jeanne Allen of the Center for Education Reform, who threw one softball after another, such as: “What would you say to people about technology?”

DeVos gave an unrevealing reply before an audience steeped in the dense jargon of learning tools and new ways of thinking about the future.

“We’ve just scratched the surface in the role technology can play,” DeVos answered. “I only have to look at my young grandchildren to see how Betsy DeVos likens education technology to “a thousand flowers” that have yet to bloom - The Hechinger Report:

'I've Seen Firsthand All That Teachers Do': Q&A with Todd Parr, Author of 'Teachers Rock!' - NEA Today

'I've Seen Firsthand All That Teachers Do': Q&A with Todd Parr, Author of 'Teachers Rock!' - NEA Today:

‘I’ve Seen Firsthand All That Teachers Do’: Q&A with Todd Parr, Author of ‘Teachers Rock!’

With messages of acceptance, kindness and love, Todd Parr’s books — like It’s OK to Be Different and the I Love You Book — are timely and timeless and have long been the favorites of kids everywhere. NEA Today caught up with Parr to talk about one of our favorite books, Teachers Rock!, which is about all the ways teachers change the world (and that also comes with a free Back-to—School poster!).

What inspired you to write Teachers Rock?

Todd Parr: I wanted to celebrate teachers who I feel can be under-appreciated but who have a lifelong impact on their students. For instance, my second grade teacher Ms. Dona really helped me learn to read. I had reading problems and dyslexia and now, because of Ms. Dona, I’m writing children’s books. I wanted to celebrate teachers like her that don’t give up on kids. Over the years I’ve been in schools all over the country and see firsthand all that teachers do. I felt like not enough people were acknowledging the hard work they do every day, from cleaning up messes to helping kids handle issues at home to buying their own classroom supplies. It seemed like people expected that from teachers but weren’t talking about how wonderful how life-lasting their efforts are.

Who was your favorite teacher?

TP: My second grade teacher Ms. Dona, as strict as she was. But it was tough love and she helped me overcome so many challenges. Also, Mrs. Judson, my fourth grade teacher, who allowed me to express myself. I had all kinds of crazy ideas and I wanted to put on my own play. I had no idea know what I was doing. This was Wyoming — there was no such thing as theater! But I had a very vivid imagination and Mrs. Judson 'I've Seen Firsthand All That Teachers Do': Q&A with Todd Parr, Author of 'Teachers Rock!' - NEA Today:

Second largest school district in U.S. moves to protect undocumented immigrants from federal agents - The Washington Post

Second largest school district in U.S. moves to protect undocumented immigrants from federal agents - The Washington Post:

Second largest school district in U.S. moves to protect undocumented immigrants from federal agents

In this Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017 file photo, Lordes Reboyoso, right, yells at a rally outside of City Hall in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

The Los Angeles Unified School Board — which runs the second largest school system in the country — just toughened its commitment to protect undocumented immigrant students and their families from federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

As cities and towns around the country move to protect immigrant families from federal agents, Los Angeles school board members unanimously passed a new resolution Tuesday that reaffirms that ICE agents will not be allowed to come onto school campuses until the superintendent and district attorneys agree in advance. It also bars district employees from cooperating with ICE on immigration cases.

[How three schools creatively face the challenge of educating immigrant students]

In February, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued guidelines saying that ICE officers may target for deportation any of the millions of people who are in this country illegally. And earlier this year President Trump signed an order attempting to withhold federal funding from cities and towns that refuse to cooperate fully with immigration agents — but a federal judge in California blocked it. Trump took to Twitter to blast the decision.

[Trump blasts ‘ridiculous’ court ruling that blocked his order on sanctuary cities]

The Los Angeles school board’s resolution — which follows a February “safe schools” measure that promised to protect immigrant students and their families — also calls on district Superintendent Michelle King to create, within 90 days, a plan to train teachers, administrators and staff how to react if ICE agents come to the school.

The tough wording of Tuesday’s resolution was inspired by the arrest in late February of Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez, a father of four who was detained by ICE agents while he was dropping off one of his daughters at a school in the district. He has lived in this country for more than 25 years; he remains in federal custody.

The move by the Los Angeles Unified School District  is similar to that taken by Second largest school district in U.S. moves to protect undocumented immigrants from federal agents - The Washington Post:

Water Gun Expulsion Another Reminder of Why Schools Must Rethink Discipline - Education Law Prof Blog

Education Law Prof Blog:

Water Gun Expulsion Another Reminder of Why Schools Must Rethink Discipline

“Laney” Nichols’ school recently expelled her for an entire year.  Her crime—having a water gun on campus.  One of her male friends brought the water gun to school, but handed it off to Nichols at some point.  Nichols carried it in her backpack before eventually leaving it in the backseat of her car.  Apparently, another student saw the water gun and thought it was real.  When the student alerted school officials, things got serious. 

The school initially suspended her for 10 days—arguably an overreaction itself.  But the school later decided that was not enough because Nichols brought a “firearm” to school.  That, the school reasoned, justified expelling her for a year.  

Nichols’ mother is threatening to sue.  She understands the school has to take all guns seriously because you never know what might happen.  But as soon as school officials touched the water gun, she says they would have known there was absolutely no threat to anyone—save a little water in the eye. 

Interestingly, Nichol’s first claim is gender decimation.  The boy who brought the gun and another who played with it only received in-school suspension.  If accurate, these allegations would raise federal anti-discrimination concerns and could be a winning argument.  The school, however, will likely respond that Nichols’ behavior was more serious in some way or that their evidence regarding the boys was weaker.  While those distinctions may seem minimal in the real word, they are often enough to uphold a school discipline decision. 

To the average observer, Nichol’s second claim— that the water gun is not a firearm under school board policy—may sound like a no-brainer.  The facts seem pretty clear on this score.  The question is whether it matters.  The Supreme Court in Wood v. Strickland rejected two high school students’ attempt to attack their expulsion on technical grounds.  The students had spiked the punch at an after-school event, but argued that the alcohol content was so dilute in the punch that it did not qualify as an alcoholic beverage under state law.  They were probably right.  None of the parents even noticed the alcohol.

The Court, however, was quick to dismiss the case, reasoning that schools have wide discretion in interpreting and applying their own rules. Schools, unlike law enforcement, do not have to spell out every little detail in their rules or follow them precisely.  For that matter, they may not even need rules.  Schools have discretion to discipline Education Law Prof Blog:

House Trumpcare Bill Guts Medicaid Funding Used by Public Schools to Pay for Special Education | janresseger

House Trumpcare Bill Guts Medicaid Funding Used by Public Schools to Pay for Special Education | janresseger:

House Trumpcare Bill Guts Medicaid Funding Used by Public Schools to Pay for Special Education

President Donald Trump and members of the House of Representatives celebrated after the House passed the new Trumpcare bill last Thursday. But there is much in the new law not to celebrate, including this: Tucked into the bill is a little-noticed cut in Medicaid funding for the expensive services school districts are required to provide under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for students who need speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, medical services, or specialized school transportation.

Here is Stephen Koff, the Cleveland Plain Dealer‘s Washington Bureau Chief: “Ohio schools could lose millions of dollars they now get to pay for speech and physical therapy, behavioral services, student evaluations and other special education services, because of changes to Medicaid in the congressional bill to repeal and replace Obamacare. The money assists about 61,000 students in 580 Ohio school districts. In 2013, the last year for which final figures are available, the federal government sent Ohio schools an estimated $47.25 million for the program.”  That is merely what Medicaid paid that year for necessary services in one of the 50 states.

Here is Erica Green for the NY Times: “School districts rely on Medicaid, the federal health care program for the poor, to provide costly services to millions of students with disabilities across the country. For nearly 30 years, Medicaid has helped school systems cover costs for special education services and equipment, from physical therapists to feeding tubes. The money is also used to provide preventive care such as vision and hearing screenings, for other Medicaid-eligible children.”

Green explains that the bill the House passed last week to repeal and supposedly replace the Affordable Care Act  “would cut Medicaid by $880 billion, or 25 percent, over 10 years and impose a ‘per-capita-cap’ on funding for certain groups of people, such as children and the House Trumpcare Bill Guts Medicaid Funding Used by Public Schools to Pay for Special Education | janresseger:

CURMUDGUCATION: DeVos: Boldly Trampling Public Education

CURMUDGUCATION: DeVos: Boldly Trampling Public Education:

DeVos: Boldly Trampling Public Education

Today Secretary of Privatization Education Betsy DeVos delivered some remarks at the annual Arizona State University + Global Silicon Valley Summit in Salt Lake City, Utah. It's a fun gathering of technocrats with all sorts of profitable forward-thinking solutions to education's challenges (as they put it, a can't miss ,if you're an educator, innovator or an investor.) Whatever else we can say about DeVos, despite the occasional moments when she pretends to sort of support public education, she stays pretty consistently on message. Let's take a look at how she slammed public schools what she had to say today.

She opened with a clear statement of her idea of government's role by pointing out that really, she should be listening to the captains of technocracy gathered there, and she wants them to know her door is always open to them (any similar invitations ever offered to public school teachers?). But since she's at the mike, she has a few thoughts.

Washington has been in the drivers' seat for over fifty years with very little to show for its efforts.

And then she lays out three parts of the problem that we must acknowledge.

1) The system is based on the Prussian model implemented in the early 1800s.

I'm not one to rush to unqualified defense of the system, but I can't help noticing that computers are based on a numbering system in around the 6th or 7th century. For that matter, we have a government based on a model implemented in the late 1700s. Granted, DeVos's boss thinks that model is terrible, but "based on an old model" is only a useful criticism if you are heavily invested in selling a new system.

2. The system assigns your child to a school based solely upon the street on which CURMUDGUCATION: DeVos: Boldly Trampling Public Education:

Mental Health - Counseling/Student Support (CA Dept of Education)

Mental Health - Counseling/Student Support (CA Dept of Education):

Mental Health

Provides strategies, resources, and training in psychological and mental health issues, including coping with tragedy, crisis intervention and prevention, school psychology and suicide prevention.

Program Overview
Mental health services in schools include a broad range of services, settings, and strategies.

Model Youth Suicide Prevention Policy (DOC) 
This sample policy document is meant to serve as a model for local educational agencies (LEA). Following the passage of Assembly Bill 2246 (Chapter 642, Statutes of 2016), LEAs that serve pupils in grades seven to twelve, inclusive, must adopt a policy on pupil suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention before the beginning of the 2017-18 school year.

Student Mental Health Policy Workgroup
The Student Mental Health Policy Workgroup will assess the current mental health needs of California students and gather evidence to support its policy recommendations to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the California Legislature.

Project Cal-Well
A project to promote mental health awareness and wellness among California's kindergarten through twelfth grade students.

Mental Health Services Act (MHSA)  
The California Department of Health Care Services is the primary resource for accessing information about the Act, including updates and activities related to local planning efforts.

• MHSA E-mail Subscription  
• MHSA County Coordinators  (PDF)
• Mental Health Services Act - CalEdFacts
  This content is part of California Department of Education's information and media guide about education in the State of California. For similar information on other topics, visit the full CalEdFacts.

K12MH Listserv

To receive information about the K-12 Mental Health Services Act Prevention and Early Intervention planning and implementation process, send a blank message to join-k12mh@mlist.cde.ca.gov. To unsubscribe, send a blank message to unsubscribe-k12mh@mlist.cde.ca.gov.

Resources
Resources for psychological and mental health issues, including coping with tragedy, crisis intervention and prevention, school psychology, and suicide prevention.

Questions:   Educational Options, Student Support, and American Indian Education Office | 916-323-2183

 Mental Health - Counseling/Student Support (CA Dept of Education):

Thousands sign petitions to disinvite Betsy DeVos from speaking at historically black college - The Washington Post

Thousands sign petitions to disinvite Betsy DeVos from speaking at historically black college - The Washington Post:

Thousands sign petitions to disinvite Betsy DeVos from speaking at historically black college

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos speaks at the Council of the Great City Schools Annual Legislative/Policy Conference in Washington on  March 13. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos can’t seem to stay away from controversy. This time, tens of thousands of people have signed petitions asking that she be disinvited from giving Wednesday’s scheduled commencement address at Bethune-Cookman University in Florida because of comments she made revealing ignorance about the history of historically black colleges and universities.

DeVos was invited to speak by university President Edison O. Jackson, who defended the decision in an op-ed published in the Orlando Sentinel. In the piece, Jackson said in part:

I understand the concerns about her, and I genuinely appreciate those who voice those concerns in a constructive manner.

I am especially sensitive to balancing the notion of academic freedom with quelling potentially hateful and harmful rhetoric. The political and racial chasms in our county have deepened, and college presidents have struggled with these issues over the past few months. Some have rescinded invitations to potentially controversial speakers.

That is not my intention with DeVos. I am of the belief that it does not benefit our students to suppress voices that we disagree with, or to limit students to only those perspectives that are broadly sanctioned by a specific community.

Adora Nweze, president of the Florida State Conference of the NAACP, the Thousands sign petitions to disinvite Betsy DeVos from speaking at historically black college - The Washington Post:

Words of inspiration for teachers by teachers - Lily's Blackboard

Words of inspiration for teachers by teachers - Lily's Blackboard:

Words of inspiration for teachers by teachers

It is Teacher Appreciation Week, and who better to celebrate teachers and teaching than educators themselves? Pulled from the archives of NEA Today we share words of inspiration and dedication from those working on the frontlines of education in our schools every day.

It's totally worth it!

Getty Images

“It’s all totally worth it. You have a chance to positively impact so many young thinkers and dreamers. You will help young people become stronger writers, readers, or math-lovers, but if you can also deeply connect with and support students who really need help to stay in school, then you will feel an even greater sense of accomplishment.”

 Sara Ketcham, English teacher, Oakland Technical High School in Oakland, Calif.

Collaborate with other teachers

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“Half of what I know about teaching and what works with students is instinctual, and the other half is ‘stolen’ from other good teachers. I observe other teachers’ classrooms to see how their teaching style and lessons work, and I’ve been able to team teach with some of the best teachers our district has to offer; some were veteran educators, others were very early in their careers.

The common thread is the passion good teachers have for their subject and for their students.”

-- Michael Hawthorne, history teacher, Hartford School District in Hartford, Vt.

Join the union!

“I joined the union because I believe that with the power of numbers behind us we could fight for better teacher pay, bring down our class sizes, get special training in various professional development areas, and much more. ...

I joined because I also cared about my colleagues. I hated seeing first-year teachers leaving because they couldn’t make ends meet money-wise or they didn’t feel welcomed or supported. I joined to make a difference for those teachers so they will stay!”

--Joseph Daily, physical education teacher, Yuma, Az.

Believe in your students!

Getty Images

CONTINUE READING: Words of inspiration for teachers by teachers - Lily's Blackboard:

Out-of-Town Billionaires & Trump Backers Attempt to Hijack Local School Board Election « Alice Walton « Hedge Clippers

Partner Paper with Public School Parents in LA: Out-of-Town Billionaires & Trump Backers Attempt to Hijack Local School Board Election « Alice Walton « Hedge Clippers:

PARTNER PAPER WITH PUBLIC SCHOOL PARENTS IN LA: OUT-OF-TOWN BILLIONAIRES & TRUMP BACKERS ATTEMPT TO HIJACK LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION

The California Charter School Association (CCSA), directly and through its network of entities, has been the biggest spender in the 2017 election for Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) school board members to represent Districts 4 and 6, having spent over $4 million to-date.  Nearly all of CCSA’s political campaign funding comes from millionaires and billionaires.  Out-of-town billionaires make up the bulk of this funding.

Between July 2016 – December 2016, out-of-town billionaires like Doris Fisher, Co-Founder of The Gap, Alice Walton, heiress to the WalMart fortune, and Michael Bloomberg, New York financier and former Mayor, all made big political contributions to the California Charter School Association Advocates (CCSAA) Independent Expenditure Committee.

The combined net worth of these three out-of-town billionaires is $125.5 BILLION.  Doris Fisher lives in San Francisco, Alice Walton lives in Bentonville, Arkansas and Michael Bloomberg lives in New York City.

Additionally, numerous contributors to the CCSAA political fund are Trump supporters, a position that puts them out-of-sync with the majority of Los Angeles voters.

Alice Walton and the WalMart family, for example, donated to the Super PAC that worked to elect Trump, donated to Mike Pence, Jeff Sessions, and to the Alliance for School Choice, an organization that Trump’s Education Secretary Betsy DeVos helped to lead. Richard Riordan, who gave $1 milion to CCSAA to then launch an independent expenditure committee working to elect Melvoin and Gonez, is a Trump supporter and donor. [i]  Many others CCSAA donors are as well.

CCSA has poured money into these school board races directly through its Independent Expenditure Committee, [ii] and has also acting as a pass through for three other independent expenditure committees that are involved in the race.

• CCSAA sponsors and funds[iii] the deceptively named Parent Teacher Alliance (PTA), also a big electoral spender.

• The PTA, CCSAA helps fund[iv] the Students for Education Reform (SFER) Action Network, which also spent money on this election.

• LA Students for Change Opposing Steve Zimmer for School Board 2017 is funded by a $1,000,000 donation[v] from former LA Mayor Richard Riordan that was received through CCSAA

According to available filings,[vi] CCSAA and the groups it funds have provided almost all the independent electoral spending on behalf of Nick Melvoin and Kelly Gonez in the hotly contested District 4 and 6 races.

• District 4: of the reported independent expenditures on behalf of Melvoin — $2,415,345 in the primary and $768,316 in the general, or $3,183,661 in total – almost all were filed by CCSAA with Eli Broad and Speak UP – Supporting Nick Melvoin for School Board 2017 contributing the rest.

• District 6: all reported independent expenditures on behalf of Gonez — $739,821 in the primary and $588,564 in the general, or $1,328,385 in total — were filed by the CCSAA and PTA.

CCSAA has acted as a conduit for millions in campaign contributions flowing into the Los Angeles school board race, and while we know the identities of donors through 2016, the people of Los Angeles won’t know the identities of the more recent donors until well after the election.

HIDDEN MONEY DONORS OPPOSING PUBLIC EDUCATION FUNDING STRIKE AGAIN

Since the Supreme Court ruled on Citizens United we’ve seen an explosion in hidden money (so-called “dark money”) pouring into political races fueled by corporate self-interest, a desire for the super wealthy to lower their taxes and/or to privatize the functions of government. These races have typically been big races for the control of the House, Senate, Governor’s mansion or the presidency. In Partner Paper with Public School Parents in LA: Out-of-Town Billionaires & Trump Backers Attempt to Hijack Local School Board Election « Alice Walton « Hedge Clippers: