Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, October 24, 2020

Now is Not the Time to Reopen Steel Valley Schools | gadflyonthewallblog

Now is Not the Time to Reopen Steel Valley Schools | gadflyonthewallblog

Now is Not the Time to Reopen Steel Valley Schools



On Friday, Johns Hopkins University reported the highest number of cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

That’s 83,757 new cases and 943 new deaths.

Now is not the time to reopen schools.

This comes after 77,000 cases were reported the day before – which, itself, had been the record.

At this rate, the US will have 100,000 new cases and 1,000 new deaths a day very soon.

Now is not the time to reopen schools.

Allegheny County has 14,818 cases and 421 deaths.

Cases have increased by 8% this week.

Now is not the time to CONTINUE READING: Now is Not the Time to Reopen Steel Valley Schools | gadflyonthewallblog





Ohio: The Staggering Cost of Privatization of Public Money | Diane Ravitch's blog

Ohio: The Staggering Cost of Privatization of Public Money | Diane Ravitch's blog
Ohio: The Staggering Cost of Privatization of Public Money




Bill Phillis, founder of the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Advocacy, is a retired state superintendent in the state. He has focused like a laser on the importance of funding public education equitably and adequately. He writes here about the staggering cost of privatizing public money to pay for charters, virtual charters, and vouchers. This is money deducted from the public schools, which outperform both charters and vouchers and the failing virtual charter industry.

He writes:

The direct state subsidies to private schools and school choice programs will cost taxpayers $751,894,805 in FY 21 and FY 22; additionally, $2,352, 881,306 will be deducted from school districts for vouchers and charters

The total direct state budget appropriations in HB 166 for private school subsidies, charter and voucher programs in FY 21 and FY 22 are $751,894,805. $344,027,972 of the appropriations is in the General Revenue section of the budget and the rest is in non-General Revenue sections. This $751,894,805 is in addition to $2,352,881,306 that will be deducted from school districts, assuming that about the same amount is deducted in FY 22 as in FY 21.

Therefore the grand total of taxpayer revenue for private schools and school choice programs in FY 21 and FY 22 will be $3,104,776,111. The cost of transportation that is incurred by school districts for school choice programs is in addition.

The FY 21 and FY 22 direct state appropriation line items in HB 166 for private school subsidies, and voucher and charter school CONTINUE READING: 
Ohio: The Staggering Cost of Privatization of Public Money | Diane Ravitch's blog

The week in coveducation: Epic discussions, COVID relief funds and 'no confidence'

The week in coveducation: Epic discussions, COVID relief funds and 'no confidence'
The week in coveducation: Epic discussions, COVID relief funds and ‘no confidence’



It was a busy week in the Oklahoma education world with what seemed like endless meetings over the Epic Charter Schools audit, Oklahoma City Public Schools welcoming some students back to in-person learning and the Professional Educators of Norman presenting a vote of no confidence in their district’s superintendent.

There’s a lot to cover, but we’re making it easy to catch up on the week’s headlines from reporters around the state with our coveducation recap.

$10 million of COVID relief funds allotted for private schools likely allowable

The Tulsa World’s Barbara Hoberock reported that the $10 million in federal COVID-19 relief money used by Gov. Kevin Stitt to help private school students likely satisfies federal requirements. This is according to a letter sent to House Democrats this week.

In September, the House Democratic education policy group requested an opinion from Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter on whether Stitt acted within his authority regarding how he used this money.

The letter is not an official opinion issued by Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter, he said.

Multiple meetings discuss Epic audit findings CONTINUE READING: The week in coveducation: Epic discussions, COVID relief funds and 'no confidence'

Education Matters: So much for schools not being COVID spreaders (draft)

Education Matters: So much for schools not being COVID spreaders (draft)
So much for schools not being COVID spreaders (draft)


I am so disappointed in DCPS, they are knowingly putting people at risk and that's leading to an uptick in the virus. As cases in schools rise dramatically so do cases in the city and nation. The most easily predictable thing ever is coming true more and more people are getting sick. Sadly the super and school board has responded with a shrug.

 

I don't think it is a coincidence that District cases are heading through the roof and remember this is just what they are reporting, we all know it is much worse. 

https://c19sitdash.azurewebsites.net/

Then it's not just happening here, it's happening all across the country as we have seen our highest numbers CONTINUE READING: Education Matters: So much for schools not being COVID spreaders (draft)

The Future of Public Education is on the Ballot on November 3! Vote! | Diane Ravitch's blog

The Future of Public Education is on the Ballot on November 3! Vote! | Diane Ravitch's blog
The Future of Public Education is on the Ballot on November 3! Vote!



Derek Black, Jack Schneider, and Jennifer Berkshire wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer that the future of public education is on the ballot on November 3 (for the record, I got a credit for doing some minor editing).

Should Trump be re-elected, you can count on him and Betsy DeVos to continue their brazen assault on public schools and to continue their demand to transfer public funds to private and religious schools as well as to pour hundreds of millions of federal dollars into charter school expansion. Draining public dollars away from public school has been Betsy DeVos’s life work and she would have four more years to staff the U.S. Department of Education with likeminded ideologues who hate public schools.

The authors write:

When Trump selected Betsy DeVos as secretary of education, many took it as a sign that he wasn’t serious. After all, DeVos seemed to know little about public schools. But that was a product of her extremism. Over the last four years, she has been crystal clear that her primary interest in the public education system lies in CONTINUE READING: The Future of Public Education is on the Ballot on November 3! Vote! | Diane Ravitch's blog

Good News, Teachers: Cloth Masks Do Protect the Wearer | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

Good News, Teachers: Cloth Masks Do Protect the Wearer | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog
Good News, Teachers: Cloth Masks Do Protect the Wearer



COVID-19 has shaken classroom teaching to its core. It’s like carrying a platter of full water glasses while walking down the aisle of a lurching bus, and doing so daily.

Expect varying degrees of success, and intentionally celebrate those successes in that day to fortify your mental stability.

Believe me when I write that I thank God that he measures out my life in daily installments.

My sanity is grounded in understanding what, exactly, I control and leveraging that control to counter the volley of adjustments to adjustments.

And so, we arrive at mask wearing during this pandemic.

I am relieved that my school district requires students and staff to wear masks, and I am so grateful that I have virtually no pushback from my students regarding this requirement.

One issue under my control involves creating a respectful atmosphere in my room, which includes explaining why mask wearing is important to me; modeling the very behavior I am asking of my students, and thanking them for complying.

Of course, what is also completely under my control is my choice to wear my own mask.

When the pandemic first short-sheeted life in Louisiana, on Friday, March 13, 2020, I did not immediately take to wearing a mask, but I did immediately begin CONTINUE READING: Good News, Teachers: Cloth Masks Do Protect the Wearer | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

SBE Agenda for November 2020 - State Board of Education (CA Dept of Education)

SBE Agenda for November 2020 - State Board of Education (CA Dept of Education)
SBE Agenda for November 2020
Agenda for the California State Board of Education (SBE) meeting on November 5-6, 2020



State Board Members
  • Linda Darling-Hammond, President
  • Ilene W. Straus, Vice President
  • Sue Burr
  • Cynthia Glover-Woods
  • Jim McQuillen
  • Matt Navo
  • Kim Pattillo Brownson
  • Haydee Rodriguez
  • Patricia A. Rucker
  • Ting L. Sun
  • Zaid Fattah, Student Member
Secretary & Executive Officer
  • Hon. Tony Thurmond
Executive Director
  • Brooks Allen

Schedule of Meeting

Thursday, November 5, 2020
8:30 a.m. Pacific Time ±

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
Public Session. Public Session, adjourn to Closed Session – IF NECESSARY.

Location

California Department of Education
1430 N Street, Room 1101
Sacramento, California 95814
916-319-0827

Please see the detailed agenda for more information about the items to be considered and acted upon. The public is welcome.

Schedule of Meeting

Friday, November 6, 2020
8:30 a.m. Pacific Time ±

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
The Closed Session will take place at approximately 8:30 a.m. (The Public may not attend.)

Location

California Department of Education
1430 N Street, Room 1101
Sacramento, California 95814
916-319-0827

The Closed Session (1) may commence earlier than 8.30a.m.; (2) may begin at 10:30 a.m., be recessed, and then be reconvened later in the day; or (3) may commence later than 10:30 a.m.

CLOSED SESSION AGENDA

Conference with Legal Counsel – Existing Litigation: Under Government Code sections 11126(e)(1) and (e)(2)(A), the State Board of Education hereby provides public notice that some or all of the pending litigation will be considered and acted upon in Closed Session:

  • California Parents for the Equalization of Educational Materials, et al. v. Tom Torlakson in his official capacity and members of the State Board of Education, in their official capacity, et al., United States District Court (No. Dist. CA), Case No. 4:17-cv-00635
  • Ella T et al. v. State of California, State Board of Education, State Department of Education, Tom Torlakson et al., Los Angeles County Superior Court, Case No. BC685730
  • Emma C., et al. v. Delaine Eastin, et al., United States District Court (No.Dist.CA), Case No. C-96-4179
  • I.L. v. Oakland Unified School District, State of California, State Board of Education, State Department of Education, Tony Thurmond, United States District Court (No. Dist. CA), Case No.20-CV-2349-JST.
  • Kerri K. et al. v. State of California, State Board of Education, State Department of Education, Tony Thurmond, Contra Costa County Office of Education, the Floyd I. Marchus School et al., Contra Costa County Superior Court, Case No. MSC19-00972
  • Martinez v. Newsom, State of California, Tony Thurmond, State Department of Education, state Board of Education, et al., United State District Court (Central District CA), Case No. 5:20-cv-01796
  • Options for Youth, Burbank, Inc., San Gabriel, Inc. Upland, Inc. and Victor Valley, Notice of Appeal Before the Education Audit Appeals Panel, EAAP Case Nos. 06-18, 06-19- 07-07, 07-08 OAH Nos. L2006100966, L2006110025, L20070706022, L2007060728, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Case No. BC 347454
  • Patel v. Santa Clara Unified School District, California Department of Education, Tony Thurmond, State Board of Education, Santa Clara County Superior Court, Case No, 20CV365010
  • Today’s Fresh Start Charter School v. Inglewood Unified School District, Los Angeles County Office of Education, California Department of Education, California State Board of Education, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Case No. 20STCP02646

Conference with Legal Counsel – Anticipated Litigation: Under Government Code sections 11126(e), the State Board of Education hereby provides public notice that it may meet in Closed Session to decide whether there is a significant exposure to litigation, and to consider and act in connection with matters for which there is a significant exposure to litigation. Under Government Code sections 11126(e)(1) and (e)(2), the State Board of Education hereby provides public notice that it may meet in Closed Session to decide to initiate litigation and to consider and act in connection with litigation it has decided to initiate.

Under Government Code Section 11126(a), the State Board of Education hereby provides public notice that it may meet in closed session regarding the appointment, employment, evaluation of performance, or dismissal, discipline, or release of public employees, or a complaint or charge against public employees. Public employees include persons exempt from civil service under Article VII, Section 4(e) of the California Constitution.

ALL TIMES ARE APPROXIMATE AND ARE PROVIDED FOR CONVENIENCE ONLY
ALL ITEMS MAY BE HEARD IN A DIFFERENT ORDER THAN HOW THEY ARE LISTED ON THE AGENDA ON ANY DAY OF THE NOTICED MEETING
THE ORDER OF BUSINESS MAY BE CHANGED WITHOUT NOTICE

Time is set aside for individuals desiring to speak on any topic not otherwise on the agenda. Please see the detailed agenda for the Public Session. In all cases, the presiding officer reserves the right to impose time limits on presentations as may be necessary to ensure that the agenda is completed.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL WITH A DISABILITY

Pursuant to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, any individual with a disability or any other individual who requires reasonable accommodation to attend or participate in a meeting or function of the California State Board of Education (SBE), may request assistance by contacting the SBE office at 1430 N Street, Room 5111, Sacramento, CA 95814; by telephone at 916-319-0827; by facsimile at 916-319-0175; or by email at sbe@cde.ca.gov.

SBE MEETING LOGISTICS

On March 17, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-29-20 related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Executive Order allows state bodies covered by the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Act) to hold public meetings covered by the Act via web and/or audio teleconferencing. As such, the November 2020 SBE meeting will be held as an audio/video teleconference and will have a live webcast, which will subsequently be archived on the SBE website. The SBE Board Room 1101 in the California Department of Education will be closed to the public. Please see the Public Comment Guidelines section below for options to view and participate during the meeting.

PUBLIC COMMENT GUIDELINES

Public comment may be provided via email or phone, as specified below.

Email

The public is highly encouraged to submit written comment to the SBE members in advance for their prior consideration. In order to help ensure that board members have sufficient time to review all comments, please submit comments by noon on Friday, October 30, 2020. Comments should be submitted to the SBE mailbox at sbe@cde.ca.gov. All public comments received by the deadline will be available from the SBE Office. Join the SBE electronic mailing list to receive information and updates from the Board.

The following information should be included in the body of the email:

  • Commenter’s first and last name
  • Organization affiliation, if applicable
  • Agenda item number or general public comment

Phone

Public comment may also be provided during the meeting by dialing the phone number and participant access code listed below. The operator will notify callers when it is their turn to provide public comment. Public comment will be limited to one minute. Members of the public wishing to dial in for public comment should view the live-stream of the meeting. The number is provided below and will also be announced at the start of public comment for each item.

  • Prior to making public comment, speakers who are watching the meeting via live webcast should make sure the volume on their computer is muted to avoid an echoing or feedback sounds during the call.
  • Each speaker will be allotted one minute of public comment for each agenda item.
  • Please use the phone number provided below:
  • Phone number: 712-432-0075, Participant Access Code: 651905#
CONTINUE READING: 


glen brown: Teaching During a Pandemic, Week 1 by Vikki Reid

glen brown: Teaching During a Pandemic, Week 1 by Vikki Reid
Teaching During a Pandemic, Week 1 by Vikki Reid




📚”WhAt I LeArNeD In ScHoOl ThIs WeEk”📚
 ðŸ¦ ðŸ˜·Teaching During A Pandemic-WEEK 1😷🦠

My classroom ranged from 47-55 degrees because the windows are all open to increase circulation, except for Thursday, when it was 84 in my classroom because the heat was on.

My 12 desk stations are spaced 5 feet apart to fit my class sizes, and in one class I have 13 students.

The school was to supply one mask for each student/staff member, but we received an email that we ran out on Tuesday before the end of the day.

Teachers were provided one 16 oz. bottle of hand sanitizer for each classroom, refillable at the bookstore during limited hours.  

Teachers were provided one 24 oz. bottle of Dr. Joe’s spray for teachers to sanitize the desks during the five-minute passing period; it takes 11 minutes for the spray on the desks to dry. Teachers were instructed to NOT wipe it off.

Teachers were provided with a brown lunch bag of 20 Band-Aids, two tampons, one sanitary napkin, five fabric masks, and one ice pack to treat students who have minor incidents instead of sending them to the nurses office.

Teachers are to recognize students with masks on, who we have never met in CONTINUE READING: 
glen brown: Teaching During a Pandemic, Week 1 by Vikki Reid

CURMUDGUCATION: Did Covid-19 Destroy The Case Against School Choice?

CURMUDGUCATION: Did Covid-19 Destroy The Case Against School Choice?
Did Covid-19 Destroy The Case Against School Choice?

Betsy DeVos repeatedly insists that the current pandemic A) shouldn't in any way interfere with the normal operation of public schools and B) makes it "more clear than ever" that school choice must be a thing, toot de suite. The two prongs of her argument belong to two entirely different pitchforks, but many folks with more coherent debate tools have picked up that second point. 

One of those is Rick Hess, who over at EdWeek argues that "Covid-19 Has Capsized the Case Against School Choice." To make his point, he calls back to a point he made back in the spring (you know--100 years ago):

The most effective argument made by opponents of school choice has long been the simple assertion that we can't trust choice to yield decent options for every child. And since every child has a right to be schooled, it's important to protect traditional public school systems in order to assure an acceptable default education for every child.

Hess's assertion is that "this line of argument is no longer operative." Covid has revealed that the public system "guarantees a lot less than we imagined." 

Hess points to a small list of public school pandemic failures-- missing students, dodgy methods of taking attendance, dumping home schooling requirements on harried parents, insisting that re-opening will require more money. These are all true things, and several are hard to excuse (except the "needs more money" part--the addition of PPE and the additional staff needed to handle daily CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: Did Covid-19 Destroy The Case Against School Choice?

NYC Public School Parents: Do you know where your child's personal data is? Please fill out our survey on your school's use of digital apps -

NYC Public School Parents: Do you know where your child's personal data is? Please fill out our survey on your school's use of digital apps -
Do you know where your child's personal data is?
Please fill out our survey on your school's use of digital apps



Class Size Matters, NY Allies for Public Education, and the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy would like to know which online apps or programs are being employed by schools throughout New York state, and whether they are sufficiently protective of children's privacy. We are asking parents and teachers to take our survey here, to let us know what apps or programs your schools are using.

Since the pandemic hit, districts across New York State have purchased many commercially-produced online apps and digital programs to implement remote learning. Even before last spring, schools had been using a large number of programs, many of which collect and use personal student information. In NYC alone, more than 75 commercially available online programs have been acquired for teachers to assign to their students, and "The DOE has informed schools that for SY 2020-21, they must have a shared, inclusive and digital curriculum in all core subject areas," according to the UFT.

Many of these digital apps collect and use personal student data in ways we do not understand. In some cases, the publicly available privacy policies of these vendors are NOT sufficiently protective and do not comply with the NY state student privacy law, Education Law 2D, which was passed in 2014.  

Among other things, this law and its regulations adopted in Jan. 2020 require that every contract with a vendor with access to personal student data must have a separate Parent Bill of Rights [PBOR], which specifies how the data will be protected and how parents can access the data and challenge it if necessary.

Each of these separate Parent Bill of Rights are supposed to be posted on the district website, along with other important information, including your district’s overall data privacy protection policy, and how you can contact the district data privacy officer in charge of ensuring these protections. Links to the Education Law 2D, the regulations, and a summary of some of the other most important provisions are here.

Please take a few minutes to fill out our online survey to let us know what online apps and/or digital programs are being used in your schools, and whether the district has provided the necessary information about the ways in which that data is being protected from breach and abuse.

Thanks!

Leonie Haimson, Class Size Matters and Parent Coalition for Student Privacy

Lisa Rudley and Jeanette Deutermann, NY State Allies for Public Education


BASEBALL IS MORE THAN A GAME – Dad Gone Wild

BASEBALL IS MORE THAN A GAME – Dad Gone Wild
BASEBALL IS MORE THAN A GAME


“When the moon sails out
with a hundred faces all the same,
the coins made of silver
break out in sobs in the pocket.”
― Federico García Lorca

As the ball sailed out of the infield, runners began to circle the bases, and thus another baseball season came to an end.

My son Peter has been playing ball since he was 4. Last night brought a close to his 8th season and 2nd of Fall ball. It also marked my 8th as a coach.

Coaching Little League baseball has been one of the greatest joys, and challenges of my life. I’ve always believed that baseball is more than just a game and that within its confines is an approximation of life itself.

My philosophy on coaching consists of a few basic tenets. Have fun being first and foremost. Focus on fundamentals is next. Develop strong foundational skills and then growing the rest. It’s always at the forefront of my teachings to set a ballplayer up for future success. To give them the skills that, if they desire, they can compete at the next level without a coach having to retool their play.

Wins are certainly important, after all, we do keep score for a reason, but it’s been my experience that teams that have a strong commitment to fundamentals and have a lot of fun playing the game, tend to win a lot. If you think about it, that formula applies to life as well.

I spend a lot of time preaching to my teams about not focusing on the mistakes made, but on what you do afterward. If a ball went by you in the infield, instead of pouting did you set up for the relay from the outfield? Botch a play in the field, focus instead on getting a timely hit at-bat versus being CONTINUE READING: BASEBALL IS MORE THAN A GAME – Dad Gone Wild


Teacher Tom: It Might Not Be a Phase

Teacher Tom: It Might Not Be a Phase
It Might Not Be a Phase




The girls had never met before the day they met on the swings. They struck up a conversation and within the hour they were hugging one another, giggling, and tossing around the phrase "best friends." One of them called out to me, "Teacher Tom, my name tag says I'm Monica, but my real name is Anna!" Her best friend added, "My name is Anna too!" So, going forward, that's what I called them both: Anna. Later, they told me that they were, in fact, twins, so that's what I called them: Twin Annas.

At any given moment, I'm calling someone Superman or Elsa or Kai (the Red Ninja) despite having previously known them by another name. Usually, it turns out to be a temporary moniker, one that children are trying on, like a costume, and having others refer to you by your chosen name is part of figuring out how it feels to be someone new or different. We tend to think of it as cute when children "pretend" in this way, but it is part of the most important work any of us will ever do: the project of discovering the truth about who we are.

When children assume new names they are exploring themselves from a new perspective, one not constrained by the limits that are placed upon them by the labels that have CONTINUE READING: 
Teacher Tom: It Might Not Be a Phase

TEACHER TOM THIS WEEK IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

 Teacher Tom


TEACHER TOM
THIS WEEK IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION



OCT 22

OCT 21

OCT 20

OCT 19

OCT 16

 Teacher Tom