Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Mass. Latino political group selects new leader - Boston.com

Mass. Latino political group selects new leader

November 17, 2010

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BOSTON—A former Bronx school teacher was tapped as the new leader of a political group that has trained a number of Latino candidates to run for office in Massachusetts, the group's board of directors announced Wednesday .

Alejandra St. Guillen was selected from a number of candidates as the new executive director of Oiste? and replaces long-time executive director and founder Giovanna Negretti, who stepped down in September.

The Mission Hill-born activist and former public school teacher takes over Oiste?, which means "have you heard?", as the 10-year-old group readies to train a number of more minority candidates seeking office across the state.

St. Guillen served as the group's program manager since 2008 and was an aide to former state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson. She taught sixth graders at a Bronx

Our Education System is Racist and You Are Complicit « Outside the Cave

Our Education System is Racist and You Are Complicit

by Stephen Lazar

If you are reading this, chances are you are complicit in the racist education system that exists in our country.

White people, do I have your attention now?

Now let’s define our terms. I use “racist” here to reference institutional racism, that is, any system where, REGARDLESS OF INTENT, there is a significant difference in outcomes between different racial groups. We white people don’t like to think of racism this way. As Peggy Mcintosh wrote, we whites are taught to only believe racism is the act of mean individuals. People who know better realize that racism is the true invisible hand of our society.

White people, dozens of you loved to comment in affirmation of my post disparaging Education Nation; not one of you chimed in on my post talking about the racism of tracking in the suburbs. Are we scared of something?

Here are the indisputable facts: 26% more white boys are proficient in reading than black boys in fourth grade; 32% more white boys are proficient in math in eighth. Black boys do worse than whites independent of class

Local News | Seattle School Board considers request to pull 'Brave New World' from curriculum | Seattle Times Newspaper

Seattle School Board considers request to pull 'Brave New World' from curriculum

A request by a Seattle parent to have the 1931 novel "Brave New World" removed from Seattle Public Schools' literature curricula will be considered — and possibly decided — Wednesday evening at a Seattle School Board meeting.

By Sean Collins Walsh

Seattle Times staff reporter

A request by a Seattle parent to have the 1931 novel "Brave New World" removed from Seattle Public Schools' literature curricula will be considered — and possibly decided — at a Seattle School Board meeting Wednesday evening.

Parent Sarah Sense-Wilson has persuaded Nathan Hale High School administrators to drop the distopian Aldous Huxley novel from its Language Arts class, which her daughter took last year. But she has not been as successful in her attempts to have the book removed from literature curricula districtwide.

Having been denied by Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson, Sense-Wilson will make her case this

Still Here, Still Alive, and Still Writing — The Jose Vilson

Still Here, Still Alive, and Still Writing

by Jose

Rodolfo Walsh

I‘ve had Naomi Klein’s Shock Doctrine on my bookshelf since Rachel Maddow recommended it about a year ago, but at the pace I read (and buy) books, I don’t get to many of them unless a divine spirit intervenes. Something did, and I pushed it up to the top of my list, fortunately. I haven’t finished it, but what an appropriate book for these times of deceit and corporatism (I know, I repeated myself).

I’m usually not a fan of taking entire chunks of books and giving them out to the public without prior consent (-wink wink-), but this whole excerpt inspired me so much, I’ve decided to share it with the rest of you. Please go

In SF Unified, 'Empire with a Moat' Protected Alleged Scheme - The Bay Citizen

In SF Unified, 'Empire with a Moat' Protected Alleged Scheme

Trish Bascom, a former San Francisco Unified School District associate superintendent, created a largely autonomous “empire” that enabled her to remain undetected for years as she allegedly funneled district money to herself and her colleagues, according to district officials and others familiar with the scheme. The Bay Citizen reported last week that Bascom, who headed the Student Support Services Department, is one of five SFUSD administrators under investigation by the San Francisco District Attorney’s office for allegedly directing district money from community organizations into their personal bank accounts. One of those organizations was Bay Area Community Resources, a non-profit organization that provides services to the district. Executive Director Martin Weinstein said

U.S. education chief: DPS 'arguably the worst' | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

U.S. education chief: DPS 'arguably the worst'

BY CHASTITY PRATT DAWSEY
FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan dealt the Detroit Public Schools another verbal blow, calling the district “arguably the worst urban school district in the country now.”

Duncan made the remarks in response to a DPS-related question during a discussion today at the American Enterprise Institute Forum in Washington, D.C. The discussion was about the challenges associated with improving cost-effectiveness in K-12 education.

When asked his opinion of a DPS proposal to use federal Title I dollars for early childhood education diagnostics, Duncan said he wanted more of those funds spent on early childhood education and added that DPS is a district “where the education provided to those children has been devastatingly bad for far too long.”

Duncan did, however, say that he is a “fan” of DPS Emergency Financial Manager Robert

State Waiver Requested for Cathie Black, Mayor Bloomberg's Pick for Schools Chancellor - WSJ.com

Waiver Requested for Mayor's Schools Pick

By BARBARA MARTINEZ

Rob Bennett for The Wall Street Journal

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, right, has asked the state education commissioner for a waiver in order to appoint Cathie Black, center, as the next New York City schools chancellor.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg formally asked the state education commissioner for a waiver to appoint Cathie Black as the next schools chancellor, setting the stage for a high-stakes political nail-biter over the leadership of New York City's 1,600 schools.

David Steiner, the commissioner, now is a prickly position. He has to decide whether to ignore the calls of critics, who say Ms. Black is unqualified because she lacks education experience, or to deny Mr. Bloomberg's request and effectively eviscerate the most

Waiting for Mark Twain « Failing Schools

Waiting for Mark Twain

NOVEMBER 17, 2010

by Sabrina

Some days, I really wish Mark Twain were still around. In a time when schooling is increasingly the biggest thing interfering with children’s educations, he’d have a field day quipping about the hot mess that is “education” reform debate. I’d have a blast watching him.

He might be moved to update his thoughts on school boards. Perhaps he could do so with a little Churchillian twist: “School boards are the worst form of district governance…except formayoral control.” (I’m close to burned out on school board politics, so I won’t say much more, except that a change in mindset is in order. Please remember, it’s not your job to represent the district’s interests to the public. It’s your job to represent the public’s interests to the district. You do that by listening to constituents’ concerns, being well informed about the issues, and ensuring that district officials are making sound, just decisions in accordance with

Science and Religion: Confrontation or Accommodation?

Does being pro-science mean being anti-religion? How should secular humanists respond to science and religion? How do you best deal with conflicts between religion and evolution education? A wide-ranging discussion featuring Genie Scott, PZ Myers, Chris Mooney, Victor Stenger, and Jennifer Michael Hecht. Sponsor: Council for Secular Humanism. Event date: November 8, 2010

Education’s Role in the Great Divergence

by Chad Aldeman

Over a glass of wine with a friend last weekend, he casually suggested that too many people are going to college. I immediately responded that 1. That’s not what he’d tell his kids; 2. He has a bachelor’s and a law degree, so it was nice of him to pull the ladder up after him; 3. The best economic projections suggest we need more college graduates, not less; and 4. A college degree is excellent protection against job market problems. I should have also pointed out an excellent series of articles by Timothy Noah.

Back in September Slate’s Noah did a series on what he called The Great Divergence documenting the growing income inequality in this country over the last 30 years and exploring potential causes for it. He did a series of

School 2 Life - Home

School2Life is a Chicago-based educational management program consisting of two industry experts, Heidi Albert, a financial expert and entrepreneur, and Susan Newman, a career marketing professional. Their goal is to help high school, college students, and recent graduates make a smooth, smart, and successful transition from campus life to real life with their catchy slogan "Don't Just Get a Job. Get a Life." Many students and young adults find it difficult to make their way into the real world or take the next important steps post-high school/college and with a struggling economy, it's hard to keep motivated while under pressure.

The School2Life experts strive to help young adults stay motivated by hosting a variety of career management workshops and networking forums to give students a unique experience and build their confidence. Informational workshops and events include resume-building, interview skills, overall communicating, internship, network building, and more. Life management workshops and events include how to manage in today's economy, spending and saving, financial organization, and more! School2Life has helped hundreds of students find their next job, build their confidence, and overall get a LIFE! More info here: http://school2life.com/

If you're interested in learning more, we'd love to set up an interview with the founders for you or if you'd like to check out their upcoming workshop, "Networking, 30 Second Elevator Pitch, & Basic Budgeting,"

School2Life^TM helps college students and recent graduates make a
smooth, smart, successful transition from campus life to real life.

Networking, 30 Second Elevator Pitch & Basic Budgeting Workshop

900 N Michigan Ave.

FRIDAY, NOV. 26

3:00 - 5:00

Email Heidi@school2life.com to sign up

School2Life on WGN News

Watch Heidi Albert from School2Life on the segment "Money Matters"

click here

School2Life Helps Young Adults Stay Motivated.

Read the Article from the Chicago Tribune

click here

Schools Matter: NCATE, Ed Week, UTRU, and Eli Broad

NCATE, Ed Week, UTRU, and Eli Broad

by Jim Horn

. . . this current effort is focused in large part on undoing the legacy of licensure and preparation decisions made more than a half-century ago. --Rick Hess, Ed Week Commentary on the NCATE Report 11/17/10

In the first coverage by Ed Week of the big NCATE shake-up or shake-down of teacher education, Stephen Sawchuk reports the following:

The report’s main recommendation: Supervised, structured work of teacher-candidates in diverse classroom settings must be the foremost component of preservice teacher training, with other aspects like coursework embedded in that training. It draws heavily on the teacher-residency model and a handful of university-based education programs that take such an approach to training new teachers.

“The general message is that teachers have not been prepared well—or enough—and we need to make changes both on the front end, with preparation, and at the back end, with accountability,”

Hechinger Report | Q&A: Tim King explains what works at Chicago’s all-boys Urban Prep

Q&A: Tim King explains what works at Chicago’s all-boys Urban Prep

by Beth Hawkins

Tim King

In June, the members of Urban Prep Academy’s first senior class gathered for an unusual ritual. One by one, all 150 donned baseball caps from the four-year colleges and universities that had accepted them.

It’s a feat virtually any school would boast about, but Urban Prep had more reason than most: All of the Chicago charter school’s students are African-American boys, and 85 percent come from impoverished homes. They succeed in part because of a strong culture that places an emphasis on teamwork and discipline. All students wear blazers and ties and are addressed as “mister.”

The school is the creation of Chicago native Tim King, who took time earlier this week to describe his work to

Remainders: Could chancellor be a step to mayor for Black? | GothamSchools

Remainders: Could chancellor be a step to mayor for Black?

by Philissa Cramer

Joel Klein’s brief teaching experience won him the waiver in 2002, panel members say. (City Room)
Three former mayors are supporting Cathie Black on mayoral control grounds. (Daily Politics)
Is Cathie Black really running for mayor? Bloomberg might think so. (Observer)
Or maybe she is being sacrificed to ease the way for someone more controversial.(Pissed Off Teacher)
This is likely the biggest decision Commissioner Steiner has had to make on the job. (Chalkboard)
Gadfly Norm Scott on his hug from Joel Klein: “I am not a hater. I love everybody.” (Ed Notes)
If a school is like a basketball team, individual teacher incentives might cause problems. (GS Community)
Bricks are being laid at the addition to PS 8 in Brooklyn Heights. (Brownstoner)
Brooking report: We judge things on semi-reliable data all the time, so why not teachers. (Class Struggle)
Andy Rotherham says the Brookings report is “measured and sensible.” (Eduwonk)
Angry about school bus snafus? Join PIST: Parents to Improve School Transportation. (Insideschools)
Ed Sec Arne Duncan says school districts should boost class sizes before cutting teachers. (Politics K-12)

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Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Mass. Latino political group selects new leader

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