Benjamin Todd Jealous: Taking on Stark Inequalities in NYC Schools

Benjamin Todd Jealous: Taking on Stark Inequalities in NYC Schools

Benjamin Todd Jealous: Taking on Stark Inequalities in NYC Schools

from Education on The Huffington Post by Benjamin Todd Jealous

New York City has become the latest battleground in the national fight for education equality.

In some schools, hallways serve as a stark dividing line. Classrooms with peeling paint and insufficient resources sit on one side, while new computers, smartboards and up-to-date textbooks live on the other. One group of students will be taught in hallways and basements while others under the same roof make use of fully functional classrooms.

New York schools have increasingly co-located charter schools inside existing public schools as a cost-cutting measure. Handled improperly, co-locations can lead to disparities, division and tension among students, which can impede learning.

In many instances, traditional students are forced into shorter playground periods than their charter school

The Release of the Gainful Employment Regulations is Not the End of the Scandal | CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

The Release of the Gainful Employment Regulations is Not the End of the Scandal | CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

June 02, 2011

By crewstaff

Education, For-Profit Education, Federal Agencies, Department of Education, Transparency

After a few false starts, yesterday the Department of Education (DOE) released the controversial gainful employment regulations. Education officials say these regulations will alleviate some of the worst abuses at for-profit education colleges. CREW is not an education policy organization so we can’t judge whether the regulations are likely to work as intended, but everyone can agree the industry needs some reform.

The gainful employment regulations might have been issued much sooner had it not been for CREW’s dogged efforts to uncover the extent of Wall Street investors’ influence on Education’s regulatory process. We revealed the discussions between well-known short-seller Steve Eisman and his colleagues and top Education officials like Bob Shireman. We found it odd that Education would work with Eisman, who was no education policy expert and stood to benefit financially from new regulations that would push down stock prices in the for-profit sector.

DOE would like to put this whole matter behind it now that the regulations have been released, but important questions remain unanswered. We still don’t know the extent of short-sellers’ efforts to manipulate the regulatory process, but we asked the SEC to investigate whether there was any market manipulation – a call echoed by Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) and the National Legal and Polic

Major Lawsuit Announced: Discrimination by Voucher Schools against Special Education Students (Messmer High School named in suit) « Larry Miller's Blog

Major Lawsuit Announced: Discrimination by Voucher Schools against Special Education Students (Messmer High School named in suit) « Larry Miller's Blog

Major Lawsuit Announced: Discrimination by Voucher Schools against Special education Students (Messmer High School named in suit)

by millerlf

A lawsuit has been filed through the US Dept of Justice, Office for Civil Rights on behalf of children with disabilities because of the failure of the voucher system because they have discriminated against students with disabilities and “segregated those students in one portion of the publicly funded educational system.”

This Complaint is brought against the State of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin, Department of Public Instruction (“DPI”), Messmer Catholic Preparatory School (“Messmer”), and Concordia University School (“Concordia”) by the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation Racial Justice Program (ACLU), the ACLU of Wisconsin Foundation (ACLU-WIF), Disability Rights Wisconsin (DRW), individual parents D. E. and D.J. on behalf of their children with disabilities.

Civil rights and disability rights organizations are currently investigating the lack of

services for students with disabilities in the Milwaukee Parent Choice Program (MPCP,

also known as the “Voucher” program).

We’d like to speak to parents about their experiences.

DO YOU HAVE A SCHOOL-AGED CHILD

WITH A DISABILITY?

GATES-FUNDED STUDY VALIDATES GATES, VILLARAIGOSA AGENDA: Another study politicizes the data

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: GATES-FUNDED STUDY VALIDATES GATES, VILLARAIGOSA AGENDA: Another study politicizes the data [The LAT+DN articles + the gushing press release + smf’s 2¢ + the study itself]

GATES-FUNDED STUDY VALIDATES GATES, VILLARAIGOSA AGENDA: Another study politicizes the data [The LAT+DN articles + the gushing press release + smf’s 2¢ + the study itself]

Report says L.A. principals should have more authority in hiring teachers

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa strongly backs suggestions in the report, whose research was paid for largely with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

BY HOWARD BLUME, LOS ANGELES TIMES | HTTP://LAT.MS/LV6JBY

A. J. Duffy, United Teachers Los Angeles president, rallies teachers, parents and students filling Pershing Square to protest budget cuts. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times / May 13, 2011)

June 7, 2011, 12:01 a.m - School principals should be able to hire any teacher of their choosing, and displaced tenured teachers who aren't rehired elsewhere within the system should be permanently dismissed, according to a controversial new report on the Los Angeles Unified School District. The report will be presented Tuesday to the Board of Education.

The research, paid for largely by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, offers a roadmap for improving the quality

This Week In Education: SIG: Going Through The Motions In Chicago (& Elsewhere)

This Week In Education: SIG: Going Through The Motions In Chicago (& Elsewhere)

SIG: Going Through The Motions In Chicago (& Elsewhere) [image: image from www.thecentreforschooldesign.org] Despite a new mayor and schools chief, Chicago is apparently taking a softer approach to school rescue efforts next year. I wrote about this disappointing turn of events in the Sun-Times over the ...

Research: Think Tank Work Often Lacks Credibility (& Practicality) [image: The end was near] Even as reformy types are raising questions about the credibility of their chief current oppoent, Diane Ravitch, others are asking some of the same questions about the sound bite-friendly experts who generally support ...

Video Interlude: View From Inside A Hula-Hoop "Ever wonder what a hula hoop sees while it winds around and around its undulating subject? Well wonder no more!" (Totally Awesome View from Inside a Hula Hoop)

The Rutherford Institute: U.S. Supreme Court Sidesteps Critical Parents’ Rights Case, Does Away with Fourth Amendment Protections for Public School Students

The Rutherford Institute: U.S. Supreme Court Sidesteps Critical Parents’ Rights Case, Does Away with Fourth Amendment Protections for Public School Students

U.S. Supreme Court Sidesteps Critical Parents’ Rights Case, Does Away with Fourth Amendment Protections for Public School Students

WASHINGTON, DC—In a devastating ruling that does away with what little Fourth Amendment protections remain to public school students and their families, the U.S. Supreme Court has thrown out a lower court ruling in Alford, et al. v. Greene which required authorities to secure a warrant, a court order or parental consent before interrogating students at school. In reviewing the case, the Supreme Court was asked to determine whether a state human services caseworker and armed deputy sheriff in Oregon violated the rights of a 9-year-old girl when, without a court order or parental consent, they removed her from her elementary school classroom and questioned her for two hours about allegations of parental abuse. Pointing to the fact that the girl involved is nearing her 18th birthday and no longer lives in Oregon, the Court not only declared the case moot but vacated the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling that the girls' Fourth Amendment rights against an "unreasonable search and seizure" were violated. The Rutherford Institute had filed a friend of the court brief in the case urging the Court to affirm the lower court's ruling and reject the idea that individual rights are forfeited when parents send their children to public schools, essentially rendering them wards of the state.

The Rutherford Institute's amicus brief in Alford, et al. v. Greene is available at here.

"It's disturbing when the highest court in America will not affirmatively decide that children have

When you cut through all the gibberish, this is a recipe for disaster. « Fred Klonsky's blog

When you cut through all the gibberish, this is a recipe for disaster. « Fred Klonsky's blog

When you cut through all the gibberish, this is a recipe for disaster.

by Fred Klonsky

Yesterday, I posted IEA President Ken Swanson’s long and obtuse (and just poorly written) response to my colleague’s concerns about Swanson’s seeming change of position on pensions.

Swanson denied there was a change.

To coin a phrase, he pulled a Weiner and denied everything.

But today, like in the case of the congressman from New York, the truth came out.

This is the current IEA position on pensions:

Education Week: Diplomas Count 2011 Live Stream

Education Week: Diplomas Count 2011 Live Stream

Diplomas Count 2011 Live Stream

• Email Article
• Comments
• 

Beyond High School, Before Baccalaureate

Live Stream: Tuesday, June 7, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. EDT

Download Event Program (PDF) | Download Presentation (PDF)

The “college for all” debate caught fire during the recent recession, and shorter post-secondary paths from high school to career began quickly gaining popularity. The 2011 edition of Diplomas Count, titled Beyond High School, Before Baccalaureate: Meaningful Alternatives to a Four-Year Degree, explores those alternative pathways and sheds light on their costs and benefits.

Join education experts and Education Week researchers for the release of Diplomas Count 2011and four hours of discussions about the “college for all” debate, the value of education alternatives, and some perspectives on high school reforms. The Lumina Foundation provided support for this event. Read the full report.

i3 Grant Program Opens with New Priorities for 2011 -- THE Journal

i3 Grant Program Opens with New Priorities for 2011 -- THE Journal

i3 Grant Program Opens with New Priorities for 2011

Education technology has been added to the list of competitive priorities for the Investing in Innovation Fund, while STEM and rural schools gain "absolute" priority status for 2011.

• By David Nagel
• 06/06/11

The Investing in Innovation (i3) grant program for schools has received a major facelift. Based on "substantial feedback from prior applicants and other stakeholders," the United States Department of Education has revamped the rules and made it easier for schools to obtain matching funds.

The Investing in Innovation Fund provides competitive grants designed to encourage programs that boost student achievement and college readiness, improve science education, turn around low-performing schools, and support teacher/administrator effectiveness.

The 2011 i3 grant program, which formally opened Friday, will provide up to $150 million in funding to support "innovative approaches" to school reform that propose to improve student achievement and attainment and boost engagement in learning. This year's recipients will be awarded grants ranging from $3 million to $25 million, depending on the type of grant awarded, down from $5 million to $50

GoLocalProv | Politics | Charter Schools Help Some Kids, but Cost Many Others

GoLocalProv | Politics | Charter Schools Help Some Kids, but Cost Many Others

Charter Schools Help Some Kids, but Cost Many Others

Email to a friend Permalink

Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Tom Sgouros, GoLocalProv MINDSETTER™

In case you've missed the headlines, the Mayor of Cranston, Allan Fung, has proposed opening a five-school network of charter schools in Cranston. To be run by Achievement First, a charter school management company, these schools are to serve largely low-income students from both Cranston and Providence. They are intended to be "Mayoral Academies," meaning they are not overseen by a school department, and not subject to any of the labor restrictions on Rhode Island charter schools.

You may think that a good idea, or you may not. We can debate the merits of teacher unions and their effect on education, and sure that would be lots of fun. But what isn't really debatable about this proposal is that the wonderful educational opportunities available to the students at these new schools will only come by reducing the opportunities available to the students who aren't in those schools.

I spent a little time last week with the AF proposal, and have this to report: I needed no convincing on the point, but the section about school results in Rhode Island is effective in persuading me that we have a lot of work to do in improving our schools. Our results overall are not great, and statewide, the gap between poor students and better-off ones are significant. On the other hand, the best testing data available is far from an overwhelming endorsement of charter schools. But even if you think AF schools will work magic, there's a problem and -- as usual -- it's money.

Follow the money

The way charter schools are funded under Rhode Island law is that the funding follows the student. A Providence

Support the Student Bill of Rights and an equitable chance to learn! « Parents Across America

Support the Student Bill of Rights and an equitable chance to learn! « Parents Across America

Support the Student Bill of Rights and an equitable chance to learn!

Jun 7, 2011 No Comments ›› leoniehaimson

Below is a press release sent yesterday from the office of Congressman Chaka Fattah, Second District of Pennsylvania, about a letter many of our organizations sent to his office in support of his reintroduction of the Student Bill of Rights Act, posted here: The Student Bill of Rights, H.R. 129.

Rep. Fattah has been a long champion of the federal government’s working with states to address very serious resource disparities between school districts that mean some children are provided the conditions needed for learning and other children are denied the opportunity to learn. Opportunity gaps created by the amount and type of taxable property from school district to school district are a primary factor in the test score achievement

“Not a good move, Mr. Duncan” and Smooth Move Gregoire | Seattle Education

“Not a good move, Mr. Duncan” and Smooth Move Gregoire | Seattle Education

“Not a good move, Mr. Duncan” and Smooth Move Gregoire

by seattleducation2011

While we’re still on the subject of the billionaire boyz attack on Dr. Ravitch, there is a great post by a teacher, Martha Infante that is a great read.

Here is an excerpt regarding a statement that was made by Arne Duncan about Diane Ravitch.

It would not be the first time that Mr. Duncan spoke off the cuff and showed the public a brief look into the true machinations of his corporate mind. This is the same secretary that believed Hurricane Katrina was the “best thing to ever happen to New Orleans schools.” Now Arne Duncan feels he can disparage the foremost expert on education history, using a personal attack to distract from the facts she brought to light.

Not a good move, Mr. Duncan.

You see, while trash-talking may be an effective method in the NBA, in academia it is perceived as a simple vehicle to distract from the debate at hand. We the teachers, the academics, see through this. Classroom teachers especially have fine-tuned their BS detection skills with years of

Parents Across America:

• Parents Across America 2011
• Parents Across America Seattle
• Parents Across America, Washington:Putting Parents Voices Back In Education

Interview: How Does Classroom Stress Affect Learning? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Interview: How Does Classroom Stress Affect Learning? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Interview: How Does Classroom Stress Affect Learning?

by Anthony Cody

The Wall Street Journal recently carried a report about a study that found that students are often affected by the stress that adults working with them are experiencing. In a time when education "reform" and budget cuts often seem to be making schools more stressful, this seems like a very significant issue. I wrote to one of the researchers, Catharine Warner, and asked her to explain more. Here are her answers.

What were the key findings of your study?

We find that just as adults' workplaces can affect their well-being and stress levels, so also does children's "work" at school. The classroom environment, particularly a lack of material resources and teachers' perceived respect and support from colleagues, is associated with children's learning and emotional problems. Specifically, fewer material resources and lower levels of perceived respect are associated with more problems, as rated by children's teachers.

How did you make these discoveries?

These findings are part of a larger project examining children's mental health within the school context. We used

Is Education Innovation the Next Big Idea? - E.D. Kain - American Times - Forbes

Is Education Innovation the Next Big Idea? - E.D. Kain - American Times - Forbes

Is Education Innovation the Next Big Idea?

by E.D. Kain

Writing in The Atlantic, Derek Thompson wonders if real education innovation has finally arrived, citing MIT’sOpenCourseWare and the Khan Academy, as well as the video lectures from Yale, like this one:

Popout

As education expands outside of its “walled garden” the question becomes, what is education worth for its own sake?

Even an online interactive Roman architecture class that is worthy of Yale is not Yale for one reason: its students are not graduates of Yale University. The difference between college and any education (even a great education) is a degree. If Udemy offers a college-worthy education without the degree, can it really change college?

Entrepreneurs like Peter Thiel certainly believe it will. The venture capitalist has announced he will give $100,000 to 24 people under 20 years of age who drop out of college to become young entrepreneurs, claiming that