Tuesday, August 23, 2011

As a student, I always loved the start of a new school year. The weeks leading up to that first day meant new shoes (though I was never able to buy the expensive brand names, and never owned a pair of Air Jordans). It meant new school clothes (for me, typically purchased from the husky department at Sears). And it most definitely meant a visit to the stationery store, where I got to choose from a plethora of new pens, notebooks, and other "needed" supplies.

To this day, I am still a pen guy (though my tastes are much more expensive now). And I was extremely excited to take my oldest school supply shopping a few weeks ago, as we prepare for the demands of the first day of kindergarten.

In reading the latest news, though, it seems the one thing I took for granted at the start of the school year was

Take a Look at the New Martin Luther King JR. Memorial - Hispanically Speaking News

Take a Look at the New Martin Luther King JR. Memorial (VIDEO)

The striking 28-foot statue of the civil rights leader marks the first time a member of a minority group, and a non president is memorialized on the National Mall.

The memorial opened to the public yesterday and will remain open through Thursday.

Friday and Saturday the site will be closed in preparation for the formal dedication ceremony this Sunday, when President Obama will unveil the artwork in front of a crowd expected to reach the half a million people.

Sunday’s ceremony coincides with the 48th anniversary of Mr. King’s emblematic “I Have a Dream Speech.”

Tell us your thoughts on the new monument, civil rights movement, equality and the wonderfully crafted new Martin Luther King Memorial on Washington’s National Mall. Join our forums section and share your thoughts with us!

Cheating scandal catches up with union-busting education 'reformer'

Teamster Nation: Cheating scandal catches up with union-busting education 'reformer'

Cheating scandal catches up with union-busting education 'reformer'

by Teamster Power

Michelle Me and someone else.

We know it's wrong to revel in the misfortunes of others, but we just can't help ourselves when it comes to Michelle Rhee.

If Michelle Rhee hasn't registered on your radar screen yet, she's a union-busting education "reformer" backed by for-profit education companies. She made her bones as the tough-on-teachers DC schools chancellor. Now she's running something called "Students First," which seeks to blame teachers for students' poor academic performance.

But this is all you really need to know about Michelle Rhee. According to theNew York Times,

Always, she preens for the cameras. Early in her chancellorship, she was trailed for a story by the education correspondent of “PBS NewsHour,” John Merrow.

At one point, Ms. Rhee asked if his crew wanted to watch her fire a principal. “We were totally

Bloomberg Case: Open Season to Discriminate Against Mothers? « MomsRising Blog

Bloomberg Case: Open Season to Discriminate Against Mothers?

by Joan C. Williams

Cross-posted from New Deal 2.0.

When Sekiko Garrison told former boss Michael Bloomberg she was pregnant, his answer was simple: “Kill it.” Allowing mothers flexible work arrangements, he commented, was like allowing a man time off to practice his golf swing. The CEO who took over when Bloomberg left the company demanded that managers “get rid of these pregnant bitches” (referring to two women on maternity leave). The Head of Global Human Resources commented that mothers “belong at home” and that “women [do] not really [have] a place in the workforce.” The Head of News commented that “half these f**king people take the [maternity] leave and they don’t even come back. It’s like stealing money from Mike Bloomberg’s wallet. They should be arrested.” The Head of Global Data asked, “Who would want to work with an office full of women?”*

And yet Federal Judge Loretta Preska said last week there was so little evidence of discrimination that she

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: THE REFORM MOVEMENT IS ALREADY FAILING

THE REFORM MOVEMENT IS ALREADY FAILING By Diane Ravitch | The Great Debate in Reuters Op-Ed | http://reut.rs/oNRY0y Diane Ravitch is a historian of American education and author of the best-selling “The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are ...

CALIFORNIA CHARTER SCHOOL ASSOCIATION GETS FROM $15 MILLION GRANT FROM WALTON FOUNDATION The grant is the largest yet to the charter schools group and the biggest of its kind from the nonprofit set up by the founders of the Wal-Mart Corp. The state charter school association has received a $15-million grant from the Walton family, the ...

COMMUNITY COLLEGES, STATE COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES MAY NEED TO MAKE MORE, MID-YEAR BUDGET CUTS California's financial woes may force mid-year spending reductions at the community college and Cal State systems if state revenue fails to meet projections, potentially triggering further increases in student fees and tuition. State funding for the ...

Embracing Failure: It’s the New Success « Cooperative Catalyst

Embracing Failure: It’s the New Success

by Pragmatic Mom

“The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure.”

I’ve been thinking about failure since reading this excellent post on Embrace Failure on my favorite children’s literature blog, From the Mixed Up Files of Middle Grade Authors. As an entrepreneur, I embrace failure. It is the surest and quickest path to success. Why? It’s life’s best teacher. You never forget a failure. You learn from it, deeply and profoundly as in: it keeps you up late a night, pondering, questioning, wondering. It provides options in the form of a nicely forking road. Do you get back in the saddle and try again, all the wiser? Or do you veer left, shimmy right, or duck down below? Failure makes you creative. If you are going to ram your head against the wall, the next time you will choose a nicely padded one.

“Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal.”

Not everyone agrees of course. Most pointedly, failure is not an option in Tiger Parenting. “The Chinese parenting

John Thompson on Brill's Re-write of Teacher Union History - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

John Thompson on Brill's Re-write of Teacher Union History

by Anthony Cody

Guest post by John Thompson.

It is a truism that when an attorney does not have the evidence, he or she argues the law. When lawyers do not have the facts or the law on their side, they tell a good story. Steve Brill's new book, Class Warfare, exemplifies that principle when indicting teachers and unions.

According to Brill's brief, teachers unions have a long history of outsmarting school systems. So, New York City Chancellor Joel Klein persuaded the union to streamline the dismissal process. Then, Klein and a Wall Street lawyer, Daniel Weisberg, recruited a "squad of lawyers to help principals paper their files." It should only take a "preponderance of evidence" to terminate a teacher, but the union lawyers still continued to defeat Klein's and Weisberg's elite team. Rather than evaluate the evidence that arbitrators found persuasive, Brill just cites Klein's

To Waiver, or Not to Waiver? « EdVox

To Waiver, or Not to Waiver?

by edvoxny

By Norm Fruchter

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has proposed granting waivers to states to exempt them from some of the punitive sanctions of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law. The Secretary has the power to issue waivers from some of the law’s requirements. But it’s not clear that Duncan can legally require states to implement the administration’s favorite reform policies in exchange for waivers, which is what he’s proposing.

Although details are yet to be announced, Duncan will probably require a mix of the initial Race to the Top priorities that have divided the NY Board of Regents and many other school systems– support for Common Core curriculum and assessments, further expansion and support of charter schools, closing failing schools, and using student test scores as a key component of teacher evaluation – as the trade-off for waivers. This latest Duncan maneuver represents an end-run around a Congress as conflicted about reauthorizing NCLB as it was

California charter school association gets $15-million gift Merger details to follow - latimes.com

California charter school association gets $15-million gift - latimes.com

California charter school association gets $15-million grant

The grant is the largest yet to the California charter schools group and the biggest of its kind from the nonprofit set up by the founders of the Wal-Mart Corp.

The state charter school association has received a $15-million grant from the Walton family, the founders of the Wal-Mart Corp, to add 20,000 more charter school students in Los Angeles and 100,000 statewide. (Seth Perlman / AP Photo / May 16, 2011)

By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times

August 23, 2011

The state charter school association has received a $15-million grant from the Walton Family Foundation to add 20,000 more charter school students in Los Angeles and 100,000 statewide.

The grant, scheduled to be announced Tuesday, is the largest by far to the California Charter Schools Assn., and also the largest of its kind from the nonprofit established by the founders of the Wal-Mart Corp.

The Los Angeles Unified School District has more charter schools — 183 last year — and more charter-school students than any school system in the country, and that growth spurt is poised to continue despite countervailing pressure from

"Teacher evaluation done right."

"Teacher evaluation done right." August 23, 2011. NYSUT: A Union of Professionals. www.nysut.org

Teacher evaluation done right

Volunteer gives labor-management model high marks

NYSUT United - August 23, 2011

Evaluators from five pilot districts spent a week in intensive training learning how to use NYSUT’s Teacher Practice Rubric. Albany teacher Sara McGraw, standing, compares notes with principal Vibetta Sanders. At right is Arbor Hill principal Rosalind Gaines-Harrell. Photo by Andrew Watson.

- NYSUT Rubric (PDF)
- SED Approval List
- Media Release

When North Syracuse teacher Lisa Goldberg came to Albany in January to learn more about a pilot teacher evaluation system, she was definitely skeptical.

The 20-year social studies veteran took one look at the 30-plus page performance evaluation and literally threw up her hands.

"This will take at least 15 hours to prepare," she told the training leader. "It's totally overwhelming." Fast forward several months and Goldberg has come full circle. She's now stepped up to be a consulting teacher/evaluator for the next phase that will expand the program throughout her district.

"Believe me, I was cynical," said Goldberg, a member of the North Syracuse Education Association. "But I found the process to be so eye-opening, so personally rewarding

This Week In Education: Thompson: I Still Think Brad Jupp Is A Genius

Thompson: I Still Think Brad Jupp Is A Genius

by john thompson

I just read Brad Jupp's contribution to I Used to Think... Now I Think... and I find my opinion of him unchanged. As for my own beliefs, well, I used to think that 49% of the union's job was protecting its members, while 51% was representing students. Now I agree with Jupp that the primary purpose of unions should be measurable improvement of student performance. I used to think that the best thing we could do for kids was to merge the teachers' and the principals' unions. Now I agree with Jupp that unions should also recruit early childhood and adult educators, and teachers in dual-enrollment programs, charter, online, and private schools. I still think that innovative union leaders like Jupp are moving as quickly as possible to bring the rank-in-file into the reform process, but now I agree that we need a mass movement to close the

AM News: Ackerman Is Out In Philadelphia

by Avi Wolfman-Arent

Ackerman Out as Philly Superintendent Philadelphia Inquirer: Posts by Inquirer reporter Kristen Graham on the costly buyout of Ackerman's contract and other reaction from around the city.

US DoE Gives $10 million Grant for Charter School Facilities EdNews: The Local Initiatives Support Corporation assists charter schools with financing facilities requirements -- a high-priority need for many charter schools.

Ca. charter school association gets $15 million grant LA Times: The grant is the largest yet to the California charter schools group and the biggest of its kind from the nonprofit set up by the founders of the Wal-Mart Corp.

Talks between Chicago school and teachers hits snag Chicago Tribune: the two sides failed to come to agreement over teachers' raises and other concessions by the school district.

NYC reports increase in allegations of cheating The New York Times: Official allegations of cheating have risen more than threefold since 2003

D.C. charters have 'voice at the table' Washington Post: D.C. is now the second-most charter school-dense city, and officials want more.

Detroit Schools enrollment van seeks students EdWeek: Public schools officials are scouring Detroit in the district's bright blue enrollment van to sign up students.

Mo. Teachers Group Sues Over Social Networking Law EdWeek: A Missouri teachers' union said Friday that it is challenging a new measure that restricts teachers' use of social networking sites and their contact with students, saying it violates their constitutional rights.

Media: SchoolBook To Rely On Crowdsourcing, Require Facebook ID

by Alexander Russo

A few more tidbits about SchoolBook I picked up since yesterday: SchoolBook was co-conceived by education editor Jodi Rudoren (whom I've met and freelanced for once or twice) and interactive guru Aaron Pilhofer (one of the wonderboys who's supposed to "save" the Times) as both a promising standalone project and also a way to try things out that might spread to other parts of the Times.

Rudoren says that (a) the Times has dedicated three staffers to the site, including beat reporter Anna Phillips, but is otherwise relying on user-generated blog entries, crowsourcing, etc., (b) there were discussions about folding in existing NYC education sites like

Anti-Teacher Union “Reformers” Hoisted on Own Petard | California Progress Report

Anti-Teacher Union “Reformers” Hoisted on Own Petard

by jeffson

By Randy Shaw

Recent data shows anti-union school “reformers” hoisted on their own petard. After insisting that test scores should be the chief measure of schools, a flurry of recent test results has refuted claims that non-union charter schools exceed unionized public ones. First, last July saw the Atlanta schools testing scandal explode, over five years after the local teachers unionraised alarm bells the district ignored.

Second, a Los Angeles Times analysis revealed last week that “struggling schools under district control saw test scores rise more than most operated by the mayor, a charter organization and others.” This is after Mayor Villaraigosa repeatedly attacked public schools and tried to take control of the system.

#Edchat: Echo Chamber or Sounding Board « My Island View

#Edchat: Echo Chamber or Sounding Board

by tomwhitby

For those who do not know about it, #Edchat is a weekly chat about education that takes place at noon and 7 PM ET every Tuesday on Twitter. It has involved as many as a thousand teachers globally putting out over 3,000 tweets in an hour. #Edchat has existed continuously for two years, taking only 2 weeks of for Christmas and New Years. #Edchat has won awards and has been written about in every major US educational Journal. Additionally, since #Edchat began, about 60 other chats have popped up over the years. Chat Listing: Cybraryman’s Educational Chats on Twitter

One criticism often voiced about #Edchat is that it is an echo chamber. I always assumed that meant it was a discussion with many like-minded individuals giving opinions on topics that they all already agreed upon before

PA School Voucher Bills Alert — Taxpayer Dollars to Pay for Creationism, “Biblical Captitalism”?

by admin

We interviewed Rachel Tabachnick, one of K12NN’s contributors back in June, 2011. At that time, she had been tracking quite closely the movement of a school voucher bill through the Pennsylvania state legislature, where it passed one house but didn’t pass the other. Now, it’s almost certain that the school voucher bill will be raised again.

Listen to internet radio with MOMocrats on Blog Talk Radio

Listen to Tabachnick describe the major right-wing donors — among them the former head of the Michigan

Children’s Well-Being Stagnant Since 2000 «

Children’s Well-Being Stagnant Since 2000

August 23, 2011 by Irene Sege

The well-being of children in the United States has stagnated since 2000, after improving over the mid- to late 1990s, and the economic downturn affects millions of children, according to the 2011 KIDS COUNT Data Book released last week by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. One in five children lives in poverty, with 2009 income for a family of four falling below $21,756. This is up from 17% in 2000. And 11% of the nation’s children had at least one unemployed parent in 2010.

Massachusetts, overall, fared better than most of the nation, ranking third behind New Hampshire and Minnesota. In the Bay State, 13% of children live in families with incomes below the poverty line, the fifth lowest in the country, compared with 14% in 2000, and 9% of children had at least one unemployed parent in 2010. The lowest ranking states, according to KIDS COUNT, are

Shanker Blog » Our Annual Testing Data Charade

Our Annual Testing Data Charade

by Matthew Di Carlo

Every year, around this time, states and districts throughout the nation release their official testing results. Schools are closed and reputations are made or broken by these data. But this annual tradition is, in some places, becoming a charade.

Most states and districts release two types of assessment data every year (by student subgroup, school and grade): Average scores (“scale scores”); and the percent of students who meet the standards to be labeled proficient, advanced, basic and below basic. The latter type – the rates – are of course derived from the scores – that is, they tell us the proportion of students whose scale score was above the minimum necessary to be considered proficient, advanced, etc.

Both types of data are cross-sectional. They don’t follow individual students over time, but rather give a “snapshot” of aggregate performance among two different groups of students (for example, third graders in 2010 compared with third graders in 2011). Calling the change in these results “progress” or “gains” is inaccurate; they are cohort changes, and might just as well be chalked up to differences in the characteristics of the students

The Educated Reporter: A Close Encounter with Cutbacks in California

A Close Encounter with Cutbacks in California

by Emily Richmond

A few days ago, my sister shared the back-to-school shopping list 7-year-old niece’s public elementary school provided –and it’s staggering.

They live in a bucolic Northern California community of master-planned neighborhoods, replete with biking trails, an extensive network of parks and public libraries. Despite such evidence of a relatively solvent and engaged community, the local schools are struggling. California’s budget crisis has had a brutal impact on education funding at all levels.

Last year, my niece’s elementary school held a fundraiser where parents could pre-order the full list of

The end of Michelle Rhee’s media honeymoon - District of DeBonis - The Washington Post

The end of Michelle Rhee’s media honeymoon

By Mike DeBonis

Michelle Rhee, ex-media darling? (Susan Biddle - for The Washington Post)Writing in the New York Times today, Michael Winerip wonders whyMichelle Rhee has not been more cooperative with the USA Today reporters who have been probing test cheating, including in the D.C. Public Schools she used to run:

It’s hard to find a media outlet, big or small, that she hasn’t talked to. She’s been interviewed by Katie Couric, Tom Brokaw andOprah Winfrey. She’s been featured on a Time magazine cover holding a broom (to sweep away bad teachers). She was one of

The Pending Collapse of National Standards « Jay P. Greene's Blog

The Pending Collapse of National Standards

by Jay P. Greene

As I previewed yesterday, I think the the tide has turned and the push to nationalize standards, curriculum, and assessments will fail. It’s impressive how far the current effort has gotten and the Gates/U.S. Department have a bunch of folks believing that their triumph is inevitable. But the drive for nationalization is doomed for the following reasons:

1) Every major Republican presidential candidate (and even the minor ones) have come out clearly against national standards. That means if the Republicans retake the White House, this federally-driven effort will fall apart. Even if Obama is re-elected, having the Republican standard-bearer come out clearly against national standards will raise the profile of this issue and signal to congressional, state, and local Republicans that this is something they should oppose. A louder and more partisan debate on national standards makes any big national change highly unlikely.

2) It’s true that forty-some states have signed on for national standards but that was largely a cost-free gesture in