The Resegregation of North Park - voiceofsandiego.org: Schooled: The Education Blog

The Resegregation of North Park - voiceofsandiego.org: Schooled: The Education Blog:

The Resegregation of North Park

Comments | 8:22 pm

When Kathy Taylor toured Jefferson Elementary in North Park, she wondered, "Is this really my neighborhood school?"

It didn't look like the crowds at summer concerts she attends on the northern edge of Balboa Park, where families picnic to the backdrop of the downtown skyline. Most of the Jefferson students were poor. Many were still learning English.

Jefferson Elementary is indeed her neighborhood school. But more than half of the public school students who live in the North Park neighborhood around Jefferson Elementary don't go there, and that doesn't include many other families who choose private schools. Scores of other families from outside of the area go out of their way to get into Jefferson.

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Declining Teacher Salaries Leave Many with Low Morale | West Orlando News Online #sosmarch

Declining Teacher Salaries Leave Many with Low Morale | West Orlando News Online 2011® Central Florida News, Info, Sports:

Declining Teacher Salaries Leave Many with Low Morale

Stephanie Rothman has done the math. On her roughly $48,000 a year salary, the 15-year high school English teacher in Broward County barely gets by.

In the last year, Rothman has had to abandon a Boca Raton home she could no longer afford, moving into a room at a friend’s house and feels “cynical and hopeless” about her financial prospects.

“I love teaching, I was born to teach,” Rothman said. “But I feel there is no way I can sustain a living with just teaching. So that is why I decided to

In Rahm’s world. « Fred Klonsky's blog

In Rahm’s world. « Fred Klonsky's blog:

In Rahm’s world.

by Fred Klonsky

Rahmbo told a group the other day that he didn’t have time for any “high class discussions” about a longer school day.

That would be the north shore New Trier alum and Wall Street wheeler dealer appealing to his perception of Joe six-pack.

In reality, a high class discussion for the Mayor would be one in which he didn’t end every other sentence with “fuck you,” as he reportedly did to a top ranking union official the other day.

What Emanuel really means by high class discussion is collective bargaining, which in order to work must

RheeFirst! - Aw shucks, Rhee First. T'wern't nothin'..

RheeFirst!:

Aw shucks, Rhee First. T'wern't nothin'..

Written by Mike Klonsky for his SmallTalk blog. Read the entire article here.
“I got credit today for coining the term RheeFirst by the authors of the blog by the same name. …

If there’s some kind of monetary award, I will accept it proudly and use it to buy the next round over at the Heartland Cafe’s Buffalo Bar. Instead, somehow, all it’s done is put me in the middle of dust-up between the broom lady, Rhee, Politico and the AFT. Until today, I haven’t been a regular reader of RF and was never that concerned about the anonymity of its author(s). So I was taken by surprise when Huffington’s excellent ed writer, Joy Resmovits called to ask me if I was aware of the mention.

She told me that Rhee’s front group, Students First (have you noticed that the corporate reformers always put students or kids in the names of their front groups?) is going after the RF blog, calling it an “attack blog” and pinning it to the union.

Politico’s Ben Smith reported last week, “that an anti-Michele Rhee website had been set up from an IP address registered to the American Federation of Teachers.” Today, Smith quotes Rhee’s SFers who are “disturbed” at the lack of civility around the whole debate. …

“There are a number of disagreements between teacher-union advocates and student advocates about the future of the our schools that deserve

The Educated Reporter: New Jersey Law Requires Teachers to Battle Bullies

The Educated Reporter: New Jersey Law Requires Teachers to Battle Bullies:

New Jersey Law Requires Teachers to Battle Bullies

by Emily Richmond

New Jersey wants its educators to help curb the bullying crisis, and its schools now are struggling to implement a demanding new state law that requires both preventive education measures and action by authorities when incidents occur.

As the New York Times’ Winnie Hu reports today, the New Jersey law was put in place following the much-publicized suicide of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi. His roommate at Rutgers, who now faces criminal charges, allegedly used a dorm room webcam to view Clementi kissing another man.

As Hu’s thorough reporting details, the New Jersey law is both comprehensive and demanding. Students as young as kindergarten will be exposed to antibullying lessons. High schools are required to have antibullying coordinators and these efforts will be monitored by the state. Schools that fall short of the requirements face serious sanctions.

Richard G. Bozza, executive director of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, told Hu the law

SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium - Materials and Resources

SMARTER - Materials and Resources:

Materials and Resources The documents below provide additional details on the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium. SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium One-page Overview States that are members of the Consortium Organizational Chart July 2011 - SMARTER Balanced Quarterly Report April 2011 - SMARTER Balanced Quarterly Report Master Work Plan SBAC Summative Assessment Master Work Plan (8" x 14") (PDF) SBAC Summative Assessment Master Work Plan (11" x 17") (PDF) Race to the Top Application Executive Summary of SBAC Race to the Top Assessment Application (PDF) Race to the Top Assessment Program Application (PDF) SBAC RTTT Application Appendices (PDF) US Dept of Education RTTT Assessment Program Supplemental Budget (PDF) SBAC-USED Cooperative Agreement (PDF) Clarification for Vendors on Bidding Process (PDF) Common Core State Standards SMARTER Balanced Common Core State Standards Eligible Content (PDF) Introduction to the Common Core State Standards Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts Common Core State Standards for Mathematics

The GOP Shift in Education | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

The GOP Shift in Education | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:

The GOP Shift in Education

by Charlotte Williams

In a recent Slate article, Dana Goldstein argues that “Michele Bachmann's growing popularity among the Republican base signals . . . a sea change in the party's education agenda.” I would add the same goes for Rick Perry’s popularity, and for the general abundance of Tea Party affiliated candidates among GOP nomination hopefuls.

Goldstein contrasts the common Republican positions of a decade ago—an era defined largely by George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind—as often bipartisan, and emphasizing standards-and-accountability in order to make America more competitive in the global marketplace. Now, however, Goldstein notes that the GOP has shifted to cater to “the anti-government, Christian-right view of education epitomized by Bachmann, in which public schools are regarded not as engines for economic growth or academic achievement, but as potential moral corrupters of the nation's youth.”

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We read Steven Brill’s “Class Warfare” so you don’t have to | GothamSchools

We read Steven Brill’s “Class Warfare” so you don’t have to | GothamSchools:

We read Steven Brill’s “Class Warfare” so you don’t have to

by Philissa Cramer

Eva Moskowitz did not generate the idea for Harlem Success herself; Randi Weingarten has been criticizing her successor, UFT President Michael Mulgrew, to her friends; and former Chancellor Joel Klein thinks that at least two of his former deputies have gone soft on reform in their new school districts. These are among the claims in “Class Warfare,” Steven Brill’s new book on the education reform movement.

Much of “Class Warfare” will be familiar to GothamSchools readers. The book’s main characters include, on one side, former Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and, on the other, teachers unions president Randi Weingarten; many of its main plot points center on New York City, and some of the key classroom scenes take place in Harlem.

But the following insights — some of them more solidly sourced than others — were news to us. Here’s a run-

Procrustean Education:

Procrustean Education

AUGUST 31, 2011

Procrustes was a blacksmith who had his house by the side of the sacred way between Athens and Eleusis in ancient Greece. Being a friendly, hospitable guy, though, Procrustes also ran an inn. When tired travelers came down the road, he would sometimes invite them in to spend the night.

The rooms in the Inn were equipped with special beds. When the guests lay down, if they were too long for the bed, a special guillotine-type knife would drop down and lop off whatever was hanging over the foot of the bed. If they were too short for the bed, they would be stretched to fit.

All too often schools don’t actually educate; they just lop and stretch. But it can even be worse than that—a school can give up on you. I recently met

Blue Jersey:: Ed Reform 101: Teachers

Blue Jersey:: Ed Reform 101: Teachers:

Ed Reform 101: Teachers by: Jersey Jazzman Wed Aug 31, 2011 at 09:15:00 AM EDT

Blue Jersey's Ed Reform 101 Part 2 - Teacher Quality Myths Everyone knows that teachers are important (even if politicians like Chris Christie don't always show it.). Everyone knows there are great teachers and bad teachers. Everyone knows that a teacher can change a child's life. But some corporate "reformers" take this notion about the importance of the teacher way too far. They claim the teacher is the most important factor in determining students' success, ignoring the role privilege, poverty, and parents play in a child's life. And they foolishly believe figuring out who teaches well is a simple matter of test scores: it isn't. One of the consequences of Christie's war on the NJEA is a false view of teachers and the processes used to evaluate them. If we are ever going to have a serious conversation about education in New

NYC Educator: They're Going Baaaaaack...

NYC Educator: They're Going Baaaaaack...:

They're Going Baaaaaack...

by Miss Eyre

Mama and Papa Eyre were always very fond of the Staples commercial from back in the '90s, a screenshot of which is posted at left. It depicted a father joyously back-to-school shopping while two miserable-looking children trudged behind him, scored to Andy Williams' "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year." And Miss Eyre can certainly hear the parents of her young charges counting the seconds until Miss Eyre and her colleagues have to put up with them

All joking aside, though, I'm pretty ready to go back. In fact, I'm going in today to survey what kind of havoc summer school and custodial overhauling may have left in its wake in my classroom, so I can start organizing and decorating. I'm trying to take Friday off, so if I get a lot done today and tomorrow, I still have one more genuine vacation day all to myself.

I'm not sure if I've ever felt so excited and simultaneously so full of dread about going back to work. The pluses: I love my school; I've never worked for such reasonable, smart, supportive administrators as I do now; I'll get to

Schools Matter: Wanted: 21st Century Teachers

Schools Matter: Wanted: 21st Century Teachers:

Wanted: 21st Century Teachers

by P. L. Thomas

Wanted: 21st Century Teachers

U.S. Department of Miseducation

Wanted: 21st century teachers for public education in the U.S.

Experience: N/A

Education: undergraduate degree (no education degrees considered)

Certification: N/A

Job Description: Teachers will be required to implement Common Core Curriculum in order to prepare students for the state and national tests administered each academic year. Teachers will be assigned 40 students per

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm's longer-school-day argument is full of holes

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm's longer-school-day argument is full of holes:

Rahm's longer-school-day argument is full of holes

The mayor says he "can't wait for a high-class" debate on a longer school day. I'm not sure what he means by "high-class." I hope it means he won't spice up his arguments with his usual F-bombs. I hope it doesn't mean that only his billionaire advisers like Vitale, Pritzker, Stains, and Koldyke will be heard on this important issue.

In any event, Rahm would have a tough time making his case in any real

Shanker Blog » Coherence And Capacity

Shanker Blog » Coherence And Capacity:

Coherence And Capacity

by David K. Cohen

Our guest author today is David K. Cohen, John Dewey Collegiate Professor of Education and professor of public policy at the University of Michigan, and a member of the Shanker Institute’s board of directors. This is a response to Michael Petrilli, who recently published a post on the Fordham Institute’s blog that referred to Cohen’s new book.

Dear Mike:

Thank you for considering my book Teaching And Its Predicaments (Harvard University Press, 2011), and for your intelligent discussion of the issues. I write to continue the conversation.

You are right to say that I see the incoherence of U.S. public education as a barrier to more quality and less inequality, but I do not “look longingly” at Asia or Finland, let alone take them as models for what Americans

While Teachers Take Pay Cuts, Their Boss Rakes In $1.5 Million - Education - GOOD

While Teachers Take Pay Cuts, Their Boss Rakes In $1.5 Million - Education - GOOD:

While Teachers Take Pay Cuts, Their Boss Rakes In $1.5 Million

• LIZ DWYER
  Education Editor

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• August 31, 2011 • 5:30 am PDT
• 3 responses

Shortly after we wrote about Larry Powell, the Fresno superintendent who decided to give up his salary to save his school district money, our renewed faith in superintendents took a major hit.

Enter John Covington, the incoming superintendent of Michigan's Education Achievement Authority, a new district comprised entirely of schools that have performed poorly on state tests. Covington's just-signed contract has him set to earn more than $1.5 million in salary and bonuses. (PDF) And of course, Covington is hardly alone with his cushy