Malloy Makes It Clear: Your State Senator is Your Business, Your Board of Education Member is My Business. - Wait, What?

Malloy Makes It Clear: Your State Senator is Your Business, Your Board of Education Member is My Business. - Wait, What?:

Malloy Makes It Clear: Your State Senator is Your Business, Your Board of Education Member is My Business.

by jonpelto

You can call it an interesting commentary on politics and the control of education resources or you could call it yet another installment in the “you just can’t make this stuff up” saga that continues to swirl around the “education reform movement” in Connecticut.

This week, the Bridgeport Democratic Party selected former State Senator Ernie Newton to be their candidate for a seat in the Connecticut State Senate.  Newton, a former Bridgeport state representative and state senator served four years in federal prison after being convicted of soliciting a bribe in return for his help to get a $100,000 state contract to a particular local vendor.  Newton was Bridgeport’s state senator at the time.

When asked about Newton’s nomination, Governor Malloy said that the Democratic Party’s decision to select Newton as their candidate was a “local issue” and that he is a 

Chicago schools. Huge rally tonight. Strike vote set. « Fred Klonsky

Chicago schools. Huge rally tonight. Strike vote set. « Fred Klonsky:

Chicago schools. Huge rally tonight. Strike vote set.

by Fred Klonsky

In what has become a hallmark of the fighting spirit of the Chicago Teachers Union and their leadership, a huge rally is planned tonight at the historic Auditorium Theater of Roosevelt University. The Auditorium holds over 4,000, and with only CTU members allowed in, thousands more supporters are expected to gather outside.
CTU leaders also announced a strike authorization vote will be taken in the next few weeks.
CPS is not happy with that turn of events.

CPS spokeswoman Becky Carroll says a strike authorization vote is premature. CPS and CTU are engaged in a process called “fact-finding,” which means an arbitrator is considering CPS and CTU proposals. Both sides had to agree on the arbitrator. The arbitrator will issue a final report on July 15 and then the union and CPS have 15 days to respond to the report. Then, they have to wait 30 days for a cooling-off period.

But CTU VP Jeff Sharkey points out that a strike authorization vote is both legally necessary and valuable tactically.

But Sharkey says there’s good reason to take a vote over the next few weeks. Union leaders do not want to hold a strike authorization vote during the summer, when teachers are dispersed. They also don’t want to wait until the beginning of the next school year, hoping to have a contract in place by the fall when school starts.

Once the next school year starts, things like the longer school day will be in place, making it harder for the union to negotiate over pay for the longer day, Sharkey says.

While some argue that a strike vote is risky as a result of the 75% yes vote that Senate Bill 7 requires, recent unofficial votes taken across the city have come in with 90% of the teachers voting in favor of a strike if needed.
I know from my own experience as a union president that the CTU would not take a strike authorization vote unless they knew the outcome ahead of time.
They know.

No snail mail. No email. Call directly today.

by Fred Klonsky

Today is the day you have to call about teacher pensions in Illinois.
No time for a long letter laying out the issues. That time is over.
No time for email.
That thing you never use anymore? It’s called a phone. Use it. You can get your legislator’s number here.
The message is simple:
Protect teacher pensions.

Hot! Popular! Swears Like a Longshoreman! « The Core Knowledge Blog

Hot! Popular! Swears Like a Longshoreman! « The Core Knowledge Blog:

Hot! Popular! Swears Like a Longshoreman!

by Robert Pondiscio
May 23rd, 2012

Tags: language, reading, Sarah Coyne, Scholastic, Young adult fiction
Posted in Education News, Literacy, Teaching | No Comments »

If you’ve read more than a handful of young adult (YA) novels, you’re probably well past the point of being dismayed by the thematic darkness and swear words.  A new study by Brigham Young University professor Sarah Coyne finds that on average, teen novels contain 38 instances of profanity between the covers or almost seven instances of profanity per hour spent reading.

But the number of curse words is less interesting than who’s got the potty mouth.  The characters who swear the most tend to be rich, attractive and popular, Coyne found  “From a social learning standpoint, this is really important because adolescents are more likely to imitate media characters portrayed in positive, desirable ways,” Coyne tells Science 

Obama daughters’ school hit with prank email about sex, contraception | The Ticket - Yahoo! News

Obama daughters’ school hit with prank email about sex, contraception | The Ticket - Yahoo! News:

Obama daughters’ school hit with prank email about sex, contraception

By Olivier Knox | The Ticket – 19 hrs ago

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The upscale Washington private school that counts Sasha and Malia Obama among its students was hit Tuesday with a prank email advising parents that, among other things, their children would receive "a voucher that may be redeemed for their choice of contraception" at the prom this year.

Washingtonian magazine broke the news of the fake message, which purported to be a missive sent from the Sidwell Friends School administration. It is unclear how many families at the Quaker day school received the message, which was addressed to "Parents of the Sidwell Friends School Community."

Contacted by Yahoo News, the school had no immediate comment. The person designated to handle 

Me! Me! Me! (And My Issues) - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Me! Me! Me! (And My Issues) - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher:

Me! Me! Me! (And My Issues)

by Nancy Flanagan

Here's a story: Teachers and spouses are milling around after a statewide Educator Recognition banquet. It's been a wonderful evening, celebrating dozens of teachers and administrators who have been named Teacher/Principal/Superintendent of the Year, Milken Award winners, National Board Certified Teachers, etc. A former TOY's husband comments: Why did all the teachers cross the stage tonight with their heads down? Why were they so anxious to get back to their seats? If this were a real estate sales banquet, they'd be raising those plaques over their heads and grinning. If they were athletes, they'd be pumping their trophies in the air.
A long-time school superintendent asks me: If teachers are so outraged about an excess of testing--if testing mandates have destroyed their curriculum and forced changes to what they know to be effective practice--why aren't they marching in the streets? Why are they so compliant with the destruction of their professional 

John Thompson: Why are Reformers so Insensitive? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

John Thompson: Why are Reformers so Insensitive? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

John Thompson: Why are Reformers so Insensitive?

by Anthony Cody

Guest post by John Thompson.
Diane Ravitch was recently informed of the contents of the New York City Department of Education e-mails that the United Federation of Teachers gained information through a Freedom of Information request. The first thing that Ravitch recognized in the communications was "the chummy exchanges between the public officials in charge of the New York City public school system and the top dogs of the charter leadership." Ravitch then explained that the communications document, "the collusion between those who are sworn to protect the public schools and those who are incentivized to privatize them."
Ravitch then explained what I believe was the most revealing part of the e-mails. They revealed an organization that is afraid of any criticism. New York "reformers" are especially afraid of Ravitch, Deborah Meier, and Jonathan Kozol. The exchanges labeled Ravitch and Meier as "moronic" and Ravitch and Kozol as "deranged 

2012 Labor-Management Conference Kicks Off – Watch Live | ED.gov Blog

2012 Labor-Management Conference Kicks Off – Watch Live | ED.gov Blog:

2012 Labor-Management Conference Kicks Off – Watch Live

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Cameron Brenchley

Secretary Arne Duncan, national education leaders and over 100 district and state leadership teams are converging in Cincinnati today to kick off the two-day 2012 Labor-Management Conference. The conference will encourage participants – teams of state and district school chiefs, union leaders, and school board leaders from over 100 states and districts — to exchange ideas, share lessons learned, and encourage leaders to take on similar efforts when they return home.

Participate: 

Opening Session

Wednesday, May 23, 2012 – 1:00-2:15 p.m. ET

Watch LIVE here

Leaders will discuss the past year’s challenges and progress in collaborating to transform the teaching profession in the service of increasing students’ success.

Closing Session

Thursday, May 24, 2012 – 2:00-2:30 p.m. ET

Watch LIVE here

Twitter

Join the conversation and see what people at the conference are tweeting about by following hashtag #LMConf12

Click here for a list of participants in this year’s conference, and visit our Labor-Management Conference page for more information on the 2012 conference.

Occupy School Choice? :: Frederick M. Hess

Occupy School Choice? :: Frederick M. Hess:

Occupy School Choice?

by Frederick M. Hess  •  May 23, 2012 at 7:54 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

Last week, I had an exchange with the Fordham Institute's "school choice czar" Adam Emerson, in which I argued that Emerson showed an unfortunate disregard for the legitimate concerns of parents and taxpayers in Zachary, Louisiana, in upbraiding them for not opening their schools to the state's new voucher program. I didn't mean to pick on Emerson in particular. I fear that too often even putatively "conservative" advocates for school choice slip into self-righteous rhetoric that dismisses or denigrates the concerns of middle-class or suburban households.

Indeed, the most telling reaction to the back-and-forth was over at the Daily Kos, a prominent progressive website, where plthomasEdD wrote, "Hess doesn't see a problem with families putting themselves and their children first, including protecting their home values." The peculiar thing was that he saw this stance as some kind of slip, deeming the column "valuable not for his intended messages, but for what [Hess] reveals about 

Jersey Jazzman: Hey, What Ever Happened To Those Backpacks?

Jersey Jazzman: Hey, What Ever Happened To Those Backpacks?:

Hey, What Ever Happened To Those Backpacks?

by Duke

Oh, my:

Written by Stephen Sawchuk for EdWeek.  Read the entire article here.
“StudentsFirst… claims to have 1.3 million members, each of whom has donated an average of $40. Individuals can become members through several channels, including by signing up at a live event; through outreach drives at college campuses; signing up on its website; signing the organization’s pledge; or signing one of its petitions hosted on outside websites.

In the latter instance, some critics contend that StudentsFirst’s petitions are designed to capture as many members as possible, thus inflating the totals.

Ric Brown, a professor in the New York City-based Pratt Institute’s department of social sciences and cultural studies, said that while signing an unrelated petition on the change.org website, the site presented him with a petition supporting higher pay for teachers, which he also signed. Only on closer 

The Normalcy of School Segregation [It Matters If You're Black Or White] | The Jose Vilson

The Normalcy of School Segregation [It Matters If You're Black Or White] | The Jose Vilson:

The Normalcy of School Segregation [It Matters If You're Black Or White]

by Jose

You’re a firm believer that we as a country has made tremendous progress since the Jim Crow laws. We have a Black president whose education policy advances the last white one’s education’s policy. Black people are all over TV, and Black man can kiss White women on TV without much ado. This country gets closer to a tipping point where people of color as a whole eclipse the dominant culture in population. Oh yeah, and the Brown vs. Board of Education decision of 1954 desegregated schools and our public schools only have divisions in class, not race.
Except it does, and anyone with a finger on the pulse of these schools sees the segregation loud and clear.
A combination of school defunding for busing and magnet programs and redlining, a practice that limits certain services from reaching specific areas of a district, have made our schools more segregated than pre-Brown, but you didn’t have to tell me that. Most of my friends understood that, and have lived with the separate and unequal 

Daily Kos: now 66 and counting . . .

Daily Kos: now 66 and counting . . .:

now 66 and counting . . .

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

66 does not seem as if it should be a momentous birthday.  Except for those of us reaching that age now, it means we are eligible for our full Social Security benefits (except I chose to begin to receive mine at the start of the calendar year, taking cash now and taking a small hit over time).
I am also this weekend heading to a college reunion, also not necessarily a momentous one.  This will be the 45th of my original class.
And yet, for many of us, whether we are 66 or more likely 67, we are at a major transition in our lives.  Many of my classmates have preceded me in retirement.
And yet, we are not yet done.  I know I am not, even as I remain unsure of what the future may hold.
As this day has approached, I have reflected, as I do each year.
I choose to begin this day by sharing some of that reflection.

Cory Booker has crossed the aisle before — on school reform - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Cory Booker has crossed the aisle before — on school reform - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

Cory Booker has crossed the aisle before — on school reform

by Valerie Strauss

Newark Mayor Cory Booker, a Democrat, has been in the news forblasting President Obama’s campaign ads attacking Mitt Romney’s career with a private-equity firm and calling the tone of the presidential campaign “nauseating to me on both sides.”

This isn’t the first time that Booker has sided with Republicans over the leader of his own party.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker, left, jokes with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie during in 2011. (Julio Cortez/AP)Booker has made school reform a key initiative of his administration in New Jersey’s biggest city. And he has been an outspoken supporter of the school reform policies of the Republican governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, which include an 

OUSD’s black male students: school-by-school data - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

OUSD’s black male students: school-by-school data - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools:

OUSD’s black male students: school-by-school data

Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012 at 12:01 pm in 6 Comments »

This morning, Urban Strategies Council released a series of reports about the experience of black boys in the Oakland school district: one on out-of-school suspensions, one on chronic absenteeism, and lastly, an analysis of numerous factors to estimate how many children are on track to graduate high school — beginning in elementary.
There is so much data here that the short story in today’s Tribune (which is long by today’s standards) and blog post can’t do it justice. Each school will receive a data profile to further the district’s African American Male Achievement initiative. These reports were produced in partnership with OUSD as part of the initiative.
Some of the stats that I pulled for the paper on African-American boys in OUSD. The suspension rates are the 

NYC Educator: Trash Teachers! Sell Papers!

NYC Educator: Trash Teachers! Sell Papers!:

Trash Teachers! Sell Papers!

by NYC Educator

I don't need to recount the stories about the UFT President. The Post has done a fine job of that, demonstrating it does not discriminate between lowly teachers and union leaders. It's willing to convict any and all of us without a trial, without a hearing, without conscience, and without reservation.

Mulgrew is a public figure, unlike the teachers they usually go after, so I suppose he has to live with this stuff regardless. The tabloids, Dennis Walcott and therefore Michael Bloomberg, don't even care when teachers are acquitted. They have no problem convicting them in the press all over again, dredging out file letters that were thrown out years ago, and dragging them through the mud all over again.

I insist on the whole innocent until proven guilty thing for teachers and I don't see why the standard should be 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Thousands of CTU members, supporters will rally today

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Thousands of CTU members, supporters will rally today:

Thousands of CTU members, supporters will rally today

by Mike Klonsky

If Rahm Emanuel thought that Chicago teachers would roll over and play dead in the face of his war on the CTU,  he's badly mistaken. Yesterday it was announced that nearly 80 percent of CTU members have voted to reject the latest teacher contract proposal in recent straw polls — more than what would be needed to authorize a real strike under the new anti-union law, SB7.

At 3 this afternoon, thousands of Chicago teachers will meet in a unity rally inside the Auditorium Theater at State & Congress. At 4:30, many more will join them in a massive show of solidarity with a rally and march.
I will definitely be there. Wouldn't want to miss this historic event.

******

Rahm's poll numbers have plummeted in recent weeks, mainly in reaction to his attacks on the CTU.  The mayor has shown himself to be little more than a union-busting corporate Republicrat in a town where there is no Republican Party. One party operative even astutely referred to him as the "Democrats' Karl Rove."

******

Rahm spins

Despite all the mayor's ridiculous spin about how the city "survived" his 

The most vile attack yet on Wisconsin teachers

by Mike Klonsky

This is the most cowardly and treacherous attack yet on public school teachers, make that, on all public employees. That image above is of a full-page newspaper ad taken out in the Janesville Gazette, the local newspaper in Paul Ryan's district. The Gazette, to its credit, didn't print the ad, but it still managed to find its way into subscribers' mailboxes through fliers placed in the paper's home-delivery tube system. The names you can't read in this image are the names of teachers in Janesville who signed the petition to recall Scott Walker. Next to their names, is their salary. At the bottom of the unsigned ad, there is a space to sign to "opt-out" of any 

Inside Rick Scott’s FCAT Spin Machine | Scathing Purple Musings

Inside Rick Scott’s FCAT Spin Machine | Scathing Purple Musings:

Inside Rick Scott’s FCAT Spin Machine

by Bob Sikes

Brandon Larrabee gives a fascinating look into how Florida Governor Rick Scott and his staff sought to establish the narrative of the release of FCAT data. From the News Service of Florida, Larrabee writes:

The test crisis began when passing scores on the writing test plummeted from 81 percent to 27 percent for fourth graders and showed similar drop in eighth and 10th grades. The Florida Board of Education eventually met in emergency session to lower the passing grade from 4.0 to 3.0 while they develop a longer-term answer.
 In the meantime, Scott’s office has been closely involved in helping to craft the public-relations effort in the wake of the renewed focus by the governor on public education, including a successful push for $1 billion in new state education funding during the last legislative session. The $1 billion in new funding partially restores the $1.3 billion that the Legislature and Scott cut in the previous legislative session.
 At one point, the governor’s communications team and Carrie O’Rourke, a deputy chief of staff who handles education issues, made extensive comments and suggestions about a press release 

A Few Quick Notes on Tonight’s NYC Montreal Solidarity March and the NYPD « Student Activism

A Few Quick Notes on Tonight’s NYC Montreal Solidarity March and the NYPD « Student Activism:

A Few Quick Notes on Tonight’s NYC Montreal Solidarity March and the NYPD

by Angus Johnston

I’ve just returned home from a trip to downtown for tonight’s march in solidarity with the students of Montreal, and I want to say a couple of things.
For background, it was a march of about three hundred people, give or take. Ebullient, given today’s events to the north, but not raucous. We started at Union Square, meandered around for about an hour and a half, and ended where we began. Pretty standard stuff.
I arrived at US about 8:30, and headed south looking for the march. Within a couple of blocks I caught it heading toward me, and joined up. Folks were walking on the sidewalks and in the streets, without incident — on the side streets we were mostly facing traffic, and parting when lights turned green. On the avenues we were mostly hugging the parked cars, taking  part of a lane when there was traffic, a little more when there wasn’t.
Cops occasionally herded us back onto the sidewalks, and we uniformly complied when they did. (I never saw a 

LAUSD HAS BECOME TOO COMFORTABLE WITH BAD EDUCATION - Perdaily.com

LAUSD HAS BECOME TOO COMFORTABLE WITH BAD EDUCATION - Perdaily.com:

LAUSD HAS BECOME TOO COMFORTABLE WITH BAD EDUCATION

by Leonard Isenberg

(Mensaje se repite en Español)

(For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)

Human beings are creatures of habit and as such seem to become uncomfortable when you ask them to deviate in any way from what they are accustomed to, even if what they are accustomed to is clearly an inferior public education that leaves them with a level of achievement that will cause them frustration for the rest of their lives and is far below what they would be objectively capable of attaining under a more rigorous and nurturing system. The longer one waits to address these avoidable deficits the more engrained they become and the more likely it is that teachers will have less success in surmounting them. IThe older the student 

Are teachers taught how to use tests? | EdNewsColorado

Are teachers taught how to use tests? | EdNewsColorado:

Are teachers taught how to use tests?

by Todd Engdahl

The National Council on Teacher Quality is out with another report on teacher preparation, this time focusing on how well future teachers are trained in effective use of assessment data.
The report takes an overall gloomy view of the situation, concluding, “School districts, states and teacher preparation training programs have yet to establish what knowledge a new teacher should have to enter a classroom with some facility for applying data to improve classroom instruction. In fact, the field has struggled to incorporate data driven decision making into its program

Report: DPS must set higher goals

by Nancy Mitchell

A report released Tuesday by four education advocacy groups calls on Denver Public Schools board members to adopt higher goals for improving student achievement and increasing quality schools at all grade levels.
The report, True North: Goals for Denver Public Schools, states the five broad goals outlined in the district’s current strategic plan “lack rigor, structure and consistency” and that “too few of these goals … either focus on or prioritize academic achievement.”
For example, the report notes two of the district’s goals – to increase access to full-day kindergarten and to see higher enrollment – are worthwhile but should not be among the top priorities listed in its Denver Plan.

Learn more

• Read the full report
• See the report’s recommended goals and measurements
• Behind the report: A+ Denver, Donnell-Kay Foundation, Stand for Children Colorado, Together Colorado

“We are hard-pressed to accept that this should be one of five major goals for a school district – particularly as

Wednesday Churn: Yet another R2T

by EdNews staff

What’s churning:

Now school districts will get a shot at federal Race to the Top funds without having to go through their state governments.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Tuesday announced proposed rules for a new R2T iteration containing nearly $400 million, a program for which districts will apply directly.
The money is to be targeted on programs “to create plans for individualized classroom instruction aimed at