Academic Fraud: Does Anyone Care? - Bridging Differences - Education Week

Academic Fraud: Does Anyone Care? - Bridging Differences - Education Week:

Academic Fraud: Does Anyone Care?

by Diane Ravitch

Dear Deborah,
Hundreds of millions of dollars in federal and state funds are now being spent to build so-called data warehouses to track students from their earliest years through postsecondary education. Standardized test scores are a key feature of the tracking systems, especially when they are attributed to individual teachers. In time, enthusiasts of the data-is-great school of thought believe we will have the information we need to identify "effective" teachers and make sure that there is an effective teacher in every classroom. With the data comes a tight focus on targets: higher test scores and higher graduation rates.
As the pressure to reach the targets get tougher, many districts are devising ways to raise their graduation rates that have nothing to do with thinking and learning. A prime suspect is credit recovery. I became suspicious when I first learned about credit recovery several years ago. That is when I discovered that some high schools were allowing students who had failed a course to obtain full credit by submitting an essay or a project that was written without any oversight or attending a workshop for several days.
It turns out that the academic fraud goes even deeper than I suspected.
I received a series of emails from someone who works for a major national organization and who reviews the 

Parents protest surge in standardized testing | Reuters

Parents protest surge in standardized testing | Reuters

Parents protest surge in standardized testing

6:16am EDT

By Stephanie Simon

Go to Parents Across America.

(Reuters) - A backlash against high-stakes standardized testing is sweeping through U.S. school districts as parents, teachers, and administrators protest that the exams are unfair, unreliable and unnecessarily punitive - and even some longtime advocates of testing call for changes.

The objections come even as federal and state authorities pour hundreds of millions of dollars into developing new tests, including some for children as young as 5.

In a growing number of states, scores on standardized tests weigh heavily in determining whether an 8-year-old advances to the next grade with her classmates; whether a teen can get his high school diploma; which teachers keep their jobs; how much those teachers are paid; and even which public schools are shut down or turned over to private management.

Parents frustrated by the system say they're not against all standardized tests but resent the 

Recapturing Manhood for Young Men of Color [Stopping Stop-And-Frisk] | The Jose Vilson

Recapturing Manhood for Young Men of Color [Stopping Stop-And-Frisk] | The Jose Vilson:

Recapturing Manhood for Young Men of Color [Stopping Stop-And-Frisk]

by Jose

Popout
On Saturday, NAACP President Benjamin Jealous spoke to the Netroots Nation crowd around one of the organization’s pivotal efforts: ending New York City’s stop-and-frisk policy [and preventing said policy from spreading to other major cities]. His impassioned speech made me tap my feet, blanking out to the sounds of an aggression unaddressed by the larger progressive communities. While he spoke, I noticed two halves of my table, one who listened intently on what Jealous had delivered to a mostly Caucasian, Democratic crowd and the other faction a set of people who would scream bloody murder if such a policy affected their clique, but it didn’t, 

Missouri Education Watchdog: Twinkle Teachers Demand Personal Happiness as Nuclear Power Goal in Classroom. Welcome to Whole Brain Teaching.

Missouri Education Watchdog: Twinkle Teachers Demand Personal Happiness as Nuclear Power Goal in Classroom. Welcome to Whole Brain Teaching.:

Twinkle Teachers Demand Personal Happiness as Nuclear Power Goal in Classroom. Welcome to Whole Brain Teaching.

by stlgretchen

Hand gestures and the "ten-fingered whoohoo" imperative in Whole Brain Teaching.

  

Is the goal of education to make your "dear teacher happy"?

This is a "nuclear" goal if your school district using "Whole Brain Teaching".  Several Missouri districts are using this method focusing on making students more engaged in the learning process:

I was ready to quit teaching for good. The stress and apathy of the students and parents had worn me down, robbed me of my love for teaching, and left me completely disillusioned with the career I loved. It was almost too much. 

The thing that saved me is Whole Brain Teaching. This is an approach that began about ten years ago in 

Daily Kos: On this day in 1967

Daily Kos: On this day in 1967:

On this day in 1967

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

a unanimous Supreme  Court issued its opinion in Loving v Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967).  The case was argued April 10, with the Court quickly reaching its decision.
Mildred Jeter was Black, Robert Loving was White. They met in Virginia, married in the District of Columbia because interracial marriage was illegal in Virginia, then returned to Virginia to live.
They were charged by a grand jury with having violated Virginia's law, entered a guilty plea and

and were sentenced to one year in jail; however, the trial judge suspended the sentence for a period of 25 years on the condition that the Lovings leave the State and not return to Virginia together for 25 years. He stated in an opinion that:
"Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And, but for the interference with his arrangement, there would be no cause 

... and now I am gone . . .

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

Today was the last day for teachers.  I arrived at school shortly after 7 am to wash my boards and pack up the last of my possessions.  I had to turn in my parking pass, my stapler and tape dispenser, all computer-related equipment, get my room inspected and turn in my keys, and then turn in my book inventory and a copy of my final exam to my department chair.
I could have been finished by 9 AM, except the administrator responsible for my neighborhood did not come in until lunch time because of car trouble.  But I would not have left earlier.
For this is an important day for our faculty.   It is the day when we recognize those of us who are leaving.

Will Congress compound its error on ‘highly qualified’ teachers? - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Will Congress compound its error on ‘highly qualified’ teachers? - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

UVA board: Tell us why you pushed out president

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 54 minutes ago

The University of Virginia’s governing board sesems to have gone out of its way to avoid explaining directly to the public why it pushed out the popular President Teresa Sullivan after only two years. It’s time it says exactly what happened. Now. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

Is the power of intuition overrated? — Willingham

The Answer Sheet - 1 hour ago

This *was written by cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham, a psychology professor at the University of Virginia and author of “Why Don’t Students Like School?” His next book, “When Can You Trust The Experts? How to tell good science from bad in education,” will be published in July. This appeared on his Science and Education blog.* Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

Will Congress compound its error on ‘highly qualified’ teachers?

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 1 hour ago

Back in late 2010, Congress approved legislation that defined “highly qualified teachers” as including students still in teacher training programs. Now, instead of admitting that the definition doesn’t make much sense, Congress is on the road to passing new legislation to keep that definition on the books (even though a federal appellate court has ruled that it violates the No Child Left Behind law). Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

$1.1 million-plus Gates grants: ‘Galvanic’ bracelets that measure student engagement

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 1 day ago

In the ‘you-can’t-make-up-this-stuff’ category, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is spending about $1.1 million to develop a way to physiologically measure how engaged students are by their teachers’ lessons. This involves “galvanic skin response” bracelets that kids would wear so their engagement levels could be measured. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

Challenging Eli Broad’s school memories

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 1 day ago

This *was written by Carol Corbett Burris, principal of South Side High School in New York. She was named the 2010 New York State Outstanding Educator by the School Administrators Association of New York State.* Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

Michael Lewis tells Princeton grads: You are the ‘lucky few’ — and don’t let it go to your heads

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 1 day ago

Here’s the commencement speech that best-selling author Michael Lewis delivered at the recent Princeton University commencement ceremonies. This (full text below) was published on the school’s website, provided courtesy of Princeton University Office of Communications. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

CHICAGO TEACHERS NOT EASILY FOOLED « Teachers Fight Back

CHICAGO TEACHERS NOT EASILY FOOLED « Teachers Fight Back:

CHICAGO TEACHERS NOT EASILY FOOLED

by alkleen

It’s certainly no surprise that the Chicago Teachers’ Union voted to authorize a strike by an overwhelming 90% vote. Most of the Chicago teachers that I know have never bought into the whole “teacher and school reform” nonsense. They know poor student achievement isn’t their fault just as they know their union doesn’t hinder anyone from achieving in school. They have refused to be bullied by the big moneyed interests that saw an opportunity to break teacher unions by portraying the unions as part of what ails schools. Most Chicago teachers are not the kind of people who sheepishly accepted the propaganda notion that somehow incompetent teachers and their unions are blocking educational progress.
I hope it’s not too late for the teachers of many other school districts to learn from the example of the Chicago teachers. I hope the teachers of those districts wake up and realize they have been the victims of one of the most successful propaganda campaigns in recent memory. I hope those teachers start to fight the forces that have sown seeds of guilt among them. Those teachers have been tricked, bamboozled, browbeaten and come to accept the idea that somehow their unions and their own incompetence has resulted in poor academic performance by students.
Chicago teachers know what causes poor student performance and the factors number in the hundreds and 

solidaridad: Schools Matter: Evaluate This! Shows the way forward for authentic education reform

solidaridad: Schools Matter: Evaluate This! Shows the way forward for authentic education reform:

Schools Matter: Evaluate This! Shows the way forward for authentic education reform

by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene

"I am heading for a four-year college. The classes that most helped me prepare for this were NOT test prep classes. They were the ones where I got to explore stuff and do projects." — Tiffany Tuggle (CEJ Member and Senior at UCLA Community School)
I finally got around to my write up on an important PEAC/CEJ/UTLA's event in a Schools Matter piece entitled: Evaluate This! Shows the way forward for authentic education reform
Evaluate This!, was an education fair showcasing projects at various 

Whitney Tilson Makes a Fool Of Himself Yet Again http://www.southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com:

Whitney Tilson Makes a Fool Of Himself Yet Again

by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)

I'm late to the game and didn't catch all of what Alexander Russo wrote about Violet Nichols, but I sure read what Whitney Tilson had written in response. As usual Whitney, the Harvard grad has no idea how to write or think critically.

I feel like I am chasing a windmill every time I write about this asinine hedge fund manager that is Whitney. He is just so in love with his voice and his perturbed thoughts through his mangles thought process that I don;t know whether to laugh, cry or be angry. I know somewhere I read that DFER wished he could shut up for ten minutes.

Am I wrong for exposing Whitney's lack of higher order thinking skills and his inability to be empathetic to others? Or am I wrong to continually to go after him for it is so easy

Schools Matter: Fight Club Fantasies of the Corporate Education Deformers

Schools Matter: Fight Club Fantasies of the Corporate Education Deformers:

Fight Club Fantasies of the Corporate Education Deformers

by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene

By John Thompson
Political scientist Patrick McGuinn wrote a sympathetic account of education reform advocacy organizations (ERAOs) that gather in Washington, D.C. The ERAOs, "compare notes and plot strategy in what is (half in jest) referred to as 'fight club.'" I wonder if they would be so enthusiastic about political bloodletting if more of their members had been covered in the blood of actual students.
Viewing schools from 30,000 feet, it is easy for "reformers" to simply blame the teachers unions that they "derisively called the 'blob.'" Glorying in rhetorical violence, accountability hawks seek to destroy the members of the educational "status quo," under the assumption that disruptive innovation will somehow create better alternatives. It is easier to kick down a barn, however, than to build one. And anyone who has labored to turnaround a school that accepts every child who walks through the door knows that it is harder to improve the toughest neighborhood schools than it is to start a charter that can kick out the most challenging kids.
McGuinn is one of many political scientists who are intrigued by the "brass knuckle" school of reform that has

Chicago Teachers Vote to Stand Up for Children, Parents, and Themselves

by Jim Horn

EDUCATORS VOTE YES Chicago Teachers Vote Overwhelming for Strike Authorization as Contract Negotiations Continue; Union to use leverage to fight for smaller class sizes CHICAGO – Today, the Chicago Teachers Union revealed nearly 90 percent of its eligible members voted to give their labor organization the authority to call a strike should contract negotiations reach an impasse. The Union has been in negotiations with the Chicago Public School system since November 2011. A new state law requires a 75 percent of all eligible CTU voters to vote in the affirmative in order to provide strike authorization. Although both CTU and CPS are in the fact-finding stage of negotiations, the Union pointed out that the independent review will only provide recommendations on a small number of contract concerns. Public school educators say they are fighting for smaller class sizes, art, music, world language and physical education classes for students, and fair compensation for being asked to work under more difficult guidelines as determined by CPS. Armed with strike authorization, teachers, paraprofessionals and clinicians say they believe this will give them more leverage at the bargaining table going forward. Should a strike become necessary, the Union’s 800-member House of Delegates will set the date for a work stoppage. The three-day vote tally showed: Category Number ÷ Membership = % Total Membership 26,502 ÷ 26,502 = 100.00% Members Voting “YES” 23,780 ÷ 26,502 = 89.73% Members Voting “NO” 482 ÷ 26,502 = 1.82% Members Casting Votes 24,262 ÷ 26,502 = 91.55% Members Not Voting (includes 494 spoiled ballots) 2,240 ÷ 26,502 = 8.45% Day Daily Votes* Number ÷ Vote Count = % 1 Total Votes 19,614 ÷ 19,614 = 100.00% “YES” Votes 19,235 ÷ 19,614 = 98.01% “NO” Votes 379 ÷ 19,614 = 1.93% 2 Total Votes   2,108  ÷ 2,108 = 100.00% “YES” Votes  2,060  ÷ 2,108 = 97.72% “NO” Votes     48  ÷ 2,108 = 2.28% 3 Total Votes    392 ÷    392 = 100.00% “YES” Votes    370 ÷    392 = 94.39% “NO” Votes     22 ÷    392 = 5.61% S Total Votes  2,148 ÷  2,148 = 100.00% “YES” Votes  2,115 ÷  2,148 = 98.46% “NO” Votes     33 ÷  2,148 = 1.54% Total Votes 24,262 ÷ 24,262 = 100.00% “YES” Votes 23,780 ÷ 24,262 = 98.01% “NO” Votes    482 ÷ 24,262 = 1.99% * Daily Votes were totaled each day for members on the roster for each school. "S" refers to Supplemental ballots, which are those cast by employees voting at a site where they do not appear on the roster (e.g. school social workers or nurses, who service multiple schools). These votes are tallied separately. CTU President Karen GJ Lewis, NBCT, said the following during a news conference today: “We have called you here today to announce the results of the strike authorization vote held last week. The results are not a win. They are an indictment on the state of the relationship between the ‘management’ of CPS and its largest labor force, members of the Chicago Teachers Union. It is also an indictment of the outside groups that seek to destroy the real work being done by Chicago’s teachers, paraprofessionals, and clinicians. “We do not understand why Democrats for Education Reform, Education Reform Now and other organizations continue to stand on the backs of our children and profess to care about them when they ignore the harsh realities of their lives. And while our members work in schools that are under-resourced, under-staffed and under-appreciated, they have toiled in silence long enough while the mayors of this city have exerted control, shut down schools, and handed over facilities to their well-connected friends. “The problems with our schools will not be answered by overpaid outside consultants or billionaire education dilettantes but rather by the people who actually work in our schools with our children in full partnership with the District. For some reason, this administration has behaved as if the Union was some out-of-touch bureaucracy only speaking for ourselves. But the dominant narrative among the so-called Ed Reformers in concert with city’s business fathers and mothers has been that the reason why CPS is in such bad shape is that its teachers are incompetent. “This new leadership of the CTU were all classroom teachers and paraprofessionals two years ago. We have the pulse of our members. We listened to what they had to say. And we made a plan using the tools and the resources we have. That’s what teachers do. We analyzed the data and adjusted our plans. But all along, we had the feedback of the members in our schools. While the chaos on Clark Street continues, our members—intent on being heard—were loud, clear, and serious. “We want a contract that gives Chicago’s students the schools they deserve. So we call on CPS to take the process seriously and negotiate with us in good faith and with an eye on the real prize: Our children.”

Explaining the Failed Recall to My Preteen | One Teacher's Perspective

Explaining the Failed Recall to My Preteen | One Teacher's Perspective:

Explaining the Failed Recall to My Preteen

by Imagine Wisconsin

Paid for by millionaires and billionaires

My perceptive and compassionate preteen daughter asked me in the wake of the failed recall of Governor Walker, “Why can’t it be like in the movies where the good guys always win?”

This was essentially my reply to her poignant question.

“Well, dear, unlike in the feel-good movies you watch—where  the grassroots efforts of the hard working, less powerful always triumph for a happy ending—in real-life Wisconsin big money can buy the minds of many so the good guys cannot win. 

You see, honey, those endless Walker ads on billboards, industrial-size yard signs, television, the Internet, and the radio—you  know, the ones that often made me angry because of their lies—convinced enough less-informed Wisconsinites to vote against the good guys.

You must learn now that money matters and greatly influences the real world. Our democracy is becoming a 

Last Stand for Children First: CPS Mommy Urges Teachers Not to Strike

Last Stand for Children First: CPS Mommy Urges Teachers Not to Strike:

CPS Mommy Urges Teachers Not to Strike

by Last Stand for Children

Today, the Chicago Teachers Union announced that in their strike authorization vote, 98% of the teachers voting and 2% voted against.  This number is out of about 91% of the teachers voting.  You know who else used to get vote results like this?  Sadam Hussein.  I'm just saying, it wasn't until he was overthrown that we learned that the people in Iraq weren't really 100% behind Hussein either.

This strike vote is clearly against the spirit of SB7 -- a law carefully crafted by lobbyists, hedge fund managers, politicians, and other education experts to take away strike votes from the Chicago Teachers Union.  There are a lot of angry people who invested a lot of money in taking away strike rights from the Chicago Teachers Union.

I am not one of these angry people.  I love, love, l-u-v teachers.   In fact, I am in the process of making 26,000 friendship bracelets that I will soon give out to the members of the Chicago Teachers Union signifying that we are all BFFs.  That is how much I love the teachers of Chicago.  I am simply a CPS mommy or at least I hope to be 

LAUSD, UTLA - Perdaily.com

LAUSD, UTLA - Perdaily.com:

UTLA/LAUSD Tentative Agreement: WHY WE'RE VOTING NO By Area Chairs Aaron Bruhnke, Jose Lara, Dan Barnhart, and Gillian Russom

by Leonard Isenberg

(Mensaje se repite en Español)

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

(Perdaily salutes the intelligence of the teachers who wrote this - take heed or continue to suffer the consequences)
We cannot support this Tentative Agreement, because doing so would
mean endorsing a process that accepts huge concessions without an
organized fight, and feeds the RIF cycle that has destabilized our
schools for four years.  We are voting "No" because:

This is not a solution for the RIF crisis

  We care deeply about our RIF'd colleagues - every single RIF is an