Community College Spotlight | Sorted out: Remedial ed doesn’t prepare students

Community College Spotlight | Sorted out: Remedial ed doesn’t prepare students:

Sorted out: Remedial ed doesn’t prepare students

by Joanne Jacobs

Remedial courses usually fail to prepare students for college-level work, concludes a study released by the National Bureau of Economic Research. “Remediation does not develop students’ skills sufficiently to increase their rates of college success,” concludes Judith Scott-Clayton, an assistant professor at Columbia University’s Teachers College, who wrote the paper with graduate student Olga Rodriguez.
Still, the remedial track may have other uses: At open-access colleges, the remedial track can be a low-cost way of sorting unprepared students out of crowded college-level courses, the paper suggests:

. . . an unadvertised but implicit function of remedial assignment may be to signal students about their likelihood of college completion; it may be efficient to both the student and the institution to realize this and adjust their investments sooner rather than later.
Moreover, regardless of its effectiveness in remediating skill deficiencies, remediation may still serve as an expedient form of student tracking. Even if remediated students never make it to 

Missouri Education Watchdog: Schools to Provide the 3 R's and 3 Squares a Day

Missouri Education Watchdog: Schools to Provide the 3 R's and 3 Squares a Day:

Schools to Provide the 3 R's and 3 Squares a Day

by Anngie

Missouri's DESE, in partnership with the Midwest Dairy Council, just announced a contest to see which schools could increase the number of children receiving breakfast at school the most. The goal is to increase breakfast participation by 20 percent this year. Schools who make big gains can win awards from $1,000 to $4,000. Sounds good right? Feed kids. Get Money. It's a win-win. But why the big push to have schools be a meal provider?

Missouri Commissioner of Education Chris L. Nicastro said,  "The challenge ties in to the Department's goal to become one of the top 10 performing states in education by the year 2020." But to tie to that document you have to stretch causality pretty far to show how supplying a meal meets the goal of having "All Missouri students will 

UPDATE: I’m getting into this retirement thing. « Fred Klonsky

I’m getting into this retirement thing. « Fred Klonsky:

I’m getting into this retirement thing.

by Fred Klonsky

It has only been a couple of months. But I’m getting into this retirement thing.
You meet the greatest people.
Like last night.
My pal Glen Brown and I were invited to speak to a meeting of the North Lake Shore chapter of the Illinois Retired Teachers Association.
The IRTA is the largest organization of teacher retirees in the state of Illinois.
Irene Jinks is the North Lake Shore chapter President. Back in the day when I first got hired in Park Ridge Irene was on the school board. A real teacher on a school board. What a concept. There hasn’t been a board member

Karen Lewis at the Red Line.

by Fred Klonsky

Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis greets commuters at the 95th Street Station of the Red Line. Come to Chicago on Labor Day. Show your support for Chicago teachers.

Ten minute drawing: Joe Hill.

by Fred Klonsky

Republicans or Democrats?: No Difference for Educators | Dailycensored.com

Republicans or Democrats?: No Difference for Educators | Dailycensored.com:

Republicans or Democrats?: No Difference for Educators

by P.L. Thomas

For about thirty years now, public education as well as its teachers and students have been the focus of an accountability era driven by recurring calls for and the implementation of so-called higher standards and incessant testing. At two points during this era, educators could blame Ronald Reagan’s administration for feeding the media frenzy around the misleading A Nation at Risk and George W. Bush’s administration for federalizing the accountability era with No Child Left Behind (NCLB)—both Republican administrations.

For those who argued that Republicans and Democrats were different sides of the same political coin beholden to corporate interests, education advocates could point to Republicans with an accusatory finger and claim the GOP was anti-public education while also endorsing Democrats as unwavering supporters of public education. 

Did that Democrat say he is for school vouchers? - Wait, What?

Did that Democrat say he is for school vouchers? - Wait, What?:

Did that Democrat say he is for school vouchers?

by jonpelto

One of the more incredible comments at a recent debate among the candidates running in Bridgeport’s September 4th special election to select a democratically elected board of education came from Democrat Kenneth Moales, who is also an incumbent on the Bridgeport’s illegal Board of Education.

According to the Connecticut Post, Moales “supports school vouchers, and said they are neither anti-union nor anti-public schools.”

Ah…. False on both points Mr. Moales.

People support vouchers for a number of reasons.  In fact, many people support vouchers exactly because they are anti-public schools (and anti-union).

As Diane Ravitch, the nation’s leading voice on behalf of public education recently wrote, 

Your Summer PD: Whole Child Education and Society — Whole Child Education

Your Summer PD: Whole Child Education and Society — Whole Child Education:

Your Summer PD: Whole Child Education and Society

by Klea Scharberg

ASCD conducted its second Whole Child Virtual Conference in May 2012. This free conference showcases schools, authors, and research about implementing a whole child approach for a worldwide audience. View and share archived session recordings, presenter handouts, and related resources atwww.ascd.org/wcvirtualconference.
Gain insight into the role of education in society, the purpose of schools in that society, and what we all can do to ensure that each child, in each school, and in each community is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged through these presentations:

• What Is a Whole Child Education?
• European expert panel discussion on the role of education in society
• Australasian expert panel discussion on whole school approaches to school improvement and youth development
• The Whole Child Network

Find additional presentations highlighting school improvement, aligning health and education, successful schools, and creating a caring and positive school climate.

Helicopters can improve minority college attendance & other misguided policy implications: Comments on the Brookings “Voucher” Study « School Finance 101

Helicopters can improve minority college attendance & other misguided policy implications: Comments on the Brookings “Voucher” Study « School Finance 101:

Helicopters can improve minority college attendance & other misguided policy implications: Comments on the Brookings “Voucher” Study

by schoolfinance101

Here’s my quick response to the Brookings report released yesterday on the long term effects of vouchers on a randomized pool of participants in New York City.
Let’s say I conducted a study in which I rented a fleet of helicopters and used those helicopters to, on a daily basis, transport a group of randomly selected students from Camden, NJ to elite private day schools around NJ and Philadelphia. I then compared the college attendance patterns of the kids participating in the helicopter program to 100 other kids from Camden who also signed up for the program but were not selected and stayed in Camden public schools. It turns out that I find that the helicopter kids were more likely to attend college – therefore I conclude logically that “helicopters improve college attendance among poor, minority kids.” The simple policy solution then is to rent more helicopters and use them to send kids, well, wherever. After all, it’s the helicopters that matter????? Clearly, that would be a ridiculous assertion.
Similarly, the “major” findings of the new Brookings study were that, in particular, black participants in the 

Modern School: Court Overturn’s LAUSD’s Seniority Exemption

Modern School: Court Overturn’s LAUSD’s Seniority Exemption:

Court Overturn’s LAUSD’s Seniority Exemption

by Michael Dunn

United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) has won a small victory in its fight to preserve seniority rights at Los Angeles Unified (LAUSD), according to the 4LAKids Blog.

In February, 2010, in Reed vs. California, lawyers argued that low performing, low income schools were unfairly impacted by layoffs since they tend to have higher percentages of younger teachers who lack seniority and that this violated students’ constitutional right to educational equity. Judges ruled in the plaintiffs’ favor, paving the way for LAUSD to exempt 45 schools from seniority rules, even though this violated state law and teachers’ contracts.

UTLA sued to overturn the ruling and the California 2nd District Court of Appeal has now invalidated LAUSD's exemption. In the 2 to 1 decision, the justices said that UTLA has the right to a trial where they can argue the merits of their case. The ACLU, which supported the Reed lawsuit, is planning on appealing the case to the state supreme court. Until the Supreme Court 

Interview With John Norton From The “New” Middleweb | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

Interview With John Norton From The “New” Middleweb | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…:

Interview With John Norton From The “New” Middleweb

by Larry Ferlazzo

John (Croft) Norton is the founder and co-editor of MiddleWeb.com. John also co-founded the national Teacher Leaders Network and works as an education writer, editor and virtual community developer. See his LinkedIn page for more background.
There are very few people who rival John’s connections in the education world, his editing ability, and his willingness to help.  Middleweb was my first introduction to the education tech world nine years ago…..
What’s the MiddleWeb backstory?
Thanks for giving me this opportunity, Larry. I love to talk about MiddleWeb.
Middleweb.com first appeared on the Web in 1996. The project was supported by the NYC-based E.M. Clark Foundation, which was investing heavily in middle grades reform efforts during the 1990s. MiddleWeb served both as a place to publish stories about reform efforts in districts where Clark was active and as a website where middle level educators could find resources to improve classroom and school practice. Over about six years of 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The view from right-field on class size

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The view from right-field on class size:

The view from right-field on class size

by Mike Klonsky

Checker Finn (right) and his Fordham Foundation crew are upset at White House report.

“So it should concern everyone that right now – all across America – tens of thousands of teachers are getting laid off....Think about what that means for our country. When there are fewer teachers in our schools, class sizes start climbing up. Our students start falling behind. And our economy takes a hit.” -- President Obama

Finn, Petrilli & Co. (pictured above) over at the right-wing Fordham Institute are freaking out over a recent White 

Business and Schooling in Arlington (VA)–Part 2 | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Business and Schooling in Arlington (VA)–Part 2 | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

Business and Schooling in Arlington (VA)–Part 2

by larrycuban

That big, middle-size, and small businesses were heavily involved in the Arlington public schools, an urban district across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. in the mid-1970s, was evident by the end of my first year as superintendent. The extent of business participation in Arlington differed little from that in other districts and mirrored arrangements made years before I was appointed.[i]
The Arlington School Board annually contracted for millions of dollars worth of items and services from local banks, food suppliers, and construction companies. From buying Worcestershire sauce to paying retainers to legal firms to using pest control companies, Arlington firms did business with the School Board daily.
Business leaders brought Junior Achievement programs into high schools annually. Local firms contracted with 

UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-24-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

A Teacher’s Dilemma

by dianerav

This letter from a veteran teacher should be read and discussed in every TFA institute, during the five weeks of training. Corps members should take a pledge never to take a job away from a well-qualified, experienced teacher who was laid off to save money and to hire TFA:

All I ever wanted from teaching was to do good work, excite children and really teach them. And I have done that. Always trying to do it better, always assessing and reworking what I do. I’ve been proud of my contribution to the children in my community, but I realize now that it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter that I work until late every night or that I’ve had a high standard (Common Core is no big stretch for me). Or that I’m passionate Letters to the Editor about Bruni Article on Parent Trigger and Unions by dianerav Teachers speak up to refute claims of reformers. The reformers assert  that unions are the root problem of American education because they protect bad teachers. The answer: Get rid of unions so wise administrators or charter school operators can fire bad teachers. One letter here says it is the job of administrators to deny tenure to bad teachers and to evaluate teachers. Will Helicopters Improve Student Outcomes? by dianerav Bruce Baker offers his comments on the latest study of vouchers. As usual for him, he raises provocative questions about what the study says and doesn’t explain at all. Why Charters and Public Schools Are “Apples and Oranges” by dianerav The Texas Business and Education Council commissioned a major review of high-performing charter schools by Dr. Ed Fuller. The question addressed by Fuller is whether the charters are enrolling the same kinds of students who enroll in nearby public schools. The final conclusions included this summary:  This study is a preliminary examination of high-profile/high-performing charter management organizations in

Do Educators Have a Political Party?

by dianerav

Paul Thomas of Furman University says that educators have no political party, because no political party today supports educators.
The Republican party is downright hostile to public education and to teachers.
Romney’s education agenda calls for privatization.
It is the most radical rightwing document of any major political party in my memory (and I have a long memory).
Romney would be a disaster for American public education, for the schools that enroll almost 90% of the

The Power of Involved Parents

by dianerav

This parent writes about how he and his wife decided to enroll their children in an urban public school and to remain closely involved in their schooling and their lives. As black parents, they knew all the risks, and they decided not to move to the suburbs. As college graduates, they wanted the best for their children, and they made an informed choice.
As it happened, both kids got a good education, both went to top colleges, and both are on their way to good professional careers.
This is a testament to the power of informed parenting.
In the Scholastic-Gates survey of teachers, teachers were asked what they wanted most. The greatest number 

What to do — and not do — for growing number of English Language Learners - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

What to do — and not do — for growing number of English Language Learners - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

What to do — and not do — for growing number of English Language Learners

By Valerie Strauss

This was written by Larry Ferlazzo and Katie Hull Sypnieski, who teach at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, California. They are co-authors of the new book, “The ESL/ELL Teacher’s Survival Guide: Ready-to-Use Strategies, Tools, and Activities for Teaching English Language Learners of All Levels.”

By Larry Ferlazzo and Katie Hull Sypnieski

It’s hard to find a school or district in this country that doesn’t have an English learner population. For teachers in states like California, Texas, Florida, and New York it is sometimes hard to find a classroom without any English Language Learners (ELL). In fact, the U.S. Department of Education estimates that approximately 4.5 million English Learners are enrolled in public schools across the country, roughly 10% of all students enrolled in K-12 schools in the United States. The number of English Learners has increased by over 50% in the last decade, with 

Children with English language barriers? Send in the French teacher… - Wait, What?

Children with English language barriers? Send in the French teacher… - Wait, What?:

Children with English language barriers? Send in the French teacher…

by jonpelto

The number of students entering public schools who are not fluent, or even proficient, in English is growing.  In some districts, nearly have the students go home to households where English is not the primary language.

For the purposes of our education system, the students who need special help developing their English skills are called “English Language Learners.”

Many of these students come from Spanish-speaking households, but through immigration and adoption, public schools are working with students from a vast array of 

School Tech Connect: Popular Things To Say

School Tech Connect: Popular Things To Say:

Popular Things To Say

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

This is a pretty good piece in the Post-Dispatch.   But I just wish someone could spend ten minutes with me pointing at the evidence for this assertion.

Common Core Standards are an attempt to provide a framework of knowledge and skills students should have to go to college or to enter the global workforce. To date, 45 states have adopted the Common Core Standards. Illinois adopted the standards in 2010, and they go into effect this school year. In short, they could change the face of teaching and learning as we move away from memorization toward problem-solving skills and being able to apply what is learned in real-world settings.

I don't see evidence for this anywhere. I don't see evidence that the last set of standards focused on 

Blame The Retirees

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

I'm confused. Was there some doubt somewhere that the big banks would be screwing pension systems,municipalities, and the country at large? They've figured out that if they manufacture enough crises, we'll just keep propping them up by punishing everyone else.

Students Last: Breaking News: Teacher Invited to Education Conference

Students Last: Breaking News: Teacher Invited to Education Conference:

Breaking News: Teacher Invited to Education Conference

by Students Last

New York City - Setting aside a long-held tradition, the New York Times has invited an actual public school teacher to participate in their upcoming "Schools of Tomorrow" conference.

Elaine Doctris, who teaches fifth graders at PS 800 in Queens, is the chosen one. "I'm honored and a little confused," she confessed.  "I mean they've never asked a public school teacher to speak before. I hope it isn't a mistake."

According to Kirstie Hepburn, one of the event's organizers, picking Ms. Doctris was no mistake. "We used New York 

India's Bailing on the Most Influential International Standardized Test - Education - GOOD

India's Bailing on the Most Influential International Standardized Test - Education - GOOD:

India's Bailing on the Most Influential International Standardized Test

by Liz Dwyer

The second most populous nation in the world is giving a thumbs down to the standardized test used to measure and compare the academic performance of students from around the globe. India is backing out of this year's administration of the Program for International Student Assessment, a test run by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that's given to 15-year-olds every three years.
You've probably heard about the PISA. The U.S. first started taking the test in 2000, and much has been made 

Survey: Teachers report students 'regularly' come to school hungry - The Denver Post

Survey: Teachers report students 'regularly' come to school hungry - The Denver Post:

Survey: Teachers report students 'regularly' come to school hungry

POSTED:   08/23/2012 06:13:00 PM MDT
UPDATED:   08/23/2012 11:56:56 PM MDT

By Kevin Simpson

When a handful of students consistently showed up for school lethargic and unfocused, second-grade teacher Robin Sutherland discreetly posed a question: Did you have breakfast?

Soon after, she began stopping off at the grocery store to pick up nutrition-packed drinks, or peanut butter and crackers — anything that might give them a protein kick-start.

"Their scores increased, their focus got better," said Sutherland, who oversees mostly low-income students at Queen Palmer Elementary in Colorado Springs. "It really helped them academically."

Eventually, she found a church group willing to share the cost — and now a school-wide program takes care of all students who may not get a nutritious breakfast at home.

More than half of Colorado teachers dip into their own pockets to buy food for hungry

Read more:Survey: Teachers report students 'regularly' come to school hungry - The Denver Posthttp://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_21386701/survey-teachers-report-students-regularly-come-school-hungry#ixzz24Sscb1xV
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

In Madison standing at the brink of the CTU strike : blue cheddar

In Madison standing at the brink of the CTU strike : blue cheddar:

In Madison standing at the brink of the CTU strike

by bluecheddar

I attended a talk Wednesday night to learn how over 23,000 public school teachers in Chicago have come to the brink of a strike. In the process, I also got a contact high from the intensity of the 200 or so people assembled at the Labor Temple on Park. The talk was delivered by a teacher from Chicago, Becca Kelly. Kelly is a 20-something rank and file member of CTU, perhaps the most mobilized union in the United States at this moment. Of 23,780 Chicago Teachers Union members, 90 percent voted in June to support a strike if the union leadership calls one. Kelly said that only a handful of those teachers has ever engaged in a strike. Most of the Chicago 

Middle School Charters in Texas: An Examination of Student Characteristics and Achievement Levels of Entrants and Leavers « A "Fuller" Look at Education Issues

Middle School Charters in Texas: An Examination of Student Characteristics and Achievement Levels of Entrants and Leavers « A "Fuller" Look at Education Issues:

Middle School Charters in Texas: An Examination of Student Characteristics and Achievement Levels of Entrants and Leavers

by Dr. Ed Fuller

Introduction

Charter schools have proliferated in Texas and across the nation. The expansion of charter schools is now a popular reform effort for many policymakers on both the right and left of the political spectrum. To examine the efficacy of such policies, a number of researchers have focused on the effects  charter schools have had on student achievement, most of which have found little difference in achievement between the two types of schools (CREDO, 2009; Zimmer, R., Gill, B., Booker, K., Lavertu, S., Sass, T., and Witte, 2008). Yet, there is still a relative dearth of information about the characteristics of students entering and leaving charter schools and how these characteristics might be related to school-level achievement. This is particularly true with respect to charter schools in Texas. Most of the work in this area has focused on student racial and ethnic characteristics, while a fair number of studies have examined special education status and English-Language Learner status of entrants. Very little research has focused on the academic ability of students entering charter schools, the student attrition rate of charter schools, and the characteristics of the students staying and leaving charter 

LAUSD'S WITCH HUNT AGAINST VETERAN TEACHERS BY PAULA HURDLE - Perdaily.com

LAUSD'S WITCH HUNT AGAINST VETERAN TEACHERS BY PAULA HURDLE - Perdaily.com:

LAUSD'S WITCH HUNT AGAINST VETERAN TEACHERS BY PAULA HURDLE

by Leonard Isenberg

(Mensaje se repite en Español)

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

As a 25+ teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), I find the educational environment today extremely hostile and dangerous to veteran teachers. Where there used to be respect and appreciation for working and surviving in a system that provided little support or financial incentive, there is now ridicule, abuse and disdain for what we do and our '