Eugene Robinson: Standing up for teachers - The Washington Post

Eugene Robinson: Standing up for teachers - The Washington Post:

Eugene Robinson

Opinion Writer

Standing up for teachers

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By Eugene Robinson, Monday, September 17, 12:55 PM

Teachers are heroes, not villains, and it’s time to stop demonizing them.

It has become fashionable to blame all of society’s manifold sins and wickedness on “teachers unions,” as if it were possible to separate these supposedly evil organizations from the dedicated public servants who belong to them. News flash: Collective bargaining is not the problem, and taking that right away from teachers will not fix the schools.

It is true that teachers in Chicago have dug in their heels against Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s demands for “reform,” some of which are not unreasonable. I’d dig in, too, if I were constantly being lectured by self-righteous crusaders whose knowledge of the inner-city schools crisis comes from a Hollywood movie.

The problems that afflict public education go far beyond what George W. Bush memorably called “the soft bigotry of low expectations.” They go beyond whatever measure of institutional sclerosis may be attributed to tenure, beyond the inevitable cases of burnout, beyond the fact that 

Eugene Robinson: Standing up for teachers - The Washington Post:

FB RT: Randi Weingarten @rweingarten: Thank you @Eugene_Robinson for standing up for teachers&telling people to visit a school.".. http://t.co/DpIbWPHb"

Response: A Nobel Laureate Writes About Becoming A "Science Coach" - Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo - Education Week Teacher

Response: A Nobel Laureate Writes About Becoming A "Science Coach" - Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo - Education Week Teacher:

Response: A Nobel Laureate Writes About Becoming A "Science Coach"

By Larry Ferlazzo on September 16, 2012 1:01 PM

(Note: This is the first post in a several-part series on teaching science)

Last week's question was:

What is the best advice you would give to help an educator become better at teaching science?

I'll be posting a number of guest responses over the next two weeks, and invite readers to share their comments, too. I'll publish ideas from readers in the final post in this series.

Today, Dr. Carl Wieman, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2001 and well-known for his advocacy of cooperative and engaging methods for teaching science, has agreed to share his thoughts, and they are certainly applicable to subjects beyond science.

After reading his contribution, you might be interested in exploring the resources I've collected 

GOOD Education: Schools Don’t Need Reform, They Need Revolution « Cooperative Catalyst

GOOD Education: Schools Don’t Need Reform, They Need Revolution « Cooperative Catalyst:

GOOD Education: Schools Don’t Need Reform, They Need Revolution

by Nikhil Goyal

Nominated for the U.S. Secretary of Education by Diane Ravitch and lauded as an “emerging voice of his generation,” at age 17, Nikhil Goyal is the author of One Size Does Not Fit All: A Student’s Assessment of School by the Alternative Education Resource Organization.
This piece originally appeared on GOOD Education: Schools Don’t Need Reform, They Need Revolution  
In the summer of 2010 I took a three-week trip to India to visit family in Delhi and Calcutta. After I came back to the United States, I started to review the notes I’d jotted down from conversations I had with Indian students and parents on their frustrations with school. That September I started as a freshman at Syosset High School. For many years, my family and I had planned on moving into a community where there were high-ranking school

Daily Kos: "Whatever the cause, our society’s answer seems to be: Beat up the teachers."

Daily Kos: "Whatever the cause, our society’s answer seems to be: Beat up the teachers.":

"Whatever the cause, our society’s answer seems to be: Beat up the teachers."

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

That is a line from Standing up for teachers, the new Washington Post column by Pulitzer Prize winner Eugene Robinson, who seems to be one of the few major columnists who gets it.
From the very beginning of his column, Robinson makes clear his viewpoint:

Teachers are heroes, not villains, and it’s time to stop demonizing them.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Day 6

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Day 6:

Day 6

by Mike Klonsky

Out on the picket lines I saw teachers in small groups, reading the tentative contract, line-by-line and discussing it. Talk about your participatory democracy. Here it is, right on the mean streets of Chicago. No wonder Rahm and his corporate pals are horrified. No wonder he asking for an injunction. Reading a contract before you sign it is a concept so beyond anything that ever takes place in Rahm;s City Council or in Rahm's hand-picked Board of Education, it seems downright revolutionary. Or to quote Rahm, "a threat to public health and safety."

Best headline in the S-T today: Judge punts on forcing teachers back; no school likely Tuesday. Makes you 

This Week In Education: Thompson: Thin-Skinned Response From Gates

This Week In Education: Thompson: Thin-Skinned Response From Gates:

Thompson: Thin-Skinned Response From Gates

by john thompson

During the Anthony Cody's five-part exchange with the Gates Foundation atLiving in Dialogue, Cody presented a series of closely argued positions on school reform, while the foundation's representatives responded with sound bites.
Even so,  I was flabbergasted by the response in Impatient Optimistsby Irving Scott and Stacey Childress to Cody’s last post.  So, I reread their "The Role of the Marketplace in Education," and Cody’s post to see what I missed that made the foundation’s representatives so angry.   They seemed livid about his words regarding the Shared Learning Collaborative (SLC) and a contract involving the Wireless Generation.
I do not know enough to comment on their disagreement with Cody, so for all I know, they might have a point on 

Commit To Everything And All Things At Once (Or Rebel) [Future of Teaching] | The Jose Vilson

Commit To Everything And All Things At Once (Or Rebel) [Future of Teaching] | The Jose Vilson:

Commit To Everything And All Things At Once (Or Rebel) [Future of Teaching]

by Jose

Balloon’s Emotions

An excerpt from my latest:

It might be the best description of the first week of faculty meetings for schools nationwide. The Common Core State Standards (and multiple intelligences, the workshop model, and the host of other initiatives I’ve seen) have brought along their own set of pseudo-experts coming in to tell teachers what to teach, how to teach, and, inevitably why.
The last one is particularly insulting because I’d wager most educators know why they’re in their profession, but one of the first rallying speeches always alludes to a talking point used by another expert out there. “We have failed our kids …” and “We keep doing kids a disservice for as long as we have …” doesn’t inspire, much to the dismay of people from the outside. If anything, it 

Jersey Jazzman: Let's Tax Rhee's Dream Team

Jersey Jazzman: Let's Tax Rhee's Dream Team:

Let's Tax Rhee's Dream Team

by Duke

Michele Rhee's motto: If you're going to improve schools, get together a bunch of people who know nothing about how they are run.

At long last, the education advocacy group begun by former D.C. Chancellor Michelle Rhee has named a new, permanent board of directors.

In addition to Rhee herself, the board members include:

• comedian and school choice advocate Bill Cosby; 
• decorated television journalist Connie Chung;
• Jennifer Johnson, an executive vice president and CEO for Franklin Resources, an investment-management organization; 
• former New York City schools chancellor Joel Klein, now the CEO of News Corporation's Education Division; 

Occupy Wall Street? or Work There? « Deborah Meier on Education

Occupy Wall Street? or Work There? « Deborah Meier on Education:

Occupy Wall Street? or Work There?

by debmeier

Isn’t it amazing–the members of an organization devoted to small government, low taxes, etc etc would rather work on Wall Street for a lot of money rather than work with OCCUPY as a volunteer? Amazingly, more than a fourth opted for OCCUPY!! Inside moles? A new bizarre front group for Wl Street pops up every day.

From: Matthew Faraci
Subject: Occupy Wall Street? Millennials would rather work there
Occupy Wall Street? Millennials would rather work there

Contact: Matthew Faraci (202) 997-1636 | Email FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 17, 2012 Contact: David Pasch (202) 230-7947 | Email Nearly Twice as Many Young Adults Say They Would Rather Work on Wall Street Than Protest Against It76 percent say the lack of job opportunities is shrinking the middle class, as young adult unemployment remains at 12.7 percent Washington, DC – (9/17/12) – Generation Opportunity, the largest non-profit, non-partisan organization in the United States engaging and mobilizing young Americans (18-29 years old) on the important economic issues facing the nation, released new polling data today on Millennials on the one-year anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Since its launch in June of 2011, Generation Opportunity has amassed a following of over 4 million fans on Facebook and is actively organizing Millennials across the country through grassroots tactics, voter registration, and voter turnout efforts. Generation Opportunity operates on a strategy that combines advanced social media tactics with proven field tactics to reach Americans 18-29. The organization’s social media platforms – “Being American by GO,” “The Constitution by GO,” “Gas Prices Are Too Damn High,” “Lower Taxes by GO,” “Keep Texas Awesome,” “Jersey Proud,” and “We Like Small Government” on Facebook – have amassed a total fan base of more than 4 million. The pages post links to relevant articles and reports from sources ranging from the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO), to The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Brookings Institution, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, and The Heritage Foundation. Read about Generation Opportunity here; visit “Being American by GO” on Facebook here, “The Constitution by GO” on Facebook here, “Gas Prices Are Too Damn High” on Facebook here, “Lower Taxes by GO” on Facebook here, “Keep Texas Awesome” on Facebook here, “Jersey Proud” on Facebook here, and “We Like Small Government” on Facebook here. For our Spanish-language page – Generación Oportunidad – click here. # # #

If you would rather not receive future communications from Generation Opportunity, let us know by clicking here.
Generation Opportunity, 2020 North 14th Street Suite 660, Arlington, VA 22201 United States

Educators oppose test score-based teacher evaluation Parents United for Responsible Education

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Educators oppose test score-based teacher evaluation:

Educators oppose test score-based teacher evaluation

by admin

9/17/12

Media Release:
For Immediate Distribution

Contact information:
Isabel Nunez, Professor, Concordia University Chicago,
isabel.nunez@cuchicago.edu, 708-209-3518
Erica Meiners, Professor, Northeastern Illinois University,
e-meiners@neiu.edu, 773-816-6561

Chicago, IL.  As the Chicago Teachers Union begins the second week of
their strike, some political leaders and media commentators are quick to
blame teachers for resisting a system for evaluating teachers that other
states and school districts across the country have already adopted.
But the research is clear: student test scores and “value added measures”
are neither valid nor reliable for evaluating teachers.  Half a year ago, a
network of 88 education professors from 16 universities in the Chicago
area, called CReATE (Chicagoland Researchers and Advocates for
Transformative Education), issued (an) open letter, explaining
why this evaluation system is neither research-based nor beneficial to our
city’s children.  CReATE is re-releasing this open letter, and urges
public debate, policy decisions, and contract negotiations to draw on
such research expertise.

Jersey Jazzman: Merit Pay Fairy Sighted in Newark!

Jersey Jazzman: Merit Pay Fairy Sighted in Newark!:

Merit Pay Fairy Sighted in Newark!

by Duke

The Merit Pay Fairy has landed in Jersey!

New Jersey and the Newark Teachers Union are negotiating a form of merit pay in the state-run district that would block poorly rated teachers from receiving automatic annual salary bumps that are now based solely on years of experience, union officials said.

Only teachers evaluated as "effective" or "highly effective" on a new four-tier scale would be eligible for pay increases that are now tied to how many years they have worked, union President Joe Del Grosso said. Teachers rated "partially effective" and 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Our hipster alderman

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Our hipster alderman:

Our hipster alderman

by Mike Klonsky

"All labor has dignity"

Just got this missive from CTU's Kenzo Shibata:


Good morning,

Chicago Teachers Union Delegates voted to extend the strike until Tuesday, giving members time to review the tentative agreement before voting on it.

Chicago is the city of the parking meter deal where aldermen voted to privatize parking meters before reading the 

Chicago Teachers Union leader Karen Lewis pushed back — and won - NY Daily News

Chicago Teachers Union leader Karen Lewis pushed back — and won  - NY Daily News:

Chicago Teachers Union leader Karen Lewis pushed back — and won 

Feisty firebrand has emerged as new champion for millions of public school teachers

Comments (2)

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Chicago Teachers Union head Karen Lewis has emerged as the new champion for millions of frustrated public school teachers.

Karen Lewis, who last week led 29,000 Chicago teachers on a school strike heard across the nation, has suddenly emerged as the new champion for millions of frustrated public school teachers.

Many of those teachers are sick and tired of being made into scapegoats by politicians and corporate honchos who never spent a single day in front of a classroom.

They are fed up with overcrowded classrooms in rundown buildings, with bureaucrats who keep

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/chicago-teachers-union-leader-karen-lewis-pushed-back-won-article-1.1161008#ixzz26kR6f0h2

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, September 17, 2012

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Education Headlines

Monday, September 17, 2012

Troubled New Millennium charter school keeps getting second chances

The school had opened in 1999 with the goal of providing a "last chance" for students on the verge of dropping out. Instead, by Fresno Unified's own reckoning, New Millennium was failing to meet the most basic education standards.

Decision on Sweetwater superintendent awaited

It may be more than a week before a clamoring community learns whether Sweetwater Union High School District’s interim Superintendent Edward Brand stays or goes. A decision on the leadership of the district may be made at the regular board meeting Sept. 24, according to Sweetwater spokesman Manuel Rubio.

Energy Education Inc. settlement costs Sacramento school district $700,000-plus

A company that sells an energy savings program to schools will end up costing the Sacramento City Unified district more than $700,000 in a settlement and legal fees stemming from a lawsuit.

Slim chance for teachers strike in L.A., officials say

After a five-day teachers strike in Chicago, Los Angeles Unified and union officials underscore the differences between the districts, though the role of student test scores in evaluations is an issue in both.

Hundreds of LAUSD counselors make home visits in attempt to get truant students back in school

On Friday, attendance counselor Megan Brown joined 760 other counselors and community volunteers during Los Angeles Unified's fourth annual Student Recovery Day. Throughout the morning, they made phone calls and knocked on the doors of thousands of dropouts and chronic truants in a concerted effort to get them back in school.

City, LAUSD agree on solutions to parking crunch near Porter Ranch campus

Los Angeles transportation and school district officials agreed Friday to take immediate steps to solving a parking crunch near the new Porter Ranch Community School while studying long-term solutions to the problem.

Some Sacramento-area school bonds have long-term, pricey payments

Across Sacramento and the state, school districts have issued a flurry of "capital appreciation" bonds to keep construction projects going even as property tax revenue falls. It's a borrow-now/pay-later approach that relies on today's students – and their children – for tomorrow's payments

'Deferred action' program puts strain on L.A. Unified

School district is being inundated with requests for documents by thousands of illegal immigrants seeking to apply for Obama's "deferred action" program.

Matier and Ross: Gov. Brown's tax bid will be final try

Win or lose, Gov. Jerry Brown says his ballot bid to raise the state sales tax for everyone and wealthy people's income taxes will be the last time he pitches such a plan to the voters.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Summerville teachers won’t back Nov. 6 bond

Summerville High School teachers expressed doubt Wednesday about a bond measure being placed on the Nov. 6 ballot to help fund renovations for the school’s facilities.

Galt high school district board approves employee contracts

Classified and certificated employees of the Galt Joint Union High School District will work two fewer days this school year under separate contracts unanimously approved Tuesday by the school board.

New report to analyze loss of teen parenting programs: Eureka City Schools cuts Cal-SAFE program

A new report aimed at analyzing the effects of losing local teen pregnancy programs is in the works following the loss of the Eureka City Schools' teen parenting program this fall.

The in box. CReATE: Value Added Measures (VAM) are neither valid or reliable. « Fred Klonsky

The in box. CReATE: Value Added Measures (VAM) are neither valid or reliable. « Fred Klonsky:

The in box. CReATE: Value Added Measures (VAM) are neither valid or reliable.

by Fred Klonsky

Media Release:
For Immediate Distribution
Contact information:
Isabel Nunez, Professor, Concordia University Chicago,
isabel.nunez@cuchicago.edu, 708-209-3518
Erica Meiners, Professor, Northeastern Illinois University,
e-meiners@neiu.edu, 773-816-6561
Chicago, IL. As the Chicago Teachers Union begins the second week of
their strike, some political leaders and media commentators are quick to

Tony at the Red Line Tap.

by Fred Klonsky

“Hey, Mr. Red Shirt. What’s goin’ on?”
I grabbed a stool. “Marty. Let me have a Lurago Marinone. Man. This retirement deal keeps me busier than when I was working,” I said. “I was over by a school this morning. But no rallies this afternoon. Folks are looking at the deal.”
“Good thing,” says Tony. “Gotta check out those contracts carefully.”
“What do you know about contracts, Tony? Don’t you need to have a job to sign a contract?”
“Point taken. But I go by what my cousin BeBe always said.”
“Your cousin BeBe?”
“Yeh. BeBe. The car salesman. Cousin BeBe always said, ‘You can’t sell a piece a crap to a guy who reads the

The Real News: Chicago teachers strike.

by Fred Klonsky

I’m not a lawyer, but I play one on this report.
Popout

Hip Hop Group Pens Track Praising Striking Chicago Teachers - Education - GOOD

Hip Hop Group Pens Track Praising Striking Chicago Teachers - Education - GOOD:

Hip Hop Group Pens Track Praising Striking Chicago Teachers

Striking Chicago educators have received their share of criticism but political hip hop group Rebel Diaz is giving teachers some lyrical praise in their new track, "Chicago Teacher". The two brothers, Rodrigo "RodStarz" and Gonzalo "G1" Venegas, who make up Rebel Diaz currently run a community arts center in the South Bronx, but grew up on Chicago's North Side and attended the city's public schools. On top of thanking the teachers that taught them reading, writing, and music, they 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: SPS News and Updates

Seattle Schools Community Forum: SPS News and Updates:

SPS News and Updates

by Melissa Westbrook

This story from the Times on Roosevelt's Rueben Van Kempen, drama teacher and director extraordinaire who will be inducted into the Educational Theatre Association's Hall of Fame in San Diego this week.  One interesting item that most don't know - RHS offers the only full-time theater program in SPS with multiple classes.   His legacy (but he's not going anywhere) - this from a student:

"He instilled a belief in me, a belief in following my passions and dreams. Whether I'd gone on to be an engineer or a teacher or anything else, I'd appreciate what he gave me at a really important time."

An accomplished stage director as well as an innovative teacher, Van Kempen has trained and inspired dozens of theater professionals, working from here to Broadway.

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst Names New, High-Profile Board - Teacher Beat - Education Week

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst Names New, High-Profile Board - Teacher Beat - Education Week:

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst Names New, High-Profile Board

by Stephen Sawchuk

At long last, the education advocacy group begun by former D.C. Chancellor Michelle Rhee has named a new, permanent board of directors.
In addition to Rhee herself, the board members include:
• comedian and school choice advocate Bill Cosby;
• decorated television journalist Connie Chung;
• Jennifer Johnson, an executive vice president and CEO for Franklin Resources, an investment-management organization;
• former New York City schools chancellor Joel Klein, now the CEO of News Corporation's Education Division;
• Roland Martin, a syndicated journalist, columnist, and CNN analyst;
• Jalen Rose, an ESPN/ABC analyst, philanthropist, and former pro basketball player who helped to found a charter school in Detroit;
• Blair Taylor, the chief community officer

The 9th problem with the Common Core standards - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

The 9th problem with the Common Core standards - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

The 9th problem with the Common Core standards

By Valerie Strauss

The previous post, in support of the Common Core State Standards, is a response to an August piece by veteran educator Marion Brady that was highly critical of the standards initiative. Here Brady takes another wack at the standards.

By Marion Brady

On August 15, the Washington Post’s “The Answer Sheet” ran a column by me titled “Eight Problems with the Common Core Standards.”

Marc Tucker, long-time major player in the current test-based education reform effort, in an Education Week “Top Performers” blog, took me to 

Missouri Education Watchdog: Funding Concerns May Be Forcing a Scaled Down Version of the Common Core Assessment

Missouri Education Watchdog: Funding Concerns May Be Forcing a Scaled Down Version of the Common Core Assessment:

Funding Concerns May Be Forcing a Scaled Down Version of the Common Core Assessment

by Anngie

We reported that the State Chief Education Officers were concerned about continued funding for Common Core Assessments at their recent meeting in St. Louis.  We just learned from Ed Week, in a portion of the conference not open to the public, that the consortia was discussing the possibility of having two versions of the Common Core Tests: the planned long version and now a short (and less expensive) version.

The pivot came in response to some states’ resistance to spending more time and money on 

What Would You Do for Students in Poverty if you had Billions? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

What Would You Do for Students in Poverty if you had Billions? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

What Would You Do for Students in Poverty if you had Billions?

by Anthony Cody

Follow me on Twitter at @AnthonyCody
Though our dialogue with the Gates Foundation has ended, some interesting questions continue to stir things up. In the comments that follow the Gates Foundation's last post in the series, a reader named JT posed this question:

You might be right, but if you were giving away your money, how would you fix poverty? I would invest in education. What are the alternatives? We have deep divides in our society about the role of individual responsibilities and government which have been going on basically forever. To think a family foundation should focus its resources there is not practical.

An educator named Karen Packard provided a wonderful answer. With her permission I am sharing it here:
If I had Bill Gates' money, I would start with one of the inner city elementary schools in a high poverty neighborhood that it's district has failed to maintain, but one where it's teachers and principal have a heart for