Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Wait, what? I thought "we are one."

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Wait, what? I thought "we are one.":

Wait, what? I thought "we are one."

by Mike Klonsky

We Are One Coalition leaders make their case at Wednesday's press conference

A coalition of public employee unions Wednesday blasted legislation to address the state's underfunded worker pension systems and offered instead to make increased contributions — if the state guarantees its share of retirement payments and raises $2 billion by ending corporate tax benefits and imposing new taxes. -- Chicago Tribune

I'm sorry, but I don't remember giving these guys the authority to negotiate away any part of my meager, but constitutionally protected retirement money. In fact, I can't recall any of us retirees ever being asked to be part of

R.I.P. CATHY ARCHIBALD

by Mike Klonsky

Memorial Gathering for

Our sister, friend, mentor and comrade

Cathy Archibald

Sunday, December 23^rd

4 pm to 9 pm

2716 W Division St. Chicago Illinois, 60622

Adalberto United Methodist Church

Friends are invited to share memories and to share in prayer from 4 to 8 with this wonderful person who challenged so many of us to be better, who opened her heart to so many young people and children and who never turned down an assignment in the struggle for over 55 years.

There will be a closing ceremony at 8:15 pm.

Donations to cover her funeral costs should be made to:

 Adalberto United Methodist Church and sent to:

 2716 W Division St., Chicago, Illinois, 60622

“COME SEE ABOUT CATHY, BECAUSE SHE CAME TO SEE ABOUT YOU !”

Who will represent District 7 on the Oakland school board? James Harris — for now. - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

Who will represent District 7 on the Oakland school board? James Harris — for now. - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools:

Who will represent District 7 on the Oakland school board? James Harris — for now.

By Katy Murphy
Wednesday, December 19th, 2012 at 4:42 pm in Uncategorized.

On Jan. 7, James Harris is sworn in as the new representative for OUSD’s District 7 seat.

But just two weeks later, he goes back to court, where a judge might declare him ineligible to serve on the board because of where he lives (in Oakland City Council District 7, but in the San Leandro school district) — and the seat, vacant.

Judge Evelio Grillo initially sided with Harris and against Alice Spearman, whom he beat handily on Election Day. But at a hearing today, Grillo raised more questions — and set another court date for Jan. 23.

Spearman says she’s confident that not only will she prevail in court, but that she’ll get her seat back, either through appointment or a special election.

Jersey Jazzman: Reprehensiblity

Jersey Jazzman: Reprehensiblity

Reprehensiblity

by Duke

How dare Diane Ravitch and Karen Lewis stand up for teachers after what happened in Newtown! How dare they point out the obvious fact that these educators were career teachers and union members! It's reprehensible! Clearly, it's wrong to stand up for those who work in schools after six of their own were killed in an act of senseless violence!

Because it's not like there's been a systemic assault on teachers and their unions over the last few years, right? [all emphases mine]

Dannel Malloy:

"And to earn that tenure -- that job security -- in today's system basically the only thing you have 

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Why is Advance Illinois still running corporate reform?

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Why is Advance Illinois still running corporate reform?:

Why is Advance Illinois still running corporate reform?

by Mike Klonsky

Daley

Bill Daley, writing in Crain's on behalf of his powerful Advance Illinois corporate reform pals, bemoans the state's flat test score performance and lack of college readiness.

The single most reliable indicator of long-term success is whether a child can read proficiently by third or fourth grade. Just 33 percent of all Illinois students, 12 percent of African-American, 18 percent of 

The Beach Boys - Don't Worry Baby (HQ Audio)

All Things Education: Sandy Hook: Celebrating Lives in the Midst of Death

All Things Education: Sandy Hook: Celebrating Lives in the Midst of Death:

Sandy Hook: Celebrating Lives in the Midst of Death

by Rachel Levy

Dawn Hochsprung@DHochsprung

Sandy Hook students enjoy the rehearsal for our 4th grade winter concert - a talented group led by Maryrose Kristopik!pic.twitter.com/EEN0afV7

As my husband and I were reading about and processing the news from Newtown, Connecticut my husband pointed me to Dawn Hochsprung’s twitter feed. “People should read that,” he said. I kind of shrugged. I am quite an active user but after reading this 2011 New York Times article I have mixed feelings about social media and what happens with it when we die. Even though twitter feeds are (mostly) public, I feel as if I am vaguely invading someone’s privacy when I look at the feeds of the living, let alone the deceased. But still, I looked.

This was the tweet that really got to me:

Sandy Hook students enjoy the rehearsal for our 4th grade winter concert - a talented group led by 

The in box. Glen Brown responds to my comments on the White Paper. « Fred Klonsky

The in box. Glen Brown responds to my comments on the White Paper. « Fred Klonsky:

The in box. Glen Brown responds to my comments on the White Paper.

by Fred Klonsky

A brief response:
An “Ironclad guarantee that the state will fulfill its funding responsibilities”: since Illinois Democrats want to shift the state’s payment for the pension systems to school districts and universities, besides reforming the “pension ramp,” I believe that a graduated income tax is the most important proposal to consider for raising revenue in Illinois.
“A Well-Designed Graduated Income Tax Rate Structure Could Reduce Taxes for 94 Percent of Illinois Taxpayers and Raise at Least $2.4 Billion more in Revenue than the Current Five Percent Flat Tax.
“If Illinois passed a constitutional amendment permitting the creation of a graduated income tax 

Final Project 2.0 « Teaching Between the Lines

Final Project 2.0 « Teaching Between the Lines:

Final Project 2.0

by Laura

Our junior high semester ends with three days of finals: two classes per day, two hours for each class.  I could easily create a semester final exam that would take my students two hours to complete, but I’m not sure that would be the best use of our time (nor am I convinced that junior high students should be taking two-hour finals).  So each year I look for effective ways to fill that two-hour block of time, allowing students to demonstrate their knowledge in a variety of ways, providing time for breaks and collaboration.
This year’s two-hour block of time?  Best. Final. Ever.
When my students walked into the classroom, they found the desks arranged in groups of four, with a laptop on each desk.  They located their seats by checking a list of teams that I had projected onto the whiteboard. Once they were settled, I distributed a page of directions, and they were off and running.
PopoutThe designated team leaders were given directions to create a new presentation in their Google Drive, and then 

Getting Back to the Top | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Getting Back to the Top | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:

Getting Back to the Top

by obriena

We often hear that the United States has dropped to 16^th in the world when it comes to the percentage of adults who earn college degrees – it is a talking point used consistently by both U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and President Obama. And the Administration is calling for us to regain the lead in this arena, for the good of the nation.
But is the situation really so simple? As with so many education claims, do we do ourselves a disservice when we accept these statements and goals at face value? In a recent report, Getting Back on Top: An International Comparison of College Attainment, Where the U.S. Stands, the National School Boards Association's Center for Public Education unpacked the data behind these talking points. And some of their findings were a bit surprising.
It turns out that the United States ranks second in the world – behind only Norway – when it comes to the percentage of adults age 25-64 with a bachelor's degree or better (32%). However, we rank 18^th in the world in the percentage of adults with a two-year degree (10%). Without differentiating between the two, we rank 5^th in the world among the percentage of adults with degrees, at
read more

Jersey Jazzman: Marooned In a Blizzard of Lies

Jersey Jazzman: Marooned In a Blizzard of Lies:

Marooned In a Blizzard of Lies

by Duke

Once, again, I sense a pattern:

Gary Rubinstein takes on the claims of Wendy Kopp [all emphases mine unless noted]:   

So it was with great surprise that I read an interview with Wendy in The Huffington Post where she said “On average, our corps members stay in the classroom for eight years.”  When I first read this, I assumed that she simply misspoke, like when she said in a speech at Harvard that only 3% of alumni are in the private sector, while that number, according to one of my TFA contacts (who is probably deflating the number his/herself) says that Wendy should have said it was 16% with 3% being specifically in business.

But reading over the reaction to this claim and also her responses on Twitter, she is standing by 

Principals oppose efforts to allow them to carry guns in response to Newtown | Get Schooled

Principals oppose efforts to allow them to carry guns in response to Newtown | Get Schooled:

Principals oppose efforts to allow them to carry guns in response to Newtown

by Maureen Downey

A joint statement from the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the National Association of Elementary School Principals on allowing principals and teachers to carry guns in school:

In the aftermath of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, we all feel a desperate need to honor the memories of the victims and take steps to prevent such horror from happening again. In that spirit, many well-meaning policymakers are proposing to allow teachers and principals to carry firearms in school. As the professional organization for our nation’s principals, we strongly oppose such policies.
A principal’s first responsibility is to foster a safe, orderly, warm, and inviting environment. To be 

School Tech Connect: Aiding And Abetting The Crapification of America

School Tech Connect: Aiding And Abetting The Crapification of America:

Aiding And Abetting The Crapification of America

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

Just saw this on Twitter today; it's from March.

I'm really trying to live a local life here. I've pretty much stopped driving, I shop at the local fresh market instead of Jewel or Dominick's -- it costs more but the experience is infinitely better. I recently had to run into a Jewel for something out in Skokie, and it was just a grating, unpleasant environment, comparatively speaking--- and then they hustle you into these do-it-yourself checkout lanes that are a complete and utter pain in the ass, while you still pay the same price for doing all the work at a fraction of the speed a pro can do it at. I'd sooner have a boil implanted then spend time in a Jewel or Dominicks*.

Anyway, read the MoJo piece from up above. It's about the crap jobs at these online order-fulfillment warehouses.  The crapification of America-- it starts at WalMart, grows exponentially as we order everything 

S.3682: A bill to establish and operate a National Center for Campus Public Safety. - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

S.3682: A bill to establish and operate a National Center for Campus Public Safety. - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress:

S.3682 - A bill to establish and operate a National Center for Campus Public Safety.

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NYC Public School Parents: Yes, Virginia, charter school co-locations do indeed cause more overcrowding

NYC Public School Parents: Yes, Virginia, charter school co-locations do indeed cause more overcrowding:

Yes, Virginia, charter school co-locations do indeed cause more overcrowding

by Leonie Haimson

Protesters against a charter co-location credit: Daily News

Today’s report from the NYC Charter Center claims that buildings where charter schools are co-located tend to be less overcrowded than average school buildings.   Our analysis of the Education Impact Statements (EIS’s) of charter co-location proposals considered by thePanel for Educational Policy between December 2010 and March 2012finds that of the 79 charter school co-locations proposed by DOE, 22 of them, or nearly 30 percent, were projected to push the building to 100 percent utilization or more during the following year or soon thereafter.  

Moreover, in 47 of these proposals, or nearly 60 percent, the EIS projected that the charter