FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, January 14, 2013

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Fensterwald: California drops to 49th in school spending in annual Ed Week report

Education Headlines

Monday, January 14, 2013

School administrators being 'hyper-vigilant' after Taft shooting

One is erecting extra fences to control access to schools. Another is rethinking what kinds of locks to put on classroom doors. They're all reviewing and emphasizing the importance of safety procedures.

Kern teacher pay up, but below state average

Kern County teachers earned less than the average salary for their profession statewide last year, but average pay here rose even as statewide teacher salaries fell slightly, according to new data from the California Department of Education.

Q&A: El Dorado schools chief stepping down but staying busy

Vicki Barber is ending her reign June 30 as the El Dorado County schools chief after nearly 20 years in the role. She announced her retirement Tuesday. Barber, 61, was elected five consecutive times to the top education post at the Office of Education.

Tam high school district failed to file required disclosure of salary costs

The Tamalpais Union High School District failed to publicly lay out the costs of a pay hike for teachers before the raise was approved as required by state law, an official from the Marin County Office of Education confirmed Friday. However, the lapse appeared to be a technical oversight that did not trigger any alarm bells.

Novato district offers new option for autistic students

Marin schools offer a wide variety of special education options, but the Lynwood classroom, which began in the fall, is the only one run by a Marin school district exclusively for autistic students.

Modesto schools address discipline enforcement

Modesto City Schools is paying the price for kicking too many special-education kids out of school for discipline problems. But the district decided to tackle suspensions and expulsions districtwide, working to bring consistency to a hodgepodge of services and uneven enforcement.

LAUSD's Tamar Galatzan, UTLA chief Warren Fletcher look at reforming system for investigating teachers

A year after the Miramonte sex-abuse scandal sparked a flood of teacher misconduct complaints, a Los Angeles Unified board member and the teachers' union president have launched separate efforts to devise a more efficient system for investigating allegations.

Longer school year, shorter summer vacation -- and plenty of detractors

Did your kids moan that winter break was way too short as you got them ready for the first day back in school? They might get their wish of more holiday time off under proposals catching on around the country to lengthen the school year. But there's a catch: a much shorter summer vacation.

Coalition of civil rights advocates recommends against more armed officers at schools

A coalition of civil rights organizations, law enforcement and education officials are cautioning the White House against supporting proposals to put untrained armed guards or more police in schools.

School shooting victim expected to recover

Officials try to determine a motive, with the Kern County sheriff saying the assailant believed that the two students he targeted had bullied him.

Hempel: Foster youth to benefit from broader access to school records

The Uninterrupted Scholars Act, which sits on President Obama’s desk awaiting signature, marks another important step on the longer road to increased educational opportunity for students in foster care. The act will amend the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to ease child welfare agencies’ access to foster children’s student records

California law keeps Communist Party members from teaching

California's schools are, in many cases, a child's first exposure to people different than their family members. They might speak different languages, look different or believe in different things. But legally, there's one thing their teachers cannot be: Communists.

Fensterwald: California drops to 49th in school spending in annual Ed Week report

California tumbled two more spots, to 49th in the nation in per-pupil spending, in Education Week’s latest annual Quality Counts report, released last week.

To lock classroom doors or not?

After the Newtown and Taft shootings, educators in Los Angeles debate whether teacher transparency or school security is paramount.

Oxnard Union school district picked by state for program to link academics with business sector

Oxnard Union High School District has been picked to participate in a new state program that aims to prepare high school students with the skills they will need to succeed in careers and in college.

Friday, January 11, 2013

Taft student in critical condition following campus shooting; teen suspect held

The suspected shooter, a 16-year-old boy who law enforcement has not named, is in custody. The victim, who authorities also declined to identify, was in critical but stable condition Thursday afternoon after being airlifted to Kern Medical Center and undergoing surgery.

Taft teacher and campus supervisor hailed as heroes

Sheriff Donny Youngblood says the mens' actions likely saved many lives.

In Taft, a day of "pure tragedy"

Parents flocked to the campus but were kept at a distance; it took anxious hours for all the kids to be released to their families.

Taft Union High in social media

The Thursday morning shooting at Taft Union High School moved quickly through the world of social media and was among the top 10 trending topics on Twitter within hours of the news breaking.

Modern School: Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi—Father of Modern Education

Modern School: Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi—Father of Modern Education:

Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi—Father of Modern Education

by Michael Dunn

Pestalozzi by Francesco Ramos (late 18th-early 19th century, Prado) {{PD-US}}

Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (January 12, 1746—February 17, 1827) was a Swiss pedagogue and education reformer who believed that every individual had the ability to learn and the right to an education. He was also a strong believer in personal liberty and an advocate for the poor. Many of the principles of modern pedagogy have their roots in Pestalozzi’s philosophy and practice, including the ideas of student-centered, inquiry-based learning; a focus on the child’s interests and needs; cooperation and communication between the teacher and the parents; 

Declining Birthrates, Improving Odds for College Admission

by Michael Dunn

"Give-Us-Ed-Jew-K-Shun" (Image from Flickr, by Anelieke B)

Over the last decade, competition for college admission has been intense due to increasing numbers of high school graduates, a number that peaked at 3.4 million in 2012-2011, according to the Los Angeles Times. However, over the next decade, competition is expected to drop, as the number of high school graduates will decline due to lower birthrates and immigration. For the 2013-2014 school year, it is estimated there will be 3.21 million high 

Joy Resmovits: Nevada Gov. Seeks Merit Pay, Wyoming Drama: Ed Today

Joy Resmovits: Nevada Gov. Seeks Merit Pay, Wyoming Drama: Ed Today:

Nevada Gov. Seeks Merit Pay, Wyoming Drama: Ed Today

by Joy Resmovits

Ed Reform In Nevada? Gov. Brian Sandoval is putting the final touches on his Wednesday State of the State speech, and according to the Las Vegas Review Journal, education will factor high. Merit pay -- a plan in which teachers are paid partially in accordance with their students' test scores -- is looking good to him. "There is money in the budget to ensure we have a fair system by which we're going to measure the performance of teachers," Sandoval said. "Education will be a big priority for me, and you're going to hear a lot about it in the State of the State. K-12 as well as higher ed." (It should be noted that merit pay hasn't been found to work most anywhere -- except in special cases).

What About Some Other Governors? Over in Missouri, it's looking like Gov. Jay Nixon might press for more preschool money and a longer school year.

Captain Obvious Meets Florida? Today, former Indiana schools chief Tony Bennett is bringing his basketball coaching mojo to Florida, where he will occupy the same post. So the Associated Press is reporting that in Florida, Bennett will be following in former Gov. Jeb Bush's footsteps with similar education policy. That means a test-based agenda that favors charter schools and vouchers, eschews social promotion, and leans on teachers 

Time for Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee to probe test tampering - Class Struggle - The Washington Post

Time for Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee to probe test tampering - Class Struggle - The Washington Post:

Time for Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee to probe test tampering

By Jay Mathews

Why do I still have hopes for Michelle Rhee, the leading symbol of education reform in America? It’s because of a call from her two years ago telling me she had said something stupid.

In March 2011, USA Today reported startling numbers of wrong-to-right erasures on the annual D.C. Comprehensive Assessment System tests in the three years Rhee served as D.C. schools chancellor. The evidence suggested educators had tampered with the answer sheets to inflate student proficiency rates, a crucial measure of school success
Former D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee. (Gary Landsman)under Rhee.

On the Tavis Smiley talk show that day, Rhee said the story meant “the enemies of school reform once again are trying to argue . . . there is no way test scores could have improved . . . unless someone cheated.” My cell phone rang at 7:30 a.m. two days later. “What I said was stupid,” Rhee 

Revisiting Michelle Rhee

Posted by Mike DeBonis on January 14, 2013 at 8:00 am

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Michelle Rhee, right, handed a complicated legacy to successor Kaya Henderson. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

More than two years after Michelle Rhee left the helm of the D.C. Public Schools, D.C. just can’t stop talking about her. But then again, neither can the rest of the country. With a new memoir and a PBS documentary resparking the old debates, the Post’s Lyndsey Layton looks at how Rhee “transformed herself into an education celebrity, the likes of which the country hasn’t seen before” — using DCPS as a steppingstone to national prominence. 

Morning UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-14-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

A Disillusioned Ex-Parent at Rocketship

by dianerav

A comment from a reader:
It is alarming that Rocketship can be allowed to grow as it is – they just received city approval for a contested area of public land in San Jose for another campus while they already have 7 running. Rocketship’s strag
Rocketship says parents have a quota for volunteer hours – 30 per year to be exact. The most recent “volunteer” opportunity afforded to me was that I would get 5 hours for EVERY adult I brought with me to this event – that’s why there is always a sea of purple where ever Rocketship tries to “make a stand” at the expense of the public. If public school teachers all had this kind of parent engagement in the children’s actual learning and not the school’s political demonstrations, the children would be much better served. I believe the elected/appointed 

(title unknown)

by dianerav

Michelle Rhee was interviewed by “The City Paper” in Nashville.
The story describes her thus: “A Tennessee transplant, she is turning her attention to schools in her new state.” It also refers to the “roots” she is “setting” in Nashville. Apparently, she never told the reporter that she lives in Sacramento, not Nashville. She describes herself as a “public school parent” because one of her daughters attends public school in Nashville. But she did not acknowledge that her older daughter goes to an excellent private school, Harpeth Hall School (“Nashville, TN’s only independent, college-preparatory school for girls, grades 5-12”).
One can hardly blame her for choosing Harpeth Hall. It has an 8:1 student/teacher ratio, with a median class size of 13. Class sizes in public schools in Nashville and other cities are much, much larger.
I bet that Harpeth Hall does not give standardized tests and does not evaluate teachers based on their students’ 

A Good Explanation of VAM for Non-Experts

by dianerav

Mercedes Schneider prepared a paper explaining value-added modeling, now widely promoted for evaluating teachers. She wrote it for legislators in Louisiana, who have been passing laws mandating VAM without understanding how inaccurate it is. This paper could be used to brief legislators in every state. Also policymakers at your State Education Department, also the U.S. Department of Education.
She introduces the paper as follows:
“Dear Lousiana Senators:
I have written a paper explaining value added modeling (VAM) issues based upon an examination of the Noell 

Mississippi Newspaper: Let’s Focus on Good Schools for All Children

 

by dianerav

A good friend in Meridian, Mississippi, tweeted this article to me and he said, “Thank God for the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.” To which I add: “Amen!”
Well, you won’t read this in the editorial columns of the New York Times or the Washington Post or the Los Angeles Times or the Chicago Tribune, or any other of our major newspapers.
But you can read it here in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.
The newspaper surveyed the usual proposals to “help kids escape” from low-rated public schools: charters, tax 

Who Will Hold Charters Accountable in California?

by dianerav

Recently, I wrote a post about Steve Zimmer, a member of the board of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Zimmer proposed that the board develop a policy to hold charters accountable.
He was picketed and jeered by charter advocates, who rejected any demands for oversight. The charter lobby is supporting someone to run against Zimmer in the March elections.
Zimmer acted responsibly. Los Angeles now has more students in charters than any other district (over 100,000), and California now has more charters than any other state.
Even the national and state charter associations claim they want more accountability and more weeding out of 

Do Affluent White Neighborhoods Need Charter Schools?

by dianerav

Jason Stanford lives in Austin, Texas, where he writes frequently about school issues. Here he gives us thelatest in the school choice saga in Texas.
Texas is crazy for school choice. The state legislature is about to take up the question of vouchers, and the state board of education has approved many charters. The new state commissioner of education Michael Williams previously ran the State Railroad Commission, which regulates the energy industry (lightly), and he is a fan of school choice.
Now the state board has approved a charter called Great Hills Academies for an affluent white neighborhood in San Antonio. Now there will be a charter for white kids, and other charters for black and brown kids. That is the 

The Hidden Charter Scandal in D.C.

by dianerav

Retired teacher Erich Martel wrote the following letter to the Washington Post in response to its article about thesky-high expulsion rates of charter schools:

DC Charter High Schools Quietly Transfer Far More Students Than They Expel

The District’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education enrollment audits and the D.C. Comprehensive Assessment System reports and graduation reports show that charter high schools take advantage of their freedom from responsibility for educating challenging students by quietly transferring many more students than they expel. This may also help explain why charter lobbyists are opposed to charters becoming neighborhood schools [Mark Schneider and Robert Cane, “Why charters shouldn’t be ‘neighborhood schools,’ ” Local Opinions, 

Louisiana Educator: Don’t Believe the Hype!

by dianerav

Mike Deshotels is a veteran educator in Louisiana. He writes one of the best education blogs in the state.
Knowing what is happening on the ground, Mike is astounded that Michelle Rhee named Louisiana as a leader of education reform. he says it is all a great sham. He is puzzled that no one in the national press corps has investigated the facts about the state’s Recovery School District.
How could the press allow Governor Jindal to get away with his phony claims?
Writes Deshotels:
“There is only one problem with the Louisiana Recovery District model. It does not work! In fact when Louisiana 

Diane in the Evening 1-13-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 minutes ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: Breaking News: Astonishing Exchange about PBS on Rhee by dianerav This is a remarkable exchange of correspondence about the PBS program “The Education of Michelle Rhee.” Many readers on this blog thought the documentary was too favorable towards Rhee, recycling a lot of old footage in which she is shown as a courageous upstart who did it all “for the kids.” They thought it provided far too rosy a portrait of a woman who provided lessons in how NOT to be a leader, not only because she used pressure tactics to demand higher scores, but because she repeatedl... more »

Education Reform Carrion birds circling Windham – Where are Windham’s elected leaders? - Wait, What?

Education Reform Carrion birds circling Windham – Where are Windham’s elected leaders? - Wait, What?:

Education Reform Carrion birds circling Windham – Where are Windham’s elected leaders?

by jonpelto

If Windham’s State Senator, State Representative and other elected officials don’t move quickly to intervene, Windham, Connecticut is on-track to become to the first Connecticut community in which local elected official and parents lose complete control of their community’s public education system.

In addition to the steps already taken by the State Department of Education and its “Special Master, plans and proposals are quickly moving forward that would effectively undermine or destroy a public school system that provides public education services to about 3,500 Connecticut students.

While state and local taxpayers would still be on the hook for paying the costs to educate Windham’s students, Windham’s parents and voters would be shoved aside to make room for the education reform advocates who

California drops to 49th in school spending in annual Ed Week report | EdSource Today

California drops to 49th in school spending in annual Ed Week report | EdSource Today:

California drops to 49th in school spending in annual Ed Week report

January 14th, 2013 | Add a Comment | 
By John Fensterwald

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California tumbled two more spots, to 49th in the nation in per-pupil spending, in Education Week’s latest annual Quality Counts report, released last week. The ranking covers spending in 2010 and thus doesn’t include the impact of higher taxes that voters approved in passing Proposition 30 in November.

California remains near the bottom nationwide in per-student spending. Source: Quality Counts 2013. (Click to enlarge)

California’s per-student spending of $8,482 was $3,342 – 28 percent – below the national average of $11,824. Only Nevada ($8,419) and Utah ($7,042) spent less. Another Western state, Wyoming – $18,814 per student – led the nation in spending. The gap between California and the nation grew $344 per student in 2010, as California’s per-student spending dropped $185 from the year before as a result of a massive state budget deficit, while spending nationally grew $159. Last year, California ranked 47th out of 51; two years ago, before the impact of the recession, it was 43rd.

Education Week’s often-cited annual ranking factors in regional costs of living. (There are also significant regional cost disparities within California.) By comparison, 

EdWatch 2013: Accountability, accreditation test community colleges - by Kathryn Baron

by Kathryn Baron

California community colleges did something counterintuitive last year, and that may put them in a strong position to rebound in 2013 with help from Proposition 30 and increased state revenues. Even as the 112-college system was getting hit with an $809 million budget cut in recent years, it was developing and slowly rolling out a comprehensive reform plan. Now, with Gov. Brown proposing to...

SI&A Cabinet Report – Uncertain ground complicates accountability remodel

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources:

Uncertain ground complicates accountability remodel
By Kimberly Beltran

Two years ago, California adopted common core standards altering the academic curriculum structure for what students should learn and when they should learn it. Last week, state schools chief Tom Torlakson offered a sweeping new plan for assessing students based on the common core.

And now focus turns to performing a similar makeover for how schools will be evaluated in the future using a system that reduces the influence of test scores to include new and nuanced criteria, such as graduation rates and proof that students are adequately prepared for college and career.

“The real work is going to be around assessing whether the data [for the new indicators] will be valid, measureable and reliable,” said Ting Sun, co-chair of a committee advising Torlakson and the California State Board of Education on revisions to the state’s school accountability system – the Academic Performance Index.

“A challenge we are addressing to indicate college and career preparedness is looking at skills such as critical thinking and creativity,” said Sun, who is also executive director of the Natomas Charter School. “These are more difficult to measure but we know that these are the skills that are needed for students to be more successful in life – no matter what job or career path they choose.”

Recognizing that large numbers of California students were graduating unprepared to enter the workforce or in need of 

Ed Notes Online: Weingarten and Sharpton, Perfect Together

Ed Notes Online: Weingarten and Sharpton, Perfect Together:

Weingarten and Sharpton, Perfect Together

by ed notes online

Joining him will be Randi Weingarten; Lee Sanders, President of AFCEME; Arlene Holt Baker, of the AFL-CIO and "many more". So here's a supporter of union busting charters being supported by unions. You really can't make this stuff up.

Would MLK support the charter school movement as it creates a dual school system of educational apartheid? And the UFT gave Sharpton 50 Grand (does anyone really think that means social justice unionism?). So whose side are they really on?

This came from a contact in Philadelphia

Norm: Thought you might want to know that the "special guest speaker" at this year's MLK 

Tips from the Trenches: School Safety — Whole Child Education

Tips from the Trenches: School Safety — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

Tips from the Trenches: School Safety

January 10, 2013 by Stephen Sroka

During the last few months, I have had the chance to talk with several speakers who strongly affected their audiences. I started to think about the remarkable leaders with whom I have worked over the years and how they have made huge differences with their incredible wisdom, insights, and actions. I contacted some of them and asked them to comment on working in education in these difficult times. I asked them to share some take-away messages, so that, if they were speaking, what would they want their audience to remember?

School safety was a front page story following the tragic shooting deaths of 28 people, including 20 children, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Students need a safe school to learn. Most of these "Tips from the Trenches" regarding school safety were written before the Connecticut shootings.

Joseph Bergant II, superintendent of Chardon Schools in Ohio, where in February 2012 a 17-year-old student opened fire in the high school cafeteria, killing three and wounding three others:

• "Be prepared and practice school safety plans. You never know when you may need them."
• "Cell phones were effective in dealing

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

by Mike Klonsky

English teacher Kit McCormick, left, discusses Garfield High School teachers' decision to refuse to give the MAP test to their students (Seattle Times)

Garfield H.S. teachers 

We are not troublemakers nor do we want to impede the high functioning of our school. We are professionals who care deeply about our students and cannot continue to participate in a practice that harms our school and our students. -- Petition

Nancy Carlsson-Paige

"I have decided that because of your collaboration with TFA, it would not be wise for me or for Matt [Damon] to be nominated for the Friend of Education Award. I regret this turn of events." -- Letter to NEA Pres. Dennis Van Roekel. 

Barbara Byrd-Bennett

“We recognize the need for