Like Spokes to a Hub: Chiefs for Change in Bush’s Service | deutsch29

Like Spokes to a Hub: Chiefs for Change in Bush’s Service | deutsch29:

Like Spokes to a Hub: Chiefs for Change in Bush’s Service

by deutsch29

Jeb Bush has a vision to impose his will nationwide, and he enjoys nothing more than doing so in the arena of educational reform. To this end, Bush used his Foundation for Educational Excellence (FEE) to create the offshoot, reform-exclusive club of Bush-serving state superintendents known as Chiefs for Change.  The “chiefs” are merely spokes revolving around Bush the hub.
Indeed, if the name “Chiefs for Change” could be reduced to a single word, that word would be Bush.  Bush’s FEE created Chiefs for Change, “to rally behind a common agenda,” highlighted in short form on the Chiefs for Change member page:
Chiefs for Change is a program operated by the Foundation for Excellence in Education, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, focused on education reform, state-by-state.
These days, if an organization advertises itself as both nonpartisan and nonprofit, beware: You have stepped into the world of corporate reform, and their agenda is difficult to scrape off of your shoes.  Bush is closely closely connected to a number of ALEC corporations, including both K12 and Connections Academy (now a Pearson 

Shanker Blog » The Ineffective Rating Fetish

Shanker Blog » The Ineffective Rating Fetish:

The Ineffective Rating Fetish

by Matthew Di Carlo

In a story for Education Week, always reliable Stephen Sawchuk reports on what may be a trend in states’ first results from their new teacher evaluation systems: The ratings are skewed toward the top.
For example, the article notes that, in Michigan, Florida and Georgia, a high proportion of teachers (more than 90 percent) received one of the two top ratings (out of four or five). This has led to some grumbling among advocates and others, citing similarities between these results and those of the old systems, in which the vast majority of teachers were rated “satisfactory,” and very few were found to be “unsatisfactory.”
Differentiation is very important in teacher evaluations – it’s kind of the whole point. Thus, it’s a problem when ratings are too heavily concentrated toward one end of the distribution. However, as Aaron Pallas points out, these important conversations about evaluation results sometimes seem less focused on good measurement or even the spread of teachers across categories than on the narrower question of how many teachers end up with the lowest rating – i.e., how many teachers will be fired.
The belief that the road to drastic improvement is paved with teacher dismissals has become something of 

Missouri Education Watchdog: inBloom Student and Teacher Data Mining "Sandbox" Segment

Missouri Education Watchdog: inBloom Student and Teacher Data Mining "Sandbox" Segment:

inBloom Student and Teacher Data Mining "Sandbox" Segment

by stlgretchen

  

inBloom is bringing together states and districts from across the country to improve and align technology systems and teaching resources. There is no reason why each state should have to tackle this challenge alone – together, we have the potential to change the way education works for students on a large scale.

- Gene Wilhoit, CEO of the Center for Innovation in Education and former Executive Director of the Council of Chief State School Officers...from our vision at inBloom

The real reason for Common Core?  It's for the data.  The data will change the way education works for students.  It's easier to track human capital in an educational system that's aligned with other states.  Think inventory tracking and control and you've discovered the ultimate goal of Common Core.  Think about inBloom's vision: personal path, common ground

How can a student have a personal path within a common system?

What does inBloom want to know about your student to provide this personal path within a prescribed 

MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-21-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

Lancaster, Pa, Rejects Charter to Teach Business to K-4

by dianerav

The Lancaster school board unanimously rejected a charter for the Academy of Business and Entrepreneurship Charter School.

The school wanted a charter for K-12 but intended to open only with K-4.

The charter sponsors plan to appeal to a state board, which can overturn the local decision.

Earlier articles noted that this charter is part of the Gulen network, the nation’s largest charter chain, which is 

British Tech Expert: Thumbs Down to Amplify

by dianerav

The Brits have reason to be suspicious of Rupert Murdoch’s entry into the education business. They still have fresh memories of the murdered Millie Dowling, whose cell phone was hacked by Murdoch reporters, as well as the larger hacking scandal, which reached into government and Scotland Yard.
This technology expert explains why he does not like Amplify.

Are You As Smart as a 5th Grader in Virginia?

by dianerav

A teacher in Virginia said this about her state’s standards:
“I teach in Virginia where we do not use Common core. Our standards are actually harder than common core.
“Here is the problem with both: these standards are not developmentally appropriate for children. I am teaching my LD (special ed.) students things like: order of operations (PEMDAS) and prime and composite numbers. I have found very few adults who know what composite numbers are, including West Point and Harvard grads. Do you know what a stem and leaf plot is? Do you know what a compression wave is? Do you know the difference 

Louisiana Proposes Pay for Performance for Gifted Students

by dianerav

State commissioner of Education John White has outdone himself this time.
He puts forward one goofy plan after another, like sending children to schools that teach creationism and calling it “reform.”
But now he has an even nuttier idea: He wants to tie the funding for the state’s gifted high school students to 

Indiana: Who Is Pushing for and against Common Core

by dianerav

Indiana voters booted out State superintendent Tony Bennett because of a strange coalition: Democrats who disliked his all-out assault on teachers and public education, allied with Republicans who disliked his fierce advocacy for the Common Core.
Now the struggle against the Common Core continues in that state, as advocates like the rightwing Stand for Children run an advertising campaign to support the actionable standards, while locals continue to oppose them.

Tennessee Is Abandoning Public Education

by dianerav

A reader in Tennessee comments on the steady advance of privatization in that state, starting with Memphis, then moving to other urban areas. And when the Legislature passes a voucher bill, the stage will be set to decimate public education and leave it as a remnant of what was once known as the portal to opportunity in America. Thanks to Governor Haslam, his compatriots in the Legislature, and Kevin Huffman, one of TFA’s finest products. Doing it “for the kids,” no doubt. Shameful. Shameful.
The reader writes:
“Memphis and actually the entire state of Tennessee is “all in” as it pertains to turning over our schools to private interests for profit. Memphis schools are being systematically dismantled. They are now run by a lawyer.

The Futility of Closing Schools in Chicago

by dianerav

The Chicago Public Schools will close about 50 elementary schools. This is the largest mass closure of public schools in U.S. history. The official announcement will be out imminently.
Approximately 90% of the children who will lose their public school are African American.
Ironically, the decision was made public soon after the release of a report saying that school closings did not 

Raleigh, NC, Editorial Opposes Anti-Teacher Proposal

by dianerav

North Carolina is one of the red states with a super-majority of Republicans in control of he legislature.
So Republicans can do anything they want, as they control state government.
The editorial today in the Raleigh News Observer defends teachers. The editorialist sharply rebukes Phil Berger’s punitive, mean-spirited education “reforms.” That’s welcome news.
The editorialist points out that the predictable consequence of letter grades will be to stigmatize schools, not improve them.
What’s more, he defends teachers. Picking on teachers is a favorite ploy of the state’s politicians. Given that 

Diane in the Evening 3-20-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Ten Ways to Tell If You Are a Transphormer by dianerav EduShyster has developed a list of 10 signs of a real, true Transphormer. You know, the ones who are so motivated to arrange the lives of other people’s children that they can’t wait to get their parents’ okay. The ones who are so gripped by a sense of urgency that they feel called to close schools in poor communities and fire the staff without a moment’s delay, even though the students and parents beg them not to do it. Gary Rubinstein: TFA Propaganda V... more »

Common Core Foes Go Knocking on Indiana Governor Mike Pence’s Door | Truth in American Education

Common Core Foes Go Knocking on Indiana Governor Mike Pence’s Door | Truth in American Education:

Common Core Foes Go Knocking on Indiana Governor Mike Pence’s Door

by Shane Vander Hart

At 9:30am (EST) this morning at the Indiana State Capitol Common Core opponents are going to be delivering a letter to Indiana Governor Mike Pence.  It reads:

We, the undersigned, representing diverse grassroots organizations from across the state of Indiana, oppose the adoption of the Common Core State Standards and membership in the Partnership for Assessment of College and Career Readiness (PARCC).  We further oppose participation in all consortia and agreements, including PARCC and the Common Core State Standards Initiative, that cede any measure of Indiana’s governance of its standards and testing.

We agree that academic standards should be set high with assessments that adequately assess student growth and school performance. We do not oppose use of a nationally

Adult Educators Are Concerned About the Common Core as Well

by Shane Vander Hart

A perspective we don’t often consider is how the Common Core impacts adult education, in particular those who are seeking their GED.  NPR reports how adult educators are concerned by the move to change the GED to incorporate the Common Core.

“Rumor is that it’s going to be much harder,” says Dawn Grage, who has been teaching GED classes in Indiana’s prisons for more than 20 years. “A lot of these guys have enough struggles getting through the current GED. And if it makes it harder and with computers, the older gentlemen … there are some guys who have never touched a computer.”

Many educators say the test was in need of an update. The current GED test is the same one students were taking over a decade ago. But GED teachers also worry their students will have trouble passing the new test, which will be totally computerized, incorporate higher level literacy and math skills, and cost students $120 rather than $70.

Read the rest.

The post Adult Educators Are Concerned About the Common Core as Well appeared first on Truth in American Education.

Magical thinking about technology in education:

Magical thinking about technology in education

Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 21, 2013 at 5:00 am

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To hear some people talk, you’d think technology is going to save public education. Really? Here’s a caution post from Larry Cuban, a high school social studies teacher for 14 years, a district superintendent (seven years in Arlington, Va.), and professor emeritus of education at Stanford University, where he has taught for more than 20 years. His latest book is “As Good As It Gets: What School Reform Brought to Austin.” This appeared on his School Reform and Classroom Practice blog.

By Larry Cuban

Few high-tech entrepreneurs, pundits, or booster of online learning, much less, policymakers, would ever say aloud publicly that robots and hand-held devices will eventually replace teachers. Yet many fantasize that such an outcome will occur. High-profile awards to entrepreneurs, the occasional cartoon, and  advocates who dream of online instruction anywhere, anytime transforming education feed the fantasy.

Consider Sugata Mitra, Professor of Educational Technology at Newcastle University (United Kingdom). He recently received the TED award of $1 million for creating learning environments where illiterate Indian children had access to computers in actual holes-in-walls on streets of New Delhi slums. Some of the children told him: “You’ve given us a 

House Republicans Reeling From Opposition and Weak Defense of Parent Trigger | Scathing Purple Musings

House Republicans Reeling From Opposition and Weak Defense of Parent Trigger | Scathing Purple Musings:

House Republicans Reeling From Opposition and Weak Defense of Parent Trigger

by Bob Sikes

Most observers say that Rep. Carlos Truillo (R-Miami) was bested by a handful of Florida democrat legislators in this week’s Parent Trigger debate in the House. Not only did opponents out number supporters – 23 people speaking in opposition with four in support – the suggestion arose as to just how small the number of parents there are clamoring for what’s called a parent empowerment bill. From James Cal’s story in the Florida Current:

Who are these parents?” asked Donald Peace, a Pasco County teacher with 32 years of experience. He told the committee there is a lack of parents attending school meetings and parent-teacher conferences.
“If these parents were involved in their children’s education it would probably not be a failing school,” Peace said.

Even Trujillo admitted that the turnaround provision is already mandated under federal law and went so far to say, 

UPDATE: Jim Webb on Congressional Abdication Daily Kos: Because I have nothing better to do with my time right now

Daily Kos: Because I have nothing better to do with my time right now:

Jim Webb on Congressional Abdication

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

Some here may remember that I was very active in the Senatorial campaign of Jim Webb against George Allen in 2006.  Besides the fact that I could not stand Allen, my reasons included several things often overlooked when people rallied around Webb because of his opposition to the Bush administration's invasion of Iraq:
1.  Webb wanted to rebuild the American middle class
2.  Webb wanted to see a restoration of the proper balance between the Congress and he Executive Branch, particularly on matter of the military, diplomacy and war and peace.
Webb has always been a thoughtful and articulate writer.   Thus I want to call to the attention of this community a new piece he has up at The National Interest titled Congressional Abdication. The title refers to the Congress not exercising its proper role in matters of national security and diplomacy.
To give a sense of the article, allow me to offer this paragraph in particular:

This is not the same Congress that eventually asserted itself so strongly into the debate over the Vietnam War when I was serving on the battlefield of that war as a Marine infantry officer. It is not 

Because I have nothing better to do with my time right now

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

Popout

Happy Bach Day To You

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

in honor of the birth,in 1685, of Johann Sebastian, may I offer this:

Popout
and if you don't want to listen for the full performance of this, I will offer a few more selections below the cheese doodle

Ed Committee backs crackdown on interest-deferred bonds | EdSource Today

Ed Committee backs crackdown on interest-deferred bonds | EdSource Today:

Ed Committee backs crackdown on interest-deferred bonds - by John Fensterwald

by John Fensterwald

Despite opposition from several education organizations, the Assembly Education Committee on Wednesday voted 6-0 for a bill that would severely restrict school districts’ ability to float construction bonds that would saddle future taxpayers with huge balloon payments.

These financial instruments are known as capital appreciation bonds, or CABs, and they have become common over the past decade. By deferring payments on the bonds for sometimes decades and extending the term of the bonds to 30 or 40 years, districts can end up paying interest amounting to 10 times the principal or more, instead of twice the principal as is common for a standard 25-year school bond.

District headquarters, Poway Unified

Poway Unified has become the CAB poster child. Taxpayers will pay no interest on the first 20 years of a $100 million construction bond in that district. When it’s fully paid off in 40 years, they will have shelled out $1 billion. But Poway Unified’s is not the extreme case.An analysis of SB 182, the bill approved Wednesday, cited an example of a 

New teacher assessment: much promise, many questions - by Benjamin Riley

by Benjamin Riley

What if I told you that: There is a major national education reform under way, with its origins in California; which may result in the creation of a national “bar exam” to enter the teaching profession; and yet few in the education community seem to be paying attention to this effort or weighing in on whether it’s worth supporting? This is the story of the education Teacher Performance...

Mother Crusader: Cerf Invites Edison Learning Crony To Open "Cluster" Of Charters In Paterson With No Public Input

Mother Crusader: Cerf Invites Edison Learning Crony To Open "Cluster" Of Charters In Paterson With No Public Input:

Cerf Invites Edison Learning Crony To Open "Cluster" Of Charters In Paterson With No Public Input

by darciecima

The Paterson public school district has been under state control for 21 years, and elected officials are saying enough is enough.  But state control suits NJ Education Commissioner Chris Cerf just fine. 

After all, if he isn't in complete control of the district, how can he hand out charter schools to his buddies?

I have been following and writing about the Paterson Collegiate Academy Charter School Application for some time now, because as soon as I saw Steven Wilson I knew he was the kind of charter operator that would make Cerf go weak at the knees. Wilson came out of Edison Learning, just like Christie, Cerf and Evo Popoff (Cerf's new Chief Innovation Officer overseeing the Office of Charter Schools) but all I could do was speculate that these guys knew each other.

If you follow this blog at all, you know I am a big fan of the Open Public Records Act (OPRA) and regularly submit OPRA requests which reveal all kinds of interesting information. So the thought occurred to me to OPRA emails between Wilson and Cerf or any other employee of the NJDOE.  

Turns out not only was I right, but Wilson and Cerf are chummy enough that Wilson emailed Cerf back in July 2012, three months before he submitted his application to the state, and the email went to Cerf's personal email 

The Business of Education | My Island View

The Business of Education | My Island View:

The Business of Education

by tomwhitby

As I have traveled around this country participating in education conferences I have made several observations in regard to the effects of the Internet and social media on various levels of education as a profession, as an industry, and as an institution. These are often the topics of sessions at education conferences that draw thousands of educators in to look at, examine, talk over, consider, and move on. This all takes time and has been going on since tech was first introduced to education in various forms as tools for learning. It may be time to step back and look at the bigger picture.
As technology advances there are consequences for many industries that either fail to adapt, or whose product is replaced by what technology offers. Horse drawn carriages were replaced by horseless carriages. Typewriters were replaced by word processors. Instamatic cameras were replaced by digital cameras, which are now being replaced by cell phones. Photographic film is not found in any of the millions of stores from which it was previously sold in mass quantities. The news cycle no longer faces deadlines because of 24-hour news cycles. Newspaper and magazine stands have only a fraction of the offerings they had even five years ago. There is no longer a Kodak, Polaroid, Underwood Typewriter, or Newsweek magazine. They were all giants taken out by technology.
With all that, we as educators should have learned from all the examples of those industries that preceded us as 

NYC Educator: The Good Old Days

NYC Educator: The Good Old Days:

The Good Old Days

by NYC Educator

A colleague told me yesterday about how she got her job. She was doing student teaching in our building and constantly being observed by her college teacher. The professor was effusive with praise for her, and her first department AP always found an excuse to be around and eavesdrop. He would shuffle through papers on a desk pretending to be looking for something, or stumble around as though lost in his own office.

When she finished her student teaching, he was able to offer her a job. Before she got tenure, he formally observed her, almost religiously, precisely six times a year. She generally did well, but her first time was particularly interesting, to me, at least.

The AP came in with his notebook (There were no iPads 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: It's War!

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: It's War!:

It's War!

by Mike Klonsky

Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have the exact measure of the injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them. -- Frederick Douglass

Barbara Byrd-Bennett will make her declaration of war on Chicago's most vulnerable communities today, when she announces officially that she will close 50 schools over the next few months, the largest number ever closed in one place at one time in the country, This first round of closings will move about 15,000 students to consolidated "welcoming" schools, dramatically increasing class sizes, heightening safety risks, and causing major problems for families with special-needs kids. This, despite research showing that the closings will save little money and despite more than 20,000 parents, teachers, students and community members turned out at 

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Last Chance to Support #transformbmore EXTENDED | Re:education in Baltimore

Last Chance to Support #transformbmore EXTENDED | Re:education in Baltimore:

Last Chance to Support #transformbmore EXTENDED

by Edit Barry

Twitpic of MD Delegate Maggie McIntosh of the 43rd Legislative District arguing for HB 860 on March 20, 2013

If you’ve been following the fate of the Baltimore City school construction bill, you were probably hoping for closure Wednesday night. The vote has been postponed to give legislators a chance to read the bill. Haven’t read the details yet yourself? Why wait? Download the PDF of HB0860 here. The bill returns to the floor March 21 at 10 a.m.
For national context on the state of the nation’s public school buildings, this article is also worth a look. It