NYC Public School Parents: Opting out of testing: NO consequences for children, teachers or schools this year

NYC Public School Parents: Opting out of testing: NO consequences for children, teachers or schools this year:

Opting out of testing: NO consequences for children, teachers or schools this year

by Leonie Haimson

Dear parents: I know there is a lot of anxiety and concern about the upcoming ELA state tests next week, which are supposed to be more difficult than ever. 

The DOE has contributed to this anxiety with memos to parents that advise them to tell their children that the tests “are meant to be really hard.  That’s because that are designed to measure whether students are on track for college and a good job when they finish high school…That way his teachers can make sure he is on his way to being whatever he wants to be when he grows up.”   

At the same time, the Commissioner and Chancellor have said that they expect that the majority 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Charter Commission Meeting, Part Two

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Charter Commission Meeting, Part Two:

Charter Commission Meeting, Part Two

by Melissa Westbrook

I ended Part One explaining that there had been two large issues that arose during the meeting.  One is the rabbit hole I mentioned and the other is the funding of the Commission's work.

Here's the rabbit hole explained.

To get a charter from the state two things have to happen.  A charter applicant has to apply to just one authorizer and, after getting the authorizer's approval, then that approved application has to get to the State Board of Education for certification. 

However, as you may recall, 1240 is quite vague on the timing of turning in approved charters to the State Board of Education.  Many of us who opposed this measure called this section out, asking "what does this mean?"  It's actually much worse than I thought.  Here's the original text:

3) Upon the receipt of notice from an authorizer that a charter school has been approved,
the state board of education shall certify whether the approval is in compliance with the limits on the maximum 

Ed Notes Online: Carol Burris is State HS Principal of Year, Change the Stakes Meets Today

Ed Notes Online: Carol Burris is State HS Principal of Year, Change the Stakes Meets Today:

Carol Burris is State HS Principal of Year, Change the Stakes Meets Today

by ed notes online

Carol Burris at GEM/Change the Stakes Forum

Video below of Carol Burris with an intro by a very pregnant Julie Cavanagh at a GEM April 2012 forum on teacher evaluation. (And Julie still had 3 months to go - Jack was a big boy even before he was Jack).

Of course to Unity slugs it is way more important for Julie to speak at a stage-managed Delegate Assembly than to organize a forum bringing together Carol, Leonie Haimson, Gary Rubinstein and Arthur Goldstein (who couldn't be there due to a death in the family).

New York’s High School Principal of the Year, Burris is now a candidate for the award of National High School Principal of the Year, an award sponsored by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. A principals institute and awards ceremony sponsored by NASSP and MetLife will be held in Washington, DC this fall. ---The Patch

How exciting if Carol wins the national award. What a strike against the ed deform industrial complex. Carol has 

MORE Updates, April General Meeting Saturday, High Stakes Testing with Julie and Jesse on Sunday

by ed notes online

Come see the only group in the UFT with democracy in action as MORE is transitioning towards post-election mode with tomorrow's meeting being a combo of election experiences, structural changes (so far a year with no formal steering committee which certainly hampered some decision making in the elections but still kept us ticking), talk about the mayoral endorsement issue for the upcoming DA and other issues.

Saturday 4/13 12:00-3:00

224 West 29th st 14th Floor

NYC

Open meeting 

Please join us for this very important meeting

The UFT elections are here- we will discuss our current strategies and share stories of our unique experiences in electioneering. We will also phone bank together to help get out the vote. The UFT leadership will be endorsing a mayoral candidate soon. Let's decide how we want to approach this critical decision in the upcoming election. We will also offer proposals for a steering 

Diane in the Evening 4-12-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

Strauss: Time to Subpoena Witnesses in DC Cheating Scandal

by dianerav

Valerie Strauss writes that it is time for a thorough investigation of allegations of cheating during the tenure of Michelle Rhee as chancellor.
The leaking of the “smoking memo” to John Merrow shows that Rhee apparently was informed of likely cheating but chose not to investigate it.
Many questions are unanswered: what did she know and when did she know it? What did Adell Cothorne discover when she became principal? Why did no one follow up when she reported a cheating ring? Why was 

John Merrow on Chris Hayes Discussing Rhee

by dianerav

A reader sent this comment and a link to Chris Hayes’ interview with John Merrow:
“MSNBC’s Chris Hayes had John Merrow on his 4/12 evening show, ALL IN and the conversation was simply brutal towards Rhee….Chris very articulately pointed out how M Rhee rose to the top of the Ed Reform movement with only 3 years of limited personal experience in education. He ended his commentary by noting, in detail, how DC schools are in far worse condition today because of Rhee’s questionable policies……… like a cool breeze in a desert!
John was fabulous….Chris Hayes noted he would be following up with John Merrow in the future…stay tuned! “

How a School Board Candidate Beat the Billionaires

by dianerav

Please read this statement by Bennett Kayser.
He ran against a heavily funded candidate for the Los Angeles school board, and he won.
He is a public school parent.
He is endorsing Monica Ratliff, because she too is running against the 

USA Today on Rhee Cheating Scandal

by dianerav

USA Today was first to report the cheating scandal in the District of Columbia.
Here is the follow-up story by Gregg Toppo, about the memo first leaked to John Merrow.
Eventually, the allegations were investigated by the DC Inspector General, who decided not to look at the erasure analysis or to interview many people. It was not the kind of full-scale investigation carried out in Atlanta by professionals. The DC Inspector General decided the cheating, if it happened, was not widespread.

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-12-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Florida: Don’t Let a Charter Corporation Steal Your Neighborhood School by dianerav Bill Sublette is a former Florida state representative who is now chairman of the Orange County school board. He is a Republican. In this excellent article, he explains how the parent trigger bill, which just passed in the Florida House, will allow charter corporations to grab neighborhood schools, public property paid for by local citizens. And once the corporation takes contro... more »

SPECIAL Mid Day Banana Break 4-12-13 #soschat #edreform

Big Education Ape - Mid Day Banana Break

CORPORATE ED REFORM

TFA Faces a California Showdown Over Qualifications to Teach English Learners

by Anthony Cody

Teach For America faces a showdown in California, as this state's Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) considers new restrictions that could limit the placement of TFA's corps members in places with English learners. Since California has a large immigrant population, with 1.4 million English learners, this will be a significant barrier. The CTC, now chaired by Stanford professor Linda Darling-Hammond, will vote on a proposal on April 18th, which can be viewed here.
Teach For America calls those they place in classrooms "corps members," but in California, they are considered "interns," authorized to teach so long as they fulfill a variety of requirements.
The proposed changes include:

• heightened and more explicit requirements for the level of preservice EL training as well as the 

Mission Hill Chapter 6: Spring Harvest

by Dana Bennis in Blog

"Jews Are Evil" Writing Assignment. Is this Due to Common Core?

by stlgretchen

Is this Common Core at work, indoctrination or both?  Or is it something else?

From timesunion.com and School apologizes for 'Nazi' writing assignment:

The Albany school district is embroiled in controversy after a teacher assigned this assignment to students that requires them to write an essay that proves the writer is loyal to the German Nazi's and that "Jews are evil and the source of our problems." 

Going Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

by pwceducationreform

Nothing sets me off more than politicians who lie, regurgitate what they’ve been told without checking to see if it’s accurate, or pretend that the bow tied cow patty they’re trying to sell me doesn’t stink.  A few weeks ago I went off on a diatribe on the PWC Ed Reform facebook page about comments [...]

Insights About The Principalship

by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers

In times of increasing expectations, decreasing resources, and rigorous accountability, school principals are faced with complex challenges and a huge array of initiatives to implement. These realities have discouraged many principals from staying on the job. How can schools stop the revolving door of the principalship and energize principals to lead?
The April 2013 issue of ASCD's Educational Leadership addresses approaches that promote career-long growth, such as coaching and mentoring, collaborative learning, and principal peer groups.

In her "Perspectives" column, Editor-in-Chief Marge Scherer asked fellow EL columnist (and 2013 Whole Child Virtual Conference presenter) Tom Hoerr what makes principals stay in a challenging job. Hoerr responded,

The most rewarding thing, for me, is feeling that you've made a positive difference in others' lives. I 

Weeekend Funnies: Jon Stewart is Killing It in China

by CJ Westerberg

Why Jon Stewart is so popular in China: "I am decadent capitalist Jon Stewart. Folks, how about this air quality, am I right? Beijing, Shanghai I've seen Confucius quotes that were clearer."
Continue Reading at The Daily Riff

USA Today on Rhee Cheating Scandal

by dianerav

USA Today was first to report the cheating scandal in the District of Columbia.
Here is the follow-up story by Gregg Toppo, about the memo first leaked to John Merrow.
Eventually, the allegations were investigated by the DC Inspector General, who decided not to look at the erasure analysis or to interview many people. It was not the kind of full-scale investigation carried out in Atlanta by professionals. The DC Inspector General decided the cheating, if it happened, was not widespread.

Daily Kos: Paul Krugman takes apart the "Lust for Gold"

Daily Kos: Paul Krugman takes apart the "Lust for Gold":

Paul Krugman takes apart the "Lust for Gold"

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

in his NY Times column that begins:

News flash: Recent declines in the price of gold, which is off about 17 percent from its peak, show that this price can go down as well as up. You may consider this an obvious point, but, as an article in The Times on Thursday reports, it has come as a rude shock to many small gold investors, who imagined that they were buying the safest of all assets.

Krugman is focusing particularly on what he calls gold buggism, to distinguish it from treating gold as a sensible investment at some times.  He writes

No, being a goldbug means asserting that gold offers unique security in troubled times; it also means asserting that all would be well if we abolished the Federal Reserve and returned to the good old gold standard, in which the value of the dollar was fixed in terms of gold and that was that. And both forms of goldbuggism soared after 2008.

Teachers Don't Suck !: My Three Rs of Public Education Privatization - Ripoff , Robbery and Repugnant

Teachers Don't Suck !: My Three Rs of Public Education Privatization - Ripoff , Robbery and Repugnant:

My Three Rs of Public Education Privatization - Ripoff , Robbery and Repugnant

by Walt S,

"Committee for Our Children", "B4 Kids", "Students First", etc. -  How do they constantly come up with these flowery, lofty titles.  They must lay awake all night thinking these up!  I'm sure that I can come with more apt titles for these organizations. How about:  "Committee for Stealing All We Can From Public Education" or

Separate But Unequal: Analysis by State Senator Chris Larson on Walker’s Charter School Proposal | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Separate But Unequal: Analysis by State Senator Chris Larson on Walker’s Charter School Proposal | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:

Separate But Unequal: Analysis by State Senator Chris Larson on Walker’s Charter School Proposal

by millerlf

As you may know, the 2011-2013 Biennial Budget passed by Republicans and signed by Governor Walker gutted $1.6 billion in funding for our local public schools while also funneling money into private voucher schools. With the introduction of Governor Walker’s second budget, it appears the trend to devalue our children’s need for a quality education is continuing. Not only does the newly introduced budget provide a 0% increase in revenue limit growth, but it also continues to divert money to an unaccountable, unproven voucher experiment. This time around, the budget also tries to create a voucher 2.0 program by altering the existing format of our charter schools to make them more closely resemble their voucher school counterparts. Continue reading for more information about the proposed changes to Wisconsin’s charter and voucher school programs.
Implications of Creating a Charter School Board
While many Wisconsinites are aware of the proposed expansion of voucher schools in Wisconsin, the same cannot be said of plans to further privatize education in our state by creating a Charter School Oversight Board (CSOB), which would be attached to Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction (DPI), but ultimately act 

Why not subpoena everyone in D.C. cheating scandal — Rhee included?

Why not subpoena everyone in D.C. cheating scandal — Rhee included?:

Why not subpoena everyone in D.C. cheating scandal — Rhee included?

Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 12, 2013 at 12:14 pm

Several investigations into suspicions of widespread cheating by educators in D.C. schools on student standardized tests during Michelle Rhee’s tenure as chancellor turned up precious little, but a newly released memo (see below) by a data analyst raises questions that warrant a  new probe — this time by investigators with subpoena powers.

The concerns arise from Rhee’s 2008-2010 tenure in the District, a time when she instituted a new educator evaluation system that turned student standardized tests into high-stakes exams by linking the scores to how much teachers and principals were paid and whether they were able to keep their jobs. There have been confirmed cases of cheating in several dozen cities, most prominently in Atlanta, where the former superintendent and 34 other educators were recently indicted.

The memo was just released by independent journalist John Merrow — who  chronicled Rhee’s D.C. tenure in a “Frontline” segment for PBS earlier this year — as part of a post on his Taking Note blog titled “Michelle Rhee’s Reign of Error.” It starts with this note:

With the indictment of former Atlanta School Superintendent Beverly A. Hall and 34 

Memo could revive allegations of cheating in D.C. public schools

by Emma Brown

A consultant for D.C. public schools warned in 2009 that the school system might have had widespread cheating on standardized tests the previous year, according to a memo obtained by journalist John Merrow and published on Merrow’s blog.
Read full article >>

Schools Matter: Corporate Feeding Frenzy Continues in Fragmented Memphis Schools

Schools Matter: Corporate Feeding Frenzy Continues in Fragmented Memphis Schools:

Corporate Feeding Frenzy Continues in Fragmented Memphis Schools

by Jim Horn

When Bill Gates came to Memphis in 2009 with $90 million in handouts for every corrupt politician in the city and county, Memphis public schools were doomed.  This outcome was further assured by successful campaign to "consolidate" county and city schools.  Laws were changed, plans written by corporate foundation drones and Stand on Children politicos, and outlandish promises were made about turning the lowest scoring schools in TN into top scoring ones in 5 years. Beyond ridiculous, particularly in light of the fact that no state money or corporate money is going to do anything about poverty and lack of opportunity in the poor areas of Memphis.  And nothing to challenge apartheid schooling.

What we have today is not a consolidated system but a fragmentation of systems, so that now we have five suburban communities planning for their own segregated charter or public systems, a Memphis charter system controlled by local corrupt politicos, another Memphis charter system made up of Achievement District Schools 

Memo warns of rampant cheating in D.C. public schools:

Memo warns of rampant cheating in D.C. public schools

Greg Toppo, USA TODAY

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Memo suggests possible cheating in 70 D.C. schools
• Two probes have found cheating only at one school
• Possible ramifications of erasure study are serious, 2009 memo says

District of Columbia Public Schools officials have long maintained that a 2011 test-cheating scandal that generated two government probes was limited to one elementary school. But a newly uncovered confidential memo warns as far back as January 2009 that educator cheating on 2008 standardized tests could have been widespread, with 191 teachers in 70 schools "implicated in possible testing infractions."

The 2009 memo was written by an outside analyst, Fay "Sandy" Sanford, who had been invited by then-chancellor Michelle Rhee to examine students' irregular math and reading score gains. It was sent to Rhee's top deputy for accountability.

The memo notes that nearly all of the teachers at one Washington elementary school had students whose test papers showed high numbers of wrong-to-right erasures and asks, "Could a separate person have been responsible?"

It recommends that DCPS contact its legal department "as soon as you think it advisable" and ask them to determine "what possible actions can be taken against 

Why School Test Resistance May Be About to Sweep the Nation | California Progress Report

Why School Test Resistance May Be About to Sweep the Nation | California Progress Report:

Why School Test Resistance May Be About to Sweep the Nation

by callen

By Mark Naison
When people decide to resist unjust policies that have overwhelming support and for which there are few antecedents in their lifetime, mass movements do not erupt overnight. They are often inspired by the accumulation of individual acts of protest, taken at great risk.
One of the best examples of this is the lunch counter sit-ins during the Civil Rights movement, which began when four black college students in Greensboro, North Carolina, decided to challenge segregation in their downtown business district, sparking a movement in scores of cities that eventually encompassed more than 35,000 protesters and led to the creation of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee(SNCC).
read more

The Atlanta Test-Cheating Scandal | Dissident Voice

The Atlanta Test-Cheating Scandal | Dissident Voice:

The Atlanta Test-Cheating Scandal

by David Macaray

Corporate Ed Reform Merit Pay 

By now most of us have heard the gory details of how Atlanta’s elementary and middle school teachers (and principals) conspired to falsify the scores on state proficiency tests. The investigation not only implicated teachers and administrators, it reached all the way up the ladder to Atlanta’s celebrated district superintendent at the time, one Beverly L. Hall.
Dr. Hall was not only lionized by the media as the savior of Atlanta’s school system, she was named superintendent of the year by the American Association of School Administrators, she was invited to the White House by Secretary of Labor Arne Duncan, and she received more than $500,000 in performance bonuses. While those first three things now qualify as embarrassments, that $500,000 is being treated as a felony.
The level of cheating (not to mention the audacity and nonchalance with which it was done) was mind-boggling. Teachers raised scores a whole magnitude at a time by simply erasing wrong answers and replacing them with right ones.
Apparently, teachers got together after school in little groups (with full approval of their principals), and set about re-discovering America, believing there was no way they’d get caught. After all, who really wanted to catch them? Who wanted to ruin a good thing? As long as the test scores were top-notch, no one asked questions.