Diane in the Evening 6-24-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

Rudy Crew Leaving Oregon, Returning to NYC

by dianerav

This is a surprise.
Rudy Crew, former chancellor of the New York City public schools, former superintendent of the Miami Dade schools, currently chief education officer of the state of Oregon, will return to New York City to assume the presidency of Medger Evers College in Brooklyn, which is part of the City University of New York system.

Scottish Schools Go Their Own Way, Away from Testing

dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 24 minutes ago

The public schools of Scotland have decided to take a different path, one that rejects the Anglo-American obsession with testing and standards. “In the same week that Britain’s education minister, Michael Gove, announced yet another measure to make the national exams taken by high school students in England more rigorous, their counterparts in Scotland were […]

Haimson: “No Accountability at the Top and I Can Prove It”

dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 hour ago

Leonie Haimson filed a Freedom of Information Act request for fairly simple information: she asked for the accountability reports on the top officials at the NYC Department of Education. The bad news: there are none. No one at the top is held accountable. Their performance doesn’t matter. It is not measured. They have no growth […]

Aaron Pallas: The Trouble with the NCTQ Ratings of Ed Schools

dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 hours ago

Aaron Pallas is a sociologist at Teachers College, Columbia University, who is one of our nation’s best scholars of education. He is quick to spot Bunkum. He said this about the report on teacher preparation programs by NCTQ: “To be sure, few of us relish being put under the microscope. But it’s another matter entirely […]

Minnesota Governor Vetoes Funding for TFA

dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 hours ago

In a rare setback for Teach for America, Governor Mark Dayton vetoed an appropriation to fund more TFA recruits in the state. Minnesota has a small number of TFA corps members, but the governor questioned why the state should underwrite the wealthy organization to supply ill-trained teachers who don’t plan to stay on the job.

Jindal Signs “Reverse Parent Trigger” Bill

dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 7 hours ago

Governor Bobby Jindal signed legislation allowing parents in the state-run Recovery School District to vote to return their low-performing school to local control. “The measure by Baton Rouge Rep. Ted James lets parents petition the state-run RSD to return a school to local control if that school has earned a “D” or “F’” grade from […]

Brian Sims: How to Fix Pennsylvania’s Budget Crisis (LINK FIXED)

dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 8 hours ago

Imagine this: an elected official in Pennsylvania who says that budget cuts are not only wrong but completely unnecessary. Brian Sims is a member of the House of Representatives who knows that Governor Corbett’s $1 billion cut to public education was wrong. In this post, he explains that the state could raise the needed funds […]

Karen Lewis Connects the Dots

dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 9 hours ago

Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union, told the Chicago City Club that the city’s elites were failing the city’s children and public schools. She blamed school closings on public officials, “rich white people,” and banks that decided to disinvest in black communities. She singled out Bank of America as an institution that had […]

Florida Teacher: Please Tell Me About Groups Fighting Back

dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 9 hours ago

From a reader: “As a public school teacher in Miami, FL I would like to reach out to you and express my similar hope in developing a long-term coalition and eventual movement of teachers, parents and community to fight back against the pro-corporate anti-public education policies being pushed in FL. If someone knows of any […]

School Budgets Cut, Corporate Taxes Cut

dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 11 hours ago

I recall a few years ago when I learned from Forbes’ columnist Erik Kain that Governor Snyder of Michigan was slashing school spending at the same time that he was cutting state corporate taxes. This turns out to have been a popular tactic in many states. Governors and legislators have decided to get more jobs […]

The Reformy-to-English Dictionary You Have Been Waiting For

dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 11 hours ago

Valerie Strauss published a terrific column by a Chicago public school parent, Karen McKeegan Fraid. Fraid has written a wonderful translation of some of the reformers’ favorite phrases, which they repeat ad infinitum. It begins thus: “Assessment (noun): A test made by a corporation and protected from peer review and public scrutiny by intellectual property […]

The Secret Of Achievement First’s Success

dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 14 hours ago

In Connecticut, the charter chain Achievement First is a financial and political powerhouse. State Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor was one of its founders. But there is a worm in the apple. Achievement First leads the state in suspensions. Half its students are suspended or expelled at some point during the year. Legal Aid in […]

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-24-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 minutes ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] School Budgets Cut, Corporate Taxes Cut by dianerav I recall a few years ago whe I learned from Forbes’ columnist Erik Kain that Governor Snyder of Michigan wasslashing school spending at the same time that he was cutting stAte corporate taxes. This turns out to have been a popular tactic in many states. Governors and legislators have decided to get more jobs now by sacrificing the future of their state’s children. An analysis of 155 large corporations found that ... more »

6-24-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER:

Our recent show on NCTQ. Consider this the end of the discussion.

by Chalk Face, PhD

We returned to the air last evening to discuss the various reactions to the latest NCTQ report. This for me is the end of the debate. We need not comment on it further unless further developments ensue. Other authors are welcome to continue the dialogue, however. One of our callers raised a very excellent point. […]

Is #ISTE13 a substantive debate on #edtech or just a business convention?

by Chalk Face, PhD

I’m guessing the latter based on sponsorship (Microsoft, Pearson, DELL, etc.). The really interesting thing is to examine the various presentations and you start to wonder who’s an actual scholar versus some company hack trying to sell something. It’s difficult with all of the organizations and research firms that are made to sound like some […]

Tennesseans Respond to Chief Kevin’s Latest Assault on Teaching

by Jim Horn

The other news that got buried by Huffman’s new brain disorder to rob teachers of future step increases in pay has to do with the accompanying plan to cut the professional license from 10 to 6 years and to require arbitrary student test score gains in order to renew a license.  Huffman tried to defend […]

Understanding NCTQ’s Essential Role in Eliminating Caring Teachers

by Jim Horn

  NCTQ, ELC, and their ilk were/are like cockroaches that have slightly evolved brains. They still scurry when the light is turned on, but they do their best to create diversions or fake scares aimed to make sure you don’t flip the switch or shine the light their way. But they are many and well-fed. What they […]

6-23-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: [image: gears] Chief Kevin Huffman Leads Effort To Kill Teacher Recruiting in Tennessee by Jim Horn We know that Tennessee has become the poster state for every untried corporate reform idea that ALEC can craft in a statute and pass on to the semi-literate Republican Taliban which now runs the State–with the support of homegrown oligarch, Bill (Pilot Oil) Haslam. And thanks to coaching by Gates Foundation drones in late 2009, […] *6-22-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER* mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago @ THE CHALK F... more »

Reboot and Recharge: The Power of Technology-Infused Instructors — Whole Child Education

Reboot and Recharge: The Power of Technology-Infused Instructors — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

Reboot and Recharge: The Power of Technology-Infused Instructors

June 24, 2013 by Rich McKinney

Earlier this summer I created my first Vine. A month ago I would have thought that statement to be an indication that I had taken up gardening as a hobby, but I've since learned that Vine is a social media tool that allows users to create and share a personalized six-second video loop.

Each summer, when the school year comes to a close, I try to evaluate the past year, seeking to understand what worked effectively as well as recognize areas of needed improvement. During my 10 years in the classroom, I have avoided becoming stale by adding new advanced placement, and more recentlyInternational Baccalaureate, classes to my class load. As a result, my end-of-year reflections typically pointed out areas of the new content in which I needed to become more proficient. For two straight years, however, my schedule has not had any new courses, and as a result, content knowledge is not my main priority this year. Rather, I'm currently exploring ways to incorporate my district's goal of personalizing instruction for each and every student.

This June, as I reflect upon my content, my instructional strategies, and my rapport with students, there is one glaring weakness that is potentially limiting my instructional effectiveness. My students are extremely tech savvy and often try to engage me with discussions of what they are interested in, especially in the realm of social media. I have to admit that many times I am embarrassed to tell them that I have no clue what they a

Perdido Street School: Did Joel Klein Help Break Up Rupert Murdoch's Marriage?

Perdido Street School: Did Joel Klein Help Break Up Rupert Murdoch's Marriage?:

Did Joel Klein Help Break Up Rupert Murdoch's Marriage?

by reality-based educator

Read the entire Michael Wolff piece on Rupert Murdoch's impending divorce to his third wife, Wendi, for a Game of Thrones-like story of familial intrigue, plotting and backstabbing within the Murdoch family and News Corp inner circle, but definitely take note of what happened to Rupert's marriage to Wendi when Joel Klein came aboard:

In a world whose main currency was having Rupert's ear, Wendi had altered the balance of power, to the consternation of executives and family. There followed the orange hair; the Prada suits; the kooky diets. And there was the discordant Wendi voice: not just her accent, widely mocked, but her straightforwardness: her mentioning Rupert's Viagra in Vanity Fair; and her own often hilarious jibs, complete with mimicry, albeit with a Chinese accent, at the other members of Murdoch family.

What to do about Wendi became a major corporate and family preoccupation – and a constant worry for Murdoch himself. Buying the most expensive apartment in New York and having her 

94% Of Regents Exams Graded As Of 1 PM Monday

by reality-based educator

According to Gotham Schools, 6% of the city's Regents exams still need to be graded.

Tests are still being scanned by McGraw-Hill and teachers sat around the grading centers today with nothing to grade.

Wednesday is the last day of school.

I cannot remember a Regents exam grading season as chaotic as this one.

Will there be some accountability for the Tweedies who put this system into place and signed off on the contract with McGraw-Hill?

NY Times Anthony Weiner Twitter Victim Story Is Finally Posted

by reality-based educator

You can read it here.

Goes through how the lives of the women Weiner sexted with have been upended.

It reinforces his scumminess (one victim says she never engaged in any sexual communication with Weiner before he sent "an image of himself in boxers, with an obvious erection"), it humanizes these women and helps you to empathize with them, but unless I'm missing something, it doesn't break new ground in the story.

When all is said and done, unless they took something out of this story, I don't see why they didn't leave it up when they accidentally posted it last week.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Piston's star and Crane alum, Bynum, speaks out on school closings.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Piston's star and Crane alum, Bynum, speaks out on school closings.:

Piston's star and Crane alum, Bynum, speaks out on school closings.

by Mike Klonsky

Bynum starred at Crane

As a high school basketball junkie, I got my thrills watching Will "The Thrill" Bynum play for Crane back in 2001. Will, a tough, smart kid who grew up on the south side and went to school on the west side, went on from Crane to Arizona and then to Georgia Tech where he helped lead his school to the Final Four. He bounced around professionally for a few years before landing in Detroit and now is a star guard for the Pistons. He still comes back to Chicago and tries to give back a lot to the community by assisting homeless students.

He's also got a lot to say about Chicago school closings today in Sun-Times sportswriter Mike Clark's column.

"To me, it just doesn't make sense," Bynum said. "I'm from the inner city. I grew up on some of these turfs.

"They may look at it like, these kids can transfer 5-6 blocks to another school. [But] they'll have to pass three different gangs. I don't think it was well thought out."

He has thought about the implications of the closings, drawing from his 

Forget Evidence: White, BESE, and Corporate Reform Ideology | deutsch29

Forget Evidence: White, BESE, and Corporate Reform Ideology | deutsch29:

Forget Evidence: White, BESE, and Corporate Reform Ideology

by deutsch29

Last week, the NCTQ report of teacher training programs was published in US News and World Report. Mind you, NCTQ doesn’t bother with anything so real as mandatory site visits to the programs it rates, which can make for a really embarrassing moment when a site that receives high marks doesn’t exist except on paper.
I have been thinking about Kate Walsh and NCTQ, about how it is that they continue to push their poorly investigated judgments of teacher training program “quality” onto an unassuming public. My musings have led me to the following conclusion:
NCTQ adheres to ideology, not to evidence.
To ideologues, evidence only matters if it supports one’s position. The quality of the evidence doesn’t matter. Shallow, pseudo-studies will do. Outright lies and deception do not matter, either, so long as they lead to the goal of promoting the ideology.
If the evidence contradicts the ideology, then the evidence must be suppressed, or distorted, or denied, 

Fisher v. University Of Texas At Austin Ruling Leaves Universities In Limbo

Fisher v. University Of Texas At Austin Ruling Leaves Universities In Limbo:

Fisher v. University Of Texas At Austin Ruling Leaves Universities In Limbo

by Joy Resmovits

After months of waiting for the Supreme Court to issue a sweeping ruling on affirmative action in the Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin case, universities and education groups are trying to make sense of Monday'sdecision.

"In a way, it was really a decision about the U.S. Court of Appeals in the 5th Circuit and not about affirmative action," said Catharine Hill, the president of Vassar College in upstate New York. "It just means the discussion is going to continue ... It starts the clock over again."

The court on Monday issued a 13-page opinion that did little to change existing law with regard to the use of race as a criterion in university admissions. In a 7-1 majority opinion written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, the 

Fisher v. University Of Texas At Austin Decision: Lee Bollinger Sees Namesake Precedent Still Standing

by Joy Resmovits

NEW YORK -- During his tenure as president of the University of Michigan, Lee Bollinger's name became attached, for better or worse, with two of the key cases defining affirmative action in America's schools.

Bollinger, who now heads Columbia University, faced off against the plaintiffs in Gratz v. Bollinger and Grutter v. Bollinger, the 2003 Supreme Court decisions that restricted but ultimately upheld a college's right to take racial consideration into account when making admissions decisions. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote in Grutter that "underrepresented minority groups" could be favored in such decisions if race was not the only factor considered and if the system didn't amount to quotas.

So recently, Bollinger watched with caution as Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin wound its way through the court system. In 2008, Abigail Fisher sued UT-Austin, arguing that it had discriminated against her as a white 

NYC Public School Parents: There’s no accountability for anyone at the top at DOE; and I can prove it

NYC Public School Parents: There’s no accountability for anyone at the top at DOE; and I can prove it:

There’s no accountability for anyone at the top at DOE; and I can prove it

by Leonie Haimson

The testing companies Pearson and McGraw Hill can screw up over and over again – and  continue to get  multi- million dollar contracts.  Principals rarely  get fired,  and even those caught cheating are appointed “achievement coaches.”   
Yet teachers and children are threatened with the most severe sanctions – including losing their jobs or being held back – if their performance does not improve fast enough for the educrats at Tweed.  

Almost two years ago, in February 2012, NYC DOE provided their crude and unreliable evaluations of teachers based on test scores, with teachers identified by name -- called the teacher data reports -- to the press, though they originally had promised never to release them.  All the daily papers promptly published them.  Klein claimed he had no choice because they had been FOILed – though it was well known that he had asked reporters to file these requests. 
 

So in February 2012 – about 16 months ago – shortly after the DOE released the TDR’s, I FOILed for the performance evaluations of the Chancellor and the other top officials in the leadership team at Tweed for 2009, 

"Managing" Teacher Professionalism - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

"Managing" Teacher Professionalism - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher:

"Managing" Teacher Professionalism

by Nancy Flanagan

Twenty years ago, Michigan schools were in a funding down-cycle. Lots of belt-tightening and angry school board meetings with parents protesting transportation cuts and pay-to-play sports fees. I was finishing up my tenure (reign?) as Michigan Teacher of the Year. I was pink-slipped in the spring, but unconcerned; I'd been pink-slipped six times before--I'm a music teacher and music is always expendable in tough times-- and understood that mass layoff notices gave the district some flexibility. It also gave teachers a heads-up, should they be considering a job change, or retiring.
A reporter from the Detroit News called, saying he'd heard a rumor I'd been laid off. My matter-of-fact answer ("doubtful") was unsatisfying to him. The entire time we talked, I could hear him typing, as he tried to make a sexy story--Teacher of the Year Loses Job!--out of a fairly routine staffing practice. I would welcome a story in any newspaper about the critical importance of music in the curriculum, or the value of experience in building a dynamic classroom practice. But that wasn't the angle he was pursuing.
So I had an inkling of how the new Michigan Teacher of the Year, Gary Abud, felt when the Mackinac Center's

Charter Schools USA CEO Jonathan Hage Spins Failed Pembroke Pines Deal | Scathing Purple Musings

Charter Schools USA CEO Jonathan Hage Spins Failed Pembroke Pines Deal | Scathing Purple Musings:

Charter Schools USA CEO Jonathan Hage Spins Failed Pembroke Pines Deal

by Bob Sikes

Stinging from the bad publicity his company got in the Pembroke Pines affair, Charter Schools USA CEO Jonathan Hage penned a column this morning in his home town newspaper, the Sun Sentinel. Of the affair he writes:

The reaction to the city’s invitation (for CSUSA’s bid) was mixed. While we saw and heard from many teachers and parents who supported our involvement, we also were disappointed to see a well-coordinated, knee-jerk backlash filled with political clichés, fear-mongering and untruths.
Ironically, a viable solution became the lever to make the parties compromise and keep the schools alive, at least for 2 more years. The bottom line: from the onset our interest has been to find a solution that positively impacts students and ensures that schools operate at a high-level. In order to do that here in South Florida and across the country, we need to keep every option on the 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools Knows How to Spend Money but Not Make Money

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools Knows How to Spend Money but Not Make Money:

Seattle Schools Knows How to Spend Money but Not Make Money

by Melissa Westbrook

At least that's what you might think if read the recent State Auditor findings  on the district's handling of rentals for district facilities.  It is hard not to be frustrated over the district not tracking ALL the money AND probably losing money from the joint use agreement with city parks.  (In a couple of places it even smacks of some kind of insider help for some groups.)

From the audit:

Background:

The Building Rentals Office (rentals office) is responsible for collecting the required insurance and concussion management compliance documentation, issuing permits for facilities usage and invoicing outside organizations that are required to pay. The rentals office is also responsible for training school-level employees how to use the online system and inform them of the District’s requirements to submit all ―school related‖ events through the system, as well as refer outside organizations’ facilities usage requests to the rentals office.

In addition, the rentals office is responsible for monitoring the Joint Facilities Usage Agreement (JUA) with the 

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: The Supreme Court on University of Texas at Austin's Affirmative Action Program

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: The Supreme Court on University of Texas at Austin's Affirmative Action Program:

The Supreme Court on University of Texas at Austin's Affirmative Action Program

by L. Jablonski

Fisher v. University of Texas Austin:  Supreme Court Sends Affirmative Action at the University of Texas Back to Lower Court for Strict Scrutiny

In a 7-1 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court today affirmed the use of race by colleges and universities as part of the admissions process in order to advance a state's compelling interest in ensuring a diverse student body.   But that's not the end of the story.

The Court vacated and remanded the earlier decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit, holding that the lower court did not scrutinize adequately the University of Texas Austin inclusion of race in its admissions process.  This means the case now goes back to the lower court for reconsideration using what is called thestrict scrutiny standard, which the Supreme Court is saying was not applied in the earlier 5th Circuit ruling.

Before discussing strict scrutiny, a quick review of the case is in order.  Abigail Fisher is a white woman who 

Louisiana Educator: Moyers and Company Exposes ALEC

Louisiana Educator: Moyers and Company Exposes ALEC:

Moyers and Company Exposes ALEC

by Michael Deshotels

Louisiana Public Broadcasting this weekend featured a Moyers and Company expose' on ALEC. (Just click in the link to get to the program) Bill Moyers, a highly respected reporter, hosted this excellent program unveiling the role of the American Legislative Exchange Council in creating and promoting model legislation passed for the benefit of some of the largest US corporations. The program is titled The United States of ALEC - A Follow-up.This program includes a great explanation about how the privatization of schools in Louisiana and other states was planned and implemented by ALEC and its friendly member legislators and governors. The program explains how this high pressure lobbying organization also gets around most state laws on reporting of lobbying activities and retains a tax exempt status.

If you care about public education, please consider viewing this hour long program. If your time is limited, the section that describes the privatization of education begins at about 24 minutes into the program and runs about 7 minutes. But the whole thing is well worth your time.

The list of model laws promoted by ALEC included much of the privatization laws passed recently in Louisiana.

Of special interest to Louisiana taxpayers is the lavish funding of virtual, for-profit private schools such as K12 

John Dillon writes me after a meeting with Representative Jeanne Ives. She wants to turn our pension into a Ponzi scheme. “Let’s get naked.” | Fred Klonsky

John Dillon writes me after a meeting with Representative Jeanne Ives. She wants to turn our pension into a Ponzi scheme. “Let’s get naked.” | Fred Klonsky:

John Dillon writes me after a meeting with Representative Jeanne Ives. She wants to turn our pension into a Ponzi scheme. “Let’s get naked.”

by Fred Klonsky

Been there. Done that.

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

Re: A Meeting with Jeanne Ives at Panera Bread in Naperville by John Dillon

Hey, Fred -You missed a great meeting, Fred. Glen and I have been wrong all this time.  We make too much money, not too little, or even enough or what we deserve.  Before the meeting we may have believed in the legalities of the Illinois Constitution and the concept of a vested protection with Article XIII, Section 5; we might have thought that a 401k was not an acceptable form of retirement savings and would never pass federal scrutiny; we erroneously held on to the silly conviction that as taxpayers we too were taken advantage of when the state legislature took holidays – not to mention being burglarized by the theft of our pension earnings; we held a blind faith in our unions who are still complicit in dealing a bad hand to all of us who worked so hard as public employees; we might have obtusely considered the state’s problems a revenue issue; we might have wrongly figured the debt issue is separate from the normal costs; we might have been allowing the past history of investments in 401k’s color our better judgment that ownership of our own financial futures is better than the