Tuesday, July 23, 2013

A Second is a Terrible Thing to Waste | EduShyster

A Second is a Terrible Thing to Waste | EduShyster:

A Second is a Terrible Thing to Waste

Morgan Spurlock, of Super Size Me fame, recently visited a charter school that immerses students in engagement, much like fries are immersed in hot oil.

Reader: as we rush to train minority students for the McJobs of the future, there’s not a second to spare. That’s why I was so glad to see CNN send Morgan Spurlock, the host of The Inside Man, to an outstanding academy of excellence that has figured out how to keep students engaged, interested and stimulated—every minute of every day. And there’s more good news. Spurlock just happens to be an expert on the nation’s fast food industry—in his documentary,Super Size Me, he ate nothing but McDonald’s meals for a month and almost died. Which means that he’s uniquely equipped to judge how well a school is preparing its students for the fast-paced world of tomorrow’s workplace.

Inside Man
But first, who is this Inside Man and what exactly is he up to? According this explanation which I am copying and pasting from the CNN website, each week, Spurlock gives viewers an insider’s view of diverse sectors of American life, diving deep into hard-

Peter Dreier: “GO PUBLIC” Is ‘Antidote’ to War on Public Schools « Go Public Project

Home « Go Public Project:

BLOG

Peter Dreier: “GO PUBLIC” Is ‘Antidote’ to War on Public Schools

In an Op/Ed piece published on Truthout.com, Dr. Peter Dreier, chair of the Urban and Environmental Policy Department at Occidental College, brings to light the big […]

Screening July 26 in Pasadena

The Conscientious Projector film series will be screening the GO PUBLIC feature documentary July 26, 2013 at 7:00pm at the All Saints Church (downstairs in […]

GO PUBLIC Voices

Hear about PUSD from those who are living the experience of public education every day.

Meet the team.

It takes 50 directors to shoot 50 films in a single day. Meet some of the talented people behind the lenses of the GO PUBLIC Project.

UPDATE: Jersey Jazzman: The Hopelessly Broken NJ Charter Oversight System

Jersey Jazzman: The Hopelessly Broken NJ Charter Oversight System:

Marie Corfield Money Bomb: Thursday, July 25!

When a teacher runs for office, those of us who work in schools need to support her: On July 25th, please give what you can to support Marie Corfield For New Jersey Assembly by participating in her "Money Bomb." Marie is a mother, a teacher, and an activist; electing her is the best way to save public education in New Jersey. Marie has a plan for property tax relief that helps the

by Duke / 37min

The Hopelessly Broken NJ Charter Oversight System

Accountability begins at home.

Better late than never: the NJDOE has released the list of new charter schools that have received final approval to open this fall:

Among those approved, Camden will see two new charter schools. The only final charter approved for Newark was the new Philip’s Academy Charter School, a conversion from the former St. Philip’s Academy, an independent private school. The K-8 school will serve Newark, Irvington and East Orange.

The other five approved, all elementary schools, are the following:

Camden Community Charter School, Camden,

Compass Academy Charter School, Millville, Vineland, Pittsgrove

Hope Community Charter School, Camden

Jersey City Global Charter School, Jersey City

Paterson Arts and Science Charter School, Paterson.

So what do we know

The Billionaires Tea Party Full Documentary

The Billionaires Tea Party - The Tea Party movement has taken American politics by storm. But is this truly a populist uprising or one of the greatest feats of propaganda ever seen?

Australian filmmaker Taki Oldham sets out answer this question, finding that behind the movement's rhetoric of 'freedom' versus 'socialism' lies a highly co-ordinated network of shadow groups, funded by the likes of billionaire ideologues Charles and David Koch.

Are the Tea Party protesters really just pawns in a plan to replace government with a privatized America?

Smaller LEAs face planning deadline for Prop. 39 energy grants SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources:

Smaller LEAs face planning deadline for Prop. 39 energy grants
By Kimberly Beltran
Tuesday, July 23, 2013

California school districts with an average daily attendance of 1,000 or less have until Aug. 1 to notify the state whether they want to collect two years’ worth of energy efficiency money this year.

Under legislation implementing voter-approved Proposition 39 – which closed a corporate tax loophole and directs half of the $1 billion in new annual revenues to K-12 schools for energy efficient facilities upgrades – smaller LEAs may receive both their current and subsequent year’s funding this budget year.

Districts with ADA of 1,001 or higher will receive larger grant amounts and therefore may not bundle years one and two funding. They may, however, roll over their allocation year to year in order to pay for larger projects.

According to the California Department of Education, all of the eligible LEAs were to receive an email notification informing them that a web-based application to elect to receive two years’ worth of funding is available atwww.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/r14/prop39cceja13rfal.asp

Instructions for obtaining a password to log on to the site were to be included in the email as well, a CDE notice

Teamster Nation: The truth about public pensions

Teamster Nation: The truth about public pensions:

The truth about public pensions

Pensions, which are so essential to retirement security, are being attacked as the cause of state and municipal budget shortfalls. Theseattacks come from radicals who want to dismantle public institutions, like pensions, that don't benefit greedy billionaires. Don't listen to them.

Listen, instead, to economist Dean Baker recently called out the Washington Post for making the nonsensical claim that state and local pensions have unfunded liabilities of $3.8 trillion. Baker notes the funds are basically okay:

...the $3.8 trillion figure was an estimate of total liabilities, not unfunded liabilities. Since the pensions have $2.8 trillion in assets, their unfunded liabilities are just $1 trillion. Or, to put this in terms that may be understandable to Post readers, the unfunded liabilities are 0.22 percent of projected GDP over the next 30 years. And, as I noted in my earlier post, most state and local governments are already funding at levels that are consistent with making up this shortfall so there will no required tax increases or spending cuts to meet these future obligations.

It shouldn't be a surprise, then, when Brother Brian Aldes, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 320 in Minneapolis, brings us some good

To whom should I connect? | My Island View

To whom should I connect? | My Island View:

To whom should I connect?

July 23, 2013 by tomwhitby

The most important component of a Personal Learning Network is the quality of the educators one follows. “Who is it that I should follow?” is a question that I am often asked by educators. It is the focus of educators every Friday on Twitter as the #FF hashtags fly. The “#FF” stands for “Follow Friday”. Each tweet often carries a list of educators who have shown value as an education tweeter to someone. To often these are groups of tweeters without an explanation as to who these people are, or what they specifically tweet about in education. People are asked to blindly accept another educator’s recommendation to follow someone. I would prefer individual recommendations to explain why that person should be followed. What is important to keep in mind however is that one can unfollow as easily as one follows anyone. No announcement of unfollowing is ever made.

I recently wrote a post about how unconnected we educators really are:Twitterati: Progressive EDU leaders or outliers? I chose Twitter as the focus for connectedness since I have come to believe that Twitter is a backbone to many of the leading thought leaders in the connected world of educators. Apparently

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, July 23, 2013

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Black Does Not Equal Fear

Education Headlines

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Maitre: Rebooted summer programs make learning fun to prevent ‘summer slide’

While summer classes targeted at struggling students are nearing extinction on many school campuses, several districts are rebooting the traditional summer education model by blending academics with recreational activities intended to prevent students from falling even further behind.

Palm Springs Unified school board poised to OK raises

The Palm Springs Unified school board is set to approve an across-the-board 1 percent salary increase during a public meeting Tuesday.

New Brentwood superintendent introduces himself

A familiar face in the Brentwood Union School District four years ago, Dana Eaton's busy getting back up to speed as he counts down to the start of another school year.

Caliber K-8 charter school fights to open

More than 50 students are finishing up a summer school program this week hosted by Caliber K-8 charter school, after which the fate of the school is very much in doubt.

Closure of seven Sacramento schools upheld

A federal judge on Monday denied a bid by parents seeking to prevent Sacramento City Unified from closing seven elementary campuses. The judge said blocking the district was not warranted based on the evidence plaintiffs presented in court.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Lakeside schools considering expensive bond to avoid default

The Lakeside Union School District in southwest Bakersfield is desperate to retire $10 million in debt coming due and may issue a bond so controversial that the legislature is considering restrictions on its use.

Stockton USD's support for club declines

Stockton Unified's financial support of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Stockton has dwindled for the past two years, a cutback driven by several principals who expressed dissatisfaction with the club's after-school programs and have asked for different providers.

New 'Common Core' standards aim to help students think critically

Steven Oberlander asks his 35 fifth-graders to compute 20 percent of 80 and the students immediately begin tapping their answers into the wireless keyboards on their desks.

County superintendent's pact detailed

County Superintendent Randy Ward received a $25,000 contribution to his retirement package and eight additional days of vacation when his contract was extended two years by the county Board of Education last month.

7-23-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:

Road Trip Week 2

Glen Brown on the Civic Committee’s collaboration with the bond rating companies.

By Glen Brown. http://teacherpoetmusicianglenbrown.blogspot.ca/2013/07/fahner-civic-committee-helped-jaw-down.html Corporatists are alive and well in Illinois. The history of our State has been one of excessive greed and shameless hypocrisy, of corruption and oppression, of extortion and domination, of exploitation and deception, of selfishness and subjugation, of poverty and unemployment and ineq

by Fred Klonsky / 20min mark as read // save

The in box. Fahner admits the Civic Committee told the bond rating companies to lower Illinois’ ratings for political purposes.

Go to Capitolfax to see the video. http://capitolfax.com/2013/07/23/fahner-civic-committee-helped-jaw-down-states-bond-rating/#comments * If you go to about the 47-minute mark, you’ll hear an unidentified questioner say this to Fahner… “Maybe sometimes you gotta be irresponsible to be responsible. If a political solution really doesn’t produce a favorable outcome, maybe you really need a market so

by Fred Klonsky / 25min

Mark Stefanik: YEE-HAW. WELCOME TO CRAZY RAHM’S CHI-TOWN USED CITY SALES.

By Mark Stefanik. You want a safe city? You just leave it to Crazy Rahm. I transferred cops, put ‘em in new districts…you know, shake things up a bit. There’s nothing like putting a cop in a new environment where he doesn’t know the ‘hood or the players to keep him on his toes. I’m creating a super blue zone right along the lakefront. There’ll be so many uniforms along the Mag Mile and LSD, why he

by Fred Klonsky / 6min

7-22-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Road Trip Week 2Xian Barrett: Yes, I was fired and we will still win.By Xian Barrett Posted on his blg: Teacher X: http://chiteacherx.blogspot.com/2013/07/yes-i-was-fired-and-still-we-will-win.html At 9:11am Friday morning, on a quiet, scripted phone call from my principal, my teaching career ended. A

by mike simpson / 8h

7-23-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

Joe Williams' DFER Propaganda Laugh Riot, Lauding E4E, Ignoring MORE Support

...new organizations like Educators for Excellence are increasingly giving voice to teachers who have a totally different framework for social justice...... 18% of active teachers who actually voted, one out of five of those teachers voted for someone other than Mulgrew to be president... Joe Williams, DFER, in DN. Message to Joe Williams: Those one in five voted for MORE whose members mock and de

by ed notes online / 0min

7-22-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Newark's NEW Caucus on Chicago LayoffsSome of them were union activists, trying to make their public schools and their union better.... NEW CaucusThe Chicago layoff story while hiring Teach For America scabs (Mark Naison: Teach for America-Our Modern Day Pinkertons) is a declaration of nuclear war. RBE did a good job the other day in branding Rahm Emanuel a murderer (Rahm Emanuel'

by mike simpson / 23h

Throwaway kids: disciplined California teens struggle to school themselves | The Center for Public Integrity

Throwaway kids: disciplined California teens struggle to school themselves | The Center for Public Integrity:

Throwaway kids: disciplined California teens struggle to school themselves

Strict district policies, distance from alternatives leave some no option but 'independent study'

LOST HILLS, Calif. — On a blistering May day in California’s Central Valley, most other 13-year-olds were in classrooms down the road. But Erick Araujo was under strict orders from his mother to stay inside with a U.S. history textbook.

Despite the orders, the 7th grader didn’t really have much to do. Over four days, while his buddies were finishing up the school year, Erick’s only task was to read three chapters from the book and answer, briefly, a few questions per chapter.

“Pretty easy,” the boy with braces shrugged, leafing through pages.

He had no math. No English. No science. And no other books to engage his love of history.

But this could be how Erick gets his education for months to come, at least until he’s half way through 8th grade in early 2014.

That’s because in February, Erick was expelled for a year from Lost Hills’ only junior high, A.M. Thomas Middle School, and told to enroll at a “community school” for kids with discipline problems that is run by Kern County. But that school is 38 miles away — so far away that staff there suggested Erick’s mom put

7-23-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

It's Time To Fire "Bad" Union Leaders Like Randi Weingarten

Randi Weingarten led the attack on firing "bad teachers" yesterday, giving more ammunition to the "Bash Teachers" movement by saying that teachers who are ineffective at their craft do not deserve to be defended and should be fired. She said teachers should turn on each other in schools and hound out the "bad" educators, further helping the "Bash Teachers" movement by setting up a divide and conqu

by reality-based edu... / 19min mark as read // save

When Will Bloomberg Be Held Accountable For Failed 911 System?

Another 911 system "glitch" yesterday: In the midst of a chaotic day of repeated 911 glitches, an EMS system reboot and a temporary return to pen and paper, it took more than an hour to get an ambulance to a 96-year-old Queens, N.Y., woman. Too bad someone close to Irene Boylan didn’t have the cell phone numbers for New York's police and fire commissioners. A relative pushed his way into Boylan’s

by reality-based edu... / 3h

DFER-Supported Candidate Tried To Raise Campaign Funds Through Domestic Violence Ads

From Politicker:Shortly after ads appeared today urging New Yorkers to “Combat Domestic Violence” by giving contributions to Reshma Saujani’s campaign for public advocate, the order was given to take them down. The web ads, which ask for $10 contributions “to help Reshma advocate for victims of domestic violence,” raised eyebrows across the internet, with one Twitter user calling them “the tackies

by reality-based edu... / 17h mark as read // save

Crooks At Reuters Run Con Game

From Matt Taibbi at Rolling Stone:Hilarious corruption story hit the news wires this week. It's actually a two-part joke. Part one is that Thomson Reuters got slapped in the face by New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman for its absurd practice of selling early access to the results of the consumer confidence survey it conducts each month in conjunction with the University of Michigan.

by reality-based edu... / 21h

AFT Poll: Parents Don't Support Education Deform Agenda

From the Washington Post:Most parents with children in public schools do not support recent changes in education policy, from closing low-performing schools to shifting public dollars to charter schools to private school vouchers, according to a new poll to be released Monday by the American Federation of Teachers.The poll, conducted by Democratic polling firm Hart Research Associates, surveyed 1,

by reality-based edu... / 1d

DFER's Mock Mulgrew

DFER propaganda-meister Joe Williams mocks UFT President Michael Mulgrew and the UFT leadership in an opinion piece in the Daily Pravda of teacher-bashing, the Daily News.Williams says because the UFT-endorsed candidate Bill Thompson has shown no overall movement in the polls since the UFT endorsed him, the UFT is no longer a kingmaker in city politics, unions in general are splintered shells of t

by reality-based edu... / 1d

UPDATE Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Times Has at the School Board...Again

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Times Has at the School Board...Again:

First Washington State Charter Applicant

And it's a bit confusing.The Enumclaw Patch is reporting that the Cedar River Academy, currently a private school, is applying to become a charter school. It's confusing because, under the law, a private school cannot become a charter school. Reading on I see that CRA is a non-profit corporation and, I assume, is going to spin-off a charter. (I am trying to reach them to confirm this.) Their cur

by Melissa Westbrook / 20min

Is Seattle School District Too Big?

Pop Poll:Should Seattle Schools be more than one district? If so, should it be two, a north and south? Five, with a NE, NW, Central, SE and West Seattle? What would be the ramifications, good and bad? (Many believe in the north-south divide in our district so I would expect it to be even more pronounced if there were a divide.)Would a split mean districts more focused on regional issues and par

by Melissa Westbrook / 0min

The Times Has at the School Board...Again

http://suepeters4schoolboard.org/

With the blazing headline, "Will election be a solution to Seattle School Board turmoil?", the Times lights into the current Board.

Some of what is said is pretty face value, that some Board members "don't trust top district staff." Actually, that's not what any Board member said in the survey. (I can go back but I don't remember that said.)

What I believe was said is that staff felt the Board didn't always trust them. And who can blame the Board given how many issues of trust have come up? The Board's job IS oversight and yes, watching over the shoulders of top staff until the Board has regained its confidence.

Again, you have earn trust.

It is also stated that the Board is "supposed to stick to policy and oversight." And that oversight does include accountability so yes, they must be sure their policies are enforced. As well, the definition of what the Board is to do is in the RCW which is widely interpreted in boards throughout this state. Just because the

Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, July 23, 2013