8-7-13 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.:

The in box. Micah Uetricht on ALEC in The Nation.

  Demonstrators protest the fortieth annual ALEC convention at the Palmer Hotel in Chicago (Flickr/Mikasi) My friend Micah Uetricht sends me his article on the Chicago ALEC protest that he wrote for The Nation. A coalition of labor, community and environmental groups from throughout the Midwest will gather to protest the group’s three-day conference throughout the week, with organizers expecting

2 by Fred Klonsky / 1h 

Guest post. Common Core-uption? Uncommon conflict of interest!

By H.D. Worth Educator on the front lines. Cross posted at Teacher/Poet/Musician Glen Brown.   Last month, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gave $6,309,100 in grants to the NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education. The money is earmarked to help implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Wait a second!  NEA members are in a collaborative partnership with the same Gates Foundatio

1 by Fred Klonsky / 15min 

ALEC and pensions? You bet. Active and retired teachers to the Palmer House, Thursday at noon.

by Fred Klonsky / 3min mark as read  //  save

Breaking. 50 protesters hold sit-in in front of Palmer House protesting ALEC and stand-your-ground laws.

  Wednesday morning. Thousands tomorrow at noon. 17 East Monroe.

7 by Fred Klonsky / 40min 

Ten minute drawing. Ty Fahner. I broke Illinois.

  Click on image to enlarge.

1 by Fred Klonsky / 12min 

Illinois will pay an extra $130 million in interest on a bond issue this week. Thank the Civic Committee.

. By his own admission, Civic Committee head Ty Fahner met with the bond rating agencies and told them to lower Illinois’ ratings. They did what he asked. As the question and the answer in the video shows, the intent was to create political pressure on the state legislature to cut constitutionally guaranteed state pension benefits. It will also cost the state and taxpayers millions of dollars. Ir

3 by Fred Klonsky / 12min mark as read  //  save

Illinois. Land of Lincoln and inequality. Worst in the U.S. for poor kids.

Every Illinois school kid knows that Illinois is the Land of Lincoln. We have schools, highways and even a little town south of Bloomington named for him. Oddly it is the statue of anti-abolitionist Stephen Douglas that stands in front of the state Capitol building. Maybe not do odd. It is hard to imagine that Lincoln would take much pride in the current inequalities of the state where he started

3 by Fred Klonsky / 31min  

8-6-13 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.: ALEC protests begin. Banner drop and arrests at the Palmer House. More to come.The Chicago Moral Monday Coalition, an alliance of Chicago clergy, lay people, unions and community organizations protested yesterday, Monday, at the Palmer House, 17 E. Monroe. The American Legislative Exchange Council (AL

by mike simpson / 10h 

8-7-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

Picture of the Day

It's a dead sand shark somebody left on the N train.No truth to the rumor NYSED Commissioner had it dropped there to send a message.

by reality-based edu... / 36min 

Tests As Shock And Awe

Leonie Haimson weighed on what the education reform establishment is doing with by rigging the scores to dramatically fall: So why are King, Arne Duncan, Joel Klein and the billionaires like Bill Gates and Rupert Murdoch who are pulling the strings, so determined to prove that more that 69% of the students throughout New York State are failing?  This is the Shock Doctrine at work.  Naomi Klein has

by reality-based edu... / 37min 

Spin, Baby, Spin

Those fine journalists at Gotham Schools, ever mindful of their funding and perhaps angling for some of that Bloomberg philanthropy money, spin the state tests scores for the mayor:The state’s first round of Common Core test scores are out and they are just as low as officials warned.But there is some good news for New York City: Its scores are close to the state average, and far ahead of those of

by reality-based edu... / 48min 

NYC Passing Rates: 26% ELA, 30% Math

When you rig the exams to give you these kind of outcomes, well, these are the stats you get:Large numbers of New York students failed reading and math exams last school year, education officials reported on Wednesday, unsettling parents, principals and teachers, and posing new challenges to a national effort to toughen academic standards. Across the city, 26 percent of students in third through e

by reality-based edu... / 25min 

What The Testing Game Is All About

Norm Scott: Well, we know what the testing game is all about and it ain't children. It's about using tests to go after teachers, close schools, end tenure, de-unionize the teaching force so they can lower salaries, and create massive turnover in a temporary teaching force so they will never have to pay pensions.Is that enough of a mouthful for you?So will all the sturm and drang over the "failures

by reality-based edu... / 6min 

Joel Klein, The Man Who Hawked Inflated Test Scores As Chancellor, Lectures People About Inflated Test Scores

You can't make this stuff up.Here's the former NYCDOE chancellor and current head of Rupert Murdoch's for profit education technology division, Joel Klein, lecturing people about how inflated New York's test scores were in the past:For years, states around the country dummied-down standards to make it look as if students were more prepared for success after graduation than they actually were. This

by reality-based edu... / 15min 

8-6-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: NYCDOE STILL Doesn't Have Common Core Curriculum Materials ReadyTomorrow the new Common Core test results for ELA and math classes, 3rd-8th grade, will be released to the public.They are going to show some very, very low scores.The scores will be so drastically different from previous years because these tests were a) based on the new Common Core standards and b) had difficu

by mike simpson / 8h 

8-7-13 SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE

SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE:

New York Is Freaking Out Over Test Scores

Yikes, it was on the CBS evening news!!! NY city test scores went down!!! OMG, the sky is falling. Meanwhile, the new Common Core standards and the new version of standardized multiple choice bubble in tests has NYC parents with their panties in a wad. State test scores expected to drop dramatically from tougher reading […]

by freetoteach / 2min 

Catholic Schools Against the Common Core

What exactly is in the Common Core Standards and which standards are a deal breaker for states or Catholic schools when taking money from the federal government? I’d like to know the amount of money the federal government sends to Catholic schools across the country. But looks like the largest Catholic teacher organization (NCEA) has […]

by freetoteach / 1min 

Made in America: Segregation by Design | the becoming radical

What connects a Barbara Kingsolver poem, The Great Gatsby, and the lingering mechanisms of segregation in the U.S.? Please read to examine: Made in America: Segregation by Design | the becoming radical.

by plthomasedd / 1min 

Governor Corbett Handpicked Government Careerist and Education Reform Lobbyist to Head State’s 14 Public Universities? Vote Tomorrow. by Sean Kitchen

http://www.ragingchickenpress.org/2013/08/06/governor-corbett-handpicked-government-careerist-and-education-reform-lobbyist-to-head-states-14-public-universities-vote-tomorrow/ Governor Corbett has allowed a corporate coup’ de tat to occur within the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.  On Monday August 5th, PASSHE’s Board of Governors announced that a vote for the new Chancellor will h

by Timothy D. Slekar / 11min mark as read  //  save

Chicken Little and the Emperor

Yesterday, I was working in my room and decided that I would stop down and discuss my recent “Math Module” training. I knocked on his open door and said as I almost always do “Can I bother you for a minute?” He turned, looked at me and I could tell immediately that he was not […]

by antiqueteacher60 / 31min 

8-6-13 Schools Matter @ The Chalk Face

SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE: Mental Health and American Children Who Are in Chronic PovertyCynthia Lamy’s American Children in Chronic Poverty is a must-read for all service providers, as well as educators.  A first post reviewed synthesis of an amazing body of social science research in a way that informs comprehensive planning for all sorts of anti-poverty efforts.  This post will focus on h

by mike simpson / 10h

UPDATE: FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, August 7, 2013

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Statement on NCLB Waiver Approval - Year 2013

"All California schools deserve relief from the unworkable mandates of No Child Left Behind"

Education Headlines

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Fensterwald: A compelling or distracting NCLB waiver?

Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s approval of the CORE districts’ waiver from unattainable provisions of the No Child Left Behind law, exposed some old and some new internecine disputes in California education.

Ex-schools chief appeals ruling in favor of Capistrano Unified

James Fleming – the former Capistrano Unified School District chief who created a database of parent critics – is appealing an Orange County judge's decision to dismiss his $1.6 million breach-of-contract lawsuit.

Principal departures shake up Newport-Mesa

With the school year just weeks away, top administrative slots at three Newport-Mesa Unified School District schools remain unfilled after a summer of unusually high turnover, leaving faculty, parents and students with the prospect of having to quickly adjust to their new principals' leadership styles.

With school around the corner, it's time to get kids immunized

While Sacramento's children burn through their final weeks of summer freedom, school officials are urging parents to prepare for the school year by getting kindergartners and seventh-graders their proper immunizations.

School officials deny politicking report

San Diego Unified School District officials say they did not violate state law with political postings through the district’s website and email accounts. The district was responding to a report in May by the county grand jury, a 19-member civic panel that reviews local government issues. The report cited U-T Watchdog stories in 2012 regarding political messages using district resources.

2 hearing-impaired students' lawsuits can proceed

The Tustin and Poway hearing-impaired students have sued their school districts over transcription services for classes.

Strategic plan highlights shortcomings with West Contra Costa school district

West Contra Costa schools trustees heard Monday that their district suffers from a slate of problems, including a low level of trust in the community, poor communication with stakeholders and no sense of urgency to embrace change.

Lodi schools to require student contract in campaign against cyberbullying

Fed up with episodes of cyberbullying, Lodi Unified School District officials are requiring high school athletes and club members to sign a contract vowing not to post inappropriate language or photos online.

Fensterwald: Eight California districts receive historic NCLB waiver

Eight California school districts collectively will receive the first district waiver from penalties under the No Child Left Behind law, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced Tuesday.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Final rush for Central Library School

Weeks before San Diego’s newest and most novel high school is set to open inside the downtown library, educators and construction crews are scrambling to recruit the final students, hammer the last nails and negotiate operating costs.

L.A. teachers give their new iPads a test drive

LAUSD instructors gather at six schools this week to train on iPads, which 31,000 students and 1,500 teachers in 47 schools will begin using this year.

Monday, August 5, 2013

#dislike: Lodi Unified students protest social media policy aimed at bullying

The policy cracks down on threats towards other people and other bullying techniques. It allows schools to bench athletes or remove students from clubs if officials learn they have posted inappropriate, profane or sexual language on a social media site - or boasted or endorsed illegal or violent activity.

New school

One Stockton Unified teacher says she's anticipating having more fun than she has in 15 years. Another speaks of looking forward to greater freedom to flex her creative muscles. One even went so far last week as to call coming changes to California public education "almost like an aphrodisiac if you're a teacher."

Common Core issues: Money, tech, testing

Some observers say it may take three or more years before Common Core is running at optimum speed and efficiency.

Jeff Bezos's Other Endeavor: Charter Schools, Neoliberal Education Reforms | The Nation

Jeff Bezos's Other Endeavor: Charter Schools, Neoliberal Education Reforms | The Nation:

Jeff Bezos's Other Endeavor: Charter Schools, Neoliberal Education Reforms

Lee Fang on August 6, 2013 - 4:29 PM ET

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Jeff Bezos. (Reuters/Shannon Stapleton)

As news broke yesterday that Amazon.com founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos has dipped into his personal fortune to buy The Washington Post and several Post-related media properties, there has been buzz about Bezos’s potential political agenda.

His record seems to suggest that Bezos is socially liberal, but economically conservative. He has contributed to both Republicans and Democrats, from John Conyers (D-MI) to Slade Gorton (R-WA); donated to the libertarian Reason Foundation; provided $2.5 million to pass gay marriage in Washington State; as well as $100,000 to defeat a modest effort to create an upper income tax in Washington State.

Others have scrutinized Bezos’s record at Amazon to predict his management of the Post. AtThe New Yorker, David Remnick says that under Bezos Amazon has “demonstrated itself to be ‘a First Amendment absolutist’ when it comes to the sale of controversial books (including Mein Kampf’) and an unwillingness to censor reader comments.” Others are less optimistic, 

Virtual Schools Are Spending Millions of Taxpayer Dollars On Advertising | Florida Center for Investigative Reporting

Virtual Schools Are Spending Millions of Taxpayer Dollars On Advertising | Florida Center for Investigative Reporting:

Virtual Schools Are Spending Millions of Taxpayer Dollars On Advertising

Published on August 7, 2013. Tags: Ashley Lopez, Florida Department of Education’s Inspector General,K12, USA Today

K12, and other virtual school operators, are spending public funds on advertising, like in this online K12 ad.

By Ashley Lopez
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting

A new report from USA Today found that virtual school operators are dealing with low enrollment numbers by spending public funds on advertising.

While public schools will layoff staff when they see low enrollment, these online schools will spend millions of dollars on advertising towards young people.

According to USA Today‘s research, “10 of the largest for-profit [virtual school] operators have spent an estimated $94.4 million on ads since 2007.”

K12 Inc., an embattled for-profit operator of online schools and is the biggest virtual school chain in the country, “has spent about $21.5 million in just the first eight months of 2012,” USA Today reports.

According to USA Today:

The analysis is based on ad buys and rates compiled by Kantar Media, a New York-based provider of “media and marketing intelligence,” but the figures are only estimates. In an interview, K12 spokesman Jeff Kwitowski wouldn’t say whether the estimates are accurate or provide actual K12 figures. But he said the company’s agreements with local school 

Zuckerberg’s Undocumented High School Students Sparked His Immigration Reform Passion | TechCrunch

Zuckerberg’s Undocumented High School Students Sparked His Immigration Reform Passion | TechCrunch:

Zuckerberg’s Undocumented High School Students Sparked His Immigration Reform Passion

GREGORY FERENSTEIN

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In addition to leading one of the most ambitious businesses of the 21st century, billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is also an occasional high school teacher. After Zuckerberg decided to give part of his substantial wealth to education, his wife decided that he shouldn’t be another armchair check writer.

“Pretty quickly, she decided that I wasn’t going to be someone who just contributed to education projects without having any direct involvement,” he said at a San Francisco screening of the immigrant reform documentary, ‘Documented‘. “She decided that I actually needed to teach myself.”

Zuckerberg set up a part-time gig teaching entrepreneurship in the underprivileged district East Menlo Park (the same school district that inspired the 1995 film Dangerous Minds). During one class discussion about their futures, one student raised his hand and admitted, “I’m not sure I’m going to be able to go to college, because I’m undocumented”.

After surveying his class, Zuckerberg found that a disturbing number — about half — of the students were undocumented immigrants (so-called “DREAMers”).

“This really touched me,” recalls Zuckerberg. “It was impossible to tell the difference between them; there was no difference between them.”

After the class, a student approached him and said, “I really hope that someone does something to rally this community.” The plea was apparently enough to move Zuckerberg to focus his soon-to-be controversial political lobby, FWD.us, on not just high-skilled reform, but comprehensive reform.

In front of San Francisco’s elite last night, Zuckerberg contended that the difference between high-