8-22-13 plthomasEdD at Daily Kos

plthomasEdD at Daily Kos:

Schools Matter @ the Chalk Face: An Alternative to Accountability-Based Education Reform | National Education Policy Center

Schools Matter @ the Chalk Face: An Alternative to Accountability-Based Education Reform | National Education Policy Center

by P. L. Thomas / 10min 

 Class Grades: The Unintended Lessons from Florida

Since I am quick to criticize the media for its role in the failures of the current education reform movement—such as PBS, The Charleston Post and Courier, and Education Week—I must also recognize when a media outlet provides much needed insight into education policy that has clearly run off the tracks, such as the so-called Florida miracle and the enduring practice of assigning letter grades to s

by rss@dailykos.com ... / 21min  

8-21-13 Radical Scholarship

Radical Scholarship: What We Know Now and An Alternative to Accountability-Based Education Reform | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal NewsWhat We Know Now and An Alternative to Accountability-Based Education Reform | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News1 by P. L. Thomas / 3h Daily Kos: Class Grades: The Unintended Lesson

by mike simpson / 14h 

As charter schools come of age, measuring their success is tricky | Hechinger Report

As charter schools come of age, measuring their success is tricky | Hechinger Report:

As charter schools come of age, measuring their success is tricky

By Sarah Butrymowicz

When the Minnesota New Country School opened two decades ago in Le Sueur, a rural town 60 miles southwest of Minneapolis, co-founder Dee Thomas and her teachers hoped to do education differently. There would be no bells between classes. Teachers would come to decisions democratically. Students would learn through self-directed projects instead of traditional classroom lectures.

For its entire existence, the school—which is adding elementary grades to serve students from kindergarten to 12th grade beginning this fall—has clung steadfastly to its initial vision, including the project-based curriculum. But with public school regulations spreading across the country and accompanying pressure on schools to perform well on one-size-fits-all standardized tests, its unique approach is at risk.

“I feel like I have a permanent bruise on my forehead from running into a brick wall,” said Thomas. The school’s future “is always in jeopardy whenever quality is based on traditional standards.”

Students at Minnesota New Country School, a project-based charter school in Henderson, Minn., work on individual projects. (Photo: Sarah Butrymowicz)

When the nation’s first charter school law was passed in Minnesota in 1991, advocates hoped the schools would serve as laboratories to try out new strategies. In return for this flexibility, schools would be forced to show results. Yet 22 years later, the charter movement nationwide is still grappling with this inherent tension between striving for 

Q & A with Ember Reichgott Junge: How charters started and where they need to go next

In 1991, Minnesota became the first state in the country to allow charter schools. Since then, 41 other states and the District of Columbia have followed suit, and more than 2 million children attend charters. Ember Reichgott Junge, one of the original forces behind Minnesota’s charter law, says she is shocked by the growth over the past two decades. As she details in her new book, “Zero Chance of

1 by Sarah Butrymowicz / 11min 

Education Research Report: New Orleans Charter School Study Debunked

Education Research Report: New Orleans Charter School Study Debunked:

New Orleans Charter School Study Debunked

The Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University recently released a follow-up report to its 2013 national study on charter school performance.

The new study is focused on Louisiana and particularly on the effects in New Orleans. The report states, “We observed positive impacts from attending a [New Orleans] charter for students in poverty (unlike in the overall state), for Black and Hispanic students, special education students, and students who repeat a grade.” Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal called the study “proof of the success of charter schools in Louisiana.”

Such claims overstate the findings.

The study covers a period that begins right after Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans experienced immediate and dramatic shifts in the school population, with a quick enrollment decline from about 68,000 to 32,000 students—slowly climbing back to 42,000 by 2011. The outward migration of students resulted in a much smaller proportion of children in poverty in the city. Additionally, funds were reduced for traditional public schools while funds for charter schools continued to be provided through federal, state and foundation sources.

Drawing an appropriate comparison group and making well-founded conclusions becomes exceptionally problematic in a city with such fundamental changes and such potentially strong selection effects. This is particularly true when 78% of New Orleans public school students are enrolled in charter schools.

The new study’s findings are also problematic because of weaknesses in the study itself. In reviewing the larger national study for the 

Classroom Quality and High-Stakes Accountability

High-stakes tests are the most heavily weighted measures in accountability systems developed in response to No Child Left Behind. While some studies show high-stakes accountability being related to test score gains, others suggest these policies do not improve achievement and often result in unintended consequences. To understand mechanisms driving positive and negative effects on student learning

by Jonathan Kantrowi... / 24min 

Schools rising from budget depths, EdSource report finds | EdSource Today

Schools rising from budget depths, EdSource report finds | EdSource Today:

Schools rising from budget depths, EdSource report finds

August 22nd, 2013 | Add a Comment | 
By John Fensterwald

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With the passage of Proposition 30 and implementation of a new funding system channeling more money to most districts this fall, the 2012-13 school year will be the base for measuring how well schools recover from the Great Recession. Yet as EdSource documents in a report issued Thursday, there will be a steep climb out of the trough.

In “Recovering from the Recession: Pressures Ease on California’s Largest Districts, but Pressures Remain,” EdSource found signs that budgets were stabilizing and districts were regaining some ground after five years of damaging budget cuts. But there were also areas of further concern, such as a decline in the number of counselors in schools and a rise in rates of childhood poverty – evidence that districts continued to struggle, as measured by some key indices.

The survey polled the state’s 30 largest districts, which together enroll some 2 million children, about a third of the state’s K-12 students. As it did in its initial report last year, EdSource examined stress factors on schools, including class size, teacher layoffs and the number of instructional days. The current report added additional factors – housing foreclosures, responses to security threats and access to health care – that have a direct impact on student wellness and performance in the classroom.

Last year was a pivotal, but also, in some respects, difficult year for budgeting. Many districts had 

Former head of alternative schools in Los Angeles challenging Tom Torlakson - by John Fensterwald

The former chief executive of the nonprofit that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa created to run alternative schools within Los Angeles Unified is challenging Tom Torlakson’s run for a second term as state superintendent of public instruction next year. Marshall Tuck, 40, was also president of Green Dot Public Schools when it grew from one Los Angeles charter school to 10, before becoming CEO of... [[

by John Fensterwald / 8h

Top down, bottom up, and what else? - by Merrill Vargo / commentary

Whenever I say that “neither top-down nor bottom-up approaches to change work in public education,” educators nod in agreement. But when it comes to acting on this insight, agreement is nowhere in sight. Private sector leaders tend to think that top-down strategies fail because public education leaders do something wrong. This is understandable: top-down approaches to change actually do work... [

by Merrill Vargo / c... / 4h 

The AP and Gallup Polls: A Commentary | deutsch29

The AP and Gallup Polls: A Commentary | deutsch29:

The AP and Gallup Polls: A Commentary

August 21, 2013

The theme of this past several days appears to be the national education poll and how much one should (or should not) trust the results. On August 17, the Associated Press (AP) released a twisted version of what they would like for parents to want for their children– high-stakes tests– except that the term “high stakes” does not appear once on AP’s 45-page survey results. I challenged AP on August 18 in this post for both its selective reporting and shaping of survey outcomes.

On August 19, Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post blog, the Answer Sheet, contacted AP for a response to my post. Here is what she received, as reported on her blog on August 21:

I asked the Associated Press to respond to her (Mercedes Schneider’s) analysis, andspokesman Paul Colford said that the AP stands by its poll and accompanying story. He said the AP “had editorial control over the design of the survey and ultimately the interpretation of the results.” [Emphasis added.]

Let’s promote a colossal lie to satisfy the AP poll “major funding” Joyce Foundation and stand by the lie in the face of indisputable truth.

In refusing an explanation, AP spokesman Paul Colford advances the opinion that the 

Elder Activist Educator, Dr Donald H Smith, Recalls His Participation in the 1963 March On Washington Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública

Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública:

Elder Activist Educator, Dr Donald H Smith, Recalls His Participation in the 1963 March On Washington

<<I was among the "Foot Soldiers" who marched in the nation's capitol August 28, 1963 to demand Freedom and Justice for Black Americans. It was a day I shall never forget.

I had driven to New York City from Chicago with my good friend and Kappa Brother, William J. Brown II. We parked the car and took a flight to Washington D.C. where we joined my good friend Caroline "Dash" Davis for breakfast, and the three of us set off together marching. It was joyous and almost overwhelming - - over 200,000 other foot soldiers of all races and socio-economic strata marching to the Lincoln Memorial, responding to the call for justice conceived and issued by A. Phillip Randolph and organized by Bayard Rustin.

By chance a few years before, I had had the honor of sitting next to the great Mr. Randolph, the founder and leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and having an historic conversation on a flight from Chicago to New York.

Mr. Randolph had previously led movements which convinced President Franklin D. Roosevelt to end discrimination in defense industries and Presided Harry Truman to end discrimination in the armed services.

The March was on a very warm, but not too hot, August day.

We marchers were serious but celebratory. Some Black Greek organizations displayed their banners, as did 

The Real Number Of Hours Teachers Work In One Eye-Opening Graphic

When you look at the time teachers actually spend working, you can see that it's not a cakewalk — at all. The next time your city or state wants to cut back on teacher salaries or hammer their pensions, here's something to show around to folks before they make a decision. 

Math professor: Common Core “will set our children back one to... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

Math professor: Common Core “will set our children back one to... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:

Math professor: Common Core “will set our children back one to two years.” Governor in retreat. 

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By Maureen Downey

Those thundering footsteps of late are the governor and Legislature beating a hasty retreat from Common Core State Standards, which have come under fire from both the left and the right.

Gov. Nathan Deal had been in full support of Common Core, but that seems to have changed. It is unclear whether his doubts grew out of political or policy concerns.

According to the AJC:

Gov. Nathan Deal has ordered a sweeping review of the Common Core national guidelines and asked the State Board of Education to “formally un-adopt” a part of the program that includes sample English test selections that infuriated some parents.

Deal also asked the board to develop a new social studies curriculum that emphasizes, among other aspects, civic and fiscal responsibility; and urged members to come up with a model reading list for school boards across the state. The governor’s order signals his flagging support for Common 

On the phony Kings arena outrage, strong-mayor freshness and city school district accountability -Sacramento News & Review

Sacramento News & Review - On the phony Kings arena outrage, strong-mayor freshness and city school district accountability - Bites - Opinions - August 22, 2013:

On the phony Kings arena outrage, strong-mayor freshness and city school district accountability

Rich guys are always trying to jam each other up and steer the public process, and public money, toward their own interests

By Cosmo Garvin 
cosmog@newsreview.com

Read 1 reader submitted comment

This article was published on 08.22.13.

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Bites did a double take when charter-school advocate Penny Schwinn resigned her elected post on the Sacramento County Board of Education last month in order to take a high-paying job in the bureaucracy of the Sacramento City Unified School District.
She’s now SCUSD’s new assistant superintendent of performance management—which comes with a$133,617 salary. The job is one of many, many six-figure gigs in the administration, and is described as being “the accountability leader” for the district, which is also the job description of the district’s chief accountability officer ($149,914).
Schwinn is qualified for the big bucks because she was at Teach for America for three years, a St. Hope administrator for two years and, of course, she founded her own charter school,
Schwinn was executive director of the school. It was her baby. But she had to give it up to take the Sac city job.
Sort of. Perhaps as an added perk, the district is appointing Schwinn to Capitol Collegiate’s governing board. According to district policy, Schwinn will be the district’s “eyes and ears” and help provide oversight of the school she founded.
Who better to be the public’s watchdogover a charter school than the person who started that charter school, hired its staff and created its culture? Surely, if there were anything wrong over at Capitol Collegiate, Schwinn will let us know, pronto. Right?
Nevertheless, Bites asked district spokesman Gabe Ross, “Couldn’t there be a conflict of interest there?”
“The role on the board is not a conflict of interest,” he replied. So, there you go.

Sacramento Tomorrow was supposed to be a new, fresh look at Sacramento’s governance. But every time Bites checks in, up pops another crony from the old Boss Johnson brigade.
Here’s an excerpt from the fundraising email for Sacramento Tomorrow sent out by developer Jon Bagatelos—or “The Bag Man,” as he’s sometimes called (in this column). Bagatelos is a big Kevin Johnson fundraiser and one of the money guys behind previous strong-mayor plans.
“In the past few years we have made a lot of changes to the City Council for the betterment 

D.C. charter schools to give standardized tests to young children:

D.C. charter schools to give standardized tests to young children

By Valerie Strauss, Published: August 22 at 4:00 amE-mail the writer

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(By Matt McClain / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST)

The use of standardized tests to measure very young students  keeps expanding. Now public charter schools in Washington D.C. will soon be giving new standardized tests to very young children — aged 3, 4 and 5 — for the purposes of assessing their academic progress and ranking schools according to the results. What will be optional for each school is whether to evaluate students in social-emotional learning, which early childhood experts say should be at the center of education for the youngest students.This move in D.C. charters is part of a disturbing shift in early childhood classrooms around the country, as they increasingly mimic what older students do academically. (Here’s a post on that.)

The following post explains the D.C. charter plan. It was written by educator and author Sam Chaltain, who began his career as an English teacher in New York City and who now writes about the intersection of education and democracy at www.samchaltain.com. Previously, he was national director of the Forum for Education & Democracy, an education advocacy organization, and the founding director of the Five Freedoms Project, a national program that helps K-12 educators create more democratic learning 

New York State and EngageNY Advocate Child Abuse southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com:

New York State and EngageNY Advocate Child Abuse

From the files of "You Can't Make This Shit Up!" comes the new 1st grade ELA Learning and Listeningstrands.

Yeah, I know that there is supposed to be literacy used with this, but we are not sharing the books The Crack Team shared with the students while attempting to make some type of rhyme and reason with

this crap.

Our first student comes to us from Scotia NY. His name is Barry Rosenberg. Barry is in 1st grade and loved Kindergarten. The Crack Team at SBSB recorded and transcribed Barry's responses.


18. Compare and contrast (orally or in writing) similarities and differences within a single fiction read-aloud or between two or more fiction read-alouds;  

 My book that Ms Smith had is big, the two books, bigger

19. Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure;  

I poop my pants.

20. Plan, draft, and edit a narrative retelling of a fiction read-aloud, with a title, characters, some details regarding the plot, the use of temporal words to signal event order, and some sense of closure;  

My daddy uses temporal words when he see Obama on TV and another time when he burned his hand

21. With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions and 

NYC Educator: Charles M. Blow Joins the NY Times Common Core Lovefest

NYC Educator: Charles M. Blow Joins the NY Times Common Core Lovefest:

Charles M. Blow Joins the NY Times Common Core Lovefest

It looks like, in the space of a week, three NY Times columnists have come out swinging in favor of the Common Core. The latest is Charles M. Blow, who I'd previously found thoughtful and worthwhile. His opening salvo informs us we are not keeping up with other countries, yet our lower test scores align precisely with our disgraceful higher poverty levels. As if that were not enough, Broad's source for this proclamation is the Broad Foundation. One wonders why he doesn't just go to the Walmart family, with his particular standard for objective sources.

It's ironic that Common Core is supposed to teach our children to think critically, and its prominent proponents appear incapable of doing so. Blow's second source, right out of the gate, is Amanda Ripley, who he describes as a journalist. One of Ripley's journalistic specialties is ad hominem attacks against real-live education expert Diane Ravitch, accused by Ripley of living in an "alternate universe."

Blow then explains it is endorsed by the Obama administration, and he's apparently unaware or uninterested that this administration has endorsed demonstrably nonsensical things like merit pay, which has worked nowhere, ever, value-added evaluations, which have worked nowhere ever, higher class sizes, which have worked nowhere, ever, and Hurricane Katrina, which Arne Duncan declared the best thing to happen to education in New Orleans, despite