Sunday, September 1, 2013

Labor Day 2013 & Teachers - Musical Media For Education

Labor Day 2013 & Teachers - Musical Media For Education:

Labor Day 2013 & Teachers

posted 30 minutes ago
image
This Labor Day Musical Media for Education (MME) honors public school teachers. To make the holiday more meaningful, please peruse the linkography below, a critique of changes currently threatening the teaching profession in the US.
"EDUCATION REFORM"/PRIVATIZATION & TEACHERS IN THE US —->

Mr. Conti’s Resignation Letter
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/09/teacher-resignation-letter-gerald-conti_n_3046595.html
Open letter to President Obama-Bill Ayers
http://www.good.is/posts/an-open-letter-to-president-obama-from-bill-ayers

Bill Gates’ technocratic dystopia-Anthony Cody 
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2013/05/dystopia_a_possible_future_of_.html

Elite attitude toward teachers-Professor Naison
http://withabrooklynaccent.blogspot.com/2013/08/to-nations-elites-teachers-are-losers.html

Reason for the Destruction of the Teaching Profession- Chris Hedges
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/why_the_united_states_is_destroying_her_education_system_20110410

Gates’ RESPECT Teacher Evaluation
http://atthechalkface.com/2013/04/27/more-on-the-respect-blueprint-attracting-the-desperate-and-the-naive/

A teacher’s perspective on standardized testing (blog)
http://www.pernilleripp.com/2013/05/maps-testing-makes-me-feel-like-bad.html?utm_source=+Is+Summer+Break+%22Broken%3F%22+May+10+%2C2013&utm_campaign=Is+Summer+Break+%22Broken%3F%22&utm_medium=email

Teacher Appreciation Week Hijacking
http://reclaimreform.com/2013/05/07/teacher-appreciation-week-has-drastically-changed-within-one-week/
Teach for America (4)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-adv-teach-for-america-20130804,0,866908.story

http://www.networkforpubliceducation.org/news/nyc-public-school-parents-the-biggest-scandal-of-teach-for-america/

http://www.demos.org/blog/yes-teach-america-political-organization

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/jul/17/teach-for-america-criticism-educators

Teacher Resistance-Jesse Hagopian 
http://www.good.is/posts/how-mass-civil-disobedience-at-a-seattle-high-school-catalyzed-the-education-spring

BATs
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/07/12/how-mad-are-some-teachers-this-mad/

Teacher Un-resignation
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/08/11/teacher-who-left-why-i-am-returning-to-school/?fb_action_ids=10201819099703798&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%2210201819099703798%22%3A226831037467956%7D&action_type_map=%7B%2210201819099703798%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D
Presentation:
"David Coleman is considered to be the architect of the Common Core Standards. ‘The most important thing to know is that it was actually teachers who had the most important voice in the development of the Common Core standards,’ he says. He started working on the standards years ago, as one of the founders of the private consulting group Student Achievement Partners. Today, he’s president of the College Board, which administers the SAT. Coleman credits 45 governors thus far for putting their political differences aside and moving to adopt Common Core."
http://www.npr.org/2013/04/14/177175296/core-curriculum-puts-education-experts-at-odds

Reality:
"Recent critiques of the Common Core Standards by Marion Brady and John T. Spencer have noted that the process for creating the new K-12 standards involved too little research, public dialogue, or input from educators. Nowhere was this more startlingly true than in the case of the early childhood standards—those imposed on kindergarten through grade 3. We reviewed the makeup of the committees that wrote and reviewed the Common Core Standards. In all, there were 135 people on those panels. Not a single one of them was a K-3 classroom teacher or early childhood professional."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/01/29/a-tough-critique-of-common-core-on-early-childhood-education/


Police, Don’t Stand So Close To Me (music video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNIZofPB8ZM
Posted by at

Online Degrees Are a Waste of Money!! | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News

Online Degrees Are a Waste of Money!! | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News:

Online Degrees Are a Waste of Money!!

By  on September 1, 2013 5:26 pm / no comments
 
On-line degrees are not only a waste of money, but they fail to provide any meaningful learning.  While they are boasted to be about ‘getting a degree’ at one’s own leisure and isolated in the privacy of their own homes, the truth of the matter is far different.
Below is one of the most honest videos about on-line degrees, on-line ‘learning’ and the whole ruse they call for-profit colleges.
It is time to put a stop to phony diploma mills and the toll they take on citizens and taxpayers.  STOP THE GIVING OF TAXPAYER MONIES TO ON-LINE COLLEGES run for profit.

Join the Project Censored Newsletter Here!

unemployment

Print Friendly
Become a Project Censored Supporting Member Today a Receive a Free Top 25 Censored Stories Book! Join Here.
Posted by at

Seattle teachers, district reach agreement - SFGate

Seattle teachers, district reach agreement - SFGate:

Seattle teachers, district reach agreement

Updated 9:14 am, Sunday, September 1, 2013


 SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle teachers and the school district have reached a tentative contract agreement.
The district says they came to agreement early Sunday and that the Seattle Education Association plans to vote on the proposed contract on late Tuesday afternoon. School is scheduled to begin Wednesday.
The agreement came after the teachers and administrators employed the help of a mediator from the Pacific Employment Relations Commission on Saturday.
The issues under debate included how to use test scores in evaluating teachers and whether to add 30 minutes to elementary teachers' official workday.
Posted by at

9-1-13 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.:

1175665_10151864635134309_1504694050_n




Two libraries.
13 by Fred Klonsky / 39min 







Guest blog. “Nothing is written.”
By Mark Stefanik Accept Common Core.  Forget Collective Bargaining for compensation and benefits. Accept new teacher evaluations which don’t evaluate for good teaching.  Forget tenure.   Accept impoverished retirements.  Forget pension theft. WHY? Because it is coming.  Because that’s reality, Jack. Or so our union leadership would have us believe. They would have us believe we are impotent in th
by Fred Klonsky / 1min 




Labor Day Weekend reads.
  Why is Teach For America sending its teachers on Israel junkets? What would Muhammad do? A rebutall to Obama’s war argument. The continuing chaos in Rahm’s Chicago. They call us Chiraq. Rahm’s De Paul basketball arena? I swear I will never step foot in the joint. You make that pledge too. Labor Day: Workers are striking even if they don’t have a union. Seattle teachers reach a tentative agreeme
2 by Fred Klonsky / 14min 


8-31-13 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.: Corporate Ed Reform, Really ?Saturday coffee.  NY’s Bill de Blasio and his wife. Union support him. Except for the teachers union. After a day in which the temperature rose to the upper 90s, a summer storm full of thunder, lightening, wind and hail swept through Chicago early last night, sending poor
by mike simpson / 4min 

Posted by at

Teaching in a Dystopic State ! : Teachers Are Threatened With the Loss of Something They No Longer Have ??

Teaching in a Dystopic State ! : Teachers Are Threatened With the Loss of Something They No Longer Have ??:

Teachers Are Threatened With the Loss of Something They No Longer Have ??

"That’s why we organize ourselves to fight for our profession"
When NJEA supported the de facto elimination of the tenure law I don't see it as 
"fighting for our profession".
In the 70s this kind of thing would have been met with walk outs, picket lines 
and strikes. Today it's met with conciliation, sappy TV ads and cowering.

I read recently that NJEA spends the most of any organization on lobbying 
in Trenton. It surely doesn't appear that the money is 
well spent if the new "Elimination of Tenure Law" is the result !

For those of you who worked in at NHS, 
does the name "Presuto" ring a familiar bell ???


Posted by at

9-1-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:




Horace Mann Building Update
This went out from Superintendent Banda to Board members on Friday, August 23rd:Following for your information, is a copy of the invitation sent out this week to potential task force members.I would like to invite you to participate in the Horace Mann-African American Community Partnerships Task Force. This group will provide me with immediate and short-term recommendations on how Seattle Public S
by Melissa Westbrook / 4min 

Seattle Schools This Week
Wednesday, Sept 4thIt's the start of a brand-new year.  Welcome back, kids.School Board Meeting, 4:15 pm.  Agenda.Several items got held over from the last Board meeting.the new teacher contract, if ratified on Tuesday by the SEA, will be Intro'ed and voted on tonight.  our first look at the budget for the new Seattle Teacher Residency program, a joint program with SPS, UW and SEA with the Allianc
by Melissa Westbrook / 1h 

Tentative agreement reached
The SEA announced that, as of 12:18am, they have a tentative agreement with the school district. Details to follow.From the SEA web site:We have a tentative agreement!The Seattle Education Association and Seattle School Board bargaining teams reached a tentative agreement early Sunday morning. SEA members will reviewing the agreement and voting on it at the the Sept. 3 SEA general membership meeti
by Charlie Mas / 7min 

8-31-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum:  Do You Need to be a Parent to be a Good Teacher?That's a simplistic question - clearly - but part of the discussion of this column at Slate by Sara Mosle.You'll recall that I wrote a thread about an article in the NY Times about the movement of younger teachers in and out of of the classroom, particularly TFA teachers.So Ms. Mosle, a former TFAer (20 years ago), g
by mike simpson / 21h 
Posted by at

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: JUDGE DELAYS RELEASE OF LOS ANGELES TEACHER RATINGS

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: JUDGE DELAYS RELEASE OF LOS ANGELES TEACHER RATINGS:

JUDGE DELAYS RELEASE OF LOS ANGELES TEACHER RATINGS


BY TERESA WATANABE, LOS ANGELES TIMES | HTTP://LAT.MS/131CZO3

August 27, 2013, 4:59 p.m.  ::  The performance ratings of individual teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District will be kept confidential until a legal battle over them is resolved, a judge decided Tuesday.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant ruled earlier this month that the ratings must be released to the Los Angeles Times because public interest in them outweighed any teacher privacy rights under the California Public Records Act. But L.A. Unified and United Teachers Los Angeles joined to ask Chalfant to delay the release until they could appeal the ruling.
In their court filing, the district and teachers union argued that “immediate release of the scores will cause irreparable harm to privacy rights, and that harm dramatically outweighs any prejudice or inconvenience that might be caused by a brief delay in public release of the records” pending their appeal.
<b>Document:</b> Judge delays release of Los Angeles teacher ratings<<Document: Judge delays release of Los Angeles teacher ratings
The Times had opposed a delay, arguing that the Legislature had severely restricted agencies from using appeals as a delaying tactic to keep public records secret. The public records act bars courts from ordering delays unless those fighting disclosure have a probable chance of success and would suffer “irreparable damage” by the release of documents before the case was settled. The act also requires agencies to file a special appeal within 20 days after the initial ruling.
A delay would frustrate “the fundamental right of every person in this state to have prompt access to information in the possession of public agencies,” the Times argued in its legal filing.
Chalfant agreed with the district and teachers. To the extent that teachers and administrators would be harmed by the release of ratings, “there is no remedy that would undo that harm or restore the confidentiality lost,” he said in his ruling.
In courtroom remarks Tuesday, Chalfant said he usually does not grant delays because he is normally confident that his rulings are 
Posted by at

Some inferior charter schools use loopholes to stay open | The Columbus Dispatch

Some inferior charter schools use loopholes to stay open | The Columbus Dispatch:

Some inferior charter schools use loopholes to stay open

Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991

There is a rule about bad charter schools in Ohio: They can’t stay open if they don’t improve.
There’s also a confusing truth: Sometimes charters don’t get better and they don’t close.
Some schools have avoided the state’s charter-closing laws after enrolling more students with disabilities, which exempted them. Others were closed by their sponsors for poor performance only to find a new sponsor. And recently, one charter operator whose school was shut down for bleak academic performance updated the building, staff and school board, and opened another school in the same spot under a new name.
Just as they do with traditional public schools, the new state report cards highlight the serious struggles of many of the charter schools statewide and in Franklin County. More than 1 in 4 charters statewide received mostly F grades. In Franklin County, about 23 percent of graded charter schools got mostly F’s.
A few of the long-struggling schools were “nonrenewed” over the summer 
Posted by at

Emails detail formation of school voucher plan | The Journal Gazette

Emails detail formation of school voucher plan | The Journal Gazette:

Emails detail formation of school voucher plan

TOM LoBIANCO | Associated Press


INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana education overhaul that launched the nation’s broadest school voucher program and brought sweeping changes to how teachers and schools are evaluated angered thousands of teachers and made lightning rods of then-Gov. Mitch Daniels and schools chief Tony Bennett.
But emails and other documents obtained by The Associated Press show that a small group of GOP powerbrokers crafted the details of the education policy that made Indiana a conservative model over Scotch whisky at an Indianapolis steakhouse and in meetings at a private club.
In the months before the education package was unveiled to the public, its architects mulled the policy and politics of the rollout without any input from state lawmakers who’d later be tasked with passing the measures. They even debated when to loop in Daniels ahead of an election in which Republicans reclaimed control of the state House.
“My thought would be that we can get the momentum going and let MD (Mitch Daniels) take the 
Posted by at

How to Get an Autographed Copy of “Reign of Error” | Diane Ravitch's blog

How to Get an Autographed Copy of “Reign of Error” | Diane Ravitch's blog:

How to Get an Autographed Copy of “Reign of Error”


If you would like to get an autographed copy of “Reign of Error,” you can order it through the Network for Public Education.
If you want it to be personalized, with a greeting to you, you can order that too.
All proceeds benefit the Network for Public Education. I am contributing the books, so will make no profit fom this offer. The goal is to support NPE.
Make a contribution to NPE and receive a personalized copy of Reign of Error by Diane Ravitch
Pre-order Reign of Error by September 15th. There is a limited number of special signed copies!
The Network for Public Education is pleased to offer our friends an opportunity to pre-order a copy of Diane Ravitch’s new book Reign of Error signed by the author for a contribution of $100 to NPE. For a $200 contribution, Diane will inscribe her latest release with a personal message.
Here is an excerpt from an early review:
“When it comes to education, notoriously plagued by fads, it’s always difficult to determine truth. Ravitch, however, earns the benefit of the doubt by the supporting facts, figures, and graphs she brings to her argument, a lifetime of scholarship, and experience in and out of government”
Reign of Error is shaping up to be the biggest education release of the year. It looks to change the dialogue about education reform in the same way that Diane’s 2010 publication, The Death and Life of the Great American School System brought new attention to the plight of our public schools.
Make a donation to NPE and we will ship your personalized copy of Reign of Error via USPS by September 18.
It is easy to make a donation with PayPal. Choose an option below.
Make a $100 contribution and receive a signed copy of Reign of Error by Diane Ravitch.
Make a $200 contribution and receive a copy of Reign of Error signed with a personal dedication of your choice by Diane.

Posted by at

9-1-13 SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE

SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE:

gears





Tim Tebow and the “Hard Work” Myth: No Excuses? | the becoming radical
Tim Tebow and the “Hard Work” Myth: No Excuses? | the becoming radical.
by plthomasedd / 8min 




All Week 8-31-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER
@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: All Week 8-10-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTERThe Lingering Legacy of Segregation | the becoming radicalThe Lingering Legacy of Segregation | the becoming radical.by plthomasedd / 21h AUG 29B.S. On Your Collar (Says Your Argument’s Untrue): Another Common Core Lie ExposedFLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY, STING LIKE AN S.O.B.: First, let me introduce my first po
by mike simpson / 8h 
Posted by at

The sad thing about Labor Day

The sad thing about Labor Day:

The sad thing about Labor Day

By Valerie Strauss, Published: September 1 at 10:31 amE-mail the writer
freepik.com
freepik.com
Labor Day is traditionally marked with parades and other celebrations, a time for Americans to take a break from their jobs and honor the historic role that the labor movement played in the creation of the middle class, the rise of living standards and the strength of the country.  There’s nothing sad about that, for sure, but there is about this:
Many schools around the country don’t bother teaching the history and importance of the labor movement, and textbooks that do address the subject are often wrong. Ask some kids you know to tell you three things about the labor movement — or even to explain what a union is — and it is likely they can’t answer it.
Meanwhile, American teachers and their collective bargaining rights have come under assault by school reformers and policy makers, some of whom are motivated by their disdain for unions, and have experienced a deterioration in their working conditions.
Labor Day was first celebrated in this country in the 1880s — at a time when people commonly worked 12-hour days. The first Labor Day rally, in 1882, was in support of an eight-hour workday. Kids don’t learn much about how young people used to be forced into back-breaking jobs day and night in mines, textiles, glass factories, canneries and other places where children don’t belong. Labor activists eventually ended child labor — 
Posted by at

9-1-13 Wait What?

Wait What?:






Feet flat on the floor, hands folded on the desk and eyes on me…
“While I am teaching, I want to see you in ready position…Being in ready position to learn means feet flat on the floor, hands folded on the desk and eyes on me.”  – A new fifth grade teacher at the new Jumoke Academy at Dunbar School. First came the Jumoke Academy, a Hartford based, discipline […]The post Feet flat on the floor, hands folded on the desk and eyes on me… appeared first on Wait What
10 by jonpelto / 26min 


8-31-13 Wait What?
Wait What?: Special Master Adamowski’s Failing Grade in WindhamAs if the term “Special Master” wasn’t bad enough, the fact that Steven Adamowski’s insulting, arrogant and undemocratic style is moving Windham Schools in the wrong direction makes the whole situation truly offense. In a very enlightening article in the Reminder News, reporter Melanie Savage provides a window in to the devastation tha
by mike simpson / 38min 
Posted by at

NYC Educator: Reformy John Unveils Bold New Initiative

NYC Educator: Reformy John Unveils Bold New Initiative:

Reformy John Unveils Bold New Initiative

by special guest blogger Faith Humperdink fromGothamCharterSchools

Exclusive to GothamCharterSchools, NY State Schools Commissioner Reformy John King, in conjunction with the NY Department of Education, has released the formula for rating city teachers.

Since no one actually understands any of the math involved, and since none of this has ever been tested or proven valid anywhere, Reformy John, with an extensive background in charter schools, has decided to take a page from the charter book. In New York City, grades on standardized tests will continue to be recorded so that Governor Andrew Cuomo can issue the death penalty to schools he wishes to kill. However, for individual teachers, ratings will be determined by lottery, to wit, the new "Wheel of Unemployment."

Reformy John stated that emulation of charter schools is a first step toward the competition necessary to improve education in schools. The evaluations will be broadcast, and sales of commercial time will be used to refurbish spaces in public schools so that they will be suitable for charter school chains. Thus, American capitalists will finally have more opportunities to profit from the billions previously wasted on educating children. He spoke in glowing terms of the progress made in Chicago by Rahm Emanuel, and fondly reflected that one day we could blow up libraries here as well.

Mayor Bloomberg stated this was a step in the right direction. After the miserable scores in the Common Core 
Posted by at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)