LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-6-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

Seattle Blogger: Connection Between Education and War in Syria?

Dora Taylor, a teacher and blogger in Seattle, was teaching a class about the the history of architecture from Egypt to the Roman Empire when a light went on in her head. She asked herself: Is there a connection between education and the war in Syria? Why do we always have billions to go to war but when it comes to reducing child poverty, there is no money, we are flat broke?

2 by dianerav / 4min 

Rothstein on Duncan: Test-Based Accountability Has Failed

Here is the transcript from the Diane Rehm show and its interview with Arne Duncan. This is the interview where Duncan said he was “not familiar’ with the Justice Department lawsuit seeking to block vouchers in Louisiana because they will undermine court-ordered desegregation. Two others were interviewed about Duncan’s policies: Mike Petrilli of the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute and Ri

10 by dianerav / 15min 

Sharon Higgins on the Gulen Movements and Its Charters

Sharon R. Higgins is a parent activist in Oakland, California, who manages multiple websites as a concerned citizen. One is “charter school scandals.” Another is the Broad Report. Third is a compilation of articles about the Gulen movement. Sharon has long wondered why so many districts, states, and the federal government have turned over a basic public responsibility to foreign nationals, who hi

by dianerav / 1min mark as read  //  save

Art as Part of Protest Against Mass High-Stakes Testing

Art teacher Jen Scott entered a painting in a contest. It shows New York State Commissioner looming happily over children who are answering multiple-choice questions. If you like the painting, please vote for her here.  See her piece here. The contest ends tonight at midnight.     A Medina High School art teacher is seeking online votes in the second annual Vision Art Awards, in which she has ent

by dianerav / 37min 

Turn Out for Hearings in New York About State “Reform” Policies

If you live in New York state, this is your chance to make your views known about the destructive policies mistakenly called “reform” by State Commissioner John King and the Board of Regents. Senator John Flanagan will be holding four hearings across the state to hear your concerns. Granted, a hearing from 10 am-2 pm is not teacher-friendly, but certainly retired teachers should turn out. If you w

by dianerav / 6min 

Can Teachers Be Trained Like Navy Seals?

EduShyster has written a hilarious column about an interesting proposal. According to EduShyster, some very important hedge fund manager was upset by Motoko Rich’s article in the New York Times about the short (two-to-three year) “career” of charter teachers. He suggested that teachers should be as ready and as tough as Navy Seals: the best of the best! They turn over often, and who cares? EduShys

by dianerav / 28min mark as read  //  save

Ohio: Charters No Better Than Public Schools

The accountability hawks thought that tests and report cards would help to display the failure of urban public schools and pave the way for more privatization via charters. What they didn’t anticipate, however, was that the charter schools would do no better than the public schools–and by their own measures, far worse. Test case, Ohio. On the A-F report cards (a favorite of the reformers), nearly

14 by dianerav / 1h 

Diane in the Evening 9-5-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Parent: My Son Suffered Psychological AbuseThis is a story written by a mother who enrolled her son in Democracy Prep in Harlem. She is a Nigerian-born journalist. She contends that the school’s rigid discipline was excessive and that her son spent hours every day in detention. It is a harrowing story. No doubt, Democracy Prep has

by mike simpson / 2h 

9-6-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

Whistle Blower Portelos Open 3020 Dismissal Hearing Sept. 12, 23, 30

Come to the circus. Press invited to find out they are spending an enormous amount of money trying to fire an accomplished teacher. Francesco is proof that rubber rooms still exist but that is a story ignored by the press, which hopped to when they had mass rubber rooms that were an embarrassment to both Tweed and the UFT. Now that they dump people in DOE offices full of wasteful bureaucrats, they

1 by ed notes online / 41min 

IRS Investigates CWC Charters - Run by Eva Hubby Eric Grannis - Sign Petition to Stop Them From Opening

As soon as their non-profit status was granted, CWCS quietly used their power over the local NY schools' trustees to push through exorbitant "licensing agreements" that will funnel more than $3 million of tax dollars away from the New York children they were intended for and into the hands of a few wealthy executives of CWCS, a California corporation. Another charter that skims 8% as a mismanageme

3 by ed notes online / 2h 

9-5-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Yet Aniother Charter Scandal Bewing:Yummy. I love charter school scandals.Click here: Bronx charter school named in whistleblower suit - NY Daily NewsBronx charter school named in whistleblower suitAlexis Riley, formerly a project manager at South Bronx Classical Charter, said she was fired for reporting financial and academic improprieties. By John Marzulli / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS 

by mike simpson / 10h 

9-6-13 teacherken at Daily Kos

teacherken at Daily Kos:

an astonishing, horrifying failure

is what Paul Krugman calls American economic policy since the failure of Lehman Brothers five years ago.  His column this morning, titled Years of Tragic Waste, is as blunt and to the point as Krugman usually is on issues like this.  As he says near the beginning of piece, Suddenly, we were looking at the possibility of real economic catastrophe. And the catastrophe came. Lest anyone have any dou

1 by rss@dailykos.com ... / 1h 

 

Daily Kos: Leaves on the Current - looks to be terrific news

Daily Kos: Leaves on the Current - looks to be terrific news: Leaves on the Current - looks to be terrific newsbyteacherkenFollow    Email  23 Comments / 23 NewShe visited with her oncologist today.  If I may quote the text she sent me (merely masking the doctor's name):Great news: no cancer showed up on my bone marrow biopsy!!!  Dr.X. says my recovery has been "amazing"!!!She will continue to rec

by mike simpson / 21h 

Class matters: Schools increasing focus on intervention, understanding to stem chronic absenteeism at its roots | EdSource Today

Class matters: Schools increasing focus on intervention, understanding to stem chronic absenteeism at its roots | EdSource Today:

Class matters: Schools increasing focus on intervention, understanding to stem chronic absenteeism at its roots

September 6th, 2013 | Add a Comment | 
By Jane Meredith Adams

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A new national initiative called Attendance Awareness Month was launched in September by Attendance Works, an Oakland-based nonprofit group.

With chronic absenteeism costing California school districts millions and putting huge numbers of students at academic risk, schools from Willits to Los Angeles and beyond are working harder than ever to address the root causes of absenteeism, including student health, family distress and how connected students feel to adults at school.

Schools have always been concerned about students missing school, but there’s a new focus on those who arechronically absent – defined as those who miss 10 percent or more of the school year in excused or unexcused absences.

“Why are these kids gone?” asked Debra Duardo, executive director for Student Health and Human Services at the Los Angeles Unified School District.

“Why” has become part of a broader conversation about school reform that links chronic absenteeism to discipline policies that “push students out,” school environments that don’t feel emotionally safe, and mental health concerns, such as students – and families – in need of counseling and other support.

“You have to make sure that there’s a school and a classroom that will welcome students back,” said Los Angeles Unified School District Board member Steve Zimmer. “Why would you want to attend a school where you weren’t wanted?”

Educational toll

California is one of five states that does not keep a statewide tally of chronically absent students, but 10 percent of students nationwide are estimated to be chronically absent, according to a reportby researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Officials believe the state rate at least matches the 

9-6-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

UFT Praying For Bill Thompson To Win

No, seriously - they really are:On Sunday afternoon, members of the United Federation of Teachers will join the former controller for a "Blessing of Educators" service at a Methodist church in Brooklyn as the union ramps up its GOTV efforts on his behalf."Our members are ready for a change in City Hall. They always come out to vote, and this year they are more determined than ever," said UFT Presi

by reality-based edu... / 3h 

Joe Lhota - Kitten Killer

The Colbert Report Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Video Archive

by reality-based edu... / 24min 

Real Estate Industry Buys City Council Races

There was an article a while ago at Gotham Schools, I'm not remembering the day, but basically it was how charter school operators and backers aren't worried about the mayor's race because they plan to own the City Council.Well, the NY Times explains today how that's going to happen:A group aligned with the city’s real estate industry has unleashed a torrent of spending to support pro-business can

by reality-based edu... / 39min 

Daily News Hits Spitzer On Money Spent On Campaign - But What About Bloomberg?

From the Daily News:With the polls showing a surge in voter support for Scott Stringer in the Democratic race for city controller, Eliot Spitzer is pouring money — big money — into his redemption drive. Desperation to win has trumped principle.No surprise there.On Aug. 30, this column challenged Spitzer to keep faith with his long-stated support for campaign finance reform. He has repeatedly backe

by reality-based edu... / 33min 

You Can't Put Students First If You Put Teachers Last

Went running from Jersey City to Bayonne yesterday because it was a beautiful day and I wanted to be outside and get some exercise.Along Broadway, I saw signs like this in some shop windows:Had lunch in one little restaurant that had that sign in the window.It was nice to see signs like this that frame the battle for teachers' rights and work protections as a concurrent battle for students' rights

by reality-based edu... / 43min 

Kenneth Cole Uses Syrian Attack To Promote Kenneth Cole Products

He is a vile, vile man:No war — or impending US military strike — is beyond  Kenneth Cole’s tasteless humor! With Congress weighing President Obama’s recommendation to  bomb Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, the famed fashionista urges consumers to attack shoe store shelves.Cole tweeted: “Boots on the ground’ or not, let’s not forget about sandals, pumps and loafers. #Footwear”It’s not the first ti

by reality-based edu... / 0min 

Cuomo Plans To Attack "Failing" Schools And School Districts in 2013-2014

He's ratcheting up the "death penalty" rhetoric for schools:Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Thursday that he intends to put an end to the status quo when it comes to New York’s failing schools. Far from backing away from his recent comments calling for a “death penalty” for these schools, the governor said he intends to set benchmarks and consequences for schools – and school districts – when they don’t

Perdido Street School / by reality-based edu... / 19min 

Who Are These Teachers Who Like Walcott?

The NYCDOE survey results:In his second year as New York City schools chancellor, Dennis Walcott’s popularity fell to levels that rival the tumultuous 95-day tenure of his predecessor, Cathie Black. Fifty-seven percent of teachers said they were “unsatisfied or very unsatisfied” with Walcott, the highest disapproval rate for a chancellor since at least 2010. A little more than one in four teachers

by reality-based edu... / 2h 

9-5-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Bloomberg's Endorsement Seen As "Kiss Of Death"Yes, that phrase actually gets used in today's Times article on why not one candidate running for mayor has sought Bloomberg's endorsement  - not even the Republicans.One GOP candidate took a poll with Republican voters and found that two-thirds had a negative view of Bloomberg.In the Democratic Primary, de Blasio has surged to

by mike simpson / 10h 

9-6-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:

What Americans Think About Public Education

I did link the latest Gallup poll on what Americans think about public education but it deserves an updated reprint.First, from Gallup itself, the highlights:Common CoreMost Americans don’t know about the Common Core and those who do don’t understand it.To note:  Of those Americans who had heard of the Common Core, many said — erroneously — that the standards are based on a blending of state stand

by Melissa Westbrook / 46min 

Horace Mann issues, solutions, and obstacles

There were two issues discussed at the third meeting of the Horace Mann-African American Community Partnerships Task Force. The two issues are not closely linked. The immediate issue is about the Mann building, but that is actually the smaller issue. The Mann building issue was created to bring urgency to the big issue: the failure to educate African-American children in Seattle Public Schools. Th

by Charlie Mas / 1h 

Seattle Schools Technology Updates

SPS Communications explained this about the technology issues on the first day of school:We needed to make the switch from our old computer system to Power Schools as the old system was failing. It began failing more quickly than we anticipated, so what was supposed to be an 18-month transition was compressed into six months. Our Department of Technology staff has been working around the clock all

by Melissa Westbrook / 25min mark as read  //  save

Friday Open Thread

What a week but school started on-time. What's on your mind?

by Melissa Westbrook / 30min 

"There Will Be Blood on your Hands"

Yup, it got that incendiary at the Mann Building Taskforce meeting this afternoon.  Charlie and I attended along with Joanna Cullen, a long-time Central resident and public education advocate.I honestly hesitate to put this up but I am because pressure needs to come to bear to end this situation (at least at the Mann building - there are other real and valid issues that the Taskforce is completely

by Melissa Westbrook / 6h   

9-5-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Fixing the District's Governance ProblemSeattle Public Schools - the District, not the schools - is poorly governed and poorly managed. Let's not pretend otherwise. The evidence is all around us. The routine violation of policy and regular violation of state and federal law are ample evidence of poor governance. Seriously, read the auditor's reports, read the polic

by mike simpson / 10h 

Mother Crusader: Chris Christie, Hell Bent On Destroying Public Education, Courts The Voucher Vote

Mother Crusader: Chris Christie, Hell Bent On Destroying Public Education, Courts The Voucher Vote:

Chris Christie, Hell Bent On Destroying Public Education, Courts The Voucher Vote

Is anyone actually surprised that Governor Christie is chomping at the bit to ram vouchers through the legislature in the lame-duck session after the election? (Which he arrogantly to assumes he will win...)

“It will be after the election, I don’t see it happening before then,” he said. “Miracles happen in lame-duck after elections, so let’s see. We’ll certainly be focused on it.”

If you ask me, this is a direct message to voucher enthusiasts that have endorsed Christie because he has promised them he will keep fighting for the Opportunity Scholarship Act (OSA). If he walks away from vouchers now, he would undoubtedly lose some key groups that have endorsed him.

Let's look at two, the Lakewood Vaad and the Latino Leadership Alliance.

Lakewood Vaad

Just to clarify what the Vaad is, this is from Wikipedia. (I don't usually use Wikipedia as a source, but the description here is very succinct.)

The Lakewood Vaad (Council) is a voluntary organization of leaders and businessmen, who represent a large amount of the Orthodox Jewish community in Lakewood, New Jersey in public policy issues. Lakewood has a large Orthodox Jewish population and is home to the largest Talmudic Academy in the United States, Beth Medrash Govoha. The community maintains a large and unified voting block. The Vaad endorses candidates for office, and communicates the needs of the community to 

Technologies I Used in My Classroom in the 1950s: Recapturing How I Taught A Half-century Ago | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Technologies I Used in My Classroom in the 1950s: Recapturing How I Taught A Half-century Ago | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

Technologies I Used in My Classroom in the 1950s: Recapturing How I Taught A Half-century Ago

When I began teaching U.S. and world history in 1956 at Glenville High School (Cleveland, Ohio), there were many technological aids that I had available and used often in my five classes each day. Seven years later, when I left Glenville to train returned Peace Corp Volunteers to teach at Cardozo High School in Washington, D.C., I had added a few more items to my technological repertoire. At no time in those years did I ask myself whether they were productive, (i.e., did they get students to learn more, faster, and better?) or efficient  (i.e., did I teach more, faster, and better?). They were available, I tried them out in lessons, and I used them to help me teach. Period.

Between 1956-1963, every day I used the blackboard, the textbook, and theditto machine to make student hand-outs (ah, just typing in the phrase brings back memories of smelling alcohol and purple stained fingers from handling those “spirit masters”). For the blackboard, I even used different colored chalk to make diagrams and draw pictures to make a central point of the lesson. Every few weeks, I would use a film-strip projector and film strips that were available in the social studies department or the district’s audio-visual department located downtown. Once a month or so, I would borrow a film from the Cleveland