10-1-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

Turnout Was Pretty Good For The Public Advocate Runoff Election

@Azi @mnitzky @Tish2013 @WNYC wow. far more votes cast than I expected. James really got her vote out.— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) October 2, 2013Indeed - Tish James got over 111,000 votes. That's not bad for a runoff election with nothing else at stake.Unions really did a good job here, as did the James campaign, getting out their votes.Again, now we see why Squadron was going so negative.He wa

Perdido Street School / by reality-based edu... / 38min 

Tish James Elected Public Advocate

Great, great news.Congratulations to Tish James and her campaign.More later.

by reality-based edu... / 2min 

87% Of The Vote Counted: Tish James 60%, Dan Squadron 40% - 10:05 PM

So much for those robocalls, Danny boy...

by reality-based edu... / 2min 

83% Of The Vote Counted: Tish James 59.5%, Dan Squdron 40.5%

First black woman to hold city wide office - Tish James.Very, very exciting.

by reality-based edu... / 7min mark as read  //  save

79% Of The Vote Counted: Tish James 59.5%, Dan Squadron 40.5% - 9:58 PM

Squadron getting his ass kicked.Couldn't happen to a more deserving guy.

by reality-based edu... / 7min 

74% Of The Vote Counted: Tish James 59%, Dan Squadron 41% - 9:56 PM

Tish James is going to be our next public advocate.Buh-bye, Dan.

by reality-based edu... / 4min 

68% Of The Vote Counted: Tish James 58%, Dan Squadron 42%

Only a matter of time now.

by reality-based edu... / 9min 

59% Of The Vote Counted: Tish James 58%, Dan Squadron 42%

This is going to get called soon.

by reality-based edu... / 11min 

50% Of The Vote Counted: Tish James 58%, Dan Squadron 42%

Starting to look very good for James.

by reality-based edu... / 13min 

41% Of The Vote Counted: Tish James 57%, Dan Squadron 42% - 9:44 PM

And so now it's starting to look very clear why Squadron went negative with all the anonymous calls and mailers.

by reality-based edu... / 17min 

32% Of The Vote Counted: Tish James 56%, Dan Squadron 44% - 9:39 PM

Starting to look bad for Robocall Dan.

by reality-based edu... / 21min mark as read  //  save

Did Dan Squadron Go With The Anonymous Negative Ads Because He Knew He Was Losing?

He sent out a ton of anonymous negative robocalls and anonymous negative mailers.Wouldn't own up to it last night on NY1 but did admit to it on Twitter today.Just as Cory Booker launching a negative ad this late in the campaign suggests Booker is facing some turbulence, Squadron's relentless negative barrage - most of it done anonymously - suggests his campaign knew it was losing.We'll see soon en

by reality-based edu... / 30min 

Cory Booker Frightened He's Going To Lose Senate Race

Two stories make me think Newark Mayor Cory Booker is worried he might lose his Senate race or barely squeak out a victory in what was supposed to be a huge blowout.First, Booker's opponent released an internal poll showing the race within six points.Now that's a Republican poll taken for a Republican candidate so we have take the results with a grain of salt.But then, there's this: Cory Booker pr

by reality-based edu... / 14min 

"Scissors-Wielding Lunatic" Slahes Five People, Including 2 Year Old, On UWS

Gee, doesn't Howard Wolfson live up there? A scissors-wielding lunatic stabbed and slashed five victims in a Riverside Park rampage before he was subdued Tuesday morning by a brave passerby, police said. An 18-month-old boy and his father were among those targeted as they strolled through the Manhattan park before the unprovoked 7:58 a.m. attack by a homeless man, police said. Crazed assailant Ju

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Daily News Wants "Death Penalty" For Schools Too

They applaud Governor Cuomo for saying "failing" schools deserve the death penalty, then point to a Bloomberg Philanthropy- and Gates Foundation-funded research group study that pats the Bloomberg administration on the back for its school closure policies, replacing large schools with smaller ones.See here for how MDRC works is funded by Bloomberg Philanthropy even as it works in concert

by reality-based edu... / 41min 

More Sleaze From Dan Squadron

Dan Squadron is desperate to win this Public Advocate runoff, that is clear.Not only has he been running anonymous robcall attack ads (which he refused to own up to on NY 1 last night), but he's also sending out anonymous attack mailers.It's a shame Squadron is too gutless to take ownership of his attacks against his opponent.If you haven't voted for Tish James yet today, go out and do so - the po

by reality-based edu... / 3min 

Bloomberg Wrong As Usual

Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday that the government shutdown will make the U.S. look like a Third World nation.He's wrong as usual.The income disparity between rich and poor in New York City makes us exactly like a Third World nation.So does the rotting infrastructure.And the crappy voting machines.And let's not forget the authoritarian police force our dictator uses to quell dissent and keep the m

by reality-based edu... / 8min 

Don't Forget To Vote For Tish James For Public Advocate Today

The polls are open from 6 AM to 9 PM.Turnout is expected to be very, very low.John Liu said the following:Councilwoman Leticia James has spent her entire career fighting for working people both in Albany and in the City Council. She’s stood up against stop and frisk, supported laws that increased wages for working people, and fought against the closing of day care centers in our communities. She h

by reality-based edu... / 37min 

Sleazy Dan Squadron Refuses To Take Responsibility For His Campaign's Anonymous RoboCall Attack Against Tish James

Dan Squadron is a sleazeball.It's one thing to attack your opponent and take responsibility for the attacks.Alas, Squadron doesn't have the courage or the moral core to do that - as Politicker reports here: State Senator Daniel Squadron would not deny tonight that his campaign was behind a controversial robocall attacking his rival in the public advocate’s race, Councilwoman Tish James.In a tense

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John Liu Backs Bill Opposed To InBloom Database

From the Daily News: Activists and elected officials, including city Controller John Liu, spoke out in support of a bill to prohibit the release of personally identifiable student information without parental consent at a City Council hearing Monday. The session comes on the heels of revelations that state education officials are working with the city to upload private information about students —

by reality-based edu... / 1h 

Teachers With Stockholm Syndrome

Lhota tells NYC teacher there's no $ for retroactive pay. Teacher thanks him for honesty, "convinces me more you are the man for the job"— Mike Grynbaum (@grynbaum) September 30, 2013Nothing to say here other than this unnamed teacher is one of the dumbest people on the planet.Lhota says there's money for tax cuts for rich people.But those years you teachers went without a contract becau

by reality-based edu... / 3h 

9-30-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Siena Poll Finds Cuomo Is Below 50% Approval For First Time EverGovernor Cuomo has bludgeoned his agenda through the last few years by using his immense popularity in the state (for a while there, he was riding with 80% approval ratings.)''He is facing reelection next year and is rumored to be seeking a very ambitious agenda in order to ease that bid - including a wide range

by mike simpson / 10h 

Affordable Care Act: A Marketplace of Opportunity | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Affordable Care Act: A Marketplace of Opportunity | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:

Affordable Care Act: A Marketplace of Opportunity

By Tarsi Dunlop on October 1, 2013

Healthy kids come to school better able to focus on classroom learning. Having access to quality affordable health care will only increase the quality of life for the nation’s youth, their families and the surrounding communities. In a time of economic hardship, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) ensures that millions of Americans who lack insurance now have access to affordable care. State-based health care marketplaces (or exchanges) open today and offer significant opportunities for students, parents, teachers and school communities across the country. Themarketplace is a one-stop shop, a site run either by your state or the federal government that allows you to fill out an application and compare health insurance options available in your area. Most Americans will be eligible to participate in the exchange; however, you can opt to remain on your employer’s plan if you already receive coverage.  You can learn more about your options, and eligibility, by going to www.healthcare.gov, and there are informative write-ups here, here, and here.
What does the ACA mean for…
Students?
-          Prohibits insurance companies from refusing coverage to or limiting the benefits to children because of a pre-existing medical condition. Approximately 28 million children will benefit from the removal of benefit limits.
-          Requires insurance plans to cover preventative services with no copayment. These free services include 27 preventative services for children, such as immunization vaccines, behavioral assessments, and substance abuse and depression screening for adolescents.
-          Ensures that students will be allowed to stay on their parents’ health insurance until age 26. Already, 3.1 million previously uninsured young adults have gained coverage through this provision.
Parents and Teachers?
-          Allows parents and teaches to easily compare and purchase high quality health insurance plans starting October 1^st, with coverage set to begin as soon as January 1, 2014.
-          Offers families one-stop shopping to learn about health insurance options and to make apples-to-apples comparisons of private insurance plans.
-          Establishes tax credits to middle-class families to afford health insurance and expands Medicaid, in participating states, to Americans making up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level ($31, 320 for a family of four).
-          Prohibits insurance companies from placing annual or lifetime caps on family plans or denying coverage to parents or teachers with pre-existing medical conditions.
-          Makes health insurance more affordable for small businesses. If you or your spouse own a small business, you may qualify for a tax credit of up to 50% of health expenses, starting in 2014, to help offset the costs of covering your employees.
-          Expands health care access to mothers and female teachers by requiring insurance plans to cover mammograms with no copayment and assures women the right to see an OB-GYN without having to obtain a referral first.
School Communities?
-          Expands and modernizes community health centers across the country to serve up to 20 million more patients.
-          Brings more primary care providers to our neediest school communities by tripling the size of the National Health Service Corps, which offers loan repayment and scholarships for serving in areas that most need health care providers.
-          Improves funding for Area Health Education Centers, which serve the primary care needs of rural and other underserved communities, and expands tele-health services, so more rural Americans can access specialty care
The examples above highlight how the ACA will work on behalf of students, families and school communities. Insurance companies can no longer refuse care for kids based on pre-existing conditions, which will also be true for adults beginning January 1, 2014. Preventative services that are so important in increasing quality of health in the long-term and that reduce the need for serious medical treatment will be available to kids under private plans that have a minimum of 10 essential services they must provide. The ACA helps ensure that mothers receive high-quality prenatal care, ensuring babies get a healthier start in life. And for many rural and low-income communities, often without access to essential services, the law will increase funding to serve primary care needs so that kids and their families can stay healthy.
Policy implementation on any level poses challenges; the ACA is no different, and given the scope of change it seeks to bring about in the provision of health care, there are bound to be some complications. Still, teachers, parents and their children and communities will have advantageous options and a place to find an appropriate and affordable plan that suits their individual needs.

Diane Ravitch at Stanford | InterACT

Diane Ravitch at Stanford | InterACT:

Diane Ravitch at Stanford

OCTOBER 1, 2013

tags: diane ravitch, Stanford

by David B. Cohen

(photo by the author)

I had the pleasure of introducing Diane Ravitch at her Stanford University event on Monday night. Below, you can find the text of my introduction, and a few pictures from the event. But first, I love this picture (right), taken backstage just before the event, and I want to write a comment rather than a caption about it. Diane Ravitch (in red) is conducting a mini-seminar in Twitter-usage for Stanford professors Linda Darling-Hammond, Eric Hanushek, and Claude Steele (clockwise from Diane’s right). Diane could keep up with more than a few “digital natives” online. 

Overall, the Graduate School of Education put on a successful event that I think brought out some interesting information and a variety of opinions – mostly, but not all familiar. I look forward to writing more about it, sharing more pictures and a couple of video clips, and encourage those who were there to chime in as well. (I believe there will be video on YouTube, but I don’t know when)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Introducing Diane Ravitch (Stanford, 9/30/13)

Thank you, Dean Steele. Good evening, everyone. First off, just to clear up any confusion: I am not movie star Matt Damon. If you read or heard that Mr. Damon would be introducing Diane Ravitch, that’s true – but in Los Angeles, on Wednesday. And if you heard my name but still weren’t expecting me, I’m sorry I’m not the David Cohen you were thinking of, as I share this name with the distinguished education professor and researcher at the University of Michigan. I’m just a teacher.

If we might consider for a moment why we’re here, why Diane Ravitch’s work is so important to American 

Jindal’s hypocrisy: the saga of St. Helena Parish schools; an interview with Superintendent Kelli Joseph | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

Jindal’s hypocrisy: the saga of St. Helena Parish schools; an interview with Superintendent Kelli Joseph | Crazy Crawfish's Blog:

Jindal's hypocrisy: the saga of St. Helena Parish schools; an interview with Superintendent Kelli Joseph

Posted on October 1, 2013

0

 Reblogged from Something Like the Truth:

By Robert Mann

Gov. Bobby Jindal says he's outraged about the U.S. Justice Department's pleading that raises questions about the legality of some of the private-school vouchers award to minority children in 13 school districts that are under federal desegregation orders.

Jindal, in speeches and a TV spot, is crying foul, saying the federal government is denying parents the right to choose where their children should attend school.

Read more… 998 more words

I covered St Helena's travails as well. What's even more absurd is that while RSD argued allowing St Helena to add some additional grades to their existing schools might have a desegregative effect, the actual data (that they are in possession of) shows that RSD is the having that effect right now, and that the St Helena elementary school is attracting more white students that flee the public 

Leading Innovative Change Series – Learning First, Technology Second | Connected Principals

Leading Innovative Change Series – Learning First, Technology Second | Connected Principals:

Leading Innovative Change Series – Learning First, Technology Second

September 28, 2013

By George Couros

I wanted to try my hand at writing a series of blog posts on “Leading Innovative Change”. As I am looking at writing a book on the same topic, I thought I would put some ideas out there and hopefully learn from others on these topics. I also want to give these ideas away for free. These posts are for anyone in education, but are mostly focused on school administrators. In all of these, the idea that administrators openly model their learning will only accelerate a culture of innovation and risk taking.

cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by Brenda
Learning First, Technology Second

“Freedom is actually a bigger game than power. Power is about what you can control. Freedom is about what you can unleash.” Harriet Rubin

A few years ago, our school district was strictly a “BlackBerry” environment for mobile devices. This was what was used for our school district for years prior and since it “worked”, there was no need to change. The thing with BlackBerry as that it is known as an amazing “business” phone, as it was “safe and secure” and easy to manage. The BlackBerry was not the phone for us anymore as it was limited in the way that it could connect and share, so we started to move towards iPhone and 

I Always Want To Be A Teacher | toteachornototeach

I Always Want To Be A Teacher | toteachornototeach:

I Always Want To Be A Teacher

by Nick Monzi

Last week, in a meeting with colleagues at my education-based nonprofit, a dedicated volunteer asked me a question that required more thought than I expected.

“How do you continue to learn about and evaluate your work?” she asked. “How are you sure that the change you hope to see in the world is going to be realized?”

One year ago, working predominantly as an educator, this would have been an easy answer for me.

“I look at the students’ eyes”, I would have said. “They show me understanding and engagement, confusion and frustration. They are the key to unveiling the impact that you are having as a teacher.”

I’ve always been a big believer in what Benjamin Zander calls “shining eyes”. They demonstrate commitment to the task at hand. They’re how I know that I am fostering 

Campbell's law in education: test scores vs. accountability - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

Campbell's law in education: test scores vs. accountability - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.:

Campbell's law in education: test scores vs. accountability

 by Joseph Ganem Ph.D. 

The problem of cheating on standardized tests that was recently uncovered in the Baltimore City Public Schools is apparently another in a long list of testing scandals that have plagued school districts across the country. Some might argue that these episodes provide further proof of sociologist Donald T. Campbell's observation made more than three decades ago."Campbell's law," as it is known, states that the more a quantitative measure is used for 
social decision-making, the more it will be subject to corruption pressures that distort the social process it is intended to monitor.

While I agree with that assessment, I would go further and argue that testing scandals are symptomatic of a more insidious societal problem: a refusal by its leaders to accept responsibility for the consequences of their decisions. Defining accountability in terms of a quantitative measure - a number - is actually an elaborate hoax perpetrated by the leadership to avoid being accountable.

"Defining accountability in terms of a quantitative measure
- a number -
 is actually an elaborate hoax
perpetrated by the leadership
to avoid being accountable."

For example, basing education policy decisions on standardized test scores (numbers) means that the educators in charge are relieved from using professional judgment. Consider all the effort school leaders no longer need to exert and decisions they no longer have to defend.

If the students are judged based on test scores, there is no need to consider their natural abilities and inclinations. Whether B's on a math test result from overachieving C students 
who become inspired by a great teacher, or underachieving A students who are bored 

‘Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress…’:

‘Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress…’

By Valerie Strauss, Published: October 1 at 4:00 amE-mail the writer

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(By Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg)

If you somehow don’t know about the utter mess in the U.S. Congress, look here (and start paying attention). If you do, here’s something to help you laugh, or, at least, keep from screaming in frustration. The buffoonery wouldn’t surprise these past congressional watchers:

 Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself. -Mark Twain         

You can lead a man to Congress, but you can’t make him think.  -Milton Berle

The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets. -Will Rogers              

I don’t mind what Congress does, as long as they don’t do it in the streets and frighten the horses. -Victor Hugo

I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the US Congress. -Ronald Reagan

Congress is so strange. A man gets up to speak and says nothing. Nobody listens – 

Activists call on Philly schools to limit teacher seniority, unilaterally | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Activists call on Philly schools to limit teacher seniority, unilaterally | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

Activists call on Philly schools to limit teacher seniority, unilaterally

by thenotebook on Sep 30 2013 Posted in Latest news

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Photo: Kimberly Paynter/WHYY

Nina Liou is a parent of two Bache-Martin Elementary School students and is in favor of site selection. 

by Kevin McCorry for NewsWorks

It's been called the "nuclear" option.

On Monday afternoon, a coalition of education groups called on the Philadelphia School District to bypass negotiations and unilaterally impose new contract terms on the District's teachers.

The groups, led by Philadelphia School Partnership and PennCAN, specifically want the District to do away with teachers' union seniority provisions that give teachers with more years of experience their preference among available positions.

Instead, these advocates say the District should implement a system of 100 percent "mutual consent," where principals and prospective teachers agree on every new placement. This system — referred to within the District as "site selection" — is already in place in 169 of the District's 212 schools.

In 2012-13, nearly half of 1,047 open full-time positions were filled through the site selection process, the rest by traditional seniority procedures.

Reformers say the status quo prevents principals from building school teams that believe in the principal's approach.

The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers strongly opposes eliminating seniority as a factor in placement.

A 1st-grade 'travesty'

Nina Liou, parent of a kindergartner and 2nd grader at Bache-Martin Elementary i

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Lessons from the '63 Boycott

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Lessons from the '63 Boycott:

Lessons from the '63 Boycott

 Rachel Dickson
Tim Horsburgh
Kartemquin Films
63boycott@kartemquin.com
773-472-4366/ 773-656-8939 (cell)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
On the 50th anniversary of the 1963 school boycott, activists from then and now will talk about one of Chicago's largest civil rights marches at a screening of in-progress documentary '63 Boycott.

Lessons from the 1963 Boycott:
The Struggle for Quality Education in Chicago Then and Now
Tuesday, October 22, 6-8p.m., Free, open to the public
The DuSable Musuem of African American History- 740 East 56th Place
Register at 63boycott.eventbrite.com


Join us on October 22nd, the 50th anniversary of the 1963 Boycott of Chicago Public Schools, when an estimated 250,000 Chicagoans – mostly CPS students – protested segregation and inequality. The evening features a screening of in-progress documentary '63 Boycott from Kartemquin Films (The Interrupters), a panel discussion with education activists from then and now, and a spoken word performance by Malcolm London of Young Chicago Authors. The panel includes Rosie Simpson and Fannie Rushing, organizers of the 1963 Boycott; Elizabeth Todd, an historian at University of Illinois in Chicago; Karen Lewis of the Chicago Teachers Union; and a student from the Chicago Student Union.

There will also be an interactive teach-in organized by the Chicago Teachers Union Black Caucus and Education for Liberation Network with a screening of a short clip from the film and a chance to talk with boycott organizers and participants in a series of small group