In the suburbs, conflicting emotions over new school mandates | Hechinger Report

In the suburbs, conflicting emotions over new school mandates | Hechinger Report:

In the suburbs, conflicting emotions over new school mandates

By Sara Neufeld

FORT WASHINGTON, Pa. — Upper Dublin High School had the 10th highest SAT scores of any public school in Pennsylvania last year. It occupies a gleaming, just-completed $119 million building where a sushi chef supplements the cafeteria offerings on Wednesdays. Its graduation rate exceeds 99 percent, and more than 95 percent of graduates go on to two- and four-year colleges.

• Are Pennsylvania students being set up for failure? New education standards, graduation exams highlight school resource needs
• Pennsylvania’s stops and starts over new classroom standards

Yet even here, teachers are worried about being able to get all their students to pass state exams in algebra, literature and biology, which will likely be required for a diploma beginning with the current freshman class. So where does that leave the rest of Pennsylvania?

“It would be a shame if we set kids up for failure,” said Dan Ortiz, a social studies teacher at Upper Dublin High, a 1,500-student school in Philadelphia’s northern suburbs that was graced with the new building after a 2007 voter referendum.

With student diplomas potentially at stake, the pressures that high-poverty urban schools have experienced for years around standardized test scores may now be heading to the suburbs. For years, suburban educators have had far more instructional freedom than their counterparts at urban high-poverty schools because the stakes attached to testing didn’t pose much threat to them.

But the new “Keystone exams” are significantly harder than the Pennsylvania System of School 

Pennsylvania’s stops and starts over new classroom standards

WEST CHESTER, Pa. — In the beginning, Pennsylvania was going to be like most other states, following a new set of national education standards and administering new national standardized tests. Are Pennsylvania students being set up for failure? New education standards, graduation exams highlight school resource needs In the suburbs, conflicting emotions over new school mandates But a lot has

by Sara Neufeld / 8min

Neil Gaiman Should Be U.S. Secretary of Education: “Things can be different” | the becoming radical

Neil Gaiman Should Be U.S. Secretary of Education: “Things can be different” | the becoming radical:

NEIL GAIMAN SHOULD BE U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION: “THINGS CAN BE DIFFERENT”

Some people view the world differently than others.

Some people view education and schools differently than others.

Some people view children, books, and libraries differently than others.

And then there is Neil Gaiman.

I have been a staunch defender of public education, writing often against the negative consequences of Common Core (especially as related to literacy instruction) and doggedly resisting non-educators as leaders of the education reform movement.

Despite my resistance to what I consider misguided reform as well as my skepticism about innovation and market forces, I have conceded a compromise on Common Core, along with a clarification about that compromise. The response to that compromise has been underwhelming.

However, I am now willing to offer another compromise; this time about the qualifications for who should be our 

TO LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-17-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

John King: The Object of Righteous Anger

A parent in Poughkeepsie writes about the infamous meeting where John King lectured for 1 hour and 40 minutes and was then hooted by parents and teachers:   On October 10, 2013, SED Commissioner John King spoke at the Spackenkill School District in Poughkeepsie, NY.  This was the first of several forums on the Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS) that NYS adopted on July 19, 2010.  It has been wi

4 by dianerav / 48min

Newsflash: 800 EdReformers Meet in Boston Today

This news item appeared in Politico.com: ED REFORMERS MEET IN BOSTON – More than 800 state legislators, school chiefs and policy wonks of every description will convene today in Boston for former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s annual National Summit on Education Reform. The two-day conference will feature several big-name speakers, including former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and a mystery guest

1 by dianerav / 3min 

Naison: Do Not Watch This Video!

Mark NAISON, professor of African-American studies at Fordham University, co-founded the BATs. BATs are everywhere. They think high-stakes testing is child abuse. They think that evaluating teachers in relation to student test scores is nonsense. Mark Naison here posts a hilarious parody of New York’s educator evaluation system, untested, being built in mid-air, that old airplane cliche. If you

3 by dianerav / 34min 

Letter from a Disillusioned Charter Teacher

This came to my personal email. The writer requested anonymity: “Hello, Ms. Ravitch, “My name is —- ——-, and I am a big fan of your scholarship, specifically that around charter school efficacy. “I spent my first 2 years in education as an ELA teacher at a KIPP school in New Orleans while also taking classes as part of a post-bac teacher certification program at one of the best universities in the

4 by dianerav / 22min 

Who Owns Public Education in Los Angeles?

Recently I posted David Sirota’s article about the super-wealthy who are taking children as “hostages” in their big to take over public education itself. Sirota looked at events in Denver, Los Angeles, and New York City. That article prompted this response from Los Angeles:     David Sirota’s article couldn’t be more apt for what has happened in LA. We were blitzkrieged by this outside financing t

1 by dianerav / 26min 

This is the Parent Who Broke Up John King’s Meeting

Dear Diane, I’m the parent in the video who raised the point about Montessori school…http://youtu.be/P_Eiz406VAs  (Spackenkill High School. PTA Sponsored Meeting about the Common Core). I hope to set the record straight on my comments. Sincerely, Mikey Jackson As I Was Saying… Last Thursday evening, I travelled up to Spackenkill High School in Poughkeepsie to attend the PTA-sponsored Common Core t

9 by dianerav / 14min 

A Teacher in Hawaii Reviews “Reign of Error”

Diane Aoki felt that something was wrong, terribly wrong, as No Child Left Behind changed the schools. It felt even worse when Race to the Top came in. Everyone told her, “don’t worry, this too will pass,” but it only got worse every year. When she read “Reign of Error,” it all made sense to her. She understood that “reform” was not about reform at all. Things are bad, she knew, but “Reign of Erro

by dianerav / 10min mark as read  //  save

A Mother Writes to the New York Board of Regents

This comment was posted and signed by a mother of a ten-year-old child who doesn’t want to go to school. Ever.   This is the message I recently sent to the Board of Regents and my state representatives: I have been very vocal about my concerns regarding the implementation of the Common Core Standards, testing, and curriculum in NYS. I have written letters and emails to my NYS representatives and m

18 by dianerav / 1h 

Sirota and Taibbi: Is the Pension Crisis Real?

Two of the nation’s toughest investigative journalists–David Sirota and Matt Taibbi–join forces to examine the widespread effort to pin the nation’s economic word on public workers’ pensions. If the critics have their way, who wins? One guess.

3 by dianerav / 1h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-16-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Politico: Vouchers Are $1 Billion Waste of Taxpayer DollarsStephanie Simon, one of the nation’s best investigative education journalists, reports that vouchers are a costly failure. In every case where they were adopted, voucher advocates claimed they would “save poor kids from failing public schools,” but nowhere has the promise b

by mike simpson / 10h 

10-17-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

Video: PEP Oct 15 2013 - I Am Bergtraum

Some of the strongest voices at the PEP came from the Murry Bergtraum HS community in lower Manhattan as they fought the blatant handing over of this prime real estate to Eva Moskowitz who will now have bases in big high school buildings in every part of Manhattan (Brandeis, Graphic Arts, Washington Irving). One irony: Murry Bergtraum's daughter was appointed to the PEP by Bloomberg. I didn't stay

1 by ed notes online / 14min 

New Content at SusanOhanian.Org! Oct. 16, 2013

As usual Susan tosses a lot of good stuff on the table. Click the links to see Susan's often priceless commentary on each article.==========It is worthwhile to read Bill Gates' infamous 2009 speech again. .  because it infects every other story about ed deform.But don't miss Neil Gaiman's speech, which SHOULD inspire every attempt at education reform.Susan\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  Syracuse s

by ed notes online / 14min mark as read  //  save

Government Open, Rockaway Theatre Co. is Back This Weekend With Final Perf of Boeing Boeing!

The cast of Boeing Boeing!How does a small local theater based in Rockaway manage to put on such quality productions? Fort Tilden will be open and the postponed Boeing Boeing is on for this weekend. Three of the major roles are played by NYC teachers and the show is co-directed by another teacher. And key people running the theater are retired teachers. I've seen it twice and will go back this wee

1 by ed notes online / 14min

Staten Island Democratic Club Calls for John King Resignation

Loretta Prisco introduced this resolution last night at her Staten Island Democratic club, a progressive club on SI. It was passed unanimously. I'm not big on the calls for King to resign. He is helping the movement against ed deform with every word he utters. I would focus on Merryl Tisch and put pressure on the Democrats in the State Assembly, in particular Shelly Silver. But any anti ed deform

1 by ed notes online / 11min 

10-16-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: In Flight InBloomPEP Notes - Tish James Rocks the HouseYou have 77 days and the count-down has begun.... When you treat special needs children differently and when you discipline them and expel them that's separate and unequal... I urge you in anticipation of litigation to save all your emails (especially related to communication with Eva Moskowitz)... That is why I was elected (a

by mike simpson / 10h 

10-17-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

NYSUT, Alliance For Quality Education Announce Their Own Common Core Forums

From Capital Confidential:The powerful New York State United Teachers union and the Alliance for Quality Education — which is partially funded by NYSUT — plan to host a series of forums for parents and educators “to fill the void caused by the cancellations of PTA-sponsored forums” by state Education Commissioner John King. The union’s membership is not a big fan of the way the state has implement

by reality-based edu... / 27min 

Time To Reform The NYSED And Board Of Regents

A commenter at Huffington Post responds to the calls for NYSED Commissioner John King to resign:No, he shouldn't resign. He and the regents should be called to provide testimony to specify how they were each appointed, who directs their agenda regarding education policies, and we should reform THAT process:eliminate them and institute a state-wide consortium of educators and administrators to set

by reality-based edu... / 36min 

Isabella's Story

Diane Ravitch posted a letter from a mother on Long Island describing the damage the Common Core has done to her daughter.It is a riveting letter and I want to re-post it in full:This is the message I recently sent to the Board of Regents and my state representatives:I have been very vocal about my concerns regarding the implementation of the Common Core Standards, testing, and curriculum in NYS.

by reality-based edu... / 27min mark as read  //  save

Lhota And De Blasio Agree - NYC Schools Should Be Closed On Muslim Holidays

From the Daily News: No matter who is elected mayor next month, city kids will likely find two new vacation days on the school calendar: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, the holiest days of the Muslim year. Both Democrat Bill de Blasio and Republican Joe Lhota say schools should close on the two holidays, just as they do for major Jewish and Christian days. It's a matter of "respect" for a r

by reality-based edu... / 27min 

NYSED Commissioner John King Channels Christine Quinn

New York State Senator Lee M. Zeldin had a meeting with NYSED Commissioner John King yesterday.Zeldin said in a press release that the meeting "went well," in that neither he nor King threw anything at each other and they both got to make their respective points about Common Core and the SED reform agenda.Given how last week's meetings with the public turned into what Capital Confidentia

by reality-based edu... / 3h 

10-16-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: State Senator Jack Martin: John King Must Reschedule Parent Hearings Or Immediately ResignAnother politician jumps in on the side of parents against NYSED Commissioner John King:Common Core But No Common Sense Make no bones about it. I have been consumed with nonstop questions and concerns regarding the state education department’s rollout of the Common Core curriculum. I’m

by mike simpson / 10h 

Stanford professor finds Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s teacher evaluation system was effective | EdSource Today

Stanford professor finds Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s teacher evaluation system was effective | EdSource Today:

Stanford professor finds Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s teacher evaluation system was effective

October 17th, 2013 | Add a Comment | 

By John Fensterwald

Michelle Rhee ~ Photo courtesy of Neighborhood Centers

Score one for Michelle Rhee and performance pay.

A study released Wednesday of the controversial teacher evaluation system that Rhee initiated when she was chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools has found that both its threats of dismissal and big pay incentives worked as intended. Within its first three years, the system led to increases in the retention and the performance of effective teachers while encouraging ineffective teachers either to quit or improve.

The research, co-authored by Professors Thomas Dee of the Stanford Graduate School of Education and James Wyckoff of the University of Virginia, is one of the first studies to show a positive impact of offering more money to teachers who perform better. As they acknowledge, most of the research “raises considerable doubt about the promise of teachers’ compensation-based incentives as a lever for driving improvements in teacher performance.” Especially when the pay incentives were linked to increasing test scores alone, “it may be that teachers generally lack the willingness (or, possibly, the capacity) to respond to 

Potential weaknesses in new school funding law demand attention - by Louis Freedberg

There are great expectations that the historic – and necessary – reforms of California’s outdated and opaque school financing system signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown this summer will translate into improved student performance. However, there are several potential weaknesses in the law that could threaten its ability to produce ... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit the Edsource Today we

3 by Louis Freedberg / 6h 

Parents seek communication with SRC - Philly.com

Parents seek communication with SRC - Philly.com:

Parents seek communication with SRC

By Susan Snyder, Inquirer Staff Writer

POSTED: October 16, 2013

Five weeks into the school year and under a cloud of fiscal uncertainty, the Philadelphia School Reform Commission on Tuesday night got an earful about the need to improve interaction with parents.

"You've undermined whatever people have tried to build with virtually next to nothing," said Rebecca Poyourow, who has two children at Cook-Wissahickon School.

The district continues to operate without sufficient counselors and teachers, and with financial woes.

Poyourow was one of about 100 parents and community members who attended the SRC meeting, held specifically to discuss parent engagement.

"Don't make decisions in secret," one parent said. "Communication is two-way," said another.

Gail Clouden urged the SRC to not just listen but act on what it heard.

Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. and other leaders of the forum vowed to do that.

Core Standards, lack of aid strain Pa. schools

First of three parts Pennsylvania's public schools have been waiting for three years to find out whether the state will move ahead with new education standards designed to make students more globally competitive.

19 6h mark as read  //  save

Coatesville parents, residents tell NAACP of district bias

Parents and residents of the Coatesville Area School District testified at an NAACP public hearing Tuesday that the district had shown a pattern of discrimination against certain types of students over the years.

23 6h