Friday, October 18, 2013

Nite Cap 10-18-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

James Baldwin said it best:

"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."

A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP

A Wondrous GIF Shows the Most Popular Baby Names for Girls Since 1960 - Rebecca J. Rosen - The Atlantic

A Wondrous GIF Shows the Most Popular Baby Names for Girls Since 1960 - Rebecca J. Rosen - The Atlantic:

Click through for a larger version. (Reuben Fischer-Baum)

My friend Judy used to always say that whenever she met another Judy, she knew exactly how old that Judy was—to the day.

Now that level of precision might be a bit of a stretch, but, as the above map wonderfully shows, there's good reason for that line of thinking. The most popular baby girl names in the United States are flashes in the pan—each one appearing on the map briefly, before being swept out by an up-and-comer.

The map was built in Adobe Illustrator by Deadspin's Reuben Fischer-Baum using data from the Social Security Administration. "Color palette," Fischer-Baum wrote to me over email, "has to be credited to Stephen Few, from his excellent data viz book Show Me The Numbers." Earlier drafts gave each name a unique color, he says, but in the end "it was a lot cleaner and more

The Sacramento City Unified Community Deserves a Real Educatior for Superintendent | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education

The Sacramento City Unified Community Deserves a Real Educatior for Superintendent | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education:

The Sacramento City Unified Community Deserves a Real Educatior for Superintendent

published by Kate_Lenox on Fri, 10/18/2013 - 12:02pm

The Sacramento Bee editorial regarding Supt. Jonathon Raymond's resignation is full of praises for Raymond's work while it chastises "the community" for not supporting Raymond's accomplishments. He certainly has done a great job of pursuing Broad Academy and Gates Foundation initiatives. But everything that the Bee praises Raymond for came at the expensive of the Sacramento City Unified community.

Raymond worked unceasingly to undermine the teacher's union. He tried unsuccessfully to bring in Teach for America interns at a time when the district was laying off experienced teachers. He painted the union as the villain in budget negotiations. When teacher's made budget concessions, as they did several years ago-giving up $95 a month to keep class size reduction in the district for two years, he reneged on the deal the second year and the money was spent elsewhere. The "Priority" schools, Raymond's pet projects, benefited from a redistribution of Title 1 funds. Other schools with low income, high risk kids had to do without so these schools could have more. On top of that, he and the board violated state Ed Code by ignoring seniority rights for layoffs at the Priority Schools, then wasted funds legal fees to fight the union in court and lost anyway. The CORE waiver from No Child Left Behind that SCUSD is part of comes with the requirement that teachers be evaluated by children's test scores--something Sacramento City Teachers Association did not agree to.

The charter school compact has as yet an unknown impact on the district's operation. It promises a more speedy closure of underperforming charters in exchange for the rewards for cooperation with the district. These include bridge loans for financially struggling charters and use of district services to benefit from economies of scale, such as for school lunches. This is probably what's behind the plans for a $36 million centralized kitchen. These would appear to be important changes in district policy, yet the school board never voted on the charter school compact. They simply turned their authority over to the Superintendent.

The reason the community still bemoans the loss of Sacramento High and the latest closure of seven elementary schools is the obvious rushed and trumped up process behind them. San Juan used a district wide process and involved parents and community before it selected schools for closure. Their process was not viewed as a "done deal". Keep in mind the fact that in 2009, Sac City Unified did use a open and transparent process that involved the community. Three schools were closed--Jefferson, Birney and Lisbon--but there are no lingering resentments over those closures because the process was done the right way. The community knows when the process is rigged. As one parent at a school board meeting said, "We're poor we're not stupid". As for Measures Q & R, that may have been the biggest betrayal of all. Parents were enlisted to phone bank and write letters in support of the bond measures, while at the same time plans were being made to close campuses. Parents at Fruitridge, who worked tirelessly to get the measures passed, found out within weeks of the election that their school was on a closure list.

Yes, the district and community could use a different approach to improving our schools. True collaboration would indeed benefit our students. The district hasn't seen any of that since Raymond arrived in Sacramento. A superintendent who actually knows what it's like to be in a classroom, who knows how to work with students and parents, would be able to bring about that collaboration. The Bee is right about one thing. This should be a wakeup call. The SCUSD board should seek out a real educator--not a businessman with a few months training --to run the district.

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/18/5830638/editorial-region-needs-to-re-en...

Nurses hold vigil in memory of girl who died of asthma | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Nurses hold vigil in memory of girl who died of asthma | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

Nurses hold vigil in memory of girl who died of asthma

by thenotebook on Oct 18 2013 Posted in Latest news

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Photo: Naveeh Ahsan

Academy at Palumbo nurse Eileen Duffey (left) joins others at candlelight vigil.

by Naveed Ahsan

School nurses, parents, and education advocates concerned about budget cuts held a silent candlelight vigil outside of District headquarters before Thursday’s School Reform Commission meeting in memory of 12-year-old Laporshia Masseywho died from an asthma attack on Sept. 25.

Laporshia, a 6th grade student from Bryant Elementary School, fell ill on that day, reportedly complaining of breathing problems. There was no nurse on duty at the time. A staff member drove her home at the end of the day. Soon after, Laporshia’s father took her to the hospital, where she died that evening. Her death has sparked a debate among education advocates about the impact that reduced staffing can have on medical emergencies that may occur at schools.

Eileen Duffey, a school nurse at the Academy at Palumbo, organized the vigil. Though Duffey said that she did not know Laporshia or her family personally, she felt compelled to act.

“I decided that I would set aside this space and time to devote some grieving for all of us,” Duffey said.

Ongoing budget cuts within the District have caused layoffs of critical staff. More than 100 school nurse positions were cut in the 2011-2012 school year. Additional cuts this year brought staffing levels down to the state minimum of one nurse per 1,500 students. Reduced medical staff has meant that many non-medical personnel are being forced to handle the duties of school nurses. This was the case with Laporshia, who reportedly told a teacher, who was not aware of her

10-18-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

Chess in school: A good move or patzer move?

Submitted to the Sun Sentinel (Florida), Oct 19Working with an organization called First Move, three Sunrise schools plan to include formal instruction in chess for second and third graders believing that it "provides big academic benefits," ('City incorporating chess at three elementary schools," October 19). Neither the article nor the First Move website mention any evidence that

by skrashen / 3h

Cut Testing Budget and Hire School Nurses

Hiring school nurses, improving the health and well being of children in the poorest neighborhoods who need eyeglasses, dental care, and regular checkups, not to mention expensive medicine for asthma, would lead to higher test scores.Will this incident in Philadelphia change policy?It depends on how far Pearson and McGraw Hill and gang can keep their Golden Goose laying all those golden eggs as Co

2 by Judy Rabin / 3min

Basketball Hero Bobby Heaton and the 13 Filthy Rich Who Bought Indiana Public Education

By Doug MartinWhenever he gets the opportunity, Indiana State House 46 district member Bobby Heaton (who lives in Terre Haute) likes to let everyone know that he played basketball with Larry Bird back in the good ole days at Indiana State University, but nowadays Heaton is a Walmart team player, dribbling out school privatization for the filthy rich who don’t even live in Indiana, let alone his di

22 by Doug Martin / 1h

10-17-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: Diane Ravitch and Reformers' FeelingsWhen Diane Ravitch, in Reign of Error, discusses charter schools, she makes it clear that not all charters impose a “no-excuses” mentality. When discussing the reformers’ public relations machine and its “well-honed message,” she analyses their language and writes, “when they speak of “no-excuses,” they mean boot camp culture.”In a rational worl

by mike simpson / 2h

Basis Independent - my sidewalk chalk blog - nyc school help

Basis Independent - my sidewalk chalk blog - nyc school help:

basis independent

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013 AT 2:28PM

There is a new STEM based Independent School opening in Brooklyn in fall of 2014.They are a for-profit K-12th grade program that will be housed in new construction in Red Hook on Sigourney Street.

They have an in interesting pedigree. They began as a charter school network in Arizona, Texas and DC and they have grown to become one of the most highly respected High School programs in the country according to US News and World Report. They have 14 charter programs and they are opening 2 new independent schools in Brooklyn and San Jose, Ca. The school is accepting applications for K-10th grade (there may be some "bridge classes" depending on enrollment). Tuition is $23,500. for all students. There may be merit scholarship (no needs based financial aid) opportunities in the second year and beyond.

The HS program is 3 years with a 4th year "Essentially, 12th grade Capstone courses transition students from student-centered learning to independent learning. Capstone students study subjects like Category Theory, Organic Chemistry, Quantum Mechanics,

Why Do Teachers Quit? - Liz Riggs - The Atlantic

Why Do Teachers Quit? - Liz Riggs - The Atlantic:

Why Do Teachers Quit?

And why do they stay?

Paramount Pictures

Richard Ingersoll taught high-school social studies and algebra in both public and private schools for nearly six years before leaving the profession and getting a Ph.D. in sociology. Now a professor in the University of Pennsylvania’s education school, he’s spent his career in higher ed searching for answers to one of teaching’s most significant problems: teacher turnover.

Teaching, Ingersoll says, “was originally built as this temporary line of work for women before they got their real job—which was raising families, or temporary for men until they moved out of the classroom and became administrators. That was sort of the historical set-up.”

Ingersoll extrapolated and then later confirmed that anywhere between 40 and 50 percent of teachers will leave the classroom within their first five years (that includes the nine and a half percent that leave before the end of their first year.) Certainly, all professions have turnover, and some shuffling out the door is good

Arne Duncan: All Sticks, No Carrots | Truth in American Education

Arne Duncan: All Sticks, No Carrots | Truth in American Education:

Arne Duncan: All Sticks, No Carrots

Here is a little blurb on U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in “The Washington Flyer” a weekly email sent out by the American Association of Christian Schools that I thought was interesting.

Education Secretary Loses Leverage in Second Term
As Congressional gridlock continues throughout the second term of the Obama Administration, education analysts question whether Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has many opportunities through which to advance the Department’s goals. During the first term, the DOE was given billions of dollars in discretionary funding through the stimulus that was used to establish the President’s signature education program, Race to the Top (RTT). The Race to the Top program, a competitive grant program, was administered in several phases and included both an assessment development and early learning component. Estimates suggest that under his supervision the DOE has awarded nearly $100 billion in incentive funding to states

For A Deal On Teacher Conferences, Usual Adversaries Team Up « Coalition for Educational Justice

For A Deal On Teacher Conferences, Usual Adversaries Team Up « Coalition for Educational Justice:

For A Deal On Teacher Conferences, Usual Adversaries Team Up

by Sarah Darville, Gotham Schools

The Coalition for Educational Justice announcing the $5 million allocation in September.

Parent advocates stood with a top city education official on the steps of City Hall in late September to make an announcement: The city was setting aside $5 million for extra parent-teacher conferences for students with low state test scores.

But advocates weren’t sure that was the event they were going to have. Until two days before the press conference, members of the Coalition for Educational Justice thought they might just be calling on the city to set aside the funds. Though the group had met with Department of Education officials twice, they had been told that the costs seemed too high and the funding source unclear.

Three days after their last meeting, Deputy Chancellor Shael Polakow-Suransky emailed the group. You made a persuasive argument, he wrote, promising to continue the search for funds.

The city did find $5 million to finance the conferences, which the Coalition announced at City Hall. Since then, the teachers union and the principals union have joined the city and

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