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Tuesday, October 22, 2013

PARENT POLITICAL PICKS: The Network For Public Education | NPE endorses Cynthia Briscoe Brown and Mary Palmer for Atlanta School Board

The Network For Public Education | NPE endorses Cynthia Briscoe Brown and Mary Palmer for Atlanta School Board:

NPE endorses Cynthia Briscoe Brown and Mary Palmer for Atlanta School Board

endorsement palmer atlantaThe Network for Public Education has endorsed Cynthia Briscoe Brown and Mary Palmer for Atlanta School Board.
Candidate for the District 8 At Large seat, Cynthia Briscoe Brown has played an active role in the Atlanta school community for decades. As an attorney, Briscoe Brown has helped several APS schools to form their own nonprofit foundations. An Atlanta native, she stands for strong communities and believes that all of the stakeholders should play an active part in the education system.
In District 5, Mary Palmer has distinguished herself as an advocate for children and families through her work as a board member of the Atlanta Council of PTAs. A certified teacher with a degree in Computer Science, Palmer has devoted the last seven years to working with students and parents of the Atlanta Schools. She will use this experience to engage the community and collaborate with families.
endorsement-briscoe-brown
The Network for Public Education endorses candidates for office based on our principles and goals. More specifically, we support candidates who oppose high-stakes
testing, mass school closures, the privatization of our public schools and the outsourcing of its core functions to for-profit corporations, and we will support candidates who work for evidence-based reforms that will improve our schools and the education of our nation’s children.
The Network for Public Education is pleased to endorse Cynthia Briscoe Brown and Mary Palmer for Atlanta School Board and we encourage those who care about public education to do the same.



NPE Endorsements

NPE Endorsements

NPE endorses Anne Sung for Houston Board of Education

NPE endorses Anne Sung for Houston Board of Education

The Network for Public Education has endorsed educator Anne Sung for Houston Board of Education. In Houston – the seventh-largest public-school system in the nation and the largest in Texas – the Board of Education race is a fight for the future of public education. Anne Sung, a graduate of the Houston Schools and a science teacher for seven years in Texas has worked with parents, educators, students, and community members to strengthen Houston’s public school system. As a co-founder of Community Voices for Public Education, Sung has led the charge to end the over-reliance on high stakes testing in Houston. She holds masters degrees from Harvard in both physics and public policy,... »
NPE Endorses Four Candidates for Denver Board of Education

NPE Endorses Four Candidates for Denver Board of Education

The Network for Public Education has endorsed four candidates for Denver Public Schools Board of Education. Rosario C de Baca, Michael Kiley, Roger Kilgore, and Meg Schomp will bring a fresh perspective to the Denver Public Schools – a school district of more than 84,000 students. In District 2, Rosario C de Baca stands for strong and safe community schools. She brings to the Denver School Board race professional experience in community health and public service that spans four decades. Rosario has a strong connection to the Latino community of Denver and her five children graduated from the city’s public schools. Running for an at-large seat, Michael Kiley is an advocate for tradition... »
NPE Endorses Bill Hodges for Douglas County School Board, CO

NPE Endorses Bill Hodges for Douglas County School Board, CO

The Network for Public Education, a national group fighting to preserve and strengthen public schools, has endorsed Bill Hodges for Douglas County School Board, a district that has experienced some of the most aggressive corporate reforms in the United States. The general election will be November 5th. Bill Hodges brings a wealth of institutional knowledge to this pivotal race.  He was an assistant superintendent of Human Resources in the Douglas County district for nearly a decade.  He also served as Vice Chairman of the Governor’s Teacher Quality Commission.  He has had a front-row seat to watch the present Board of Education turn over public education to private entities. Key to NPE’s end... »

NPE Endorses José Lara for El Rancho School Board

The Network for Public Education, a national group fighting to preserve and strengthen public schools, has endorsed an educator and father of public school students, José Lara, for El Rancho School Board. The general election will take place on November 5th. José Lara brings to the race a profound understanding of his community and a perspective on education that comes from spending the last decade as a classroom teacher. He is a recognized leader in the fight for the rights of students as the California Teachers Association presented him the Cesar E. Chavez Human Rights Award for his advocacy efforts. Important to the Network for Public Education is the fact that José Lara has made central ... »
The Network for Public Education endorses Suzie Abajian for South Pasadena School Board

The Network for Public Education endorses Suzie Abajian for South Pasadena School Board

The Network for Public Education, a national organization that fights to preserve and strengthen our public school system, has endorsed educator Suzie Abajian for South Pasadena School Board. In deciding to make an endorsement in this local California race, The Network for Public Education took into consideration Dr. Abajian’s experience as an educator at both the K-12 and college levels. Throughout her career, Dr. Abajian has been a steadfast proponent of public education – as a math educator in the public schools of South Pasadena and at Loyola Marymount University. Dr. Abajian holds a Ph.D. in Education from UCLA and will bring to the South Pasadena School Board a profound understan... »
NPE Endorsed Candidates Victorious in Bridgeport Primary

NPE Endorsed Candidates Victorious in Bridgeport Primary

Last week, we announced our endorsement of Howard Gardner, Andre Baker, and Dave Hennessey for School Board of Bridgeport, the most populous city in Connecticut. This week, we are pleased to announce the slate’s victory in Tuesday’s primary election! The slate won by a whopping two to one margin over the party’s endorsed slate. Andre, Howard, and Dave won 3,409 votes, 3,284 votes, and 3,308 votes, respectively. The race was an important one for Bridgeport, a city in which corporate education reformers have increased their influence over the school board in recent years. Earlier this summer, Bridgeport made headlines when the CT Supreme Court ruled that the city’s supe... »
NPE endorses three candidates for Bridgeport, CT Board of Education

NPE endorses three candidates for Bridgeport, CT Board of Education

The Network for Public Education, a national organization that fights for the preservation of our public school system, has endorsed three candidates for the Bridgeport Board of Education – Andre Baker, Dave Hennessey, and Howard Gardner. The September 10th primary in Bridgeport – Connecticut’s most populous city – looks to be a key contest in the battle for control of the school board. In recent years, politicians and school officials have enacted damaging reforms in Bridgeport and a change in the make-up of the board is necessary to correct the course of the school district. Andre Baker, a four-term Bridgeport City Councilman, brings political experience and a history of ... »
Koch Brothers Enter the Douglas County Race

Koch Brothers Enter the Douglas County Race

NPE-endorsed Candidate Faces AFP-Backed Tea Party Candidate  This week, it was announced that the Koch brothers have become involved in the School Board race in Douglas County, Colorado. The Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFP), which is run by the Koch brothers, is the largest free-market organization in Colorado. AFP so far has spent $50,000 on an ad campaign featuring Denise Denny, a prominent figure in Douglas County’s local Tea Party. In recent years, the School Board in Douglas County has promoted and initiated corporate reform policies. The district’s controversial voucher program has been pushed into legislation with the help of ALEC. And AFP is working hard – ... »

Marie Corfield for New Jersey State Assembly

Marie Corfield for New Jersey State Assembly

Teacher Marie Corfield, Ready to Shake Things Up in New Jersey The Network for Public Education has endorsed another candidate. Marie Corfield is running for the state assembly, in an election that will take place on June 4th. Marie became an art teacher in 2001, and has taught at Robert Hunter Elementary School in Flemington since 2004. She Vice President-elect of the Flemington-Raritan Education Association and is also the legislative chairperson. After challenging Governor Chris Christie at a Flemington town hall meeting in 2010 about his derisive rhetoric about public education and teachers, the governor posted the video on his You Tube channel where it went viral. The students of New Je... »
Sue Peters Will Go On to General Election

Sue Peters Will Go On to General Election

NPE-endorsed Sue Peters overcomes the odds, wins 41% of vote Last week, we announced our endorsement of Sue Peters for School Board in Seattle and asked that you help us support Sue and get out the word about her campaign. This week, we are pleased to announce that all of your help paid off! Despite being targeted by negative advertising and outspent 6-1 by her opponent Suzanne Dale Estey, Sue won 41% of the vote in the primary election, and therefore will continue on to the general election in November. In response to the primary results, Sue told NPE: “[I] extend my deepest thanks to NPE for the timely and meaningful endorsement of my candidacy [...] I am confident that my positive a... »
Our New Endorsed Candidate, Ronda Scholting

Our New Endorsed Candidate, Ronda Scholting

Help Support Ronda Scholting for Douglas County School Board This week we announced on our website our endorsement of Ronda Scholting, a candidate in the race for Douglas County School Board. As a parent of two public school graduates, Ronda has always been committed to supporting public education and believes that “quality education is the base of a strong community.” Ronda has a solid record of working to protect our children. In her capacity as an investigative journalist, Ronda brought to light a scandal regarding international adoption that instigated a U.S. Senate hearing on the matter. She also works with the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, an organization dedi... »

A Proposal: Assign OTC and high-needs students more fairly across high schools | Edwize

A Proposal: Assign OTC and high-needs students more fairly across high schools | Edwize:

A Proposal: Assign OTC and high-needs students more fairly across high schools



In this post, guest blogger Norm Fruchter, co-author of the new Annenberg Institute for School Reform report, “Over the Counter, Under the Radar,” argues that the Department of Education should change its current method for assigning students to high schools. A “controlled choice” model would be more equitable and help all schools succeed, he says.
Some 36,000 late-enrolling, high-need students, traditionally labeled as “over-the-counter” or OTC students, are annually assigned to NYC Department of Education high schools. Most of those over-the-counter students are disproportionally placed in struggling schools, essentially setting up the students and schools for failure, according to a new study [PDF] from Brown University’s Annenberg Institute for School Reform.
To improve the placement process for over-the-counter students, the Annenberg Institute study made the following recommendations:
  • The DOE should identify high schools in which over-the-counter students achieve significantly higher academic performance than systemwide averages, and then identify the exemplary practices of these “beat-the-odds” schools.
  • Schools targeted for closure or already undergoing the closure process, as well as persistently low-achieving high schools, should not be assigned any over-the-counter students.
  • The DOE should assign over-the-counter students to all other high schools at an annual rate of between 12 and 20 percent of their respective student populations. (These recommendations appear in the report’s Executive Summary.)
- See more at: http://www.edwize.org/a-proposal-assign-otc-and-high-needs-students-more-fairly-across-high-schools#sthash.GzdNyjyB.dpuf

10-22-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:



Do You Want the Mayor to Take Control of Seattle Schools?
As some of you may have heard, there was polling done on the upcoming elections by Strategies 360.  They state:  None of the firm's clients paid for the survey, and Strategies 360 is supporting neither client.   (Yes, but someone thought up those questions and I can guarantee it wasn't all Strategies 360.) The poll was 400 likely voters, 78% white, skewed to the north and highly educated.  Ninetee
Washington State Charter School Letters of Intent Filed
The deadline for letters of intent to file a charter school proposal in Washington State was 5 p.m. today.  Checking the Charter Commission website, I count 15 but Seattle Weekly is reporting 24 (I suspect SW called and asked and that the Charter Commission just doesn't have all of them up yet).Those 24 do NOT include whatever letters of intent that Spokane School District received as it is the on


Tuesday Open Thread
For your calendar, SPED PTSA General Meeting on Monday, October 28th from 7-9 pm at JSCEE. Tracy Libros will be coming to answer questions about boundaries and SPED.  There will be an update on C-CAP as well.What's on your mind?


Owners of MLK, Jr. Building Cited in State Audit
The Times is reporting that First A.M.E. Church operated a daycare at Seattle Central Community College - rent-free - for 16 years.  (Yes, I know - how is that possible?)  The daycare was allowed to do this by a program at SCCC called Seattle Vocational Institute whose students' children were to have first-in enrollment.  The daycare ran from Sep. 1997 to June 2013.From the Times:First A.M.E., whi



10-21-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Board is Afraid of Advanced LearningHave you noticed that just about any time Melissa or I write something about APP or Spectrum or advanced learning in almost any way two things happen: the thread gets about a hundred comments and the comments get nasty.Have you noticed that school board candidates - like all other politicians - prefer to speak in vague platit




A vote for Sue Peters is a vote for the rest of us | Seattle Education
A vote for Sue Peters is a vote for the rest of us | Seattle Education: A vote for Sue Peters is a vote for the rest of usSuzanne Estey’s claim to fame, as she has stated during her campaign, is her involvement as a board member of Community Center for Education Results (CCER), an “organization” that was created out of thin air by Bill Gates to the tune of over $4Mto go after Race to the Top fundi