12-6-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

Knoxville Teachers Call for Jim McIntyre's Ouster

Many thanks to Mike Donila from Screams from the Porch for this fact sheet on McIntyre and TN superintendents (that's McIntryre below with his gold-stamped Broad Center plaque just behind him--ah, symbolism):Superintendent Jim McIntyreFACT: McIntyre is in charge of the county’s more than $400 million educational budget, its 89 schools and a 7,500-person workforce that includes 4,800 teachers.FACT:

by Jim Horn / 1h 

The Philadelphia Story, or The Revolution that Tom Corbett Made

Our Schools Are Not For Sale from Media Mobilizing Project TV on Vimeo.

by Jim Horn / 37min 

Thieving charter charlatan-scoundrel Juan Rangel steps down from UNO! He was a darling of the AEI

Thieving charter charlatan-scoundrel @JuanRangel steps down from #UNO! He was a darling of @AEIeducation http://t.co/svdm81drB5— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) December 6, 2013 Via Professor Diane Ravitch: Powerful Chicago Charter Leader Resigns in Wake of Financial Scandal My commentary: Thieving charter charlatan-scoundrel Juan Rangel was a darling of the fringe-right American Enterprise Institu

by Robert D. Skeels ... / 7min 

Memphis Politicians Wring Hands About Reading Scores as They Create More Corporate Charter Schools Without Libraries

Having handed over 29 public schools to charter reform schools without libraries or librarians, and with 8 more on the way by 2015, Superintendent Dorsey Hopson and the Shelby County School Board all of sudden have noticed that these children are far behind in reading.  Since poor children get their books more often from libraries, and since the research has demonstrated over the past 25 years tha

by Jim Horn / 1h 

Grasping at Straws and the Impending Value-Added Trainwreck

We are just beginning to implement value-added evaluations, but it is already becoming clear that a trainwreck is coming. Already, we are reading stories about good teachers being fired for failing to meet their test score growth targets. We are also reading about surrealistic cases, such as the New York Teacher of the Year who earned 60 of 60 points on the observation component of her evaluation,

by John Thompson / 8min 

12-5-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: Do we need a new test for teacher-candidates?Sent to Education Week, Dec 4, 2013Developing and requiring a new test for teacher-candidates is based on the belief that something is wrong with teacher preparation ("Performance-Based Test for Teachers Rolls Out," Dec. 4).The evidence suggests the opposite is the case. When we control for the effects of poverty, American stud

by mike simpson / 8h 

12-6-13 teacherken at Daily Kos

teacherken at Daily Kos:

Nelson Mandela, the conscience of the world

His smile was like sunshine, but Nelson Mandela was made of steel. It was his strength of character, repeatedly tested throughout his long and impossibly full life, that made him one of the towering political figures of our time. That is the lead paragraph of Eugene Robinson's tribute to Nelson Mandela in today's Washington Post, titled as is this posting. Robinson only met Mandela once, about whi

by rss@dailykos.com ... / 2h 

 

12-5-13 teacherken at Daily Kos: "not an us-versus-them argument, but an all-of-us one."

Daily Kos: "not an us-versus-them argument, but an all-of-us one.": "not an us-versus-them argument, but an all-of-us one. "The words of my title are from The President, the Pope and the People, toda's New York Times column by Charles M. Blow.  It was written in response to Obama's speech yesterday, a speech in which, as Blow notes, " a populist president invoked a populis

by mike simpson / 8h 

12-6-13 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE:

Stand for Children Louisiana: Teachers “Like” Common Core

It is very important to privatizing interests to promote the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). After all, there is a lot of money to be made in attendant curriculum development, and assessments, and data collection. Of course, those pushing CCSS cannot state as much directly. So, they offer lies, such as CCSS’s preparing students for future employment […]

by deutsch29 / 9h 

 

12-5-13 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: GUEST POST: Let’s Nurture Inner-Directed Students and Ignore the “No Excuses” Crowd, John ThompsonGUEST POST: Let\’s Nurture Inner-Directed Students and Ignore the \”No Excuses\” Crowd, John Thompson. via GUEST POST: Let’s Nurture Inner-Directed Students and Ignore the “No Excuses” Crowd, John Thompson.by plthomasedd / 10min hide  //  saveSetting Free the Books: On Stepping Aside

by mike simpson / 6h

12-6-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

The Latest Cache Of Cathie Black Emails

The DOE saved the best for last, I have to say that - here's a rundown on some of the stuff from the latest batch of Black emails that's come out so far:.@MikeBloomberg to Cathie Black: "All we have to do next week is fix public education. Alot easier than creating a national newspaper."— Lisa Fleisher (@lisafleisher) December 7, 2013 She needed @NYCSchools staff to give her SUBWAY DIREC

by reality-based edu... / 1h 

How Many Schools In Chicago Did BBB Close?

Gotham Schools says Barbara Byrd-Bennett is on the short list to be the next NYCDOE chancellor.Didn't she close like 50 schools in Chicago?Didn't de Blasio run for mayor in opposition to Bloomberg's school closure policy?And yet, GS says BBB is rumored to be a possible successor to Walcott.The Times reported earlier in the week that Michelle Rhee's buddy from DCPS, Kaya Henderson, is also on the l

by reality-based edu... / 26min 

Byrd-Bennett And Henderson In Running For Chancellor Gig?

Oy:say it ain't so @BilldeBlasio: Byrd-Bennett & Henderson considered as Chancellors despite #corpreform policies http://t.co/sBXOnEYJm2— leonie haimson (@leoniehaimson) December 6, 2013If these two are in the running, then we are really in trouble. I've been sick the last day, so my brain isn't working so well.But with news of Henderson and now Byrd-Bennett, I'm starting to get a bad feeling

by reality-based edu... / 1h 

De Blasio's NYCDOE - Probably Not Going To Be Too Much Different Than Bloomberg's

In picking William Bratton to replace Ray Kelly as NYPD commissioner, Mayor-Elect De Blasio has shown that while he is looking to make a break from some of the Bloomberg NYPD policies of the past, he is not looking to make a "clean" break:Michael Bloomberg's police commissioner, Ray Kelly, waited 63 days before sending police officers in riot gear to clear Occupy Wall Street protesters f

by reality-based edu... / 28min 

Another Bloomberg Absurdity

Mayor: we'll honor him by opening the Nelson Mandela School of Social Justice, small school in famed Boys and Girls HS building in Bed-Stuy— Lindsey Christ (@LindseyChrist) December 6, 2013Mayor Bloomberg ran New York City as Soweto on the Hudson, a place where hundreds of thousands of men of color were stopped and searched just because they were of color.His police chief, Raymond Kelly, is famed

by reality-based edu... / 1h hide  //  save

What The Bratton Pick Could Mean For Schools

I know there have been some people who were disappointed by de Blasio's pick of William Bratton to be NYPD Commissioner, but I see the Bratton pick as a  positive for both the city and the NYPD.The NY Times provided some analysis on where Bratton may take the NYPD that leaves me feeling hopeful on a number of fronts: Speaking at the news conference where Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio announced his ap

by reality-based edu... / 6h 

12-5-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Anthony Cody on The Standardization Of SchoolingWhy turn school into drudge work for the overwhelming majority of children in this country via the Common Core and the Common Core testing?Here's why:In practice what this is likely to yield is an intensification of factory-style education for these low-scoring populations. Students who perform well may be somewhat relieved of

by mike simpson / 8h 

Randi for Chancellor? :: Frederick M. Hess

Randi for Chancellor? :: Frederick M. Hess:

Randi for Chancellor?

by Frederick M. Hess  •  Dec 6, 2013 at 9:35 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

 Bill de Blasio, New York's new mayor, is seeking a schools chancellor. Truth is, I'm pretty impressed by some of the names that have been popping up in the search. Wednesday's NYT speculated that DC supe Kaya Henderson and Montgomery County chief Josh Starr are leading contenders. Chicago supe Barbara Byrd-Bennett is also reportedly in the mix. They're all immensely talented, and any of these would be a stellar choice. They come at the challenges of school improvement in different ways and with distinctive guiding philosophies, but I find all three impressive as hell.

That said, today, I want to chat briefly about one of the more out-there names that's been surfaced for chancellor. Brewing behind the scenes is a small, quiet campaign to convince de Blasio to appoint Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, previously the chief of New York's United Federation of Teachers and longtime sparring partner of former chancellor Joel Klein. I think the Weingarten-for-chancellor idea is an intriguing one.

First, it'd be fascinating to see Weingarten sitting across the table from UFT honcho Michael Mulgrew. After all, union leaders have long insisted that they're all in on doing what it takes to deliver excellent schools. They've argued that the problem with "reformers" is mostly in the mechanistic, test-fueled, heavy-handed way they've gone about their business. Okay. I've got a lot of sympathy for that complaint. So, given the chance to do better, I'd love to see what Weingarten and Mulgrew cooked up with regards to accountability, hiring, teacher evaluation, school calendar, charter schooling, low-performing schools, differentiated roles and compensation, and the rest. If they impressed, that'd be terrific. If not, that'd be instructive.

Second, so much of the discussion about schooling today tends to get wrapped up in things that educators 

7 Reasons I Don't Care About the PISA Results

Yesterday, the triennial PISA results were announced, prompting a paroxysm of spastic pontificating. Hands were wrung, familiar talking points were rehashed, and PISA Overlord Andreas Schleicher once again took the results as his cue to lecture American...

3min 

solidaridad: Alex Russo, intrepid blogger defending the 1%'s education privatization project

solidaridad: Alex Russo, intrepid blogger defending the 1%'s education privatization project:

 Alex Russo, intrepid blogger defending the 1%'s education privatization project

Alex Russo, intrepid blogger defending the 1%'s education privatization project http://t.co/09j2GXLCu1 pic.twitter.com/hGsm62NM9e— RDSkeels4Schoolboard (@RDSkeels4LAUSD) December 6, 2013

by Robert D. Skeels ... / 5h 

Ms. Klein your schadenfreude over LaMotte's death was more than a little offensive

From: "Robert D. Skeels" <*********@ucla.edu> Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2013 23:43:47 -0800 Subject: Ms. Klein your schadenfreude over LaMotte's death was more than a little offensive To: Karin Klein Message-Id: <93c75696-38c7-49d2-8770-c53706cfaa8f ucla.edu=""> Ms. Klein: Your fringe-right leanings coupled with your limited knowledge of pedagogy have always taint

by Robert D. Skeels ... / 6h hide  //  save

YESTERDAY

John Deasy prioritizes corporate handouts over student lives—let's provide LAUSD kids with nurses!

Deasy prioritizes corporate handouts over student lives—let's provide #LAUSD kids with nurses! http://t.co/BF7SEAHnLs pic.twitter.com/EbfKp7cb6X— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) December 6, 2013 The tragic death of sixth-grade Philadelphia student Laporshia Massey illustrates the dire need to ensure that every child has access to quality health and wellness services at school. I urge you to support

by Robert D. Skeels ... / 8h 

Education Advocates Call on Congress to Stop Cuts, Expand Early Education Opportunities for Children - Preschool for All - Rosemont, CA Patch

Education Advocates Call on Congress to Stop Cuts, Expand Early Education Opportunities for Children - Preschool for All - Rosemont, CA Patch:

Education Advocates Call on Congress to Stop Cuts, Expand Early Education Opportunities for Children

Posted by Patrick Stelmach , December 05, 2013 at 10:09 AM

Faith Whitmore, District Director to Rep. Ami Bera; Patrick Stelmach, State Organizer of California Fair Share; Paulette Greenhouse; Raquel Simental, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte; Rick Mockler, California Head Start Association

 Rancho Cordova, CA  – California Fair Share and other education advocates today called on Congress to pass the Strong Start for America’s Children Act, a 10-year initiative to improve education for children from birth through their fifth year. California Fair Shareand CourageCampaign.orgdelivered more than 1,600 petition signatures to Rep. Ami Bera, demanding that Congress stop further cuts to education funding and expand opportunities for young children.

“Studies show that early learning and care are key to closing the academic achievement gap – and producing the skilled workforce critical to the success of our nation’s economy,’ said Patrick Stelmach, state organizer for California Fair Share. “We need a shared state and federal partnership to promote early childhood education. Today we are thanking Congressman Bera for his leadership in working for the best interests of our children.”

“We need to prepare our children to compete in the 21st-century economy, not stop early education programs that we know are successful,” wrote Rep. Bera in a Feb. 26 editorial in theSacramento Bee. In September, Rep. Bera donated $1,300 to the SETA Head Start program, in an effort to raise awareness of the good work done in the programs and the detrimental impacts of automatic across-the-board spending cuts, commonly known as “sequestration”.

“If we want California schools to succeed, the first step is for incoming children to be ready to learn,” said Rick Mockler, Executive Director of the California Head Start Association. “Unfortunately, the federal sequester has denied thousands of children access to early childhood education which at-risk children 

Stand for Children Louisiana: Teachers “Like” Common Core | deutsch29

Stand for Children Louisiana: Teachers “Like” Common Core | deutsch29:

Stand for Children Louisiana: Teachers “Like” Common Core

December 5, 2013

It is very important to privatizing interests to promote the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). After all, there is a lot of money to be made in attendant curriculum development, and assessments, and data collection.

Of course, those pushing CCSS cannot state as much directly. So, they offer lies, such as CCSS’s preparing students for future employment that will surely require college, or that the entire spectrum of reforms– CCSS included– are necessary “to fully support student learning.”

CCSS proponents are also keen on another vehicle for CCSS promotion: the survey.

The Survey as a CCSS Propaganda Vehicle

Propaganda is necessary in order to promote the image of stakeholder buy-in to CCSS. What better “proof” of CCSS acceptance than a survey demonstrating that an “overwhelming” proportion of teachers embraces CCSS with open arms?

I have examined the results of three such surveys. First was the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) survey and its massaged reporting of “overwhelming” teacher support for CCSS. Then came the National Education Association’s (NEA) similarly slanted massage in proclaiming that its members “strongly support” CCSS. Finally comes the carefully fashioned ”early release” of the Gates/Scholastic survey, which allows for CCSS to “be positive for most students.” Just leave the stragglers behind.

(Incidentally,  AFT, NEA, and Scholastic have all taken millions in Gates money earmarked for CCSS.)

Now, I offer you a survey specific to Louisiana: The freshly released carefully-shaped Stand for Children (SFC) Louisiana survey on CCSS implementation. However, SFC is 

A Second Look at iPads in Los Angeles | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

A Second Look at iPads in Los Angeles | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

A Second Look at iPads in Los Angeles

The rollout of iPads in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is becoming a classic case study of what not-to-do when implementing any innovation whether it is high-tech or low-tech.  I wrote about the adoption of the innovation six months ago.

What is clear now is that teachers and principals were excluded from the decision-making process. The Total Cost of Operation (TCO) was a mystery to the Board of Education who made the decision. And the initial deployment of the devices was so botched that the pilot project was put on hold.  Phase 2 and the eventual distribution of devices to all LAUSD students remains to be decided once errors have been sorted out.

Called The Common Core Technology Project, each iPad costs the district $678,  higher than the price of an iPad bought in an Apple store, but it comes with a case (no keyboard, however) and an array of pre-loaded software aimed at preparing students for the impending Common Core standards and the state 

The Guardian Investigates Far-Right State Policy Network | janresseger

The Guardian Investigates Far-Right State Policy Network | janresseger:

The Guardian Investigates Far-Right State Policy Network

Posted on December 6, 2013 by janresseger

Yesterday The Guardian published an in-depth investigation of the workings and funding of a network of far-right state think-tanks that make up the State Policy Network (SPN), State Conservative Groups Plan US-Wide Assault on Education, Health and Tax.  “In partnership with the Texas Observer and the Portland Press Herald in Maine, the Guardian is publishing SPN’s summary of all the proposals to give readers and news outlets full and fair access to state-by-state conservative plans that could have significant impact throughout the US, and to allow the public to reach its own conclusions about whether these activities comply with the spirit of non-profit tax-exempt charities.”

(In mid-November, here, I wrote about the Center for Media and Democracy’s recently launched campaign to expose SPN, stinktanks.org.)

The Guardian describes the State Policy Network as a sister organization to the American Legislative Exchange Council, ALEC.  “SPN’s president, Tracie Sharp, told the Guardian that ‘as a pro-freedom network of thinktanks, we focus on issues like workplace freedom, education 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The struggle continues

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The struggle continues:

The struggle continues

Nelson Mandela after he was sentenced to life imprisonment in June 1964

Bridget Murphy writes, re. community resistance to the military coup at Ames Middle School:

The referendum drive is in full swing.  40 parents will be meeting at Ames (1920 N. Hamlin) this morning (Friday, Dec 6th) at 10:30am to continue collecting signatures door to door. We will be out on the doors every day between now and Dec 15th. Come join a pair of doorknockers! 

Don Washington (Mayoral Tutorial) admits he's guilty of a little hyperbole here but I think he's right-on.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is already running for re-election and has been doing so for months. That means that we, mere mortal citizens trying to make an honest buck, can expect daily doses of public policy by press release and cynical opportunism of the sort that would shock the conscience if he had one. It's called public policy theater and it's what you do when your actual record reads like the Neo-Liberal Disaster Capitalism Handbook of Darkness.

Chicago teacher/activist Phil Cantor on FB reminds us:

We live among people who are willing to get arrested for a cause they believe in. Nine of them go on trial [at 9 a.m. this morning] for putting their bodies between