12-18-13 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:

®hee-Form 2014: “BAD TEACHERS” THE TARGET OF TWO PROPOSED BALLOT INITIATIVES 2014

California measure would replace seniority with performance for teacher layoffs By Laurel Rosenhall The Sacramento Bee http://bit.ly/1jjde6Z Published: Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013 - 12:00 am Last Modified: Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013 - 9:05 am Hector Amezcua / hamezcua@sacbee.com A

1 by smf / 1min 

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Favors ‘Strong Accountability’ On School Funding

by Tom Chorneau, SI&A Cabinet Report :: http://bit.ly/19StvGs December 18, 2013 (Calif.)  ::  As Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration continues to mull adding restrictions on how schools spend billions in new money, the state’s top educator, Superintendent Tom Torlakson,  said Tuesday the additional funding needs to increase services – not just maintain the status quo. Torlakson’s comments are

by smf / 32min 

Ucsf Chancellor Resigns To Head Gates Foundation

Susan Desmond-Hellmann, chancellor of UC San Francisco since 2009, is leaving to become chief executive of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation By Larry Gordon, LA Times | http://lat.ms/1bQ01w0 UC San Francisco Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann in 2009. (Jeff Chiu / Associated Press) December 17, 2013, 4:07 p.m.  ::  Susan Desmond-Hellmann, chancellor of the medically oriented UC San

1 by smf / 34min hide  //  save

The 1st of 3-to-3-ties?: LAUSD BOARD DELAYS ACTION ON FILLING BOARD SEAT, iPAD NEXT PHASE

L.A. Unified board delays decision on replacing LaMotte Board members are unable to reach a consensus on postponing the discussion until after her funeral or taking action immediately. The board also delayed action on the iPad program's next phase. By Howard Blume, LA Times | http://lat.ms/1i1dwxR Rep.

1 by smf / 44min 

YESTERDAY

A SECOND LOOK AT THE iPADS IN LOS ANGELES

Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice  | http://bit.ly/18y2pt5 December 6, 2013 · 1:00 am  ::  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

1 by smf / 9h 

12-17-13 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: UPDATE: SUPERINTENDENT REJECTS APPLICANTS TO REPLACE AQUINO; LAUSD Re-posts Job Postingby smf December 17th, 2013  ::  After review of applications for the job of Deputy Superintendent of Instruction posted last September none of the applicants were acceptable to the superintendent -  so the job was reposted yesterday. UPDATE TO: LA UNIFIED BEGINS JOB S

by mike simpson / 8h 

12-18-13 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE:

Today’s Tests vs. “Better” Tests

I sent this letter to the editor (below) in response to Alan J. Borsuk’s article in the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinal.  In the article Professor Borsuk laments low standardized test scores and over testing and then simply (with the help of Marc Tucker, CEO and president of the National Center on Education and the Economy) offers […]

1 by Timothy D. Slekar / 15min 

Parents Opting Out of Tests: What is Your Goal?

After doing a segment on the local Albuquerque news channel about refusing the state tests, I received a few responses. Most were questions or suggestions for the website, which were all very good.  Then, I received a letter that was full of stuff I’ve heard over and over again, and to which I’ve responded too […]

1 by Kris Nielsen / 4min 

Two-Headed Dragon of Education Policy

Two-Headed Dragon of Education Policy. via Two-Headed Dragon of Education Policy.

1 by plthomasedd / 9min 

2014 Educators’ Agenda

Begin a movement to create and fund Deliver for America, temporary driver pool to replace full-time drivers at FedEx. (See FedEx Celebrating Holidays with TFA Donations.) Call for a nation-wide evaluation of political leaders based on value added methods measuring their positive impact on the people they represent; standardized tests administered for every elected official should include […]

13 by plthomasedd / 33min 

12-17-13 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: VAMboozled by Empty-Suit Leadership in SCVAMboozled by Empty-Suit Leadership in SC. via VAMboozled by Empty-Suit Leadership in SC.1 by plthomasedd / 25min  12-15-13 @ The Chalk Face@ THE CHALK FACE: Do you think charter schools “know how to do middle school really well?”According to DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson, charter schools “know how to do middle school really well.” When i

by mike simpson / 8h 

12-18-13 With A Brooklyn Accent

With A Brooklyn Accent:

What Veteran Teachers Should Do to Protect Themselves From Being Driven out of the Profession

The more I talk to teachers around the country, the more I am convinced that School Reformers and Government Officials are making a systematic effort to drive the best veteran teachers out of the profession, both to save money and destroy the historic memory of a time when teachers had real autonomy and input into decisions about pedagogy and curriculum. The harassment and micromanagement such tea

8 by Mark Naison / 3h 

Video of Dr Mark Naison, Co-Founder of BATS, Calling for Resignation of NY State Regents Chair Merryl Tisch

Link to Video of Dr Mark Naison, Professor at Fordham University, and Co-Founder of Badass TEachers Association, Calling for the Resignation of Regents Chair Merryl Tisch at Common Core Forum in the Bronxhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z1Vyrfh6r0

3 by Mark Naison / 3h 

12-17-13 With A Brooklyn Accent

With A Brooklyn Accent: The 2 Falso Principles on Which School Reform is BuiltIt never ceases to amaze me how many people who should know better buy the following dominant principles of the School Reform narrative 1. American schools as a whole are failing because American students are being pampered, both by their parents and teachers. We need to demand more of them to meet Global Competition 2.

by mike simpson / 8h 

12-18-13 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University):

Two-Headed Dragon of Education Policy

Recently, I posted a chart highlighting that current “No Excuses” Reform (NER) claims and policies are no different than traditional problems and policies in public education.* The great ironies of NER include that NER perpetuates the inequities of society and the current education system and that NER does not seek a reformed and revolutionary public education system but a dismantling of public sc

1 by plthomasedd / 10min 

AlterNet: Why Charter Schools Are Foolish Investments for States Facing Economic Challenges

Why Charter Schools Are Foolish Investments for States Facing Economic Challenges

1 by plthomasedd / 4min 

2014 Educators’ Agenda

2014 Educators’ Agenda via 2014 Educators’ Agenda.

1 by plthomasedd / 29min  

12-17-13 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): VAMboozled by Empty-Suit Leadership in SCRep. Andy Patrick, R-Hilton Head Island (SC), has made two flawed claims recently, one about leadership and another about teacher evaluation (“S.C. lawmaker proposes teacher evaluation plan,” Charleston Post and Courier, December

by mike simpson / 8h 

12-18-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

Bloomberg Says Municipal Worker Benefits Biggest Threat Facing The Country

I know, I know, sounds like another one of those lame parodies I occasionally do. But it's really not a parody - Bloomberg actually said it:Mayor Michael Bloomberg today took aim at the city’s rising pension and health costs, calling what he dubbed the “labor-electoral complex” the most pressing threat to New York in the final major speech as mayor.Speaking in a grand ballroom in front of members

by reality-based edu... / 50min 

Starting To Look Like No Chancellor Announcement This Week

At least if you buy what's in this NY Times article about de Blasio's chancellor search.  Carmen Farina is supposed to be the frontrunner for the position now, but she told the Times yesterday that she didn't know if she would be offered the position:Carmen Fariña, a former deputy chancellor and the candidate who most closely matches Mr. de Blasio’s own thinking on education, was telling friends a

by reality-based edu... / 2h 

Mayor Bloomberg Plans On Bringing NYC's Homeless Problem To The Rest Of The World

Mayor Bloomberg, fresh from arguing that there's no place as good as NYC to be homeless and down on your luck, brags that the consulting firm he has put together to help governments around the world make their income inequality problems as bad as NYC's is very much in demand:Mayor Michael Bloomberg, burnishing his legacy in all five boroughs this week as he prepares to leave office, shed a sliver

by reality-based edu... / 5h 

12-17-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Jerry Brown Really Gets What Education Is All AboutThese are truly amazing statements from a 21st century politician:MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Gov. Jerry Brown blasted the notion of government-imposed standards for public schools, saying he opposed efforts from Washington and Sacramento to dictate education policy.Using "data on a national or state level I think misses th

by mike simpson / 8h 

Local Activist Exposes How Ohio Charter Funding Undermines Traditional Public Schools | janresseger

Local Activist Exposes How Ohio Charter Funding Undermines Traditional Public Schools | janresseger:

Local Activist Exposes How Ohio Charter Funding Undermines Traditional Public Schools

Posted on December 18, 2013 by janresseger

Susie Kaeser, a long-time public school supporter and activist in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, just researched the way Ohio funds its public schools and siphons local as well as state funds away from public school districts to pay for children attending charter schools.  She has published her conclusions in a local community paper, The Heights Observer.

Her lucid explanation is shocking. It is amazing what we can choose not to see and what the press continues to avoid pointing out.

“Each year the legislature determines the funding level for charter students and those in traditional public schools. According to a 2013 Department of Education report, the funding level for every charter student was set at $5,732. By contrast, state funding for traditional public school students is specific to the school district they attend, based on the property wealth of each district. Because I live in the Cleveland Heights–University Heights City School District, I thought I’d focus on its funding. According to CH-UH treasurer Scott Gainer, our per-pupil allocation in 2012–13 was $1,741, or just 30 percent of the amount promised to charter students.

“Not only do charter students receive more state funds than their public school peers, but the 

New US education mandates hindered by red tape | Al Jazeera America

New US education mandates hindered by red tape | Al Jazeera America:

New US education mandates hindered by red tape

by Andrea Gabor December 18, 2013 6:15AM ET

Bureaucratic obstacles could be hindering progress in public schools, which are in desperate need of reform

Topics:

 

Education

 

Department of Education

 

U.S.

New policies are motivated by federal incentives, especially the competitive grant program Race to the Top.

Steve Ruark/AP

For more than a decade, Brockton High School ushered in each fall with a renewed focus on literacy. For the largest high school in Massachusetts, with 4,000 mostly poor black and Latino students, a near obsessive commitment to improving literacy in every discipline — from science to social studies — was transformative.

Once a failing school, Brockton now boasts that almost all its graduates attend college. And last spring one-third earned merit scholarships to state schools.

But this year, it wasn't until the Saturday before Thanksgiving that Brockton's long-standing restructuring committee gathered at the school to work on refining its literacy strategy, which in recent years has focused on honing students' ability to read graphs and charts.

The reason for the long delay: Brockton High spent months implementing new teacher evaluations, which are mandated by the state as part of an effort to make teachers more accountable.

“Every faculty meeting, with one exception, we focused on preparing for the teacher evaluations,” said Sharon Wolder, Brockton’s new principal.

Meanwhile, at West Side Collaborative, a highly regarded Manhattan middle school, teachers have been trying to understand New York City’s new recommended English-language-arts curricula, which are pegged to the Common Core State Standards — a national effort to improve college and career readiness.

Some are not happy.

“This is paint by numbers,” said Claire Hollander, a West Side teacher and novelist, referring to what she considers an overly scripted curriculum — one of two that the city has recommended schools adopt — with too little emphasis on writing.

As cities and states across the country scramble to adopt the latest education-reform remedies, 

It's A No-Brainer -Two Languages Are Better Than One - Perdaily.com

It's A No-Brainer -Two Languages Are Better Than One - Perdaily.com:

It's A No-Brainer -Two Languages Are Better Than One

(Mensaje se repite en Español)

The strength of the United States is that it has never been a homogeneous culture, but rather continues to redefine its unique and highly successful world view by taking that which exists already and generously mixes it with the contributions of the latest to immigrate here. While one would logically think that the immigrant and their culture and language would be embraced as a necessary source and part of this continuing American pragmatic vitality, both the immigrant and native American in the past have continued to circle their respective wagons trying to "protect" who they are, instead of what they both might become.

Having spent a great deal of time in Europe, I have seen first hand the advantages of bi or multlingualism. Contrary to how it is for the most part treated here, it is not a disease that should be "phased out." Rather, both Anglos and Latinos would benefit significantly from walking a linguistic mile in the others shoes, not just in appreciation of the other's language, but also in appreciation of their own. More than mastery of another language as part of an additive model of language acquisition, both Anglo and Latino would see the unique color that each language offers that somehow is lost in translation.

When I speak Spanish to Latinos that I encounter on a daily basis

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Chicago's Grand School Closing Cost Scandal

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Chicago's Grand School Closing Cost Scandal:

Chicago's Grand School Closing Cost Scandal

Movers haul books from closed schools to shuttered Von Humboldt Elementary for storage. The amount the district is paying to empty the closed schools is poised to triple.  WBEZ Linda Lutton

Board will vote today to triple its payments to GWS

Back in November of 2012, our CReATE research group began warning that the planned closing of more than 50 Chicago schools would not only fail to produce promised academic gains, but would not achieve the anticipated savings being touted by CPS. Then again in March of this year, we warned that district estimates of savings coming directly from school closings were largely overblown. At the time, these warnings wer ignored by the school board and downplayed in the local media.

But I must admit, we never anticipated the extent to which Rahm, Byrd-Bennett and CPS Liar-In-Chief Becky Carroll would go to mislead the public about the massive costs involved in closing those schools.  Thanks to WBEZ's Linda Lutton (apparently the only reporter who will touch this story), we now learn that pretty much any of this year's costs savings associated with the largest district school closings in history will be erased when the Board votes today to triple its payments to logistics firm Global Workplace Solutions.

This according to WBEZ:

Back in April—even before the vote to close 50 schools—the district signed a