1-6-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:

Forum on charter schools. Looking at the research.

Please attend this public discussion featuring a panel of experts and researchers who have asked this important question, or have researched some of the charter scams and corruption cases associated with charter proliferation. Thursday, January 23rd, 2014 6:30 PM till 8:30 PM, Batavia Public Library, 10 S. Batavia Ave, Batavia, IL. 60510. In Chicago, Rahm Emanuel has shuttered 50 neighborhood scho

by Fred Klonsky / 20min 

Bob Lyons. The TRS law suit.

Bob Lyons is a member of the Teacher Retirement System board of trustees. He represents all retirees in the TRS system. The IRTA in suing the state over the pension reduction bill sued Governor Quinn, State Comptroller Judy BarrTopinka, and the Board of Directors of the Teachers’ Retirement System.  When the IEA and IFT file their suit, the individual members of the TRS Board will also be include

by Fred Klonsky / 45min hide  //  save

Chi-beria.

3 by Fred Klonsky / 1h 

Rahm’s guy pleads guilty.

  Amer Ahmad, who Mayor Emanuel hired as City Comptroller, has pled guilty to charges of money laundering. He faces 15 years in the slammer. He was hired by Rahm advisor Lois Scott. Scott still works for the Mayor. According to that plea, Hampton, 39, of Canton, Ohio, made secret payments to Ahmad, who steered state of Ohio securities brokerage work to Hampton. Ahmad and Joseph M. Chiavaroli, 33,

by Fred Klonsky / 3min 

The in box. High praise, indeed.

Hey Fred, You remind me of Mike Royko. I met the Chicago Sun times columnist Royko at Billy Goats at the bar once. Told him I was a fan and had read all of his articles. He told me, “You didn’t read all of my stuff…fuck off!”.. My wife and I treasure that memory. I am a retired teacher from Wheaton, Il. Thank you for your work as there are many who use your blog to update ourselves on the current

by Fred Klonsky / 34min 

There’s nothing in the contract about the temperature.

At 6:30 I got up to let Ulysses out. He didn’t want to go. The thermometer read -12 degrees. By the way. Now – three hours later – it says  -14 degrees. Up until yesterday afternoon CPS boss Barbara Byrd-Bennett and Mayor Rahm Emanuel (who was vacationing in the South Pacific with his family) were saying the the schools would be open. Faculty and staff were expected to show up for work. Parents c

by Fred Klonsky / 6min 

Welcome to Anchorage on the Lake.

by Fred Klonsky / 2h 

1-5-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Sunday reads.Glen Brown. The sinners of the last round lie completely sealed in ice… Canto XXXIV, Circle 9: The Inferno Chicago schools making AYP (Adequate Yearly Pooping). When he was young and smoked dope, I bet David Brooks was not the kind of guy you would want to get high with. You know the kind

by mike simpson / 7h 

1-6-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE:

Trickle-Down Administration: Education Reform in a Culture of Distracting Outrage

Trickle-Down Administration: Education Reform in a Culture of Distracting Outrage. via Trickle-Down Administration: Education Reform in a Culture of Distracting Outrage.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical

2 by plthomasedd / 2h 

1-5-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: I wonder if Secretary Duncan heard their stories?Last spring, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited my school. Following the unfortunate tragedy that occurred at Sandy Hook, the purpose of his visit was to meet with students, and staff, to discuss school and gun violence. The video below (4:23 minutes) is a condensed version of the hour-long discussion. The full video (51:36

by mike simpson / 8h 

1-6-14 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week

With A Brooklyn Accent:

An Educator's Reflections on School Segregation and the Enduring Power of Race in Louisiana

Still think we live in a post-racial society? Recent events in Louisiana provide some of the most convincing evidence of the continued significance of race in our society. Defenders of Phil Robertson-star of A&E’s Duck Dynasty-claim the controversial comments made by the patriarch of the family was not about race, but about freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Robertson’s comments-which

by Mark Naison / 2h

 

1-3-14 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week

With A Brooklyn Accent: With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All WeekThe Rich Who Hate Unionized Government WorkersI have rarely met a wealthy person who does not publicly express contempt for unionized public workers- police officers, firefighters, sanitation workers, teachers- and doesn't think they are lazy and over paid. Many blame them for bankrupting government and undermining the dynamism of the

by mike simpson / 9h 

1-6-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD

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

King’s Next Shining Novel: More “True History of the Torrance Family”

Stephen King’s career reminds me of the career of Kurt Vonnegut in three ways: (1) they suffered the negative consequences of being associated with writing genre fiction, (2) they are often devalued as being too popular to be credible “literary” authors, and (3) as many popular writers are, they are often associated with one work—King with The Shining and Vonnegut with Slaughterhouse-Five. King, a

1 by plthomasedd / 23min hide  //  save

Capitalism, Silencing Women, Silencing Teachers

A central aspect of my blog about Classroom Teaching Experience and Whose Voice Matters highlights that the silencing of teachers is a subset of the silencing of women. That post followed my claim that teaching is an invisible profession. Since posting that blog, I have read A Feminist Critique of Marx by Silvia Federici, which in part asserts the invisibility of women in Marx’s analysis of capita

10 by plthomasedd / 1h 

1-5-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): Trickle-Down Administration: Education Reform in a Culture of Distracting Outrage“One of the strange things about our politics is the disconnect between what sorts of things lead us, collectively, to express outrage and what sorts of things we don’t notice,” David Kaib b

by mike simpson / 7h 

1-6-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

Cuomo To Be On Defensive This Legislative Session

Fred Dicker tells us Cuomo plans to stroke himself in his State of the State speech on Wednesday:Expect an “orgy of self-congratulation and promise-making’’ in Gov. Cuomo’s election-year State of the State Address Wednesday, including pledges of tax relief, job creation, medical marijuana and some funding for new Mayor de Blasio’s pet pre-K program, Democratic insiders have told The Post. Cuomo, w

by reality-based edu... / 56min 

Looks Like We'll Have Another Day School Day Affected By Weather

It was 57 degrees and mad foggy this morning, the streets looking like something out of a Dickens novel.A dense fog advisory was in effect until 10 AM this morning. According to the Weather Channel, the high for the day is supposed to be 49 degrees (although it seems to me the high has been reached already with the 55 degree morning temperature?)Tonight, the temperature will fall to 10 degrees.The

by reality-based edu... / 9min 

Cuomo To Call For More Common Core Professional Development For Teachers

Just in case you thought he was going to walk back his support of his education reform agenda:Cuomo is also expected to propose additional funding for professional development to help teachers who are struggling with the new, more rigorous Common Core standards, a source said. Both the Regents and the Senate's education committee chairman have pushed for the professional development funds. Cuomo h

by reality-based edu... / 3h

1-5-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: How Fighting Education Reform In NY State Is Like Getting A Shift In Medical Marijuana PolicyThe NY Times reported last night that Governor Andrew Cuomo is shifting his stance on medical marijuana in New York State:ALBANY — Joining a growing group of states that have loosened restrictions on marijuana, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York plans this week to announce an executive

by mike simpson / 8h 

The Educated Reporter: Ten Questions To Ask On Expanded Learning Time

The Educated Reporter: Ten Questions To Ask On Expanded Learning Time:

Ten Questions To Ask On Expanded Learning Time

Amid the push to improve public education, a frequent complaint by educators is that there isn’t enough time in the school day to adequately cover everything students are supposed to be learning – or to address the myriad challenges they bring with them to class every day.

As a result, school districts nationally are looking for ways to expand learning timefor students. In some instances, that effort means adding minutes to the traditional day or providing weekend programs. In others, the focus is on stemming the well-documented and often substantial learning loss that occurs during the long summer break.

Much of the attention is put on minority students and students from low-income families who are already struggling in school. (For more on the educational equity gap in high-poverty schools, and how expanded learning time might be used to address it, consider a recent op-ed by Lucy Friedman, president of ExpandedED Schools by TASC (The After-School Corporation), which provides programs and 

NYC Educator: Gotham Charter Schools Will Become Chalkbeat Charters New York!

NYC Educator: Gotham Charter Schools Will Become Chalkbeat Charters New York!:

Gotham Charter Schools Will Become Chalkbeat Charters New York!

From now on, Gotham Charter Schools will be Charter Chalkboard New York. We have lots of exciting changes for you, our readers, and we can't wait to get started! You can read our future posts at charterchalkboardNY@blogspot.com.

First, we're going to have a big fundraising party, where you can all give us money. And after that, we're running a conference with teachers to discuss teacher stuff. For those critics out there, we want you to know that two of the three teachers we've selected have never stereotyped ATR teachers in these pages. (After an extensive search, we were only able to locate one such teacher, but we feel we deserve credit anyway.)

Second, we're going to actually start reading the comments section. It's pretty tedious, actually, as it appears to mostly be a lot of crap about how teachers shouldn't get pensions, and how awful teachers are, and how they don't do any work. Still, we feel we'll be more credible if we sort out the obviously insane comments and leave only the questionable ones. Of course, there may not be any more comments once we do that, but that's fine since we won't need to read them and can get back to the important work of whatever it is we do around here.

We will continue to bring you fabulous guest posts from not only E4E members, but also people who may or may not be E4E members. We'll let them coyly deny being E4E, while sort of being E4E anyway, and we won't demand clarity from them at all. When E4E finds a hundred people to sign a petition demanding more work for less pay, we'll be the first to cover it! We vow to bring you widely 

Are DC charter middle schools “better” than DC public middle schools? | Ward 8 DC Teacher

Are DC charter middle schools “better” than DC public middle schools? | Ward 8 DC Teacher:

Are DC charter middle schools “better” than DC public middle schools?

• Leave a comment

According to DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson, charter schools “know how to do middle school really well.” When it comes to defining the phrase “really well,” are education reformers basing their narrative on quantity over quality, i.e. proficiency rates versus growth? What do you think? In this piece, you can compare the data between charter and traditional public middle schools within DC’s most notorious ward. The data in this piece is available here and here. After examining the “tale of the tape” between Ward 8 charter and traditional public middle schools, feel free to offer your perspective, or “sound off,” in the comment section.

2013 DC School Equity Reports: Ward 8 Middle Schools

Two PCS

KIPP DC – AIM PCS

Achievement Preparatory Academy PCS – Middle

Three Traditional Public Schools

Hart Middle School

Johnson Middle School

Kramer Middle School

Tale of the Tape

Breakdown

The chart above illustrates the total number of Ward 8 D.C. middle school students enrolled 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

"Hobnobbing with masters of the universe has its limits..." --  Crain's

Greg Hinz

The prototype for the Emanuel mayoralty was Michael Bloomberg's New York: rich guys, bicycle lanes, central control, the whole schmear. Mr. Bloomberg's popularity waned dramatically after his first two terms and his successor, Bill de Blasio, is a liberal who has good relations with unions and minorities. The message to Mr. Emanuel is clear: Hobnobbing with masters of the universe has its limits, however good their advice seems. Running a city takes a wider reach. -- Crain's Chicago Business

Times Editorial

Studies have shown that suspensions and expulsions do nothing to improve the school climate, while increasing the risk that children will experience long-term 

Game On. R U Ready? CO + UOO March 28th – 30th, 2014 | United Opt Out National

Game On. R U Ready? CO + UOO March 28th – 30th, 2014 | United Opt Out National:

GAME ON. R U READY? CO + UOO MARCH 28TH – 30TH, 2014

In the spirit and perhaps mirth that is characteristic of our little organization, United Opt Out, we are creating a set of trade-able and collectible activism game cards of our admins and all of the guests for our spring action in Denver, CO. We’re releasing ourselves now and two of our guests, Mark Naison and Denisha Jones.

In subsequent days ahead, we’ll be releasing one new card a week, so be sure to follow updates and collect them all.

These cards will be playable, in that we’re going to give each “character” some attributes in case you want to have a home version of United Opt Out to enjoy all the time.

So, check it out to see some of the folks who will be here – and more game cards to follow each week!  Join UOO in Denver with other national activists to work alongside our Denver activists who have said, “GAME ON.”

Details to follow soon.

 

Education after Bloomberg | Al Jazeera America

Education after Bloomberg | Al Jazeera America:

Education after Bloomberg

by Mathangi Subramanian @ajam January 3, 2014

The former mayor’s greatest legacy is creating a mass movement against education reform

Topics:

 

Education

 

Michael Bloomberg

 

New York

People protest during a Panel for Educational Policy meeting at Brooklyn Tech High School in 2012 before a vote on whether to close or partially close 23 schools that the New York City Department of Education considered failing.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Now that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has left office, speculation is rife about his legacy, particularly on education, a signature issue during his three-term mayoralty. But experts searching for clues as to the administration’s impact on education in test scores, dropout numbers, graduation rates and countless other measures are missing the real story. Although New York under Bloomberg became the nation’s most data-driven education department, his lasting effects are not numbers but people: specifically, a cadre of student activists who are the most fearless and effective voices for American educational equity since the postwar desegregation fight.

Since Bloomberg took office in 2002, a plethora of New York City youth-led movements have coalesced in direct opposition to some of the administration’s signature initiatives, such as closing failing schools, encouraging the growth of charters and slashing budgets. Campaigns by student-led groups like Urban Youth Collaborative, the Dignity in Schools Campaign and the Respect for All coalition have achieved many victories, including the preservation of free student subway cards, the rewriting of the citywide school discipline code to limit suspensions and the adoption and implementation of Chancellor’s Regulation A-832, an anti-bullying policy. While many of these 

Boston Teacher Ratings discriminate | JD2718

Boston Teacher Ratings discriminate | JD2718:

Boston Teacher Ratings discriminate

JANUARY 5, 2014 PM31 9:08 PM

I missed this article in the Boston Globe – The Boston Teachers Union is grieving the evaluation process – claims pattern of discrimination against Black teachers, against men, and against older teachers.

They are asking for adverse consequences to be rescinded. Notice that this includes both dismissals, and teacher improvement plans. I believe in NYC we have not preserved the right to challenge a D rating that would lead to improvement plan type consequences for the following year.

Also note, the BTU is not waiting for statistical proof. They are moving on the first indications that there is discrimination. Also note, every anti-public school reform of the last dozen years, anywhere in the country, has hit Black kids and Black teachers the hardest. And many have hit older teachers disproportionately.

Boston Teachers Union contests ratings

By James Vaznis  GLOBE STAFF     DECEMBER 11, 2013

The Boston Teachers Union has filed a grievance with the School Department over its teacher 

Data, Portfolios & the Path Forward for NYC (& Elsewhere) | School Finance 101

Data, Portfolios & the Path Forward for NYC (& Elsewhere) | School Finance 101:

Data, Portfolios & the Path Forward for NYC (& Elsewhere)

Posted on January 5, 2014

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As the new year begins, I’ve been pondering what I might recommend as guiding principles for the path forward for education policy in New York City under its new Mayor, Bill de Blasio, who is often referred to on Twitter as BDB. So here are my thoughts for the way forward, from one BDB (Bruce D. Baker) to another.

Note that I had drafted much of this content last spring when convening with a group of scholars to discuss the path forward for NYC education policies. Not being as well versed in the specifics of NYC education policies, but having at least written academically about some, I kept my ideas broad, and applicable to many educational settings across the U.S.

My recommendations fall into two broad categories:

Develop a robust, balanced, least intrusive system of indicators for evaluating New York City Schools and then use that information appropriately

NYC BOE policies of the past ten years have been rife with data abuse (though at times, merely in an effort to comply with state required data abuse). School closures have been based on ill-conceived measures of “school failure” which do little more than target the city’s neediest student populations, imposing on them repeated disruptions.

New York City’s teacher performance reports, albeit better than many, apply the worst form of statistical reductionism to quantify teacher “quality,” taking noisy statistical estimates of the association between teachers-of-record and assigned students test score gains (applying only the most convenient statistical corrections) in limited curricular areas and grades, and assuming levels of precision and accuracy that are completely unwarranted.

Such data abuse – on both counts [school closures and teacher ratings] – is reprehensible.

Right-sized (NOT BIG) data can indeed be useful for guiding decision-making in large, complex 

Teacher Quartering: Four Reasons Why Teachers Avoid, or Leave, High Poverty Urban Public Schools | Ward 8 DC Teacher

Teacher Quartering: Four Reasons Why Teachers Avoid, or Leave, High Poverty Urban Public Schools | Ward 8 DC Teacher:

Teacher Quartering: Four Reasons Why Teachers Avoid, or Leave, High Poverty Urban Public Schools

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Teaching within a high poverty urban public school is challenging, to say the least. Time and again, I hear education policy experts claim that high poverty urban schools don’t have enough effective or high quality teachers “at the helm.” Part of this is due to the misuse of VAM-based models, but another aspect of this phenomenon is the propensity for working conditions to drive effective or high quality teachers out of high poverty urban public schools. In fact, at times, it feels as if teaching within a challenging or “struggling” school is akin to some form of medieval quartering. At each end of a teacher’s limb is a rope that’s attached to a “horse”, or stress-producing trigger, which, collectively, rips the teacher apart at the limbs. In my humble opinion, here are four stress-producing triggers that may cause high poverty urban public school teachers to avoid teaching in the most challenging schools, or leave the profession altogether.

Rope #1: Meetings, Meetings, and More Meetings

The first rope, or stress-producing trigger, is attending mandatory meetings and PDs (professional development), which often occur throughout the school day and week. Before you misread my intention, let me publicly state that meetings are extremely beneficial and