Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

4-8-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:








Coalition of 114 education groups: Ryan 2015 budget would ‘devastate’ schools
The 2015 budget proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan’s House Budget Committee would “devastate funding for education and make college less affordable,” a  coalition of  114 national education associations and institutions charged in an open letter sent to the panel. The Ryan budget would, according to this story by my Post colleague, Ed O’Keefe, cut more than […]


‘Dear public school teachers: we are sorry’
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg is a parent living in Highland Park, New Jersey, and a member of  Highland Park Cares About Schools, a nonpartisan coalition of coalition of parents, educators, and others  interested in preserving public education.  Here is an open letter she wrote to public school teachers in New Jersey and beyond.   Dear Public School Teachers, We […]


Principals slam 2014 NY Common Core tests as badly designed
Students in New York have been taking state-mandated Common Core-aligned standard tests in English Language Arts in recent days and, for the second year in a row, educators are saying the tests — designed by the giant education company Pearson — were badly designed for the second straight year. Last year, the tests sparked controversy […]
Koch brothers help Kansas lawmakers strip teachers of tenure
The Kansas legislature just passed legislation that strips teachers of tenure and the right to due process, a move pushed by conservative lawmakers who were forced by a state Supreme Court ruling to provide more funding to poor school districts and wanted to get something out of the deal. After stripping teachers of their tenure, legislators […]
Ten concerns about the ‘let’s teach them grit’ fad
One more thing school reformers think schools should be doing these days is teaching kids to have “grit.” To explain what this is all about is author Alfie Kohn in an article adapted from the author’s new book  The Myth of the Spoiled Child:  Challenging the Conventional Wisdom about Children and Parenting, just published by […]
4-7-14 The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: Common Core test gives students no time to think — teacherTravis Durfee is a teacher at Watkins Glen Middle School in Watkins Glen, New York who is administering Common Core-aligned standardized tests to students that were designed by Pearson, the education company. In the following piece, which he calls “Driving Lessons,” he looks from within the schoolhouse gates at the disconn




4-8-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida

Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education:







Florida PTA: The Boogeyman Who Torments Step Up for Students

During last year’s run-up to another failed parent trigger bid, House sponsor Rep. Carlos Trujillo attempted to marginalize PTA opponents of his bill as “there to bake cookies.” Trujillo’s problem – and that of shaky voucher administrator Step Up for Students – is that members of the Florida PTA show up at hearings to oppose their legislation. The image of actual parents standing up against them o


4-7-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida
Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: Florida to Pay Utah $5.4 Million for Field TestThere’s more fall-out from those new state tests which are being field-tested in Utah. Kristen Moulton in the Salt Lake City Tribune reports: Utah is about to reap an unexpected windfall from the questions it wrote for the n


4-8-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL:







Another Nail In VAM’s Coffin?
The American Statistical Association issued a report today containing many criticisms of how Value-Added Measurement is used in teacher evaluations today. It’s not that lengthy, but you can read a summary at Education Week. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About The “Value-Added” Approach Towards Teacher Evaluation and to The Best Places To Learn What Impact A Teacher & Outsid

Webby Nominees Announced — Here Are A Couple That Look Good
Nominees for this year’s Webby Awards (highlighting the “best of the web) have just been announced. You can see them all here. Here are a couple of particularly good sites I haven’t posted about previously: How to put a human on Mars is from the BBC. I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Learning About Planets & Space. Ready, Set, Grad is an exceptional site from Washington state, but it’s usab

The Best Posts & Videos About Sugata Mitra & His Education Ideas
Professor Sugata Mitra and is famous for his “holes in the wall” experiments where he placed computers in impoverished Indian communities and students “self-organized” their instruction. Professor Mitra was awarded the TED Prize last year, and expanded his work with that support. I’ve previously published some fairly popular posts about Professor Sugata Mitra. The first post was one where I share
4-7-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: My Latest NY Times Post Is On Lying As A Language-Learning ActivityHow can lying be a good language-learning activity? See how in my latest New York Times post for English Language Learners. A student interactive and fun teaching ideas are included. You can see all my many previous NY Times posts here.by Larry Ferlazzo / 2h

4-8-14 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.:



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Karen Lewis. “This is theft. Plain and simple.”
- Karen Lewis is President of the Chicago Teachers Union. CHICAGO—Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis released the following statement on the passage of SB1922 in the Illinois House of Representatives, a proposal by the mayor of Chicago that will cut the retirement savings of thousands of city workers: “This is a sad day for our paraprofessionals, especially our retired ones, who will se

Breaking. Illinois Senate joins House in Chicago pension theft voting 31 to 23. Here’s the roll call.
  State of Illinois 98th General Assembly Senate Vote ___________________________________________________________________ Senate Bill No. 1922 CONCUR IN HOUSE AMENDMENT CONCURRENCE THIRD READING Apr 08, 2014 31 YEAS 23 Nays P Althoff N Barickman Y Bertino-Tarrant Y Haine N Radogno Y Raoul

Breaking: Illinois House passes city pension theft 74-41. Here’s the roll call.
STATE OF ILLINOIS NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE ROLL CALL SENATE BILL 1922 PEN CD-COOK COUNTY-RECORDS THIRD READING PASSED 1:30 PM   Apr 08, 2014 73 YEAS 41 NAYS Y Acevedo Y Andrade N Anthony Y Arroyo Y Beiser Y Bellock Y Berrios E Bost Y Bradley Y Brady N Brauer N Brown N Drury Y Kosel N Dunkin Y Lang Y Durkin Y Leitch Y Evans Y Lil


The day after. Charter farters pay for a party in Springfield. Or are we footing the bill?
Who said, “Timing is everything?” Socrates? Shakespeare? Certainly nobody in the charter school movement. A day after the Medill Data Project and Sun-Times released a study showing that the state’s charter schools are a waste of time and money compared to the efforts of neighborhood public schools, the charter farters are paying for a gathering in the Capitol Rotunda in Springfield. The party is
Chicago’s got a wet mayor.
Back in the day when Richie Daley was running against Harold Washington he famously told a crowd of supporters (white supporters, of course) that Chicago needed a white mayor. It was caught on camera and tape and with the racism of the Daley campaign fully exposed, Daley’s handlers claimed he was misquoted. They said Richie said, “Chicago needs a wet mayor.” Nobody understood what that meant and


4-7-14 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.: Another day. Another report showing charter schools don’t do much better than neighborhood schools.Former UNO charter chief Juan Rangel and his pal, Rahm Emanuel. Proponents of the corporate school reform agenda believe in at least three sacred truths. Charters and school choice will improve the quali


FCMAT » Cal Education Headlines Tuesday, April 8, 2014

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:



L.A. Unified students want one of their own on school board


Education Headlines
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
FCMAT provides links to California K-12 news stories as a service to the industry. However, some stories may not be accessible because of newspapers' subscription policies.

Central San Joaquin Valley schools begin new computerized state tests

After months of prepping for California's new computerized state assessments, called the Smarter Balanced Consortium Field Tests, schools across the Valley are now rolling out the high-tech exam. State officials report schools have run into few problems -- good news for the state, which has invested $1.25 billion to help prepare for the tests.

Grant High parents press for campus improvements

Frustrated with aging facilities at 82-year-old Grant Union High School, Del Paso Heights community members on Monday asked school and political leaders to install campus HVAC units and consider other improvements such as filling the swimming pool.

South Bay underwriter gets lesser charges

A former bond underwriter who was a key figure in the corruption investigation at South County school districts was sentenced to probation and almost $8,000 in fines Monday.

Sweetwater break ends, bargaining resumes

Students in the Sweetwater Union High School District returned from spring break Monday with no agreement between the district and teachers’ union

Dozier-Libbey High teachers seek injunction of Antioch Unified's charter petition

In the latest twist in the dueling petition efforts for the medical high school, supporters of an independent charter high school last week filed a temporary restraining order against the Antioch school district's efforts to turn it into a dependent charter.

Apple Valley teachers infringed on rights of Christian students, district says

Apple Valley Unified has agreed that two of its teachers infringed on the rights of Christian elementary school students by stopping them from distributing plastic coins with Bible verses imprinted on them.

Frey: Districts develop goals for foster youth

As districts set their goals for the next school year and allocate funding under the new California school finance system, they have to consider for the first time a small, highly at-risk subset of students: youth in foster care.

Students arrested in videotaped fight with Santa Monica teacher

District Superintendent Sandra Lyon called the incident “utterly alarming” and acted swiftly, placing the teacher on leave pending the outcome of an investigation.

L.A. Unified wins $7 million in grants for career tech programs

The Los Angeles Unified School District will receive $7 million in federal grant funding to expand career programs at three high schools in the fields of healthcare, technology and business and finance, the district announced Monday.

L.A. Unified students want one of their own on school board

The Los Angeles Board of Education is expected to vote on a proposal that would allow a student advisory member on the school board.

Groups protest LAUSD spending priorities

Several hundred students protested Los Angeles Unified’s proposed budget Monday, claiming poor pupils and schools will receive too little funding.Several hundred students protested Los Angeles Unified’s proposed budget Monday, claiming poor pupils and schools will receive too little funding.
Monday, April 7, 2014

Reed schools seeking parcel tax increase

Looking for ways to accommodate its continually rapid growth, the Reed Union School District is seeking to increase its parcel tax income.

Eureka City Schools, teachers association ratify agreement

The Eureka City Schools District and Eureka Teachers Association ratified a labor agreement this week, making the terms effective immediately.

Parent claims in lawsuit that Newport-Mesa teacher harassed daughter

Administrators in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District are being accused of violating a student’s civil rights in a lawsuit after a student complained to the district that a teacher and staff at Newport Heights Elementary School harassed her.

Google scans of student emails reboot privacy concerns

Every day, thousands of Orange County students log in to their school-assigned Google accounts to work on lessons and send emails to teachers and classmates. What many parents and teachers don’t know is that Google is scanning and indexing every email that those students send and receive.

Teacher faces possible deportation, Twin Rivers blamed for paperwork goof

Lilian Velazquez Acosta, 54, said she lost her teaching position and a chance at becoming an American citizen because officials at Twin Rivers Unified School District failed to send a letter to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services acknowledging she worked for them. She learned too late that the misstep caused her work visa to expire in September 2012.

What went wrong with Santa Clara County's $300,000 school leader

After bouncing out its third superintendent in seven years, the Santa Clara County Office of Education is now seeking to chart a new course and refocus on its work serving the county's 400 public schools.

Santa Clara County Office of Education sent out at least dozens of incorrect paychecks

Of the problems that beset Xavier De La Torre in his brief tenure as Santa Clara County Office of Education superintendent, the yearlong unraveling of the payroll department may have been his undoing.

New LAUSD budget proposal calls for spending on disadvantaged students

As he offered his 2014-15 budget proposal for Los Angeles Unified, Superintendent John Deasy on Friday also unveiled a three-year plan to help students who are poor, in foster care or learning English.

Deal announced on teacher dismissal bill that governor would support

Signaling the resolution of an acrimonious issue, Assembly Education Committee Chairwoman Joan Buchanan, D-Alamo, introduced a bill Friday to make dismissing teachers charged with severe misconduct quicker, easier and cheaper.

Deasy's proposed budget includes 1,200 new staff positions

Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy on Friday proposed spending nearly half of the district's new targeted state money on special education next year - but that's not an increase in the program, rather a recalibrating of where the funds are coming from.

Parents defend Santa Monica teacher who fought with student

Parents of several Santa Monica High School students are coming to the defense of a teacher who was placed on leave Friday after he was recorded on video in a physical altercation with a student.

Tiny Marin County district clings to struggling school

Despite the state's economic recovery, a Marin County school district is struggling to make ends meet and is planning to cut teachers, administrators and special programs in the coming months.

How public health advocates are trying to reach non-vaccinators

Whooping cough made a comeback in California last year, which researchers have linked to vaccine refusals. And with new measles outbreaks in Southern California, New York and British Columbia, the debate over vaccination is also spreading.

Adams: Under new law, school nurses aim to stop rise in vaccination opt-outs

Under a state law that took effect Jan. 1, parents are required to consult with a health practitioner – doctor, naturopath or credentialed school nurse – before they’re allowed to obtain a personal-belief exemption from their child’s required immunizations.