Friday, August 1, 2014

8-1-14 Hemlock on the Rocks

Grievances and Write-ups, Legal Issues and Resources | United Teachers Los Angeles ILLUSTRATES Why Teachers Are Are An Easy Mark ( Nothing But Lip Service From their Union)

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by Rene Diedrich / 1h hide // save

Who are the people pulling Alex Johnson's strings ? What are their plans for LAUSD?

RheeMichelle Rhee has now officially entered the District 1 race ("Parents and Teachers for Putting StudentsFirst") per the 7/29/14 expenditure of California Black Political Action Committee. Bottom of the ad: http://ethics.lacity.org/pdf/ind_exp_campaign_ads/CABlackPAC%5FAd%5FJohnson%5F7%2E29%2E14%2Epdf This is what this race is really about. Many see Thomas as the puppet master, and

by Rene Diedrich / 1h

LAUSD trying to take money from teachers! - Bubblews

http://www.bubblews.com/news/5149870-lausd-trying-to-take-money-from-teachersI taught for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) for almost 11 years. It was quite a journey but I am glad it is over. Anyway, during my 11th year, I had to resign for personal reasons. This was back in June of 2010.Well, this organization came at me, about two years ago, claiming that they overpaid me $6,000

by Rene Diedrich / 2h

A bigger team for teachers union but no agreement in sight because Caputo-Pearl is milking this . Not to worry. He will burn members because that's how he rolls

http://laschoolreport.com/a-bigger-team-for-teachers-union-but-no-agreement-in-sight/#comment-2254 A bigger team for teachers union but no agreement in sight The latest LA Unified-UTLA bargaining session featured a change in tactics by the union but nothing close to an agreement. The union brought all

by Rene Diedrich / 41min hide // save

After 700 new teachers ( interns and subs) hired, LA Unified still looking for more while Caputo Pearl pretends thousands were not purged ( by LAUSD -UTLA backroom deals and collusion)

http://laschoolreport.com/after-700-new-teachers-hired-la-unified-still-looking-for-more/#comment-2251 After 700 new teachers hired, LA Unified still looking for more Eleven days before the start of the new school year, LA Unified is still hiring teachers. By the district's accounting, about 700 have

by Rene Diedrich / 1h

IS GATES TRYING TO COVER HIS COMMON CORE LOSSES? Do you need another reason to boycott ? Microsoft Fires 18,000 Workers While Seeking Visas for Foreign Worksrs | Diane Ravitch's blog

http://dianeravitch.net/2014/07/28/microsoft-lays-off-18000-workers-while-seeking-visas-for-foreign-worksrs/comment-page-2/#comment-2188894 Microsoft Fires 18,000 Workers While Seeking Visas for Foreign Worksrs | Diane Ravitch's blog Unbelievable. Microsoft lays off 18,000 workers while pressing

by Rene Diedrich / 36min

Parent unions: Trigger laws spawn new parent empowerment tool - News - Syracuse Journal-Democrat - Syracuse, NE - Syracuse, NE

by Rene Diedrich / 2h hide // save

Parent unions: Trigger laws spawn new parent empowerment tool - News - Syracuse Journal-Democrat - Syracuse, NE - Syracuse, NE

by Rene Diedrich / 2h

The right to know about our teachers - LA Times

by Rene Diedrich / 3h

GEORGE MCKENNA: If You Can't Beat His Experience, Slander His Credibility - LA Sentinel

by Rene Diedrich / 7h

8-1-14 Curmudgucation

CURMUDGUCATION:

Writing News Re: Me

I have a bit of news to share.You may have heard that Anthony Cody I leaving behind the world of Education Week blogging to pursue other projects and spin "Living in Dialogue" onto some new platforms. That should be going live sometime this week. You can stay caught up with his progress at the Living in Dialogue page on Facebook. I think that whole enterprise is going to be pretty cool.I

3 by Peter Greene / 1h

Accountability vs. Responsibility

Folks keep demanding accountability in education. I'm pretty sure what we want is responsibility. We often use the terms as if they're interchangeable, but they aren't.Accountability is about giving an accounting, reporting, proving to someone that you have done what they require of you, and proving it in the manner of their choosing. Responsibility is about having a duty, a personal requirement t

1 by Peter Greene / 18min hide // save

How Lovable Is New NEA President?

NEA president-elect Lily Eskelsen Garcia is, if nothing else, much more lifelike and good with words than her predecessor. We don't have to rehearse the sad story of how Dennis Van Roekel lost my love; the question I'm asking now is, can I be wooed by the new boss?My initial reaction was not full-on delight. LEG has an unabashed love for the Common Core, and consequently extends her love to the Ga

10 by Peter Greene / 1h

Pushback from the Little People

Campbell Brown's appearance on the Colbert Report included one of the popular reformster mini-themes-- the desire to be insulated from any manner of dialogue.Granted, this is not exclusive to reformsters-- there are many groups of people in American society who have trouble distinguishing between being disagreed with and being oppressed. But among the privileged there seem to be some folks who jus

100+ by Peter Greene / 2h

7-31-14 Curmudgucation

CURMUDGUCATION: What Ever Happened to Learn More Go Further?In honor of Throwback Thursday, I decided to follow up on one of my favorite reformy intiatives. Mounted by way of Jeb Bush by way of FEE, and the US Chamber by way of the Higher State Standards Partnership, "Learn More. Go Further" was going to set the grass roots ablaze with Common Core love.I first wrote about LMGF back at th

by mike simpson / 9h

8-1-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

Cuomo Has His Own Bridge Scandal

Hey, what do you know - another link between Christie and Cuomo.They both have a bridge scandal: ALBANY—State investigators are looking into the controversial Tappan Zee Bridge loan and whether a board controlled by Governor Andrew Cuomo violated state laws when it approved the money.The state Authorities Budget Office, an independent body, is examining allegations the Environmental Facilities Cor

by reality-based edu... / 8min

Pearson Owns New York

The gravy train for Pearson continues in John King's and Andy Cuomo's New York:Becoming a teacher in New York state is getting more expensive.The price of basic teacher certification exams has more than doubled this year and it's taking a toll, educators said....Essentially, the regimen of tests and assessments needed for a certification degree has gone from $317 to $652 this year.That's on top of

by reality-based edu... / 15min

The "Fuck Cuomo" Factor

For three and a half years now, Andrew Cuomo has governed the state through fear.Jimmy Vielkind at Capital NY writes that "fear factor" is gone:What the episode has done, people involved in government and longtime observers say, is make it OK, for the first time since Cuomo came to office, to defy him.Where once other officials wouldn't publicly oppose the famously controlling governor,

by reality-based edu... / 33min

7-30-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: US Attorney Warns Governor Cuomo Over Witness Tampering, Obstruction Of Justice ChargesThe battle between US Attorney Preet Bharara and Governor Andrew Cuomo over the Moreland mess just got ratcheted up some more:In an escalation of the confrontation between the United States attorney in Manhattan, Preet Bharara, and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo over the governor’s cancellation of h

by mike simpson / 9h

Introducing Your Special Guest Stars: Miller, Fennell, Sanchez, & the YES Prep Crew :: Frederick M. Hess

Introducing Your Special Guest Stars: Miller, Fennell, Sanchez, & the YES Prep Crew :: Frederick M. Hess:

Introducing Your Special Guest Stars: Miller, Fennell, Sanchez, & the YES Prep Crew

by Frederick M. Hess • Aug 1, 2014 at 8:39 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

I hope everyone is having a groovy summer. I've been enjoying it, but I'm afraid I've gotten a bit in arrears while trying to deal with bubbly little Grayson, explain why I've long been south on Race to the Top and am trending that way on Common Core, talk cage-busting with anyone who'll listen, teach at UPenn and Rice, plan my Georgetown courses, agree to become a contributor for The Hill, and push hard on The Cage-Busting Teacher (which is due in early September). So, as I try to get caught up, I'm turning RHSU over to a stellar lineup of guest stars.

First up, for the week of August 4, is Raegen Miller. The vice president for research partnerships at Teach For America, Raegen previously worked on issues of teacher quality and fiscal equity at the Center for American Progress. Raegen's got an intriguing bio, which involves ten years of teaching high school math and, later, data analysis at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, as well as serving as a trustee of a Massachusetts charter school and as president of a California teachers' union. Given all this, it's perhaps no surprise that Raegen consistently approaches the issues in challenging, illuminating ways.

The next week, fan favorite Maddie Fennell returns. Maddie, a literacy coach for the Omaha Public Schools, has spent much of her summer "on the road" participating in various activities due to her involvement in the Network of National Teachers of the Year, the U.S. Department of Ed's Teacher Ambassadors program, the NEA, and everything else you can name. Maddie is deeply involved with the U.S. Department of Ed's Teach To Lead initiative, but, in an amusing twist, she was also a delegate to the NEA annual meeting last month that called for Secretary Duncan's ouster. Maddie always has something worth sharing, as a practitioner with a foot in two "opposing" camps.

Elliot Sanchez, the founder and CEO of mSchool, will take the helm for the week of August 18. mSchool is a new venture that works to simplify personalized learning. In 2014, Elliot was named to Forbes's list of "30 Under 30" and to Education Week's "9 People Who Will Shape Education in the Next 10 Years." Elliot Introducing Your Special Guest Stars: Miller, Fennell, Sanchez, & the YES Prep Crew :: Frederick M. Hess:

Another Top Piece by Jeff Bryant: Juking the Stats in New Orleans | janresseger

Another Top Piece by Jeff Bryant: Juking the Stats in New Orleans | janresseger:

Another Top Piece by Jeff Bryant: Juking the Stats in New Orleans

Posted on August 1, 2014 by janresseger

In the summer of 2006, not quite a year after Hurricane Katrina, I traveled for a week to New Orleans. At the Justice and Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ, I wrote an annual autumn publication for our churches on an issue of racial or economic justice in public schools that we hoped to highlight for them in that particular school year. I planned to write the 2007 UCC Message on Public Education (released in fall 2006) on what had happened to the public schools in New Orleans after the 2005 hurricane—the subsequent layoff of all the teachers, and the beginning of the charter experiment seeded by huge grants from the U.S. Department of Education, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and others.

With a good map and a rental car, I made my way to a mass of interviews I had set up with parents, former teachers, the former president of the teachers’ union, parent advocates, a civil rights attorney, a member of the Orleans Parish School Board, members of Beecher United Church of Christ, and public education advocates who had been identified to me. My trip changed me. New Orleans was still completely devastated, and the implications for the city’s poorest citizens were catastrophic. I did not want to believe that in the United States, politicians would use a situation of massive devastation to undertake an education governance experiment on poor families and their children.

Most of the people I spoke with were still numb with shock. Many were working during the day and returning at night to pull the walls apart in their houses—to “gut them out” as it was called—so they could begin rebuilding, but almost nobody had reached the rebuilding stage. One elementary school I saw in New Orleans East remained windowless, with weeds so high they tangled wildly over the roof. Some public schools that had not even been seriously damaged were shut down without being repaired. Fortier High School, an historic neighborhood high school, had been taken over by Tulane and other universities and turned into Lusher Charter High School, a place where the children of faculty at the area’s Another Top Piece by Jeff Bryant: Juking the Stats in New Orleans | janresseger:

Keep trying to understand us Mike – You’re not there yet | Missouri Education Watchdog

Keep trying to understand us Mike – You’re not there yet | Missouri Education Watchdog:

Keep trying to understand us Mike – You’re not there yet

Anything you can do I can do better - Annie Get Your Gun - Betty Hutton and Howard Keel

Mike Petrilli of Fordham latest piece appears to be his attempt to tell the opponents of common core that he understands us. He concedes the point of federal involvement in the standards (which Fordham has done before). He admits that the standards aren’t “the best” and even acknowledges that there are a number of text book suppliers who are making a mess of them. But there is one glaring problem with his concession piece – he simultaneously agrees that states can set standards and claims that states are no good at setting standards.

The CC standards have been sold to the public (once CSSI et al were forced to actually contend with the public) as necessary because so many states had poor quality standards, even after NCLB forced them to review, clarify and improve their standards.

“I find that the pros far outweigh the cons, beginning with the original Fordham conclusion that the standards themselves, on their merits, are superior in content and rigor to those that three-quarters of the states were using in 2010.”

See, 3/4 of the states, though charged with developing high quality standards, were incompetent to do so, therefore we needed some smart group of outsiders to do it for us.

But then just a few paragraphs later he says the standards are basically the floor and that they are counting on states to augment the standards to improve them.

“Yes, they can absolutely be improved. That’s why we’re supportive of what states like Florida have done to augment the standards… Creating additional standards for high-achieving math students who are gunning for selective colleges and/or STEM careers makes a ton of sense.”

So states like Florida who had bad standards with NCLB and whose governor you wrote felt it important to join with the governor of Illinois to develop better standards together, is now deemed qualified enough to improve these jointly developed standards on their own. Which is it Mike? Are the states qualified to write their own standards or not?

If they are able to write their own and identify their own shortcomings, then why did we need a nationally developed set of standards in the first place?

Much of the rest of his article completely overlooks how the standards were eventually sold to the public.

“They are fewer and clearer.” If they are fewer because they left out pieces that states are Keep trying to understand us Mike – You’re not there yet | Missouri Education Watchdog:

5 Characteristics of an Innovative Organization | Connected Principals

5 Characteristics of an Innovative Organization | Connected Principals:

5 Characteristics of an Innovative Organization

by George Couros • August 1, 2014 • 0 Comments

As the year has wrapped up for most North American schools, I look back at my year and realize how blessed I am to not only be able to travel the world and share my experience with others, but also the opportunity to still work with Parkland School Division on a part-time basis. I think that this allows me to still “do the work” in schools while also having the ability to share it with others as well. The balance that this has created to both see other organizations and share my work, and vice-versa, has been immeasurable for my learning.

From what I have learned about Parkland School Division, I believe it is a world-class organization, that is not just talking about newer opportunities for learning for our students, but is creating powerful learning environments for our entire community. We still teach the curriculum and we still have to “follow the rules”, but we try to be innovative within the parameters that are provided. The content that we have to teach is often decided for us, but the way that we teach, and more importantly our students learn, is where the magic truly happens.

So how did this happen? Well to be honest, we still have a lot of work to do, but that will always be the case. We are a “learning organization” which, by the nature of the term alone, means that we are focused on continuous growth as a district. It is not only that we have leaders that model themselves as learners, but it is done as at the organizational level as a whole. This growth as a group has led to the development of individuals.

Looking back, here are five things that have really stuck out to me this year and have helped us to grow.

1. Promotion and modelling of risk-taking.
The term “risk-taking” is one of those “buzzwords” that drives many people crazy. An “innovative environment” will always promote this, but it does not mean that it is happening. It is only when the leaders of organization model the risk-taking that they talk about, does it happen en masse in schools. I have watched our superintendent Tim Monds, try many different things in his own learning that have been displayed openly to others in Parkland School Division. It started with things such as using Twitter, more focus on cloud tools such as Evernote and Google Apps for Education, and more recently, sharing his monthly message through YouTube videos. His understanding and willingness to try different ways of learn and sharing has trickled

All Things Education: The Common Condescension

All Things Education: The Common Condescension:

The Common Condescension

Politico had a particularly agitating article about the Common Core out yesterday entitled, "Moms winning the Common Core war."

First of all "war"? I am about to declare war on writers of ridiculous headlines. . .

Anyway, to get to the content of the article. Basically, Common Core advocates have decided that they need a new PR strategy:

Supporters of the Common Core academic standards have spent big this past year to persuade wavering state legislators to stick with the new guidelines for math and language arts instruction. Given the firestorm of opposition that took them by surprise, they consider it a victory that just five states, so far, have taken steps to back out.

But in a series of strategy sessions in recent months, top promoters of the standards have concluded they’re losing the broader public debate — and need to devise better PR.

Granted there is plenty of misinformation surrounding this debate, and there are plenty of people who are misinformed, but this approach is maddening. It's the same reformy solution to disagreement and dissent that we've witnessed for nearly a decade, i.e., there's nothing wrong with the substance of our reforms, it's just the style with which they're presented. Or, to use business parlance, there's nothing wrong with our product, we just need to sell/market it better.

The contempt is just dripping:

“The Common Core message so far has been a head message. We’ve done a good job talking about facts and figures. But we need to move 18 inches south and start talking about a heart message,” said Wes Farno, executive director of the Higher State Standards Partnership, a coalition supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable.

And,

“We’re so good at all our statistics and data and rational arguments … [but] emotion is what gets people feeling passionate,” Oldham said. “It may not be the most comfortable place for the business community … [but] we need to get better at doing it.”

People who criticize the Common Core are just emotional. We have to speak emotional back to them. Here we've been giving them the facts and well, I'll be! That doesn't work. Those emotional people, the are too simple-minded to handle All Things Education: The Common Condescension:

NYC Educator: Andy and Sandy

NYC Educator: Andy and Sandy:

Andy and Sandy

I live about two blocks away from the water, which is nice, except when it comes to visit you. During Hurricane Sandy, it did that in a big way. My living room, kitchen and dining room were full of water. However, I had flood insurance, and it actually paid us to fix the house.

So when I got an application from NY Rising last April, I didn't bother to fill it out. After all, my house was fixed. We have new floors, new walls, new paint, and I went crazy and replaced the ceiling too, adding lights and all sorts of cool things. We even replaced my framed picture of Boris and Natasha with something that more resembles art.

Like everyone around here, we hope that we won't get another Sandy. One way to minimize damage in areas like ours is to raise your house up. When we first moved here there was a federal program that paid for maybe 70% of that, but given we were flat broke, laying out 30K was out of the question. Now the feds pay 30K max, so we'd have to lay out at least 70K. Kind of pricy to fix something for which you're insured.

But lo and behold, Governor Andy came to my town and announced that he had 300 million dollars to raise homes. Now before he was paying only to raise homes that were required to be raised. But now, he was paying to raise homes like mine that faced no such requirement. This sounded like a great idea.

But when I called NY Rising, it turned out I wasn't eligible. Stupid me, not applying for money I didn't need to fix my home that was already fixed. You see, in Andrew Cuomo's world you need to apply in April in order to be eligible for programs he announces in July. How reckless of me to not NYC Educator: Andy and Sandy:

Scalding school closing report unlikely to get a hearing | catalyst-chicago.org

Scalding school closing report unlikely to get a hearing | catalyst-chicago.org:

Scalding school closing report unlikely to get a hearing

By: Sarah Karp / July 31, 2014

Tags: government and policy school closings

A scalding report that criticizes CPS for the way it handled the mass closing of schools last year likely will not get a public hearing as requested by state task force members.

As for why, that’s in dispute.

State Rep. Linda Chapa La Via, chair of the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee, said she requested a hearing but has little hope that it will ever be held. “Everything is politics,” she said with a sigh.

However, Steve Brown, House Speaker Mike Madigan’s spokesman, said that Chapa LaVia doesn’t need permission to hold a hearing. He was incredulous as to why she doesn’t just move forward.

Chapa Lavia did not respond when re-contacted. Also, representatives Cynthia Soto and Esther Golar, both of whom sit on the task force, did not respond to calls and emails on the subject.

Members of the Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force said they are convinced that Madigan’s office—with the encouragement of Mayor Rahm Emanuel—is preventing the hearing. They suspect that Emanuel wants to avoid a discussion on the school closing process during an election year.

“It was shut down,” said Clarice Berry, a task force member and president of the Scalding school closing report unlikely to get a hearing | catalyst-chicago.org:

Brown administration looks to diminish influence of API :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet

Brown administration looks to diminish influence of API :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet:

Brown administration looks to diminish influence of API

by Kimberly Beltran Brown administration looks to diminish influence of API

(Calif.) Move over API. You’re not the top dog for determining school success anymore, the president of the state’s Board of Education said this week.

Instead, if Mike Kirst gets his way, the Academic Performance Index – long the state’s go-to tool for measuring how well schools are performing – will become in the eyes of the public just one component of a much larger, more robust reporting tool already required under the new Local Control Funding Formula.

“In the past the API was the be-all, end-all and now it’s just part of a much bigger system. People need to move beyond the API,” Kirst said in an interview Wednesday.

While the LCFF – ushered through the Legislature by Gov. Jerry Brown last summer – provides additional school funding and gives local governing boards greater control over spending decisions, the law also requires that districts develop Local Control and Accountability Plans that show how the expenditures are being used to meet the eight state priorities, including pupil achievement, parent engagement, school climate and the implementation of state standards and student access to rigorous curriculum.

The API is just one data element among seven currently in the new law that address pupil achievement. There are an additional 16 data elements among the state’s other seven priority areas.

Currently, the API has been suspended for two years to allow for K-12 education’s transition to Common Core State Standards and new, aligned testing. But in the near future parents, policy makers and the media will come to depend on the LCAP instead.

The 2014-15 fiscal year was the first year that districts needed to prepare an LCAP as part of their goal setting and budget processes. Under the system, districts must report many other indicators beyond test scores –student attendance rates, suspensions, middle school dropout rates and test scores for foster youth.

Meanwhile, the state board must adopt by October 2015 a new evaluation rubric to help calibrate the strengths and weaknesses of student improvement plans outlined in the LCAP.

Kirst said work is underway for the new rubric, which might include other performance indicators beyond those already being used in the LCAP. State board staff, working with the education research and services firm WestEd, is in the process of convening education experts and Brown administration looks to diminish influence of API :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet:

UPDATE: VIDEO of Campbell Brown on Colbert Report - Mum's the Word

Campbell Brown on Colbert Report - Mum's the Word

The Colbert Report

Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,The Colbert Report on Facebook,Video Archive

Did Campbell Brown get a visit form the Money Fairy? She ain't sayin'!

But Your Mother IS:

Who's Really Behind Campbell Brown's Sneaky Education Outfit? | Mother Jones

Who's Really Behind Campbell Brown's Sneaky Education Outfit? | Mother Jones: Who's Really Behind Campbell Brown's Sneaky Education Outfit?The former CNN anchor says her nonprofit seeks to protect kids from predators in the classroom. Its real agenda may be union-busting.Early one morning in July, former CNN anchor Campbell Brown appeared onMSNBC's Morning Joe, pen in hand, notes fanned out in fro

by mike simpson / 7h

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