9-19-14 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.:

Swiffers. My days as a custodian.

I just finished reading Ben’s Reader article about the janitorial scandal at CPS. It seems that to cut costs and make more profit, Aramark took away mops from custodians and gave them Swiffers. Mopping is a two-step process. You soap mop to clean. And then you rinse. Swiffers are those things you buy at Target. They have disposable pads. It’s a one-step deal. It saves time. Let’s get real, though

1 by Fred Klonsky / 11min 

I get comments.

Fred, That “Illinois public employee pension is less than $25,000 a year” statement is a bit misleading and low by most independent analyses. It includes folks who retired decades ago at salaries far lower than folks retiring recently. It also includes folks who didn’t spend their entire careers in the public sector, perhaps less than 5 years, thus have other retirement income coming in outside of

by Fred Klonsky / 19min 

Kiss of death.

by Fred Klonsky / 0min 

Highland teachers end historic strike.

  Highland teacher and mother Teryn Hoppes and her son Logan attend a prayer vigil in Higland’s downtown square before voting on a new contract. Thursday Highland union members voted to end their week-long historic strike, the first in the district’s history. After voting down a contract offer several days ago, members voted 150-2 to accept a contract recommend by their bargaining team. News-Demo

by Fred Klonsky / 7:57 AM UTC-7 

George Wallace High School.

Rahm says that he is not going to name the new selective admission high school after President Obama after all. Naming things after politicians is a big deal in Chicago. They recently named the traffic-clogged circle interchange after former mayor Jane Byrne. And Balbo Street is named after an Italian fascist who flew a plane to the opening of the World’s Fair. Technically Balbo wasn’t a politici

2 by Fred Klonsky / 1h 

9-18-14 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.: Principal Troy LaRaviere on Chicago school policy. The public loses out and private corporations profit.Blaine Principal Troy LaRaviere discusses how the scandal around school custodians and Aramark is bigger than rats, roaches and clean classrooms, as if that isn’t enough. He explains how, across the

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

9-19-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

Breaking Non-News: All 4 of MA's New Low-Scoring Schools Have High Poverty Scores

And the planned cultural sterilization and segregation turnaround plans continue. . . .At first glance, we may want to blame the educators and their teaching methods. They are primarily responsible for the material that each student learns everyday. However, looking deeper into this issue, each of the six new schools contain students with underpreviledged families.The National School Lunch Program

2 by Jim Horn / 1h 

Andre Agassi's New Passion: Corporate Welfare

Andre Agassi is touring the country checking out the 27 charter schools he has built with real estate tycoon, Bobby Turner. Agassi says its all worth the effort to make his millions from taxpayer dollars just to see children so "engaged in learning," as they are below in the East Nashville Rocketship charter school.Story from WSMV.

2 by Jim Horn / 59min 

9-18-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: Reprise: Re-Review of Paul Tough's Biggest HitWhen I looking this morning for the publication date of Paul Tough's neo-eugenics manifesto, How Children Succeed . . ., I saw that it is #1 at Amazon in the area of Educational Psychology. I felt the need to re-post this review, which appeared first at Substance News.Paul Tough, KIPP, and the Character Con: A Review of How Children Suc

1 by mike simpson / 45min 

9-18-14 Wait What? - Questions that teachers (parents, public school advocates and all voters) should be asking…

Wait What?:

Questions that teachers (parents, public school advocates and all voters) should be asking…

Over the next week, the leadership of the Connecticut Education Association will be deciding whether to follow the lead of the American Federation of Teachers and endorse Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy, the only Democratic governor in the nation to propose doing away with teacher tenure and repealing collective bargaining for teachers working in the poorest […] The post Questions that teachers (pare

5 by jonpelto / 1min 

Connecticut, a Jim Crow state? [A must read by Ann Policelli Cronin]

This commentary piece by Ann Policelli Cronin first appeared in the CT Mirror –  Op-Ed: Connecticut, a Jim Crow state? Unless Connecticut changes direction in what has been packaged and sold as “education reform,” its achievement gap, the largest in the nation, will be exacerbated. All of Connecticut’s children are harmed by the narrow and […] The post Connecticut, a Jim Crow state? [A must read b

7 by jonpelto / 3h 

9-18-14 Wait What? - Malloy’s Fundraising Operation – “Offensive but not illegal”

Wait What?: The question IS NOT whether UConn has a major impact on Connecticut’s economyThe question IS NOT whether UConn has a major impact on Connecticut’s economy. An additional issue is whether voters fully understand how UConn spends its public funds.  For example, UConn uses student and public funds to subsidize the school’s big-time athletic programs to the tune of about $19 million a year

1 by mike simpson / 2h 

The Answer Sheet 9-19-14

Answer Sheet:

Clemson U. stops mandatory student survey with detailed sex questions

Clemson University has said students do not now have to fill out a survey that had been mandatory and that included some highly detailed questions about sex, such as, “With how many people have you had sex (including oral) in the last 3 months?” The Greenville News reported that the survey was part of an […]

by Valerie Strauss / 44min hide  //  save

Why ‘no excuses’ charter schools mold ‘very submissive’ students — starting in kindergarten

If you have heard the phrase “no excuses” charter schools but don’t really know what they mean, here is an informative post about  them and the controversial philosophy under which they approach student discipline and achievement.  Joan Goodman, a professor in the Graduate School of Education University of Pennsylvania and director of the school’s Teach […]

10 by Valerie Strauss / 4h 

The importance of a name

Here is a post by a Colorado teacher about what seems to be a simple observation about some students — that they don’t correct adults who mispronounce their names — but is really a nuanced look into the psyche of some students of color who live in poverty. This public school teacher blogs anonymously under […]

17 by Valerie Strauss / 6h  

The Answer Sheet 9-18-14

Answer Sheet: 19 states still allow corporal punishment in schoolWhile a national debate roils about professional athletes whacking kids, it seems useful to remember that 19 states still allow children to be hit in public school, sometimes to the point of bruising. A federal data analysis found that on average, one child is hit in public school every 30 seconds somewhere in the United […]4 by Vale

1 by mike simpson / 2h 

solidaridad: Families with Students With Disabilities make LAUSD hear your voice!

solidaridad: Families with Students With Disabilities make LAUSD hear your voice!:

Families with Students With Disabilities make LAUSD hear your voice!

The following is from a parent-activist whose tireless advocacy for Students With Disabilities (SWD) inspires. Her own child was a SWD, but she continued advocacy long after they graduated. The Deasy regime has been keen on keeping Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) parents with SWD in the dark on their rights in order to reduce the number of Individual Education Plans (IEP) in the district. The money he "saves" can then be channeled into his pet projects that invariably feature public funds going to large technology concerns.

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Each child must have quality, individualized services and supports to which they are entitled under the law. — copaa.org

LAUSD Parents, please help spread the word!

LAUSD specific for families of students with disabilities. Public Hearing. Please come or send in written concerns. There are rumors that the District is seriously trying to sign off on this and we have lost ground in spite of what the data is showing. The last time I spoke, I shared accounts of District personnel falsifying data to "appear" compliant. If the Independent Monitor doesn't hear of the non-compliance from families, he'll assume the data is accurate. Link below has the notice in Spanish, Armenian, Chinese (Mandarin), Korean, Russian, Vietnamese, and Japanese. Speak out for your children:

The Office of the Independent Monitor invites parents of children with IEPs and all other members of the LAUSD community to provide comments to the court-appointed Independent Monitor of the Modified Consent Decree during scheduled public hearings on LAUSD's compliance with Special Educations Laws.

Two hearings will be held on:


Wednesday, November 19, 2014
9:00 - 11:00 AM and 5:00 - 7:00 PM
Beaudry Building Board Room
333 Beaudry Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90017.

http://oimla.com/

Burris Calls Out Common Core; Duncan-friendly EdPost Indignant | deutsch29

Burris Calls Out Common Core; Duncan-friendly EdPost Indignant | deutsch29:

Burris Calls Out Common Core; Duncan-friendlyEdPost Indignant

September 18, 2014

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are really good for American education, but sadly, non-foundation-financed, public school administrators like New York principal Carol Burris seem to have trouble coming around to falling in line with those *higher standards*(c).

In fact, Burris had a fantastic opportunity on September 9, 2014, to Embrace the Common Core. Unfortunately, she decided to go the way of 89 percent of the over 43,000 public survey respondents and not embrace CCSS.

And it seems that Burris took her non-embracing stance right into her September 17, 2014, post on the Washington Post Answer Sheet blog.

Such can be very upsetting for those who once worked for and continue to faithfully support US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who loves CCSS sooo much he is willing to instruct the media on proper (positive) CCSS reporting, to imply that “white suburban moms” of “non-brilliant” children must  be the ones foolish enough to reject the *higher*(c) standards, and to yank No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waivers of states that dare to be “state led” away from CCSS.

It’s a good thing that one such former Duncan employee, Peter Cunningham, has decided to start a pro-Duncan, pro-corporate-reform, “education conversation” blog– and for the mere start-up sum of $12 million– Education Post.

Though $12 million is not much, Cunningham did manage to bring along some friends, including another Duncan worker bee, Ann Whalen.

On September 18, 2014, Whalen decided it was High Time to take on this non-CCSS-submissive Burris on that sparkling new, multi-million-funded EdPost blog.

For $12 million, I must say, I expected more.

Let’s get to it, shall we?

Burris maintains that states might add to CCSS but not remove.

Whalen first writes that contrary to Burris’ assertion (which happens to come straight from the CCSS MOU (memorandum of understanding), states “can and have… adapt[ed] or revise[ed]” CCSS.

Nope.

In signing on for CCSS,states had two choices: either “directly” adopt CCSS or “fully align state standards” to CCSS. Those states choosing “full alignment” agreed that the “aligned” CCSS part would represent “at least 85 percent of the state’s standards in English language arts and mathematics.”

Whalen states that Burris is proved wrong since “Tennessee’s board added Burris Calls Out Common Core; Duncan-friendly EdPost Indignant | deutsch29:

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 9-19-14

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

Lausd Gets Approval For New Maywood Campus

By Arnold Adler, Los Angeles Wave Staff Writer | http://bit.ly/1AW8eJ9 Friday, September 19, 2014 1:55 pm  ::  MAYWOOD — Plans have been completed for the Los Angeles Unified School District's new South Region High School No. 8, to be built at 5800 King Ave. The school is aimed at relieving congestion at nearby Bell High School, said district spokesperson Jose DePaz. The building will have 45

by smf / 0min 

CORE CALIFORNIA WAIVER EXTENDED: Seven CORE districts – including LAUSD - placed on “High Risk Status” for failure to develop+implement the School Quality Improvement Index

by PBA from The Brustein & Manasevit Federal Update via email 19 Sept 2014  ::  Last week, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) extended the California CORE districts’ waiver from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act for the 2014-2015 school year.  The CORE districts, consisting of Fresno, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, Sanger, and Santa Ana Unified School Districts,

1 by smf / 20min

Lausd Has Become The National Example Of How Not To Provide Technology To Students And How Not To Activate A Comprehensive Student Information System

Published in the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles update for the week of September 22 with the title: KUDOS TO SCHOOL STAFFS FOR KEEPING IT TOGETHER! | http://bit.ly/JidN0H September 22, 2014  ::  This school year’s opening has been one of the worst in history for school staffs. Not since the 1994 Northridge earthquake has the normal, day-to-day, operation of the school been so

by smf / 2min 

LETTERS: What's LAUSD doing with ex-military weapons? + The school board’s the boss, like it or not

Letters to the editor of the LA Times | http://lat.ms/1r70yBi LAUSD police have an ex-military armored vehicle similar to this one in Watertown, Conn. (Steven Valenti / Associated Press) 19 Sept 2014 To the editor: Los Angeles Unified school police will return three grenade launchers provided by the federal government but will keep the 61 semiautomatic M-16 rifles and a Mine Resistant

by smf / 8min hide  //  save

Lausd’S Cautious Approach To Heat Creates Issues For Football Teams

By Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/1uiJkRF   Narbonne defender Lawson Hall returns an interception during a passing tournament this summer. Hall and his Gaucho teammates were sidelined from practicing much of this week because of extreme heat. (David McNew / For the Times) After being sidelined by heat wave, LAUSD football teams will be face opponents after just one

by smf / 16min 

LAUSD PAYS $6 MILLION FOR ISIS (not the terrorists) TO GO AWAY, WILL PAY $9.2 MILLION FOR MORE IPAD TRAINING

LAUSD to pay $3.75 million to vendor of student information software (the one before MiSiS)  in lawsuit settlement By Abby Sewell, LA Times |  http://lat.ms/1rkw28N 19 Sept 2014  ::  19 Sept 2014  ::  The Los Angeles Unified School District paid $3.75 million Thursday to settle a lawsuit with the vendor of a software system designed to

by smf / 26min 

Is Turmoil In Los Angeles Unified Becoming Too Familiar?

By Lesli A. Maxwell, Education Week |  http://bit.ly/1r5R9v8 September 18, 2014 10:12 AM  ::  Running big school systems is complex, sometimes messy work that, at times, is rife with conflict and controversy. But is any single district prone to as much conflict, controversy, and, frankly, drama, as Los Angeles Unified? In the past month alone: Superintendent John Deasy halted the

by smf / 1h 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 9-18-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Editorial: THE BAD OLD DAYS AT LAUSD …and 2¢ more or lessBy The LA Times Editorial Board |  http://lat.ms/1suH7jR LAUSD Supt. John Deasy delivers his address at the Superintendent's Annual Administrators Meeting held at Garfield High School. (Los Angeles Times) 18 Sept 2014  ::  At L.A. Unified, tensions are high and crisis is in the air. The relationsh

1 by mike simpson / 7h