Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 5/8/15

Special Nite Cap 

CORPORATE ED REFORM

What are Bill Gates and Warren Buffet talking about? - The Washington Post

What are Bill Gates and Warren Buffet talking about? - The Washington Post: What are Bill Gates and Warren Buffet talking about? Here’s one depressing conversation.Three of the most successful men in the history of men — Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Berkshire Hathaway chief  Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman Charlie Munger — were on CNBC’s “Squawk Box”this week to talk about pub

by mike simpson / 8min 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Finally, Vallas appears on the crime scene.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Finally, Vallas appears on the crime scene.: Finally, Vallas appears on the crime scene.The Synesi/SUPES Connection Once S-T reporters finally discovered the Synesi/SUPES connection in the current federal investigation of CPS contracting, I couldn't understand why they missed the obvious connection between Synesi/SUPES founder Gary Soloman and Chicago's first schools

by mike simpson / 13min 

Opt-out parents have a point - AEI

Opt-out parents have a point - AEI: Opt-out parents have a pointMiddle-class parents are right to question whether today's education reforms will help their kids.A new phrase has rapidly become familiar in schooling: “opt-out.” Across the nation, hundreds of thousands of students are refusing to take state reading and math tests, usually at the behest of their parents. In New York, 200,000 student

2 by mike simpson / 40min 

"Funky Monkey" and Pearson Fail the Test | Alan Singer

"Funky Monkey" and Pearson Fail the Test | Alan Singer: "Funky Monkey" and Pearson Fail the TestJohn Oliver nailed Pearson on his HBO Last Week Tonight show on Standardized Testing. If you have not seen it yet, clink the link and watch it. I laughed a lot but can't really say I enjoyed the show; it was too disturbing. It won't be funny until companies like Pearson are brought d

1 by mike simpson / 2h 

As Obama Admin Seeks More Funding for Charter Schools, Questions Raised over Billions Already Spent | Democracy Now!

As Obama Admin Seeks More Funding for Charter Schools, Questions Raised over Billions Already Spent | Democracy Now!: As Obama Admin Seeks More Funding for Charter Schools, Questions Raised over Billions Already Spent As the Obama administration asks Congress to increase funding for charter schools by almost 50 percent, a new report claims charter schools are spending billions of dollars with near

1 by mike simpson / 3h 

What Are Appropriate Roles for Companies in Education Reform? - Bridging Differences - Education Week

What Are Appropriate Roles for Companies in Education Reform? - Bridging Differences - Education Week: What Are Appropriate Roles for Companies in Education Reform?Today Deborah Meier and Joe Nathan discuss the role of corporations in improving schools. Deborah Meier begins, followed by a response from Joe.Deborah Meier writes:Dear Joe,I always hesitate to turn any help down. One of the best grant

1 by mike simpson / 3h 

What Really Happened to Atlanta's Students When Their Teachers Cheated - The Atlantic

What Really Happened to Atlanta's Students When Their Teachers Cheated - The Atlantic: What Really Happened to Atlanta's Students When Their Teachers CheatedEight educators have been sentenced to prison for the decade-long testing scandal. But was the tampering even necessary?A Georgia judge just finalized prison sentences for eight Atlanta educators, the latest development in a drama that has tra

1 by mike simpson / 3h 

CREDO: Trying Hard to Shape Urban Charter Success from Shoddy Research | deutsch29

CREDO: Trying Hard to Shape Urban Charter Success from Shoddy Research | deutsch29: CREDO: Trying Hard to Shape Urban Charter Success from Shoddy ResearchIn December 2014, Margaret Raymond, founding director of the Center for Research on Education Outcomes, (CREDO), made the following remarks about charter performance at the City Club of Cleveland (Ohio):I’ve studied competitive markets for much o

1 by mike simpson / 3h 

NYC Public School Parents: Class Size Matters 7th Annual "Skinny" Awards Dinner

NYC Public School Parents: Class Size Matters 7th Annual "Skinny" Awards Dinner: Class Size Matters 7th Annual "Skinny" Awards DinnerLeonie Haimson and Diane Ravitch,Patrick Sullivan and Monica MajorEmily Horowitz, and Cynthia Wachtellinvite you toClass Size Matters 7th Annual "Skinny" Awards DinnerWhen: Tuesday, June 9 at 6:30 PMWhere: Il Bastardo/Bocca Di Bacco191 7

1 by mike simpson / 3h 

Gates Foundation: Time to Declare an End to EdReform 2.0 - Living in Dialogue

Gates Foundation: Time to Declare an End to EdReform 2.0 - Living in Dialogue: Gates Foundation: Time to Declare an End to EdReform 2.0 By Anthony Cody.This coming week I will be back in Seattle, a few months shy of the third anniversary of my first visit to the Gates Foundation. I will give a talk at the University of Washington, introduced by Jesse Hagopian and several Teachers of Conscience fro

1 by mike simpson / 5h 

Remember the String - Badass Teachers Association

Badass Teachers Association: Remember the String By Anthony Griffin, a Long Island Teacher and Co-founder of Lace to the TopOriginally published on the Lace to the Top Blog: https://lacetothetop.wordpress.com/2015/05/08/remember-the-string/The only tangible thing I give students in my English 12 class is a piece of bakery string. I don't give them tests. I don't give them jobs. I give them a piece

1 by mike simpson / 7h 

Feds Spent $3.3 Billion Fueling Charter Schools but No One Knows What It's Really Bought | PR Watch

Feds Spent $3.3 Billion Fueling Charter Schools but No One Knows What It's Really Bought | PR Watch: Feds Spent $3.3 Billion Fueling Charter Schools but No One Knows What It's Really Bought -(Madison, WI)–The federal government has spent more than $3.3 billion over the past two decades creating and fueling the charter school industry, according to a new financial analysis and reporters' guide by t

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

Discrimination against students of color rampant in Louisiana school district | Southern Poverty Law Center

Discrimination against students of color rampant in Louisiana school district | Southern Poverty Law Center: Discrimination against students of color rampant in Louisiana school districtThree years after a Southern Poverty Law Center complaintsparked a U.S. Department of Education (DOE) investigation into the disproportionate number of African-American students arrested for minor rule violations i

1 by mike simpson / 9h 

Los Angeles teachers face political fight to defend public education

Los Angeles teachers face political fight to defend public education - World Socialist Web Site: Los Angeles teachers face political fight to defend public educationMore than 35,000 teachers are currently voting on the agreement reached between the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second-largest public school system in the United States

1 by mike simpson / 10h 

Stephen Colbert: SC Teachers' $800,000 man

Stephen Colbert: SC Teachers' $800,000 man: Stephen Colbert: SC Teachers' $800,000 man Comedian Stephen Colbert announced Thursday that he would fund every existing grant request South Carolina public school teachers have made on the education crowdfunding websiteDonorsChoose.org.Colbert made the announcement on a live video feed Thursday at a surprise event at Alexander Elementary School in Green

1 by mike simpson / 10h 

Jersey Jazzman: Lifestyles Of The Rich and Reformy

Jersey Jazzman: Lifestyles Of The Rich and Reformy: Lifestyles Of The Rich and ReformyBack in 2013, I told the story of Joe Bruno, a former accounting and health care executive who is now heads a non-profit that is one of the biggest sources of capital for charter school construction.This picture was taken at the 2013 National Charter School Conference; apparently, charter school advocates thought

1 by mike simpson / 10h 

A love letter to tireless teachers everywhere, who deserve a little appreciation

What teachers really want for Teacher Appreciation Week: A love letter to tireless teachers everywhere, who deserve a little appreciationOur teachers are under siege. They're underfunded, over-scrutinized and exhausted. And we're all paying the price.We're losing our best teachers. Nearly half. Four out of every 10 freshly minted teachers will leave the profession in the first five years of their

16 by mike simpson / 10h 

It’s National Charter Schools Week. Are charters really worth celebrating? - The Washington Post

It’s National Charter Schools Week. Are charters really worth celebrating? - The Washington Post: It’s National Charter Schools Week. Are charters really worth celebrating?Celebrating National Charter Schools Week: Dark Money Part 4  #CharterSchoolsWeekCelebrating National Charter Schools Week: Re-Segregating America’s Schools Part 3 #CharterSchoolsWeekCelebrating National Charter Schools Week: Fr

1 by mike simpson / 10h 

Los Angeles School District Builds Apartments for Teachers | L.A. Weekly

Los Angeles School District Builds Apartments for Teachers | L.A. Weekly: L.A. RENTS ARE SO HIGH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS BUILDING APARTMENTS FOR TEACHERSTeachers in Los Angeles aren't exactly poor. But consider the cost of living here: A report last year said it takes you nearly $100,000 a year in household income just to make a median rental home in L.A. affordable.Furthermore, a UCLA study conclu

by mike simpson / 11h 

YESTERDAY

Gonzalez: Feds failed to keep tabs on $3B in school aid to launch new charter schools - NY Daily News

Gonzalez: Feds failed to keep tabs on $3B in school aid - NY Daily News: Gonzalez: Feds failed to keep tabs on $3B in school aid  The federal government shelled out $3.3 billion over the past 20 years to launch new charter schools nationwide, yet failed to monitor how that money was used, a new report has found.Federal spending to launch charter schools zoomed from a mere $4.5 million in 1995 to m

34 by mike simpson / 20h 

Education doesn’t need Common Core reform, teachers need the time and resources to build great schools - The Hechinger Report

Education doesn’t need Common Core reform, teachers need the time and resources to build great schools - The Hechinger Report: Education doesn’t need Common Core reform, teachers need the time and resources to build great schoolsNow that every state has modified the Common Core and cherry picked their tests, are the standards “common?"Dear Jayne,In my last letter, I asked a question that I th

1 by mike simpson / 20h 

Oklahoma's Poor Need Much More than Charters Can Give

Oklahoma's Poor Need Much More than Charters Can Give: OKLAHOMA’S POOR NEED MUCH MORE THAN CHARTERS CAN GIVEWhat was once Harding High School in Okla. City Public Schools is now Harding Charter Preparatory High School, authorized by the district.| Photo by Brett DickersonThere has been a surge of anti-public-education talk in the past several weeks. Why?Legislation to allow the governments of Tuls

1 by mike simpson / 22h 

CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett Troubles Make You Wonder What They "Teach" at The Broad Academy

CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett May Have Met Her Match in Chicago - Working In These Times: CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett Troubles Make You Wonder What They "Teach" at The Broad AcademyLatest CPS Scandal Highlights Chicago’s Need for Democratically Elected, Representative School Board http://bit.ly/1H56qFFAs her inner circle draws federal heat, CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett steps down | Chica

4 by mike simpson / 22h 

9 Investigates high rate of charter school failures | www.wftv.com

9 Investigates high rate of charter school failures | www.wftv.com: 9 Investigates high rate of charter school failuresORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — There are 60 charter schools in central Florida, one-fifth are failing.Compared to the area’s traditional public schools, charter schools have about the same percentage of A-rated schools, however, charter schools have 10 times the number of F-rated schools.“

2 by mike simpson / 23h 

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 5/7/15

Special Nite Cap CORPORATE ED REFORMCalifornia Standardized Tests Spark Backlash in Oakland | News | East Bay ExpressCalifornia Standardized Tests Spark Backlash in Oakland | News | East Bay Express: California Standardized Tests Spark Backlash in OaklandTeachers say that the new test is significantly disrupting class time, is plagued by technical malfunctions, and is an unfair assessment of stude

3 by mike simpson / 23h 

What are Bill Gates and Warren Buffet talking about? - The Washington Post

What are Bill Gates and Warren Buffet talking about? - The Washington Post:

What are Bill Gates and Warren Buffet talking about?

 Here’s one depressing conversation.

Three of the most successful men in the history of men — Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Berkshire Hathaway chief  Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman Charlie Munger — were on CNBC’s “Squawk Box”this week to talk about public education. (You can watch it above or here.)

Why does it matter what they say about public education? Gates in recent years has had an outsized role in public education policy as the world’s largest philanthropist, having put billions of dollars from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation into controversial and questionable school reform efforts. He funded the development of the Common Core State Standards and has poured millions of dollars into efforts to promote them across the country. Buffett has given billions of dollars from his fortune to the Gates foundation.

So what exactly did they say, and why is it so depressing?

Here’s what Gates said in part:

“One piece of good news is that the charter schools are doing a very good job of educating kids in the inner city where typically the dropout rates are very very high and very few kids go to college. The good charters have overcome that, so by using long school days, a long school year, a different way of working with the teachers, amazing results have taken place. … We haven’t moved the needle for most students. Charters are only a few percent, so we have to spread those best practices in order to get real change….

“It’s not easy [ to change the public education system]. School boards have a lot of power, so they have to be convinced. Unions have a lot of power…. We need more pilot programs, more dialogue to get all the entities — government, school boards, unions — moving towards more intensive educational process..

“Of all the foundation areas we work in, I’d say this has proven to be the most difficult…  There are some entrenched practices. It’s a very big system. Its over $600 billion a year being spent and it’s a system very resistance to change. The best results have come in cities where the mayor is in charge of school systems. So you have one executive and the school board isn’t as powerful. So New York city made real progress. In Chicago, they are making real progress. But those area really the only cities where the mayor has a strong role.”

What?

Good schools of any kind have had success in helping students achieve — not just good charters. Gates seems to be perpetuating the myth that only charter schools have had success in cities. Charters didn’t pioneer the use of long school days, or a longer school year. Meanwhile, his reference to “amazing results” suggests stories about charter “miracle” schools that have been debunked over and over. As for mayoral control, it is hardly a panacea.  New York and Chicago are  not the “only cities where the mayor has [had] a strong role.” Former D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, who won total control over the school system and hired Michelle Rhee to run it in 2007, would probably take issue would that, as would other mayors who had control of their systems (Seattle, Baltimore, Philadelphia, etc).

As for “real progress” in Chicago and New York City under mayoral control, it’s hard to understand what he is talking about. Perhaps Gates doesn’t know that when Michael Bloomberg was mayor of New York City and hired Joel Klein as chancellor, the improvements that Bloomberg/Klein touted were illusory; the achievement gap was not narrowed and standardized test scoreimprovements that the two men touted for years were found to be inflated.

In the CNBC conversation, Buffett complained that public schools would be better if the “wealthy in many many cities” had not “opted out” of the system and sent their own kids to private schools. He recalled how his own father had served the “thankless” job of being a member of a local school board, and he said that city schools would improve if the rich cared more about them.

“We are spending the money. It isn’t like there is any lack of resources going into it…. If the only choice available were public schools, we’d have better public schools, but the wealthy in many many cities have opted out of the public schools system. They might vote for the bond issues out of conscience, and some of them may engage philanthropically, but with their own kids they send them to private schools, and by having this division essentially between the rich and poor…. In the end the people who don’t have their kids in public schools and know their kids are not going to go to public schools or their grandkids… .. are not going to have the intensity of interest across the board.”

We do spend a mountain of money on public education, but that doesn’t What are Bill Gates and Warren Buffet talking about? - The Washington Post:

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Finally, Vallas appears on the crime scene.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Finally, Vallas appears on the crime scene.:

Finally, Vallas appears on the crime scene.

The Synesi/SUPES Connection 

Once S-T reporters finally discovered the Synesi/SUPES connection in the current federal investigation of CPS contracting, I couldn't understand why they missed the obvious connection between Synesi/SUPES founder Gary Soloman and Chicago's first schools CEO, Paul Vallas. For some reason, no reporter would dare mention Vallas' name. This even though he had a direct connection to Synesi and was a central player in Synesi/SUPES expansion into other school districts including Chicago.

I can almost understand the omission. Vallas tried to keep his ties to Soloman and Synesi a secret, especially once the investigation began, even while setting the table for their consulting contracts in district after district. Then Soloman came out and claimed, "he had used Vallas’ name without permission and it was a mistake.”

Sorry -- It always takes me a while to stop rolling on the floor with laughter when I hear stuff like that.

I kept badgering the reporters on Twitter. Sometimes it takes a poke in the eye with a sharp stick to get their attention:

Vallas said lawyers for the Philadelphia district sent Solomon a cease-and-desist letter because Solomon’s consulting company at the time boasted of holding “the exclusive rights to Paul Vallas’ model” for education reform. “He apologized and Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Finally, Vallas appears on the crime scene.: