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

Special Nite Cap 

CORPORATE ED REFORM

South Dakota Corruption

South Dakota Corruption:South Dakota CorruptionThe Lakota People’s Law Project's 35-page report reveals how private institutions and their relationships with those in the highest seats of power in South Dakota are responsible for the daily violations of the Indian Child Welfare Act and the systemic human rights abuses against the Lakota population in Indian Country.  Read the Report HereSome of th

by mike simpson / 1h 

AFT National President Randi Weingarten Supports Helen Gym at Rally | PoliticsPA

AFT National President Randi Weingarten Supports Helen Gym at Rally | PoliticsPA: AFT National President Randi Weingarten Supports Helen Gym at RallyPresident of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten traveled to Philadelphia to attend a rally and press conference in support of Helen Gym’s candidacy for City Council At-Large.“Helen Gym has been reclaiming the promise of public educat

by mike simpson / 1h 

solidaridad: AALA: Bain V. Cta, Another Attack On Unions

solidaridad: AALA: Bain V. Cta, Another Attack On Unions: AALA: Bain V. Cta, Another Attack On UnionsFrom the May 18, 2015 issue of UpdateBain v. CTA is the latest lawsuit to be filed against teacher unions specifically, but public employee unions in general. This lawsuit has been brought forward by StudentsFirst, the organization founded by former Washington, D.C., schools' chancellor Michelle Rh

by mike simpson / 1h 

Bullying declines in US schools as more students embrace diversity, tolerance - Yahoo News

Bullying declines in US schools as more students embrace diversity, tolerance - Yahoo News: Bullying declines in US schools as more students embrace diversity, toleranceBy one national measure, the number of 12- to 18-year-olds who have been bullied has dropped to the lowest level since the government began collecting such data.The portion of students who experience behaviors used to measure bully

by mike simpson / 2h 

We must hold John White accountable for charter schools

We must hold John White accountable for charter schools: We must hold John White accountable for charter schoolsIn October of 2013, Louisiana’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted to authorize five charter schools in Lafayette Parish. These BESE appeal charters are called Type 2. State Superintendent John White and the Louisiana Department of Education are tasked with oversight of th

by mike simpson / 2h 

Pennsylvania School Boards Association files Right-to-Know requests on charter school spending | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pennsylvania School Boards Association files Right-to-Know requests on charter school spending | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Pennsylvania School Boards Association files Right-to-Know requests on charter school spendingThe Pennsylvania School Boards Association today said it has filed Right-to-Know requests with charter and cyber charter school operators asking for financial information about their s

by mike simpson / 4h 

How Testing Is Driving More Teachers From Classroom | Oklahoma Observer

How Testing Is Driving More Teachers From Classroom | Oklahoma Observer: HOW TESTING IS DRIVING MORE TEACHERS FROM CLASSROOMBY JOHN THOMPSONKOSU’s Emily Wendler reports that Robyn Venable taught for 31 years. She is one of the wave of Oklahoma teachers who are reluctantly leaving the profession. Ms. Venable loved teaching, but she is retiring because “[t]he testing is just ridiculous, the paper wo

by mike simpson / 4h 

BustED Pencils Trending News: predictable; big lie; college readiness declining | BustED Pencils

BustED Pencils Trending News: predictable; big lie; college readiness declining | BustED Pencils: Trending News: predictable; big lie; college readiness declining Christopher comes to BustED Pencils first with this breaking education news.  When are CNN and MSNBC going to cover this story?  BustED Pencils to become the mainstream media!“Predictable Results” with Dr. Christopher Tienkenhttp://www.b

by mike simpson / 4h 

CURMUDGUCATION: Honesty: The Hot New Gap (With Anti-CCSS Bonus)

CURMUDGUCATION: Honesty: The Hot New Gap (With Anti-CCSS Bonus): Honesty: The Hot New Gap (With Anti-CCSS Bonus)A new report from Achieve.org doesn't provide a lot of information, but it has opened up a great talking point Gap-- ladies and gentlemen, may we introduce the Honesty Gap!The report, "Proficient vs. Prepared: Disparities between State Tests and the 2013 National Assessment of Educa

by mike simpson / 5h 

With A Brooklyn Accent: The Coming High School Graduation Crisis in New York State

With A Brooklyn Accent: The Coming High School Graduation Crisis in New York State: The Coming High School Graduation Crisis in New York StateAmong the many things that the NY State Regents and New York State Department of Education have done terribly wrong is require all students in the state, other than a small number of students with IEP's, to pass five Regents examinations to graduate from hig

by mike simpson / 5h 

Pro-privatization money behind bills to boost N.C. charter schools

Pro-privatization money behind bills to boost N.C. charter schools: Pro-privatization money behind bills to boost N.C. charter schoolsCharter schools have experienced rapid growth in North Carolina in recent years after state lawmakers lifted a cap limiting their numbers. Now the General Assembly is considering legislation that could boost the finances of the schools, which are public but independ

by mike simpson / 6h 

Standardized Test Scores and Family Income | Tucson Weekly

Standardized Test Scores and Family Income | The Range: The Tucson Weekly's Daily Dispatch | Tucson Weekly: Standardized Test Scores and Family Income click to enlargeThis bears repeating whenever the subject of high stakes testing comes up. There’s a very strong correlation between standardized test scores and family income. Test scores are higher in areas with high family income and lower in are

by mike simpson / 6h 

Marie Corfield: Is the NJ pension crisis Christie's Waterloo?

Marie Corfield: Is the NJ pension crisis Christie's Waterloo?: Is the NJ pension crisis Christie's Waterloo?It's the 15th of the month, and once again, along with thousands of other public employees across the state, I made my legally-required pension payment. How about you, Gov. Christie? No? I didn't think so.If you live in NJ, you'd have to be living under a rock to not know about the pension b

by mike simpson / 8h 

Pearson profits while students pay | American Federation of Teachers

Pearson profits while students pay | American Federation of Teachers: Pearson profits while students pay By Virginia MyersPEARSON IS everywhere.Those textbooks you order every year—the ones with the astronomical price tags your students complain about? Pearson published them. The Miller Analogies Test (MAT) that landed your graduate assistant her position in the department? Pearson wrote it. The o

by mike simpson / 8h 

Why my students’ AP scores matter. And why they don’t. | NBPTS

Why my students’ AP scores matter. And why they don’t. | NBPTS: Why my students’ AP scores matter. And why they don’t.Ray Salazar |   Editor's Note: Ray Salazar, NBCT,  teaches high school English in Chicago Public Schools and  is an award-winning blogger. The views expressed in this blog are his ownI fight the obsession with testing and over-testing in our classrooms.  Yet, given the choice, I ch

by mike simpson / 9h 

What’s wrong with New Jersey? | Bob Braun's Ledger

What’s wrong with New Jersey? | Bob Braun's Ledger: What’s wrong with New Jersey?The mayor of the state’s largest city joined hundreds of others–teachers, students, parents– in a march that closed down its largest thoroughfare. And the mayor promised the demonstrations would continue and be even more creative. In any other state in the nation, the event would have made, not just statewide news, bu

by mike simpson / 9h 

A who's who in the race for Philly City Council: "Helen Gym"— NewsWorks

A who's who in the race for Philly City Council — NewsWorks:Go to Helen Gym for City Council WebsiteHelen Gym is a long-time public education advocate who organizes grassroots campaigns on issues of school funding and policy. She knows the ins and outs of city schools and district governance as well as probably anybody in Philadelphia, and has gained the support of many top district employees past

by mike simpson / 9h 

4LAKids - LAUSD Race: GALATZAN GRASPING AT STRAWS, SCHMERERSON DESERVES YOUR VOTE

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: LAUSD Race: GALATZAN GRASPING AT STRAWS, SCHMERERSON DESERVES YOUR VOTE: LAUSD Race: GALATZAN GRASPING AT STRAWS, SCHMERERSON DESERVES YOUR VOTEscott4lausd.com15 May 2015  ::  PERSPECTIVE: The race for the District 3 LAUSD Board seat might be the marquee event on May 19th.As a resident in the district, which covers a large part of the San Fernando Valle

by mike simpson / 9h 

Oakland teachers reach tentative agreement for 'incredible' contract - San Jose Mercury News

Oakland teachers reach tentative agreement for 'incredible' contract - San Jose Mercury News: Oakland teachers reach tentative agreement for 'incredible' contractOAKLAND -- The city's 2,400 public school teachers reached a tentative three-year contract agreement with the school district Wednesday night that gives them the largest raise in more than 10 years and establishes a "new paradigm&quo

by mike simpson / 9h 

READ FOR SUCCESS: Combating the Summer Learning Slide in America

READ FOR SUCCESS: Combating the Summer Learning Slide in America: Stunning Research Findings• On average, 57% of students improved their reading proficiency.• Nearly half of third graders increased reading proficiency.• Students performing below the 10th percentile showed the greatest gains.• Even students with strong reading skills, at or above the 90th percentile, increased reading proficiency.•

1 by mike simpson / 10h 

Protecting student privacy in the Digital Age | TheHill

Protecting student privacy in the Digital Age | TheHill: Protecting student privacy in the Digital AgeBy Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) - 05/15/15 06:00 AM EDTSchools may be winding down to the end of the school year, but as they do so, they are also ratcheting up the use of technology to bolster student engagement.  Whether on a computer or in the cloud, digital tools a

by mike simpson / 10h 

Stop spending money on charter schools - Hartford Courant

Stop spending money on charter schools - Hartford Courant: Stop Spending Money On Charter SchoolsEvery time you refuse to support charter school funding, God kills 1,000 kittens.This point has been driven home repeatedly in Connecticut at rallies — one of which is taking place on your front lawn right this minute — and in advertising and by lobbying.Once you've washed the kitten blood off your han

by mike simpson / 10h 

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson denies new sexual harassment allegations - LA Times

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson denies new sexual harassment allegations - LA Times: Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson denies new sexual harassment allegationsNew sexual harassment allegations have been leveled against Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, who fired back Thursday, saying the claim had “absolutely no merit.”According to the claim filed last month by Estrellita Ilee Muller, who used to work i

by mike simpson / 10h 

Vietnam Wallops U.S. on Test Scores But Vietnamese Educators Scoff at Tests | Diane Ravitch

Vietnam Wallops U.S. on Test Scores But Vietnamese Educators Scoff at Tests | Diane Ravitch: Vietnam Wallops U.S. on Test Scores But Vietnamese Educators Scoff at TestsIn a newly released summary of PISA test scores, students in Vietnam had higher test scores than their 15-year-old peers in the U.S. and most European Union nations.For some in the U.S. media, this will set off alarm bells, produce

by mike simpson / 10h 

Spending in race for three LAUSD board seats reaches nearly $4.6 million - LA Times

Spending in race for three LAUSD board seats reaches nearly $4.6 million - LA Times: Spending in race for three LAUSD board seats reaches nearly $4.6 millionTotal spending in the battle for three spots on the Los Angeles Board of Education has increased sharply since the March primary, reaching nearly $4.6 million, as interest groups vie to influence the nation's second-largest school system.The t

by mike simpson / 10h 

Yong Zhao’s NPE Speech, Transcribed– Part V (All Done) | deutsch29

Yong Zhao’s NPE Speech, Transcribed– Part V (All Done) | deutsch29: Yong Zhao’s NPE Speech, Transcribed– Part V (All Done) On Saturday, April 25, 2015, University of Oregon education professor Yong Zhao gave a keynote address at the second annual conference of the Network for Public Education (NPE). Zhao’s entire 55-minute speech can be found here.I thought this speech worthy of preservation as a

by mike simpson / 11h 

YESTERDAY

Constance Kamii’s Critical Look at the K-3 Common Core State Standards for Math | Defending the Early Years

Constance Kamii’s Critical Look at the K-3 Common Core State Standards for Math | Defending the Early Years: Constance Kamii’s Critical Look at the K-3 Common Core State Standards for MathToday we release a new report, Selected Standards from the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, Grades K-3: My Reasons for Not Supporting Them by Dr. Constance Kamii. In this report, Kamii shows that the

by mike simpson / 22h 

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 5/14/15

Special Nite Cap CORPORATE ED REFORMJersey Jazzman: Charter School Propaganda: A Case Study, Part IIJersey Jazzman: Charter School Propaganda: A Case Study, Part II: Charter School Propaganda: A Case Study, Part IIAll this week, I've been debunking the Star-Ledger's big, fat, wet kiss to TEAM Academy Charter School, the Newark branch of the national charter chain KIPP.First, I showed how the autho

6 by mike simpson / 1d hide  //  save

South Dakota Corruption:

South Dakota Corruption

The Lakota People’s Law Project's 35-page report reveals how private institutions and their relationships with those in the highest seats of power in South Dakota are responsible for the daily violations of the Indian Child Welfare Act and the systemic human rights abuses against the Lakota population in Indian Country.  Read the Report Here

Some of the main findings of the report include:

• Naming officials who have conflicts of interest including South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard, Lieutenant Governor Matt Michels, Department of Health Director Kim Malsam-Rysdon, former Department of Social Services Director Deb Bowman, State Attorneys Dan Todd and Kim Dorsett, and State Senator Alan Solano.
• Identifying the mechanisms by which the aforementioned officials benefited either in their official public capacities or in private capacities, including reimbursing contractual payments with federal dollars and using their offices to leverage contracts for private institutions in which they were employed.
• Exposing the racist underbelly of South Dakota’s state system, which targets the most disadvantaged group in the state and identifies the Department of Social Services as the division most responsible for the system-wide willful violations of the federal Indian Child Welfare Act.
• Depicting the intersection between the pharmaceutical industry and the foster care system, where those in Big Pharma used disadvantaged foster care children to enhance revenue by encouraging doctors to prescribe the off-label use of powerful antipsychotic medication for mild behavioral issues.
• Revealing the antecedents for the introduction of powerful medication as being traceable back to a program called TMAP—the Texas Medication Algorithm Project.
• Properly framing the current ICWA crisis in a historical context, including how Indians have been deprived of access to their own resources and how South Dakota is launching an assault on the last remaining resource—the Native American children.

Read the Report Here

AFT National President Randi Weingarten Supports Helen Gym at Rally | PoliticsPA

AFT National President Randi Weingarten Supports Helen Gym at Rally | PoliticsPA:

AFT National President Randi Weingarten Supports Helen Gym at Rally

President of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten traveled to Philadelphia to attend a rally and press conference in support of Helen Gym’s candidacy for City Council At-Large.

“Helen Gym has been reclaiming the promise of public education in Philadelphia for years. I would travel far and wide to stand with this inspirational parent and leader,” said Weingarten. “Helen Gym belongs on City Council because she walks the walk and backs up her words with action when she advocates for Philadelphia’s schools.”

AFT’s Philadelphia affiliate endorsed Jim Kenney in the mayoral race, and he, too, was in attendance for Gym’s rally.

District Attorney Seth Williams also showed up for the event. “The number one crime prevention tool is early childhood education. I’m going to vote for the right person-I’m here to endorse education as a priority in our city,” pushed Williams.

At the end of the rally, Gym spoke regarding education as she urged those in attendance to hold their government accountable in the way in which they vote.

“The groundrules of this election were defined by this grassroots education community-not by the political establishment,” Gym stated. “Your voices have been heard, people are paying attention, and on May 19 we are going to hold our government accountable and usher in a new kind of politics in our city that prioritizes our families, our schools, and our neighborhoods.”

Gym has been endorsed by several organizations (like Philly NOW and Neighborhood Networks) and various state legislators (including Representative Sims).AFT National President Randi Weingarten Supports Helen Gym at Rally | PoliticsPA:

solidaridad: AALA: Bain V. Cta, Another Attack On Unions

solidaridad: AALA: Bain V. Cta, Another Attack On Unions:

AALA: Bain V. Cta, Another Attack On Unions

From the May 18, 2015 issue of Update

Bain v. CTA is the latest lawsuit to be filed against teacher unions specifically, but public employee unions in general. This lawsuit has been brought forward by StudentsFirst, the organization founded by former Washington, D.C., schools' chancellor Michelle Rhee, on behalf of four public school teachers. Named in the lawsuit are not only CTA, but UTLA, NEA, CFT, AFT, United Teachers of Richmond and various school superintendents. The plaintiffs (teachers from Los Angeles, West Contra Costa and Arcadia unified school districts) are challenging the law that allows unions to call them nonmembers because they only pay the agency fee. Those who only pay the agency fee exempt themselves from the political activities of the union, but also from some of the perks of membership such as voting on the contract, representation during conferences, extra insurance, etc. Bain and the other teachers in the suit say that it is unfair and unconstitutional (violates their free speech) for them to be denied any benefits of membership as a result of their decision to pay a reduced amount in union dues. In essence, they want to be able to both opt out of full membership in the union and pay significantly reduced dues, yet be able to vote for union officers and participate in other decision-making activities, which union rules currently prohibit.

Antiunion groups have been arguing for years that unions violate workers' First Amendment rights by charging dues. However, the question in this case is not that teachers can opt out of membership and pay a reduced amount of dues, but what benefits members and nonmembers receive from the union. Moshe Z. Marvit, a Philadelphia labor and civil rights attorney and Century Foundation Fellow, says that it is a strange First Amendment argument, that "...you should still have the right to vote in an organization that you don't want to be a part of...It is a strange irony of this case that the plaintiffs readily admit the myriad benefits that come with union membership, but argue that it is unfair to require them to be members of the union to get those benefits."

StudentsFirst, which is financially backing the suit, is funded by a virtual who's who of billionaires and right-wing education reform foundations that include the Walton Family Foundation, the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, hedge-fund managers David Tepper and Alan Fournier, Charter Schools USA and the Laura and John Arnold Foundation. Attorney Marvit concludes, "...this case...is litigation funded and promoted by antiunion groups that is part of a general strategy to defund unions, destroy solidarity and erase the benefits of union membership..."