Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 6/7/15

SPECIAL NITE CAP 

CORPORATE ED REFORM

Agents Of The State | The Jose Vilson

Agents Of The State | The Jose Vilson: Agents Of The State“How many of you have a child that you believe in and no one else does?”Seats shift.“How many of you can relate to the children in front of you? How many of you have students who get thrown out of everyone else’s class but yours?”Some people blink, some heads turn to the side, but the general assembly hums and huffs.This is a Bronx auditori

by mike simpson / 50min 

Louisiana's push for creationism in schools - Business Insider

Louisiana's push for creationism in schools - Business Insider: Kids in Louisiana are reading from the Book of Genesis in science classesWhen a student in Louisiana opens her textbook in biology class, she might not have the standard Miller and Levine Biology with a dragonfly on the cover, and she might not ever learn about evolution.For some Louisiana public school students, their science textboo

by mike simpson / 56min 

What Was Written on a Classroom Chalkboard 100 Years Ago? How Could Teachers Even Teach without Common Core Alignment? » Missouri Education Watchdog

What Was Written on a Classroom Chalkboard 100 Years Ago? How Could Teachers Even Teach without Common Core Alignment? » Missouri Education Watchdog: What Was Written on a Classroom Chalkboard 100 Years Ago? How Could Teachers Even Teach without Common Core Alignment?Some terrific chalkboard drawings and information from almost 100 years ago were discovered in an Oklahoma City school recently. Fro

by mike simpson / 2h 

Join the Protest Against the Closure of West Seattle’s Middle College High School | Seattle Education

Join the Protest Against the Closure of West Seattle’s Middle College High School | Seattle Education: Join the Protest Against the Closure of West Seattle’s Middle College High School“Before I started Middle College I was lost, without it I would probably still be in the streets.”  Oliver Wilson, Graduate, currently studying computer technology at the City College of San Francisco.Middle College

by mike simpson / 2h 

Politically-birthed Common Core Turns Five. Let’s Celebrate by Ripping It Apart. | deutsch29

Politically-birthed Common Core Turns Five. Let’s Celebrate by Ripping It Apart. | deutsch29: Politically-birthed Common Core Turns Five. Let’s Celebrate by Ripping It Apart.On June 6, 2015, Huffington Post education editor Rebecca Klein published a piece entitled, 5 of the Most Extreme Claims Made Against Common Core in the Last 5 Years. (Interestingly, Klein chose to publish her post under the c

by mike simpson / 2h 

This Is What Happens When You Criticize Teach for America | The Nation

This Is What Happens When You Criticize Teach for America | The Nation: This Is What Happens When You Criticize Teach for AmericaAn internal memo reveals how TFA’s obsessive PR game covers up its lack of results in order to justify greater expansion.Last year, Wendy Heller Chovnick, a former Teach For America manager, spoke out against her former organization in The Washington Post, decrying its “

by mike simpson / 3h 

Sanders And Clinton Clash On Education Seeking AFT Nod

Sanders And Clinton Clash On Education Seeking AFT Nod: Sanders And Clinton Clash On Education Seeking AFT NodThose of us who have spent substantial time as classroom teachers teachers know that when it comes to politicians talking education, as John Mellencamp put it, “it’s what you do and not what you say,” that matters. Paying lip service to “educational excellence” and “high standards” is like

by mike simpson / 3h 

Common Core Standards SBAC testing, the bully principal…and more | Seattle Education

Common Core Standards SBAC testing, the bully principal…and more | Seattle Education: Common Core Standards SBAC testing, the bully principal…and morePublic school is based on the the principle of inclusion, not exclusion. Kids are accepted however they arrive through the front door. Different ethnic backgrounds, economic status, personal triumphs or challenges –everyone is on equal footing. Most

by mike simpson / 6h 

4LAKids - AALA: ACSA OPPOSES COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: AALA: ACSA OPPOSES COLLECTIVE BARGAINING: AALA: ACSA OPPOSES COLLECTIVE BARGAININGFrom the Associated Administrators Los Angeles (AALA) Weekly Update for June 8, 2015  ::  http://bit.ly/1EYHhWd●● NOTE:         The Association of California School Administrators (ASCA) was established in 1971. ACSA is the largest umbrella organization for school leaders

by mike simpson / 7h 

Perdido Street School: Zephyr Teachout: Angry New York Teachers Can Get Get More Formal Political Power By Running For Office

Perdido Street School: Zephyr Teachout: Angry New York Teachers Can Get Get More Formal Political Power By Running For Office: Zephyr Teachout: Angry New York Teachers Can Get Get More Formal Political Power By Running For OfficeAlan Chartock in the Daily Freeman: Cuomo is known and respected up to now as a take-no-prisoners tough guy, but his political antennae seem corrupted. His picking on the

by mike simpson / 8h 

Judging an Iceberg by the Tip Only: The Cumulative Effects of Opportunities for Students | the becoming radical

Judging an Iceberg by the Tip Only: The Cumulative Effects of Opportunities for Students | the becoming radical: JUDGING AN ICEBERG BY THE TIP ONLY: THE CUMULATIVE EFFECTS OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS“[M]ost of what poor people have in common has nothing to do with their culture or dispositions [laziness]. Instead, it has to do with what they experience, such as the bias and lack of access to bas

by mike simpson / 9h 

Dropout Nation » Wanted: Black Education Systems

Dropout Nation » Wanted: Black Education Systems: Wanted: Black Education SystemsAmerica’s traditional public education systems has failed the descendants of enslaved Africans. Only 16 percent read at grade level in middle school (and only 12 percent of male African-Americans do so). Just over half of male Black students graduate from high school in four years (as compared to more than three-quart

by mike simpson / 9h 

CURMUDGUCATION: Arizona's Teacher Desert

CURMUDGUCATION: Arizona's Teacher Desert: Arizona's Teacher DesertThis week in the New York Times, Fernando Santos and Motoko Rich took a look at the continuing teacher shortage in Arizona, where leaders continue to demonstrate that they understand neither education nor the free market forces that they claim to love. Arizona's history with reformster nonsense goes way back. Bill McCallum was a pro

by mike simpson / 9h 

Ms. Katie's Ramblings: It's Time to Bring Charters Back Into the Public Fold

Ms. Katie's Ramblings: It's Time to Bring Charters Back Into the Public Fold: It's Time to Bring Charters Back Into the Public FoldAcross the country, it is becoming ever clearer that the charter experiment has failed. Every glowing media story highlighting a charter "miracle" has been debunked. The so-called "success stories" are easily exposed to be examples of selectivity, s

by mike simpson / 9h 

Surprise charter school loan program raises new questions

Surprise charter school loan program raises new questions: Surprise charter school loan program raises new questionsIn the final days of this year's legislative session, Republican lawmakers dropped into the massive state budget bill a provision giving charter schools access to $50 million in low-interest state loans.The measure was a last-minute effort to appease Gov. Mike Pence, who had sought m

by mike simpson / 9h 

YESTERDAY

Latinos criticize lack of representation on school board | Catalyst Chicago

Latinos criticize lack of representation on school board | Catalyst Chicago: Latinos criticize lack of representation on school boardA number of prominent Latinos in Chicago are criticizing Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s decision to make an already disproportionately white school board even more ethnically lopsided by removing one of his only two Hispanic appointees.“We are disappointed that in a school dis

by mike simpson / 1d 

30,000 Teachers Walk Out In Protest Of Big Class Sizes | PopularResistance.Org

30,000 Teachers Walk Out In Protest Of Big Class Sizes | PopularResistance.Org: 30,000 Teachers Walk Out In Protest Of Big Class Sizes In WA StateSince late April, Washington state teachers have been striking for reduced class sizes and better funding for classroom programs. (Washington Educators Association / Facebook)Seattle, WA – On Tuesday, May 19, thousands of demonstrators marched through do

by mike simpson / 1d 

Judge Rules Second Version of New York Teachers’ Exam Is Also Racially Biased - NYTimes.com

Judge Rules Second Version of New York Teachers’ Exam Is Also Racially Biased - NYTimes.com: Judge Rules Second Version of New York Teachers’ Exam Is Also Racially BiasedA federal judge on Friday found that an exam for New York teaching candidates was racially discriminatory because it did not measure skills necessary to do the job, the latest step in a court battle over teacher qualifications tha

by mike simpson / 1d 

Jersey Jazzman: "Partially Ineffective" and "Ineffective" Are NOT the Same Teacher Rating

Jersey Jazzman: "Partially Ineffective" and "Ineffective" Are NOT the Same Teacher Rating: "Partially Ineffective" and "Ineffective" Are NOT the Same Teacher RatingSo the first "report" came out about New Jersey's new teacher evaluation system, aka Operation Hindenburg. And guess who was on the TV talking about it?Thanks to Briana Vannozzi for incl

by mike simpson / 1d 

District Purchasing of High-Tech Devices: How Teachers Continue to Lose Out | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

District Purchasing of High-Tech Devices: How Teachers Continue to Lose Out | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: District Purchasing of High-Tech Devices: How Teachers Continue to Lose OutWhen I buy a new laptop, desktop, or smart phone, I have in mind what I want to use it for and how much I can spend. I then read about the appliance and its software, listen to other users and w

by mike simpson / 1d 

Students tell their stories: I tried cyber school ... I was going to give up school. | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Students tell their stories: I tried cyber school ... I was going to give up school. | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Students tell their stories: I tried cyber school ... I was going to give up school.In researching our edition on "boosting graduation rates for all," the Notebook interviewed young people who had dropped out and were now reengaging in school. We asked why they left

by mike simpson / 1d 

Rallies on Monday / DAMAGING changes in store for WI public schools in one list : blue cheddar

Rallies on Monday / DAMAGING changes in store for WI public schools in one list : blue cheddar: Rallies on Monday / DAMAGING changes in store for WI public schools in one listTHE PROTESTSSun Prairie Monday June 8, 4-6 PM (they need volunteers)Green Bay Monday June 8, 7:20 AM – 8:00 AMAppleton Monday June 8 11:45 AM – 1 PM Press Conference to Support Our Schools3:30 PM – 5:00 PM Honkin’ Good Rally

by mike simpson / 1d 

Why a simple 30-year-old chart is an ingenious teaching tool today - The Washington Post

Why a simple 30-year-old chart is an ingenious teaching tool today - The Washington Post: Why a simple 30-year-old chart is an ingenious teaching tool todayThe simple K-W-L chartAlmost three decades ago, a simple chart known as the K-W-L was born — and it has helped millions of teachers help kids think and learn ever since. What is it and why is it so powerful? Author Alfie Kohn explains, and even

by mike simpson / 1d 

The Education of EduShyster (a Comedy) | EduShyster

The Education of EduShyster (a Comedy) | EduShyster: The Education of EduShyster (a Comedy)Can you believe I’ve been at this for three years???Note: to mark the third anniversary of my blog, I’m sharing a chapter that I wrote for a book called Resisting Reform: Reclaiming Public Education Through Grassroots Activism. I recount my unlikely journey into the world of edu-blogging and reveal at long l

by mike simpson / 1d 

Millions in costly real estate deals threaten Albany charter school foundation - Times Union

Millions in costly real estate deals threaten Albany charter school foundation - Times Union: Millions in costly real estate deals threaten Albany charter school foundationFor 15 years, the Brighter Choice Foundationhas been the leading backer of charter schools in Albany, which is among the most concentrated and contentious charter proving grounds in the state.Founded by ideological pioneers of N

by mike simpson / 1d 

Over 250 nation's mayors to gather in San Francisco this summer - eTurboNews.com

Over 250 nation's mayors to gather in San Francisco this summer - eTurboNews.com: Over 250 nation's mayors to gather in San Francisco this summerWASHINGTON, DC - Under the leadership of US Conference of Mayors (USCM) President Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and host San Francisco (CA) Mayor Ed Lee, more than 250 of the nation's mayors will convene at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square this summ

by mike simpson / 1d 

“White Girl” Kati Haycock Takes On Marc Tucker and His Dissing Annual Testing | deutsch29

“White Girl” Kati Haycock Takes On Marc Tucker and His Dissing Annual Testing | deutsch29: “White Girl” Kati Haycock Takes On Marc Tucker and His Dissing Annual TestingOn May 28, 2015, National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) president Marc Tucker wrote a piece for Ed Week in which he argued against the utility of annual testing. Below is an excerpt from his post:…The data show that, al

by mike simpson / 1d 

CURMUDGUCATION: Hillary's Teacher PAC

CURMUDGUCATION: Hillary's Teacher PAC: Hillary's Teacher PACWith that first tweet, America's Teachers PAC made its twitter debut.The PAC has a lovely website that launched just at the end of May and gives a clearer picture of what Hillary's-- well, no, of course this is the vision of the good folks at America's Teachers PAC who are I am sure following the rules that require them to be a separate e

by mike simpson / 1d 

How Kevin Johnson Used Public Money To His Own Personal Ends

How Kevin Johnson Used Public Money To His Own Personal Ends: How Kevin Johnson Used Public Money To His Own Personal EndsKevin Johnson has ambitions of becoming something much more than just mayor of his hometown of Sacramento, Calif. So far, the former NBA star hasn’t found a way to realize them—but his desire to expand and promote his brand has meant that Sacramento city staffers have had lots

by mike simpson / 1d 

JUN 04

Dumb Arguments About The Common Core Distract From What Matters Most

Dumb Arguments About The Common Core Distract From What Matters Most: Dumb Arguments About The Common Core Distract From What Matters MostWhile it’s refreshing to see K-12 education become a prominent issue in the very early stages of the 2016 election campaigns, it’s unfortunate to see support for the Common Core – the contentious new standards adopted by most states – become the focus of the deb

by mike simpson / 3d 

The War of Attrition Over Public Schools - Living in Dialogue

The War of Attrition Over Public Schools - Living in Dialogue: The War of Attrition Over Public Schools By Anthony Cody.Public schools are in the midst of a war of attrition over their control – and even the very institution of public education is in danger. There is a sort of pincer assault under way, with billionaires on the far right pushing for complete de-regulation, and others, like the Gate

by mike simpson / 3d 

Five things people say about standardized tests and the opt-out movement that aren’t true - The Washington Post

Five things people say about standardized tests and the opt-out movement that aren’t true - The Washington Post: Five things people say about standardized tests and the opt-out movement that aren’t trueDenisha Jones is a visiting assistant professor of early childhood education at Howard University in Washington D.C., and over the last 10 years, she has taught kindergarten, preschool, and served a

by mike simpson / 3d 

CURMUDGUCATION: Nevada Abandons Public Education

CURMUDGUCATION: Nevada Abandons Public Education:Nevada Abandons Public EducationNevada has made its bid for a gold medal in the race to the bottom of the barrel for public education. The state's GOP legislature, with help from Jeb Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education (a name that belongs in Orwellian annals right next to "Peacekeeper Missile"), has created an all-state voucher

by mike simpson / 3d 

Hillary Clinton Works For The Support Of An Old Ally: The Teachers Union - BuzzFeed News

Hillary Clinton Works For The Support Of An Old Ally: The Teachers Union - BuzzFeed News: Hillary Clinton Works For The Support Of An Old Ally: The Teachers UnionThe endorsement process begins in the Democratic primary. O’Malley and Sanders try to win over the AFT, led by longtime Clinton supporter Randi Weingarten.Three Democratic candidates each traveled to Washington this week to court the endo

by mike simpson / 3d 

Thompson: The Truth None of Us Wants to Face This Week In Education

This Week In Education: Thompson: The Truth None of Us Wants to Face: The Truth None of Us Wants to Face I still teach GED part-time, so I have not become completely absorbed into the edu-political world that is so divorced from the reality of inner city schools. I seek a balance, addressing the school improvement proposals that are politically viable, while remaining connected with the reasons wh

by mike simpson / 3d 

Does Mayor Kevin Johnson's new downtown-housing plan actually bring new housing to the central city? Sacramento News & Review -

Sacramento News & Review - Does Mayor Kevin Johnson's new downtown-housing plan actually bring new housing to the central city? - Bites - Opinions - June 4, 2015: Does Mayor Kevin Johnson's new downtown-housing plan actually bring new housing to the central city?The mayor promises 10,000 new housing units downtown. But weren’t they already going to happen?This week, Mayor Kevin Johnson launche

by mike simpson / 3d 

It’s teachers vs. day care, as the children pay | The Sacramento Bee

It’s teachers vs. day care, as the children pay | The Sacramento Bee: It’s teachers vs. day care, as the children pay BY THE EDITORIAL BOARDThe Rube Goldberg contraption that is California’s school spending mandate has hijacked the budget, just as we all knew it would.And the fallout is ugly. For months, legislative analysts warned that this year’s revenue windfall might be consumed by consequence

by mike simpson / 3d 

Appealing to Union, Hillary Clinton Calls Teachers 'Scapegoats' - First Draft. Political News, Now. - NYTimes.com

Appealing to Union, Hillary Clinton Calls Teachers 'Scapegoats' - First Draft. Political News, Now. - NYTimes.com: Appealing to Union, Hillary Clinton Calls Teachers ‘Scapegoats’Hillary Rodham Clinton at an event in Hampton, N.H., on May 22.Credit Ian Thomas Jansen-Lonnquist for The New York TimesHillary Rodham Clinton made an appeal for an endorsement from theAmerican Federation of Teachers this

by mike simpson / 3d 

Are students better off in charter schools? State says it’s unsure | The CT Mirror

Are students better off in charter schools? State says it’s unsure | The CT Mirror: Are students better off in charter schools? State says it’s unsureAmid the ferocious debate about whether Connecticut students are better off in charter schools, the State Department of Education has released the results of its first-ever research on the subject.It provides little clarity."The results were a m

by mike simpson / 3d 

The ultimate in school choice or school as a commodity? - The Washington Post

The ultimate in school choice or school as a commodity? - The Washington Post: The ultimate in school choice or school as a commodity?tarting next school year, any parent in Nevada can pull a child from the state’s public schools and take tax dollars with them, giving families the option to use public money to pay for private or parochial school or even for home schooling.The new law, which the st

by mike simpson / 3d 

Time to break up the Los Angeles school system | EdSource

Time to break up the Los Angeles school system | EdSource: Time to break up the Los Angeles school systemJun 3, 2015 | By Carl Cohn | No CommentsCarl Cohn467Now that the recent school board elections are over in the Los Angeles Unified School District, there will be the usual calls for a new beginning and getting down to the serious business of charting a bright future for the 600,000 or so deserv

by mike simpson / 3d 

Report: Despite D.C. school reforms, disparities persist in system - The Washington Post

Report: Despite D.C. school reforms, disparities persist in system - The Washington Post: Report: Despite D.C. school reforms, disparities persist in systemThe District’s public schools have made promising improvements after seven years of intensive reforms, but many disparities persist in academic resources and performance between poor and affluent students, according to the National Research Cou

by mike simpson / 3d 

Defies Measurement - what happens when the wrong people make decisions for schools.

shine on productions - Defies Measurement: Defies Measurementa documentaryWatch the film here for free!Plan a screeningWatch the trailerLike us on FacebookBuy a t-shirtDefies Measurement strengthens the discussion about public education by taking a much-needed, fresh, hard look at why it is so important to address the social and emotional needs of every student, and what happens when the wrong peo

by mike simpson / 3d hide  //  save

Behind Grass-Roots School Advocacy, Bill Gates - NYTimes.com

Behind Grass-Roots School Advocacy, Bill Gates - NYTimes.com: Behind Grass-Roots School Advocacy, Bill GatesINDIANAPOLIS — A handful of outspoken teachers helped persuade state lawmakers this spring to eliminate seniority-based layoff policies. They testified before the legislature, wrote briefing papers and published an op-ed article in The Indianapolis Star.They described themselves simply as lo

by mike simpson / 3d 

Agents Of The State | The Jose Vilson

Agents Of The State | The Jose Vilson:

Agents Of The State

“How many of you have a child that you believe in and no one else does?”

Seats shift.

“How many of you can relate to the children in front of you? How many of you have students who get thrown out of everyone else’s class but yours?”

Some people blink, some heads turn to the side, but the general assembly hums and huffs.

This is a Bronx auditorium where a coalition of conscious principals (headed by CASA principal Jamaal Bowman) dared have a race-centric education conference on Chancellor’s Day, NYC’s annual professional development day. As the only K-12 teacher on the featured panel, I found myself needing to push buttons for our audience, many of whom presumably get tired of getting talked at by outsiders.

“On the morning of the day after the Michael Brown decision came down, I set aside the Common Core and got to the heart of the matters. We as teachers do ourselves a disservice when we’re not willing to listen to the kids in front of us about these very issues.”

As I’m saying these things, I’m thinking about the position I currently sit in, with all these wonderful speaking engagements and opportunities and using those spaces to lift others. This might be my vision. Yet, the other, more onerous side of this argument is that I’m putting myself and my colleagues in danger by asking us to . Even with one steady foot in the classroom, our vociferous selves stand to lose our livelihoods, despite reformers’ “job for life” barbs. The idea that teachers can actually work with kids and not do things to them boils down to the question I’ve struggled with since the NYPD turned their backs to Mayor Bill de Blasio:

Are teachers agents of change or agents of the state?

This was no more poignant than when I spoke yesterday at the Boston Teachers’ Union’s professional development conference. When Paul Tritter, director of professional learning at the Agents Of The State | The Jose Vilson:

Louisiana's push for creationism in schools - Business Insider

Louisiana's push for creationism in schools - Business Insider:

Kids in Louisiana are reading from the Book of Genesis in science classes

When a student in Louisiana opens her textbook in biology class, she might not have the standard Miller and Levine Biology with a dragonfly on the cover, and she might not ever learn about evolution.

For some Louisiana public school students, their science textbook is the Bible, and in biology class they read the Book of Genesis to learn the "creation point of view."

Through a public records request, I obtained dozens of emails from the Bossier Parish school district that specifically discuss teaching creationism.

Shawna Creamer, a science teacher at Airline High School, sent an email to the principal, Jason Rowland, informing him of which class periods she would use to teach creationism. "We will read in Genesis and them [sic] some supplemental material debunking various aspects of evolution from which the students will present," Creamer wrote.

In another email exchange with Rowland, a parent had complained that a different teacher, Cindy Tolliver, actually taught that evolution was a "fact." This parent complained that Tolliver was "pushing her twisted religious beliefs onto the class." Principal Rowland responded, "I can assure you this will not happen again."

Another email was sent by Bossier High School assistant principal Doug Scott to Michael Stacy, a biology teacher at that school. "I enjoyed the visit to your class today as you discussed evolution and creationism in a full spectrum of thought," Scott wrote. "Thank you for the rich content as you bring various sources to bear in your curriculum."

The Louisiana Science Education Act, passed by the state legislature in 2008, permits science teachers to use supplemental materials to "critique" evolution, opening a backdoor that these teachers are using, as intended, to teach creationism. Such lessons are allowed under this Louisiana law, but they are illegal under federal law.

"We know that one in eight high school biology teachers advocate for creationism, even though it's unconstitutional," says Josh Rosenau of the National Center for Science Education.

"These emails make clear that many teachers are interpreting the Louisiana Science Education Act as allowing such unconstitutional and scientifically-misleading lessons."

On April 22 the Louisiana Senate Education Committee voted on a bill to repeal the Science Education Act, referred to by many on both sides as the "creationism act."

This was the fifth vote since 2010, and legislators voted 4–3 to keep creationism in Louisiana classrooms.

In April, here at Slate, I published evidence that creationism was being widely taught in Louisiana schools.

During the Education Committee hearing to repeal the Science Education Act, I provided that research to the chairman of the committee, Sen. Conrad Appel.

It included a letter from more than 20 Ouachita Parish science teachers who said they were teaching the "discrepancies" of evolution. I guess Appel ignored the evidence, because he cast the deciding vote for creationism.

After the hearing I followed up with the Ouachita Parish school system to learn how the "discrepancies" in evolution were being taught. I obtained a PowerPoint about the origin of life that is used in Ouachita Parish Junior High School's life science classes.

It presents evolution as just a theory and says that theories are "possibly true" but "not known

Read more: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2015/06/louisiana_science_education_school_boards_principals_and_teachers_endorse.html#ixzz3cQQtiF62

What Was Written on a Classroom Chalkboard 100 Years Ago? How Could Teachers Even Teach without Common Core Alignment? » Missouri Education Watchdog

What Was Written on a Classroom Chalkboard 100 Years Ago? How Could Teachers Even Teach without Common Core Alignment? » Missouri Education Watchdog:

What Was Written on a Classroom Chalkboard 100 Years Ago? How Could Teachers Even Teach without Common Core Alignment?

Some terrific chalkboard drawings and information from almost 100 years ago were discovered in an Oklahoma City school recently. From The Washington Post:

Teachers and students scribbled the lessons — multiplication tables, pilgrim history, how to be clean —  nearly 100 years ago. And they haven’t been touched since.

This week, contractors removing old chalkboards at Emerson High School in Oklahoma City made a startling discovery: Underneath them rested another set of chalkboards, untouched since 1917.

“The penmanship blows me away, because you don’t see a lot of that anymore,” Emerson High School Principal Sherry Kishore told the Oklahoman. “Some of the handwriting in some of these rooms is beautiful.”

There are some fascinating drawings and an interesting ‘multiplication wheel’ that was puzzling to the reporter.  Read the comments from the readers which may help with that mystery.

One of the most interesting comments about the blackboard came in the form of a tweet.  From Oklahoma Public School:

(click on graphic to enlarge)

In 2016, what might curriculum about Pilgrims looks like?   Here is a very detailed description of what Kindergartners are expected to to learn about The Pilgrims (via Domain 9 and a CCSS alignment chart) in EngageNY:

This Tell It Again! Read-Aloud Anthology for Columbus and the Pilgrims contains background information and resources that the teacher will need to implement Domain 9, including an alignment chart for the domain to the What Was Written on a Classroom Chalkboard 100 Years Ago? How Could Teachers Even Teach without Common Core Alignment? » Missouri Education Watchdog:

Join the Protest Against the Closure of West Seattle’s Middle College High School | Seattle Education

Join the Protest Against the Closure of West Seattle’s Middle College High School | Seattle Education:

Join the Protest Against the Closure of West Seattle’s Middle College High School

“Before I started Middle College I was lost, without it I would probably still be in the streets.”  Oliver Wilson, Graduate, currently studying computer technology at the City College of San Francisco.

Middle College is a small, alternative high school in West Seattle. People in the neighborhood still refer to the school by it’s old name, the Ida B. Wells School of Social Justice. The older name better explains the school’s focus, which is social justice and community engagement. The goal of Middle College High School is to give high school dropouts and other at-risk students a second change at earning a diploma.

Chris Otey is one of Middle College’s successes. This is his story:

One afternoon some people came to our class from KUOW to introduce the Radio Active program that teaches young people about the process of creating radio stories.  It sounded interesting so I signed up, attended some workshops and had the pleasure of creating my first radio story.  My subject was a friend of mine and fellow Middle College student, Kyra MacFarlane, who was willing to share her powerful story of her family’s struggle with poverty and homelessness.

During the interviewing process I came to realize that many people around our community and in our school face similar challenges.  Students who live in poverty struggle in our schools because it is nearly impossible to learn when you have no home or food to eat.  At Middle College High School at the High Point Center, students like Kyra get the support  they need to graduate becaues of the supportive, caring and small school environment.  At Middle College we are encouraged to dream big and see our education as part of the solution to the challenges many of us face.  For students like Kyra and many others who left the big schools looking for a challenging alternative educational experience, Middle College is the place to be.

Superintendent Nyland has decided to close Middle College High School at the end of this school year.

Why is Middle College targeted for closure? No one is really sure. The district cites low enrollment as the cause. From The West Seattle Blog:

The district seems to be blaming teachers for the enrollment trouble: “Many students enroll through word of mouth but this year we have had much fewer due to the poor climate at High Point this school year. Teachers have been unhappy with the schedule and have communicated their discontent to students.”

MCHS-HP teacher Alonzo Ybarra, who sent first word of the impending closure, has said that MCHS’s principal Cindy Nash “forcefully imposed an arbitrary schedule that severely diminished our abilities to deliver exciting and creative curriculum and instruction.”

Whatever the reason, it seems extreme to close a school that has benefited so many Join the Protest Against the Closure of West Seattle’s Middle College High School | Seattle Education: 

Politically-birthed Common Core Turns Five. Let’s Celebrate by Ripping It Apart. | deutsch29

Politically-birthed Common Core Turns Five. Let’s Celebrate by Ripping It Apart. | deutsch29:

Politically-birthed Common Core Turns Five. Let’s Celebrate by Ripping It Apart.

On June 6, 2015, Huffington Post education editor Rebecca Klein published a piece entitled, 5 of the Most Extreme Claims Made Against Common Core in the Last 5 Years. (Interestingly, Klein chose to publish her post under the category of “politics” rather than “education.”)

She apparently does so as some means of commemorating the fifth anniversary of Common Core completion.

Sure, Klein notes that not all opponents to Common Core promote extreme stances. However, by emphasizing the extremes and dismissing moderate arguments in a couple of statements, Klein’s post promotes the idea that Common Core is really sound, and those advancing the Five Fringe Arguments highlighted in her post constitute the “some criticism” responsible for making Common Core “a polarizing issue.”

Here is the heart of her Common Core sell:

The standards, which have been adopted in a majority of states, emphasize critical thinking over rote memorization, and aim to make students more college- and career-ready. A bipartisan group of education experts, governors and state school chiefs developed the standards, and the Obama administration incentivized states to adopt higher standards through its Race to the Top competition.

There are vocal opponents on both ends of the political spectrum. Their reasons vary: Some disagree with content of the standardized tests associated with Common Core, while others say the standards exemplify federal overreach. But some criticism — which has, over the years, turned Common Core into an acutely polarizing political issue — is far more extreme.

Let us launch right into exploring the above, shall we?

Klein’s first statement, “The standards, which have been adopted in a majority of states,” is already a problem. The statement glosses over the highly questionable circumstances associated with Common Core “adoption,” not the least of which is the fact that such “adoption” happened for 46 states and three territories a full year before Common Core existed– by June 2009. Furthermore, those doing the “adopting”– governors and state education superintendents– were the only two required to sign the Common Core Memorandum of Understanding (CCSS MOU), thereby committing their state education systems to that which had yet to be created– and which was created in a matter of months and published in a rush.

Lots of room for concern and distrust right there, and not just by Klein’s five featured extremists.

Next comes the Common Core as “emphasiz[ing] critical thinking over rote memorization.” As a critical thinker, I would like to read the empirical studies produced prior to Common Core adoption and that support exactly what the Common Core yields, not what those advertising it have told me it “emphasizes.”

No such empirical evidence exists. What does exist is the immediately-published, July 2010, Fordham Institute declaration of Common Core as The Answer despite the fact that even Fordham Institute did not grade Common Core as superior to all existing state standards. That did not stop Fordham Institute current president Michael Petrilli from trying to sell Common Core to states with standards that his organization rated as better than Common Core.

Another cause for public mistrust of Common Core and its promoters.

Back to Klein and her Common Core fifth anniversary post:

Klein continues with, “[the standards] emphasize critical thinking over rote memorization, and aim to make students more college- and career-ready,” a Politically-birthed Common Core Turns Five. Let’s Celebrate by Ripping It Apart. | deutsch29:

This Is What Happens When You Criticize Teach for America | The Nation

This Is What Happens When You Criticize Teach for America | The Nation:

This Is What Happens When You Criticize Teach for America

An internal memo reveals how TFA’s obsessive PR game covers up its lack of results in order to justify greater expansion.

Last year, Wendy Heller Chovnick, a former Teach For America manager, spoke out against her former organization in The Washington Post, decrying its “inability and unwillingness to honestly address valid criticism.” In recent years, such criticism has centered on Teach For America’s intimate involvement in the education privatization movement and its five-week training, two-year teaching model, which critics claim offers recruits a transformative résumé-boosting experience but burdens schools with disruptive turnover cycles.

In the interview, Chovnick referenced the extent to which Teach For America manufactured its public image, explaining, “Instead of engaging in real conversations with critics, and even supporters, about the weaknesses of Teach For America and where it falls short, Teach For America seemed to put a positive spin on everything. During my tenure on staff, we even got a national team, the communications team, whose job it was to get positive press out about Teach For America in our region and to help us quickly and swiftly address any negative stories, press or media.”

An internal media strategy memo, obtained by The Nation, confirms Chovnick’s concerns, detailing TFA’s intricate methodology for combating negative media attention, or what it calls “misinformation.” Given that TFA takes tens of millions of government dollars every year, such strategies are troubling. According to its last three years of available tax filings, Teach For America has spent nearly $3.5 million in advertising and promotion. As the strategy memo indicates, much of this promotion goes toward attacking journalists, including ones previously published in this magazine. The memo details the numerous steps TFA’s communications team took in order to counter Alexandra Hootnick’s recent piece for the The Nation, “Teachers Are Losing Their Jobs, but Teach For America Is Expanding. What’s Wrong With That?”

According to the memo, Teach For America knew Hootnick’s piece was going to be critical, thanks to a source in the Department of Education, who had notified TFA of a Freedom of Information Act request she had made:

In the summer of 2012, alumna Alexandra Hootnick (Bay 2008) reached out directly to several people on staff, asking to speak as part of her work for her Columbia journalism school thesis. She said her topic was TFA’s expansion efforts through the lens of Seattle and our i3 grant. It quickly became clear she was unlikely to portray TFA in a positive light—we learned from the U.S. Department of Education she had made a large FOIA request—and that her thesis could become a media piece.

In a phone call with The Nation, Teach For America did not name its source in the Department of Education, but did say it came from a DOE program officer involved with TFA, due to their status as DOE grant recipients. TFA spokesperson Takirra Winfield added, “We are a grantee of the DOE, so we received notification of the FOIA request as a part of their standard operating procedure.” Notably, a review by the Nation indicated that none of the so-called “disinformation” cited in the TFA memo was actually incorrect.

Teach For America’s Counter-Information Strategy

Thanks to this notice from the Department of Education, TFA’s communications team was aware of Hootnick’s investigation a full year before she informed TFA that she was going to publish a This Is What Happens When You Criticize Teach for America | The Nation:

Sanders And Clinton Clash On Education Seeking AFT Nod

Sanders And Clinton Clash On Education Seeking AFT Nod:

Sanders And Clinton Clash On Education Seeking AFT Nod

Those of us who have spent substantial time as classroom teachers teachers know that when it comes to politicians talking education, as John Mellencamp put it, “it’s what you do and not what you say,” that matters. Paying lip service to “educational excellence” and “high standards” is like saying you love America and support the troops–necessary platitudes that do not clearly illuminate what a candidate will actually do once elected.  As the late Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone put it,

“Making students accountable for test scores works well on a bumper sticker and it allows many politicians to look good by saying that they will not tolerate failure. But it represents a hollow promise. Far from improving education, high-stakes testing marks a major retreat from fairness, from accuracy, from quality, and from equity.”

This brings us to the current push by the Democratic Party’s candidates for President to gain the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) endorsement.  On an issue-by-issue basis, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are quite similar in their voting records. Both have voted against private and parochial school vouchers, both have consistently voted to maintain and increase federal funding for public education at the K-12 and university level, and both have received high marks from the National Education Association (NEA) for their voting records, 83% pro-teacher for Sanders and 82% for Clinton.

Since Clinton and Sanders have voted similarly in the past, we must look deeper into their current campaigns to see how they would individually govern on education issues. Hillary’s campaign just announced the creation of a Teacher PAC that will bring reformers and unions together ,” oversimplifying the education debate considerably since “reformer” can mean anything from supporting evaluating teachers on test scores, to charter schools, to private school vouchers, and since there is no such thing as the “union perspective” on improving education. This new Teacher PAC for Hillary also includes reference to not allowing any child to stay trapped in a failing school, which plays right into the hands of those who would replace traditional public schools with charters or private school vouchers. In the post Citizens United age, Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton might have to adjust her education policies to attract the dollars of “reformers” like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, while simultaneously using her history with the AFT to push for support from the teacher’s union.  Randi Weingarten, president of the AFT, has been a friend of Hillary’s for years going back to when Weingarten was President of the New York City teacher’s union and Hillary was a New York Senator.  Since Weingarten developed a reputation for being too chummy with billionaire mayor Michael Bloomberg and giving in on too many issues of importance to rank and file teachers –like seniority and ability to file grievances against unfair administrative practices–this is a worrisome proposition for teachers in the classroom.

Bernie Sanders, on the other hand, does not have to mince words since he is not seeking the approval of wealthy donors. One of Sanders’ key campaign issues is the rising cost of college tuition, and in Vermont he fought for universal pre-K. Sanders has also spoken out and voted for de-emphasizing standardized testing in No Child Left Behind and using federal programs to recruit more math and science teachers. However, both Sanders and Clinton have used similar rhetoric about educating our children as individuals and not just as little test takers. (In fact Barack Obama said the same when running in 2008, then did the opposite with Race to the Top when in the White House.)  

The main reason to be optimistic about how President Sanders would function on education, is that his campaign funds have always come from small individual donors and labor unions, not from large corporate or billionaire donors. Sanders has repeatedly said that he wants the United States to follow the Scandinavian political and economic model. Finland consistently ranks as the #1 school Sanders And Clinton Clash On Education Seeking AFT Nod:

Common Core Standards SBAC testing, the bully principal…and more | Seattle Education

Common Core Standards SBAC testing, the bully principal…and more | Seattle Education:

Common Core Standards SBAC testing, the bully principal…and more

Public school is based on the the principle of inclusion, not exclusion. Kids are accepted however they arrive through the front door. Different ethnic backgrounds, economic status, personal triumphs or challenges –everyone is on equal footing. Most importantly, serving the needs of each and every students is job one. Excluding children or using them to meet the personal objectives of the adults who run the school or district, violates the core mission of our public schools. That’s why we find two recent events at Denny Middle School so disturbing.

First, Jeff Clark, Principal of Denny International Middle School, made the controversial decision to deny kids –whose parents had opted them out of the SBAC–access to the school carnival. Principal Clark’s decision has provoked understandable outrage in the parent community. This story was first reported by Melissa Westbrook on Save Seattle Schools Community Forum, after a parent contacted her reporting the incident.

Follow up reporting included an explanation by Jeff Clark of his actions and a response by Director Marty McLaren, school board member for District 6, West Seattle.

From Principal Jeff Clark:

The 2015 My Best Performance Carnival at Denny International Middle School

In addition to many special activities throughout the year, for the past ten years, Denny has hosted a carnival at the end of the state testing period for those scholars who have given their best performance. The scholars’ effort is tracked on a form called the “My Best Performance Rubric,” a copy of which is located in their student planners. The rubric includes categories such as:

·        positive attitude

·        time management

·        reading instructions carefully

·        making an attempt on every task and persevering

·        resourcefulness

·        using resources and tools

·        written presentation

After each testing session, scholars fill out their assessment of how they performed in all these areas.

The rubric is then turned into their teacher for review. At the end of the testing period those Common Core Standards SBAC testing, the bully principal…and more | Seattle Education: