Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 8/9/15

SPECIAL NITE CAP 

CORPORATE ED REFORM

Back to drawing board for contract negotiations | Catalyst Chicago

Back to drawing board for contract negotiations | Catalyst Chicago: Back to drawing board for contract negotiationsCPS has pulled back from its offer of a one-year contract extension that would have retained the so-called “pension pick-up” and barred the opening of any new charter schools during that period without union approval.Instead, CPS is now seeking a multi-year deal that would phase out i

by mike simpson / 17min 

Bay Area schools in a hiring frenzy just days before students return to class - Inside Bay Area

Bay Area schools in a hiring frenzy just days before students return to class - Inside Bay Area: Bay Area schools in a hiring frenzy just days before students return to classAs students start heading back to school -- some as early as this week -- many Bay Area school districts are scrambling to make sure classrooms are complete with one essential thing: a teacher."It has definitely been a ch

by mike simpson / 2h 

CURMUDGUCATION: Another Writing Robo-teacher

CURMUDGUCATION: Another Writing Robo-teacher: Another Writing Robo-teacherThis summer the University of Delaware was happy to unveil yet more research on yet another attempt to argue that computer software has a place in writing instruction.Being up frontAs a high school English teacher, I've thought about this a great deal, and written about it on several occasions (here, here and here, for examp

by mike simpson / 2h 

Ohio’s charter chaos - Toledo Blade

Ohio’s charter chaos - Toledo Blade: Ohio’s charter chaosAs the start of the school year approaches, who is cleaning up Ohio’s wretched charter school system?Not the Republican-controlled Ohio House. Its members fled the Statehouse for summer vacation without enacting a bill approved by the GOP-majority Senate that would have strengthened the state’s notoriously lax regulation of charter schools.C

by mike simpson / 3h 

An Activist Handbook for the Education Revolution

IAP || Book || An Activist Handbook for the Education Revolution: An Activist Handbook for the Education RevolutionUnited Opt Out's Test of Courage Edited by:Morna M. McDermott, United Opt Out NationalPeggy Robertson, United Opt Out NationalRosemarie Jensen, United Opt Out NationalCeresta Smith, United Opt Out NationalPublished 2014Contributions by: Rosemarie Jensen, Shaun Johnson, Morna McDermott

by mike simpson / 3h 

"MORE CHARTER SCHOOLS AHEAD?" MORE ILLUSION OF IMPROVEMENT IN PUBLIC EDUCATION - Perdaily.com

"MORE CHARTER SCHOOLS AHEAD?" MORE ILLUSION OF IMPROVEMENT IN PUBLIC EDUCATION - Perdaily.com: "MORE CHARTER SCHOOLS AHEAD?" MORE ILLUSION OF IMPROVEMENT IN PUBLIC EDUCATIONIn reporting the "Broad Foundation seeks an expansion of L.A. charters to boost student success..," yet again Los Angeles Times "reporter" Howard Blume uncritically swallows the Broad, Ke

by mike simpson / 4h 

For sale: Student ‘hopes and dreams’ - Stephanie Simon - POLITICO.com

For sale: Student ‘hopes and dreams’ - Stephanie Simon - POLITICO.com: For sale: Student ‘hopes and dreams’This story is part of a new POLITICO series examining the unchecked expansion of private-sector data collection and the implications for consumer privacyEach year, more than 2 million middle school and high school students fill out comprehensive surveys for the National Research Center for Co

by mike simpson / 4h 

A Firsthand Report on #BlackLivesMatter and Bernie Sanders - Living in Dialogue

A Firsthand Report on #BlackLivesMatter and Bernie Sanders - Living in Dialogue: A Firsthand Report on #BlackLivesMatter and Bernie SandersBy Susan DuFresne.I was there. I was there to hear Bernie speak at Westlake in Seattle yesterday.To get it out in the open, I am a white ally and still learning, still reflecting, still processing what happened yesterday in Seattle, when Black Lives Matter (BLM

by mike simpson / 5h 

Test scores also measure effects of the opt-out movement - City & Region - The Buffalo News

Test scores also measure effects of the opt-out movement - City & Region - The Buffalo News: Test scores also measure effects of the opt-out movementSchool districts face possible funding lossArea schools were at the epicenter of the opt-out movement for standardized tests earlier this year, and this is the week when districts will learn what effect the large number of students refusing to tak

by mike simpson / 5h 

Master teacher suing New York state over ‘ineffective’ rating is going to court - The Washington Post

Master teacher suing New York state over ‘ineffective’ rating is going to court - The Washington Post: Master teacher suing New York state over ‘ineffective’ rating is going to courtFormer New York state education commissioner John King, who is being sued by a N.Y. teacher over the state’s educator evaluation system. (Mike Groll/AP)A veteran teacher suing New York state education officials over th

by mike simpson / 6h 

Left-Right Alliance for Education: Multi-Partisan Opposition

Left-Right Alliance for Education: Multi-Partisan Opposition: Left-Right Alliance for EducationWe oppose the CCSSI because it continues the failed education reforms of the past and violates privacy rights as it builds a system for centrally managed student training for the future workforce of the “Global Economy.” This central goal will dismantle liberal arts education, which most contributes to t

by mike simpson / 6h 

Stop Privatization in California! | Diane Ravitch's blog

Stop Privatization in California! | Diane Ravitch's blog: Stop Privatization in California!It’s not too late to save public education in California! With Eli Broad and his fellow billionaires poised to privatize education in Los Angeles, it is time to say NO! Join the campaign to repeal the charter law in California.Join Voices Against Privatizing Public Education’s efforts to repeal the Californi

by mike simpson / 6h 

Hillsborough school district has been dipping into emergency funds to cover MaryEllen Elia's Hole | Tampa Bay Times

Hillsborough school district has been dipping into emergency funds to cover expenses | Tampa Bay Times: Hillsborough school district has been dipping into emergency funds to cover expensesTAMPA — In the last four years of superintendent MaryEllen Elia's administration, the Hillsborough County School District went on a spending jag, tearing through more than half of its $361 million reserve fund, o

by mike simpson / 8h 

CURMUDGUCATION: So, I Have a Book

CURMUDGUCATION: So, I Have a Book: So, I Have a BookCURMUDGUCATION: What Fresh HellAuthored by Peter Greene Peter Greene blogs about the current state of public education with plenty of sass and not much rigor. This book includes almost 100 favorites from his popular blogs Curmudgucation and View from the Cheap Seats, and makes the case that there is much to love at US public education and much no

by mike simpson / 8h 

Louisiana Educator: New RSD Propaganda Machine Whitewashes Dismal Performance

Louisiana Educator: New RSD Propaganda Machine Whitewashes Dismal Performance: New RSD Propaganda Machine Whitewashes Dismal PerformanceThe latest Recovery District propaganda machine is called theResearch Alliance for New Orleans. It was founded by Tulane University professor of economics, Douglas Harris. In this articleprinted in Education Next, Harris makes an attempt to paint the struggling Lo

by mike simpson / 8h 

Russ on Reading: The Single Most Destructive Force in Public Education

Russ on Reading: The Single Most Destructive Force in Public Education: The Single Most Destructive Force in Public EducationOn Monday, I had some fun with Chris Christie’s desire to punch the teacher’s unions in the face. Today, I think it is much more important to deal with the substance of what Christie said to reporter Jake Tapper on CNN last Sunday. Speaking of one of the two large national t

by mike simpson / 8h 

With A Brooklyn Accent: Next Step for the Opt Out Movement- Demanding Public Schools Exempt from State Tests

With A Brooklyn Accent: Next Step for the Opt Out Movement- Demanding Public Schools Exempt from State Tests: Next Step for the Opt Out Movement- Demanding Public Schools Exempt from State TestsIf you want to restore idealism to the teaching profession, win back the confidence of the nation's parents, and expand the recruitment of teachers of color, one sure fire way to do this is start opening &q

by mike simpson / 8h 

At-Risk Students, Bad Teachers, Failing Schools: Our Blinding Accusatory Finger Pointing | the becoming radical

At-Risk Students, Bad Teachers, Failing Schools: Our Blinding Accusatory Finger Pointing | the becoming radical: At-Risk Students, Bad Teachers, Failing Schools: Our Blinding Accusatory Finger PointingQuestions of science, science and progressDo not speak as loud as my heart“The Scientist,” ColdplayThe absolute greatest gift of being a teacher by profession is accumulating throughout your career t

by mike simpson / 8h 

Schools Matter: Corporate Radio Picks On AFT Indiana

Schools Matter: Corporate Radio Picks On AFT Indiana: Corporate Radio Picks On AFT IndianaGet Hoosier School Heist in PaperbackHoosier School Heist On FaceBookby Doug Martin A few days ago, WIBC 93.1’s Ray Steele and Mike Wilson, hosts of The 10 @ 10 Show, found a tweet by AFT Indiana andwent into corporate bully mode. The AFT Indiana tweet read:  “To all the heroes of the education world headed b

by mike simpson / 8h 

The consequences for kids when their parents work irregular night shifts — research - The Washington Post

The consequences for kids when their parents work irregular night shifts — research - The Washington Post: The consequences for kids when their parents work irregular night shiftsHaving a regular schedule matters — especially when it comes to young people of all ages. According to a new research brief from the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute, children of parents working non-standard and unpred

by mike simpson / 8h 

Teacher Shortages Spur a Nationwide Hiring Scramble (Credentials Optional) - The New York Times

Teacher Shortages Spur a Nationwide Hiring Scramble (Credentials Optional) - The New York Times: Teacher Shortages Spur a Nationwide Hiring Scramble (Credentials Optional)ROHNERT PARK, Calif. — In a stark about-face from just a few years ago, school districts have gone from handing out pink slips to scrambling to hire teachers.Across the country, districts are struggling with shortages of teachers

by mike simpson / 9h 

Harassment allegations, true or not, hurt us all - Marcos Breton - KJ Bromance Relationship Counselling Working ?

Marcos Breton: Harassment allegations, true or not, hurt us all | The Sacramento Bee: Marcos Breton: Harassment allegations, true or not, hurt us all Allen Warren has been a very good city councilman representing northern Sacramento neighborhoods bypassed by prosperity abundant in more fortunate sections of town. Just this weekend, and every weekend all summer long, hundreds of kids and their fami

by mike simpson / 9h 

Education reform bill shows compromise still possible in Congress - News Sentinel Story

Education reform bill shows compromise still possible in Congress - News Sentinel Story: Education reform bill shows compromise still possible in CongressWASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander had been chairman of the Senate committee over education for just a week when he began circulating the draft of a bill intended to do what other Congresses had not: Fix the Bush-era No Child Left Behind scho

by mike simpson / 10h 

YESTERDAY

Oregon Save Our Schools: Increasing Teacher Stress is a Recipe for Disaster!

Oregon Save Our Schools: Increasing Teacher Stress is a Recipe for Disaster!: Increasing Teacher Stress is a Recipe for Disaster!At a recent meeting, it came to my attention that the Oregon Teaching Standards and Practices Commissionhas been receiving an increasing number of complaints about teachers who have engaged in conduct that is extremely out of the ordinary for them as individuals, or who

by mike simpson / 20h 

The Terrible Choice and Other Peoples' Children | Peter Greene

The Terrible Choice and Other Peoples' Children | Peter Greene: The Terrible Choice and Other Peoples' ChildrenFor much of our history, Americans have operated under a simple premise -- we will educate other people's children.Educating your own offspring is an old idea; human beings have done it for most of history. This has had many implications. You can't teach your own children things you don't

by mike simpson / 22h 

Who supports public schools for all? Who opposes high stakes testing and corporate education reform? | Reclaim Reform

Who supports public schools for all? Who opposes high stakes testing and corporate education reform? | Reclaim Reform: Who supports public schools for all? Who opposes high stakes testing and corporate education reform?Which candidate and party to vote for? Who supports public schools for all? Who opposes high stakes testing and corporate education reform? Who supports raising the minimum wage? Wh

by mike simpson / 23h 

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

SPECIAL NITE CAP CORPORATE ED REFORMCharter school board may get rare perk – pay | The Sacramento BeeCharter school board may get rare perk – pay | The Sacramento Bee: Charter school board may get rare perk – payCharter schools, unlike big school districts, don’t usually pay their board members. But trustees of a single charter school in Del Paso Heights will start receiving $600 a month if a prop

by mike simpson / 1d

Back to drawing board for contract negotiations | Catalyst Chicago

Back to drawing board for contract negotiations | Catalyst Chicago:

Back to drawing board for contract negotiations

CPS has pulled back from its offer of a one-year contract extension that would have retained the so-called “pension pick-up” and barred the opening of any new charter schools during that period without union approval.

Instead, CPS is now seeking a multi-year deal that would phase out its longstanding agreement to pick up 7 of the 9 percent educators pay toward their pensions.

Eliminating the pension pick-up would “force us into a strike,” said Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis. (Given all the steps required for the CTU to strike, a walkout could not take place until winter, at the earliest.)

“We are concerned because we were very close to finalizing something,” Lewis said at a press conference on Friday. “That rug was pulled out from under us and the district has mischaracterized what led to their rescinding the offer -- and why is beyond strange to me.”

Union officials said they had entered a regularly scheduled bargaining session on Thursday with the intention of working on issues related to teacher evaluations and layoff order -- something Lewis had spoken with Mayor Rahm Emanuel about over the weekend. But then CPS negotiators abruptly pulled out of the negotiations, according to the union.

In a statement, CPS officials did not directly address the issue of the pension pickup -- part of a labor agreement reached in the 1980s, in lieu of a pay increase. But getting rid of that benefit may help bolster the cash-strapped district’s petition for pension relief in Springfield.

Gov. Bruce Rauner has said he’ll help push through legislation to help CPS deal with its pension obligations, but only if the city will support some of his efforts to limit unions’ collective bargaining rights.

In a statement, CPS officials said they will continue to negotiate in good faith to “reach an agreement on a broader and longer contract that is beneficial for our children, their teachers, the taxpayers and the entire system. However, we will not roll back standards for teacher performance, and we will make sure that our highest-performing teachers can continue to serve in classrooms.”

The district says the reason for its abrupt reversal is that it could not agree with a CTU proposal to group some tenured teachers rated as “developing” with those rated as “proficient” or “excellent” for the purpose of layoffs. (Under the former contract, which expired at the end of June, “proficient” and “excellent” teachers are the last to be laid off and then it is done by seniority.)

“In our view, these proposals would irreparably undermine the effectiveness of our evaluation system,” CPS attorneys Joseph Moriarty and James Franczek Jr. wrote in a letter dated Thursday,after a regularly scheduled negotiation session. (See CTU's letter in response.)

“Obviously, this process can always be improved, but we strongly believe it would be a serious Back to drawing board for contract negotiations | Catalyst Chicago:

Bay Area schools in a hiring frenzy just days before students return to class - Inside Bay Area

Bay Area schools in a hiring frenzy just days before students return to class - Inside Bay Area:

Bay Area schools in a hiring frenzy just days before students return to class

As students start heading back to school -- some as early as this week -- many Bay Area school districts are scrambling to make sure classrooms are complete with one essential thing: a teacher.

"It has definitely been a challenge recruiting teachers," said Jorge Quintana, spokesman for San Jose Unified School District, whose schools had 12 teacher openings late last week, just days before the first day of class this Wednesday.

The hiring frenzy is on across the Golden State. The East Side Union High School District in San Jose, where school starts Tuesday, signed about three contracts a day last week. Oakland Unified has taken to social media and enlisted its teachers as informal recruiters. San Ramon Valley Unified's newspaper ad Aug. 2 blared "Now Hiring!" in 13 categories, and also called for substitutes -- a dire need everywhere -- starting in San Ramon at $110 a day.

A convergence of factors has driven up job openings and cut into applicant ranks. Baby-boomer teachers are retiring, others are moving out of the area or finding better jobs, and an infusion of state funds has opened up more jobs as districts reduce class sizes and restore positions. All this while credential programs are turning our far fewer teacher candidates.

"It's the perfect storm," said Chief Talent Officer Brigitte Marshall of Oakland Unified. And the full-force gale is yet to hit.

"Without other adjustments being made, it's going to progressively get worse in two to three years," said Josh Michaels, who manages EdJoin, the de facto electronic job posting bulletin board for K-12 jobs in California.

The site had more than 8,400 teaching jobs in California public school districts still listed as of Friday. In the past 12 months, it posted nearly 49,000 teaching jobs, Michaels said. That compares with almost 27,700 posted in the same period two years ago.

Still, officials in Bay Area districts insist a qualified teacher will greet students in every class on opening day.

Many school districts are still seeking applicants, including Pittsburg Unified, which had about 25 openings -- out of 542 teaching positions -- late last week, the most it's had in four years at this point.

Nearby Oakley School District -- where schools opened in July per its "modified traditional" calendar -- just reposted a math opening, because in two weeks it drew only 11 applicants. Bay Area schools in a hiring frenzy just days before students return to class - Inside Bay Area:

CURMUDGUCATION: Another Writing Robo-teacher

CURMUDGUCATION: Another Writing Robo-teacher:

Another Writing Robo-teacher

This summer the University of Delaware was happy to unveil yet more research on yet another attempt to argue that computer software has a place in writing instruction.

Being up front

As a high school English teacher, I've thought about this a great deal, and written about it on several occasions (here, here and here, for example). And mostly I think actual useful essay-grading computers are about as probable as unicorns dancing with chartreuse polar bears in fields of asparagus. We could safely label me "Predisposed to be Skeptical."

And yet I'm determined to have an open mind. But I've been down this road before, and I recognize the Big Red Flags when I see them.

Red Flag #1: Who's Paying for This?

Assistant professor Joshus Wilson, from UD's School of Education, set out to see if the softwarePEGWriting could be used not just to score student writing, but to inform and assist instruction throughout the year. Why would he want to look into that?


The software Wilson used is called PEGWriting (which stands for Project Essay Grade Writing), based on work by the late education researcher Ellis B. Page and sold by Measurement Incorporated, which supports Wilson's research with indirect funding to the University. 

So, the software maker paid for and perhaps commissioned this research. Just to be clear, the fact that there's no direct quid pro quo makes it worse-- if I'm counting on your funding to pay for the project I'm doing, the funding and the project can go away together and life can go on for the rest of my department. But if I'm doing research on your product over here and you're paying for, say, all our office furniture over there, the stakes are higher.

At any rate, this is clear built-in bias. Anything else?

Red Flag #2: You're Scoring What??!!

The software uses algorithms to measure more than 500 text-level variables to yield scores and feedback regarding the following characteristics of writing quality: idea development, organization, style, word choice, sentence structure, and writing conventions such as spelling and grammar. 

First, I know you think it's impressive that it's measuring 500 variables ("text-level"-- as opposed to some other level?? Paper-level?), but it's not. It's like telling me that you have a vocabulary of 500 words. not so impressive, given the nature of language.

But beyond that-- PEGWriting wants to market itself as being tuned into six trait writing. I have no beef with the six traits-- I've used them myself for decades. And that's how I know that no software can possibly do what this software claims it can do.

Idea development? Really? I will bet you dollars to donuts that if I take my thesis statement ("Abe Lincoln was a great peacemaker") and develop it with absolute baloney support ("Lincoln helped CURMUDGUCATION: Another Writing Robo-teacher: