Eli Broad's LAUSD? | OpEdNews

Article: Eli Broad's LAUSD? | OpEdNews:

Eli Broad's LAUSD?

"While working for two years as an accountant, Eli Broad saw his homebuilding clients making much more that he was, and he and Edythe's cousin's husband decided they, too, could build houses."

-Broad Foundation

There are some who like to quietly give to charities, being careful not to draw too much attention to themselves. Eli Broad is not this type of person. In a dispute with MOCA, an organization where he had been named "Founding Chairman," he told the trustees that he wanted his "name on the building...in big letters, which were to go on the front of the building." He had to settle having the lobby named after him, at least until he built his very own museum. However, when he gives money, he does not just want public recognition; he wants control. Broad and his wife, Edythe, are self-described venture philanthropists who focus "their charitable giving in a new style of investing that was more akin to their business acumen."

The Broad's style of giving is on full display in the area of education when he donates desperately needed funds to the LAUSD with strings that give him the power of an unelected Board member. For example, "about 20 senior jobs in the Deasy administration [were] paid for by outside foundations such as those run by Eli Broad." While the Superintendent and his staff are supposed to report to the democratically elected Board of Education, these staff members were instead beholden to the monied interests paying their salaries. Projects these interests favored, like the $1.3 billion iPad initiative, MiSiS and Breakfast in the Classroom, were then pushed forward as the Board looked helplessly on. When the iPad and MiSiS failures became too much for Deasy to handle, he jumped ship and was hired as a consultant for "The Broad Center for the Management of School Systems as a superintendent-in-residence."



Broad's latest proposal is to spend $490 million "to reach 50 percent charter market share" in Los Angeles. If the plan is successful, an additional 130,000 students per year will be cherry-picked from the public school system every year and placed in schools run by private entities that lack democratic oversight. The charter industry calls this "choice," but this conveniently ignores the fate of the hardest to educate students who will be left unserved by these new private schools. It is hard to imagine a scenario where the District is not left in bankruptcy as it struggles to educate those with severe special needs, behavior issues and difficult family situations while losing funding as tax money is diverted to the private sector.

The LAUSD "already has the highest number of charters - more than 200 - of any school system in the county, enrolling about 16% of students." It would be hard to make a case against the proposed expansion if these schools were vastly better than their public counterparts, but even with their ability to pick the best students, charter schools only performed "roughly 2.5 percent" better on recently released California Assessment of Student Progress and Performance. To prove that "there are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics," the CCSA later reworked their numbers to show that the charters performed "nine percentage points higher in English language arts but only four percentage points higher in math." However, to accomplish this they had to remove the LAUSD's "53 affiliated charters from the comparison," even though they "are district schools that operate with most of the same rules as [sic] regulations that govern traditional schools."

While both public and charter schools within Los Angeles fell below the state average on these tests, one bright spot did emerge from the data. According to a district analysis, "In English-Language Arts (ELA), 65 percent of magnets scored higher than the state average, compared with 34 percent of independent charters. On the Math assessment, 56 percent of magnets scored higher than the state average, more than twice the rate of the charters' performance." If Broad and his fellow philanthropists want more bang for their $490 million, perhaps they should check their egos at the door and give unrestricted money to the District so that it can expand these types of schools. If it helps seal the deal, the District could name it the "Eli and Edythe Broad Magnet Program."

____________________________________________

I am a former candidate for the District 3 seat on the LAUSD School Board, founder of Change The LAUSD and member of the Northridge East Neighborhood Council. Opinions are my own.

http://www.changethelausd.com/

My activism goes back to 1988 when I had just moved to Los Angeles to attend Musician's Institute. I saw a flyer requesting help to defend against Operation Rescue's planned attempts to shut down family planning clinics and volunteered. Before (more...)

2015 National Blue Ribbon Schools

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan Announces 2015 National Blue Ribbon Schools | U.S. Department of Education:

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan Announces 2015 National Blue Ribbon Schools

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today recognized 335 schools as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2015 based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. These schools demonstrate that all students can achieve to high levels.

"This honor recognizes your students' accomplishments and the hard work and dedication that went into their success," Duncan said in a video message to the awardees. "Your journey has taught you collaboration, intentional instruction, and strong relationships in school and with your community. You represent excellence—in vision, in implementation, and in results—and we want to learn as much as we can from you."

The Department will honor 285 public and 50 private schools at a recognition ceremony on Nov. 9-10 in Washington, D.C. In its 33-year history, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed this coveted award on more than 8,000 of America's schools.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools where students either achieve very high learning standards or are making notable improvements in closing the achievement gap. The award plaque affirms the hard work of students, educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging content. The award flag gracing a school's building is a widely recognized symbol of exemplary teaching and learning.

All schools are recognized in one of two performance categories, based on all student scores, subgroup student scores and graduation rates:

• Exemplary High Performing Schools are among their state's highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests. Student subgroup performance and high school graduation rates are also at the highest levels.
• Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools are among their state's highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school's subgroups and all students over the past five years. Student subgroup performance and high school graduation rates for each subgroup are at high levels.

The Department invites National Blue Ribbon School nominations from the top education official in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Department of Defense Education Activity and the Bureau of Indian Education. The Council for American Private Education (CAPE) nominates private schools. A total of 420 schools nationwide may be nominated, with allocations determined by the numbers of K-12 students and schools in each jurisdiction. The U.S. Secretary of Education invites nominated schools to submit an application for possible recognition as a National Blue Ribbon School.

Note To Editors: Photographs and brief descriptions of the 2015 National Blue Ribbon Schools are available athttp://www.ed.gov/nationalblueribbonschools.

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Congratulates California

Winners of the 2015 National Blue Ribbon Schools Award 

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today congratulated 29 California public and four private schools that are being recognized as 2015 National Blue Ribbon Schools.

The California winners of the coveted award are among 285 public (traditional, charter, choice, and magnet) schools and 50 private schools announced this morning by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

"California's newly selected Blue Ribbon Schools are among the best in the nation and reflect our state's commitment to preparing students for college and career," Torlakson said. "We celebrate these models of excellence as they shine in the national spotlight. I congratulate all the hardworking students, teachers, parents, staff, and administrators who made this recognition possible."

The federal Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private schools from elementary through high school.

Public schools are nominated by each Chief State School Officer (CSSO), including the Department of Defense Education Activity, and the Bureau of Indian Education. The Council for American Private Education nominates private schools.

The California schools were recognized as Exemplary High Performing Schools and were required to be performing in the top 15 percent of schools statewide as measured by state assessments.

National Blue Ribbon Schools will be honored at a national awards ceremony on November 9-10, 2015 in Washington, D.C., where each winner will receive a plaque and flag. Blue Ribbon winners may fly this flag at their schools as a mark of excellence. In its 33-year history, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has presented this award to more than 8,000 of America's schools.

Details of the 2015 National Blue Ribbon Schools can be found on the U.S. Department of Education Web site  .

California's National Blue Ribbon Public Schools for 2015

County	District	School
Alameda	Alameda Unified	Alameda Science and Technology Institute
Alameda	Dublin Unified	James Dougherty Elementary
Alameda	Oakland Unified	Montclair Elementary
Alameda	Pleasanton Unified	Vintage Hills Elementary
Contra Costa	Acalanes Union High	Campolindo High
Contra Costa	Lafayette Elementary	Happy Valley Elementary
Contra Costa	Orinda Union Elementary	Del Rey Elementary
Contra Costa	San Ramon Valley Unified	Neil A. Armstrong Elementary
El Dorado	Buckeye Union Elementary	Oak Meadow Elementary
Fresno	Fresno Unified	Manchester Gate
Los Angeles	Antelope Valley Union High	SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise)
Los Angeles	La Cañada Unified	La Cañada High
Los Angeles	Las Virgenes Unified	Yerba Buena Elementary
Los Angeles	Long Beach Unified	Naples Elementary
Los Angeles	Los Angeles Unified	KIPP Raices Academy
Los Angeles	Manhattan Beach Unified	Grand View Elementary
Los Angeles	Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified	Montemalaga Elementary
Los Angeles	Redondo Beach Unified	Alta Vista Elementary
Los Angeles	San Marino Unified	Valentine Elementary
Los Angeles	William S. Hart Union High	Academy of the Canyons
Marin	Reed Union Elementary	Bel Aire Elementary
Nevada	Nevada Joint Union High	William & Marian Ghidotti High
Orange	Santa Ana Unified	Middle College High
Riverside	Riverside Unified	Lake Mathews Elementary
San Bernardino	Chino Valley Unified	Country Springs Elementary
San Diego	Poway Unified	Deer Canyon Elementary
San Joaquin	Lodi Unified	Middle College High
Santa Clara	Evergreen Elementary	James Franklin Smith Elementary
Santa Clara	Mountain View Whisman	Frank L. Huff Elementary

California's National Blue Ribbon Private Schools for 2015

County	City	School
Los Angeles	Chino Hills	Heights Christian Schools Chino Hills campus
Los Angeles	Valencia	Legacy Christian Academy
Orange County	Irvine	New Horizon School
San Diego County	Solana Beach	Santa Fe Christian Middle School

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

Last Reviewed: Tuesday, September 29, 2015

http://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr15/yr15rel74.asp

José Luis Vilson: Stealing Possible | The Progressive

Stealing Possible | The Progressive:

Stealing Possible

The New York charter school group Families of Excellent Schools announced recently that rallying under the banner “Don’t Steal Possible,”on September 30, 2015 “over 10,000 parents, students, and educators are expected to demand an end to education inequality in Brooklyn's Cadman Plaza, followed by hundreds marching across the Brooklyn Bridge and holding a press conference on the steps of City Hall in the afternoon.”

Sounds good, right? To the contrary, people of color in this country, specifically black people, have rarely had agency in the pedagogy and policy that affects their children. NYC charter schools playing the role of white saviors does little to change this.

The criticisms are simple here. As recently as 2013, 16 New York City  charter executives made more income than the sitting Dept. of Education Chancellor at the time, even while serving significantly fewer students.  And charter schools don’t perform better than public schools. In NYC this past year, charters may have outperformed in math but performed on par with public schools in other areas. A recent study showed that the Knowledge Is Power Program or KIPP — a NYC non-profit network of public schools serving low-income students — can produce  gains in elementary and middle school students, but that those advances don’t last through high school, an indication that perhaps the hype around KIPP is, at best, inflated.

Indeed, most of the arguments around “choice” evoke more boogiemen than Halloween, yet, when the facts are laid bare, we see little evidence for the hype.

POLITICO’s Eliza Shapiro reported that Success Academy Charter Schools employees have received a messaging memo preparing them to talk to parents and other attendees about the upcoming rally. Success staff (who were discouraged from sharing the memo with families), were told to “strongly encourage” parents to attend the rally and march even if it presents hardships for them in terms of arranging for child care or taking time off from their jobs. All of the 34 Success Academy charter schools in the city will be closed the morning of the rally, and parents not attending will have to find alternate care for their kids. (At a

- See more at: http://www.progressive.org/news/2015/09/188336/stealing-possible#sthash.vrcK2sOt.dpuf

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Is Rahm looking for a war on special ed?

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Is Rahm looking for a war on special ed?:

Is Rahm looking for a war on special ed?

As the grandparent of a CPS student with special needs, my message to the mayor is -- if it's a battle you want, it's a battle you'll get.

Our autocrat at City Hall appears bent on dismembering special education in Chicago by a thousand cuts. SpEd took its first major deep cut over the summer eliminating 500 positions at CPS. More cuts announced late Friday mean approximately 160 schools would lose special education teachers, while 184 would lose aides.

Rahm has put his bureaucrats and principals on radio silence regarding the latest cuts, says DNAInfo's Heather Cherone. 

CPS officials declined to answer repeated inquires from DNAinfo Chicago reporters Monday about the formula — apparently based on enrollment figures also released Friday evening — used to make those cuts, and ordered principals not to speak with reporters trying to figure out what the cuts would mean for special education students in neighborhoods throughout Chicago.

Originally, principals were given to the end of the day Monday to appeal the cuts, which sent parents scrambling on social media to figure out if their children's schools would have enough staff to meet the requirements of each student's specialized education plan.

The latest round of cuts, coming weeks after the start of the school year, further Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Is Rahm looking for a war on special ed?:

Another black face on a white education agenda isn't needed — justice is - The Hechinger Report

Another black face on a white education agenda isn't needed — justice is - The Hechinger Report:

Another black face on a white education agenda isn’t needed — justice is

Both the current education reform lobby and their progressive opponents feel a certain kinship with the Black Lives Matter movement.

They even send subtle and not so subtle overtures soliciting the group’s support.

“I would argue we are losing more black lives by ignoring an epic educational crisis,” writes education reformer and Success Academy CEO Eva Moskowitz in a letter comparing the educational setting in America to the killings of unarmed black men.

In “An Urgent Appeal to the Leaders of Black Lives Matter,” published by Diane Ravitch, teacher Joshua Liebner asks Black Lives Matter to take on the Super PAC’s of the one percent.

These overtures present a problem; Black Lives Matter should inform education establishments’ causes, not the other way around.

Related: Column Black math scores lag the most in segregated schools

When you’re black, white privilege looks the same from whatever clique you claim or work in. You see the one percent controlling educational movements from all angles. The public educational system wasn’t exactly serving black children before the modern day reform movement. After twenty years of reform, gaps have widened in many cases. And as it relates directly to a policy agenda put out by Black Lives Matter, Campaign Zero, reformers and progressives alike are seemingly on a different page when it comes to ending the criminalization of black youth.

In Louisiana, a state bill that would have banned suspensions among young children (blacks are disproportionately affected) for low-level violations moved up to the full Senate for approval. But the bill met considerable resistance from the Louisiana Association of Principals, Louisiana Federation of Teachers, Louisiana Association of Educators and the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, all opposing it. The bill was ultimately watered down to ban suspensions for uniform violations. The school to prison pipeline flows through traditional and reform schools alike.

Black folk don’t need partners as much as they need justice.

I appreciate the Black Lives Matter Movement because few of us black folk actually work in organizations that can openly and brazenly place black people at the center of the work – not educational growth or gap closing. And save the reverse racism nonsense. Building self-reliant communities demand a ‘we can do this’ attitude that black folk seldom have the luxury of actualizing. Whites have a hard time wanting blacks to exercise the same luxury they readily impose. Blacks who have a “We can do this” attitude are deemed uppity, angry or non-team players.

Related: In Mississippi, best teachers don’t go where they are needed most

When you’re really working within a community, you don’t have to partner – community engagement isn’t necessary.

Black people know too well how partnering becomes co-opting. Education organizations are good for propping up black parents and children to parrot an agenda that the CEO or president should have given. Strutting a dark skinned boy on a stage to help make Another black face on a white education agenda isn't needed — justice is - The Hechinger Report:

Cuomo and Malloy – Deaf, Dumb and Blind about the Common Core Testing Opt-Out Movement - Wait What?

Cuomo and Malloy – Deaf, Dumb and Blind about the Common Core Testing Opt-Out Movement - Wait What?:

Cuomo and Malloy – Deaf, Dumb and Blind about the Common Core Testing Opt-Out Movement

When it comes to the Charter School and Corporate Education Reform Industry, Democrat Governors Andrew Cuomo and Dannel Malloy are twins separated at birth.  Proponents of charter schools, the Common Core, the Common Core Testing Scheme and its associated anti-teacher, anti-parent agenda, both Cuomo and Malloy have spent the last few years praying at the Alter of the Public School Privatization Movement.

And both Cuomo and Malloy have eagerly reaped the benefits of their actions by hauling in unprecedented amounts of campaign cash from the corporate executives, hedge fund owners and rich who fund the charter school and education reform advocacy groups that lobby elected officials.

Perhaps the most offense fact of all is that not only are Cuomo and Malloy diverting tens of millions of dollars in public funds to charter schools and turning public schools into little more than testing factories, but that they are using state government agencies and officials to inappropriately – and illegally – stomp on the fundamental rights of parents to protect their children from the unfair, inappropriate and discriminatory Common Core testing scam.

When it comes to recognizing, let alone protecting the rights of public school parents and students, Malloy and Cuomo have been nothing short of Deaf, Dumb and Blind.

As reported yesterday in the Wait, What? article entitled  Look Out Parents – Malloy’s State Department of Education is ramping up Pro-Common Core Testing Campaign, Governor Malloy’s State Department of Education trooped off to little Sherman, Connecticut last week to berate the community for its high opt-out numbers, while the Deputy Commissioner of Education told school superintendents that “correction Cuomo and Malloy – Deaf, Dumb and Blind about the Common Core Testing Opt-Out Movement - Wait What?:

Pennsylvania School Funding War Drags On | janresseger

Pennsylvania School Funding War Drags On | janresseger:

Pennsylvania School Funding War Drags On

Pennsylvania doesn’t yet have a state budget, something the state is required to have in place on June 30. A protracted, years-long, and politically contentious fight about inadequate and grossly inequitably distributed school funding is a primary reason for the impasse.

A Republican-dominated state legislature has refused to compromise with the new Democratic governor on a plan that would fund the government and restore desperately needed money for the public schools.  Former governor, Tom Corbett, who ripped more than a billion dollars out of the state budget for public schools, was soundly defeated last November.  But Governor Tom Wolf has not been able to move Corbett’s allies in the legislature to do the right thing for Pennsylvania’s children.  Wolf defeated Corbett last November in large part due to a statewide school funding crisis created by Corbett’s tax cuts.  Corbett and the legislature had pretended to help the School District of Philadelphia—already devastated by school closures and staff layoffs—to survive by passing enabling legislation to permit Philadelphia to enact a cigarette tax on its own residents, a local sin tax dedicated for the public schools.

Last Thursday the editorial board of the Philadelphia Inquirer supported Governor Tom Wolf’s pledge to veto a stopgap, temporary budget presented to him by the legislature on September 18: “Republican legislators have put their old, irresponsible fiscal plan in a new wrapper and called it a stopgap budget.  While their plan promises to fund the state until November, it also threatens to delay sincere negotiations, allowing the state’s elected officials—already nearly three months late—to go that much longer without performing one of their most basic duties: passing a budget.  The Democratic governor has already rightly rejected the legislature’s proposal, which would perpetuate Harrisburg’s habit of leaving bills unpaid, relying on one-time gimmicks, and raiding dedicated funds.  Nor would it adequately fund schools or force the shale-gas industry to shoulder its share of the tax burden at long last.”

Then there is the lawsuit filed by plaintiffs across Pennsylvania that the state’s school funding system fails to meet the “thorough and efficient” and equal protection clauses in Pennsylvania’s constitution—the same language to protect adequate and equitably distributed funding that appears in many state constitutions.  The lawsuit, William Penn School District v. State was filed in November of 2014.  The state has requested that the case be dismissed based on precedents when similar school funding lawsuits were previously brought in Pennsylvania.  While a lower court did dismiss the William Penn School District case, plaintiffs and advocates who filed an amicus brief on their behalf last week, simply ask that plaintiffs be granted the right to present their case and evidence to the Supreme Court, which is scheduled to hear an appeal of the case early in 2016.

Derek Black explains the history of the case at the Law Professors Blog Network: “Last fall, plaintiffs filed suit against Pennsylvania, arguing that education is a fundamental right under Pennsylvania School Funding War Drags On | janresseger:

CURMUDGUCATION: NY: Turning Screws on Opt Out

CURMUDGUCATION: NY: Turning Screws on Opt Out:

NY: Turning Screws on Opt Out

If you are a struggling school in New York, congratulations-- you've been drafted to fight against the state's burgeoning opt out movement.

As reported yesterday at Politico, one new requirement for struggling and persistently struggling schools to avoid a state takeover is to get their participation on the Big Standardized Test above 95%.

Those of you who are living above ground may recall that last year upwards of 200,000 New York students refused to take the BS Test. This prompted a variety of reactions. The feds made veiled threats. Governor Andrew Cuomo and chancellor Merryl Tisch reaffirmed their belief in a parent's right to choose. New education commissioner MaryEllen Elia was a bit more stern. 

But when life hands you lemons, say reformsters, you can always make one more mechanism for privatizing schools, and right now NY Ed department has figured out how to turn Opt Out into Win Win.

Elia's position remains that NY parents just don't understand how awesomely wonderful the tests are. Asked for a comment on the new takeover participation requirement, the department of ed told Politico:

We encourage and support the efforts of all schools and districts to explain to parents the benefits that parents, students, teachers, schools, and district and state policymakers derive from student participation in state assessments.

In other words, struggling school districts are welcome to get stuffed or start working for us in CURMUDGUCATION: NY: Turning Screws on Opt Out:

NY: Cuomo's New Common Core Faux Commission

My absolute favorite part of Gov. Amdrew Cuomo's announcement about the Common Core Task Force is this stock art student on the front page

This is a face that says, "Yeah, like that shit's gonna happen."

The task force has been charged "with comprehensively reviewing and making recommendations to overhaul the current Common Core system and the way we test our students." It features several return appearances by members of the governor's "successful" NY Education Reform Commission-- you remember their big hit, the edu-improving report of January 2014.

So who do you get to head up a group that is going to re-examine and possibly rewrite the baseline education standards for an entire state? A top educator? A leading expert in educational standards? An experienced educational scholar?

Ha! Of course not, you dope. You get a financial master of the universe like Richard Parsons, former 

NY: Cuomo's New Common Core Faux Commission

Education Research Report: Usage of Policies and Practices Promoted by Race to the Top and School Improvement Grants

Education Research Report: Usage of Policies and Practices Promoted by Race to the Top and School Improvement Grants:

Usage of Policies and Practices Promoted by Race to the Top and School Improvement Grants

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 injected $7 billion into two of the Obama administration's signature competitive education grant programs: Race to the Top (RTT) and School Improvement Grants (SIG). While RTT focused on state policies and SIG focused on school practices, both programs promoted related policies and practices, including an emphasis on turning around the nation's lowest-performing schools. Despite the sizable investment in both of these programs, comprehensive evidence on their implementation and impact has been limited to date. 
 This report focuses on two implementation questions: (1) Do states and schools that received grants actually use the policies and practices promoted by these two programs? (2) Does their usage of these policies and practices differ from states and schools that did not receive grants? Answers to these questions provide context for interpreting impact findings that will be presented in a future report.

The first volume of this report details the RTT findings, which are based on spring 2012 interviews with 49 states and the District of Columbia. Key findings include:

• Early (Round 1 and 2) RTT states reported using more policies and practices promoted by RTT than non-RTT states in five of the six major areas examined: state capacity, standards and assessments, data systems, teachers and leaders, and charter schools (school turnaround was the exception). Later (Round 3) RTT states reported using more policies and practices promoted by RTT than non-RTT states in just one area: teachers and leaders.
• Across all states, usage of policies and practices promoted by RTT was highest in the state capacity and data systems areas (66 and 68 percent of policies and practices examined) and lowest in the teachers and leaders area (24 percent or policies and practices examined).
• There were no differences between RTT and non-RTT states in usage of English Language Learner (ELL)-focused policies and practices promoted by RTT. States with higher percentages of ELLs used more ELL-focused policies and practices than states with lower percentages of ELLs, but there were no differences in usage between states with higher and lower ELL/non-ELL achievement gaps.

The second volume of this report details the SIG findings, which are based on spring 2012 surveys of approximately 470 schools in 60 districts and 22 states. Key findings include:

• Schools implementing a SIG-funded model reported using more practices promoted by SIG than schools not implementing such models in all four areas examined: comprehensive instructional reforms, teacher and principal effectiveness, learning time and community-oriented schools, and operational flexibility and support.
• Across all schools, usage of practices promoted by SIG was highest in the comprehensive instructional reforms area (90 percent of practices examined) and lowest in the operational flexibility and support area (46 percent of practices examined).
• There were no differences between schools implementing a SIG-funded model and schools not implementing one in usage of ELL-focused practices promoted by SIG. Schools with higher percentages of ELLs used more ELL-focused practices than schools with lower percentages of ELLs, but there were no differences in usage between schools with higher and lower ELL/non-ELL achievement gaps.Education Research Report: Usage of Policies and Practices Promoted by Race to the Top and School Improvement Grants:

Portland Public Schools leader: LGBTQ training makes schools 'safe' for students (Q&A) | OregonLive.com

Portland Public Schools leader: LGBTQ training makes schools 'safe' for students (Q&A) | OregonLive.com:

Portland Public Schools leader: LGBTQ training makes schools 'safe' for students (Q&A)

(Faith Cathcart)

Earlier this week, The Oregonian/OregonLive brought you the story of a transgender teacher in the Gresham-Barlow School District. Oregon and Washington have long barred employers from firing workers because of their gender identity. Yet most schools remain unprepared for the coming wave of transgender teachers, staff and students.

Portland Public Schools is one of the most progressive districts in the nation when it comes to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. Each year, the district trains teachers at its 90 schools to better serve LGBTQ students. Principals begin school years by telling teachers to ask students which pronouns they prefer to use. And a widely distributed FAQ reminds teachers they have the right to be out, keep photographs of their partners in their classrooms and use the pronouns and bathrooms that suit them.

The Oregonian/OregonLive spoke with Rudy Rudolph, a project manager for Portland Public's equity department, about why the district prioritizes this work.

Oregon law says you can't fire teachers because of their gender identity, but the law doesn't require you to offer training. Why is that professional development important?

If we don't give people an opportunity to understand what life is like for an LGBTQ person in the schools and at work, how can we ever really truly say that PPS is a safe place for all?

People have been so appreciative that the district is making people aware and giving them the tools to move forward.

The first question some districts ask is, 'How much is it going to cost?'

The first question I get is, 'What do you need? How can we help you?' I've never once gotten a no. They want to make it right.

Were there any challenges in getting this off the ground?

Yes. There are so many important things that the leaders of our schools need to know about and do, involving curriculum, new teaching techniques, all the testing that goes on.

What's challenging is being able to get in front of them with all the other things that are important. Every year, we have gotten in front of the whole leadership to make Portland Public Schools leader: LGBTQ training makes schools 'safe' for students (Q&A) | OregonLive.com:

• Transgender at school: As more teachers come out, districts struggle to put policy into practice
• 5 lessons on coming out as transgender at work
• When transgender employees come out, what should coworkers do? (Q&A)
• When transgender employee came out, Symantec had to adapt, too