Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 3/5/16

CORPORATE ED REFORM

Rick Snyder policy ideas yield string of disasters for Michigan | MSNBC

Rick Snyder policy ideas yield string of disasters for Michigan | MSNBC: Rick Snyder policy ideas yield string of disasters for MichiganTHE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 3/4/16Rick Snyder policy ideas yield string of disasters for MichiganIn a TRMS Special Report, Rachel Maddow lists a series of government-caused disasters, from veterans care to education to water infrastructure, inflicted on the citizens of

by mike simpson / 53min 

BATs LEGISLATIVE TEAM WEEKLY UPDATE Badass Teachers Association

Badass Teachers Association: BATs LEGISLATIVE TEAM WEEKLY UPDATEFEDERAL NEWSContinue to fight against King's nomination due to be decided on 3/9!BATS ARE ASKING EVERYONE TO STOP THE CONFIRMATION OF JOHN KING.  HE WAS HORRIBLE FOR NEW YORK AND HE WILL BE HORRIBLE FOR THE NATION! THE CONFIRMATION DECISION WILL BE RENDERED MARCH 9THCALL SENATOR ALEXANDER AND TELL HIM TO SAY NO TO JOHN KING  202-224-4

by mike simpson / 2h 

Malloy turns to charter school industry for names to appoint to the CT State Board of Education - Wait What?

Malloy turns to charter school industry for names to appoint to the CT State Board of Education - Wait What?:Malloy turns to charter school industry for names to appoint to the CT State Board of Education The Controversy goes well beyond the legal and ethical issues with Malloy’s recent nominee to the State Board of Education.This week the Connecticut General Assembly is expected to vote on Govern

by mike simpson / 3h 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Claypool blinks on pension pick-up. Militant "showdown" action still planned for April 1st.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Claypool blinks on pension pick-up. Militant "showdown" action still planned for April 1st.: Claypool blinks on pension pick-up. Militant "showdown" action still planned for April 1st. CTU Pres. Karen Lewis calls for a "showdown" on April 1st.Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of

by mike simpson / 4h 

CURMUDGUCATION: Silicon Valley Wunderskool

CURMUDGUCATION: Silicon Valley Wunderskool:Silicon Valley WunderskoolWhen we last met Altschool, it was May of 2015 and the new Silicon Valley educational disruptor startup was getting all kinds of press courtesy of some combination of good connections and the contribution of a buttload of Zuckerberg money. Now Rebecca Mead at the New Yorker is letting us know how Altschool has been faring since t

by mike simpson / 4h 

'Charter Schools Are Not Public Schools' Oakland OEA Teachers Protest 'Common Enrollment' - YouTube

'Charter Schools Are Not Public Schools' Oakland OEA Teachers Protest 'Common Enrollment' - YouTube:'Charter Schools Are Not Public Schools' Oakland OEA teachers and supporters of public education rallied at the Oakland Unified School Board meeting on January 27, 2016 to protest the "Open Enrollment" scheme being pushed by the charter industry, the Broad Foundation and other privatizers.

by mike simpson / 5h 

Every Bill Proposed by La. House Ed Chair Nancy Landry Supports Test-Driven, Corporate Reform | deutsch29

Every Bill Proposed by La. House Ed Chair Nancy Landry Supports Test-Driven, Corporate Reform | deutsch29: Every Bill Proposed by La. House Ed Chair Nancy Landry Supports Test-Driven, Corporate Reform Nancy Landry is the chair of Louisiana’s 2016 House Education Committee, and every piece of legislation that she has proposed to date for the 2016 regular session intends to either extend or reinforc

by mike simpson / 6h 

Schools Matter: Decision-Maker Quiz to Find Teachers Who Know How to Act on Global Age Imperatives

Schools Matter: Decision-Maker Quiz to Find Teachers Who Know How to Act on Global Age Imperatives: Decision-Maker Quiz to Find Teachers Who Know How to Act on Global Age Imperativesby Susan OhanianThis questionnaire, a survey of skills needed in today's education marketplace, facilitates an individual participant's ranking of eligibility for grants from: Accelerated ReaderAchieve Incall4edAmerica

by mike simpson / 6h 

How Do You Explain the Corporate Assault on Public Education to Friends Who Know Nothing About It? | Diane Ravitch's blog

How Do You Explain the Corporate Assault on Public Education to Friends Who Know Nothing About It? | Diane Ravitch's blog:How Do You Explain the Corporate Assault on Public Education to Friends Who Know Nothing About It? I received an email from a daily reader of the blog who asked me how she could explain the downside of corporate reform to friends at a dinner party in the suburbs who know nothin

by mike simpson / 7h 

Schools Matter: "Ephemeral Teacher Swarms" aka Part-Time Temps

Schools Matter: "Ephemeral Teacher Swarms" aka Part-Time Temps: "Ephemeral Teacher Swarms" aka Part-Time TempsIf you think that TFA is the only corporate game in town intended to de-professionalize teaching and crush public education, think again.  The privateers have more schemes ready to launch as the TFA bubble loses gas, and here is just one of them from the CBE-based Knowl

by mike simpson / 7h 

Overwhelming Bipartisan Support To Rein In Charter School Lapses | PopularResistance.Org

Overwhelming Bipartisan Support To Rein In Charter School Lapses | PopularResistance.Org:Overwhelming Bipartisan Support To Rein In Charter School Lapses…National Poll FindsVoters support transparency and accountability.According to a new, nationwide poll, Americans overwhelmingly want public charter schools to be more accountable, have less selective admissions policies, employ better-trained tea

by mike simpson / 7h 

CURMUDGUCATION: How Is My Test PR Doing?

CURMUDGUCATION: How Is My Test PR Doing?: How Is My Test PR Doing?The test manufacturing industry continues to search for new and creative ways to push back against the opt out movement. Some of this propaganda is pretty pedestrian, but occasionally they come up with stuff that's very extra special. Meet the website "How is my kid doing?"This PR initiative is being led by the Council for

by mike simpson / 7h 

With A Brooklyn Accent: How Age and Race Discrimination Laid the Groundwork for the California Teachers Shortage- A Report

With A Brooklyn Accent: How Age and Race Discrimination Laid the Groundwork for the California Teachers Shortage- A Report: How Age and Race Discrimination Laid the Groundwork for the California Teachers Shortage- A Report March 4, 2016Valerie Trahan2045 Emerson St LowerBerkeley, CARetired TeacherMasters in Education; Harvard University510-689-6123To:  Dr.Linda Darling Hammond; Professor Emeritus

by mike simpson / 7h 

Peggy Robertson opened the OPT OUT CONFERENCE with six minutes of an overview of where we are and what is next | Reclaim Reform

Peggy Robertson opened the OPT OUT CONFERENCE with six minutes of an overview of where we are and what is next | Reclaim Reform:Peggy Robertson opened the OPT OUT CONFERENCE with six minutes of an overview of where we are and what is next United Opt Out National Conference: Transcending Resistance, Igniting Revolution spoke the reality of the corporate education reform and its primary purpose of s

by mike simpson / 8h 

Chicago teachers set April 1 for 'showdown' with schools - Yahoo Finance

Chicago teachers set April 1 for 'showdown' with schools - Yahoo Finance:Chicago teachers set April 1 for 'showdown' with schools CHICAGO, March 4 (Reuters) - The head of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) said on Friday that the district will hold off on a controversial cost-cutting move affecting teachers' pension payments to allow for the labor contract process to play out.But that move will not

by mike simpson / 8h 

Everyone Loves the Idea of Preschool, So Why Don't All Our Kids Get to Go to One? | Mother Jones

Everyone Loves the Idea of Preschool, So Why Don't All Our Kids Get to Go to One? | Mother Jones: Everyone Loves the Idea of Preschool, So Why Don't All Our Kids Get to Go to One?What the studies say about early childhood education.It's hard to think of another education reform idea that has garnered as muchsupport among advocates of various ideological stripes as early childhood education. Califo

by mike simpson / 8h 

Book club helps immigrant mothers find joy in reading and support their kids' education - LA Times

Book club helps immigrant mothers find joy in reading and support their kids' education - LA Times: Book club helps immigrant mothers find joy in reading and support their kids' educationCleotilde Flores, center, holds her favorite books that she has read with other mothers at the Bravo Medical Magnet High School literature club. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) Maria Onate had not read a book until

by mike simpson / 8h 

Ed. Department Names ESSA Negotiators, Key Areas of Discussion - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Ed. Department Names ESSA Negotiators, Key Areas of Discussion - Politics K-12 - Education Week: Ed. Department Names ESSA Negotiators, Key Areas of DiscussionBy Alyson Klein and Andrew UjifusaUPDATEDGet ready, get set: Negotiate rules for the Every Student Succeeds Act!Later this month, a group of negotiators (names below) will gather at the U.S. Department of Education to hash out regulations fo

by mike simpson / 8h 

From the archive: The Bee’s 2012 report on Fresno Unified’s lease/leaseback contracts | Fresno Bee

From the archive: The Bee’s 2012 report on Fresno Unified’s lease/leaseback contracts | Fresno Bee: From the archive: The Bee’s 2012 report on Fresno Unified’s lease/leaseback contracts Six months after passage of a $280 million bond measure in 2010, Fresno Unified School District changed the way many of its construction contracts were awarded.The traditional practice of choosing the lowest bid wa

by mike simpson / 8h 

Tindley charter schools chief’s exit didn’t solve woes | 2016-03-05 | Indianapolis Business Journal\

Tindley charter schools chief’s exit didn’t solve woes | 2016-03-05 | Indianapolis Business Journal | IBJ.com: Tindley charter schools chief’s exit didn’t solve woesHoosier School Heist TV is Doug Martin's channel featuring videos of his book tour across Indiana speaking on the corporate takeover of public education. Order Hoosier School Heist at http://hoosierschoolheist.com/.Follow Hoosier Schoo

by mike simpson / 8h 

Teacher's note tells students they are more than their standardized test scores - TODAY

Teacher's note tells students they are more than their standardized test scores - TODAY.com: Teacher's note tells students they are more than their standardized test scoresStandardized testing can fray the nerves of any student, but it was a letter sent by a teacher in advance of the tests that left an Indiana third-grader and his mom in tears.Rylan Fallis, 9, admitted to his mother, Abby Fallis,

by mike simpson / 8h 

Missouri bill guarantees opt-out ability for standardized tests | columbia missourian

Missouri bill guarantees opt-out ability for standardized tests | State News | columbiamissourian.com: Missouri bill guarantees opt-out ability for standardized testsJEFFERSON CITY — A Missouri lawmaker believes some statewide standardized tests should come with an explicit opt-out option, and on Monday he presented a draft of a bill that would do just that. House Bill 2315, sponsored by Rep. Kurt

by mike simpson / 9h 

YESTERDAY

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 3/4/16

CORPORATE ED REFORMJudge: Plaintiffs may still access complete California student database, but with tightened security | 89.3 KPCCJudge: Plaintiffs may still access complete California student database, but with tightened security | 89.3 KPCC: Judge: Plaintiffs may still access complete California student database, but with tightened securityA massive database that includes sensitive information

by mike simpson / 23h 

Rick Snyder policy ideas yield string of disasters for Michigan | MSNBC

Rick Snyder policy ideas yield string of disasters for Michigan | MSNBC:

Rick Snyder policy ideas yield string of disasters for Michigan

THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 3/4/16

Rick Snyder policy ideas yield string of disasters for Michigan

In a TRMS Special Report, Rachel Maddow lists a series of government-caused disasters, from veterans care to education to water infrastructure, inflicted on the citizens of Michigan by the "innovative" governing policies of Governor Rick Snyder. Duration: 13:55

BATs LEGISLATIVE TEAM WEEKLY UPDATE Badass Teachers Association

Badass Teachers Association:

BATs LEGISLATIVE TEAM WEEKLY UPDATE

FEDERAL NEWS
Continue to fight against King's nomination due to be decided on 3/9!

BATS ARE ASKING EVERYONE TO STOP THE CONFIRMATION OF JOHN KING.  HE WAS HORRIBLE FOR NEW YORK AND HE WILL BE HORRIBLE FOR THE NATION! THE CONFIRMATION DECISION WILL BE RENDERED MARCH 9TH

CALL SENATOR ALEXANDER AND TELL HIM TO SAY NO TO JOHN KING  202-224-4944. Here are some talking points



1.  John King disenfranchised and marginalized the voices of parents in New York by calling them “special interests groups. “  http://dianeravitch.net/2013/10/14/parent-groups-in-new-york-call-for-commissioner-john-king-to-resign/



2. When John King resigned from New York parents reacted http://www.nysape.org/john-king-resigns-parents--educators-call-for-a-new-direction-from-the-regents-and-demand-no-interference-from-governor-cuomo.html



3. When President Obama made John King Acting Secretary New York Parents were warn of the impending catastrophe http://dianeravitch.net/2015/10/02/nysape-john-king-was-a-catastrophe-in-new-york/



4. Due to his refusal to listen to parents in New York State over 240,000 parents lost trust in the education system and refused testing for their children.  http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2015/12/8586029/group-calls-parents-opt-out-local-assessments



5. The New York State United Teachers Association called a No Confidence vote for King in 2014  http://www.nysut.org/news/2014/april/ra-2014/nysut-votes-no-confidence-in-king-calls-for-his-removal





6. His display in the hearings of Chief Information Officer Danny Harris only solidifies King's indifference and incompetence to oversee our children’s education.  https://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2016/02/08/more-transcribed-interactions-from-usdoe-cio-danny-harris-hearing/   and  here   https://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2016/02/08/investigation-of-usdoe-cio-danny-harris-video-and-transcribed-excerpts/



SEND OUR ACTION NETWORK LETTER WHICH HAS HAD OVER 2500 SENT TO SAY NO TO KING.   https://actionnetwork.org/letters/say-no-to-john-king-as-us-secretary-of-education?source=direct_link&referrer=badass-teachers-association

ALSO CHECK OUT THE BATS ELECTION SCORE CARD HERE  http://badassteachers.blogspot.com/2016/01/bat-election-scorecard-common-core.html


STATE NEWS!

FLORIDA
A controversial bonus plan that awards "highly effective" teachers based on their ACT/SAT scores faces a tough fight in the Florida Senate -- and that battle is bogging down a massive education bill that Sen. Don Gaetz wants to use as a vehicle to permanently extend the "Best & Brightest" bonuses.  http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2016/03/best-brightest-teacher-bonuses-face-battle-in-florida-senate.html


KANSAS
Teachers are concerned about being paid after Badass Teachers Association:

Malloy turns to charter school industry for names to appoint to the CT State Board of Education - Wait What?

Malloy turns to charter school industry for names to appoint to the CT State Board of Education - Wait What?:
Malloy turns to charter school industry for names to appoint to the CT State Board of Education

 The Controversy goes well beyond the legal and ethical issues with Malloy’s recent nominee to the State Board of Education.

This week the Connecticut General Assembly is expected to vote on Governor Dannel Malloy’s appointment of Erik Clemons to the State Board of Education, despite what appears to be a major conflict of interest that should be keeping Mr. Clemons off the board that sets policy for Connecticut public schools and is responsible for the oversight of the companies that own and operate Connecticut’s charter schools at a cost of over $100 million a year to Connecticut taxpayers.

Clemons is not only a founding Board Member of the recently opened New Haven Montessori Charter School and served, up until last year, as a Board Member of one of the Achievement First, Inc. charter schools in New Haven, Clemons’s company was given a no-bid contract that was approved and funded by the Connecticut Board of Education, a contract that has already netted Clemons’ company more than $500,000 with a lot more public funds to come.

As a member of the Connecticut Board of Education Erik Clemons will be in a position to financially reward himself, the charter schools he is or has been associated with and his friends and colleagues in the charter school industry.

For Background See:

Company run by Malloy appointee to the State Board of Education collects $517,128 in funds allocated by the State Board of Education

It’s a CONFLICT OF INTEREST to serve on the State Board of Education while collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars a 

Malloy turns to charter school industry for names to appoint to the CT State Board of Education - Wait What?:

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Claypool blinks on pension pick-up. Militant "showdown" action still planned for April 1st.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Claypool blinks on pension pick-up. Militant "showdown" action still planned for April 1st.:

Claypool blinks on pension pick-up. Militant "showdown" action still planned for April 1st.

 

CTU Pres. Karen Lewis calls for a "showdown" on April 1st.

Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them. --Frederick Douglas

Another way to say it is, if you don't hit it, it won't fall. Well, Karen Lewis and the CTU hit hard at Forrest Claypool's threatened dropping of the 7% pension pick-up, and it fell, at least for now. 

 Unilaterally dropping the pension pick-up, especially in the middle of contract negotiations, was a serious enough contract violation that the union was prepared to strike on April 1st. On top of that, Claypool announced more lay-offs at CPS and then ordered a 3-day unpaid furlough across the entire system. 

But faced with a imminent strike, which would have certainly been another, maybe the last, nail in the mayor's political coffin, Rahm pulled back the leash on his attack dogs yesterday and Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Claypool blinks on pension pick-up. Militant "showdown" action still planned for April 1st.:

CURMUDGUCATION: Silicon Valley Wunderskool

CURMUDGUCATION: Silicon Valley Wunderskool:
Silicon Valley Wunderskool

When we last met Altschool, it was May of 2015 and the new Silicon Valley educational disruptor startup was getting all kinds of press courtesy of some combination of good connections and the contribution of a buttload of Zuckerberg money. Now Rebecca Mead at the New Yorker is letting us know how Altschool has been faring since then.

The short pitch for Altschool is tech-based boutique micro-schooling for rich kids.

When I read about it last May, Altschool immediately reminded me of the free or open schools of the sixties. My aunt, a wonderful woman who had been traditionally trained as a teacher, opened one in Connecticut. The basic idea is that if you place students in resource rich environments and let them follow their interests, education will happen. Altschool is able to really, really up the ante on the whole rich resource portion of the idea, but putting technology in the hands of every child.

The other half of the Altschool idea is to put tech in the hands of the teachers. From Mead's observation of a pre-K class:

Several children were playing “restaurant,” and one girl sat in a chair, her arms outstretched as if holding a steering wheel: she was delivering food orders. “I’m taking a shortcut,” she announced. A teacher sitting on the floor told her, “That’s a good word—you used it correctly.” Then she took out her phone and recorded a video of the moment.

Altschool was founded-started-conceived by Max Ventilla, a former Google project manager who CURMUDGUCATION: Silicon Valley Wunderskool:

'Charter Schools Are Not Public Schools' Oakland OEA Teachers Protest 'Common Enrollment' - YouTube

'Charter Schools Are Not Public Schools' Oakland OEA Teachers Protest 'Common Enrollment' - YouTube:
'Charter Schools Are Not Public Schools'

 Oakland OEA teachers and supporters of public education rallied at the Oakland Unified School Board meeting on January 27, 2016 to protest the "Open Enrollment" scheme being pushed by the charter industry, the Broad Foundation and other privatizers.

Teachers discussed how this "open enrollment" will weaken public education and the growing corruption and cover-up in the charter school system.
For more information:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHF3b...
http://files.ctctcdn.com/3cb1c19b001/...
http://www.crpe.org/sites/default/fil...
http://files.ctctcdn.com/3cb1c19b001/...
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/re...
https://notocharterschools.files.word...
Production of Labor Video Project
www.laborvideo.org

Every Bill Proposed by La. House Ed Chair Nancy Landry Supports Test-Driven, Corporate Reform | deutsch29

Every Bill Proposed by La. House Ed Chair Nancy Landry Supports Test-Driven, Corporate Reform | deutsch29:

Every Bill Proposed by La. House Ed Chair Nancy Landry Supports Test-Driven, Corporate Reform

 Nancy Landry is the chair of Louisiana’s 2016 House Education Committee, and every piece of legislation that she has proposed to date for the 2016 regular session intends to either extend or reinforce now-gone-Jindal’s anti-public school, pro-corporate-reform sentiments.

Every one.

  Nancy Landry

On March 04, 2016,  I wrote a post about her proposed HB 392, which would create an open door for classroom teacher pay to be cut. As it turns out, HB 392 is the one on which Landry apparently put forth the most effort to create.

On Friday, March 04, 2016, Landry filed the following education bills:

HB 875, the goal of which is to keep the testing component of teacher evaluation at 50 percent. What she demonstrates here is her intention to keep in place the current law. It also makes her look productive even though all she really did was remove old dates from the current bill and add a word here and there.

HB 874 is to keep the current state accountability system in place for public schools. Every Bill Proposed by La. House Ed Chair Nancy Landry Supports Test-Driven, Corporate Reform | deutsch29:

Schools Matter: Decision-Maker Quiz to Find Teachers Who Know How to Act on Global Age Imperatives

Schools Matter: Decision-Maker Quiz to Find Teachers Who Know How to Act on Global Age Imperatives:

Decision-Maker Quiz to Find Teachers Who Know How to Act on Global Age Imperatives

by Susan Ohanian This questionnaire, a survey of skills needed in today's education marketplace, facilitates an individual participant's ranking of eligibility for grants from:  Accelerated Reader Achieve Inc all4ed American Federation of Teachers Amplify American Legislative Exchange Council Annenberg Institute for School Reform ASCD Aspen Institute Bellwether Education Partners Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation Brookings Institution Business Roundtable Carnegie Foundation for Advancement of Teaching Center for American Progress Center for Teaching Quality Chic-Fil-A  Chicago Teachers Union Quest Center, Clean Underwear Pedagogy College Board Council of Chief State School Officers Council of Great City Schools Danielson Group: The Framework  Michael and Susan Dell Foundation Democrats for Education Reform  Department of Pediatrics at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Education Trust Editorial Projects in Education Inc (Education Week) Education Writers Association Thomas Fordham Institute Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Harvard University Program on Education Policy and Governance Helmsley Charitable Trust Hoover Institute The Hunt Institute  Institute for Education Sciences Learning First Alliance LearnZillion McKinsey & Company National Center on Education and Economy National Congress of Parents and Teachers (PTA) National Governors Association Center for Best Practices NEA New America Foundation New Leaders New Teacher Project Inc. New Venture Fund New York Times editorial board Partnership for 21st Century Skills Pearson USA  Preva Group, LLC Relay Graduate School of Education Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Rubrics Inc. William E. Simon Foundation  Southern Regional Education Board Stanford University for Opportunity Policy in Education Stand for Children State Farm  Strategic Management of Human Capital Student Achievement Partners/Achieve the Core Success Academy Charter Schools Teach for America Teachscape Teaching Channel TNTP University of Texas at Austin--Charles A. Dana Center       Urban Education Leadership Program, University of Illinois US Chamber of Commerce US Department of Education US DOE Delivery Institute US News & World Report College Rankings Wallace Foundation Walton Family Foundation

[1] Training students to respect and obey authority must be the critical teacher imperative.

Disagree Strongly	Disagree Mostly	Disagree Somewhat	Agree Somewhat	Agree Mostly	Agree Strongly
1.	2.	3.	4.	5.	6.

---

[2]  Students need to work harder and take more responsibility.Schools Matter: Decision-Maker Quiz to Find Teachers Who Know How to Act on Global Age Imperatives:

How Do You Explain the Corporate Assault on Public Education to Friends Who Know Nothing About It? | Diane Ravitch's blog

How Do You Explain the Corporate Assault on Public Education to Friends Who Know Nothing About It? | Diane Ravitch's blog:
How Do You Explain the Corporate Assault on Public Education to Friends Who Know Nothing About It?

 I received an email from a daily reader of the blog who asked me how she could explain the downside of corporate reform to friends at a dinner party in the suburbs who know nothing at all about the issues. She said that her friends were liberal Democrats, but their own children are grown, and they don’t read the blogs. What could she say that was direct, accurate, and informative?

We exchanged emails and began creating a list of snappy explanatory comments. Our combined list is below. Would you be good enough to send me your suggestions?

Your friend says, “So what do you think of the education reform movement?” Or, “How could anyone be opposed to education reform?”

And you answer, “What you call education “reform” is not reform at all. It is a way of making public schools look bad so they can be turned over to private managers. That’s privatization of one of our fundamental democratic institutions.”

Well, they may look at you and wonder if you have gone off the deep end, so you have to give them examples of what “education reform” actually means.

Like “for profit charter schools that are supported with tax dollars”

Like “excessive testing that makes money for test companies but isn’t good for kids”

Like “giving standardized tests to children in kindergarten and the earliest grades”

Like “turning kindergarten into first or second grade, where children study academics instead of playing”

Like “Race to the Top that pays schools to use the Common Core”

Like “charter schools that are never held accountable because their owners make big contributions to politicians”

Like “charter schools that get high test scores because they exclude kids with disabilities, kids learning English and remove those with low test scores”

Like “corporate charter chains replacing neighborhood public schools”

Like “virtual charters where kids lose 180 days of math for every 100 How Do You Explain the Corporate Assault on Public Education to Friends Who Know Nothing About It? | Diane Ravitch's blog:

Schools Matter: "Ephemeral Teacher Swarms" aka Part-Time Temps

Schools Matter: "Ephemeral Teacher Swarms" aka Part-Time Temps:

"Ephemeral Teacher Swarms" aka Part-Time Temps

If you think that TFA is the only corporate game in town intended to de-professionalize teaching and crush public education, think again.  The privateers have more schemes ready to launch as the TFA bubble loses gas, and here is just one of them from the CBE-based KnowledgeWorks, which is another Gates hothouse item that he hopes will grow to choke out public space.  

I suppose it is only appropriate that, as the planet dies from greed, poison, and neglect, some of our Ivy League under-employed and thoroughly positivized millennials should spend their days and earn their bread by coming up with privatizing schemes for Bill Gates that are redolent the rhetoric of eco-consciousness.  

This document and the clip below is aflutter with "stewardship" and "learning ecosystem" talk.  By far, my favorite new fragmented teacher role is "data steward." 

Seven Possible Educator Roles 

To help education stakeholders imagine what kinds of educator roles might contribute to flexible and rigorous learning ecosystems that enable both learners and the adults supporting them to thrive, this paper explores seven possible educator roles. 

1. (1)  Learning Pathway Designer – Works with students, parents, and learning journey mentors6 to set learning goals, track students’ progress and pacing, and model potential sequences of activities that support learning experiences aligned with competencies. 
2. (2)  Competency Tracker – Tags and maps community-based learning opportunities by the competencies they address in order to support the development of recon gurable personalized Schools Matter: "Ephemeral Teacher Swarms" aka Part-Time Temps:

Overwhelming Bipartisan Support To Rein In Charter School Lapses | PopularResistance.Org

Overwhelming Bipartisan Support To Rein In Charter School Lapses | PopularResistance.Org:
Overwhelming Bipartisan Support To Rein In Charter School Lapses

…National Poll Finds

Voters support transparency and accountability.

According to a new, nationwide poll, Americans overwhelmingly want public charter schools to be more accountable, have less selective admissions policies, employ better-trained teachers, and refrain from harming traditional local schools by siphoning away precious taxpayer funds. Overall, the poll shows wide support for regulating many aspects of the school privatization movement.

“Americans embrace proposals to reform the way charter schools are authorized and managed,” said a report by GBA Strategies, which conducted the poll of 1,000 registered voters in January for two groups that have documented fiscal malfeasance by charter operators, In The Public Interest and the Center for Popular Democracy. “The public overwhelmingly supports initiatives to strengthen charter school accountability and transparency, improve teacher training and qualifications, prevent fraud, serve high-need students and ensure that neighborhood public schools are not adversely affected.”

In addition to the report’s findings, in which bipartisan majorities—including charter school supporters—called for greater transparency, oversight and a shift in academic priorities, the poll also reaffirmed the need for greater experimentation in traditional public schools, which was the initial concept for charter schools, but has rarely been borne out in today’s charter industry, which is dominated by privately run corporate education franchises.

“Voters particularly like the concept of community schools that would integrate a dynamic curriculum with after-school and summer enrichment programs,” the report said. “Other ideas for innovating public school options, such as specialty curricula, also generate significant support.”

The report began by noting that two-thirds of voters give traditional public schools and public school teachers high ratings, with almost twice as many voters saying the schools in their neighborhoods are getting better, rather than worse. Seventy-two percent had favorable views of public school teachers, compared to 9 percent with unfavorable views.

The poll also found majorities disliked the overemphasis on standardized testing—a key feature of many charter school curricula—and cuts to arts, music and sports programs in traditional public schools. The issue of school choice—another tenet of the privatized charter school movement—“ranks dead last on their list of concerns,” the report said.

Another feature of charter schools, the emphasis on computer-centered skills, ranked below five other concerns that were “most important for K-12 schools.” Those were, in descending order: having highly qualified teachers; parental involvement; smaller teacher-student ratios; more focus on learning than standardized testing; and good communication between teachers and parents.

The respondents overwhelming favored greater oversight of charter schools and want these privately run schools to be as transparent and accountable as traditional schools. Ninety-two percent backed open board meetings for the “companies and organizations that manage charter schools.” Ninety percent want charters to disclose “how they spend taxpayer money, including their annual budgets and contracts.” Eighty-eight percent backed regular audits to “detect fraud, waste or abuse of public funds.”

Eighty percent backed the notion that charters should return taxpayer money if students return to traditional public schools. Another 67 percent want to “prohibit charter board members and their immediate families from financially benefitting from their schools.”

Notably, when it comes to teacher training, 89 percent of the public overwhelmingly wanted “all teachers who work in taxpayer funded schools… to meet the same training and qualification requirements.” The charter industry often hires the least-experienced teachers as a cost-saving measure.

Eight-two percent also supported the “community schools concept”—schools that “serve as community hubs, providing health and social services, youth and community development, parental education, as well as academics for students.” These “community schools integrate high-quality dynamic curriculum with after-school and summer enrichment programs, ensuring that every student and their family gets the opportunity to succeed no matter what zip code they live in.”

The takeaway? There is overwhelming national support for reining in the least accountable and most harmful aspects of charter schools. The poll and its findings provides a solid basis to call on state legislatures to “hold these schools accountable to parents, communities and taxpayers.”Overwhelming Bipartisan Support To Rein In Charter School Lapses | PopularResistance.Org:

CURMUDGUCATION: How Is My Test PR Doing?

CURMUDGUCATION: How Is My Test PR Doing?:

How Is My Test PR Doing?

The test manufacturing industry continues to search for new and creative ways to push back against the opt out movement. Some of this propaganda is pretty pedestrian, but occasionally they come up with stuff that's very extra special. Meet the website "How is my kid doing?"

This PR initiative is being led by the Council for a Strong America, a DC-based umbrella organization composed of  "Law enforcement leaders, retired admirals and generals, business executives, pastors and other faith leaders, and athletes, coaches and sports administrators united in our mission to build a stronger nation by preparing all young people to be productive citizens." The umbrella covers five different organizations which correspond to the five groups listed above and which boast "unexpected messengers" who are "extraordinarily effective at reaching policy-makers to help win major victories for kids." The council gets its money from just 14 contributors, including two in the Over A Million club. That includes grants from Gates-- and it's the Gates Foundation alone that is thanked for funding "in part" the How Is My Kid Doing PR drive. The HIMKD list of partners includes High Achievement New York, CCSSO (co-holders of the CCSS copyright), and the National PTA.

How Is My Kid Doing is designed to be warm and fuzzy. The staff introduces itself by first names only, accompanied by friendly childhood pictures. The font is soft and rounded. The subheading for one tab is "It starts with love."

The project is focused on story-telling. Sandra Bishop is the head of research for CSA, but her most recent contribution is a story about how in tenth grade she was moved to a higher-level English class because someone noticed her PSAT results. "Somehow, when I’d moved from junior high to high CURMUDGUCATION: How Is My Test PR Doing?: