Big Education Ape

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Tech giant alleged to have shared private student data :: SI&A Cabinet Report

Tech giant alleged to have shared private student data :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet:

Tech giant alleged to have shared private student data

(Miss.) Google Inc. allegedly collected students’ personal information and search history to help advertisers target children, according to a lawsuit filed by the state of Mississippi.

The suit claims Google used its apps marketed as being safe for teacher and student use–including Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Docs–for third party use, and then falsely assured families that student data was being kept private.

“It is disturbing to think that one of the world’s most profitable corporations would try to make even more money by deceiving parents and taking advantage of Mississippi school children,” Attorney General Jim Hood said in a statement. “Through this lawsuit, we want to know the extent of Google’s data mining and marketing of student information to third parties.”

Nearly every state has made some effort in recent years to bolster student data privacy protections by adopting comprehensive and thorough approaches toward handling security breaches, collection and handling of data, and limiting who is able to access data.

According to the nonprofit Data Quality Campaign, at least 386 bills were introduced throughout the country targeting issues of transparency, security and privacy between 2014 and 2016. Many sought to protect state and federal assessment of data, as well as third-party service providers’ information security and data sharing activities.

In 2015, scores of companies that collect student information or provide technology used for educational purposes signed the K-12 School Service Provider Pledge to Safeguard Student Privacy–including Google–in which they promised not to collect, maintain, use or share student personal information beyond what is needed for educational purposes. Additionally, companies agreed to disclose what information is collected and for what purposes to parents in an easy-to-understand manner.

The lawsuit filed by Hood this month claims that Google has failed to live up to its pledge. The suit alleges that the company builds profiles from student information which are used to target advertising, without properly disclosing the types of information it collects. The attorney general’s Tech giant alleged to have shared private student data :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet:

Trump Pauses ESSA Accountability Regulations | Truth in American Education

Trump Pauses ESSA Accountability Regulations | Truth in American Education:

Trump Pauses ESSA Accountability Regulations

President Donald Trump’s first action after being sworn in as our 45th President of the United States was to order a freeze of all Obama Administration regulations that had not yet taken effect pending review.

Trump’s chief of staff, Reince Priebus, sent a memo to all department and agency heads that read:

The President has asked me to communicate to each of you his plan for managing the Federal regulatory process at the outset of his Administration. In order to ensure that the President’s appointees or designees have the opportunity to review any new or pending regulations, I ask on behalf of the President that you immediately take the following steps:

Subject to any exceptions the Director or Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget (the “OMB Director”) allows for emergency situations or other urgent circumstances relating to health, safety, financial, or national security matters, or otherwise, send no regulation to the Office of the Federal Register (the “OFR”) until a department or agency head appointed or designated by the President after noon on January 20, 2017, reviews and approves the regulation. The department or agency head may delegate this power of review and approval to any other person so appointed or designated by the President, consistent with applicable law.

With respect to regulations that have been sent to the OFR but not published in the Federal Register, immediately withdraw them from the OFR for review and approval as described in paragraph 1, subject to the exceptions described in paragraph 1. This withdrawal must be conducted consistent with OFR procedures.

With respect to regulations that have been published in the OFR but have not taken effect, as permitted by applicable law, temporarily postpone their effective date for 60 days from the date of this memorandum, subject to the exceptions described in paragraph 1, for the purpose of reviewing questions of fact, law, and policy they raise. Where appropriate and as permitted by applicable law, you should consider proposing for notice and comment a rule to delay the effective date for regulations beyond that 60-day period. In cases where the effective date has been delayed in order to review questions of fact, law, or policy, you should consider potentially proposing further notice-and-comment rulemaking. Following the delay in effective date

a. for those regulations that raise no substantial questions of law or policy, no further action needs to be taken; and
b. for those regulations that raise substantial questions of law or policy, agencies should notify the OMB Director and take further appropriate action in consultation with the OMB Director.

Exclude from the actions requested in paragraphs 1 through 3 any regulations Trump Pauses ESSA Accountability Regulations | Truth in American Education:

Almost everyone in Trump’s cabinet has experience with public education—except the education secretary Betsy DeVos — Quartz

Almost everyone in Trump’s cabinet has experience with public education—except the education secretary Betsy DeVos — Quartz:

Almost everyone in Trump’s cabinet has experience with public education—except the education secretary

Among the myriad of objections leveled at Betsy DeVos, US president Donald Trump’s pick to lead American public education, the most stark is the fact that she’s never actually attended a public high school or university. Nor have her four children.

The criticism becomes all the sharper when looking at Trump’s overall cabinet, which at this point is almost completely assembled.

Position	Individual	Public high school and/or university attended
President	Donald Trump	—
Vice president	Mike Pence	Columbus North High School
Chief of staff	Reince Priebus	Trempler High School, University of Wisconsin
Homeland security	John Kelly	University of Massachusetts
Defense	James Mattis	Richland High School; Central Washington University
CIA	Mike Pompeo	US Military Academy
State	Rex Tillerson	University of Texas at Austin
Housing and urban development	Ben Carson	Detroit Public Schools
Transportation	Elaine Chao	Syosset High School
UN ambassador	Nikki Haley	Clemson University
Energy	Rick Perry	Paint Creek Independent School District; Texas A&M University
Commerce	Wilbur Ross	—
Interior	Ryan Zinke	Whitefish High School; University of Oregon
Education	Betsy DeVos	—
Attorney general	Jeff Sessions	Wilcox Central High School
Treasury	Steve Mnuchin	—
Environmental protection agency	Scott Pruitt	University of Kentucky
Small business administration	Linda McMahon	New Bern High School; East Carolina University
Budget director	Mick Mulvaney	—
Health and human services	Tom Price	Dearborn High School; University of Michigan
Labor	Andy Puzder	Kent State University
Director of national intelligence	Dan Coats	Jackson High School
US trade representative	Robert Lighthizer	—
Agriculture	Sonny Perdue	Warner Robins High School; University of Georgia
Veterans affairs	David Shulkin*	—

*Shulkin attended a private university. The details of his high school are not available.

With the exception of DeVos, Trump himself, and just a handful of others, most of Trump’s administration have had some form of experience with American public education, whether that’s graduating from public high schools or attending public universities. And that’s even given their absurd wealth (Trump’s cabinet picks have more money than a third of American households combined), and the fact that affluent people usually gravitate toward private schooling.

DeVos, a Michigan billionaire who favors the idea that federal money should go to independent schools as well as public ones, was called out as an ill-fitting choice to lead the US Education Department from the start—and now the awkwardness is all the more apparent. She attended a private Christian high school in Michigan, then a private liberal arts college.

She also failed at her own confirmation hearing to understand basic education terms or take a stance on issues such as student-performance accountability and campus sexual assault. If her appointment is Almost everyone in Trump’s cabinet has experience with public education—except the education secretary Betsy DeVos — Quartz:

FACT - Hunger is a major contributing factor to the Education Achievement Gap. - Wait What?

FACT - Hunger is a major contributing factor to the Education Achievement Gap. - Wait What?:

FACT – Hunger is a major contributing factor to the Education Achievement Gap.

Image result for Hunger is a major contributing factor to the Education Achievement Gap.

The corporate education reform movement is fond of claiming that poverty is no excuse for children failing to succeed in school.

Their level of ignorance is astounding.

Hunger is just one of the devastating outcomes related to the level of widespread poverty in the United States and these factors are keeping tens of millions of children from doing better in school.

Researchers recognize that “out of school factors” (OSF) have a significant and dramatic impact on a child’s level of academic success. Although there are a variety of important steps the nation must take to improve its schools, children actually spend less than 15% of their time in school, meaning non-school issues have an incredible impact on a child’s in-school success..

And while quality education programs make a difference, there are a series of socio-demographic factors that have a profound impact on how well children actually do with their time in school.

One of the most pronounced impediments to learning is hunger, often called, “food insecurity” in the parlance of public policy.

The evidence is overwhelming that the lack of sufficient food undermines an individual’s ability to function and it has an especially devastating impact on children.

And hunger is a very real problem in this country, especially when it FACT - Hunger is a major contributing factor to the Education Achievement Gap. - Wait What?:

Why People Who Know REALLY Oppose Confirmation of Betsy DeVos | janresseger

Why People Who Know REALLY Oppose Confirmation of Betsy DeVos | janresseger:

Why People Who Know REALLY Oppose Confirmation of Betsy DeVos

You no doubt know that Betsy DeVos, President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Education Secretary, has devoted her fortune and her advocacy to promoting school privatization through expansion of vouchers and unregulated charters. DeVos believes that if parents are given a choice and enough money to choose, they’ll improve the product by voting with their feet. Her theory, if not the reality, is that bad schools will then close and children will be better served. As the Senate considers her confirmation, people who know a lot about public education are warning Senators to oppose her. Here are highlights of four articles—all by experts—all from different points of view. Please do follow the links and read the articles themselves. They are all short.

***

Brett McNeil, whose The High School Where Our Kids Belong appeared on Monday in the Chicago Sun-Times, describes himself as someone who shifted careers, seeking teaching mid-career, working in a Chicago public high school and a Chicago charter high school. Although he has now left teaching for work in journalism, he brings the seldom-heard perspective of a teacher from inside two contrasting high schools, and he explains: “(W)ith charter school champion Betsy DeVos set to preside over federal education policy, I thought I might highlight some key differences between the public and charter school models.” He describes the two schools in which he taught: “Both schools have student populations that are predominantly minority—one African American, the other Latino. Both schools also have a large number of students receiving free or reduced lunches….” McNeil contrasts the facilities, programs, and extras at the two schools. The public school has a library with librarians, a large gym and gym classes and a performing arts center, while the charter lacks a library, librarians, gym classes and performing arts. The public high school offers a range of enrichments—a video production lab; a 25-yard swimming pool and swim team; a band room, band classes and marching band; art classes; drama classes and a drama club; National Honors Society; an Why People Who Know REALLY Oppose Confirmation of Betsy DeVos | janresseger:

Over 1,000 Students/Alumni from DeVos’ Alma Mater, Calvin College, Believe She Is Unqualified for US Ed Sec. | deutsch29

Over 1,000 Students/Alumni from DeVos’ Alma Mater, Calvin College, Believe She Is Unqualified for US Ed Sec. | deutsch29:

Over 1,000 Students/Alumni from DeVos’ Alma Mater, Calvin College, Believe She Is Unqualified for US Ed Sec.

An article protesting the nomination of Betsy DeVos was posted in the Calvin College newspaper, Chimes. (Note: I had to play with link to get it to work.)

DeVos is a Calvin College alumna.

I first read about the letter on January 24, 2017, in Valerie Strauss’ column, “The Answer Sheet,” in the Washington Post.

The goal of the letter is for Calvin College alumni to have a document to send to senators.

Since Strauss’ posting, Calvin College has apparently released an official statement:

UPDATE: Calvin College has released the following statement:

Our graduate Betsy DeVos is responding to her sense of call to public service, and more than 60,000 alumni from a variety of political perspectives are discerning the best ways to engage politics and culture in this moment. In all of this, our alumni are living out what we hope our students are learning during their time on campus: to think deeply, to act justly and to live wholeheartedly as Christ’s agents of renewal in the world.

Below are excerpts from what is apparently the original, January 23, 2017, article. The included letter is a strong one, and it indicates that those signing believe that DeVos does not have the background suited to serving as an overseer of public education:

Hundreds of Calvin alumni have signed a letter opposing their fellow alumna Betsy DeVos’s confirmation as United States Secretary of Education.

The letter was drafted and circulated by Sara Moslener, ’96, on Saturday, Jan. 21. As of 11 p.m. Monday night, it had over 700 signatures. …

[Schneider update: According to MLive, by January 24, 2017, the number of signers had exceeded 1,000.]

Alumni of multiple generations have signed the letter, from the class of 1953 to the expected class of 2018. …

The text of the letter is as follows:

As alumni and students of Calvin College we share an educational
Over 1,000 Students/Alumni from DeVos’ Alma Mater, Calvin College, Believe She Is Unqualified for US Ed Sec. | deutsch29:

CURMUDGUCATION: Reformster Jason Botel Added To USED

CURMUDGUCATION: Reformster Jason Botel Added To USED:

Reformster Jason Botel Added To USED

Jason Botel comes with the full reformy pedigree. He graduated from U of Penn in 1997 with a degree in English and went straight to work as a Teach for America recruit in Baltimore. He spent three whole years in the classroom, then went on to launch a Baltimore franchise of the KIPP school brand. He served as principal (on LinkedIN he calls it a "public school principal" job) while also serving as the KIPP Baltimore executive director.

In that capacity he went head-to-head with the teachers union, arguing that they shouldn't actually be paid for extra days and hours spent teaching. Presumably if you went to work for KIPP you just accepted that you would do more work for less pay than your professional peers in public schools.

From KIPP Botel moved on to become executive director of MarylandCAN, one of the network of fifty(ish) CANs that serve as lobbyists and financiers for the reformster movement, bolstered by all the big names like Gates and Walton. His job there was to be a soldier in the ongoing fight of CURMUDGUCATION: Reformster Jason Botel Added To USED:

Badass Teachers Association: How Defending Public Schools and the Environment Can Save the Democratic Party by Cheryl Gibbs Binkley

Badass Teachers Association: How Defending Public Schools and the Environment Can Save the Democratic Party by Cheryl Gibbs Binkley:

How Defending Public Schools and the Environment Can Save the Democratic Party

by Cheryl Gibbs Binkley

Originally posted at: http://3rdmillenniumteacher.blogspot.com/2017/01/how-defending-public-schools-and.html

There has been much speculation about the whys and wherefores of the recent election as to why the Dems lost and the Trumpers won, and there’s been much hand wringing behind the scenes (in between the can-you-believe-he-did-thats) about how the Democratic party will recover from the election. They are fragmented, they are mistrustful of one another, and they are scared.

Right now in Congress the Republicans are ignoring the Dems like they were mailroom boys, while there are 33 Republican Governors, and 25 completely Republican state capitals, with another 20 state legislatures partially controlled by Republicans. Let’s face it, ALEC is having a field day with state laws! If you wanna see pillaging, look to the states for rampant slash and burn politics from absolutely buzzark Koch legislators who now control our states.

Though there are some not so talked about ways we got to this disastrous place (hint: it’s by being more like the Republicans than like Democrats), I’d really like to present a clear option for getting out of the uncomfortably tight container where way more than half the country are crammed into a fraction of the legislative space.

All the people issues are good, and as soon as the Dems get back the state houses and Congress they can pay attention to all of them. But health care and immigration are going to be projects that are not easily solved, though we know we will have to fix them both. However, there are two other issues that can deliver the country on a plate to the party that realizes it.

Here’s the solution-- Take a firm and strongly progressive stand on Education and the Environment.

First Education-- Yes, Education, and not just free college and more preschools; though loan Badass Teachers Association: How Defending Public Schools and the Environment Can Save the Democratic Party by Cheryl Gibbs Binkley:

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