Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION: NOLA Charters and Bloated Bureaucracy + Exhuming inBloom

CURMUDGUCATION:

Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION

NOLA Charters and Bloated Bureaucracy

2by Peter Greene / 1h

Remember how the charter school industry was going to be a lean, mean, educatin' machine. That is repeatedly turning out to be not particularly true. Take this recent study from New Orleans, home of the charter industry's greatest opportunity, the hurricane-fueled chance to set up a chartertastic free-for-all. The ways in which this is failing are legion and oft-reported. For the moment we're just

YESTERDAY

Exhuming inBloom

10by Peter Greene / 12h

The folks at Data & Society have decided to take a look at " The Legacy of inBloom ,." and mostly what they've revealed is that they haven't learned much of anything from the Data Overlords Disaster that was Gates' failed attempt to create a massive data mine. Data & Society is "a research institute focused on the social and cultural issues arising from data-centric technological development." In

FEB 02

Active Shooter

57by Peter Greene / 1d

So today we had early dismissal so that we could spend the afternoon running active shooter drills. Loads of local law enforcement and other agencies participated in the drill. We had fifty-ish hand picked students to play the part of student victims. We had several previous PDs to go over how to handle ourselves. And we had two live "bad guys" with blank-firing guns to make it all nice and realis

PA: More Bad School Evaluation

8by Peter Greene / 1d

For a while, here in PA we've been rating schools with the SPP (school performance profile) for a few years. It's a fun little batch of number shuffling that pretends to be a broad method of scoring school performance that is actually 90% Big Standardized Test scores . It has been spectacularly non-useful (except that it has provided some teachers of a certain age with whom I work to invoke the Na

Goldman Sachs Backs Bad Reform

11by Peter Greene / 1d

For whatever reason, a video from your friends at Goldman Sachs has been circulating again. First floated out into the interether last June, it highlights "three ways technology will transform the classroom" (and therefor you should invest in this stuff and make a bunch of money). Our host is Victor Hu . With a JD from Harvard law and an MBA from the Wharton School, Hu is well set to spend over a

FEB 01

DeVos: We're Not Done Yet

100+by Peter Greene / 2d

The HELP committee approved her, and then two members of that committee who voted "yes" to send her on to the full Senate indicated that they would vote No to her appointment to the USED Secretary post. So. We're not done yet. Contact your Senator. If you know they're voting against DeVos, thank them and let them know that you support their choice (because you can be sure they're getting pressure

PA: Gutting Teacher Sick Leave

500+by Peter Greene / 2d

In Pennsylvania, while folks were busy working to head off the appointment of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education, the State Senate's education committee was passing a bill to strip sick and bereavement leave from teachers (as well as sabbatical leave). SB 229 is a re-introduction of SB 584 from the previous session. It would end the state requirement for a minimum number of sick and bereavement

What About Rural Charters

21by Peter Greene / 2d

In a recent panel discussion , Nine Rees, the head honcho of the National Alliance of Public [sic] Charter Schools observed that " It is actually quite hard to expand charter schools in a lot of rural communities because there's no political base of support for those kinds of changes ." And then she was on to other stuff (I'm working my way through that video and will have commentary on the whole

JAN 30

Beyond Tuesday

200+by Peter Greene / 4d

It's late Monday night. I've finished firing off today's set of e-mails and vented some general internet outrage (because, you know, a well-turned tweet from a small town English teacher is totally going to shift the American conversation). And I think I'm settled for tomorrow. Look, sooner or later one of two things is going to happen. Betsy DeVos is going to be confirmed as Secretary of Educatio

PAC Makes Final DeVos Push

10by Peter Greene / 4d

America Rising is a super PAC created by Republicans back in 2013 when the RNC determined that they needed a group that did "nothing but post inappropriate Democrat utterances and act as a clearinghouse for information on Democrats.” You may remember them as the folks that followed every single Democratic candidate around and taped everything they ever said. These masters of opposition research h

JAN 29

Friedrichs At It Again

21by Peter Greene / 5d

You remember Rebecca Friedrichs. She had a whole lawsuit named after her in which she was the face of union-busting in California . That case stalled when Justice Scalia died and the GOP decided that they would keep the court stuck with eight justices for almost a year (yes, that would be the same GOP that says only dirty rotten America-haters would obstruct a Presidential appointment). But Rebecc

OR: Protecting the Tests

14by Peter Greene / 5d

Oregon has a law-- House Bill 2713 -- that directs their Secretary of State to conduct an audit of "use of statewide summative assessment in public schools in this state." It's an audacious, wacky move-- don't just implement the Big Standardized Test, but actually check back and do some studies to see if it's a big waste of money or not. The audit was actually released back in September of 2016, t

ICYMI: Has it only been a week edition (1/29)

6by Peter Greene / 6d

It is really hard to keep a focus strictly on education these days, and yet tomorrow morning, those of us who teach will be headed back into our classrooms whether the world is burning or not. Media Consensus on Failing Schools Paved Way for DeVos Making the case that years of repeating that "everybody knows" how badly schools are failing set us all up for someone like Betsy DeVos. Channeling My R

JAN 28

Don't Read Me Today

16by Peter Greene / 6d

Seriously. I'm not blogging today. I'm throwing all those words into tweeting, emailing and Facebook messaging my Senators and Representatives and telling them that so much of what's happening this week is not okay (I would be 

CURMUDGUCATION:

Louisiana Educator: More Frightening Revelations About Betsy DeVos. Please Help Stop this Appointment!

Louisiana Educator: More Frightening Revelations About Betsy DeVos. Please Help Stop this Appointment!:

More Frightening Revelations About Betsy DeVos. Please Help Stop this Appointment!

This is your last chance to help stop a very dangerous anti-public education individual from being appointed to the highest education position in the nation! Betsy DeVos is not only one of the least qualified persons ever for U. S. Education Secretary (she has not one bit of training or experience in public education), but recent revelations have uncovered her investments in a highly suspicious, possibly fraudulent pseudo-educational scheme to extract high fees from parents of students and citizens with learning disabilities! Why would we appoint someone who stands to profit from highly questionable schemes possibly fleecing parents of children who are most at-risk?

I am talking about the fact that Betsy DeVos, President Trump's nominee for U. S. Secretary of Education, is a major investor in a company called Neurocore, which claims to retrain the brains of persons and children with various learning disabilities. See this article in The New York Times that highlights the fact that DeVos has refused to dispose of her investments in Neurocore. Here is the actual Neurocore web site. Look at their slick promotion and judge for yourself if this may be a scam.

This company charges very high fees to often desperate parents to "retrain the brains" of children with ADHD or autism, who have trouble concentrating in school. The problem is that there is not one shred of real, peer reviewed research showing that this "retraining" works. Yet the Neurocore company has announced plans to expand nationwide and possibly offer their services to schools in many states.The whole thing looks suspiciously like a flat out scam (sort of like Trump University). The DeVos investment company is considered the biggest investor in this Louisiana Educator: More Frightening Revelations About Betsy DeVos. Please Help Stop this Appointment!:

Exhuming McCarthy 2017: “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?” | radical eyes for equity

Exhuming McCarthy 2017: “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?” | radical eyes for equity:

Exhuming McCarthy 2017: “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?”

McCarthy-Welch Exchange

Delivered 9 June 1954 during the Army-McCarthy Hearings in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Welch: You’ve done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?

“Exhuming McCarthy”
R.E.M., Document

Exhuming McCarthy 2017: “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?” | radical eyes for equity:

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Hitting Left Week 1

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Hitting Left Week 1:

Hitting Left Week 1

Week 1 crew. 

Well, we pulled it off on Week 1. We were, as they say, a little rough around the edges. Messed up a few transitions, forgot to reintroduce our in-studio guest, Troy LaRaviere after each break, things like that,.. But I think we did pretty well on the Klonsky Brothers' first live Hitting Left show on Lumpen Radio.

Our producer, Logan was impressed. He says our first show drew an audience, second only to the Beer Show, earning us the permanent (is anything really...?) 11-noon slot on Fridays.

If you missed it, you can listen to it here.

Special thanks to Logan Bay and Leah Menzer at Lumpen Radio and to Jeff Spitz and his assistant Scott for doing the video. Clips should be forthcoming.

Tune in next week for more Klonsky Brothers and guests hitting from the left side of the plate.

Tweet us, using hashtag #HittingLeft17 or go to our Hitting Left FB page to send us comments, questions or suggestions for future shows.Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Hitting Left Week 1:

Classroom Seating: A Clue to Teacher Beliefs about Learning (Angela Watson) | Larry Cuban

Classroom Seating: A Clue to Teacher Beliefs about Learning (Angela Watson) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

Classroom Seating: A Clue to Teacher Beliefs about Learning (Angela Watson)

Angela Watson is an experienced elementary school teacher, coach, and blogger (see here). She offers pros and cons of various ways to arrange a classroom leaving it up to readers which configuration of desks best reflects their beliefs in teaching and learning and the realities of managing a crowd of students.

How to furnish and arrange existing furniture in a classroom is a peek into the heart and mind of a teacher’s ideology of how students learn best and watching them at the same time.

Watson offers teachers various options to consider. Moreover, she recommends changing seating arrangements over the course of the school year as classroom norms evolve, content and skills shift, and relationships with students mature.

Although she speaks to mostly elementary school teachers, I have seen thousands of middle and high school classrooms where seating arrangements vary including options that Watson evaluates.

There are several basic desk arrangements that I like to rotate between:

• Stadium Seating (or Angled Rows with Desks Touching)
• Modified U (or Horseshoe)
• Groups (or Teams)
• Combination (desks in various positions)

I’ve never had all my students’ desks separated, as that takes up too much space and isn’t conducive to the teaching methods I use, so I can’t give advice on that arrangement. I’ve tried pretty much everything else you can think of, though! Check out the classroom arrangement ideas blog post for tips on fitting Classroom Seating: A Clue to Teacher Beliefs about Learning (Angela Watson) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

Betsy DeVos Responds to Senator Patty Murray’s Question about SPED and Private Schools | deutsch29

Betsy DeVos Responds to Senator Patty Murray’s Question about SPED and Private Schools | deutsch29:

Betsy DeVos Responds to Senator Patty Murray’s Question about SPED and Private Schools

I have been reading Michigan billionaire school choice champ and US ed sec nominee Betsy DeVos’ written responses to the 139 follow-up questions asked by Senate Health, Education, Labor and pensions (HELP) Committee member, Patty Murray.

Below is Murray’s question 104. It concerns any DeVos support for holding private schools that receive public money to the standard of also serving special needs students:

Have you ever supported efforts to require private schools that receive public funding provide the same rights and protections that traditional public schools must offer to the parents of children with disabilities? Yes or no. If yes, please describe the effort, including specific dates, details, and your personal involvement.

And DeVos’ response:

No educational program, public or private, is ideal for all students, especially students with disabilities. Even today, there are public school districts that do not have the services to meet the needs of all students with disabilities and suggest to those parents that they should enroll their students in nearby charter schools or the district arranges to have those students go to another district to have their needs met. So, let’s be honest. No individual public school provides the full range of high quality services for every student with a disability; this is true for private schools as well.

Public school systems have the right to establish specialized programs in schools for students with specific disabilities and, through the IEP process, to assign students with specific disabilities to these schools in order to meet their needs more effectively. When this occurs, the public schools that do not offer these services within the system are not “discriminating” against the students with these disabilities.

In far too many cases, the parents of students with disabilities in public schools are currently not satisfied with the services their children are receiving. In fact, public schools contract out education services for almost 

Betsy DeVos Responds to Senator Patty Murray’s Question about SPED and Private Schools | deutsch29:

Pennsylvania: No School Property Tax for the Rich, Poor Still Pay | gadflyonthewallblog

Pennsylvania: No School Property Tax for the Rich, Poor Still Pay | gadflyonthewallblog:

Pennsylvania: No School Property Tax for the Rich, Poor Still Pay

Eliminating Property tax to fund public schools sounds like a great idea!

Until you read the fine print.

Because what Pennsylvania legislators are proposing won’t actually eliminate property taxes – unless you’re rich.

And it won’t ensure students get the funding they need.

And it will limit school boards’ local control.

But it will benefit the rich and big corporations, which is really the only reason we’re talking about it – AGAIN.

Let me break it down for you.

First, the bill being shopped around is called the Property Tax Independence Act or SB 76. It would get rid of all property taxes used to fund public schools and replace them with increases in sales and income taxes.

Somehow these increases would need to generate and additional $12 billion a year in revenue so that we can keep funding our schools at the present level. That’s some tax increase – and guess who’s going to pay the bulk of it – YOU.

Guess who’s not going to pay much of it – the huge corporations who used to pay property taxes on all those commercial, industrial, oil and gas properties.

This is a huge giveaway to big business, and it’s a substantial hike for regular Pennsylvania: No School Property Tax for the Rich, Poor Still Pay | gadflyonthewallblog: 

CPAG Meeting Notice and Agenda, February 2017 - California Practitioners Advisory Group (CA Dept of Education)

CPAG Meeting Notice and Agenda, February 2017 - California Practitioners Advisory Group (CA Dept of Education):

Joint Meeting of the California Practitioners Advisory Group 
and the State Board of Education

AGENDA

February 16, 2017

California Practitioners Advisory Group Members

• Jo Ann Isken, Chair
• Ed Manansala, Vice Chair
• Melissa Agudelo
• Jorge Aguilar
• Mariana Astorga-Almanza
• Ulises Garcia
• Carolina Hernandez-Malone
• John-Damien Huntley
• Linda Kaminski
• Kimberly Kenne
• Tara Kini
• Nancy Lara
• L. Karen Monroe
• Marco Petruzzi
• Neva Rowden
• Susan Salcido
• Araceli Simeon
• Karen Valdes

Liaisons to the State Board of Education

• Sue Burr
• Ilene Straus

Note: The State Board of Education (SBE) meeting is a study session and the SBE members in attendance will take no action on any Items.

State Board Members

• Michael W. Kirst, President
• Ilene W. Straus, Vice President
• Sue Burr
• Bruce Holaday
• Feliza I. Ortiz-Licon
• Patricia A. Rucker
• Niki Sandoval
• Ting L. Sun
• Trish Williams
• Olivia Sison, Student Member
• Vacancy

Secretary & Executive Officer

• Hon. Tom Torlakson

Executive Director

• Karen Stapf Walters

Schedule of Meeting	Location
Thursday, February 16, 2016 9 a.m. Pacific Time ±	California Department of Education 1430 N Street, Room 1101 Sacramento, California 95814  916-319-0843

Please see the detailed agenda for more information about the items to be considered and acted upon. The public is welcome.

ALL TIMES ARE APPROXIMATE AND ARE PROVIDED FOR CONVENIENCE ONLY.

ALL ITEMS MAY BE RE-ORDERED TO BE HEARD AT ANY TIME OF THE NOTICED MEETING. A LIVE STREAM OF THE MEETING WILL BE PROVIDED; HOWEVER, THE VIDEO FEED AND PUBLIC VIEWING OF THE MEETING WILL BE PAUSED IF THE CPAG PARTICIPATES IN SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION/ACTIVITY.

The California Practitioners Advisory Group and the State Board of Education will hold a one-day meeting on Thursday, February 16, 2017, at the location indicated above. The meeting may include some activities involving the group as a whole and small group discussion involving one or more of the members. The following outline of activities is provided for convenience only. The actual order of business may be changed without notice to accommodate the needs of members, invited presenters, and key staff. Anyone interested in a particular matter should plan on being in attendance for the whole meeting, February 6, 2017. Timing and order of activities may change. The full Advisory Group will commence, recess, and reconvene as necessary throughout the one-day meeting.

GUIDELINES FOR PUBLIC INPUT SESSIONS

Time is set aside for individuals desiring to speak on any topic not otherwise on the agenda. Please see the detailed public agenda for the Public Session. In all cases, the presiding officer reserves the right to impose time limits on presentations as may be necessary to ensure that the agenda is completed.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL WITH A DISABILITY

Pursuant to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, any individual with a disability or any other individual who requires reasonable accommodation to attend or participate in a meeting or function of the California Practitioners Advisory Group may request assistance by contacting the California Department of Education, Improvement and Accountability Division at 1430 N Street, Room 6208, Sacramento, CA, 95814, by telephone at 916-319-0843 or by email at cpag@cde.ca.gov.

Thursday, February 16, 20179:00 a.m. Pacific Time+

• Call to Order
• Salute to the Flag
• Overview of Agenda
• Announcements
• Roll Call and Introductions
• Special Presentations
  Public notice is hereby given that special presentations for informational purposes may take place during this session.
• Agenda Items
• Adjournment

AGENDA ITEMS

Item 01

Subject: Feedback Regarding Remaining ESSA-Related Policy Decisions to Inform ESSA Consolidated State Plan Development.

Type of Action: Action, Information

---

Item 02

Subject: Update on the New Accountability and Continuous Improvement System, including, but not limited to, the California School Dashboard.

Type of Action: Action, Information

---

Item 03

Subject: Update on the School Conditions and Climate Work Group, the English Learner Progress Indicator Work Group, and the Statements of Model Practices.

Type of Action: Action, Information

---

Item 04

Subject: California Practitioners Advisory Group Priorities, including, but not limited to, future meeting plans; agenda items; approval of minutes; general comments and questions from CPAG members; and other matters of interest.

Type of Action: Action, Information

---

Item 05

Subject: General Public Comment Public. Comment is invited on any matter not included on the printed agenda. Depending on the number of individuals wishing to address the California Practitioners Advisory Group, the presiding officer may establish specific time limits on presentations.

Type of Action: Action, Information

***ADJOURNMENT OF THE MEETING***

---

This agenda is posted on the California Practitioners Advisory Group’s Web site. For more information concerning this agenda, please contact the California Department of Education at 1430 N Street, Room 5111, Sacramento, CA, 95814; telephone 916-319-0787; facsimile 916-319-0972. Individuals desiring to speak on the items presented below will be limited to two minutes each. A group of five speakers may sign up together and designate one speaker who will be allocated a total of three minutes for the group. Members of the public wishing to send written comments about an agenda item to the CPAG members are encouraged to send an electronic copy to cpag@cde.ca.gov, with the item number clearly marked in the subject line. In order to ensure that comments are received by CPAG members in advance of the meeting, please submit these and any related materials to our office by noon on February 10, 2017, the Friday prior to the meeting. For the December 2016 meeting, the agenda will also be posted on the State Board of Education’s Web site and all letters submitted to the CPAG members will also be distributed to the SBE members.

Last Reviewed: Friday, February 3, 2017

CPAG Meeting Notice and Agenda, February 2017 - California Practitioners Advisory Group (CA Dept of Education):