Colorado U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet: Betsy DeVos is an ideologue, not the face of education reform | Chalkbeat

Colorado U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet: Betsy DeVos is an ideologue, not the face of education reform | Chalkbeat:

Colorado U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet: Betsy DeVos is an ideologue, not the face of education reform

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet on Friday visited a Denver school with a large immigrant population to quiz students about the current political climate, field their questions and calm their fears.

The setting was Bruce Randolph School, a northeast Denver middle and high school where, last month, a classroom full of middle-schoolers tweeted President Trump with messages about how their immigrant families make America great.

School leadership then visited the Colorado congressional delegation in Washington, including Bennet, to deliver bound copies of those tweets. That led Bennet to return the favor with a school visit.

Students asked the Democratic senator, a former Denver schools superintendent, about immigration policy, the expense of college and federal policy about public lands.

One student posed a simple question for Bennet: “Do you like Mexicans?” (After detailing his family’s Polish immigrant past and his work in Denver Public Schools, he made clear that yes, he does).

Bennet’s message to students on edge about the fates of their loved ones who are undocumented: “Try not to be distracted, and we’ll try to figure this out somehow.”

In an interview with Chalkbeat afterward, Bennet answered questions about what he learned from the school visit, his impressions of Betsy DeVos’s start as U.S. education secretary, his fears about how the Trump administration might undermine the nation’s new education law, and more.

This transcript has been lightly edited.

What did you take away from the school visit today? Did it confirm things you suspected, or open your eyes to anything you hadn’t thought about?

It mostly confirmed what I have heard, which is there are a lot of kids in this school that are worried about what is going on with immigration in the country, and concerns about families being broken up, and a kind of a weight that is hanging over them as they try to study and prepare to go to college or a career after high school. That’s a heavy burden for a teenager to carry and for a middle schooler to carry. What I hope is we are able to send a more productive signal from Washington than one that’s been sent in the past few months.

Overall, how would you assess the job Betsy DeVos has done since she was confirmed as education secretary?

I’ve been very disappointed but not surprised. I think she really is an ideologue when it comes to our public schools. When she talks about education in this country, she does not project support, really, for public education. Just the other day, the Denver Public Schools was recognized by a group in Washington for being the No. 1 choice school district in America and she went to that ceremony and took the opportunity to denigrate the work in the Denver Public Schools without having been here. So that does not instill me with a great deal of confidence.

Anything in particular, anything else, that has been disappointing?

I read the other day that she said when asked about the results that had occurred in the Michigan schools and the Detroit schools, her answer to that was that she wasn’t a numbers person, and that she was just for choice. Choice is not choice for choice’s sake. Choice is about improving outcomes for kids and you cannot do that without real accountability that ensures that there is rigor, that we are moving towards rigor, for kids that are choosing schools in the system. I wish she would come to Denver and take a look at the work that’s been done here, both in terms of choice and in terms of trying to move our traditional schools forward.Colorado U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet: Betsy DeVos is an ideologue, not the face of education reform | Chalkbeat:

Joe Biden Has Some Strong Words For Betsy DeVos | The Huffington Post

Joe Biden Has Some Strong Words For Betsy DeVos | The Huffington Post:

Joe Biden Has Some Strong Words For Betsy DeVos
The former VP thinks DeVos’ handling of Title IX sends a “frightening message.”

Former Vice President Joe Biden did not mince words about U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos in a recent interview with Teen Vogue. 

In the interview, published Friday afternoon, Biden discussed his sexual assault prevention organization It’s On Us and why everyone needs to be included in the fight against sexual violence ― especially with the Trump administration in power. 

“We’re trying to let young men understand that without consent, meaning saying yes, it is OK to touch me, yes it is OK to pull me into this bed, yes it is OK to have intercourse with me, then it is not consent,” Biden told Teen Vogue. “If a young woman is drunk, SHE CANNOT CONSENT. She cannot consent, and it’s rape. It’s rape. It’s rape. It’s rape. I wanted them to see because it’s clear what the subtext is.” 

Teen Vogue’s Vera Papisova then asked the former VP about DeVos ― specifically, his thoughts on how she’s handled Title IX protections.

Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational institutions or programs that receive federal funding, is best known in the context of demands for equal treatment of female and male student athletes. But given that sexual harassment and violence are forms of gender discrimination, the law also offers important protections for student victims of these crimes. Students who are survivors of sexual violence have historically been able to seek justice through the Title IX framework. 

It bothers me most if Secretary DeVos is going to really dumb down Title IX enforcement. The real message, the real frightening message you’re going to send out is, our culture says it’s OK.Former Vice President Joe Biden

Biden told Teen Vogue that the Secretary of Education is sending a “frightening message” to students and parents by refusing to affirm during her confirmation hearing that she would uphold a 2011 Title IX guidance “as it relates to sexual assault on campus.” 

“It bothers me most if Secretary DeVos is going to really dumb down Title IX enforcement,” Biden said. “The real message, the real frightening message you’re going to send out is, our culture says it’s OK. You know, the major reason why women drop out of college when Joe Biden Has Some Strong Words For Betsy DeVos | The Huffington Post:

Toolkit: Every Student Will Succeed - The Chronicle of Social Change

Toolkit: Every Student Will Succeed - The Chronicle of Social Change:

Toolkit: Every Student Will Succeed

SOURCE: National Center for Youth Law

SUBJECT: Education

TYPE: Toolkit/Guide

YEAR PRODUCED: 2017

Download file

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed by President Obama on December 10, 2015, and a new toolkit released by the Legal Center for Foster Care and Education can help jurisdictions implement the changes mandated by ESSA.

Amending the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, ESSA requires educational agencies to combine efforts with those of child welfare agencies, both on state and local levels, to secure educational stability for foster youth. It is the first time such provisions have been included in federal education law.

Signaled as a top priority by the U.S. Departments of Education (ED) and Health and Human Services, on June 23, 2016, ED distributed thorough guidelines on the implementation of ESSA. Comprised of two Dear Colleague Letters and an inclusive Q&A, the information included deadlines for school stability provisions (which were slated for December 2016), the duties of various contact persons, and clarified the responsibilities of education and child welfare agencies at state and local level

Some of the specific protections under ESSA for students in foster care include the youth’s ability to remain in the same school they attended when first placed out of home (when in the child’s best interest), immediate enrollment in a new school and transfer of academic records when a change in school is warranted, transportation as needed, and designated State Education Agency (SEA) and Local Education Agency (LEA) Points of Contact (POC). Additionally, the language “awaiting foster care placement” would no longer appear in the McKinney-Vento Act, which is the federal law ensuring immediate enrollment and school stability for homeless youth and children, and said protections would continue under ESSA.

The collaborative efforts expected between child welfare and education agencies encompass planning that prohibits disruption in a foster youth’s education. While the role of the SEA POC is to ensure the implementation of ESSA, oversee involvement of local education and child welfare agencies, as well as consider the overlap of requirements of the federal Fostering Connections Act, responsibilities of the LEA POC entails collaborating with child welfare agencies to create decision-making processes and determine the data collection and sharing of documents and records.

ESSA does not require state and local child welfare agencies to appoint their own POCs, but is highly recommended. Doing so could incorporate working with local agencies for a student’s immediate enrollment, establishing protocol for notifying local agencies when a child is placed in foster care or has moved placements, and function as the primary contact between children in care and service providers.

Access the full report here. Toolkit: Every Student Will Succeed - The Chronicle of Social Change:

Ten questions for Seattle Public Schools’ IT Lead John Krull | Seattle Education

Ten questions for Seattle Public Schools’ IT Lead John Krull | Seattle Education:

Ten questions for Seattle Public Schools’ IT Lead John Krull

John Krull has agreed to answer some questions about what is happening in terms of technology and software programs planned for Seattle Public Schools.

As Krull states in his letter of application for the position within Seattle Public Schools, “I implemented a blended and personal learning infrastructure for 87 urban schools improving overall student engagement”.

To put that in plain English, “blended and personalized learning” means that a student works in front of a computer the greater part of the day and the teacher is then able to manage over 30 students in a class, theoretically, which is a way to cut cost.

It also means that the computer or laptop is programmed with Common Core Standard packaged lessons and its associated testing which becomes an integral part of the software. There is also experimentation with using a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program that is integrated into the computers to determine a student’s mindset and attitude.

We raised a red flag on this website when we discovered that John Krull had been hired by Seattle Public Schools after working in Oakland with their public school system and I wrote about it for The Progressive.

Mr. Krull has agreed to answer some questions for us and he will have an opportunity, in a second article, to air his disagreement with what has been written so far on this website.

The following are the ten questions we submitted to John Krull, Chief Information Officer for Seattle Public Schools on April 14th.

1. Why did you decide to move to Seattle after working for two years as Chief Information Officer in the Oakland public school system?

2. Are you familiar with the Homeroom software? Apparently, it has been installed in some Seattle schools as a pilot program. If you are familiar with the program, what do you see as its value? Do you know what the cost is to buy, install and implement the Ten questions for Seattle Public Schools’ IT Lead John Krull | Seattle Education:

Congress is on recess: Time for your rep to "get schooled" - Network For Public Education

Congress is on recess: Time for your rep to "get schooled" - Network For Public Education:

Congress is on recess: Time for your rep to “get schooled”

Congress Pumping 

Because Congress is on recess until April 25, this week presents the perfect opportunity to talk to your representatives about public education.

Here is the best way to do that. Take a moment today or tomorrow to find their local office (find Senate info here and House here). Click on their names to go to their websites. Call and ask for a meeting. Or better yet, simply go to the office (preferably the main office) for a chat.

Staff will offer to “take down your concerns.” Don’t settle for that–ask to speak to your member of Congress. If they are not in the office, ask for a time they will be in so that you can return. If the staffer does not know, politely say you will wait until they find out. If you are unsuccessful, have information to leave, including a personal letter, and make an appointment to speak with their staff in charge of education issues.

What is the purpose of the visit? We have found that many of our representatives do not really understand school privatization. Or, in some cases, they believe that their constituents do not understand what they are up to, and therefore they can go along with the corporate education lobby without opposition.

That is why we have prepared our NPE toolkit, School Privatization Explained. Use it for your talking points. Bring some of the informational sheets to leave. You can download the toolkit here. It is especially important that you “school” your representative on how education tax credits are no more than vouchers in disguise. They are likely to be promoted in this budget.

For an excellent primer on the topic of disguised vouchers, read NEPC’s Kevin Welner’s piece here.

When you call or visit the office, ask when the next town hall will be. Get others to  go with you and ask direct questions about privatization. Remember you are “schooling” fellow constituents even as you express your views.

There are many important competing issues right now. Make sure support for public education is on the top of every list!

Please post and tweet the link to this email.

Thanks for all you do.

Carol Burris Executive Director, NPE

Congress is on recess: Time for your rep to "get schooled" - Network For Public Education:

Easter 2017 Reader: Grit, Poetry, Educational Rankings, Poverty | radical eyes for equity

Easter 2017 Reader: Grit, Poetry, Educational Rankings, Poverty | radical eyes for equity:

Easter 2017 Reader: Grit, Poetry, Educational Rankings, Poverty

Forget Grit. Focus on Inequality, Christine Yeh (Education Week)

Grit is an easy concept to fall in love with because it represents hope and perseverance, and conjures up images of working-class individuals living the “American dream.” However, treating grit as an appealing and simple fix detracts attention from the larger structural inequities in schools, while simultaneously romanticizing notions of poverty….

Perhaps this idea of grit resonates with so many people who believe in the popular American adage that if you work hard and pull yourself up by your bootstraps, then you can achieve anything. This belief unfortunately, assumes that individuals have the power, privilege, and access to craft their own futures, regardless of circumstance and systemic barriers.

Statistics on educational access consistently reveal vast differences in resources in affluent versus poor neighborhoods. Predominantly white, middle- and upper-income school districts tend to spend significantly more money per student than the districts with the highest percentages of marginalized students. Our poorest schools also tend to have large class sizes, unsafe school transportation, damaged and outdated facilities, and high staff turnover. All of these conditions directly contribute to low educational outcomes and underscore the link between access to school resources and improvements in students’ success. Schools that focus on grit shouldn’t ignore structural inequities because they assume that regardless of your race, class, or social context you can still triumph.

Telling children ‘hard work gets you to the top’ is simply a lie, Hashi Mohamed (The Guardian)

What I have learned in this short period of time is that the pervasive narrative of “if you work hard you will get on” is a complete myth. It’s not true and we need stop saying it. This is because “working hard, and doing the right thing” barely gets you to the starting line. Furthermore, it means something completely different depending on to which context you’re applying this particular notion. So much more is required.

I have come to understand that the systems that underpin the top professions in Britain are set up to serve only a certain section of society: they’re readily identifiable by privileged backgrounds, particular schools and accents. To some this may seem obvious, so writing it may be superfluous. But it wasn’t obvious to me growing up, and it isn’t obvious to many others. The unwritten rules are rarely shared and “diversity” and “open recruitment” have tried but made little if any difference.

Those inside the system then naturally recruit in their own image. This then entrenches the lack of any potential for upward mobility and means that the vast majority are excluded.

Check out Neoliberalism: A Concept Every Sociologist Should Understand, Peter Kaufman (Everyday Sociology)

The end result of neoliberal ideology, Monbiot continues, is that we are led 

Easter 2017 Reader: Grit, Poetry, Educational Rankings, Poverty | radical eyes for equity:

Easter Sunday links. | Fred Klonsky

Easter Sunday links. | Fred Klonsky:

Easter Sunday links.

Of the top 100 US newspapers, 47 ran editorials on President Donald Trump’s Syria airstrikes last week: 39 in favor, seven ambiguous and only one opposed to the military attack.

In other words, 83 percent of editorials on the Syria attack supported Trump’s bombing, 15 percent took an ambivalent position and 2 percent said the attack shouldn’t have happened. Polls showed the US public being much more split: Gallup (4/7–8/17) and ABC/Washington Post (4/7–9/17) each had 51 percent supporting the airstrikes and 40 percent opposed, while CBS (4/7–9/17) found 57 percent in favor and 36 percent opposed.

A list of the editorials with quotes showing support or opposition can be seen here. The list of the top 100 editorial boards in the country was taken from a 2016 Hill piece (10/5/16) on presidential election endorsements. FAIR

Eve Ewing will be our in-studio guest on Hitting Left with the Klonsky Brothers on Friday at 11AM on http://www.lumpenradio.com, 105.5FM in Chicago and streaming around the world.. Eve’s book coming in September from Haymarket Books, and available for pre-order now!

A former Blackwater employee and an ex-US Marine who has worked as a security operative for the company have made a series of explosive allegations Easter Sunday links. | Fred Klonsky:

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Easter Edition

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Easter Edition:

ICYMI: Easter Edition

It's easter Sunday and I'm a huge fan. But just in case you have some time to pass today, here's an assortment of worthwhile reads from the week. 

A Tale of Two Schools

Mitchell Robinson takes us to two schools, only twenty miles apart, that illustrate some of the inequity in education today.

Apparently Diversity Is Still Nor Innovative for Edtech...

At Educolor's blog, a look at the problem with diversity (or lack thereof) in the edtech world

Hidden Money

Yes, I know-- I'm sending you to an article from CAP. But this is an interesting look at how parent contributions skew school finances even more.

Which Came First--the Practice or the Policy

Nancy Flanagan is on point as always: The "product" in American schools used to be good citizens. Then good workers. Now, the product is test scores and being admitted to college

The List of Test-Optional Colleges and Universities Keeps Growing

Valerie Strauss with a look at how post-secondary schools keep dropping the venerable ACT and SAT-- and how the test companies are fighting back.

Erie Pennsylvania Schools Are a Canary in the Coal Mine

Jeff Bryant with some great reporting on the struggle of Erie's school system, and what it means for the death of public education.

Compliance Does Not Equal Motivation

Bill Ferriter on the difference between what a student is able to do and what the student is willing to do.

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Easter Edition:

Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION

Big Education Ape: Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2017/04/catch-up-with-curmudgucation_15.html

An Easter and Passover Joke | Diane Ravitch's blog

An Easter and Passover Joke | Diane Ravitch's blog:

An Easter and Passover Joke

Happy Easter!

Here’s a smile for your holidays.

I think you should spend today reading something other than this blog.

If you are Christian, go to church or do whatever you usually do.

If you are Jewish or Muslim or atheist or anything else, read and enjoy the day.

I would say I’m going fishing, but where I live, it’s not the season. Also, I don’t like fishing.

Actually, we are cooking up a big Easter meal for Mary’s family.

So, scour the blog for things you missed. I will be doing clean-up all day.

Get outside and breathe the spring. Winter is over. Be happy.

Enjoy friends and family.

I will be back tomorrow with some fabulous posts! An Easter and Passover Joke | Diane Ravitch's blog:

Russ on Reading: Comprehending Non-Fiction: Setting Kids Up for Success

Russ on Reading: Comprehending Non-Fiction: Setting Kids Up for Success:

Comprehending Non-Fiction: Setting Kids Up for Success

In a discussion about students and reading content text yesterday, I heard a familiar refrain from a group of elementary teachers. While some readers were highly successful in reading non-fiction, many others struggled to comprehend content text even when that text for all appearances was "at their reading level." My question for the teachers was, "What are you doing to set the children up for success?"

In content literacy what the teacher does before, during and after reading is crucial to the successful comprehension of content text. By consistently using what Vacca, Vacca, amd Mraz (2017) call the B-D-A Instructional Framework, teachers can set all of their readers up for greater success in reading challenging text.

What does this instruction look like?

Before Reading - Before students read the teacher must assist the students in activating and building background knowledge relevant to the text, spur student curiosity and interest in the text, and help students establish a purpose for the reading. Activating background knowledge is a matter of asking the students to list anything they might already know about the topic and discussing how this knowledge will help them understand what they are about to read. Sometimes when helping students activate background knowledge it becomes clear that students lack the background to successfully read the text. When this happens the teacher can show a brief relevant video, read aloud from a picture book or article that fills in some background knowledge for the students, or simply give a brief lecture that helps fill in some gaps in student knowledge.

Before reading, teachers will also want to introduce key vocabulary and concepts that the students will encounter in the reading. What key words will the students need to understand to successfully comprehend the reading?

It is also crucial to consider student motivation for reading the text. Here it is important that the teacher model her own enthusiasm for the material and provide the students with several exmples that assist the students in seeing the personal relevance of the text. Perhaps most important the teacher can use the process of activating and building background knowledge by asking questions that arouse student curiosity.

Finally, before reading it is also important that students understand the task they are being asked to complete. What is the purpose for this reading? What will the student need to do with this information? What questions will the student need to be able to answer as a result of this reading? Being clear Russ on Reading: Comprehending Non-Fiction: Setting Kids Up for Success:

Easter 2017: Sometimes You Just Have to Leave Your Water Pot | deutsch29

Easter 2017: Sometimes You Just Have to Leave Your Water Pot | deutsch29:

Easter 2017: Sometimes You Just Have to Leave Your Water Pot

Today is Easter.

Most of the posts that I write concern education reform. However, a handful are holiday posts– like this one.

Since it is Easter, in this post, I focus on Jesus Christ. It is certainly up to you to decide to continue reading. No coercion here.

I find that one of the most thought-provoking stories in the bible is Jesus’ meeting with the Samaritan woman at the well in the middle of the day (John 4). The story fascinates me on several levels. The first is that Jesus was a man, in a culture centered on men, and yet he held a full conversation with a woman, a conversation that he initiated.

Second, this woman was not even a Jewish woman. She was a Samaritan, and Jews hated Samaritans and vice-versa.

Third, the time of day that this woman came to draw water– noon, or the hot part of the day– indicates that she was an outcast among her own people. Notice that she also comes alone. No other women come with her, and no others are mentioned as being at the well during the meeting between Jesus and this woman.

Fourth, the likely reason that this woman is an outcast among her own people concerns her lifestyle. During her conversation with Jesus, the woman tells him that she has no husband, to which Christ responds, “You are right to say you have no husband because you have had five husbands, and the man you currently live with is not your husband” (my paraphrase of John 4:17-18).

Even in modern America, people do a double take when a person has been married five times– and not an affirming double take, at that.

So, if one considers the cultural norms in place at the time, the fact that Jesus holds Easter 2017: Sometimes You Just Have to Leave Your Water Pot | deutsch29:

Postmodern History and Geo Politics

Postmodern History and Geo Politics:
Postmodern History and Geo Politics

Pleas e join Internet radio host Dr. James Avington Miller Jr. and special guest Brian Crowell for a deep look into postmodern history, global politics, and public school curriculum. The issue for teachers and public education is what is allowed into curriculum and what is not.

The discussion will delve deeply into public education and what is allowed into the curriculum and what is not. Who makes the decisions? Is there a larger game plan in play?

Please listen in to our show this week and learn about how history has shaped our children and how public schools have been used to promote a larger agenda.

Knowledge is power !


RESISTANCE MATTERS
RESISTANCE IS NOT FUTILE
RESISTANCE IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF EXPRESSION OF DEMOCRACY
RESISTANCE IS SURVIVAL

Please click on the website below to listen live:

http://bbsradio.com/thewarreport
2:00 PM PDT
4:00 PM CDT
5:00 PM EDT

or

A direct listen-in line only
Station 1 - 716-748-0150
To call-in and interact live
Station 1 888-627-6008 toll free

Postmodern History and Geo Politics:

Dept of Ed Hires Anti-Civil Rights Crusader to Protect Student’s Nonexistent Civil Rights | gadflyonthewallblog

Dept of Ed Hires Anti-Civil Rights Crusader to Protect Student’s Nonexistent Civil Rights | gadflyonthewallblog:

Dept of Ed Hires Anti-Civil Rights Crusader to Protect Student’s Nonexistent Civil Rights

Candice Jackson is a victim of oppression.

When she was attending Stanford University in the mid-1990s, a minority calculus tutoring group refused to help her because she was white.

Sure she could probably afford to pay for private tutoring, but it was the point of the  thing.

She came from a family where both parents ran medical practices. Her dad, Dr. Rick Jackson, even unsuccessfully ran for Congress. You know – just like black families redlined into the ghetto and struggling to find work because of their African-sounding names.

Why shouldn’t the limited amount of tutoring spaces serve her as well as people from traditionally less privileged backgrounds? White lives matter, ya’ll.

“I am especially disappointed that the University encourages these and other discriminatory programs,” she wrote in the Stanford Review. “We need to allow each person to define his or her own achievements instead of assuming competence or incompetence based on race.”

With that kind of empathy and innate understanding of social justice, I – for one – am overjoyed that U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has hired Jackson to run the department’s Office for Civil Rights.

Well, she’s just acting head of the the office, because that doesn’t require a confirmation hearing. A permanent deputy assistant secretary will have to be approved by Congress – if DeVos ever gets around to nominating one.

I’m sure she’ll do that soon. There’s no way she’d sneak in someone who doesn’t believe in civil rights whose main job is to protect civil rights! That would be like Dept of Ed Hires Anti-Civil Rights Crusader to Protect Student’s Nonexistent Civil Rights | gadflyonthewallblog: