Big Education Ape

Saturday, February 9, 2019

Top Posts This Week 2/9/19 #REDFORED

Top Posts This Week 2/9/19

CURMUDGUCATION: The Truth About Davos, AI, and Firing All the Humans

Challenging the myths about teachers – Live Long and Prosper

Dress code discrimination: When OK attire depends on your skin color

Pittsburgh Christian Academy Tries to Become a Charter School to Cash in on Taxpayer Funding | gadflyonthewallblog

YESTERDAY

The myth of de facto segregation - kappanonlineorg #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool #CounselorsNotCops #blackhistorymonth

by mike simpson / 17h

The myth of de facto segregation - kappanonline.org The myth of de facto segregation Today’s high levels of school segregation can be traced to specific government policies that created distinct White and Black neighborhoods. For nearly 30 years, the nation’s education policy makers have proceeded from the assumption that disadvantaged children would have much greater success in school if not for

Behind The Lens episode 18: A preview of reporter Marta Jewson’s work on the tricky question of when to close failing schools in New Orleans. | The Lens

by mike simpson / 18h

Behind The Lens episode 18: ‘A very difficult and unpleasant decision that is part of the landscape in New Orleans’ | The Lens Behind The Lens episode 18: ‘A very difficult and unpleasant decision that is part of the landscape in New Orleans’ This week on Behind The Lens, New Orleans’ approach to education has resulted in a revolving door of education providers — charter schools — for the city’s

Hundreds of OUSD Students Walked Out of Class Today: Student Organizers tell us what’s next for their movement. | East Bay Majority #Unite4OaklandKids #WeAreOEA #WeAreCTA #strikeready

by mike simpson / 22h

Hundreds of OUSD students walked out of class today. Two student organizers tell us what they’re protesting and what’s next for their movement. | East Bay Majority Hundreds of OUSD students walked out of class today. Two student organizers tell us what they’re protesting and what’s next for their movement. Students participate in a sickout and march in support of Oakland teachers, Feb. 8 Hundreds

The Privatization of Teaching Teachers How to Teach Reading: Cashing In on Kids!

by mike simpson / 1d

The Privatization of Teaching Teachers How to Teach Reading: Cashing In on Kids! The Privatization of Teaching Teachers How to Teach Reading: Cashing In on Kids! Wondering about all the recent articles claiming teachers don’t know how to teach reading, and their education schools are failing them? It appears to be about nonprofits! These groups are competing with universities. They promise to bet

Hire More Black Teachers Now!: A research statement from BLM@School & J4J – Black Lives Matter At School

by mike simpson / 1d

Hire More Black Teachers Now!: A research statement from BLM@School & J4J – Black Lives Matter At School Hire More Black Teachers Now!: A research statement from BLM@School & J4J W hat Does Public Education Have Against Black Teachers You may think this is an exaggeration, but an analysis of the data from Journey 4 Justice Alliance and the #WeChoose Coalition, shows that in at least six major cit

Time to get real about ‘open’ enrollment: what works, what’s a workaround? | The Lens

by mike simpson / 1d

Time to get real about ‘open’ enrollment: what works, what’s a workaround? | The Lens Time to get real about ‘open’ enrollment: what works, what’s a workaround? I was proud that, as the most recent school performance scores were released, the state honored Harriet Tubman Charter School for both “equity” in its admissions practices and for achieving “top gains” in its academic performance. The twi

Sacramento City teachers ask state schools chief to investigate district, superintendent #REDFORED #SCTA #CTA

by mike simpson / 1d

Sacramento teachers union requests investigation into school district Sacramento City teachers ask state schools chief to investigate district, superintendent SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) — The Sacramento City Teachers Association sent a letter to state officials requesting an investigation into the Sacramento City Unified School District and the superintendent. The request comes as the school distr

Sacramento teachers union requests investigation into school district

by mike simpson / 1d

Portfolio School Governance Creates Unstable Charter Sector with Too Many School Closures | janresseger

by mike simpson / 1d

Portfolio School Governance Creates Unstable Charter Sector with Too Many School Closures | janresseger Portfolio School Governance Creates Unstable Charter Sector with Too Many School Closures In an important brief from the National Education Policy Center, William Mathis and Kevin Welner define “portfolio school reform”—a school district governance theory which originated at the Center on Reinv

FEB 07

Charter Schools Are Pushing Public Education to the Brink

by mike simpson / 2d

Charter Schools Are Pushing Public Education to the Brink Charter Schools Are Pushing Public Education to the Brink When striking Los Angeles teachers won their demand to call for a halt to charter school expansions in California, they set off a domino effect, and now teachers in other large urban districts are making the same demand . Unchecked charter school growth is also bleeding into 2020 el

Cory Booker Has a Betsy DeVos Problem – Mother Jones

by mike simpson / 2d

Cory Booker Has a Betsy DeVos Problem – Mother Jones Cory Booker Has a Betsy DeVos Problem “I became a pariah in Democratic circles for taking on the party orthodoxy on education.” In the spring of 2012, Cory Booker delivered the keynote address at the third annual School Choice Policy Summit at a Westin hotel in Jersey City, New Jersey. For a half hour, the then-Newark mayor told hundreds of att

Judge Orders District to Arbitrate Its Refusal to Implement Our Restructured Salary Schedule - Sacramento City Teachers Association

by mike simpson / 2d

Judge Orders District to Arbitrate Its Refusal to Implement Our Restructured Salary Schedule - Sacramento City Teachers Association JUDGE ORDERS DISTRICT TO ARBITRATE ITS REFUSAL TO IMPLEMENT OUR RESTRUCTURED SALARY SCHEDULE Upholds SCTA Motion to Compel Sac City to Honor Arbitration Clause of our Contract Sacramento (February 6, 2019): In a huge legal victory, the Sacramento County Superior Cour

What I will never forget about the State of the Union - Lily's Blackboard

by mike simpson / 2d

What I will never forget about the State of the Union - Lily's Blackboard What I will never forget about the State of the Union So, yes, I was in the House gallery to hear Donald Trump’s surreal State of the Union address. But no, it was certainly not by his invitation. I was invited by the most powerful woman in the United States of America, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who single-handedly

Teachers At Four Chicago Charter School Campuses Walk Out | PopularResistance.Org

by mike simpson / 2d

Teachers At Four Chicago Charter School Campuses Walk Out | PopularResistance.Org TEACHERS AT FOUR CHICAGO CHARTER SCHOOL CAMPUSES WALK OUT With contract talks stalled after nine months of negotiations, 175 teachers at four Civitas campuses, part of Chicago International Charter School (CICS), walked out on strike Tuesday at 6 a.m. Teachers and staff are seeking raises, smaller class sizes, a red

#BlackLivesMatterAtSchool Twitter Chat: A national conversation on this week of action & the demand for #CounselorsNotCops – Black Lives Matter At School

by mike simpson / 2d

#BlackLivesMatterAtSchool Twitter Chat: A national conversation on this week of action & the demand for #CounselorsNotCops – Black Lives Matter At School #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool Twitter Chat: A national conversation on this week of action & the demand for #CounselorsNotCops e are excited to announce the national #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool twitter chat at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific so we can learn a

Defining ‘High-Quality’ Curriculum | Teacher in a strange land

by mike simpson / 2d

Defining ‘High-Quality’ Curriculum | Teacher in a strange land Defining ‘High-Quality’ Curriculum Hey, remember when Bill Gates and his disciples were pushing the Common Core and every day there was another info piece published in Ed World saying, emphatically and even snippily, that these were STANDARDS, not a CURRICULUM? Remember those assurances that a national consensus on standards and relia

Will Booker’s Track Record on Education Be a Problem for his 2020 Campaign? - NJ Spotlight

by mike simpson / 2d

Will Booker’s Track Record on Education Be a Problem for his 2020 Campaign? - NJ Spotlight WILL BOOKER’S TRACK RECORD ON EDUCATION BE A PROBLEM FOR HIS 2020 CAMPAIGN? His vision for improving education has included charter schools and merit pay for teachers — views that are out of fashion for many Democrats Sen. Cory Booker is running for president — and bringing a lengthy record on education wit

CURMUDGUCATION: DC: Charter Leaders Make The Big Bucks

by mike simpson / 2d

CURMUDGUCATION: DC: Charter Leaders Make The Big Bucks DC: Charter Leaders Make The Big Bucks It's a phenomenon noted in many urban education-scapes. The leaders (CEO, Education Visionary, Grand High Muckity Muck, whatever) of a charter operation makes far more money than a) the local public school superintendent responsible for far more students and b) the teachers who work within the charter. B

Striking Schoolteachers Have Changed the National Conversation about Our Public Schools | janresseger #REDFORED

by mike simpson / 2d

Striking Schoolteachers Have Changed the National Conversation about Our Public Schools | janresseger Striking Schoolteachers Have Changed the National Conversation about Our Public Schools The editor of Current Affairs , Nathan Robinson offers a profound critique of President Barack Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s signature education policy, Race to the Top. Race to the Top epitomize

FEB 06

by mike simpson / 2d

#CounselorsNotCops: Black Girl at Pennsylvania high school brutalized in latest assault by a school police officer; Black Lives Matter At School rallies around the country on Feb. 6-7th. – Black Lives Matter At School #CounselorsNotCops: Black Girl at Pennsylvania high school brutalized in latest assault by a school police officer; Black Lives Matter At School rallies around the country on Feb. 6

Oakland Educators Authorize Strike | PopularResistance.Org

by mike simpson / 3d

Oakland Educators Authorize Strike | PopularResistance.Org OAKLAND EDUCATORS AUTHORIZE STRIKE 95% vote to strike for smaller class size, student support and living wage Oakland educators are ready to walk off the job and onto the picket line to fight for smaller class sizes, more student support and a living wage, following a strike authorization vote that saw a whopping 95 percent of Oakland tea

Erika Christakis: Active-Shooter Drills Are Misguided - The Atlantic

by mike simpson / 3d

Erika Christakis: Active-Shooter Drills Are Misguided - The Atlantic Active-Shooter Drills Are Tragically Misguided There’s scant evidence that they’re effective. They can, however, be psychologically damaging—and they reflect a dismaying view of childhood. A T 10:21 a.m. on december 6, Lake Brantley High School, in Florida, initiated a “code red” lockdown. “This is not a drill,” a voice announce

ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) Scores: Part of the “Pay for Success” Plan? – Wrench in the Gears

by mike simpson / 3d

ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) Scores: Part of the “Pay for Success” Plan? – Wrench in the Gears ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) Scores: Part of the “Pay for Success” Plan? A red flag for me in Gavin Newsom’s “child-friendly” proposed budget was the $ 45 million he allocated to screen children and adults in Medi-Cal for ACEs. I’m writing this post to express serious reservations I have abo

ALEC and Corporate Reformers Make It Hard for Teachers to Cement Gains from Last Year’s Strikes | janresseger

by mike simpson / 3d

ALEC and Corporate Reformers Make It Hard for Teachers to Cement Gains from Last Year’s Strikes | janresseger ALEC and Corporate Reformers Make It Hard for Teachers to Cement Gains from Last Year’s Strikes How can we rid our states of all the education “reform” that has, over the past two decades become part of state education laws—or which legislatures friendly to corporate reform continue to in

CURMUDGUCATION: Portfolio School Management For Dummies

by mike simpson / 3d

CURMUDGUCATION: Portfolio School Management For Dummies Portfolio School Management For Dummies One of the issues that was hanging over the Los Angeles teacher strike is the idea of portfolio management; the UTLA asserts that Superintendent Austin Beutner already has a plan prepared for converting the LAUSD to a multi-portfolio model. In Denver, the model has already been rolled out, to less than

“Hard” and “Soft” Effectiveness in Schools | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by mike simpson / 3d

“Hard” and “Soft” Effectiveness in Schools | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice “Hard” and “Soft” Effectiveness in Schools The idea of students learning “hard” and “soft” skills in school has gone viral among educators and policymakers in the past decade (see here and here ). “Soft” skills refers to people skills of communication, sensitivity, and social awareness that permits st

NYC Public School Parents: Many questions remain as to the reliability of the state’s new list of struggling schools and why some schools were taken off the list and others not

by mike simpson / 3d

NYC Public School Parents: Many questions remain as to the reliability of the state’s new list of struggling schools and why some schools were taken off the list and others not Many questions remain as to the reliability of the state’s new list of struggling schools and why some schools were taken off the list and others not On January 17, 2019, Commissioner Elia released a new list of “strugglin

FEB 05

Governor Orders Study on Charter School Impacts – California Educator

by mike simpson / 3d

Governor Orders Study on Charter School Impacts – California Educator Governor Orders Study on Charter School Impacts Newsom working with legislators to improve charter accountability, transparency In response to growing concerns about unregulated charter schools siphoning public funds away from neighborhood public schools, Gov. Gavin Newsom called for a study on the impacts of charter school gro

The Kind Of Policy We Must Never Make Again | Current Affairs

by mike simpson / 3d

The Kind Of Policy We Must Never Make Again | Current Affairs THE KIND OF POLICY WE MUST NEVER MAKE AGAIN “Race To The Top” education funding showed every bad tendency of contemporary liberalism… Detroit’s public schools suffer from widespread maintenance issues. Facilities need half a billion dollars worth of repairs , which officials admit are simply not going to happen in the short run. Here’s

The LAUSD Superintendent’s Web of Deceit

by mike simpson / 4d

The LAUSD Superintendent’s Web of Deceit The LAUSD Superintendent’s Web of Deceit Test Two may be more daunting — namely, explaining why [Austin Beutner] put a scandal-plagued and #MeToo-accused former State Assemblymember on the district payroll as a lobbyist. -Bill Raden, Capital & Main Instead of meeting with United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) in the days leading up to the Los Angeles Unified

Policy Makers Need a New Path to Education Reform - The Atlantic

by mike simpson / 4d

Policy Makers Need a New Path to Education Reform - The Atlantic I Used to Preach the Gospel of Education Reform. Then I Became the Mayor. Policy makers need to question their assumptions about what makes a good school. During my first campaign to be Chicago’s mayor in 2011, I promised to put education reform at the forefront of my agenda. Having participated in Washington policy debates for the

Charter Schools Didn’t Change the World—Now Let’s Move Beyond That Tired Debate

by mike simpson / 4d

Charter Schools Didn’t Change the World—Now Let’s Move Beyond That Tired Debate Charter Schools Didn’t Change the World—Now Let’s Move Beyond That Tired Debate A quarter century later, the verdict is in: Charter schools aren’t the panacea their proponents hoped. Now let’s lay down our arms and help the kids. The recent LA teachers strike, and the school board’s vote to recommend a moratorium on n

Charter Schools: The Issue is Not Student Scores on High-Stakes Standardized Tests Produced by Big Business | Dissident Voice

by mike simpson / 4d

Charter Schools: The Issue is Not Student Scores on High-Stakes Standardized Tests Produced by Big Business | Dissident Voice Charter Schools: The Issue is Not Student Scores on High-Stakes Standardized Tests Produced by Big Business Charter school supporters and promoters have long been severely obsessed with comparing charter school and public school students’ scores on expensive curriculum-nar

Dress code discrimination: When OK attire depends on your skin color

by mike simpson / 4d

Dress code discrimination: When OK attire depends on your skin color When acceptable attire depends on the color of your skin Parental dress codes are a thing in some educational institutions Every day educators teach students the adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Many are familiar with the biblical verse, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed that one day we

Sacramento school district threatens bankruptcy to extort concessions from teachers - World Socialist Web Site

by mike simpson / 4d

Sacramento school district threatens bankruptcy to extort concessions from teachers - World Socialist Web Site Sacramento school district threatens bankruptcy to extort concessions from teachers As school districts in Oakland and Los Angeles, California prepare for new spending cuts in the face of widespread teacher and working class opposition, the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD)

Long-Time School Privatizer, Cory Booker Enters 2020 Race as Democratic Presidential Contender | janresseger

by mike simpson / 4d

Long-Time School Privatizer, Cory Booker Enters 2020 Race as Democratic Presidential Contender | janresseger Long-Time School Privatizer, Cory Booker Enters 2020 Race as Democratic Presidential Contender Public education policy is not usually something on which Presidential candidates have a solid record. They make their cases on foreign, economic, and environmental policy. The future of public s

It’s ‘Black Lives Matter at School Week': Why that matters, and how classrooms are taking part - The Washington Post

by mike simpson / 4d

It’s ‘Black Lives Matter at School Week': Why that matters, and how classrooms are taking part - The Washington Post It’s ‘Black Lives Matter at School Week': Why that matters, and how classrooms are taking part It speaks to our times that this year’s Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action starts when the Democratic governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, is under intense pressure to resign. Th

Pittsburgh Christian Academy Tries to Become a Charter School to Cash in on Taxpayer Funding | gadflyonthewallblog

by mike simpson / 4d

Pittsburgh Christian Academy Tries to Become a Charter School to Cash in on Taxpayer Funding | gadflyonthewallblog Pittsburgh Christian Academy Tries to Become a Charter School to Cash in on Taxpayer Funding The line between public and private school is getting awfully thin in Pittsburgh. City public school directors received a request from Imani Christian Academy , a religious school in the East

FEB 04

Tipping Points: Are Charter Schools Oversaturating Their Markets? | Capital & Main

by mike simpson / 4d

Tipping Points: Are Charter Schools Oversaturating Their Markets? | Capital & Main Tipping Points: Are Charter Schools Oversaturating Their Markets? Studies have found charter school glut and hyper-competition in many neighborhoods. Evidence suggests that beyond challenging traditional schools, charters are also a growing threat to other charter schools. Charter school supporters maintain that th

Enrique Baloyra: Thoughts and prayers for Fla public schools - YouTube

by mike simpson / 4d

Thoughts and prayers for Fla public schools - YouTube enrique baloyra @nenebalo YouTube Once more for anyone who still hasn’t gotten the memo: Evolution and climate change are settled science. I know, evolution is called a “theory.” But it’s not. No matter what the wingnuts on talk radio say. Evolution is a fact. And climate change is caused by humans. But now a Florida politician who says school

Sentencing guideline offered for teacher misconduct :: K-12 Daily

by mike simpson / 5d

Sentencing guideline offered for teacher misconduct :: K-12 Daily :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet Sentencing guideline offered for teacher misconduct (Calif.) New penalty instructions for educator misconduct will be considered this week by the state’s Commission on Teacher Credentialing. The guidelines are intended to help standardize outcomes in malpractice cases ge

Black Lives Matter At School week of action begins today. Here’s what you need to know to be ready. – Black Lives Matter At School

by mike simpson / 5d

Black Lives Matter At School week of action begins today. Here’s what you need to know to be ready. – Black Lives Matter At School Black Lives Matter At School week of action begins today. Here’s what you need to know to be ready. oday, Monday, February 4th officially marks the launch of the second annual national Black Lives Matter At School week of action. Supporters will be posting their photo

Democrats for Education Reform was behind text campaign seeking to prevent teacher strike

by mike simpson / 5d

Democrats for Education Reform was behind text campaign seeking to prevent teacher strike Democrats for Education Reform was behind text campaign seeking to prevent teacher strike Democrats for Education Reform was behind a text message campaign urging Denver residents to write Gov. Jared Polis and Denver school board members in support of a key aspect of the district’s pay proposal and in opposi

Teachers For Social Justice: Black Lives Matter at Schools National week of Action: Feb 4 - Feb 8

by mike simpson / 5d

Teachers For Social Justice: Black Lives Matter at Schools National week of Action: Feb 4 - Feb 8 Black Lives Matter at Schools National week of Action: Feb 4 - Feb 8 Join the National Week of Actions for Black Lives Matter at Schools. Starting Monday, February 4 th educators in cities across the country will draw closer attention to four national demands An end of zero tolerance policies Black s

Badass Teachers Association: BAT member highlight: Increase the number of school counselors in our schools!

by mike simpson / 5d

Badass Teachers Association: BAT member highlight: Increase the number of school counselors in our schools! Badass Teachers Association: BAT member highlight: Increase the number of school counselors in our schools! Heather Marcus has been a member of Badass Teachers Association for four years. As a member that joins in on our conversations often, she began to have that moment of realization that

Week of Action: Black Lives Matter at School - Lily's Blackboard #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool

by mike simpson / 5d

Week of Action: Black Lives Matter at School - Lily's Blackboard Week of Action: Black Lives Matter at School This is Black Lives Matter at School Week , and the NEA is proud to support a movement that is all about sparking conversations that will protect our students and ensure that no matter their racial or ethnic background, they have the support and tools they need in schools. What this week—

FEB 03

Mississippi lawmakers propose ‘license to harass’ for transphobic teachers – ThinkProgress

by mike simpson / 5d

Mississippi lawmakers propose ‘license to harass’ for transphobic teachers – ThinkProgress Mississippi lawmakers propose ‘license to harass’ for transphobic teachers It's the first bill of its kind in the country. Mississippi lawmakers have proposed new legislation that would ensure teachers cannot be disciplined if they refuse to respect a transgender student’s gender identity. This “license to

How Los Angeles Teachers Organized and What They Won - Progressive.org

by mike simpson / 5d

How Los Angeles Teachers Organized and What They Won - Progressive.org How Los Angeles Teachers Organized and What They Won “It’s really hard to overstate the incredible feeling of empowerment, solidarity, and joy that you saw in school site picket lines and at the massive rallies that we held every single day.” Los Angeles, the nation’s second largest school district, was rocked by a six-day str

Marie Corfield: Super "Bowling For Dollars" — How Politicians & The @NFL Screw Taxpayers

by mike simpson / 5d

Marie Corfield: Super "Bowling For Dollars" — How Politicians & The @NFL Screw Taxpayers Super "Bowling For Dollars" — How Politicians & The @NFL Screw Taxpayers Happy Super Bowl LIII! Today is Georgia taxpayers' day to get screwed! During the NFC & AFC playoffs, I wrote about the financial train wreck that was Super Bowl XLVIII, played in New Jersey in 2014, and how the NFL and its teams reap al

Have You Been Blocked Form Commenting On Your School District'S Social Media Account

by mike simpson / 6d

HAVE YOU BEEN BLOCKED FORM COMMENTING ON YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT'S SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT Threat of SCTA first amendment lawsuit forces Superintendent Aguilar to unblock posters to Sac City social media accounts. Facing a threat of a first amendment lawsuit from SCTA, Superintendent Jorge Aguilar unblocked posters to the District’s social media accounts. In a Friday evening letter to SCTA, Mr. Aguilar

School Reform for Social Justice?* | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by mike simpson / 6d

School Reform for Social Justice?* | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice School Reform for Social Justice?* Should public schools in a democracy prepare students for what is or what should be? This question about the fundamental role of public schools in a democracy has been asked repeatedly by reformers since John Dewey’s “ Pedagogic Creed ” appeared in 1897. The question continu

Deborah Gist Used to Fight Teachers Unions. Now She’s Marching With Them. - POLITICO Magazine

by mike simpson / 6d

Deborah Gist Used to Fight Teachers Unions. Now She’s Marching With Them. - POLITICO Magazine Deborah Gist Used to Fight Teachers Unions. Now She’s Marching With Them. How a hardcore education reformer switched sides in the teacher wars. TULSA, Oklahoma — On a fall morning in 2018, veteran technology teacher Abraham Kamara was working with his robotics team at Memorial Junior High School when Tul

How Teachers in Baton Rouge Beat ExxonMobil | Diane Ravitch's blog

by mike simpson / 6d

How Teachers in Baton Rouge Beat ExxonMobil | Diane Ravitch's blog How Teachers in Baton Rouge Beat ExxonMobil In the Public Interest, a nonpartisan organization that fights privatization of public assets, reports good news from Louisiana: ExxonMobil is the world’s largest publicly traded oil and gas corporation , often cutting deals with authoritarian leaders in countries like Angola and Equator

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Really Big List Edition (2/3)

by mike simpson / 6d

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Really Big List Edition (2/3) ICYMI: Really Big List Edition (2/3) Was it the cold? Did we all just have more time to wander the internet? I don't know, but it's a huge list this week. Remember to share-- that's how the word gets out. LA Strike: Charters Are An Existential Threat To Public Education The LA strike was extraordinary in that it addressed so much more than wage

Charter/Community Schools & Partnerships: Privatization Ending Public Education

by mike simpson / 6d

Charter/Community Schools & Partnerships: Privatization Ending Public Education Charter/Community Schools & Partnerships: Privatization Ending Public Education A charter school can be a community school, and vice versa. ~ National Center for Community Schools There’s new school management these days that might seem nice, but scratch beneath the service and it is privatization and the theft of Ame

Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans: Still Too White. | deutsch29

by mike simpson / 6d

Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans: Still Too White. | deutsch29 Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans: Still Too White. Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans is a French immersion charter school located in New Orleans. According to Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) October 2018 enrollment data (see here and here ), Lycée Français’s enrollment included 824 students in grades K-8. Lycée

Texas Hangs Sword of Damocles Over Houston Schools | tultican

by mike simpson / 6d

Texas Hangs Sword of Damocles Over Houston Schools | tultican Texas Hangs Sword of Damocles Over Houston Schools When the Houston Independent School District (HISD) Board refused to privatize four schools , state takeover of the district became likely. States taking over school districts have an awful track record. Takeovers in Philadelphia, Newark, Detroit and Tennessee have been long running di

Los Angeles Asks For a Charter School Pause

by mike simpson / 6d

Los Angeles Asks For a Charter School Pause Los Angeles Asks For a Charter School Pause “ This resolution does not impact a single LAUSD charter school or charter school student. It does not create a cap…and it doesn’t create a ban. ” – LAUSD Board Member Scott Schmerelson “ Vote NO on the charter ban! #NoCharterBan ” – California Charter School Association The resolution before the Los Angeles U

FEB 02

Sinclair brings Betsy DeVos and the education privatization echo chamber to local news

by mike simpson / 6d

Sinclair brings Betsy DeVos and the education privatization echo chamber to local news Sinclair brings Betsy DeVos and the education privatization echo chamber to local news DeVos’ softball interview with Sinclair’s Boris Epshteyn promotes an extreme agenda, and it’s airing on local news stations across the country Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is the latest member of President Donald Trump’

Peter Greene: Charter Schools Are Not Public Schools

by mike simpson / 6d

Charter Schools Are Not Public Schools Charter Schools Are Not Public Schools Modern charter schools prefer to attach the word "public" to their descriptions. Many of the charter advocacy groups include "public charter" in their title. And truthfully, there are no regulations attached to the term--any school can attach the word "public" to its title without having to worry about any sort of penal

Ed Notes Online: School Scope: Teachers Go Wild with Strikes in Virginia, Denver, Los Angeles, and a Wildcat in Oakland

by mike simpson / 6d

Ed Notes Online: School Scope: Teachers Go Wild with Strikes in Virginia, Denver, Los Angeles, and a Wildcat in Oakland School Scope: Teachers Go Wild with Strikes in Virginia, Denver, Los Angeles, and a Wildcat in Oakland Published in The WAVE print edition, Feb. 1, 2019. www.rockawave.com School Scope: Teachers Go Wild with Strikes in Virginia, Denver, Los Angeles, and a Wildcat in Oakland By N

Professors for Black Lives: An outpouring of support for BLM@School week in higher education! – Black Lives Matter At School

by mike simpson / 6d

Professors for Black Lives: An outpouring of support for BLM@School week in higher education! – Black Lives Matter At School Professors for Black Lives: An outpouring of support for BLM@School week in higher education! Citing the need to “promote equity; the value of human life; and educational, political, and social justice,” scores of professors from institutions of higher education from around

Lessons Learned from the Los Angeles Teachers’ Strike – Robert Ward's "Rewarding Education" Blog for Teachers and Parents

Lessons Learned from the Los Angeles Teachers’ Strike – Robert Ward's "Rewarding Education" Blog for Teachers and Parents
Lessons Learned from the Los Angeles Teachers’ Strike

As a Los Angeles Unified School District teacher for the past 26 years, I was hoping to complete my career without ever going on strike. Nevertheless, I joined the 98% of United Teachers Los Angeles members who voted late last year to authorize a strike because I wanted to force the district into serious, substantive negotiations. Unfortunately, the new LAUSD superintendent didn’t blink.

How a hedge fund billionaire, whose expertise is dismantling corporations and who has never been a classroom teacher, could become the head of the second largest school district in the country isn’t surprising given the credentials of our current U.S. Secretary of Education. Clearly, teachers have lost control of the education conversation in this country.

But we just may be getting our voices back and, in the process, winning back the hearts and minds of parents and the public.

After six days of picketing in the pouring rain (a big deal for Angelenos), a loss of seven days’ pay with the MLK holiday (which amounts to approximately 3.5% of a teachers’ annual salary—and, no, striking teachers don’t receive back pay; the cost comes directly out of their pockets or any raise they may get), the hit to each member’s retirement service credit (an often-overlooked but potentially costly loss), and daily rallies at City Hall that reached 65,000 protesters (the 30,000 striking educators enjoyed massive CONTINUE READING: Lessons Learned from the Los Angeles Teachers’ Strike – Robert Ward's "Rewarding Education" Blog for Teachers and Parents

CURMUDGUCATION: Field Guide To Strike Objectors

CURMUDGUCATION: Field Guide To Strike Objectors

Field Guide To Strike Objectors

In my four decades of teaching, I went through a strike twice--once as a first year teacher, and once as the president of the local union. Writing about education, I have followed dozens more. No matter what kind of public support a strike is getting, there are always some familiar tunes you can expect to hear played in opposition to a teacher walkout. Here's your guide to all the classics.

Don't they understand the district can't afford their demands?

When we were strike, a member of the board's negotiating team said publicly, "Yes, we have the money. We just don't want to give it to them." That's not usually how it goes. Folks all the way up to former US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan have been chicken littling the impending financial doom of Los Angeles schools, and that's a fairly typical stance. Here's the thing to remember. When we were on strike, our state association sent us a trained education accountant to dig through the district's records (which, as a public school system, are completely public). By the time he was done, we knew as well as they did exactly what they could and could not afford. We kept that information in mind when negotiating because it would have been stupid to make demands that the district couldn't fund. When it comes to the financial side of negotiations, no union is flying blind, and no union is making demands that can't possibly be met.

It's those damned union leaders.

The teachers are fine, but those damned leaders are forcing them to strike. This tune appears in the coverage citing union president Alex Caputo-Pearl's "blind ambition." While people taking this approach often claim to love teachers, just not the union, this framing of a strike assumes that CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: Field Guide To Strike Objectors

Peter Greene: Teacher Merit Pay Is A Bad Idea

Teacher Merit Pay Is A Bad Idea

Teacher Merit Pay Is A Bad Idea

Florida's governor is planning to boost the state bonus program for teachers, even as Denver teachers are ready to strike over their district's version of an incentive program. So it's worth taking a moment to step back and remember why teacher merit pay and bonus systems are just a bad idea.

First, they can't work like a private sector bonus system. In the business world, bonuses and incentives are based on a clear idea of success. Whether the definition of success at Widgetcorps this year is "We made a bunch more money" or "We increased the value of Widgetcorps stock this year" or even "We managed to strip a pile of dollars out of Widgetcorps this year," the end result is a pile of "extra" money (the end result, depending on the definition of success, may be a less healthy company, but let's set that aside for now). The bonus deal between Widgetcorps and its bonus-eligible employees is simple--if there's a pile of extra money here at the end of the year, you get to have some of it.

Public schools, on the other hand, don't make money, and school district success is hugely hard to define. More high school graduates? The football team won a championship? The school musical was really good this year? More students really got into Shakespeare? Larger number of students earned welding certification? The school's culture and atmosphere was so healthy that students really love attending? All of these might count as success, but none of them CONTINUE READING: Teacher Merit Pay Is A Bad Idea

Mitchell Robinson: Want to Make Teaching Great Again? Here's How… | Eclectablog

Want to Make Teaching Great Again? Here's How… | Eclectablog

Want to Make Teaching Great Again? Here’s How…

A recent story in the Washington Post’s “Answer Sheet” focused on the fates of the 4 finalists for 2016 National Teacher of the Year…

Nate Bowling was the 2016 Washington state Teacher of the Year and one of four finalists for the National Teacher of the Year. There were three other finalists who were the winners in their states that year: Jahana Hayes of Connecticut, Shawn Sheehan of Oklahoma and Daniel Jocz of California. Hayes won the national title that year.

So what happened to the four in an era in which teachers are striking and speaking out about low pay, unfair evaluation methods, disrespect from policymakers and insufficient funding of their schools?

Are they all still teaching? The answer is no.

Given the current dishonest and deeply cynical narrative around “failing schools,” “poor scores by US students on international assessments,” and “the evils of the powerful teachers unions” that’s been promoted by none other than Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos–who is allegedly responsible for supporting and encouraging these schools and teachers–this really shouldn’t come as any surprise.

But the question remains: what can we do to keep more great teachers in the classroom? Here are a few suggestions for strengthening public education, and making teaching great again…

Create more space and room for growth for teachers: Give teachers more responsibility for creating curriculum, designing assessment tools, and determining school, district, and state policies.
Lower class sizes and make teaching assignments reasonable and manageable: An elementary music teacher with 600 students is educational malpractice just as much as a Kindergarten teacher with 40 students is.
Open up the curriculum, making sure kids have more choice in the courses they can take, and the opportunity to study music, art, drama, literature, history…not just math and science.
Get rid of standardized testing–there’s nothing “standard” about children, or teaching.
Pay teachers more, and ensure their benefits are fair and guaranteed.
Pay for teachers to attend professional development conferences–it’s the “R&D” of education, and teachers shouldn’t have to pay out of pocket to spend their weekends and CONTINUE READING: Want to Make Teaching Great Again? Here's How… | Eclectablog

Coverage of the LAUSD by the L.A. Daily News: News or Propaganda?

Coverage of the LAUSD by the L.A. Daily News: News or Propaganda?

Coverage of the LAUSD by the L.A. Daily News: News or Propaganda?

This article first appeared on LASchoolReport.com, a nonprofit education news site covering Los Angeles schools and California policy and analyzing where the Golden State fits into the national conversation surrounding K-12 issues
– Los Angeles Daily News

Three weeks after Candi Clark, chief financial officer of the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), spoke at a Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board meeting, the Los Angeles Daily News was still describing her appearance as “unannounced”. However, the facts tell a different story. Documents obtained in a Public Records Act request by United Teachers Los Angeles show that the text of a speech was created on a District computer registered to Cheryl Simpson, an “LAUSD budget official” and shared with Clark. Her appearance was definitely not “unannounced” as it is clear that there was some coordination with officials at the LAUSD.

The failure to do any research into the events that lead to Clark’s appearance before the LAUSD Board is journalistic malpractice. However, this is not surprising given that the byline for the article is “Laura Greanias, LA School Report (LASR)”. The LASR was created by Jamie Alter Lynton, a supporter of education privatization, to provide coverage of the LAUSD. Alexander Russo, who “edited LA School Report during its first year of operation”, says that she does not adhere “to the balanced/objective model of journalism”. Lynton’s friendship with former Superintendent John Deasy gave her exclusive access to breaking stories, at least the ones he wanted covered. CONTINUE READING: Coverage of the LAUSD by the L.A. Daily News: News or Propaganda?

Third Grade Flunk Laws–and (Un)intended Consequences | Teacher in a strange land

Third Grade Flunk Laws–and (Un)intended Consequences | Teacher in a strange land

Third Grade Flunk Laws–and (Un)intended Consequences

Like many states, Michigan has a Third Grade Mandatory Retention law for students who are not reading at grade level in the statewide assessments. And like most states, the law is riddled with exceptions, loopholes and what you might call pre-existing conditions. In other words, well-connected parents who don’t want their child who struggles with reading to fail the third grade will be able to wiggle out of it. If you’re poor or attending a ‘failing’ school, you’re pretty much toast if your reading skills (or test-taking skills) are subpar–when you’re eight years old.

Much of the critique around ‘3rd grade flunk’ legislation centers on the damage done to kids by being forced to repeat a grade, the financial burden on schools as they are compelled to provide an additional year of instruction to large segments of their elementary population, and the complete lack of proof that these laws work. If our goal is higher rates of genuine literacy, rather than punishing schools and vulnerable students, there are better ways to get there.

We could begin by noting that Finland, a perennial head-of-list country when it comes to international comparisons of literacy accomplishment, does not begin formal reading instruction until students are seven years of age—roughly second grade—because they believe that’s when a majority of students are developmentally ready to handle the complex intellectual tasks of phonemic awareness, decoding and making meaning of the symbols on the page. By age nine—4th grade—Finnish students are ahead of ours, even though our 4th graders have been subjected to formal reading instruction for five years at that point.

There’s something seriously wrong here.

Now we are witnessing the other consequences of the Third Grade Threat—pushing inappropriate instruction down to kindergarten, as anxious districts fear that students CONTINUE READING: Third Grade Flunk Laws–and (Un)intended Consequences | Teacher in a strange land

JEFF BRYANT: Charter schools are pushing public education to the breaking point | Salon.com

Charter schools are pushing public education to the breaking point | Salon.com

Charter schools are pushing public education to the breaking point
Charters are driving Boston’s public education system to the financial brink

hen striking Los Angeles teachers won their demand to call for a halt to charter school expansions in California, they set off a domino effect, and now teachers in other large urban districts are making the same demand.

Unchecked charter school growth is also bleeding into 2020 election campaigns. Recently, New York magazine columnist Jonathan Chait berated Democratic Massachusetts Senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren for having opposed a ballot initiative in her home state in 2016 that would have raised a cap on the number of charter schools. “There may be no state in America that can more clearly showcase the clear success of charter schools than [Massachusetts],” declared Chait.

But while Chait and other charter school fans claim Massachusetts as a charter school model, the deeper reality is that charters are driving Boston’s public education system to the financial brink.

As the Boston Globe recently reported, the city is experiencing an economic boom, but its schools resemble “an economically depressed industrial center.” The state’s unfair funding formula is part of the problem, but an ever-expanding charter school industry also imposes a huge financial drain.

Charter school money suck CONTINUE READING: Charter schools are pushing public education to the breaking point | Salon.com

The Trouble with Test-Obsessed Principals | gadflyonthewallblog

The Trouble with Test-Obsessed Principals | gadflyonthewallblog

The Trouble with Test-Obsessed Principals

When I was a child, I couldn’t spell the word “principal.”

I kept getting confused with its homonym “principle.”

I remember Mr. Vay, the friendly head of our middle school, set me straight. He said, “You want to end the word with P-A-L because I’m not just your principal, I’m your pal!”

And somehow that corny little mnemonic device did the trick.

Today’s principals have come a long way since Mr. Vay.

Many of them have little interest in becoming anyone’s pal. They’re too obsessed with standardized test scores.

I’m serious.

They’re not concerned with student culture, creativity, citizenship, empathy, health, justice – they only care about ways to maximize that little number the state wants to transform our children into.

And there’s a reason for that. It’s how the school system is designed to operate.

A new research brief from the Tennessee Education Research Alliance concluded that CONTINUE READING: The Trouble with Test-Obsessed Principals | gadflyonthewallblog

New Orleans Charter Schools Must Include Parents/Alumni as Board Members | deutsch29

New Orleans Charter Schools Must Include Parents/Alumni as Board Members | deutsch29

New Orleans Charter Schools Must Include Parents/Alumni as Board Members

If school choice is about empowering parents (also see here and here and here), it seems that charter school boards would necessarily– automatically– definitely– include among their memberships the very parents who have been supposedly empowered.

New Orleans schools have been a showcase (albeit a controversial one) for charterization since the fall of 2005 when Hurricane Katrina devastated the area. By 2022— 17 years post-Katrina– the last local-board-run public school in New Orleans will be completely phased out, making New Orleans a 100-percent charter school district.

What is surprising, however, is how long it has taken lawmakers to require New Orleans’ charter schools to include parents and alumni– locals invested in the community– on the charter school boards.

It’s a shame that charter school boards must be forced to include locals in the actual roles of empowered decision-making. But so it goes.

The 2018-19 school year was the first in which New Orleans charter schools were required to include at least one parent or school alumnus on their boards. In 2019-20, all New Orleans charter schools (except those drawing from the entire state) must be comprised of boards in which both gender and racial makeup of the board must reflect that of the locality of the school– with at least 60 percent of board members being locals.

From legislation in Louisiana passed in 2018, regarding the boards of charter schools located in major cities (i.e., New Orleans):

Beginning October 1, 2018, the membership of the governing or management board of each charter school located in a parish with a population of between three hundred twenty-five thousand and three hundred seventy-five thousand persons, based on the most recent federal decennial census, shall include at least one member who is a parent, legal CONTINUE READING: New Orleans Charter Schools Must Include Parents/Alumni as Board Members | deutsch29

Teaching at MetWest: A Big Picture School (Part 1) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Teaching at MetWest: A Big Picture School (Part 1) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Teaching at MetWest: A Big Picture School (Part 1)

It is a Monday and the schedule at Oakland’s MetWest calls for an 8:30-10AM session with an Advisor/Teacher. I enter a spacious, well-lit room where 18 ninth graders are sitting in a circle with Nick Palmquist. He is wearing black jeans, a button-down grey shirt over the jeans and dark tennis shoes. The assignment for these students had been to write down their goals for high school. I noted that more than half had a sheet of paper in hand.

Nick–students call him by his first name–began by holding a multi-colored cloth volleyball and stating what his goals have been for life and teaching. He then passed the ball to his left. Student didn’t say anything and passed the ball to another student who read off his goals. As the ball went from student to student, their goals fell into a familiar pattern of ninth graders: get good grades, graduate, and go to college. Two students said they wanted to get “good” jobs. After the ball traveled around the circle and returned to Nick, he summarizes what most students had said were their goals and says: “we are about to close the circle. Does anyone have “any appreciation to share.” He waits at least five seconds, no response. Nick then say” please return to you tables.”

Students pick up their chairs and put them at tables where two students sit. The tables and chairs are arranged in a horseshoe facing a front whiteboard with the open center space holding a small table upon which Nick’s laptop and erasable markers rest. Students sitting at tables see classmates across the open space. On one side of the whiteboard is marked “Homework.” Listed are the following:

*Semester goals + vision board/road map–due Tuesday AM

*Observation notes on my learning this week–due Monday AM

*Binder check Tuesday

Nick passes out a two-page worksheet from which the rest of the lesson unfolds. The worksheet lists “Lesson Targets”: “I can explain and creatively portray my CONTINUE READING: Teaching at MetWest: A Big Picture School (Part 1) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

CURMUDGUCATION: IA: Choice Is Taxation Without Representation

CURMUDGUCATION: IA: Choice Is Taxation Without Representation

IA: Choice Is Taxation Without Representation

An Iowa state senator has caught on to one of the problematic side effects of many choice programs-- disenfranchised taxpayers. Or, as somebody put it a while ago, taxation without representation.

Iowa has long allowed open enrollment; an Iowa family can enroll their student in any public school district, whether they live there or not. Currently the full per-pupil expenditure follows the student-- including the part of the expenditure that is collected by the taxpayer in the student's home district.

In other words, if I live in East Spamwich and pay taxes on my home there to fund the school. Only a large number of students from the area may attend school in West Spamwich. I'm able to vote for the school board members in the East Spamwich school board, but in West Spamwich, where much of my money goes to be spent, I have no say at all.

Republican State Senator Tom Greene (no relation, as far as I know) was newly elected in an upset contest in 2016. In real life, he's a pharmacist, but he was also the board president of Burlington School Board, andthat gives him some perspective (from Radio Iowa).

“The Burlington School District totally surrounds the West Burlington School District. The West Burlington School District has 800 and 900 students; 53 percent of those students reside outside the CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: IA: Choice Is Taxation Without Representation

Friday, February 8, 2019

The myth of de facto segregation - kappanonlineorg #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool #CounselorsNotCops #blackhistorymonth

The myth of de facto segregation - kappanonline.org

The myth of de facto segregation

Today’s high levels of school segregation can be traced to specific government policies that created distinct White and Black neighborhoods.

For nearly 30 years, the nation’s education policy makers have proceeded from the assumption that disadvantaged children would have much greater success in school if not for educators’ low expectations of them. In theory, more regular achievement testing and tougher accountability practices would force teachers to pursue higher academic standards for all children, resulting in improved instruction and greater student proficiency.

However, there never was any evidence to support this theory, and even its most eager proponents have come to realize that it was flawed all along. In fact, there are a host of reasons why disadvantaged children often struggle to succeed academically. Undeniably, one is that some schools in low-income neighborhoods fall short in their traditional instructional roles. Another is that many schools have failed to embrace effective out-of-classroom programs — such as health clinics or early childhood centers — that might enable students to be more successful in the classroom. Perhaps most important, however, is the influence of children’s out-of-school social and economic conditions, which predict academic outcomes to a far greater extent than what goes on in the classroom. Researchers have long known that only about one-third of the Black-White academic achievement gap results from variations in school quality. The rest stems from social and economic factors that render some children unable to take full advantage of what even the highest-quality schools can offer.

Racial segregation exacerbates achievement gaps between Black and White children because it concentrates students with the most serious social and economic challenges in the same classrooms and schools. Consider childhood asthma, for example: Largely because of poorly maintained housing and environmental pollution, urban African-American children have asthma at as much as four times the rate of White middle-class children. Asthmatic children often come to school drowsy and inattentive from sleeplessness, or they don’t come to school at all. Indeed, asthma is the single most important cause of chronic absenteeism. No matter how good the teacher, or their instruction, children who are frequently absent will see less benefit than children who come to school well rested and regularly. Certainly, some asthmatic children will excel — there is a distribution of outcomes for every human condition — but on average, children in poorer health will fall short.

Children from disadvantaged families suffer disproportionately from a number of other such problems, including lead poisoning that diminishes cognitive and behavioral capacity; toxic stress, from experiencing or witnessing violence; irregular sleep or meal times, related to their parents’ working multiple jobs with contingent work schedules; housing instability or homelessness; parental incarceration, and many others. A teacher can give special attention to a few who come to school with challenges that impede learning, but if an entire class has such problems, average achievement inevitably declines.

We cannot expect to address our most serious educational issues if the most disadvantaged of the nation’s children are concentrated in separate neighborhoods and schools. Today though, racial segregation characterizes every metropolitan area in the United States and bears responsibility for our most serious social and economic problems: Not only does it produce achievement gaps but it predicts CONTINUE READING: The myth of de facto segregation - kappanonline.org

Behind The Lens episode 18: A preview of reporter Marta Jewson’s work on the tricky question of when to close failing schools in New Orleans. | The Lens

Behind The Lens episode 18: ‘A very difficult and unpleasant decision that is part of the landscape in New Orleans’ | The Lens

Behind The Lens episode 18: ‘A very difficult and unpleasant decision that is part of the landscape in New Orleans’

This week on Behind The Lens, New Orleans’ approach to education has resulted in a revolving door of education providers — charter schools — for the city’s students. Sometimes, changes at poorly performing schools don’t seem to come soon enough.

We have a preview of reporter Marta Jewson’s work on the tricky question of when to close failing schools in New Orleans.

Also, Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority has a complex plan for reconnecting the Mississippi River with disappearing coastal regions. The agency has a plan for the effort and, right now, a lot of money to work with.

But they still have to win over a skeptical part of the public in South Louisiana. Part of that is a series of “Coastal Connections” meetings throughout the region. The latest one was in Braithwaite. Host and producer Tom Wright went there and spoke to the CPRA’s project manager for the Mid-Barataria and Mid-Breton diversions.

Behind The Lens is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play and Stitcher.

Behind The Lens episode 18: ‘A very difficult and unpleasant decision that is part of the landscape in New Orleans’ | The Lens

Hundreds of OUSD Students Walked Out of Class Today: Student Organizers tell us what’s next for their movement. | East Bay Majority #Unite4OaklandKids #WeAreOEA #WeAreCTA #strikeready

Hundreds of OUSD students walked out of class today. Two student organizers tell us what they’re protesting and what’s next for their movement. | East Bay Majority

Hundreds of OUSD students walked out of class today.
Two student organizers tell us what they’re protesting and what’s next for their movement.

Students participate in a sickout and march in support of Oakland teachers, Feb. 8

Hundreds of Oakland students walked out of their schools this morning to protest low teacher pay, school closures that target working-class families of color, and overcrowded, under-resourced classrooms.

Although the student organizers of today’s student walkout are young, today’s success shows they’ve already worked through political complications that dog organizers twice their age: how to nurture a multiracial movement that draws power and legitimacy from popular material demands.

Majority interviewed two of the organizers behind today’s action, Lauren K. and Theo Z., both seventeen-year-old students at Oakland Tech. They began their work as student organizers in the wake of the Parkland shooting, when thousands of Oakland students walked out off class to join the March for Our Lives.

However, the broad popularity of that walkout didn’t translate into a diverse membership for their core organizing club at Oakland Tech, which dwindled to a handful of white students in the months after the march.

Majority: What’s different about this week’s walkout?

Theo: What the district is doing is disproportionately targeting minorities and low-income families, and the schools that are closing, none of them are in the hills, they’re in East and West Oakland. It’s a more relatable issue for more students [than school shootings]. The interesting thing about school shootings is they’re the only type of gun violence based in the suburbs.

Lauren: A problem we had was [the original members of the organizing club] basically just reached out to their friends to join, and the school is segregated into small schools that break down by race. Everyone is reaching out to their friends within this segregated school, so the club wasn’t diverse. But with this event, we’ve joined students from all over the school, people who’d never been part of the club. This time around, we have a very diverse group of leaders.

Why did you call a sickout?

Lauren: I’m sure you heard about the teachers’ sickout they had a couple weeks ago. So a few problems we noted with that: a) all the teachers lost money because they were not teaching, they were not in class, and that’s the same problem they will have with the strike, so while teachers will put pressure on the district they’ll also be losing money, and b), when the teachers did their sickout all the students who were absent were marked present which is…

Theo: Super illegal.

Lauren: Very, very wrong. And the district didn’t lose any money from that because according to them we were all present. … The difference in the student-only sickout is that the teachers will be in class so they will be making money which I think sends a powerful message that we support them, they can keep making money, and work is being done.

Why are you organizing in support of the teachers?

Lauren: As students, we see better than anyone how hard our teachers work, and we know that they’re not getting paid enough to live in Oakland which is ridiculous. They should be able to afford to live here. And on top of that, we see our counselors who CONTINUE READING: Hundreds of OUSD students walked out of class today. Two student organizers tell us what they’re protesting and what’s next for their movement. | East Bay Majority

The Privatization of Teaching Teachers How to Teach Reading: Cashing In on Kids!

The Privatization of Teaching Teachers How to Teach Reading: Cashing In on Kids!

The Privatization of Teaching Teachers How to Teach Reading: Cashing In on Kids!

Wondering about all the recent articles claiming teachers don’t know how to teach reading, and their education schools are failing them?

It appears to be about nonprofits! These groups are competing with universities. They promise to better prepare teachers to teach reading, for a fee, of course!

But there’s no proof they will do teacher preparation better. It’s unclear why nonprofits are considered experts.

The goal along with making money appears to be to place children on digital devices for most of their learning.

Here are some examples. Click the titles for the links.

Early Reading Matters:

The Wall Street Journal recently promoted a group called Early Reading Matters “Nonprofit Trains Teachers on the ABCs of Reading in the Classroom.”

Early Reading Matters is a part of Teachers Matter which promotes itself as an organization to teach teachers a variety of skills. Here’s the link.

Why is this group untrustworthy?

They make the usual blanket statements critical of public schools.
They love Common Core and look to align skills with the Common Core State CONTINUE READING: The Privatization of Teaching Teachers How to Teach Reading: Cashing In on Kids!

Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, February 9, 2019

Top Posts This Week 2/9/19 #REDFORED

YESTERDAY

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Lessons Learned from the Los Angeles Teachers’ Strike – Robert Ward's "Rewarding Education" Blog for Teachers and Parents

CURMUDGUCATION: Field Guide To Strike Objectors

Peter Greene: Teacher Merit Pay Is A Bad Idea

Mitchell Robinson: Want to Make Teaching Great Again? Here's How… | Eclectablog

Coverage of the LAUSD by the L.A. Daily News: News or Propaganda?

Third Grade Flunk Laws–and (Un)intended Consequences | Teacher in a strange land

JEFF BRYANT: Charter schools are pushing public education to the breaking point | Salon.com

The Trouble with Test-Obsessed Principals | gadflyonthewallblog

New Orleans Charter Schools Must Include Parents/Alumni as Board Members | deutsch29

Teaching at MetWest: A Big Picture School (Part 1) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

CURMUDGUCATION: IA: Choice Is Taxation Without Representation

Friday, February 8, 2019

The myth of de facto segregation - kappanonlineorg #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool #CounselorsNotCops #blackhistorymonth

Behind The Lens episode 18: A preview of reporter Marta Jewson’s work on the tricky question of when to close failing schools in New Orleans. | The Lens

Hundreds of OUSD Students Walked Out of Class Today: Student Organizers tell us what’s next for their movement. | East Bay Majority #Unite4OaklandKids #WeAreOEA #WeAreCTA #strikeready

Majority: What’s different about this week’s walkout?

Why did you call a sickout?

Why are you organizing in support of the teachers?

The Privatization of Teaching Teachers How to Teach Reading: Cashing In on Kids!

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