Obama lays out education goals

The Pueblo Chieftain Online ::

‘We finally have an education president,’’ said Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.4 million-member American Federation of Teachers. ‘‘We really embrace the fact that he’s talked about both shared responsibility and making sure there is a voice for teachers, something that was totally lacking in the last eight years.’’

The president of the 3.2 million-member National Education Association, Dennis van Roekel said, ‘‘President Obama always says he will do it with educators, not to them.’’

‘‘That is a wonderful feeling, for the president of the United States to acknowledge and respect the professional knowledge and skills that those educators bring to every job in the school,’’ van Roekel said.

Van Roekel insisted that Obama’s call for teacher performance pay does not necessarily mean raises or bonuses would be tied to student test scores. It could mean more pay for board-certified teachers or for those who work in high-poverty, hard-to-staff schools, he said.

However, administration officials said later they do mean higher pay based on student achievement, among other things.

‘‘What you want to do is really identify the best and brightest by a range of metrics, including student achievement,’’ Education Secretary Arne Duncan told The Associated Press in a brief interview

Growth model a new way to rate progress in Pennsylvania schools -- themorningcall.com

Growth model a new way to rate progress in Pennsylvania schools -- themorningcall.com:


"The federal No Child Left Behind law requires schools to make adequate yearly progress on standardized tests, which sounds clear-cut until you see the manual. The law takes 1,669 pages to define that goal.

This year, the testing playbook is thicker and more challenging for Pennsylvania teachers with the addition of yet another assessment form: the growth model.

The new measurement, which compares individual student scores from year to year to track progress, apparently worked, results released last week on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment show. It enabled hundreds of schools in Pennsylvania, including four in Bethlehem and one in Allentown, to make Adequate Yearly Progress.

''In my mind it provides a truer picture of how much increase and achievement happened over the course of a year,'' said Diane M. Holben, executive director of academic accountability for the Allentown School District. ''If kids are proficient [under the old AYP methods], all I know is they jumped over a line, but I don't know if they took one step to get over the line or 20 steps.''"

OpEdNews - Article: WILL GOP REBUT OBAMA'S EDUCATION SPEECH?

OpEdNews - Article: WILL GOP REBUT OBAMA'S EDUCATION SPEECH?:

"'Good morning, boys and girls. My name is Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican Party – the GOP. You just heard Democrat president Barack Obama speak to you as another school year begins. We Republicans feel the need to respond to his left-wing propaganda, for the sake of giving you a “fair and balanced” perspective.

What you just heard the president say is plainly outrageous. He told you to work hard this year; to set goals for yourself and strive to meet them; and, above all, to stay in school until you graduate.

Or that's what you think he told you. In fact, this is only one more example of how scheming, conniving Democrats try to manipulate young minds and indoctrinate you into their godless world of socialism. You don't think you were being manipulated with leftist propaganda? Welll ... that just shows you how cunning and devious these Democrats really are. When you think you are not being manipulated, that's when they are manipulating you the most. That's how good they are."

Is Obama's curriculum breaking the rules?

Is Obama's curriculum breaking the rules?:

"Good news, but is it too little too late? As it turns out, President Obama is breaking the rules with his curriculum plans that most schools are set to launch on September 8th, 2009, the traditional first day of school.

According to Christina Erland Culver, who is the former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Education, said that the material accompanying the President’s address is not so good.
In an interview with Fox News, Culver stated, “That’s where they kind of got into a slippery spot. Federal statute denies any authority to the Department of Education to provide any kind of curriculum or anything that can be passed down to the state, and that’s part of the statute forming the Department of Education. So they kinda got themselves into this mess because they didn’t really understand some of the key legal roles ore the dos and don’ts at the Federal Department of Education.”"

My socialist agenda is alive and well, comrades | floridatoday.com | FLORIDA TODAY

My socialist agenda is alive and well, comrades floridatoday.com FLORIDA TODAY: "Now, the rest of America’s school children may be brainwashed by the same radical thinking. At noon on Tuesday – the first day of school across most of the U.S. — President Barack Obama will address students everywhere on live TV.

In terms a second-grader could understand, “The president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning,” says a letter to school principals from U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan. Obama wants students, parents and teachers to work together so that students get the best possible education and can “compete in the global economy,” Duncan wrote.

Seeing through the ruse, Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer called the speech an attempt “to indoctrinate America’s children to his socialist agenda.”"

North Penn teachers ordered to report to work | Philadelphia Inquirer | 09/06/2009

North Penn teachers ordered to report to work Philadelphia Inquirer 09/06/2009:

"Schools in the North Penn School District, Montgomery County's largest, will open as scheduled Tuesday after a county judge yesterday ordered teachers to report to work.

The district sought an injunction Friday night to bar the teachers union from carrying out its threat to not staff classrooms Tuesday - the first day for 12,700 students - because of actions it said the board had taken.

Common Pleas Court Judge Thomas C. Branca said a formal hearing on the dispute would be conducted by Thursday."

TV SoundOff: Sunday Talking Heads

TV SoundOff: Sunday Talking Heads:

"Kids, like the President will probably tell you in his Tuesday speech -- that you will probably have to watch on YouTube, instead of in the manner it was originally intended, because the adults in your life are useless -- I, too, want you to strive and stay in school and do your homework and make good grades and learn as much as you can. But there's something else I need you to do. Something only you can do! And that is to hold all of us useless, disgusting cock-ups responsible.

This school year, wherever you go, whether it's school or your neighborhood or the grocery store or an afterschool activity, I want all of you kids to promise me that whenever you encounter an adult, that you will walk up to them, get their attention, point right at them and simply say to them, 'I blame you.' Then just walk away. Say nothing more. Do nothing else. Begin with your parents and move onward and outward, to every adult in your life. Don't discriminate between gender or color, age or station. If you see me, I want you to do the same thing. It shall make me very, very proud of you. Not that you should care about that. We are arrant knaves all. Believe none of us."

News Hounds: Fox&Friends Provide Free Publicity For Texas Teabagging, Obama Trashing Mom, Katrina Pierson

News Hounds: Fox&Friends Provide Free Publicity For Texas Teabagging, Obama Trashing Mom, Katrina Pierson:

"Fox News does seem to be the Teabagging network as they continue to provide this loud mouthed angry mob (whoops populist movement) with free publicity. Not only is cub reporter, Griff Jenkins embedded with the clown car (whoops, Tea Party Express); but Fox has brought back Katrina Pierson, a Texas mom who (quelle surprise!) who is part of a nationwide group of outraged conservative parents who don’t want their children exposed to the Marxist message of a an illegitimate Pied Piper President, who is piping their kids down the road to Nazi/fascist/commie-pinko/socialism.

Obviously the old republican meme of working hard doesn’t hold the same cachet when given by the hated Barack Obama who might try to slip in subliminal messages about teh gay. Not surprisingly, Fox News is reinforcing this “indoctrination” meme (here, and here.) Coincidentally and not surprisingly, Fox&Friends is giving more free publicity to a Tea Bagger who gets to bash Obama and keep us “abreast” of her feelings about health care reform. Freedom loving Texas mom and member of the National Tea Party Coalition, Katrina Pierson made a return appearance on Saturday’s (September 5th) Fox&Friends during which Fox provided subtle PR for her newest Teabagging endeavor – talk about cajones!"

Breaking News: Van Jones, Obama 'Green Jobs Czar’, Resigns under Growing Pressure - Catholic Online

Breaking News: Van Jones, Obama 'Green Jobs Czar’, Resigns under Growing Pressure - Catholic Online:

"Van Jones
WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) – In what was supposed to be a Labor day respite before Congress returned and the real battle over the beleaguered “Health care Reform” continued, the Obama Administration has been forced to contend with growing pressure over a controversial member, one of the so called “Czars” or advisors,Van Jones.

Just who Van Jones is and what he stands for has been occupying the media for almost the entire month of August. A web site which bears his name, http://www.vanjones.net/, emphasizes the following concerning his credentials and accomplishments:"

Epoch Times - Mayor Proposes to Takeover Milwaukee’s School System

Epoch Times - Mayor Proposes to Takeover Milwaukee’s School System:

"MILWAUKEE—The debates over Mayor Tom Barrett’s proposed takeover of Milwaukee Public Schools continue as Wisconsin Legislature prepares to make a decision.

Since last year, Barrett has been seeking the reform of MPS and with the Obama Administration’s “Race to the Top” fund, a program giving competitive grants to reward schools that have reformed and innovated their education system, Barrett is now proposing the mayoral control of MPS."

UnionLeader.com - New Hampshire news, business and sports - A Commie plot? Obama's school address - Sunday, Sep. 6, 2009

UnionLeader.com - New Hampshire news, business and sports - A Commie plot? Obama's school address - Sunday, Sep. 6, 2009:

"If President Eisenhower had gone on TV to address school children on the need to study hard to beat the Russians, we don't think anyone this side of the John Birch Society (which thought Ike WAS a Russian) would have objected. The first President Bush spoke to students on the issue of drug abuse, and a few looney Democrats claimed it was an election stunt.

But now comes President Obama, who intends to speak to schools nationwide through Internet and TV this Tuesday, and a lot of people seem upset."

Marcos Breton: Obama speech boycott teaches ugly lesson - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Marcos Breton: Obama speech boycott teaches ugly lesson - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"Reflecting a national furor, some Elk Grove parents pressured their school district for the option of pulling their kids out of class when Obama gives a nationally televised address to school kids on Tuesday.

Typically, the Elk Grove Unified School District allows parents to 'opt out' when provocative films are shown in class or during some sex-ed discussions.
Now, some seem to consider the president of the United States as objectionable as information on sexually transmitted diseases."

Duncan: Obama to 'Challenge' Students

When kids all across the country return to school Tuesday, some will see a welcoming message from President Barack Obama. Education Secretary Arne Duncan says Obama will talk about the need to work hard and stay in school. (Sept. 5)

Presidents, Students & Controversy: Hardly New - Political Hotsheet - CBS News

Presidents, Students & Controversy: Hardly New - Political Hotsheet - CBS News:

"Conservative pundits have been raising objections over President Barack Obama's planned speech to the nation's students on Tuesday in which he will encourage children to stay and excel in school.

Critics believe the president will use that speech to promote his political agenda, rather than simply inspire them to excel in class, and some school officials have said they will not let students watch it."

Quote of the Day: On Obama’s Speech To Schoolkids | The Moderate Voice

Quote of the Day: On Obama’s Speech To Schoolkids The Moderate Voice:

"Our political Quote of the Day comes from White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on the furor over President Barack Obama’s upcoming speech to school kids, as conservatives around the country are calling districts and demanding that their kids not be forced to sit through what some of them are calling socialistic political indoctrination:

“I think we’ve reached a little bit of the silly season when the president of the United States can’t tell kids in school to study hard and stay in school. I think both political parties agree that the dropout rate is something that threatens our long-term economic success.”"

Politics of fear are still with us - Salt Lake Tribune

Politics of fear are still with us - Salt Lake Tribune:

"So President Obama wants to talk to kids about education. The political right is horrified. It's not only a socialist plot, they say, it's illegal. Even worse, the president is trying to steal the children's minds in some scenario in which a live video of Obama's speech will turn the little ones into leftist automatons.

It's all about fear, and we as a nation seem to be drowning in it.

We are gripped by recession and a 9.7 percent unemployment rate, the cost of living and health care are soaring and our military is fighting two increasingly intractable wars.
Right or wrong, the Obama administration is responsible for doing what it can to ease our burdens and, it should be hoped, our minds.

But the opposition, which is anything but loyal, seems to have decided that scaring the socks off its followers is the best way to battle the president's 'socialist' agenda."

Listen to teachers on school reform | DesMoinesRegister.com | The Des Moines Register

Listen to teachers on school reform DesMoinesRegister.com The Des Moines Register:

"Some say people have no idea what they're up against. The most common obstacles they mention: Children coming to school tired, hungry or just not motivated to learn. Parents lacking the time - or interest - to make homework a priority. Administrators who pressure teachers not to raise academic expectations too high."

Others say we have been too critical of teachers, particularly by calling for a great teacher in every classroom. Our observation that there is a mix of strong, average and mediocre teachers in many schools does not sit very well with these teachers.Then there are those who say teachers have not had enough of a voice in this project, and they have a point.It's time to pay more attention to what reforms teachers think would help them give students a globally competitive education.

Yes, teachers took part in two Register roundtable discussions, and they have been interviewed for many parts of the project. The Register also surveyed teachers statewide in May and this summer began to report their views, starting with beginning minimum pay and whether they have enough time to help students.

Watch for us to publish more survey results this fall.But teachers' voices should be heard on a more consistent basis. So we invited three teachers to blog for us on the Register's Web site this school year: Frank Beard, a Southeast Polk High School and Drake University graduate who is with Teach for America in Kansas City, Mo.; Amy Prime, a second-grade teacher in Newton; and Melissa Spencer, a North High School science teacher in Des Moines. You can find them under the heading "Class Matters" on our Opinion and World-Class Schools pages online.

The plan is to ask them all the same question every week; this week it's about class size and what they'd like to change.

No children but all teachers left behind

No children but all teachers left behind

With the onslaught of current educational rhetoric, rocky reform, and recent education regulations (dictates of No Child Left Behind legislation), teachers have increasingly been forced to focus on personal reality. On January 8, 2002, President Bush signed into Law the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Basically, this law dictates a deadline of 2014 for all public schools to assure that all students be proficient in math and reading with no, not even one child to be left behind. 2010 is fast approaching and things are intensifying as schools struggle to get their own no child left behind acts together before the 2014 deadline. Meanwhile public officials, school administrators, and the press have continually woven intricate, though often difficult to understand, webs of wordy discussions concerning NCLB effectually binding our schools and, more so, our classroom teachers within dark cocoons that have a chaotic educational metamorphosis going on inside. Important but seemingly forgotten is the fact that at the center of this changeling, beats the ever weakening, strangled and often broken heart of a struggling teacher.

No President Left Behind

No! Obama Stay Behind!

Reagan did it in 1989. Bush did it in 1991.

So, why is there such great controversy over Obama doing it in 2009?

President Obama is scheduled to address the nation’s school children on what will be the first day of school for a majority of students and families within our nation. Reportedly, the focus of his message, as president of our nation, will be to emphasize the importance of education and encourage our students to stay in school. Obama’s words will most likely echo the impact that education has had within his own life, as he has reached a destiny that only forty-three other Americans within our nation have achieved.

The question that should be posed is why are so many individuals are exhibiting such extreme levels of hostility, opposition, and just downright disrespect for President Obama’s efforts to acknowledge, motivate, and empower our children within the public school system?

PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS OR POLITICAL UNION?

PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS OR POLITICAL UNION?

“It’s in their DNA," Bailey said. “They can’t help themselves.”

Tracey Bailey and I were discussing teacher unions and their seeming drive to politicize education with partisan endorsements and controversial social issues. He is Director of Educational Policy for the Association of American Educators and was National Teacher of the Year in 1993; is extraordinarily articulate, and his command of his subject has enabled him to testify for the AAE before Congressional committees. We talked while he drove south on Interstate 95 and I hunched over my keyboard in Phoenix balancing a portable phone on my shoulder. I was trying to understand the differences between the NEA and AFT on the one hand and the regional teacher associations on the other for which the AAE is a national umbrella.

"The big turning point was in the early seventies," Bailey said. Before that time, the NEA had been more loosely organized, and a teacher could belong to a local organization not affiliated with the national. When the American Federation of Teachers suddenly began drawing members away from the NEA, it took a more assertive approach to organizing.

“The trigger really was what happened to the dues a teacher paid, changing to what was called unified dues. This meant that like it or not, a large portion of your local dues would go to the national teacher union.