Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Watering Greenfield :: Frederick M. Hess

Frederick M. Hess's Blog

Watering Greenfield

by Frederick M. Hess • May 4, 2010 at 11:55 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

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The lifeblood of efforts to rethink schooling or devise new solutions is the money it takes to make them work. These dollars can come from three sources: profit-seeking investors, philanthropy, or government. To date, the lion's share of the bucks have come from philanthropy. In a new piece published today in Education Next, "Fueling the Engine," I explore why entrepreneurs have had trouble raising funds and how the philanthropic sector has sought to tackle that challenge. (The article is an excerpt from my new book Education Unbound).

This is all of particular relevance today, as more than 2,000 districts, schools, and nonprofits have notified the U.S. Department of Ed that they'll be submitting applications for i3 grants. "We're making an unprecedented investment in cutting-edge ideas that will produce the next generation of school reforms," Secretary Duncansaid when he announced the grant competition. Over $650 million in funds will be awarded, and a coalition of foundations announced last week that it will offer up to half a billion dollars to match the federal grants.

This is an intriguing development. Whether this federal investment deepens the pool of resources for new providers (especially in light of the "collaboration" between ED and twelve major funders) or swamps the sector and enriches some while making it harder for others to get a hearing remains to be seen. Remember, the i3 investment probably amounts to a third or more of school reform investment in the U.S. this year, and the

Berkeley Students Stage Hunger Strike � Student Activism

Berkeley Students Stage Hunger Strike

by Angus Johnston

Two dozen activists launched a hunger strike on the Berkeley campus last night, calling on UC administrators to denounce Arizona’s new immigration law, drop disciplinary charges against student demonstrators, and revise the student code of conduct through a “democratic, student-led process.”
The Arizona law, SB1070, has drawn campus protest nationwide, and become a lightning rod in the debate over immigration policy.
The hunger strikers released a six-point list of demands:

That UC Berkeley administrators denounce SB1070, and call on administrators throughout the UC system to do the same.

That the university implement a task force on AB540, a law that provides in-state tuition rates to longtime California residents who are undocumented.

That “any and all” disciplinary charges stemming from student protests in the 2009-10 academic year be dropped.

That the university reverse layoffs of unionized service workers and “stop attacks against union activists.”

Digital Textbooks Phase 2 Complete - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Announces
Second Phase of Digital Textbook Initiative

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced a new milestone in California's Free Digital Textbook Initiative with the successful completion of the second phase review of digital textbooks by the California Learning Resources Network (CLRN), yielding 10 new digital resources.

"I applaud the completion of the second phase of this initiative," said O'Connell. "In these dire economic times, the expansion of standards-aligned digital textbooks provides more free resources to schools."

The Free Digital Textbook Initiative was launched last year by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with the support of the State Board of Education (SBE). After a review by CLRN to evaluate the digital textbooks' alignment to California's rigorous content standards, 16 free digital resources for grades nine through twelve were made available to California public schools.

The goal in phase two was to add to the list of basic student digital instructional resources that are intended as the primary resource for a course of study. The second review has successfully added 10 new mathematics and science digital textbooks to the existing list of free digital resources for grades nine through twelve. There are two more phases of reviews.

The mathematics materials had to align to the standards in geometry, Algebra II, trigonometry, or calculus. The science materials had to align to the standards for physics, chemistry, biology/life sciences, or earth sciences, including the investigation and experimentation strand. The standards for mathematics and science are available on the California Department of Education (CDE) Content Standards Web page at Content Standards - Standards & Frameworks.

These materials were reviewed by California teachers and experts in mathematics and science under the guidance of the CDE, the Office of the Secretary of Education, the SBE, and the CLRN. Review results are currently posted on CLRN's Web site at California Learning Resource Network (CLRN) (Outside Source).

For questions regarding the Free Digital Textbook Initiative review process, please contact CDE's Standards, Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division Director Tom Adams at 916-319-0881. For questions about electronic materials, contact CDE's Education Technology Office Administrator Cliff Rudnick at 916-323-5072. For questions regarding submitting digital textbooks for review, contact CLRN's Brian Bridges at 209-238-1420.

Federal Education Jobs Bill

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Praises U.S. Senator Harkin's Education Jobs Bill.

Environmental Education Leadership Summit

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Announces Environmental Education Leadership Summit.

CDE Wins IT Award

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Announces California Department of Education Wins Information Technology Award.

Teachers union strikes back in advertising war over charter cap | GothamSchools

Teachers union strikes back in advertising war over charter cap

by Maura Walz

Fresh off a loss in the Senate yesterday, the United Federation of Teachers is taking its battle against charter school advocates to the airwaves.
The union’s new minute-long radio spot, which will air on 13 local stations starting today, accuses the pro-charter lobby of being “more interested in making money and ducking accountability than fighting for our kids.” The ad is a response to a media blitz from the pro-charter group Education Reform Now, which has been running online, radio and television ads asking voters to “stop listening to the teachers union.”
Both sides are ramping up media efforts as the legislative debate over whether and how to raise the state’s cap on charter schools picks up steam. Yesterday, the State Senate passed a bill that would more than double the number of charter schools allowed in New York, but the legislation faces a much rockier path in the Assembly.
Listen to the radio spot:

The full script of the ad is after the jump:

UFT
:60 radio
“Over” FINAL RECORDED SCRIPT
Listen to what’s happening inside our public schools.

Michigan’s first HS wins a high profile graduation guest

by Anna Phillips

While states have been competing for millions in Race to the Top funds, high schools have had their own contestfor President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s attention.

Duncan announced today that Kalamazoo Central High School, a large comprehensive school in Michigan, beat out over 1,000 other high schools to have Obama as its graduation speaker this year. Schools that entered the competition had to show that their students were learning and that most, if not all of them, were going from graduation to college.

Hand picked by Obama from among three finalists, Kalamazoo’s school district runs a program called Promise that pays up to 100 percent of students’ college tuition for in-state schools.

No New York City high schools made it into the finalist round, but put your nominations of equally deserving NYC schools in the comments.

Union Elections Are Contests Between Apathy and Ignorance | Intercepts

Union Elections Are Contests Between Apathy and Ignorance

by Mike Antonucci

Eduwonk reports that the upcoming election for the presidency of the Washington Teachers Union has a problem – not enough WTU members want to be on the election committee. For that matter, not enough WTU members want to be delegates to the AFT convention. As a result, AFT is going to provide “assistance and limited oversight.”
Problem solved, right? Not exactly. WTU Vice President Nathan A. Saunders, who is running against incumbent George Parker, says he didn’t ask for, nor does he want, AFT intervention. He believes AFT is deeply invested in Parker and is trying to guarantee a win for him.
“It is absolutely crazy,” Saunders said. “The AFT can’t hold an impartial election.”
At least the members will still be able to vote for their president, unlike the members of the Virginia Education

The Answer Sheet - Deborah Meier's education advice to Obama

The Answer Sheet- Deborah Meier's education advice to Obama

Deborah Meier's education advice to Obama

My guest is renowned educator Deborah Meier, founding principal of Mission Hill School in Boston. She is also a leader of the Forum for Education & Democracy, part of the Rethink Learning Now campaign, a national grass-roots initiative designed to restore the focus of education reform on learning, and the core conditions that best support it. Each month, the campaign is featuring a new issue in K-12 education andproviding things people can read, watch, listen to and do to raise awareness. For May, the topic is performance assessment.

By Deborah Meier
As the Obama administration explores new ways to support a national culture of learning – as opposed to our current national culture of testing – it faces a central dilemma: How to satisfy all of our country’s education stakeholders at once.

There are our students, who need timely and instructive feedback that reflects what they really know and are able to do; our parents, who need accurate evidence about their children’s progress; our teachers, who need information that helps them improve the quality of their professional practice and better meet the learning needs of their students; and the general public, which needs to know if schools and teachers are helping children learn how to use their minds well.

Before the conversation progresses any further, I have some unsolicited advice: Don’t expect to satisfy all four needs with the same policy.

For our nation’s students, the evaluative process should be treated less like the part of the driver’s test where we complete a pen-and-paper exam, and more like the part where we actually get in a car and show what we can do on a real road with real traffic and real-time scenarios unfolding all around us.

There’s a term for this sort of approach – performance assessment – and it requires schools to invest in seven interrelated components: active learning; formative and summative documentation; strategies for corrective action; multiple ways for students to express and exhibit learning; graduation-level performance tasks that are aligned with the school’s learning standards; external evaluators of student work; and a focus on professional development. (To learn more about performance assessment, visit http://rethinklearningnow.com/learning.)

For our nation’s parents, we need to afford to all what only the most

The Educated Reporter: Congratulations Kalamazoo.

Congratulations Kalamazoo.

by Linda Perlstein

I really like student-made videos, especially the whole Shorewood/Shorecrest lip sync smackdown out of Seattle back in December. Those videos were awesome, but neither of them made a gal get kinda teary-eyed the wayKalamazoo Central’s entry into the high school Race to the Top contest did. The school won a commencement

What about other unions?

In all the coverage about teacher quality and tenure, and lengthy due process for teachers who read porn in the classroom while they are not assaulting or underserving children, I never read anything about how teachers’ union protections compare to those in other unions (especially in the public sector). Are there lessons to be learned from other unions? Reforms that have or have not made a difference?

Colorado Tenure-Reform Bill in Spotlight - Teacher Beat - Education Week

Colorado Tenure-Reform Bill in Spotlight

by Stephen Sawchuk

All eyes are on the tenure and evaluation bill in Colorado, which has passed the state Senate and is in the House right now. The reason for the attention is not just the Race to the Top subtext, but because the bill faces some hefty opposition from the state teachers' union.
Just how aggressive tenure-reform efforts can be before they spontaneously combust remains an open question. The recent Florida situation is a good example. There, a reform bill generated such outrage among teachers that Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed it. Crist, now running for the Senate as an independent, can probably count on some teacher votes.
The Colorado bill is somewhat less aggressive than the Florida bill, but still has plenty that makes the union nervous. It puts many more parameters around the work of the governor's commission, which is to hammer out a new teacher-effectiveness approach for the state.
For instance, the bill would require student-achievement growth to form at least 50 percent of a teachers' evaluation. It does not specifically tackle pay, as the Florida bill did, but it would direct the state education department to create a career-ladder system.
And while the bill would not dismantle tenure, tenured teachers earning multiple consecutive "unsatisfactory"

We Heart Teachers � The Quick and the Ed

We Heart Teachers

by Renee Rybak

It’s National Teacher Appreciation Day, so remember to tell your favorite teacher or educator how much you value them today. To help celebrate the day, we’ve put together a short slideshow of all the “views” we’ve received for our View From Your Classroom feature.

Beloved Art Programs � SCUSD Observer

SCUSD Observer

Kalamazoo Central High School Wins Commencement Challenge | The White House

Kalamazoo Central High School Wins Commencement Challenge

by The White House

National winner selected by President Obama for commencement speech
WASHINGTON – The White House and the Department of Education today announced Kalamazoo Central High School in Kalamazoo, Michigan, as the winner of the first annual Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge. President Obama will travel to Kalamazoo to deliver the school’s commencement address. More details on the President’s visit will be released as they become available.
“I congratulate our winner, Kalamazoo Central High School, and all of our six finalists for their innovative and effective approaches to teaching, learning and preparing students to graduate ready for college and a career,” said President Obama. “I look forward to visiting and speaking at Kalamazoo Central High School later this spring.”
“The extraordinary applications we received in the Race to the Top Commencement Challenge are a true testament to the great work happening in high school across the country,” said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan who announced the winner in a video released this morning. “Congratulations to everyone at Kalamazoo Central High for setting high standards and ensuring students graduate and go on to succeed in college. I look forward to joining the President at their commencement.”
Kalamazoo Central High School was one of over 1,000 applications narrowed down by the White House and Department of Education to six high school finalists. Between April 26th and April 29th, over 170,000 people weighed in on short videos and essays from the six finalists. President Obama selected Kalamazoo Central High School as the national winner from the three high schools with the highest average public ratings.
Like each of the finalists, Kalamazoo Central goes the extra mile to provide its diverse student body the support they need to succeed in school, attend college, and go on to promising careers. More than 80 percent of the school’s students graduate, and last year the school made its adequate yearly progress goals for the first time in several years for all student groups. While in school, students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of creative programs, such as theme-based schools to improve themselves and support their community. In addition, the “Kalamazoo Promise” - a pledge to pay the college tuition costs for Kalamazoo Central graduates, funded by anonymous donors – embodies a true community commitment to encourage every student to graduate from high school college- and career-ready.
In recognition of the extraordinary achievements and outstanding efforts by each of the six finalists, the Obama Administration will work to provide a Cabinet secretary or senior administration official to deliver the commencement address at each of the five schools not selected as the national winner.
The Commencement Challenge, launched in late February, invited the nation’s public high schools to submit applications showing their dedication to providing students with an excellent education that will prepare them to graduate ready for college and career choices. Applications were judged based on the schools’ performance, four essay questions and supplemental data. The six finalists were selected for their dedication to academic excellence and for showing how they are helping prepare students to graduate college and career ready, and prepared to meet the President’s goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020.

Media Advisories--Department of Education

Event Date: Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Contacts: Stephanie Babyak, Jane Glickman
(202) 401-1576 or press@ed.gov

EDUCATION UNDER SECRETARY MARTHA KANTER TO ADDRESS INAUGURAL MICHAEL EISNER EDUCATION LECTURE AT CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE

U.S. Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter will address the inaugural Michael Eisner Education Lecture at California State University (Cal State) at Northridge at 5 p.m. PT, Tuesday, May 4. The speech will be held at the Campus Theater, Nordhoff Hall, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, Calif.

Through the Michael Eisner Education Lecture and Education Colloquium, the Cal State Michael D. Eisner College of Education will bring together some 350 education leaders in elementary, secondary and higher education to discuss education reform and best practices. Under Secretary Kanter will discuss President Obama's goal to have the best educated, most competitive workforce in the world by 2020. The lecture and colloquium are funded through a grant from The Eisner foundation.

Event Date: Tuesday, May 4 at 10:15 a.m.
Contacts: David Thomas
(202) 401-1576 or press@ed.gov

DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TO GIVE KEYNOTE REMARKS AT NEW YORK ASSOCIATION FOR CONTINUING-COMMUNITY EDUCATION ASSOCIATION'S ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN ALBANY

U.S. Department of Education Assistant Secretary Brenda Dann-Messier will give keynote remarks at the New York Association for Continuing-Community Education's (NYACCE) annual conference on Tuesday, May 4 in Albany, N.Y.

Dann-Messier will talk about the Administration's adult basic education and literacy efforts, as well as the Department's efforts related to the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act, ESEA reauthorization and Promise Neighborhoods.

NYACCE is a statewide association providing information, services and support to professionals serving the needs of adult learners. Members include educational institutions that provide community education, basic skills, GED preparation, workplace literacy, migrant education, we

Event Date: 4 p.m. CDT Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Contacts: Jo Ann Webb,
(202) 401-1576 or press@ed.gov

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SENIOR OFFICIAL TO DISCUSS ESEA REAUTHORIZATION AT PRINCIPALS' PARTNERSHIP MEETING IN TEXAS

U.S. Department of Education Deputy Assistant Secretary Carl Harris will discuss President Obama's blueprint for revising the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and the role of leadership in education reform during a question and answer session with high school principals and district personnel from Houston. He will speak at the Principals' Partnership meeting on Tuesday, May 4, in Pearland, Texas.

Event Date: 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Contacts: Jo Ann Webb,
(202) 401-1576 or press@ed.gov

ASSISTANT DEPUTY SECRETARY TO DISCUSS IMPORTANCE OF SAFE SCHOOLS, HEALTHY LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS AT OHIO COMMISSION ON DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

Kevin Jennings, assistant deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, will discuss the need for safe schools during his keynote address at the Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management on Tuesday, May 4, in Columbus. He will deliver remarks to more than 200 school administrators, teachers and counselors. Ohio First Lady Frances Strickland will join him.

The Commission provides dispute resolution and conflict management resources, training, and direct services to Ohio schools, communities, courts, and state and local government. Its overall goal is to assist in resolving disputes in the most efficient way possible while reducing the chance of violence and building positive relationships.

Event Date: Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Contacts: Jim Bradshaw
(202) 401-3210 or press@ed.gov

CIVIL RIGHTS ASSISTANT SECRETARY TO PARTICIPATE IN URBAN INSTITUTE PANEL TUESDAY IN WASHINGTON

Russlynn Ali, assistant secretary for the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education, will participate in an Urban Institute panel discussion which will examine, "The Big Disconnect: Spending Priorities, School Priorities, and Student Achievement," on Tuesday in Washington. Reporters wishing to cover should contact the Urban Institute's Public Affairs office at publicaffairs@urban.org or 202-261-5709.

Event Date: Tuesday, May 4, 2010 at 8:30 a.m. ET
Contacts: Sandra Abrevaya or Elaine Quesinberry
(202) 401-1576 or press@ed.gov

U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION ARNE DUNCAN TO VISIT FRIENDSHIP CHAMBERLAIN ELEMENTARY AND JUNIOR ACADEMY TO HONOR D.C. TEACHER OF THE YEAR

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will join parents, students, administrators and public officials across the country to honor and acknowledge the work of America’s more than 5 million teachers on Tuesday, May 4, National Teacher Day. Duncan will visit Friendship Chamberlain Elementary and Junior Academy in Washington, D.C. at 8:30 a.m. to recognize lead special education resource teacher Stephanie Day as the D.C. Teacher of the Year. Day was chosen in January by a panel of D.C. education leaders, from charter and traditional public schools, for her dedication to her students, commitment to the profession of teaching, and her capacity to serve as an ambassador and model for the teachers of D.C.

Event Date: Wednesday, May 5
Contacts: David Thomas
(202) 401-1576, or press@ed.gov

DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TO GIVE KEYNOTE REMARKS AT FLORIDA LITERACY COALITION’S ANNUAL CONFERNCE IN CAPTIVA ISLAND, FLORIDA

U.S. Department of Education Assistant Secretary Brenda Dann-Messier will give keynote remarks at the opening session of the Florida Literacy Coalition’s (FLC) annual conference on Wednesday, May 5 in Captiva Island, Florida.

Dann-Messier will talk about the Administration’s adult basic education and literacy efforts, as well as the Department’s efforts related to the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act, ESEA reauthorization and Promise Neighborhoods.

As a statewide non-profit literacy organization and host of Florida’s Adult and Family Literacy Resource Center, the FLC provides a range of services to support more than 300 adult education, literacy and family literacy providers throughout Florida. The conference is expected to attract more than 350 teachers, tutors, students and administrators.

Event Date: Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Contacts: Jim Bradshaw
(202) 401-1576, or press@ed.gov

CIVIL RIGHTS ASSISTANT SECRETARY TO PARTICIPATE IN PREGAME CEREMONY AT WASHINGTON MYSTICS ANNUAL SCHOOL DAY GAME

Russlynn Ali, assistant secretary for the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education, will participate in a pregame ceremony at the Washington Mystics' annual School Day Game on Wednesday at the Verizon Center in Washington. More than 5,000 D.C.-area students and their teachers are expected for the exhibition game between the Mystics women's pro basketball team and the New York Liberty. Ali will present to captains of both teams basketballs autographed by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who played professional basketball in Australia. For more on the Mystics' event, see http://www.wnba.com/mystics/media/School-Day-2010.pdf.

CHARTER SCHOOL INSIGHTS: Final Summary: The Seven Stages of Asperger's Awareness

Final Summary: The Seven Stages of Asperger's Awareness

I've been posting these stages over at my AspergersExpert site:

Here's a list of the previous posts followed by the final stage:

Bliss: The First Stage of Asperger's Awareness

Inkling: The Second Stage of Asperger's Awareness

Desperation: The Third Stage of Asperger's Awareness

Dawn: The Fourth Stage of Asperger's Awareness

Darkness: The Fifth Stage of Asperger's Awareness

Acceptance: The Sixth Stage of Asperger's Awareness

And Finally:

Celebration:

an it be? Can a person with a neurological [disorder] like Asperger’s [syndrome] really celebrate their [infirmity]? I can. I do. So do others. When I wrote a post about my son disclosing his Asperger’s, he was excited—not embarrassed. When dozens of great bloggers choose to reveal their membership in the Asperger’s nation, they are not ashamed. We may be defensive, defiant, or overly zealous about our identity, but we are not ashamed of the truth. We are smart enough, secure enough, and gosh darn it—some people like us.
Learning to celebrate yourself is part of healthy human—spirituality, psychology and sociability. Whether in response to Asperger’s or something else, the seeds of self-acceptance yield the fruit of celebration. It is hard to live apart from the herd, for isolation is stressful. The laughter and casual

Bright and Early: The Education Newsblitz voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence.

voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence.

Bright and Early: The Education Newsblitz

It's official! Our forum for the San Diego Unified school board candidates is Thursday, May 20 from 7pm to 9pm. Save the date and make a point to be there! Now for the newsblitz:

We blog that more than 100 school employees who aren't teachers could be laid off as part of the plan to balance the San Diego Unified budget.
We also follow up our story on a new take on teaching vocabulary with some extra tidbits about the program -- and how a Harvard professor schooled me on the word "epicene."
The Los Angeles Times gives a thumbs up to California's new strategy for pursuing Race to the Top funds, which could include fewer school districts but bigger changes.
Some schools have ignored the needs of gifted students in the rush to close the achievement gap, the San Francisco Chronicle writes.
Adult education has taken a big hit in school districts around Sacramento, the Bee reports.
Educated Guess fact checks gubernatorial candidates Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman on education, including whether Poizner helped start charter schools and Whitman's assertion that 40 percent of school funding goes to "administration and overhead." The verdict? Read here.

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