The Educated Reporter: Extreme Makeover: School Edition

The Educated Reporter: Extreme Makeover: School Edition

Extreme Makeover: School Edition

by Linda Perlstein

What would a reality show about school turnaround look like? Teachers would be fired, replacements pounding Doubleshot would be hired, and data would be gathered like mad. The charismatic new principal would turn some tired educational cliche into a national catchphrase. The host? Jeff Probst, meet Justin Cohen.

Nah, sorry, too boring. Here’s an idea instead: A rotting excuse for a school building gets renovated in just a few days by a cheery, predictable reality show team. (Megaphone, check. Designer with hipster glasses, check.) Welcome “School Pride” to your Friday evenings this fall on NBC.

This model has two advantages over “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” First, the only thing more compelling than five needy people crying at their newly revealed glam surroundings is five hundred people doing the same. Second, rather than a kindergartner getting her bedroom decorated to a fare-thee-well based on a casually mentioned interest she will probably ditch next year, the whole kindergarten classroom will get that treatment, benefiting five-year-olds for decades to come.

And guess what? Nice buildings boost academic achievement! Well, at least according to the show’s

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Hess tries his best to spin CF mess

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Hess tries his best to spin CF mess

Hess tries his best to spin CF mess

by Mike Klonsky

AEI's teacher-bashing spinmeister Rick Hess, tries his best to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear (Gist's mass firings at Central Falls H.S.). A massive push-back by organized labor, students and teachers nationwide forcedCommissioner Gist and Supt. Gallo to rescind the firings and hire back all 93 teachers and staff before legal action would have forced the issue.

In this interview with Gist, Hess tries to make it seem like this was the plan all along, that the firings were just part of a "poker game" bluff to make the teachers union accept violations of the contract without any negotiations. Notice how he tries to lead Gist into accepting a certain percentage of firings as a benchmark of success. Gist of course, refuses.

RH: Okay, but suppose that, at this time next year, we see that just five or six of the school's 93 teachers are removed. Would observers be right to be skeptical that the process was toothless?

Antonucci’s facts are not so factual. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Antonucci’s facts are not so factual. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Antonucci’s facts are not so factual.

by preaprez

Mike Antonucci publishes a blog called Intercepts. It’s conceit is that he is a spy in the house of teacher unions. His favorite target is the NEA.
Although he is an anti-teacher union ideologue and zealot, he does have a questionable reputation for getting his facts right.
But not always.
Not in a recent post on the top 20 education blogs on Technorati.
First he says that he doesn’t really understand how the Technorati rankings work, even though there’s a pretty simple explanation on the Technorati site. It explains how the rankings, which top off at 1000, are a ranking of

Schools Matter: More "Zero" Pushback?

Schools Matter: More "Zero" Pushback?

More "Zero" Pushback?

by Kenneth Libby

Even charter school parents are offended by Duncan's "zero" opposition claims:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Leonie Haimson, 917-435-9329

Tuesday, May 18, 2010 Mona Davids, 917-340-8987

Khem Irby: 718-452-0146

Leslie-Ann Byfield: 917-783-5299

CHARTER SCHOOL PARENTS PROTEST DUNCAN’S VISIT TO NYC CHARTER SCHOOL

Before raising the cap, charter and district parents demand more transparency, accountability, equity and parent input at charter schools

NEW YORK, NY (May 18, 2010) Today, current and former charter school parents protested the appearance of Secretary Duncan’s visit to Kings Collegiate Charter School in Brooklyn, one of the chain of charter schools run by Uncommon Schools.

Eduflack: Around the Edu-Horn, May 18, 2010

Eduflack: Around the Edu-Horn, May 18, 2010

Around the Edu-Horn, May 18, 2010

by Eduflack

Is support soft for Jersey's RttT application? http://tinyurl.com/22stozy

RT @gtoppo: Fraud in Head Start. http://bit.ly/bYfFc8#usat

Brill's NYT preview of teachers' unions "last stand" -- http://tinyurl.com/36m8etm

And Brill's EdWeek RttT analysis -- http://tinyurl.com/27vacoz

RT @sgermeraad LA TImes ed board: change teacher contracts to include saner rules that benefit agreement." http://bit.ly/aFRK8a

RT @EDPressSec RT @usedgov Sec. Arne Duncan's statement on Central Falls agreement. http://go.usa.gov/3ld

What A Liberal Education Should Be � The Quick and the Ed

What A Liberal Education Should Be � The Quick and the Ed

What A Liberal Education Should Be

by Forrest Hinton

Peter Berkowitz made a cogent argument in the WSJ this weekend for restoring and reforming liberal education in our colleges and universities. He hit the nail on the head by asserting that many students and professors do not understand the proper meaning of a liberal education or its virtues:

Meanwhile, confused faculty and incoherent university curricula encourage students to equate liberal education with studying whatever they please. Education for freedom requires more systematic training.

He then went on to pose a string of serious rhetorical questions defending liberal education, as properly defined:

How can one think independently about what kind of life to live without acquiring familiarity with the ideas about happiness and misery, exaltation and despair, nobility and baseness that study of literature, philosophy and religion bring to life? How can one pass reasoned judgment on public policy if one is ignorant of the principles of constitutional government, the operation of the market,

Everything Comes Back Around

by Chad Aldeman

Just to take a step back from what’s happening day-to-day in the Central Falls, RI negotiations over a once-potential mass firing of teachers, consider this timeline of Providence Journal stories:

• January 12, 2010: The state identifies six persistently low-achieving schools, including Central Falls High School.
• February 11, 2010: The local teachers union balks at Superintendent Frances Gallo’s requests to increase the school day by 25 minutes, create a tutoring schedule, agree to eat lunch with students once a week, attend two weeks of paid professional development in the summer, accept third-party evaluations, and stay after school 90 minutes one day each week for paid collaboration time. Teachers would have received an average of $3,400 in pay increases for the changes. Gallo threatens to fire all the teachers and make them reapply for their jobs. No more than half could return to their old positions.
• February 23, 2010: Former RI Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee (now running for governor as an independent) calls for an independent mediator.
• February 24, 2010: Every Central Falls High School teacher is fired.

Judge: Summer school fee hikes OK at CSU schools Education - ContraCostaTimes.com

Education - ContraCostaTimes.com

Judge: Summer school fee hikes OK at CSU schools

Associated Press

Posted: 05/18/2010 01:35:13 PM PDT

Updated: 05/18/2010 02:00:24 PM PDT

An Alameda County judge says California State University campuses may raise the cost of summer school to make academic classes self-supporting.

Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch's ruling today came in response to a lawsuit brought on behalf of students who objected to paying more to supplement their studies during the summer months.

Since the CSU system is a public institution, its courses normally are subsidized with state funds to keep prices down.

But CSU spokesman Michael Uhlenkamp says budget cuts have prompted its 21 campuses to have students bear the costs of offering summer sessions.

Uhlenkamp says the change only affects students taking seven or more units over the summer. They will pay a maximum per-unit surcharge of $80.

Schools Matter: White Hat Management: "accountability chain is totally upside down"

Schools Matter: White Hat Management: "accountability chain is totally upside down"

White Hat Management: "accountability chain is totally upside down"

by Jim Horn

We have been posting about David Brennan's charter school profiteering scheme since April 2006, and it looks like the bribes and kickbacks might have finally run out. ht to Monty Neill. From the Cleveland Plain-Dealer:

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A group of Cleveland and Akron charter schools is in open rebellion against the for-profit management firm that runs the schools.


An unusual lawsuit brought Monday by 10 governing boards of Hope Academies of Cleveland and Akron and Life Skills Centers of Cleveland and Akron alleges that a 2006 state law passed by majority-party Republicans is unconstitutional and gives the for-profit company unchecked authority.

One HISD elementary's killer muffins | School Zone | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

One HISD elementary's killer muffins | School Zone | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

One HISD elementary's killer muffins

The press release we received last night from a Houston ISD kindergarten teacher expressing outrage over an incident involving the school district's effort to serve breakfast to all students at their classroom desks certainly caught our attention. E-mails with subject lines such as: "Houston ISD Breakfast Contains Melted and Hardened Plastic" tend to stand out among the hundreds of story pitches we receive daily.

Such e-mails from teachers are rare, and this one was very nicely done. Along with the eye-catching headline, Red Elementary School teacher Rachel Everson attached quotes, results of an informal survey and photos:

Here's a snippet, followed by Everson's pictures:

This morning as students of Houston ISD prepared to eat breakfast, they were unfortunately treated to more than expected. A piece of melted hard plastic was inside every warmed, and pre-packaged muffin. In some instances the plastic was melted completely into the muffin exposing students to the remaining sharp edges when removed. On other muffins the plastic piece had melted and merged with the muffin top. Still other packages contained a loose piece of hardened plastic that had obviously been subjected to high heat. The pieces of plastic were square shaped, with ridges or a bubbled surface, and measured approximately 2"x2" to 3"x3".

Terry Grier, Houston's often controversial Superintendent of Schools, recently implemented a change in the school breakfast program that requires all schools in HISD to serve breakfast in the classroom. Despite resistance from principals, teachers, staff, and parents, Mr. Grier characterized these comments as "push-back" and required all schools to serve breakfast in the classrooms without further review. The program has been initiated in phases. Last Tuesday S.C. Red Elementary School began serving breakfast in the classroom.

Pomp and Circumstance Quiz � The Quick and the Ed

Pomp and Circumstance Quiz � The Quick and the Ed

Pomp and Circumstance Quiz

by Kris Amundson

Below are quotes from 2010 graduation speakers. Match the quotation with one of these five speakers: A. Bill Clinton, B. Arne Duncan, C. John Grisham, D. Rachel Maddow, E. Meryl Streep
1. I am or I was an expert in kissing on stage and on screen. How did I prepare for this? Well most of my preparation took place in my suburban high school or rather behind my suburban high school in New Jersey. One is obliged to do great deal of kissing in my line of work. Air kissing, ass-kissing, kissing up and of course actual kissing.
2. Of course, the future is yours. Who else would want it? Take it. You can have it. We’ve had our chance and made a royal mess of things. I’m sure you can do better. I expect you will.
3. Everybody always says around occasions like this, “Life is short.” It might be. If it is for you, I’m sorry a

The Real Value of College

by Kevin Carey

With Jacques Steinberg’s piece in last Sunday’s Times (Plan B: Skip College), the “Is college really worth it?” meme seems to be in full flower, in part because it’s an interesting issue and in part because the media suffers from a fatal weakness for novelty and counterintuition. But most of these discussions suffer from confusion about what question they’re actually trying to answer. In roughly ascending order of importance, here’s how various people are framing the issue:
Is college for everyone? This is a dumb question. Of course college isn’t for everyone. Just last week, thePost profiled 17-year old high school senior Bryce Harper, who definitely shouldn’t go to college. Instead, he should (and will) become a professional baseball player and earn millions of dollars. The number of good career paths that don’t require a college degree is small and shrinking but not non-existent. Some people start families, others aren’t smart or hard-working enough enough to complete college-level work. Defining the question in

QUICK Hits

by Forrest Hinton

Quick Hits is a short compilation of question-raising news stories, blog posts, and video clips that Education Sector team members are reading and viewing each day.

Apparently there’s more than one way to get accepted into an Ivy League and win thousands in scholarships. But do the dishonest always get caught? (The Boston Globe)
What exactly will Joel Klein have to say about NYC’s NAEP scores later this week? (Gotham Schools)
How does Deborah Gist see the Central Falls agreement? (Hint: Hess says that if the teachers “play poker like they negotiate, they might be advised to just mail their Visa card to Vegas and call it a day.”) (Rick Hess Straight Up)
What do solar panels, ads on school buses, and a catering department run by food service have in common?(ABCTE Blog)

Maria Shriver, First Lady of California :: News Release

Maria Shriver, First Lady of California :: News Release

First Lady Maria Shriver Plants First Edible Fruit Tree Grove on Grounds of California State Capitol

Announces Fruit Tree Grant Program to Expand the State Capitol Grove to Schoolsthroughout California

Sacramento, CA - In celebration of the one year anniversary of the WE Garden in Capitol Park,First Lady Maria Shriver today planted the first edible fruit tree grove on the grounds of the California State Capitol, in partnership with the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation, Jamba Juice Company and California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. In conjunction with the WE Garden, the fruit tree grove will serve as a way to educate and inspire Californians about the important lessons of fresh and nutritious foods. The expansion of the garden will produce a greater harvest that will be donated to Sacramento Loaves and Fishes to continue to help feed families in need with nutritious and fresh food.

“I am very proud of the partnerships and community groups that we work with to sustain this garden,” said First Lady Maria Shriver. “It has been tremendously successful in producing food to help feed the community, and I’m thrilled that these fruit trees will only add to the harvest. This is truly a garden that belongs to the people of California.”

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, who joined Shriver at the event said, “I want to commend First Lady Maria Shriver for her work to promote healthy eating and sustainable living. The WE Garden program is a shining example that the best gifts we can leave the next generation are a greener environment and a healthier way to live.”

The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation donated four mature trees that were planted adjacent to the WE Garden, which include an almond, apricot, plum and cherry tree. To help expand the WE Garden fruit tree grove beyond the State Capitol, Jamba announced that it was creating an “It’s All About the Fruit” fruit tree planting competitive grant program, inspired by First Lady Maria Shriver, for schools to expand their gardens to include fruit trees and create long-term sustainable solutions. The first set of $500 fruit tree grants were awarded today to five Sacramento City Unified elementary and middle schools.

“The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation is honored to partner with First Lady Maria Shriver and the WE Garden program to create a demonstration model of sustainability and nutrition through an organic, homegrown mini-orchard,” says Cem Akin, FTPF’s executive director. “Promise and hope for a healthier, greener world can spring out of the seed of a single fruit tree.”

In addition to the fruit tree grants, Jamba announced that it has partnered with Shriver’s WE Garden program to launch an easy fundraising opportunity for schools and communities that encourages nutrition education through gardening. Together with the National Gardening Association, the partnership will be supported through the Jamba Healthy Communities Swipe Card program. Building on their commitment to promote fun, innovative solutions for healthier schools, Jamba will create a “Sip to Support a Garden” fundraising program to give schools and community gardens a year-round funding source to support nutrition education and gardening. Jamba will provide its team members 15,000 hours of volunteer hours to plant fruit trees and support the gardens.

“Jamba Juice is proud to partner with Maria Shriver and the WE Garden program to create year-round resources for schools and community organizations that support gardening and nutrition education,” said James D. White, President and CEO of Jamba Juice Company. “Through our fruit tree planting grants and volunteer initiative we aim to create more sustainable communities and inspire the next generation of leaders who are passionate about giving back. That’s really what Jamba Juice is all about.”

The WE Garden is located on the east end of Capitol Park and is maintained by the Department of General Services in partnership with the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom and the American River College’s horticulture program. Since the initial planting of the WE Garden in May 2009, some highlights of produce that have been harvested and donated includes 147 bundles of chives, 96 green bell peppers, 91 bundles of parsley, 58 bundles of sweet basil and 54 yellow squash. All harvests have been donated to the Sacramento Loaves and Fishes program, feeding the homeless and communities in need.

For more information on First Lady Maria Shriver’s WE Garden project visithttp://www.firstlady.ca.gov/projects/school-gardens.

Now or never to sign Race to the Top MOU The Educated Guess

The Educated Guess

Now or never to sign Race to the Top MOU

Posted in Race to the Top

A 19-page memorandum of understanding for signing up for Round 2 of Race to the Top went out Monday. District, county offices of education and charter schools will have only until Wednesday to indicate whether they’re in or out.
This time, there will be no coaxing or convincing, with a wink or a nod, that districts can always back out later if they don’t like the terms. This time, the state’s not going all out to build a big tent of participants at the sacrifice of strong commitments. This time, superintendents, local union presidents and presidents of the boards of trustees should sign the dotted line only if they’re prepared to agree to a specific and lengthy set of reforms.
(Read more and comment on this post)

By John Fensterwald on May 18th, 2010

Amid the havoc, K-12 relatively spared for now

Posted in State Budget

In his revised budget, Gov. Schwarzenegger is not suggesting any more cuts to K-12 schools than he proposed in January.
But that should provide little comfort or confidence to school districts. They’ll likely spend the summer watching a stalemate in Sacramento while worrying whether the school budgets they’ll set in June, using the governor’s revised state budget in May, will turn out to be too high. There’s a good chance they will be – even with the big spending cuts they’ll already include.
(Read more and comment on this post)

FOXNews.com - Secret Service Probes Alabama Teacher for Using Obama Assassination as a Lesson

FOXNews.com - Secret Service Probes Alabama Teacher for Using Obama Assassination as a Lesson

Secret Service Probes Alabama Teacher for Using Obama Assassination as a Lesson

Associated Press

School officials say the Corner High School teacher apparently was teaching his students about parallel lines and angles and used the example of where to stand and aim to shoot the president.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- A Jefferson County geometry teacher was investigated by the Secret Service after he used a hypothetical assassination of President Obama as a way to teach angles.

School officials say the Corner High School teacher apparently was teaching his students about parallel lines and angles and used the example of where to stand and aim to shoot the president.

Authorities were alerted, and Roy Sexton, special agent in charge of Birmingham's Secret Service office, says his agency spoke with the teacher, did not find a credible threat and closed the investigation. No charges were filed.

Superintendent Phil Hammonds says the teacher remains at work and there are no plans to fire him.