Two candidates vying to become California's next schools chief have strong convictions about how to turn around the state's public schools and restore them to their once-envied position as national leaders.

October 22, 2010

State warns Cedarburg aobut sex ed option

October 22, 2010

NC teacher returns to class after charge

October 22, 2010

Legislators start Ark. lottery scholarship changes

October 22, 2010

N.Y.C. Agrees in Court Not to Release Teacher Data

October 22, 2010

Facing Federal Charges, Superintendent in N.J. Quits

October 22, 2010

Judge: Waterloo school dress code too strict

October 22, 2010

Texas AG Sues 3 Online Home Schools

October 22, 2010

Ohio Teacher Accused of Burning Crosses on Students Drops Lawsuit

October 22, 2010

Board consults with AG's office on scholarship law

October 22, 2010

Okla. college enrollment report shows increases

October 22, 2010

Shanker Blog � Teacher Value-Added Scores: Publish and Perish

TEACHER VALUE-ADDED SCORES: PUBLISH AND PERISH

by Matthew Di Carlo

On the heels of the Los Angeles Times’ August decision to publish a database of teachers’ value-added scores,New York City newspapers are poised to do the same, with the hearing scheduled for late November.

Here’s a proposition: Those who support the use of value-added models (VAM) for any purpose should be lobbying against the release of teachers’ names and value-added scores.

The reason? Publishing the names directly compromises the accuracy of an already-compromised measure. Those who blindly advocate for publication – often saying things like “what’s the harm?” – betray their lack of knowledge about the importance of the models’ core assumptions, and the implications they carry for the accuracy of results. Indeed, the widespread publication of these databases may even threaten VAM’s future utility in public education.

Let me explain. Value-added models, which are statistical techniques for isolating the effect of individual teachers on gains in their students’ test scores, rely on a set of core assumptions. Some of these can be tested; others cannot. One of the most important assumptions – and one that has recently gotten a lot of public attention – is that students are randomly assigned to teachers.

If students and teachers were in fact randomly assigned, with enough years of data, value-added models could

Teachers at city’s first charter school vote to unionize | GothamSchools

Remainders: What Bill Gates learned from home-schooling - Bill Gates on what makes a good teacher and how he home-schooled his own kids. (Parade) - Arne Duncan is making an appearance in Philly with Tony Danza, Ackerman. (Russo) - In a debate, Kirsten Gillibrand made it clear she hadn’t ...

City: releasing scores will honor the good, improve the bad City education officials are saying they want to release teachers’ ratingspublicly as a way of helping bad teachers improve and reward those who are excelling. In an interview with John Gambling on WOR-AM (710) this morning, Deputy Chancellor John ...

Teachers at city’s first charter school vote to unionize The teachers union has struck another blow to Victory Schools, a for-profit management group that has bitterly clashed with the union. All but one of the 28 teachers and other instructional staff at the Sisulu-Walker Charter School of Harlem, which ...

My Mom Is Looking for these Guys – Lily's Blackboard

My Mom Is Looking for these Guys

Oct 22nd, 2010

by Lily.

Soy la hija de una inmigrante. I am the proud daughter of an immigrant. My mother is from Panama and became a citizen when I was three.

Sometimes she used to let us stay up past the late, late, late show when TV used to actually go off the air. (Lordy, am I dating myself?). At the End of Our Broadcasting Day, they played the Star Spangled Banner. My little mamá would make us get our sleepy little butts up off the sofa and put our droopy little hands over our hearts. Some of the most patriotic Americas I know are those who loved this country so much, they chose to become Americans. They do not take our country or our responsibilities for granted.

I don’t think Mom has ever missed an election. My mother would consider it una vergüenza – a shameful thing – to not vote when there are so many immigrants who love this country and dream about someday becoming citizens and being given that incredible responsibility.

I saw a commercial that I consider not only Unpatriotic, but an insult to my mother. It was a slick commercial by people who are not friends of the Latino

Can a Hierarchical Public Education System Survive? | Lefty Parent

Can a Hierarchical Public Education System Survive?

by Cooper Zale

In his October 14 piece for the Economic Policy Institute titled“How to fix our schools”, Richard Rothstein quotes President Obama as saying…

I always have to remind people that the biggest ingredient in school performance is the teacher. That’s the biggest ingredient within a school. But the single biggest ingredient is the parent.

I agree teachers and parents are two key players in an educational environment, and I think there is way too

The Washington Teacher: Hot Off The Press: Reduction In Force In DCPS

Hot Off The Press: Reduction In Force In DCPS

by The Wash. Teacher

Featuring Candi Peterson, blogger in residence & candidate for WTU General Vice President

Sources have told The Washington Teacher that Deputy Chancellor, Kaya Henderson instituted yet another round of layoffs of DC Public Schools employees on Friday, October 22. These layoffs are one year after the October 2, 2009 anniversary date of layoffs of 266 teachers and approximately 100 other

Why It’s a Bad Idea to Release Teacher Ratings � EdVox

Why It’s a Bad Idea to Release Teacher Ratings

by edvoxny

by Norm Fruchter

The United Federation of Teachers has gone to court to block the NYC Department of Education’s (DOE) release of teacher performance ratings based on value-added measures of their students’ test scores. The DOE agreed to hold off on publishing the ratings until a court hearing on November 24^th.

The New York City Department of Education (DOE) has a contract with the Wisconsin Center for Education Research to produce reports on value-added results based on the student test scores of more than 12,000 NYC teachers who teach ELA and Math in the fourth through eighth grades. The union, a partner in this research, had negotiated an agreement with the DOE not to make the results public. Instead, the results were to be shared with school principals and used in teacher evaluations and tenure decisions. When the DOE violated their agreement by deciding to make the results public and release them to the news media, the union decided to g

UPR Student Occupy Social Science and Education Depts. � occupy california

UPR Student Occupy Social Science and Education Depts.

by *

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On early Thursday morning, October 21st, there was no class at the Social Sciences and Education Departments of the University of Puerto Rico as protest against the $800 fee that the administration pretends to impose on the students. The fee implicates an almost 100% increase of tuition costs and that around 11,000 students would have to stop attending studies due to lack of enough money.

At the Education Department claims were also made against the cuts on courses offered and the rise in class capacity. According to the Action Committee for Education, “their plan is evident. They want to make the University smaller, sacrificing the public and social interest that is assumed of a State university and adopted the model of the university-business. They want to tear apart our university to eventually give it to the private sector.”

What I've Learned About Great Teachers | Parade.com

BILL GATES: The PARADE Interview

What I've Learned About Great Teachers

by: Paul Tough

"In almost every area of human endeavor, the practice improves over time," says Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. "That hasn't been the case for teaching." This month, Gates is sounding the alarm about public education inWaiting for "Superman," a new documentary from An Inconvenient Truth's Davis Guggenheim. "He has this amazing capacity to drill really, really deep," Guggenheim says of Gates. "He has an infectious curiosity." PARADE sat down with the software mogul turned philanthropist to talk about the movie, the American education system, and his own school days.

PARADE: Why did you decide to appear in Waiting for "Superman"?
BG: Our foundation has picked education as a priority in the United States, and we've spent over $4 billion on various projects. So when I heard that somebody who's done great documentaries was doing one on education, my interest was to share some thoughts and say, "Hey, don't get too depressed."

PARADE: Depressed? Do you think people will find the film pessimistic?
BG: Most people don't realize how bad the situation really has become. They think, Geez, if half the kids in the inner city were really dropping out, wouldn't somebody declare a crisis? The movie shows how bad the

AFL-CIO NOW BLOG | ‘Tenthers’ Would Abolish Wage and Child Labor Laws, Social Security, Medicare and More

‘Tenthers’ Would Abolish Wage and Child Labor Laws, Social Security, Medicare and More

by Mike Hall, Oct 21, 2010


38Share

Most cults are based in some sort of skewed spiritual vision or the worship of a charismatic leader, but there is a re-emerging cult that bows down at the feet of the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Many of them want to bring their cultish beliefs to the halls of Congress and are running for election this fall.

They’re called the “tenthers” and they say federal laws and rules like the minimum wage, Medicare, Social Security, unemployment insurance, the Department of Education, even child labor laws and a laundry list of other federal laws and programs are unconstitutional.

Their rationale—irrationale would be a better word—is that if a federal power is not specifically spelled out in the Constitution, well the government doesn’t have it, according to their view of the 10th amendment.

It’s a view that has long been discredited, but reappears from time to time, such as during FDR’s New Deal era and after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled school segregation unconstitutional in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education.

Ackerman honored for urban school leadership | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Ackerman honored for urban school leadership

by Dale Mezzacappa on Oct 22 2010

Is Arlene Ackerman the best urban school superintendent in America?

The Council of the Great City Schools has just awarded her that status at its annual conference in Tampa, FL Thursday evening.

In voting her the prize, considered the top honor in the country for urban education leadership, the citation noted her reform blueprint, Imagine 2014, her plan to increase resources to the neediest schools through weighted student funding,the Renaissance Schools turnaround initiative, and the creation of Parent University to increase community engagement.

It also mentioned that for the first time, more than half the city's school childrenscored proficient or better on state tests.

Ackerman won "because of her leadership and commitment to urban kids, and her

Sex orientation eyed as motive in 2 NJ slayings; gay advocacy group offers reward - NorthJersey.com

Sex orientation eyed as motive in 2 NJ slayings; gay advocacy group offers reward

Friday, October 22, 2010

STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

NORTHJERSEY.COM

NEWARK — Authorities are investigating whether two people in New Jersey were killed because of their sexual orientation.

Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert Laurino announced on Thursday the arrest of a suspect in the March. 15 slaying of a Maplewood man. Laurino also named two suspects in the deadly shooting of a 28-year-old transgender woman on Sept. 12.

Laurino told The Star-Ledger of Newark the suspects in both attacks learned of the victims' sexual orientations.

John Staten is held on $1 million bail, charged in the fatal beating 27-year-old

The Answer Sheet - Economic school integration: A response to Valerie Strauss and Jerry Weast

Economic school integration: A response to Valerie Strauss and Jerry Weast

This was written by Richard D. Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation. He is the author of "All Together Now: Creating Middle-Class Schools through Public School Choice," and he supervised the Century Foundation report, "Housing Policy is School Policy," written by Heather Schwartz. In this post, Kahlenberg makes strong arguments in a response to separate concerns that Montgomery County Public Schools Supt. Jerry Weast and I raised about the report. By Richard D. Kahlenberg While most school reform efforts are aimed at trying to make high-poverty schools equal to middle-class schools, The Century Foundation released a report last Friday finding that there appears to be a much better way to improve the prospects of low-income students: Give them a chance to live in more advantaged neighborhoods and attend schools with wealthier classmates. The report received some push-back from The Answer Sheet and from Jerry Weast, the school superintendent

Barrage of GOP Bills Would Deny Citizenship to U.S.-Born Kids | California Progress Report

Barrage of GOP Bills Would Deny Citizenship to U.S.-Born Kids

by christine

By Valeria Fernandez

A national coalition of GOP lawmakers is planning a new push to change the interpretation of the U.S. Constitution to deny citizenship to the U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants.

In Arizona, state Senator. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa a longtime crusader against illegal immigration whose legislative efforts include the controversial SB 1070, announced the 14-state campaign at a press conference on Tuesday. He said he plans to introduce an Arizona bill revoking the right of children born in the United States to have automatic U.S. citizenship, regardless of their parents’ status, at the new legislative session that begins in January.

California GOP "A White Man's Party"

by christine

By Robert Cruickshank

The latest PPIC poll is out and it shows Democratic candidates Jerry Brown and Barbara Boxer still ahead of their Republican opponents. PPIC has Brown over Whitman 44-36 and Boxer over Fiorina 43-38. Those numbers are roughly similar to the SurveyUSA numbersfrom earlier this week, although Boxer's lead is larger according to PPIC.

Before we get to their polling on the ballot propositions, it's worth spending a moment to explain why Brown and Boxer have leads. As Calbuzz points out:

Despite her massive spending - which is expected to reach $180 million - Republican Whitman has been unable to break away from Democrat Brown except among Republicans, conservatives and Southern Californians outside of Los Angeles....

The Answer Sheet - Kohn: The pretend reformers

Kohn: The pretend reformers

This was written by Alfie Kohn, the author of 12 books about education and human behavior, including "The Schools Our Children Deserve," "The Homework Myth," and the forthcoming "Feel-Bad Education . . . And Other Contrarian Essays on Children & Schooling." He lives (actually) in the Boston area and (virtually) at www.alfiekohn. This post appeared on Kohn's Huffington Post page. By Alfie Kohn If you somehow neglected to renew your subscription to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, you may have missed a couple of interesting articles last year. A series of studies conducted by two independent groups of researchers (published in the September and November 2009 issues, respectively) added to an already substantial collection of evidence showing that “people are motivated to perceive existing social arrangements as just and legitimate.” As is common with social psych studies, all the subjects were college students, so extrapolate to every other

Latest News and Comment from Education

Friday, October 22, 2010

Education Week Wrap Up: From the Wires

FROM THE WIRES

Shanker Blog � Teacher Value-Added Scores: Publish and Perish

TEACHER VALUE-ADDED SCORES: PUBLISH AND PERISH

Teachers at city’s first charter school vote to unionize | GothamSchools

My Mom Is Looking for these Guys – Lily's Blackboard

My Mom Is Looking for these Guys

Can a Hierarchical Public Education System Survive? | Lefty Parent

Can a Hierarchical Public Education System Survive?

The Washington Teacher: Hot Off The Press: Reduction In Force In DCPS

Hot Off The Press: Reduction In Force In DCPS

Why It’s a Bad Idea to Release Teacher Ratings � EdVox

Why It’s a Bad Idea to Release Teacher Ratings

UPR Student Occupy Social Science and Education Depts. � occupy california

UPR Student Occupy Social Science and Education Depts.

What I've Learned About Great Teachers | Parade.com

What I've Learned About Great Teachers

AFL-CIO NOW BLOG | ‘Tenthers’ Would Abolish Wage and Child Labor Laws, Social Security, Medicare and More

‘Tenthers’ Would Abolish Wage and Child Labor Laws, Social Security, Medicare and More

Ackerman honored for urban school leadership | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Ackerman honored for urban school leadership

by Dale Mezzacappa on Oct 22 2010

Sex orientation eyed as motive in 2 NJ slayings; gay advocacy group offers reward - NorthJersey.com

The Answer Sheet - Economic school integration: A response to Valerie Strauss and Jerry Weast

Economic school integration: A response to Valerie Strauss and Jerry Weast

Barrage of GOP Bills Would Deny Citizenship to U.S.-Born Kids | California Progress Report

Barrage of GOP Bills Would Deny Citizenship to U.S.-Born Kids

California GOP "A White Man's Party"

The Answer Sheet - Kohn: The pretend reformers

Kohn: The pretend reformers

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