Damn Good Education Daily

Damn Good Education Daily

Damn Good Education Daily

Thanksgiving for Bankers and “Bad” Teachers « Fremont Watch

fremontwatch.wordpress.com - As Chuck mentioned in his post Black Friday, time IS running out for teachers to successfully defend our profession from the hedge fund managers, billionaires and faux reformers : As I went to what...

DianeRavitch

Lamar High's Library Ousts Books, Re-Opens as Coffee Shop - Houston News

blogs.houstonpress.com - ​Just adding a coffee shop to a neighborhood library so people can feel like they're in Starbucks and ultra hip was apparently too passe a trend for Principal James McSwain of Lamar High School.Fin...

DianeRavitch

The Answer Sheet - Report on college attendance crisis for black males exaggerated

voices.washingtonpost.com - The following was written by Caroline Grannan, a San Francisco public-school parent, volunteer and advocate. Grannan is a retired daily-newspaper copy editor, who like all former newsroom journalis...

leoniehaimson

Charter Schools and Student Attrition: Not a Myth

uft.org - WBEZ Public Radio and Catalyst Chicago magazine just co-released two excellent stories about the disturbingly high rates of student attrition and pushouts in Chicago charter schools. The research f...

DianeRavitch

DFER Catalyst? « DFER Watch

dferwatch.wordpress.com - John Walton: DFER Catalyst? Posted by kennethlibby on November 27, 2010 · Leave a Comment John Walton: DFER catalyst? So says Whitney Tilson in an interview from his documentary, A Right Denied. He...

Pols Say Bloomberg Pressured Steiner To Appoint Black - Gothamist

Pols Say Bloomberg Pressured Steiner To Appoint Black - Gothamist

Pols Say Bloomberg Pressured Steiner To Appoint Black

With the announcement that Bloomberg's Schools Chancellor choice Cathie Black would serve with a second-in-command with extensive education experience, one would think that the controversy over her appointment would slowly roll to a stop. But no. Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries and other city pols say they will file a temporary restraining order to Block her appointment, which Jeffries said state Education Commissioner David Steiner didn't want to approve anyway. "Commissioner Steiner appears to have made this decision in the back room with Mayor Bloomberg whispering in his ear. By all accounts he was not comfortable with the appointment of Cathie Black, but he appeared to bow from immense pressure from City Hall and the mayor's rich and powerful friends to strike a compromise that is not in the best interest of our children."

At a protest in Brownsville, Black critic City Councilman Charles Barron urged parents to keep their children out of schools until a "qualified chancellor" is selected, and said having current Performance and Accountability Chancellor Shael Polakow-Suransky helping her out wouldn't change anything. "We question the legality of her riding on someone else's credentials," he said. "Mayoral control is out of control. The mayor is disrespectful, the mayor is abusive of the power the system gave him. And Cathie Black is unqualified to teach in a classroom, nevertheless [will] run the largest education system in the country."

And Black is looking less qualified by the day. Black has pointed to her seat on the National Leadership Board of the Harlem Village Academies charter school as a sign of her dedication to the city's school system, but

What do I think about having my words and thoughts compiled by a stranger? « Fred Klonsky's blog

What do I think about having my words and thoughts compiled by a stranger? « Fred Klonsky's blog

What do I think about having my words and thoughts compiled by a stranger?

by Fred Klonsky

If you look over to the right side of my blog I link to a number of blog writers who I like and find interesting. Some I have gotten to know as a result of this whole process of blogging. Some I have met face to face.

It’s been good.

I also link to lots of sites in my posts.

I don’t ask if I can do it. That has always been the nature of the internet.

What I and others like about the internet and blogging is the democratic nature of it.

The nice way to describe my relatively small (about 15,000 a month) readers is that you are

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: Lafayette Academy Charter School

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: Lafayette Academy Charter School

Lafayette Academy Charter School *CHARTER SCHOOL WINS LAWSUIT AGAINST MANAGEMENT COMPANY*, September 17, 2007, Times-Picayune (LA) The governing board of Lafayette Academy charter school emerged from legal arbitration Friday with a $350,000 judgment against the for-profit company ...

Alliance Academy – Evanston (OH) *NEW CHARTER SCHOOL FACES CRITICISM OF ITS CURRICULUM*; July 21, 2003; Business Courier (Cincinnati, OH) Cincinnati's newest charter school will be managed by a national for-profit company that has faced lawsuits for allowing religious instruction ...

Liberty Charter School *TOO MUCH LIBERTY AT LIBERTY? Allegations of fiscal mismanagement at Nampa charter school;* February 17, 2004; Boise Weekly (ID) Last week a group of parents went to Liberty Charter School in Nampa to gain access to financial records after filing a

Riverview Charter School *EX-RIVERVIEW DIRECTOR AMENDS LAWSUIT AGAINST SCHOOL*; October 31, 2010; Beaufort Gazette (SC) The first director of Riverview Charter School has accused her former employers of luring her to Beaufort with false promises, misrepresenting her ...

Hidden Springs Charter School *BOISE SCHOOLS GET 'WIN-WIN' DEAL FOR HIDDEN SPRINGS ELEMENTARY PURCHASE: The district buys Hidden Springs school building for $2 million under the appraised value; *January 26, 2010; Idaho Statesman A Jan. 14 appraisal set Hidden Springs ...

Hawai'i Academy of Arts and Sciences *ACLU, BIG ISLAND CHARTER SCHOOL SETTLE STRIP-SEARCH LAWSUIT,* August 3, 2004, Associated Press A Big Island charter school will re-examine its disciplinary policies and train its faculty on when it is appropriate to search students to settle a ...

Apple Charter School *CHARTER SCHOOL SUES DISTRICT: BOARD DENIES REQUEST FOR RENT AND OTHER COSTS **; *June 25, 2010; The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC) The Apple Charter School hasn't even opened yet, but it's already suing the Charleston County School District for ...

Detroit Academy of Arts & Sciences *LAWSUIT ALLEGES MISCONDUCT AT DETROIT CHARTER SCHOOL,* Jan 8, 2009, Detroit Free Press (MI) Two former employees of the Detroit Academy of Arts & Sciences charter school allege in a lawsuit that the school engaged in cheating on standardized ...

Summit Academy - Dayton *SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE LEADS TO LAWSUIT AGAINST CHARTER SCHOOL*; January 15, 2010, Dayton Daily News (OH) The family of a former student has filed a lawsuit against the Summit Academy, claiming another student “raped and sexually abused” the boy at ...

Sandhills Theatre Arts Renaissance School *STARS BOARD MEMBERS SUED;* August 6, 2010; The Pilot (Southern Pines, NC) Neighborhood Youth Leadership operating as Sandhills Theatre Arts Renaissance School, along with others, filed a lawsuit against five STARS board members today. Shanahan ...

Young Women's Leadership Network charter school (Rochester, NY) *PROPOSED ROCHESTER CHARTER SCHOOL HAS TIES TO JEAN-CLAUDE BRIZARD;*November 12, 2010; Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY) Organizers of a new all-girls charter school aiming to open in 2012 have been busy amassing supporters in the city of ...
KIPP College Preparatory School – Indianapolis *IT MAY BE DO OR DIE FOR INDIANAPOLIS CHARTER SCHOOL*; November 6, 2010; Indianapolis Business Journal (IN) It’s crunch time for an embattled Indianapolis charter school. Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) College Preparatory School faces its ...

N.J. schools struggle with increasing class sizes as budgets, teachers are cut | NJ.com

N.J. schools struggle with increasing class sizes as budgets, teachers are cut | NJ.com

N.J. schools struggle with increasing class sizes as budgets, teachers are cut

Published: Sunday, November 28, 2010, 9:00 AM Updated: Sunday, November 28, 2010, 9:08 AM

Jeanette Rundquist/The Star-Ledger
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Ed Murray/The Star-LedgerTwo physical education classes of 120 students run in class at the Herbert Hoover Middle School in Edison on Tuesday November, 16, 2010.

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EDISON — The gymnasium at Herbert Hoover Middle School in Edison was bouncing with energy one recent morning as 120 seventh-graders, dressed in shorts, T-shirts and sneakers, lined up and began doing calisthenics.

Teachers Phil Bouchard and Kim Baldassare walked along the rows, each taking attendance of the 60 students in their classes. Last year, before state aid cuts led Edison to reduce teaching staff, phys ed classes at Herbert Hoover numbered around 40 kids.

"Most of the time is devoted to organization, not instruction," Bouchard said, pausing as he checked off names. "It’s very difficult."

Edison eliminated 150 teaching positions, including 6½ at Herbert Hoover, after the school budget was cut by more than $16 million. Herbert Hoover now has math classes of 25 or 26 students, up from last year’s average of 22; foreign language classes of 29

Queens Teacher: Deeper Look at Harlem Village Academies & Black's School "Experience"

Queens Teacher: Deeper Look at Harlem Village Academies & Black's School "Experience"

Deeper Look at Harlem Village Academies & Black's School "Experience"

by Queens Teacher

Cathie Black claims to have educational experience with charter school board post, but it's moot

BY Meredith Kolodner and Greg B. Smith
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

City schools chancellor nominee Cathie Black insists she's connected to public education via a highly touted charter school - but a close look shows she's had no contact with students, parents or teachers there.

Another lie.

Officials at the Harlem Village Academies admit the school's National Leadership Board, which Black joined just five months ago, has never met.

That board "has no operational or governing authority" over the school and exists for "support purposes only," the

The Answer Sheet - Why non-educator school chiefs aren't the answer

The Answer Sheet - Why non-educator school chiefs aren't the answer

Why non-educator school chiefs aren't the answer

This was written byLarry Cuban, a former high school social studies teacher (14 years, including seven at Cardozo and Roosevelt high schools in the District), district superintendent (seven years in Arlington, Virginia) and professor emeritus of education at Stanford University, where he has taught for 20 years. His latest book is "As Good As It Gets: What School Reform Brought to Austin." This appeared on his blog. By Larry Cuban Many questions accompany the current reform effort for mayors and urban districts to hire non-educators. Here are a few. 1. Where do non-educator superintendents serve? Lawyers Harold Levy and Joel Klein served as Chancellors in New York City. Publishing executive Cathie Black was selected to replace Klein. Paul Vallas, former budget chief for Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, headed that city's schools. Colorado governor Roy Romer went to run Los Angeles schools. Generals John Stanford in Seattle and Julius Becton

Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Sunday links.

by Fred Klonsky

“We want our country back.” I don’t think so. Photo courtesy M. Ely

Charter schools: Choosing segregation. A couple of researchers have found that charters tend to be more racially isolated than their regular public school counterpart. “Racially isolated,” is academic speak for “white’s only.” So much for the Civil Rights Movement of our time, eh?
Stephen Krashen writes to the NY Times in response to the increasingly annoying Thomas Friedman, reminding him that the 800 pound gorilla in the room when it comes to improving teaching and learning ispoverty.
Many conversations like this took place this Thanksgiving? The family gathers around the holiday table. Turkey, cranberries and sweet potatoes with marshmallows are passed around. And then the conversation shifts to uncle Bill or Aunt Mary, the school teacher in the family. Fingers are pointed and uncle Bill or Aunt Mary finds

The Wall.

by Fred Klonsky

Schools Matter: Oprah and Eli

Schools Matter: Oprah and Eli

Oprah and Eli

by Jim Horn

For some it has been a mystery why someone with Oprah's public image would be up to her neck in corporate education reform built on planned segregation and exploitation of the poor and the brown. Yet her recent 60-minute infomercial with Gates and Guggenheim to pump Waiting for Superman is indicative of her aggressive parroting of the corporate welfare charter meme. Same with the televised love fest she sponsored for New Jersey's loudmouthed governor, Newark mayor's Cory Booker, and the billionaire twink, Zuckerberg.

But as Bracey always said, just follow the money to find the source of the heartfelt commitment. Most of us

School reform engine may be losing momentum - Wire - Lifestyle - bellinghamherald.com

School reform engine may be losing momentum - Wire - Lifestyle - bellinghamherald.com

School reform engine may be losing momentum

By DAVID HARRISON - Stateline.org

LOUISVILLE, KY. This has been a busy year for education reformers. Primed by billions in stimulus funding, states spent much of 2010 scrambling to complete ambitious school improvement plans outlined in detail in hundreds of pages of applications for federal " Race to the Top" funding.

Many have adopted policies that are central to the Obama administration's education agenda, such as changing the ways teachers are evaluated, giving more latitude to charter schools, revising student tracking systems and putting an emphasis on turning around low-performing schools. As part of a separate but related effort, 41 states have adopted a standard math and English curriculum endorsed by federal officials.

But now, as the year ends, the reform enthusiasm seems to have cooled. Out of 46 applications received, the U.S. Department of Education awarded $4.35 billion in Race to the Top grants to only 11 states and the District of Columbia. The looming end of stimulus

Read more: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/11/28/1743370/school-reform-engine-may-be-losing.html#ixzz16aQL64Iw

Educators must take lead in defining school reform - NJ.com

Educators must take lead in defining school reform - NJ.com

Educators must take lead in defining school reform

Friday, November 26, 2010

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Linking the achievements of schoolchildren to the evaluation and compensation of the adults who work with them is an important undertaking. It is so important that the federal government has selected 13 states and the District of Columbia to receive $4 billion in Race to the Top grants to develop education reforms. A primary area for research is the recruitment, development, reward and retention of effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most.

The Bill and Linda Gates Foundation is also funding experiments in teacher evaluation and performance pay. The Pittsburgh school district obtained $40 million; Los Angeles charter schools, $60 million; and Memphis schools, $90 million. The Hillsborough County district in Florida, which includes Tampa, won the biggest grant: $100 million. This, the nation's eighth-largest school system, is looking to reshape its 15,000-member teaching corps by rewarding according to student achievement instead of teacher seniority.

New Jersey, which notoriously did not obtain Race to the Top funding, is headed in the same direction, but on a different path. Gov. Christie has

Other school systems unlikely to embrace city's radical teachers' contract - baltimoresun.com

Other school systems unlikely to embrace city's radical teachers' contract - baltimoresun.com

Other school systems unlikely to embrace city teachers contract

Teachers in other districts are represented by a different national unions

Mike McCabe says he has had a "good gig" teaching in Montgomery County schools for the past decade, but the contract that Baltimore teachers approved recently is attracting his attention and making him ponder a move.

"I want the ability to be paid based on how well I do what I do as opposed to how well I survive the school year. It is something I will keep an eye on," he said.

While it is too early to say whether the passage of a radical new teachers' contract in the city will have any effect on how other union contracts are negotiated, or whether teachers from other districts might be attracted to the city, the contract has gotten a lot of attention.

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"I think it is very likely that school systems and negotiating teams will be looking very closely at this agreement. What is in it? What