NCLB’s escape hatch for schools | Thoughts on Public Education

NCLB’s escape hatch for schools | Thoughts on Public Education

NCLB’s escape hatch for schools

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Report cast doubt on Arne Duncan's dire prediction

Posted on 4/14/11 • Categorized as No Child Left Behind

By John Fensterwald - Educated Guess

It’s become a truism: Nearly every school will likely fail No Child Left Behind’s requirement that 100 percent of students be proficient in reading and math by 2014.

Politicians recite that reflexively. I’ve said it myself.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, in calling for immediate reform of the law, upped the ante in testimony to Congress last month: 82 percent of the nation’s schools will fail to meet their proficiency goals this year – an increase of 45 percentage points over last year, he said. Challenged about the accuracy of the prediction, Duncan stuck to it in comments to

My Newest Piece In Washington Post | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

My Newest Piece In Washington Post | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

My Newest Piece In Washington Post I made some revisions to my book excerpt that appeared in Education Week recently, and it was just published in The Washington Post. My small changes connected the idea of helping students motivate themselves to school reform, and how perhaps making ...

Two Good Civil War Interactives From The Washington Post Here are two new good additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The American Civil War: Battles and Casualties of the Civil War is an interactive from The Washington Post. Civil War Timeline: Fury Unleashed is another interactive from The Post. ...

Today’s Collection Of Good School Reform Posts & Articles Here are a few recent good school reform posts and articles: A Big Fish In A Small Causal Pond is by Matthew Di Carlo at the Shanker Blog. I’m adding it to The Best Places To Learn What Impact A Teacher & Outside Factors Have On Student Achiev“MFL Edapps” Joe Dale has created a new blog just devoted to apps for the iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad that might be useful to language learner students and teachers. It’s called MFL edapps, and it looks great. I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Beginning iPhone ...

My Best Posts On Parent Engagement Over The Past Six Months — April, 2010 Over the past two years, I have posted: My Best Posts On Building Parent Engagement In Schools — 2010 My Best Posts On Parent Engagement Over The Past Six Months My Best Posts & Articles About Building Parent Engagement In Schools — 2009 My Best ...ement. ...

Public Flagship University, The University of Maryland’s Public Workers rally with students to Demand Fair Treatment and Equal Rights | Dailycensored.com

Public Flagship University, The University of Maryland’s Public Workers rally with students to Demand Fair Treatment and Equal Rights | Dailycensored.com

Public Flagship University, The University of Maryland’s Public Workers rally with students to Demand Fair Treatment and Equal Rights

Written by Danny WeilBusinessApr 13, 2011

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In a stunning show of courage, public workers from SB Local #1072 of College Park, Maryland at the University of Maryland rallied on April 13^th to demand their rights and express their grievances. Alongside them were university students, aligning their interests in tandem with those of the university public workers. This is an important step in, mobilizing opposition to unfair treatment of public workers at the university, of which Brian Igho wrote at http://dailycensored.com/2011/04/05/plantation-era-material-conditions-for-public-workers-at-the-university-of-maryland/). It also represents an important step in students and staff organizing and mobilizing. They see their interests are one and the same. Both students and workers correctly see solidarity is the only way to advance in the struggle to end inequality, fight for civil rights and defend

Modern School: Ruling Class Traitors Want to Tax the Rich

Modern School: Ruling Class Traitors Want to Tax the Rich

Kill the Poor: U.S. Military Spending Doubled Since 2001 A new report released by SIPRI, a Swedish think tank, indicates that U.S. military spending has nearly doubled since 2001, report Judd Legum in *Think Progress.* The U.S. spent $698 billion on the military last year, an 81% increase over the last ...

Ruling Class Traitors Want to Tax the Rich *Working in These Times* had an interesting fluff piece this week about wealthy “turncoats” demanding increased taxes on themselves. They were covering a protest outside Manhattan’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel in which protesters rallied against Governor ...

24 Oakland Schools May Fire Half Their Teachers More than two dozen Oakland schools may lose at least half their teachers if proposed budget cuts go through. Three of the schools could lose over 95% of their teachers, reports the *Bay Citizen.** *The schools most affected are in East and West ...

Honduran Violence Against Striking Teachers and Students Honduras is in the midst of a month long general strike. The strike, spearheaded by teachers and the National Front of Popular Resistance, is protesting government repression, attacks on teachers, privatization of the public education system, and the ...

SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: Students continue to hold the building at Sac State

SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: Students continue to hold the building at Sac State

Students continue to hold the building at Sac State

by Duane Campbell

There were rallies and marches on at least 10 of the CSU campuses today, ranging from 50 students to several hundred. (see below)

Sacramento State is the only one we know of where students have occupied the administration building.

At 8;30 PM. some 30 students continue to hold the Administration building and they plan to spend the night.

We have offered to relay their messages ( broadcast) through our blog.

Sac State students, employees protest budget cuts, tuition hikes

by Paul B

Marching through campus from the library quad area where the protest started, students make their way to the Sacramento Hall, the administration building on the Sacramento State Campus. Bryan Patrick patrick@sacbee.com

lrosenhall@sacbee.com
Sacramento Bee, Thursday, April 14, 2011

Hundreds of Sacramento State students and employees filled the campus quad Wednesday afternoon, speaking out against budget cuts, tuition increases and what they say are the university administration's misguided spending priorities.

NYC Public School Parents: Contest caption winners!

NYC Public School Parents: Contest caption winners!

Contest caption winners!

by Leonie Haimson

We asked for captions for this intimate moment captured by a NYT photographer Wed. night.

"Fine, Mike but we only have one, two minutes to make our couples' tanning salon appointment. I booked it three months ago."

Winner: Rachel Levy of VA.

Queens Teacher: How To Avoid Paying Taxes

Queens Teacher: How To Avoid Paying Taxes

How To Avoid Paying Taxes

by Queens Teacher

Watch how billionaire corporation GE manages to avoid paying taxes. These are one of the guys that want US to pay for the fact that they are not paying their fair share.

It doesn’t look any better in the morning. I’m against this bill. « Fred Klonsky's blog

It doesn’t look any better in the morning. I’m against this bill. « Fred Klonsky's blog

It doesn’t look any better in the morning. I’m against this bill.

by Fred Klonsky

The deal worked out in Springfield doesn’t seem any more appealing in the morning.

I should have known. Soglin and Swanson said they had drawn a line in the sand on the right to strike. It would mean that they would come up with something that was as close to doing away with the right to strike without actually doing away with the right to strike as they could. And they did.

This gives smoke and mirrors a bad name.

We haven’t seen the details of the give-aways on seniority and tenure rights yet.

NYC Educator: This Is Not Building Goodwill

NYC Educator: This Is Not Building Goodwill

This Is Not Building Goodwill

by Miss Eyre

"It's not question of whether there will be layoffs, but when." Thus saith, in so many words, the heir apparent to the Chancellor position, Dennis Walcott. This is how he is going to start his tenure, then; not with a bang but with a whimper, so to speak.

On Tuesday, I pointed out that one way Walcott could instantly build some street cred with kids, teachers, and parents would be to come out strongly against layoffs, to side with those who have pointed out that the city has reserve funds and, depending on who you ask, a budget surplus that would make teacher

Schools Matter: The Intersection of Literacy and Education "Reform"

Schools Matter: The Intersection of Literacy and Education "Reform"

The Intersection of Literacy and Education "Reform"

by Kenneth Libby

In my opinion, the meat of the issue when talking education policy is how changes to our public schools impact the lives of those people in the classroom. If you take it a step further and focus on a very specific topic - say, for instance, early elementary literacy - you're bound to find some very interesting reflections from thoughtful, trained, caring educators.

In the blog post I've linked to below, a teacher with training in literacy studies reflects on her experience in a corporate charter school. Here's a brief introduction (via Mary Ann Reilly's blog):

Guest Blog: This blog post was written by Miss C a former graduate student of mine who spe

Daily Kos: I probably shouldn't write this

Daily Kos: I probably shouldn't write this

I probably shouldn't write this

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

as it is far too personal, but since I am experiencing what many in the middle class are, even though I still have a job, I thought I would at least give a sense of what financial stress is like.

I have in the past mentioned that I have had my pay for this year cut 8,800 - 5,000 in county stipends for being National Board certified, the 2,000 state match on that, and the four furlough days. No COLA or step in increase last year or this (my anniversary date is midyear). Meanwhile some costs keep going up.

We have hit a wall temporarily. Had we been able to get our act together and do our taxes a month ago, and thus have gotten our state refund before having to pay the Feds, there would be no problem - the state refund would cover about 80% of what we owe the Feds and we could get through, especially as this is the month I get

School Tech Connect: More Astoundingly Bad Ideas

School Tech Connect: More Astoundingly Bad Ideas

More Astoundingly Bad Ideas

by effacethefacade@yahoo.com (Tim)

Let's examine parent trigger laws in other aspects of the public domain.

Police precinct trigger laws. 50% + 1 of the residents of a police precinct can force any precinct to re-organize as a private charter police department simply by gathering a petition to do so. Sounds reasonable. Sounds practical.

Military deployment trigger laws. 50% + 1 of citizens can force the military to disband and be re-organized as a mercenary force simply by gathering a petition. I wonder if we'd have more wars or less. I'm thinkin' more.

Rockford mayor Larry Morrisey, who is entitled to his

The Washington Teacher: WTU Call To Action: Furlough Protest Rally on Friday, April 15

The Washington Teacher: WTU Call To Action: Furlough Protest Rally on Friday, April 15

WTU Call To Action: Furlough Protest Rally on Friday, April 15

by Candi Peterson

WARAGE EQPROFITS" DETAILS WHAT: WTU Furlough Day Rally WHEN: April 15, 2011, 10:30 am WHERE: Washington Post Building, 1150 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC WHY: The Washington Post has buried the truth about education reform in DC! The Washington Post endorses IMPACT (test score centered teacher evaluation) at any cost! The Washington Post's ownership of Kaplan Higher Education, the U.S. premiere education profiteers, creates a conflict of interest on education policies. BACKGROUND: The Washington Post has consistently discounted the credentials, abilities and performance of hard working DC public school teachers. Kaplan's revenues, which are generated primarily by federal student loans, fuel their Editorial Board. The education stories have been uniquely biased against traditional public education creating a worse situation. Their national agenda has been about profit, not the people of Washington, DC or their children. CALL TO ACTION: The WTU is asking for all those who care about public education in the District to: Join forces to let the Washington Post know that we will not stand by while they continue with unfair and biased reporting. Boycott the Washington Post newspaper until they stop lying! Support community newspapers that report fairly and care about teachers, students and real education reform in the District. Click here to view the detailed flyer.

Sit-ins across multiple CSU campuses « occupy california

Sit-ins across multiple CSU campuses « occupy california

Sit-ins across multiple CSU campuses

by *

CALIFORNIA – Students and faculty at multiple California State University campuses held sit-ins today in administration buildings. At least 9 campuses took part, including: CSU Fresno, Monterey, Sacramento, Northridge, Pomona, Fullerton, Los Angeles, San Francisco State University, and San Jose State University. According to AP, students and faculty at CSU Sacramento marched from the library quad to an administrative building to deliver a set of petitions. These actions take place in the face of the $500 million budget cut to the CSU system (out of a total of $1.4 billion in cuts to CA higher education).

CSU East Bay

Shanker Blog » A Big Fish In A Small Causal Pond

Shanker Blog » A Big Fish In A Small Causal Pond

A Big Fish In A Small Causal Pond

by Matthew Di Carlo

In three previous posts, I discussed what I’ve begun to call the “trifecta” of teacher-focused education reform talking points:

• Teachers are the most important (in-school) factor affecting achievement;
• Firing the bottom 5-10 percent of teachers will increase our scores to the level of high-performing nations; and
• Providing children with three, four, or five consecutive “top” teachers in a row would close the achievement gap.

In many respects, this “trifecta” is driving the current education debate. You would have trouble finding many education reform articles, reports, or speeches that don’t use at least one of these arguments.

Indeed, they are guiding principles behind much of the Obama Administration’s education agenda, as well as the

Parents as Teachers in the Academic Achievement Race

Parents as Teachers in the Academic Achievement Race

Parents as Teachers in the Academic Achievement Race

by Rick

Four Ways to Undermine Love of School

Yesterday, I saw a young mother and father in the Decatur Library leaning forward over a small table at their three-year-old daughter as she tried to put together the puzzle of an alligator with 26 green pieces A to Z. The A-piece belonged at the nose and Z at the tip of the tail. Their intensity was disturbing. They talked at her constantly as if their willpower could get their daughter to put the alphabet in order.

In the current zeitgeist, the pressure many parents feel to teach their children seems to be causing some to be both bad teachers and bad parents. Anxious that their children may fall short academically one parent actually defended her daily academic work with her four-year-old with these words: “These days if your child isn’t reading by kindergarten, he won’t succeed in school.”