Watch Lily dance. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Watch Lily dance. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Watch Lily dance.

by Fred Klonsky

NEA VP Lily Eskelsen appeared on MSNBC this morning to explain yesterday’s NEA RA daily double: The early no strings endorsement of Obama and the adoption of the bogus Policy Statement on Accountability and Teacher Evaluation.

What her dance explaining both.

When asked about the Obama endorsement notice that when she explains the reasons, there is not one example that involves Obama’s education policies. Not one.

And then when asked about the policy statement that flies in the face of Obama’s emphasis on standardized testing and teacher accountability, she avoids

Kline: No Response from Ed. Department on Waiver Letter - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Kline: No Response from Ed. Department on Waiver Letter - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Kline: No Response from Ed. Department on Waiver Letter

by Alyson Klein

Apparently, the U.S. Department of Education is not making Adequate Progress on its response to the Republican leaders on the House Education and the Workforce Committee.

As I'm sure you'll remember, Rep. John Kline, the chairman of the committee, sent a letter last week to the department asking for details, by July 1, of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's plan to give states wiggle room on some unspecified parts of the No Child Left Behind Act, in exchange for adopting certain yet unspecified "reforms."

That July 1 deadline has come and gone and, apparently, Kline hasn't heard back from the department yet, according to this news release.

Kline's staff also pointed reporters to a June 28 report from the Congressional Research Service, the non-partisan research arm of Congress. CRS found that the Secretary has the authority to waive major portions of the NCLB law, including on accountability, standards, school choice, the 2014 deadline, and other hot-button parts of the

Arne Duncan's Education Policy That Doesn't Trust Teachers - ParentAdvocates.org

Parent Advocates - ParentAdvocates.org

Carol Burris, South Side High School Principal, On Arne Duncan's

Carol Burris, South Side High School Principal, On Arne Duncan's Education Policy That Doesn't Trust Teachers

| Posted 7/5/2011 at 3:17 PM

Dear Mr. Duncan: You have never been to my high school, but if you visited, you would be impressed. It is an integrated suburban public high school that meets AYP each year for all groups of children. We are on all of the top 100 lists — U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek and The Washington Post....This June, New York’s teachers and students felt the first effects of rating teachers by student test scores. Across the state we received a clear message along with our Regents exam packets — Albany does not trust the people who educate New York’s students. We will now be ‘scored’ based on our students’ Regents exam scores, and because of these new high stakes the state education department is ‘teacher proofing’

Teaching Language to Students by Laura Estrada (La enseñanza de idiomas a estudiantes de Laura Estrada) - Perdaily.com

Teaching Language to Students by Laura Estrada (La enseñanza de idiomas a estudiantes de Laura Estrada) - Perdaily.com

Teaching Language to Students by Laura Estrada (La enseñanza de idiomas a estudiantes de Laura Estrada)

by Leonard Isenberg

(Mensaje se repite en Español)

(For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)

Language has often been a political issue in the United States whenever there have been large waves of immigration. As an antidote for this national xenophobia, speaking a different language has been discouraged through social intimidation, violence, and attempts to establish English as the official language, or simple refusal of services to those that don't speak English. In the not to distant past, non-English speaking students were forced to abandon their native language or were subjected to punishment in school for speaking it.

Education | Report: ex-Atlanta schools chief knew of cheating | Seattle Times Newspaper

Education | Report: ex-Atlanta schools chief knew of cheating | Seattle Times Newspaper

Report: ex-Atlanta schools chief knew of cheating

A state investigation says former Atlanta schools Superintendent Beverly Hall knew about cheating allegations on standardized tests but either ignored them or tried to hide them.

By DORIE TURNER and SHANNON McCAFFREY

Associated Press

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ATLANTA —

A state investigation says former Atlanta schools Superintendent Beverly Hall knew about cheating allegations on standardized tests but either ignored them or tried to hide them.

An 800-page report released to The Associated Press by Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal's office Tuesday through an open records request shows several educators reported cheating in their schools. But the report says Hall and other administrators ignored those and

Those who can, Tweet! What Would You #AskObama? - Living in Dialogue - #NEARA11

Those who can, Tweet! What Would You #AskObama? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Those who can, Tweet! What Would You #AskObama?

by Anthony Cody

The White House is holding the first ever Twitter Town Hall. Let's make sure he gets plenty of questions from the teachers of America!

At 2pm EDT, Wednesday, July 6th, President Obama will participate in the first Twitter town hall at the White House to discuss the economy and jobs with Americans across the country. The entire event will be streamed live at WhiteHouse.gov/live.

Detailed instructions on how to participate can be found here.

Here are some of the questions I am tweeting today:

1. When will you advocate low-stakes tests for the children of the nation, as you have at the school attended by your daughters?

2. How can we inspire the creativity and collaboration we need when tests measure such a narrow range of information?

3. Race to the Top promotes pay & Teacher evals for test scores. How can this NOT encourage teaching to the test?

4. Research shows the 4 turnaround strategies promoted by DoEd are not working. When will we see some

Atlanta fully investigates its ErasureGate, DC sweeps theirs under the rug

Atlanta fully investigates its ErasureGate, DC sweeps theirs under the rug

Atlanta fully investigates its ErasureGate, DC sweeps theirs under the rug

by admin

From this Atlanta Journal Constitution article by Heather Vogell, Alan Judd, Kristina Torres:
“[Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal] said “…there is no question that a complete failure of leadership in the Atlanta Public School system hurt thousands of children who were promoted to the next grade without meeting basic academic standards.” …

The investigators’ report, officials said, depicts a culture that rewarded cheaters, punished whistle-blowers and covered up improprieties. Strongly contradicting denials of cheating and other irregularities by Hall and other top district executives, the report describes organized wrongdoing that robbed tens of thousands of children — many of whom came from disadvantaged backgrounds and struggled in school — of an honest appraisal of their abilities.”

From the 11alive.com article by Jennifer Leslie and Eve Chen:
“A state investigation into allegations of cheating by Atlanta Public Schools officials on standardized tests finds

Groups Helped Push for NEA Evaluation-Proposal Changes - Teacher Beat - #NEARA11

Groups Helped Push for NEA Evaluation-Proposal Changes - Teacher Beat - Education Week

Groups Helped Push for NEA Evaluation-Proposal Changes

by Stephen Sawchuk

An NEA mystery solved!

You'll remember a few days ago, NEA's policy statement was mysteriously amended before it hit the floor of the Representative Assembly with a sentence that was a lot more specific about what NEA would accept with respect to test scores. Well, I've been poking around, trying to figure out what exactly went down.

Today I spoke with Dean Vogel, the new president of the California Teachers Association, who was tapped to co-chair the NEA committee that crafted the proposal. Vogel explained to me that after the original statement had been approved by the board of directors and sent to state affiliates, the committee started getting some pushback from groups in the states, including a California advisory council.

The National Council of Urban Education Associations, an NEA caucus of sorts with about 250 urban locals, was also less than happy with the language as originally drafted. The group carries some weight in the NEA,

Schools Matter: Forget the celebrities

Schools Matter: Forget the celebrities

Forget the celebrities

by skrashen

To: US Dept of Education - Forget the Celebrities: Support Libraries & Programs Such as Read Out and Read

The US Department of Education wants to "increase awareness of the critical importance of summer learning and encourage all adults to read to children" by having a retired basketball star and Miss America 2011 read to children on July 6. To paraphrase Susan Ohanian, this is like giving out menus to starving people: Urging parents to read aloud is useless when parents don't have books.

Take a look at the condition of public libraries, a major source of books for families living in poverty. Funding for public and school has been cut

New CRS Report Raises Concerns about Education Secretary's Recent Waiver Proposal

New CRS Report Raises Concerns about Education Secretary's Recent Waiver Proposal

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new report from the independent Congressional Research Service (CRS) raises concerns about the Secretary of Education’s recent proposal to grant conditional waivers of Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) requirements in exchange for reforms not authorized by Congress. The CRS analysis confirms the Secretary’s authority to waive statutory requirements under ESEA; however, the report warns of potential legal limits and challenges to the Secretary’s proposal to grant conditional waivers. The report states, “If the Secretary did, as a condition of granting a waiver, require a grantee to take another action not currently required under the ESEA, the likelihood of a successful legal challenge might increase, particularly if [the department] failed to sufficiently justify its rationale for imposing such conditions. Under such circumstances, a reviewing court could deem the conditional waiver to be arbitrary and capricious or in excess of the agency’s statutory authority.” On June 23, Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) sent a letter to Secretary Arne Duncan asking for more information about the Department of Education’s recent proposal to grant conditional waivers to states and schools. In the letter, Kline and Hunter state, “We strongly believe any initiative that could exacerbate the frustration and uncertainty facing schools is the wrong direction for our nation’s education system.” Despite a July 1 deadline, Kline and Hunter have not yet received a response from the Secretary.  The CRS report underscores the urgent need for the Secretary to fully explain his conditional waiver proposal and offer the legal justification for his plan. A copy of the CRS analysis can be found here.

Our Middle Fingers Are The Same Color, Too | The Jose Vilson

Our Middle Fingers Are The Same Color, Too | The Jose Vilson

Our Middle Fingers Are The Same Color, Too

by Jose

Powerman Can't Catch a Cab Either

Yesterday, I reflected on the state of our country in a July 4th special on this blog. About 18 hours later, I got the best example of the state of our country’s views about each other with a couple of waves of the finger. We watched the fireworks explode from Weehawken, NJ, sitting together watching as many colors in the sky as there were watching amongst us. After the half-hour spectacle, we drove home very late at night (why they would close any roads near any of Manhattan’s bridges is beyond me). I asked our friends to leave us close to our houses since they had a much longer trip home than I did.

Soon after our friends dropped us off on the Upper West Side, I waved for a taxi to take me home. My index finger waved high enough that any of the empty taxis could have picked me up. I blinked when the first one passed me, I giggled when the second one did, and by the fourth, I let out a full-out belly laugh. The

Dozens of Atlanta educators falsified tests, state report confirms - CNN.com

Dozens of Atlanta educators falsified tests, state report confirms - CNN.com

Dozens of Atlanta educators falsified tests, state report confirms

By the CNN Wire Staff

July 5, 2011 2:33 p.m. EDT

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal on Tuesday unveiled the results of a probe into charges that educators falsified student tests.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Report "confirms our worst fears," Atlanta mayor says
• Report confirms widespread cheating in Atlanta public schools
• Investigators said 178 teachers and principals were involved
• The educators either participated in or failed to address the cheating, governor says

RELATED TOPICS

• Education
• Georgia

Atlanta (CNN) -- Dozens of Atlanta public school educators falsified standardized tests or failed to address such misconduct in their schools, Gov. Nathan Deal said Tuesday in unveiling the results of a state investigation that confirmed widespread cheating in the city schools dating as far back as 2001.

Some of the cheating could result in criminal charges, Deal said.

"I think the overall conclusion was that testing and results and targets being reached became more important than actual learning for children," Deal said. "And when reaching targets became the goal, it was a goal that was pursued with no excuses."

Falsifying test results made the schools appear to be performing better than they really were. But in the process, students were deprived of critical remedial education and taxpayers were cheated, as well, Deal said.

Investigators said 178 teachers and principals working at 44 schools were involved. The educators, including 38 principals, were either

Welcome new readers. « Fred Klonsky's blog #NEARA11

Welcome new readers. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Welcome new readers.

by Fred Klonsky

I don’t even read the Wall Street Journal. But a couple of quotes from National Education reporter Stephanie Banchero by me on the NEA RA impressed a few of my friends and brought me new readers.

EdWeek’s Teacher Beat reporter, Stephen Sawchuk, also linked to one of my posts on the RA. In a later Tweet he said I provided an “interesting and relevant point of view on these things.”

I doubt that I’ll get any long-term readers from the wing-nuts who read National Review Online. But they quoted from my blog reporting too.

And I’m pleased to have finally been included in a list of bests blog posts from Larry Ferlazzo.

School Tech Connect: Connecting The Dots In Charter School Financing

School Tech Connect: Connecting The Dots In Charter School Financing

Connecting The Dots In Charter School Financing

by effacethefacade@yahoo.com (Tim)

Off to the FOIA races here. And no, I'm not going after someone's emails.

Today I faxed an unredacted version of this off to the Treasury.

I'm sure it will get mired in technicalities but I'm going to stick with it.

Here's what I'm after: relationships between reformy activists and the cash-cow tax incentives available to investors in charter school construction under the New Markets Tax Credits Program. I've limited myself to Illinois, Ohio, and Texas just as a starting point-- I'm working off a hunch.

Here's how it works. The program allows certain entities (banks and subsidiary funds) to raise specific amounts of capital and then deploy this capital in the form of loans to certain types of real estate and construction projects in tracts of poverty, including projects to build charter schools. The investors in these loans receive tax credits that pretty much allow them to almost double their money over seven years. It's an interesting program,

Another open letter to Arne « Failing Schools #NEARA11

Another open letter to Arne « Failing Schools

Another open letter to Arne

JULY 5, 2011

by Sabrina

Regular (and even casual) readers know we’re big fans of open letters to our Secretary of Education around here. There’s an excellent one running on The Answer Sheet today, which I encourage everyone to read.

From the letter, written by a New York principal (if you’ve read it, scroll to the bottom of this post for an action idea!):

I am certain that you know that there are many educators across this nation who quietly and generously go above and beyond each day for their students. Some work in very difficult circumstances in schools that are overwhelmed by poverty and truly do not have the resources to serve their students well. Others, like me, are lucky enough to work in well-resourced districts with more limited numbers of students

‘Ravitch Rage’ — cause, symptoms, treatment - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

‘Ravitch Rage’ — cause, symptoms, treatment - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

‘Ravitch Rage’ — cause, symptoms, treatment

by Valerie Strauss

I am not a doctor but I play one in my office, and I have detected a new, possibly infectious syndrome. I will refer to it (when I alert the Centers for Disease Control) as “Ravitch Rage.”

Here, as best I can tell from the available evidence, are the syndrome’s cause, symptoms and possible treatment.

Read full article >>

Money for Needy Kids Wasn't Spent on Them - voiceofsandiego.org:

Money for Needy Kids Wasn't Spent on Them - voiceofsandiego.org:

How Your School Spends Money for Needy KidsComments | 8:50 am

Want to see how your local school has been spending its federal money for disadvantaged students?

You can look it up the same way I did for my article about schools spending the money against San Diego Unified guidelines. A school district committee that is examining how well the money has been spent has posted the expenditures for all schools online. They're broken up into elementary schools, middle schools and high schools.

The reports can be a little confusing to read: Each purchase can be listed multiple times as it goes through the purchasing process. It's easiest to just look at the last column, which shows how much has actually been spent on a specific item at each school. The report was run about two weeks ago, so keep in mind that some schools may have already shifted some of these purchases to other funds.

Read the rest of this article

Money for Needy Kids Wasn't Spent on ThemComments (5) | 3:00 pm

Tongue depressors: $6.20. Tubes of petroleum jelly: $36.98. A mask to revive someone who isn't breathing: $57.75. Wangenheim Middle in Mira Mesa spent more than $1,000 on medical supplies for all its students this year, using federal money meant to only help disadvantaged children.

The school district had told Wangenheim it wasn't supposed to do that. San Diego Unified has long warned its school principals that they shouldn't spend any federal money for disadvantaged kids on things like medical supplies, athletic equipment and custodial supplies.

"It's probably a mistake on my part," former principal Lamont Jackson said, adding that the school district would be able to catch mistakes like that.

Read the rest of this article

#NEARA11 The Best Posts For Learning About The NEA’s New Policy Statement on “Teacher Evaluation and Accountability” | Larry Ferlazzo

The Best Posts For Learning About The NEA’s New Policy Statement on “Teacher Evaluation and Accountability” | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

The Best Posts For Learning About The NEA’s New Policy Statement on “Teacher Evaluation and Accountability”

by Larry Ferlazzo

As you may or may not know, one piece of big news at the National Education Association convention this past weekend was the adoption of a new policy statement on Teacher Evaluation and Accountability.

You might also be interested in The Best Resources For Learning About Effective Student & Teacher Assessments.

Here are my choices for The Best Posts For Learning About The NEA’s New Policy Statement on “Teacher Evaluation and Accountability”:

True and False on NEA’s New Evaluation Policy is from Teacher Beat at Ed Week.

NEA Passes Teacher-Evaluation Policy, With a Catch-22 on Test Scores is also from Teacher Beat.