Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Schools Matter: Gabriella Charter Corporation further encroaches Logan Street Public Elementary School

Gabriella Charter Corporation further encroaches Logan Street Public Elementary School

by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene

"Colocation is eviction... It doesn't mean sharing, it means displacement." — NY State Sen. Bill Perkins

Gabriella Charter School Corporation has illegally occupied the Auditorium the public school community at Echo Park's Logan Street Elementary School

Gabriella Charter School Corporation continues to blatantly disregard the rights of the public school community at Echo Park's Logan Street Elementary School. Not content with having exceeded their allotment of space by several rooms, last week the well heeled executives of the corporate charter decided to forcibly annex Logan's entire auditorium. Here's an excerpt from one of the witnesses:

[We] looked into the school auditorium to discover that the Gabriella Charter School had moved its entire front office into the Logan auditorium. That includes desks, sofas, file cabinets, end tables and other various office paraphernalia. It was not there

Jersey Jazzman: Ben Chavis: Uninformed "Genius"

Ben Chavis: Uninformed "Genius"

by Duke

Just one thing more about about MSNBC's attempt to cover eduction reform last Sunday:

One of the panelists was Ben Chavis; no, not that Ben Chavis, this Ben Chavis. He's a former principal at an American Indian charter school.

Tamron Hall described Chavis as a "genius." Wow, really? Well, we'd better listen to what this "genius" has to say:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

"I not blaming the white people or the Chinese. I'm telling you: they're low too. They don't know they're low. Everybody in America's low. Until you start offering math and science... I

All Education Matters: Letter from a Couch-Hopping Student Loan Debtor

Letter from a Couch-Hopping Student Loan Debtor

by C. Cryn Johannsen

As many of you know, I am living with my gracious, loving in-laws. They help us buy groceries and other items. I have realized over the last few months that the decision to return to the U.S. was a smart move, but it has taken me several months, and a lot of anguish, to get to this point. As for Korea, it became too difficult to juggle two careers and try to straddle two time zones. One thing is certain, if I didn't have a loving husband and such wonderful in-laws, I would be out on the streets in the good ole U. S. of A. Of course, I am mobile and have lived abroad, so it would be more likely that I would be teaching in the Middle East or in S. Korea again. But that would mean abandoning my political activism, something I've been dedicated to for nearly 3 years now.

I thought that when I told my readers that I lived with my in-laws and could not even pay for groceries I would feel ashamed about it. The subject of shame has come up a lot with all the student loan debtors I know, and I have

Waiting for My Job Description - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Waiting for My Job Description

by Nancy Flanagan

A couple of blogs back, I shared a moving story about a professional development workshop at a turnaround school in Louisiana: the new principal-with-vision, the mix of teachers (veterans who knew the community well, eager newbies, masters teachers who transferred in from other schools), the galvanizing moment when the principal let her staff know that she valued their judgment--that they were the people who would make learning happen.

School opened last week, even though they weren't even close to "ready"--not the building rehab, not the cleaned-up, bright-and-shiny classrooms everyone wanted, not the professional preparation and staff bonding. The principal (who's only been on the job for a few weeks) hadn't even received her job description. School started anyway.

Here's a verbatim dispatch from the principal.

Monday morning, Week Two.

Morning duty at 7:00 a.m.:
Parents and kids are now being r

Looking Beneath the Surface of Good News in California Education « InterACT

Looking Beneath the Surface of Good News in California Education

by David B. Cohen

What a surprise I had when I picked up my newspaper at breakfast this morning! The front page of the San Francisco Chronicle featured not one, but two positive stories about public education! Under the shared headline “State Schools Closer to Making the Grade,” the Chronicle had one article about improvements in our statewide test scores, and one article about a local principal whose leadership has made a positive impact at a struggling school.

Sadly, I can’t just look at the “good news” about schools and feel cheered by what’s reported. Let’s start with

DC Parent Power Organizing Meeting inspired by the National Save Our Schools

DC Parent Power

Organizing Meeting

You are invited to an organizing meeting for “DC Parent Power” to look for common ground for civic engagement around public education in the District.

Watha T. Daniel Library (Shaw Library)

1630 7th St. N.W.

Washington, DC 20001

Main meeting room

5:30-7:30 p.m

Wednesday, August 31st 2011

1 block from the Shaw/Howard Metro (Green Line)

Street parking is generally available

This is the second gathering of a group of DCPS parents and education advocates joining together to improve public education by re-engaging DCPS, District government education agencies and elected officials with the major constituency who use the schools.

City families, teachers & interested community members are welcome to participate.

We initially came together inspired by the National Save Our Schools event on the Mall and conference in July. The initial gathering indicated strong sentiment for:

· Authentic public engagement

· Transparency at all stages of policy development

· Less emphasis on standardized testing

· Richer curriculum

· Strong backing for public education, as opposed to increasing privatization

· Decreasing racial and economic school segregation

· Use of proven methods in all levels of school reform

· Equalize funding for all Wards

If interested, please contact Miriam Cutelis at Miriam.Cutelis@yahoo.com with an RSVP if you plan to attend or if you want more information.

**Feel free to forward this invitation to other individuals or groups who might be interested.

Randi Weingarten for Chancellor? - Teacher Beat - Education Week

Randi Weingarten for Chancellor?

by Stephen Sawchuk

What would happen if New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg installed American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten as the city's school chancellor?

It's a scenario posed in Steven Brill's new book Class Warfare, which traces the rise of proponents of the Race to the Top and other initiatives that have put much emphasis on "teacher effectiveness."

There is certainly no love lost between Brill and Weingarten—one of his earlier pieces resulted in AFT claiming he'd made up quotes. Don't expect that relationship to change much: In the new book, Brill suggests that Weingarten would quickly embrace stronger evaluation systems and performance pay if she was under direct pressure to improve student achievement. It's not a particularly subtle critique of the union leader.

But leave all that baggage aside for a moment. What exactly would Weingarten do as schools chancellor,

Poor English fluency and parent income, education drive down O.C. scores - The Orange County Register

Some answers to common questions | answers, common, questions - News - The Orange County Register

Poor English fluency and parent income, education drive down O.C. scores

Related
SLIDE SHOW:
Poor English fluency and parent income, education drive down O.C. scores
12 Photos »
- DATA: Poor English fluency and parent income, education drive down O.C. scores

Recommended for You

By FERMIN LEAL / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

An analysis of Orange County student subgroup performance on the California Standards Test math and English language arts exams shows a slew of expected factors driving down local scores -- English fluency, family income and parental education.

The scores were released as part of the state's annual Standardized Testing and Reporting program, known as STAR. The math and English CST exams are just two of dozens of tests encompassed by the program, but perhaps the best known.'

Follow the slideshow to try some of the questions faced by students in spring testing. See how you fare.

MORE PHOTOS »

Click here to review a comparison chart of O.C. student subgroup performance.

The subgroup with the lowest performance on the state's English test was English learners who had attended a U.S. school for less than a year. Their score: 17.7 percent scoring proficient or advanced, compared with the county's overall score of 62.9 percent.

Click here to review scores for all students in O.C.

In all, 24.5 percent of all English learners passed the test -- the second-worst showing by a student subgroup.

Some 36.2 percent of students whose parents have only a high school education passed the English arts test as did 45.4 percent of those whose families are considered poor -- meaning

The meaning of the rain | Taking Note

The meaning of the rain

by JOHN MERROW on 16. AUG, 2011 in 2012 PRESIDENTIAL RACE, ARNE DUNCAN, CHEATING, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION,EDUCATION WARS, EDUCATIONAL LANGUAGE, LAST IN FIRST OUT, POLITICS, PRESCHOOL, STANDARIZED TESTS, TESTING, THE INFLUENCE OF TEACHERS, INNOVATION, READING, TEACHERS UNIONS, TEACHING

As always, remember that John’s book The Influence of Teachers is for sale at Amazon.

I’ve been on vacation lately: fishing with grandchildren, playing on the beach, riding my bike, and — here in the east — walking in the rain. Vacation is supposed to be a time to decompress, to get away from my normal preoccupation, which is education and its complexities.

Wish it were that simple, but, unfortunately for me, almost everything seems to work its way around to

Tuesday randomness. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Tuesday randomness.

by Fred Klonsky

I know. I’m without shame. But if you think I wasn’t going to post this picture…

There is no point in me going over the stupidity of Rahmbo’s plan to give bonuses to Chicago principals for ginning up school test scores. Brother Mike does a fine job of explaining just how stupid it is. I would just add this: It is being paid for by among other deep pocket private donors, Cindy Pritzker. Although this queen of hearts can’t find the money to pay the hotel workers at her family’s Hyatt chain a decent union wage. Next stop

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