Its a Hard Knock Life « City School Stories

Its a Hard Knock Life « City School Stories:

Its a Hard Knock Life

by fmurphy

You’ve Got To Be Kidding
Submitted by Frank Murphy on December 13, 2011

In a post I published last week, I jokingly wondered, whether Dr. Evil was Arlene Ackerman’s financial advisor. I didn’t expect to make a reference to this humorous embodiment of the bumbling mastermind of worldwide domination again so soon after my last “You’ve Got to Be Kidding” entry. But here he is once more.

I couldn’t help but bring Dr. Evil back for an encore performance. I decided to do so after reading our former school chief’s response to the resignation of Estelle Mathews, published in last Sunday’s edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Ackerman expressed shock and dismay over the allegations that Matthews had demonstrated favoritism and nepotism while discharging her duties as a district employee.

The results of an internal school district investigation revealed a number of troubling findings concerning Matthews’s management of the School District’s personnel office. She had hired her son for two different school

Online schools score better on Wall Street than in classrooms. « Fred Klonsky

Online schools score better on Wall Street than in classrooms. « Fred Klonsky:

Online schools score better on Wall Street than in classrooms.

by Fred Klonsky

A morning Tweet: Online schools score better on Wall Street than in classroom.

This afternoon I’m headed for the CPS headquarters to join the CTU in protesting school closings.

CPS CEO J.C. Brizard continues the failed policies of his predecessors like Ron Huberman and Arne Duncan of closing schools rather than supporting them.

Wall Street has a different approach: Make huge profits on struggling schools rather than supporting them.

By almost every educational measure, the Agora Cyber Charter School is failing.

NYC Public School Parents: Cindy Black on how "choice" leads to more segregated schools

NYC Public School Parents: Cindy Black on how "choice" leads to more segregated schools:

Cindy Black on how "choice" leads to more segregated schools

by Leonie Haimson

Much controversy has been aroused and much ink has been expended about the way in which Eva Moskowitz is now defying the original stated purpose of charter schools, and marketing her chain of Success Academies towhite middle class families in Brooklyn and on the Upper West Side. Her glossy flyers, sent to households by the truckload, with many families having already received five or six, increasingly feature the faces of little white children. There has also been much debate about the problems of NYC's demanding school "choice" process -- but not much said about how school choice may further segregate our public schools, especially in many areas of Brownstone Brooklyn, where the last ten years or more of gradual gentrification have led to more diversity in neighborhood schools. While the UCLA Civil Rights project has shown how charter schools contributes to more segregation nationwide, here are the observations of one Brooklyn parent who is also a high school teacher, Cindy Black, about what happened when a new elementary school of "choice" -- though not a charter -- opened

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Unpredented victory in Colorado school funding case

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Unpredented victory in Colorado school funding case:

Unpredented victory in Colorado school funding case

by Mike Klonsky

In a 183-page ruling in favor of the plaintiffs Friday, Denver District Judge Sheila Rappaport ruled in the 6-year-old Lobato v. Colorado case that the state's education funding is "irrational and inadequate" and violates the state constitution's pledge to provide a "thorough and uniform" education system. She specifically pointed to the lack of funding to serve the need of the state's poor, minority and disabled students. (Read the full report) "There is not one school district that is sufficiently funded," Rappaport writes in the report. "This is an obvious hallmark of an irrational system."

The ruling was a slap in the face to conservative, anti-public school forces, including the

Florida Charters “rife with insider deals and potential conflicts of interest” | Scathing Purple Musings

Florida Charters “rife with insider deals and potential conflicts of interest” | Scathing Purple Musings:

Florida Charters “rife with insider deals and potential conflicts of interest”

by Bob Sikes

So finds last weekend’s report in the Miami Herald. Reporters Scott Hiassen and Kathleen McGrory write:

Charter schools have become a parallel school system unto themselves, a system controlled largely by for-profit management companies and private landlords — one and the same, in many cases — and rife with insider deals and potential conflicts of interest.

The School Choice Landscape pointed out that the Miami Herald report found that Florida charters have “little public oversight.” I’ll say. More from the Herald.

In 2008, a legislative report said the state should adopt stronger monitoring methods to detect

U.S. Education Department Announces New Measures to Safeguard Student Privacy | U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Education Department Announces New Measures to Safeguard Student Privacy | U.S. Department of Education:

U.S. Education Department Announces New Measures to Safeguard Student Privacy

DECEMBER 1, 2011

Contact:

Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov

The U.S. Department of Education today announced new regulations to safeguard student privacy while giving states the flexibility to share school data that can be helpful in judging the effectiveness of government investments in education.

"Data are a powerful tool needed to improve the state of education in this country," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "At the same time, the benefits of using student data must always be balanced with the need to protect students' privacy rights and ensure their information is protected."

The regulations announced today will strengthen the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) by protecting the safety of student information, increasing the Department's ability to hold those who misuse or abuse student data accountable and ensuring our taxpayer funds are invested wisely and effectively.

In the past, uncertainty about where state sunshine laws left off and where FERPA picked up created confusion for institutions about when and with whom student information could and should be shared. Schools need the flexibility to pursue routine uses of information without getting prior consent while allowing them to prevent those who may misuse or abuse student information from accessing it. The regulations announced today allow schools to do just that.

The new regulations announced today will also help the Department of Education more effectively hold those who misuse or abuse student information accountable for violating FERPA. When FERPA was first conceived in the 1970s, it only applied to institutions with students in attendance—like high schools and colleges. Since then, a growing number of institutions and entities without students in attendance—like student lenders for example—have access to student records that should be protected by FERPA, but aren't. Today's announcement fixes that gap in student protection.

The changes announced today will also help policymakers determine if state and federally funded education programs are adequately preparing children for success in the next stage of life, whether that is in kindergarten or the workforce. States will be able to determine which early childhood programs prepare kids for kindergarten. High school administrators will now be able to tell how their graduates did in college. And states will be able to enter into research agreements on behalf of their districts to determine how best to use limited education funding during tough economic times.

Today's announcement comes on the heels of several efforts undertaken by the Obama Administration to ensure that private student data is protected. These include the appointment of Kathleen Styles as the Department's Chief Privacy Officer, the establishment of a Privacy Technical Assistance Center, and the publication of guidance documents on best practices for protecting confidential information about students.

The full regulation may be found at: www.federalregister.gov.

IF YOU’RE NOT A JAIME ESCALANTE, GET OUT OF TEACHING! « Teachers Fight Back

IF YOU’RE NOT A JAIME ESCALANTE, GET OUT OF TEACHING! « Teachers Fight Back:

IF YOU’RE NOT A JAIME ESCALANTE, GET OUT OF TEACHING!

by alkleen

The Chicago Tribune newspaper,(otherwise known as Teacher Bashing Central), ran an editorial today that talked about the large high school dropout rate, and all the troubles high school dropouts faced later in their lives.

The article mentioned a few possible improvements for schools, such as emphasizing early childhood development and more school counselors. Then they arrived at their favorite conclusion for whatever ails schools, and that is, it’s the fault of all the incompetent teachers!

The article stated,” Nothing is more important than getting excellent teachers in front of the classroom. Great teachers engage kids. But studies show the students who are most at risk of dropping out are also the least likely to have great teachers. That’s why we’ve strongly backed school reforms that attract and reward powerhouse teachers and weed out underperformers. We need incentives for teachers who are willing to teach the toughest kids to reach.”

I’m so angry, I don’t know where to begin! So, the big high school dropout numbers are the result of underperforming teachers. Perfect. With that thinking, any teacher who isn’t on a par with Jaime Escalante,

School Tech Connect: I Don't Get It Either

School Tech Connect: I Don't Get It Either:

I Don't Get It Either

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

I love Barbara Flynn Currie, in spite of the fact that she has the audacity of hope to disagree with me from time to time. Here's a clip of her on the floor of the House today, where she basically repeats what she's been readingover at Fred's.

Popout

She voted for the tax breaks for CME and Sears, although her friends on the other side of the aisle didn't join her in voting for the earned income tax credit for poor wage earners. There's so much kabuki in these tax deals, I

From Finland, an Intriguing School-Reform Model - NYTimes.com

From Finland, an Intriguing School-Reform Model - NYTimes.com:

From Finland, an Intriguing School-Reform Model

By JENNY ANDERSON

Published: December 12, 2011

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Pasi Sahlberg, a Finnish educator and author, had a simple question for the high school seniors he was speaking to one morning last week in Manhattan: “Who here wants to be a teacher?”

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Nicole Bengiveno/The New York Times

Pasi Sahlberg, a Finnish educator and author, with students at the Dwight School in Manhattan.

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Out of a class of 15, two hands went up — one a little reluctantly.

“In my country, that would be 25 percent of people,” Dr. Sahlberg said. “And,” he added, thrusting his hand in the air with enthusiasm, “it would be more like this.”

In his country, Dr. Sahlberg said later in an interview, teachers typically spend about four hours a day in the classroom, and are paid to spend two hours a week on professional development. At the University of Helsinki, where he teaches, 2,400 people competed last year for 120 slots in the (fully subsidized) master’s program for schoolteachers. “It’s more difficult getting into teacher education than law or medicine,” he said.

Dr. Sahlberg puts high-quality teachers at the heart of Finland’s education success story — which, as it happens, has become a personal suc

More Blood & Guts: JosephK Says Vote NO on the UTLA Tentative Agreement:

More Blood & Guts: JosephK Says Vote NO on the UTLA Tentative Agreement

by JOSEPH K. on DECEMBER 13, 2011

More Blood and Guts

By Joseph K

Public education has been nothing but blood and guts the last few years, but the gore spread across the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) has been particularly copious of late. Let’s start with the latest. December 15 is the deadline for California’s Department of Finance to announce its final revenue numbers for the year. For those of you with short attention spans, you may not remember how Governor Brown and the State Legislature reached a budget agreement earlier this year: through magic. One day it was announced the State’s economy, much to the surprise of everyone, was doing really well and

Community | Children’s Council of San Francisco

Community | Children’s Council of San Francisco:

COMMUNITY

Including Samuel - Film Screening and Q&A with Dan Habib

Tuesday, January 10 - 6:00 to 9:00 pm, Free and Open to the Public
The Bay Theater at the Aquarium of the Bay, Pier 39

Join us for a free screening of the award-winning documentary, Including Samuel. The film chronicles the Habib family’s efforts to include their son Samuel, who has cerebral palsy, in every aspect of their lives. It also portrays the journeys of four other individuals with disabilities and their families.Including Samuel is a highly personal, passionately photographed film that captures the cultural and systemic barriers to inclusion.

Program Highlights:
• Film screening and Q&A with Dan Habib
• Learn about the “I am Norm” nation inclusion campaign
• Preview of Habib’s new film, Who Cares About Kelsey?
• Get a copy of Essential Best Practices in Inclusive Schools, from
the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability

This is a free event - Click here to register. Visit the Including Samuel homepage for a preview.

Public Awareness

Children's Council is a child care policy and planning leader in the state of California. Children’s Council engages families, providers, businesses, local and state organizations, legislators, and media in order to raise awareness of child care and other issues affecting families.

Think Child Care

Access to quality, affordable child care is vital to a healthy community. Child care makes it possible for parents to work, pay taxes, and support large and small businesses. In addition, quality child care is an essential building block in preparing children for K-12 education, college, and the workforce.

To learn about the benefits of quality child care for children, adults, businesses, and a healthy society, visit think child care.

LIVE: Highlights of the #D12 West Coast Port Shutdown | OccupyWallSt.org

LIVE: Highlights of the #D12 West Coast Port Shutdown | OccupyWallSt.org:

WATCH LIVE: #D12 West Coast Port Shutdown

by OccupyWallSt

Watch live streaming video from globalrevolution at livestream.com

Note: The following highlights are not comprehensive. For a full list of participating Occupations and more solidarity actions across the world, see West Coast Port Shutdown.

Oakland

• 2:20pm PST: From @OccupyOakland: "Please come to the rally at OGP today at 3PM and march to the port at 4 and 5. We do not need people at the port till then. Bring lots of warm clothes for tonights march and sleeping bags for the shut down the port action tonight!"
• 12:00pm PST: Occupiers have found huge numbers of police in riot gear and formation hiding behind vans near the ports. Some have beanbag shotguns. Requesting all supporters come down now!

An Open Letter from America's Port Truck Drivers on Occupy the Ports

by OccupyWallSt

We are the front-line workers who haul container rigs full of imported and exported goods to and from the docks and warehouses every day.

We have been elected by committees of our co-workers at the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle, Tacoma, New York and New Jersey to tell our collective story. We have accepted the honor to speak up for our brothers and sisters about our working conditions despite the risk of retaliation we face. One of us is a mother, the rest of us fathers. Between the five of us we have 11children and one more baby on the way. We have a combined 46 years of experience driving cargo from our shores for America’s stores.

We are inspired that a non-violent democratic movement that insists on basic economic fairness is capturing the