Friday, February 10, 2012

Brent McKim | The many problems of charter schools | The Courier-Journal | courier-journal.com:Brent McKim | The many problems of charter schoolsProponents' ads ignore failingsWritten byBrent McKimSpecial to The Courier-JournalFILED UNDEROpinionOpedJefferson County Public SchoolsJcpsRecently, proponents of charter schools have been spending remarkable sums of money on advertisements designed to make our public schools look worse and charter schools look better than they really are. Before jumping on the charter school bandwagon, Kentuckians should consider these points:Charters woul... more »

LAUSD Elementary Schools Could Soon Offer 100% Less Arts Education [UPDATED]: LAist

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 13 hours ago

LAUSD Elementary Schools Could Soon Offer 100% Less Arts Education [UPDATED]: LAist:LAUSD Elementary Schools Could Soon Offer 100% Less Arts Education [UPDATED]Photo by Valeriy Lebedev via ShutterstockFor many children, a chance to do some artwork, make some music, or get up on a stage is the highlight of their school day, and a opportunity to learn lessons in a creative way. But the Los Angeles Unified School District is looking to take that away from their elementary school students, with ... more »

NYC Educator: How Many Kids Did You Abuse Today?

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NYC Educator: How Many Kids Did You Abuse Today?:How Many Kids Did You Abuse Today?by Miss EyreBecause if you ask the folks at Slate, you'd swear we public school teachers had a quota.This might be the most irresponsible headline writing I've seen in quite a long time. In response to the terribly disturbing and horrible (as if I needed to clarify that I do indeed find it disturbing and horrible) news out of Los Angeles these past few days, Slate ...more »

solidaridad: LAUSD Adult Education Students Resist Devastating Cuts Desired by Coalition for School Reform Funded Trustees

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solidaridad: LAUSD Adult Education Students Resist Devastating Cuts Desired by Coalition for School Reform Funded Trustees:Wednesday, February 08, 2012LAUSD Adult Education Students Resist Devastating Cuts Desired by Coalition for School Reform Funded Trustees

Support PURE! » Illinois needs our input on ESEA flexibility waivers NOW

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Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Illinois needs our input on ESEA flexibility waivers NOW:Illinois needs our input on ESEA flexibility waivers NOWby adminAs the first round of ESEA flexibility waivers are about to be announced (Thursday, we hear), the Feb. 21 deadline for the second round – which will include Illinois – is coming up fast.That’s a pretty short timeline for people to get a clue about something that may lead to major changes in state ... more »

Taking a stand for ‘the whole child’ approach to school reform - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

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Taking a stand for ‘the whole child’ approach to school reform - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:Taking a stand for ‘the whole child’ approach to school reformby Valerie StraussThis was written by Sean Slade, director of Healthy School Communities, a program of the ASCD, an educational leadership organization.By Sean SladeThe White House recently launched their We The People initiative that gives Americans a “new way to petition the Obama administration to take action on a range of important ... more »

Budget burnout blamed for apathy over Sacramento City Unified's approval of school budget cuts - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

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Budget burnout blamed for apathy over Sacramento City Unified's approval of school budget cuts - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee:Budget burnout blamed for apathy over Sacramento City Unified's approval of school budget cutsShareBy Melody Gutierrezmgutierrez@sacbee.comPublished: Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012 - 12:00 am | Page 1BSacramento City Unified School District trustees have approved $28 million in budget cuts that call for hundreds of employee layoffs, increasing class sizes and eliminating sports and extracurricular activities.While these ...more »

Sacrament City Unified School District proposes gutting schools - Sacramento News & Review

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Sacrament City Unified School District proposes gutting schools - News - Local Stories - February 9, 2012 - Sacramento News Review:Sacrament City Unified School District proposes gutting schoolsSac city schools chief says this year’s budget is worst yetBy Cosmo Garvin cosmog@newsreview.comThis article was published on 02.09.12.PHOTO BY TK GALLEYSay goodbye to school sports, music classes and school-bus transportation, and hello to more crowded classrooms.At least that’s the scenario facing Sacramento City Unified School District schools. Last week, the school board ... more »

LAO nixes Gov’s community college budget | Thoughts on Public Education

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LAO nixes Gov’s community college budget | Thoughts on Public Education:LAO nixes Gov’s community college budget - by Kathryn Baronby Kathryn BaronGov. Brown missed a chance to save millions for community colleges by reining in Board of Governors fee waivers, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office. The LAO released its review of Brown’s 2012-13 higher education budget plan yesterday, and raised red flags on that program and on the governor’s proposals to make major changes in [...]Plans to slash and ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 2-8 #edreform #ows

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Diverse: Issues In Higher Education HeadlinesBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-16 minutes agoHigher Education Headlines:SUNO Reaches 94 Percent of Pre-Katrina EnrollmentLatest articles - 9 minutes agoSUNO president Victor Ukpolo said he credits aggressive recruitment efforts and good relations with local high schools for the school's continued growth. in NewsEmerging Scholars: Visionary Thinker – Osagie ObasogieLatest articles - 9 minutes agoThe tenth profile in a 12-part series on prominent young scholars is that of Dr. Osagie Obasogie, who is an ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Comments on the school closures and co-locations to be voted on tomorrow

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NYC Public School Parents: Comments on the school closures and co-locations to be voted on tomorrow:Comments on the school closures and co-locations to be voted on tomorrowby Leonie HaimsonCheck out my comments to the DOE below on the proposed school closures, co-locations and grade expansions to be voted on tomorrow at the Panel for Educational Policy, including a discussion of the effect of these proposals on the availability of CTE/vocational seats and programs, the likely impact on overcrowding and class ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Evening Posts 2-8 #ows #edreform

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Missouri Education Watchdog: ImagineBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-27 minutes agoMissouri Education Watchdog: Imagine:Imagineby AnngieJohn Lennon asked us, through music, to Imagine. As long as we're looking to reform education, let's follow his suggestion and imagine what could be in public education.Imagine how much less school would cost if we didn't have to subscribe to, practice for and administer standardized assessments.Imagine how much could be saved if teachers were given a not-to-exceed classroom budget that they could spend any ... more »

SPECIAL ISSUE • THE SCHOOL-TO-PRISON PIPELINE Rethinking Schools

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Rethinking Schools:VOLUME 26, ISSUE 2 — WINTER 2011-2012The entire winter issue of Rethinking Schools is accessible here, free of charge.If you aren’t already a member of Rethinking Schools, we hope the exciting and thought-provoking articles in this issue will inspire you to join. SPECIAL ISSUE • THE SCHOOL-TO-PRISON PIPELINEThis special issue of the magazine focuses on the school-to-prison pipeline, which is turning far too many schools into pathways to incarceration rather than opportunity. We investigate the roots of the crisis, ... more »

Modern School: Breaking News: Union Membership is Rising, Declining or Remaining Constant

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Modern School: Breaking News: Union Membership is Rising, Declining or Remaining Constant:Breaking News: Union Membership is Rising, Declining or Remaining Constant0diggUnions and union busting are big news lately. Thus, it should be no surprise that much of the media jumped upon a recent report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on the state of union membership in America. The only thing surprising about the report was how differently it was parsed by various news sources.The Los Angeles Times excitedly ...more »

All Education Matters: The Loop 21: Can Occupy Survive The Winter?

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All Education Matters: The Loop 21: Can Occupy Survive The Winter?:The Loop 21: Can Occupy Survive The Winter?by Cryn JohannsenHere is a snippet from my latest piece over at The Loop. It covers the eviction of Occupy Austin last weekend, homeless outreach in Providence, and so much more! Updates from Remaining #OWS Outposts Across the CountryWhen Occupy Wall Street kicked off on September 17th in lower Manhattan, few expected that it would spread with such rapidity and intensity. But it ... more »

Productivity continued… « School Finance 101

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Productivity continued… « School Finance 101:Productivity continued…by schoolfinance101Over at Sara Mead’s Ed Week blog, Mark Dynarski checks in with a few relevant questions and observations. Actually, as it turns out, we agree ALMOST entirely with Dynarski when he says:And focusing on peer-reviewed research as a form of quality assurance, as Baker and Welner suggest, seems problematic. Peer-reviewed research journals have highly variable degrees of editorial control, and peer review itself can vary from cursory reading to exhaustive and detailed comments. ... more »

Assessment Roundup « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education

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Assessment Roundup « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education:Assessment Roundupby Klea ScharbergWe focus extensively on test scores and far too little on the whole child. We often choose one-size-fits-all fixes while ignoring solid research about the infinite ways students learn and children develop. The true measure of students’ proficiency and college-, career-, and citizenship-readiness must be based on more than just their scores on state standardized reading and math assessments.We shouldn’t simply teach to the test. We need ... more »

Diverse: Issues In Higher Education Headlines

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Higher Education Headlines:SUNO Reaches 94 Percent of Pre-Katrina EnrollmentLatest articles - 9 minutes agoSUNO president Victor Ukpolo said he credits aggressive recruitment efforts and good relations with local high schools for the school's continued growth. in NewsEmerging Scholars: Visionary Thinker – Osagie ObasogieLatest articles - 9 minutes agoThe tenth profile in a 12-part series on prominent young scholars is that of Dr. Osagie Obasogie, who is an associate professor of law at the University of California, Hastings. in NewsPepperdine Students ... more »

Scottsboro Alabama Schools Trample the 1st Amendment With Bible Man

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The Freedom From Religion Foundation has complained to the Jackson County Alabama School Board that elementary school students are attending school assemblies to hear Bible Man tell stories from the Bible and he reportedly passes out free Bibles. He has done this for 30 years. According to a parent of students who attended the Jackson County schools, she states: In all the years that my children have attended Jackson County schools, the schools have never notified me about "Bible Man" ... more »

A Conversation on Personalizing Education Tutorpedia Foundation Fundraiser: For The Love of Education - San Francisco

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Tutorpedia Foundation Fundraiser: For The Love of Education - Eventbrite:A Conversation on Personalizing Education Our Wednesday, February 15th fundraising event at 111 Minna Gallery from 6-9pm in downtown San Francisco will feature a panel conversation focusing on the most effective ways to personalize education for our students.Our list of speakers includes:Alan Lowenthal, State Senator and Chair of Senate Education CommitteeLinda Darling-Hammond, Charles E. Ducommun Professor, Stanford University School of Education, Author of "The Flat World and Education: How America's Commitme... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Union Bashing: A Substitute For Leadership

Jersey Jazzman: Union Bashing: A Substitute For Leadership:

Union Bashing: A Substitute For Leadership

by Duke

Apparently, it's open season on teachers unions here in New Jersey. Gov. Chris Christie worked up his best imitation at outrage over an admittedly dumb but clearly off-hand and meaningless remark by the Executive Director of the NJEA:

But Christie called Giordano’s comment outrageous and said if Giordano didn’t resign, Barbara Keshishian, president of the education association, should fire him.
"I cannot express how disgusted I am by that statement by the head of the largest teachers union in our state," he said at a press conference in Westfield, "but I also have to tell you I’m not the least bit surprised because I think it so succinctly

Who Started This War?
by Duke
Who do you think?

Here in Jersey, our governor spends taxpayer money to set up photo-ops so he can call for the resignation of union officials who make admittedly dumb but off-handed and meaningless remarks.

No, really - he does:

Because we all know the biggest problem facing American education today is union officials driving around in cars that are way too big. Nice work focusing on the big issues, Chris.

Here's the NJEA's Steve Wollmer in response:

Watch NJEA Communications Director Responds to Christie Comments on PBS. See more from WNJT.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Education Gap Grows Between Rich and Poor, Studies Show - NYTimes.com

Education Gap Grows Between Rich and Poor, Studies Show - NYTimes.com:

Education Gap Grows Between Rich and Poor, Studies Say

By SABRINA TAVERNISE

Published: February 9, 2012

REPRINTS

WASHINGTON — Education was historically considered a great equalizer in American society, capable of lifting less advantaged children and improving their chances for success as adults. But a body of recently published scholarship suggests that the achievement gap between rich and poor children is widening, a development that threatens to dilute education’s leveling effects.

Multimedia

Graphic

Educational Divide

News, data and conversation about education in New York.

It is a well-known fact that children from affluent families tend to do better in school. Yet the income divide has received far less attention from policy makers and government officials than gaps in student accomplishment by race.

Now, in analyses of long-term data published in recent months, researchers are finding that while the achievement gap between white and black students has narrowed

What This Teacher Means By Whole Child Education | The Jose Vilson

What This Teacher Means By Whole Child Education | The Jose Vilson:

What This Teacher Means By Whole Child Education

by Jose

On Monday, I finally handed in my second quarter grades, still dizzy from the desultory amounts of sleep I got the night before. Gasses in a baby don’t have an appointment, so I spend nights either patting my baby’s back or listening to my fiancee do this. As I start looking at my online gradebook, I put in my grades on the Excel spreadsheet in a swift manner. I quickly took note of some of the data I knew about the students and thought about their progress throughout the semester. I discerned some patterns in their exams and homework with a mix of their participation and enthusiasm for the class. From there, I gave them a grade based on what and how I felt they did throughout the

NYC Public School Parents: Thursday night massacre

NYC Public School Parents: Thursday night massacre:

Thursday night massacre

Panel for Education Policy votes to close all 23 schools despite thousands of protesters.

photo: Ben Chapman, Daily News

School Tech Connect: The Time Is Now For Crane

School Tech Connect: The Time Is Now For Crane:

...to hit the phones.
1-713-553-1500

Ask for Jean Claude Brizard. Tell him to read the hearing officer's report, and keep Crane open. And get over to the feeder schools as well, because Crane belongs to them, too.

Don't forget Ayodeji Griffin's words at the community hearing:

A couple of years ago, I questioned an elementary counselor who attended our articulation breakfast and asked her why did she always send her students with stanine scores of four, five, and six to Crane.

Simply put, she stated, "Because I know that Crane will graciously receive our students, will educate them, and make sure that they graduate and attend college."

After thinking about it, I said to myself, "Well, isn't that our claim to fame? If I don't know this, then no one else knows--- we will accept any student no matter how low their test scores are. We educate and we graduate.

This notion of welcoming students no matter who they are--- it's something we need to fight for. It's an idea that'

Daily Kos: Applying the Success of NCLB to the Improvement of Interscholastic Football

Daily Kos: Applying the Success of NCLB to the Improvement of Interscholastic Football:

Applying the Success of NCLB to the Improvement of Interscholastic Football

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

NCLB: The Football Version
1. All teams must make the state playoffs and all MUST win the championship. If a team does not win the championship, they will be on probation until they are the champions, and coaches will be held accountable. If after two years they have not won the championship, their footballs and equipment will be taken away UNTIL they do win the championship.

2. All kids will be expected to have the same football skills at the same time even if they do not have the same conditions or opportunities to practice on their own. NO exceptions will be made for lack of interest in football, a desire to perform athletically, or disabilities of themselves or their parents. ALL KIDS WILL PLAY FOOTBALL

Asthma and Indoor Air Quality in Schools - Letters (CA Dept of Education)

Asthma and Indoor Air Quality in Schools - Letters (CA Dept of Education):

Asthma and Indoor Air Quality in Schools

Joint letter from the California Department of Education and the California Department of Public Health regarding asthma and indoor air quality in California schools.

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
TOM TORLAKSON, State Superintendent of Public Instruction
1430 N Street, Sacramento, CA, 95814-5901
916-319-0800

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
RON CHAPMAN, MD, MPH, Director
1615 Capitol Avenue, Sacramento, CA, 95814
916-558-1700

February 9, 2012

Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:

ASTHMA AND INDOOR AIR QUALITY IN CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS

The health of students is closely associated with academic achievement. On many occasions, we have cited asthma as a health problem that significantly affects our students. Statewide, over 13 percent of California students have been diagnosed with asthma. In some counties, nearly one in three students has been diagnosed with asthma. The impacts of asthma include missed school days, disruption of sleep and daily activities, lower academic performance, urgent medical visits for asthma
exacerbations, and even death.

Asthma exacts a serious annual financial toll on California schools. Asthma-related absences result in over $30 million in lost revenue each year. While there is no cure for asthma, with appropriate medications and proper management, students can control symptoms and experience minimal disruption of their daily lives.

The California Schools Environmental Health and Asthma Collaborative, of which the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) are founding members, addresses asthma and indoor air quality in California schools. The Collaborative is developing valuable resources for school staff that will help to reduce the burden of asthma. These include brief online modules on asthma emergency care, the California asthma medication self-carry law, and indoor and outdoor asthma trigger management. The Collaborative also plans to disseminate user-friendly resources on managing asthma and improving indoor air quality in schools.

We are pleased to support the important work of the Collaborative and urge the entire kindergarten through grade twelve school community to use and benefit from its resources. Resource information can be found on the CDPH California Breathing Web site at http://www.californiabreathing.org/ and the CDE Guidelines for the Management of Asthma Web page athttp://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/he/hn/asthmaguidelines.asp.

If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact Linda Davis-Alldritt, School Nurse Consultant, CDE Coordinated School Health and Safety Office, by phone at 916-319-0284 or by e-mail at ldavisal@cde.ca.gov; or Scott Kessler, Programs Director, CDPH Environmental Health Investigations Branch, by phone at 510-620-3643 or by e-mail atscott.kessler@cdph.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Tom Torlakson
State Superintendent of Public Instruction
California Department of Education

Ron Chapman, MD, MPH
Director & State Health Officer
California Department of Public Health

TT/RC:lda

Modern School: Tech Giants Take On Publishers for Control of Education

Modern School: Tech Giants Take On Publishers for Control of Education:

Tech Giants Take On Publishers for Control of Education

by Michael Dunn

Collage by Modern School (with Images from Flickr, sucello and mikebaird)

In a rare moment of lucidity and honesty, the Los Angeles Times published a piece last week criticizing tech giants’ play for billions of federal and state K-12 public education tax dollars. Reporting for the Times, Michael Hiltzik attended a Digital Learning Day Town Hall meeting sponsored by Google, Comcast, AT&T, Intel and others, with speakers that included Education Secretary Arne Duncan and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.

Duncan and Genachowski called for laptops for every child because textbooks will ostensibly soon become a thing of the past. While there are certainly benefits to switching to digital textbooks, like allowing students to “write” in the margins or to interact with multimedia presentations, the real driving force, not surprisingly, is the huge profits to be made by tech

Arne Duncan Supports Using Student Portfolios To Evaluate Teachers? | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

Arne Duncan Supports Using Student Portfolios To Evaluate Teachers? | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…:

Arne Duncan Supports Using Student Portfolios To Evaluate Teachers?

February 9, 2012 by Larry Ferlazzo | 0 comments

I support using alternative methods to student performance on standardized tests to evaluate teachers. In fact, I have a long list of “tried and true” alternatives at The Best Articles Describing Alternatives To High-Stakes Testing.

One of those alternative measures worth considering, I believe, are student portfolios.

Well, this week, Arne Duncan gave a speech where he endorsed that view:

Just last week I met with Dru Davison, a fantastic music teacher in Memphis. Arts teachers there were frustrated because they were being evaluated based solely on school-wide performance in math and English. So he convened a group of arts educators to come up with

Latest News and Comment from Education

Friday, February 10, 2012

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Education Gap Grows Between Rich and Poor, Studies Say

By SABRINA TAVERNISE

Published: February 9, 2012

Multimedia

Thursday night massacre

Asthma and Indoor Air Quality in Schools