New Supreme Court Religion Decision: Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School - ParentAdvocates.org

Parent Advocates - ParentAdvocates.org:

New Supreme Court Religion Decision: Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School
It is rare for the Justices of the Supreme Court to hand down a unanimous decision in a Religion Clauses case. But it happened on January 11, 2012, in Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Church and School v. EEOC, 132 S. Ct. — (2012). This case involved the so-called “ministerial exception” to otherwise generally applicable federal law. From Betsy Combier: should America's court system place both religious institutions and their personnel, in the widest definition of "personnel", as well as anyone who works for a court in any capacity, including lawyers who are "officers of the court", above the Law? I dont think so.

New Supreme Court Religion Decision: Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School
A Rare Unanimous Religion Clauses Decision by the Supreme Court

It is rare for the Justices of the Supreme Court to hand down a unanimous decision in a Religion Clauses case. But it happened on January 11, 2012, in Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Church and School v. EEOC, 132 S. Ct. — (2012). This case

Support PURE! » Illinois ESEA waiver request: More testing, please!!!

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Illinois ESEA waiver request: More testing, please!!!:

Illinois ESEA waiver request: More testing, please!!!

by admin

As if there wasn’t enough going on, tomorrow the Illinois State Board of Education will vote on an ESEA flexibility waiver application which will do little but add more tests to an already ridiculous state assessment system.
Here are the comments I submitted to ISBE last week:

“Stop teaching to the test”

President Barack Obama, 2012 State of the Union Address

In their November 22, 2011, joint letter announcing Illinois’ intent to pursue a waiver from NCLB, ISBE Chair Gery Chico and State Superintendent Christopher Koch promised a “common sense accountability system” including “smart, nuanced tools” that will “demonstrate improvement and success in differentiated, appropriate and measurable ways” using “multiple measures.”

This all sounded great until we read the waiver proposal this week.

According to testing experts,* true multiple measures are the use of multiple indicators and sources of evidence of student learning, of varying kinds, gathered at multiple points in time, within and across subject areas. Multiple measures can include classroom, school, district and state tests; extended writing samples; tasks,

Parents begin vigil in Mayor Emanuel’s neighborhood

by admin

For Immediate Release
Media Advisory for Monday, February 20
Contacts:
Jitu Brown, 773-317-6343
Ana Mercado, 312-498-6479
Parents Take a Their Concerns to the Mayor’s Neighborhood
Candlelight Vigil and March Delivers a Message: “Support Our Schools, Don’t Close Them!”
CHICAGO—Parents and community supporters will hold a candlelight vigil this afternoon in Lake View to protest planned school closures. Sixteen public schools are currently slated for closure and “turnaround.”
Lake View was chosen as the location for the silent vigil because it is the Mayor’s neighborhood. The Mayor has made decisions that impact community schools without visiting the schools or talking with parents. Since the Mayor has failed to show up in their communities, the parents are going to his neighborhood to deliver their message: “Support Our Schools, Don’t Close Them!”
Parents of children attending these schools are concerned because the closings were planned without their input, and because schools that have been closed and put through the turnaround process have shown little if any improvement, despite receiving millions of dollars in funding.
WHAT:
A candlelight vigil featuring parents and students speaking out to keep their schools
WHERE:
Lake View High School, 4015 North Ashland Avenue
WHEN:
TODAY, Monday, February 20
4:00 p.m.
WHO:
Parents, students and a broad coalition of community supporters, including Action Now, Albany Park Neighborhood Council, Blocks Together, Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, Logan Square Neighborhood Association, and others
WHY:
To demand that the Mayor and the Board of Education listen to parents, and Support Our Schools Instead of Closing Them. To call on CPS to work in partnership with school communities, and to invest in real school improvement plans that respect the parents and educators in the schools.
# # #

Jersey Jazzman: The Reformy Dr. Steve Perry Show - Part I

Jersey Jazzman: The Reformy Dr. Steve Perry Show - Part I:

The Reformy Dr. Steve Perry Show - Part I

by Duke

Dr. Steve Perry is a CNN contributor, an author, a speaker, and a magnet school principal. He is also a dedicated teachers union basher. So we're going to take a good, hard look at him; hope he's ready.

Here's some prime, red, reformy meat Dr. Perry recently served up via Twitter:

@DrStevePerry Agree. Imma teacher 2. Find creative ways 2 supp income. It is what it is. At the end of the day, I'm in charge of my career.

Pay attention to who is fighting for what. Recognize NONE of these clowns ever mention kids. It's all about our kids' poverty & their pay.

"@situpsnstiletos: @DrStevePerry very insulting." These folks want you to believe they were FORCED into education. If it's too much, quit.

@stopthefreezeNJ @CNN Enjoy your day off. Maybe you should do some real research. Then talk

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Updates From Publicola

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Updates From Publicola:

Updates From Publicola

by Melissa Westbrook

Over at Publicola, they report that WEA president, Mary Lindquist, wrote an open letter based on what Nick Hanauer had to say about public education in the state of Washington.

You can read the whole thing there but she says several things I find I can agree with her on:

And yet, in a single email, he has managed to align himself with a politician who is antithetical to all of those progressive values.


First, it must be clearly understood that it is the voters of Washington – not the WEA – that have

Stories of Transformation: Mission (Upon a) Hill

Stories of Transformation: Mission (Upon a) Hill:

Stories of Transformation: Mission (Upon a) Hill

by Sam

Mission Hill School, nestled amidst the labyrinthine side streets of Boston and alongside the usual din of sounds that fill a school’s hallways, an unusual revolution is taking place.

It’s happening in the 2^nd and 3^rd grade, where lead teacher Jenerra Williams doesn’t formally call her class to “order,” opting instead to spend the first 30 minutes of the day greeting children as they arrive, trusting them to begin their morning tasks without prodding, and checking in with each student to ensure everyone is ready to learn that day – intellectually, socially, and emotionally.

It’s happening in the main office, where principal Ayla Gavins’s desk sits in an open airy space that feels more

Save the date? Il Sen Ed Committee hearing set for Friday

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Save the date? Il Sen Ed Committee hearing set for Friday:

Save the date? Il Sen Ed Committee hearing set for Friday

by admin

While no plans are ever completely solid in Springfield, a State Senate Education Committee hearing has been called for Fri, 02/24, at 9:30 AM in Springfield, with Sen. Martinez’ school closing and turnaround moratorium bill (SB 3239) on the agenda.

Here’s the link to the hearing notice, which you can check for updates closer to the date.

Here’s the contact information for the Senate Education Committee members and the language of themoratorium bill.

Given the timing of this hearing, people may find it the perfect opportunity to share their reactions to Wednesday’s Chicago Board of Education vote on school closings and turnarounds.

Schools Matter: Corporate Charter Lobbyists Go After Florida School Construction Money

Schools Matter: Corporate Charter Lobbyists Go After Florida School Construction Money:

Corporate Charter Lobbyists Go After Florida School Construction Money

by Jim Horn

With hundreds of millions already in the bank, the vulture philanthropists and their hopped-up hedge funders are looking for more cash for their corporate welfare charter schools.

Will the Florida State Legislature destroy the bond ratings of state public schools to win the next election?

From Miami Herald:

By Kathleen McGrory and Scott Hiaasen
shiaasen@miamiherald.com

A legislative plan to give charter schools a cut of local school districts’ construction money would steer millions of additional dollars to large charter-school networks that are already sitting on tens

Some Autistic Kids Unlikely to Become the Next Jeremy Lin | California Father

Some Autistic Kids Unlikely to Become the Next Jeremy Lin | California Father:

Some Autistic Kids Unlikely to Become the Next Jeremy Lin

by California Father

I just got through cajoling my seven-year-old to practice tying his shoe and will continue cajoling him when he gets home from the supermarket with his mother to practice riding his bike. Physical activity isn’t his cup of tea, which makes it difficult for him to play the type of games that little kids value (e.g., throwing a ball) and to perform tasks that are pretty important at school (unzipping his fly to take a pee). Hooray for the authors of this study who have determined that autistic kids have physical challenges beyond not being able to look you in the

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Assessing Teachers; What are We Really Doing?

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Assessing Teachers; What are We Really Doing?:

Assessing Teachers; What are We Really Doing?

by Melissa Westbrook

There's an article in today's NY Times entitled, "States Try to Fix Quirks in Teacher Evaluations." I invite you to peruse the article - I'm not sure anyone would call them "quirks".

It opens with a scene probably familiar to all - a high-school LA teacher explaining what irony means. The principal was there to assess this veteran teacher's abilities. He says it was a "good lesson." BUT he had to give her a 1 (lowest score out of 1-5) because she didn't break the students into groups. He had seen her do it in the past but in her professional wisdom, she didn't feel the need to do it for this lesson. But the principal had to follow the rubric guidelines. He said:

“It’s not an accurate reflection of her as a teacher,” Mr. Ball said.

That's just one assessment of what sounds like a perfectly fine teacher. And yet, she got dinged. But it's not

Legislative Action Alert on Teacher Evaluation Bill 5895 | Seattle Education

Legislative Action Alert on Teacher Evaluation Bill 5895 | Seattle Education:

Legislative Action Alert on Teacher Evaluation Bill 5895

by seattleducation2011

The LEV/PTA/SFC backed teacher evaluation bill was shoved through the Senate last week without more than a few hours for anyone to review and evaluate it and yet is would have a tremendous impact on our students.
From the Washington Education Association regarding Bill 5895:
(The bold is mine)
The Senate’s new teacher evaluation bill (SB 5895) was released publicly just four hours before the deadline for legislation to pass the Senate. WEA’s education policy experts are reviewing the legislation and will provide a more in-depth analysis, but based on a cursory review of the bill:
We have concerns with some aspects of the bill. A lot rests with how this legislation is implemented at the local and state levels. This new legislation must not derail, short-circuit or otherwise interfere with the evaluation pilot work that is already underway, and educators must be allowed the flexibility to meet the unique needs of students in their local schools.
The larger concern: Teachers, the professionals who are directly affected by this legislation, were not at the table

It might come down to this for us in Seattle at some point: Piccolo Elementary Occupation

by seattleducation2011

On February 17, 2012 students, parents demand the removal of Piccolo and Casals from “Turnaround” list.
On February 20, 2012
Press release:
PARENTS END PICCOLO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OCCUPATION AFTER CPS BOARD AGREES TO MEET IN RUN-UP TO WEDNESDAY BOARD MEETING
Chicago, IL – Parents ended the Piccolo Elementary School occupation at
3:30pm yesterday after Vice President of CPS Board of Education, Jesse Ruiz,
met with them at Piccolo and committed the rest of the Board members to meet with the parents regarding their demands that the board reverse its decision to “Turnaround” Piccolo and Casals and engage with them 

Heroine of the Week: Constance Johnson | Hello Ladies

Heroine of the Week: Constance Johnson | Hello Ladies:

Heroine of the Week: Constance Johnson

February 10, 2012

By Hello Ladies

Constance Johnson

Oklahoma State Senator Constance Johnson is our heroine of the week. Johnson proposed an amendment to Senate Bill 1433, that would criminalize some ejaculation. The amendment read, “any action in which a man ejaculates or otherwise deposits semen anywhere but in a woman’s vagina shall be interpreted and construed as an action against an unborn child.”

Senate Bill 1433 declares personhood starts at conception and that, “The laws of this state shall be interpreted and construed to acknowledge on behalf of the unborn child at every stage of development all rights, privileges, and immunities available to other persons, citizens and residents of this state.”

Johnson wrote in the Guardian that she offered the amendment, “to draw attention to the absurdity, duplicity and lack of balance inherent in the policies of this state in regard to women.”

Johnson’s amendment comes less than a month after Virginia State Senator Janet Howell proposed an amendment that would have required men to undergo a rectal exam and a cardiac stress test before getting a prescription for erectile dsyfunction drugs.

This is why we need more women in office.

History Should Be Honest, by Joseph K.

History Should Be Honest, by Joseph K.:

History Should Be Honest, by Joseph K.

by Joseph K.

(What happened to Joseph K. is a good example of why sustained and meaningfully long classroom walks & observations should be a requirement of the teacher evaluation process. And why tenure — due process — is necessary to protect teachers from political retribution. –Ed’s note.)

A funny thing happened to me on the way to the whiteboard the other day. I was a victim of a drive-by shooting by the district 3 Superintendent. She spent three minutes in my classroom and then shot me in the back by threating to fire me. No warning, no context, no knowledge of any kind, just a clean kill shot from ten to fifteen feet away. I didn’t even see it coming. Here is my response. “History Should Be Honest.”

“HISTORY SHOULD BE HONEST”
-Governor Jerry Brown upon signing Senate Bill 48 into law (July 14, 2011)

This is in response to LAUSD’s “Inter-Office Correspondence, Subject: Conference Summary” directed to me

Support PURE! » Trib readers oppose Noble discipline policy, too

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Trib readers oppose Noble discipline policy, too:

Trib readers oppose Noble discipline policy, too

by admin

Nice to read these letters in this morning’s Tribune – guess not everyone agreed with the paper’s position on Noble:
Here’s a sample:

I find fining students for disciplinary infractions wrong in principle. Critics who call the program draconian are absolutely on target. It is not the list of ridiculous infractions alone; the fines truly set

Contact info for Chicago Board members

by admin

Useful info from Jackie Leavy:
IF YOU THINK THAT CPS BOARD MEMBERS NEED TO HEAR DIRECTLY FROM YOU, HERE IS CONTACT INFORMATION FOR SOME OF THEM, PUBLICLY AVAILABLE ONLINE (if you search by individual Board members’ names):
Jesse Ruiz, Vice President of the Board of Education:  Thank him for meeting with Piccolo’s parents on Saturday, Feb. 18th: Jesse.Ruiz@dbr.com
Mr. Ruiz is an attorney with the law firm, Drinker & Biddle:
191 N. Wacker Dr., Suite 3700
Chicago, IL 60606-1698
(312) 569-1135
(312) 569-3135 fax
Dr. Mahalia Hines works with her son, Common’s foundation:
Common Ground Foundation
2150 S. Canalport, 3B-5
Chicago, IL 60608773-295-1915
info@commongroundfoundation.org
Phone: 773-295-1915
Fax: 877-246-5767
Henry Bienen, a political scientist and author, served as President of Northwestern University (in Evanston) from 1995 until 2009. CURRENT CONTACT INFORMATION??
(From Julie: Henry Bienen, residence at 161 E. Chicago Ave Chicago IL
Olympia Centre (161 E Chicago) is a 63-story multi-use tower, built in 1985 with 39 floors of luxury condominiums, located in the heart of Chicago’s most exciting and fashionable Streeterville neighborhood. Olympia Centre offers the style and privacy of luxury living at its best as well as proximity to Chicago’s renowned stores, restaurants, theaters and cultural amenities.)
Penny Pritzker: A businesswoman and philanthropist, Pritzker is board chair of the Chicago Public Education Fund and co-director of the Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation,  She served as national finance chairwoman of President Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential bid.
Mailing address for the Foundation:
71 S Wacker Dr # 4600, Chicago, IL 60606-4637
(From Julie  – here’s a little more on Penny:
Penny Pritzker – residence at 1875 N Orchard St. Chicago, IL
PENNY PRITZKER’S MANSION rises like a modernist fortress on the 1800 block of North Orchard Street in Lincoln Park. A rectangular slab of tobacco-colored stucco stacked between two boxes of glass, it is eye-stopping and in sharp contrast to the quaint collection of Victorian houses a few doors on either side. Some neighbors complain it looks like a Hyatt hotel, a snide reference to the international lodging chain that is the centerpiece of the Pritzker clan’s $15 billion fortune. Others think it is better suited to the IIT campus, which is a virtual shrine to the architecture of the modernist giant Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.)
Rod Sierra: A parent of three CPS students, Sierra is the chief marketing officer of Johnson Publishing Co. and a former deputy press secretary to Mayor Richard Daley.  This is the mailing address/ph # available online:
Johnson Publishing Company, Inc.
820 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605
312.322.9200
Andrea Zopp: The president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League also is a CPS parent and a former Local School Council member of Clissold Elementary School on the Far South Side. She previously served as general counsel for companies including Exelon Corp. and Sears Holdings Corp.:
4510 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago , IL 60653
(773) 285-5800 Main
(773) 285-7772 Fax
Her Position: President and Chief Executive Officer
Her Phone: 773-451-3500
Her Email:president@thechicagourbanleague.org
IF YOU CHOOSE TO CONTACT THESE CPS BOARD MEMBERS, YOU CAN LET THEM KNOW . . .
–  WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE PICCOLO PARENTS’ EFFORTS?
–  WHETHER YOU THINK THE CPS BOARD SHOULD PUSH AHEAD ON FEB. 22ND TO VOTE ON PROPOSED SCHOOL ACTIONS AND TURN-AROUNDS, or instead, SHOULD the BOARD POSTPONE A VOTE?
–  ASK IF THEY PERSONALLY HAVE REVIEWED THE PLANS PREPARED BY THE CPS-SPONSORED “COMMUNITY ACTION COUNCILS” AND SCHOOLS’ ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS to School Actions or Turn-Arounds ?
If/when there are updates on SB 3239 and HB 4487 from Springfield, I will try to let you know ASAP.
Jackie

Press release from community group on Piccolo win

by admin

From: BT Youth
Sent: 2/19/2012 12:24 PM
Subject: Press Release

For More Information, Contact: Cecile Carrol, 773-426-0842; Ana Mercado, 312-498-6479, bt.youthorg@gmail.com
twitter handle @tbourschoolschi | twitter hashtag #piccolo www.btchicago.org
        Parents end Piccolo Elementary School occupation after CPS Board agrees to meet in run-up to Wednesday board meeting

     Students, parents demand removal of Piccolo and Casals from “Turnaround” list

Parents ended the Piccolo Elementary School occupation at 3:30pm yesterday after Vice President of CPS Board of Education, Jesse Ruiz, met with them at Piccolo and committed the rest of the Board members to meet with the parents regarding their demands that the board reverse its decision to “Turnaround” Piccolo and Casals and engage with them meaningfully on a community proposal to promote educational excellence at the school.
“Thank you to the hundreds that came out in the cold to support us and show that they care about our kids,” said Piccolo parent and Local School Council Chair Latrice Watkins.

        The Board of Education plans to vote on Wednesday, February 22 to hand over management to AUSL, the Academy for Urban School Leadership. The private ‘non-profit’ firm has close political ties to City Hall .

Despite receiving millions in additional funds from CPS and private entities that regular public schools do not get access to, AUSL ‘results’ are little better than – and in some cases lag behind – district averages.
The protest and occupation to resist takeover by AUSL was led by a core group of committed Piccolo parents who were acting on behalf of 288 parents who had voted ‘No’ to the Turnaround of their school in January but were ignored by CPS.  They are asking that CPS – the Chicago Public Schools administration – instead invest in the current school and provide current staff with the types of resources and funding that the district currently plans to funnel to AUSL. Their core appeal: Education should be about what parents want for their children – not what’s good for politically connected private school operations.
Parents were also critical of the way authorities handled the occupation. They blocked a group of Piccolo parents from getting back in the building to relieve other parents and did not let food or supplies in the building; including for one diabetic parent, the right of use to her medications. That treatment has, nonetheless, left parents undeterred.
“I got the strength to stay [in the school] through the pain, because I knew I was on the side of justice, and this will inspire other schools to stand up to privatization,” said Elisa Nigaglioni, parent occupier and member of the West Humboldt Park Community Action Council, who met for a year to draft a proposal for improving Piccolo, Casals and Cameron Elementary Schools.
Parents and their supporters have vowed to defend their children’s school – and the public’s right to neighborhood public education – in their scheduled meetings with board members. Parents are guardedly optimistic as they wait for a call from CPS to confirm the times for the hour-long meetings on Monday and Tuesday with individual Board members to inform them of their concerns with AUSL, and have a real conversation about their community counter proposal.
“It’s shameful that it had to come to this for CPS to engage meaningfully with the parents’ proposal,” said Cecile Carroll of the community group Blocks Together, which supported the parents’ occupation.
Blocks Together, the parents and their allies have vowed to step up efforts to prevent what they see as a wholesale assault on accountable public education in the city.

Respect? What exactly does the DOE consider bold and transformative in education? Do they respect our opinions? « Continuing Change

Respect? What exactly does the DOE consider bold and transformative in education? Do they respect our opinions? « Continuing Change:

Respect? What exactly does the DOE consider bold and transformative in education? Do they respect our opinions?

by gatorbonbc

Respect? What exactly does the DOE consider bold and transformative in education? Do they respect our opinions?

From the Department of Education blog:

“To bring this vision to fruition, the President proposed a new $5 billion grant program to support states and districts that commit to pursuing bold reforms at every stage of the teaching profession.” (http://www.ed.gov/blog/2012/02/launching-project-respect/)

That all sounds fine and dandy.

But, the four key elements are a little vague. What worries me, personally, is what they call bold?

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Bringing it all back home to Rahm

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Bringing it all back home to Rahm:

Bringing it all back home to Rahm

by Mike Klonsky

Community activists, parents and teachers plan to pray and sing outside Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s home this evening, ahead of a board of education vote later this week that would turn more than a dozen Chicago public schools over to private operators. Over the weekend, several parents and dozens of Occupy Chicago activists