Tuesday, February 28, 2012

www.togetherwesoar.orgThe Facts About Charter SchoolsCharter schools are out-of-state, for-profit corporations that make personal profits from education tax dollars. The introduction of charter schools to Alabama will take nearly $200 million a year from our neighborhood public schools. Yet, major studies prove that charter schools fail to provide a better alternative to existing neighborhood public schools. Our kids can’t afford to lose another $200 million every year to fund an educational experiment that doesn’t even work.Charter Schools Don’t WorkStudies by Stanford ... more »

Documentary Lamblasts Mexico’s Failing School System (VIDEO) - Hispanically Speaking News

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Documentary Lamblasts Mexico’s Failing School System (VIDEO) - Hispanically Speaking News:Documentary Lambasts Mexico’s Failing School System (VIDEO)Mexican filmmaker, Juan Carlos Rulfo, and journalist, Carlos Loret de Mola, have joined forces to show México, as well as the world, the current state of their school system. ‘¡De Panzazo!’ the Spanish equivalent to the English saying, ‘barely passing,’ offers a glimpse into the failing Mexican education system. It’s a system in which 8 out of 10 students in secondary school enter without ... more »

Arizona's Education Debates Reflect Republican Candidates' Conservative Rhetoric

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Arizona's Education Debates Reflect Republican Candidates' Conservative Rhetoric:Arizona's Education Debates Reflect Republican Candidates' Conservative Rhetoricby Joy ResmovitsIn the last few months, Arizona's conservative state legislature has sparred over bills that would police teachers for profanity inside and outside the classroom and allow for the study of the Bible in public and charter schools. These debates follow the 2010 ban on teaching ethnic studies.According to critics, though, these arguments -- which primarily focus on social issues that can come up in ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Release to press of teacher data has become a rallying cry

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Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Release to press of teacher data has become a rallying cry:Release to press of teacher data has become a rallying cryby Mike KlonskyPublic debasing of teachers in N.Y.N.Y. Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Cuomo may have won the legal battle to base teacher evaluations on student test scores and publish them in the press. But they may have also unwittingly awakened a sleeping giant of a resistance movement. Shades of what happened in Wisconsin in response to ... more »

You’ve Been VAM-IFIED! Thoughts (& Graphs) on the NYC Teacher Data « School Finance 101

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You’ve Been VAM-IFIED! Thoughts ( Graphs) on the NYC Teacher Data « School Finance 101:You’ve Been VAM-IFIED! Thoughts ( Graphs) on the NYC Teacher Databy schoolfinance101Readers of my blog know I’m both a data geek and a skeptic of the usefulness of Value-added data specifically as a human resource management tool for schools and districts. There’s been much talk this week about the release of the New York City teacher ratings to the media, and subsequent publication of those data ... more »

Self-Organized Learning in the Standardized Classroom: Possible?! « Cooperative Catalyst

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Self-Organized Learning in the Standardized Classroom: Possible?! « Cooperative Catalyst:Self-Organized Learning in the Standardized Classroom: Possible?!POSTED BY JASON LACOSTE ⋅ FEBRUARY 28, 2012 ⋅ LEAVE A COMMENTWork within the system for slow systemic change, or from without for idealistic radical change? This is one of the most exhausting choices facing modern alternative educators. I want to take a crack at how we might approach educational transformation from within a typical public charter school with all its focus on core curriculum ... more »

The charter school scam

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The charter school scam:Charter to nowhereOne of the durable legacies of the Bush administration, aside from two miserable wars and the wreckage of a world-historical credit bubble, is the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, passed within months of George W's taking office. NCLB mandated the restructuring of American public education along the lines of what partisans like to call choice and accountability. That is, parents are supposed to be offered alternatives to traditional public schools (TPS)—and students and their ... more »

Who Are The 1%? | OurFuture.org

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Who Are The 1%? | OurFuture.org:Who Are The 1%?By Dave JohnsonFebruary 28, 2012 - 12:01pm ETPOPULAR THIS WEEKSatan Speaks to Santorum - and Has Some Words For Sarah Palin Tooby Richard (RJ) EskowFebruary 24, 20129 Crazy Things Mitt Romney Believesby Robert BorosageFebruary 27, 2012more» ALSO WORTH READINGThe GOP’s Michigan Giveawayby OurFuture.org Staff | February 27, 2012Oligarchy in the U.S.A.by OurFuture.org Staff | February 27, 2012Non-Aggression Tackby Digby | February 27, 2012The Payroll Tax Law's Best Measureby OurFuture.org Staff | February ... more »

Jim Broadway on Chicago charters and turnarounds. « Fred Klonsky

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Jim Broadway on Chicago charters and turnarounds. « Fred Klonsky:Jim Broadway on Chicago charters and turnarounds.by Fred KlonskyJim Broadway, who publishes the authoritative Illinois School Policy Updates (subscription here), comments on recent developments in Chicago and the impact on Springfield.The Chicago public schools are a kind of laboratory for school “reform” efforts. The turnaround concept is one example. Most Illinois charter schools are also in Chicago (and generally not producing the kind of results they promised).The most successful reform of ... more »

On Education: Shedding Light on Teacher Data Reports – SchoolBook

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On Education: Shedding Light on Teacher Data Reports – SchoolBook:On Education: Shedding Light on Teacher Data ReportsFACEBOOKTWITTERPRINT0 CommentsRespondFeb. 28, 2012, 11:18 a.m.By MICHAEL WINERIPI’m delighted that the New York City education department has finallyreleased its teacher data reports.Finally, there are some solid numbers for judging teachers.Using a complex mathematical formula, the education department’s statisticians have calculated how much elementary and middle-school teachers’ students outpaced — or fell short of — expectations on annual standardized tests. They... more »

The Narrative of Poverty - Dana Goldstein

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The Narrative of Poverty - Dana Goldstein:The Narrative of Povertyby Dana GoldsteinWhen I was reading Katherine Boo's Beyond the Beautiful Forevers, about day-to-day life in the Mumbai slum of Annawadi, I couldn't stop thinking about how much the book had in common with one of my all-time favorites,Random Family, Adrian Nicole Leblanc's masterpiece about love and the drug trade in the South Bronx of the 19080s and 90s. So I wrote an essay for The Daily Beast about the two ...more »

Safe at School and Ready to Learn | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

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Safe at School and Ready to Learn | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:Safe at School and Ready to Learnby NEA Health Information NetworkQuestion: What is found throughout the school meal program that can be deadly dangerous?If you answered food allergens, you would be right. Six percent of students have a food allergy and the big eight of food allergies (soy, eggs, milk, fish, wheat, shellfish, tree nuts, and peanuts) are found throughout school meal programs and family ... more »

Modern School: Fox Guarding Hen House: Rhee Buddies Up to Duncan During Investigation of DC Cheating Scandal

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Modern School: Fox Guarding Hen House: Rhee Buddies Up to Duncan During Investigation of DC Cheating Scandal:Fox Guarding Hen House: Rhee Buddies Up to Duncan During Investigation of DC Cheating Scandalby Michael DunnMichelle Rhee was the chancellor of Washington, D.C. schools from 2007 to 2010, during the time D.C. school officials cheated to raise test scores. The Office of the Inspector General in Arne Duncan’s Education Department has been investigating the case for the past six months. Considering how much ... more »

Schools Matter: Why Bill Gates Makes Me Throw Up

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Schools Matter: Why Bill Gates Makes Me Throw Up:Why Bill Gates Makes Me Throw Upby Jim HornThe chart above shows market capitalization trends for Apple and Microsoft over just two months in 2010.To show that this trend of Microsoft's failing hegemony is not a fluke, here is another showing operating income

How to Demoralize Teachers - Bridging Differences - Education Week

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How to Demoralize Teachers - Bridging Differences - Education Week:How to Demoralize Teachersby Diane RavitchDear Deborah,Two weeks ago, New York state's highest court ruled that the New York City Department of Education could release for public scrutiny the value-added ratings of teachers of mathematics and English in grades 4-8. Rupert Murdoch's New York Post, joined by other media, had filed a "freedom of information" request to obtain the testing data, and the United Federation of Teachers opposed their release, saying ... more »

IRS targeting charter schools? (OneNewsNow.com)

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IRS targeting charter schools? (OneNewsNow.com):IRS targeting charter schools?Bob Kellogg - OneNewsNow - 2/28/2012 3:45:00 AMA school choice advocate says the Internal Revenue Service's proposed changes to the definition of "governmental plans" could make school teachers ineligible for participation in state pension systems. The IRS' "Determination of Government Plan Status" would force states to prohibit public charter school teachers from participating in state retirement plans. Todd Ziebarth, vice president for state advocacy and support for the National Alliance for Public Chart... more »

NY principal: Teacher scores inaccurate at my school - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

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NY principal: Teacher scores inaccurate at my school - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:NY principal: Teacher scores inaccurate at my schoolby Valerie StraussThe information below comes from Elizabeth Phillips, principal of P.S. 321 in Park Slope, N.Y., about how badlythe newly released rankings of New York City public school teachers reflect the reality at her school. Phillips wrote that she is “absolutely sick” about the public release of the Teacher Data Reports (TDR) of some 18,000 teachers based ... more »

solidaridad: Please come battle New West Charter on Tuesday!

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solidaridad: Please come battle New West Charter on Tuesday!:Please come battle New West Charter on Tuesday!by Robert D. Skeels * rdsatheneJoin hundreds of community members, students, teachers and parents are going to City Hall in force to protect West LA from the effects of that the relocation of New West Charter could cause, namely:Insane traffic at all hours of the dayUse of public funds to gain a rent subsidy just because they are near a Title 1 Elementary schoolPossible continued ... more »

Virtual Lobby Day Tuesday. School board members can do it too. « Fred Klonsky

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Virtual Lobby Day Tuesday. School board members can do it too. « Fred Klonsky:Virtual Lobby Day Tuesday. School board members can do it too.by Fred KlonskyThe IEA may not be mobilizing people to go to Springfield. But teachers in this area want to go anyway. So we’re looking into getting a bus (maybe two) and heading down to the Capitol after Spring break.Sometimes things are too important to be left to those in charge.But today is today. Time to send ... more »

NEA Read Across America promotional videos Dr. Seuss' The Lorax movie ...

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The stars of the Lorax are shining the spotlight on NEA's Read Across America. The cast, Taylor Swift, Zac Efron, Betty White, Danny DeVito, Ed Helms and Rob Riggle are this year's honorary Co-chairs and took time from their busy schedule to record two promotional videos for NEA. Zac Efron will join NEA President Dennis Van Roekel in New York for the March 2 national kickoff.

School Tech Connect: Be Thankful For Your Pension

School Tech Connect: Be Thankful For Your Pension:

Be Thankful For Your Pension

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

A colleague tossed an email over the transom tonight. My colleagues was doing the virtual lobby thing, and he made a point in his correspondence with this representative that teachers don't get Social Security when they retire.

This is part of the response. I'm keeping out the names because it's not a public statement per se.

This is one of what I would call "the true believers," who thinks that Social Security is in a doomsday death spiral.

These people are immune to information. By the way, I am absolutely positive that this same representative, if

Daily Kos: Education data matters when it can be used against teachers, but Michelle Rhee retains Teflon coat

Daily Kos: Education data matters when it can be used against teachers, but Michelle Rhee retains Teflon coat:

Education data matters when it can be used against teachers, but Michelle Rhee retains Teflon coat

byLaura Clawson FollowforDaily Kos Labor

New

PERMALINK	19 COMMENTS

(Iris Harris—U.S. Department of Commerce)

Two stories once again highlight how the supposedly data-driven corporate-style education reform is actually driven by ideology, with no data too shoddy and suspect to be held up against teachers or as a victory for "reform," and no amount of questionable data enough to sink a champion of "reform" like Michelle Rhee.

The New York Times' Michael Winerip asks why, with the Office of the Inspector General in the Department of Education "investigating whether Washington school officials cheated to raise test scores during Ms. Rhee’s tenure," Secretary of Education Arne Duncan would think it appropriate to join a panel also featuring Rhee to discuss, of all things, "the use of education data."

Mr. Duncan doesn’t think [there's a problem], according to his spokesman, Justin Hamilton. “It’s irresponsible for a New York Times columnist to presume guilt before we have all the facts,” Mr. Hamilton wrote in an e-mail. “Our inspector general is

Ending Local Control of Schools Continues in Florida | Scathing Purple Musings

Ending Local Control of Schools Continues in Florida | Scathing Purple Musings:

Ending Local Control of Schools Continues in Florida

by Bob Sikes

Signs that the end of local board control of schools – and its own finances – continued today when the state board of education overruled Orange and Seminole counties rejection of two charter schools. From Leslie Postal in the Orlando Sentinel:

TALLAHASSEE – Orange and Seminole school districts should be forced to allow two charter schools they turned down, the state Board of Education ruled Tuesday.
The state board sided with a recommendation from the charter school appeal commission that Renaissance Charter out of South Florida be allowed to set up shop next fall in Orange.
But the state board ignored the appeal commission recommendation that it reject the application of

City Pushes Ahead on Plan to Close, Then Reopen 33 Schools – SchoolBook

City Pushes Ahead on Plan to Close, Then Reopen 33 Schools – SchoolBook:

City Pushes Ahead on Plan to Close, Then Reopen 33 Schools

Related Schools

Feb. 28, 2012, 6:12 p.m.

By FERNANDA SANTOS

The New York City Education Department has set in motion its plan to restore federal grants to 33 struggling schools. On Tuesday, it released proposals to close eight of those schools, replace half of their staff, then reopen them under new names, all in a bid to bypass a required teacher evaluation system, which should have been in place by Dec. 31.

The schools are Banana Kelly High School, Jordan C. Mott Junior High School and Fordham Leadership Academy for Business and Technology in the Bronx; Automotive High School and Sheepshead Bay High School in Brooklyn; High School of Graphic Communication Arts and Harlem Renaissance High School in Manhattan; and William Cullen Bryant High School in Queens.

The proposals have the same boilerplate language to justify the

A+ is new scarlet letter - State prohibits Philly teachers from administering PSSA to their own students | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

State prohibits Philly teachers from administering PSSA to their own students | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

State prohibits Philly teachers from administering PSSA to their own students

by Dale Mezzacappa on Feb 28 2012 Posted in Latest news

Tags:

In the wake of concerns about cheating on state exams, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has prohibited Philadelphia teachers – but apparently not teachers in other districts across the state – from administering the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) test to their own students.

The move, which represents a major change in testing protocol, comes just weeks before schools' annual administration of the PSSA is slated to begin. State officials are in the midst of a state inquiry into potential cheating involving as many as 50 District schools.

According to several sources, the new mandate comes on the heels of an earlier

What 'Black Cool' Looks Like in the Classroom - Education - GOOD

What 'Black Cool' Looks Like in the Classroom - Education - GOOD:

What 'Black Cool' Looks Like in the Classroom

by José Vilson

black.cool
In 1926, Carter G. Woodson created Negro History Week to ensure the contributions of black people would be taught and remembered. Woodson believed that eventually the week—which in 1976 become Black History Month—would eventually become unnecessary because everyone would learn black history.

Seven years later, in his book The Mis-Education of the Negro, Woodson argued that America’s school system indoctrinated black people instead of educating them. Generations later, his rugged independence and intellectual dexterity remain an undeniable example of cool. That same spirit flows through Rebecca Walker'sBlack Cool: A Thousands Streams of Blackness, a just-published collection of essays about the many dimensions of "black cool."

As each writer takes on a different dimension of cool, the reader reaches the same realization Henry Louis Gates Jr. lays out in the foreword: "We are not a monolith, but we are a community. And the members of a

The Hyatt’s Penny Pritzker has seven bathrooms, appeals her taxes and screws her employees. « Fred Klonsky

The Hyatt’s Penny Pritzker has seven bathrooms, appeals her taxes and screws her employees. « Fred Klonsky:

The Hyatt’s Penny Pritzker has seven bathrooms, appeals her taxes and screws her employees.

by Fred Klonsky

Penny Pritzker has seven bathrooms.

H/T: Matt Farmer

For well over two years the employees of the Hyatt Hotels in Chicago and elsewhere have been in dispute over a contract.

Hyatt is owned by the Pritzker family. Most prominently, Penny Pritzker. She served as chief fundraiser for Obama’s 2008 campaign and is a high ranking member of his 2012 re-election campaign.

Penny and her husband, Bryan Traubert, own a a seven-bathroom, 8,400-square-foot mansion on three typical city lots in Lincoln Park.

Seven bathrooms.

They must do a lot of reading in that house.

It’s not surprising that a multi-millionaire like Pritzker would own a Lincoln Park mansion. She probably owns

Support PURE! » MSNBC’s “Ed” turns up the heat on Noble Street.

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » MSNBC’s “Ed” turns up the heat on Noble Street.:

MSNBC’s “Ed” turns up the heat on Noble Street.

by admin

“I don’t like what’s happening in Chicago.”
Ed Schultz, MSNBC

Yesterday’s “Ed Show” featured our Tribune Op Ed on Noble charter’s discipline policy, along with parent Donna Moore, and Advancement Project Co-Director Judith Brown Dianis on “The Big Finish”.

On his show last week, Ed brought in Karen Lewis to talk about the Board of Education’s decision to close and turnaround a bunch more schools. Ed concluded, “This is all about the money. And this is all about the wealthy