No Funds Left Behind:

No Funds Left Behind

ABBY RAPOPORT

MARCH 12, 2012

As states slash education budgets, private foundations have picked up the slack—and pushed some controversial reforms.

DONATEEmailPrintSend to Instapaper

Last spring, as the Texas Legislature debated massive cuts to public schools—one of many desperate measures to close a $27 billion biennial budget deficit—10,000 protesters massed in Austin for a “Save Our Schools” rally. In the end, the damage to the state’s already-underfunded schools added up to $5.4 billion, forcing districts to lay off tens of thousands of teachers and staffers. In the city of Austin, public schools with rapidly growing enrollment found themselves facing a 5.5 percent cut in the 2011–2012 school year and 8.5 percent the next year. The quandary was far from extraordinary—37 states spent less on education in 2011 compared to 2010. Neither was one of the Austin schools’ solutions: seeking grant money from the world’s largest philanthropic organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 

One of Gates’s latest education projects is called the District-Charter 

Hechinger Report | Using teachers to evaluate teachers

Hechinger Report | Using teachers to evaluate teachers:

Using teachers to evaluate teachers

by Scott Elliott

INDIANAPOLIS — Any number of educators—principals, personnel directors, superintendents—can be called upon to evaluate teachers.
But one school district in Indiana, Anderson, has decided that another group has perhaps the best expertise to judge quality teaching: other teachers.
This type of peer review is catching on nationally but is rare in Indiana.
That might soon change.
The Indiana Department of Education’s push to overhaul teacher performance reviews has specifically made room for districts that want to use teachers as evaluators.
But it wasn’t without a fight. The “Toledo” peer review model, used in Anderson, was invented by a teachers 

Straight Up Conversation: TFA Research Chief Heather Harding :: Frederick M. Hess

Straight Up Conversation: TFA Research Chief Heather Harding :: Frederick M. Hess:

Straight Up Conversation: TFA Research Chief Heather Harding

by Frederick M. Hess  •  Mar 12, 2012 at 7:58 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

Recently, Education Week's "Living in Dialogue" blog featured a number of provocative posts on Teach For America. Phil Kovacs, an assistant professor at the University of Alabama-Huntsville, penned a guest post that offered a sharp critique of TFA and the research supporting its efforts. There was also an impassioned back-and-forth between two TFA corps members on TFA's "locus of control" concept. Given high interest in TFA, the relevance of research on TFA to the broader teacher quality agenda, and my own long, complicated history with TFA as a critical friend, I thought it worth sitting down with TFA's VP for Research Heather Harding to get her take. (Full disclosure: I recently hosted a working group for TFA which pulled together TFA leaders and a number of outside researchers to discuss "next generation" research possibilities. Veteran readers will also recognize Heather as a former RHSU guest blogger.)

Rick Hess: Heather, what's your role with TFA?
Heather Harding: I am a vice president of research at Teach For America. Our focus is to initiate and help 

School Reform Again: From Pillar Back to Post | California Progress Report

School Reform Again: From Pillar Back to Post | California Progress Report:

School Reform Again: From Pillar Back to Post

by megan

By Peter Schrag
There’s nothing surprising in California’s most recent attempt to re-do California’s school accountability and rating system. The system’s problems were probably predictable a dozen years ago when it was first set up.
What’s interesting is the question of whether the sharp improvements of the past ten years on the state’s Academic Performance Index, the API, really mean anything, and if so, what.
When State Senate President pro-tem Darrell Steinberg tried to fix the system last year by de-emphasizing tests and including criteria like dropout and graduation rates, Gov. Jerry Brown shot it down, not because he liked the existing test-based regime, but because “adding more speedometers to a broken car won’t turn it into a high-performance machine.”
read more

11 Stories That Are Making History

by megan

By Jeanne Woodford
Death Penalty Focus
Jeanne WoodfordOn March 1st, I participated in one of four simultaneous press conferences held across California to announce that the SAFE California Campaign would be on the November 2012 ballot. As the official proponent of the SAFE California Act, I was proud to present the 800,000 voter signatures collected by SAFE California volunteers and signature gatherers -- well above the 504,000 minimum required to qualify. (You can thank those volunteers – and everyone responsible for this achievement – using  our online thank you card.)
read more

Cuts and Consequences - How Budget Cuts Hurt The Economy

by megan

By Dave Johnson
Is smaller government really better for the economy?
Conservatives chant that taxes and government "take money out of the economy" and we need to "cut and grow," meaning if government spending is cut way back the economy will grow as a result. Europe's conservatives are also forcing cuts in the things their governments do for regular people, claiming "austerity" will bring "confidence" that grows their economies.
How is this experiment working out? What are we learning about the effect on the larger economy when government is cut?
What Does Government Do?
Almost everything the government does is because it needs to be done. We need roads, bridges, schools and colleges, dams, courts, police and fire departments, water management, etc. (We can discuss the need for military spending another time.)
read more

NYC Educator: Close Tweed

NYC Educator: Close Tweed:

Close Tweed

by NYC Educator

Mayor Bloomberg has decided to close 33 schools to teach the UFT a lesson--fight me and I'll close schools, agree with me and I'll close them anyway. To Mayor4Life, this represents school choice. Will this make Bloomberg eligible for the all-important federal funds the tabloids were crying about? Who knows? Who cares? The man is a true diplomat. And there aren't many people who can be celebrated by the press for their brilliant lose-lose deals.

Yet here's Michael Bloomberg, the education mayor, doing just that. If he has his way, the staff of every targeted school will have to re-apply for their jobs, and half of them will be re-hired, if they're lucky. In Mayor Bloomberg's New York, of course, it's Children First, and children will doubtless be the first to notice the absence of half their teachers. Why half? Why not? He said on TV he wanted to fire half of teachers, and 

The war on teachers: Why the public is watching it happen - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

The war on teachers: Why the public is watching it happen - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

The war on teachers: Why the public is watching it happen

by Valerie Strauss

This was written by Mark Naison, professor of African and African American Studies at Fordham University in New York and chair of the department of African and African-American Studies. He is also co-director of the Urban Studies Program, African-American History 20th Century. A version of this first appeared on the blog With A Brooklyn Accent.

By Mark Naison

All over the nation, teachers are under attack. Politicians of both parties, in every state, have blamed teachers and their unions for the nation’s low standing on international tests and our nation’s inability to create the educated labor force our economy needs.

Mass firings of teachers in so-called failing schools have taken place in municipalities throughout the nation and some states have made a 

Missouri Education Watchdog: A Retired Math Teacher Wonders "What is a Failing School"?

Missouri Education Watchdog: A Retired Math Teacher Wonders "What is a Failing School"?:

A Retired Math Teacher Wonders "What is a Failing School"?

by stlgretchen

The "regular" people are smarter than the Washington and financial elites attempting to control education.  Forget the teacher evaluations foisted on districts which are dependent upon student assessments that may/may not successfully measure a child's knowledge.   A teacher may have a low performing class for a year, not because he/she is a "bad" teacher, it could stem from a class full of children with special needs now having to abide by "common" standards unreachable for those kids, 

Education - GOOD

Education - GOOD:

Why We Must Fund the Knowledge Economy

Tom Ahn at Education - 1 hour ago

[image: first.graduate] In his 2012 State of the Union address, President Obama said "higher education can't be a luxury—it's an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford." But the hard truth is that it's not. And it won't be until we make some changes and view higher education as an investment in everyone's future. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, over the past 30 years America has slipped from first to 21st in high school completion rates and 15th in college completion rates compared to other nations. Today's... more »

From Teacher to Writer: Why I'm Proud to Be Part of 'Generation Job-Hop'

Britni Danielle at Education - 1 hour ago

Five months ago, I packed up my backpack, flicked off the lights, and locked up my classroom. After six years of trying to mold young minds and have my very own *Freedom Writers* moment, I closed the door one afternoon and never looked back. It wasn’t some dramatic episode or run-in with a student that sent me running from my South Central L.A. classroom. After years of teaching plot and paragraph structure; correcting manners and grammar; serving as a confidante, friend, and de facto parent, I’d had enough. I was exhausted and needed a break. At 31, I’m not the first person to ... more »

Will Teach for Food

Denise Grollmus at Education - 3 hours ago

[image: GOOD 026, Beg Borrow or Steal, Magazine] Whenever I visit my family in Los Angeles, my mother and I invariably gather around the backyard table at my grandmother’s house to correct papers in the late-afternoon sun. As my mom makes her way through a pile of college blue books, I tackle a stack of freshman English papers. Sometimes my grandmother, now 90 years old, comes out to observe our work, admiring the way we scribble comments into the margins and scratch out split infinitives. The sight almost always functions as a cue, prompting her to recite the now-familiar tale of ... more »

Pencil Pushers

Colin Matsui at Education - 3 hours ago

[image: GOOD 026, Beg Borrow or Steal, Magazine] When I sent my eldest son, Olinga, off to his first day of prekindergarten in 2005, I imagined I’d spend the next 14 years reviewing his homework, helping with science fair projects, and celebrating stellar report cards. I did not picture myself begging my friends, family members, colleagues, and perfect strangers to buy wrapping paper, poinsettias, magazines, scented candles, scented pencils, cheesecake, cookies, Christmas trees, and every kind of chocolate bar—crispy, crunchy, nut filled, plain, semisweet. After seven long years on... more »

A City Education: The Case for Academics During Spring Break

Liz Dwyer at Education - 22 hours ago

*[image: camps.1] In our A City Education series, two City Year corps members share their experiences working as tutors and mentors in schools in hopes of closing the achievement gap and ending the dropout crisis.* I don’t remember what I did during my elementary school vacations. I probably hung out with one or two friends and spent the rest of my time watching television or reading. It certainly was a relaxing way to spend my week, but nothing too memorable. My hope, however, is that the 600 students who participated in City Year New York’s Enrichment Week during the recent Febr... more »

Why Is the Secretary of Education Proposing Teachers Receive $150,000 Salaries?

Liz Dwyer at Education - 1 day ago

[image: duncan] Secretary of Education Arne Duncan used his SXSWedu keynote address earlier this week to advocate for more professional development and higher salaries for teachers. Duncan argued that teacher salaries should start at about $65,000 a year and range up to $150,000 a year for highly rated veterans. That sounds good in theory—teachers work incredibly hard, staying at their school sites long after students have left the building, taking student work home, and planning lessons on the weekends. Many work second jobs over the summer and pay for professional development eve... more »

Push for deferral reform | Thoughts on Public Education

Push for deferral reform | Thoughts on Public Education:

Push for deferral reform - by John Fensterwald - Educated Guess

by John Fensterwald - Educated Guess

Given a choice between school funding cut and funding delayed, districts until now have preferred late payments, known as deferrals. They now total about $10.4 billion or 30 percent of state funding for K-12 and community colleges. While bailing out the state short-term, they have created cash flow havoc for charter schools and for many of the state’s nearly 1,000 districts.

Many, but not all. Basic aid districts – those that fund their schools totally from their own property taxes – and those districts more dependent on property taxes than state dollars for their Proposition 98 funding have largely escaped the impact of deferrals. But those 

Louisiana Educator: The Object is to Fire Teachers; and Lots of Them

Louisiana Educator: The Object is to Fire Teachers; and Lots of Them:

The Object is to Fire Teachers; and Lots of Them

by Michael Deshotels

Have you sent emails to your legislators yet? Time is running out! Just scroll down to my Friday, March 9th post to get sample emails.Well it turns out that the Governor's teacher dismissal legislation, (HB 974 or SB 603) is even worse than I thought it was. When you combine the new legislation with the implementation of the Act 54 evaluation, there are two major ways a teacher can lose tenure and get fired! An astute reader of my blog posted a comment to last Friday's post to point out that according to a letter dated Feb. 28 sent to local superintendents by John White (go to page 4 to the section titled Final Evaluation), a teacher will get an "ineffective" overall rating if either the value-added (quantitative) portion of the evaluation or the Principal's evaluation (qualitative) part of the evaluation is unsatisfactory. So even if your principal believes you are doing a good job, that value-added part of your evaluation that was supposed to count for only 50% of your evaluation can destroy 100% of your future as a teacher.

Remember, you are not guilty of paranoid thinking if "they" really are out to get you!

California charter school aims to shut down successful public school « Parents Across America

California charter school aims to shut down successful public school « Parents Across America:

California charter school aims to shut down successful public school

by CarolineSF

Guest post by Molly Black, parent, Los Altos, Calif.

Founding Member of LASDVoices

Los Altos, Calif., is a sleepy little town in a quiet part of Silicon Valley where shops close by 6 p.m. and the few restaurants in town are dark by 9 p.m.  Families move to Los Altos to take advantage of the excellent public school system and tight-knit community. The Los Altos School District (LASD) has a neighborhood school model. Each school is relatively small (400-600 students), every school is a California Distinguished School, and everyone seems to know each other. The community is safe and many children walk to school. Despite continued state budget cuts, district test scores are at the top of California’s Academic Performance Index scale, and the district’s innovative programs are recognized at a national level.  The public school system is alive and well in Los Altos.

Now our small community is faced with the unthinkable – we may be forced to close a 

The Educated Reporter: Restraining Students Debated, Virginia Kills the Tebow Bill

The Educated Reporter: Restraining Students Debated, Virginia Kills the Tebow Bill:

Restraining Students Debated, Virginia Kills the Tebow Bill

by Emily Richmond

There have been some developments on education stories I have recently written about, so it seems like a good time for updates:

*Following news reports that students in Middletown, Conn. were isolated in so-called "scream rooms" during emotional outbursts, the state's lawmakers are considering legislation that would require schools to track and report how often the controversial technique is used on special education students. A recently released federal report found that special education students accounted for 70 percent of the reported instances when educators used physical restraints, including isolation and seclusion.

As Maureen Fitzgerald, an advocate for individuals with disabilities told the Middletown Press, school staff use improper techniques because they are "put in situations where they're not trained, they don't have the support they need and things get out of control because they don't know how to manage the kids, and they do whatever 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

by Mike Klonsky

Parent Trigger fails in Florida Senate vote.

Rita Solnet 

“This was a victory for true parent empowerment. By working together with my colleagues in PAA and other grassroots parent groups, including Save Duval Schools, 50th No More, the Florida state PTA, Fund Education Now, and Testing is Not Teaching, we managed to beat the richly-funded corporate reformers.” -- Parents Across America hails defeat of Florida’s Parent Trigger bill

Arthenia Joyner, Tampa Democrat

"With every fiber of my being, I will fight to see that my schools will not be taken over by private 

One Teacher's Perspective: Public Education is What Democracy Should Look Like in Wisconsin

One Teacher's Perspective: Public Education is What Democracy Should Look Like in Wisconsin:

Public Education is What Democracy Should Look Like in Wisconsin

by Imagine Wisconsin

As I enjoy the twilight of thispremature spring day, nature reminds me of the beauty between opposite worlds.Between the cold winter and hot summer, we relish spring’s warm beauty. Betweenthe brightness of the day and the darkness of night, we find rest in thecalmness of twilight.

Sadly, I find no twilight in GovernorScott Walker’s Wisconsin. You either stand with Walker or stand against Walker.The folksy feel of Wisconsin has been abruptly ripped apart by Walker’s cultureof competition. Regrettably, Walker and his devote followers have pitted collectivebargaining rights v. taxpayer rights, public service v. private enterprise,conservationists v. big business, charter/private schools v. public schools, andRepublicans v. Democrats. Pollsconfirm it is Wisconsinite v. Wisconsinite under Walker management. Wisconsinis a house divided. This is Walker’s