Thursday, July 5, 2012

by admin

The NEA 2012 RA was filled with censorship and mis-information. A New Business Item introduced by California delegate Mark Airgood called for the removal of Sec. of Ed. Arne Duncan and the end to Race to the Top. It was quickly moved to object to consider and buried by a confused use of language by Van Roekel. In the video below, the gentleman to the left is Mark, and the gentleman to the right is a delegate, Johnathan Massey, high school English teacher from Gilbert, Arizona who was not allowed to speak to the issue. Today we share Jonathan’s speech.

In the words of William Lloyd Garrison, who famously declared in the first issue of The Liberator: “I am in earnest — I will not equivocate — I will not excuse — I will not retreat a single inch — AND I WILL BE HEARD.” Jonathan Massey will be heard.

Text of Jonathan Massey’s speech.

“Jonathan Massey, Arizona, speaking as

NYC Educator: I'm Trying to Learn About That

NYC Educator: I'm Trying to Learn About That:

I'm Trying to Learn About That

by NYC Educator

So said Bill Gates to Charlie Rose, on the topic of education. I think it's great that Gates is trying to learn about education. I have to wonder, though, whether it would have been a better idea to learn about education before he devoted his life and billions to "reforming" it. After all, the whole small schools thing didn't work out for him, but while we waited for him to "learn about that," NYC closed large schools and opened dozens of new ones.

It would have been nice if he'd learned about that before setting national policy,

Shanker Blog » Share My Lesson: The Imperative Of Our Profession

Shanker Blog » Share My Lesson: The Imperative Of Our Profession:

Share My Lesson: The Imperative Of Our Profession

by Leo Casey

Leo Casey, UFT vice president for academic high schools, will succeed Eugenia Kemble as executive director of the Albert Shanker Institute, effective this fall.
“You want me to teach this stuff, but I don’t have the stuff to teach.” So opens “Lost at Sea: New Teachers’ Experiences with Curriculum and Assessment,” a 2002 paper by Harvard University researchers about the plight of new teachers trying to learn the craft of teaching in the face of insubstantial curriculum frameworks and inadequate instructional materials.
David Kauffman, Susan Moore Johnson and colleagues interviewed a diverse collection of first- and second-year teachers in Massachusetts who reported that, despite state academic standards widely acknowledged to be some of the best in the country, they received “little or no guidance about what to teach or how to teach it. Left

"NEA RA: NYSUT leaders take center stage." July 03, 2012. NYSUT: A Union of Professionals. www.nysut.org

"NEA RA: NYSUT leaders take center stage." July 03, 2012. NYSUT: A Union of Professionals. www.nysut.org:

NEA RA: NYSUT leaders take center stage

Carl Korn and Frank Maurizio - NYSUT Media Relations - July 3, 2012

Dick Iannuzzi is welcomed to the podium by NEA President Dennis Van Roekel (at right) to accept the NEA’s prestigious Friend of Education Award on behalf of Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman, a New York Times columnist.

The national spotlight — and television cameras — has been on the National Education Association’s annual Representative Assembly this week, and NYSUT leaders have been center stage.

Today, the news media focused on Vice President Joe Biden’s appearance at the RA in Washington, D.C. Delegate Susan Brazen-King (at right), a leader from Johnson City in Broome County, was among those tapped for reaction. In an interview with WENY-TV, the ABC affiliate in nearby Elmira, Brazen-King told Southern Tier residents about the Obama Administration's support for middle-class families, and its “open

Education leaders: 'Building an airplane in-flight makes the passengers nervous' (audio)

Neira talks Race to the Top, teacher evaluations, standardized tests and school funding with Capitol Pressroom's Susan Arbetter.

Jersey Jazzman: Newark Will NEVER Have Control Of Its Schools

Jersey Jazzman: Newark Will NEVER Have Control Of Its Schools:

Newark Will NEVER Have Control Of Its Schools

by Duke

To the surprise of absolutely no one, the state-appointed superintendent of Newark's schools' told its duly elected advisory board to go jump in the Passaic:

Newark’s top education official has overruled the wishes of the district’s advisory school board and will lease five district-owned facilities to charter schools, a district spokeswoman said.
Because the district is state controlled, virtually any decision made by the district’s elected school board can be overturned by Newark Superintendent Cami Anderson or acting state Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf.
On Monday, the board voted to strike down four of the five proposed lease agreements after deciding at an earlier meeting to table balloting. Many parents and

Maintaining Public Support for the Public Good | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Maintaining Public Support for the Public Good | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:

Maintaining Public Support for the Public Good

by Tarsi Dunlop

ublic systems are inherently complex because they involve multiple levels of government and numerous actors. Such systems, funded with taxpayer dollars, engage the concept of public good. Collective dollars contribute to a framework from which the broader citizenry benefits. The U.S public education system exemplifies complexity, from diverse funding streams to policy-making at the federal, state and local levels to the daily functioning of schools and classroom teaching. As such, public education is often at the heart of a greater debate over the role of government and the concept of public good.
read more

The Teacher War of 2012 - Politics - The Detroit News

The Teacher War of 2012 - Politics - The Detroit News:

The Teacher War of 2012

BY MAKO YAMAKURA
0 COMMENTS

On July 1, the Detroit Public Schools contract with their teachers expired. Detroit Public Schools (DPS) Emergency Manager Roy Roberts imposed a new agreement with the remnants of the school district on Sunday, literally a day after the previous contract expired. Since the Detroit Federation of Teachers (DFT) had already abandoned any idea of working with DPS long ago, this may be the first signal of the fight for the district, already left for scavengers to re-box and re-sell to others.

Days before the entire district contract expired, no action or activity was planned or implemented by the DFT. As the contract wound down, it was clear that there was no renegotiation on either side, nor any indication that any discussions were planned in actual belief that an agreement would be made.

I warned about this last September. The scope of transforming Detroit Public Schools into the Detroit Charter School System stretched past the

Who Is Funding Charters? « Diane Ravitch's blog

Who Is Funding Charters? « Diane Ravitch's blog:

Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch

Who Is Funding Charters?

by dianerav

I recently learned about an amazing new website that shows the commitment of private foundations to charter schools: http://www.erinproject.org/foundation. The website was created by the John and Laura Arnold Foundation. John Arnold is a Texas billionaire who has given a lot of money to Michelle Rhee for her campaign to diminish the teaching profession and privatize public education. The foundation has created a truly astonishing website from which you can learn about funding for charter schools and other initiatives that promote corporate reformers policies. There are a few references to research, but none of the research listings is comprehensive or

I Am Puzzled by the Gates Foundation

by dianerav

When one foundation has amassed over $30 billion, it has the financial power to shape the policies of government to its liking.
The Gates Foundation has more than $30 billion, and when Warren Buffet’s gift of another $30 billion is added to the Gates fund, the Gates Foundation will have the power to direct global policy on almost any issue of its choosing.
Anthony Cody published a guest column in Education Week (funded in part by the Gates Foundation) that describes how the Gates Foundation intervenes in agricultural and environmental issues around the world, often

More about Stand for Children in Memphis

by dianerav

It turns out that Stand for Children is not only the guiding organization behind the plan to transfer large numbers of public school students to charter schools, along with $212 million of taxpayers dollars, in Memphis/Shelby County, but it was previously active in promoting the pro-privatization propaganda film “Waiting for ‘Superman’” to parents and the public in Memphis.
As you will see in the link below, John Legend, the singer who is on the board of the Wall Street hedge fund

Muddy the Narrative? We Know That Trick.

by dianerav

I have received a copy of this story from about 15 different people, all of whom live in Louisiana. The story tells about emails showing that John White, the commissioner of education in Louisiana, hatched a strategy to mislead the media and divert attention from the botched voucher program. After a local newspaper revealed that some of the schools accepting vouchers were little denominational schools that have neither facilities nor teachers, the commissioner had to find a way to change the story from his incompetence to something else.
I guess people send me the story thinking that I will be shocked by the idea of manipulating the media. But living in New York City, I can’t be shocked because we have a Department of Education that has done this sort of

ED Charter Abuse, DC Is No Atlanta, & For-Profits in Court :: Frederick M. Hess

ED Charter Abuse, DC Is No Atlanta, & For-Profits in Court :: Frederick M. Hess:

ED Charter Abuse, DC Is No Atlanta, & For-Profits in Court

by Frederick M. Hess • Jul 5, 2012 at 8:18 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

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Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991

After tomorrow, I'll be taking a four-week summer blogging break--I'll introduce your impressive line-up of guest stars tomorrow. Meanwhile, things have backed up while I finished the Cage-Busting Leadership manuscript(which went off to Harvard Ed Press on Tuesday). So, today, I want to hit on a couple stories that I've really been meaning to touch upon.

Charter Abuse at U.S. Department of Ed: First up, people sometimes ask why I'm a little nervous about the Gates-sponsored urban "charter compacts," pledges by charters to ensure their students are demographically representative of the community, or state efforts to apply teacher quality legislation to charters. Well, the problem is that each step along this path does a little more to import into the charter sector the pathologies and pettifogging bureaucracy that so hinder district schools. In an astonishing (but, unfortunately, not altogether uncommon example), one Peter Gelissen, an attorney with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Education, has initiated a classically burdensome and bizarre witch hunt against charter schools in Washington, D.C. In a note sent my way by one DC charter school, Gelissen

Eduflack: Showdown in Chi-Town

Eduflack: Showdown in Chi-Town:

Showdown in Chi-Town

by Eduflack

Just because it is summer doesn't mean that things aren't happening in local school districts. In Chicago, for instance, teachers and their elected officials are headed for a showdown. Mayor Rahm Emanuel pushes to extend the school day and school year, while stepping away from previous promises of a pay boost. The Chicago Federation of Teachers responds in kind with the authorization for a city-wide strike.

The debate has been an interesting one to watch, and in many ways serves as a microcosm for some of the larger discussions of education reform and school improvement across the country.

George Will offers up a strong commentary on the Chicago experience, with some keen insights, including:

Teachers unions, however, have painted themselves into a corner by insisting that spending is the best predictor of educational performance — increase financial inputs and cognitive outputs will rise. In the past 50 years, real per pupil

Is My Child Gifted?

Is My Child Gifted?:

Is My Child Gifted?

by Rick

Is my child gifted?

Our culture is crazy in the education department. A Gifted and Talented professional will tell you that if your child “shows learning needs” such as:

intensity of focus on an area of interest,
willingness to forgo social time to pursue talent areas,
high levels of perfectionism,
extreme sensitivity to right and wrong,
early concern for global issues like poverty, war, world hunger, etc.,
curiosity, originality, imagination,

your child might be gifted.
Does your child seem over-excitable or intense? Are her abilities developing at an uneven rate? Does he

Evaluate this… - Wait, What?

Evaluate this… - Wait, What?:

Evaluate this…

by jonpelto

Last Tuesday the Connecticut State Department of Education held a meeting to outline the new Teacher Evaluation Program that will be tested in 16 towns this year. The plan is then to expand the evaluation process to every district in the state.

According to a statement issued by Governor Dannel Malloy, the State Board of Education’s approval of the new teacher evaluation system was “a significant step forward in the implementation of our education reform program. We look forward to the upcoming pilot of the new system.”

Now, Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor, and his new administrative team are rushing to put the evaluation system in place. Heading up the effort for Pryor is the new “interim chief talent officer for the state Department of Education.” You know the

Awareness Is Key to Success of Common Core Standards - High School Notes (usnews.com)

Awareness Is Key to Success of Common Core Standards - High School Notes (usnews.com):

Awareness Is Key to Success of Common Core Standards

By KELSEY SHEEHY

July 5, 2012 RSS Feed Print

Supporters of the Common Core State Standards say the initiative will align high school learning with college and work expectations.

The Common Core State Standards are taking root in public schools across the country, impacting more than 42 million K-12 students and 2.7 million teachers—but outside the education sphere, many people have no idea what the standards entail.

In fact, 60 percent of registered voters surveyed said they

Is ‘filling the pail’ any way to train teachers? - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Is ‘filling the pail’ any way to train teachers? - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

Is ‘filling the pail’ any way to train teachers?

By Valerie Strauss

This was written by Carol Corbett Burris, principal of South Side High School in New York. She was named the 2010 New York State Outstanding Educator by the School Administrators Association of New York State.

By Carol Corbett Burris

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” I keep this quote on my desk. No one knows who authored it — it is often misattributed to William Butler Yeats. Whoever created it was wise indeed for those whose vocation is educating students upon hearing it, recognize its truth.

I reflect on that quote often these days. I worry that the pail fillers are

An isolated shot of a bucket of sand for the childrens play time either on vacation, at the beach, or just at home in the sandbox. (Matthew Benoit)determining the fate of our schools. The ‘filling of the pail’ is the philosophy of those who see students as vessels into which

Pa. plans to shut down online charter school Frontier - Philly.com

Pa. plans to shut down online charter school Frontier - Philly.com:

Pa. plans to shut down online charter school Frontier

July 04, 2012|By Martha Woodall, Inquirer Staff Writer

Pennsylvania's secretary of education says the state plans to pull the plug on the embattled Frontier Virtual Charter High School for failing to deliver the education it promised students.

In documents filed Monday, Secretary Ronald Tomalis said he intended to yank the Philadelphia-based school's charter for failing to follow its operating agreement, violating the state charter-school law, and failing to maintain the finances necessary to provide services to students.

Frontier, which has administrative offices at 3020 Market St., has been plagued with financial and management problems since it was launched last fall. It is one of 13 cyber charter schools in the state that enroll more than 42,000 students from kindergarten through 12th grade.

Story continues below.

Education Department officials said Frontier provided online instruction in 2011-12 to about 90

Should schools still be teaching cursive? - California Teachers Association

Should schools still be teaching cursive? - California Teachers Association:

Should schools still be teaching cursive?

By Sherry Posnick-Goodwin

Eldra Avery & Dustin Ellis: contrasting views on cursive

Should fancy loops and flowing letters of cursive still be taught to students? Is cursive writing an obsolete skill no longer relevant in today’s technological society?

The new Common Core State Standards for English do not require cursive. However, under the new standards, states are allowed to teach cursive if they choose, and California still does. Some states, like Georgia, are considering abandoning longhand lessons altogether, since cursive is not on standardized tests.

This issue is being hotly debated in teacher lunchrooms around the state. We asked two CTA members to weigh in. Here’s what they have to say.

Cursive connects us to our past and our future

By Eldra Avery

We create our own culture. If we deem a skill irrelevant, than we eliminate that skill. If we believe that a skill is worthy, then we will work to reinforce that skill. Legible penmanship is a worthy skill, not only as a communication tool, but as a portion of our individual identity.

As opposed to keyboarding, handwriting is a reflection of our humanity and connects us to our past and

Schools Matter: Mayor Villaraigosa and PLAS CEO Tuck bring Arizona style bigotry to Los Angeles

Schools Matter: Mayor Villaraigosa and PLAS CEO Tuck bring Arizona style bigotry to Los Angeles:

Mayor Villaraigosa and PLAS CEO Tuck bring Arizona style bigotry to Los Angeles

by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene

"We had an African American woman walk up to us and say 'why do you need Ethnic Studies?', and we looked at each other and said, 'that's exactly why we need Ethnic Studies!'" — Santee Students speaking at PLAS protest.
It would be a mistake to think the absolutely tragic stream of bigoted and racist legislation flowering in Arizona is confined to Arizona alone. Sadly, one of the most egregious perpetrators removing access to ethnic studies and heritage language programs in this country isn't Michael Hicks, Tom Horne, or John Huppenthal, but a privately managed organization called Partnership for Los Angeles Schools (PLAS) founded by the vehemently anti-public education Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa.
PLAS' latest attack comes in the form of killing the only Ethnic Studies program at the culturally diverse South

BREAKING E4E NEWS!!!! E4E Hires New Executive Director! southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com:

BREAKING E4E NEWS!!!! E4E Hires New Executive Director!

by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)

We here at SBSB wish to give a hardy and snarky welcome to new Educators4Excellence Executive Director Jonathan Schleifer. Yes, the news came to a shock to us here in the SBSB newsroom. Are Little Evan and Princess Sydney no longer with E4E? No. They are now concentrating on bringing their cult to other cities across this great nation of ours to bring the conversation of deform to those lackies and rubes which clamor for their leadership.

We applaud that Jonathan had taught (At CIS 303 in The Bronx), but saddened that Jonathan is part of the TFA elitist mentality and hails from some of the elite universities of this country. Just once we here at SBSB would like to see a TFA member that had graduated from Mercy College or Monroe College. When that happens we will know that TFA is open to all.

We are also curious that at one time, from 2007 to

Mother Crusader: The Final (Charter) Countdown

Mother Crusader: The Final (Charter) Countdown:

The Final (Charter) Countdown

by darciecima

And the saga continues...

Let's break this one down a little:

Jeanine Martin of Voorhees isn't wild about public education dollars going to a church-run charter school.

"We live in Voorhees because of the school system," said Martin.

The mother of three has collected almost 2,500 signatures urging the Education Department to block Regis from opening. Martin says she doesn't want her school to cut corners just so a new charter can open.

"When Regis was approved, Voorhees was told to set aside $2 million of its budget

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Schools Matter: Stand on Children's Exec. Dir. Responds to Critique of Memphis Debacle

Schools Matter: Stand on Children's Exec. Dir. Responds to Critique of Memphis Debacle:

Stand on Children's Exec. Dir. Responds to Critique of Memphis Debacle

by Jim Horn

Diane Ravitch mentioned an earlier post I did on the resegregation plan that the corporate ed boys have put together for the unsuspecting citizens of Memphis and Shelby County, TN; it has set off quite a storm of reaction, particularly from the local and national Standistas.

With Stand on Children doing the back room political deals for Gates and Broad, the "players" in this Kabuki drama seem to think that their production is flawless and the audience is entranced. Even Michelle Rhee's ex, TN Commish of Ed Kevin Huffman, showed up in Memphis last week to tout the calmness and deliberate rationality in the Plan