State senator on why he opposes amendment: Best charter schools are those approved by local boards, not state. | Get Schooled

State senator on why he opposes amendment: Best charter schools are those approved by local boards, not state. | Get Schooled:

State senator on why he opposes amendment: Best charter schools are those approved by local boards, not state.

by Maureen Downey

Yesterday, I posted a pro charter amendments piece by two Georgia House members. Now, here is a piece in opposition by a Senate member, state Sen. Steve Henson of DeKalb, the leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus.

By Steve Henson

As we approach the Nov. 6th general election, Georgians will be asked to make their voices heard on a number of important issues. From the President of the United States to local government 

A new high stakes test: Woodward Academy will screen its students for drugs. Good idea for all schools?

by Maureen Downey

Several Woodward Academy parents sent me notes a few weeks ago about a surprising letter that came home from the College Park private school announcing that students will be subjected to random drug tests starting in fall of 2013.
Those parents were not happy about the plan to test randomly selected students. Many private schools around the country   test their students for drugs, although there is debate over the efficacy of such policies.
One Woodward parent wrote: “I’m completely opposed to the  school’s decision…It’s interesting to note that all 

NYC Public School Parents: Current TV on Parent Trigger and "Won't Back Down"

NYC Public School Parents: Current TV on Parent Trigger and "Won't Back Down":

Current TV on Parent Trigger and "Won't Back Down"

by Leonie Haimson

Check out  "Public MisEducation": the Young Turks with  Cenk Uygur, from Current TV on the "Parent Trigger," the propaganda film "Won't Back Down" and its producer, right-wing privateer Philip Anschutz.

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Defending Teachers and Teaching | California Progress Report

Defending Teachers and Teaching | California Progress Report:

Defending Teachers and Teaching

by callen

By Mark Naison
Every day, for the past year, I have posted something on Facebook, or on With A Brooklyn Accent, to uplift the morale of teachers I am in touch with, in every part of this nation, who feel demoralized by the relentless pressure they feel to solve problems not of their making. Sometimes I tell stories about great teachers; sometimes I make fun of teachers' enemies; sometimes I tell stories which reveal that that racism and poverty are so deeply rooted in our history and institutions that "school reform" will do little to uproot them.
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A Nurse's Care Plan for California

by callen

By DeAnn McEwen
Trust me when I say that politics has become very personal this year; I'm a nurse. As nurses we ask our patients to "tell us where it hurts." There are those who are too young and too medically fragile, who don’t have the ability to utter a word; yet we see the result of an eroding social safety net etched on their faces.
Far too many of the patients and people in the community that I care for are suffering as a result of our broken economy. There is hope for them, and we all have the ability to help if we make an informed decision and vote wisely. Before we're handcuffed by lethal cutbacks and before we become accomplices of injustice and the erosion of our right to protect one another, please join nurses in voting "NO" on Proposition 32, and "YES" on Proposition 30.
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Why We Sing : blue cheddar

Why We Sing : blue cheddar:

Why We Sing

by Worley Dervish

As an ever-more-deeply-invested participant in the Solidarity Sing Along, I’ve been thinking lately about why we sing, why we’ve chosen this particular form of expression. Just what’s going on here? Why do we keep coming back? What exactly are we accomplishing? I don’t think of what we do as protest, because it’s so much more than that. Certainly there are plenty of things going on in our state worthy of protest. But our singing is also a communal affirmation of our hopes, our values, our longing for justice, truth, and democracy. Communal singing is a vital part of building social movements: the civil rights movement, the labor movement, the Singing Revolution in Estonia, the effort to end apartheid in South Africa. Building and re-envisioning the Wisconsin Uprising is what we’re up to, whether we realize it or not. The Sing Along is an effective answer to those who cry “Educate! Agitate! Organize!” We learn from and educate each other in the song lyrics we write and rewrite and in the announcements we make between songs. Chief Erwin’s crackdown is a pretty good indication that we’re 

Guide For Principals To Screw Teachers southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com:

Guide For Principals To Screw Teachers

by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)

A very interesting item came across the SBSB news desk over the weekend. Apologies if this information we have is already known.

In 2010 NYC DOE very well paidconsultant and retired principal,  Joseph Belesi presented some workshops on how principals can be rid of tenured teachers. Entitled, "Performance Management," Belesi and his cronies presented a treasure trove to principals. A step by step guide on how to get rid of "incompetent" teachers. The Crack Team is in possession of the 43 page 

NYC Educator: ATR Spotlight on Movies

NYC Educator: ATR Spotlight on Movies:

ATR Spotlight on Movies

by NYC Educator

By special guest film reviewer Suddenly ATR

In light of the recent Chicago Teacher Union strike and the film Won't Back Down, I recently re-watched a movie that showed many of the problems of the Chicago public school education system but didn't manage to demonize anyone. What movie was this? None other than the classic documentary "Hoop Dreams."

Hoop Dreams was released in 1994 but it feels like it could have been shot today. I won't bore anyone with the details of the movie, since it is so well-known. I'll instead focus on a part of the movie that is relevant for this blog.

Both Arthur and William enter high school with a fifth 

CAN LAUSD DYSFUNCTION CONTINUE IF PROPOSITIONS 30 & 38 FAIL? - Perdaily.com

CAN LAUSD DYSFUNCTION CONTINUE IF PROPOSITIONS 30 & 38 FAIL? - Perdaily.com:

CAN LAUSD DYSFUNCTION CONTINUE IF PROPOSITIONS 30 & 38 FAIL?

by Leonard Isenberg

(Mensaje se repite en Español)

(For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)

Prop 30 & 38 are a Sophie's Choice: Either pass one or both of these flawed propositions to supposedly bail out a purposefully de-funded public education system made so by the richest in this state and the oil industry not 

Evergreen Park teachers hit the bricks over salary and evaluations. « Fred Klonsky

Evergreen Park teachers hit the bricks over salary and evaluations. « Fred Klonsky:

Evergreen Park teachers hit the bricks over salary and evaluations.

by Fred Klonsky

Union teachers in Evergreen Park, a south suburban working class school district,  are walking the picket lines this morning.
It is the third Chicago area teacher strike in the past month. Highland Park and Crystal Lake may be next.
They follow Lake Forest. And of course, Chicago.
The strike is over two issues. Salary and benefits are a usual sticking point in negotiations. Evergreen Park has

Tony at the Red Line Tap.

by Fred Klonsky

“What the hell are you doing here?” I said to Tony as I walked into the Tap Room in Sawyer, Michigan.
Anne and I have been renting a cottage in Union Pier for the month of October. The Greenbush Tap Room is a microbrewery that has been open for a couple of years over in Sawyer. About five minutes north off of Red Arrow Highway.
“Klonsky, my man! Take a seat.”
“Let me have that Belgian-style ale,” I told the young bearded hipster-type that was serving that afternoon.
“So, Tony. What are you doing here?”
“I’m having a beer. Actually, I have had more than one.”

On Junot Diaz, The Kennedy Center and Affirmative Action [Latino History Series] | The Jose Vilson

On Junot Diaz, The Kennedy Center and Affirmative Action [Latino History Series] | The Jose Vilson:

On Junot Diaz, The Kennedy Center and Affirmative Action [Latino History Series]

by Jose

Junot Diaz

An awesome thing happened today when Junot Diaz, author of the meritorious and raw The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and more recently This Is How You Lose Her, won the MacArthur Award / Grant. As a fellow Dominican, my initial thought was, “Watch how many new cousins, aunts, and former lovers he suddenly has after the news breaks out.” My second, and more important, thought was, “Wow, he did it.” From my informal research, a sizeable collective of Latinos have also won the MacArthur Award, including Sandra Cisneros (author, House on Mango Street) and Joaquin Avila (voting rights advocate). Yet, news like this ought to make it to the forefront of cultural news because it means we can recognize genius in every sphere.
Conversely, the mere mention of under-representation by National Hispanic Foundation’s president Felix Sanchez apparently warranted a vulgar response from KC’s Michael Kaiser. That’s how fiercely the dominant 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Test-based evals, 'merit" pay at issue in Evergreen Park strike

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Test-based evals, 'merit" pay at issue in Evergreen Park strike:

Test-based evals, 'merit" pay at issue in Evergreen Park strike.

by Mike Klonsky

Passing cars honk in support of Evergreen Park teachers

As Chicago teachers prepare to vote today on their new contract, teachers and support staff in the predominantly white, working-class Chicago suburb of Evergreen Park went on strike this morning. Negotiations have been dragging on since April. Highland Park and Crystal Lake teachers could follow suit later this month if they are still without a decent contract.

Among the things at issue are forced cuts in health care and retirement benefits. The board is also trying to force a new evaluation plan on teachers using "merit pay" based on students' standardized test scores. Seems to be a pattern here. Here's hoping the EP teachers get some real backing from IEA leaders who were conspicuously 

Big Education Ape Nite Cap UPDATE 10-1-12 #SOSCHAT #CTUSTRIKE

Nite Cap UPDATE

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

Poor Boxoffice for Anti-Union Film

by dianerav

The film “Won’t Back Down,” which publicizes the idea that parents should seize control of their public school and turn it over to a charter operator, has been heavily promoted. The movie was shown at both national political conventions by Michelle Rhee; it had a glamorous opening in New York City and extensive publicity as part of NBC’s Education Nation, and full-page ads in major newspapers, as well as expensive ads on network television.
But opening weekend for WBD was a disaster. According to industry sources, WBD had the worst opening weekend of any film in wide distribution (more than 2,500 screens) in 30 years. That’s quite a record.
Pundits can ponder why. Maybe in the midst of a terrible economy, the prospect of seeing a movie in whic

The Return of Michael Winerip

by dianerav

Michael Winerip of the New York Times has long been an invaluable source of information and perspective about what is happening in education. For whatever reason, the New York Times decided to change his assignment. He no longer writes on education, but on the boomer generation. I ask you, which is more important to the health of our society?
Be that as it may, Winerip’s first boomer column is also about education. He previously wrote about Professor 

Reformy "Choice" Isn't REAL Choice

by Duke

One more clip from Education Nation, this time featuring our old friend Derrell Bradford:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Gosh, I didn't realize that the difference between rich parents and poor parents was the "sophistication of their conversation about school choice." I thought the difference was the amount of money each had...

One of the primary selling points of reformy "choice" - and this is a point Bradford pushes quite often - is that vouchers and charters are offering the same "choice" to poor parents that affluent parents now enjoy. See, if we 

Wall Street Profiteering Behind Ed Reform Propaganda

by Judy Rabin

The real news, the real truth and the reality of Education Reform in America

Education privatization would not, per se, create a net new stimulus for the economy. But by diverting large existing flows of money from the public to the private sector it would create new profit-making ventures that could be 

Catching Up With ALEC

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

In case you missed Bill Moyers on The United States of ALEC.

Popout

The education stuff starts at around the 14 minute mark, with the main example being the overthrow public education in Tennessee by a virtual school operator.

What I've been too lazy to determine on my own is this: is our new unelected state charter school authority 

Line of the Day, Part 3

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

Kwheatly, In response to the aggressively delusional Wendy Kopp:

Finally, two things that are even worse for poor children today. First, we now have a lot of rich and powerful people desperately trying to prove that poverty doesn’t matter for children’s life chances. Second, an American child’s chance of rising out of poverty is worse than it has been in decades.

Well put.

Line of the Day, Part 2

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

From one of our new overlords:

Griffin and Dias Griffin declined to comment. But in a Tribune interview this year, Griffin said the ultra-wealthy "actually have an insufficient influence," and need to be 

Line Of The Day, Part 1

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

Awesome.

The state’s Republicans think taxing anything is a sin. They think government is a sin. They think public schools are a sin. Which is probably why they want us praying in them all the time.

Chavez Foundation, UFW, Chavez family Applaud President Obama for Chavez National Monument Designation

President Obama journeys Monday to La Paz for formal ceremony establishing a national monument at the Keene, Calif. site where Cesar Chavez lived, worked and is buried

Cesar Chavez’s widow, Helen Chavez, his middle son, Paul F. Chavez, president of the Cesar Chavez Foundation, and United Farm Workers President Arturo S. Rodriguez have responded to President Obama’s announcement today (Oct. 1) establishing the Cesar Chavez National Monument. The President travels Monday to the National Chavez Center at La Paz in the Tehachapi Mountain hamlet of Keene, Calif. for the official ceremony marking the designation.
We thank President Obama and Secretary Salazar for establishing this national monument and ensuring that La Paz, where Cesar lived and worked his last 22 years and where he asked to be buried, will always be preserved. But the President is doing more than honoring one man. Cesar knew there were many Cesar Chavezes, men and women who made genuine sacrifices and accomplished great things but whose names are largely forgotten. If Cesar were here, he would say the President isn’t acting to recognize him; he’s honoring the farm workers and all of those who sacrificed by joining the cause. It is in that spirit that we acknowledge the President’s designation and we are grateful to him.
--Helen F. Chavez, widow of Cesar Chavez

My father inspired farm workers, millions of Latinos and people from all walks of life who never worked on a farm. So we are happy that the story of La Paz, which was a spiritual harbor and a place where my dad and thousands of selfless people worked for social justice over the years, will forever be shared with the nation through the National Park Service.
--Paul F. Chavez, Cesar Chavez’s middle son and president, Cesar Chavez Foundation

Even though Cesar Chavez dedicated his life to the farm workers, his legacy, reflected at La Paz where he spent his last quarter century, transcended farm labor and even Latinos because it became a universal message of hope, empowerment and social justice.
--Arturo S. Rodriguez, president, United Farm Workers of America
Background on the National Chavez Center at La Paz in Keene, Calif.:

Many of the farm worker movement’s most significant milestones of the 1970s and beyond and were born, planned and coordinated at La Paz. Among them were major field strikes and national boycotts, landmark political campaigns in California and Arizona, and strategy sessions leading to enactment of California’s historic 1975 Agricultural Labor Relations Act, still the nation’s only law establishing the right of farm workers to organize.

In addition to where Cesar Chavez and many others in the movement engaged in their life’s work, La Paz also offered a respite from bitter struggles in agricultural valleys and big cities. It is where Chavez returned to recharge his batteries, celebrate victories, mourn losses, forge new ideas, strategize and plan the next campaign, and where he helped the union endure and modernize, and watch his children and the children of other movement volunteers grow over the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s. Chavez asked to be buried at La Paz, which remains an enduring testament to the strength of his association with the property.

The Cesar Chavez Foundation, a (501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization, was founded by the Chavez family in the wake of Chavez’s passing in 1993, to maximize human potential and improve communities by preserving, promoting and applying Chavez’s legacy and universal values. Learn more about the Chavez foundation at its web site, http://www.chavezfoundation.org/  

The United Farm Workers of America, the first successful farm workers union in American history, marks its 50th anniversary in 2012. It continues actively helping farm workers organize, negotiate union contracts and enact legislative reforms in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. providing them with additional protections. For more about the UFW, visit its web site, http://www.ufw.org 

- end - 

Does Classroom Size Affect Learning?

AIR DATE: October 2, 2012

Audio forthcoming

It depends who you talk to about class size, but you're guaranteed a different answer. Some studies show that class size is not all that important. Others argue that it can make a difference, depending on the age of the student. Some CCSD schools are dealing with growing class sizes, but is it really hurting the kids ability to learn?

GUEST

Paul Takahashi, Las Vegas Sun

Leonie Haimson, Executive Director, Class Size Matters

Pat Skorkowsky, CCSD Deputy Superintendent

I Have the Silver Bullet!

by Duke

Listen: we're not saying this reformy stuff is a magic pill! For gosh sakes, charters aren't a silver bullet! Everyone knows that!

Ask Jonny Alter:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Or Michelle Rhee:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

But we're going to push this reformy stuff anyway, even though we admit it won't do much to help...

Um, excuse me? Yeah, just a teacher here. And you know what? I do have a silver bullet. No really, I do. It's much more effective than charters or test-based teacher evaluations or de-unionization or eliminating tenure or merit pay or vouchers or all the other reformy stuff you guys keep trying to sell. Know what it is?

ELIMINATE POVERTY!

Just a thought...

Last Stand for Children First: Won't Back Down: Time for Accountability Now

Last Stand for Children First: Won't Back Down: Time for Accountability Now:

Won't Back Down: Time for Accountability Now

by Last Stand for Children

The movie Won't Back Down makes a compelling case for accountability in our public schools.  If schools aren't doing their job, why not turn the school over to a private company?   It might be harsh, but schools exist for children after all.  Don't we have a right to demand the best from our teachers?

In Illinois, teachers who receive two unsatisfactory evaluations within a 7 year period can have their teaching certificate pulled.  This seems only fair.  After all, accountability is the new trend in education reform.

Unfortunately, education reform took a major hit this past weekend, when despite a compelling message, Won't 

President Obama to Establish César E. Chávez National Monument | The White House

President Obama to Establish César E. Chávez National Monument | The White House:

President Obama to Establish César E. Chávez National Monument

On October 8th, 2012, President Obama will travel to Keene, California to announce the establishment of the César E. Chávez National Monument. Years in the making, the monument – which will be designated under the Antiquities Act – will be established on the property known as Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz (Our Lady Queen of Peace), or La Paz.  The La Paz property is recognized worldwide for its historic link to civil rights icon César Estrada Chávez and the farm worker movement. The site served as the national headquarters of the United Farm Workers (UFW) as well as the home and workplace of César Chávez and his family from the early 1970’s until Chávez’ death in 1993, and includes his grave site which will also be part of the monument.

 “César Chávez gave a voice to poor and disenfranchised workers everywhere,” said President Obama. “La Paz was at the center of some of the most significant civil rights moments in our nation’s history, and by designating it a national monument, Chávez’ legacy will be preserved and shared to inspire generations to come.”
 
From this rural headquarters in the Tehachapi Mountains of Kern County, California, Chávez played a central role in achieving basic worker protections for hundreds of thousands of farmworkers across the country, from provisions ensuring drinking water was provided to workers in the fields, to steps that helped limit workers’ exposure to dangerous pesticides, to helping to establish basic minimum wages and health care access for farm workers.

 The National Chávez Center, in consultation with the United Farm Workers of America, the César Chávez Foundation and members of César Chávez’s family, offered to donate certain properties at La Paz to the federal government for the purpose of establishing a national monument commemorating César E. Chávez and the farmworker movement. This designation will represent the culmination of a process that has been underway for several years.

 The César E. Chávez National Monument will encompass property that includes a Visitors’ Center containing César Chávez’s office as well as the UFW legal aid offices, the home of César and Helen Chávez, the Chávez Memorial Garden containing Chavez’s grave site, and additional buildings and structures at the La Paz campus.

 The monument, which will be managed by the National Park Service in consultation with the National Chávez Center and the César Chávez Foundation, will be the fourth National Monument designated by President Obama using the Antiquities Act.   He previously designated Fort Monroe National Monument in Virginia, a former Army post integral to the history of slavery, the Civil War, and the U.S. military; Fort Ord National Monument in California, a former military base that is a world-class destination for outdoor recreation; and Chimney Rock, which is located in the San Juan National Forest in southwestern Colorado, and offers a spectacular landscape rich in history and Native American culture. First exercised by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 to designate Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming, the authority of the Antiquities Act has been used by 16 presidents since 1906 to protect unique natural and historic features in America, such as the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, and Colorado's Canyons of the Ancients.

Students Last: Charter School Miracle?

Students Last: Charter School Miracle?:

Charter School Miracle?

by Students Last

Some in the charter school business are praying for a miracle

Newark New Jersey - Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, New Jersey, filed a petition with the Catholic Church urging that charter schools be deemed "miracles." "Charter schools are a blessing from God. The work they do is truly extraordinary," said an enthusiastic Booker on the steps of the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart. The petition is an unusual one for the mayor. "Well, I've been kissing their asses for so long, this was just the next natural step,"