UPDATE: TRS responds to the Civic Committee and Ty Fahner: “Fundamentally untrue.” « Fred Klonsky

TRS responds to the Civic Committee and Ty Fahner: “Fundamentally untrue.” « Fred Klonsky:

Behind the jokes about no more Twinkies is a story about 18,000 lost jobs, a Bain Capital-like buy out and union busting.

by Fred Klonsky

From Main Street blog:

Hostess Brands is one of the most recognizable food companies in America, having manufactured Wonder Bread and Twinkies for decades. But now the company has announced they are liquidating, and company is unfairly blaming their workers, many of them members of BCTGM and the Teamsters.
The fact is that the responsibility lies with Hostess’ management and the vulture Wall Street private equity firm behind them, and yet the workers are the ones who will suffer the consequences of this shutdown.
Here are some facts about the Hostess situation:

• Hostess is in bankruptcy for the second time since 2009.

• For the past 8 years, Hostess has been owned by Wall Street investors: so-called “restructuring experts,” managers from other non-baking food companies, and now a “liquidation specialist.”

• The Wall Street investors that own Hostess have no interest in the company 

TRS responds to the Civic Committee and Ty Fahner: “Fundamentally untrue.”

by Fred Klonsky

From The Illinois Teacher Retirment System:

On November 14, the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, which leads the effort to overhaul Teachers’ Retirement System and the state’s other pension systems, sent a letter to Governor Quinn that said that there is no solution to fixing the long-term financial problems facing TRS and the other systems. This is a quote from the letter: “Our latest sobering analysis has led us to conclude… that under current circumstances the pension system is unfixable.”
Despite the finality of this statement, the Civic Committee nonetheless proposed a series of changes they said would “minimize the long-term damage.”

• “Eliminate all cost-of-living increases”
• “Institute a pensionable salary cap”

Ten minute drawing. Ty Fahner’s binder.

by Fred Klonsky

Stop The Common Core Video Series | Truth in American Education

Stop The Common Core Video Series | Truth in American Education:

Stop The Common Core Video Series

by Shane Vander Hart

Jane Robbins of American Principles Project

Stop Common Core, American Principles Project and the Concerned Women of America in Georgia made the following video series on the Common Core State Standards possible.  Jane Robbins of American Principles 

Shocker (not) – CT Department of Education Fails to reach minimum integration goals - Wait, What?

Shocker (not) – CT Department of Education Fails to reach minimum integration goals - Wait, What?:

Shocker (not) – CT Department of Education Fails to reach minimum integration goals

by jonpelto

File this one under proof that failing leadership and failing policies lead to failing results.

Despite a court ordered agreement, five years ago, that the State of Connecticut would create a system in which at least 41 percent of Hartford students attended “integrated” schools, the State Department of Education announced yesterday that the state had failed to reach that goal…Again.

The failure will mean a new round of court intervention and negotiations in the ongoing effort to meet the Connecticut Supreme Court’s rulings related to the Sheff v. O’Neill case.  It is the case where the Connecticut Supreme Court made clear that under Connecticut’s State Constitution every child has the right to attend a racially diverse 

Des Moines Education Association: DMEA President Discusses Education Reform

Des Moines Education Association: DMEA President Discusses Education Reform:

DMEA President Discusses Education Reform

by Andrew Rasmussen

DMEA President discussed education reform in Iowa on the Fallon Forum on Thursday, November 15:

Governor Christie hopes Newark teachers bonuses will serve as model for the state - NorthJersey.com

Governor Christie hopes Newark teachers bonuses will serve as model for the state - NorthJersey.com:

Governor Christie hopes Newark teachers bonuses will serve as model for the state

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2012, 12:44 PM

BY  LESLIE BRODY

STAFF WRITER

THE RECORD

PRINT | E-MAIL

Governor Christie said Friday he hoped a new teachers contract in Newark that gives teachers performance bonuses would serve as a model for the state and the nation.

FILE / CHRIS PEDOTA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Governor Chris Christie

Speaking in a gym of a Newark elementary school, he said he hoped other unions would become open-minded about agreeing to merit pay, "If they don't they will become dinosaurs," he said. "I'd like to see contracts like this all over New Jersey."
The precedent setting contract signed on Wednesday gives Newark teachers annual bonuses up to $12,500 to highly effective teachers in hard-to-staff fields. It was signed after strenuous negotiations between Newark district leaders and the American Federation of Teachers, with funding from the $100 million gift from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
The New Jersey Education Association, which represents most districts statewide, has opposed merit pay, saying it undermines collegiality and does 

The Weekly Update: Milken is ready to milk us in WA State, Louisiana wants to test the toddlers, some awesome school teachers and much, much more | Seattle Education

The Weekly Update: Milken is ready to milk us in WA State, Louisiana wants to test the toddlers, some awesome school teachers and much, much more | Seattle Education:

The Weekly Update: Milken is ready to milk us in WA State, Louisiana wants to test the toddlers, some awesome school teachers and much, much more

by seattleducation2011

The Weekly Update for the news and views you might have missed.

Bill Gates and the Waltons have had their way with Washington State.

With ads running continuously on TV channels for the last three weeks up to November 6th, Bill Gates and the Waltons finally got their way with us….unless there is a legal challenge regarding the state’s constitutional demand for oversight by OSPI.

Stay tuned.

The passage of I 1240 due to the financial backing of Stand for Children, Bill Gates, the Waltons and few other of the 1 percenters with the aid of the League 

Federal Court Rules that Banning Affirmative Action Is Unconstitutional « Student Activism

Federal Court Rules that Banning Affirmative Action Is Unconstitutional « Student Activism:

Federal Court Rules that Banning Affirmative Action Is Unconstitutional

by Angus Johnston

A few weeks back, the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the question of whether it’s constitutional to allow affirmative action in college admissions. That decision, in the case of Fisher v. Texas, will likely come down next spring.
Yesterday, however, a federal appeals court ruled on the related — but distinct — question of whether it’s constitutional to ban affirmative action in college admissions, and the differences between the two cases are fascinating … and revealing.
The issue of affirmative action’s constitutionality is usually framed as it is in Fisher v. Texas, as a matter of whether states can take race into account in admissions. In the past, the Supreme Court has ruled that they can, in limited circumstances, and the question at hand in Fisher is whether that will remain the law of the land. 

Election 2012 Could Mean a Brighter Future for Education | California Progress Report

Election 2012 Could Mean a Brighter Future for Education | California Progress Report:

Election 2012 Could Mean a Brighter Future for Education

by callen

By Lisa Schiff
California's public education community has been breathing sighs of relief following the results of last week's voting extravaganza. Not even considering the historic re-election of President Barak Obama and the related repudiation of the Republican Party's effort to further restrict our civic and social rights, the results for California were immense. For our public schools, the most critical result was the passage of Proposition 30, which through leveraging a sales tax increase and raising income taxes on the wealthy will raise revenues to the General Fund and stop the automatic budget cuts to all levels of public education that were set to be enacted come January if Proposition 30 had not passed.
read more

It's Official: California Submits Blueprint for New Health Benefit Exchange

by callen

By Linda Leu
With last week's election result ensuring the continued implementation of the historic Affordable Care Act, the board of the newly-named "Covered California" Health Benefit Exchange met Wednesday to finalize its start-up operations and roll-out over the next two years.
Covered California will be the new marketplace under the Affordable Care Act to help California families and small businesses shop for health insurance and get subsidies to make such coverage affordable. The expansion of coverage through Medi-Cal and Covered California to millions of Californians starts January 1, 2014, with an "open enrollment" period to sign people up in the third-quarter of 2013.
read more

Raley's-Nob Hill Workers Return to the Job After Waging Historic Strike

by callen

By Danielle Tipton
California Labor Federation
Raley's and Nob Hill workers returned to their jobs Tuesday after a nine-day historic strike. Thanks to the solidarity and strength of the workers, activists and boycotting shoppers, the UFCW Local 5 and Local 8 were able to reach a tentative agreement with Raley's-Nob Hill management preserving health care for all workers, including retirees. This settlement now goes on to the workers for ratification.
Ron Lind, President, UFCW 5 and Jacque Loveall, President, UFCW 8:
read more

SI&A Cabinet Report – “Seth’s Law” requires anti-bullying policies and clear complaint process

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources:

“Seth’s Law” requires anti-bullying policies and clear complaint process

With the recent announcement of changes to the Uniform Compliant Procedures based on newly implemented state laws, the California Department of Education is recommending that districts pay particular attention to the law that expands the Safe Place to Learn Act. AB 9 or “Seth’s Law” became effective on July 1, 2012 to help safeguard all public school students.

With the recent announcement of changes to the Uniform Compliant Procedures based on newly implemented state laws, the California Department of Education is recommending that districts pay particular attention to the law that expands the Safe Place to Learn Act.  AB 9 or “Seth’s Law” became effective on July 1, 2012 to help safeguard all public school students.

AB 9 would require schools to adopt anti-harassment and -bullying policies, and to provide a clear process for complaints from students and parents.

The legislation, named for a high school student who took his life after being subjected to ongoing harassment, expands the scope of complaints that can be filed under existing state law that requires schools to protect students who are targets of unlawful discrimination.

The expanded list of complaints includes allegations of unlawful intimidation and bullying due “to actual or perceived characteristics such as age, ancestry, color, ethnic group identification, gender expression, gender identity, gender, disability, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation or a person's association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics, in any program or activity that receives or benefits from state financial assistance,” the CDE said.

Complaints filed under this new law will continue to be processed through a district’s Uniform Complaint Procedures 

Internal Elections for UTLA Leadership - LA School Report

Internal Elections for UTLA Leadership - LA School Report:

Internal Elections for UTLA Leadership

by Hillel Aron

A total of 356 teachers nominated themselves for seats on UTLA’s 350-member House of Representatives, triggering internal elections for UTLA policy-setting body that that have not been required in recent years due to low numbers.

There will be elections held in 22 of the 32 electoral districts (see list of nominees in contested areas here). In 10 out of 32 of the districts, there were fewer nominations than seats (see the full list of nominees in uncontested areas here). Ballots for the elections will be sent out shortly and must be turned in by December 11, according to UTLA’s website.

Missouri Education Watchdog: A Cautionary Tale on Career Schools

Missouri Education Watchdog: A Cautionary Tale on Career Schools:

A Cautionary Tale on Career Schools

by Anngie

Career Education Corp will not be helping California's unemployment numbers next year. This week California Watch reported that Career Education Corp will be closing more than a quarter of its 95 campuses and eliminating 900 jobs in its network of schools dedicated to providing career instruction for students across the country. They will be closing six schools in California alone and another seventeen in other states where their enrollment is declining. It is instructional to look at what is happening at these for-profit schools as it is a cautionary tale for career education and education in general.

A major push in education now is to privatize it. Let the free market compete to improve education. I am a proponent of the free market.  In the end it does produce the higher quality product than the government produced product which has no market forces imposed on it. But the free market is primarily focused on making a profit and there are only so many levers a company can pull to make that happen: lower costs of production, 

UL officials blast charter schools - TimesLeaderOnline.com | News, Sports, Jobs and Community Info for Belmont County - Times Leader

UL officials blast charter schools - TimesLeaderOnline.com | News, Sports, Jobs and Community Info for Belmont County - Times Leader:

UL officials blast charter schools

November 16, 2012

GLYNIS VALENTI - Staff Writer , Times Leader

Save | Post a comment | 

BELMONT-"The return on investment is not working," says Union Local Superintendent H. Kirk Glasgow. He and school board member Terry Puperi presented information on the charter school system and its effect on public education financing.

According to a press release from the Coalition of Rural and Appalachian Schools (CORAS) charter schools are "siphoning" more than twice the state aid that public schools receive from tax dollars. The total allocation by the Ohio Legislature to "promote charter schools at the expense of public schools" is $777 million. Glasgow's point was that the state's push toward privatization and funneling taxpayer money into that push has produced less 

Chris Christie, Randi Weingarten (and Bradley Cooper) on new Newark teachers contract:

Chris Christie, Randi Weingarten (and Bradley Cooper) on new Newark teachers contract

Posted by Valerie Strauss on November 16, 2012 at 10:34 am

•   Text Size
• Print
• Reprints

• Share:
• More »

Here’s the video of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on the MSNBC program “Morning Joe” Friday morning talking up the new teachers contract they negotiated in Newark, which was just ratified by members of the teachers union who had been working without a contract since 2010. 

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

The contract is controversial in part because it allows merit pay for teachers deemed to be 

Celebrating International Education Week! | ED.gov Blog

Celebrating International Education Week! | ED.gov Blog:

Celebrating International Education Week!

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Guest Blogger

Each year in November, we pause to celebrate International Education Week (IEW). The U.S. Departments of Education and State started IEW in 2000, to recognize and reflect on our interconnectedness and the importance of education to all of us around the globe, and as I look at recent developments around the world I see that this focus is even more relevant and compelling today.

We are interconnected in so many ways. Political, social and economic events and changes around the world affect us all. Examples include this year’s Olympic Games where at least one female athlete represented each participating country, the struggles in the emerging democracies in the Middle East, devastating earthquakes in Japan and other natural disasters across the globe, financial crises in Europe, and the rapidly expanding economies of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries, to mention a few.

Our interconnected world stage requires us to look outwards as we work to develop globally competent students who can compete for good jobs, work to address global challenges like climate change and health epidemics, as well as support our national security and diplomacy. As a country of immigrants, it is no less important that we are able to communicate, work with and learn from our neighbors, coworkers, and friends who may have different cultural traditions and perspectives. Having diverse colleagues and friends in the U.S., together with my experiences overseas, have certainly enriched my life and expanded my horizons and opportunities.

For just these reasons, the Department of Education is engaging more actively in education internationally and has developed its first-ever, fully-integrated international strategy, Succeeding Globally Through International Education and Engagement, to guide our work. The international strategy is inextricably linked with the Department’s domestic priorities to advance two goals simultaneously: to strengthen U.S. education and to advance our nation’s international priorities. By working to increase the global competencies of all U.S. students, learning from other countries to improve our education policies and practices, and engaging in active education diplomacy, we will help to advance these two strategic goals. The strategy is firmly based on the belief that a world-class education for all—both domestically and internationally—is a win-win.

One of the first steps in implementing our international strategy was to host—with international and domestic partners—the first International Summit on the Teaching Profession in 2011 and the second in 2012. These summits brought together ministers and union leaders with high-performing and rapidly improving education systems from around the world to discuss how to enhance and elevate the teaching profession worldwide. The dialogue will continue in 2013 when the Netherlands hosts the third Summit.

Every week is really international education week, but with Thanksgiving right around the corner, I am thankful that we have one week where we focus and reflect on the important role education plays in connecting us across the globe.

Watch Secretary Arne Duncan’s recorded message for the 13th International Education Week:

Click here for an alternate version of the video with an accessible player.

Maureen McLaughlin is senior advisor to the Secretary and director of International Affairs

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, November 16, 2012

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

AP CALLS THE RACE FOR BERA IN CALIFORNIA’S 7TH DISTRICT

Bera for Congress

November 15, 2012

Education Headlines

Friday, November 16, 2012

Lincoln Unified adds two school days

Lincoln Unified has added two days to this year's instructional calendar, a move made possible by last week's victory of Gov. Jerry Brown's Proposition 30 education tax initiative.

Perris trustees renew superintendent's contract

Perris Union High School's Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved renewing Superintendent Jonathan Greenberg's contract through Oct. 31, 2016.

School bond propositions still short of passing

A bond proposition in the San Dieguito Union High School District is still too close to call more than one week after the election.

Fontana Unified announces departure of No. 2 official

Alejandro Alvarez, who for the past three years has been associate superintendent for business services, has accepted a similar position with Compton Unified School District.

Murrieta school days, teacher salaries restored

Murrieta parents rejoice: The school year just got a little longer. The Murrieta Valley school board officially restored six days to the 2012-13 school year on Thursday morning.

West Contra Costa schools face financial challenges despite Proposition 30 passage

Trustees for the West Contra Costa school district celebrated the passage of Proposition 30 as well as a local parcel tax and a school construction bond Wednesday night. Nonetheless, the election success did nothing to stem the need to draw down the district's $13.5 million rainy day fund, according to a report presented by associate superintendent Sheri Gamba.

San Ramon Valley's Measure D is a winner

The finally tally is in and Measure D has won by a hair. Passage authorizes the San Ramon Valley school district to issue up to $260 million in bonds to finance 45 infrastructure and technology upgrades at San Ramon Valley district schools.

Fensterwald: New Assembly Education chair skeptical of plan for weighted funding

Any bill to change the way that California funds its public schools will have to go through Joan Buchanan, and that could present problems for Gov. Jerry Brown.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Lodi Unified parents, students propose PE waiver program

Lodi Unified is the only large school district in San Joaquin County that does not allow student athletes to waive a second year, or 10 credits, of PE if they have extensive participation in athletics.

San Dieguito bond measure within a hair of passing

The latest round of ballots counted by the Registrar of Voters show a bond proposition in the San Dieguito Union High School District close to passing, while other bond measures in Del Mar and MiraCosta Community College District were mostly unchanged.

Monterey County schools begin to implement new standards

This educational shift — the standards have been adopted in 45 states — is not only inspiring educators, but advocates of English learners, who believe Common Core presents an opportunity to address their needs more fully.

Seattle Schools Community Forum: School Segmentation Explained

Seattle Schools Community Forum: School Segmentation Explained:

School Segmentation Explained

by Charlie Mas

Seattle Public Schools has this School Segmentation thing. It's a bit unclear how this segmentation is done, so  I'll direct your attention to the appropriate document and try to offer some of the missing transparency.



Here is how each school's Level is determined:

You'll notice that if the Absolute score is over 60, then the growth score is not a factor in determining the school's level. There are a number of schools with growth scores below 50 in Levels 3, 4, and 5, including thirteen in Level 4 and 5.

The Absolute score is calculated like this:

Schools earn 100 points if they

Friday Open Thread

by Melissa Westbrook

twere evenAs a reminder, Director Carr and Director DeBell have community meetings tomorrow morning (see Seattle Schools This Week thread for details).

Also the district is having an event, co-sponsored with WSU on Sunday, the 19th at Garfield from noon-4:30 p.m. 

Imagine U @ College! is a unique program that educates people on the benefits of a college education, how to apply for admission and pay tuition, and how to be successful in college.

For the first time, WSU is partnering with Seattle Public Schools to make the program available to all students