UPDATE: Quinn turns creepy with his pension campaign. « Fred Klonsky

Quinn turns creepy with his pension campaign. « Fred Klonsky:

Illinois unions say that they want state revenue issue addressed. “White Paper” to be released on Monday.

by Fred Klonsky

I’m calling a press conference. I got a dozen friends who agree with me about pensions.

by Fred Klonsky

And the press falls for this bullshit.

CHICAGO — College students are joining Gov. Pat Quinn in calling for pension reform, saying it’s vital to ensuring access to higher education.

More than a dozen students appeared at a press conference with Quinn Wednesday.

They said they rely on the state’s Monetary Award Program scholarships to pay for college.

Quinn said state funding for the grants has been cut from more than $400 million to about $381 million this year.

He said 18,000 students lost their grants. Another 150,000 are on a waiting list.

The event was part of Quinn’s push for pension reform by Jan. 9.

Illinois has the worst pension crisis in the country, with an unfunded liability of $96 billion. The state has to cut things like education to make its massive annual pension payments.

More than a dozen?
Wow.
Who were they? The older siblings of the little kids he roped for his Kids Need a Lobbyist video.
This attempt by Quinn and the other political leaders in the state to hang every cut in social programs on the 

Quinn turns creepy with his pension campaign.

by Fred Klonsky

PopoutSome of my colleagues are outraged.
I understand.
But I find it just creepy.
And who are the parents who let their kids do this video?
First Illinois Governor Pat Quinn launched his campaign against teacher pensions with a child’s toy: Squeezy the pension cobra.

Student power. Chicago’s King College Prep shut down by peaceful protest.

by Fred Klonsky

Sun-Times:

By word of mouth and social networking sites, students organized the massive protest in less than 12 hours. By 8 a.m., students sat together in the Kenwood neighborhood school’s foyer before they moved to the gymnasium, where they spent hours before being told to go back to class.Student leaders stayed behind to speak with school administrators and a CPS representative. But by 2:30 p.m., 

Straight Up Conversation: New Fla. Commissioner Tony Bennett :: Frederick M. Hess

Straight Up Conversation: New Fla. Commissioner Tony Bennett :: Frederick M. Hess:

Straight Up Conversation: New Fla. Commissioner Tony Bennett

by Frederick M. Hess  •  Dec 14, 2012 at 8:55 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

The alternative headline here would've been, "Denver Got P. Manning, Florida Gets T. Bennett." After all, it's been a tough year for Indiana; they keep shipping homegrown stars elsewhere. This spring, the Indianapolis Colts cut ties with all-world quarterback Peyton Manning, with the Denver Broncos outbidding several other franchises for his services. Last month, Indiana's voters turned out an iconic school reformer, state superintendent Tony Bennett, setting off another, though less glamorous, scrum. Indiana's loss turned out to be Florida's gain, as the State Board voted unanimously Wednesday to select Bennett as Florida's new education commissioner.

Bennett moves to a big state with an outsized reputation when it comes to education reform, but one that's been struggling to keep a strong state commissioner in place amidst concerns about politics and relations with the governor and the State Board of Education. Florida is also wrestling to implement Senate Bill 736, the nation's most radical effort to overhaul teacher evaluation, tenure, and pay. It's going to be messy because, while 736 got some big things right, it also got some big things really wrong. Florida is also where school reform icon Jeb Bush built his reputation and based his massively influential foundation, and it's no 

Advocacy group prevented from speaking about key policy issues due to 14 year-old muzzle agreement. - Wait, What?

Advocacy group prevented from speaking about key policy issues due to 14 year-old muzzle agreement. - Wait, What?:

Advocacy group prevented from speaking about key policy issues due to 14 year-old muzzle agreement.

by jonpelto

A leading Connecticut environmental advocacy group has withdrawn its opposition to a new 20 mile MDC pipeline from Farmington to UConn due to a 1998 agreement with the MDC that it will not speak about MDC plans to divert public water as long as it doesn’t exceed the MDC’s water capacity.

Wait, What?

According to an article in the Hartford Courant, “The Farmington River Watershed Association acknowledged Thursday that a 1998 agreement it signed compelled it to call off its campaign opposing a plan by The Metropolitan District to supply water to the University of Connecticut.”

Okay, so let’s get this right.

Fourteen years ago, the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC), a public entity, headed by a former Connecticut State Senator and funded through public dollars, forced a non-

Oh those wily consultants: Consulting company determines UConn Administrator’s pay okay

by jonpelto

Tags: Budget cutsUConnUConn President Susan Herbst Faced with criticism about the high rate of compensation for UConn administrators, the University of Connecticut’s Board of Trustees hired Sibson Consulting to determine whether the rate UConn was paying its senior administrators was appropriate. According to their public relations materials, Sibson Consulting reports to be leaders in, “executive compensation and corporate governance design for [...] (Read more...)

Teach for America: The Story of Misinformation

Teach for America: The Story of Misinformation:

Teach for America: The Story of Misinformation

by P.L. Thomas

What do the following have in common?

• Three high-quality teachers in a row can increase student achievement and even life-long earning. [1]

• Teachers are the single-most important factor in student learning. [2]

• U.S. students sit in the middle of the pack in international rankings of standardized test scores. [3]

• On average, Teach for America (TFA) corps members stay in the classroom for eight years.

• Santa Claus. [4]

The answer: All of the above are widely believed, based in some kernel of evidence, but on the whole are greatly distorted or misleading.

But once an idea that seems true enters the public consciousness, it is nearly impossible to discredit. And 

Jindal defends his unconstitutional voucher program — MSNBC

Jindal defends his unconstitutional voucher program — MSNBC:

Jindal defends his unconstitutional voucher program

Traci G. Lee, @traciglee

6:34 pm on 12/13/2012

(AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is defending his private tuition voucher program after a Baton Rouge judge ruled it unconstitutional in November.

“It is completely dishonest to pretend today that America provides equal opportunity in education. We do not, and if you say that we do, you are lying,” Jindal said at the Brookings Institute on Tuesday.

Jindal defended the program by calling school choice a “moral imperative.”  “To oppose school choice is to put the wishes of the adults who control the status quo ahead of the needs of our children. To oppose school choice is to oppose equal opportunity.”

The voucher program was signed into law this year in Louisiana to increase the availability of vouchers to fund private school tuition with public dollars. The law allocated millions of dollars to put students from low-income families in private schools, but has been widely criticized for 

Across Philadelphia, strong reactions to school closings plan | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Across Philadelphia, strong reactions to school closings plan | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

Across Philadelphia, strong reactions to school closings plan

by thenotebook

by Benjamin Herold for NewsWorks, a Notebook news partner
It was all Philadelphians could talk about Thursday. The School District of Philadelphia wants to close one-sixth of its schools, a move that would affect about 17,000 students.
Inside the school administration building at 440 North Broad Street, dozens of District employees lining the indoor balconies fell into an expectant silence as a row of television cameras trained their lenses on Superintendent William Hite.

Image: 

Image Caption: 

Hundreds opposed to the closing of Philadelphia neighborhood public schools attended a rally Thursday afternoon on the steps of the School District building on Broad Street.

Photo Credits: 

Kimberly Paynter for WHYY

read more

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-14-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

School Shooting in Connecticut

by dianerav

I am in shock. Just heard the news of a mass murder of elementary school children in Newtown, Connecticut.
CNN says “close to 20″ were killed.
News reports on AOL says it is 27, including at least 18 children and the principal.
They say the killer was a parent, who wore a bullet-proof vest and brought guns to the school.
I keep thinking that we have huge problems in this society, and our policymakers only want to talk about test scores.
It may be time to think about other things that matter more.

DC Teachers: Any advice for Omaha?

by dianerav

Carey Wright, who was chief academic officer in DC under Michelle Rhee, has applied for the job of superintendent in Omaha. Educators and parents wonder if she will import Rhee’s aggressive tactics to their district. She had a great PowerPoint but went out of her way to make two points: one, she is not Rhee. Two, she respects Rhee.
Published Thursday, December 13, 2012 at 1:00 am / Updated at 4:42 pm
CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Omaha Public Schools superintendent finalist Carey Wright gives a presentation at the Teacher Administrative Center on Wednesday.
OPS finalist Wright says she won’t turn the district ‘upside down’
By Jonathon Braden and Joe Dejka
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITERS
• Learn more about the three OPS superintendent finalists: Carey Wright, Mark Evans and Stephen Murley.
***
Carey Wright knew the question was coming. And by the time she met with the public in Omaha Wednesday 

RI Teacher: “I Quit”

by dianerav

This second-grade teacher explained on a YouTube video why he quit.
High-stakes testing and regimentation broke his spirit and that of his students.
Watch it and send it to your friends and to parents.
Help this go viral.

Why Republicans Will Not Use the V Word

by dianerav

Why do Republicans like Mitt Romney and Bobby Jindal fear to use the V word?
Why do they say “opportunity scholarship” when they really mean Voucher?
As with most everything else (as Gail Collins said in her latest book), the answer may be found in Texas.
Texas, as we all know, is a red red red state.
The next legislature is planning to take up the voucher issue.
It should be a slam-dunk, right, because Texas is a red state and 

Researcher Asks: When Does Reform Need Reform?

by dianerav

Julian Vasquez Heilig has done a round-up, Texas-style, of research on Teach for America.
Given that the focus of his research is equity, his round-up makes for interesting reading

Does StudentsFirst Support Collective Bargaining?

by dianerav

StudentsFirst likes to keep everyone guessing about its true purposes.
It wants “great” teachers but doesn’t think teachers should have any due process rights.
It either supports collective bargaining or is neutral on collective bargaining or is against collective bargaining.
It claims to be a liberal group that “puts students first” but gives campaign funds to reactionary candidates that support the Koch brothers agenda of privatization.
All of this will sort itself out over time, as the facts emerge.
Alexander Russo has

Privatization Accelerates in Memphis

by dianerav

Memphis is set to lose more charter schools to privatization. With Kevin Huffman, former PR director for TFA, now Commissioner of Education, backed by a rightwing majority in the legislature, public schools are being handed off to charter chains.
EduShyster supplies the details. The reform business is booming in Tennessee, especially in poor Memphis.

Exclusive! Pasi Sahlberg on TIMSS and PIRLS

by dianerav

At my request, Pasi Sahlberg has written comments on the latest international test scores. Sahlberg is a prominent Finnish educator and author of the award-winning book “Finnish Lessons.”
Sahlberg writes:
International testing mania
This week educators around the world got a new opportunity to benchmark their students’ performance to their international competitors when The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) released the results of TIMSS (Trends in Mathematics and Science Study) mathematics and science of 63 

Diane in the Evening 12-13-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: The Outrageous Attacks on Susan Rice by dianerav I don’t usually comment on matters outside education, but I had to say something about the bullying of Susan Rice. I don’t think I ever met Susan, but I knew her mother fairly well when I worked at the Brookings Institution, so I followed Susan’s remarkable career. Susan Rice graduated from Stanford University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She was a Rhodes Scholar with double degrees from Oxford University. She was on the staff of the National Security Council and an Randi Weingarten’s Excel... more »

Why Bennett Failed in Indiana and Why He May Again in Florida | Scathing Purple Musings

Why Bennett Failed in Indiana and Why He May Again in Florida | Scathing Purple Musings:

Why Bennett Failed in Indiana and Why He May Again in Florida

by Bob Sikes

From Orlando Sentinel Columnist Scott Maxwell:

You may know Florida is getting a new education secretary named Tony Bennett. (No, not that Tony Bennett … though that’d be kind of cool.)
What you may not know is we’re getting him only because Indiana tossed him out. Voters of that very conservative state — Mitt Romney won by 10 points in Indiana — booted this conservative reformer from office just last month.
Apparently a big reason is that Bennett’s version of “reform” involved a whole lot of teacher-bashing.
Don’t take my word for it. Take it from one of Indiana’s leading voices of conservative school reform, lawyer and blogger Paul Ogden. He penned a piece titled: “Why Tony Bennett Lost —The Folly of 

Rethinkin’ Lincoln | toteachornototeach

Rethinkin’ Lincoln | toteachornototeach:

Rethinkin’ Lincoln

by aristotlethewise

Rethinkin’ Lincoln on the 150th Birthday of the Emancipation Proclamation 

by Bill Bigelow
Here’s a history quiz to use with people you run into today: Ask them who ended slavery.
I taught high school U.S. history for almost 30 years, and as we began our study, students knew the obvious answer: Abraham Lincoln. But by the time our study ended, several weeks later, their “Who ended slavery?” essays were more diverse, more complex — and more accurate. In coming months and years, teachers’ jobs will be made harder by Steven Spielberg’s film Lincoln, in which Daniel Day-Lewis gives a brilliant performance as, well, Lincoln-the-abolitionist. The only problem is that Lincoln was not an abolitionist.
Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner chose to concentrate on the final months of Lincoln’s life, when, as the film shows in compelling fashion, the president went all-out to pass the 13th Amendment, forever ending U.S. 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Nassau Junkanoo and the King H.S. sit-in

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Nassau Junkanoo and the King H.S. sit-in:

Nassau Junkanoo and the King H.S. sit-in

by Mike Klonsky

Junkanoo in Nassau

NASSAU, BAHAMAS-- On winter break. We couldn't pass up a chance, between family visits in Florida, to grab a cheap fare from Miami over to Nassau for a couple of days of R&R. It's nice to be able to escape the Chicago winter for a few days but I've still got my mind on Chicago schools, especially after reading the Sun-Times story about yesterday's student sit-in at King College Prep, where 500 students demanded the firing of principalShontae Higginbottom.

King sit-in

King students are angered over Higginbottom's imposition of key changes this fall, including closing the new media center where students used computers after school, and locking students outdoors after they’ve left the building during the day.

“I want the rules to change,” sophomore Joshua Phillips said. “And if things can’t change, I guess it’s time for a new principal.”

NYC Educator: Garden Party

NYC Educator: Garden Party:

Garden Party

by NYC Educator

by Recovering ATR 

So I got some frantic text messages this week from my old workplace, the first school I ever worked at, that alternative transfer high school. Apparently there had been mayhem Monday morning.

This is what transpired:

Boy A approaches Boy B to buy drugs in the hallways. Boy B hands over the drugs, but then is careless and lets it show that he has much more in his bag and also about $500 in cash. Boy A sees an opportunity, pulls out a gun, and says, "Give me your entire bag and all your money." Boy B panics, screams to his friends for help. They run down the hallway, in hot pursuit of Boy A. Boy A flees, sees that there are a bunch of kids after him, points his gun, shoots. Boy B is shot and dripping with blood and makes his way to the principal's office before collapsing. Boy A by that time has run off in the mayhem.

Police come, it's pandemonium. A bunch of arrests are made, but somehow Boy A has slipped away. The next 

Jersey Jazzman: His Majesty Eli Broad, King of New Jersey

Jersey Jazzman: His Majesty Eli Broad, King of New Jersey:

His Majesty Eli Broad, King of New Jersey

by Duke

There are a few foolish people left in this state who think we live in a democracy. Maybe this will convince them otherwise:

What passes for educational reform in New Jersey has relied heavily on private foundation money — millions from the likes of Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, among others — and a common complaint of critics is that the public is rarely made aware of the conditions of those grants. One recent grant from a California-based foundation includes this unusual stipulation: Gov. Chris Christie must stay in office in New Jersey.

"That’s astonishing," says David Sciarra, executive director of the Education Law 

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 12-13-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Nite Cap UPDATE

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

Why Not Teach For America (Guest Post by Robin Lane)

by dloitz

Well, it’s about that time of year — when seniors start frantically applying for fellowships and internships and jobs, the socially conscious among them aching for a career that will allow them to change the world, others looking for something they can put on their application for law school. Then comes along the recruiting powerhouse of Teach for America, to assure college students that yes, you can in fact change the world AND have an in to law school (or business school, or political office).

Progressive students of America who care about social justice: I know you care deeply about education. I know you see yourself as a change agent, fighting injustice. I know you have organized for progressive causes on campus and in your community; you’ve done civic engagement, you care about the DREAM Act, you are 

Key documents on closure recommendations

by thenotebook

Superintendent William Hite's seismic announcement today that the cash-strapped Philadelphia School District has proposed an unprecedented 37 school closures will leave many anxious for answers. To address that, the District has released a number of documents on the methodology and criteria used in the downsizing process known as the Facilities Master Plan.
read more

The Real Fairy Tale - City Journal

The Real Fairy Tale City Journal Some schools lose most of their teaching corps, destroying any continuity or momentum aschool in a poor neighborhood may have managed to build. In the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the practice led to a successful ACLU lawsuit to end ...

Another Michelle Rhee Stooge Writes in the Daily News

by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)

Oh it is always nice to read the Daily News op-ed page and see some shill for Uncle Mike, or Michelle Rhee, thinking they can speak for education, schools, teachers, their children with a artificial guise of independent thought.

Today we had another on of those type people write an opinionated op-ed in today's Daily News. Keoni Wright penned some gibberish about teacher quality and his twin daughters in the same school, PS 158 in Brooklyn, yet with disparate teachers.

Mr Wright at first glance is a manager (whatever that means) for the NYC Dept of Health & Mental Hygiene. He is also a card carrying member of MichelleRheeFirst. 

While we here at SBSB applaud Mr Wright for taking an interest in his twin daughter's education, we hold our heads in indignation at the words that Mr Wright wrote of his own free mind and will. Words, that were his own. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

Mr Wright wrote, I have a unique perspective on this, because I’ve got twin daughters in kindergarten. They go to the same neighborhood elementary school and sit in 

Why one quiz did not work

by jd2718

I wrote earlier about a quiz – a single system of linear equations to be solved graphically, then solved again algebraically. I figured it was fifteen minutes, max. It took over forty.
Here’s the system:    and 
I took to heart comments some of you left here, and others made on facebook. But most of all, I had long conversations with the kids (two full classes) themselves. And then follow-up conversations.
Some of the more interesting points:

• kids really liked the post-quiz analysis sessions. And honestly, they were good discussions. I think me walking in saying “I’m not sure what happened; I need your help” made it different than a regular class discussion.
• some kids have become more comfortable using point-slope to graph directly. However, not all of them have. And none of them had attempted any more than the most rudimentary manipulations of an equation 

So Heartwarming, It Couldn't Wait

by Melissa Westbrook

From our friends at the West Seattle blog, a story of kindness from students at West Seattle High School:

Often the first-hand raves (or rants) surface in the WSB Forums – but the past few days have yielded a couple of gems to share here in the news section. The latest is from Laurie:

I wanted to share a heart warming story about what my mom experienced (Tuesday).
She was heading to Safeway to get her groceries around 1 o’clock when her car stalled in the intersection by Jack in the Box on Admiral. She tried and tried to get it to start again while enduring all the rude people blowing their horns at her. 
She couldn’t get it to start so she got out of the car and started to try and push it out of the way…

“Parent Trigger: No Silver Bullet”

by Larry Ferlazzo

“Parent Trigger: No Silver Bullet” is a new “policy brief” from the Annenberg Institute For School Reform.
I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning Why The Parent Trigger Isn’t Good For Parents, Kids Or Schools.

Big Education Ape - SPECIAL Mid Day Banana Break 12-13-12 #soschat #edreform

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

* Big Education Ape - Mid Day Banana Break * Teacher Tips for the Impending Apocolypse by NYC Educator As I'm certain you all know, the world is due to end a week from tomorrow. Not only that, but if the UFT does not agree to an evaluation that AFT President Randi Weingarten just labeled "junk science," Mayor Bloomberg will impose draconian cuts on the school system, just because he can. After all, mayoral control means he can do what he wants, when he wants, how he wants, and if you don't like it, you can just take a hike, pal. Me, I'm giving a test on Friday. This makes perfec... more »