Will you fund our schools? - Alliance for Quality Education of New York #educatenynow

Will you fund our schools? - Alliance for Quality Education of New York:

Will you fund our schools?

Our schools are in crisis.

Stand up for quality education by taking action now!

Send lawmakers a letter asking them: Will you fund our schools?

Click here to send a letter

Call your elected leaders:

Assembly: (518) 455-4100

Senate: (518) 455-2800

Request Educate NY Now postcards to distribute in your community!

Click here to request postcards 

Then, mail the postcards back to us (94 Central Ave., Albany, NY 12206), so we can deliver them to our elected leaders.

Proposed Budget = More Classroom Cuts
Video release: “Will you fund our schools?”

New York State schools are in crisis. The proposed New York State Budget provides a 4.4% increase in education funding. Unfortunately, this amount is inadequate to prevent more classroom cuts. Last year the state provided almost the exact same amount of funding, and schools cut 5,000 educators' positions, and made program cuts to summer school, arts, music, Advanced Placement courses, tutoring and more.   Today, Educate NY Now is releasing the State of New York’s Schools video titled, “Will you fund our schools?” Click here to watch the short video.

Over the past three years, schools have cut 35,000 educators as a result of more than $2 billion in school aid cuts. The 4 percent restoration to schools does not even keep up with the rising inflation of schools’ costs. Six years ago the state committed to providing adequate funding so that every student receives a “sound basic education,” but today countless school districts are on the brink of financial and/or educational insolvency. A generation of students is now entering school with fewer opportunities than their peers before them.

As the legislature prepares to respond to the Governor’s budget, one question is directed to them: “Will you fund our schools?”
Click here to watch the video. 

Follow the conversation on Twitter: #educatenynow

Educate NY Now unifies parents, students, educators, administrators, unions, school board members, community organizations, civil rights groups, education advocates and others statewide around a broad-based campaign to demand that our state government fulfills New York’s constitutional obligation to provide all students with a quality education.

Schools Matter: KIPP's Take from Private Sources Since 2003: $308,999,543.00

Schools Matter: KIPP's Take from Private Sources Since 2003: $308,999,543.00:

KIPP's Take from Private Sources Since 2003: $308,999,543.00

by Jim Horn

The post below is from Cloaking Inequity by Julian Vasquez Heilig:

Today I will profile Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) schools on The Teat. The Teat is an ongoing series on Cloaking Inequity (the protuberance through which milk is drawn from an udder or breast) that seeks to trace financial support which various entities receive that are involved in current educational policy debates.

The Teat Cow Haiku for today:

Every cow comes wrapped
in cowhide, but that does not
serve to hide the cow.

Cloaking Inequity exists because of KIPP. (For the full thread on KIPP go here) They released a response to a research study that focused on African American enrollment and leavers that was so 

How do I go about Blogging? « My Island View

How do I go about Blogging? « My Island View:

How do I go about Blogging?

by tomwhitby

If there is one thing that Social Media in education has taught me it is: Never answer for someone else’s need to know! In a world of discussions using tweets and posts there is an audience for discussion on any level of experience on any given subject. The subjects that I deal with most often involve Education, Social Media, or Social Media in Education.
The Posts and Tweets I ponder the most are those that deal with the very basics of these subjects. I always worry if a basic explanation is just too basic for an audience of professionals. I too often make an assumption that what I am about to write in my post is too basic, and therefore no one will have any interest. To my surprise, almost every time, those are the posts that are more often, the most read on my Blog. Writing a blog is a subject that I have covered before, “What’s the big deal about Blogging?“
Doing that first post was the biggest hurdle for most bloggers. There are a number of ways to start that first post. 

UPDATES: John Dillons’s pension vocabulary: Dividualism. « Fred Klonsky

John Dillons’s pension vocabulary: Dividualism. « Fred Klonsky:

John Dillons’s pension vocabulary: Dividualism.

by Fred Klonsky

From John Dillon’s blog:

Dividualism (…for your own good, too)

Noun:  A description of a personal philosophy “in touch” with a sense of community, responsibility to the betterment of all those around him/her; one with a wish for the amelioration of the marginalized, scapegoated, or institutionally deprived. A credo driving the desire to seek what is morally correct and in the best interest of the greater good.

Do Something Now:  Despite the history of pension holidays and underfunding, recent bills before the House and additional amendments by the Senate demonstrate that the General Assembly in Illinois is quite willing to blame much of the unfunded liability for pensions on the 

Ten minute drawng. Beyonce.

by Fred Klonsky

Click on drawing to enlarge.

Shouldn’t our leaders lead?

by Fred Klonsky

I don’t argue much about tactics these days.
Occupy. Lobby. Email. What’s that thing we used to do? Oh, yes. Make phone calls. March. Rally. Sit-in. Whatever.
Say something. Do something.
Leaders should lead, however.
So when the teachers at Seattle’s Garfield High School voted not to give the MAP test because they thought it was bad educational practice, teachers and parents all over the country got excited and expressed there

8 ways to fight high-stakes testing.

by Fred Klonsky

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-23-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

How Billionaires Bought New Jersey’s Government

by dianerav

Jersey Jazzman explains a simple concept: When private organizations give money to public agencies, it should be fully disclosed. A couple of legislators actually offered legislation to assure proper oversight, but it was vetoed by Governor Chris Christie, exercising a line-item veto.
In this post, JJ shows how private money is being used to privatize public schools in district after district, without public knowledge or consent.
This stinks.

Teaching in an Age of Injustice

by dianerav

Not long ago, I published a post by Carol Jago, a former president of the National Council of Teachers of English, about how to teach the Common Core in English.
The discussion that followed her post was disturbing. Several teachers said that in their school or district there was a strong mandate to cut back on the teaching of literature. This is absurd, and nothing in the Common Core says there should be less literature. Indeed, if you look at reading across all subject areas, the amount of time devoted to teaching literature in the English class should be untouched.
But even more disturbing were several comments by a teacher in Arkansas named Jamie Highfill. Jamie is in her 

Good News: Pushback to Corporate Reform

by dianerav

Anthony Cody reflects on a year in which the voices of parents and teachers are at last being heard.
The foundations and the U.S. Department of Education and ALEC were having a field day, pushing untried and noxious policies without debate, until 2012.
Then things got interesting.
Reform hero Tony Bennett was

Debunking the New Orleans “Miracle,” part 1

by dianerav

Today, a brave and brilliant teacher in Louisiana joins the honor roll as a champion of public education.
Mercedes Schneider is a teacher in St. Tammany Parish. She has a Ph.D. In statistics and research methods.
When she learned about the latest claim of a miracle in New Orleans, she determined to check the facts. At a time when so many teachers are frightened and intimidated, she was fearless. At a time when teachers in 

Debunking the New Orleans “Miracle,” Part 2

by dianerav

In education, as we learn regularly, when a claim seems to good to be true, it is usually too good to be true. (See test scores, Noyes school, District of Columbia.)
Recently, Leslie Jacobs–a founder of the charter takeover in New Orleans–claimed that students in New Orleans 

Diane in the Evening 1-22-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: Danger: Privatization in Texas by dianerav The new leadership of the Texas legislature has a plan. State Senator Dan Patrick, the new chair of the Senate Education Committee, wants vouchers, more charters, and a fast track for closing down public schools. He and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst want to shorten the time that schools have to improve or close–from five years to only two. That should clear the way for lots of vouchers and charters! Allen Weeks, who heads the Save Texas Schools coalition in the state, wrote an article about the privatization agenda. H... more »

Voices: “And” vs. “or” in the Common Core | EdNewsColorado

Voices: “And” vs. “or” in the Common Core | EdNewsColorado:

Voices: “And” vs. “or” in the Common Core

by Jessica Cuthbertson

Aurora literacy teacher Jessica Cuthbertson encourages her colleagues to focus on the professional possibilities that come with the Common Core State Standards  - not the  limitations. 
Educators everywhere are talking about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Especially English language arts teachers. The Common Core has its friends, its foes and a large group of teachers in the middle who are unsure what to think, or are withholding judgment until standardized assessments are developed and vetted.

BigStock.com

All of this talk is beginning to feel like a national game of telephone with the Common Core serving as the only phrase audible in the din. Myths are circulating and myth-busters are struggling to keep pace. The Common Core should allow greater collaboration than ever before within the profession. Instead, it is proving to be a

Privacy laws shield bullies. Would public shame be a greater deterrent? | Get Schooled

Privacy laws shield bullies. Would public shame be a greater deterrent? | Get Schooled:

Privacy laws shield bullies. Would public shame be a greater deterrent?

by Maureen Downey

Tammy Simpson is an anti-bullying advocate and the founder of the Brandon Bitner Memorial Scholarship Fund. Glen Retief’s memoir about bullying, “The Jack Bank,” won a 2011 Lambda Literary Award.  Retief teaches creative nonfiction at Susquehanna University.
This is their first piece for the AJC:
By Tammy Simpson and Glen Retief

As our kids settle in for the second half of the school year, spare a thought for this number: 160,000. That’s the estimated number of American students who will stay at home every day this semester due to fear of being bullied.
Americans spent much of December transfixed by images of elementary school gun violence. 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Co-Location It Is for JA K-8

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Co-Location It Is for JA K-8:

Co-Location It Is for JA K-8

by Melissa Westbrook

So unless someone has a change of heart, it appears that Director Carr has decided her vote for next year's Interim Plan.  She has submitted an amendment (which yes, could get defeated but I doubt it) and it signals, rather clearly, her vote.  The only vote still up in the air is Director McLaren but she appears to be leaning that way as well. 

I move to amend the NEW STUDENT ASSIGNMENT PLAN TRANSITION PLAN FOR 2013-
14, as submitted by staff on January 22, 2013, to (1) restore the language included at
Introduction on January 9, 2013, where the Jane Addams building will be designated to become
an attendance area middle school and the new attendance area middle school and the current Jane
Addams K-8 environmental science option school will be temporarily co-located in the Jane 

Mom pays for armed guard at child’s school:

Mom pays for armed guard at child’s school

Posted by Valerie Strauss on January 23, 2013 at 6:00 am

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And now, a privately funded deputy guarding elementary school kids.

The mother of a young girl in Florida is paying $32 an hour for an armed deputy to guard her daughter’s school, Old Kings Elementary, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Resident Laura Lauria already paid the Flagler County School District for two months and agreed to pay the bill for the rest of the academic year. The News-Journal quoted Superintendent Janet Valentine as saying, “I don’t know how you say no to such a wonderful gesture.”

District officials have talked about hiring deputies to guard elementary schools ever since 20 children and six staff members were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, 

Mom pays for armed guard at child's school

by Valerie Strauss

And now, a privately funded deputy guarding elementary school kids.
The mother of a young girl in Florida is paying $32 an hour for an armed deputy to guard her daughter's school, Old Kings Elementary, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Read full article >>

D.C. public schools may drop U.S. government requirement

by Valerie Strauss

In the you-can't-make-up-this-stuff category: The public school system in the nation's capital may let high school students graduate without taking a high-school-level course in how their country's government works.
Read full article >>

Students and Teachers Again: Cartoons | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Students and Teachers Again: Cartoons | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

Students and Teachers Again: Cartoons

by larrycuban

For millennia, teachers and students have loved and hated one another. The excitement of kindergartners eager to tell their teacher what happened at home last night and the teenager with head down on desk waiting to hear the buzzer end 54-minutes of  listening to the teacher–all are part of the relationship between students and teachers. The classroom was (and is) a place where students watched the second-hand of the clock move ever so slowly, a room where adults and children eagerly learned from each other, and, yes, a site for humor. Here is another collection of cartoons showing the funny side of teachers and students interacting.
For readers interested in looking at the monthly posts of cartoons in this blog, see: “Digital Kids in School,” “Testing,” “Blaming Is So American,”  “Accountability in Action,” “Charter Schools,” and “Age-graded Schools,”Students and Teachers, Parent-Teacher Conferences, Digital Teachers, Addiction to Electronic Devices, Testing, Testing, and Testing, Business and Schools, Common Core Standards, Problems and Dilemmas,Digital Natives (2), and Online Courses.
Enjoy!

Jersey Jazzman: And Just Who Is Selling These Education Jet-Packs?

Jersey Jazzman: And Just Who Is Selling These Education Jet-Packs?:

And Just Who Is Selling These Education Jet-Packs?

by Duke

Just shoot me in the face.

Popout

Notice how all the children are walking separately? No one is working together, walking with each other, helping each other on the journey. No one is challenged to learn how to ride a bike even if they are more comfortable swimming. Not exactly 21st Century learning, is it?

And our poor teacher - oh, she's so overwhelmed (You knew it would be a she, right? Women just get soflustered...). It's just too much! She has to teach each of her four students, which grows to twelve by the end of the video! I'm glad to see Bill Gates acknowledge the problems that arise when teachers have to teach so many 

Despite budget woes, superintendents' pay rises - The Bay Citizen

Despite budget woes, superintendents' pay rises - The Bay Citizen:

Despite budget woes, superintendents' pay rises

by Peter Erikson

L.E.MORMILE/Shutterstock
In 2011, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie succeeded in tying the pay of school superintendents to enrollment, with a maximum salary aligned with Christie’s pay – $175,000

With California’s public school system facing economic uncertainties – even with the passage of a tax increase under Proposition 30 – some of the most financially troubled districts have been elevating the payroll for top administrators, a review of district data shows.
In the 2012-13 school year, a record 188 districts – with about 2.6 million students – have landed on a special California Department of Education list designed to sound the alarm on possible financial peril.
One is the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second-largest district, which has been buried under a cumulative $2.8 billion deficit for the past five years and has eliminated more than 12,000 teaching and staff positions.
Los Angeles Unified pays Superintendent John Deasy $384,948 a year, about five times the salary of the average teacher. Deasy turned down an increase in his base pay, from $275,000 to $330,000, when he became 

Schools Matter: The Four Year Expectation

Schools Matter: The Four Year Expectation:

The Four Year Expectation

by skrashen

Sent to the Miami Herald, January 22, 2013

To the editor:

The US Department of Education’s announcement that the nation’s high school graduation rate is the highest since 1976, but more than a fifth of students are still failing to get their diploma in four years, (“Study: High school grad rate highest since '76,” Jan 21) sends the message that those who take longer than four years to finish high school are somehow failures.

Graduating in more than four years often requires perseverance and determination. Many students need to work after school, and a longer stay in high school makes sense for them. We must allow working students to take a reduced course load or even an occasional leave of absence. Susan Ohanian has commented that the four year high school expectation is an assault, intended or not, on the working class.

During the depression, the father of a colleague of mine alternated working a year and going to high school a 

NYC Educator: Governor Cuomo and His Grand Experiment

NYC Educator: Governor Cuomo and His Grand Experiment:

Governor Cuomo and His Grand Experiment

by NYC Educator

Governor Andrew Cuomo has proclaimed himself the student lobbyist. This is, apparently, because no one else in the state cares about students. Certainly teachers don't care. They're so utterly worthless they can't even be trusted to grade the tests of students in their buildings. And parents don't care either. So it's on Andrew Cuomo, alone, to take on this monumental task.

Oddly, Governor Cuomo pontificates about what schoolchildren need, but refuses to do any homework himself. Were he doing homework, he'd know there is no research to suggest his latest miracle drug, a longer school day, would improve education. Were he doing homework, he'd know that class size is what parents want. He'd also know there's plenty of research to suggest 

Why STEM Education and Minority Achievement gaps are Interlinked | NewsTacoNewsTaco

Why STEM Education and Minority Achievement gaps are Interlinked | NewsTacoNewsTaco:

Why STEM Education and Minority Achievement gaps are Interlinked

by Voxxi

By Hope Gillette, Voxxi
Economists agree – science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education is critical to the future success of the United States.
Yet even at the K-12 level, these subjects are not being given the emphasis they deserve. According to a Huffington Post blog by Stephen M. Coan, president of the Sea Research Foundation, early education has focused primarily on reading and basic math, ignoring the importance of advanced STEM education.
“For those who stay in school, most flock to non-STEM tracks because these subjects turned them off at an early age. To prepare students for the workforce or higher