Alfie Kohn: Why Punishment Doesn't Work - Bridging Differences - Education Week

Alfie Kohn: Why Punishment Doesn't Work - Bridging Differences - Education Week:

Alfie Kohn: Why Punishment Doesn't Work

by Deborah Meier

Guest blogger Alfie Kohn joins Bridging Differences today. He will blog with Deborah Meier for the next month.
Dear Deb,

Thanks for inviting me to join you on this forum so we can be overheard by people other than a waiter when we affectionately poke each other. Of course you're right that we agree on the big issues—those that all educators most urgently need to be discussing. But perhaps we can stimulate some thought by exploring a few questions on which we see things a little differently.
Whenever it appears that I disagree with someone, I like to begin by figuring out where we've parted company. Is our disagreement substantive or just a function of how we're defining our terms? Is it about description (the way we think things are) or prescription (the way we think they should be)? Is it about ends or means? With respect to the issues you've raised this week, I'd add a more specific question: Do you think punishment is sometimes appropriate and beneficial, or do you agree with me that it isn't but contend that it sometimes must be used as a transitional measure, the idea 

Julia Steiny: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee Throws Gas on Ed Reform Hostilities GoLocalProv

GoLocalProv | News | Julia Steiny: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee Throws Gas on Ed Reform Hostilities:

Julia Steiny: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee Throws Gas on Ed Reform Hostilities

Thursday, January 24, 2013

The ever-controversial Michelle Rhee and her organization Students First have issued a State Policy Report Card, grading states' reform policies. Almost all the states got either a "D" or an "F." Dummies.

As the Chancellor of the D.C. schools, Rhee posed for the 2008 cover of Time Magazine looking witchy with a broom, symbolizing her efforts to sweep bad teachers and policies away. The Students First report grades states according to their implementation of her take-no-prisoners policies, some of which are good, and others baseless. (Yes, hire and maintain staff by merit, not seniority. But tying teacher pay to test scores does not improve achievement.)

Curiously, Louisiana and Florida emerge as educational stars, while Vermont, elsewhere considered a pretty good place to educate a kid, is an embarrassment.

So I examined their system for calculating the grades and lo! Brownie points go to states that annually grade schools with "A" through "F" letters. I laughed out loud. They justify their own right to call states names by applauding those states also engaged in routine "D" and "F" name-calling. By that measure, if only more states would rush the public to ugly conclusions, the fur could really fly.

Hey kid, you go to a "D-" school, you loser. How does that make you feel? Your "D-" so bummed your teachers out, they're trying to bail out of the building to get away from you. It's your fault, so quit whining and do your science work.

Do people seriously think the kids don't notice?

Report cards have become all the rage among states and ed. reformers. In a convenience society, "A" through "F" 

Morning Update: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-24-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

The Best Governor in the United States Is….

by dianerav

California’s Governor Jerry Brown!
His State of the State speech, given today, is brilliant. It reflects his probing intellect, his philosophical bent, his deep understanding of the power of the creative mind, his abiding love of his state.
On the subject of education, he speaks words that will be music to the ears of every educator. He recognizes–as Washington, D.C. does not–that great education cannot be mandated or legislated. He knows–as most 

G.F. Brandenburg: Is Poverty Destiny?

by dianerav

Blogger and retired math teacher G.F. Brandenburg deciphers the central claim of the corporate reform movement: Does poverty matter? Is it destiny Can a young college graduate cancel out the effects of poverty?
He tests the proposition by examining the correlation between test scores and poverty rates in Wisconsin. What he finds will not surprise you.

How Phony Reform Destroys Teacher Morale: “I Quit”

by dianerav

A reader sent this sad commentary on the state of education today. When you read dozens of letters like this from districts around the country, you have to wonder if the “powers that be” are trying to force experienced teachers out of the classroom, to make room for the young teachers who don’t know enough to think differently, who won’t stay around long enough to get a pension, who won’t question the New Order of testing and submission. Maybe the greatest act of defiance is to stay and fight for what is right. Because the end of the “reformers’” time in charge draws near:

I QUIT and I did not send a letter…One day’s notice ….as I have one life to live and had rather rake yards, mow 

Tucker and Zhao Debate the Common Core Standards

by dianerav

The Common Core standards have arrived.
Some love them. Some hate them.
It’s time for a debate.
Marc Tucker

NEA Supports Garfield High School Teachers’ Boycott

by dianerav

Will the Garfield High School teachers’ test boycott go national? They now have the support of both the AFT and their own union, the NEA. Will other Seattle high schools join them? Will teachers in other districts follow their lead?
One source reported that the superintendent of schools in Seattle has warned that he will dock their pay. If that is true, we will have to raise money to help these brave teachers.
Here is the NEA statement:
Subject: Press Release – NEA President supports Seattle educators who refuse to give flawed standardized test

Snopes Deconstructs the Sandy Hook Truther Hoax

by dianerav

Soon after the tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, conspiracy theorists began to claim that the events of that morning were an elaborate hoax.
The conspiracy story was debunked here by Snopes.
We are expected to believe that hundreds of people–parents, townspeople, police, and media, as well as the President–collaborated to stage this “hoax.” Everyone you saw on television, say the conspiracy theorists, was a “crisis actor,” paid to play a part. The media didn’t notice. Allegedly the entire town of Newtown, Connecticut, is akin to “The Truman Show,” where everyone is a paid actor.
This blog received letters that asked questions like “Did you see Adam Lanza’s body? Did you see the bodies of the children?” That was supposedly “evidence” that the massacre was staged as a way to take away the rights 

Diane in the Evening 1-23-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: Chicago Parents Sue Charter Network by dianerav CPS Parents File Formal State Complaint Against UNO Charter Schools UpdatedJanuary 18, 2013 5:35pm | By Ted Cox, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer (DNAinfo/Ted Cox) CHICAGO — Education-reform groups, including the president of a Pilsen Local School Council, have filed a formal complaint with the state against the UNO Charter Schools Network. Julie Woestehoff, executive director of Parents United for Responsible Education, and Rosemary Sierra, president of the Pilsen Academy LSC, filed the complaint in Chicago Thursda... more »

New York City School Bus Drivers’ Strike: An Injury to One Is an Injury to All « Classroom Struggle

New York City School Bus Drivers’ Strike: An Injury to One Is an Injury to All « Classroom Struggle:

New York City School Bus Drivers’ Strike: An Injury to One Is an Injury to All

by ClassroomStruggle

As the privatization agenda moves forward and attacks teachers and students it’s sometimes forgotten how school support workers are affected.  At least in Oakland, custodial workers have gone years without a raise and numerous positions have been outsourced.  A key and often overlooked outsourced position is afterschool workers.  Increasingly they have been expected to shoulder more teaching–without any of the benefits and protections of teachers–as teachers have been cut and overburdened.  All this points to a basic tenet of labor: “An injury to one is an injury to all.”

In that vein, this article looks at the current New York City school bus drivers’ strike.  They have walked out to prevent their union from being busted as Mayor Bloomberg continues his offensive against school workers.  The strike is placed in this context of the larger attack on public education and its workers while pointing out the negative effects on students, particularly on special needs 

State’s D in teacher prep nearly average | EdSource Today

State’s D in teacher prep nearly average | EdSource Today:

State’s D in teacher prep nearly average

January 24th, 2013 | Add a Comment | 
By Kathryn Baron

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There’s no sign of a bell curve in the latest scores of state teacher preparation programs.  California received an overall grade of D on the 2012 State Teacher Policy Yearbook released by the National Council on Teacher Quality.  No, that’s not great, but it may be easier to bear knowing that the national average was a whopping D+.

“With so much attention on the issue of teacher effectiveness, the relative lack of attention to how candidates for teaching are prepared for the job in the first place is puzzling,” said Kate Walsh, president of the Council.

Puzzling is also the operative word from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. “Some of their information is just wrong,” said CTC spokesperson Erin Sullivan.

For example, the section of the report on California cites the state for not requiring middle school teachers to pass content area tests in

California earned a grade of D for the quality of its teacher preparation from the National Council on Teacher Quality. Source: NCTQ report, 2012 State Teacher Policy Yearbook.

each subject they’re licensed to teach and doesn’t require high school science teachers to pass a test for each discipline – such as biology, chemistry, etc. – that they’re licensed to teach.

Sullivan said the state does require those exams.  “It’s a little bit perplexing where they got some of 

Time for a statewide database to better serve foster youth - by David Gordon

by David Gordon

California has been a national leader in passing state legislation to improve educational outcomes for foster youth and in recognizing the importance of sharing education data. Now, with the passage of the federal Uninterrupted Scholars Act and Governor Brown’s focus on the education needs of foster youth, the time is right for California to support the use of a statewide foster youth education...

Ed Notes Online: MORE Pres Candidate Cavanagh in NY Times

Ed Notes Online: MORE Pres Candidate Cavanagh in NY Times:

MORE Pres Candidate Cavanagh in NY Times

by ed notes online

"The ‘bad teacher’ narrative as a way of explaining what’s wrong with our school system gets really old,” says Ms. Cavanagh. “Our union has taken a stance that we will collaborate and compromise and that is shortsighted when the other side seems bent on destroying you." -- Julie Cavanagh in NY Times

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/23/scorn-for-unions-threatens-mayors-educational-legacy/

Anything Michael Powell writes is worth reading, though one must pity his passion for the Mets (I didn't tell him Julie is a Phillies fan) and I think the Jets. Now I don't know if he knew Julie is running against Mulgrew and I also know that Julie tends to downplay putting herself front and center but what an interesting sidelight to this article that Julie as President along the Karen Lewis mode would be Bloomberg's and the ed deformers' worst nightmare.

Gotham ExtraJanuary 23, 2013, 6:43

Scorn for Unions Threatens Mayor’s Educational Legacy

By MICHAEL POWELL

Teachers Julie Cavanagh and Adam Stevens listen to the mayor pour boiling oil on their union, to his talk of imposing more tests and using the scores to draw a stringent measure of each teacher, and they wonder what world he inhabits.

Gotham Extra

Michael Powell on government and politics.

Ms. Cavanagh, 34, teaches at the highly rated Public School 15, in the working-class Brooklyn 

Joy Resmovits: Marco Rubio Wants Education Reform, Rick Scott Proposes Teacher Raise: Ed Today

Joy Resmovits: Marco Rubio Wants Education Reform, Rick Scott Proposes Teacher Raise: Ed Today:

Marco Rubio Wants Education Reform, Rick Scott Proposes Teacher Raise: Ed Today

by Joy Resmovits

Rubio-Style Reform? Republican rising star Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said Thursday that lawmakers must pay more attention to the "skills gap" between existing jobs and the lack of qualified employees to fill them, reportsThe Hill. Speaking at the Chamber of Commerce, Rubio said of education, "because it's not controversial, it's not getting nearly enough attention as it needs to be getting."

Florida Teacher Pay Day? Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), who has publicly sparred with teachers unions and cut education spending in the past, now wants to give raises to all full-time teachers -- to the tune of $2,500 a piece. According to the Tampa Bay Times, lawmakers are cautious -- the raises would come from a budget surplus that advocates want to use for things like Medicaid caseloads, higher education and school security.

School Closure Worries? As Philadelphia prepares to shut down some of its schools, affected families are sounding off. In a Wednesday hearing, the Notebook reports, the biggest fear was about safety. "I want my school to stay open, where I feel safe," said Judea Williams, a 3rd grader at Gompers Elementary, one of the schools slated for closure. "I don't want to have to watch my back all of the time. If I move to Beeber, I will have 

College Dropout Crisis Revealed In 'American Dream 2.0' Report

by Joy Resmovits

An influential group of college presidents, civil rights leaders and advocates sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is highlighting what it calls a growing higher education dropout crisis and seeks to fix it in part by linking financial aid with successful graduation.

“Education is an economic issue,” Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League and a member of the coalition, said in a statement. “We have to build a more equitable system of higher education to make us more competitive in the world economically.”

The group's report, released Thursday and called "The American Dream 2.0," said 46 percent of America's 

Daily Kos: Obama Reboot

Daily Kos: Obama Reboot:

Obama Reboot

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

President Obama’s Inaugural Address was an unapologetic, unequivocal progressive manifesto of domestic policies.I needed that.

So begins today's New York Times column by Charles M. Blow, whose title I have borrowed for this post.He offers selection from the President's words, but what catches my attention and provokes my thinking are some of his own words, such as those with which I began.
You can of course simply read the column.  If you do I will be more than satisfied.
I will below offer some more of Blow's words which caught my attention as well as my reaction thereto.

School Tech Connect: Monty Neil Tonight

School Tech Connect: Monty Neil Tonight:

Monty Neil Tonight

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

7 PM, Hartzell Methodist Church.

Inch by inch, row by row, people are waking up to overtesting that's going on in our schools. Even the sleepiest people.

By the way, the testing is not something the teachers are asking for. It's political. It's part of the corporate takeover of public education. You can't have something like SB7 and not expect a barrage of idiotic "formative" testing. If you were a legislator, for example, and you voted for SB7, and you had no idea about the number of tests that would follow, then you're simply not paying attention.

It's More Than He Said-She Said

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

Ok, this is an important matter here--- and to be dramatic, it goes right to the heart of journalism. In this excellent piece by Bryan Lowry, CPS Communications person Becky Carrol distributes a considerable spray of flak in response to the premise of the utilization criticism. Read it carefully.

UPDATE: Rahm undermines BBB's school-closing commission + Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The Battle in Seattle

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The Battle in Seattle:

Rahm undermines BBB's school-closing commission

by Mike Klonsky

Is Rahm really flipping off BBB's own hand-picked School Utilization Commission, led by former ComEd boss Frank Clark, which recommended keeping hands off of high schools when it comes to school closings? If he is it won't be the first time he's dissed the hired help. Remember his hand-picked arbitrator during the teachers strike who recommended a 15-20% pay raise for teachers?

Clark's commission wants as few as 15 schools closed instead of the 200 being pushed by the Civic Committee. Commission members reportedly feel that CPS is"incapable and doesn't have the capacity to close 100-plus schools."

Rahm is also undermining Byrd-Bennett in the process. I knew he would. Didn't everyone expect this when she took the job?

According to the Tribune:

"The commission has provided a reality check that gives Barbara Byrd-Bennett a credible basis to push back against those that may be calling for massive closings," said a source with ties to the 

The Battle in Seattle

by Mike Klonsky

SEA. members  use phone bank to build support for Garfield teachers.

The courageous action taken by teachers at Seattle's Garfield High School has won growing support and admiration, not only from the city's teachers, parents and students, but from teachers nationwide. Their announced refusal on January 10th to administer the Measure of Academic Progress (MAP), a poorly-constructed, high-stakes, standardized test, has once again brought national attention to disastrous testing-madness policies being pushed and enforced for the past 12 years under No Child Left Behind and Race To The 

Sacramento News & Review - Downsizing the district - Bites - Opinions - January 24, 2013

Sacramento News & Review - Downsizing the district - Bites - Opinions - January 24, 2013:

Downsizing the district

Neighborhood schools to be shuttered, superintendent's ‘priority schools' spared

By Cosmo Garvin 
cosmog@newsreview.com

This article was published on 01.24.13.

The Sacramento City Unified School District board will meet on Thursday, February 21, to consider the closure of 11 neighborhood elementary schools. They are Bret Harte, Clayton B. Wire, C.P. Huntington, Fruit Ridge, James W. Marshall, Joseph Bonnheim, Maple, Mark Hopkins, Susan B. Anthony, Tahoe and Washington elementary schools. Related stories: Plagiarists, white supremacists and me Bites schools Yolo County district attorney Jeff Reisig on plagiarism, and the Sacramento City Unified School District will experiment with notnaming its schools after white supremacists. SN&R, 08.09.12. Fail Test scores are mixed, costs are high and teachers are pissed. Why critics say Sacramento city school reform could … SN&R, 11.17.11.

Hey, Sac city parents, did you vote for Proposition 30 to save public education? Congratulations. School bonds, too? Good for you! Now, say goodbye to your neighborhood school.
Deficits in the Sacramento City Unified School District are expected to ease somewhat—to a mere $10 million or less in 2013-2014—but the school board is preparing to close 11 public elementary schools next month. District people are calling this “rightsizing” the school system, if that sort of corporate mumbo jumbo makes you feel any better.
Each closure is estimated to save about $200,000 to $250,000 a year. That’s about $2.5 million in total annual savings, mostly from shedding the salaries of principals, maintenance and office staff at each site.
The district says the closure list is strictly based on enrollment, and that the process treats all schools equally. But some schools are more equal than others.
Some underenrolled schools are being spared because district officials assume those will see student populations rise when other nearby schools are shuttered. But three of the most underenrolled schools—Oak Ridge, Leataata Floyd and Father Keith B. Kenny—are also being protected because they are among those in Superintendent Jonathan Raymond’s Priority Schools program.
These are schools with low test scor

Teachers opposed to tests get a warning | Education | The Seattle Times

Teachers opposed to tests get a warning | Education | The Seattle Times:

Teachers opposed to tests get a warning

Seattle Public Schools officials have told teachers boycotting the MAP tests that they must administer the tests or face suspension.

By Linda Shaw

Seattle Times education reporter

GREG GILBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Siblings Marley and Dakota Patterson-Footen attend a rally outside the Seattle Public Schools headquarters Wednesday at which some Seattle teachers protested the Measures of Academic Progress, or MAP, tests. Marley, 9, and Dakota, 5, attend B.F. Day Elementary in Fremont.

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MAP does not have the resources at the district to support its intensive use of compute... (January 23, 2013, by Cascade Flower) MORE

One reason and one reason only that the District issued a warning (aka documentation). ... (January 23, 2013, by Creasy Bear) MORE

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Seattle school officials sent a letter Wednesday asking principals to inform all their teachers by day’s end that they will be disciplined if they refuse to give district-required tests.

But at a rally Wednesday afternoon at Seattle Public Schools headquarters, teachers boycotting the Measures of Academic Progress, or MAP, said they would not back down because the tests are an unreliable measure that hurts students.

The boycott, which started at Garfield High, now includes a handful of teachers at ORCA K-8 and 32 staff members at Chief Sealth. Teachers at