Straight Up Conversation: SAP Honcho Jason Zimba :: Frederick M. Hess

Straight Up Conversation: SAP Honcho Jason Zimba :: Frederick M. Hess:

Straight Up Conversation: SAP Honcho Jason Zimba

by Frederick M. Hess  •  Feb 11, 2013 at 7:04 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

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You didn't think the ferment around Common Core could keep building? Hah! Prepare for several more years of increasing wackiness. In the middle of it all is Jazon Zimba, founding principal of Student Achievement Partners (SAP) and the man who continued to lead SAP after David Coleman went off to head up the College Board. SAP is a major player in Common Core implementation, especially with the aid of $18 million in support from the GE Foundation. Zimba was the lead writer on the Common Core mathematics standards. He earned his doctorate in mathematical physics from Berkeley, co-founded the Grow Network with Coleman, and previously taught physics and math at Bennington College. He's a private dude who lives up in New England and has not been part of the Beltway policy conversation. I'd never met Zimba, until we had the chance to sit down last week.

Now, I think readers know that I'm of two minds when it comes to the Common Core. On the one hand, it 

The Educated Reporter: Senate Discusses NCLB Waivers: What's Next For Federal Education Policy?

The Educated Reporter: Senate Discusses NCLB Waivers: What's Next For Federal Education Policy?:

Senate Discusses NCLB Waivers: What's Next For Federal Education Policy?

by Emily Richmond

If you're looking for background on the important Senate hearing on the NCLB waivers, and what might be next for education reform efforts at the federal level, start with Motoko Rich's news analysis for the New York Times. It's a solid primer on the backbone of the waivers, the controversy, and the criticism.

Then jump over to Education Week's Politics K-12 blog. I can't say enough about the thoughtful work of co-bloggers Alyson Klein and Michele McNeil, who consistently manage to make the complexities of federal policy readable and, perhaps most importantly, help readers understand why it matters. (Here's Klein's well-detailed overview of the Senate hearing.)

As Joy Resmovits noted over at the Huffington Post, critics of the waivers testifying at the Senate hearing included  someone who has been of President Obama's staunchest allies on the reform front -- Kati Haycock of 

NYC Educator: UFT Leadership: Those With Conscience Need Not Apply

NYC Educator: UFT Leadership: Those With Conscience Need Not Apply:

UFT Leadership: Those With Conscience Need Not Apply

by NYC Educator

It's very discouraging to read of the UFT endorsement of Rory Lancman for City Council. There are some very basic things we should demand before offering our endorsement of any candidate. High on the list would be an opposition to closing schools. It was heartbreaking to see Jamaica High School condemned to closure based on false statistics, and there's no defense whatsoever for union support of those who helped it happen.

Worse, even the veneer of union democracy was shattered when the DA was prepared to vote against this endorsement. The fact is every member of the Unity Caucus is obliged to vote as they are told, and in fact have signed a pledge to do so. Unity Caucus members can be expelled from the caucus if they disobey, a tradition that began with Albert Shanker tossing out those who had the temerity to oppose the Vietnam war. Once that happens, it's no more trips to conventions on the union dime, and no possibility for snagging those cool union jobs and second pensions.

So when thinking chapter leaders and delegates reasonably supported Jamaica chapter leader James Eterno's request not to endorse Lancman, Mulgrew called for a second vote. The fact that a leader would instantly call for a second vote when things do not go his way is, in itself, quite a statement. In any case, thus were all the Unity 

Edu$hysters of the Week: Tim Quinn of Michigan (and the Broad Foundation, of course) « Seattle Education

Edu$hysters of the Week: Tim Quinn of Michigan (and the Broad Foundation, of course) « Seattle Education:

Edu$hysters of the Week: Tim Quinn of Michigan (and the Broad Foundation, of course)

by seattleducation2011

This is part 2 in a series on what’s going on in the great state of Michigan. What’s happening in Utica, MI happened in Seattle and just might happen in your neck of the woods if it hasn’t already.

To read Part 1, go to Introducing the Edu$hysters of the week and they all hail from the great state of Michigan.

Part 2: Edu$hyster of the Week: Tim Quinn of Michigan

Tim Quinn, center, at Broad soiree.

Although his name isn’t wildly popular or even moderately recognized, Tim Quinn has made a significant mark on Utica Community Schools. In 1997, Tim Quinn founded the Michigan Learning Institute, a private 

LAUSD - District 2 Board Candidate's Forum - Perdaily.com

LAUSD - District 2 Board Candidate's Forum - Perdaily.com:

LAUSD - District 2 Board Candidate's Forum

by Leonard Isenberg

LAUSD - District 2 Candidate's Forum

Monday, February 11, 2013

6:00-8:00pm at El Sereno Senior Citizen's Center

4818 Klamath Pl., Los Angeles, 90032                        

EDUCATION CAN'T WAIT: Meet the candidates for the March 5, 2013 election and hear them share their views. For the future of our children & their schools: Please ask questions + voice your concerns

教育不能等待 表达您关注的问题 满足候选人 2013 年 2 月 11 日 6 下午 8 下午

LA EDUCACION NO PUEDE ESPERAR: Venga a conocer a los candidates para la eleccion del 5 de marzo de 2013 y podran escuchar sus puntos de vista.  Por el futuro de nuestros hijos y de las escuelas: Por favor haga preguntas y expresa sus preocupaciones.

Invited Candidates:

Abelardo Diaz (confirmed)

Annamarie Montanez (confirmed)

Isabel Vazquez (confirmed)

Monica Garcia (confirmed)

Robert Skeels (confirmed)                                                

Scott Folsom (confirmed)

All Education Matters: Round Five: Restoring Bankruptcy Protection Rights To Student Loan Borrowers (HR 432)

All Education Matters: Round Five: Restoring Bankruptcy Protection Rights To Student Loan Borrowers (HR 432):

Round Five: Restoring Bankruptcy Protection Rights To Student Loan Borrowers (HR 432)

by Cryn Johannsen

Last Wednesday, HR 432, which would allow private loans to be discharged in bankruptcy, was introduced by Congressmen Danny Davis (D-Ill.) and Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.). This is the fifth time that that this type of legislation has been presented for passage.

As most of my readers are aware, I am in full favor in restoring bankruptcy protection rights to borrowers with private student loans. That goes with federal loans, too. However, there are valid concerns about potentially negative consequences of a bill like this passing - this is always the case when legislation is passed. The outcome can result in unforeseen problems. The most significant concern I have is the following: if the bill passes, Congress and higher education policy makers might pat themselves on and declare, "The problem is solved, so there is nothing to worry about now." That is not what we want our dear Congressmen, Congresswomen, and policy makers to conclude! Far from it.

And, as I've mentioned previously, the lenders, who are culpable - just as the U.S. government is - in creating 

Cornel West on the "shameless silence" of progressives about Obama and education reform - C-SPAN Video Library

Cornel West on the "shameless silence" of progressives about Obama and education reform - C-SPAN Video Library:

CORNEL WEST ON THE "SHAMELESS SILENCE" OF PROGRESSIVES ABOUT OBAMA AND EDUCATION REFORM

Clipped from:Tavis Smiley Presents Poverty in America
Jan 17, 2013

"PUBLIC EDUCATION IS PREDICATED ON THE NOTION YOU ARE FOCUSED ON OTHER KIDS -- YOU HAVE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT ALL CHILDREN....NOT ANY LONGER -- ALL THIS PRIVATIZING PROFIT OBSESSION, THIS PREOCCUPATION WITH THIS SHORT-TERM GAIN AS OPPOSED TO LONG-TERM INTEGRITY, IS BEING PUSHED TO THE SIDE."

3 minutes, 42 seconds | 6 views

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/clip/4322638&updatedclip

A warning to college profs from a high school teacher:

A warning to college profs from a high school teacher

Posted by Valerie Strauss on February 9, 2013 at 12:00 pm

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For more than a decade now we have heard that the high-stakes testing obsession in K-12 education that began with the enactment of No Child Left Behind 11 years ago has resulted in high school graduates who don’t think as analytically or as broadly as they should because so much emphasis has been placed on passing standardized tests. Here, an award-winning high school teacher who just retired, Kenneth Bernstein, warns college professors what they are up against. Bernstein, who lives near Washington, D.C. serves as a peer reviewer for educational journals and publishers, and he is nationally known as the blogger “teacherken.” His e-mail address is kber@earthlink.net. This appeared in Academe, the journal of the American Association of University Professors.

By Kenneth Bernstein

You are a college professor.

I have just retired as a high school teacher.

I have some bad news for you. In case you do not already see what is happening, 

Black History Month: Billie Holiday-Strange fruit- HD

Black History Month: Billie Holiday-Strange fruit

Billie Holiday Strange Fruit Lyrics

Songwriters: FROST,DAMON/PHIRI,AARON /

Southern trees bear a strange fruit,

Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,

Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,

Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Pastoral scene of the gallant south,

The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,

Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,

Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.

Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,

For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,

For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,

Here is a strange and bitter crop.

Strange Fruit lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

Common Core math blues + The emotional violence of the accountability regime: part one – @ the chalk face

Common Core math blues – @ the chalk face:

Common Core math blues

by Chris Cerrone

So parents, have you noticed that your children’s math homework is much more difficult this year?  Are you having problems helping your child?
Welcome to Common Core math.  This new education reform is permeating our children’s classrooms and the result is not pretty.  44 States and D.C. have signed on to the Common Core Standards, many for the opportunity to get the Race to the Top bribes, err, grants.
Ask any veteran teacher: there have been many educational movements that have come and gone over the years.  As time goes on these new programs fade into the background and new revolutionary ideas appear promising to improve our children’s educational outcomes. The massive undertaking of the Common Core is unprecedented in terms of widespread use and financial commitment.
So how will the Common Core affect your child?
In math look for much more difficult work.  Students may be asked to understand concepts that may not be

The emotional violence of the accountability regime: part one

by Barbara Madeloni

You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?-  Talking Heads
When I came to education later in life, I had two pictures of the work in mind. One was of conversations with students about literature—poetry, novels, stories, essays and treatises. Works I selected. Works they selected. Our own writing. I had some sense of the web of interactions and interpretations that would connect and challenge us. The other thought was that these conversations would grow for each of us and us together a possibility for community, for action, for democracy.
As a high school English teacher I had five rules in my classroom: speak up, listen, speak true to yourself, no on goes it alone, and imagine the life of others. It was my sense that we were creating and discovering new ways of being with each other and with the texts we encountered and created. As a teacher educator who was given the

Press release from @unitedoptout, share widely #optout

by Chalk Face, PhD

Occupy DOE 2.0 Press Release FINAL PDF: Click that link to download it.

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Times Just Can't Stop

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Times Just Can't Stop:

The Times Just Can't Stop

by Melissa Westbrook

Honestly, I just don't get the Times.  So now they have trotted out an op-ed against BOTH levies (and, gotten the name of the pro-levy supporter, Greg Wong -not Wang - wrong to boot). 

It's yet another person who is late to this party of "accountability" and yet this guy even casts a bigger swath.  And he's a public school parent who wants both levies to fail.

I understand his unhappiness but failing the Operations levy won't change that.  In fact, if he wants to see our district fall to its knees, let the Operations levy fail.  He gives NO solutions to what might happen after that 

Engaging Parents In School… » This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter

Engaging Parents In School… » This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter:

This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter

by Larry Ferlazzo

Guest Post by Joe Mazza

When: Wed., 2/13/13 – 9PM EDT/6PST

Image credit: http://edtechvision.org/

Oftentimes parents don’t ask questions about supporting academic initiatives in our schools because we haven’t provided them enough information on the who, what, when, where, how. It’s up to teachers and leaders to go the extra mile to engage them and show them how to support our work in the classroom.
During this week’s Parent-Teacher Chat (#ptchat) on Twitter, we’ll create a working Google doc glossary of terms for parents. Earlier this week, Washington Post ed writer Emma Browm posted “What the heck is your teacher talking about? Here’s a glossary.” Terms discussed in her informative post include self-regulation, scaffolding, play-based learning, authentic assessment, DIBELS, positive behavior interventions and supports, inclusion, Kagan structures and differentiated instruction. 
We’ll use Ms. Brown’s article as a starting point for our one hour discussion. Please join us as together we’ll create a working document applicable for your next school/classroom newsletter.
Join us Wednesday at 9PM EDT/6PST. If you not Twitter, you can still experience the conversation by visiting Tweetchat at the time of the chat.

Black History Month Not Universally Supported - Higher Education

Black History Month Not Universally Supported - Higher Education:

Black History Month Not Universally Supported

by cmaadmin

Shukree Tilghman is among those calling for an end to Black History Month.

One scene in a CBS “60 Minutes” profile of Morgan Freeman that was broadcast several years ago garnered a lot of attention.
“Black History Month you find …?” the interviewer Mike Wallace began.
“Ridiculous,” said Freeman. “You going to relegate my history to a month?”
Then the veteran actor turned the tables on his interviewer:
“Which month is White History Month?”
“I’m Jewish,” Wallace said quickly.
“Which month is Jewish History Month?” rebutted Freeman. “You want one?”
“No.”
“I don’t either.”
That exchange made an impression on millions of people, including an aspiring African-American filmmaker by the name of Shukree Tilghman, who would later earn an MFA in screenwriting from Columbia University. A year 

For Immediate Release: Occupy the U.S. Dept. of Ed. 2.0 | United Opt Out National

For Immediate Release: Occupy the U.S. Dept. of Ed. 2.0 | United Opt Out National:

For Immediate Release: Occupy the U.S. Dept. of Ed. 2.0

by admin

Contact: United Opt Out National                         FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Email:  unitedoptoutnational@gmail.com

Website: http://unitedoptout.com

OCCUPY THE US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 2.0

The Battle for Public Schools

Administrators of the public education advocacy group UNITED OPT OUT NATIONAL are hosting the second annual event on the grounds of the US Department of Education in Washington, DC on April 4-7, 2013. We ask all of those in support of teachers, students and public schools to attend. The third day will include an organized march to the White House.

The event is a four-day gathering of progressive education activists endeavoring to resist the destructive influences of corporate and for-profit education reforms, which began in previous administrations and persist with the current one. We cannot and will not stand silent as the threats to dismantle our system of public education continue. These threats include the erosion of the teaching profession, excessive use of standardized testing, mandated scripted curriculum, the absolute disregard of child poverty, and reforms which disproportionately impact minority communities.

We ask that you join us, stand tall, and meet your responsibility as citizens to be heard above the din corporate influence. You will have the opportunity to hear speakers and converse with public school advocates from across the country, including Diane Ravitch, Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, Stephen Krashen, Brian Jones, Deborah Meier, and many other students, teachers, and community members (visit the link below for full schedule details[1]).

Do not miss this free and unique opportunity to connect with like-minded public school advocates. Come gather information and strategies that can be used to fight corporate education reform in your own community. Join us and make your voice heard.

If you require more information about the event, or to schedule interviews with the Administrators of United Opt Out National, please contact Peggy Robertson at (720)810-5593 or via email writepeg@juno.com.  Download a print version of this press release here.

---

[1] Occupy2.0 Full Schedule: http://unitedoptout.com/the-official-schedule-for-occupy-doe-2-0-the-battle-for-public-schools/

Overcoming arrogance and obstruction – one story at a time | Reclaim Reform

Overcoming arrogance and obstruction – one story at a time | Reclaim Reform:

Overcoming arrogance and obstruction – one story at a time

by kenpreviti

What does it take to overcome arrogant responses and obstructions when all we want is justice for our public schools, students, teachers and retirees with their pensions.

Here is just one story and commentary of educational courage published in the Answer Sheet of the Washington Post. HERE.
Excerpt: Sam’s story also teaches us that we must stand together. While