Louisiana Educator: 10 Education Forum Questions for Legislators

Louisiana Educator: 10 Education Forum Questions for Legislators:

10 Education Forum Questions for Legislators

by Michael Deshotels

The 10 questions below reveal serious problems with our education system that should be discussed at the upcoming education forums. These problems are the responsibility of our state legislators to correct. If they are not corrected, thousands of children will continue to receive a substandard education at the hands of incompetent amateur educators at our State Department of Education and in the Recovery School District. Also, if they fail to correct the  problems created by the new unreliable and erratic teacher evaluation system, they will be responsible for the continued loss of many of our excellent teachers to early retirement or to other states.

10 Education Forum Questions for Legislators

1. The State Dept. of Education has been allowed to take over low performing schools from local school boards for more than 6 years. Out of 73 schools now run by the DOE, 45 or 62% are rated as “F” and another 18 or 25% are rated as “D”. All of the State run schools in the Baton Rouge area, Pointe Coupee, St Helena and Caddo are rated as “F”. All of the charter schools authorized by the State in these areas are complete failures. Why does 

MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 2-17-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

Support Glenda Ritz

by dianerav

Glenda Ritz walloped uber-reformer Tony Bennett in the race for State Superintendent of Indiana schools.
Now the Indiana state board of education is trying to strip her of all powers, thus nullifying her election and the will of the voters. The board wants to protect Bennett’s efforts to privatize public education and to lower standards for teachers and principals.
Please sign this petition to support Glenda. Always be careful on change.org website. Do not sign other petitions 

Former Texas State Commissioner Blasts Pressure to Adopt Common Core

by dianerav

Robert Scott, who recently stepped down as State Commissioner of Education in Texas, told Georgia legislators that he was pressured to adopt the Common Core standards before they were written.
He said, in the video that appears in the linked article:
“My experience with the Common Core actually started when I was asked to sign on to them before they were written. … I was told I needed to sign a letter agreeing to the Common Core, and I asked if I 

Mercedes Schneider: More on the NCTQ board

by dianerav

The National Council on Teacher Quality holds an important position in the public arena, passing judgment on the quality of teacher education programs across the nation.
Mercedes Schneider, who holds a Ph.D. In statistics and research methods, is reviewing the board of NCTQ to determine its qualification to do its job. Among its members are Michelle Rhee, Wendy Kopp, Joel Klein, and quite a few more. How many have classroom experience? How many understand how teachers are or should be prepared?

A Request for Help: Can You Design a Website?

by dianerav

Do you want to help support those who are supporting public education against the corporate onslaught?
A new group is forming to lead the resistance and is looking for a website designer.
Needless to say, it has no money.
If you have the skills, here is a chance to volunteer.
Please contact Anthony Cody at anthony_cody@hotmail.com

How to Stop Destructive Legislation

by dianerav

A reader in Florida gives the answer to this important question: how do we stop the tidal wave of bad legislation?
The problem is with who we send to represent us in Tallahassee!
There is no longer a Teapublican supermajority to bulldoze terrible legislation through the Florida House and Senate.
The FEA, wuth the help of other Labor and Parent groups blocked bad leguslation last year, and will have to do 

Return of The Zombie Film “Won’t Back Down”

by dianerav

The anti-teacher, anti-public school movie “Won’t Back Down” was released into 2,500 movie theaters (owned by its producer Walden Media) and died a quick and ignominious death. Despite massive advance publicity at NBC’s “Education Nation” and a CBS promotion, despite Michelle Rhee hosting screenings at both national political conventions, despite attention on the “Ellen” show, the film had one of the worst opening weekends in recent history. The critics ridiculed it, and within four weeks, the film had disappeared.
It became a dead film, but it lives on as a zombie film. Its producers Philip Anschutz and Rupert Murdoch never expected to make money. They are billionaires, and they didn’t care about the box office receipts. They wanted 

Incoherent L.A. Times Editorial Okays Sale of School Board

by dianerav

If you can make sense of this editorial in the Los Angeles Times, you are a whole lot smarter than me. It speaks disparagingly of the board president, then endorses her.
It chastises the school board for failing to exercise oversight of the city’s booming charter sector, but then rejects Steve Zimmer, the only school board member who had the courage to propose responsible supervision of the charter sector. The Times is flabbergasted that Zimmer called for a moratorium on new charters until the board developed a policy for determining whether they were meeting their obligations to students and the public. L.A. already has more charters than any other city in the nation, so it would hardly have been a burden to delay 

If You Watch Oprah’s Show About New Orleans…..

by dianerav

A teacher in New Orleans writes:
Oprah’s documentary series about John McDonogh High School in New Orleans was moved to tonight @ 8p Central Time, in order to follow Beyonce’s show.
Please comment on Oprah’s page, if you find that her show does not accurately tell the whole story, and if your perspective on the history of the school is different. I personally find the preview to be highly stereotypical about New Orleans, it’s mostly black unionized teachers (pre-charter), black students, the need for white savior charter operators and TFA teachers. In my 3+ years as a teacher at this school and English Department Chair, I never 

Diane in the Evening 2-16-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: Mother Crusader Finds Another Smelly Charter Deal in New Jersey by dianerav Mother Crusader has done another smashing job of research, showing how one smart person can accomplish the job of an investigative reporter. Charter advocates like to say they are responding to popular demand for choice, but in Paterson, New Jersey, ther was no popular demand. A charter with no roots in the community and no input community was Ed down by Chris Cerf. A pattern, she says, is emerging. Governor Christie drops in charters where he gets no votes but leaves his solid Rep... more »

Education in the Age of Globalization » Blog Archive » Global Education Leadership: A Graduate Program for Educators and Education Leaders in the Age of Globalization

Education in the Age of Globalization » Blog Archive » Global Education Leadership: A Graduate Program for Educators and Education Leaders in the Age of Globalization:

Global Education Leadership: A Graduate Program for Educators and Education Leaders in the Age of Globalization

by YongZhao

In my latest book World Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students, I list a globalized campus as the context for cultivating globally competent creator and entrepreneurs. The idea is to use technology to bring global education resources to schools to personalize education, to engage students on a daily basis in collaborative learning with global partners, and to enable teachers and students to create authentic works for others around the global. A globalized campus requires globally competent and connected education leaders and teachers and a global network of educational institutions. In order to help prepare such leaders and educators, I have been working with colleagues at the University of Oregon on developing a graduate program and courses, as well as a technology platform that enables global educational exchanges. The platform is called OBA. I will describe it in another post but you can find more 

Daily Kos: Thinking about schools - something to share

Daily Kos: Thinking about schools - something to share:

Thinking about schools - something to share

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

that I encountered because Diane Ravitch wrote about it. Jere Hochman is the Superintendent of Schools for the Bedford Central School District in Westchester County, just north of New York City.  He has recent piece on his personal blog, Thinking About Schools, titled 10 Executive Actions "To our posterity" that is in the form of a letter to President Obama about things he can do to make a difference, a real difference, in the lives of our young people.
Hochman's post very much caught my attention, so I asked him for permission to cross-posted it here an perhaps add some commentary of my own.  In giving me permission, he told me he often reads my posts here or sees them on Twitter, where he writes as @jhstl -  and I would suggest that if you, like me, care about good thinking on public education, you might want to follow him, as I now do.
I suggest you continue below the cheese-doodle to see what he posted, which by itself is worth your time.  I will offer a few thoughts of my own as well.

Schools Matter: Nineteen NY Legislators Protest Unproven and Damaging Teacher Evaluation Scheme

Schools Matter: Nineteen NY Legislators Protest Unproven and Damaging Teacher Evaluation Scheme:

Nineteen NY Legislators Protest Unproven and Damaging Teacher Evaluation Scheme

by Jim Horn

A clip from a post at Ed in the Apple:

. . . The testing system is deeply flawed.

“Testing and education experts have expressed serious concerns about the validity of the model, pointing to the inability of this methodology to identify the most effective teachers. As an Economic Policy Institute briefing paper mentions, one study found that across five large urban districts, among teachers rated in the top 20% of effectiveness in the first year, less than a third were in the highest rated group the following year, and another third moved all the way down to the bottom 40%.”

Nineteen legislators signed a letter to Governor Cuomo asking that he support legislation to turn the Principal/Teacher Evaluation law into a 3-year pilot program:

The unintended consequences of this model extend beyond the teaching profession. This model creates 

H.R.455: High School Data Transparency Act of 2013 - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

H.R.455: High School Data Transparency Act of 2013 - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress:

R.455 - High School Data Transparency Act of 2013

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct certain coeducational elementary and secondary schools to make available information on equality in school athletic programs, and for other purposes. view all titles (2)

• Overview
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Bill's Views

• Today:5
• Past Seven Days:25
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Introduced

House Passes

Senate Passes

President Signs

02/03/13

Official Bill TextComment on about 9 Pages

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Representative

Louise Slaughter

D-NY

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• Women's education
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Data via Congressional Research ServiceView all Issues (7 more)

Schools Matter: Mark Your Calendars--Occupy the U. S. Department of Education 2.0

Schools Matter: Mark Your Calendars--Occupy the U. S. Department of Education 2.0:

Mark Your Calendars--Occupy the U. S. Department of Education 2.0

by Jim Horn

From Peggy Robertson, with this note: 

"First. . . please let students know that we have free sleeping available should they need it - it would be most helpful if they would let me know personally so that I have a head count. Second - please let everyone know this is a LEGAL occupation. We have permits for everything and the Dept. of Ed. knows we are coming :)."

Contact: United Opt Out National FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Email: unitedoptoutnational@gmail.comWebsite: 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). 

www.unitedoptout.com

www.pegwithpen.com

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. 

Blue Jersey:: Paterson Collegiate Charter School Approved. What Now?

Blue Jersey:: Paterson Collegiate Charter School Approved. What Now?:

Paterson Collegiate Charter School Approved. What Now? by: Mother Crusader Sat Feb 16, 2013 at 06:36:49 PM EST

promoted by Rosi  Yesterday Education Commissioner Cerf approved two new charters for New Jersey. Both will be located in Paterson, where as Jersey Jazzman has reported, some serious reformyness seems to be underway. One of the applications approved, Paterson Collegiate Charter School, is founded by Boston native Steven Wilson who is also the president and founder of a Charter Management Organization (CMO) called Ascend, based in Brooklyn. Ascend licenses their educational materials from Sabis Educational Systems, which originated in Beirut, Lebanon and conducts US operations out of Eden Prairie, MN.  Clearly, this school will have deep roots in Paterson.

Mother Crusader :: Paterson Collegiate Charter School Approved. What Now?

Both Wilson and Sabis have had long histories of failure running charter schools across the country, but of course this is not mentioned in the application to the state. Wilson was removed as CEO of his first for-profit CMO, Advantage, and the chain of charters was bought out by another CMO. His new CMO is set up as a non-profit, so Wilson can take advantage of New Markets tax

Good to highlight this perspective from a #TFA un-supporter… – @ the chalk face

Good to highlight this perspective from a #TFA un-supporter… – @ the chalk face:

Sundays at 6PM on Blog Talk Radio

Good to highlight this perspective from a #TFA un-supporter…

by Chalk Face, PhD

But, I have to say, one can now be a hero for both JOINING  TFA and for REJECTING it? Amazing. Us educators don’t have a chance.
Bravo [slow clap]

Jumping on the #whatido meme, if that’s what it is, the #education #reformer

by Chalk Face, PhD

I think it speaks for itself.

Account of a trans man’s experiences as a high school teacher, via buzzfeed

by Chalk Face, PhD

Account of a trans man’s experiences as a high school teacher, via buzzfeed
Consider reading it. Interesting.

Even #progressive media can’t report #education in helpful ways, @maddow

by Chalk Face, PhD

I listened to this segment on satellite radio the other night. Rachel Maddow was talking the President’s pre-K plan. Here’s more about it from the Maddow Blog. At this point, I can’t even discern who the guest was on the show, some dude. He was clearly an economist. He did some study on the benefits of Pre-K as a worthwhile “investment.” I don’t necessarily disagree with that point. But Maddow pressed him a couple of times on how or why certain Pre-K programs were of better “quality.” He just couldn’t answer her question. He kept talking about 

Back to the Future: High School Graduation Rates | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Back to the Future: High School Graduation Rates | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

Back to the Future: High School Graduation Rates

by larrycuban

Yes, the rate for U.S. students graduating high school reached 78 percent in 2010, the highest since 1970. And furthermore, dropout rates has fallen to three percent,  its lowest since that year. Have you heard any bells chiming the good news? Any upbeat news flashes interrupting CNN anchors? Where are the bloggers posts of U.S. schools finally turning around and on the upswing refuting those school reform Cassandras’ constant talk of failing U.S. schools? I have not heard any bells chiming, seen any news flashes, or read such posts. Isn’t this good news? Sure, it is but bad news accompanies it as well.
Here is some history on U.S. graduation rates. Not  until the 1930s, did getting a high school diploma seem within reach of most U.S. teenagers (13-17 years of age). During the Great Depression, for the first time over half of 13-17 year olds attended high school. WW II interrupted that