Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, May 13, 2013

UPDATE: What If “Reformers”... + Free propaganda gallery – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

Free @thechalkface propaganda gallery – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER:



What If “Reformers” Adopted a Positive Agenda?

John Legend introduced PBS’s first education TED talk with the promise that it would not play the blame game. The great presentations that followed raise the question of what could be accomplished if we all obeyed that policy, stopped pointing fingers, and promoted “win win” methods of school improvement. This post will show that even […]



What If School “Reformers” Kept Up Their Best Behavior?

John Legend introduced PBS’s first education TED talk with the promise that it would not play the blame game. The great presentations that followed raise the question of what could be accomplished if we all obeyed that policy, stopped pointing fingers, and promoted “win win” methods of school improvement. This post will show that even […]


Free @thechalkface propaganda gallery

Hopes, Fears, & Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2012 | Center on Reinventing Public Education

Hopes, Fears, & Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2012 | Center on Reinventing Public Education:






Hopes, Fears, & Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2012
MAY 2013
One of the main goals of the charter school movement at its founding was to provide new school options for families that wanted and needed them. Another was to foster innovation, for charter schools themselves and traditional public schools around them. Are charters living up to those promises?
Edited by Robin Lake, the 7th edition of Hopes, Fears, & Reality focuses on growth and innovation and presses charter leaders to consider whether they are fully using their flexibility and autonomy on behalf of students. Experts assess the national landscape and provide possible guidance for the charter sector in light of the demand for better schools, impending Common Core standards, and tight budgets:
  • Jeffrey Henig, a political scientist at Columbia University, explores whether charter schools, long a primarily urban endeavor, are likely to proliferate in suburban areas, and whether such growth would diminish the sector’s historical focus on equity for disadvantaged students or, perhaps, enhance it.
  • Ethan Gray, who directs the Cities for Education Entrepreneurship Trust, argues that cities cannot wait for established and successful charter school networks to build schools in their area. Instead, he writes, cities can and should expand opportunities for children by incubating charter schools on their own.
  • Michael Horn, director of the Christensen Institute, explains that while many charter schools have succeeded in helping students, they have done so with an educational model that differs only at the margins from traditional schools. Only now, and only in small numbers, he writes, are charters beginning to experiment with blended learning, an innovative way to deliver instruction more efficiently and effectively, in part through technology.
  • Suzanne Simburg and Marguerite Roza, fiscal analysts at the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University, lay out the cost savings possible if blended learning were adopted by all U.S. public elementary schools, not just charter schools. According to the authors, such a fundamental reorganization of the way teachers and class time are used could save $10 billion total in labor costs that districts could invest in other uses.
Suburban charter schools, online instruction, and cities getting into the charter school creation business are controversial topics. But as the sector continues to grow steadily—about 6,000 charter schools now educate more than 2 million U.S. schoolchildren—and as budgets remain tight, it is crucial that charter leaders, funders, policymakers, and educators think expansively about how to best serve students. This year’s edition of Hopes, Fears, & Reality offers provocative new ways to think about the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Publication Chapters

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, May 13, 2013

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:





Education Headlines

Monday, May 13, 2013

Azusa Unified board airs concerns over Rosedale development school

Before the housing bubble that led to the Great Recession and crippled construction, the fanfare of the Rosedale development wooed many interested buyers. One of the biggest selling points of the 1,250-home master-planned community was a brand-new school built specifically for the development.

Gaps appear present in 2nd set of Alisal USD credit card documents

A second set of Alisal Union School District Visa credit card statements, receipts and documents delivered Friday appears to pose more questions than they answer.

Contract talks continue with choice for Twin Rivers

Contract negotiations continue between a consulting company hired by the Twin Rivers Unified School District and Steve Martinez, whom the board selected to be the next superintendent, according to district officials.

San Juan trustees will revisit complaints about superintendent

The San Juan Unified school board on Tuesday will privately discuss employee complaints that Superintendent Glynn Thompson created a hostile work environment for some female administrators, according to district officials.

Details of severance fail to materialize

Promised details of a severance package for ousted San Ysidro School District Superintendent Manuel Paul did not materialize at the school board meeting Thursday in San Ysidro.

Sweetwater is underwater on land deal

What began eight years ago as a deal to develop a new administration complex for Sweetwater schools has cost the district $40 million, with no new district headquarters in sight.

MORENO VALLEY: Schools aim to boost graduation rates

Increasing high school graduation rates takes efforts on many fronts, say Moreno Valley educators, who are making it a priority.

Arroyo High School principal wrongly accuses student of bullying a peer at anti-bullying assembly

A freshman attending an anti-bullying assembly at Arroyo High School last week was wrongly accused by the principal of being a cyberbully in front of more than 400 peers.

Parents want Martinez school district to reduce pesticide use

A group of concerned parents is urging the Martinez Unified School District to limit the use of potentially harmful pesticides on landscaping and inside classrooms.

Some Santa Rosa schools explore alternatives to student suspensions

A confrontation between father and son was not a private talk behind closed doors but an exchange in front of an audience of school administrators, teachers and strangers who agreed to participate in a restorative justice conference with the boy who was on the brink of expulsion from high schoo

LAUSD letters warned Wilmington teacher to stop touching students

A former Wilmington teacher accused of molesting 11 students was warned in writing by his elementary school principal to "keep his hands off students," a prosecutor said in court Friday.

LAUSD fighting for zero-tolerance on teacher cheating

The school district says a decision by a state panel — determining there was test-score cheating but the teacher shouldn't be fired — sends the wrong message.

The LAUSD misconduct files, teacher by teacher

In a series of interviews, Superintendent John Deasy chronicled the cases of classroom employees in Los Angeles Unified fired for misconduct over the last 15 months.

LAUSD cracks down on teacher misconduct; 100 fired, 200 resign, 300 'housed'

Under the zero-tolerance policy that Superintendent John Deasy enacted after the Miramonte Elementary sex-abuse scandal erupted in February 2012, the school board has voted to dismiss more than 100 teachers for misconduct, and accepted the resignations of at least 200 others who were about to be terminated. Nearly 300 additional teachers accused of inappropriate behavior remain "housed" in administrative offices while officials investigate the complaints.

Schwartz: You reach more kids when you use the arts to teach

It’s ironic that many of us adults have come to view the performing arts as an inefficient use of class time. The California State Standards actually call for their implementation, and point to their importance in providing a balanced curriculum.

Limerick Elementary makes Breakfast in Classroom program a success

Five months after signing on to Los Angeles Unified's new Breakfast in the Classroom, the staff and students at Limerick Avenue Elementary School have it down to a science.

LAUSD board could ban suspensions for 'willful defiance'

Backers of the resolution say "zero tolerance'"is harming kids. "Instead of punishing students, we're going to engage them," says one supporter.

Funding formulas a top budget issue

After years of cuts, state finances have brightened significantly thanks to voters’ passage of Prop. 30 last fall and the improving economy. Gov. Jerry Brown’s January budget proposal would increase funding for schools by $15.3 billion over seven years while, administration officials contend, simplifying the state’s school-funding system and funneling additional money to poor and English-learning students. Lawmakers and other officials, though, have said they are concerned that some individual schools or districts will lose out.

Walters: Love could kill Jerry Brown's school plan

Dozens of school finance players, including Gov. Jerry Brown's fellow Democrats in the Legislature, have expressed conceptual support for Brown's plan. However, they attach caveats that their full support would depend on his accepting some changes. The net effect of all those demands, if granted, could be to leave the present system – one that no one defends – largely intact.

Fensterwald: Lower-income districts would benefit from 55 percent parcel tax threshold, study suggests

Only about one in eight school districts in California have passed a parcel tax, and they predominantly have been wealthier and smaller districts. But if the threshold for passing a parcel tax were dropped from a two-thirds majority to 55 percent, an EdSource analysis suggests more districts with larger enrollments of low-income students would pass them.

Villaraigosa-backed school board candidate leads money race

The money race among two remaining candidates for the Los Angeles Board of Education is competitive, but outside spending has skewed resources decidedly toward the one backed by L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Friday, May 10, 2013

Protest over superintendent leads to another sickout at Waverly School

Roughly one-third of Waverly Elementary School students called in sick on Thursday as part of yet another protest waged against Linden Unified School District by a group of frustrated parents.

Linden board accused of inaction

A Stockton labor law attorney says Linden Unified School District trustees have failed to act on an independent law firm's findings that Superintendent Michael Gonzales sexually harassed an elementary school principal.

Arroyo Grande High principal to be Lucia Mar's new assistant superintendent

Tom Butler, currently principal at Arroyo Grande High School, has been appointed the Lucia Mar school district's new assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction starting in the fall.

UPDATE: The in box + Chicago on the March next weekend, May 18th and 19th. Big rally on the 20th. No school closings. | Fred Klonsky

Chicago on the March next weekend, May 18th and 19th. Big rally on the 20th. No school closings. | Fred Klonsky:


Glen Brown responds to Haisman. You didn’t know what to tell a legislator what we’re for? Here’s what we’re for.

Glen Brown:
“I think the constant saying NO was the danger Fred. Legislators have been saying to me for three and half years ….’ Ok …..OK — I get it you don’t like ‘This New Bill_______ ‘(fill in the number) but Bob give us something to Vote FOR! Offer a union counter to the Pension Killers! I can’t just keep on voting No!”  -Bob Haisman.
Here is the conversation we should be having; here is something to consider and “vote for”:
These are solutions for the state’s “debt” and “revenue” problems:
• The current “Pension Ramp” does not work for the five public pension systems. The “Ramp” entails larger 


The in box. Bad bargaining.

Fred
As a recently retired individual who has ten years before Medicare kicks in, the health insurance/two-year COLA freeze is, for me, a false choice. I long ago quit searching for “fair” in life, but I see little logic in comparing my choices with those of someone who is currently employed. If I had known two years ago what lay ahead, I would not have given up my teaching position. But 


Chicago on the March next weekend, May 18th and 19th. Big rally on the 20th. No school closings.

Popout.
From the CTU:
BY STEPHANIE GADLIN – CTU COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR 
Mayor Rahm Emanuel continues his assault on working-class people under the guise of education reform.
CHICAGO – As the city braces itself for the largest assault on public education in the country, thousands of parents, students, teachers, clergy, citizens and community leaders are preparing for a “long march” against school closings on May 18, 19 and 20. Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) President Karen Lewis said the non-violent demonstration is necessary because “we have a mayor who refuses to listen to reason, research and logic,” in his campaign to destroy 54 school communities which will impact about 50,000 children.
The 30-plus mile march is themed, “Our City. Our Schools. Our Voice,” and will include simultaneous routes from the West and South sides of the city. Protestors intend to walk each day past many of the 54 school communities slated for closure and their efforts will culminate in a mass demonstration downtown. It is sponsored by the CTU, the Grassroots Education Movement, SEIU Local 1, Unite Here Local 1 and Chicago PEACE, an interdenominational coalition of clergy leaders from across the city. Donations are pouring in from across the country.
Click here to sign up for this historic march against CPS school closings. 
“Despite the testimony of thousands of parents, teachers and people who work and live in the school communities impacted, Rahm Emanuel is dedicated to entering the history books as having destroyed the most public schools in one year than anyone,” Lewis said. “He refuses to listen to independent hearing officers, law enforcement officials, educators, researchers, parents and the students themselves. We have no choice but to use the power of organizing and direct action to engage in what will be a long fight to restore sanity to our school district.”
The march kicks off at 10:00 a.m. on May 18 on the South Side at Jesse Owens Elementary School, 12450 S. State St., and on the near West Side at Jean de Lafayette Elementary School, 2714 W. Augusta Blvd.
“School closings hurt children academically and the mayor’s plan will also put thousands of students’ safety at risk and many public school employees may lose their jobs,” Lewis said. “We must do whatever is necessary to stop this assault on the working class and the poor. Instead of just getting angry we must organize. Tell Emanuel, the Board, the school CEO and their corporate sponsors that this is our city, these are our schools and we will use our voice to fight for justice.”
Independent hearing officers reviewed the Chicago Public Schools’ list of 54 slated closings and have recommended removing 14 from the list saying those schools don’t meet the state standards and are in violation of the law. The mayor’s hand-picked Chicago Board of Education will vote on the issue on Wednesday, May 22. Shortly thereafter, a massive voter registration drive will commence throughout the city.

Connected Community — Whole Child Education

Connected Community — Whole Child Education:


Walter McKenzie

Connected Community

The hallmark of this brave new Information Age is the interconnectedness of everything: ideas, information, and people. Relationships are key. It's no longer what you know or how much you know ... it's who you know and how to connect with them. Interactions are more immediate, fluid, and dynamic.
On an individual basis it is happening as I write. But what about on an institutional scale? Don't we eventually have to affect change in our public institutions so that they will morph from their successful Industrial Age mindset to this new way of living and working? This is the biggest challenge of making the shift: finding institutional incentive for becoming more interconnected, agile, and responsive.
Public education is a prime example. In the Industrial Age, education established itself by putting in place very deliberate policies and practices that require anyone engaging with the institution to meet established requirements, complete specified forms and tests, and move through its programs and services in prescribed, sequential steps. It is very hard to affect change in this kind of bureaucracy.
The implications go beyond the internal workings of public education 1.0. The way public schools interact with other community agencies is also slow and cumbersome. By traditional definition, the mission of public education is effective instruction. Period. Physical, mental, social and emotional health are acknowledged as peripheral variables that can aid or interfere with that mission, but they are not an explicit components of what schools do. In education 2.0, this is changing.
To successfully prepare students for their future, schools today have to be interconnected with other public institutions that can help them meet all the needs of each student ... not just intellectual growth but personal, 

Common-Core Pushback to the Pushback: Who Has the Political Mojo? - State EdWatch - Education Week

Common-Core Pushback to the Pushback: Who Has the Political Mojo? - State EdWatch - Education Week:


Common-Core Pushback to the Pushback: Who Has the Political Mojo?

The political battle over the Common Core State Standards is heating up, both at the state level and in broader debates at the national level, and at least some supporters of the standards appear to be taking notice that the ride may get very bumpy, at least politically. One supporter who summed up such fears was Andrew Rotherham, the co-founder of Bellwether Education Partners, a K-12 consulting firm. He said that common-core advocates who issued simple dismissals of concerns or criticisms about the standards' path ahead were exhibiting a disconcerting "view from the Green Zone." This is a reference to the international zone in Baghdad that was the heart of the American presence in Iraq following the U.S. invasion in 2003, and it's not a flattering one.
Opponents of the common core are smelling blood in the water and are trying various methods to diversify their portfolio of attacks. On May 2, several anti-common-core groups and individuals held a "Twitter rally" to #stopcommoncore, and afterwards provided an analysis of anti-common-core tweets from the rally. The stats, provided to me by Jamie Gass of the Pioneer Institute, showed that the rally produced 14,970 uses of the 

How To Teach History | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

How To Teach History | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:


How To Teach History

Here is how a journalist described a class she watched a few months ago in a Northern California high school.
In the 1986 comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Ben Stein famously plays a high school teacher who drones on about the 1930 Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act while his students slump at their desks in a collective stupor. For many kids, that’s history: an endless catalog of disconnected dates and names, passed down like scripture from the state textbook, seldom questioned and quickly forgotten.
Now take a seat inside Will Colglazier’s classroom at Aragon High School in San Mateo. The student population here is fairly typical for the Bay Area: about 30 percent Latino, 30 percent Asian and 40 percent white. The subject matter is standard 11th grade stuff: What caused the Great American Dust Bowl?
Tapping on his laptop, Colglazier shows the class striking black-and-white images of the choking storms that consumed the Plains states in the 1930s. Then he does something unusual. Instead of following a lesson plan out of the textbook, he passes out copies of a 1935 letter, written by one Caroline Henderson 

Monty Neill: Building a Successful Test Reform Movement - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Monty Neill: Building a Successful Test Reform Movement - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:


Monty Neill: Building a Successful Test Reform Movement

Guest post by Monty Neill.
Part one of three.
We are in the midst of rising resistance to high-stakes testing in the public schools. We have seen parents, students and teachers engaged in boycotts and opting out, demonstrations, forums and town halls, petitions and resolutions. Mainstream media has taken notice of the growing movement. Numerous articles about the Atlanta cheating scandal have recognized how high-stakes testing caused the cheating and how test-focused education cheats children out of a good education. Some elections and policymaker actions also reflect growing movement clout.
This flowering of resistance raises an essential question: How can this burgeoning struggle gain the political power to end the status quo of test and punish? In this three-part series, I offer concrete steps toward building stronger, more effective reform campaigns. I hope they will foster robust discussion and help our movement grow