Sequester Cuts Gut Schools Serving Neediest Students - High School Notes (usnews.com)

Sequester Cuts Gut Schools Serving Neediest Students - High School Notes (usnews.com):

Sequester Cuts Gut Schools Serving Neediest Students

By KELSEY SHEEHY

May 28, 2013 RSS Feed Print

Schools near military bases and Indian reservations lost millions in federal funding when the sequester took effect on March 1.

Long lines and frustrated passengers helped the Federal Aviation Administration skirt major cuts from the so-called fiscal cliff, but public schools have not been so lucky.

Districts across the country are trying desperately to plug the holes in their budgets left by sequestration – a package of mandatory spending cuts that kicked in March 1.

While cuts were billed as across-the-board, some high schools are being pinched harder – and sooner – than others. Schools near military bases and Indian reservations, and those serving large numbers of low-income students, have been hit hardest.

"We're at bare bones now," says Roy Nelson, a school board member in 

 

Missouri Education Watchdog: Can Teachers Really Be Creative and Innovative when Teaching to the Test? Do They Really Have that Much Magic?

Missouri Education Watchdog: Can Teachers Really Be Creative and Innovative when Teaching to the Test? Do They Really Have that Much Magic?:

Can Teachers Really Be Creative and Innovative when Teaching to the Test? Do They Really Have that Much Magic?

by stlgretchen

The video of Ellie Rubenstein, a Highland Park School District (Lincoln Elementary School)  teacher who resigned because of the increased time taken on standardized testing, has created new debate on the role of teachers.  Rubenstein offers her statement on what it's like to teach today in the classroom.  From theDaily Mail:

The former teacher says: 'Raising students' test scores on standardized tests is now the only goal, and in order to achieve it the creativity, flexibility and spontaneity that create authentic learning environments have been eliminated.

'Everything I love about teaching is extinct,' she continued.

'...over the past 15 years, I've experienced the depressing, gradual downfall and misdirection of communication that has slowly eaten away at my love of teaching.

MORNING UPDATE LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-28-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

Pelto: It Is Never Too Soon to Prepare Little Children for College

by dianerav

Jonathan Pelto here follows up on his report about the high rate of suspensions of children in kindergarten.
The clincher is the closing lines, where the regional superintendent of Achievement First explains why so many children are suspended:
“The most telling remark came from Marc Michaelson, who works as the regional superintendent for 

Yertle the Turtle and the Common Core

by dianerav

This post reminds us that literature speaks to us about life in ways that informational text can never do. That is why a story like Yertle the Turtle resonates with us long after we first read it and long after the informational text has been forgotten.
The post is about a kindergarten teacher. He is worried about how the Common Core will affect the children with the greatest needs.

Teaching in a World of Noise, Disruption, and Distraction

by dianerav

High school teacher Frank Breslin explains how the constant distractions of our society undermine students’ ability to concentrate or even pay attention to what happens in school.
Breslin reminds me of Diana Senechal’s wonderful book “The Republic of Noise.” If you haven’t read it, you should.
Breslin writes:
“A factor over which teachers have no control and that plays an enormous role in making it hard for children to learn is the restlessness of American society itself, its lack of self-discipline, its inability to sit still, its constant 

Please Attend the Skinny Awards in NYC

by dianerav

If you are within driving distance of New York City, please come to the Skinny Awards.
I will be there, along with many other friends of public education.
The Skinny Awards are the opposite of the Broad Awards, which are given to urban districts and charter schools that raise test scores. The Skinny Awards recognize character, courage, valor, and integrity in support of sound education ideas.
Leonie Haimson is the genius behind the Skinny Awards.
Benefits go to Class Size Matters, which advocates for reduced class size, opposes invasion of student privacy, and supports teachers and public schools. Leonie runs Class Size Matters on something less than a shoestring.
Here is the announcement:
Please attend our Fifth annual “Skinny Awards” Class Size Matters fundraiser
And enjoy a four-course dinner with wine
When: Tuesday June 18 at 6 PM
Where: FAGIOLINI ON 40TH, 120 E. 40th St. (betw. Lexington and 3rd Ave.)
Purchase your tickets here.
Each year we give an award to the individuals who provide the real “Skinny” on NYC schools. Past recipients of the award include Diane Ravitch and Juan Gonzalez. This year, our “Skinny” award will go to two brilliant teacher/bloggers:
Arthur Goldstein, who writes the NYC Educator blog and is an ESL teacher
at Francis Lewis High School in Queens
Gary Rubinstein, who blogs at Teach for Us and is a math teacher
at Stuyvesant HS in lower Manhattan
This dinner is always a highlight of the year, with delicious food, good wine, and great company.
This year, it is especially important to attend and/or contribute to our work. As always, Class Size Matters relies on your donations to keep our organization going. We have continued to advocate for smaller classes and an end to school overcrowding, as class sizes swell throughout the country. We also have become leaders in the fight against high-stakes testing, privatization, and the violation of student privacy.
Nationally, we spearheaded the battle against the sharing of confidential student data with a corporation called inBloom Inc. inBloom Inc. plans to put children’s personal information on a vulnerable data cloud, and share it with private vendors without parental notification or consent.
For the last few months, the tabloids and corporate reform blogs have featured attacks against me personally, evidence of the prominent role that Class Size Matters plays in the debate over education policy. One of the best ways to show your support for our work is to contribute whatever you can to keep our organization alive.
If you believe that class size matters, and that it is important to keep our public schools and children’s personal information out of the hands of private corporations, please make tax-deductible contribution now to Class Size Matters and/or purchase a seat at our fundraiser dinner June 18 by clicking here or here:http://www.nycharities.org/events/EventLevels.aspx?ETID=6292 .
Please forward to others who care and hope to see you there, Leonie
Leonie Haimson
Executive Director
Class Size Matters
124 Waverly Pl.
New York, NY 10011
212-674-7320
leonie@classsizematters.org
http://www.classsizematters.org
http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leonie-haimson
Follow me on twitter @leoniehaimson
Make a tax-deductible contribution to Class Size Matters now!
Subscribe to Class Size Matters news by emailing classsizematters-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Subscribe to NYC education news by emailing nyceducationnews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Lightning Struck Twice in L.A.

by dianerav

The Red Queen in LA offers a brief tutorial on the meaning of the astonishing electoral victory of Monica Ratliff—and before that, the remarkable upset win of Steve Zimmer.
Both ran against a barrage of out-of-state millions. Zimmer had the support of UTLA, Ratliff did not.
No one thought that either had a chance. Ratliff raised about $50,000 in small donations. Her opponent had millions.
Both won by the same 52-48 margin.
What does it mean?
It means the board has 

How to Lower Standards for Teacher Preparation

by dianerav

Anthony Cody reports on legislation prepared by Colorado Senator Michael Bennett that would decimate teacher professionalism. He wants federal funding for new teacher and principal academies that would lower standards for entry into education.
There is the usual blather about “excellence,” “great teachers,” standards and accountability, but the heart of the legislation is what it does not require:
“(B) shall not have unnecessary restrictions on the methods or inputs the teacher preparation academy will use 

Diane in the Evening 5-27-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Katie Lapham’s Data Analysis: 26% of Her Time Not Teaching by dianerav In a guest post for Anthony Cody, Katie Lapham calculated that 26% of her school year is spent NOT teaching. Data inquiry, data analysis, professional development, etc. took time away from teaching. If you teach, what proportion of your time is spent not teaching? How much time is devoted to test prep, testing, and data analysis? *LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-27-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all* mike simpson ... more »

Getting Our Youth Back to Work: Policy Lessons From Around the World | toteachornototeach

Getting Our Youth Back to Work: Policy Lessons From Around the World | toteachornototeach:

Getting Our Youth Back to Work: Policy Lessons From Around the World

by aristotlethewise

Getting Our Youth Back to Work:
Policy Lessons From Around the World 

by Andreas Schleicher
If there’s one lesson we’ve learned over the past few years, it’s that we cannot simply bail ourselves out of a crisis, we cannot solely stimulate ourselves out of a crisis and we cannot just print money our way out of a crisis. But we can become much better in equipping more people with better skills to collaborate, compete and connect in ways that drive our economies forward.
There is no group for whom this is more important than today’s young people. Between 2008 and 2011, the gap in unemployment rates between higher- and less-educated youth widened dramatically. While young people with advanced skills have weathered the crisis reasonably well, those without foundation skills have suffered. Unemployment among young people without a high school education soared 20 percent in Estonia and Ireland 

UPDATE: Michigan House Strips Common Core Funding + Action Alert for Kansas + Indiana Legislature Playing Monday Morning Quarterback? | Truth in American Education

Indiana Legislature Playing Monday Morning Quarterback? | Truth in American Education:

Final Michigan House Budget Strips Common Core Funding

by Shane Vander Hart

The conference committee dealing with the Michigan Department of Education funding released a conference report that left in language written by State Representative Tom McMillin (R-Rochester Hills) that blocks funding for the implementation of the Common Core State Standards.  The House shortly after took up the bill and passed the language again.

M-Live reports:

State Superintendent Mike Flanagan accused lawmakers of “playing politics” with education after the conference committee’s vote Tuesday morning.

Additionally, an email purportedly sent to principals and superintendents by Martin Ackley, director of the MDE’s office of public and government affairs, stated that without full implementation of the Common Core standards, the state’s waiver from federal No Child Left Behind standards was at risk and all Michigan schools were in danger of failing to make 

Action Alert for Kansas

by Shane Vander Hart

From Dr. Walt Chappell:

There is a Plan B taking shape to defund the CCS by the Kansas Legislature before they adjourn for the year.  Their legislative session is due to  end this Friday.

If you and your networks can assist with emails sent to the personal accounts of both House and Senate members, they will be greatly appreciated.  (See the email lists attached.)

A group of grassroots supporters of stopping the CCS are making the trip to Topeka tomorrow.  So, emails sent tonight, tomorrow and Thursday will be most effective in getting the votes we need.  Below are some talking points which are making the most impact.

Thanks again for your assistance.  Who knows, Kansas may be the first state to actually stop the 

Indiana Legislature Playing Monday Morning Quarterback?

by Shane Vander Hart

The Times of Northwest Indiana wrote an editorial yesterday opining that the Common Core State Standards not be set aside even though the implementation was paused.

Indiana has reset the clock on joining the Common Core Standards initiative, with the Legislature overruling the State Board of Education and delaying implementation by at least one year while lawmakers play Monday morning quarterbacks this summer.

The Common Core standards would replace the current Indiana Academic Standards, and for good reason.

The Common Core national standards were developed not by the federal government but by a national group of educators. The standards have been adopted in 45 states.

There are some valid concerns about the new standards, but there are concerns about the existing 

Ed school dean: Urban school reform is really about land development (not kids):

Ed school dean: Urban school reform is really about land development (not kids)

By Valerie Strauss, Published: May 28, 2013 at 6:00 amE-mail the writer

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Dean Leslie Fenwick (howard.edu

Here is a provocative piece from Leslie T. Fenwick, dean of the Howard University School of Education and a professor of education policy, about what is really behind urban school reform. It’s not about fixing schools, she argues, but, rather, about urban land development. Fenwick has devoted her career to improving educational opportunity and outcomes for African American and other under-served students.

By Leslie T. Fenwick

The truth can be used to tell a lie. The truth is that black parents’ frustration with the quality of public schools is at an all time righteous high. Though black and white parents’ commitment to their child’s schooling is comparable, more black parents report dissatisfaction with the school their child attends. Approximately 90 percent of black and white parents report attending parent teacher association meetings and nearly 80 percent of black and white parents report attending teacher conferences. Despite these similarities, fewer black parents (47 percent) than white parents (64 percent) report being very satisfied with the school their child attends. This dissatisfaction among black parents is so whether these parents are college-educated, high income, or poor.

The lie is that schemes like Teach For America, charter schools backed by venture capitalists, education management organizations (EMOs), and Broad Foundation-

Why schools should stop using exit exams

by Valerie Strauss

Here’s a piece on exit exams from P.L. Thomas, an associate professor of education at Furman University in South Carolina. He edited the 2013 book “Becoming and Being a Teacher,” and wrote the 2012 book, “Ignoring Poverty in the U.S.: … Continue reading →

'Boy or Girl?' Gender identity become a new challenge for schools | OregonLive.com

'Boy or Girl?' Gender identity become a new challenge for schools | OregonLive.com:

'Boy or Girl?' Gender identity become a new challenge for schools

The Associated Press By The Associated Press 
Follow on Twitter 
on May 28, 2013 at 12:05 AM, updated May 28, 2013 at 12:06 AM

CHICAGO — From the time they are born, we put our boys in blue beanies and our girls in pink ones. It's a societal norm, an expectation even, that you just are what you are born — a boy or a girl.

From early on, we divide toys and activities by very distinct gender lines, with superheroes and trucks and muck on one side and princesses and dolls and all things frilly on the other.

Many children land, enthusiastically, on the expected side. Others dabble in both "girl" and "boy" things. But what if your kid, even from an early age, mostly showed interest in doing opposite-gender things? More importantly, what if they wanted to BE the opposite gender — or a less-defined mix of both? And what if they wanted to test those limits in public places, like school?

Would you let them?

It's not, of course, that pat of a process. Parents don't just decide to let their kids switch genders. But, whether parents are dragged through the process, or if they decide to work it through more 

Perseverance at a Newark school following midyear teacher turnover | Hechinger Report

Perseverance at a Newark school following midyear teacher turnover | Hechinger Report:

Perseverance at a Newark school following midyear teacher turnover

by Sara Neufeld

NEWARK — The first teacher to go was grieving over the death of a loved one. Those who followed gave reasons more directly tied to frustrations at the school: long hours taking a toll on family life, the minimal pay increase when the academic day was extended in January, feeling discounted in curricular decisions.
One after another, they kept leaving. Between December and February, five teachers at Quitman Street Renew School quit, including the entire staff for middle school science and math, subjects now staffed by long-term substitutes.

Second-grade teacher Alicia Wiltshire has exceeded Principal Erskine Glover’s expectations with a strong work ethic and passion compensating for lack of experience. (For NJSPOTLIGHT/Amanda Brown)

Two of those who resigned had disciplinary charges pending against them, and Principal Erskine Glover had to rehire them in September to give them a legally required opportunity to improve. No one was shocked that they didn’t last the year. But the other three teachers were among those Glover carefully handpicked after an entire summer conducting interviews. More than half the instructional staff of 66 was new in the fall at Quitman, a long-struggling school in Newark’s impoverished Central Ward. Administrators and families alike were counting on the overhaul to finally turn things around.
The departures dealt a major psychological blow to the school community. Students felt hurt, angry and confused. Teacher reaction ranged from heightened determination to heartbreak to defeatism. Glover spent sleepless nights agonizing over what he could have done differently.
In the wake of the turnover, he had to restructure intensive intervention classes for a challenging group of eighth-grade boys and cut the added time at the end of the day for all seventh and eighth graders. While kindergarten through sixth grade still dismiss at 3:55 p.m., the older children now leave at 3:10, with targeted students 

CA’s RTTT early leaning program wins feds’ support for additional funds SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources:

CA’s RTTT early leaning program wins feds’ support for additional funds

CA’s RTTT early leaning program wins feds’ support for additional funds
By Tom Chorneau
Tuesday, May 28, 2013

California’s effort to improve early learning programs, supported by a Race to the Top grant, has received a rare sign of support from the Obama administration after completing its first year – news of a pending supplemental grant expected to be about $22 million.

The initiative, launched in 2011 with a firm caveat from Gov. Jerry Brown that no additional state money would be available to support the operation, has nonetheless successfully organized the state’s broad array of sponsors and service providers under a new state umbrella charged with improving the quality of early learning programs, especially those serving high-needs students.

The primary accomplishment of the first year has been to get a loose network of 17 regional “leadership consortia” from 16 counties to agree on a set of research-based indicators common to quality service.

From there, a rating system was developed that will be used to evaluate preschools and child care centers statewide. Some of that review has already taken place and program sponsors are working with state agencies on helping 

School leaders say Oakland’s community school movement will continue, even without Tony Smith | EdSource Today

School leaders say Oakland’s community school movement will continue, even without Tony Smith | EdSource Today:

School leaders say Oakland’s community school movement will continue, even without Tony Smith - by Michelle Maitre

by Michelle Maitre

Students at Life Academy in Oakland participate in an after school “Futbolistas 4 Life” program. Credit: Roberto Daza. Photo courtesy of the documentary film “Futbolistas 4 Life” by Jun Stinson.

When Tony Smith became Oakland schools superintendent four years ago, he vaulted the struggling district into the national spotlight with his vision of creating a “community school district” that would vastly expand the role of schools in the lives of their students and the community as a whole.

Instead of just focusing on what goes on in the classroom, Smith argued, the schools should focus on serving the “whole child” by partnering with community organizations to offer a range of before- and after-school enrichment, health, social and other programs for children and their families.

Now, Smith has stunned fellow educators by announcing that he will leave the district in June, raising questions about whether his community school initiative will be sustained after his departure.

Those concerns are not necessarily unfounded. The departure of an urban school superintendent, often after a relatively short tenure, can bring an abrupt end to one series of reforms and the introduction of another.

Smith himself says his departure is “bittersweet.”

“We’re right on the verge of some really important next level change,” said Smith, 46, who said his 

Ed Notes Online: The assessment reform movement continues to gather steam

Ed Notes Online: The assessment reform movement continues to gather steam:

The assessment reform movement continues to gather steam

by ed notes online

Attack, attack, attack ed deform and the deformers. We are on the offensive. High stakes testing is the wedge of ed deform so every little bit to undermine and discredit HST wears away the cover. The list below show signs that media coverage is growing.

From Monte Neill at Fair Test:

This week's stories highlight high-stakes testing protests -- and victories -- in more than a dozen states with additional resistance activities planned for the end of the 2012-2013 school year.
Remember that previous editions of these updates are available at: http://fairtest.org/news

South Carolina Exit Exam Could be History
    http://www.thestate.com/2013/05/15/2773149/sc-high-school-graduation-exit.html

Florida Test-Based Teacher Evaluation Lawsuit May Impact Other States

De-Regulating Teacher Prep: Will Teacher Prep Academies Replace Schools of Ed? | A "Fuller" Look at Education Issues

De-Regulating Teacher Prep: Will Teacher Prep Academies Replace Schools of Ed? | A "Fuller" Look at Education Issues:

De-Regulating Teacher Prep: Will Teacher Prep Academies Replace Schools of Ed?

by Dr. Ed Fuller

A new post from Edweek Teacher “Living in Dialogue” blog by Anthony Cody reports on another effort by Senator Bennett from the state of Colorado to pass the “Growing Excellent Achievement Training Academies for Teachers and Principals,” otherwise known as the GREAT Act.
See the EdWeek blog at: http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2013/05/will_teacher_prep_academies_to.html
As the excellent blog post points out, thus bill would essentially de-regulate teacher prep and allow anyone to create a teacher prep program. In fact, you could create one from your own home! It appears there would be no barriers to entry for either programs or prospective teachers. Rather, certification test scores would serve as a barrier to entry into the classroom and student test scores would serve as a check on the teacher prep program. A program would face accountability after several years of performance. As Anthony Cody states:
The ‘accountability’ comes at the back end, when it comes time for renewal. Then we must use data – the programs must demonstrate that their graduates yield growth in student achievement via the famous ‘multiple measures.’ The state:

(B) does not renew a teacher or principal preparation academy’s charter if the academy fails to produce the minimum number or percentage of effective teachers or principals, respectively, 

Moments Like This [Soul Of A Man] | The Jose Vilson

Moments Like This [Soul Of A Man] | The Jose Vilson:

Moments Like This [Soul Of A Man]

by Jose Vilson

Marvin Gaye

A blackened tooth from a decade-old basketball injury.
An average of four hours of sleep a night.
A tumultuous set of faculty meetings, in meetings, out meetings, and every other type of meeting in between.
An early bus I missed, followed by a late train that took 15 minutes off my preparation time.
A snide remark by colleagues.
A set of bills ankle-deep tightening the noose ’round my neck.
A few uncompleted projects.
And a sense that perhaps I didn’t teach every child in my class the best I possibly could.
Friday gave me a plethora of reasons to not want to smile. Earning my Fridays with a full schedule of getting 

Peg with Pen: One Step Closer....

Peg with Pen: One Step Closer....:

One Step Closer....

by Peggy

Every time a child takes a high stakes test we are one step closer to the end of public education. Keep that in mind next year - especially if you are a student and/or have a child that doesn't mind the test - know that the action of taking the test in fact is assisting in the dismantling of public education and the end of the teaching profession. I don't spend my time helping people opt out because of some silly ole non-consequential test; I help people opt out because I know that submitting to the test - whether you do well on it or not -  will result in the destruction of the cornerstone of our democracy.

For some reason the concept of "the destruction of the cornerstone of our democracy" doesn't seem to really hit home with folks - not sure why - perhaps it sounds like sci fi...ha....if only.

Let's look at it another way. While public education is being destroyed - whether your community feels it or not - our neediest children feel it in ways you and I could never imagine - that's the ugly part that no one wants you to know about. Their communities are destroyed and their dreams often go with it.  So, the act of taking the test,