NPE News Briefs ← from The Network for Public Education

NPE News Briefs ← from The Network for Public Education:

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Major Rally in Harrisburg, Pa., on June 25 | Diane Ravitch’s blog

JUN

18

2013

A new group called GPS (Great Public Schools) Pittsburgh plans a major rally at the state Capitol in Harrisburg to demand adequate funding for public education across the Keystone State. The state funds low-performing cyber charters and expands the number of privately managed schools that perform no better than public schools. Meanwhile the lights are ...

Pritzker – Public School Closings – Charter School Profits – Jail Program Investments – Goldman Sachs – Preschool Program Loans – Secretary of Commerce – Election Financing – ????? | Reclaim Reform

JUN

23

2013

Penny Pritzker, Secretary of Commerce nominee and the billionaire Hyatt heiress who helped finance President Obama’s election, is the same person who, while an appointed Chicago School Board member, approved the closing of 50 Chicago public schools while approving the use of the same education funds to be paid to charter schools – including the ...

Is the Tide Turning Against Corporate Reform in Los Angeles? | Diane Ravitch’s blog

JUN

23

2013

by a reader to Diane Ravitch’s blog; posted by Diane Ravitch – Something unusual happened at the most recent Los Angeles school board meeting. Even before newly elected Monica Ratliff was sworn in, the pro-privatization majority was in retreat. Here is a fascinating account of the background and context: So glad you are reporting this. ...

$ilence was golden | New York Post

JUN

23

2013

by Tom Robbins – When Mayor Bloomberg wanted to win over cocky state legislative leaders, he packed them aboard his private jet, headed for his Bermuda mansion and a friendly round of golf. How did his vast wealth make the job of governing easier for the 108th mayor of the city of New York? Let ...

Indiana suing firm over standardized-testing problems | The Answer Sheet | The Washington Post

JUN

22

2013

by Valerie Strauss – The state of Indiana is suing CTB/McGraw-Hill following problems last month when students were taking standardized tests online. Nearly 80,000 students were affected when their computers froze during the testing, the results of which are used to evaluate teachers and schools. Indiana was one of several states that reported numerous problems ...

Student: Why Is There Money for Testing But Not For Music? | Diane Ravitch’s blog

JUN

22

2013

by Melisa Holden with a student video; posted by Diane Ravitch I received the following email: Hi, Dr. Ravitch: I am a film teacher at a Buffalo Public School (www.cityhonors.org) and one of my students made a video on her own time about the draconian cuts that the Buffalo Public Schools is making with its ...

Questions for the CEO | Catalyst Chicago

JUN

22

2013

by Cassandra West – The Tribune has now posted a video of the conversation earlier this week between editorial page editor Bruce Dold and CPS chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett. (Note the real interview starts about eight minutes into the video.) Among the questions Dold asked were how Byrd-Bennett wished to respond to a recent poll showing ...

“Out You Go!” | Chicago’s Labor Beat

JUN

22

2013

by Chicago’s Labor Beat – We investigate two specific incidents at the recent and notorious CPS Board meeting of May 22, 2013, when it asphyxiated the greatest number of public schools in U.S. history. Using exclusive footage, we examine what happened when two respected community activists at different points during that board meeting were physically ...

Byrd Bennett tries to gag principals following published complaints about budget cuts | Substance News

JUN

22

2013

by George N. Schmidt – With almost none of the top officials of Chicago Public Schools having any experience as Chicago school teachers or principals, the massive disruption of school programming for the 2013 – 2014 school year continues to progress according to descriptions that require military terms such as SNAFU and FUBAR to describe. ...

Whitney Young Magnet High School LSC votes unanimously to reject CPS budget imposed on school | Substance News

JUN

22

2013

by George N. Schmidt – At a meeting on Tuesday morning, June 18, 2013, the Local School Council of Whitney Young Magnet High School, one of the top five high schools in Illinois and long one of the best high schools in Chicago, voted unanimously to reject the budget imposed on the schools by the ...

The new ‘CPS Way’ smells like the old ‘CPS Way’ | Mike Klonsky’s SmallTalk Blog

JUN

22

2013

by Mike Klonsky – Last week, as she was closing dozens of neighborhood schools and slashing school budgets at the rest, Byrd-Bennett rolled out the new-and-improved CPS 5-year plan and a new mantra, now called The CPS Way. It comes neatly packaged, complete with slick brochures and videos. But a little scratch-and-sniff reveals that the ...

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The Decline and Fall of the English Major | toteachornototeach

The Decline and Fall of the English Major | toteachornototeach:

The Decline and Fall of the English Major

by aristotlethewise

The Decline and Fall of the English Major

By Verlyn Klinkenborg
In the past few years, I’ve taught nonfiction writing to undergraduates and graduate students at Harvard, Yale, Bard, Pomona, Sarah Lawrence and Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism. Each semester I hope, and fear, that I will have nothing to teach my students because they already know how to write. And each semester I discover, again, that they don’t.
They can assemble strings of jargon and generate clots of ventriloquistic syntax. They can meta-metastasize any thematic or ideological notion they happen upon. And they get good grades for doing just that. But as for writing clearly, simply, with attention and openness to their own thoughts and emotions and the world around them — no.
That kind of writing — clear, direct, humane — and the reading on which it is based are the very root of the humanities, a set of disciplines that is ultimately an attempt to examine and comprehend the cultural, social and historical activity of our species through the medium of language.
The teaching of the humanities has fallen on hard times. So says a new report on the state of the humanities by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and so says the experience of nearly everyone who teaches at a college or university. Undergraduates will tell you that they’re under pressure — from their parents, from the 

Patriotism Defined | Bill Ayers

Patriotism Defined | Bill Ayers:

Patriotism Defined

by billayers

Patriotism includes the manufactured and sometimes imposed capacity to see similar sets of facts in dramatically different ways. Torture, rendition, imprisonment without trial, extrajudicial killings, assassinations, drone strikes and the bombing of civilians—all of this and more is condemned as evil or embraced as good by the governing class and nationalist/patriots depending on only one item: who does the deed.
“American Exceptionalism” is the magic potion patriots drink in order to justify these specific atrocities and other human rights violations when carried out by the US state: the American cause is always just, we are assured, 

Bridgeport Board of Education schedules emergency vote Monday to formally make Vallas permanent superintendent - Wait, What?

Bridgeport Board of Education schedules emergency vote Monday to formally make Vallas permanent superintendent - Wait, What?:

Bridgeport Board of Education schedules emergency vote Monday to formally make Vallas permanent superintendent

by jonpelto

This coming Monday and Tuesday, a Connecticut superior court judge will be holding two days of testimony and arguments in the case of whether Paul Vallas is legally entitled to serve as Bridgeport’s Superintendent of Schools.Instead of waiting and respecting the process, Kenneth Moales, Jr. the Chairman of the Bridgeport Board of Education has scheduled an emergency meeting on Monday at 5pm to force a vote to make Paul Vallas Bridgeport’s permanent superintendent.  Moales and the members loyal to Mayor Bill Finch are taking this action following the decision by Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor, to officially waived Vallas’ need to hold proper administrator certification.This stunning, “middle finger” to Connecticut’s judicial system is one more glaring example of 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Have You Been to a Mayoral Forum Yet?

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Have You Been to a Mayoral Forum Yet?:

Have You Been to a Mayoral Forum Yet?

by Melissa Westbrook

Or are you waiting to see how it all shakes out after the primary on August 6th?

On the one hand, the one person I did not want to be mayor - from a public education standpoint - was Tim Burgess.  He made it much easier because he walked away.  (But he made it clear he hoped for a new mayor in the fall.)

I am continuing to talk with all the candidates and it makes for some interesting discussions.  What I plan to do is offer tidbits of those conversations and make some suggestions for candidates I think would be good for public 

Education programs funding - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

Education programs funding - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress:

Bill Introduced: S.1156 Understanding the True Cost of College Act of 2013

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 31 minutes ago

A bill to amend the Higher Education Opportunity Act to add disclosure requirements to the institution financial aid offer form and to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make such form mandatory.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2338 To Aid Gifted and High-Ability Learners by Empowering the Nation's Teachers Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 31 minutes ago

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to aid gifted and talented and high-ability learners by empowering the Nation's teachers, and for other purposes.

Bill Introduced: S.1113 A bill to provide professional development for elementary school principals in early childhood education and development.

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 31 minutes ago

A bill to provide professional development for elementary school principals in early childhood education and development.

Bill Introduced: S.1112 STELLAR Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 31 minutes ago

A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require the establishment of teacher evaluation programs.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2296 Local Taxpayer Relief Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 31 minutes ago

To reauthorize the impact aid program under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

Bill Introduced: S.1110 Educational Accountability and State Flexibility Act of 2013

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 31 minutes ago

A bill to amend part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

Bill Introduced: S.1108 Local Taxpayer Relief Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 31 minutes ago

A bill to reauthorize the impact aid program under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

Bill Introduced: S.1109 Early Intervention for Graduation Success Act of 2013

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 31 minutes ago

A bill to amend the school dropout prevention program in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

Bill Introduced: S.1107 Native Hawaiian Education Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 31 minutes ago

A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 regarding Native Hawaiian education.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2252 All Students Achieving through Reform Act of 2013

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 31 minutes ago

To amend the charter school program under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

Bill Introduced: S.1094 Commission on Effective Regulation and Assessment Systems for Public Schools Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 31 minutes ago

A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, and for other purposes.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2268 Engaging Students Through Service Learning Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 23 hours ago

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize a national elementary and secondary service-learning program that promotes student academic achievement, and for other purposes.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2316 Success in the Middle Act of 2013

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 4 days ago

To provide grants to States to ensure that all students in the middle grades are taught an academically rigorous curriculum with effective supports so that students complete the middle grades prepared for success in secondary school and postsecondary endeavors, to improve State and district policies and programs relating to the academic achievement of students in the middle grades, to develop and implement effective middle grades models for struggling students, and for other purposes.

Bill Introduced: S.1117 Reengaging Americans in Serious Education by Uniting Programs Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 1 week ago

A bill to prepare disconnected youth for a competitive future.

Bill Introduced: S.1088 Student Non-Discrimination Act of 2013

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 1 week ago

A bill to end discrimination based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity in public schools, and for other purposes.

Bill Introduced: S.1095 IDEA MOE Adjustment Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 1 week ago

A bill to amend the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in order to limit the penalties to a State that does not meet its maintenance of effort level of funding to a one-time penalty.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2246 IDEA MOE Adjustment Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 1 week ago

To amend the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in order to limit the penalties to a State that does not meet its maintenance of effort level of funding to a one-time penalty.

Bill Introduced: S.1087 Enhancing Education Through Technology Act of 2013

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 1 week ago

A bill to award grants to encourage State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and schools to utilize technology to improve student achievement and college and career readiness, the skills of teachers and school leaders, and the efficiency and productivity of education systems at all levels.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2237 DIPLOMA Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 1 week ago

To strengthen student achievement and graduation rates and prepare young people for college, careers, and citizenship through innovative partnerships that meet the comprehensive needs of children and youth.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2159 21st Century STEM Competitive Jobs Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 1 week ago

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a STEM grant program.

We All Need To Relax | Connected Principals

We All Need To Relax | Connected Principals:

We All Need To Relax

by Bill Carozza

Ogunquit, Maine beach on a calm day.

It has been a few rough weeks for me, some of the toughest I’ve faced in a while. There’s nothing on paper to explain this. My wife and kids are doing great. My oldest son is ready to move out to be closer to grad school where he is working on his doctorate. My daughter found a solid teaching job and my new high school graduate is heading to college in Boston. Ok…I have to figure out how to pay for his tuition – that’s stressful, but all in all, everything’s fine. It’s also in my nature and upbringing to plow through any discomfort, physical or mental.
Thanks to some reflection, I realized that the difficulty resulted from the winding down of a school year. Inasmuch as schools play an integral part in family life, educators often take on the stress from the community, especially during times of transition. In elementary schools particularly, parents worry about teacher placement for their child (certainly big this time of year) and whether their boy or girl will be ready for the following year. At Harold