Monday, July 1, 2013

7-1-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

The Revolution Will Not Be Standardized

by freetoteach

The Revolution Will Not Be Standardized Owen Davis is a writer and educator who lives in Brooklyn, NY. He currently writes curriculum for IndyKids and works as an intern at The Nation. The conditions of the testing system are the conditions of a well-honed oppressive order. The danger of losing their livelihood turns teachers and administrators into sub-oppressors, […]

War on Teachers and Women is a War on Children

by freetoteach

The war on teachers, women and children is in full force — with sequestration in effect as Republicans keep busy finding ways to curtail women’s rights, cuts to the most vulnerable children are looming because apparently there’s just not enough money to go around. Conveniently, there’s plenty of money for more high stakes testing, Common […]

A thought on the NEA blow up. #democracy?

by Chris Cerrone

Just a quick thought on the comments about collective bargaining that NEA President Dennis Van Roekel made to a group of retirees at NEA Representative Assembly in Atlanta. How do educators chose our national and state union leaders? Nationally (and at least in my state of New York for NYSUT) each local elects delegates who […]

Short on money for public schools? INNOVATE!

by Timothy D. Slekar

Today is day one. The new beginning. The start. A new day…blah, blah, blah. So what happened on day one? I got the pleasure of listening to a “politician” say absolutely nothing meaningful about the future of public education. I heard “innovative” used at least 10 times during the 16 minute speech. I heard about […]

Rewarding the Awful: When the Financially Countable Replaced School Accountability in Ohio

by Jim Horn

Ohio has had some of the nation’s worst charter schools for years, thanks in large part to to the $3.8 million in state and local political contributions from corporate welfare kingpin and conservative kingmaker, David Brennan. Find many stories about Brennan and his exploitation here. Springfield Sun reporter, Tom Beyerlein, has a terrific piece from […]

Not one person can reasonably explain to me this @pitbull charter school thing. #NCSC13

by Chalk Face, PhD

I learned about this here from Jersey Jazzman. I’ve been having some fun with it here. But I’ve also been following the conversation at #NCSC13 on Twitter as I make my way to Wisconsin for a few days. I have absolutely no idea what is wrong with these people. I’m not trying to be some […]

Accountability? Start at the Top

by plthomasedd

Prompted by Anthony Cody’s “Teachers Want Accountability From the Top,” let me offer a piece of mine from 2011: Accountability? Start at the Top For nearly two decades, I taught high school English in rural upstate South Carolina. During about the last half of that part of my career, I also served as the soccer […]

Snappy Sound Bites, Lazy Journalists and Teacher Bashing

by Activism in paradise - Voices from down under

New Zealand’s education minister, Hekia Parata, said this weekend four consecutive years of quality teaching eliminates any trace of socio-economic disadvantage for the student. In her now typical teacher-bashing way, she went on to say “In New Zealand we provide 13 years. You’d think it would not be too much to expect that four of […]

NAEP and the Mapping of the School Integration/Achievement Gap

by Jim Horn

Below are some charts from the most recent 2012 NAEP Long Term Trends Report. They show trends in Reading scores that compare white-black student scores, followed by white-Latino student scores. (The same trends can be found in the Math scores, which are not offered here.) I ask to examine them to trace the trends in […]

6-30-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Get a TNTP Math Teacher and Neutralize Poverty Today!by Jim HornEvery time I think I’ve discovered the bottom of the corporate education (Corped) sewer, I find out that there is more down there where that came from. The New Teacher Network, which was managed for awhile by the Queen of Real Pain and Fake Gain, Michelle Rhee, keeps piling it up. With a combina

by mike simpson / 9h

Shut up and go to bed. | Fred Klonsky

Shut up and go to bed. | Fred Klonsky:

Shut up and go to bed.

by Fred Klonsky

Who is Melinda Anderson?
On Twitter she describes herself as writer for @NEAPresident.
On her blog she is described as “the creative force behind opinion-editorials, blogs and articles on behalf of a great cause. Ghostwriting pays the bills, but makes it easy to get lost in the shadows. An oversized ego told her it’s time to elevate her own voice. She is a bundle of contradictions. Cynical and hopeful, radical and traditional, swiftly descending from the sublime to the ridiculous. Cheatsheet for comments: ‘With all due respect…’ means ‘bless your heart, but you’re dead wrong, and I’m about to point it out to you.’”
Last night her oversized ego may have gotten the best of her. She went on Twitter to claim that my post about

Jack Tucker. IEA Retired.

by Fred Klonsky

Daily Kos: Badass Teachers Association - the website

Daily Kos: Badass Teachers Association - the website:

Badass Teachers Association - the website

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

On June 20 I posted Badass Teachers Association - teachers fight back. At that point BAT was organized only through Facebook, and you could not even explore the group without belonging to Facebook, which for some was a problem.
Since its establishment, in a bit under two weeks, BAT has grown to more than 20,000. It has organized a call-in to the White House to dump Arne Duncan. It has begun organizing state groups.
And now? For those who want to know more, and/or to participate, but do not wish to be on Facebook, we offer you Badass Teachers Asscoeiation - the website.
The movement is real.
it includes teacher educators as well as teachers.
It includes retired educators as well as active educators.
It includes supporters such as parents.
If you care about what is happening to our public schools, it should include you.
Take a look.
Poke around.
We welcome your support.

Ed Notes Online: Drive-by Superintendent Paul Vallas, YOU'RE OUT!!!!!!!!

Ed Notes Online: Drive-by Superintendent Paul Vallas, YOU'RE OUT!!!!!!!!:

Drive-by Superintendent Paul Vallas, YOU'RE OUT!!!!!!!!

by ed notes online

Now is the time for history to be clarified, all the way back to the days when Bill Clinton was promoting corporate "school reform" by praising Vallas in two State of the Union addresses and all this mayoral control nonsense began.... George Schmidt

Hunter College president Jennifer Raab called Vallas "arguably the most experienced superintendent in the country." ... Susan Ohanian

Finally, someone with the guts to toss Vallas, who jumped from Chicago to Philly to New Orleans -- call him the bed bug of ed deform --- out on his ass as bogus Superintendent of Bridgeport schools.

Ravitch has been reporting on the story almost minute by minute:

Here is a report on Vallas’ time in Philadelphia.
Vallas launched the nation’s most extensive experiment in privatization, which was evaluated by

In St. Louis, teachers union plays role in getting rid of bad teachers

by ed notes online

The "bad" teacher syndrome is one of the lynchpins of ed deform. Call it a version of Stop and Frisk or the War on Terrorism where you taint entire population to root out a few. Given the overall assault on all teachers, for the union to go along with this is tantamount to -- well I'll say it again -- Vichy.

The unions should instead make it clear that all professions have people with problems -- police, lawyers, doctors, etc -- but no where else is the witch hunt going on that with union cooperation gives unfettered power to our enemies. Shame on them and especially to a clear Randi-ite, AFT Local 420 vice president Ray Cummings

Student discipline must move beyond ‘willful defiance,’ educators say | EdSource Today

Student discipline must move beyond ‘willful defiance,’ educators say | EdSource Today:

Student discipline must move beyond ‘willful defiance,’ educators say - by Jane Meredith Adams

by Jane Meredith Adams

California schools urgently need strategies for discipline that help children learn from mistakes, make reparations for harm and go on to succeed, a group of educators said last week in support of a bill that would dramatically change school discipline practices by banning the use of “willful defiance” in meting out expulsion and restricting its use in mandating suspension.

The educators made their case to the Senate Education Committee, which then voted 7-1 to pass Assembly Bill 420 and move the measure to the Senate floor. The bill would bar suspensions for the subjectively defined “willful defiance of school authorities” for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, while middle and high school students could be suspended for willful defiance only for a third offense – and only if alternative means of discipline had been used for the previous offenses. No student at any grade level could be expelled for willful defiance.

The use of willful defiance as a cause for suspension and expulsion has become a flashpoint in the debate about how to manage school environments, particularly when students come to school with complex emotional issues stemming from poverty, violence and trauma. The term is listed as a

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

by Mike Klonsky

Mayor Bloomberg on stop-and-frisk

In that case, incidentally, I think we disproportionately stop whites too much and minorities too little.” -- NYT

Arne Duncan on Common Core critics

The Common Core has become a rallying cry for fringe groups that claim it is a scheme for the federal government to usurp state and local control of what students learn. -- Washington Post

Ald. Fioretti on west side school closings

“The neighborhood schools are really the focal point of the land planning. But when this is boarded up, when this becomes an eyesore, when CPS doesn’t maintain the grounds for it, and nobody’s out there guarding it and all the items get stripped inside — who wants to live around an eyesore

Push to Implement Common Core “Idiotic” “Without Real Scrutiny or Debate” | Scathing Purple Musings

Push to Implement Common Core “Idiotic” “Without Real Scrutiny or Debate” | Scathing Purple Musings:

Push to Implement Common Core “Idiotic” “Without Real Scrutiny or Debate”

by Bob Sikes

Three influential education policy experts penned an opinion piece for the New York Daily News in which they effectively explain why the “backlash” against Common Core standards “is now in full swing.” Former U.S. assistant secretary of education and Hoover Institute fellow Williamsom Evers joined CATO Institute scholar Neal McCluskey and one-time Massachusetts associate education commissioner Sandra Stotsky gave five compelling reasons why CCS needs to be set aside:

First, creation and adoption of these standards has violated the traditions of open debate and citizen control that are supposed to undergird public schooling.
Though preliminary drafts of the standards were released to the public, the standards were written behind closed doors by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers — private organizations — and copyrighted. There is also no public record of the meetings

How Mass Civil Disobedience at a Seattle High School Catalyzed the 'Education Spring' | Education on GOOD

How Mass Civil Disobedience at a Seattle High School Catalyzed the 'Education Spring' | Education on GOOD:

How Mass Civil Disobedience at a Seattle High School Catalyzed the 'Education Spring'

Seattle's Garfield High School, home of the bulldogs, is used to winning.
Our jazz band is a perennial winner of the Essential Ellington national completion, our track and basketball team are perennial state contenders, our drumline just took the top place in the end of the year regional competition, and we have award winning clubs such as Junior State of America debate team and the knowledge bowl. But this year we scored a whole different kind of victory: Not a high score on the test, but a defeat of the test itself. Not a win for a competition, but a victory for the solidarity of students, parents, and teachers in the struggle for authentic assessment over standardized testing.
On January 9, 2013, teachers at Garfield held a press conference announcing their unanimous vote to boycott the Measures of Academic Progress test. At that press conference Garfield's academic dean and testing coordinator, Kris McBride explained, "Our teachers have come together and agree that the MAP test is not good for our students, nor is it an appropriate or useful tool in measuring progress. Students don't take it seriously. It

Sunday, June 30, 2013

The Educated Reporter: What Parents Want to Know About School Choice: Tips for Reporters

The Educated Reporter: What Parents Want to Know About School Choice: Tips for Reporters:

What Parents Want to Know About School Choice: Tips for Reporters

by Emily Richmond

At EWA's 66th National Seminar, held at Stanford last month, we examined the challenge of how reporters can best evaluate charter school research in a session moderated by the Huffington Post's Joy Resmovits. We asked some of the education reporters attending the seminar to contribute blog posts from the sessions. Today's guest blogger is Kara Newhouse of the Perry County (Penn.) Times . The full podcast of the session can be found here. Stream any session from National Seminar in your browser, or subscribe via RSS or iTunes.

“Whether people like or choice or don’t like choice, it’s a reality,” said Gail Robinson of Inside Schools as she opened an EWA session on how reporters can assess schools' efforts to inform parents about public school choice options.

Bill Jackson of Great Schools joined her in the discussion. Both speakers' organizations mine school data and share that information—along with parent and student comments—online. Great Schools does so for schools

Don’t miss the New Orleans inBloom discussion tomorrow on WBOK at 10:00am | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

Don’t miss the New Orleans inBloom discussion tomorrow on WBOK at 10:00am | Crazy Crawfish's Blog:

Don’t miss the New Orleans inBloom discussion tomorrow on WBOK at 10:00am

by crazycrawfish

This Monday (tomorrow) at 10:00 am (Central) tune into WBOK The New Orleans Imperative. (July 1st, 2013)
You can listen online or by radio: http://www.wbok1230am.com/
Dr. Sanders, Dr. James Taylor and Lee Barios will discuss the Louisiana connection between John White, inBloom, other data collection entities and why it is an essential part of the Common Core Standards/curriculum/high stakes testing regime.

One of many controversies at the Louisiana Department of Education is Superintendent John White’s decision to give personal student data to for-profit companies (which violate the federal student privacy policy). Over the past few months White has not been clear on what’s going on regarding this issue, on occasion he has denied that there was agreement with these companies and other times he has defended giving companies the personal student data. Last week White once again brought the idea up before at a BESE Board meeting. This decision

Districts split over charter schools | Local News | The Seattle Times

Districts split over charter schools | Local News | The Seattle Times:

Districts split over charter schools

The three largest school districts in the state are taking different approaches on whether or not to authorize charter schools, approved by state voters in November.

By DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP

The Associated Press

Spokane Public Schools Superintendent Shelley Redinger, center, at John R. Rogers High School in Spokane. Redinger says she supports the addition of charter schools.

DAN PELLE / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Spokane Public Schools Superintendent Shelley Redinger, center, at John R. Rogers High School in Spokane. Redinger says she supports the addition of charter schools.

Perdido Street School: Arne Duncan, Joel Klein To Guest On Next Pitbull CD

Perdido Street School: Arne Duncan, Joel Klein To Guest On Next Pitbull CD:

Arne Duncan, Joel Klein To Guest On Next Pitbull CD

by reality-based educator

Misogynist rapper/charter school operator Armando Perez, AKA Pitbull, has announced that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and former NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein will guest on his next cd.

Pitbull, who has worked with famed artists like Chris Brown, Jennifer Lopez, and Enrique Iglesias on his albums, told Education Week that he is very excited to be working with two of his biggest education reform heroes on his next cd.

"Listen, I met these guys at some education reform thing and we were in the club after, you know, just hanging, bottle in each hand, when Arne says 'Hey, man, I love that thing you did with Enrique, that song Come and Go! What do you think about me and Joel doing a song with you on your next album?'"

Educators Discuss Creating an Inclusive Environment for LGBTQ Students - Higher Education

Educators Discuss Creating an Inclusive Environment for LGBTQ Students - Higher Education:

Educators Discuss Creating an Inclusive Environment for LGBTQ Students

by cmaadmin

Dr. Molly Merryman fought for an LGBTQ student center at Kent State University.

SAN FRANCISCO—While serving on a search committee for a new vice president for diversity and inclusion at Kent State University, Dr. Molly Merryman began inquiring about the absence of campus space set aside for gay and lesbian students. After all, students of color already had designated spaces and centers.
Before long, a university official offered Merryman an unused room for an LGBTQ student center that was established in 2010.
“We agreed that I would find a way to staff the center and allow the new vice president to take credit for it as her first new initiative,” Merryman said. “By gifting the center to this vice president, we utilized the existing transition at Kent State to get something important done.”
Merryman’s remarks came last week during the annual summer institute, “Expanding the Circle: Creating an Inclusive Environment in Higher Education for LGBTQ Students and Studies.” Educators from more than 60

DVR’s speechwriter: “This is a gross misinterpretation.” | Fred Klonsky

DVR’s speechwriter: “This is a gross misinterpretation.” | Fred Klonsky:

DVR’s speechwriter: “This is a gross misinterpretation.”

by Fred Klonsky

Melinda D. Anderson
This is gross misinterpretation of Dennis Van Roekel’s remarks easily avoided if you had simply ASKED him what he meant!

‏@fklonsky

Were you there?

Melinda D. Anderson ‏

I was not, yet well aware of pre-conf messaging and your “take” is way off-base. Again, did you ASK meaning when you had chance?

‏@fklonsky

He left the hall Melinda. Announced he was late and had to leave. But you say I and others didn’t hear it. But u not there.

What was the “pre-conference messaging”?

Melinda D. Anderson ‏

If you’re interested in knowing intended messages, there’s very easy way to obtain that information. We both

Miami Herald: Tampering With School Grade Formula “Unfair” and Causes “An Inaccurate and Misleading Portrayal” | Scathing Purple Musings

Miami Herald: Tampering With School Grade Formula “Unfair” and Causes “An Inaccurate and Misleading Portrayal” | Scathing Purple Musings:

Miami Herald: Tampering With School Grade Formula “Unfair” and Causes “An Inaccurate and Misleading Portrayal”

by Bob Sikes

From the editors of the Miami Herald:

Too many students are being set up to think they are failures by the very people who say they are pushing students to excel. Their teachers will see their hard work in front of the class undercut. And parents will think, wrongly, that their children are attending substandard schools.
In a state system that rewards high-scoring schools with more money and penalizes lower-performing schools by withholding funds, the new state standards will do damage not just to institutions of learning. The quality of schools is a large factor in home values. An “A” school that plummets to a “C” will ding values throughout a neighborhood.
Florida wants its students to perform ever better on standardized tests such as the FCAT — a

YO ARNE! Which is it? Secretary of Education or Commerce

YO ARNE!

Which is it?

Secretary of Education or Commerce

Ya gotta choose.... only one!

Secretary of Education

Secretary of Commerce

Oh, I See

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Monday, July 1, 2013

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Districts split over charter schools