9-22-13 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE:

My #BammyAwards Victory Speech

First, I have to clarify something: when someone wins an Oscar or an Emmy or a Grammy, is that called a “victory?”  Do they give a “victory speech?” If not, then I messed up the title of this post. Wait, according to Google, they’re called “acceptance speeches.” Damn. Fine.  This is where I will post […]

by Kris Nielsen / 1min 

I just thought I would let the reader know…

… that while I was making a few Kindergarten literacy centers, I was watching Expendables 2 on Netflix. You read that right. That is all.

by Chalk Face, PhD / 56min 

EPSLP: College Ready? Alliance Charter Corporation’s big scam

First published on Echo Park Patch on September 20, 2013 “If the American public understood that reformers want to privatize their public schools and divert their taxes to pay profits to investors, it would be hard to sell the corporate idea of reform.” — Professor Diane Ravitch “However, within this market, competition exists in several […]

by Robert D. Skeels ... / 5h 

All Week 9-21-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: All Week 8-10-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTERTeacher Educators MUST Reject CAEP! @caepupdatesA few weeks ago it was AACTE that sold us out.  This week EdWeek published “Why the New Teacher Ed. Standards Matter“ By Mary Brabeck & Christopher Koch. According to Brabeck and Koch, the new CAEP standards are so damn good that blind acceptance of the s

1 by mike simpson / 9h 

9-22-13 With A Brooklyn Accent

With A Brooklyn Accent:

 The Contradiction at the Heart of Corporate School Reform- That NBC's "Education Nation" Ignore

Corporate Education Reformers want teachers to be scripted, monitored, and continuously evaluated to assure their performance is up to standard. They also want to radically improve the quality of the nation's teaching force. Unfortunately, the first goal-- which they are well on their way to achieving- totally undermines the second! Talented people will NOT work under minute and humiliating scrutiny. Under the new regime, great teachers are leaving the profession much faster than they are entering it! This is a contradiction that will never be discussed on NBC's Education Nation, which systematically excludes any teachers voices, much less those who will tell the harsh truth about the catastrophe that has befallen public education in the US.

Common Core- Stress, Intimidation and the Suberversion of the Democratic Process

Because Common Core aligned tests are developmentally inappropriate for many students, and dramatically ratchet up the stress levels of student, teachers and families, they can only be imposed with top down tactics that feature threats and intimidation. The entire process must be exposed- not just the tests themselves- because it represents an abuse of power by elected officials, and a grave threat to traditions of local governance and parental rights. Right now, many parents and teachers are frightened and shell shocked which makes it especially important for those of us who know what a grave threat to Democracy this is to speak out everywhere and anywhere. Americans are a rebellious, contentious, and independent people and this attempt to whip their children into line will ultimately fail.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2013

The "School Choice" Reformers Never Promote

In the third chapter of Diane Ravitch's new book "Reign of Error" she points out that what Reformers call "Choice" is really privatization. The measures they promote- vouchers and charters schools, all work toward undermining public schools systems. They NEVER promote measures that enhance parent choice WITHIN public school systems. There are two such options which I think BATS should embrace:

1. Radically expanding the number of public "portfolio schools" which are exempt from state and national tests and which rate students on the basis of assessments of their classwork developed by teachers. There are several such schools in New York City which are highly successful, but their number has been capped by the city and state departments of education. Why not give teachers and administrators a chance to create many more such schools all over the country, as an alternative to the test centered schools following a one size fits all curriculum. That would give parents a real choice while allowing teachers to maintain the union protections they have in public schools that are lacking in most charter schools

2. Create, or recreate the vocational and technical high schools that were once a fixture in every American city, and give them full or partial exemptions from state tests. Let these schools to be targeted to growth areas in the American economy as well as sectors where high wage jobs have existed for a long time- construction, automobile and elevator repair, computers and the like. These schools would give parents a most welcome alternative to schools which feature little more than test prep and no direct job preparation. And would create positions for a new generation of teachers who would love their jobs.

Think about these options. If you were a parent, wouldn't you want to have choices like this for a child

Then how come no major Reformer is pushing for them? Makes you wonder, doesn't it, whether as Diane Ravitch reminds us, what they call choice really means Privatization and Profit.

A Tale of Teacher ( and Student) Abuse from Upstate New York

Hello, just read your post about teacher abuse. I'm always putting students first, but wanted to share something. I work in a semi-urban elementary school in ........ Last year was one of the worst years I ever had. Many students were dealing with serious family issues or mental problems. It was bad. My heart felt like it was coming out of my chest. My dr. Put me on some anxiety meds. It helped. The year got better for various reasons and i weaned myself off the meds. The week after the test many students were behaving very poorly. again family or severe ADD and mental problems. It was at this time in the year I drove home each day sobbing. The stress of the tests, common core, teaching with boring materials, Pearson's Reading Street and the dreadful GO Math really gets to you. Ii also discovered that three other teachers in my building were on meds because of the stress. How many others out there are seeking help to deal with the incredible stress placed on teachers right now. I bet it is more than we could ever imagine. The rigorous curriculum is turning kids off to learning. It is dry boring! Just wanted to share a personal story. Feel free to share anything I said to discuss the high level of anxiety in teachers. Just don't use my name:) Have a great day! One day at a time!!!!!

“Word Magic,” Education, and Market Forces | the becoming radical

“Word Magic,” Education, and Market Forces | the becoming radical:

“Word Magic,” Education, and Market Forces

Posted on September 22, 2013 by plthomasedd

Writing about writing instruction, Lou LaBrant, in “The Individual and His Writing” (Elementary Education, 27.4, April 1950) sounded an alarm about “word magic”:

There is other sematic knowledge with which our students should become familiar. They should discover the danger in word-magic, that calling a man by a name does not necessarily make him what we say; that describing the postal system as socialist does not transfer our mail to Moscow, nor brand either the writer or the postman as disciples of Stalin. We must teach our students that words are symbols which they use, and that there is stupidity in word magic. (p. 264)

While LaBrant’s message about powerful and clear writing—as well as powerful and clear thinking—remains important lessons for students, it appears that there remains political advantage in word magic, particularly in how leaders frame discussions of education in the U.S. and the importance of the free market.

For example, a persistent refrain from self-proclaimed education reformers, political appointees, and government leaders is “poverty is not destiny.” However, in the U.S. poverty is demonstrably destiny, as is affluence.

“Poverty is not destiny” is word magic, but it doesn’t make that come true. 

9-22-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

A Reminder About The MORE Petition On Teacher Evaluations

While Michael Mulgrew sends out emails to members defending the ADVANCE teacher evaluation system (see here and here), the MORE caucus has put together a petition calling for a moratorium on the New York City Teacher Evaluation System.If you haven't signed it yet, do so now.And when you get back to work tomorrow, tell your colleagues about the petition and ask them to sign it as well.I know tomorr

by reality-based edu... / 1h 

Education Nation Should Invite Carrianne Howard To Talk About How Wonderful Lloyd Blankfein's Art Institutes Are

Raging Horse does an excellent job of pointing out who NBC should have invited for their corporate education reform-slanted Education Nation propaganda-fest this year.Alas, NBC isn't much interested in having anybody on that stage who won't carry water for the corporate education reform agenda, so they only invited deformers like Michael Bloomberg, Jeb Bush, Joel Klein, Michelle Rhee, et al. to th

by reality-based edu... / 8min 

Bloomberg Propaganda-Meisters All Over The Internet

You see these Bloomberg shills, paid press whores like Howard Wolfson or Andrew Kirtzman, flacking their Bloomberg propaganda all over the place these days as the mayor's Reign of Error sunsets and Bloomberg's anxiety over his legacy heightens.Here's a recent example from Kevin Sheekey, former deputy mayor and current Bloomberg LP executive (because there is always a gig for you in a BLOOMBERG ent

by reality-based edu... / 42min 

When I'm President

We take a break from the political and education rants for the following music post:My wife took me to see Ian Hunter and the Rant Band at City Winery last night for my birthday - fifth time we've seen Ian together.If you're unfamiliar with Hunter, he was the lead singer of the very influential Mott the Hoople in the 70's, a band that managed to influence both punker rockers like The Clash and New

by reality-based edu... / 1min 

Stephanie Simon Takes On Some Education Reform Mythology

The Stephanie Simon article at Politico on why public schools may not be failing is up now and it is a good one.She busts some cherished education reformer myths in it - including how the Chinese are kicking are asses in tests:A new video about the failures of public schools making the rounds on social media starts by introducing viewers to “the most important number in all of education…32!” Why 3

by reality-based edu... / 3h 

9-21-13 Perdido Street School:

Perdido Street School: Why Did This Politico Story On Education Disappear?I put a Politico link on my blogroll after Stephanie Simon joined the media outlet to write about education issues.I've never been a huge fan of the site, but Stephanie Simon's work at Reuters was excellent, so I decided if she was going to be writing education stories at Politico, a link to the site was warranted. Last nigh

by mike simpson / 9h 

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Difficult students an "outcast group, thrown into an abyss" by New Orleans charters

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Difficult students an "outcast group, thrown into an abyss" by New Orleans charters:

Difficult students an "outcast group, thrown into an abyss" by New Orleans charters

At many N.O. charter schools, including Sci Academy, plenty of teachers last for less than two years.

Here's the real deal on New Orleans charter schools as documented by Daily Beast/Newsweek writer Andrea Gabor. No, they're definitely not the panacea Arne Duncan claimed they were. For one thing, they were started on a faulty and racist premise -- that  young, white, inexperienced teachers were better for the predominantly-African-American N.O. students, than older, black veteran teachers.

Writes Gabor:

After the storm, the state fired the city’s unionized teachers, who were mostly middle-aged African-Americans, an action that has been challenged in court. While a few schools have hired back teachers who worked in the pre-Katrina schools, the city now relies heavily on inexperienced educators—mostly young, white, and from out of town—who are willing, at least in the short run, to put in grueling hours. But at many schools, including Sci Academy, plenty of teachers last for less than two years. In New Orleans, teachers with certifications from Teach for America number close to 400, five times the level a few years ago. Within the RSD, in 2011, 42 percent of teachers had less than three years of experience; 22 percent have spent just one year or less in the classroom, according to “The State of Public 

H.R.2880: To require the Secretary of Education to use the excess revenue generated from the William D. Ford... OpenCongress

H.R.2880: To require the Secretary of Education to use the excess revenue generated from the William D. Ford... OpenCongress:

H.R.2880 - To require the Secretary of Education to use the excess revenue generated from the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program to carry out the Federal Pell Grant Program.

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Falling Down The Rabbit Hole Kafka Style With EngageNY southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com:

Falling Down The Rabbit Hole Kafka Style With EngageNY

I did it. I emailed EngageNY asking to to opt out my son of any and all data collected and/or to distributed. I had first called (518-474-5922) the office ofCurriculum and Instruction at NYSED. I asked whom can I speak to in regard to my request. After several minutes of being put on hold I was told that EngageNY could only be contacted by email (EDP@mail.nysed.gov). OK, so I emailed;

To whom it may concern:

My son is currently a student in the Harrison Central School District. I would like to have his data wipe and not shared at all. Also, I would like to know how I can go about seeing what data has been collected.

Thank you in advance.

Peter Zucker



Several hours later I received a reply;

Thank you for contacting the EngageNY Help Desk. Your ticket information is below. If you have any additional information to add to this ticket, please feel free to call the Help Desk at 1-855-252-6900

The Help Desk's normal business hours are are 9AM to 5PM Monday through Friday.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Name: sobronxschool@gmail.com

Ticket Number: 265

Date Reported: 9/20/2013 4:04:32 PM

Problem Request: Mr. Zucker wanted to know how can he have his kid's data wiped out ofinBloom he also wanted to know which data has been collected.

Message to Caller:


​Hello Mr. ​Zucker,


Thank you for contacting the EngageNY Portal Help Desk.


Only school districts can determine who has access to student data and for what purposes.