12-3-13 Wait What?

Wait What?:

Malloy can’t contain himself, uses speech to criticize lobbying effort by teachers and education unions…

As readers are aware, Governor Dannel Malloy traveled to Washington D.C. yesterday to speak to the right-wing, neoconservative American Enterprise Institute.  His speech was entitled, “School reform dos and don’ts: Lessons from Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy.” As originally proposed, Malloy’s “education reform” initiative was the most anti-teacher, anti-union education reform legislation propo

by jonpelto / 3min 

Time for the Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee to come clean about spending

Over the last few months the Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee has been raising money that purportedly would be used to help Democratic candidates beat Republican candidates. But as Wait, What? readers know from earlier posts, Governor Malloy, Democratic Party Chair Nancy DiNardo and the Democratic State Central Committee syphoned over more than $37,000 in […]The post Time for the Con

by jonpelto / 27min 

And on Education Funding… Malloy misleads audience… again…

According to an article published in the CT Mirror and entitled, “Malloy makes no promises to increase school funding further,” when speaking to the right-wing American Enterprise Institute yesterday, Governor Malloy was “noncommittal Monday when asked during a forum in Washington, D.C., if he would further increase education funding again next year.” In what has […]The post And on Education Fundi

by jonpelto / 8min 

12-2-13 Wait What?

Wait What?: Malloy speaks to right-wing American Enterprise Institute in ongoing effort to alienate every teacher and public education advocateWith the 2014 gubernatorial election on the horizon, Governor Dannel P. Malloy remains true to his never-ending effort to alienate every teacher and public education advocate in Connecticut. Today he travels to the ultra-right wing American Enterprise Insti

by mike simpson / 9h 

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, December 3, 2013

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Survey: Most LAUSD teachers would discontinue costly iPad program

Education Headlines

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

FCMAT provides links to California K-12 news stories as a service to the industry. However, some stories may not be accessible because of newspapers' subscription policies.

Coachella Valley Unified School District recall effort falls short

Despite months of collecting signatures, a group of disgruntled parents has failed to rally enough support to recall a majority of the Coachella Valley Unified School Board.

Pipes, personnel on LBUSD board's agenda

The Long Beach Unified School District board is set decide whether to take over the water pipes beneath the new McBride High School and discuss a few highlights of contract negotiations with employees at Tuesday’s board meeting.

Survey: Most LAUSD teachers would discontinue costly iPad program

Only a minority of Los Angeles Unified School District teachers strongly favors proceeding with the $1 billion iPad program.

West Contra Costa school board agrees to revisit bullying regulations, hires administrator

Although the West Contra Costa school district has several programs in schools to help combat bullying, trustees learned during a special board meeting Monday that they are not doing enough.

Freedburg: School reforms revive decades-old debate on impact of money on education outcomes

The dramatic transformation of how California’s schools are funded is raising one of the most complex and challenging questions on the education policy landscape: Will additional money improve student academic outcomes?

Adams: Schools promoting ‘trauma-informed’ teaching to reach troubled students

Backed by brain research, California schools are beginning to address the effect of severe trauma on the health and achievement of their students.

U.S. students score below international averages in math, reading and science

Showing barely any change in nine years, American 15-year-olds scored below their international peers in math, reading and science, test results released Tuesday show.

L.A. Unified accuses state of 'shortchanging' needy students

L.A. Unified accused state education officials Monday of “shortchanging” the school district’s impoverished students, saying they could be prevented from receiving all of the estimated $200 million due them under a new school funding system.

Monday, December 2, 2013

San Bernardino County names new deputy superintendent of schools

Ted Alejandre, assistant superintendent of business services for San Bernardino County Schools, has been named deputy superintendent for county schools, according to Superintendent Gary Thomas, who made the announcement Wednesday.

Employees considered former Rialto schools accountant Judith Oakes untouchable, audit reveals

For more than eight years, a district accountant stole nearly one in every four dollars that passed through the Rialto Unified School District's lunch money program, according to a forensic audit obtained by The Sun.

Pleasant Valley HS classroom building almost ready for students

After years of discussion and months of construction, a two-story, 24-classroom building at Pleasant Valley High School is about six weeks from completion.

Audits scrutinize Paradise Hills school

Three separate audits of Bethune K-8 school in Paradise Hills have found problems, from teacher timecards to spending of student-activity funds.

Complaints against San Lorenzo principal pile up

Hostile and discriminatory -- not words you would want used to describe anyone in a leadership position, much less a school principal. For some teachers and counselors at Arroyo High School in the unincorporated San Lorenzo community, those words describe Principal Larry Smith, who has amassed more than two dozen staff complaints of various sorts since his arrival in 2006.

AFT President Weingarten on PISA 2012 International Results

AFT - A Union of Professionals - AFT project offers tools to understand international comparisons:

AFT President Weingarten on PISA 2012 International Results

AFT’s Weingarten: “The crucial question we face now is whether we have the political will to move away from the failed policies and embrace what works in high-performing countries so that we can reclaim the promise of public education.”

WASHINGTON—Statement by American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 results:

“Today’s PISA results drive home what has become abundantly clear: While the intentions may have been good, a decade of top-down, test-based schooling created by No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top—focused on hyper-testing students, sanctioning teachers and closing schools—has failed to improve the quality of American public education. Sadly, our nation has ignored the lessons from the high-performing nations. These countries deeply respect public education, work to ensure that teachers are well-prepared and well-supported, and provide students not just with standards but with tools to meet them—such as ensuring a robust curriculum, addressing equity issues so children with the most needs get the most resources, and increasing parental involvement. None of the top-tier countries, nor any of those that have made great leaps in student performance, like Poland and Germany, has a fixation on testing like the United States does

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-3-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

Pasi Sahlberg: How Should PISA Scores Affect Finnish Education?

Finland was not at the top of the PISA league tables in the latest assessment. So what does this mean for the future? Here, Pasi Sahlberg explains that Finland never cared about being first. What it wanted most was to have the kind of education that was best for youth development. What will happen now that its scores have dropped? Sahlberg writes: Finland should not do what many other countries ha

by dianeravitch / 38min 

My View of the PISA Scores

The news reports say that the test scores of American students on the latest PISA test are “stagnant,” “lagging,” “flat,” etc. The U.S. Department of Education would have us believe–yet again–that we are in an unprecedented crisis and that we must double down on the test-and-punish strategies of the past dozen years. The myth persists that once our nation led the world on international tests, but

by dianeravitch / 7min 

Inside the Long Island Parent Rebellion Against Common Core

What’s the gripe of those “white suburban moms” (and dads) who have turned out in large numbers to complain about Common Core and the increase in testing? Here is a good analysis by a local Long Island reporter. Jaime Franchi at LongIslandPress.com interviewed parents and leaders of the revolt and gives a full picture of the uprising. The story begins: “Eighth grader Ryan Pepe, 13, of East Islip,

by dianeravitch / 8min 

Lecker: When Is “School Choice” Extortion?

Civil rights attorney Wendy Lecker writes here about a battle over the future of two elementary schools in Connecticut. In both cases, parents resisted efforts to turn their children over to corporate reformers. She writes: In recent weeks, parents from two community schools protested proposals by Christina Kishimoto, Hartford’s outgoing “reform” superintendent, and Education Commissioner Stefan P

by dianeravitch / 7min hide  //  save

EduShyster: Teacher Evaluations in Massachusetts Make No Sense

Massachusetts released teacher ratings, and lo and behold, all the best teachers seem to be in the most affluent districts. In Boston, the lowest ratings went to old and minority teachers. The highest ratings went to central office administrators. EduShyster did not use the phrase “makes no sense,” which is the headline of this post. Actually, the teacher evaluations do make sense. They are doin

by dianeravitch / 1h 

Pennsylvania: Stop Charter Expansion Now!

Pennsylvania is home to some of the nation’s most unscrupulous charter operators, some of whom are under criminal investigation or on trial for fraud and misappropriation of public funds. But say this for some of the sleaziest: they give generously to political campaigns. That is why the Legislature is considering SB 1085, which would allow new charters to open without local approval. If you want

by dianeravitch / 1h 

NY Parents Demand Responsive State Board

Parents in Néw York are organizing statewide to demand a state board of education that reflects the interests of parents and students. The board in Néw York is called the Board of Regents. It is appointed by the State Assembly, which is overwhelmingly Democratic. The speaker of the Assembly, Sheldon Silver, effectively decides who will be appointed to the Regents. The current board, led by Merryl

by dianeravitch / 2h 

Expert: Why VAM Should NOT Be Used to Grade Teachers

Edward H. Haertel is one of the nation’s premier psychometricians. He is Jacks Family Professor of Education Emeritus at Stanford University. I had the pleasure of serving with him on the National Assessment Governing Board, after I joined the board in 1997. He is wise, thoughtful, and deliberate. He understands the appropriate use and misuse of standardized testing. He was invited by the Educatio

by dianeravitch / 3h 

Randi On PISA: Time to End Failed Policies of NCLB & RTTT

AFT President Weingarten on PISA 2012 International Results AFT’s Weingarten: “The crucial question we face now is whether we have the political will to move away from the failed policies and embrace what works in high-performing countries so that we can reclaim the promise of public education.” WASHINGTON—Statement by American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on the Program for

by dianeravitch / 3h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-2-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Tom Loveless: Why Shanghai Leads the World on International Tests Like PISATom Loveless, a scholar at the Brookings Institution, has spent many years analyzing testing data. He is active in the study of international testing. He has deciphered the secrets of Shanghai’s remarkably high test scores. For one thing, China as a whole do

by mike simpson / 8h 

The Educated Reporter: U.S. Students and PISA: Same As It Ever Was

The Educated Reporter: U.S. Students and PISA: Same As It Ever Was:

U.S. Students and PISA: Same As It Ever Was

There’s been little or no change in the performance of U.S. students on the latest round of the international PISA assessment, with stagnant scores in reading, mathematics, and science. With other countries pulling away at the head of the pack, America saw its overall ranking slip. Just as troubling – achievement gaps persist among students by ethnicity and socioeconomic status. At the same time, the U.S. continues to vastly outspend other countries on public education. (The Atlantic’s headline summed it up nicely: “American Schools vs. the World: Expensive, Unequal, Bad at Math.”)

PISA was created by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to provide a comparable measure of public education systems around the globe. Fifteen-year-old students in 65 countries and jurisdictions are tested on their critical thinking skills and problem solving capabilities as well as their proficiency in core subjects. PISA also collects surveys from students and educators and in some places the parents, as well, which gives the OECD information about how schools operate and students’ home life.

Here’s what U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan had to say about the results:

“While we are seeing some encouraging progress on many important measures, the United States’ performance on the 2012 PISA is a picture of 

The Press Dropped the Ball on the Common Core :: Frederick M. Hess

The Press Dropped the Ball on the Common Core :: Frederick M. Hess:

Archive Frederick M. Hess's Blog The Press Dropped the Ball on the Common Core by Frederick M. Hess  •  Dec 2, 2013 at 11:35 am Cross-posted from Education Week  Print  Send  RSS  Share During the past couple months, newspapers and cable news have had a field day analyzing Obamacare's troubles. Firestorms over HealthCare.gov or President Obama's unfounded assurances seemingly sprung from out of the blue. This followed years during which these boiling issues received little media scrutiny, permitting problems to fester. There are important lessons here for K-12's current brouhaha over the Common Core. Introduced in 2010 and adopted by forty-plus states with little notice by the end of 2011, the Common Core has since rocketed into the popular imagination. Headlines are now filled with tales of angry public meetings and legislative clashes in places like Florida, New York, and Georgia. This discord has surprised some enthused about the effort, which The New York Times editorial board celebrated as "a once-in-a-generation opportunity," and which U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said "may prove to be the single greatest thing to happen to public education in America since Brown versus Board of Education." The Common Core wasn't always contentious. When unveiled in 2010, it drew little controversy and little public examination or debate. At that time, Chester E. Finn, Jr., and Michael Petrilli, the president and vice president of the Thomas Fordham Institute, and conservative champions of national standards noted, "This profound... shift in American education is occurring with little outcry from the right, save for a half-dozen libertarians who don't much care for government to start with." They concluded this inactivity was a testament to the quality of the standards and broad support for more uniform expectations. Three years later, things look different. States that raced to adopt the standards in 2010, including Oklahoma, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama, have expressed second thoughts on participating in the standards. In New York, Common core critics have called for the resignation of education commissioner John King, due to

12-3-13 Major Bill Actions Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress:

Bill Introduced: H.R. 3510: SUCCESS Act

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to repeal the suspension of eligibility for grants, loans, and work assistance for drug-related offenses.

7h hide  //  save

Bill Introduced: H.R. 3505: Technology, Equality and Accessibility in College and Higher Education Act

To direct the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board to develop accessibility guidelines for electronic instructional materials and related information technologies in institutions of higher education, and for other purposes.

7h 

Bill Introduced: S. 1717: Servicemember Education Reform and Vocational Enhancement Act of 2013

A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve oversight of educational assistance provided under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense, and for other purposes.

6h 

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress: Bill Introduced: H.R. 3583: Malala Yousafzai Scholarship ActTo expand the number of scholarships available to Pakistani women under the Merit and Needs-Based Scholarship Program.6h hide  //  saveBill Introduced: H.R. 3477: Veterans Legal Support Act of 2013To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide support to university law school programs t

by mike simpson / 41min 

John Thompson: Time to Fact-Check the Reformers - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

John Thompson: Time to Fact-Check the Reformers - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

John Thompson: Time to Fact-Check the Reformers

By Anthony Cody on December 3, 2013 9:44 AM

Guest post by John Thompson.

When Diane Ravitch spoke in Rhode Island, she explained that test scores were at their highest point in the past 40 years but that they "slowed after the passage of NCLB and Race to the Top. The largest recent gains occurred from 2000-2003, before the implementation of NCLB."

PolitiFact Rhode Island determined that Ravitch's statement was "Mostly False."  Now, it provides the next best thing to an apology - the publishing of the truth.  PolitiFact now reports that "we believe her statement implied" that scores dropped after NCLB and RttT. They also say thatnumerous readers complained about their judgment, adding:

John Thompson, of Oklahoma City, had a similar complaint. "You wrote that the word 'until' implies that progress stopped with NCLB and [Race to the Top]. Where did you get that from? How is that the implication? The reality was that decades of growth 'slowed' after those reforms. Ravitch's statement is also consistent with her carefully worded explanations that the education system, as a whole, has improved while failing poor children. We've had forty years of growth, but progress stagnated after NCLB.

That raises a question.  What if school reformers were open about their errors in fact and their misleading use of language?  How would reformers fare if their facts were truly held up to scrutiny?

Here are some of their claims:

Arne Duncan: KIPP Schools produce better reults with "the same students, in the same building."

I heard Duncan make that misstatement in Oklahoma City, claiming that the 123 students 

12-3-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites | The Best Posts & Articles On 2012 PISA Test Results

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL:

Collection Of Excellent Posts, Videos, Quotes & Articles Commenting On PISA Results

Here are some excellent additions to The Best Posts & Articles On 2012 PISA Test Results I posted this morning just after they came out: NASSP Statement on PISA Results: Despite Fervor Over Scores, US Continues to Ignore Lessons My View of the PISA Scores is by Diane Ravitch. The PISA Puzzle is by Dana Goldstein. Here are a couple of excerpts from her Slate piece: There’s another PISA result t

by Larry Ferlazzo / 39min 

The Best Posts & Articles On 2012 PISA Test Results

The Internet is awash today with articles about this morning’s release of the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, test results. I’m just quickly posting the best resources I’ve seen this morning, and articles offering real insightful commentary will be coming later. However, I’ve included a few pieces that came out prior to this morning and, of course, you can also check o

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

  

12-2-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: 36th ELT Blog Carnival Just Published!Eva Buyuksimkesyan has just published the 36th ELT Blog Carnival (formerly known as the ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival) and it’s a great one on holiday lessons. Teachers from around the world have contributed posts. I’m adding it to The Best Places To Learn About Christmas, Hanukkah, & K

by mike simpson / 9h