2-3-14 Perdido Street School Week

Perdido Street School:

De Blasio On The Daily Show

Funny:Jon Stewart [hereafter “Jon”] opened the show with a few jokes about his notable guest: “The mayor, Bill de Blasio, is here apparently with a shovel.” Today’s storm, Jon adds, “has provided the mayor with a chance for some snow removal redemption.” [cut to: clip of Ch. 2 coverage of today’s snowstorm] Jon: “De Blasio got an earful from the tony East Side residents used to Mayor Bloomberg car

by reality-based edu... / 6min 

NYSUT President Iannuzzi Condemns "Sit And Stare" Education For Children Who Opt Out Of State Tests

Very important statement from NYSUT supporting the right of parents to opt their children out of state tests and not have those children punished by the districts or schools:ALBANY, N.Y. Feb. 3, 2014 - New York State United Teachers President Richard C. Iannuzzi today called on school districts to abandon educationally unsound and unconscionable policies that force students whose parents have deci

by reality-based edu... / 1h 

And In Christie Scandal News...

...some stories that made headlines today.First, this one: An attorney with close ties to Gov. Chris Christie's administration helped prepare an official who gave now-discredited testimony that lane closures at the George Washington Bridge were part of a traffic study, officials said.Philip Kwon, a top attorney at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, spent parts of four to five days help

by reality-based edu... / 31min 

Keep Dreaming, Sheriff Andy

Fred Dicker writes about a poll taken of Democratic voters in Florida:A new Quinnipiac University poll of Florida voters was anything but encouraging to Cuomo’s widely described interest in entering the 2016 presidential contest. The poll, released Friday, not surprisingly found Hillary Rodham Clinton the runaway favorite, at 64 percent, among Democrats asked to pick their favorite presidential co

by reality-based edu... / 1h 

Pete Donahue: LIRR Unions Ready To Strike

Pete Donahue's Daily News column in full: Hey, Gov, when would you like a Long Island Rail Road strike? In the spring or summer? How about the fall when voters are going to the polls? Unless Cuomo’s MTA demonstrates more flexibility and urgency in its dealings with a coalition of LIRR unions, and gets off its high horse a little bit, railroad commuters will endure the first strike since the gover

by reality-based edu... / 30min hide  //  save

Super Bowl Fans Show Affection For New Jersey

Wonder if Christie will get blamed for this too:A record 27,000 people passed though the Secaucus Junction train station today, turning it into a virtual sauna and prompting shouts of “Jersey sucks” as football fans waited impatiently for trains to MetLife Stadium....The rush on the station left some waiting hours in sweltering heat. Fans reported seeing some people pass out. “New Jersey sucks,” s

by reality-based edu... / 6h 

2-2-14 Perdido Street School Week

Perdido Street School: David Wildstein Ruins Super Bowl Weekend For Chris ChristieEver since that the letter David Wildstein's lawyer sent to the Port Authority alleging that Christie had lied about the GWB lane closures made it into the news on Friday night, Chris Christie has been having a miserable time.First he had to sneak into Howard Stern's 60th birthday party on Friday so as not to have to

by mike simpson / 9h 

State finds errors in L.A. schools' iPad math lessons | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC

State finds errors in L.A. schools' iPad math lessons | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC:

State finds errors in L.A. schools' iPad math lessons

Annie Gilbertson | February 3rd, 2014, 6:01am

Maya Sugarman/KPCC

The California Department of Education has held off complete state approval for global publishing giant Pearson's Common Core math curriculum until it corrects errors found in every grade. The lessons are the same that were loaded onto iPads purchased by the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Among the mistakes in Pearson's Common Core System of Courses are misapplyied standards, software pathway inconsistencies and typos, according to state officials. The product otherwise meets Common Core standards, so it was given conditional approval.

Pearson officials declined an interview, but said in a statement the required changes "were minor in nature and for things like punctuation" and that "minor changes following submission is a standard practice among all publishers."

Among the errors found by state officials: One 3rd grade lesson tells students to "find the area of the green figure," but the figure appears blue. In a 6th grade lesson, students are asked to talk "about what Nana did wrong in the recipe, it was actually 

 

Low performing Pasadena middle school transforming itself into arts magnet

Eliot Middle School dance students get ready to perform at Madison Elementary in Pasadena. The students are helping Eliot recruit more students to attend the new arts magnet. ; Credit: Mary Plummer/KPCC Of the Pasadena Unified School District's seven middle school options, Eliot Middle School is the lowest performer on the most recent statewide tests, scoring about 150 points below the statewide

by Mary Plummer / 31min 

5 ways to teach kids about the California drought

A pipe emerges from dried and cracked earth that used to be the bottom of the Almaden Reservoir on January 28, 2014 in San Jose, California. Now in its third straight year of drought conditions, California is experiencing its driest year on record, dating back 119 years, and reservoirs throughout the state have low water levels. California Gov. Jerry Brown officially declared a drought emergency

by Mary Plummer / 31min 

Follow the Money | Deborah Meier on Education

Follow the Money | Deborah Meier on Education:

Follow the Money

Posted on February 2, 2014 by debmeier

I’m returning to my roots! Marx occasionally had it right. Along with Horace Mann, John Dewey et al.

This whole “new reform” movement in education is being fueled (the $$$$) by ordinary greed. Or second-hand greed—seeing a chance to destroy the political power of an already waning labor movement by undermining the two teacher unions. This is being done by fooling folks who mistakenly saw their own longtime critique of the public bureaucracy in the “radical” sounding idea charter schools being spread by the corporate think tanks that went into building the “Charter Movement.” Afraid of being part of the “status quo” some genuine school-based reformers provided cover for a shift in power quite the opposite of what they had in mind. Most of those genuine school and educational people, including of course Ravitch, have been abandoning that ship and returning to their roots.

Having failed time after time with vouchers—direct public funding of private schools, the new reformers saw a way around it. Their instincts also suggested that history favors reforms that make repeal difficult, almost impossible. So the motto is: move fast and thoroughly.

Reading back about the fall of the Soviet Union, the big question was what would happen to all the state-owned enterprises. It seemed a tough puzzle. But before one could seriously think it through they were all sold off—to friends and allies with money. Deed done. While I write this the same thing is happening to our public schools. This was not the plan in Minnesota which began the charter movement with the best of 

Charter loyalist seeks state superintendent’s seat :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet

Charter loyalist seeks state superintendent’s seat :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet:

Charter loyalist seeks state superintendent’s seat

by Tom Chorneau

(Calif.) He looks too young for the trials he would face as chief of California’s large and complex public education system, but Marshall Tuck tells you right off he’s been running schools for more than a decade.

All of that time has been spent in L.A. – not Sacramento – which is something else he’s quick to mention. An early hire at Green Dot, today one of the country’s biggest and most successful charter school operators, Tuck most recently served former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa helping manage the mayor’s groundbreaking effort to turnaround 17 low-performing urban schools.

Now he wants to be California’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

“I made a personal decision a while back that I’m going to do whatever I could to help as many kids to have a better life as possible,” Tuck said in an interview.

“There’s been a lot of good momentum being built among the charters but traditional public schools and traditional public school systems aren’t moving fast enough,” said the 40-year-old father of one. “But again, my goal is how do I help as many kids as possible and push the education 

Teacher Autonomy by State (and Salary) | Paul Bruno

Teacher Autonomy by State (and Salary) | Paul Bruno:

Teacher Autonomy by State (and Salary)

By PAUL BRUNO | Published: FEBRUARY 3, 2014

As I mentioned before, the Center for American Progress just put out a report finding that teachers today still seem to feel very autonomous even in this era of accountability and reform.

Exactly how autonomous they feel varies depending on which aspect of the job you’re asking them about. So, for example, about 58% of teachers report having a “moderate” or “great deal” of control over “selecting content, topics, and skills to be taught”, but more than 93% report that much autonomy when it comes to “evaluating and grading students”.

That makes a certain amount of sense: teachers are usually hired to teach pre-existing content standards, so it’d be a little surprising if they felt as autonomous about content as they do about grading or disciplining students (about which 88% feel autonomous).

One of the most interesting aspects of autonomy, in my view, is over “selecting 

Important Reading: Mike Rose Has Revised and Expanded “Why School?” | janresseger

Important Reading: Mike Rose Has Revised and Expanded “Why School?” | janresseger:

Important Reading: Mike Rose Has Revised and Expanded “Why School?”

Posted on February 3, 2014 by janresseger

Mike Rose, UCLA professor and author of a series of books that champion public education, opportunity, equity, and excellent teaching, has just published a revised and expanded, 2014 edition of Why School?.

Why School? is a  philosophy of education, a reflection on  the public role of our schools and our responsibility to these schools as members of the public.  Rose writes:  “Citizens in a democracy must continually assess the performance of their public institutions.  But the quality and language of that evaluation matter.  Before we can evaluate, we need to be clear about what it is we’re evaluating, what the nature of the thing is: its components and intricacies, its goals and purpose.”  “As our notion of the public shrinks, the full meaning of public education, the cognitive and social luxuriance of it, fades.  Achievement is still possible, but loses its civic heart.”

In the 2014 edition, Rose has revised, updated, and expanded Why School?   It now addresses the impact of President Obama’s Race to the Top program and other federal programs that have emerged since 2009—including problems with the waivers now being granted to address the lingering effects of the the No Child Left Behind Act, long over-due for reauthorization.  A much expanded chapter on standards and accountability now explores the goals of the Common Core Standards as well as Rose’s worries about the Common Core testing and 

GoPublicSchool.com « An open discussion of public school issues. GoPublicSchool.com

GoPublicSchool.com « An open discussion of public school issues. GoPublicSchool.com:

 ‘Broken schools’ – or broken debate over education?

Amy Laura Hall in the Durham Herald-Sun… “If you want effectively to undermine the complicated, daily work of teachers and custodians and counselors and school traffic cops, you first need to destabilize people’s confidence in the solvency of the overall system.  You basically need to create the educational equivalent of a run on the bank.  People are hearing through grapevines as disparate as Nat

by GPS / 1h hide  //  save

Educators excluded from school reform conversation

James D. Mervilde in The Indianapolis Star… “Money spent educating our children is an investment. Our leaders have been penny-wise and pound-foolish in managing that investment. Their lack of wisdom has had dire effects upon children, despite the heroic efforts that educators apply every day in Hoosier classrooms. I would submit to Arnie Duncan that educators have been telling the truth about educ

by GPS / 1h 

Despite increased security, school shootings continue…

AP Education Writer Kimberly Hefling at PBS.org… “There’s been no real reduction in the number of U.S. school shootings despite increased security put in place after the rampage at Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012. In Pennsylvania and New Mexico, Colorado and Tennessee, and elsewhere, gunfire has echoed through school hallways, and killed students or their teachers in so

by GPS / 1h 

Funds meant for charters may be diverted to Pre-K…

Javier C. Hernandez in The New York Times… “New York City’s schools chancellor announced her intention on Friday to shift money away from charter schools to help pay for Mayor Bill de Blasio’s expansion of prekindergarten programs. The chancellor, Carmen Fariña, in describing the Education Department’s $12.8 billion capital plan, said she would seek to redirect $210 million that had been reserved

by GPS / 1h 

In Vergara vs. California, L.A. supt. a star witness — for both sides…

Howard Blume in The Los Angeles Times… “In a groundbreaking trial over teacher job protections, Los Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy was the early star witness — for both sides. The case, Vergara vs. California, challenges a set of laws that affect how teachers are fired, laid off and granted tenure. Advocates contend that these regulations hinder the removal of ineffective teachers, diminishing t

by GPS / 1h 

KY – Pension reform leaves out teachers…

An editorial in The Courier-Journal… “… And it’s important to note here that unlike other state employees, teacher arenot covered by Social Security. That’s worth repeating: Teachers are not covered by Social Security and get none of those benefits when they retire.When Social Security was established in 1935, public school teachers were excluded. And though states were allowed to opt in in later

by GPS / 1h 

Aggressive public relations campaign amplifies courtroom battle against teacher work rules | EdSource Today

Aggressive public relations campaign amplifies courtroom battle against teacher work rules | EdSource Today:

Aggressive public relations campaign amplifies courtroom battle against teacher work rules

February 2nd, 2014 | 1 Comment | 
By Louis Freedberg

A lawsuit challenging teacher tenure, seniority and dismissal laws is underway in Los Angeles. Credit: EdSource file photo

The potentially game-changing Vergara v. Californialawsuit, which attacks key aspects of California law on how teachers are evaluated and fired, opened in Los Angeles last week and has been accompanied by an aggressive public relations campaign unmatched by the opposing side – the State of California and  its teachers unions.

The campaign seems designed to make sure that the explosive issues being raised regarding teachers’ job security in California ripple far beyond a cramped courtroom in Los Angeles and help shape public opinion across the state and nation.

Remarkably, this one-sided communications war has been initiated by a single person – Silicon Valley entrepreneur David Welch, the founder of the nonprofit organization Students Matter, which brought the suit – and provides a case study of what impact a single individual can have if he has the resources, or access to them, to take action based on his beliefs.

California Teachers Association President Dean Vogel says his organization, representing more than 300,000 teachers, has no intention of trying to counteract what he described as a campaign funded by the bottomless pockets of the “billionaires boys club.”

“The media blitz is no surprise to us,” he said. “We expected this kind of barrage. We believe that what people want is not flashy PR but real substantive conversations with teachers that they deal with every day. Our focus is not on the media show, but getting out into the community and 

 Parent Universities help districts tap into feedback required under funding formula - by Sarah Weld/EdSource correspondent

School leaders are saying that one of the best known ways to involve parents – establishing a “Parent University” program – will be a boon to engaging them in the state’s new funding reforms championed by Gov. Jerry Brown. Parent Universities, which vary widely in scope from district to district, are ... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit the Edsource Today website for full links, other con

by Sarah Weld/EdSour... / 8h 

2-3-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida ALL Week

Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education:

'  State Education Chiefs Can’t Withdraw for Data Sharing – Even If They Wanted

Writes Dr. Karen Effrem, President of Education Liberty Watch and co-founder of the Florida Stop Common Core Coalition in Truth in American Education: On January 23rd, 2014, thirty-four chief state school officers sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan trying to reassure the public that individual student test data will not be given to the federal government and that data is safe

by Bob Sikes / 2h 

2-2-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida ALL Week

Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: Corporate Educatio Reform Continues to Lose Conservative IntellectualsMany conservative republicans are considering the once unthinkable: The Bush’s were wrong about education. President George W. Bush with No Child Let Behind and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush with hi

by mike simpson / 8h 

Baltimore Teacher’s Argument for “No” Vote on New Union Contract. Discuss. | Re:education in Baltimore

Baltimore Teacher’s Argument for “No” Vote on New Union Contract. Discuss. | Re:education in Baltimore:

Baltimore Teacher’s Argument for “No” Vote on New Union Contract. Discuss.

From Baltimore City teacher Corey Gaber, published here with permission in the interest of amplifying the message and opening a space for debate beyond Facebook:

BALTIMORE CITY EDUCATORS: I would like to make an argument for why you should vote NO on the upcoming teachers contract. If you find it persuasive, please forward this (or just parts of it, or change the language for your audience) to everyone the new contract impacts.

1. Article 2.4 says:
“Individuals and organizations other than the Union shall not be permitted to use the school system’s interdepartmental mail and email facilities, or the right of distribution of materials to teachers’ mailboxes.” (http://www.baltimoreteachers.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/TENTATIVE-AGREEMENT.corrected.1.14.14.pdf)

So if Baltimore Teacher Network (BTN) or Educators for Democratic Schools decide to put on another teacher forum like we did last Thursday, for discussion topics like, “investigating the new teacher contract” (note that we have to investigate it on our own because we’re not actually co-creators of the product and we’re not informed of its contents until right before it’s shoved down our throats), then WE CAN’T EVEN PUT FLYERS IN FELLOW TEACHERS MAILBOXES to educate them about the opportunity thanks to this new clause.

This is a clear violation of first amendment rights and is written so broadly that it could be used to rule out 

Part 3: High Stakes Testing and Opting Out: The Variables | Parents Across America

Part 3: High Stakes Testing and Opting Out: The Variables | Parents Across America:



Part 3: High Stakes Testing and Opting Out: The Variables

 

The Variables

High stakes testing has ramifications including ending careers and affecting communities by closing schools. Hence, we need to look carefully at the variables that might affect a student’s performance on a test.

Teachers and principals do not work in a vacuum. They have students with lives outside school. Students live in a real world. The real world affects how they behave and their ability to focus in class. These factors include:

• English being a second language
• The physical and emotional health of the student
• If the student has had enough to eat or adequate time to sleep
• If there are distracting circumstances at home
• If the student has a home
• If the student is supported by tutors or parents who can help with homework
• The availability and  quality of the instructional materials used in the classroom
• The size of the class
• School attendance
• Having additional sources of enrichment outside the classroom

State leaders deciding whether to comply with Federal regulations requiring high stakes testing must 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Harry Belafonte

“I think artists have a platform, they have a power, the gift – and by using that gift and that power and putting it the service of those who are being ground out by inequity and systems that are unjust, we begin to put a light and a new dynamic into what is going on with the poor and what is going on with the racially oppressed, sexually abused,” Belafonte told Harris-Perry. “And by doing this, we have heightened the consciousness of people who are being constantly distracted at taking a deeper look at what goes on in our social issues.” -- Melissa Harris-Perry on MSNBC

 Leonie Haimson, Exec. Dir., Class Size Matters

"Send Arne Duncan to Mars" -- Salon.com

Chris Hayes

Following the release yesterday of the State Department report on the environmental impact of the Keystone XL Pipeline, MSNBC’s Chris Hayes delivered a blistering rebuke of America’s dependence on fossil fuels, likening President Barack Obama’s apparent willingness to embrace the project to a drug addicts trapped in a “self-destructive cycle.”

 “Everyone who breaks free of any addiction digs down and finds some inner strength to say no, to stop, to say this is the day I start to turn my life around,”