4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 2-9-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:

VERGARA v. CALIFORNIA/WEEK 2 : The judge is struggling to stay awake

a compendium of coverage as the plaintiff’s case continues…. Why the Vergara Trial  Could Upend Public Education By Hillel Aron, LA Weekly |  The Informer | | LA Weekly http://bit.ly/1lPU3TD   Fri, Feb 7, 2014 at 6:52 AM  ::  There are no bloody gloves, no celebrity witnesses, no shocking reports on DNA evidence. In fact, a few days ago Judge Rolf Treu was struggling to stay awake

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iPADS GOING HOME?: ‘That’s concerning to me,’ says Ratliff

by Vanessa Romo, LA School Report | LA School Report | http://bit.ly/1fPmJou Posted on February 7, 2014   ::  Some LA Unified schools may be moving closer to allowing students to take district-bought iPads home again, and that has caught district officials by surprise. The district put an end to the practice in September after students figured out how to bypass the device’s security filters.

by smf / 3min 

Vergara: STOP TENURE TYRANNY AND SHOW SOME LOVE FOR OUR HARDWORKING TEACHERS

a cartoon, an Op-Ed, honesty+satire from Ted Rall | LA Times | http://lat.ms/1d8MmSU Teacher tenure is under attack in California. But how are we going to attract new teachers? Salaries are low, conditions are difficult, the work is exhausting. (Ted Rall / For The Times / February 6, 2014) February 6, 2014, 5:00 a.m.  ::  My mother retired recently from teaching under pretty much the

by smf / 16min 

L.A. Unified Students Pitch In To Help The Homeless

Some 300 students from 36 high schools take part in a district-wide volunteer day at shelters. By Esmeralda Bermudez  | L.A. Times | http://lat.ms/1gZUyIA Alondra Morales, 17, of Los Angeles High School, has her hair tucked underneath a hair net by schoolmate Jessica Nibra, 17. The two were preparing to work in the kitchen at the Midnight Mission on skid row in downtown L.A. (Rick Loomis,

by smf / 1h

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 2-8-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT  John Marshall High Wins Lausd Academic DecathlonThe team takes first place with 55,785.7 out of a possible 65,400 points. Previous winners Granada Hills Charter and El Camino Real Charter  - as well as Franklin and Grant - also advance to the state level. By Alicia Banks, LA Times | http://lat.ms/1jm3fxp Marsh

by mike simpson / 

8h 

All Week 2-9-14 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE:

#CCLS: Moratorium, Or Delaying the Inevitable?

From the massive amount of media coverage lately I am sure you have heard the NYS legislature is debating placing a “moratorium” on consequences from Common Core testing.  The discussion revolves around teachers, principals, and schools not being punished for low scores while New York slows down the implementation of the Common Core.  Many questions […]

by Chris Cerrone / 14min 

Perhaps tech sector, or whatever, should read up on #edpolicy in the States @igniteflow @JonathanHaynes @SLSingh #edtech

I’ve attempted some very minimal coding. Some people are really geeking out over it, thinking that teaching young persons to code is going to heal the world, or something. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an interesting idea. The practical realities of these initiatives, however, seem to elude many advocates. Nevertheless, the Year of Code overseas […]

1 by Shaun Johnson / 9min 

DCPS and the WTU: A Negotiation Showdown or an Opportunity to Repair?

During the coming negotiation rounds between DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson and the Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) President, Elizabeth “Liz” Davis, the following issues need further elaboration: How has IMPACT 2.0 faired in the 40 lowest performing schools? What is the teacher turnover rate within these schools, especially for Group 1 teachers? Is the current classroom observations’ […]

by Angel Cintron Jr. / 22min hide  //  save

Worst Op-Ed of 2014, Already?

I waited until December of 2013 to raise this question: Worst Education Op-Ed of 2013? So I don’t rush into this claim casually: Jonathan Chait’s Public Education’s Weird Ideological Divide is already the worst Op-Ed of 2014, and likely will not be surpassed (but may be tied often, I regret to say). Chait’s piece isn’t long (thankfully) but […]

by plthomasedd / 1h 

YESTERDAY

Teachers Often the One Thing Between Kids and the World #evaluatethat

Every once in a while, a teacher is the one thing standing between kids and their world.  Teachers stand up and are always ready to help in any way needed.  Read this account from an elementary teacher in New Mexico, which took place during a relatively rare winter storm: This morning, I got to school […]

51 by Kris Nielsen / 7h 

Update on Common Core Status in the States: Part Three

This post is the last in a series of three on the state of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) across the nation. Now that states have hastily Raced to the US Department of Education in chasing US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s dangled (albeit insufficient) millions, many have entered the phase I call Move to the Sidelines […]

3 by deutsch29 / 8h  

All Week 2-8-14 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: All Week @ THE CHALK FACE Update on Common Core Status in the States: Part TwoOn February 6, 2014, I posted my first of three installments regarding the state of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in statehouses nationwide– and even in the US Senate. Reaction to CCSS includes the Huckabee-promoted “rebranding” of the CCSS “product” as well as CCSS investi

by mike simpson / 

8h 

2-9-14 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week

With A Brooklyn Accent:

Democracy at Risk in the Nation's Schools

Because current Education Policies were made without the consent or input of those who experience them on the ground- teachers, students, and parents- they only way they can be implemented is through an ugly dose on of fear and intimidation, first on the teachers required to teach according to their precepts, then on the students and families who have to adapt to them. Anyone who protests the poli

4 by Mark Naison / 2h 

2-8-14 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week

With A Brooklyn Accent:With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All WeekA Gates Foundation Dictatorships - A Response to My Video on "Common Core Stealth Standards""Letter I just got in response to what I said about Bill Gates in my "Common Core Stealth Standards" Speech ( now on youtube)Dear Mr. Naison,I apologize for contacting you at your Fordham email, but I just watched a youtu

by mike simpson / 

8h 

2-9-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University):

“What Is Wrong with Aiming for Basic”?

“What Is Wrong with Aiming for Basic”?.

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“What Is Wrong with Aiming for Basic”?

English educator and Deweyan progressive Lou LaBrant taught from 1906 until 1971; LaBrant lived to be 102. She led a long and rich life as an educator, and when she wrote her memoir for the Education Museum at the University of South Carolina, in that reflection, she confronted the back-to-basics movement under Ronald Reagan’s administration that spurred the current accountability reform era. LaBr

by plthomasedd / 8min 

Worst Op-Ed of 2014, Already?

Worst Op-Ed of 2014, Already?.

1 by plthomasedd / 1h hide  //  save

2-8-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD

THE BECOMING RADICALRadical ScholarshipEMPATHYEDUCATES!the becoming radical  A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by When Is School Reform Not Enough?Illustration; Copyright Bob Cahm By Ann Evans de Bernard | Originally Published at Education Week. February 3, 2014 | Published in Print: February 5, 2014, as When Is School Reform Not Reform? My state of Connecticut, like many others across the countr

by mike simpson / 

8h 

2-9-14 empathyeducates All Week

empathyeducates:

4 Education Overhauls to Watch for in 2014

By Owen Davis | Originally Published at Salon. AlterNet. February 4, 2014 8:30 AM For people looking to “disrupt” public education, it’s become requisite to bemoan the “educational status quo” — a phrase meant to evoke images of poor kids striving against the impediments of failing schools […]

by empathy / 7h 

2-8-14 empathyeducates All Week

empathyeducates:When Is School Reform Not Enough?Illustration; Copyright Bob Cahm By Ann Evans de Bernard | Originally Published at Education Week. February 3, 2014 | Published in Print: February 5, 2014, as When Is School Reform Not Reform? My state of Connecticut, like many others across the country, has received much attention lately […]by empathy / 5h YESTERDAYPolitics is Local – It Begins wit

by mike simpson / 

8h 

DCPS and the WTU: A Negotiation Showdown or an Opportunity to Repair? | EdCentrist

DCPS and the WTU: A Negotiation Showdown or an Opportunity to Repair? | EdCentrist:

DCPS and the WTU: A Negotiation Showdown or an Opportunity to Repair?

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During the coming negotiation rounds between DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson and the Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) President, Elizabeth “Liz” Davis, the following issues need further elaboration: How has IMPACT 2.0 faired in the 40 lowest performing schools? What is the teacher turnover rate within these schools, especially for Group 1 teachers? Is the current classroom observations’ model helping to develop teachers? What are the shortcomings of IMPACT 2.0? What “software upgrades” are essential for encouraging “out-of-the-box” teacher risks and innovation? How can the system prevent teachers from “burning out” or leaving the District, altogether? If these questions, and more, are “on the negotiation table,” then, perhaps, IMPACT version 3.0 will be worth the wait.

Background

During the Fall of 2008, DCPS created the “Effective Schools Framework,” an overarching education reform policy designed to ensure quality education within all DCPS schools. This “framework” consists of six core elements: Teaching and Learning; Leadership; Job-Embedded Professional Development; Resources; Safe and Effective Learning Environment; and, Family and Community Engagement. According to DCPS, the Teaching and Learning Element, which focuses on strong classroom instruction, is the primary focus of the overall framework. Moreover, the Teaching and Learning Element has three main purposes: provide clear 

NYC Educator: When a Mayor's Vision Collides with Corporate Cuomo's

NYC Educator: When a Mayor's Vision Collides with Corporate Cuomo's:

When a Mayor's Vision Collides with Corporate Cuomo's

NYC has woken up and come to its senses. After 20 years of GOP mayors who hated us and everything we stood for, the city has elected a progressive-minded mayor, a mayor who seems to value not only working people, but also the people who professionally serve the city. I went to see him speak in Brooklyn during the campaign, heard him say so, and have no reason to doubt his word.

We have a new chancellor, Carmen Fariña, who not only taught, but taught for decades. There will be no more talk about how tenure and seniority promote mediocrity, and no more fanatical ideologues in Tweed preaching privatization. Of course, no one is perfect, and Fariña has not yet come to her senses about Common Core. But she recognizes its miserable implementation, as does everyone on earth save those who actually implemented it, Reformy John King, Merryl Tisch, and their army of private interns who do not answer to we, the people.

The New York Post is horrified. De Blasio isn't opening any more charters! De Blasio may charge Eva Moskowitz rent! Gazillionaires may have to pay more taxes to support pre-K for the children of the bootless and unhorsed! I smile at every one of Murdoch's perceived outrages. It's about 

LAUSD'S IRIS STEVENSON- GUILTY OF TEACHING WHILE BLACK...AND BEING AT THE TOP OF THE SALARY SCALE - Perdaily.com

LAUSD'S IRIS STEVENSON- GUILTY OF TEACHING WHILE BLACK...AND BEING AT THE TOP OF THE SALARY SCALE - Perdaily.com:



LAUSD'S IRIS STEVENSON- GUILTY OF TEACHING WHILE BLACK...AND BEING AT THE TOP OF THE SALARY SCALE

(Mensaje se repite en Español)

Veteran LAUSD Crenshaw High School teacher teacher Iris Stevenson has been cooling her heals in teacher jail at LAUSD for the crime of having taken her students to an event out of state without having signed LAUSD permission slips. Although she had parent permission and the prestigious trips she has taken her students on in the past have always been approved, this time she has been put in "teachers' jail" since December 2013, because she failed to get pro forma permission.

This is a completely unjustified use of incarcerating a teacher, since housing teachers should only be used when the teacher represents a threat to student safety and this form of isolation is necessary to allow a timely investigation to take place to determine if in fact the teacher threatens student safety as per the California Education Code. This was not the case with Ms. Stevenson nor is it the case with the vast majority of teachers who are being "housed" around LAUSD for the sole purpose of intimidating them into retirement.

Why? Because teachers at the top of the salary scale and/or about to vest in lifetime health benefits (which will cost LAUSD an additional $300,000 in presently unfunded liability) and/or disabled teachers are far more expensive than an uncredentialed Teacher for America-type teacher who they can get away with paying $35,000. In just the first year you force a veteran teacher into retirement, LAUSD would have a combined savings of $45,000 in salary and $15,000 in significantly diminished benefits. And that's just the first year, since the novice replacement will not attain the seniority and pay of the veteran for many years to come. And of course, LAUSD can "encourage" even these new teachers to move on after 2 or 3 years to preclude them 

He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named: Is Common Core the Lord Voldemort of... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named: Is Common Core the Lord Voldemort of... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:

He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named: Is Common Core the Lord Voldemort of education? 

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Phil Skinner

Tea Party members cheer after public comments in favor Cobb County’s decision not purchase new math textbooks for all grade levels that were aligned with Common Core during a school board meeting in Marietta on Thursday June 27th, 2013.

Previous Posts

• Governor to teachers: I'm with you, not against you. It's those schools boards withholding your raises.
  February 7, 2014
• Teacher immunity ruling sends wrong message in closely watched Fulton County case
  February 6, 2014
• Michelle Obama: 'I'm first.' Urges kids to become first generation to go to college
  February 6, 2014

By Maureen Downey

In 2010, Gov. Sonny Perdue gathered other governors, cameras and crowds at a local high school to unveil new national standards developed through an effort he led. Finally, said Perdue, teachers would have common standards that “articulate exactly what it is that we expect young people to know at different levels.”

Four years later, those Common Core State Standards have become the Lord Voldemort of education reform — “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.”

At least not by the president.

Barack Obama skillfully avoided using the words in his extensive education comments in his recent State of the Union, referring to Common Core obliquely when he mentioned “more challenging curriculums” and “new ways to measure how well our kids think.” Obama was heeding the advice of proponents of the new national standards, who did not want to fuel the widespread contention that Common Core is a federal initiative — or, as it’s been dubbed by critics, ObamaCore.

The president’s omission was not overlooked by opponents of Common Core.

“We hope that this is a sign that the administration has now realized, like so many other Americans, that Common Core is of exceedingly poor quality,” said Emmett McGroarty, director of 

(Part 3) Attack on Teacher Pensions: IRTA Sues for Rights – Sarasota, FL meeting update | Reclaim Reform

(Part 3) Attack on Teacher Pensions: IRTA Sues for Rights – Sarasota, FL meeting update | Reclaim Reform:

(Part 3) Attack on Teacher Pensions: IRTA Sues for Rights – Sarasota, FL meeting update

Posted on February 8, 2014by Ken Previti

My takeaway from the Feb. 5th meeting is about facts versus propaganda. Fact: Illinois is NOT too broke to pay teacher pensions.

Illinois Retired Teachers Association President Bob Pinkerton, Executive Director Jim Bachman, and Lobbyist Andrew Bodewes distributed five sheets of facts that demonstrate the reality of what was covered in parts 1 & 2 of this report. Here are a few of those facts.

* The proposed Fiscal Year 2015 state’s contribution to the retirement fund is scheduled as
$3,412,878,000.

* If the generally accepted actuarial methods were used, the state’s contribution would be
$4,062,168,000.

(Well, so much for legislative honesty in SB1′s legal assurances for the state to “pay its fair share” of pension contributions.)

- Current Pension Funding Status -

* Member