2-10-14 GoPublicSchool.com « An open discussion of public school issues. GoPublicSchool.com

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

Opt Out Orlando – 3 Super-moms making a difference!

Leslie Postal in the Orlando Sentinel… “Frustrated her children’s school went “just insane” with test preparation, Sandy Stenoff decided last spring that she’d had enough. The Orlando mother had her third-grader skip FCAT, Florida’s key standardized test. It was a difficult decision, she said, even for a parent who had recently joined with two other moms to be the founding force behind Opt Out Orl

by GPS / 10min 

New documentary takes on standardized testing, Common Core…

Jaime Franchi in The Long Island Press… “The documentary Standardized: Lies, Money, and Civil Rights: How Testing is Ruining Public Education, the brainchild of producer and former teacher Daniel Hornberger, is a powerful artistic translation of this both cerebral and passionate battle. It stars real-life parents, teachers and experts from across this country testifying as to how schools are bein

6 by GPS / 4h 

Common Core – Students getting sick as a result of anxiety over tests…

Rebecca Klein in The Huffington Post… “Standardized tests are really stressing New York students out. Like, really stressing them out. According to a recent survey conducted by The New York State Parent Teacher Association (PTA), a vast majority of parent and teacher respondents said that students have been more stressed out over test-related issues than in previous years. The survey shows that 7

6 by GPS / 4h 

“What I’m Learning as a Teacher in Finland…”

Tim Walker at The Teachers,net Gazette… “These days, people often ask if I’m experiencing culture shock. It’s a legitimate question. Just a few months ago, my family and I moved from Boston to Helsinki, Finland. To be honest, the culture shock isn’t so dramatic—especially since my wife is a Finn.But I’m definitely experiencing classroom shock—a shifting of my pedagogical mindset—as I settle into m

by GPS / 4h 

Asking for pay to go up, Fairfax teachers dress down…

T. Rees Shapiro in The Washington Post… “… Teachers say their frustration stems from the fact that Fairfax, regarded as one of the nation’s premier school systems, now lags in average salary behind other school divisions in the Washington region. The average Fairfax teacher could earn about $7,500 more per year working over the county line in Arlington and about $6,900 more over the Potomac in Mon

by GPS / 4h 

St. Paul teachers union considering strike vote

Mila Koumpilova in The Pioneer Press… “St. Paul public school teachers might soon be asked to vote on a strike, the union says.  Leaders of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers said they will decide Monday whether to put a strike to a membership vote after eight months of often contentious contract talks.  The union and school district reportedly made progress in nearly 12 hours of negotiations Thu

3 by GPS / 4h hide  //  save

Teachers’ jobs are getting harder, compensation is stagnant…

Lynn Bonner and Jane Stancill in The News & Observer… “North Carolina’s teacher pipeline is leaking at both ends. Public school teachers are leaving in bigger numbers, while fewer people are pursuing education degrees at the state’s universities. It may be too soon to predict a shortage, but the trends could spell trouble for public school classrooms…” Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.c

by GPS / 4h 

White students get better teachers in L.A., researcher testifies…

Howard Blume in The Los Angeles Times… “Black and Latino students are more likely to get ineffective teachers in Los Angeles schools than white and Asian students, according to a new study by a Harvard researcher. The findings were released this week during a trial challenging the way California handles the dismissal, lay off and tenure process for teachers. In the study, professor Thomas J. Kane

2 by GPS / 4h 

Tennessee teachers push back on evaluation process…

Lucas L. Johnson II in The Boston Globe… “When Tennessee was competing for a half-billion dollars in federal education money, teachers agreed to allow the state to ramp up its use of student test scores for evaluating educators. But since winning the $500 million Race to the Top competition in 2010, teachers say the state has gone too far in using student test scores to assess their performance…”

by GPS / 4h 

Lessons from Abroad: Singapore’s secrets to training world-class teachers | HechingerEd Blog

Lessons from Abroad: Singapore’s secrets to training world-class teachers | HechingerEd Blog:

Lessons from Abroad: Singapore’s secrets to training world-class teachers

Singapore has been a hot topic in education circles ever since it began to appear near the top of the pack of international assessments in math and science in the mid-90s. The country has been held up as an example of a place where education is being done right: Singapore’s standards were higher and better than ours. Its commitment to education stronger. Its teacher training more rigorous.

This month, I visited the tiny nation to see firsthand just what it’s doing and whether lessons from Singapore are really something the U.S. can replicate. During a week touring schools and talking to students and educators, I had a chance to spend several hours at the National Institute of Education (NIE), the school responsible for training all the country’s teachers. It’s a selective school regarded highly by many in the international education community. But I learned a few things that surprised me:

- The school averages 16,000 applicants for 2,000 slots annually, without bothering to do any outreach to high school students.

Teaching is a sought-after profession in Singapore, so the NIE doesn’t need to send brochures to top students or advertise in schools. It is guaranteed an abundance of good candidates because becoming a teacher is highly prestigious. Admissions staff only look seriously at those in the top third of their class, though, and a competitive interview process weeds out those who might just be interested in the salary the Ministry of Education pays students during their training to become a teacher.

Q & A with Jennifer Stollman: As Freedom Summer anniversary approaches, push is on for ‘cultural change’ in Mississippi

Jennifer Stollman, academic director of the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation in Oxford, is spending hours planning ways to share lessons about Freedom Summer, the 1964 civil rights campaign to register blacks to vote in a climate rife with violent resistance. The William Winter Institute is a non-profit based at the University of Mississippi that works with communities in Mississ

by Kayleigh Skinner / 3h 

V.A.M.: Value Added Measure: When Grit Hits the Fan

V.A.M.: Value Added Measure: When Grit Hits the Fan:

When Grit Hits the Fan

I am increasingly hearing the term "grit" thrown around in relation to education.  In January 2014, Michelle Obama elaborated on the concept (http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/01/16/first-lady-michelle-obama-hosts-discussion-education).  Discussing some of the obstacles she managed to overcome in life, she said, "It is not your circumstances that define your future--it's your attitude.  It's your commitment.  You decide how high you set your goals.  You decide how hard you're going to work for those goals.  You decide how you're going to respond when something doesn't go your way" (http://thegrio.com/2013/11/13/michelle-obama-the-ambassador-of-grit/). True Grits...to some extent. 

Foremost of the authors of "grit," Paul Tough penned  How Children Succeed:  Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character. He associates "grit" with personal characteristics such as perseverance, determination, optimism, self-control or 

2014 Common Core Legislation Round-Up | Truth in American Education

2014 Common Core Legislation Round-Up | Truth in American Education:

Common Core Premises, Standards and Assessments Put Children at Risk

This is a guest post by Joan Landes.  She’s a Clinical Mental Health Counselor licensed to assess, diagnose and treat mental health and relational dysfunctions in individuals, couples and families. She has worked in various settings including residential treatment centers, private and community agencies. She has taught in private, charter and home schools and writes on many subjects including poli

by Shane Vander Hart / 3h hide  //  save

2014 Common Core Legislation Round-Up

Here’s the latest round of Common Core legislation that has been filed.  There’s too many to do individual articles so I wanted to get caught up and mention them in one article.  As a recap I’ll also mention bills I’ve already written about.  I’m sure I’m also missing legislation, my apologies if I miss your state.  Taking in Common Core news (and my inbox) is like drinking from a fire hose.  If I

by Shane Vander Hart / 7h 

Summit High School: The skinny on the Gates-backed charter school set for Seattle, Brad Bernatek (remember him?) and a host of others | Seattle Education

Summit High School: The skinny on the Gates-backed charter school set for Seattle, Brad Bernatek (remember him?) and a host of others | Seattle Education:

Summit High School: The skinny on the Gates-backed charter school set for Seattle, Brad Bernatek (remember him?) and a host of others

Bill Gates will be bringing yet another grand (failed) experiment onto public school children to Seattle soon.

Remember the small high school experiment that Gates subsidized? Fail.

The Common Core Standards? On the brink of a major fail.

Merit pay? Bad idea from the beginning.

Charter schools? Every time we hear the trumpets blow about a charter school that is successful, we find out that there was a lot of behind the scenes shenanigans going on…students being counseled out or expelled if they can’t make the grade, a demand of cash or an inordinate amount of volunteer time required of the parents (see below re: Summit), long application forms that weed out those parents who might not know English, ELL students need not apply, and other parents who don’t have the bandwidth, for whatever reason, to fill out the form.

So let’s look at Summit.

What caught my attention about Summit initially was an article in the Philanthropy News Digest that was sent to me. Here’s an excerpt:

The foundation also awarded $4 million to Summit Public Schools and $4.2 

NYC Educator Fire Them All, Says Daily News

NYC Educator:

Fire Them All, Says Daily News

The Daily News gets one thing almost right in its otherwise deplorable editorial:

It is insane for the New York City public school system to keep 1,200 unwanted teachers on the payroll, at a cost of more than $100 million annually.

It's insane that they spend all that money without putting the teachers to work, that's for sure. And it would be very easy to give them jobs with the full blessing of city principals. I'll get to that later.

That's the first line, actually. From there, it's all downhill. Let's not blame this all on the Daily News. I'm fairly certain I've read the same thing in NY Times editorials, which leads me to ponder one thing---where the hell is that liberal bias they're always complaining about on Fox News?

It's been clear to me for many years that newspapers hate unions, and hate having to follow the rules they've contractually agreed upon. Why 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

"Obamacare makes you lazy!" - Roy Blunt, US Senator, who will only work 126 days this year.

Lorna Brett Howard, N.Y. Democratic activist

...dismissed concerns that the tax increase [for Mayor deBlasio's proposed universal Pre-K] — a difference of $530 for every $100,000 in income over the threshold — was burdensome. “That is one trip on your private plane to St. Bart’s,” she said. -- NY Times

80,000 at N.C. protest 

Rev, William Barber II, president of the North Carolina NAACP

“You may have thought you were going to discourage us, but instead you have encouraged us. The more you push us back, the more we will fight to 

Oakland middle school’s 9-hour school day is model program | EdSource Today

Oakland middle school’s 9-hour school day is model program | EdSource Today:

Oakland middle school’s 9-hour school day is model program

February 9th, 2014 | Add a Comment | 
By Susan Frey

Andres McDade, an 8th grader at Elmhurst Community Prep in Oakland, plays a drum in the school’s expanded learning program. Credit: Citizen Schools.

On a recent Thursday afternoon in Ashur Bratt’s class in Oakland, about 20 middle school students stood tall on chairs and tables and flung their arms out from their sides, looking very pleased with themselves.

“How do you feel?” Bratt asked as students raised their arms, competing to be called on. “Ecstatic!” one boy answered. It turns out, Bratt told his class, if you expand your body for a couple of minutes, it helps you feel better and think bigger.

Thinking bigger is part of the culture at Elmhurst Community Prep, a middle school in East Oakland that has expanded the school day to 5 p.m. with a variety of after-school offerings, such as Bratt’s class on building self-confidence. Students can choose robotics, music or dance. They can make collages, dissect fetal pigs or create apps. They visit well-known companies such as Google and Pandora.

“We’re not just cookies and basketballs,” said Principal Kilian Betlach, who keep tabs on his students as he roams the halls with a baseball bat (“It’s a prop”) and a sense of humor. “We have a real moral imperative to provide kids from low-income backgrounds with the services and opportunities that middle-class kids get. We don’t do just hard academics. We offer access and opportunities.”

The school of 375 students – in the middle of a tough Oakland neighborhood where the shooting of a 13-year-old boy on New Year’s Day was the city’s first homicide – has been promoted as a national model for how to create and finance an after-school program that supports both enrichment activities and academic success.

Every student at Elmhurst, in the Oakland Unified school district, attends the expanded learning program, making it part of their normal school day. Classes begin at 8 a.m. and end at 5 p.m., at least two hours after most other Oakland students are done for the day.

Part of the school’s uniqueness is the way it blends the regular school day and the after-school program.

Rodzhaney Sledge, dressed in the light-blue school uniform, is new to the school as a 6th grader, but she already understands how the after-school part of the program supports her academic work. For example, she took a class called Tools for Peace, where she learned to meditate. 

Common Core Opponents Rally in Georgia | Truth in American Education

Common Core Opponents Rally in Georgia | Truth in American Education:

Common Core Opponents Rally in Georgia

Filed in Common Core State Standards, Education at State Level by Shane Vander Hart on February 10, 2014 • 0 Comments

There has been a concerned push over the last week to rid Georgia of the Common Core State Standards.  Northwest Georgia News covered a rally that was held last Tuesday at the Georgia State Capitol building.  The rally sponsored by Concerned Women for America of GeorgiaLegislative Action and American Principles in Action.

Tuesday’s rally included parents with children in tow and Tea Party activists rallying in support of legislation by Sen. William Ligon, R-Brunswick, that would require the state to end its three-year use of the standards. It is likely to come up for a vote in the Senate Education Committee next week.

"This is not a Republican-versus-Democrat issue. This is not a conservative-versus-liberal issue. It is not a right-versus-left issue," said Julianne Thompson, leader of the Georgia Republican Assembly. "This is a right-versus-wrong issue."

Parent Tammy Slaton told the crowd that her children’s math homework convinced her that the standards were watered down.

"If these new standards are rigorous, that is certainly not the word I would choose," she said.

The Georgia Chamber of Commerce and its spinoff the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education held a rally in support of the Common Core the next day.

Let’s look at this contrast here.  First the Stop Common Core rally.

2-9-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

The Party's Over

One of the great political feats of the late 20th Century was the manufacture by billionaires of a right-wing cabal of crackpots-under-contract so unabashedly fascist that anyone sane and still voting would be left with a single alternative, which, of course, is the now-familiar brand of corporate, anti-democratic dramaturgy known as the Democratic Party.It's time for something else, and in the sh

by Jim Horn / 21min 

2-8-14 Schools Matter All Week

Schools Matter:  Schools Matter All WeekPortland Teachers Vote To Strike / Time To Get Rid Of Testing And Hire More TeachersPortland teachers are leading the way, people.Chicago, Philadelphia, Portland, teachers, parents and students are united.http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/06/us-usa-teachers-portland-idUSBREA1507V20140206Portland, Oregon, teachers vote to authorize strikeBY TERESA CARSON

by mike simpson / 1h 

Are Corporate Education Reformers Like Young Earth Creationists? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Are Corporate Education Reformers Like Young Earth Creationists? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

Are Corporate Education Reformers Like Young Earth Creationists?

By Anthony Cody on February 9, 2014 7:59 PM

Last week a commenter calling himself DrSpector posted a response to John Thompson's essay about the Gates Foundation's Imaginary World of School Reform.In part, DrSpector said this:

I think the rhee-formers are the equivalent of the so-called "creationists" and so-called "intelligent design" supporters - they believe what they believe and NO amount of evidence will EVER change their minds, no matter how incorrect and misguided they are.

This echoes a post I wrote last fall, "Is Education Reform a Faith-Based Belief System?" 

In the spirit of the recent debate between science educator Bill Nye and creationist Ken Ham, let's take a look at the central points of belief for corporate education reform, and see if there is evidence.

Reformer Belief Number One: Poverty can best be overcome by excellent schools, and this is proven by the exceptional schools that they highlight as examples of what can be done.

Evidence: It would be great if this were true, but these miracle schools almost always are revealed to be fairly ordinary when we look more closely. And the data shows that poverty exerts a strong downward pressure on student achievement. It is time to stop pretending that our schools can somehow repair the income gap. 

Reformer Belief Number Two: Preparing larger numbers of children for college will significantly reduce poverty.

The belief carries within it the assumption that middle class jobs await those who graduate with 

Deasy v. Deasy: The Two Faces of L.A.’s School Superintendent | MyFDL

Deasy v. Deasy: The Two Faces of L.A.’s School Superintendent | MyFDL:

Deasy v. Deasy: The Two Faces of L.A.’s School Superintendent

Last week’s testimony in the Vergara v. California trial raised many an eyebrow when Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent John E. Deasy testified on behalf of plaintiffs in a lawsuit whose defendants had originally included LAUSD.

Despite its supporters’ protests to the contrary, Vergara is widely seen as a frontal attack against statutory guarantees of due process and seniority rights for state teachers. The suit is the brainchild of Students Matter, a Bay Area nonprofit created by wealthy Silicon Valley entrepreneur David Welch and partly financed by L.A. billionaire Eli Broad.

Under friendly direct examination by plaintiff attorney Marcellus McRae, the superintendent offered testimony that supported the suit’s contentions that the way in which teachers are fired, laid off and granted tenure has an adverse impact on the overall quality of the teacher workforce and illegally discriminates against low-income and minority students.

At one point Deasy’s apparent eagerness to anticipate McRae drew an instruction from Judge Rolf M. Treu for the superintendent to wait for the question before supplying the answer.

Deasy readily agreed that due process laws complicated dismissals of “grossly ineffective teachers” and damaged the morale of the profession. “Morale is absolutely affected,” Deasy insisted, before attacking the state’s teacher seniority policies.

He also denied any connection between student performance and poverty. “I believe the statistics correlate,” he said, “but I don’t believe in causality.”

Deasy’s performance as a friendly witness should not have come as a complete surprise, however. The day after the suit was originally filed against the state and the L.A. school district in 2012, then-defendant Deasy took the unusual step of issuing a press release endorsing the lawsuit’s aims. (Deasy, through a spokesperson, declined to comment for this article.)

For the city’s public school teachers and longtime education policy observers, the spectacle of the L.A. school chief siding with a lawsuit against the very system he is paid to uphold has become a familiar feature of Deasy’s fractious, two-and-half year tenure.

Vergara is merely the latest in a series of major lawsuits that include Reed v. California and Doe v. Deasy, and that have been described as a “new front” in the efforts by education-privatization forces to