UPDATE: Louisiana Mom Testifies Against Data Collection During State Senate Hearing | Truth in American Education

Louisiana Mom Testifies Against Data Collection During State Senate Hearing | Truth in American Education:

Jeb Bush: Common Core Critics Care Too Much About Children’s Self Esteem

Jeb Bush touted himself as a “eat your broccoli” type of Governor at the Broward Workshop business breakfast on Friday.  I think he’s more like a guy who just continually puts his foot in his mouth.Now he echoes Arne Duncan’s critique of moms upset about their children’s test scores by implying that Common Core opponents care too much about children’s self-esteem.From the Miami Herald:Bush has rep

by Shane Vander Hart / 20min 

Bobby Jindal is Riding the Fence on Common Core

I ran across this story in the Shreveport Times where Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal dodged questions on the Common Core.  Where does Governor Jindal stand on bills that are being considered in the Louisiana Legislature this session?Here’s an excerpt:When asked about an overall opinion of Common Core, the governor replied, “We’ve had good conversations with the authors. I don’t think it’s progres

by Shane Vander Hart / 2min hide  //  save

Sandra Stotsky: Local School Boards Must Take Action Now

Local school boards must take action now. They still have the legal authority in every single state even if they are told they don’t, or think they don’t.They must, upon petition by parents asap, vote (1) to allow parents to opt-out their children from any Common Core-based test (pilot, field, or regular); (2) to forbid any further implementation of curriculum based on and addressing CC standards;

by Sandra Stotsky / 2min 

Louisiana Mom Testifies Against Data Collection During State Senate Hearing

Filed in Privacy/SLDS by Shane Vander Hart on March 25, 2014 • 0 Comments

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Sara Wood, a mom in Louisiana, gave testimony before during a hearing on SB 449 before the Louisiana Senate Education Committee on March 19th.  This bill will likely be up for a vote on Wednesday and it is important to note that it is wholly inadequate to protect privacy.

You can watch her testimony below (or here starting at the 1:53 mark):

Gretchen Logue at Missouri Education Watchdog outlines the concerns she gives:

• Kids are becoming a data index
• In her legislative experiences, statist and elitist mentality pervades
• Parents have been villianized in every way possible
• Parents are omitted in everything…”we matter nothing”
• This is my children’s information
• Unintended consequences
• There is a freedom and right to privacy and this  Louisiana Mom Testifies Against Data Collection During State Senate Hearing | Truth in American Education:

3-25-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:

Things That Make You Go, Hmmm

When Common Core supporters call Common Core opponents "enemies", I think, hmmm.This appeared in a NY Times op-ed (that I thought was fairly pedantic) and Ready Washington, a mystery public/private WA state cheerleading group for Common Core, retweeted the link as though it's a good thing to divide people who want a transparent discussion about Common Core.  And really, the op-ed isn't e

by Melissa Westbrook / 33min 

Let's See If We Can Get the President's Attention

There's a petition going to direct the Department of Education and Congress to remove annual standardized testing mandates of NCLB and RttT.  It has 97,350 signatures and needs to get to 100,000 to get attention from the White House. Meanwhile the Today show on NBC has a Facebook poll going on about testing:Do you think standardized tests are the best way for kids to learn? Tell us why or why not

by Melissa Westbrook / 12min 

Tuesday Open Thread

Parents, Teens and Sex: The Talk, Part 2Tuesday, March 25th at the SW Branch Library (9010 35th Ave SW) from 6:00pm- 7:30pm Presented by Katie Acker, MPH, Health Educator with the Neighborcare Health School-Based Health Centers at Chief Sealth and West Seattle High Schools We will reiterate the critical role parents play in teens’ lives, decision making and health-seeking behaviors.  The presentat

by Melissa Westbrook / 38min   

3-24-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools and "Refusal" to Take TestsI asked SPS for a comment on what the policies are for parents who want to opt their students out of standardized testing.  (Although MAP is not mentioned, these answers probably apply.)  Here is the reply (and I'm happy to see this district not being punitive):Currently for the MSP, we do not have “opt out” but

by mike simpson / 22h 

3-25-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD

LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District):

With Melendez gone, Garcetti not sure about replacing her

Thelma Melendez A week after his education liaison left to join LA Unified, Mayor Eric Garcetti is reconsidering whether he will even have an education deputy on his staff. Jeff Millman, spokesman for Garcetti, told LA School Report the mayor’s office “has not decided” if it will seek a replacement for Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana, who left her post as director of education and workforce developme

by Vanessa Romo / 5min hide  //  save

CFT president calls for unity against the billionaires

Josh Pechthalt In a wide-ranging State of the Union address Saturday in Los Angeles, Josh Pechthalt, president of the California Federation of Teachers, reviewed the union’s latest successes and challenges, including the Vergara v. California lawsuit that’s heading toward conclusion later this week. Among his over-arching themes was the familiar call for union members to stand together against “th

1 40min 

Alex Johnson opens wide lead in fundraising for District 1 seat

Alex Johnson The money chase is on. Through the first reporting period for LA Unified’s open District 1 board seat, Alex Johnson has opened a wide margin over the other six candidates in the race. Johnson, an education aide to LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas who has backing from his boss, as well as former congresswoman Diane Watson and retired LA County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke,

2 1min 

Commentary: Listen adults, it’s time for a student on the board

Do you know how many students attended the LAUSD school board meetings last month? In my circle of friends, you’d be lucky if a single person could name a school board member or tell you what the school board does. As an active LAUSD student who cares about my community, I wonder how the second-largest district in the nation can make decisions about the futures of thousands of students without hea

by Cindy Figueroa / 5min 

Morning Read: Hudley-Hayes’ credentials older than memory

LA school board candidate responds to questions about credentials L.A. Unified school board candidate Genethia Hudley-Hayes is fighting allegations she falsified her academic credentials. She is one of seven candidates vying for the seat of former board member Marguerite LaMotte, who died in December. KPCC California schools are rolling out new standardized tests Schools across California are se

23min  

3-24-14 This Week in LA - School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD

LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District): One district’s spending priority under local control: social workersVia EdSource | By John Fensterwald One of the first school districts to finish a draft of the spending and accountability plan required by the state’s new school funding law is proposing to hire social workers to deal with the effects of

by mike simpson / 19h 

3-25-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

Rally Against Charter Invasion, Thursday Sept. 27 3:30PM

RALLYatCAVALLARO IS2818787 24TH Avenue Thursday, March 27th 3:30 pmCome show your support for Cavallaro and tell the Mayor to reverse the Coney Island Prep   Charterco-location!    

by ed notes online / 4min 

Liz Krueger Slams Ed Tax-Credit Scam for the Wealthy - another death-knell for public education

Statement from State Senator Liz Krueger on Education Tax-Credit Scam Endorsed in Daily News EditorialFor Release: March 24, 2014 Please Contact: Andrew Goldston | agoldston@gmail.com | 917.720.7895  Statement on Education Tax-Credit Scam Endorsed in Daily News Editorial Albany, NY – The following statement is attributable to New York State Senator Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan):  "With respect to

by ed notes online / 26min 

3-24-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: As the NYSUT World Turns: Some NYC Unity Caucus Delegates May Bolt and Vote Stronger TogetherLeroy Barr Offer to Unity RA DelegatesReports are surfacing that a small faction of Unity may just vote their conscience and damn the consequences at the April 5 NYSUT Representative Assembly.Unity Caucus held a meeting at 52 Broadway (UFT HQ) after last Wednesday's (March 19) Delegate Ass

by mike simpson / 48min 

Ask Dollar Bill Gates: Is "Corporate Education Reform Ethics" an Oxymoron

Ask Dollar Bill Gates: Is "Corporate Education Reform Ethics"  an Oxymoron

CODE OF ETHICS: Charter Schools Public or Private?

Any person in Government service should: 

1. Put loyalty to the highest moral principals and to country above loyalty to Government persons, party, or department.

2. Uphold the Constitution, laws, and legal regulations of the United States and of all governments therein and never be a party to their evasion.

3. Give a full day's labor for a full day's pay; giving to the performance of his duties his earnest effort and best thought.

4. Seek to find and employ more efficient and economical ways of getting tasks accomplished.

5. Never discriminate unfairly by the dispensing of special favors or privileges to anyone, whether for remuneration or not; and never accept for himself or his family, favors or benefits under circumstances which might be construed by reasonable persons as influencing the performance of his governmental duties.

6. Make no private promises of any kind binding upon the duties of office, since a Government employee has no private word which can be binding on public duty.

7. Engage in no business with the Government, either directly or indirectly which is inconsistent with the conscientious performance of his governmental duties.

8. Never use any information coming to him confidentially in the performance of governmental duties as a means for making private profit.

9. Expose corruption wherever discovered.

10. Uphold these principles, ever conscious that public office is a public trust.

Code of Ethics for U.S. Government Service

Adopted July 11, 1958 

Resolved by the House of Representatives {the Senate concurring}, That it is the sense of the Congress that the following Code of Ethics should be adhered to by all Government employees, including officeholders.

On her 80th Birthday: Reflections on Meeting Gloria Steinem in India « Feminist Teacher

On her 80th Birthday: Reflections on Meeting Gloria Steinem in India « Feminist Teacher:

On her 80th Birthday: Reflections on Meeting Gloria Steinem in India

Gloria Steinem spoke in January at the India International Centre in Delhi to launch her book tour for “As if Women Matter.” (photo credit: Ileana Jiménez, Feminist Teacher).

At the start of 2014, I led a seven-week tour of schools in India speaking to high school students about feminism and education.

Little did I know that one of my favorite feminists and fellow Smith alums, Gloria Steinem, would also be conducting an Indian tour of her own.

One morning in Delhi, I opened an email from Smith trustee, Mona Sinha. She urged me to go hear Steinem at the nearby India International Centre, where she was going to speak about her new book, As if Women Matter, alongside her longtime friend and activist, Ruchira Gupta, founder of Apne Aap, which supports survivors of sex trafficking, and who had also edited Steinem’s new book.

I immediately made my reservation. I wanted a chance to speak to her in the very 

3-25-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida

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

Florida’s Most Obvious Charter School Conflict of Interest to Date

Did Rep. Manny Diaz (R-Hialeah) know something that everyone else didn’t yesterday? On at least three occasions during yesterday’s house subcommittee  he deflected colleagues questions about his charter school expansion bill with references to a “task force” that was  working on details. Diaz references to this task force in queries about lease agreements and the proposed state standard contracts

by Bob Sikes / 1h 

Janet Adkins’ False Testimony on Common Core and Raw Hypocricy on Accountability

Rep. Janet Adkins (R-Fernandina Beach) heard the applause from the gallery after a public school teacher’s testimony against Florida’s continued devotion to high-stakes tests. It was the only time anyone drew such a reaction during Monday’s House Education Appropriations hearing on Adkin’s HB 7117 which establishes a one-year delay in “holding schools harmless’ for school grades. The change was pr

by Bob Sikes / 5min 

3-24-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida

Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: Islamic Schools Already Participating in Florida’s Voucher ProgramBob Stover, the executive editor of Florida Today, uncovered something that many Floridians will find troubling. Stover writes this in his piece critical of Rep. Ritch Workman’s (R-Melbourne) position on v

by mike simpson / 44min 

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, March 25, 2014

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Fensterwald: Mixed results for charter schools statewide in new study

 

UPDATE: New Issue of Cream and Cherries: Los Angeles charter schools outperform traditional district schools | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC

Study: Los Angeles charter schools outperform traditional district schools | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC: Study: Los Angeles charter schools outperform traditional district schoolsKristen Muller | March 15th, 2014, 4:04pmPhoto by Don Harder via Flickr Creative CommonsStanford University's Center for Research on Economic Outcomes (CREDO) issued a report Saturday that found charter school students in Lo

by mike simpson / 1d  

Education Headlines

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

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.

Fresno Unified talks plans to overhaul alternative programs

Education for the most at-risk students in Fresno Unified School District is set to change next year, as the district's community day school moves across town to southeast Fresno and DeWolf Continuation High switches to serve older students.

Report: School safety doesn't have to cost a lot

Tackling the issue of school security, the San Diego County Grand Jury issued a report Monday that recommended local school districts focus less on high-cost security barriers and give greater emphasis to training parents and students to recognize and report suspicious behavior and identify potentially violent individuals.

Poway superintendent up for $63K raise

Poway school board members are working to finalize a contract renewal for the superintendent that would increase his base pay by $62,735, while taking away a perk that helped place him at the top of a 2012 Watchdog survey of superintendent pay in the region.

Chico High's Lincoln Center opens

The center is part of a project that includes the cafeteria, an attached "field house" that will give the physical education department a large location for indoor P.E. classes, and a free standing "fitness lab" that provides wrestling facilities and other P.E. space.

Struggling charter school wins renewal, against recommendation of San Jose Unified

Against the recommendation of its staff and of the San Jose Unified School District, the Santa Clara County Board of Education has renewed the charter of a struggling charter school, Sunrise Middle.

Cell phones proving their usefulness in some Bay Area classrooms

Teens + cellphones = Instagram and Twitter. Or at least that's been the reason schools have banned the use of these mobile devices during class. But the ubiquitousness and power of these links to the Internet is turning them into more than a means for social networking as teachers harness the power of students' smart phones for their own purposes.

Teachers renewing California credential must sign abuse reporting form, bill proposes

Every five years when renewing their credentials, California school employees will be required to read and sign a document that lays out the requirements for them to report suspicions of child abuse, if newly crafted state legislation is approved.

Fensterwald: Mixed results for charter schools statewide in new study

Earlier this month, a research institute at Stanford University affiliated with the Hoover Institution that students at independent charter schools in Los Angeles performed a lot better than their peers in traditional Los Angeles Unified District schools. The Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) has now released a report for California as a whole, and the results are mixed.

California schools are rolling out new standardized tests

The exams are designed to demand more of students and give a clearer indication of how much they're learning. They'll be the first to be administered entirely on computers.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Lucia Mar works on plan for improvements at aging schools

District administrators are working to address the problems, though the process will take years. But they’re nearing the conclusion of the first step: Creating a master plan that will identify all of the needs at each school, prioritize projects and identify funding sources.

Read more here:http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2014/03/21/2983565/lucia-mar-school-improvements.html?sp=/99/177/183/884/#storylink=cpy

State, feds investigate Central Unified for discrimination allegations

A Central High School East Campus senior who says she has been relentlessly bullied by students and a teacher for two years — so severely that she developed an eating disorder and tried to commit suicide — is pushing for change at the school.

Alpine superintendent stepping down

Alpine Union School District Superintendent Tom Pellegrino, who just saw the five-school district through the first teachers’ strike in San Diego County in nearly 20 years, announced he will step down from his post in June.

Encinitas to buy Pacific View property

The Encinitas school district has accepted an offer from the city to buy the closed Pacific View School site for at least $9.5 million.

SD Unified takes on diversity gap

As the San Diego Unified School District strives to diversify its workforce to better reflect its student body, a new report emphasizes the striking absence of Latino educators in the classroom.

Teacher layoffs down around Marin, state

Most Marin County school districts reported they wouldn't be laying off teachers. San Rafael City Schools, which governs the elementary and high school districts, was an exception, issuing slips for 13.5 "full-time equivalent" positions at the elementary school level and four positions at the high school level.

Sweetwater district on edge

The Sweetwater Union High School District begins a two-week spring break Monday with a great deal of uncertainty about what happens when it ends.

Six-figure teachers, school officials show dramatic rise in Modesto area

While the Great Recession has yet to recede Valleywide, the number of top-earning educators roared back in 2013, buoyed by the higher taxes of Proposition 30, passed in 2012.

Hayward Unified teachers get 5.5 percent raise

Teachers this week overwhelmingly approved a contract that gives them a 5.5 percent raise, retroactive to July 2013. The Hayward Unified contract, which runs through the 2015-16 school year, passed by 99.4 percent, according to a Hayward Education Association spokeswoman.

S.F. schools give students second chance at breakfast

Too many of the students at San Francisco's Charles R. Drew Elementary were skipping the before-school breakfast, arriving too late to eat or not feeling hungry first thing in the morning. They ended up cranky in class, distracted by their growling tummies and less able to learn. Two weeks ago, the school started offering them a second chance to eat - at recess. It's a pilot for the Second Chance Breakfast program for the school district.

Fensterwald: Legislators tell state board to consider changes to school funding rules

Non-profits and community groups that want to tighten the Local Control Funding Formula regulations to ensure more money will go to minority students have enlisted an influential ally: legislators.

Fensterwald: One superintendent’s spending priority under local control - social workers

One of the first school districts to finish a draft of the spending and accountability plan required by the state’s new school funding law is proposing to hire social workers to deal with the effects of troubled home lives, cyberbullying and other social and emotional issues hobbling students’ ability to concentrate and learn.