3-28-14 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):

CA Academic Decathlon champ — and a WW I whiz, as well

The champs, including Melissa Cheng, second from left LA Unified’s El Camino Real Charter won the 35th Annual California Academic Decathlon last week, locking in its 11th state title and a chance to claim a seventh national title at the U.S. Academic Decathlon in Honolulu, April 24-26. Against a steep competition of 565 students from 65 high schools statewide, the nine-member team scored 57,747.3

by Aaron Stella / 7min 

Casillas replacing Jaime Aquino as interim Deputy of Instruction

John Deasy and Maria Casillas Former head of School, Parent and Family/Community Services, Maria Casillas, is coming out of retirement on Tuesday to serve as LA Unified’s interim Deputy Superintendent of Instruction, a post left vacant by the sudden resignation of Jaime Aquino last year. Casillas, who resigned from the district last June as Chief School and Family/Community Services, was appointed

by Vanessa Romo / 7min 

After a run for UTLA chief, Mottus now trying for Congress

Kevin Mottus Fresh off a run for UTLA president, where he secured 53 votes to finish eighth among 10 candidates, Kevin Mottus is moving on: He’s now running for US Congress. Mottus is one of 21– count ‘em, 21! – lining up to take Henry Waxman’s seat in the 33rd Congressional District, which covers some of LA’s swankiest neighborhoods along the coast -  from Malibu through the Palos Verdes Peninsul

2 by Vanessa Romo / 17min

Morning Read: Students try to preserve education grants

Ag students rally in Sacramento to preserve education grants Concerns about future funding for high school agricultural classes and leadership programs are being voiced throughout California—and nowhere louder than at the state Capitol, where thousands of students and members of Future Farmers of America rallied last week to try to prevent elimination of the state’s $4.1 million Agricultural Educa

11min hide  //  save

Commentary: Standing with Beatriz against Vergara

Steve Zimmer Just over a year ago, I won re-election to the Los Angeles Unified School District board. It was an unlikely victory in what may have been the most expensive school board race in U. S. history. The wealthiest of self-styled reformers – Eli Broad, Reed Hastings, Michael Bloomberg and Michelle Rhee’s followers – put in over $4-million to try and take over the L.A. Board of Education. Th

3 by Steve Zimmer / 42min 

Vergara trial ends, with CA teacher laws hanging in the balance

Plaintiffs’ lawyer Ted Boutrous Lawyers from both sides in Vergara v California — the state’s most significant teacher rights case in two decades — unleashed their final arguments today, in a last attempt to amplify their own case and destroy their opponent’s. The case is now in the hands of state Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu, who have the sides until April 10 to submit any final briefs, after w

1 by Mark Harris / 11h 

3-27-14 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): 3 teachers get UTLA endorsements despite low money supportLast night’s vote By voting to endorse three candidates last night for the LA Unified’s District 1 board seat, the UTLA House of Representatives chose to back two teachers and a former teacher who have raised a combined $8,440 for their election ef

by mike simpson / 5h

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 3-28-14

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

GRIT: IT’S MORE POPULAR THAN SCHOOL REFORM – and here’s the data and and a chart to prove it!

data analysis driven by smf for 4LAKids While this proves nothing, it looks impressive and you should feel free to embed it in any and all presentations and PowerPoints.

by smf / 15min hide  //  save

WHAT ‘CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION’ LOOKS LIKE AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN SOUTHERN GEORGIA + smf’s 2¢

A school that is famous for football is notable in an entirely different way. There is much talk of late about “Grit” – old fashioned stick-to-it-ive-ness. Perseverance-meets-perspicacity, spunk+moxie:  Growth+progress towards a goal over the long haul. “Grit”’s the newest Ed-Jargon-Buzzword du jour; the missing magic bullet from the bandolier

by smf / 30min 

Study Marks Problems Posed By Inexperienced Teachers

  by Kimberly Beltran | SI&A Cabinet Report ::  http://bit.ly/1jgvf3S March 28, 2014  ::  (Calif.) A nationwide survey found the high number of inexperienced teachers in public classrooms is a largely unrecognized problem that undermines school stability, slows educational reform and, according to new research, hurts student achievement. Focusing on the causes and consequences of a

by smf / 14min 

AFTER NEARLY 30 YEAR ABSENCE, MUSICAL THEATER RETURNS TO ROOSEVELT HIGH: Students and faculty join in production of ‘West Side Story.’

By EGP Staff Report | Eastern Group Publications http://bit.ly/1lrXIq1 The West Side Story musical was presented at Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights on Friday night.(Courtesy of Roosevelt High School) 27 March 2014  ::  The performance of the Romeo and Juliet inspired tragic love story “West Side Story” last Friday on the Roosevelt High School stage marked an important first step

by smf / 2min 

BILLIONAIRES BUY CHARTER SUCCESS IN NEW YORK LEGISLATURE WITH THE HELP OF GOVERNOR CUOMO + smf’s 2¢

from Diane Ravitch's blog |  http://bit.ly/1iIoSoW March 28, 2014 Diane Ravitch writes: Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters describes the deal to benefit the billionaire-funded charter schools  that is being negotiated right now by the New York legislature and will be voted on next week. It is not too late to make your voice heard! Governor Cuomo, who received $800,000 for  his

by smf / 13min 

BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE SCHOOL BOARD: A new report finds school board members with a background in public education are not better informed than their colleagues.

Emily Richmond | The Atlantic Online | http://bit.ly/1f0DGyL Eric Gay/AP Photo Mar 27 2014, 12:17 PM ET  ::  When it comes to the decisions that most directly affect the business of public education and what happens in classrooms, few people are as influential—and often as unacknowledged—as local school board members. Indeed, a new report from the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute

by smf / 22min 

VERGARA v. CALIFORNIA LAWSUIT ENDS …but not really

Testimony ends, “final” arguments heard, both sides are to submit written briefs by April 10, with a ruling due within 90 days after that – in July.  Both sides already have said they would appeal if they lose. Students' interests at center of trial over teacher protection laws Plaintiffs want to be able to remove ineffective teachers more quickly, but the state says rules governing

by smf / 3min 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 3-23-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Avoiding the front-runners: UTLA BOARD RECOMMENDS - ¡Not Endorses!- 3 TEACHERS FOR LA UNIFIED SEAT  UTLA board endorses 3 teachers for LA Unified seat, not Omarosa by LA School Report | http://bit.ly/1dn0U3P March 20, 2014 9:37 am  ::  The board of directors of the Los Angeles teachers union, UTLA, voted last night to recommend that the union endorse th

by mike simpson / 9h 

3-28-14 Wait What?

Wait What?:

Malloy says he is running – But he can’t win – Nor should he

Earlier today Governor Dannel Malloy sent out an email saying that he was announcing that he would be seek re-election this year. (see email below). But as public opinion research as consistently shown, Malloy has alienated significant Democratic constituencies and implemented policies that will make it impossible for him to garner the support of many […] The post Malloy says he is running – But h

by jonpelto / 1min 

SURPRISE: Malloy administration’s back room deal to hand Hartford’s Clark Elementary School to an out-of-state charter school company is back

As Wait, What? readers have known for months, the Malloy administration has been engaged in a campaign to force the City of Hartford to turn their Clark Elementary School over to a private, out-of-state private charter school chain based in Washington D.C. Initially Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor, tried to “persuade” the City of […] The post SURPRISE: Malloy administration’s back

6 by jonpelto / 1h hide  //  save

Commissioner Pryor on Common Core Test – Nothing to look at, just keep moving

Governor Malloy’s Commissioner of Education has been spinning the media about how well the implementation of the Common Core Smarter Balanced Field test of a test has been going well.  Pryor told the Courant, “We are very pleased.” However, the situation in the real world tells a different story. Juniors at one Connecticut southeastern Connecticut […] The post Commissioner Pryor on Common Core Tes

by jonpelto / 2h 

3-27-14 Wait What?

Wait What?: The war on students who are opted out of the Common Core TestFor weeks the Malloy administration has been engaged in an immoral and unethical campaign to mislead parents into believing they do not have the right to opt their children out of the Common Core Smarter Balanced Assessment Field Test of a test. Now it appears that some school districts are punishing those students who were [

by mike simpson / 8h 

3-28-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE:

Katherine Duran Shares More of Her Story

I’m the mom who was “suspended” from my son’s elementary school. They can lie all they want about me, but this is about my child. When they crossed the line at firs,t I gave them the benefit of the doubt because just as stated in the letter my son handed out, we love or teachers […]

1 by Kris Nielsen / 25min 

The Conversation: Relaxing zero tolerance in schools could be Obama’s boldest civil rights reform

Relaxing zero tolerance in schools could be Obama’s boldest civil rights reform 

2 by plthomasedd / 33min hide  //  save

Reclaiming “No Excuses”: A Reader

Reclaiming “No Excuses”: A Reader. via Reclaiming “No Excuses”: A Reader.

1 by plthomasedd / 34min 

#optout contemplation 2011: This is how it happened.

For as long as I can remember I have had serious issues with high stakes standardized tests. However, it wasn’t until after NCLB was in full swing and my son started to dread going to school that I actually contemplated doing something about it. I know that sounds kind of funny coming from me—a full […]

34 by Timothy D. Slekar / 9h hide  //  save

My Book Is Soon to Arrive

Hello, all. I wanted to let you know that it looks like my book will be published at some point over the next couple of weeks. The title is A Chronicle of Echoes: Who’s Who in the Implosion of American Public Education. Information Age (North Carolina) is the publisher. It is a big book– 508 […]

4 by deutsch29 / 10h 

3-26-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: Snow Blind: “Trapped in the Amber of This Moment”Snow Blind: “Trapped in the Amber of This Moment”. via Snow Blind: “Trapped in the Amber of This Moment”.1 by plthomasedd / 8min 3-25-14 @ The Chalk Face@ THE CHALK FACE: What to Expect When Your State is Being Run AmokI had the unique experience of living in several states as the reform onslaught took hold over America’s public sc

by mike simpson / 7h 

3-28-14 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week

With A Brooklyn Accent:

Why Scripted Learning Sucks!

Scripted learning SUCKS. It totally inhibits teachers from displaying the creativity they need to best reach their students. Let me give an example. I was part of a panel on Race and Activism in the 1960's at the University of Maryland. I spent six hours working on what I thought it was a great speech. I was really proud of it. However, I was the third speaker on the panel and the two young presen

by Mark Naison / 3h 

3-27-14 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week

With A Brooklyn Accent: Where is The Human Touch?To me, one of the most powerful experiences in education is when a student comes back to the school they attended to visit with a teacher who had a large impact on them. This happens to me on a regular basis and it is one of the best parts of my job. But current education policies emanating from Washington are making this impossible. Not only are so

by mike simpson / 4h 

3-28-14 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):

The Conversation: Relaxing zero tolerance in schools could be Obama’s boldest civil rights reform

Relaxing zero tolerance in schools could be Obama’s boldest civil rights reform 

1 by plthomasedd / 30min 

Reclaiming “No Excuses”: A Reader

With Waiting for excuses for the inexcusable, Leonard Pitts Jr. offers us all a watershed moment—one that involves reclaiming the language and the narratives in order to take direct action against the one thing we refuse to acknowledge or change in the U.S., racism. “What excuses will they make this time?” Pitts begins, emphasizing: Meaning that cadre of letters-to-the-editor writers and conservat

10 by plthomasedd / 1h 

3-26-14 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): Snow Blind: “Trapped in the Amber of This Moment”What is wrong with the following claims? The rich and successful are rich and successful because of their work ethic. The poor are poor because they fail to take advantage of the American Dream. Women are paid less than me

by mike simpson / 7h