6-12-14 Curmudgucation

CURMUDGUCATION:

Ineffective Forever

This old piece of reformster wisdom has been popping up again in the wake of Vergara.I've explained this before, but let me lay out for you once again how the new interpretation of "ineffective" or "low-performing" guarantees that there will always be an endless supply of ineffective teachers.The new definition of "ineffective teacher" is "teacher whose students

38 by Peter Greene / 1h 

Let's (Not) Pay Teachers More

In education reformster land, words often mean the opposite of what they say. So, for instance, "Let's protect excellent teachers" actually means "Let's fix it so that any teachers can be fired at any time."But a popular new opposites-land reformster refrain is "We need to pay teachers more."It has been featured in a many StudentsFirst campaigns (including a crowdsour

by Peter Greene / 6min 

Are Reformsters Under Attack?

I have generally avoided picking on quotes from That Woman that appear in her joint blogventure with Jack Schneider, mostly because I think it's a worthy experiment that deserves some place to breathe. But recently she dropped an extraordinary quote that I can't let pass. It happened in a discussion of unions, specifically discussing the need for bridge-building if any collaboration is going to oc

22 by Peter Greene / 1h 

6-11-14 Curmudgucation

CURMUDGUCATION: StudentsFirst Cynicism Truly BoundlessAn alert reader shared with me an email she received with the subject line "Demand Better Compensation for Teachers." Turns out, it's just further proof of how cynical the reformsters at StudentsFirst are these days.The email was generated by the site Greatergood.com, a website of the kickstarter crowdsourcing variety, aimed specifica

by mike simpson / 30min 

6-12-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

SUNY Chancellor Says She's Not On Common Core Payroll

Behind a Capital NY paywall, but the Common Core-shilling SUNY chancellor answered the question I had this morning:SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher said she’s not getting paid for her participation in a national campaign she joined this week to promote the Common Core standards.Of course the next question that comes to mind, if we take Ms. Zimpher at her word that she's not taking cash to shill for C

by reality-based edu... / 1h 

NYSUT President Magee Says Evaluation Moratorium Talks In "A Better Place"

Don't they often say people who have died have gone to a "better place"?Well, that's where the teacher evaluation talks between NYSUT and Cuomo are according to NYSUT President Karen Magee:ALBANY—The president of the powerful statewide teachers union said talks about a moratorium on using Common Core-aligned tests scores in performance evaluations are “in a better place” than they were e

by reality-based edu... / 1h 

De Blasio Defends Teacher Tenure System In NYC

It's behind a paywall at Capital NY, but this much was up at State of Politics:NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio defended the city’s teacher-tenure system after a California judge ruled yesterday that the Golden State’s teacher protection laws were unconstitutional.I would expect corporate education reformers and their hedge fundie backers to attack tenure here soon, but probably wait until the California

by reality-based edu... / 1h 

City Council Passes Bill Requiring Charter School Data To Be Made Public

Erin Durkin at the Daily News: The city will be required to publish reports that reveal the demographic mix and academic records of every charter school sharing space with a district school under a bill the City Council passed Wednesday. Officials will have to list the number of kids who get free lunch, the proportion of special ed kids and students who are learning English, the racial breakdown a

1 by reality-based edu... / 2h hide  //  save

SUNY Chancellor Shills For Common Core

As criticism and opposition to the Common Core mount, the SUNY chancellor is doubling down on her support:A coalition of higher education institutions Tuesday waded into the national debate over Common Core education standards, arguing that the higher standards in math, reading and writing will help remedy the problem of too many unprepared students entering college and universities.State Universi

by reality-based edu... / 4h 

YESTERDAY

De Blasio Approval Rating Up In New Quinnipiac Poll

Mayor de Blasio seems to have recovered much of the support he lost in that dust-up with Eva Moskowitz:TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bill de Blasio is handling his job as Mayor? Jun 11 Mar 18 Jan 16 2014 2014 2014 Approve 51 45 53Disapprove 28 34 13DK/NA 21 20 34  S

by reality-based edu... / 6h 

6-11-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Eva Moskowitz Wants 14 More SchoolsAnd so the charter school rent is going to get very, very expensive or NYC:Success Academy Charter Schools officials said Tuesday they were applying to open 14 more schools in New York City, just months after a high-profile battle with Mayor Bill de Blasio over space in crowded city buildings.The network run by former City Councilwoman Eva

by mike simpson / 30min 

McClatchy High law academy emphasizes community connections - Education - The Sacramento Bee

McClatchy High law academy emphasizes community connections - Education - The Sacramento Bee:

McClatchy High law academy emphasizes community connections

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

Published: Wednesday, Jun. 11, 2014 - 8:02 pm

A tightly knit group of Sacramento students last week became the first to complete McClatchy High School’s Law and Public Policy Academy, a three-year curriculum that aims to bring greater gender and ethnic equity to the legal professions.

Specialized academies have grown popular in recent years as high school administratorsexplore new ways to prepare students for college or a career through small learning groups that emphasize industry connections, mentors and internships.

Fifty-five seniors completed the McClatchy program, during which they attended core classes together, such as history and social science. After three years, students grew well acquainted with one another on the 2,300-student campus in Land Park.

“Without the academy, I wouldn’t be with this group of people,” said Jenny Guan, 18, a graduating senior. “I would not even have law on my mind. The law academy pushed me to achieve.”

Guan said she is preparing to attend California State University, Sacramento, and will study business administration. Her goal, she said, is a career in criminal justice, possibly as an attorney.

The state Legislature authorized the California Partnership Academies 30 years ago after similarpilot programs showed success. In evaluations that followed, participating students had better attendance, earned better grades, collected more course credits and were less likely to leave high school than their comparable at-risk counterparts, according to a 2011 profile of the state program.

While school districts cut many programs during the recession, academies flourished. California Partnership Academies reported 141 of its 471 programs were established within the last five years.

California has hundreds of academies receiving state or foundation support for programs ranging from health and science to agriculture. They work with utility companies, growers and labor groups to give students real-world experience.

While McClatchy High has long attracted some of the city’s highest-achieving students with its rigorous Humanities and International Studies Program, the district’s largest campus sought small learning communities for more of its students. Before launching the Law and Public Policy Academy in 2011, the school opened a Criminal Justice Academy in 2009.

For the law program, students from McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento teach sophomores in the academy for part of the year and prepare them for mock court competition, said teacher and academy coordinator Bennae Dillingham.

More advanced students can opt for summer internships and are paired with mentors from the legal community. “They manage to come up with 50 mentors,” Dillingham said.

Dillingham also meets regularly with other McClatchy teachers to coordinate how students’ core subjects might be merged with the academy’s law theme.

Last fall, the academy’s 10th grade English class read William Golding’s classic, “Lord of the Flies,” she said. In the history class, students used the classic novel – about the disintegration of social order among a group of boys stranded on an island – to discuss why laws are created.

Then, in the academy’s course on law and equity, students analyzed evidence from the novel “and put the characters of the book on trial,” Dillingham said.

McClatchy Principal Peter Lambert said the Law and Public Policy Academy seemed like a natural for the campus. The high school’s graduates include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy and California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye, as well as other prominent judges and attorneys. There is strong support from members of the legal profession in neighborhoods around McClatchy High, Lambert said.

The McClatchy High law academy is one of just six in California started through a collaboration between the California Bar Association and California Partnership Academies.

The academies program provides McClatchy up to $70,200 a year, and the Sacramento City Unified School District matches that grant. The legal community also contributes, typically through in-kind contributions such as student teachers from McGeorge, mentors and participation in the school’s academy advisory committee, which meets monthly.

Sacramento City Unified’s Theresa McEwen oversees approaches such as the McClatchy law academy that are aimed at making sure students leave high school prepared for both college and career.

“We don’t want kids in high school to say, ‘I don’t need to take that rigorous math or EnglishMcClatchy High law academy emphasizes community connections - Education - The Sacramento Bee:

California Partnership Academies (CPA)

The CPA model is a three-year program (grades ten-twelve) structured as a school-within-a-school. Academies incorporate integrated academic and career technical education, business partnerships, mentoring, and internships.

---

The California Partnership Academies per California Education Code Section 54690-54697  represent a high school reform movement that is focused on smaller learning communities with a career theme. Academy components include rigorous academics and career technical education, with a career focus, a committed team of teachers, and active business and post-secondary partnerships.

Resources

• Profile of the California Partnership Academies, FY 2009-10 (Published Oct-2011)
• Webcast Instructions
• Grant and Funding Information
• Upcoming Events
• Additional Resources
• Forms

CPA Annual Report (CAPAAR) System

• CAPAAR Introduction and Link
• Frequently Asked Questions

Contacts

• Programmatic Questions
• Fiscal Questions

Academy Directory

California Partnership Academies Directory (XLS; Updated 08-May-2013)

Question

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/06/11/6477154/mcclatchy-high-law-academy-emphasizes.html#mi_rss=Education#storylink=cpy

Aftermath: What the Vergara Decision Means | CAPITAL & MAIN

Aftermath: What the Vergara Decision Means | CAPITAL & MAIN:

Aftermath: What the Vergara Decision Means

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By Steven Mikulan

June 11, 2014 in Education

Left: Students Matter’s David Welch. Right: Teachers speak out about Vergara ruling.

Reagan Duncan has taught a combined kindergarten-first grade class in Vista for 10 years. When she heard about Tuesday’s ruling in the Vergara v. California trial, she feared the worst. The case’s plaintiffs sought to throw out the state’s job protections for its teachers on the grounds that the safeguards make it impossible to dismiss “grossly ineffective” teachers.

“My first thought,” Duncan told Capital & Main, “was that it’s going to make it harder for well-run school districts to operate classes for our students – and worse for poorly run districts. The laws in place for dealing with teachers who struggle in the classroom have been working. I’ve seen teachers let go – it’s just not true that they never are.”

The bench trial, which began January 27 and unfolded over 10 weeks, was funded by Students Matter on behalf of nine public school students who claim that California’s policies violate the civil rights of students – particularly those of low-income and minority students – by denying them a quality education. Tuesday morning, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu delivered, in sometimes caustic language, a ruling that denounced five California Education Code due-process laws that, for nearly a century, have shielded teachers from being arbitrarily fired for political or personal reasons.

“It shocks the conscience,” wrote Treu of the testimony of the plaintiffs and their expert witnesses. In his ruling, the judge dismissively described the statutes’ provisions regarding tenure, seniority and job performance as “misnomers,” “bizarre,” “illusory” and “tortuous.” Treu, who was appointed to the bench by Republican Governor Pete Wilson, ruled the statutes to be unconstitutional but stayed his decision pending an appeal by defense lawyers representing the state or the California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers. (Disclosure: Both unions are financial supporters of Capital & Main.)

Following Treu’s ruling, it was educators across California who were stunned. Kelly Flores, a special education teacher at South Los Angeles’ Maya Angelou Community High School, said she was “shocked and disappointed” by the ruling.

“The judge is saying our constitutional rights are not constitutional,” Flores said. “The claim that civil rights are being violated is absolutely bogus. It’s unconscionable that [the plaintiffs] would co-opt the civil rights movement to remove due process. Black and brown students in our area are now going to suffer the loss of experienced teachers, as teachers from Teach for America will come in with five weeks of training. It’s the Walmartization of our profession.”

Dean E. Vogel, president of the California Teachers Association, dismissed Treu’s decision, claiming,  “This most recent shenanigan by corporate special interests and billionaires to push their education agenda on California public schools is resulting in a waste of taxpayer dollars and time – time that should be spent focusing on providing a quality education to all students as the economy improves.”

In fact, Students Matter, like the civil rights narrative that it wraps itself in, is seen by many teachers as little more than a marketing facade for a coalition of free-market education advocates and privatization Aftermath: What the Vergara Decision Means | CAPITAL & MAIN:

Reports of Career Technical Ed’s demise are greatly exaggerated | EdSource Today

Reports of Career Technical Ed’s demise are greatly exaggerated | EdSource Today:

Reports of Career Technical Ed’s demise are greatly exaggerated

June 11th, 2014 | Add a Comment | 
By David Gordon / commentary

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David Gordon

As a longtime proponent of Career Technical Education, I feel compelled to provide additional context to the June 5 commentary by Nicole Rice and Jeremy Smith entitled “Save Career and Technical Education from Their Death Spiral.”

It is unfortunate that the article suggests that Career Technical Education (CTE) in California is on the decline when the state’s commitment to a complete, integrated learning program actually is stronger than ever. The commentary makes some valid points, but I am concerned that progress made in the remarkable transformation of Regional Occupational Programs and technical courses to more flexible, career-based and industry-themed courses throughout California will be obscured by the focus of this article.

The central premise of the authors’ commentary focused on a reported one-year decline in CTE courses and accompanying course enrollments gleaned from the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) and reported by the California Department of Education. That commentary failed to include any multi-year analysis of the same data to truly evaluate trends in course offerings, course enrollment and CTE teachers. That lack of depth helps paint a false picture.

The article cites a decrease in the number of CTE courses from 2011-12 to 2012-13 (the most recently available data from the state). Data included from an EdSource article published earlier this year, “New Report Fuels Fears of Decline of Regional Occupational Programs” (Jan. 26, 2014) confirm a one-year course offering decline from 2011-12 (42,610 courses) to 2012-13 (35,625 courses). However, the number of CTE courses reported in 2012-13 represents an increase of more than 12,000 courses over the previous five years (23,600 courses were reported in 2008-09). In addition, that article reported a 20 percent drop in the number of full-time CTE teachersReports of Career Technical Ed’s demise are greatly exaggerated | EdSource Today:

 San Bernardino district funding plan addresses achievement gap, student behavior - by Karla Scoon Reid/EdSource correspondent

SAN BERNARDINO – Faced with dismal student test scores, low graduation rates and high student suspension rates, the preliminary draft of the San Bernardino City Unified School District’s funding plan targets the “cradle to career” ... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit the Edsource Today website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

by Karla Scoon Reid/... / 56min 

La. BESE Member Jane Smith to Governor Jindal: Drop CC and PARCC | deutsch29

La. BESE Member Jane Smith to Governor Jindal: Drop CC and PARCC | deutsch29:

La. BESE Member Jane Smith to Governor Jindal: Drop CC and PARCC

June 11, 2014

Below is an open letter written to Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal by Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) member and Jindal-appointee, Jane Smith.

Smith wants to encourage Jindal to follow through on his plans to drop CCSS and PARCC in Louisiana.

Let me add, it is certainly time.

Using the words of the song of the year from the movie, FROZEN, I say, Governor Jindal, “Let it Go!”  Let it Go!”  Let Go of the Common Core and PARCC.

Having spent my entire career in education, I’ve become very concerned about the federal entrenchment and intrusion into our local schools. This entrenchment has been branded as “leading America to new heights of achievement in education.”  While serving as superintendent in my district, I observed over the years how the national education goals were just the wedge and the tool needed to cement a federal presence in local schools.

Upon my recent appointment to BESE, I said that I looked forward to being part of the conversation concerning Common Core  State Standards (CCSS) and related, PARCC tests.  I have spoken with many educators and parents to conclude that these untested ventures are NOT what is best for Louisiana’s children.

If you question that conclusion, then consider this example of “federal intrusion”:  When Indiana pulled out of the CCSS , officials with the U.S. Department of Education told Indiana education leaders that they could lose more than 200 MILLION DOLLARS In Federal support if USDOE did not approve of the local school districts standards. (This was reported in the Washington Times.)  What an unprecedented and disturbing “Federal Intrusion.”

I hope Governor Jindal will “let go” of the untested CC and out-of-state-

La. BESE Member Jane Smith to Governor Jindal: Drop CC and PARCC | deutsch29:

LA schools parent committee battling district to elect its own leadership | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC

LA schools parent committee battling district to elect its own leadership | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC:

LA schools parent committee battling district to elect its own leadership

Annie Gilbertson | June 11th, 2014, 4:21pm

Photo by Derek Bruff via Flickr Creative Commons

The Los Angeles Unified School District has warned members of two parent committees if they organize their own leadership, as they would like, they'll be breaking the law.

Under new state funding rules, all school districts in California are required to involve parents in budgeting decisions. L.A. Unified did so by creating two committees of about 50 parents each to represent all parents in the district.

In a letter addressed to school district leadership Thursday, 23 parents complained they are not permitted to run their own meetings: they can't set an agenda, don't have their own officers and district staff control which limited transcripts of meetings and committee recommendations are sent to administrators.

"This process, which should have been collaborative and inquiring, was instead divisive and simplistic," said the parent letter. Friday is their next meeting with the district, and parents would like to pass bylaws and elect leaders by the end of the month.

District officials responded with their own letter, telling the parents they were breaking the law.

"We are concerned that any concerted actions of the committee members listed in the letter may have violated the Ralph M. Brown Act," Sung Yon Lee, assistant general counsel for L.A. Unified wrote, referring to state laws governing open meetings for elected bodies. "Brown Act violations could subject individual PAC [Parent Advisory Committee] members to criminal penalties."

It's the group's second attempt to organize.

When the parent committees convened publicly a few weeks ago to review Superintendent John Deasy's budget, one parent motioned to LA schools parent committee battling district to elect its own leadership | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC:

Corporate Money fighting back in support of Common Core | Capital New York

Business groups fighting back in support of Common Core | Capital New York:

Business groups fighting back in support of Common Core

 ALBANY—Critics of the Common Core in New York have been winning the debate about the controversial education standards, but now they'll face a counterattack backed by a considerable investment.

High Achievement New York, a nonprofit coalition of mostly business groups, plans to launch a roughly $500,000 phone and digital advertising campaign over the next several weeks in an attempt to promote the controversial curriculum standards.

New York's business groups have long been among the state's most vocal supporters, arguing that a Common Core education will help close the skills gap that makes it difficult for companies to recruit qualified workers. Following a national trend, they're backing up their efforts with advertising and outreach campaigns.

“We want every child to have a chance at a great education, and that is why community leaders, educators and businesses have joined together to ensure that the high standards and dedication to excellence that the Common Core promotes make it into every classroom,” said Frank Thomas, the group's executive director.

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The coalition last week released a series of teacher testimonial videos on its website and social media. In the coming weeks, the group will deploy robocalls, as well as banner and video ads on the web, in an effort to “change the perception about the Common Core and what it means,” Thomas told Capital.

The campaign is reflective of business groups' efforts on a national level. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other groups launched an advertising blitz in March in an effort to combat Tea Party notions that the Common Core is a federal power grab. That campaign also featured teacher testimonies.

The collective advertising campaign follows individual efforts from business lobbyists and chambers of commerce to educate other business owners about the standards.

The Business Council of New York State, which is a member of the coalition, has held informational sessions around the state, its president and C.E.O. Heather Briccetti said.

“Let's not get distracted by some of the arguments that are being raised in the pain of transition,” said Briccetti, summarizing her pitch to businesses about the Common Core. “Let's focus on having the confidence that when students graduate from high school, they are ready for college and career.”

John Ravitz, a former Republican assemblyman who is now executive vice president of the Business Council of Westchester County, said he believes the Common Core will help Business groups fighting back in support of Common Core | Capital New York: 

One Thing Is Certain, Duncan Must Be Dumped | John Thompson

One Thing Is Certain, Duncan Must Be Dumped | John Thompson:

One Thing Is Certain, Duncan Must Be Dumped

Posted: 06/11/2014 4:55 pm EDT Updated: 2 hours ago

 I'm Old School. I celebrate compromise. I believe our handshakes must be good, contracts must be honored. Especially in the effort to improve schools, the politics of destruction are wrong.

I don't believe in drawing lines in the sand, except in extreme cases. I used to teach my students to respect the political principle of the "loyal opposition," where "my opponent is my opponent, not my enemy."

Politics is supposed to be a contact sport; elbows are thrown, but it is wrong to take your opponent's knees out. And, when a player celebrates an injury inflicted by a cheap shot, he should be benched.

This has been an incredibly confusing week for anyone seeking to deescalate the scorched earth assault on teachers. At this point, only two things are clear. I was wrong in hoping that we are close to deescalating our reform wars. Second, Arne Duncan must be fired.

The Sunday Washington Post documented the Gates Foundation's rush toward Common Core standards and testing, and how it was enabled and vastly accelerated by Duncan's Race to the Top. It raised some tough questions about the role of economic elites and the democratic governance of our schools.

The Post told the same story that was documented by Steve Brill when Gates and Duncan brushed off warnings from education researchers, and RttT funds were used to coerce states into changing their laws and adopting value-added evaluations.

Duncan then adopted policies that were even more grandiose. Seeming oblivious to the spirit of constitutional democracy, he began granting waivers to the discredited One Thing Is Certain, Duncan Must Be Dumped | John Thompson: