6-20-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:

Jonathan Pelto. Beware of the “don’t let us become Wisconsin” phony pro-labor candidates.

- Jonathan Pelto is running for Governor of Connecticut. To the unions, public employees, and the voters of Connecticut – Let’s take a moment to set the record straight… While preventing me from even speaking to the union members responsible for endorsing candidates, the leadership of the Connecticut AFL-CIO and AFT-CT were among those claiming that voters must choose Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy

by Fred Klonsky / 22min 

Ten minute drawing. Rahm and Hillary on immigration.

by Fred Klonsky / 1min 

Is the Mayor running scared. Or is enough never enough?

Becky Carroll of Chicago Forward Super-PAC and former CPS lying liar. So far Rahm Emanuel’s main mayoral opposition is a progressive woman with good ideas and little money in the bank. That would be Amara Enyia. While others with more traditional clout have hinted at a run, nobody else is stepping up. Yet Rahm appears to be running scared. He has 7 million dollars in his campaign coffers. And he

by Fred Klonsky / 52min 

Secret Rahm memo to Clinton: Step up attack on immigrants. Be Nixon on crime.

The twelve-year limit on secrecy in the Clinton White House is over. Now we get to see what Rahm told Clinton in the privacy of the Oval Office. It’s not the image he probably wants to have out there leading up to the 2015 election for Chicago Mayor. But here it is. In a Nov. 20, 1996, memo from Emanuel to Clinton after he won his second term. “This is great,” Clinton wrote on the memo Emanuel ca

26 by Fred Klonsky / 1h hide  //  save

1.9 million visitors.

Last night we received our 1.9 millionth site visitor. We should hit two million by the middle of August. I’m glad this blog is helpful to those who are teaching, organizing and making things change for the better.

by Fred Klonsky / 2h 

6-19-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: My suggestion is to call Dyett High School an “incubator.”The three-day community vigil at Dyett High School. For the past couple of days parents and members of the Bronzeville community have been holding a vigil at the neighborhood’s last open admission public high school. That would be Walter H. Dye

by mike simpson / 8h 

6-20-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University)

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

My Open Letter to Journalists: A Critical Free Press, pt. 2

Dear Journalists (especially those who write about education): After posting my U.S. and Education Reform Need a Critical Free Press, which represents a recurring effort in my public work to address the problems with journalism about education and education research/reports, I continued to interact with Juana Summers (NPR) and Stephen Sawchuk (Education Week) on Twitter. Those exchanges have sugge

by plthomasedd / 8min 

6-18-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University)

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): U.S. and Education Reform Need a Critical Free PressFew things are worse than mainstream media coverage of education. Except for that sentence above, which stretches hyperbole beyond credibility. But that is exactly where the mainstream media finds itself when covering e

by mike simpson / 8h 

6-20-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy

Wait What?:

Wait What? 

The downfall of another Charter School Management Company

Michael Sharpe is the CEO of Jumoke Academy and the FUSE charter school management company. Over the past twenty months, thanks to Stefan Pryor, Governor Malloy’s Commissioner of Education and Malloy’s political appointees to the State Board of Education, Sharpe and his charter management company has gone from having one small charter school in Hartford […] The post The downfall of another Charter

by jonpelto / 28min 

Hashtag – #ConnecticutisnotWisconsin

To the  unions, public employees, and the voters of Connecticut – Let’s take a moment to set the record straight… While preventing me from even speaking to the union members responsible for endorsing candidates, the leadership of the Connecticut AFL-CIO and AFT-CT were among those claiming that voters must choose Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy or […] The post Hashtag – #ConnecticutisnotWisconsin  ap

by jonpelto / 44min 

The Power of Truth (from a Concerned Parent in Windham)

“In a time of universal deceit – telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” George Orwell 1984 This blog, like others that have been sent in from parents, shines the light of truth on the corporate education reform industry. Read it and know that the time has come to either fight back or give up.  […] The post The Power of Truth (from a Concerned Parent in Windham) appeared first on Wait What?.

2 by jonpelto / 1h 

6-19-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy

Wait What?: Wait What? Malloy fails to make a real difference with home foreclosure crisisSearch the state database of the hundreds of press releases that Governor Malloy has over the past three and a half years and you’ll find numerous PR documents bragging that the Malloy administration was successfully fighting to protect Connecticut families from the predatory foreclosure practices of banks an

by mike simpson / 3h 

6-20-14 Answer Sheet

Answer Sheet:

Getting kids involved in summer learning — city by city, town by town, student by student

Sarah Pitcock is the CEO of the National Summer Association, which is dedicated to creating quality summer learning opportunities for young people, particularly low-income students who suffer more learning loss over the summer than other students. In this post Pitcock explains the problem of summer learning loss, and some solutions.   By  Sarah Pitcock For […]

by Valerie Strauss / 6min 

Special-needs student may be barred from graduating because of two points on standardized test

Unless the Rhode Island House of Representatives goes along with a Senate-approved moratorium on the use of a standardized test as a requirement for high school graduation, Molly Coffey won’t be able to get a diploma. On that critical test, the 18-year-old, who has a form of Down syndrome,  missed the graduation cutoff by two […]

3 by Valerie Strauss / 4h hide  //  save

Superintendent: The greatest ‘crime’ committed against the teaching profession

  Thomas Scarice, the superintendent of Madison Public Schools in Connecticut, has been a vocal critic of high-stakes test-based school reform. Earlier this year he sent a letter to state legislators explaining why these “reforms will not result in improved conditions since they are not grounded in research.” In the following piece, he looks at what […]

8 by Valerie Strauss / 5h 

6-19-14 Answer Sheet

Answer Sheet: Aren’t California tenure policies in fact unreasonable? Plus 4 more Vergara questions asked and answeredLos Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf M. Treu handed down a ruling in Vergara vs California this month tossing out California statutes providing job protections to teachers, siding with plaintiffs who argued that California children who live in low-income families receive an inadeq

by mike simpson / 8h 

6-20-14 With A Brooklyn Accent - Public School Failure- “The Big Lie” on Which Current Education Policy Rests

With A Brooklyn Accent:

Public School Failure- “The Big Lie” on Which Current Education Policy Rests

As someone who has worked in the Bronx for the last 45 years, it drives me crazy to hear business leaders and politicians denounce public schools as the one failed institution in an otherwise thriving society. Hello! During the 1970′s, when factories in the Bronx closed, business districts shuttered, banks refused to make loans and landlords abandoned and burned buildings that once held nearly hal

9 by Mark Naison / 4h hide  //  save

YESTERDAY

Protest Targeting of Holyoke ( Mass) Teacher Union Leader Gus Morales

For Immediate ReleaseJune 19, 2014HOLYOKE TEACHERS, PARENTS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS PROTEST TARGETING OF UNION PRESIDENT-ELECT AND PRO-STUDENT ACTIVISTHolyoke, MA – Holyoke teachers, parents, and community members are protesting the School Department’s decision to not renew the teaching contract of Gus Morales, president-elect of the teacher’s union and a leading activist speaking out for students

by Mark Naison / 6h 

With A Brooklyn Accent: If the Problem Is Child Poverty- Union Busting and Common Core Aligned Tests are the Wrong Response

With A Brooklyn Accent: If the Problem Is Child Poverty- Union Busting and Common Core Aligned Tests are the Wrong Response: If the Problem Is Child Poverty- Union Busting and Common Core Aligned Tests are the Wrong ResponseAs someone who has spent the last 45 years working with Bronx schools and community organizations, it utterly astonishes me that Hedge fund managers, Silicon Valley entrepreneu

by mike simpson / 8h 

6-20-14 Curmudgucation

CURMUDGUCATION:

Don't Worry About the Rich

There will always be great schools in this country. On that point, you need not worry. There will always be great schools, just as there will always be excellent health care and great libraries. These things will always exist.Well, at least, they will always exist for the rich.The rich will always have access to the finest version of these things, these items that we all believe are an important p

by Peter Greene / 0min 

How Charters Fake Success

Jersey Jazzman is one of the premiere edubloggers out there, and I rarely mention him here because I generally don't have anything to add except, "Yeah. What he said. Read that." But his post from yesterday about a subtle way in which charters can cook the books is extra worth taking another look-- and I think I can add some value for the stats-impaired readers.I'll start by echoing his

11 by Peter Greene / 2h 

6-19-14 Curmudgucation Week

CURMUDGUCATION: Another CCSS Writer AwakensPsychology Today ran a great interview in January, talking to Dr. Louisa Moats, a psychologist, teacher, and researcher who was a contributing writer for the Common Core Standards, that is now making the rounds. The interview is worth reading in its entirety, but let me entice you with some highlights. And let me start by noting that David Coleman recruit

by mike simpson / 8h 

6-20-14 Perdido Street School Week

Perdido Street School:

If Teachers Were Like Goldman Sachs Traders...

Thanks Uncle Mikey and Auntie Carmen - a $1,000 bucks (which is actually more like $600 after taxes and union dues): Dear Colleagues,As you come to the end of this school year we both wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for all your hard work and dedication. We both know from experience how difficult the work you do is, and we take great pride in the thousands of people in New York C

by reality-based edu... / 26min 

Open Thread: Regents Exams

I'm proctoring Regents exams during the day and grading the ELA exam at night and this weekend.It's a hectic week.How's your Regents week going?What have you noticed about the tests, the grading materials or the scoring charts?Any differences from January?

by reality-based edu... / 0min 

State Assessors Upset Governor Cuomo Refuses To Let Assessor Into His Home

From Lohud:The Cuomo administration's manual for municipal assessors instructs them to ask each property owner to allow an interior inspection during the reassessment process.Assessors say such an inspection provides the best opportunity to discern both the condition, quality and extent of a building's improvements, which add to a home's taxable value.The refusal to allow the New Castle town asses

by reality-based edu... / 48min hide  //  save

New York State's Teacher Evaluation System - And Its Governor - Continue To Lose Credibility

As I'm sure you heard, Cuomo tinkered ever so slightly with his vaunted APPR teacher evaluation system:ALBANY—Governor Andrew Cuomo said he remains committed to his signature state-mandated teacher evaluation system but argued that amendments are necessary in order to ensure the fairness of the ratings.“The teacher evaluation system is in effect,” Cuomo stressed during a Capitol news conference on

2 by reality-based edu... / 5h 

6-19-14 Perdido Street School Week

Perdido Street School: Sandra Stotsky: Don't Let Yourself Be Bullied By State Education OfficialsJessica Bakeman at Capital NY:ALBANY—A former Massachusetts state education official who has emerged as a national critic of the Common Core standards told parent-lobbyists at the Capitol on Tuesday that they should fight for their rights and empower their older children as activists. Sandra Stotsky, w

by mike simpson / 8h 

Summer Learning Day - National Summer Learning Association

Summer Learning Day - National Summer Learning Association:

 Summer Learning Day is Friday, June 20, 2014!

Summer Learning Day is a national advocacy day recognized to spread awareness about the importance of summer learning for our nation’s youth in helping close the achievement gap and support healthy development in communities all across the country.

Summer learning programs:

• Maintain and advance participants' academic and developmental growth
• Support working families
• Keep children safe and healthy
• Send young people back to school ready to learn

Summer Learning Day is supported by elected officials and policymakers, public agencies, nonprofit organizations, schools, universities, museums, libraries, and summer camps across the country. Whether you’re a community, summer program, school, or parent, there are many ways to celebrate Summer Learning Day!

Visit our Ways to Celebrate webpage to learn how you can help spread awareness. 

Don't forget to visit the map to add your event, or find a Summer Learning Day event near you! 

 

Summer Learning Day - National Summer Learning Association:

Five Thoughts on Randi Weingarten's AEI Remarks :: Frederick M. Hess

Five Thoughts on Randi Weingarten's AEI Remarks :: Frederick M. Hess:

Five Thoughts on Randi Weingarten's AEI Remarks

by Frederick M. Hess  •  Jun 20, 2014 at 8:35 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

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On Wednesday, AFT president Randi Weingarten joined me over at AEI to share some thoughts about teacher evaluation, tenure, the Common Core, testing, and more. Here, I offer five thoughts sparked by Randi's remarks and our conversation. If you want more, you can watch the event or check out an event summary here.

One, when discussing Vergara v. California, Randi said good and smart things about tenure. She said tenure shouldn't be a shield for incompetence or an excuse for managers not to manage. She flatly said that, if teachers can't teach after they've been helped, unions need to say that they can't be in the profession. The problem, of course, is that plenty of us are skeptical of the nice words--because we feel like unions have generally not stepped up on this score and because union leaders like Mike Mulgrew in New York and Karen Lewis in Chicago are declaring "war" on reformers and giving no indication they've gotten Randi's memo. This helps explain why unions feel like they don't get any credit for their good efforts, while reformers distrust the AFT's commitment.

Two, in arguing that the distrust is misplaced, Randi pointed to developments in places like New Haven and Baltimore, where AFT locals have partnered with districts to police the profession and to reward excellence. Union advocates are frustrated that they don't get credit for such developments, while critics say, "Sure, a handful of districts are inching forward, but those are outliers." This is, as Randi noted, very much a glass half-full or a glass half-empty kind of exercise. Neither side is necessarily "wrong" or malicious, but we all bring experiences, expectations, and world views to this debate--and those on both sides of the divide feel like they've got plenty of cause for suspicion and bad faith.

Three, those feelings tend to deepen, ripen, and congeal because most individuals in each camp spend their time conferring with the like-minded. While education isn't partisan per se, it features something that looks like a partisan-style divide. This is a particular problem for schooling because, as John Chubb and Terry Moeso powerfully argued a quarter century ago, and as most people in both camps believe, the defining Five Thoughts on Randi Weingarten's AEI Remarks :: Frederick M. Hess:

In Ohio, Political Contributions Yield Budget Gift for White Hat’s David Brennan | janresseger

In Ohio, Political Contributions Yield Budget Gift for White Hat’s David Brennan | janresseger:

In Ohio, Political Contributions Yield Budget Gift for White Hat’s David Brennan

Posted on June 20, 2014 by janresseger

Here’s what happened in Ohio’s mid-biennium budget review bill, signed into law on Monday by Governor John Kasich.  The governor and the legislature rewarded David Brennan, who runs the White Hat Life Skills Academy “dropout recovery” schools.  According to Brent Larkin in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, David Brennan “has poured more than $4 million into the coffers of Republican candidates in Ohio during the past decade.”

Recently this blog covered the scandal of Ohio’s so-called “dropout-recovery” charter schools, a scandal that has been exposed by Doug Livingston of the Akron Beacon Journal.  These schools offer students who have dropped out or are in danger of dropping out the opportunity to sit in a cubicle with a computer for four hours each day to recover enough credits to graduate from high school.  The state pays the dropout-recovery schools for all the students who are supposedly enrolled, but the dropout rate at these schools is higher than at any other secondary schools in the state, and the state keeps on paying for several weeks after the students stop attending.  Livingston has demonstrated that these schools are, in fact, driving up Ohio’s high school dropout rate.

Livingston writes, “Absenteeism tops the reasons why students drop out; charter schools continue to collect tax dollars for more than a month while they are gone.” “Administrators call it churning’ or ‘school hopping’—when student drop out, disappear for months and then return.”  “The state requires that students who are absent or truant for more than 23 days be taken off school rolls, but during that 23 days, the state reimburses the school. Livingston explains: “There were more than 11,000 removals for truancy last year, meaning taxpayers In Ohio, Political Contributions Yield Budget Gift for White Hat’s David Brennan | janresseger: