7/24/2014 – Education ‘Reform’ Loses The Netroots Opportunity to Learn Campaign

7/24/2014 – Education ‘Reform’ Loses The Netroots:

7/24/2014 – Education ‘Reform’ Loses The Netroots

July 24, 2014 Subscribe

THIS WEEK: Voters Overwhelmingly Want Pre-K Expansion … Teacher Dropout Crisis … Segregation Feeds Tea Party … Jeb Bush Policies Hit Obstacles … Choice Is About Sorting

Lynn Community Takes Stand for Immigrant Students

The small city of Lynn, MA, has become a local hotspot in the national immigration debate. On July 22, dozens of local parents, students and community members rallied on the steps of Lynn City Hall to protest city officials trying to scapegoat young immigrant students for the ails of a long-underfunded school system. For education advocates and organizers, the small city of Lynn, MA,

by jocelyn / 1h 

Education ‘Reform’ Loses The Netroots

By Jeff Bryant

“At this year’s Netroots Nation conference … those whose white-hot enthusiasm for presidential politics may be dampened by the inevitability of a Hillary Clinton candidacy, there may be no more promising alternative channel than the raging fight for public education.”
Read more …

KIDS COUNT Data Book: Only "Fragile Progress" in 25 Years

In the 25 years since the start of the Annie E. Cassie Foundation's KIDS COUNT project, America has made only "fragile progress" in improving the well-being of and opportunities available to young children and students. In the 25 years since the start of the Annie E. Cassie Foundation's KIDS COUNT project, America has made only "fragile progress" in improving the w

by jocelyn / 22min

Netroots Nation Takes on School Discipline

Across the country, students, parents, and educators are organizing to change their school districts’ zero tolerance policies – and they’re winning. At the 2014 Netroots Nation conference in Detroit last weekend, advocates and organizers discussed the victories and continuing challenges in the movement for school discipline reform. Across the country, students, parents, and educators

by jocelyn / 46min 

NEWS AND VIEWS

Poll: 70 Percent Of Voters Support Federal Preschool Expansion

The Washington Post

“Seven in 10 voters, including 6 in 10 Republicans, support a plan for the federal government to expand quality early childhood programs for low- and middle-income families … State governors and mayors from both political parties have made strides in expanding preschool in recent years, but Obama’s proposal to increase federal funding to help states improve access to preschool has stalled in Congress … On a list of national priorities, voters ranked ‘ensuring children get a strong start’ second only to ‘increasing jobs and economic growth’ and above ‘improving the quality of our public schools’ and ‘reducing the tax burden on families’ … Key groups of swing voters also supported the proposal, including 80% of Hispanics, 75% of moderates and 72% of suburban women.”
Read more …

The Teacher Dropout Crisis

NPR

“Roughly half a million U.S. teachers either move or leave the profession each year… This kind of turnover comes at a steep cost … up to $2.2 billion a year … at-risk students suffer the most. Nearly 20% of teachers at high-poverty schools leave every year, a rate 50% higher than at more affluent schools. That’s one of every five teachers, gone by next September … Variety of reasons for the turnover, including low salaries and a lack of support … Most likely to quit are also the least experienced: 40 – 50% of new teachers leave within their first five years on the job.”
Read more …

Tea Party Support Linked To Educational Segregation, New Study Shows

Notre Dame News

“Statistical analyses show that even after accounting for many other factors, Tea Party organizations were much more likely to form in counties with high levels of residential segregation based on education levels … College graduates were more likely to indicate support for the Tea Party if they resided in a county characterized by high levels of educational segregation … ‘The commonly held view that individuals and families who are struggling to get by are undeserving of government assistance is reinforced when the highly educated have limited contact with those who have been less fortunate.’”
Read more …

Jeb Bush’s Reading Rule Loses Ground

Politico

“It was one of Jeb Bush’s signature initiatives as Florida governor: Require third-graders to repeat the year if they flunked a reading test … Now, political pressure to dilute the policies is building … In states that have already tried Common Core exams, as many as 70% of students failed, raising fears of mass retentions among teachers, parents and children … Studies have shown that retention leads to loss of self-esteem, a decreased feeling of belonging at school and negative effects on college attendance. A Harvard University study found that any positive effects of retention fade out over time. Data from Florida show that about a third of students held back for a year in 2003 never became proficient at reading … Oklahoma Education Association President Linda Hampton said … the union opposes the law and argues that retention can prove ‘detrimental to a child’s academic growth … emphasis our state has placed on a single test, on a single day to determine whether or not our 8- and 9-year-olds are prepared for the next grade level is unfair and disappointing … Education professionals, in partnership with parents, are better equipped to assess a child’s ability to read.’”
Read more …

The Big Sort: How Chicago’s School Choice System Is Tracking Kids Into Different High Schools Based On Achievement

The Hechinger Report

“Chicago is trying to expand the number of ‘quality school options’ and offer students a choice of where to go to school … An unintended consequence of the choice system: students of different ability levels are being sorted into separate high schools … The findings … raise questions about whether the city’s school choice system is actually creating better schools, or whether it’s simply sorting certain students out and leaving the weakest learners in separate, struggling schools … New York City and New Orleans see a similar dynamic … High-performing students are like gold in a school. Everybody does better around them – including other high-performing students. And it’s not just about test scores. The biggest predictor of whether a school is safe and orderly is students’ academic achievement. Having top performers makes an entire school easier to run.”
Read more …

Jeff Bryant Thinks Campbell Brown Is Replacing Michelle Rhee as Face of Attacks on Teachers | janresseger

Jeff Bryant Thinks Campbell Brown Is Replacing Michelle Rhee as Face of Attacks on Teachers | janresseger:

Jeff Bryant Thinks Campbell Brown Is Replacing Michelle Rhee as Face of Attacks on Teachers

Posted on July 25, 2014 by janresseger

In a blockbuster story at Salon.com, Jeff Bryant threads together the two key school “deformer” stories of the past week.  Michelle Rhee’s star seems to be fading even as Campbell Brown, the former CNN anchor who has turned herself into an opponent of job protections for teachers, seems to be rising as the darling of those intent on scapegoating school teachers.

Bryant writes:  “For years, Michelle Rhee the former District of Columbia schools chancellor, has been upheld in the media as someone with the formula and fight required to ‘fix’ public schools.  Others–okay, yours truly—have likened her more to an ‘education Ann Coulter,’ providing lots of attention-getting optics for a movement made up of rich and powerful people who press their belief that what ails public education most is ‘bad teachers.’  Supported by shadowy money and shaky science, these wealthy folks have created a ‘blame teachers first’ campaign that seeks to address education problems rooted in inequality and low investment by attacking teachers’ job protections and professional status.  Their efforts are, of course, ‘for the children.’”

Summing up the ways Rhee’s impact and reputation seem to be fading, Bryant links to reports that show her organization, StudentsFirst, has proven to have neither the members nor the organizing clout Rhee has claimed.  He reports that Rhee carries the stain of a likely, but not fully investigated and therefore unproven, scandal in Washington, DC, where it looks as though teachers and school administrators erased  the answers on hundreds of students’ standardized test answer sheets and and corrected them. He describes Rhee’s boasts of rising scores on the National Assessment of Education Progress during her tenure in Washington, DC,  and then reports that rising scores were about the same as those of her predecessors, that DC’s students’ NAEP scores overall continue to be relatively low, and that the test score gap between poor and wealthier students in Washington, DC widened during her tenure.  Bryant concludes his summary of Rhee’s fade with the news from last week that Rhee’s national Jeff Bryant Thinks Campbell Brown Is Replacing Michelle Rhee as Face of Attacks on Teachers | janresseger:

empathyeducates - On the Journey For Justice Newark Parents Cheer Federal Investigation Into Controversial School Plan

empathyeducates:

On the Journey For Justice Newark Parents Cheer Federal Investigation Into Controversial School Plan

Parents and advocates gather at Newark City Hall after U.S. Department of Education opened a civil rights investigation into the city’s school reorganization plan. By Peggy McGlone | Originally Published at New Jersey Dot Com. – The Star-Ledger. July 24, 2014 at 6:00 AM, updated July 24, […]

by empathy / 8h hide  //  save

What Happens When a City’s Public Schools Vanish? Colonialism Lives

Photograph; Lafayette Academy, the experience of a charter group with the profit-making company it hired to manage instruction offers a cautionary tale of how well-meaning trustees can easily stumble, and of how privatizing management is often far from a panacea | Tim Mueller for The New York […]

by empathy / 9h 

The D-List Reformer Does Disruption | EduShyster

The D-List Reformer Does Disruption | EduShyster:

The D-List Reformer Does Disruption

 *Disruption*: everything that’s wrong with the education reform movement in a single concept

By *The 49er*
Today’s installment of Confessions of a D-List Reformer is brought to you by the letter *D,* as in *disruption.* Attend any kind of education reform event these days and you will hear this word constantly. In fact, if you played a drinking game at a typical reform gathering and took a shot every time the word *disruption* was uttered, there’s a pretty good chance that you’d be dead by the end of the event. But what does *disruption* actually mean? Who is doing the *disrupting*? And what is it exactly that’s being *disrupted*? 

Disrupt this
Let’s start with what reformers mean when they talk about disruption. Many education reformers are convinced that the current state of American public education is so awful that disruption alone can make it better. (Another common refrain is that change can’t happen when all parties are at the table, which is why the table has to be blown up by, you guessed it, disruption.) Reformers also believe that local communities can’t fix their own The D-List Reformer Does Disruption | EduShyster:

NYC Educator: If NYSED Were a Teacher...

NYC Educator: If NYSED Were a Teacher...:

If NYSED Were a Teacher...

Here is the rub:  If the New York State Education Department were a teacher, parents would be on the phone and NYSED would soon be called down to the principal's office.  In the hands of an apt administrator, NYSED would be sternly advised to change or denied tenure.  As it works out though, parents protest in great numbers (i.e., in Poughkeepsie), but instead of having any impact, future forums are cancelled and parents are dismissed as dupes.

NYSED continues its policies which violate basic teacher protocol.  If NYSED was a teacher, these policies would be completely unacceptable.

First, any tests that fail 70% of a class, let alone of NY's entire test-taking body, is a failure in itself.  The test makers, or those who set the cut scores, are out of touch with reality or, perhaps, too much in touch with some ugly political agenda. While politicians fail us, children will have their failure impressed upon them from a very early age.  They are the sacrificial lambs.

Second, the tests have "visceral" effects.  I do not see how this differs from child abuse, given modern definitions.  The tests cause children to NYC Educator: If NYSED Were a Teacher...:

Gates Funded, Moi? Thanks For Your Support. We'll Take It From Here : NPR Ed : NPR

Thanks For Your Support. We'll Take It From Here : NPR Ed : NPR:

Thanks For Your Support. We'll Take It From Here

One of the questions we're most frequently asked on the NPR Ed team is, essentially, "Don't you guys get a lot of money from the Gates Foundation?"

The answer is, of course, yes.

What that question is often implying is: "Aren't you guys just a mouthpiece for the Gates Foundation's agenda?"

One of the questions we're most frequently asked on the NPR Ed team is, essentially, "Don't you guys get a lot of money from the Gates Foundation?"

The answer is, of course, yes.

What that question is often implying is: "Aren't you guys just a mouthpiece for the Gates Foundation's agenda?"

The answer is, of course, no.

In addition to the criticism that we're in the bag for Gates, or one of the many other organizations that support our work, you can pretty easily find comments on our posts saying that we're in the bag for the teachers unions. Or the opponents of the teachers unions. Or that we're too much for the Common Core. No, wait, we're slanted against the Common Core!

In other words, many people view us and our work through the lens of their own beliefs.

We can't help that. 'Twas ever thus, as they say.

The people at NPR who cover politics, or the Middle East, or any other issue face the same scrutiny.

What we can do, though, is be as clear and upfront about who and what we're reporting on as possible. The word we use for that is transparency.

At a practical level that means when we mention Gates, or other foundations or work supported by them, you're going to be seeing notes in our stories pointing out that this or that foundation "also supports NPR's coverage of education."

We know that won't satisfy everyone. When we write about research or report a story about a program or school one of our funders supports, critics are quick to seize upon that as the latest evidence that we've "sold out" ... forgotten our ethics ... been swayed by all that grant money.

I have to tell you, it just doesn't work that way.

The reporters and editors for the most part prefer not to know the details of where our funding comes from. Of course, complete isolation isn't possible, but it just doesn't affect the day-to-day decision-making. We can no more ignore a good story because it's based on work funded by Gates or the Wallace Foundation or someone else, than we can assign a story that isn't worth doing because it would make this or that foundation happy.

Our funders know that when they give NPR money, it helps pay for the reporters and producersThanks For Your Support. We'll Take It From Here : NPR Ed : NPR:

What A Common Core Lesson Sounds Like In A 10th-Grade English Class

The Common Core State Standards in literacy and math have generated lots of attention and controversy, but what do they look and sound like in a classroom?» E-Mail This

18 by Becky Vevea / 2h hide  //  save

Former Student Dropped Out, But Still Appreciates A Special Teacher

Roger Alvarez didn't make it to graduation, but he still wants to thank his high school English teacher. (This StoryCorps interview first aired Jan. 29, 2012, on Weekend Edition.)» E-Mail This

47 by NPR Staff / 4h 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: On Patti Vasquez Show last night

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: On Patti Vasquez Show last night:

On Patti Vasquez Show last night

Patti Vasquez and Pete Lee on WGN last night

Special thanks to WGN'sPatti Vasquez for having me on her show last night. ComedianPete Lee was Patti's co-host and we had a friendly and far-ranging discussion on ed issues. Patti and Pete are both very funny, but serious when it comes to schooling and other social issues.



I felt at times that I should be interviewing Patti who describes herself on Twitter as, Special Needs Mom. Also known as Latina Supermom, about the trials and tribulations of a parent with an autistic child in public school.



She definitely got it when I commented on the Board's new Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: On Patti Vasquez Show last night:

AFT, NEA Agendas Converge Amid External, Internal Pressure - Education Week

AFT, NEA Agendas Converge Amid External, Internal Pressure - Education Week:

AFT, NEA Agendas Converge Amid External, Internal Pressure

By Stephen Sawchuk and Liana Heitin

What may end up being a new era for the teachers’ unions began, fittingly, with a marriage.

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten was a guest of honor at incoming National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen García’s wedding, held concurrently with the NEA’s Representative Assembly in Denver this month. A few weeks later, Ms. García gave a rousing speech to AFT delegates on the final day of that union’s convention, in Los Angeles.

“The AFT and the NEA will try to forge a new relationship,” Ms. Weingarten said while introducing her counterpart. “Part of that is because our members, our communities, our families demand it. We’re not going to be able to fight back ... unless we work shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand.”

While the actual degree of collaboration between the two unions remains to be seen, the conventions illustrated a remarkable policy convergence, portending what could indeed be a more unified response to national and state education issues.

At their meetings, both the NEA and the AFT passed resolutions targeting U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Both attacked the prominence of standardized-test scores in judging both students and teachers. And in recent weeks, both unions have qualified their support for the Common Core State Standards, especially as it pertains to implementation.

The convergence, observers say, is the product not only of the unions’ need to circle the wagons in the face of legislative and legal attacks, but also of the pressure brought by internal factions that have urged the unions to take a tougher stance against market-based education policies.

New Elections

Multimedia

To be sure, the differences between the unions remain stark and many, particularly in their internal structures. A national merger remains unlikely: NEA delegates firmly nixed that idea just last year, more than 15 years after voting down a formal merger proposal.

But when it comes to topics like testing, their rhetoric now largely matches.

“NEA and AFT are on this parallel course right now. They’re moving in the AFT, NEA Agendas Converge Amid External, Internal Pressure - Education Week:

Feds back English learner lawsuit against state | EdSource

Feds back English learner lawsuit against state | EdSource:

Feds back English learner lawsuit against state

CREDIT: ACLU OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Mark Rosenbaum, chief counsel of the ACLU of Southern California, speaks at a press conference in Los Angeles regarding a lawsuit filed in 2010, Reed v. California, challenging teacher layoffs in Los Angeles Unified. The current case involves the unmet needs of English learners.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California has found an ally in the U.S. Department of Justice for its lawsuit charging that the state abdicated its obligation to ensure all students classified as English learners get extra instructional services to become fluent in English. The lawsuit, filed in April 2013, is set for a one-day trial next week in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

The state Department of Education and the State Board of Education “have the duty, the data and the tools” to meet their responsibility under federal law, wrote Jocelyn Samuels, Acting Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice, wrote in a brief for the case filed last week. “California’s (English learner) students cannot afford to wait any longer.”

The ACLU claims the state has done nothing to force school districts to provide appropriate services for the approximately 20,000 English learners who, according to a 2010-11 survey of school districts, are receiving no services. Those services include  materials in the student’s primary language, parallel instruction for parts of the day taught by bilingual teachers, or a specialized teaching approach called Specially Designed Academic Instruction In English, used for teaching academic content in science or social studies.

The 20,000 students comprise less than 2 percent of the state’s 1.4 million English learners, but those numbers are self-reported by districts and likely represent “the tip of the iceberg,”  ACLU Chief Counsel Mark Rosenbaum said.

The ACLU says the state is violating the federal Equal Education Opportunities Act, which requires the state to meet the language needs of all English learners, as well as the state Constitutional guarantee that all students are equally entitled to an opportunity for an education. The state education department and the state board “have washed their hands of ensuring district compliance, even though the students who have been denied service are disproportionately ethnic minorities and many from low income families lacking the resources and opportunities to otherwise become fluent” in English, the suit says.

The 20,000 students comprise less than 2 percent of the state’s 1.4 million English learners, but those numbers are self-reported by districts and likely represent “the tip of the iceberg” of students not getting help, ACLU Chief Counsel Mark Rosenbaum said.

The 2011 survey found that the students were in about a quarter of the state’s 1,000 districts. The biggest violators Feds back English learner lawsuit against state | EdSource:

Sam Pirozzolo Cries Tears of a Clown southbronxschool

http://www.southbronxschool.com:

Sam Pirozzolo Cries Tears of a Clown

Everyone loves a clown, right?

Sam Pirozzolo is giving clowns a bad name.

But we here at SBSB appreciate Sam and the material he gives us. It's just too easy, like fishing for a whale in a barrel.

Sam must have been bursting with pride this morning when his handler, Mona Davids, posted this tweet with a link to a Facebook conversation on his wall;

 

What got Sam's bloomers all tied in a not? The UFT decided to add it's two cents against the frivolous lawsuit that Sam has placed his, and his children's names on, and decided to defend teachers. Gee, Sam, what is our union supposed to do, let the ignorant have their way?

So Sam took to Facebook and was promptly p3wned by some actual educators. 

Sam blabbered; Once again the UFT shows that they are ONLY interested in themselves and their membership - not students. It's too bad that parents cound not intervine during the recent UFT contract negioations. Very selfish! Teachers union president Michael Mulgrew said in an http://www.southbronxschool.com:

State Schools Chief Announces 2014 Finalists for Prestigious National Teaching Award | Crown City News

State Schools Chief Announces 2014 Finalists for Prestigious National Teaching Award | Crown City News:

State Schools Chief Announces 2014 Finalists for Prestigious National Teaching Award

0 Comments July 23, 2014 • 5:39 pm Written by eburgos Tags: education, finalists, subjects, teachers, teaching award

State Schools Chief Announces 2014 Finalists for Prestigious National Teaching Award

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today nominated six outstanding elementary school teachers as California finalists for the 2014 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).

The math nominees are Andrew Kotko, a first grade teacher at Mather Heights Elementary in the Folsom-Cordova Unified School District, Sacramento County; and Sara Norris, a first grade teacher at the Mills College Children’s School, School of Education at Mills College, Alameda County.

The science nominees are Kirsten Johnson, a fifth grade teacher at Ninety Third Street Elementary School in the Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles County; Julie McGough, a first/second grade combination class teacher at Valley Oak Elementary in the Clovis Unified School District, Fresno County; Stefanie Pechan, a fifth grade teacher at Robert Down Elementary in the Pacific Grove Unified School District, Monterey County; and Erica Rood, a third grade teacher at CHIME Charter School in the Los Angeles Unified School District (charter authorizer), Los Angeles County.

“The subjects these outstanding educators teach so well are part of STEM education, an area that is critically important to the success of our students and our state,” Torlakson said. “From these early grades, and with such engaged and inspired instructors, we will be able to encourage more students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—the building blocks of learning.”

The California Department of Education (CDE) partnered with the California Science Teachers Association and the California Mathematics Council to recruit and select nominees for the PAEMST program—the highest recognition in the nation for a mathematics or science teacher. Each applicant must demonstrate a mastery of math or science, appropriate use of instructional methods and strategies, effective use of assessment strategies, lifelong learning, and leadership in education outside the classroom. Each candidate also was required to submit a 45-minute video lesson in support of their application. State finalists were selected by a review panel of their peers who reviewed each candidate’s content knowledge, pedagogical effectiveness, achievement results, and professional involvement.

Mathematics Finalists
Andrew Kotko is a first grade teacher at Mather Heights Elementary in Mather. He has been teaching for 12 years, including four years in his current position. He achieved National Board Certification in 2007. In March 2014, he spoke to members of the U.S. Congress on behalf of the National Board “advocating for increased concentration of certified teachers and mirroring the medical residency model in teacher prep.” He also serves as vice-chair of the California Teacher Advisory Council. He was a California PAEMST finalist in 2012. The topic he chose to teach in his lesson as part of his application was that of the fundamental mathematics concept “base-ten place value.” Mr. Kotko has a Bachelor of Science in physics from California State University, Sacramento.
Sara Norris is a first grade teacher at the Mills College Children’s School in Oakland. She has been teaching for 11 years, including six in her current position. She has been highly involved in the Lesson Study Collaboration at Mills State Schools Chief Announces 2014 Finalists for Prestigious National Teaching Award | Crown City News:

BESE President Roemer Might Have to Sue for the Right to Sue Jindal | deutsch29

BESE President Roemer Might Have to Sue for the Right to Sue Jindal | deutsch29:

BESE President Roemer Might Have to Sue for the Right to Sue Jindal

July 24, 2014

So, I thought that there might be more lawsuits to add to the two that were filed on July 21 and 22, one against the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) by 17 lawmakers regarding the slighting of proper procedure for Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in July 2010, and one against the governor and Division of Administration (DOA) in an effort to keep Louisiana in CCSS and (especially) its associated consortium-created tests via the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC).

Now, I though that the next lawsuit would be either 1) BESE/Louisiana Department of Education’s (LDOE) suing Jindal, or 2) BESE/LDOE’s suing for the right to sue Jindal.

It appears that it might be the latter.

On July 24, 2014, the Jindal administration denied BESE approval to secure legal representation that could involve BESE’s suing Governor Jindal.

In short, the Jindal administration will not approve counsel for one part of the state to sue another part of he state. As the Times-Picayune reports:

The Jindal administration has said it cannot let the state school board hire an outside lawyer specifically to try and win a legal case against another part of the state government. “The code of ethics prohibits [the state school board] from taking an adverse action against the state,” said Kristy Nichols, the governor’s chief administrator.

So, for what can BESE sue? AP News offers the following clarification:

The education board voted this month to hire a law firm that has agreed to represent it for free. But in a complication, state law has a provision requiring boards that hire outside lawyers to get approval from the attorney general and the governor.

The attorney general’s office approved the contract. It was submitted to 

BESE President Roemer Might Have to Sue for the Right to Sue Jindal | deutsch29:

Kimble's Corner: On the Border with Rick and Louie

Kimble's Corner: On the Border with Rick and Louie:

On the Border with Rick and Louie

When something important like the border crisis comes along, I don't believe in patience.  I certainly didn't believe in waiting until Congress has the month of August off to do something about the problem.   Yesterday, I joined fellow Congressman Louie Gohmert and Texas Governor Rick Perry for a morning patrol of the border region.

I find myself outraged when I see immigrants from Central American countries like Guatemala, Honduras, or El Salvador when the United States has spent so many years looking out for the welfare of their people.  When a government that was too socialist or wanted some crazy scheme to take unfarmed land and give it to poor people, we have always been willing to intervene.  When the people of those countries rose up against socialist governments, we have always been willing to support democracy by training rebels at the CIA and supporting militaries when the will of the people was for a coup.  After we gave their countries the American dream, it seems like such ingrattitude that they reject it to come here to the land we stole from Mexico fair and square 160 years ago regardless of what Abraham Lincoln said.

Don't let malnutrition fool you.  These illegals are wiry and they are a Kimble's Corner: On the Border with Rick and Louie:

PISA Envy | WagTheDog

PISA Envy | WagTheDog:

PISA Envy

 

Tests confirm…ed reformers are suffering from impaired judgement and diminished critical thinking skills due to an acute case of PISA envy.

Ed reformers should reconsider their admiration for education systems that prepare young people to live and work in closed societies that don’t value creativity, freedom of expression, and independent thinking.

In a free and open democratic society education should serve the needs and interests of students, rather than data miners, corporations, or the state.

Common Core may “promise” deeper learning and critical thinking but the sterilized and standardized curriculum of scripted modules, discipline of thought, and continuous test prep would be more appropriate for classrooms in nations that expect conformity and require obedience from their citizens and workers.

In their quest for higher PISA scores, other nations will cultivate compliance and competition in the classroom rather than creativity and collaboration so that students willingly attend after-hours tutoring, Saturday classes, and even hook themselves up to PISA Envy | WagTheDog:

If You Thought I Was Perfect, You Weren’t Paying Attention | Connected Principals

If You Thought I Was Perfect, You Weren’t Paying Attention | Connected Principals:

If You Thought I Was Perfect, You Weren’t Paying Attention

by sblankenship • July 25, 2014 • 0 Comments

Did you know that great teachers feel slightly disappointed and somewhat unappreciated with a perfect evaluation? Take a look at the following quotes.

“I want to be better. Telling me how great the lesson was does not help me to grow. I want student and teacher growth.” – Janice Cizek

“I never got any constructive criticism except to make my plan book easier to read. I begged for real feedback.” -Larry Fliegelman

“During my first year, I had two perfect evals… sort of wanted something on there to improve on.” – Phillip Whitelaw

“I need to know a weakness. No feedback = lack of attention, if you ask me.” – Brian Bennett

“I want honest feedback. I want to be given extra ideas and ways to take it further, angles I haven’t thought of myself.” – Pernille Ripp

“If you thought I was perfect, you weren’t paying attention.” -Elizabeth Nelson

Did you know what’s happening in the classroom differs between a good principal and a great principal. A good principal spends time at the back of the room focusing on teaching. A great principal spends valuable time in the center of the learning focusing on students. Take a look at the following chart. Review each principal’s notes taken during the same If You Thought I Was Perfect, You Weren’t Paying Attention | Connected Principals:

New database details pay of California public school employees - LA Times

New database details pay of California public school employees - LA Times:



New database details pay of California public school employees

Last year, James Hammond, the superintendent of the Montclair-Ontario Unified School District in the Inland Empire, was paid $492,077. Jonathan Eagan, the principal of a junior high school in the Bay Area city of Martinez made $279,669.

And 31 custodians at California public schools were paid more than $100,000 in 2013.

That is a sample of statistics found in a newly released online database that allows users to search and download detailed employee compensation figures for superintendents, teachers, principals and other staff members at school districts across the state.

The figures were added to Transparent California, which compiles compensation data for a variety of public sector employees. The education section of the website is composed of more than 581,000 individual compensation records from last year for about two-thirds of districts statewide.

The California Policy Center, a Tustin-based, nonpartisan think tank that operates the database, submitted Public Records Act requests with more than 1,058 school systems, but have so far only received data from 653, said Jordan Bruneau, a spokesman for the center.

The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest system in the nation, has yet to provide the documents.

"The public votes on tax measures, bond measures without complete knowledge about how the money is being spent,” said Ed Ring, the center's executive director. “Taxpayers are paying these salaries so they have a right to know.”

The California Teachers Assn. supports the release of salary schedules and school district budgets, which show the range of pay teachers receive and overall staffing costs, said Frank Wells, a spokesman for the union.

"However, we see no legitimate purpose in taking that down to the individual teacher level by name, and a database like this would seem to be an invasion of privacy that doesn’t really serve any New database details pay of California public school employees - LA Times: