9-28-14 Hemlock on the Rocks

Hemlock on the Rocks:

L.A. Unified oversight panel rejects $42 million for computers - LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-lausd-ipads-20140926-story.html L.A. Unified oversight panel rejects $42 million for computers The Los Angeles school district's bond oversight panel rejected a move Thursday by officials to spend an additional $42 million on new computers, including purchases under a controversial — and recently suspended — technology contract.The district's

by Rene Diedrich / 3h 

The Docile Educator vs The Badass One - Educator Fights Back

http://protectportelos.org/the-docile-teacher-vs-the-badass-one/ The Docile Educator vs The Badass One DOCILE doc·ile adjective  1.ready to accept control or instruction; submissive. "a cheap and docile workforce" Shhhh…quiet. We are in the habitat and age of the Docile Educator. Wait, before we get into the Docile Educator, let's talk about what scientists have discovered about fro

1 by Rene Diedrich / 32min 

Rotten to the Core: How an Apple mega-deal cost Los Angeles classrooms $1 billion - Salon.com

http://www.salon.com/2014/09/28/rotten_to_the_core_how_an_apple_mega_deal_cost_los_angeles_classrooms_1_billion/ Rotten to the Core: How an Apple mega-deal cost Los Angeles classrooms $1 billion Technology companies may soon be getting muddied from a long-running scandal at the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the nation's second-largest system. A year after the cash-strapped district

by Rene Diedrich / 14min 

A Response to Marc Tucker: Can We Win the Struggle For Democracy When Big Money Writes Public Education Policy? - Living in Dialogue

http://www.livingindialogue.com/response-marc-tucker-can-win-struggle-democracy-big-money-writes-public-education-policy/#comments A Response to Marc Tucker: Can We Win the Struggle For Democracy When Big Money Writes Public Education Policy? Thursday, September 25, 2014 9:49 am  Accountability, Bill Gates, Common Core, Standardized tests   Anthony Cody  4  330  By Denny Taylor. I hav

by Rene Diedrich / 1h 

Breakfast is served | The Crimson Chronicle

http://www.thecrimsonchronicle.com/2014/09/breakfast-is-served/ Breakfast is served Posted on September 26, 2014 by Erika Salazar in News Erika Salazar Editor-In-Chief Breakfast in the Classroom, a district-wide initiative that aims to offer morning meals to those students who do not eat one on a regular basis, will be implemented on Oct. 17. According to an article posted on the NBC News website

by Rene Diedrich / 5h hide  //  save

MiSiS came in like a wrecking ball | The Crimson Chronicle

http://www.thecrimsonchronicle.com/2014/09/misis-came-in-like-a-wrecking-ball/ MiSiS came in like a wrecking ball Posted on September 26, 2014 by Erika Salazar in News Ray Reyes &  Erika Salazar Copy Editor & Editor-In-Chief MiSiS (My Integrated Student Information System) is LAUSD's new student information system- a sort of combined online gradebook and attendance log that teachers can e

by Rene Diedrich / 5h 

9-27-14 Hemlock on the Rocks (The Big Gulp)

Hemlock on the Rocks: Bill Gates: Do Not Force Square Pegs Into Round HolesMr. and Mrs. Gates,My mother is a powerful and passionate woman, who, for my entire life, has never taken “no” for an answer. I come by this trait naturally. If, by now, it is not apparent that I am and will continue to be an advocate for my students, my colleagues, and my profession, I certainly hope that it will be clear

3 by mike simpson / 9h 

9-28-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL:

The Best Resources For Learning About The Islamic State & The Campaign Against It

© 2014 Official U.S. Navy Page, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio With the military effort against the Islamic State heating-up, I thought I’d pull together a few related accessible resources. You might also find these previous “Best” lists useful: The Best Web Resources On The Iraq War The Best Resources For Learning About What’s Happening In Syria A Collection Of “The Best…” Lists On Egypt & Beyon

9 by Larry Ferlazzo / 4h 

Five Most Popular Posts Of The Week

© 2010 Paul Townsend, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio Here’s the second post in this now every-Sunday feature. These are the posts appearing this blog that received the most “hits” in the preceding seven days (though they have originally been published on an earlier date). Here they are: 1. The Best Beginner, Intermediate & Advanced English Language Learner Sites 2. The Best Resources For Helpin

7 by Larry Ferlazzo / 5min hide  //  save

YESTERDAY

“Object Lessons in History”

I’ve previously posted about various projects teaching history through “objects.” Here’s what I’ve written: The New York Times has published an interactive A History Of New York In 50 Objects that they modeled on the BBC’s famous A History of The World in 100 Objects. Teachers can use them as a model for students — why not have them create their own histories of the U.S., their native countries,

9 by Larry Ferlazzo / 8h 

Are Awards For Teachers Good, Bad Or Somewhere In-Between?

© 2005 TedsBlog, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio I hope readers will share their responses to this conversation in the comments section… [View the story "Are Awards For Teachers Good, Bad Or Somewhere In-Between?" on Storify]

11 by Larry Ferlazzo / 8h

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Week… 9-27-14 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL LARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE WEEKSeptember’s Best Posts From This BlogI regularly highlight my picks for the most useful posts for each month — not including “The Best…” lists. I also use some of them in a more extensive monthly newsletter I send-out. You can see older Best Posts of the Month at Websites Of The Month (mo

1 by mike simpson / 10h 

NYC Educator: When the News is Too Strange to Believe...

NYC Educator: When the News is Too Strange to Believe...:

When the News is Too Strange to Believe...

I'm sure you remember how Mulgrew popped up in the news last May when his private words to his caucus went public.  He had pushed for twenty-two domains of Danielson to "gum up the works" as one defensive strategy against the ed "reformers" in this ongoing war to protect our public schools and the teaching profession in general.  His words aroused the ire of Jenny Sedlis as well as some parents and provided the media with a field day or two.

So, now, I occasionally wonder if my union doesn't have more up its sleeve.  Will Mulgrew one day announce that the UFT only found the common standards of the Core user friendly in a bid to act as a double agent and steal some sweet grant money?  We've seen histrionics, fists shaking and threats wielded.  Will we learn one day that this was all for show?  Our Union only milked the Core for its millions, realizing it would crash and burn under the weight of its own unworkability and its unpopularity?  Is the Union trying to sweet talk the Core's Sugar Daddy before it all succumbs to inevitable decay?  Will the truth unfold like an Agatha Christie plot?

I know some of you are sure our Union has been bought off.  And it sure looks like NYC Educator: When the News is Too Strange to Believe...:

Kimble's Corner: Jack Kimble's Speech to the 2014 Values Voter Summit

Kimble's Corner: Jack Kimble's Speech to the 2014 Values Voter Summit:



Jack Kimble's Speech to the 2014 Values Voter Summit

Students Protest ‘Slut Shaming’ Dress Codes | PopularResistance.Org

Students Protest ‘Slut Shaming’ Dress Codes | PopularResistance.Org:

Students Protest ‘Slut Shaming’ Dress Codes

RESIST! EDUCTION, STUDENT ACTIVISM, STUDENT PROTESTS 
By Rory Carroll, www.theguardian.com
September 28th, 2014

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Students Around US Organise Mass Walkouts to Protest Administrators Who Made Them Wear ‘Shame Suits’ or Mandate Hemline Limits

A spate of revolts against school dress codes appears to be gaining momentum across the United States, with students staging walkouts and other protests to complain at the way girls have been “humiliated” and forced to cover up.

A vocal campaign has emerged after recent incidents angered students in New York, Utah, Florida, Oklahoma and other states, with some accusing schools of sexism and so-called “slut shaming”.

The protests have spawned a hashtag, #iammorethanadistraction, and expressions of support from some parents who say the application of dress codes can be capricious and unjust.

“I do think these protests are a trend and I think it’s a good trend,” said Ruthann Robson, a City University of New York law professor and author of Dressing Constitutionally: Hierarchy, Sexuality and Democracy.

The mass walkouts showed that dress codes related to public policy and were not just confined to individual students and schools, she said. “Such resistance points out the larger structural issues. There is a problem here of state power getting confused with matters of good taste.”

The recent protests have coincided with the resumption of the school year but the controversy is not new. In March a group of middle-school girls in Evanston, Illinois picketed their school for the right to wear leggings. In August a school superintendent in Oklahoma allegedly referred to “skanks” with inappropriate clothing, prompting calls for her resignation.

Previous dress code battles have focused on issues such as the length of boys’ hair or sagging trousers. The current round centres on girls revealing skin or wearing figure-hugging attire such as leggings or yoga pants.

Schools have expressed concern such attire could “distract” other pupils and responded by sending students home or obliging them to wear oversized, baggy “shame suits”.

Since such punishment predominantly affects girls some commentatorsthink it could Students Protest ‘Slut Shaming’ Dress Codes | PopularResistance.Org:

Lessons from SF: UESF Teachers Push for Strike Vote in Contract Negotiations | Classroom Struggle

Lessons from SF: UESF Teachers Push for Strike Vote in Contract Negotiations | Classroom Struggle:



Lessons from SF: UESF Teachers Push for Strike Vote in Contract Negotiations





 We repost an article below which comes to us from two members of the leftist teacher’s caucus in UESF, EDU (Educators for a Democratic Union).  They and other EDU and UESF members have been fighting for a strike authorization vote throughout the summer with quite a bit of success.

 

On Aug. 14, UESF members voted strongly in favor of a strike authorization vote.  99.3% of the 2251 members who voted were in favor of the strike vote.  Here in Oakland we should learn from the struggles of UESF and be prepared to support them when needed.

 

Like us, they are faced with an intransigent district that drags out contract processes and demobilizes union members while proposing unacceptable contract offers.

 

Teachers in UESF are seeking a reasonable wage increase even though they are living in a gentrifying Bay Area with skyrocketing housing prices.

 

A few days ago UESF released an update on negotiations writing, “we can unequivocally say that the district’s salary offer was an insult to the men and women who actually do the work of educating our students. In fact, there was so little movement by the district that it is becoming likely that the district will force us into fact-finding and potentially a labor dispute.”

 

Besides needing to fight SFUSD to sign a reasonable contract, UESF members must also struggle to push a union leadership that is waffling on standing up to the district.  The union leadership is, in fact, actively blocking the democratic decision making of the union members who are pushing for a strike vote.

 

The authors write, “We are unfortunately all too used to so-called organizing that uses members as negotiating leverage rather than genuinely allowing members to weigh in on how our union should run. And President Kelly is determined to reserve the right to decide when, and if, we have a second strike vote for himself.”

 

We, in OEA, should be equally vigilant that our contract negotiations do not become top-down affairs with no input and struggle from us rank and file teachers.  Not only would that be undemocratic but it is also a recipe for a weak contract.

 

Besides learning as much as possible from the struggles of UESF, we should also be prepared to act in solidarity with the teachers, parents, and students of SFUSD.  If they continue down the path of fighting for a strong contract, they will end up at the point of moving towards a strike.

 

This is how major teacher contract struggles which have pushed meaningful demands have recently gone in Chicago, St. Paul, and Portland.   It is an Lessons from SF: UESF Teachers Push for Strike Vote in Contract Negotiations | Classroom Struggle: 

Remarkable Idiocy: “Economically-driven Education” | deutsch29

Remarkable Idiocy: “Economically-driven Education” | deutsch29:

Remarkable Idiocy: “Economically-driven Education”

September 27, 2014

On October 2, 2014, I will be speaking in Indiana to an audience chiefly comprised of university students who have a passing understanding of the intentions of moneyed interests to usurp control of public education.

With a mind toward preparing for my upcoming engagement, I happened to read three pertinent (and powerful) articles: This one on September 26, 2014, in Chalkbeat on Indiana Governor Mike Pence’s plan to use workforce data to determine what schools teach in order to subjugate education to the requirements of the job market, excerpted below:

…Indiana is quietly taking steps to position itself for a future where data drives much of what is learned in school. Gov. Mike Pence has made connecting education and workforce development a centerpiece of his administration’s agenda.…

This year, a bill he wrote created a new state office, under Pence’s direction, with a director who has been nicknamed the state’s “data czar.” That office will manage an expanded network of K-12, higher education and workforce data, working with an outside company to identify trends and opportunities to connect what is learned now to what students will some day need to know.

Just last month, Pence named [state representative Steve] Braun as the state’s new director of the Department of Workforce Development. [Emphasis added.]

Pence wants to tailor education to serve the workforce, not the individual being educated– an important point.

Next is another article, a Living in Dialogue post by Professor Emeritus Denny Taylor, one that deals quite skillfully with the sinister push to make public education little more than the servant of the US economy. The second article refers to very-well-compensated “non-profiteer” Marc Tucker’s 1992 “Dear Hillary” letter, excerpted below. Tucker’s vision is

… to remold the entire American system” into “a seamless web that literally extends from cradle to grave and is the same system for everyone,”coordinated by “a system of labor market boards at the local, state and federal levels” where curriculum and “job matching” will be handled by counselors “accessing the integrated computer-based program. [Emphasis added.]

Again with using education to create workers to serve the workforce.

Finally, in this dehumanizing, “student-as-object” vein, is a third article, from the August 1, 2014, Washington Post and written about the South Korean education system by former South Korean student and teacher, Se-Woong Koo. The entire article I find profoundly sad, but this part stuck me most:

Herded to various educational outlets and programs by parents, the average South Korean student works up to 13 hours a day, while the average high 

Remarkable Idiocy: “Economically-driven Education” | deutsch29:

Oregon Save Our Schools: OEA Needs to Follow its Members' Vote Against High-Stakes Testing

Oregon Save Our Schools: OEA Needs to Follow its Members' Vote Against High-Stakes Testing:

OEA Needs to Follow its Members' Vote Against High-Stakes Testing

On September 17, the Oregon Education Association (OEA) made a report to the Oregon Senate Committee on Education & Workforce regarding Common Core and Assessment. While OEA's report was a welcome change from its previous responses (ranging from silence to full support of the "reform" agenda) to teacher concerns, there remain areas in this report that are problematic, especially for OEA members who approved resolutions at their most recent Representative Assembly that denounced high-stakes standardized testing and the Smarter Balanced Assessment. 



The report begins by discussing the Common Core, repeating the questionable conclusions of an 2013 NEA poll:  “More than 75% of NEA members either support the Common Core wholeheartedly or with some reservations”. This writer has always found that to be an odd conclusion drawn from the actual numbers, in which 26% of members said they supported the standards wholeheartedly, 50% reported that they supported with some reservations, and 11% were strongly opposed. One could have just as easily said that 61% of OEA members strongly oppose Common Core or have some reservations. But NEA has a financial stake with Common Core. As Dr. Mercedes Schneider observes: “NEA must spread this ‘strong’ approval message, for it has accepted millions to promote this message” from Bill Gates. One is also left to wonder why a more recent poll done by EducationNext shows that while Common Core support is slipping among the general public, support has plummeted among teachers who have now met the Common Core sales package face to face in their classrooms.



The OEA report cites a more recent poll that 2 in 5 Oregon teachers oppose the Common Core (hardly a 75% “strongly support” statement). OEA then states at least half of teachers believe that implementation is taking the wrong direction, and a wide margin (80%) believe that if they had been allowed to give input at all (only 40% believe that; 60% said they were not allowed) they would not have been listened to.



The report speaks of teachers feeling that their adoption of Common Core has resulted in a huge disconnect between what they are getting and what they actually need. It goes on to express teachers’ extreme frustration with standardized testing. It then states OEA’s official recommendations regarding Common Core and high stakes testing, which are clearly resolutions that came out of the most recent Representative Assembly of OEA members:

• Call for a moratorium on new high stakes tests.
• Work with parents and education stakeholders to determine the appropriate use of assessment
• Invite legislators and all public education officials to Oregon Save Our Schools: OEA Needs to Follow its Members' Vote Against High-Stakes Testing: