Progressive labels for regressive practices: How key terms in education have been co-opted - The Washington Post

Progressive labels for regressive practices: How key terms in education have been co-opted - The Washington Post:



Progressive labels for regressive practices: How key terms in education have been co-opted

Words matter. As Arthur H. Camins noted here, the words accountability, no-excuses and choice have “been claimed and defined by currently powerful policy makers and associated with their values.” Thusaccountability language evokes the authority of the powerful to direct others to improve education, but not shared responsibility. And “no excuses language evokes blaming teachers, administrators, students and their parents for disappointing outcomes, while deflecting attention from the need to address systemic issues, such as the burden of poverty on children’s lives and inequitable school funding.” In the following posts, Alfie Kohn expands on this theme. Kohn (www.alfiekohn.org) is the author of 13 books, the most recent titled “The Myth of the Spoiled Child: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom About Children and Parenting.”This post, which I am publishing with permission, appeared on Kohn’s website.

By Alfie Kohn

 “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less.”

– Lewis Caroll, Through the Looking Glass

“Whole language” (WL), a collaborative, meaning-based approach to helping children learn to read and write, emerged a few decades ago as a grassroots movement. Until it was brought down by furious attacks from social conservatives, academic behaviorists, and others, many teachers were intrigued by this alternative to the phonics fetish and basal boom that defined the field. More than just an instructional technique, WL amounted to a declaration of independence from packaged reading programs. So how did the publishers of those programs respond? Some “absorbed the surface [features] of WL and sold them back to teachers.” Others just claimed that whatever was already in their commercial materials — bite-size chunks of literature and prefabricated lesson plans — was whole language.[1]

Until you can beat them, pretend to join them: WL is literally a textbook illustration of that strategy. But it’s hardly the only one. For example, experts talk about the importance of having kids do science rather than just learning about it, so many companies now sell kits for easy experimenting. It’s branded as “discovery learning,” except that much of the discovery has Progressive labels for regressive practices: How key terms in education have been co-opted - The Washington Post:

Petrilli: growth in testing can be traced to this teacher “accountability” mandate

Revising No Child Left Behind | National Review Online:



Revising No Child Left Behind 
Standardized tests have taken too much power from parents and local teachers. 

By Fred Bauer

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President George W. Bush signed No Child Behind into law in 2002 with the best of intentions. However, as all too often happens, good intentions were bedeviled by stumbling blocks in the real world. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has transformed public schools and, in the process, opened the door to an ever-more-centralized educational system. In recent years, a variety of groups — including teachers’ unions, parent organizations, grassroots progressives, and conservative activists — have complained about the current trajectory of American education.



In January, the Senate began to examine NCLB, taking up the question of whether to revise it, and the House will probably vote on revisions to NCLB later this month. This effort might not go anywhere. After all, past Congresses have tried and failed to revise NCLB. But let’s hope it’s not another dead end, because reform could help create an educational system that is more responsive to local communities.

High-stakes standardized tests were at the center of No Child Left Behind, and any revision of the law would have to take into account testing practices. If Congress wishes to undo the Gordian knot of federal-education-policy red tape, it will have to revise federal accountability standards.

NCLB required each state to design an “accountability” system for its students; this mandate included the stipulation that every public-school student in the United States had to score at the “proficient” level on state-administered standardized tests by 2014. Nearly every public school has failed to meet that standard of a 100 percent “proficiency” rating for students. NCLB’s sky-high standards have given the federal government further leverage in shaping American education. The Obama administration has granted “waivers” from NCLB to 43 states — as long as these states agree to certain conditions set by the administration. The waiver process combined with the Race to the Top program has helped the Obama White House impose its vision for education (including Common Core) on the nation as a whole.

This vision involves an endlessly expanding bureaucracy and a swelling stream of tests. Under NCLB, 17 tests are mandated by the federal government each year, including annual exams in mathematics and reading for students in grades three through eight. As a condition of relief from NCLB and to obtain access to Race to the Top money, the states typically must develop ways to evaluate teachers via students’ standardized test scores. This means that nearly every individual class, from second-grade reading to high-school physics, could be subjected to a round of standardized testing. Michael J. Petrilli — head of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a major education think tank — estimates that much of the growth in testing can be traced to this teacher “accountability” mandate.

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California Scorecard of Children's Well-Being tracks 29 key Education, Health, and Child Welfare and Economic in California

2014-15 California County Scorecard: Home:

2014-15 California County Scorecard

http://scorecard.childrennow.org/2014/

The 2014-15 California County Scorecard of Children's Well-Being tracks 29 key Education, Health, and Child Welfare and Economic Well-Being indicators in California, across 58 counties, over time, and by race and ethnicity.

By providing a robust snapshot of children’s well-being, the Scorecard encourages the discovery of best practices, fosters collaboration, and supports action by communities, policymakers, and advocates. http://scorecard.childrennow.org/2014/

View data by countyAlamedaAlpineAmadorButteCalaverasColusaContra CostaDel NorteEl DoradoFresnoGlennHumboldtImperialInyoKernKingsLakeLassenLos AngelesMaderaMarinMariposaMendocinoMercedModocMonoMontereyNapaNevadaOrangePlacerPlumasRiversideSacramentoSan BenitoSan BernardinoSan DiegoSan FranciscoSan JoaquinSan Luis ObispoSan MateoSanta BarbaraSanta ClaraSanta CruzShastaSierraSiskiyouSolanoSonomaStanislausSutterTehamaTrinityTulareTuolumneVenturaYoloYuba

View data by county

- or -Select an indicator below

See how counties rank by indicator

EDUCATION

1. 
   
2. Young children, ages 0-5, who are read to every day
3. 3- and 4-year-olds who attend preschool
4. 3rd graders who read at grade level
5. 7th graders who meet or exceed state standards in math
6. Students who are low income and have access to a state-funded afterschool program
7. High school science classes that are taught by a highly qualified teacher
8. Students who feel connected to their school
9. Suspensions that are limited to serious offenses, not willful defiance
10. Expulsions that are limited to serious offenses, not willful defiance
11. Students who are ready or conditionally ready for college-level math courses
12. 12th graders who graduate on time
13. 
    

14. HEALTH

    1. Women who receive early prenatal care
    2. Newborns who are exclusively breastfed while in the hospital
    3. Children who have health insurance for the entire year
    4. Children with a usual source of health care
    5. Children who have visited a dentist in the last year
    6. Asthmatic children who have been given an asthma management plan
    7. Children who are in a healthy weight zone
    8. Students who are low income and eat free or reduced price breakfasts during the school year
    9. Students who are low income and eat free or reduced price meals during the summer
    10. Schools that have a health center
    11. Adolescents who are not at risk for depression
    CHILD WELFARE & ECONOMIC WELL-BEING

    1. 
       
    2. 
       
    3. Young children, ages 0-3, who do not experience recurring neglect or abuse
    4. Children in the child welfare system who have stability in their placement
    5. Adolescents in the child welfare system who are placed in family-like settings
    6. Children in the child welfare system who have had a medical exam in the last year
    7. Children in the child welfare system who exit to permanency within three years
    8. Children who are not living in communities of concentrated poverty
    9. Youth who attend school or are employed

From The Classroom To The Campaign Trail : NPR Ed : NPR

From The Classroom To The Campaign Trail : NPR Ed : NPR:



From The Classroom To The Campaign Trail

FEBRUARY 03, 2015 9:03 AM ET

 It's a frigid, 9-degree day and Susan Sadlowski Garza is trudging through fresh snow in Chicago's 10th Ward.

"Hi, good morning. How are you? My name is Sue Sadlowski Garza, I'm running for alderman," Garza says to a woman who has just cracked open her front door.

Garza is the only counselor at Jane Addams Elementary, a school of about 850 students on the far south side of Chicago. And she's one of five Chicago teachers running for city council.

The others are: Ed Hershey (25th), Tim Meegan (33rd), Tara Stamps (37th), and Dianne Daleiden (40th).

Garza, like a lot of Chicago teachers, is no fan Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

The mayor made enemies in the Chicago Teachers Union early in his first term. He refused to pay a 4 percent raise promised by the previous administration, then pushed to lengthen the school day by more than an hour. That drama ultimately led to the first schools strike in 25 years.

And Emanuel's decision to close 50 schools has caused even more dissent from teachers and communities.

The mayor, who's facing his own tough re-election challenge, has countered that the tough decisions, like closing 50 schools, were necessary to keep the city's finances under control.

i

Alderman John Pope is running for re-election against Garza in Ward 10. He says he's proud of the progress he's made to improve schools.

Doug Mcgoldrick/Courtesy of John Pope

These concerns are on Garza's mind when she heads out to talk with voters after school and on weekends.

"Ward by ward and everywhere we go, people have had it," she says. "People are really just standing up and saying we need to take back our city."

Ultimately, Chicago's City Council has little power over the public schools, which are controlled by the mayor and his hand-picked school board.

John Pope, the current 10th Ward Alderman, who's running against Garza, says that doesn't mean he's not involved with schools.

"Certainly, Chicago Public Schools is their own taxing body," Pope said. "But as an alderman, we're responsible for everything pretty much ... I'm certainly proud of the progress we've made in the 10th Ward with respect to schools."

Pope said that since taking office in 2000, he's helped open schools in the ward, not close them.

Garza counters that Pope's constant agreement with Emanuel is telling. City Councilrecords show he's voted with the mayor 100 percent of the time. If elected, Garza says she'll change that.

"Every month, I want to have an open door policy," Garza said. "Because of my From The Classroom To The Campaign Trail : NPR Ed : NPR:

So You Want Evidence of Choice and Charter Problems?

So You Want Evidence of Choice and Charter Problems?:



SO YOU WANT EVIDENCE OF CHOICE AND CHARTER PROBLEMS?

This is from an auctioneer’s web site announcing a real treasure trove of bargain basement prices for equipment bought at full price by a charter school with state taxpayer’s money.

---

So, you think that you want to expand “school choice” for parents by passing proposed legislation that would allow charters and private schools to take tax money with little of the financial or quality safeguards that publicly controlled schools now have? 

And you want evidence that it’s bad? Well, the same model laws have been passed in about 40 states, some of them being on the books for about 10 years now.

There is plenty of evidence to how bad things can get with the same legislation models that are being proposed in the Oklahoma legislature right now.

The “few bad apples” argument just doesn’t hold with this much misbehavior in so many different parts of the country. The problem is with the system of unaccountable private charters that have been pushed through too many state legislatures lately.

Each of these cases are in states where the opening for these huge problems started with the exact same arguments that are being forwarded in Oklahoma and other states right now at the beginning of new legislative sessions.

This is how bad it can get.

Outright fraud

From January 23rd, we see a report from The Columbus Dispatch in Ohio about how a significant number of charters schools there have been caught in surprise inspections falsifying their attendance records to capture more tax money that the receive from the State of Ohio.

The State Auditor organized 30 surprise inspections of charter schools that receive state money per student to educate them. In just the first round, 16 of those 30 schools had discrepancies of more than 10% between how many were actually counted in the school that day and what the school was claiming as their enrollment.

The newspaper report relays this from the 56-page report:

The auditor’s report also critiqued some aspects of charter-school laws, arguing they lack segregation of duties and allow for conflicts of interest among charter-school boards, sponsors and So You Want Evidence of Choice and Charter Problems?:

Lawmakers To Discuss Giving Seattle Mayor Power To Appoint School Board Members | KPLU News for Seattle and the Northwest

Lawmakers To Discuss Giving Seattle Mayor Power To Appoint School Board Members | KPLU News for Seattle and the Northwest:



Lawmakers To Discuss Giving Seattle Mayor Power To Appoint School Board Members

 The role of Seattle's mayor in the city's education system will be up for debate in Olympia this week.

A House Education Committee will take public testimony at its meeting Tuesday ona bill that would give Seattle Mayor Ed Murray the power to appoint two of the seven members of the school board.

The suggestion has touched a nerve with a coalition of parents who've long distrusted the idea of city officials meddling in the school district's affairs. They say Rep. Eric Pettigrew's proposal undercuts the will of the voters and could give supporters of charter schools a foothold in the district.

But Pettigrew, D-Seattle, echoed a sentiment Mayor Ed Murray has also expressed: More people care about how well students do in school rather than about who governs the school district and how.

"The bottom line is: Are we educating kids?" Pettigrew said. "For a number years, consistently, for kids in my district, that hasn't been the case. So I'm looking for anything to shake things up to do things differently."

'We've Seen Very Little Change'

Lawmakers will consider Pettigrew's bill one week before they take up another proposal he's co-sponsoring — a bill that would split Seattle Public Schools into two districts — in hopes of shaking up the district.

"It may be a governance issue, it may be a money issue, it may be an administration issue, it may be a finance issue — I don't know," Pettigrew added. "All I know that is we've been doing the same things over and over again for 30 years, and have seen very little change."

While district officials point to improvements in test scores, particularly among vulnerable populations, superintendent Larry Nyland has also said as many as one-quarter of Seattle Public Schools' 51,000-plus students aren't yet mastering basic Lawmakers To Discuss Giving Seattle Mayor Power To Appoint School Board Members | KPLU News for Seattle and the Northwest: