Some charter schools exempt from reporting salaries for Open Georgia site. Why? | Get Schooled

Some charter schools exempt from reporting salaries for Open Georgia site. Why? | Get Schooled:

Some charter schools exempt from reporting salaries for Open Georgia site. Why?

As an editorial writer, I was charged with looking at instances where state and local officials failed to follow the state’s open record and open meetings laws.

While elected officials run on promises of transparency and profess support of Sunshine laws, they didn’t always follow them faithfully and sometimes attempted to carve out exceptions.

So, I was not surprised to read AJC reporter James Salzer’s account of the lack of disclosure about how much some charter schools pay their staffs.

Apparently, someone collects the information but it is not reaching the much ballyhooed Open Georgia web site, which is supposed to provide one-stop shopping for voters in the market for details about how much folks on the public payroll earn.

One of the AJC’s top government reporters, Salzer reports: (This is an excerpt. Please read the full story before commenting.)

State taxpayers will spend about $80 million next year on supplements for charter schools and charter school systems, but the public won’t necessarily get to know how much the folks at all charter schools are paid. At least not if they look on the state’s salary web site.

That’s because not all of that information is shared with the state Department of Audits, which puts out salary and expense data on the state’s Open Georgia web site.

The popular Open Georgia web site has information on government salaries, and expenditures, tax information, and a host of other goodies for public finance geeks. It is updated a few months after the end of each fiscal year. It lists the pay of every public school, University System and state government employee.

One of the things it doesn’t have is all the salaries of every teacher, principal, and staffer at every charter school. Officials at the Department of Audits say they’ve received many questions about the collection, or lack of collection, of charter school data.

“Currently, state charter schools do not fall under the legal definition of an agency that is required to report its information to our department … so the charter schools do not submit data to us,” an agency official said.

About one-fourth of the state about 380 charter schools are start-ups, either locally approved or 

Some charter schools exempt from reporting salaries for Open Georgia site. Why? | Get Schooled:

Noncognitive Schooling: Do Students Need ‘Growth Mindsets’ and Grit to Succeed in the Classroom? - The Atlantic

Noncognitive Schooling: Do Students Need ‘Growth Mindsets’ and Grit to Succeed in the Classroom? - The Atlantic:

What Does It Mean to Have ‘Grit’ in the Classroom?

By learning how to persevere and change course, students learn how to push themselves.

Nestled within the New-Age-y sounding concept of “noncognitive factors” are fairly concrete examples of what parents and educators should and shouldn’t do to prepare students for the rigors of college and their careers. Gleaned from research into brain development and human behavior, a toolkit is emerging on how to best respond to and encourage students’ grit, persistence, and the ability to learn from one’s mistakes.

If done right, the use of these concepts could change the classroom in significant ways. Students could see far fewer quizzes and tests. Teachers would follow students’ progress at a much more customized level to quickly identify where they are struggling, offering aid that is better targeted. Short tutorials designed to boost motivation and resilience could accompany the students’ math and reading lessons.

But, before exploring what classrooms that are focused on noncognitive factors might look like, how about a definition for the term itself?

These factors are the art of learning—the technique and finesse a student uses when handling the challenges of receiving new, complex information.

“If we think of noncognitive factors as all of the things that are not just content knowledge and academic skills that go into academic performance, then really we’re talking about psychological factors, emotional factors, social factors” as well other aspects that determine how a student learns, explained Camille Farrington, a leading scholar on noncognitive factors who’s based at the University of Chicago’s Consortium on Chicago School Research. “A teacher who knows that all of that stuff is contributing to a young person’s ability to pay attention, to get involved, to get engaged, and think about what they are learning—that’s what we’re talking about when we talk about noncognitive factors.”

To take a page from Julia Child’s editor, these factors can be described as the art of learning—the technique and finesse a student uses when handling the challenges of receiving new, complex information.

Teachers and parents can play an important role in helping students recognize that learning is not just about the end goal, but a process that is valuable in its own right, too. The Atlantic’s James Hamblin highlights one crucial lever that puts that self-awareness into motion:

At whatever age smart people develop the idea that they are smart, they also tend to develop vulnerability around relinquishing that label. So the difference between telling a kid ‘You did a great job’ and ‘You are smart’ isn’t subtle.

Rewarding learners on effort rather than accomplishment stimulates a host of cognitive signals that can have the effect of strengthening their resolve. Tell a student she’s smart, and you run the risk of crimping her ambition to tackle more challenging tasks down the road; laud her for the time and energy she expended, and the link between effort and positive outcomes grows stronger. “To be successful, students must choose to learn and persist when learning is challenging,” said Dave Paunesku, the cofounder of a research lab at Stanford University that’s putting into practice the research on noncognitive qualities like Noncognitive Schooling: Do Students Need ‘Growth Mindsets’ and Grit to Succeed in the Classroom? - The Atlantic:

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Unveils New Road Map for Education

A Blueprint for Great Schools Version 2.0 - Year 2015 (CA Dept of Education):

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Unveils New Road Map for Education

LOS ANGELES—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today unveiled a new action plan to guide California's efforts as the state continues to transform its schools over the next four years.

A Blueprint for Great Schools Version 2.0 builds on the groundbreaking 2011 report A Blueprint for Great Schools, which helped usher in a new era in California schools that has included major increases in funding, more rigorous state academic standards, online student assessment testing, and greater support for the students and schools with the most needs.   

"Blueprint 2.0 is the next stage of a rocket that is propelling California into a bright future in which every child receives a world-class education," Torlakson said. "I look forward to implementing these recommendations, which will help us better prepare students for college and careers in the 21st century."

Developed based on recommendations made by a team of 29 education leaders and experts, Blueprint 2.0 details next steps in five critical areas: California standards, teaching and leading excellence, student success, continuous improvement and accountability systems, and systems change and supports. Torlakson said the California Department of Education will now work on carrying out the plans.   

The Blueprint 2.0 Planning Team was co-chaired by Martha Infante, a teacher at the Los Angeles Academy Middle School; David Rattray, Executive Vice President, Education and Workforce Development for the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and President of UNITE-LA, the school-to-career partnership of Los Angeles; and Chris Steinhauser, Superintendent of the Long Beach Unified School District.

"I thank all the members of the Blueprint 2.0 Planning Team and especially the co-chairs for their hard work, leadership, and thoughtfulness," Torlakson said. "We have made great progress in recent years, but much more needs to be done to ensure all California children receive the education they deserve. Blueprint 2.0 provides a road map for the next phase of our journey."

Torlakson also announced the creation of the Superintendent's Advisory Accountability/Continuous Improvement Task Force to follow up on recommendations. The task force will be co-chaired by Eric Heins, President of the California Teachers Association, and Wes Smith, Executive Director of the Association of County School Administrators.

As well as detailed recommendations, A Blueprint for Great Schools Version 2.0 includes a call to action, a revised mission, and a review of guiding principles and the emerging "California Way."

"We have worked hard to move forward together in California in a gradual, sensible, and collaborative way," Torlakson said. "I call this approach 'The California Way,' and it is paying huge dividends across the board. Blueprint 2.0 is the latest example of what The California Way can do."

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

A Blueprint for Great Schools Version 2.0 - Year 2015 (CA Dept of Education):

The Discipline Gap: Despite the ADA’s Passage 25 Years Ago, Schools Disproportionately Suspend and Punish Special-Needs Children

The Discipline Gap: Despite the ADA’s Passage 25 Years Ago, Schools Disproportionately Suspend and Punish Special-Needs Children - The Atlantic:

Why Schools Over-Discipline Children With Disabilities

Despite the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act 25 years ago, students with disabilities are still punished at disproportionate rates.

A quarter-century ago, on July 26, 1990, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act to give people with disabilities equal access to services like public education. But the rate at which special-needs students are disciplined raises questions about how equal that access truly is. In public schools today, children with disabilities are far more likely than their classmates to be disciplined, removed from the classroom, suspended, and even expelled.

A report by UCLA’s Civil Rights Project released earlier this year found that just over 5 percent of elementary-school children with disabilities were suspended during the 2011-12 school year, more than double the overall suspension rate. Among secondary-school students, 18 percent of kids with disabilities were suspended, versus 10 percent overall. Even more striking, a third of all K-12 children with emotional disabilities—such as anxiety or obsessive compulsive disorder—were suspended at least once, according to Daniel Losen, the lead author of the UCLA report.

These discrepancies amount to what some researchers and advocates call “the discipline gap,” and it potentially matters for tens of millions of K-12 students with conditions such as oppositional defiant disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and depression. These are often kids who can’t sit still, who challenge their teachers, or who struggle with social interactions, among other behavioral challenges—all of which can look like deliberate misbehavior or defiance and, in turn, lead to disciplinary action. The disparity widens when race is added to the mix: More than one in four black boys and one in five black girls with disabilities will be suspended in a given school year, according to Department of Education data.

“You can’t shun or banish kids with disabilities from public education.”

In addition to suspension, disciplinary policies can include having a child sent to the principal’s office,  barred from recess, or verbally scolded. And in some cases—typically ones involving uncooperative students with severe behavioral challenges, such as those with autism, and educators who aren’t trained in proper protocol—kids are pinned down or isolated against their will, a practice known as restraint and seclusion. A 2014 Propublica investigation of federal data found that restraint and seclusion was used more than 267,000 times nationwide in the 2012 school year, and that three-quarters of the students restrained—often by being tied up or strapped to a chair with materials such as bungee cords and duct tape—had physical, emotional, or intellectual disabilities. Some school officials say these practices are a necessary last resort to protect other students’ and teachers’ safety. Nonetheless, they have resulted in injuries ranging from bloody noses to broken bones—and at least 20 deaths as of 2009, according to a Government Accountability Office report cited by Propublica. Yet as of last year, only about half of states had laws prohibiting schools from using restraint.

Not only does this disciplinary imbalance appear to run counter to the law, it also seems to challenge some of America’s core values: that all people are born equal and that anyone can succeed with hard work and determination. “You can’t shun or banish kids with disabilities from public education,” Losen said. “It’s so detrimental to our society as a whole, for economic reasons as well as for our understanding of how all sorts of people can be successful. To be persisting in The Discipline Gap: Despite the ADA’s Passage 25 Years Ago, Schools Disproportionately Suspend and Punish Special-Needs Children - The Atlantic:

Mock Trial of Arne Duncan and other Government and Corporate Privatizers.

Mock Trial LIVE STREAM | Education Town Hall Forum: Archives, Announcements, & Extended Discussion on Weekly Broadcasts...:

Mock Trial of Arne Duncan and other Government and Corporate Privatizers. (details here)

Tune In Tonight at 6 p.m. for LIVE STREAM via We Act Radio

Mock Trial LIVE STREAM | Education Town Hall Forum: Archives, Announcements, & Extended Discussion on Weekly Broadcasts...:

 Jesse Turner, “The Walking Man,” is approaching the conclusion to his 400-mile walk to Washington D.C. If you are unfamiliar with Dr. Turner, he started his trek in Pomfret, Connecticut on June 11th and is walking all the way to Washington D.C. to bring awareness to his campaign “Justice Not Just Tests.”

Dr. Turner has arrived in Maryland and is making stops in Baltimore and Columbia to participate in events this week. Turner will be celebrated in conjunction with BAT Congress; on July 24th The Walking Man will be arriving in Washington D.C. and will be greeted by the BATs, United Opt Out, and Save Our Schools. These groups will be accompanying Dr. Turner on his final mile to the USDOE where Turner will be giving a speech. Afterwards, Dr. Turner, alongside Save Our Schools, will be hosting a Mock Trial of Corporate and Government Privatizers.

• 2:00 p.m. – Meet in the Courtyard at the Holiday Inn Capitol D.C., 550 C Street SW (Washington, DC)
• 2:00 to 2:45 – Make signs or pick up pre-made “Stop Destroying Our Schools” signs
• 2:45 – Begin to walk down Independence SW/SE to meet Jesse who will be walking towards us. March together to the USDOE where Jesse will give a speech. Celebration at Holiday Inn follows.
• 6:00 p.m. – Jesse will be hosting a Mock Trial of Corporate and Government Privatizers at the Grand Ballroom of the Holiday Inn Capitol.

The BATs Teacher Congress will be Groundbreaking and a Family Friendly Event! To be held at the Holiday Inn Capitol, Washington DC Get your free BATs Teacher Congress tickets here – Bring the kids – we will have a student table. If you are attending the Congress please also call NOW and make an appointment for July 23 or 24 with your Representative and/or Senator in DC. If they are not going to be there make one with their aides. Please email us the BATs Managers if you get an appointment at contact.batmanager@gmail.com. Here are the free BAT Teacher Congress tickets for July 25th https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bat-teachers-congress-delegate-ticket-tickets-15301473118 On the evening of July 24th SOS will be having a Mock Trial of the USDOE. We will also be celebrating Jesse Turners Walk for Children from Connecticut to DC. Time to be announced soon. On the evening of July 25th from 6-9 p.m. we will be having the BATs Teacher Congress Social. It will be a family friendly event. Bring the kids and dance to the BAT Band “A Class Act.” Social tickets are $15 and light finger foods will be served and there will be a cash bar. Here are the event tickets http://www.eventbrite.com/e/bats-teacher-congress-social-tickets-15473398351

Finally we are going to ask you to help us reach our fundraising goal this year. Our fundraiser will cover the cost of the BATs Teacher Congress, to maintain our website, and to fund our student book scholarship. Any amount will help – $5 $10 $20 – You can give here http://www.gofundme.com/BATsDC

For press inquiries contact us at contact.batmanager@gmail.com

For full event information, including hotel information, visit our Facebook page herehttps://www.facebook.com/BATsTeacherCongress2015

New-look education commissioner pursues similar agenda | Capital New York

New-look education commissioner pursues similar agenda | Capital New York:

New-look education commissioner pursues similar agenda

ALBANY—New York’s new education commissioner, MaryEllen Elia, and her predecessor, John King, both support the state’s controversial reform agenda, including implementing the Common Core standards, testing students on the more difficult material and evaluating teachers using students’ exam scores.

But it’s what makes her different from the former chief that state education officials have highlighted.

Elia is seasoned at 66, compared to King, who at 36 became the youngest education commissioner in the state’s history. Elia spent more than four decades working in traditional public schools, as a teacher, an administrator and a superintendent, while King had relatively limited experience in schools before founding a prominent charter school network. She has been described as a skilled listener, communicator and collaborator, while he was often criticized as being out of touch and tone deaf.

In hopes of turning King’s critics into Elia’s supporters without reversing course on the reform agenda they’ve pursued for five years, the new commissioner, her communications staff and the State Board of Regents, which appointed her in May, have pitched her as his opposite.

So far—and granted, it’s still early—the strategy seems to be working.

As an outspoken advocate for the reforms, King had been called to resign by lawmakers, lost the confidence of teachers and maligned by parents. Pursuing the same reforms he helped implement, Elia has been broadly praised by national, state and local leaders and groups, including those who often vehemently disagree on policy issues, such as U.S. education secretary Arne Duncan and American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten, as well as charter school advocates funded by wealthy hedge-funders and pro-labor Democrats in the state Legislature.

Elia’s record, like King's, is that of an aggressive reformer. In her last position as superintendent of a large, diverse school district in central Florida, she implemented teacher evaluations before the rest of the state with a $100 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and negotiated with teachers a merit-pay system. Since coming to New York, she has repeatedly described herself as a believer in “accountability.” She New-look education commissioner pursues similar agenda | Capital New York:

Evaluating teachers: Precise but irrelevant metrics? - The Hechinger Report

Evaluating teachers: Precise but irrelevant metrics? - The Hechinger Report:

Evaluating teachers: Precise but irrelevant metrics?

 I've told this joke before:

Two hot-air balloonists get lost, and they’re floating aimlessly. They spot someone down below and call out, “Hello!”

The person on the ground replies, “Hello!”

“Where are we?” one calls down.

Up comes the reply: “You’re in a balloon!”

They continue to drift, when one of the balloonists says to the other, “Who was that?”

The other responds, “That was obviously an economist.”

“An economist? How can you tell?” the first asks.

“Because what he said was precise, but irrelevant.”

Unfair to economists? Of course! But surely in keeping with the mongoose-cobra relationship that characterizes sociologists and economists. (And some of my best friends, etc., etc.) A case in point:

Earlier this week, FiveThirtyEight, founded by data whiz Nate Silver, posted a feature on the application of value-added models to the evaluation of K-12 teachers. Quantitative editor Andrew Flowersargued that a key part of the debate is over, and that recent studies have converged on the finding that value-added measures accurately predict students’ future test scores. The article cites all of the usual suspects: Raj Chetty, John Friedman, Jonah Rockoff, Jesse Rothstein, Tom Kane, and Doug Staiger. Thoughtful and creative economists one and all, armed with an arsenal of quantitative methods and administrative data to which to apply them.

Related: New York teachers hate the idea of outsiders evaluating them. Here’s what happened when D.C. tried it

The debate has hinged on the fact that students are usually not randomly assigned to teachers, and thus one can never be sure that differences among teachers in their students’ test scores are due to the influence of the teacher, rather than to unmeasured differences in the attributes of students or of a classroom.Evaluating teachers: Precise but irrelevant metrics? - The Hechinger Report:

With A Brooklyn Accent: What Our Children and Grandchildren Deserve: No Compromise With Current Education Policies

With A Brooklyn Accent: What Our Children and Grandchildren Deserve: No Compromise With Current Education Policies:

What Our Children and Grandchildren Deserve: No Compromise With Current Education Policies

Every post I get from around the country suggests that the attack on teachers, students and public education shows no sign of letting up. Students are being tested more than ever; great teachers are being given low ratings and driven out of the profession; and whole cities are being turned into all charter districts without evidence that this will do anything to empower students, while funneling profits to consulting firms and real estate developers. While the worst of the attacks are hitting high poverty schools, no districts are immune from the scripting, the micromanagement and the obsession with test results. This nightmare is occurring in states with Republican governors and states with Democratic governors.

Anyone who thinks that the new ECAA legislation being passed by Congress is going to bring relief is being extremely naive. Those who think than any Presidential candidate will make things better is living in Never Never Land. The momentum of current policies on the state and local level is powerful because it is driven by Billionaire dollars. The same people who are controlling the political process in DC are driving privatization and profiteering in public education at the local level.

The only way to fight back against this is civil disobedience. Parent strikes, Student strikes. Teachers strikes. Test Refusal. And innovative tactics to bring the pressure on those who would 

With A Brooklyn Accent: What Our Children and Grandchildren Deserve: No Compromise With Current Education Policies:

Feds: Administration Can Keep Targeting 'Priority' and ‘Focus’ Schools - NJ Spotlight

Feds: Administration Can Keep Targeting 'Priority' and ‘Focus’ Schools - NJ Spotlight:

FEDS: ADMINISTRATION CAN KEEP TARGETING 'PRIORITY' AND ‘FOCUS’ SCHOOLS

State DOE revises accountability system for state-run districts, severely challenged schools

The Christie administration has won the federal Department of Education’s approval to continue using its accountability system to target “priority” and “focus” schools, with some adjustments for state-operated districts and others with the highest needs.

The administration had to apply to the feds to renew its waiver from the No Child Left Behind Act and extend its policy of intervening in schools it deems the lowest performing.

RELATED LINKS

ESEA RENEWAL APPROVAL LETTER

NJ WAIVER APPLICATION

The very lowest-scoring are so-called priority schools; those with specific achievement gaps are “focus schools.” The heart of the administration’s plan has been to use regional achievement centers to provide specialized assistance to these schools.

But in the latest application, the administration tweaked the model, removing the state-operated districts from the regional approach and assigning them their own interventions.

The state-operated districts -- Newark, Paterson, Jersey City, and Camden -- are where the vast preponderance of troubled schools are located.

The administration also set up a third tier of schools that it defines as those with the “highest need and lowest capacity” for improvement.

The Obama administration and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan went along with the plan, continuing a waiver process that has all but sidestepped existing law under No Child Left Behind. Congress is in the midst of reauthorizing the statute, although it still faces some significant barriers.

“With this renewal, New Jersey will be able to continue implementing its plans to promote innovative, locally tailored strategies to improve educational outcomes for all students, close achievement gaps, increase equity, and improve the quality of instruction,” wrote Ann Whalen, acting assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, in the renewal letter.

State Education Commissioner David Hespe and his department described the approval as an endorsement of Gov. Chris Christie’s “bold endorsement reforms.”

“New Jersey can take pride knowing that our efforts are leading to real Feds: Administration Can Keep Targeting 'Priority' and ‘Focus’ Schools - NJ Spotlight:

Public School Systems Beat Charters with Equitable Services Systemically Provided | janresseger

Public School Systems Beat Charters with Equitable Services Systemically Provided | janresseger:

Public School Systems Beat Charters with Equitable Services Systemically Provided

While charter schools in a lot of places are known to use subtle, unnamed selective screens—there are far fewer English language learners, for example, and students with extremely serious disabilities enrolled in charter schools nationwide—only in New Orleans are there explicitly selective charter schools.  The rules were bent for three already selective-admission magnet schools—Benjamin Franklin High School, Lusher Charter School, and Lake Forest Elementary School—in the chaos that followed Hurricane Katrina, when the charter experiment in New Orleans was launched.  These three schools administer admissions tests and choose the students they will accept, and they are, like all the city’s other open-enrollment charter schools, without tuition.  Writing for the Hechinger Report, Marta Jewson explains, “In a city where private-school tuition rivals college costs, gaining admission to these free public schools is like finding the golden ticket.”  Not surprisingly, all three charter schools that can select high-scoring students post high aggregate test scores.

An earlier piece by the same author explains the OneApp process that has, after several years of working out the glitches, lately been coordinating admissions more smoothly for New Orleans’ 82 charter schools (apart from the three with selective admissions) that accept applications from families across the city: “The OneApp selection uses software that takes a number of factors into account when placing students, including their ranking of schools and preferences for siblings or if a student’s current school is closing.  Of the 11,391 valid applications submiitted through OneApp, which assigns students to a majority of the city’s schools, 75 percent of students got one of their top three choices.  On the flip side, 2,325 students were not matched to any school they wanted.  About half of the unmatched students will apply again in a second round and the others will stay at their current school.”

Jewson reports that 54 percent of students using OneApp were admitted to the school that was their first choice while 20 percent of students were not accepted into any of the schools to which they applied.  Students who are not accepted will remain in the school they currently attend, unless, like the student at Lagniappe Academy and Miller-McCoy Academy, their school is being closed for low performance.  Such students are forced to request another choice.

New Orleans, with three explicitly selective charter schools, is an anomaly.  But there remain Public School Systems Beat Charters with Equitable Services Systemically Provided | janresseger:

CURMUDGUCATION: Bill Bennett's Baloney

CURMUDGUCATION: Bill Bennett's Baloney:

Bill Bennett's Baloney

William Bennett appeared on Campbell Brown's reformster PR site to stick up for the Common Core,but he ignores some inconvenient truths in the process.

The first stretcher is in his thesis-title: the GOP is wrong to run away from the Common Core-- because the standards are working. "Working" is a heck of a subjective term here, but let's see where he's going, shall we?

He starts with some history, noting that many GOP governors who used to love the Core have decided to dump the standards because it's politically expedient to do so. He is not wrong, but he conveniently ignores parts of the story. Perhaps most notable is that so many of these states actuallyadopted the standards before they were actually written. Bennett also gives a head nod to the notion that "federal overreach" sullied the otherwise beauteous standards, as if the standards would have had a chance of adoption without the full force of federal coercion and cash behind them (spoiler alert: they would not have).

So the story is not, "States adopted educational standards because they examined the standards and decided that Common Core would make education in their states great. Now those same state leaders are dumping the Core for crass political reasons."

No, the story is, "Some politicians adopted a policy because they thought it would be politically (and financially) advantageous to do so, and then dropped that policy when it became politically CURMUDGUCATION: Bill Bennett's Baloney:

Send Word to Harrisburg

If you are in Pennsylvania, and you care about the proliferation of our lousy Keystone and PSSA tests (our version of the federally-mandated Big Standardized Tests), then you have not just an opportunity, but an obligation.

The PA State House Education Committee is having public hearings about the state of PA testing next Wednesday, July 29 (10AM in room G50 of the Irvis Building, 450 Commonwealth Ave, Harrisburg, if you're in the neighborhood).

But if, like me, you have a life and obligations and commitments and you can't make it to harrisburg, there is an alternative. From our friends at Opt Out PA:

If you are an educator or district administrator in PA with a unique view on the negative impacts on high stakes testing, please consider submitting written testimony by Monday the 27th to the following contact: Jonathan Berger, Executive Director, Education Committee (R) PA House of Representatives at jberger@pahousegop.comAsk that your comments be entered into the hearing record, and your testimony will be disseminated to all committee members prior to the hearing. For resources on relevant legislation and opting out of high stakes tests visithttp://optoutpa.blogspot.com/

So, I know what I'm doing over the next few days.


I have no idea what the outcome (or intended outcome) of the hearing is supposed to be, nor how much attention the letters will receive. But even if they aren't read, handing a legislature a giant 

Send Word to Harrisburg

The Walmart family is teaching hedge funds how to make money off publicly funded schools | Business Insider

The Walmart family is teaching hedge funds how to make money off publicly funded schools | Business Insider:

The Walmart family is teaching hedge funds how to make money off publicly funded schools

Charter Schools are drawing promoters from a place you might not think of: Walmart.

The Walton Family Foundation — the philanthropic group run by the Walmart family — sponsored a symposium at the Harvard Club for investors interested in the charter school sector, last week.

The event, hosted in Manhattan, was called “Bonds and Blackboards: Investing in Charter Schools,” and was cosponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

With the explicit intent of helping investors “Learn and understand the value of investing in charter schools and best practices for assessing their credit,” the event featured experts on charter school investing from Standard & Poor’s, Piper Jaffray, Bank of America, and Wells Capital Management, among others.

Charter schools are gaining in popularity throughout the US amid claims that they outperform traditional public schools. They started in the 1990s as alternatives to traditional public schools and receive both public and private funding. However, they’re not governed by the same rules as public schools, especially with regard to state-mandated testing.

The Walton Family’s website notes its focus on education.

Hedge funds and other private businesses are particularly interested in the growth and success of charter schools. The growth of charter networks around the US offer new revenue streams for investing, and the sector is quickly growing. Funding for charter schools is further incentivized by generous tax credits for investments to charter schools in underserved areas.

“It’s a very stable business, very recession resistant, it’s a high demand product. There are 400,000 kids on waiting lists for charter schools … the industry is growing about 12-14% a year,” David Brain, former President and CEO at EPR Properties, told CNBC in 2012.

“It’s a public payer, the state is the payer on this category,” he added in support of the highly safe investing opportunities in charter schools.

Critics of hedge fund investment into charter schools voice concern over private money dictating educational policy. Opponents fear that businesses, only motivated by financial gain, will dictate the educational landscape — at the expense of children in public schools.

“New York State is plagued by legal corruption: campaign contributions and outside spending explicitly designed to buy policy outcomes,” Fordham university professor and ex-gubernatorial candidate Zephyr Teachout wrote in a paper in December. “In 2014, a tiny group of powerful hedge fund executives, representing an extreme version of this corruption, spent historic The Walmart family is teaching hedge funds how to make money off publicly funded schools | Business Insider:

How KIPP charter school handles special ed/IEP students | Seattle Education

How KIPP charter school handles special ed/IEP students | Seattle Education:

How KIPP charter school handles special ed/IEP students

Leonie Haimson posted this in 2012 and I have linked to it several times over the last few years.

Because I seem to be on a roll about KIPP charter schools, I decided this is an appropriate time to post this on Seattle Ed.

“At KIPP, I would wake up sick, every single day”

At KIPP, I would wake up sick, every single day. Except on Sunday, ’cause that day I didn’t have to go to school.  All the students called KIPP the “Kids in Prison Program.”

A few months ago, Class Size Matters met with a former KIPP student who lives in the Bronx and her mother to hear about their experiences at the celebrated charter school. What follows are excerpts from this interview.  The girl’s name has been changed to protect her privacy.

Mom: Students who are accepted to KIPP and who have IEP’s [individualized education plans] do not get the correct services or help to be successful.  The school would rather make it difficult, leaving the parent frustrated and forcing her to remove her child. The principal always invited me to take my child out if I did not like the way she was being treated.

My response was always, “She has a right to be here just like any other child who went through the lottery system.  She will stay until she finishes.”  My reasons for her to continue were because the curriculum was good and I knew that she could benefit academically from the rigorous demands, but sometimes they went to the extreme and she suffered for it.

At the very first, I saw the way they were talking to some kids in the line as they’re going in. They’re like (shouting) “Oh you know you’re not supposed to come in here with How KIPP charter school handles special ed/IEP students | Seattle Education: