Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 12/2/15

CORPORATE ED REFORM

 

 

Put the brakes on the ESEA reauthorization bill | Seattle Education

Put the brakes on the ESEA reauthorization bill | Seattle Education: Put the brakes on the ESEA reauthorization billThe ESEA reauthorization bill was released on Monday, November 30th. The bill is over 1,000 pages long and is scheduled for a vote this week on the House floor. It is not possible for citizens to properly review and vet this bill in just a few days.Please call your Congressperson and

by mike simpson / 2min 

Educators General Assembly this Sunday | Seattle Education

Educators General Assembly this Sunday | Seattle Education: Educators General Assembly this SundayCalling all educators and youth workers!Sunday, December 6 Time: 2PM- 5PMNew Freeway Hall5018 Rainer Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98118Come together to network, discuss and act on issues facing educators and students in the Seattle region.Whether you’re already part of an organization, working on education is

by mike simpson / 5min 

Dannel Malloy – Stonewalling an investigation by Connecticut’s State Elections Enforcement Commission. - Wait What?

Dannel Malloy – Stonewalling an investigation by Connecticut’s State Elections Enforcement Commission. - Wait What?: Dannel Malloy – Stonewalling an investigation by Connecticut’s State Elections Enforcement Commission.When Connecticut Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy accepted $6.5 million in taxpayer funds to pay for this 2014 gubernatorial campaign he signed a contract promising not to accept a

by mike simpson / 10min 

A testing tantrum sanctioned by the Portland School Board - OregonLive

A testing tantrum sanctioned by the Portland School Board: Editorial Agenda 2015 | OregonLive.com:A testing tantrum sanctioned by the Portland School Board: Editorial Agenda 2015Apparently, the Portland School Board has identified an epidemic of poor reading comprehension in the district. But it's not a problem among students, it's their parents. These families, some board members worried, might n

by mike simpson / 2h 

When the Focus on ‘Grit’ in the Classroom Overlooks Student Trauma - The Atlantic

When the Focus on ‘Grit’ in the Classroom Overlooks Student Trauma - The Atlantic: The Limitations of Teaching‘Grit’ in the Classroom“We are asking students to change a belief system without changing the situation around them.”The first time I heard a preschooler explaining a classmate’s disruptive behavior, I was surprised at how adult her 4-year-old voice sounded.Her classmate “doesn’t know how

by mike simpson / 3h 

Jersey Jazzman: Return To Teachers Village, Part II: Who's Teaching At Teachers Village?

Jersey Jazzman: Return To Teachers Village, Part II: Who's Teaching At Teachers Village?: Return To Teachers Village, Part II: Who's Teaching At Teachers Village? Here's Part I of this series.Just exactly how much money have taxpayers put into Teachers Village?The project received nearly $40 million in tax credits from the state Economic Development Authority and $60 million in federal New Markets

by mike simpson / 4h 

CURMUDGUCATION: Is Educational Philanthropy Jumbo Shrimp?

CURMUDGUCATION: Is Educational Philanthropy Jumbo Shrimp?:Is Educational Philanthropy Jumbo Shrimp?The announcement that Mark Zuckerberg and his wife intend to give away $45 billion in Facebook stock raises all sorts of questions, including this one:Does anybody even understand what philanthropy is any more?The word means "love of humanity," and the idea goes back-- way back. Early phila

by mike simpson / 5h 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: No Paris trip for Rahm. Staying home to close more schools.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: No Paris trip for Rahm. Staying home to close more schools.: No Paris trip for Rahm. Staying home to close more schools.CHICAGO — It was strange to watch Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s hands tremble behind the podium as he talked to reporters about his new task force aimed at improving accountability in a police department that a lot of Chicagoans don’t trust. -- Mark Konkol a

by mike simpson / 6h 

CURMUDGUCATION: The New ESEA: Sturm or Drang?

CURMUDGUCATION: The New ESEA: Sturm or Drang?:The New ESEA: Sturm or Drang?The new version of ESEA is called the Every Student Succeeds Act, which is a fine sine of the sort of aspirational nonsense that legislators are capable of. Why not the Every Child Gets a Pony Act, or the Every Child Is Smart, Good-Looking and Above Average Act?The most notable thing about the act is that it is 1,061 pages

by mike simpson / 6h 

A Real Solution to the Infinitesimal Cases of Child Predators in Our Schools | gadflyonthewallblog

A Real Solution to the Infinitesimal Cases of Child Predators in Our Schools | gadflyonthewallblog: A Real Solution to the Infinitesimal Cases of Child Predators in Our SchoolsPat Toomey is obsessed with child predators in our public schools.When I came to Washington, D.C., this summer to visit the U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, he was lobbying to get his “Passing the Trash” bill included in theE

by mike simpson / 6h 

Civil Rights and Education Groups Respond to Final ESEA Bill

Civil Rights and Education Groups Respond to Final ESEA Bill: Civil Rights and Education Groups Respond to Final ESEA BillWASHINGTON – 37 civil rights and education groups issued the following statement after the release of the final conference bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the Every Student Succeeds Act.“The Elementary and Secondary Education Act is our na

by mike simpson / 7h 

15 Years of Bill Gates’s Experimentation

NEWSLETTER: 15 Years of Bill Gates’s Experimentation: NEWSLETTER: 15 Years of Bill Gates’s ExperimentationIn his October 7 speech as he ruminated on how his foundation shaped educational policy and practice for the past fifteen years, Bill Gates spoke of the importance of what he called “high impact” strategies. His speech contained only one acknowledgement of error on his and Melinda’s part – and

by mike simpson / 7h 

Congress Fails – Again – This time on the re-write of National Education Policy - Wait What?

Congress Fails – Again – This time on the re-write of National Education Policy - Wait What?: Congress Fails – Again – This time on the re-write of National Education PolicyThe George W. Bush/Barak Obama legacy of destroying public education in the United States will continue thanks to the “bi-partisan” re-write of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).Now called the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA

by mike simpson / 7h 

Behind-the-Scenes @MSNBC @MHPshow | Cloaking Inequity

Behind-the-Scenes @MSNBC @MHPshow | Cloaking Inequity: Behind-the-Scenes @MSNBC @MHPshowHave you ever wondered what is like behind-the-scenes when you are on a national television show? My first visit to MSNBC was in 2012. I had given interviews about various education policy topics on on local and national radio, but I had never participated LIVE on a national TV network. I was really nervous. Li

by mike simpson / 7h 

Fact Check: Why Did it Take So Long for ESEA to Get Done? - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Fact Check: Why Did it Take So Long for ESEA to Get Done? - Politics K-12 - Education Week: Fact Check: Why Did it Take So Long for ESEA to Get Done?Everyone is excited that the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is finally moving and agrees it's taken way too long law to get a facelift. But what exactly accounted for the big delay?Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the Senate minority leader, pointed t

by mike simpson / 7h 

Top 12 Concerns About Every Student Succeeds Act (S 1177 & HR 5) | Truth in American Education

Top 12 Concerns About Every Student Succeeds Act (S 1177 & HR 5) | Truth in American Education: Top 12 Concerns About Every Student Succeeds Act (S 1177 & HR 5)The information below is a collaboration between Mary Byrne, EdD of Missouri Coalition Against Common Core, Emmett McGroarty of American Principles Project, Jane Robbins of American Principles Project, Erin Tuttle of Hoosiers Agains

by mike simpson / 7h 

Why is the #GOP Losing the Base? ESEA Reauthorization is one Reason. » Missouri Education Watchdog

Why is the #GOP Losing the Base? ESEA Reauthorization is one Reason. » Missouri Education Watchdog: Why is the #GOP Losing the Base? ESEA Reauthorization is one Reason.The Republican machine is astounded, gobsmacked, and incredulous that the heir apparent to the Presidency is barely making a blip in the polls.  The substitutes to the chosen one aren’t popular either.  Juan Williams, a Democrat, wr

by mike simpson / 7h 

Are Low U.S. Scores on International Tests Caused by High Child Poverty or Bad Schools? | janresseger

Are Low U.S. Scores on International Tests Caused by High Child Poverty or Bad Schools? | janresseger: Are Low U.S. Scores on International Tests Caused by High Child Poverty or Bad Schools?Early in November, the NY Times published what seemed to me an inconclusive and confusingcommentary by Eduardo Porter on what is causing children in the United States to score below other developed nations on i

by mike simpson / 7h 

Don’t meet me in St. Louis - The Washington Post

Don’t meet me in St. Louis - The Washington Post: Don’t meet me in St. LouisSt. Louis is a great city — but its public school system is deeply troubled, and as teacher Peter Greene writes below, its teachers are “at the epicenter of just about every kind of assault on public education going on these days.” Here, from Greene’s engaging Curmudgucation blog, is a primer on what has befallen the St. L

by mike simpson / 7h 

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA): More Observations | deutsch29

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA): More Observations | deutsch29: The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA): More ObservationsOn Monday, November 30, 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) document was made public. It is 1,061 pages long and is being rushed to the full House for a vote on December 02, 2015, with one hour of debate (limited to one-minute speeches) scheduled for 12 noon EST.Onl

by mike simpson / 8h 

EFF complaint says Google broke privacy pledge by tracking students | The Verge

EFF complaint says Google broke privacy pledge by tracking students | The Verge: EFF complaint says Google broke privacy pledge by tracking studentsThe EFF is asking for a federal investigation into whether Google broke a pledge to honor student privacy with its educational tools. Today, the group filed a complaint with the FTC, alleging that Google for Education collects a broad range of data on

by mike simpson / 8h 

Family engagement to become a big part of federal ed policy :: SI&A Cabinet Report

Family engagement to become a big part of federal ed policy :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: Family engagement to become a big part of federal ed policy(District of Columbia) Parent and family engagement plays a key role in the compromise legislation released earlier this week by Congress that would reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary E

by mike simpson / 8h 

How to measure project-based learning | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

How to measure project-based learning | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: How to measure project-based learningAt hands-on sites such as the Workshop School, officials say the key is to make students accountable. Children help assess what went well or badly.By his own account, Khalil Hicks had an excellent first quarter at the Workshop School in West Philadelphia.He created a website to share i

by mike simpson / 8h 

Russ on Reading: Getting the Schools All Children Deserve

Russ on Reading: Getting the Schools All Children Deserve: Getting the Schools All Children DeserveMonday's New York Times carried anopinion piece by Charles Blow on the Laquan McDonald murder in Chicago. McDonald, a 17 year-old African American, was shot down by a white police officer in a horrific incident captured on video by a police car's dash cam. The incident is, of course, another in the o

by mike simpson / 8h 

Schools Matter: Gates Moves to Take Over Teacher Education, Part 1

Schools Matter: Gates Moves to Take Over Teacher Education, Part 1: Gates Moves to Take Over Teacher Education, Part 1The 2011 video below tells much of the story about the insignificance attached to research and scholarship by the corporate foundations that are trying to buy up university teacher preparation programs.  The woman on the left (in more ways than one) is respected scholar, Deborah Ba

by mike simpson / 8h 

House to Vote on No Child Left Behind Rewrite - ABC News

House to Vote on No Child Left Behind Rewrite - ABC News: House to Vote on No Child Left Behind RewriteThe House is ready to vote Wednesday on a long-sought rewrite of the 2002 No Child Left Behind education law that would roll back the federal government's authority to push academic standards and tell schools how to improve.The legislation, a compromise reached by House and Senate negotiators, wo

by mike simpson / 8h 

PAC shielded $2.3 million in donations by LA charter school backers | The Sacramento Bee

PAC shielded $2.3 million in donations by LA charter school backers | The Sacramento Bee: PAC shielded $2.3 million in donations by LA charter school backersLOS ANGELES Nearly $2.3 million in donations made by charter school supporters during this year's Los Angeles school board races were shielded from disclosure until after the election was over, a review of records shows.Those contributions - f

by mike simpson / 9h 

This Junk-Food-Funded Elementary School Curriculum Is Bonkers | Mother Jones

This Junk-Food-Funded Elementary School Curriculum Is Bonkers | Mother Jones: This Junk-Food-Funded Elementary School Curriculum Is BonkersKids are learning that they can exercise away Big Macs and Pepsis. Scientists beg to differ.At elementary schools nationwide, a health curriculum called Energy Balance 101 has taught millions of kids a seemingly simple concept: In order to stay fit, all we need

by mike simpson / 9h 

Rosenberg questions endgame for 'experimental' charter schools | NewBostonPost

Rosenberg questions endgame for 'experimental' charter schools | NewBostonPost:Rosenberg questions endgame for ‘experimental’ charter schoolsSTATE HOUSE — Without indicating how the Senate is leaning, Senate President Stanley Rosenberg over the weekend referred to the charter school movement as an “experimental approach to education” that should not necessarily be allowed to continue to expand.Aft

by mike simpson / 9h 

What does Bobby Jindal want John Bel Edwards to keep? School vouchers | NOLA.com

What does Bobby Jindal want John Bel Edwards to keep? School vouchers | NOLA.com: What does Bobby Jindal want John Bel Edwards to keep? School vouchersGov. Bobby Jindal and Gov.-elect John Bel Edwards stayed away from talking about public policy matters at their first joint news conference, with the exception of just one issue.In front of a dozen news cameras, Jindal mentioned that the outgoing an

by mike simpson / 9h 

Study: 'Fixed Costs' Double Time Spent On Standardized Tests | WSKG

Study: 'Fixed Costs' Double Time Spent On Standardized Tests | WSKG: Study: 'Fixed Costs' Double Time Spent On Standardized TestsThe new study "Time on Test" estimates the fixed costs of New York standardized testing."TIME ON TEST" THE BENJAMIN CENTER AT SUNY NEW PALTZListenListening...1:32Changes to New York standardized testing are in the air. Governor Cuomo’s Common Core Tas

by mike simpson / 9h 

Student Data Privacy Mostly Missing in ESEA Reauthorization - Digital Education - Education Week

Student Data Privacy Mostly Missing in ESEA Reauthorization - Digital Education - Education Week:Student Data Privacy Mostly Missing in ESEA ReauthorizationA deal to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is in place, with votes in both chambers of Congress expected in the coming weeks.Our friends over at Politics K-12 have you covered on all the policies and provisions—from accoun

by mike simpson / 9h 

To Measure What Tests Can't, Some Schools Turn To Surveys : NPR Ed : NPR

To Measure What Tests Can't, Some Schools Turn To Surveys : NPR Ed : NPR: To Measure What Tests Can't, Some Schools Turn To SurveysLast year Susan Avey, the principal of Bogle Junior High School in Chandler, Ariz., had a heart-to-heart with one of her new teachers about how he was relating to students.In a previous year, this might have been a conversation based on subjective impressions. The teac

by mike simpson / 9h 

Mark Zuckerberg’s hacker philanthropy: Can we trust it?

Mark Zuckerberg’s hacker philanthropy: Can we trust it?: Can We Trust the Hacker Philanthropists?We now rely on tech billionaires to solve our most pressing problems. That’s a problem, too—and it’s our fault.Photo illustration by Lisa Larson-Walker. Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for Vanity Fair, Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty Images, ravl/Shutterstock (http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-55346263).he bil

by mike simpson / 10h 

The Power of Home Visits to Connect Teachers With Kids and Their Families | The California Report | KQED News

The Power of Home Visits to Connect Teachers With Kids and Their Families | The California Report | KQED News: The Power of Home Visits to Connect Teachers With Kids and Their FamiliesThe teacher home visit is making a comeback in California because it’s proving to be a good way for teachers to build relationships with families. The state now requires schools to make family engagement a priority,

by mike simpson / 10h 

YESTERDAY

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 12/1/15

CORPORATE ED REFORMHelp NPE STOP Damaging New Provisions in ESEA Reauthorization Bill - Action Network:  CURMUDGUCATION: Campbell Brown's FriendsCURMUDGUCATION: Campbell Brown's Friends: Campbell Brown's Friends Weekly Standard writer Mark Hemingway is in the December issue sticking up for Campbell Brown with the kind of PR fluff that usually costs big bucks. It's clear that Campbell Brown doesn't

by mike simpson / 1d 

Put the brakes on the ESEA reauthorization bill | Seattle Education

Put the brakes on the ESEA reauthorization bill | Seattle Education:

Put the brakes on the ESEA reauthorization bill

The ESEA reauthorization bill was released on Monday, November 30th. The bill is over 1,000 pages long and is scheduled for a vote this week on the House floor. It is not possible for citizens to properly review and vet this bill in just a few days.

Please call your Congressperson and ask that a vote on the bill be delayed at least 60 days.

There are other reasons to put the brakes on this bill and Nancy Bailey clearly describes many of those issues in her piece:

Concerns about the new ESEA reauthorization

Arne Duncan and others are bragging that both political parties get along when it comes to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization. It is one big happy family when it comes to education. There was bipartisan agreement over No Child Left Behind too, and look what a colossal disaster that was.

Now, with the reauthorization in full swing, there are groups that are for, groups that are against, and groups that were for, but are now against. And then there is the occasional reminder that ESEA was once meant to help disadvantaged children get a chance to catch up in school. Victoria Young has written a lot about ESEA and it is worth checking the subject out on her blog. Here is one of her posts about it. 

I find the ESEA reauthorization ambiguous and difficult to decipher. I just write here about a few concerns. If you want to debate anything, or feel inclined to tell about something I left out, feel free to do so. Much is being written about the reauthorization. But because there is so much confusion, and concern, I support stopping the passage of this bill in its current form.

Twitter #StopESEA or #SlowDownESEA and call President Obama at 202-456-1111 and Congress at 202-224-3121/225-3121.

Here are my specific concerns with the reauthorization of ESEA, some of which I derived from Education Week articles, A Summary and Call to Action from the American Superintendent’s Association, the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), and the National Association of Education for Young Children (NAEYC).

What’s In a Name?

I personally don’t like the name Every Child Achieves Act. It sounds suspiciously like an updated version of No Child Left Behind.

It’s an Improvement but Not Great

There are many involved in education who claim the bill isn’t perfect but it is the best that can be done—the “we need something” excuse. Like Frederick Hess, the director of education policy at the American Enterprise Institute, who said, it’s clearly a profound improvement over the status quo and if this does not make it through it’s not like a better, leaner alternative is going to get enacted (Klein. Ed. Week Nov. 13, 2015).

I disagree and so do many others. Why settle on mediocrity or a lousy bill? Why claim it’s the best that can be done when it could be better?

Testing: States and Local School Districts Get their Way

There is much talk about rolling back the federal government’s influence, but one can find plenty of corruption at the state and local levels too. I see no triumph in governors being given more responsibility for school reform. The states have driven draconian Put the brakes on the ESEA reauthorization bill | Seattle Education:

Educators General Assembly this Sunday | Seattle Education

Educators General Assembly this Sunday | Seattle Education:

Educators General Assembly this Sunday

Calling all educators and youth workers!

Sunday, December 6 Time: 2PM- 5PM

New Freeway Hall

5018 Rainer Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98118

Come together to network, discuss and act on issues facing educators and students in the Seattle region.

Whether you’re already part of an organization, working on education issues or just looking to connect with other concerned educators, the Educators General Assembly invites you to join us this Sunday.

Possible issues include the school-to-prison pipeline, transformative justice, high-stakes testing, recess, workplace conditions, school funding, school board elections, and our unions!

Let’s share our common struggles and organize around creating more socially just schools in the Puget Sound region.

Hosted by the Ad Hoc Educators General Assembly Organizing Committee

Link to FB Event: Educators General Assembly

Educators General Assembly this Sunday | Seattle Education:

Dannel Malloy – Stonewalling an investigation by Connecticut’s State Elections Enforcement Commission. - Wait What?

Dannel Malloy – Stonewalling an investigation by Connecticut’s State Elections Enforcement Commission. - Wait What?:

Dannel Malloy – Stonewalling an investigation by Connecticut’s State Elections Enforcement Commission.

When Connecticut Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy accepted $6.5 million in taxpayer funds to pay for this 2014 gubernatorial campaign he signed a contract promising not to accept any other funds to pay for his campaign.

But despite that commitment Malloy and his political operatives funneled millions of dollars through the Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee’s Federal Account in an unethical effort to beat his Republican opponent.  The money that flowed through the Democratic Party’s special account included hundreds of thousands of dollars from people who directly benefited from lucrative state contracts, a move that also violated Connecticut state law.

Connecticut’s bi-partisan State Elections Enforcement Commission authorized an investigation into the illegal activities engaged by Malloy and his political operatives.

But rather than address the issues, Team Malloy have been fighting to stop the investigation.

Not only has he ducked his legal responsibilities as governor and as candidate for governor, but he is forcing the state to waste massive amounts of public funds trying to get the Malloy campaign and the Democratic Party to stop stonewalling the investigation by the Connecticut State Elections Commission.

The Connecticut State Elections Commission is hardly a partisan body.

Anthony J. Castagno of North Stonington was elected Chairman of the Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission in December 2012.  He was nominated to the Dannel Malloy – Stonewalling an investigation by Connecticut’s State Elections Enforcement Commission. - Wait What?:

A testing tantrum sanctioned by the Portland School Board - OregonLive

A testing tantrum sanctioned by the Portland School Board: Editorial Agenda 2015 | OregonLive.com:
A testing tantrum sanctioned by the Portland School Board: Editorial Agenda 2015

Apparently, the Portland School Board has identified an epidemic of poor reading comprehension in the district. But it's not a problem among students, it's their parents. 

These families, some board members worried, might not realize that a letter with "OREGON DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION" written at the top was sent by the Oregon Department of Education. So, to make it clear, a four-member majority voted on Tuesday to require the district to staple an extra note to the Oregon Department of Education letter making it clear that the letter, printed on Oregon Department of Education stationery, doesn't necessarily represent the position of Portland Public Schools. 

Why such handwringing? The letter concerns the state-mandated Smarter Balanced standardized exam given to third-through-eighth graders and high school juniors in Oregon public schools. Designed to be tougher than previous tests, the exam has drawn the ire of teachers, whose evaluations rely to a small degree on how well students perform, and conservatives, who see the exam and its associated Common Core State Standards as a federal assault on state sovereignty. Others, including Portland School Board member Steve Buel, object to a testing culture that they believe has overtaken classrooms – despite the fact that Portland students bear one of the lowest testing burdens in the country among big cities. 

Still, after relentless lobbying by the teachers' union, legislators passed a new state law this year that allows families to opt their students out of taking the challenging exam for any reason they choose. Previously, the state allowed exemptions for religion or disability. The new law, HB2655, also requires the state to notify families about the test and provide a form for them to opt out. 

Hence, the letter from the Oregon Department of Education that was up for discussion Tuesday. Buel, a co-founder of the anti-testing group Oregon Save Our Schools, complained that some of the language in the notice was "extremely biased and very misleading" and he didn't want families to be confused that Portland Public Schools was making the argument. He and other opponents have been particularly angered by a warning on the opt-out form that tells parents they could lose "valuable information" about their student's progress in English language arts and math and that opting out could impact a school and district's "efforts to equitably distribute resources and support student learning."  

Board Vice Chair Amy Kohnstamm, however, backed by board members Pam Knowles and Julie Esparza Brown, pointed out a couple flaws in Buel's stance. The letter is clearly from the Oregon Department of Education and the statement on the opt-out form is true.  

Consider that the federal government requires a 95 percent participation rate A testing tantrum sanctioned by the Portland School Board: Editorial Agenda 2015 | OregonLive.com:

When the Focus on ‘Grit’ in the Classroom Overlooks Student Trauma - The Atlantic

When the Focus on ‘Grit’ in the Classroom Overlooks Student Trauma - The Atlantic:

The Limitations of Teaching‘Grit’ in the Classroom

“We are asking students to change a belief system without changing the situation around them.”

The first time I heard a preschooler explaining a classmate’s disruptive behavior, I was surprised at how adult her 4-year-old voice sounded.

Her classmate “doesn’t know how to sit still and listen,” she said to me, while I sat at the snack table with them. He couldn’t learn because he couldn’t follow directions, she explained, as if she had recently completed a behavioral assessment on him.

Months before either of these children would start kindergarten, they had formed judgements about who was smart and capable of learning and who was not. They had absorbed ideas on why some students wrote their names neatly, and others broke crayons.

This precocious little girl talked about her classmate matter-of-factly and without any malice in a classroom where the teachers were well trained and supportive of a diverse student body that was racially and economically mixed.

What the little girl didn’t know about her classmate was that his family life was chaotic, without consistent routines or caregivers. He had suffered some traumas at home, which showed in his behavior at school.

This young boy’s ability to learn wasn’t going to be transformed by a change in his mindset. He needed significant changes in his home life.

I was reminded of this conversation during a recent presentation by Tyrone C. Howard on how student culture affects learning. Howard, the associate dean for equity and inclusion at UCLA provided a reality check to the heavy investment in skills such as grit that might help more students succeed.

“We are asking students to change a belief system without changing the situation around them,” he said. It can be irresponsible and unfair to talk about grit without talking about structural challenges, he said, referring to the recent When the Focus on ‘Grit’ in the Classroom Overlooks Student Trauma - The Atlantic:

Jersey Jazzman: Return To Teachers Village, Part II: Who's Teaching At Teachers Village?

Jersey Jazzman: Return To Teachers Village, Part II: Who's Teaching At Teachers Village?:

Return To Teachers Village, Part II: Who's Teaching At Teachers Village?

Here's Part I of this series.

Just exactly how much money have taxpayers put into Teachers Village?

The project received nearly $40 million in tax credits from the state Economic Development Authority and $60 million in federal New Markets tax credits as well as Qualified School Construction bonds. It also received public funding from Newark and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority.

Goldman Sachs, Prudential Financial, TD Bank, Brick City Development, New Jersey Community Capital and others provided private equity, as well as billionaire investor Nicholas Berggruen.

Between grants, tax breaks, and government-backed bonds, the public has paid quite a bit to make Teachers Village a reality. But what have they received in return? The developers of TV would have us believe they have, thanks to the largess of the taxpayers, created a new sort of complex that will attract and retain the sorts residents necessary for Newark's revival:

If Ron Beit has his way, the next big thing in urban renewal won't come from any of the political elite or the CEOs in cocktail attire who gathered in a parking lot here Wednesday morning for the ribbon-cutting on his latest project.

It will come from teachers.

A founding partner and CEO of the Newark-based developer RBH Group, Beit said his shift in vision came from walking into THRIVE Academy, a charter school in Newark's central ward. 

"I was blown away by the work they were doing," he recalled. "The teachers were really energizing, they were focusing on education -- I want to harness that energy. These people were top of the class, they could go anywhere for

- See more at: http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2015/12/return-to-teachers-village-part-ii-whos.html#sthash.ABi7ClCu.dpuf

CURMUDGUCATION: Is Educational Philanthropy Jumbo Shrimp?

CURMUDGUCATION: Is Educational Philanthropy Jumbo Shrimp?:
Is Educational Philanthropy Jumbo Shrimp?

The announcement that Mark Zuckerberg and his wife intend to give away $45 billion in Facebook stock raises all sorts of questions, including this one:

Does anybody even understand what philanthropy is any more?

The word means "love of humanity," and the idea goes back-- way back. Early philanthropic effortsoften cited include Plato's bequest of a farm to support students and faculty at his school, and Pliny (the Younger, not the old guy) giving one-third the cost of a school for Roman students. So yes-- philanthropy has been mucking around schools forever. (Said Pliny, arguing for Roman schools for Roman students, "You cannot make your children a more handsome present than this, nor can you do your native place a better turn. Let those who are born here be brought up here, and from their earliest days accustom them to love and know every foot of their native soil.")

We've had philanthropy in this country as long as we've had a country, often synonymous with "charity" and the idea of giving money to people who need it, either directly or through some do-gooding church or charitable organization.

We generally consider John. D. Rockefeller the grand-daddy of modern philanthropy (and to his credit, Rockefeller was a philanthropist before he was a rich guy). Once he became a rich guy, he hired people and started organizations to help him manage the giving away of money "scientifically." (One group led in 1928 to the Brookings Foundation). Rockefeller's system became one of finding smart people who could figure out how to solve an issue, giving them a bunch of money, and leaving them alone.

Rich Guy Philanthropy has always been a bit subject to... cognitive dissonance. Like many Carnegie CURMUDGUCATION: Is Educational Philanthropy Jumbo Shrimp?:

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: No Paris trip for Rahm. Staying home to close more schools.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: No Paris trip for Rahm. Staying home to close more schools.:

No Paris trip for Rahm. Staying home to close more schools.

CHICAGO — It was strange to watch Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s hands tremble behind the podium as he talked to reporters about his new task force aimed at improving accountability in a police department that a lot of Chicagoans don’t trust. -- Mark Konkol at DNAInfo

While Rahm trembles, all the national news shows this a.m. began with the story of his  possible departure. But the Little Emperor tells Natasha Koreki at Politico,he's staying, like a good captain, ready to go down with the ship come election time. I'm wondering what the other ship officers, like his big-money campaign patrons, think about those prospects? They've invested a lot in Rahm and stand to lose a lot when the ship sinks.

Yesterday's New York Times editorial reads:

Mayor Rahm Emanuel demonstrated a willful ignorance... All along, Mr. Emanuel’s response, either by design or because of negligence, was to do as little as possible — until the furor caused by the release of the video forced his hand. The residents of Chicago will have to decide whether that counts as taking responsibility.

They're right. We will. 

Rahm tells Korecki, "I'm staying." We'll see. 

One thing I know for sure.Rahm isn't leaving for Paris as planned or anytime soon. If he's read his history, he knows that coups d'etat happen happen most when the emperor is out of town. Beware the Ides of December. 

Another thing I know is that Rahm's newly-formed, so-called, Task Force on Police Accountability, is a farce and those who accepted appointments to it have now made themselves complicit in the cover-up the mayor Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: No Paris trip for Rahm. Staying home to close more schools.: