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Thursday, September 8, 2016

TBT Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 9/8/16


Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 9/8/16




CURMUDGUCATION: Can Evidence Improve America's Schools?
Big Education Ape / by mike simpson / 35min
CURMUDGUCATION: Can Evidence Improve America's Schools? : Can Evidence Improve America's Schools? That's the question asked by Mike Petrilli (Fordham Institute) asks over at the Fordham blog. The piece harkens back to Chester Finn's 1986 book titled, unironically, What Works. And the piece also ties into Petrilli's ongoing series about how to drive change in education. After noting that nothing f
Parent to Broward School Board: “I will not go quietly into the night…” | THE OPT OUT FLORIDA NETWORK
Big Education Ape / by mike simpson / 3h
Parent to Broward School Board: “I will not go quietly into the night…” | THE OPT OUT FLORIDA NETWORK : Parent to Broward School Board: “I will not go quietly into the night…” Brandy Paternoster is one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit to make #180DaysCount in school. Her compelling address at the Broward County Public Schools’ Board meeting yesterday, is an indictment of the district’s position a
Why Destroying Public Schools is a BAD IDEA!
Big Education Ape / by mike simpson / 4h
School House to White House : Why Destroying Public Schools is a BAD IDEA! School House to White House: The Education of the Presidents Larger Version First-grader Richard Nixon sits at the end of the first row. (Nixon Library) Our modern Presidents received educations and participated in school activities in ways as diverse as their backgrounds and their political philosophies. Some of the Presi
All the risk, none of the rewards for Michigan cities
Big Education Ape / by mike simpson / 6h
All the risk, none of the rewards for Michigan cities : All the risk, none of the rewards for Michigan cities Lincoln Park’s financial emergency, declared in 2014, inspired some serious rewrites of employee contracts and outsourcing of some city services. Retirees had their health coverage yanked. Now, the budget is balanced, if spare, and the city is poised to exit emergency management. But what
Ariz. charter school accused of illegally teaching religious doctrine | yumasun com
Big Education Ape / by mike simpson / 7h
Ariz. charter school accused of illegally teaching religious doctrine | News | yumasun.com : Ariz. charter school accused of illegally teaching religious doctrine PHOENIX -- A national organization filed suit Wednesday against an Arizona charter school with ties to a member of the state Board of Education, accusing it of using state funds to illegally teach religious doctrine. The federal court l
Charter Schools: The New Private Prisons? - Mitchell Robinson: Reforming Reform
Big Education Ape / by mike simpson / 7h
Charter Schools: The New Private Prisons? - Mitchell Robinson: Reforming Reform : Charter Schools: The New Private Prisons? A new report from the Justice Department recommends the suspension of contracts for private prisons, effective immediately. In explaining the justification for this decision, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates concluded that "the facilities are both less safe and less
Cognitive Dissidence: ALEC Aims to Privatize All Schools
Big Education Ape / by mike simpson / 7h
Cognitive Dissidence: ALEC Aims to Privatize All Schools : ALEC Aims to Privatize All Schools On the heels of a newly passed state budget that again leaves our K-12 public schools behind without ample and consistent funding, I recently headed back to where the school privatization push all began—the American Legislative Exchange Council , or ALEC. ALEC and its members, including the American Fede
Ed Notes Online: The Case of Eva and the Disappearing Sucess Academy Clueless Training Videos
Big Education Ape / by mike simpson / 7h
Ed Notes Online: The Case of Eva and the Disappearing Sucess Academy Clueless Training Videos : The Case of Eva and the Disappearing Success Academy Clueless Training Videos ....taking down of 430 out of 485 videos is an extreme — even paranoid — response to the analysis of one blogger about four of their videos. I hope they put the videos back up soon but I’m assuming they won’t. Update: On Thur
Jeff Bryant: Who Gains Most From School Choice?
Big Education Ape / by mike simpson / 7h
9/8/2016 – Who Gains Most From School Choice? : Who Gains Most From School Choice? September 8, 2016, 2016 Subscribe THIS WEEK: Black Teachers Matter … Making Teachers Moonlight … Teacher Shortages Acute … How Charters End Afrocentric Education … How Charters Change Democrats TOP STORY Who Gains Most From School Choice? Not Low-Income Students Of Color By Jeff Bryant “No doubt school choice will
DeVos Family Contributes Lavishly to Legislators Who Defeated Detroit Charter School Oversight | janresseger
Big Education Ape / by mike simpson / 7h
DeVos Family Contributes Lavishly to Legislators Who Defeated Detroit Charter School Oversight | janresseger : DeVos Family Contributes Lavishly to Legislators Who Defeated Detroit Charter School Oversight I grew up in Montana, where in Montana history class we learned that at one time Anaconda Copper owned the state legislature. While the patrons have changed over the decades, the political proc
California students with highest chronic absentee rates concentrated in 14 districts | EdSource
Big Education Ape / by mike simpson / 7h
California students with highest chronic absentee rates concentrated in 14 districts | EdSource : California students with highest chronic absentee rates concentrated in 14 districts The tiny Forks of Salmon Elementary School District in the far north of California reported that 100 percent of its students – all 12 of them – missed more than three weeks of sch ool in 2013-14 , a lapse that resear
The First Parent-Teacher Conference of One | The Jose Vilson
Big Education Ape / by mike simpson / 8h
The First Parent-Teacher Conference of One | The Jose Vilson : The First Parent-Teacher Conference of One I’m not supposed to be nervous about the first day. A couple of weeks ago, I told six hundred or so adults in Oak Park, IL that the first day doesn’t matter. I said it was the second day and beyond that ultimately determine a teacher’s effectiveness. But this first day is different. It’s not
Parent Revolution: Another Fiasco for Reformers | Diane Ravitch's blog
Big Education Ape / by mike simpson / 8h
Parent Revolution: Another Fiasco for Reformers | Diane Ravitch's blog : Parent Revolution: Another Fiasco for Reformers Beware of AstroTurf Ed Reformers Astroturf lobbying refers to political organizations or campaigns that appear to be made up of grassroots activists but are actually organized and run by corporate interests seeking to further their own agendas. Such groups are often typified by
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Notes from Standing Rock
Big Education Ape / by mike simpson / 8h
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Notes from Standing Rock : Notes from Standing Rock We got to camp yesterday afternoon after driving hours through torrential rain storms. We drove in from the north (Bismarck), easily avoiding any roadblocks by taking Rte. 6 off of 94, to 24 and then east into camp. By the time we arrived, the sky had broken and we got our first clear look at this stunning Missouri
SKrashen: I do not support H.R. 4481, The "Education for All Act."
Big Education Ape / by mike simpson / 8h
SKrashen: I do not support H.R. 4481, The "Education for All Act." : I do not support H.R. 4481, The "Education for All Act." Stephen Krashen September, 2016 H.R. 4481, the "Education for All Act" has been introduced in the US House of Representatives. The description: "To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide assistance for developing countries to
Obama’s education policies are a ‘disaster,’ Diane Ravitch tells Hillary Clinton - The Washington Post
Big Education Ape / by mike simpson / 9h
Obama’s education policies are a ‘disaster,’ Diane Ravitch tells Hillary Clinton - The Washington Post : Obama’s education policies are a ‘disaster,’ Diane Ravitch tells Hillary Clinton For some time now, Diane Ravitch has been hoping to get a chance to speak with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton about public education policy. Finally, she did. The meeting was not long, and Ravit
Nearly 600 kids taken out of Dutch "Gulen-schools" - NL Times
Big Education Ape / by mike simpson / 9h
Nearly 600 kids taken out of Dutch "Gulen-schools" - NL Times : NEARLY 600 KIDS TAKEN OUT OF DUTCH “GULEN-SCHOOLS” A total 588 children were removed from nine schools in the Netherlands believed to have ties to Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, according to a study by Dutch newspaper Trouw. That is about a fifth of the schools’ total student count. PO-Raad, the umbrella organization for p
Bill Gates I a Nudge!
Big Education Ape / by mike simpson / 9h
NITI Aayog plans ‘nudge unit’ to help push government's flagship schemes - The Economic Times : Bill Gates I a Nudge! NEW DELHI: India has taken a leaf out of Britain's book to bring behavioural economists and advertising gurus on board 

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CURMUDGUCATION: Can Evidence Improve America's Schools?

CURMUDGUCATION: Can Evidence Improve America's Schools?:

Can Evidence Improve America's Schools?



That's the question asked by Mike Petrilli (Fordham Institute) asks over at the Fordham blog.

The piece harkens back to Chester Finn's 1986 book titled, unironically, What Works. And the piece also ties into Petrilli's ongoing series about how to drive change in education. After noting that nothing from Finn's work has ever really gotten traction, Petrilli bemoans our benighted edu-state.

Education remains a field in which habit, intuition, and incumbency continue to play at least as large a role as research and data analysis.


Petrilli has, as is his wont, stacked the deck from the first framing of the issue. He could as easily have written that education is a field in which experienced and trained professionals continue to rely on their own judgment rather than the kibbitzing of non-professionals outside the field. But absent the framing, I'll allow him this-- not a lot of outside research makes much of an impression on how schools function.

So the first question is why not? And Petrilli has a list of answers from Vivian Tseng (W.T.Grant Foundation), Tom Kane (Harvard Center for Reformy Education Policy Research) and Michael Barber (Overlord of Pearson's World-Conquering Data-Hungry Corporate Monstrosity).  The list is interesting, albeit not exactly on point.

Limited supply. Maybe there's more research than there used to be, but there are still many CURMUDGUCATION: Can Evidence Improve America's Schools?:

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Parent to Broward School Board: “I will not go quietly into the night…” | THE OPT OUT FLORIDA NETWORK

Parent to Broward School Board: “I will not go quietly into the night…” | THE OPT OUT FLORIDA NETWORK:

Parent to Broward School Board: “I will not go quietly into the night…”

Image result for I will not go quietly into the night…”


 Brandy Paternoster is one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit to make #180DaysCount in school.  Her compelling address at the Broward County Public Schools’ Board meeting yesterday, is an indictment of the district’s position and their appeal of Judge Karen Giever’s Court ruling on August 26.

Watch as she holds the Broward County School Board accountable for their failure to do what is right for students (beginning at 0:50):

____________________
Retired educator and Opt Out Broward administrator, Dr. Trudy Jermanovich strengthened Brandy’s position with her own address. Watch, as she schools Broward School Board on an authentic portfolio for third grade promotion:
“This board must learn to start trusting teachers. Give them guidelines and set them free to teach. You have the ability to stop playing games with children’s lives. I urge you to stop supporting the DOE in its endless attempts at stalling the Third Grade lawsuit.”

____________________
Here is a transcript of Brandy’ Paternoster’s address:
“Good afternoon. My name is Brandy Paternoster and these are my 4th grade twins, Dylan and Jadyn. They have attended Manatee Bay Elementary in Weston since the first grade. They passed the 3rd grade last year …according to their teachers and according to their report cards, but the district says they must be retained.
My children met test participation requirement by signing the FSA test booklet and breaking the seal. At no time was I ever notified that either child has a reading deficiency. Two days before school ended, the principal advised us that without a test score, both children did not meet criteria to be promoted to 4th grade. I requested that a portfolio of their school work be compiled to prove proficiency as outlined in state Administrative Code and was told that such a thing does not exist. I demanded that my children be promoted based on their report cards per Florida Statute 1008.25 (6)(b)7.c)1.which clearly states:
“Requests for good cause exemptions for students from the mandatory retention requirement… …shall consist only of the existing PMP, IEP, report card, or student portfolio.”
I was ignored. The principal stated that it was coming down from the district and that without a test score, her hands were tied.
“Let’s get them to 4th grade” she said. “That’s where they should be! Just have them take the SAT-10 test and this can all be resolved!”
I refused any additional testing because test participation requirement had already been met and our children are more than a test score!
As part of the school board’s case against us in the “3rd Grade Retention Lawsuit” the principal filed an affidavit. Here is a quote:
“18. Based on the above information and my numerous years as an educator, I do not believe either student has the reading ability to complete 4th grade material.”
-Heather Hedman-DeVaughn, Principal – Manatee Bay Elementary
This is a direct quote from the principal’s sworn statement. Let that sink in. Back in June, all they needed was a test score to promote. Now, all of a sudden, they are not even proficient? You see, in addition to providing the facts and dates and emails and documents as required of her in her affidavit, this “educator” made a choice. Her statement could have read, “Because they did not meet the state requirement…” or “Because they don’t have a test score…” and though I don’t agree with either statement, they would still have supported the districts stance without crossing any lines. But she didn’t. She made a choice. For a test score.
“I do not believe either student has the reading ability to complete 4th grade material.”
She chose to lie. I don’t know if her statement was influenced by her supervisors (I suspect that it was) or if she chose those words all by herself. We may never know, but make no mistake, she made a choice.
Mrs. DeVaughn made a choice to NOT stand up for children who were present in the classroom for 180 days of work, who do not have a reading deficiency and who clearly are on grade level. She chose not to support her teachers, whom she hired, or their ability to teach and grade students effectively and accurately. She chose not to trust in their teaching certificates or their degrees or their most basic moral character. She chose not to back her own school or the systems she has put in place to ensure her wards navigate the education system successfully.
Mrs. DeVaughn chose to support a testing system that is broken and in doing so betrayed it all. Her statement says that her school failed to catch, not one, but two students who supposedly can’t keep up but passed all subjects. It says that her hiring practices failed. It says that two good teachers are incompetent liars. It says that two amazing children are failures.
For a test score.
Mrs. DeVaughn chose to sacrifice 2 children to the gods of “The Test” presumably to garner some unimaginable favor. She chose wrong. And you, as school board members, chose wrong when you decided to appeal Judge Gievers’ ruling. Her ruling untied your hands and gave you the opportunity to say, “Ya know what, we screwed up, but we’re gonna fix it now,” but you didn’t.
I leave you with one final thought.
My tax dollars, your tax dollars are paying for lawyers to fight against children who are clearly proficient, as defined by the letter of the law – to punish me for standing up and saying “NO” to a flawed testing system. Our tax dollars are being used to appeal the judge’s ruling, that was in our favor, that said, “Yes, the FDOE and the Broward County School Board did indeed act unlawfully”; to make an example of us for daring to have a voice and to ensure that no one else will ever be brave enough to do the same.
Let me be clear. I will not go quietly into the night.”
I stand here for our teachers.
I stand here for our children.
They are more than a test score!
Thank you.”
____________________Sincere thanks to the members of the Broward Teachers Union, who supported Brandy and Trudy by yielding their time so that they could properly address these issues with the Broward Board.
____________________
The plaintiff families are fighting to hold the FLDOE and school districts accountable to the PUBLIC.  They are fighting for all children in Florida public schools.
Support their efforts by donating to gofundme.com/StopGr3Retention
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