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Saturday, October 1, 2016

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 10/1/16

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 10/1/16


Featured Post

NPE Action Endorses Hillary Rodham Clinton for President - NPE Action





WHEN IT COMES TO MEANINGFUL REFORM AT LAUSD, THE L.A. TIMES ALWAYS GIVES THE TRUTH A PASS - Perdaily.com
by mike simpson / 4min
WHEN IT COMES TO MEANINGFUL REFORM AT LAUSD, THE L.A. TIMES ALWAYS GIVES THE TRUTH A PASS - Perdaily.com : WHEN IT COMES TO MEANINGFUL REFORM AT LAUSD, THE L.A. TIMES ALWAYS GIVES THE TRUTH A PASS The continuing generational fraud and purposeful failing of predominantly Latino and African American students at what remains over 90% de facto segregated LAUSD is accomplished by never at any time add
CURMUDGUCATION: How Much Democracy Is Too Much?
by mike simpson / 4h
CURMUDGUCATION: How Much Democracy Is Too Much? : How Much Democracy Is Too Much? The march of market-based education reform has come in lockstep with an assault on democracy. From Philly to Detroit to Chicago, the repeated policy message has been that Some Folks really shouldn't have democracy, that Some Folks need to have things decided for them. Of course, Some Folks invariably turn out to be
Teachers, Fairness, and Ideological Purism | The Patiently Impatient Teacher
by mike simpson / 4h
Teachers, Fairness, and Ideological Purism | The Patiently Impatient Teacher : Teachers, Fairness, and Ideological Purism Blogging and tweeting about education policy has led me to interact with a lot of people across a very broad ideological spectrum. I have found that across the ideological spectrum, the gulf between teachers and non-teachers in the world of education policy is especially wide.
Parents: Why our second grader is not going back to school - The Washington Post
by mike simpson / 5h
Parents: Why our second grader is not going back to school - The Washington Post : Parents: Why our second grader is not going back to school How to educate children with disabilities is one of the most difficult conversations in education. Federal law requires that school districts provide the least restrictive environment with nondisabled peers, to the maximum extent appropriate, but there is a
Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION:
by mike simpson / 5h
CURMUDGUCATION : Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION: When a Charter Closes (and Choice Is Not Choice) 9 by Peter Greene / 1h The free market acolytes, lovers of the modern charter school, have a pretty neat and clean vision of the future. Well-informed parents choose from within a wide array of charter schools, and at appropriate moments, the market sloughs off those schools that either do a lousy job
My Questions for Whitney Tilson | Diane Ravitch's blog
by mike simpson / 5h
My Questions for Whitney Tilson | Diane Ravitch's blog : My Questions for Whitney Tilson A few months back, Whitney Tilson invited me to participate in an exchange of views. Whitney is a hedge fund manager and the founder of Democrats for Education Reform, a group of hedge fund managers who support charter schools and high-stakes testing. I gladly accepted his invitation. Our exchanges were poste
Torlakson Announces $49.9 Million to Fund Charters - Year 2016 (CA Dept of Education)
by mike simpson / 6h
Torlakson Announces $49.9 Million to Fund Charters - Year 2016 (CA Dept of Education) : State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces $49.9 Million to Fund Charter School Start-ups SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today that the U.S. Department of Education has awarded California $49.9 million in start-up funds to assist in the launch and development of
NPE Action Endorses Hillary Rodham Clinton for President - NPE Action
by mike simpson / 6h
NPE Action Endorses Hillary Rodham Clinton for President - NPE Action : NPE Action Endorses Hillary Rodham Clinton for President The Network for Public Education Action (NPE Action) endorses Hillary Rodham Clinton for President of the United States. NPE Action is not aligned with Ms. Clinton on all educational issues, however, all members of the NPE Action Board strongly agree that the election o
Jeb Bush, Retention, and the Failed Ferris Wheel of School Reform
by mike simpson / 6h
Jeb Bush, Retention, and the Failed Ferris Wheel of School Reform : Jeb Bush, Retention, and the Failed Ferris Wheel of School Reform Jeb Bush continues to ride the failed Ferris wheel of school reform. He is most likely emboldened by state politicians and business leaders, like in Michigan, subscribing to harmful 3rd grade retention policies. Also, with a fancy university invitation for him to l
Connecticut Budget Deficits - As far as the eye can see! - Wait What?
by mike simpson / 6h
Connecticut Budget Deficits - As far as the eye can see! - Wait What? : Connecticut Budget Deficits – As far as the eye can see! Despite the political spin that he had put Connecticut’s fiscal house in order, Governor Dannel Malloy has presided over a continuous sea of red ink when it comes to the Connecticut state budget. As Keith Phaneuf explains in a recent CT Mirror article entitled, CT budge
The propaganda behind Jeb’s Harvard “teaching” job | The Edvocate Blog
by mike simpson / 7h
The propaganda behind Jeb’s Harvard “teaching” job | The Edvocate Blog : The propaganda behind Jeb’s Harvard “teaching” job After years of devising and pushing legislation to disrespect and harm professional educators, Jeb Bush is going to “teach” at Harvard. The irony cannot be overstated. To be clear, Jeb is no teacher and this is no job. Jeb will act as a visiting fellow in the Program on Educ
Charter School Scourge Invading Sweetwater | tultican
by mike simpson / 7h
Charter School Scourge Invading Sweetwater | tultican : Charter School Scourge Invading Sweetwater Chula Vista, California On Monday evening (9/26/2016), the board of the Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD) had petitions from three charter schools; two requesting charter renewals and one for a new school. The two renewals are co-located charters that were started by SUHSD’s previous boa
A Word If You Please, Governor Christie | Daniel Katz, Ph.D.
by mike simpson / 7h
A Word If You Please, Governor Christie | Daniel Katz, Ph.D. : A Word If You Please, Governor Christie We are a month into the 2016-2017 school year in New Jersey. Public school children across the Garden State have met their new teachers and learned the expectations for the year. My teacher friends (many of whom are former students) have set up their classrooms, welcomed their students, and begu
Tennessee school board removes section on Islam from social studies curriculum — Quartz
by mike simpson / 8h
Tennessee school board removes section on Islam from social studies curriculum — Quartz : Fearing “indoctrination,” parents in one US state are succeeding in removing Islam from a school curriculum Most educators agree that studying major religions helps people understand the world. But some parents in the US fear that teaching about Islam, the religion of 1.6 billion people, is akin to “indoctri
Education a Key Issue in Down-Ballot Elections - The Atlantic
by mike simpson / 8h
Education a Key Issue in Down-Ballot Elections - The Atlantic : Education's Key Place in Down-Ballot Elections Despite not receiving much attention in the presidential race, the issue is top-of-mind in certain contests around the country. With so much attention focused on the campaign between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, voters could be forgiven for forgetting they’ll be asked to decide plen
Brown vetoes bill requiring charters to comply with conflict of interest, open records laws | EdSource
by mike simpson / 8h
Brown vetoes bill requiring charters to comply with conflict of interest, open records laws | EdSource : Brown vetoes bill requiring charters to comply with conflict of interest, open records laws Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill Friday, pushed hard by the California Teachers Association, that would have required charter schools to comply with the state’s open meetings, public records and conflict
He created the ‘theory of multiple intelligences.’ What if Howard Gardner were U.S. education secretary? - The Washington Post
by mike simpson / 9h
He created the ‘theory of multiple intelligences.’ What if Howard Gardner were U.S. education secretary? - The Washington Post : He created the ‘theory of multiple intelligences.’ What if Howard Gardner were U.S. education secretary? A new president will take the oath of office early next year and will likely appoint a new secretary of education (though the current man with the job, John King Jr.

YESTERDAY

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 9/30/16
by mike simpson / 23h
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 9/30/16 Featured Post Eva's Empty Seats: The Missing Children of Success Academy Pelto signs onto Revive the Peace Movement Letter entitled The Russia-US Bombing Deal Will Bring Neither 

Top Posts This Week




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WHEN IT COMES TO MEANINGFUL REFORM AT LAUSD, THE L.A. TIMES ALWAYS GIVES THE TRUTH A PASS - Perdaily.com

WHEN IT COMES TO MEANINGFUL REFORM AT LAUSD, THE L.A. TIMES ALWAYS GIVES THE TRUTH A PASS - Perdaily.com:

WHEN IT COMES TO MEANINGFUL REFORM AT LAUSD, THE L.A. TIMES ALWAYS GIVES THE TRUTH A PASS

Sonali Kohli.jpeg


The continuing generational fraud and purposeful failing of predominantly Latino and African American students at what remains over 90% de facto segregated LAUSD is accomplished by never at any time addressing these minority students' subjective academic levels and needs. Such an open fraud could never take place without the collusion of both commercial and public media, which scrupulously refuse to report any facts as to what is actually going on academically at LAUSD and which LAUSD literally makes no attempt to hide.

In just the latest example of media parroting of disingenuous LAUSD party line ideas like "LAUSD board pushes for 100% graduation rate" by Los Angeles Times Reporter Sonali Kohli- without any real reporter examination of such a goal in light of easily discoverable facts attainable through Public Records Requests- reporters continue to never address whether this pie in the sky LAUSD administration goal of 100% graduation has any real possibility of coming to fruition- it doesn't as long as the truth as to what is going on at LAUSD is never reported.

How much real reporting would it take for reporters like Sonali Kohli to uncover the following publicly accessible facts that show:

LAUSD Cumulative Enrollment Counts

2014----------2015----------2016

608,478------598,298------595,840

Student Truancy Counts

2014----------2015----------2016

275,983------209,105------297,844

And then, might she ask those like Supt. Michelle King and the LAUSD Board members- who have the gall to talk about 100% graduation- the following questions:

How can you honestly expect to increase graduation rates if WHEN IT COMES TO MEANINGFUL REFORM AT LAUSD, THE L.A. TIMES ALWAYS GIVES THE TRUTH A PASS - Perdaily.com:

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CURMUDGUCATION: How Much Democracy Is Too Much?

CURMUDGUCATION: How Much Democracy Is Too Much?:

How Much Democracy Is Too Much?

Image result for the cure for the ills of democracy is more democracy


The march of market-based education reform has come in lockstep with an assault on democracy. From Philly to Detroit to Chicago, the repeated policy message has been that Some Folks really shouldn't have democracy, that Some Folks need to have things decided for them. Of course, Some Folks invariably turn out to be non-wealthy, non-white folks. If you are poor and black, democracy is apparently a luxury that you do not need.




Reformsters have made the case for this silencing of black and brown voices in a variety of ways.

Democracy, they may argue, is not really democracy because school board elections are dominated by teachers unions. Here'sTerry Moe, at the time a Stanford professor and fellow at Stanford's conservative Hoover Institute, "explaining" the issue way back in 2006:

School-board elections are supposed to be the democratic means by which ordinary citizens govern their own schools. The board is supposed to represent “the people.” But in many districts it really doesn’t. For with unions so powerful, employee interests are given far more weight in personnel and policy decisions than warranted, and school boards are partially captured by their own employees. Democracy threatens to be little more than a charade, serving less as a mechanism of popular control than as a means by which employees promote their own special interests.

This refrain has been echoed down through reformster annals-- school boards are the puppets of the CURMUDGUCATION: How Much Democracy Is Too Much?:



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Teachers, Fairness, and Ideological Purism | The Patiently Impatient Teacher

Teachers, Fairness, and Ideological Purism | The Patiently Impatient Teacher:

Teachers, Fairness, and Ideological Purism 

public-school-sinking-cartoon-via-philly-com_1

Blogging and tweeting about education policy has led me to interact with a lot of people across a very broad ideological spectrum. I have found that across the ideological spectrum, the gulf between teachers and non-teachers in the world of education policy is especially wide. Teachers are eternally frustrated that they are left out of meaningful policy discussions. Policy folks are frustrated that often when they seek input they only get apathy, anger, and negativity in return…and still get accused of not listening even when they are under the impression that they tried to.
We simply don’t speak the same language.
The term compassion fatigue is often used in conversations about teachers (and nurses and other caregivers). Teachers also suffer from BS fatigue and plan old physical fatigue too. A nearby city explodes in anger over racial injustice. More of my most talented colleagues resign. A talented and hardworking student is deported back to the country where the people who committed the political assignation of her father have threatened her own life. A project which I have been working on for three years, with enormous potential to benefit students, is denied approval at the last minute. All of those events occurred in same day recently and it is still wasn’t the most frustrating or heartbreaking day I have had as teacher. As teachers tend to gaping wounds like these, we are subjected to being called selfish and self-interested and incompetent. We are called perpetuators of racism by those that choose to be blind to the fact that they are too.
And we scream, cry, and entertain our spouses with nonsensical monologues of rage. Then we quietly pack the left over anger and frustration up into neat little packages. We will do something to process that later, perhaps. As a teacher, when we say we feel attacked, the response is one of gas lighting. “Oh no, of course we love and support teachers…no one is bashing you!” “Of course we don’t mean all teachers, just those bad ones.” (Because it is good practice to destroy the morale of the 95% or more of teachers that we know are excellent to weed out those terrible 5%).
The gulf between teachers and non-teachers is not so much about ideology, but about Teachers, Fairness, and Ideological Purism | The Patiently Impatient Teacher:
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Parents: Why our second grader is not going back to school - The Washington Post

Parents: Why our second grader is not going back to school - The Washington Post:

Parents: Why our second grader is not going back to school

(Used with permission of family)
How to educate children with disabilities is one of the most difficult conversations in education.
Federal law requires that school districts provide the least restrictive environment with nondisabled peers, to the maximum extent appropriate, but there is a difference of opinion in the disability world about what that means for students with severe disabilities.  Are self-contained classes better? Should they be in regular classrooms with supports? How do you decide which students should be in which environment?
In this post, the mother and father of a child with autism write about why they want her in a regular classroom and believe that self-contained special education classrooms can be damaging.  This was written by Vikram Jaswal, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, and Tauna Szymanski, an attorney and volunteer chair of the Arlington Inclusion Task Force.

By Vikram K. Jaswal and Tauna M. Szymanski
Like most children across the country, our 7-year-old should be returning to school this fall. She is a happy kid with a thirst for knowledge. The second-grade curriculum in our public school involves experimenting with magnets, writing stories, analyzing graphs, and learning about Susan B. Anthony’s legacy. It looks perfect for her.
But our daughter has a disability, and we learned a few weeks ago that she was not going to be allowed to be educated with the other second-graders. Instead, for the third year in a row and like 1 million other children[1] with disabilities in the United States, she would have to spend at least half of each day in a segregated, “self-contained” classroom with other children with disabilities — an educational practice we have come to learn is questionable at best.
When our daughter started school, we embraced this model of special education. We thought that she would be better off in a smaller class with fewer distractions, where the instruction could be tailored to her specific needs. We knew that she would be isolated from her peers, but Parents: Why our second grader is not going back to school - The Washington Post:
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