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Saturday, April 1, 2017

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 4/1/17


Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 4/1/17
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Fool Me If U Can..Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all





With anti-accountability lawsuit targeting journalist, parent, Portland schools gets it wrong: Editorial Agenda 2017 | OregonLive
by mike simpson / 10min
With anti-accountability lawsuit targeting journalist, parent, Portland schools gets it wrong: Editorial Agenda 2017 | OregonLive.com : With anti-accountability lawsuit targeting journalist, parent, Portland schools gets it wrong: Editorial Agenda 2017 As public records skirmishes go, this one seemed fairly tame at first. Portland journalist Beth Slovic requested from Portland Public Schools a li
Who Needs Charters When You Have Public Schools Like These? - The New York Times
by mike simpson / 10min
Who Needs Charters When You Have Public Schools Like These? - The New York Times : Who Needs Charters When You Have Public Schools Like These? Starting in kindergarten, the students in the Union Public Schools district in Tulsa, Okla., get a state-of-the-art education in science, technology, engineering and math. Credit Andrea Morales for The New York Times TULSA, Okla. — The class assignment: De
Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION
by mike simpson / 6h
Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION Inactive Data 54 by Peter Greene / 6h So about that actionable data... One of the frequently-offered reasons for the Big Standardized Tests is that they are supposed to provide information that will allow classroom teachers to "inform instruction," to tweak our instruction to better prepare for the test better educate our students. Let me show you what that really mea
How to Find Out if A Teacher is Qualified
by mike simpson / 6h
How to Find Out if A Teacher is Qualified : How to Find Out if A Teacher is Qualified Spring is here and parents may already be thinking about next year and what teachers their students will get. School districts used to be vigilant about ensuring teachers had the right state credentials. That may no longer be the case. But a parent has the right to know who’s teaching their child. Here is a cond
Keeping retirement weird. A road trip to Memphis to honor Dr. King. | Fred Klonsky
by mike simpson / 7h
Keeping retirement weird. A road trip to Memphis to honor Dr. King. | Fred Klonsky : Keeping retirement weird. A road trip to Memphis to honor Dr. King. The Lorraine Motel. Memphis. April 4, 1968. Retirement offers the opportunity to take road trips. The first week in April seems like a good time to head for Memphis. Anne and I have never been and Tuesday begins a year of commemoration for Dr. Ma
NYC Educator: BREAKING--President Trump Definitively Refutes Accusations of Russian Ties
by mike simpson / 7h
NYC Educator: BREAKING--President Trump Definitively Refutes Accusations of Russian Ties : BREAKING--President Trump Definitively Refutes Accusations of Russian Ties Washington DC--President Trump gave a press conference this morning and said he was going to put false rumors to rest once and for all. He said all the nonsense about Russian ties was fake news, and that organizations like CNN, the N
With A Brooklyn Accent: Relentless Testing: A Strategy to Intimidate the Next Generation of Youth
by mike simpson / 7h
With A Brooklyn Accent: Relentless Testing: A Strategy to Intimidate the Next Generation of Youth : Relentless Testing: A Strategy to Intimidate the Next Generation of Youth The idea that third graders in New York State have to take 6 days of tests, and can spend up to 5 hours each day on each test (the tests are now untimed), is so appalling as to defy words. Who is OK with that? To me, that sou
Fool Me If U Can..Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
by mike simpson / 7h
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all Fool Me If U Can..Diane Ravitch's blog A site to discuss better education for all Satire: The Betsy DeVos Standardized Test: Are You Smarter than a Billionaire? by dianeravitch / 13min This is a very funny parody of a standardized test, one that reflects the issues and concerns of our new Secretary of Education. Only question left
The masquerade of school choice: a parent’s story - The Washington Post
by mike simpson / 8h
The masquerade of school choice: a parent’s story - The Washington Post : The masquerade of school choice: a parent’s story President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos say their primary focus in education policy will be to expand school choice, providing alternatives to traditional public schools. DeVos has been clear about her view of traditional public schools, calling them “ a dead end
CURMUDGUCATION: Inactive Data
by mike simpson / 8h
CURMUDGUCATION: Inactive Data : Inactive Data Active Data So about that actionable data... One of the frequently-offered reasons for the Big Standardized Tests is that they are supposed to provide information that will allow classroom teachers to "inform instruction," to tweak our instruction to better prepare for the test better educate our students. Let me show you what that really means in Pen
Breaking News: I’ve Been Approved to Open 5 Charters for 2017-18 – Cloaking Inequity
by mike simpson / 8h
Breaking News: I’ve Been Approved to Open 5 Charters for 2017-18 – Cloaking Inequity : Breaking News: I’ve Been Approved to Open 5 Charters for 2017-18 Inspired by many, many deep and important conversations during the past year, I am proud to announce that I will open five new charter schools in my hometown of Lansing, Michigan. Well, kind of in Lansing, because they will be mostly online. In Mi
Betsy DeVos’ Mother Taught at a Public School That Is Now Closed | deutsch29
by mike simpson / 8h
Betsy DeVos’ Mother Taught at a Public School That Is Now Closed | deutsch29 : Betsy DeVos’ Mother Taught at a Public School That Is Now Closed In her US Department of Education (USDOE) bio , US ed sec Betsy DeVos advertises that her mother was “a public school teacher”: Secretary DeVos has been involved in education policy for nearly three decades as an advocate for children and a voice for pare
Education Matters: Detroit, you been talking to my boyfriend?
by mike simpson / 8h
Education Matters: Detroit, you been talking to my boyfriend? : Detroit, you been talking to my boyfriend? Hey Detroit, how you doing? I see you asked our super to interview for the job. That's cool. We haven't been together for that long. Sure he said we would always be together but you know supers say "you're special" to everybody so we don't take it personally him stepping out. After all you g
The story of Philadelphia’s John Wister Elementary, a neighborhood school replaced by a charter, and how that replacement tore a community apart. - Network For Public Education
by mike simpson / 9h
The story of Philadelphia’s John Wister Elementary, a neighborhood school replaced by a charter, and how that replacement tore a community apart. - Network For Public Education : The story of Philadelphia’s John Wister Elementary, a neighborhood school replaced by a charter, and how that replacement tore a community apart The popular rationale for charter schools is that they provide families wit
Not An April Fool's Joke: Trump Declares April Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month - Slog - The Stranger
by mike simpson / 9h
Not An April Fool's Joke: Trump Declares April Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month - Slog - The Stranger : Trump Declares April Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month Donald "Grab Them By the Pussy" Trump, everyone. MARIO TAMA In an announcement released today, President Donald Trump declared April 2017 to be National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. This is a stand
Trump Tells the Truth
by mike simpson / 9h
Trump Tells the Truth Trumpian Alternative Facts are Killing the Hell Out of April Fools Day With Trump Everyday is April Fools Day

YESTERDAY

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 3/31/17
by mike simpson / 1d
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 3/31/17 Featured Post DeVos to Use State Accountability Plans to 'Encourage' School Choice | Education News | US News César Chávez, jail time and migrant justice today by mike simpson / 1h César Chávez, 

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With anti-accountability lawsuit targeting journalist, parent, Portland schools gets it wrong: Editorial Agenda 2017 | OregonLive

With anti-accountability lawsuit targeting journalist, parent, Portland schools gets it wrong: Editorial Agenda 2017 | OregonLive.com:

With anti-accountability lawsuit targeting journalist, parent, Portland schools gets it wrong: Editorial Agenda 2017

1pps.jpeg


 As public records skirmishes go, this one seemed fairly tame at first. Portland journalist Beth Slovic requested from Portland Public Schools a list of district employees who are on paid administrative leave, a category that includes those not working due to medical issues, pending disciplinary investigations and other reasons.

A longtime reporter who has covered the school district for years, Slovic had sought such information as recently as 2015 with no problem. But this time, the district denied her request and a similar one filed separately by parent activist Kim Sordyl. The two appealed the denials to Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill, who agreed recently that the school district must turn over the data.
So far that's not too extraordinary. What is extraordinary is that even after the ruling, Portland Public Schools won't hand over the requested information. Instead, it plans to sue Slovic and Sordyl in the hope that a judge will reverse the district attorney's ruling which, PPS Interim Superintendent Bob McKean said, just didn't seem right to them. McKean couldn't explain the district's legal rationale to The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board. But he questioned whether they should have to release information that might prompt some members of the public to speculate about employees' situations before a disciplinary investigation has been completed-- even though the requested list would not even reveal whether someone is facing an investigation. "We want clarity around this issue," he said.
That "clarity" is already spelled out in Underhill's detailed ruling and in the example set by other public agencies that have released such information including, until now, PPS. The only lack of clarity here is in the muddled thinking of those leading the district who seem to believe that a fear of possible gossip is a legitimate reason to bar public scrutiny of Portland Public Schools' practices, policies and spending. The Portland School Board should immediately step in, halt the planned lawsuit and save the district from the embarrassment, expense and collateral damage to other priorities that pressing this case will cause.
Editorial Agenda 2017
Boost student success
Get Oregon's financial house in order
Help our homeless
Honor our diverse values
Make Portland a city that works
Expand access to public records
________________________
Read more about the editorial board's priorities for Oregon.
It's important to know what prompted these requests in the first place. Slovic, who previously worked for Willamette Week and is now a freelance journalist, wrote a story in December 2016 that a school psychologist for Sunnyside Environmental K-8 appears to have been on paid administrative leave for more than three years. That unusual stretch of time made her wonder how many others might be in that position at the district, she told the editorial board. She noted that New York's education department was infamous for pulling teachers who faced misconduct complaints out of the classroom and sending them instead to centers dubbed "rubber rooms." While they continued collecting their salaries, they languished in limbo for years in some cases.
Similarly, Sordyl, who has uncovered a number of shoddy practices at PPS as a parent activist, questioned whether the district was dealing with problem employees by putting them on paid administrative leave indefinitely.
These are legitimate questions that get to core issues of accountability, competence, management and fiscal discipline. As a governmental body, funded with taxpayer dollars, and vested with the public's trust to educate children, With anti-accountability lawsuit targeting journalist, parent, Portland schools gets it wrong: Editorial Agenda 2017 | OregonLive.com:
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Who Needs Charters When You Have Public Schools Like These? - The New York Times

Who Needs Charters When You Have Public Schools Like These? - The New York Times:

Who Needs Charters When You Have Public Schools Like These?

Starting in kindergarten, the students in the Union Public Schools district in Tulsa, Okla., get a state-of-the-art education in science, technology, engineering and math. Credit Andrea Morales for The New York Times


TULSA, Okla. — The class assignment: Design an iPad video game. For the player to win, a cow must cross a two-lane highway, dodging constant traffic. If she makes it, the sound of clapping is heard; if she’s hit by a car, the game says, “Aw.” 
“Let me show you my notebook where I wrote the algorithm. An algorithm is like a recipe,” Leila, one of the students in the class, explained to the school official who described the scene to me.
You might assume these were gifted students at an elite school. Instead they were 7-year-olds, second graders in the Union Public Schools district in the eastern part of Tulsa, Okla., where more than a third of the students are Latino, many of them English language learners, and 70 percent receive free or reduced-price lunch. From kindergarten through high school, they get a state-of-the-art education in science, technology, engineering and math, the STEM subjects. When they’re in high school, these students will design web pages and mobile apps, as well as tackle cybersecurity and artificial intelligence projects. And STEM-for-all is only one of the eye-opening opportunities in this district of around 16,000 students.
Betsy DeVos, book your plane ticket now.
Ms. DeVos, the new secretary of education, dismisses public schools as too slow-moving and difficult to reform. She’s calling for the expansion of supposedly nimbler charters and vouchers that enable parents to send their children to private or parochial schools. But Union shows what can be achieved when a public school system takes the time to invest in a culture of high expectations, recruit top-flight professionals and develop ties between schools and the community.
Union has accomplished all this despite operating on a miserly budget. Oklahoma has the dubious distinction of being first in the nation in cutting funds for education, three years running, and Union spends just $7,605 a year in state and local funds on each student. That’s about a third less than the national average; New York State spends three times more. Although contributions from the community modestly augment the budget, a Union teacher with two decades’ experience and a doctorate earns less than $50,000. Her counterpart in Scarsdale, N.Y., earns more than $120,000.
“Our motto is: ‘We are here for all the kids,’ ” Cathy Burden, who retired in 2013 after 19 years as superintendent, told me. That’s not just a feel-good slogan. “About a decade ago I called a special principals’ meeting — the schools were closed that day because of an ice storm — and ran down the list of student dropouts, name by name,” she said. “No one knew the story of any kid on that list. It was humiliating — we hadn’t done our job.” It was also a wake-up call. “Since then,” she adds, “we tell the students, ‘We’re going to be the parent who shows you how you can go to college.’ ”
Last summer, Kirt Hartzler, the current superintendent, tracked down 64 seniors who had been on track to graduate but dropped out. He persuaded almost all of them to complete their coursework. “Too many educators give up on kids,” he told me. “They think that if an 18-year-old doesn’tWho Needs Charters When You Have Public Schools Like These? - The New York Times:
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Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION

Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION







Inactive Data
by Peter Greene / 6h
So about that actionable data... One of the frequently-offered reasons for the Big Standardized Tests is that they are supposed to provide information that will allow classroom teachers to "inform instruction," to tweak our instruction to better prepare for the test better educate our students. Let me show you what that really means in Pennsylvania. Our BS Tests are called the Keystones (we're the

YESTERDAY

FL: Burning Down the Schoolhouse
by Peter Greene / 1d
Florida (Motto: If you can't make a buck from it, what's the point?) is taking steps to bring its public school system into the final stages of Death by Charter. It's time to spread some more gasoline and light yet another match. Because this is a purely political move, it has to have a ridiculously cynical name. So the Florida legislature is working on a bill to move students to "Schools of Hope.

MAR 30

The Only True Charters
by Peter Greene / 1d
Pity the charter school movement. They have been splintering all over the place for about a year now as they have faced first, the tension between Free Marketeers, Choice Crusaders, and Social Justice Advocates. Then Trump reared up and let the voucher crowd back into the room, as well as creating terrible cognitive (or at least PR) dissonance among people who claimed to be Democrats but who had s
DeVos: Mom With An Axe
by Peter Greene / 2d
This week Education Secretary Betsy DeVos stopped by Brookings to help them help her plug choice. The main purpose of the event was to roll out a new report (The 2016 Education Choice and Competition Index), but the main outcome of the event was that DeVos said some truly extraordinary stuff. First, she delivered some prepared remarks, but then she sat down for some Q & A with Russ Whitehurst (Bro

MAR 29

FL: Recess Is For Babies
by Peter Greene / 3d
The state of Florida (Motto: All You Kids Get Off My Lawns) continues in its quest to turn public schools into soul-crushing child-hostile teacher-stomping institutions. Florida has implemented more dumb ideas than MTV's program development department. Their testing history is filled with drama and disaster. They've decided that passing the standardized test is literally more important than gettin

MAR 28

NV: Their Money and Their Mouths
by Peter Greene / 3d
So let's say you're home to the fifth largest school district in the country. Let's say your teacher shortages are legendary . Let's say they're so bad that you hire recruiters and mount a national ad campaign. Let's say your state has implemented the loosest voucheriest funding system in the country so that your funding is, you'll pardon the expression, a crapshoot. Let's say your legislators are
Is Testing Accountability Dead Yet?
by Peter Greene / 3d
Today Education Next features a three-headed take on the question, " Is test-based accountability dead ?" Three prominent reformy thinkers address the question. Do they come up with any useful answers? Let's see. Why Accountability Matters, and Why It Must Evolve Morgan Polikoff (USC Rossier) leads us off. Polikoff is a long-time Big Standardized Test supporter and logged some time with the Gates
In Praise of One To One
by Peter Greene / 4d
Back in 2010-2011, my school went to one-to-one computing. We put a netbook in the hands of every 9-12 grader. It is rather unusual for my school district to be out in front of things. We're small, largely rural, and not terribly wealthy. But a combination of factors came together to launch us into one-to-one computing. And I'm here to tell you that I don't regret it a bit. And yet, I don't disagr

MAR 27

The Broken Promises of Tech
by Peter Greene / 4d
So, here's how I've been spending my evening. I had a whole batch of photos that I wanted to upload, but after investing a chunk of time this morning and this evening, that whole project crashed into a bunch of disconnected bits floating off into the cyber-ether. I took the somewhat passive-aggressive step of tweeting my displeasure with my provider (Verizon DSL-- don't tell me to switch to someon

MAR 26

ICYMI: Babymoon Edition (3/26)
by Peter Greene / 6d
My wife and I are in DC, contemplating the cherry blossoms and coming creative disruption of our lives by two currently-fetal offspring. But I've still collected some reading for you, set to auto-post at the usual Sunday AM time. Read, enjoy 

CURMUDGUCATION - http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/
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How to Find Out if A Teacher is Qualified

How to Find Out if A Teacher is Qualified:

How to Find Out if A Teacher is Qualified


Spring is here and parents may already be thinking about next year and what teachers their students will get. School districts used to be vigilant about ensuring teachers had the right state credentials. That may no longer be the case. But a parent has the right to know who’s teaching their child.
Here is a condensed post from the past that includes questions to ask teachers. The PTA might interview teachers to collect this information for the following school year so that parents can be well-informed about teachers in the school. Creating a booklet with this information would make it less awkward and time-consuming for parents to find out this information when school starts.
  • Do you have state certification in the subject you are teaching? This means that an elementary teacher should have qualifications from an accredited school to teach elementary school. In secondary schools, teachers should be credentialed in the subject, along with education courses that deal with that particular age group.
  • What is your background in special education? If general education teachers are teaching students whoHow to Find Out if A Teacher is Qualified:


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Keeping retirement weird. A road trip to Memphis to honor Dr. King. | Fred Klonsky

Keeping retirement weird. A road trip to Memphis to honor Dr. King. | Fred Klonsky:

Keeping retirement weird. A road trip to Memphis to honor Dr. King.



Civil rights ldr. Andrew Young (L) and others stan
The Lorraine Motel. Memphis. April 4, 1968.
Retirement offers the opportunity to take road trips.
The first week in April seems like a good time to head for Memphis. Anne and I have never been and Tuesday begins a year of commemoration for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who was murdered in Memphis 50 years ago on April 4th, 1968.
I only got to hear Dr. King speak live once. It was at a giant civil rights rally in Los Angeles at the old Wrigley Field where the Angels first played. The rally featured tons of Hollywood’s liberal celebrities like Tony Franciosa, Paul Newman and Charlton Heston, who played Ben Hur in the movie and ended up being a gun nut conservative.
When the news came over the radio that Dr. King had been shot and killed I was sitting in a car waiting to pick up my mom after work. Mom didn’t drive and if I was not in a class at Los Angeles City College I would head by the office where she worked as a secretary and give her a ride home rather than her having to take two busses.
When she stepped into the car, I told her the news.
She said nothing. She just looked straight ahead as we drove home in silence.
The next day members of my chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, the LACC Black Student Union and the Chicano student organization, MECHa, followed the call for a student strike at every school in Los Angeles where Black students attended.
We picketed in the morning.  Where classes were still meeting, we entered them and explained the strike.
Some professors were not pleased that we disrupted their lesson plans.
Hundreds of us gathered in the quad by the flag pole, our traditional spot for Keeping retirement weird. A road trip to Memphis to honor Dr. King. | Fred Klonsky:
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NYC Educator: BREAKING--President Trump Definitively Refutes Accusations of Russian Ties

NYC Educator: BREAKING--President Trump Definitively Refutes Accusations of Russian Ties:

BREAKING--President Trump Definitively Refutes Accusations of Russian Ties



Washington DC--President Trump gave a press conference this morning and said he was going to put false rumors to rest once and for all. He said all the nonsense about Russian ties was fake news, and that organizations like CNN, the New York Times, and the Washington post were, "a bunch of losers."

Trump had a wide array of ties from his Signature Collection, and all were made in China. In fact, just to show that he doesn't hate Mexicans who aren't rapists, murderers, drug dealers or Democrats, President Trump pointed out that the "Made in China" label was also written in Spanish.

President Trump then produced a taco bowl that the White House chef had prepared, While contending it was not as good as the ones at Trump Tower, he ate it rapidly and with enthusiasm. He did, however, spill a good deal of taco sauce on the tie. President Trump then ordered a well-done steak with ketchup for dessert, and once again managed to spill it. The President then removed the tie, left the room, and Kelly Anne Conway entered.



Several reporters noted the tie was dirty, but Conway dismissed those comments as fake news. She claimed the ties were perfectly fine, and that this was an alternative fact. Conway then took out a six pack of Trump-branded magic erasers and purposefully removed the stains. This reporter examined the tie, and had to admit it looked as good as new.

Conway then attacked Macy's and Nordstrom's for dropping Trump-branded products, and said we should all go out and buy lots of Trump-branded stuff. Conway said it was widely available online, and personally guaranteed that these products would make men irresistibly attractive to their adult daughters.

To their credit, only two of the gathered reporters actually vomited. NYC Educator: BREAKING--President Trump Definitively Refutes Accusations of Russian Ties:



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With A Brooklyn Accent: Relentless Testing: A Strategy to Intimidate the Next Generation of Youth

With A Brooklyn Accent: Relentless Testing: A Strategy to Intimidate the Next Generation of Youth:

Relentless Testing: A Strategy to Intimidate the Next Generation of Youth


The idea that third graders in New York State have to take 6 days of tests, and can spend up to 5 hours each day on each test (the tests are now untimed), is so appalling as to defy words. Who is OK with that? To me, that sounds like child abuse. Every politician, Regents member, superintendent, principal, and teacher who participates in this yearly ritual of torture needs to take a good look in the mirror. What kind of world are we creating for our children by subjecting them to this. When I was in school, the reading and math tests were two days, at most, and lasted less than two hours. And we did pretty well for ourselves. Maybe that's what education policy makers are worried about. Politicians don't want young people asking too many questions, they way we did in the Sixties, while they enrich themselves and their wealthy contributorsWith A Brooklyn Accent: Relentless Testing: A Strategy to Intimidate the Next Generation of Youth:



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