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Monday, April 3, 2017

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 4/3/17


Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 4/3/17
Featured Post

Like Many Before Him, Trump Mistakes School Reform for School Improvement - Education Law Prof Blog




Learning & Brain Conference Alert! Making Kids “Happy” in “No-Excuses” Schools
Learning & Brain Conference Alert! Making Kids “Happy” in “No-Excuses” Schools : Learning & Brain Conference Alert! Making Kids “Happy” in “No-Excuses” Schools Teaching children to be happy and resilient, to have grit, in a “changing and chaotic world,” and telling parents their children will now need skills “well beyond good test scores,” raises serious questions when you consider the no-excuses
Is LAUSD _Really_ Going Bust? – redqueeninla
Is LAUSD _Really_ Going Bust? – redqueeninla : Is LAUSD _Really_ Going Bust? All of the recent years for which final (“actual”) budget data are published show every single annual budget has finished in the black. This graph tracks the inflow of revenues (sum of dark and light grey bars), which have outpaced the outflow of expenditures (blue bar) in the LAUSD General Fund (GF) over the last eight
CPAG Meeting Notice and Agenda, April 2017 - California Practitioners Advisory Group (CA Dept of Education)
CPAG Meeting Notice and Agenda, April 2017 - California Practitioners Advisory Group (CA Dept of Education) : Joint Meeting of the California Practitioners Advisory Group and the State Board of Education AGENDA April 13, 2017 California Practitioners Advisory Group Members Jo Ann Isken, Chair Ed Manansala, Vice Chair Melissa Agudelo Jorge Aguilar Mariana Astorga-Almanza Ulises Garcia Carolina Her
Tell your California representative to support AB 1478 – Cloaking Inequity
Tell your California representative to support AB 1478 – Cloaking Inequity : Tell your California representative to support AB 1478 Should charters have open meetings? Should their data and information be readily available to the public? Should operators of non-profit charters be able to profit from their schools? If you your answers to these questions are Yes, Yes, and No. Then join in demanding
CURMUDGUCATION: Charterizing from Within
CURMUDGUCATION: Charterizing from Within : Charterizing from Within The next big threat to public education, the next big arm of the corporate privatizing octopus, is Competency-Based Education , formerly known as Outcome Based Education, sometimes known as Proficiency Based Learning, and often dressed up in a nice suit as Personalized Learning. Probably not going to end well It takes a whole sub
Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association video: What corporations have in store for public schools | Seattle Education
Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association video: What corporations have in store for public schools | Seattle Education : Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association video: What corporations have in store for public schools The third episode of PJSTA Live, in affiliation with Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association, deals with what corporate reformers see as the future of public education.
NYC Public School Parents: Update on state budget deadlock & College Board threat to student privacy
NYC Public School Parents: Update on state budget deadlock & College Board threat to student privacy : Update on state budget deadlock & College Board threat to student privacy 1. The NY state budget is stalled and will be late for the first time in years. The deadlock appears to be related to education funding for our public schools vs. charter schools, and whether the cap on charter schools wil
Can Educators Ignore Social Media Any Longer? | My Island View
Can Educators Ignore Social Media Any Longer? | My Island View : Can Educators Ignore Social Media Any Longer? A lingering general question hanging over the heads of all has been what effect does social media have on our society? That answer has never been so evident as it has been today as social media tools have been placed directly in the hands of the President of the United States, as well as
CU Boulder hosting forum on standardized testing opt-out movement - Boulder Daily Camera
CU Boulder hosting forum on standardized testing opt-out movement - Boulder Daily Camera : CU Boulder hosting forum on standardized testing opt-out movement Fairview High students, including, from left to right, Charlie Kolbrener, Haley Schusterman, Diana Edelman, Emma Boelts, Kiki Garthwaite and Tay Lotte, protest state tests outside the school in November 2014. ( Paul Aiken / Staff Photographer
Over Half of Americans Disapprove of Betsy DeVos | Truth in American Education
Over Half of Americans Disapprove of Betsy DeVos | Truth in American Education : Over Half of Americans Disapprove of Betsy DeVos U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is even more unpopular than her boss President Donald Trump according to a new poll released by St. Leo University last week . A survey of 1,073 adults taken between March 3 and March 11, 2017 (+/- 3.0 percent MOE) showed that 51
Shanker Blog: Teacher Evaluations and Turnover in Houston | National Education Policy Center
Shanker Blog: Teacher Evaluations and Turnover in Houston | National Education Policy Center : Shanker Blog: Teacher Evaluations and Turnover in Houston We are now entering a time period in which we might start to see a lot of studies released about the impact of new teacher evaluations. This incredibly rapid policy shift, perhaps the centerpiece of the Obama Administration’s education efforts, w
U.S. Senate: Filibuster and Cloture and Soon Chaos
U.S. Senate: Filibuster and Cloture : U.S. Senate: Filibuster and Cloture Using the filibuster to delay or block legislative action has a long history. The term filibuster -- from a Dutch word meaning "pirate" -- became popular in the 1850s, when it was applied to efforts to hold the Senate floor in order to prevent a vote on a bill. In the early years of Congress, representatives as well as sena
Breaking News - Malloy administration to destroy Connecticut’s historic community college system - Wait What?
Breaking News - Malloy administration to destroy Connecticut’s historic community college system - Wait What? : Breaking News – Malloy administration to destroy Connecticut’s historic community college system For years Connecticut’s public colleges and universities have been the target of Governor Dannel Malloy’s draconian budget cuts. Year after year Malloy has approached funding Connecticut’s s
Private Companies Fund Public-University Research - The Atlantic
Private Companies Fund Public-University Research - The Atlantic : When For-Profit Companies Fund Public-University Research Can academic researchers remain impartial if they are beholden to corporate money? At the University of California, Davis, researchers are regularly invited to attend on-campus meet-and-greets with potential corporate funders to discuss possible sponsorship opportunities. H
Gorsuch’s Approval Would Put Vulnerable Students At Risk
Gorsuch’s Approval Would Put Vulnerable Students At Risk : Gorsuch’s Approval Would Put Vulnerable Students At Risk Students with disabilities already face a difficult path through our nation’s education system, but President Donald Trump appears determined to add to the disadvantages these students already face. His nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court is yet another sign his a
How far will California legislators go to attract teachers?
How far will California legislators go to attract teachers? : How far will California legislators go to attract teachers? A bipartisan group of Sacramento legislators are polishing up a bushel of apples, with bills intended to increase the number of teachers in California’s schools — and keep them from fleeing the state, or the profession entirely, a few years in. “If there’s not a whole lot of s
New Legislative Push for Charter School Accountability | UTLA
New Legislative Push for Charter School Accountability | UTLA : Bills would support Community Schools and hold charter operators to same standards as public schools Four new legislative bills that would bring much-needed accountability, transparency, and equity to charter schools were introduced in Sacramento this month. The legislation will be joined by an additional bill in coming weeks, formin
House Democrats ask Trump administration to remind schools that they must educate undocumented children - The Washington Post
House Democrats ask Trump administration to remind schools that they must educate undocumented children - The Washington Post : House Democrats ask Trump administration to remind schools that they must educate undocumented children House Democrats are asking the Trump administration to send a clear message reminding the nation’s public schools that, despite recent changes in federal immigration e
Monday Morning Latte with Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all : Monday Morning Latte with Diane Ravitch's blog A site to discuss better education for all Arizona: Legislators Want to Expand Vouchers, Despite Audit Showing Misspent Funds 4 by dianeravitch / 52min Arizona Republicans are renewing a drive to expand that state voucher program, despite a recent state audit reporting misspent funds
All Things Education: Podcast: Racial Disproportionality in Disciplinary Practices
All Things Education: Podcast: Racial Disproportionality in Disciplinary Practices : Podcast: Racial Disproportionality in Disciplinary Practices A big topic in educational policy and practice right now is disparate disciplinary practices. Essentially, black students, especially males, and students with disabilities are subject to disproportionally high rates of exclusionary discipline practices
Memphis. Racism, violence, displacement and the riots of 1866. | Fred Klonsky
Memphis. Racism, violence, displacement and the riots of 1866. | Fred Klonsky : Memphis. Racism, violence, displacement and the riots of 1866. Anne and I are here in Memphis, enjoying what the city has to offer in great barbecue and blues. Last night we enjoyed both. I had the dry-rubbed brisket and we danced to Preston Shannon’s guitar while his band played 70s funk. He’s a local Memphis guy who
Like Many Before Him, Trump Mistakes School Reform for School Improvement - Education Law Prof Blog
Education Law Prof Blog : Like Many Before Him, Trump Mistakes School Reform for School Improvement Rather than setting a new education agenda, the Trump administration is repeating the mistake of its predecessors. The administration promises to improve education through innovative reform while ignoring the basic building blocks of education: teachers and funding. The specifics are new—charter sc
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES : WEEKEND QUOTABLES “It is impossible to know where his presidency will lead or how much damage he will do to our nation.” -- LA Times Bernie Sanders "It wasn't that Donald Trump won the election, it was that the Democratic Party lost the election" -- CNN Editorial No one wants a return to Ohio's Wild West days when failing charter schools were pro
Badass Teachers Association: ABCs of LGBTQs by Kristi Jackson
Badass Teachers Association: ABCs of LGBTQs by Kristi Jackson : ABCs of LGBTQs by Kristi Jackson While LGBT is still a popular term used to describe the queer community, it has grown to LGBTQQIP2SAA. For this reason, I will often simply use LGBT+ or LGBTQ+ in my writing as a way to be inclusive of everyone. But just what DO all of those letters stand for? L – Lesbian: Female identified person who
In Defense Of Our Dreams | The Jose Vilson
In Defense Of Our Dreams | The Jose Vilson : In Defense Of Our Dreams Testing season always feels like a surreal time-out from normal proceedings. Covered bulletin boards and gridded desk alignments make every classroom feel still, like an overextended ceremony of allegiance to standardized tests. Before they begin, a student asks me questions like “Why do you have to cover up your charts and boa
First Round of ESSA State Plans Are Due April 3rd to a USDOE Severely Lacking in Senior Officials | deutsch29
First Round of ESSA State Plans Are Due April 3rd to a USDOE Severely Lacking in Senior Officials | deutsch29 : First Round of ESSA State Plans Are Due April 3rd to a USDOE Severely Lacking in Senior Officials According to a March 13, 2017, letter that US ed sec Betsy DeVos sent to chief state school officers, states are able to submit their plans for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for two

YESTERDAY

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 4/2/17
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 4/2/17 Featured Post Help Florida Parents of Third Graders Fight for Their Children | Diane Ravitch's blog Lawyer who highlighted Hillary Clinton’s role in defending rape suspect tapped for key federal civil rights post - The Washington Post by mike simpson / 14min Lawyer 

Top Posts This Week



Learning & Brain Conference Alert! Making Kids “Happy” in “No-Excuses” Schools

Learning & Brain Conference Alert! Making Kids “Happy” in “No-Excuses” Schools:

Learning & Brain Conference Alert! Making Kids “Happy” in “No-Excuses” Schools


Teaching children to be happy and resilient, to have grit, in a “changing and chaotic world,” and telling parents their children will now need skills “well beyond good test scores,” raises serious questions when you consider the no-excuses schools so many students now attend.
I am referring to the upcoming Learning & the Brain conference in D.C. called “Positive, Resilient Minds: The Science of Promoting Student Grit, Gratitude, and School Success.”
It highlights all kinds of “teaching grit and gratefulness” meetings, and references to how the brain, if you tweak it right, will get children to accept and adjust to whatever troubling difficulties they face.
There will be neuro science talk aplenty to help teachers teach children how to learn faster and self-regulate their emotions. Self-control is in. It’s also about how to get children doing college-ready work.
All of this makes me uncomfortable in today’s draconian school reform climate. Why? It Learning & Brain Conference Alert! Making Kids “Happy” in “No-Excuses” Schools:

Is LAUSD _Really_ Going Bust? – redqueeninla

Is LAUSD _Really_ Going Bust? – redqueeninla:

Is LAUSD _Really_ Going Bust?


All of the recent years for which final (“actual”) budget data are published show every single annual budget has finished in the black. This graph tracks the inflow of revenues (sum of dark and light grey bars), which have outpaced the outflow of expenditures (blue bar) in the LAUSD General Fund (GF) over the last eight years. While the entirety of the LAUSD budget includes various capital and internal funds, for the purposes of tracking the actual operating budget, these GF revenues and expenditures are of most importance. The amount unspent every year is represented by the green bar, and labeled in green. “▲” green figures indicate that the net (what’s left after expenditures come out of revenues) is ‘positive’; the GF was operating without a loss. Both “restricted” (e.g., Federal Title 1 (low income) funds) and “unrestricted” (e.g., discretionary funds available to address school-site-specific priorities) funds are included here. Prior to 2007 GF expenditures were reported a little differently so the trend isn’t comparable, but those budgets were also balanced.
So recent school board candidate’s statements casting shade on LAUSD’s current solvency are just wrong.
But what about the future, is the District simply swirling that bankruptcy toilet, circling inevitably toward the abyss? Even if currently flush, how well can past financial performance predict the future?
The District’s Chief Financial Officer (who just resigned after 10 years of constitutional, if not justifiable, worry), publishes a projected budget for one and two years beyond the current operating year. That current operating year’s budget is finalized in June prior to the start of the upcoming schoolyear. And there’s a big accounting midyear to check up on things.
So that means there are four forecasts for any given year, snapshots of how budget forecasts stack up against the fact of what actually come to pass: (i) at mid-year, (ii) right before the start of a new fiscal/school year, (iii) one year out from that year and (iv) two years out from that year.
Each one of these sets of guesses is expected to have different tendencies. They will vary by how far in the future the forecast projects, by what sorts of monies Is LAUSD _Really_ Going Bust? – redqueeninla:
Image result for Going Bust

CPAG Meeting Notice and Agenda, April 2017 - California Practitioners Advisory Group (CA Dept of Education)

CPAG Meeting Notice and Agenda, April 2017 - California Practitioners Advisory Group (CA Dept of Education):



Image result for Joint Meeting of the California Practitioners Advisory Group and the State Board of Education

Joint Meeting of the California Practitioners Advisory Group 
and the State Board of Education

AGENDA

April 13, 2017

California Practitioners Advisory Group Members

  • Jo Ann Isken, Chair
  • Ed Manansala, Vice Chair
  • Melissa Agudelo
  • Jorge Aguilar
  • Mariana Astorga-Almanza
  • Ulises Garcia
  • Carolina Hernandez-Malone
  • John-Damien Huntley
  • Linda Kaminski
  • Kimberly Kenne
  • Tara Kini
  • Nancy Lara
  • L. Karen Monroe
  • Marco Petruzzi
  • Neva Rowden
  • Susan Salcido
  • Araceli Simeon

Liaisons to the State Board of Education

  • Sue Burr
  • Ilene Straus
Note: The State Board of Education (SBE) meeting is a study session and the SBE members in attendance will take no action on any items.

State Board Members

  • Michael W. Kirst, President
  • Ilene W. Straus, Vice President
  • Sue Burr
  • Bruce Holaday
  • Feliza I. Ortiz-Licon
  • Patricia A. Rucker
  • Niki Sandoval
  • Ting L. Sun
  • Karen Valdes
  • Trish Williams
  • Olivia Sison, Student Member

Secretary & Executive Officer

  • Hon. Tom Torlakson

Executive Director

  • Karen Stapf Walters
Schedule of MeetingLocation
Thursday, April 13, 2017
9:00 a.m. Pacific Time ±
California Department of Education
1430 N Street, Room 1101
Sacramento, California 95814 
916-319-0843


Please see the detailed agenda for more information about the items to be considered and acted upon. The public is welcome.
ALL TIMES ARE APPROXIMATE AND ARE PROVIDED FOR CONVENIENCE ONLY.
ALL ITEMS MAY BE RE-ORDERED TO BE HEARD AT ANY TIME OF THE NOTICED MEETING. A LIVE STREAM OF THE MEETING WILL BE PROVIDED; HOWEVER, THE VIDEO FEED AND PUBLIC VIEWING OF THE MEETING WILL BE PAUSED IF THE CPAG PARTICIPATES IN SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION/ACTIVITY.
The California Practitioners Advisory Group (CPAG) and the State Board of Education will hold a one-day meeting on Thursday, April 13, 2017, at the location indicated above. The meeting may include some activities involving the group as a whole and small group discussion involving one or more of the members. The following outline of activities is provided for convenience only. The actual order of business may be changed without notice to accommodate the needs of members, invited presenters, and key staff. Anyone interested in a particular matter should plan on being in attendance for the whole meeting on April 13, 2017. The timing and order of activities may change. The full CPAG will commence, recess, and reconvene as necessary throughout the one-day meeting.
GUIDELINES FOR PUBLIC INPUT SESSIONS
Time is set aside for individuals desiring to speak on any topic not otherwise on the agenda. Please see the detailed public agenda for the Public Session. In all cases, the presiding officer reserves the right to impose time limits on presentations as may be necessary to ensure that the agenda is completed.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL WITH A DISABILITY
Pursuant to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, any individual with a disability or any other individual who requires reasonable accommodation to attend or participate in a meeting or function of the California Practitioners Advisory Group may request assistance by contacting the California Department of Education, Improvement and Accountability Division at 1430 N Street, Room 6208, Sacramento, CA, 95814, by telephone at 916-319-0843 or by email at cpag@cde.ca.gov.
Thursday, April 13, 20179:00 a.m. Pacific Time ±
  • Call to Order
  • Salute to the Flag
  • Overview of Agenda
  • Announcements
  • Roll Call and Introductions
  • Special Presentations
    Public notice is hereby given that special presentations for informational purposes may take place during this session.
  • Agenda Items
  • Adjournment

AGENDA ITEMS

Item 01
Subject: Update on the rollout of the California School Dashboard, including, but not limited to: Next Steps for the Dashboard, and Using the Dashboard to Support the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) Process.
Type of Action: Action, Information

Item 02
Subject: Feedback on Options for the Methodology to Identify Not Less Than the Lowest-Performing Five Percent of All Schools Receiving Title I, Part A Funds in the State for Comprehensive Support And Improvement.
Type of Action: Action, Information

Item 03
Subject: Feedback Regarding the Local Control and Accountability Plan Addendum to Meet Local Educational Agency Planning Requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Type of Action: Action, Information

Item 04
Subject: Update and Feedback on the English Learner Progress Indicator Workgroup; and Update on the School Conditions and Climate Work Group, the Ad Hoc Family Engagement Work Group, and the Statements of Model Practices.
Type of Action: Action, Information

Item 05
Subject: California Practitioners Advisory Group Priorities, Including, but not limited to, Agenda Items; Approval of Minutes; General Comments and Questions from CPAG Members; and Other Matters of Interest.
Type of Action: Action, Information

Item 06
Subject: General Public Comment Public. Comment is invited on any matter not included on the printed agenda. Depending on the number of individuals wishing to address the California Practitioners Advisory Group, the presiding officer may establish specific time limits on presentations.
Type of Action: Information
***ADJOURNMENT OF THE MEETING***

This agenda is posted on the California Practitioners Advisory Group’s Web site. For more information concerning this agenda, please contact the California Department of Education at 1430 N Street, Room 5111, Sacramento, CA, 95814; telephone 916-319-0787; facsimile 916-319-0972. Individuals desiring to speak on the items presented will be limited to two minutes each. A group of five speakers may sign up together and designate one speaker who will be allocated a total of three minutes for the group. Members of the public wishing to send written comments about an agenda item to the CPAG members are encouraged to send an electronic copy to cpag@cde.ca.gov, with the item number clearly marked in the subject line. In order to ensure that comments are received by CPAG members in advance of the meeting, please submit these and any related materials to our office by noon on April 7, 2017, the Friday prior to the meeting. For the April 2017 meeting, the agenda will also be posted on the State Board of Education’s Web site and all letters submitted to the CPAG members will also be distributed to the SBE members.
CPAG Meeting Notice and Agenda, April 2017 - California Practitioners Advisory Group (CA Dept of Education):

Tell your California representative to support AB 1478 – Cloaking Inequity

Tell your California representative to support AB 1478 – Cloaking Inequity:

Tell your California representative to support AB 1478



Should charters have open meetings? Should their data and information be readily available to the public? Should operators of non-profit charters be able to profit from their schools?
If you your answers to these questions are Yes, Yes, and No. Then join in demanding charter transparency and accountability. With AB 1478 we have a legislative opportunity to give charter supporters the transparency and accountability that they say in public they support, but still ask the California Charter Schools Association to spend millions of dollars to oppose.
Click here to write to your representative and let them know you support AB 1478.
The taxpayers of California deserve transparency regarding how their tax dollars are spent by charter schools. I am tired of charter school scandals. California’s children and taxpayers deserve better. Please support AB 1478.
If you are not in California, please share this with your California friends.
Check out and follow my YouTube channel here.
For all of Cloaking Inequity’s post on charters click here.
Please Facebook Like, Tweet, etc below and/or reblog to share this discussion with others.
Want to know about Cloaking Inequity’s freshly pressed conversations about educational policy? Click the “Follow blog by email” button on the home page.
Twitter: @ProfessorJVH


Click here for Vitae.
Tell your California representative to support AB 1478 – Cloaking Inequity:

CURMUDGUCATION: Charterizing from Within

CURMUDGUCATION: Charterizing from Within:

Charterizing from Within

The next big threat to public education, the next big arm of the corporate privatizing octopus, is Competency-Based Education, formerly known as Outcome Based Education, sometimes known as Proficiency Based Learning, and often dressed up in a nice suit as Personalized Learning.

Probably not going to end well
It takes a whole subdivision of the public school advocacy movement to keep track of the slow, steady creep of CBE into public education. I frequently turn to Wrench in the Gears and Emily Talmage's Save Maine Schools as well as Hack Education to stay up on these issues (there are more-- go look around), but it is a recent Wrench in the Gears piece that sparked my attention. In a recent piece, the blog addresses the forces that are lined up against Rhode Island, and as usual, there are a great many connections to follow to find all the players. It's a worthwhile piece, but in it, I found a phrase that really hit--

Now they anticipate “reforming” districts internally through online “personalized learning” programs. For more information see my prior post on blended learning, and how it’s being used to charterize public schools from within.

I've had some trouble getting folks to see any threat from CBE. After all, as with Common Core, it 
CURMUDGUCATION: Charterizing from Within:



Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association video: What corporations have in store for public schools | Seattle Education

Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association video: What corporations have in store for public schools | Seattle Education:

Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association video: What corporations have in store for public schools


The third episode of PJSTA Live, in affiliation with Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association, deals with what corporate reformers see as the future of public education.
The two guests in this episode are Alison McDowell and Jia Lee.  Alison McDowell is a parent and a public education activist who blogs at Wrench in the Gears.  Jia Lee is a member of the Movement of Rank and File Educators and organizes teachers in the fight against public school privatization.
Alison’s PowerPoint can be found here.
A corresponding article written by Alison is “Digital Curriculum: Questions Parents Should Be Asking” here.