California's Democrats Meet: Unfinished Business - LA Progressive

California's Democrats Meet: Unfinished Business - LA Progressive:
California’s Democrats Meet: Unfinished Business

This weekend, the California Democratic Party, the largest Democratic Party organization in the largest Democratic state, holds its annual convention in Sacramento. Approximately 2,500 delegates will chart their future in the wake of the debacle last fall.

The Problem

Unfortunately, the proceedings are overshadowed by followers of President Trump and his vanquished rival Hillary Clinton, who continue to trade charges about Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey.

Trump’s people find it unseemly of Comey to request additional funding to continue an investigation of Trump’s political associates and foreign business interests. Mrs. Clinton’s supporters find it unseemly of Comey to investigate the discovery of Clinton’s classified State Department emails on the personal computer of former Congressman Anthony Weiner, husband of Clinton’s longtime lieutenant, Huma Abedin.

While both sides quarrel about the past, neither offers a vision for the future.

The Future

The CDP delegates in Sacramento will be previewing the 2018 candidates for governor and other statewide offices. Also, the US Senate seat of Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein is up for grabs next year. Gov. Jerry Brown is “termed out.” Feinstein has not declared her intentions.

A strong CDP performance in 2018 has national implications. Given Trump’s declining poll numbers, a few California Republican House seats might flip next year. The CDP convention will showcase the stable of Democratic presidential aspirants in 2020, all of whom will look to California for donors and grassroots volunteers.

The CDP delegates will also face unresolved issues from last year’s election including:

• Universal tuition-free higher education and improving public education for all
• Single-payer health care for all
• Raising the minimum wage
• Ending the death penalty
• Opposing trade agreements that export US jobs

Background

The Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last year was plagued by the sleazy behavior of the Democratic National Committee particularly its chair, Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Schultz cast aside the chair’s requirement of impartiality. Throughout the primary season, she tipped the scales on behalf of her favorite, Clinton, to the detriment of Bernie Sanders, Clinton’s primary California's Democrats Meet: Unfinished Business - LA Progressive:

Schott Foundation Celebrating 25 Years of Supporting Education Justice | Schott Foundation for Public Education

Celebrating 25 Years of Supporting Education Justice | Schott Foundation for Public Education:

Celebrating 25 Years of Supporting Education Justice

Telling Our Story at 25

by dequendre / 1h

In 1991, the Schott Foundation was founded on the notion that the American public education system is one of the most important lifelines to secure opportunity in our nation. Through our efforts to expand access to early childhood education in Massachusetts, or increase fiscal equity in New York, or the myriad campaign activities around the country, we've remained committed to building and sustai

These Brilliant Student Performers Will Soon Be Proud #PublicSchoolGrads

by psj / 7h

gala-student-performers.jpg From their establishment more than a century ago, local public schools and their educators have produced America’s most brilliant artists, scientists, doctors, musicians, lawyers, presidents, and more. At our 25th Anniversary Awards Gala , the Schott Foundation showcased several talented student artists from New York City public schools to highlight the importance of t

"The Battle for Public Education is Personal, Historical, Legal, and Moral."

by psj / 7h

gala-rev-barber.jpg Rev. Dr. William Barber was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Schott Foundation 25th Anniversary Awards Gala, and his acceptance speech brought the crowd to their feet and quickly went viral. Watch his full speech below, and share the message with your friends: Fair and Just School Climate Fair and Just School Resources Wraparound student supports National New

Celebrating the Struggle for Education Justice at the Schott 25th Anniversary Awards Gala

by psj / 10h

schott-gala-shemiea.jpg See a full gallery of photos in our Facebook album > [ View the story "Schott 25th Anniversary Gala" on Storify ]

Breaking Down Silos at Schott's 25th Anniversary Forum

by psj / 10h

schott-forum-cristina-jimenez.jpg See a full gallery of photos in our Facebook album > [ View the story "Schott 25th Anniversary Forum" on Storify ] Fair and Just School Climate High Quality Early Education Fair and Just School Resources Wraparound student supports Teaching Quality Supports New York

Celebrating 25 Years of Supporting Education Justice

by dequendre / 19h

Marking 25 years of supporting movements to end educational injustices in America’s public schools, the Schott Foundation rang in our silver anniversary by honoring grassroots, community and philanthropic figures who have led the 

 Celebrating 25 Years of Supporting Education Justice | Schott Foundation for Public Education:

Lessons From The Nation's Oldest Voucher Program : NPR Ed : NPR

Lessons From The Nation's Oldest Voucher Program : NPR Ed : NPR:

Lessons From The Nation's Oldest Voucher Program

Milwaukee has the nation's longest-running publicly funded voucher program.

For 27 years it has targeted African-American kids from low-income families, children who otherwise could not afford the tuition at a private or religious school.

The vouchers are issued by what's known as the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. Some some see vouchers as a beacon of hope in a public school district where student achievement lags far behind the state average, and where only 20 percent of students are proficient in English language arts and fewer than 15 percent in math.

Others say the program is a failed experiment that has siphoned away money desperately needed by the city's struggling schools.

As part of our reporting on vouchers around the country, and to get a look at the program as it stands today, we visited several schools in the voucher program.

Texas Bufkin Christian Academy has operated for 16 years. It occupies an old building that once housed a nursing home. The school's founder, Texas Bufkin, is wary of visitors, especially reporters.

"We don't let people from the media in our building," says Bufkin. Why? I ask. "Because I just don't feel like I need to talk to reporters." Eventually, I'm allowed inside but, Bufkin says, just for a few minutes.

Of the 121 private and religious schools in Milwaukee's voucher program, this is the lowest-performing, according to state education officials.

All of the 94 students enrolled from pre-K to 12th grade are African-American, Lessons From The Nation's Oldest Voucher Program : NPR Ed : NPR:

L.A. teachers union faces tough questions in wake of charter election wins - LA Times

L.A. teachers union faces tough questions in wake of charter election wins - LA Times:

L.A. teachers union faces tough questions in wake of charter election wins

Los Angeles’ teachers union, for decades a dominant political force in school district politics, suffered a crushing defeat this week that speaks to a larger power shift away from labor and toward the growth of the well-heeled charter school movement.

Two candidates opposed by United Teachers Los Angeles — Nick Melvoin and Kelly Gonez — won seats on the Los Angeles Board of Education, creating the board’s first-ever, pro-charter school majority.

Particularly stinging to the union was the loss of school board President Steve Zimmer to Melvoin, who supports weakening teacher job protections.

In a third race, the union did not even attempt to unseat incumbent Monica Garcia, who also is counted as part of a charter-friendly bloc.

The election losses amount to more than just the back and forth of politics, with one party on top now and another later, where ground lost today can be made up tomorrow, according to observers from various perspectives. It is unclear whether the union can recover the territory.

One widely expected outcome is that charter schools will continue to grow in number and influence. That could benefit students and families looking for alternatives to their local public schools. But because most charter schools are not unionized, their growth threatens the teachers union — and possibly other local public-employee unions.

Unions, after all, just lost big in pro-union Los Angeles. The steady increase in the number of charter schools and charter students — about 16% of district enrollment — has translated into a growing voting bloc that sees the teachers union as an enemy.

In L.A., as in other cities with many charter schools, it has become increasingly difficult for politicians to ignore or oppose their pro-charter constituency, said Mike Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an education think tank in Washington, D.C.

“In D.C., where you’ve got half the kids in charters, they are untouchable,” Petrilli said. “You cannot run for mayor of D.C. and be anti-charter. There’s a reason the unions fight so hard to keep the charter school movement small. They know things are going to get tougher for them the larger it gets.”

In L.A., he added, “the politics from here on out are going to be different and difficult for the unions.”

Joshua Pechthalt, president of the California Federation of Teachers, a statewide union, called L.A.’s election day upset “a monumental shift.”

“This was clearly the California Charter School Assn. flexing its muscles,” he said of the L.A. teachers union faces tough questions in wake of charter election wins - LA Times:

New Study Finds That Bullying Remains High at School, But Has Declined Over Time = Education Law Prof Blog

Education Law Prof Blog:

New Study Finds That Bullying Remains High at School, But Has Declined Over Time

A new study on bullying at school offers both good and bad news.  The bad news is that bullying remains a constant aspect of daily life for many students at school.  Anywhere from 13 to 29 percent of students report being bullied in the last month.  Half of students indicated that they have witnessed bullying in the last month.  The good news is that these numbers are down from prior years.  Also, the vast majority of students feel safe at school, notwithstanding the prevalence of bullying.  The study explains:

This study examined the prevalence rates of 13 bullying-related indicators in a population-based sample over 10 years. Survey data from nearly one-quarter of a million students indicated that bullying has remained a prevalent, although declining, experience for school-aged youth. Specifically, 13.4% to 28.8% of students reported experiencing bullying in the past month, and approximately half of the students reported witnessing bullying. These estimates are consistent with recent bullying-prevalence reports, and they add to the current literature with the inclusion of a younger sample of youth. Despite these fairly high prevalence rates, the covariate-adjusted results for 10 of the 13 indicators suggested things may be getting better, as indicated by a reduction in bullying prevalence and related attitudes. The effect sizes of the change were in the small-to-moderate range (ranged 0.04–0.67) when comparing the first and last years’ data.

Some forms of victimization were commonly and consistently experienced across years (eg, relational). The prevalence of cyberbullying was consistently <10% and is comparable to the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Justice Statistics data. Based on previous research, it was hypothesized that cyberbullying might increase, but consistent with the other forms of bullying, cyberbullying also decreased. However, given the rapid change of technology and new social media platforms used by youth and increasingly at younger ages, the nature and quality of cyberbullying may change; therefore, future studies should examine cyberbullying in greater detail (eg, broader definitions). Physical, verbal, and relational Education Law Prof Blog:

Trump’s K-12 Education Budget Expands Choice, Won’t Help Public Schools Meet Myriad Needs | janresseger

Trump’s K-12 Education Budget Expands Choice, Won’t Help Public Schools Meet Myriad Needs | janresseger:
Trump’s K-12 Education Budget Expands Choice, Won’t Help Public Schools Meet Myriad Needs

This blog will take a week-long late spring break after today.  Look for a new post on May 30!

On Wednesday, the Washington Post acquired a leaked, near final copy of the budget the Department of Education is preparing as part of President Trump’s full budget proposal scheduled for release on May 23. This document reflects the same priorities outlined in what was called “the skinny budget,” released in mid-March.

Andrew Ujifusa of Education Week summarizes the overall direction of the proposal leaked on Wednesday: “President Donald Trump’s full education budget proposal for fiscal 2018 would make notable cuts to the U.S. Department of Education and leverage existing programs for disadvantaged students and K-12 innovation to promote school choice…. Trump’s full education funding blueprint would cut $9.2 billion, or 13.6 percent, from the Education Department’s current $68 billion budget….”

Ujifusa continues, describing the “Title I Portability” plan which is part of the proposal that surfaced Wednesday: “Also, the spending plan calls for the creation of a new, $1 billion federal grant program under Title I to allow students to take federal, state, and local dollars to their public school of choice.  That money would be added to the $15.9 billion Title I receives this budget year….”  Ujifsa reminds us that currently Title I funding is distributed entirely by formula.

Keep in mind that Title I Portability would undermine the purpose of Title I, as it was designed in the original 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act: providing supplementary funding for school districts serving concentrations of children in poverty. Helping the public schools that serve our nation’s poorest children is a big problem because our society is becoming more segregated economically. Under Trump’s Title I Portability proposal, if a poor student were to transfer to a wealthier public school district, that child would carry her funding, including the extra Title I money. The poor district—still in need of help because it is serving a mass of poor children, including a significant homeless population as well as students who are part of the county’s foster care system—would lose the Title I dollars intended to help its schools.

The Washington Post‘s Emma Brown, Valerie Strauss and Danielle Douglas-Gabriel collaborated to explain the many implications of the documents they received Wednesday. They describe the new $1 billion added to Title I to encourage school districts to undertake or Trump’s K-12 Education Budget Expands Choice, Won’t Help Public Schools Meet Myriad Needs | janresseger:

Badass Teachers Association: If I Ever Leave Teaching it Will Be Because of the Adults, Not the Kids by Kelly LaLonde

Badass Teachers Association: If I Ever Leave Teaching it Will Be Because of the Adults, Not the Kids by Kelly LaLonde:

If I Ever Leave Teaching it Will Be Because of the Adults, Not the Kids 

by Kelly LaLonde

Originally posted at: https://urbanesl.wordpress.com/2017/05/18/if-i-ever-leave-teaching-it-will-be-because-of-the-adults-not-the-kids/

A Facebook “On This Day” popped up in my newsfeed today. Normally I dismiss them, but today’s subject gave me pause.

3 years ago I sat down at my computer and started writing. I was upset about work and needed to find a way to work out my frustrations.

I rarely listen to music, but that day I’d heard TuPac blasting in the hallway.

Have you ever heard the story of the rose that grew from the crack in the concrete? It learned to walk without havin feet.

The result was On East High, my first viral blog post.

Could that have really been 3 years ago?

One of the hallmarks of a good teacher is reflection. I’ve always believed that if a lesson fails, it is my fault. I sit and think about the ways in which it failed and what that means for my students. Was the task too difficult? Was it interesting enough? Did they know why what they were learning was important?

When On East High went viral, District personnel reached out for my opinions on what we needed to do to change our schools. I sat in on countless meetings, spent hours on emails and even spoke at multiple conferences. Little by little those meetings and those “interests” have died down. If anything, I find that my professionalism and commitment to my students is challenged more than ever.

The District just can’t seem to honestly and openly reflect on why it is failing.

When no one even cared-the rose grew from the concrete-keeping all these dreams.

I still have never been paid the correct salary.

I still have battles over sick time and personal days.

My students are still not being given their mandated services.

I give ESOL services to students who speak NO OTHER Badass Teachers Association: If I Ever Leave Teaching it Will Be Because of the Adults, Not the Kids by Kelly LaLonde:

Trump’s Proposed Title I Intrusion Plan: FOCUS | deutsch29

Trump’s Proposed Title I Intrusion Plan: FOCUS | deutsch29:

Trump’s Proposed Title I Intrusion Plan: FOCUS

According to Reuters, the White House is supposed to release its proposed 2018 budget on May 23, 2017.

On May 17, 2017, the Washington Post purportedly received advance notification of Trump’s proposed 2018 federal education budget.

One of the items in that proposed ed budget is a new program called Furthering Options for Children to Unlock Success (FOCUS). As the Washington Post reports:

The administration would devote $1 billion in Title I dollars meant for poor children to a new grant program (called Furthering Options for Children to Unlock Success, or FOCUS) for school districts that agree to allow students to choose which public school they attend — and take their federal, state and local dollars with them.

The goal is to do away with neighborhood attendance zones that the administration says trap needy kids in struggling schools. …

But the notion of allowing Title I dollars to follow the student — known as “portability” — is a controversial idea that the Republican-led Senate rejected in 2015. Many Democrats argue that it is a first step toward private-school vouchers and would siphon dollars from schools with high poverty to those in more affluent neighborhoods.

Indeed, a major issue here is the alleged (i.e., not able to be confirmed until official WH release of the 2018 budget) attempt to slip a new program into Title I– a program that not only is not mentioned in the Every Schools Succeeds Act (ESSA), but also one that would make state/local access to a portion of the Title I funding conditional upon meeting a special circumstance plastered onto ESSA by Trump.

As noted in Mother Jones, US ed sec Betsy DeVos is scheduled to appear before the House Committee on Appropriations on May 24, 2017, to defend the proposed Trump’s Proposed Title I Intrusion Plan: FOCUS | deutsch29:

Tech Tip o’ the Day for Seattle Public Schools: How to get kids and teachers in front of computers all day | Seattle Education

Tech Tip o’ the Day for Seattle Public Schools: How to get kids and teachers in front of computers all day | Seattle Education:

Tech Tip o’ the Day for Seattle Public Schools: How to get kids and teachers in front of computers all day

The following email was brought to my attention today. It was sent to all Seattle Public School staff.

From: Cranston, Gary

Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2017 12:35 PM

Subject: Tuesdy Tech Tip 5/16/17: Apply TODAY for Summer Blended Learning Institute, Immersive Reader, and Public Folders in OneDrive

Teachers,

This week’s tech tip includes information about how to apply for the 2017 – 2018 Blended Learning Summer Institute, use the Immersive Reader Learning Tool with Office 365 or the Office Lens app, and create a public folder in OneDrive.

Gary

Blended Learning Summer Institute 2017: Cohort 2 August 18, 21 and 22

Click here to apply for the Blended Learning Summer Institute and view additional information about the program.

Blended learning combines online digital media with traditional classroom methods. It provides some element of student control over time, place, path, or pace.

In this series of paid professional learning activities, you will:

• Explore different blended learning strategies to find the one that works best for you and your students.
• Design online resources to support personalized learning.
• Collaborate with other teachers to share resources and strategies.
• Provide feedback to DoTS and the IT team regarding use of 15 laptops in a blended learning classroom model.

**********

The terms “blended learning” and “personalized learning” refer to having a student in front of a computer the greater part of a school day, just like the term “school choice” actually refers to charter schools, the privatization of public schools. The terms are palatable and sound ideal to many as a positive leaning experience but those are just marketing terms. When you dig down into what software marketeers are actually referring to, it’s completely different. There is nothing personal about using a software program on a computer compared to interacting with a teacher and students.

In an article I wrote describing blended learning, I stated:

Online charter schools, which the capital venturists like to refer to as “blended learning”, is basically putting a student in front of a computer where they are to read, do their lessons and take tests.

Sports, history and the arts are not part of this program, just the basics.

The reason for the proliferation of these enterprises is that they are cheap to run and generate lots of revenue. At this time, Rocketship, one of the largest online charter Tech Tip o’ the Day for Seattle Public Schools: How to get kids and teachers in front of computers all day | Seattle Education: