NYC parent forms national group to push for ESEA change | GothamSchools

NYC parent forms national group to push for ESEA change | GothamSchools

NYC parent forms national group to push for ESEA change

by Anna Phillips

Education historian Diane Ravitch spoke to the Parents Across America audience last night.

One of New York City’s most vocal parent activists is launching a national organization, enlisting parents in cities across the country in a fight against the Obama administration’s proposed changes to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Called Parents Across America, the group was developed jointly by Leonie Haimson, the executive director of Class Size Matters in New York, and Julie Woestehoff, of Parents United for Responsible Education (PURE) in Chicago. Its formal launch was at a forum last night in a public school in Tribeca, where parents from as far as San Francisco and Seattle traveled to share their unfortunate experiences with local education laws and policies.

Sam Cooke A change is Gonna come

A Change Is Gonna Come

(Sam Cooke)

As Performed Sam Cooke (1964)

I was born by the river in a little tent

And just like the river, I've been running ever since

It's been a long time coming

But I know a change is gonna come

It's been too hard living, but I'm afraid to die

I don't know what's up there beyond the sky

It's been a long time coming

But I know a change is gonna come

I go to the movie, and I go downtown

Somebody keep telling me "Don't hang around"

It's been a long time coming

But I know a change is gonna come

Then I go to my brother and I say, "Brother, help me please"

But he winds up knocking me back down on my knees

There've been times that I've thought I couldn't last for long

But now I think I'm able to carry on

It's been a long time coming

But I know a change is gonna come

The Myth of Student Apathy « Student Activism

The Myth of Student Apathy « Student Activism

The Myth of Student Apathy

by Angus Johnston

I’ve been thinking about the idea of “apathy” a lot recently, and the more I do the more I doubt its usefulness.

A lot of what’s taken for apathy is actually, I think, despair. It’s a nagging, grinding, chronic despair that leads a person to think that what’s wrong will always be wrong and that they can’t play any part in changing it. It’s not apathy, because apathy would mean that they didn’t care. They do care, often, but they’re resigned to things the way they are because they think they’re powerless.

This is something I talk a lot about with students when they bring up the question of campus apathy. I ask them whether the problem is that other students don’t give a damn about the barriers they’re facing, or whether they just assume those barriers are insurmountable. My hunch is that it’s usually mostly the second, even when it

Del Valle for Mayor | For All Chicago For Every Neighborhood: Del Valle: Parking meter deal violates city ethics law--Sun-Times

Del Valle for Mayor | For All Chicago For Every Neighborhood: Del Valle: Parking meter deal violates city ethics law--Sun-Times

Del Valle: Parking meter deal violates city ethics law--Sun-Times

by Joanna2011

From the Chicago Sun-Times, 2.8.2011

By Abdon M. Pallasch Political Reporter/apallasch@suntimes.com

City Clerk Miguel del Valle believes he has found a way to invalidate the city’s controversial 75-year, $1.15 billion parking meter deal — and he has asked Attorney General Lisa Madigan office to investigate.

Employees of Morgan Stanley did not register as lobbyists when they worked on the deal, so del Valle believes the contract is void under city ordinance.

“This is a violation of the city’s ethics ordinance,” del Valle said at a news conference at his West Town

Wisconsin Teachers' Union Prepares for Battle with GOP Gov - Dana Goldstein

Wisconsin Teachers' Union Prepares for Battle with GOP Gov - Dana Goldstein

Wisconsin Teachers' Union Prepares for Battle with GOP Gov

by Dana Goldstein

A number of American Federation of Teachers affiliates across the country--D.C., Pittsburgh, Colorado, Baltimore--have embraced contracts or state laws that tie teacher tenure and performance ratings to student test scores. To date, the National Education Association, however--the larger union--has been reluctant to do so.

That's why the news out of Wisconsin this morning is interesting. The state's NEA affiliate, under pressure from Republican Gov. Scott Walker, has released a proposal of what it terms "bold reforms." The union is willing to make two significant compromises:

• Support the creation of a state-wide teacher evaluation system that takes student test score data into account

• Support some use of value-added analysis, a controversial statistical equation used to estimate the effect

NYC Public School Parents: Bloomberg LP to Acquire Egypt

NYC Public School Parents: Bloomberg LP to Acquire Egypt

Bloomberg LP to Acquire Egypt

by Gary Babad

February 8, 2011 (GBN News): In the second blockbuster corporate takeover of the week, Egypt has agreed to be acquired by NY City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s company, Bloomberg LP. As part of the deal, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will replace Cathie Black as NY City Schools Chancellor, while Ms. Black will relocate to Egypt to replace the Sphinx.

The deal is being seen as a win-win for everyone involved. The Mayor, who already owns NY City, gets to add an entire country to his portfolio, while ridding himself of a major embarrassment in Ms. Black. As Sphynx, Ms.

Govt Reaches Settlement with NV School District to Ensure Equal Rights of English Language Learners - Hispanically Speaking News

Govt Reaches Settlement with NV School District to Ensure Equal Rights of English Language Learners - Hispanically Speaking News

Govt Reaches Settlement with NV School District to Ensure Equal Rights of English Language Learners

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Published at 2:18 pm, February 8, 2011

A settlement agreement with the Carson City School District in Nevada has been reached to ensure that all English Language Learner (ELL) students receive sufficient services as required by federal law, the Justice Department announced today.

With the district’s cooperation, the department conducted an extensive examination of the district’s ELL program, and conducted a site visit of each of the district’s schools to determine whether ELL students were receiving adequate services as required by the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974.

Almost 20 percent of the district’s students have been identified as ELL students, and the Justice Department’s compliance review revealed that many of these students were not

The Answer Sheet - Most, least popular kids less likely to bully, study says

The Answer Sheet - Most, least popular kids less likely to bully, study says

Most, least popular kids less likely to bully, study says A new study suggests that neither the most popular students nor the least are likely to be bullies at school but rather the kids who are in the middle of the social hierarchies. According to the analysis, students at the bottom of the status hierarchy ...

School board conferees get tough with Duncan Education Secretary Arne Duncan got an earful from some attendees of a National School Boards Association conference. According to Michele McNeil of Education Week, Duncan on Monday appeared at the association's 38th annual Federal Relations Network ...

Shanker Blog » Name: Egyptian ... Address: Tahrir Square #Egypt

Shanker Blog » Name: Egyptian ... Address: Tahrir Square

Name: Egyptian … Address: Tahrir Square

by Kamal Abbas

Our guest author today, writing from Cairo, is Kamal Abbas, general coordinator of Egypt’s Center for Trade Unions and Workers Services (CTUWS), who last year accepted the AFL-CIO’s 2009 George Meany-Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award on behalf of Egypt’s independent labor movement. The article is reprinted, with permission.

Now, I am proud to be Egyptian. I can sit in the evening among my children and grandchildren and tell them the story of the revolution; the story of boys and girls who refused the injustice and tyranny under which we have lived for years and years. I will tell them the story of Mohamed and Boulis [Peter]: the two boys who stood one against the other, each of whom hates and wants to destroy the other … I will tell them how Boulis and Mohamed stood shoulder to shoulder confronting tyranny. I will tell them how Muslims protected churches

SMUD.org | TOGETHER LET'S MOW DOWN AIR POLLUTION

SMUD.org | English | About SMUD | Connections | February 2011 Connections

TOGETHER LET'S MOW DOWN AIR POLLUTION

Take steps to trim air pollution by trading in your old gasoline-powered lawn mower for a quieter, clean-running electric model.

SMUD's annual "Mow Down Air Pollution" event takes place, rain or shine, on March 26, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Quantities are limited, so pre-registration is required. You may register starting at 11 a.m. on Wed., March 9 by calling 1-888-742-SMUD (7683) or by visiting smud.org. Registration is first-come, first-served.

The cordless, rechargeable electric mowers are offered at a discount with the trade-in of your operational gas mower. The 14 inch mower will cost $149 with trade-in, and the the 19 inch will cost $249 with trade-in.

Please drain your trade-in mower beforehand of all fluids.

For more details, visit smud.org, or call (916) 732-6227

Poll: Obesity, Not Drugs, Biggest Threat to Kids' Health - The Bay Citizen

Poll: Obesity, Not Drugs, Biggest Threat to Kids' Health - The Bay Citizen

Poll: Obesity, Not Drugs, Biggest Threat to Kids' Health

The latest Field Poll finds wide awareness about unhealthy eating and overweight among California voters

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By ANNETTE FUENTES on February 8, 2011 - 11:35 a.m. PST

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Cafeteria worker Rosaria Tufo hands out plates of fresh vegetables to students at Fairmount Elementary School in San Francisco,

Unhealthy eating is the single biggest health problem California’s kids now face, according to a survey of voters released today. And obesity is considered a serious problem for youth by an overwhelming majority.

In a dramatic shift in public perception, 31 percent of voters surveyed for the latest Field Poll chose bad eating habits as the greatest risk, trumping illegal drug use (17 percent) and violence (13 percent). When the question was asked in two previous surveys, 27 percent named illegal drug use as the chief threat to kids’ health.

Overall, nearly 60 percent of those surveyed said that obesity is a very serious problem for

How (and why) those Rogers Park high schoolers made their anti-Rahm/pro-Miguel video--WBEZ Del Valle for Mayor |

Del Valle for Mayor | For All Chicago For Every Neighborhood: How (and why) those Rogers Park high schoolers made their anti-Rahm/pro-Miguel video--WBEZ

How (and why) those Rogers Park high schoolers made their anti-Rahm/pro-Miguel video--WBEZ

by Joanna2011

From WBEZ, 2.8.2011



You’ve probably seen the video that Chicago Public Schools students put together, attacking Rahm Emanuel and supporting Miguel del Valle for mayor. When it debuted on YouTube a little over a week ago, a lot of folks began to wonder if maybe it wasn’t really all that grassroots, if the professionals at del Valle’s campaign had

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Where is the love?

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Where is the love?

Where is the love?

by Mike Klonsky

I'm sending each of them a broken-heart cookie and a cup of coffee to help them past the pain. A Huffington Post report has AFT prez Randi Weingarten breaking up with billionaire media mogul and N.Y. mayor, Michael Bloomberg. Oh, well. I never thought it would last anyway. Guess they just weren't right for each other, coming from different sides of the barbed wire and all.

"I'm very disappointed in the mayor. I don't know why he's gone from wanting to

You heard about the kids. You saw the video. Here’s the story. « Fred Klonsky's blog

You heard about the kids. You saw the video. Here’s the story. « Fred Klonsky's blog

You heard about the kids. You saw the video. Here’s the story.

by Fred Klonsky

Chicago’s public radio station WBEZ has a website that includes City Life by Achy Obejas. In her recent post she gives us some background on the Sullivan High School students who made the video in response to Rahm Emanuel’s slam of Chicago public high schools.

Gerardo Aguilera, Alexandra Alvarez, and Cristina Henriquez are all juniors at Sullivan High School. These students’ efforts to mobilize their community to

Day of Action: Workers Call for Democracy in Egypt | AFL-CIO NOW BLOG

Day of Action: Workers Call for Democracy in Egypt | AFL-CIO NOW BLOG

Day of Action: Workers, Activists Call for Democracy in Egypt by James Parks, Feb 8, 2011

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Egyptians protest at Tahrir Square in Cairo.

Union members from all parts of the world today joined with community activists in aDay of Action for Democracy in Egypt. In actions outside Egyptian embassies and government buildings, they pressed their governments to demand democratic transition in Egypt and guarantee that those responsible for the violent repression of peaceful demonstrations be brought to justice.

In the United States, AFL-CIO union members will join the Egyptian American community and human rights organizations in a demonstration in Washington, D.C. The AFL-CIO and the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. AFL-CIO are calling on union members in the area to demonstrate their support for the people of Egypt at 6:30 p.m. in front of the

Del Valle for Mayor | For All Chicago For Every Neighborhood: Mayoral Candidate Miguel del Valle Points to Overlooked Ethics Ordinance as Route to Reopening Parking Meter Contract

Del Valle for Mayor | For All Chicago For Every Neighborhood: Mayoral Candidate Miguel del Valle Points to Overlooked Ethics Ordinance as Route to Reopening Parking Meter Contract

Mayoral Candidate Miguel del Valle Points to Overlooked Ethics Ordinance as Route to Reopening Parking Meter Contract

by Joanna2011

Calls on opponents to explain positions and AG Madigan to reopen investigation

February 8, 2011 (CHICAGO)--City Clerk and mayoral candidate Miguel del Valle pointed to a new possible route today to reopen Chicago’s 75-year parking meter contract with the Morgan Stanley investment fund, Chicago Parking Meters, LLC.

According to the City’s ethics ordinance, if Morgan Stanley did not register any individuals who worked on the contract as official lobbyists, then the City can void the contract. The agreement does not list any registered lobbyists.

“The possibility that this ordinance has been violated opens an avenue for us to revisit a contract which forces Chicagoans to pay Morgan Stanley and its partners up to $11.6 billion

The Educated Reporter: Who bullies?

The Educated Reporter: Who bullies?

Who bullies?

by Linda Perlstein

I am not a sociologist, but I have spent a lot of time in middle schools and have developed an archetype of the very most popular girl. Think back to seventh grade. Chances are that the Queen Bee rated her status through some form of actual merit, if you will. She was athletic, pretty, stylish and most of all kind. She was easygoing, at least on the outside, and because she had older brothers she was not awkward around boys. The girls in her circle all elbowed for her attention, and she didn’t quite understand what all the fuss was about.

All around her girls were acting nasty, because they thought that would cement their position in the group, but this particular girl neither participated in or condoned such behavior. (She didn’t stop it either, but that is a lot to