Friday, June 10, 2011
Bleak House: On the final day of school, an idealistic teacher goes job hunting - ContraCostaTimes.com
Bleak House: On the final day of school, an idealistic teacher goes job hunting - ContraCostaTimes.com
Bleak House: On the final day of school, an idealistic teacher goes job hunting
Posted: 06/09/2011 04:12:23 PM PDT
Updated: 06/10/2011 06:09:09 AM PDT
On Wednesday, Kristin Becker asked her first-graders at Success Academy in San Jose to compose a short essay about what they want to be when they graduate from college -- a goal she has now planted firmly in their heads.
Before the kids delivered their speeches Thursday, Becker gazed at her squirmy charges. There were a lot of missing front teeth in this room. "Yesterday, we decided what our dreams were," she said. "I know that if you work as hard as you did this year, when you graduate from college, you'll get to pick your job."
Then, 7-year-old Kimberly Bruno Gallegos bounced off the floor and softly told the class her dream was to be a teacher. Like Miss Becker.
But Friday is Kristin Becker's last day of school -- maybe forever.
She is one of 20 teachers who received pink slip notices in March from the Franklin-McKinley School District -- one of thousands of teachers across the state whose futures are tied to expected cutbacks to the state education
Remainders: BET tackles the school co-location debate | GothamSchools
Remainders: BET tackles the school co-location debate | GothamSchools
Remainders: BET tackles the school co-location debate
- BET examines co-locations: “where you stand depends on where your child sits.” (BET)
- Democratic governors are increasingly willing to take on public employee unions. (EIA Intercepts)
- An online commenter defending Michelle Rhee’s progressive bona fides is her employee. (Crooks Liars)
- Teach For America is bringing 5,200 corps members in the fall, largest numbers in history. (TFA)
- Mark Zuckerberg told eighth graders at their promotion ceremony to do what they love. (TechCrunch)
- Compare legislative change by consensus to change by confrontation; see success. (Quick and the Ed)
- Education majors get higher GPA’s on average, a study of colleges finds. (Teacher Beat)
- Inside a Philly classroom where a teacher teaches out of a storage closet. (Notebook)
- The hyped Khan Academy is an impressive innovation, but it should have come from ed schools. (Hess)
Positive Liberty and the Free States - E.D. Kain - American Times - Forbes
Positive Liberty and the Free States - E.D. Kain - American Times - Forbes
Positive Liberty and the Free States
Matt Yglesias points to a new study from the Mercatus Center which ranks the most and least free states in the nation. The study is valuable because it helps illustrate just how mercurial the term “freedom” really is. Here’s the map:
I think the problem with this sort of analysis is that it places far too much emphasis on low taxes and low levels of regulation and far too little on positive liberties such as access to healthcare, quality education, entertainment, and job opportunities. As Matt notes, all this study reveals is that the authors’ “understanding of the individual
I think the problem with this sort of analysis is that it places far too much emphasis on low taxes and low levels of regulation and far too little on positive liberties such as access to healthcare, quality education, entertainment, and job opportunities. As Matt notes, all this study reveals is that the authors’ “understanding of the individual
Market Reforms Could Help Slow Healthcare Spending Growth
Kevin Drum has a very smart post up on the increasing burden of healthcare spending in the U.S. and across the developed world. He notes that the American system is much more expensive than any other developed nation, and attributes this to the lack of a more centralized healthcare system.
I think it’s quite a bit more complicated than that, but the interesting point Kevin makes is that growth in healthcare spending has been increasing across all OECD nations regardless of their healthcare systems. The following chart is taken from the Kaiser Foundation:
I think it’s quite a bit more complicated than that, but the interesting point Kevin makes is that growth in healthcare spending has been increasing across all OECD nations regardless of their healthcare systems. The following chart is taken from the Kaiser Foundation:
ASCD Inservice: In Case You Missed It
ASCD Inservice: In Case You Missed It
In Case You Missed It
Check out what's been happening around ASCD:
- Join ASCD for our Summer Conference in Boston, Mass., July 1–3.
- The latest issue of ASCD Express offers insight on how to sustain summer learning.
- Steven Weber reflects on the just-completed school year.
- There is a path to irrelevance and a path to empowerment. Which will you choose?
- Sean Slade discusses the differences between connecting with the community and empowering the community.
- The Summer Boot Camp Webinar series continues next week with Lisa Dabbs. Make sure you register for these informative sessions.
Add your own highlights in the comments, and check this spot for our regular weekly digest of ASCD activities.
Capitol Alert: Michelle Rhee sets up California PAC, hires Sacramento lobbyist
Capitol Alert: Michelle Rhee sets up California PAC, hires Sacramento lobbyist
Read more: http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2011/06/michelle-rhee-california-pac.html#ixzz1Ouu9887M
Michelle Rhee has taken her first steps onto California's political playing field, establishing a committee to make campaign contributions and hiring a lobbyist.
The former Washington, D.C., schools chancellor -- who founded the StudentsFirst education advocacy group in December -- has hired Sacramento lobbying firm Gonzalez, Quintana & Hunter, according to filings with the secretary of state's office. The firm,
Read more: http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2011/06/michelle-rhee-california-pac.html#ixzz1Ouu9887M
This Week In Education: Five Best Blogs: Hubris, DFER Standout, & Ugly Habits
This Week In Education: Five Best Blogs: Hubris, DFER Standout, & Ugly Habits
Five Best Blogs: Hubris, DFER Standout, & Ugly Habits
Does Reform Have to Equal Sagging Polls? EdSector: Which would you rather have: a sweeping reform whose implementation is delayed in the courts and likely to be overturned at the next election? Or a reform effort that elicits buy-in and thus long-term impact?... The Right Way to Approach School Reform American Times: Hubris is at the heart of all this overreach, in Florida, in Wisconsin, in Michigan. And hubris comes at a price. ... The Inside Game Tom Hoffman: Boy that guy from DfER is a real standout jackass... And the Most Overhyped Edu-Entrepreneur of the Moment
Finishing another project. « Fred Klonsky's blog
Finishing another project. « Fred Klonsky's blog
Finishing another project.
For the twenty-sixth time I watched as the fifth graders paraded out of the building. This year to the tune of something peppy. I didn’t recognize the tune. But you could dance to it and it had a good beat, as they used to say on American Bandstand when I was a kid.
When the fifth graders were gone, I started to do a bad boogie past the fourth graders who all clapped and laughed. Laughing more than clapping. Then I grabbed Linda by the hand and we did a little swing to the accompaniment of more clapping and laughing.
This is when I start saying, “This will be the last time I will …”
My colleagues have already warned me that it will drive them nuts. I should stop now. It is annoying.
More schools rethinking zero-tolerance discipline stand | The Defenders Online | A Civil Rights Blog
More schools rethinking zero-tolerance discipline stand | The Defenders Online | A Civil Rights Blog
Print This Post
More schools rethinking zero-tolerance discipline stand
Posted By The Editors | June 3rd, 2011 | Category: Education | No Comments » Print This PostZero-tolerance rules, once hailed as the panacea to an explosion of serious student misbehavior in schools, are now recognized more and more as part of the problem, not the solution and are being significantly modified or replaced altogether by policies that are “more child-centered,” according to a news article in theWashington Post.
“The tide is beginning to turn,” Matt Cregor, assistant counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, told a Post reporter, “but we have a very long way to go to see these reforms realized for all districts across the country.”
Cregor and other observers say that zero-tolerance policies – which mandate that school officials respond
Phone Banks and Precinct Walks through June « State of Emergency
Phone Banks and Precinct Walks through June « State of Emergency
Phone Banks and Precinct Walks through June
The target date for a new State Budget is June 15th. In order to stave off even more devastating cuts to schools, public safety and vital programs, we need two Republicans in both the State Senate and Assembly to vote for a new budget that extends current revenues. We cannot allow a small group of Republicans to stop our forward progress to rebuild the California economy.
Phone Bank Times/Locations:
San Mateo Labor Council
Location #1: Labor Council, 1153 Chess Drive, Foster City
Tuesdays, 6/14, 6/21, 6/28, 5:30 – 8:30PM
Location #2: IBEW 617, 1701 Leslie Street, San Mateo
Wednesdays, 6/15, 6/29, 5:30 – 8:30PM
Thursdays 6/23, 5:30 – 8:30PM
Contact: Julie Lind, 650-572-8848 or smclcjulie@sbcglobal.net
South Bay Labor Council
Location: Labor Council, 2102 Almaden Rd. San Jose
Tuesdays, Thursdays (through June 30th), 5:30 – 8:30PM
Contact: Derecka Mehrens, 408-266-3790 ext. 566 or derecka@atwork.org
Sign up at http://www.atwork.org/rsvp
Alameda Labor Council
Location: SEIU-UHW, 60 Thomas L. Berkeley Way, Oakland
Monday & Wednesday, 6/13 and 6/15, 6-8:30PM
Contact: Jean Cohen, 510-632-4242 or jean@alamedalabor.org
Monterey Bay Labor Council
Location: Labor Council, 931 E Market Street, Salinas
Tuesdays, Thursdays (starting 17th) co-sponsored by CSEA, 5:30 – 8:30PM
Wednesdays, co-sponsored by SEIU 1000, 5:30 – 8:30PM
Note: Monday, Friday and Sunday nights are open at the MB CLC office for local unions to adopt
Contact: Glen Schaller, 831-840-5947 or political@mbclc.org
Sacramento Labor Council
Location: Labor Council, 2840 El Centro Road, Suite 111, Sacramento
Sundays – Thursdays, 5:00 – 8:30PM
Contact: Kevin Ferreira, 916-832-3233 or kevfer@sherwest.net
or Bud McKinney, 916-607-0649 or bud137@sbcglobal.net
Fresno-Madera-Tulare-Kings Labor Council
Location #1: SEIU 521, 5228 E. Pine Ave, Fresno
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:30-8PM
Contact: Dillon Savory, 559-269-0165 or dsavoryclc@yahoo.com
Location #2: SEIU 521, 1811 Sunnyside Ave., Visalia
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:30-8PM
Contact: Adam Urrutia, 559-635-3735
Kern-Inyo-Mono Labor Council
Location: Labor Council, 200 West Jeffery Street, Bakersfield
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5-7:30pm
Contact: Rob England, 661-364-7101
Tri-Counties Labor Council
Location: Labor Council, 816 Camarillo Springs Road, Ste #G in Camarillo
Tuesday 6/14, 5-8PM
Contact: Marilyn Valenzuela, 805-987-0101 or marewol@aol.com
Orange County Labor Federation
Location: Hometown Buffet, 1008 17th Street, Santa Ana
6/15 and 6/29, 530-8pm
Contact: Jacob Regalado, 619-847-9339 or jregalado@seiu1000.org
San Diego-Imperial Labor Council
Location: Labor Council, 3737 Camino Del Rio South, Suite 403, San Diego
Mondays and Tuesdays, 5-8PM
Contact: Elizabeth Newman, (619) 283-5411 or enewman@unionyes.org
San Bernardino-Riverside Labor Council
Location, date and time TBD
Contact: Laurie Stalnaker, (909) 825-7871 or sbrivclc@earthlink.net
Precinct Walk Times/Locations:
Berryhill SD14/ Berryhill AD26
June 11th, 10-230pm
Location: CSEA River Delta Field Office, 5375 West Lane in Stockton
Contact: Jared Rivera 323.217.3430 jrivera@seiucal.org
Canella SD12/Berrythill AD26
June 11th, 10-230pm
Location: North Valley Labor Federation, 538 McHenry Ave. in Modesto
Contact: Alma Hernandez, 213-359-8070 or ahernandez@seiucal.org
Conway AD 34
June 11th, 9-1pm
Location: SEIU 521, 1811 Sunnyside Ave, Visalia
Contact: Adam Urrutia, 559-635-373
Healthy Skepticism of Education Entrepreneurship - E.D. Kain - American Times - Forbes
Healthy Skepticism of Education Entrepreneurship - E.D. Kain - American Times - Forbes
Healthy Skepticism of Education Entrepreneurship
Rick Hess has words of wisdom:
Sigh… Look, Sal Khan is clearly smart as hell, a Renaissance guy, and a terrific teacher. But what he’s done, more or less, is make a bunch of excellent lectures available on YouTube. That’s an excellent development, and a promising platform. In the vernacular of my Education Unbound, it’s a textbook example of a brilliantly executed 1% solution. Where I get lost is why the hype portrays this as so radical and newsworthy. We don’t see medical device makers on TV or in
The Right Way to Approach School Reform
Kris Amundson sums it up:
Walker’s approve-disapprove rating now stands at 43-53. Kasich faces an even bigger deficit—just 33 percent of Ohio voters approve of his on-the-job performance, while 56 percent disapprove. In Florida, Rick Scott has a 29 – 57 percent gap. (Scott, you may recall, was elected with less than 50 percent of the vote in a very close election.)
But is their unpopularity due primarily to pushing for big changes in K-12 education? Or is the answer more complicated than that?
For an answer, we might take a look at what’s happening in Illinois. Conveniently situated between
Modern School: Unions Strike Out With Big Bankrolls and Tactical Bankruptcy
Modern School: Unions Strike Out With Big Bankrolls and Tactical Bankruptcy
Unions Strike Out With Big Bankrolls and Tactical Bankruptcy
California’s largest labor union, the SEIU, is planning on making big donations to “moderate” Republicans, in a sign that mainstream unionism is for all practical purposes dead. It’s not so much that they are supporting Republicans, who are infamous for their disdain for unions, but that they continue to labor under the delusion that they can purchase the loyalty of politicians of any stripe. In this case, the SEIU believes that by supporting “moderate” Republicans they can purchase their support for regressive tax extensions that would essentially buy the state one more year of the status quo and save a few jobs and services, primarily on the backs of the state’s poorest and most vulnerable residents.
According to the Bay Citizen, the SEIU has created a new political action committee that will make political donations exclusively to the GOP. Leaders of the union said they want to
School Tech Connect: It's The Management...
School Tech Connect: It's The Management...
It's The Management...
Via Small Talk, I saw this article about an obvious case of age discrimination in Chicago. Read the thing; it's appalling. There's just so much going on here, including the corrupt little you-scratch-my-back arrangement the U of C has with the former mayor, who uses the term "globalization" now with the same frequency with which Rudy Giuliani used to say "nine eleven."
Anyhow, Ben Joravsky writes well, as everyone knows, and I may be minimizing the importance of the "almost" in this sentence, but here's what he writes:
For me, it has a different effect-- it makes me want to make enough noise to get the raving, charter school
Anyhow, Ben Joravsky writes well, as everyone knows, and I may be minimizing the importance of the "almost" in this sentence, but here's what he writes:
I'd love to change to world
My favorite song by Ten Years After, with history of album covers, concert posters, famous art and band member portriats.
Lyrics:
Everywhere is freaks and hairies
Dykes and fairies, tell me where is sanity
Tax the rich, feed the poor
Till there are no rich no more
Id love to change the world
But I dont know what to do
So Ill leave it up to you
Population keeps on breeding
Nation bleeding, still more feeding economy
Life is funny, skies are sunny
Bees make honey, who needs money, monopoly
Id love to change the world
But I dont know what to do
So Ill leave it up to you
World pollution, theres no solution
Institution, electrocution
Just black and white, rich or poor
Them and us, stop the war
Id love to change the world
But I dont know what to do
So Ill leave it up to you (more)
Schools Matter: Let's get serious about extending the school day
Schools Matter: Let's get serious about extending the school day
Let's get serious about extending the school day
Let's get serious about extending the school day
Sent to the Chicago Tribune, June 10, 2011
It was inspiring to read Jean-Claude Brizard's bold suggestion that Chicago extend the school day ("A push for longer school days," June 10). Proposals to extend the school day by 30 minutes or even an hour, however, fall far short of what is needed.
Let's push ahead and consider an even longer day.
A study published in the Journal of Irreproducible Results in 1991 concluded
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Two looks at the Marshall High "turnaround"
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Two looks at the Marshall High "turnaround"
Two looks at the Marshall High "turnaround"
 | |
| Marshall teacher Anthony Skokna, fired for being a veteran teacher who earned too much. |
The first is from Ben Joravsky at the Reader:
It's curious, this double standard we have when it comes to cracking down on low-scoring schools. The man in charge of the system retires with, among other things, a well-paid, do-little position at one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Meanwhile, the teacher on the front line winds
And the Most Overhyped Edu-Entrepreneur of the Moment Is...? :: Frederick M. Hess
And the Most Overhyped Edu-Entrepreneur of the Moment Is...? :: Frederick M. Hess
And the Most Overhyped Edu-Entrepreneur of the Moment Is...?
by Frederick M. Hess • Jun 10, 2011 at 10:22 am
Cross-posted from Education Week
 Print |  Send |  RSS |
ShareI'm up here today at UPenn's "NEST" gathering (Networking Ed Entrepreneurs for Social Transformation). Last night, after the opening dinner, a slew of interesting folks headed out for shop talk and Game 5 of Heat-Mavs. Given my knack for annoying my friends, I found myself wondering aloud about a question that a person of discretion really shouldn't ask at a gathering of entrepreneurs: namely, who's the most overhyped edu-entrepreneur of the moment?
Now, I always say that you can't much blame the hypee for being overhyped. Any smart entrepreneur is going to take advantage of opportunities to extend their work, so they're hardly to blame for taking advantage of a hype machine that's mostly the product of lazy journalists, fad-embracing reformers, thrill-seeking philanthropists, and wishful thinking. Nonetheless, the disappointing reality is how often we've taken terrific ideas and turned them into disappointments by blowing them up into fads.
Folks had various thoughts on the matter. But I won't put anyone else on the spot. Instead, for what it's worth,
Promised Raises Haunt Pink Slip Debate voiceofsandiego.org: Education
voiceofsandiego.org: EducationPromised Raises Haunt Pink Slip Debate Read the rest of this article
Audit: Student Governments Lacked Cash Receipts Read the rest of this article
When budget cuts menaced San Diego Unified last spring, the school board struck a tit-for-tat deal to get out of the hole. Employees agreed to take furloughs that shortened the school year by five days and cut their pay for two years. After that, San Diego Unified would gradually increase their pay roughly 7 percent.
The tradeoff for workers from custodians to principals was clear: Take a cut now but get more money later. It hinged on the hope that school funding would start to recover before the raises went into effect.
Now, less than a year and a half later, school board members who struck the deal are seeking to amend it, saying they fear the district's financial situation could be worse than they'd hoped. San Diego Unified is pressing its unions to put off those raises as it projects future shortfalls ranging from $25 million to $97 million. The board believes it could afford to cancel hundreds of layoffs if it delays the raises.
More than half of student governments at San Diego Unified middle and high schools that were checked by outside auditors don't keep adequate records for receiving cash, according to a preliminary audit.
When outside auditors checked on more than two dozen schools, they found that middle and high school student governments often lacked receipts or other documents to ensure the money was accounted for. Heather Daud, audit supervisor at Christy White Accountancy, said the school clerks know the rules, but often have trouble ensuring that other people follow them.
"People are handing them money without proper backup," Daud told a school district committee.
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