Support PURE! » My coffee with an SFC creep

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » My coffee with an SFC creep:

My coffee with an SFC creep

by admin

Yesterday I had coffee (well, more on that later) with a top organizer for Chicago’s astroturf branch of Stand for Children. He had asked to meet in response to my blog about SFC’s recent telephone blitz in Chicago’s West and South sides (using an Oregon phone number, by the way). My post questioned the stated purpose of the calls, which they claimed were to “listen to and help parents.”

I wasn’t sure what his agenda would be. Maybe he would try to spread some rich SFC public relations fertilizer. Maybe he was on a fishing expedition to see if he could get me to talk about our anti-corporate reform strategies.

I was pretty sure, though, that he would start out with an attempt at the classic organizer “one-on-one” in which

Modern School: Tenure Becoming Thing of the Past

Modern School: Tenure Becoming Thing of the Past:

Tenure Becoming Thing of the Past

by Michael Dunn

A recent analysis by the National Council on Teacher Quality indicates that tenure protections are rapidly being eroded nationally, with several states having essentially nullified tenure entirely, according to the AP.

The primary way in which tenure is being weakened is by linking evaluations, layoffs and pay to student performance. In 2009, for example, no state required student performance to be a part of tenure decisions. Today, eight states do, with four states now requiring evidence that students are learning before awarding tenure.

• Florida: tenure was essentially made null and void by eliminating tenure-like benefits

Approaching the end of my teaching career and labeled “toxic.” « Fred Klonsky

Approaching the end of my teaching career and labeled “toxic.” « Fred Klonsky:

Approaching the end of my teaching career and labeled “toxic.”

by Fred Klonsky

I didn’t want it to end this way.

After nearly 30 years of teaching I will be retiring in June.

And I’ve loved doing what I do.

I loved it a lot last night. My last school Open House. My room was filled with kids, parents and grandparents coming and going. I just sat by the door of my room and greeted people.

I kind of felt melancholy as kids introduced me to their younger pre-school siblings who for the first time I knew I

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Why the Washington State Charter Bills are Flawed

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Why the Washington State Charter Bills are Flawed:

Why the Washington State Charter Bills are Flawed

by Melissa Westbrook

Senator Rodney Tom, one of the sponsors of the Senate charter bill, has been sending out a form letter to those who write him and are against his bill. Here is some of what he says and I'm going to answer some of his issues in explaining why this bill is flawed and should not even come up for a vote in the Legislature.

I’m surprised by the veracity of the pushback on charter schools. We’ve been very upfront in that they are a very limited component to improving our education system. Why ten new schools per year out of 2271 schools would be such a threat to the system is a telltale sign how engrained we are with the status quo.

I'm a little unclear on why he used the work "veracity" as it means truthfulness so maybe it was a slip of the tongue. The Senator is quite right about only 10 schools per year but he also knows that he is creating a LAW, not a pilot project. Just "trying them" as so many have stated is not really the case when you create a law.

In fact, of the state’s 22 innovation schools recently recognized by OSPI, only five had free and reduced lunch

NYC Public School Parents: High school students tell Mayor Bloomberg why he should not close their schools

NYC Public School Parents: High school students tell Mayor Bloomberg why he should not close their schools:

High school students tell Mayor Bloomberg why he should not close their schools

by Leonie Haimson

NYC high school students from the Schomburg Satellite Academy, Herbert Lehman HS, Samuel Gompers HS, and Legacy HS -- among the 62 schools threatened with closure or truncation -- tell Mayor Bloomberg why he should not close their schools.

If you are a student (or parent) at one of the schools threatened with closure, and you want your voice heard, please have a friend videotape you while you are explaining to the Mayor why your school should be saved. Post the video on YouTube and send us the link (leonie@classsizematters.org and admin@nystudentsfirst.org , and we will post them on our websites. Thanks!

Bee exclusive: Former CSBA exec's pension slashed after audit - Sacramento Bee

Bee exclusive: Former CSBA exec's pension slashed after audit - Sacramento Politics - California Politics | Sacramento Bee:

Bee exclusive: Former CSBA exec's pension slashed after audit

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By Melody Gutierrez
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

Published: Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 - 12:00 am | Page 1A

Last Modified: Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 - 9:59 am

The former executive director of the California School Boards Association who retired amid a financial scandal involving his pay and bonuses will have his pension reduced by 65 percent, the state pension fund said.

A California Public Employees' Retirement System audit to be released today concluded thatScott Plotkin's pension was improperly inflated over a period of years by excessive raises that were granted out of public purview. Based on that finding, the auditors said, the raises cannot be counted toward retirement calculations.

Ask Dr. Judy Webinar: What Neuro-logical Emotional Interventions Promote Growth Mindset, Academic, Social, and Emotional Success? « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education

Ask Dr. Judy Webinar: What Neuro-logical Emotional Interventions Promote Growth Mindset, Academic, Social, and Emotional Success? « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education:

Ask Dr. Judy Webinar: What Neuro-logical Emotional Interventions Promote Growth Mindset, Academic, Social, and Emotional Success?

by Klea Scharberg

Join renowned author, neurologist, and teacher Judy Willis for an exciting free webinar to learn which “neuro logical” strategies encourage information to pass through the brain’s emotional filters to reach the most powerful cognitive control centers in the prefrontal cortex.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 3:00 p.m. eastern time
Register now!

Discover the the interventions that reverse negativity, promote positive attitudes, increase participation, and build student confidence to persevere through challenges.

Connect with Willis on ASCD EDge and on her website, RADTeach.com. Watch her archived webinars below:

Explore forthcoming and archived ASCD webinars.

NEW DETAILS: President Obama to Host White House Science Fair | The White House

NEW DETAILS: President Obama to Host White House Science Fair | The White House:

NEW DETAILS: President Obama to Host White House Science Fair

by The White House

Release Time:

For Immediate Release

Event Will Highlight Winners of National Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Competitions

WASHINGTON, DC -- On Tuesday, February 7th, President Obama will host the second White House Science Fair celebrating the student winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions from across the country. The President will also announce key steps that the Administration and its partners are taking to help more students excel in math and science, and earn degrees in these subjects.

At the fair, the President will view exhibits of student work, ranging from breakthrough research to new inventions, followed by remarks to an audience of students, science educators and business leaders on the importance of STEM education to the country’s economic future.

The President hosted the first-ever White House Science Fair in late 2010, fulfilling a commitment he made at the launch of his Educate to Innovate campaign to inspire students to excel in math and science. As the President noted then, “If you win the NCAA championship, you come to the White House. Well, if you're a young person and you produce the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too.” In addition, over the past year, the President met with the three young women who won the Google Science Fair, met a student robotics team on his bus tour through North Carolina and Virginia, and made a surprise appearance at the New York City Science Fai

School Nurses Become Medical Safety Net - New America Media

School Nurses Become Medical Safety Net - New America Media:

School Nurses Become Medical Safety Net

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Vida en El Valle , News Report, Rebecca Plevin, Posted: Feb 03, 2012

NEWMAN, Calif.--When Bernice Arnett accepted a school nurse position with the Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District seven years ago, people suggested the job would entail little more than applying Band-Aids to boo-boos.

But as the sole medical provider for seven schools in the west Stanislaus County district--where about 70 percent of the 2,841 students are Latino and about 75 percent of students receive free or reduced-price meals--Arnett's job has been far from simple.

"It is a kaleidoscope," Arnett said one Tuesday afternoon in January, between providing ice packs

DEMOCRATS VS REPUBLICANS – A SOLUTION ? « Teachers Fight Back

DEMOCRATS VS REPUBLICANS – A SOLUTION ? « Teachers Fight Back:

DEMOCRATS VS REPUBLICANS – A SOLUTION ?

by alkleen

Sorry to enter the world of politics, but we have to find a compromise between Democrats and Republicans, so here it is.

The poor and the needy continue to receive all the assistance that they are currently getting from the government. However, anyone receiving any form of assistance from the government must pay the government back in the most convenient, creative way possible. Here are some examples:

If a family of four has been receiving food stamps for a long time, when their two children become adults, they will be required to join the military for one or two years. Their pay in the military will be reduced proportionately by

Weekly Update, Week of January 30th: The Troubles in Tucson, Pushback, the Broad Borg and More | Seattle Education

Weekly Update, Week of January 30th: The Troubles in Tucson, Pushback, the Broad Borg and More | Seattle Education:

Weekly Update, Week of January 30th: The Troubles in Tucson, Pushback, the Broad Borg and More

by seattleducation2011

It seems that all eyes are focused on Tucson now and for very good reason. The powers that be in Tucson have banned books and closed the Ethnic Studies department of all the schools in that district. As I posted last Friday in the weekly update Weekly Update, January 27, 2012: In Tucson racism is alive and well, Rahm bus(ted) in Chicago and other stories in education:

The powers that be thought that all they had to do was ban a few books and close the Ethnic

A Teacher Opts Her Child Out of the Florida State Test | United Opt Out National

A Teacher Opts Her Child Out of the Florida State Test | United Opt Out National:

A Teacher Opts Her Child Out of the Florida State Test

by admin

This interview was first shared at Peggy Robertson’s blog, Peg with Pen.

The following is an interview with Ceresta Smith, a mother and National Board Certified Educator in the state of Florida, who chose to opt her child out of the state test. Ceresta is also one of the founders of United Opt Out National.

What events and information led you to make the decision to opt your child out of the state test?

My initial wake-up call was when Jeb Bush’s A+ Plan and NCLB introduced high

Missouri Education Watchdog: Does Actually Getting It Right Even Matter Any More?

Missouri Education Watchdog: Does Actually Getting It Right Even Matter Any More?:

Does Actually Getting It Right Even Matter Any More?

by Anngie

Character education has focused on building a student's self esteem, primarily by never criticizing or even critiquing what they do. Everything is good. Just making the effort is good. Actual success in what they are doing is secondary. We have raised a generation of kids who think everything they do, no matter how lame, trite, cliched or even inaccurate is good. They have little or no experience with someone pointing out these flaws because the system graded them with a happy purple pen and extended them multiple tries to "get it right" in a skewed view that this was education. We are now seeing the quality of what this generation produces. I think we need to bring back the red pen.

The movie "American Teacher" is making the rounds in many cities, usually for a one night showing. The movie is about The Equity Project, TEP, a

RheeFirst! » Rhee security detailed hired. Duct-taped protesters deemed dangerous.

RheeFirst! » Rhee security detailed hired. Duct-taped protesters deemed dangerous.:

Rhee security detailed hired. Duct-taped protesters deemed dangerous.

by admin

Read the entire letter here.
“In order to insure order outside and inside the theater, I’ve hired security people who will be with us all week to provide protection for Michelle Rhee and to provide services as needed to guarantee your safety and enjoyment.“

Legislative Action Alert: Contact Washington State Committee Members Now | Seattle Education

Legislative Action Alert: Contact Washington State Committee Members Now | Seattle Education:

Legislative Action Alert: Contact Washington State Committee Members Now

by seattleducation2011

This alert first and then the next post will be the Weekly Update. I promise.

The charter school bill is still in the Senate education committee as I write this and the following members are pushing hard for it. Please contact the following State Senators this afternoon and let them know where youstand on the bill.

Rodney.Tom@leg.wa.gov

Steve.Litzow@leg.wa.gov;

king.curtis@leg.wa.gov;

joe.fain@leg.wa.gov;

andy.hill@leg.wa.gov;

Steve.Hobbs@leg.wa.gov;

Dora

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Afternoon Posts 2-3 #ows #edreform

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Contact Senate Ed Committee Members Today

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 26 minutes ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Contact Senate Ed Committee Members Today:Contact Senate Ed Committee Members Todayby Melissa WestbrookToday is the last day to bring bills out of committee and there still has not been movement on the charter bill in the Senate. I urge you to express your opinion as soon as possible. Below are the members of the Senate committee. Chairman Rosemary McAuliffe needs as much support as possible. One of the sponors of the bill, Rodney Tom, is on ... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: ALEC Education "Academy" Launches on Island Resort

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 26 minutes ago

Schooling in the Ownership Society: ALEC Education "Academy" Launches on Island Resort:ALEC Education "Academy" Launches on Island Resortby Mike KlonskyRitz-Carlton in Amelia Island, Florida.Yesterday, hundreds of state legislators from across the nation gathered at an "island" resort on the coast of Florida for a so-called "education academy" sponsored by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). There were no students or teachers invited to the Ritz resort. Instead, legislators, representatives from right-wing think tanks and for-profit education corporations met behind cl... more »

Life in Rahm’s Chicago. Friday edition. « Fred Klonsky

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 26 minutes ago

Life in Rahm’s Chicago. Friday edition. « Fred Klonsky:Life in Rahm’s Chicago. Friday edition.by Fred KlonskyJuan Williams thinks Rahm and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie belong on the honor roll of education reformers.And I guess so do I.Or maybe not the honor roll.More like the dishonor roll.Williams and Rahm appear together on an anti-union, anti-public school video put out by the right-wing Education Action Group, home of Ben Velderman and Kyle Olson (my stalkers).Are sick days a “perk” or deferred ... more »

Q & A: Former Assistant Education Secretary Diane Ravitch on Why She Changed Her Mind | StateImpact Ohio

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 26 minutes ago

Q A: Former Assistant Education Secretary Diane Ravitch on Why She Changed Her Mind | StateImpact Ohio:Q A: Former Assistant Education Secretary Diane Ravitch on Why She Changed Her MindFEBRUARY 3, 2012 | 6:00 AMBY IDA LIESZKOVSZKYIDA LIESZKOVSZKY / STATEIMPACT: OHIODiane Ravitch is an education historian and the former Assistant U.S. Secretary of Education.Controversial education advocate Diane Ravitch is spending the day in Cleveland to talk about school reform.The one-time supporter of school choice and standardized testing now backs teacher ... more »

HBCUs and black education in America | Star-Exponent

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 26 minutes ago

HBCUs and black education in America | Star-Exponent:HBCUs and black education in AmericaBy: Preserving History - Zann Nelson | Culpeper Star Exponent Published: February 03, 2012» 0 Comments | Post a CommentThe acronym HBCUs is deeply rooted in American history and represents an almost endless wealth of stories encapsulated in the full title of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.Institutions of higher learning dedicated to the education of primarily black students in America established a presence long before the abolition of ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm's imposed longer school day -- "Messing up what works"

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 26 minutes ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm's imposed longer school day -- "Messing up what works":Rahm's imposed longer school day -- "Messing up what works"by Mike Klonsky“They [CPS officials] should look at the quality of the school day, not the quantity. ... If the system is working for Northside, why do they want to mess up what works?” -- Northside College Prep parentNorthside College PrepThe elite public schools in Chicago want no part of Rahm's longer school day boondoggle. For one thing, ... more »

Newark Public Schools: Let’s Just Close the Poor Schools and Replace them with Less Poor Ones? « School Finance 101

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 26 minutes ago

Newark Public Schools: Let’s Just Close the Poor Schools and Replace them with Less Poor Ones? « School Finance 101:Newark Public Schools: Let’s Just Close the Poor Schools and Replace them with Less Poor Ones?by schoolfinance101This week started with several individuals from the Washington DC area asking if I would address a school closure/turnaround report produced by an outside consulting firm on contract with the DC Public Schools (as I understand it). That consulting firm basically made a map of ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top 2-3 Mid Morning Posts #ows #edreform

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 26 minutes ago

New York Teacher | EdwizeBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-10 hours agoNew York Teacher | Edwize:New York Teacherby W.J. LevayHighlights from the Feb. 2 issue of New York Teacher:Schools with high-needs students most likely to face axTen years into Bloomberg’s education reforms, the New York City school system has come full circle and is now shutting down new high schools at the same rate as old ones. High schools established by Bloomberg represent about 40 percent of all existing ... more »

Carrots, Sticks, & the Bully Pulpit :: Frederick M. Hess

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 26 minutes ago

Carrots, Sticks, the Bully Pulpit :: Frederick M. Hess:Carrots, Sticks, the Bully Pulpitby Frederick M. Hess • Feb 3, 2012 at 9:23 amCross-posted from Education Week Print Send RSS ShareInteresting day at AEI on Wednesday. Hosted a lively discussion on "Education 2012: What the Election Year Will Mean for Education Policy," looking at what the year ahead holds for education in Washington and nationally. I was joined by a wickedly smart crew that featured Democrats for Ed Reform chief Joe ... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Red flag flying at Davos? #ows

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 26 minutes ago

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Red flag flying at Davos?:Red flag flying at Davos?by Mike KlonskyFunny -- Occupiers at Camp Igloo have Davos billionaires quoting Marx. Andy Robinson, in The Nation, reports:CEOs and private-equity fund managers—even some of the seventy Forbes billionaires attending—interrupted their search for distressed assets in the eurozone this year to attend lectures by grim-faced New York University economist and Davos regular Nouriel Roubini or Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz. More than half the 1,200 investors, analysts ... more »

New York Teacher | Edwize

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 16 hours ago

New York Teacher | Edwize:New York Teacherby W.J. LevayHighlights from the Feb. 2 issue of New York Teacher:Schools with high-needs students most likely to face axTen years into Bloomberg’s education reforms, the New York City school system has come full circle and is now shutting down new high schools at the same rate as old ones. High schools established by Bloomberg represent about 40 percent of all existing high schools and 38 percent of the high schools on the closing ... more »

Join Arne for a Twitter Town Hall on Hispanic Education | ED.gov Blog

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 16 hours ago

Join Arne for a Twitter Town Hall on Hispanic Education | ED.gov Blog:Join Arne for a Twitter Town Hall on Hispanic EducationPosted on February 2, 2012 by dterryTo follow up on the President’s State of the Union Address—in which critical topics like college affordability, dropout rates, teachers, and job training were addressed—Secretary Duncan will engage with the Hispanic community through a Twitter town hall at 3:00 p.m. ET on February 8. The conversation on Twitter will be conducted in both ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Evening Posts #ows #edreform 1-12

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 16 hours ago

Many in Rosemont Consider Waldorf-Style School - Rosemont, CA PatchBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-4 minutes agoMany in Rosemont Consider Waldorf-Style School - Rosemont, CA Patch:Many in Rosemont Consider Waldorf-Style SchoolMany families from the Rosemont area send their kids to George Washington Carver School of Arts and Science in Rancho Cordova.By Cody KitauraEmail the author11:15 am Email Print Comment PHOTOS (6) Upload Photos and VideosNote: This is the second part in a series about enrollment at Rosemont High School ... more »

Apple, Textbooks and the Education-Industrial Complex | Lefty Parent

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 16 hours ago

Apple, Textbooks and the Education-Industrial Complex | Lefty Parent:Apple, Textbooks and the Education-Industrial Complexby Cooper ZaleApple has certainly come a long way as the corporate insurgent (capturing the imagination of my kids and many of their peers) challenging and now outperforming “the man” Microsoft of the computer industry. Of course, Apple has sought brand loyalty from the younger generation for years by marketing their computers to schools, to put them in front of all those young consumers cloistered in those ... more »

Oakland gets serious about school food - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 16 hours ago

Oakland gets serious about school food - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools:Oakland gets serious about school foodWednesday, February 1st, 2012 at 6:36 pm in health2 Comments »photo by D. Ross Cameron/StaffFor the first time in 15 years, the federal government has rewritten the rules for what must — and can’t — be served in its public school lunchrooms. Meanwhile, some OUSD staff, parents and local organizations are formulating some plans of their own, which they ... more »

RheeFirst! » One more myth (about Rhee) bites the dust

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 16 hours ago

RheeFirst! » One more myth (about Rhee) bites the dust:One more myth (about Rhee) bites the dustby adminWritten by Guy Brandenburg for his blog. Read the entire post here.“‘Former D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee [...] failed miserably — as she conceded — in recruiting and training great principals, the key to turning a school around. She relied on a slapdash recruitment process and her instincts about which of the administrators she interviewed would be good and which wouldn’t.’What’s more, Rhee ... more »

Many in Rosemont Consider Waldorf-Style School - Rosemont, CA Patch

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 21 hours ago

Many in Rosemont Consider Waldorf-Style School - Rosemont, CA Patch:Many in Rosemont Consider Waldorf-Style SchoolMany families from the Rosemont area send their kids to George Washington Carver School of Arts and Science in Rancho Cordova.By Cody KitauraEmail the author11:15 am Email Print Comment PHOTOS (6) Upload Photos and VideosNote: This is the second part in a series about enrollment at Rosemont High School and Albert Einstein Middle School. Click here to read part one.For many parents, one of the main ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Afternoon Posts 2-2 #ows #edreform

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 21 hours ago

How Race to the Top is like ‘Queen for a Day’ - The Answer Sheet - The Washington PostBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-22 minutes agoHow Race to the Top is like ‘Queen for a Day’ - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:How Race to the Top is like ‘Queen for a Day’by Valerie StraussThis was written by James Arnold, superintendent of Pelham City Schools in Pelham, Ga.By James ArnoldHow wonderful it was when we were told that ... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: The Global Agenda in America and the Players Setting the Educational Agenda for your Human Capital

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 21 hours ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: The Global Agenda in America and the Players Setting the Educational Agenda for your Human Capital:The Global Agenda in America and the Players Setting the Educational Agenda for your Human Capitalby stlgretchenWhen I turn on my computer every morning, I wonder what information I will find today relating to education or other matters. When we first started the blog a couple of years ago, there wasn't much on the common core standards, longitudinal data system, etc. But ... more »

Noam Chomsky: The Purpose of Education - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 21 hours ago

Noam Chomsky: The Purpose of Education - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.:Noam Chomsky: The Purpose of Educationby CJ Westerberg"Education is really aimed at helping students get to the pointwhere they can learn on their own. . . " - Noam Chomsky Video BelowNoam Chomsky, Institute Professor and Professor Emeritus at MIT, presented "The Purpose of Education" recently at the "Learning without Frontiers" Conference in London.Video runs about 20 minutes and topics include the role of technology and ... more