Saturday, September 1, 2012

Diane in the Afternoon 9-1-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Why Did We Forget About Integration?

by dianerav

A good discussion on NPR about an important issue that has been swept under the rug.
The combination of racial segregation and poverty is toxic.

Maybe Choosing Schools Is Like Choosing Toothpaste?

by dianerav

Deborah Meier writes to comment on Jeb Bush’s claim that choosing schools should be like choosing milk. Could have said cereal. There, two or three corporations own all the different brands.
Re Jeb Bush’s analogy—choosing schools is like choosing milk as you wander down the aisle. Among the

A New Set of Class Rules

by dianerav

Gary Stager is visiting a tiny nation abroad, whose name I can’t spell without peeking, and it has adopted a new Constitution.
Gary says that teachers could save a lot of time if they simply adopted the Constitution of Uzupis and used it as their class rules.

The Biggest Lie about Unions

by dianerav

A reader responds to someone who lambasted the unions for preventing the firing of bad teachers:
Only poor administrators can’t fire poor teachers. There has never been a union contract anywhere, ever that didn’t allow for a competent principal to remove an incompetent tenured teacher. And it’s even easier to just

A Brave State School Board Member

by dianerav

Lottie Beebe, an elected member of the state school board in Louisiana, spoke out bravely at the last meeting.
She decried the privatization of public education.
She questioned why the state was spending nearly $1 million to bring in ill-trained TFA members even as districts are paying an additional $2,000-4,000 for each TFA recruit.
She asked why the board had hired a TFA person to be its executive director.

Peg with Pen: Sitting Ducks in Suburbia

Peg with Pen: Sitting Ducks in Suburbia:

Sitting Ducks in Suburbia

by Peggy

I attended my son’s middle school Back to School Night this past week; you may recall that this is Sam’s first year in a public school. I especially enjoy these events because as a former public school teacher, I enjoy hearing teachers speak, I love being in their classrooms and I most definitely want to let them know I appreciate their talents, education, dedication and time spent working with our children.

During my fifteen years of teaching my last five were spent teaching teachers and administrators in the public schools. A few of my responsibilities included training teacher leaders in the classroom, supporting administrators in classroom observation as well as

The Weekly Update: Rallies at the DNC, it’s all about the money for some folks and Michelle Rhee & ALEC – a marriage made in… | Seattle Education

The Weekly Update: Rallies at the DNC, it’s all about the money for some folks and Michelle Rhee & ALEC – a marriage made in… | Seattle Education:

The Weekly Update: Rallies at the DNC, it’s all about the money for some folks and Michelle Rhee & ALEC – a marriage made in…

by seattleducation2011

The Weekly Update for the news you might have missed

Check out their Facebook page.
Action Alert: Rally at the DNC!

Parents Across America founding member, Pamela Grundy, is one of the organizers of the following events that will occur in Charlotte, NC next week.
To follow is the information.
Rally for Public Education at the Democratic National Convention
MecklenburgACTS.org
Our nation’s public schools face tremendous challenges. Parents, educators, communities and elected officials need to work TOGETHER to build the schools that will prepare our children to face a changing world.
Unfortunately, too much precious time, energy and money has been sidetracked by policies that harm

PAA’s Parent Online Toolkit for the WBD* movie and beyond « Parents Across America

PAA’s Parent Online Toolkit for the WBD* movie and beyond « Parents Across America:

PAA’s Parent Online Toolkit for the WBD* movie and beyond

by pureparents

Parents Across America is a network of active parents doing the hard work of change in our public schools. We know that our schools need help. Knowing what to do is the problem. Knowing what works in improving schools is even more important.

We know that most parents don’t want to close their schools or turn them into charters. They want to improve their local neighborhood public schools by stopping budget cuts, reducing class size, de-emphasizing high stakes testing, offering a well-rounded education and strengthening parent participation.

PAA has put together a Parent Toolkit to give you some background information on the fictional “Won’t Back Down”* movie and some suggestions on how to get organized and help your children and their schools succeed.

1- Learn the facts about the “Won’t Back Down” movie

Want to know more about “Won’t Back Down” and the parent trigger laws that inspired it? Read these PAA materials:

What Parents need to know: FAQ “Won’t Back Down” & Parent Trigger
Beyond the parent trigger hype & propaganda: Just the Facts
PAA founding member Rita Solnet’s review of the movie: What’s NOT in the Won’t Back Down Movie
PAA on the parent trigger.

2- Demand a stronger voice in school decision making

In some cities, there are school based councils made up of parents and teachers that drive important decisions at the school level. In Chicago they are called Local School Councils (LSCs). Research shows that struggling Chicago schools have made much better progress under LSC leadership than with district intervention.

Here’s more about how this strategy works: Parents Across America on the Empowerment Parents Want: The LSC model for School Reform – A Real, Effective Voice in our Children’s Education

3 – Join with other parents!

You are not alone! Visit our web site, www.parentsacrossamerica, to learn more about our national network. Sign up for PAA’s mailing list here and weekly newsletter here to help you stay informed.

Consider setting up a PAA chapter in your area. We will help you reach out to other parents and support your local actions with fact sheets, position papers, media help, etc.Here’s how.

4- Know what works –and what doesn’t work – in improving schools!

Read PAA’s statement on” What Works and What Doesn’t Work.”

Read and share our fact sheets on effective school improvement strategies:

PAA on Reforming ESEA
Research showing NCLB Doesn’t Work and PAA Positions Do
Why Class Size Matters
Parents’ Rights and the Value of Parent Involvement
Ignoring Poverty Doesn’t Work
Why More Standardized Tests Won’t Improve Education
Tying Teacher Salaries to Test Scores Doesn’t Work
How Teaching Experience Makes a Difference
Visit www.parentsacrossamerica for more resources.

Questions? E-mail us at info@parentsacrossamerica.org

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Global Learning: Helping to Prevent "The Ugly American" Stereotype!

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Global Learning: Helping to Prevent "The Ugly American" Stereotype!:

Global Learning: Helping to Prevent "The Ugly American" Stereotype!

by Lisa M

"I have a nosy wife".

My husband and I were sitting in the Windjammer Cafe on the Royal Carribean's Explorer of the Seas.
And I was doing what I usually do when I am around a large number of people. In between conversing with my hubby, I listen to conversations taking place around me.

So while ~~eavesdropping~~,listening, I heard a conversation between a man, who was sitting with his son, and the

GOP Divided on ObamaCore | Truth in American Education

GOP Divided on ObamaCore | Truth in American Education:

GOP Divided on ObamaCore

by Shane Vander Hart

It is so good for EdWeek to point out that yes there is dissention in the ranks. Not all Republicans have bought into Governor Jeb Bush’s vision of education reform, as far as, national standards are concerned.

On the one hand, there’s Jeb Bush, a key Romney surrogate and the former GOP governor of Florida. He points out that a majority of GOP governors have embraced the standards. And then you’ve got Gayle Ruzeicka, president of the Utah Eagle Forum, and a delegate to the Republican National Convention.
“We call it Obama Core,” she told me in an interview on the convention floor Monday, an obvious play on “Obamacare,” GOP activists’ name for the president’s landmark health care law. “It’s been

Jeb Bush ‘s Irrational and Potentially Catastrophic Exercise in Hubris | Scathing Purple Musings

Jeb Bush ‘s Irrational and Potentially Catastrophic Exercise in Hubris | Scathing Purple Musings:

Jeb Bush ‘s Irrational and Potentially Catastrophic Exercise in Hubris

by Bob Sikes

Jeb Bush’s predictable RNC performance centered on school choice with a dash of teacher union bash. The later, red meat for the GOP base; the former, code for vouchers with a lustful eye on total privatization of education. But Bush knows that his Florida test-based way is collapsing and he’s desperately trying to control the narrative with spin. He knows that for some republican voters, playing the union card enables justification of any means he chooses. It’s noteworthy that Bush never used the word “tests” during his speech.
Its understood that Bush needs his tests to be seen as holy writ to trigger privatization. While it’s becoming clear that it’s already occurring now in Florida via the for-profit charter school industry and the cash it’s pouring

THE “DISHONOR YOUR PROFESSION AWARD” « Teachers Fight Back

THE “DISHONOR YOUR PROFESSION AWARD” « Teachers Fight Back:

THE “DISHONOR YOUR PROFESSION AWARD”

by alkleen

Next to the Broad Prize the Charter School Emmy and the

DISHONOR YOUR PROFESSION AWARD are most

coveted prizes in all of Reformdumb

It’s time to create a new award. The “Dishonor Your Profession Award” will be given to teacher groups that agree to humiliating and degrading contracts.
The first award recipient is the Libertyville and Vernon Hills high school teachers who after six months of negotiations have agreed to a pathetic contract. The teachers accepted a salary increase of 3% in the first year, 2% in the second year, and no raise in the third year. A little more than one and a half percent for three years? What if the economy has improved by that third year? What if tax revenues are way up ?
The salary, while pathetic given six months of negotiation, is not the real reason for this group of teachers winning my award. The real reason is the humiliating agreement to a partial merit pay system. (See all my previous posts on why merit pay degrades teachers and is just plain wrong). In order to achieve some extra pay,

Stand in Solidarity with CTU: Action for the Week of 9/2/2012 | United Opt Out National

Stand in Solidarity with CTU: Action for the Week of 9/2/2012 | United Opt Out National:

Stand in Solidarity with CTU: Action for the Week of 9/2/2012

by admin

The Chicago Teachers Union stands up against the powers of fear, intimidation, coercion and oppression against the rights of children, teachers, parents and their communities. We support their courageous actions as they confront the education de/formers. CTU’s actions are a model for national action. CTU says “We have had enough!” And we agree with them. We hope more schools, teachers and communities will follow their lead.

United Opt Out National stands in solidarity with CTU as they draw on core values and principles, to fight for educational justice, and as they engage in aggressive unionism to protect worker’s rights. CTU’s struggle is our struggle and CTU’s victories are all of our victories. We stand as one.

Join us in our action for the week of September 2, 2012 and support their efforts by donating here.

GotJeb ? Diane Ravitch and Floridians Respond to Jeb Bush’s Speech about Education at the Republican National Convention. « Continuing Change

GotJeb ? Diane Ravitch and Floridians Respond to Jeb Bush’s Speech about Education at the Republican National Convention. « Continuing Change:

GotJeb ? Diane Ravitch and Floridians Respond to Jeb Bush’s Speech about Education at the Republican National Convention.

by gatorbonbc

Diane Ravitch responded to Jeb Bush’s speech at the Republican National Convention. Jeb compared public education to shopping for milk. Here is Ravitch’s blog response:
http://dianeravitch.net/2012/09/01/how-is-a-school-like-milk/
My comment?

Jeb’s connections to online ed for profit are well known in FL. See the link below for

NYC Public School Parents: New De Blasio study on inclusion: where are the parents, teachers and principals?

NYC Public School Parents: New De Blasio study on inclusion: where are the parents, teachers and principals?:

New De Blasio study on inclusion: where are the parents, teachers and principals?

by Leonie Haimson

There’s a new study put out by Public Advocate De Blasio’s office praising DOE’s inclusion program, based on the results of Phase I of their initiative. Today’s NYT carries an article about the reporthere. Interestingly, the author of the report only interviewed top brass at Tweed and cluster and network leaders. Not a single principal, teacher or parent, or student in any Phase I school was apparently consulted:

From September 2011 through January 2012, P&A conducted more than 40 structured confidential interviews of deputy chancellors, DOE central office staff, cluster and network leaders in Phase One, and others external to the DOE who have knowledge of Special Education Reform. …All network

Opponents of charter schools amendment say backers are... | www.ajc.com

Opponents of charter schools amendment say backers are... | www.ajc.com:

Opponents of charter schools amendment say backers are bullying, silencing them

SHARE
FAVORITE
VOTE (0)

By Wayne Washington

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991

Opponents of a proposed charter schools constitutional amendment say supporters of the amendment are using “bullying and intimidation” in an effort to shut down debate on the topic. Supporters say they are not, and there is no secret campaign to squelch debate about the amendment.

Those lined up against the proposed amendment, which would guarantee the state’s power to authorize and fund charter schools, say amendment supporters persuaded the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce to drop its opposition. Amendment opponents also claim the amendment supporters pushed Gwinnett Technical College to cancel a planning meeting opponents were

Back to school: Why public education is awesome (Julie Mack column) | MLive.com

Back to school: Why public education is awesome (Julie Mack column) | MLive.com:

Back to school: Why public education is awesome (Julie Mack column)

KALAMAZOO, MI -- Years ago, I interviewed a man who adopted a teenage boy from Central America. The boy had to adjust to life in Michigan, which included dealing with winters and going to a school where very few people spoke his language.

But surprisingly, the teen had boundless enthusiasm for the latter. In his home country, educational options were very limited for poor children. The child could hardly believe his good fortune is being able to attend a high school for free, a school that offered a broad curriculum and even provided the textbooks. What a privilege! What an opportunity! What a country!

American public education gets plenty of negative ink these days. It's regularly disparaged as a system mired in mediocrity and plagued by the chronic underachievement of poor and minority schoolchildren. There's plenty of angst over college-readiness rates, dropout numbers, America's

Saturday coffee. 9-1-12 « Fred Klonsky

Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky:

Saturday coffee.

by Fred Klonsky

Can we consider two stupid wars an entitlement?
Here’s why I ask.
The Illinois Policy Institute is a corporate think tank and lobbying outfit that has led the charge against public employee pensions in the state.
Today they link to a Wall Street Journal article that makes the claim that entitlements cost too much and are ruining the American character, whatever that means.

As Americans opt to reward themselves ever more lavishly with entitlement benefits, the question of how to pay for these government transfers inescapably

Cheating at Harvard.

Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 9 minutes ago

Did they cut the cahds in Hahvahd Yahd? Have you been following the story of the cheating scandal at Harvard? It’s kind of interesting. According to the NY Times, a group of 125 undergrads who were taking what we used to call a Micky Mouse course called Introduction to Congress are accused of cheating. “This [...]

Saturday coffee.

Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 43 minutes ago

Can we consider two stupid wars an entitlement? Here’s why I ask. The Illinois Policy Institute is a corporate think tank and lobbying outfit that has led the charge against public employee pensions in the state. Today they link to a Wall Street Journal article that makes the claim that entitlements cost too much and [...]

Ten minute drawing: The old man with no name.

Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 19 hours ago

Click on drawing to enlarge.

The in box. “I have two regrets about my early teaching career.”

Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 19 hours ago

Fred, I have two regrets about my early teaching career. The first is that I crossed a picket line during the CTU strike in 1980. I was employed as an FTB (full time basis sub) in my first job out of college. I wasn’t yet a Union member, but I should NEVER have crossed that [...]

Chicago. The whole world is watching again.

Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 20 hours ago

Photo: The Chicago Teachers Solidarity Campaign.

Quinn. The most anti-labor Illinois Governor. Ever.

Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 20 hours ago

Angry union members chase Governor Quinn out of the State Fair grounds. I got some written equivalents to a raised eyebrow when I referred to Pat Quinn as the most anti-labor Governor since World War II in a recent post. Did I overstate the matter? Not according to AFSCME, which sent this email out to [...]

Tony at the Red Line Tap.

Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 1 day ago

“Don’t sit on that stool,” Tony said. “Don’t you see that my pal Clint Eastwood is sitting there?” “Funny. But I can’t believe that you have watched the Republican Convention.” “Are you kidding? I make Marty turn it on every night. It’s the most entertaining thing on TV. Except for watching the Cubs lose.” “I [...]

CTU House of Delegates voting unanimously for a September 10th strike date.

Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 1 day ago

Chicago Teachers Union House of Delegates. August 30, 2012.

Brizard to be Rahm’s fall guy. CPS CEO to exit after a settlement is reached.

Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 1 day ago

As I reported a few weeks ago, CPS CEO JC Brizard appears to be on his way out. Rahm is looking for a fall guy for the mess he created. Brizard will be the one. The Chicago Tribune reports this morning. Two high-ranking education sources said Emanuel is unhappy with how Brizard executed the mayor’s [...]

Solidarity forever.

Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 1 day ago

I hope every retired teacher who reads this blog, IEA, IFT or unaffiliated, will join me on the picket lines in support of the Chicago Teachers Union on Monday, September 10th. Solidarity forever! Pete Seeger – H/T Jennifer.

Breaking: Chicago strike date set: Monday, September 10th.

Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 1 day ago

On Wednesday, a standing-room-only House of Delegates, representing schools & citywide educators across the city set a potential start date of Monday, September 10, 2012, for a strike of more than 26,000 teachers, clinicians and paraprofessionals. The resolution reads: RESOLVED that the House of Delegates shall set a strike date of September 10, 2012. The [...]

Cutting back on those charitable donations.

Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 1 day ago

This might make the Art Institute Lions roar. I’ve been hearing this a lot lately. It came up again the other night when I spoke to a group of 80 retirees at the Wilmette Public Library. We’re not giving charitable donations to certain organizations anymore. With the threatened cuts in our pensions and with our [...]

Future teacher has a brilliant idea: Solidarity.

Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 1 day ago

. I got my undergraduate degree in Art Education. I received a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership. I’m ABD in Curriculum, Instruction and Evaluation. I just couldn’t get it together to write that damn dissertation. Oh well. Too late. But in all those years of higher education I never had a class in teacher unions. [...]

November.

Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 1 day ago

There is a certain conventional wisdom, fear, pessimism and fatalism about what the Illinois General Assembly will do to those of us in public employee pensions after the November elections. I’m for vigilance and action. But I have no use for fatalism or any of the rest of it. This is the conventional wisdom: The [...]

Ten minute drawing: Quinn on seniors.

Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 1 day ago

Click on image to enlarge.

The in box. Voting no on Constitutional Amendment 49.

Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 2 days ago

A LETTER FROM THE RETIRED TEACHERS ASSOCIATION OF CHICAGO ARRIVED THIS MORNING WITH THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE: ON NOVEMBER 6 ILLINOIS CITIZENS WILL VOTE TO ACCEPT OR REJECT AN AMENDMENT TO THE ILLINOIS CONSTITUTION THAT WILL ADVERSELY AFFECT YOUR PENSION PLAN AND THOSE OF OTHER PUBLIC EMPLOYEE IN OUR STATE OF ILLINOIS. IT IS CONSTITUTIONAL [...]

The in box. It’s “Call Brizard Thursday.”

Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 2 days ago

Call CPS today…and every Thursday until teachers win a fair contract! Call CPS CEO J.C. Brizard today and every Thursday at 773-553-1500 until the current contract dispute is resolved in a way that benefits our teachers and our kids. Tell him you support the teachers’ contract demands for: Smaller classes A better, not just longer, [...]

Strike notice filed.

Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 2 days ago

Nothing for me to say. The Chicago Teachers Union says it all. Chicago Headed Toward First Teachers Strike in 25 Years CTU files 10-day strike notice with labor board; strike date has not been set CHICAGO - Today, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) filed a 10-day notice with the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board indicating more [...]

Ryan and Rahm. BFF?

Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 2 days ago

Paul Ryan and Rahm Emanuel – Friendlier than you might think? That’s what Carol Felsenthal, Chicago Magazine’s political reporter, asks. My answer is no. I am not the least bit surprised. Felsenthal taps Emanuel as a Democratic version of a Rockefeller Republican. She calls Emanuel a Rahm Republican. The Rockefeller Republican that Felesenthal is referring [...]