Wednesday, March 6, 2013

I am very fortunate to have a position that gets me invited to education conferences around the country, and occasionally out of it as well. I have written a number of posts describing the benefits, and the blemishes, of many of them over the last year. I am writing this post, as I am en route to Austin, Texas to participate in one of the big ones, the SXSWEdu Conference. Last week however, I attended a gem of a conference conducted by the Illinois ISTE affiliate, The Illinois Computing Educator’s Conference, referred to as ICE13.
After attending so many conferences, it is easy to point out the flaws of any, or each. Most conferences require RFPs, the requests for proposals, to determine the sessions for the conference program far too many months in advance of the conference. The need for this is to have several, and in some cases, too many people, read over the proposals in order to determine which sessions to approve. Perhaps several staggered deadlines for RFPs might allow a more varied and relevant program. Another gateway to relevance could be a period of time within the conference to conduct an Edcamp format for a segment of the conference. I think all conferences could benefit by some innovative schedule planning.
ICE13 was a little different from many of the other statewide education conferences by virtue of its venue

UPDATE: The real issue is equity + Debate over school closings asks the wrong questions | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Debate over school closings asks the wrong questions | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

Dungee Glenn: The real issue is equity

by thenotebook

Thursday's School Reform Commission vote on the recommended closure of nearly 30 schools will undoubtedly have a major impact on the future of the city's public school system. In advance of the vote, the Notebook asked prominent Philadelphians to offer their thoughts, using new data and maps on school attendance patterns in the city as a starting point.
Read the response from Mark Gleason and Mike Wang of the Philadelphia School Partnership.

by Sandra Dungee Glenn

At the heart of school closings and school choice in Philadelphia is the question of equity -- or lack of it. For the past three decades, parents have been migrating to what they perceive as better options for their children, largely as a result of neglect of schools in neighborhoods of color.
read more

Debate over school closings asks the wrong questions

by thenotebook

by Mark Gleason and Mike Wang

Far more important than the question of whether schools should close is why some neighborhood schools work -- even when serving the same students with the same funding -- and others don’t. We don’t need to look far to answer this question and don’t need to engage in some hypothetical debate over models, governance, theories, or systems. We need only to look at the dozens of successful neighborhood schools in Philadelphia and find the common threads: focused leaders, resourceful and committed teachers, and the conditions that enable these educators to thrive.
read more

For Philadelphia’s neighborhood elementary schools, a tale of two cities

by thenotebook

Click here for interactive map

by Benjamin Herold for NewsWorks, a Notebook news partner
In Philadelphia’s Far Northeast, within city lines but long its own sprawling world, the traditional neighborhood public elementary school remains a popular option for families with young children.
Take William H. Loesche Elementary, located at Tomlinson Road and Bustleton Avenue, almost in Bucks County.
The school serves nine of every ten public school students living within in its attendance zone. Just 6 percent of families choose to send their children to charter schools. The school, like most others in that section of the city, has remained untouched by the district’s multi-year push to close dozens of schools and convert others to charters.
Across a large swath of North, West and South Philadelphia, however, it’s another story.
read more

Reading a paced, scripted text is NOT teaching. | Reclaim Reform

Reading a paced, scripted text is NOT teaching. | Reclaim Reform:

Reading a paced, scripted text is NOT teaching.

by kenpreviti

Common Core isn’t.

Reading a paced, scripted text is not teaching.

The Race to the Top is not a race and has no top.

No Child Left Behind left children behind if their arbitrary test scores did not meet a shifting arbitrary number.
Homeless students are required to give their home addresses for school attendance.
Federal public education funds are given in large amounts to schools that don’t need to improve and are denied to schools that need to improve.
As the wealthiest country in the world, we are repeatedly told by elected officials that we are broke and cannot afford to pay our bills.
The USA is declared the greatest country in the world by elected officials who gather data showing that by most quantifiable data the USA is not the greatest country in the world. (Health, household income, longevity, infant

Ed Notes Online: Ed Deform LA Dreamin' Turns Into Nightmare

Ed Notes Online: Ed Deform LA Dreamin' Turns Into Nightmare:

Ed Deform LA Dreamin' Turns Into Nightmare

by ed notes online

While we were celebrating Steve Zimmer’s thrilling win over Kate Anderson in the Los Angeles school board race, the corporate reform crowd had to figure out how to spin this embarrassing defeat. Here it is, fresh from Twitter: Deasey kept his school board majority! Monica Garcia was re-elected! Big money saves Deasey! Inconvenient facts: The billionaires put together about $5 million to beat Steve Zimmer, who is a member of the school board in his first term... Diane Ravitch

Monica Garcia’s re-election was never in doubt , especially as she had 5 opponents and outspent the others more than 10 to one. The key battle was Zimmer’s seat. See yesterday's LAT: "Deasy's supporters regard Zimmer as a swing vote."http://shar.es/jQZeW. Now they’re trying to change their spin for the media. They must think we are all idiots. ---Leonie Haimson

“This election, with its shockingly outsized spending has revealed a hidden agenda, as old as the hills. With massive institutions and systems is embedded the opportunity for equally massive personal gain. Prerequisite is private control, wrenched from what was formerly public, democratic governance. Couching this banality of greed in educational ideology has been an effective strategy, but tonight’s results suggest a whisper of increasing awareness and resistance to uncontrolled and

UPDATE: Seattle Times on a Rampage + Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State Charter Commission Members-Early Parsing

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State Charter Commission Members-Early Parsing:

Seattle Times on a Rampage

by Charlie Mas

Man, the Seattle Times is pulling out all the stops in the days before retreating behind a paywall. There are several inflammatory articles and columns about education on the Times web site right now. You would think it was just before an election instead of just after one.

Feds probing Seattle schools’ treatment of black students
This story is about a U.S. Department of Education investigation into whether black students in Seattle schools are punished more frequently and more harshly than white students for the same behavior. The comments section reveals some really horrible racist remarks and, more than anything, a gross misunderstanding of the purported problem. The feds are not investigating whether black students are punished more frequently (they are)

Seattle Student Senate Statement on Discipline Investigation

by Melissa Westbrook

Regarding the US Department of Educaiton's investigation, the Seattle Student Senate believes in fair treatment for all of Seattle's students. The Student Senate believes that discipline against students must be taken appropriately and equitably. As students, we are strongly opposed to any form of discrimination in the public education system that puts any group of students in a situation with a lesser educational opportunity.

Regarding the Center School instruction, the Student Senate promotes the substantive exploration of social

Washington State Charter Commission Members-Early Parsing

by Melissa Westbrook

All the members come from education, non-profit or government backgrounds.

All are white except for two - Doreen Cato and Trish Millines Dziko. They're African-American. Not a single qualified Asian or a Latino or Native American applied? That's disappointing.

There are four women and five men.

There are some good appointments to the Commission (of the people I know of personally). Millines Dziko is smart and has good judgment. (And woe to anyone who tries to snow her.) Dr. McGuire of Seattle University serves at their great teaching program and is also sharp. Former Rep Quall, while I disagreed with some of his education efforts when he was in the Legislature, does his homework and knows education in this state.

Kevin Jacka, the superintendent of the Mary Walker District, seems like he might be a good choice since his district is small and rural. But it is also largely white district.

Larry Wright already sits on one state commission - the Washington State Commission on Homelessness. I

Diane in the Evening 3-6-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

Did Skandera’s All-Expense Paid Travel Break New Mexico Law?

by dianerav

According to a report in the Santa Fe Reporter, Hanna Skandera has taken numerous trips to conferences and meetings, with travel expenses paid by organizations that do business with the state.
The story says, “… over the past two years, various PED [Public Education Department] contractors have paid for Skandera’s flights and hotel rooms. For instance, in 2011, PED paid the Minnesota-based Summit Education Associates, LLC, more than $96,000 for “professional services,” according to the state’s Sunshine Portal.
“The company lists as its manager FEE [Jeb Bush's Foundation for Educational Excellence] Senior Policy

Newtown Students Will Not Take State Tests

by dianerav

In January, the Newtown Board of Education asked the state education department of Connecticut to exempt students in the district from the state tests, due to the trauma of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December.
The state education department agreed, but needed to get permission from the U.S. Department of Education.
The U.S. Department of Education agreed, and now the Connecticut General Asembly must give its consent.
So much for local control.

Nashville: Charter School Sticker Shock

by dianerav

The Metro Nashville school board was surprised to learn that new charter schools will absorb millions of dollars from the district’s budget, with more on the way.
The state legislature is about to approve legislation to override the veto of local school boards, so Nashville is sure to get more charters than it wants or needs.

TFA Wins Award for Hubris

by dianerav

Louisiana is in a budget crisis, and Governor Bobby Jindal has been closing hospitals that serve indigent patients and other social services for the needy. He has also been trying to find a way to fund his expensive voucher program, since a state court declared it unconstitutional last fall.
But Teach for America is undaunted by the state’s budget crisis. It has applied for a grant of $5 million.
Blogger Louisiana Voice writes:
“According to the project summary submitted with its application, the money would apparently be used to provide 550 to 700 teachers and 1,000 alumni who would serve as teachers, leaders and “positive change agents (whatever that is) in the lowest income schools throughout the greater New Orleans and greater Baton Rouge

Oprah: Is It for Real or a Ploy?

by dianerav

Last week, I posted a comment from a teacher in Louisiana who watched the first segment of Oprah’s “Blackboard Wars” and was pleasantly surprised to see that the program showed how hard it is for a novice to teach and that charter schools have the same problems as public schools, that they are not a magic solution.
Gary Rubinstein cautions us to be wary. He notes that the struggling teacher is never identified as Teach for America, and that the struggles may be just a set-up to prepare us for redemption and triumph and the familiar story line.

Long Island News - Diane Ravitch to Speak on “Accountability in Great American School System” | Long Island Exchange

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Long Island News - Diane Ravitch to Speak on “Accountability in Great American School System” | Long Island Exchange: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Diane Ravitch to Speak on “Accountability in Great American School System”[image: Long Island Press Releases & News] Long Island Press Releases — *Research professor of education at New York University the Thomas Dixon Lovely Ballroom in Ruth S. Harley University Center* *(Garden City, NY)* Adelphi University is proud to announce that Diane Ravitch will be speaking on “*Accountability in the Great American School S... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-6-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] If Only Mayor Bloomberg Understood Proficiency Rates… by dianerav Matt Di Carlo noticed an odd sentence in Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s “State of the City” address. The mayor, as is now customary, was applauding his administration for the amazing progress of the schools under his stewardship, and he said the following, in anticipation of the new Common Core assessments: *“But no matter where the definition of proficiency is arbitrarily set on the new tests, I ex... more »

This Community Won't Back Down | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education

This Community Won't Back Down | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education:

This Community Won't Back Down

by Kate_Lenox

The Bee editorial board is concerned that the SCUSD school board will be perceived as acting unfairly by failing to close Mark Twain or Tahoe Elementary, in addition to the schools already closed. Evidently none of the Bee editorial board watched the SCUSD board meeting streaming online. If they had, they would know that the SCUSD board has already been accused of unfairness in the closure of seven elementary schools. The hasty process used which did not follow best practices, the phoney capacity numbers and the budget numbers showing money left unspent at the school sites every year demonstrate that these closures were "not fair". In the 2009 closure process a 7-11 committee developed the closure criteria, schools considered for closure were grouped in study areas from all over the district, and there were public meetings held before the closures list was announced. Because of that open transparent process there were not the outcries you are hearing now. It seems to me that the real reason these schools were on the closure list is that most of the parents are poor and minority, and many don't speak English, making it difficult for them to fight back against the district. But these parents are not backing down and neither will the community at large. The dozens of people who attended the budget forum last night at the Colonial Heights library are not taking these closures lying down. They are fired up and ready to pursue all avenues of reddress, including lawsuits and recall. This story has not ended and the fight has just begun.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/06/5239535/fairness-in-decisions-on-school...

UPDATE: Students walking out + Details on #sequestration and #edreform… blah, blah, blah – @ the chalk face

Details on #sequestration and #edreform… blah, blah, blah – @ the chalk face:

Large Monopoly board planned for #occupy2.0 in DC, #optout

by Chalk Face, PhD

This is just a blank diagram of the giant education reform Monopoly board I’m going to paint on canvas. I plan on rolling it out for people to play during the event. Working out all of the spaces, suggestions in the comments would be helpful.

Students walking out of #TCAP in Colorado, #stuvoice

by Chalk Face, PhD

Student power, need we say more. Students are doing what students can do, stepping aside during a state-mandated test that means nothing. If you’re in Colorado, consider supporting them.

Details on #sequestration and #edreform… blah, blah, blah

by Chalk Face, PhD

Both poles of the political spectrum have been trying to game the impacts of the sequester. I wanted to take a closer look at its effects in education, particularly in the state where I reside, Maryland.
Fortunately for us plebes, documents are available detailing the impact of the sequester in each state. Here’s Maryland’s, for instance. Here’s perhaps the most specific information on education from the document:

So, MD public schools could take a roughly $14 million hit, in case you can’t see it, which translates to 12,000 students and 30 schools. I have no real arguments either

Pittsburgh deputy superintendent said …. And #edweek followed up by…?

by Timothy D. Slekar

I know at some point I’m going to drive readers away with my constant picking at EdWeek. So let me just say this. When someone makes a claim about research that is either contextless or just outright wrong I believe that the journalist, should at a minimum, point out the complexities associated with such statements.
For example:

“We know that teachers have the biggest impact on outcomes for children—and right behind that is the principal,” said Jeannine French, the deputy superintendent of the 25,000-student Pittsburgh district, which is also revamping its evaluation system to include student growth. “It’s not just an evaluation tool. … It’s about making sure principals have the information they need about practice so they can very specifically improve so we get better results for our children.”

This quote appeared in Edweek today in an article about tying principal evaluations to student test scores. Of course there was no mention that using test scores to evaluate teachers lacks supporting research. But I guess that just doesn’t matter any more.

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Expect Some Passion at Tonight's Board Meeting

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Expect Some Passion at Tonight's Board Meeting:

Expect Some Passion at Tonight's Board Meeting

by Melissa Westbrook

Director Patu, President Smith-Blum and I were sharing a laugh last Saturday over the last Board meeting where Vice-President Patu stepped in to lead the meeting because Smith-Blum was out of town. The joke was (and I had noted it here) that looking at the agenda, it would be a short meeting. Apparently it was and it ended at about 6:45 p.m.

The meeting may not run long tonight but the Speakers list is full (and overflowing) because of the issue of the race and social justice class at The Center School. I am on the list to speak.

Let's review.

Back in December 2010, there was an issue over the use of the novel, Brave New World. The parent who raised the issue was not seeking to ban the book but to get clarification about how the book would be used in SPS. In short, she was seeking assurances about teachers using context (who wrote the book, when and the use of satire) and that teachers would consider the background of students in the class and try to be culturally aware.

The Board held that the book could be use but did direct Teaching&Learning to work on professional

What it means for parents to support teachers | Parents Across America

What it means for parents to support teachers | Parents Across America:

What it means for parents to support teachers

by pagrundy

Philadelphia parents are currently engaged in an active struggle against a particularly extreme form of school district “transformation,” which includes many school closings. Their actions have included a March 5 sit-in at the Philadelphia mayor’s office. Here are the thoughts of PAA founding member Helen Gym, originally posted on the website of the Philadelphia parents’ organization “Parents United for Public Education.” Helen notes that: “Last week’s release of the District’s teacher proposal was a clear wake-up call: School closings aren’t an end in themselves. They are the tip of the iceberg in terms of a massive and rapid divesting of public education. Whether you’re in North Philadelphia, Center City or Southwest or a magnet school, this contract more than anything lays out the future beyond school closings and why we’re fighting them.” Let’s all voice our support for the Philadelphia parents’ actions, as well as heeding Helen’s warning.

Like many parents across the city, the preliminary release of some of the terms of the Philadelphia teachers contract made me heartsick. For months I had watched city and district leaders make promises about mass school closings – they were necessary for financial viability, they would concentrate resources in remaining schools, they would put more students in “high performing seats.” Of course, no such promises had ever been delivered upon by over a decade of studies of hundreds of school closings in cities all across the

Big data and schools: Education nirvana or privacy nightmare? | Digital

Big data and schools: Education nirvana or privacy nightmare? | Digital:

Big data and schools: Education nirvana or privacy nightmare?

by Anya Kamenetz

InBloom, a nonprofit startup founded with funding from the Gates Foundation and Carnegie Corporation, is taking center stage and spreading around some significant funds as an official sponsor of the South by Southwest Education conference in Austin, Texas this week. They hosted the official opening night party on Tuesday, are sponsoring a "networking lounge" with free coffee and snacks at the Hilton next to the convention center, and are debuting the first live demonstrations of their technology with representatives from pilot districts and states. It's quite a splash for what is basically a highly technical, behind the scenes infrastructure company. InBloom promises to bring all the potential of "big data" to classrooms in a big way for the first time. Their stated mission: to "inform and involve each student and teacher with data and tools designed to personalize learning." "We want to make personalized learning available to every single kid in the US," says CEO Iwan Streichenberger. "The way you do this is by breaking the barriers--making data much more accessible." But to some educational activists, InBloom represents a danger, not an opportunity. InBloom began as the Shared Learning Collaborative in 2011. It gets a bit technical, but basically, ten districts in nine states agreed to build a shared technology infrastructure. Currently student data, from attendance to standardized test scores, is locked in dozens of different "student information systems" that don't talk to each other. "In one district we work with in

Ethics complaint targets philanthropy in public education; Newark schools a prime example - NorthJersey.com

Ethics complaint targets philanthropy in public education; Newark schools a prime example - NorthJersey.com:

Ethics complaint targets philanthropy in public education; Newark schools a prime example

WEDNESDAY MARCH 6, 2013, 12:26 PM

KATHY MATHESON

ASSOCIATED PRESS

PAGES: 1 2 3 > DISPLAY ON ONE PAGE | PRINT | E-MAIL

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — School activists are using unusual tactics to fight a contested proposal to overhaul the nearly bankrupt Philadelphia school district: They've gone to the city ethics board.
Their ethics complaint says the two private groups that helped fund and develop the plan should have registered as lobbyists, which would have compelled public disclosure of donors and meetings with public officials.
And while nothing illegal is alleged, the complaint highlights an issue that has become increasingly relevant as cash-strapped schools nationwide seek money from nonpublic sources to offset budget cuts. Supporters say private money funds badly needed innovations, yet critics say there is not enough transparency.
"Is it fair for a small number of really rich people to take over educational policy-making?" said Kenneth Saltman, an education professor at DePaul University in Chicago. "Who are the lobbyists really working for? Who's funding them?"
Parents United for Public Education, the Philadelphia group that filed the complaint in December, contends that the powerful William Penn Foundation and Boston Consulting

Lee Nave Jr. – Silence is Consent! A Call For People To Open Their Mouths More! Student Voice

Student Voice:

Lee Nave Jr. – Silence is Consent! A Call For People To Open Their Mouths More!

by admin

Silence is consent.

This is a popular term used in the speech and debate world when a person on the opposing team does not argue against one of your points (also known as arguments). The specific point usually has an impact that makes your case stronger than your opponents. When so many points are not argued against you have succeeded that point to the opposition. This pretty much means, you let them dictate to the judge that there point is correct and because you were “silent you gave your opposition your consent. This means you were just owned, pawned, humiliated, defeated, vanquished, thrown out like ten day old thanksgiving turkey.

Now leaving the debate world as well as the over dramatized feeling of defeat, public speaking activism is judged pretty much on the same merits of silence or battling a point. When you see an injustice done and you are silent, you are giving consent for it to continue to occur. Yet people are prone to NOT speak out for many reasons even if silence has a direct negative impact upon their lives. There are many valid reasons for this silence such as lack of knowledge to defend/make a point, your personal health may suffer (you get physically harmed by someone who disagrees with you), or you are arrested. One of the reasons for silence though, should never be because of lack of passion or pacifism. To allow dissonance to exist because of pacifism, is a completely disregard for your welfare and all others affected. Situations in the past, via the civil rights movement and movements in today’s world such as Occupy Wallstreet and the Tea Party movement, have been times Americans have actually used their voices; well some at least.

Latest News and Comment from Education

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Ethics complaint targets philanthropy in public education; Newark schools a prime example

Silence is consent.

Voices of Civil Rights

Without the voices of people in the past and some even in the present, change in the world may not have occurred at the rate in which it did.