N.J. Poll: Parent Involvement, Not Vouchers, Key to School Reform - K-12 Parents and the Public - Education Week

N.J. Poll: Parent Involvement, Not Vouchers, Key to School Reform - K-12 Parents and the Public - Education Week:

N.J. Poll: Parent Involvement, Not Vouchers, Key to School Reform

By Karla Scoon Reid on September 13, 2013 11:34 AM | 1 Comment

"they are buying our BS about vouchers"

New Jersey voters cite parent involvement as the most crucial factor in resolving the state's public school problems, according to a new survey released this week.

Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind Poll found that 71 percent of voters believe that requiring more parent involvement would lead to "major improvements" to New Jersey's public schools. Another 70 percent said the lack of parent involvement is a "major" obstacle impeding learning for K-12 public school students.

Of the solutions voters considered to fix pubic schools, vouchers came in last with 40 percent, according to the poll. Parent involvement tops the list of remedies, with 70 percent, followed by increased school funding at 53 percent and reforming teacher tenure at 52 percent. The survey found that vouchers have greater support among minorities with 52 percent of non-white voters favoring the school choice option compared to 35 percent of white voters. Fairleigh Dickinson University interviewed 700 registered voters by phone last month for the survey.

"This speaks to the difficulty of assuming that a single remedy will suffice to satisfy the 

Diane in the Evening 9-13-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

KrazyTA on Arne Duncan’s Rhetoric

Our frequent commenter KrazyTA was not pleased when Arne Duncan told California it could not stop state testing while introducing Common Core testing. This was his observation: This latest statement by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan needs to be viewed in context. If you read his speech to the April 2013 American Education Research Association he is: for standardized testing and against it; it

4 by dianerav / 55min 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-13-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Tennessee Superintendents Speak Out Against Kevin HuffmanNearly half the superintendents in the state of Tennessee took the unusual step of signing a letter in opposition to State Commissioner Kevin Huffman. They were clearly frustrated by Huffman’s arrogant style of leadership. Huffman was chosen to be state commissioner even thou

by mike simpson / 2h 

4LAKids - AQUINO IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR: Broad Academy Class of ’08, Pearson employee, Teacher of the Year, Chapter Chair

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: AQUINO IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR: Broad Academy Class of ’08, Pearson employee, Teacher of the Year, Chapter Chair:

AQUINO IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR: Broad Academy Class of ’08, Pearson employee, Teacher of the Year, Chapter Chair

More on Dr. Jaime Aquino, who resigned from the #2 post -  “LAUSD’s Highest-Ranking Instructional Leader” - at LAUSD today.

Aquino was the point person on the transition to Common Core and the Common Core Technology Program (iPads for All Initiative)

• This material is edited/word-butchered from a piece in California’s Children – ironically an article announcing the departure of Aquino’s predecessor, Dr. Judy Elliot  | http://bit.ly/1axs7LH

Deputy Superintendent Jaime Aquino was hired in April for $250,000, less than two weeks after Deasy took over. Even before Aquino assumed Elliott’s job Elliott reported to Aquino.
Aug 29, 2011 :: Judy Elliott (left), chief academic officer for the Los Angeles Unified School District, resigned at the behest of Superintendent John Deasy. Elliott, who had been an appointee of Deasy's predecessor Ramon Cortines, Elliott was hired by LAUSD in June 2008.
The buyout of Elliott's contract was paid for out of a reserve fund "for such purposes" that some members of the LAUSD school board didn't know existed, according to Howard Blume's story in the Times.
Elliott was instrumental in adopting a new reading program and pushing for rapid and more tailored intervention for struggling students. She also spearheaded a new homework policy that Deasy shelved, according to the Times.
In a letter to board members, Elliott wrote that, “at the request of Supt. Deasy, I have resigned to allow him to 

An Evening with Diane Ravitch at Memorial Auditorium | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education

An Evening with Diane Ravitch at Memorial Auditorium | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education:

An Evening with Diane Ravitch at Memorial Auditorium

An Evening with Diane Ravitch, educational blogger and author
Memorial Auditorium
1515 J Street, Sacamento, CA  95814
Friday, Sept. 27, 2013
6:30-8:30 pm.
Tickets are $5.
For additional information, contact Sacramento City Teachers Association – 916 452-4591.
About Diane:
My website is dianeravitch.com.
I am a historian of education and Research Professor of Education at New York University.
I was born in Houston, Texas, attended the Houston public schools from kindergarten through high school, and graduated from Wellesley College in 1960. I received my Ph.D. in the history of American education in 1975.
I am the mother of two sons. They went to private schools in New York City. I have three grandsons: two went to religious schools and the third goes to public school in New York City.
I live in Brooklyn, New York.
More about Diane here: http://dianeravitch.com/about-diane/

Friday, September 27, 2013 - 6:30pm to 8:30pm

In Massachusetts, Education Innovation is in Full Force | NEA Today

In Massachusetts, Education Innovation is in Full Force | NEA Today:

In Massachusetts, Education Innovation is in Full Force

September 13, 2013 by twalker  
Filed under Featured News, Top Stories

1 Comment

By Brenda Álvarez

The final leg of NEA’s 2013 Back-to-School tour came to a close in Massachusetts, where NEA President Dennis Van Roekel received a healthy dose of student-centered, union-led change at Winter Hill Innovation School in Somerville.

Winter Hill Principal Chad Mazza led the tour, which included Massachusetts Teachers Association President Paul Toner, Somerville Teachers Association (STA) Jackie Lawrence, Somerville Public Schools (SPS) Superintendent Anthony Pierontazzi, and SPS Assistant Superintendent Vincent McKay.

The tour showcased various classrooms, including Maureen Conin’s second-grade class. Mazza praised her teaching strategies and organizational skills of staying on task and keeping students focused.

Five groups of students were peppered throughout the classroom. Conin was working with four students on how to enunciate the word “shut.” Conin could be heard saying, “sh-sh-sh-u-t.” The reading specialist in the room was working on phonetics, and three other small groups of students were working independently at learning stations.

The work around the room is based on what’s called, “X-Block,” which is a daily 40-minute intervention and 

NYC Educator: UFT's Defense of APPR Examined

NYC Educator: UFT's Defense of APPR Examined:

UFT's Defense of APPR Examined

UFT negotiated and supported the law that ushered in the odious new evaluation system, which has everyone freaked-out. Their advice to freaked-out teachers is "Calm down."  The argument leadership offers in favor of the new system is this--under the old system the principal, alone, determined whether you are satisfactory or unsatisfactory. That was the only measure.

Now, there are multiple measures. 40% is so-called objective measures, and the other 60% is based on observations, artifacts, and who knows what else. The fundamental problem with the UFT argument that this is an improvement is that the principal can still have you rated poorly. If principals holds sway over 60% of your rating (or even 55% after kids take 5) it's a fairly good bet that they can make sure you don't hit the magical 65 that will render you "developing."

On the other hand, you may believe that principals enter rooms with no prejudices or experiences and perfectly apply low-inference observation techniques. Of course if that is the case, I'm not precisely sure why we'd need multiple measures. But let's humor that notion for a moment. Every principal is a paragon of virtue and records only what is actually observable. Thus the 55 to 60 points of observation or whatever will be precise in every way, and will not vary one iota from one principal to the next.

The problem is, if that happens to be the case, there's still another way you can be declared ineffective and be placed on a one-way rail to Palookaville. If you fail the so-called objective measures, your perfect principal will have no power 

No Safe Passage for Javier - Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog:

No Safe Passage for  Javier

Carmelita Rice told police her son, Javier Cameron, was passing by outside Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy around 7:45 p.m. Thursday to walk two girls home. NBC Chicago reports on his way, Javier was approached by two boys in a gangway who then asked if he belonged to a specific gang. -- Huff Post Chicago

Guzzardi kicks off his campaign

Guzzardi

Sun-Times columnist Mark Browncalls it "the race to watch" in Chicago and he's right on.

Will Guzzardi is up against the bloated power of Chicago's Democratic Party Machine. He's taking on pension grabber, Toni Berrios, the daughter of corrupt Party boss Joe Berrios.  He's also got Boss Madigan reportedly pressuring local pols to stay away from his campaign. But Guzzardi has shown he is a fighter, having come within 150 votes of knocking off Berrios in the last election. This time around, he's gained some campaign experience, broadened his base and has an army of young activists working the neighborhoods. He also got strong support from 

Tennessee school superintendents protest against state ed chief:

Tennessee school superintendents protest against state ed chief

By Valerie Strauss, Published: September 13 at 1:59 pmE-mail the writer

Tennessee Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman (www.tn.gov)

A number of school superintendents in Tennessee have signed on to a letter that asks Gov. Bill Haslam (R) to force the state’s education commission to stop implementing controversial school reform measures and take time to evaluate what has already been put in place.

The Tennessean reports that the letter written and circulated by Dan Lawson,  director of Tullahoma City Schools, says in part:

We are not content with the current leadership and feel that we are not best serving our state in this manner.

Kevin Huffman, a former Teach For America official and the former husband of school reformer Michelle Rhee, has instituted a number of controversial reforms since he became education commissioner of Tennessee in April 2011. Among them is the linkage of student standardized-test scores to teacher evaluations and to teachers’ licensing.

Tennessee media have reported that nearly half of the superintendents in the state have signed the letter. Lawson is still collecting signatures.

The Tennessean reported that Lawson decided to write a letter after an August meeting of the State Board of Education. The meeting was conducted by conference call and “board members could barely be heard and were interrupted by numerous noises including a dog howling,” the Tennessean said:

During that call, board members approved Huffman’s teacher licensing plan even 

The Network For Public Education | Infographic: Don’t believe the HOAX

The Network For Public Education | Infographic: Don’t believe the HOAX:

Infographic: Don’t believe the HOAX

CTA/CFT Applaud the Governor, Superintendent of Public Instruction and Lawmakers for their Commitment to California’s Students and Educators - California Teachers Association

CTA/CFT Applaud the Governor, Superintendent of Public Instruction and Lawmakers for their Commitment to California’s Students and Educators - California Teachers Association:

CTA/CFT Applaud the Governor, Superintendent of Public Instruction and Lawmakers for their Commitment to California’s Students and Educators

Contact: Claudia Briggs, CTA at (916) 296-4087 and Fred Glass, CFT at (510) 579-3343

SACRAMENTO – The California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers commend Governor Jerry Brown, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, and lawmakers for demonstrating leadership and commitment to California’s students and educators by passing AB 484—a bill that would overhaul the state’s assessment system and align it to the new Common Core State Standards.

“The transition to the Common Core standards and new assessments will significantly impact what teachers teach and what students learn. We appreciate the commitment of the governor, state superintendent and lawmakers who worked together to ensure we have an accountability system that works for California,” said CTA President Dean E. Vogel. “Passage of this bill means California will take a common-sense approach to implementation of the standards, as they must be done thoughtfully and in a way that’s best for our students and best prepares our educators.”

“Thanks to AB 484, we can proceed toward the Common Core at a reasonable and appropriate rate of speed,” said CFT President Josh Pechthalt. “AB 484 means that high-stakes applications of the new systems, such as measuring student or school progress, will be held in abeyance until the new standards, assessments and infrastructure to implement them are lined up properly, teachers are trained, and students can be fairly assessed with them.”

AB 484 ensures school accountability and allows more students to take part in the field testing of the new computer-based Measurement of Academic Performance and Progress (MAPP) tests, while also ensuring student and educator readiness for the new standards.

“Testing students on material they have never been taught makes no sense. Neither does forcing students to take two standardized tests in the same year,” added Vogel. “AB 484 eliminates outdated tests, ensures accountability and allows students to transition to the new assessments.   Educators must also have the professional development and resources needed to align curriculum and instruction with the new standards.”

Said Pechthalt, “We thank the Governor, legislators, and Superintendent Torlakson for helping our 

Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core "Rigor" Nonsense Talking Points. Blah blah blah blah blah.

Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core "Rigor" Nonsense Talking Points. Blah blah blah blah blah.:

Common Core "Rigor" Nonsense Talking Points. Blah blah blah blah blah.

This is the definition of Common Core rigor.

Read this blog's Common Core definition of rigor.  From Beyond the “Rigor” Buzz: Myths and Truths about Rigor in Common Core Classrooms:

(MEW's comments are highlighted in yellow and contain links with further information) 

Rigor is a popular education buzzword – especially right now with the implementation of Common Corestandards. Politicians, corporate leaders, and educators at all levels have echoed some version of President Obama’s words from 2009: “It is time to expect more from our students.” Rigor is a key element of CCSS, and as students head back to school over the next few weeks, it’s being discussed in classrooms all over the country.

But what is rigor? Is it higher expectations for achievement? Is it harder questions and more homework?

No. But when many people think of rigor, they’re falling prey to some false beliefs about what rigor means in the classroom.

Common myths about rigor

•Students must do more work. Oftentimes “more work,” including increased homework, really means low-level activities and repetition.
•Students need to solve problems independently. Learning to figure out a problem is important, but that 

Arne Duncan’s letter to senators on Obamacare:

Arne Duncan’s letter to senators on Obamacare

By Valerie Strauss, Published: September 13 at 12:06 pmE-mail the writer

Education Secretary Arne Duncan sent a letter this week to Republican senators who asked him what his department was doing to help the Obama administration promote its health-care initiative when enrollment begins Oct. 1.

The answer to the senators, who oppose Obamacare, seems to be not much. Here’s the letter: