11-18-13 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE:

Keeping the Billionaires Out of Reform Resistance: What Do WE Want?

Image from: http://kochcash.org/the-kochtopus/ Arne Duncan’s trying his darndest to cloak resistance to education reform as the mantle of either “crazy Tea Party” people or privileged “suburban moms” (his words, not mine). Nice way to deflect Arne, but it won’t work. You see, here in the trenches we are not all Conservatives. And we are not all […]

2 by educationalchemy / 20min 

Arne Is Aiming for Damage Control But Just Can’t Seem to Get It Right

US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s tasteless remarks on Friday about the seeming inability of “White suburban mothers” to come to terms with their children’s limited intellectual ability as such is highlighted by the Duncan-beloved Common Core State Standards (CCSS) has the former Australian basketball player-gone-US-Sec-of Ed attempting to “close the gap” and re-score some […]

7 by deutsch29 / 36min 

@chucktodd @dailyrundown: Why SC State Sen. Lee Bright when talking #CCSS?

I was outside this morning checking the handy work completed by my wife and me yesterday in the rain and cold (putting up a shed).  Luckily the shed was still in the yard but just as I was going to check out the detailed craftsmanship my wife opened the door, “Tim!  Hurry up! Come here!” […]

1 by Timothy D. Slekar / 1min mark as read  //  save

Where are YOUR boundaries of activism, and can they be pushed a little?

I know for an irrefutable fact that this petition on ousting Secretary Duncan, more symbolic than practical, has been making the rounds in the last two days.  Given the recent press on Duncan’s odd remark regarding suburban white moms, or whatever, I have no idea why this petition, as of this writing, is stagnant at […]

1 by Shaun Johnson / 2min

Cuomo: No longer the “lobbyist” for the students?

As the fight over Common Core, high-stakes testing, the new APPR teacher evaluation system, and education commissioner John King’s leadership hits a fever pitch in New York State, Governor Andrew Cuomo has been silent for weeks.  Today we finally get some quotes from Cuomo who declared himself “lobbyist” for the students of New York. “It’s […]

25 by Chris Cerrone / 38min 

Now we all care Secretary Duncan.

My initial and continued reaction to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s ‘suburban moms” speech is how he insulted all parents with his flippant comment.  Does he imply that other parents do not care about their children?  Or does he think Common Core opposition comes from only one segment of society? Is this the continued strategy of Common […]

5 by Chris Cerrone / 24min 

Why Keeping Your Kids Home Sends the Wrong Message

Today, a protest took place, which was started by a New York State mom and was aggressively advertised as a move against the Common Core State Standards.  It was celebrated as national day of protest, although it seems that designation fell flat.  It seemed like a good way to get attention, and to some extent, […]

17 by Kris Nielsen / 58min 

11-17-13 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: Secretary Duncan and the Politics of White OutrageSecretary Duncan and the Politics of White Outrage. via Secretary Duncan and the Politics of White Outrage.1 by plthomasedd / 42min All Week 11-16-13 @ THE CHALK FACE@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: All Week @ THE CHALK FACE  mark as read4 Corporate Education Reform Talking Points That Are Flat-Out LiesIf you listen to the b

by mike simpson / 9h 

11-18-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

Opps: Inside a recent Obama cabinet meeting: "Okay, we've alienated progressives, college kids, the anti-war movement, but we haven't pissed off soccer moms yet.

Hardcore Uft Contract Training Committee

Are you sick of going to your district rep monthly meetings and getting the UFT jive stuffed down your throats while you have little or no input?Like not getting to talk about how your principal violates the contract daily and you are left helpless?We have decided to follow in the footsteps of my esteemed colleague, George Schmidt of Substance and Chicago fame, and organize Hardcore Contract Train

1 by ed notes online / 56min 

Portelos Update: Supreme Court Rules Against DOE Refusal to Recognize Him as Chapter Leader

New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) filed a Motion to Confirm the arbitration. Today we just found that Supreme Court Judge Joan B. Lobis confirmed the arbitration award. The DOE lawyers will have a chance to appeal and most likely they will try.... This win should set precedent for all targeted chapter leaders. If someone thinks they can attack a chapter leader and wrongly accuse them so they

3 by ed notes online / 36min 

Scum of the Earth Tim Daly Pulls the Race Card

“This is the first African-American leader of the State Education Department,” he said. “And to watch him be shouted at and insulted by largely white audiences in the suburbs is discomforting and it is jarring that, not only has it happened, but it has happened repeatedly.”  ... Tim Daly, TNTPIs there a more insidious operation than Tim Daly's scam organization The New Teacher Project? I won't go

5 by ed notes online / 16min mark as read  //  save

MORE Update: Come out to the Delegate Assembly to Take a Stand against the New Evaluation System!

There is no question in my mind that the MORE initiatives and organizing efforts have pushed the UFT leadership -- but I view recent moves as an attempt to co-opt, not a real change in policy. Support for common core? Check. Support for teacher ratings based on VAM? Check. And so on. It's all about lousy and incompetent implementation, blah, blah, blah.At the first MORE meeting in September a new

1 by ed notes online / 16min 

11-17-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Have Fun With MOREistas at the Holiday Party, Dec. 6Thank goodness. A party instead of a meeting in December. Here is your chance if you haven't touched base with us to eat, drink and be merry. And you don't even have to say the magic words: social justice. But you can bitch all you want about the UFT, Advance, ed eval, Randi, Mulgrew, etc. Or not. Just have some fun -- even if yo

by mike simpson / 17h 

What Pennsylvania’s Children Deserve: PCAPS Education Platform | WeArePCAPS

What Pennsylvania’s Children Deserve: PCAPS Education Platform | WeArePCAPS:

What Pennsylvania’s Children Deserve: PCAPS Education Platform

PDF available: pcaps_5points_b

STEM Symposium - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

STEM Symposium - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education):

State Superintendent Tom Torlakson Convenes 2,000 California Educators for Statewide STEM Symposium

First Annual California STEM Symposium Continues Commitment to College and Career Readiness for All

SACRAMENTO—As school districts across California implement both Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards in their classrooms, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, the Californians Dedicated to Education Foundation , and the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls  today convened the 2013 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Symposium at the Sacramento Convention Center.

The two-day event is attracting 2,000 California teachers, administrators, students, STEM program providers, and philanthropic and business leaders from around the state. The goal of the Symposium is to equip educators with the best practices, ideas, and strategies to bring high-quality STEM education to life in the classroom with two days of keynotes, hands-on workshops, student/teacher STEM demonstrations, and unique women in STEM programming. Most of the job growth in the coming years will be in the STEM fields.

"From the White House to local business support, there is more and more recognition of the importance of the STEM fields if we want to maintain California's—and the nation's—status as an economic powerhouse fueled by innovation," said Torlakson, who is delivering this morning's welcoming remarks before visiting student exhibits. "And if we're going to make good on our promise of career and college readiness for every student, we must improve and expand their access to STEM education."

"Science, technology, engineering, and math are where today's jobs are, and students who excel in STEM will be the superstars of the future," said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who is serves as California's After School STEM Ambassador. "Providing first-class STEM education is the way to ‘give kids a shot that can't be blocked .'"

The Symposium features a special track on increasing and supporting the participation of women and girls—as well as other underrepresented groups—in STEM fields, as well as a "Share Fair" where students and teachers will demonstrate STEM teaching and learning innovations ranging from building LEGO® robots and extracting DNA to underwater robotics, and the health benefits of chocolate.

STEM Symposium speakers include:

• State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson;
• NBA legend and California's After-School STEM Ambassador Kareem Abdul-Jabbar;
• Academy Award-winning actor Geena Davis, founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and chair of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls;
• Education scientist and 2013 TED Prize winner luminary Dr. Sugata Mitra;
• NASA astronaut and Reaching for the Stars! Foundation founder José Hernández; and
• 12-year-old iPhone app developer Thomas Suarez.

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction

"Zero-Tolerance: The History of Structural Violence on Our Students" | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity

"Zero-Tolerance: The History of Structural Violence on Our Students" | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity:

"Zero-Tolerance: The History of Structural Violence on Our Students"

Posted on: Monday November 18th, 2013

OTL allies from the Urban Youth Collaborative (UYC) and the Dignity in Schools Campaign – New York (DSC-NY) are presenting today at Talking Transition, an open forum event for New Yorkers to discuss pressing issues that Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio should consider as he transitions into office. UYC and DSC-NY will be talking about school discipline reform and how harsh discipline policies criminalize students, disproportionately students of color, and drive them to drop out of school. 

In preparation for the event, UYC and DSC-NY have put together an interactive presentation on the history of harsh school discipline policies. Check out the full presentation here!

"Our Schools Are Not For Sale"

Friday November 15th, 2013

OTL allies from the Philadelphia Student Union are featured in several recent media stories that showcase how these young organizers have become some of the strongest voices in the movement for educational equity in their city and nationwide.

Read more / Comment

• Share on Facebook
• 

Advice for Boston's New Mayor on Education

Thursday November 14th, 2013

Warren Simmons, Executive Director of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, has some advice for Boston's Mayor-Elect Marty Walsh: to improve the city's schools, focus on equity and wraparound student supports.

Read more / Comment

• Share on Facebook
• 

Gina Womack: How to End the School-to-Prison Pipeline

Thursday November 14th, 2013

Gina Womack, Executive Director of Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children, is speaking tonight at Wheelock College in Boston about how to end the school-to-prison pipeline.

Read more / Comment

• Share on Facebook
• 

Ed Researcher on WI Speaking Tour About Impact of Vouchers

Tom Beebe, Opportunity to Learn – Wisconsin

Friday November 8th, 2013

Nationally recognized researcher and academic Devon Carlson will be in Wisconsin in November on a week-long tour to talk about the impact on students, schools, and communities of using public tax dollars for private schools — better known as the voucher program.

Read more / Comment

Report: US children under 3 more diverse, battling poverty | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC

Report: US children under 3 more diverse, battling poverty | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC:

Report: US children under 3 more diverse, battling poverty

Deepa Fernandes | November 18th, 2013, 11:40am

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

In this file photograph taken on March 20, 2007, a two-week-old boy finds his feet in his new world. New reports finds "disturbing proportions" of infants and toddlers in the U.S. face "severe disadvantage." (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

A new report drawing on data from major nationwide demographic surveys found non-hispanic white children under 3-years-old fell made up 49.5 percent of that population in 2012, dropping below majority status. It is the most diverse this age group has been since the 1970s.

"Infants and toddlers are at the leading edge of a transformation that will result, by 2030, in a U.S. child population that is 'majority minority,'" said the authors of Child Trends, a report produced by the McCormick Foundation in Chicago. The authors collated and analyzed census data and other nationwide demographic surveys from last year to reach their conclusions.

They found latino children under 3-years-old made up 26 percent of all children this age, and black infants and toddlers were 14 percent. 

The report noted that in 2012, almost one quarter of all infants and toddlers had at least one parent who was born outside the U.S. Of those parents, one in six was born in Latin America.

The report also reviewed socio-economic data, finding nearly half of children under 3 are in low-income families. One quarter of young children live in poverty, about half of