Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Budget vote: Another reason to get rid of mayoral control of the schools

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Budget vote: Another reason to get rid of mayoral control of the schools:

Budget vote: Another reason to get rid of mayoral control of the schools

WGN'S WALTER "SKIPPY" JACOBSON says he's seen everything now that the board has decided to hire more press secretaries as a way of dealing with the current fiscal crisis at CPS. 

Note to "Skippy: All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again. Never before has a mayor spent more city money on press releases, only to have his ratings sink lower and lower with every dollar spent.



AS IF WE NEEDED ANOTHER REASON to replace mayoral control of the schools with an elected school board, yesterday's approval of Rahm's $5.8Bsmoke-and-mirrors school budget gives us reason #842 by my count.



The budget once again cuts funding for neighborhood schools and programs serving kids with special needs, while funneling millions more into the pockets of privately-run charter school operators. It was passed by the mayor's hand-picked minions (at least by those who showed up) of bobble-heads despite loud protests from the gallery of angry parents and school activists.



The Tribune reports:Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Budget vote: Another reason to get rid of mayoral control of the schools:

Common Core: What it is, what it isn't and why it's political | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Common Core: What it is, what it isn't and why it's political | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

Common Core: What it is, what it isn't and why it's political

By Laura Waters for NewsWorks on Jul 24, 2014 03:39 PM

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Photo: Image from CCSS video

Common Core is designed to eliminate the varying standards from state-to-state. 

What a week for adversaries of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)! On Wednesday Glenn Beck, famous radio and TV personality, hosted "a live national night of action against the Common Core" called WE WILL NOT CONFORM and told Fox News' Sean Hannity that the Common Core was "creating millions of slaves."

Not to be outmatched, this Monday the Badass Teachers Association, a radical segment of the national teacher unions, will hold a rally in Washington, D.C. to "end all federal support for the Common Core."

Common Core-haters unite! From union queen Diane Ravitch to the racist John Birch Society, from Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, contemplating a run against Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel, to anti-feminist Phyllis Schlafy, founder of the Eagle Forum, the Common Core is everyone's favorite whipping-boy.

Maybe it's time to step back a bit and review the Common Core, especially in light of the recent Fairleigh Dickinson poll that found that a sizable portion of New Jerseyans "know nothing" about it.

For many years America has been kicking around the idea of a nationalized set of learning objectives. In 1983, for example, a famous report called "A Nation at Risk" warned that the educational foundation of America is "presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a Nation and a people" and concluded that all students would benefit from a more rigorous set of course standards.

Albert Shanker, founder of the American Federation of Teachers, embraced the necessity of national educational standards around the same time. Shanker explained that this enterprise would be "egalitarian" because "by starting early and by giving all children the same core knowledge to learn, we can prevent the creation of an educational underclass."

In other words, the Common Core was engendered over 30 years ago in order to promote equity and increase student learning.

But political interests seem to seep into all efforts at reform, whether the cause is universal health care or gun control or same-sex marriage. For example, just this week Louisiana governor and presidential hopeful Bobby Jindal reversed his previous support of the Common Core in order to kowtow to GOP conservatives and issued Executive Orders to thwart implementation. (Parent and teacher groups sued him yesterday.)

So, in the interest of dispelling some politically-motivated mythology and distortions, here's a list of what the CCSS is not:

Read the rest of this story at NewsWorks

Educators Defeat Attempt to Strip Teacher Licenses Over Test Scores | NEA Today

Educators Defeat Attempt to Strip Teacher Licenses Over Test Scores | NEA Today:

Educators Defeat Attempt to Strip Teacher Licenses Over Test Scores

July 24, 2014 by twalker   

By Luke Towler

School districts continue to make high-stakes decisions about teacher performance based on how well students perform on state mandated tests, despite mounting opposition across the nation. Yet no state has tied renewal of teaching licenses to test scores – but Tennessee recently came close.

Last year, Tennessee Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman began pushing this highly controversial proposal, only to be with met with steadfast opposition from the state’s educators. This career-ending policy would have been similar to telling a student who fails a course that she is academically finished.

But the Tennessee Education Association (TEA) successfully lobbied against the policy. In June, the General Assembly passed legislation prohibiting student test scores based on the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment (TVAAS) to be a determining factor in teachers’ licenses.

TVAAS, a statistical estimate that can measure student test scores in reading and language arts, math, science and social studies, gives teachers a score of 1-5. Educators would have needed a TVAAS score of at least 2 for up to two or three years to renew their licenses. Teachers who do not receive TVAAS estimates would have needed an overall evaluation score of at least 2 over the same time period. The overall evaluation score also takes TVAAS scores into account: 25 percent of those teachers’ overall evaluation is based on TVAAS scores at the school-wide, statewide, or district-wide level.

“The idea that a teacher could lose their license based on low test scores is an assault on the teaching profession,” said Jim Wrye, TEA assistant executive director of government relations and communications. “It makes no sense at all. Would you pull the license of a lawyer who loses in court? There are often things that are outside the professional’s control.”

TEA spread awareness about the dangers of this policy through presentations in several cities and before the House Education Committee and the State Board of Education. TEA General Counsel Rick Colbert Educators Defeat Attempt to Strip Teacher Licenses Over Test Scores | NEA Today:

Magnolia Charter troubles in LAUSD highlight larger concerns

Magnolia Charter troubles in LAUSD highlight larger concerns:



Magnolia Charter troubles in LAUSD highlight larger concerns

Troubles encountered by the charter school operator, Magnolia Public Schools (MPS),at two of its eight charters in the LA Unified School District highlight a murky governance issue that legislatures in California and elsewhere have been slow to address.

Should a parent company operate its charter school network as a single entity, as MPS does with its 11 California charters? Or should each school be run independently, with separate budgets and governance?

LA Unified last month closed two MPS schools, saying financial problems at the parent company rose to the “level of fiscal mismanagement.”  But by scrutinizing the financial health of the overall charter management organization, the district has tread into uncharted territory for an authorizer.

“This is an emerging issue, and my guess is a lot of legislatures will have to address this in the near future,” says Kathy Christie of the Education Commission of the States, which compiles research on charter school practices nationally. 

The school closures followed a District audit that not only examined Magnolia Science Academy 6 and Academy 7, both high-performing schools, but also MPS as the parent group. The audit found among other things that MPS met the IRS definition of being “insolvent” as of June 2013, that it owed millions of dollars to the schools it oversees and that it transferred money between schools. It also found that it paid millions of dollars to a third party non-profit, Accord, for educational services withMagnolia Charter troubles in LAUSD highlight larger concerns:

Michelle Rhee’s High-Priced PR | Taking Note

Michelle Rhee’s High-Priced PR | Taking Note:

Michelle Rhee’s High-Priced PR

by JOHN MERROW on 24. JUL, 2014 in 2014 BLOGS, MICHELLE RHEE

In just one year[1] Michelle Rhee spent about $2 million to buy the public relations services of Anita Dunn [2] and SKDKnickerbocker.  It’s a continuing relationship that goes back to early in Rhee’s Chancellorship in Washington, and it’s probably the best money Rhee has ever spent (especially because it was contributed by her supporters).

Just consider the challenge facing the PR team: The former Chancellor of the Washington, DC public schools ignored clear evidence [3] of cheating by adults [4] on the District’s standardized exams, as Linda Mathews, Jay Mathews, Jack Gillum, Michael Joseloff and I documented in “Michelle Rhee’s Reign of Error.”

But Rhee went beyond covering up the misdeeds. Instead of making a sincere effort to root out the cheaters, Rhee stage-managed four ‘investigations’ so that they cleared her.  All the while, a feckless Mayor and the local newspaper averted their eyes, in sharp contrast to the vigorous investigation of a comparable cheating scandal in Atlanta. 

With her test-based accountability schemes discredited and her reputation as a fearless, tough-minded leader severely damaged, Ms. Rhee might have been expected to disappear from the scene.  However, that has not happened. Instead, she remains in the public eye, writing op-eds [5] and offering analysis of educational developments.  This fall she will be a presenter in the annual “Schools of Tomorrow”education symposium sponsored by The New York Times–even though the subject is higher education.

Even more surprising (to this observer anyway) was the omission of the District of Columbia from the list of cities with school cheating scandals in Rachel Aviv’s otherwise solid reporting about Atlanta. [6]

This can only be the result of a smooth PR campaign.

Another tribute to Dunn’s prowess is the fact that Michelle Rhee is still considered a Democrat, even Michelle Rhee’s High-Priced PR | Taking Note:

Related Story:

Rhee-lated $tory: Michelle Rhee answers Ravitch in New Book

al$o $ee Rhee-lated $tory: Excerpts from "Rhee The Art of the Deal" a new $tory about Corporate Education Reform and the Woman that make$ it Happen!

7-24-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:

Don't tell us - show us

The School Board has a new form letter response:"Thank you for contacting the School Board Office. Please be assured that we take the issue of sexual assault seriously and are continuing to work with all parties involved -- including state and federal agencies and the family -- to address the concerns that have been raised and ensure that the appropriate legal process is followed. The family

1 by Charlie Mas / 39min 

Seattle Public Schools - Dr. Nyland Can't Get Here Soon Enough

Between the issue of the Pre-K mission study junket and the appalling action (or lack thereof) on the issue of the Garfield field trip rape case, it's hard not to feel very angry.  As you may recall, in the e-mails about the Pre-K mission study, there was a lot of back and forth over where the money - about $2700 per person - was going to come from to pay for the trip. Well, I found out where the

by Melissa Westbrook / 2min 

Arbor Heights Rebuild Stalled

From the West Seattle Blog:Three years ago, demolition of the old Denny International Middle School was well under way within a month of the end of the school year. This year, though a month has passed since the last class at Arbor Heights Elementary School, the backhoes aren’t even onsite yet. That’s because the permits haven’t been finalized, since another appeal is awaiting a hearing. This is s

by Melissa Westbrook / 15min

A Thoughtful Post about Native American Students by Our New Superintendent

I was just browsing the web, looking up Larry Nyland's background.  His LinkedIn page has a very long list of accomplishments and awards.  Impressive.At the state level I have had the opportunity to serve as: - Superintendent representative on the Washington State Educational Coordinating Council.- Representative on the State Board of Education Math Panel.- Past-president of WASA (Washington Assoc

by Melissa Westbrook / 1h 

7-23-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Downtown School - Is the Fix In?I make no secret of the fact that I had been pushing for the district to consider applying to take over the empty Federal Reserve building downtown.  I believed it was worth looking into (and still do).  However, that is now tempered by this rather large push for the building.  Who's pushing?  All the forces that have decided

by mike simpson / 18h 

To Fight for Public Schools Is to Fight for Democracy | Diane Ravitch

To Fight for Public Schools Is to Fight for Democracy | Diane Ravitch:

To Fight for Public Schools Is to Fight for Democracy

Friends, when a small group of parents and educators formed the Network for Public Education in 2013, we had a singular goal: to mobilize the allies of public education against the powerful forces supporting privatization and high-stakes testing. To advance that goal, we hoped to create a force to counter the large amounts of money that were being dumped into state and local school board races to undermine public education, to demoralize teachers, and to promote an agenda of choice, testing, and sanctions.

We knew we were up against some of the wealthiest people in the nation. We knew they included a bunch of billionaires, and we could never match their spending.

But we put our faith in democracy. We put our faith in the simple idea that we are many, and they are few. We believed -- and continue to believe -- that an informed public will not give away its public schools to amateurs, hedge fund managers, rock stars, for-profit corporations, athletes, fly-by-night entrepreneurs, and religious groups. Our goal is to inform the public, assuming that they would not willingly abandon or give away what rightfully belongs to the entire community.

We believed that we could exert influence if we established our credibility as genuine supporters of children, parents, teachers, administrators, and real education, as opposed to the data-driven, high-stakes testing policies that degrade education and to the consumer-oriented choice programs that divide communities and harm public schools.

Our budget can't match the budgets of those who want to turn our schools into profit centers. But we believe in the power of our message. During our short existence, we have proven on several occasions that our message can beat Big Money. We have seen candidates in state and local races triumph over well-funded adversaries. We To Fight for Public Schools Is to Fight for Democracy | Diane Ravitch:

BATs Descend on DOE Will Sec Duncan Be There?- Badass Teachers Association

Badass Teachers Association:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  July 20, 2014More Information Contact:

Marla Kilfoyle, General Manager, BATs

Melissa Tomlinson, Asst. General Manager, BATs

contact.batmanager@gmail.com

Badass Teachers’ Association -  http://www.badassteacher.org/

The Badass Teachers’ Association (BAT), an activist organization of over 50,000 teachers, will be holding a rally in Washington D.C. to protest the devastating educational policies of the United States Department of Education and Arne Duncan.   The rally will be held on July 28, 2014, at the USDOE Plaza beginning at 10 a.m. and will draw thousands of teachers, parents, students, and educational activists from around the country.  BAT will demand such things as ending federal incentives to close and privatize schools, promoting equity and adequate funding for all public schools, and banning all data sharing of children’s private information.

Co-founder Dr. Mark Naison states in an interview with Suzie Parker of TakePart, “I think that many teachers hoped that if Barack Obama was re-elected, he would ease up on the testing, and the school closings, and the test-driven teacher evaluations. Instead  he doubled down on all of those, leaving teachers with no other option than to speak out in the most forceful way possible; say, ‘enough is enough;’ and demand a seat at the table in shaping education policy, which they emphatically do not have now.” 

In the same interview with Parker, Co-Founder Priscilla Sanstead proclaims, “I want big changes in education. I want standardized testing to be reined way back, portfolios to become an accepted way to assess students, and for teachers to get a voice in setting education policy. I want smaller class sizes and the way to do that is to spend money hiring more teachers.”

Marla Kilfoyle, General Manager of BAT, states about the event, "Teachers, parents, and students have had enough! We want our public schools returned back to our communities, we want adequate funding to  meet the needs of our children, we want child poverty to be addressed as a major issue of why children struggle in school, we want mayors to stop closing schools, and we want the USDOE to stop pushing top-down reforms that aren't working!"


BAT will demand that both state and federal governments stop blaming teachers for child poverty and the societal inequalities that impede a child’s learning.   

Badass Teachers Association:

7-24-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD

LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District):

JUST IN: Court adjourns with no decision on Magnolia charters

JUST IN: Court adjourns with no decision on Magnolia charters A superior court judge adjourned for the day without ruling whether he would keep open two Magnolia Public Schools (MPS) charters for the start of the school year next month. After hearing arguments from lawyers for LA Unified, which wants to shut them down, and from Magnolia lawyers, arguing to keep them open, Judge Luis Lavin said he

by Vanessa Romo / 43min 

LA Unified, teachers meeting today to discuss a contract

LA Unified, teachers meeting today to discuss a contract Negotiators for LA Unified and its teachers union, UTLA, had planned to meet today to discuss a new contract for teachers, based on the district’s latest offer. The district described it as an improvement over the initial offer, but days before the offer was officially made, the union dismissed it as a “non-starter” and continued the threat

2 28min hide  //  save

Magnolia Charter troubles in LAUSD highlight larger concerns

Magnolia Charter troubles in LAUSD highlight larger concerns Troubles encountered by the charter school operator, Magnolia Public Schools (MPS), at two of its eight charters in the LA Unified School District highlight a murky governance issue that legislatures in California and elsewhere have been slow to address. Should a parent company operate its charter school network as a single entity, as MP

2 by Jamie Alter Lynto... / 52min 

Report: Poor induction programs lead to high teacher turnover

Report: Poor induction programs lead to high teacher turnover   Via S&I Cabinet Report | By Alisha Kirby Much of the disproportionately high rate of teacher turnover in hard-to-staff schools serving high-poverty students can be attributed to a lack of quality induction programs for beginning teachers, according to guidance released earlier this month. Roughly half a million U.S. teachers eithe

2 11min 

Morning Read: Judges rule against LAT on teacher IDs

Morning Read: Judges rule against LAT on teacher IDs Judges rule against letting public see LAUSD teachers’ performance The public has no right to know the names of Los Angeles Unified School District teachers in connection with their job performance ratings, according to a court ruling issued Wednesday. LA Times Gov. Jerry Brown resists unzipping school construction wallet Commentary: There’s a

19min 

7-23-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD

LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District): Morning Read: New political action committee joins board raceMorning Read: New political action committee joins board race New political action committee forms in L.A. school board race A new political action committee has formed to influence the outcome of Los Angeles school board races, filling a gap cr

by mike simpson / 21h 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 7-24-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:

An appeal for support from Dr. McKenna

smf writes: 4LAKids is not political organization. While I plead guilty to the practice of politics, no one could ever allege organization! Even when I have been a candidate myself I have not appealed for funds on these pages.  But the political fundraising and spending being done by – and on behalf of – Dr. McKenna’s opponent is horrific. And the negative campaigning being done by the other

by smf / 2:24 PM UTC-7 

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JOHNSON AND McKENNA

Written by The Red Queen in L.A. in her blog | http://bit.ly/1jXu8JB "The most curious part of the thing was, that the trees and the other things round them never changed their places at all: however fast they went, they never seemed to pass anything." Thursday,  24 Jul 2014  ::  DID YOU KNOW THERE’S AN ELECTION IN THREE WEEKS? If you do not live in LAUSD’s first district, you might be

by smf / 56min 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 7-23-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: FIRE BURNS GREEN DOT CHARTER SCHOOL CAMPUS …as ‘Mystery Drone’ hovers overheadFire has Animo South Los Angeles Charter High looking for a new location before school starts Aug.12   -   School called total loss after massive fire. By Howard Blume and Veronica Rocha, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/1A7SRzM Antwan Shepard sprays his house with water as s

by mike simpson / 15h