4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 9-3-14

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

DEASY: “Dear LAUSD Family, I would like to speak to you personally…” but instead here are two links to the same memo I sent to the Board of Ed yesterday

an email blast sent to all LAUSD employees From: Superintendent John Deasy [superintendent_john@LAUSD.NET]Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2014 2:39 PMTo: LAUSD_EMPLOYEES@LIST.LAUSD.NETSubject: Ed-Blast: CCTP Memo Sent to the Board of Education    Los Angeles Unified School District September 3, 2014 CCTP Memo Sent to the Board of Education Dear LAUSD family, As your superintendent it is my

by smf / 51min 

UTLA URGES “TEACHER JAIL’ FOR LAUSD CHIEF AMID iPAD, MiSiS PROBES

CBS Los Angeles | http://cbsloc.al/1unf5KC   September 3, 2014 8:28 AM  :: LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Los Angeles teachers’ union Wednesday asked Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent John Deasy to place himself in “teacher jail” while investigations are conducted into two controversial technology efforts by the district. KNX 1070’s

by smf / 2h 

Teachers union to superintendent: “GO TO ‘TEACHER JAIL’”

BY FERMIN LEAL / Staff Writer - LosAngelesRegister.com http://bit.ly/1un2Tt9 < The Los Angeles Unified School District's teachers union will call Wednesday on Superintendent John Deasy to report to “teacher jail” until investigations into the district's much-maligned iPad program and MiSiS student data system have concluded. FILE: THE REGISTER Sept. 2, 2014  Updated 10:

1 by smf / 10h 

LAWMAKER CALLS FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY TO PROBE ‘SUSPICIOUS’ LAUSD iPAD ROLLOUT

« CBS Los Angeles  | http://cbsloc.al/1r1A2q9 (Photo credit: JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images) September 2, 2014 11:56 PM - LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com)  ::  A Chino Hills lawmaker Tuesday called upon Los Angeles County prosecutors to investigate a controversial bidding process used to bring iPad tablets to students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Assemblyman Curt

1 by smf / 10h 

L.A. Schools Supt. Deasy Defends His Dealings With Apple, Pearson

By Howard Blume - LA Times http://lat.ms/WbOMun L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy, under scrutiny over dealings with Apple and Pearson, said in a memo that "no violations of any legal requirements took place." (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 3 Sept 2014  ::  Los Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy on Tuesday issued his most extensive and passionate defense yet of his actions involving Apple and

1 by smf / 10h hide  //  save

DEASY’S MEA NON CULPA ON iPADS: : “In view of the many false and misleading statements of fact that have been made public for what seems to be primarily political reasons…”

a board informative from the office of the superintendent | published by the LA Times | http://bit.ly/1qou32x

1 by smf / 10h 

Pearson: INSIDE THE BELLY OF A VERY TROUBLED BEAST

by Alan Singer - Social studies educator, Hofstra University-my opinions, of course, are my own - from the Huffington Post | http://huff.to/1lHQ5gP   "And the noise was in the beast's belly like unto the questing of thirty couple hounds." -Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, Book 1, chapter XIX, c. 1469   9/02/2014 1:16 pm EDT Updated: 9/02/2014 1:59 pm EDT   ::  Being trapped in

1 by smf / 11h

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 9-2-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: LEGISLATIVE ANALYST’S OFFICE PROPOSES PARADIGM SHIFT IN MANAGING STATE EDUCATION: Beyond compliance to true collaborative oversight – not “permissible” …but “effective”By Jane Meredith Adams | EdSource Today  |  http://bit.ly/1lFtm52 The California Department of Education building in Sacramento. August 29, 2014 |  Proposing a fundamental change in the w

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

9-3-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE:

Education Post: A Sorry Attempt to Repackage Privatization as “Conversation”

There is a test-score-driven, privatizing war on public schools and on the teaching profession. It is no secret that those chiefly financing the war stand above the chaos they create via their “philanthropy.” In short, they use their billions in order to promote their own ideal of American education privatization. And it seems that they […]

6 by deutsch29 / 19h 

9-2-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: Lessons To Be Learned from Elizabeth Green’s Building a Better TeacherElizabeth Green’s Building a Better Teacher contributes explicitly and implicitly to two key school reform debates. Although I’m not fully convinced by her main argument, she makes a great case that we can build a better teacher. The implicit issue is whether a concerted effort to improve teacher quality could

1 by mike simpson / 2h 

It Isn’t Over in Lee County or Elsewhere! And About Common Core…:

It Isn’t Over in Lee County or Elsewhere! And About Common Core…

SEPTEMBER 3, 2014 BY NANCY BAILEY LEAVE A COMMENT

The Lee County School Board has backed out and students will get tests and tests and more tests. But I know parents will not give up. I’m hoping they will hold their Superintendent accountable for stating that she wanted to devise a plan. This plan should include parents. Perhaps there are some parent lawyers who are willing to step-up to the plate.

It’s not just Lee County as you know. Consider this from the Miami Herald, “Out of the 180-day academic year, Miami-Dade County schools will administer standardized tests on every day but eight. Though not every student will take every test, the number and consequences of testing are facing a growing backlash from parents, teachers and even some district officials.”

Never before have so many been looking at the testing fiasco, everywhere. And Lee County is reporting this as the Common Core State Standard tests which are called Florida Common Standards…at least last I heard. Please tell me if they have changed the name again.

In the news, they acknowledged this was about Common Core and Thomas B. Fordham President Michael Petrilli weighed in. He said, “I think you might see some other symbolic actions form school boards around the country, but at the end of the day as long as they need the funding and the public is demanding information about how It Isn’t Over in Lee County or Elsewhere! And About Common Core…:

9-3-14 Wait What? - Foley and Malloy are just plain wrong on taxes

Wait What?:

Foley and Malloy are just plain wrong on taxes

[A special note of thanks to all of you who have posted comments and sent emails of support urging me to continue writing posts Wait, What?  While I will continue to mull over the various issues and opportunities, the following is an attempt to gingerly re-enter the fray by using this blog to raise what […] The post Foley and Malloy are just plain wrong on taxes appeared first on Wait What?.

20 by jonpelto / 7h 

9-1-14 Wait What?

Wait What?: To blog or not to blog?That is the question… In these difficult times, many of us are grappling with the question – How can one be useful and relevant in what increasingly appears to be a new dystopian age.  (Look up the word dystopian if you don’t know what it means). Coming off my recent “campaign” for governor, I find […] The post To blog or not to blog? appeared first on Wait What?

1 by mike simpson / 21h 

Ms. Katie's Ramblings: Why Teach For America’s Push for “Diversity” Should Not Be Celebrated

Ms. Katie's Ramblings: Why Teach For America’s Push for “Diversity” Should Not Be Celebrated:

Why Teach For America’s Push for “Diversity” Should Not Be Celebrated

Yesterday, I was disappointed to see Teaching Tolerance-a social justice education resource which I have personally used many times-publish a blog post entitled Teach For (a Diverse) America.  It was difficult to see a TFA alum spout this harmful organization's current PR talking points on a site I trust and love.  So,  I’d like to take a few moments to debunk TFA’s deceptive diversity strategy.

But first and foremost, I want to say that getting more teachers of color into our classrooms and keeping them there is of the utmost importance.

But TFA’s overall mission, actions, and impact absolutely negate any benefit from their inauthentic push for diversity. Over the past five years, this darling of the media has come under increasing attacks and criticism even from within their own ranks.  As a result, TFA has used “diversity” as a way to rebrand.  But their core mission which undermines public education and increases inequality remains unchanged.

Here are a few ways TFA actually hurts teachers and students of color:

1)  TFA has a direct tie to the overall reduction in teachers of color in schools.  The black middle class is shrinking, and TFA’s anti-union stance and its attacks on the teaching profession are inextricably linked.  Current education policies-which TFA aggressively promotes-are forcing far more black educators OUT of the classroom than TFA could every put back in.  Many black educators site the worsening working conditions, the loss of job protections which disproportionately affect African American teachers, and the effects of neoliberal edreform policies around school closings, turnarounds, and charter proliferation as reasons why many are leaving/being forced to leave the profession.  TFA spouts the virtues of teachers of color out of one side of their mouth while they spit on veteran black educators out of the other.  This loss of black educators was perhaps most dramatically seen in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina when TFA helped  illegally displace thousands of veteran black educators-most from the communities where they Ms. Katie's Ramblings: Why Teach For America’s Push for “Diversity” Should Not Be Celebrated:

9-3-14 Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Welcome back to your school, now under AUSL

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog:

Col. Tyrell as Gresham

Welcome back to your school, now under AUSL management.

Col. Tyrell as GreshamDAY ONE -- LEVEL ZERO Ex-Marine Col. Tom Tyrell was there to oversee the first day of school at Gresham. Before Coming to CPS to supervise school closings, Tyrell coordinated "prisoner-exchange" work in Kosovo. He then went on to work as Chief Operating Officer for the Intrepid Sea*Air*Space Museum in New York City, "helping instill in young people some of the

5 by Mike Klonsky / 8h hide  //  save

Civility? Do the Math

Do the math...Two years ago, Chicago Public School budgeted for 454 librarians.Last year: 313 librarians.This year? 254. -- WBEZThey're not librarians...Comcast is doing all right, here and most everywhere. Their proposed $45 billion takeover of Time Warner Cable Inc. has Rahm Emanuel and 70 other city mayors applauding like trained seals.“We’re proud to have the support of Chicago Mayor Rahm Eman

6 by Mike Klonsky / 12h 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Labor Day Thoughts

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Labor Day Thoughts: Labor Day ThoughtsLabour cannot emancipate itself in the white skin where in the black it is branded. -- Karl MarxThe Wall St. Journal Reports...The White House and union leaders are using Labor Day to reinvigorate efforts to raise the minimum wage. “Raising the minimum wage would be one of the best ways to give a boost to working families,” Presi

1 by mike simpson / 2h 

9-3-14 Jersey Jazzman - Is "One Newark" Racist?

Jersey Jazzman:

Is "One Newark" Racist?

Is One Newark, the school reorganization plan for New Jersey largest city, racist? Well...- Under One Newark, "Schools assigned the consequential classifications have substantively and statistically significantly greater shares of low income and black students." That's racist.- Under One Newark, "NPS’s black teachers are far more likely to teach black students; consequently, these b

52 by Duke / 21h 

9-2-14 Jersey Jazzman

Jersey Jazzman: An Open Letter to Star-Ledger Editorial Board Director @tomamoranNote: Shortly after I read Tom Moran's piece in the Star-Ledger this past Sunday, I got an email from fellow teacher-blogger Marie Corfield, who suggested we write a response together with our friend and colleague Ani McHugh. We're posting this at all three of our blogs simultaneously, and over at Blue Jersey.Moran ha

by mike simpson / 7h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-3-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

FairTest: Resistance to Over-Testing Grows Nationwide

Here is FairTest’s weekly roundup of resistance to test mania: This week’s biggest assessment reform news was the vote to “opt out” of state-mandated standardized exams by the Lee County, Florida School Board. Though that was the most dramatic action so far this school year, we are seeing more and more local officials across the nation speaking out against testing overkill. As grassroots activists

25 by dianeravitch / 5h 

John Thompson: When Arne Duncan Punished Oklahoma for Dropping Common Core

John Thompson, widely published writer, historian and teacher, wrote this post for the blog. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan obviously knew what he was doing when he timed the USDOE revocation of Oklahoma’s NCLB Waiver on the proverbial “take out the trash day,” just before the long Labor Day weekend. One Duncan soundbite is that Common Core is not a top down corporate and/or federal mandate,

9 by dianeravitch / 7h 

Scholars: “Grit” May Not Be Related to Creativity

An article in Education Week reports on research about “grit” or perseverance at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association. Scholars reported that it had more bearing on academic outcomes than on creativity. “Magdalena G. Grohman, the associate director of the Center for Values in Medicine, Science, and Technology at the University of Texas at Dallas, argues that grittiness is n

13 by dianeravitch / 9h 

Gates Funds Programs to Grade Student Essays

Thanks to Leonie Haimson for this item. http://www.grantspace.org/Tools/Knowledge-Base/Individual-Grantseekers/For-Profit-Enterprises/business-funding By and large, foundations do not make grants to for-profit enterprises. If you are seeking funds to start a for-profit business, please consult the resources below for more information. You might also consult the business section of your local publ

30 by dianeravitch / 10h 

Why Computers Should Not Grade Student Essays

In the brave new world of Common Core, all tests will be delivered online and graded by computers. This is supposed to be faster and cheaper than paying teachers or even low-skill hourly workers or read student essays. But counting on machines to grade student work is a truly bad idea. We know that computers can’t recognize wit, humor, or irony. We know that many potentially great writers with un

69 by dianeravitch / 10h 

Peter Greene: Reform and the Cult of Order

Peter Greene has noticed that reformers are in love with order. They love it wWhen students wear identical uniforms and walk in straight lines without a word. He writes: “The Cult of Order believes in blind, unthinking devotion to Order. Everything must be in its proper place. Everything must go according to plan. Everything must be under control. “It is not new to find cult members in education

12 by dianeravitch / 11h 

Plunderbund: Are Religious Charter Schools the New Normal in Ohio?

Plunderbund is one of Ohio’s most valuable bloggers. In this post, Plunderbund points to an alarming trend in that state: the authorization of charter schools that are connected to clerics and churches. To begin with, there are the Gulen schools, associated with a reclusive Turkish imam. With 150 schools, it is the nation’s largest charter chain, with 19 located in Ohio and operating under the na

11 by dianeravitch / 12h hide  //  save

Two More Florida Charters Close Abruptly

Two more charter schools closed their doors without warning, sending students and parents in search of a new school. This continues a pattern documented by reporters Karen Yi and Amy Shipley in a major investigative story in June. “Two charter schools on Tuesday shut down just two weeks into their first school year, the latest in an unprecedented string of overnight closures among South Florida c

51 by dianeravitch / 13h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-2-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Why Does the U.S. Test More Often and Earlier than Any High-Performing Nation?Education policymakers in the U.S. seem to think that more tests will produce higher achievement, but there is no evidence for this assumption. As this article from the Center on International Education Benchmarking shows, the U.S. tests more frequently t

1 by mike simpson / 7h