BRIDGEGATE TRIAL–A wrong turn for the defense, laughter, and thuggery |

BRIDGEGATE TRIAL–A wrong turn for the defense, laughter, and thuggery |:

BRIDGEGATE TRIAL–A wrong turn for the defense, laughter, and thuggery

Attorneys for Bridgegate defendant Bill Baroni rested Wednesday–and the case for the defense seemed to fall with a crash at the feet of the jury. Instead of the defense ending on a high note of chipper character witnesses or rebutting damaging cross examination, Baroni wandered  into a testimonial trap about a non-existent school in Jersey City.

And there, waiting for him, was assistant US Attorney Lee Cortes who, just as he had the day before, pounced on an apparent falsehood in Baroni’s testimony–and that, until closing arguments, will be the last thing the jurors will  remember from the Baroni defense.

The substance wasn’t that big of a deal. In February, 2013, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PA)–where Baroni was deputy executive director– announced it was giving $1.5 million for a construction job training program run by the Hudson County Urban League. It came up two weeks ago in testimony given by David Wildstein, a political operative and friend of Gov. Chris Christie who worked with Baroni.

Most of the attention given to the testimony about the grant centered on whether it was an effort by Christie to somehow buy off the candidacy of former Jersey City Mayor Sandra Cunningham as a favor to Steve Fulop who ran that year and won. Why the grant would take Cunnigham out of the race was never explained.

But, somewhere in Wildstein’s testimony, was also talk about one of hundreds of email and text exchanges. It had to do with when Jersey City would be opening its schools. Wildstein implied he and Baroni might have been thinking about doing BRIDGEGATE TRIAL–A wrong turn for the defense, laughter, and thuggery |:

 

OSPI Candidate Erin Jones’ list of donors is a who’s who of corporate ed reformers thanks to the Stand for Children lobbyist Jim Kainber | Seattle Education

OSPI Candidate Erin Jones’ list of donors is a who’s who of corporate ed reformers thanks to the Stand for Children lobbyist Jim Kainber | Seattle Education:

OSPI Candidate Erin Jones’ list of donors is a who’s who of corporate ed reformers thanks to the Stand for Children lobbyist Jim Kainber

In March of this year, my co-editor Carolyn Leith and I interviewed the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) Candidate Erin Jones. In preparation for the interview we noticed several of her donors were pro-charter school individuals and organizations who Ms. Jones referred to as her “friends” during the interview.

As I wrote in an introduction to the conversation we had with OSPI candidate Erin Jones:

Ms. Jones largest donors so far include Teach for America, Inc. (TFA), the League of Education Voters (LEV) and Stand for Children (SFC) but at the time of the interview, Ms. Jones said she was not aware of who her donors were.

During the interview we questioned her about her donors and after the interview, Carolyn and I sent Erin Jones information on LEV, SFC and other Gates’ backed groups assuming her to be naïve about the corporate reform movement. Apparently, Ms. Jones chose to either ignore the information or felt it was to her advantage to accept the money and therefore the influence of these individuals and groups.

Since the interview, Erin Jones has hired  SFC lobbyist Jim Kainber to assist her with generating  campaign donations.

To follow is what we have collected as of the date of this posting of money flowing into Erin Jones’ campaign from people and groups who are spending millions of dollars on privatizing the public school system of Washington State.

A big thank you goes out to people who have been working behind the scenes, gathering the information that is published in this post.

You can peruse her list of campaign donors here.

To follow is a breakdown of some of her contributors:

Stand for Children (SFC)

For information on Stand for Children, see Stand for Children Stands for the Rich and the Powerful…, For or Against Children? , Bain Capital, Stand for Children and Initiative 1240 and Parents! Know the truth about Stand for Children.

SFC contributed $168K for mailers for the Erin Jones for OSPI campaign.

And speaking of SFC, check out another contributor to SFC, Howard Behar.

Behar has contributed about $41,000 to Stand for Children. He has also donated to OSPI Candidate Erin Jones’ list of donors is a who’s who of corporate ed reformers thanks to the Stand for Children lobbyist Jim Kainber | Seattle Education:

 

Procurement Training–Community Nutrition Programs - Procurement in Child Nutrition Programs (CA Dept of Education)

Procurement Training–Community Nutrition Programs - Procurement in Child Nutrition Programs (CA Dept of Education):

Community Nutrition Program Procurement Webinars

Procurement training is one of the California Department of Education, Nutrition Services Division’s (NSD) top priorities. To assist agencies participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) with understanding federal guidance for purchasing goods and services, the NSD has developed a series of pre-recorded Webinars. These Webinars can be viewed at any time.

To identify the Webinars appropriate for your agency, please view the Procurement Webinar Decision Tree for Community Nutrition Programs below.

Procurement Webinar Decision Tree for Community Nutrition Programs (DOC)
This flow chart assists agencies in determining the procurement Webinar(s) right for them.
Accessible Alternative Version of the Procurement Webinar Decision Tree for Community Nutrition Programs

Webinars

Procurement Standards for Small Agencies Participating in Community Nutrition Programs (Coming Soon)
This Webinar is intended for agencies that do not make purchases over $3,500. These agencies have fewer procurement standards than agencies that make larger purchases and therefore all information is consolidated into one Webinar. This Webinar covers the micro purchase method and the requirements for a Code of Conduct and written procurement procedures. Prior to viewing this Webinar, agencies should print up and refer to the Code of Conduct and Procurement Procedures Checklist (DOC).

The Informal Purchase Methods for Community Nutrition Programs  This Webinar is intended for agencies that make purchases above $3,500. It reviews the federal requirements for the micro purchase and the small purchase methods.

The Formal Purchase Methods for Community Nutrition Programs (Coming Soon)
This Webinar is intended for agencies that make purchases over the small purchase threshold. It covers the federal requirements for Invitation for Bids and Request for Proposals.

Code of Conduct and Procurement Procedures for Community Nutrition Programs  This Webinar is intended for agencies that make purchases over $3,500. Prior to viewing this Webinar, agencies should watch the Informal and Formal Purchase Methods Webinars, as applicable. (Not all agencies will need to watch the Formal Purchase Methods Webinar.) It reviews the requirements for a written Code of Conduct and written procurement procedures. Prior to viewing this Webinar, print up and refer to the Code of Conduct and Procurement Procedures Checklist(DOC).

Checklist

Code of Conduct and Procurement Procedures Checklist (DOC)
This Checklist is a tool developed by the NSD to help all Child Nutrition Programs to identify particular components to include in a Code of Conduct and in written procurement procedures. Print and refer to this checklist when reviewing the Webinars which cover the Code of Conduct and Procurement Procedures.

Questions:   Laurie Pennings, MS, RD | lpennings@cde.ca.gov | 916-322-3813

 Procurement Training–Community Nutrition Programs - Procurement in Child Nutrition Programs (CA Dept of Education):

Schools Matter: Personalized Common Core Worksheets on a Screen

Schools Matter: Personalized Common Core Worksheets on a Screen:

Personalized Common Core Worksheets on a Screen

"MobyMax solutions are designed to help teachers 'find and fix missing curriculum skills, motivate students, power up, and save time.' The online, interactive software and services offered by MobyMax are designed to be an 'innovative learning ecosystem,' that allow teachers to create a diagnostic-based learning plan for each student, based on the student's abilities, that allow for independent learning." 

A teacher just wrote that her school is one of many now using professional development time to allow MobyMax salesmen to demo another 19th Century learning tool in a 21st Century box.  This one is particularly tempting because it is inexpensive to get started, and it allows students to be plugged in for hours at a time without human intervention.

All you have to do is explained in the video below, and before you know it, MobyMax will be diagnosing deficiencies and offering Common Core lessons to get your child or your students up to speed.

There is the added advantage of having your school administrator's "dashboard" track every student's performance in the school at any point in time.

And don't worry, children, the data gathered by the Willett Bros. who own MobyMax is stored on their corporate server and can only be sold to companies that the Willett Bros. work with, either now or in the future. Their on your side!

Oh, you don't have enough screens for all the children yet at your school?  Not to worry, you can get all of MobyMax's 21st Century curriculum on worksheets that you can pass out to keep your children entertained for hours, days, months at a time.

 Schools Matter: Personalized Common Core Worksheets on a Screen:

Nailing Your First Parent-Teacher Conference

Nailing Your First Parent-Teacher Conference:

Nailing Your First Parent-Teacher Conference

Photo by Danny Peck

Effective parent-teacher conferences are critical to your students’ success and planning for them can be a challenge. Fortunately, NEA and its members are here to help. Watch “Before, During and After: Tips for a Successful First Parent-Teacher Conference,” a prerecorded webinar from three master educators sharing their best advice and tips on how to prepare, conduct, and follow-up after your meeting with parents.

Hosted by NEA’s Center for Organizing, the webinar features these master educators:

• Anna Larsen, Utah second-grade teacher
• Bob Erlandsen, Massachusetts middle-school science teacher
• Rowena Shurn, consulting teacher in Maryland

Access the webinar (Flash player required) to learn more now.

Check out more teacher-tested tips on working with parents and guardians.

 Nailing Your First Parent-Teacher Conference:

When California schools call cops for small infractions it disproportionately hurts minority students, civil rights study finds - LA Times

When California schools call cops for small infractions it disproportionately hurts minority students, civil rights study finds - LA Times:

When California schools call cops for small infractions it disproportionately hurts minority students, civil rights study finds

Many California school districts offer their staff little or no guidance on when police should be called to control student behavior, according to a new study that comes as districts face increased pressure to redefine law enforcement’s role in public schools.

The report, released Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union, analyzed law enforcement policies of 119 California school districts, including 50 of its most populous. It found that more than half of the districts — large and small — gave their staff broad discretion to summon police officers for small infractions, bullying and disrupting lessons.

After the police are called in (most districts don’t permanently station officers in their schools), many districts do little to shield their students from potential consequences, the study found. Of those analyzed, about 98% don’t require parental notification before a student is interviewed by police and about 99% don’t mandate that officers advise students who haven’t yet been arrested of their constitutional rights, including the right to remain silent.

The result, according to the study’s authors, is that school administrators often outsource what used to be routine, in-school discipline to police officers. And when they do, the effects are disproportionately harsh for poor, minority and disabled students, who are more likely to be arrested than their peers.

Too often, school staff call the police to have them handle a situation that makes a student end up having to go to court or get a fine.— Victor Leung, ACLU staff attorney

During the 2013-14 school year, 9,540 school-related arrests were made in California, according to the study. Black students were three times as likely as white students to be charged with an offense.

“Too often, school staff call the police to have them handle a situation that makes a student end up having to go to court or get a fine,” said ACLU staff attorney Victor Leung. “Really, they should have no discretion — the rule should be that they handle this minor rule-breaking with their own staff.”

In California, 19 school districts have their own police forces, ranging in size from four officers in Apple Valley Unified to 410 sworn officers and 101 school safety officers in Los Angeles. Most districts have memorandums of understanding with local law enforcement, but many of these documents contain “deficient, vague, or even non-existent policies,” according to the report.

The worst offenders, Leung said, are the 33% of school districts that require staff to report low-level offenses such as vandalism or graffiti to the police. Although these may sound When California schools call cops for small infractions it disproportionately hurts minority students, civil rights study finds - LA Times:

When the "extra" is actually essential and life-changing - Lily's Blackboard

When the "extra" is actually essential and life-changing - Lily's Blackboard:

When the “extra” is actually essential and life-changing

We typically think of band, the chess club, drama club, debate team, dance, cheerleading, garden club, “It’s Academic” and similar programs as “extras,” like the colorful sprinkles on top of a sundae. But that doesn’t do justice to the role they play in the overall education and development of our students. Actually, they are essential­curriculars.

And speaking of essential: so are the many teachers, guidance counselors, coaches, school social workers, education support professionals and paraprofessionals who do double-duty, even giving up precious time on the weekends, to ensure these activities are available.

The emphasis on testing during the years of No Child Left Behind took away time and energy from a host of subjects and activities. It robbed too many students of the opportunity to “just be content with enjoying school.”

Photo by Sewell Johnson

In the test-crazed environment NCLB sparked, extracurriculars took a back seat. Some even thought of them mostly as résumé-builders for an impressive college application. But with the Every Student Succeeds Act, we have the chance to reclaim their place in education. As the author Robert Putnam said in an interview with NEA Today, they have an important place in students’ overall development. Without them, a pathway to growth and discovery is lost.

“We know from the evidence that extracurricular activities foster what are often called ‘soft skills,’ things like teamwork, grit, communication and so on. These are skills that are hugely important for success in life,” Putnam, author of books including Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis, said. “That’s causation—if you participate in, for example, sports, and you learn those skills, you will in fact be more attractive to employers. … And of course when you take way these opportunities, students become disengaged from school and drop out.”

Sports programs are in a different league; they usually get lots of support. A host of professional athletes and Olympians got their start in PE and on school teams. But there’s more to activities than athletics.

Future Farmers of America, Mathletes, Model U.N, the aeronautics, robotics, graphic design, photography, manga and Harry Potter clubs, student government associations and others can help students figure out what they enjoy.

Moreover, they can give students information about what they are good at and point the way to educational choices and future careers.

That’s what happened to Kent Boyd, a runner-up in the seventh season of Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance” competition, who started out in high school musical productions back home in Botkins, Ohio. He’s continued his acting and dancing career and even started a clothing line, Sugar and Bruno.

Participating in the debate club can channel a student’s more challenging attributes (such as a propensity to argue a point ad nauseam) and help her discover the advocate within. Being in the baking club can provide the foundation When the "extra" is actually essential and life-changing - Lily's Blackboard:

FBI’s Online Anti-Extremism Effort Meets Resistance - WSJ

FBI’s Online Anti-Extremism Effort Meets Resistance - WSJ:
FBI’s Online Anti-Extremism Effort Meets Resistance
Teachers raise doubts over website that seeks to educate teenagers on how to avoid the pull of violent extremism

When it was introduced last year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s “Don’t Be a Puppet” campaign was billed as a novel way to help educate teenagers about avoiding the pull of violent extremism.

The website, which teaches users how to pinpoint when young people are drifting toward radical ideology, is part of a broader initiative launched by the federal government to counter homegrown extremism. The site’s development comes as the Islamic State terror group seeks to ramp up its recruitment of young people in the West.

But as high-school students around the nation continue to settle into a new school year, the American Federation of Teachers union and other groups have come out against the campaign.

In August, the groups, which include the American Association of School Administrators and American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, wrote a letter to FBI director James Comey saying they were “deeply troubled” by the Don’t Be A Puppet campaign and claimed it would increase distrust of Muslim and Middle Eastern students. Critics of the website fear that the recent bomb attacks in New York and New Jersey, and stabbings at a Minnesota mall, will be used to further justify its use with young people.

The website—which walks users through various topics related to extremism and allows them to “free the puppet’ after each section—references religious and environmental extremism, white supremacy, and anarchists. It offers short explanations of the Sept. 11 attacks, as well as the 1995 bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City.

Specifically, the advocacy groups have raised concerns that the computer program can too easily be interpreted as singling out Muslims. Critics have taken issue with several of the potential signs of extremist behavior that the website warns users to report—such as “talking about traveling to places that sound suspicious” and “using code words or unusual language.”

They have also objected to a video of an Arab-American woman on the site who said she FBI’s Online Anti-Extremism Effort Meets Resistance - WSJ:

L.A. Unified decides fate of six charter schools; El Camino leader resigns - LA Times

L.A. Unified decides fate of six charter schools; El Camino leader resigns - LA Times:

L.A. Unified decides fate of six charter schools; El Camino leader resigns

The ongoing tug of war between pro-charter school and anti-charter forces was focused Tuesday on the Los Angeles Board of Education, which faced controversial decisions on the future of six campuses.

By the end of a sometimes contentious meeting, the school board allowed one high-profile charter to survive in exchange for the departure of its leader. The board also voted to reject petitions for five schools run by two other organizations.

The outcome was bittersweet for many at El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills.

The district agreed to stay a revocation process that would have returned El Camino to the control of the L.A. Unified School District. But founding executive director, David Fehte, consented to leave within the next week. Several governing board members also are expected to depart over the next several months. 

The L.A. school board’s vote was 6 to 0 against a five-year renewal for three schools operated by locally based Magnolia Educational and Research Foundation. Board member George McKenna abstained.

Magnolia came under widespread scrutiny after the Turkish government accused it and other U.S.-based charters with Turkish governing boards of helping foment a failed July coup in Turkey. The schools’ leaders denied any involvement.

A more direct concern for L.A. Unified was Magnolia’s importing of Turkish nationals and their families for teaching and other staff positions. That past practice is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the district’s inspector general. 

Magnolia operates 10 campuses, including eight in L.A. Unified; the ones up for renewal were Magnolia Science Academy 1 in Reseda, Magnolia Science Academy 2 in Van Nuys and Magnolia Science Academy 3 in Carson. 

The school board denied the other two charter renewals, for Celerity Dyad in South Los Angeles and Celerity Troika in Eagle Rock, in a 6-0 vote. Ref Rodriguez, who represents the area where the schools are located, abstained.    

The actions on these schools directly affected more than 13,000 students but also took on greater significance as the L.A. Unified School District struggles both to oversee and compete with charters.

L.A. Unified has more of these independently operated schools than any other district, and, as they compete for students, charter growth is one major factor affecting the district’s financial stability.

Charter advocates on Tuesday asserted that L.A. Unified is growing increasingly hostile to new and existing charters, and that district evaluators are seeking to close charters over relatively minor matters that have no bearing on academic performance. 

They insisted that L.A. Unified is acting unfairly and possibly in violation of state regulations.  An attorney for Magnolia went further, calling the focus on the Turkish workers, “discrimination based on nationality and religious beliefs.”

“These people have never done anything but provide a world-class education to inner-city kids in Los Angeles,” attorney Jerry Simmons said.

District officials maintained that all six of the schools had problems that justified taking action despite their academic performance, which ranged from acceptable to much better. 

The approval process for charters has taken on a ritual-like quality in the nation’s second-L.A. Unified decides fate of six charter schools; El Camino leader resigns - LA Times:

CURMUDGUCATION: PA: Court Decides in Favor of Privacy

CURMUDGUCATION: PA: Court Decides in Favor of Privacy:

PA: Court Decides in Favor of Privacy



 The Pennsylvania Supreme Court this week issued a long-overdue ruling with far-reaching consequences for school privacy issues.


The case dates back to 2009, when some folks asserted that Right-To-Know laws meant they could demand home addresses and phone numbers for teachers. The state teachers union fought the issue, but the lower court ruled that teachers should have the right to argue why specific their own personal info should be denied. But that was it, and it wasn't much. PSEA appealed.

Now in a unanimous ruling, the state supremes have ruled that a school district is not a directory service. And they've said in language that has some other clear implications. Here's how Emily Leader described the ruling in an e-mail to Pennsylvania School Board Association members:

The Court held individuals have a constitutional right to privacy in their home addresses under Article 1, Section 1 of the Pennsylvania Constitution.  In general, individuals have a right to “informational privacy” which may not be violated unless this right is outweighed by a public interest favoring disclosure.”   The Court found that in this case there is no public interest in disclosing the school employees’ home addresses in response to this request which outweighs their interest in privacy in their home addresses.  It noted, “To the contrary, nothing in the RTKL suggests that it was ever intended to be used as a tool to procure personal information about private citizens or, in the worst sense, to be a generator of mailing lists. Public agencies are not clearinghouses of “bulk” personal information otherwise protected by constitutional privacy rights.

Does that seem a little broader than just employee's home addresses? It looks that way to PSBA, too. Here's their advice for how school districts should deal with the ruling:CURMUDGUCATION: PA: Court Decides in Favor of Privacy:

How Joy Became the New Grit – EduShyster

How Joy Became the New Grit – EduShyster:

How Joy Became the New Grit

Schools are increasingly manipulating students’ emotions in the name of achievement—and that’s wrong says University of Pennsylvania education professor Joan Goodman…

By Joan Goodman
*No excuses* charter schools face a teaching predicament. Their long school day/year with few diverting extra-curricular activities and heavily rule-governed pedagogy is tough on students. Inevitably, strict behavior restrictions, aimed not just at controlling common misbehaviors but also behaviors that might lead to misbehavior, result in a gulf between student desires and teacher demands. To close the gulf and avoid constantly admonishing students, charter management organizations have layered onto their culture an expectation that learning is to be approached joyously. Indeed, joy has been elevated to a central value at many CMOs.

The j-factor
Uncommon Schools promotes *joy* as one of its five values; Democracy Prep advertises a *joyous culture* with enthusiasm as one of its DREAM values; Mastery lists *joy and humor* among its nine core values; and Achievement First includes the child’s joy in its assessments of  student progress. Success Academy says that, along with rigor, its schools stress *humor (joy)…making achieving exhilarating and fun!* Meanwhile, KIPP includes joy’s close cousin, *zest,* as one of the seven character strengths on its Character Growth Card. Chicago’s Noble Network has likewise embraced *zest.* According to Doug Lemov, a major source of CMO pedagogy, the Joy Factor, one of his 49 essential techniques, is *a key driver not just of a happy How Joy Became the New Grit – EduShyster:

Where Donald Trump And Hillary Clinton Stand On 10 Policy Issues : NPR

Where Donald Trump And Hillary Clinton Stand On 10 Policy Issues : NPR:

From The Economy To Race, See Where The Candidates Stand On The Big Issues

This election has been particularly noisy.

But when all the Twitter storms and heated exchanges (maybe) fade away after Nov. 8, the issues that affect real voters will remain.

With that in mind, we set out to create a cheat sheet on where each candidate stands on the issues voters care about most. The issues we chose to highlight come from the top 10 issues voters said were "very important" to their vote, according to a 2016 pollfrom the Pew Research Center.

Those issues are, in order: The economy, terrorism, foreign policy, health care, gun policy, immigration, social security, education, Supreme Court appointments and the treatment of racial and ethnic minorities.

We've tracked where the major candidates — Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Gary Johnson and Jill Stein — fall on each issue. We chose these four candidates because they are on the ballot in most states.

We've categorized each candidate's stance in various subcateories with a yes or a no, if it truly was that simple. Some were given an "it's complicated" rating, meaning that the candidate hasn't put forth a plan, commented publicly or has changed positions.

We will continue to update their stances as they evolve. Is there a subcategory you'd like to see but don't? E-mail us at nprpolitics@npr.org.

Economy / Terrorism / Foreign Policy / Health / Gun Policy / Immigration / Social Security / Education / Supreme Court Appointments / The Treatment of Racial and Ethnic Minorities

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The Economy

Though the country as a whole has recovered in the eight years since the 2008 recession, many parts of the country are still struggling. Partly for that reason, economic policy continues to be a major theme on the campaign trail. Candidates have sparred over the role that the tax code should play in economic growth, how to solve the social security problem and more.

Where Donald Trump And Hillary Clinton Stand On 10 Policy Issues : NPR: