CURMUDGUCATION: Real Teacher Accountability

CURMUDGUCATION: Real Teacher Accountability:

Real Teacher Accountability

Reformsters repeatedly circle back around to the question of teacher accountability. If we give up evaluation system and test-based data and methods for turning professional development into a beautiful array of mini-competency-badges, they worry, how will we ever hold teachers accountable for doing a good job? How will taxpayers know they're getting their money's worth?

I know one good model for teacher accountability, a model that I can testify works, because it's the one I have worked with for almost forty years. It's simple, effective, and costs the school district nothing.

My school district is a small town/rural combo. We're based in a city of about 6,000 and encompass several contiguous townships. We have just over 1900 students enrolled, of whom a little over 50% are economically disadvantaged, spread over 188 square miles.

I graduated from the same high school I teach in. That was not the plan, exactly-- just how things kind of worked out. And like most (though not all) of my colleagues, I live within the district, a resident of the same town in which I grew up. Right in the city, in fact, across the street from the district's main office.

We have, of course, all the usual trappings of 'accountability," from an idiotic VAM system (PVAAS, in Pennsylvania) to a bad standardized test and an ever-morphing state model for how my principal is supposed to keep an eye on me. None of that is what keeps me honest. I would point to two CURMUDGUCATION: Real Teacher Accountability:

Donald Trump’s Cabinet: White Males Abound. | deutsch29

Donald Trump’s Cabinet: White Males Abound. | deutsch29:

Donald Trump’s Cabinet: White Males Abound.

In 2017, America will have a white male president and a white male vice president.

To date, President-elect Donald Trump has selected five members of his cabinet, all of whom are white males.

What I have noticed about the list of individuals Trump is reportedly vetting for cabinet positions (see here, as well), is that Trump is mostly interested in white males for most cabinet posts, with the exception being the secretary of education.

Trump confirmed cabinet selections, all white male:

Reince Preibus, White House Chief of Staff

Steve Bannon, Chief Strategist/Senior Counsel

Jeff Sessions, Attorney General

Michael Flynn, National Security Advisor

Mike Pompeo, CIA Director

And more white males under consideration:

Mitt Romney, Secretary of State

James Mattis, Secretary of Defense

Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Commerce

Kris Korbach, Attorney General (??)

Finally, Trump met again with the transition team leader he removed, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and former New York Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, who wanted to be secretary of state and who might just get that job.

(Note also: Trump’s meeting with Kris Korbach reportedly happened Donald Trump’s Cabinet: White Males Abound. | deutsch29:

Politics Are Always At Play In Our Classrooms | The Jose Vilson

Politics Are Always At Play In Our Classrooms | The Jose Vilson:

Politics Are Always At Play In Our Classrooms

On the Wednesday after Election Day 2016, I told myself to maintain my composure. For three weeks, I heard my mostly South and Central American students excoriate the President-Elect for his racist, sexist, xenophobic, Islamophobic comments over the last year. My students call out malicious behaviors quicker than many in mainstream media. Outlets like CNN and MSNBC choose more benign qualifiers like “controversial” and “inappropriate.” Now, I had to walk into my students’ classrooms and gauge a collective vibe.

These students, mostly stirred, had a hard time concentrating on math. There was no comfort in my routines and rituals that day, just a lesson plan and some numbers that I barely remembered.

Lately, many articles from educators for “unity” for the president-elect suggest that educators shouldn’t instill fear into children. (NB: Clinton’s popular vote lead continues to grow past 1.6M … and counting.) In their minds, these liberal-minded teachers are indoctrinating our children with trepidation over a president who called for unity. Liberal parents irrationally stir fears into their children for no good reason. The underlying assumption is also that true social justice is one in which every child aces standardized tests, and they have the content knowledge to meet and surpass Politics Are Always At Play In Our Classrooms | The Jose Vilson:

 

Seeking common ground with charter critic Diane Ravitch - The Washington Post

Seeking common ground with charter critic Diane Ravitch - The Washington Post:

Seeking common ground with charter critic Diane Ravitch

I have been exchanging emails with Diane Ravitch, the clearest voice in the movement to reverse American emphasis on raising school achievement no matter what. She is a brilliant historian and essayist, even if she does not share my fondness for this century’s biggest education reform: charter schools.

We agree that disadvantaged children have to be rescued from poverty before most of them can learn as much as middle-class kids. But while the country struggles to make that happen, why can’t we, in the meantime, support those public charter schools that are preparing significant numbers of low-income children for college?

Charter schools are still growing. There are about 7,000 in 42 states and the District. They have 3 million students, six times more than 15 years ago. I have visited more than 50 great charters, but I know that many others are bad.

In 2015, 400 charters opened while 270 were closed for lack of students, money or academic success. The NAACP wants a moratorium on charter expansion. Voters in Georgia and Massachusetts just turned down measures to increase charters. Education Week found that low-performing cybercharters are still getting state money because of heavy lobbying by their corporate sponsors.

I asked Ravitch: Would you shut down charters altogether, even if some were run by dedicated educators who were giving students more than they got in their regular public schools? At this critical moment for charter schools, with Ravitch so influential on the anti-charter side, her answer is important.

“I would call a moratorium for all new charters,” Ravitch said. “All charters would be required to be financially and academically transparent.” She would ban for-profit charters. Charters would have to fill all empty seats each year, she said, so average test scores would not rise just because low-performing students had left. Charters would have to have the same demographics as regular schools in their neighborhoods, she said, with the same portion of students with disabilities and students learning English.

Ravitch also would require characteristics that the best charters already have: collaboration with public schools, charter boards made of local community members and racially diverse student bodies.

Ravitch’s ideas are worth discussing, but she has not eased my fears about what would happen to the best charters. Their successes depend on giving their principals and teachers the freedom to innovate.

I asked her: “Would charters be allowed to continue fundraising for themselves? Would they be Seeking common ground with charter critic Diane Ravitch - The Washington Post:

Making America Great Again! Step by Step | Bill Ayers

Making America Great Again! Step by Step | Bill Ayers:

Making America Great Again! Step by Step

Step 1: Donald Trump appointed Steve Bannon to be his chief strategist and Senior Counselor. Bannon was formerly the head of Beitbart News, the premier platform for the alt-right movement, a white nationalist, nativist, anti-“political correctness,” xenophobic, antisemitic, homophobic, antifeminist, Islamaphobic, anti-multiculturalist, and anti-immigrant formation that includes the KKK and other crypto- or wanna-be fascists.

Step 2: For Attorney General Donald Trump appointed Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III who had failed to win Senate Judiciary Committee approval for a federal judgeship due to his well-known habit of making racist comments and other slurs against the NAACP and the ACLU, among many others.

Step 3: For his chief of staff, Donald Trump tapped Reinhold “Reince” Priebus, long-time Chairman of the Republican National Committee, a right-wing functionary who enjoys the benefit of seeming moderate in the company of fascists.


Step 4: Donald Trump appointed Michael Flynn to the position of National Security Advisor. General Flynn was former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (appointed by Barack Obama), and then forced into early retirement because of his extreme militaristic attitudes and practices, as well as his loose relationship with the truth, a steady stream of dubious assertions that his associates referred to as “Flynn Facts.” Keep your eye out for Flynn Facts, Bannon Cannons and Trump Dumps in the weeks and months ahead.


Step 5: Donald Trump settled the zillion law suits against him and his fraudulent Trump University for $25 million, presumably enabling some of the plaintiffs to vacation at one of Trump’s resorts—well, not likely, but it’s all part of Making America Great Again.


More to come! Making America Great Again! Step by Step | Bill Ayers:

The “Hamilton” statement: Rude? Hardly. Courageous? Definitely. |

The “Hamilton” statement: Rude? Hardly. Courageous? Definitely. |:

The “Hamilton” statement: Rude? Hardly. Courageous? Definitely.

This is the statement read by actor Brandon Victor Dixon to Mike Pence on behalf of the cast and creators of “Hamilton–a statement denounced by Donald Trump as rude and a harassment. Judge for yourself:

“We have a guest in the audience this evening. Vice President-elect Pence I see you walking out, but I hope you will hear us just a few more moments. There’s nothing to boo here ladies and gentlemen. We have a message for you sir. We hope that you will hear us out. I encourage everyone to pull out your phones and tweet because this message needs to be spread far and wide.

“Vice President-elect Pence we welcome you and we truly thank you for joining us here at Hamilton, an American Musical. We really do. We sir, we are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, out children, our parents or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights, sir. But we truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us. All of us. We truly thank you for sharing in this show, this wonderful American story told by a diverse group of men, women of different colors, creeds and orientations and we truly hope that you heard our message sir, because you all represent all of us.”

Dixon added: “We don’t have to fight one another. The beautiful part of this country is … we don’t have to agree, but we gotta live here, baby, and share with one anotherThe “Hamilton” statement: Rude? Hardly. Courageous? Definitely. |:

Jersey Jazzman: (Some) Reformsters Normalize Trump: Part II

Jersey Jazzman: (Some) Reformsters Normalize Trump: Part II:

(Some) Reformsters Normalize Trump: Part II

You can count on Eva Moskowitz to never miss an opportunity to do one of two things:

1) Promote her brand.
2) Hobnob with the wealthy.

So there was no way she was going to pass up this two-fer:

Charter leader Eva Moskowitz hosted Ivanka Trump for a personal tour of a Harlem Success Academy school on Friday.

The morning excursion came one day after Moskowitz removed herself from consideration for U.S. Education Secretary under President-elect Donald Trump, saying she wanted to focus on the burgeoning charter network.

Moskowitz ascended Trump Tower to meet with the president-elect Wednesday but wouldn’t reveal if he offered her the position.

After meeting the clan patriarch, Moskowitz kept it in the family Friday and gave Ivanka a guided tour of Success Academy’s inaugural location in Harlem. The network now boasts a total of 41 schools.

Flanked by security, Moskowitz strolled into the building alongside her freshly established ally as school staffers looked on.

While Trump was greeted warmly at Success Academy, the visit raised Jersey Jazzman: (Some) Reformsters Normalize Trump: Part II:

Big Education Ape: Jersey Jazzman: (Some) Reformsters Normalize Trump: Part I - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/11/jersey-jazzman-some-reformsters.html

Pete Tucker: The Coverups of the Rhee-Henderson Era in DC | Diane Ravitch's blog

Pete Tucker: The Coverups of the Rhee-Henderson Era in DC | Diane Ravitch's blog:

Pete Tucker: The Coverups of the Rhee-Henderson Era in DC

Pete Tucker, an independent journal is in DC,criticizes The Washington Post for its failure to cover the scandals of the Rhee-Henderson era.

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_582f468ce4b08c963e343e70

Tucker writes in HuffingtonPost that the Washington Post has a long history of giving favorable treatment to Rhee (I would add,more in their editorials than their news pages).

Tucker is disturbed that the Post swept the latest scandal under the rug.

“The newspaper’s latest effort comes on the heels of Henderson being censured for soliciting donations from city contractors, including one accused of serving kids spoiled food and stealing millions. (That contractor, Chartwells, reached a settlement with the District in 2015, agreeing to pay the school system $19.4 million.)

“The donations Henderson secured were directed to the DC Public Education Fund, which she controlled. (The Post also contributed to the fund but failed to disclose that.)

AP’s Ben Nuckols broke the story in April. The Post then followed up with their story, tucked away on page B4 of the Metro section.

“This week’s story–on Henderson being censured by D.C.’s ethics board — was even harder to find. “The WP buried the story on the Obituaries Page B6!!!!” former DCPS guidance counselor Sheila Gill-Mebane wrote on Facebook.

“The Post’s story wasn’t just hard to find. While other news outlets highlighted the censure in their headlines (“Former DC Schools Chief Censured Over Ethics,” read one), the Post kept it in smaller script.

“This is just the latest example of the Post downplaying the Rhee/Henderson era’s serious shortcomings and scandals, which have included: widespread cheating on standardized tests; the widening of an already vast achievement gap; shortchanging ‘at risk’ students; and lead in schools’ water.”

Rhee was interviewed by Donald Trump for the position as Secretary of Education. Some of Trump’s allies oppose Rhee because she supports the Common Core, which Trump vowed to eliminate, but also because she would insist on testing and accountability for charters and voucher schools.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/11/19/michelle-rhee-supporter-heavily-regulated-school-choice-education-secretary/Pete Tucker: The Coverups of the Rhee-Henderson Era in DC | Diane Ravitch's blog:

Karen Wolfe: The Next Election for the LAUSD Will Be a Showdown Over Privatization

by dianeravitch / 1h

Karen Wolfe, a public school parent and blogger in Los Angeles, reports on the upcoming battle royal for control of the school board. The charter ndustry is planning a raid on the school board, and their candidates can expect to be showered with money from billionaires who want to privatize more of the public schools. As karen points out, most of the donors will be able to hide their names until

Stuart Egan: Will North Carolina Drop Arts & P.E. in Elementary Schools?

by dianeravitch / 2h

As I have mentioned many times, the highly successful schools of Finland emphasize play, the arts, and creativity. They don’t begin teaching reading until children are in first or second grade. The Finns want school to be a stress free, joyful experience for children. And it works. The schools have been described by international organizations as the best in the world. Stuart Egan, high school te

Anthony Cody: McCarthyism, My Family, and the New Trump Era

31by dianeravitch / 3h

My friend and colleague Anthony Cody tells the story of his family’s travails during the McCarthy era and links it to events of the present day. Not long after I first met Anthony, about five years ago, he briefly summarized the story of his parents and the hardships they endured because of McCarthyism. As a historian, I urged him to write about it. The events of the past week provoked him to do

Parody: Post-Election Scoring Rubric for Scoring Essays

5by dianeravitch / 4h

This is a very funny scoring rubric that incorporates the skills that separate winners and losers, starting January 20. It says it applies to grading college essays, but it would work well in the school grades as well. It does not reflect the Common Core.

Commonweal on Trump: A Time to Pray

17by dianeravitch / 5h

Commonweal, the Catholic magazine, published an editorial about the election of Donald Trump. The editors are deeply concerned about Trump’s lack of empathy for those in need. They hope he will govern with policies and attitudes different from those he expressed in the campaign. The editors wrote: “It seems unlikely, but perhaps the enormous responsibilities of the presidency will calm Donald Tru

YESTERDAY

A Reader on “the Trump Effect”

23by dianeravitch / 23h

Reader Vale Math posted this comment: “I read today, people trashed a woman’s car and spray painted anti-Muslim messages on the car with swastikas as they thought she was wearing a hijab. She was wearing a head scarf because she lost her hair due to lupus. So now, Trump supporters are attacking people with cancer and auto-immune diseases. “At a local school, a black student was told she should be

Michigan: Another Online Charter Scandal

12by dianeravitch / 1d

State police in Michigan are investigating online schools for financial fraud and inflating enrollment. https://www.tuscolatoday.com/index.php/2016/11/16/state-police-probing-possible-fraud-at-vassar-schools-mep/

Matthew Yglesias: Now is the Time to Hold Trump Accountable for His Cabinet Selections

5by dianeravitch / 1d

Mattew Iglesias has a dire view of the next four years. The federal government has vast powers with which to reward friends and punish enemies. And Donald Trump has made it clear that he will do both. A government that operates with these principles would be systemically corrupt, he says. The next 100 days are critical in demanding that Trump choose cabinet appointees whose qualifications are mor

In Final Months of Election, More People Read Fake News on the Internet than Real News

17by dianeravitch / 1d

Post-truth is reality today. Craig Silverman writes in Buzzfeed that more people linked to fake news sites than to real news sites in the final months of the election. “Of the 20 top-performing false election stories identified in the analysis, all but three were overtly pro-Donald Trump or anti-Hillary Clinton. Two of the biggest false hits were a story claiming Clinton sold weapons to ISIS and

The Cast of “Hamilton” Gives Mike Pence a Lecture; Trump Tweets Back

53by dianeravitch / 1d

Mike Pence attended the Broadway show “Hamilton” last night. The show is a remarkable re-imagining of America’s founding with a cast of actors of different races, mostly black and brown. I saw it a few weeks ago and was greatly moved by its vision of an inclusive nation. The cast and audience were aware of Pence’s presence. He received some applause but also loud boos. At the end of the show, the

North Carolina Virtual Charters Post High Attrition Rates, Low Grades

20by dianeravitch / 1d

North Carolina has two virtual charter schools, one operated by Pearson, the other by Michael Milken’s K12 Inc. Both have high attrition rates and poor student performance , as reported in state data. “Students at one of the state’s two brand new virtual charter schools are dropping out at a rate that exceeds the maximum allowed by state law, according to a report authored by the North Carolina O

NYSAPE Speaks Out on the Election and Our Public Schools

11by dianeravitch / 1d

NYSAPE (New York State Allies for Public Education) is the coalition of 50 organizations of parents and educators who have twice led successful opt outs from state testing, with more than 200,000 students refusing the tests for the