Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, January 24, 2011

solidaridad: Get out the Public School Vote for CRES 14 during this week's PSC 2.0 Advisory!

solidaridad: Get out the Public School Vote for CRES 14 during this week's PSC 2.0 Advisory!

Get out the Public School Vote for CRES 14 during this week's PSC 2.0 Advisory!

"If corporate charter-voucher schools were obligated, like public schools, to educate every child, we would see the proliferation of charters disappear almost overnight. Take the profitability out of the equation, and charter schools would return to their original mission." — Robert D. Skeels (Coalition of Educational Justice)

Getting out the vote for Local District 4 and Echo Park Community Partners Design Team Plan
Vote for LD4 and Echo Park Community Partners Design Team PlanVote for LD4 and Echo Park Community Partners Design Team Plan
Vote for LD4 and Echo Park Community Partners Design Team Plan

Yes, that's me braving the Saturday afternoon sun passing out public school flyers.

Many of us volunteered several hours this weekend reminding our neighbors of the PSC 2.0 advisory vote this week which will determine whether our brand new school remain

For Immediate Release: Detroit Federation of Teachers Presidential Challenger Steve Conn Declares Victory, Demands New Election to Replace Fraudulent Vote Count | Dailycensored.com

For Immediate Release: Detroit Federation of Teachers Presidential Challenger Steve Conn Declares Victory, Demands New Election to Replace Fraudulent Vote Count | Dailycensored.com

For Immediate Release: Detroit Federation of Teachers Presidential Challenger Steve Conn Declares Victory, Demands New Election to Replace Fraudulent Vote Count

“This isn’t Florida, and the DFT is Not a George Bush Union,” Declared the Real Winner, Steve Conn

CONTACT: Steve Conn

(313) 645-9340

In a hotly contested runoff election for President of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, challenger Steve Conn of Defend Public Education/Save Our Students, (DPE) declared victory after the Election Committee refused to conduct a fair recount. The vote count separated Conn from incumbent Keith Johnson by only 41 votes, with as many as 700 votes uncounted. Dozens of ballots are missing, and teachers have signed affidavits stating that they voted and demand that their votes be counted.

“The DFT Election Committee rejected DPE’s demand for a hand count

solidaridad: Big Finance and Big Business paying for corporate charter school advertisements

solidaridad: Big Finance and Big Business paying for corporate charter school advertisements

Big Finance and Big Business paying for corporate charter school advertisements

In an age where our communities are seeing the last of the public commonwealth sucked up by the profit machines that are charter-voucher schools, advertising and marketing have become key aspects of the move towards privatization. Most EMO/CMO charter-voucher schools have budgets for this, but just in case, the well heeled bosses at the Granada Hills Chamber of Commerce want to make sure you understand and act upon their corporate message. Hence this message and photos submitted by an avid solidaridad reader, exposing the dark underbelly of the business community's tampering in affairs once reserved for people with an understanding

Afternoon Update: New Posts on Parents 4 democratic Schools 1-24-11 Get Involved- Read Education News

New Posts on Parents 4 democratic Schools

Get Involved- Read Education News



Democurmudgeon: School Superintendents not coming from Education, but from the Military and Corporations.

Democurmudgeon: School Superintendents not coming from Education, but from the Military and Corporations.

School Superintendents not coming from Education, but from the Military and Corporations.

Joanne Barkin wrote in Dissent Magazine that corporate money is influencing public education, installing programs and ideas that have no history or practical research behind it.

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: LAUSD TO BOOST PARENT INVOVEMENT WITH TASKFORCE

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: LAUSD TO BOOST PARENT INVOVEMENT WITH TASKFORCE

LAUSD TO BOOST PARENT INVOVEMENT WITH TASKFORCE

Melissa MacBride | KABC-7 News | http://bit.ly/fvdqLp Monday, January 24, 2011 -- DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles Unified School District and members of a special taskforce are working to boost parental participation and responsibilities within public education. The idea of the Parents Engagement Taskforce was developed in December when the school board passed a

What’s a ward boss to do? « Fred Klonsky's blog

What’s a ward boss to do? « Fred Klonsky's blog

What’s a ward boss to do?

What a funny day.

Talk around the lunch room table was focused on Jay Cutler. The guy is so disliked that normally nurturing, loving teachers who would cry at the sight of a puppy dog were shrieking in anger. Even the news of a torn MCL brought no sympathy. This wasn’t just because of yesterday’s game. It came from a wellspring of suspicion

The Answer Sheet - Education and the State of the Union: a perennial favorite

The Answer Sheet - Education and the State of the Union: a perennial favorite

Education and the State of the Union: a perennial favorite

This item comes from my colleague Nick Anderson, the Post's national education writer and deputy education editor. It's a safe bet President Obama will dwell on education Tuesday night in his second State of the Union address. (His speech to Congress in February 2009 was not, technically, a SOTU.) And his goal is plain: Administration officials have made clear in recent weeks that the president will push this year for a bipartisan rewrite of the 2002 federal education law known as No Child Left Behind. But if Obama is looking for something new to say--a new theme, a new rhetorical flourish, even a new proposal--it may be somewhat difficult. Presidents talk up education every year. Usually It offers them a respite from passages that deal with war, terrorism or polarizing domestic subjects such as taxes and health care. Here is a review of what's been said on the subject in

John Merrow: Blame the Teacher!

John Merrow: Blame the Teacher!

John Merrow: Blame the Teacher!

Teacher bashing is all the rage these days, unfortunately.

Teachers are leaving the profession, and I am hearing from teachers I trust that the exodus would be greater if the economy were better. While I think that aspects of the profession ought to be criticized, particularly the 'trade union' mentality of some -- but not all -- union leaders, the bashing is way out of line.

I write about this in my forthcoming book, The Influence of Teachers, and wrote about it last week on my blog,Taking Note. In that post, I simply presented a litany of complaints from one veteran teacher, a woman I know to be dedicated to her students and the profession. The rules at The Huffington Post prevent me from posting it here anonymously, so I will summarize her complaints and then go from there to my own thoughts about what's

The price of poker, Chicago style, just went up. « Fred Klonsky's blog

The price of poker, Chicago style, just went up. « Fred Klonsky's blog

The price of poker, Chicago style, just went up.

The cost of buying an Illinois appellate court judge must have gone up if Rahm’s $11M couldn’t do it.

The SunTimes:

Miguel del Valle for Mayor of Chicago. Totally a Resident.

Deputies and Directors Appointed - Year 2011 (CA Dept of Education)

Deputies and Directors Appointed - Year 2011 (CA Dept of Education)

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Names Fiscal
Deputy Superintendent and Legislative Affairs Director

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today named Jeannie Oropeza, one of the state's leading experts on education finance, to the post of Deputy Superintendent of the Fiscal, Technology, and Administration Branch of the California Department of Education (CDE).

"No one knows the education budget and the fiscal emergency facing our schools after years of painful budget cuts better than Jeannie," Torlakson said. "Her knowledge and experience will be invaluable as we make our case, inside and outside the Capitol, that California must once again make investing in education a top priority."

Oropeza will replace Susan Lange, who is retiring after more than more than 25 years of outstanding service to the California Department of Education. Lange served in a wide variety of roles, including more than 14 years as Deputy Superintendent with CDE's Management Services Branch. She then served as Deputy Superintendent for the Fiscal, Technology, and Administration Branch since 1999.

Oropeza has been at the Department of Finance since 1992 and has worked for both Democratic and Republican administrations. She currently serves as Program Budget Manager of the Education Systems Unit (K–20). Oropeza also spent two years working in the Legislature, where she served as the Education Budget Consultant for K–12, Community Colleges, and Capital Outlay K-20 for the Assembly Budget Committee.

Torlakson also announced that Erin Gabel is joining CDE as Director of the Legislative Affairs and Fiscal Policy Division. Gabel previously served as Legislative Director and District Representative for Torlakson during his service in California's Assembly and Senate. Gabel is a former Deputy Chief of Staff to Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia. Gabel also was one of the founding staff members of the Bay Area Partnership for Children and Youth.

Also joining the Department's Legislative Affairs Division are Jeanice Warden-Washington, who formerly served as Legislative Director for Assembly member Wilmer Amina Carter; and Monique Ramos, who previously worked in the Assembly Speaker's Office of Member Services.

Court: Rahm Emanuel Can't Run For Mayor, Not Chicago Resident

Court: Rahm Emanuel Can't Run For Mayor, Not Chicago Resident

Court: Rahm Emanuel Can't Run For Mayor, Not Chicago Resident

Rahm

First Posted: 01/24/11 01:01 PM Updated: 01/24/11 01:01 PM

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DEVELOPING: The Chicago News Cooperative is reporting that an Illinois Appellate Court has overturned a decision regarding Rahm Emanuel's Chicago residency. The court reportedly decided Emanuel is not eligible to run for mayor of Chicago because he has not been a resident of the city for one year.

More to come.