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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

School Tech Connect: This Is How I Vote

School Tech Connect: This Is How I Vote:




This Is How I Vote

So, the Sullivan HS LSC election is tomorrow. Turns out that the community candidates do indeed have digital footprints, and one of them is a known commodity here in Rogers. Here's the list, if anyone cares to advise me. I've promised my entire building to provide endorsements, so we're talking about six voters here. "The Machine," I like to call it.

As for the community candidates, two of them are very, very young and out there trying to get a foot in the door. One of them is still in school, and although he has good intentions, he evidently thought it wise to work for the Chico campaign, so he's out. 

The other young person is aide, evidently, to Luis Gutierrez, whom I rather admire even though he endorsed Chico over Miguel del Valle, an endorsement that stank to high heaven.  This young candidate talks about restorative justice and bothered to build a Google site. I like him, but I'm not entirely certain how reformy Gutierrez is or isn't, and I always worry about young people and how susceptible to Kool-Aide they are. 

One community candidate has no digital footprint that I can find. 

One of these candidates has less of a digital footprint but an impressive education. Chicago being a small town, I know someone who knows him, and he gets rave reviews as a mensch. Which goes a long way with me. 

The incumbent has an advantage here beyond already showing that he's willing to work hard:  He's been critical of Alderman Joe Moore, whom I used to love but have come to not love. On the other hand, there's this:


I hope to talk to the incumbent tomorrow, because if this was him, he's out!

Seriously, all of these candidates seem like they're in it for the school and the community, and nobody seems to have an agenda against the school, teachers, or the kids. Although Rahm Emanuel does, and I want to hear more before I tell five people who they should vote for.

Schooling in the Ownership Society: This hedge-fund "school reformer" is so rich, he donates to the Koch Bros.

Schooling in the Ownership Society: This hedge-fund "school reformer" is so rich, he donates to the Koch Bros.:


This hedge-fund "school reformer" is so rich, he donates to the Koch Bros.

Griffin is the one on the right
Greg Hinz at Crain's, "Follow the money: Citadel's Ken Griffin and the Illinois GOP," reports on the Chicago hedge-fund billionaire who, possibly illegally, secretly throws millions into Republican political campaigns. Wait, did I say Republican? There are no Republicans in Chicago so Griffin does the next best thing. He writes six-figure checks made out to the Rahm Emanuel campaign fund.


Writes Hinz:
In a fascinating series of events that just now are coming to light, it appears that every single penny the Illinois Republican Party got in the first quarter from other political groups for non-federal elections came courtesy of Ken Griffin, CEO of Chicago hedge fund 

Haisman and Rosenthal. « Fred Klonsky

Haisman and Rosenthal. « Fred Klonsky:


Haisman and Rosenthal.

Haisman and Rosenthal.
No. It’s not a law firm.
Back in the day, Bob Haisman was President of the IEA. He ran for IEA President as something of an outsider and won.
Then we butted heads over the issue of a merger of the two national teacher unions: The NEA and the AFT.
I was for it. Haisman and the IEA leadership led the charge against it.
Haisman won that fight.
In fact, I think I may have been the only IEA delegate to the NEA RA that year that voted for merger. And it lost 

Questions Concerning Howard Fuller Charter Proposal to Milwaukee Common Council « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Questions Concerning Howard Fuller Charter Proposal to Milwaukee Common Council « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:


Questions Concerning Howard Fuller Charter Proposal to Milwaukee Common Council

4/18/12
The Milwaukee Common Council is reviewing a proposal by Dr. Howard Fuller and the Institute for the Transformation of Learning to create three new charter schools. The Institute is proposing to become a charter management organization, following in the footsteps of other national charter management organizations such as Rocketship and KIPP. The new schools, intended to be contracted by the city of Milwaukee, will be called Quest.
Acceptance of charter plans cannot be based on political ties, favors to political allies or just a well-written document, even if the proposal draws on the most current education terminology or suggests that it will use the most current practices in education. Whenever possible, the awarding of contracts should take into account past school and student performance of schools run by the applicant.
MPS is constantly scrutinized under a magnifying glass, correctly so. But the same should be true for the City of Milwaukee charter school district, UW charter school district and voucher schools.
In the case of this proposal, it would be valuable to look at Dr. Fuller’s results with specific schools. He is the board chair of CEO Leadership Academy, previously a voucher school and presently a city charter school. Dr. Fuller has worked with closely that school for a number of years.
What is the data on CEO Leadership Academy? The WKCE results from the Fall of 2010 show the following:
Grade# Students TestedSubject% Proficient and AdvancedMPS % ProficientAnd Advanced

Foundations of Strategy, Part 2: Supply | Inside Higher Ed

Foundations of Strategy, Part 2: Supply | Inside Higher Ed:


Foundations of Strategy, Part 2: Supply

Blog: 
As a continuation on the Foundations of Strategy theme, this post is about the supply of educational opportunities.  In short, they’re exploding.
There are currently over 5,000 degree-granting institutions in the United States, made up of a healthy mix of public, private not-for-profit, and for-profit schools that educate a highly diverse population and offering an ever-increasing number of programs and degrees.

The supply of educational opportunities is increasing not only through the traditional schools and their for-profit counterparts, but also the number and types of programs (e.g., business, nanotechnology, criminal justice) and 

Grumpy Educators: Testing Perversion: Parent Threatened and Parental Rights Violated in NY

Grumpy Educators: Testing Perversion: Parent Threatened and Parental Rights Violated in NY:


Testing Perversion: Parent Threatened and Parental Rights Violated in NY

This story does not require much introduction. The correspondence between the parent and the school officials speaks volumes and confirms the depth of the high stakes testing perversion.

The letter from the parent on her reasons for choosing to opt out her student from standardized testing: (highlighting in red is added for emphasis by Grumpy Educators)


From: Christine Dougherty
Sent: Sunday, April 15, 2012 10:38 AM
To: Thomas M. Capone; Donna Gales
Subject: opt out.
Please be advised that my son Joseph Dougherty will not be taking the New York 

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Late Nite Posts 4-18 #SOSchat #p2 #edreform


All Education Matters: Over 165,000 Students On Strike in Quebec Over Planned Tuition Hikes

All Education Matters: Over 165,000 Students On Strike in Quebec Over Planned Tuition Hikes: Over 165,000 Students On Strike in Quebec Over Planned Tuition HikesbyCryn JohannsenPopoutThat's right!165,000students are striking. Talk about flippin' inspiring, peeps. Hope you'll share with your networks. This is what democratic action looks like. These students make me damned proud.

Opting Out from Standardized Testing - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

Opting Out from Standardized Testing - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.: Opting Out from Standardized Testing (Editor's Note: Below is a must-read post from educator Will Richardson'sblog, about his decision to opt his son out of the state test along with the public letter he sent to the NJ newspaper. There seems to be another stirring of the pot in the edu-blogsphere, with Chris Lehmann apoplectic about the speech by Jeb Bush from today'sEducation Innovation Summitw/numeroustweetsrelating to ... more »

LAUSD TOP-HEAVY ADMNISTRATION (VIDEO #2) - Perdaily.com

LAUSD TOP-HEAVY ADMNISTRATION (VIDEO #2) - Perdaily.com: LAUSD TOP-HEAVY ADMNISTRATION (VIDEO #2)byLeonard Isenberg(Mensaje se repite en Español)(For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)The following video examines the dysfunctional top-down administrative culture of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and the blind obedient anti-intellectual culture of generationally failed public education it has created in Los Angeles and throughout California and the rest of the countryIt is our motivating belief here at perdaily ... more »

A Rotting Apple: Education Redlining in New York City | The Schott Foundation for Public Education

A Rotting Apple: Education Redlining in New York City | The Schott Foundation for Public Education: A Rotting Apple: Education Redlining in New York CityEDUCATION REDLINING IN NEW YORK CITYHOME |EXECUTIVE SUMMARY [PDF]|FULL REPORT [PDF]|RECOMMENDATIONSFrom the Press Release:In New York City public schools, a student’s educational outcomes and opportunity to learn are statistically more determined by where he or she lives than their abilities, according toA Rotting Apple: Education Redlining in New York City, released by the Schott Foundation for ... more »

Duncan Enlists Sharpton’s Civil Rights Network in Education Reform | ED.gov Blog

Duncan Enlists Sharpton’s Civil Rights Network in Education Reform | ED.gov Blog: Duncan Enlists Sharpton’s Civil Rights Network in Education ReformPosted onApril 18, 2012byGuest Blogger “You are all partners and allies in reforming public education,” Secretary Arne Duncan said last week at the National Action Network’s 14th Annual Convention in Washington. “An excellent education for very child is a moral and civic imperative, as well as an economic one. This issue is even bigger than education—it is an issue of ... more »

Henderson: Cheating probe ‘wrapping up’ - D.C. Schools Insider - The Washington Post

Henderson: Cheating probe ‘wrapping up’ - D.C. Schools Insider - The Washington Post: Henderson: Cheating probe ‘wrapping up’byBill TurqueChancellor Kaya Henderson said Wednesday morning that the D.C. Inspector General’s inquiry intosuspected cheatingon the DC CAS during the Michelle Rhee era — which Henderson requested more than a year ago after a USA Today investigation — is close to completion.Read full article Henderson and Gray sketch out big plans for DCPSbyBill TurqueMayor Vincent C. Gray and Chancellor Kaya Henderson sketched out ... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: A View of The Future

Missouri Education Watchdog: A View of The Future: A View of The FuturebyAnngieIt is encouraging to see various groups open their eyes to the problems in our education system and in the reforms currently being pushed. Both conservatives and liberals are beginning to see the dangers involved in centralized planning of curriculum and collection of personal data by government bodies. Someday, hopefully soon, the rallying cry of "It's all for the little children"will send chills down people's spines rather than ... more »

Grumpy. « Fred Klonsky

Grumpy. « Fred Klonsky: byFred KlonskyGrumpy.According to NBC,these are the results of strike votes at some of Chicago’s high schools.Von Steuben: 94 percentSteinmetz: 96 percentSullivan: 95 percentSenn: 95 percentUplift:89 percentMather:96 percentNorthside Learning Center:80 percentKelvyn Park:86 percentChicago Academy:85 percentNorthside College Prep:96 percentLane:93 percentJuarez:96 percentKelly:94 percentCurie:86 percentAccording to the Chicago Reader’sBen Joravsky, Rahm has put an F-you offer on the negotiating table.At the moment, the mayor’s negotiators are sticking to their... more »

Shanker Blog » Value-Added Versus Observations, Part Two: Validity

Shanker Blog » Value-Added Versus Observations, Part Two: Validity: Value-Added Versus Observations, Part Two: ValiditybyMatthew Di CarloIn a previouspost, I compared value-added (VA) and classroom observations in terms ofreliability– the degree to which they are free of error and stable over repeated measurements. But even the most reliable measures aren’t useful unless they are valid – that is, unless they’re measuring what we want them to measure.Arguments over the validity of teacher performance measures, especially value-added, dominate our discourse on ... more »

Tell the Real Story - Alliance for Quality Education of New York

Tell the Real Story - Alliance for Quality Education of New York: View this video for information about the School Cuts Hurt CampaignWe have a responsibility to keep up the fight to ensure a positive future for our children.Videos will be posted on ourwebsiteandFacebookpage.We will also update ourTwitterwhen new videos have been submitted.We will share it on ourYoutubechanneland post it to ourFacebook page. It’s time we tell the real story about school cuts.Your name and your title (i.e. parent, teacher, ... more »

Charter School Teaching: Similar to or Different than Regular Public Schools? | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Charter School Teaching: Similar to or Different than Regular Public Schools? | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Charter School Teaching: Similar to or Different than Regular Public Schools?bylarrycubanSince 1991 when Minnesota launched the first charter schools, the movement to create publicly funded charters freed from district rules where parents can choose to send their children has spread to 40 states (and the District of Columbia) enrolling almost two million students (nearly four percent of all public school ... more »

The imaginary link between immigration and immorality

The imaginary link between immigration and immorality: The imaginary link between immigration and immorality04/18/2012ByDaniel CubiasLeave a CommentMy mother came to America from El Salvador. My paternal grandparents came from Europe. Each one immigrated legally, which is the essence of the American experience – huddled masses yearning to be free and all that.However, in the eyes of many Americans, my mother and grandparents were selfish and immoral. After all, whenever a debate starts up aboutimmigration, it’s just a matter of time ... more »

- Wait, What? CSI:Turns out GNEPSA stands for We Got A Match by jonpelto

- Wait, What?: CSI: We Got A MatchbyjonpeltoTurns out GNEPSA stands for the Great New England Public Schools Alliance.Or, if you squint your eyes really tight, you might also see the words StudentsFirst.Brian Lockhart, of the Stamford Advocate, Hearst Newspaper wrote a story entitled “StudentsFirst … I mean GNEPSA … sends out slick mailer” (click the title to read).Lockhart is the first reporter to examine the intrigue behind the GNEPSA/StudentsFirst issue.Linking to a Wait, What? blog post about GNEPSA, Lockhart, ... more »

Schools Matter: Special Ed Child Forced to Take Test, Mom Threatened by School Officials in Oceanside, NY

Schools Matter: Special Ed Child Forced to Take Test, Mom Threatened by School Officials in Oceanside, NY: Special Ed Child Forced to Take Test, Mom Threatened by School Officials in Oceanside, NYbyJim HornIf you had a child with special needs who struggled to learn and who was stressed out about the upcoming state test, would you consider opting out? Christine Dougherty did in Oceanside, NY, and she notified the school.She did not expect the reply she got, however, with a ... more »

Report on New York City School District: “A Rotting Apple: Education Redlining in New York City” « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Report on New York City School District: “A Rotting Apple: Education Redlining in New York City” « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: Report on New York City School District: “A Rotting Apple: Education Redlining in New York City”bymillerlfSchott Foundation report April 2012The New York City public school system is the largest in the country, with responsibility for educat­ing more than 1 million children.The ability of the New York City public schools to meet that responsibility holds national signifi­cance. The ... more »

Charter schools' hidden agenda | Guest Writer | Arkansas news, politics, opinion, restaurants, music, movies and art

Charter schools' hidden agenda | Guest Writer | Arkansas news, politics, opinion, restaurants, music, movies and art: Charter schools' hidden agendaWhat happens when there is little accountability?byPaul M. HewittTOOLSemailprintsharesave to instapaperadd to favoritesadd to custom listcomments (3)A recent study by researchers at Western Michigan University revealed an unpleasant side of the charter school movement. Charter schools are privately operated schools that receive tax dollars from the state for each student they enroll. The advocates for charters like to frame them ... more »

A Child is Forced to Test: Where is Mainstream “Liberal” Media? | United Opt Out National

A Child is Forced to Test: Where is Mainstream “Liberal” Media? | United Opt Out National: A Child is Forced to Test: Where is Mainstream “Liberal” Media?byadminAt United Opt Out National, we encourage opting out of high stakes testing because we support public schools. We support real learning and real teaching and a whole and equitable education for all children. High stakes testing is not just any test – it is a test used to punish students, teachers, schools and ... more »

Left In Alabama:: If Public Schools Could Operate Like Charter Schools.....

Left In Alabama:: If Public Schools Could Operate Like Charter Schools.....: If Public Schools Could Operate Like Charter Schools.....by:countrycatTue Apr 17, 2012 at 15:12:20 PM CDTThe Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) is one of the largest charter school companies in the US has shown significant gains in student achievement. Once you look closely at their operations, their success isn't surprising. Would that model work for public schools?KIPP began in 1994 when two Teach for America teachers decided to create a ... more »

LAUSD Supt.: California 'long overdue' for revamp of teacher dismissal policy | 89.3 KPCC

LAUSD Supt.: California 'long overdue' for revamp of teacher dismissal policy | 89.3 KPCC: LAUSD Supt.: California 'long overdue' for revamp of teacher dismissal policyApril 17, 2012 | ByTami Abdollah2Krista Kennell/AFP/Getty ImagesLos Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy speaks during a press conference at South Region High School #2 in Los Angeles, California February 6, 2012.California is "long overdue" for a revamp of the Education Code policies that govern teacher dismissal so as to make it more easier to fire those ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Does Money Really Matter in Public Education?

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Does Money Really Matter in Public Education?: Does Money Really Matter in Public Education?byMelissa WestbrookThat's the question.I was talking with another education advocate recently and her take was that people (read: legislators) are tired of throwing money at public education and seeing the same results. And, that's why we need to support ed reform because legislators want to see something done differently in our schools.Okay, I can understand not wanting schools and districts doing the same ... more »

Geaux Teacher!: MORE MANIPULATION OF SCHOOL PERFORMANCE SCORES

Geaux Teacher!: MORE MANIPULATION OF SCHOOL PERFORMANCE SCORES: MORE MANIPULATION OF SCHOOL PERFORMANCE SCORESbynoreply@blogger.com (Lee Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT) If you thought you had no control over school performance scores pre-reform, you can be sure that now that it's going to be nothing but a crap shoot!The BESE votes were barely counted and the meeting room emptied today before Superintendent White published his latest dictum that includes a re-design for calculating school performance scores. It's anybody's guess what effect this methodology ... more »