Saturday, August 16, 2014

8-16-14 Ed Notes Online Week

Ed Notes Online



Ed Notes Online




UFT Endorses Espaillat Over Robert Jackson
That chickenshit union is SICK... An activistHas there been any politician more supportive of teachers and parents than Robert Jackson? Here is one view of a parent/activist.After Cuomo endorsed Espaillat, so did the UFT, which probably also played a large role in getting the Working Families Party to endorse Cuomo.That chickenshit union is SICK.They are destroying parent support for it on issues

Parents and Educators Reject the Tests, the Scores and Corporate Agenda of NYSED & Pearson
Fred Smith, a test specialist formerly with the NYC Department of Education (DOE) stated, “The State Education Department took a half-step by releasing 50 percent of the English and math questions from the April 2014 exams. It was a half-step not just because it falls halfway short of full disclosure, but also because SED fails to provide data at its disposal that would enable objective evaluation

YESTERDAY

Change the Stakes Parents and teachers say test scores are manipulated and meaningless, distracting us from seeing the real needs of NYS schools
  More 4 of 3,195 press release only 24 hrs later than plannedInboxxJane Maisel12:20 AM (13 hours ago)Hi everyone, sorry for the delay. The busy day almost got the better of us. D...J Lee 1:20 AM (12 hours ago)to cts-steering, Katie Thanks Jane, Diana and all! Was hoping to help, but you guys got it covered! See you all soon! xojiaNancy K Cauthen via googlegroups.com 1:26 AM (12 hours ago)to cts-s
#AFT14 Video - Sarah Chambers and The Speech that Triggered Mulgrew "Punch in Face" Comments
Common Core Debate - Sarah Chambers, Michelle Gunderson vs Michael Mulgrew - Note how Mulgrew was set up at the mic to follow Sarah Chamber's speech. Not a coincidence. Another UFT leader, Leroy Barr (not included in this video) was set up at the mic following Mulgrew - also not a coincidence. Unity Caucus uses placeholders at strategic mics as a way to control the debate.The battle between NYC an
Julie Cavanagh on Common Core in Daily News, Major Contrast to Mulgrew
Julie Cavanagh won't punch you in the face if you support common core as she makes a clear and concise statement in her article in the DN that is way more powerful than what we hear coming out of our union leaders.As Mulgrew's opponent in 2013 election she is quite a contrast to Mulgrew as she makes similar points Chicago teachers made at the AFT convention in that debate on the floor and in commi
Michelle Rhee Joins Scotts Miracle-Gro, Adding More Manure to the Pile - Teachers Call for Boycott
I've had to inform my wife that she will have to find other ways next year to fertilize her veggie patch, most likely with night soil. “I’ve always wanted to switch to natural fertilizer – so long Miracle-Gro,” an Indiana teachers union president wrote. A math teacher in Illinois said he’s disappointed that he doesn’t buy Scotts products, “Because it means my boycott will not cost them money.” “No

AUG 14

NYSUT Double Switch Game Leads One Parent to State the proverbial WTF?
They did a big press op shredding the Pearson exams last week and today they say "The vast majority of questions do appear to be age- and developmentally appropriate."... NYC Parent.Oh, you mean Karen Magee and cohorts did one thing on one day and the opposite on the next? I'm shocked, just shocked. Oh, NYSUT, NYSUT Revivalists,Is there no end to your perfidy?(See Eterno at ICE: STATE UN
Teacher Diversity Petition
MORE is helping sponsor this action of the work of the Teacher Diversity Committee, an independent group of teachers affiliated with MORE. Anyone who has been around for a while knows that Sean Ahern (who was one of the founders - co-conspirators) of ICE) has been relentless in his pursuit of this issue over the past decade. I think we all learned a lesson when Sean took things to a new level by c
When Mulgrew Won't Punch Someone in the Face: Breaking NYS Charter School Cap Will Doom Public School System and Unions
Will the UFT/NYSUT leadership oppose this with every bone in their body - witness the silence over the Cuomo charter giveaway law last spring. But the UFT/NYSUT leaders will challenge those who oppose the common core.Leonie Haimson comments: If the de Blasio administration doesn’t oppose this with every bone in their bodies we are doomed.Moskowitz] is sitting on a goldmine, and would make a great
Paralysis
I'm having a very interesting problem. I, as everyone else, am under a bombardment of heavy exploding shells loaded not with shrapnel, but with information. Information which explodes in my mind, branching off into threads of thought processes, any of which could lead to a blog. So many threads that I can't make decisions on what to write about. Thus, paralysis.I always heard that as you get older

AUG 13

Mel Levy
I just wanted to inform you Mel Levy head of TA Engineers union died this week.  He is a huge loss for all unions because he had a voice and was fearless.  It would be nice if the UFT would acknowledge him for all he has done for the city.  Barbra Nahoum Cheers, Norm Scott Twitter: normscott1 Education Notes ednotesonline.blogspot.com Grassroots Education Movement gemnyc.org Education columni
The Case for Tenure: South Bronx School Tells His Story
There are so many personal stories out there about teachers under assault, while principals get off scot free no matter what they do. Peter Zucker tells his story.http://www.southbronxschool.com/2014/08/my-own-story-why-teachers-so.html One of the Campbell Brown parents has a kid at PS 106 in Rockaway where the principal, Marcella Sills, was exposed on many grounds and is not in the rubber room (n

AUG 11

Breaking: NY State Ed Department Releases 2014 Test Results (Parody)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New York State Education Department Releases April 2014 Test Results:Students Statewide Make Progress Meeting Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS)Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch and State Education Commissioner John King, Jr. announced gains in English and math this year. They made the announcement outside Kipp Tech Valley Charter School in Albany.  Consistent with the aims
Common Core: Gary Stern on Manipulating Test Outcomes Through Cut Scores
Maria Baldassarre Hopkins hit the nail on the head: "There are ways to make the numbers do what you want them to do." There was nothing democratic about the way the Common Core was written and forced on the schools. This story will get uglier and uglier as corporate politicos use their manipulated message of failing public schools as a diversion from the real issue of poverty. Reminder:

AUG 10

#AFT 14 Video - Leo Casey At the Bat - Don't Let Tea Party Seduce You From Supporting Wonderful Common Core
This may be worse than Mulgrew's speech. Immediately after his speech, Leo went right to the Mendacino vinyards to pick grapes.

AUG 09

Gypsy Pics - One Last Time
Farmhands - only pic on this page I didn't takeI am a hoarder - never throw anything away - so I have these pics on my hard drive and want to delete them to make room. So, I just use Ed Notes as a dumping ground. What other purpose does it have?I set up the camera and let it roll when I went backstage The orchestra pitChowsie played by NickBaby JuneLouise - growing upChinese restaurant sceneBaby J
Vergara Update: Chetty, Chetty Gets Banged, Banged in Teachers College Refute
Over the last decade, teacher evaluation based on value-added models (VAMs) has become central to the public debate over education policy. In this commentary, we critique and deconstruct the arguments proposed by the authors of a highly publicized study that linked teacher value-added models to students’ long-run outcomes, Chetty et al. (2014, forthcoming), in their response to the American Statis