Friday, January 17, 2014

Building a Culture of Parent/Community/School Partnership « NYC Coalition for Educational Justice

Building a Culture of Parent/Community/School Partnership « NYC Coalition for Educational Justice:


Building a Culture of Parent/Community/School Partnership
On October 16, 2013, the Fund for Public Advocacy and the Annenberg Institute for School Reform organized a citywide conference on Parent and Community Engagement, hosted by the Center for New York City Affairs at the New School. Some 150 parent activists, educators, advocates, policy-makers and elected officials participated in workshops, forums, and roundtable discussions. The conference had tw
Persistent Educational Failure: The Crisis in District 9 and a Community Roadmap for Mayor Bill de Blasio
Community School District 9 in the South Bronx is in crisis. Outgoing Mayor Bloomberg’s education policies have failed to close the achievement gap between District 9 and the City’s most affluent neighborhoods. In 2013, nine out of ten students in District 9 failed the English Language Arts exam, half of elementary and middle schools in the District are on state improvement lists, and only 10% of
Parent Power School is in Session!
Parent Power School- Sat, January 11, 2014 The first Parent Power School of 2014 was focused on how parents can advocate in Albany for the crucial funds that NYC schools need. Participants learned about Mayor de Blasio’s effort to pass a tax on the wealthy to fund full-day pre-k for all four year olds and afterschool programs for all middle school students; as well as the statewide campaign to ad

Address Bad Ed Policy and School-to-prison Pipeline - MN2020 Hindsight

Address Bad Ed Policy and School-to-prison Pipeline - MN2020 Hindsight:

Address Bad Ed Policy and School-to-prison Pipeline


Can we tackle the school-to-prison pipeline without also addressing bad education policy?
According to a recent news report, the Obama Administration wants the nation’s schools to abandon “…overly zealous discipline policies” that are more likely to send students to court than to the principal’s office. The report notes that the students most vulnerable to this are not white, and not female.
In response, I would like the Obama Administration to also abandon its “overly zealous” emphasis on high stakes testing, narrowed curriculums, and loveless learning environments for our nation’s children, through the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), and its more emphatic companion, Race to the Top (RTTT).
What’s more, I would love for Obama Administration officials, such as Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, to admit that there is a clear and troublingconnection between zero tolerance discipline policies and current national education policies, especially for non-white, non-female students.
The Advancement Project, which describes itself as an “action tank” focused on pushing for a “just democracy for those left behind in America,” published a policy paper in 2010 called “Test, Punish, and Push Out: How ‘Zero Tolerance’ and High Stakes Testing Funnel Youth into the School-to-

Nite Cap 1-17-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

James Baldwin said it best: 

"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."


A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP



PA Gov. Cancels School Visit to Avoid Protesters | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity
PA Gov. Cancels School Visit to Avoid Protesters | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity: PA Gov. Cancels School Visit to Avoid ProtestersPosted on: Friday January 17th, 2014Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett was set to visit Central High School in Philadelphia, but made a last minute schedule change, and the students, teachers and parents who planned
Teenage Students Ask the Big Question About iPads | Gatsby In L.A.
Teenage Students Ask the Big Question About iPads | Gatsby In L.A.: Teenage Students Ask the Big Question About iPads “I don’t have to stress that a billion dollars is an insane amount of money,” Jacques assures me right away.I feel much better.  I was starting to think I was the one who was insane.As I travel through high schools in L.A., often observing classrooms where there are 45 or 50 kids p
empathyeducates – Should Mayor de Blasio Unravel Bloomberg’s Reforms?
empathyeducates – Should Mayor de Blasio Unravel Bloomberg’s Reforms?: Should Mayor de Blasio Unravel Bloomberg’s Reforms?Photograph; Mayor Bill de Blasio and his new schools chancellor, Carmen Fariña, tour the Bronx School of Young Leaders. Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times Originally Published at The New York Times. January 15, 2014One door closes and another opens. In every life change comes. W
Standardization and Alienated Individualism, or Learning as Belonging? | educarenow
Standardization and Alienated Individualism, or Learning as Belonging? | educarenow: Standardization and Alienated Individualism, or Learning as Belonging?Posted on January 17, 2014 | Leave a commentI was fortunate enough to come across The School as a Community of Engaged Learners, by Penelope Eckert, Shelley Goldman, and Etienne Wenger of Stanford’s Institute for Research and Learning.  Unfortun
La problemática de los Estándares Comunes Estatales
La problemática de los Estándares Comunes Estatales: La problemática de los Estándares Comunes EstatalesPOR STAN KARPTRADUCIDO POR NICHOLAS YURCHENCO Y ANDREINA VELASCO PURCHASE A PDF OF THIS ARTICLEEsta es una versión editada de un discurso sobre los Estándares Comunes Estatales (ECE) ofrecido en Portland, Oregon, el 20 de septiembre del 2013. Los ECE han sido aceptados por 46 estados y están sie
Parents United statement on Corbett SRC appointments | Parents United for Public Education
Parents United statement on Corbett SRC appointments | Parents United for Public Education: Parents United statement on Corbett SRC appointments Posted on January 17, 2014 by PARENTSUNITEDPHILA1 CommentParents United for Public Education will seek to work with any and all appointees to the School Reform Commission. As parents, however, we believe the appointment of any new individuals to the Commi
Portland teachers union president baffled by district's reaction to new proposal, says PPS could push teachers to strike | OregonLive.com
Portland teachers union president baffled by district's reaction to new proposal, says PPS could push teachers to strike | OregonLive.com: Portland teachers union president baffled by district's reaction to new proposal, says PPS could push teachers to strikeThe Portland Association of Teachers unveiled a significantly different proposal in contract negotiations on Friday, which says the district
Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom and How We Plant Seeds - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson
Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom and How We Plant Seeds - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson: Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom and How We Plant Seedsby JOSE VILSON on JANUARY 17, 2014in MR. VILSONConfession: I didn’t get a chance to see Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom before taking my students.Confession #2: My kids wouldn’t have gone to see it either if I didn’t bring them myself.Here’s the thing about au
Why Resist Immense Harmful Forces? | Reclaim Reform
Why Resist Immense Harmful Forces? | Reclaim Reform: Why Resist Immense Harmful Forces?Posted on January 17, 2014by Ken PrevitiWhy resist immense harmful forces?If we fight, we might lose.If we don’t fight, we have already lost.What forces? Common Core State Standards. No Child Left Behind. Race to the Top. Active and retired teacher pension raids. High stakes, high pressure testing with a 70% fai
1-17-14 THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG - Starting the Year with Great Habits — Whole Child Education
Starting the Year with Great Habits — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGStarting the Year with Great HabitsJanuary 17, 2014 by Adrian BertoliniA little over two years ago I sat down with two primary (elementary) school teachers to have a conversation with them to discover what had them be so successful with developing their students to learn. It was one of those conversations that connect
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Despite next week's sham hearings, new CPS charters a done deal
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Despite next week's sham hearings, new CPS charters a done deal: Despite next week's sham hearings, new CPS charters a done dealThis morning I received this email from my former fellow Prosser coach, Jeff Bates.Mike,What do you think?I'm sure you are aware of the RFPs for Intrinsic and Noble Charter Schools being considered by CPS at the upcoming Board meeting on Jan
Will California Use Common Core Tests as a High School Exit Exam? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
Will California Use Common Core Tests as a High School Exit Exam? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Will California Use Common Core Tests as a High School Exit Exam?By Anthony Cody on January 17, 2014 12:03 PMLast week, California's state superintendent of education Tom Torlakson casually mentioned something that could have huge implications for students and teachers. At a meeting Tor
Are Ya’ll Smarter Than Texans? Finns? Koreans?: Math and Science Test Scores Compared to the World and Nation | Cloaking Inequity
Are Ya’ll Smarter Than Texans? Finns? Koreans?: Math and Science Test Scores Compared to the World and Nation | Cloaking Inequity: Are Ya’ll Smarter Than Texans? Finns? Koreans?: Math and Science Test Scores Compared to the World and NationAre U.S. students really as horrible in math and science as the media would have us to believe? How do “reform” oriented states like Texas, Florida and Louisian
1-17-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Friday Open ThreadFun math challenges via UW's Computer Science and Engineering department.  Former School Board President Kay Smith-Blum will have her name on the scholarship wall at JSCEE via a constituent, Eleanor Towes, for Smith-Blum's service to Seattle Schools and students.  It's a great way to honor someone and help a student.Today I'll chatting with folks
1-17-14 Wait What?
Wait What?: Those aren’t guinea pigs; those are our children!Alternatively known as we don’t need no stinkin learning… we need more standardized testing! As an increasing number of parents, teachers, school boards and citizens are learning, the message from Governor Malloy, Commissioner Stefan Pryor and their corporate education reform industry allies is clear and concise.  Connecticut needs more
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Fensterwald: State Board patiently listens, then quickly passes regs for funding lawEducation HeadlinesFCMAT provides links to California K-12 news stories as a service to the industry. However, some stories may not be accessible because of newspapers' subscription policies.Friday, January 17, 2014Federal probe in San Ysidro gets seriousThe d
Morning Wink 1-17-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-17-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Why Outsourcing to For-Profit Enterprises is Bad Public PolicyAn organization called “In the Public Interest” keeps tabs on the scams that private entrepreneurs foist on the public sector, often
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-17-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Why Outsourcing to For-Profit Enterprises is Bad Public PolicyAn organization called “In the Public Interest” keeps tabs on the scams that private entrepreneurs foist on the public sector, often in collusion with public officials who contract out important public services. This report documents the coast-to-coast failure of handing
1-17-14 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: Full Interview, Part III, with Former Charter Teacher at Brooklyn AscendBelow is Part III of my interview with Emily Talmage.  Parts I and II can be found here and here.INT:  When you think of Brooklyn Ascend, what comes to mind?R:  The first thing that comes to mind is that I am so happy I'm not there. INT:  Is there an image that you end up with?R:  Yeah.  The image that comes to
1-17-14 The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: Maryland schools need $100 million for online Common Core tests, says reportA new report from Maryland’s Education Department to the legislature says that the vast majority of schools in many of the state’s counties are not technologically prepared to give new online Common Core-aligned standardized tests and that at least $100 million will have to be spent by 2015 to get ready.
1-17-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida
Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: Why it Will Be Main Stream Republicans – And Not the Tea Party – Which Will Sink Common CoreIts was easy for everyone to dismiss the early opposition to Common Core Standards as crack-pot tea party stuff when it came from Michelle Malkin and Glenn Beck. To be sure, the r
1-17-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: From The Archives: “What’s really wrong with ‘parent trigger’ laws”I’ve recently re-started an effort I’ve tried to do previously by regularly highlighting previous posts and articles I’ve shared in previous years that I think might be worth a second look. Today, I’m highlighting a piece I wrote for the Washington Post in 2
1-17-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: John Laesch. We should be unified behind something other than the lesser of two evils.- John Laesch I talked to some friends about the endorsement session in Burr Ridge. Apparently it was a heated discussion with lots of verbal arguments. The folks in the building trades still love Quinn because he pa
1-17-14 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: PS 106 Update: Retired Teacher Writes to Farina About Principal Marcella Sills' LeadershipWhen will Farina end the misery? If this were about teachers they would be out of there in the blink of an eye. Let me point out once again, that this information has been out there for many years and the NY Post missed it -- until their pals BloomKleinCott were gone. And by the way, that lic
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 1-17-14
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: GOV. BROWN ADDRESSES STATE BOARD OF ED IN RARE APPEARANCE. All boardmembers are his direct appointees; they do as he asks.– John Fensterwald, EdSource | Today http://bit.ly/1czCkVX < Gov. Jerry Brown testified before the State Board of Education on Thursday, urging them to adopt spending regulations for the Local Control Funding Formula. Image from C
1-17-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: Teacher Effect v. Measurable Teacher “Value”: Some ClarificationsAt Peter DeWitt’s Finding Common Ground blog, Angel L. Cintron Jr. offers a guest post, Poverty & Education: Meaningful Discussions or Misguided Diatribes?, confronting the often contentious debate about teacher effect, poverty, and student learning. Cintron offers two points, which he then examines: The propone
1-17-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD
the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): Teacher Effect v. Measurable Teacher “Value”: Some ClarificationsTeacher Effect v. Measurable Teacher “Value”: Some Clarifications via Teacher Effect v. Measurable Teacher “Value”: Some Clarifications.1 by plthomasedd / 1h  1-16-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pe
1-17-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: State Senate Greg Ball Calls For State To Get Rid Of Common CoreJessica Bakeman at Capital NY:The Senate Education Committee on Tuesday passed the four bills introduced by its chair, State Senator John Flanagan, a Long Island Republican. The measures would ban testing in early grades, require the state to redesign exams so they're more closely aligned with what students are
Harold, William, Victor, and Me (Part 2) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
Harold, William, Victor, and Me (Part 2) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Harold, William, Victor, and Me (Part 2)I saved Victor for last.Neatly dressed, carrying a large notebook and a couple of bulky textbooks, Victor would smile at my “good morning,” walk to the rear of the room and sit down. He would put aside a ruler, open a book, take out paper and begin writing. He oft
New York Wants To Give Special Education Kids Easier Tests Like 'The Old South,' Advocate Says
New York Wants To Give Special Education Kids Easier Tests Like 'The Old South,' Advocate Says: New York Wants To Give Special Education Kids Easier Tests Like 'The Old South,' Advocate SaysShould students with disabilities be held to the same academic standards and tests as other kids their age?That decades-old question is being revived by a debate in New York. Some advocates charge that a propos
News Flash – John Mcdonogh reported to be closing at the end of this school year! | Crazy Crawfish's Blog
News Flash – John Mcdonogh reported to be closing at the end of this school year! | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: Crazy Crawfish's BlogZesty Louisiana Education PoliticsNews Flash – John Mcdonogh reported to be closing at the end of this school year!Posted on January 17, 20141I’ve just gotten reports that John McDonogh, run by Future is Now and Steve Barr, is being closed at the end of the 2013-2014 scho
Student Slang 101 | Ward 8 DC Teacher
Student Slang 101 | Ward 8 DC Teacher: Student Slang 101Leave a commentSlang has been around for decades. Although it’s common among teenagers, it has evolved since my generation. As a teacher, I hear student slang throughout the entire school day. As a result, I’ve complied a short list of high frequency words and phrases used this year:bob: Although it’s real name, in the traditional sense, it’s
Lynell Hancock Re-Visits J. Anthony Lukas’s Powerful Book about Boston’s Busing | janresseger
Lynell Hancock Re-Visits J. Anthony Lukas’s Powerful Book about Boston’s Busing | janresseger: Lynell Hancock Re-Visits J. Anthony Lukas’s Powerful Book about Boston’s BusingPosted on January 17, 2014 by janressegerI have read hundreds of books on education, many of them about racial injustice and segregation.  But I confess that I have never read J. Anthony Lukas’s Common Ground, the story of Bos
empathyeducates – Here’s Exactly How Much the Government Would Have to Spend to Make Public College Tuition-Free
empathyeducates – Here’s Exactly How Much the Government Would Have to Spend to Make Public College Tuition-Free: Here’s Exactly How Much the Government Would Have to Spend to Make Public College Tuition-FreeMister President, we thank you for addressing the need to expand college opportunities. As you noted, currently, inequity and inequality are replete. “[T]he United States still has a long way
Seattle Education Meetup on Student Privacy and House Bill 2133 | Seattle Education
Seattle Education Meetup on Student Privacy and House Bill 2133 | Seattle Education: Seattle Education Meetup on Student Privacy and House Bill 2133Our first Meetup was a success with our guest, the newly elected School Board Director Sue Peters. We were also fortunate to have with us at the Meetup two previous board members Amy Hagopian and Sally Soriano.It was a great discussion and we learned m
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: DATA ERRATA
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: DATA ERRATA: DATA ERRATAQuote from CPS IG Jim Sullivan -- "The system has incentivized how performance is evaluated based on data, and much of that data is created and can be manipulated at the school level."  Rahm & charter landlord JenkinsSHOCKING!I'm shocked, just shocked to hear that Rahm's pals are the landlords for the new proposed charter schools

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Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 1-16-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
Nite Cap UPDATEUPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATECORPORATE ED REFORMArizona Hopes New Charter Schools Can Lift Poor Phoenix AreaA movement in Phoenix to open 25 high-performing schools in the next five years is focused on test scores in the growing Latino population.    33 by By FERNANDA SANTO... / 3h De Blasio, a Critic of Charter Schools, May Need Them for His Pre-K AgendaMayor de Blasio is looking for
The Problems with the Common Core Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública
Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública: The Problems with the Common CoreBy Stan Karp This is a revised version of a talk on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) delivered in Portland, Oregon, Sept. 20, 2013. The CCSS have been adopted by 46 states and are currently being implemented in school districts throughout the United States.MICHAEL DUFFYThe trouble with the Com
empathyeducates – Newark Still Not Making Progress Serving Children With Disabilities
empathyeducates – Newark Still Not Making Progress Serving Children With Disabilities: Newark Still Not Making Progress Serving Children With DisabilitiesBy | Originally Published at Education Justice. January 14, 2014Nearly two years since the Newark Public Schools (NPS) agreed to a court-ordered Settlement to improve the delivery of special education services, the latest compliance report filed
Leadership lessons from “Let it go”: not just a Disney song! | Connected Principals
Leadership lessons from “Let it go”: not just a Disney song! | Connected Principals: Leadership lessons from “Let it go”: not just a Disney song!by Amber Teamann • January 17, 2014 • 0 CommentsIf you haven’t seen the movie “Frozen” yet, I highly recommend it. While I did see it with my girls originally, I absolutely saw it again with a grown up friend…it’s that good! One of the main characters is
Nite Cap 1-16-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
James Baldwin said it best: "For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAPJust Another Cheerleader for Privatization and Corporate Ed Deform???Why we march | Parents United for Public EducationWhy we march | Parents United for Public Education: Why we marchPosted on January 16, 2014 by HELENGYMLeave a commentTomorrow,