Sunday, August 10, 2014

Alex Johnson, who ducked my interview and at least six candidate forums, asks why Dr. McKenna won’t respond to the Deasy School Report?

Alex Johnson, who ducked my interview and at least six candidate forums, asks why Dr. McKenna won’t respond to the Deasy School Report?:

Alex Johnson, who ducked my interview and at least six candidate forums, asks why Dr. McKenna won’t respond to the Deasy School Report?

AUGUST 11, 2014 BY ROBERT D. SKEELS * RDSATHENE LEAVE A COMMENT

He has dodged multiple requests for policy positions, undoubtably because he is a hand puppet for the neoliberal corporate education reformers. — Robert D. Skeels

Neoliberal corporate education reform candidate for Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Alex Johnson holds a Juris Doctor, while I am merely a first year law student. That said, I’ve already learned that one doesn’t response to factual evidence with spurious rumors and outright lies. Johnson somehow never learned that lesson. To wit, in response to my carefully documented list of his recent donors, Johnson made the mendaciousness and shameless claim that the Reverend Jesse Jackson took money to endorse Dr. George McKenna.

Learning nothing from that experience, Johnson responded to the viral article calling him out on his Jackson lie by implying that Dr. McKenna refuses to go on record with his stances on issues:

Absurd on its face, Johnson’s latest statement is problematic in several regards. First, Johnson is not really in a position to talk. I spent roughly ninety days calling, emailing, and tweeting to Johnson, pleading for an opportunity to interview him on his policy positions. The opening quote in this essay is the result of those efforts. Moreover, Johnson missed no less than six community forums during the primary election, including:

April 14, New Frontier Democratic Club: DWP Community Room
April 19, Committee For New South LA: West Adams Church
May 8, Black Parent Union: Betty Hill Senior Center
May 12, California Community of Elders, reparations United, council of Black Political Organizations and ACCE Alliance of Californians for

NEA president-elect: Teachers are neither strangers to, nor... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

NEA president-elect: Teachers are neither strangers to, nor... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:

NEA president-elect: Teachers are neither strangers to, nor enemies of, tests.

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NEA president-elect Lily Eskelsen García

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By Maureen Downey

Here is an essay on testing by National Education Association President-Elect and former (Utah) Teacher of the Year Lily Eskelsen García.

A bit about García from her official bio: She began her career in education as a school lunch lady, became a kindergarten aide and was encouraged by the teacher to go to college and become a teacher herself. She worked her way through the University of Utah on scholarships, student loans, and as a starving folk singer, graduating magna cum laude in elementary education and later earning her master’s degree in instructional technology.

After teaching only nine years, Lily was named Utah Teacher of the Year for her work as an elementary teacher. She worked with homeless children and gifted children; as a mentor for student teachers; and as a peer assistance team leader in the suburbs of Salt Lake City where she taught at Orchard Elementary School.

By Lily Eskelsen García

As educators, we believe in good testing. Almost every student in America will confirm that most teachers are neither strangers to, nor enemies of, tests. But great teachers know the difference between tests that help students and tests that harm students. While some of my former sixth graders might argue with this point, tests are not meant to be implements to torture and punish students. Instead, tests should be designed to help teachers evaluate individual student needs and tailor lessons to meet their learning needs.

This is an important point, because what is happening in our schools today with high stakes standardized tests flies in the face of what is best for our students. This is what I call “toxic testing.” Too often and in too many places, we have turned the time-tested practice of teach, NEA president-elect: Teachers are neither strangers to, nor... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:

Get Schooled: At long last, APS cheating trial begins

The long-awaited APS cheating trial begins tomorrow. As AJC court reporter Bill Rankin reported in the Sunday MyAJC.com: The Atlanta Public Schools test cheating case goes to trial on Monday --- an extraordinary prosecution of 12 defendants, ranging from administrators to classroom teachers, all in the same courtroom ...

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Why is Cami blocking access to test scores? | Bob Braun's Ledger

Why is Cami blocking access to test scores? | Bob Braun's Ledger:

Why is Cami blocking access to test scores?

Results of this year’s administration of the state NJ Assessment of Schools and Knowledge (ASK) tests have been delivered to the central Newark administration–but Cami Anderson, the state-appointed schools superintendent, has blocked school principals and other building administrators from seeing and analyzing them.

While building administrators in other school districts–including those in Essex County–have had access to the school scores since last week, Newark school officials have been unable to log on to the site where the scores are kept.

Passwords have been changed.

“The state is telling us we should be able to see the scores and begin developing analyses of them,” said one school administrator in Newark who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retribution from Anderson. “But, when we tried to get on the site, we were blocked.”

According to documents posted by the state Department of Education and Measurement, Inc., the private testing company hired by the state, districts should have received school-based NJ ASK scores no later than August 8, although the Why is Cami blocking access to test scores? | Bob Braun's Ledger:

My Interview and Discussion With Shaun Johnson.southbronxschool

http://www.southbronxschool.com:

My Interview and Discussion With Shaun Johnson

My first real encounter with Shaun Johnson, aka The Chalk Face, came about 2 1/2 years ago in one of those classic Twitter mash-ups.

I started getting into it with the commandant, Kyle Olson, of the über Right Wing, paranoid, and meshuga, education "advocacy" news aggregator, Education Action Group News. EAG News staff like to call themselves reporters or journalists, but really a bunch of hacks that troll the Internet for bad stories about teachers or liberal leanings of schools and in their best FOX News method make the story worse than it is.

But it was a few fun days batting around Kyle as would a cat do to a mouse before it goes in for the kill. I think at one point I had a producer at FOX News agree to have Shaun and myself on against Kyle, but Kyle demurred and wouldn't agree to do the show. Eventually he blocked us both. Oh well.

Shaun and I have stayed in touch off and on through the years. I have always had a great deal of respect for him and feel bad I got him involved in a little of my Twitter tiffs this summer.

I have a lot of respect for Shaun. He is very smart, very aware, and most of all, quite low key, but brutal when he sees a wrong.

So today I was on his Blogtalk radio show and we spoke for 45 minutes. We touched on many things, tenure, my lawsuit, and everything that is tied into both.

The full 51 minutes is here. Enjoy it.http://www.southbronxschool.com:

Nite Cap 8-10-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT

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

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Fight over teacher tenure rages on | MSNBC

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Morning Wink 8-10-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform

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YESTERDAY

Nite Cap 8-9-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT

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