Sunday, August 30, 2015

Two Questions Every Presidential Candidate Needs to Answer about Education | VAMboozled!

Two Questions Every Presidential Candidate Needs to Answer about Education | VAMboozled!:

Two Questions Every Presidential Candidate Needs to Answer about Education





In an article released by Truthout, author Paul Thomas recently released an article titled “Five Questions Every Presidential Candidate Needs to Answer About Education.” You can read all five questions framed by Thomas here, but I want to highlight for you all the two (of the five) questions that most closely relate to the issues with which we deal via this blog.
Here are the two questions about education reform in this particular arena that every candidate should have to answer, and a few of Thomas’s words about why these questions matter.
1. While state and national leaders in education have repeatedly noted the importance of teacher quality – while also misrepresenting that importance [emphasis added] – increasing standards-based teaching, high-stakes testing and value-added methods of teacher evaluation, along with the dismantling unions, have de-professionalized teaching and discouraged young people from entering the field. How will you work to return professionalism and autonomy to teachers?
The teacher quality debate is the latest phase of accountability linked to test scores that started with school and student accountability in the 1980s and ’90s. While everyone can agree that teacher quality is important, the real issues are how we measure that impact and how we separate teacher and even school quality effects from the much larger and more powerful impact of out-of-school factors – that account for about 60% to 86% of measurable student learning.
The misguided focus on teacher quality – linking evaluations significantly to test scores – Two Questions Every Presidential Candidate Needs to Answer about Education | VAMboozled!:

#FightForDyett In Chicago: Dyett Hunger Strike Day 14 – Supporting and Defending - Living in Dialogue

In Chicago: Dyett Hunger Strike Day 14 – Supporting and Defending - Living in Dialogue:

In Chicago: Dyett Hunger Strike Day 14 – Supporting and Defending 





By Michelle Gunderson.
A circle of ten people sit outside Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office demanding a meeting with the mayor. They have not taken solid food for 12 days. The Dyett hunger strikers ask that a decision be made regarding their proposal to keep the only open enrollment high school in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago.
The mayor does not come out.
An aide is sent instead.
As a supporter of the Dyett hunger strikers, as well as a supporter of the concept of public education driven by communities – not contract or charter schools – I sit behind the Dyett hunger strikers on the fifth floor of Chicago’s City Hall and wait.
We might as well be on the opposite site of a moat of a feudal castle. The barrier between Rahm Emanuel and the members of the Bronzeville community is that wide.
Yet, as we support the Dyett hunger strikers, many of us find ourselves defending their actions.
This past week Eric Zorn, a writer for The Chicago Tribune, claimed the hunger strikers were taking the public hostage with their actions that he called a planned suicide. Then Alderman Will Burns stated that he refused to be bullied by the strikers.
Let’s be clear, a hunger strike is a fast, a withholding of solid food. It is an action which is rooted in deep moral resolve.
As Jitu Brown, hunger striker and community organizer, said, “When you haven’t eaten for a while you gain great clarity.”
Playing by the Rules
By every measure, the coalition for Dyett School has followed all the rules. They engaged with the In Chicago: Dyett Hunger Strike Day 14 – Supporting and Defending - Living in Dialogue:

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Public Education in 2015-2016 - What Will Happen?

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Public Education in 2015-2016 - What Will Happen?:

Public Education in 2015-2016 - What Will Happen?






I believe that this year is to be a pivotal one in public education - for our district, our state and nationally.
I'll go in reverse order. 

Nationally, that issue of opting out over Common Core testing/overtesting is not going away.  No amount about saber-rattling, shaming or finger-wagging is going to change that. 

In 2016 we will elect a new president and I can only say if you believe in "choice" via charters and voucher, vote Republican.  Because that is exactlywhat will happen.  There is not a single Republican I would trust on public education issues (and that's a sad thing to say given how many of them there are).  Trump is the only one with no clear views but I'm thinking the first thing he would do for public education is to make mandatory citizenship reviews of every single student in public schools a reality. 

But with a Republican president, along with vouchers and massive charterization of public schools,  we would probably see a big pullback on federal reach into public education.  Common Core might be weakened by this move.  

But Clinton, Sanders and the other Dems are not-so-stellar either on public education issues so I'm (again) likely to be disappointed for public education, no matter who wins.

For Washington State, we will go into Jan. 2016 seeing the Legislature continue to tie itself into knots over school funding and ignoring I-1351 about class size.  It's going to take some real leadership and public will to create a change that will mean a fundamental change in how we fund our STATE andNot just public education.  I said this to the Governor but I'm not sure he's the 
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Public Education in 2015-2016 - What Will Happen?:

Tools for Tailored Learning May Expose Students’ Personal Details - The New York Times

Tools for Tailored Learning May Expose Students’ Personal Details - The New York Times:

Tools for Tailored Learning May Expose Students’ Personal Details








If the efforts by state legislators to restrict the use of student data are any guide, the email addresses and search queries of the nation’s schoolchildren are a hot commodity.
In May, Georgia adopted a law barring online services designed for elementary through high school from selling or sharing students’ names, email addresses, test results, grades or socioeconomic or disability information. It also bars them from using the data to target students with ads.
In August, Delaware enacted a law that forbids online school services from selling students’ personal details — including their political or religious affiliations, food purchases, text messages, photos, videos and web searches — or using the information to market to them.
Those are just two of the 182 bills introduced in 46 states this year intended to bolster protections for student information, according to areport this month from Data Quality Campaign, a nonprofit group that advocates the effective use of student data in education. Fifteen of those states have passed 28 laws, said the group, which is financed in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The activity stands in stark contrast to legislative interest just two years ago, when Oklahoma was the only state to pass such legislation. It also provides a clear indication of the rapid adoption of learning apps in classrooms — and of concerns that these novel technologies generate a trove of new data about students that could be used in unforeseen ways.
Many of the new tools are designed to tailor learning to each child. To achieve that sort of customization, the software may collect and analyze a Tools for Tailored Learning May Expose Students’ Personal Details - The New York Times:

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 8/30/15 #SaveDyett


SPECIAL NITE CAP 

CORPORATE ED REFORM



Schools Matter: The Siege of Philadelphia Public Schools
Schools Matter: The Siege of Philadelphia Public Schools: The Siege of Philadelphia Public Schoolsby Ken Derstine @ Defend Public Education!“Whenever I see the school and the ruins, I wanna break into tears,” wrote Jacob Rodriguez, 17, who attended Fairhill from kindergarten through eighth grade.Kiara Villegas, 15, wrote on the wall: “They closed our school, for what reason though?”Pencil statemen
Letter: New York Superintendent DOES NOT CARE about VAM | deutsch29
Letter: New York Superintendent DOES NOT CARE about VAM | deutsch29: Letter: New York Superintendent DOES NOT CARE about VAMMichael Hynes is the superintendent of the Patchogue-Medford School District in New York.He knows that attempting to gauge teacher value via the state’s $2.7 million, nonsensical, secretive value-added modeling (VAM) scheme is foolish.Below is his August 28, 2015, letter to a
CURMUDGUCATION: Report on Systematic Crushing of Local Control
CURMUDGUCATION: Report on Systematic Crushing of Local Control: Report on Systematic Crushing of Local ControlThe Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools is a broad network of  groups standing up for local and community schools, linking everything from the two national teacher unions to parent and community groups. AROS this month released a report looking at the issues surrounding the privatization of lo
What’s the Organizing Force of #EdReform? | educarenow
What’s the Organizing Force of #EdReform? | educarenow: What’s the Organizing Force of #EdReform? Truthout has an excellent new article on the role that the “Non Profit Industrial Complex” has played in the rise of charter schools, and in the demise of community agency. Robert Skeels, the author of The Nonprofit Industrial Complex’s Role in Imposing Neoliberalism on Public Education, rightly point
It took hunting to find L.A. school board meeting on superintendent hunt - LA Times
It took hunting to find L.A. school board meeting on superintendent hunt - LA Times: It took hunting to find L.A. school board meeting on superintendent huntLos Angeles school officials have promised a “transparent” search for the next superintendent of schools, but got that process off to a murky start by the listing of a faulty address for a Sunday morning board meeting.The business of the day w
Karen Magee: Drawing Meaning From The Meaningless | WAMC
Karen Magee: Drawing Meaning From The Meaningless | WAMC: Karen Magee: Drawing Meaning From The MeaninglessBig Education Ape: Noam Chomsky on the Dangers of Standardized Testing | Creative by Nature http://bit.ly/1Eu7u5WEarlier this month, the State Education Department released student scores on state standardized tests. Yet, most of the media coverage centered on the 220,000 students who opted o
Foundation Stats: Aggregate Fiscal Data of Grants from FC 1000 Foundations, for Education, 2012 - Foundation Center
Foundation Stats: Guide to the Foundation Center's Research Database - Foundation Center: Aggregate Fiscal Data of Grants from FC 1000 Foundations, for Education, 2012Top 50 Recipients of Grants from FC 1000 Foundations for Education, 2012Recipient NameLocationNo. of GrantsDollar Value of Grants1 |Emory UniversityGA48<1 americany112="" div="" each="" for="" nbsp="" tanford="" univer="">
Newark teachers demand Cerf “reverse the evil” of “One Newark” and privatization | Bob Braun's Ledger
Newark teachers demand Cerf “reverse the evil” of “One Newark” and privatization | Bob Braun's Ledger: Newark teachers demand Cerf “reverse the evil” of “One Newark” and privatization(Bob Braun’s Ledger presents the text of a statement read by John Abeigon, NTU president, and directed to state-appointed superintendent Christopher Cerf at the last school board meeting.)Respect is earned, not receiv
The gnashing of many teeth accompanied warning about the consequences of low participation in standardized tests | OregonLive.com
Low-income students awaiting Kate Brown's leadership: Editorial Agenda 2015 | OregonLive.com: Low-income students awaiting Kate Brown's leadership: Editorial Agenda 2015The gnashing of many teeth accompanied last week's announcement that about $400 million in "kicker" revenue will be returned to taxpayers next year. The frustration responsible for so much dental damage is perfectly justi
NBC’s Harris-Perry Blames Charter Schools for New Orleans Problems
NBC’s Harris-Perry Blames Charter Schools for New Orleans Problems: NBC’s Harris-Perry Blames Charter Schools for New Orleans ProblemsOn Sunday’s Meet the Press, MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry blamed the growth of charter schools in New Orleans post-Katrina as one of the reasons the city has not improved since the storm. The MSNBC host proclaimed “for many who are African-American it's not a better
Charter schools would boost grades in Australia: new report
Charter schools would boost grades in Australia: new report: Charter schools would boost grades in Australia: new reportUS-style privately-owned public schools should be rolled out in Australia to boost academic standards, a new report by libertarian think-tank, the Centre for Independent Studies argues.Privately-run public schools, or charter schools as they are known in the US, are funded by the
#FightForDyett : Standing Strong With the Dyett Hunger Strikers Oregon Save Our Schools
Oregon Save Our Schools: Standing Strong With the Dyett Hunger Strikers: Standing Strong With the Dyett Hunger StrikersOregon SOS values several ideas about public education.  Two that are very important are honoring parent voice and supporting neighborhood schools. We are also supportive of social justice issues.  All these issues have convened at Dyett High School in Chicago where parents and co
Did the Achievement First Charter School Chain Cheat on the Connecticut SBAC tests? - Wait What?
Did the Achievement First Charter School Chain Cheat on the Connecticut SBAC tests? - Wait What?: Did the Achievement First Charter School Chain Cheat on the Connecticut SBAC tests?The case has been repeatedly made that that the Common Core SBAC testing scheme is unfair, inappropriate and discriminatory.  Designed to fail students, many of the questions on the SBAC test covered material that stude
With A Brooklyn Accent: What Happened to Education Strategies that Promoted "Community Centered Pedagogy?"
With A Brooklyn Accent: What Happened to Education Strategies that Promoted "Community Centered Pedagogy?": What Happened to Education Strategies that Promoted "Community Centered Pedagogy?" In the late 1980's and early 1990's, responding to a wave of violence sweeping through urban America, educators of color began proposing that public schools transform their pedagogy to enha
A new casualty of high-stakes testing: student teachers - The Washington Post
A new casualty of high-stakes testing: student teachers - The Washington Post: A new casualty of high-stakes testing: student teachersAnd now, a new casualty of high-stakes standardized testing has been identified: student teachers. This post, by Jennifer Wallace Jacoby, explains why and how some college and university teacher training programs are trying to find solutions so that student teachers
CURMUDGUCATION: Why Trump Is Not Sanders
CURMUDGUCATION: Why Trump Is Not Sanders: Why Trump Is Not SandersWarning: this piece is about the Presidential race and only tangentially about education. You've been warned. Also, I use a rude word repeatedly, and while many of you won't mind, my mom often reads here, and she doesn't like it when I use bad language.There has been a tendency, both in the media and in casual conversation, for peop
Russ on Reading: Irony, Education Reform and Teacher Shortages
Russ on Reading: Irony, Education Reform and Teacher Shortages: Irony, Education Reform and Teacher ShortagesI love irony. Irony makes me laugh. I look for it in my daily life and seek it out in my reading and in my television viewing. Just today I was leaving the local car wash when I noticed the cemetery across the street was called Riverview Cemetery. I had to wonder how many of the residents o
Nearly Half of States Opted to Hit Accountability Snooze Button - Politics K-12 - Education Week
Nearly Half of States Opted to Hit Accountability Snooze Button - Politics K-12 - Education Week: Nearly Half of States Opted to Hit Accountability Snooze ButtonTest scores from new Common Core State Standards assessments are just beginning to trickle in. But in nearly half of the states, the results won't have an effect on school ratings on state accountability systems, at least not for school ye
Practicing feminism: Sacramento area students rally for social change | The Sacramento Bee
Practicing feminism: Sacramento area students rally for social change | The Sacramento Bee: Practicing feminism: Sacramento area students rally for social changeIn classrooms across Sacramento, Inga Manticas and dozens of her fellow high school students are taking on the feminist fight and updating it for the 21st century.The C.K. McClatchy High School senior has helped build a regional alliance o
NC teachers being ‘voluntarily exploited’ | News & Observer
NC teachers being ‘voluntarily exploited’ | News & Observer: NC teachers being ‘voluntarily exploited’Former Wake County teacher of the year Angela Scioli recently lacked money to buy her own groceries. “In a strange way, I was glad for the experience. It’s a gift if it helps me understand what my kids face.” PHOTOS BY CHRIS FOWLERRead more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/artic

YESTERDAY

Back to ALEC, Back to (Private) School | Rep. Chris Taylor
Back to ALEC, Back to (Private) School | Rep. Chris Taylor: Back to ALEC, Back to (Private) SchoolOn the heels of a newly passed state budget that again leaves our K-12 public schools behind without ample and consistent funding, I recently headed back to where the school privatization push all began -- the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC.ALEC and its members, including the American
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 8/29/15 #SaveDyett
SPECIAL NITE CAP CORPORATE ED REFORMSchools Matter: This week's Questions and Answers on Neoliberal Corporate Education ReformSchools Matter: This week's Questions and Answers on Neoliberal Corporate Education Reform: This week's Questions and Answers on Neoliberal Corporate Education Reform“Our rulers don’t just want exclusive control over the governance and finances of our schools, they want to