Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 2/24/16



CORPORATE ED REFORM




CURMUDGUCATION: MD: Asking the Wrong Questions about Testing
CURMUDGUCATION: MD: Asking the Wrong Questions about Testing: MD: Asking the Wrong Questions about Testing The Maryland state school board has noticed what many other folks have noticed as well-- if you make the PARCC test your state graduation requirement, a huge number of young'uns in your state are not going to graduate from high school.Maryland rolled out the PARCC last year, and over half of
Vergara Lawsuit Targets Teaching Profession - California Teachers Association
Vergara Lawsuit Targets Teaching Profession - California Teachers Association: Vergara Lawsuit Targets Teaching ProfessionVERGARA V. STATE OF CALIFORNIALATEST: Oral arguments for Vergara v. State of California set for February 25, 2016 in Los Angeles. Labor leader and civil rights icon Dolores Huerta will join educators and community members for a news conference Thursday morning, immediately prio
How To: Objections to Disclosure of Student Records - Web Site Information (CA Dept of Education)
Objections to Disclosure of Student Records - Web Site Information (CA Dept of Education):Objections to Disclosure of Student Records Notice of Disclosure of Student Records (PDF) Parents and students can object to the disclosure of students’ protected personal information and records arising from the court order in the Morgan Hill Concerned Parents Association and the Concerned Parent Association
The rich get richer: Should the wealthy get a tax break for endowing elite universities? - LA Times
The rich get richer: Should the wealthy get a tax break for endowing elite universities? - LA Times: The rich get richer: Should the wealthy get a tax break for endowing elite universities?Big donor, and your partner in charity? Nike co-founder and Stanford benefactor Phil Knight. (Rick Bowmer / Associated Press) Stanford University on Wednesday announced the largest donation in its history: a $40
How to Get Rich From Public Schools (Without Actually Educating) | gadflyonthewallblog
How to Get Rich From Public Schools (Without Actually Educating) | gadflyonthewallblog: How to Get Rich From Public Schools (Without Actually Educating)Gold!There’s gold in them thar schools!Don’t believe me?When you drive by an inner city school, it doesn’t exactly look like the Taj Mahal. Does it? Even relatively upscale suburban schools wouldn’t be mistaken for a house on MTV Cribs. And some of
What’s the Point? | EduShyster
What’s the Point? | EduShyster: What’s the Point?  Even as the debate over charter schools in Massachusetts heats up, the ultimate goal of the experiment is increasingly unclear…It’s time for a field trip, reader, and today we’re headed to a little place I like to call *an alternate reality,* otherwise known as Malden, Massachusetts. Shall I summon forth the scene?A special meeting of the Board of
Join the PAA Book Club! | Parents Across America
Join the PAA Book Club! | Parents Across America: Join the PAA Book Club! PAA Book ClubFor some time, PAA has been having our own discussions about poverty, race and educational opportunity. We’ve gathered a lot of very important facts and research, created some useful materials, and shared them in webinars and workshops.We’d like more people to join us in this important conversation, and we thoug
Ruling Raises Objections to Release of Personal Student Data - ABC News
Ruling Raises Objections to Release of Personal Student Data - ABC News: Ruling Raises Objections to Release of Personal Student DataA recent federal court ruling ordering the release of personal data on more than 10 million California students highlights the growing amount of information schools now collect — and the loopholes that allow it to be released.The order involves a lawsuit filed in 201
Obama nominee to get 'prompt and fair' hearing Thursday | OregonLive.com
Obama nominee to get 'prompt and fair' hearing Thursday | OregonLive.com: Obama nominee to get 'prompt and fair' hearing ThursdayA surprise nominee by President Barack Obama will get a hearing by a Republican-led Senate committee Thursday and has a good shot at being approved.This has nothing to do with the Supreme Court, however. The nominee in question is John King Jr., whom Obama has formally n
John King Quizzed on Charters, Teachers, Spending at House Budget Hearing - Politics K-12 - Education Week
John King Quizzed on Charters, Teachers, Spending at House Budget Hearing - Politics K-12 - Education Week: John King Quizzed on Charters, Teachers, Spending at House Budget HearingActing Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. got asked about a variety of issues during the House Education and the Workforce Committee's Wednesday hearing on the U.S. Department of Education's budget request for fisc
Former OKC teacher: Low-income children of color hurt most by choice-driven reforms | News OK - Linkis.com
Former OKC teacher: Low-income children of color hurt most by choice-driven reforms | News OK - Linkis.com: Former OKC teacher: Low-income children of color hurt most by choice-driven reforms John Thompson I've never opposed locally controlled charter schools, but the soundbites repeated during the annual “Charter School Week” are hard to take. For instance, Texas charter advocates still claim tha
Read Across America 2016 Ready to Take Flight - NEA Today
Read Across America 2016 Ready to Take Flight - NEA Today: Read Across America 2016 Ready to Take Flight Set your sights to the sky! The National Education Association is taking flight with Southwest Airlines for this year’s annual Read Across America reading program.Millions of students nationwide will pick up a book and set Seuss on the loose in honor of NEA’s 19th Read Across America Day readin
Tennessee’s Trout/Taylor Value-Added Lawsuit Dismissed | VAMboozled!
Tennessee’s Trout/Taylor Value-Added Lawsuit Dismissed | VAMboozled!: Tennessee’s Trout/Taylor Value-Added Lawsuit DismissedAs you may recall, one of 15 important lawsuits pertaining to teacher value-added estimates across the nation (Florida n=2, Louisiana n=1, Nevada n=1, New Mexico n=4, New York n=3, Tennessee n=3, and Texas n=1 – see more information here) was situated in Knox County, Tennesse
Childhood lost: Schooling a workforce. – Missouri Education Watchdog
Childhood lost: Schooling a workforce. – Missouri Education Watchdog: Childhood lost: Schooling a workforce.When did we shift our focus to the new 3Rs ?With recess becoming a thing of the past in many states, a federal push for year round school and extended school days,  workforce readiness data badges starting in preschool, and children having to choose college or career paths before many even g
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Standing up for Kim Foxx
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Standing up for Kim Foxx: Standing up for Kim FoxxThe Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) has never endorsed anyone running for states attorney before. Until yesterday, that is. That's when the 30,000-member union endorsed Kim Foxx, running against current SA Anita Alvarez and gambling industry shill, Dona More. And why wouldn't they? When Alvarez, began covering up cases o
Feds move to reduce over-representation in special ed :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet
Feds move to reduce over-representation in special ed :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: Feds move to reduce over-representation in special ed(District of Columbia) A long-standing policy allowing states to decide how to evaluate the over-representation of racial and ethnic minority groups in special education would be reversed under a new rul
From the Classroom: Teachers Integrating Technology (Part 1) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
From the Classroom: Teachers Integrating Technology (Part 1) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: From the Classroom: Teachers Integrating Technology (Part 1)Just as an expert restaurant chef makes use of all of the techniques–from frying, to baking to poaching to molecular cooking with liquid nitrogen– [and] tools–from paring knives to rolling pins to food processors to steam ov
The big trouble in Indiana public schools, as explained by a troubled educator - The Washington Post
The big trouble in Indiana public schools, as explained by a troubled educator - The Washington Post: The big trouble in Indiana public schools, as explained by a troubled educatorHoosier School Heist TV is Doug Martin's channel featuring videos of his book tour across Indiana speaking on the corporate takeover of public education. Order Hoosier School Heist at http://hoosierschoolheist.com/.Follo
Cerf slimes the Newark Teachers Union |
Cerf slimes the Newark Teachers Union |:Cerf slimes the Newark Teachers Union Newark’s state-appointed school superintendent Christopher Cerf set out last night to smear–and maybe destroy–the Newark Teachers Union (NTU), contending its leaders had “taken the fifth” to keep information away from a judge. The lawyer representing the union immediately denounced what Cerf said, contending his statemen
Detroit Scan - Getting Rid of Democracy to Destabilize Detroit's Public Schools
Dropbox - Detroit Scan - Mar 13, 2015, 4-06 PM.pdf:  Detroit Scan - Getting Rid of Democracy to Destabilize Detroit's Public SchoolsToday, we were asked to provide these documents to people who wanted to see them. They are emails between Tonya Allen, the Emergency Manager and other high ranking DPS officials and east coast think tanks obtained in discovery in a court case. We thought we should jus
Local Control Funding Formula Guide | EdSource
Local Control Funding Formula Guide | EdSource: Welcome to the Local Control Funding Formula Guide Welcome to an updated guide to the most sweeping changes in more than a quarter-century affecting how California schools are governed and funded: the Local Control Funding Formula. This guide will take a look at the law two-plus years into its implementation and will offer:A full explanation of how t
With A Brooklyn Accent: Elite Academia's Dirty Little Secret
With A Brooklyn Accent: Elite Academia's Dirty Little Secret: Elite Academia's Dirty Little SecretOne of the ironies of my life in the academy is that virtually none of the practices that have made me most successful as a teacher- particularly the intensive individual attention I give my students both when I have them and after they have graduated- have been used to develop institutional practices
What's the Matter with Detroit Schools, Pt II: Charter Conversion "Solution" Fails - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher
What's the Matter with Detroit Schools, Pt II: Charter Conversion "Solution" Fails - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: What's the Matter With Detroit Schools, Pt II: Charter Conversion 'Solution' FailsIn 2013, Catherine Ferguson Academy, a celebrated school for teen mothers, created as part of the Detroit Public School system, was struggling to stay alive. It closed for
Detroit Public Schools House legislation is an insult
DPS House legislation is an insult: DPS House legislation is an insultWhat is the state House of Representatives thinking?Wait, that one's too easy. The House is thinking that because Detroit Public Schools' needs are so urgent -- the state's largest school district could run out of cash in April if the Legislature doesn't act on a reform plan mulled by Gov. Rick Snyder for almost a year -- this i
Ohio Fails to Move Forward to Oversee Charter School Sponsors | janresseger
Ohio Fails to Move Forward to Oversee Charter School Sponsors | janresseger: Ohio Fails to Move Forward to Oversee Charter School SponsorsAfter years of delay and the waste of millions of public tax dollars awarded to poorly operated charter schools, finally early last October, the Ohio legislature passed a bill to regulate charter schools.  Here is how the Cleveland Plain Dealer‘s Patrick O’Donne
Russ on Reading: Accountability in Public Schools: The Three-Legged Stool
Russ on Reading: Accountability in Public Schools: The Three-Legged Stool: Accountability in Public Schools: The Three-Legged StoolMy uncle was a dairy farmer in North Carolina. In the fifties, before automation hit the dairy industry, I used to watch him drag his old, wooden, three-legged stool from cow to cow and deftly milk each cow with a steady, rhythmic motion, as streams of milk splashed in
The Court of Appeals is about to hear arguments on how to deal with ineffective teachers - LA Times
The Court of Appeals is about to hear arguments on how to deal with ineffective teachers - LA Times:Landmark teacher tenure fight resumes in California courtOne of the highest-stakes battles in education is about to resume Thursday in a Los Angeles courtroom as teacher unions and their allies try to win back job protections that were tossed out in a landmark 2014 ruling. An appeals court will weig
Juvenile incarceration is way more expensive than tuition at a private university - Yahoo Finance
Juvenile incarceration is way more expensive than tuition at a private university - Yahoo Finance: Juvenile incarceration is way more expensive than tuition at a private university Putting kids in jail is expensive.The annual cost of youth incarceration for a single individual is $112,555, according to the annual report of the Council of Economic Advisers.That's about 3.5 times the average tuition

YESTERDAY

Newark’s school wars are over: Cerf and Baraka win, the people lose |
Newark’s school wars are over: Cerf and Baraka win, the people lose |:Newark’s school wars are over: Cerf and Baraka win, the people lose Years of  resistance to the state masters of Newark’s schools collapsed last night in a stunning show of the political power of the new alliance between state-appointed superintendent Christopher Cerf and Ras Baraka, the mayor whose election was due almost solel
Linda Darling-Hammond: What California can do to address teacher shortages | EdSource
What California can do to address teacher shortages | EdSource: What California can do to address teacher shortagesLinda Darling-Hammondhe following is the first in a series of commentaries on the emerging teacher shortage in California. This one focuses on what the state of California can do to address the shortage.  Make no mistake, the teacher shortage is real. The Learning Policy Institute’s r
The Illinois Retired Teachers Association (IRTA) visits Florida retired teachers | Reclaim Reform
The Illinois Retired Teachers Association (IRTA) visits Florida retired teachers | Reclaim Reform: The Illinois Retired Teachers Association (IRTA) visits Florida retired teachersThe Little Giant that began the legal suit to the Illinois Supreme Court that successfully defended the constitutional rights of retired Illinois teachers’ pensions met with those retirees who presently live in Florida. I
Why LAUSD's projected graduation rate shot up nine points in one month | 89.3 KPCC
Why LAUSD's projected graduation rate shot up nine points in one month | 89.3 KPCC: Why LAUSD's projected graduation rate shot up nine points in one monthFile photo: At the end of the fall semester, barely half of Los Angeles Unified high school seniors were on-track for graduation. By Feb. 18, that number had jumped to 63 percent. CRYSTAL MARIE LOPEZ/FLICKRWhen second semester classes came to an
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 2/23/16
CORPORATE ED REFORMCriticism of the NEW SAT grows as Connecticut’s 11th grades are told they MUST take it on March 2nd - Wait What?Criticism of the NEW SAT grows as Connecticut’s 11th grades are told they MUST take it on March 2nd - Wait What?:Criticism of the NEW SAT grows as Connecticut’s 11th grades are told they MUST take it on March 2ndThanks to Governor Dannel Malloy and the Connecticut Gene