Big Education Ape: Oct 28, 2016

Friday, October 28, 2016

STATE AUDIT OF LAUSD TEACHER JAIL COSTS- JUST ANOTHER COVERUP - Perdaily.com

STATE AUDIT OF LAUSD TEACHER JAIL COSTS- JUST ANOTHER COVERUP - Perdaily.com:

STATE AUDIT OF LAUSD TEACHER JAIL COSTS- JUST ANOTHER COVERUP

What kind of a credible and independent audit of the costs related to LAUSD's removal of allegedly bad teachers can the State of California Auditor objectively perform, when it goes into the audit without questioning anything LAUSD tells them?

While there is no question that it is an expensive proposition to keep charged teachers sitting often for years on end, while having in addition to pay their salaries and those of their subsitutes, the California State Auditor in their recently released audit of this practice never once mentions nor takes into consideration the fact that LAUSD actually saves a fortune in the end, when it is able to rid itself- by hook or by crook- of teachers at the top of the salary scale with expensive benefits packages and the further cost of expensive lifetime health benefits, if it doesn't move to get rid of them- one way or another.

if the State Auditor presumes from the beginning of its audit that there is an actual net cost and not a net savings achieved when LAUSD targets, removes, and ultimately fires high seniority teachers, it doesn't even consider there just might be an actual savings to LAUSD of $60,000 in combined salary and benefits in just the first year these teachers are gone. Simply stated, a major component of what this audit was supposed to look into has been completely ignored and omitted. And with this blatant omission goes any chance of STATE AUDIT OF LAUSD TEACHER JAIL COSTS- JUST ANOTHER COVERUP - Perdaily.com:

Seattle Schools Community Forum: First Indigenous Peoples' Day at Chief Sealth

Seattle Schools Community Forum: First Indigenous Peoples' Day at Chief Sealth:

First Indigenous Peoples' Day at Chief Sealth

Dominique Salinas (Jicarilla Apache/Navajo) and Marcos Arellano Martinez (Mexivo, Otomi) performing a Deer Dance.

Wonderful celebration of cultures at Chief Sealth International High School - these photos make this event look like it was a fantastic one. All photos by Leda Costa for the West Seattle Blog.

Neighboring Chief Sealth International High Schooland Denny International Middle School have the largest Native population of any school in Seattle Public Schools, according to Sealth principal Aida Fraser-Hammer, who hosted the schools’ first Indigenous Peoples’ Day assembly today.

The students who were onstage weren’t just performers. Below, Sierra Carpitcher (Seminole/Creek Nations) spoke about the Dakota Access Pipeline situation, which has brought a massive turnout of Native/Indigenous people and their allies to the Midwest to try to stop the controversial pipeline.

Pacific Islanders were spotlighted at the assembly too – these students represented Fiji, Hawai’i, the Philippines, Seattle Schools Community Forum: First Indigenous Peoples' Day at Chief Sealth:

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 10/28/16

Featured Post

Bill Gates Targets Judge Who Voted Against Charter Schools - Law Blog - WSJ

CURMUDGUCATION: CA: Is the Fox Guarding the Henhouse?

by mike simpson / 4h

CURMUDGUCATION: CA: Is the Fox Guarding the Henhouse? : CA: Is the Fox Guarding the Henhouse? The Los Angeles Unified School District put away their charter rubber stamp, and it has touched off a wave of hand wringing and baloney shoveling. Earlier this month, the LAUSD board pulled the plug on five charters. Three of them were Magnolia schools, part of the Gulen charter web of schools allegedly

Matt Damon explains why he made this surprising new film - The Washington Post

by mike simpson / 4h

Matt Damon explains why he made this surprising new film - The Washington Post : Matt Damon explains why he made this surprising new film “Backpack Full of Cash” is a film title that suggests some untoward money dealings. And a new film by that title is — though the theme is not the traditional movie yarns about arms or drug dealing. Actually, it’s a 90-minute documentary about the real and ongoi

What is the purpose of the State-sponsored Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) “Mastery” Test? - Wait What?

by mike simpson / 4h

What is the purpose of the State-sponsored Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) “Mastery” Test? - Wait What? : What is the purpose of the State-sponsored Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) “Mastery” Test? Designed to fail a vast share of Connecticut’s students, the SBAC test is aligned to the Common Core, rather than what is actually taught in Connecticut’s classrooms. If Gove

Miss Information – EduShyster

by mike simpson / 5h

Miss Information – EduShyster : Miss Information I talk to Tracy Novick about what Question 2 actually says, and what’s behind the Massachusetts school committee rebellion… EduShyster : I thought we could start out with a little TV viewing. Here’s one of the latest spots for the campaign to lift the charter school cap in Massachusetts, and it features none other than our own governor, Charlie Bak

The Truth About Ohio School Report Cards – Blogging with Craig Brown

by mike simpson / 5h

The Truth About Ohio School Report Cards – Blogging with Craig Brown : The Truth About Ohio School Report Cards A few weeks ago the Ohio school report cards were released. Very few administrators, teachers, or parents were happy. Overall it looks like Ohio schools are doing much worse. Schools in high income areas with high residential property values are doing great while schools in urban areas

Michigan Schools: Can Bill Cobbs Fix What Snyder Broke?

by mike simpson / 7h

(100) Literacy is Fundamental : Michigan Schools: Can Bill Cobbs Fix What Snyder Broke? Cobbs says Literacy is Fundamental Literacy is important to both our democracy and freedom as a nation. From all that I've read, one of the most importance aspects of the slave trade was denying slaves the ability to read, and write to maintain servitude. While slavery has ended, even to enjoy Freedom of the P

Finally, districts’ accountability plans may be easier to read and use | EdSource

by mike simpson / 7h

Finally, districts’ accountability plans may be easier to read and use | EdSource : Finally, districts’ accountability plans may be easier to read and use For three years, school districts have been writing an annual budget and accountability plan using a state-dictated form that has irritated just about everyone writing and reading it. Next week, the State Board of Education is expected to appro

A Free Book on Amazon That Explains the Plot to Privatize Public Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

by mike simpson / 7h

A Free Book on Amazon That Explains the Plot to Privatize Public Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog : A Free Book on Amazon That Explains the Plot to Privatize Public Schools You can go to Amazon and click on this link to receive a free pdf of a 40-page report called “Who Controls Our Schools? The Privatization of American Public Education.” It is up-to-date, concise, and well-written. It was prepare

Charter School Expansion Should Be Paused, NAACP President Says

by mike simpson / 7h

Charter School Expansion Should Be Paused, NAACP President Says : NAACP President: Why We Should Pause the Expansion of Charter Schools [Op-Ed] The organization's leader explains their position on the schools and responds to those who have been critical of it s America’s oldest civil rights organization, the NAACP has fought to this very day to give each of the nation’s youngest citizens a qualit

Wall Street 'Influence'? Teachers Unions Request Probe Of Donations To Charter School Measure

by mike simpson / 7h

Wall Street 'Influence'? Teachers Unions Request Probe Of Donations To Charter School Measure : Wall Street 'Influence'? Teachers Unions Request Probe Of Donations To Charter School Measure The two largest teachers unions in Massachusetts asked federal and state law enforcement officials to investigate whether large donations to a charter school ballot measure backed by Republican Gov. Charlie Ba

Parent: My first-grader hates being at school — and I don’t blame her - The Washington Post

by mike simpson / 8h

Parent: My first-grader hates being at school — and I don’t blame her - The Washington Post : Parent: My first-grader hates being at school — and I don’t blame her Tama Koss spent more than 12 years as a child abuse prosecutor in Florida before recently leaving the practice of law to teach and write. She and her husband have two children, ages 6 and 4. Their oldest daughter currently attends publ

Where The Money Comes From In The Fight Over Charter Schools | Edify

by mike simpson / 8h

Where The Money Comes From In The Fight Over Charter Schools | Edify : Where The Money Comes From In The Fight Over Charter Schools Both sides in the ballot fight over the charter cap are out knocking on doors in the run-up to Election Day. The public faces of each campaign are students, parents and teachers, pleading for fairness and excellence in every child’s education. Behind the scenes, thou

Community Schools: Steady Improvement for Students and Support for Families | janresseger

by mike simpson / 8h

Community Schools: Steady Improvement for Students and Support for Families | janresseger : Community Schools: Steady Improvement for Students and Support for Families A test-score-yardstick and a short time line—those are the tools we use these days to evaluate school improvement. Bush’s No Child Left Behind and Obama’s Race to the Top gave us four approved plans for school “turnaround,” and if

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: New study provides more good reasons to vote NO on 2 in Massachusetts

by mike simpson / 8h

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: New study provides more good reasons to vote NO on 2 in Massachusetts : New study provides more good reasons to vote NO on 2 in Massachusetts On Tuesday, voters in Massachusetts will decide whether or not to lift the cap on their state's privately-run charter schools. I hope they will consider the findings in a newly-released study done by Michael Robinson , who des

Missing Socialization in Today’s Public Schools

by mike simpson / 8h

Missing Socialization in Today’s Public Schools : Missing Socialization in Today’s Public Schools How do democratic public schools address the socialization of students? How are children brought together to make a kinder world? Does anyone even ask that question today? This past weekend I read “My Pedagogic Creed” by John Dewey (a little light reading on a Sunday afternoon), and I was struck by h

With A Brooklyn Accent: The Origins of Unlawful Teacher Discipline in the Berkeley (Cal) School District

by mike simpson / 8h

With A Brooklyn Accent: The Origins of Unlawful Teacher Discipline in the Berkeley (Cal) School District : The Origins of Unlawful Teacher Discipline in the Berkeley (Cal) School District We have a crisis of administrative attacks on teachers in Berkeley. Specifically our teachers are being falsely accused of unprofessional conduct and unsatisfactory performance based on false pretenses. In addit

Bill Gates Targets Judge Who Voted Against Charter Schools - Law Blog - WSJ

by mike simpson / 9h

Bill Gates Targets Judge Who Voted Against Charter Schools - Law Blog - WSJ : Bill Gates Targets Judge Who Voted Against Charter Schools A judge on Washington State’s highest court is lashing out at Bill Gates and two other billionaires who have spent at least $850,000 on efforts to oust him from the bench. Washington State Supreme Court Charles “Charlie” K. Wiggins , elected six years ago, is vy

Charter Schools Accused Of Discrimination In Admissions Process « CBS Sacramento

by mike simpson / 9h

Charter Schools Accused Of Discrimination In Admissions Process « CBS Sacramento : Charter Schools Accused Of Discrimination In Admissions Process SACRAMENTO– More than two 200 California charter schools are accused of violating state and federal laws. A recent report by The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California says those charter schools are discriminating when admitting students

Teachers Union Head Brings Political Clout to Bear for Hillary Clinton - WSJ

by mike simpson / 9h

Teachers Union Head Brings Political Clout to Bear for Hillary Clinton - WSJ : Teachers Union Head Brings Political Clout to Bear for Hillary Clinton National Education Association chief Lily Eskelsen García takes campaign to defeat Republican nominee Donald Trump personally Lily Eskelsen García, president of the National Education Association, talks to volunteers at Hillary Clinton's campaign of

YESTERDAY

When It Comes to Colorado Montessori, James Walton Is Calling the $hots | deutsch29

by mike simpson / 19h

When It Comes to Colorado Montessori, James Walton Is Calling the $hots | deutsch29 : When It Comes to Colorado Montessori, James Walton Is Calling the $hots James Walton, grandson of Walmart founder Sam Walton, has taken a liking to Montessori schools in Colorado. On September 28, 2016, the Walton Family Foundation via the Chronicle of Philanthropy began advertising for an education director for

Education Reformers and Gates Foundation Want Free-Flow Of Private Student Data – Exceptional Delaware

by mike simpson / 22h

Education Reformers and Gates Foundation Want Free-Flow Of Private Student Data – Exceptional Delaware : Education Reformers and Gates Foundation Want Free-Flow Of Private Student Data Last Friday, the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking held a hearing for the handling of data in America’s future. Make no mistake: this would allow student data to flow out of schools more than it already is.

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 10/27/16

by mike simpson / 23h

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 10/27/16 Featured Post Who Controls Our Schools? How Billionaire-Sponsored Privatization Is Destroying Democracy and Enriching the Charter School Industry | Alternet