Eduflack: Swingin' for the ESEA Fences

Eduflack: Swingin' for the ESEA Fences

Swingin' for the ESEA Fences

In yesterday's initial analysis of the US Department of Education's ESEA reauthorization blueprint, I noted I was "whelmed" by the plan as a whole. (And for the record, I am a strong proponent of using the word whelmed. If I can be overwhelmed and underwhelmed, I certainly can be whelmed. It's not like having to choose between North and South Dakota.) Since then, I've received a number of questions as to why, particularly since so many people seem to see this as a strong step forward in improving No Child Left Behind.

My biggest issue with the blueprint is there is no big, stinkin', knock-you-off your-seat big idea offered. When we were introduced to the wonderful world of NCLB a little over nine years ago (can we all believe it has been that long?), we were immediately embraced by some huge ideas that almost immediately changed the education policy landscape. Before the ink was even dry on the legislative drafts, we all knew what Annual Yearly Progress was (and the potential dangers it offered). The term "scientifically based research" was quickly added to the vocabulary of wonk and practitioner alike. And Reading First was a new program where the Administration was putting their proverbial money where their mouths were. These were all but twinkles in Sandy's, Margaret's BethAnn's, and Reid's eyes before the reauthorization process began.

But this time around, we have no great new big idea YET. Part of the problem is that the Duncan regime has been hard at work on ed policy for the past 14 or 15 months, moving ideas well before they moved this blueprint for ESEA reauthorization. So what were once big ideas — Race to the Top, Investing in Innovation, common core standards — are now ingrained as part of the ed reform status quo these days. We are looking to codify that which we have debated for more than a year now. We expected all of that in this blueprint, thus it is hardly something designed to knock us off our barstools.

The teacher quality component, which could have provided some real fodder for a sock-knocking idea, seems to be a finetuning and improving over NCLB's Highly Qualified Teacher effort, former EdSec

Bracketology, through an Academic Performance Lens

This week marks the second greatest annual sporting experience — March Madness (Eduflack is still a purist and believes nothing can hold a candle to baseball's Opening Day). Later this week, 65 of the supposed best Division One men's basketball teams will square off to see which is the best (or the luckiest) basketball team of the year. And then, on my birthday this year, we will crown a national champion.

The top four seeds are the top teams we typically expect to see — Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, and Syracuse, with Kansas designated the number one number one. As in most years, we see lots of teams from the major conferences, and a good mix of mid-major programs that have done their institutions proud on the hardwoods.

The annual brackets often lead some to begin discussing athletics versus academics at Division One colleges and universities. Those who follow men's college basketball (it is very different for women's college basketball) are no fools. We realize that the majority of players, particularly those who start, will never earn that sheepskin from the IHE providing them with a free, four-year ride to a top college. Many play a year or two, then seek their fortunes in either the NBA. Those who can't make the NBA cut will often head to overseas leagues, hoping it will provide them a pathway back to the NBA. And many will fail to take advantage of the opportunities that scholarship can provide, particularly in the face of the realities of how few college ballers actually make it to play professionally with LeBron, Kobe, and company.

For the fifth year in a row, the good folks over at Inside Higher Education offer up their "Academic Performance Tournament," a similarly bracketed tourney that looks at how those teams playing for

The Educated Reporter: The blueprint: more questions than answers.

The Educated Reporter: The blueprint: more questions than answers.

The blueprint: more questions than answers.

When we are talking about, say, buildings, the word “blueprint” means a detailed model of what a structure is going to look at. When we are talking about federal education policy, it turns out “blueprint” means something far vaguer. Though it is 41 pages, the “Blueprint for Reform” that the Obama administration has just released does not give me a great understanding of how a [insert new clever name for ESEA here] world would, in practical terms, look different from an NCLB world, aside from a growth model, a tougher definition of restructuring and an eventual move from a teacher qualifications model to a teacher effectiveness one. Or, what a lot of real people truly want to know: Who will be tested, when and how exactly will the scores be evaluated?

Department of Incompetent Spin � The Quick and the Ed

Department of Incompetent Spin � The Quick and the Ed:

Department of Incompetent Spin

March 15th, 2010 | Category: Uncategorized

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From the New York Times front-page expose of for-profit trade schools over-charging students and leaving them with mountains of debt:

The Career Education Corporation e-mailed The New York Times names and contact information for four graduates “with whom we hope you’ll touch base for important perspective.” One came with a wrong number. A second had graduated 15 years ago.

A third, Cherie Thompson, called the program “a really positive experience” but declined to discuss her debts or earnings. The fourth,

Thompson: The Truth is the First Casualty This Week In Education

This Week In Education

Thompson: The Truth is the First Casualty

"No Child Left Behind produced the best history scores ever for all groups and all grades." - Karl Rove

If you believe that revisionism, President Obama has an ESEA plan for you. It will even make all high school graduates college-ready by 2020!

As the war on inner city teachers intensifies, we should set the record straight on its second casualty. Central Falls High School was a different type of victim of Secretary Duncan’s definition of "multiple measures," which means that it can only take a single measure (a test score growth target) to destroy a teacher’s career. But educators may need to get past multiple subjective measures in order to remain in the classroom.

Continue reading "Thompson: The Truth is the First Casualty" »

The Educated Reporter: Story of the moment: recess coaches.

The Educated Reporter: Story of the moment: recess coaches.

Story of the moment: recess coaches.

“Structured recess” sounds like an oxymoron, especially to those people who are, as one girl in Not Much Just Chillin’ put it, “allergic to anything with the word ‘ball.’” For the introverted and athletically uninclined, fresh hell might be a coach forcing you into a game of kickball during a precious half-hour you could be spending slumped along the wall of the school building, undisturbed by the classmates who will never understand you, reading kiddy manga.

But recess often winds up no fun for even those children eager to run around and play games. I spent a year writing about an elementary school whose kids grew up in environments where they did not learn how to manage conflict peacefully or follow the rules of games, where anger escalated with the uplifting of an eyebrow, where fourth-

Stand Up For Schools

Stand Up For Schools

Continue the March 4 Momentum

Thanks to everyone who participated in March 4 Start the Day for Students. The day was a great show of support for public education. We must continue to build on the March 4 momentum. Here are a few things you can do to continue to engage and inform the public about the impact these budget cuts are having on you, your students and your classroom.

• Write a letter to the editor of your local paper about the devastation the cuts are having on your school. Make sure to include a solution (example: closing the corporate tax loopholes). Make sure to tell your own personal story—how these cuts are affecting you, your students and your family.
• Make your own video and post it here and to YouTube.
• Create a flier and put a real face on program cuts and layoffs in your local community. Post your local RIF information on your association website, Facebook page, and anywhere else the public can see it.
• Continue to contact your legislators using the toll-free hotline: 1-888-268-4334 and tell them NO MORE CUTS! They need to hear your personal stories from educators.
• Support other coalition efforts like the CFT March for California’s Future.

These are just a few quick ideas. Please post any others you have to the comments section. Let’s make sure we keep sharing the message everyday.

Continue the March 4 Momentum

Thanks to everyone who participated in March 4 Start the Day for Students. The day was a great show of support for public education. We must continue to build on the March 4 momentum. Here are a few things you can do to continue to engage and inform the public about the impact these budget cuts are having on you, your students and your classroom.

Write a letter to the editor of your local paper about the devastation the cuts are having on your school. Make sure to include a solution (example: closing the corporate tax loopholes). Make sure to tell your own personal story—how these cuts are affecting you, your students and your family.

Make your own video and post it here and to YouTube.

Create a flier and put a real face on program cuts and layoffs in your local community. Post your local RIF information on your association website, Facebook page, and anywhere else the public can see it.

Continue to contact your legislators using the toll-free hotline: 1-888-268-4334 and tell them NO MORE CUTS! They need to hear your personal stories from educators.

Support other coalition efforts like the CFT March for California’s Future.

These are just a few quick ideas. Please post any others you have to the comments section. Let’s make sure we keep sharing the message everyday.

Find more videos like this on Stand Up For Schools

Education Personnel Layoff Notices - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)

Education Personnel Layoff Notices - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell and Members
of Education Coalition Announce Number
of Pink Slips Issued to Education Personnel

O'Connell Urges Passage of Parcel Tax Measure to Help Schools

SACRAMENTO – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today joined with members of the California Teachers Association, California School Employees Association, California State PTA, California Association of School Administrators, and California County Superintendents Educational Services Association to announce nearly 22,000 teachers have received notices of potential layoffs.

"Effective teachers are the most essential element to student success," O'Connell said. "Our state budget crisis has forced districts to lay off thousands of teachers over the past few years. The Governor has proposed cutting another $2.4 billion from public education. While the education community opposes these cuts, our schools are forced to prepare for this potential outcome by issuing a massive wave of potential layoff notices. To date, 21,905 pink slips have been issued to teachers and other staff around the state this year. While I understand the Governor and the Legislature have tough decisions to make, these budget cuts are devastating our schools and impacting our ability to do the most important job in our society, that is, to teach our children."

March 15 is the annual legal deadline for school districts to send preliminary layoff notices, or pink slips, to teachers and other certificated school staff in California. More than 16,000 teachers lost their jobs last year, and roughly 10,000 classified school employees have met the same fate over the last couple of budget cycles.

"Today, nearly 22,000 educators, including librarians, counselors, and nurses have received pink slips," said David A. Sanchez, president of the California Teachers Association. "Class sizes will increase once again meaning less individual attention for each student. It means fewer classes like art, music, career technical education, and physical education. Lawmakers must stop the billions in cuts to our schools and students, and make the hard decisions to close corporate tax loopholes and find additional revenues.The future of our students and California hang in the balance."

During the last two budget cycles, funding for public education (K-14) in California has been cut by a staggering $18 billion. The Governor has proposed another $2.4 billion in cuts for this current fiscal year. To help schools through these difficult economic times, O'Connell is calling on the Governor and Legislature to support SCA 6, which would give voters the authority to pass a local parcel tax with 55 percent of the vote, which is the same threshold required to approve local school bonds. Currently parcel taxes must be approved by a minimum of two-thirds (66.6 percent) vote.

"I urge the Governor to reconsider the proposed budget cuts for schools, and I call on both the Governor and the Legislature to give our communities more control over their schools' destiny by approving SCA 6," added O'Connell.

SCA 6 is authored by Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto). For more information on the bill, please visit: SCA 6 Assembly Bill - Status (Outside Source).

For a continuing update on the number of teachers and other education staff receiving layoff notices, please visit Stand Up For Schools (Outside Source).

“Magic” Johnson Endorses Bass' Congressional Bid The California Majority Report // Welcome

The California Majority Report // Welcome

“Magic” Johnson Endorses Bass' Congressional Bid

Speaker Emeritus Karen Bass continues to roll up the endorsements in her Congressional bid. Today Legend-turned-businessman Earvin "Magic" Johnson announced his support

"Karen Bass is one of the people that I really trust and admire,” Johnson said. “She's a woman of her word, and she will accomplish a lot as our congresswoman. Karen will bless us by being a public servant who always goes out and keeps the community and people first."

“I am honored to have earned Magic’s support,” said Bass, whose current district includes the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in Los Angeles which is where Johnson’s Magic Theaters Complex is located. “And I pledge to continue delivering needed change and real results for the people of this district.”

Bass launched her congressional campaign nearly three weeks ago after the incumbent, the Honorable Diane Watson, announced her retirement and subsequently endorsed Bass. In addition to Mr. Johnson and Representative Watson, Bass had been officially endorsed for California’s 33rd seat in theHouse of Representatives by Senator Dianne Feinstein, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, City Controller Wendy Greuel and other elected officials and organizations including EMILY’s list.

West Philly HS – Dissing the community | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

West Philly HS – Dissing the community | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

West Philly HS – Dissing the community

Last month upwards of fifty people came out to West Philadelphia High to tell School District officials they wanted to keep the current team in place and build on the progress the school has made over the two years. Parents, teachers, students, and community leaders all went on record praising the dramatic improvement in school climate and expressing confidence that Principal Saliyah Cruz and a newly energized staff could deliver academic gains as well.

Participants were responding to the District’s expressed commitment to involve the community in the process of school turnaround currently underway.

But, based on what’s happened since, this promise seems pretty hollow.

"You will have an opportunity to decide what change looks like,” Arlene Ackerman told concerned parents and community members last week. But the Districtrejected an application by Principal Cruz and a community-supported team that would have positioned them to run the school if it is “Renaissanced,” using the Innovation model. Instead, indications are that the school will probably be made a Promise Academy, the Renaissance model run directly out of Arlene Ackerman’s shop. Both these decisions clearly run counter to community sentiment and have prompted protest.

The School District defends this course of action by pointing to West’s low test scores. Ben Rayer, the District’s Renaissance czar, told the Inquirer, "We are not going to back down from needing to make dramatic changes in schools where kids are just not reading, writing, and doing math at a level that allows them to get a job or go to college,” a theme he also repeated at the community meeting.

No one, certainly not the West Philadelphia community that has been historically victimized by the school’s failure, is going to deny the urgency of fixing the school.

But, as I see it, there are two problems with Rayer’s “no backing down” posture. First, is the failure to recognize how important the achievement of renewal at West has been. A school where violence was spiraling out of control, where staff morale

Entertainment | History channel offering series to schools | Seattle Times Newspaper

Entertainment | History channel offering series to schools| Seattle Times Newspaper

History channel offering series to schools

The History channel says it will give a free DVD copy of its sprawling 12-hour series on American history to any school in the country that wants one.

By DAVID BAUDER

AP Television Writer

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NEW YORK —

The History channel says it will give a free DVD copy of its sprawling 12-hour series on American history to any school in the country that wants one.

The network is launching a broad educational outreach to accompany "America The Story of Us," which premieres April 25. Before the series starts, it will mail posters, a teacher's guide and family viewing guide to 35,000 high schools and middle schools.

"America The Story of Us" is the most expensive project in the network's history, although Nancy Dubuc, the president and general manager, would not say how much is being spent. In scope, she called the series the broadest look at the nation's history on television since Alistair Cooke's "Personal History" aired in the early 1970s.

Rather than have historians stand in front of a camera, the series will recreate many of the events that it talks about, either through live action or computer animation. The network has shot scenes on three continents with 1,641 actors, extras and stuntmen.

Dubuc said she was particularly intrigued by the three-dimensional animation depicting workers putting a face on the Statue of Liberty. Other scenes that will be recreated include the crashing of a meteor into the Appalachian Mountains, the British Navy's bombardment of New York harbor during the Revolutionary War and Western plains teeming with herds of buffalo.

"It's a story we wanted to tell in epic proportions," Dubuc said.

Obama’s Blueprint for ESEA Reauthorization � The Quick and the Ed

Obama’s Blueprint for ESEA Reauthorization � The Quick and the Ed

Obama’s Blueprint for ESEA Reauthorization

March 15th, 2010 | Category: Accountability

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If you haven’t read President Obama’s blueprint for reforming the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), it’s available for download here. All in all, it’s a pretty good outline and contains elements for everyone, but ultimately it should be seen as a reasonable compromise document on a contentious law. It doesn’t solve any of the meaty, technical details, but that’s a job for Congress anyway. For some contrast, consider that it’s more descriptive than anything the Administration has put out on health care. Things to note:

1. The proposal specifically brings important research into the conversation on two occasions. One is on the importance of quality teachers in the classroom. This should surprise no one. The other appeared in a section providing background for Obama’s push for “college- and career-ready” students and was a bit more surprising in proposals for a K-12 education law. It reads, “four of every 10 new college students, including half of those at 2-year institutions, take remedial courses…”

How will states be held accountable for this? They,

may either choose to upgrade their existing standards, working with their 4-year public university system to certify that mastery of the standards ensures that a student will not need to take remedial

Blame the Teacher Syndrome: A Misguided Education Policy | Dissident Voice

Blame the Teacher Syndrome: A Misguided Education Policy | Dissident Voice

Blame the Teacher Syndrome: A Misguided Education Policy

by Jack Random / March 15th, 2010

When a district in Rhode Island announced its intention to fire all teachers at Central Falls High School in an unmistakable gesture of blame seeking, I knew without knowing it was an impoverished school. When a school board in Kansas City announced it would close 28 schools before the start of the next school year I knew they were the poorest of the poor.

Indeed, just a little research revealed that Central Falls is one of the poorest cities in the state and after the exodus of some 18,000 students to charter schools and more affluent suburban districts, the remaining 17,400 students in the schools scheduled for demolition in Kansas City are “mostly black and impoverished.”¹

If we take a hard look at what the government under the dictates of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) considers failing or failed schools they are invariably schools impacted by a community in poverty. Moreover, if we consider the effects of the recent economic implosion (high unemployment, home foreclosures and declining home values) and the disproportionate impact on impoverished communities, it is easy to see why schools are struggling.

Whenever data is generated by any credible source, the correlation between poverty and educational achievement is so strong it is impossible for any unbiased individual to ignore. When schools are ranked according to quality, those on the top of the list are invariably wealthy and predominantly white while those at the bottom are invariably poor with high proportions of minorities.

As anyone who took Statistics 101 can tell you, correlation does not translate to causality but as anyone who advanced to Statistics 102 can tell you: When you are searching for answers to guide public policy, correlation is where you begin. Ignoring the effects of poverty on education is like ignoring the effect of criminals on crime.

It was therefore disheartening when President Obama seemed to sanction the mass firing in Rhode Island for it signaled a continuation of the Republican philosophy of education embodied in NCLB and cleared the way for

Secretary of Education Touts ‘Shared Responsibility’ - George's Bottom Line

Secretary of Education Touts ‘Shared Responsibility’ - George's Bottom Line

Secretary of Education Touts ‘Shared Responsibility’

March 15, 2010 8:08 AM

I asked Education Secretary Arne Duncan about that this morning on ‘GMA’. He wasn’t buying it: “there will be shared responsibility not just with teachers but principles, school systems…and even states – everyone is gonna be responsible for driving better results.”The top teachers’ unions are already pushing back against President Obama’s proposed changes to “No Child Left Behind” – which gets sent to Capitol Hill today. American Federation of Teacher’s President Randi Weingarten says, “this blueprint places 100 percent of the responsibility on teachers and gives them zero percent of the authority."

See the whole interview here:

Archey? Or Jughead? | Intercepts

Archey? Or Jughead? | Intercepts

Education Writers Association Awards

Archey? Or Jughead?

You thought the Nevada high school newspaper/First Amendment thing was all over, right?

Wrong!

Kathy Archey, the teacher who was the subject of a mildly critical article in the Churchill County High School newspaper, filed suit against the district superintendent, the school principal, the school’s journalism adviser, and the editor of the local newspaper in which the story received general attention. Though published reports don’t mention it, the presence of the journalism adviser in the complaint probably precludes the involvement of the union in the lawsuit, since the union cannot take sides in a dispute involving bargaining unit members.

Archey wants $10,000 in damages, claiming the article adversely affected her plans to open a restaurant in Churchill County. (Huh?)

“Based on the conduct of these individuals, Kathleen’s reputation as a teacher has been damaged,” the suit says. “She has suffered ridicule and has been rebuked by people who have been influenced by these defamatory and malicious allegations concerning her integrity

Aha! � Chalkdust101

Aha! � Chalkdust101

CHOICE, CURRICULUMDESIGN, ENGLISH, LANGUAGEARTS, LITERATURE, READING

Aha!

In curriculum, pedagogy on March 15, 2010 at 11:30 amTake a quick look at this video:

It may be contrived, it may be produced by a major publisher, but notice they didn’t try to sell anything. Also notice that the students were honest in their assessment of their reading habits before and after choice.

Do we underestimate the power of choice in student reading? Do we accept that students must read certain books regardless of whether or not they are ready for them or want to read them?

Look, I understand the Broccoli Effect, but if you asked me whether or not these students learned more about the skills they will need to become lifelong critical readers through a

Michelle Obama: "We're In Charge" - Obesity Not Kids' Fault - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

Michelle Obama: "We're In Charge" - Obesity Not Kids' Fault - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

Michelle Obama: "We're In Charge" - Obesity Not Kids' Fault

March 15, 2010 8:57 AM

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Newsweek breaks this week with terrific multi-article coverage of First Lady Michelle Obama's take-no-prisoners campaign to help bring our child obesity epidemic and our super-size-it mentality to a tipping point. Link to articles here. An excerpt of her much-needed "tough love" stance:

"It's now clear that between the pressures of today's economy and the breakneck pace of modern life, the well-being of our kids has too often gotten lost in the shuffle.

And let's be honest with ourselves: our kids didn't do this to themselves. Our kids don't decide what's served in the school cafeteria