Evidence of alleged crimes with Bridgeport’s School Budget going to State Auditors and Attorney General - Wait, What?

Evidence of alleged crimes with Bridgeport’s School Budget going to State Auditors and Attorney General - Wait, What?:

Evidence of alleged crimes with Bridgeport’s School Budget going to State Auditors and Attorney General

by jonpelto

Readers of Wait, What? are well aware that over the past year this blog’s investigative work has turned up evidence of what appear to be serious violations of law by Bridgeport Superintendent of Schools Paul Vallas, the Bridgeport Board of Education and the City of Bridgeport.

In direct violation of Connecticut and Bridgeport laws, Paul Vallas signed more than a dozen no-bid contracts, many of them going to individuals who worked for his private consulting company or to companies that he has worked with in the past.  The cost of these contracts obligated the taxpayers of Bridgeport and Connecticut to more than $12 million in expenditures.

In at least one case, a no-bid hundred thousand dollar contract with a company Vallas has a close relationship was signed and payments made to utilize vital special education software starting July 1, 2012.  That software remains unused and Bridgeport teachers continue to use the old software the city was using.  Despite this fact, Vallas’ office responded to a recent Freedom of Information request by saying that no contract 

Proposed closings hit Black students most | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Proposed closings hit Black students most | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

Proposed closings hit Black students most

by Paul Socolar

Proposed school closings and relocations will disproportionately affect Black students in the District, based on District data analyzed by the Notebook and displayed below.
Of the approximately 15,000 students in 43 District schools being closed or relocated, 79 percent are African American. Only 55 percent of the District's students overall are African American.
Nearly three-fourths of these 43 schools being closed or relocated have student populations that are 80 percent or more African American. More than a dozen of the proposed school closings and relocations are inpredominantly Black North Philadelphia, where many of the school buildings are both aging and underutilized.

Featured Title: 

A look at the demographics of 43 affected schools

read more

State Budget Reaction - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

State Budget Reaction - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education):

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Comments on
Governor's Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2013-14

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson issued the following statement today on Governor Brown's proposed budget for the 2013-14 fiscal year:

"The Governor's budget proposal keeps the promise we made to Californians who supported Proposition 30, and wisely begins to restore some of what our schools have lost. It will take years to bring our education system back to financial health, and I applaud the Governor for beginning that work in earnest.

"I do believe, however, that early education programs—cut deeply in recent years—deserve to share in this recovery as well. They are among our best investments in the future of California's children.

"I look forward to working with our community college partners regarding the future of adult education. I am concerned that severing the longstanding ties these programs have with K-12 districts could diminish access to classes that play a vital role in helping Californians receive the basic education they need to become productive citizens.

"I admire the Governor's determination to move forward with an overhaul of California's confusing system of school finance, and I share his desire to direct more help to students and schools with the greatest needs. At the same time, I remain concerned about the fragile fiscal state of so many school districts and preserving state priorities. I look forward to examining details of the Governor's proposal and working closely with the education community throughout this challenging process."

Related Content

• Education Budget - Public school funding is the largest program in the state budget, receiving more than 40 percent of the state's General Fund resources. The 2012–13 state budget includes $38 billion for kindergarten through grade twelve (K–12) education.(truncated)

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Issues
Statement on Taft School Shooting

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson issued the following statement today on the Taft High School shooting:

"Our hearts go out to the family and the student who was critically injured today at Taft High School, as well as to the entire school community. I commend the heroic actions of the classroom teacher and the campus supervisor who risked their safety to protect students, no doubt saving lives in the process. I am also grateful for the swift arrival of police and their arrest of the suspect.

"Our schools must be safe places for students, and today's events remind us we have work to do—as a state and as a nation—to reach that goal."

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

Do

Who do you want driving your child’s school bus?

Who do you want driving your child’s school bus?:

Who do you want driving your child’s school bus?

by Server

Who do you want driving your child’s school bus?

Contact the Mayor today at 1-888-833-7428 and Sign Our Petition below.
Who do you want driving your child’s school bus – a highly skilled, trained, and experienced driver who knows our children and community, or someone learning on the job? At the end of the day, that is the only question that truly matters to parents regarding the busing of their children to school, and it is why it is so important that we support our New York City school bus drivers and matrons.
For the first time in over 30 years, New York City issued bids for school bus service without inclusion of the Employee Protection Provision (EPP). Although this may simply sound like a labor safeguard, make no mistake, 

Ed Notes Online: Seattle Teachers Revolt Against High Stakes Test

Ed Notes Online: Seattle Teachers Revolt Against High Stakes Test:

Seattle Teachers Revolt Against High Stakes Test

by ed notes online

In perhaps the first instance anywhere in the nation, teachers at Seattle’s Garfield High School will announce this afternoon their refusal to administer a standardized test that students in other high schools across the district are scheduled to take in the first part of January. -- Teachers at Garfield HS, Seattle

 From a teacher at Garfield HS in Seattle, posted on MORE listserve. He is asking for letters of support from unions (forget the UFT), caucuses, individual schools, parents, etc.

My whole school voted to refuse the mandated standardized test.  We need as much support as we can get because teachers may be putting their jobs on the line. If your union, or caucus could pass a resolution of support it would mean a lot. 

M E D I A   A D V I S O R Y

T H U R S D A Y,   J A N U A R Y   1 0 ,   2 0 1 3

Teachers at Garfield High Say MAP Test is Counterproductive,

Say They’ll Refuse to Waste Students’ Time, School’s Resources

--PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY--

What: Press conference to announce Garfield High School’s opposition to the MAP test

When: Thursday, January 10, 3:00 p.m.

Where: Garfield High School (400 23rd Avenue Seattle, WA 98122) in Room 206

For more information:

Jesse Hagopian, Teacher Garfield HS, 206-962-1685, hagopian.jesse@gmail.com

SEATTLE – In perhaps the first instance anywhere in the nation, teachers at Seattle’s Garfield High School will announce this afternoon their refusal to administer a standardized test that students in other high schools across the district are scheduled to take in the first part of January.  Known as the MAP test, it purports to 

CA School Teacher Talked Shooter Into Surrender | TPM LiveWire

CA School Teacher Talked Shooter Into Surrender | TPM LiveWire:

CA School Teacher Talked ShooterInto Surrender

IGOR BOBIC 3:43 PM EST, THURSDAY JANUARY 10, 2013

  

A Taft, Calif., school teacher and a campus supervisor talked a shooter into surrender on Thursday, the AP reports. At least two people were shot and the suspect is reportedly in custody.

Authorities described the shooter as a 16-year-old student who attended the high school. He was armed with a 12 gauge shotgun.

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Once Again, Educators Save the Day

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Once Again, Educators Save the Day:

Strategic Planning: Want to Join In?

by Melissa Westbrook

Is this any way to figure the future of this district?  I like that the Superintendent and Board realize how unwieldy the last Strategic Plan was but a taskforce of 6-80 people?  It'll be like herding kittens (or be largely pro-forma facilitation from the consultant group).  (Sorry for the varying typefaces; I couldn't get it worked out of the press release from the district.)

From district Communications:

Seattle Public Schools is starting the process of revising the current Strategic Plan, Excellence for All. The updated plan will guide academic and operational priorities for the next three to five years and include ongoing benchmarking to measure the District’s performance. In 2008, the Seattle School Board unanimously approved Excellence for All, aimed at ensuring all students graduate from high school ready for college, careers and life. 

Garfield Teachers Say No to MAP

by Melissa Westbrook

In what is a major step, the teachers of Garfield High School will be holding a press conference today to announce they will not give the MAP test.  From the press release:

The teachers contend that it wastes time, money, and precious school resources. 

            “Our teachers have come together and agree that the MAP test is not good for our students, nor is it an appropriate or useful tool in measuring progress,” says Kris McBride, who serves as Academic Dean and Testing Coordinator at Garfield.  “Additionally, students don’t take it seriously.  It produces specious results, and wreaks 

Once Again, Educators Save the Day

by Melissa Westbrook

There was a high school shooting in Taft, California today with one student shot but with a teacher and administrator able to talk the student shooter into giving up his weapon.  Taft is a rural community  about 120 miles northwest of LA.  Taft Union High School has about 900 students.

From AP:

When the shots were fired, the teacher began trying to get the more than two dozen students out a back door and also engaged the shooter in conversation to distract him, Youngblood said. A campus supervisor responding to a call of shots fired also began talking to him.

"They talked him into putting the shotgun down," Youngblood said.

The sheriff said that at one point the shooter told the teacher, "I don't want to shoot you" and named the person he wanted to shoot.

The shooter may have had up to 20 shotgun rounds in his pockets, he said.

Officials said there's usually an armed officer on campus but the person wasn't there because he was snowed 

The Work of a Great Test Scientist Helps Explain the Failure of No Child Left Behind « The Core Knowledge Blog

The Work of a Great Test Scientist Helps Explain the Failure of No Child Left Behind « The Core Knowledge Blog:

The Work of a Great Test Scientist Helps Explain the Failure of No Child Left Behind

by E. D. Hirsch, Jr.
January 10th, 2013

Tags: NAEP, NCLB, Samuel Messick, standardized tests
Posted in Assessment and Testing, Education Practice, Education Theory, Educational Policy,Research and Reports | No Comments »

In Praise of Samuel Messick 1931–1998, Part II

In a prior post I described Messick’s unified theory of test validity, which judged a test not to be valid if its practical effects were null or deleterious. His epoch-making insight was that the validity of a test must be judged both internally for accuracy and externally for ethical and social effects. That combined judgment, he argued, is the only proper and adequate way of grading a test.

In the era of the No Child Left Behind law (2001), the looming specter of tests has been the chief determiner of classroom practice. This led me to the following chain of inferences: Since 2001, tests have been the chief determiners of educational practices. But these tests have failed to induce practices that have worked. Hence, according to the Messick principle, the tests that we have been using must not be valid. Might it be that a new, more Messick-infused approach to testing would 

The Washington Policy Center, or should I say ALEC, and the future of our children | Seattle Education

The Washington Policy Center, or should I say ALEC, and the future of our children | Seattle Education:

The Washington Policy Center, or should I say ALEC, and the future of our children

by seattleducation2011

From the same people who state that  any efforts made in our state to address climate change are a waste of time, post reports from ALEC and have ties to the organization,  comes another bit of “research” by Liz Finne, self-proclaimed expert on all things education who cranks out policy papers based on her views or others who sponsor this “public charity” organization and self-proclaimed “think tank”, the Washington Policy Center. Ms Finne, who is an attorney with no experience or degrees in education,  just produced yet another opinion piece shrouded in “research based policy” on why schools in Washington State need to be privatized, her interpretation of a recently issued CREDO report.

Unfortunately our representative from the 36th District, Reuven Carlyle, has chosen this conservative think tank as one of his go-to sources of informationwhen making decisions as Chairman of the House Finance committee in Olympia this year. We’ll have to see how that goes because the policies that come out of 

Ginger Rutland on Michelle Rhee-Defending the IndefensibleThe Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education

The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education:

Ginger Rutland on Michelle Rhee-Defending the Indefensible

published by Kate_Lenox on Thu, 01/10/2013 - 11:34am

Much as she did when reporters on her own paper revealed mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson to be a slumlord, Bee editor Ginger Rutland now feels it necessary in the wake of the Frontline episode to rehabilitate Michelle Rhee's image. In spite of allegations of widespread cheating, a campaign of humiliating teachers and administrators and wholesale closings of schools rather than attempting to improve them, Rhee gets a pass because of her "no excuses" philosophy for education achievement for children in poverty.

Education That Matches the Rhetoric - Bridging Differences - Education Week

Education That Matches the Rhetoric - Bridging Differences - Education Week:

Education That Matches the Rhetoric

by Deborah Meier

Dear Pedro,
Yes, we've utterly crushed the liberating and empowering spirit of education. The story you related about Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old girl from Pakistan, is an important reminder of what once seemed worth living and dying for.
The roots of the story are complex, and mixed. Formal education as we know it was designed either to teach the religious and lay leaders of the nation/tribe. It was designed precisely—as were specific other symbols (like particular types of clothing, materials, hats, and forms of address, etc.)—to distinguish the "Leaders" from "The Others." These differences served to mark the former as members of a different and superior species, speaking a different language (or at least dialect) with a different vocabulary and different reference points and serving as experts in the myths and often esoteric understandings that justified their anointment.
So the idea of expanding education has been a long and arduous journey. While an apprentice's education was honored among craftsmen (and in its own way leaders were apprenticed to other leaders ... princes to kings?), the two paths were long long ago divorced.
The earliest American public schools actually followed in this same dual path. While making it easier for workingmen's children to learn the ABCs (which for the wealthy was often left to tutors and nannies), that 

SI&A Cabinet Report – Brown’s budget provides $2.7B in Prop 98 money over this year

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources:

Brown’s budget provides $2.7B in Prop 98 money over this year
By Tom Chorneau
Thursday, January 10, 2013

Finding economic recovery coming sooner than most had expected, Gov. Jerry Brown proposed a good news budget for schools that will provide an additional $2.7 billion more in Proposition 98 money than the current year – which was also adjusted upwards.

The plan includes a $1.8 billion repayment for prior deferred appropriations.

Brown’s much-anticipated plan for restructuring school funding builds on his proposal from last year. The governor said his proposal is aimed at creating a more level playing field for all students.

“Our future depends on disproportionately funding those schools that have disproportional challenges,” he said at a news conference Thursday. “Growing up in Richmond or Compton is not the same as growing up in Piedmont or Palo Alto. It's fair it's right and it's just.”

The revised formula would provide a base grant to all districts tied to average daily attendance and adjusted for the differential expense between grades. The additional support for disadvantaged students and English learners is proposed to be equal to 35 percent of the base with an additional 35 percent of the base for districts higher concentrations of targeted pupils.

As with the plan from last year, virtually all the categorical programs would be folded into the new funding formula. Bu 

Brandon Greene Launches New Project to Feature Student Journalism - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Brandon Greene Launches New Project to Feature Student Journalism - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

Brandon Greene Launches New Project to Feature Student Journalism

by Anthony Cody

This week I learned of an exciting new project called Out the Mouths of Babes, with a focus on giving voice to those we talk so much about, but hear so little from. The following is an interview with the project's creator, a young man named Brandon Greene. 

What are the goals of your project?
The goals of the Out the Mouths of Babes are three-fold:

1. to increase student voice in the education space,
2. to develop a passion for creative expression and civic engagement,
3. to give students a single hub where they can discuss and read news, opinions, reviews and other pieces by student journalists all around the country that directly correlate to their experience thus creating a pipeline of future journalists commentators, etc.

Why do you think student voices are important today?
I think that student voices are important because in the current education dialogue we often see discussions 

Diane in the Evening 1-10-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

Ex-DC Principal Is Happy Baking Cupcakes

by dianerav

In case you wondered what Adell Cothorne, the star of the PBS Frontline special about Michelle Rhee’s cheating scandal, is doing now, she is very happy making gourmet cupcakes. Thanks to reader Linda of Connecticut for finding her on the web. I wish we lived close to Ellicott City, Maryland, so we could sample her cupcakes.
Adell is in business with Bill Kerlina, another ex-principal from D.C.
As you know from reading the posts on this blog, Adell filed a whistleblower complaint against the leadership of 

A Teacher Has a Question for Hari Sevugan

by dianerav

Hari Sevugan, the ex-Obama spokesman and ex-StudentsFirst spokesman, has twice commented on this blog in defense of charters and high-stakes testing. In his comments yesterday, he pointed to Florida as a model of excellence, while putting down Massachusetts as not all that it claims to be. In my response, I compared Florida’s NAEP scores to those of Massachusetts. Massachusetts is consistently #1, while Florida ranks about average among the 50 states. I assume that Hari was promoting Glorida because Michelle Rhee ranked it at the top of her personal report card. It is certainly way ahead of Massachusetts in authorizing charter schools, for-

Teachers of Garfield High School in Seattle Say No!

by dianerav

By unanimous vote, the entire faculty at Garfield High School in Seattle voted not to administer the MAP test of reading and mathematics.
This is the first time, to my knowledge, that the faculty of an entire school refused to give mandated tests.
The action of the Garfield High School faculty could have national ramifications because it shows other teachers 

Report: Heroic Teacher and Guidance Counselor Save Lives Today

by dianerav

There was a school shooting in a California high school. One student was shot by another student, who was wielding a shotgun.
A teacher and a guidance counselor persuaded the student with the shotgun to put down his firearm.
We don’t yet know their names.
They put themselves in harm’s way and saved the lives of their students.

How Bill Gates Wasted $50 Million

by dianerav

The final MET study supposedly show that value-added modeling really does work and that test scores really do show who the best teachers are.
But Bruce Baker says the study is full of holes and circular reasoning.
When Bill Gates and the top executives at Microsoft put their own children in schools that use test scores as 

N.C. State Board Caves to Online Lobbyists, with Restrictions

by dianerav

North Carolina is a plum market for the online for-profit charter industry.
Today, the state board of education agreed to allow them to open in the state but set some limits.
Here is a link to a report on the decision by North Carolina Policy Watch:

“Virtual charter schools will face restrictions if they want to open up in North Carolina.

The N.C. State Board of Education voted today to adopt a policy that would require the online-based schools to adhere to a significantly lower funding formula ($3504 per student) than brick-and-mortar charter schools, maintain high graduation rates and low withdrawal rates of students. Schools will also need to keep a ratio of one teacher for every 50 students and keep graduation rates within 10 percent of the state average (80 percent), and 

Paul Thomas: Et Tu, Liberal Media?

by dianerav

Paul Thomas recognizes that he big corporate media have bought into the corporate education spin and hype.
But he was baffled that PBS used most of an hour to recycle Rhee’s self-promotion.
By the way, our one consistent ally on national television is the great Jon Stewart. His mother was a teacher, and he knows how hard she worked. Having The Daily Show on our side is great stuff. Jon is more influential than all the others put together. When I appeared on his show, his booker told me I would never be invited on Stephen Colbert’s show because his booker is Jonathan Alter’s wife. Alter is one of the media cheerleaders for corporate reforms. He appeared in “Waiting for Superman” to say, “We know what works. Accountability works.” I am not sure who that “we” referred to.

The Daily Howler On PBS On Rhee

by dianerav

The Daily Howler is a tough marker.
He reports on how the media reports on events.
He was not happy with the PBS show about Rhee.
He thought it was dated and failed to ask important questions.
By the way, if you haven’t seen The Daily Howler reports on how the media fumbled the latest international test scores, you should. See here. And here. And here.
There is a connection. Rhee loves to carry on about how horrible American schools are, how dreadful our teachers are, how far down we are in international tests. But if you read the links above, you will learn that our scores on international tests are not so bad. StudentsFirst will have to rewrite a lot of its documents, maybe 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-10-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] The Ordeal of the D.C. Whistleblower by dianerav If you have followed the story of the D.C. Cheating scandal, you know that suspicious test scores were flagged at a large number of schools in the district during Michelle Rhee’s tenure. Rhee met with every single principal and got a commitment to raise test scores or be fired. This pressure was effective in perverse ways. Jay Mathews here explains what happened in stark and alarming detail. The epicenter of the cheating scandal was Noyes campus, where the gain... more »

Joy Resmovits: Mental Health Care For Kids Severely Lacking, Says GAO

Joy Resmovits: Mental Health Care For Kids Severely Lacking, Says GAO:

Mental Health Care For Kids Severely Lacking, Says GAO

by Joy Resmovits

Hot off the presses, here's a report from the Government Accountability Office on the state of children's mental health care. It reveals some major problems.

"Most children whose emotions or behavior, as reported by their parent or guardian, indicated a potential need for a mental health service did not receive any services within the same year," the GAO wrote.

The report comes after Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), and Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (Calif.) requested that the GAO look into how psychotropic drugs affect the long-term development of kids who grow up in foster care. While the report is very specific in its scope, it's sure to be a relevant piece of evidence as the Obama administration formulates policy to deal with the ramifications of the Newtown, Conn. elementary school shooting. The shooting has sparked a nationwide debate on gun control, but it has also directed America's attention to the state of its mental health care system.

Here are some findings:

• On average, 6.2 percent of noninstitutionalized children in Medicaid and 4.8 percent of privately insured