Daily Kos: The forgotten cost of war

Daily Kos: The forgotten cost of war:

The forgotten cost of war

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

is driven home in a powerful way in a piece by Ron Kovic at Truthdig, titled The Forgotten Wounded of Iraq  Most probably only know about Kovic from the movie biopic on him starring Tom Cruise in an Oscar nominated performance, "Born on the Fourth of July."  If you saw the movie, forget about it and just read what Kovic has written.
Here is his opening paragraph, which only hints at the power of what you will encounter reading this piece:

Thirty-eight years ago, on Jan. 20, 1968, I was shot and paralyzed from my mid-chest down during my second tour of duty in Vietnam. It is a date that I can never forget, a day that was to change my life forever. Each year as the anniversary of my wounding in the war approached I would become extremely restless, experiencing terrible bouts of insomnia, depression, anxiety attacks and horrifying nightmares. I dreaded that day and what it represented, always fearing that the terrible trauma of my wounding might repeat itself all over again. It was a difficult day for me for decades and it remained that way until the anxieties and nightmares finally began to subside.

THis evening represents ten years since our ill-conceive, illegal and immoral invasion of Iraq.We can talk and write all we want about the financial costs of that decision, how it distorted our politics, how the ongoing "war" on "terror" has led to an erosion of basic liberties and an over-expansion of government intrusion into our private affairs.
And yet, that does not come close to understanding the cost of the war to those who were there.

Model SARBs Selected - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

Model SARBs Selected - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education):

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces 2012-13
Model Attendance, Dropout Prevention Programs

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today that 11 programs have been designated as models of attendance improvement and dropout prevention by the State School Attendance Review Board (State SARB).

Torlakson congratulated the 2012-13 Model SARBs for their work in reducing the number of students who are chronically absent, which results in costing school districts millions of dollars each year in lost income and greatly increases the likelihood a student will drop out of school. Reducing absenteeism is a major focus for Torlakson as new research points to chronic absence as a key indicator of a student’s academic future.

"The old saw is true: a big part of success is showing up. To learn in school, children need to be in school and to stay in school," said Torlakson. "Poor attendance leads to poor work, poor grades—and eventually poor career prospects. Regular attendance is essential for success in school and in life. I congratulate these districts for helping families and students meet this basic but crucial goal."

The 11 districts and their SARB chairpersons are attached below. The SARBs in Alameda Unified and Santa Paula Union school districts are being recognized for the first time. Nine of the SARBs have been Model SARBs in previous years and are designated as Distinguished Model SARBs. 

Torlakson applauded the sustained efforts of the Distinguished Model SARBs for their ability to repeat their past success. 

"These remarkably effective SARBs have long shared their insights and perspectives with other districts focusing on attendance improvement and dropout reduction," he said. "I congratulate them on their continuing accomplishments."

Torlakson administers and coordinates the State SARB with representatives of school districts, parent groups, county superintendents of schools, law enforcement agencies, the health care profession, and child welfare and attendance personnel. 

In May 2011, Torlakson convened a Chronic Absence Policy Forum to address the problem, and plans to convene a future forum focused on achieving attendance improvement and dropout reduction through community‒school collaboration.

Recent studies have shown that chronic absenteeism that starts in kindergarten can cause students to have major reading problems by the third grade. Studies of the dropout rate also trace many of students’ academic struggles to early attendance problems. 

The State SARB has placed a major focus on monitoring chronic absentees and positive early interventions that keep students in the classroom, and is especially interested in seeing local SARBs promote collaboration within their communities by partnering with local agencies to strengthen attendance. 

While local SARBS often have been associated with punitive approaches to the attendance problem, those that stressed collaboration and positive intervention were considered most worthy of recognition by State SARB members who reviewed applications for 2012-13 Model SARB recognition.

For instance, SARB 16 in Los Angeles County, which is composed of four school districts serving the communities of Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, and El Segundo, is a prime example of a program with exceptional collaboration with outside agencies. It has teamed up with the District Attorney, the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, Los Angeles County Probation, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, four law enforcement agencies, school nurses, school counselors, and community youth.

Local SARBs are created in school districts to provide a safety net for students with attendance problems. Students who are chronically absent are referred to a local SARB after other interventions at their schools have been unsuccessful. The local SARBs are tasked with a group effort of identifying the problem and finding solutions that keep students in the classroom. 

Districts recognized for their model attendance improvement and dropout reduction program are expected to serve as mentors for other review boards seeking to achieve model status. This year’s Model SARB awards will be presented on April 19 at the State Capitol in Sacramento.

For more information on the SARB process for attendance improvement and dropout reduction, visit the California Department of Education School Attendance Review Boards Web page.

Attachment

2012-13 Model SARB and Distinguished Model SARB Programs

1. Alameda Unified School District, Kristen Zazo, SARB Chairperson, 510-337-7072; Kirsten Vital, Superintendent/Designee (Model SARB).
2. Alhambra Unified School District, Lindsey K. Ma, SARB Chairperson, 626-943-3400; Dr. Laura Tellez-Gagliano , Superintendent/Designee (Distinguished Model SARB).
3. Bellflower Unified and Paramount Unified school districts, Terry Gendreau and James Monico, SARB Chairpersons, 562-866-9011 and 562-602-6000; Joseph A. Perry, Superintendent/Designee (Distinguished Model SARB).
4. Chula Vista Elementary School District, (Cheryl) Lisa Butler, SARB Chairperson, 619-425-9600, extension 1571; Oscar Esquivel, Superintendent/Designee (Distinguished Model SARB).
5. Colton Joint Unified School District, Melissa Kingston, SARB Chairperson, 909-580-6525; Todd Beal, Superintendent/Designee (Distinguished Model SARB).
6. El Segundo Unified School District, Hermosa Beach City School District, Manhattan Beach Unified School District, Redondo Beach Unified School District (SARB 16), Kenneth Flood, SARB Chairperson, 310-937-1236; Dr. Steven Keller, Superintendent/Designee (Distinguished Model SARB).
7. Grossmont Union High School District, Jennifer Mendel, SARB Chairperson, 619-644-8012; Ralf Swenson, Superintendent/Designee (Distinguished Model SARB).
8. Montebello Unified School District, Jose G. Franco, SARB Chairperson, 323-887-7900, ext. 7924; Michael Cobarrubias, Superintendent/Designee (Distinguished Model SARB).
9. San Bernardino Unified School District, Susann Hazen, SARB Chairperson, 909-880-6614; Ray Culberson, Superintendent/Designee (Distinguished Model SARB).
10. Santa Ana Unified School District, Sonia Rodarte, SARB Chairperson, 714-433-2484; Doreen Lohnes, Superintendent/Designee (Distinguished Model SARB).
11. Santa Paula Union High School District, Robin Gillette and Juan Garcia, SARB Chairpersons, 805-525-4407, extension 3002; Robin Gillette, Superintendent Designee (Model SARB).

# # # #

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

Student Voice Toolkit – A Blast from the Past Student Voice

Student Voice:

Student Voice Toolkit – A Blast from the Past

by admin

As many prepare for the inaugural 2013 Student Voice Live! Summit that will be held at the Microsoft Offices in New York City, New York on April 13^th, I encourage us to take time to review what each of us has learned thus far.
Over the past 7-months, there have been numerous Student Blog Contributions, weekly #StuVoice Twitter Meetings, insightful Student Panel Webinars and various initiatives to propel the work and impact to those in our communities and around the world.
One particular #StuVoice Twitter Meeting that occurred this past summer was focused on the following topic:
Translating #StuVoice to #StuAction — what are goals, hopes and examples of how to make it work
 Below you will find a synthesized resource of the discussions, deliberations and strategies that arose from this meeting.  We encourage you to read and share with your friends, colleagues and teachers!

Quote of the Week

“Challenge is the opportunity for greatness. People do their best when there is an opportunity to change how things currently stand. Maintaining the status quo facilitates mediocrity. Those who embrace this practice do not wish to rest on their laurels. They motivate others to exceed their 

Union "Surveys" Teachers for Deasy Criticism - LA School Report

Union "Surveys" Teachers for Deasy Criticism - LA School Report:

Union “Surveys” Teachers for Deasy Criticism

by Samantha Oltman

Superintendent John Deasy

The teachers union’s on-again, off-again plan to survey its members on what they think about LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy’s job performance is back on again.
However, this time around the union has a much stronger idea of what kinds of negative views its members should express.
The union first mentioned in January that it planned to survey members about Deasy. At the time, the survey was described in neutral terms: “UTLA members will have the opportunity to rate Superintendent Deasy’s performance.” Less than a month later, UTLA postponed the survey without any explanation.
This time around, the union isn’t being shy about the negative view it has of Deasy and how it hopes its 

CAPTA Resolution, Achievement: Eliminating the Gap Sacramento Council PTA

Sacramento Council PTA:

March 19, 2013

SACRAMENTO COUNCIL UPDATE

Click here to read CAPTA Resolution, Achievement:  Eliminating the Gap   Jason Shah and Benito Delgado-Olson are young men who are dedicated to reducing the achievement gap through innovative organizations they started. Read more

Sacramento Council of PTAs commends the SCUSD in their efforts to eliminate the achievement gap, and we are excited that we were invited as a stakeholder in this important task. Board Update - dated March 15, 2013: "SCUSD has convened a Closing the Achievement Gap Coalition consisting of a diverse team of stakeholders including members of the business community, faith-based representatives, partners from community services organizations, and district staff representing various departments and school sites. The initial meeting of the coalition took place on Tuesday, March 12 at Serna. The team will engage in a process to analyze and study the disparate achievement and outcomes of racial/ethnic minority students in the district with a focus on developing a set of recommendations for district policy, processes, and practice which will be made to the Superintendent and Board of Education. Although the district has experienced incremental growth in student achievement, there is still a great amount of attention and work required to bring the performance of racial/ethnic minority students on par with that of white and high performing Asian groups. The district recognizes that a more laser-like focus on the issues contributing to the persistence of the achievement gap is essential if we are to ensure that every child actualizes the goals and promise of college and career readiness outlined in our Strategic Plan." Several of our PTA leaders, including myself, will be serving on this task force, and we will keep you updated on the progress.  Please contact me with your questions or comments. Lily Williams, 2012-13 President Sacramento Council of PTAs president@saccouncilptas.com (916) 201-8512

Position Statement: School Based decision Making Adopted March 2003 - Revised January 2009 Education Commission The California State PTA supports the concept of school based management in the decision-making process. While the legal responsibility for school governance rests with local Boards of Education, PTA believes that the decentralization of decision making to school sites where service delivery occurs results in greater responsiveness to student and societal needs and improves the quality of educational opportunity. PTA believes school based management decision making should give constituents - parents, teachers, administrators, students and other community members - meaningful control over what happens in schools in order to enhance school performance and the quality of education provided to all students. PTA believes that there is a vast potential to close the achievement gap by improving learning, instruction, school governance, operations, and outcomes when representative stakeholder groups receive meaningful training, and resources that enables them to participate in educational decision making. Schools implementing effective school based management should: Have an active vision focused on teaching and learning that is coordinated with district and state standards for student performance. Develop knowledge and skills in an ongoing process oriented toward building school-wide capacity for improvement, creating a professional learning community and developing a shared knowledge base. Understand that with decision making comes accountability for the results of those decisions. Enlist and empower meaningful participation by all stakeholders in the decision-making process and share leadership responsibilities among all school employees. Have multiple mechanisms for collecting information related to school priorities and for communicating school-related information to all constituents and members of the school community. Use various incentives and acknowledge individual and group progress toward school goals, and Cultivate outside resources through involvement in the community and professional networks. PTA recognizes that school based management decision making must be given time to succeed. School and district leaders must be supportive of the School Based Management process, ensure that communication channels are kept open and provide all stakeholders with a clear understanding of their roles, responsibilities and accountability.

Zorn on Persepolis shows what’s wrong with Chicago big media school reporting. UPDATED: Zorn responds. | Fred Klonsky

Zorn on Persepolis shows what’s wrong with Chicago big media school reporting. UPDATED: Zorn responds. | Fred Klonsky:

Zorn on Persepolis shows what’s wrong with Chicago big media school reporting.

by Fred Klonsky

My brother Mike tells the truth about the Chicago coverage of the CPS Persepolis fiasco.
“Funny. It seems the Klonsky brothers are the best news source in town on this one.”
And the Chicago Tribune’s Eric Zorn fully demonstrates the point.
He demonstrates why the Sun-Times and his Tribune suck when it comes to education coverage.
Writing on his Tribune blog about the Persepolis story Zorn admits, “My daughter is a student and (sic) Lane and mentioned this to me last night, though both of us thought it sounded like a rumor gone wild. Guess not.”
Check it out. One of the star columnists for the Chicago Tribune has a daughter at Lane Tech who comes home and tells him about the story of the book banning at Lane Tech, and he calls…nobody.

Where Are Progressives In The Fight To Save Public Schools?

Where Are Progressives In The Fight To Save Public Schools?:

Where Are Progressives In The Fight To Save Public Schools?

by Jeff Bryant

This post is republished from the Education Opportunity Network, a new online publication edited by Jeff Bryant.
This week, here was Paul Krugman’s assessment of the current policy agenda governing the nation’s public schools:
“We have the illusion of consensus, an illusion based on a process in which anyone questioning the preferred narrative is immediately marginalized, no matter how strong his or her credentials.”
Except, Krugman wasn’t writing about education policy, actually. He was writing about the nation’s run up to the Iraq War ten years ago. “Support for the war,” Krugman recalled, ” became part of the definition of what it meant to hold a mainstream opinion. Anyone who dissented, no matter how qualified, was ipso facto labeled as unworthy of consideration.”
Krugman compared the type of “groupthink” that preceded the war in Iraq to the current false consensus driving our nation’s flawed economic policy. But he may as well have been writing about the nation’s education policy as well.
For years, federal education policies have been characterized by a “Washington Consensus” http://www.aei.org/article/education/whither-the-washington-consensus/ that public schools are effectively broken 

On "Innovation" in Social Policy, and "Solutionism" in Education - Dana Goldstein

On "Innovation" in Social Policy, and "Solutionism" in Education - Dana Goldstein:

On "Innovation" in Social Policy, and "Solutionism" in Education

by Dana Goldstein

The following was written by the Princeton sociologist Melvin Tumin, in 1973. Tumin was thinking about the Teacher Corps, a Great Society program that was a sort of lefty precursor to Teach for America, in which intern teachers arrived in disadvantaged schools eager to close achievement gaps and -- because it was the sixties -- also build racial pride, improve student self-esteem, and overhaul the curriculum to better reflect African American history and culture. Most Teacher Corps interns grew frustrated by the slow pace of change within schools; most veteran educators were suspcious of the interns' intentions and ideology. As Tumin points out, this inevitable culture clash is a key finding of research in organizational theory, and helps explain why it is so difficult for small social programs to impact large bureaucracies:

...one of the most important factors that made the Program difficult to implement was that it could not promise the members of agencies and institutions whose cooperation was needed that it would be worth their while. Innovation is a charming word, beguiling and rousing. But it is like other terms such as relevance, concern, sensitivity. One cannot be against these on principle. But they are almost always privately read as warning signs that there is trouble ahead for those who are fulfilling their accustomed routines. Moreover, since most innovation efforts fail sooner or later, wise masters of ongoing enterprises have learned to live and wait until such innovations speed themselves to their ultimate demise. While not many other earthly travails can be safely waited out, with any hope of relief, innovative programs do have 

Exceeding Needs Through a Partnership Perspective — Whole Child Education

Exceeding Needs Through a Partnership Perspective — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

Exceeding Needs Through a Partnership Perspective

March 19, 2013 by Fred Ende

As a coordinator of science for a number of districts in the northern suburbs of New York City, I have the opportunity to work with schools with a tremendous array of needs. For some, finances are the primary culprit in educational challenges faced. In others, high populations of language learners or mobile student populations make it difficult to provide for each and every student. In still other cases, a combination of factors cause meeting student needs to be an uphill battle.

What's the common denominator? That every district, especially in today's educational climate, is facing drastic challenges. What's different is how districts and schools are dealing with those challenges. Are they embracing and working through them? Or are they brushed under the carpet, in hopes that "magical thinking" will take care of everything?

Richard J. Bailey School, a 4–6 grade building that is part of the Greenburgh Central School District 7, is a school that has not only learned how to how to identify and understand its needs, but has seen the benefit of approaching these needs from a "partnership perspective." The population of RJ Bailey is both diverse culturally and from a socioeconomic standpoint. Nearly 10 percent of the student population is limited English proficient, and slightly less than half receive free or reduced price lunch. This data, paired with the added 

Dan Biss is in deep doo-doo with fellow Dems. | Fred Klonsky

Dan Biss is in deep doo-doo with fellow Dems. | Fred Klonsky:

Dan Biss is in deep doo-doo with fellow Dems.

by Fred Klonsky

The some good pension news coming from Springfield today.

The first is that State Senate President John Cullerton’s Senate Bill 1 is in big trouble.

SB1 is the mash-up bill that includes the blatantly unconstitutional Biss/Cross/Nekritz pension bomb with Cullerton’s own forced-choice of health care or COLA.

The other good news is that Senator Dan “I don’t know much about the Constitution” Biss is in deep shit with his Democratic pals.

This is coming from Springfield sources including Rich Miller.

One reason that Cullerton’s bill is in trouble is what I reported the other day. The Civic Committee folks and other corporate groups don’t think it goes far enough. And that’s enough to get Cullerton zilch support among Republicans. The GOP is much happier with the Biss bill and don’t like it that Cullerton has attached it to SB1. 

Daily Kos: TeacherKen on Three Decades of Reform

Daily Kos: TeacherKen on Three Decades of Reform:

TeacherKen on Three Decades of Reform

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

explanation -  I posted a comment on a thread on Diane Ravitch's blog, and today she turned it into a post, which I reproduce below, using her formatting.
Kenneth Bernstein is an award-winning NBCT who recently retired as a teacher of government. He is now caring for his wife, who is recovering from a major illness. He usually blogs at the Daily Kos but has taken the time to share his insights here as a comment. Thank you, Ken.
He writes:
We have had a decade of the “reforms” of No Child Left Behind. The approach embodied therein actually is traceable back 30 years, to the release of A Nation at Risk, continued through Goals 2000 which claimed that it would result in America being first in the world in math and science by that date, has seen policy doubling down through Race to the Top and the proposals in the Obama administration’s “Blueprint,” and now we continue the insanity through Common Core and the common assessments. In each of these cases what was excluded in the 

Diane in the Evening 3-19-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

Anti-Teacher Legislation Introduced in North Carolina Legislature

by dianerav

No more career teachers in North Carolina. That’s the goal of legislation introduced by Phil Berger, the President Pro Tem of the State Senate in North Carolina.
The experienced, high-performing teachers would get a four-year contract.
Others would get shorter contracts.
No tenure for any teachers.
Lots of performance pay built in.
Bonuses would be tied to new teacher evaluation programs now

From Rhode Island: “I Failed the Test”

by dianerav

This comment from one of the professionals who took the test in Rhode Island, at the invitation of the Providence Student Union. He raises the question: When will those at the top be held accountable for failure of their policies?
“I am one of those “irresponsible adults” who took the test…and failed, predictably enough. I found the content of the test to be outrageously irrelevant for the lives of the vast majority of people (80% or more?). To me, what is 

Breaking News: Adults’ Test Scores Released in Providence!

by dianerav

The results are in.
Most of the adults who took the test would not be able to graduate.
Are we a failed nation of illiterate professionals or are the tests unreasonable?
Here’s a thought: Michelle Rhee, Bill Gates, and Arne Duncan should take the test.
This is the press release from the Providence Student Union:
PRESS RELEASE
March 19, 2013
CONTACT: Aaron Regunberg | Aaron@ProvidenceStudentUnion.org | 847-809-6039 (cell)
STUDENTS RELEASE “TAKE THE TEST” RESULTS –
SUPER MAJORITY OF ACCOMPLISHED PROFESSIONALS SCORE BELOW DIPLOMA THRESHOLD
Providence, Rhode Island – March 19, 2013 – Members of the student activist group the Providence Student Union (PSU) released the results of this weekend’s “Take the Test” event today. Of the 50 accomplished adults 

No Surprise: Voucher Schools Teaching Creationism

by dianerav

I previously named Zack Kopplin to the honor roll for his outspoken opposition to schools teaching creationism. A native of Louisiana, Zack criticized Governor Bobby Jindal’s voucher plan for using public funds to send students to schools that teach creationism.
Zack, a student at Rice University, recently appeared on the Bill Moyers show to talk about vouchers and creationism.
The show featured an interactive map that pinpoints every school teaching creationism with public funding. Most 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-19-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] More Cheering from Wall Street for School Closures by dianerav Good news for Wall Street! More school closings! Does Wall Street think it would be a good idea to close down all public schools? Think of the savings to municipalities if we just stopped offering free public education! A reader writes: *And Bloomberg reports this about Philadelphia school closures:* *Closing 12% of Philadelphia Schools Creates Winners: Muni Credit* * from Bloomberg * *“The nation’s fi... more »

When it comes to testing, listen to teachers | Hechinger Report

When it comes to testing, listen to teachers | Hechinger Report:

When it comes to testing, listen to teachers

by Christina Lear

In my second year of teaching in the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS), my principal organized monthly “data meetings.” The stated purpose of these meetings was to reflect on our classroom instruction and student progress in light of students’ latest results on district-created standardized tests. I’d always start these meetings with the same comment: “We can’t talk about what these data show if the test isn’t valid.” I know this sounds like something that a teacher who doesn’t believe in testing would say, but I’m not that teacher. I enter this conversation as a teacher who believes deeply in data. Through my work as a graduate student in teaching and a Teach For America corps member, I was trained to see critical analysis of student data as essential to my practice. Now in my third year in the classroom, I continue to rely on testing as one form of assessment, providing vital information about what my students are, and aren’t, learning. Although standardized testing has limitations, it needs to be part of a multifaceted picture of student learning. That said, I believe in testing only 

PSAT for 3-19-13, Part 1: More reasons to support the school closing moratorium

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 3-19-13, Part 1: More reasons to support the school closing moratorium:

PSAT for 3-19-13, Part 1: More reasons to support the school closing moratorium

by admin

For Public Schools Action Tuesday today, please get in touch with your statesenators and representatives asap to support SB1571 and HB3283, the CPS school closing moratorium bills.
Here are some new reasons why:

• Senator Delgado is holding a hearing on SB1571 this afternoon at 1 pm. Several of our aldermen are traveling down to Springfield to support the bill: Chicago City Council Progressive Reform Coalition members Ald. John Arena (45th), Ald. Bob Fioretti (2nd), Ald. Toni Foulkes (15), Ald. Ricardo Munoz (22nd), Ald. Nick Sposato (36th) and Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd).
• CReATE, the network of area university educators and researchers, has released a new fact sheet on school closures which concludes: “the data reviewed in this research brief does not support Chicago Public Schools’ claim that closures are a viable solution to the current issues in the district. Instead, their greatest potential is to inflict deeper harm on African-American and Latino communities…. (M)assive school closings are poised to continue the legacy of mass displacements, marginalization and 

PSAT for 3-19-13, Part 2: Come to the testing forum tonight!

by admin

When: Tonight! March 19! 7 pm!
Where: Mt Carmel Missionary Baptist Church, 2976 S. Wabash, Chicago
What: Chicago Parent/Teacher/Community/Student forum: “The Case against Chicago’s High-Stakes Standardized Testing”
This forum will be crowded, so come early.
Hear from Jesse Hagopian, leader of the Garfield teacher test boycott in Seattle, a local Gage Park HS student who was part of a recent student test boycott, and our own Karen Lewis.
You’ll also hear about some of More Than a Score’s upcoming activities.
As we move into high gear with resistance to school closings, don’t forget that standardized testing enables school closing.

UPDATE: Let Your House Rep Know What You Think Seattle Schools Community Forum: Education News Roundup

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Education News Roundup:

Let Your House Rep Know What You Think

by Melissa Westbrook

The nonsense that is SB 5328 - the bill for letter grades for schools - passed the Senate.  Please, please let your House representatives know that you do not support this.

On the face of it, why?  If this is so important, why not grade ALL public institutions, starting with the Legislature and the elected officials there?  Even Stand says that "schools are already being graded by the Achievement Index" so exactly why do we need this?  In fact, the Achievement Index would be what the grade is based on.  I note that the Index does not account for Special Education and ELL students within a school which could weigh on a ranking.

I spoke to Superintendent Dorn's office and he does not support it.  Why?  Because OSPI was charged with an adjustment to the Achievement Index anyway by the Legislature (I believe for rollout this fall).  

While you're at it, let the Governor know your feelings as well.  What is interesting is that while the Governor 

Education News Roundup

by Melissa Westbrook

Common Core and assessments and a new group, Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium.

More on assessments from The New Yorker; its story covers the Garfield assessment boycott.

As the author and relapsed educator Garret Keizer observed in his return to teaching, of which he writes in the September 2011 issue of Harper’s, “No student I meet seems to believe that the universe formed in six days but a disturbing number insist that an essay is always formed in five paragraphs.”

Charter Schools

The group that 1240 is following for authorizing guideline, The National Association of Charter School Authorizers, released a 12-step "Index of Essential Practices" for charter school authorizers. Looking over them, it does not appear that 1240 meets them but then:

The report found that only a small percentage of those who responded have all 12 practices in place, but the majority are using at least nine. 
Also from Ed Week, a study about the early years of new charter schools:

There is currently an assumption within the charter sector that even if "the first few years are rocky" at a school, 

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, March 19, 2013

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Lockyer: School bond election deals appear illegal

Education Headlines

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Berkeley school board president quits to avoid conflict of interest

School board President Leah Wilson will resign her post March 31, citing a potential conflict of interest with her new job as Court Executive Officer of Alameda County Superior Court.

School district discriminated against gay students, ACLU alleges

In a letter from the ACLU, the Hesperia Unified School District is accused of discriminating against gay and lesbian students, including refusing to allow girls to wear tuxedos to the prom.

California school districts send out far fewer pink slips

Thanks to a boost in money for public education, California school districts have issued just 3,000 pink slips to teachers this year, a dramatic drop from the 20,000 sent out last year, the California Teachers Assn. reported Monday.

Fensterwald Committee wrestles with incorporating graduation rate into API

As part of a push to measure how well a school is educating its students based on more than just test scores, California for the first time is planning to factor graduation rates into the state’s main measure of a school’s academic achievement.

Lockyer: School bond election deals appear illegal

State Treasurer Bill Lockyer asked the California attorney general Monday to investigate whether school officials were breaking the law by hiring banks and their political strategists to promote bond measures before voters. Lockyer did not name the schools or banks involved in these deals. But some of the examples he describes in a letter to Attorney General Kamala Harris are the same as the Register found in place at Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified in a recent investigation.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Bakersfield City SD's new campuses taking shape

The Bakersfield City School District is nearing the finish line on its newest campus, a two-school complex in the northeast that will house the Douglas K. Fletcher Elementary and Paul L. Cato Middle schools.

Lodi Unified to adopt social media contract

Athletes and extracurricular club members in Lodi Unified are being told to tame their Facebook timelines and Twitter feeds, or they might find themselves on the sidelines.

Vista USD drops bus routes, grades at academy

Trustees for the Vista Unified School District voted Thursday night to cut 11 bus routes and eliminate grades six through eight at the Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts.