Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Will Madigan’s pension bomb come to the floor tomorrow, Wednesday? Are the swords drawn? | Fred Klonsky

Will Madigan’s pension bomb come to the floor tomorrow, Wednesday? Are the swords drawn? | Fred Klonsky:


Will Madigan’s pension bomb come to the floor tomorrow, Wednesday? Are the swords drawn?

Popout.
The Urgent! Call Now! emails are piling up in the in boxes.
Madigan appears ready to bring his nuclear option pension bill to committee and then to the floor of the House.
If he has the votes.
Senate President Cullerton appears not willing to cooperate.
Greg Hinz reports that the each are drawing swords.
Mr. Cullerton’s spokeswoman, Rikeesha Phelon, is out with a statement reacting to the Madigan bill, and it sure looks like the fight is on between the two top Democrats.
“The speaker and Cullerton have the same goal with different approaches,” the 

 

Promising Whole Child Practices in Arizona — Whole Child Education

Promising Whole Child Practices in Arizona — Whole Child Education:


Ember Conley

Promising Whole Child Practices in Arizona

Nestled between the Gila River and Ak-Chin Indian Communities 30 miles south of Phoenix, Ariz., the city of Maricopa had a population of 1,060 in 2000, according to U.S. Census Data. In 2010, the population was 43,482. This exponential growth of more than 4,000 percent created new challenges and opportunities, including transitioning a small one-campus school district into a successful medium-sized district. Today the district has nine school sites with state-of-the-art facilities, including top-rated athletic fields, a state-recognized performing arts center, and a community facility for large forums.
Using ASCD's Whole Child Initiative framework, the Maricopa Unified School District (MUSD) has reached a new level of success. The staff and community in Maricopa are focused on ensuring that each child in the district is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged with a written, sustainable plan to continue the students' success.

CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION, AND ASSESSMENT

MUSD used Robert Marzano's approach to establish a common instructional language called Promising 

Jersey Jazzman: Your Daily Debunk

Jersey Jazzman: Your Daily Debunk:


Your Daily Debunk

Just kill me:  
But there’s one set of facts that trumps all the other data: the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), otherwise known as the nation’s report card.
The NAEP, which assesses “a representative sampling” of the nation’s fourth-, eighth- and 12th-graders, has four student achievement levels: “advanced” (for “superior performance”), “proficient” (for “solid academic performance”), “basic” (for “partial mastery”) and “below basic” (for below partial mastery).
We need all students to attain the level of “proficient” or better.
So what does NAEP tell us about our nation’s eighth-graders, for example? Brace yourself for the bad news: In math, in 2011, 18 percent of our eighth-graders 

Common Core Stakes Moratorium Proposed By Unions As National Standards Face Backlash

Common Core Stakes Moratorium Proposed By Unions As National Standards Face Backlash:


Common Core Stakes Moratorium Proposed By Unions As National Standards Face Backlash

Dennis Van Roekel, the president of the National Education Association, the nation's largest teachers union, came out in favor of a two-year moratorium on adverse consequences for schools and teachers that have been proposed in connection with the Common Core State Standards in an interview with The Huffington Post Tuesday.

"If I had a magic wand, I would make a moratorium for two years," he said, referring to the stakes associated with the new Common Core tests, primarily linking teacher evaluations to student performance. "It's a steep learning curve -- the more you take off the onus of the measures, the better off you are. Seventy percent of teachers aren't covered by this and yet they'll be impacted right away ... We've got to have some temporary flexibility so that we can get this right."

The Common Core State Standards is a set of learning standards in mathematics and reading that has been adopted by about 45 states and Washington, D.C. The standards have come in response to what U.S. Secretary 

NYC Educator: What Is Social Justice?

NYC Educator: What Is Social Justice?:


What Is Social Justice?

I think MORE, if it wants to prominently label itself the "Social Justice Caucus," needs to clarify this. Perhaps they already have, and if someone will point out where, I'd be happy to acknowledge it on this page. The name seems to have frightened some people on my pal Chaz's blog, and it's drawn comments suggesting that MORE may take a public position on the Israeli-Palestinian controversy. Personally, I've seen no evidence they have, or will.

A problem with that label, in my view, is that it fails to differentiate MORE from the opposition. Whatever I may think about Unity-New Action, I have no reason to find them discriminatory based on race, religion, age, or anything like that. As far as that goes, I certainly support them. Social justice though, certainly entails more than just that.

I don't speak for MORE, but I'm fairly certain they'd agree it's not remotely social justice to close schools. Schools are community centers and ought to belong to the communities they serve. I live in Freeport, NY, and when we were hit by Sandy we regularly held meetings in our schools. In fact, we actually have a recreation 

Diane in the Evening 4-30-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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







Walton Foundation Gives $8 Million to Rhee’s StudentsFirst

Indifferent to John Merrow’s investigative reports on the cheating scandal during Michelle Rhee’s tenure as DC Chancellor, the Walton Family Foundation gave her organization $8 million to continue pushing its radical agenda of attacking teachers and promoting privatization of the nation’s public schools.
StudentsFirst advocates that test scores should count for 50% of teacher evaluation, although most researchers 


Don’t You Love the Providence Student Union?

The Providence Student Union delivered the First Annual State of the Student Address today, right before State Commissioner Denorah Gist gave her annual State of Education Address.
**********************
Hello. Attached please find the materials from the Providence Student Union’s First Annual State of the Student Address, including a press release, a list of PSU’s policy recommendations, and a one-page document detailing PSU’s idea for assessment reform.
PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT: Hector Perea | Contact@ProvidenceStudentUnion.org | 401-545-1973
STUDENTS COUNTER ED. COMMISSIONER’S “STATE OF EDUCATION” SPEECH –
OFFER THEIR OWN VISION FOR RI EDUCATION IN “STATE OF THE STUDENT” ADDRESS
Providence, Rhode Island – April 30, 2013 – A crowd of students, parents and teachers gathered in front of the State House today before the Commissioner of Education’s yearly State of Education address for what members of the Providence Student Union (PSU) called their First Annual State of the Student Address.
“Commissioner Gist’s education addresses have been one-sided,” said PSU member and Hope High School junior Kelvis Hernandez. “They have not told the full story about Rhode Island education because they have never been given from the student’s perspective. Rhode Island students know what is actually happening in our



Teachers: Deasy Killing Off Crenshaw High School

Teachers at Crenshaw High School are trying to stop the executioners’ axe from falling on their school, as it has fallen on so many others. Is it too late?
They write:
“The last few days have been hard to bear—especially for those of us who want UTLA to become an organizing union, which puts forth our vision for how we can best educate our kids. Last night, teachers at Crenshaw High School—who, despite the most valiant and strategic fight we’ve seen yet against a reconstitution, had been forced to reapply for their jobs under the district’s “magnet conversion”—began receiving news about whether 


Sickest Testing Story of All Time

Fourth-grader Joey Furlong was in the hospital in New York, hooked up to intravenous tubes and preparing for brain surgery, when a stranger arrived in his room. It was a teacher with a test. She said it was time for him to take the test. It turns out that the hospital has five full-time teachers on staff to make sure that any child who is in the hospital for more than three days receives instruction and testing.
No child escapes testing. Even while they are waiting for brain surgery.



LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-30-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson 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] McGill on Testing: Preparing Kids for the 1950s by dianerav Michael McGill is superintendent of schools in Scarsdale, Ne York, one of the nation’s most affluent districts. It has an excellent school system. Its students go to fine colleges. Yet even Scarsdale must submit to the half-brained testing and evaluation strategies dreamed up by non-educators and educators with minimal experience. McGill is an articulate and wise leader. Here are his thoughts on the... more »

The deception continues on the parent trigger… | Parents Across America

The deception continues on the parent trigger… | Parents Across America:


The deception continues on the parent trigger…

PSAT for 4-30-13, Part 1: Stop shopping at Walmart!!! Parents United for Responsible Education

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 4-30-13, Part 1: Stop shopping at Walmart!!!:


PSAT for 4-30-13, Part 1: Stop shopping at Walmart!!!

Why would anyone who cares about public schools shop at Walmart?
Really, folks. It’s your money. And when you shop at WalMart, your money goes to support:
  • more charter schools: $3.8 million in Chicago alone  including $230,000 for UNO charter schools.
  • more school closings: $500,000 to pay for Chicago’s sham “public engagement” school closing hearings.WalMartFrown
  • more astroturf “parent” groups like Stand for Children (millions) and Parent Revolution ($6.3 million) to push the parent trigger and other corporate reforms.
  • more high-stakes standardized testing: Walton supports teacher bonuses linked to raising test scores.
  • more vouchers for private and religious schools.
  • more Michelle Rhee: despite the recent scandals involving Rhee, WalMart just upped their giving to $8 million.
According to Diane Ravitch, “they commit about $160 million each year for charters, vouchers, Teach for America, think tanks, and media. Everything they do has the singular goal of dismantling public education and opening the schools to untrained, uncertified teachers.”
Maybe if every parent, every teacher, and every student in Chicago stopped shopping at WalMart, we wouldn’t all have to be out in the streets time and time again, like the three-day demonstration planned for May 18-19-20. 
Why boycott?
had a plan to raise a boycott issue once a month, taking a cue from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s strategy – “our agenda calls for withdrawing economic support from (businesses).”
I’ve also pointed out that, even without an admittedly unlikely crippling nationwide boycott of WalMart, Microsoft, Hyatt Hotels, etc., we can effectively put pressure where it really hurts: that is, in the corporate image of these companies.
I haven’t stuck with that plan, with so many other actions to take over the past months, but I remain convinced that we have the power to stop these corporate school raiders. WE JUST HAVE TO USE IT.
So. I guess I’m going to be harping on boycotts and attacking the corporate image of these corporate reformers once a month again for a while. I hope you’ll help spread the word.

It's All About the Leadership — Whole Child Education

It's All About the Leadership — Whole Child Education:


Kay Wejrowski

It’s All About the Leadership

Recently, I dropped off more than one hundred certificates for our principal, Mat McRae, to sign for winners in our high school's March Into Reading challenge. For the contest, students could draw or paint a new cover for their favorite book; create a book out of metal, wood, clay, or the medium of their choice; or create a graphic design that promotes reading. When all the entries were in, we had nearly three hundred projects to judge, out of a school of 650 students. Our principal's response to the overwhelming participation in our school was, "It's all about the leadership."
Teachers promoted the competition in their classes, and some worked side-by-side with students, assisting with the multimedia creations. In our school, literacy, reading, and library activities are threaded throughout lessons, driving cross-curricular interdisciplinary projects:
  • Students in AP World History classes read How Do You Kill 11 Million People? Why the Truth Matters More Than You Think by Andy Andrews, examined genocide that exists in the world today, and then used Prezi to inform classmates about these atrocities.
  • Composition students read Andrews' book, along with The Hunger GamesThe Lottery, and Schindler's 

May Day 2013: LA Schedule | OccupyWallSt.org

May Day 2013: LA Schedule | OccupyWallSt.org:


May Day 2013: LA Schedule

Posted 1 hour ago on April 30, 2013, 1:07 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
Tags: los angelesmay day
#MayDay

Schedule of Events:

12:00pm: Long Beach Revolutionaries : Back in Actions @ Pershing Square
2:00pm: Occupy LA Meet @ Pershing Square
2:30pm: March to Olympic and Figueroa
3:00pm: Join with Occupy Fights Foreclosures to SHUT DOWN Wells Fargo
4:00pm: Join the SCIC march @ Broadway & Olympic to march for FULL legalization for all!
7:30pm OLA General Assembly @ Pershing Square
Neighboring Occupations are also holding their own events this year! For more information, please visit their Facebook pages:
Additional Information:
We Deserve More!

0 Comments

UPDATE: Moales, Jr.’s financial empire collapsing? +Funny, I thought you said Malloy’s E and E Protection Comm was on an NU - Wait, What?

Funny, I thought you said Malloy’s Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner was on an NU - Wall Street Conference Call - Wait, What?:


Is Bridgeport Board of Education Chairman Kenneth Moales, Jr.’s financial empire collapsing?


Funny, I thought you said Malloy’s Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner was on an NU – Wall Street Conference Call

FairTest to honor Jonathan Kozol with Deborah W. Meier Hero in Education Award | FairTest

FairTest to honor Jonathan Kozol with Deborah W. Meier Hero in Education Award | FairTest:


FairTest to honor Jonathan Kozol with Deborah W. Meier Hero in Education Award



Date and Time: Thursday May 9, 2013; 6:00 – 8:30 pm
Place: Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts
(please visit http://www.multiculturalartscenter.org for directions)
In the passion of the civil rights movement of the1960s, Jonathan Kozol gave up the prospect of an academic career, moved from Harvard Square to a poor black Boston neighborhood, and became a fourth grade teacher. Since then, he has devoted his life to advocating for equal educational opportunity.
Jonathan’s brilliant and inspiring books include Death at an Early Age, Rachel and Her Children, Savage Inequalities, Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children, The Conscience of a Nation, and The Shame of the Nation. Amazing Grace won the 1996 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, an honor it shares with the works of Langston Hughes and Dr. Martin Luther King.
His new work, Fire in the Ashes, is a culmination of the stories he has told over a quarter-century about the children of the poorest urban neighborhoods in this country and the teachers who fight against the odds to defend the dignity of children who are largely written off by society.
Jonathan has also worked to persuade the U.S. Congress to free our schools and children from the punitive and failed federal testing law No Child Left Behind.
Order your tickets or place an ad in the Celebration Program using this downloadable form.
Hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served. Business attire.
If you are unable to attend, we hope you will place an ad in the program or make a donation in honor of Jonathan here.
Please use this flyer to help spread the word about the event.
HONORARY CHAIRS
Nancy Carlsson-Paige
Tom Gosnell
John Jackson
Richard Stutman
HOST COMMITTEE
Vicki Abeles
Fred Bay
Linda Darling-Hammond
Ruth Kaplan
John Maher
Jose Masso
Jean McGuire
Steve Nelson
Linda Nathan
Carl Sciortino
(Committee in formation)

UPDATE: PSAT for 4-30-13, Part 2: Sign this student’s petition! + School closings “another trauma,” say child mental health professionals Support PURE!

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » School closings “another trauma,” say child mental health professionals:



PSAT for 4-30-13, Part 2: Sign this student’s petition!

psat_logoHe has asked twice, very nicely, and he is right on target: Stop tying teacher evaluation to test scores!
He’s Aaron Shafer, a senior at Miami University of Ohio, and his petition says, “Standardized tests are not a sound or fair way to evaluate teachers. The higher the stakes we give these tests, the more we will see test prep and test cheating, which goes against the positive, democratic nature of public education.”
I signed it – please sign it, too.


School closings “another trauma,” say child mental health professionals

Here is the letter written by Erika Schmidt, Director of the Center for Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy in Chicago, and her staff, to CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett. Byrd-Bennett did not respond. Background on this letter here.
CENTER FOR CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOTHERAPY
Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis
122 South Michigan Avenue Suite 1301
Chicago IL 60603

April 12, 2013
Barbara Byrd-Bennett
Chief Executive Officer
Chicago Public Schools
125 South Clark Street
Chicago IL 60603

Dear Ms. Byrd-Bennett:
For the past 4 years, I have had the privilege of directing a unique project at the Granville T. Woods Math and Science Academy in the Englewood neighborhood. This project provides group counseling services to children who have been exposed to violence at Woods, as well as several other schools in Englewood. Children are referred because they exhibit behavior problems in the classroom or home, because they do not learn at the level of their potential, and because they cannot negotiate interpersonal relationships successfully. Our goal is to help ameliorate the corrosive impact of exposure to violence on these children’s self-esteem, sense of safety, and hope for the future. We have had the support of the principal, Ms. Rosalyn Armour, and her staff, as well as the dedicated staff from Family Focus of Englewood, who have all contributed to the positive impact of this project on the lives and learning of the children we serve.
As we have helped the children become more effective learners, we have also learned a great deal from them. The most important lesson they have taught us is how the school becomes a vital community for these children, a “safe haven” where they feel protected from the violence outside, supported in their development, and can be respected members of the school community. Many of these children struggle with the problems of poverty, racism, and inadequate resources as well as the traumatic effect of violence. One child said to the group therapist, “If I can run really, really fast, maybe I won’t get hit by a bullet going to the library.” This poignant wish to avoid a bullet in order to read speaks volumes about the challenge these children face. When a child attends a school that inspires him to want to read anyway, that school has become a place that represents a child’s hope for their own future.
Woods School is a safe haven for these children, a source of continuity for them, and a place that represents the possibility for growth and development. The loss of the school environment, and the meaningful relationships they have established there, is another trauma in the lives of children who are exposed to too much trauma. We do recognize the challenge of providing for the educational needs of these children, but we are concerned that the children’s need for a secure community environment, which is absolutely essential for learning to take place, is being overlooked.
We request that you reconsider the decision to close Granville T. Woods Math and Science Academy.
Sincerely,

Erika Schmidt, LCSW
Director, Center for Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy
Director, Englewood Project

Englewood Project Staff:
Stephanie Beiser, LCSW, Project Coordinator
Sarah Clarke, LCSW
Marcie Hromas
Eva Johnson, LCSW
Sonia Kennedy, EdD, MSW, LSW
Aileen Schloerb, LCSW
Sivan Schneider, PsyD
Deborah R.Weaver, LCSW

UNO charter school scandals- Part 2

 Part 1 here (press release re: PURE letter to Executive Inspector General asking for wider UNO probe in light of these photos).
RangleMouseears
UNODisneyland

Two more schools join the Seattle MAP test boycott and USDOE study on the MAP test gives it a failing grade | Seattle Education

Two more schools join the Seattle MAP test boycott and USDOE study on the MAP test gives it a failing grade | Seattle Education:


Two more schools join the Seattle MAP test boycott and USDOE study on the MAP test gives it a failing grade

UPDATE: RFA: TUPE County Technical Assistance & Leadership Funds (CA Dept of Education)

RFA: TUPE County Technical Assistance & Leadership Funds (CA Dept of Education):


State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces Winner of the
2013 Grazer Outstanding Achievement in Learning Award

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced that the 2013 Grazer Outstanding Achievement in Learning (GOAL) award will be presented to the CHIME Institute's Schwarzenegger Community School, a K-8 public charter school in Woodland Hills.
"We have a responsibility to provide all of our students in California with the education, support, and tools necessary to realize their dreams," said Torlakson. "I commend CHIME for its exceptional work educating our youth and hope others can learn from its academic and social achievement in educating students of all abilities."
CHIME Institute's Schwarzenegger Community School will receive the prestigious award May 2, 2013, during the meeting of the California Advisory Commission on Special Education (ACSE) at the California Department of Education. The meeting and presentation can be viewed live via Web cast at ACSE Meeting Webcast - Administration & Support.
"CHIME is the gold standard when it comes to the implementation of evidence-based inclusive practices," said ACSE Chair Kristin Wright. "We often hear from schools and districts throughout California that have visited and networked with CHIME so they have the opportunity to observe and model their inclusive education model."
The ACSE is an advisory body required by federal and state statutes that provides recommendations and advice to the State Board of Education, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Legislature, and the Governor in new or continuing areas of research, program development, and evaluation in California special education.
The GOAL award was created in 2005-06 and was funded by Hollywood producer Brian Grazer's family to recognize exemplary practices in special education and to celebrate programs that serve California youth with disabilities along with the professionals who provide them.
This year's GOAL winner receives a $5,000 check to invest back into their program. For more information, please visit Advisory Commission on Special Education (ACSE) - Administration & Support on the CDE Web site. More information on the CHIME Institute's Schwarzenegger Community School can be found at The Chime Institute External link opens in new window or tab..
# # # #
Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

Request for Applications

TUPE County Technical Assistance & Leadership Funds





Due: Friday, May 31, 2013
The Tobacco-Use Prevention Education (TUPE) County Technical Assistance and Leadership Funds (CTALF) provide funding to county offices of education to plan, develop, and implement capacity building, technical assistance and training, evaluation, program improvement services, and coordination activities for TUPE activities for local educational agencies.
Program Questions: John Lagomarsino, e-mail: jlagomarsino@cde.ca.gov, tel. 916-323-1540
Downloading Questions: Rachael Gutierrez, Coordinated School Health and Safety Office, e-mail:rguiterr@cde.ca.gov, tel. 916-319-0196
DocumentDescription
Cover Letter
TUPE CTALF Request for Applications Cover Letter
Request for Applications (DOC)Application Guidelines and Instructions
Attachment A (DOC)Application and Intent to Apply
Attachment B (DOC)Scope of Work
Attachment C (DOC)Application Cover Page
Attachment D (DOC)Program Assurances
Attachment E (DOC)Allocation Table


Certifications and Assurances


DocumentDescription
Required as a condition of receiving funds. Applicants do not need to sign and return them with the application; they must be downloaded and kept on file for compliance reviews, complaint investigations, or audits. Applicants that participate in the Consolidated Application - ConApp - should have a copy on file and do not need another copy. Program-specific assurances are not included here and should be listed separately on the Request for Application (RFA).