Thursday, September 5, 2013

September 5th, 2013 | Add a Comment |
By Susan Frey

Share on twitter Share on facebook Share on email Share on print

Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, D-Sacramento, has tabled his bill that would change disciplinary practices in California schools,

Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, D-Sacramento, has tabled his bill that would change disciplinary practices in California schools, making it harder for administrators to expel and suspend disruptive students and eliminating the subjective category of “willful defiance” that accounts for nearly half of student suspensions statewide.

“We want a bill that is going to be effective on Day 1,” said Laura Faer, an attorney with Public Counsel, a pro bono law firm based in Los Angeles and a sponsor of Assembly Bill 420. “We think we need a little more time to make sure it is as strong as it can possibly be.”

AB 420, which had been approved by the Assembly and the Senate Education committees, can be heard by the full Senate again in January, with any amendments.

The bill attempts to create a new approach to discipline that recognizes that many students come to school with complex emotional issues stemming from poverty, violence and trauma. Sponsors of AB 420 see the bill as a civil rights issue because of the disproportionate number of African American students suspended for willful defiance. They point to the danger of sending students home, where they are often left unsupervised.

“When we are suspending children, it makes it more likely they can end up in the juvenile justice

Diane in the Evening 9-5-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

Scott Kuffel: I’m No Hero

A few days ago, I named Scott Kuffel to the honor roll for his courage in speaking out against the state’s arbitrary decision to raise the cut scores on state tests, thus lowering student grades, in preparation for Common Core testing. Anytime a superintendent is willing to stand up for what is right and to defend students and teachers from misguided policies, they are heroic. We need many more of

7 by dianerav / 31min

Parent: My Son Suffered Psychological Abuse

This is a story written by a mother who enrolled her son in Democracy Prep in Harlem. She is a Nigerian-born journalist. She contends that the school’s rigid discipline was excessive and that her son spent hours every day in detention. It is a harrowing story. No doubt, Democracy Prep has another version. I welcome its response to this article. I will post it. She writes: “On my first visit to

3 by dianerav / 56min

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-5-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: FairTest Fact Sheet About Common Core TestsFairTest released the following fact sheet about the Common Core tests: Common Core Assessment Myths and Realities: Moratorium Needed From More Tests, Costs, Stress Under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), each state set its own learning standards and developed tests to measure them. But NCLB’s

by mike simpson / 2h

An Open Letter to Arne Duncan from a DC 7th grader Student Voice

Student Voice:

An Open Letter to Arne Duncan from a DC 7th grader

Dear Mr. Duncan,

I’m writing you because I got my DC CAS results in the mail. See, I thought you might want to know what they were. I certainly don’t. I mean, the first thing I noticed in that packet was the paper. It’s fancy and green–a pretty light green, which sort of fades out when it gets to the end of the paper. I thought you might want to know, Mr. Duncan. Your system paid for my thick pastel green paper, and for all the ink that goes into telling me that I got a 91% on Reading Literary Text. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. No need–I got Advanced, which is what you’re wondering. I bet you’re also wondering how I feel about that. Am I happy, relieved, perhaps surprised? But I forgot–you don’t have to know, Mr. Duncan, because all that matters is I got Advanced. I’ll tell you anyway. You can’t know every child in this country and their reactions to the pretty green paper, but at least you can know me–just one datapoint, one spot on the chart.

When I saw that green paper, I didn’t hold it up to the light or smile or show it to my parents; I tossed it back on the table and went to eat an August nectarine. Let me tell you what’s on my sheet, Mr. Duncan: It says my name, student ID, teacher, birthday (ours are barely a month apart, Mr. Duncan), and the city I live in, Washington, DC. You live here, too. I wonder if you’ve ever seen me on the street, riding my bike or walking with friends. Your eyes probably went right over me and you forgot me milliseconds after remembering. You might know me, though, in the back of your brain, as Advanced.

Let’s get back to the sheet, though. Want to hear what I can do? I can read sixth grade informational and literary texts and analyze author’s purpose and supporting evidence. I can use and analyze diverse organizational structures to locate information, interpret and paraphrase information, interpret subtle language, analyze relevance of setting to the events and mood of a narrative, and use stated words, actions, and descriptions of characters to determine their feelings and relationships to other characters. But that’s not all! I can use tables to compare ratios! I can solve problems involving finding the whole when given a part and the percent! I can multiply slash divide multi-digit decimals! I can use order of operations to evaluate

- See more at: http://stuvoice.org/blog/2013/09/05/4289/?utm_source=feedly#sthash.fy3O76F0.dpuf

The Weekly Update: Charter schools, zero tolerance and minority students, the profiteering and scandals | Seattle Education

The Weekly Update: Charter schools, zero tolerance and minority students, the profiteering and scandals | Seattle Education:

The Weekly Update: Charter schools, zero tolerance and minority students, the profiteering and scandals

First, a word from Noam Chomsky about our educational system. This was filmed at the Syracuse Peace Council’s 75th Anniversary event on May 11, 2011.

And from Henry Giroux:

When Schools Become Dead Zones of the Imagination: A Critical Pedagogy Manifesto

If the right-wing billionaires and apostles of corporate power have their way, public schools will become “dead zones of the imagination,” reduced to anti-public spaces that wage an assault on critical thinking, civic literacy and historical memory. Since the 1980s, schools have increasingly become testing hubs that de-skill teachers and disempower students. They have also been refigured as punishment centers

No more “What Doesn’t Work” Clearinghouse? Parents United for Responsible Education

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » No more “What Doesn’t Work” Clearinghouse?:

No more “What Doesn’t Work” Clearinghouse?

My old friend and neighbor John Easton, formerly of the Consortium on Chicago School Research and now Arne Duncan’s head of the Institute of Education Sciences, is actually trying to sort out effective education strategies from “guesses and hype” using randomized trials, according to this recent piece in the New York Times. Results have been eye-opening: As the Education Department’s efforts got g

3 by admin / 38min mark as read // save

Backpack blessings

I will be singing at the 9 am service for All Saints Episcopal Church 4550 N. Hermitage this Sunday, Sept. 8 as a part of their annual Backpack Blessing worship service. You know some of the other participants, Jeanne Marie Olson and Xian Barrett: The guest preacher will be All Saints’ parishioner, Jeanne Marie Olson. Jeanne is an independent consultant and researcher enabling parent/citizen enga

10 by admin / 38min

Christie to Newark: We run the school district | NJ.com

Christie to Newark: We run the school district | NJ.com:

Christie to Newark: We run the school district

Video: Gov. Christie vows to reappoint Cami Anderson to head Newark schoolsNew Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he will re-appoint Cami Anderson to head the state-run Newark school district despite community criticism of the job she's doing saying, 'I don't care about community criticism, I care about the job she's doing.' Christie's comments came during a press conference to mark the re-opening of the grade school in Beach Haven, NJ that was closed last year due to damage from Hurricane Sandy. (Video by Brian Donohue/The Star-Ledger)

NEWARK — Gov. Chris Christie plans to reappoint Newark School Superintendent Cami Anderson to another term.

And if some in the city don’t like it, too bad.

During a public appearance Wednesday at a school in Beach Haven, Christie was asked whether he and Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf plan to renew Anderson’s contract, given the level of criticism from the Newark community, about the job she’s doing.

"Yes we do, and we’re going to renew it because she’s done a great job, and I don’t care about the community criticism," Christie said. "We run the school district in Newark, not them."

Anderson was appointed superintendent in 2011, and has made big changes since then. She has closed schools, replaced principals and brokered a landmark teachers contract that offers bonuses to top teachers for the first time.

She has weathered hostile crowds at public meetings, and "no-confidence" votes from the city’s school board and municipal council, but also has received support from some city clergy, and from parents and teachers who said schools have improved.

Anderson has repeatedly said she believes it is critical to engage and work with the community, regardless of who is in charge.

Some community activists in Newark, including three candidates running for the

Diversity and Openness at the Bammy Awards, From Errol Smith - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson

Diversity and Openness at the Bammy Awards, From Errol Smith - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson:

Diversity and Openness at the Bammy Awards, From Errol Smith

by JOSE VILSON on SEPTEMBER 5, 2013

An exchange flared by between Errol Smith, executive producer of the Bammy Awards in my post about race within the education reform movement. My point in highlighting the Bammys wasn’t to hate on it, but assure that, as someone vested in true diversity, I would spare no one, liberal or conservative, from facing racial issues with its participants or audiences. I don’t like being the critic, but I can’t not speak about it just so I can get a cool kid card with the connected educatorati. (Yes, I just made that up.) The Bammys weren’t the target; racial diversity was. I applaud Errol for the following comment, however, and publish it in its entirety with his approval.:

We each have a purpose and a role to play in education and in life. I respect that addressing issues of inequity, real and apparent, is yours. Your work matters, your voice matters and I applaud the commitment, passion and courage you bring as to speak clearly to what you see is wrong in the

- See more at: http://thejosevilson.com/diversity-openness-bammy-awards-errol-smith/#sthash.PfyHp0ee.dpuf

New report reveals half of Asian American students in New York City schools have been bullied

New report reveals half of Asian American students in New York City schools have been bullied:

NEW REPORT REVEALS HALF OF ASIAN AMERICAN STUDENTS IN NEW YORK CITY SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN BULLIED

AALDEF and Sikh Coalition release "snapshot" study of Asian American public school students.

A new report on bullying of Asian American students in New York City reveals that half of all students surveyed have been the target of bias-based bullying and harassment:New Report: Back to School Includes Bias-Based Harassment of Asian and Sikh Students in NYC.

The report, "One Step Forward, Half a Step Back," released by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund and The Sikh Coalition -- their third bullying study in five years -- reveals that the city's 2008 bias-based harassment measure, Chancellor's Regulation A-832, has done little to substantially diminish harassment faced by Asian American students in city public schools.

Of the 163 Asian American middle school and high school students surveyed, 50% reported incidents of harassment. Since the last survey of Asian American students in 2009, bullying incidents have increased over 20%. The study also found significant, unsatisfactory shortfalls in school measures in the prevention and follow-up to bullying incidents.

In 2012, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), the Sikh Coalition, with help from community partners the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) and CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities conducted a "snapshot" survey of 163 Asian American students to shed light on the current school climate in New York City public schools. This survey also serves as a follow-up to our 2009 survey on the school bullying of all New York City students, including Asian American students. We conducted the 2012 survey in afterschool programs, youth leadership meetings, and

#RealEdTalk If Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee wants an honest conversation about education, she should start with her own record.

If Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee wants an honest conversation about education, she should start with her own record.

She misrepresented her record as a teacher. http://wapo.st/17OyrQj

She misrepresents her record as chancellor. She did no better than her predecessors (PDF) - http://ow.ly/oyPUJ

The achievement gap actually got worse during Rhee's reign as chancellor - http://wapo.st/17OyrQj

Rhee lied about what she knew and when during the DC cheating scandal that happened during her tenure - http://bit.ly/Xx3XM9

She and her allies in DC continue to prevent an open and full investigation into what happened during the cheating scandal. They should all be subpoenaed. http://wapo.st/14ikRUi

Why I discourage Latino students from becoming teachers « NewsTaco

Why I discourage Latino students from becoming teachers « NewsTaco:

m becoming teachers

education, Latino Education,latino teachers, student teachers
210 Views

By Ray Salazar, NewsTaco

As I enter my 19th year in education, I’m reminded of how much things change and how much they stay the same. About ten years ago, a casual conversation with a student started with me asking, “What are you doing after high school?”

The student, usually male, responded, “Going to the Army.”

“Why do you want to go to the Army?” I’d say.

Students would tell me to get money for college, to serve my country, to travel. Whatever the reason, I’d follow up by asking, “How else can you do that?”

I realized then and recognize now that many Latino students on the Southwest side of Chicago, and all over our city, make decisions based on a limited number of familiar options. Many of my students over the years also said, “I wanna be a cop.”

What I understand is that students really want a career with authority, with power.

Over the years, I’ve helped a few students with the challenging application for the Golden Apple Scholars Program, which provides strong financial and professional support in exchange for a five-year commitment to teach in a low-income Illinois school. At least three of my students earned the scholarship. Today, though, fewer and fewer students want to be teachers. I’m glad.

On Chicago Public Radio today, Odette Yousef thoughtfully reported on the decreasing number of minority candidates

John Thompson: First Class; Education at DC's Dunbar High School - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

John Thompson: First Class; Education at DC's Dunbar High School - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

John Thompson: First Class; Education at DC's Dunbar High School

By Anthony Cody on September 5, 2013 11:26 AM

Guest post by John Thompson.

Alison Stewart's new book First Class tells the powerful story of how Washington D.C.'s Dunbar High School played an inspiring role in "a national movement for justice and citizenship." Dunbar's educators made the best of the demeaning and cruel Jim Crow system. Their achievements were "stunning." Graduates of Dunbar led the legal fight against de jure segregation and pioneered world class innovations in medicine, scholarship, art and music. One eminent Dunbar graduate after another, often after earning doctorates from prestigious universities, returned to build an incredible learning institution.

First Class also tells the tragic story of the elite institution becoming collateral damage due to the ham-handed way that America's schools were desegregated, but not properly integrated, in the second half of the 20th century. Stewart then recalls the rushed 21st century school improvements imposed by Michelle Rhee on Dunbar and D.C. that, I would say, were equally inept.

After several weeks of contemplating Stewart's masterpiece, I am just now starting to wrestle with its lessons. Some conclusions are obvious. During Jim Crow, there was little alternative to the Dunbar strategy of making the best of the demeaning system of segregation and showing that blacks could meet the highest standards of white scholarship, art, and governance. Dunbar drew upon both the Booker T. Washington accommodationist approach of working within the racist system and W.E.B. DuBois' commitment to excellence.

Dunbar's stunning achievements cannot be

Homework's benefits questioned in new study | OregonLive.com

Homework's benefits questioned in new study | OregonLive.com:

Homework's benefits questioned in new study

A study published this summer, "Nonacademic Effects of Homework in Privileged, High-Performing High Schools," asserts that current homework practices in such schools "sustain students' advantage in competitive climates yet hinder learning, full engagement, and well-being."

The study's three authors include Mollie Galloway, assistant professor of educational leadership at Lewis & Clark College's Graduate School of Education and Counseling, who says by email:

"As parents, we often make assumptions that homework is good for our kids. We assume it promotes learning, responsibility, study skills, and other positive behaviors. The research on homework is less rosy. There is no evidence that homework at the elementary level enhances student achievement, and at the middle and high school level, our study suggests that too much homework can, in fact, have detrimental physical, mental, and social impacts."

The study, which Galloway conducted with Jerusha Conner of Villanova University and Denise Pope of Stanford University, used data from online and paper surveys of 4,317 students at 10 high-performing high schools in communities with a median household income of more than $90,000 per year.

Homework help

Here are some local resources for homework help.

Answerland(featuring Oregon librarians)Beaverton City Library

Canby Public Library

Fort Vancouver Regional Library District

Gresham-Barlow School District
Lake Oswego Public Library
Multnomah County Library Homework Center
Reynolds School District

Salem Library
Tigard Public Library
Tualatin Public Library
Washington County Cooperative Library Services
West Linn Public Library

The students answered questions about homework load, homework usefulness, stress, physical health, time for other activities/endeavors, behavioral engagement (for example, how often they tried as hard as they could in school), and demographic and achievement information.

On average, students said they spent a little over three hours a night on homework, work that they generally found "somewhat" but not "very" useful for learning the material. Most of the

Shanker Blog » On Education Polls And Confirmation Bias

Shanker Blog » On Education Polls And Confirmation Bias:

On Education Polls And Confirmation Bias

Posted by Morgan Polikoff on September 5, 2013

Education Polls

Our guest author today is Morgan Polikoff, Assistant Professor in the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California.

A few weeks back, education policy wonks were hit with a set of opinion polls about education policy. The two most divergent of these polls were the Phi Delta Kappan/Gallup poll and the Associated Press/NORC poll.

This week a California poll conducted by Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) and the USC Rossier School of Education (where I am an assistant professor) was released. The PACE/USC Rossier poll addresses many of the same issues as those from the PDK and AP, and I believe the three polls together can provide some valuable lessons about the education reform debate, the interpretation of poll results, and the state of popular opinion about key policy issues.

In general, the results as a whole indicate that parents and the public hold rather nuanced views on testing and evaluation.

In contrast, advocates’ responses to the first two polls were predictable. The PDK poll was widely seen as more favorable to what I’ll call the “reform skeptics,” and rightfully so. The two most important data points the skeptics used to support their headlines were as follows.

First, PDK asked “Over the last decade, there has been a significant increase in testing in the public schools to measure academic achievement. Just your impression or what you may have heard or read, has increased testing helped, hurt, or made no difference in the performance of the local public schools?” 22 percent responded “helped”, 36 percent responded “hurt,” and 41 percent responded “made no difference.”

Second, PDK asked “Some states require that teacher evaluations include how well a teacher’s students perform on standardized tests. Do you favor or oppose this requirement?” 41 percent favored and 58 percent opposed this requirement.

At the same time as reform skeptics pumped up the results from the PDK poll, they trashed the AP poll. These

Latest News and Comment from Education