School board member accused of possible wrongdoing in foreign student recruitment

School board member accused of possible wrongdoing in foreign student recruitment:

SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER ACCUSED OF POSSIBLE WRONGDOING IN FOREIGN STUDENT RECRUITMENT

If there's new money to be made -- particularly from China -- someone is going to find a way to exploit it.

What the hell is going on in the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District? A recent investigation in the school's international students program lays out serious problems, including host homes with no heat and inadequate food, students subject to verbal abuse, as well as a board member's potential conflict of interest: Report outlines problems with foreign student recruitment at Hacienda La Puente schools.

Here is the situation as I understand it... Basically, a recruiting company has been making a ton of money by bringing over Chinese students who want to study in the United States. But when they get here, the students are completely neglected and even abused. An employee of the recruiting company blew the whistle on what's been going down, prompting the district to conduct an independent investigation that verified his claims.

You can read the full report here. (It's long.) But that just got the ball rolling...


A particularly damning part of the report focuses on a possible conflict of interest created by Hacienda La Puente school board member Joseph Chang and his relationship to Norman Hsu, a former board member who runs the 

Diane Ravitch Visiting California | InterACT

Diane Ravitch Visiting California | InterACT:

Diane Ravitch Visiting California

SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

tags: California, diane ravitch, Stanford

by David B. Cohen

 Video clip from Diane Ravitch’s talk in Sacramento, 1/20/12.

For readers in California, there are several upcoming opportunities to hear Diane Ravitch at public events.

Friday, 9/27 – Sacramento

Saturday, 9/28 – Berkeley

Monday, 9/30 – Stanford

Tuesday, 10/1 – Los Angeles

Wednesday, 10/2 – Northridge

Ravitch’s new book, Reign of Error, continues to garner attention. Jonathan Kozol’s NY Timesreview concludes, “Those… who have grown increasingly alarmed at seeing public education bartered off piece by piece, and seeing schools and teachers thrown into a state of siege, will be grateful for this cri de coeur — a fearless book, a manifesto and a call to battle.” Ravitch wasinterviewed on NPR this morning as well. I posted my review a couple weeks ago.

with Diane Ravitch at the SOS March, July 2011, Washington, D.C.

Complaint Against Science Standards Filed in Federal Court | Truth in American Education

Complaint Against Science Standards Filed in Federal Court | Truth in American Education:

Complaint Against Science Standards Filed in Federal Court

Filed in Next Generation Science Standards by truthed on September 27, 2013 • 0 Comments

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(Topeka, KS) On September 26 Citizens for Objective Public Education, Inc. (COPE) filed suit in federal court against the Kansas State Board of Education and the Kansas State Department of Education to enjoin implementation of science standards designed for all students in the US.

The Complaint was filed in Topeka, Kansas, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas.  Other plaintiffs in the suit include eight families with children enrolled in Kansas public schools and a family that represents Kansas taxpayers.

The Complaint and additional information may be found on COPE’s website: www.COPEinc.org.

The Complaint alleges that the Kansas Board’s adoption on June 11, 2013, of A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (the F&S) “will have the effect of causing Kansas public schools to establish and endorse a non-theistic religious worldview” in violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

In May and June, 2013, COPE urged the Kansas Board to reject the Standards for the reasons set forth in its analyses dated June 1, 2012 and January 29, 2013.  However, the Board and the Department of Education declined to discuss or investigate the concerns expressed in the analyses.

The Complaint claims that the Standards lead students to ask “ultimate religious questions” like “where do we come from?”  Rather than objectively inform children about these questions in an age-appropriate manner, the F&S lead them “to answer the questions with only 

Student hackers lead L.A. schools to halt major iPad initiative:

Student hackers lead L.A. schools to halt major iPad initiative

By Valerie Strauss, Published: September 27 at 4:23 pmE-mail the writer

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(David Paul Morris / Bloomberg)

The $1 billion initiative by the Los Angeles public schools district to give an iPad to all 650,000 students and teachers for home use has hit a snag that, in hindsight, someone should have seen coming: student hackers.

According to a report in the Los Angeles Times,  officials in the country’s second-largest school district stopped allowing home use of the iPads this week because high school students had hacked into the devices and used them for non-educational purposes such as tweeting, checking their Facebook accounts and streaming music.

No adult anticipated this?

School Superintendent John Deasy had pushed the initiative to spend about $1 billion to give every student and teacher in the system an Apple tablet to take home, with half the money going to pay for the devices and the other half to set up wireless networks at schools and other costs. The money is being funded by 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: How did this guy get hired by Arne Duncan? He had a guy.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: How did this guy get hired by Arne Duncan? He had a guy.:

How did this guy get hired by Arne Duncan? He had a guy.

Jesus Alanis sentenced to 20 years in Stateville. 

How did this child molester/pornographer land a high-paying job working for Arne Duncan at the top of the Chicago Public Schools system? That's an easy one.

The same way Arne Duncan got his own job. He had a guy. In his case it was venture capitalist power broker John Rogers who made a phone call and had golf buddy Mayor Daley tell schools CEO Paul Vallas to bring the unqualified Duncan on board as his assistant. Of course,Vallas obliged and the rest as they say, is history.

The same way billionaire pal of Rahm Emanuel and Republican candidate for governor,Bruce Rauner, got his kid into Walter Payton High School. He had a guy. All it took was phone call to Duncan.

The same way that convicted fraud and bribe-taker Amer Ahmad was hired by Rahm to fill one of the city's top financial positions, five months after he had been under federal investigation. He also had a guy.

In the same fashion, machine Ald. Danny Solis made a phone call to Duncan and said, "I got 

9-27-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

STOP THE CHARTER SCHOOL INVASION THREATENING DISTRICTS 21 and 20

Rally at Seth Low (99 Ave. P in Brooklyn) Monday, Sept. 30 at 5:30 before the 6 PM meeting.They're coming. Charter and co-loco invasions are coming to every nook and cranny of the public school system, even those who thought they were exempt from the carnage. But people are fighting back.Many of us have been through this drill time and again, always with the same result. But with Bloomberg Tweedie

7 by ed notes online / 26min 

Leonie Haimon Goes to School and Finds Tweedie Implementation of Common Core Is a Disaster Movie

So, amongst all the inherent faults of the Common Bore, we have the totally inept Walcott-led Tweedies showing once again that they would find getting out of a paper bag a significant challenge.Heeeeere's Leonie:I toured school yesterday where majority of students are ELLs, either in dual language or transitional bilingual:- Most teachers said that they were lacking Common core texts, workbooks an

1 by ed notes online / 18min 

9-26-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Shame on NYC Ed Reporters for Supporting E4E in Event Closed to Anyone Who Doesn't Sign Their PledgeI saw the names of the reporters who are going to be on the panel and was sort of shocked that the "neutral" press would be on a panel for an organization that has banned people who do not agree with their pledge. In fact at one point I tried to go in with my press pass an

by mike simpson / 20h 

No More Help With Homework? | NEA Today

No More Help With Homework? | NEA Today:

No More Help With Homework?

September 27, 2013 by egraham  
Filed under Featured News, Top Stories, Uncategorized

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By Cindy Long

According to research, half of parents struggle to help their kids with homework, but many educators would rather have their students figure it out on their own and have parents help them develop good study and research habits instead.

A recent report of the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) found that 50 percent of parents struggle to find the time to help their kids with homework. 46.5 percent of parents say they wouldn’t be able to help, even if they had the time, because they don’t understand the subject matter.

“The most alienating and scary moments in any parent’s life come when we feel powerless to give our kids what they need,” says Emily Kirkpatrick, vice president of NCFL.

The best way to empower parents, educators say, is by simply showing their children that they think homework is important. Help them set up a quiet study space, and set aside certain times to work on homework in the evenings and on weekends. Younger Children with homework may need a bit more guidance, but older kids should be able to manage mostly on their own. Parents should ask to see their children’s homework and discuss it with them, but avoid trying to puzzle it out for them.

“I tell my students to try, and if they come in the next morning and can show me how they tried, they get their 

Common Ground on Common Core

By John Rosales As implementation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is introduced in classrooms across the country, one question among educators is emerging: Where do paraeducators fit in? “Most times, paras aren’t included in the implementation of curriculum, which makes it difficult to know what students can do and what students are required to learn,” says Dr. Tonia Mason-Cantlow, principa

74 by egraham / 1d 

A Teacher’s Defense of Homework

I am a parent, and I struggle daily with making sure my daughter does her homework. I can certainly identify with the anxiety Karl Taro Greenfeld describes in his essay “My Daughter’s Homework Is Killing Me.” Here, however, I’d like to speak as a teacher rather than a parent. I’d like to explain why, in my professional opinion, American kids need homework. Source: The Atlantic   Related posts: Wha

by egraham / 1d 

Should Public School Students Get Mandatory Vaccines?

When should vaccinations be mandatory? This question pops up every now and again, and it’s in the news again: 750 students face suspension in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school system in North Carolina for not having their TDaP (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) booster. Students must have up-to-date vaccinations or face suspension by state law. I’ll note there is no real financial burden o

by egraham / 1d 

SEP 25

What I’ve Learned: The Power of Character in the Classroom

Educators may spend their careers preparing lessons, but often the most memorable are those they learn themselves.  With that in mind, NEA Today asked school staff –  everyone from classroom teachers and bus drivers to guidance counselors and school nurses – to share the everyday lessons they’ve picked up along the way in a series called “What I’ve Learned.” What I’ve Learned: English Teacher Marg

100+ by clong / 2d 

The right way to teach history

History matters, but you couldn’t tell by the way it is taught in many schools. Here Marion Brady, a classroom teacher for years, talks about the problem, and the solution. Brady has written history and world culture textbooks (Prentice-Hall), professional books, numerous nationally distributed columns, and courses of study. His 2011 book, “What’s Worth Learning,” asks and answers this question: W

by egraham / 2d 

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, September 27, 2013

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

L.A. Unified reports 71 iPads are missing

Education Headlines

Friday, September 27, 2013

San Diego County teachers caught cheating on state tests

Three San Diego County schools are among more than two dozen in California to get stripped of their state test rankings over allegations that teachers blatantly cheated or violated protocols for administering assessments.

Downey Unified takes action against bullying

Hoping to set the stage for the rest of the school year, Downey educators are raising awareness about bullying right from the start.

Drug testing at H.B. High set to begin in October

A new random drug-testing program begins in October at Huntington Beach High School for students who sign up voluntarily – or are signed up by their parents.

San Jose teacher helped second-graders cheat on STAR test

A teacher at the Berryessa Union School District's highest-scoring school in the spring helped second-graders cheat on the STAR test by erasing errors, causing the school's test results to be invalidated and incurring state and federal sanctions.

East Bay high school targeted by racist, hate-filled letters

Students at De Anza High School have been going to class amid extra security and a renewed emphasis on wearing their student IDs after someone sent two racially charged letters to the school earlier this month, police and school officials said.

School district rejects claim from horseplay injury

A school district has declined to pay $28,000 to a high school student who filed a claim after he lost his four front teeth during horseplay on a baseball field.

S.F. schools gambit on green guru pays off

There were more than a few skeptics when San Francisco city officials foisted an environmental guru on the school district five years ago. But now, with some results to look at, it appears the guru gambit wasn't a mistake.

L.A. Unified reports 71 iPads are missing

Los Angeles school district officials are trying to track down 71 missing iPads — including 69 from one campus — but said Thursday that new security measures are designed to frustrate future thefts.

Fensterwald: Commission considers performance tests for administrators in training

Five years ago, California became the first state to mandate that all candidates for becoming a teacher demonstrate that they have the skills needed for the classroom. Soon, it will be aspiring administrators’ turn for a performance assessment.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Budgetary juggling act

School districts are questioning San Joaquin County's decision to withhold nearly $900,000 in state ROP funding.

District Attorney investigating two Hacienda La Puente board members

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has launched an investigation into two board members with the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District regarding possible illegalities stemming from unauthorized trips to China, the newspaper has learned.

Measure A is 'for the kids' in Lagunitas district

Measure A on the Nov. 5 ballot calls for a $5 million school bond issue to upgrade classrooms and libraries, "enhance student access to technology," and renovate school facilities including playgrounds, heating and ventilation systems.

Should Long Beach shell out $100K yearly to keep a one-room Catalina Island schoolhouse open?

The little red schoolhouse in Catalina Island's tiny village of Two Harbors has kept its doors open since 1987, despite fluctuating enrollment. At its busiest, two dozen students have attended Two Harbors Elementary School, which has just one room. At its slowest a mere three students have attended.