BREAKING NEWS!!!! FARINA WANTED ATR's DONE AWAY WITH!! southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com:

BREAKING NEWS!!!! FARINA WANTED ATR's DONE AWAY WITH!!

Sources in Tweed shared starling news today with The Crack Team about how the negotiations went

down in regards to the ATR's.

Chancellor Carmen Farina, who in the past caved to principal's demands in taking in ATR's and who at the press conference announcing the new contract said that ATR's can be removed from a school after a day for problematic behavior and "should find another profession," went into contract negotiations adamant to do away with all ATR's.

Mind you, this is not doing away with the ATR pool by simply placing teachers in schools, but rather the end of the road, the separation of a teacher from their checks, fini, good-bye and good riddance to teachers careers.

According to The Crack Team's sources, Chancellor Farina shared that only about, "400 ATR's can teach," and that the rest were useless.

Blindsided, UFT President Mile Mulgrew, went into panic mode and cut the best deal he can. The deal before us now in which ATR's can audition for 50 days before problematic behavior sets in and the REDUCED due process which ATR's will be subject to. And let's not forget the failing to show for an interview or a position in which the ATR will be summarily terminated.

Was this the best that Mulgrew can do? He was holding all the cards. He had nothing to lose and everything to gain. The contract negotiations should have ended post haste! The ATR system could have stayed the way it is and this contract would have been ratified. According to a SBSB groupie;

I hope I never see him face to face, I'll give him such a piece of my mind.  He had so http://www.southbronxschool.com:

NYC Public School Parents: Diane Ravitch's speech at the May 17 Take Back our Schools Rally

NYC Public School Parents: Diane Ravitch's speech at the May 17 Take Back our Schools Rally:

Diane Ravitch's speech at the May 17 Take Back our Schools Rally

Diane wearing her BAT tee-shirt in rehab

There was a great rally at City Hall Park on May 17, organized by SOS Our Schools, with numerous wonderful speakers from the Tri-state area.  But the biggest thrill for me was getting to read Diane Ravitch's speech, who could not attend because she is in rehab after knee surgery.  Here is her speech.  Thank you Diane, our Superwoman, our inspiration, and our patron saint, for allowing me to speak your words.

Thank you, Leonie, for agreeing to deliver this message on my behalf.

There is only one thing that could keep me from being with you today, and that one thing is surgery. And that one thing happened. I had major knee replacement on May 9, and I am rehab right now. Actually, I am not so far away---maybe a mile away—so if you make enough noise, I will hear you.

Me trying to do justice to Diane's words

Try it: if you hate tests that make children cry, shout out loud, shout NO MORE!

If you think that children spend too many hours getting tested, shout NO MORE!

If you think that children should not be forced to spend taking six hours to take tests in reading and math, shout NO MORE!

If you think that teachers should write their own tests, instead of Pearson getting $32 million to write lousy tests, shout NO MORE!

If you hate the idea that the city has to pay rent for schools run by billionaires, shout NO MORE!

If you think that charters should pay their own rent, shout NO MORE!

If you think that co-locations are a terrible idea, shout NO MORE!

If you hate the idea that teachers are judged by the test scores of their students, shout NO MORE!

If you think that Pearson and Google and other corporations should stop data mining our children and invading their privacy, shout NO MORE!

If you think that your child is a child, not a data point, shout NO MORE!

If you care more about your child’s health and happiness than their test scores, shout NO MORE!

Thank you, I heard you, I was listening and I heard you.

We know what the billionaires, the hedge fund managers, Bill Gates,  DFER and Governor Cuomo want for our children. They want them in boot camps where they are tested nonstop. They want our teachers harassed until they quit and are replaced by TFA. They want us to give up on public education and allow them to monetize our schools and our children.

Do you want this to happen? NO MORE! NO MORE!

Let’s talk about what we want for our children and our grandchildren.

We want them to have the same things that Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg and the hedge fund managers want NYC Public School Parents: Diane Ravitch's speech at the May 17 Take Back our Schools Rally:

5-21-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

Upper Manhattan Parents Protest Space Giveaway to Success While Public School Kids Are Over Capacity

We call upon Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Farina to pull out of the deal to site the Success Academy charter school at the Mother Cabrini educational complex located in District 6.  We urge them to consult with the District 6 parent community and collaboratively determine how to use the Mother Cabrini space for current District 6 students.....Cuomo and NY State legislature order de Blasio to fin

by ed notes online / 1h hide  //  save

The Nation on the Save Our Schools May 17 Rally Plus Videos

New York's branch of the movement has been led by the Movement of Rank-and-File Educators (MORE), a rank-and-file reform caucus in the United Federation of Teachers, together with other education advocates and community and labor organizations.... The NationSee Videos of all speakers at the rally. Video of Rosie Frascella from MORE/NYCORE - featured in the article.http://youtu.be/FUxQ83X2XsoAnd Br

by ed notes online / 2h 

School Secretary Responds to Pro-Unity Comment, Calls for a NO Vote

They TOTALLY LEFT US OUT SINCE 2009. This Unity Union is a disgrace. They do not protect us at all.... a school secretary A new comment on your post "UFT Contract: The "VOTE NO" Caucus Says .......": To be clear, the secretaries are very upset about this contract. Aids are being given our jobs even though we won this in arbitration. The Chapter Leaders of the schools are aware

by ed notes online / 31min hide  //  save

UFT Contract: Murry Bergtraum Exit Poll - 71 No, 22 Yes

Some lessons from Chapter Leader John Elfrank-Dana's blog.Mulgrew's Myth No wonder so many softballs were thrown at President Mulgrew tonight in the seminar. I don't recall a single questions from a high school teacher. Was there one?I did spot the high school Vice President and a Chapter Leader in the studio audience. But it was one PS question after another. Either way, it would have just been a

by ed notes online / 31min 

Is Cami Anderson Out in Newark?

Cami Anderson will be leaving.  It is your efforts on Fight Back Fridays, our Mayoral Election efforts, Advisory Board meetings, and other initiatives that have made this possible.  I am very proud of all of our members.........Joseph Del Grosso, NTU President Don't believe it 'till the fat lady sings. Because Del Grosso also says:It is my strong belief that based on the discussions I have had to

by ed notes online / 31min 

5-20-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Video: I Tape Carmen Farina at CEC 2 Town HallI was asked to tape this event at the brand new building housing PS 59 and HS of Music and Art - by CEC 2 head, the always amazing Shino Tawikawa - see the wonderful well-deserved tribute to Shino at the end. [Something went wrong with my camera and I didn't get Carmen's opening speech - but the entire 45 minute Q&A is here.]It was

by mike simpson / 22min 

Death by a Thousand Cuts: Racism, School Closures, and Public School Sabotage | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity

Death by a Thousand Cuts: Racism, School Closures, and Public School Sabotage | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity:

Death by a Thousand Cuts: Racism, School Closures, and Public School Sabotage

Posted on: Wednesday May 21st, 2014

Earlier this month at a rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court honoring the 60th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the Journey for Justice Alliance released a report documenting how Brown's promise of equal opportunity is under attack in our nation's public schools.

"Death by a Thousand Cuts: Racism, School Closures, and Public School Sabotage" details how pervasive underfunding of public schools and policies like mass school closures and charter expansion are harming students in low-income and minority communities.

The report draws on the testimony of parents, students and community members at listening sessions held across the country. The result is an vivid look at the impact of an unequal education system that leaves students of color and students from low-income families without access to high quality educational opportunities and resources:

 What can be done to stop the cycle of under-funding and closure? One option is to transform struggling public schools into full-service Community Schools that provide the wraparound academic, social and health supports to fully meet the needs of all their students. These schools of course need the necessary funding to sustain them, but the model is already working in districts across the country like Hartford, CT, and Cincinnati, OH. Check out the OTL Campaign's infographic, Alternatives to School Closures, to learn more. 

Read the full report from Journey for Justice here. 

Hespe to meet with Newark students | Bob Braun's Ledger

Hespe to meet with Newark students | Bob Braun's Ledger:

Hespe to meet with Newark students

Davis Hespe

Acting state Education Commissioner David Hespe has agreed to meet with representatives of the Newark students who shut down a city school board meeting Tuesday night with their demands for the resignation of  state-appointed superintendent Cami Anderson.

Michael Yaple, a spokesman for Hespe, said he “can confirm that the commissioner and superintendent plan to meet with students. I do not have anything on the date or the time.”

The meeting, if it occurs, would represent a major coup for city forces arrayed against  Anderson who initially refused to meet with the students who sat in at Tuesday night’s meeting and then staged an all night sit-in at board offices at 2 Cedar Street.

It also would represent a slap to Anderson whose immediate reaction was to  criticize the students for allegedly allowing themselves to be “coached” by adults in what she called a “politically orchestrated” demonstration. Her comments set off renewed statements of protest from students who, in many, ways have been in front of adults protesting Anderson’s “One Newark” enrollment plan.

Anderson’s full statement:

“I am unequivocally supportive of our students expressing their opinions and positions on issues – and at every point last evening and this morning our team treated them with the utmost of respect. I, and many members of the board, are also adamant that the district must conduct business in a professional and respectful manner including when we disagree. The young people who were coached by adults to stage a sit-in last night disrupted the meeting where they would have had the opportunity to speak, shouted at members who tried to bring the meeting to order and refused my offer to meet with them because of other plans on their schedules. As adults, we must set high expectations for our young people and support them in expressing their views in a productive fashion. The politically Hespe to meet with Newark students | Bob Braun's Ledger:

Schools Matter: Marshall Tuck's Legacy of Bigotry and Failure

Schools Matter: Marshall Tuck's Legacy of Bigotry and Failure:

Marshall Tuck's Legacy of Bigotry and Failure

First submitted May 21, 2014 to LA Progressive

Portions of this article were contributed by Cheryl Ortega and Dr. John Fernandez.

---

"Tuck will most likely have a huge pot of money in his war chest coming from the likes billionaire boys clubbers like Broad, DFER and other corporate reformers." — Professor Mike Klonsky

Los Angeles Parents and Community Protesting Marshall Tuck. Photo by Ron Gochez.

Many of us hoped that when right-wing business banker Marshall Tuck was ignominiously forced to step down as the "CEO" of the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools (PLAS), that we might have heard the last of Tuck altogether. Tragically, the Eli Broad trained neoliberal operative was preparing for a run for California's Superintendent of Public Instruction seat. Despite never having taught a day in his life, nor having any background in pedagogy or child development, Tuck entered the race knowing that he could count on mountains of cash from the corporate education plutocracyaiming to — in words of Tuck's fellow arch-reactionary Grover Norquist — "drown [public education] in the bathtub".

The social justice case against Tuck is strong. His racist decision to eliminate Ethnic Studiesat Santee High School alone is enough to condemn and convict him from a progressive standpoint. Tuck's bigoted ethnocentrism was also on full display when he shuttered all the heritage language academic programs, and most of the dual language immersion programs in PLAS. His seemingly maniacal hatred of working class people and their labor organizations finds its highest expression in his unabashed support for the Vergara lawsuit, funded by reactionary Silicon Valley millionaire David F. Welch, which is intended to strip teachers of all their hard won rights as workers.

Before looking at these more shameful aspects of Tuck's history, it would do well to give a brief background on the corporate favorite. Moreover, it is important to address the prodigious lies he has been telling in order to garner support of voters who don't have the factual wherewithal to vet his statements. The Tuck campaign has been making mendacious claims of school turn arounds, extraordinary test score gains, college readiness for all their graduates, and flat out superior achievement to public schools. Ordinarily one would think that the mainstream media would scrutinize these statements for veracity. However, in this age where the media is owned by same corporations that drive the neoliberal corporate Schools Matter: Marshall Tuck's Legacy of Bigotry and Failure:

Koch Brothers Exposed: The Chilling New Documentary Republicans Don’t Want You to See | Democracy Now!

Koch Brothers Exposed: The Chilling New Documentary Republicans Don’t Want You to See | Democracy Now!:

Koch Brothers Exposed: The Chilling New Documentary Republicans Don’t Want You to See

There is a chilling new documentary about the billionaire brothers, David and Charles Koch, that some Republicans do not want you to see. On Monday, Republican Rep. Candice Miller of Michigan tried to block an event at the Capitol unveiling the film, "Koch Brothers Exposed: 2014 Edition." Miller claimed the documentary could violate House rules and "cross the line into partisan politics." She unsuccessfully argued that showing the documentary was an inappropriate use of taxpayer-funded facilities. On Tuesday evening, the film event proceeded as planned. The updated documentary shows how the Koch brothers have used their vast fortunes to oppose government programs such as Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security, as well as obstruct efforts to raise the minimum wage, tackle climate change and expand voting rights. We are joined by the film’s director, Robert Greenwald, founder and president of Brave New Films.

TRANSCRIPT

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: There’s a chilling new documentary about the billionaire Koch brothers that some Republicans don’t want you to see. On Monday, Republican Representative Candice Miller of Michigan tried to block an event at the Capitol unveiling the film, Koch Brothers Exposed: 2014 Edition. Miller claimed the documentary could violate House rules and "cross the line into partisan politics." She unsuccessfully argued that showing the documentary was an inappropriate use of taxpayer-funded facilities. On Tuesday evening, the film event proceeded as planned. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont all attended and spoke at the congressional press briefing where parts of the film were aired. This is the trailer forKoch Brothers Exposed: 2014 Edition.

UNIDENTIFIED: The Koch brothers are the poster boys for the top 1 percent. Their money, their power fuel the growing inequality in America.

JIM HIGHTOWER: The name Koch has become a four-letter word. Day in and day out, we see the Kochs using their billions to purchase politicians and policy, taking a terrible toll on democracy.

SEN. HARRY REID: Koch brothers, they are bound and determined to do away with 

Koch Brothers Exposed: The Chilling New Documentary Republicans Don’t Want You to See | Democracy Now!:

The Return to Separate but Equal 60 Years Post Brown - emPower magazine

The Return to Separate but Equal 60 Years Post Brown - emPower magazine:

The Return to Separate but Equal 60 Years Post Brown

Written by Denisha Jones

• inShare

As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court ruling Brown vs. Board of Education, which put an end to segregation of public schools, many have argued that the goals of that case have not been met as many black and brown students remain in schools that are highly segregated from their white counterparts. Before the Brown case, segregation in public places was justified through the ruling in 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson that gave birth to the separate but equal policy. The Supreme Court in Brown acknowledged that separate but equal was inherently unequal. Segregated schools received less money, resources, and many communities in the South refused to create schools for blacks, leaving many without the opportunity to receive an education. Integration removed the barrier that kept white and black children from attending the same school, but did it put an end to separate but equal? Or has the growth of charter schools led to a new version of separate but equal?

As charter schools grow in many communities, some states have passed laws demanding that new charter schools be co-located in existing public schools. As the student population in traditional public schools decline leaving some buildings with empty rooms, charter schools have been determined to have a right to those spaces. Proponents of charter schools insist that as a public school, charter schools should have access to public school buildings, even if a school already operates in the building. But what does co-location mean to the traditional public school students who now have to share and or lose their space with the students from the charter school? For many it means a return to separate but equal policies.

In California districts that mandate co-locations, many parents, students, and teachers find themselves in a battle with each other. A Huffington Post article on the effects of co-location reports many teachers in the original public school lose their rooms and access to certain parts of the building when they are The Return to Separate but Equal 60 Years Post Brown - emPower magazine:

Dallas attorney Mark Melton’s group releases proposed home-rule charter for Dallas ISD | Dallas Morning News

Dallas attorney Mark Melton’s group releases proposed home-rule charter for Dallas ISD | Dallas Morning News:

Dallas attorney Mark Melton’s group releases proposed home-rule charter for Dallas ISD

By Matthew Haag
mhaag@dallasnews.com
12:59 pm on May 21, 2014 | Permalink

Dallas attorney Mark Melton’s quest to repair the divisive home-rule initiative in Dallas ISD advanced Wednesday as he released a proposed charter for the district.

For the past week, Melton has led a five-member group that has considered how DISD could operate as a home-rule charter district. The result is a seven-page constitution that, except for three specific changes, keeps the district the same as it is today.

Melton’s group has proposed the following:

- DISD would have the option to start the school year before the state-mandated last Monday in August.
- Board members would not be allowed to serve for than three terms, or nine years.
- Trustees would face a recall election if at least 15 percent of voters in a board member’s district sign a petition requesting it.

“The motivation for us was to stop the fighting,” Melton said in an interview Wednesday. “We aren’t doing anything crazy here. We are saying follow the education code and do that.”

In fact, the proposed charter wouldn’t overhaul Dallas ISD as much as the 1995 Texas law allows. The law authorizes a school district to transform into a home rule, which would be exempt from some state mandates and could implement a new system of governing.

Dallas ISD’s governance structure would remain nine school board members representing single-member districts. Home rules could also do away with some teacher rights, known as Chapter 21 in the Texas Education Code. No rights would be change in the group’s charter.

“It’s off the table,” Melton said.

Melton started the group, which met for the first time last week, because of his concerns about how Support Our Public Schools has led the home-rule initiative. He said he believes it has divided the city and inflicted damage.

And Melton’s group hopes that the proposed charter will calm tensions and go for voter consideration in November.

“As surprising as it may seem, some members of this group may, ultimately, oppose home-rule at the ballot box,” group member Thalia Matherson said in a statement. “The most important aspect of this debate is that we end it as quickly as possible by bringing home-rule to a vote so we can avoid a protracted, divisive fight that returns Dallas ISD to the days of recrimination and racial suspicion and, instead, allows us all to focus our efforts on the business of educating all of our community’s children as effectively as possible.”

In addition to Matherson and Melton, the group includes attorney and DISD parent Eric Cedillo, attorney Carla De Leon; and Chief Greywolf, the principal chief of the Sovereign Cherokee Nation Tejas.

The group’s proposed charter, however, may have little impact on the home-rule process in Dallas ISD. Support Our Public Schools turned in 48,000 petition signatures last week. Once the district verifies Dallas attorney Mark Melton’s group releases proposed home-rule charter for Dallas ISD | Dallas Morning News:

Virtual Panels Discuss Choice, Equity, and Change — Whole Child Education

Virtual Panels Discuss Choice, Equity, and Change — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

Virtual Panels Discuss Choice, Equity, and Change

May 21, 2014 by Whole Child Symposium

Building on the conversation started at the earlier Whole Child Symposium Town Hall and Live events, last week's Virtual panel discussions went even further to identify what currently works in education, what we need in the future to be successful, and how this can be accomplished. Watch the archived sessions below and let us know how we can improve the symposium experience.

EDUCATION POLICY

David Griffith, ASCD's director of Public Policy, moderated a discussion on the future of education as it relates to global education policy now and in the future, including the role of policy, equity, autonomy, and what we can learn from other countries. Panelists included

• David Edwards (@daveswords), is the deputy general secretary at Education International, where he is responsible for their work in the areas of education policy, employment, and research.
• Joyce Elliott (@xjelliott) is a former teacher and current member of the Arkansas Senate, representing the 31st District. She is chairman of several important committees, including the Whole Child–Whole Community Program, as well as the vice chair of the Senate Education Committee.
• Paul Reville is the Francis Keppel Professor of Practice of Educational Policy and Administration at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, and the former Massachusetts Secretary of Education.
• Pasi Sahlberg (@pasi_sahlberg) is a Finnish educator and scholar, and a current visiting professor of practice at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

SCHOOLS

Sean Slade, ASCD's director of Whole Child Programs, moderated a discussion on what's currently happening in schools and what's needed in the future to be successful, focusing on school-community connections, the influence of the principal, and accountability. Panelists included

• Peter DeWitt (@PeterMDeWitt) is a former principal and is known for his work as a blogger, writer, editor, and visible learning trainer. His work focuses on creating inclusive school environments, teacher evaluations, and connected leadership.
• Sharon Jacobs is a public school educator with more than 20 years of experience, and the founding principal of Washington Montessori School—the 2014 Vision in Action: ASCD Whole Child Award winner.
• Elizabeth Partoyan (@epartoyan) is a senior fellow at the Forum for Youth Investment. Formally trained as an educational psychologist, she has been working for social justice in American public education and Virtual Panels Discuss Choice, Equity, and Change — Whole Child Education:

5-20-14 The Whole Child Blog — ED Pulse Poll Results: What's the Best Part About Being a Teacher?

ED Pulse Poll Results: What's the Best Part About Being a Teacher? — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGED Pulse Poll Results: What’s the Best Part About Being a Teacher?May 20, 2014 by Kit Harris, ASCD ResearchIn honor of Teacher Appreciation Week earlier this month and ASCD's ongoing efforts to celebrate, support, and recognize teachers, a recent ASCD SmartBrief ED Pulse poll asked educa

by mike simpson / 23h