Thursday, July 29, 2010

Leaked: Huberman Letter - District 299: Chicago Public Schools Blog

Leaked: Huberman Letter

Thanks to everyone who sent in this Ron Huberman letter (Letter_employees_07_28_2010.pdf) laying out the Board of Ed's version of the story. Keep sending emails, letters, presentations -- any and everything related to CPS is welcome.

ASCD Inservice: How to Support Struggling Students

How to Support Struggling Students

Of all the challenging moments in teaching, it can be one of the most memorable: A student is marooned and bewildered in a lesson. You, the teacher, must find a way—carefully and intentionally—to bring back that student back to the path of learning.

Robyn Jackson and Claire Lambert know that pressure and have fought to help those lost students. Both are former teachers and authors of the new tool How to Support Struggling Students, the first in ASCD’s new Mastering the Principles of Great Teaching workbook series. Based on Jackson’s bestselling book, Never Work Harder Than Your Students and Other Principles of Great Teaching, each workbook in the new series will delve more deeply into the seven principles Jackson uses to describe mastery teaching.

How to Support Struggling Students examines the principles of supporting students before, during, and after instruction. It isn’t all about the content. “We are not only obligated to teach our discipline; we are also obligated to teach students strategies

Redirecting Student Behavior

Has this ever happened to you? You're trying out a pretty levelheaded approach to classroom management, the situation deteriorates, and before you know it, you're in a power struggle with your most challenging student.

Over at Teaching as a Dynamic Activity, 8th grade earth science teacher Jerrid Kruse gives a thoughtful, firsthand account of teacher trial and error, and trial again, with a student who pushes back on every attempt at positive engagement. It's heartening,

Cut Budgets From The Top, Not Bottom | California Progress Report

Cut Budgets From The Top, Not Bottom

by kaldveer

By Willie L. Pelote, Sr.
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
The recent controversy over the intriguingly high salaries of three public officials in the City of Bell should serve as a template for all budget negotiations throughout the state going forward and into the future.
Every time a budget deficit appears, it is always the lowest paid and most vulnerable citizens who are asked to sacrifice.
The furor over the salaries that public officials in the City of Bell have been paying themselves shows that in all matters regarding city, county, and state budgets, we must cut from the top.
With a population of less than 40,000 residents, the Los Angeles Times recently revealed that Bell City Manager Robert Rizzo drew a paycheck of $787,637 a year, almost twice as much as President Barack Obama.
Meanwhile, Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia made $376,288 a year, while Bell Police Chief Randy Adams earned $457,000.
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In Big Shift, Californians Oppose Offshore Oil Drilling

by kaldveer

By Public Policy Institute of California
Three months after a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Californians’ support for more drilling off their coast has plunged, according to a survey released today by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). A solid majority of the state’s residents now oppose more offshore drilling (59% oppose, 36% favor)—a 16-point increase in opposition from last year (43% oppose, 51% favor). The PPIC survey was conducted with support from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and is the 10th in a series about Californians and the environment.

Why's the Budget Late? Because Republicans Want It That Way

by kaldveer

By Robert Cruickshank
So it's been almost a month since the 2010-11 state budget was to have been enacted, and yet so far there's been hardly any movement or action at all on the budget. With Prop 25, restoring majority rule to the budget process, Republicans would be out of the picture and Democrats could negotiate directly with the governor.
With a Democratic governor, majority vote budgets that involve the use of fees could be approved and signed without a single Republican vote being needed - that is, if Prop 26 fails.
The common thread here is that Republicans, in the governor's office and in the state legislature, are all actively prolonging the state budget mess. Why? Because it's in their interest to do so.
Prior to 2008, the longest budget standoff in California history was in 2002.
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Time For Big Oil To Do Its Part for California

by kaldveer

By Marlene Allen
Last week I joined hundreds of other Californians -- college students, school employees, social workers and other community members in a march to Occidental Petroleum’s offices in Los Angeles. We carried a simple message: closing a $1.2 billion tax loophole that giant oil companies take advantage of each year could save our schools and vital social services from deeper cuts.
Rebuilding California requires everyone to do their part, and working families have already sacrificed so much in this economic recession. Now it’s time for Big Oil to do its share. We’re calling on California leaders to close the oil pumping loophole.
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Eduwonk

States Of Play

A lot of elections for governor this year, but here’s a list of gubernatorial seats widely considered in-play right now. The ones that are Race to the Top finalist states are in bold.

Separated At Birth?

A reader writes to note that Green Dot’s Marco Petruzzi does look a lot like James Spader in his pre-TV series days.

It’s National Chili Dog Day! But For Breakfast: Scrambled CW

Doesn’t Look Like Obama Will Back Down | Intercepts

Doesn’t Look Like Obama Will Back Down

by Mike Antonucci

From the President’s speech to the National Urban League this morning:

So, I want teachers to have higher salaries. I want them to have more support. I want them to be trained like the professionals they are – with rigorous residencies like the ones doctors go through. I want to give them career ladders so they have opportunities to advance, and earn real financial security. I want them to have a fulfilling and supportive workplace environment, and the resources – from basic supplies to reasonable class sizes – to help them succeed. Instead of a culture where

At Least They Didn't Put Him On The Board Of Ed - District 299: Chicago Public Schools Blog

At Least They Didn't Put Him On The Board Of Ed

by Alexander Russo

Everyone on this blog loves to hate Juan Rangel, for reasons apparent and mysterious. But that didn't stop the City Council from approving Rangel's appointment to the Park District: Latino leader appointed to Chicago Park District board Clout Street: Aldermen today approved the appointment of a Latino leader to the Chicago Park District, another sign of the rising influence of the United Neighborhood Organization in city government. UNO chief tapped for park board despite criticism Tribune: The City Council on Wednesday approved Mayor Daley's

AM News: What Happened At The Board Meeting

by Alexander Russo

Chicago Teachers Union Demands Freeze on All New CPS Hires WBEZ: The leader of the Chicago Teachers Union wants the city's board of education to freeze all new hires... Laid-Off CPS Teacher Anxious About FutureCBS2: Salas earned $44,000 a year as a teacher at Hinton Elementary School on Chicago's South Side. She now expects to receive her final paycheck in two weeks... Chicago Public Schools suggests eight concessions to its teachers
CPS officials have suggested a list of concessions from its teachers to close a $370 million budget hole, including unpaid holidays, frozen wages and unpaid school recesses... Unfiltered: Board of Education Regular Monthly Meeting July, 28, 2010 WBEZ: Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis urges the city's board of education to implement a hiring freeze on new teachers... Chicago Public Schools crackdown on cyberbulliesSun Times: Under the new Student Code of Conduct, passed by the Chicago Board of Education on Wednesday, cyber-bullying will be considered as serious an offense as burglary, aggravated assault, gang activity, drug use or more traditional forms of bullying... Teens Learn Sexual Violence Prevention Via Art TherapyWBEZ: This summer a group of teenage girls on Chicago's West Side is learning about sexual violence prevention while they draw. The idea is to get the girls talking about and confronting sexual violence through yoga, dance and painting... CPS will reevaluate his application Tribune: Under the newly revised law, people with lower-grade felonies -- including forcible felonies that did not result in "great bodily harm or permanent disability" -- can petition the court for the certificate, which can then be used in applying for jobs, though the employer has final say.

Tackling That Stubborn Research-Policy Divide :: Frederick M. Hess

Frederick M. Hess's Blog

Tackling That Stubborn Research-Policy Divide

by Frederick M. Hess • Jul 29, 2010 at 9:56 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

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Just spent the past couple days with a top-shelf group of young researchers that I hosted in a partnership with my good friends at the Fordham Institute. Together, we held the first gathering of the Emerging Education Policy Scholars (EEPS), which brought to D.C. about two dozen young scholars and thinkers to discuss how research does and should impact ed policy. Visiting with the fellows was a pretty neat roster of policy mavens, ed journalists, and reformers that included USA Today's Greg Toppo, Bellwether's Andy Rotherham, DC Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, Ed Week's Deb Viadero, ace Hill staffer David Cleary, former IES chief Russ Whitehurst, Department of Ed's Judy Wurtzel, ConnCAN's Marc Porter-Magee, and the Gates Foundation's Ebony Lee.

I was struck by two things. One, I was again reminded of just how little universities do to help aspiring scholars understand the ways research is digested or used and how to communicate their findings to the broader world. It's always fascinating to see the reactions when young researchers--who already kind of know it--hear first-hand just how haphazard, personality-dependent, and politically shaped is the consumption of their careful

Notes from the news, July 29 | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Notes from the news, July 29

by Erika Owens

Mother of Asian student files suit for January attack at South Philadelphia High Daily News
The suit is against the District and former South Philly principal LaGreta Brown for failing to protect the civil rights of Asian students.
See also: Vietnamese parent sues district, saying she was attacked at S. Philadelphia High The Inquirer
Philly school reorganization continues The Inquirer
The SRC told the District to make sure these changes don't cost extra money. A District spokesperson said even more changes will be announced before September.
See also: Philly School District's regional offices nixed; staff added Daily News
Phil Goldsmith: Ackerman and SRC tone-deaf to Philadelphia taxpayers' financial plight Daily News
Superintendent Ackerman makes more that local elected officials. District administrator salaries have continued to grow.
See also: Phila school administrators' salaries, compared to other cities It's Our Money
District's summer classes for foreign speakers winding down The Inquirer
More than 2,500 students at 30 elementary schools participated in the program.
'Waiting for Superman': Help or menace The Notebook blog
The documentary, which follows five kids as they wait to hear if they got into their school of choice, is being billed as a game changer that can do what another of this film's director's movies, "An Inconvenient Truth," did for climate change.
Race to the Top 1, teachers' jobs 0? The Notebook blog
House Democrats' attempt to repurpose Race to the Top funds to save teachers' jobs failed to pass.
U.S. probing report of lunch thefts by Philadelphia teachers The Inquirer
Department of Education Launches New Equity Commission PRNewswire
Détente between Unite Here and Service Employees International Union leaves unanswered questionsThe Inquirer
In Philadelphia, federal bucks not very stimulating Daily News
Class president receives praise from other President 6 ABC
Please email us if we missed anything today or if you have any suggestions of publications, email lists, or other places for us to check for news.
Click here to get Notes from the news in your inbox every day.
Notes from the news
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Education Week: Chicago Asks Teachers to Take Unpaid Holidays, Wage Freeze

Chicago Asks Teachers to Take Unpaid Holidays, Wage Freeze

By Azam Ahmed, Chicago Tribune (MCT)

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Chicago Public Schools officials have suggested a list of concessions from its teachers to close a $370 million budget hole, including unpaid holidays, frozen wages and unpaid school recesses.

The proposals are part of ongoing negotiations between the district and its teachers union to avoid having larger class sizes, which schools CEO Ron Huberman has said could increase to 33 students, from 31, at the high schools.

Already, 600 teachers have received pink slips due to budget constraints.

The union has so far refused to give up 4 percent raises for its teachers at a cost savings of $80 million, one of the district's eight proposals. Another concession would be eliminating nine paid holidays, which would trim the deficit by $88 million this year.

If all eight suggestions were implemented, the total cost savings would be nearly $446 million.

Karen Lewis, the new union president, said her members are reluctant to forgo raises

Suit Says La. Schools Fail Disabled Students

Judge: Oust Warren County school board members

Complete Coverage

Least-Disruptive Turnaround Model Proving Popular
By Lesli A. Maxwell
School districts are now receiving millions of dollars in federal money to turn around their chronically underperforming schools and, in a number of states, local educators overwhelmingly are opting for “transformation,” the least disruptive of four school intervention methods endorsed by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
All but eight states have been approved by the U.S. Department of Education to receive their share of the $3.5 billion in Title I School Improvement Grants , the supercharged program aimed at reversing years of academic decline at some of the nation’s most troubled schools.
As state education departments award the grants to eligible schools, the school

Eduwonk � Blog Archive � It’s National Chili Dog Day! But For Breakfast: Scrambled CW

It’s National Chili Dog Day! But For Breakfast: Scrambled CW

by arotherham

Short version of some takeaways from today’s Ed Insider on ESEA are in this tweet.
Two big takeaways are the substantial misalignment on the issues between reformers, the admin, and Congress on some key issues. But data for pro-and anti-reform types to take comfort in. Systemic reform more likely to have support than some of the leading-edge reforms. In other words, one plausible reason No Child Left Behind is still in place is because it’s pretty widely credited among those in positions of influence. Specifically:

Insiders believe we may not see a final ESEA bill until the end of 2011, but more than 40% believe it could be 2012 or later.
There is less support in Congress for advancing charter schools, Common Core Standards, and other

Education Research Report: Kindergarten Teachers DO Make a Difference

Kindergarten Teachers DO Make a Difference

by Jonathan Kantrowitz

Ω

From the New York Times:

Researchers... examined the life paths of almost 12,000 children who had been part of a well-known education experiment in Tennessee in the 1980s. The children are now about 30, well started on their adult lives...

Just as in other studies, the Tennessee experiment found that some teachers were able to help students learn vastly more than other teachers. And just as in other studies, the effect largely

Schools Matter: Bloomberg's Lies Must Now Be Settled on the Backs of Children

Bloomberg's Lies Must Now Be Settled on the Backs of Children

by Jim Horn

In 2006 the New York State Department of Education, in collaboration with Bloomberg's edu-goons in the City, decided amongst themselves to make it easier for New York children to pass the state test. While this news was kept from the public, what did get publicized was Prince Mike's sudden decision the same year to end "social promotion." The following year in 2007 New York City (and state) test scores soared, and, of course, the No Excuses CEO schoolmen had another piece of "evidence" to support the charter/privatization agenda and their pedagogical credo of "Punish Them and They Will Respond."

From Diane Ravitch's book, a must read for every teacher and parent on Earth:

Why did the number of students at level 1 [the lowest scorers] plummet? Becase the state lowered the bar and made it easier for students to reach level 2. On the sixth-grade reading test in

Will We Ever Get Past Race and Class? It's the Profit Motive Behind It Stupid! #Education News.org

EducationNews.org

EducationNews Today

Will We Ever Get Past Race and Class? It's the Profit Motive Behind It Stupid!
7.29.10 - For the better part of a week, Washington has been consumed by the Shirley Sherrod pseudo-scandal, leading many pundits to ponder race relations in America circa 2010. A better indicator, however, might be the goings-on in Wake County, North Carolina, where civil rights advocates are angrily protesting the decision of a newly elected school board to end the education system's long-running busing program.
Chicago Public Schools crackdown on cyberbullies
7.29.10 - Digitally placing classmates' heads onto other people's bodies, leaving abusive messages on Facebook profiles, e-mailing X-rated images and inciting violence via text message are all part of the modern school bully's arsenal, Chicago Public School officials say. ...
Were some D.C. teachers fired based on flawed calculations?
7.29.10 - A professor of sociology and education at Teachers College, Columbia University, argues that D.C. Public Schools botched the calculations that were used to decide to fire some of the 241 teachers let go last week. ...
Standards Raised, More Students Fail Tests
7.29.10 - The results indicated a dismal performance statewide, after years of significant gains. ...
Expertise lost at crucial time
7.29.10 - GOVERNOR PATRICK has purged the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education of the two members who held the deepest suspicions of the newly-adopted national Common Core standards in math and English. On a number of other issues, ...

Commentaries

EYE ON THE PRIZE: KEEPING ALL STUDENTS SAFE
7.29.10 - Parents, parent advocates and self-advocates, attorneys, educators and medical/mental health professionals throughout the United States have been working for years to create federal legislation that would prohibit the use of seclusion and restraints throughout America's schools.

EdNews Reports

Biological Psychiatry - Following the Money
7.29.10 - Beverly K. Eakman - Despite the public relations campaign aimed at "de-stigmatizing mental illness," scores of permanent, stereotyping labels are assigned to what are basically annoying habits: clicking a pen repeatedly (anxiety), talking fast (hysteria), repeating a favorite song over and over (obsessive-compulsive disorder),
McREL report identifies what matters most to change the odds for student success
7.29.10 - Denver - A new report from McREL (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning), a Denver-based nonprofit, nonpartisan education research organization, concludes that changing the odds for student success does not necessarily demand a wholesale reinvention of the system nor technology-driven innovation, but rather, a clear focus on simply doing what matters most for raising student achievement.

Thursday, July 29, 2010