Friday, October 15, 2010

Despite Image, Union Leader Backs School Reform - NYTimes.com

Despite Image, Union Leader Backs Change for Schools

Richard Perry/The New York Times

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, speaking with Bryan Reyes, left, and Joshua Dickey at the Green Dot New York Charter School in the Bronx.

By TRIP GABRIEL

Published: October 15, 2010

REPRINTS

In “Waiting for Superman,” the new education documentary, the union leader Randi Weingarten is portrayed, in the words of Variety, as “a foaming satanic beast.”

Times Topic: Randi Weingarten
Movie Review | 'Waiting for ‘Superman': Students Caught in the School Squeeze (September 24, 2010)
Washington Chancellor’s Departure Isn’t Expected to Slow Public School Change (October 14, 2010)

At a two-day education summit hosted by NBC News recently, the lopsided panels often featured Ms. Weingarten on one side, facing a murderer’s row ofcharter school founders and urban superintendents. Even Tom Brokawpiled on.

It’s nothing personal, really. Ms. Weingarten happens to be the most visible, powerful leader of unionized teachers, and in that role she personifies what many reformers see as the chief obstacle to lifting dismal schools: unions that protect incompetent teachers.

A combative labor leader who does not shrink from the spotlight, Ms. Weingarten has been fighting back. She issued a written rebuttal to “Waiting for Superman,” and she has publicly debated the film’s director, Davis Guggenheim, arguing that teachers have been made scapegoats. More to the point, the portrait of Ms. Weingarten as a demonic

3 reporters, 3 high schools, 3,000 students, one school year | GothamSchools

3 reporters, 3 high schools, 3,000 students, one year

by Anna Phillips

More than 30 schools across the city are about to embark on an experiment to rapidly boost student performance. In a plan endorsed by President Barack Obama, the city will use millions of federal dollars to either resuscitate the schools, or shut them down and open new ones.

This year, we’ll be following three of these schools.

A Brooklyn high school sees almost half its freshmen drop out before their senior year and struggles with safety,

D.C. Schools Chief Resigns, Doubts She'll Return To Leadership Role : NPR

D.C. Schools Chief Resigns, Doubts She'll Return To Leadership Role

Michelle Rhee became a public face of education reform during her tenure as head of the District of Columbia's schools, but she stepped down, several weeks after the man who appointed her, Mayor Adrian Fenty, was defeated in a Democratic primary where Rhee's celebrated yet stormy tenure was a factor. Host Michel Martin speaks with Rhee, who says she will likely never lead a school district again.

Ackerman removes name from 'manifesto' | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Ackerman removes name from 'manifesto'

by Erika Owens on Oct 15 2010

The Washington Post published an op-ed signed by several education leaders including Joel Klein, Michelle Rhee, and Superintendent Ackerman. But Ackerman has asked for her name to be removed.

According to an email from David Weiner, Ackerman "did not see nor approve the final version submitted to the Post." Weiner said that he gave the go-ahead for Ackerman's name to be put on the final version, and apologized for his error. Weiner said that Ackerman will submit her own response.

'Inviting Families Into the Classroom'

by Timothy Boyle

In my school I have seen:

My students' family members in the hallways and schoolyard.
Moms and dads getting on buses for field trips.
Parent volunteers taking quarters and wrapping pretzels in paper towels for our weekly Wednesday pretzel sale.
Parents lining the halls during report card conferences seeking information on how their children are performing.
The auditorium filled with the families of the performers for the annual talent show.
A standing room only crowd of proud families for our 8th grade graduation.

Public Policy Blogger: Educationgate? Outsized influence of the Gates Foundation (and pals) on public education.

Educationgate? Outsized influence of the Gates Foundation (and pals) on public education.

I was just starting some research on the amount of influence the Gates Foundation and others are having on education policy, and I came across this post on the blog, Techrights. Quite an exhaustive list, although it may just scratch the surface.

It can be said---and is said by their supporters and acolytes--that Bill and Melinda Gates want passionately to invest their billions to make the world a better place. Excellent. But besides fighting disease on the African continent and addressing other global health problems, they've placed the American public school system in their crosshairs.........Big goals. Big reach. Big deal. And they have joined forces with other big foundations like the Walton

Former principal Canoga Park charter school pleads not guilty - LA Daily News

Former principal Canoga Park charter school pleads not guilty

By Connie Llanos, Staff Writer

Posted: 10/15/2010 11:58:01 AM PDT

Updated: 10/15/2010 12:02:21 PM PDT

The former principal of a Canoga Park charter school, who allegedly mishandled some $2.7 million in public funds, pleaded not guilty Friday to 31 charges of embezzlement, forgery and money laundering filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney.

Edward Fiszer, 40, the founding principal of NEW Academy Canoga Park charter school was indicted by a grand jury on Sept. 29.

The grand jury charged the former administrator with theft by embezzlement of public funds, forgery, theft by a public officer, 26 counts of money laundering and two counts of state tax fraud, officials said.

According to the charges, Fiszer mishandled $2.7 million, including transferring $1.1 million in school funds into

USC to inaugurate new president today

by Daily News Wire Services

C.L. Max Nikias will be inaugurated as USC's 11th president today, more than two months after assuming the position.

Conserving Rural Public Schools Is Not Reform

by Forrest Hinton

Apart from centuries-old religious institutions, there is probably no system in the United States as fundamentally conservative as its public schools. And, among the various types of public schools, none is nearly as conservative as the rural K-12 schools safely tucked away in Midwestern farmlands, Appalachian hills, and Southwestern deserts, among other sparsely populated places.

The trouble with this philosophy of tradition and preservation that permeates rural schools is that, more often than not, rural schools are far from high-performing organizations that empower students to make choices about the kinds of lives they hope to live. According to The Condition of Education 2007, put out by the National Center for Education Statistics, “Public schools located in rural areas were less likely to report offering AP

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rhee's flack

Rhee's flack

by Mike Klonsky

Watch for Michelle Rhee to cash in after her flash-in-the-pan tour as D.C. school boss and ace reformer. LikeSarah Palin, who bailed mid-term from her job as Alaska's governor, everything should be coming up green for Rhee, provided she is handled right and with her name kept in the public eye. From here on out you can expect to see Rhee, armed with her new school-reform Manifesto, appearing in dozens of planted, non-stories like this one, this one, and this one as well as appearances on Letterman, Larry King, and Oprah. New books and speaking tours with six-figure honoraria are definately in the offing. She has made it clear that her brief career as a school administrator is behind her.

Building off of Rhee's starring role in Waiting For Superman is super-flack Anita Dunn and her well-connected

Teachers drive in reverse | teachers, new, district - Home - The Orange County Register

Teachers, other unions, drive in reverse

By TERYL ZARNOW

COLUMNIST

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

terylzarnow@gmail.com

In America, we focus on staying in drive.

Moving forward feels like it brings us closer to progress and greater prosperity.

Article Tab : Santa Ana Educator's Association Union president elect Susan Mercer addresses a rally to protest budget cuts outside School district offices on E. Chestnut Ave. in Santa Ana in June 2009.

Santa Ana Educator's Association Union president elect Susan Mercer addresses a rally to protest budget cuts outside School district offices on E. Chestnut Ave. in Santa Ana in June 2009.

JEBB HARRIS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

More from Teryl Zarnow

But the current economy is difficult precisely because it feels like we're doing the opposite of what we want. These days, few are getting ahead, many are falling behind, and the best case, often, is to be stuck in neutral.

Union contracts graphically illustrate the point. Gone are new deals that call for increases in workers' salaries and benefits. The object today is to hold ground or mitigate the loss.

Teachers contracts offer an example.

Local school districts have had to cut $352 million from their budgets this year. Hundreds of teachers have lost their jobs. The California Teachers Association says that local teachers have seen their benefits reduced and agreed to slightly more than six furlough days on a temporary basis. For a teacher earning $60,000, those furlough days translate to about $1,944 out of pocket.

And that came after tense negotiations in many districts.

"It's been quite a shift," explains Michael Stone, who serves on the board for the California

Post Now - Rhee looking for job closer to fiance

Rhee looking for job closer to fiance

Michelle Rhee says she's looking for a job where she can have an impact but also be closer to her fiance.

Rhee stepped down Wednesday as the head of the D.C. public school system. On Thursday, she told George Stephanopoulos on ABC's “Good Morning America” that her passion is in K-12 education and that she's looking for a new job that would “take me closer to my fiance but also where I can have the most impact.”

Rhee is engaged to Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, a former NBA player.

--The Associated Press

Candal: New school 'reform' erects new barriers - Dedham, Massachusetts - The Dedham Transcript

Candal: New school 'reform' erects new barriers

By Cara Stillings Candal/Guest columnist

The MetroWest Daily News

Posted Oct 15, 2010 @ 10:00 AM

Since passage of the 1993 Education Reform Act, Massachusetts has taken a different path on school reform than other states have. It's taken a different path on standards, testing, accountability - and also on charter schools.

Our state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) is the sole authorizer of charter schools, and until recently, our authorizing process was unusually rigorous.

Charter schools were granted broad autonomy in return for strict accountability for results. The BESE upheld its end of the deal by shutting down schools that didn't perform well.

By any measure, this approach has worked well. Although charters account for less than 3 percent of Massachusetts public school students, four of the 10 top-scoring schools on this year's tenth grade MCAS math exam were charter schools, as were three of the top 10 performers in English language arts.

This success hasn't gone unnoticed. In one recent poll, 44 percent of respondents supported charter schools, while only 19

Charter schools spark debate and President Obama's best asset -- his wife - Financial News USA

Charter schools spark debate and President Obama's best asset -- his wife

Every year, thousands of families gather in school gymnasiums and auditoriums across the country to enter a drawing, one they believe will make the difference between success and struggle.These lotteries are how charter schools decide who their students will be; the experience can be quite dramatic.

As each name is revealed, many winning families can't help but cry out, relieved that they've beaten the odds, convinced that great things are now in store for them.But just a few feet away from these joyful celebrations, there are tears. Students -- some still in kindergarten -- sob with their parents as they realize their hopes have been dashed.These gut-wrenching scenes play out in "Waiting for 'Superman'" and "The Lottery," two new documentaries that put a harsh spotlight on America's public education system and have sparked nationwide debate on what education solutions are needed. [Read the full article]

Editor's note: In "The Sweep," CNN dives deep into issues making news and explores why they're in the headlines.Chicago, Illinois (CNN) -- With his party's control of Congress teetering on the brink of disaster, an unpopular

The Answer Sheet - Superintendent Ackerman withdraws name from 'manifesto'

Superintendent Ackerman withdraws name from 'manifesto'

It turns out that Philadelphia Schools Superintendent Arlene Ackerman doesn’t really agree with the “reform manifesto” that appeared this week in The Washington Post and signed by16, scratch that, now 15, big-city school district chiefs. The manifesto was written by New York City Superintendent Joel Klein and then signed by D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and 14 others. It blames teachers unions for the troubles of urban education, views charter schools as some sort of big answer to the same problem, and generally supports market-driven measures to “fix” what is the country’s most precious civic institution. But today we learn that Ackerman never approved the manifesto, according to David Wiener, associate superintendent of academics in the Philadelphia school system. Different versions had been circulated among school chiefs, and Ackerman did not see or approve the one that appeared in The Post last Sunday, he said.

Shanker Blog � Bart Simpson: Worker Rights Activist

BART SIMPSON: WORKER RIGHTS ACTIVIST

by Burnie Bond

If (like me) you’re not a regular viewer of The Simpsons show, you will have missed a controversial new opening sequence created by British graffiti artist Banksy, which aired this past weekend. The segment, which mocks the show for outsourcing much of its animation work through a South Korean company, began to go viral until yesterday, when Fox asking for the video to be pulled from YouTube and other venues (see here).

The scene begins much like the regular opening, but with “Banksy” scrawled strategically across the town of Springfield. Bart is seen writing punishment lines on the school blackboard, as usual, but this time “I must not write all over the walls” covers every wall of the classroom. The sequence continues almost as usual until we see the family is seated on their couch.

Suddenly, we shift to a dark, cavernous space where row upon row of sweatshop workers are seen to be laboring

t r u t h o u t | The Myth of the Bad Teacher

The Myth of the Bad Teacher

Friday 15 October 2010

by: Adam Bessie, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed

(Photo: Rob Shenk / Flickr)

In this political season of faux anti-establishment anger born of very real economic desperation, public educators have become the villain du jour, their reputations collateral damage in the war against "big government." In a remarkable slight of hand, the super rich who imploded the economy, manufacturing the recession which now enrages the public, have successfully misdirected the public's justifiable anger away from them and toward teachers.

This anti-teacher rage is focused on the mythical cartoon character the "Bad Teacher," who - according to the recent explosion in press on

The Girl Effect: The Clock is Ticking

Your support, your voice and your action – that's what it's going to take to wake up the world and make a real difference. Make yourself part of the Girl Effect revolution.

Given the chance 600 million adolescent girls in developing countries can unleash the world's greatest untapped solution to poverty. This is the Girl Effect.

If we can release girls living in poverty, they will do the rest.

You can be part of that change. In fact without you it won't happen. Join the conversation and let the world know what the Girl Effect is capable of.

Talk it up. Spread the word.

Check out our Girl Effect Networks on Facebook and Twitter.

Another Shutdown at the University of Puerto Rico? � Student Activism

Another Shutdown at the University of Puerto Rico?

by Angus Johnston

Students in two divisions of the flagship Rio Pedras campus of the University of Puerto Rico have voted to stage strikes next week that could lead to a new round of shutdowns at UPR.

This spring students shut down ten of UPR’s eleven campuses in a two-month action that won major victories against planned budget cuts and tuition hikes. But now the university is looking to implement an $800 tuition increase, to take effect in January, and students are fighting back. At meetings held earlier this week,

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