Wednesday, November 17, 2010

School board violated open meeting law - The Boston Globe

School board violated open meeting law

Associated Press / November 17, 2010

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A judge has ruled that the School Committee in Barrington violated the state’s Open Meetings Act by failing to properly advertise a meeting last year on a mandatory alchohol monitoring policy. Superior Court Judge Brian Stern ruled Monday that the committee failed to alert the public about the specific policies it would be discussing. He said he would hold another hearing

University of California Regents to Take Up Fee Hikes Amid Protests « Student Activism

University of California Regents to Take Up Fee Hikes

by Angus Johnston

It’s seven o’clock in the morning in California, and the November meeting of the UC regents is scheduled to get underway soon. Topping their agenda is another steep tuition increase.

When the regents met last fall at UCLA some three thousand students were on hand to protest their imposition of a 32% fee hike, but at least some student activists expect a smaller turnout this time around. Ricardo Gomez, External Affairs Vice President of the Associated Students of the University of California, told the Daily Cal this week that the meeting’s staging at UC San Francisco Mission Bay — a medical center and teaching hospital with no undergraduate student body — is likely to suppress student turnout.

NYC Public School Parents: Cathie Black's deadly Coca Cola connection

Cathie Black's deadly Coca Cola connection

by Leonie Haimson

More questions arise as to the suitability of Cathie Black as the next schools Chancellor of NYC. As a member of Coca Cola's board, she had direct knowledge of the aggressive role of Coke company in contributing to childhood obesity in the US and abroad, and to death squads who targeted labor organizers in

More news coverage of Cathie Black controversy, in Spanish

by Leonie Haimson

See channel 41's coverage of last night's PEP meeting and the Cathie Black controversy.

Queens Teacher: "I Will Be the Next Chancellor" - Cathie Black

"I Will Be the Next Chancellor" - Cathie Black

by Queens Teacher

New Public Schools Chancellor Cathie Black fends off critics, says she has the experience
BY Meredith Kolodner

Bloomberg's choice for schools chancellor brushed off her growing chorus of critics Tuesday and defended her qualifications for the job.

"The mayor's been very clear that he really wanted a strong, effective manager, and I have almost 40 years of experience at that," Cathie Black told New York 1 after meeting with high-ranking Education Department officials.

She also said efforts to block her appointment would be unsuccessful.

"I will be the next chancellor," she said.

Still, parents angry about Black's surprise appointment made their voices heard at last night's education policy board meeting.

Bloomberg's Black Eye

by Queens Teacher

Bloomberg’s Black Eye
The mayor picks another noneducator to run the city’s schools.
Sol Stern

As the news circulated around New York City last week that Joel Klein was resigning as schools chancellor and would be replaced by Hearst Magazines executive Cathleen Black, I was deluged with e-mails from friends and colleagues. All expressed surprise at Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s pick of the unknown Black: “Cathie who?” “Is Bloomberg serious?” The public reaction was best summarized by a New York Daily News front-page headline the morning after Bloomberg’s announcement: the single word HUH? in large type, followed by a subhead alluding to Black’s lack of education experience. By the end of the week, even New York Times reporters were poking fun at Bloomberg’s claim that his selection of Black was the result of a careful search for the best available candidate.

In truth, there’s no reason for anyone to be surprised by anything the mayor does on education policy, certainly not those influential New Yorkers who pressed the state legislature last year to reauthorize mayoral control of the schools entirely on Bloomberg’s terms. Backed by his allies in the media and business communities, Bloomberg laid down a take-it-or-leave-it challenge to the Albany legislators. It went something like this: With my superior understanding of business management, I am indispensable to continued progress in the schools. So forget about those outdated principles of checks and balances. They may apply to the national government, but I

New Jersey teacher underattack by the governor | NJ.com

New Jersey teacher underattack by the governor

Published: Wednesday, November 17, 2010, 6:25 AM

Letters to the Editor/The Star-Ledger
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Amanda Brown/The Star-LedgerAlissa Ploshnick, a special education teacher from Passaic, had her conversation about teacher tenure videotaped without her knowledge. Now. Gov. Chris Christie is pointing to her as a symbol of what's wrong with the NJEA.

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NJEA should support the teacher
My heart goes out to Alissa Ploshnick, who was once recognized by President Bill Clinton for throwing herself in front of an in-coming van to save children and in now vilified for quoting someone else using the n-word (“She sacrificed for students, now she’s being sacrificed for politics,” Nov. 14). One thing she did wrong, however, is she apologized. With her history, she could quit and write about this. But probably she shouldn’t because children need teachers like her.

The NJEA could do a lot to help this poor woman by organizing and giving her public support. As for the “N” word, we empower its destructive intent by making it taboo.

Instead, we could disempower the word by repealing prohibition and hijacking it, for example, creating buttons that say “I’m an n-lover (the whole word) and proud of it!”
I’d like to see every teacher in the Passaic

3-Tweet Reality Check - Ed Thoughts

by Sabrina

NJ Spotlight | "Parent Trigger" Could Restructure or Shut Down Schools

"Parent Trigger" Could Restructure or Shut Down Schools
New legislation now being pulled together would give a simple majority of parents the ability to effect major changes in their kids' schools

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By John Mooney, November 17 in Education |1 Comment

New Jersey parents with children in low-performing schools could see vast new powers to overhaul those schools, under legislation now being prepared by the Senate Republican leader, Sen. Joseph Kyrillos.

Kyrillos (R-Monmouth) said yesterday that he planned to file within the month a “parent trigger” bill that would allow parents by 51 percent vote or petition to demand major changes to their school, be it new leadership, a charter school operator, school vouchers or closure altogether.

Modeled after a similar measure recently enacted in California as part of its federal Race to the Top application, the bill would extend rules already in place that would permit conversion of a public school to a charter school with approval of a majority of teachers and parents.

But that has yet to happen in New Jersey, and Kyrillos said it was time to put the powers in parents’ hands.

‘There is no question there are a lot of schools that are failing, and we need to shake things up, not

It’s a strike vote. So why aren’t teachers voting? | The Education Report

It’s a strike vote. So why aren’t teachers voting?

By Katy Murphy
Tuesday, November 16th, 2010 at 11:25 pm in OEA, teachers, union contract.

The vast majority of those who participated in tonight’s union election authorized a strike.

But the vast majority of Oakland teachers didn’t vote at all. The turnout was less than half of what it was in May, the first time this year OEA members authorized a strike. (This vote was to affirm the last one.) Only 341 union members cast ballots tonight, compared to 755 in May. That’s well under 15 percent of the union’s membership.

Even among those who did come to the membership meeting, said union President Betty Olson-Jones, “The sentiment for a strike at this time is very, very weak.”

In East San Jose, college is as possible as A-G | Thoughts on Public Education

In East San Jose, college is as possible as A-G
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Posted on 11/17/10 • Categorized as A to G Curriculum, UC and CSU

By Askari Gonzales

Although it’s only two months into the school year, I already know that 250 of my 400 classmates at Overfelt High in East San Jose will not go to college. How can I predict that dismal future? I have researched the statistics and I have experienced the uneven school curriculum firsthand.

Currently, two-thirds of the graduates from the East Side Union High School District do not qualify for a UC or CSU system school. To me, that is too many being told they cannot achieve and they cannot dream, too many in a community where “no’s” are much easier to come by than an encouraging “yes.”

Students can graduate with straight As from an East Side Union high school and still not be eligible for a four-year state college. Why? Because they were not enrolled in the right courses.

The A-G requirements are the classes high school students must pass in order to be eligible for a University of California or California State University school. The A-G requirements differ

CSU commits to revamping ed schools - by John Fensterwald - Educated Guess

by John Fensterwald - Educated Guess

California State University Chancellor Charles Reed has joined leaders in seven other states who have pledged to adopt the findings of a report urging sweeping changes in teacher training programs. The report, released on Tuesday, calls for turning teacher preparation programs “upside down” by changing from theory and academic courses in pedagogy to clinical practice, with [...]

Rise & Shine: Black’s role at Coke at odds with city’s soda policy | GothamSchools

Rise & Shine: Black’s role at Coke at odds with city’s soda policy

by Philissa Cramer

On Coca-Cola’s board, Cathie Black sat on a committee that dealt with keeping Coke in schools. (Times)
Discussion of Black’s appointment dominated last night’s school board meeting. (Times, WNYC)
Black visited Tweed Courthouse yesterday for the first time since being appointed. (GothamSchools)
Black says 40 years of management experience qualifies her to be chancellor. (NY1)
Members of the state legislature’s minority caucus are registering concerns about Black. (Daily News)
New Yorkers shouldn’t have to wait while Black gets up to speed, Josh Greenman writes. (Daily News)
Bronx students have mixed opinions on Black’s business advice. (NY1)
After six custodians were laid off, students say Lehman High School is a mess. (Daily News)
Brooklyn students used radar guns to identify speeding outside their elementary school. (City Room)
Maggie Gallagher says the solution to boys’ underachievement is to let boys be boys. (Post)

Challenging Issue #7. Should we give up seniority? What? « Fred Klonsky's blog

Challenging Issue #7. Should we give up seniority? What?

by Fred Klonsky

This post is about a third issue that the IEA leadership considers a challenge: Seniority rights.

During the recent wave of teacher layoffs, the most two-faced, disingenuous of the Reformy types cried crocodile tears about the layoff’s impact on young teachers.

Here’s how it worked:

Young = competent, enthusiastic, willing to do anything that was “best for the kids.”

Tenured teachers = lazy, lacking subject or teaching knowledge, just work the hours and go home, willing to put adult needs over…what was…yes, “best for the kids.”

Fred Klonsky’s education rule #1:

When someone says they’re only interested in what is “best for the kids,” watch your wallet. Somebody is

California Takes First Step on Major Teacher Seniority Changes

by Rob Manwaring

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In a recent Ed Week article, I recommended that Congress require states to protect teachers at “persistently lowest performing” schools (schools receiving federal School Improvement Grants) from seniority based layoffs. In the school turnaround process that these schools are undergoing, they often hire new teachers as part of their reform strategies, and thus they often have some of the youngest teachers in the district. If these turnaround schools are the first hit when districts are required to make staffing reductions, it could undermine the turnaround efforts that the federal government is investing $3.5 billion to support. Given that stimulus funds are running out, and state budgets look awful for next year, districts are likely to face dire budget situations when the plan their 2011-12 budgets.

In California the need to change teacher seniority policies is critical given the insurmountable budget shortfalls that the state faces (details here), and the high likelihood that districts will face mass layoffs this next spring.

The Answer Sheet - The sad story of an L.A. school labeled 'failing'

The sad story of an L.A. school labeled 'failing'

This was written by L. Martha Infante, a National Board Certified Social Studies teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District and veteran of 15 years. It first appeared on the Accomplished California Teachers blog. By L. Martha Infante When the public middle school in which I work received news that we had not met our testing target, and in fact had dropped in our scores, we were not surprised. To the educators on campus, this outcome was a logical event based on the turmoil students and teachers had experienced with the laying off of 23 teachers in 2009, and another dozen in 2010. The social fabric of our school had frayed, there were lots of new faces on campus, and the economic lives of our students were not getting better in the midst of this recession. But being labeled a “failing” school, or “focus school” as is used down

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Wednesday, November 17, 2010