Wednesday, February 16, 2011

You Want Better Teachers? – Lily's Blackboard

You Want Better Teachers?

Feb 16th, 2011

The United States of America has some of the best teachers in the world.

May I repeat? The United States of America has some of the best teachers in the world. And some of the best teachers in the United States are leading us to something better… through their unions.

Now, you wouldn’t know that listening to the Talking Heads’ pontificate duringNational Bash a Teacher month. There is a convergence of politicians, activists, venture capitalists and even movie-makers for heaven’s sake, looking for a slick, simple storyline as to why, in neighborhoods with growing crime, unemployment, drug use and incarceration rates, students are failing and

Seattle Public Schools community blog: More Wendy Kopp (Fearless Leader of TFA)

More Wendy Kopp (Fearless Leader of TFA)

by Melissa Westbrook

An alert reader pointed me to another Wendy Kopp, leader of TFA, event when she is here on March 2nd. She is speaking at MOHAI in the evening but before that she will be speaking at the Northwest African-American Museum from 4-5 p.m. on behalf of Washington Women's Foundation. There is no cost but you have to registerto attend. It just might be too good to pass up.

I do have a rather lengthy TFA thread to write but here's some Wendy Kopp talk from the Daily Beast:

When Wendy Kopp’s son Benjamin was 8 years old, he interviewed her for a school project on learning to

Mayoral Candidate Miguel del Valle Mobilizes Over 2,000 Volunteers in Almost Every Ward During Campaign

Del Valle for Mayor | For All Chicago For Every Neighborhood: Mayoral Candidate Miguel del Valle Mobilizes Over 2,000 Volunteers in Almost Every Ward During Campaign

Mayoral Candidate Miguel del Valle Mobilizes Over 2,000 Volunteers in Almost Every Ward During Campaign

by Joanna2011

Grassroots operation lays foundation for del Valle Administration’s neighborhood organizing agenda

February 16, 2011 (CHICAGO)--City Clerk and mayoral candidate Miguel del Valle, in contrast to his opponents who rely on robocalls from outside the city and expensive commercials, has mobilized a field operation of 2,500+ volunteers operating out of eight offices throughout the city.

“More and more people join this campaign by the hour,” del Valle said at a press conference outside his West Town campaign headquarters. “Our volunteers are highly motivated, well-trained, and believe in what they’re doing.”

Hundreds of volunteers, after the recent WTTW Mayoral Forum, called and emailed the del Valle campaign to offer their hours and energy. Many people, persuaded by del Valle’s

This Week In Education: School Life: Popular Kids Most Bullied, Bullying

School Life: Popular Kids Most Bullied, Bullying

by Alexander Russo

"High school life is less like Carrie and more like Mean Girls--the social carnage rains down upon the popular crowd far more than it does on marginalized loners. Why would a kid waste her time picking on an untouchable nerd when she could ascend the popularity ladder by taking out her slightly-cooler BFF? Bullying peaks among students in the 98th

Five cool things that have happened since EAG’s Ben Velderman filed his FOIA request on my emails. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Five cool things that have happened since EAG’s Ben Velderman filed his FOIA request on my emails.

by Fred Klonsky

1. My blog hits have doubled.

2. I now get very few school emails.

3. Colleagues buy my coffee at Einstein’s.

4. The comment section on my blog has gotten busier.

5. I hear from teachers and supporters all over the country. It is very heartening.

Queens Teacher: How the middle class became the underclass

How the middle class became the underclass

by Queens Teacher

How the middle class became the underclass

Are you better off than your parents?

Probably not if you're in the middle class.

Incomes for 90% of Americans have been stuck in neutral, and it's not just because of the Great Recession. Middle-class incomes have been stagnant for at least a generation, while the wealthiest tier has surged ahead at lighting speed.

In 1988, the income of an average American taxpayer was $33,400, adjusted for inflation. Fast forward 20 years,

Every revolution is impossible before it happens; and then it was inevitable « Bill Ayers

Every revolution is impossible before it happens; and then it was inevitable

The young of Egypt said Enough! We refuse the imposed limits of this nasty dictator, his vicious regime, and the cozy don’t ask-don’t-tell relationship with his US puppet-masters and sponsors!
And they rose up, and in short order redefined themselves and changed the world. Chasing the dictator was the most they could hope for on day one; soon the regime was the target;and then their imaginative horizons broadened further, and a different social order altogether came briefly into view. Yes, that is wondrous and dazzling. People reaching out and finding one another, opposing the limits and the obstacles set in their paths, and in that moment finding what

Puerto Rico Governor Withdraws Police from University « Student Activism

Puerto Rico Governor Withdraws Police from University

by Angus Johnston

Three days after Friday’s surprise resignation of the president of the University of Puerto Rico, Governor Luis Fortuño finally bowed to a key student demand and pulled police from the university’s campuses.

Students have been protesting fee hikes and other university policies for a year, with the Fortuño administration launching a major crackdown about two months ago. More than two hundred activists have been arrested since, and clashes between cops and demonstrators have grown steadily more violent. In recent weeks, reports of

From a parent to the SRC: An open letter | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

From a parent to the SRC: An open letter

by Helen Gym on Feb 16 2011

Tags:

Today’s Daily News reports that Superintendent Arlene Ackerman automatically receives a one-year contract extension on her current five-year deal unless she or the School Reform Commission gives notice by March 1.

According to her agreement, she gets to keep her job for a sixth year, through June 2014, if neither she nor the board gives written notice by March 1 of this year of their intent not to extend her term.

The SRC’s response?

"This is a personnel matter about which the School Reform Commission

The media has crowned Rahm king. But the voters still decide. « Fred Klonsky's blog

The media has crowned Rahm king. But the voters still decide.

by Fred Klonsky

The have crowned Rahm Emanuel as King of Chicago as if he were the stammering George VI of The King’s Speech.

A movie I hated, by the way.

As someone who stuttered badly as a kid, I can tell you that nothing is carved in stone when it comes to what the people can do. I don’t stutter anymore.

Exhibit A is Egypt. Three weeks

As Wisconsin Budget Protests Intensify, Governor Claims Victory « Student Activism

As Wisconsin Budget Protests Intensify, Governor Claims Victory

by Angus Johnston

Protests against a proposed Wisconsin state budget that would slash faculty pay, eliminate university unions, and dramatically scale back other state employees’ collective bargaining rights continue to heat up today, as Governor Scott Walker tells the Associated Press that he has the votes to pass his bill.

Highlights of the last 24 hours’ developments:

As many as ten thousand activists demonstrated against the governor’s plan at the state capitol yesterday.

A state senate committee hearing on the bill dragged on until the early hours of this morning, with citizen testimony continuing even after Republican members of the committee finally went home at three o’clock.

Several hundred demonstrators remained in the capitol rotunda all night long — some waiting to speak at

Enroll Your Kids for Health Insurance Before March 1st! | California Progress Report

Enroll Your Kids for Health Insurance Before March 1st!

by megan

By Assemblymember Roger Dickinson

Affordable health insurance is available for your children, regardless of pre-existing conditions, during open-enrollment

March 1, 2011 will be the last day of a critical open-enrollment period for affordable children’s health insurance.

During the open-enrollment period, parents can sign up their children for more affordable health insurance. As a result of President Obama’s federal health care reform plan and AB 2244 by Assemblymember Feuer, children with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied coverage – they also cannot be charged rates that are more than double the rates of healthy kids. Parents of healthy children without insurance should also sign their kids up during this period; kids who don’t sign up during open enrollment periods may be subject to a 20 percent surcharge on their insurance rates for a full year.

Piece of the Pie. « My Island View

Piece of the Pie.

by tomwhitby

I have been corresponding with a high school student who contacted our college about the effects of Personal Learning Networks on high school students. He was doing research for a report. I was impressed with his curiosity, as well as his grasp of the subject. My interaction has caused me to reflect on my own beliefs as I explained things to him.

In order to learn about any subject, one needs to seek out a source with expertise on the subject to obtain the information or content needed to understand that subject. That is a simple explanation. Our education system not only provides those experts to our citizenry, but it trains experts of content to continue the process. We know those content experts as teachers. This is how things went for decades. Content was delivered by the

Alfie Kohn: The STEM Sell: Are Math and Science Really More Important Than Other Subjects?

by Alfie Kohn

An interested but disinterested observer, someone concerned about education but with no disciplinary axe to grind, may be unsettled to keep hearing that the most alarming current crisis consists of the lack of attention being paid to the field that employs whoever happens to be speaking at the moment.

Sure, there are other problems, too, but the truly urgent issue these days is that we're just not investing in math and science instruction the way we should be -- with predictably dismaying results. No, it's that kids are outrageously ignorant about history, a subject that ought to be, but never is, a priority. No, it's that even in high school students still can't write a coherent paragraph. No, the real emergency is that reading skills are far from what they should be. No, it's that music and the arts are shamefully neglected in our schools. And so on.

Now there may be some truth to all of these assertions and the overarching tragedy is our failure to commit to -- and adequately fund -- education itself. How unsettling, then, to be overwhelmed by a cacophony of claims by

Those who are heroes in Cairo, Wisconsin are scapegoats in Madison, Wisconsin. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Those who are heroes in Cairo, Wisconsin are scapegoats in Madison, Wisconsin.

by Fred Klonsky

Who could avoid the remarkable contrast. There is the way workers and students and the common folks of Egypt were portrayed as the heroes they were during the last three weeks. Ther the way those doing the work of public service have been treated in our neighboring state of Wisconsin?

To be a public employee union worker in Wisconsin today is to be in the position of

Miguel Del Valle: Chicago is Ready for Reform

Del Valle for Mayor | For All Chicago For Every Neighborhood: Miguel Del Valle: Chicago is Ready for Reform

Miguel Del Valle: Chicago is Ready for Reform Updated: Wednesday, 16 Feb 2011, 7:46 AM CST Published : Wednesday, 16 Feb 2011, 7:46 AM CST FOX Chicago News Chicago - The mayoral election to replace Mayor Daley is in less than a week. Candidate Miguel del Valle joined us to talk about why he is the ...

Why I Support Miguel del Valle for Mayor of Chicago From FireDogLake By: Brad Hirn Wednesday February 16, 2011 7:01 am I believe Chicago is ready for reform, and I support City Clerk Miguel del Valle to help lead our efforts to reshape this city. About two years ago, my wife, while working as a ...

School Funding Myths & Stepping Outside the “New Normal” « School Finance 101

School Funding Myths & Stepping Outside the “New Normal”

by schoolfinance101

I’ve been writing quite a bit lately about rather complex state school finance formula issues. That is much the point of this blog. But it may be hard for some to see how my recent posts on school finance relate back to the broader reform agenda, and to understand the implications of these posts for state policies. Let me try to summarize these posts – posts on spending bubbles, the “New Normal” and school finance PORK. My overarching goal in these posts is to explain that much of the reformy rhetoric about budget cuts and the “New Normal” is based on myth about how school funding works and what we should be doing in these catastrophic economic times.

Here are the myths and some of the realities.

Reformy myth #1: That every state has done its part and more, to pour money into high need, especially poor

The Answer Sheet - Mobile technology and school reform: What’s the connection?

Mobile technology and school reform: What’s the connection?

It was only two months ago that politicians and school reformers were lining up to issue warnings that the performance of American students on the latest international tests were proof that public schools were impairing the country’s ability to compete economically. That event was the release of the results of the Program for International Student Achievement test, or PISA, tests, given to 15-year-old students by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 65 nations and educational systems. Compared to U.S. students overall, nine had higher average scores in reading, 17 in math, and 12 in science (though U.S. students in low-poverty schools performed extremely high).

ArtsRising

Grover Washington, Jr. Middle School Debuts as

ArtsRising’s Newest ArtsZone Hub

WHAT: Using the arts to transform school culture and improve learning, Grover Washington, Jr. Middle School will host two events to mark its debut as Philadelphia’s newest ArtsRising ArtsZone Hub School:

· A Community-wide ‘ArtSee’ featuring an Open House with student writing, drawing, painting, puppetry and photography –merged with reading, math, and science learning.

· More than 50 Middle School Students will perform and participate in the school’s first-ever theatrical presentation: The Musical - Once Upon and Island.

WHO: ArtsRising has implemented ArtsZones –anchored by schools that are linked integrally to their surrounding neighborhoods and arts resources in the communities and the larger city, to improve and expand equitable access to arts education for the children in Greater Philadelphia.

Parents, community members and VIP’s (including elected officials) will attend these events to preview how learning in and through the arts is enhancing school culture, offering students a forum to showcase their talents and providing opportunities for the school to develop stronger ties with the community around them.

Teachers will also be on hand to share how the arts are supporting student engagement and success.

WHEN: ArtSee: February 23 at 10:30 am -12:00 pm

Once Upon an Island: February 25 at 7:00 pm/February 26 at 2:00 pm

WHERE: Grover Washington, Jr. Middle School

(201 E. Olney Avenue, Philadelphia)

SPONSOR: ArtsRising, a youth initiative organization funded by the Philadelphia Education Fund, Public Citizens for Children and Youth and the Fleisher Art Memorial.

COVERAGE:

· Feature story on transformation of school into an ArtsZone Hub

· Preview performance, calendar listing

· Cover performance or ArtSee: interview attendees and leadership

WHY: Highlight positive youth-oriented story that is helping communities thrive.

CONTACT: Rosslynn Pieters, Communications for ArtsRising. (914) 833-7093 rpieters@douglasgould.com; or Patricia Haubnerphaubner@douglasgould.com

ArtsRising is a bridge to connect all children in Greater Philadelphia through schools and neighborhoods to the city’s diverse arts and cultural community and a high-quality education inclusive of the arts to prepare young people for success in school and in life. A collaborative initiative, ArtsRising is lead by a partnership between the Philadelphia Education Fund, Public Citizens for Children and Youth and Fleisher Art Memorial. To learn more about ArtsRising visit: www.myartsrising.org.

Universities Withholding Public Information? You Flunk - voiceofsandiego.org: Schooled: The Education Blog

Universities Withholding Public Information? You Flunk

By Emily Alpert

Californians Aware, a nonprofit that advocates for government transparency, is requesting public information from universities and community colleges across the state and grading the schools on their results — literally.

Locally, the San Diego Community College District got an A, San Diego State University got an A+, and the University of California San Diego got a D. (The nonprofit noted that if it hadn't been for delays in getting the information, UCSD would have gotten a much better grade.) Interestingly, that pattern seems to mirror the statewide trend, according to a Californians Aware press release:

A systematic check of how well California's tax-supported education institutions respond to requests for public information shows University of

The Scandal Begins Where are we going & why are we in this handbasket

Where are we going & why are we in this handbasket

Bloggate- Day 1: The Scandal Begins

When I woke up Wednesday morning and went to work, I certainly couldn't have foreseen what my day--and, in turn, the rest of my life--would be like from that point.

My alarm rang as normal and I hit snooze as normal. I dressed; ate breakfast (the most important meal of the day!); chatted with a friend during my drive to work; performed my requisite morning duty as lunch-room monitor whereby I'm supposed to "check for sticky fingers"--the thieving kind, not the danish-eating kind--in the food purchase area and make sure kids clean up after themselves in the dining area; and headed up to the planning center to start the day. All as normal.

But then a colleague pulled me aside to tell me that students had somehow found my blog and were all abuzz and up in arms about how I'd cursed and said negative things about students in it. The colleague wanted me to know in case it became a bigger deal.

I didn't realize, however, that it already WAS a big deal.

Within the hour, I was in a meeting with the principal who had a pile of my blogs printed out and sitting before him. Within the next 15 minutes, I was gathering my bags from my office and being escorted from the building.

I realize that maybe this escort out is standard protocol when someone is suspended from

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: LA UNIFIED OK’s ‘DOOMSDAY BUDGET'’

LA UNIFIED OK’s ‘DOOMSDAY BUDGET'’ 'We don't want to do any of the things on there,' a board member says of the worst-case scenario, which would produce thousands of layoffs and bigger classes. By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/fRMP2P February 16, 2011 - Thousands of ...

LAUSD OFFICIALS OK SENDING LAYOFF NOTICES TO MORE THAN 7000 EMPLOYEES By Connie Llanos, Staff Writer /LA Daily News | http://bit.ly/e3nMDm 02/15/2011 06:57:01 PM PST - Los Angeles Unified officials approved sending layoff notices to more than 7,000 employees Tuesday, to address a budget shortfall of at least $408 million ...

Well, 7308 is more than 5000…… LAUSD Authorizes Layoff Warnings For Thousands Of Workers MyFox Los Angeles - ‎12 hours ago‎ Los Angeles - Faced with an estimated $408 million budget deficit in the coming school year, the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education today ...

LAUSD PRESS RELEASE ON PLAN TO BALANCE BUDGET, SEND OUT 7, 302 RIF NOTICES “This needs to be a discussion about restoration—not just a discussion of restoration of jobs but restoration of programs and services in our schools,” Dr. Deasy added. “We need safe, stable schools where students receive a high quality education and ...

This Week In Education: Media: Status Check On Stimulus-Funded Efforts

Media: Status Check On Stimulus-Funded Efforts

by Alexander Russo

If you're seeing stories about the mixed effects of the stimulus this week, they're probably one of the 30 stories to come from this Hechinger/EWA collaboration. There are tons of stories out there (Schools have tough time making stimulus grade STL Post Dispatch, Reaching Ohio's at-risk students are main goals of Race to the Top program CPD, Districts bracing for end of stimulus funds Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Columbus must fix 'worst' schools or lose millions Columbus Post Dispatch, School-stimulus benefit may be short-lived Boston Globe, Can a private firm and federal funds fix this public school? CT Mirror). Their main finding? "Reporters have found that much of the stimulus money went to maintaining existing programs and staffing in schools. Also, many of the policy

Reformy Disconnect: “Quality Based” RIF? « School Finance 101

Reformy Disconnect: “Quality Based” RIF?

by schoolfinance101

I addressed this point previously in my post on cost-effectiveness of quality based layoffs, but it was buried deep in the post.

Reformers are increasingly calling for quality based layoffs versus seniority based layoffs, as if a simple dichotomy. Sounds like a no brainer when framed in these distorted terms.

I pointed out in the previous post that if the proposal on the table is really about using value-added teacher effect estimates versus years of service, we’re really talking about the choice between significantly biased and error prone – largely random – layoffs versus using years of service. It doesn’t sound as much like a no brainer when put in those terms, does it? It is actually quite difficult to determine which, in this case, is

This Week In Education: AM News: Budget Cuts And A $200M Reform Dud

AM News: Budget Cuts And A $200M Reform Dud [image: image from webmedia.newseum.org] L.A. Unified OKs 'doomsday budget' LAT: Thousands of employees would lose jobs, children would face larger classes, and magnet and preschool programs would experience sharp reductions under a worst-case ...

Denver Summit: A "Time Out" For Labor-Management [image: image from msnbcmedia3.msn.com] Here's a quick roundup of news coverage of the Denver labor-management summit, including a couple of high-level no-shows (At School-Labor Summit, Districts Seek Accord) and (from the Post) a claim that Duncan ...

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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

You Want Better Teachers?

From a parent to the SRC: An open letter

by Helen Gym on Feb 16 2011

Tags:

Universities Withholding Public Information? You Flunk