This Week In Education: Politics: Redistricting, Campaign Finance, & Collective Bargaining

This Week In Education: Politics: Redistricting, Campaign Finance, & Collective Bargaining

Politics: Redistricting, Campaign Finance, & Collective Bargaining [image: image from images.politico.com]First the debate over education reform turned into the "war on teachers" and then morphed into a debate over collective bargaining for teachers, whose contracts set many of the basic rules under which teachers ...

Video Interlude: Starburst Prom Dress Took Six Years To Make Via Wonkbook and everyone else.

AM News: All Eyes On New Jersey [image: image from webmedia.newseum.org] Duncan visits NJ, says minority teachers needed AP: U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan made several stops in New Jersey on Wednesday, pushing a program aimed at recruiting more teachers to work in urban and ...

Best Blogs: Fallout From "Three Cups Of Tea" Fiasco? [image: Lockers] Columbine Anniversary Bomb Plot? Atlantic Wire: Investigators are looking into whether a pipe bomb that was discovered in a Littleton, Colo. mall was connected to the 12th anniversary of the shooting rampage at nearby Columbine High ...

Cartoon: Sometimes Adults Twitter More Than Kids [image: Liza Donnelly] "Mom -- the rule is, no tweeting in the sandbox.!" via Salon.

Thompson: You Broke It, You Bought It [image: Plate spinning]When I started teaching I was appalled by the conventional wisdom that the job of educators was to "keep the plate spinning" until the end of the school year. Two pieces in the Huffington Post, a reported story by Simone ...

Quote: "Yeah, Just Leave Them Alone" (About Reading) [image: ScreenHunter_11 Apr. 20 14.28] *"A lot of us couldn't read, but those of us who really sucked at it we weren't made fun of. It was more or less, like, yeah, just leave them alone about that issue." * - Jerone (upper left) in a segment from ...

What Do You Think? | Dailycensored.com

What Do You Think? | Dailycensored.com

What Do You Think?

Written by Ken_SayersDaily Journal (Opinion)Apr 21, 2011

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At sixty-eight, I can only pretty much sit and watch this country come apart. In 1965, I marched on Washington D.C. to end the war in Viet Nam. In 1968 I helped organize busses to go to Wisconsin to stump for McCarthy in the Greater Milwaukee area. Today I can only watch and write about what I see. It is not pretty.

I believe that Americans care about others, but how would anyone know? The “news” pounds us with the GOP/Tea Party solutions to solving a deficit problem the GOP created. It is a deficit problem that they perpetuate with their tax giveaways to individuals earning over $250K a year and corporations. GOOGLE and GE paid less income tax than you probably did. While the rest of America scrambles for the few scheckles that have escaped their grasp, it is no wonder that we are angry. The “news” ignores this and pounds away at the GOP/Tea Party agenda. When they discuss

solidaridad: Urgently requesting a meeting with the LAUSD Board President

solidaridad: Urgently requesting a meeting with the LAUSD Board President

Urgently requesting a meeting with the LAUSD Board President *[A] harbinger of how public education may look should the resolution pass. In fact, the closed meetings stand as metaphors for how the majority of charter management organizations work: undemocratic, top down, run by noneducators, and unaccountable to ...

"The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman" Premieres in May "The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman" is finally available. Get a copy of the film and hold a Movie Party! GEM - (The Grassroots Education Movement) wrote and directed this documentary in response to the Davis Guggenheim highly ...

VIDEO: Paul Ryan Booed At Town Hall For Defending Tax Breaks For The Wealthy « Larry Miller's Blog

VIDEO: Paul Ryan Booed At Town Hall For Defending Tax Breaks For The Wealthy « Larry Miller's Blog

VIDEO: Paul Ryan Booed At Town Hall For Defending Tax Breaks For The Wealthy To see the video of Paul Ryan booed at a town hall meeting in Milton Wisconsin go to the following link and scroll down: VIDEO: Paul Ryan Booed At Town Hall For Defending Tax Breaks For The Wealthy

Nation Magazine: Article on How the Koch Brothers Try to Control Their 50,000 Employees Published on *The Nation* (http://www.thenation.com) ------------------------------ Big Brothers: Thought Control at Koch Mark Ames and Mike Elk | April 20, 2011 On the eve of the November midterm elections, Koch Industries sent an urgent letter to ...

Walker Caught Picking Another Unqualified Crony *Another Walker pick causes stir* *Campaign worker named register of deeds over more-qualified candidates* By Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel April 20, 2011 *Madison —* In picking a new register of deeds for Marinette County, Gov. Scott ...

Paid Sick Days: Is this What Democracy Looks Like? ------------------------------ Milwaukee News Buzz ( 1 / 1 )

Great Editorial Column on Paid Sick Days *Against workers and Milwaukee * April 19, 2011 *O. Ricardo Pimentel Editorial Column MJS* In November ’08, city of Milwaukee voters approved a sick pay ordinance with 69% of the vote. Such margins of victory generally prompt folks to proclaim, “The ...

Jersey Jazzman: Go Leonie!

Jersey Jazzman: Go Leonie!

Go Leonie! One day, I hope I'm as fearless as Leonie Haimson: When Duncan showed up, I introduced myself, and told him I was very disappointed in his recent remarks to theAmerican Enterprise Institutethat districts should choose to increase class size if faced ...

What a Difference a Year Makes Chris Christie, April, 2010, on the local school budget votes: TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie today urged voters to reject school budget proposals in districts where teachers have not agreed to a wage freeze -- the majority of districts statewide. ...

The Usual Suspects It's like Groundhog Day: NEWARK — The state has narrowed its search for Newark’s next superintendent to two candidates, both with extensive credentials as reformers in tough urban school districts. Former Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Maria

Am I Blue? Yes, I am - I've just joined the fine folks at Blue Jersey as a Staff Writer. And I hear it pays almost as much as I've made writing this blog! For those of you who remain tragically unhip, Blue Jersey is the statewide equivalent of DailyKos: a ...

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: The 25 Thousand Dollar Tweet #tweettheresults

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: The 25 Thousand Dollar Tweet #tweettheresults

The 25 Thousand Dollar Tweet #tweettheresults #tweettheresults hashtag on Twitter - official protest hashtag We've seen people lose their job over Tweets and we've seen them get jobs through Tweets. We've seen marriage proposals and divorce notifications. We've even see Charlie Sheen earn six ...

Daily Education & Technology News for Schools 04/22/2011 - Earth Day 2011: A Billion Acts of Green® | EDN Educators' Network Earth day is Friday, April 22nd (the day this posts to my blog.) Get involved in the billion acts of green. tags: education earthday Posted from ...

Focus on your habits to shape your destiny "*Successful,** happy people have good habits that are life **enhancing*." Brian Tracy, Focal Point loc. 203 *What You DO Makes YOU! * Draw a line down the middle of a page. Make a list of the things you do EVERY day or almost every day. On the right ...

Teachers Still In Favor Of Spring Break | Mr. Teachbad's Blog of Teacher Disgruntlement

Teachers Still In Favor Of Spring Break | Mr. Teachbad's Blog of Teacher Disgruntlement

Teachers Still In Favor Of Spring Break

by mrteachbad

FAKE EDUCATION NEWS

-Everywhere, USA

Spring Break balances that most delicate of…balances.

Here, in America, most of us believe in the separation of church and state. Is Spring Break really about a “break”? Or is it some Overlord Christian Imperialist Double-Cheeseburger Fuck-Stick trying to convince you to eat those awful little marshmallow chickens and buy more fake plastic grass because Jesus has risen; probably all as backdrop to the United Egg Producers plan to rule the world? Or is it some sort of Zionist Plot to stop you from working so that you’ll be more likely to sit on your ass and watch Jewish-controlled media while not going to Chipotle at lunch for carnitas burritos?

It’s hard to tell. But these are the questions that Teachbad Education News (TEN) is utterly unqualified to answer.

(Egg facts: 1. It is estimated that the 2010 US per capita consumption of eggs was 246. That’s a lot of

58 percent of Denver citizens rate Denver Public Schools’ performance as either ‘fair’ or ‘poor’ | DeFENSE

58 percent of Denver citizens rate Denver Public Schools’ performance as either ‘fair’ or ‘poor’ | DeFENSE

58 percent of Denver citizens rate Denver Public Schools’ performance as either ‘fair’ or ‘poor’

by analyst

In a recent survey of Denver residents, Ciruli Associates found that the majority of Denver’s residents believe Denver Public Schools are performing either fair or poor. Overall, 21 percent of those surveyed rank the District’s performance as “poor,” and 37 percent called the district’s performance “fair.” The survey’s statistical range of error is ±4.4 percentage points.

Lead Denver Public Schools reformer leaves district for Chicago

by analyst

Many will not know the name Noemi Donoso. Donoso led the DPS Office of School Reform and Innovation for just about 10 months, which isn’t a long time, but it appears it was long enough.

On Tuesday, DPS announced that Donoso will become the chief academic officer of Chicago Public Schools. Donoso is the second member of DPS’ senior staff to leave the district in the past 6 weeks. Denver Public Schools Chief of Staff, Amy Friedman, recently left the District to become the executive director of a not-for-profit organization in Fort Collins.

As director of OSRI, Donoso had a reputation for being hard charging and passionate about her work, impressing many in the education community with her ideas and ability to get things done. Unfortunately, not many in the

On The Future of Teaching: The No-Stats All-Star Teacher | The Jose Vilson

On The Future of Teaching: The No-Stats All-Star Teacher | The Jose Vilson

On The Future of Teaching: The No-Stats All-Star Teacher

by Jose

Excerpt:

… we become so enhanced in our systems thinking, we use assessments less as indications of how one specific teacher influenced their ability to pass a test and more as an indication of the skills and values that teacher actually taught a student. Does the student think more abstractly now? Does the student have more stamina and focus on problems? Do they inquire and ask good questions more? (Yes, there ARE such things as good questions.) Can the student struggle with problems and use the tools they have to solve the issue? Can they connect discussions they have in the classroom with other things they’ve learned in their own lives?

As teachers, we won’t always need to be Kobe Bryant or Dwyane Wade, the high-scoring, high-

Greg Mortenson and the Trouble With Celebrity Philanthropy - Dana Goldstein

Greg Mortenson and the Trouble With Celebrity Philanthropy - Dana Goldstein

Greg Mortenson and the Trouble With Celebrity Philanthropy

by Dana Goldstein

I am pretty blown away by Three Cups of Deceit, Jon Krakauer's investigative e-book revealing the depth of philanthropic guru Greg Mortenson's lies.

To summarize: Mortenson is the founder of the Central Asia Institute, which constructs schools in remote parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. He is also the author of the best-sellers Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools, which purport to tell the story of how Mortenson's 8-day kidnapping by the Taliban inspired him to commit his life to educating the children of Central Asia.

It is hard to overstate Mortenson's influence in the world of international philanthropy. When President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, he donated $100,000 of his winnings to CAI. From fall 2009 to summer 2010, I worked full-time at The Daily Beast, mostly editing stories on philanthropy and international social

Robert Reich (Beware the "Middle Ground" of the Great Budget Debate)

Robert Reich (Beware the "Middle Ground" of the Great Budget Debate)

Beware the "Middle Ground" of the Great Budget Debate

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How debates are framed is critical because the “center” or “middle ground” is supposedly halfway between the two extremes.

We continue to hear that the Great Budget Debate has two sides: The President and the Democrats want to cut the budget deficit mainly by increasing taxes on the rich and reducing military spending, but not by privatizing Medicare. On the other side are Paul Ryan, Republicans, and the right, who want cut the deficit by privatizing Medicare and slicing programs that benefit poorer Americans, while lowering taxes on the rich.

By this logic, the center lies just between.

Baloney.

According to the most recent Washington Post-ABC poll, 78 percent of Americans oppose cutting spending on Medicare as a way to reduce the debt, and 72 percent support raising taxes on the rich – including 68 percent of Independents and 54 percent of Republicans.

Schools Matter: IRA President: Access to books makes a difference

Schools Matter: IRA President: Access to books makes a difference

IRA President: Access to books makes a difference The title of International Reading Association President Patricia Edwards, "President's Message" (Reading Today, April/May 2011, page 16) is "Access to books makes a difference." She discusses research related access to reading and the relationship ...

"Red Menace" Daniels Signs Bill Maim Collective Bargaining of Indiana Teachers The whitest and shortest Tea Party governor of the U. S. has signed legislation to silence any voice that teachers have at the bargaining table regarding teaching conditions, curriculum, class size, evaluation procedures, field trips, or any other ...

The World According to the Koch Boys (and the John Birch Society) *The Nation* has published a propaganda trove that the Kochs sent out last fall before the election to tell employees, their families, and anyone else unfortunate enough to encounter this mess how to get their political minds right. The Nation ...

Allergy to self-selected reading & libraries continues The Alliance for Excellent Education has just published: Engineering Solutions to the National Crisis in Literacy: How to Make Good on the Promise of the Common Core State Standards. This document argues that we need to continue reading instruction in ...

Mike Klonsky: Chicago Schools CEO Choice Shows Problem With Mayoral Control

Mike Klonsky: Chicago Schools CEO Choice Shows Problem With Mayoral Control

Mike Klonsky

Educator, Author of "Small Schools: Public School Reform Meets the Ownership Society"

Chicago Schools CEO Choice Shows Problem With Mayoral Control

"I wanted an entire new board, an entire new corporate suite because what's happening today both on the finances and the educational scores -- needs to be shaken up. And what I know in my heart [is that] the people of the city do not think we're doing what we need to do for our children." -- Rahm Emanuel

Rahm Emanuel isn't even officially mayor yet and he's already got the city and its schools in a fine mess. His appointment of the embattled J.C. Brizard as schools CEO (that's what we call school superintendents here in Chicago) rivals only Bloomberg's pick of Cathie Black in N.Y. as most embarrassing of the year. Black lasted a mere three months before high-tailing it back to the sanctity of the corporate world, where failure is more often than not rewarded with super bonuses and not just a kick in the ass and a golden parachute a la urban school bosses.

Bloomberg's choice of the eminently unqualified Black reset the I-don't-give-a-damn-what-anybody-else-thinks standard previously set by former D.C. mayor, Adrian Fenty, whose pick of

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Who sez there's no money?

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Who sez there's no money?

Who sez there's no money? Dropping the *Renaissance* brand* * *Renaissance Schools Fund, which for the last six years has poured enough startup money into new charter schools to triple their number in the Chicago Public Schools system announces a new $60 million venture fund to ...

Parent Trigger Draft Regulations for Charter Empowerment - Year 2011 (CA Dept of Education)

Draft Regulations for Parent Empowerment - Year 2011 (CA Dept of Education)

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Comments on State Board of
Education Action on Draft Parent Empowerment Law Regulations

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson issued this statement after the State Board of Education voted today to circulate draft regulations governing the state's Parent Empowerment law for public comment.

"The State Board of Education's action today represents another step in the process of providing parents with a more clear and workable process to carry out the Parent Empowerment law," said Torlakson. "I'm pleased at the success we have had in quickly bringing together parents, teachers, administrators, and the charter school industry. While differences of opinion remain about a number of issues, I am hopeful that gathering additional public feedback will give members of the Board the best information possible before a final decision on regulations is made."

For information on the Parent Empowerment proposed regulations, please visit the California Department of Education Website at Parent Empowerment Regulations - Proposed Rulemaking & Regulations.

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Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

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Hechinger Report | A state-by-state look at Obama’s big goal for higher ed

Hechinger Report | A state-by-state look at Obama’s big goal for higher ed

A state-by-state look at Obama’s big goal for higher ed

by Sarah Butrymowicz

In February 2009, President Barack Obama set a goal of the U.S. having the highest proportion of college graduates aged 25-34 in the world by the year 2020. Holders of both associate and baccalaureate degrees count. Last month, the U.S. Department of Education broke down how many graduates each state would need to contribute for the nation to reach Obama’s goal.

Using as a baseline the proportion of college graduates aged 25-34 living in each state as of 2009, the Department called for most states to have between 45 and 60 percent of their populations holding degrees by 2020.

Daily Kos: If you will be in DC area on Tuesday evening

Daily Kos: If you will be in DC area on Tuesday evening

If you will be in DC area on Tuesday evening

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

I hope you might consider coming to Eleanor Roosevelt HS in Greenbelt MD ata 6:30 in the evening to see Race to Nowhere. This is a powerful film about what stress is doing to our young people.

This screening is sponsored by Eleanor Roosevelt Science Cafe. Besides the screening, we will have a discussion afterward including the film's producer, Vicki Abeles. I will moderate the discussion, which includes two of our students who created this Facebook page to encourage people to come.

Besides the link above for the website on the film, here isa link for a recent segment at CNN that includes a brief discussion with Abeles.

You can buy your tickets in advance here for $10, or at the door for $15. I hope if you are local you will consider coming.

Hope I see some of you there.

Peace.

Shanker Blog » The Un-American Foundations Of Our Education Debate

Shanker Blog » The Un-American Foundations Of Our Education Debate

The Un-American Foundations Of Our Education Debate

by Esther Quintero

Being from Spain, one of the first things that struck me as odd about the U.S. education debate was the ubiquitous depiction of “bad teachers” as the villains of education and “great teachers” as its saviors. Aside from the fact that this view is simplistic, the punish/praise-teachers chorus seemed particularly off-key—but I wasn’t sure why. I think I may have figured it out. I think that it may be un-American.

Let me explain. This is a nation that is supposed to be built around specific core values, such as individual effort, hard work, and taking responsibility for one’s own actions. If so, isn’t the fixation on teachers—to the seeming exclusion of students and parents—an indirect rejection of basic American principles?

This is not a discussion of what the good/bad teacher doctrine misses —we know it misses numerous

Hechinger Report | For many adults, basic-skills classes are the best hope for a brighter future

Hechinger Report | For many adults, basic-skills classes are the best hope for a brighter future

For many adults, basic-skills classes are the best hope for a brighter future

by Sarah Butrymowicz

Ana, a 52 year old cafeteria cashier, completes an ESOL workbook exercise on the board at Harvard University’s Bridge Program. (Photo by Sarah Butrymowicz)

BOSTON— Across the U.S., thousands of workers stuck in low-paying jobs are trying to get a leg up through free basic-skills classes that train them in everything from elementary math to basic literacy.

Mya Maw, a 52-year-old Burmese immigrant, longs for a stable office job in Boston, where she’s raising twin teenage daughters and washing dishes at a hotel. To help reach her goal, she spends most mornings sitting through two hours of English or computer instruction, taking advantage of free basic-skills classes that are a small but significant part of a fractured U.S. adult-education system.

“I want to improve step by step,” said Maw, who dropped out of ESL courses that were too expensive for her in

Public Policy Blogger: NCLB reauthorization. Is there common ground?

Public Policy Blogger: NCLB reauthorization. Is there common ground?

NCLB reauthorization. Is there common ground?

by Anne Geiger

The fate of former President George W. Bush's baby, the No Child Left Behind Act, is unclear these days. Although crafted through bi-partisan action to much fanfare, the way it played out "on the ground" provoked controversy from the start. It's now unpopular with most everyone. Teachers, principals, superintendents, school boards, parents, children's advocates, and politicians on both sides of the aisle. Some never liked it and use its original name, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. And although everyone agrees it needs to be fixed, few can agree how best to do it. The disagreements seem to come down to how one defines the role of the federal government in public education. And we all know that's a touchy subject these days. But, I still believe there is common ground. If everyone starts genuinely and respectfully listening to one other. And if observers and commentators acknowledge the complexities and nuances of the politics involved.

In today's Washington Post, conservative columnist George F. Will writes about Rep. John Kline (R-MN) and his new duty as chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee. He's a former Marine who wants a "greatly reduced federal footprint in primary and secondary education," who "promises that the current system of