Thursday, May 26, 2011

Big Education Ape: 5-26-11 PM Charter parents to rally against NAACP’s lawsuit involvement Edition

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now

Published by Coopmike48 – 7 contributors today

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HEADLINES

Charter parents to rally against NAACP’s lawsuit involvement

gothamschools.org - Flyer outside Harlem Success Academy 1 on Tuesday. (Tony Richards) Charter school parents and advocates are planning a massive rally tomorrow to demand that the NAACP withdraw from the city teacher...

leoniehaimson

Department of Education caught up in another outrageous consultant scandal

nydailynews.com - Susana Bates for News The Tweed Courthouse at 52 Chambers St. in lower Manhattan where the Department of Education is headquartered. Another day, another outrageous consultant scandal at the Depart...

DianeRavitch

Louisiana can compete for new smaller pot of federal educational reform grants

nola.com - WASHINGTON -- Louisiana and eight other unsuccessful finalists for last year's national Race to the Top educational competition were invited today to compete for a share of a new but smaller pot of...

DianeRavitch

9 States Get New Chance at Federal Education Aid

nytimes.com - Nine states that were also-rans in last year’s Race to the Top school improvement competition will get another chance, the Obama administration announced on Wednesday, though this time $200 million...

arneduncan

LAUSD - The Making of a Trojan Horse by Mark Hemphill (LAUSD - La realización de un caballo de Troya por Mark Hemphill) - Perdaily.com

bigeducationape.blogspot.com - LAUSD - The Making of a Trojan Horse by Mark Hemphill (LAUSD - La realización de un caballo de Troya por Mark Hemphill) - Perdaily.comLAUSD - The Making of a Trojan Horse by Mark Hemphill (LAUSD - ...

coopmike48

EducationSee all

Chicago Shopping

chicagotribune.com - The outgoing board of Chicago Public Schools approved the appointment of the city's newest schools chief for an initial annual salary of $250,000 on Wednesday at a meeting marked by farewells and h...

coopmike48

The Corporate Dream: Teachers as Temps

blackagendareport.com - Printer-friendly version A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen FordPublic education’s corporate enemies – Democrat and Republican – now wage open warfare against teachers unions, seeking to strip...

leoniehaimson

Another Destructive Idea Sweeps US: Judging Teachers by Student Test Scores

fairtest.org - Mandated as a condition for states to receive federal Race to the Top (RTTT) funds, many states and districts are concocting schemes to “evaluate” their teachers in large part based on student tes...

mikeklonsky

PoliticsSee all

House vote on Senate Bill 512 at 9AM Thursday morning. Call now. « Fred Klonsky's blog

preaprez.wordpress.com - Early Wednesday word was circulating that Tom Cross and Mike Madigan didn’t have the votes to move the pension bill out of committee. All committee meetings listed on the House schedule had been ca...

mikeklonsky

Taxpayers vs. public workers — a bogus conflict.

ringstruetome.blogspot.com - Sometimes a storyline is communicated by a single word. Like taxpayers — a word that Governor Walker and other Republicans seem especially fond of lately."[Protesters'] voices cannot drown out the ...

DianeRavitch

The “Springfield Way.” Dirty deals in the dark of night in the final ten minutes of the legislative session. « Fred Klonsky's blog

preaprez.wordpress.com - Last year they passed a two-tier pension plan in the Illinois legislature in 12 hours. No discussion. No debate. Teachers hired after January one of this year will need to work 44 years in order to...

fklonsky

Art & EntertainmentSee all

'I woz 'ere and I failed' | Education

guardian.co.uk - Fielding doesn't fancy being an exam invigilator and having to see 'those tortured little faces'. Photograph: Antonio Olmos It's the dread exam season.Do I want to be an invigilator?To perk up the ...

mikeklonsky

Terapia adultos: Cómo surje el miedo a ser rechazado en las interacciones sociales

vivirlaeducacion.com - Publicado el 27 Mayo 2011Archivado en Josep | 19 mayo, 2011 por Psicólogos Bonnet Una de las creencias que se suelen tener cuando las personas evitan el relacionarse socialmente es el miedo a ser r...

coopmike48

McLeod Reads | Dangerously Irrelevant

bigthink.com - There’s a lot of stuff that comes through my Twitter stream. In addition to independent tweets, there also are my posts from here and Mind Dump, my Delicious bookmarks, things that I share from Goo...

coopmike48

BusinessSee all

Your Illinois News Radar » Here comes the pension bill

capitolfax.com - * House Republican Leader Tom Cross unveiled his pension reform proposal yesterday… The plan, endorsed by the top Democrat and the top Republican in the Illinois House, would require many state emp...

tbfurman

Chicago Teachers Union says ‘swaps’ payments sap schools - Chicago Sun

suntimes.com - BY DAVID ROEDER Business Reporter/droeder@suntimes.com May 26, 2011 05:06AM Four investment banks are costing the Chicago Public Schools $35.9 million in annual interest payments tied to so-called ...

mikeklonsky

Defined-Contribution Plan v. Defined-Benefit Plan

teacherpoetmusicianglenbrown.blogspot.com - Ø With a Defined Contribution Plan (401k, 403b, 457), only your contributions are defined;Ø Your benefit is not guaranteed;Ø Your benefit is based upon investment earnings;Ø Your benefit ends w...

fklonsky

StoriesSee all

You Must Do This Now

schooltechconnect.com - You have to call. Faxes are also good. Letters are also good. But you absolutely have to call. Below is a clip from my own call to my state representative, whom I haven't met yet. During the call, ...

tbfurman

Give me a break, Tommy! « Fred Klonsky's blog

preaprez.wordpress.com - I’ve looked at this Bill and actually read it all the way through. SB512 does not get rid of pensions like many are saying but it does give people an option to choose what type of plan it is whethe...

fklonsky

Sacramento Press / Pink Fire Trucks on Tour

sacramentopress.com - I figure these firemen are secure in their manliness since they are dressed in pink and drive around in pink fire trucks all over the country. They are on a mission: to raise awareness and money fo...

coopmike48

CrimeSee all

Judge strikes down Walker's collective bargaining law

host.madison.com - MARY SPICUZZA | mspicuzza@madison.com | 608-252-6122 madison.com | | Posted: Thursday, May 26, 2011 9:34 am A judge has struck down Gov. Scott Walker's controversial new collective bargaining law. ...

mikeklonsky

High court tosses ruling on interviewing children

boston.com - WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court on Thursday threw out a lower court's ruling that authorities need warrants to talk to potential victims of sex abuse at school, without saying whether it thought the e...

coopmike48

#edreform Read this paperSee all

#ece Read this paperSee all

Media3

tbfurman

DianeRavitch

coopmike48

Photos1

arneduncan

Compton schools: Charter school group's petition for Compton campus is approved - latimes.com

L.A. County education officials OK Compton charter school

Celerity Educational Group's petition to open a campus was rejected by Compton's school board. But its successful appeal to L.A. County education officials means that a kindergarten through fifth-grade campus will operate in a neighborhood church.

Members of the community organization Parent Revolution at then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's news conference at the Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School in Los Angeles. (Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times / January 7, 2010)

By Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times

May 26, 2011

Compton parents, stymied in their efforts to petition for sweeping changes at their low-performing elementary school, now have another choice: They can send their children to a newly approved charter campus instead.

Celerity Educational Group announced Wednesday that its petition to start a school in Compton, which was rejected by the city school board, has been approved on appeal by Los Angeles County education officials. The group, which operates four schools throughout the area, plans to open the Compton program this fall for 220 children in kindergarten through fifth grade at a neighborhood church.

Parents said they were jubilant to finally have another choice for their children besides McKinley Elementary School, where standardized test scores are rising but still rank in the bottom 10% of elementary schools statewide.

"This just shows when parents join together, we can win," said Raquel Benitez, a McKinley mother of four.

The announcement marks the latest twist in the long battle over McKinley. The school has become a closely watched test case for the state's new Parent Trigger law, which allows

Modern School: One More Reason to Hate Wall Street (And Charter Schools)

One More Reason to Hate Wall Street (And Charter Schools)

from Modern School by Michael Dunn

It is obvious how private charter schools can turn a profit by spending less on salaries, maintenance, supplies and services than they take in from local and state taxes and donations from wealthy philanthropists. What has been flying under the radar is what hedge fund managers, big banks and foundations hope to get out of their investments in charter schools. In a recent report on Democracy Now, Juan Gonzalez turned up an obscure tax credit that was passed by Congress at the end of the Clinton administration in 2000, called a New Markets tax credit. It provides an enormous federal tax credit to banks and equity funds that invest in community projects in underserved communities. The credit has been heavily used in recent years for charter schools.

Gonzalez says that when investors put up the money to build charter schools, they can double their money in seven years through this 39% tax credit. Because it is a tax credit on money that they’re lending, they also get to collect interest on the loans. So it is immensely profitable to

NYC Public School Parents: Ed Reform Meets the Mets

Ed Reform Meets the Mets

by Gary Babad

May 26, 2011 (GBN News): Long suffering Mets fans may finally have found their knight in shining armor, when it was announced today that that hedge fund manager David Einhorn will be buying a substantial minority stake in the team. Mr. Einhorn, a member of the Board of Advisors for Democrats for Education Reform (DFER), told reporters that he will use his leverage to “turn around” the team using the same reform model his organization champions in the nation’s schools.

While Mr. Einhorn did not give any hint as to precisely what changes he will push for, GBN News has obtained a copy of the proposal he had presented to the Mets’ principal owner, Fred Wilpon. Highlights of Mr. Einhorn’s reform ideas, as gleaned from the proposal, are:

Given that the “traditional baseball manager” simply maintains the “status quo” in the sport, the team will lobby Major League Baseball to partner with philanthropist Eli Broad in setting up a “Managers’ Academy”. Based on the premise that “a good manager can manage anything”, the Academy will train managers from the business and legal fields to transfer their skills to directing a big league club.

In what one might think would be the most popular reform with fans, the Mets will immediately release half the team. However, the players slated to be fired will be the most experienced team members. To replace them, new players will be recruited through another initiative, “Play for New York”. Top high school and college graduates,

Rhee pitches to supportive crowd | EdNewsColorado

Rhee pitches to supportive crowd

by Todd Engdahl

Education reformer Michelle Rhee brought her message of educational competitiveness, school choice and high student expectations to a friendly Denver audience today.

Rhee, the former chancellor of the Washington, D.C., schools who now heads an education reform advocacy group, spoke to a crowd of nearly 1,000 at the spring lunch of ACE Scholarships, the organization that provides financial support for low-income students to attend private K-12 schools.

Michelle Rhee, CEO of the advocacy group StudentsFirst.

“It’s absolutely possible” to improve education for every American child, Rhee said. The question is, “Do we as adults have the wherewithal? … This work is incredibly difficult and messy.”

First, she said, Americans have to “regain our edge and competitive spirit.” Rhee said she’s concerne

Cure for the Cameron Diaz

ASCD Inservice: Cure for the Cameron Diaz

Cure for the Cameron Diaz

I swear I have a sense of humor, but so close on the heels of states stripping teacher rights and benefits, trailers for Bad Teacher--the Cameron Diaz comeback vehicle and extension of the Bad Santa brand--make me cringe. ("I became a teacher for all the right reasons: summers off, no accountability.")

No worries--a few education documentaries are making the rounds this summer, offering a more thoughtful take on education (though Bad Teacher's portrayal of high stakes test pressure is nottotally off-base).

Here's a preview:

American Teacher / USA, 2011 (Director: Vanessa Roth) — Through vignettes following several teachers in varying circumstances, viewers learn the societal cost of low teacher salary, support, and status in the U.S. (Read previous post on this film.)
The Bully Project / USA, 2011 (Director: Lee Hirsch) — A sensitive examination of an urgent crisis in American society, this film follows five children and their families over the course of one school year as

70,000 teacher in Oaxaca, Mexico return to the streets. « Fred Klonsky's blog

70,000 teacher in Oaxaca, Mexico return to the streets.

by Fred Klonsky

Back in 2006 union teachers on strike in one of Mexico’s poorest states were brutally attacked by the state government.

But now they are back on the street.

Thousands of teachers turned out for a march in Oaxaca city, the capital of the like-named southern Mexican state, at the start of a strike that is affecting 1.3 million students.
SNTE teachers union Local 22, which has 70,000 members, staged four marches

Support a Teacher | Donate to SVEF!

Dear TOP-Ed Reader,

As County Superintendent of Schools, I invite you to join me in thanking our teachers for all they do -- for their dedication, caring and belief that their hard work today will pay off. We are fortunate to have dedicated, competent teachers that work in our schools today.

It's never been more difficult to be a teacher with fewer and fewer resources each year. California ranks 47th nationally in spending on education, at $7,500 per student per year. New York and New Jersey spend more than twice that amount.

That's where Silicon Valley Education Foundationcomes in: we provide more than $100,000 in Teacher Innovation Grants each year to give teachers the opportunity to inspire their students in new and innovative ways.

Can you help teachers with the vital resources they need? A $500 contribution will provide one Teacher Innovation Grant, but any donation, no matter what size, will help our teachers and students.

Sincerely,

Charles Weis, Ph.D.
Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools
and Board Member of
Silicon Valley Education Foundation

Tired of hearing about IL pension news? Me too. Too bad. We have four more days to drive a stake into this sucker. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Tired of hearing about IL pension news? Me too. Too bad. We have four more days to drive a stake into this sucker.

by Fred Klonsky

Liberal north shore Democrat, Dan Bliss, voted present.

As I reported earlier, Representative Bliss voted “present” today. He’s a member of the House committee on pensions. What the hell?

Bliss is a liberal Democrat from Skokie.

You might want to make some calls to Dan.

Springfield Office:
280-S Stratton Office Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-4194
(217) 558-3740 FAX
District Office:
3706 Dempster Street
Skokie, IL 60076
(847) 568-1250
(847) 568-1256 FAX
Cook County
Email: RepBiss@gmail.com

Did you know that the IEA gave $60,000 to Tom Cross’ election campaign fund? Cross is the pension bill’s main sponsor.

Since the bill came out of committee today, it will be voted on by the entire Illinois House of Representatives tomorrow, Friday. Call 1 888 412 6570. Say “I strongly urge you to vote no on Senate Bill 512. I strongly urge you to reject any reduction in benefits in increases in costs to teachers in the retirement plan.”

Then call again.

Here’s something you may not know about the Cross/Madigan plan.

Tier 1 members will have a choice every 3 years as to whether or not they will stay in their current plan. The member contribution will increase from one election period to the next. So the cost of staying in Tier 1 will become more and more expensive until the Tier 1 member will not be able to afford the plan. Members who fail to elect will default into Tier 2. Current Tier 2 members can elect to participate in the defined contribution plan.

This means that if you stay in the present TRS plan, pay the added almost 5%, your contribution will most certainly go up in three years. You will never be able to make long-range financial plans about your retirement contribution.

We are on it in Park Ridge. Tuesday morning I met with several dozen teachers at Lincoln Middle School to answer questions about the present crisis. This morning dozen gathered at Roosevelt, cell phones in hand, and made calls together. Meanwhile I went over to the Emerson LRC and I kept looking over as I talked and more and more folks came into the room. Field Elementary tomorrow.

The good side of this is that never have teachers in our schools been more aware of the details of their retirement plan. It’s been a wake-up call, as my friend Matthew said. There’s nothing like fighting for something to make you aware of how valuable it is.

And then I have wondered why we can’t seem to get many, many more of the good folks who have fought along with us on issues like standardized testing, NCLB and Race to the Top, to now speak up and join us in our defense of our pensions and bargaining rights?

Just wondering, is all.

What Does It Mean to Be An American Teacher?

ASCD Inservice: What Does It Mean to Be An American Teacher?

What Does It Mean to Be An American Teacher?

American Teacher, the new documentary from the Teacher Salary Project, opens with several people telling the camera what they love about being teachers, and a quote from Arne Duncan that puts these testimonials under the macro-scope:

"Without effective teachers, we don't have a democracy," says Duncan.

Given the huge demand for talented teachers and passionate testimonials from practitioners--what could go wrong? Through storytelling and sobering statistics, American Teacher explores the mismatch between the value of effective teachers and the United States' history of disinvestment in teacher salary, support, and status.

On average, teachers work longer hours (the film cites 50-65 hour work weeks), for less pay (14 percent less than people in other professions that require similar levels of education), and with little on site support (examples of chaotic working conditions, teachers spending planning periods cleaning their classrooms, and spending thousands of dollars on basic

Wake up and smell the school cuts

Wake up and smell the school cuts - California Teachers Association

Wake up and smell the school cuts

Silicon Valley Education Foundation - Forgive Patty Koel if she rants for a moment; she has a lot to say, and most of it is dire. “The last few years have been the most severe in terms of cuts that have entered into the classroom,” said the president of the PTA Council in Millbrae, a small community south of San Francisco. ”Last year we increased the class size of our kindergarten through third grade by 50 percent, from 20 kids per class to 30 kids per class. This year we’ve completely eliminated five whole days from our school year. The school days are shorter; we have lost the dean of students at our Taylor Middle School; we no longer have a director of curriculum; we don’t have money to do staff development training for our teachers; we have reduced access to many of our programs, including libraries, technology, music, summer school, and GATE education; and our teachers simply don’t have the support that they need for the large class sizes without the instructional aides because they’ve been laid off as well.”
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L.A. County education officials OK Compton charter school

Celerity Educational Group's petition to open a campus was rejected by Compton's school board. But its successful appeal to L.A. County education officials means that a kindergarten through fifth-grade campus will operate in a neighborhood church.

Cure for the Cameron Diaz

Thousands of teachers turned out for a march in Oaxaca city, the capital of the like-named southern Mexican state, at the start of a strike that is affecting 1.3 million students.SNTE teachers union Local 22, which has 70,000 members, staged four marches

What Does It Mean to Be An American Teacher?

Wake up and smell the school cuts

Thousands of teachers turned out for a march in Oaxaca city, the capital of the like-named southern Mexican state, at the start of a strike that is affecting 1.3 million students.
SNTE teachers union Local 22, which has 70,000 members, staged four marches