Tom Harkin Releases No Child Left Behind Overhaul Plan:

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Tom Harkin Releases No Child Left Behind Overhaul Plan

Posted: 10/11/11 05:49 PM ET

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) released his draft of the Elementary and Secondary Achievement Act -- known as "No Child Left Behind" -- on Tuesday, defending its much-criticized rollback of federally mandated targets for student performance as a product of compromise.

"I would have liked to have had performance targets," Harkin said during a Tuesday morning call with reporters. Harkin, who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, negotiated for months with Ranking Member Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.). "We talked about this for days and weeks on end. Again, this is a compromise."

Harkin said that the bill's federally mandated interventions -- which would require a state to identify five percent of its lowest-performing schools, in

I’m an accountant. « Fred Klonsky's blog

I’m an accountant. « Fred Klonsky's blog:

I’m an accountant.

by Fred Klonsky

It happened again Saturday night.

Anne and I were as a social event with people I didn’t know. We were seated at a table along with two other couples, both much younger than we are.

“What do you do?”

“I’m a K-5 art teacher.”

As I often point out, in the old days this answer would have produced a smile and a response like, “Oh, that must be fun.” There would be nowhere to go after that and we would move on to other topics of small talk.

Not now.

They always want to talk about tenure, seniority, firing teachers, contracts and test scores.

Hilarious. Andrew Breitbart warns that #occupychicago will put LSD in the drinking water. Wait. No. That was the Yippies in ’68.

by Fred Klonsky

Breitman says #occupychicago leader threatens LSD in city water. Wait. No. That’s Abbie Hoffman in ’68.

Andrew Breitbart, the loony right-wing blogger, featured a post on his Big Government blog yesterday warning of massive violence at the day’s #occupychicago march.

Needless to say, there was none.

The post, written by somebody named Joel Pollak, breathlessly warned that “the Chicago demonstration is the

Peg with Pen: Teach at Your Occupy Movement Today. End Wall Street Occupation of Public Schools. #ows

Peg with Pen: Teach at Your Occupy Movement Today. End Wall Street Occupation of Public Schools.:

Teach at Your Occupy Movement Today. End Wall Street Occupation of Public Schools.

by Peggy

I have never been so excited to teach a class in my life. I head down to Occupy Denver tomorrow - class starting at 1:30 p.m. – to begin to share information on how to end Wall Street Occupation of our public schools.

I don’t have to use a scripted text.

I don’t have to watch and see if someone walking by is monitoring me – you know – to see if I’m focusing on the test prep skills.

And guess what??? I don’t have to feed the learners a test!!! No bubble sheets!!!!! How lucky am I?

Better yet – members of Occupy Denver have been provided food, shelter and resources to allow them to thrive,

New ESEA Senate bill posted

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » New ESEA Senate bill posted:

New ESEA Senate bill posted

by admin

Just received this link from Monty Neill. More on the new proposal to come.
http://help.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/ROM117523.pdf
The proposal is 860 pages long. You may want to jump in at p. 38, on assessment, on p. 111, where the school performance (i.e. improvement and intervention) section begins, or at the parent involvement piece beginning on page 149.

PSAT for 10-11-11: Support the youth movement for quality education!

by admin

An invitation from Chicago Youth Initiating Change:
Greetings,
Join the growing education movement in Chicago! CYIC and others are co-sponsoring Quality Education Call to Action for students, parents, educators, and communities. The event is this Saturday in conjunction with the Young People’s Project We The People Tour – a national effort to improve public education from the ground up! Find out what local groups are doing to fight for a high quality public education, what’s happening nationwide, and how to build greater solidarity in the fight for public education! Details include:
Register at: http://www.typp.org/events
We The People Tour – Quality Education Call to Action 

All Education Matters: We are the 99 Percent Tumblr: 17-year-old Indentured Educated Girl #ows

All Education Matters: We are the 99 Percent Tumblr: 17-year-old Indentured Educated Girl:

We are the 99 Percent Tumblr: 17-year-old Indentured Educated Girl

by Cryn Johannsen

I can't take credit for this image. It comes from the outstanding blog, "We are the 99 Percent Tumblr."

THIS. LOOK AT THIS. Her sign speaks volumes about how we have stopped investing in our children - our future. She is one of us now. She is an indentured educated citizen, and she is only 17-years-old. This is heart-wrenching. This is unjust. This is cruel. This is economic slavery at its worst. THIS. THIS is why I support Occupy Wall Street. Because, like this young woman, I too am the the 99%. I too want my future back. I want to know that this young woman gets her future back. It is time. It is time NOW. NOW. Not tomorrow. Not in the future. NOW. We're through with your platitudinous promises. We're through. We're living the American dream

LAUSD RESPONSE-TO AGREEMENT-WITH US DEPT OF ED /OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTICATION OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER & BLACK STUDENTS

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: LAUSD RESPONSE-TO AGREEMENT-WITH US DEPT OF ED /OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTICATION OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER & BLACK STUDENTS:

LAUSD RESPONSE-TO AGREEMENT-WITH US DEPT OF ED /OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTICATION OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER & BLACK STUDENTS

FROM AN INTERNAL LAUSD DOCUMENT

smf: An expert on language acquisition within LAUSD – involved in this investigation from the get-go - opines: “As well thought out as this is - and it provides policies that are an improvement over the current ones - it does not mention anything about primary language instruction or support or the right of parents to choose these. … This report will need to be deeply analyzed by people who understand what they are reading.”

Los Angeles Unified School District

Detailed Summary of Agreements— English Learner & Resource Comparability Components

LAUSD/OCR Resolutions Summary

English Learner Component

MASTER PLAN FOR ENGLISH LEARNER SERVICES

The District will develop a Master Plan for English Learners, which includes goals for its program for EL students, a program implementation and accountability structure to deliver English language instruction and services to EL students in all educational settings, including special education, and EL Secondary students who have completed English language development (ELD) instruction. While the new Master Plan is being finalized, the current Master Plan and District policies will remain in effect during the school year 2011-2012. The District will begin implementing new Plan by September 2012.

This Master Plan for English Learners will include a separate component (“Academic Language Proficiency”) that addresses the language

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Mid Day Posts

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Mid Day Posts

Because Mos Def Can Say It Better Than I Can Right Now | The Jose Vilson

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 23 minutes ago

Because Mos Def Can Say It Better Than I Can Right Now | The Jose Vilson:Because Mos Def Can Say It Better Than I Can Right Nowby JoseMos DefBecause Mos Def can say it better than I can (all emphases mine) …The fresh, the author and associates are proud to presentM-Def the Black, fantastic rawDynamic, true Ecstatic, ghetto outstandingClassic active every place, I haveThe skill, power, passion, raise your red lantern

Missouri Education Watchdog: Don't Pay Attention to the Organizers Behind the Curtain #ows!

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 23 minutes ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: Don't Pay Attention to the Organizers Behind the Curtain!:Don't Pay Attention to the Organizers Behind the Curtain!from Missouri Education Watchdog by stlgretchenThe word "tyranny" seems to be popping up these days when talking about education. Don Powers, an attorney reviewing how education operates these days, wrote:“What we discovered is a transition to a tyrannical form of government. Sections of the USCA that supported local, states’ rights and local control of schools as well as sections that placed ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Former Achievement First parents speak out!

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 23 minutes ago

NYC Public School Parents: Former Achievement First parents speak out!:Former Achievement First parents speak out!by Leonie HaimsonThere is a fierce battle over whether an Achievement First charter school will open in Providence. RI-Can and the other Astroturf groups funded by the Walton Foundation and the hedge fund crowd are pushing hard, promoting the spread of this chain of charter schools.As a public service, we are featuring the eloquent and stirring first-person accounts of two courageous and eloquent NYC parents, May ... more »

Early Draft Of No Child Left Behind Re-Write Reduces Federal Role In Education

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 23 minutes ago

Early Draft Of No Child Left Behind Re-Write Reduces Federal Role In Education:Joy ResmovitsJoy.resmovits@huffingtonpost.comBecome a fan of this reporterGET UPDATES FROM JOYLike567Early Draft Of No Child Left Behind Re-Write Reduces Federal Role In EducationFirst Posted: 10/10/11 08:31 PM ET Updated: 10/10/11 08:41 PM ETAn early draft of a Senate committee's sweeping rewrite of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act rolls back major accountability provisions of the law's current form, known as No Child Left Behind.The bill would require states to ... more »

Lobbying, Insider Trading & Censorship at the Washington Post: Kaplan U | Dailycensored.com

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 23 minutes ago

Lobbying, Insider Trading Censorship at the Washington Post: Kaplan U | Dailycensored.com:Lobbying, Insider Trading Censorship at the Washington Post: Kaplan UWritten by Danny WeilBusiness, EducationOct 10, 20110diggShareLobbying, Insider Trading Censorship at the Washington PostWhile The Washington Post (traded on the NY Stock Excange as ‘WaPo’) is known for its historic Watergate expose and the Pentagon papers, the modern Washington Post Company is a publicly traded corporation which derives 62% of its income from its primary subsidiary, Kaplan University, a for ... more »

Thousands converge on mortgage bankers at #occupychicago. Tribune has something in its eye. « Fred Klonsky's blog #ows

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 23 minutes ago

Thousands converge on mortgage bankers at #occupychicago. Tribune has something in its eye. « Fred Klonsky's blog:Thousands converge on mortgage bankers at #occupychicago. Tribune has something in its eye.by Fred Klonsky Thousands march to the meeting of mortgage bankers at @occupychicago

Respect Elizabeth Warren

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 23 minutes ago

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top PM Posts

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 23 minutes ago

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top PM PostsDiane Ravitch to Offer Keynote Address at First-Ever Bronx Education SummitBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-2 minutes agoWilliam Paterson University - News:William Paterson University’s Distinguished Lecturer Series Features Leading Educator Diane Ravitch on October 13One of the nation's leading authorities on American education history and policy, Ravitch will speak about issues related to test-based accountability and school choiceDiane RavitchDiane Ravitch, one of the nation’s leading authorities on American education h... more »

CA: Gov Brown signs bill restricting library privatization - PrivatizationWatch.Org

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 23 minutes ago

October 10, 2011 - PrivatizationWatch.Org:OCTOBER 10, 2011 HeadlinesCA: Gov Brown signs bill restricting library privatizationCA: Alarms about ambulance contract went unheededTX: Texans remain vigilant against Interstate 69IL: City mulls privatizing recycling; some fear union-busting agendaFL: Private prison deal has caught FBI and U.S. attorney attentionFL: Lawmaker defends prison privatization effortFL: With prison privatization on hold, GEO still vying for contract​MI: Lansing still looking into privatizing cemeteriesCompany refuses rescue of South Pole stroke victimNews summarie... more »

Glimmers of Hope | The Forum for Education and Democracy

Glimmers of Hope | The Forum for Education and Democracy:

Glimmers of Hope

October 11, 2011 - George Wood

OK, I’m a ‘glass half full’ kind of guy. And to start this week, what I read in the press gives me just a little hope that thinking about our schools, at least at the state levels, might be a little clearer.

First there was Governor Jerry Brown’s veto of the education bill in California. In hisletter, the governor chided the legislature for continuing to rely upon standardized testing as the only ‘data’ that counts when measuring schools success. In his own words:Finally, while SB547 attempts to improve the API, it relies on the same quantitative and standardized paradigm at the heart of the current system. The criticism of the API is that it

Jerry Brown Borrows a Line from Randi Weingarten - Dana Goldstein

Jerry Brown Borrows a Line from Randi Weingarten - Dana Goldstein:

Jerry Brown Borrows a Line from Randi Weingarten

by Dana Goldstein

On Friday, California governor Jerry Brown vetoed SB547, a bill that would have changed the state's school accountability law to encompass high school drop-out rates, graduation rates, participation in career and technical education programs, and student achievement data for subjects and grades that are currently un-tested, such as art, music, and physical education.

The bill would have likely led to the creation of additional standardized tests--but it also would have counted test scores for only 40 percent of a high school's accountability score, while the current system relies 100 percent on test scores. Nevertheless, Brown's veto statement, which is getting a lot of attention in the education blogosphere, argued that the collection of additional data would indicate the "siren song of school reform." He wrote:

Over the last 50 years, academic “experts” have subjected California to unceasing pedagogical change and

CHICAGO – 20 YEARS OF REFORM « Teachers Fight Back

CHICAGO – 20 YEARS OF REFORM « Teachers Fight Back:

CHICAGO – 20 YEARS OF REFORM

leave a comment »

Researchers at the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research tracked Chicago school progress from 1988 through 2008 and concluded: “Elementary reading scores didn’t budge much over that time, despite a massive effort of reform. While white and Asian students showed modest gains, African-American students did not improve at all.”

“African-American students, particularly males, fell further behind all other students over the two decades. The pernicious racial achievement gap is growing.”

The Chicago Tribune, (otherwise known as “teacher bashing central”), writes about the study, “The study didn’t pinpoint which reforms were most effective. It did underscore that there are no broad miracles in education. No single reform lifts all students.”

Did you hear that Chicago Tribune ? THERE ARE NO BROAD MIRACLES IN EDUCATION. Stop blaming teacher

Education Dept. gives $200,000 grant to charter school not allowed to open - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Education Dept. gives $200,000 grant to charter school not allowed to open - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

Education Dept. gives $200,000 grant to charter school not allowed to open

By Valerie Strauss

New Jersey state officials recently declined — for the third time — to give permission to a group that wanted to open a charter school that offered a Hebrew-language immersion program. Still, the school was awarded a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Education Department.

According to The Star-Ledger, U.S. education officials awarded the grant to a group called the Friends of Tikun Olam as part of a federal program to help charter schools open and operate.

Education Department spokesman Justin Hamilton said it was “not

On #OccupyBoston, Occupy Boston, and Twitter’s Trending Topics Algorithm « Student Activism #ows

On #OccupyBoston, Occupy Boston, and Twitter’s Trending Topics Algorithm « Student Activism:

On #OccupyBoston, Occupy Boston, and Twitter’s Trending Topics Algorithm

by Angus Johnston

The ongoing saga of Twitter’s trending topics’ relationship to activists got new datapoint in the wake of the arrest of a hundred Occupy Boston demonstrators late last night — the phrase “Occupy Boston” trended globally for a while this morning, while #OccupyBoston, with three times the total traffic, did not.

What’s curious about this is the fact that the trendlines for Occupy Boston and #OccupyBoston were quite similar before last night’s surge. In fact, the two terms rose almost exactly in sync yesterday until #OccupyBoston shot up as the arrests began after midnight. Now, #OccupyBoston had seen more traffic in previous days, but those raw numbers were tiny, and I don’t think they explain the failure of the tag to trend. Rather, I think the after-midnight spike holds the answer.

Why did #OccupyBoston spike so heavily as the arrests took place? Because of intensive, concerted efforts by

SEE NCTE Comment/Correction re: Schools Matter: Resolution: NCTE will oppose common core standards and national tests

Schools Matter: Resolution: NCTE will oppose common core standards and national tests:

Resolution: NCTE will oppose common core standards and national tests

by skrashen

Resolution on National Standards and Tests

Submitted to National Council of Teachers of English, Committee on Resolutions, via e-mail, on October 10, 2011.

The movement for national standards and tests is based on these claims: (1) Our educational system is broken, as revealed by US students' scores on international tests; (2) We must improve education to improve the economy; (3) The way to improve education is to have national standards and national tests to reveal whether standards are being met.

Each of these claims is false. (1) Our schools are not broken. The problem is poverty. Test scores of students from middle-class homes who attend well-funded schools are among the best in world. Our mediocre scores are due to the fact that the US has the highest level of child poverty among all industrialized countries. (2) Existing evidence strongly suggests that

Some Truth About Urban Prep and Why It Matters | AMPS

Some Truth About Urban Prep and Why It Matters | AMPS:

Some Truth About Urban Prep and Why It Matters

by Thomas J. Mertz

Veritas, by Walter S. Allward

The Undisputed Truth – ” Smiling Faces” (click to listen or download)

Introduction

To bolster their case and push their agendas, advocates for market-based education reform and market-based policies in general tout “miracle schools” that have supposedly produced amazing results . Urban Prep in Chicago is often exhibit A.

As Diane Ravitch wrote of Urban Prep and other ed deform favorites ” the only miracle at these schools was a triumph of public relations.”

Locally, backers of the Madison Preparatory Academy have incorporated much of the Urban Prep model in their plan and have repeatedly cited the “success” of that school as evidence of the soundness of their proposal. Just this weekend Derrell Connor was quoted as saying in relation to Madison Prep “We are using Urban Prep

What the Police Raid on Occupy Boston Tells Us « Student Activism #ows

What the Police Raid on Occupy Boston Tells Us « Student Activism:

What the Police Raid on Occupy Boston Tells Us

by Angus Johnston

A hundred members of Occupy Boston were arrested in the early hours of Tuesday morning after police tried and failed to get them to give up a satellite encampment across the street from their main Dewey Square occupation. Multiple reports from the scene suggest that the cops used excessive force in the course of making the arrests.

Meanwhile New York mayor Mike Bloomberg made his most conciliatory statement to date on Occupy Wall Street yesterday, saying that he would make no move against the demonstrators in Liberty Plaza “as long as they obey the laws.” Bloomberg, who had previously declined to answer questions about whether he would allow the camp to continue indefinitely, said yesterday that “the weather” could well be the determining factor in how long the occupation goes on.

What these two disparate developments — a raid in Boston, an olive branch in NYC — have in common is a

John Thompson: Coaching is Good for Doctors and Teachers Both - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

John Thompson: Coaching is Good for Doctors and Teachers Both - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

John Thompson: Coaching is Good for Doctors and Teachers Both

by Anthony Cody

Guest post by John Thompson.

Atul Gawande says that surgery is not like teaching where your best work is behind you by the age of thirty. Just kidding! In fact, Gawande's New Yorker article, "Personal Best" explains the value of programs for coaching teachers in order to show its potential in transforming doctors' practice.

In medicine, as in education, the temptation is to look for transformative changes rather than teaching professionals to be more effective. The most famous example was the discovery that simple checklists and reminding doctors to wash their hands were able to improve health as much as sophisticated technological systems. But Gawande also explains that "coaching" is just a fancy term for "teaching" and its most effective technique is "just conversation." Wouldn't it be ironic if the best way to improve teaching was through teaching,