NJ Spotlight | Opinion: A Tale of Two Cities: Charter Schools in Philadelphia, Camden

NJ Spotlight | Opinion: A Tale of Two Cities: Charter Schools in Philadelphia, Camden:

Opinion: A Tale of Two Cities: Charter Schools in Philadelphia, Camden

The key to successful charters: keep the focus on the kids, keep the unions happy

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By Laura Waters, April 27, 2012 in Opinion |Post a Comment

The big education news this week in the Delaware Valley is the Philadelphia Public School District's announcement that it will close 40 of its 250 schools in September 2013.

Related Links

"A Blueprint for Transforming Philadelphia's Public Schools"

Urban Hope Act

"A Blueprint for Transforming Philadelphia's Public Schools," authorized by the five-member School Reform Commission, has decreed that students in closing schools -- about 15 percent of total enrollment -- will be served by an expanding charter network, known as Renaissance Schools. The central office, already cut to about 650 staffers, will shrink to 200 people, and all schools will be overseen by the largely autonomous "Achievement Networks" led by educators and non-profit organizations.

Meanwhile, across the Delaware River in Camden, NJ, under the auspices of the recently enacted Urban Hope Act, up to four charter schools -- called "Renaissance Schools"-- will be built to potentially serve about 15 percent of Camden's 13,000 students.

Philadelphia's edict has ignited a firestorm of protests and allegations. In comparison, Camden is a relative oasis of forbearance and support.

So here's a question you don't hear often: what did New Jersey do right in implementing a 

Compton's "Parent Trigger" Education Fight Heats Up | Mother Jones

Compton's "Parent Trigger" Education Fight Heats Up | Mother Jones:

Compton's "Parent Trigger" Education Fight Heats Up

by Kristina Rizga

Looks like the "parent-trigger law" debate is heating up between Compton' pro-charter parents and the Compton Unified School District.
If you haven't been following the news out of Compton, last month I blogged about how parents of kids attending LA's public McKinley Elementary School are trying something new: Shutting down the chronically struggling institution and demanding that it be replaced by a charter school. And yes, they can do that—thanks to a new parental option called the "parent-trigger" law, which allows parents to force big changes at the state's lowest-performing schools, if they can gather signatures from 51 percent of the parents whose kids attend a failing school. McKinley parents and advocates gathered the signatures they needed, but now Compton Unified wants them verified. Last month, there were some reports of alleged intimidation tactics while these signatures where gathered.
A press release I received says that McKinley parents are meeting right now to decide their next steps:

Compton's "Parent-Trigger" Update: Read the Compton School District's Letter to Parents

by Kristina Rizga

Last night, I asked Parent Revolution to send me a copy of the letter that the Compton Unified School District mailed out to parents of students at McKinley Elementary School. Compton Unified printed the letters on Wednesday, Jan. 19th, and sent them to parents who requested that this chronically low-performing school be turned into a charter:

"As part of the District's responsibility to evaluate the Petition, we ask that you come to McKinley Elementary School on January 26 or 27, 2011, between the hours of 7:30am-9am or 3pm-6pm (on either date) to sign a form verifying your signature on the Petition. Please make sure to bring photo identification (such as a California driver's license) as you will be asked to show identification before being provided a signature verification form."

(See full letter below.)
Why such extremely narrow window of time? The Compton District officials know that most Compton residents are low-income parents, often working two jobs. Do they open their mail every day? I don't. Will parents be able to get time off from work on such short notice? I can't. Not to mention that the district requests that all parents

'Parent-Trigger' Proponents Sue Compton's School District

by Kristina Rizga

[Update: A Los Angeles judge just issued an order temporarily restraining Compton Unified School District officials from requiring signature verification from parents of McKinley Elementary School students. The Court scheduled a hearing on Feb. 24.]
The "Parent-Trigger" saga at Compton's McKinley Elementary School continues with a new twist today. From Parent Revolution's press release:

"McKinley parents—along with pro bono lawyers from Kirkland & Ellis filed a lawsuit against Compton Unified School District for Compton Unified's illegal infringement upon the constitutional rights of McKinley parents and children.
The legal complaint against Compton Unified (Murphy et al v. Compton Unified) details not only violations of the Parent Trigger law itself, but violations of the constitutional rights of parents and children by the Compton Unified School District. Having already denied the children of McKinley their constitutional right under the California Constitution to an "equitable public education," the school district has subsequently infringed on the federal and state's constitutional First Amendment rights of parents to petition their government to remedy this violation of their children's rights "by crafting an onerous and burdensome process" intended not to verify their signatures, but 

Education Roundup: Armed Teachers?

by Titania Kumeh

This week's roundup is brought to you by the buzzword "social capital." Click here to learn what it really means.
Guns in Los Angeles schools permeated education news this week. Why? Well, first two students were shot in an LA classroom after a gun discharged in a third student's backpack. Then, in a separate incident, several LA schools were put on lockdown after an unknown assailant shot a police officer near a local high school.
Would armed teachers help keep schools safe from shootings? One Nebraska senator thinks so, and introduced a bill this week to allow school administrators, teachers, and counselors to carry concealed handguns in schools. Click here for Huffington Post Education's take on the bill, or find out how teachers and parents 

Closing the Achievement Gap, One 'A' at a Time

by Kristina Rizga

Editors' Note: This education dispatch is part of an ongoing series reported from Mission High School, where education writer Kristina Rizga is embedded for the year. Click here to see all of MoJo's recent education coverage, or follow Kristina's writing on Twitter or with this RSS Feed.
[Previous Mission High dispatch: When a kid suddenly pulls up his shirt to show you scars from a gang-related stabbing, what do you say?]
Early Friday morning Darrell* cracks open the classroom door for a second time here at Mission High. Darrell's nervous. He's been making progress and getting steady B's lately in Robert Roth's Honors History class, but today there's an hour and a half long history test. He's arranged to spend extra time with Mr. Roth this morning reviewing the material.
"Hi Darrell! I'm ready for you," says Roth, who hasn't yet had breakfast or coffee. Darrell nods and takes off his music headphones as he enters the room. Dressed in a Mission High T-shirt, he towers over his teacher. He

Education Buzzword Explainer: What the Heck Is Social Capital?

by Titania Kumeh

Let's face it: Jargon happens. And in education circles, it happens a lot. Curious what an education buzzword actually means? Or how a seemingly unrelated business concept migrated into discussions about kids and schools? Let MoJo's education team research it so you don't have to. We welcome buzzword suggestions in comments for our next primer: Help us decide what lingo to look at next.

This week's education buzzword: "SOCIAL CAPITAL."

What is social capital? It's not about money. At its core, social capital theory holds that "relationships matter" and that "social networks are a valuable asset." If human capital is about individual resources (i.e. the importance of skilled people), social capital is about social resources (i.e. the importance of skilled social 

Realization of the Week: The Same Classroom Is Never the Same

by Kristina Rizga

Editors' Note: This education dispatch is part of an ongoing series reported from Mission High School, where education writer Kristina Rizga is embedded for the year. Click here to see more of MoJo's recent education coverage, or follow Kristina's writing on Twitter or with this RSS Feed.
[Previous Mission High dispatch: Will Darrell flunk this test?]
There's a spring in my step as I walk to Mission High School this morning. I can't wait to tell Natalie—the aspiring astronaut who was "kicked out" of two charter schools—that my NASA friend has agreed to meet with her and give her some college advice.
But when I enter Ms. Bowman's World History class, Natalie's not there. Where is she? I wonder. Is she okay? At least Pedro's here, I notice.
Bowman begins class by writing the mnemonic "EMPIRE" on a white dry-erase board for a review of the

Education Roundup: More Segregation, Science Fails, and the State of the Union

by Titania Kumeh

[UPDATE: BlackAmericaWeb.com reports that Kelley Williams-Bolar will get to keep her public school assistant job, despite having two felonies on her record. Meanwhile, bloggers are asking whether Williams-Bolar is the "Rosa Parks" of education and a Change.org petition is demanding that Gov. John Kasich pardon her. What did Kelley do? Read on.] 

• Would you lie to get your kids into a better school? Ohio mom Kelley Williams-Bolar did, and was jailed for nine days for using a false address to send her two daughters to a better school. Colorlines andHuffPo sum up the racist undertones of Kelley's case, and the public outrage that's resulted.
• Also sparking some outrage is McCaskey East High School in Pennsylvania, which since mid-

WATCH: Lazy Teenage Superheroes vs. Robot Bollywood [Videos]

by Laura McClure

Speaking of pot, the charming little stoner film embedded below brings $300 worth of special effects to a plot just a tad more absurd than Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. Though sadly lacking in Neil Patrick Harris cameos, it's still worth a watch, if only to see what $300 will get you these days in the way of ninjas and giant robot effects. (Answer: A lot.) Boing Boing's Cory Doctorow sums it up thusly:

Lazy Teenage Superheroes is an extremely funny, extremely well-executed 13-minute rude little 

Education Quote of the Week: Arne Duncan on No Child Left Behind | Mother Jones

Education Quote of the Week: Arne Duncan on No Child Left Behind | Mother Jones:

Education Quote of the Week: Arne Duncan on No Child Left Behind

—By Kristina Rizga

| Thu Jan. 20, 2011 1:03 PM PST

4

Photo of Arne Duncan: Department of Education

Here's Education Secretary Arne Duncan on the widely expected overhaul of the nine-year-old No Child Left Behind Act, formally called the Education Elementary and Secondary Education Law, as quoted by AP:

"Everyone I talk to really shares my sense of urgency that we have to do better for our children. We're fighting for our country here."

What's he talking about? AP reports:

"Duncan has worked with lawmakers of both parties over the past two years to lay the groundwork for a rewrite." The new law "[W]ould ease many testing requirements, put a new focus on teacher performance and the lowest-performing schools, and replace 

The Church Speaks to Public Education Justice #soschat

Public Education:

Public Education 

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." - Matthew 22: 35-39
The Church Speaks to Public Education Justice
As we think about whether American society embodies Jesus' teaching that we should love our neighbors as ourselves, we need to be concerned about public schools, the primary institution where we have agreed to nurture and shape God's precious children. Public schools are our largest public institution, serving nearly fifty million children.
In the national conversation about public education, our role in the church is special. We are concerned about our schools as an ethical and public policy matter. How do they embody attitudes about race and poverty, power and privilege, and cultural dominance and marginalization, and how do disparities in public investment reflect these attitudes?
The United Church of Christ has spoken prophetically to name poverty and racism as among the primary causes of injustice in our nation's schools.  General Synod 15 warned: "While 

Sign on New National Resolution Opposing Obsession with Standardized Testing

April 24, 2012: Sign on to a statement calling on federal and state policymakers to reduce standardized testing in public schools.  The United Church of Christ Justice & Witness Ministries is one of this effort’s sponsors, that also include Advancement Project, Asian American Legal Defense and Education fund; FairTest; Forum for Education and Democracy; NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund; National Education Association, and Parents Across America, along with a number of statewide organizations and educators Diane Ravitch and Deborah Meier.  Add your name as an individual signer. Your organization may also sign on.  Diane Ravitch covers this sign-on resolution in her April 24, Bridging Differences blog.

Jersey Jazzman: Tom Moran: Reformy Mind Reader

Jersey Jazzman: Tom Moran: Reformy Mind Reader:

Tom Moran: Reformy Mind Reader

by Duke

What are we going to do with Tom Moran?

Congratulations to the Perth Amboy school board for the double-whammy last night when it voted to place Superintendent Janine Caffrey on administrative leave.

This move will waste money and hurt kids. Nice going.

Caffrey did nothing to deserve this. The charge against her was led by the board president, Samuel Lebreault, who is under investigation for trying to get free lunch for his kids even though he acknowledges he doesn't qualify. Caffrey has been 

The Difference Between a Speech and a Lesson [Open Thread] | The Jose Vilson

The Difference Between a Speech and a Lesson [Open Thread] | The Jose Vilson:

The Difference Between a Speech and a Lesson [Open Thread]

by Jose

I don’t know if I should reveal this, but, oh well. When I was approached months ago about becoming a speaker for TEDxNYED, I did my usual nod of approval and, “Cool.” I felt a certain surprise about being asked to speak to people I consider colleagues about my passions. Plus, I felt honored because, well, at the time, I still wondered how many people were paying attention. Slowly, I started to research what I haven’t heard in any TEDx thus far. It’s hard to sift through thousands of minutes of footage from all the edu-TEDs in the entire library. After looking at some of TED speeches I loved (and the ones I didn’t), I realized one very important thing:
This stuff is a LOT harder than teaching.

Don’t get me wrong: attending to 300 professional and attentive adults makes for a better audience at times than 30 students with different needs, attention levels, and amounts of breakfast. The consequences of not having a good lesson plan matter more than any speech I’ve written, and the difference I make with my pedagogy have bigger implications for how this small set of students approach math, something I can’t guarantee with hundreds '

Petulant [pech-uh-luhnt] - Wait, What?

Petulant [pech-uh-luhnt] - Wait, What?:

Petulant [pech-uh-luhnt]

by jonpelto

Petulant [pech-uh-luhnt]:

Adjective: (of a person or their manner) Childishly sulky or bad-tempered.

Synonyms: testy – pettish – peevish – irritable – cantankerous

It may very well be the single most shocking development in this entire bizarre situation. Yesterday, Connecticut’s municipal officials came to the State Capitol to talk with the Governor and their legislators about the problems facing Connecticut’s cities and towns.

Governor Malloy spoke to these Connecticut’s local elected officials and told them “not to count on any funds tied to the education reform package” because if the Governor didn’t 

School Tech Connect: The Appearance of a Process

School Tech Connect: The Appearance of a Process:

The Appearance of a Process

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

I have been critical of Elaine Nekritz over time, I admit it. I thought her performance during the committee hearing on SB512 was lacking, and of course her vote there was insane. She voted for a thing the consequences of which were totally unknown.

However, she is not afraid of answering questions, so for that, I give her props. I send out a lot of emails and very few people in the legislature ever get back personally. Anyone who bothers to answer my questions, I have respect for, even if I disagree with her.

So I sez to her, I sez...

Is there anything that Anders Lindall says here that you find to be incorrect?

"For at least the last two years, we have been calling for such an inclusive process, where we have a full seat at the table, which was not provided in this working group that the Governor appointed.

LAUSD CREATES EXPANDED TEACHER POOL FOR OAH? - Perdaily.com

LAUSD CREATES EXPANDED TEACHER POOL FOR OAH? - Perdaily.com:

LAUSD CREATES EXPANDED TEACHER POOL FOR OAH?

by Leonard Isenberg

(Mensaje se repite en Español)

(For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post) 

If you have been following the events at LAUSD, you know that many teachers are being targeted for dismissal for trivial and non-existent reasons. This has led to an increase in disciplinary hearings at the Office of Administrative Hearings.  I have become aware of a serious problem faced by teachers who choose to challenge their dismissals:  It is extremely difficult for teachers to find a panel member so they must take "pot luck" with whomever the Los Angeles County Office of Education provides. This means that the only information the teacher has about the panel member 

Hospice for schools « Cooperative Catalyst

Hospice for schools « Cooperative Catalyst:

Hospice for schools

by Chad Sansing

Hugging Salt Shakers by HarlanH

I have a weird relationship with public schools. In many ways, they made me (or I shaped myself to conform with their expectations of me) and – of late – I have tried to unmake and remake myself in response to them.
That being said, I love the idea of a place where kids and adults can learn and compose together in a sustained community. Moreover, I am an unabashed fan of educators who choose to do good inside the system despite its pressure on them to do wrong unto children. I think a lot of meaningful learning can happen in schools where there are people willing to let kids and adults learn meaningfully.
I remain at once hopeful and skeptical. Can enough of our kids connect with enough teachers in joyful, democratic classrooms to find lasting value in school? Can they find the kind of value that would inspire them to change schools for their kids? To change society?
What do we do for the kids kept out of such classrooms? For the educators who think they cannot run those 

Turning Around a Reservation School | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Turning Around a Reservation School | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:

Turning Around a Reservation School

By Anne O'Brien on April 26, 2012

Consider a community in which people cannot own property. Where housing consists of trailers or old manufactured homes packed closely together, with options for food and shopping very limited. Where a large population of feral animals poses a consistent threat. With high crime rates, high alcoholism, high gang activity. Would you want to live – or teach – there?
Alchesay High School in Whiteriver, Arizona (part of the White Mountain Apache Reservation) is located in such a community. Prior to the arrival of Principal Roy Sandoval in the summer of 2010, the school had the lowest math scores in the state, a 47% graduation rate, and a large population of 18-20 year-old students with less than five credits. There were 291 on-campus drug and alcohol incidents in the 2009 school year (SY2009), and “bootleggers” were selling alcohol to students from land adjoining the campus. There was great rancor and mistrust between teachers and administrators.
Today Alchesay is a much different place, according to Principal Sandoval, who I was fortunate enough to hear speak at the U.S. Department of Education this morning about the effort to turn around the school using a federal School Improvement Grant (SIG).* Test scores went up