Mixed Messages | Taking Note

Mixed Messages | Taking Note:

Mixed Messages

by John Merrow

Inside John Merrow's 'bipolar life.'

Lately, I have been living a bipolar life. Here’s why: Our production company, Learning Matters, has two editing rooms, and the sounds emanating from them couldn’t be more different.

“You want to become a civil rights leader? Become a teacher. You want to get involved in the greatest chapter in the American civil rights movement, dedicate yourself to the education of our young people.”

I hear those rousing words almost every day as we work on our film about New Orleans. They were delivered, sermon-like, by Paul Vallas, then the Superintendent of the Recovery School District in Louisiana. That message, and similar ones from Barack Obama, Wendy Kopp of Teach for America and Richard Barth of KIPP, have resonated, and thousands and thousands of idealistic men and women have answered the call.

Meanwhile, in our other edit room I regularly see these video clips of school leaders in another city, 

RheeFirst! » Divisive Darling of the Right Wing Michelle Rhee headed to Pennsylvania to preach her brand of corporate ed reform

RheeFirst! » Rhee headed to Pennsylvania to preach her brand of corporate ed reform:

Rhee headed to Pennsylvania to preach her brand of corporate ed reform

by admin

Just Like Michelle Rhee's
 Students first Astroturf lobbying (only Better)  

Michelle Rhee will be in Harrisburg, PA on 6/12 to plot corporate education reform strategy with Pennsylvania education secretary Ron Tomalis, and a representative of the US Chamber of Commerce.  If you’re wondering, the Chamber isn’t sending down Mitt Romney advisor (and Rhee backer) Margaret Spellings, but Cecilia Retelle—a former lobbyist for the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.
What will this trio talk about?  Probably not Pennsylvania’s opportunity scholarship program, given the recentNew York Times article exposing rampant self-dealing in the Pennsylvania program.  That might embarrass the panelist who lobbied for the program.

Modern School: California School Pressures Parents to Buy IPads

Modern School: California School Pressures Parents to Buy IPads:

California School Pressures Parents to Buy IPads

by Michael Dunn

The American Civil Liberties Union (ALCU) is challenging an elementary school’s drive to put technology into the hands of every student, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported this week. Tierra Bonita Elementary School, in Poway, California has initiated a technology program requiring every fourth and fifth grader to have an iPad or similar tablet-style computer. Students were given the choice of using their own device, buying one from the district for $379 (plus $79 warranty and $25 case), or renting or borrowing one from the district.

The problem with their program, according to the ACLU, is that they warned parents the program would be halted if more than 10% of families had to borrow a device. Furthermore, the principal told parents “We are just 15 commitments away from being the first school in 

Teacher Raises in Omaha

by Michael Dunn

As unlikely as it might seem, there are a few people other than CEOs and Wall Street Bankers receiving raises these days. Even more unbelievable is that some of these are teachers.

Members of the Millard Education Association (Omaha, Nebraska), have won a 1.5% raise for the 2012-13 school year and a 3.3% raise for the 2013-14 school year under their new contract, according to Omaha World Herald. The contract also increases stipends for coaches and other extra duties like band directing. Millard Public Schools is the state's third-largest school district with roughly 1,700 teachers.

Under the new contract, head football coaches will receive a $7,500 stipend next year and $8,600 in 2013-14. High school band directors will get a $7,560 stipend for the next two years. 

The cost of educating Latinos

The cost of educating Latinos:

The cost of educating Latinos

by Felipe Diaz

The cost of attending college has rapidly increased over the past 30 years. Since 1982, tuition has increased by530 percent.

As an undergraduate student, I have seen tuition at my shamefully-expensive private school steadily increase over the last four years while my financial aid has dwindled. I depend on scholarships, financial aid and student loans to pay tuition, so the possibility of my interest rate doubling on July 1 is terrifying.

While both Democrats and Republicans have agreed that interest rates should not double to nearly 7 percent this year, the Senate is at a standoff on how to fund the $6 billion cost of a one-year freeze. Still, in acontroversial move on May 16, Senate Republicans voted overwhelmingly for two GOP-written budgets that 

The Charlie Rose Show: Reflections « Diane Ravitch's blog

The Charlie Rose Show: Reflections « Diane Ravitch's blog:

The Charlie Rose Show: Reflections

by dianerav

I was on the Charlie Rose show last night. I was very excited to be there.
Over the past two years, as the debate about education has gotten more and more heated, I have had many opportunities to express my views on the radio, especially on NPR, but not so many opportunities on television.
I represent “the other side” in a very one-sided debate. I support public education; I respect the education profession; I oppose privatization and high-stakes testing. On the other are the forces of corporate reform, the folks who are pushing privatization and high-stakes testing and spreading negative messages about those who do the hard daily work of education; there are many of them and they have been interviewed by Oprah and all the major talk shows. Their views are often amplified in Time and Newsweek and other media outlets.
Up until now, as the debate wore on, I have had only two appearances on major TV shows: the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, which was fantastic (he is just a great guy to talk to and his mother is a teacher, so he “gets it”); 

educationalchemy

educationalchemy:

Even Snow White Would Know Better than to Bite into this Rotten Apple (Common) Core

Posted: May 24, 2012 in Uncategorized0

The National Common Core Standards (NCCS) are coming to a school near you.  While the name might sound familiar, what do parents (and often even teachers) really know about the Common Core. Who wrote it? Where did it originate? Who owns it? What’s in it?

Most parents concerned with their child’s nutrition read beyond the labels, and look carefully at the actual ingredients. For example, the front of the Trix cereal box announces it is “vitamin fortified with a daily allowance of calcium.”  But look at the ingredients.  Second ingredient is sugar.  Similarly, many fruit snacks proclaim to be made with “real fruit.”  That may be so, but look carefully-what else are they made of?  I’m not saying that parents are right or wrong for allowing their children to eat such food items, but at least we should all know what’s really in the 

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst moves $2 million to "BUY" Elections

Capitol Alert: Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst moves $2 million into PAC:

Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst moves $2 million into PAC

StudentsFirst, the education advocacy group formed by former Washington D.C. public schools chancellor Michelle Rhee, has poured $2 million into a campaign committee created to influence state legislative races ahead of the June 5 primary.

The "Parents and Teachers for Putting StudentsFirst" committee reported its first contribution late Tuesday,spending more than $400,000 on television buys, polling and consulting services to support Democrat Brian Johnson, a charter school executive running in the open 46th Assembly District. That Southern California seat has become a hot spot for political spending, as pro-charter interests supporting Johnson battle the

Beware of AstroTurf Ed Reformers 

Just Like Michelle Rhee's Students first only BETTER

Astroturf lobbying refers to political organizations or campaigns that appear to be made up of grassroots activists but are actually organized and run by corporate interests seeking to further their own agendas. Such groups are often typified by innocent-sounding names that have been chosen specifically to disguise the group's true backers

Just Like Michelle Rhee's

 Students first Astroturf lobbying (only Better) 

Other Astroturf lobbying groups

Just Like Michelle Rhee's

 Students first Astroturf lobbying (only Better) 

Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/05/michelle-rhees-students-first-moves-2-million-into-pac.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com:

Little Evan Stone Meet Whitney Tilson of T2 Partners LLC. Or Have You Two Met?

by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)

Not too long ago, in fact earlier this month, Whitney Tilson was involved in some sort of funny business with Barnes and Noble stock. We here at SBSBreported on it and called for an SEC investigation.

Today the Crack Team here at SBSB has learned through sources that Whitney Tilson is under federal investigation. We do not know if it is because of his imbroglio with Barnes and Noble, or his other famously inept Netflix issues, but the sources have confirmed that Whitney is being investigated.

Yes, it can be anything, it can be standard operating practices, and the Crack Team is working 24/7 to get more information. Perhaps the information we wish for will be revealed in 6 

Funding increases for school meals amid education budget cuts | 89.3 KPCC

Funding increases for school meals amid education budget cuts | 89.3 KPCC:

Funding increases for school meals amid education budget cuts

Amid all the bad news about budget cuts to public schools there is a bright spot: More money is now available for free and subsidized school meals, and not just for school breakfast and lunch.

For about a decade, federal grants allowed schools to serve after-school snacks like juice and crackers. But youth nutrition advocate Matt Sharp says educators had concerns about the program.

“Which is that the amount of snacks are too small, too few, driving some students to run off campus to purchase much less healthy options from vendors outside school gates or convenience stores,” he said.

A year and a half ago, a boost in the federal allocation expanded that snack into a meal. The goal was to tackle 

Boy mayors, pet teachers - Bites - Opinions - May 24, 2012 - Sacramento News & Review

Boy mayors, pet teachers - Bites - Opinions - May 24, 2012 - Sacramento News & Review:

Boy mayors, pet teachers

By Cosmo Garvin 
cosmog@newsreview.com

This article was published on 05.24.12.

Related stories: Make Fargo’s a triple Fargo attempts first ever mayoral hat trick. SN&R, 02.07.08.

The boy who would be mayor snagged a big endorsement this week. Former Mayor Heather Fargo announced on Tuesday she’s backing Jonathan Rewers in the mayor’s race, over Kevin Johnson and even Leonard Padilla, who has threatened to make Fargo his city manager if elected.
“I think Jonathan has got the experience and the smarts and the love of the city to be a good mayor,” Fargo told Bites. Rewers is chairman of the city Parks and Recreation Commission and a former longtime city bureaucrat—though you wouldn’t guess it by looking at him. He knows city government, he’s gotlawn signs, and he’s not K.J. Plus, as Fargo notes, “He looks younger than he really is.”
As Bites was putting this column to bed, there were rumors that even Padilla was considering endorsing Rewers.
Johnson, meanwhile, ran off to Los Angeles this week to hold a campaign fundraiser with AEG and Antonio Villaraigosa andRichard Riordan but continues to duck debates with his opponents because he deems them “not viable” and not worthy.
Indeed, Bites doesn’t know how Padilla and Rewers can put together enough points to force the 

Jeb Bush’s FCAT Listening Tour Begins | Scathing Purple Musings

Jeb Bush’s FCAT Listening Tour Begins | Scathing Purple Musings:

Jeb Bush’s FCAT Listening Tour Begins

by Bob Sikes

From the Tampa Tribune:

TAMPA –
Sarah Robinson thinks high-stakes testing has hijacked and perverted Florida’s educational system.
Carolyn Collins is worried about the self-esteem of students who think they stink at writing.
Those were just two of the concerns raised Wednesday night as the state’s education commissioner came to town as part of a public relations blitz in the aftermath of controversy over startlingly poor writing scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.
About 50 people — a mixture of parents, teachers and local school administrators – attended the 

NJ Spotlight | Spotlight Q&A: Randi Weingarten

NJ Spotlight | Spotlight Q&A: Randi Weingarten:

Spotlight Q&A: Randi Weingarten

At the Newark bargaining table, a place for the president of the American Federation of Teachers

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By John Mooney, May 24, 2012 in Education |Post a Comment

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.

When the two sides sit down to discuss the Newark teachers contract, it’s a pretty high-profile group at the bargaining table. In a half-dozen discussions so far, joining Superintendent Cami Anderson and Newark Teachers Union President Joseph DelGrosso has been New Jersey’s acting education commissioner Chris Cerf.

But even more notable, the fourth person often in the room has been Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers and arguably the nation’s preeminent voice for public school teachers.

NJ Spotlight spoke with Weingarten yesterday about her participation in the talks for the contract that will be central to the success or failure of Anderson and Cerf’s reform efforts for the district.

The former president of the New York City teachers' union also expounded on the reform proposals 

Missouri Education Watchdog: Are Arne Duncan's Educational Reform Plans from a Republican Playbook?

Missouri Education Watchdog: Are Arne Duncan's Educational Reform Plans from a Republican Playbook?:

Are Arne Duncan's Educational Reform Plans from a Republican Playbook?

by stlgretchen

Check out then Conference Chair of the Republican Party Lamar Alexander talking about educational reform at a governor's conference in 1989.  Do some of these Republican reforms sound like Arne Duncan's Race to the Top reforms?

 

Popout

From the youtube description:

Lamar Alexander lays out the plan to restructure education at the 11-2-1989 Governors Conference on 

Ignoring Facts about Schools and Society (Richard Rothstein) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Ignoring Facts about Schools and Society (Richard Rothstein) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

Ignoring Facts about Schools and Society (Richard Rothstein)

by larrycuban

This is the text of the commencement speech that Richard Rothstein, a research associate at theEconomic Policy Institute, gave  at the Loyola University Chicago School of Education.  Rothstein is also the author of several books on education issues, and is senior fellow of the Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Law and Social Policy at the University of California (Berkeley) School of Law. This appeared May 13, 2012   in the Washington Post’s “Answer Sheet.”
Congratulations to the graduates.
Good luck as you embark on new responsibilities in one of the most important enterprises with which our society can entrust you — the preparation of the next generation.
Yet you leave here in a national climate of mistrust for all government, including public education. You are entering a highly politicized field where facts are too easily ignored.
In medicine, and in all fields, we know you can’t design proper treatment if your diagnosis is factually flawed.

Romney Education Adviser and His Dropout Scandal | Mother Jones

Romney Education Adviser and His Dropout Scandal | Mother Jones:

Romney Education Adviser and His Dropout Scandal

—By David Corn

| Tue May. 22, 2012 9:26 AM PDT

10

Mitt Romney. Gage Skidmore/Flickr

With President Barack Obama on a tear in recent weeks to keep interest rates on college loans low—an issue that plays well with young voters—Mitt Romney, the presumptive GOP nominee, on Tuesday unveiled his Education Policy Advisory Group. It features at least ten education experts who served during the George W. Bush administration, most notably Rod Paige, who was education secretary during Bush's first term. The short bio of Paige released by the Romney campaign states that he once was superintendent of Houston's schools. But it fails to mention that Paige, once he was in Bush's cabinet, became mired in an ugly scandal, when the news broke that the 

Can a New Campaign Force Candidates to Prioritize Education? - Education - GOOD

Can a New Campaign Force Candidates to Prioritize Education? - Education - GOOD:

Can a New Campaign Force Candidates to Prioritize Education?

by Liz Dwyer

Popout

Two-thirds of swing-state voters say improving education should be a top priority, but politicians don’t always give the issue the attention it deserves. Now a new nonpartisan College Board campaign called "Don’t Forget Ed" is aiming to use public support to pressure presidential candidates to pay more attention to public education.
The effort has the potential to generate plenty of support: A College Board survey finds that the only national issues more important to voters than education are jobs and the economy. Voters believe improving the quality of 

Chicago is at the center of a teacher storm. « Fred Klonsky

Chicago is at the center of a teacher storm. « Fred Klonsky:

Chicago is at the center of a teacher storm.

by Fred Klonsky

What does a real teacher union look like? This is what a real teacher union looks like.
“It’s not like the old days,” IEA President Cinda Klickna said to me in explanation of why the IEA wasn’t doing a very good job of mobilizing members earlier this year, canceling a mass rally in Springfield with the bogus excuse of Capitol construction.
Recent attempts to take credit for the local demonstrations at many legislators offices are pretty smelly.
Yesterday, the young dynamic leaders of the Chicago Teachers Union took a page from those old days and 

WHY DIDN'T LAUSD'S EX-SUPERINTENDENT CORTINES SEXUALLY HARASS ME? - Perdaily.com

WHY DIDN'T LAUSD'S EX-SUPERINTENDENT CORTINES SEXUALLY HARASS ME? - Perdaily.com:

WHY DIDN'T LAUSD'S EX-SUPERINTENDENT CORTINES SEXUALLY HARASS ME?

by Leonard Isenberg

(Mensaje se repite en Español)

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

As I patiently wait for my court date before the Office of Administrative Hearings that is presently set for September 10, 2012, two years and seven months after I was removed from my class on bogus charges, I lament the fact that ex-Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent   Ramon Cortnes didn't think I was cute enough to hit on me, the way he did on LAUSD Director of Leasing and Asset Management Scott Graham. If he had, I don't think I would still be waiting for a settlement of LAUSD's bogus case against me and neither would hundreds of other teachers who have been put on protracted unpaid administrative leave in hopes that LAUSD will starve them