All Education Matters: Chris Hedges: Quebec's Fight Is Our Fight

All Education Matters: Chris Hedges: Quebec's Fight Is Our Fight:

Chris Hedges: Quebec's Fight Is Our Fight

by Cryn Johannsen

Chris Hedges is absolutely right. All eyes should be on Quebec right now. I also urge all student debtors to begin wearing a red square, a symbol, as Hedges notes, of revolt. The symbol means that one is "squarely in the red (carrement dans le rouge)," and "crushed by debt." I think most of us here can relate to that. Thereformists don't get this massive change in consciousness, and they will continue to hide behind their computers, urging people to sign petitions. If you dare suggest that this type of "activism" is futile, they will hiss and scream and make outrageous claims about how much better their plan is than anything else. They will beat their chests in rage, and ignore the horizontal protests, the swarms of democracy lovers, in the process. But the collective voices who demand true change cannot be stopped, not even by the screeching reformers who claim to be on our side.

Indeed, the protests in the streets of Montreal have not stopped, and it is now, as Hedges notes, "the longest 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

by Mike Klonsky

Marquette Prof. John McAdams

If Walker survives, "even Democratic governors facing fiscal problems will be a little bit emboldened to take on public-sector unions." -- USA Today, "Recall targets Wis. Gov. Walker, reversal of union rights"

Cal State Chancellor Charles Reed

“We’re not replacing library books, we’re not providing the kinds of student services that we need to, we’re not providing the kind of health care that we need to. This is supposed to be our work force for the state. We go down this road and we’re looking at an ugly Russian winter for the economy.” -- NYT, "California Cuts Threaten the Status of Universities"

Michael Winerip, NYT

My concern is that the lists are stacked. Schools with the greatest challenges can appear to be the biggest failures. At a time when public 

Treating teachers like the subjects of royalty. « Fred Klonsky

Treating teachers like the subjects of royalty. « Fred Klonsky:

Treating teachers like the subjects of royalty.

by Fred Klonsky

For those who just love everything about the Royal Family, this has been a great weekend, what with the Jubilee and everything.
Nothing like watching the Queen and her fam waving from a boat going down the Thames.
It kind of reminds me of Venetian Night here in Chicago where people sit on the Lakefront and watch rich folks on 

Schools Matter: Stopping Christie's Corporate Feeding Frenzy in Camden

Schools Matter: Stopping Christie's Corporate Feeding Frenzy in Camden:

Stopping Christie's Corporate Feeding Frenzy in Camden

by Jim Horn

A former NJ DOE employee continues to send us news of from his/her former workplace, where incompetent and corrupt corporate toadies now pretend to do the work once done by educators and administrators concerned with the welfare of children and their education.   To demonstrate the point, see what is happening in Camden and other New Jersey areas blighted by poverty.

If it were not for organizations like the Education Law Center in Newark, the corporate raiders running the DOE would have already turned over urban public education in New Jersey to the corporate foundations and hedge fund managers to feed upon, as they use their unmonitored charter schools to miseducate, to culturally sterilize, and to behaviorally neuter the children of the poor.

Below is the Camden story from the Courier-Post Online, and below that is David Sciarra's letter referenced in the piece:

The Education Law Center is questioning a request for proposal made under the Urban Hope Act, and approved by the school board earlier this month.

The ELC, which advocates for poor urban districts, including Camden, 

Commentary: Teacher voice must lead policy | EdNewsColorado

Commentary: Teacher voice must lead policy | EdNewsColorado:

Commentary: Teacher voice must lead policy

by Guest Columnist

Teacher Jessica Keigan reflects back on her hybrid role this past year and says more teachers must be brought to the forefront in policymaking.
I love to eat out. In fact, for my 33^rd birthday this year, I made a goal to visit 33 new Denver area restaurants. After a great meal out, I often think “I’d like to recreate that dish at home,” but truth be told, the reason I like to eat out is because I get to enjoy the expertise and gifts of the great chefs who are cooking for me. And even if I do try to cook a favorite dish, I would never go back to the restaurant and offer pointers to the head chef about how he is doing his job. 
As a teacher, I think about this often, as I hear various individuals commenting on how teachers should do their jobs. Of course I had my opinions about how teaching worked prior to entering the classroom. I, like most people, am a product of the public school system, which means I had roughly 15,000 hours of classroom 

Three Important Distinctions In How We Talk About Test Scores (Matt DiCarlo) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Three Important Distinctions In How We Talk About Test Scores (Matt DiCarlo) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

Three Important Distinctions In How We Talk About Test Scores (Matt DiCarlo)

by larrycuban

“Matthew Di Carlo is a senior fellow at the non-profit Albert Shanker Institute in Washington, D.C. His current research focuses mostly on education policy, but he is also interested in social stratification, work and occupations, and political attitudes/behavior.”  The post appeared May 25, 2012
In education discussions and articles, people (myself included) often say “achievement” when referring to test scores, or “student learning” when talking about changes in those scores. These words reflect implicit judgments to some degree (e.g., that the test scores actually measure learning or achievement). Every once in a while, it’s useful to remind ourselves that scores from even the best student assessments are imperfect measures of learning. But this is so widely understood – certainly in the education policy world, and I would say among the public as well – that the euphemisms are generally tolerated.
And then there are a few common terms or phrases that, in my personal opinion, are not so harmless. I’d like to 

And the “Cart Before the Horse Award” Goes to…Paul Vallas, Bridgeport’s Superintendent of Schools - Wait, What?

And the “Cart Before the Horse Award” Goes to…Paul Vallas, Bridgeport’s Superintendent of Schools - Wait, What?:

And the “Cart Before the Horse Award” Goes to…Paul Vallas, Bridgeport’s Superintendent of Schools

by jonpelto

The heavy boxes started arriving at Bridgeport schools a couple of months ago.

They were part of a five-year, $10 million contract with textbook publisher Holt McDougal.

Upwards toward $500,000 went toward new textbooks for Bridgeport’s high school English Departments.

When you’re pulling down $229,000 for a part-time job, you can’t sit around and waste time communicating with people.

So, with little to no communication between Bridgeport’s superintendent of schools and the teachers that actually do the teaching, Vallas decided what text books to purchase.

Despite being treated to that “I’m the decision maker - so I don’t need to listen to anyone,” it sounds like there was widespread excitement at the prospect of getting new textbooks 

Why the Federal Tutoring Program Is Failing « Diane Ravitch's blog

Why the Federal Tutoring Program Is Failing « Diane Ravitch's blog:

Why the Federal Tutoring Program Is Failing

by dianerav

An expose in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune uncovered fraud, waste, and incompetence in the federal program for tutoring called Supplementary Educational Services. This program is part of No Child Left Behind, and it created the equivalent of a voucher program for after-school tutoring. Instead of encouraging schools to provide trained and certified teachers for the extra tutoring that low-performing students need, NCLB inspired the creation of a tutoring “industry.”
Ten years ago, when Congress created the tutoring program as part of No Child Left Behind, proponents believed the private market would accomplish what the public sector had failed to do.
For the first time, many parents would have a say in how their kids were educated. If they didn’t like the troubled school their children were attending, they could switch and districts would pay for transportation. If they wanted to take advantage of free tutoring, they would have plenty of options, and districts would foot the bill.

 Entrepreneurs saw their opportunity and they took it. Thousands of brand-new businesses sprung up to take 

A Courageous Teacher « Diane Ravitch's blog

A Courageous Teacher « Diane Ravitch's blog:

A Courageous Teacher

by dianerav

Idaho is ga-ga for computers and online learning. State Superintendent Tom Luna has made online learning the centerpiece of his “reform” agenda. Tom Luna has close ties to the for-profit online industry.
Teachers welcome computers and technology in the classroom, but Luna takes it to an extreme. He views technology as a cost-saving device, so he is (paradoxically) investing heavily in hardware and software, on the assumption that in time there will be need for fewer teachers. Teachers are an old-fashioned, expensive, near obsolete technology. Teachers need health care and pensions; computers don’t. Teachers are ornery and they often have thoughts that don’t coincide with the state’s agenda; computers don’t.
A veteran teacher decided that enough is enough. She did something she never dreamed she would do. She

What Alabama Really Needs

by dianerav

Alabama is one of our poorest states. It has a large number of children living in poverty in urban areas but also in rural areas.
This past spring, there was a heavy-duty political effort to pass charter school legislation in Alabama. The effort failed, but is likely to be revived in the next session. Charter schools are supposed to raise test scores, and their promoters say that one day, with more and more charter schools and ever-higher test scores, there won’t be any poverty. Test scores are supposed to be the best antidote to poverty.
Not everyone believes that the world works that way. Not just because there are large numbers of college graduates who are unemployed and underemployed, but because poverty is a mass phenomenon in this country and will never be overcome simply by getting more students to learn how to pick the right bubble on a 

The Educated Reporter: High School Rankings Give Skewed View Of Campus Performance

The Educated Reporter: High School Rankings Give Skewed View Of Campus Performance:

High School Rankings Give Skewed View Of Campus Performance

by Emily Richmond

The New York Times' Michael Winerip has a thoughtful take on how the popular practice of ranking high schools -- including Newsweek Magazine's vaunted list -- can result in a skewed view of campus performance.

Various publications, including U.S. News & World Report and the Daily Beast, use formulas that typically rank schools based how many students take Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes, and then score well on the related exams. Some of the formulas give schools credit for graduation rates and college-going rates. U.S. News' rankings this year were marred by reports of faulty data  for two campuses in the Top 20. The problem stemmed from incorrect figures reported to the U.S. Department of Education's Common Core of Data, the federal database used by the publication to gather information about schools.

Winerip argues that these numerical compilations can't truly reflect how well a school is truly serving its 

Jersey Jazzman: Broad Infestation at the NJDOE

Jersey Jazzman: Broad Infestation at the NJDOE:

Broad Infestation at the NJDOE

by Duke

Jim Horn posts a stunning letter he received from a former employee at the New Jersey Department of Education. The letter is anonymous for obvious reasons. Take that for what it's worth, but keep in mind Jim's blog, Schools Matter, is an excellent resource with a solid track record. I'm inclined to take this at fact value:

Below is an email I received from a former NJ DOE employee whose moral fatigue forced her from a good paying job with the State. Read it and then you will know why the Eli Broad calls his kind of philanthropy investments rather than grants.
_______________________ 

I am a former NJ DOE employee who resigned recently because I could no longer be a part of the extortion and fraud that is taking part there under the Broad Administration of Chris Cerf, Penny MacCormack, Peter Shulman, Bing Howell, ad nauseum.

Let's review quickly: the Broad Superintendents Academy is an unaccredited program run by California billionaire Eli Broad. ACTING NJDOE Commissioner Cerf is a 2004 "graduate"; I use quotes because he never received a degree or meaningful academic certificate. The Broad agenda is to bring corporate business practices into public 

Trends in California ed bills | Thoughts on Public Education

Trends in California ed bills | Thoughts on Public Education:

Trends in California ed bills - by Kathryn Baron

by Kathryn Baron

Tomorrow is primary day, but last Friday also marked some significant yeas and nays.  It was the final day for bills before the state legislature to pass out of the house where they were introduced, also known as their house of origin. One of the big trends in legislation this year is an effort to move [...]

Finance reform without accountability could devastate career tech - by Jack Stewart

by Jack Stewart

Under the current K-12 public education system in California, programs that are not required, measured, or explicitly funded by the state will disappear from our schools. Elective courses are becoming victims of educational policy that only recognizes “success” as defined by scores on standardized tests in courses mandated for graduation or college admission. Since that’s [...]

Daily Kos: Suite 555

Daily Kos: Suite 555:

Suite 555

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

Let's talk about the independence of SuperPACs.   Were we to visit
Suite 555
66 Canal Center Plaza
Alexandria VA 22314
we would find the following SuperPACs, led by the people as identified as being in charged in Jim Hightower's blog -
TARGET POINT CONSULTING - headed by Alexander Gage, a top staffer to Romney in 2008.  The firm is advising both Romney's campaign and Romney's SuperPAC.
WPP STRATEGIES - headed by Katie Packer Gage, wife of Alexander Gage, and deputy campaign manager for the current Romney campaign
BLACK ROCK GROUP - headed by Carl Forti, the political director of Romney's 2008 campaign. Forti is senior 

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Become a Teaching Legend

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Become a Teaching Legend:

'

Become a Teaching Legend

by coolcatteacher@gmail.com (Victoria A Davis, Cool Cat Teacher)

Building a legacy
First impressions and last impressions is what everyone remembers. What last impressions will you leave in their minds? Some teachers have already checked out and have found a good 2 movies for the last 2 weeks of school and will show one a week. How sorry is that? If I want them to watch TV, they can do that at home for goodness sakes. We're not babysitters, we're teachers. When you get standardized tests done, you have the opportunity to do what you've been whining that you couldn't do all year long: let them create, let them learn, let them laugh, give them a reason to want to come back next fall.

You can build a legacy.

Teachers who help enough students build their own legacy become legends. 

If you take every year to help students, other teachers, and parents build legacy then upon that foundation you 

The case against single-sex schooling - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

The case against single-sex schooling - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

The case against single-sex schooling

By Valerie Strauss

This was written by Rebecca Bigler and Lise Eliot. Bigler is a professor of psychology and women’s and gender studies at the University of Texas at Austin, and Eliot is associate professor of neuroscience at the Chicago Medical School of Rosalind Franklin University. Both are co-authors of “The pseudoscience of single-sex schooling” published in the journal Science last September.

By Rebecca Bigler and Lise Eliot

Educators have spent several decades trying — and largely failing — to improve public schools. What if the solution were as easy as re-sorting students into their classrooms? Some supporters believe single-sex 

20 things kids should learn about money

by Valerie Strauss

Here are the 20 basic things that young people should learn about financial literacy — as recommended by the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability.
The council, named in January, recently released “Money as You Grow,” personal finance lessons for kids — and everyone else who doesn’t know how to live financially smart.
Read full article >>

The dangers of not teaching personal finance to kids

by Valerie Strauss

This was written by Brian Page, a 2011 Milken National Educator Award winner. He is a Personal Finance and AP Macroeconomics teacher with Reading Community City Schools in Ohio. He has worked with the Ohio Department of Education to develop Personal Finance and Business Education standards and serves on various education advisory boards including Vanguard, BizWorld, and FinLitTV.
Read full article >>

More than 75 vocational schools under investigation | California Watch

More than 75 vocational schools under investigation | California Watch:

More than 75 vocational schools under investigation

ideabug/istockphoto.com

Jennifer Gollan

State regulators intend to mete out swifter penalties and tighten oversight of dozens of private vocational schools that have been operating without state approval, in some cases for months.
The California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education last month directed its enforcement staff to investigate 77 schools with expired approvals. Bureau officials also decided in mid-May that all other schools that fail to renew their approvals on time will be immediately referred to the agency’s enforcement division. Officials also recently began notifying schools before their approvals are set to expire.
The changes follow an investigation by The Bay Citizen that revealed lapses in oversight by the postsecondary education bureau, including that it had allowed as many as 137 schools, representing 10 percent of the state’s private vocational schools, to operate for months without state approval. The investigation also found that the

State's top 100 political donors contribute $1.25 billion

by Elizabeth Titus

Coulter Jones and Elizabeth Titus

This story was edited by Robert Salladay and Mark Katches and copy edited by Nikki Frick and Christine Lee.

 

In a state with nearly 38 million people, few have more influence than the top 100 donors to California campaigns – a powerful club that has donated overwhelmingly to Democrats and spent $1.25 billion to influence voters over the past dozen years.
These big spenders represent a tiny fraction of the hundreds of thousands of individuals and groups that donated to California campaigns from 2001 through 2011. But they supplied about a third of the $3.67 billion lavished on state campaigns during that time, campaign records show.
With a few exceptions, these campaign elites have gotten their money’s worth, according to an analysis by

How we identified the state’s top political donors

by Coulter Jones

Coulter Jones

This story was edited by Robert Salladay and copy edited by Nikki Frick.

Kativ/istockphoto.com

“The Rainmakers” isn’t the first attempt to identify powerful donors in California.
The California Fair Political Practices Commission put out a report in March 2010 that looked at 15 groups that spent at combined $1 billion on lobbying and campaign contributions in a decade. California’s secretary of state has its “major donors” list. Although there are many similarities in our numbers, there are also some differences.

Civil rights groups sue state for violating rights of English learners | California Watch

Civil rights groups sue state for violating rights of English learners | California Watch:

Civil rights groups sue state for violating rights of English learners

pixdeluxe/istockphoto.com

Corey G. Johnson

Civil rights groups are accusing the state of violating the constitutional rights of English learners in the Dinuba Unified School District by implementing a program that bars first- and second-grade non-English-speaking students from reading classes.
District teachers and parents say the program, called Structured Language Acquisition Development Instruction, requires first- and second-grade English learners to deconstruct complex sentences and memorize formal parts of speech before they have been taught basic reading skills.
While other first- and second-graders are given books and taught how to read, English learners at Dinuba are

School bond measures raise funds from businesses with financial interest

Deanne Fitzmaurice/California Watch

Will Evans

As voters around the state decide on more than two dozen local school bond measures tomorrow, the campaigns promoting many of them are funded largely by businesses that stand to benefit financially.
On local ballots from San Diego to Sonoma County, 28 school bond measures would authorize a combined $2.1 billion in debt to fund school construction, repairs and improvements, according to Ballotpedia, which tracks ballot measures. Twelve of the measures affect schools in the Bay Area, from Antioch to Mountain View and Sebastopol.
Bond campaigns draw small contributions from community members and school officials, but the larger donations often come from companies that work for the school districts: architects, construction companies, and the financial and law firms hired to work on selling the bonds. By law, school districts can't spend public money

The Rainmakers: California's top political donors, 2001-2011

Lavishing their largesse to legislators and political committees alike, the largest donors to California politics spent $1.25 billion from 2001 through 2011.

National Resolution On High Stakes Testing – Yes, We want an end to the testing madness, but let’s not get carried away, here. Get it straight … « Continuing Change

National Resolution On High Stakes Testing – Yes, We want an end to the testing madness, but let’s not get carried away, here. Get it straight … « Continuing Change:

National Resolution On High Stakes Testing – Yes, We want an end to the testing madness, but let’s not get carried away, here. Get it straight …

by gatorbonbc

My response to a writer at Examiner.com — Piece entitled, “Killing the FCAT: Why not go all the way?” by Patricia Campion (Jun2 2, 2012) Link: http://www.examiner.com/article/killing-the-fcat-why-not-go-all-the-way

Mrs. Campion, This is a well written piece, but I disagree with your premise.
You write, “If we succeed in our endeavors, our children will become doctors, nurses, dentists, lawyers, police officers, firefighters EMTs and even nuclear cardiologists,  without ever having to suffer the indignity of being forced to pass a test to prove that they qualify to stand in that position.”
I must say – I disagree with you there.
While your argument makes sense, it is based on a presumption. I think that you are presuming that 

https://www.facebook.com/WearRed4PublicEd

http://www.saveourschoolsmarch.org/

SCOTT GRAHAM VS. RAMON CORTINES REVISITED BY LAUSD - Perdaily.com

SCOTT GRAHAM VS. RAMON CORTINES REVISITED BY LAUSD - Perdaily.com:

SCOTT GRAHAM VS. RAMON CORTINES REVISITED BY LAUSD

by Leonard Isenberg

(Mensaje se repite en Español)

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

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try, again" 

This seems to have become the motto of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board of Directors. Two weeks ago in a clandestine yet well orchestrated proceeding that only certain reporters were initially made aware of, the LAUSD Board attempted to settle potential legal liability for the alleged sexual harassment of LAUSD Director of Leasing and Asset Management Scot Graham by then Superintendent Ramon Cortines As we pointed out at the time, there were certain legal and logical problems with the Board's misguided and poorly executed attempt. Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 5, 2012 at their 10 a.m. meeting., the