Largest California College May Soon Be Shut Down:

Largest California College May Soon Be Shut Down

July 5, 2012

California's largest college may lose its accreditation and be forced to close its doors if it does not address a number of major issues.

As reported by SF Gate, City College of San Francisco, which serves 90,000 students across its nine campuses and hundreds of instructional sites, has until March 15 to address 14 major problems that have been identified by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. In a 66-page report, the commission found issues such as weak leadership at all levels and failure to manage and react to reduced funding. According to ABC7 News, most of the issues were money-related; for instance, lack of budget planning, forecasting and managing buildings. SF Gate also reported that the college spends 92 percent of its budget on salaries and benefits.

According to San Jose Mercury News, Barbara Beno, president of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, wrote that funding is "inadequate to support the mission of the college as it is currently conceived."

SF Gate pointed out, however, that Beno did not say that reduced state funding was the cause of CCSF's problems as many other California colleges have lost millions of dollars in recent years and 

‘No Child Left Behind’ Whittled Down Under Obama - NYTimes.com

‘No Child Left Behind’ Whittled Down Under Obama - NYTimes.com:

‘No Child’ Law Whittled Down by White House

By MOTOKO RICH

Published: July 6, 2012

In just five months, the Obama administration has freed schools in more than half the nation from central provisions of the No Child Left Behind education law, raising the question of whether the decade-old federal program has been essentially nullified.

On Friday, the Department of Education plans to announce that it has granted waivers releasing two more states, Washington and Wisconsin, from some of the most onerous conditions of the signature Bush-era legislation. With this latest round, 26 states are now relieved from meeting the lofty — and controversial — goal of making all students proficient in reading and mathematics by 2014. Additional waivers are pending in 10 states and the District of Columbia.

“The more waivers there are, the less there really is a law, right?” said Andy Porter, dean of the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.

While No Child Left Behind has been praised for forcing schools to become more accountable for the education of poor and minority children, it has been derided for what 

More thoughts on Charter Punditry & Declarations of Certainty « School Finance 101

More thoughts on Charter Punditry & Declarations of Certainty « School Finance 101:

More thoughts on Charter Punditry & Declarations of Certainty

by schoolfinance101

I’m a little late in pouncing on this one. JerseyJazzMan beat me to the punch with some relevant points.  A short while back, the Wall Street Journal posted an op-ed by Deborah Kenny, CEO of New York based charter chainHarlem Village Academies. Kenny’s op-ed purported to explain why charter schools are successful.  Of course, we could spend all day on that contention alone, since it is relatively well understood that charter results have been mixed at best. Indeed, I have explained in my published work and in blog posts that the track record for certain charter chains and in certain settings seems stronger than in others.
Here is how Deborah Kenny explained why charters succeed (implicitly where traditional public schools do not):

Critics claim that charter schools are successful only because they cherry-pick students, because they have smaller class sizes, or because motivated parents apply for charter lotteries and non-

 

Daily Kos: Workingman's Constitution

Daily Kos: Workingman's Constitution:

Workingman's Constitution

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

is the title of this important New York Times op ed by William Forbath, who teaches history and law at the University of Texas.
Forbath points out that in both the opinion for the Court by John Roberts on ACA and the dissent by the other four conservatives, there is a vision of America, and a "doctrinal and rhetorical" line of attack against the policies of the New Deal and the Great Society.
And yet, that is almost certainly a misreading of the intent of Founders such James Madison, and ignores a broad sweep of our history.
Let me start with Forbath's opening paragraph:

WORK and opportunity, poverty and dependency, material security and insecurity: for generations of reformers, the constitutional importance of these subjects was self-evident. Laissez-faire government, unchecked corporate power and the deprivations and inequalities they bred weren’t 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: A big push for unity at the NEA meeting

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: A big push for unity at the NEA meeting:

A big push for unity at the NEA meeting

by Mike Klonsky

(F. Klonsky pic)

I'm back at it after a nice getaway to blazing hot Lake Geneva (109 degrees). That's Wisconsin, not Switzerland for those who don't know me.  Got a chance to spend time in the cool lake waters and to catch up a bit on my reading. 

Brother Fred is also back from an equally hot D.C. and the NEA Representative Assembly, a great exercise in union democracy -- and we all know how messy that can be. You can read Fred's blog to get a great first hand account of the RA goings on. His last few posts are especially important.

Overall, this year's RA was significant in many ways. Set against the backdrop of the continued assault by the one-percenters, on teachers, their unions and public education in general, the assembly of more than 9,000 teachers was able to find consensus around some important resolutions. Not so much around others -- not 

Zoinks! Louisiana legislator thought state voucher program for religious education meant only for Christian schools | Pam's House Blend

Zoinks! Louisiana legislator thought state voucher program for religious education meant only for Christian schools | Pam's House Blend:

Zoinks! Louisiana Legislator Thought State Voucher Program for Religious Education Meant Only for Christian Schools

by Pam Spaulding

Today in fundie dumb@ssery, for sure. Louisiana State Rep. Valarie Hodges (R-Watson), like many bible-thumpers who believe your tax dollars should fund their “Christian” indoctrination centers schools, originally supported Governor Bobby Jindal’s voucher program to send students to schools run by religious groups included non-Christian faiths, specifically Islam. Oh noes!

“I actually support funding for teaching the fundamentals of America’s Founding Fathers’ religion, which is Christianity, in public schools or private schools,” the District 64 Representative said Monday.
Hodges, who represents District 64 on the northwest side of the parish, and another freshman lawmaker in the local delegation, Clay Schexnayder from Dist. 81 in the southwest, voted with the 

Missouri Education Watchdog: Missing The Point In Carson's Comment

Missouri Education Watchdog: Missing The Point In Carson's Comment:

Missing The Point In Carson's Comment

by Anngie

Indiana Representative Andre Carson is receiving heat for his comments regarding education in a May 26th speech. The video has been posted on Breitbart's Big Government site and has received the vitriol of the right lashing out against this statement,

“America will never tap into educational innovation and ingenuity without looking at the model that we have in our madrassas, in our schools, where innovation is encouraged and where the foundation is the koran.”

PopoutGiven Carson's history with Islam, the is pushback understandable. He converted to Islam in the early 20's under the tutelage of Imam Muhammad Siddeeq who is a former assistant to Louis Farrakhan and also counseled Mike Tyson. Though he tries to distance himself from Nation of Islam leaders like Farrakhan, the remnants of strings can still be seen on him.  Many will recall that he is the one who emphatically claimed that 

Hechinger Report | California school lunches missing the mark for nutrition standards

Hechinger Report | California school lunches missing the mark for nutrition standards:

California school lunches missing the mark for nutrition standards

by Eleanor Yang Su

Cafeteria worker Sophia Villareal gets student’s names as kids get their at Brockton Elementary School Monday, June 29, 2012 in Los Angeles, Calif. (Photo by Richard Hartog/California Watch)

California Watch

In fall 2008, state regulators began a routine analysis of the school lunches served in Wheatland, a rural community an hour north of Sacramento.
Reviewers found typical cafeteria fare – chicken nuggets, hamburgers, spaghetti with breadsticks and a salad bar. But the nutritional levels were among the worst in the state, raising red flags for high fat content, low fiber and excessive sodium.
Federal regulations limited fat to 30 percent of lunch calories, but some Wheatland School District students received meals that had 51 percent of their calories from fat and contained more than 50 grams of fat.
Wheatland officials say they have since made improvements, but their struggles and violations are part of a 

George Will’s Surprising Take on the Chicago Battle « Diane Ravitch's blog

George Will’s Surprising Take on the Chicago Battle « Diane Ravitch's blog:

George Will’s Surprising Take on the Chicago Battle

by dianerav

George Will is confused about who is right and who is wrong in the battle between Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Teachers Union.
And that’s a good thing, because one would expect this doughty conservative to stand firmly, loudly, and uncompromisingly in opposition to the union.
But he didn’t.
Granted, he doesn’t know that CTU is part of the American Federation of Teachers, not the National Education Association. And he doesn’t know that the name of the NEA was settled in 1857, not just recently to deceive people and “blur the fact that it is a teachers’ union.”
Granted, he thinks the auto industry was fatally wounded by its unions, not by its shortsighted managers, who

Let’s Hear It for Stability

by dianerav

Corporate reformers love the idea of creative disruption. They think that closing schools and opening schools is a bold, innovative stroke.
It’s never their own children who lose their school.
It’s never their own community.
They never ask those involved, because when they do, the people say a loud “No.”
People have many reasons to care about a community school, not just its test scores.
But corporate reformers would like everyone to shop for their school the way they shop for shoes, with no loyalty,

The Only Egg in NYC’s Basket Is Broken

by dianerav

After ten years of mayoral control of its public schools, New York City has only one strategy to “reform” the schools: Closing existing schools and replacing them with many new small schools.
You would think that after ten years with one person in charge, holding the unlimited power to do whatever he wants, the schools would now all be successful–that is, if he actually had a good idea about how to improve the schools.
But no, the game of closing schools continues, meaning that every year a new group of schools will be single out for a shutdown. As readers of this blog know, the New York City Department of Education (i.e., Mayor Bloomberg) decided to shut down 33 schools this year. When powerful politicians in Queens complained loudly,

The Scarlet Letter in New Orleans

by dianerav

I received an email from an educator in New Orleans who read my post about the proposal by a management consultant to require low-performing charter schools to  post their grades on the wall and on their clothing. The informant said  that the proposal to the Algiers Charter Schools Association was not merely theoretical. It was already imposed at the McDonogh #32 charter school. He or she sent me two photographs: One showed the school’s letterhead, declaring it has a grade of F, the other showed a public banner with the school’s F grade and its goals for improvement boldly displayed.
I think most educators would consider this practice of public shaming to be a barbaric remnant of another century, not even the 20th century.
What next? Dunce caps for the children? Public dunking for the teachers? Enforced silence for all? No breakfast 

Twenty Miles: The impact of poverty and language barriers on educational performance - Wait, What?

Twenty Miles: The impact of poverty and language barriers on educational performance - Wait, What?:

Twenty Miles: The impact of poverty and language barriers on educational performance

by jonpelto

A recent story in the Weston-Redding-Easton patch explained that Weston, Connecticut “is the second wealthiest school district in the United States.”

The story is a reminder that just a few months ago, one of the corporate organizations supporting Governor Malloy’s “education reform” package claimed that poverty was not a factor in school performance.

Instead of recognizing the impact poverty and language barriers actually have on educational outcomes, the “education reformers” claimed that if we just hold teachers 

Who will pay the price for what is happening in Bridgeport….

by jonpelto

First there was the announcement that there was a $12 million deficit in Bridgeport’s school budget.

Then the central office was “re-organized” and some programs were changed and the deficit, they said, was down to $3.5 million.

Governor Malloy’s administration then offered to cover that problem in return for allowing Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor, to choose who runs Bridgeport’s schools.  The City and illegal Board of Education jumped at that offer so the budget problems are gone… or are they?

“Reforming” Connecticut’s schools are a top priority.  In fact, what little additional funding the State of Connecticut is making available to Bridgeport must be used for “reform” 

Big money aids Washington state charter bid - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Big money aids Washington state charter bid - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

Big money aids Washington state charter bid

by Valerie Strauss

Three times the voters of Washington state have rejected charter schools — in 1996, 2000 and 2004 — but a new bid to win approval has big money behind it.
Today is the deadline to turn in petitions to get a charter initiative on the November ballot, and the people behind the effort have had plenty of money to use — donated to the cause by, among others, Microsoft’s Bill Gates.
Read full article >>

Why the Gates Foundation is so puzzling

by Valerie Strauss

This was written by education historian Diane Ravitch, a research professor at New York University and author of the bestselling “The Death and Life of the Great American School System.” This first appeared on her blog.
Read full article >>

The difference between live and taped lectures

by Valerie Strauss

This was written by Arthur Camins, director of the Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J.

By Arthur Camins
Some intended learning sticks with us, some slips away into oblivion and most hovers somewhere in between. The determinants are nuanced and complex. In all of the current enthusiasm for so-called flipped classrooms and the wonders of the Khan Academy’s online lectures these distinction are often overlooked.
Read full article >>

No Child Left Behind Waivers Granted To More Than Half Of U.S. States

No Child Left Behind Waivers Granted To More Than Half Of U.S. States:

No Child Left Behind Waivers Granted To More Than Half Of U.S. States

by Joy Resmovits

The states of Washington and Wisconsin will be allowed to wiggle out of No Child Left Behind's rigorous test requirements, joining two dozen other U.S. states that have already agreed to waivers that require them to adopt the Obama administration's education agenda instead, the U.S. Education Department will announce today.

The new waivers mean more than half the states have now won exemptions from the 2002 law, a signature initiative of George W. Bush's presidency that required standardized testing of students and a system of punishments based on the test scores.

While advocates credit the law for exposing test score gaps between different groups of students, even the law's original cheerleaders acknowledge its "failing" schools label is too broad, the tutoring remedies it mandates rarely boost student achievement, and the 2014 goal that 100 percent of U.S. students be deemed "proficient" in 

I Feel A Great Disturbance In The Force.southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com:

I Feel A Great Disturbance In The Force

by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)

I really hope I am not coming across as beating a dead horse. If I am, I apologize, but something is really bothering me.

Right now a friend of mine is sitting in the new fangled Rubber Room accused of corporal punishment. Just one allegation. A bullshit allegation. That is all I can share presently. As of now, I can't disclose any more details.

Now here is where it might seem as if I am beating the proverbial dead horse. As many readers of my blog know I started out writing this blog in August 2008 to keep a journal as to the goings on at my school, PS 154 in the Bronx. I wrote extensively about an assistant principal at the time that I named Numb Nuts. Several months ago I shared his name, Derrick Townsend on the blog, and the fact I went on FOX 5 to out him as a serial physical abuser of students. Back in April when Chaz was being lambasted in the Daily News, I compared the hypocrisy of the DOE vis a vis 

Los Angeles Unified School District, Proposition 39, Co-location Issues & Charter Schools | K-12 News Network

Los Angeles Unified School District, Proposition 39, Co-location Issues & Charter Schools | K-12 News Network:

Los Angeles Unified School District, Proposition 39, Co-location Issues & Charter Schools

by admin

To my great surprise, LAUSD has pushed back on a judge’s ruling that the district give facilities to charter schools seeking more space in existing public schools. Of the judge’s order, which would affect up to 45 charter schools, Superintendent of Los Angeles public schools John Deasy and the LAUSD school board say

… that it would require L.A. Unified to displace students from their neighborhood schools, forcing them to be bused elsewhere, and would dramatically skew class-size ratios in favor of charter students.
Under the order, the ratio of elementary school students to class size would be 24 to 1 on the district side of the school but 15 to 1 on the charter school side, said LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy. Facilities such as computer labs, parent centers and specially designated classrooms 

It's Time for an Elected School Board in Chicago

Teachers for Social Justice (TSJ-Chicago)—a member of CODE (Communities Organized for Democracy in Education)—put together this radio commercial in response to misinformation being spread by some big money astroturf groups. CODE is a coalition of over a dozen parent, teacher and community groups that seeks to bring an ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE School Board to Chicago. Chicago is the only school in the state of IL which by law cannot elect its own school board. The board is currently made up of appointed elite millionaire bankers and financiers who have not been responsive to the needs of the students, parents and communities of Chicago. We need democracy in education.

CODE Chicago - Communities Organized for Democracy in Education	Search this site

CODE - Communities Organized for Democracy in Education En Español CODE Member Organizations The CODE Mission - Democracy in Education CODE News CODE Calendar, Canvasing and Events Contact CODE Chicago CODE Video Links

CODE - Communities Organized for Democracy in Education Rally for an Elected School Board Join us in Little Village for a rally + canvasing to show support for an Elected Representative School Board Where? : Amor de Dios Church 2356 S. Sawyer St.  When? : Sat. July 7th 10:00 – 1:00 Who: YOU! The CPS Board—appointed by the mayor— is not accountable to the people it serves. The Board is failing our children.        Help Win an Elected Representative School Board  CPS’s privatization policies—school closings, turnarounds and charters—do NOT improve education. They have been devastating to all children, especially those in African American and Latino communities.  Class size has increased. Art, music, recess, PE & after school activities have been cut, while high-stakes testing eats up more classroom and learning time.  CPS has expanded an unequal system: A top tier of selective schools for a few students and a bottom tier of resource-starved neighborhood schools for everyone else.  CPS makes decisions, like an unfunded longer school day, without public input.  CPS blames teachers, parents, and students for the problems THEY have created.     Teacher morale is at an all-time low.  An Elected Board is a Necessary FIRST STEP to Improve Our Schools.  An elected board would be accountable to the public and could be more diverse, reflecting the people it serves.   Chicago is the only city in Illinois with an appointed school board.  Election requirements could mandate specific qualifications and cap campaign expenditures, thus reducing the influence of money and politics on education.  Help Win an Elected Representative School Board for Chicago.  The Illinois Legislature must pass a law to enact an elected school board.  Sign a petition to get an advisory referendum for an elected board on the November ballot.  Volunteer to help Chicago win an elected school board. See our calendar of events for opportunities to collect signatures in your area.  Contact your elected officials. Ask them to support a Representative Elected School Board.  Help Win an Elected Representative School Board  https://sites.google.com/site/codechicago/ https://www.facebook.com/CommunitiesOrganizedForDemocracyInEducation Subpages (1): Chicago Necesita una sistema de educación demócrata.

Children are more than test scores: Save Our Schools Still Marching to DC

Children are more than test scores: Save Our Schools Still Marching to DC:

Save Our Schools Still Marching to DC

NEA yesterday voted against supporting SOS's People's Education Convention. It appears some Florida delegates took to the floor claiming that SOS is a Michelle Rhee backed group.  This is complete fabrication.

Fred Klonsky a Chicago teacher, well known blogger, and bother to Mike Klonsky a member of the SOS National Steering Committee reported back via his blog:

"Q: What happened with the NBI supporting the SOS conference in Washington that is planned for August?

A: It got voted down.

Jane Watson, an SOS supporter and delegate from Washington state said simple NBI that didn't ask for much than an endorsement of the conference and putting a link to SOS on the NEA website. It seemed very non-controversial. I have to say that most delegates in the hall know very little about SOS.

Then somebody, I don't know who, offered an amendment to send the issue of 

Honor Code - NYTimes.com

Honor Code - NYTimes.com:

Honor Code

By DAVID BROOKS

Published: July 5, 2012 Comment

Henry V is one of Shakespeare’s most appealing characters. He was rambunctious when young and courageous when older. But suppose Henry went to an American school.

By about the third week of nursery school, Henry’s teacher would be sending notes home saying that Henry “had another hard day today.” He was disruptive during circle time. By midyear, there’d be sly little hints dropped that maybe Henry’s parents should think about medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Many of the other boys are on it, and they find school much easier.

By elementary school, Henry would be lucky to get 20-minute snatches of recess. During one, he’d jump off the top of the jungle gym, and, by the time he hit the ground, the supervising teachers would be all over him for breaking the safety rules. He’d get in a serious wrestling match with his buddy Falstaff, and, by the time he got him in a headlock, there’d be suspensions all around.

First, Henry would withdraw. He’d decide that the official 

Heroes Made, Not Exactly Born [on Frank Ocean & Malcolm X] | The Jose Vilson

Heroes Made, Not Exactly Born [on Frank Ocean & Malcolm X] | The Jose Vilson:

Heroes Made, Not Exactly Born [on Frank Ocean & Malcolm X]

by Jose

First, let me say how ecstatic I was to see that, out of the thousands of friends and acquaintances I’ve gotten to know via social media and other platforms, I heard absolutely no one insult Frank Ocean (R&B singer affiliated with Odd Future, known for “No Church In The Wild”) for coming out as a bisexual. His letter describes love and humanity in the poetry you’d expect from a crooner like him. More surprising was the deluge of messages coming from fans appreciating him coming out on his own terms, something that his own detractors wouldn’t have the testicular fortitude to do on any meaningful level. Black urban music is in constant need of a reality check with homophobia and sexism within its popular ranks, and Frank Ocean’s outing provided a meaningful step because of the respect he earns among hip-hop elites.
Naturally, my thoughts turned to an earlier discussion I had on Twitter about Manning Marable’s outing of Malcolm Little (X) in Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention. It seemed to me off-base to make the publicity surrounding the book focused on Malcolm’s sexual preference when, clearly, the narrative gave us so much more about the man. Many of Marable’s detractors suggested that Marable’s outing slandered a legend, and that 

Bill Gates: You Never Give me your money