The Weekly Update: Jindal & Co. in Lousiana, a Broadie in Arizona and Bill Gates everywhere | Seattle Education

The Weekly Update: Jindal & Co. in Lousiana, a Broadie in Arizona and Bill Gates everywhere | Seattle Education:

The Weekly Update: Jindal & Co. in Lousiana, a Broadie in Arizona and Bill Gates everywhere

by seattleducation2011

Today we will begin with New Orleans and the state of Louisiana where Hurricane Katrina and its devastation became the rallying cry for the corporate takeover of the public school system which has now led to lawsuits against the state and one special one regarding Governor Jindal’s decision to move public school funding directly into private schools.
Education facing multitude of ‘legal challenges’ in state

The Louisiana Department of Education could find itself mired in state and federal courtroom disputes for years to come, thanks to Gov. Bobby Jindal’s sweeping education reform legislation and to the confusing mishmash of educational bureaucracy in Orleans Parish.
Disregard for the time being the last week’s court ruling that could end up costing the Orleans 

Tony at the Red Line Tap. « Fred Klonsky

Tony at the Red Line Tap. « Fred Klonsky:

Tony at the Red Line Tap.

by Fred Klonsky

Late yesterday, after I got home from DC, I dropped off my bag and headed over to the Red Line Tap.
It was 103 degrees and I needed something tall with a head on it.
Clearly, I’m not talking about the Mayor.
The place was empty except for Marty behind the bar and Tony commanding his usual stool. Like a poor man’s Irv Kupcinet at booth number one in the old Pump Room.
“Haven’t seen you around. Where you been, Klonsky?”
“DC. At the union convention.”
Marty brought me over a glass of  whatever was on drought.
“Great. Sounds like loads of fun. On the other hand, it was a holiday week and all the

What is a Good Teacher Worth? - NYTimes.com

What is a Good Teacher Worth? - NYTimes.com:

What is a Good Teacher Worth?

By ANDREW C. REVKIN

There’s been much discussion of the value, in dollars and sense, of a good teacher (no typo). In many places, a conversation on the value of teachers is underpinned by debates over what’s being taught. In Texas, for example, theRepublican Party approved a platform opposing the teaching of critical thinking skills, saying it’s behavior modification with “the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.”

Such discussions have prompted a “Your Dot” contribution from Janet English, a science teacher at El Toro High School in Lake Forest, Calif. She is 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State gets NCLB Waiver

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State gets NCLB Waiver:

Washington State gets NCLB Waiver

by Melissa Westbrook

From Ed Week and the NY Times comes word that Washington State, along with Wisconsin, have been granted waivers from some of the most "onerous conditions" of NCLB.

That brings the total number of states with waivers up to 26.   That's more than half the states and Andy Porter, the dean of U of Penn Graduate School of Education asks, "The more waivers there are, the less there really is a law, right?"

From the Times:

In exchange for the education waivers, schools and districts must promise to set new targets aimed at preparing students for colleges and careers. They must also tether evaluations of teachers and schools in part to student achievement on standardized tests.

The administration said all schools would be required to show yearly improvement.  

Instead of labeling all struggling schools as failing, the waivers direct states to focus most attention on the 

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, July 6, 2012

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Sacramento Is The Capital Of California

Education Headlines

Friday, July 6, 2012

Upland Unified School District eliminates busing for grades 7-12

The school district's Board of Trustees has decided to eliminate home-to-school transportation for students in grades 7-12 to address needed cuts in the 2012-13 fiscal year.

$452,000 to pay for Humboldt school projects

Caltrans awarded $48.5 million in state Safe Routes to School Program funds for 139 projects on Thursday, including four at Humboldt County Schools.

Guzik: Migrant worker children encouraged to consider engineering

As California’s political leaders push educators to link high school classes with career options for their students, an Oxnard high school program has succeeded in getting some of the state’s hardest-to-reach students enthused about careers in engineering.

Clayton Valley Charter High School administrators hit the ground running

Although it still looks the same on the outside, a transformation is underway inside Clayton Valley Charter High, which officially opened Monday.

School lunches missing the mark for nutrition standards

A California Watch analysis shows 60 percent of the school lunches reviewed by the state in the past five years failed to meet at least one federal nutritional requirement.

Freedburg: Over 10,000 students awarded “seal of biliteracy”

For the first time, graduating seniors from around California – more than 10,000 – have been awarded a state “seal” indicating their proficiency in two languages.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Some staff say breaks not given

Part-time employees in Lodi Unified schools have not been given 15-minute breaks as required during their four-hour shifts, their union leaders have complained, and the district's denial of a formal grievance could lead to an investigation by the state Division of Labor Standards Enforcement.

Grand jury uses Paso school district as warning

The San Luis Obispo County civil grand jury recommends that the region’s 10 school districts make further budget cuts and pursue additional tax money to balance their budgets.

California voters don't like midyear cuts targeting education, Field Poll finds

Nearly three-quarters of California voters oppose the automatic, midyear spending reductions that would balance the state budget if a November ballot initiative to raise taxes fails, according to a new Field Poll.

Mother Crusader: EgREGIoS Behavior

Mother Crusader: EgREGIoS Behavior:

EgREGIoS Behavior

by darciecima

NOW Amir Khan can't comment?

"We understand persecution, and you just push forward through every obstacle," said Khan, who declined to explain the church's decision to stop fighting the eviction. "We're not going away. Our church is about to celebrate 20 years in ministry and we're going stronger than ever before."

What impact the move could have on Khan's charter ambition is unclear. Khan said he still planned to open Regis, which would be a secular public institution, in time for the coming school year. He declined to say where it would be.

A New Jersey Department of Education spokesman said Thursday that Regis planned to locate in the former Living Faith Christian Academy on the Cooper River in Cherry Hill and that state officials had recently inspected the facility.

Scandal Free Washington State NO on 1240 Keep WA Charter Free and Scandal Free

Charter Free Washington:

CHARTER SCHOOLS/CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATOR

• Decline To Sign-Charter-Free Washington
• Charter Schools: The Landscape Today
• Charter Schools and Special Education/ELL
• Federal Law and Charters
• Charter Law
• History of Charter Schools
• Charter Schools: What They Are

Diane Ravitch on Charter Schools

Posted on January 23, 2012 | Leave a comment

Diane Ravitch on charter schools and merit pay:

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Posted in Diane Ravitch

Tagged Diane Ravitch on charter schools, Diane Ravitch on merit pay

Charter Schools: the Landscape Today

Posted on January 22, 2012 | Leave a comment

This will be the first in a series of articles that were originally posted on theSeattle Schools Community Forum.

The Basics Today:

• Washington is one of eight states without charters.  The others are Alabama, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and West Virginia.  Maine just went on-line with charters this year and bills have been introduced in the other states but not passed.  Expansion of charter law has continued in those states that already have them (see what charter advocates want).
• There are over 5,000 charter schools in the U.S., representing a little over 5% of all public schools.   California has the largest number at 917 (9.2%) with Arizona having the largest percentage  for a state (506 schools and 

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS WEBSITE

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS

A compilation of news articles about charter schools which have been charged with, or are highly suspected of, tampering with admissions, grades, attendance and testing; misuse of funds and embezzlement; engaging in nepotism and conflicts of interest; engaging in complicated and shady real estate deals; and/or have been engaging in other questionable, unethical, borderline-legal, or illegal activities. This is also a record of charter school instability and other unsavory tidbits.

Couldn't Find Your Own Special Charter School Scandal

Just Type the name of your city or charter school in the box below

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS

If you don't find yours today

Keep checking

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS

Be sure to check out two other Great blogs:

-THE BROAD REPORT (as in Eli) -THE PERIMETER PRIMATE

Eduwonk » Blog Archive » No Child Left Behind – The Problem Is Not The Policy, It’s Us

Eduwonk » Blog Archive » No Child Left Behind – The Problem Is Not The Policy, It’s Us:

No Child Left Behind – The Problem Is Not The Policy, It’s Us

by arotherham

Everyone not chattering about the job numbers is chattering about this morning’s New York Times article on No Child Left Behind and the waivers that are increasingly freeing states from its requirements.  In general some waivers were necessary – and some were issued during the Bush Administration, too – because the law was supposed to be reauthorized in 2007 and 2012 is now half over.
But when you read stuff like this line in The Times story, you can’t help but wonder how much of all this is“everybody knows” and how much is based in facts:
“[No Child Left Behind] has been derided for what some regard as an obsessive focus on test results, which has led to some notorious cheating scandals.”
Perhaps, but were there cheating scandals before No Child?  Yes.  In fact, they’ve been a problem since the beginning of efforts to increase accountability in education. Before we get to that, here’s a quick primer on how 

Understand the Teacher Layoff Deal: A Reader’s Guide - Voice of San Diego: Education

Understand the Teacher Layoff Deal: A Reader’s Guide - Voice of San Diego: Education:

Understand the Teacher Layoff Deal: A Reader’s Guide

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  Photo by Will Carless

  Union President Bill Freeman (center) stands alongside San Diego Unified students and discusses the deal with the district.

Posted: Thursday, July 5, 2012 5:04 pm | Updated: 5:07 pm, Thu Jul 5, 2012.

• By WILL CARLESS

So, the San Diego Unified School District and its biggest labor union, the San Diego Education Association, have a deal.

The tentative agreement finalized last week will prevent more than 1,000 teacher layoffs, but could also result in the school year being shortened by as much as three additional weeks.

The deal’s a big one. Not just because it gets the district out of its latest financial bind, but also because it marks a significant change in direction for a powerful union that for years has been unwilling even to talk about helping the district out.

To understand the deal itself, its possible impacts, and why it marks such a historic moment for district-union relations, we’ve created this handy three-step guide:

Step One: What The Deal Says about the Union’s New Approach

The tentative agreement was approved overwhelmingly by educators last week, and it marked 

Was Philadelphia’s Superintendent Search a Dog and Pony Show? | Chalk and Talk

Was Philadelphia’s Superintendent Search a Dog and Pony Show? | Chalk and Talk:

Was Philadelphia’s Superintendent Search a Dog and Pony Show?

by Lisa Haver

The SRC still lacks transparency, and should be replaced with a locally elected school board.      

When it comes to transparency, the School Reform Commission is still not making the grade.  

Commissioner Wendell Pritchett, in a recent School Reform Commission meeting, declared that principals are “the most important people” in the Philadelphia School District.  PSD administrators have also argued that having a good teacher is the most important factor in a child’s success in school.  Baffling, then, that the SRC commissioners made a deliberate decision to exclude teachers and principals from the Superintendent Selection Committee.

It seems clear now that the nine community meetings held last winter by the SRC were designed to present the illusion that the public actually had anything to say about this important decision. The agenda for these meetings allotted almost 90 

Follow the Money in Philadelphia « Diane Ravitch's blog

Follow the Money in Philadelphia « Diane Ravitch's blog:

Follow the Money in Philadelphia

by dianerav

One man and one foundation decides what’s good for Philadelphia. One sharp-eyed investigative reporter learned the details.
That foundation–the William Penn Foundation–used to be concerned about equitable funding for the children and public schools of Philadelphia.
No longer.
The William Penn Foundation brought in the Boston Consulting Group to develop a plan to redesign the 

Schools Matter: The Astonishing Increase in Testing

Schools Matter: The Astonishing Increase in Testing:

The Astonishing Increase in Testing

by skrashen

Sent to the New York Times, July 6, 2012

There is little reason to celebrate waivers from No Child Left Behind (NCLB) (“No Child’ Law Whittled Down by White House,” July 6).
NCLB’s “obsessive focus on test results” will be much worse under new regulations: The new Common Core Standards calls for an astonishing increase in testing. 
NCLB requires standardized tests in math and reading at the end of the school year in grades 3-8 and once in high school. This will be expanded to testing in more subjects (social studies, science and maybe more), and in more grade levels. There will also be interim tests given during the year and there may be pretests in the fall to measure growth through the school year. 
This means about a 20-fold increase over NCLB, more testing than has ever been seen on this planet. 
There is no evidence that all this testing will improve things. In fact, the evidence we have now strongly suggests