Latest News and Comment from Education

Friday, July 20, 2012

Weekly Update: The Zone of Doublethink, are charter schools leading to more gang violence in Chicago? and a legislator in Mississippi asked the question “Who ARE these people?!” | Seattle Education

Weekly Update: The Zone of Doublethink, are charter schools leading to more gang violence in Chicago? and a legislator in Mississippi asked the question “Who ARE these people?!” | Seattle Education:


Weekly Update: The Zone of Doublethink, are charter schools leading to more gang violence in Chicago? and a legislator in Mississippi asked the question “Who ARE these people?!”

The Seattle Education Weekly Update, news you might have missed.
“Systems in history are defined above all by who controls the wealth. The top 400 people own more wealth now than the bottom 185 million Americans taken together. That is a medieval structure.”
Gar Alperovitz’s Green Party Keynote: We Are Laying Groundwork for the “Next Great Revolution”
Speaking of the 1% , the WalMart Waltons just contributed $600,000 to support the charter school Initiative 

“ALL WE CAN DO” « Teachers Fight Back

“ALL WE CAN DO” « Teachers Fight Back:


“ALL WE CAN DO”

The following is a quote from Gary Elmen, the president of the Illinois Retired Teacher Association. The quote was part of the president’s message in the latest Association News that is sent to retired teachers.
“Retired teachers do not have the resources of corporate executives who want to cut the cost of taxation in Illinois, and they are not able personally to contribute millions to polished media campaigns designed to brainwash the public and scapegoat teachers for the state’s problems.  ALL WE CAN DO is visit a few fund-raisers, volunteer in some campaigns, convince our friends, and vote.”
Wow! If that’s all we can do Mr. Elmen, we are in for a real shock this fall. Illinois retired teachers better brace for the legislature to take away their cost of living increases and perhaps even their teacher insurance. That’s probably the minimum we can expect.

NYC Working Group on School Transformation « EdVox

NYC Working Group on School Transformation « EdVox:


NYC Working Group on School Transformation

by Norm Fruchter
Last April, the New York City Working Group on School Transformation issued a reportexamining the impact of the school closing policy of the city’s Department of Education (DOE). The Working Group’s report argued that by closing schools instead of helping them to improve, the DOE was abdicating its responsibility to support struggling schools. The Working Group’s report called on the DOE to develop a Success Zone to help struggling schools improve, and to build instructional capacity across all the city’s schools so that many fewer would need to be closed.
The Working Group presented the following evidence that specific DOE policies  exacerbated the problems of struggling schools:
  • The schools the DOE has closed since 2002 had significantly higher percentages of incoming 9th graders with below-level 8th grade math and reading scores, as well as significantly higher percentages of English Language Learners and students with disabilities, than the school system’s averages.
  • In the five years before many of the system’s struggling schools were targeted for closure, the DOE significantly increased the percentages of students with low-level 8th grade math and reading scores at those schools, and also increased the percentages of English Language Learners and students with disabilities.
  • In the five years before many of the system’s struggling schools were targeted for closure, the DOE 

What If? and Who Cares? « Deborah Meier on Education

What If? and Who Cares? « Deborah Meier on Education:


What If? and Who Cares?

debmeier at Deborah Meier on Education - 5 minutes ago
A NY Times headline, July 20, 2012! “Libor Scandal Shows Many Flaws in Rate-Setting/ The lending benchmark, a convenient tool for the markets, has flaws that have some people even questioning its existence.”The day will come when the headline reads, “Standardized Testing Scandal Shows Many Flaws in School/Teacher Rating…..that have some people even questioning its [...]

Being driven out of teaching.

debmeier at Deborah Meier on Education - 18 hours ago
From Caitlin Casement, “I worked in urban schools for 25 years. On Wednesday, June 13, 2012, I received my final send-off from the school district I worked for for all of those years…—among the retirees who left with me, more than 200 had served at least 25 years, and one woman had taught for 50 [...]

See you in D.C.?

debmeier at Deborah Meier on Education - 2 days ago
Just two weeks, plus a day, until we convene in Washington D.C. It’s a time to get together and plan, thrash out our hopes for American schools, meet each other face-to-face, and make a statement. Of course, I’d rather it was on the North or South Pole. D.C. in August??? Who planned this thing? Oh [...]

what can we do? Save a great school!

debmeier at Deborah Meier on Education - 2 days ago
One and all!! Hear from my friend Stephanie Lee whose school(s) I can vouch for! I’ve been there manya times. This is terrible news. What can we do?? hello friends: sorry to interrupt your summer with sad news. we lost a big vote last night – the process has begun to revoke our charter, but [...]

Measuring products the Consumer Union way?

debmeier at Deborah Meier on Education - 2 days ago
FairTest’s Bob Shaeffer was interviewed recently by Florida Sentinel editorial writer Darryl Owens about tests. Here’s one of the questions he was asked: QUESTION by Owens: Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon noted in a recent guest column that we measure progress in everything from business to sports. Shouldn’t there be a rigorous process to measure [...]

On “throwing money at the poor”

debmeier at Deborah Meier on Education - 3 days ago
Does anyone know of an article on class size, et al that helps us understand why rich people care about it for their own while often supporting the idea that it doesn’t matter–for public education. It would be useful to have a list of NYC’s richest and most powerful-alongside of what they spend on their [...]

On “throwing money away on the poor”

debmeier at Deborah Meier on Education - 3 days ago
Does anyone know of an article on class size, et al that helps us understand why rich people care about it for their own while often supporting the idea that it doesn’t matter–for public education. It would be useful to have a list of NYC’s richest and most powerful-alongside of what they spend on their [...]

The “what if” habit of mind for all.

debmeier at Deborah Meier on Education - 3 days ago
I just had a fun conversation based on one of the old CPESS/Mission Hill “habits of mind”. We began by arguing about whether it’s really possible or useful to teach a “subject” called World History. How demanding can one be in such a course in honoring our First Habit: “What’s the evidence? And how credible [...]

Private vs Public Greed: two different standards

debmeier at Deborah Meier on Education - 3 days ago
Greedy for hearing “the other side” I read the NY Times Business section daily, e.g. Saturday July 14th has a story on rate-rigging, Barclays (too big to indict), JP Morgan pay givebacks, and the ethics of advice when “genetic counselors work for test companies”. I also browse through the weekly Bloomberg Business Week, e.g. cover [...]

Integration: The Passing of a Great Idea

debmeier at Deborah Meier on Education - 4 days ago
At some point in the last 50 years we gave up on the idea of school integration even as we annually celebrate the importance of the Brown vs Board of Education decision. I remember, a mere ten or so years after the Supreme Court’s decision, telling students in the Central Harlem school that I was [...]


Unexpected allies?

debmeier at Deborah Meier on Education - 4 days ago
Unexpected reminders of importance to those organizing for change! Howard Anderson of MITs Sloan School of Management is quoted in Commonweal (July 1, 2012) on Catholic Social Teaching. Anderson says, “Private equity doesn’t create jobs; you guys build wealth.” There’s a big difference. “Sometimes you (guys) build jobs. Sometimes you eliminate jobs… ..Private equity is [...]

Update: The Last Living Defender of NCLB Speaks « Diane Ravitch's blog

The Last Living Defender of NCLB Speaks « Diane Ravitch's blog:


Kudos to Jennie Shanker! Debate Ended.

If you have been following these posts for the past few days, you will recall that New Jersey Acting Commissioner Chris Cerf claimed that legendary union leader Al Shanker would be on his side, supporting more of the (non-union) charters that Cerf wants to open all over New Jersey.
I wrote a post pointing out that Al Shanker was an original proponent of charters but turned against them in 1993 when he realized that they would become the leading edge of privatization.
I then got a tongue-lashing by someone from New Jersey for daring to say that Al Shanker would not be on board with Chris Cerf and his boss Governor Chris Christie in their campaign to turn more public schools over to entrepreneurs.
And then, blogger Mother Crusader discovered that Al Shanker’s widow, Edie Shanker, had already spoken up and reminded the world that Al would not have supported the “reform” movement.
But best of all, I just read in Jersey Jazzman’s piece that Al’s daughter Jennie Shanker posted the following 



The Last Living Defender of NCLB Speaks

I should have titled this “one of the last living defenders of NCLB speaks,” but it required too many characters for a headline. I am sure that in addition to the author of this article, NCLB is still defended by Sandy Kress, Margaret Spellings, and others who designed it. Maybe there are another 50 or 60 people who still defend it. I just can’t think of their names offhand.
Most people, including educators and parents, think of it as a disaster. Most think it turned out schools into testing factories and squeezed out such things as art, history, literature, physical education, science, foreign languages, geography, civics, and other things that are important. No one can deny the importance of basic


Will Test Scores Go Up if Teachers Live in Fear?

A reader sends a description of a teacher’s life in Louisiana, where a new state law changed everything, including tenure, evaluation, charters, vouchers, and whatever else the reformers could throw into a law that was passed without input from educators or any deliberation:
So here in Louisiana we get ready to start the new school year, having spent the summer at “mandatory” conferences and training; middle schools are sending many teachers to become AP certified, math and English teachers have spent their summer in classes 5 days a week for STEM training, CCSS classes abound with little information and three full days of “in-services” await us before we see students.  That alone will kill any motivation that remains. So many teachers are exhausted and yet the demands for new and better programs requires 200%, last year teachers were requested to give 200% or find another position. Yet we have no idea 



Jeb Bush and Business Leaders Support Common Core

At the GE Foundation’s Summer Business and Education Summit in Orlando, 150 business executives heard former Florida Governor Jeb Bush strongly endorse the Common Core State Standards. He predicted that when they are fully implemented, everyone would see what a disaster American education is. This, one assumes, will facilitate his agenda of getting rid of public education and replacing it with vouchers, charter schools, for-profit charter schools, for-profit online education, and anything else that fertile entrepreneurs can dream up. Bush


LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-20 - Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch

Joe McCarthy goes to summer camp. « Fred Klonsky

Joe McCarthy goes to summer camp. « Fred Klonsky:


Joe McCarthy goes to summer camp.

JULY 20, 2012
Nobody would every confuse right-wing pundit Tucker Carlson for a progressive Jew.
My grandma Esther might have called him a putz. But she would never use such language.
Some might confuse him for Joe McCarthy, however.
Carlson’s Daily Caller has decided to go after a progressive Jewish summer camp as some kind Bolshevik training operation. All because President Obama has nominated Erica Groshen to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and she once sent her 

California Preschools SHINE Forums - Healthy Eating & Nutrition Education (CA Dept of Education)

California Preschools SHINE Forums - Healthy Eating & Nutrition Education (CA Dept of Education):


California Preschools SHINE Forums




Welcome to California Preschools Shaping Healthy Impressions through Nutrition and Exercise (SHINE) Forums. Four forums will be offered statewide. Each forum will demonstrate how to integrate nutrition education, edible gardens, and physical activity into child care center classrooms and day care homes. Participants will learn ways to create learning environments that maximize opportunities for children to develop healthy eating and move their bodies to learn. Attendees will receive tools and resources that you can immediately use in home or center classrooms. This forum will also provide a platform to express challenges and develop solutions to support active living and healthy eating environments.
For more information regarding the forum, refer to the table of contents below.

Table of Contents for Forums

Dates and Locations

Dates
Locations
September 29, 2012
Sheraton Downtown Los Angeles
711 South Hope Street
Los Angeles, CA 90017
213-488-3500
December 1, 2012
Sacramento Woodlake Hotel
500 Leisure Lane
Sacramento, CA 95815
888-695-7802
April 13, 2013
Hilton Oakland Airport
One Hegenberger Road
Oakland, CA 94621
510-635-5000
June 8, 2013
Radisson Hotel Ontario
2200 East Holt Boulevard
Ontario, CA 91761
909-975-5000

Agenda

Sessions
Times
Opening Session
Facilitator: Nutrition Services Division (NSD) Staff
8–8:30 a.m.
Discovering Fruits, Vegetables, and Grains
Facilitator: April Cunningham
8:30–10:15 a.m.
BREAK
10:15–10:30 a.m.
Using your Edible Garden Classroom
Facilitator: Whitney Cohen or Carol Hillhouse
10:30–12:15 p.m.
LUNCH
12:15–1:15 p.m.
Active Bodies, Active Minds
Facilitators: Patty Kimbrell and Doris Fredericks
1:15–3 p.m.
BREAK
3–3:15 p.m.
Preschool Policies and Practices
Panel: NSD Staff and Speakers
3:15–4:30 p.m.
Preschools SHINE Closing Activities
Facilitator: NSD Staff
4:30–5 p.m.

Session Descriptions

  • Discovering Fruits, Vegetables, and Grains
This hands-on session will show ways to incorporate nutrition throughout the preschool day using the Food for Thought curriculum. The curriculum’s 32 lessons incorporate math, science, and literacy concepts and are aligned with the Preschool Learning Foundations and the Desired Results Developmental Profile. The lessons are easy to follow and lots of fun. You will receive one free copy of the curriculum and after this session you will be able to start implementing these nutrition education activities at your center or day care home right away!
  • Active Bodies, Active Minds
Young children show us how active their minds and bodies are every day. As facilitators of play, we need to be intentional and integrative in our approach. This workshop will build on the Preschool Nutrition and Active Physical Play External link opens in new window or tab. course. We will explore the importance of physical activity and active play; how much is appropriate for young children; the integration of nutrition and school readiness skills disguised in fun activities; as well as, the benefits of yoga for children and adults. You will receive fun-filled CDs with a variety of songs for movement and easy-to-use physical activity props, and share with other classroom teachers and providers.
  • Using an Edible Garden Classroom
A garden, however large or small, provides young children with endless opportunities to explore the natural world, harvest and enjoy healthy fruits and vegetables, and engage in meaningful learning. In this session, we will discuss preschool garden design, helpful resources for garden educators, and related children’s literature. Then participants will sample some hands-on, garden-based nutrition activities that engage children’s curiosity and enthusiasm while introducing them to healthy eating and basic environmental science. Each activity will be linked to the Preschool Learning Foundations.
  • Preschool Policies and Practices
Practice makes perfect but the policy informs the practice. In this session, you will learn what makes a good policy and develop policies related to nutrition education, gardens, or physical activity. You will also have an opportunity to ask the panel questions and together develop solutions to challenges that you are facing.

Speakers At-a-Glance

Do you want to know more about the speakers? Below is some background about our qualified speakers for the California Preschools SHINE Forums on Nutrition and Physical Activity.
April Cunningham has worked for the North Coast Opportunities Head Start program in Ukiah, California for 24 years. In her position as Nutrition Coordinator, she monitors the Child and Adult Care Food Program, trains staff and parents, and provides support to families who face nutritional challenges. Her program was awarded a U.S. Department of Agriculture Team Nutrition Grant through the California Department of Education to develop a nutrition education curriculum for preschoolers. Ms. Cunningham is the primary author of the Food for Thought curriculum.
Whitney Cohen is the Education Director at Life Lab, a nationally recognized organization that teaches people to care for themselves, each other, and the world through farm and garden-based programs. She is an author and contributor to various award-winning, garden-based learning activity guides, including Sowing the Seeds of Wonder: Discovering the Garden in Early Childhood. Her expertise in gardening with children comes from years as an environmental educator, a middle school science teacher, trainer, and most recently, a mother.
Doris Fredericks, M.Ed., R.D., FADA, RYT, is the Executive Director for Continuing Development Incorporated, Child Development Centers, Choices for Children, a child care, family and provider service organization, headquartered in San Jose, California. She co-founded the Santa Clara County Childhood Feeding Collaborative and is the developer of the “5 Keys to Raising a Healthy Happy Eater” class for parents and caregivers. Ms. Fredericks is also certified as a Registered Yoga Teacher by the Yoga Alliance. She is working toward a 500 hour Certification in Yoga Therapy and has completed continuing education in supporting yoga practice with all age groups.
Carol Hillhouse is the Academic Coordinator of the Children’s Garden Program and Ecological Garden at the University of California (UC) Davis Student Farm and Agricultural Sustainability Institute. She has worked as a garden educator for over 20 years at the UC Davis Student Farm. She has guided hands-on learning experiences for thousands of children, youth, teachers, and other professionals. She works with student staff to manage a half-acre garden and leads workshops on school gardens, increasing fruit and vegetable offerings in schools, and garden-enhanced nutrition education.
Patricia A. Kimbrell, M.Ed., is an author, a director of videos, and a national consultant who travels around the country presenting on physical activity, childhood obesity prevention, motor development, and family engagement. For 12 years she was a faculty member at the San Diego State University where she instructed future teachers in elementary physical education. She believes if an appreciation for movement and healthful eating is developed at an early age, it may continue for a lifetime of wellness!

Target Audience

The primary target audiences for the SHINE forum are child care teachers and family child care home providers. Making changes or improving the nutrition and physical activity environment at your site requires a team effort. We encourage you to send a team of two teachers and a director from your child care center. If you are a day care home sponsoring organization, invite up to three providers plus a monitor to attend. Trainers and resource staff in early care and development programs are also welcome.

Forum Prerequisite

Forum registrants/participants are encouraged to complete the Preschool Nutrition and Active Physical Play External link opens in new window or tab. online course on the Healthy and Active Preschoolers Web site before attending the forum. This way, you will be familiar with jargon and concepts that will be discussed in the forum. It will take about three hours to complete in one sitting. However, the course is self-paced and you may take as long as you need to complete it, just make a note of where you left off in the course. You can earn three Professional Growth Hours after successfully completing this online course.

Professional Growth Hours and Certificate

Professional Growth Hours are required to renew a Child Development Permit. The forums can help you reach your professional development goals. You can earn 7.5 hours of Professional Growth when you attend the full-day program of the forum. Participants will also receive a Preschools SHINE Forum certificate of completion. Retain your certificate on file as documentation that you have completed the forum.

Cost, Enrollment, and Registration

Cost: The registration fee is $50 per person and must be received in our office at least three weeks prior to the scheduled forum. The fee covers the cost of some training materials plus morning and afternoon refreshments.
Enrollment: Limited to 75 people per training location. If you are sending a team, please limit the size of your team to the amount indicated in the Target Audience section.
Registration: Pre-registration is required and will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration is a two-step process. To register follow the directions below:
Step 1: Online Registration Instructions
  • Obtain your agency’s five digit Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) ID number to register.
  • Follow the system prompts as shown below: 
    • Program Training Available screen—Select All Programs
    • Available Training(s) screen—Select Preschools SHINE Forums
    • Available Training Location(s) screen—Select preferred location
    • Remember to print your CNIPS Confirmation Notice. This is your only registration record and it will be needed for the payment process.
If you need assistance with online registration, please contact the CNIPS Help Desk weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. by phone at 800-952-5609, option 6, or by e-mail at CNIPS@cde.ca.gov.
Step 2: Payment Instructions
To make a payment:
  • Attach a copy of your CNIPS Confirmation Notice along with a check for $50.00 payable to California Department of Education. Only personal checks, cashier checks or money orders are accepted. Purchase orders will not be accepted. Mail to:
California Department of Education
P.O. Box 515006
Sacramento, CA 95851
  • We must receive payment at least three weeks prior to the scheduled training date.
If you have any questions regarding the payment process, please contact Frances Tayam by phone at 916-324-8796.

What to Wear

Dress comfortably. All of the sessions are hands-on and participants will be physically active especially in the Active Minds, Active Bodies session.

Cancelation and Refunds

We recognize that circumstances can occur and affect your intent to attend a forum.
Canceling and sending a replacement: If you are unable to attend a forum, first consider sending another person from your agency. To send someone in your place, please contact the CNIPS Help Desk weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. by phone at 800-952-5609, option 6, or by e-mail at CNIPS@cde.ca.gov.
Canceling only and not sending a replacement: Please contact the CNIPS Help Desk weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. by phone at 800-952-5609, option 6, or by e-mail at CNIPS@cde.ca.gov.
Refunds: To be eligible for a refund, cancelation requests must be received at least three weeks prior to the training date. Contact Frances Tayam by phone at 916-324-8796 to request your refund.

Contact

  • For information about the forum program agenda, contact Lynette Haynes by phone at 916-323-2474 or by e-mail atlhaynes@cde.ca.gov, or contact Jennifer Esparza by phone at 916-323-6051 or by e-mail at jesparza@cde.ca.gov.
  • For help with online registration, sending a replacement or canceling, call the CNIPS Help Desk, by phone at 800-952-5609, option 6, or by e-mail at CNIPS@cde.ca.gov.
Questions: Lynette Haynes | lhaynes@cde.ca.gov | 800-952-5609 

Update: Will One Flagler School Board Election Serve As a Referendum On Resolution Against High-Stakes Testing? | Scathing Purple Musings

Will One Flagler School Board Election Serve As a Referendum On Resolution Against High-Stakes Testing? | Scathing Purple Musings:


FairTest Fact-Checks Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson

FairTest Pubic Education Director Bob Schaeffer responds to the narrative that Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson is advancing during appearances around the state which he’s making to defend the state’s test-dominated accountability system:
Despite Governor Rick Scott’s recent admission that Florida may be testing too much, state Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson is promising that the number of standardized exams administered in public schools will actually increase over the next few years. A story in Friday morning’s (SW Florida) News-Press reports on Robinson’s meeting with that paper’s editorial board:
 ”The FCAT 2.0 state exam will still exist alongside Common Core assessments, Robinson said, 


Will One Flagler School Board Election Serve As a Referendum On Resolution Against High-Stakes Testing?

 Flagler County School Board member Colleen Conklin 
Flagler county school board member, Colleen Conklin,  has been one voices Floridians have been hearing from longest who raised warnings on the direction Florida lawmakers were taking the state’s schools.
With the Flagler board’s cost-saving decision to cut the school day by 45 minutes on her mind last summer, Conklin urged her fellow board members to consider a lawsuit against the legislature for failing to fund education. In a lawsuit driven by parent advocates Fund Education Now and Citizens for Strong Schools, Conklin got her wish as a state appeals court ruled in November 2011 that lawsuit should go to the state’s Supreme Court. In 

Jersey Jazzman: Update: Your Own Lyin' Eyes + Ears

Jersey Jazzman: Your Own Lyin' Eyes:


Is ACTING Commissioner Cerf Really Getting a Hearing This Time?

Cross-posted from Blue Jersey


The press is reporting that ACTING NJDOE Commissioner Chris Cerf is finally going to get a confirmation hearing, after nearly two years:
Cerf's nomination first hit a snag because of a practice known as senatorial courtesy.

The unwritten rule allows state senators to block gubernatorial appointees who reside in the counties they serve from ever being considered. State Sen. Ron Rice 



Your Own Lyin' Eyes

Who are you gonna believe: me, or your own lyin' eyes?
Jersey City’s prospective new schools superintendent yesterday met with the public for the first time since the Board of Education voted to select her to succeed former schools chief Charles T. Epps Jr.
Marcia V. Lyles gave a speech at School 7 yesterday outlining her vision for Jersey City’s public schools and addressing the controversy that has surrounded her appointment.
Lyles, who declined to give her age, denied that state Acting Education 

Missouri Education Watchdog: MEW Presentation On The State of Education In Missouri

Missouri Education Watchdog: MEW Presentation On The State of Education In Missouri:


MEW Presentation On The State of Education In Missouri


Last night we gave a presentation on the state of education in Missouri to a group of concerned motivated citizens. They say you have to pick your battles.  The subject of education is very broad and the system as a whole is very entrenched. We will have to take many bites of this apple to get where we would really like to be. For this presentation we tried to focus on the issues of control and finance and identified actions people could take to address those issues within the our state. See the whole presentation here or on the page link in the side bar of the blog.

Watch this blog for a petition to get Missouri out of Common Core Standards and return control for our curriculum to the state and our local school boards, coming soon.