Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: This morning at CPS: The struggle continues...

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: This morning at CPS: The struggle continues...:

This morning at CPS: The struggle continues...

by Mike Klonsky

Jesse Sharkey

Chicago union teachers sent a powerful message to Rahm/Brizard and corporate school reformers this morning when hundreds of them marched outside CPS headquarters. The message was -- It's not over yet. The struggle continues. 

Union Veep Jesse Sharkey made that same point again to rousing applause, in his 

Teachers Don't Suck !: What's Wrong Here? Plenty - That's What!

Teachers Don't Suck !: What's Wrong Here? Plenty - That's What!:

What's Wrong Here? Plenty - That's What!

by Walt S.

Last Month's Ruling on COLA Benefits for Retirees

The most important aspect of this ruling is that it opens up the door to have the state cut all benefits based on the debt limitation clause in the state constitution yet the 

Jersey Jazzman: Update The Problems With Chris Cerf: A Summary

Jersey Jazzman: Cerf's Problems #3: Data Abuse:

Cerf's Problems #3: Data Abuse

by Duke

Here again are the three problems I have with ACTING NJ Education Commissioner Chris Cerf:

1. He plays fast and loose with standards of ethics and transparency.
2. He has accrued too much power to himself.
3. He misrepresents research, data, and facts to push his policies.

Time to take a look at #3.

Tomorrow, the day of Cerf's long-awaited confirmation hearing, it will have been 507 days since Cerf promised a report on charter schools "as quickly as is humanly possible."

Let's remember exactly why Cerf promised this report. Over and over again, Cerf has touted the successes of

The Problems With Chris Cerf: A Summary

by Duke

Tomorrow, ACTING NJ Education Commissioner Cerf will finally have his long-overdue confirmation hearing. In anticipation, I've put out a good deal of reporting this week about Cerf's career and his reign at the NJDOE.

For me, it all comes down to three things (click through each link for all the details):

1) Cerf plays fast and loose with standards of ethics and transparency. He made a sweetheart deal for himself while at Edison Learning using money from the Florida teachers pension fund, but ran into an ethics investigation while at the NYCDOE when he held stock even as the city had a contract with Edison. The report on his behavior is highly redacted; he has never told the full story of the deal.

He led a "truth squad" that leaked information to allies in the press to counter critics of his bosses. He was involved in a scandal early in his New Jersey tenure when he changed his story about a report his old firm wrote that sought to radically remake Newark's schools. He has used private money to hire NJDOE employees and 

How Common Core will change testing in schools - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

How Common Core will change testing in schools - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

How Common Core will change testing in schools

By Valerie Strauss

This was written by Stephen Krashen, professor of linguistics at the University of Southern California (emeritus), to explain how the adoption of the Common Core State Standards will change testing in the nation’s schools. This first appeared on Diane Ravitch’s blog.

By Stephen Krashen

How much testing?

At first glance, the assessments now being developed to accompany the Common Core standards do not appear to be much more than we already have, at least in terms of subject-matter covered and grade level.  According to the organizations working on developing standards and tests (PARCC and SBEC), as is the case with NCLB there will be summative end-of-the-year tests in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school and these additions: Writing is added as a component of language 
Third grade teachers learn how to teach to Common Core math standards in Tennessee. (Mark A Large/AP)arts, and voluntary interim testing will be offered through the academic year.

There is reason to suspect there will be a lot more.  As Jim Crawford has stated, “With 

Key Florida Democrat Lawmaker Calls for Time-Out on Statewide Testing | Scathing Purple Musings

Key Florida Democrat Lawmaker Calls for Time-Out on Statewide Testing | Scathing Purple Musings:

Key Florida Democrat Lawmaker Calls for Time-Out on Statewide Testing

by Bob Sikes

Reports James Call in the Florida Current:

A top lawmaker wants to call a time-out on statewide testing of Florida’s students and grading of public schools.
“We’ve got teachers whose lives and students whose lives are impacted by an assessment system which is not accurate,” said Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, vice chairman of the Senate Appropriation Education Committee. “We’ve got to stop, stop and see where we are.”
Friday Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson informed school districts that recently announced annual grades for elementary and middle schools were wrong. The grades are based o

Suggestion for Florida’s Education Policy Makers – “Living By the Same Accountability Mantra They Preach to Others”

by Bob Sikes

A second widely read columnist picked up their pen today and pummeled Florida’s “test-obsessed” accountability system and the policy-makers who drive it. Writing in the Orlando Sentinel, Scott Maxwell dishes out his typical brand of clever acerbity and gives out his own grades. They weren’t very good and his summation has even more bite.

This state is obviously having problems, yet anyone who objects is branded as anti-accountability.

Testimony of Secretary Duncan before the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee | U.S. Department of Education

Testimony of Secretary Duncan before the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee | U.S. Department of Education:

Testimony of Secretary Duncan before the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee

JULY 25, 2012

Contact:  

 Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov 

I want to thank the Chairman, the Ranking Member, and other Members of this Subcommittee for your support. Over the past three years, we've protected students at risk while investing in education reform that supports bold and courageous leadership at the both state and local level.

I welcome the opportunity to discuss the potential devastating impact of sequestration. We hoped that the prospect of deep, indiscriminate, across-the-board cuts would spur Congress to take a balanced approach to deficit reduction. So far that hasn't happened. Clearly, there is still time to act, and we remain hopeful that we can avoid these cuts.


Fiscal year 2013 is a little more than two months away and sequestration kicks in three months after that on January 2nd -- so it's critically important that we – and the American people – fully understand the consequences of sequestration and take steps to avoid it now.


As all of you know, sequestration will force across-the-board budget cuts on almost every discretionary program. Education, defense, public safety and all other federal agencies would indiscriminately cut services that are essential to every state and community.


The sequestration will put at risk all that we've accomplished in education and weaken programs that help children, serve families, send young people and adults to college and make the middle class American dream possible.

Sequestration is absolutely the wrong way to make policy. It does not let Congress or the administration set priorities. It attacks both ineffective and effective programs with the same budget knife.

Perhaps, worst of all, it is another short-term fix to our long-term budget challenges. If sequestration happens, it simply means we didn't do our jobs in Washington -- we shirked our collective responsibility – and the people of America will pay the price.


Essentially, we're playing chicken with the lives of the American people – our schools, communities, small businesses, farms, public safety, infrastructure and national security. It further erodes what little faith remains in our elected leadership to put partisan politics aside and do the right thing for children and families.


Clearly, it is time for Congress to work together with the administration to create a long-term plan to reduce the deficit while simultaneously supporting the economic recovery that is underway.

We have had 28 straight months of private sector job growth because we have been thoughtful and ambitious in the way we balance new investments with spending cuts. Today, in fact, domestic discretionary programs are at their lowest level as a share of G.D.P. since the Eisenhower Administration.

Congress has five months to work together to create a deficit reduction plan. President Obama has proposed a responsible way to do that when he submitted a plan that includes more than $4 trillion in deficit reduction. It maintains the Budget Control Act caps, and calls for significant, yet targeted, cuts in discretionary spending. We've tightened our belts in a responsible way.


Most importantly, the President's plan is a long-term fix. It will put an end to the see-saw budgeting that leaves state and local officials wondering if they can count on the federal government to be a partner with them on education and other vital programs.


Let's begin with education:

The President and I – and many, many members of Congress – recognize that education is the cornerstone of our economy. A good education leads to a good job and a lifetime of higher earnings. A strong education system and a strong economy are inextricably linked. Over the past three years, we've made investments in Race to the Top, the Investing in Innovation Fund, and other efforts to reform our schools so today's students are truly prepared to succeed in the global economy and keep high-wage, high-skill jobs in America.

Sequestration sends a signal that the United States is backtracking on its commitment to reform and its long-standing promise to promote equity through Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA.

Education is also essential for our military preparedness. A staggering 75 percent of young Americans are unable to enlist in the military today because they have either failed to graduate from high school, they have a criminal record, or they are physically unfit.

I've met with military leaders who recognize that the best way to address the dropout crisis is to start early and invest in early childhood education. They don't want to see cuts in Head Start, Child Care Development Block Grants and other programs serving children.

The biggest impact in K-12 education will be felt starting in the fall of 2013. In a recent poll of school district leaders, 80 percent of them said they would not be able to use state and local funding to replace lost federal funds.

Based on the Congressional Budget Office's projection that sequestration will reduce programs by 7.8 percent, here's what we know will be at risk:

• 
  Title I funding would be cut by $1.1 billion, cutting off funding to more than 4,000 schools serving an estimated 1.8 million disadvantaged students. The jobs of more than 15,000 teachers and teacher aides would be at risk. Students would lose access to individual instruction, afterschool programs, and other interventions that help close achievement gaps.
• 
  Funding for special education would be reduced by $900 million. That could translate into the layoffs of more than 10,000 teachers, aides, and other staff who provide essential instruction and other support to 6.6 million children with disabilities in every one of your states.
• 
  On January 2nd, schools serving our military families through the Impact Aid program would have immediate cuts to their budgets. For example, the Killeen Independent School District in Texas would lose $4.6 million – directly affecting 18,000 children from military families. Military families make so many sacrifices for our country. Their children deserve a world-class education.
• 
  In higher education, the Department would need to slash spending on contracts to support the processing and origination of student loans, which could cause delays that will hurt students as they make decisions about college and could reduce services for borrowers seeking to repay their loans.

In addition to these cuts at our Department of Education, other agencies will have to be forced to reduce spending in ways that will slow our nation's educational progress.

• 
  Up to almost 100,000 low-income children would be denied access to the Head Start program, which is critical to preparing them for success in kindergarten and beyond.
• 
  80,000 children would lose access to high quality care through the Child Care Development Block Grant.
• 
  The National Institutes of Health would issue 700 fewer grants to medical researchers, slowing progress in the search for treatments and cures to cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and other diseases in research labs at hospitals and universities across the country. Up to 1500 grants would be cut from the National Science Foundation.

While it is absolutely our hope and intention to avoid sequestration, the Department of Education, along with all other agencies, will be ready to implement cuts if sequestration happens. But we all know that there are steps we can take so we don't have to start down this path that puts so many critical services to students, families and communities at risk. As everyone knows, sequestration does not have to happen and should not happen.
President Obama and all of us on his team are ready to work with you to create a long-term path to reduce the deficit while investing in the programs that will secure our country's economic prosperity and global leadership. Together, let's do the right thing.

RheeFirst! » Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s new ad called “shameful”, “snide”

RheeFirst! » Rhee’s new ad called “shameful”, “snide”:

Rhee’s new ad called “shameful”, “snide”

by admin

Written by Liz Dwyer for Good Education.  Read the entire post here.

“The Olympic Games are a time for the world’s nations to showcase their very best, but a new ad from Michelle Rhee’s education reform group Students First has chosen to use the games to shine an unflattering spotlight on America’s public schools. …
[I]t’s sad that an organization that calls itself Students First would choose to ridicule students and our schools in this way. The messaging of this ad also feels pretty unpatriotic. Imagine if instead of the incredibly inspiring “Made in Detroit” Chrysler ads featuring Eminem that ran during the 2011 Super Bowl, some organization had run an ad depicting our automobile industry as an out-of-shape football player?
If only Rhee had chosen to air an Olympic-themed ad spotlighting the progress our schools are making and called for greater community support of teachers and students. At a time when our athletes are about to compete on a world stage, Rhee should be embarrassed that she endorsed such a shameful, snide “let me tell the world just how much our schools suck” point of view.”

Jersey Jazzman: Cerf's Problems #2: NJ's Education Autocracy

Jersey Jazzman: Cerf's Problems #2: NJ's Education Autocracy:

Cerf's Problems #2: NJ's Education Autocracy

by Duke

Once again, I see three problems with ACTING NJ Education Commissioner Cerf:

1. He plays fast and loose with standards of ethics and transparency.
2. He has accrued too much power to himself.
3. He misrepresents research, data, and facts to push his policies.

Let's look at #2 now. Where should the control of schools lie? With elected school boards and the elected Legislature? Or with an unelected bureaucrat and his staff in the Department of Education? Chris Cerf clearly believes it's the latter, and he has reorganized the structure and function of the NJDOE so it can take away as much power as possible from local districts and concentrate it in his office.

Let's go back to a column written by Joan Whitlow that I think summarizes the problem well:

For months, Newark parents, teachers and students have been attending meetings 

Secretary Duncan Testifies on Across-the-Board Budget Cuts | ED.gov Blog

Secretary Duncan Testifies on Across-the-Board Budget Cuts | ED.gov Blog:

Secretary Duncan Testifies on Across-the-Board Budget Cuts

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Cameron Brenchley

Secretary Arne Duncan testified before Congress today on the impact of across-the-board cuts. Photo courtesy of the Architect of the Capitol.

Earlier today Secretary of Education Arne Duncan testified on Capitol Hill about the impact of budget cuts called sequestration. Sequestration would mandate across-the-board cuts to the federal budget that will go into effect in January if Congress doesn’t act. While a lot of attention has been given to impeding cuts to defense, Secretary Duncan testified about the impact the cuts would on all government services and programs.

“Education, defense, public safety and all other federal agencies would indiscriminately cut services that are essential to every state and community,” Duncan said.

The Secretary said that education is the cornerstone of our country’s economy and essential for our military preparedness. Duncan noted that 75 percent of young Americans are unable to enlist in the military because they have either failed to graduate from high school, have a criminal record, or are physically unfit.

While most schools won’t feel the impact of across-the-board cuts until the fall of 2013, the lack of federal funds would be felt deep throughout the country.

• Title I funding would be cut by $1.1 billion, cutting off funding to more than 4,000 schools serving an estimated 1.8 million disadvantaged students. The jobs of more than 15,000 teachers and aides would be at risk.

• Funding for special education would be reduced by $900 million. That could translate into the layoffs of more than 10,000 teachers, aides, and other staff who provide essential instruction and other support to 6.6 million children with disabilities.

• Up to almost 100,000 low-income children would be denied access to the Head Start program, which is critical to preparing them for success in kindergarten and beyond.

Duncan noted that the Obama Administration stands ready to work with Congress on preventing sequestration with a balanced approach to deficit reduction. The President’s plan includes more than $4 trillion in deficit reduction. It maintains the Budget Control Act caps, and calls for significant, yet targeted, cuts in discretionary spending.

Campus Affirmative Action and the Supreme Court « Student Activism

Campus Affirmative Action and the Supreme Court « Student Activism:

Campus Affirmative Action and the Supreme Court

by Angus Johnston

One of the Supreme Court’s first cases when it returns in the fall will be Fisher v. University of Texas, scheduled for argument on October 10. The Fisher case concerns the constitutionality of affirmative action policies in undergraduate admissions at UT.
Campus affirmative action has been on shaky legal ground since 2003, when the Supreme Court ruled in the 5-4 Grutter v. Bollinger decision that race-conscious policies could not be used to remedy the effects of past societal discrimination, but only “to further a compelling interest in obtaining the educational benefits that flow from a diverse student body.”
Four of the Court’s members were then willing to accept a broader role for affirmative action, while four wanted to end it entirely. It was Justice O’Connor, the swing vote, who endorsed the compromise that carried the day, but in the last nine years, four members of the Court — including O’Connor — have left by death or resignation, and 

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, July 25, 2012

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Located in Old Sacramento, the California State Railroad Museum is a complex of historic facilities and unique attractions. Widely regarded as North America's most popular railroad museum, there is something here for everyone! Throughout the year, experience lavishly restored trains, engaging exhibits, and unique special events. 
Every weekend April-September, ride behind a real locomotive!

Education Headlines

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

A school of their own

A new academy will help academically, socially and emotionally troubled elementary students progress while keeping them in the Lodi district.

Central Unified administrators' pay raises protested

More than 70 parents, teachers and staff picketed Tuesday outside Central High School to protest pay raises given to the district's top administrators last month. Five administrators, including Superintendent Mike Berg, will receive annual raises each year if they get a satisfactory performance review.

SD Unified to float new bond on Nov. ballot

The San Diego school district is counting on voters to approve a property tax in November to generate $2.8 billion in local funds at a time when state education revenue is increasingly uncertain.

West County school district will float parcel tax and bond measure to pay for new schools

Encouraged by a poll it commissioned that showed significant voter support, the West Contra Costa school board voted Monday night to place a parcel tax and a bond measure to build new schools on the November ballot.

Dual high school, college enrollment promotes outcome for at-risk students

Analysis of a project designed to promote college entry for high school students least likely to go showed that career-focused dual enrollment programs can provide positive outcomes for these often unprepared and underachieving pupils.

Berkeley Unified's total spending on harassment case unknown

After a Berkeley High School student complained of sexual harassment by her guidance counselor, the Berkeley Unified School District spent $94,000 on lawyers to fight her claim. Then in February, school officials made a $57,500 insurance payout to settle the girl’s lawsuit, according to court records and interviews. The financially strapped school district’s spending on the controversial harassment case probably was greater. But for the past year, school district officials have refused to disclose how much they spent on the case, ignoring information requests filed under the state’s Public Records Act by California Watch and by a legal watchdog group, the First Amendment Coalition.

Schools offer free summer meals, but few kids eat them

Across California, the loss of summer learning opportunities has lowered participation in federally funded summer meal programs, according to a recent report by California Food Policy Advocates. Summer school provides a central location where students congregate; without it, kids are scattered and more difficult to reach.

Teachers' attorney says evals can include test scores this year

In a potentially groundbreaking decision, Los Angeles teachers and administrators agreed with the school district for the first time to use student test scores as part of performance reviews beginning this school year.

Teacher evaluation bill set to come back on the front-burner

Set aside nearly a year ago, legislation to overhaul the state’s teacher evaluation system appears set to resurface after new discussions between legislative leaders and the Brown administration.

New law increases school police powers, critics say

A new law that aims to address confusion over the authority of school district police departments has come under fire from some critics who say lawmakers have quietly increased school police powers under the guise of "cleanup language."

California appellate court turns back challenge to Proposition 13

Proposition 13, the landmark property tax limitation passed by California voters in 1978, has survived another legal assault. The 2nd District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles on Tuesday denied, without comment, an appeal of a lower court decision rejecting a challenge to the measure from Charles Young, the former chancellor of the UCLA campus.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Troubled Marin students find success as summer interns

The program, which ends Tuesday, places some 150 students at internships for school credit, but typically few if any of the students have come from the alternative schools.

Possible student cheating incidents delay release of state test results

Possible student cheating incidents at a dozen California schools, including Long Beach's Millikan High School, have delayed the release of the state standardized test results this year, officials said.

Natomas Unified and its teachers agree on two-year contract

Natomas Unified School District and its teachers union ended months of deadlocked negotiations this month, agreeing on a contract that could mean hiring more teachers to expand popular programs like kindergarten and International Baccalaureate.

To drop out you have to first drop in « Deborah Meier on Education

To drop out you have to first drop in « Deborah Meier on Education:

To drop out you have to first drop in

by debmeier

“I get so tired of reading about the “decline’ and ‘failure’ of American education. It is not true….” (Thanks Diane R and Kathy DuPois) And it’s been going on forever. Read Richard Rothstein’s classic: “The Way Things Were.’ Then weep or laugh. I think Al Shanker’s excuse was probably part of the misguided “game”. He thought that getting attention paid to the sorry state of our educational system was bound to be a good idea, regardless, he explained to me. The more attention–and thus more money– the better. Even, alas, if based on lies.
He was right that our school system has never been very good (although “compared to”?) I hope that Al would agree that he was wrong, had he lived to see where the consensus he helped create has led us. Fact-checkers 

Geaux Teacher!: 90-DAY COMMENT PERIOD FOR VOUCHER ACCOUNTABILITY PROPOSAL

Geaux Teacher!: 90-DAY COMMENT PERIOD FOR VOUCHER ACCOUNTABILITY PROPOSAL:

90-DAY COMMENT PERIOD FOR VOUCHER ACCOUNTABILITY PROPOSAL

by noreply@blogger.com (Lee Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT)

Voucher accountability a sham?

Tuesday’s vote sets in motion a 90-day comment period during which the public may suggest changes in the policy to BESE. After that period, the rules will become part of a department policy bulletin. People who wish to suggest changes can contact BESE at 225-342-5840.


This post by the Louisiana Federation of Teachers reveals a fact that completely passed my sphere of awareness at BESE's meeting during which they approved John White's new "accountability" proposal for voucher schools. Certainly proper procedure and process for BESE is often muddled and manipulated and this provision was pretty well kept under wraps. The proposal is only three pages long and we are all capable of presenting our viable suggestions that would make it a true accountability document. I hope everyone will take the opportunity to offer their "two bits." Here is the link to the press release which has a link to the document imbedded in it. There is no direct link to the document posted on the LDOE web site at this time:

http://www.louisianaschools.net/offices/publicaffairs/press_release.aspx?PR=1662




Voucher accountability a sham, LFT says

Charter school billionaire charged with massive fraud

Teamster Nation: Charter school billionaire charged with massive fraud:

Charter school billionaire charged with massive fraud

Don't forget union-busting.

As the blogger Atrios says, we'll find out soon what happens when all the public schools are shut down and all the charter school owners go to jail.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported yesterday,

A charter school mogul was charged today in a multimillion-dollar fraud case by the U.S. Attorney's Office. 

Dorothy June Hairston Brown, who received accolades for students' test scores and gained notoriety for collecting large salaries and suing parents who questioned her actions, was indicted on multiple counts of wire fraud, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering. 

Brown, 75, and four executives from her charter schools, were