Requesting Letters: Action for the Week of 8/19/2012 | United Opt Out National

Requesting Letters: Action for the Week of 8/19/2012 | United Opt Out National:

Requesting Letters: Action for the Week of 8/19/2012

by admin

Good afternoon Liberators.  The school year has started. United Opt Out National weekly actions are resuming and we need your help! We are asking everyone to write a letter to the citizens of our country explaining how you are opting out of corporate education reform. Parents, we’d love a letter explaining how and why you are opting out of the state test. Teachers, we’d love a letter detailing the many creative ways you are able to opt out of test prep and focus on real learning and real teaching. Grandparents, community members, students – everyone – tell us what you’re doing. We will start posting these letters at our website immediately. This year we must be even more action-oriented and direct – we must increase our number of opt outs and it is our responsibility to educate in order to save our public schools and ultimately our democracy. Our stories will evoke emotion, understanding and result in others taking action. Let’s get moving – submit your letters via our email address at unitedoptoutnational@gmail.com. Thank you Liberators!  We CAN stop this madness. We don’t negotiate with children’s lives. Take action for the week of August 19, 2012!!!!!

Wait, What? A little help would mean a lot... - Wait, What?

Wait, What? A little help would mean a lot... - Wait, What?:

Wait, What? A little help would mean a lot…

by jonpelto

A little help would mean a lot…

Wait, What? - Working to educate, persuade and mobilize through “perceptive and acerbic” observations about Connecticut Government and Politics

Dear Friends,

A little help would mean a lot…

For 18 months, Wait, What? has been digging into the stories that aren’t being covered by the media, but should be.  Through the blog I’ve been working to educate, persuade and mobilize our fellow citizens through “perceptive and acerbic” observations about Connecticut Government and Politics.

My work with this blog, and throughout my public career, has been guided by three overriding principles:

First, as a society, we are all better off when citizens have a better understanding of the challenges that confront us and the issues that surround the public policy making 

(Past) Time for education profiteers to take a walk: Blast from the past #1 | AMPS

(Past) Time for education profiteers to take a walk: Blast from the past #1 | AMPS:

(Past) Time for education profiteers to take a walk: Blast from the past #1

by Thomas J. Mertz

“JUST ABOUT TIME HE TOOK A WALK!.,” original caption, The American School Board Journal, July 1921.

The O’ Jays – “For The Love Of Money” (click to listen or download)

This is the first in a new series on AMPS: Blasts from the Past.  It will be devoted to historical materials that comment on or illuminate contemporary issues in education.  I’ll usually  also post some links to recent, related things and often a song too.  I’m a historian by training, so I feel compelled to say that historical analogs should always be carefully examined, develops in the past are never identical to developments in the present.  Both continuity and change should be assessed.  In this series the emphasis will be on continuity, but I realize that’s 

Help Your Kids with Their Homework With These Tips - Hispanically Speaking News

Help Your Kids with Their Homework With These Tips - Hispanically Speaking News:

Help Your Kids with Their Homework With These Tips

There are many things you can do to help your kids start the school year on the right track, like replacing an old backpack or getting them the school supplies they need. But there’s something more meaningful you can do that may not cost money: help them with their homework.

Students who do their homework consistently tend to have better grades. It’s not always easy to get them to do their homework, especially after a busy day, but these tips can help:

Talk to your children about their homework. It’s important that your kids understand why it’s important to do their homework and the positive impact it has on grades. Homework helps them practice what they’ve learned as well as prepare them for upcoming classes. Plus, by doing their homework they develop the discipline and skills they need to be successful throughout their school years.

Talk to the teachers. Different teachers might expect different things from parents, so be sure to talk to them to figure out your role. For example, some teachers prefer parents review their kids’ homework; others prefer parents make sure kids do their homework. Teachers can also tell you how much time your child should spend doing homework and what to do if the homework is too easy or too difficult.

Select a fixed time to do homework. The best time to do homework is the one that works best for your child and you. It can be before or after playing, watching television or dinnertime. What’s important is that homework time is consistent. Avoid leaving it for the end of the day, when your child is tired and sleepy.

Pick a quiet area and eliminate distractions. To help your children focus on homework, pick a place in the house where there’s plenty of light and no distractions. It doesn’t have to be fancy. It can be the kitchen table or a desk. Make sure the TV is off and put away electronic devices, unless they’re essential to doing homework.

Get them the resources they need. You don’t have to be an expert in all subjects to help your kids with homework. However, you need to make sure they have the tools they need to succeed. If you need expert help, you can always take them to the library or help them with their search online. You can also visit kids.gov to find information on homework topics. The Department of Education also has several resources to help your child with homework in different areas, including math, reading and writing.

Charter school group's chief blamed for 2010 cheating scandal | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education

Charter school group's chief blamed for 2010 cheating scandal | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education:

Charter school group's chief blamed for 2010 cheating scandal

by admin

Two separate investigations into the cheating scandal blamed Crescendo's founder and chief executive, John Allen, who was driven, as one official said, by a desire to be “better, better, better, best." (Brian van der Brug, Los Angeles Times /March 4, 2011)

By HOWARD BLUME - Los Angeles Times - Published: Friday, Aug. 17, 2012
From: SacBee.com
LOS ANGELES -- The meeting at Crescendo Preparatory South was progressing as usual when the acting principal dropped a bombshell: She had been given copies of the upcoming standardized tests. The teachers were to study them, take notes - and make sure the kids got it.
Some of the eight instructors were troubled by what seemed to be an order to cheat. One burst into tears.
So began one of the most brazen cheating scandals in the nation. Ultimately, all of Crescendo's schools in South Los Angeles and nearby Gardena and Hawthorne were shut down, its teachers let go and 1,400 students 

Solution-Driven Unionism - Randi's NY Times Column

AFT - A Union of Professionals - Randi's NY Times Column:

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•  Solution-Driven Unionism

 

Solution-Driven Unionism

by Randi Weingarten
President, American Federation of Teachers 

---

Weingarten visits Madeleine V. Leckie Elementary School in Washington, D.C. Photo by Michael Campbell.

 

Education wars—two words that should never be strung together—are far too common in the United States. The primary casualties of such conflicts, as well as of mounting education cuts and misguided “reforms,” are our students. The good news is that across the country, in places big and small, America’s teachers are leading a movement away from finger-pointing and polarization and toward advancing solutions that help our students and our public schools succeed and our communities thrive. From overcoming the effects of poverty on children’s education to helping teachers master the instructional shifts required by ambitious new academic standards, some of the country’s most pressing challenges are being met with what I call “solution-driven unionism.” Solution-driven unionism is rooted in solving problems, not winning arguments. AFT affiliates are pursuing this approach, and we are encouraging many more to follow suit. We know that this tough climate—marked by increasing poverty, continuing budget cuts, and a recession-fueled resurgence in attacks on unions and public services—can’t stop us from having a proactive quality education agenda. To the contrary—while we will continue to fight for the resources children need, we must also devise innovative, creative and new approaches to help all children succeed.

Solution-driven unionism doesn’t simply call out what doesn’t work, although we do that when required; it points to a better way, as these examples show:

• As teachers across the country prepare for the new school year, they have access to a powerful new tool—Share My Lesson, an innovative online community that provides free access to educators’ best ideas and resources, 

“Bullying Is Student Voice” (Guest Post by Adam Fletcher) « Cooperative Catalyst

“Bullying Is Student Voice” (Guest Post by Adam Fletcher) « Cooperative Catalyst:

“Bullying Is Student Voice” (Guest Post by Adam Fletcher)

by dloitz

In a lot of educators’ minds, “student voice” only happens when adults direct learners to share their thoughts in ways that are acceptable in schools. Whether embedded in the curriculum, listened to through adult-led student forums, or guided in carefully moderated websites, student voice is often painted as the cuddly, friendly, and convenient precursor to “student engagement.”

However, after more than a decade of working with schools across the US and Canada to promote Meaningful Student Involvement throughout the education system, I have discovered that student voice is a multifaceted 

OH, THE UNBELIEVABLE HORROR « Teachers Fight Back

OH, THE UNBELIEVABLE HORROR « Teachers Fight Back:

OH, THE UNBELIEVABLE HORROR

by alkleen

Chicago Tribune Editorial Board, you are more hilarious than Governor Quinn. The lead editorial in today’s Chicago Tribune implies that a strike by Chicago teachers would do irreparable harm to the school children of Chicago. It would ruin the ENTIRE YEAR for those poor victimized little children. Oh the horror, oh the humanity if the school year were delayed a few days by a strike.
Among an entire page of nonsense is a quote by some unnamed middle school math teacher as saying, “To not have that first day, that new day, it’s like a firecracker that doesn’t go off. The momentum of the buildup is lost. Even if it happens later, that possibility of the freshest starts is lost. And everyone starts from behind.”

Holy cow! A newspaper tells the truth about state pensions. Stop the presses! « Fred Klonsky

Holy cow! A newspaper tells the truth about state pensions. Stop the presses! « Fred Klonsky:

Illinois taxes a housekeeper at the Hyatt Hotel at the same rate it taxes Penny Pritzker who owns the hotel. Want to know why the state can’t fund its pensions?

by Fred Klonsky

Holy cow! A newspaper tells the truth about state pensions. Stop the presses!

by Fred Klonsky

 Most robbery victims would sympathize with other people about to be held up, but right-wing media and wrong-headed legislators have created scapegoats to cover their own failures. Bill Fletcher, Jr., author of “They’re Bankrupting Us!” and 20 Other Myths about Unions, explained the disconnect: “What the right wing has managed to do is get workers who have been crushed angry at 

Ten minute drawing.

by Fred Klonsky

Charter-school issue a drain on public education | Jay Bookman

Charter-school issue a drain on public education | Jay Bookman:

Charter-school issue a drain on public education

1:38 pm August 19, 2012, by Jay

Note: This post contains material published here earlier. It is posted here as the electronic version of my Sunday AJC column.

“The provision of an adequate public education for the citizens shall be a primary obligation of the State of Georgia. Public education for the citizens prior to the college or post-secondary level shall be free and shall be provided for by taxation.”

— Article VIII, Section I of the Georgia Constitution

As the Georgia Constitution makes clear, public education is supposed to be a primary obligation of state government. Yet in the 2009-1010 school year, legislators financed just 37.8 percent of the cost of educating Georgia students, leaving local government to cover most of the 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Ed Reform Talk

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Ed Reform Talk:

Ed Reform Talk

by Melissa Westbrook

This summer, Rep. Eric Pettigrew went to a talk by Jeb Bush, a champion of the worst of ed reform (just look at Florida).  Now, in yet another disturbing trend, Pettigrew (who says he's a Dem), is going to accept an award from the Washington Policy Center for his "courage" in standing up for charters.  If I were in the 37th, I'd be suspicious of someone who is so cozy with partisans from the other party.

The WPC, which calls itself non-partisan, is nothing of the sort.

Here's WPC's idea for what would be good for Washington State - Eight Ways to Improve Public Schools:

-Put the principal in charge
-Give parents choice among public schools
-Let teachers teach
-Double teacher pay
-Replace current state tests with the Iowa Test of Basic Skills

Why Are Our Public Schools Up For Sale? | Alternet

Why Are Our Public Schools Up For Sale? | Alternet:

Why Are Our Public Schools Up For Sale?

While charter proponents claim that their schools are less bureaucratic, more efficient, and more effective, the evidence fails to back those claims.

August 13, 2012  |  

 

Photo Credit: Margie Hurwich via Shutterstock.com

 

 

"Back-to-school" sales seem to start earlier every year. These days, more than binders and backpacks are on offer. Now, public schools themselves are for sale.

In July, Muskegon Heights, Michigan became the first American city to hand its entire school district over to a charter-school operator .

More than 1.6 million American kids attend charter schools, which emerged in the early 1990s. Whatever their original intent, charters are fundamentally restructuring the school system by placing it in private — often for-profit — hands. They're making teachers and staff work harder and longer for less pay, usually without union benefits or protection.

In May, Philadelphia's schools announced a plan to close 64 schools and outsource 25 more to so-called "achievement networks" run 

EDUCATION, humor, satire, vouchers, charter schools, cyberschools, | Dailycensored.com

EDUCATION, humor, satire, vouchers, charter schools, cyberschools, | Dailycensored.com:

EDUCATION, humor, satire, vouchers, charter schools, cyberschools

by Danny Weil

Vouchering an Educational Adventure

by WALTER BRASCH

I hadn’t talked with Marshbaum for a couple of years, ever since he left newspaper journalism for more lucrative work in the fast food industry. But here he was in my office to ask if I would publicize his new educational adventure. “That’s great!” I said. “You’re finishing the last three years of college.” “I own the school. CEO of Little Minds Charter and Voucher Corp. We’re on the leading edge of the trend to privatize schools.” “How does mumbling into a broken speaker box make you qualified to run a school?” I asked. “Interpersonal communication skills,” he replied. “That, and knowing how to count change and arrange work schedules for the three minimum-wage high school kids on my late night shift. It’s all administration and 

Where Borrowing $105 Million Will Cost $1 Billion: Poway Schools - Voice of San Diego: Education

Where Borrowing $105 Million Will Cost $1 Billion: Poway Schools - Voice of San Diego: Education:

Where Borrowing $105 Million Will Cost $1 Billion: Poway Schools

• 
  By WILL CARLESS

Last year the Poway Unified School District made a deal: It borrowed $105 million from investors to fund a final push in its decade-long effort to revamp aging schools.

In many ways, the deal was unspectacular. Some of the money was used to pay off previous debts from delayed and over-budget construction projects. The rest went towards finishing upgrades that Poway taxpayers had been promised as far back as 2002. To a casual observer, it was just another school bond.

But Poway Unified’s deal was far from normal.

In 2008, voters had given the district permission to borrow more money to finish its modernization, and they had received a big promise from the elected school board in 

Yes, you heard right...CT taxpayers give $115 million to Bridgewater, world's biggest hedge fund - Wait, What?

Yes, you heard right...CT taxpayers give $115 million to Bridgewater, world's biggest hedge fund - Wait, What?:

Yes, you heard right…CT taxpayers give $115 million to Bridgewater, world’s biggest hedge fund

by jonpelto

Connecticut taxpayers are providing $115 million in aid to the world’s largest hedge fund.

Ray Dalio, the company’s founder and CEO is the highest paid person in the country. (He made $3.9 billion in 2011 alone.)

The package is, “an incentive to stay and expand in the state.”

They build a $750 million headquarters in Stamford (they are now based in Westport)

They increase their workforce from 1,225 to 2,000 over the next decade.

Apparently it is a win, win situation.

According to an article in Slate.com, “without

The Sunday mail. « Fred Klonsky

The Sunday mail. « Fred Klonsky:

The Sunday mail.

by Fred Klonsky

This week’s message from the Pension Educator, John Dillon. Keeping Teachers in the Box (or “love you just the way you are”).
We need Woody more than ever. Thank God for Ry Cooder.
America’s public schools are for sale.
Okay. I admit it. I have a thing for Byonce.
Microsoft sucks. So let’s hand our schools over to Bill Gates?
Rahm and his charter school secret.
And welcome to Rahm’s Chicago. If you’re poo

School Tech Connect: More Gates-Funded Nonsense Becomes Official

School Tech Connect: More Gates-Funded Nonsense Becomes Official:

More Gates-Funded Nonsense Becomes Official

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

I was going to try to write something about how the testing/industrial complex has created a bizarre, incestuous,  many-headed Hydra, and how the market is responding favorably, but I see that Susan Ohanian has already covered this particular development in spectacular detail.

In short, the Gates-funded National Governors' Association just determined through Gates-funded analysis at the Gates + GE-funded Student Achievement Partners, that the weird text-complexity formula used by Accelerated Reader is not only the bomb but totally valid and scientificky.

In case you are not aware, in schools, more and more, reading teachers are either coerced directly or indirectly 

Obama urges Congress to approve funds to boost teacher hiring - The Hill's Video

Obama urges Congress to approve funds to boost teacher hiring - The Hill's Video:

Obama urges Congress to approve funds to boost teacher hiring

By Meghashyam Mali - 08/18/12 06:00 AM ET

  

President Obama on Saturday called on lawmakers to pass legislation to help cash-strapped state and local governments hire teachers and said Republican budget cuts would set back America’s education system.

In his weekly address, Obama noted the coming start of the school year in much of the country and warned that scaled-back education budgets had left fewer teachers on the job.

“This year, several thousand fewer educators will be going back to school,” said the president. “Think about what that means for our country.  At a time when the rest of the world is racing to out-educate America; these cuts force our kids into crowded classrooms, cancel programs for preschoolers and kindergarteners, and shorten the school week and the school year.”

The administration unveiled a new report Saturday warning that 300,000 local 

IIn “Denial” About Florida’s Test-Based Accountability System and “Acting As If” Nothing’s Wrong | Scathing Purple Musings

IIn “Denial” About Florida’s Test-Based Accountability System and “Acting As If” Nothing’s Wrong | Scathing Purple Musings:

IIn “Denial” About Florida’s Test-Based Accountability System and “Acting As If” Nothing’s Wrong

by Bob Sikes

From the editors of Bradenton Herald:

The state’s top education officials are in deep denial about the flaws in the system, with one suggesting the discovery of the school grading errors is proof the accountability system works.
That sort of spin boggles the mind. The state should have reviewed the scores for errors before releasing them to the public, not afterward.

And according to Miami Herald reporter Mary Ellen Klas, the investigation only took place because of intervention by Governor Rick Scott’s chief of staff.  Test-dependent school grades weren’t the only disaster. Another test trauma occurred last spring with FCAT Writes.

Even before the school grades came out in early July, state Education Commissioner Gerard