School Tech Connect: Tis The Season...

School Tech Connect: Tis The Season...:

Tis The Season...

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

...For checking out your sample ballot.  I hate when I walk into a polling place to find out that I've prepped for only one or two questions. If I were teaching civics, I'd lead with the sample ballot tomorrow.

Here's my ballot.  That nasty Amendment 49 is the first thing there. Well, actually, an interpretation of it is there because the actual language is too long for the ballot. I don't know how people can be asked to vote on an interpretation. That itself seems like fraud. So, the November ballot itself leads with a fraudulent question. Nice.

What else is there?

There's this electrical aggregation question, which I have tried not to think about because it irks me that I'm being asked to weigh in on a pretty specific policy, yet I can't vote for the people running the school board.

I'll poke around a little more on this. The Trib and Rahm are 

Education Week: Two Suitors Bid to Transform 'Parent-Trigger' School

Education Week: Two Suitors Bid to Transform 'Parent-Trigger' School:

Two Suitors Bid to Transform 'Parent-Trigger' School

Principal David Mobley, left, is handed 465 signatures earlier this year from parents of students at Desert Trails Elementary School in Adelanto, Calif., where families used the state's 2010 "parent trigger" law to petition to convert the academically struggling school into a charter school.

—David Pardo/The Victor Valley Daily Press/AP-File

By Sean Cavanagh

Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org.

Read more FREE content!

• Printer-Friendly
• Email Article
• Reprints
• Comments

At the end of a process that drew just four applicants, two relatively small California organizations are each making a case that they be allowed to help lead one of the most publicized school turnaround efforts in the nation's history: the proposed transformation of Desert Trails Elementary School.

Parents in the community of Adelanto, northeast of Los Angeles, invited charter operators to submit proposals to help them transform the academically struggling school through the state's "parent trigger" law, even as the school's future remains the subject of a protracted legal battle.

Despite the overwhelming attention focused on the proposed school overhaul, the parents received limited interest from charter organizations before narrowing the list to two finalists.

The parents and others supporting the school transformation say the finalists, both based 

Missouri Education Watchdog: Do CCSSI and RTTT Mandates Ensure Educational Exellence..or is it Something Else that the Government Hasn't Yet Mandated?

Missouri Education Watchdog: Do CCSSI and RTTT Mandates Ensure Educational Exellence..or is it Something Else that the Government Hasn't Yet Mandated?:

Do CCSSI and RTTT Mandates Ensure Educational Exellence..or is it Something Else that the Government Hasn't Yet Mandated?

by stlgretchen

Are government mandates the answers to educational success?

"Boys Hope Girls Hope" is a program in St. Louis and other cities designed to help at risk students.  The St. Louis Post Dispatch recently ran an article explaining how the privately funded program works and the enormous commitment needed from the students and families so students succeed in school.

What I didn't read in the article that made kids successful were the following talking points from the Obama administration on how education needs to be reformed:

• The need for global competitiveness
• Common Core standards
• Race to the Top funding
• The need to be tracked into the workforce via Longitudinal Data Systems

How Gloria Romero Became the Face of Proposition 32 – Hot Ideas for a Cold Economy – The Frying Pan

How Gloria Romero Became the Face of Proposition 32 – Hot Ideas for a Cold Economy – The Frying Pan:

How Gloria Romero Became the Face of Proposition 32

by Matthew Fleischer on October 5, 2012

“Money is the mother’s milk of politics,” Gloria Romero tells me on the phone. “It’s flowing to both sides. Government isn’t about drawing lines. It’s not about saying you’re on that side and you can’t come over.”

Her voice is friendly, somewhat placid, but it’s clear Romero is not thrilled with having to answer questions about her political alliance with the Koch brothers and other wealthy supporters of Proposition 32, and she conspicuously avoids bringing up their names. When pressed about the Kochs and the money behind behind Prop. 32, she falls back upon her experience in Sacramento.

“I have sat in the belly of the beast,” she says. “I have seen the realities of money and its influence.”

With Election Day still one month away, the battle to pass Prop. 32 has seen its share of political shockers, including the sudden injection of $4 million of Koch brother money to the Yes on 32 campaign, along with millions more from Charles Munger Jr. But nothing has been more surprising than the decision of Romero, a former California State Senate Democratic majority leader, to serve as the measure’s frontwoman.

A liberal Latina firebrand from East Los Angeles, Romero was Occupy Wall Street before that movement existed. In 1990, as a member of the Latino Community Justice Center 

 

IT IS A RULE: YOU CAN'T BE AGAINST PEOPLE AND FOR CORPORATIONS AND CALL YOURSELF A DEMOCRAT...EVER!

SI&A Cabinet Report – Class and school environment often overlooked in confronting behavior problems

Class and school environment often overlooked in confronting behavior problems
By Lee Funk
Monday, October 08, 2012

It is a scene that plays out in classrooms across the nation every day – a willful student repeatedly disregards a teacher’s warning about misconduct and eventually is sent to the principal’s office. If the pattern is repeated enough, the student gets suspended and perhaps later expelled.

If the student is disabled, districts are required under federal law to have an Individualized Education Plan team determine if the behavior was a manifestation of the disability and if the placement and services were in line with the prescribed plan. Many times, the district may undertake the further expense of developing an intervention plan that may entail ongoing consultation with outside experts.

Yet, throughout all of this engagement – all the time and money spent evaluating the student’s behavior and the analysis of options – rarely does the administration take a closer look at the student’s environment and the potential for the classroom or teacher contribution to the problem.

“There’s often a knee-jerk reaction to disciplinary problems where suspensions or expensive interventions are seen as the best options,” said Dr. Lee Funk, a former superintendent and nationally known expert in special education 

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources:

Seattle Schools Community Forum: So Much to Talk About in Public Education and This is What the Times Prints?

Seattle Schools Community Forum: So Much to Talk About in Public Education and This is What the Times Prints?:

So Much to Talk About in Public Education and This is What the Times Prints?

by Melissa Westbrook

You have to shake your head.  What's up with the Times?

I'm pretty sure this guy isn't about throwing off the chains of public school education but more about vouchers.  That he cloaks his rhetoric in the "it's for the kids" school of thought doesn't make it any better.  (Note: like charters, we did vote on vouchers previously and again, the answer was no.)

So here’s a crazy idea that just might set the stage for real innovation to happen — a deep change to unleash the creative flow of new thinking and practices. What if we abolished our compulsory school attendance laws, let public schools partner with families and communities to define their own educational programs, and allowed 

West Seattle Issues and Priorities

by Charlie Mas

Here's a brilliant story from the West Seattle Blog about Director McLaren's community meeting in West Seattle.

Jersey Jazzman: The Cult of KIPP Encounters Another Heretic

Jersey Jazzman: The Cult of KIPP Encounters Another Heretic:

The Cult of KIPP Encounters Another Heretic

by Duke

KIPP the Kids In Prison Program

KIPP - the Knowledge Is Power Program - is America's preeminent charter school juggernaut. With 125 schools in 20 states and Washington, D.C., KIPP is the darling of reformy, pro-charter pundits.

It also has a bit of a reputation for being like a cult [all emphases mine]:

Indeed, Mathews likens KIPP to a cult "without the dues or the weird robes." But by definition, a cult is a fringe movement. To date, no one—including such mighty players as the Gates Foundation—has figured out how to take an educational cult and make it the predominant religion within any urban system.

 And:

I was a teacher at a KIPP school for 1 /1/2 years. (Not in NYC) It was the most horrible experience of my life. The teachers and students are literally in school for 11 hours a day. 

Daily Kos: Bus tour with teacherken: Education in Pennsylvania

Daily Kos: Bus tour with teacherken: Education in Pennsylvania:

Bus tour with teacherken: Education in Pennsylvania

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

This is crossposted from Education Votes, a website of the NEA, for whom I am serving as an embedded blogger on the Stop the Greed Agenda Bus Tour.  I ask that you also follow that link and Like the post
I will be discussing how the Greed Agenda and related things are affecting public education in Pennsylvania, but allow me to share some photos of our Sunday.
There was nothing scheduled for today, but somehow we managed to find two ways of getting our message, Stop the Greed Agenda, out.
First we made a stop at a radio station in Youngstown,

where Mariah was interviewed:

Please continue below the squiggle for more photos and my thoughts on education in Pennsylvania

Daily Kos: Bus tour with teacherken: Pittsburgh and African-American heritage

Daily Kos: Bus tour with teacherken: Pittsburgh and African-American heritage:

Bus tour with teacherken: Pittsburgh and African-American heritage

Posted October 7, 2012

  

  No comments

TAG ALEC, Pittsburgh, Stop the Greed Agenda, teacherken, voter id, voter protection

Ken Bernstein is a recently retired National Board Certified Social Studies Teacher who was a 2010 Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher. Nationally known for hisblogging as teacherken at Daily Kos and elsewhere, he served until his retirement as the lead building representative (NEA) at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt MD.

Saturday Oct. 6 was a day to spread the message of the “Stop the Greed Agenda Bus Tour” as part of the celebration of African-American Heritage in Pittsburgh. We began the day by participating in the 25th Annual African-American Heritage Parade.

Here you see Patriot Majority’s Mariah Hatta getting the driver of the care for WAMO, the 

BUS TOUR WITH TEACHERKEN: PITTSBURGH AND AFRICAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE

 

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

I am still on the Bus for the "Stop the Greed Agenda Bus tour."  Yesterday we were in Pittsburgh.  I am crossposting this from Education Votes.  I ask that you consider going over there and "liking" the post as well as any response you might make here.
Saturday Oct. 6 was a day to spread the message of the “Stop the Greed Agenda Bus Tour” as part of the celebration of African-American Heritage in Pittsburgh.  We began the day by participating in the 25th Annual African-American Heritage Parade.
Here you see Patriot Majority’s Mariah Hatta getting the driver of the care for WAMO, the local hip-hop station, to sign up for Patriot Majority:

and here are Mariah and Paul Freeman carrying our banner in front of our bus during the parade:

Daily Kos: Bus tour with teacherken: Going after the “Greed Agenda”

Daily Kos: Bus tour with teacherken: Going after the “Greed Agenda”:

BUS TOUR WITH TEACHERKEN: GOING AFTER THE “GREED AGENDA”

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

I am currently in Columbus OH, where I am participating in Patriot Majority's Bus trip to Stop the Greed Agenda against the Koch Brothers.  I was hired to do this by the National Education Association, and will be posting at least once a day at their Education Votes website.  I will crosspost PART of those posts here, as I am doing this morning, and provide a link back to their site, since they are paying for my blogging.  I hope you will follow the link and also explore what else is on their website.  My first post was written last night as an introduction to what I am doing.
By now most Americans paying attention have begun to realize the influence some billionaires are wielding upon the politics and governance of our nation.  Perhaps most infamous among those billionaires are the Brothers Koch, Charles and David, who by themselves have funded much of the infrastructure of the political right in this nation, including these organizations very visible and unfortunately influential in recent years:  Americans for Prosperity (AFP), American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), and FreedomWorks.
Please keep reading below the fold

Schools Matter: The Great Charter Charade

Schools Matter: The Great Charter Charade:

The Great Charter Charade

by P. L. Thomas

The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC) opened its editorial Sunday (October 7, 2012) with "Twenty years after the country’s first charter school opened in St. Paul, Minn., advocates are rightly pointing to the movement’s overwhelming success." The paper's endorsement is followed by a few other notable claims:

"One reason for charter schools’ popularity is their ability to be more innovative than traditional schools because they are given freedom from district rules. They are, however, still held accountable for student achievement and sound fiscal health.... 

"Competition is precisely what has been lacking in the public school system. Competition pushes educators to make improvements and changes, some of them dramatic.... 

"Studies differ on how well charter schools overall perform academically.... 

"Their numbers are one indication that charter schools play a key role in public education. Parent 

Let’s give President Obama a clue about Race to the Top | Seattle Education

Let’s give President Obama a clue about Race to the Top | Seattle Education:

Let’s give President Obama a clue about Race to the Top

by seattleducation2011

 

It’s sad that during the debate President Obama twice, if not three times, mentioned Race to the Top as the crowning achievement of his presidency.
Someone needs to give him a clue and Diane Ravitch has an idea:

Please write a letter to President Obama and send it to Anthony Cody’s e-mail address listed below by Oct. 17th.
Please invite everyone you know to write to Pres. Obama. We need thousands upon thousands of letters to make a difference for Public Education!
Please write your thoughts about what needs to change in federal education policy and send a 

EdRoundup for 10-5-12 - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education)

EdRoundup for 10-5-12 - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education):

Education Roundup for the Week Ending October 5, 2012

SACRAMENTO—The California Department of Education (CDE) today issued this week's Education Roundup of education-related announcements of public interest.

Microsoft Administrator Releases List of Approved
Technology and Services Schools May Purchase

The CDE today announced the Microsoft Settlement Claims Administrator has released its Product Eligibility Information  list of approved computer hardware and software, technology maintenance, professional development, or other related services that schools may purchase with vouchers they already received through the Education Technology K-12 Voucher Program  . The program was created in 2006 as a result of the settlement of a class-action lawsuit brought by California consumers and businesses concerning certain Microsoft software.

Nearly 8,000 California Schools  received vouchers totaling more than $268 million. However, only $212 million has been redeemed. CDE is urging the schools to redeem their vouchers because the deadline for making purchases is September 25, 2013. The schools were awarded vouchers because they already have state-approved technology plans, and at least 40 percent of their students are low income.

In the first of six Technology Readiness Tool surveys conducted last month by the CDE, schools were asked about their readiness to administer online assessments to students by the 2014-15 school year. Schools submitted information on the type of computer hardware and software they possessed, and their concerns about staff and training. The vouchers may be redeemed to address the schools’ technology needs and to provide professional development for staff.

Schools may also consult the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium Web page to view the minimum system requirements schools need to administer online assessments.

Career Technical Education Event Thrives Despite Funding Shortfalls

Five hundred students from California will gather this weekend in the Stanislaus County town of Denair to participate in the Central Region Future Farmers of America (FFA) Chapter Officer Leadership Conference at Denair High School.

The annual meeting is designed to help youngsters develop leadership and responsibility skills to run the chapter offices of the FFA. The FFA was founded by a group of young farmers in 1928 to prepare future generations for the challenges of feeding a growing population.

The attendees represent 68 chapters with 19,000 agriculture student members in 10 counties. What makes the event so unusual is that it is coordinated by student leaders, hosted by an outstanding small school, continues to thrive despite inadequate state funding, hosts a large contingent of students, and has the commitment and support of teachers who are accompanying the students. The highlight of the conference will be the keynote address by California's candidate for National FFA Office, Lindsey Anderson.

The California FFA is a career technical student organization recognized by the CDE for providing students with real-world experience and leadership skills that prepare them for careers. This is part of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson's Career Readiness Campaign - Initiatives & Programs designed to lower the student dropout rate in California and provide high school graduates with the skills needed to pursue further education and training as they prepare to enter the workforce.

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Appoints New Director of
Analysis, Measurement and Accountability Reporting Division

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced the appointment of Keric Ashley as the new director of the California Department of Education's (CDE) Analysis, Measurement and Accountability Reporting Division (AMARD).

"Keric brings a wealth of experience to this important leadership position at the Department," said Tom Torlakson. "From working at the local school level to data management at the CDE, he is uniquely qualified to lead the transition of our state accountability system to provide a clearer, more complete picture of school performance to parents and the public.

Ashley will take on the challenges of redesigning California's school accountability system consistent with state law and Torlakson's vision.

Ashley has more than 30 years of experience in education, first as a teacher and school principal, and for more than 20 years, he has been at the CDE. For the last eight years, he has been director of the CDE Educational Data Management Division, which was responsible for oversight of the recently completed California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS).

He replaces Rachel Perry, who recently took a position at the Sacramento County Office of Education as director of the Student Assessment and Program Accountability Department.

For more information on the AMARD Division, please visit the CDE Accountability Web page.

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

Shanker Blog » The Stability And Fairness Of New York City's School Ratings

Shanker Blog » The Stability And Fairness Of New York City's School Ratings:

The Stability And Fairness Of New York City’s School Ratings

by Matthew Di Carlo

New York City has just released the new round of results from its school rating system (they’re called “progress reports”). It relies considerably more on student growth (60 out of 100 points) than absolute performance (25 points), and there are efforts to partially adjust most of the measures via peer group comparisons.*
All of this indicates that the city’s system is more focused on school rather than student test-based performance, compared with many other systems around the U.S.
The ratings are high-stakes. Schools receiving low grades – a D or F in any given year, or a C for three consecutive years – enter a review process by which they might be closed. The number of schools meeting these criteria jumped considerably this year.
There is plenty of controversy to go around about the NYC ratings, much of it pertaining to two important features 

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

LAUSD moves up deadline for magnet schools

Applications for Los Angeles Unified's 172 magnet programs are due on Nov. 16 because of the academic year's early start.

Education Headlines

Monday, October 8, 2012

San Diego school property sale brings $36 million in bids

Top bids for two old campuses and nearly seven acres of land for sale in the San Diego Unified School District have come in $13 million over the asking price.

Sacramento Unified asks voters to approve two school bonds

The Sacramento City Unified School District is asking voters to approve two school bonds totaling $414 million to address a host of construction projects as well as health and safety issues.

Novato charter school plan sparks debate

As proponents of a new charter school in Novato prepare to file paperwork with the school district, a group of parents has organized in opposition, saying the charter would siphon funds from other schools.

Schools urged to use up technology vouchers

About $66 million, including $10 million for LAUSD, remains from a state antitrust settlement with Microsoft, and officials want districts to use the vouchers before they expire during 2013.

Teacher evaluation resolution pulled from LAUSD agenda

School board member Steve Zimmer has pulled his controversial resolution on teacher evaluations from Tuesday's board agenda because of concerns it could interfere with sensitive negotiations between the district and its teachers' union.

Anonymous cash donation allows Union City high school library to reopen

A Bay Area resident has donated $60,000 to James Logan High, allowing the school to reopen its library to students for all periods. But there is one condition: The donor's identity must remain anonymous -- a request that the cash-strapped New Haven Unified School District was glad to honor.

LAUSD moves up deadline for magnet schools

The school system has 172 magnet programs that enroll just over 59,000 students. Last year, more than 25,000 students failed to get into their chosen program and landed on a waiting list.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Burbank High School's new field a symbol of pride for south Sacramento students

This isn't Granite Bay or Elk Grove or some other suburban campus. It isn't even one of Sacramento's wealthier schools. It's Luther Burbank High School – "Blood Bank," they used to call it – where the football team plays at Titan Stadium, a $9.3 million source of surging pride.

Court OKs lockups for severe truants

A state appeals court says juvenile court judges have the power to lock up youths who repeatedly skip school and ignore court orders to attend classes and follow the rules.

Four in alleged soccer team hazing file claims against school district

Four teenagers who say they were sexually hazed by soccer players at La Puente High School filed legal claims against the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District on Thursday.