Morning UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-9-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

Write Your Letter to President Obama Today

by dianerav

Readers of this blog know that we are collecting letters to send to President Obama by October 17.
Please join us in opposing high-stakes testing and privatization.
We call this action the Campaign for Our Public Schools.
Instructions on where to send your email are here.
Lets begin now to make our voices heard.

Hats Off to Tacoma!

by dianerav

I asked readers to tell me about good school districts that manage to offer a good education despite the testing mania. This reader in Tacoma explains what is happening there.
I am adding Tacoma, Washington, to the honor roll because it is an exemplar of good public education:
In Tacoma Public Schools, some schools do better than others, but overall I think we’ve done as best we can to follow the laws while also ensuring that the students are well-served. We are innovative. We have a high school extended day program modeled after the Harlem Children’s Zone program. We have a School of the Arts, a Science and Math Academy, and two Montessori programs (1 that’s K-8 and 1 that’s K-5). We have an arts 

Can You Answer This Question?

by dianerav

I am often asked whether there are any districts that have managed to do the right thing despite all the federal mandates.
Are there any districts that have managed to minimize the harmful consequences of high-stakes testing?
Are there districts that have managed to protect the arts, physical education, recess, history, civics, foreign 

EduBusiness Soars, Your Pension Not So Much

by dianerav

Here is a site that takes a hard look at the profit-making end of education, and it is booming. Business is amazingly good, what with all the new opportunities for testing, test prepping, outsourcing, online stuff, new technologies.
Meanwhile, your public officials are trying to figure out how to cut teachers’ pensions.
Remember the old saying: “A promise made is a debt unpaid.”
The new version is: “Promises are meant to be broken.”

If This Newspaper Gets It, Why Can’t the NY Times?

by dianerav

The Reading (Pa.) Eagle has a smart editorial questioning the state’s rating system for schools. It seems that quite a few local schools did not make “adequate yearly progress.”
The editorialist wrote:
“…we do not believe this is a sign local districts suddenly are doing a poor job. It’s a sign of an incomprehensible system that sets up schools to fail and encourages an educational structure focused on getting high test scores rather than well-rounded learning.
“Only a bureaucrat could comprehend the regulations involved. Some schools on the warning list achieved higher scores than others that were judged to have met the standard…

Really. Truly. It’s Not about Profit.

by dianerav

Edushyster has done it again.
Here, Edushyster defends Joel Klein against the outrageous claim that Rupert Murdoch is trying to make a profit by selling lots of stuff to the schools. It’s all about collaboration. It’s all about replacing teachers with technology to help with budgetary issues. It’s all about reform.

A Blow to Reform/Privatization

by dianerav

If you ask leading privatizers where are the examples of success for their theories, they will surely point to New York City.
Surely you heard about the “New York City miracle.” Australia is redesigning its national system because of the success of the alleged miracle.
But what about New York City? More than 100 schools closed, and hundreds of new schools opened. More than 100 new charters. School report cards. Testing and accountability. Constant evaluation and data-based-decision-

The Next Targets of Corporate Reform

by dianerav

Mike Petrilli of the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute summarizes “What’s Next” for reformers (some prefer to call them privatizers).
Race to the Top was a great coup for the privatizers/reformers.
Now they plan to follow up with a direct assault on schools of education, abetted by NCTQ’s forthcoming rankings, to be published by US News. NCTQ was created by the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation a dozen years ago, and saved at the outset by a grant from Secretary of Education Rod Paige. In 2005, it got caught up 

PD: How do educators get to know what they don’t know? « My Island View

PD: How do educators get to know what they don’t know? « My Island View:

PD: How do educators get to know what they don’t know?

by tomwhitby

When it comes to education reform, there are in general two major camps, but there are also several variations of each. The first camp would like to blow up the system and start all over. The other camp wants to continue the status quo while working to change it in directions governed by whatever dominant force of change has the ear of the public at the time. I find my own inclinations falling somewhere between the two camps. I want to blow some stuff up while improving upon some existing stuff. Like most educators, or any people with a basic understanding of authentic assessment, I do want to blow up any notion or hint of compliance with high stakes, standardized testing. The area of improvement that I think will get us the biggest bang for the all-important, tax buck is professional development.
It has long been my position that to be better educators, we need to be better learners. Since I have worked in 

Eleven year old: ‘Ridiculous’ to use my test to grade my teacher

Eleven year old: ‘Ridiculous’ to use my test to grade my teacher:

Eleven year old: ‘Ridiculous’ to use my test to grade my teacher

by Valerie Strauss

  

In the out-of-the-mouths-of-babes category, here’s a post about the flaws of modern teacher evaluation that are evidence to an 11-year-old but,

(By LUCIAN PERKINS/The Washington Post/Getty Images)

apparently, not to school reformers. It was written by Sean C. Feeney, principal of The Wheatley School and president of the Nassau County High School Principals Association.

Feeney is a co-author of the New York State Principals’ APPR  letter of concern regarding the evaluation of teachers by student test scores that has been signed by more than 1,500 New York principals and more than 5,400 teachers, parents, professors

School libraries without books

by Valerie Strauss

 

 

 

Imagine a newly modernized school with a built-in library/media center — but no books to put on the shelves. Actually, you don’t have to imagine.
Read about what’s going on with libraries in D.C. public schools (DCPS) in this open letter to Mayor Vincent Gray from D.C. resident and school library advocate Peter MacPherson. He’s been fighting a move by DCPS to cut funding for dozens of school librarian positions.

Read full article >>

SI&A Cabinet Report – SBE’s Kirst calls on Munger to ditch ads attacking governor’s tax plan

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources:

SBE’s Kirst calls on Munger to ditch ads attacking governor’s tax plan
By Tom Chorneau
Tuesday, October 09, 2012

The increasingly aggressive tenor of ads by fellow Democratic critics attacking Gov. Jerry Brown’s November tax measure prompted a new call from education leaders and union supporters for an end to the hostility they believe risks passage of both the governor’s Proposition 30 and rival Proposition 38.

In letters released Monday by the Brown campaign, supporters of the governor’s tax measure said they expect a new round of ads will go up statewide beginning today from backers of Proposition 38 focused only on criticizing the governor’s tax proposal.

Correspondence sent to members of the California PTA, Mike Kirst, the governor’s appointed president of the California State Board of Education warned that proponents of Proposition 38 “are leading us down a dangerous path and imperiling the education we all care about.”

Kirst, a professor emeritus at Stanford University and a national figure in the education community, said he understood and respected the PTA’s decision to support Proposition 38  but asked members to “do all in your power 

Rift widens between backers of ed initiatives 30 and 38

Rift widens between backers of ed initiatives 30 and 38

October 9th, 2012 | Add a Comment | 
By John Fensterwald and Kathryn Baron

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All pretense of goodwill is gone between backers of the two competing education tax measures on November’s ballot. 

State Board of Education President Mike Kirst and Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg joined union leaders Monday in sending a strongly worded letter to Molly Munger, the primary backer of Proposition 38, asking her not to run TV ads criticizing Proposition 30, Gov. Jerry Brown’s school funding measure. Kirst also emailed an undisclosed number of PTA leaders,implying they should pressure Munger “to do all in your power to stop this destructive course of action.” The state PTA, bucking education groups representing school boards, unions, and 

In Oakland, tumult in special education leads teachers to organize - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

In Oakland, tumult in special education leads teachers to organize - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools:

In Oakland, tumult in special education leads teachers to organize

Monday, October 8th, 2012 at 1:23 pm in No Comments

A series of decisions about the costs, staffing and structure of Oakland Unified’s special education department caused parents to mobilize in June against last-minute reductions to the program.
Months later, the 11th-hour reassignment of dozens of special education teachers appears to have had a similar effect on teachers. (District staff have since reported that many, but not all, of those changes have been rescinded.)
Within the teacher’s union, a new group has emerged: The OEA Special Education Caucus website features a blog, a statement of purpose, and possible solutions for improved communication and logistics, including 

NYC Educator: Why Tenure Is Necessary

NYC Educator: Why Tenure Is Necessary:

Why Tenure Is Necessary

by NYC Educator

Of course, the papers are full of horror stories about teachers. We have jobs for life. We sit and read the newspaper while our students murder one another. We can't see it because we choose the New York Times, that great big paper that completely blocks our range of view. Furthermore, we're elitist and out of touch for choosing that over the Daily News. Never mind that the editorial board of the Times hates us just as much as that of the News.

In reality, Mayor Bloomberg and his fellow "reformers" wish to fire us for any reason or no reason. Case in 

Sacramento Press / We Cannot Cut Our Way to Quality Education

Sacramento Press / We Cannot Cut Our Way to Quality Education:

We Cannot Cut Our Way to Quality Education

by Al Bauer

As a result of the Wall Street induced recession in 2008, I have personally seen the impact of the $18 billion in statewide cuts to public education in my classroom. Furlough days have been implemented, department budgets have been decimated and important services for students have been eliminated. Even before the recession hit, California already ranked near the bottom in per pupil spending and had the highest average class size. Proposition 30 is a reasonable and logical effort to address critical needs in our public education system and public safety.
To raise funds for public education and public safety, Proposition 30 would increase income tax by 1% on single 

Deasy warns that looming budget cuts threaten classroom gains - latimes.com

Deasy warns that looming budget cuts threaten classroom gains - latimes.com:

Deasy warns that looming budget cuts threaten classroom gains

L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy warned Monday of “catastrophic” consequences for local schools if California voters fail to approve tax measures on the November ballot.
In a speech billed as a state-of-the-schools address, Deasy took two distinctly different paths.
In the first part, he listed recent district accomplishments and insisted that the nation’s second-largest school system had never performed better, even though considerable improvement remains necessary. In part two, he laid out the argument that all this progress faces immediate risk if voters reject both Proposition 30 and Proposition 38.
Deasy spoke before an audience of educators, dignitaries and media at the Robert F. Kennedy Community 

Zimmer Unveils Softer Charter Plan - LA School Report

Zimmer Unveils Softer Charter Plan - LA School Report:

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Zimmer Unveils Softer Charter Plan

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Hillel Aron

Late Monday afternoon, LAUSD board member Steve Zimmer announced an updated, much-softened charter school oversight proposal.

It replaces the previous moratorium on new charter schools with a request for charters to “voluntarily delay requesting action on new charter applications” until a new oversight scheme can be developed.

The new version also asks the 

CODE Chicago - Communities Organized for Democracy in Education

CODE Chicago - Communities Organized for Democracy in Education:

How can you help win an Elected Representative School Board?

The CPS Board—appointed by the mayor— is not accountable to the people it is supposed to serve.  The Board is failing our children.       

 

Vote YES on the advisory referendum for an Elected Representative School Board for CPS on November 6th. The Illinois legislature must change to law to allow Chicagoans the same right the residents of every other city and town in the state enjoy... the right to elect the people who run Chicago's public schools. This referendum will make our voices heard and a resounding "YES" will begin to push the process in the right direction. 

What you can do. 

• The advisory referendum calling for an Elected Representative School Board will be on the ballot in hundreds of precincts around the city. To find out if it will be on the ballot in your precinct go to http://chicagoelections.com/ and click on the "Nov. 6th" button to get a sample ballot for your address. Look for the referendum near the bottom of the ballot. 

• It is critical that you vote YES and you get your friends and neighbors to vote. Spread the word through social media and word of mouth.

• Contact your elected officials. Ask them to support a Representative Elected School Board. If it is not on the ballot in your precinct, call your alderman and let them know you support an Elected Representative School Board. 

• Download a flyer/window sign here and print out several to give to your friends and neighbors. They may not even know this important referendum is on the ballot. 

• Visit this site regularly or get on our mailing list through the "contact" page so you can learn about opportunities to volunteer on and before November 6th.

• Follow CODE @CODE4Democracy on Twitter for updates. 

Why we need an Elected Representative School Board 

• CPS’s privatization policies—school closings, turnarounds and charters—do NOT improve education. They have been devastating to all children, especially those in African American and Latino communities. 

• Class size has increased. Art, music, recess, PE & after school activities have been cut, while high-stakes testing eats up more classroom and learning time. 

• CPS has expanded an unequal system: A top tier of selective schools for a few students and a bottom tier of resource-starved neighborhood schools for everyone else. 

• CPS makes decisions, like the ones that forced the teachers' strike without any pubic input. 

• CPS blames teachers, parents, and students for the problems THEY have created.    

• The teachers were able to fight back against the board on some issues by striking, but the union is legally prohibited to strike over many issues that affect students, parents and communities in CPS.  School closures, class size, expansion of charters, uneven distribution of resources and the expansion of more and more standardized testing are all CPS board policies that are imposed with no input from students, parents or communities.  

An Elected Representative Board is a Necessary FIRST STEP to Improve Our Schools. 

• An Elected Representative Board would be accountable to the citizens of Chicago as well as CPS teachers, parents and students and would be more diverse, reflecting the people it serves.  

• By state law, Chicago is the only city in Illinois with an appointed school board. The Illinois Legislature must pass a law to enact an elected school board. Our advisory referendum will make our voices heard in Springfield and let our legislators know that they have our support for an Elected Representative Board.

• Election requirements could mandate specific qualifications and cap campaign expenditures, thus reducing the influence of money and politics on education. 

Subpages (1): Chicago Necesita una sistema de educación demócrata.

LAUSD AND THE EXPLOSION OF GANGS - Perdaily.com

LAUSD AND THE EXPLOSION OF GANGS - Perdaily.com:

LAUSD AND THE EXPLOSION OF GANGS

by Leonard Isenberg

(Mensaje se repite en Español)

(For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)
Real power in people comes from education that must exist to insure every student reaches their subjective potential. In the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), where there has not even been a good faith attempt to educate poor and minority students for generations - if ever - most administrators, teachers, students, and parents have long ago lost even the expectation that poor and minority students can learn at the same 

Engaging Parents In School… » This Weeks PTchat – The Connected Parent: What does it mean for kids?

Engaging Parents In School… » This Weeks PTchat – The Connected Parent: What does it mean for kids?:

This Weeks PTchat – The Connected Parent: What does it mean for kids?

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Larry Ferlazzo

Guest post by Joe Mazza

Image credit: http://www.thegraceplace.com

As social media continues to expand its global reach at an astronomical pace (460,000 new registrations per day on Twitter), parents are taking note. 80% of those 460K sign-ups are between the ages of 18-35 – the age of many of our elementary school parents here in 2012. 

Hashtags (i.e. #London2012) can be found on many commercials, billboards and are now being used by schools around the country.  Given the time, training and exposur

Engaging Parents In School… » This Weeks PTchat – The Connected Parent: What does it mean for kids?

AP: Jay-Z Signs Math Educator Jovan Miles to Roc Nation | The Jose Vilson

AP: Jay-Z Signs Math Educator Jovan Miles to Roc Nation | The Jose Vilson:

AP: Jay-Z Signs Math Educator Jovan Miles to Roc Nation

by Jose

Math Educator Jovan Miles

Somewhere in the future …
For the casual music fans, it’s easy to see why one might get confused looking at the initial Roc Nation artists. Jay-Z. J-Cole. Jay Electronica. The trifecta of J’s (and Willow Smith) have had their share of success either from the underground circuit to the international stage (in varying degrees). Yet, none of them have what the latest “J” has: the attention of classrooms for a whole city.
Enter Jovan Miles.
After another successful Roc Nation concert, the head honcho held a press conference at Phillips Arena to announce the formal signing of hometown hero Jovan Miles: a math academic coach and educator working out of Atlanta, GA. The signing marks the first time a record label has signed an educator to a major rap label of Roc 

WHAT STATE IS THE NEXT RHODE ISLAND ? « Teachers Fight Back

WHAT STATE IS THE NEXT RHODE ISLAND ? « Teachers Fight Back:

WHAT STATE IS THE NEXT RHODE ISLAND ?

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Please check out what the Rhode Island legislature did to their public employee pensions. Among other things, they passed a law that raised retirement ages, suspended all pension increases, and created a new benefit plan that combines traditional pensions with something like a 401(k) account. Rhode Island public sector unions are suing to block the legislature, but the laws have already been passed. Who knows what the courts will decide.

Here in Illinois the door to “pension reform” is going to swing wide open if the Constitutional Amendment regarding public pensions is approved in November.  We need to do all we can to defeat that amendment.

Des Moines Education Association: DMEA Statement on the Use of Student Growth Data for Teacher Evaluation

Des Moines Education Association: DMEA Statement on the Use of Student Growth Data for Teacher Evaluation:

DMEA Statement on the Use of Student Growth Data for Teacher Evaluation

by Andrew Rasmussen

The DMEA believes that the appropriate place for use of student growth data is in the formative evaluation stage. During the formative stage, teachers can utilize student growth data that they find most relevant to their curriculum to give them feedback on what might be working and areas in need of improvement. This places the focus on using student growth data to strengthen a teacher’s practice rather than using the date for punitive sanctions against the teacher. Any evaluation system we would be willing to accept must, at the least, place the use of student growth data in its appropriate place, which is the formative evaluation.

The DMEA will not support the use of student growth data to rate a teacher’s effectiveness during 

NYC Public School Parents: A mother's lament after learning the grades of her sons' schools

NYC Public School Parents: A mother's lament after learning the grades of her sons' schools:

A mother's lament after learning the grades of her sons' schools

by Leonie Haimson

 Lots more commentary and criticism of the latest school grades.  Gary Rubinstein explained how the DOE's claims of stability are an example of "how to lie with statistics" here. The NY Post pointed out that the Ella Baker school  which got a "C" had just been singled out as one of the best schools in the city by the State Education Department. An editorial in the same paper criticized the grades as being entirely untrustworthy.  Eagle Academy, which last spring was praised by Bloomberg at a ceremony at 

School takeover by Steve Barr and the Future Is Now charter school causes student walkout in New Orleans: Is this what we want Seattle? | Seattle Education

School takeover by Steve Barr and the Future Is Now charter school causes student walkout in New Orleans: Is this what we want Seattle? | Seattle Education:

School takeover by Steve Barr and the Future Is Now charter school causes student walkout in New Orleans: Is this what we want Seattle?

by seattleducation2011

This is the article and press release from the Louisiana Justice Institute:

Students at Walter L. Cohen in New Orleans began a walk out/protest on October 4th, 2012 when their teachers and administrators were dismissed and the announcement was made that Future Is Now Charter (Steven Barr, formerly of Green Dot in California, and Gideon Stein) would be taking over the governance of the school. A press conference is to be held today, Monday, October 8, at 3:00pm.
This is against the firing of Cohen teachers and administration and the take-over by Future is Now (FIN) charter. Decisions about the governance of the school, including New Orleans College Prep being housed in Cohen’s building, must be reversed and remade to include students and parents of Cohen. Cohen students and parents