What would charter school Initiative 1240 mean for Catholic schools? | Seattle Education

What would charter school Initiative 1240 mean for Catholic schools? | Seattle Education:

What would charter school Initiative 1240 mean for Catholic schools?

by seattleducation2011

This post was provided by a guest columnist.

Some Questions & Answers About This Initiative

Q: What would happen to Catholic schools in Washington State if I-1240 passes?

A: No one knows for certain. But Catholic school enrollment has significantly declined in every other state that has approved charters. In many states, the number of Catholic schools are less than 50% of what they were before charters were legally permitted. In many states, it’s very common for charters to move into the building vacated by a closed Catholic school.

See Rising charter school enrollment seen as challenge for Catholic schools.

Q: Why would charters threaten Catholic schools? Haven’t public schools and Catholic schools “peacefully coexisted” within the same community for years without any issues?

A: Traditional public schools have always existed in the same community, 

Charter school Initiative 1240: A video

by seattleducation2011

The No on Initiative 1240 campaign needs YOU

by seattleducation2011

From the No on Initiative 1240 campaign: Last week an unprecedented 20,000 Washington voters joined a state wide conference call to learn about the damaging effect I-1240 would have on our public schools. Despite a $9 million advertising blitz in … Continue reading →

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee funds Ohio Republicans, campaigns against Ohio Teacher of the Year

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee funds Ohio Republicans, campaigns against Ohio Teacher of the Year:

Michelle Rhee funds Ohio Republicans, campaigns against Ohio Teacher of the Year

by Greg on October 30, 2012 · 1 Comment

Michelle Rhee is the national education reformer most well-known for her cross-country tour promoting the anti-public education film “Waiting for Superman”, including an appearance at a screening with Ohio’s own John Kasich.  Prior to that, Rhee spent a couple of years at the head of the D.C. Public Schools, a couple of years promoting Teach for America, and she even spent a few years as a classroom teacher (TFA corps member).

These days, Rhee is the head of StudentsFirst, a non-profit organization that purports to promote public schools, but in truth only serves to promote charter schools, parent choice, and the dismantling of teacher involvement in the creation of employment contracts.  Strangely, Rhee is still a media darling and has even appeared on morning talk shows representing herself as . . . a Democrat.  Rhee’s political viewpoint and the work of StudentsFirst most assuredly do not represent the progressive educational perspective, but many media outlets still take Rhee at

PlunderBund (http://s.tt/1rpCF)

MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-31-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

Good Advice about How to Survive Reform Damage

by dianerav

In response to the post from North Carolina teacher Kris Neilsen on why he quit, this teacher has good advice on how to survive the deluge of mean-spirited policies now raining down on students, teachers, and schools. My suggestion: Hang in there until this house of cards collapses, as it will.
As a twenty-year veteran of public education (secondary ELA) I found many of my fears and frustrations in this letter. I could well have written it myself, but I would be hard-pressed to refrain from vituperation. Kris was so much more eloquent than I could have hoped to be. Recently, my colleagues and I have made a pact: We’re determined to share the good things that are happening in our classrooms. We are committed to supporting 

Will the East Coast Learn from the Gulf Coast?

by dianerav

Thomas J. Adams, on the faculty of Tulane University, has a startling and funny column at Huffington Post about what the East Coast can learn from the Gulf Coast.
Now, New York, New Jersey, and other states have had their own version of Hurricane Katrina. Ours is Sandy.
Adams says we can do what New Orleans did:

The absolute first thing you have to do is fire all your public school teachers. Just fire them. We all know education is broken in this country and that teachers are to blame. So why not take this opportunity to do what you helped us do back in 2005? It might create a bit of confusion when the power gets turned back on and the debris gets removed, but that’s a small price to pay for our children’s future. Besides, if there’s a shortage of teachers we can help with that the same way you helped us. We certainly have a surfeit of energetic recent 

School Libraries Matter!

by dianerav

Read here about the “Manchester Miracle,” about an elementary school in Pennsylvania that had only 40 fiction books on its shelves.
The community came together, renovated the library, and stocked its shelves with books.
And then there is the bad news. In Pittsburgh, only 14 of 51 schools have a full-time librarian. Most librarians spend only one day a week at each school.
This is the part I don’t understand.
When I went to public school in Houston many years ago, every school I attended had a library and a librarian. Some had more than one.
Our society is now immeasurably richer than it was then.
Why can’t every school have a library and a librarian?
Why don’t hedge fund managers support libraries?
Andrew Carnegie did, and it made him a hero for all time, enabling people to forget about labor practices at his 

Michelle Rhee Shows Her True Colors

by dianerav

Michelle Rhee is endorsing and funding rightwing candidates across the nation, showering cash on those who are opposed to teachers’ rights and unions and support privatization of public education.
In Ohio, she is using her StudentsFirst millions–collected from anonymous billionaires, millionaires and corporations–to support opponents of public education.
An Ohio blogger writes:
Now, here in Ohio, Michelle Rhee’s true colors simply cannot be ignored.  Rhee has chosen to fund multiple candidates in Ohio who are running for the Ohio House this year, citing their individual votes to support the 

After the Hurricane

by dianerav

Many people have written via Twitter or email to ask if I am okay, and the short answer is yes.
Unlike many in New York City, I and my family emerged unscathed. There was a lot of wind and rain, but no damage to body or property.
Many people, including good friends, did suffer terribly. One lives in a neighborhood that was devastated by a terrible fire. Others experienced flood damage.
And the city remains crippled.
The mass transit system is out of commission, so people can’t get to work and children–in this city so 

Ohio Teacher Responds to “I Quit”

by dianerav

This teacher wrote a comment responding to Kris Neilsen’s explanation of why he could no longer teach in North Carolina. I found her note moving and sad. What are state legislatures doing to their teachers? Why do they think they will get better schools by demoralizing teachers? Why is the U.S. Department of Education encouraging this punitive behavior through its Race to the Top program?
I teach in Ohio and although we are allowed to strike, things aren’t different here. We are all tired and run down. I work in a high needs district, where nearly 80% of the kids are on free or reduced lunch and we haven’t met the

A Parent Group in Arizona Joins the Honor Roll

by dianerav

In case you are lucky enough to live in Tucson, Arizona, you should know that there is a terrific organization there called Voices for Education. Its leader is Robin Hiller, a parent dedicated to the needs of Tucson’s children and its underfunded public schools.
Voices for Education joins our honor roll as a hero of public education.
It is a parent advocacy group that supports public schools, reduced class size, and a sound education for all.
On its website, Voices for Education points out that state law limits class size for barbers to twenty students per teacher, but in kindergarten there is no  limit. Current kindergartens in Arizona are typically 32-35 students. Why

The Pennsylvania Cyber Gold Rush

by dianerav

Pennsylvania has 16 full-time cyber charter schools. Of the twelve that have been around long enough to report on test scores, only one made AYP this year. Last year, two made AYP. Eight are in corrective action status. None has ever been closed. The other four were authorized earlier this year.
Last summer, the offices of the state’s largest cyber charter school was raided by the FBI, which apparently had many questions about where the money is going in an enterprise that collects more than $100 million every year. The board of that school fired its top staff but the investigation continues.
A review of the cyber charters by CREDO at Stanford University concluded that they get terrible results: their 

What If “No Child Shows Up”?

by dianerav

Recently, school officials in El Paso were investigated and found guilty of pushing certain students out of school to prevent them from taking the state tests. The purpose was to boost the district’s scores and make it appear to be doing better than it was. Some children were literally excluded from school and never finished. The superintendent was convicted and sentenced to jail. This was disgraceful, and it was an indictment of the officials’ personal ethics, but also an indictment of the absurd high-stakes testing regime foisted on the nation by No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top. School officials in some district will do literally anything to get their scores up, even though it hurts children. This is wrong. And the system which it incentivizes this behavior is also wrong.
This blogger has a different take on the El Paso incident. He tends to view it as an example of “opting out” of 

MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-30-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] The Biggest Problem in U.S. Education Is….? by dianerav Chris Lehman has written an excellent post pulling together solid data about the “reformers’” solutions and the issue that refuse to address: poverty. What is the problem in U.S. education? What is the cause of low test scores? Is it bad teachers, as the reformers claim? Or is it poverty, where the U.S. leads the advanced nations of the world? Can school reform cure poverty? Has it? If you don’t address the causes, you will never solve the problem of low... more »

Diane in the Evening 10-30-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: Teacher Who Said “I Quit” Responds to Some Critics by dianerav Kris Neilsen is the teacher who wrote the post explaining why he quit in North Carolina. His post went viral. He has posted several comments on the blog. Here is one of them: *Victims are the ones who stay, play by the crushing rules, and churn out students who are good at passing tests.* *I am not that. I am an activist. I got the attention of the leadership in my state, and I plan to engage them over * Is Rocketship the Wave of the Future? by dianerav Experienced journalist Tom Toch visited a... more »

“I don’t love teaching because my job is no longer teaching.” | Get Schooled

“I don’t love teaching because my job is no longer teaching.” | Get Schooled:

“I don’t love teaching because my job is no longer teaching.”

by Maureen Downey

North Carolina teacher Kris Nielsen wrote a provocative and lengthy essay for his blog Middle Grades Mastery.

It begins:  “I love teaching. Or, I did love teaching. I loved teaching when my job was to teach. Now, I don’t love teaching, because my job is no longer teaching.”
Nielsen began teaching in 2006. He taught sixth grade earth science, writing, “I created my own curriculum, based loosely on the New Mexico state standards. My kids loved it! I kept them busy with hands-on, student 

Changes to Common Application questioned:

Changes to Common Application questioned

Posted by Valerie Strauss on October 31, 2012 at 4:00 am

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www.commonapp.org

For those who don’t know, the Common Application is a not-for-profit organization that provides an admission application that students may submit to any of the more than 450 member colleges and universities that accept it. It was developed in 1975 to help cut down on the number of separate applications and essays a student applying to numerous colleges and universities would have to complete. But as it turns out, even with the Common App, many schools ask for additional information, including extra essays. Now the Common App folks have said they are going to make some changes next year. Doris Davis, a former president of the Board of Directors of the Common Application writes about the changes and the possible effects. Davis is co-founder of YourAppAdviser.com, an online educational program that helps students more effectively present themselves on the 

School superintendent to Thomas Friedman: Why you are wrong about Race to the Top

by Valerie Strauss

In a recent column, New York Times writer Thomas Friedman declared that the Race to the Top federal education competition is one of his two favorite initiatives undertaken by the Obama administration. After reading the column, Sacramento City Unified School District Superintendent Jonathan Raymond wrote the following post,  which challenges Friedman’s depiction of the Race.
Read full article >>

San Jose Unified, teachers reach breakthrough evaluation, pay plan | EdSource Today

San Jose Unified, teachers reach breakthrough evaluation, pay plan | EdSource Today:

San Jose Unified, teachers reach breakthrough evaluation, pay plan

October 31st, 2012 | Add a Comment | 
By John Fensterwald

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The superintendent of San Jose Unified and leaders of the district’s teachers union have agreed on an innovative evaluation and compensation system that, if implemented, would be significantly different from any in California. With education groups in Sacramento and legislators still bruised over a grueling, failed effort to revise the state’s teacher evaluation law last summer, the San Jose plan offers hope that a progressive compromise on divisive issues is possible.

Among the significant features in the San Jose agreement:

• Pay and performance would be linked; teachers who receive an unsatisfactory review, triggering an improvement plan, would miss a raise on the scheduled salary scale for that year.

• Consulting teachers – a newly created position – would participate with the principals on all 

Measuring the worth of a teacher? | toteachornototeach

Measuring the worth of a teacher? | toteachornototeach:

Measuring the worth of a teacher?

by aristotlethewise

Measuring the worth of a teacher?
L.A. Unified School District’s Academic Growth Over Time measurement system, based on students’ progress on standardized tests, spurs debate over fairness, accuracy.
By TeresaWatanabe
How tomeasure the worth of Los Angeles math teacher Kyle Hunsberger?
The teacher at Johnnie Cochran Jr. Middle School works 60-hour weeks, constantly searches for new teaching ideas and makes every minute count in class. During a fast-paced review of square roots and perfect numbers, he punctuated explanations with jokes, questioned his students to check their understanding and engaged them in group work.
His principal, Scott Schmerelson, praises him as a leader who heads the math department and started a 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Disaster politics

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Disaster politics:

Disaster politics

by Mike Klonsky

The most compelling Tweet this morning comes fromChris Policano ‏@cdpolicano:

The government. Hated by conservatives. Until suddenly it isn't. #FEMA”

No one knows for sure how Sandy will affect polling says pollster supremo Nate Silver. How any of those 50 million people (voters?) whacked by Sandy could support the candidate who calls for the liquidation and privatization of FEMA and who mocks the idea of climate change, boggles the mind. Conciliating Dems are also proposing big cuts in FEMA funding, 3% as compared with 40% by proposed by the Republicans --this as a first step towards liquidation.

Aside from the closing of thousands of storm-threatened schools, I haven't heard much yet about the damage to schools in N.Y. and New Jersey and what impact the storm will have on public education. But I can't help thinking about what happened in the wake of 

School Tech Connect: Thoughts on Obedience

School Tech Connect: Thoughts on Obedience:

Thoughts on Obedience

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

I vant to eat a bone.

I just had a moment to read this address, Against Obedience, by Susan Ohanian from earlier in the year, over atCritical Education. It's the text of the remarks she gave over the summer at the Rouge Forum in Ohio.

It's worth your time.

I'm not going to lie-- I left the classroom because it was just too depressing, trying to be an English teacher in Arizona during the rise of the meaningless data obsession. I was the chair of an English department, and my principal called me in for a "come to Jesus" meeting about our 8th graders' dismal performance on the Arizona state test, a horrendous, illegal-to-look at secret test that I looked at year after year. There wasn't a single occasion where I was impressed enough by the test to consider even for a moment "teaching to" it.  It was gotcha punctuation, and gotcha reading, and bullshit context clue material. In other words, it was a test of test-