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BeyondChron: San Francisco's Alternative Online Daily News » Educate All Kids Like Sasha and Malia:

Educate All Kids Like Sasha and Malia 
by LEONIE HAIMSON‚ Nov. 26‚ 2012 
  

Now that Barack Obama has been re-elected president, it’s time that he start making good on the education issues he emphasized during his campaign. While in speeches and in ads the president seized on Romney’s statement that class size doesn’t matter, the truth is that Obama’s Education Secretary Arne Duncan has dismissed the importance of class size nearly as strongly. Worse yet, Duncan proposes cutting federal funds that districts can use to hire teachers at a time of sharp increases in class size.

While Obama inveighed against “teaching to the test,” his administration has injected even more test prep into our schools by mandating that teachers and 

UPDATE: Keeping high school students in school and preserving school sports…Bridgeport style - Wait, What?

Keeping high school students in school and preserving school sports…Bridgeport style - Wait, What?:

UConn’s new $227,500 PR guy – don’t worry taxpayers – parents & students are paying…

by jonpelto

Last week came the news, via Kathy Megan at the Hartford Courant, “The University of Connecticut has hired a new vice president of communications at an annual salary of $227,500.” Okay, so some people were upset because with 171,000 Connecticut unemployed residents, not to mention the thousands of highly trained public relations professionals who work [...]

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Keeping high school students in school and preserving school sports…Bridgeport style

by jonpelto

For 31 years, students at Bridgeport’s Bassick High School have been participating in the high school’s indoor track program.  That was until Team Vallas, under the direction of John Fabrizi, recently eliminated the program this fall.

When Superintendent of Schools Paul Vallas blew into town with his $229,000 salary and his team of out-of-state consultants (most of whom worked for his private consulting company, The Vallas Group), former Bridgeport mayor John Fabrizi, whose tenure in office ended in 2007 following a drug scandal, was serving as the Director of Adult Services.

Today, Fabrizi is one of the most “powerful” players in Vallas’ “education reform” operation.

According to a recent Connecticut Post article, apparently one of Fabrizi’s newest duties is to be “in charge of helping rebuild a middle school sports program for the district.”

So, without the input of the Bridgeport Board of Education, Fabrizi eliminated the high school’s historic in-door track team and transferred the money to supplement that 

Washington Post runs Pelto/Lecker School Funding Commentary piece from Hartford Courant

by jonpelto

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2012/11/25/how-grossly-underfunded-are-public-schools/ It is common to hear school reformers say that money isn’t a real issue in improving schools. Here’s a piece that says otherwise. It was written by Wendy Lecker, parent of three children in Stamford, Connecticut’s public schools, and Jonathan Pelto, a former member of the Connecticut House of Representatives who now provides commentary [...]

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MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-26-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

Test Mania Tortures Tots in. New York City

by dianerav

If you believe, as I do, that standardized testing is now being misused and overused, you will be shocked to read about New York City’s latest plan to ration admission to programs for gifted 4-year-olds.
If you wanted to satirize the misuse of testing, you would come up with a plan like the one in NYC. Little children will take a test, be rank ordered, and only those who score 90% or higher are sure to win a coveted seat. Sorry, an 89% won’t make it.
When you read the editorial linked here, you may momentarily wonder if you stepped through the looking glass and into the bizarro world of testing gone mad..
Anxious parents are paying for test prep and tutoring for 3-year-olds to get ready for the big test. Children who 

If Mr. Rogers Were Secretary of Education

by dianerav

A reader sent this comment in response to an earlier post about Mr. Rogers, the kind and gentle man who had his own television show for children for many years:
I have to believe if Mr. Rogers were in charge of education, Race To The Top would work like this:
“There was a story going around about the Special Olympics. For the hundred-yard dash, there were nine contestants, all of them so-called physically or mentally disabled. All nine of them assembled at the starting line and, at the sound of the gun, they took off. But one little boy didn’t get very far. He stumbled and fell and hurt his knee and began to cry. The other eight children heard the boy crying. They slowed down, turned around, and ran back to him–every one of them ran back to him. The little boy got up, and he and the rest of the runners linked their arms together and joyfully walked to the finish line. They all finished the race at the same time. and when they did, everyone in the stadium stood up and clapped and whistled and cheered for a long, long time. And you know why? Because deep down we know that what matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What really matters is helping others win, too, even if it means slowing down and changing our course now and then.”
― Fred Rogers

How The Bloomberg administration Killed a Good School

by dianerav

Murray Bergtraum High School is literally within view of City Hall in New York City. Just cross a busy intersection and there it is.
It used to be a good school with a good reputation. Sitting in the center of New York City’s financial and governmental activity, it prepared young people for business careers.
No longer. The Bloomberg administration has a policy of preferring small high schools and charter schools. It’s policy for large high schools is, at best, benign neglect, but more often, dumping ground.
Bergtraum became a dumping ground for students who couldn’t go anywhere else. In ten years of Bloomberg-

Following the Voucher Money in Pennsylvania

by dianerav

Investigative journalists are beginning to follow the money trail that leads to privatization of public education.
Chris Potter of the Pittsburgh City Paper recently published an excellent examination of the lavish spending by a small group of interlocking organizations promoting privatization in Pennsylvania. Some of these organizations popped up overnight to dispense large sums of money to candidates willing to support vouchers.
The story is the same everywhere, it seems. A small number of people who are very rich are trying to buy elections. Their cause is “reform” their goal is privatization.
The journalist who conducts a national investigation might discover that the same 200-300 people are putting up the money in state and local school elections across the nation. They are undermining democracy with their targeted spending.

Obama Administration and For-Profit Schooling

by dianerav

If you have been wondering what the Obama administration thinks about the role of for-profit schooling, tune in to C-SPAN today at 10 am for a panel discussion. It will be held at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in DC that is enthusiast about free-market reforms. An ominous sign, if you are dubious about profit-making schools, as I am.
If you miss it because you are working (or flying to a funeral in Houston, as I will be), check the archives of C-SPAN.
Discussion on For-Profit Education 11/26/2012
LIVE Airing Time: 10:00:00 AM – 11:30:00 AM EST
http://www.c-span.org/Events/For-Profit-Enterprises-Role-in-Public-Education/10737435980/
For-Profit Enterprises’ Role in Public Education
Washington, DC
Monday, November 26, 2012
The presidential election results will impact much in K–12 and higher education. Monday, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) hosts a panel discussion on the role of private enterprise in education.
According to AEI, “Many Democratic policymakers, including those in Obama administration, have stated their support for gainful employment regulations and competitive grant restrictions rooted in concerns about the motives and behavior of for-profit operators.” The panel will consider Obama’s approach as they look to 2013.
Specifically, the participants today spotlight what kinds of policies, regulations and metrics will allow private enterprise to assist students while governing against malfeasance.
Panelists representing federal policy makers and for-profit practitioners join the discussion. The group includes: Stacey Childress, Gates Foundation; Michael B. Horn, Innosight Institute; Jim Shelton, US Department of Education; Raquel Whiting Gilmer, Learn It Systems; and Chris Whittle, Avenues: The World School.
Updated: Wednesday at 1:42pm (ET)

Does Pearson Own American Education?

by dianerav

Pearson is clearly a major force in American education.
It is the dominant provider of testing and textbooks. It owns the GED. It owns Connections Academy, which runs for-profit virtual schools. It owns a teacher evaluation program being marketed to states and districts. It partners with the agates Foundation to develop online curriculum for the Common Core standards.
This article tries to assemble all the pieces. It builds on an earlier article by

Diane in the Evening 11-25-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

On Cyber Monday the White House Releases New Report on the Impact of Middle-Class Tax Cuts on Retailers and Consumer Spending | The White House

On Cyber Monday the White House Releases New Report on the Impact of Middle-Class Tax Cuts on Retailers and Consumer Spending | The White House:

On Cyber Monday the White House Releases New Report on the Impact of Middle-Class Tax Cuts on Retailers and Consumer Spending

by The White House

Report Details Consequences if Congress Fails to Extend Middle-Class Tax Cuts

WASHINGTON, DC – As we move into the holiday shopping season, the White House released a report from the National Economic Council and the Council of Economic Advisers called The Middle-Class Tax Cuts’ Impact on Consumer Spending and Retailers. This report provides new analysis on the impact to retailers and consumer spending if Congress fails to act to avoid taxes going up on 98 percent of Americans at the end of the year.
This report is embargoed until 6am ET. The link to the full report can be found HERE.

The President believes Democrats and Republicans should come together to renew middle-class tax cuts so families and businesses have more certainty at this critical time for our economy.  If Congress acts, every American will get a tax break on their first $250,000 of income, and income taxes won’t go up for 98 percent of American families and 97 percent of small businesses. The President believes we must take a balanced approach to reduce our deficit, that’s why he has laid out a $4 trillion deficit reduction plan that asks the wealthy to pay a little more and preserves the investments we need to grow the economy.  The President has already signed $1.1 trillion in spending cuts and he looks forward to working with Democrats and Republicans on a balanced approach to further reduce our deficit. This is an important moment not just to avoid the fiscal cliff—but to lay the groundwork for an economy that will support a healthy middle class, restore economic certainty, and lead to long-term job growth.

If Congress doesn't act, middle-class families will see their income taxes go up on January 1st. The typical middle-class family will see their taxes go up by $2,200 next year, negatively impacting businesses and retailers across the nation.  The President has called on Congress to take action and stop holding the middle class and our economy hostage over a disagreement on tax cuts for households with incomes over $250,000 per year.
Summary of White House Report: The Middle-Class Tax Cuts’ Impact on Consumer Spending and Retailers
President Obama is committed to growing our economy from the middle out by ensuring a strong, secure, and thriving middle-class.  That’s why his top priority is promoting jobs and growth while reducing our deficit in a balanced and responsible way.
Since taking office, President Obama has repeatedly cut taxes for middle-class families to make it easier for them to make ends meet.  A typical family making $50,000 a year has received tax cuts totaling $3,600 over the past four years – more if it was putting a child through college.
Now we face a deadline that requires action on jobs, taxes and deficits by the end of the year. If Congress fails to act, every American family’s taxes will automatically go up - including the 98 percent of Americans who make less than $250,000 a year and the 97 percent of small businesses that earn less than $250,000 a year.  A typical middle-class family of four would see its taxes rise by $2,200.
While the President is committed to working with Congress to reach compromises on areas of disagreement, there is no reason to delay acting where everyone agrees: extending tax cuts for the middle-class. There is no reason to hold the middle-class hostage while we debate tax cuts for the highest income earners.
Our economy can’t afford that right now. New analysis by the President’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) finds that:

• Allowing the middle-class tax rates to rise and failing to patch the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) could cut the growth of real consumer spending by 1.7 percentage points in 2013.  This sharp rise in middle-class taxes and the resulting decline in consumption could slow the growth of real GDP by 1.4 percentage points, which is consistent with recently published estimates from the Congressional Budget Office.
   
• Faced with these tax hikes, the CEA estimates that consumers could spend nearly $200 billion less than they otherwise would have in 2013 just because of higher taxes.  This reduction of $200 billion is approximately four times the total amount that 226 million shoppers spent on Black Friday weekend last year.  As Figure 5 shows, this $200 billion reduction would likely be spread across all areas of consumer spending.

American consumers are the bedrock of our economy, driving more than two-thirds of the overall rise in real GDP over 13 consecutive quarters of economic recovery since the middle of 2009.  And as we approach the holiday season, which accounts for close to one-fifth of industry sales, retailers can’t afford the threat of tax increases on middle-class families.
President Obama and Congressional Democrats have proposed to extend all the income tax cuts that benefit families who make less than $250,000 per year.
The President has called on Congress to act now on extending all income tax cuts for 98 percent of American families and not to hold the middle-class and our economy hostage over a disagreement on tax cuts for households with incomes over $250,000 per year. The Senate has passed this bill and the President is ready to sign it.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

by Mike Klonsky

Reaper Drone

License to Kill

"Creating a legal structure, processes, with oversight checks on how we use unmanned weapons is going to be a challenge for me and my successors for some time to come." -- President Obama 

D.C. Chancellor Kaya Henderson

"If we're going to keep a traditional school system, we can't just have schools pop up anywhere and cannibalize schools, right?" -- WAMU 88.5 News

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel

Chicago's initiatives come straight out of the playbook Barack Obama put forward in his campaign 

Homework: An unnecessary evil? … Surprising findings from new research

Homework: An unnecessary evil? … Surprising findings from new research:

Homework: An unnecessary evil? Surprising findings from new research

by Valerie Strauss

Alfie Kohn writes about what a new homework study really says — and what it doesn’t say. He is the author of 12 books about education and human behavior, including “The Schools Our Children Deserve,” “The Homework Myth,” and “Feel-Bad Education… And Other Contrarian Essays on Children & Schooling.” He lives (actually) in the Boston area and (virtually) at www.alfiekohn.org.

By Alfie Kohn

 A brand-new study on the academic effects of homework offers not only some intriguing results but also a lesson on how to read a study — and a reminder of the importance of doing just that:  reading studies (carefully) rather than relying on summaries by journalists or even by the researchers themselves.

 Let’s start by reviewing what we know from earlier investigations.[1]  First, no research has ever found a benefit to assigning homework (of any kind or in any amount) in elementary school.  In fact, there isn’t even a positive correlation between, on the one hand, having younger children do some homework (vs. none), or more (vs. less), and, on the other hand, 

Teacher Seniority Still a Four-Letter Word to Administration -- 'LIFO' - NJ Spotlight

Teacher Seniority Still a Four-Letter Word to Administration -- 'LIFO' - NJ Spotlight:

Teacher Seniority Still a Four-Letter Word to Administration -- 'LIFO'

Last-in, first-out seniority continues to irk Christie and Cerf, administration issues survey on subject

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By John Mooney, November 26, 2012 in Education |Post a Comment

For all its celebration of New Jersey’s new teacher tenure law, the Christie administration hasn’t hidden its lament for the one provision it couldn’t change: seniority protection for tenured teachers in the case of layoffs.

Related Links

DOE's Reduction in Force Survey

Compromise, Caffeine and Trade-Offs: Behind NJ's New Tenure Reform Bill

But it hasn’t given up on building its case.

In an unusual request, the state Department of Education last week sent a short survey to every district and charter school asking them about their layoffs of teachers -- technically called “reductions in force” (RIFs) -- over the past five years, and about the impact of seniority protection on their “ability to manage their personnel.”

The survey will “help us determine how prevalent RIFs are, who they are affecting, and how they impact retention of effective educators,” read the memo from Peter Shulman, the state’s assistant education commissioner.

“Data gained from this survey will help us better define State efforts around recruitment and 

Tom Barnidge: Teaching is hard enough without drugs and guns in class - Inside Bay Area

Tom Barnidge: Teaching is hard enough without drugs and guns in class - Inside Bay Area:

Tom Barnidge: Teaching is hard enough without drugs and guns in class By Tom Barnidge Contra Costa Times Columnist Posted:   11/25/2012 04:36:38 PM PST Updated:   11/25/2012 04:44:18 PM PST If you don't believe these are trying times in public education, you owe it to yourself to sit in on a local district presentation of the California Healthy Kids Survey. The state-funded survey, which asks a battery of questions of fifth-, seventh-, ninth- and 11th-grade students every two years, is described as a comprehensive collection of "youth risk behavior and resilience data," but it's more of a peek-behind-the-curtains at everything parents don't want to know and were afraid to ask about their children. It asks students if they have been bullied in school; if they feel safe on campus; if they have been harassed online; if they have had property stolen, been pushed and shoved or involved in fist fights. But that's just the tip of a large, imposing iceberg. Have they smoked? Consumed alcohol? Tried drugs? Been wasted? Every school district in California must participate in the survey to comply with the No Child Left Behind Act, Title IV, but what recently brought the biennial event into the spotlight was the Berkeley school district's airing of its 2012 results at a board meeting. It was difficult to know whether to be more surprised at the findings or at officials' reactions to them. "I was totally shocked, to be honest, to see the results because I did not think we would see that much improvement so

Debating For-Profits: Kudos to Parent Revolution :: Frederick M. Hess

Debating For-Profits: Kudos to Parent Revolution :: Frederick M. Hess:

Debating For-Profits: Kudos to Parent Revolution

by Frederick M. Hess  •  Nov 26, 2012 at 6:24 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

Constructive public debate clarifies, illuminates, and, with any luck, educates. Such debate requires disputants to eschew easy banalities like "education is the new civil right" or ad hominem charges that those they disagree with want to "destroy public education." And it becomes damn near impossible when folks throw around phrases like "child-hating fascist" or accuse each other of nefarious schemes. Yet, it sometimes seems that sophomoric invective has become the norm in the education debates.

That's why I was cheered recently by Parent Revolution's impassioned but thoughtful and courteous response to my critique, in which I'd slammed their desire to prohibit parents who pull the "parent trigger" from partnering with for-profit school operators. Now, don't get me wrong: I think Parent Revolution is incorrect on this. I've long argued that for-profits tend to be uniquely agile, able to scale, and inclined to squeeze costs--traits that are crucial to large-scale school improvement, but also that raise legitimate concerns about quality control and incentives. And they took liberties when they quoted me on the frailties of for-profits without noting 

Daily Kos: Warren Buffett calls for A Minimum Tax for the Wealthy

Daily Kos: Warren Buffett calls for A Minimum Tax for the Wealthy:

Warren Buffett calls for A Minimum Tax for the Wealthy

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

in this New York Times op ed
I am somewhat pressed for time because of school responsibilities, so I will not go as thoroughly through the piece as I might otherwise.  But consider his first two paragraphs:

SUPPOSE that an investor you admire and trust comes to you with an investment idea. “This is a good one,” he says enthusiastically. “I’m in it, and I think you should be, too.”Would your reply possibly be this? “Well, it all depends on what my tax rate will be on the gain you’re saying we’re going to make. If the taxes are too high, I would rather leave the money in my savings account, earning a quarter of 1 percent.” Only in Grover Norquist’s imagination does such a response exist.

It gets better from there, and remember, the arguments are coming from America's most successful investor EVER, someone fairly universally admired.  Continue below the squiggle for a few highlights.

SI&A Cabinet Report – Stakes likely go up on teacher evaluations in Obama’s second term

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources:

Stakes likely go up on teacher evaluations in Obama’s second term
By Tom Chorneau
Monday, November 26, 2012

Failure to win support of teachers for adoption of a new evaluation system based on test scores, once again doomed several of the state’s largest school districts in the federal Race to the Top competition earlier this month.

But as the Obama administration sets course on a second term, the stakes are likely to get a lot higher for states and jurisdictions unable to meet federal demands for more aggressive assessment of educator performance.

“The president got reelected and as far as we know his priorities for education reform haven’t changed,” said Bill Lucia, executive director of EdVoice, a Sacramento-based education advocacy group. “The education secretary is going to continue on and he is like-minded with the president that all kids should have an effective teacher. And they have not diverged from their thinking on this.”

Using tens of millions –sometimes more— in federal discretionary dollars, the Obama administration has for the past four years encouraged states to enact programs and principles aimed improving struggling schools. None of those 

In Turnaround Town, the News is Always Good | EduShyster

In Turnaround Town, the News is Always Good | EduShyster:

In Turnaround Town, the News is Always Good

by edushyster2012

In Turnaround Town, aka Lawrence, MA, the news is always good—or so says the official edu-media plan, which you can savor for yourself below.

Reader: today we pay a return visit a place that I like to call simply ‘Turnaround Town.’ Perhaps you know this city by its other name: Lawrence, Massachusetts. When we last dropped in, state officials had just conducted an exhaustive investigation, concluding that the problems of the city’s schools lay in its leaders: bad, worse, corrupt, in jail, even more corrupt, or just indifferent. Then tragedy struck: a software glitch at the state Department of Education caused the word “leader” to be auto corrected into “teacher,” and the official Lawrence Turnaround™ plan was born.
I will not bore you (or drive you deep into your wine boxes) with the details—but by all means, watch this informative short film about the details. To summarize, the Turnaround™ plan is based on a simple, irresistible premise: replace Lawrence’s old, LIFO lifer teachers with fresh, innovative, new teachers and watch the formerly 

Ed Notes Online: Another Parent Vents at Teach for America

Ed Notes Online: Another Parent Vents at Teach for America:

Another Parent Vents at Teach for America

by ed notes online

The organization is disorganized, unresponsive and over promises. The worst part is they throw these kids into situations that they will likely fail  .... If you know someone or if your child is considering this, DON'T let them go. There are other ways to teach and help the school system. Please.  ---Parent of TFAer

A TFA parent left this comment today on a March, 2009 post: A Parent Vents At Teach for America --

My daughter is in Teach For America and nothing has changed since this [A Parent Vents At Teach for America] was first written. The program succeeds because they recruit well and once the best of the best leave this program they do good things because they were good to start with, not