Engaging Parents In School…

Engaging Parents In School…:

My Parent Engagement Book

“Community School Model Seen as Valuable to Rural Areas”

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 8 hours ago

Community School Model Seen as Valuable to Rural Areas is an interesting article over at Education Week. I’ve written very positively about community schools in the past, as well as expressing my concerns about them.

Making Parents Pay A School Anytime Their Child Is Given Detention Is Not A Wise Parent Engagement Strategy

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 8 hours ago

The Noble Network has ten charter schools in Chicago. Parents are charged $5 everytime their child is given a detention: In addition to receiving detention (and, thus, having to pay a fee) for violating rules like having their shoes untied and bringing potato chips to school, Noble Street students can rack up demerits for failing [...]

Guest Post: Did the Tech fail or was there a failure to connect to the Tech?

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 8 hours ago

I invited Myrdin Thompson to write a guest commentary on the article discussed in my last post, Tech May Have A Role, But Is Not Cure-All, For Parent Engagement. Myrdin is Contributing Editor at MOMentumNation, Group Leader at RESULTSLouisville, Advocate for the UNF Shot@Life program, White House Champion of Change (Parents on Education), Regional Director [...]

Tech May Have A Role, But Is Not Cure-All, For Parent Engagement

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 8 hours ago

Web app that links parents to kids’ schools has few takers in Dallas ISD is the headline in a recent Dallas Morning News article. Here are some excerpts: The application, called Parent Portal, makes an extraordinary amount of information available to parents. It shows students’ grades, attendance records and notes from their teachers on how [...]

This week’s #PTchat On Twitter

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 8 hours ago

Guest post by Joe Mazza On Wednesday, January 2, 2013, weekly #ptchat returns with a goal setting conversation. We’ll discuss short and long term family engagement goals from the classroom, administrative and parent leadership lens. How can we best involve student voice to maximize our engagement goals? Join us at 9PM EDT for our first [...]

“Tour helps ease immigrants’ worries about school menus”

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 8 hours ago

Tour helps ease immigrants’ worries about school menus is an interesting article from Minnesota about how a school gave Somali refugee parents a tour of their cafeteria and food to allay concerns about food not acceptable to Muslims. Thanks to Ken Libby for the tip.

“Interactive Homework Spurs Parent Involvement, Study Finds”

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 8 hours ago

Interactive Homework Spurs Parent Involvement, Study Finds is the title of a useful blog post by Sarah Sparks over at Education Week. Here’s an excerpt: Homework assignments that require help from family members can get parents more involved in middle school, a time many parents become less visible in school, concludes a new study in [...]

My Most Popular Parent Engagement Posts Of The Year — 2012

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 8 hours ago

Here are the ten most popular posts from this blog over the past year: 1. Another Reason Why We Need To Be Careful How We Speak To Parents About Their Children 2. The Best Sources Of Parent Engagement Advice For Teachers 3. A Collection Of “The Best…” Lists On Parent Engagement 4. Good Middle School [...]

Charter school ruled private entity for labor relations:

Charter school ruled private entity for labor relations

Posted by Valerie Strauss on January 4, 2013 at 6:00 am

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The question of just how public charter schools really are has been further muddied by aruling by the National Labor Relations Board in a case involving a Chicago charter school.

Critics of charter schools have long contended that private companies that run publicly funded charters don’t act like public organizations and that charter schools represent the privatization of public education in the United States. I recently published this post about whether judges are increasingly viewing charters as private.

Now we have a decision by the board, made last month and just publicized, involving   efforts by teachers at the Chicago Math and Science Academy to form a union. Teachers organized under the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act, which regulates labor relations between public schools and their employees, with two-thirds of the teachers voting in favor, according to WBEZ.org. The private managers of the academy, however, wanted 

The Hobbit: A Common Core literature unit falls short

by Valerie Strauss

There's no end to discussion and controversy about the Common Core State Standards in English-Language Arts. Here's a look at the inadequacies of one literature exemplar offered by a state Education Department, an issue that more broadly highlights some of the basic problems that are bound to accompany implementation of the standards. This was written by Darcy Pattison, a children's book author and writing teacher (darcypattison.com). She often provides professional development to educators in the area of English Language Arts and blogs about Common Core issues. She was the keynote speaker for ELA Grades 6-8 for the 2012 Smarter Online Common Core Educator's Roundtable webinar from The Principal Center. A version of this appeared on her blog, Making the Common Core Practical.
Read full article >>

Jersey Jazzman: Joel Klein: As Excellent As He Says He Is? Part III

Jersey Jazzman: Joel Klein: As Excellent As He Says He Is? Part III:

Joel Klein: As Excellent As He Says He Is? Part III

by Duke

Joel Klein is one of America's foremost proponents of corporate education "reform." He asserts that public education is in such a crisis that it constitutes a national security threat - a threat that can be dealt with by buying technology from the firm he runs for Rupert Murdoch, Amplify. He also believes that the "reforms" he and Mayor Michael Bloomberg instituted in New York City - including mayoral control, school closings, charter expansion, and test-based teacher evaluations - should be replicated across the country, based on what he terms the "compelling" improvements made under his tenure.

But does the record support his claims? What is the legacy of Joel Klein in New York City? I'm looking at the 

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 1-3-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Nite Cap UPDATE

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

Educators, politicians have stark reaction to Gov. Jerry Brown school funding revamp

by By Barbara Jones and Beau Yarbrough, Staff Writers

School districts that have long struggled to educate large numbers of poor students or English learners could see a massive influx of cash under a new funding formula expected to be unveiled next week by Gov.

LA school police still ticketing thousands of young students

Susan Ferriss

Tami Abdollah/KPCC L.A. city councilman Tony Cardenas and L.A. Unified board member Monica Garcia join students protesting citations in February. 

Even as Los Angeles authorities continue efforts to reform school-discipline standards, fresh data show that police from the city’s biggest school district are continuing to ticket thousands of young students, especially minorities, at disproportionate rates that critics charge are putting them on a track for dropping out.
Citation rates for last year are little changed from 2011 data. Disclosure of the 2011 data this past spring led 

REALITY TELEVISION

by alkleen

I’ve  never watched any reality t.v. programs.  I’ve seen snippets of them as I channel surf and I can’t believe their popularity.  It must be a generational thing. The content of the shows is what I feel the need to comment about.  I’ve previously written about how our school children are getting the exact education that they deserve. Very few families in this country have a true “culture of learning” and it’s reflected in the values and test scores of our students. The popularity of these reality t.v. shows should speak volumes about what young kids and young adults hold near and dear. When television shows such as Nova are as popular as reality t.v. shows, then I will listen to the critics that blame our schools and teachers for the failure of our students to achieve the desired standards. Our reality t.v. shows and our popular culture reflect our core values. Can anyone seriously say that a “culture of learning” has a high place in the average American family when people spend endless hours watching 

Please consider the following

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

Even the NRA agrees that a person with mental illness should not be able to purchase a gun.
But what if a person already has a gun and is diagnosed with a disqualifying mental condition?  Are we going to allow that person to continue to have access to guns?
CONSIDER THAT CAREFULLY.
Because if you agree that person should NOT have access to guns, then we would have to know that person has a gun.
Which means that every gun would have to be registered.
So let's acknowledge that we need to communicate appropriately when peopl

Sometimes They Need to Let Us Know, That They Know…

by Oldschoolteach

  Sometimes they need to know, that we know, that they are capable. Sometimes they need to know, that we know, that they are capable of so much more than what they might exhibit.   We switch classes for Literature Circles (Book Club), whatever you want to call it. I call it, “Let them read, [...]

Think tank to study privatizing most Postal Service operations

Source: [b]washington post[/b]

As members of Congress pledged Thursday to revive legislation to save the financially ailing U.S. Postal Service, a Washington think tank announced it will conduct an independent study of how the quasi-government agency could cede much of its operation to pr...

Despite ($1.04 billion) surplus, Michigan may need to cut school spending in 2013

Source: [b]Detroit News[/b]

January 3, 2013 at 5:00 pm
Despite surplus, Michigan may need to cut school spending in 2013
By Karen Bouffard
Detroit News Lansing Bureau


Lansing — Michigan will close the books on fiscal year 2011-12 with $1.04 billion more in general fund revenue tha...

NCAE Wins Challenge to Payroll Dues Ban

Source: [b]WRAL[/b]

[b]NCAE wins challenge to payroll dues ban[/b]

By Matthew Burns

Posted: 1:30 p.m. today

A Wake County judge has ruled a law prohibiting the North Carolina Association of Educators from using payroll deduction to collect dues from its members to be unconstituti...

For students' sake, Chicago must address poverty, violence

January 03, 2013

Jesse Sharkey

Recent tragedies related to gun violence have led to increased calls for more stringent gun control nationwide, but here in Chicago, atrocities occur daily. For some, it may be easier to obtain a gun than it is to get an education. More than 500 Chicagoans were killed due to gun violence in 2012. Of these deaths, 62 victims were children, and more than 440 children suffered gunshot wounds, according to various media outlets.
We are a city in crisis—because we are a city of poverty.

Your child’s future?

by Chris Cerrone

Do you want a monster corporation deciding what your child learns instead of your child’s teacher and school? Do you want a private company  to determine who gets certified as a teacher instead of a professional observation in the classroom? Do you want a for profit business to create the tools that evaluate your child’s [...]

Guest Post: Did the Tech fail or was there a failure to connect to the Tech?

by Larry Ferlazzo

I invited Myrdin Thompson to write a guest commentary on the article discussed in my last post, Tech May Have A Role, But Is Not Cure-All, For Parent Engagement.
Myrdin is Contributing Editor at MOMentumNation, Group Leader at RESULTSLouisville, Advocate for the UNF Shot@Life program, White House Champion of Change (Parents on Education), Regional Director at National Family Engagement Alliance, and public school parent of three students. She lives in Louisville, KY.
Our school district in Louisville, KY is similar in size and scope to the Dallas school district mentioned in a recent article about Parent Portal. We are a diverse, urban district, with a student population of just over 110,000, consisting of a large ESL (English as a second language) student population, and a robust magnet 

Making Parents Pay A School Anytime Their Child Is Given Detention Is Not A Wise Parent Engagement Strategy

by Larry Ferlazzo

The Noble Network has ten charter schools in Chicago. Parents are charged $5 everytime their child is given a detention:
In addition to receiving detention (and, thus, having to pay a fee) for violating rules like having their shoes untied and bringing potato chips to school, Noble Street students can rack up demerits for failing to sit up, make eye 

MLA Annual Convention Makes Faculty Diversity Issues a Priority

by cmaadmin

MLA Convention

BOSTON — Nearly 8,000 literary scholars of all stripes braved sub-zero wind chills here to attend the 128th Modern Language Association Annual Convention which got underway Thursday. Among the hundreds of sessions covering a variety of topics related to American and European literature was one held yesterday titled, 

“Community School Model Seen as Valuable to Rural Areas”

by Larry Ferlazzo

Community School Model Seen as Valuable to Rural Areas is an interesting article over at Education Week.
I’ve written very positively about community schools in the past, as well as expressing my concerns about them.

Watching video of Bartow school board member, you have to wonder: How do these folks win elections?

by Maureen Downey

Bartow County school board vice chair Angela Cornett made a smart decision in resigning her post after a troubling surveillance video captured her seemingly lurching into a teen attempting to hold a parking spot in a Walmart.
The video has now gone viral, and Cornett has been charged with reckless conduct.
The teen involved appeared on national TV to decry the incident. Seventeen-year-old Emily Gulledge is a Bartow County student. On the “Today” show, Emily said, “I was the child in the situation and she acted like the 

Illinois teachers jam Capitol for pension rights. « Notes From The We Are One Rally

Illinois teachers jam Capitol for pension rights. « Fred Klonsky:

Illinois teachers jam Capitol for pension rights.

by Fred Klonsky

           

Notes From The We Are One Rally

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

Ok enough of Elaine Nekritz already!

Take, Ye, These Workers' Pensions

Except to say that I completely forgot there's a statue of her in the Rotunda. There she stands, giving away the pensions to the Civic Committee, and ushering an era of less is less for the new mobile workforce. It's really quite lovely, the statue.

Anyway, it was a good turnout today at the Capitol. Kudos to the Coalition for putting it together. I hope tomorrow's even better-- but as for me I'll be riding that lonely train back up to Big Shoulders.

Ok that was random but it's staying in.

Anyway, I put my camera down and just took in the rally. I'm a lousy photographer in good light, and the Capitol is like a tomb. And the people speaking were basically in silhouette. Feisty ralliers, those retirees, I'll 

Schools to Watch-Taking Center Stage - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

Schools to Watch-Taking Center Stage - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education):

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Congratulates California's 2013
Schools to Watch - Taking Center Stage Model Middle Schools

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced that 12 high-performing California middle schools have been newly designated as model middle grades schools in the Schools to Watch™−Taking Center Stage (STW−TCS) program. Another nine high-performing California schools will also retain their model middle grades schools status under the same program.

"My congratulations and admiration go out to these schools for continually striving to improve student performance," Torlakson said. "Their success is the result of effective and innovative practices that motivate their students to learn and excel."

STW‒TCS middle grades schools are high-performing model schools that demonstrate academic excellence, developmental responsiveness to the needs and interests of young adolescents, social equity, and organizational support. STW‒TCS model schools host visitors from California and around the world who are looking for replicable practices that will help them improve their middle grades schools and close the achievement gap.

The 12 newly designated STW‒TCS model middle grades schools are:

Fresno County

1. Fairmont Elementary K-8 (Sanger Unified School District, Sanger).
2. Quail Lake Environmental Charter K-8 (Sanger Unified School District, Sanger).
3. Sanger Academy Charter K-8 (Sanger Unified School District, Sanger).

The three schools are small, rural K-8 schools that have specific programs for middle grades students and have significantly closed the achievement gap. They act as one professional learning community frequently collaborating on better instructional strategies. (In 2011, Sanger Unified's Washington Academic Middle School was designated a STW−TCS.)

Los Angeles County

4. Frank J. Zamboni Middle School (Paramount Unified School District, Paramount) is an urban school whose Academic Performance Index (API) scores (on a scale ranging from 200 to 1000, with 800 established as the statewide target) in nearly every student group have risen from the 600's in 2006-07 to the 800's in 2011-12. Students who are English learners scored at 789, but made a significant 27-point growth last year. The staff has focused on poverty issues facing their students as part of their concern for the whole child.

Orange County

5. Pioneer Middle School (Tustin Unified School District, Tustin) has seen significant and sustained improvement over the past five years in student achievement, meeting all significant subgroup targets on state standardized tests. The school developed a successful program, Pyramid on Interventions, to assist all students in becoming proficient, as well as having been recognized as a national professional learning community model.
6. Thurston Middle School (Laguna Beach Unified School District, Laguna Beach) is a suburban school and has made all its growth targets every year on state standardized tests by supporting all students in using "Best First Practices" and "Response to Intervention" strategies.

San Bernardino County

7. Summit Intermediate School (Etiwanda School District, Etiwanda) is a suburban school that has made significant increases on state standardized tests over the past five years. Nearly every numerically significant student group is at or above the 800 statewide target. These diverse learners have had increased learning opportunities with "X-Time," a period where teachers provide additional support.
8. Vanguard Preparatory K-8 (Apple Valley Unified School District, Apple Valley) is a rural school with more than 1,000 students that is consistently closing the achievement gap. With a focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), the school offers family STEM nights to explore these areas.

Santa Clara County

9. Union Middle School (Union Elementary School District, San Jose) is a suburban school whose API score is a noteworthy 932 points and is ranked in the top 10 percent of state middle schools. Part of the school's success is due to the school's collaborative approach, "Intervention on a Page," that provides all the necessary information for student support.

Santa Cruz County

10. San Lorenzo Valley Middle School (San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District, Felton) is a rural school with a smaller population of about 500 students. The school has gained 46 points on the API since 2007, while the socioeconomically disadvantaged student population has gained 82 points. During the third week of the year, academic counseling and intervention is started so that no child is allowed to fall behind academically.
11. Scotts Valley Middle School (Scotts Valley Unified School District, Scotts Valley) is a suburban school with a growing diverse population and whose state's standardized test scores show a closing of the achievement gap. The support strategy is using the "Enrichment" period where many services are offered to meet individual needs.

Ventura County

12. Sinaloa Middle School (Simi Valley Unified School District, Simi Valley) is a suburban school that is closing the achievement gap with all of its student groups. The API scores for students with disabilities have increased 96 points on state standardized tests since 2007. The school has a plethora of strategies that the faculty has developed through collaboration to engage its students.

The redesignated model middle schools are:

1. Canyon Middle School (Castro Valley Unified School District, Castro Valley, Alameda County); a STW‒TCS school for six years.
2. Edna Hill Middle School (Brentwood Union School District, Brentwood, Contra Costa County); a STW‒TCS school for six years.
3. Frank M. Wright Middle School (Imperial Unified School District, Imperial, Imperial County); a STW‒TCS school for six years.
4. Granger Junior High (Sweetwater Union High School District, National City, San Diego County); a STW‒TCS school for three years.
5. John Glenn Middle School (Desert Sands Unified School District, Indio, Riverside County); a STW‒TCS school for nine years.
6. Medea Creek Middle School (Oak Park Unified School District, Oak Park, Los Angeles County); a STW‒TCS schools for nine years.
7. Mistletoe School (Enterprise Elementary School District, Redding, Shasta County); a STW‒TCS school for three years.
8. Oliver Wendell Holmes Middle School (Los Angeles Unified School District, Northridge, Los Angeles County); a STW‒TCS school for six years.
9. Reyburn Intermediate (Clovis Unified School District, Clovis, Fresno County); a STW‒TCS school for three years.

In order to be named a STW‒TCS model middle school, school administrators must conduct a self-study evaluation and complete an extensive narrative application. Each site is then reviewed by a team of middle grades experts. In order to retain the designation, each school is re-evaluated every three years.

The nine redesignated schools named today were reviewed last October and are among 36 others selected in previous cycles since 2003 as STW‒TCS designees. All of the schools will be formally recognized at the California Middle Grades Alliance annual luncheon on February 28, 2013, and during the California League of Middle Schools Conference on March 1-3, 2013. Both events will be in Sacramento. At that time, the schools will have an opportunity to showcase their accomplishments and network with other middle grades educators from around the state.

For more information about the Schools to Watch™−Taking Center Stage model school program, visit the California Schools to Watch--Taking Center Stage - Middle Grades. 

# # # #

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