UPDATE: The Power of Play | Parents Across America

The Power of Play | Parents Across America:

Weekly Leg Fax for 4-17-13: Failure of market-based reform

by pureparents

Parent Voices Weekly Education Fax April 17, 2013  Fix our schools, don’t privatize them  This week’s update:Market-driven school reforms, mayoral control causing more harm than good A new study, “Market-oriented education reforms’ rhetoric trumps reality,” on the effects of market-driven reform in Washington, D.C., New York City and Chicago concludes that little has been accomplished and some harm has been done to students, especially the underprivileged…. Market-oriented education reform refers to a series of initiatives that include educator evaluations based … →

Letter to N.C. Representatives on High-Stakes Testing

by pagrundy

Here’s the letter MecklenburgACTS co-chair Pamela Grundy sent to the members of the N.C. House Education Committee, requesting that they support a moratorium on high-stakes testing. Find more on the North Carolina campaign at MecklenburgACTS.org. MecklenburgACTS also published a piece on tests and zombies in the Raleigh News and Observer this past Sunday. Dear Representative, On behalf of many, many North Carolina parents, I write to ask you to support HB 775, which would impose a one-year moratorium on state-mandated …→

The Power of Play

by pureparents

Parents, teachers, children at Play-In call for less testing, more playing for young children in CPS

Chicago, IL: Today, dozens of parents, children and educators attended a “Play-In” organized by More Than a Score to highlight their concern that testing has taken over the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) classrooms of our youngest children, pushing play-based learning out.

The group set up play areas at CPS headquarters to demonstrate the power of play. Adults played side-by-side with children using blocks, bubbles, fingerpaints, musical instruments, trucks, dolls, Play-doh, crayons and paper, and puzzles.

More Than a Score is concerned that the youngest learners in Chicago Public Schools are facing multiple standardized tests—as many as 14 in some kindergarten classrooms – inappropriate amounts of seatwork and homework, and a lack of opportunities for play, exploration, and creativity. The combination of the longer school day, an overly academic curriculum for the youngest learners, and high-stakes testing is turning our children’s first learning experiences into an ordeal. Opportunities for true free play are becoming increasingly rare in Chicago Public Schools.

Cassie Creswell, parent of a CPS 1st grader at Goethe and a two year-old potential CPS preschooler, said, “Last year, when our school was planning for the longer day, I read a report that a full-day, six-hour 

Report Card: Volunteers sought on future of Sacramento's closing campuses

Report Card: Volunteers sought on future of Sacramento's closing campuses:

Volunteers sought on future of Sacramento's closing campuses

The Sacramento City Unified School District is seeking volunteers with varied backgrounds to advise the Board of Education on the reuse or disposition of school buildings and vacant sites not needed for school purposes.

Trustees of the school district recently decided to close seven elementary schools after finding them to be chronically underenrolled.

The 7-11 committee - a group of seven or 11 members - is to have members that represent the ethnic, age and socioeconomic composition of the district.

Members also are to represent the business community, such as store owners or managers, as well as property owners or renters, preferably those linked to neighborhood associations.

Under state law, committee members must represent teachers, administrators, parents with enrolled students and individuals with expertise in environmental impacts, contracts, building codes and land-use planning.

Those interested may download an application or apply online at www.scusd.edu/7-11-committee. The application may also be mailed to the district Board of Education, Box 701, 5735 47th Ave., Sacramento, CA 95824.

The application should include name, address, email and telephone contact information; the membership category or categories for which the applicant qualifies; a current resume, and a statement explaining why appointment is sought and whether the applicant is personally affected by the school closures.

Deadline for submitting applications is 5 p.m., May 3.

For questions or more information, contact Gail Ferguson via email, gail-ferguson@scusd.edu, or phone (916) 643-9314.

Categories: School news

Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/report-card/2013/04/volunteers-sought-on-future-of-sacramentos-closed-campuses.html#storylink=cpy

Rethinking Teacher Evaluation For The Competency-Based Grading & Reporting System | Connected Principals

Rethinking Teacher Evaluation For The Competency-Based Grading & Reporting System | Connected Principals:

Rethinking Teacher Evaluation For The Competency-Based Grading & Reporting System

by Brian Stack

Introduction:  Rethinking the Effectiveness of the Dog & Pony Show Model
During my first three years as a high school math teacher in Massachusetts back in the early 2000’s, I had grown accustomed to having an administrator in my classroom to observe me teach a math lesson. As a newteacher I was required by district policy to be observed at least three times per year. Both my administrator and I knew how the drill worked:  We would pick a date and a class for me to be observed. We would meet in advance to talk about what I was planning to teach. During my observation I would make sure to use innovative teaching strategies or cooperative learning activities with my students. We would meet after the lesson to talk about what went well and where I could improve. The administrator would write up a narrative, I would sign it, and it would be filed away. The process would then repeat, and repeat, and repeat. Over my first three years I had nine observations. Once I reached my fourth year, I was considered tenured and thus my observations went down to one every other year. This means it would have taken me an additional eighteen years of teaching before I would have completed another nine observation cycles.
I don’t think my experience in this regard was unique as many school districts used and still use a model very similar to this one. As I reflect back on that experience as a new teacher, years later, I don’t think I ever 

Diane in the Evening 4-17-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

Duncan Urges US Chamber of Commerce to Defend Common Core

by dianerav

Arne Duncan is concerned about the backlash against the federal government’s heavy-handed imposition of the Common Core.
At a speech to business leaders in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, he urged their support for Common Core.
He probably forgot that the U.S. Department of Education is legally prohibited from being involved in any matters that prescribe curriculum or instruction to the nation’s public schools.

When Students in New Orleans Got a Chance to Speak

by dianerav

NBC’s “Education Nation” has proved to be a forum for the advocates of high-stakes testing, closing schools, privatization, and charter schools.
When they filmed in New Orleans, students got a chance to be heard, and their views were illuminating.
Despite the drumbeat of Race to the Top and Bobby Jindal in support of evaluating teachers by the scores of 

Investigative Reporter: The Stories Behind the “Parent Trigger”

by dianerav

Yasha Levine is an investigative reporter. He became interested in the “parent trigger” and wanted to see what was going on in Adelanto, California, the only place in the United States where the parent trigger has been “fired” to turn a public school over to a charter operator.
Just as an aside, I find the rhetoric of a “parent trigger” to be loathsome after the Newtown massacre. But that’s just me.
This article is going behind a pay wall in 24 hours. With this kind of investigative reporting, you might consider subscribing. We need more digging by smart journalists instead of the regurgitated press releases that we so 

Mother Crusader Opted Out!

by dianerav

News from parent activist Mother Crusader:
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
I’ve Opted Out And You Can Too!
This morning I spoke with the Assistant Superintendent of my district, and was told it’s no problem to opt my 1st graders out of the NJPASS. This is not a mandated test, and the results are not reported to the state. It is given mostly to prepare students for taking the NJASK in 3rd grade – so in my estimation, it’s all but useless for my kids and a waste of money for the district.
The OK to opt out this year came with a warning that once my girls hit 3rd grade this would not be such a cake walk. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.
For now, I feel an incredible sense of relief.
Relief that my girls won’t lose almost 7 hours (I was told it sucks up 2 hours and 15 minutes on 3 consecutive 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-17-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Former Lt. Gov. Ratliff of Texas Joins the Honor Roll by dianerav Former Lieutenant Governor Bill Ratliff has spoken out loud and clear for the 5 million children in public schools in Texas. He knows the state cut the budget way too much. He knows that the state must put its money into improving education–not by “throwing money” at it–but by doing the right things. And he knows that the Legislature will be moved when they start hearing from angry Mamas. They ar... more »

Daily Kos: What Do I Say?

Daily Kos: What Do I Say?:

What Do I Say?

byShakespeares SisterFollow

 
 
• 3 Comments / 3 New

Now get the hell OUT!

Rarely, as an English teacher, do I find myself at a loss for words.

Now, as I’m faced with the fact that I have to say goodbye to my students, and tell them I will not return as their teacher next year, I just don’t know what to say.

Do I tell them I’m leaving because the school they attend is finally so broken of an institution that it is unlikely to see repair and it is in fact more likely that the state will take over the school and turn it into a Charter?

Do I tell them that, in the words of a respected 22-year veteran, the district is currently “pissing down its own leg” and this is the worst he’s ever seen?

Do I tell them I’m leaving because their principal is a bully to both teachers and students?

Do I tell them that, due to the lack of instructional leadership in the school and district, I feel I am beginning to stagnate as a teacher?

I’ve referenced before that the school in which I teach is about to enter the third year of a three-year turnaround plan, meaning that at the end of the 2013-2014 school year, the state could possibly take them over. Yes, the situation factored into my decision to leave, but really there is so much more.

This year, at the high school, between resignations (15) and non-renewals (10), 25 teachers will not return (at least as of today). When submitting resignations, many teachers cited frustrations similar to those I mentioned above, including the fact that, in a board meeting, which is now public record, a board member suggested that white teachers cannot understand our Latino students, and therefore cannot teach them effectively. To insinuate that, because some teachers are white, we cannot properly understand, relate to, motivate, or lead students 

Play-In fun for everyone! Parents United for Responsible Education

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Play-In fun for everyone!:

Play-In fun for everyone!

by admin

Parents, teachers, children at Play-In call for less testing, more playing for young children in CPS

Today, dozens of Chicago parents, children and educators attended a “Play-In” organized by More Than a Score to highlight their concern that testing has taken over the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) classrooms of our youngest children, pushing play-based learning out.

The group set up play areas at CPS headquarters to demonstrate the power of play. Adults played side-by-side with children using blocks, bubbles, fingerpaints, musical instruments, trucks, dolls, Play-doh, crayons and paper, and puzzles.

More Than a Score is concerned that the youngest learners in Chicago Public Schools are facing multiple standardized tests—as many as 14 in some kindergarten classrooms – inappropriate amounts of seatwork and homework, and a lack of opportunities for play, exploration, and creativity. The combination of the 

When the African American Male Student Doesn't Succeed — Whole Child Education

When the African American Male Student Doesn't Succeed — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

When the African American Male Student Doesn’t Succeed

April 17, 2013 by Dianna Minor

Across the United States, teachers can quickly tell you who is the most 'at-risk' student sitting in their classrooms. The answer is the same, whether it's from a teacher in Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, Houston, New Orleans, Detroit, Newark, or Birmingham. It's the student who struggled in 3rd grade. It's the student in 8th grade reading grade levels behind his peers. It's the student who spends majority of the his time in detention or in-school suspension. It's the student who has problems focusing in class, thus becoming disruptive. It's the student who stays on his teacher's mind each and every day of the school year. He is the one a teacher never forgets years later—always wondering where he is now, how he is doing, is he still alive. Who is this student? He's the African American male.

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), there is a direct correlation between struggling learners with low reading levels and socioeconomic backgrounds. Students from high-poverty areas experience academic challenges (PDF) and attend low-income schools with limited academic resources. These students are consistently underachieving, and this achievement widens during the adolescent years. The data and the stats are the same across the United States: we have a broken education system.

As a result, public education has now become a system of 'haves' and 'have nots' (those in poverty versus 

District Silent As Charter School Dodges Audit - LA School Report

District Silent As Charter School Dodges Audit - LA School Report:

District Silent As Charter School Dodges Audit

by Hillel Aron

Monica Garcia, left, Marcos Aguilar, right, after Academia Semillas was renewed in April of 2012

Fresh off a controversial April 2012 renewal, the El Sereno charter school called Academia Semillas has refused to comply with an LAUSD audit, according to this December 2012 report by the Office of the Inspector General.
“Repeated attempts to obtain this information from the school were unsuccessful and the school chose to communicate to the OIG exclusively through its legal counsel,” states the report, which was ordered specifically for the school by the LAUSD charter school division.

Thus far, LAUSD has taken the somewhat unusual step of declining to comment on the situation.  However,California Charter School Association spokesperson Sierra Jenkins took the position that the charter school 

Mother Crusader: I've Opted Out And You Can Too!

Mother Crusader: I've Opted Out And You Can Too!:

I've Opted Out And You Can Too!

by darciecima

I just got off the phone with the Assistant Superintendent of my district, and was told it's no problem to opt my 1st graders out of the NJPASS. This is not a mandated test, and the results are not reported to the state.  It is given mostly to prepare students for taking the NJASK in 3rd grade - so in my estimation, it's all but useless for my kids and a waste of money for the district.  

The OK to opt out this year came with a warning that once my girls hit 3rd grade this would not be such a cake walk. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

For now, I feel an incredible sense of relief. 

Relief that my girls won't lose almost 7 hours (I was told it sucks up 2 hours and 15 minutes on 3 consecutive days - they're SIX!!) to a standardized test that has next to no meaning for them or their teacher.  Relief that my district was accommodating (they can spend the time at home or will be invited into a Kindergarten classroom). Relief that I have taken the first step to giving my daughters a K-12 education without the stress and burden of 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Can someone loan Chicago a city planner? How about you, Kansas City?

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Can someone loan Chicago a city planner? How about you, Kansas City?:

Can someone loan Chicago a city planner? How about you, Kansas City?

by Mike Klonsky

Byrd-Bennett

Memo to city mayors from Barbara Byrd-Bennett: 

Someone, please help me. I need to borrow a city planner ASAP. 

Our guy, Babbit or Babbitz, whatever his name is useless. We have no plan. Rahm is making me close 54 schools in the next few months and I don't have the slightest idea what do do with all those boarded-up buildings. Until we can sell them, we will have to spend $1 million a year just to heat and maintain them.

I've been telling angry community folks that this is a cost-saving operation and promised them that the vacant buildings wouldn't be turned over to charter schools. No believes me of course and my credibility rating has sunk lower than Rahm's -- if that's possible. 

We've already sunk the city deeper in debt over the next 20 years by borrowing $360 million from Rahm's banker friends at high interest rates, to make the receiving schools look more attractive. 

Pink-Slipped - Sacramento Magazine - May 2013 - Sacramento, California

Pink-Slipped - Sacramento Magazine - May 2013 - Sacramento, California:

Pink-Slipped

By Sasha Abramsky
Posted on April 17

Area teachers are feeling the sting of budget cuts and layoffs. We take an in-depth look at those on the front lines.

This is the story of a system in crisis, of what Sacramento City Unified School District Superintendent Jonathan Raymond terms “the continual corrosive effect on morale” of cuts, and of the collateral damage—to teachers, to students and to the broader community—when there isn’t enough money to pay all of the city’s education bills. It is a story about priorities and about what happens when our commitment to providing all children with the best possible education wavers. “It has an effect on the culture and climate of the school and the classroom,” Raymond says. “It’s not good for California, not good for learning in our state.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICAH ALBERT

Stephanie Kuroda, a 33-year-old elementary school teacher in the Sacramento City Unified School District, received her first preliminary pink slip in the spring of 2008—a formal notice that she had no guarantee of a job come fall. After several months of uncertainty, she finished the school year and said goodbye to her students, not knowing if she would teach again. She cleared out her classroom, put her teaching materials into storage . . . and then, at the very last minute, on the eve of the new school year, she received a call to return to work.
It happened again in 2009 and once more in 2010.
California budgets had been overstretched for years prior to the onset of the Great Recession. In fact, from 2006, the state had been slashing services, including funds for schools, in a vain attempt to bring the budget into balance. Then, as the state’s fiscal woes worsened in the aftermath of the 2008 financial collapse—when the housing market’s implosion triggered bank failures, which in turn generated huge levels of unemployment, which then reduced government tax revenues—the scale of the crisis got worse and the cuts picked up steam.
Similar stories to Kuroda’s played out, with increasing frequency, throughout Sacramento area school districts. Preliminary pink slips were issued every March because the budget amounts available for the following school year were up in the air. Some pink slips would be 

Diana Rodriguez for State Assembly, District 9

Diana Rodriguez for State Assembly, District 9:

Diana Rodriguez for State Assembly, District 9

About Diana

Diana Rodriguez represents families in the 9th Assembly District as an elected trustee of the Sacramento City Unified School District.  First elected in 2008, and then re-elected to a second term in 2012, she has been a leading voice against harmful school closures, proper spending of the district’s $440 million budget, and increased transparency.  Diana has been an advocate for working families and children and has supported policies to improve schools and put the best teachers in our classrooms.

In 2011, after extensive complaints by parents and community groups accusing the district of financial abuse, Diana championed the effort to require the district to disclose how it spends taxpayer dollars.  As a result, the district now posts on its website all requests for bids, consulting contracts, purchase orders and other financial information such as expenditure reports and cash flow statements.

In 2009, in response to community outrage over the district’s proposal to close a local elementary school and leave hundreds of children without adequate transportation, Diana succeeded in keeping the school open for an additional three years.  She continues to be a leader on the issue, believing that the district should not balance the budget on the backs of the district’s most vulnerable parents and children.

Over the past five years Diana has served the community as president of the school board and in various positions at the state and federal level including:

• Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson's Transition Advisory Team
• Past Board Member and Secretary, for the nation-wide Parent/Teacher Home Visit Program
• Chair, Sacramento 2010 US Census Latino Complete Count Committee
• Delegate Assembly Member, California School Boards Association (CSBA)
​
Diana has also participated in the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, President Obama's White House Hispanic Policy Summit, and as a guest commentator on National Public Radio.

Diana is a long-time public servant with a combined 15 years of public service work in all branches of local government – school, city, county and state. She currently works as a manager for the State of California.
​
In her experience, Diana has adopted spending priorities and managed budgets totaling over $300 million and provided oversight and direction for various projects including multi-million dollar health care service contracts and computerized system upgrades.  She has analyzed and built state department budgets and has experience identifying potential budget misappropriations.  She has also analyzed and researched collective bargaining agreements that ensure public workers are fairly compensated and taxpayers’ money is spent responsibly.
​
Diana completed the National Economic Policy Institute from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and has a degree in finance from DeVry University.
​
She lives in Sacramento with her three daughters - Ezra, Taja, and Alana.  Her two youngest daughters Taja and Alana currently attend public schools in the Sacramento City Unified School District.  Her eldest daughter, Ezra, graduated from St. Francis High School.
​
Diana enjoys cheering for her two youngest daughters at their weekend swim meets.  They compete as members of the Parkway Dolphins swim team.
​
Diana was actively involved in the classroom and from 2003 through 2007 she worked as a part-time teaching assistant at St. Borromeo Catholic Elementary School.

Endorsements

​Elected Officials
Assemblymember Norma Torres
Assemblymember Roger Hernandez
Assmemblymember Luis Alejo
Former Senator Richard Polanco
Former Assemblymember Tony Mendoza
Sonoma County Supervisor Efren  Carrillo
Pico Rivera Mayor Gustavo Camacho
Watsonville City Council Member Karina Cervantes
Former Santa Cruz City Council Member Tony Madrigal
Sacramento City Unified School Board Member Gustavo Arroyo
Sacramento City Unified School Board Member Christina Pritchett
Elk Grove Unified School Board Member Tony Perez
Sacramento County Board of Education Member Brian Rivas
Twin Rivers Unified School Board Member Rebecca Sandoval
Natomas Unified School Board Member Susan Heredia
Former Sacramento City Unified School Board Member Roy Grimes
Former Sacramento City Unified School Board Member  Manny Hernandez
School Board Member Katherine Ramirez
Assm./Asst.  Majority Leader Edward Acevedo, Chicago, IL

Educators
Roberto Haro, Retired University of California Chancellor

Business Leaders

Robert Moreno

Richard Polanco, Jr.

Xochitl Medina

Hector Castillo

Gabriel Vivas

Ken Macias

Ernesto Delgadillo

Rene Flores, Sr.

Roy Perez

Melinda Guzman

​

Community Members

Carlos and Norma Alcala

Juan Jimenez-MCCNC

George and Josephine Sy- Elk Grove

Nohemi  Granillo- Elk Grove

Angelica Rodriguez- Elk Grove

Adriana Romandia- Florin

Alexandria Castillo- Elk Grove

Keely Melendez- Sacramento

Larry Tract - Florin

Beatriz Sanchez-Elk Grove

Oscar Ramirez- Sacramento

Jonathan Tran

Katherine Maestas

Grace Trujillo

Angelica Tellechera

Kari Scow

Natalie Bocanegra

Eireann Flannery

Ida Romandia

Corporate Reform Puts Democratic Party Leaders in a Bind - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Corporate Reform Puts Democratic Party Leaders in a Bind - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

Corporate Reform Puts Democratic Party Leaders in a Bind

by Anthony Cody

Leaders of the Democratic Party are finding themselves in a potentially dangerous bind due to their enthusiastic embrace of increasingly unpopular corporate education reforms. Under the Obama administration, many state and city leaders of the party have been vocal proponents of corporate reform. We have seen Newark mayor Cory Booker, Sacramento mayor and husband of Michelle Rhee Kevin Johnson, Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, Colorado governor John Hickenlooper, Connecticut governor Malloy, New York governor Andrew Cuomo, and Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigoso, all identify themselves with various aspects of corporate reform, pursuing mayoral control, closing schools, and signing on to full support for the Obama administration's test-driven education policies.
But the voters are becoming disillusioned with some key aspects of these policies. The Republicans sense an opportunity, and although many of their mainstream leaders, such as Jeb Bush, have been advancing these same reforms, some in the party are rebelling. The Republican National Committee this week adopted a resolution that states, in part:

WHEREAS, the NGA and the CCSSO, received tens of millions of dollars from private third parties 

New RTTT competition announced, targets Early Learning SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources:

New RTTT competition announced, targets Early Learning

 The majority of the Obama administration’s remaining 2013 Race to the Top funds – some $370 million – will be available for states looking to develop successful early learning programs for children, according to an announcement Tuesday.

While $250 million will be used to fund a second Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge grant competition, $120 million will be made available as part of a second round of the Race to the Top-District competition, which supports locally-developed plans to personalize student learning, improve achievement and the close achievement gap.

“Expanding access to high-quality early learning opportunities is simply one of the best investments we can make in our country, and these funds can help states develop and strengthen programs that serve America’s youngest learners,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a statement.

The Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge is a key part of President Barack Obama’s comprehensive early learning agenda. The program is jointly administered by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the two agencies are working closely together on new initiatives to expand and improve services for children from birth through age 5.

California was a winner last year in the first round of the competition, earning a $53 million grant it is using to create a 

Academic Gains in NYC, D.C., and Chicago Overstated, Report Contends | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Academic Gains in NYC, D.C., and Chicago Overstated, Report Contends | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

Academic Gains in NYC, D.C., and Chicago Overstated, Report Contends

by thenotebook

(Members of the groups ACTION United, Youth United for Change, and the NAACP will be holding a press conference to discuss the report at the District's headquarters on Wednesday, April 17, 4 p.m.)

This is a reprint of an article that originally appeared at Education Week.

---

by Lesli A. Maxwell

The school improvement strategies highly touted by leaders such as U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and former District of Columbia schools chancellor Michelle Rhee, have produced overwhelmingly disappointing results for the poor and minority children in Chicago, New York, and the District of Columbia, a forthcoming report written by a national group that favors a more holistic approach to improving public schooling, contends.

Each of those leaders—including Duncan, who was the head of the Chicago school system before he was appointed education secretary by President Barack Obama—have exaggerated the success stemming from policies such as using test scores in teacher evaluations, opening more charter schools, and shutting down failing schools, the report argues.

And at the same time, the report suggests that these same leaders have largely ignored the positive benefits of other strategies used to counterbalance the effects of poverty on children in their cities, such as early childhood services, extended 

Driving force behind Bridgeport’s mandatory uniform policy is Board of Ed Member who sells school uniforms - Wait, What?

Driving force behind Bridgeport’s mandatory uniform policy is Board of Ed Member who sells school uniforms - Wait, What?:

Driving force behind Bridgeport’s mandatory uniform policy is Board of Ed Member who sells school uniforms

by jonpelto

Last week, with only about 40 days left to the 2012-2013 school year, Central High School announced that they would begin enforcing Bridgeport’s district-wide school uniform policy.

As the CT Post wrote, “The edict, made during morning announcements Tuesday by Principal Stephen Anderson and sent home to parents by letter, was ordered by the district administration after some board members learned that the district’s 2-year-old high school uniform policy was being ignored at Central.”

That Board of Education member was Hernan Illingworth…who just happens to be a salesman for Bridgeport based Uniformz, whose website reports that the company is, “the premier local supplier of School Uniforms to the students of the Bridgeport (CT) Public School System.”

In this case, Central High School’s new principal, Stephen Anderson, was not a fan of the 

Education By The Numbers | Per pupil spending by school district in the United States

Education By The Numbers | Per pupil spending by school district in the United States:

Ed Data: Per pupil spending by school district in the United States

by Jill Barshay

At the end of March, the Hoboken school board voted to increase taxes by 4 percent to pay for the school budget, which spends $23,716 per student, the second highest in the state of New Jersey. It struck me how much school spending has changed since I went to school, when wealthier districts consistently spent more on education than poor districts. In New Jersey, for example, the state kicks in money to help raise the performance of 31 poor communities.

I got to wondering what per pupil spending is across the nation and how it varies with income and achievement. As a first step, I wanted to calculate per pupil spending in each district throughout the United States. The Census Bureau publishes a table of per pupil spending in districts over 10,000 students. (See Table 17 in Public Education Finances: 2010 -- published in June 2012). But that threshold is too high to look at spending in the nation’s wealthiest districts with fewer students, such as Scarsdale, NY with 4718 students or Beverly Hills, CA with 4943 students.

A U.S. census statistician directed me to a data set from FY 2010 (http://www.census.gov/govs/school/) that lists the total current spending for elementary, middle and high school students in each school district in the