Corbett school board election puts district charter school on trial | OregonLive.com

Corbett school board election puts district charter school on trial | OregonLive.com:

Corbett school board election puts district charter school on trial

Corbett students boast some of the better test scores in Oregon, and the district has made top 10 lists in Newsweek and The Washington Post for having so many students taking tough, college-level classes.

Despite such successes, not everyone believes the unconventional way the district operates is the right fit for the quiet, unincorporated community across the Sandy River from bustling Gresham – and the discontent is revealing itself in yet another heavily contested school board election.

All four Corbett school board seats on the May 21 ballot have two candidates, and the future of both the district's educational philosophy and the character of the community at the western gateway to the Columbia River Gorge may be determined by the choices voters make.

Community forums

Corbett voters can learn more about school board candidates at the following community forums:

– Monday, April 22, 7-9 p.m. at Corbett Community Church, 34309 N.E. Mershon Road. The moderator is Lorraine Griffey of the League of Women Voters of East Multnomah County.

– Wednesday, May 1, 6-9 p.m. at the Corbett School District’s Multi-Purpose Building, 35800 E. Historic Columbia River Hwy. The Corbett Education Association is organizing this event.

At the heart of the conflict is the district's decision to create a charter school that draws students and their state tax dollars from neighboring communities to Corbett. The school has doubled Corbett School District's enrollment in the past six years while Corbett's resident population has grown only slightly.

Most of the nonresident students attend Corbett Charter School, and those 450 students share the same main campus as most Corbett students. Another 150 students in the Corbett Arts Program with Spanish are housed in the Springdale School building two miles down the highway.

Many of the additional 600 students added in the past six years come from families who don't live in the community, who have brought morning and afternoon traffic jams to the Historic Columbia River Highway and who have helped usher in high-pressure academics to a traditionally blue-collar community.

"I like the changes we've made at Corbett," said longtime board member Charlie O'Neil, whose seat is one of four positions up for election.

But Nick Kerslake, a farmer who is trying to unseat another board member, says, "I 

NYC Educator: Invasion of the Talent Coaches

NYC Educator: Invasion of the Talent Coaches:

Invasion of the Talent Coaches

by NYC Educator

I'm hearing stories all over about the DOE's dreaded agents, doing practice observations. Armed with their adapted Danielson rubrics, with the three domains they have determined are inevitable, they do 15-minute observations. During these 15 minutes, they determine whether teachers are highly effective, effective, developing, or ineffective. The fact that the evaluation system does not yet exist deters them not at all. The fix is in, they figure, and Reformy John (King) will grant them whatever they ask.

So teachers even principals think are great get rated developing because they went seven and a half full minutes without having students turn and talk. Some of them used the much-praised workshop model, gave a mini-lesson, and because the talent coaches neither saw nor cared what followed, they just didn't hit the mark.

Another problem is lesson plans. Article 8E of the UFT Contract reads as follows:

The development of lesson plans by and for the use of the teacher is a professional responsibility vital to effective teaching.  The organization, format, notation and other physical aspects of the lesson plan are appropriately within the discretion of each teacher. A principal or supervisor may suggest, but not require, a particular format or organization, except as part of a program to improve deficiencies of teachers who receive U-ratings or formal warnings.

You'd think that meant teachers had wide latitude over how they planned their lessons. But the DOE knows 

New book includes chapter by PAA’s Dora Taylor | Parents Across America

New book includes chapter by PAA’s Dora Taylor | Parents Across America:

New book includes chapter by PAA’s Dora Taylor

by pureparents

Our Seattle PAA founding member, Dora Taylor, has a chapter in new book, “Left Behind in the Race to the Top: Realities of School Reform,” edited by Julie Gorlewski, State University of New York-New Paltz and Brad Porfilio, Lewis University.

Dora’s chapter is called “High Stakes Testing: A Parent’s Perspective.”

From the publicity flyer:

Public education is suffering attacks that are well funded and extraordinarily complex and multifaceted. These conditions make it difficult for educators and citizens to gather the information they need to mount meaningful resistance, especially since mainstream media tends to be uncritically supportive of neoliberal reforms. The Orwellian language of reforms is adopted and promoted through news outlets, politicians, and film; thus, arguments against these reforms must bubble up through social media and alternative outlets. By providing a coherent, comprehensive description of contemporary neoliberal initiatives and analyzing their effects on students, teachers, administrators, and teacher education, this book will allow educators, parents, students, and citizens to strengthen their resolve to save public education and, potentially, work to preserve the promise of democracy.

This book examines and uncovers the effects of standardization and privatization on public education. Contributors consider the how of

standardized curriculum and assessment, coupled with philanthropic and corporate pressure, have influenced the experiences of students, parents, and teachers. Divided in sections entitled Testing, Testing; Privatization and Militarization: Redefining Schools; Alienation: Displacing 

UPDATE: May Day. Rally for immigrant rights + If the union leadership is talking to Cullerton, what’s the deal? | Fred Klonsky

If the union leadership is talking to Cullerton, what’s the deal? | Fred Klonsky:

May Day. Rally for immigrant rights.

by Fred Klonsky

If the union leadership is talking to Cullerton, what’s the deal?

by Fred Klonsky

Photo credit: IEA. I asked Cinda if she wanted to address the crowd. “If they want me to,” she said.
The rumors have been floating around for about a week.
After being excluded from the pension discussion going on in the Illinois General Assembly, word has been circulating that the leadership of the state public employee unions are involved in negotiations.
With Cullerton at least.
Madigan is a different matter.
While some have argued that the unions must be at the table, others worry about what will be bargained away.
There is not a good record that the leadership can use to justify their bargaining skills.
There was the  creation of the two-tier pension system. The Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA). And

I’m speaking to Progress Illinois. (VIDEO)

by Fred Klonsky

Progress Illinois.

Teachers Don't Suck !: Talk About Waste

Teachers Don't Suck !: Talk About Waste:

Talk About Waste

by Walt S,

I read the following replies on the local message board pertaining to the granting of school insurance contracts to companies who doled out campaign contributions. The word "waste" was used and when I thought about NJ "waste" it  raised my BP to all time highs. I just had to write my reply. I guess "waste" is a relative term but below are the postings from the Internet and my reply.
*************
So in our state there may just be bigger fish to fry than prosecuting the teacher's union in the court of public opinion. Of course, no one would ever get the governor to admit that at a town hall meeting would they? Along with his fake enemy Sweeney. You can't make this stuff up. In this area I'm sure Jersey is a national stand out, while still being 47th in job growth. The new Trenton, yeah OK!!!!!!!!

Perhaps the Teachers Union should be making a big stink about these areas of waste that directly effect their members.
***************
Talk about waste - 
The RU football coach (Shiano- record 68-67 - salary $2M + plenty of bennies) suppose a teacher had barely half his kids pass NJ testing? I kind of think he would be labeled "ineffective, lose tenure and 

The false promise of 'education reform' | HeraldNet.com - Opinion

The false promise of 'education reform' | HeraldNet.com - Opinion:

The false promise of 'education reform'

By Brendan Williams

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Since her time as District of Columbia schools chancellor, Michelle Rhee has been the face of "education reform." Regimenting testing for D.C. kids, she fired 241 teachers in one day alone in 2010 for low test scores. She fired a principal on camera. In turn, D.C. voters fired her mayoral patron in 2010 and she resigned. She now travels the country denouncing teachers, visiting our state in February, and selling books.

As some would have our state rush headlong into embracing Rhee's agenda, the cheating scandal during her tenure is worth noting. A high-stakes testing reign of terror incentivized educators to erase wrong answers and substitute right ones in search of bonuses -- primarily funded by the Wal-Mart Walton family -- and simple job security. This "erase-to-the-top" begs questions about whether test scores really rose during Rhee's tenure; tellingly, Rhee didn't act on the evidence and cheaters were not fired.

Here, cheerleaders for "reform" ignore what's already in place, and unfunded, in our state. In 2009, a substantial reform passed with promised full-funding by 2018. In its McCleary decision, the Washington Supreme Court wrote approvingly of the 2009 reform -- finding, for example, it created one of the "best data systems in the country for studying the relationship between 

Diane in the Evening 4-25-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

Randy Turner Explains His Suspension

by dianerav

Randy Turner was suspended not for his Huffington Post article but for his book. This is why teachers need tenure: Academic freedom.
He sent this comment:
“Thanks for the kind words from everyone. My suspension coming at almost exactly the same time as my Huffington Post blog was a coincidence. Basically, it happened because I wrote a novel, No Child Left Alive, criticizing many of the practices in education today, particularly those done by overambitious administrators. I 

Did Louisiana Drop Out of inBloom, or Not?

by dianerav

Mercedes Schneider provides an update on the evolving drama in Louisiana: Did John White pull Louisiana data out of the Gates-funded, Murdoch-created project called inBloom?
Did the state board of education approve the agreement?
How many other data-sharing agreements did John White enter into?
Did the state board know where he was sending the children’s data?

Is Jindal Losing Control?

by dianerav

Bobby Jindal’s most anti-teacher was struck down as unconstitutional last fall on procedural grounds. It included too many subjects.
Jindal assumed he could ram through his proposals but this year was different. The House shelved his bills.
Is the destructive Jindal machine losing steam?
Has reactionary reform run its course in Louisiana?

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-25-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] KrazyTA: the Meaning of Leadership by dianerav KrazyTA, a regular commenter on the blog, offered his definition of leadership in dialogue with other readers. It got a great response. Here goes: “I once had a job where I was a clerk typist in an academic library. I had three supervisors: from the bottom up they were a librarian-in-training, a professional librarian, and the librarian who ran the entire department I worked in. **Not bragging: I was a good enou... more »

Weekly Leg Fax: Parents oppose the parent trigger | Parents Across America

Weekly Leg Fax: Parents oppose the parent trigger | Parents Across America:

Weekly Leg Fax: Parents oppose the parent trigger

by pureparents

Parent Voices Weekly Education Fax

April 24, 2013

Parents oppose “parent trigger” laws

The story: Support for parent trigger laws isn’t parent-based or local.

The Florida legislature is currently debating a controversial “parent trigger” law which could hand public schools over to a private management company if 51% of a school’s parents sign a petition requesting that change. Parent trigger laws are being pushed across the nation by astroturf groups like Parent Revolution and Students First, and wealthy foundations such as Walton and Gates, but not by local Florida grassroots parent groups or groups like the Florida PTA. Florida parent and PAA founding member Rita Solnet writes a first-hand account of the local debate on our blog.

PAA’s position

Although Parents Across America strongly supports true parent empowerment, we oppose the parent trigger process. While the parent trigger allows parents to voice discontent with a school, it gives them no opportunity to choose among more positive reforms, and fails to promote the best practices for parent involvement from the ground up. In addition, the process creates huge potential for abuse, disruption and divisiveness to school communities. The push for parent trigger laws across the U.S. raises deep concerns. As with other deceptively simple-sounding solutions, this law is likely to cause more problems than it solves.

Parents Across America instead supports a process in which parents are authentically involved at the ground level in developing strategies for improvement. These strategies might include smaller classes, more parent involvement, or other reforms that have been proven to work and are aligned with the individual needs of the school and its students.

PAA’s recommendations

• We urge lawmakers to oppose proposals like the Parent Trigger that would exploit parents’ legitimate concerns in 

Steve Perry Talks to White People | EduShyster

Steve Perry Talks to White People | EduShyster:

Steve Perry Talks to White People

by edushyster2012

Dr. Steve Perry, America’s “most wanted educator” thrilled Minneapolis by “bringing it” and “raising the roof.”

This week found America’s “most wanted educator” venturing to perhaps the whitest place in America: Minneapolis. There, Dr. Steve Perry delighted the crowd with his unique brand of high-octane, high-expectations roof raising, including referring to teacher unions as “roaches.” In this special guest post, an embittered veteran teacher weighs in on what she and her low-achieving colleagues learned from Dr. Perry’s visit—or what they would have learned had they not been too lazy to attend. *
Imagine our delight when an email from Minneapolis Public School alerted us that the famed education motivational speaker, Dr. Steve Perry, was not only coming to Minneapolis to speak, but that we had a chance to win a free ticket!  Was it possible that we would get to see the man whose “heart pumps passion and produces positive change” in the flesh??? Our expectations were high—then came the excellent news. Thanks 

UPDATE: Common Core Standards CCSSO Releases C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards | Truth in American Education

Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice (Part I) | Truth in American Education:

Alabama Senate President Pro Tem Kills Anti-Common Core Bill

by Shane Vander Hart

The Alabama Anti-Common Core bill dies, more accurately was killed by a State Senator who is confused.

EdWeek reports:

First, the legislative news. The Alabama Senate President Pro Tem, Del Marsh, a Republican, announced that he would not entertain any bills pertaining to the common core for a full Senate vote. That means Senate Bill 403, which passed the Senate Education Committee and would have required the state to drop the standards, has gone belly-up. Marsh’s announcement comes the day after a rally, reportedly consisting of about 300 people, at the capital, during which educators and others urged state lawmakers not to drop the standards.

For someone who killed a fellow Republican’s bill, Marsh had an interesting comment when discussing why he won’t give the bill any oxygen: “I truly have talked to educated people on both 

CCSSO Releases C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards

by Shane Vander Hart

Earlier this month the Council of Chief State School Officers released the draft of the “College, Career and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards.  I just got my hands on a copy yesterday and skimmed through it.

It focuses on civics, economics, geography and history.  States involved in the project are: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

It is unclear what state involvement in the creation of Social Studies standards means for future implementation.  I’m not certain whether these states signed an Memorandum of Understanding similar to what they did with the Common Core State Standards.  You can see that some of the same players are involved as associate members, such as, Pearson.  It is heavily tied into the Common Core ELA standards which was expected.

Having skimmed through this my primary concern is the encouragement of civic and political activism.  While on its face that isn’t a bad thing, but I have to wonder what is encouraged.  I saw where potential indoctrination 

Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice (Part I)

by Barry Garelick

This is Part One of a three part article which provides the description of each of the Standards for Mathematical Practice as written in the Common Core math standards. It discusses aspects of each SMP that can be interpreted along conventional or traditional approaches to math teaching and contrasts this with how each one may be implemented under the math reform interpretation.

The Common Core Standards for math are a set of guidelines written for both math and English language arts under the auspices of National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. Where they are adopted, the Common Core standards will replace state standards in these subject areas, establishing more common ground for schools nationwide.

The Standards of Mathematical Practice (SMP) are a part of the Common Core math standards.  On the surface, 

UPDATE: What Do We Spend Our Education Dollars On? Seattle Schools Community Forum: NAEP Scores - Pretty Darn Good

Seattle Schools Community Forum: NAEP Scores in Economics - Pretty Darn Good:

80 Students Won't Graduate Due to Math Test

by Charlie Mas

Linda Shaw of the Seattle Times reported today that there are 80 high school seniors who can't graduate because they didn't pass the two state End Of Course math tests. School principals wanted superintendent Banda to seek a waiver for the students but the superintendent Banda will not. Statewide there are over 3,000 students in a similar situation.

What Do We Spend Our Education Dollars On?

by Melissa Westbrook

Apparently there is some confusion out there, particularly among conservatives.

Over at Crosscut, they have been doing some good reporting on this year's legislative session.  (FYI, it is supposed to end on Sunday but odds are they will not reach agreement on the budget and have a (costly) special session.)

Reporter John Stang's article about the Dems and what they are trimming from their budget was useful reading.  One quote that is pertinent to this thread was this one:

"We don't need new taxes. We've got plenty of money for education," said Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama.

"We have to have the courage to fund education first and say 'no' to the other people," Orcutt said.

NAEP Scores in Economics - Pretty Darn Good

by Melissa Westbrook

I'll let Diane Ravitch explain these newly released scores to you (as she's the expert) - bold mine:

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) just released the results of its Economics test for high school seniors.

Only 18% of students ranked “below basic,” which surely included high numbers of students who are English language learners and have serious disabilities. 

82% are basic or above.

A remarkable 43% of students ranked “proficient” or above.

Proficient is excellent performance. Having served on the NAEP Board for seven years, I believe that a student who is proficient demonstrates A level performance.

Racial segregation continues to impact quality of education in Mississippi—and nationwide | Hechinger Report

Racial segregation continues to impact quality of education in Mississippi—and nationwide | Hechinger Report:

Racial segregation continues to impact quality of education in Mississippi—and nationwide

by Alan Richard

Debate is raging this year in Mississippi about whether state legislators should agree to start public pre-k programs for the first time. They’re also arguing about school funding and charter schools. In decades of debate on school reform in Mississippi, though, one issue is ever-present but draws little public discussion: race. The state’s public schools remain nearly as segregated, in some cases, as they did in the 1960s. In many communities across the state, especially in towns where black children are in the majority, white children almost exclusively attend small private schools founded around the time of court-mandated desegregation in the late 1960s. Black children, by contrast, usually attend the public schools in these communities. This is also true in Jackson, the state capital. The consequences have been devastating for the state in terms of educational attainment and economic disparities. White students are a minority in Mississippi’s public schools: Only 44 percent of the students in the state who attended public schools in 2010 were white, compared with 51 percent of whom were black and 3 percent who were Hispanic (a growing population), according to the National Center 

Vallas, Pryor and the State Board of Education temporarily dodge lawsuit (Bridgeport Style) - Wait, What?

Vallas, Pryor and the State Board of Education temporarily dodge lawsuit (Bridgeport Style) - Wait, What?:

Vallas, Pryor and the State Board of Education temporarily dodge lawsuit (Bridgeport Style)

by jonpelto

The state law Governor Malloy pushed through allowing his Commissioner of Education to waive the certification requirements for Paul Vallas had two simple provisions.  To become Bridgeport’s permanent superintendent Vallas would have to complete his “probationary period” as Acting Superintendent and pass an Education Leadership Program at a Connecticut institution of higher education.

In early March, the members of the Bridgeport Board of Education loyal to Mayor Finch voted 5-3 to grant Vallas a three-year contract despite the fact that Vallas had not completed his probationary period or even begun his education leadership program.

The move was illegal and former Connecticut Judge Carmen Lopez brought a lawsuit to have the decision ruled illegal and to prevent Stefan Pryor, Malloy’s Commissioner of 

Teaching Students About Trade-Offs - Bridging Differences - Education Week

Teaching Students About Trade-Offs - Bridging Differences - Education Week:

Teaching Students About Trade-Offs

by Deborah Meier

Dear Elliott,
You remind me of what always gives me hope—about myself and the world! We are insatiably inclined to learn from our experience—although too often we do less and less of it as we grow older.
Schools have the unique potential of being conscious places for thinking aloud together—across ages and different histories. They are the heart—potentially—of the answer to "how best to teach teachers." Bringing faculties, K-12 teachers, parents, and students together to genuinely reexamine their ideas, over and over—daily, weekly, annually, etc.—is the untapped resource that can change the world. And schools are where it can happen.
I overstate my case. But it was precisely this that made our mutual friend Emily excited about "comparing" Mission Hill and the KIPP school you were so long associated with in Houston: the liveliness of the staff's