Tweet That: Bush’s Foundation Not Giving Up On Parent Trigger Bill | StateImpact Florida

Tweet That: Bush’s Foundation Not Giving Up On Parent Trigger Bill | StateImpact Florida:

Tweet That: Bush’s Foundation Not Giving Up On Parent Trigger Bill

MAY 2, 2013 | 12:47 PM

BY GINA JORDAN

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FOUNDATION FOR FLORIDA'S FUTURE

The Foundation for Florida's Future is out with a new video after the defeat of the parent trigger bill. A provision of the bill lives on after it was added to another piece of legislation.

The Foundation for Florida’s Future isn’t giving up on the parent trigger bill. They’re asking people to announce their support on Twitter and other social media with ready-made post to cut and paste.

The bill — officially titled Parent Empowerment in Education — would give parents more power in choosing how to change a chronically failing school.

But it died this week, just as it did last year, in a 20–20 tie vote in the Senate.

The foundation, an education policy organization founded by former Gov. Jeb Bush, sent an email today with the subject line: “We will not ignore parents.”

From the email:

20 Florida senators and 68 representatives trusted Florida parents and voted to include them in the decision-making process on how to improve failing schools. But 

Diane in the Evening 5-2-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

The Cathie Black Emails

by dianerav

For the past two years plus, Mayor Michael Bloomberg fought legal battles to try to avoid releasing a series of emails written about the time that he named publisher Cathie Black as chancellor of the New York City public schools.
The mayor finally lost in court, and the emails were released.
They are surprisingly banal.
There is no bombshell, no smoking gun. Just a frenzied PR campaign to figure out how to build the appearance of public support for a person who had no qualifications for the job.
Many emails were written to and from Gayle King, Oprah’s confidante, to persuade Oprah to endorse Black as 

This Is Where True Reform Begins

by dianerav

Imagine this: An elected official who fought the parent trigger in Florida and worked with parents and civil rights groups to beat it.
Governor Rick Scott has been an enemy of public education throughout his term. His poll numbers are now in the 30s.
We need more public officials like Nan Rich in every state!
;

; Dear Xxxxxxxxx, As the leader of the Senate Democrats last year, I considered the defeat of the Parent Trigger Bill one of the most important bi-partisan efforts in my legislative career. Forging a coalition of 8 moderate Republicans to join our 12-member Democratic Caucus to kill a bad bill on the last day of the 2012 Legislative Session was an accomplishment few thought possible – but we did it. And now it’s déjà vu all over again! Today, a unified Democratic Caucus of 14 Senators was joined by 6 equally-concerned Republicans to defeat the latest version of the bill we stopped last year. It’s truly heartening to see that a legacy of bi-partisan leadership lives on in the Florida Senate. The so-called “Parent Empowerment Act” (also known as the “Parent Trigger Bill”) had little to do with empowering parents and everything to do with letting for-profit management companies take over public schools. In fact, all Florida parent groups, as well as the NAACP and LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) representing more than 1 million Floridians, raised their voices in unison against this terrible legislation. Fortunately, their voices were heard – again! Click here to support Nan’s Campaign We all want the best for our children, and are constantly searching for new ways to improve their education, but this legislation was not one of them. Relinquishing control of our public education system to for-profit management companies essentially would have put a price tag on every one of our public school students. But today, the Florida Senate again sent a clear message — our students, our teachers, and our schools are not for sale! Nan Rich

The Mess That Is Obama’s Education Policy

by dianerav

Valerie Strauss does an excellent job of deconstructing the disaster of Obama’s education policy.
Remember when candidate Obama in 2008 spoke of hope and change. That kicked many educators to believe that NonChild Left Behind would be ended, tossed into the dustbin of history, where it belongs.
Sadly, President Obama built his Race to the Tip right on the flawed foundation of NCLB, and made teaching to the test a necessity.
As the for-profit charters proliferated, he said nothing.
As radical governors destroyed collective bargaining and teacher due process, he said

Testing Frenzy in Georgia Continues Unabated

by dianerav

Despite the massive scandal in Atlanta, which many attribute to the hyper-pressure attached to testing and scores, the frenzy continues.
I just received this story from Edward Johnson, a persistent critic of short-term thinking in Atlanta:
“CRCT Pep Rally at Thomasville Heights Elementary_

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-2-13 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] As Reforms Fail, Will Duncan Make Mid-course Correction? by dianerav Norm Scott, retired New York City teacher and inveterate blogger, notes the mid-course corrections of some of the corporate reform cheerleaders. He is especially impressed by John Merrow’s change of views about Rhee. He wonders whether Duncan too will change course, though he doubts that he can do so. Scott, by the way, refers to the present misguided education movement not as corporate reform... more »

Rally Against Common Core in Topeka, KS on May 8th | Truth in American Education

Rally Against Common Core in Topeka, KS on May 8th | Truth in American Education:

Rally Against Common Core in Topeka, KS on May 8th

by truthed

From Kansans Against Common Core:

Kansans Against Common Core Rally in Topeka at the Capitol on May 8^th

with special guest and Common Core expert

Shane Vander Hart

From Truth in American Education

2-4pm on the South Lawn

We are very happy to have Common Core expert Shane Vander Hart with Truth in American Education joining us and speaking about Common Core.

Shane Vander Hart is the Editor-in-Chief of Caffeinated Thoughts, a popular Christian conservative blog in Iowa. He is also the President of 4:15 Communications, a social media & communications consulting/management firm, along with serving as the communications director for American Principles Project’s Preserve Innocence Initiative.  Prior to this Shane spent 20 years in youth ministry serving in church, parachurch, and school settings.  He has taught Jr. High History along with being the Dean of Students for Christian school in Indiana.  Shane and his wife home school their three teenage children and have done so since the beginning.   He has recently been recognized by Campaigns & Elections Magazine as one of the top political influencers in Iowa. Shane and his family reside near Des Moines, IA.  You can connect with Shane on Facebook, follow him onTwitter or connect with him on Google +.

We hope to have a large turnout so grab your friends and family, make some signs (respectful and appropriate please) and head to Topeka! This is the first day the Kansas Legislature returns to start wrapping-up the session, so it’s a great day to let our opposition to Common Core be heard. We hope you will join us at the Capitol!

We have been working very hard over the last several months, many of you much longer, to spread the truth about Common Core and help return Kansas to locally controlled education. We appreciate your support in these efforts, and have been amazed to see the continually growing grassroots support to return to local/state education and STOP Common Core in our state.

Photo credit: J. Stephen Conn via Flickr (CC-By-NC 2.0)
The post Rally Against Common Core in Topeka, KS on May 8th appeared first on Truth in American Education.

The New Poverty: Dealing with Economic Change — Whole Child Education

The New Poverty: Dealing with Economic Change — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

The New Poverty: Dealing with Economic Change

May 2, 2013 by Whole Child Podcast

Download Podcast Now [Right-Click to Save]

In today’s global economic state, many families and children face reduced circumstances. These "poor kids" don't fit the traditional stereotypes—two-thirds live in families in which at least one adult works and the percentage of poor students in many rural districts equals that in inner-city districts. In the U.S., the economic downturn has dramatically changed the landscape, and districts that were previously vibrant are now dealing with unemployment, underemployment, and more transient families.

In this episode, our guests discuss the implications of this new poverty and its implications for schools, many of which have seen drastic changes in the populations they serve and their communities. Schools that took their communities' wealth for granted more frequently need to deal with issues of child hunger, fewer resources, and more demands for services. You'll hear from

• Deborah Wortham, superintendent of the School District of the City of York, Pa., and former assistant 

Religious Right Using After-School Bible Clubs to Undermine Public Education, Says Author | NEA Today

Religious Right Using After-School Bible Clubs to Undermine Public Education, Says Author | NEA Today:

Religious Right Using After-School Bible Clubs to Undermine Public Education, Says Author

by twalker

By Tim Walker
For many anti-public education activists, maybe, as the saying goes, “nothing succeeds like failure.” Pushing extremist agendas is often more about undermining, or even dismantling, the institution they claim they want to “reform.”  Journalist Katherine Stewart sees such a dynamic at work with the Religious Right and its aggressive and increasingly successful campaign to install so-called “Good News Clubs” in schools across America. In a nation as diverse as ours, a plan to transform public schools into fundamentalist boot camps is bound to ultimately fail. But, says Stewart, much can be accomplished along the way to chip away at the institution and exhaust and frustrate its supporters.
Stewart’s book, “The Good News Club: The Christian Right’s Stealth Assault on America’s Children”investigates a specific brand of after-school bible study programs (called “Good News Clubs”) that have proliferated across the country. Her interest was piqued a few years ago when her own daughter’s elementary school opened its doors to such a club. Initially, Stewart thought the program sounded harmless enough – it 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The loyal-to-whom? opposition to CORE

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The loyal-to-whom? opposition to CORE:

The loyal-to-whom? opposition to CORE

by Mike Klonsky

Who is Tanya Saunders-Wolfe and why is she using the pages of the anti-union Chicago Tribune to say all these terrible things about Karen Lewis and her hard-charging CORE Caucus, currently leading the CTU?  Answer: I don't have the faintest idea. The reason I don't is, I'm not a union insider. But I do know that I haven't seen her at any of the dozens of citywide events, hearings or protests against school closings, where Karen Lewis was speaking out and forging alliances with parents and community groups.

When thousands of CTU teachers were on strike, fighting for their very survival, Saunders-Wolfe and her "Coalition to Save Our Union" were nearly invisible even though they were invited in to be part the negotiating team by Lewis and her CORE Caucus, who were out in front of the struggle.

Now, suddenly her name is appearing in carefully-planted stories in the Tribune where she is being promoted as 

Bill Gates’ Damage Control via Student Test Prep Questions? | Seattle Education

Bill Gates’ Damage Control via Student Test Prep Questions? | Seattle Education:

Bill Gates’ Damage Control via Student Test Prep Questions?

by seattleducation2011

In a 3rd grade student workbook for MSP Reading Assessment preparation, which is a Washington State mandated test for grades 3 through 8, a parent found this question:

Directions: Read the selection and answer the questions.

Bill Gates     

Bill Gates had a dream that changed the world. Born in Seattle, Washington, on October 28, 1955, Bill Gates grew up with his parents and his two sisters. As a teenager Bill believed that computers would change everyone’s life, and he wanted to be a part of it.Bill Gates went to Lakeside School in Seattle. He was very smart and got straight A’s in school. After school and on weekends, he worked on what he loved best. computers. Sometimes he would forget to sleep and would work all night on the computer. He knew more about computers than most grown-ups.     

When he was 13, Bill began writing computer programs that told the computer what to do. Bill knew that computers could be used for things like helping kids with math problems, writing stories, drawing pictures, or playing games.     

In 1973, Bill went to Harvard University as a freshman. In college, Bill began to write a computer language. In 1975, Bill and his old school friend Paul Allen began a company called Microsoft.      Bill believed that computers would one day be used by people at 

Deconstructing Disinformation on Student Growth Percentiles & Teacher Evaluation in New Jersey | School Finance 101

Deconstructing Disinformation on Student Growth Percentiles & Teacher Evaluation in New Jersey | School Finance 101:

Deconstructing Disinformation on Student Growth Percentiles & Teacher Evaluation in New Jersey

by schoolfinance101

CROSS-POSTED FROM: http://njedpolicy.wordpress.com/
Deconstructing Disinformation on Student Growth Percentiles & Teacher Evaluation in New Jersey (Printable Policy Brief): SGP_Disinformation_BakerOluwole

Bruce D. Baker, Rutgers University, Graduate School of Education
Joseph Oluwole, Montclair State University

Introduction

This brief addresses problems with, and disinformation about New Jersey’s Student Growth Percentile (SGP) measures which are proposed by New Jersey Department of Education officials, to be used for evaluating teachers and principals and rating local public schools. Specifically, the New Jersey Department of Education has proposed that the student growth percentile measures be used as a major component for determining teacher effectiveness:

“If, according to N.J.A.C. 6A:10-4.2(b), a teacher receives a median student growth percentile, the student achievement component shall be at least 35 percent and no more than 50 percent of a teacher’s evaluation rubric rating.” [1]

Yet those ratings of teacher effectiveness may have consequences for employment. Specifically, under proposed 

UPDATE:Defending Public Education: “You may know a person by the company they keep.” + Connecticut TFA Director wants to open a charter school…in Bridgeport - Wait, What?

Connecticut TFA Director wants to open a charter school…in Bridgeport - Wait, What?:

Defending Public Education: “You may know a person by the company they keep.”

by jonpelto

To remove a needless distraction when there are far more important public policy issues to deal with, Gov. Malloy has made the decision to personally reimburse People Magazine for the costs of his attendance at the White House Correspondents Dinner. He has written a personal check for $1,234.62,” said his spokesman, Andrew Doba.

You have got to be kidding me!

So it was an official  visit to Washington, but he will reimburse People Magazine…and yet the taxpayers will still pick up the tab for the airfare, accommodations, payroll and overtime for Malloy’s security detail – - – the cost of which Malloy’s office refused to provide…

As just reported in the CT Mirror, Malloy’s spokesperson said;

• “We are confident that People Magazine’s payment would have been proper under Connecticut’s ethics laws…The governor attended the event in his official capacity and used the opportunity to advance Connecticut’s interests. The governor’s office accepted People Magazine’s gift in order to relieve taxpayers of the cost. Instead of shifting the cost to the taxpayers, the Governor is personally paying the cost.”

Wait, What? Malloy Reimburses People Magazine…

by jonpelto

“To remove a needless distraction when there are far more important public policy issues to deal with, Gov. Malloy has made the decision to personally reimburse People Magazine for the costs of his attendance at the White House Correspondents Dinner. He has written a personal check for $1,234.62,” said his spokesman, Andrew Doba.

You have got to be kidding me!

So it was an official  visit to Washington, but he will reimburse People Magazine…and yet the taxpayers will still pick up the tab for the airfare, accommodations, payroll and overtime for Malloy’s security detail – - – the cost of which Malloy’s office refused to provide…

As just reported in the CT Mirror, Malloy’s spokesperson said;

• “We are confident that People Magazine’s payment would have been proper under 

Connecticut TFA Director wants to open a charter school…in Bridgeport

by jonpelto

Yup, the Connecticut Director of Teach for America has submitted an application to open a charter school in Bridgeport.

Nate Snow arrived in Bridgeport in 2007 as a new TFA recruit.

Today he serves as the Executive Director for the Connecticut Chapter of Teach for America and President of the Board of Directors of Excel Bridgeport, Inc., a corporate funded education reform organization that he co-founded with Meghan Lowney, an aide to billionaire, hedge fund owner Steven Mandel.

Excel Bridgeport serves as the primary advocacy group supporting Governor Malloy, Mayor Bill Finch and “Superintendent of Schools” Paul Vallas’ education reform policies.

After graduating from Texas A&M University, Snow joined TFA and taught for two years in Bridgeport.  He then joined TFA’s fundraising operation and then made an unsuccessful 

Chipotle to Support Educators with "Teacher Appreciation Day" on May 7 | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com

Chipotle to Support Educators with "Teacher Appreciation Day" on May 7 | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com:

Chipotle to Support Educators with “Teacher Appreciation Day” on May 7

from Hispanically Speaking News Global Feed

Teachers Receive a Buy-One, Get-One-Free Menu Item Tuesday, May 7

Chipotle is putting teachers at the head of the class this Teacher Appreciation Day with a special “buy-one-get-one-free” promotion. On Tuesday, May 7, 2013, teachers and educators who show a valid school ID identifying them as staff will receive a free burrito, salad, burrito bowl or order of tacos when they purchase another menu item at Chipotle Mexican Grill. This promotion is available from 4:00 p.m. to close in all U.S. Chipotle restaurants.
“We are changing the way people think about and eat fast food,” said Chris Arnold, communications director at Chipotle. “This means going beyond our commitment to better food from more sustainable ingredients and working hard to engrain our restaurants in the communities that they serve. Connecting with educators and other key community groups is part of who we are, and we’re always happy when our work makes an impact upon the communities where we operate.”
Chipotle is celebrating teachers and educators and the work they do as part of the National Education 

Bags of urine thrown as White Student Union clashes with May Day protesters | The Raw Story

Bags of urine thrown as White Student Union clashes with May Day protesters | The Raw Story:

Bags of urine thrown as White Student Union clashes with May Day protesters

By David Edwards
Thursday, May 2, 2013 11:23 EDT

Topics: white student union

 

• 2

   
• 
• 

Workers rights demonstrators clashed with white supremacists in the so-called White Student Union during Washington, D.C. May Day protests on Wednesday.

According to CNN, “bags of urine and flag poles” were thrown as skirmish broke out in Lafayette Park between the White Student Union protesters and demonstrators from the group May Day Workers. U.S. Park Police said at least one was arrested.

Video posted to YouTube shows the standoff between the two groups.

“What brought you fuckers out here today?” one May Day demonstrator can be heard asking a white supremacist.

“To oppose you in the name of Christ,” the white supremacist replies.

“Hey, hey, ho, ho, fascist scum has got to go!” the May Day demonstrators chant at protesters carrying Confederate flags and other symbols that many consider to be racist. “Bigots go home! 

UPDATE: FCMAT » CALI Education Headlines Thursday, May 2, 2013

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Duncan says it’s still possible for state to get NCLB waiver | EdSource Today

Education Headlines

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Linden Unified parents address dysfunction

Parents of Linden Unified students continued to make emotional pleas Wednesday night that the district Board of Trustees relieve Superintendent Michael Gonzales of his duties, extending what has amounted to months of distrust and angst districtwide.

Teachers to vote on contract May 14

After working for nearly two years without one, the 700 members of the Salinas Valley Federation of Teachers will decide the fate of a tentative agreement that was negotiated last week between their union negotiators and district officials.

Report: Galt elementary school district is underfunding retirement

An outside audit has recommended the Galt Joint Union Elementary School District contribute more than $300,000 to its retirement account annually to make up for a lack of funding in years past and plan for future costs.

Upland school board to review negative certification and budget gap Thursday

The Upland Unified School District Board of Trustees is holding a special meeting on Thursday to discuss ways to mend an $8 million budget shortfall for the next fiscal year.

Twin Rivers school district hires police chief, if he clears review

Harvey Woo, a retired lieutenant with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, has been conditionally hired to lead the embattled police department of the Twin Rivers Unified School District, two trustees said Wednesday.

Capo 'rights a wrong' for taxed homeowners

Communities that have paid more than their "fair" share to fund the construction of Capistrano Unified School District's headquarters are off the hook. Trustees have approved a plan to fix disparities in payments from a handful of Mello-Roos districts made toward a bond used to finance the construction.

SD Unified gets $18.5M offer for property

La Jolla developers have offered the San Diego Unified School District $18.5 million for the old Mission Beach Elementary School, 2.23 acres of prime coastal real estate that is the centerpiece of a controversial land sale.

Mt. Diablo school board meeting in closed session

A special meeting by the Mt. Diablo school board went into overtime late Wednesday, with no immediate decision on selecting a new leader for the troubled district.

Using technology to fight cheating in online education

Finding ways to thwart the ingenuity of computer-savvy students is crucial to proving Internet courses and diplomas are valid. Webcams and keystroke monitoring are among tools in use.

California teachers sue unions to stop dues

Ten California teachers — several of them from Orange County — are suing in federal court to stop mandatory union dues. The lawsuit seeks to expand last year’s U.S. Supreme Court decision involving union activity in a California special election.

Duncan says it’s still possible for state to get NCLB waiver

California remains interested in receiving a waiver from sanctions under the No Child Left Behind law, and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said Wednesday it remains possible for the state to get one.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Five local schools could face closure

Siskiyou County Superintendent of Schools Kermith Walters has jumped into the fray to save five local small school districts from becoming defunct as a result of the language in a trailer bill attached to Governor Jerry Brown’s proposed 2013-14 budget.

Linden principal files complaint

A Linden Unified School District principal filed a Complaint of Discrimination and Retaliation with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing against Superintendent Michael Gonzales on Monday.

New classrooms and swimming pool taking shape at Diamond Bar High

While everything looks peaceful at the front of Diamond Bar High School, the back is abuzz as construction workers rush to complete the new aquatics center and math wing.