Risks Seen in Resegregation of Schools | Reporting Texas

Risks Seen in Resegregation of Schools | Reporting Texas:

Risks Seen in Resegregation of Schools

Fourth-graders Braxton Brown (left) and Zaria Peace receive iPads at Rutherford Elementary in Mesquite. Many suburban school districts have seen minority growth outpace white enrollment. Photo by Nathan Hunsinger/Dallas Morning News.

Editor’s note: This story is part of a special report on resegregation and disparity in Texas public schools. The rest of the report includes stories on charter schools, magnet schools, Hispanic students, state funding, and crime in schools.

By Caitlin Perrone and Bryce Bencivengo
For InvestigaTexas and The Dallas Morning News

Thousands of Texas public schools are nearly as segregated as they were almost 60 years ago when a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision sought to end racial divisions in education.

An extraordinary spike in the number of Hispanic students and white flight are now the driving forces that have reshaped the racial makeup of schools.

The split continues to widen as school districts and the Legislature battle over funding to keep up with a diverse and growing population.

And if demographic trends continue, the districts may be filled mostly with economically disadvantaged Hispanic and black students.

An analysis by InvestigaTexas, a project coordinated by the University of Texas at Austin School of Journalism and The Dallas Morning News, found that almost half of the public school students attend a campus that’s at least 80 percent minority or 80 percent white. That’s 2.4 million students, more than the populations of Dallas and Fort Worth combined.

That trend — along with disparities in resources among school districts — puts minority students at greater risk of being mired in poverty, or dropping out and entering what has been dubbed a “school-to-

Getting an education about race and public schools

By Ed Timms
etimms@dallasnews.com
11:53 pm on May 4, 2013 | Permalink

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Students with the University of Texas at Austin School of Journalism have produced a thought-provoking look at demographic trends in public schools that’s running in The Dallas Morning News. Among the findings:

* Thousands of Texas schools are nearly as segregated as they were almost 60 years ago when a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision sought to end racial divisions in education.

*An extraordinary spike in the number of Hispanic students and white flight are now the driving forces that have reshaped the racial makeup of schools.

*Many minority students are seeking out alternatives to a public school education.

Here’s the full report.

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: CALIFORNIA’S EDUCATION BECOMING THE TITANIC

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: CALIFORNIA’S EDUCATION BECOMING THE TITANIC:

CALIFORNIA’S EDUCATION BECOMING THE TITANIC

by smf

BY PATRICE APODACA, NEWPORT BEACH DAILY PILOT  | HTTP://BIT.LY/YNAI8N

May 3, 2013  ::  Underlying all the many issues in education is one big, persistent problem: income inequality.

From preschool to college, from test scores to technology access, socioeconomic status is the single most important determinant of student opportunity and achievement. This has long been, and probably will always be the case, but it hasn't always been addressed or even fully acknowledged.

Recently, however, some bold, yet vastly different, responses to the have/have-not problem have emerged, each bringing fresh controversy while challenging our ideas about how far our public school system should go to try to engineer solutions.

First, there is Gov. Jerry Brown's fervent advocacy of a so-called weighted student formula for determining how much state money schools receive. Under his proposal, those schools serving disadvantaged students would receive proportionately more funding than schools in relatively affluent areas. The reasoning is simple: Poor kids need the money more.

Then there is the highly publicized effort by the Santa Monica-Malibu school district to redirect money raised through parent fundraising efforts from its schools in wealthier areas to its lower-income campuses. The proposal has created such a furor that some 

UPDATE: Disastrous Lindbergh DESE Common Core Meeting Missouri Education Watchdog: Explaining the Delphi Technique - Reactions from Readers

Missouri Education Watchdog: Explaining the Delphi Technique Used in the DESE Common Core Meetings and Reactions from Readers:

James Shuls Offers His Thoughts on the Disastrous Lindbergh DESE Common Core Meeting

by stlgretchen

From Lindbergh Crowd Halts Scripted Common Core Meeting:

Officials from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) are finding out that it might not be easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission, at least not when it comes to the Common Core State Standards. DESE adopted the standards without public knowledge and last night, officials from DESE attempted to justify their decision with a one-sided presentation. Many concerned citizens and parents, however, were not interested in listening to DESE’s Common Core gospel.

At the meeting I attended at the Lindbergh School District, citizens showed up with questions; DESE officials showed up with scripts and videos. The plan was to divide the crowd into small 

Explaining the Delphi Technique Used in the DESE Common Core Meetings and Reactions from Readers

by stlgretchen

Say NO to DESE's "Nudge"

A reader made a comment on a recent post about the DESE meetings and the Delphi technique used in all the meetings except Lindbergh.  Lindbergh's attendees would not comply and their questions/concerns 

MORNING UPDATE LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-5-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

New Housing for TFA, Subsidized by Your Tax Dollars

by dianerav

The New York Times reports today about construction of new apartments in Philadelphia, meant specifically for teachers. The development is made possible by state and federal tax credits.
But not for any teacher. Not for the teachers who live in the community. Not for veteran teachers who have put their hearts into the community schools for 10-20 years. They already have a place to live.
No, these are below-market apartments built for Teach for America recruits, those great kids with five weeks of 

Open Letter to Secretary Duncan About Early Childhood Education

by dianerav

This was written by a teacher in Chicago:
An open letter to Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan
Dear Secretary Duncan:
Children gleefully line blocks end to end on a rug measuring its area, two girls huddle over a water table experimenting with liquid capacity, and several students use clay making sculptures as well as refining their small motor skills – this is the picture of a preschool where any of us would want to send our children.
As an early childhood educator, I was thrilled to hear President Obama’s strong focus on preschool education in

Zombie Federal Policies

by dianerav

Bill Gates is wrong. American education is not “broken.”
Federal education policy is broken.
Testing children until they cry is a bad idea. It is educational malpractice.
Basing teachers’ evaluation, their salary, and their tenure on student test scores is a bad idea. It doesn’t work. It is professional malpractice. The Gates Foundation has invested hundreds of millions of dollars trying to make it work. It doesn’t work. Arne Duncan has made it a cardinal principle of federal education policy. It doesn’t work.
Giving bonuses to teachers based on test scores is a failed idea. It has never worked. The U.S. Department of

Hake’s Reading List on the Root Causes of Poor Academic Performance

by dianerav

Richard R. Hake, Emeritus Professor of Physics at Indiana University, compiled the following reading list to help others understand the root causes of low academic performance:
Professor Hake writes:
“Penny” commented: ”We know that poorer (lower socioeconomic) students tend to do poorer in school. How

Who Needs Kant?

by dianerav

Diana Senechal has written a parody of higher education today.
This is a college philosophy class in which the reading of Kant has been replaced with clickers for answering multiple-choice questions.
I have to give satire alerts because education policy has become so wacky that almost anything may seem real.
When the ideas from our leaders get so bizarre, parody becomes difficult.

Deconstructing The Legend of BASIS Charter Schools

by dianerav

David Safier is a great blogger in Arizona who has his hands full trying to keep up with the myth-making of the charter industry in his state.
In this column, he dissects the eg end of the BASIS charters. Their backers spin the story that high standards produces miraculous results that every school could match if it copied the BASIS mdl, but the reality is something else.
As Safier writes, “An obscenely well funded coalition of organizations exists to sing the praises of schools like BASIS as part of their continuing efforts to push their privatization agenda.
BASIS schools begin with a reasonably high achieving group of 6th grade students (recently they added a 5th 

Diane in the Evening 5-4-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: High-Stakes Testing of Students in Special Education by dianerav Louise Marr sent this from her book: **********£******* “Every spring, the Philadelphia public school students take the standardized tests, or PSSAs. (Starting in 2013, the district has switched to a different test called the Keystone Exams.) These tests are a huge part of how schools are evaluated and rated. It is from these scores that Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) is determined. There is a big push to prepare the eleventh graders for the tests fr... more »

Ed Notes Online: Obama Supports Chicago Schools by Nominating Pritzger for Commerce Secretary

Ed Notes Online: Obama Supports Chicago Schools by Nominating Pritzger for Commerce Secretary:

Obama Helps Chicago Schools by Nominating Pritzger Nomination for Commerce Secretary

by ed notes online

"She has caused so much damage to the children of Chicago, we found a brilliant way to get her out of town and into a job in Washington even though we now have to be concerned about the fate of the entire US economy with her in charge of Commerce. A win-win would be for the Republicans to hold up here nomination for years," said an Obama spokesperson. He was dressed to the nines in Prtizger fashionista garb.

Daily Kos: Of holy days and health: Leaves on the Current - and me

Daily Kos: Of holy days and health: Leaves on the Current - and me:

Of holy days and health: Leaves on the Current - and me

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

Today for several hundred million Eastern Christian, Orthodox and Oriental, is Pascha, Easter, the Day of Resurrection, the most important day on their religious calendar.  Last week was Holy Week, full of services of preparation.  My wife is a serious Orthodox Christian, singing in her choir, serving in some services as a reader of the Epistle or other texts, serving on one national committee and representing the Orthodox Church in America to the National Council of Churches' working group on environmental justice.  We were married at St. Mark Orthodox Church in late 1985, and although I have since moved on to my current status as a Quaker, I fully support my wife's participation in that church.
Which is why this week has been somewhat sad.  Because my beloved missed most of the services, including the Paschal service last night.
While in general her recovery has been good, this was not a great week, in large part because she developed a cold.  That might not be a major issue did she not have a compromised immune system from her chemotherapy.  It is bad enough that it interrupted the sleep cycle she had developed.   When it spread into her chest, and she became hoarse, we saw medical advice which was that she should stay in bed and not attempt the service last night/this morning.
She was able to find a service online from a Greek church in Toms River NJ, so she was not totally cut off.  But she missed hearing - and singing - the familiar music of the feast, which is full of joy.  She missed exchanging the paschal greeting with friends, the breaking of the fast with the joyful meal (although St. Mark Church was kind enough to send a blessed basket with goodies for her to enjoy).
If this is as bad as we have to confront during her recovery, we will be grateful.
Especially as we learned that I also have some health issues that means I may well be dealing with a chronic condition as well.
Let me explain.

in honor of Pascha for Eastern Christians

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

since it is now the Day of Resurrection on the East Coast:
Христос Воскресе! Воистину Воскресе!
Hristos a înviat! Adevărat a înviat!
Χριστός Ανέστη! Αληθώς Ανέστη!
Tha Crìosd air èiridh! Gu dearbh, tha e air èiridh!
ハリストス復活！実に復活！
ქრისტე აღსდგა! ჭეშმარიტად აღსდგა!
Christ daaztsáádéé' náádiidzáá! T'áá aaníí, daaztsáádéé' náádiidzáá!
Xristos Kuxwoo-digoot! Xegaa-kux Kuxwoo-digoot!
Krishti u ngjall! Vërtet u ngjall!
Kristus vstal z mrtvých! Vpravdě vstal z mrtvých!
Cristo ha resucitado! Verdaderamente, ha resucitado!
Der Meschiache undzer iz geshtanen! Avade er iz ufgeshtanen!
Քրիստոս յարեաւ ի մեռելոց՜ Օրհնեալ է յայտնութիւնն Քրիստոսի՜
or if you prefer in English for this occasion:
Christ is risen! Indeed He is risen!

If You Hate Doing Assessment, You’re Doing it Wrong | toteachornototeach

If You Hate Doing Assessment, You’re Doing it Wrong | toteachornototeach:

If You Hate Doing Assessment, You’re Doing it Wrong

by aristotlethewise

If You Hate Doing Assessment, You’re Doing it Wrong

by Dean Shareski

For many teachers, grading and assessment are the duties of teaching most would rather avoid. I get it. For many these things get in the way of learning in that they are contrived , mandated, artificial and time consuming. My personal evolution with assessment has been
challenging, but as I continue to tweak my workflow, I am discovering that this is a powerfully enjoyable experience. Listed below is the final assessment that I gave to my students.

Tech Tasks

A simple summary and assessment about the quality, consistency and timeliness of your work. Grade yourself between 20-30% percent of the course.

Blogs

Grade yourself between 15-25% Use a rubric or your own standard based on your favorite blogs. Be sure to reference the criteria discussed on the course assignment page.

Mentorship

This will be a challenging one for some of you but the core of this will be your interview with your mentoring teacher. I would like a report that highlights your involvement as well. Grade yourself between 20-30%

Social Learning

This will be about a one page report answering 2 questions: What did I contribute to the learning of others? What 

Did D.C. schools cheat? Ask the students. - Class Struggle - The Washington Post

Did D.C. schools cheat? Ask the students. - Class Struggle - The Washington Post:

Did D.C. schools cheat? Ask the students.

by Jay Mathews

Did D.C. schools cheat? Ask the students.

By Jay Mathews

Dear D.C. parents and grandparents: Want to uncover the truth behind the D.C. schools’ test-tampering allegations? Ask your student if he or she ever made erasures on the annual D.C. tests, and let me know the answer.

Five years ago, analysts found statistically improbable numbers of wrong-to-right erasures on D.C. test answer sheets. Several investigations have failed to determine the cause. But those investigators never asked students with many changes on their answer sheets what they remembered doing.

Did they really make as many as 10 wrong-to-right erasures each? D.C. data shows the average student rarely makes more than one or two. What led students to make so many mistakes and then switch to the right answers?

This year — finally — investigators from the Alvarez & Marsal consulting firm, hired by the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), tried to find out. They spoke to 16 students at Meridian Public 

The in box. “The personal attacks on (Lewis) by the UPC in the media and campaign literature appearing in teachers’ mailboxes will probably backfire.” | Fred Klonsky

The in box. “The personal attacks on (Lewis) by the UPC in the media and campaign literature appearing in teachers’ mailboxes will probably backfire.” | Fred Klonsky:

The in box. “The personal attacks on (Lewis) by the UPC in the media and campaign literature appearing in teachers’ mailboxes will probably backfire.”

by Fred Klonsky

In Response to my post Why I’m not voting for Karen Lewis and CORE. But wish I could.

Fred,

I’m not a fan of Karen Lewis, but I don’t question her sincerity and devotion to the union. The smears against her from the right on the blogosphere are vile, but I’m even more disillusioned by the current attacks by her political rivals in the union. When Lewis ran for union president a few years ago the incumbents were calling Lewis a radical and too extreme, now they’re attacking her for “giving everything away”-even when Lewis led the first CTU strike in a generation and had to