Friday, May 17, 2013

UPDATE: Thousands of Philly students marching down Broad Street now + If tweeting is an art, Weingarten is no Picasso. She’s barely a George W. | Fred Klonsky

If tweeting is an art, Weingarten is no Picasso. She’s barely a George W. | Fred Klonsky:

Thousands of Philly students marching down Broad Street now.

by Fred Klonsky

Thousands of Philadelphia public school students are marching down Broad Street as I am writing this.
“We are willing to break the stereotypes and expectations of urban youth, and are taking this opportunity to tell the world that urban school districts deserve funding, and it is your responsibility under the Commonwealth Charter to provide us with more than a ‘bare bones education.’”
Read the back story in The Nation.

If tweeting is an art, Weingarten is no Picasso. She’s barely a George W.

by Fred Klonsky

“Tweeting is an art.” Randi is to Twitter as George W is to painting.
The trouble all began when American Federation of Teachers President issued a statement in support of the We Are One/Cullerton bill. The bill, SB2404 is Senate President Cullerton’s attempt to circumvent the pension protection provision of the Illinois Constitution.
NEA President Dennis Van Roekel also issued a statement in support of it.
All this is not surprising. Both the Illinois affiliates of the NEA and the AFT are part of the We Are One coalition.
Van Roekel’s statement was boiler plate. All about collaboration and working together to solve problems.
Weingarten was no better.
But she didn’t stop there.
She started tweeting about it. And making stuff up.
About how retirees weren’t covered by the bill.
About how it represented shared sacrifice.
How it was fair.
And was brother Mike called her on it.
And we pointed out the falsehoods.
She backed down and admitted she was wrong.

Modern School: Greece Outlaws Teachers Strike

Modern School: Greece Outlaws Teachers Strike:

Greece Outlaws Teachers Strike

by Michael Dunn

The Greek government has outlawed a teachers strike set to begin on May 17. The government signed a civil mobilization order banning the strike, something that previously had only been used in times of national emergencies, according the WSWS. This is the first time the tactic has been used preemptively before a strike has even started. Workers who violate the order are subject to being fired, arrested and jailed.

Since the imposition of austerity in 2008, the Greek government has relied on such heavy handed tactics to crush any opposition and keep the public in line. Civil mobilization orders, with the support of riot police, were used to violently suppress strikes by subway, rail and tram workers earlier this year. The teachers’ strike ban follows the Greek government’s latest deal with the European Commission, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European Central Bank, attacking teachers’ pay and benefits, and working conditions (including the demand they work an extra two hours per week without pay). 10,000 teachers also face being laid off, according to the WSWS.

So far, no civil mobilization order has been defied by the unions, thus encouraging the

Gov. Corbett Taps William Harner as New Education Secretary | PoliticsPA

Gov. Corbett Taps William Harner as New Education Secretary | PoliticsPA:

Gov. Corbett Taps William Harner as New Education Secretary

Written by Kevin Horne, Contributing Writer

Broad Superintendents Academy 2005

Governor Corbett confirmed yesterday what the Philadelphia Inquirer reported last week — Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis is on his way out.

Tomalis will leave his post on May 31 to become Special Adviser to the Governor on Higher Education, per a press release from the governor’s office, making the same salary that he did in the cabinet. Tomalis has held the position since January 2011.

“Secretary Tomalis has worked hard to make Pennsylvania’s public education system benefit all of Pennsylvania’s students to ensure their success beyond graduation,’’ Corbett said.

Dr. William Harner, currently the superintendent of Cumberland Valley School District in Mechanicsburg, will take over for Tomalis pending Senate approval. Harner spent 20 years in the military and has garnered an impressive resume in education since then. He has served as a middle school principal, a superintendent and as the deputy chief executive officer of the School District of Philadelphia. Harner was also an administrator at a New Orleans school district designed to deal with underperforming schools, overseeing nine school buildings post-Katrina.

“From his days at West Point to his service at Cumberland Valley, Dr. Harner has

There Is Much to Get Right—or Wrong—About the Common Core | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

There Is Much to Get Right—or Wrong—About the Common Core | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:

There Is Much to Get Right—or Wrong—About the Common Core

by American Federation of Teachers

By Marla Ucelli-Kashyap, Assistant to the President for Educational Issues, American Federation of Teachers(AFT)

Last month, AFT president, Randi Weingarten called for a moratorium on the stakes associated with Common Core-aligned assessments. Let me be clear, the AFT has long been a supporter of higher common standards and expectations for all students, regardless of ZIP code.
From the outset, we've maintained that the standards themselves would only be as good as the system that supports them: aligned curricula and classroom resources (including state-of-the-art online tools); meaningful, sustained professional development; time for teachers and other staff to adapt to the new standards; aligned and timely assessments that support college and career readiness and inform instruction; and participation of family and community stakeholders in the awareness-building, advocacy and support needed for the standards to truly change teaching and
read more

MORNING UPDATE LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-17-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch

PBS in Houston: Watch the Faces of the Students

by dianerav

A reader from Houston suggests that we watch the PBS documentary on Houston’s Apollo program and watch the faces of the students:
He writes:
To see how many kids react to an overemphasis on testing, watch Dropout Nation. PBS Frontline’s Dropout Nation series featured HISD and its Apollo Program in its September broadcast. While there are some good

Rothstein: Advice to Future Teachers

by dianerav

Richard Rothstein recently gave a commencement address to the gruates of the Chicago Loyola School of Education.
What do you say to new teachers, embarking on their careers in these perilous times? What do you say to

John Merrow: Shame on the Washington Post for Refusing to Investigate DC Cheating Scandal

by dianerav

John Merrow has written a blistering critique of the Establishment’s cover-up of the cheating scandal in D.C.
The article he wrote exposing the cover up was rejected by a national magazine, unnamed.
When Merrow directly asked Duncan about the scandal, Duncan bobbed and weaved.
But Merrow reserves his greatest ire for the editorial writers at the Washington Post, who were cheerleaders for

May 17 in Our History: How Soon We Forget

by dianerav

On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that segregation of the races in public school was unconstitutional. At the time, segregation was the law in 17 states and many districts.
For years, the states where segregation was outlawed resisted the court decision. Their favorite ploy was school choice. They knew that school choice would preserve racial segregation because whites would choose to stay with whites, and blacks would be fearful of applying to white schools, where they would face a hostile climate, harassment, and even violence.
The Supreme Court and lower federal courts overturned the many strategies enacted to evade the necessity of

News from the Network for Public Education

by dianerav

Here is the latest newsletter from the Network for Public Education.
Please consider becoming a member and help us as we fight to improve public schools and repel the twin menaces of high-stakes testing and privatization.
If you are a member of a grassroots organization to support your community public schools, please sign on and lend a hand in our shared mission.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel: How to Dodge FOIA Requests

by dianerav

Ben Joravsky is the best journalist covering education in Chicago today.
In this post, titled “Mayor Emanuel’s FOIA Policy: Don’t Ask, Because We Won’t Tell,” Joravsky shows how a public school parent sued to find out basic facts about major decisions. The answer was, no, we can’t tell you

The Status Quo Begins to Fall Apart

by dianerav

This article describes what a grass-roots rebellion looks like.
It describes a growing revolt against failed education policies.
It reviews the mounting protests by students, parents, teachers, school boards against

Peter DeWitt: Does Chancellor Tisch Know What Testing Is Doing to Children?

by dianerav

Peter DeWitt, principal of an elementary school in upstate New York, tries here to understand the contradictory messages sent out by Merryl Tisch, chancellor of the NY Board of Regents.
On one hand, she says that teachers should no longer teach to the test, but with the advent of Common Core, there is more testing than ever.
She says that testing is less important than ever as kids sit for hours of it.
The state plans to increase the stakes attached to the testing, but teachers should not teach to the test

Concord Rebellion Stirring Over Dismissal of Union Leader

by dianerav

Parents and teachers in Concord, Massachusetts, are outraged over the firing of the teachers’ union leader, an 18-year teacher of third grade, allegedly for in effectiveness.
“The catalyst for the protest was the decision by Thoreau Elementary School Principal Kelly Clough not to renew the contract of veteran third grade teacher and Concord Teachers Association President Merrie Najimy.
“Barbara Lehn has been a teacher with Concord’s school system for 25 years. She said she has known Najimy since she was hired 18 years ago. She said the idea that Najimy could have been found deficient in every single

Is the School of the Future in the Cloud?

by dianerav

Having studied the history of education for some decades,I have a built-in resistance to claims bout the school of the future, particularly when it involves the end of schooling. Over many years, I have seen predictions about that Great Day when all children are self-motivated, all learning comes naturally, and instruction by adults becomes superfluous. The archetype of this idea was A. S. Neill’s “Summerhill,” which was a huge bestseller in the 1960s. But it was preceded by many other visions of schools without books, without tests, without classes, without

Diane in the Evening 5-16-13 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: *Diane stands on her head for Public Ed* Can Machines Grade Essays? Should They? by dianerav I posted earlier today about a new Xerox machine that is being marketed to “read” and grade student essays. Not to score bubble tests, but to grade essays. Granted, this is not a new idea. There are now different companies selling machines to grade student writing. I have seen demonstrations of this technology, and I can’t shake the feeling that this is not right. Why? I am not opposed to technology. But here is the nub... more »

Money contines to pours, unevenly, into LA Unified school board race | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC

Money contines to pours, unevenly, into LA Unified school board race | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC:

Money contines to pours, unevenly, into LA Unified school board race

by Adolfo Guzman-Lopez

District 6 School Board Candidate, Antonio Sanchez is a political newcomer who studied urban planning and worked for Antonio Villaraigosa.; Credit: Rebecca Hill/KPCC
As she walked onto a rally in front of the Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters on Tuesday, Monica Ratliff was greeted as a minor celebrity.
Hundreds of union workers were applying pressure on the school board to spend new state revenues on cutting class sizes and rehiring laid-off teachers, counselors, and librarians.
Adult education teacher Juan Noguera spotted Ratliff, who’d just arrived from her job as a fifth grade teacher, and asked if he could take a picture with her.
“Adult Education supports you,” he gushed.
"I support adult education," she replied.
Ratliff said it's this kind of ground-level support that will put her over the top. It's pretty much all she's got. Ratliff