UPDATE: Federal Civil Rights Complaint Filed Against Bloomberg’s DOE + Schoolcuts: Amazing resources on Chicago schools @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

Schoolcuts: Amazing resources on Chicago schools crisis – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER:

Just Say No: “Big egos don’t produce success”

by plthomasedd

I thought I was about to read yet another news story about Michelle Rhee and DC schools when I saw this headline: Big egos don’t produce success, study finds Instead, I found an article about research addressing students who feel entitled. Yet, I cannot help thinking that the headline from Australian Geographic is a potential […]

Federal Civil Rights Complaint Filed Against Bloomberg’s DOE

by Jim Horn

Could this be the first significant step in the beginning of the end of school resegregation in America? From the Education Law Center: Federal Civil Rights Complaint Brought by Parents and Community Groups Parents and community groups filed a complaint with the federal Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights, on May 20, 2013. They charge the New […]

Schoolcuts: Amazing resources on Chicago schools crisis

by Chalk Face, PhD

I was directed towards the following site for information on the Chicago school disruptions. It has absolutely everything you need to know.

But one of the things I was wondering, which prompted the suggestion for Schoolcuts, was the kinds of re-routing kids would have to experience. I asked for an exemplary route and was given William H. King ES (closed) to Jensen ES (receiver).

They’re just under a mile from each other, so let’s take a look at the new walk to school, from King to Jensen. I mapped it. Took some screenshots on the way. Here’s a gallery:

Some keepsakes from the walk there.

I don’t know what we’re supposed to learn from this. I was just curious. And this is only from school to school. But imagine what it must be like now for these communities to soon have a giant abandoned building sitting there. That can’t be good.

Daily Kos: Not quite sure how to describe the day

Daily Kos: Not quite sure how to describe the day:

Not quite sure how to describe the day

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

Yesterday was my 67th birthday, a fact I acknowledged here.  Thanks to Social media, the day was full of communications from other wishing me well on the day, some of which I did not see until this morning.  The major event of the evening was a wonderful dinner out to which Leaves on the Current took me.  The restaurant, on Connecticut Avenue in the Cleveland Park section of DC (across the street from the Uptown Theater), is named Ripples.  For some of my generation that might bring forth images of a cheap wine.  Don't be fooled.  It has a terrific wine list, and of greater importance for me on my birthday, an equally enjoyable beer list.   The food is delicious, much of it organic and natural, such as the Amish chicken I ate, and is stunningly presented.
Yet as wonderful as the meal was, as enjoyable as the leisurely time spent with my wife, I am feeling - how can I say it -  overwhelmed, humbled, blessed, because of the messages I received.
They began a few days before.  A few came this morning.
There were hundreds upon hundreds - via Twitter, email, comments on my diary, dkos messages, and especially Facebook.  Some came from great distance - a former teaching colleague now working in China, an expert on Finnish education from his own country.
I feel validated in an important way, especially as I explore reentering the classroom in the Fall, because more than half of them were from my students.

MORNING UPDATE LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-24-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

Will Obama and Duncan Condemn School Closings in Chicago?

by dianerav

Chicago Public Schools voted to close down dozens of public schools. As many as 40,000 children are losing their schools, many of who are children with disabilities. The vast majority of the children are African American.
Will the President and Secretary of Education speak out against this willful destruction of public schools and 

Why It Is Hard to Boycott Walmart

by dianerav

I never want to shop at Walmart. I hate to see even a penny of my money going to support the Walton family crusade to privatize American education.
However, I am in Watkins Glen in upstate Néw York, a beautiful town on Lake Seneca. I am here awaiting the birth of my fourth grandson. I wanted to buy a toothbrush but couldn’t find any pharmacy in town but Walmart. Lots of empty stores because Walmart has replaced almost

North Carolina Newspaper Puts Public Schools First

by dianerav

The Wilmington, North Carolina, Star-News published an editorial recognizing the danger of taking money away from public schools and giving it to charters, vouchers, and private vendors.
The editorial begins:
“Private schools and charter schools may satisfy individual parents, but they will not improve the public schools. They take not only money out of the system but also those students whose parents have the means, work 

Norm Scott: Obama’s Dilemma

by dianerav

Norm Scott, retired NYC teacher posted this on his website, Ed Notes Online:
We have Al Qaeda on the run but right now the biggest threat to our agenda is Karen Lewis and the Chicago Teachers Union,” said an Obama spokesperson.
“Our pal Rahm Emanuel has been forced to close 50 schools in retaliation for the strike led by Lewis and now suffers poll numbers so low they are getting close to the interest rate. He is actually being criticized for using money he saves by closing schools to put $100 million into building a new basketball arena where our president and Arne Duncan will be able to shoot hoops once their term in office is over. For that Rahm is being called the 

The Scoop on Chicago Privatization

by dianerav

Just saw this amazing interview and could not resist posting it in full:
*******************
An Interview with Paul Horton : What Goes on in Chicago—Should be exposed to the world?
[Paul Horton is a History teacher at the University of Chicago Laboratory High School]
Posted by Michael Shaughnessy EducationViews Senior Columnist on May 18, 2013 in Commentaries, Daily, Editor’s Pick, Insights on Education, Teachers | 0 Comment
Michael F. Shaughnessy -
1) Paul briefly, what the hell is going on in Chicago?
54 schools are targeted for shut down and 90% are 

Chicago: Time for a Néw Mayor

by dianerav

George Buzzetti writes:
“Chicago, you must set the agenda not Emmanuel and his destruction crew. You must take back control of Chicago and the School Board. There is nothing like a politician who gets the public mad as hell at them for change. In L.A. Monica Ratliff was elected with only $44,000 against more than a million and she never took a day off work and she drives a long way to her teaching job. If you have a good mayoral candidate the chances are good to get Emmanuel out and to elect sense again even if it has been a long time. Now is the time for 

Temps Scoring Essay Questions on State Tests

by dianerav

This article may explain why the big testing corporations won’t machines to score essays.
How do you think they score them now?
How do you think they have been scored for many years?
By temps. By people earning $10-12 an hour with no particular skills and minimal training.
Not long ago, I posted a story that said that Pearson was advertising on CraigsList in Texas for people to score 

John White Makes Excuses for Low-Scoring Voucher Students

by dianerav

Vouchers were supposed to “save poor kids from failing schools,” but what happens when the voucher schoolsare far worse than the public schools?
John White made excuses. He blamed the schools they attended the previous year.
No excuses, John!
“LEAP scores for third- through eighth-graders show only 40 percent of voucher students scored at or above 

Big Rumor in Louisiana: John White Heading to DC

by dianerav

The Louisiana blogs, which these days are the only place in that corrupt state to read honest and probing discourse, are buzzing with rumors that their state commissioner John White will soon leave for a job with Arne Duncan.
If true, he will not be missed. Jindal will find another reactionary ideologue to take White’s place and pursue the governor’s radical privatization agenda.
Why would Duncan want White? When Jindal chose White, Duncan called him “a visionary leader.” White would 

An Account of Historic, Tragic Day in Chicago

by dianerav

The best reporting on the historic closure of dozens of Chicago public schools was in the Sun-Times. It provided a human face to a public tragedy.
Most moving were the scenes at schools listed for clisure.
The board voted enmasse. It didn’t even take time to name the schools it killed.
The decision was rendered unless time than it takes to boil an egg.
And there was this:
“One of the speakers lugged out of board chambers by CPS security was Erica Clark, a CPS parent and 

PT Barnum and the Louisiana Circus

by dianerav

Louisiana matters hugely to the fate of American public because of the myth that Néw Itleans had a miraculous transformation once Hurricane Katrina wiped out the public schools and the teachers’ union.
Julian Vasquez Heilig here explains that the myth is a lie.
The Louisiana Department of Education controls the data and they are not releasing it. When they do, it can’t be 

Alabama Teacher of the Year: A Great Teacher Whose School Did Not Make AYP

by dianerav

Alison Grizzle was chosen as Alabama Teacher of the Year.
Read this article and watch the video and you will see why.
She teaches math at P.D. Jackson-Olin High School in Birmingham.
She is a National Board Certified Teacher.
Her school did not make AYP.
The punitive, no-brain law called No Child Left Behind

How Low Can Rahm Go?

by dianerav

Rahm Emanuel has distinguished himself by his sycophancy towards Chicago’s power elite. Here “The Nation”dissects his tawdry record.
The Chicago Teachers Union plans a voter registration drive to sign up new voters in the communities damaged by Rahm’s schoo closings.

Diane in the Evening 5-23-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Rahm: No Money for Schools But Millions for…. by dianerav Even as Rahm Emanuel says he has no money for schools, none at all, the cupboard is bare….. He somehow managed to find $55 million to build a private basketball stadium. Now, this is a mayor with priorities! Scott Walker Determined to Privatize Wisconsin Schools by dianerav Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is following the ALEC script: More charters More vouchers Lower standards for entry into teaching Did he ask the voters if they want to get rid of pub... more »

San Jose teachers, board adopt landmark teacher evaluation system | EdSource Today

San Jose teachers, board adopt landmark teacher evaluation system | EdSource Today:

San Jose teachers, board adopt landmark teacher evaluation system - by John Fensterwald

by John Fensterwald

Breaking new ground in California, San Jose Unified has adopted an innovative teacher evaluation process that gives teachers a role in reviewing their peers and greatly revises the current – and some say outmoded – method of measuring teacher success.

The new system would deny automatic raises to unsatisfactory performers and give evaluators the option of adding another year to the probationary period for new teachers – a provision at odds with the state teachers union. Bucking a national trend, the new system will not use standardized test scores as a direct measure of performance.

The school board approved the contract, two years in the making, Thursday night. Seventy-two percent of San Jose teachers endorsed it, with three-quarters of teachers in the union voting, earlier this month.

San Jose Teachers Association President Jennifer Thomas and Superintendent Vincent Matthews relax after the school board unanimously approved the contract with teachers, with the new evaluation system, Thursday night. (John Fensterwald photo)

The agreement offers a model of collaboration between teachers and a district at a time when unions, school reformers and district leaders in California remain sharply divided over how to change the state’s largely ineffective evaluation law, the Stull Act, and who – teachers or the school board – should have the authority to 

Evolving from professional development to professional learning - by Ellen Moir / commentary

by Ellen Moir / commentary

Every student deserves an effective teacher, one who is always seeking the very best ways to reach each student. While there has always been an onus on teachers to commit to improving, state and district leaders must also improve professional learning opportunities for teachers. Fortunately, as a state, we are beginning to take strides in this direction. In September, a task force convened by...

UPDATE:Obama Cuts Drones But Can't Guarantee Safety of Karen Lewis Ed Notes Online: John Merrow's Growing Relentlessness on Rhee

Ed Notes Online: John Merrow's Growing Relentlessness on Rhee Cheating Scandal Sparks Rhee Scrutiny:

Obama Cuts Drones But Can't Guarantee Safety of Karen Lewis

by ed notes online

"We have Al Qaeda on the run but right now the biggest threat to our agenda is Karen Lewis and the Chicago Teachers Union," said an Obama spokesperson.

Karen Lewis seeking drone

"Our pal Rahm Emanuel has been forced to close 50 schools in retaliation for the strike led by Lewis and now suffers poll numbers so low they are getting close to the interest rate. He is actually being criticized for using money he saves by closing schools to put $100 million into building a new basketball arena where our president and Arne Duncan will be able to shoot hoops once their term in office is over. For that Rahm is being called the most loathsome politician in America? How dare they?"

"And some in the media have started ganging up on 

SHAME: Gala More Proof Success Charter and Wealthy Supporters Steal Space and Resources from Public School Kids

by ed notes online

Do you think they could afford to get their own buildings? They'll step over the bodies of their former "scholars" who they've tossed back into public schools.

Scene Last Night: Loeb, Christie, Jones, Tepper, Singer

By Amanda Gordon - May 23, 2013 4:32 PM ET

Daniel S. Loeb put aside discussions with Sony Corp. (6758) last night to be the first honoree at the first gala forSuccess Academy Charter Schools.
With a “no counterparty left behind” philosophy, and feeling “a little bit like Don Fanucci” in “The Godfather,” as he put it, Loeb, the chief executive officer of Third Point LLC, rallied impressive support from the financial-services 

John Merrow's Growing Relentlessness on Rhee Cheating Scandal Sparks Rhee Scrutiny

by ed notes online

John Merrow has been relentless in connecting the dots in the Michelle Rhee cheating scandal. Remember those glowing reports he did on PBS about Rhee (and Vallas in New Orleans?)

Don't underestimate how important the move of media people like Merrow away from supporting the deformers will prove to be.
Connect these dots to Walcott's almost hysterical response to the mayoral candidates.

I see on Dec. 31 Tweedies burning and shredding documents like they did in the US Saigon embassy on the day before the fall.

The New Republic, which I seem to remember being a cheerleader for ed deform (I may be wrong so check my