Missouri Education Watchdog: What Will It Take To Get Answers From DESE?

Missouri Education Watchdog: What Will It Take To Get Answers From DESE?:

What Will It Take To Get Answers From DESE?

by Anngie

Some folks down in the East Newton school district still have questions about Common Core and are willing to do whatever it takes to get answers from DESE. They have scheduled a meeting this month and invited DESE to attend.  Here was the first response from DESE.

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Fri, May 31, 2013 2:58 pm
Subject: Letter from DESE in response to our invitation

Dear Bobbi:

Thank you for the invitation to participate in your community meeting at East Newton. I’m sorry I took so long to get back with you as I have been on vacation.  I checked with Dr. Cooper, assistant commissioner, to see if the department would be expending more resources on individual community meetings across the state.  He indicated that our open meetings were held on May 2nd and we would not be presenting at other meetings at this time.  We have an abundance of information on the department’s website at the following link: http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/CommonCoreMeetings.html In addition, on that site are PDF links to the lists of the questions that came out of each of our 8 regional meetings held on May 2, and I am told that it will soon have a link to the answers to all of those questions.  If there is information that is not included about which anyone might have additional questions, please feel free to email those questions to me or to the Department atcommunications@dese.mo.gov.

Thank you again for the invitation,

Mike Wutke, Ed.D.
South Central Area Supervisor 

Not to be put off so easily, the local organizer promised DESE to do whatever they could to

UPDATE: Daley to run for governor on pension-cutting platform. | Fred Klonsky

Daley to run for governor on pension-cutting platform. | Fred Klonsky:

Ten minute drawing: Three to protect the status quo.

by Fred Klonsky

Click on drawing to enlarge.

Daley to run for governor on pension-cutting platform.

by Fred Klonsky

Banker Bill Daley will challenge Governor Squeeezy for the office.
He all but formally announced his candidacy yesterday in an-all out attack on the sitting governor, claiming Squeezy didn’t do enough to cut public employee pensions.
Son of the late Boss Daley, brother of former Mayor Richie Daley and former banker-in-chief for the Obama administration, Bill Daley had endorsed the Madigan pension bomb, SB1.
He told the press:

A strong governor would have found common ground between the rival pension solutions offered by fellow Democrats, House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, rather than leave Springfield with a stalemate. “They both had different ideas on this bill. So who’s the one who’s supposed to forge a compromise? The governor.”

Cullerton’s bill was supported by the We Are One coalition – leaders of the state’s public employee unions.

Mental illness in children is on the rise. Should parents worry? | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC

Mental illness in children is on the rise. Should parents worry? | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC:

Mental illness in children is on the rise. Should parents worry?

by Deepa Fernandes

Cassidy George and her mother Lisa George play outside their home in Manchester, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, on June 3rd, 2013. At age 7, Cassidy was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.; Credit: Mae Ryan/KPCC
Mental health issues in children are increasing. One in five kids now suffer from a mental disorder, according a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
These mental health disorders include commonly known illnesses like depression or ADHD. But there are also mental health issues that are rarely associated with elementary schoolers, like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Cassidy George is ten years old. From as early as she can remember she has had a lot of fears. “I didn't like the dark,” said George. “I didn’t like to go around and talk to people.”
Cassidy’s mother, Lisa, is a first grade teacher in Santa Monica.  She began noticing her daughter's anxious behavior when Cassidy was a toddler. Cassidy meticulously collected leaves and rocks, in jars and buckets. But when it was time to empty the bucket, Lisa remembers Cassidy would get “very distressed.”
Then Lisa started noticing things at home, like Cassidy lining up her stuffed animals in her bed. “Before she went 

Imagine 2013 | the becoming radical

Imagine 2013 | the becoming radical:

Imagine 2013

Posted on June 4, 2013 by plthomasedd

I am no John Lennon, but I think it is appropriate to imagine an education system and an education reform movement that create teaching and learning experiences for all students based on evidence and the experiences and expertise of educators, scholars, and researchers.

So let’s imagine that system, and consider just a few possibilities.

First, what about gathering student feedback on teachers or attempting to evaluate teachers based on pre- and post- test data within a high-stakes accountability environment? Kornell explains about some recent research:

The authors speculate that the more experienced professors tend to “broaden the curriculum and produce students with a deeper understanding of the material.” (p. 430) That is, because they don’t teach directly to the test, they do worse in the short run but better in the long run.

To summarize the findings: because they didn’t teach to the test, the professors who instilled the deepest learning in their students came out looking the worst in terms of student evaluations and initial exam 

Poor Children Need a Hand Up, Not Hospice - Bridging Differences - Education Week

Poor Children Need a Hand Up, Not Hospice - Bridging Differences - Education Week:

Poor Children Need a Hand Up, Not Hospice

by Deborah Meier

Michael Petrilli writes to Deborah Meier once again today. Deborah will respond to this post on Friday.
Dear Deborah,
Your last post was amazing—one of the most coherent, cogent articulations of a reform alternative that I've ever read.
I was particularly moved by this passage:

We need quiet places and noisy places, places full of books and computers and others full of paint and clay. We need adults with the freedom to make spontaneous decisions—shifting the conversation in response to one of those "wonderful moments" and deviating from any designed curriculum. Teachers need the time to mull over what they have learned from student work (written as well as observed) and collegial time to expand their repertoires. We need feedback from trusted and competent colleagues. We need time for families and teachers to engage in serious 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-4-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

NYC: On Thursday, Join a Demonstration for Education!

by dianerav

This just in:
Hope you can join us and spread the word!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, June 6th, 2013
NYC public school children will sign John Hancocks to their own “Declaration of Education” on Chancellor’s Day
City Hall Park gathering injects a positive message into the standardized testing debate, favors giving administrators room to create learning communities and giving teachers time to do what they do best: teach!
MANHATTAN—Parents, New York City public schoolchildren and community members will gather in City Hall 

John Merrow: His Concerns about the Common Core

by dianerav

John Merrow does not ally himself with most critics of the Common Core.
But he is concerned. He is concerned about whether a school with its own innovative curriculum and methodology will survive. His film crew visited the eighth grade at King Middle School and were impressed by what they found. How will this program fare?

What Is Going On in Cheatham County, Tennessee?

by dianerav

A teacher in Cheatham County, Tennessee, sent me this article about the unusual exodus of teachers from the county’s schools. Twenty-five percent of the staff have resigned in the past year, including the football coach and the basketball coach (whose teams had good seasons).
There is a local school board meeting tonight to hear all sides. Parents and citizens should show up and get involved. Learn what is happening in your local schools.

Is School Reform Really About Economic Development?

by dianerav

Leslie T. Fenwick, dean of education at Howard University, argues that what is called school “reform” is really about urban land development, not about improving the lives of disadvantaged minority children. She says, follow the money to understand the “reforms.”
Dean Fenwick doesn’t mince words. She writes:
“The truth can be used to tell a lie. The truth is that black parents’ frustration with the quality of public schools is at an all time righteous high. Though black and white parents’ commitment to their child’s schooling is comparable, more black parents report dissatisfaction with the school their child attends. Approximately 90 percent of black and white parents report attending parent teacher association meetings and nearly 80 percent of black and white parents report attending teacher conferences. Despite these similarities, fewer black parents (47 

The Patron Saints of Standardized Testing

by dianerav

Two political leaders—Arne Duncan and Dannell Malloy, governor of Connecticut–recently held a press conference where they both pretended to disdain high-stakes testing. Duncan went so far as to claim that he had decreased standardized testing when he led the Chicago public schools.
If only it were true! Jonathan Pelto and Sarah Darer Littman did some fact-checking, and the only question is why these guys don’t own up to their public record. They are both champions of standardized testing. Their 

Good News: Illinois Enacts Moratorium on Virtual Charters

by dianerav

Thank you, Governor Pat Quinn!
And congratulations to the 18 suburban districts that protected their students.
Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation that enacts a one-year moratorium on virtual charters, allowing time to study their performance. Any impartial study will reveal that online charters get poor results. They have high student dropouts every year, students get low grades and have a poor graduation rate. The beneficiaries of online charters are the corporations that own them. They make huge profits.
Eighteen suburban districts had previously banned the virtual schools, which allegedly wanted to target at-risk students. Online charters have no record of success serving at-risk students. These are the students most in need of human contact with caring teachers.

Gary Rubinstein: The Illegal Trojan Horse in King’s Evaluation Plan

by dianerav

Gary Rubinstein, who teaches mathematics, analyzed Commissioner John King’s plan to evaluate NYC teachers, which he imposed in the absence of an agreement between New York City and the United Federation of Teachers. Gary went a step further and read the law that King based his plan on. Gary concludes that Kingmisread the law and that his plan is fundamentally flawed.
Step back a minute and ask yourself how many other professions are evaluated based on legislative mandates. 

A Brilliant Post By Anthony Cody: How to Win

by dianerav

Anthony Cody gets stronger and sharper with every column he writes.
In this post, he explains how the best defense is a good offense.
He shows how critics of NCLB were tricked in 2008, then tricked again by Race to the Top.
It’s time to stop collaborating with those who want to destroy public education, he says.
It’s time to recognize, he writes, that Common Core is old wine in new bottles. Instead of getting rid of the 

EdTrust: Failing Charters in Michigan Are Expanding

by dianerav

The theory behind charters was that they would produce better results or lose their charter.
Education Trust Midwest reports that this is not happening.
Low-performing charters are not closed. Instead, they are expanding.
Charter operators have learned how to work the political system to their benefit. Not so much for the kids.

Camins: What Would Real Reform Look Like?

by dianerav

Arthur Camins is director of the Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey.
In this excellent article, he notes that the advocates of the status quo are those who are in power and who impose high-stakes testing and privatization on districts and states. Oddly enough, the leaders of the status quo dismiss critics by calling them “defenders of the status quo.”
Camins suggests that real reform would be very different from the current evidence-free status quo.
He argues that: “the pillars of current education reform are more likely to preserve rather than change the status 

Diane in the Evening 6-3-13 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: Rally in L.A. For Reduced Class Size! by dianerav A reader in Los Angeles welcomes all who care about improving public education: Parents from all across Los Angeles are Mobilizing!!!! Please gather tomorrow, Tuesday June 4 at 8:30 am out front of LAUSD central offices on Beaudry street downtown. Lend your voice to a collective choir that demands to be heard. We are Students, Parents and Angelenos for Real Classroom Support: SPARCS. We must ignite the SPARCS of this truth in front of our elected school board: KID... more »

Why schools should relax about cheating:

Why schools should relax about cheating

By Valerie Strauss, Published: June 4, 2013 at 6:00 amE-mail the writer

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Here’s a rather unconventional view on cheating. It was written by Penelope Trunk, who founded Brazen Careerist and two other startups. Her career advice runs in 200 newspapers. She lives on a farm in Wisconsin and homeschools her sons. This appeared on her blog.

By Penelope Trunk

Eric Anderman, professor at education psychology at Ohio University, has studied cheating for decades, and he says that 85 percent of students admit to cheating. (The number is probably higher since some do it but don’t admit it.) Harvard recently had to have a public discussion about campus cheating, and Stuyvesant, a New York City magnet school that’s harder to get into than Harvard, had an incredibly organized cheating system that rivals best practices for productivity types in Fortune 500 organizations.

It’s completely ridiculous that schools are so uptight about cheating because what schools call cheating is what people in the work world call effective workplace behavior.  For example:

1. Networking
In school, looking at someone else’s paper to get the right answer is forbidden.  But in the work world, the people who rise the fastest are the ones who know the right person 

Why teachers should present new material as stories

by Valerie Strauss

In this post Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham writes about how students best learn new material. Willingham is a professor and director of graduate studies in psychology at the University of Virginia and author of “Why Don’t Students Like School?” His … Continue reading →

solidaridad: SPaARCS calls for support of the Lower Class Size resolution at LAUSD

solidaridad: SPaARCS calls for support of the Lower Class Size resolution at LAUSD:

SPaARCS calls for support of the Lower Class Size resolution at LAUSD

by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene

Tuesday, June 4, 2013 at 9am downtown (Beaudry),

our school board will consider a special resolution to

LOWER CLASS SIZE

As parents ~ WE MUST SPEAK LOUDLY IN SUPPORT OF THIS CRITICAL IMPROVEMENT.

There has been some suggestion that this measure is little more than a self-serving trick of organized labor.

We must QUASH this mindset that ignores our children's needs.

KIDS NEED SMALLER CLASSES IN ORDER TO LEARN BETTER

...it's about their education.

We Need You To Take Action:

(1) Join with SPaARCS by liking the Facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/SPaARCS

(2) Ally yourself with the resolution to lower class size here: http://www.facebook.com/events/632196470142748/

(3)  Be heard at Beaudry on Tuesday; declare your intentions here: http://www.facebook.com/questions/632198140142581/

(4) Raise our voice by:

 

      *  encouraging other Students, Parents and Angelenos to join SPARCS:  SPREAD THE WORD!!!!!

 

      *  PLEASE, phone 10 parents and invite them to join Tuesday's rally for support of lowered class size:

IT'S IMPORTANT!

__________________________________

Who We Are:

We are many.  We are parents from across all of Los Angeles Unified's seven districts.  We have children in LAUSD.  We are children in LAUSD.  We are concerned with and about children in LAUSD.

We are Students, Parents, Angelenos for Real Classroom Support:  SPARCS

What We Stand For:

Strong, Truly Public Schools.  In Los Angeles, we demand truly public schools accountable to the public, administered and run by individuals dedicated to educating every child.

Democracy Fortified Through Public Education.  Every child in Los Angeles has a civil right to attend a good public school dedicated primarily to their education.

Dynamic, Responsive Public Education.  Appropriate, effective evaluation of our public schools, with parents welcomed, respected and contributing to decisions regarding the school system at every level.

What We Stand Against:

Privatizing Public Schools.  The educational system is a sacred public trust, part of the social contract.  We have a moral responsibility to the social and educational welfare of all among us.

Mechanized Schooling.  All learners are individuals; standardization of classes and tests eliminates the unique contribution of a professional teacher to education and learning.

Public School Control By Non-participants.  Educators should drive educational public policy; family and society its social components.  Political demogoguery has no place in our social contract to provide effective Public Schooling for all.

If you stand with us, amplify our SPARCS by joining here:  http://www.facebook.com/SPaARCS

NYC Educator: The Young Teacher and the Chapter Leader

NYC Educator: The Young Teacher and the Chapter Leader:

The Young Teacher and the Chapter Leader

by NYC Educator

by Curious Teacher

Young Teacher knocked on Chapter Leader's door. "Can I speak to you for a minute?"

"Sure," said Chapter Leader. She was a kindly looking old lady. "What's going on?"

Young Teacher explained her tale of woe. It was the old story: administration was harassing her when they had never bothered her before, she felt enormous pressure to resign, they didn't want to give her tenure, etc. Her AP had brought her up on charges of "professional misconduct" and was putting letters in her file every day when in her previous years she'd never even had a counseling memo. Tears ensued.

Chapter Leader assured Young Teacher she'd talk to administration.

A few weeks later Young Teacher returned. Things had gotten even worse. Young Teacher was being barraged 

What Critical Problems in K-12 Schools Does Online Instruction Solve? (Part 2) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

What Critical Problems in K-12 Schools Does Online Instruction Solve? (Part 2) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

What Critical Problems in K-12 Schools Does Online Instruction Solve? (Part 2)

by larrycuban

K-12 online instruction attracts policy-inclined school reformers and reform-minded policymakers because it appears as a technological and inexpensive solution for serious problems at a time when public schools are viewed as a double failure: in urban districts where largely poor and minority youth get a third-rate education and many suburban and rural schools that fall short of producing skilled and knowledgeable graduates who can contribute to a strong, competitive global economy.
Here is a brief list of those problems that promoters say will get solved through virtual instruction.
* Traditional whole-class instruction. Teaching lessons to the whole group of 25-30 students at one time generation after generation has resulted in tedium and boredom for students who already know the content or are too far behind to grasp the lesson. It has been difficult for teachers with these size classes and district and state requirements to cover the curriculum to hit the sweet spot of learning that brings all students along at the same time.
With online instruction, lessons finally become individualized. Online instruction and blended learning provide “differentiated instruction” that can take each student from where he or she is and go to where each one can be–the Holy Grail pedagogical reformers have sought for generations. Moreover, these technological innovations 

Chicago pension fund sends thanks for the no vote on SB1920. | Fred Klonsky

Chicago pension fund sends thanks for the no vote on SB1920. | Fred Klonsky:

Chicago pension fund sends thanks for the no vote on SB1920.

by Fred Klonsky

In the final hours of the Illinois General Assembly, Mayor Emanuel conspired with Speaker Madigan and President Cullerton to try to pass SB1920 which would allow for another so-called pension holiday for CPS.
Rahm threatened (and continues to threaten) to raise class sizes if CPS was required to meet their pension obligation.
I advocated a no vote.
The bill failed to pass.
This morning the Chicago Teacher’s Pension Fund sent out a thank you to its members.

The Illinois House of Representatives rejected a measure which would have granted CPS an additional $350 million in pension funding “relief.”House Amendment #2 was heard and debated in the Illinois House of Representatives from 6 p.m. until 7:45 p.m. on Friday, May 31. The bill needed 60 votes to pass, but received only 39 votes.  Click here to read the roll call. The proposed legislation would have reduced CPS contributions to our pension fund to $350M in 2014 (from $612.7M) and $500M in 2015(from $631.5). We want to thank our members who called and e-mailed legislators, and asked elected officials to hold CPS accountable for paying their pension bills. We know that our members sent more than

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Portugal's hot!

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Portugal's hot!:

Portugal's hot!

by Mike Klonsky

"Against the Troiks"

"We are faced with a wall of intransigence. The government better understand that negotiating is not the same as imposing." -- Carlos Silva, the head of the 500,000 members-strong UGT

It's hot here in Lisbon and I'm not just talking about the weather.  Luckily we're able to get around the city pretty well, arriving in town just after another strike shut down the Lisbon Metro for the 4th time in the past year.

Lots of young people in the streets. Graffiti is ubiquitous. Unemployment is at a record level, 17.8% with youth unemployment at a record 42.5%. Among Lisbon's large African immigrant population from Portugal's former colonies, it's much higher. The whole country is reeling under the burden of imposed austerity and while things are pretty peaceful here, say as compared to Turkey, neighboring