6-19-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER:

Deborah Carter: The Reality of #Teaching

by Kris Nielsen

Maryland Teacher and member of the Badass Teacher Association, Deborah Carter, summarizes the reasons she teaches. This week, a girl called me a bitch. A mom emailed the same day, demanding that her 11th grade son receive full credit for an assignment that did not come close to following the directions (and was turned in […]

#Occupylafayette, happening now, shaking my head

by Chalk Face, PhD

Parents, students, and educators occupied Lafayette ES in Chicago, slated for closure. This is a brilliant form of protest, everyone there should be applauded for their courage. This is quite a beautiful building in the picture. I cannot imagine what the city is planning to do with it.  Below is an image from a friend […]

Chiefs for #butthurt?

by Chalk Face, PhD

I wanted to quickly follow-up with an image and a question based on Jim Horn’s post earlier today about Chiefs for Change. Sorry Jim, I had to do it. Chiefs, are you butthurt? It’s OK, you can tell us.

The End Might Be Near for Common Core

by John Thompson

Especially in the last few months, John Merrow has hit some tape-measure home runs. Merrow’s strike outs can be just as amazing.  His last whiff is a doozy. Merrow tried to use some humor and experimental prose to criticize the recent trend where, supposedly, “the arrival of the Common Core apparently means the end of the […]

Chiefs for Change Angered by Duncan’s Temporary Flirt with Sanity

by Jim Horn

As pressure mounts from parents, students, educators, and admininstrators against high stakes testing and Common Core Corporate Standards, Team Obama has finally blinked.  ED will offer a one year reprieve to those 37 states formerly bribed with RTTT money to adopt the CC and teacher eval based on Common Core national tests. Such a move […]

The End Might Be Near for Common Core

by John Thompson

Especially in the last few months, John Merrow has hit some tape-measure home runs. Merrow’s strike outs can be just as amazing.  His last whiff, is a doozy. Merrow tried to used some humor and experimental prose to criticize the recent trend where, supposedly, “the arrival of the Common Core apparently means the end of the […]

Chief Wonk tells a funny, interesting enough if it wasn’t also milquetoast

by Chalk Face, PhD

It’s this guy, Rotherham. Bellwether, or what have you. Some consulting firm. Some kind of professional love affair brewing between Duncan and Weingarten? M-haps. Although, I would have used the Tiffany version instead. Tagged: Duncan, rotherham, weingarten

Breaking Non-News! The Rise of Poverty and the Fall of the Middle Class Affect Schools

by Jim Horn

The next time you see the world’s richest corporation, Exxon Mobil,  trying to use school bashing to divert attention away from their obscene wealth, minimal tax rate, job export plan, and climate change denial positions, be reminded of the other facts that help us understand what may have contributed to our international test score positions–25th […]

Teaching in Dystopia: The Common Corpse

by plthomasedd

Offred (June) in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale examines a subtle distinction about words: “We lived, as usual, by ignoring. Ignoring isn’t the same as ignorance, you have to work at it” (p. 56). In the dystopia of Gilead, Handmaids gradually and then fully conform to their status: “That is what we are now. The […]

Speaking more truth to Parent Revolution plutocrat power

by rdsathene * Robert D. Skeels

“The resolution by board member Steve Zimmer requires the district to independently verify the signatures and how they’re gathered by Parent Revolution, the group that helps to organize parents in efforts to take over schools. The district will also increase the amount and types of information available, such as an analysis of five years of […]

Using the Los Angeles school privatization pushers’ own propaganda against themselves

by rdsathene * Robert D. Skeels

“Several studies of Los Angeles schools showed substantial gains from class size reduction. One found that smaller classes increased reading scores by 9.5%, math scores by 13.9% and language scores by 14.5%, with double these gains for “high need” students. Two other controlled studies also show significant gains in Los Angeles, with effect sizes that […]

6-18-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: [image: gears] I’ve visited @NCTQ, we should all be underwhelmed #teacherprep by Chalk Face, PhD Paul Thomas and Jim Horn have already warned us about NCTQ and its thoroughly biased “advocacy.” There are some updated links in there, here’s a few more on the new report specifically: From NPR; NCTQ’s chief hypocrisy; And MSNBC. and the Wall Street Journal. Kind of a mixed bag here. I’m not sure if there’s […] Microsoft No. 1–in Turning Over Data to NSA by Jim Horn You might say that Gates got the ball rolling. From the PRISM slide show rec... more »

Louisiana Educator: School Grading System a Farce

Louisiana Educator: School Grading System a Farce:

School Grading System a Farce

by Michael Deshotels

The school grading system in Louisiana is a farce. It results in the stigmatizing and unfair condemnation of professional educators, the constant uprooting of innocent children from educationally nurturing environments, transfers from one failed charter to another, the use of gifted and talented to boost grades, the shunning of students with disabilities to boost scores and generally all manner of manipulations that have nothing to do with education. There is no way to fix the grading system because it is based on the incorrect assumption that poverty is not really the overriding factor in student performance. It needs to be simply done away with and replaced by a system that allows educators to tackle the achievement gap in a logical professional way that does not drive dedicated educators away from low achieving communities.

The sad case of Delmont Elementary School in East Baton Rouge Parish is a perfect example of the vicious practices spawned by this insane system. To make a long story short, a new local superintendent misjudged the progress being made at this newly reorganized school in only its second year of a 3 year plan, and uprooted all 

National Council on Teacher Quality report is deeply flawed | EdSource Today

National Council on Teacher Quality report is deeply flawed | EdSource Today:

National Council on Teacher Quality report is deeply flawed - by Linda Darling-Hammond / commentary

by Linda Darling-Hammond / commentary

This week, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) issued a report, NCTQ Teacher Prep Review. Billed as a consumer’s guide, the report rates teacher preparation programs on a list of criteria ranging from selection and content preparation to coursework and student teaching aimed at the development of teaching skills. While the report appropriately focuses on these aspects of teacher education, it does not, unfortunately, accurately reflect the work of teacher education programs in California or nationally.

NCTQ’s methodology is a paper review of published course requirements and course syllabi against a checklist that does not consider the actual quality of instruction that the programs offer, evidence of what their students learn or whether graduates can actually teach. Concerns about the organization’s methods led most schools of education nationally and in California to decline to participate in the data collection. (NCTQ’s website indicated that fewer than 1 percent of programs in the country “fully cooperated” with the study.) NCTQ collected documents through websites and public records requests. The ratings published in this report are, thus, based on partial and often inaccurate data, and fail to evaluate teacher education quality.

Related article

Critical report on teacher preparation programs sparks debate

The indicators used to measure the criteria often fail to identify the aspects of practice that are most important or 

A ‘reform-to-English’ dictionary:

A ‘reform-to-English’ dictionary

By Valerie Strauss, Published: June 19, 2013 at 6:00 amE-mail the writer

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(Merriam-Webster Inc. )

If it’s sometimes hard to understand the world of school  reform, it’s no wonder, given that things don’t always mean what their names or titles suggest. Here by way of explanation is a “reformy-to-English” glossary by Karen McKeegan Fraid, a public school parent and volunteer in Chicago. You can follow her on Twitter @KarenMFraid. The following is an edited version of her glossary, which you can find here, Part 1 and Part 2, on her That Way Madness blog.

By Karen M. Fraid

The late, great George Carlin had a bit that focused on the idea of euphemistic language, which is used to hide truth from plain sight.  Controlling language is a way to control the message.  So much of what plagues modern American society is a direct result of the fact that we are incapable of having a dialogue about anything.  Why can we not have a conversation?  Because political discussions in this country have been scripted and we have been given lines.  The scripts have been written by those with an economic stake in the outcome of the “dialogue.”

We have been left adrift in a sea of words that mean one thing to us and another to 

No Child Left Behind Act At Center Of House Hearing, Sparring Philosophies

No Child Left Behind Act At Center Of House Hearing, Sparring Philosophies:

No Child Left Behind Act At Center Of House Hearing, Sparring Philosophies

by Joy Resmovits

John Kline is frustrated.

The Republican representative from Minnesota and chair of the House Education Committee says his constituents have been telling him for years of the federal government's intrusion into their classrooms.

"I've been hearing ... for years now that the current system does not give them the ability to move money where they need it," he told The Huffington Post in an interview Tuesday. "You've got money for these 80-something federal programs, but you need it someplace else. We want to make sure they have the flexibility to do that."

That's why Kline's committee will hold a hearing Wednesday and likely vote on the Student Success Act, his rewrite of the No Child Left Behind Act, the Bush-era education law that Republicans and Democrats are looking to leave behind. Where NCLB increased the federal footprint in America's schools, Kline's bill reduces it dramatically. 

Is DA's case against APS educators collapsing? | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

Is DA's case against APS educators collapsing? | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:

Get Schooled: Is DA's case against APS educators collapsing?

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KENT D. JOHNSON / AJC

Former Atlanta schools Superintendent Beverly Hall was the leader of a corrupt organization that used students’ test scores to earn bonuses if they rose, or intimidation and termination if they fell, according to a 65-count indictment returned March 29, 2013.

Previous Posts

• Employers can teach workers technology. They can't "teach them to think like a poet." 
  June 18, 2013
• Georgia scores low grade for content preparation of elementary teachers
  June 18, 2013
• Controversial new ratings: No four-star teacher prep programs in Georgia
  June 18, 2013

By Maureen Downey

The Fulton District Attorney's case against former APS school chief Beverly Hall and 34 other Atlanta educators implicated in the cheating scandal seems to be falling apart.

The AJC reports that Fulton Superior Court Judge Jerry Baxter is concerned that the defendants gave coerced statements when interviewed by investigators, which, if true, could undermine the 65-count indictment.

According to the AJC:

If Baxter finds defendants gave compelled statements to the governor’s special investigators or to GBI agents, Fulton prosecutors will then have to prove that they did not use the statements when preparing their case or presenting it to the grand jury.

This determination would require a lengthy quasi trial before the trial, with prosecutors having to put up evidence to show they obtained the indictment independently of any compelled statements given by APS witnesses. They would also have to show that none of their witnesses that they expected to testify at trial read any of the compelled statements.

“It’s an insurmountable burden for the prosecution to show no use was made whatsoever of all this improperly obtained evidence,” said Atlanta attorney Don Samuel, who represents former Parks Middle School principal 

Get Schooled: Word of the day on "Sesame Street": Incarcerated

Because of the more than  2 million American children with one parent in jail or prison, "Sesame Street" has introduced an occasional character dealing with that situation. Alex is orange and afraid to tell his friends that his dad is behind bars. The character's plight is highlighted in one ...

Put On Your Hip Boots: NCTQ Is At It Again. | deutsch29

Put On Your Hip Boots: NCTQ Is At It Again. | deutsch29:

Put On Your Hip Boots: NCTQ Is At It Again.

by deutsch29

Today, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) released its “first ever” “comprehensive” report to the American public “with US News and World Report as publisher.” And according to the NCTQ press release, the results of this sure-to-be-high quality report are “dismal.” Actually, what is “dismal” is how incredibly lame this report is. NCTQ believes that it can sell the American public a piece of propaganda so blatantly foolish that the public would have no choice but to trust NCTQ for a “bold” solution to this “urgent and sweeping” teacher preparation dilemma. (Forgive me. I had to add some overused reformer words in that last sentence.)
Surely NCTQ is both qualified to assess teacher preparation programs and to pass judgment as to what “new teachers deserve” but are not receiving, right?
Surely not.
Most of the NCTQ advisory board members are not teachers. When I wrote this post in February 2013, the 

UPDATE Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State Charter News Comes With Questions

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State Charter News Comes With Questions:

Inquiring Minds Want to Know (and see if the Board Does Its Oversight Job)

by Melissa Westbrook

I recently wrote an e-mail to the Board about two subjects on tonight's Board agenda.

One was the newly-minted Seattle Teacher Residency program.

The other is the Highly Capable Grant application.

Both are on the Intro agenda.  The STR has a number of glaring issues and the Highly Capable Grant application has one (plus a curious reworking of SPS history).


Issues with STR:

- the MOA had been missing two crucial pages.  They are now included and they make for interesting reading.

Washington State Charter News Comes With Questions

by Melissa Westbrook

Over the Washington State Charter Schools Association, they announced the "members of the inaugural Washington State Charter Leader Cohort."  

What's striking to me?

1) "...over two dozen applicants in a national search."  Two dozen over the entire country?  That's all?  Boy, I would have thought they would have droves.  After all, this is what they get:

Cohort members will receive coaching on writing a charter school application and board member recruitment. They will also receive a planning stipend during 2013-14, and a variety of support services, including travel to visit high-performing public charter schools, and office space.

Bullying...with Food Allergies

by Melissa Westbrook

Hard to believe, sad to believe but apparently this is happening.  From the NY Times (bold mine):

Any difference can set schoolchildren apart from their peers and potentially make them a target for bullying. But a severe food allergy is a unique vulnerability: It takes only one lunch or cupcake birthday party for other children to know which classmates cannot eat nuts, eggs, milk or even a trace of wheat. It can take longer for them to grasp how frightening it is to live with a life-threatening allergy.

Surprisingly, classmates may prey on this vulnerability, plotting to switch a child’s lunch to see if she gets sick, 

Another Casualty of Excessive Testing: Great Teachers | toteachornototeach

Another Casualty of Excessive Testing: Great Teachers | toteachornototeach:

Another Casualty of Excessive Testing: Great Teachers

by aristotlethewise

Another Casualty of Excessive Testing: Great Teachers 

by Elaine Weiss

Signs that standardized tests are overused and misused continue to emerge. State and local affiliates of Parents Across America host webinars on the ills of testing and “zombie” rallies, and parent members are opting increasing numbers of their children out of the tests. FairTest’s National Resolution on High-Stakes Testing has garnered over 11,000 individual and 400 organizational signatures.
Those on the front lines of the testing battles, however, have had a hard time being heard. Teachers who object to being judged on the basis of their students’ test scores are labeled as weak or unwilling to be held accountable. Their assertions that test-based evaluations are inaccurate and unreliable are countered with 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: NCTQ 'study' of teacher prep programs is good for something...

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: NCTQ 'study' of teacher prep programs is good for something...:

NCTQ 'study' of teacher prep programs is good for something...

by Mike Klonsky

Darling-Hammond

Yesterday, on my Schooling in the Ownership Society blog, I wrote a sharply critical review of the new so-called "study" by NCTQ, of the nation's ed schools. The group, led by a gaggle of corporate-reform types, follows Arne Duncan's lead in lambasting nearly all teacher preparation programs, labeling them as "an industry of mediocrity," that churns out teachers ill-prepared to work in elementary and high-school classrooms.

Today, after reading  Linda Darling-Hammond's response to the NCTQ report in the Washington Post, I feel I'm on solid ground. Linda, the nation's leading voice on teacher preparation, calls the NCTQ teacher prep ratings, "nonsense."

It is clear as reports come in from programs that NCTQ staff made serious mistakes in its reviews of nearly every institution.  Because they refused to check the data – or even share it – with institutions ahead of time, they published badly flawed information without the fundamental 

LAUSD passes guidelines for Parent Trigger, seeks law's repeal - LA Daily News

LAUSD passes guidelines for Parent Trigger, seeks law's repeal - LA Daily News:

LAUSD passes guidelines for Parent Trigger, seeks law's repeal

by By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer

Following a ruckus over the use of the Parent Trigger law at two Los Angeles Unified schools, the board set guidelines Tuesday for to better deal with efforts to handle the takeover and transformation of low-achieving campuses.

The resolution by board member Steve Zimmer requires the district to independently verify the signatures and how they're gathered by Parent Revolution, the group that helps to organize parents in efforts to take over schools. The district will also increase the amount and types of information available, such as an analysis of five years of school data and the types of reforms attempted in the past.

The Parent Empowerment Act allows parents at struggling schools to "trigger" reforms if more than 50 percent of them petition for change.

In efforts at 24th Street and Weigand Avenue Elementary schools, some parents say that Parent Revolution organizers lied to them in order to get their signatures and refused to rescind them when they asked. Parent Revolution's Gabe Rose, meanwhile, said that some district employees had crossed the line in trying block the group's takeover effort.

Zimmer and others acknowledged, however, that there was little they could do because the Parent Trigger is rooted in state law. Ultimately, they amended the resolution to call for a lobbying effort to repeal it

LAUSD spending $30 million to buy 30,000 iPads for students

by By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer

The Los Angeles Unified board Tuesday approved a $30 million contract to buy iPads for 30,000 students, the first phase in an ambitious plan to equip every pupil with a computer tablet within the next 14 months.

LAUSD board passes $6.2 billion budget

by By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer

The Los Angeles Unified school board passed a $6.2 billion budget for 2013-14 on Tuesday, the first time in five years that deep cuts and gut-wrenching layoffs haven't been part of the financial plan.

Why So Serious? [On Demeanors In The Classroom] - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson

Why So Serious? [On Demeanors In The Classroom] - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson:

Why So Serious? [On Demeanors In The Classroom]

by Jose Vilson

Serious cat.

“Why are you so serious all the time, Mr. Vilson?”
The students just finished giving me my student evaluations, something I thought I’d try this year, but probably waited too long in the year to do.
“Well, it depends …”
And before I could finish, my co-teacher put me on blast by saying that it depends on the situation. The yearbook has a picture of me smiling for the first time all year, sometime during a few thrilling renditions of my favorite band songs. I probably didn’t smile or much until this month, either.
How do I put this? There’s a teacher rule out there that says we shouldn’t smile at the kids until Christmas. It’s