Video: NEA Joins Thousands in Rally for Immigration Reform | NEA Today

Video: NEA Joins Thousands in Rally for Immigration Reform | NEA Today:

Video: NEA Joins Thousands in Rally for Immigration Reform

October 10, 2013 by twalker  
Filed under Featured News, Top Stories

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By Tim Walker

Thousands of people gathered on the National Mall on Tuesday to urge Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill. The March and Rally for Immigrant Dignity and Respect attracted activists from across the country who called on the House of Representatives to bring a bill already approved by the Senate to the floor for a vote. The Border, Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act (H.R. 15) creates a realistic path to citizenship for all the aspiring Americans- including millions of students – who call the United States home and preserves the unity of families.

NEA Executive Director John Stocks addressed the rally. “We advocate on behalf of the children that sit in our classrooms every day – these are our students, the children who educators know by name and by neighborhood and by family. Forcing them to live in the shadows of society because of their legal status is wrong,” said Stocks.

After the protest, Stocks, along with 200 other religious, civil, and community leaders were arrested in the largest civil disobedience action for immigration reform. Ten members of Congres were also arrested, including civil rights legend John Lewis (D-Ga.).

Video: The National Education Association is Standing Up and Saying ‘No More’

Take Action Today – Urge your Representative to co-sponsor and support passage of H.R. 15, comprehensive immigration reform.

Chicago School Closings a Blow to Parental Involvement? | Lorraine Forte

Chicago School Closings a Blow to Parental Involvement? | Lorraine Forte:

Chicago School Closings a Blow to Parental Involvement?

Posted: 10/09/2013 9:17 pm

Any adult who was successful in school will likely remember that their parents played a defining role in that success. What happens during the roughly six-hour school day is only part of the learning equation. Who else but a parent or guardian will make sure children attend school and complete their homework?

Even parents who are not highly educated can help their children succeed by providing the right support and encouragement.

Yet, as our latest issue of Catalyst In Depth reports, parent engagement is shaping up as a weak link for the Chicago Public Schools' massive school closings. This year, 49 schools were shut down -- the most ever at a single time in a large urban school district.

Parent after parent interviewed for this issue expressed dissatisfaction and dismay about the rocky transition to new schools. They cited bus schedules that don't accommodate after-school activities, crowded classrooms, students feeling anxious and unwelcome. The 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-10-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

Needed: School Nurses

Earlier today, I posted Daniel Denvir’s article about the death of a 12-year-old who was having an asthma attack. The school in Philadelphia has a nurse only two days a week, and that day there was none. This reader comments: “I knew that this would happen. I taught in Phila for years and am now retired. Poor children seem to have high incidences of chronic ailments. Asthma is one. These children

by dianerav / 8min 

Child Abuse in New York: Bubble Tests for Kindergarten

The mighty machine that Leaves No Child Untested has now arrived in kindergarten, as tots in New York City encounter their first standardized tests. Children are now learning what matters most in school and getting ready for the Common Core tests, which will place them on a sure path to college- and career-readiness. No more nonsense about sharing and caring. Our nation is falling behind other na

21 by dianerav / 3h 

Why the Sacramento Bee Did Not Mention My Visit

When I spoke in Sacramento last week about today’s failed fads in education, the town’s leading newspaper ignored my appearance. They ignored it even though I was introduced by Tom Torlakson, the state superintendent of education, and even though 1,000 people filled historic Memorial Hall. Now I know why. They published five stories about Shaq O’Neill! I have nothing against Shaq. He is great. W

8 by dianerav / 1h 

The Unavoidable Topic? Can Schools End Poverty?

A reader sent these comments: “The comfort of the rich depends upon an abundant supply of the poor.” ― Voltaire. Schools can not end poverty by simply making sure all students are “career and college ready”. As long as the rich and powerful continue take most of the wealth for themselves, we will have poverty. Wealth is finite. Instead of looking to schools to solve the problem, “we are likely to

2 by dianerav / 15min 

The Two Faces of John Arnold

A friend in a conservative think tank said it was time for me to write a post praising John Arnold for giving $10 million to keep Headstart alive during the federal government shutdown. Arnold was an Enron trader who left with $3 billion before the Enron scam collapsed, destroying the pensions of everyone who worked there. Other Enron executives went to jail, but Arnold got out before the collapse

3 by dianerav / 1h 

EduShyster: Heartbreak and Splitsville in the Corporate Reform Movement

In case you missed the last week of the long-running drama and comedy series, called “Corporate America Wants to Love Public Education to Death,” EduShyster fills you in.  You will laugh and cry as you watch leaders of the movement tear their hair out as they argue about whether the mighty scam perpetrated by the virtual charter schools are truly “reform” or are they, well, scams. You will snicker

by dianerav / 1h 

Today: The Blog Has Had 7 Million Page Views!

I really don’t want to give indigestion to the corporate reformers so early in the day, but I have this one consolation: there are so few of them. Put them all together in one room, and they might fill the grand ballroom of the Hyatt-Regency. That is, if they each bring a friend. But I will tell the news because it proves yet again that we are many, and they are few. This blog has now had more th

by dianerav / 0min mark as read  //  save

A Philadephia Teacher Reviews “Reign of Error”

A blogger called ” Don’t Forget South Central” reviewed “Reign of Error” in ttlatiom to the children and schools of that much maligned and abused city. This is a cry from the bottom of the well, who knows that his or her dedication has been met with contempt by the powerful. A sample: “Reign of Error concludes that disparaging schools makes it easier for the public to accept their destruction an

by dianerav / 3min 

High-Tech Trouble in Fort Bend, Texas, and Guilford County, North Carolina

The Fort Bend Independent School District in Texas bought iPads for students in grades 2-8. After nineteen months, the district put a stop to the 1:1 program and commissioned a report on the initiative, which was “scathing,” according to an article by Ben Herold in Education Week.  Guilford County, North Carolina, bought Amplify tablets for all its students, using millions from Race to the Top mon

by dianerav / 4min 

Pasi Sahlberg’s Lessons for the U.S.

Pasi Sahlberg–the great scholar and expert on Finnish education– has been named a visiting professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, starting in January 2014. This is great news for Harvard but even greater news for the U.S. because it means more people will have a chance to hear him and learn from him. I heard Pasi speak at the National Superintendents Roundtable in Washington, D.C.,

5 by dianerav / 12min 

Crazy Crawfish Reviews “Reign of Error”

Louisiana blogger Jason France blogs as Crazy Crawfish. He worked in the assessment and accountability of the state department of education, so he has the inside scoop on data manipulation for political posturing and glory. In this post, he worries about being too late, but I would say he is just in time. “Reign of Error” gave him the political and historical context he needed. He writes: “Just

1 by dianerav / 14min mark as read  //  save

Mercedes Schneider On Gates and CCSS

Mercedes Schneider has undertaken an immense task. She decided to spend her free time–when she is not teaching–trying to figure out how much the Gates Foundation paid various organizations to write, develop, implement, promote, and advocate for the Common Core standards. This is a herculean job because the foundation has been so free-handed with its money. To its credit, the Gates Foundation has a

7 by dianerav / 14min 

Andrea Gabor: inBloom, Student Data: Follow the Money

In this brilliant and frightening post, Andrea Gabor connects the dots that lead from your child’s personal, confidential information to a data cloud where marketers can hack into everything they want to know about your child. Whose money is behind it? One guess. Who is making money and providing the service? One guess. This is not a trick question, nor is it multiple-choice. This is the future, f

2 by dianerav / 1h mark as read  //  save

Petrilli: Schools Are Best Way to End Poverty

Before I had my own blog, I shared a blog called “Bridging Differences” with Deborah Meier, hosted by Education Week. We had a great run of five years, and then I started this blog. Since then, Deborah has had exchanges with various conservative thinkers. Currently, she is trying to “bridge differences” with Michael Petrilli of the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute. In this post, Mike argue

4 by dianerav / 1h  

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-9-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Mark Naison Reviews “Reign of Error”Mark Naison is the tireless advocate who co-founded the BATs (otherwise known as the Bad Ass Teachers). Wherever I go, I find BATs. He has created a genuine force, an outlet for teachers who want to act and feel helpless. As BATs, they are ready to act and they do. Here he reviews Reign of Error.

by mike simpson / 10h 

10-10-13 Ed Notes Online: Citizens of the World Charter Run By Eva's Husband May Close Due to Low Enrollment

Ed Notes Online: Citizens of the World Charter Run By Eva's Husband May Close Due to Low Enrollment:

ObamaCare IT: Race to the Top - of Incompetence

Reagan: Government is not the solution.Government is the problem.Obama: My administration is doing everything possible to prove President Reagan was right.Really, some of those tea party people are beginning to make sense. Almost. People involved in information technology know full well it never works right. Except the amateurs who designed the Obamacare system.Do you mean to tell me there was no

1 by ed notes online / 5h

More MORE: Making an impact at the DA

RIn all my years of activism one of the happiest moments I had was seeing James Eterno's face as he emerged from the Delegate Assembly yesterday. I was in the midst of trying to get people to take the MORE newsletter, MORE Stuff in Your Mail Bx" and get them to sign up to distribute in their school. I didn't have to work too hard as there were a batch of MOREistas over half my age - one may h

1 by ed notes online / 40min 

Citizens of the World Charter Run By Eva's Husband May Close Due to Low Enrollment

Goodbye Eric (Grannis), good bye EricWe're happy to see you go (even though we don't believe the State Ed Charter Suck-Up Center (CSUC) would ever close a charter even if it had 1 kid left.)We have always said that so-called demand for charters is a mostly homg grown Charters can be beaten back when the community organizes. A UFT official told me at the DA today that Roy Mann MS in Brooklyn had a

2 by ed notes online / 2h 

10-9-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: What they spent but won't pay rent - Report from Inside Eva's Belly of the BeastAs a school co-located with a Success Academy school we were shocked at the silence we encountered this morning as the entire SA school was noticeably missing (at rally).  Upon their return we were even more shocked at the tremendous financial expenditure put forth for this rally with new bright yellow

by mike simpson / 10h 

10-10-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

EngageNY Adds Phone Sex To Liven Up The Lesson Planning

Can't be any more obscene than the classroom lessons they offer at EngageNY:The state Education Department’s EngageNY website was directing people with tech support problems to a telephone number for an engagement of a different kind Thursday.Instead of getting help to log on, people who call the number are greeted with a perky female voice announcing, “Welcome to America’s hottest talk line! Ladi

7 by reality-based edu... / 1h 

De Blasio Has 44 Point Lead Over Lhota In Marist Poll

Still a blowout:Democrat Bill de Blasio has a powerful 44-point lead over Republican Joe Lhota in the race for mayor, according to a Wall Street Journal-NBC 4-Marist poll released Thursday. "It's about as lopsided as you can envision," Marist's Lee Miringoff told the Journal. "Lhota is not a force at this point."43% have an unfavorable view of Lhota, only 32% favorable.De Blasi

by reality-based edu... / 34min

Cuomo Stonewalls Daily News On Corruption Question

Capital Tonight has the transcript between Sheriff Andy and the DN reporter, Glenn Blain:Gov. Andrew Cuomo insisted today that it’s the co-chairs of the Morleand Commission on Public Corruption and not him or his staff who determine who should receive a subpoena. In Utica this afternoon, Cuomo was questioned extensively by The Daily News’s Glenn Blain, whose bureau chief Ken Lovett has broken a nu

by reality-based edu... / 3min 

Nice Day To Be Shorting K-12 Inc

From Ed Week:The stock of online provider K12 Inc. took a steep plunge this week following its release of information showing more modest projections for revenue and student enrollment than analysts had anticipated. In a statement released this week, the company estimated its average enrollment for the schools it manages at 128,000 students for the quarter, which was up nearly 6 percent from the f

by reality-based edu... / 19min 

Andrew Cuomo Won't Say Whether He Advised Moreland Commission To Kill Investigation Into His Campaign Donations

Sheriff Andy caught equivocating:Gov. Cuomo today denied that he or his staff ordered that his anti-corruption kills several subpoenas in recent week.But the governor was less definitive when asked by our Glenn Blain in Utica if he or his staff played a role in guiding those decisions.The Daily News recently reported that the commission and its three co-chairs had signed off on sending subpoenas t

by reality-based edu... / 22min mark as read  //  save

Will Shilling For The ADVANCE Evaluation System Be Mulgrew's Downfall?

Norm Scott at Ed Notes:In all my years of activism one of the happiest moments I had was seeing James Eterno's face as he emerged from the Delegate Assembly yesterday. I was in the midst of trying to get people to take the MORE newsletter, MORE Stuff in Your Mail Bx" and get them to sign up to distribute in their school. I didn't have to work too hard as there were a batch of MOREistas over h

by reality-based edu... / 1h 

What The UFT Leadership Would Do If They Really Wanted To Solve The Evaluation Problems

From NYCDOEnuts at Gotham Charter Schools, in response to the UFT resolution calling for a moratorium on the high stakes attached to tests for a brief period of time:This is just a UFT ploy to trick the members into thinking they are doing something. If the UFT really cared about the rank-and-file they would demand a complete moratorium, on The Common Core, Danielson, and all aspects of Advance. T

by reality-based edu... / 40min 

UFT Leadership Supports ADVANCE Teacher Evaluation System And Danielson Rubric

James Eterno writes up yesterday's Delegate Assembly:Vincent W. from the Movement of Rank and File Educators rose from the room on the 19th floor (Delegate meetings are held on the 2nd floor of UFT HQ while overflow Delegates and visitors can watch on video from a room on the 19th floor) to shoot down the resolution.Vincent's main argument is that the whole evaluation system is flawed.  He pointed

by reality-based edu... / 7min 

Ed Deformer Says If You're A Critic Of Charters, You're A Segregationist

@DianeRavitch @rweingarten YOU, the 'historian', are on the same side of history as the segregationists who fought to keep ppl in the hood.— Dr. Steve Perry (@DrStevePerry) October 9, 2013Ravitch responds:@DrStevePerry @rweingarten George Wallace and Strom Thurmond fought for school choice. Dr. ML King fought for good public schools for all.— Diane Ravitch (@DianeRavitch) October 9, 2013This from

by reality-based edu... / 1h   

10-9-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: UFT Leadership Still Doesnt Realize The Problem Is The Common CoreJames Eterno writes at ICEUFT blog that the UFT Executive Board passed a resolution on Monday night calling for a moratorium on the high stakes part of the new ADVANCE teacher evaluation system.This moratorium call, btw, would be the same thing Randi Weingarten called for a while back.But the UFT Executive Boa

by mike simpson / 10h