10-16-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

New York Times Editorial Fails Another Fact Check on Charter Schools

The NYTimes Editorial Board is one of the most reliable voices for the corporate education losers who continue to double down on testing accountability policies and privatization schemes that now have decades of evidence to substantiate their failure.  Today's entry is on charter schools, which has this nugget: The editorial states:
"A study published earlier this year shows that the typic

by Jim Horn / 23min 

A CorpEd Quandary: How to Reward Teachers in High Poverty Schools With a System That Punishes Them for Working There

Always looking for an opportunity to support corporate ed reform schools, the Memphis Commerical-Appeal has an editorial today in support of Mississippi’s attempt toestablish merit pay for its teachers.  The editorial board offers no research to support its support, and the editors use the same conflicted rhetoric that CorpEd uses to call for rewarding teachers based on test scores, while rewa

2 by Jim Horn / 3min 

Diane Ravitch Documents the Danger of "E-land"

In Reign of Error, Diane Ravitch writes, “Some - a small but important number – believe they are acting rationally by treating the public education sector as an investment opportunity.” Who can argue with that conclusion?Ravitch is tough on Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and his chief of staff, Joanne Weiss. Ravitch did not put words in Weiss’s mouth, however, when the director of the Race to

by John Thompson / 4min 

10-15-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: Hess, Please Begin the MoratoriumI recently called for a moratorium on white men pontificating on race, class, and gender—prompted by a series of blogs by Michael Petrilli. So when I read Rick Hess's "Teachers Deserve (But Have to Earn) Their Seat at the Table," I immediately asked myself a few things: (1) Is this April 1?, (2) Has Hess finally become the unintentional se

by mike simpson / 10h

'Common Core State Standards is not a dirty word' » redefinED

'Common Core State Standards is not a dirty word' » redefinED:

‘Common Core State Standards is not a dirty word’

By RON MATUS On OCTOBER 15, 2013

Chartrand

The wild debate about Common Core veered into unexpected territory Tuesday, with the board that governs education in the nation’s fourth largest state having a lengthy debate about whether to actually use the term.

In response to mostly-Tea Party-driven objections, Florida Gov. Rick Scott directed the Florida Department of Education to take public input on the standards, both on its website and at three public forums. But the DOE doesn’t refer to them as Common Core State Standards, instead describing them on the site as “Florida’s currently adopted English language arts and mathematics standards.”

That’s technically true. The Florida Board of Education adopted the standards in 2010. But board member Kathleen Shanahan raised objections to the term “Florida standards,” saying it could create confusion with the public and “disenfranchise” thousands of Florida teachers who are already teaching Common Core State Standards.

At one point, Shanahan asked the department’s communications director if DOE was going to use the term Common Core State Standards in its communications efforts. When she indicated she wasn’t satisfied with the answer – “Is that a yes or a no?” – Commissioner Pam Stewart offered that until the

- See more at: http://www.redefinedonline.org/2013/10/common-core-state-standards-is-not-a-dirty-word/#sthash.IAhjfXKt.dpuf

Why Is NY Times Worrying about School Funding in Kansas? | janresseger

Why Is NY Times Worrying about School Funding in Kansas? | janresseger:

Why Is NY Times Worrying about School Funding in Kansas?

Posted on October 16, 2013 by janresseger

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities thirteen states have cut per-student education funding by more than 10 percent since the recession began five years ago.  The top four school finance slashers are Oklahoma, which has cut funding for K-12 public education by 22.7 percent, Alabama by 20.1 percent, Arizona by 17.2 percent, and Kansas by 16.5 percent.

In a 2006 decision, Montoy v. State, the supreme court of Kansas “ordered cost-based, sufficient, and equitable funding,” “based upon actual costs to educate children,” according to the Education Law Center (here, here, and here).  However, the legislature failed to fund the remedy fully, and as the economy of Kansas began to recover from the 2008 recession, Governor Sam Brownback and the legislature passed a five-year $3.7 billion tax cut instead of increasing the amount of money for public education.

In response, in 2010 plaintiffs pushed back, filing Gannon v. State, and leading to a unanimous trial court decision early in January 2013 in support of more funding for K-12 public schools.  The trial court demanded  that the state immediately increase investment in  education by at least $440 million.  The state, of course, appealed , and last week the supreme court in Kansas heard oral arguments.

Because Kansas is so very far in every way from New York, I was stunned to see the New York Times take the unusual step of editorializing in this case: “The court should quickly put 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-16-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

EduShyster: John King’s Gift to the Opt-Out Movement

EduShyster has a guest blogger who graduated from the fine public schools of Long Island, then went on to excel in the nation’s finest universities. In this post, Sue Altman thinks that John King is the best thing that ever happened to the opt-out movement. The more he talks, the more he angers parents. She thinks he canceled his planned visit to Long Island because the parents and the students ar

4 by dianerav / 36min mark as read  //  save

Reader: A Motto for Mr. Pitbull’s Charter School?

Yesterday, I posted a story about a charter school in Miami founded by a rapper known as Pitbull. This fellow was lauded by NPR for his philanthropy in founding a charter school. The fact that he has no qualifications to run or create a school is of no matter. He is known for his vulgar language and his contempt for women. The school will be managed by a for-profit corporation that has become very

3 by dianerav / 1h 

Why Does the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Love Common Core?

I got a letter in my email today (cited below) from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, telling me how the future prosperity of our nation depends on adoption of the Common Core standards. I wonder how many members of the Chamber have ever seen a copy of the Common Core standards? Why do they think they will produce miraculous changes in test scores? What evidence do they have about the validity of thes

by dianerav / 4min 

Professor: Do Not Write Letters of Recommendation for TFA

This professor urges her colleagues not to write letters of recommendation for TFA. In this post, she explains why. Ironically, she is a TFA alum, yet she thinks that TFA has become part of the neoliberal attack on the public sector. Sh writes to her colleagues in higher education: “I encourage each of you to stand with me in refusing to write letters of recommendation for students who are applyi

10 by dianerav / 21min 

Letisha James Rocks the PEP: “Save Your Emails”

I can’t begin to summarize the emotional impact of this 4 minute speech by Letisha James, who will soon be the Public Advocate of New York City. She recently won a run-off election to be the #2 ranked official in the city. Her election in November is a foregone conclusion. As you will see in the video, she is a fierce advocate for public schools and for children with special needs. She is a powerf

1 by dianerav / 27min 

America’s Student Revolutionaries

This article was posted today on Huffington Post. They gave it a wonderful title, better than mine: “Our Kids Today: The Greatest Generation?”     The members of the Providence Student Union are the most creative and best informed critics of high-stakes testing in the nation. They can run rings around the public officials in Rhode Island when they explain the damage done by high-stakes testing. Th

3 by dianerav / 52min mark as read  //  save

A NY Parent Objects to Commissioner King’s Cancellation of Parent Meetings

John King, Commissioner of New York’s education system, was booed repeatedly when he held his first parent meeting in upstate New York. The parents expressed their low opinion of his policies, his mandates, the Common Core, the Pearson testing, and the contempt King shows for teachers, principals, and public schools. He opted out. He canceled all future public meetings with parents. This Long Isla

3 by dianerav / 1h 

De Blasio Vs. Lhota: Are Charter Co-Locations Fair?

A report from an insider at the New York City Department of Education, in response to the first debate between Democratic candidate Bill di Blasio and Republican candidate Joe Lhota: New York City last night was treated to two starkly different visions of public schools. We had a mayoral debate in which a progressive candidate who believes in voice for parents and communities battled a candidate i

2 by dianerav / 1h 

News from Wisconsin: “Reign of Error” Puts Voucher Advocates on Defensive

A progressive Wisconsin newspaper reports that “Reign of Error” has thrown voucher advocates onto the f Defensive. Despite the obvious failure of vouchers in Milwaukee, Governor Scott Walker has expanded the voucher program to a larger geographical area and lifted the income limits for participants. His goal becomes clear: he has no interest in saving poor children from “failing public schools,” b

2 by dianerav / 14min 

Denver: Fight the Testing Madness on Saturday

Hi SOS Supporters, On October 19th, there are two actions against high stakes testing in Denver. Please join or support them in whatever way you can.  If you enjoy dressing as a Zombie, join the Zombie crawl and protest turning our students into testing zombies.  Visit the tumblr to learn more. http://testingkillsbrains.tumblr.com/ Also, they are specifically looking for volunteers at the followin

by dianerav / 4min 

Haimson: How Charter Co-Locations Hurt Public School Children

Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters explains here in shocking detail how charter co-locations harm New York City’s neediest children. Here is a sample: “These proposals will uniformly disadvantage the children in the existing schools, cause even more overcrowding and larger classes, and push disabled students out of the spaces they need for special services. Some of the examples have been descr

2 by dianerav / 10min 

Politico: Vouchers Are $1 Billion Waste of Taxpayer Dollars

Stephanie Simon, one of the nation’s best investigative education journalists, reports that vouchers are a costly failure. In every case where they were adopted, voucher advocates claimed they would “save poor kids from failing public schools,” but nowhere has the promise been true. Voucher advocates insist that they are supporting the “right” of children to attend a private or religious school wi

5 by dianerav / 34min mark as read  //  save

A Terrifying Report about Child Abuse in Texas Schools–and in Your State Too

Do students have the right not to be subjected toe tall and psychological abuse? If a side and chronic stress rsise test scores, are they acceptable? A group of mental health professionals prepared the following report. It is long. It is painful to read. This is what many schools are doing to our children. They must be stopped. This borders on criminality. Wake up. It is happening in many states

36 by dianerav / 1h 

Will the Reformers Kill Common Core?

Jeff Bryant at the Education Opportunity Network is not a critic of Common Core. He is a thoughtful observer. In this brilliant post, he shows that the worst enemies of Common Core are its advocates. Why are kindergarten children given standardized tests? Why are teachers compelled to follow scripted curricula? Why are teachers and parents’ voices disregarded? Why the rush? Why the gloating over

19 by dianerav / 1h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-15-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Mercedes Schneider: Who Created the Common Core? How Did It Happen?Mercedes Schneider follows an interesting story. How did it happen that “the states” agreed to create common standards? What was the federal role? Who led this effort? How did it work? Was it really led by the states? How did it happen that the United States has nat

by mike simpson / 10h 

10-16-13 Jersey Jazzman

Jersey Jazzman:

Syracuse: The Failure Of Test-Based Teacher Evaluation

No wonder NY Education Commissioner John King is hiding in an undisclosed location:   Syracuse -- Virtually all the teachers at Henninger High School received fewer points than they should have on performance evaluations handed out Friday, several teachers told The Post-Standard. The issue drove some teachers from an "effective" rating to "developing," and others from "d

4 by Duke / 0min 

10-13-13 Jersey Jazzman

Jersey Jazzman: One More Time: Why Isn't Diane Ravitch On My TV?Pick up the dead tree version of the NY Times today, and you'll see that Diane Ravitch's new book, Reign of Error, has been on the bestseller list for two weeks. And it will be there next week as well. Michelle Rhee's Radical never made the NY Times bestseller list - a feat Ravitch has now accomplished three times. And yet Michelle Rh

by mike simpson / 6h

10-16-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

In Flight InBloom

Why Are Some New Jersey Teachers Voting Tea Party Against Booker?

Dear Democrats, Yes, you got that right. I am voting for Lonegan. Actually, I am voting against Newark Mayor Democrat Cory Booker. How did that happen? In my 39 year voting history, I have pulled the lever for two Republicans ... I am a Newark teacher teaching this year in a renew school. My man Booker is a supporter of charter schools. He advocates for Teach for America. He was instrumental in br

1 by ed notes online / 8min 

PEP Notes - Tish James Rocks the House

You have 77 days and the count-down has begun.... When you treat special needs children differently and when you discipline them and expel them that's separate and unequal... I urge you in anticipation of litigation to save all your emails (especially related to communication with Eva Moskowitz)... That is why I was elected (along with Bill de Blasio) ... that is our mandate... we gotta get back 1

1 by ed notes online / 49min 

UFT Charter Exempt From Teacher Evaluation System or Race To The Top

UFT CHARTER SCHOOL: Not participating ... NYSED Dept listing of Race To the Top participating and non-participating schoolsGuess who is on the list of schools not participating in the teacher evaluation system? SurPRISE!UFT CHARTER SCHOOLhttp://eservices.nysed.gov/rtttlea/showAll.htmlI am rendered speechless - for once. Oh, I'm sure there is a good explanation from the UFT as to why they fostered

5 by ed notes online / 3h mark as read  //  save

Hitler Objects to Opt-Out Movement: High Stakes Standardized Testing in New York....the DOWNFALL!

Relentless standardized testing is the ONLY WAY to stop children from learning to think for themselves... Adolph HitlerTruly as on target as you can get.http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OvKVkitKOgk&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DOvKVkitKOgk

1 by ed notes online / 3h 

TONIGHT AT PEP: Call on Mayoral Candidates to Reverse Bloomberg “Lame Duck” Co-locations/Closings, Blast Lhota’s Charter-centric Message

I'll be there to tape it all. Many schools affected are organizing to be there.FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 15, 2013Media Contacts:Julian Vinocur. 203.313.2479. julianvinocur@gmail.com Dan Morris. 917.952.8920. dlmcommunications@gmail.comStuart Marques. 917.273.6194. stuart.marques@gmail.com  NY-GPS to Protest Outside PEP, Call on Mayoral Candidates to Reverse Bloomberg “Lame Duck” Co-locations/

1 by ed notes online / 3h 

10-15-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Citizens of the World Charter To Use Dead Souls To Bolster Enrollment in Effort to Stay OpenWith the school threatened with closing due to low enrollment (as the so-called charter demand is once more exposed), Citizens of the World supporter Eric Grannis (the husband of Evil Moskowitz) is scouting local cemeteries for recruits.State Ed Commissioner John King approved of the move.

by mike simpson / 10h