UPDATE: Set up for failure? New standards, exams highlight school resource needs | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Set up for failure? New standards, exams highlight school resource needs | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

Set up for failure? New standards, exams highlight school resource needs

by thenotebook on Oct 16 2013 Posted in Latest news

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by Sara Neufeld, The Hechinger Report

After three years of stops and starts, the state of Pennsylvania is moving ahead with new public education standards and exams required for high school graduation. But without funding to implement the new mandates, educators in Philadelphia and other cash-strapped districts say their students are being set up for failure.

Many teachers, administrators, and advocates praise the Pennsylvania Core Standards for their emphasis on critical thinking and greater depth in fewer topics. They also like the idea of graduation exams to make sure a high school diploma has value. But they vehemently disagree with state officials’ contention that schools should not need additional resources to comply with the new requirements, since districts train teachers and revise curriculum routinely anyway.

“There isn’t enough money in Philadelphia to provide for basic instruction,” said Rosalind Jones-Johnson, education director for Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, predicting that the new exams will lead to an increased high school dropout rate and, consequently, increased poverty. “To mandate this and not 

At SRC meeting, focus shifts from parent engagement to parent frustration

by Isaac Riddle  In a Tuesday evening School Reform Commission meeting intended to discuss and encourage parental involvement, parents and community leaders vented their frustrations about the conditions in local schools and their feeling that they aren’t being included in the decision-making process at schools or the District.  Image:  Photo Credits:  Isaac Riddle read more

by thenotebook / 1h 

Notes from the news, Oct. 16

Parents seek communication with SRC. Inquirer Former students of shuttered charter school return for last time. Daily News D.A.s urge more spending on preschool. Daily News Cities are trying to fix their schools by luring the middle class: It won't work. Atlantic Safe Corridor workers say city owes them pay, but city says they were never hired. NBC 10 As a writing tutor, I’m learning just how much

by thenotebook / 9min 

John King’s Gift to Parents | EduShyster

John King’s Gift to Parents | EduShyster:

John King’s Gift to Parents

Posted on October 16, 2013

John King just gave New York parents the perfect spark to fuel the boycott fire.

By Sue Altman
John King cancelled a town hall style meeting in Garden City, NY this week where he was scheduled to discuss policy around testing and education reform. Following a raucous meeting in Poughkeepsie, King accused “special interests” of “manipulating parents” and called off the show.

Gasp! My goodness, will someone please tell us, who are these “special interests” that lurk so menacingly this October? Are they swashbuckling pirates wheeling and dealing crooked deals in yachts off South Hampton? Or thuggish crowbar-swinging hit men sent by mobsters from Merrick?  Who are these 

10-16-13 teacherken at Daily Kos

teacherken at Daily Kos:

Leaves on the Current - procedure done, and now we wait

Today she finished her autologous stem cell transplant.  After two days of a chemo slam to wipe out the cancer cells (and in the process her immune system) today at Noon she got back her own stem cells.  First she received several prophylactic medicines as a precaution - anti-nausea, diuretic, and some stuff to suppress any possible allergic reaction to the preservatives used to protect her stem c

3 by rss@dailykos.com ... / 41min 

Washington Post endorses Northam for VA Lt Gov

which is no surprise, given how crazy E. W. Jackson, the Republican nominee, is. The Post endorsement is not unexpected. But it is powerful. The relevant text can be found here at the Northam campaign website. Two paragraphs are key:   In the race for lieutenant governor, a sober, low-key and well-respected Democratic state senator, Ralph S. Northam of Norfolk, is pitted against E.W. Jackson of Ch

3 by rss@dailykos.com ... / 27min mark as read  //  save

What Bill Gates really thinks of Common Core State Standards

can be seen in this brief video clip, from when he addressed the National Council of State Legislators in 2009 Please note:  he is thinking less from the standpoint of what is good for the individual students than what is good for the vendors Ask yourself, where is the focus on the individual child? And note the key words from the remarks by Gates: a large uniform base of customers our students s

6 by rss@dailykos.com ... / 27min 

Daily Kos: House Republicans will not go along with the Senate

Daily Kos: House Republicans will not go along with the Senate: House Republicans will not go along with the SenatebyteacherkenFollownot without a fightthe following is from a breaking news email from Politico:House Republicans will move their own debt ceiling and government funding bill, GOP leaders announced in a closed meeting Tuesday.The bill will delay Obamacare's medical device tax for two y

by mike simpson / 8h 

Process Matters in a Democracy: Common Core Fails the Test - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Process Matters in a Democracy: Common Core Fails the Test - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

Process Matters in a Democracy: Common Core Fails the Test

By Anthony Cody on October 16, 2013 10:11 AM

Our nation is nominally a democracy, though this concept is greatly frayed and largely impaired. One of the core concepts that holds a democratic nation together, and allows it to move forward in a reasonably united fashion is the processes by which decisions are made. Decisions that violate democratic process are not legitimate.

Process matters.

 In Poughkeepsie, New York, last week we saw the effects of a process gone awry. What was billed as a two-hour long community forum to hear concerns over the Common Core was dominated for the first ninety minutes by presentations from State Education Commissioner John King. Parents were given less than thirty minutes to speak, and were repeatedly interrupted by officials from the stage who wanted to dispute what they had to say. The result was tumult and frustration. And even this facsimile of democracy has been cut short, with future such forums being cancelled. 

But the real failure in process had occurred years before. Let's take a look at what went wrong here. The federal Department of Education was created over the opposition of many people who 

See “Morning Joe” with Joe absenting himself from the set!!! | Bill Ayers

See “Morning Joe” with Joe absenting himself from the set!!! | Bill Ayers:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

  

Bill Ayers on De Blasio, Obama, and the Shutdown -- Daily Intelligencer

Bill Ayers on De Blasio, Obama, and the Shutdown -- Daily Intelligencer: Today at 12:08 PM  17CommentsBill Ayers on ‘Commie’ De Blasio, Moderate Obama, and the Government ShutdownBy Joe Coscarelli115Share on emailBarack Obama's alleged terrorist pal, Weather Underground co-founder and former University of Illinois professor Bill Ayers, did not cease to exist after the 2008 election. In fact, the p

2 by mike simpson / 13h

The Value Added & Growth Score Train Wreck is Here | School Finance 101

The Value Added & Growth Score Train Wreck is Here | School Finance 101:

The Value Added & Growth Score Train Wreck is Here

Posted on October 16, 2013

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In case you hadn’t noticed evidence is mounting of a massive value-added and growth score train wreck. I’ve pointed out previously on this blog that there exist some pretty substantial differences in the models and estimates of teacher and school effectiveness being developed in practice across states for actual use in rating, ranking, tenuring and firing teachers – and rating teacher prep programs – versus the models and data that have been used in high profile research studies. This is not to suggest that the models and data used in high profile research studies are ready for prime time in high stakes personnel decisions.  They are not. They reveal numerous problems of their own. But many if not most well-estimated, carefully vetted value-added models used in research studies a) test alternative specifications including use of additional covariates at the classroom and school level, or include various “fixed effects” to better wash away potential bias and b) through this process, end up using substantially reduced samples of teachers for whom data on substantial samples of students across multiple sections/classes within year and across years are available (see, for example: http://nepc.colorado.edu/files/NEPC-RB-LAT-VAM_0.pdf ). Constraints 

10-16-13 Wait What?

Wait What?:

No Joke: Year 2 Alliance District “kickoff” tomorrow despite Pryor’s failure to get money to Alliance Districts

Although Connecticut’s school districts are over 100 days into the fiscal year and more than six weeks into the school year, a number of Connecticut’s Alliance Districts still haven’t heard whether their “grant applications” have been approved by Commissioner Stefan Pryor’s and his hapless Turnaround Office. Other Alliance Districts have heard funding is coming but […]The post No Joke: Year 2 Alli

5 by jonpelto / 59min 

The power (abuse) of incumbency is alive and well in the State of Connecticut.

Maybe they just can’t help themselves… The television advertisement came on during the Cooking Channel’s popular Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives show.  One moment it was Guy Fieri talking about a fish taco and the next it was Governor Malloy telling people about a forum for distressed homeowners to be held Oct. 22 at the Connecticut […]The post The power (abuse) of incumbency is alive and well in the

2 by jonpelto / 10min 

Another school day at Capital Prep – And Steve Perry is taking care of his business…

The principal of Capital Prep Magnet School is at it again – taking care of his private business – paid for by the taxpayers of Hartford and Connecticut. Date: Tuesday, October 15, 2013 Time:  11:06 A.M. “Joining us now is renowned educator Dr. Steve Perry, here to discuss his new book, Push Has Come to […]The post Another school day at Capital Prep – And Steve Perry is taking care of his business

3 by jonpelto / 56min 

10-15-13 Wait What?

Wait What?: Capital Prep Principal and No-Excuse Champion Steve Perry: Too big to follow rules?Every Hartford principal knows that rules when it comes to being at work in the weeks leading up to the Connecticut Mastery Testing… “FURTHER, NO VACATIONS OR PROFESSIONAL LEAVE WILL BE APPROVED FOR PRINCIPALS DURING THE PERIOD FEBRUARY 22 THROUGH MARCH 22, 2011” -Hartford Public Schools; The Office of T

by mike simpson / 8h 

10-16-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:

The Stranger Endorses Peters, Blanford

The Stranger editorial board has come out with its endorsements for the General Election.  Here's what they had to say about the School Board races (note, this is The Stranger writing so do keep that in mind when reading if you don't normally read their prose):Director District No. 4Sue Peters Dear god, it's school board time. Kill us. The Seattle School Board is the most brain-liquefying thing sh

by Melissa Westbrook / 53min 

Parallel Discussion: HC Task Force #1, Student Identification

The current advanced learning task force has been charged with reviewing the systems and processes for qualifying students for Highly Capable services and Advanced Learning programs in Seattle Public Schools. The committee is supposed to work toward a shared approach for determining which students qualify for Highly Capable services and Advanced Learning programs that best benefits students. Altho

by Charlie Mas / 7min 

10-15-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Tuesday Open ThreadWhat's on your mind?by Melissa Westbrook / 14min 10-14-13 Seattle Schools Community ForumSeattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle School Board Campaigns - What Does a "Positive" Campaign Look Like?Ballots are to drop on Wednesday the 16th and I have two questions:1) Is politics like love and war - all is fair in order to win?  As we are

by mike simpson / 7h 

Uncle Sam Shouldn't Try to Manage School Staffing :: Frederick M. Hess

Uncle Sam Shouldn't Try to Manage School Staffing :: Frederick M. Hess:

Uncle Sam Shouldn't Try to Manage School Staffing

by Frederick M. Hess  •  Oct 16, 2013 at 9:16 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

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Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has been charged by critics, spanning from Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) to anti-school reform icon Diane Ravitch, with trying to turn the U.S. Department of Education into a "national school board." The charge has much merit.

The Obama administration has used its Race to the Top program and unprecedented, far-reaching conditions for states seeking "waivers" from the No Child Left Behind Act's most destructive requirements as excuses to micromanage what states are doing on teacher evaluation, school turnarounds, and much else. In a new, particularly troubling twist, the administration has announced that states will henceforth have to ensure that "effective" teachers are distributed in a manner Uncle Sam deems equitable.

On the one hand, sensible steps to encourage district and union officials to get more effective teachers in high-poverty schools is obviously a good thing. That said, skepticism is warranted when considering Uncle Sam's ability to start telling states where to assign teachers. There are three particular concerns. Ill-conceived policies might move teachers from schools and classrooms where they are effective to situations when they are less effective. Heavy-handed efforts to reallocate teachers could drive good teachers from the profession. And we are far less able to identify "effective" teachers in any cookie-cutter fashion than federal 

Students at Lorne Street Elementary can see books - but can't check them out | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC

Students at Lorne Street Elementary can see books - but can't check them out | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC:

Students at Lorne Street Elementary can see books - but can't check them out

Annie Gilbertson | October 16th, 2013, 6:00am

SLIDESHOW

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Annie Gilbertson/KPCC

Lorne St. Elementary School parents and students wrote over one thousand letters addressed to Superintendent John Deasy, requesting their library be reopened.

Despite increasing school budgets, one victim of years of budget cuts remains: shuttered school libraries.

When budgets tightened post recession, the Los Angeles Unified School District told principals they'd have to find money in their budgets for librarians or library aides - positions that used to be budged directly by the district.

Lorne St. Elementary in Northridge was among dozens that got creative using volunteers or a regular classroom aide in the library. That appears to violate the district's contract with the union, so Lorne Street had to close the library. Hallie 

Why Doesn't the Constitution Guarantee the Right to Education? - Stephen Lurie - The Atlantic

Why Doesn't the Constitution Guarantee the Right to Education? - Stephen Lurie - The Atlantic:

Why Doesn't the Constitution Guarantee the Right to Education?

Every country that outperforms the U.S. has a constitutional or statutory commitment to this right.

 

Ron Edmonds/AP Photo

“The Learning Curve,” the global ranking of education systems produced by the publishing company Pearson, is by most accounts a beautiful publication. A harmonious blend of narrative, appealing infographics, and images of joyous learning, the report sets about rating the performance of various school systems as nicely as it can. For the American reader, once they scroll past the advice and best practices, finding the U.S. slot isn’t as pretty. By the report’s latest edition, in 2012, the United States education system sits at 17th place out of 40 countries, and it’s not just behind those socialist Scandinavians. In addition to the classic northern European bloc—Finland (1st), Netherlands (7th), Denmark (9th)—the superior contenders also come from Asia (2nd through 5th), Oceania (New Zealand, 8; Australia, 13), the rest of Europe, and indeed, even Canada (a respectable 10th).

Each of the countries ahead of the U.S. has a fundamental commitment in