Thursday, November 7, 2013

States’ testing exec embraces California’s controversial decision for Common Core tests EdSource Today

States’ testing exec embraces California’s controversial decision for Common Core tests

November 7th, 2013 | Add a Comment |
By John Fensterwald

Joe Willhoft discussed the forthcoming Common Core field test before the State Board.

The executive director of Smarter Balanced, a consortium of states developing the new Common Core assessments, said he supports California’s decision to give the field, or practice, test in the new standards to all students next spring, rather than limit the pilot to a small test group as other states are doing.

“The field test is a great opportunity to pressure-test” districts’ capacity to handle computer-based assessments, Joe Willhoft said in comments Wednesday before the State Board of Education. “I applaud California for its decision to expand to as many schools as possible.”

Willhoft’s remarks won’t solve the state’s conflict over the field test with the U.S. Department of Education, which is threatening to withhold an estimated $45 million it gives the state Department of Education to administer federal Title I programs and standardized tests. But Willhoft did support the state’s reasoning, and he said he wished more of the 26 Smarter Balanced states had followed California’s example.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has offered to exempt school districts and states from giving their state standardized tests for grades 3 through 8 and 11 if they give the Common Core

State board backs off integrated science standards in middle school - by Kathryn Baron

In a surprise move that disappointed California’s top educator but relieved some teachers, the State Board of Education on Wednesday backed away from a proposal that would have radically changed the way middle school students learn science. The State Board had been expecting to vote on a recommendation to teach integrated ... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit the Edsource Today website for

by Kathryn Baron / 6h mark as read // save

Building school district stability extends beyond the superintendent - by Charles Taylor Kerchner / Special to EdSource

The Los Angeles Unified School District board bought itself a little stability last week when it extended Superintendent John Deasy’s contract for a year by handing him a “satisfactory” rating in his annual evaluation. Buying stability can be a good thing; it’s a key to educational success. “Stability helps move toward continuous improvement,” said ... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit the

by Charles Taylor Ke... / 4h

What is Wrong with Vouchers? | Deborah Meier on Education

What is Wrong with Vouchers? | Deborah Meier on Education:

What is Wrong with Vouchers?

Posted on November 6, 2013 by nicholasmeier

Nicholas Meier

The rhetoric behind vouchers is that if everyone had vouchers parents could select the best school for their child instead of being forced to go to “government” schools*.

Where does such logic fall apart? There are two main logistical reasons it is really a false promise. One is economic and the other is question of who gets to choose.

The private schools that the elite send their children to cost tens of thousands of dollars a year to attend. I looked up a few progressive private schools and tuition ranged from $20,000 to well over $30,000, more than many private colleges. And the actual amount they spend per pupil is well over the tuition since they raise lots of extra money from alumni. (They also tend to pay their non-unionized teachers significantly less than public schools.)

Since at best the voucher proposals I have seen only pay a small fraction of that, these vouchers will leave the recipients with few real choices without putting out a lot more money. I do not think the public is going to go for vouchers of $20,000+ and have never even heard such figures discussed. If

Proud Mom

Jason Carter enters the governor's race and brings a focus on... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

Jason Carter enters the governor's race and brings a focus on... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:

Jason Carter enters the governor's race and brings a focus on education

COMMENT(1)
2 5 5 12

View Larger

State senator is grandson of former President Jimmy Carter

Jason Getz

Sen. Jason Carter, D-Decatur, asks a question about House Bill 487 during Legislative Day 34 in the Senate Chambers at the State Capitol on March 14, 2013.

Bully posts his attack on classmate on Facebook. Now, he's under arrest.
November 6, 2013
Georgia schools teetering, but are taxpayers willing to offer steadying hand?
November 6, 2013
Despite mandate for change, voters didn't change all that they could have in APS board
November 6, 2013

By Maureen Downey

Jason Carter is running for governor. Since he was elected a state senator from the Decatur area, the grandson of Jimmy Carter has made education his focus. He has championed changes to HOPE that considered rural students and has traveled the state on a listening tour on school issues.

His entry into the governor’s race will put a new emphasis on education. From the very start, Carter has been talking about education, often sending me notes about issues that he thinks need legislative action. And he reads everything, including all those long, tedious reports that many lawmakers just toss aside.

I am happy to see him enter the race as education deserves more attention in the Georgia State House.

Before we get the kneejerk reaction here on the blog that the younger Carter is running on his grandfather’s coattails, let me

Privatization of Education Won’t Erase Savage Inequalities | janresseger

Privatization of Education Won’t Erase Savage Inequalities | janresseger:

Privatization of Education Won’t Erase Savage Inequalities

Posted on November 7, 2013 by janresseger

For generations our society has committed itself to the provision of public education—publicly funded, universally available, and accountable to the public—as the best institution for balancing the needs of each particular child and family with the need to crate a system that secures the rights and addresses the needs of all children.

New articles published this week trace two specific ways we are veering from these ideals.

In the New York Times, Eduardo Porter reports that In Public Education, Edge Still Goes to Rich. Porter quotes Andreas Schleicher, who manages international educational assessments for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (O.E.C.D.): “The bottom line is that the vast majority of O.E.C.D. countries either invest equally into every student or disproportionately more into disadvantaged students. The U.S. is one of the few countries doing the opposite.” Porter provides stunning numbers that document educational investment disparities reminiscent of the Savage Inequalities Jonathan Kozol reported 22 years ago. According to Porter, “In New York… in 2011 the value of property in the poorest 10 percent of school districts amounted to some $287,000 per student…. In the richest districts it amounted, on average, to $1.9 million.” Porter reports that spending per-pupil across the states ranges

NYC Educator: Does Common Core Align with Danielson?

NYC Educator: Does Common Core Align with Danielson?:

Does Common Core Align with Danielson?

I look at the Danielson Rubric and I see an awful lot about engaging the students. Active, happy kids are a big plus if they're using the Danielson Rubric. You want them to be asking questions on their own, to know there are procedures in place, and to remind one another what they are. You want them in groups, and you want the groups established for some reason or other.

And yet, Common Core is all about rigor. You read how David Coleman, or whatever expert they have this week, says no one wants to know how kids feel. That's not important. The important thing is to get them to read archaic documents with language no one uses anymore, and to have them answer incredibly difficult questions. And just in case they accidentally slip in anything that's fun in any way, you will analyze it so deeply that every last drop of fun will be utterly squeezed out of it.

I always thought how people feel is important. In fact, I thought if you read things that touched your feelings in some way, you'd like them better. I always try to find things like that for kids to read, so that reading becomes a positive experience for them. Yet now, with Common Core telling us that To Kill a Mockingbird

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

PWCS – Where Doing Nothing is World Class! | PWC Education Reform Blog

PWCS – Where Doing Nothing is World Class! | PWC Education Reform Blog:

PWCS – Where Doing Nothing is World Class!

November 6, 2013 — pwceducationreform

So… PWCS has $2.7 million of “extra” revenue to play with. What should they do?

A few years ago the school division deliberately decided to run class sizes up the state’s legal maximum so that they’d have money available for other priorities. We now have classes in some high schools and middle schools with 35, or more, students. Teachers are overworked and are struggling keep up. Maybe doing something about that would be wise.

Chairman Johns raised the issue tonight. He got shot down.

That whole “any extra money we get will be allocated to reducing class sizes” promise that every school board member made and Superintendent agreed with when they deliberately chose to make class sizes this large, was a load of cow paddies.

What was the reason for doing absolutely nothing about class sizes?

Because having kids change classes in the middle of the year would be disruptive and we need a plan.

I’ve been asking for a plan to reduce class sizes for more than a year now. So has Jim Livingston. So has just abou

11-6-13 Jersey Jazzman: Marie Corfield: An American Hero

Jersey Jazzman: Marie Corfield: An American Hero:

Marie Corfield: An American Hero

There's a lot to say after yesterday, and a lot to do starting tomorrow. But before all of that, let's get one very important thing out of the way: Marie Corfield - proud to be a mother, a teacher, and a real Jersey girl - is a genuine American hero. We teachers are generally not a very outgoing or outspoken lot. We obviously didn't get into the profession for the money or the prestige or the so

13 by Duke / 27min

11-4-13 Jersey Jazzman Teacher Christie Bullied on Ed Show Tonight!

Jersey Jazzman: Teacher Christie Bullied on Ed Show Tonight!Melissa Tomlinson, the teacher who dared to ask Chris Christie a question and got excoriated in the process, will be on MSNBC's The Ed Show tonight, 5 pm EST. I can't wait to hear her side of the story in her own words. Unpresidential behavior.67 by Duke / 1h mark as read // saveChristie's Never-Ending War On TeachersWhen Chris Christie

by mike simpson / 1h

Teachers union leader urges Chris Christie to apologize to teacher he yelled at

Teachers union leader urges Chris Christie to apologize to teacher he yelled at:

Teachers union leader urges Chris Christie to apologize to teacher he yelled at

BY VALERIE STRAUSS
November 6 at 9:42 pm

(Used with permission)

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten sent a letter to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), asking him to apologize to a teacher whom he yelled atduring a campaign event a few days before he won re-election this week and saying that he had no right to “bully her in such a hostile and intimidating way for simply asking a question.”

The teacher, Melissa Tomlinson, had asked him this: “Why do you continue to spread the myth that our schools and teachers are failing?” He responded by saying, “Because they are!” and he told her, “I am tired of you people. What do you want?” (You can read about that here.)

This wasn’t the first time Christie has gone after teachers; you can read about that here.

Following is the text of the letter that Weingarten wrote to Christie, and after that is a partial transcript of a conversation that Christie had with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday about the incident.

Here’s the text of the letter:

Office of the Governor
PO Box 001
Trenton, NJ 08625 609-292-6000
Dear Governor Christie:
To stand in front of the voters, ask for their support and win decisively, as you did yesterday in your re-election, deserves to be acknowledged and congratulated. But to stand in front of a public school teacher, as you did a few days before the election, and bully her in such a hostile and intimidating way for simply asking a

Death March Demo fro the 168+ Public Schools Closed by Bloomberg and His Privateers Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública

Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública:

Death March Demo fro the 168+ Public Schools Closed by Bloomberg and His Privateers

A NormScott Production

Demand (thru CPE) that Mayor DeBlasio reopen all closed schools and have a plan that includes parents, students and teachers in decision-making levels that improve these schools within 5 years or less.

Seattle School Board Update: Sue Peters is ahead | Seattle Education

Seattle School Board Update: Sue Peters is ahead | Seattle Education:

Seattle School Board Update: Sue Peters is ahead

In spite of the record-breaking amount of money that was poured into Suzanne Estey’s campaign by a moneyed few and DFER who want to see the corporatization of our public schools through charter schools, online learning enterprises and schools staffed by the cheap labor of Teach for America, Sue Peters has pulled ahead in the race.

As it stands at the time of this posting, the official count is:

Sue Peters
51.78% – 46949 votes

Suzanne Dale Estey
47.90% – 43430 votes

To follow the election results, there is an official posting at 4:30 each day at King County Election Data.

Submitted by Dora Taylor

Winners: AFT - A Union of Professionals - Solution-Driven Unionism

AFT - A Union of Professionals - Solution-Driven Unionism:

The American Federation of Teachers' Prize for Solution-Driven Unionism recognizes outstanding collective work to create solutions that improve workplaces and communities. The 2013 prize rewards AFT members and affiliates that have tackled big challenges with concrete results and best exemplify the AFT's commitment to providing high-quality public education, healthcare and public services.

Winners:

New York Performance Standards Consortium ($25,000 award)

Composed of 39 public high schools, the consortium has developed, refined, and implemented curriculums and assessments that serve as an alternative to high-stakes testing. The organization, which has invested heavily in professional development, has led students to higher graduation and college acceptance rates, and lower suspension and dropout rates, when compared with the rest of the state.

AFT Connecticut ($25,000 award)

Faced with threats from the governor's office of layoffs and deep benefits cuts for public workers, AFT Connecticut worked as part of a statewide labor coalition to implement a new health plan for the state, ultimately saving $1.6 billion and the pensions of state workers.

Honorable Mention:

Charlotte County (Fla.) Support Personnel Association ($5,000 award)

The Charlotte County Support Personnel Association, in close collaboration with Charlotte County Public Schools, designed and implemented a professional development program to attract, train and retain employees. The voluntary program, called the Charlotte Academy of Support Employees, has been praised by participants for increasing job satisfaction and enhancing their skills.

How the Winners were Selected

After accepting entries during an open application period, the AFT identified a group of finalists from among the applicants. The finalists were judged by members of the Albert Shanker Institute's board of directors and the AFT Innovation Fund advisory board. The judges looked for the best examples of applicants that had worked in coalitions to achieve shared goals, turned unfavorable conditions into opportunities for more positive outcomes, or devised solutions to improve the quality of services the AFT and its affiliates deliver. AFT officers made the final decisions on the prizes.

Eligibility

State and local affiliates of the AFT, across all constituencies, are eligible for the awards. Groups of AFT members in the workplace (such as a school, university, hospital, or state or local government office) are also eligible, but individuals are not.

Teachers union president to Chris Christie: Apologize for bullying teacher - Stephanie Simon - POLITICO.com

Teachers union president to Chris Christie: Apologize for bullying teacher - Stephanie Simon - POLITICO.com:

Teachers union president to Chris Christie: Apologize for bullying teacher

Chris Christie (left) and Randi Weingarten are shown in this composite image. | AP Photo

Christie, according to Weingarten, was acting 'in such a hostile and intimidating way.' | AP Photo

By STEPHANIE SIMON | 11/6/13 4:50 PM EST

It didn’t slow his triumphal march to reelection. But the image of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie jabbing his finger at a teacher who asked him a question on the campaign trail infuriated educators in the state and across the nation.

This afternoon, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten called on Christie to apologize for acting like a “bully” and turning on public school teacher Melissa Tomlinson “in such a hostile and intimidating way.”

Latest on POLITICO

In a sharply worded letter, Weingarten reminded Christie of his election-night declaration that leadership requires listening. “I couldn’t agree more,” she wrote. “But a picture tells a thousand words. And many wonder why you chose to publicly demean and vilify Melissa Tomlinson, a public school teacher and director of

Latest News and Comment from Education

Thursday, November 7, 2013