Fattah: Use corporate fines to improve mentoring and STEM programs | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Fattah: Use corporate fines to improve mentoring and STEM programs | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

Fattah: Use corporate fines to improve mentoring and STEM programs

by thenotebook on Nov 22 2013 Posted in Latest news

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Photo: Isaac Riddle

Rep. Chaka Fattah announcing a new bill proposal at Science Leadership Academy in Center City.

by Isaac Riddle

Days after the announcement of J.P. Morgan’s $13 billion settlement, Congressman Chaka Fattah is proposing legislation that would use money from corporate fines to help fund programs that benefit the community.

Fattah introduced the bill, called America’s FOCUS Act, at Science Leadership Academy on Friday, to an audience of mostly students donning lab coats to emphasize the school’s focus on STEM subjects.

The bill seeks to generate funding with money taken by the government through corporate civil and criminal penalties, including bank fines and settlements. That money would be distributed through different agencies to help improve mentoring programs, expand STEM education programs, and invest in medical research and justice reinvestment programs.

“This is an opportunity for us to help so many more people,” said Fattah.  “If America is to continue to be the global leader of the economy, we need

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Fattah: Use corporate fines to improve mentoring and STEM programs

by Isaac Riddle Days after the announcement of J.P. Morgan’s $13 billion settlement, Congressman Chaka Fattah is proposing legislation that would use money from corporate fines to help fund programs that benefit the community. Fattah introduced the bill, called America’s FOCUS Act, at Science Leadership Academy on Friday, to an audience of mostly students donning lab coats to emphasize the school’s focus on STEM subjects. Image:  Image Caption:  Rep. Chaka Fattah announcing a new bill proposal at Science Leadership Academy in Center City. Photo Credits:  Isaac Riddle read mo

22min 

Meeting to discuss GHS building's future scheduled, Camelot still interested

by Aaron Moselle for NewsWorks A collection of neighborhood stakeholders will meet after Thanksgiving to discuss possible uses for Germantown High School's shuttered building. The meeting, scheduled for Dec. 3, was organized by Germantown United CDC. Julie Stapleton-Carroll, the organization's vice president, told NewsWorks that residents have discussed bringing a vocational technical school or, possibly, an independent charter school to the site. "The community still needs to decide what project we want to engage in," said Stapleton-Carroll, who founded Wissahickon Charter School in

2h 

Honoring a teacher of the month

The District has begun honoring a teacher of the month. Jennifer DePalo, a 3rd grade teacher at Lewis Elkin Elementary, received the commendation at last night's School Reform Commission meeting. The teacher of the month award was presented along with a recorded video from a student, adding a bit of schmaltz to the typically bureaucratic fare of SRC meetings. In the above, set to a karaoke-style backing of "Wind Beneath My Wings," is student Alexianie sharing why she thinks Ms. DePalo is the best.  read more

3h 

TODAY

Advocacy groups file complaints with state education department

by Naveed Ahsan  Parents United for Public Education and the Public Interest Law Center of Pennsylvania have filed hundreds of complaints with Pennsylvania’s Acting Education Secretary Carolyn Dumaresq. The complaints highlight program and curriculum deficiencies that these groups believe are in violation of the Pennsylvania code, which says that students must be provided with a “thorough and effi

by thenotebook / 4h 

Notes from the news, Nov. 22

​2 June Brown charters are still in limbo; People for People charter amended. Notebook SRC doesn't renew 2 charters founded by Dorothy June Brown. Inquirer Charter schools of embattled educator not renewed by SRC. Daily News Many have stories to share of painful budget cuts. Notebook Students advocate for better food. Notebook Nonprofit calls for moratorium on cyber charters. Inquirer From City Co

by thenotebook / 7h 

NYC Educator: High School Students Expose Tweed Incompetence

NYC Educator: High School Students Expose Tweed Incompetence:

High School Students Expose Tweed Incompetence

You read this, but you just can't believe it. The geniuses at Tweed thought it was a good idea to give those tests to find out how badly city teachers suck, and decided to post the answers online. Curious high school students, who got to think about the test answers overnight, looked it up online and voila! There it was. The city's reaction:

“This should not have happened. It was a mistake, and there will be no negative impact on students or teachers,” said spokesman Devon Puglia. “Principals will have latitude to deal with any problems this causes and, as always, we will thoroughly review any anomalies in the data and make adjustments if necessary. We are assessing the situation and thank the students at Curtis High School for bringing this to our attention.”

If that doesn't inspire confidence, what does? Your students have taken a baseline test to see what progress you'll have made by June. Only on the baseline, they got to look up sample responses online.  It's pretty clear that would alter the results. It's also pretty clear when you give thousands of kids a test on All Quiet on the 

UPDATE: The Disconnect Between the “College Push” and Projected Louisiana Career Reality | deutsch29

The Disconnect Between the “College Push” and Projected Louisiana Career Reality | deutsch29:

My LWV Speech and Debate of Common Core

On Thursday, November 21, 2013, I had the opportunity to speak to members and guests of the Baton Rouge group, Leaders With Vision, regarding my experience with and research writings on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). My speech and debate partner was retired St. Tammany teacher and fellow blogger/activist Lee Barrios. Barrios and I debated against tow individuals who support CCSS: Council

16min 

The Disconnect Between the “College Push” and Projected Louisiana Career Reality

November 22, 2013

John White insists that Louisiana needs “the higher academic expectations” that supposedly come with the untested Common Core State Standards (CCSS). He insists that CCSS will “prepare students for the rigor of education after high school” and cites the lametable statistic that “fewer that 30 percent of Louisianans have a two- or four-year degree.”

There is no evidence that CCSS will “prepare students for the rigor of education after high school,” but it sure does sound good. However, let’s set the issue of the unproven merits of CCSS aside for now.

How about that “fewer than 30 percent of Louisianans” with those associate and bachelors degrees? 

Has White ever considered that “fewer than 30 percent” with those college degrees might be enough given projections regarding Louisiana’s future job market?

The Louisiana Workforce Commission has identified 233 occupations expected to be in demand in 2016.  The comprehensive Excel spreadsheet is here:  Copy of 20062016Occ_DemandListState.

Many of our most recent high school graduates, the Class of 2013, will graduate from 

Blue Jersey:: Fight Back Against the Assault on Public Education: Dec. 9 Day of Action

Blue Jersey:: Fight Back Against the Assault on Public Education: Dec. 9 Day of Action:

Fight Back Against the Assault on Public Education: Dec. 9 Day of Action by: Bob Braun Fri Nov 22, 2013 at 02:59:53 PM EST

promoted by RosiThe assault on public education isn't confined to Newark or Montclair or Highland Park or Camden. Not confined to Chris Christie's New Jersey. It's a national phenomenon and countering it will take a national pushback. The beginning of that pushback just could be Dec. 9 when a national coalition of educational, parent, community and civic groups launch "A National Day to Reclaim the Promise of Public Education.'' At a teleconference yesterday, Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, outlined plans for a coordinated "day of action" in cities and towns throughout the country, most of them aimed at enlisting parents and community members in the fight against the corporate takeover of public education. "We're reclaiming the collaboration we have always had with parents in support of all public school students,'' Weingarten said. She added the National Education Association also is a partner in the effort that she hopes will be followed up by sustained efforts to keep public education well-funded and out of private control. New Jersey organizations in the coalition include the Newark Teachers Union (NTU), the Education Law Center, and New Jersey Communities United.

Bob Braun :: Fight Back Against the Assault on Public Education: Dec. 9 Day of Action

John Abeigon, the NTU's director of organization, said union members would begin "Fight Back Fridays" by dressing in black and talking to parents about how the policies of Gov. Chris Christie and his agent in Newark, superintendent Cami Anderson, would affect children in the state's largest city.He cited the recent disclosure that Anderson is working with charter school operators to create citywide school applications. Abeigon pointed out that schools in the East Ward are overcrowded while those in the South and Central Wards are under capacity so the plan would require cross-district busing. "People want their neighborhood schools to be fixed,'' he said. "They don't want to be put up against a wall and forced to bus their children across town.'' The NTU has scheduled a rally for 3:30 pm Dec. 9. The theme of the local union's  efforts the day of action are demands for "racial equity, fair funding, and local control of our schools." Weingarten's teleconference brought together educators and parents from throughout the country to discuss the problems they face because of cutbacks in public funding of public education and efforts by private corporations to wring profits from schools. Karen Schow, a special education teacher from Boise, Idaho, said she hopes to alert parents that their children are not receiving the attention they need because of cutbacks. ""The funding just is not there," she said. Kia Hinton, a parent from Philadelphia, described the relentless cuts in school budgets-including  $1 billion cut this year. "We are in a crisis,'' she said, pointing out that a little girl died of a heart attack in a school where there was no school nurse. The nurse had been assigned to a different school that day because of budget cuts. "That little girl might be alive now,'' she said. John Jackson, the president and CEO of the Schott Foundation for Public Education and one of the national coordinators of the day of action, said Philadelphia and Chicago teachers would join forces to expose the corporations pushing for school privatization. "This isn't an isolated effort-it's a national drive to take over public education,'' said Jackson. He said opponents of public education are starving the schools until they fail and then use that failure to justify privatization. Lora McDonald, a social worker in the Kansas City, MO, public schools, says the district's charter schools "cherry pick"  the best students but the conventional public schools outperform the charters. "The public schools have all the kids with special needs but they are still doing better than the vast majority of public schools, " McDonald said. She called charter schools "a failed experiment" conducted by those who seeking the "complete privatization" of public education. "We consider the corporate takeover movement the Brown vs Board of Education of our time,'' she said, referring to the 1954 US Supreme Court decision outlawing legally-imposed racial segregation.

Michelle Obama Has Always Leaned In - Dana Goldstein

Michelle Obama Has Always Leaned In - Dana Goldstein:

Michelle Obama Has Always Leaned In

Michelle Cottle has written a Politico Magazine piece about Michelle Obama, called "Leaning Out: How Michelle Obama became a feminist nightmare." 

Cottle writes that Michelle has "always" prioritized the domestic sphere over the public, political one, thus enraging feminists. But that's not true. First, there are the basic facts of Michelle's biography, many left out of this piece. When Michelle and Barack met, she was his boss in the law firm where he was a summer associate. She worked full-time until her husband began his presidential run. She earned a lot of money. 

On the campaign trail in 2007 and 2008, she spoke movingly about how fear had led the United States into an ill-advised war in Iraq. Shortly after the inauguration, the first couple visited a Washington, D.C. public school. When Michelle asked the children what they wanted to be when they grew up--and one little girl cried out, "First lady!"--Michelle responded, "It doesn't pay much."

If that's not embracing the "Lean In" ethos, I don't know what is. A FLOTUS with a wry take on her

Evaluate This! | EduShyster

Evaluate This! | EduShyster:

Evaluate This!

Happy Accountability Day, reader! But how best to celebrate when nearly every day seems to be Accountability Day these days? In Massachusetts we like to mark the passage of a consequential day with consequences by scouring newly released teacher ratings in order to finally, FINALLY, smoke out those bad teachers. So pull up a chair and uncork the wine box—it’s time for some deep data diving.

R u proficient?  
Accountability Day started with a bang yesterday when the Boston Public Schools bowed to demands from the excellence-loving Boston Globe and released teacher ratings for the city’s schools. Inquiring minds, and the few remaining Globe subscribers, were on theedge of their high-performing seats: would the ratings shine the spotlight of excellence upon the legions of LIFO-lifers and their achievement-gap-widening ways? Alas, this particular spotlight seemed to shine somewhat randomly except for when it fell, laser like, upon older and minority teachers, a *disproportionate* sha

‘True Grit’ in LA: Five ways teachers, parents, schools come together | Hechinger Report

‘True Grit’ in LA: Five ways teachers, parents, schools come together | Hechinger Report:

‘True Grit’ in LA: Five ways teachers, parents, schools come together

By Angie Trae-Greenbarg

When it comes to meeting our students’ needs, it’s no secret among teachers that partnerships with parents are crucial. We may get to know students well during a seven-hour school day, but as teachers, we can never hope to know as much about our students as parents know about their children.

Angie Trae-Greenbarg

While parent engagement may seem like a no-brainer, getting it right takes dedicated and continued effort. Parents, teachers, and students alike are frequently frustrated by a number of roadblocks, such as scheduling conflicts, language barriers, lack of technology, and a by-the-numbers approach that doesn’t account for individual circumstances.

But when partnerships are done right, everyone thrives. By working to close the communication gap, Valor Academy, the school where I teach,  has created a collaborative culture and a support system for all of us. Now, with a feedback loop between students, parents, and teachers, we have a  robust picture of how students are doing – not just for the hours the child is in school, but all the hours at home that impact growth and development.

I recently participated in a series of focus groups with over 400 classroom teachers and administrators from some of Los Angeles’s most-improved schools. The work of these focus groups culminated in the report: “True Grit: The Game-Changing Factors and People Lifting School Performance in LAUSD.”

No school, including mine, said parent engagement was easy. But by evaluating a number of best practices, the survey identified actionable steps every school can take. Here are five simple, concrete 

Moody’s: college money woes are getting worse

Facing stagnant enrollment and increasingly price-conscious consumers, already cash-strapped universities will continue to see their revenues fail to keep up with inflation, the bond-rating agency Moody’s Investment Service says. The proportion of public universities with expected revenue declines has doubled over last year. Nearly 30 percent of public and one out of five private universities wil

by admin / 7min 

Redefining intelligence

Anyone with lingering questions from childhood may just find the answers in Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined (2013), Scott Barry Kaufman’s first book. Kaufman, a cognitive psychologist at New York University, begins with a memory of being bullied in the boy’s bathroom at school for having to repeat third grade. While this book isn’t a tale about peer bullying, it is born out of another form of bul

by Katharine Herrup / 7min 

11-22-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

Tennessee Teacher and Parent Revolt Underway

It was a long time coming.  Here is an excellent story from Knoxille's MetroPulse.  Where is the corporate media?  Hiding out with the corporate losers in charge.

by Jim Horn / 40min 

Disaster Capitalism, Dugger, Indiana, and the Fall of Community Schools

By Doug MartinAs Naomi Klein shows in her frightening book Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, for decades the big plan of America’s millionaires and billionaires and the government officials they buy with campaign money has been to slash taxes (“austerity" is their pretty name for it) so that funding is drained from public services across the board.  Not only does this save the

by Doug Martin / 48min 

The Predictable Failure of School Improvement Grants

In the second annual data dump on the eve of the anniversary of the assasination of President Kennedy, the Duncan administration has again announced the disappointing results of its School Improvement Grant (SIG.) Once again, the SIG's failure is being released in the "take out the trash" end-of-the-week news dump.In retrospect, I was naïve about the SIG and its roots. My experiences tea

by John Thompson / 3min 

Memphis Sales Tax Increase to Fund Corporate Pre-K Defeated

Despite the fact that the Hyde Family (Autozone) spent hundreds of thousands on a media campaign, and despite the fact that the Memphis Corporate Appeal gave unlimited free space to push this plan, the voters of Memphis voted 60-40 against. The Memphis sales-tax referendum failed Thursday by an overwhelming margin of 60 percent to 40 percent, or 17,636 votes to 11,659, in the evening’s final unoff

by Jim Horn / 1h 

11-21-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: We Can Question the Word "Grit" but Embrace Research on Nurturing the Socio-EmotionalAs I explained in a Huffington Post accompanying Angela Duckworth’s TED Talk Weekend, twenty-something years ago, I entered the classroom through alternative certification. Then and now, I was committed to the progressive education tradition. I soon recognized, however, why conservatives,

by mike simpson / 19h 

John Thompson: Game-Changers Go for the Grit - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

John Thompson: Game-Changers Go for the Grit - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

John Thompson: Game-Changers Go for the Grit

By Anthony Cody on November 21, 2013 8:45 PM

Guest post by John Thompson.

The Hechinger Report's Sarah Butrymowicz, in "Teachers Weigh In on How to Identify Grit,"  explains that the word "Grit" has become an education buzzword. It is a term for character traits like perseverance and optimism or "zest" that is critical to student achievement.

Butrymowicz cites a report by the Gates-funded Educators 4 Excellence (E4E), "True Grit: The Game-changing Factors and People Lifting School Performance in Los Angeles," which at least used the word "grit" in its title, although it gives no evidence that schools are building that quality.  As she explains, their report starts with the assumption that the schools serving poor and minority children have grit because they've increased student performance by 40 points on a scale of 200 to 1000.

It takes a lot of grit to be brazen enough to claim that the E4E's paper does anything other than use the words "True Grit" over and over, as it displays colorful photographs of attractive teachers and students, and state-of-the-art graphics to promote its agenda. It provides checklists that supposedly could be used for cultivating grit, but no evidence that these schools are attempting to do so. The only real conclusion that is supported by the evidence in the report is that someone 

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, November 22, 2013

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

California requests federal school testing waiver

Education Headlines

Friday, November 22, 2013

FCMAT provides links to California K-12 news stories as a service to the industry. However, some stories may not be accessible because of newspapers' subscription policies.

Oxnard Union school board not ready to vote on controversial union agreement

Debate on the construction plans for a new Camarillo high school got personal and political Wednesday as the Oxnard Union High School District board considered a labor agreement with union leaders.

Temple City's school board decides not to renew superintendent's contract

In a 4-1 vote the school board decided not to extend Superintendent Chelsea Kang-Smith's contract for another year. Kang-Smith has been Temple City Unified School District's superintendent since August 2008. Her contract will expire June 30.

California requests federal school testing waiver

State officials are expanding plans for this spring’s aggressive overhaul of standardized school tests, now planning to give most students new computer-based assessments in both English and math, instead of just one subject.

As San Juan inquiry drags on, board hires second replacement

The San Juan Unified School District board has named a second interim leader to run the district while existing Superintendent Glynn Thompson remains on paid leave amid complaints that he created a hostile work environment.

Top Sacramento City schools administrator tapped as interim superintendent

Board members for Sacramento city schools tapped a top district administrator Thursday night to serve as interim superintendent after Superintendent Jonathan Raymond leaves his post at the end of this year.

Grossmont District amplifying recycling efforts

Waste Management, the district’s trash pickup service, has given the district a recommendation in which “right sizing service” will save the district $40,000 a year. With additional revenue streams from paper recycling and glass, CRV bottles and cans, Grossmont could save up to $60,000 a year.

Alpine still trying to get a high school in town

A group that calls itself the Alpine High School Citizens Committee says it is closing in on reaching the number of signatures it needs to get another step closer to bringing a high school to the semirural town.

Alameda County superintendent race gets competitive

Sheila Jordan spent two years grooming a hand-picked successor to replace her as superintendent of the Alameda County Office of Education, but now that protege is confronting an increasingly competitive 2014 election.

State expands field tests of Common Core-aligned assessments

The field test of California’s new computer-based assessments will be expanded so that nearly every student will take exams next spring in both math and English, rather than being limited to one or the other, officials said Thursday.

Fensterwald: Torlakson seeks testing waiver to avoid conflict with feds

Faced with potentially tens of millions of dollars in fines, the state Department of Education has headed off a confrontation with the federal government over standardized testing.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

ABC Unified settles lawsuit, agrees to school board elections by district

Amid a lawsuit alleging violations of the California Voting Rights Act, the ABC Unified School District will change the way it holds school board elections, switching from an at-large model to a by-district model.

Arab anti-discrimination group prefers original Arab mascot

A representative of a national anti-discrimination group said Wednesday that the original “Arab” mascot, first introduced in the 1920s, is preferable to the current logo, which the group considers offensive.

O.C. schools receive energy efficiency funds

Orange County schools are among more than 2,000 campuses receiving more than $106 million to improve energy efficiency.

State releases more than $106 million to schools under Proposition 39

The state is releasing more than $106 million in funding through Proposition 39 to help schools start planning energy efficient projects, state Superintendent of Public Schools Tom Torlakson said Wednesday.

District denies retaliation against teacher who helped LGBT students

The High Desert’s largest school district sharply denies firing a teacher in retaliation for her helping LGBT students who complained about alleged administrator and teacher prejudice.

Fensterwald: Brown’s choice - California ignores annual survey on states’ use of ed data

California for the first time declined this year to participate in Data Quality Campaign’s annual national survey, creating a hole in the 50-state map marking progress states have made in collecting and effectively using educational data. The results of the 9th annual report were released Tuesday.

Expanding Accountability through Rating and Ranking of Colleges: A Bad Idea | janresseger

Expanding Accountability through Rating and Ranking of Colleges: A Bad Idea | janresseger:

Expanding Accountability through Rating and Ranking of Colleges: A Bad Idea

Posted on November 22, 2013 by janresseger

In Silly Season at the U.S. Department of Education, Dr. Patricia McGuire, president of Trinity Washington University, explores serious concerns about President Obama’s recent proposal that the federal government bring the kind of accountability that has been imposed on K-12 public education to colleges and universities.  The President and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan have proposed that the Department of Education rate and rank colleges and universities and make federal aid and loans more available to students at those institutions that make themselves accountable to federal standards.

In August, Tamar Lewin, writing for the N.Y. Times summarized the President’s plan: “to rate colleges before the 2015 school year based on measures like tuition, graduation rates, debt and earnings of graduates, and the percentage of lower-income students who attend…  Mr. Obama hopes that starting in 2018, the ratings would be tied to financial aid, so that students at highly rated colleges might get larger federal grants and more affordable loans. But that would require new legislation.”

While it is a good idea to encourage universities to serve more low-income students, all of the issues in the President’s plan are far more complicated than they appear.  Dr. McGuire