11-25-13 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:

How ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ author created Thanksgiving — not the Pilgrims

What Americans think they know about the history of Thanksgiving doesn’t always square with the truth. For example, it is generally believed that in 1621, the Pilgrims invited Wampanoag Indians to a feast in Plymouth Colony to celebrate their first harvest, and a good time, with turkey and pumpkin pie, was had by all. Well, […]    

by Valerie Strauss / 48min 

Steubenville school superintendent indicted for obstruction in teen rape case

A school superintendent has been indicted on charges of obstructing justice and tampering with evidence by a grand jury investigating the rape of a 16-year-old girl in Steubenville, Ohio, by two football players. Several other adults were indicted on lesser charges. The state’s attorney general, Mike DeWine, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying: […]    

by Valerie Strauss / 7min 

Common Core resistance growing in Maryland

As Maryland moves ahead with school reform and the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, state officials are facing growing resistance among teachers, lawmakers and others who are concerned that too much change is being forced onto schools too soon. The issue in Maryland has become political. In the next legislative session, House Republicans […]    

by Valerie Strauss / 37min

Unusual college essay questions for 2013-14

Every year colleges and universities ask applicants to write essays to explain who they are and to show how they think and write (assuming that the students actually write the essays themselves). Even many of the hundreds of schools that accept the online Common Application still require supplemental writing samples. Most of the essay prompts […]    

by Valerie Strauss / 20min 

Brace yourself: Pearson has a ‘new global education strategy’

Pearson, the largest education company in the world, has “a  new global education strategy.” What exactly is it? Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham explains in this post. Willingham is a professor and director of graduate studies in psychology at the University of Virginia and author of “Why Don’t Students Like School?” His latest book is “When Can You […]    

by Valerie Strauss / 6min   

11-24-13 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet: Following Common Core money: Where are millions of dollars going?In this post, award-winning Principal Carol Burris of South Side High School in New York raises some new questions about the Common Core State Standards and curriculum being developed around them. Burris has for more than a year chronicled on this blog the many problems with the test-driven reform in New York (here,

by mike simpson / 7h

11-25-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

Common Core's Myriad Corporate Connections

Morna McDermott: Flow Chart Exposes Common Core's Myriad Corporate Connections

The friends of my enemies are not my friends. I can't find the AFT/UFT and NEA connections on this chart. Where would you put them on this chart? Where there is the biggest chance to get a brown nose. Here is Morna McDermott on the video version: Walking the Labyrinth of the Corporate-Owned-Common Core And the Truthdig article:U.S. education reform isn't so much a "Race to the Top," beca

by ed notes online / 3min 

Network for Public Education to Hold First Annual Conference in March

Volume 1, Issue: #30 November 23, 2013 Inside NPE News Election 2013: The ResultsVictorious Sue Peters Thanks NPECheck out NPE News Briefs - a service from the Network for Public Education - for the latest headlines from journalists and bloggers around the country. You can even subscribe to our once-daily digest - delivered via email every day.NPE News BriefsNPE News BriefsPODCASTSThis week,

by ed notes online / 3min 

11-24-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: JFK: Political Thoughts....during a reception at the National Gallery of Art, the Kennedys were supposed to take an elevator to greet their guests. But the elevator was not working, and when they stepped out, the lieutenant said, he was so close to Mrs. Kennedy that he could smell her perfume. Here is how he remembers what happened next: “I’m in my mannequin face, and she said wor

by mike simpson / 8h 

11-25-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

Whatever Happened to the Fair Housing Act? and Why It Is Crucial to Fair Education

Below is information on an amazing piece of investigative reporting, presented this past Saturday on This American Life.  Please do have a look and listen.  Also, see the opportunity to participate in the an ongoing investigation on school segregation.A Year Later, Feds Inch Forward on Fair Housing  by Nikole Hannah-Jones ProPublica,  Nov. 22, 2013, 11:43 a.m.by Jeff Larson and Nikole Hannah-Jon

by Jim Horn / 10min 

Asbury Park NJ Where is the Democracy?

Seems to be an epidemic across the country. Democracy? What's that? In the new world of test and punish from the corporate cronies, democracy is history.  Of course, the Christie Administration is only looking out for the best intersts of the students, you know the guy who has done so much for NJ public schools that a court had to reinstate $500 million in aid to poor districts.This Asbury Park Pr

by Judy Rabin / 4min 

Tony Bennett and Mike Pence’s CECI

ByDoug Martin Since my first article where I outedthe vast amount of taxpayer money Pence is paying staff at his Center for Education and Career Innovation (CECI) to usurp supt. of public education Glenda Ritz, Mike Claytor, an accountant and Democratic candidate for state auditor, has publically called for an audit of Pence’s new dual education agency, saying  the CECI violates Hoosier government

by Doug Martin / 1h 

Rushing into high-tech testing

Sent to the Buffalo News, Nov. 25.Buffalo educators are concerned about whether students are tech-savvy enough to take the new computerized tests, and whether districts will have up-to-date equipment. (Pencils out, keyboards in for future exams," Nov, 25). But only a few people are asking whether we should rushing into high-tech testing. Williamsville Superintendent Martzloff points out that

by skrashen / 30min 

Privatized Custodial Services Bring Corporate Windfalls and Dirty Schools to Memphis

Since school fragmentation consolidation went into effect in Shelby County (Memphis) Schools, the lawyers in charge of SCS have been trying to save every dime they can to pay for the $212 million dollar donut hole created to pay for corporate welfare charter reform schools for the urban poor. Part of the savings came by way of relieving staff custodians of their jobs as the County accepted an offe

by Jim Horn / 1min 

11-24-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: Teach Campaign Star RIFed Last Year Just Before TenureAlexandria Hollet is one of the young, female white teachers chosen by Microsoft-TFA to provide 40 second testimonials on teaching for Arne Duncan's new campaign to attract the vulnerable and uninformed into what was once a profession.  With corporate ed policies in place to demean, abuse, blame, punish, and fire teachers for an

by mike simpson / 6h 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: What Vallas did in North Chicago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: What Vallas did in North Chicago:

What Vallas did in North Chicago

“Vallas ushered in an era of massive expansion of standardized testing; the privatization of public schools through outsourcing and charter school expansion; and the devastating policy of school turnarounds, which resulted in the firing of scores of black and veteran teachers,” Lewis said after Vallas was picked by Quinn.

Before he was booted out as superintendent of Bridgeport, Paul Vallas, one of the great double-dippers of all time, was brought into North Chicago, IL, as a high-paid consultant to "reform" the largely low-income, African-American and Latino school district. IL State Supt.Chris Koch gave a $311,000 consulting deal to the Vallas Group, even though they were outbid by other, more highly-rated consultants. For Vallas, contracts in North Chicago and Rockford, IL, would mark a back-door entryway back into Illinois state politics.

Once in North Chicago, Vallas did what Vallas does. He recommended closing four of the district’s nine schools and laying off 130 teachers and staff — 39 percent of the district’s workforce. That was his view of reform.

“The Vallas Group hopes that the recommendations in this report will help North Chicago become a model for school improvement,” Vallas wrote in his June 2013 

State Supreme Court: Governor had legal authority to oust six... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

State Supreme Court: Governor had legal authority to oust six... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:

State Supreme Court: Governor had legal authority to oust six DeKalb school board members 

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KENT D. JOHNSON / AJC

Former Dekalb School Board chairman Eugene Walker looks towards spectators as Dr Mark Elgart, President and CEO of AdvanceEd, parent company of SACS, testifies on the stand during the continuation of the reinstatement hearing for DeKalb school board member Eugene Walker, Friday June 28, 2013. Walker, who was removed with 5 other board members, says he was unfairly removed from his post by the governor. KENT D. JOHNSON/KDJOHNSON@AJC.COM

Previous Posts

• "Waiting for Superman" director makes new documentary. He talks less. Teachers talk more.
  November 24, 2013
• How do we stop the revolving door of new teachers?
  November 24, 2013
• That celebratory shouting: 7,500 high school seniors learning they were admitted to UGA today
  November 22, 2013

By Maureen Downey

The state Supreme Court this morning upheld the law that enabled the governor to oust six members of the DeKalb County school board and appoint replacements. That means the appointed board meets legal muster and stays in place.

Here is a link to the 47-page opinion.

I think this is a key passage in the ruling:  “When the conduct of a board threatens the school system with an imminent loss of its accreditation, it matters not to the public or the children of the school system whether it is the fault of a single board member, the fault of every board member, or the fault of no one in particular, just an unfortunate result of well-meaning individuals who cannot or do not work well together. The imminent loss of accreditation is a failure of the board as a whole all the same.”

Here is a summary of the decision from the state Supreme Court:

The Supreme Court of Georgia has unanimously upheld as constitutional the 2010 statute that authorized Gov. Nathan Deal to suspend Dr. Eugene Walker and five others from the DeKalb 

Many school districts are giving their report cards a facelift for Common Core | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC

Many school districts are giving their report cards a facelift for Common Core | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC:

Many school districts are giving their report cards a facelift for Common Core

Adolfo Guzman-Lopez | November 25th, 2013, 6:00am

Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/KPCC

Long Beach fifth grade teacher Gina Bonetati holds her old report card, left, and the new transitional report card issued by her district.

School districts across California are rewriting elementary school report cards to reflect new learning standards known as the Common Core.

Because the change is not dictated by the state, it's unclear how many schools are switching. But several superintendents in Southern California said they were in the process.

“These are local decisions, that obviously districts should think about as they think about Common Core and new assessments,” said Deborah Sigman, with the California Department of Education.

Long Beach Unified is farther ahead than many others.

The district has for years used a numbered system of 1-4 that represents student's performance from  “not proficient” to “advanced proficient.” Those numbers will remain, but the “proficient” language will be replaced with “areas on target” “areas of strength” and “areas of weakness.”

“After having parent conferences in the last couple of weeks, parents still have a hard 

As family and friends head to funeral, Joseph Gatto remembered as a gifted teacher

Joseph Gatto died at age 78 in Silver Lake.; Credit: Kent Twitchell Joseph Gatto made his students feel like there was nothing they couldn't do.  "He just had a way of being able to open these doors for us, to be able to kind of explore, and find our own voice," said artist Robert Vargas, who was a student of Gatto's at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts in the early 1990s.

by Mary Plummer / 0min

11-25-13 Fred Klonsky | Running for our pensions. | VOTE 4 Fred Klonsky.

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:

The in box. Todd Mertz: Act now. Rest later.

From teacher and pension activist Todd Metz. Friends and Colleagues We have been fighting this for four years.  Many are tired of it.  Many are sick of contacting their legislators…over and over. But now is the time to push through.  Our legislators need to hear from all of us again. It just takes a minute. At 5:00 tonight, the House confirmed that our legislators will return to Springfield a week

by Fred Klonsky / 3h 

On the road, but keeping my eye on the home front.

Capitalfax reports: From an e-mail to House Democrats… All members should be plan on being in Springfield for Session on Tuesday, December 3 at 11 a.m. The House would expect this to be a one day session. In addition, some committees may be posted for Monday, December 2 for midafternoon. Postings will be done on Tuesday, November 26. Executive Committee will be meeting on Monday, December 2 at 3

by Fred Klonsky / 26min 

Fighting for my pension with a pole in my head.

Pole in my head on the way to Brooklyn with Anne at the South Bend travel plaza. on I-80. Anne and I are headed for Brooklyn. We are having Thanksgiving with some of our family. We want no part of airports, so we are driving with a stop in Cleveland. A lovely Holiday Inn near the airport with a priceline.com discount. We will be back on Sunday in time for Monday’s Pension Emergency Day called by

by Fred Klonsky / 48min 

Active and retired teachers and all state employees. We’re all in this together.

From Illinois Retired Teachers Association: Greetings from the Illinois Retired Teachers Association.  [Some members of the General Assembly] want to solve the state’s budget woes with your money, and they blame you. They offered you a coerced choice to give up your COLA for access to an unguaranteed health insurance plan. We must prepare for the possibility that one of these attacks may succeed.

by Fred Klonsky / 13min 

11-24-13 Fred Klonsky | Running for our pensions. | VOTE 4 Fred Klonsky.

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Sunday reads.  Pension-busting Ilinois State Senator Dan Biss and IEA Retired member Jack Tucker at our SORE witness in October. The Illinois coalition of state public employee unions, We Are One, will be holding actions at key legislative district offices on December 2nd. Join me in being at one of t

by mike simpson / 7h