Sunday, December 29, 2013

Nite Cap 12-29-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

solidaridad: CA-NAME Conference Reclaiming Multicultural Education: Fighting Back, Imagining and Building Socially Just Worlds

solidaridad: CA-NAME Conference Reclaiming Multicultural Education: Fighting Back, Imagining and Building Socially Just Worlds:

CA-NAME Conference Reclaiming Multicultural Education: Fighting Back, Imagining and Building Socially Just Worlds

Reclaiming Multicultural Education by Robert D. Skeels

Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"

Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement":

Infographic: “Ways A Parent Can Help With Math”

I’m adding this infographic to The Best Infographics About Parent Involvement In Schools:

by Larry Ferlazzo / 27min hide // save

Great Video: “Come Along on a Home Visit”

A Sacramento TV news station did this great short segment on the Parent-Teacher Home Visit Project. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About Teacher Home Visits and to The Best Videos On Parent Engagement.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 27min

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Week… 12-21-13 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFLLARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAYThis Is A Good Attitude For Teachers To Take…To all parents, Thank You. I am so honored and humled to be tasked with helping shape your child's future. Signed, The Teacher — Jeff Charbonneau (@JeffCharbonneau) December 27, 2013 Jeff is the 2013 National Teacher of the Year7 by Larry Ferlazz

by mike simpson / 50min

The RSD and New Orleans miracle (of cheating) | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

The RSD and New Orleans miracle (of cheating) | Crazy Crawfish's Blog:

The RSD and New Orleans miracle (of cheating)

Posted on December 29, 2013

Some of you may have read by my recent expose on the issues facing Mary D. Coghill elementary school (an RSD school which was turned into a Park View charter school this year without any internal records or discussion of why this was done.)

I asked why this was done, and some basic info about what the accountability plans were for Mary D. Coghill as part of my investigation, but was told no such discussion or record existed. I was told no sitecode existed for this new site. (or at least this site was never discussed in e-mail or interoffice mail or memorandum.) I can assume LDOE is telling me the truth (or lying and violating state law. )

Incidentally when I re-read my notes I realized I had the number of students pulled out incorrect. It was not 70, but 90 students pulled out for special reading aloud accommodations or 26% of all

empathyeducates – Christmas Came – Budget Cuts Got Fatter Children Slimmer

empathyeducates – Christmas Came – Budget Cuts Got Fatter Children Slimmer:

Christmas Came – Budget Cuts Got Fatter Children Slimmer

By Betsy L. Angert | Originally Published at EmpathyEucates. December 24, 2013

‘Twas the day after Christmas through the [Senate and] House. We knew it was coming; once again promises of salvation would deliver a louse. The cuts were all hung by the chimney with care, in hopes thatUnemployment benefits soon would be there. On shoppers. On sales. On stockholders and hunger. NowSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Employers won’t mind. A little depressed economy and we will do just fine! Low wages and long soup lines, and why should we care? The answer is there. It is in the face of the children who look at us with wonderment. Stunned with the shortages the young can only stare.

A parent without adequate income cannot support his/her son. A child develops with love and great care. It is more than the hope that Saint Nicholas soon will be there. A little one is affected by more than just money. It’s the misery, the melancholy, and the lack of true meaning. Yes, Christmas is more than a holiday season.

The gift that is the greatest is the one we do not see. Security. Stability. And a life that is stress free.

No child is nestled snug in his bed, no visions of sugarplums dance in their heads when mamma has no money for her ‘kerchief, and Dad no dollars for a cap. With fewer financial resources there cannot be a warm winter’s nap. Without a job or unemployment benefits to meet their regular monthly expenses, there is no money for food, no shelter and surely no health care coverage. All would be fine but a bit too expensive. Cash coming into the home could be quite the cure. But today that is not likely. We know by the

NYC Public School Parents: New York City Parents and Elected Officials File Suit Seeking Injunction To Stop Bloomberg's 42 Recently Approved School Co-locations

NYC Public School Parents: Press Release: New York City Parents and Elected Officials File Suit Seeking Injunction To Stop Bloomberg's 42 Recently Approved School Co-locations:

New York City Parents and Elected Officials File Suit Seeking Injunction

To Stop Bloomberg's 42 Recently Approved School Co-locations

New York City public school parents joined by Public Advocate-elect Letitia James and City Council members Melissa Mark-Viverito, Jumaane Williams, Margaret Chin and Ruben Wills filed a lawsuit on Friday, December 27, seeking to enjoin the New York City Department of Education ("DoE") from co-locating 42 public and charter schools as approved by the Panel for Educational Policy in October 2013.

The co-locations, slated to begin in September 2014, are the "last hurrah" from lame duck Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- a final push to impose his will on New York City public school parents and communities during the new Mayoral administration of Bill de Blasio.

Letitia James, Public Advocate-elect said, “As Public Advocate I intend to insure the role of parents and teachers, the people closest to the ground, in the educational process. Some of what we will need to do at the outset of the new administration is unravel the mess created by the outgoing Chancellor and a Panel on Educational Policy which simply did whatever the Mayor directed. These lawsuits are one step in that direction. They will allow us to quickly annul Mayor Bloomberg's effort to set educational policy for years to come, at least when it comes to the overcrowding caused by co-locations, and the favored treatment of charter schools. I look forward to settling these cases with the new Schools Chancellor.”

Leonie Haimson, Executive Director of Class Size Matters said: "This lawsuit is especially valuable as it is the first to point out how inadequate the educational impact statements developed by the DoE have been in completely omitting the likely impact on class size of these numerous co-locations and ignoring how the resulting overcrowding of schools will in many cases lead to building code violations. I would like to thank Advocates for Justice for their work in protecting the rights of NYC students not to have their education severely damaged by these irresponsible and politically motivated co-locations, devised by a lame duck Mayor in his last months in office."

Arthur Z. Schwartz, President of Advocates for Justice, the public interest law firm representing the Petitioners,expressed a "hope that the new Mayor will use these lawsuits as a means to review and reconsider the policy decisions which the Bloomberg Board of Education tried to foist on him."

Schwartz continued: "It would be far preferable for the new Department of Education leadership to put all of the planned actions on hold, and engage in a careful review of co-locations put into place since 2012. It is time for contention between parents and the Department of Education to end and it is time to stop shoving aside the needs of the majority of the children in our schools so that the DOE can 'prove' that charter schools are a better alternative. It is time to figure out how to reduce class size instead of using $100 million per year to give free space to charter schools.”

Mona Davids, a public school parent and President of the NYC Parents Union said: "For too long, parents have been ignored by Mayor Bloomberg and the Panel for Educational Policy. This lawsuit seeks to undo public and charter co-locations approved in October 2013. It is unfortunate that the only way for parents to be heard is through the courts. We hope Mayor-elect de Blasio rescinds these co-locations and begins a real dialogue with parents and community members in determining what is best for our children."

Margaret Chin, City Council Member of district 1 in Manhattan stated, “Co-locations in my district have put a serious strain on school resources and space in my district for little benefit to the students in my community. I have witnessed them get approved through a rubber stamp process that leaves no room for genuine community input. It’s time to put a halt to colocations, including those recently approved at great speed and with little deliberation, until the DOE can demonstrate why the colocations are actually necessary and how they will practically fit with the schools currently in the building.”

Jumaane Williams, City Council Member of district 45 in Brooklyn said, "Forced co-locations throughout the New York public school system remains one of the most controversial policies carried out by the current administration. I hope that the filing of these two lawsuits with give the incoming de Blasio administration the room to reconsider forced co-locations altogether due to the potential negative impact that they have on students throughout this city, particularly students with special needs. We must not rush into forced co-locations, and the public must have the chance to fully vet the proposals and understand they impact that they'll have on student achievement."

Ruben Wills, New York City Council Member of district 28 in Queens and a plaintiff in the state and federal lawsuits expressed that “every child in the New York City Public School System has the right to a sound and equal educational experience regardless of their social or economic status. It is imperative that the new administration is aware of the 42 co-locations, which were rushed with little if any consideration of the negative effects it would have on our children or the concerns of parents. Too many of our children are in overcrowded classrooms. How can we expect them to surpass State Testing mandates without adequate learning materials or access to a proper learning environment? The new administration, therefore, must revise and address the inadequacies in the Department of Education to secure our children’s educational future and success.”

Click here to view the Verified Petition.

Click here to view the Notice of Petition.

###

James & NYC Parents Article78 Verified Petition by nycparentsunion

Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Teachers | Dallas Morning News

Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Teachers | Dallas Morning News:

Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Teachers

"So, after 20 years of being a teacher, all I can say is: Help. Write to your legislator about providing funds to lower class sizes. Give us more paid time to plan."

On Friday morning at 4:30 a.m., I heard the beeps of all my electricity going off. I realized that the ice storm had caused a power outage and that I faced a day with no heat or light. I smiled because I knew that I didn’t have to teach and contentedly rolled over to go back to sleep.

Later, as I cooked on the gas grill, I realized that I must have been experiencing some serious stress — I was very happy to be stranded in my house with my family. It occurred to me that the teaching profession has gone out of control with its demands and that I would never let any of my children entertain the idea of going into the profession.

That said, I have to stress the fact that I work in a supportive workplace, and I adore my students. In my most recent evaluation, I smiled at my boss and told her, “God has been good to me!” And I sincerely mean it.

But in the teaching profession, the pressure of No Child Left Behind has left its mark. The onus of student success has fallen on the teacher, and the student’s own motivation is our responsibility also. Cultural differences, economic differences and parental style differences are the teacher’s responsibility to fix. Too many low scores on the dreaded STAAR test can spell the end of your career — an end to your livelihood. An end to being able to support a family.

Instead of the usual chatter during teacher training, there is now only the silence of shell-shocked

Lawsuit To Stop October 2013 Co-locations

Lawsuit To Stop October 2013 Co-locations:

Lawsuit To Stop October 2013 Co-locations

New York City Parents and Elected Officials File Suit Seeking Injunction

To Stop Bloomberg’s 42 Recently Approved School Co-locations

&nbsp
New York City public school parents joined by Public Advocate-elect Letitia James and City Council members Melissa Mark-Viverito, Jumaane Williams, Margaret Chin and Ruben Wills filed a lawsuit on Friday, December 27, seeking to enjoin the New York City Department of Education (“DoE”) from co-locating 42 public and charter schools as approved by the Panel for Educational Policy in October 2013.

The co-locations, slated to begin in September 2014, are the “last hurrah” from lame duck Mayor Michael Bloomberg — a final push to impose his will on New York City public school parents and communities during the new Mayoral administration of Bill de Blasio.

Leonie Haimson, Executive Director of Class Size Matters said: “This lawsuit is especially valuable as it is the first to point out how inadequate the educational impact statements developed by the DoE have been in completely omitting the likely impact on class size of these numerous co-locations and ignoring how the resulting overcrowding of schools will in many cases lead to building code violations. I would like to thank Advocates for Justice for their work in protecting the rights of NYC students not to have their education severely damaged by these irresponsible and politically motivated co-locations, devised by a lame duck Mayor in his last months in office.”

Arthur Z. Schwartz, President of Advocates for Justice, the public interest law firm representing the Petitioners,expressed a “hope that the new Mayor will use these lawsuits as a

Latest News and Comment from Education

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Nite Cap 12-29-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

James Baldwin said it best:

"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."

YESTERDAY

solidaridad: CA-NAME Conference Reclaiming Multicultural Education: Fighting Back, Imagining and Building Socially Just Worlds

CA-NAME Conference Reclaiming Multicultural Education: Fighting Back, Imagining and Building Socially Just Worlds

Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"

The RSD and New Orleans miracle (of cheating) | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

The RSD and New Orleans miracle (of cheating)

empathyeducates – Christmas Came – Budget Cuts Got Fatter Children Slimmer

Christmas Came – Budget Cuts Got Fatter Children Slimmer

NYC Public School Parents: New York City Parents and Elected Officials File Suit Seeking Injunction To Stop Bloomberg's 42 Recently Approved School Co-locations

Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Teachers | Dallas Morning News

Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Teachers

Lawsuit To Stop October 2013 Co-locations

Lawsuit To Stop October 2013 Co-locations

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