Saturday, February 22, 2014

2-22-14 Wait What? All Week

Wait What?:

  Wait What? All Week


Steve Perry calls himself American’s most trusted educator.  While Hartford and Connecticut taxpayers pay him a full-time salary and benefits to serve as the principal of the Hartford School System’s Capital Prep Magnet School, Perry skips about 20% of the school days so that he can travel the country giving speeches for hire. When Perry […]The post Steve Perry adds “therapist” to his title of “ed

Corporate Education Reform Industry targets kindergarteners
Of all the negative and bad public policies being pushed by Governor Malloy, Malloy’s Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor and their corporate education reform allies, none are more offensive, inappropriate and disgusting than their on-going effort to force their “education reforms” on Connecticut’s youngest citizens. While everyone recognizes the vital importance of expanding early childhood […

YESTERDAY

Connecticut Pumps Millions into Google Books But….
Once again, Diane Ravitch, the nation’s leading public education advocate has honored me by re-posting one of my Wait, What? blog posts. This one about Governor Malloy’s decision to put $25  million more on the state credit card to buy computers for the absurd Common Core Smarter Balanced Assessment Testing extravaganza. Ravitch says; Jonathan Pelto […]The post Connecticut Pumps Millions into Goog
WNPR’s John Dankosky to host panel with real educators – Liz Natale and Ebony Murphy-Root
WNPR’s John Dankosky to host panel with hero teachers Liz Natale and Ebony Murphy-Root “Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” – Buddha Stefan Pryor and the corporate education reform industry should be worried because teacher’s voices will finally be heard when WNPR’s Where We Live will record and then […]The post WNPR’s John Dankosky to host panel with real educat

FEB 20

Is the Education Committee’s Common Core Informational Forum a joke?
The Democratic controlled Education Committee has scheduled an Informational Forum on the Common Core on Friday, February 28, 2014 at 10:00 A.M. in Room 2C of the Legislative Office Building.  As presently designed, only invited guests will be allowed to speak. A number of sources have confirmed that at this point the speakers will be Governor […]The post Is the Education Committee’s Common Core I
Wait, What? 2014 Gubernatorial Election Readers Survey
Wait, What? readers; It is time once again to conduct a Wait, What? 2014 Gubernatorial Election Readers Survey. Although the results are unscientific, since it does not survey a random sample of Connecticut voters, the results always prove interesting. You can take the survey via the following link: Wait, What? 2014 Gubernatorial Election Readers Survey The […]The post Wait, What? 2014 Gubernatori
No real financial support for public schools, but plenty more for charter schools (especially Bridgeport)
When Dan Malloy was running for governor he pledged to make adequate funding for Connecticut’s public schools a priority. Instead Malloy introduced the most anti-teacher, anti-union, anti-public education corporate education reform industry initiative of any Democratic governor in the country. Rather than use state education funds to support local schools and take some of the […]The post No real f

FEB 19

CT Democratic legislative leaders block a public hearing on Common Core and Common Core Test
Rather than hold a full, traditional public hearing in which any citizen could come and speak out about the implementation of the Common Core and its corresponding unfair and inappropriate Common Core Smarter Balanced Assessment testing scheme, it now appears that the Connecticut General Assembly’s Democratic leaders will do nothing more than hold a meeting […]The post CT Democratic legislative le
Is Stefan Pryor or the Connecticut Council for Education Reform breaking the law?
As Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor and his agency must adhere to the Connecticut ethics laws that apply to public officials and public agencies. The Connecticut Council for Education Reform (CCER) is a corporate funded lobbying and advocacy group that is working to support Governor Malloy’s education reform initiatives.  As a lobbying group, CCER must […]The post Is Stefan Pryor or the Con
Connecticut Education Committee members hear from a CT educator
A number of Connecticut legislators have told constituents that Governor Malloy and Commissioner Stefan Pryor are implementing education policies that are very different from what they were told during the 2012 debate that lead up to the passage of Malloy’s “education reform” legislation. Here is a letter that James D. Trifone recently sent to the […]The post Connecticut Education Committee member

FEB 18

Malloy, Pryor, Superintendents – Stop lying about the Common Core Smarter Balanced Field!
Anger and frustration on the part of parents, teachers and supporters of public education is bubbling over. Rather than protect the rights of parents and local schools districts, elected and appointed officials are inappropriately using their positions to mislead, lie and scare parents and teachers into believing that parents DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT to […]The post Malloy, Pryor, Superintendents – St
A parent speaks out about Teach For America
There is a lot in corporate education “reform” that astonishes, but perhaps nothing is so astonishing as the strategic deployment of TFA. It’s counter-intuitive that untrained recent graduates will fare better in the classroom than seasoned teachers. And the reason that this notion feels counter-intuitive is quite simple: its contrary to common sense and cool […]The post A parent speaks out about
The voice of a teacher/parent on the Common Core Smarter Balanced Field Test fiasco
In a recent letter to the members of the Connecticut Education Committee, a concerned parent who is also a teacher laid out the issues surrounding the Common Core Smarter Balanced Assessment Field Test (SBAC). Members of the Connecticut Education Committee When is it ever appropriate to lie? My answer would be never. “The bitterest of […]The post The voice of a teacher/parent on the Common Core Sm

FEB 17

With 136,500 unemployed in CT, Hartford Board of Ed may give TFA $650,940 to recruit out-of-state inexperienced teachers
In an extraordinary statement about the fundamental lack of commitment to Connecticut citizens, the Hartford Board of Education will be meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, February 18, 2014 at 5:30 p.m. to authorize Superintendent Christina Kishimoto to extend the Hartford Board of Education’s contract with Teach for America, costing Connecticut and Hartford taxpayers an additional $650,940. The […]The pos
Weekend Re-cap – The battle against the Common Core Smarter Balanced Assessment Test
More than 500 New York State principals slam Common Core testing frenzy While Stefan Pryor, Governor Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, and the Connecticut State Department of Education are instructing Connecticut superintendents and principals to mislead and lie to parents in an attempt to scare parents from opting their children out of the standardized testing frenzy, […]The post Weekend Re-cap

FEB 16

PBS/WNET took money for pension coverage, now check out the Gates Foundation and the Common Core.
David Sirota’s recent series of investigative articles about the extraordinary conflict of interest displayed by the Public Broadcasting Service and WNET has sent shock-waves through across the country. Sirota’s articles include; The Wolf of Sesame Street responds to Pando – much bark, no bite, still stonewalling The Wolf of Sesame Street: Revealing the secret corruption inside PBS’s […]The post P
The truth is that Capital Prep Steve Perry’s “school performance” comes up short
When it comes to the performance of Capital Prep Magnet School, Steve Perry is known for his rhetoric.  Perry says “his” students do better than students at traditional public schools.  However, by measure after measure, it turns out that his hyperbole is nothing but a lie. When Steve Perry is introduced at his lucrative fee-to-speak […]The post The truth is that Capital Prep Steve Perry’s “school

FEB 15

Are Governor Malloy’s new Google Chromebooks data mining our kids?
“Google explicitly admits for the first time that it scans the email of Google Apps for Education users for ad-serving purposes even when ad serving is turned off.” – Safegov.org 1/31/14 Late last year, Governor Dannel P. Malloy and Commissioner Stefan Pryor, like governors and education commissioner across the country, proudly announced that they were […]The post Are Governor Malloy’s new Google
PBS sells out to Corporate Education Reform Industry?
Say it ain’t so! Here is the latest from fellow blogger Jan Resseger, a vital pro-public education voice at the national level; Here is a quick weekend update on an important development about media coverage of issues connected to school reform. This time the topic is so-called news coverage of public pensions, the kind of […]The post PBS sells out to Corporate Education Reform Industry? appeared

2-22-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum:



Seattle Schools Community Forum






Rainier Beach and Basketball Greatness
Interesting story from The Classical (an independent sports website) about Rainier Beach High School and its history of basketball dominance.Locally, it's known as the best place to get Vietnamese food. It is perhaps less well known as an astonishingly fertile cradle of basketball talent, although it's that, too. This is a place that has produced more current NBA players than just about any other
All and All Your Kid is Just....
Another brick in (the data) wall.


Data Walls in Classrooms (Coming to a School Near You?)
Read this article by Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post.  It should cause you to consider what is coming.   Following on the heels of that article is her next one where one privacy expert says this could violate FERPA.Really, the photo, from Caledwell County Schools in North Carolina, says it all. In some places, parents and teachers are getting tired of embarrassing kids. New England Public R
Urgent: Contact Senator Murray's Office Today on NCLB Waiver
Education Week is reporting that Senator Patty Murray will be meeting this weekend with Education Secretary Arne Duncan about Washington State waiver request for NCLB.  Really good insights from Education Week:Washington State is in the unfortunate position of being just one of four that had its NCLB waiver put on "high risk" status by the U.S. Department of Education. The Evergreen Stat
Update on NW Center Kids and Cascade Parent Partnership Building Tug-of-War
Here's the latest on this story:From My Northwest: So far, the only response from the school district came in an email saying they'll let Northwest Center know the next step after enrollment numbers are in on March 7. By that time, Northwest Center will have just three months left to figure out a plan. From The Stranger Slog, now we have a Seattle legislator involved:The Northwest Center understan
Friday Open Thread
A new initiative is coming on student data privacy in Washington State but here's the latest from California via the NY Times.  California has always been a frontrunner on this issue and this bill may be one that our Legislature could use as a template (along with the bills now going in Georgia, NY, and Colorado).  This is an issue that is gaining steam.     This says it all:“We don’t want to limi

FEB 20

More Legislative Updates
From Mary Griffin of the Seattle Special Ed PTA: SHB 2605 is a step backwards in Washington state’s efforts to make our education system more transparent and accessible for parents. That’s because this bill will make it harder, not easier, for parents to know and understand school district policies regarding restraint and isolation of students with disabilities.Right now, for students with IEPs an

FEB 19

Seattle Schools' Student Survey of Teachers
 Update:  I have received some new info - via the City - and either we have a case of Who's on First or SPS is not being forthcoming with all it knows about this student survey of teachers. I have word that one school has been working on this - with Teachers United and possibly school staff as well as the Seattle Youth Commission - for almost two years. I'll let you know all the details when I get
Washington Legislator Town Hall Weekend
Many Washington state legislative districts are having Town Halls this Saturday with some or all of the elected reps from each district.  This is the most complete list I could find but if you know of others, please post them in the comments.It's a good time to let them know about issues like:funding the McCleary decisionstudent data privacynot wanting schools to get A-F gradesthe need for capital

FEB 18

Washington State Legislature Gets Busy on Education Bills
Major news on two important education bills in the Legislature.First, the State Senate REJECTED a teacher-evaluation bill that would have changed using student test scores in teacher evaluations from "can" to "must" because the feds wanted that change.  The feds were using - as a carrot or stick, take your pick - federal funds.  Superintendent Randy Dorn has been moaning about
Seattle Schools' Principals - Who Gets to Go Where?
Long ago, I used to say that having a great school is like a three-legged stool partnership with teachers/staff and parents and principal.  After my personal experience and years of listening to parents' experiences at other schools, I revised that because the biggest leg really is the principal.I feel that way because the principal sets the tone, the focus and usually has a lot of ability in crea
Tuesday Open Thread
UW's department of Computer Science & Engineering has DawgBytes: A Taste of CSE which is their K-12 outreach program.  They have lots of fun events as well as offering a UW CSE student to come out to your school to talk to students.  They have an e-mail list so you can get regular updates of events.Remember the story, There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a fly and The House that Jack Built?  H

FEB 17

Presidents Day Presidents Quiz
I did horribly.  I don't know my presidents well.  Let's see how you do.
Women and Political Office
On the heels of the depressing news that the Washington State Legislature is mostly white, middle-aged and male, I urge women and any women in a minority group to consider running for office (or supporting a friend who may want to run).I have helped walk candidates through running for School Board (with help from great former directors and others) because it's important to know what you are gettin
The Worst Person In the World
With a tip of the hat to Keith Olberman, I would like to nominate state senator Michael Baumgartner (R-Spokane) for "Worst Person in the World" this week.Mr. Baumgartner has introduced a bill before the state senate that mocks the state supreme court's McCleary decision. This is guy who complained about the waste of time when the senate squandered fifteen minutes naming a state oyster.Wh
Things that Make You Go, Hmmm
Update: here's a new one.  So if this is just a little pilot student survey of teachers, why is it the most hugely read post 4-1?  That is way off the charts for normal post hits.  (Naturally some of the hits are the same people but when it gets off a certain amount, you know there is a lot more traffic.  And on a holiday weekend.)  Someone called this a "tempest in a teapot";  I don't t

FEB 16

Seattle Schools This Week
Update:Schools are closed.  Is the district?  I would say they are likely technically open.  But I personally know a couple of staff who won't be around much.  It is also my experience that during holiday breaks, JSCEE powers down somewhat.  Call if you'd like, there may be a chance you will catch someone there.End of updat.eNo Director Community meetings on Saturday, either.At the Rachel Maddow s

FEB 15

SPS News including Open Enrollment
Open Enrollment starts the week after next week's Mid-Winter break and runs two weeks thru March 7th.  All forms must be returned either in person or online to Seattle Public Schools by 4 p.m., Friday, March 7, 2014.  Here's the info from SPS.   Also the Enrollment FAQs have many answers to questions.  (Oddly, the district's Facebook page has nothing about this.)  But, to keep in mind:the district