LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-11-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

Parents and Students Demonstrate Against Tests at Dozens of NYC Schools

Today, parents and students rallied against the state tests at dozens of schools across New York City, unassuaged by State Commissioner John King’s claims that the tests were better this year and consumed less than 1% of the year. Little children that had sat for three hours of reading tests did not take comfort in his words, and parents demanded transparency. “The protests, which drew hundreds o

15 by dianeravitch / 10min 

Peabody (MA) School Committee Calls for Investigation of State Commissioner

The Peabody School Committee unanimously passed a resolution calling for an investigation of whether State Commissioner Mitchell Chester has a conflict of interest as national chairman of the PARCC governing board. Some people in the Bay State are still angry that school officials dropped the state’s successful standards and assessments in exchange for $75 million in Race to the Top funding. Some

3 by dianeravitch / 3min 

If Washington State Loses Its Waiver, Then What?

Arne Duncan may withdraw the waiver he extended to Washington State because it failed to adopt a test-based teacher evaluation system, as he demanded. The first question is, what this will mean for Washington State, should Duncan withdraw the waiver? If the state reverts to the requirements of NCLB, then very likely every school and every district will be a “failing” school or district and theref

5 by dianeravitch / 1h 

Teacher: Another Example of Common Core Madness

A teacher describes a new start up–open the link and see if you can find a teacher in the lineup of leaders–funded by Rupert Murdoch and aligned with the Common Core. Thar’s gold in them thar hills! She writes: “You probably know about this outfit already, but take a look at the team members of Teach Boost. Quite telling. I am enraged. (By the way, we are not K-12 educators. We teach at-risk yout

by dianeravitch / 0min hide  //  save

Paul Horton: Why Is Public Television Against Public Schools?

Paul Horton, a history teacher at the University of Chicago Lab School and fervent advocate for public education, asks why public education continues to lavish so much favorable attention in the leaders of the privatization movement while disregarding dissenting voices or–worse–treating our nation’s public schools shabbily. He suggests that the Republican attack of public funding of PBS may have

1 by dianeravitch / 15min 

Michael Fiorillo: My Definition of an Ethical Charter School

In response to an earlier post, reader Michael Fiorillo offers his definition of an ethical charter school. Bear in mind as you read this, that the original charter concept was that it would be a school that took on the most difficult and challenging students, like dropouts, and had the freedom to try innovative ideas, then shared those ideas with the public schools. It was not supposed to have th

by dianeravitch / 3min 

Paul Rosenberg: How Phony Scare Tactics Drive the Movement to Privatize Public Education

Paul Rosenberg writes on Salon about the well-honed Fox-News style tactic of “crying wolf,” “the sky is falling,” we are in an “unprecedented crisis” to achieve political ends, in the present case, the privatization and monetization of public education. In urban districts, the privatization is gobbling up public schools and turning them over to private corporations–both for-profit and non-profit.

1 by dianeravitch / 23min 

Beardsley: More Evidence that VAM is a Sham

Audrey Amrein Beardsley has been studying William Sanders’ value-added assessment system for a decade or so, and she is no fan of his methodology. Here she explains why. William Sanders has argued that his methodology is not volatile, but Beardsley and other critics say otherwise. TVAAS or EVAAS is highly controversial, yet Arne Duncan praised it and claimed that Tennessee made great strides becau

1 by dianeravitch / 11min 

Linda Darling-Hammond: Why the Status Quo Movement Has Nothing to Do with Civil Rights

The corporate style reformers–the cheerleaders for charters, vouchers-and high-stakes testing–like to claim that they are leading the civil rights movement of their day. They imagine themselves locked arm-in-arm with Martin Luther King, Jr., in their efforts to end collective bargaining rights, to eliminate teacher due process rights, and to privatize public education.   I am not sure if they actu

1 by dianeravitch / 4min 

Sherm Koons: Down the Rabbit Hole with PARCC

Sherm Koons left this comment. Check out Sherm’s blog, Tales from the Classroom. He is a veteran high school English teacher in Ohio.   Down the Rabbit Hole with PARCC. It’s taken me a while to begin to wrap my head around what’s really going on with PARCC and what makes it so absolutely wrong, but standing in the hall after school today talking to some fellow teachers I think got a glimpse. As we

4 by dianeravitch / 16min hide  //  save

Lubienski Refutes Walmart-funded Voucher Advocates

Last year, Christopher Lubienski and Sarah Theule Lubienski published a book called “The Public School Advantage,” which shows through careful scholarly research that public schools have inherent advantages over private schools, especially p charter schools and voucher schools. In doing so, they stirred up a hornet’s nest. In this post, Chris Lubienski responds to Patrick Wolf and Jay Greene of t

1 by dianeravitch / 1h 

Robert Shepherd: The Remarkable But True Tale of the Birth of Common Core

Robert Shepherd, a frequent commenter on the blog, is an experienced veteran in the world of education publishing, having developed curriculum, textbooks, and assessments.     He writes:   The New York legislature just voted to dump inBloom. But Diane Ravitch’s first post about that subjected noted, wisely, that inBloom was dead “for Now.”   Don’t think for a moment that Big Data has been beaten.

43 by dianeravitch / 2h 

What is an Ethical Charter School?

The blog known as “Better Living Through Mathematics” ponders the criteria of an ethical charter school. That would be a school that doesn’t kick other kids out of their school. And a school that enrolled the same proportion of students with disabilities and English learners as neighborhood public schools. That would be a school that has a fair discipline policy, suspending no more than neighbor

2 by dianeravitch / 3h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-10-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Education Law Center: States with Most Unequal Funding Won RTTT GrantsThe Education Law Center noted in 2012 that there was a pattern to the distribution of Race to the Top grants: The states and districts with the most unequal funding won a large share of RTTT grants. ELC writes: Since 2009, the US Department of Education’s (USDOE

by mike simpson / 7h 

4-11-14 Ed Notes Online Week

Ed Notes Online:

Lydia Howrilka Speech on DOE Discontinue Black List at PEP, April 9, 2014

Readers of Ed Notes know about the horrendous Discontinue, where any principal is given the power to terminate the career of any non-tenured teacher, even if another principal wants to hire them - as was the case for Lydia. What insane system do we have where a first year teacher can have their dreams of teaching in the NYC school system ended by a vindictive principal? Why vindictive do you say?

by ed notes online / 45min 

Rally Against Cuomo/State Leg Charter Giveaway - photos

The abandonment of any sense of support for public schools and the caving to the charter lobby has been the equivalent of an ice bomb dropped on many people who have had faith in the political system (I am not one of those and what the state leg did is totally expected). Many of the protesters are promising revenge -- like running in primaries, etc. We'll see. I think it will take a series of mass

by ed notes online / 7min hide  //  save

YESTERDAY

More Pix From Rally With Real Grassroots Parents Opposing Cuomo Charter Giveaway

See my earlier post.Protesting Charter Lobby Influence -- Unique Coalitions Formed - and in Formation  

by ed notes online / 9h 

4-10-14 Ed Notes Online Week

Ed Notes Online: Mercedes Schneider Dissects Sol Stern's Lack of Knowledge on Common CoreStern, I have to tell you– you are so out of the loop... Mercedes Schneider Sol Stern has been a sparring partner for many years - since the days when he went after teacher seniority as the worst thing to happen to public education. Sol is a delightful adversary. But we have had some blow-ups over the years--

by mike simpson / 8h 

NYC Public School Parents: More than 37 NYC principals say NO! to the Commissioner; the state exams are unfair & flawed & need to undergo public scrutiny

NYC Public School Parents: More than 37 NYC principals say NO! to the Commissioner; the state exams are unfair & flawed & need to undergo public scrutiny:

More than 37 NYC principals say NO! to the Commissioner; the state exams are unfair & flawed & need to undergo public scrutiny

The day after NY Education Commissioner King in a widely-covered speech claims the state's Common Core aligned exams were "better tests" and the Secretary of Education Arne Duncan praises him, by saying under King's leadership the state has an opportunity to “help lead the country where we need to go,” more than 37 NYC principals lead rallies to say the state exams were awful & unfair to kids:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, April 11, 2014

Contact: Adele Schroeter, PS 59; (212) 888-7870

  Lisa Ripperger, PS 234; (212) 233-6034

37 PRINCIPALS LEAD SCHOOLS ACROSS MANHATTAN IN PROTEST AGAINST STANDARDIZED TEST

Call on Education Department, Commissioner John King, and Pearson to Provide Fairer Testing Methods

New York, NY – This morning, New York City’s District 2 schools, along with some in Districts 1 and 3 held public demonstrations to express their deep dissatisfaction with the 2014 NYS ELA exam. More than 37 principals from across the district marched along with parents, teachers, students, administrators and staff.

“We are disappointed by the design and quality of this test as well as the lack of transparency surrounding this process,” said Adele Schroeter, Principal of PS 59. “If administrators, teachers, and parents are expected to empower our students, we need to be provided with better access to the materials used for testing. Allowing the tests to undergo public scrutiny, as they were in the past, will provide the accountability necessary to ensure quality exams in the future.”

Among the concerns shared by many District 2 schools are the following:

·         The test is not well-aligned with the Common Core Learning Standards;

·         Exam questions are poorly constructed and ambiguous;

·         A strict embargo limits transparency as the full tests will never be released publicly;

·         Teachers are not permitted to use the questions or the results to inform their teaching;

·         Students and families receive little or no specific feedback;

·         Length of test (3 days) feels unnecessarily long; and

·         This year, there were product placements (i.e., Nike, Barbie) woven throughout the exam.

“The Common Core Learning Standards are about rigorous, critical thinking.  If state education officials want schools continuing to improve their instruction to better meet the CCLS, it’s critical the test makers design tests that demonstrate that approach,” said Lisa Ripperger, Principal of PS 234. “If this doesn’t happen, there’s a tremendous risk that schools will refocus their instruction on narrow, minute aspects of curricular content.”

 

The District 2 School Principals are calling on the NYS Education Department, Commissioner John King, and Pearson to implement more transparent methods in creating and distributing the test. These demonstrations follow similar protests in Brooklyn last week, led by Liz Phillips of PS 321.

Parents, teachers, students, and administrators from District 2 schools participated in today’s protests including:

·         Adele Schroeter, Principal PS 59

·         Lisa Ripperger, Principal PS 234

·         Sharon Hill, Principal PS 290

·         Jane Hsu, Principal PS 116

·         Lisa Siegman, Principal PS 3

·         Jennifer Bonnet, Principal PS 150

·         Kelly McGuire, Principal Lower Manhattan Community

·         Nancy Sing-Bock, Principal PS 51

·         Susan Felder, Principal PS 40

·         Tara Napoleoni, Principal PS 183

·         Robert Bender, Principal PS 11

·         Kelly Shannon, Principal PS 41

·         Nicole Ziccardi Yerk, Principal PS 281

·         Lauren Fontana, Principal PS 6

·         Amy Hom, Principal PS 1

·         Terri Ruyter, Principal PS/IS 276

·         Nancy Harris, Principal PS 397

·         David Thacker Bowell, Principal PS 347

·         Samantha Kaplan, Principal PS 151

·         Irma Medina, Principal PS/IS 111

·         Medea McEvoy, Principal PS 267

·         Jacqui Getz, Principal PS 126/MAT

·         Darryl Alhadeff, Principal PS 158

·         Alice Hom, Principal PS 124

·         Lily Woo, Principal PS 130

·         Bessie Ng, Principal PS 2

·         Ronnie Najjar, Principal PS 89

·         Maggie Siena, Principal PS 343

·         Stacy Goldstein, Principal School of the Future

·         Rosa Casiello-O’Day, Principal PS 42

·         Linore Lindy, Principal PS 33

·         David Getz, Principal East Side Middle School

·         Rhonda Perry, Principal Salk Middle School

·         Phyllis Tam, Principal MS 131

·         Henry Zymeck, Principal MS 245 Computer School, District 3

·         Monica Berry, Principal PS 87, District 3

·         Iris Chiu, Principal PS 184, District 1

  

4-11-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:

The new school reform model: ‘dumping the losers’

Since 2011, the state-run Philadelphia public school district has adopted what is called the “portfolio model” of school reform as its “theory of change.”  The model is a move away from the traditional school district, in which a centralized administration controls a set of public schools, to an arrangement in which a group of different […]

1 by Valerie Strauss / 46min 

An infuriating admission

What’s going on here? Last September, Bill Gates admitted that he doesn’t know if the school reform initiatives that he is massively funding will work. To be precise, he said during an interview at Harvard University: “It would be great if our education stuff worked, but that we won’t know for probably a decade.” And shortly […]

by Valerie Strauss / 2min hide  //  save

‘We refuse’

Liz Rosenberg and Takiema Bunche Smith, educators who have worked in New York City’s public and private schools for nearly twenty years, are also public school parents. Kemala Karmen formerly taught at the City University of New York. All three have children who attend PS 146 (Brooklyn New School), where a year-long, parent-led awareness campaign […]

9 by Valerie Strauss / 3h 

One unconventional factor to consider when choosing a college

Anyone lucky enough to have choices for college has a list of things that are important to them: price, size, location, quality. But here’s an unconventional factor that students may want to start considering at a time when graduating from college with good grades may no longer be enough to get a job. It was […]

10 by Valerie Strauss / 5h 

4-10-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet: What does Jeb Bush call public schools? (Hint: not ‘public schools’)Jeb Bush, as much as anybody, is the pioneer of  corporate-influenced school reform. When he was governor of Florida from 1999-2007, he introduced many of the changes in education policy that have become common across the country — including high-stakes standardized testing —  and since then he has been a leading

by mike simpson / 8h 

4-11-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:

Friday Open Thread

Did your senior write a great college essay?  Here's a link to an award for $5,000 through Medium.com.  The deadline is May 19.  (Great judges like Anna Quindlen, Wally Lamb, and Mary Roach.) This is not "new" news but the Gates Foundation invests in a private prison company as well as a company with 19 juvenile detention facilities in the U.S.  This from Mother Jones.  A Gates spokesper

by Melissa Westbrook / 17min 

Special Ed Open Mic nights

Families are invited to give feedback on Special Education services at Seattle Public Schools during two “Open Mic Night” meetingsFamilies of Seattle Public Schools are invited to join experts from Louisiana State University and the TIERS Group (Teams Intervening Early to Reach all Students) during two Open Microphone Nights to give feedback on Special Education Services.Join us:Tuesday, April 22

by Charlie Mas / 3h 

4-10-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Required Reading on Common CoreOne of the most calm, well-thought out op-eds on Common Core that I have read from Elizabeth Phillips, principal in NYC's PS 321.  Read the entire thing but here are highlights:So teachers watched hundreds of thousands of children in grades 3 to 8 sit for between 70 and 180 minutes per day for three days taking a state English Languag

by mike simpson / 6h 

4-11-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida

Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education:

Step Up for Students’ Cynical Last-Minute Voucher Push

Even with today’s likely passage of voucher expansion in the Florida House – whose republican leadership doesn’t want anyone to know that Floridians really oppose them – the administrative agent of the state’s voucher plan, Step Up for Students, is going scorched Earth. While staffers were reportedly directing a bombardment of African-American and Jewish Democrat legislators with a shame campaign,

by Bob Sikes / 3h hide  //  save

BREAKING: Poll Shows Floridians Oppose Vouchers

From Allison Nielson for Sunshine State News: Vouchers continue to be a controversial issue in the Sunshine State, with a new poll showing more than half of voters are opposed to providing scholarships to low-income students to attend nonpublic or private schools. The Voter Survey Service, commissioned by Sunshine State News, found 55 percent of voters said they oppose vouchers, while a smaller nu

by Bob Sikes / 4h  

4-10-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida

Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: Is Charter Schools USA Using Uncertified Teachers at Failing Tampa School?Marlene Skokol reports in the Tampa Bay Tribune: TAMPA — As if Woodmont Charter School did not have enough problems, a former teacher has lodged a discrimination complaint and says the F-rated scho

by mike simpson / 8h