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Monday, April 14, 2014

Nite Cap 4-14-14 #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."


A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP




4-14-14 The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education
Rethinking Classroom Pedagogy in the Standards-Driven Classroom — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGRethinking Classroom Pedagogy in the Standards-Driven ClassroomApril 14, 2014 by ASCD Whole Child BloggersPost written by Amber MedinThe long-term benefits of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) have been touted by the academic community at la
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Are you ready to rumble? Looks like we have a candidate.
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Are you ready to rumble? Looks like we have a candidate.: Are you ready to rumble? Looks like we have a candidate.“What happened to the hundreds of children from closed schools who never made it the welcoming schools on the West and South Sides?” Fioretti said.It's cold and gloomy outside. But I'm smiling ear to ear. Here's why.Ald. Bob Fioretti just gave a powerful
4-14-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Common Core Roundup (with trends and memes)I'd been meaning to do this for awhile but every single day - in multiple news outlets - there are stories about Common Core.  I occasionally see some "good news" ones but frankly, those mostly come from Gates Foundation funded groups (or more often than not, seriously, in Forbes magazine).Let's be clear - this i
Russ on Reading: Who Gets Recess? Congress But Not Elementary School Children
Russ on Reading: Who Gets Recess? Congress But Not Elementary School Children: Who Gets Recess? Congress But Not Elementary School ChildrenCongress is on recess and House Majority Whip, Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has some homework for his Republican colleagues. Politico reports that McCarthy wants his fellow members to visit charter schools in their districts to highlight the Republican position on
Meal Site Lists Updated - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)
Meal Site Lists Updated - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Updates List of Programs Serving Nutritious Meals to Low-Income FamiliesSACRAMENTO—Disadvantaged families in California can now access interactive Web pages with up-to-date lists of child and adult care centers offering nutritious meals at low or no cost, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Tor
D.C. are you listening?: A New Local, Community-Based Approach for Accountability | Cloaking Inequity
D.C. are you listening?: A New Local, Community-Based Approach for Accountability | Cloaking Inequity: D.C. are you listening?: A New Local, Community-Based Approach for AccountabilityIt turns out that a new local, community-based approach to accountability is happening… I first introduced the idea of Community-Based Accountability on October 12, 2012 in the post Accountability: Are you ready for
California Student Union Newsletter
CASU Spring 2014 Newsletter |: CASU Spring 2014 NewsletterPosted on April 14, 2014 by CASTUDENTUNIONLeave a commentCALIFORNIA STUDENT UNION NEWSLETTERIssue #2, 5th of April 2014Fight for CCSFThe fight back around the threatened closure of San Francisco City College has reached a fever pitch. The unjust and illegal ACCJC, an accreditation body which covers California community colleges, has threate
4-14-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: The Paradox of Race in the U.S.The Paradox of Race in the U.S.. via The Paradox of Race in the U.S..1 by plthomasedd / 5min  4-13-14 @ The Chalk Face@ THE CHALK FACE: Devaluing Teachers in the Age of Value-AddedDevaluing Teachers in the Age of Value-Added. via Devaluing Teachers in the Age of Value-Added.1 by plthomasedd / 57min  All Week 4-12-14 @ THE CHALK FACE@ THE CHALK FACE 
Paul Horton: The War on Books II: Certified School Librarians Are the New Disappeared - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
Paul Horton: The War on Books II: Certified School Librarians Are the New Disappeared - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Paul Horton: The War on Books II: Certified School Librarians Are the New DisappearedBy Anthony Cody on April 14, 2014 11:39 AMGuest post by Paul Horton.See Part 1: In Defense of Books, here. I was raised to believe that librarians were my friends and I have never me
4-14-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD
the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): The Paradox of Race in the U.S.The paradox of race in the U.S.: In order to become a culture in which race does not matter, race must always matter. Due this coming June, my first granddaughter will be born into this world a bi-racial child during the second term of the
FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, April 14, 2014
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: How Common Core education standards are changing the way LAUSD schools test childrenEducation HeadlinesMonday, April 14, 2014FCMAT 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.McKinleyville district, teachers each turn in '
When Ed Reformers speak: “Schools shouldn’t have a right to exist” | Parents United for Public Education
When Ed Reformers speak: “Schools shouldn’t have a right to exist” | Parents United for Public Education: When Ed Reformers speak: “Schools shouldn’t have a right to exist”Posted on April 14, 2014 by PARENTSUNITEDPHILALeave a commentThe Philadelphia School Partnership was founded with a mission “to accelerate” the pace of education reform in Philadelphia and to raise $100 million to wield its agen
Listening and Learning at the International Summit on the Teaching Profession | ED.gov Blog
Listening and Learning at the International Summit on the Teaching Profession | ED.gov Blog: Listening and Learning at the International Summit on the Teaching ProfessionDelegations from high-performing education systems across the globe gathered for the 4th International Summit on the Teaching Profession in New Zealand.At the end of March, National Education Association President Dennis Van Roeke
NYC Educator: On Sleeping Children
NYC Educator: On Sleeping Children: On Sleeping ChildrenKids get sleepy in class. It's a fact of life. Sometimes they just say the hell with it and put their heads down. Personally I don't much care for that. First of all, it's kind of rude. Second, it's not particularly conducive to learning. Finally, I'm abundantly aware that when the principal walks in and said kid appears to be sleeping, it wi
Colorado English Teacher Resigns In Part Over Common Core | Truth in American Education
Colorado English Teacher Resigns In Part Over Common Core | Truth in American Education: Colorado English Teacher Resigns In Part Over Common CoreFiled in Common Core State Standards by Shane Vander Hart on April 14, 2014 • 0 Comments2111Pauline Hawkins and her 9-year-old son.All teachers just love Common Core right?  No, further evidence that there is not 100% consensus on the part of classroom t
American Library Association releases list of 'Most Complained Books' | KMOV.com St. Louis
American Library Association releases list of 'Most Complained Books' | KMOV.com St. Louis: American Library Association releases list of 'Most Complained Books'by Associated PressKMOV.comPosted on April 14, 2014 at 8:49 AMThe potty humor of "Captain Underpants" children's books and the mature exploration of race and family violence by Nobel laureate Toni Morrison in "The Bluest Eye
Students weigh in on Common Core | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com
Students weigh in on Common Core | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com: Students weigh in on Common Core COMMENT(1) 0 12 3 15View Larger Brant SanderlinMarch 12, 2014 Atlanta: Sen. William Ligon and supporters watch as his bill to end Common Core in Georgia fails to receive enough votes to pass committee Wednesday March 12, 2014. BRANT SANDERLIN /BSANDERLIN@AJC.COMPrevious PostsTracking: Should we get all
How Incompetent Tests Are Terrifying 3rd Graders | John Thompson
How Incompetent Tests Are Terrifying 3rd Graders | John Thompson: How Incompetent Tests Are Terrifying 3rd GradersPosted: 04/13/2014 2:57 pm EDT Updated: 04/14/2014 9:59 am EDT The "embarrassing truth" for Tulsa World editor Mike Strain is that he missed two of the six sample questions on the test that Oklahoma 3rd graders must pass to be promoted. The embarrassing truth for society is t
Morning Wink 4-14-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSDiscovering Hidden Allies | Missouri Education WatchdogDiscovering Hidden Allies | Missouri Education Watchdog: Discovering Hidden AlliesinShareA New York mother of a third grader shared this story on Facebook. The lesson of the story is;  you never know what you will get when you speak up.This mother had opted her son out of standardized testing in Januar
Discovering Hidden Allies | Missouri Education Watchdog
Discovering Hidden Allies | Missouri Education Watchdog: Discovering Hidden AlliesinShareA New York mother of a third grader shared this story on Facebook. The lesson of the story is;  you never know what you will get when you speak up.This mother had opted her son out of standardized testing in January and only recently discovered that his homework had transition to being all about preparation fo
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-14-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Paul Thomas: The War on Teachers in the Age of Value-AddedPaul Thomas follows Anthony Cody’s previously cited post by describing the unrelenting attack on teachers, which has intensified with the use of statistically inappropriate measures. He writes: “As Cody notes above, however, simultaneously political leaders, the media, and t
4-14-14 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: Indypendent Comprehensive Coverage of the Common Core/Opt-Out MovementCommon Core resistance reflects an awareness of the metastasis of standards-based reforms into broader swaths of the American school system. “The changes in public education beginning to touch suburban communities, white or black” says Royal, “have touched us already in urban communities.” Opt-out parents like B
4-14-14 Wait What?
Wait What?: Malloy’s public school privatization effort hits StamfordMalloy administration gives Bronx charter school chain a green-light to “save” Stamford. The Malloy administration’s extraordinary efforts to increase the number of charter schools and privatize even more of the state’s public education system took a giant leap forward at the last State Board of Education meeting. In a farce that
4-14-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: “Don’t compare me to the Almighty. Compare me to the alternative.” – Squeezyby Fred Klonsky / 23min 4-13-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacherFred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Sunday reads.On April 12, 1983 Ch
4-14-13 Curmudgucation Week
CURMUDGUCATION: Edupreneuring Hard Rock Instructional BoondoggleryAre you too non-rich to attend Camp Philos, the philosophical retreat  for educational thought leaders at Lake Placid this summer? Then 2014 Rock the Core! may be for you! If nothing else-- it provides an object lesson in edtrepreneurship in action.Rock the Core will take place June 9-11 at the Hard Rock Casino in Biloxi MS. 2014 Ro
The Answer Sheet 4-14-14
The Answer Sheet: The big losers in NYC charter fight: students with disabilitiesWith big bucks from Wall Street supporters behind her, charter network operator Eva Moskowitz won a fight she started with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio over charter schools. De Blasio got politically hurt in the battle after being steamrolled by Moskowitz and Gov. Andrew Cuomo — but in the end, it isn’t de Blasio who
4-14-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: April’s Infographics & Interactives Galore – Part FourThere are just so many good infographics and interactives out there that I’ve begun a new semi-regular feature called “Infographics & Interactives Galore.” You can see others at A Collection Of “The Best…” Lists On Infographics and by searching “infographics” on 
4-14-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD
LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District): L.A. teachers union president ready to step aside for challengerVia the Los Angeles Times |  By Howard Blume Los Angeles teachers’ union president Warren Fletcher said he will no longer actively campaign for reelection, clearing the path for challenger Alex Caputo-Pearl to become the next leader of United
4-14-14 Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All Week
Jersey Jazzman: Repost For Tax Day: The Teacher Supply Tax Credit & Why We Aren't SaintsI'm reposting this from December of last year in "celebration" of Tax Day tomorrow.Via Fred Klonsky, here's yet another way to screw teachers out of money:STATELINE (WIFR) -- Local teachers may be forced to spend more of their own money on school supplies next year, now that a federal tax break is
Thoughts inspired by Paul Krugman
Thoughts inspired by Paul Krugman: Thoughts inspired by Paul KrugmanbyteacherkenFollow    Email  6 Comments / 6 Newwho in his column this morning wrote, as quoted by bobswern,…In short, we’re giving huge sums to the financial industry while receiving little or nothing — maybe less than nothing — in return. Mr. Philippon puts the waste at 2 percent of G.D.P. Yet even that figure, I’d argue, underst
empathyeducates – Parental Involvement Is Overrated
empathyeducates – Parental Involvement Is Overrated: Parental Involvement Is Overrated“Parent Involvement” can take many directions. Do we teach our children to be autonomous or do we ostensibly “help” them? “Too much is never enough” has become an American tradition. Too much love, too much guidance…are we hurting our children? Researchers have studied this question and ask us to consider our own
4-14-14 Perdido Street School Week
Perdido Street School: Cuomo Fears A Third Party Candidate Could Make Him Lose Re-ElectionAn extraordinary column from Fred Dicker in the NY Post:After his worst week in office since becoming governor, Andrew Cuomo is now viewed for the first time by important Democrats as potentially vulnerable to Republican challenger Rob Astorino, The Post has learned. The changing sentiment results from the ex
Districts should make early learning a priority in their local accountability plans | EdSource Today
Districts should make early learning a priority in their local accountability plans | EdSource Today: Districts should make early learning a priority in their local accountability plansApril 13th, 2014 | Add a Comment | By Ted Lempert and Mark Friedman /commentaryTed LempertThe achievement gap is a term used so regularly in the education world that its realities can sometimes lose their significan
janresseger | "That all citizens will be given an equal start through a sound education
janresseger | "That all citizens will be given an equal start through a sound education is one of the most basic, promised rights of our democracy. Our chronic refusal as a nation to guarantee that right for all children…. is rooted in a kind of moral blindness, or at least a failure of moral imagination…. It is a failure which threatens our future as a nation of citizens called to a common p
Shanker Blog » What Is A Standard Deviation?
Shanker Blog » What Is A Standard Deviation?: What Is A Standard Deviation?Posted by Matthew Di Carlo on April 14, 2014Anyone who follows education policy debates might hear the term “standard deviation” fairly often. Most people have at least some idea of what it means, but I thought it might be useful to lay out a quick, (hopefully) clear explanation, since it’s useful for the proper interpretat
Crazy Crawfish's Blog | Zesty Louisiana Education Politics
Crazy Crawfish's Blog | Zesty Louisiana Education Politics: "Crazy Crawfish's BlogZesty Louisiana Education Politics"Crazy Crawfish's BlogZesty Louisiana Education Politics Bio of a Crawfish – Part IA wise man once asked me (like a few hours ago) what is my story and why am I running for an elective position on BESE. To paraphrase his point, it’s one thing to criticize someone else (espe
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLESFrench Economist Thomas PikettyEconomist Thomas PikettyThere is a fundamentalist belief by capitalists that capital will save the world, and it just isn't so. Not because of what Marx said about the contradictions of capitalism, because, as I discovered, capital is an end in itself and no more." -- The Guardian, Occupy was rig

YESTERDAY

“These are not budget cuts. These are human rights abuses happening to children in our own city.” | Parents United for Public Education
“These are not budget cuts. These are human rights abuses happening to children in our own city.” | Parents United for Public Education: “These are not budget cuts. These are human rights abuses happening to children in our own city.”Posted on April 13, 2014 by PARENTSUNITEDPHILALeave a commentThe American Educational Research Association national meeting came to Philadelphia last weekend and Pare
L.A. teachers union president ready to step aside for challenger - latimes.com
L.A. teachers union president ready to step aside for challenger - latimes.com: L.A. teachers union president ready to step aside for challengerComments1EmailShare12L.A. teachers union president Warren Fletcher, seen here at a candidates' forum, has ended his active campaigning for reelection. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times / March 4, 2014)By Howard BlumeApril 13, 2014, 7:31 p.m.Los Angeles
Education: States' standardized tests have a negative impact on parents' civic engagement -- ScienceDaily
Education: States' standardized tests have a negative impact on parents' civic engagement -- ScienceDaily: Education: States' standardized tests have a negative impact on parents' civic engagementDate:April 7, 2014Source:University of Massachusetts AmherstSummary:New research has found that parents of public school students in states with more extensive and stringent student assessment systems exp
Peg with Pen: NBI #10 at CEA: Withdraw from PARCC
Peg with Pen: NBI #10 at CEA: Withdraw from PARCC: NBI #10 at CEA: Withdraw from PARCCI spoke at the CEA Delegate Assembly twice this weekend. My second time was for NBI #10 Withdraw from PARCC. I was very nervous. The entire delegate assembly protocol is new to me and I jumped in - trying to do my part and become a union member who advocates for children and helps to create change which will allo
New Report Rebukes Central Feature of 'Race to the Top' | Diane Ravitch
New Report Rebukes Central Feature of 'Race to the Top' | Diane Ravitch: New Report Rebukes Central Feature of 'Race to the Top'The central feature of the Obama administration's $5 billion "Race to the Top"program was sharply refuted last week by the American Statistical Association, one of the nation's leading scholarly organizations. Spurred on by the administration's combination of fe
Nite Cap 4-13-14 #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."A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAPvox.com: PARCC Tests Are “Working”! | deutsch29vox.com: PARCC Tests Are “Working”! | deutsch29: vox.com: PARCC Tests Are “Working”!April 13, 2014On April 11, 2014, vox.com, a supposedly “data-driven news site started this month (April 2014) by Ez



4-14-14 The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education

Rethinking Classroom Pedagogy in the Standards-Driven Classroom — Whole Child Education:











ASCD Whole Child Bloggers

Rethinking Classroom Pedagogy in the Standards-Driven Classroom

ASCD Annual Conference and Exhibit ShowPost written by Amber Medin
The long-term benefits of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) have been touted by the academic community at large, yet it's often difficult to envision the light at the end of the tunnel when dealing with the demands and challenges of actual classroom implementation. Although these standards make it clear what is expected of students, many teachers are left without a road map explaining how to approach and properly convey this new material in the classroom.
The key, said Robert Marzano in his 2014 ASCD Annual Conference session "The New Pedagogy of the Common Core and the Science Standards," is not to blindly dive into the higher-order thinking questions in an effort to meet the CCSS and NGSS without first setting reasonable goals and a workable framework of instruction that moves purposefully toward student-directed, cognitively complex tasks. "If you were to teach all the content in the national standards documents in the time available ... without adding days to the school year or time to the school day, you'd have to change school from K–12 to K–22," explained Marzano.
Tried-and-true instructional strategies that have been in place since the 1980s thinking skills movement should not be discarded in light of increasingly rigorous standards. Instead, teachers should start by 

4-12-14 THE WHOLE WEEK @ The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education
The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE WEEK @ The Whole Child Blog Insights on Writing: A Core SkillWriting powerfully is a skill that teachers know every student needs to develop if he or she is to have the best chances in life. Yet, paradoxically, it's one of the skills that students most often resist practicing. The April 2014 issue of Educational Leadership examines the many w

UPDATE: WHITENING THE CITIES + Are you ready to rumble? Looks like we have a candidate Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Are you ready to rumble? Looks like we have a candidate.:


WHITENING THE CITIES [Update]
Following up on this morning's Jackie Robinson post where I pointed out that Jackie's family had been part of the great black migration from the plantation South. They migrated in the 1930s to southern California and settled in Pasadena where there were lots of jobs in a booming defense industry as well as a burgeoning black community. Fast forward to today when Pasadena has lost about one-quarter

Are you ready to rumble? Looks like we have a candidate.

“What happened to the hundreds of children from closed schools who never made it the welcoming schools on the West and South Sides?” Fioretti said.
It's cold and gloomy outside. But I'm smiling ear to ear. Here's why.

Ald. Bob Fioretti just gave a powerful speech at the City Club. It was a solid left hook to Rahm's jaw and sounded to everyone like the opening salvo in the 2015 race for mayor. And guess what? He received a standing O from not only CTU Pres. Karen Lewis, but from the suit-and-tie business folks as well. It looks like it not just the 99% that are fed up with Rahm's arrogance, bullying, divisiveness, and mismanagement.

From the Sun-Times:
 Ald. Bob Fioretti (2nd) on Monday accused Mayor Rahm Emanuel of presiding over the “widening of Chicago into two cities” and hinted strongly at a race for mayor. With Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis cheering him on from the City Club audience, Fioretti unveiled a liberal, pro-union agenda that would make newly-elected New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio proud.
From DNAInfo:
Fioretti's speech was met with a standing ovation from the crowd of local business leaders. In his keynote speech, the 2nd Ward alderman reflected on his seven years in office — and especially on the Emanuel administration's last three years at the helm.
"There are the kind of problems that are preventable: the kind that those in the Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Are you ready to rumble? Looks like we have a candidate.:

4-14-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:









Common Core Roundup (with trends and memes)

I'd been meaning to do this for awhile but every single day - in multiple news outlets - there are stories about Common Core.  I occasionally see some "good news" ones but frankly, those mostly come from Gates Foundation funded groups (or more often than not, seriously, in Forbes magazine).Let's be clear - this is not some small-scale, scattered uprising.  It is happening everywhere in t
4-13-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Times editorial on Initiative 1351The Seattle Times wrote an editorial to discourage people from signing petitions to put Initiative 1351, Class Size Reduction, on the ballot. The editorial was, of course, full of lies, misrepresentations, and unprincipled statements.I don't know where other people stand on initiatives. Lots of states don't have an initiati


Russ on Reading: Who Gets Recess? Congress But Not Elementary School Children

Russ on Reading: Who Gets Recess? Congress But Not Elementary School Children:



Who Gets Recess? Congress But Not Elementary School Children



Congress is on recess and House Majority Whip, Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has some homework for his Republican colleagues. Politico reports that McCarthy wants his fellow members to visit charter schools in their districts to highlight the Republican position on school choice. I have my own ideas of what these Republican congresspersons can do on recess. What follows is the only one that is printable (but one of the others was a pleasing play on the term "whip").

Congressperson, instead of spending your recess time visiting charter schools, why not visit some actual public schools and talk to some actual certified, experienced professional educators and ask them why children in these schools have no recess. I hope you would also ask what the impact is of no recess for these young children.

There is something fundamentally wrong in this country when we send our legislative leaders off on a two week recess and yet we deny recess to our school aged children.

This topic is on my mind right now because last week I visited a K-5 school in northern New Jersey that has no recess in its schedule. It will not surprise you that this school district has more than 80% minority population, 74% 
Russ on Reading: Who Gets Recess? Congress But Not Elementary School Children:

Meal Site Lists Updated - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)

Meal Site Lists Updated - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education):



State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Updates List of Programs Serving Nutritious Meals to Low-Income Families




SACRAMENTO—Disadvantaged families in California can now access interactive Web pages with up-to-date lists of child and adult care centers offering nutritious meals at low or no cost, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today.
"Having enough nutritious food to eat is a huge contributing factor to a child's ability to succeed in school and in life," Torlakson said. "These centers offer an important resource for families, and I hope this information gets them the support they need."
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Nearly 5,000 local day-care centers and 17,000 sponsored family day-care home providers in California participate in the CACFP.
Child care centers and day-care home providers participating in this program provide nutritious food to infants, children, and adults. All children enrolled in these day-care homes receive meals at no charge. Most participating day-care centers also provide meals at no charge. In centers that have a separate charge for meals, participants may receive free or reduced-price meals.
Child care centers can provide free or reduced-price meals if families of children in their care meet household income eligibility guidelines. For example, a family of four earning $30,615 a year (up from $29,965 last year) can qualify for free meals and snacks. Also, a family of four earning $43,568 a year (up from $42,643 last year) can qualify for reduced-price meals and snacks. The Income Eligibility Scales for 2013–14 for free and reduced-price meals and snacks are attached.
Child care centers or day-care home providers with children in households that receive California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids, CalFresh (formerly Food Stamps), Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), Kinship Guardianship Assistance Payment Program, Head Start, Early Head Start, or the Even Start Program are automatically eligible at the free rate. Adult daycare centers with adults that receive CalFresh, FDPIR, Social Security Income, or Medicaid benefits are also eligible for reimbursement at the free rate. Institutions serve meals to all participants regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.*
To find day-care home sponsors in your area, visit the California Department of Education's CACFP Day Care Home SponsorsWeb page and search by county. For a child or adult day care center, visit the 2013–14 CACFP Center Sites Web page and search by county.
# # # #
* The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. The USDA prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.) If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form External link opens in new window or tab., go to any USDA office, or call 866-632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to the USDA by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; by fax 202-690-7442; or email at program.intake@usda.gov. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339, or 800-845-6136 (Spanish).
Attachment
Meals and Snacks Free Eligibility Scale
Household Size
Annual
Monthly
Twice Per Month
Every Two Weeks
Weekly
1
$14,937
$1,245
$623
$575
$288
2
$20,163
$1,681
$841
$776
$388
3
$25,389
$2,116
$1,058
$977
$489
4
$30,615
$2,552
$1,276
$1,178
$589
5
$35,841
$2,987
$1,494
$1,379
$690
6
$41,067
$3,423
$1,712
$1,580
$790
7
$46,293
$3,858
$1,929
$1,781
$891
8
$51,519
$4,294
$2,147
$1,982
$991
For each additional family member, add:
+$5,226
+$436
+$218
+$201
+$101
Meals and Snacks Reduced-Price Eligibility Scale
Household Size
Annual
Monthly
Twice Per Month
Every Two Weeks
Weekly
1
$21,257
$1,772
$886
$818
$409
2
$28,694
$2,392
$1,196
$1,104
$552
3
$36,131
$3,011
$1,506
$1,390
$695
4
$43,568
$3,631
$1,816
$1,676
$838
5
$51,005
$4,251
$2,126
$1,962
$981
6
$58,442
$4,871
$2,436
$2,248
$1,124
7
$65,879
$5,490
$2,745
$2,534
$1,267
8
$73,316
$6,110
$3,055
$2,820
$1,410
For each additional family member, add:
+$7,437
+$620
+$310
+$287
+$144
# # # #
Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction

D.C. are you listening?: A New Local, Community-Based Approach for Accountability | Cloaking Inequity

D.C. are you listening?: A New Local, Community-Based Approach for Accountability | Cloaking Inequity:



D.C. are you listening?: A New Local, Community-Based Approach for Accountability

tone-deaf
It turns out that a new local, community-based approach to accountability is happening… I first introduced the idea of Community-Based Accountability on October 12, 2012 in the post Accountability: Are you ready for a new idea?
Here is some background from the post I am giddy!!: Community-Based Accountability
I had writer’s block all summer. I owed Professor Rich Milner and two co-authors (Dr. Muhummed Khalifa and Dr. Linda Tillman) my portion of a chapter for the upcoming Handbook of Urban Education to be published by Routledge.We were asked to write on a “direction for future work (and needs) in the field of urban education.” My co-authors had already written the theoretical underpinning (post-colonial theory) and had specified the problem (persisting achievement gap in the midst of NCLB, high-stakes testing, and accountability). So what was the alternative to NCLB in its current conception!? I thought about the school reform course I took with David Tyack at Stanford a decade ago that focused on the community-based schooling in the 1960s. Then i considered that our datasets and their interconnectedness has advanced rapidly over the past two decades. In the vein of Dewey, I considered the measurement of a child’s success in conjunction with their heterogenous pursuits. In the political sphere, i pondered that Democrats often support community empowerment and Republicans espouse local control— which conflicts with the current conception of NCLB.
I then considered….How can we blend these key ideas into a new form of accountability?
My primary line of research is high-stakes testing and accountability… Yet I struggled all summer with re-thinking accountability. In fact, I put a stack of books on top of the manuscript… so that I didn’t have to see it…. then, I went to an accountability conference in Rome and I had a break through. I am came back from the meeting inspired. My portions of the manuscript that I had struggled to write for months came flowing out in three days… On October 17th I posted an excerpt from the Handbook of Urban 
D.C. are you listening?: A New Local, Community-Based Approach for Accountability | Cloaking Inequity:

CALIFORNIA STUDENT UNION NEWSLETTER

CASU Spring 2014 Newsletter |:

CASU Spring 2014 Newsletter




Mecha de CCSF

CALIFORNIA STUDENT UNION NEWSLETTERIssue #2, 5th of April 2014
Fight for CCSF
The fight back around the threatened closure of San Francisco City College has reached a fever pitch. The unjust and illegal ACCJC, an accreditation body which covers California community colleges, has threatened the school with closure. In response to the downsizing and privatization the student body has stood up against this assault on public education. A series of protests over the last year, including an occupation of San Francisco’s City Hall, have yielded not only popular support of students and community but also a slew of lawsuits. These lawsuits not only came from student organizers, but also from the local American Federation of Teachers and the City Attorney’s office of San Francisco. The constant pressure and ensuing lawsuits lead by students has resulted in an immediate injunction of the ACCJC’S decision until the end of the City Attorneys case. Recently the pro-ACCJC administration, led by Bob Agrella the special trustee with extraordinary powers, has instituted an unfair payment policy, attempted to raise administrators salaries, while canceling classes and imposing a quota on class size. The payment policy disproportionately hurt international and undocumented students. In a meeting with newly appointed Chancellor Arthur Tyler one student was crassly told they should “pick up cans” in addition to working and studying to meet the financial demands of the ACCJC. In response to these attacks hundreds of students decided to bring their demands into the administration building on March 13th. They were met by the batons and pepper spray of both the campus police and the San Francisco Police Department. After the violent repression of this peaceful protest, Bob Agrella and his police have begun targeting students with the threat of removing their right to assemble and to organize on campus. These specific attacks are strikingly similar to what we have seen at other community colleges across the state such as Santa Monica College. Administrations actively suppress the student movement by inflicting violence upon the campus to make way for the Student Success Act. In the face of these attacks, and lawsuits, the college’s board of trustees and the student government have offered almost no immediate solution. However, at City College there exists a successful community push back created by student grassroots organizing and the demand of community control over their own institutions. The movement has even forced the City Attorney to file suits against the state accrediting body. As these attacks on public education spread, they can ultimately only be stopped by students on a statewide level. Only an organization such as CASU, which is embedded within the students, can defend the right to education!
38 Student Enrolled or No Class
Once again the California Community College system has turned their backs to needs of the students. As if that wasn’t painful enough, the Los Angeles Community College District has now mandated that the average class room size be thirty-eight students. Thirty-eight students! Any professor would agree that a class of that size CASU Spring 2014 Newsletter |:

4-14-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE:






Jindal to Dump PARCC?
An April 14, 2014, nola.com article has Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal publicly saying he is “willing” to leave the Partnership for Assessment of College and Careers (PARCC)– and even the Common Core State Standards (CCSS): Gov. Bobby Jindal has said he is willing to withdraw Louisiana from a consortium of states developing the assessment associated with the Common Core academic standards if the


The Paradox of Race in the U.S.
The Paradox of Race in the U.S.. via The Paradox of Race in the U.S..
4-13-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: Devaluing Teachers in the Age of Value-AddedDevaluing Teachers in the Age of Value-Added. via Devaluing Teachers in the Age of Value-Added.1 by plthomasedd / 57min  All Week 4-12-14 @ THE CHALK FACE@ THE CHALK FACE : All Week @ THE CHALK FACE Georgia Moms Stand Firm Against TestingGuest post by Meg Norris It was my fourth or fifth speech about Common Core and why I had left my te


Paul Horton: The War on Books II: Certified School Librarians Are the New Disappeared - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Paul Horton: The War on Books II: Certified School Librarians Are the New Disappeared - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:



Paul Horton: The War on Books II: Certified School Librarians Are the New Disappeared

Guest post by Paul Horton.



I was raised to believe that librarians were my friends and I have never met one who didn't help me in some way. Just like you, I have met my share of shush Nazi's, but the firm "quiet down" was always uttered to create a silence that benefited the thinking of the whole.
Silence created a pathway to something more important than noise--books. These librarians protected worlds of the imagination that I had yet to imagine, wondrous times and places beyond times and places, silences full of wonder.
Librarians are trained to ask great questions, to get to know kids and adults on their own terms to better guide aspiring readers, writers, and researchers to destinations unknown, on the other side of the bogs of doubt, frustration, and cynicism.
They know how to work magic, initiating minds, young and old, into the mysteries of mystery, the recesses of intuited shadows, and the openings of unexplored worlds. They are keepers of exquisite curiosity shops of the soul where algorithms dare not tread.
They understand that to read is to be human and that human potential can be imagined and explored through life-long reading. They are invested in this idea: everything they touch nurtures exploration of other worlds. They are also cultivators; they grow empathy, passion, curiosity, and knowledge.
To cut librarians out of an educational system is the equivalent of pulling up a Redwood by its roots--all great civilizations, or trees, for that matter, collect knowledge. Collection is a very human endeavor, we gather who we become. If we collect information, we will become information.
This is precisely what is being done to our educational system in the name of "reform."
In Chicago, for example, school librarians are increasingly sacrificed at school budget tables along Paul Horton: The War on Books II: Certified School Librarians Are the New Disappeared - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

4-14-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University):







The Paradox of Race in the U.S.

The paradox of race in the U.S.: In order to become a culture in which race does not matter, race must always matter. Due this coming June, my first granddaughter will be born into this world a bi-racial child during the second term of the first bi-racial president of the U.S. The symbolic power of that coincidence is, I think, significant, but the realities of the U.S.—I regret to add—far outweig


4-13-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD
the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): Devaluing Teachers in the Age of Value-Added“We teach the children of the middle class, the wealthy and the poor,” explains Anthony Cody, continuing: We teach the damaged and disabled, the whole and the gifted. We teach the immigrants and the dispossessed natives, the tr