Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, May 17, 2014

5-17-14 Wait What? All Week

Wait What?:


  Wait What? All Week




Connecticut may not have a governor who supports fair and adequate funding of our public schools, but at least we have a State Supreme Court that is willing to step  up and ensure Connecticut’s children get the quality education that they need and deserve. The citizens of Rhode Island are not so fortunate. Here in […] The post Hey at least we’re not Rhode Island… appeared first on Wait What?.
Kneecapped’ Malloy Has Only Himself to Blame
Last night, Democratic Party leaders and delegates met to re-nominate Dannel “Dan” Malloy to run for a second term as Connecticut’s Governor. Having won by 6,400 out of more than 1.1 million votes cast four years ago, the most recent public opinion poll indicates that only 44 percent of Connecticut voters think Malloy deserves to […] The post Kneecapped’ Malloy Has Only Himself to Blame appeared f

YESTERDAY

Stunning Report Rejects School Closures, Charters, and Paternalism of School Reformers
Where is Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy, Commissioner Stefan Pryor and their corporate education reform allies taking Connecticut?  The following article pulls the curtain aside so we can see. Fellow pro-public education blogger Jan Resseger highlights the findings of a new report released by Journey for Justice, a national coalition dedicated to pushing back the corporate […] The post Stunning Repo

MAY 15

Teacher Evaluations At The Heart Of Education Reform Are Flawed (By Jonathan Kantrowitz)
Jonathan Kantrowitz writes a blog for the Connecticut Post and the Hearst Media Group.  You can count on his articles to be astute, thoughtful and extremely informative.  If you haven’t bookmarked his blog, you should. Kantrowitz’s latest piece examines the significant problems associated with the faulty teacher evaluation programs that are being pushed by the corporate […] The post Teacher Evalua
Child abuse in the form of Common Core Testing
Driving to the meeting with a group of teachers, I couldn’t help but notice that the back roads of Connecticut are particularly beautiful this time of year. The story that these elementary teachers told darkened the return trip. Last week, in an elementary school not far from where you live, the school day started with […] The post Child abuse in the form of Common Core Testing appeared first on W
Additional media coverage of potential gubernatorial candidacy
Here are links to some of the latest news article and news segments about my potential candidate for governor. CT News junkie: Malloy Tries to Look Past Possible Third Party Challenger FOX CT News: Former Democrat Pelto May Run As Third Party Candidate For Governor NBC Connecticut News: Possible Third Party Candidate News 8 WTNH: […] The post Additional media coverage of potential gubernatorial ca

MAY 14

Pelto Could Upend Gubernatorial Race As 3rd-Party Candidate
The Hartford Courant has a major story on my potential run for governor. The story, written by Jon Lender and Daniela Altimari, reports; Former Rep. Jonathan Pelto, once a Democratic insider but now a vocal critic of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, said Tuesday he plans to form an exploratory campaign committee for a possible third-party […] The post Pelto Could Upend Gubernatorial Race As 3rd-Party Candid

MAY 13

6 more reasons why Connecticut should reject the Common Core K-3 standards
Connecticut needs to repeal Governor Malloy’s education reform legislation, halt the implementation of the Common Core and develop more appropriate policies for Connecticut’s students, teachers and public schools. The following is another clear and concise explanation of why the Common Core Standards are wrong for Connecticut. We can and must do better… Defending the Early […] The post 6 more reas

MAY 12

Meanwhile in Bridgeport…  More state funds to Moales’ Kingdom Little Ones in Christ Inc.
Late last week, two new articles about Reverend Kenneth Moales Jr, were posted here on Wait, What? Moales is the controversial Bridgeport political figure who serves as Mayor Bill Finch’s campaign treasurer, Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy’s cheerleader and was the titular head of the Paul Vallas “fan club.”  Moales was appointed by the Malloy administration […] The post Meanwhile in Bridgeport…  Mor
Monday Morning, May 12, 2014 and the question is…
Prospective candidates face a series of decisions. Under state law, you can’t solicit or expend funds unless you have set up an exploratory committee or a candidate committee. An exploratory committee is a committee formed by a candidate who has not yet decided whether or not to seek a particular public office, so that he […] The post Monday Morning, May 12, 2014 and the question is… appeared firs

MAY 11

On mythical state revenue and a Pelto candidacy for Governor
In a column entitled, Malloy Finds Revenue in Land of Pretend, Hartford Courant columnist Kevin Rennie explores the “make believe” budget that passed the Connecticut General Assembly last week and the potential impact my possible candidacy for governor. Kevin Rennie, a lawyer and a former Republican state legislator, is one of the most read and […] The post On mythical state revenue and a Pelto ca

MAY 10

And the scandal surrounding Moales, Finch, Vallas, Pryor and Malloy grows.
After reviewing the facts, it is clearly time for a truly independent investigation into the Moales daycare center operation… Here are the facts; We know that Reverend Kenneth Moales Jr. is Governor Malloy’s loudest supporter in Bridgeport. We know that Reverent Kenneth Moales Jr. is Mayor Bill Finch’s campaign treasurer. We know that Reverend Kenneth […] The post And the scandal surrounding Moale
Latest Quinnipiac poll is disastrous news for Malloy
The latest Quinnipiac public opinion poll made its appearance yesterday (May 9, 2014).  While the headline focused on the fact that, “Gov. Malloy remains deadlocked 43-43 percent in a reelection battle with Republican challenger Tom Foley,” the poll actually contained increasingly grim news for Malloy as he tries to pursue his aspiration of being reelected […] The post Latest Quinnipiac poll is di

5-17-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum:




Seattle Schools Community Forum







Seattle Schools Odds and Ends
I actually have a pretty busy Saturday (and hey, I see sunshine so I want to take advantage of that as well) but I wanted to put up a few items for your viewing.One item is from Mirmac 1 - the Seattle Schools photo archive. I had never seen this archive (but I have been to the archives) and it's fun viewing.  The second item is from next Wednesday's School Board meeting agenda.  There is the trans

Friday Open Thread
Seattle's Central Library celebrates its 10-year birthday.  Lots of fun events starting today with a concert by Harry and the Potters and ending with a big party next Friday, May 23rd.  Music, temporary tattoos, cupcakes and a Lion Dance, starting at 10 a.m.Lots of awards for high school students.  From SPS Communications:Keeley Michael, a senior at Ingraham High School, won the 2014 Congressional

MAY 15

What About PE? - A Great Series by KUOW
KUOW's Ann Dornfeld has done a three-part series on PE in public schools that is both informative and illuminating.  Some of what she reports is troubling.Part One - Seattle Area Kids Don't Get Enough P.E., but Who's Keeping Track?This was the most troubling part as we find that neither SPS nor OSPI is really tracking what is a legal requirement.  In fact, SPS almost has a "all the other kids
More Money for Everything Except K-12
Because I know that Sacajawea's principal got notified last night, at the last possible minute, that the district had cut 1.0 FTE at the school.  "Decreased enrollment" was the reason but it has been suggested that many parents got spooked by no bus service outside the boundaries.  (And it's no picnic for those who live within the boundaries as it is an area without sidewalks.) This may

MAY 14

Wilson-Pacific BEX Meeting
Sometimes it's not the explosion but the slow burn.After attending the Wilson-Pacific BEX meeting last night, that slow burn on this project may be the fuse that ignites voters to say no to the next capital levy measure.  (That would be BTA IV in Feb. 2016.) I know.  February 2016 seems like a long way off and voters forget, move on, etc.Except that Wilson-Pacific is an extra-ordinary project that
Oversight Work Session on Coordinated Health, Safety & Security
There will be a Work Session today from 4-5:30 pm that could be of some interest as it covers a variety of topics.  It's the Oversight Work Session on Coordinated Health, Safety & Security  (Coordinated Health and Safety & Security are two different presentations).  This is Pegi McEvoy's area and she tends to be fairly straight-forward so at least there's a fighting chance of understanding

MAY 13

Times Op-Ed On NCLB Waiver by President Peaslee
If you blinked, you might have missed it.The Times does some really weird thinking on how long they allow education opinions/op-eds to stay (1) on their front page of their website and (2) on the Opinion page of their website.  I've seen some stay for just a day, some for a week or more and some, you cannot find even if you search.This one is a bit of a record as it was just there this morning on
Seattle Schools - Newest Enrollment Numbers for North-End Middle Schools
And guess what?  These numbers are different from previous ones.Yes, we all know that forecasting numbers is not an exact science but we all also know how many times SPS has gotten it wrong.  Very wrong. Tell me again why we should put faith (not to mention tax dollars) into these forecasts?And again, why are these numbers kind of weird to begin with?  Most projections are generally round numbers
Tuesday Open Thread
The Seattle International Film Festival Opens this week.  They have some great programming for families in their Films4Families section and FutureWave section for teens (note: some of this section's programming is for mature teens - check out the films before you send them off). Anyone attend a Director community meeting this weekend? What's on your mind?

MAY 12

Lost Decade
Here's something that happens when you move: you handle all of your stuff and you have to ask yourself if you should keep it, sell it, gift it, or toss it. You handle ALL of your stuff. For me, that meant a lot of handouts that I have received from Seattle Public Schools at meetings over the past fourteen years.Among these documents were a number of supposedly important decisions the District had
WSJ Story on RttT Outcomes
There was a story in the Wall Street Journal on May 3 about Race to the Top grants that casts them in a rather dim light. A number of grant winners did not actually move forward with the promised reforms and a number of the reforms did not actually provide any positive outcomes.Surprise, surprise, surprise.A lot of this might be just the usual government incompetence and the hit-or-miss range of r

MAY 10

Seattle Bike to School Day
From Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, some stats on the Bike to School Day:Stats from Walk.Bike.School for May 7 2014Bryant K-5                            200+Whittier K-5                          155Alki ElementaryK-5            150Salmon Bay K-8                 136Laurelhurst K-5                  121McDonald K-5                    120Stevens K-5                        101JSIS K-5