5-28-14 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):

Racial tensions at Markham Middle School reach Congress

Janice Hahn The racial tensions at Markham Middle School in Watts have now reached the United States Congress. In a letter to Superintendent John Deasy sent late last week, Congresswoman Janice Hahn writes she was alerted of the conflict between the school administration and parents who feel “that African American students are treated unfairly by being sent home for issues that do not require susp

by Vanessa Romo / 5min 

LA Unified facing initial $35 million cost for teacher pensions

Gov Jerry Brown Just when members of the Los Angeles teachers union, UTLA, thought brighter economic times for California would translate to higher salaries after seven years without a contract, the state threw them a curveball. In recent weeks, Gov. Jerry Brown and the legislature have begun debating over how to pay down teacher pension debt, which has reached $74 billion. They have devised a for

2 by Michael Janofsky / 33min 

Commentary: What I learned in school this year

With this essay, Ellie Herman concludes her year in the classroom — and sharing her observations and insights with LA School Report. This year, I had the remarkable experience of taking the academic year off to visit high schools across the socioeconomic spectrum in L.A. in an attempt to understand better what we mean when we talk about education. As the school year ends, here are the five bigges

3 by Ellie Herman / 44min 

Tokofsky leaves principals union to join lobbying firm

David Tokofsky David Tokofsky, a former LA Unified school board member and more recently a strategist for the school administrators union, has joined Englander, Knabe & Allen, a lobbying and public relations firm. He is expected to help grow the firm’s education practice. After teaching 12 years at John Marshall High School, Tokofsky served on the district school board for more than a decade.

2min hide  //  save

VIDEO: End of teacher ‘jail’ policy at LAUSD

Kim Baldonado reports for NBC4 News on a shift in policy at LA Unified (LAUSD)  where teachers accused of misconduct will no longer spend days at district offices while awaiting review of allegations.  

2min 

LA Unified Honors 22 as district Teachers of the Year

Los Angeles Unified has named 22 educators as a Teacher of the Year for 2013-2014, and they will be honored at an event in September. Here’s the list: Angeles Cajayon, Bryson Avenue Magnet Elementary School, a second-grade teacher there for 12 years. Maricar J. Fortuno Catalán, Dr. Julian Nava Learning Academy – Business and Technology, is completing her first year as a seventh-grade life science/

2 33min 

Morning Read: Election groups heap $20 million into ads

Groups pour $20 million into TV, print ads for CA primary As the June 3 primary election draws near, business interests, labor groups, environmentalists and wealthy individuals have poured more than $20 million into television and radio commercials, mail ads and other campaign aid for their preferred candidates in campaigns for state offices. The vast sums are partly a reflection of California’s p

2 33min 

5-27-14 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): Morning Read: Battle for CA’s Ed Chief position heats upContentious battle brews for California’s K-12 chief The two leading candidates for California’s top K-12 spot in the June 3 primary both identify as Democrats in a technically non-partisan race. But the campaign between incumbent Superintendent of P

by mike simpson / 20h 

5-28-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:

Washington State Democrats' Platform on Education has Changed (in a big way)

I have been made aware that the Washington State Democratic platform for 2014 - at least in the education section - has seen some major changes. The last platform's education area is quite different from 2012's platform.  There is no mention of ELL students, class size, full inclusion of all students, counselors/nurses/librarians, career training, music and fine arts, foreign language, civics, par

9 by Melissa Westbrook / 1h hide  //  save

Follow Ups

Still waiting for information on the Math Summative Assessment.  The questions I posed on this mystery assessment were not that hard so I'm puzzled as to why it is taking so long to answer them. As you may recall, the Superintendent recently promoted/created positions within SPS.  I had wondered (as did a few of you) what the salaries for these positions are:Barbara Robbins, Director of Project Ma

by Melissa Westbrook / 1h 

Seattle Schools Math Adoption: Apples to Apples?

A reader who is deeply concerned about the math adoption conducted a public records request to SPS for e-mail about the math adoption.  She got about 237 pages of e-mails.  I have not yet read all of them but the ones I have read do concern me about both the process and the outcomes.We all realize that, in our jobs, when we are asked to help formulate decisions on what direction to go or products

by Melissa Westbrook / 10min 

Advanced Learning Taskforce Update

There is a joint meeting of the Advanced Learning Taskforces tomorrow, Thursday the 29th from 4-8 pm in the JSCEE auditorium.  They will be discussing their recommendations with an eye to presenting a combined recommendation plan to the Superintendent and Board in the future.  The public is invited to attend but no questions or feedback will be happening as this is purely a meeting for the committ

by Melissa Westbrook / 10min hide  //  save

This and That

The Times is reporting that the City will be installing speed cameras at five more school zones this summer.  They are Roxhill Elementary (WS), Dearborn Park Elementary (Beacon Hill), Bailey-Gatzert Elementary (Central) and Eckstein Middle (NE).  They will be used starting Sep. 2nd.  For the first 30 days, you'll get a warning and then the ticket is $189.  They will be used one hour in the morning

by Melissa Westbrook / 12min 

5-27-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Tuesday Open ThreadFrom SPS Communications:Officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced the names of two Seattle Public Schools students included in the second group of winners in the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. The National Merit $2,500 Scholarship winners are:• Anthony L. Bencivengo from Nathan Hale High School, whose pr

by mike simpson / 21h 

The Most Secretive Game In Town | Missouri Education Watchdog

The Most Secretive Game In Town | Missouri Education Watchdog:

The Most Secretive Game In Town

inShare

When most people think about public schools, the word they focus on is “public.” Things done in public are, by most definitions, visible by everyone. They are exposed for the world to view and judge. Think of Aunt Mable who chastised her husband, who enjoyed his happy hour a bit too much, for making a public spectacle of himself. What Uncle Marvin chose to do in response to the public opinion expressed about his slurring proclamations and zealous though slightly out of control gesticulating was up to Uncle Marvin. When it comes to the teaching materials used in our public schools, traditionally we have come to expect the same access for viewing, with the assumption that the suppliers could choose to respond to any public criticism in whatever way they wanted. In fact, the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA (20 U.S.C. § 1232h; 34 CFR Part 98 ) codifies this expectation by protecting a parent’s right to view any and all curriculum material used in the public school. This expectation is, however, being eroded by the privatization of education. Now the secrecy surrounding teaching materials and standardized tests is rising to the level of that in the Bengazi investigation.

Most people who follow education are now familiar with the cloak and dagger secrecy of the Texas school curriculum known as C-SCOPE. This on-line curriculum was not available for parental viewing. Teachers were required to sign a non-disclosure agreement when using the materials. It was eventually exposed by some whistle blowing teachers who took issue with the content of what they were required to teach with C-SCOPE. The creators of the curriculum tried to hide what they were doing by changing the on-line lessons when they were forced to allow parents and public officials to access the lessons. Fortunately some astute teachers had already taken screen shots of the lessons prior to the re-write. C-SCOPE’s liberal, globalist, pro-Islamic leaning was exposed to public scrutiny and rejected. Their attempts at secrecy only served to heighten public skepticism of on-line education in general. At a time when use of on-line technology could have been used to augment the education process and help control costs, the Texas experience may have set that option back almost a decade.

A similar aura of secrecy surrounds the up and coming Common Core aligned tests. Having them be delivered through on-line servers, so soon after the C-SCOPE debacle has not helped SBAC or PARCC.  Public skepticism was already entrenched. However, the limited access to the tests by The Most Secretive Game In Town | Missouri Education Watchdog:

Charter Cap ‘n Gown | EduShyster

Charter Cap ‘n Gown | EduShyster:

Charter Cap ‘n Gown

That path to college turns out to be exceptionally narrow…

‘Tis the season to celebrate our boy and girl graduates, reader. And in Massachusetts, aka *the Achievement State,* what better way to do just that than by raising the capon excellence itself with a bold vote to hoist the cap on charter schools? Presto! Like that, the path to college and career readiness just got wider, and with nary a union laborer or detail cop in sight. But like a graduation party gone bad, this story too comes with an unwelcome guest: facts. It turns out that the number of students—particularly boys—who actually graduate from Boston’s charter high schools is minuscule. In fact, students at Boston’s six charter high schools are no more likely to graduate than their public school peers. 

Pomp n’ circumstance
If you’re just tuning into the Achievement Network now, consider yourself fortunate. The most recent installment of our seemingly endless reality series, Where Chahter Rhymes with Wicked Smahter, was plump with pomp and rather light on circumstance. There is, for Charter Cap ‘n Gown | EduShyster:

School nurses save money: study | Reuters

School nurses save money: study | Reuters:

School nurses save money: study

(Reuters Health) - A Massachusetts program that put full-time registered nurses in schools more than paid for itself by averting medical costs and lost work for parents and teachers, according to a new study.

Many school districts have cut or reduced the hours of school nurses in recent years, and nationwide less than half of public schools have a full-time nurse, the authors of the report note.

They say their results warrant “careful consideration” from districts that are thinking of making such cuts in an effort to save money.

“The findings of this study suggest that from a societal perspective, the benefits of school nursing services may well exceed the cost for those services,” Li Yan Wang told Reuters Health.

She led the research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Adolescent and School Health in Atlanta, Georgia.

To assess the Massachusetts program, the researchers compared money spent putting full-time nurses in schools with money the program saved by reducing doctors’ visits and keeping parents at work and teachers in front of the classroom.

For the 22 types of procedures school nurses performed during the study, from testing blood sugar to administering physical therapy, the researchers calculated how much it would cost to go to a clinic or hospital for the same care.

To measure lost wages for parents, they determined the time parents would have to take off work if children were dismissed early, as well as how often they would have to come to school to help kids take their prescription medications if no nurse was on site.

Finally, to assess teacher productivity, they referred to an earlier study that found teachers spent 20 fewer minutes per day dealing with student health issues once a nurse was assigned to their school.

Massachusetts records showed that during the 2009-2010 school year, about 477,000 School nurses save money: study | Reuters:

5-28-14 The Whole Child Blog — Honoring Maya Angelou's Call To Be Somebody's Rainbow — Whole Child Education

Honoring Maya Angelou's Call To Be Somebody's Rainbow — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

Honoring Maya Angelou’s Call To Be Somebody’s Rainbow

May 28, 2014 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers

In March 2013, Maya Angelou greeted 10,000 ASCD Annual Conference attendees in Chicago, Ill., with a song of hope and gratitude:

"When it looked like the sun wouldn’t shine anymore, God put a rainbow in the cloud."

It's not just that we have rainbows in the sky, but in the clouds themselves, she explained. So that even when it seems like the rain won't let up, we have something there to encourage us.

"You have sacrificed a lot to be here," Angelou stated. "I'm here to tell you how grateful I am and remind you that you are rainbows in clouds." She wouldn't have achieved so much in her life, she said, if not for the "rainbows" in her life.

Widely known as an author, poet, educator, activist, and actress, the then 84-year-old Angelou charmed the packed convention with heartfelt parables of the teachers who emboldened her to weather the storms of life.

As a three-year-old, she learned to read from her grandmother, and she learned the multiplication tables from her uncle Willie.

"Willie, crippled, born under the oppression of lynchings and terrible violence against Blacks—he was my rainbow," she said.

As it turns out, her uncle was somebody else's rainbow, too. Angelou recalled how again and again, black leaders with connections back to Little Rock and Willie's hometown of Stamp, Arkansas, would stop her to say how Willie had touched their lives.

"You have no idea the power you have," she commended the crowd of educators. "It delights my heart to encourage you to continue."

Through the darkness of surviving rape and the six years of silence that followed this trauma, Angelou drew light from the reassurance of her grandmother. "She told me, when you and God are ready, you will be a teacher." In her life, Angelou received 70 doctorates and taught in halls from Rome to Tel Aviv.

"I'm not bragging on myself; I'm bragging on the rainbows in my clouds," Angelou was quick to clarify.

She closed her keynote address describing the seeming hopelessness of her situation at age 16. "I was six Honoring Maya Angelou's Call To Be Somebody's Rainbow — Whole Child Education:

 

5-27-14 The Whole Child Blog — Staying True to Our Roots — Whole Child Education

Staying True to Our Roots — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGStaying True to Our RootsMay 27, 2014 by Klea ScharbergSince 1943, ASCD has empowered educators by providing essential programs, products, and services that support the success of each student. Through the years, ASCD's focus has stayed the same: to improve the quality of learning for each student and to provide our leaders wit

by mike simpson / 21h 

5-28-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

NYC Teacher David Garcia-Rosen Battles DOE for More Sports Teams fo Small Schools

The leadership of the DOE continues to believe offering me a job at the PSAL is the solution. They continue to defend the PSAL which is one of the most “separate and unequal” high school sports systems in the country. I can’t go work for the PSAL, when they continue to defend their current funding model at the very few meetings they grant me... David Garcia-Rosen, NYC teacher and founder of Small

by ed notes online / 32min 

5-27-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Rent for Eva's 3 charters to cost city $5.4 million a year-- without a whimper from UFT or de BlasioIf rent for three of Eva’s charter schools will cost $5.4 M per year, can you imagine the hundreds of millions of dollars in future costs to the city and state as every existing co-located, new or expanded charter can demand free facilities and/or rent?... Leonie HaimsonREPORT: IBO’

by mike simpson / 19h 

The Arts | Deborah Meier on Education

The Arts | Deborah Meier on Education:

The Arts

Posted on May 28, 2014 by debmeier

Dear friends and readers,

Too much happening and so I forget to keep up with this! I’m hoping some are also reading Bridging Differences (see inset)—although we’ll be off the air for most of June, July and August.

Was struck by commentary about Michelle Obama’s endorsement of art education. Of course, all help is welcome in an important cause.

But, like others, I’m disturbed by her rationale: it raises test scores.

I used to point out that the purpose of a good arts education is art. And perhaps the best reason to learn to read et al is that it may expand one’s appreciation of the arts. Art is and has been at the heart of what distinguishes human beings from all other species! It’s our greatest triumph. And along with language probably one of our oldest accomplishments.

Story-telling is one of these great arts that distinguish humanity. It’s well to remember that Homer was, in our current sense of the word, an illiterate. “Just” a great story-teller. In our eagerness to get children to read early we’ve forgotten this important form of art. We no longer encourage parents to tell their children stories, or encourage teachers to do the same, much less encourage children to do so! It’s hard to find a civilization, culture or ethnic group that hasn’t achieved art of universal appeal.

Don’t, don’t let them turn art into a test-prep subject.

The Garfield High School Assessment Committee VS the Testocracy: We know how to run the schools better than billionaires | I AM AN EDUCATOR

The Garfield High School Assessment Committee VS the Testocracy: We know how to run the schools better than billionaires | I AM AN EDUCATOR:

The Garfield High School Assessment Committee VS the Testocracy: We know how to run the schools better than billionaires

By I AM AN EDUCATOR on May 28, 2014

On Thursday of last week I attended a meeting of the Garfield High School Assessment Committee.

A report on one of many after school meetings may seem mundane.  A committee of educators tasked with discussing assessment might appear innocuous.  Yet that gathering of fifteen or so educators sharing their experience, expertise, and asking questions about alternatives to standardized testing was nothing short of sedition against a Testocracy that has attempted to silence teachers as it implements corporate education reform.

This team of dedicated educators forming the Garfield High School Assessment Committee was born out of the MAP test boycott last school year, which resulted in the Seattle School District backing away from its threat of suspending the boycotting teachers and ultimately—a year ago this month—forced the district to make the test optional at the high school level.  From the very beginning of the MAP boycott, teachers at Garfield High School asserted that our strike against the test had nothing to do with shirking accountability to our students’ learning.  We said that assessments are essential to teachers to help us understand where the student is in their zone of proximal development in order to scaffold their learning to advance their understanding of a given concept. And many of us simultaneously asserted that standardized testing, and the MAP test in particular, is a clumsy form of assessment that often hides more than it reveals about student knowledge–particularly the thought The Garfield High School Assessment Committee VS the Testocracy: We know how to run the schools better than billionaires | I AM AN EDUCATOR:

5-28-14 Schools Matter - Maya Angelou Reads "I Rise"

Schools Matter:

Maya Angelou Reads "I Rise"

by Jim Horn / 9min hide  //  save

Nevada Dad Asked to Pay $10,194 to See Common Core Data on His Children

Bill Gates is a master at using his calculated generosity to make the world dependent upon the technologies that his drones are engineering and his worker bees are mass producing.  Common Core’s move to online testing and the federal extortion efforts to require massive data collection systems on students and teachers are but two small examples.  If the oligarchs get their way, by the time your ki

by Jim Horn / 17min 

5-27-14 Schools Matter - TFA Corps: Corporate America's Paris Island

Schools Matter: TFA Corps: Corporate America's Paris Island1 by Jim Horn / 20min  5-26-14 Schools Matter - Jim Crow Rides AgainSchools Matter: Jim Crow Rides AgainFrom Aljazeera America:by Daniel Denvir @danieldenvirThe Supreme Court ruled 60 years ago this May 17 in Brown v. Board of Education that “segregation of white and Negro children in the public schools of a State solely on the basis of ra

by mike simpson / 22h 

John Thompson: What Will Zuckerberg Learn From Newark? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

John Thompson: What Will Zuckerberg Learn From Newark? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

John Thompson: What Will Zuckerberg Learn From Newark?

By Anthony Cody on May 28, 2014 9:47 AM

Guest post by John Thompson.

Dale Russakoff's New Yorker profile "Schooled" is a wonderful account of Mark Zuckerberg's $100 million investment in Newark school reform, and how and why it failed. Perhaps the best new revelation in "Schooled" starts with the lesson Russakoff learned from a wealthy donor. "Investors bet on people, not on business plans, because they know successful people will find a way to be successful." And, sure enough, when Facebook's founder announced his plan to transform Newark schools, "One Newark," he explained that he was persuaded by then-mayor Cory Booker, "This is the guy I want to invest in. This is a person who can create change."

Booker created a confidential draft plan to "make Newark the charter school capital of the nation." Because it would be driven by philanthropic donors, no openness would be required.  "Real change requires casualties," Booker argued, and stealth was required to defeat "the pre-existing order," which will "fight loudly and viciously."

This raises the question of what would have happened if Booker had done all of "the right things," and been transparent, instead of caricaturing teachers and unions. What if Booker had provided Zuckerberg with a fair and balanced analysis of school improvement issues?

What if Booker had objectively reported the results of Newark's high-performing charters, such as North Star Academy, a member of the Uncommon Schools network? North Star was driven by data and non-unionized teachers who could "teach like champions!" The result was proficiency John Thompson: What Will Zuckerberg Learn From Newark? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: