5-30-14 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):

Endgame: Disaster Capitalism, New Orleans, and the Charter Scam

The horror of 9/11 in 2001 and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 captured both the 24/7 media attention and cultural consciousness in the U.S. In the wake of both, however, the impact of disaster capitalism has remained mostly ignored and unchallenged. This is the U.S. response to 9/11: Memories, by Ted Rall, Universal UClick How to monetize and what will the market bear are the guiding

8 by plthomasedd / 38min hide  //  save

In the U.S., Where the Female Nipple Is More Dangerous Than a Gun

Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez are back with  the long-awaited Sin City sequel, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. The films are both based on Miller’s graphic novels—with the graphic novels and films sharing distinct visual impacts on readers and viewers. So it is fitting that the first released poster for the second film is visually provocative: Eva Green in the Sin City poster banned by the MPAA.

4 by plthomasedd / 2h 

5-29-14 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): SC, Choose OK, Not FL: Failing Students with Failed PolicyWhat do third-grade retention policies based on reading tests, charter schools, tracking, and parental choice have in common? First, across the U.S., they all have a great deal of public and political support. Sec

by mike simpson / 9h 

empathyeducates – In Defense of Healthy Food

empathyeducates – In Defense of Healthy Food:

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In Defense of Healthy Food

First lady Michelle Obama exercises with children from Chicago Public Schools, in her hometown of Chicago, as she makes a major announcement helping to bring back physical activity to area schools, while celebrating the third anniversary of her ‘Lets Move’ program. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Introductory Essay by Betsy L. Angert | Originally Published at EmpathyEducates. May 28, 2014

Dear Michelle Obama…

I write to thank you not only for taking on the Let’s Move initiative, but also for taking on the more endemic invective; too often we hear the new school lunch program comes with “declining participation, rising food costs, and a lack of flexibility. Students suffer. There is .“No Appetite for Good-for-You School Lunches.” It has also been said that “only parents can help their children.” At times, as you observe, there are unmitigated conditions. Access to healthy food may be limited. Money might be tight. And even if parents have means, frequently we do not have the knowledge. I think of my own life and the lack of dietary “restrictions.” My parents believed, as I, and many do, “balance is best.” A little bit of this, a touch of that, and all will be good.

However, in reality, that is not what happens. A pinch of sugar. A smatter of fat. Pass the salt and prepare our children for an onslaught of foods that tempt us and tease us into thinking that we have made healthy choices. What if You Ate Only What Was Advertised on TV? Oh, people might say, “That is not me.” Few of us imagine that we might be so easily influenced. But are we?

Does the wafting smell of bread baking get your attention? Can you taste the coffee as it brews? Then there is the sizzle of bacon, and if you really need a boost…Did I tell you that for decades, daily, I drank Mountain Dew by the cases. I ate pounds of cookies, mounds of cake, and sweets too. I did all of this in excess. There is much that was not intended. Worst of all, what I did had a profound affect on my parents.

Each blamed themselves for all my unhealthy eating habits. If only they knew that the processed food industry promotes chemical consumption as good science, and when I was younger few understood. Even today we trust that what we ingest is healthy. If only we knew. Indeed, it would seem that there are Six chemicals we consume in our food and drink that should be banned. We can beware, or just stare into the abyss and say there is nothing we can do. Ah, but there is. And again Michelle Obama, I thank you. May we each stand strong and move.

The Campaign for Junk Food
Michelle Obama on Attempts to Roll Back Healthy Reforms

By Michelle Obama | Originally Published at The New York Times. May 28, 2014

WHEN we began our Let’s Move! initiative four years ago, we set one simple but ambitious goal: to end the epidemic of childhood obesity in a generation so that kids born today will grow up healthy.

To achieve this goal, we have adhered to one clear standard: what works. The initiatives we undertake are empathyeducates – In Defense of Healthy Food:

5-30-13 Curmudgucation

CURMUDGUCATION:

North Carolina To Teachers "Please Go Away"

There are several state legislatures that are working hard to earn the "Worst Legislature in America" medal. Florida, where it's cool to use terminally ill children as political tools and their families as punching bags, has always been a strong contender. New York State staked its claim by taking the extraordinary measure of overruling local government because they didn't like its decis

by Peter Greene / 1h 

5-29-13 Curmudgucation

CURMUDGUCATION: What Reformy Thing Most Needs To Die?It's a fun thought experiment. If you could erase one aspect of the Reformy test-driven high-stakes privatizing Core-loving status quo, which would it be. If you had the political power to eliminate one head of the public-education-crushing hydra, which decapitation would lead your list?Yes, this is like playing "What would you do if you wo

by mike simpson / 9h 

5-30-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

Cuomo, WFP Reach Deal Over Ballot Line

Brokered by Bill de Blasio, of all people:Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Working Families Party’s leadership have reached an agreement that could give the incumbent Democrat the labor-backed organization’s ballot line, according to sources familiar with the agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Cuomo would support local control for a minimum wage increase — a proposal he has previously opposed —

by reality-based edu... / 4min 

Salon Reports Deal For Cuomo Endorsement By Working Families Party Could Be "Imminent"

And so we come to the inevitable sellout:As the Working Families Party prepares to meet in Albany on Saturday to select law professor Zephyr Teachout as its gubernatorial candidate, an 11th-hour deal is being hashed out between the party and governor Andrew Cuomo that could leave that plan in shambles. According to numerous sources, talks are heating up Friday evening and a deal “could be imminent

by reality-based edu... / 1h 

Cuomo Is A "Right-Wing Douchebag"

Andrew Cuomo and his courtiers at the unions have spent the past couple of days threatening Working Families Party members if the WFP convention does not give Cuomo their endorsement.The union heads have threatened to pull back funds from the party and Buzzfeed reported that Cuomo is trying to convince other Democratic Party politicians from taking their endorsement to try and starve WFP of votes.

by reality-based edu... / 12min 

UFT, Other Union Leaders Threaten Working Families Party Over Cuomo Endorsement

You knew the union leaders wouldn't allow for Working Families Party to endorse anybody over Sheriff Andy Cuomo.With the WFP convention this weekend and many rank-and-file calling for the party to endorse Fordham law professor Zephyr Teachout over Andrew Cuomo, the union leaders made their move today and threatened the party with dissolution:When Working Families Party state committee members gath

by reality-based edu... / 32min 

Get Ready For Some More Gates- And Helmsley-Funded Common Core Propaganda

Here's some "grassroots" support for the Common Core:ALBANY—Critics of the Common Core in New York have been winning the debate about the controversial education standards, but now they'll face a counterattack backed by a considerable investment.High Achievement New York, a nonprofit coalition of mostly business groups, plans to launch a roughly $500,000 phone and digital advertising cam

by reality-based edu... / 9min hide  //  save

Working Families Party Co-Chair Warns Cuomo Is Unlikely To Get WFP Ballot Line

From the NY Times:For weeks now, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York, a Democrat seeking re-election this year, has been working behind the scenes to soothe misgivings by the leadership of a small but influential political party made up of labor unions and liberal activists who believe his policies have veered too far to the right.Late on Thursday, a co-chairwoman of that group, the Working Families

by reality-based edu... / 2h 

5-29-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: The Plan To Force Charter Co-LocationsHard to see Cuomo's forcing the city to pick up the tab for charter school rent as aimed at anything other than the eventual return of the charter co-location scheme Bloomberg operated:New York City's move to oust three charter schools from district buildings appears to carry a hefty price tag.The mayor's budget sets aside $5.4 million i

by mike simpson / 9h 

Educators speak out against testing Parents United for Responsible Education

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Educators speak out against testing:

Educators speak out against testing

Perhaps Blaine principal Troy LaRiviere’s May 3 letter to the Chicago Sun-Times  emboldened other educators to speak out.

For example, the former head of assessment at CPS, Carole Perlman, wrote this letter to the Chicago Tribune criticizing the use of standardized tests to evaluate teachers. “Though superficially appealing, using test scores to evaluate teachers will create more problems than it will solve. Excellent teachers will be erroneously labeled as incompetent, while poor teachers may get a pass. Students will not benefit.”

And just a few days ago, I received this wonderful e-mail from former teacher Judy Tomera, who agreed that I could share her comments:

Dear Julie Woestehoff,                                May 26, 2014

I’m writing to tell you how much I enjoyed you presence on Dick Kay’s show a Saturday or two ago and am looking forward to your next appearance.  I think what you had to say about schools and testing, in particular, is spot on.  It is my opinion after spending about 40 years teaching elementary school (K – 5th grade in rural, urban, and suburban schools) that standardized testing is a waste of time and resources for many reasons, one of which is that they do not test what you want to know about a child.  Many of the questions are ridiculous, designed to lead children astray so the standard bell curve can be preserved.  And, as you well know, the tests are not directly linked to curriculum so they are not a valid indicator of what children have learned in school.

For example:

In first grade in the 80s children were asked to identify which animal lays eggs and fill in the circle below it. (California Achievement Test) The pictures were of an elephant, bunny, snake, and horse.  Enough 6 and 7 years olds were drawn to the bunny (think April and Easter when most testing is done) to elicit the required number of wrong answers to maintain the bell curve.

In third grade in the 2000s on a reading test 3rd graders were asked to find the word in the row that has the same vowel sounds as the first word.  The first word was BEAR and the other words in the list were BEEN, EARS,  HAIR, and HERE.  Many children marked EARS because it had the same vowels, not vowel sounds. That item was also included on purpose to draw children to a wrong answer. I doubt if the children that missed that item would have read the following sentence incorrectly:  The bear had brown ears. Semantics and syntax play an important part in reading correctly. What child who can read would read the sentence as The bear had brown airs, which is the correct response to the question if students had indeed understood the question correctly.

- See more at: Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Educators speak out against testing:

Whatever happened to Israel?

Many of you remember Ismael Vargas, who was PURE’s bilingual trainer and assistant director for many years. Israel Vargas Not as many got to know Ismael’s brother, Israel, who worked for PURE for a couple of years back when we had our offices on Dearborn. Israel was a whiz of an admin asst and translated all of our materials and newsletters into Spanish, which was a wonderful resource for us. But

by admin / 32min 

for the love of learning: Teachers Are Not a Problem. They Are an Opportunity.

for the love of learning: Teachers Are Not a Problem. They Are an Opportunity.:

Teachers Are Not a Problem. They Are an Opportunity.

This was written by Andy Hargreaves who is the Thomas More Brennan Chair in Education, in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. Andy tweets here. This post was originally found here.

by Andy Hargreaves

Woody Allen quipped that when we face a crossroads in life that leads to utter hopelessness or total extinction, we should choose wisely between them. Yogi Berra said that if we come to a fork in the road, we should take it. When Eric Clapton went down to the crossroads, he just fell down on his knees.

In 2014, the future of teaching is at a gigantic global crossroads, but the choices need not be as oddball as the ones that the ABC's of Allen, Berra and Clapton offer us! This week, theUnite for Quality Education movement, organized by the global teachers' union organization, Education International, met in Montreal to advance its campaign of providing universal and free access to quality teachers to all students. This is a bold goal - not just access to education, good or bad, in huge classes or less, with properly qualified teachers or not; but access to quality education and quality teachers for everyone.

Are current trends in their favor or against them? Let's look at some of the most developed economies, including our own - because if we cannot provide quality teachers for everyone here, there is little hope for anyone else.

Some of the signs are not encouraging.

In March, in my home state, a report commissioned by the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education set out an educational vision for the state in 2030. Although Massachusetts ranks Number 1 on the National Assessment of Educational Progress and is one of the top-performing systems on a range of international assessments, the report's leading author, Sir Michael Barber, former adviser on education to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and now Chief Education Adviser to global educational sales giant Pearson unconvincingly portrayed this for the love of learning: Teachers Are Not a Problem. They Are an Opportunity.:

South LA to elect a school board member; Can a new face turn things around? | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC

South LA to elect a school board member; Can a new face turn things around? | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC:

South LA to elect a school board member; Can a new face turn things around?

Annie Gilbertson | May 30th, 2014, 5:00am

Creative Commons

South Los Angles residents will vote Tuesday on a new school board member - but the effects of their decision will affect students all over the district.

A slate of seven candidates are vying for District One - which became vacant last year when Marguerite LaMotte died in the middle of her term. It's home to the poorest performing schools in Los Angeles.

Hopefuls include a former superintendent, an education consultant and a policy advisor — there's even a former reality TV show star in mix.

The next member will join a school board divided between two main philosophies: teachers union allies and those who believe in a particular brand of reform that likes charter schools and using student test scores to evaluate teachers, among other policies.  

LaMotte had been a strong union ally. But none of the three leading candidates to replace her are backed by United Teachers Los Angeles, meaning a political shift on the seven-member board.

KPCC interviewed each of the three main contenders on their vision for South L.A. schools and asked them what they'd like to accomplish on the school board.

Genethia Hudley-Hayes, education consultant

• First Year Goal: Bring split board together. “Seven members coming together and working in concert to ask tough questions - in public.”
• Budget: Wants more details from administration. Advocates for channeling more money to highest-need schools. Supports the “student need index,” created by advocacy groups to push for more funding for 242 schools, many of which are in South Los Angeles.
• Superintendent John Deasy: Supporter
• iPad program: Stop growth and reassess. “We should stop right now. We should go back and rethink how we will use them and whether [iPads] are appropriate.”
• Charters: Supporter. “Some of them are abysmal, but some of them are absolutely wonderful.” Would like to see same relaxation of rules for traditional public schools.
• Teacher Evaluations: Supporter of test scores used in evaluations — among other criteria.

Alex Johnson, education policy advisor

• First Year Goal: Increase funding for highest need schools. “For too long this district has fallen by the wayside and for too long this district has been the step child in LAUSD and we’ve got to reverse that.”
• Budget: Wants more money spent on early education,  in addition to high need schools.
• Superintendent: Supporter.
• iPad program: Supports slow growth. “Children should have technology. If there is a cheaper way, more cost-effective way to do it with the same quality device, that’s fine.”
• Charters: Supporter. “Primarily minority children are benefiting from charter schools, particularly in District One. Something is working.”
• Teacher Evaluations: Supporter of test scores used in evaluations — among other criteria.

George McKenna, former principal/superintendent

• 1st Year Goal: “Zero tolerance policy for dropouts.”
• Budget: Wants more money to go to highest needs schools.
• Superintendent: Declines to comment. “I’m not running with him as an objective at all. I’m running as a school board member who will supervise the Superintendent.”
• iPad program: Would not expand program without proof of effectiveness. “So we gave them [the devices] - and then we study? Doesn’t that sound backwards?”
• Charters: Supporter.
• Teacher Evaluations: Would limit the use, and would not fire teachers for low test scores.  “There are ways to use data, but there are ways to be punitive with data.”

Unless a candidate wins 50.1 percent of the vote Tuesday, the top two vote-getters will go to a runoff in November.

Annie Gilbertson, Education Reporter

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Gates-Funded Duo Pitches Common Core Misinformation | Truth in American Education

Gates-Funded Duo Pitches Common Core Misinformation | Truth in American Education:

Gates-Funded Duo Pitches Common Core Misinformation

Filed in Common Core State Standards by Shane Vander Hart on May 30, 2014 • 0 Comments

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Curt Clawson

Below is a guest article written submitted by Judi Caler.  Her post complements the one I wrote on Wednesday.

Doing What They’re Paid To Do: Gates-funded Duo Pitches Common Core Misinformation

By Judi Caler

It is no surprise that the latest attempt by pro-Common Core advocates to keep Republican candidates from speaking out against Common Core has come from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute’s damage-control team, Michael Brickman and Michael Petrilli. In a recent articleposted on Townhall.com entitled “Opposing Common Core: A Losing Issue, Even in GOP Primaries,” they claim that election results nationwide largely prove that “Republican candidates cannot win over conservative voters by bashing Common Core.”

Tell that to vocal Common Core opponent and political outsider Curt Clawson who handily won the Republican nomination in Florida’s 19^th Congressional District against Lizbeth Benacquisto, the choice of GOP establishment and Common Core proponent Jeb Bush! And tell that to Christopher Judy and Curt Nisly who made their rivals’ refusal to end Common Core in Indiana a central issue and won the Republican nominations for Indiana House seats after trouncing entrenched incumbents.

And in Ohio, Brickman and Petrilli got their facts wrong in labeling defeated contender Kelly Kohls as a candidate from “Ohioans against Common Core” (OACC); she was not. They couldn’t even spell Kelly’s first or last name correctly. In fact, according to OACC founder Heidi Huber, “Common Core opponents achieved a huge victory for Tom Brinkman in the 27th Ohio House District against incumbent Peter Stautberg where Common Core was the number one issue. The tipping point in Brinkman’s winning the Republic nomination was the use of hundreds of “GO Brinkman –STOP Common Core” signs throughout the district. That stuck with voters; it was the first time in 18 Gates-Funded Duo Pitches Common Core Misinformation | Truth in American Education:

Jindal Blasts Common Core at Republican Leadership Conference

Somebody looks like they want to run for President.  Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal took another swipe at the Common Core during his remarks at the 2014 Republican Leadership Conference being held this weekend in New Orleans.From KRDO:“I’m against the Common Core, and I don’t want Louisiana to be in the Common Core,” he said to booming applause at the Republican Leadership Conference — the annual

by Shane Vander Hart / 26min 

New Mexico Judge’s Ruling Slows PARCC Implementation Process

The PARCC contract with Pearson is on hold until New Mexico reviews the bid process New Mexico District Court Judge Sarah Singleton ruled yesterday.The Albuquerque Journal reports:Earlier this month, PARCC awarded the contract to Pearson, an international education company, to administer the new exam, which will be taken online, and to create new test questions in future years. The consortium had

by Shane Vander Hart / 8h 

Save Our Schools March – Corporate Reform = Civil Rights Fraud

Save Our Schools March – Corporate Reform = Civil Rights Fraud:

Corporate Reform = Civil Rights Fraud

Devastating Report Condemns Corporate Reform as Civil Rights Fraud

Anthony Cody May 16, 2014

As the 60^th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education arrives, a report has been released by the Journey 4 Justice Alliance, a coalition of community, youth and parent-led organizations, which declares corporate education reform a civil rights fraud.

“Death by a Thousand Cuts: Racism, School Closures and Public School Sabotage, Voices from America’s Affected Communities of Color,” ought to be required reading for every citizen and policy maker in the nation. While the nation is capable of identifying racism in the words of an 80 year old basketball team owner, we seem to have lost the ability to stop the re-segregation of our schools, and those who claim to be “civil rights” leaders are sometimes contributing to the problems.

The report begins by explaining the source of destructive policies:

Right-wing conservatives have long sought to eliminate public goods such as public education, and dismantle organized labor, especially teachers’ unions. Thus, for decades they have advocated – often successfully – for cutting spending to public schools. They have also long pursued the replacement of public schools with non-unionized, privately managed schools that receive public funds, either through a voucher system or a system of charter schools. Their privatization proposals received little support until they were joined by billionaires willing to invest heavily in education reform such as Bill Gates, Eli Broad, and the Walton family; members of the business community, especially Wall Street and large corporations, who realized there is considerable profit to be made by outsourcing education to private management; and Democratic policymakers who bought into (or were at least willing to promote) the unproven assertion that privatization and “school choice” would create improved educational opportunities for students. As a result of this political shift, there emerged a well-organized and extraordinarily well-funded group of individuals and organizations that has exploited any political opening they could find to destabilize neighborhood public schools – almost exclusively within communities of color – and instead promote the expansion of charter schools.

These policies have resulted in school closures and the expansion of more selective charter schools in the communities represented by this coalition – predominately low-income communities of color. The report’s authors point out that in spite of prominent reformers donning the mantle of the modern “civil rights movement,” corporate reform is no ally.

First, it is appalling that anyone would dare to equate the billionaire-funded destruction of our most treasured public institutions with the grassroots-led struggles for racial equality to which many of our elders and ancestors made heroic sacrifices.

Second, we simply cannot tolerate anyone telling us these policies are for our own good. Because we are the students they claim to be doing this for. We are the parents and fam- ily members that they claim to be helping. The communities they’re changing so rapidly are our communities, and our experience with school closures and charter school expansion confirms what an abundance of research has made quite clear: these policies have not produced higher-quality educational Save Our Schools March – Corporate Reform = Civil Rights Fraud:

Selma Jubilee 2014 Recap

SOSers joined the masses of people who assembled in the Selma, Alabama on March 6th-8th.  Among the many highlights that came with participating in such an event were the inspiring speeches offered by Rev. William J. Barber II.  Many may know the work of Rev. Barber through his courageous work in the Moral Mondays movement out of North Carolina.  His words reminded us that the difficulties faced b

by saveourschools / 45min