7-1-14 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):

“Smarty Pins” Is A New Geography Game From Google

Smarty Pins is a new online geography game from Google. It’s similar to some of the better ones on The Best Online Geography Games — you’re asked a question, provided a hint, and then have to put a “pin” on your guess for the answer. One of the nice things I found — at least, in the questions that I answered — is that you’re only shown the region of the world where the answer can be found. Thanks

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

Strike talk emerges on Caputo-Pearl’s first day as union chief

Alex Caputo-Pearl new president of the United Teachers Los Angeles Alex Caputo-Pearl today assumed the office of President of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), a union battling with LA Unified for a larger salary increase than the two percent the district has offered. UTLA remains one of the last of the district’s labor partners to reach agreement on a contract. The teachers had initially asked

10 1h 

JUST IN: Richard Vladovic re-elected LAUSD board president

*UPDATED The LA Unified School Board today re-elected Richard Vladovic to serve as president for the 2014-15 school year. Rather than postpone the vote until after the August runoff to fill the vacant District 1 seat, the six member board voted and by a 5-1 margin supported Vladovic’s continued leadership. Tamar Galatzan was the lone dissenting vote. Barbara Jones, her chief of staff, said the di

by Vanessa Romo / 26min 

LIVESTREAM coverage of today’s LAUSD School board meetings

Today the LA Unified Board of Education will hold three meetings, the first, being their Annual meeting to elect a new president. It is expected, however, that the current president, Richard Vladovic, will win a second term with no contest, as no challengers have stepped forward. The agenda for that meeting is here. Following the election meeting, the board will commence their regular meeting at n

3 46min 

Johnson’s internal poll shows gains on McKenna in runoff

Alex Johnson, District 1 candidate An internal poll conducted by Alex Johnson’s campaign suggests that he is gaining on George McKenna as they compete for the vacant LA Unified school board seat. The Johnson campaign says that polling conducted in April and June shows that Johnson’s name recognition has grown to 52 percent, from 14 percent percent. It also said Johnson’s favorable rating climbed t

by Michael Janofsky / 21min 

Morning Read: Vergara may be headed for lengthy appeals

Final ruling in Vergara could be years in coming Vergara v. California, in which a Superior Court judge struck down California’s teacher tenure, layoff and dismissal laws, may be headed for a lengthy appeals process. A clue to how long may lie in another far-from-resolved education lawsuit. This month marks three years since Alameda County Superior Court Judge Steven Brick issued a tentative rulin

20min 

6-29-14 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): Common Core math stumps parents and students alikeVia New York Times | By Motoko Rich Rebekah and Kevin Nelams moved to their modest brick home in this suburb of Baton Rouge seven years ago because it has one of the top-performing public school districts in the state. But starting this fall, Ms. Nelams pl

by mike simpson / 18h

7-1-14 Answer Sheet

Answer Sheet:

U.S. teachers have harder job than counterparts in industrialized world — survey

New results from an international survey shows that U.S. public school teachers work harder under more difficult conditions than teachers elsewhere in the industrialized world, and they don’t have the same kind of supports, such as enough useful feedback and professional development. In this post, Linda Darling-Hammond explains the results and their importance to the […]

8 by Valerie Strauss / 1min 

How to increase socioeconomic diversity in college

Leaders in higher education have known for many years that low-income students are underrepresented at top institutions. How to change that? Catharine B. Hill, the president of Vassar College in New York, writes in this post about the only way that colleges and universities can expand socioeconomic diversity. By Catharine B. Hill As college admission […]

by Valerie Strauss / 18min 

6-30-14 Answer Sheet

Answer Sheet: The segregation of kindergartners — by the numbersHere, from the non-profit Economic Policy Institute, is a snapshot of how segregated public schools are, starting in kindergarten. It was written by Elaine Weiss and Emma García. Weiss  has served as the national coordinator for the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education since 2011. García,  who joined the Economic Policy Institute in

by mike simpson / 14min 

7-1-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy

Wait What?:

Wait What? 

The battle against the corporate education reform industry takes center stage

Charter School Scandal Continues to Rock Malloy Administration… However, rather than conduct a truly independent investigation into the fall of the Jumoke/FUSE charter school management company, Governor Malloy’s Commissioner of Education and his political appointees on the State Board of Education decided to hire a lawyer to conduct an “investigation.” Stefan Pryor, Malloy’s Education Commissione

by jonpelto / 11min 

6-30-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy

Wait What?: Wait What? All WeekNews Flash:  Malloy/Pryor hand another top job to an Achievement First Inc. stafferThe Malloy administration has given the one-hundred thousand dollar a year plus job of “Bureau Chief for District and School Transformation” to William (Billy) Johnson, a former employee of Achievement First Inc. Of course, Achievement First, Inc. being the large charter school managem

by mike simpson / 12min

7-1-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE:

Roemer, White, and BESE Majority Positioning to Sue Jindal

On July 01, 2014, I attended the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) Special Board Meeting initiated by three members: Lottie Beebe, Carolyn Hill, and Jane Smith. These three members wanted a primary focus of the meeting to include discussion of a plan for Louisiana’s school districts for the 2014-15 school year given Louisiana […]

by deutsch29 / 32min 

Welcome to the Oligarchy: The U.S. Needs a New Mythology

Welcome to the Oligarchy: The U.S. Needs a New Mythology. via Welcome to the Oligarchy: The U.S. Needs a New Mythology.

1 by plthomasedd / 24min 

A Lovely Review of David Greene’s Néw Book

A Lovely Review of David Greene’s Néw Book.

1 by David Greene / 6min 

6-30-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: Media Has No Idea What Special Education Is (Guest Post)Guest Post by Jessica S. Martinez, in response to a recent editorial in the Albuquerque Journal. Once again, the Albuquerque Journal Editorial Board has placed its ignorance on display for all to see. Here is yet another example of those who know nothing about education sticking their noses where they do not belong. Allow me

by mike simpson / 9h 

7-1-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL:

This Week In Web 2.0

In yet another attempt to get at the enormous backlog I have of sites worth blogging about, I’ve recently begin a regular feature called “The Week In Web 2.0.” (you might also be interested in The Best Web 2.0 Applications For Education In 2013). I also sometimes include tech tools that might not exactly fit the definition of Web 2.0: Tackk is a very simple tool for creating webpages, and its on

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

“ABC Mouse” & “Vocabmonk” Are Two New Sites Where Teachers Can Create Virtual Classrooms

© 2009 azwaldo, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio I’m adding two new sites to The Best Sites That Students Can Use Independently And Let Teachers Check On Progress: One is ABC Mouse, which — at this point, at least — only provides content for pre-K and Kindergartners, though much of it would also be accessible and useful for Beginning English Language Learners. Though it charges families, teachers can si

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2min 

Good Resources On World War One

© 1918 National Library of Scotland, Flickr | PD | via Wylio It’s the one-hundred year anniversary of the beginning of World War One, and there are lots of good resources coming online. Here are new additions to The Best Resources For Learning About World War I: The Wall Street Journal has selected 100 legacies from World War I that continue to shape our lives today is from…The Wall St. Journal. W

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2min 

Today Is Canada Day — Here Are Related Resources

© 2008 Dennis Jarvis, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio Today is Canada Day! I’ve just made a lot of additions to The Best Sites To Learn About Canada.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 11min 

  

6-30-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Useful Posts & Articles On Education Policy© 2012 Shutter Stutter, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio I’m behind on posting since I went to Washington, D.C. for a meeting with Education Week writers, but I’m frantically trying to catch-up. Here are some recent useful posts and articles on education pol

by mike simpson / 4min 

7-1-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:

Common Core and Homework

There have been many stories about parents - famous (like Louis C.K., a certified public school parent in NYC who spoke about Common Core homework NOT in a routine but as a parent) and not-so-famous - and their struggle to help their children with their CC homework, particularly in math.The latest article comes from the NY Times.  Some of the comments are off discussing whether CCSS are valid, imp

by Melissa Westbrook / 19min 

Tuesday Open Thread

WA State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn has sent a letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan asking that Washington be waived from the NCLB requirement that public schools send out letters about how they are all failing under NCLB (about 96% of schools would have to send out these letters).  Naturally, 96% of Washington schools are not failing; it's just the failure of Congress

by Melissa Westbrook / 3min  

6-30-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Great Reading on Ed Reform by a Local LeaderThat leader is Trish Millines Dziko who started Technology Access Foundation and is truly a great thinker on how to push the needle forward for students of color using STEM-based curriculum with project-based learning.Trish has written a series on her thoughts about ed reform (she's frustrated) and we think - intentionall

by mike simpson / 16h 

Where are most of California’s tenured teachers? | Hechinger Report

Where are most of California’s tenured teachers? | Hechinger Report:

Where are most of California’s tenured teachers?

By Sarah Butrymowicz

A California judge recently ruled that teacher tenure and other job protections violate a student’s right to education and, as such, are unconstitutional. The case, Vergara v. California, prompted speculation about what it would mean for other states where similar lawsuits might be filed. But what does the ruling – if it survives appeals – mean for California? The impact may be greater on some areas of the state than others. The map below shows the percentage of teachers with tenure by county, according to California Department of Education data. Click on a county to see the amount of teachers who have tenure and the average years of experience.

Of course, the link between teacher tenure and student performance is murky. One side argues that more experienced teachers, generally those who have tenure, are better. The other side claims that job security provides a cover for teachers to slack off. The map below, which shows the percentage of students in each county who scored at least ‘proficient’ on the state’s 2012-13 Language Arts exam, suggests that tenure doesn’t guarantee any particular result, good or bad. Madera County, one of the lowest performing districts, and Marin County, the highest performing, both have given tenure to about 80 percent of teachers. One thing is clear, though: high percentages of tenure are more Where are most of California’s tenured teachers? | Hechinger Report:

Mercedes Schneider and VAMs in Louisiana |:

Mercedes Schneider and VAMs in Louisiana

 I’ve been communicating recently with Mercedes Schneider, lifelong and now Louisiana teacher, blogger at deutsch29, and author of a newly-released book on corporate educational reform, A Chronicle of Echoes. We recently got onto the topic of George Noell – the infamous developer of the state of Louisiana’s VAM – pondering where he has gone as since 2012 he seems to have disappeared from the politics surrounding the VAM he created for the state (he had also been quite a vocal advocate of VAM-based policies in Washington D.C., and in particular their use for evaluating the effectiveness of colleges of education in preparing teachers who “add value” to student learning and achievement once graduated). I know…

Anyhow, it seems that Noell’s “service had come to an end,” at the Louisiana Department of Education in 2012 as apparently Noell could not endorse the state’s VAM as being suitable for teacher evaluations and dismissal, as the state apparently desired. Regardless of his endorsement, Louisiana became the first state well-known for terminating teachers as based on not-three (as is the minimum recommended), not-two, but one, yes just one year of low VAM scores. The goal was to allow for the termination of the bottom (arbitrarily set) 10% of teachers in the state per year until, I suppose, Louisiana’s poor achievement worked itself out of the quaggy swamps.

While things have since changed in the state, whereas the state has lightened up on this aggressive state policy and, for now, suspended VAM (see an article about this here), Mercedes Schneider and VAMs in Louisiana |:

“Good” Doctors and Teachers (Part 2) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

“Good” Doctors and Teachers (Part 2) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

“Good” Doctors and Teachers (Part 2)

1. Has the definition of “good” teachers changed over time as has the one about “good” physicians?

2. Are there many different versions of “good” teaching as there were for “good” doctors?

3. Even with the differences in definitions over time and setting, are their core characteristics that transcend both as there were among “good” doctors?

4. Are “good” teachers dependent for success on their students, as doctors are on their patients?

The answer to each of the four questions is yes.

1. Has the definition of “good” teachers changed over time as has the one about “good” physicians? 

From the 1960s, researchers laid out the following personal traits and behaviors that “good” teachers exhibit:

[E]ffective teachers carefully monitor learning activities and are clear, accepting and supportive, equitable with students, and persistent in challenging and engaging them.

In the 1980s and 1990s, researcher findings added up to the following attributes of “effective” teachers. They:

*are clear about instructional goals;

*are knowledgeable about their content an strategies for teaching it;

*communicate to their students what is expected of them and why:

*make expert use of existing instructional materials in order to devote more time to practices that enrich and clarify the content;

* are knowledgeable about their students, adapting instruction to their needs….;

*address higher- as well as lower-level cognitive objectives….;

*accept responsibility for student outcomes;“Good” Doctors and Teachers (Part 2) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:“Good” Doctors and Teachers (Part 2) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: