Monday, July 14, 2014

7-14-14 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.:

Jose Vilson. Teachers of color caught in the windmill (on real equity).

- Jose Vilson is a New York teacher and author of This is Not a Test. Time and again, we get reports from former teachers of color about why they leave, and often, it’s the same symptoms for why teachers in general leave: lack of empowerment and autonomy, working conditions, and low pay. With teacher of color, education systems only exacerbate this problem because many teachers of color come back

1 by Fred Klonsky / 2h

Ten minute drawing. Senator Mark Kirk hears voices about immigrants.

by Fred Klonsky / 15min

In Hinsdale this is what Tea Party democracy looks like.

“Hey, Fred,” a teacher friend writes. “Ever hear of a school board holding a press conference that denied access to other board members from attending it? Too funny, but that just happened in Hinsdale. No parents, teachers or even other school board members were allowed to attend their Tea Party.” The Hinsdale High School Teachers Association, which is engaged in tough negotiations with the local

by Fred Klonsky / 6min

There’s a national assault on teacher pensions. I wonder if the AFT and the NEA heard?

Michael “Macho Man” Mulgrew. Yesterday I began the afternoon watching the live streaming of the debate over Common Core. What could be more moving than hearing my friend Michelle Gunderson speaking about the damage Common Core is doing to her babies? Imagine. An urban public school teacher talking about her students as if they were her own children – her babies. And knowing Michelle as I do, ther

by Fred Klonsky / 1min hide // save

The United Federation of Teachers’ loyalty oath. Tolerating no dissent.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew. “I’ll punch you in the face if you try to take away my Common Core.” Arthur Goldstein is a high school English teacher and chapter chair of the United Federation of Teachers at Francis Lewis High School. He could not be a delegate to the AFT convention in LA because he would not sign the UFT’s loyalty oath. When a reader of this blog asked about the loyalty oath, Ar

13 by Fred Klonsky / 2h

7-13-14 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.: Sunday reads.Detroit residents on Thursday launched a direct action to halt the city’s mass shut-off of water to thousands of households, physically blocking a private corporation from turning off the tap. Israel bombs a mosque and a center for the disabled, killing two residents and wounding three, a

by mike simpson / 8h

7-14-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE:

About the radio show

Join Drs. Shaun Johnson and Tim Slekar

LIVE Sundays at 6PM EST and Wednesdays at 7PM EST

on Blog Talk Radio for progressive, pro-public education talk radio.

Call in to speak live with Tim and Shaun during the show, (805) 727-7111.

You can also listen to our Monday "Sunday-Replay" at 7PM EST, and re-broadcasts of the archives every Tuesday and Thursday at 7PM EST.

Visit the @ the Chalk Face radio main page for more information on the show and syndication.

New York Magazine Bias?

NEW YORK MAGAZINE BIAS?.

1 by David Greene / 11min hide // save

Former United Federation of Teachers VP Leo Casey Tries to Twitter-slam Me

I have been asked numerous times to join Twitter. The response I offer to this request: I haven’t the time to keep up with Twitter. That doesn’t mean that I do not occasionally become the topic of a Twitter exchange, however. Apparently such an exchange began on July 10, 2014, between New York City teacher Arthur […]

1 by deutsch29 / 30min

Why Isnt Aft And New York More Enraged About Engageny?

WHY ISNT AFT AND NEW YORK MORE ENRAGED ABOUT ENGAGENY?.

1 by David Greene / 22min

7-13-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: About the radio showJoin Drs. Shaun Johnson and Tim Slekar LIVE Sundays at 6PM EST and Wednesdays at 7PM EST on Blog Talk Radio for progressive, pro-public education talk radio. Call in to speak live with Tim and Shaun during the show, (805) 727-7111. You can also listen to our Monday "Sunday-Replay" at 7PM EST, and re-broadcasts of the archives every Tuesday and Thursd

by mike simpson / 13h

7-14-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

Weingarten Criticizes Astorino For Common Core Dodge Even As She Pulls Another CCSS Dodge At The AFT

Jessica Bakeman at Capital NY:ALBANY—American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten said Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino is using an anti-Common Core campaign to “cloak” his other positions on education issues that would be far less palatable to public school advocates. Weingarten, the former president of New York City's United Federation of Teachers, said during a tele

by reality-based edu... / 5min

Is Chris Christie In An "Unholy Alliance" With Andrew Cuomo Over The Bridgegate Scandal?

Fred Dicker raises the question in his NY Post column today:One of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s jobs as this year’s head of the Republican Governors Association is to help elect more GOP governors, but don’t tell that to people working on Astorino’s campaign. “Chris Christie has done diddly squat to help the Astorino folks,’’ said a highly knowledgeable Republican insider. “Either Christie has

by reality-based edu... / 51min

7-13-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Bill Gates Plans For Wireless Remote Controlled ContraceptionI'm sure this couldn't have any downsides:First Bill Gates brought us a better condom. Now, the billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft founder is taking birth control to an even more amazing level.Gates is backing a long-lasting implantable birth control device that can be turned on and off with a remote control.

by mike simpson / 8h

Another teachers union ding for Arne Duncan - Allie Grasgreen - POLITICO.com

Another teachers union ding for Arne Duncan - Allie Grasgreen - POLITICO.com:

Another teachers union ding for Arne Duncan

The resolution calls for Duncan to enact an 'improvement plan.' | AP Photo

By ALLIE GRASGREEN | 7/13/14 5:50 PM EDT

The American Federation of Teachers approved a resolution this afternoon calling for Education Secretary Arne Duncan to resign if he does not improve under a plan to be implemented by President Barack Obama.

The “improvement plan” would include the requirement that Duncan enact the funding and equity recommendations of the Equity Commission’s “Each and Every Child” report; change the No Child Left Behind and Race To The Top “test-and-punish” accountability system to a “support-and-improve” model; and “promote rather than question” teachers and school staff.

Latest on POLITICO

Education Department spokeswoman Dorie Nolt said in an email to POLITICO that Duncan is “hopeful” that he and AFT can “continue to work together.” Nolt added, “the transformation that educators and policymakers are leading to prepare all students for college and careers is incredibly difficult, and too often the adults fight about how to best help the kids.”

(Sign up for POLITICO’s Morning Education tip sheet)

AFT President Randi Weingarten said in a statement sent to POLITICO that the amendment “is basically saying, ‘Enough is enough.’ Teachers are evaluated and their future livelihoods are linked to that. And when they fall short, they should have a chance to improve. And that’s what this special order represents.”

The plan was laid out in an amendment tacked onto a resolution codifying AFT’s “Commitment to Fighting Back and Fighting Forward” on labor and education issues.

The AFT member who introduced the amendment cited Duncan’s response to Hurricane Katrina and the Vergara v. California case, and said Duncan’s programs “blackmailed” cash-strapped

NYC Educator: Cuomo Is Awful, but Astorino Is No Better

NYC Educator: Cuomo Is Awful, but Astorino Is No Better:

Cuomo Is Awful, but Astorino Is No Better

It's sad that New Yorkers have such miserable choices in our two-party system. Lately I've been encountering a sea of "anybody but Cuomo" tweets and anti-Cuomo tweeters, but they seem to regard Rob Astorino as an alternative. In his favor, he publicly opposes Common Core, and is unequivocal about it. But there are issues.

Execrable though Cuomo is, he at least has to pose as a Democrat from time to time. That's not enough to make me support him, but it means he has to think twice before he goes after, say, the Triborough Amendment that keeps our contracts in force until we negotiate new ones. This is particularly important to UFT members who've just gone 6 years without a contract. Imagine what Mike Bloomberg would have done if he'd had carte blanche to impose whatever he felt like. Doubtless we'd be working for 8 bucks an hour with no health benefits and he'd have pulled our pensions to pay for a better penthouse for Cathie Black.

Astorino has no such compunctions. He's not only criticized Cuomo for failing to attack the Triborough amendment, but he's also written an op-ed in the NY Post expressing opposition:

Consider the situation now in Westchester: All eight public unions are now working without a contract — one of them in its fourth year. But wages aren’t frozen at previous contract levels. Workers still get the longevity and step increases built into the old contract — hikes NYC Educator: Cuomo Is Awful, but Astorino Is No Better:

Louisiana Educator: 100% Error Rate on Student Transfers

Louisiana Educator: 100% Error Rate on Student Transfers:

100% Error Rate on Student Transfers

New Orleans Recovery District Found to Have a 100% Error Rate on Certain Transfer Data

Why is it important for student transfer data to be accurate? Because a school can falsely identify some of their dropouts as transfers and thereby boost their graduation rate. It seems that the New Orleans Recovery District has the highest rateof such "errors" in the state: 100%!

Here is how it works: The graduation rate (the percentage of students who start the 9th grade and graduate 4 years later) for each high school in the state is calculated each year and the percentage of students graduating helps determine the school performance score and also the letter grade assigned to a school. If some students who actually dropped out of school between 9th and 12th grades are misclassified as transfers, they do not count against a school in calculating the graduation rate. I personally do not agree with blaming schools for student dropouts and most of the other stuff that goes into calculating the school performance score. But I also don't believe that schools should be allowed to cheat on such statistics to improve their school letter grades.

How long has this misclassification trick been used? In a report issued by the LDOE several years ago titled: Louisiana's Louisiana Educator: 100% Error Rate on Student Transfers:

Common Core: A House that Doesn’t Make Sense | Missouri Education Watchdog

Common Core: A House that Doesn’t Make Sense | Missouri Education Watchdog:

Common Core: A House that Doesn’t Make Sense

The Common Core Core-ites constantly ask those opposed to show them a standard “they don’t like”. Taken out of context, it might be difficult to take umbrage to specific standards, but taken as a whole, it is easier to determine if they make sense or not. This is a tactic to divert the main issue that the CCSSI circumvented the political process of state and federal statutes, but let’s play the Core-ite game and talk about why the standards should be discarded because of their content and/or lack of content.

Think of the Common Core State Standards Initiative as if you are looking for a new house in which to live:

You drive up to it and think, “this looks like a great house”. The landscaping is pristine and it’s in a great neighborhood.
The real estate agent lets you in and you notice the ceilings are a bit too low but you can work with them. Just don’t invite tall people to visit.
The dining room is more like a sitting room as only a small table and a few chairs will fit in there, but formal dining is so out of date anyway, who needs a large dining room?
The rooms are small and you could take out a wall to expand, but uh oh….that looks like a load bearing wall. Maybe those small rooms should be renamed “cozy”. You can work with this.
The kitchen is a bit out of date but you can take care of it later. This would necessitate complete renovation.
The granite countertops in the bathrooms are nice and new cabinets can be Common Core: A House that Doesn’t Make Sense | Missouri Education Watchdog:

Shanker Blog » A New Idea For Test-Based Accountability In DC: Actual Test Scores

Shanker Blog » A New Idea For Test-Based Accountability In DC: Actual Test Scores:

A New Idea For Test-Based Accountability In DC: Actual Test Scores

Posted by Matthew Di Carlo on July 14, 2014

The Washington Post reports on an issue that we have discussed here on many occasions: The incompleteness of the testing results released annually by the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), or, more accurately, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), which is responsible for testing in DC schools.

Here’s the quick backstory: For the past 7-8 years or so, DCPS/OSSE have not released a single test score for the state assessment (the DC-CAS). Instead, they have released only the percentage of students whose scores meet the designated cutoff points for the NCLB-style categories of below basic, basic, proficient and advanced. I will not reiterate all of the problems with these cutpoint-based rates and how they serve to distort the underlying data, except to say that they are by themselves among the worst ways to present these data, and there is absolutely no reason why states and districts should not release both rates and average scale scores.

The Post reports, however, that one organization — the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education — was able to obtain the actual scale score data (by subgroup and grade) for 2010-2013, and that this group published a memo-stylereport alleging that DCPS’ public presentation of their testing results over the past few years has been misleading. I had a mixed reaction to this report and the accompanying story.

On the one hand, I give a lot of credit to Broader, Bolder for doing this – for acknowledging the importance of the scale scores, for going to the trouble of requesting them, and then for publishing them in full. By so doing, this Shanker Blog » A New Idea For Test-Based Accountability In DC: Actual Test Scores:

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Tells AFT delegates, "We will go forward together."

Rev. Wm. Barber II, president of NC's NAACP chapter

“If they’ve got to fight us this hard, we’ve got to be some bad somebodies,” Barber said eliciting a standing ovation from the crowd. -- Teacher union convention opens with fiery speech

Salim Muwakkil

Chronic poverty is criminogenic; the links are thick and reinforced by rigorous scholarship. In Chicago's communities, rates of violent crime correlate to poverty rates in ways that make that point irrefutable. There is little dispute that if violence prevention is the goal, reducing poverty is the most effective tactic. -- Chicago Tribune

Alex Caputo-Pearl, new UTLA pres.

The new L.A. union leader framed his remarks around defining “social movement unionism,” which he said is “explicit about fighting for racial and social justice. It’s Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:

Delegates at AFT’s Convention Denounce Arne Duncan | janresseger

Delegates at AFT’s Convention Denounce Arne Duncan | janresseger:

Delegates at AFT’s Convention Denounce Arne Duncan

Posted on July 14, 2014 by janresseger

In the second such action in two weeks, yesterday the delegates of a national teachers union at its national convention passed a resolution repudiating U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

Yesterday the American Federation of Teachers, meeting in Los Angeles, formally disdained the policies of Secretary Duncan. On July 4, the National Education Association passed an even stronger resolution demanding that Duncan resign. The NEA and the AFT represent over 4 million school teachers across the United States. The AFT”s resolution—ironically commenting on Duncan’s relentless focus on evaluating teachers by econometric formulas and holding them accountable—demands that President Barack Obama hold Duncan himself accountable, put him on an improvement plan and—if he can’t improve—fire him.

Because teachers unions are democratic institutions, the drafting, debating, and voting on such resolutions—whatever their actually wording—is important because such actions move and shape the national conversation about education policy. Such strong resolutions coming from both of our largest teachers unions put pressure on the leaders of NEA and AFT, leaders who have tried to work with a Democratic administration in Washington, despite that this administration’s policies have been anti-teacher.

Despair, demoralization and rage among school teachers—growing from the lack of respect Delegates at AFT’s Convention Denounce Arne Duncan | janresseger:

Latest News and Comment from Education