Thursday, August 28, 2014

Welcome to Lily's (new and improved) Blackboard - Lily's Blackboard

Welcome to Lily's (new and improved) Blackboard - Lily's Blackboard:

Welcome to Lily’s (new and improved) Blackboard

August 27, 2014 by Lily

Categories: General

If you have been following Lily’s Blackboard for the past few years, you will be happy to see all the new features. If this is your first time here, Welcome!!!

Here are some of the exciting new features you will find on the new site:

First and most obvious, we have a new design and it is really cool. Feel free to just look at the site for a few minutes or just make it your homepage.

Wondering what Lily is saying to reporters?

We have a new Media Center where you will find how she is giving voice to the issues that affect students and their educators.

Want to stay in touch with the issues and activities of NEA’s president?

Did you know Lily is on Twitter?

You can find her latest musings on this blog or just follow her directly @Lily_NEA.

What else is NEA doing?

Don’t miss the news from other NEA sites. Check the box on the lower right.

Y en español!

Es una sección pequeña y va a creer, ¡pero ya existe!

Bonus: Did you know we are also on Pinterest?

Check the right hand column or just click here.

Bienvenidos a nuestro contenido en Español

Apenas estamos empezando, pero un largo camino comienza con el primer paso. Estamos creando contenido en Español para que las familias latinas en Estados Unidos, tengan acceso a los recursos que necesitan para tener éxito en la educación. Somos la Asociación Nacional de Educación, somos más de 3 millones de maestros, conductores, consejeros y empleados de las escuelas que estamos dedicados a nuest

by Lily / 0min

First Latina elected head of the nation’s largest teachers’ union

Lily Eskelsen García began her career in education working at a school cafeteria, and now she is gearing up to become the head the nation’s largest teachers’ union. She was elected president of the National Education Association over the weekend at the union’s annual convention in Denver, becoming the first Latina to hold the position. The union represents more than 3 million public school educato

by Lily / 0min

High Stakes Testing is Toxic

Check out this article after Lily’s conversation with ethnic media in Los Angeles: At a briefing for ethnic media in Los Angeles, Lily Eskelsen García acknowledged the challenges ahead of her. “What we’re up against,” she said, “are people who use good words like reform, and accountability, and progress.” But their real meaning will be to “narrow what it means to teach a child to fit on a standard

by Lily / 0min

On a Mission to Galvanize Teachers and Parents

Lily Eskelsen García has a history that reads like a made-for-TV movie: She began her education career making salads in a school cafeteria and was nudged toward college by a kindergarten teacher who liked the way the 18-year-old related to young children. She paid her college bills with folk-singing gigs, graduated magna cum laude and nine years later, in 1989, was Utah’s Teacher of the Year. Lil

by Lily / 0min

Consejos para padres: Bienvenidos a un nuevo año escolar

Por: Colorín Colorado En su calidad de padres, hay muchas acciones que ustedes pueden emprender en la casa para ayudar a que su niño tenga un buen año escolar, tales como leer a diario y limitar el tiempo que su niño pasa frente a la TV, los videojuegos y la computadora. He aquí diez maneras importantes de comenzar. 1. Cuidados médicos A los niños hay que hacerles exámenes médicos, vacunarlos y da

by Lily / 0min

Teachers Paying Out Of Pocket For School Supplies

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Imagine if you had to spend hundreds of dollars of your own money just to get your job done. Lily Eskelsen García, President Elect of the National Education Association, said that’s how much the average teacher had to spend on school supplies for their students in past years. Check out the rest of the article from CBS The post Teachers Paying Out Of Pocket For School Suppl

by Lily / 0min

Back to School with the Amazing Educators in California

The National Education Association is ready to welcome all our students back to school. Lily had a full first day “back to school” in California with educators in Los Angeles. Check out the social media we produced: [View the story "Time to Raise Your Hand: Back to School in California" on Storify] The post Back to School with the Amazing Educators in California appeared first on Lily

by Lily / 0min

La universidad: un sueño alcanzable

Samantha Hernández, estudiante de segundo año en California State University Domínguez Hills, sigue sus sueños de la universidad y la carrera por medio del apoyo constante de su familia, administradores de la universidad, y la ayuda económica que recibe. The post La universidad: un sueño alcanzable appeared first on Lily's Blackboard.

by Lily / 0min hide // save

Pasos para reducir la deserción escolar

La propuesta de la Asociación Nacional de Educación para reducir la deserción escolar: Decretar que todos los menores de 21 años se gradúen de la escuela secundaria u obtengan un título equivalente. De igual manera que se decretó la asistencia obligatoria a la escuela hasta la edad de 16 ó 17 años a principios del siglo XX, es apropiado e importante erradicar la idea de que se puedan abandonar lo

by Lily / 0min

Let’s Get Gov. Mike Pence’s Attention Tomorrow via Twitter | Truth in American Education

Let’s Get Gov. Mike Pence’s Attention Tomorrow via Twitter | Truth in American Education:

Let’s Get Gov. Mike Pence’s Attention Tomorrow via Twitter

Filed in Common Core State Standards by Shane Vander Hart on August 28, 2014 • 0 Comments

Forecast: Twitter Storm Brewin' @GovPenceIN

Time for another Twitter rally. Governor Mike Pence (R-IN) will be in Dallas, TX tomorrow(8/29/14) at the Defending the American Dream Summit hosted by Americans for Prosperity. He is on the agenda tomorrow at 10:00a (Central Time) to be on a panel for a worship entitled “Wastewatchers – Tightening the Belt on Government Spending.”

Please plan on starting about 9:45a and we can go all morning, but the workshop will probably be finished around 11:15a (Central Time). So if we can blow up Twitter for an hour and a half that would be great. If you are not able to do this live if you use Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, Buffer or some other 3rd party Twitter app please schedule some Tweets during this time.

Our goal is to get his attention so he’ll be motivated to go back to Indiana and address the sloppy Common Core rebrand that was done there.

In all of your tweets if you would please make sure you are directing your tweet to him – @GovPenceIN and use two hashtags the first would be #DeserveBetter and then the conference hashtag is #Dream14. If you have enough space please also include #StopCommonCore. It’smore important to use his Twitter handle @GovPenceIN (otherwise his staff won’t see it) and #DeserveBetter though.

Here are some sample tweets.

.@GovPenceIN Hoosier kids #DeserveBetter standards than a Common Core rebrand. #Dream14 #StopCommonCore
.@GovPenceIN your Common Core rebrand & assessments are a budget buster. Hoosiers #DeserveBetter. #Dream14 #StopCommonCore
.@GovPenceIN your Common Core rebrand violates free market principles, your state #DeservesBetter #Dream14 #StopCommonCore
.@GovPenceIN private schools in your state #DeserveBetter than to have poor rebranded standards tied to vouchers. #Dream14 #StopCommonCore
.@GovPenceIN I didn’t think it was possible but Indiana now has worse math standards than Common Core. Hoosiers #DeserveBetter #Dream14
.@GovPenceIN check out @PioneerBoston’s smarter way to #StopCommonCore –http://bit.ly/1AYmrqZ Indiana #DeservesBetter #Dream14
.@GovPenceIN voters #DeserveBetter than to have a potential presidential candidate pull a bait & switch. #StopCommonCore for real. #Dream14
.@GovPenceIN Hoosier parents #DeserveBetter than junk standards thrown together instead of a real plan to #StopCommonCore #Dream14
.@GovPenceIN Hoosiers #DeserveBetter than to have “education czars” foist education policy on us (http://bit.ly/1AYo6wF) #Dream14

I hope you join in! Please share your sample tweets in the comments.

Judge: Texas School Finance System Unconstitutional | The Texas Tribune

Judge: Texas School Finance System Unconstitutional | The Texas Tribune:

Judge: Texas School Finance System Unconstitutional

by Morgan Smith
Aug. 28, 2014
8Comments

photo by: Marjorie Kamys Cotera

District Court Judge John Dietz of Austin is shown in his courtroom on Feb. 4, 2013, before he ruled that the state's school finance system was unconstitutional.

Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout.

Nearly three years after more than 600 Texas school districts filed litigation challenging the state's school finance system, a Travis County district judge has ruled in their favor.

In an almost 400-page opinion released Thursday, District Court Judge John Dietz of Austin said that the state's school finance system is unconstitutional not only because of inadequate funding and flaws in the way it distributes money to districts, but also because it imposes a de facto state property tax. It is certain to be appealed by the state to the Texas Supreme Court.

Though Dietz made no public remarks on Thursday, his decision is a reprise of an earlier oral ruling in February 2013. From the bench at the time, Dietz discussed what he called the "civic, altruistic and economic" reasons for supporting public education.

"We realize that others provided for us when we were children. We realize that children are without means to secure their education. Just as others provided for us when we were in school, now is the time when we provide for others," he said, going on to describe the societal benefits of a well-educated population: lower crime rates, fewer people who need public assistance and a greater state income.

The lawsuit arose after lawmakers cut roughly $5.4 billion from state public education funding in 2011 while the state simultaneously implemented a rigorous new testing and accountability system.

Dietz decided to hear evidence again in the trial for a four-week period this year so that he could consider changes made by the 2013 Legislature. Lawmakers restored about $3.4 billion of the $5.4 billion in public education cuts made in 2011 and changed graduation and testing requirements.

In the trial's second round, lawyers for school districts argued that the funding boost was short-term and that other changes like implementing complex high school curriculum requirements had imposed additional expenses on schools. On Thursday, Dietz agreed.

The ruling is likely to fuel continued sparring over the issue in the state’s gubernatorial contest between Republican Greg Abbott and Democrat Wendy Davis. As the Texas attorney general, Abbott is responsible for the state’s defense. Davis, a state senator from Fort Judge: Texas School Finance System Unconstitutional | The Texas Tribune:

What is #EdProdChat? | My Island View

What is #EdProdChat? | My Island View:

What is #EdProdChat?

August 28, 2014 by Tom Whitby @tomwhitby

Anyone who has ever attended a national state or even local Education Conference can tell you that there are vast numbers of education products out there. How do educators know what works and what doesn’t? Is there a way educators can share their product experience with others? How can educators talk to the designers of education products? How can we collaboratively discuss education products so that educators may make a difference?

The answers to each of these questions would depend on each individual’s connection to the product, or the people who created it. Some of us have more contact than others. Some companies seek out teachers to solicit their opinions and perspectives. This however is not usually done on a large-scale.

Steven Anderson and I have been moderating #Edchat for more than five years now. We are often approached by education industry people asking to sponsor, or host an #Edchat session. #Edchat has always been independent and has not been affiliated with any company or product unless it was for the purpose of conducting the chat. Obviously we need Twitter, Facebook, our archiving app, and from time to time we have used Skype, and most recently REMIND. We have never taken money or have we endorsed any product as #Edchat.

Nevertheless, we have determined that there is a need for educators to interact with education industry people in some form on some venue. In that pursuit Steven and I have decided to start a product showcase chat for What is #EdProdChat? | My Island View:

What Chumps Feel When Tricked, Cheated Or Deceived: iHad – redqueeninla

What Chumps Feel When Tricked, Cheated Or Deceived: iHad – redqueeninla:

What Chumps Feel When Tricked, Cheated Or Deceived: iHad

New LAUSD iHAD 1.2B $$$

The Edu Revelations coming from west of downtown over on Beaudry are fast and furious, like the responses from all around. So fast is the news regarding Deasy’s ipads morphing in the media, that no sooner does one settle as a stakeholder on some sort of ask or demand in response, than the situation reveals itself to be altogether different as a new set of spin replaces the old. Everything is just topsy turvy: Oopsy Deasy.

Casual eavesdropping reveals snippets of conversation all around; everywhere whispers from strangers to aficionados include epithets from a realm that is nothing if not melodramatic: “criminal” and “indictment” and “grand jury” and “fraud” and “liar” and “accountability” and “crook” and “cronyism” and “bid fixing” and “unethical” and “yes men” and “pig in a poke” and “falling on a sword” and “thrown under a bus” and “leaked report” and “inspector general” and “audit”.

Angeleno’s numeracy skills are well-limbered as we contemplate unfathomable numbers like “one billion dollars” and “$61m” and forty seven thousand ipads. What are we going to do about the national embarrassment that is Los Angeles’ Educator In Chief?

“ipad-gate” has grown to be a national story as John Deasy announced he was backing out of the multi million dollar contract for Pearson software bundled into Apple hardware. Following release of emails that indicate a suspicious degree of contact between vendors for whom contracts appear to have been crafted, Superintendent Deasy has tried to staunch the flow of questions bycalling the whole thing off.

This reaction does not sit well with Deasy’s professional corp, the voting members of Los Angeles’ teachers’ union, 91% of whom expressed “no confidence” in their leader last spring. They argue “[t]he superintendent does not get to just say, ‘never mind’ after all the problems the iPad rollout caused this district”.

And therein lies the monumental dilemma that has grown ever clearer this past What Chumps Feel When Tricked, Cheated Or Deceived: iHad – redqueeninla:

8-28-14 Curmudgucation

CURMUDGUCATION:

Expecting Less Than Excellence

Most teachers have heard it in the last year or two. It is apparently hardwired into all administrative training about new evaluation methods.You will not live in Excellent (or above average or super-duper proficient or whatever language your state prefers). You will only visit. You will live in Mostly Pretty Okay (or whatever).Imagine if we started out the year by telling our students, "You'

by Peter Greene / 3min

Mike Petrilli Interprets Reform Backlash (Part 1)

This week Mike Petrilli took a stab at interpreting some of the pushback on reformster programs in what we can hope is a step in his journey to a more enlightened opinion. The column is actually an excerpt from a speech that he delivered to the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, which is interesting in that Chambers have not generally have not been open to a message of "Hey, we might have got

by Peter Greene / 12:08 PM UTC-7

8-27-14 Curmudgucation

CURMUDGUCATION: Law Professor Says Duncan's Actions Un-ConstitutionalAn upcoming article in the Vanderbilt Law Review argues that the administration's waiver program is both illegal and a very, very bad precedent. University of South Carolina law professor Derek W. Black has written articles about the intersection of federal power and school law before, but none quite as feisty as "Federalizi

by mike simpson / 22h

Schooling in the Ownership Society: QUOTABLES FROM THE OWNERSHIP SOCIETY

Schooling in the Ownership Society: QUOTABLES FROM THE OWNERSHIP SOCIETY:

QUOTABLES FROM THE OWNERSHIP SOCIETY

Kershner

Chris Kershner, vice president of public policy and economic development for the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce

“The business community is the consumer of the educational product. Students are the educational product. They are going through the education system so that they can be an attractive product for business to consume and hire as a workforce in the future.” --Valerie Strauss in WaPo

Former CPS Liar-in-Chief Becky Carroll now heads up Rahm Emanuel's Super PAC

“This questionnaire will allow us to better understand where aldermanic candidates stand and help us to both plan our strategies well in advance of the election and be more nimble as races tighten up. We want to be well ahead of the curve so, as dynamics change ward by ward, we can be more flexible in directing our resources. That’s why we’re starting so early.” -- Sun-Times

JP Morgan’s “point person” in Detroit, Aaron Seybert

“The working theory at up to the executive suite, is that spending Schooling in the Ownership Society: QUOTABLES FROM THE OWNERSHIP SOCIETY:

“principally.” Single word at heart of regulatory debate | EdSource

Single word at heart of regulatory debate | EdSource:

CREDIT: JOHN FENSTERWALD/EDSOURCE TODAY

Surrounded by other members of the student group Californians For Justice, Karla Rodriguez, a junior at James Lick High in San Jose, asks the East Side Union High School District school board to include students in the LCAP process during a meeting in May. The State Board of Education will consider amending LCAP regulations to require school districts to solicit the views of students.

Single word at heart of regulatory debate

August 28, 2014 | By John Fensterwald | No Comments

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The State Board of Education next week will consider and possibly settle a debate over one word in the proposed final regulations for the Local Control Funding Formula. The decision would end a year-long disagreement between school districts and civil rights organizations over spending flexibility under the state’s new school funding formula.

The word at issue is “principally.” It would be in a section of regulations controlling the Local Control and Accountability Plan, the three-year budget and academic improvement plan that districts completed in June. It would spell out when districts can use money allotted for “high-needs” students – low-income students, students learning English and foster youths – for purposes that would benefit all students in a school or district. In those cases, districts would have to justify that the services and programs using that money would be “principally directed towards, and are effective in, meeting the district’s goals” for high-needs students. For example, a district could propose using funding for high-needs students to extend the academic day or offer summer school for all students who are behind. The district would have to show that such a use would help close the achievement gap for the high-needs students who must benefit from the extra money under the funding formula.

Advocates for low-income children, including Public Advocates, the ACLU and Children Now, lobbied to have “principally “ added to prevent districts from using money in ways that wouldn’t benefit high-needs students. Organizations representing districts and school administrators wanted the word taken out. In a July 3 letter to the state board, the California School Boards Association said that “principally” is subjective. “Its inclusion would likely confuse the public rather than make the LCAP more transparent,” it said. School board members predicted in testimony that including the word might lead to needless litigation.

The staff of the state board has sided with the advocates and left “principally” in the proposed regulations, while arguing that, really, it won’t make that much difference.

“We think ‘principally’ is consistent with the provision,” said Brooks Allen, deputy policy director and assistant legal counsel with the state board. “It provides a little more emphasis but does not substantially change the meaning. We don’t understand how this represents a significant change.”

There is more agreement among education and advocacy groups over the other final changes to the regulations that the state board staff is proposing.

One, strongly pushed by student activists who demonstrated at two state board meetings this year, would state that district administrators should seek the ideas of students when creating the LCAP – Single word at heart of regulatory debate | EdSource:

Chronic absenteeism bill faces veto threat

Legislation that would make it easier for the state and school districts to track chronic absenteeism, an early indicator of students at risk of dropping out, will soon reach Gov. Jerry Brown, where it faces an uncertain fate. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit the Edsource Today website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

by John Fensterwald / 22min

Gene V Glass: Education in Two Worlds: Put a Hold on that Pultizer Prize Until We Answer a Couple of Questions

Gene V Glass: Education in Two Worlds: Put a Hold on that Pultizer Prize Until We Answer a Couple of Questions:

Put a Hold on that Pultizer Prize Until We Answer a Couple of Questions

A Phoenix newspaper, the East Valley Tribune, recently ran an article with the exciting title "BASIS Chandler ranks among world's best in international test."The BASIS charter school company is well known to readers of this blog.

The East Valley Tribune article simply oozes with PR flack enthusiasm: "A Chandler charter school has been recognized as being among the best in the world. BASIS Chandler was one of the four BASIS charter schools selected for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Test for Schools. The school didn’t merely take the test but excelled in it, scoring above Shanghai...."What little of relevance that we can infer from the puff piece is that a group of BASIS Chandler charter school 15-year-olds took the PISA test and their average scores were high — higher even than some entire nations. What is not reported and what is borderline impossible to determine is how many students took the PISA at BASIS Chandler. Well, more than an hour's digging through files at the Arizona Department of Education finally produces some numbers:

500 students in Grades K - 8, and
195 students in Grades 9 - 12.

What we also know from past experience with BASIS schools is that many begin but few finish. A couple years ago at BASIS Tucson — the natal BASIS charter and showcase for the company — of the 60 students starting grade 9, only 20 were around to graduate 4 years later. Now if that same attrition rate holds for Gene V Glass: Education in Two Worlds: Put a Hold on that Pultizer Prize Until We Answer a Couple of Questions:

Arne Duncan’s “Back-to-School Conversation” |

Arne Duncan’s “Back-to-School Conversation” |:

Arne Duncan’s “Back-to-School Conversation”

Last week, Arne Duncan wrote a blog post titled, “A Back-to-School Conversation with Teachers and School Leaders.” This was subsequently reprinted on the official blog of the U.S. Department of Education, “Homeroom,” and also summarized/critiqued by Alan Singer on an Huffington Post-post titled, “Arne Duncan Declares Victory in War on Schools and Teachers.”

First, Duncan thanks America’s students as they “have posted some unprecedented achievements in the last year — the highest high-school graduation rate in the nation’s history, and sharp cuts in dropout rates and increases in college enrollment, especially for groups [who] in the past have lagged significantly.” As Diane Ravitch would say, “Where is the evidence?” No evidence is cited or referred/linked.

Those who have ever worked with graduation and dropout rate data (rates in this case which are inversely related but reported here as separately celebratory), also know how difficult it is to report these in a standardized, but more importantly accurate manner. Graduation and dropout rates, like test scores, are very easy to manipulate, adjust, and game, also because few agree on how these should be calculated and what policies and rules should be followed when calculating these rates (e.g., what should serve as the denominator). But let us not spoil Duncan’s celebration, yet.

“These achievements come at a time of nearly unprecedented change in American education — which entails enormously hard work by educators [because educators were not working hard enough prior to Duncan...But now] nearly every state has adopted new standards, new assessments, new approaches to incorporating data on student learning, and new efforts to support teachers,” thanks to Duncan. These policies are, of course, what are purportedly causing the political miracles we are to now celebrate and observe.

But then comes Duncan’s concerns with his politically (and economically) driven Arne Duncan’s “Back-to-School Conversation” |:

Asean Johnson, Chicago 9-Year-Old, Youngest Speaker At March On Washington Anniversary (VIDEO)

Asean Johnson, Chicago 9-Year-Old, Youngest Speaker At March On Washington Anniversary (VIDEO):

Asean Johnson, Chicago 9-Year-Old, Youngest Speaker At March On Washington Anniversary (VIDEO)

Nine-year-old Chicago activist Asean Johnson took his Internet-winning show on the road over the weekend and captivated the massive crowd at the "Realize The Dream" rally honoring the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington.

Johnson, a student at Marcus Garvey Elementary, stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday as he expressed pride at his being the youngest speaker addressing the weekend rally -- 50 years after a 23-year-old future congressman, John Lewis, was the youngest speaker at the 1963 march.

"Every child deserves a great education. Every school deserves equal funding and resources," Johnson said after noting he was participating in the march "for education, justice and freedom."

Asean first captured the attention of Chicago and the world when his impassioned speech at a rally protesting the city's then-proposed public school closings in overwhelmingly African-American and Latino neighborhoods went viral in May.

Two months later, Johnson railed against the Chicago Board of Education shortly before they signed off unanimously on massive budget cuts and teacher layoffs in the district.

"You are slashing our education. You're pulling me down. You're taking our educational opportunities away," Johnson told the board while tears streamed down his face. "You need to go tell the mayor to just quit his job."

What's next for the spirited youngster? He's already won some key endorsements for mayor of Chicago in 2025, when he will be 21 years old. Meanwhile, he has fourth grade to tend to.

h/t Fred KlonskyAsean Johnson, Chicago 9-Year-Old, Youngest Speaker At March On Washington Anniversary (VIDEO):

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Thursday, August 28, 2014