9-10-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

Tim Wu: De Blasio Is Big Reason A Conservative Will be Elected Lieutenant Governor

From Daily Politics: Tim Wu, whose insurgent challenge to Andrew Cuomo's political machine fell short in Tuesday's primary, says he is furious at fellow progressive Mayor de Blasio. “There was an effort to elect a progressive to the lieutenant governor office, and the greatest impediment to that was the Mayor Bill de Blasio,” Wu said in an interview Wednesday morning after he and running mate Zeph

2 by reality-based edu... / 5h 

Cuomo Will Be Governor But He Will No Longer Be King

Matt Stoller on what the primary results mean for Cuomo:Andrew Cuomo will be Governor, but his career is over. Cuomo will win in November. He will govern for another four years, or until he is indicted. But he will not hold another elected office, because he has proven himself a very good machine boss but a very bad candidate. The level of petty vindictiveness reflects a brilliant man who simply c

2 by reality-based edu... / 1h 

9-9-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: What's Wrong With Andrew Cuomo?There is no better emblem of what's wrong with Andrew Cuomo then this past weekend's exhibition of petulance, arrogance and hubris at the Labor Day Parade.His opponent in the Democratic Primary, Zephyr Teachout, attempted to say hello to him at the parade.Cuomo, who has never once uttered her name in public, did everything he could to make beli

by mike simpson / 9h 

The First Step in Student Data Tracking. Your District’s Student Information System. | Missouri Education Watchdog

The First Step in Student Data Tracking. Your District’s Student Information System. | Missouri Education Watchdog:

The First Step in Student Data Tracking. Your District’s Student Information System.

inShare

We will be writing more in the next few weeks about the data gathering and tracking of children at school, how it is gathered and where it goes for ‘research’.   The first gathering point of student data comes from your school’s Student Information System (SIS).  My school district uses Infinite Campus for its data tracking of its students.    Here’s a visual of what Infinite Campus (or any other SIS) gathers to gauge ‘student achievement’.  From wikipedia:

(click on graphic to enlarge)

A student information system (SIS) is a software application for education establishments to manage student data. Student Information Systems (often abbreviated as SIS systems) provide capabilities for entering student test and other assessment scores, build student schedules, track student attendance, and manage many other student-related data needs in a school.

The SIS is equivalent to an Enterprise Resource Planning or ERP system for a corporate customer. As such, many of the issues with ERP System Selection Methodology, implementation, and operation of an ERP system apply too.

You can see this information includes: assessment, transportation, food services, library data and other data for the school is gathered as well: human resource, finance, special education and‘other’.  Does that ‘other’ include assessments as they pertain to attitudes, values and beliefs?  Watch these data sets of ‘other’.

As stated above, the SIS is equivalent to an Enterprise Resource Planning or ERP system for a corporate customer. As such, many of the issues with ERP System Selection Methodology, implementation, and operation of an ERP system apply too.

Let’s look at what an ERP System means and as you read the definition, think about how it fits into a school building and the purpose of education and how your child is considered by the system:

ERP provides an integrated view of core business processes, often in real-time, using common databases maintained by a database management system. ERP systems track business resources—cash, raw materials, production capacity—and the status of business commitments: orders, purchase orders, and payroll. The applications that make up the system share data across the various departments (manufacturing, purchasing, sales, accounting, etc.) that provide the data.  ERP facilitates information flow between all business functions, and manages connections to outside stakeholders.

Enterprise system software is a multi-billion dollar industry that produces components that support a variety of business functions. IT investments have become the largest category of capital expenditure in United States-based businesses over the past decade. Though early ERP systems focused on large enterprises, smaller enterprises increasingly use ERP systems.

The ERP system is considered a vital organizational tool because it integrates varied The First Step in Student Data Tracking. Your District’s Student Information System. | Missouri Education Watchdog:

Franklin Roosevelt on the Role of Government to Protect the Public | janresseger

Franklin Roosevelt on the Role of Government to Protect the Public | janresseger:

Franklin Roosevelt on the Role of Government to Protect the Public

Posted on September 10, 2014 by janresseger

During a recent driving trip across the country, my husband and I sometimes felt we were threading our way across a map of American consumerism: McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Subway, and even Pita Pit. It can be argued that our society’s growing diversity has improved the food—Mexican, Lebanese, Thai, and even a Kathmandu Café in Rapid City, South Dakota, but as Benjamin Barber has pointed out, in marketplaces, “We are seduced into thinking that the right to choose from a menu is the essence of liberty, but with respect to relevant outcomes the real power, and hence the real freedom, is in the determination of what is on the menu.”  (Consumed, p. 139) And competition among the choices has not necessarily delivered food that is tasty and nutritious.

As I looked at the fast food marketplace from freeway interchange to freeway interchange, it was sobering to consider that this is the model many are trying to adopt for our schools.

Franklin Roosevelt had a different philosophy, one that I worry is beginning to feel frankly old fashioned. Eighty years ago, in August of 1934, President Roosevelt visited Glacier National Park. The President was traveling by train, making visits to new dams.  He had visited Grand Coulee in Washington and was headed to Fort Peck in Montana. On August 5, Roosevelt delivered his weekly radio address from the lodge at Glacier Park’s Two Medicine Lake: “Today, for the first time in my life, I have seen Glacier Park. Perhaps I can best express to you my thrill and delight by saying that I wish every American, old and young, could have been with me today. The great mountains, the glaciers, the lakes and the trees make me long to stay here for all the rest of the summer.”

His address became sober as he described what he believed is the role of government and the importance of the public space: “Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872 by Act of Congress as a ‘pleasuring ground’ for the people. I like that phrase because, in the years that have followed, our great series of parks in every part of the Union have become indeed a ‘pleasuring ground’ for millions of Americans… As is the case in the long fight for the preservation of national forests and water power and mineral deposits and other national possessions, it has been a long and fierce fight against many private interests which were entrenched in political and economic power. So, too, it has been a constant struggle to continue to protect the public interest, once it was saved from private exploitation at the hands of the selfish few.”

President Roosevelt understood that the marketplace enriches private individuals not the commons and responds to the power of money. He believed that an essential role of government is to protect the common good and he looked to the well-being of future generations as well as those who might prosper today. Speaking about the National Park Service, Roosevelt said, “It took a bitter struggle to teach the country at large that our national resources are not inexhaustible and that, when public domain is stolen, a twofold injury is done, for it is a theft of the treasure of the present and at the same time bars the road of Franklin Roosevelt on the Role of Government to Protect the Public | janresseger:

9-10-14 Hemlock on the Rocks

Hemlock on the Rocks:

Hearing opens on Crenshaw teachers' claims of anti-union bias - LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-utla-crenshaw-20140911-story.html?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fnews%2Feducation+(L.A.+Times+-+Education) Hearing opens on Crenshaw teachers' claims of anti-union bias Twelve former Crenshaw High teachers alleged during opening arguments in a labor hearing Wednesday that the Los Angele

by Rene Diedrich / 2min 

DEASY WANTS YOU TO KNOW Teachers are Family , too ( Red Headed Step Children?)

Dear LAUSD family, The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) cares about you - your health, success and wellbeing - now and for your future. Without the dedication of each-and-every one of us, the District could not execute our mission of all youth achieving. We are grateful to all of our employees for their service.   Teachers represent the majority of our employees. They lead classes ever

by Rene Diedrich / 0min 

Forget the L.A. schools' iPads. What we need to know about are the grenade launchers - LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-lausd-grenade-assault-rifles-20140910-story.html Forget the L.A. schools' iPads. What we need to know about are the grenade launchers Opinion  You could, sort of, maybe, see how a large school district might be able to use a military mine-resistant vehicle. Say there were a really dangerous situation going on once a century or so; the veh

by Rene Diedrich / 1h hide  //  save

Don’t blame trial lawyers for LAUSD’s lawsuit problems: Guest commentary

http://www.dailynews.com/opinion/20140909/dont-blame-trial-lawyers-for-lausds-lawsuit-problems-guest-commentary Don't blame trial lawyers for LAUSD's lawsuit problems: Guest commentary By Thomas M. MooreIn her opinion piece, "Largest school district, highest litigation costs" (Sept. 3), Gabriella Holt asserts "frivolous" lawsuits brought against LAUSD by "u

by Rene Diedrich / 2h 

Los Angeles Unified School District

http://home.lausd.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=178743&type=d&pREC_ID=367410 Los Angeles Unified School District Dr. John E. Deasy's Bio Dr. John E. Deasy is the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation's second largest school district. In this role, Dr. Deasy leads the thousands of teachers, administrators and staff in serving the diverse population of mo

by Rene Diedrich / 1h 

LA school board agrees to destroy internal emails after a year | 89.3 KPCC

http://www.scpr.org/blogs/education/2014/09/09/17277/la-school-board-agrees-to-destroy-internal-emails/ LA school board agrees to destroy internal emails after a year FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images The Los Angeles Unified school board voted Tuesday to buy a Microsoft email archiving service programmed to automatically destroy staff emails after one year. The decision comes less than t

by Rene Diedrich / 2h 

LA school board agrees to destroy internal emails after a year | 89.3 KPCC

http://www.scpr.org/blogs/education/2014/09/09/17277/la-school-board-agrees-to-destroy-internal-emails/ LA school board agrees to destroy internal emails after a year FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images The Los Angeles Unified school board voted Tuesday to buy a Microsoft email archiving service programmed to automatically destroy staff emails after one year. The decision comes less than t

by Rene Diedrich / 3h 

The Government-Industry Conspiracy that Promotes Crap Food in School | Alternet

http://www.alternet.org/food/dirty-secret-behind-dairy-junk-foods The Government-Industry Conspiracy that Promotes Crap Food in School People often ask me, "How does lobbying work?" Last week it was with fat and sugar, when the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) hosted its 32nd annual Capitol Hill Ice Cream Party. Some 6,000 bowls of ice cream were served up to Sen. Tom Harkin

by Rene Diedrich / 4h 

This Is What America's School Lunches Really Look Like : The Salt : NPR

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/11/20/246400702/this-is-what-america-s-school-lunches-really-look-like This Is What America's School Lunches Really Look Like i Courtesy of DoSomething.org School lunch has never been the stuff of foodie dreams. I'm still haunted by the memory of my elementary school cafeteria's "brain pizza" – a lumpy oval thing topped with fleshy white

by Rene Diedrich / 4h 

If only American kids could eat school lunches like they do in France - Salon.com

http://www.salon.com/2014/09/09/if_only_american_kids_could_eat_school_lunches_like_they_do_in_france_partner/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow If only American kids could eat school lunches like they do in France - Salon.com This article originally appeared on AlterNet. The standard school lunch for an American child often contains dishes brimming with preservatives and sodium. Wh

by Rene Diedrich / 4h 

Caputo Pearl Makes A Scene Before the BoE about Raises &MiSIS but the Real News is Members Voted to Spend $1/4 Million to Wipe Out their Emails from the Last Year. (we need to file an Injunction to stop that )

President of UTLA, Alex Caputo-Pearl * UPDATED With a new contract on the line, the LA Unified teachers union, UTLA, is stepping up its attack on Superintendent John Deasy, blaming him for problems large and small and the opening line the district has taken for a new contract with teachers. Union president Alex Caputo-Pearl ratcheted up the tension at the district board meeting this morning, wi

by Rene Diedrich / 4h hide  //  save

Why LETTING ANY LAUSD OIG RETURN TO THE IPAD BIDDING ETHICS IS A COP OUT

100% with you on this Lenny.  When Cynthia and some of us met casually and discussed this some weeks ago, I insisted on an external independent audit. Never would I go along with yet another internal audit by the IG.  This is neither logical, nor an informed public policy suggestion. All of this investigation must now be done for the public good, and done outside of the auspices of the possibl

by Rene Diedrich / 4h 

Rubber Room Reality and the Uncertain Future of Veteran Teachers and Public Schools

ED Notes one hopes this year will be kess brutal than the last few. The description is actually tame compared  to  Some of what has gone on. There are reasons to believe it will be less aggressive now but it is not necessarily better and far from safe because there are desperate creatures in the driver seat and  they can be very dangerous.Also the union will not lose much with interns paying dues

by Rene Diedrich / 5h 

You know How LAUSD and Deasy are Bragging About Lower Suspension Stats....? Well NYC sheds some clues with the help of Mercedes Schnieder. Plus Mayoral Control vs Municipal Oversight R Diedrich

Data driven districts like LAUSD are constantly throwing Scores, stats and projections at the public to justify how it does things , but  their incompetence and corruption is hardly mitigated by the slight gains here or the unlikely boast about numbers there . They go anyway that suits their purposes. Illegally assigning rating to teachers based in test scores with no integrity is a case in point

by Rene Diedrich / 5h 

9-9-14 Hemlock on the Rocks

Hemlock on the Rocks: LAUSD Codes of Conduct WITH STUDENTS Explicatedby Rene Diedrich / 3min Ratliff Meets Ratliff in a Rare Look at Educratic Fashion Statements and the Political Trends Predicted for Next SeasonI hope Monica Ratliff is tenacious about the  release of the report on iPad Ethics l she could shed a light in many things if she is thorough and earnest. If  she can usher in true change

by mike simpson / 41min 

Lessons of 9/11: Closer to the Heart | WagTheDog

Lessons of 9/11: Closer to the Heart | WagTheDog:

Lessons of 9/11: Closer to the Heart

Schools should be in the “business” of creating diverse and stimulating learning environments and experiences where a child’s academic, athletic, artistic, social, and emotional skills and desires are free to flourish and thrive.

We should prepare our children to be thoughtful, caring, resilient, and responsible leaders and learners who can make meaningful and lasting contributions to our challenging and vibrant world. They need to learn how to make courageous and quality choices as they communicate and collaborate with others.

Powerful and privileged reformers like David Coleman deny the importance of thoughts and feelings because they often operate in isolation and are incapable or unwilling to consult and collaborate with others.

Reformers may hold powerful positions of leadership, but their inability to empathize and connect with other people, limits their ability to effectively guide and direct Lessons of 9/11: Closer to the Heart | WagTheDog: