Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 5/20/15

Special Nite Cap 

CORPORATE ED REFORM

Rodriguez becomes first charter operator on L.A. school board - LA Times

Rodriguez becomes first charter operator on L.A. school board - LA Times: Rodriguez becomes first charter operator on L.A. school boardRef Rodriguez on Tuesday became the first person from the charter-school movement to be elected to the Los Angeles Board of Education.His win, against one-term incumbent Bennett Kayser, came after a bitter and expensive campaign notable for negative attacks by outs

by mike simpson / 1min 

Ask your Senator to support the Tester Amendment – The Network For Public Education

Ask your Senator to support the Tester Amendment – The Network For Public Education: Ask your Senator to support the Tester AmendmentSupport the Tester Amendment for Grade Span TestingSenator Jon Tester (D-MT) understands public education. Tester is a former public school music teacher as well as a former school board member. Senator Tester served as a Big Sandy Public Schools Board of Trustees me

1 by mike simpson / 1h 

CT News Junkie | Teachers Union Asks Lawmakers To Study Impact of SBAC Test

CT News Junkie | Teachers Union Asks Lawmakers To Study Impact of SBAC Test: Teachers Union Asks Lawmakers To Study Impact of SBAC TestCHRISTINE STUART PHOTOCEA President Sheila Cohen along with CEA Vice President Jeffrey Leake, Executive Director Mark Waxenberg, and Researcher Ray RossomandoThe first year of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium testing isn’t completed, but the state’s large

1 by mike simpson / 1h 

Proposed North Side Charter Schools 'Not Remotely' Needed, Principals Say - Edgewater - DNAinfo.com Chicago

Proposed North Side Charter Schools 'Not Remotely' Needed, Principals Say - Edgewater - DNAinfo.com Chicago: Proposed North Side Charter Schools 'Not Remotely' Needed, Principals SayCHICAGO — Principals from the North Side's biggest high schools have united to oppose any charter school from opening its doors near their schools.The leaders of Lake View, Amundsen, Senn, Sullivan and Mather high scho

1 by mike simpson / 1h 

New LAUSD board to take on persistent problems | 89.3 KPCC

New LAUSD board to take on persistent problems | 89.3 KPCC: New LAUSD board to take on persistent problemsWhen the Los Angeles Unified School District's two new board members take their seats, they'll face this glaring projection for the next school year: the district will have about 5,000 fewer students.Tuesday's general election swept out two incumbents in a continuing show of voter dissatisfact

1 by mike simpson / 2h 

Turn Around Schools? - The Crucial VoiceThe Crucial Voice

Turn Around Schools? - The Crucial VoiceThe Crucial Voice: Turn Around Schools? The whole point of standards, testing, school choice, school closures, and mass firings of school personnel was to turn around schools identified as failing to serve children — MOST of whom are disadvantaged by poverty. Right? These were the chosenschool transformation practices of No Child Left Behind and Race to the

1 by mike simpson / 2h 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: This came from VOYCE: Voices of you in Chicago Education

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: This came from VOYCE: Voices of you in Chicago Education: This came from VOYCE: Voices of you in Chicago EducationFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECONTACTJose Sanchezjose@voyceproject.org773-827-6324Groundbreaking Bill to Address "School-to-Prison Pipeline" Passes Illinois LegislatureLegislative effort led by high school students takes aim at harsh and unjust school di

1 by mike simpson / 2h 

The Killer in my Classroom | gadflyonthewallblog

The Killer in my Classroom | gadflyonthewallblog: The Killer in my ClassroomSome nights sleep just won’t come.I toss and turn, crumpling the blankets until I have to get up and read or pour myself a glass of water.Sitting up in the pre-morning gloom, that’s when they come back to me.A parade of faces. No names. Words are all lost in the haze of time.But the faces remain.Kids I’ve taught and wonder

1 by mike simpson / 2h 

With A Brooklyn Accent: The Return of Community History? Hope and Inspiration at C.A.S.A Middle School in the Bronx

With A Brooklyn Accent: The Return of Community History? Hope and Inspiration at C.A.S.A Middle School in the Bronx: The Return of Community History? Hope and Inspiration at C.A.S.A Middle School in the BronxToday, i paid a visit to a small middle school in the Bronx headed by a visionary principal named Jamaal Bowman, who I have been communicating with via Facebook for the last year. The school,

1 by mike simpson / 2h 

‘Opt Out’ Becomes an Anti-Test Rallying Cry in New York State - NYTimes.com

‘Opt Out’ Becomes an Anti-Test Rallying Cry in New York State - NYTimes.com: ‘Opt Out’ Becomes an Anti-Test Rallying Cry in New York StateBOICEVILLE, N.Y. — It started with a speech in the fall, to parents who had gathered in the auditorium to learn what to expect during the nascent school year.“I spoke at the open house and said, ‘We hope you’ll opt out of the tests,’” said Heather Roberts, vice

1 by mike simpson / 5h 

Show Me The (Charter Management Fee) Money!

CT News Junkie | OP-ED | Show Me The (Charter Management Fee) Money!: Show Me The (Charter Management Fee) Money!When traditional schools pay their bills to educate kids, they usually don’t have much money, if any, remaining. When charter schools pay their bills, they often have money left over to spend. How much? It depends on the school. For a number of charter schools, roughly 10 percent of all

1 by mike simpson / 6h 

CELEBRATING PRISCILLA SANSTEAD - Badass Teachers Association

Badass Teachers Association: CELEBRATING PRISCILLA SANSTEADOn June 14, 2013 Priscilla Sanstead created the Facebook page Badass Teachers Association.  After a discussion with Mark Naison, Priscilla created the beginnings of the structure of BATs to lead us to where we are today.   We are so glad that she did!  For almost 2 years her tireless efforts in running the “mothership” of the BATs organiza

1 by mike simpson / 6h 

Top teachers cite anti-poverty programs as No. 1 school reform necessity — survey - The Washington Post

Top teachers cite anti-poverty programs as No. 1 school reform necessity — survey - The Washington Post: Top teachers cite anti-poverty programs as No. 1 school reform necessity — surveyIn January, the Southern Education Foundation issued a report saying that for the first time in at least 50 years, a majority of U.S. public school students — 51 percent — come from low-income families. That statis

1 by mike simpson / 7h 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Updates from the Washington State Legislature

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Updates from the Washington State Legislature: Updates from the Washington State LegislatureThe one update I cannot provide?  That the Legislature has finished its work in creating a budget.  The Governor has said if it is not done on time, he will call ANOTHER special session.  From the Washington State Democratic Party from Governor Inslee:"Our teachers have

1 by mike simpson / 7h 

While You Were Sleeping: What Happened to Wisconsin Public Schools - From Monologues of Dissent : blue cheddar

While You Were Sleeping: What Happened to Wisconsin Public Schools - From Monologues of Dissent : blue cheddar: While You Were Sleeping: What Happened to Wisconsin Public SchoolsThis is a republication of a blog post from Monologues of Dissent.  It appears at blue cheddar with permission. I don’t know if you were following what happened at the Wisconsin Capitol last night, but here is a summary:Th

1 by mike simpson / 7h 

Focus on standardized tests reduces college readiness - MRT.com: Education

Focus on standardized tests reduces college readiness - MRT.com: Education: Focus on standardized tests reduces college readinessOwen RustOwen Rust teaches economics at Midland High School.In today’s education environment, high schools seem caught in a balancing act. Because of state and federal mandates, high schools have an incentive to graduate as many students as possible. High schools are enc

1 by mike simpson / 7h 

Will Bernie Sanders Take on K12 Education Issues? - Living in Dialogue

Will Bernie Sanders Take on K12 Education Issues? - Living in Dialogue: Will Bernie Sanders Take on K12 Education Issues? By Anthony Cody.As we enter the campaign for the 2016 presidential race, educators and students are looking for a candidate willing to buck some very powerful trends. In 2008, we were led to believe that Obama would break with the disastrous policies of GW Bush, and bring an en

1 by mike simpson / 7h 

NLRB blocks union election at Stetson Charter School

NLRB blocks union election at Stetson Charter School: NLRB blocks union election at Stetson Charter SchoolTHE NATIONAL Labor Relations Board yesterday blocked a union vote set for later this week at John B. Stetson Charter School after the union behind the organizing efforts filed an unfair-labor-practice charge.The Alliance of Charter School Employees union claims that Stetson, which is managed b

1 by mike simpson / 9h 

Thompson: Stand for Children Reports that Testing is Oklahoma Teachers' Top Concern This Week In Education:

This Week In Education: Thompson: Stand for Children Reports that Testing is Oklahoma Teachers' Top Concern: Thompson: Stand for Children Reports that Testing is Oklahoma Teachers' Top ConcernOklahoma's underfunded schools had plenty of problems before funding was cut 23%, the most of any state. This year we'll face more cuts and Oklahoma teachers, already ranked 49th nationally in salaries, will

1 by mike simpson / 9h 

Thousands Of Seattle Teachers Strike Over Pay, Class Size

Thousands Of Seattle Teachers Strike Over Pay, Class Size: Thousands Of Seattle Teachers Strike Over Pay, Class SizeEATTLE, May 19 (Reuters) - Thousands of Seattle teachers walked out of class on Tuesday to demand higher pay and smaller class sizes, marking the largest one-day strike in a series of rolling protests by educators in Washington state over public school funding.More than 50,000 studen

1 by mike simpson / 11h 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: At last night's meeting. Support builds for CTU in contract talks

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: At last night's meeting. Support builds for CTU in contract talks: At last night's meeting. Support builds for CTU in contract talksThere was a packed house at Luther Memorial Church last night for the forum on the current teacher contract negotiations. Parents 4 Teachers called the meeting and invited members of the CTU's negotiating teach along with Board Pres. Dav

1 by mike simpson / 12h 

Jim Kenney and Helen Gym Wins | Voters support an end to School Reform Commission

Kenney wins Democratic mayoral primary | PhillyVoice: Kenney wins Democratic mayoral primary  Jim Kenney thumped the competition in the Democratic mayoral primary Tuesday, besting a field of six candidates.The Associated Press declared Kenney the winner shortly after 9 p.m. According to unofficial tallies, with 98.1 percent of the precincts reporting, Kenney received 55.79 percent of the vote. His

1 by mike simpson / 12h 

Without the TEST how will we know? | BustED Pencils

Without the TEST how will we know? | BustED Pencils: Without the TEST how will we know?Now that opt out season is coming to a close and schools have moved on to field days and violating copyright laws by showing Disney movies in classrooms there is an interesting conversation emerging here in Wisconsin.What happens if the common core test (the Badger test) we gave isn’t scored? Seriously!  In Wisc

1 by mike simpson / 12h hide  //  save

YESTERDAY

Seattle Educators On Strike!: Photos & stories of the struggle | I AM AN EDUCATOR

Seattle Educators On Strike!: Photos & stories of the struggle | I AM AN EDUCATOR: Seattle Educators On Strike!: Photos & stories of the struggleBy I AM AN EDUCATOR on May 19, 2015Jesse Hagopian rallies the crowed at Garfield High School at the beginning of the strike. Photo credit: Truman BuffettToday was an incredible step forward in the struggle to fully fund education in Washington sta

2 by mike simpson / 19h 

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 5/19/15

Special Nite Cap CORPORATE ED REFORMWhen Class Became More Important to a Child's Education Than Race - The AtlanticWhen Class Became More Important to a Child's Education Than Race - The Atlantic: When Class Became More Important to a Child's Education Than RaceIn 1963, kids in the 10th percentile of income fell behind children in the upper echelon of wealth by about a year or so. Today, that gap

2 by mike simpson / 1d 

Rodriguez becomes first charter operator on L.A. school board - LA Times

Rodriguez becomes first charter operator on L.A. school board - LA Times:

Rodriguez becomes first charter operator on L.A. school board

Ref Rodriguez on Tuesday became the first person from the charter-school movement to be elected to the Los Angeles Board of Education.

His win, against one-term incumbent Bennett Kayser, came after a bitter and expensive campaign notable for negative attacks by outside groups attempting to affect the outcome.

In the west San Fernando Valley, incumbent Tamar Galatzan lost to Scott Schmerelson. In an area running from South Los Angeles to the L.A. Harbor, incumbent Richard Vladovic defeated Lydia Gutierrez.

Only hours after the polls closed, observers were trying to interpret how Rodriguez won election to the seven-member school board.

Rodriguez, the co-founder of a large charter-school organization, ascribed the outcome to the positive message of his campaign and the hard work he and supporters put in.

“What I'm most proud of is that we ran a campaign about the real issues that our kids face, the real needs that our communities have and the ability to open the doors of our schools and connect them back to the community,” Rodriguez told supporters Tuesday night. "This is what this was all about. The rest of the noise was just a bunch of noise."

Charters are free, publicly funded schools that are exempt from some rules that apply to traditional campuses. Most are non-union.Rodriguez becomes first charter operator on L.A. school board - LA Times:

Ask your Senator to support the Tester Amendment – The Network For Public Education

Ask your Senator to support the Tester Amendment – The Network For Public Education:

Ask your Senator to support the Tester Amendment

Support the Tester Amendment for Grade Span Testing

Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) understands public education. Tester is a former public school music teacher as well as a former school board member. Senator Tester served as a Big Sandy Public Schools Board of Trustees member for a decade before moving on to the Montana Senate.

Most importantly, he understands that the federal mandate for annual testing, first implemented under No Child Left Behind and now maintained in the Every Child Achieves Act of 2015, "eats up valuable classroom time and requires teachers to ‘teach to the test.'"

That is why Senator Tester has proposed an amendment to the Every Child Achieves Act, called the Student Testing Improvement and Accountability Act(also called the Tester Amendment). The amendment removes the federal mandate for annual testing and replaces it with grade span testing, which is testing once in Elementary, once in Middle, and once in High School.

The Every Child Achieves Act has not been scheduled for discussion or a vote in the full Senate, but it has passed unanimously out of Committee and may head to the full Senate in early June. That is why it is critical to contact your Senatorsnow and urge them to cosponsor and support the Tester Amendment.

NPE has made it easy for you to tell your Senators you want to see this common sense reform to federal education policy on standardized testing. Click Here to go to: Ask your Senator to support the Tester Amendment – The Network For Public Education:

Act now to let your Senator know you want to see the end of annual testing.

Senator Jon Tester has drafted an Amendment, called the Student Testing Improvement and Accountability Act (also called the Tester Amendment), which eliminates the federal mandate for annual testing and replaces it with pre NCLB grade span testing.

NPE believes that a return to grade span testing will significantly reduce the burden annual high stakes testing currently places on our public schools.

A return to grade span testing and elimination of accountability measures tied to standardized tests will allow the nation’s public schools to reallocate resources where they are most desperately needed, and provide students with the rich educational opportunities that have been eroded during the NCLB era. A decrease in federally mandated testing will still provide policy makers sufficient data to evaluate progress in our nation’s schools and will not hinder the federal government’s crucial role in ensuring all students receive a quality and equitable education.

Please write your Senators today, and ask them not only to support the Tester Amendment,but to sign on to the legislation as a co-sponsor.

With just a few clicks you can do your part to put an end to annual standardized testing.

---

#NPEChicago Conference Photo Gallery and Videos

"...the wonderful Newark students presented me with a selfie stick (lots of selfies all weekend!). After showing me how to operate it, Tanasia Brown asked me to show her that I could do it myself. I knew I was in the presence of a real teacher!" - NPE President Diane Ravitch

NPE 2015 Conference Photo Gallery

Whether you were able to attend #NPEChicago or not, we guarantee you will enjoy perusing our 2015 Conference Photo Gallery. The photos are a living document of the solidarity and camaraderie that was evident throughout the event, which was so beautifully put into words by attendee Nancy Flanagan.

So it was gratifying and heartwarming (using those phrases in the deepest possible sense) to have seen firsthand that the movement is robustly alive, at theNetwork for Public Education (NPE) conference in Chicago, last weekend. And when I say "movement," what I mean is this: People, like me, who have no particular resources or organizational funding/backing, who got on a plane to be in a room with those like-minded compadres--because they're terrified that America might lose public education. People who think it's not too late. People willing to stake their professional energy on doing right by all kids, keeping democratic equality as critical and central goal of the education system.

The gallery also depicts the work that was done that weekend in Chicago, with plenty of images of panelists and attendees alike fully engaged in the fight to protect and preserve public education.

NPE 2015 Conference Videos

Attendees and non-attendees alike will also greatly benefit from a visit to our 2015 Conference Videos page, which now houses all of the keynote presentations as well as several of the most popular and powerful panels. This page is being updated regularly with new videos, so please continue to check back and make sure to share the page with your networks. 

We are taking great care to archive the most important lessons learned at #NPEChicago so we can continue to grow and build our movement.

Ask your Senator to support the Tester Amendment – The Network For Public Education:

CT News Junkie | Teachers Union Asks Lawmakers To Study Impact of SBAC Test

CT News Junkie | Teachers Union Asks Lawmakers To Study Impact of SBAC Test:

Teachers Union Asks Lawmakers To Study Impact of SBAC Test

CHRISTINE STUART PHOTO

CEA President Sheila Cohen along with CEA Vice President Jeffrey Leake, Executive Director Mark Waxenberg, and Researcher Ray Rossomando

The first year of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium testing isn’t completed, but the state’s largest teachers union is asking state lawmakers to study its continued use as a statewide assessment.

Connecticut Education Association President Sheila Cohen pointed to an ongoingsurvey that found nine of 10 teachers said the SBAC preparation takes away significant time and resources from teaching and learning. The same survey found 86 percent said SBAC has a negative effect on the social and emotional well-being of children.

More than 1,140 teachers have responded to CEA’s survey since March 18. The data Cohen released Wednesday included responses through May 15.

She said the results of the survey —  which also found that 97 percent of teachers felt SBAC was not a useful indicator of school effectiveness and that 96 percent of teachers said SBAC was an obstacle for their students to overcome — should be a wake up call to legislators about the “relentless testing.”

The interim survey results CEA released Wednesday also showed students in lower performing, high poverty districts like Bridgeport, Hartford, New Britain, and New Haven were 154 percent more likely than students in wealthier, higher performing districts to click through test questions without reading them and 212 percent more likely not to have the computer skills necessary to take the test.

The survey also found 90.8 percent of participating teachers agree that “the time it took to complete the SBAC test caused student frustration and apathy.” This perspective was shared by 872 of the 1,144 classroom teachers surveyed.

“Lawmakers need to take action to restore precious teaching time and learning time for our students. Time is of the essence,” Cohen said.

CEA is asking lawmakers to amend S.B. 1095 to establish a state mastery examination committee and require that committee to examine and recommend statewide assessment options. The amendment that they want to see passed would require the committee to produce an interim report to the legislature by February 2016 and a final report on January 2017.

But time is running out in this legislative session to make that happen.

CEA Executive Director Mark Waxenberg said they are aware that the clock is ticking and the union has been in contact with the Education Committee co-chairs on a regular basis.

“We are having very positive conversations with them about how we could create this task force and how we could move this idea forward,” Waxenberg said Wednesday. “Though no amendment has been filed as of yet, discussions are still ongoing, mindful of the deadline that’s approaching.”

Waxenberg said there’s no opposition from the co-chairs in “discussing the concept.”

It’s unclear whether there’s enough time to draft and adopt an amendment this year with so little time left in the legislative session.

Education Committee Co-Chair Rep. Andrew Fleischmann said Wednesday that he plans to offer an amendment to study the SBAC test. He said there are a lot of CT News Junkie | Teachers Union Asks Lawmakers To Study Impact of SBAC Test:

Proposed North Side Charter Schools 'Not Remotely' Needed, Principals Say - Edgewater - DNAinfo.com Chicago

Proposed North Side Charter Schools 'Not Remotely' Needed, Principals Say - Edgewater - DNAinfo.com Chicago:

Proposed North Side Charter Schools 'Not Remotely' Needed, Principals Say

CHICAGO — Principals from the North Side's biggest high schools have united to oppose any charter school from opening its doors near their schools.

The leaders of Lake View, Amundsen, Senn, Sullivan and Mather high schools, located from Lakeview to West Ridge, say the North Side doesn't need more charters because the neighborhood schools are excelling.

"We have all been working so hard with our community to bring our schools up, to serve the community, to offer the programs our families want and to really engage in this resurgence where the community has a true community school that is an asset and a partner," Senn Principal Susan Lofton said Wednesday.

Lofton and the other principals said new charter schools would detract students — and funding — from their schools.

"These are very tight budgetary times," Lofton said.

The group, which plans to hold a news conference 3:45 p.m. Thursday at the Board of Education chambers, formed after news bubbled up that three charter schools are planning to open on the North Side.

Noble charter school has proposed to move The Noble Academy, located Downtown, to the former Lycée Français de Chicago campus in Uptown, at Irving Park Road and Lake Shore Drive. A public hearing for that move, which will be heard by the Board of Education next week, is set for 3 p.m. Thursday at the board's chambers.

CPS also says Noble Academy's student body is one of the most geographically diverse in the district with only three of the 194 enrolled students living in the boundary areas of Amundsen and Lake View.

Noble also has proposed to open a charter school in either Rogers Park, Edgewater, Uptown, Lincoln Square or several other North and Northwest Side neighborhoods. There had been some preliminary interest in St. Jerome Catholic Church, at 1709 W. Lunt Ave.

Chad Adams, principal of Rogers Park's Sullivan High School, is part of the anti-charter coalition.

Another charter group, Intrinsic Schools, is seeking a new location for a school and has expressed interest in opening a school in Bowmanville, according to the principals. A CPS spokeswoman said the charter had yet to enter a former proposal. Intrinsic CEO Melissa Zaikos didn't respond to a request for comment.

But Amundsen High School Principal Anna Pavichevich said she would oppose any charter school proposal in the neighborhood.

"The criteria for establishing a charter school has not remotely been met," Pavichevich said. "We're not overcrowded. We're not underperforming."

CPS spokeswoman Lauren Huffman said in a written statement that the district Proposed North Side Charter Schools 'Not Remotely' Needed, Principals Say - Edgewater - DNAinfo.com Chicago:

New LAUSD board to take on persistent problems | 89.3 KPCC

New LAUSD board to take on persistent problems | 89.3 KPCC:

New LAUSD board to take on persistent problems

When the Los Angeles Unified School District's two new board members take their seats, they'll face this glaring projection for the next school year: the district will have about 5,000 fewer students.

Tuesday's general election swept out two incumbents in a continuing show of voter dissatisfaction with the status quo. But it also swept in board members who are on opposite sides of an ongoing political power struggle between charter school interests and the teachers union.

After millions in campaign contributions and a dismal school board turnout of 7.6 percent of registered voters, the result was a political draw between the two forces. 

Declining enrollment makes it all the more challenging for the new board to invest in improvements to stem the exodus. Each student who leaves is a loss of about $10,000 in state funds.

Scott Schmerelson, board member-elect for the West San Fernando Valley's District 3, said piquing parents interest so they send or keep their children in the district comes down to creating successful schools. 

"It's not to fight with charter schools, but let them know traditional public schools have a lot to offer – open the doors, let them see," Schmerelson said Wednesday.

L.A. Unified's shrinking student numbers can be attributed in part to fewer school aged-children in Los Angeles County, and the growth in charter schools. Charters serve nearly 100,000 of the district's 650,000 students. 

Ref Rodriguez, board member-elect for the West San Fernando Valley and a charter school administrator, suggests all schools start sharing best practices in educating New LAUSD board to take on persistent problems | 89.3 KPCC:

Turn Around Schools? - The Crucial VoiceThe Crucial Voice

Turn Around Schools? - The Crucial VoiceThe Crucial Voice:

Turn Around Schools?

 The whole point of standards, testing, school choice, school closures, and mass firings of school personnel was to turn around schools identified as failing to serve children — MOST of whom are disadvantaged by poverty. Right? These were the chosenschool transformation practices of No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top.

Common Core just happens to be the planner’s choice for the next generation standards upon which this scheme will go forward in state and federal laws. But should it?

Like the song says “Stop… Everybody look what’s going down.”

These strategies are not reforms. They didn’t improve schools. They didn’t improve opportunities across the board for children. They didn’t provide kids with an even start. They didn’t come close to giving them all a fair shot. They didn’t give children hope for a better life. If they had, we shouldn’t see rising suicide rates for black children.

The question is; what will we do? Be realistic?

Realistically, will a quality education lift all children out of poverty? No. But, it will provide that opportunity for many more. Can education make life better for all? Yes, it can. The correlation has been well documented. Education is a common good.

“Education is about more than just better jobs and bigger paychecks, important though they are in making families and individuals more financially stable. More education is also linked to better physical and mental health, longer lives, fewer crimes, less incarceration, more voting, greater tolerance, and brighter prospects for the next generation.”

So is school reform the silver bullet for all the misfortunes poverty can bestow on our American pursuit of happiness? No. But we have to do it anyway. And in the process, we can adopt policies and practices that support families and their children — but only if we make the choice to do so. Enters, The Elephant in the School Failure Debate by Joan McRobbie.

“Common sense tells us that improving child health and nutrition, making it so the family doesn’t have to move frequently to find affordable 

Turn Around Schools? - The Crucial VoiceThe Crucial Voice:

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: This came from VOYCE: Voices of you in Chicago Education

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: This came from VOYCE: Voices of you in Chicago Education:

This came from VOYCE: Voices of you in Chicago Education

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT Jose Sanchez jose@voyceproject.org 773-827-6324 Groundbreaking Bill to Address "School-to-Prison Pipeline" Passes Illinois Legislature Legislative effort led by high school students takes aim at harsh and unjust school discipline practices CHICAGO (May 20, 2015) – A bill passed today in the Illinois House of Representatives will require sweeping changes in the use of harsh school discipline practices across the state. Senate Bill 100, which was approved last month in the Senate with bipartisan support, represents the most comprehensive effort by a state to address the “school-to-prison pipeline.”  SB 100 prioritizes the creation of safe and orderly schools while seeking to address excessive use of the most severe forms of discipline. Under the legislation students can only be suspended, expelled or referred to an alternative school if all other "appropriate and available" alternatives are exhausted. In other words, suspensions and expulsions become the last resort, rather than the first response.  Additionally, the bill provides struggling students with academic and behavioral supports, and promotes fairness by holding public schools and charter schools to the same standards for school discipline. The final House vote was 73 yeses – 41 nos, with broad support from both Republicans and Democrats. SB 100 is now awaiting the Governor’s signature. "In schools all across our state, African-American students are disciplined more harshly than white students. As legislators, we saw that this was a serious problem--and that it required our immediate attention. We want to work engaging educators, administrators, parents, students and experts to help us build support for SB 100. Through that process and hard work, we have passed SB 100, a common sense solution to ending this disparity and making our schools safer and stronger. Thanks to SB 100, Illinois is a national leader with a model piece of legislation,” said Sen. Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood) chief sponsor of SB 100. Extensive research shows that overly harsh discipline approaches are particularly harmful to students of color and do not promote school safety or academic achievement. Last year, the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice issued joint guidelines on school discipline practices and warned against the discriminatory use of “zero-tolerance” policies on students of color and those with disabilities. The guidelines call on school districts to focus on creating positive school climates and to use suspensions and expulsions only as a last resort. Illinois has one of the widest disparities between suspended black and white students in the country, according to the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. In the 2012-13 school year, Chicago Public Schools issued 32 out-of-school suspensions for every 100 black students, compared to just five for every 100 white students. Overall, Illinois students lose over one million instructional days per year as a result of suspensions, expulsions and arrests.  The effort to pass SB 100 was led by VOYCE (Voices of Youth in Chicago Education), a youth-led coalition comprised of various community groups throughout Chicago, and supported by allies from the Campaign for Common Sense Discipline. VOYCE drafted the bill in 2012 to address the impact that out-of-school suspensions and expulsions were having on their peers and their schools.  For more than two years, dozens of students traveled repeatedly to Springfield to educate legislators on how disciplinary practices have led to students being pushed out of school and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems. They also demonstrated that there were practical, common-sense solutions to what has become a statewide problem.  “For too long, harsh school discipline practices have contributed to the under-education and over-criminalization of young people, and especially youth of color,” said Dalia Mena, an 18-year-old member of VOYCE. “Illinois legislators have demonstrated that by listening to students, we can create schools where all students are valued and supported in their learning.” More appropriate and effective disciplinary alternatives such as those promoted in SB 100 have already been applied in school systems around the country, resulting in better school safety, improved school attendance, increased academic achievement, and lower costs to taxpayers. For more information on SB 100, or to request an interview with a representative from VOYCE, please contact Jose Sanchez at 773-827-6324. ### ABOUT VOYCE Voices of Youth in Chicago Education is a youth organizing collaborative for education and racial justice led by students of color from community organizations across the city of Chicago. VOYCE’s work is driven by the belief that young people who are most directly affected by educational inequity are in the best position to develop meaningful, long-lasting solutions. VOYCE’s organizing focuses on three priority areas: Ending the use of harsh discipline policies that push students out of school and into prisons; Implementing the use of restorative practices in schools; and Limiting the use of high-stakes testing and creating high-quality learning environments

The Killer in my Classroom | gadflyonthewallblog

The Killer in my Classroom | gadflyonthewallblog:

The Killer in my Classroom

Some nights sleep just won’t come.

I toss and turn, crumpling the blankets until I have to get up and read or pour myself a glass of water.

Sitting up in the pre-morning gloom, that’s when they come back to me.

A parade of faces. No names. Words are all lost in the haze of time.

But the faces remain.

Kids I’ve taught and wondered about.

What ever happened to Jason? Did Rayvin ever get into dance school? I wonder if the army took Tyler…

But there’s one face that always comes last.

A strong straight lip. Soft nose. Brooding eyes.

Terance… Terrell… TYRELL.

Yes. That’s his name.

One of my first students. One of my biggest failures.

And I don’t have to wonder what happened to him. I know with a dread of certainty.

He never got to play professional basketball like he wanted. He never even made it out of high school.

No, not dead – though I do have I gaggle of ghosts on my class roster.

He’s a murderer. Life in prison.

I was his 8th grade language arts teacher. It was my first year teaching in the district.

I had a reputation for being able to relate with hard to reach kids so they put me in the alternative education classroom.

I had a bunch of students from grades 6-8 who simply couldn’t make it in the regular school setting.

These were kids with undiagnosed learning disabilities, appalling home environments, and/or chips on their shoulders that could cut iron.

But I loved it.

I taught the Read 180 curriculum – a plan designed for students just like mine. We had three stations: silent reading, computer remediation and small group instruction.

The class was divided in three – students rotated through each group. Though I somehow monitored the whole thing, I spent most of my time meeting with kids in small group instruction.

I had an aide who helped the whole thing run smoothly, too. Lots of planning time, support and resources.

Everyday was exhausting. I could barely stay awake on the ride home. But it was worth it, because I felt like I was making a difference.

And there was Tyrell.

Few days went by without at least one of the children having to be disciplined. Sometimes it was just a simple redirection or even standing in close proximity to kids who seemed set to explode. Other times it was a brief one-on-one counseling session to find out why someone was misbehaving. And sometimes it was so bad kids had to be sent to the office. Once we even had a child escorted out of the building in handcuffs because he brought a weapon to class.

If you’d told me one of those children would end up killing someone, I wouldn’t have blinked. If you told me it would be Tyrell, I wouldn’t have believed you.

He was a gentle giant.

Almost always calm and in control. He was well above the others academically. When The Killer in my Classroom | gadflyonthewallblog:

With A Brooklyn Accent: The Return of Community History? Hope and Inspiration at C.A.S.A Middle School in the Bronx

With A Brooklyn Accent: The Return of Community History? Hope and Inspiration at C.A.S.A Middle School in the Bronx:

The Return of Community History? Hope and Inspiration at C.A.S.A Middle School in the Bronx

Today, i paid a visit to a small middle school in the Bronx headed by a visionary principal named Jamaal Bowman, who I have been communicating with via Facebook for the last year. The school, called Cornerstone Academy for Social Action ( aka C.A.S.A Middle School) is  in a part of the Northeast Bronx i know well. It adjoins a small public housing complex called Boston Secor, which is the place of residence of a great Bronx DJ,. Danny Beat Mann Martinez and  of Leroi Archible, a long time Bronx polltical activist, veterans leaders and youth sports organizer, who was a Community Researcher for the Bronx African American History Project .

I knew i was going to have great conversations with Jamaal Bowman, but what i saw impressed me as much as what i heard. The first thing i noticed was the way the students carried themselves. It is no secret that middle school students are the most difficult age to work with and are a challenge to the most gifted administrators, but the young people who entered the auditorium at the beginning of school were different than what i expected. They were shockingly well behaved, yet without the aura of intimidation you see in "zero tolerance" school settings. They looked - dare I say- relaxed to be at the school, an attitude helped by the fact that there were no metal detectors, no police and no hovering presence of security guards

The second thing i noticed what was on the screen in the auditorium,  where the students assembled, which was a quote from Afrika Bambatta about the positive values of hip hop culture- "Peace, Unity and Having Fun."  I shook my head in amazement.  Not only was the school promoting hip hop  as an integral part of community history, it was actually promoting "having fun" as a positive value, something very unusual in the era of high stakes testing

When Principal Bowman took me up to the fourth floor, where the school's classrooms were located ( the school shared the building with an elementary school and district 75 school with a high needs population) i realized that what I saw on the screen was not an apparatition! The spotlessly clean hallways and newly painted walls were covered with murals celebrating figures in African American and Latino history ranging from Malcolm X  and Martin Luther King J to Sonia Sotomayor and Fanny Lou Hamer. Alongside the 

With A Brooklyn Accent: The Return of Community History? Hope and Inspiration at C.A.S.A Middle School in the Bronx:

‘Opt Out’ Becomes an Anti-Test Rallying Cry in New York State - NYTimes.com

‘Opt Out’ Becomes an Anti-Test Rallying Cry in New York State - NYTimes.com:

‘Opt Out’ Becomes an Anti-Test Rallying Cry in New York State

BOICEVILLE, N.Y. — It started with a speech in the fall, to parents who had gathered in the auditorium to learn what to expect during the nascent school year.

“I spoke at the open house and said, ‘We hope you’ll opt out of the tests,’” said Heather Roberts, vice president of the Bennett Intermediate School parent teacher association. Last year, 92 percent of eligible students in this district, the Onteora, took their standardized English tests. “Jaws dropped.”

Soon there were forums, T-shirts with snappy slogans and fliers translated into Spanish. During pickups and play dates, in classrooms and at lunch, parents and students would ask one another: “Are you opting out?”

By the first day of testing in April, two of every three students in the district who were expected to take the exams were refusing to lift their pencils.

Across New York State, a small if vocal movement urging a rejection of standardized exams took off this year, maturing from scattered displays of disobedience into a widespread rebuke of state testing policies.

Photo

Heather Roberts, vice president of the parent teacher association for Bennett Intermediate School in the Onteora district, with her sons Axel, left, and Nash. “I spoke at the open house and said, ‘We hope you’ll opt out of the tests,’” she said. “Jaws dropped.”CreditEmma Tannenbaum for The New York Times

At least 165,000 children, or one of every six eligible students, sat out at least one of the two standardized tests this year, more than double and possibly triple the number who did so in 2014, according to an analysis by The New York Times.

As the vanguard of an anti-testing fervor that has spread across the country, New York’s opt-out movement already has become a political force. Just two months ago, lawmakers from both parties, at the behest of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat, increased the role of test scores in teacher evaluations and tenure decisions.

Those same legislators are now tripping over one another to introduce bills that guarantee the right to refuse to take tests. The high numbers will also push state and federal officials to make an uncomfortable decision: whether to use their power to financially punish districts with low participation rates.

“We’ve written letters to legislators for years, until we were blue in the face, and they didn’t listen,” said Eric Mihelbergel, a founding member of New York State Allies for Public Education, a test-refusal group. “But they’re listening now, now that we’re opting our kids out.”

At the same time, some education officials and advocacy groups fear, the opt-out movement will reverse a long-term effort to identify teachers and schools — and students — who are not up to par, at least as far as their test performance goes. Of particular concern is that without reliable, consistent data, children in minority communities may be left to drift through schools that fail them, without consequences.

This month, a dozen civil rights groups, including the N.A.A.C.P. and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights released a statementsaying they were opposed to “anti-testing efforts” because tests provide data that is crucial for catching and combating ‘Opt Out’ Becomes an Anti-Test Rallying Cry in New York State - NYTimes.com: