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Saturday, October 3, 2015

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 10/3/15




CORPORATE ED REFORM





What Has Happened to Teacher Evaluations? We Need Your Help - Living in Dialogue
What Has Happened to Teacher Evaluations? We Need Your Help - Living in Dialogue: What Has Happened to Teacher Evaluations? We Need Your HelpBy Anthony Cody.Under President Obama, the federal Department of Education offered several billion dollars in Race to the Top money and waivers from NCLB to states and school districts across the country in exchange for redesigning teacher evaluation processe
by mike simpson / 0min 
CURMUDGUCATION: An Open Letter to Jerry Oleksiak (PSEA President)
CURMUDGUCATION: An Open Letter to Jerry Oleksiak (PSEA President): An Open Letter to Jerry Oleksiak (PSEA President)Dear Jerry:It has been a disappointing couple of days, what with the announcement of the announcement that the terrible Arne Duncan with the even-worse John King. On top of that, we get the NEA's announcement of the early endorsement of Hillary Clinton. Now, today, on Facebook, I fin
by mike simpson / 2min 
Teachers union endorses Clinton for 2016 Democratic nomination - The Washington Post
Teachers union endorses Clinton for 2016 Democratic nomination - The Washington Post: Teachers union endorses Clinton for 2016 Democratic nominationThe National Education Association, the nation’s largest labor union, endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton on Saturday for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.“We recommended Hillary Clinton on the incredible and lengthy track record she has, that i
by mike simpson / 4h 
Jersey Jazzman: The Faith-Based Education Policies of @ArneDuncan
Jersey Jazzman: The Faith-Based Education Policies of @ArneDuncan: The Faith-Based Education Policies of @ArneDuncanArne Duncan is Barack Obama's worst appointment. Worse than Tim Geithner, worse than Penny Pritzker, worse than Eric Shinseki -- even worse than Rahm Emanuel (OK, maybe that's open to debate...).The havoc Duncan has wreaked upon America's schools will likely take decades to undo:Dunc
by mike simpson / 6h 
Alfie Kohn: The back-to-school-night speech we’d love to hear* - The Washington Post
The back-to-school-night speech we’d love to hear* - The Washington Post: The back-to-school-night speech we’d love to hear**This was inspired by an occasional feature in Mad magazine called “Scenes We’d Like to See” — and counter-inspired by some back-to-school talks we’ve actually heard. It was written by Alfie Kohn, author of 14 books on education, parenting, and human behavior, including, most
by mike simpson / 6h 
Louisiana Educator: BESE Forum Tuesday in Baton Rouge
Louisiana Educator: BESE Forum Tuesday in Baton Rouge:Come One, Come All to Leaders With Vision BESE Board Candidates ForumClick Here to Follow Flip BESE on Facebook LEE P.BARRIOS FOR BESE 1 Web SiteJASON FRANCE FOR BESE 6 Web SiteMIKE KREAMER FOR BESE 7 Web SiteParents, Teachers, and Citizens concerned about our schools are invited to attend L W Vision's BESE Forumon Tuesday, October 6th, 2015 at
by mike simpson / 6h 
What Arne Duncan did to American education and whether it will last - The Hechinger Report
What Arne Duncan did to American education and whether it will last - The Hechinger Report: What Arne Duncan did to American education and whether it will lastWe can’t wait” was Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s frequent refrain. But as he leaves his post this December, his forceful strategy to push dramatic changes to the U.S education system is being tested.The aggressiveness and urgency that de
by mike simpson / 6h 
New boss, same as the old boss. | stopcommoncorenys
New boss, same as the old boss. | stopcommoncorenys: New boss, same as the old boss.The USDOE shuffles the worst people around that are the biggest failures locally. Elia from her failure in Florida, now King, promoted not once but twice, after his failure in New York. Each day you think it can’t get more bizarre, worse, more insulting, and yet you read the morning paper and sit in slack jawed dis
by mike simpson / 7h 
U.S. Secretary Arne Duncan Resigning in December | VAMboozled!
U.S. Secretary Arne Duncan Resigning in December | VAMboozled!: U.S. Secretary Arne Duncan Resigning in DecemberIn case you have not yet heard, U.S. “Education Secretary Arne Duncan [is] stepping down” from his President Obama-appointed post. As per an article in CNN: “President Barack Obama praised Arne Duncan’s service as secretary of education on Friday [October 2, 2015], hours after Duncan sai
by mike simpson / 8h 
The departure of Arne Duncan is irrelevant; the appointment of John King is irrelevant | @ THE CHALKFACE
The departure of Arne Duncan is irrelevant; the appointment of John King is irrelevant | @ THE CHALKFACE: The departure of Arne Duncan is irrelevant; the appointment of John King is irrelevantThe most important thing that teachers must remember is that they have the power, not middle managers or secretaries of education.Despite mandates, there are countless ways individual classroom teachers can s
by mike simpson / 9h 
With A Brooklyn Accent: The Silver Lining in the Appointment of John King
With A Brooklyn Accent: The Silver Lining in the Appointment of John King: The Silver Lining in the Appointment of John KingThese are perfect conditions for revolt!Education Activists! What are you waiting for?It is hard to applaud John King's appointment as Interim Secretary of Education to replace the much hated Arne Duncan. In New York, he was legendary for openly displaying boredom, even conte
by mike simpson / 9h 
Education in NY Headed for an Iceberg | lacetothetop
Education in NY Headed for an Iceberg | lacetothetop: Education in NY Headed for an IcebergJohn King had no intentions of leaving NY. While he deserves the credit for creating some of the worst education reforms in NY history, he should also be applauded for attempting to slow Cuomo’s teacher evaluation plan.As John King was leaving his office in NY, Governor Cuomo sent him a letter.  The letter w
by mike simpson / 9h 
Text of Obama’s Farewell Speech to Duncan, and Duncan’s Response | deutsch29
Text of Obama’s Farewell Speech to Duncan, and Duncan’s Response | deutsch29: Text of Obama’s Farewell Speech to Duncan, and Duncan’s ResponseThe following is my transcription of the October 02, 2015, announcement of US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s resignation, offered by President Obama and followed by a response from Duncan. The transcription is of this 9 1/2-minute video clip provided b
by mike simpson / 9h 
empathyeducates - The Curse of Market Place Fundamentalism and the Challenge of an Insurrectional Pedagogy
empathyeducates - The Curse of Market Place Fundamentalism and the Challenge of an Insurrectional Pedagogy: The Curse of Market Place Fundamentalism and the Challenge of an Insurrectional PedagogyBy Henry Giroux | Originally Published at Counter Punch. September 29, 2015 | Pierre Andrieu/Getty ImagesIntroductionThe forces of free-market fundamentalism are on the march ushering in a terrifying hori
by mike simpson / 9h 
Here Is What We Know About John King, The Next Secretary Of Education
Here Is What We Know About John King, The Next Secretary Of Education: Here Is What We Know About John King, The Next Secretary Of EducationFor one thing, he's a big fan of the Common Core.U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is stepping down from his post in December to spend more time with his family, he announced Friday. President Barack Obama has already tapped John King Jr., former New Yor
by mike simpson / 10h 
Obama vs. teachers unions: It's still on
Obama vs. teachers unions: It's still on: Obama vs. teachers unions: It's still onJohn B. King Jr. might sound like the kind of Secretary of Education who could help repair the Obama administration’s fractured relationship with reliably Democratic teachers unions. Not only is he a child of a teacher and a former teacher himself, he credits his Brooklyn public school teachers with turning his life
by mike simpson / 10h 
Private funding to keep charter schools open ‘uncertain,’ backers say | The News Tribune
Private funding to keep charter schools open ‘uncertain,’ backers say | The News Tribune: Private funding to keep charter schools open ‘uncertain,’ backers sayThe Washington State Charter Schools Association has acknowledged that it has not yet raised enough private money to keep Washington charters running for a full school year.Following a state Supreme Court ruling in September that invalidated
by mike simpson / 10h 
Auditor ‘shocked’ by $71 million grant for charter schools | The Columbus Dispatch
Auditor ‘shocked’ by $71 million grant for charter schools | The Columbus Dispatch: Auditor ‘shocked’ by $71 million grant for charter schoolsOhio Auditor Dave Yost said he’s shocked that the federal Department of Education gave Ohio a $71 million charter-school grant, given the state’s poor track record at ensuring that charters don’t misspend tax dollars.“I figured we would be a couple of years
by mike simpson / 10h 
Court Gets Back to Business | National Law Journal
Court Gets Back to Business | National Law Journal: Court Gets Back to BusinessUnion fees, affirmative action on new docket.With the future of affirmative action, union's agency shop fees, and the counting of one person, one vote in redistricting in the balance, the Roberts Court's conservative majority may return to dominate major rulings in the new term. But will it be conservative with a small
by mike simpson / 10h 
What Will Happen to No Child Left Behind Now That Arne Duncan Is Resigning? - The Atlantic
What Will Happen to No Child Left Behind Now That Arne Duncan Is Resigning? - The Atlantic: Now That Arne Duncan Is Out, Is No Child Left Behind to Stay?The education law’s death is just around the corner.In a weird way, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s surprising resignation is good news for the people who want the beleaguered No Child Left Behind overhauled as soon as possible.Duncan, one
by mike simpson / 11h 
Who is John King, and Will He Be Even More Controversial Than Arne? | EdSurge News
Who is John King, and Will He Be Even More Controversial Than Arne? | EdSurge News: Who is John King, and Will He Be Even More Controversial Than Arne?In his official press conference on Friday, October 2, President Barack Obama announced that John B. King, Jr. would take over the role of Secretary of Education from Arne Duncan. Obama sang King’s praises, saying “John has been an educator all his
by mike simpson / 11h 
The Arne Duncan era is over — but his noxious policies mean childhood in America is still under threat - Salon.com
The Arne Duncan era is over — but his noxious policies mean childhood in America is still under threat - Salon.com: The Arne Duncan era is over — but his noxious policies mean childhood in America is still under threat"Reforming schools should not be a proxy for reforming society," educator and journalist Megan Erickson tells SalonIn keeping with a long Washington tradition of announcing
by mike simpson / 11h 

YESTERDAY

California Gold Ribbon Schools Program - California School Recognition Program (CA Dept of Education)
California Gold Ribbon Schools Program - California School Recognition Program (CA Dept of Education): California Gold Ribbon Schools ProgramA program for 2015-2016 which honors some of California's outstanding public schools. Schools that are selected demonstrate exemplary achievements in implementing state standards in priority areas.The California Department of Education (CDE) seeks to recogniz
by mike simpson / 21h hide  //  save
Do Democrats Give a Crap About Public Schools? John King as Next US Secretary of Education | gadflyonthewallblog
Do Democrats Give a Crap About Public Schools? John King as Next US Secretary of Education | gadflyonthewallblog: Do Democrats Give a Crap About Public Schools? John King as Next US Secretary of EducationMeet the New Boss.Same as the Old Boss.Arne Duncan is out. John King is in.It’s the kind of tone deaf decision we’ve come to expect from President Barack Obama on education matters.We’ve put up wi
by mike simpson / 21h 
Arne Duncan’s Exit: Not Unexpected. | deutsch29
Arne Duncan’s Exit: Not Unexpected. | deutsch29: Arne Duncan’s Exit: Not Unexpected.It’s true: US Secretary Arne Duncan has resigned. He will be out of the White House in December. His story is that he is headed back to Chicago to be with his family.What is noteworthy is that Obama has another year in the White House. The Duncans could have stayed in Virginia where they were residing (and where Du
by mike simpson / 1d 
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 10/2/15
CORPORATE ED REFORMNo More School Closures and Charter Takeovers…Time for Community Schools | WeArePCAPSNo More School Closures and Charter Takeovers…Time for Community Schools | WeArePCAPS: No More School Closures and Charter Takeovers…Time for Community SchoolsThe School District, once again, is embarking on a new round of school closures and privatization. This, in spite of clear evidence that
by mike simpson / 1d










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What Has Happened to Teacher Evaluations? We Need Your Help - Living in Dialogue

What Has Happened to Teacher Evaluations? We Need Your Help - Living in Dialogue:

What Has Happened to Teacher Evaluations? We Need Your Help



By Anthony Cody.
Under President Obama, the federal Department of Education offered several billion dollars in Race to the Top money and waivers from NCLB to states and school districts across the country in exchange for redesigning teacher evaluation processes. The feds required that a significant portion of teacher evaluations be based on student test scores, which was interpreted to mean anything from a low of 20% to a high of 50% of the weight of an evaluation. Some states used complex formulas to calculate “value added,” while others adopted frameworks from Charlotte Danielson or Robert Marzano.
These evaluations were designed to strengthen teaching – to provide teachers with feedback, to identify those in need of support, or those who should be dismissed. But it is unclear what the real impact has been. It is unclear what the impact of these policies (link) has been. Furthermore, there seems to be very little data being collected regarding the impact of these processes on working teachers – and the administrators who must evaluate them. We hear that more teachers are leaving the profession, and that morale What Has Happened to Teacher Evaluations? We Need Your Help - Living in Dialogue:

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CURMUDGUCATION: An Open Letter to Jerry Oleksiak (PSEA President)

CURMUDGUCATION: An Open Letter to Jerry Oleksiak (PSEA President):

An Open Letter to Jerry Oleksiak (PSEA President)






Dear Jerry:

It has been a disappointing couple of days, what with the announcement of the announcement that the terrible Arne Duncan with the even-worse John King. On top of that, we get the NEA's announcement of the early endorsement of Hillary Clinton. Now, today, on Facebook, I find your rationalized spin for that endorsement. I am beyond disappointed, but rather than simply stomp off angrily without saying anything except, "Cancel my membership," I want to address your comments, despite the fact that this endorsement fiasco drives home the fact that nobody in the state or local union is paying the slightest damn attention to the members. I am in my thirty seventh year of teaching in a classroom. I'm a registered Democrat who votes in every single election, and I'm a past local president of my union. So understand that I am not just some random crank, but an experienced and long-involved crank.

After presenting the background of your involvement in NEA's decision, you ask this question. 

As you make your own decisions about whom you will support, I would encourage you to ask yourself this question: "Does this candidate support public education, our schools, and our students?"

It is an excellent question to ask, and one that I have asked myself. In fact, it's in asking this question that I arrive at my personal decision not to support Clinton. But before I talk about my own data on the issue, I want to see how that question leads you and NEA to an endorsement of Hillary Clinton. So let's look at what you've got.

I have spoken to many PSEA members over the past year, and one concern I hear again and again is that public education in the United States is at a crossroads. Our colleagues you elected to the NEA board have heard similar sentiments, as have their NEA Board colleagues in other states. That is why CURMUDGUCATION: An Open Letter to Jerry Oleksiak (PSEA President):
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Teachers union endorses Clinton for 2016 Democratic nomination - The Washington Post

Teachers union endorses Clinton for 2016 Democratic nomination - The Washington Post:

Teachers union endorses Clinton for 2016 Democratic nomination





The National Education Association, the nation’s largest labor union, endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton on Saturday for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.
“We recommended Hillary Clinton on the incredible and lengthy track record she has, that is just wrapped around children, working families and education, from preschool to graduate school,” NEA president Lily Eskelsen Garcia said.
Seventy-five percent of the union’s 170-member board backed Clinton.
The nod from the NEA gives Clinton a much-needed boost, after the International Association of Firefighters earlier this week backed away from plans to endorse her.
Before the vote Clinton appeared before the board — at NEA’s Washington headquarters, five blocks from the White House — to make the case for their endorsement. She spoke and answered questions in a town-hall style setting for about 90 minutes, addressing topics ranging from special education to standardized testing to historically black colleges.
“She knew what she was talking about,” Eskelsen Garcia said. “You could see people sit up straighter and think ‘Oh my gosh, she understands our world’. I think they were simply blown away.”
[Clinton promises teachers she will listen]
But the endorsement triggered an immediate backlash among some of the union’s three-million members. Some argued that an endorsement was premature, while others said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was a better choice.
“I’m very disappointed,” said Marie Corfield, an art teacher from New Jersey, who had organized a lobbying effort against the Clinton endorsement. “I think the NEA is going to get a lot of pushback from its members over this.”
The Massachusetts state chapter was among several that either abstained from voting or voted against endorsement of any candidate. Barbara Madeloni, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, said her members want a “real conversation about the candidates and the issues. We want to talk about the corporate reform movement that is looking to privatize education and a chance to educate the candidates about what is happening.”
In June, the Vermont NEA chapter endorsed Sanders in his bid for the Democratic nomination.
“I am proud to have the support of many hundreds of thousands of members of the National Education Association and trade unionists all across America,” Sanders said in a statement Saturday. “We are going to win this Teachers union endorses Clinton for 2016 Democratic nomination - The Washington Post:
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Jersey Jazzman: The Faith-Based Education Policies of @ArneDuncan

Jersey Jazzman: The Faith-Based Education Policies of @ArneDuncan:

The Faith-Based Education Policies of @ArneDuncan




Arne Duncan is Barack Obama's worst appointment. Worse than Tim Geithner, worse than Penny Pritzker, worse than Eric Shinseki -- even worse than Rahm Emanuel (OK, maybe that's open to debate...).


The havoc Duncan has wreaked upon America's schools will likely take decades to undo:
And, perhaps worst of all, Duncan has denigrated the real concerns of parents, teachers,
- See more at: http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-faith-based-education-policies-of.html#sthash.bNkP1KB8.dpuf
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Alfie Kohn: The back-to-school-night speech we’d love to hear* - The Washington Post

The back-to-school-night speech we’d love to hear* - The Washington Post:

The back-to-school-night speech we’d love to hear*



*This was inspired by an occasional feature in Mad magazine called “Scenes We’d Like to See” — and counter-inspired by some back-to-school talks we’ve actually heard. It was written by Alfie Kohn, author of 14 books on education, parenting, and human behavior, including, most recently, The Myth of the Spoiled Child and Schooling Beyond Measure.
Here’s the speech by Kohn:
Is this working? [taps microphone] I do believe it is!
OK, if everyone can please find a seat, we’d like to get started. Thanks so much for coming out tonight! We’ve reserved plenty of time for discussion — obviously I’m not going to talk at you all evening, just as our teachers don’t spend most of class time talking at your kids — but as the principal I did want to try to give you a sense of what _________ School stands for, and what your student, and you, can expect this year.
Our top priority here — and I mean a real, honest-to-goodness commitment, not just a slogan on the website or in a mission statement — is to learn about and support each student’s interests. What questions do they have about the world? How can we help them build on and find answers to those questions? When we meet as a staff, it’s usually to think together about how best to do that, how to create a school that’s not just academic but intellectual.
We don’t want to write a detailed curriculum or devise a bunch of rules in advance and then spend the year demanding that kids conform to them. Our main concern is that what students are learning, and how they’re helped to learn it, make sense for the particular kids in a given room. That’s why our teachers spend a lot more time asking than telling — and even more time listening to what the kids wonder about. The plan for learning is created withyour kids, not just for them.
Take Ms. _______ and Mr. ________, who are both standing in the back of the room, over there near the fire alarm. (Say hello!) They teach the same grade and the same subjects, but do they have the same curriculum — the same topics in the same order with the same reading list and assignments? Well, of course not! They teach different kids! And I happen to know that much of what each of them is teaching this year is different from what they were teaching last year. For the same reason.
A good way to tell how successful we are is how excited the students are about figuring stuff out and playing with ideas. Nurturing their desire to learn is The back-to-school-night speech we’d love to hear* - The Washington Post:
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Louisiana Educator: BESE Forum Tuesday in Baton Rouge

Louisiana Educator: BESE Forum Tuesday in Baton Rouge:

Come One, Come All to Leaders With Vision BESE Board Candidates Forum





Parents, Teachers, and Citizens concerned about our schools are invited to attend L W Vision's BESE Forum

on Tuesday, October 6th, 2015 at 6:00 PM.

October 24, 2015 is a crucial election for Education in Louisiana.  The course which public schools will 
take in the future will be decided by the votes you cast on October 24, 2015.
On Tuesday, October 6th, the doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for the Leaders With Vision BESE Board 

Candidates Forum at the Baton Rouge Community College, Louisiana Bldg (#3 on BRCC map),Board room.
 
The forum will begin promptly at 6 p.m.     
Candidates for District 6 & 8 will be in attendance.

Candidates attending in District 6 are:  
Kathy Edmonston, 
Jason Engen, 
Jason France, 
Luree LeJeune Taylor
Candidates attending in District 8 are:
Carolyn Hill, 
Jada Lewis
Questioning the candidates will be a knowledge panel of people with hands on experience 
in the Elementary and Secondary Education field.

Representing the various perspectives as identified are:
1) for Parents: Belinda Davis;                    
2) for Teachers: Michael Deshotel;          
3) School Boards: Dr Jacqueline Mims;
4) Charter Schools: Nancy Roberts.  
     
The forum is free and open to the public.

For more information about the forum and/or the
Leaders With Vision organization, go to LWVision.org  or call 225/927-2255

Kindly share this with your family, friends, and business associates.  LA needs informed voters.
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What Arne Duncan did to American education and whether it will last - The Hechinger Report

What Arne Duncan did to American education and whether it will last - The Hechinger Report:

What Arne Duncan did to American education and whether it will last






We can’t wait” was Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s frequent refrain. But as he leaves his post this December, his forceful strategy to push dramatic changes to the U.S education system is being tested.

The aggressiveness and urgency that defined his efforts to transform American schools alienated friends and could, in the end, be what derails his reforms.

During his tenure, one of the longest in President Barack Obama’s cabinet, Duncan made a deep mark on U.S. schools with a series of major efforts stretching from early education to college. The administration promised $1 billion in new spending on preschool; spurred states to adopt controversial K-12 reforms such as performance-based teacher evaluations and the adoption of the Common Core State Standards through its Race to the Top grant program and waivers to the No Child Left Behind law; significantly expanded the federal School Improvement Grant program to turn around low-performing schools; targeted for-profit colleges and attempted to increase accountability in the higher education sector; and pushed a proposal by the president to make community college free.

But Duncan’s resignation comes as Congress is deliberating over reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind law and considering rewrites that would limit the ability of the education department to get involved in state policy, leaving many wondering whether Duncan’s seven years of intense reforms will stick. Politico reported that “just this week, Duncan said he thought the forthcoming resignation of House Speaker John Boehner would make it more difficult to get the law updated.”

“I can only think that our odds of having it pass now are worse, not better, which is really disappointing,” he was quoted as saying.

He’s also leaving as a bipartisan Senate bill and Republican-backed House bill seeks to limit the federal government’s role in public education, and takes aim at policies Duncan pushed, such as teacher evaluations based partly on test scores and aggressive school turnaround strategies.

At the same time, many states are facing growing backlash over the increased emphasis on standardized testing and are slowing down plans to revamp teacher evaluation systems or retreating on Common Core (although some have adopted near replicas to replace it). And the data on the effectiveness of some strategies, including the School Improvement Grant program and new teacher evaluation policies, has been What Arne Duncan did to American education and whether it will last - The Hechinger Report:


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New boss, same as the old boss. | stopcommoncorenys

New boss, same as the old boss. | stopcommoncorenys:

New boss, same as the old boss.

image


The USDOE shuffles the worst people around that are the biggest failures locally. Elia from her failure in Florida, now King, promoted not once but twice, after his failure in New York. Each day you think it can’t get more bizarre, worse, more insulting, and yet you read the morning paper and sit in slack jawed disbelief. This bureaucratic educational whack a mole is exhausting. Every time you think you’ve seen the last of those who have failed on a local level, they pop back up somewhere else! And for a higher salary and with reign and responsibility over more innocent children.



image


This total disregard for the will and word of the people is an outrage.

The current running bet is that the first thing John King does in his new position to tamper the refusal movement, is to claim opt outs and the fight againstNew boss, same as the old boss. | stopcommoncorenys:
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U.S. Secretary Arne Duncan Resigning in December | VAMboozled!

U.S. Secretary Arne Duncan Resigning in December | VAMboozled!:

U.S. Secretary Arne Duncan Resigning in December





In case you have not yet heard, U.S. “Education Secretary Arne Duncan [is] stepping down” from his President Obama-appointed post. As per an article in CNN: “President Barack Obama praised Arne Duncan’s service as secretary of education on Friday [October 2, 2015], hours after Duncan said he would step down in December. “He’s done more to bring our education system — sometimes kicking and screaming — into the 21st century more than anybody else…America is going to be better off for what he’s done.”
Is that a fact…
Obama continued that Duncan’s record is one “that I truly believe that no other education secretary can match…Arne bleeds this stuff. He cares so much about our kids. And he’s been so passionate about this work.”
See also other another article on Duncan’s resignation in The New York Times in which Duncan was positioned as “the subject of criticism from both parties, angering Democrats by challenging teachers’ unions and infuriating Republicans by promoting national academic standards.” See also other another article in The Washington Post.
Obama has selected Deputy Secretary of Education John B. King, Jr. to replace him. As per The Washington Post, “King is a Brooklyn native who often credits teachers with guiding him toward a successful path after he was orphaned at age 12. A former charter school leader in Boston and New York, he joined the Education Department in January after a turbulent tenure as commissioner of education for the state of New York. In that role, he was a key architect of new teacher evaluations tied to test scores and played a key role in pushing New York to adopt new tests aligned to the Common Core State Standards years before other states did the same.
The Network for Public Education (NPE) announced their reaction to both Arne Duncan’s resignation and John King as Duncan’s replacement. “The Network for Public Education U.S. Secretary Arne Duncan Resigning in December | VAMboozled!:
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The departure of Arne Duncan is irrelevant; the appointment of John King is irrelevant | @ THE CHALKFACE

The departure of Arne Duncan is irrelevant; the appointment of John King is irrelevant | @ THE CHALKFACE:

The departure of Arne Duncan is irrelevant; the appointment of John King is irrelevant






The most important thing that teachers must remember is that they have the power, not middle managers or secretaries of education.

Despite mandates, there are countless ways individual classroom teachers can subvert the status quo and teach precisely how they want to teach. As a white male with a PhD, I recognize that I am not the average public school teacher, let alone a traditional Kindergarten teacher. I have certain privileges. But because of those privileges, I neither let them go to waste nor do I expect other teachers to have the same latitude that I do.

I’ve taken a lot of heat over the years asking tough questions and looking critically at every new initiative. I’ve tried to act as cover for other teachers who have been less willing to stand up for themselves, promising to have their backs.

Whomever is the Secretary of Education, teachers are the gatekeepers. Education reform has and continues to do whatever it can to demolish that wall of protection. Almost like a positive affirmation, I remind myself everyday that I am in control of all the influence that the Secretary has over my practice.

I am fortunate to be teaching Kindergarten because I am not subject to an excessive amount of The departure of Arne Duncan is irrelevant; the appointment of John King is irrelevant | @ THE CHALKFACE:





What to do when a colleague refers to students as bank robbers and murderers?



If you don’t know, I’m a white guy teaching Kindergarten in a school that is 100% Black and 100% free-meals. I am one of three white persons on a staff of roughly 30 that, other than the three, is all Black and majority women. A colleague, who is a person of color, has recently shown such incredible disdain for their students that I was speechless, and that says a lot. This disdain and frustration has been revealed in person to students.

I have been told in recent years that, as a white male with privilege, I have very little say or place in the conversations about teachers or youth of color. I need to sit down, shut up, and listen. I ask my activist colleagues out there in the ether: what are the protocols in this instance? As a white male, can I challenge and reply with equal disdain with my perspective on this colleague’s treatment of their students? Do I sit down, shut up, and listen to this person call their students “bank robbers” or “murderers,” call them “evil” to their faces?

Classroom climate and the overall happiness of students is typically front and center of conversations at a school in a high-poverty community. There are frequent instances of, for instance, students threatening teachers with both words and gestures, community members threatening teachers, throwing furniture, leaving classrooms, bullying other students, bringing knives or cap-guns to school, and going on tirades What to do when a colleague refers to students as bank robbers and murderers?
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With A Brooklyn Accent: The Silver Lining in the Appointment of John King

With A Brooklyn Accent: The Silver Lining in the Appointment of John King:

The Silver Lining in the Appointment of John King




These are perfect conditions for revolt!

Education Activists! What are you waiting for?


It is hard to applaud John King's appointment as Interim Secretary of Education to replace the much hated Arne Duncan. In New York, he was legendary for openly displaying boredom, even contempt, when teachers, parents and students spoke out at open hearings held around the state on the newly unveiled Common Core Curriculum and the tests aligned to it. Moreover, his experience with public education was almost as limited as Duncan's consisting of three years as a charter school administrator before he moved in the New York State Education Department.
However, there is one positive aspect to this appointment. Because Dr King never had to go through confirmation hearings by Congress to get appointed to his position, and because he left his Commissioner position in New York at a time of With A Brooklyn Accent: The Silver Lining in the Appointment of John King:
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Education in NY Headed for an Iceberg | lacetothetop

Education in NY Headed for an Iceberg | lacetothetop:

Education in NY Headed for an Iceberg






John King had no intentions of leaving NY. While he deserves the credit for creating some of the worst education reforms in NY history, he should also be applauded for attempting to slow Cuomo’s teacher evaluation plan.
As John King was leaving his office in NY, Governor Cuomo sent him a letter.  The letter was meant to serve as a slap on the wrist and called King’s work in NY “unacceptable.”  John was crowned King Botched Implementer by Cuomo and was sent on his merry way.  During his farewell, King took credit for the standards and the curriculum in NY, but he stopped short of taking credit for the teacher evaluation system.  He correctly stated, that the evaluation issue belongs to Cuomo and Cuomo alone.  It was Cuomo’s evaluation plan that drove not only King, but John’s merry men, out of Dodge.  At first, we cheered King’s departure.  Now it has become clear why he left and the future isn’t as bright as we had hoped.
Working in tandem- AFT, NYSUT, Board of Regents, and Cuomo installed a new Commissioner in NY.  They needed a Commissioner that wouldn’t waiver from Cuomo’s evaluation plan.  Commissioner Elia has been battled tested.  Her evaluation plan took her former district into the brinks of financial despair and she didn’t even blink an eye. She was the perfect fit.  At least King had the sense to leave, the rest of the folks are working together. This is the reason NYSUT never fought this plan until it was cemented into law.  Instead of fighting a draconian evaluation system that poses a threat to every teacher and student in NY, NYSUT’s President Magee was leading the Education in NY Headed for an Iceberg | lacetothetop:
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