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

CORPORATE ED REFORM

JCOPE: Education tops lobbying spending for first half of 2015 - Capitol Confidential

JCOPE: Education tops lobbying spending for first half of 2015 - Capitol Confidential: JCOPE: Education tops lobbying spending for first half of 2015 Lobbying groups dedicated to education issues once again topped the list of spending in the first half of 2015, according to the midyear report released Thursday by the Joint Commission on Public Ethics.In total, almost $131 million was spent on effo

by mike simpson / 24min 

California Governor Jerry Brown Fails Students by Vetoing Ethnic Studies Bill | Joseph Morales

California Governor Jerry Brown Fails Students by Vetoing Ethnic Studies Bill | Joseph Morales: California Governor Jerry Brown Fails Students by Vetoing Ethnic Studies BillGovernor Jerry Brown failed California's students last week, when he vetoed AB 101, a bill that would have positioned California to lead the nation by developing the first-ever statewide curriculum in ethnic studies.The Governo

by mike simpson / 1h 

JUST IN: LAUSD slapped with $1 billion lawsuit to end teacher jails - LA School Report

JUST IN: LAUSD slapped with $1 billion lawsuit to end teacher jails - LA School Report:JUST IN: LAUSD slapped with $1 billion lawsuit to end teacher jailsFollowing up on a months-long threat, high-profile attorneyMark Geragos today slapped LA Unified with a class actionlawsuit, calling for an end to the practice of“teacher jails” and asking for more than $1 billion in damages.The suit was filed in

by mike simpson / 1h 

Did Common Core Win the War? | Peter Greene

Did Common Core Win the War? | Peter Greene: Did Common Core Win the War?Politico scored a coup this week by declaring that the war is over, and Common Core won it. One can only assume that Kim Hefling's piece "How Common Core Quietly Won the War" bumped equally hard-hitting pieces such as "The Earth -- Actually Flat After All" or "The Presidential Wisdom of Harold Stassen

by mike simpson / 1h 

Lawyer for fired LAUSD teacher responds with class-action lawsuit | 89.3 KPCC

Lawyer for fired LAUSD teacher responds with class-action lawsuit | 89.3 KPCC: Lawyer for fired LAUSD teacher responds with class-action lawsuitThe Los Angeles Unified school board this week voted to fire nationally recognized teacher Rafe Esquith, apparently over allegations he inappropriately touched children and had photos and video of a sexual nature on his computer.His attorneys have denied t

by mike simpson / 3h 

Kick the Cap | EduShyster

Kick the Cap | EduShyster: Kick the CapBehind the scenes (and out in the hallway) at the Statehouse charter school hearing…And that’s a wrap, folks! After nine hours, and thousands of pages of testimony concerning 35 different pieces of legislation—35!—this week’s marathon hearing on the state and future of charter schools in the Bay State had finally reached its end. But still, the question linge

by mike simpson / 5h 

Charter Schools React to Arne Duncan's Latest Round of Excessive Grants (Free Money)

Charter Schools React to Arne Duncan's Latest Round of Excessive Grants (Free Money)Big Education Ape: Charter love: Feds give $157 million to expand charter schools - The Washington Post http://bit.ly/1KGxcUnBig Education Ape: The ugly charter school scandal Arne Duncan is leaving behind - Salon.com http://bit.ly/1QjuVjtBig Education Ape: Auditor ‘shocked’ by $71 million grant for charter schools

by mike simpson / 5h 

Commentary: An open letter to David Boren | Oklahoma Gazette - Linkis.com

Commentary: An open letter to David Boren | Oklahoma Gazette - Linkis.com: Commentary: An open letter to David BorenTo University of Oklahoma president and former Gov. and U.S. Sen. David Boren:Teaching is an act of love. Teacher’s salaries are secondary to student needs. Their working conditions are our kids’ learning conditions. The best incentive for educators is providing us the opportunity to

by mike simpson / 6h 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: At Yesterday's (Kind) Wild Executive Committee Meeting of the Whole

Seattle Schools Community Forum: At Yesterday's (Kind) Wild Executive Committee Meeting of the Whole: At Yesterday's (Kind) Wild Executive Committee Meeting of the WholeIt was a hugely important meeting, if a bit wild.  Because there is SO much happening right now for our district and I'm trying to chase down so much information, I only have time for highlights:The district has ended its relations

by mike simpson / 6h 

The NCRP Debate on Market Approaches to Education Reform | Nonprofit Quarterly

The NCRP Debate on Market Approaches to Education Reform | Nonprofit Quarterly: The NCRP Debate on Market Approaches to Education ReformA Debate About Whether the Walton Foundation and Markets Promote Equity for Students | Diane Ravitch's blog http://bit.ly/1G7UO5IAt first glance, it would have been reasonable to ask why the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy would want to host a debat

by mike simpson / 6h 

10/15/2015 – Where Will John King Stand On Student Suspensions?

10/15/2015 – Where Will John King Stand On Student Suspensions?: Where Will John King Stand On Student Suspensions? THIS WEEK: Arne Duncan Business Hero … Gentrification Stops At Schools … Charter School Real Estate Game … Spending For Prisons Not Colleges … Costs Of Child Care Exceed CollegeTOP STORYWhere Will John King Stand On Student Suspensions?By Jeff Bryant“With [US Education Secretary Arne

by mike simpson / 7h 

CURMUDGUCATION: 21st Century PSAT

CURMUDGUCATION: 21st Century PSAT: 21st Century PSATYesterday was National Support David Coleman's Cash Flow Day, otherwise known as the day that high school juniors across the nation give up a treasure trove of personal information in exchange for the opportunity to take a standardized test that is, if not actually meaningful or useful, at least a venerable tradition.The P, as I repeatedly remind

by mike simpson / 7h 

Not lovin’ McTeachers’ Night | Parents Across America

Not lovin’ McTeachers’ Night | Parents Across America: Not lovin’ McTeachers’ Night Can you believe that McDonald’s enlists teachers to sell junk food to their students? On “McTeacher’s Nights” across the country, teachers “work” behind the counter selling burgers, fries, and soda to their students and their students’ families. It’s a marketing ploy disguised as a school fundraiser. McDonald’s is

by mike simpson / 7h 

Top 10s in 2016— Vote and Nominate Brightest Ed Policy Minds | Cloaking Inequity

Top 10s in 2016— Vote and Nominate Brightest Ed Policy Minds | Cloaking Inequity: Top 10s in 2016— Vote and Nominate Brightest Ed Policy MindsNominate and vote in this new poll. Who will or should make the biggest impact on education policy priorities in the 2016 campaign? Encourage your Facebook friends, Twitter followers, LinkedIn connections and others to vote and nominate too!Teach For America

by mike simpson / 7h 

NCTQ’s teacher-education ratings deserve an F - The Hechinger Report

NCTQ’s teacher-education ratings deserve an F - The Hechinger Report: NCTQ’s teacher-education ratings deserve an FWhy does Teach For America come out on top in NCTQ’s teacher-education ratings? Hey Bill, have you seen this?” I turned to Bill Gaudelli, chair of Teachers College’s Department of Arts and Humanitiesand coordinator of the program preparing social studies educators.“What’s that?” he as

by mike simpson / 7h 

Feds ready new regs on teacher prep programs :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet

Feds ready new regs on teacher prep programs :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: Feds ready new regs on teacher prep programs(District of Columbia) Expectations are that U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan will release a controversial rewrite of regulations governing teacher preparation programs before leaving office in December.The rules, und

by mike simpson / 7h 

CEQA ruling upends school closure plans :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet

CEQA ruling upends school closure plans :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: CEQA ruling upends school closure plans(Calif.) A recent court decision in a case aimed at overturning the closure of two schools based on exemptions from environmental impacts should serve as a warning to other districts contemplating similar moves, according to educat

by mike simpson / 7h 

Louisiana Educator: How the Great PARCC/Common Core Scam Works

Louisiana Educator: How the Great PARCC/Common Core Scam Works: How the Great PARCC/Common Core Scam WorksA Special Thank You!I want to take this opportunity on behalf of thousands of dedicated educators in Louisiana to sincerely thank the four members of BESE who have courageously refused to fold to the pressure of our clueless business community to give John White a blank check to further commit

by mike simpson / 7h 

Plutocrats in NYC Wielding Power, Buying the Airwaves, and Trashing Public Schools Again | janresseger

Plutocrats in NYC Wielding Power, Buying the Airwaves, and Trashing Public Schools Again | janresseger: Plutocrats in NYC Wielding Power, Buying the Airwaves, and Trashing Public Schools AgainPublic schools are among the primary institutions that serve the families in the 99 Percent.  As primarily middle class institutions, they are coming under attack from the One Percent, the plutocrats—both Rep

by mike simpson / 7h 

Outside money turns Hartford Democratic Town Committee into a Luke Bronin slush fund - Wait What?

Outside money turns Hartford Democratic Town Committee into a Luke Bronin slush fund - Wait What?: Outside money turns Hartford Democratic Town Committee into a Luke Bronin slush fundThanks to the behind-the-scenes involvement of Governor Dannel Malloy and some of Connecticut’s power elite, on Monday, July 27, 2015 the Hartford Democratic Town Committee endorsed Luke Bronin to be the Democratic Pa

by mike simpson / 7h 

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Byrd-Bennett, 'a foot soldier in the march towards privatization'

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Byrd-Bennett, 'a foot soldier in the march towards privatization': Byrd-Bennett, 'a foot soldier in the march towards privatization'Ian Belknap is a writer and performer living in Chicago. He hits the nail on the head with this opinion piece in Crain's, "Framing education as a business attracts the wrong people".While the leading candidates in both par

by mike simpson / 8h 

Teacher Judgment vs. Family Authority - Bridging Differences - Education Week

Teacher Judgment vs. Family Authority - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Teacher Judgment vs. Family AuthorityDeborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here.Dear Harry and friends,I'm leaving my house for the airport at 3:30 am flying from Albany to California. So, quick thoughts on your story about your father-in-law's hospital expe

by mike simpson / 8h 

Bill Gates: Too Many Schools Use Teacher Evaluation For Personnel Decisions, Not As Tool For Improvement : Columns : ISchoolGuide

Bill Gates: Too Many Schools Use Teacher Evaluation For Personnel Decisions, Not As Tool For Improvement : Columns : ISchoolGuide: Bill Gates: Too Many Schools Use Teacher Evaluation For Personnel Decisions, Not As Tool For ImprovementBill Gates defended the use of student test scores in teacher evaluations, arguing that schools can use it to help teachers improve. He said too many schools use tea

by mike simpson / 8h 

Barbara Byrd-Bennett co-defendants plead not guilty in kickback scheme - Chicago Tribune

Barbara Byrd-Bennett co-defendants plead not guilty in kickback scheme - Chicago Tribune: Barbara Byrd-Bennett co-defendants plead not guilty in kickback schemeAn education consultant with long ties to the Emanuel administration pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges he promised Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes for steering lucrative no-bi

by mike simpson / 8h 

What You Need to Know about the Walton Family Foundation | Diane Ravitch's blog

What You Need to Know about the Walton Family Foundation | Diane Ravitch's blog: What You Need to Know about the Walton Family FoundationThis study of the Walton Family Foundation was published in 2012 by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.It provides a history of the family fortune and a description of the Walton family and its political interests.Helen Walton, widow of the founde

by mike simpson / 8h 

Board of Education signs off on $40M in charter school loans

Board of Education signs off on $40M in charter school loans: Board of Education signs off on $40M in charter school loansGet Hoosier School Heist in PaperbackHoosier School Heist On FaceBookThe Indiana State Board of Education on Wednesday endorsed a plan to divvy out as much as $40 million in loans in the 2015-16 school year through a controversial new state program to fund charter schools.At le

by mike simpson / 8h 

Fed corruption probe targets Corporate Education Reform Corruption In Detroit, Chicago, Fresno

Fed corruption probe targets DPS, EAA officials: Fed corruption probe targets DPS, EAA officialsThe FBI has launched a corruption investigation involving Gov. Rick Snyder’s K-12 reform district and Detroit Public Schools, the latest blemish for districts struggling with low test scores, falling enrollment and funding shortfalls.FBI agents are investigating multiple officials from DPS and the Snyde

by mike simpson / 8h 

China vs USA: The Education Factory War - Yahoo News

China's latest building binge: the education factory - Yahoo News: China's latest building binge: the education factoryGUIYANG, China (Reuters) - Three decades ago, Chinese cities began turning rural land into industrial parks to attract foreign investors. Today, a new kind of project is blooming in China's countryside: the vocational education park.Cities around China are carving out tracts of la

by mike simpson / 9h 

Online news site Deadspin has its sights set on Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson - Sacramento Business Journal

Online news site Deadspin has its sights set on Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson - Sacramento Business Journal: What is Deadspin and why is it gunning for Kevin Johnson?Why is Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson suddenly under siege, mostly over news that isn't new? The answer is something called Deadspin -- a hard-hitting online site that has pummeled him with a dozen stories over more than a year.The l

by mike simpson / 9h 

Of School Reform 1.0 versus 2.0 :: Frederick M. Hess

Of School Reform 1.0 versus 2.0 :: Frederick M. Hess: Of School Reform 1.0 versus 2.0 My school reform friends get frustrated with me because they think I'm a naysayer. Why? They note that I've long been a critic of anachronistic salary schedules, tenure laws, school districts, licensure regimes, and the rest. They wonder how I can think that and then criticize so many attempts to impose new evalu

by mike simpson / 9h 

Charter Schools Transferred from Hostile Work Environment - Rhino Times

Charter Schools Transferred from Hostile Work Environment - Rhino Times:Charter Schools Transferred from Hostile Work EnvironmentIt may sound like bureaucratic mumbo jumbo, but moving the North Carolina Office of Charter Schools out from under the state’s Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and placing them under the State Board of Education was celebrated by charter school advocates across the

by mike simpson / 9h 

YESTERDAY

Teachers union asks board to suspend Hanson, other top officials | Fresno Bee

Teachers union asks board to suspend Hanson, other top officials | Fresno Bee: Teachers union asks board to suspend Hanson, other top officialsThe Fresno Teachers Association is calling for the Fresno Unified school board to suspend Superintendent Michael Hanson and other top officials, citing their possible role in the alleged shredding of documents amid a federal investigation.FTA President Tish

by mike simpson / 17h 

L.A. school board votes to fire teacher Rafe Esquith, accused of misconduct - LA Times

L.A. school board votes to fire teacher Rafe Esquith, accused of misconduct - LA Times: L.A. school board votes to fire teacher Rafe Esquith, accused of misconductHobart Avenue Elementary School educator Rafe Esquith, a nationally recognized teacher, has denied wrongdoing. (Beatrice de Gea / Los Angeles Times)The Los Angeles Board of Education voted this week to fire nationally recognized teacher

by mike simpson / 18h 

Ex-Glastonbury School Principal Victim Of Attack In Israel - Hartford Courant

Ex-Glastonbury School Principal Victim Of Attack In Israel - Hartford Courant: Ex-Glastonbury School Principal Victim Of Attack In IsraelGLASTONBURY — Many in the community who fondly remembered Richard Lakin as the "warm" and "patient" principal at Hopewell School said they were shocked to discover that he was one of the victims of a brutal a terrorist attack in Jerusalem Tues

by mike simpson / 20h 

Mathematica: Testing the PARCC Test | deutsch29

Mathematica: Testing the PARCC Test | deutsch29: Mathematica: Testing the PARCC TestMassachusetts commissioned Mathematica to conduct a study in which it compared Massachusetts’ MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) to PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers).The study was limited to comparing MCAS grade 10 math and ELA tests to “corresponding” PARCC t

by mike simpson / 21h 

What The Gates Foundation’s Learned About Funding Education Journalism | The Grade | The Washington Monthly

What The Gates Foundation’s Learned About Funding Education Journalism | The Grade | The Washington Monthly: What The Gates Foundation’s Learned About Funding Education JournalismBy Alexander RussoThe Gates Foundation spends about $7 million a year in grants to education journalism organizations, and has done so for the past five years or so, according to an interview with deputy director for glob

by mike simpson / 21h 

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 10/1415

CORPORATE ED REFORMNewark soon to be overwhelmed by charter expansion: Welcome to New Orleans on the Passaic | Bob Braun's LedgerNewark soon to be overwhelmed by charter expansion: Welcome to New Orleans on the Passaic | Bob Braun's Ledger: Newark soon to be overwhelmed by charter expansion: Welcome to New Orleans on the PassaicThe Newark public schools will soon be overwhelmed by a vast expansion

by mike simpson / 23h 

JCOPE: Education tops lobbying spending for first half of 2015 - Capitol Confidential

JCOPE: Education tops lobbying spending for first half of 2015 - Capitol Confidential:

JCOPE: Education tops lobbying spending for first half of 2015 

Lobbying groups dedicated to education issues once again topped the list of spending in the first half of 2015, according to the midyear report released Thursday by the Joint Commission on Public Ethics.

In total, almost $131 million was spent on efforts to influence government decision-making in New York from January through June — a period that overlaps almost exactly with the legislative session.

(Michael P. Farrell, Times Union file)

The failed education investment incentives act tax credit, the cap on charter schools, and the 421-a real estate tax program generated heavy spending by several deep-pocketed advocacy organizations, JCOPE noted.

The Latham-based pro-charter group called the Coalition for Opportunity in Education topped the list, with reported spending of more than $5 million in lobbying expenditures.

“We’re just leveling a playing field that’s been dominated by one side of the education argument for decades,” said Robert Bellafiore, a spokesman for the Coalition.

Another pro-charter group, Families for Excellent Schools, spent a total of $3.38 million, though $1.74 million of those funds were reported by its ostensibly separate 501(c)4 arm — an arrangement that, as described by the TU’s Chris Bragg in a recent story, enables it to conceal the identities of its donors. Split in two, the advocacy arm of Families for Excellent Schools took the No. 6 slot, with its sibling taking No. 7 on JCOPE’s top ten list.

New York State United Teachers spent a mere $3.1. million on its lobbying during the 2015 session.

Most of the remaining groups in the top 10 spenders were coalitions representing labor and real estate developers, lobbying on New York City’s 421-a affordable housing production program, which provides a partial tax exemption for developers of certain residential buildings.

The groups making up the top 10 spent more than $23.4 million on lobbying activities for the first six months of the year, JCOPE said.

Of the approximately $131 million in total lobbying spending for January through June of 2015, approximately $101 million was spent on compensation to retained and in-house lobbyists, and $30 million in advertising, events, and other expenses.

As of June 30, 2015, there were 5,602 individual lobbyists reported on lobbyist registrations in New York State, representing 3,448 clients.

The top 10 professional lobbying firms received more than $35.3 million in total compensation and reimbursed expenses, led by Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker, LLP, which received $5.5 million. The largest amount paid by a single client to a lobbyist was $531,000, which was paid by the French outdoor advertising company JCDecaux North America to Greenberg Traurig, LLP.

Here’s the full report:

FINAL – 2015 Mid-Year Lobbying Data 101515

JCOPE: Education tops lobbying spending for first half of 2015 - Capitol Confidential:

California Governor Jerry Brown Fails Students by Vetoing Ethnic Studies Bill | Joseph Morales

California Governor Jerry Brown Fails Students by Vetoing Ethnic Studies Bill | Joseph Morales:

California Governor Jerry Brown Fails Students by Vetoing Ethnic Studies Bill

Governor Jerry Brown failed California's students last week, when he vetoed AB 101, a bill that would have positioned California to lead the nation by developing the first-ever statewide curriculum in ethnic studies.

The Governor called the bill "redundant," maintaining that the state's curriculum process already includes guidance on ethnic studies. The bill's author, AssemblymanLuis Alejo (D-Salinas), countered by affirming the potential of ethnic studies courses to advance cultural diversity but also prepare students for success in different fields such as science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

The social and academic value of ethnic studies curricula is well documented. Unfortunately, Governor Brown's decision reinforces a "STEM or nothing" mentality that disparages the current need for building cross-racial understanding.

Ethnic studies emerged on California's college campuses in the late 1960s. At SF State and Berkeley, students called for a more inclusive university and a curriculum responsive to the experience and perspectives of ethnic and racial minorities. In southern California, students called for the creation of ethnic studies at UCLA and Cal State Long Beach. As scholar Laura Pulido has observed, at the core of this movement was "a vision of ethnic studies linking the university and community."

I teach in the newly formed Long Beach Ethnic Studies Program, a collaboration between LBUSD and the Cal State Long Beach ethnic studies departments. This California Governor Jerry Brown Fails Students by Vetoing Ethnic Studies Bill | Joseph Morales:

JUST IN: LAUSD slapped with $1 billion lawsuit to end teacher jails - LA School Report

JUST IN: LAUSD slapped with $1 billion lawsuit to end teacher jails - LA School Report:

JUST IN: LAUSD slapped with $1 billion lawsuit to end teacher jails

Following up on a months-long threat, high-profile attorneyMark Geragos today slapped LA Unified with a class actionlawsuit, calling for an end to the practice of“teacher jails” and asking for more than $1 billion in damages.

The suit was filed in state superior court on behalf of Rafe Esquith, a well-known teacher who was dismissed in April, as well as thousands of other unnamed teachers who have been placed in “jail” by the district in recent years. Calling LAUSD “a criminal cartel,” the suit charges the district with violations of due process, age discrimination, whistleblower retaliation and wrongful discharge —  all in a scheme to remove older teachers whose salaries and benefits make them more expensive to retain.

Among the defendants named are Superintendent Ramon Cortines and his yet-to-be-chosen successor. Cortines intends to step down in December.

At his downtown office only a few blocks from LAUSD headquarters, Geragos accused the district of engaging in “a pattern and practice of the LA Unified school district basically divesting teachers of their benefits once they reach a certain age. The method by which they do this is they gin up false charges, they make false accusations.”

“I’m calling for the complete shutdown of LAUSD,” Geragos added. “I think LAUSD is a completely corrupt organization. They have consigliere lawyers.”

A spokeswoman said the district “has not reviewed the lawsuit and therefore has no comment at this time.”

This legal action comes a day after the Los Angeles Times disclosed that the school JUST IN: LAUSD slapped with $1 billion lawsuit to end teacher jails - LA School Report:

Did Common Core Win the War? | Peter Greene

Did Common Core Win the War? | Peter Greene:

Did Common Core Win the War?

Politico scored a coup this week by declaring that the war is over, and Common Core won it. One can only assume that Kim Hefling's piece "How Common Core Quietly Won the War" bumped equally hard-hitting pieces such as "The Earth -- Actually Flat After All" or "The Presidential Wisdom of Harold Stassen."

Hefling's main point is that Common Core is now everywhere, so it won. But this would be tantamount to saying that Kleenex has cornered 100 percent of the facial tissue market because all citizens wipe their noses on something that they call "Kleenex."

Sure, there's something called Common Core almost everywhere in education. But which Common Core Ish thing would we like to talk about?

State standards? Many states have changed the name and little else, but many states have further fiddled with the everyone-forgets-their-copyrighted standards, so that none particularly match any more.

Testing standards? A variety of Common Core based Big Standardized Tests are out there, and -- for now -- every state has to have one. But what those tests cover does not in any case correspond fully with the Common Core standards as originally written (for extreme instance, speaking and listening standards are not and likely never will be tested). And in many, if not most, school districts, curriculum and instruction are driven by the test, not the standards.

Curriculum standards? Most districts have "aligned" their curricula to the Common Core -- but that process looks a lot like taking what you already do anyway and assigning various standards to it until your paperwork looks good.

Textbook standards? One of the biggest effects of Common Core was the huge windfall for textbook publishers as schools rushed to get textbook programs with Did Common Core Win the War? | Peter Greene:

Lawyer for fired LAUSD teacher responds with class-action lawsuit | 89.3 KPCC

Lawyer for fired LAUSD teacher responds with class-action lawsuit | 89.3 KPCC:

Lawyer for fired LAUSD teacher responds with class-action lawsuit

The Los Angeles Unified school board this week voted to fire nationally recognized teacher Rafe Esquith, apparently over allegations he inappropriately touched children and had photos and video of a sexual nature on his computer.
His attorneys have denied the allegations.
An LAUSD spokeswoman confirmed Esquith is no longer being paid by the district.
A district employee not authorized to talk about the decision but who is close to the school board said members approved Esquith's firing in closed session on Tuesday.
When he was pulled from his classroom at Hobart Boulevard Elementary School he was asked to report to a school district building with dozens of other teachers. Teachers refer to this process as "teacher jail."
Esquith's attorneys held a press conference Thursday to denounce the firing and to announce the filing of a class action lawsuit to dismantle the "teacher jail" process.
"He wants to shut down teacher jail. Mostly he wanted to teach. That’s not going to happen anymore not at Hobart, not by L.A. Unified and he wants to never let this happen to any other teacher again," said criminal defense lawyer Mark Geragos.
About 140 district teachers and classified staff are currently in this status, having Lawyer for fired LAUSD teacher responds with class-action lawsuit | 89.3 KPCC:

Kick the Cap | EduShyster

Kick the Cap | EduShyster:

Kick the Cap

Behind the scenes (and out in the hallway) at the Statehouse charter school hearing…

And that’s a wrap, folks! After nine hours, and thousands of pages of testimony concerning 35 different pieces of legislation—35!—this week’s marathon hearing on the state and future of charter schools in the Bay State had finally reached its end. But still, the question lingered: had anyone actually learned anything? It might surprise you to learn that my answer is an unabashed *Yes.* In fact, I learned quite a lot.

Look, official
I arrived at the Statehouse with a singular aim in mind: I wanted to talk to charter school parents about how they see the divisive debate. And so I took up residence in the hallway outside of Garden Auditorium, and quickly discovered a delightful truism: that if you wear a lanyard that *technically* does not belong to you and happen to have a bossy-ish demeanor, it won’t be long before you are assumed to be in charge-ish. But enough about me. Governor Baker was in the House!

Cap kicker
First of all, let me disabuse you of the notion that the crutches Governor Baker was sporting were the result of a misguided attempt to kick off the charter cap. Old basketball-injured leg or not, Baker *brought it* to the hearing, delivering the kind ofcri de coeur against the cap that he seems to deliver, well, most days these days. Alas, Kick the Cap | EduShyster:

Charter Schools React to Arne Duncan's Latest Round of Excessive Grants (Free Money)

Charter Schools React to Arne Duncan's Latest Round of Excessive Grants (Free Money)

Big Education Ape: Charter love: Feds give $157 million to expand charter schools - The Washington Post http://bit.ly/1KGxcUn

Big Education Ape: The ugly charter school scandal Arne Duncan is leaving behind - Salon.com http://bit.ly/1QjuVjt

Big Education Ape: Auditor ‘shocked’ by $71 million grant for charter schools | The Columbus Dispatch http://bit.ly/1G82pRy

Big Education Ape: Ohio Congressman questions Arne Duncan’s $32 million charter grant - The Washington Post http://bit.ly/1Obugmz

Big Education Ape: Feds didn’t carefully monitor $3 billion it gave for charters — and it just awarded $157 million... http://bit.ly/1G82rcl

Big Education Ape: Despite Big Problems Charters Attract Hedge Fund Support and Presidential Candidates Hungry for ... http://bit.ly/1G82swK

Big Education Ape: Federal grant boosts charters, management organizations too :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essent... http://bit.ly/1LmcsVn

Big Education Ape: Thousands of Charter Schools Close: Rip Off Taxpayers, Steal Students’ Future | janresseger http://bit.ly/1G82wNc

Big Education Ape: CURMUDGUCATION: The Big Map O' Charter Failure http://bit.ly/1FzO2VR

Commentary: An open letter to David Boren | Oklahoma Gazette - Linkis.com

Commentary: An open letter to David Boren | Oklahoma Gazette - Linkis.com:

Commentary: An open letter to David Boren

To University of Oklahoma president and former Gov. and U.S. Sen. David Boren:

Teaching is an act of love. Teacher’s salaries are secondary to student needs. Their working conditions are our kids’ learning conditions. The best incentive for educators is providing us the opportunity to teach well.

Until now, I’ve deferred to leaders like you in terms of education funding, limiting myself to what I know, which is inner-city schools and policy. I focused on the failure of test-driven, competition-driven “reform” and why we must shift gears and restore teachers’ autonomy so we can once again provide engaging and holistic instruction that respects our students.

I was wrong. It’s bad enough that corporate school reform undermines teaching and learning. Now, underfunding education is creating a perfect storm that could overwhelm our schools.

So, Mr. Boren, thank you for leading the campaign for a $608 million tax increase to dig Oklahoma out of our budget crisis. We also can use the initiative to start a conversation about science-based school policy.

We can’t merely ignore the understandable but misguided claim that “money doesn’t matter.” Since No Child Left Behind, tens of billions of dollars have been wasted on “output-driven” micromanagement. As Oklahoma schools endured years of bare-bone budgets, many also received federal School Improvement Grants (SIG) and other risky experiments. At a cost of $5 million per school, SIG largely failed, just like the alphabet soup of policies incentivizing test, sort, reward and punish. Locally and nationally, they failed in precisely the same way that educators and social scientists predicted.

Mr. Boren, I assume you know the work of Jack Jennings, author of the definitive analysis of education policy. He debunks the claim that accountability-free, progressive educators failed. He shows that the old-fashioned (Title I) approach of funding student supports improved student performance more than post-2002 test-driven mandates.

“From the 1970s to the early 2000s, achievement generally rose and achievement gaps generally narrowed, which would seem to refute the Title I evaluation results used to support the shift to test-driven reform,” he said.

Moreover, since 2008, the much more expensive use of incentives and disincentives has almost completely killed America’s long-term increase in student performance.

Teachers are exhausted by reforms that deputized them as the agents for overcoming the legacies of Commentary: An open letter to David Boren | Oklahoma Gazette - Linkis.com: