The real deal with public opinion and the Common Core - AEI

The real deal with public opinion and the Common Core - AEI:

The real deal with public opinion and the Common Core

Key Points

• The Common Core State Standards have gotten a lot of attention this fall, but many claims on what Americans think of the Common Core have been informed by agenda-driven polls and analysis.
• Phi Delta Kappan/Gallup’s and Education Next’s national, annual polls of attitudes toward education are the only two credible, independent polls that offer a clear take on the evolution of public sentiment on the Common Core.
• Three things are known about public opinion on the Common Core: (1) support remains positive but is trending downward; (2) support depends enormously on how polling questions are phrased; and (3) conservative support has melted away, but Democratic support has also steadily fallen.

Read the PDF.

There has been much ado about the Common Core State Standards this fall, especially after states released results on the new standards-based tests, but many of the claims on what Americans think of the Common Core have been informed by push polls and agenda-driven analysis. A Washington Post headline earlier this year reflected the media’s general conclusion: “Conservatives hate Common Core. The rest of America? Who knows.”[1]

In truth, we know three important things about public opinion on the Common Core. We can say confidently that the Common Core still generally enjoys majority support, that it has seen a dramatic erosion in its level of support, and that the degrees of support one finds depend enormously on how polling questions are phrased. The first two conclusions, clearly evident in the only valid and reliable polling on the Common Core, often get lost because so much of the reported polling on the Common Core is more about pushing an agenda than about actually understanding what the public thinks.

For instance, Children Now conducted a poll through EMC Research that found that 93 percent of respondents think “promoting critical thinking and proactive problem-solving skills” is important.[2] From that, Children Now concluded that Californians were “supportive of the reforms that Common Core brings.”[3]

Similarly, the Center for American Progress (CAP) released poll findings late this summer, reporting that “90 percent of voters agree that we should raise our nation’s academic standards so that the United States can be more competitive with other countries.”[4] Because of this, CAP asserted that the Common Core was more popular than kittens—which polled less favorably—and even went so far as to say that Common Core blowback was because “opponents of the Common Core have embarked on misinformation campaigns in order to create widespread confusion among voters or to score political points.”[5]

To accurately measure the shifting opinion on the Common Core, we should look to two national, annual polls of attitudes toward education: one by Phi Delta Kappan/Gallup (PDK/Gallup) and the other by Education Next.[6] Today, these are the only credible, independent numbers providing a year-over-year measure of national sentiment and offering a clear take on the evolution of public sentiment on the Common Core. Both organizations released their 2015 surveys in early fall, timed to coincide with the start of the 2015–16 school year. Between 2010 and 2015, each survey featured two Common Core questions that were asked more than once.

Read the full report.

Notes

1. Scott Clement, “Conservatives Hate Common Core. The Rest of America? Who Knows,” Washington Post, January 28, 2015, www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/01/28/conservatives-hate-common-core-the-rest-of-america-who-knows/.
2. Ruth Bernstein, letter to Children Now, April 2015, www.childrennow.org/files/5714/2930/5704/Common-Core-Memo-Research.pdf.
3. Ibid.
4. Center for American Progress, “RELEASE: Goals of the Common Core Are as American as Apple Pie, But Misinformation Remains Widespread, New PPP Poll Reveals,” August 2015,www.americanprogress.org/press/release/2015/08/18/119460/release-goals-of-the-common-core-are-as-american-as-apple-pie-but-misinformation-remains-widespread-new-ppp-poll-reveals/.
5. Ibid.
6. Full disclosure: Frederick Hess is executive editor of Education Next.

A big problem with the Common Core that keeps getting ignored - The Washington Post

A big problem with the Common Core that keeps getting ignored - The Washington Post:

A big problem with the Common Core that keeps getting ignored

Marion Brady is a veteran educator who has long argued that public education needs a paradigm shift, though not the same one pushed by school reformers who champion the Common Core State Standards, school choice and vouchers. Brady says schools need a complete transformation in what and how students learn. He has also been highly critical of standardized testing. Here’s his latest piece on the Core. You can see some of his earlier pieces  here (One way to solve America’s major curriculum problem) andhere  (‘The Procedure’ and how it is harming public education).

By Marion Brady

The role of the Common Core State Standards in attempting to improve schooling has prompted countless editorials, op-eds, and letters to editors. Opinion about them has split political parties, faculties, and friendships, and even created an unusual progressive-conservative alliance in opposition.

Defenders of the standards have had considerable success convincing the public that those who reject them do so because they oppose education reform, are poorly informed, are under union thumbs, or don’t want to face the fact that their kids aren’t as smart as they thought they were.

I oppose the standards, and none of those apply to me.

My primary concern isn’t with the quality of the standards themselves. I don’t like how they were created and rammed into place, but what’s done is done. I think they’re part of an elaborate ideology-driven scheme to privatize public schooling, but that fad will probably have to run its course. It’s appalling that the life chances of millions of kids and their teachers hinge on the scores of tests that can’t evaluate original thought, but that will continue as long as most people think “educating” means “delivering information.”

I oppose the Common Core State Standards primarily for a thus-far ignored A big problem with the Common Core that keeps getting ignored - The Washington Post:

Ohio Dems Sherrod Brown And Tim Ryan Team Up On Charter School Reform Bill

Ohio Dems Sherrod Brown And Tim Ryan Team Up On Charter School Reform Bill:

Ohio Dems Sherrod Brown And Tim Ryan Team Up On Charter School Reform Bill

It may be too late for federal education regulators to recall the grant from last week of $71 million to Ohio for charter schools, but the issue going forward for two of Ohio’s congressional delegation, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown andCongressman Tim Ryan, the path forward is all about increasing accountability, transparency and community involvement in charter schools while helping to ensure a high-quality education for every child.

Sen. Brown was joined by Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) on Wednesday in discussing their bicameral legislation to that would bring new standards of performance for nearly 400 taxpayer-funded charter schools that educate approximately 123,000 students in the Buckeye State.

“Our children pay the price for the mismanagement of charter schools,” Brown said in prepared remarks following today’s call. “This bill would help ensure a high-quality education for every child. By including some of these measures in the Every Child Achieves Act, the Senate already sent a strong, bipartisan message that all our schools need to be held accountable—it’s time for the House to follow suit.”

Ryan, who served with Brown before he was first elected to the Senate in 2006, said, “There is no doubt that Ohio’s current charter school system is a mess. Our children deserve better,” he said. Ryan made reference to the Charter School Accountability Act he introduced that would increase transparency and oversight of the U.S. charter school system, which includes the 123,000 Ohio students attending charter schools and their parents.

Mentioned in the past as a possible Democratic candidate for governor, Congressman Ryan said children securing an education they are owed shouldn’t be in doubt. “We must learn from the Ohio Department of Education’s [ODE] mistakes and ensure charter school programs around the Ohio Dems Sherrod Brown And Tim Ryan Team Up On Charter School Reform Bill:

Dismissed teachers file class action lawsuit against Los Angeles Unified School District - World Socialist Web Site

Dismissed teachers file class action lawsuit against Los Angeles Unified School District - World Socialist Web Site:

Dismissed teachers file class action lawsuit against Los Angeles Unified School District

A class action lawsuit involving approximately 2,000 teachers was filed last Friday against the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

The lawsuit seeks damages arising out of the district’s use of the so-called “teacher jail” system wherein teachers accused of various forms of professional misconduct are removed from the classroom and made to report to nondescript office buildings instead.

According to reports, teachers are given no access to the Internet, electronic devices and are forbidden from speaking to other teachers. The lawsuit alleges that teachers are never informed of the charges against them while in “teacher jail.”

The suit also claims that the district regularly conducts witch hunts against veteran teachers in a transparent effort divest those teachers of their pensions and medical benefits. Hardly a week goes by without a new case of alleged misconduct by an LAUSD teacher being reported in the media.

According to the lawsuit, a total of $500,000 in pension and health benefits have been taken from the class of teachers as a result of the district’s actions. The lawsuit seeks $1 billion in overall damages.

The lead plaintiff in the case is Rafe Esquith, a teacher with over 30 years experience whose dismissal last March received wide publicity. Esquith is the founder of the Hobart Shakespeareans, a group of elementary school students from predominately working class and ethnic minority backgrounds who put on Shakespeare’s plays at least once a year.

The group has received the active support of renowned actors such as Ian McKellan, John Lithgow and Hal Holworth. Esquith has also received numerous grants and award throughout his LAUSD tenure.

Earlier this year, the district removed Esquith from his classroom over allegations that he told a joke to his classroom regarding nudity in Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. The district also allegedly seized more than $100,000 worth of materials from his classroom after the dismissal, including numerous books and musical instruments.

Esquith initially responded with a lawsuit against the district alleging defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, retaliation and age discrimination. That lawsuit has now been expanded to the current class Dismissed teachers file class action lawsuit against Los Angeles Unified School District - World Socialist Web Site:

Eva Moskowitz's "Suspension Academy" Charter Schools | Alan Singer

Eva Moskowitz's "Suspension Academy" Charter Schools | Alan Singer:

Eva Moskowitz's "Suspension Academy" Charter Schools

Hedge fund billionaires and major politicians like President Obama, Republican Presidential contender Jeb Bush, and New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo love charter schools. For Obama, Bush, and Cuomo they are the miracle cure for what ails American education. Los Angeles is considering a proposal Broad Foundation to turn half of its public schools into charters by 2023. But what is the "miracle" behind claims for higher student test scores at some well-known charter schools? It may simply be "lock them out to drive them out." Let's look at the Success Academy Charter School Network, whose schools would more aptly be named "Suspension Academies."

According to a report by the website Chalkbeat, in New York City charter schoolssuspended students at about three times the rate of traditional public schools. Chalkbeat found that "charter schools suspended at least 11 percent of their students that year, while district schools suspended 4.2 percent of their students." Their study also concluded "The charter-school suspension rate is likely an underestimate because charter schools don't have to report suspensions that students serve in school."

In a PBS NewsHour interview with John Merrow, Eva Moskowitz, CEO of the Success Academy Charter Schools bragged about high test scores and parental applications for the networks entrance lottery. But she was much more defensive when questioned about the charter school network's code of conduct and suspension policies. Merrow also interviewed Marie Chauvet-Monchik, Principal of PS-138 Brooklyn on the show. Chauvet-Monchik was adamantly opposed to suspending from school children in younger grades. According to Chauvet-Monchik, "When you send a child home, the child is missing instruction. So, I'm actually robbing the child of an education if I suspend the child."

Merrow then turned to the Success Academy Charter Schools where discipline for their "scholars" is much more punitive. According to Merrow, "Last year, principal Monica Komery issued 44 out-of-school suspensions to her 203 kindergartners and first graders." Her school is one of 34 Success Academies operating in New York City. The schools are publicly funded, but under private control. Komery admitted "We do have a zero-tolerance policy around certain behaviors," but claimed "I don't just suspend children as the first course of action" and argued "It's well-thought-out. It's a process, and there are systems in place."

Moskowitz, when interviewed by Merrow, defended the suspension policy because "If Eva Moskowitz's "Suspension Academy" Charter Schools | Alan Singer:

Report says Michigan charter schools received startup grants, but never opened | Michigan Radio

Report says Michigan charter schools received startup grants, but never opened | Michigan Radio:

Report says Michigan charter schools received startup grants, but never opened

UPDATED: 8:35 am on 10/22/2015The federal government paid at least $1.7 million to 25 Michigan charter schools  that never opened, according to a report released this week by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD).

The Wisconsin-based media group "conducts in-depth investigations into corruption and the undue influence of corporations on media and democracy," according to their website.

They say state and federal records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show that in the 2011 - 2012 school year, the schools were approved for more than $3.7 million in Charter School Program startup grants.

The schools received the funds, but never progressed beyond the planning phase, says the CMD.

"Most of them didn't get any press coverage because basically they never opened and so their non-opening really wasn't news. But some of them received upwards of $109,000," said CMD Executive Director Lisa Graves.

According to their website, the Michigan Department of Education makes early-stage planning grants available to charter school developers for up to 18 months of program planning and design in two stages:

Stage One: Refinement of an ambitious, innovative academic vision, and design of a data-based program evaluation methodology that will demonstrate to the governance body whether the vision is succeeding. Up to $35,000 will be released upon award for use in completing these deliverables.

Stage Two: Development of a sound, comprehensive business plan to support the academic vision and finalization of a full charter application strong enough to secure a charter contract from a Michigan authorizer. Up to $75,000 of additional funds will be released upon satisfactory completion of Stage One for use in completing these deliverables.

A lack of regulation and accountability in charter schools is part of the problem, Report says Michigan charter schools received startup grants, but never opened | Michigan Radio:

The Biblioracle: To fix failing schools, ask teachers - Chicago Tribune

The Biblioracle: To fix failing schools, ask teachers - Chicago Tribune:

The Biblioracle: To fix failing schools, ask teachers 

What we have done to public school teachers, particularly those working in urban environments, is a tragedy.

Most everyone would agree with the importance and admiration of teachers and yet for more than 30 years, we have been steadily degrading the profession. We have asked them to do the impossible — to overcome the multi-generational effects of poverty — and then blamed them when they couldn't work a miracle. Top-down, high-stakes-testing-based school reform is a proven disaster.

It isn't right, and as Dale Russakoff documents in "The Prize," her recently published examination of the disastrous attempts at reform in Newark, the primary beneficiaries have been politicians who get to make splashy announcements (before moving on to other things), and the educational consultants and testing companies who get to pocket the lion's share of any new money.

I don't even want to think about Chicago. You read the papers. You see the news. Ask yourself what the generations of reform that demand that teachers work miracles while tying their hands with standardization and lack of resources have gotten us.

Most of the voices in the education reform debate are journalists like Russakoff or Paul Tough ("How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character") or administrators, such as former Washington, D.C., schools chancellor Michelle Rhee. These high-profile people get attention and dominate the conversation.

The voices we are missing, the voices I believe we need to hear, are teachers. I'd be surprised if many of you have heard of these books. They are put out by small publishers, or are even self-published, but they are the voices of experience and wisdom, and if you care about schools and teachers, next time you're tempted to pick up that book on what's wrong with schools by the very important person who gets to talk to Terry Gross on "Fresh Air," try one of these instead:

The Educator and the Oligarch: A Teacher Challenges the Gates Foundation by Anthony Cody

While billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates is undeniably well-meaning, there is no greater distorting and destructive force in education. Cody, a longtime teacher in the Oakland school system, exposes the "non-profit" industry that has made significant use of Gates Foundation money in pushing high-stakes, standardized-test-based reform. Gates is at the root of our federal policy on education. Cody shows why business success doesn't translate into universal wisdom.

This Is Not a Test: A New Narrative on Race, Class, and Education by Jose Vilson

Vilson is another inner-city teacher who has witnessed the damage that our obsession with standardized test results has wrought. He conveys the truth we already know, but seem to ignore, that teachers can only do so much to overcome the realities of poverty and inequality.

Common Core Dilemma: Who Owns Our Schools? by Mercedes Schneider

Schneider is a teacher who turned herself into an investigative journalist dedicated to tracing the financial and organizational ties among corporate school reform advocatesThe Biblioracle: To fix failing schools, ask teachers - Chicago Tribune:

Why Pennsylvania Has a Serious Charter School Problem

Why Pennsylvania Has a Serious Charter School Problem:

Why Pennsylvania Has a Serious Charter School Problem

It's apparently state law that the charter schools get money or nobody does.

As we noted, Kevin Johnson, husband of education "reform" hustler Michelle Rhee, has decided he doesn't want to be mayor of Sacramento anymore because the world has grown cold and mean. This, of course, does not mean the education "reform" grifting gravy train that has made the missus so wealthy doesn't roll merrily on in places like, oh, say Pennsylvania, where new Governor Tom Wolf is facing plaintive appeals from various public school districts that have no more money.

During a stop in Pittsburgh, Wolf told reporters that while he understands school districts are struggling financially, he cannot authorize payments to them until a new spending plan is in place, said spokesman Jeff Sheridan. The state has been operating without a fiscal blueprint since July 1, holding up critical state aid to public schools, counties, and nonprofits that provide social services. "We'd like to get them a final budget that fully invests in education," Sheridan said Tuesday. Wolf's comments came a day after the Erie school district asked the governor's office for a $47 million, no-interest advance so that it could keep its doors open without taking out bank loans.

​Wolf is still trying to dig out from the sinkhole left where Pennsylvania used to be before it elected his predecessor, Tom Corbett, and is trying to do so with a Republican state legislature. There have been budget proposals and vetoes, and the mess has now dragged on for five bloody months with no end in sight. What does this all have to do with education "reform"? Glad you asked.​

Adding to the financial strain on school districts, the Department of Education has said it will withhold portions of gambling revenue to those school districts that have stopped making payments to charter schools because of the impasse. The gambling money - the only state money flowing to districts during the stalemate - is normally used by districts for property-tax relief. Education officials are now skimming off a portion of that funding to pay charters. In a statement, 

Why Pennsylvania Has a Serious Charter School Problem:

Op-Ed: Fruit From A Rotten Tree - The Truth About Barbara Byrd-Bennett & CPS | Progress Illinois

Op-Ed: Fruit From A Rotten Tree - The Truth About Barbara Byrd-Bennett & CPS | Progress Illinois:

Fruit From A Rotten Tree - The Truth About Barbara Byrd-Bennett & CPS

The following is from Jitu Brown, national director of the Journey for Justice Alliance and one of the Dyett Hunger Strikers.

As a CPS parent and long-time community organizer, I am appalled by the actions of Barbara Byrd-Bennett in stealing from Chicago's children to feather her already robust nest. What is more appalling however, is Mayor Rahm Emanuel's effort to isolate her actions as the corruption of an individual; and our acceptance of such nonsense. Corruption and discriminatory actions that disregard the voices of Black and Brown parents is central to the culture of the school privatization movement. While millions of dollars are pumped into selling the public on "school choice", nationwide corporate education interventions have failed to improve the academic outcomes in Black and Brown communities, while a laundry list of "reformers" have been caught violating the public trust.

Barbara Byrd Bennett - A Spoke in a Wheel

Barbara Byrd-Bennett was lauded as an accomplished educator, who had the ability to relate to the everyday parent and the skill to lead the nation's 3rd largest school district. The spin from the Emanuel administration highlights improved graduation rates as proof of her competency. What is not mentioned are the schemes used to give the illusion of growth; the rapid increase of alternative schools, programs such as credit recovery and CPS outright falsifying the data on the graduation rate. This is smoke and mirrors, not improved education. This is the true legacy of Barbara Byrd-Bennett in Chicago. What is also conveniently left out of the conversation is that in Detroit, she was an active participant in stripping the publicly elected school board of its authority, while dismantling an African-centered curriculum and focus that was dramatically improving student performance. In Cleveland, her expense account (provided by privatizers) was nearly as large as her annual salary, while the math performance of Black males plummeted on her watch. It is important to understand that Barbara Byrd Bennett is not the issue. Privatization produces the Barbara Byrd Bennett's of the world, setting the tone for this type of behavior. She is a symptom, not the disease. Unfortunately, she has a lot of company.

In Chicago, the former president of the Chicago Board of Education David Vitale approved 27 turnaround schools for the Academy of Urban School Leadership, where he used to be the board president. These were no-bid contracts. How are those schools doing? In Washington, DC Michelle Rhee was hailed as a "education warrior" who would lead the charge on bad teachers and failing schools; until it was revealed that she inflated her students' scores and taped their mouths shut as a discipline measure. Geoffrey Canada from the Harlem Children's Zone was celebrated as a visionary for connecting social services to his charter schools, creating a cradle to career system in Harlem, promoted as a national model; until we learned Op-Ed: Fruit From A Rotten Tree - The Truth About Barbara Byrd-Bennett & CPS | Progress Illinois:

Bill calls for parent notice if apps don’t meet data standard :: SI&A Cabinet Report

Bill calls for parent notice if apps don’t meet data standard :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet:
Bill calls for parent notice if apps don’t meet data standard

by Alisha Kirby

(Pa.) Two Pennsylvania lawmakers moved Monday to protect the privacy of student data by introducing a pair of bills, one of which requires parent notification if technology used in the classroom does not meet state data privacy standards.

The bills, authored by Representatives Dan Miller, D-Mt. Lebanon, and Tedd Nesbit, R-Grove City, would also allow schools to enter into third-party contracts for the use of educational software and cloud storage services, as long as they specify that student records remain district property.

“In this digital age, with all of the wondrous advances in technology that our students enjoy, parents need assurance that the data being collected on their children is being properly handled with sufficient privacy and security measures in place to prevent abuses from taking place,” Miller and Nesbit said in a memorandum to fellow lawmakers.

As more teachers rely on online sources to supplement curriculum, administer more computer-based assessments, and schools are required to collect more student information, lawmakers across the nation are increasing moving to update regulations and restrictions aimed at protecting student identifiable data.

In June, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill that prohibited operators of online educational tools from selling student information, using it for targeted advertising or creating student profiles for third-party use.

Last year, Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal signed legislation in their states to phase-out the use of Social Security numbers and ban theBill calls for parent notice if apps don’t meet data standard :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet:

Mitchell Chester: Positioning MA for Delayed PARCC? | deutsch29

Mitchell Chester: Positioning MA for Delayed PARCC? | deutsch29:

Mitchell Chester: Positioning MA for Delayed PARCC?

On October 21, 2015, I received a copy of an email written by Maureen LaCroix, who identifies herself as “educational consultant at Massachusetts Department of Education” (DESE) on Linkedin.

The email (which was forwarded to me by one of my readers) is LaCroix’s take on recent discussions surrounding the potential future role of PARCC in Massachusetts. On October 19, 2015, Massachusetts Commissioner of Education Mitchell Chester proposed that DESE create a hybrid of the state’s current assessment, the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) and PARCC. The board is set to vote on November 19 to either retain and “upgrade” MCAS or to replace MCAS with PARCC.

Chester’s politically pacifying compromise essentially sets Massachusetts up for a future MCAS “zombie” stuffed with PARCC. Of course, he is not stating so in this manner. However, the more information I read on the issue, the more Chester’s goal to transform MCAS into PARCC-with-MCAS-label Mitchell Chester: Positioning MA for Delayed PARCC? | deutsch29:

Essential Politics: It's all about the money, money, money - LA Times

Essential Politics: It's all about the money, money, money - LA Times:

Essential Politics: It's all about the money, money, money

Finally, did you know Clinton has a political action committee of educators behind her?

Joy Resmovits obtained an invitation for a "meet and greet" from a group describing itself as a PAC "supporting the education vision" of Clinton. America’s Teachers is hosting a "community discussion" on education at the office of Propper Daley in Los Angeles Wednesday. The firm’s co-president is Mark Daley, who worked for Clinton’s campaign in 2008.

Appearing at the event are Steve Barr, the chairman of California Democrats for Education Reform, founder of the Green Dot Public Schools charter school chain and CEO of the Future is Now education nonprofit; Propper Daley co-president Greg Propper, and former Democratic National Committee Chairman and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. Also listed on the invitation are Naveed Amalfardand Luke Villalobos from America’s Teachers.

Essential Politics: It's all about the money, money, money - LA Times:



I’m Christina Bellantoni, your Essential Politics host for Back to the Future Day.

It’s not often we get to report on what’s being said to wealthy donors behind closed doors.

But Seema Mehta got some details from Jeb Bush’s Newport Beach fund-raiser at the bayfront Lido Isle home of Andrew Littlefair, a former Reagan staffer who is the president of a natural gas company, and his wife, Karen. Mehta reports that he told the more than 50 donors in the room that the Republican Party is at a "crossroads" and must either embrace an optimistic vision for the nation’s future that is personified by his campaign, or trundle down a pessimistic path offered by Republican rival Donald Trump. Read her story to learn how Bush describes how he differs from Trump on foreign policy.

We’ve also been reporting about where celebrities stand on the presidential candidates.

On Aug. 10, Sarah Silverman urged a crowd of 27,500 people at a rally in Los Angeles to join her in supporting Sen. Bernie Sanders, saying, "His moral compass and sense of values inspires me."

The comedian didn’t mention that earlier in the year she gave the $2,700 maximum donation to Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Silverman was among the artists appearing on a long Sanders endorsement list last month, but we’ve noticed her name does not appear in the Federal Election Commission database as opening her wallet for the self-described Democratic socialist. It is not her first foray into politics — she has donated several times to Minnesota Sen. Al Franken.

Essential Politics: It's all about the money, money, money - LA Times:

Parents Across America Online Panel: How Washington State Activists Nixed Charter Schools | Seattle Education

Parents Across America Online Panel: How Washington State Activists Nixed Charter Schools | Seattle Education:

Parents Across America Online Panel: How Washington State Activists Nixed Charter Schools

How Washington State activists nixed charter schools

Sunday, Oct 25, 2015

5 pm EDT, 2 pm PDT

Join us on Sunday, October 25th, to talk about the Washington State Supreme Courtruling declaring charter schools  unconstitutional!

Hear from PAA President Dora Taylor, who played a pivotal role in getting the word out about charter schools, along with winning plaintiffs, education professor Dr. Wayne Au and Washington State League of Women Voters Education Chair Catherine Ahl. 

Join from PC, Mac, iOS or Android.

You will need to download Zoom.

Or join by phone, +1 646 568 7788 (US Toll) or +1 415 762 9988 (US Toll).

Meeting ID: 692 375 9234
International numbers are available.

There is a 50 participant cap on this meeting: The first 50 people to log on as the meeting begins will be able to join us so please mark your calendars and sign on promptly at 5 pm ET, 2 pm PT. The webinar will last approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. A recording of the webinar will be available on our web site.

Parents Across America Online Panel: How Washington State Activists Nixed Charter Schools | Seattle Education:

The Most Important Election You’ll Probably Skip | gadflyonthewallblog

The Most Important Election You’ll Probably Skip | gadflyonthewallblog:

The Most Important Election You’ll Probably Skip

The future prosperity of your state may be decided this November.

Will your public schools receive adequate, equitable and sustainable funding?

Will you be permitted to choose medical marijuana to treat certain ailments?

Will your state enact sensible gun reforms to keep firearms out of the hands of the criminally insane?

Will your voice be heard in future elections?

All this and more is on the table and YOU get to cast the deciding vote.

But more likely than not, you won’t show up.

Why? You’re too busy worrying about the upcoming Presidential election.

With both Democratic and Republican Presidential Primaries approaching in February through June, 2016, most people just don’t have the energy for another general election before the end of 2015.

However, most states will ask residents to cast a ballot on Nov. 3 for all kinds of important initiatives. There will be municipal, school board, gubernatorial and state legislative elections in a few states; as well as numerous citizen initiatives, and a variety of other local offices on the ballot.

Yet if history is any guide, most people will stay home while vastly important decisions are being made by the few who trudge to the polls. On the one hand, that means the results are bound to be unrepresentative. On the other, it means if you show up, your vote will have more weight than ever!

Either way, the course for the future of your state will be quietly and discreetly set for years to come.

Take my home state of Pennsylvania.

We’re holding a historic election with three state Supreme Court seats up for grabs. The last time this many seats were open on our highest court in the same year was The Most Important Election You’ll Probably Skip | gadflyonthewallblog:

AIMHighNY | New York State Education Department New York ~ CCSS Survey ‪#‎JustDoIt‬

AIMHighNY | New York State Education Department:

AIMHighNY

In New York State, we are committed to higher standards and to evaluating the standards on a regular basis with input from stakeholders. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is conducting a review of the New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards in English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics. NYSED is conducting a survey in order to provide an opportunity for the public to comment on the standards. The results of the survey will directly inform any changes that we make to the standards as a result of the review. I look forward to hearing from you and reviewing your feedback on the standards. -- Commissioner Elia

Click here to take our survey

Jersey Jazzman: Eva Moskowitz Crosses The Line

Jersey Jazzman: Eva Moskowitz Crosses The Line:

Eva Moskowitz Crosses The Line

Looks like the pressure is finally getting to Eva Moskowitz.

She's had a good long run as the Queen of Reformyland. As Peter Greene notes in his quick biography, Moskowitz pretty much gets whatever she wants, whenever she wants it. Not only that: she has, up until now, been given a free pass for taking some pretty brazen actions. How do you think the press would react if a public school superintendent moved her district's calendar around so her students could go to the state capital and protest?

Unfortunately for Eva, all the attention she's brought to herself has inevitably led people to start taking a hard, critical look at her self-proclaimed successes. Leo Casey has a comprehensive piece out at Shanker Blog that casts serious doubt on Success Academy's disciplinary policies:

To provide the most complete picture possible of what is happening in both the Success Academy schools and regular New York City public schools, it was necessary to gather data from a number of different sources. Let us start with most recent dataset, for the year 2013-14, which was published late last spring as part of the New York State School Report Cards. According to the state data, in 2013-14, Success Academy Charter Schools had a total of 728 suspensions for a suspension rate of 11 percent, while the New York City public schools had a total of 9617 suspensions for a suspension rate of one percent. 

We know that the NYC public school data is understated, however, because

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