CURMUDGUCATION: Gates Support

CURMUDGUCATION: Gates Support:

Gates Support

It is possible that the Gates folks just don't know the meaning of the word "support."

At Impatient Optimists, the Gates Foundation blog, well-traveled reformster Vicki Phillips starts out with a new twist on a classic teacher narrative trope.

Of all the teachers I had growing up, I think about Miss Marjorie the most. She was the hardcore head teacher of McQuady Elementary, the poor grade school near where I grew up in Falls of Rough, Kentucky. Miss Marjorie taught me hard work, how to treat my peers, how to respect my elders and how to hold myself accountable.

But it turns out that Miss Marjorie sucked. When Phillips got to college, she "wasn't ready." Which is why Phillips flunked out of college and failed to ever get a job. Ha! Not really. Vicki Phillips has two college degrees, spent time in a classroom, was a superintendent, and rose through various edu-supervisory positions to now act as the edu-mouthpiece for one of the richest men in the world. Damn that Miss Marjorie and the life of abject failure she condemned Vicki Phillips to.

What Miss Marjorie needed was "support." She "didn't have the tools." She wasn't "supported with high standards or insightful teacher evaluations or professional development to improve her practice."

By using our context clues and doing some close reading, we can quickly conclude that as used by Phillips, "supported" means "fixed."

This is one of the premises of the Gates Approach To Education-- teachers do not know what they're CURMUDGUCATION: Gates Support:





Did RttT Jump-start Edu-Change?

At Education Next, William Howells offers a rater scholarly look at the impact of Race to the Top in "Results of President Obama’s Race to the Top." (The URL says "Race to the Top Reform"-- I wonder what editorial impulse squashed the R word from the final title.)

In particular, Howells is interested in RttT's effect on the larger world of state education policy. "In its public rhetoric, the Obama administration emphasized its intention to use Race to the Top to stimulate new education-policy activity. How would we know if it succeeded?" Howell's is really interested in just that wonky policy question-- he doesn't address the quality or basis for the policy changes, and though he mentions standards, he does once mention Common Core by name. But he does come to the conclusion that the answer is, yes, Race to the Top jump-started policy revolution in the US.

The surge of post-2009 policy activity constitutes a major accomplishment for the Obama administration. With a relatively small amount of money, little formal constitutional authority in education, and without the power to unilaterally impose his will upon state governments, President Obama managed to jump-start policy processes that had languished for years in state governments around the country.

The always-thoughtful Andy Smarick (Bellwether) thinks that Howells may be suffering from a little 

Did RttT Jump-start Edu-Change?

To Become a Bully Free Nation: Identify. Intervene. Advocate. - Lily's Blackboard

To Become a Bully Free Nation: Identify. Intervene. Advocate. - Lily's Blackboard:

To Become a Bully Free Nation: Identify. Intervene. Advocate.

This blog post originally appeared on Huffington Post, you can read HERE.

Anyone who’s worked in a school — from elementary to high school — has seen the same thing. Popular kids sit together at “their table;” sports stars sit together at “their table.” Occasionally, but not nearly enough, we see a student being especially kind to a new kid.

My first job in a school was as a lunch lady, and more times than I would have liked, I saw a child who sat alone. I saw a child mock another child. I saw a child being tripped or pushed. I always intervened, but I never had any formal training on what to do when I saw bullying. I did my best, but today educators don’t have to guess. We know what works in preventing bullying.

First, we now know that ignoring bullying doesn’t help. We know that kids need to know that a caring adult will take action. And we know that that caring adult might be a teacher or a principal or any one of the army of education support professionals (ESPs) that surround that child.

I’ve seen the importance of our ESPs who interact with students on a daily basis–often in less structured environments on the school bus or playground or just walking down the hall. Bus drivers, lunch workers, custodians and para-professionals should all receive the same professional development as teachers, librarians and administrators to know the best way to stop bullying.

There’s no better time to start than now as this month marks National Bullying Prevention Month. NEA has updated its Bully Free: It Starts with Me campaign, which includes free resources for our members and other concerned adults on this important topic. As part of the campaign, we are asking all educators to sign the pledge to show your commitment to being a caring adult that can make a difference in a student’s life.

In addition to asking members to sign the pledge, NEA has created resources that help our members identify bullying, intervene in a bullying incident, and advocate for a bullied student.

I encourage you to sign the pledge today, and I hope you will ask colleagues to join you in signing the pledge. And perhaps together with colleagues, you can start a dialogue about sharing best practices and finding effective ways to make sure every child feels safe. Use the hashtag, #bullyfree, on social media so we can continue the dialogue.

It is time to create a bully free nation. NEA can provide the research and resources to help you take action. Everyone who signs the pledge will receive a free poster and pin, and will be part of a movement to make a real difference.

As I think back to my days in the school cafeteria, I wish there had been more resources and training to help me deal with bullying. I am grateful, however, that today we recognize bullying as an issue that affects students and school environments. Now, we must take advantage of the resources and training available to identify, intervene, and advocate to bring an end to bullying. Let’s demonstrate that we really believe “bully free begins with us”!

Help spread the word about Bullying Prevention Month! Download social media shareables here.  To Become a Bully Free Nation: Identify. Intervene. Advocate. - Lily's Blackboard:

Social Media Shareables

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Posters

 

• NEW! Bullyfree It Starts With Me Poster ( PDF, 115 KB, 1 pg.)

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For Kevin Johnson, Sacramento Mayor, Abuse Claims Resurface - The New York Times

For Kevin Johnson, Sacramento Mayor, Abuse Claims Resurface - The New York Times:

For Kevin Johnson, Sacramento Mayor, Abuse Claims Resurface

SACRAMENTO — It should have been a high point in a career of high points: the premiere of a documentary chronicling how Kevin Johnson— the former N.B.A. All Star who, as mayor, helped rejuvenate this once-ailing capital city — kept the Sacramento Kings from leaving for Seattle with a gleaming new basketball arena.

But hours before the premiere last week, the ESPN network, which produced the documentary, “Down in the Valley,” announced it would delay indefinitely the national release of the film. The network cited the re-emergence of an issue that has shadowed Mr. Johnson since his first campaign in 2008: a claim by a woman that he sexually abused her 20 years ago, when she was 16 and he played for the Phoenix Suns.

On Tuesday night, Mr. Johnson, a Democrat, announced that he would not seek a third term next year, saying, “The city is headed in the right direction and is ready to embrace the exciting changes ahead.” No mayor in this city has ever served three terms.

“There are no truth to the allegations,” he said. “If you go back 20 years ago, they were investigated. Law enforcement obviously didn’t feel there was merit there. For me, I’ve just tried to move on and go forward.”

The Phoenix Police Department investigated the claim but closed the case without filing charges. Mr. Johnson entered a settlement that included a $230,000 payment to his accuser. The mayor declined to comment when asked why, if the charges were unfounded, he had agreed to make a payout.

What is different this time is a videotape of a police interview in which the girl, speaking in a calm voice, describes in disconcerting detail what she said Mr. Johnson did to her, including groping and undressing her. The release of the video, posted on Deadspin, a website devoted to sports news, put a young and vulnerable voice to claims that until now had been only a detached account found in court filings.

“People have so desperately wanted to believe in him that they’ve given him a pass on a lot of things, and I think that has worked out generally to the city’s advantage,” Steve Hansen, a Democratic City Council member and critic of Mr. Johnson’s, said before the announcement. “The wall of not knowing how to deal with his problems, but choosing to ignore the failures in hopes of the promise, has begun to collapse. Once you saw the video and read the story, it was hard to pretend it never happened.”

Mr. Johnson, 49, has long been a polarizing force in this city.

For his admirers, he is the vibrant face of a new Sacramento — epitomized by the $500 million arena going up on J Street, surrounded by a burst of construction inspired by the project. He is a former president of the United States Conference of Mayors and a regular guest of President Obama at the White House. He is married to Michelle Rhee, the high-profile school superintendent who, like Mr. Johnson, has a history of battling teachers’ unions.

He can barely walk from City Hall to a favorite hangout a block away, the Grange Restaurant and Bar, without getting stopped with a request for a photograph.

“These are minor distractions,” Rick Jennings, a member of the City Council, said of the allegation. “They are not in any way going to keep Sacramento from going forward. The people I’ve talked to don’t think it’s significant. They are looking at a 20-year-old issue versus what’s being done here now in Sacramento and what he’s done to make Sacramento a better place.”

For others, the videotape has only reinforced their aversion to this mayor. “This has been an ongoing issue in Sacramento,” said Kerri Asbury, who is For Kevin Johnson, Sacramento Mayor, Abuse Claims Resurface - The New York Times:

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: