Charters schools see mixed results after complaining about treatment by L.A. Unified - LA Times

Charters schools see mixed results after complaining about treatment by L.A. Unified - LA Times:

Charter school groups complain to LAUSD, then score some new schools

After formally complaining that the Los Angeles Unified School District is treating them with increasing unfairness, charter school operators caught a few breaks at Tuesday's school board meeting.

The Board of Education did reject one proposal for a new charter, but members approved two others. Backers withdrew four other start-up petitions rather than face an anticipated thumbs-down.

In addition, one current charter won its bid for another five-year operating agreement even though the L.A. Unified charter division had called for it to be closed.

Twenty-one charters groups, which enroll about 56,000 students, had complained in a letter sent Monday to district officials. Among the figures they cited: The district approved about 9 in 10 charter petitions two years ago, compared with under half this year.

The decisions on Tuesday followed long discussions among board members about the specific issues before them and the handling of charters in general.

"It was encouraging to see the board seriously and openly examine whether it has been inconsistent in its review of charter school petitions,” said Malka Borrego, founder of Equitas Academy and one of the charter directors who signed the letter.

he added that charter leaders want to meet with the district “to press for clear, consistent guidelines for charter petition reviews. All we want is a transparent and consistent process that supports schools and students.”

The issue weighed on board member Monica Ratliff, who said during the meeting that she would like to see a review going back five years. She would like to know whether the charter division is handling evaluation and oversight differently than before.

“I believe we should take all allegations seriously,” Ratliff said, adding that she does not assume that any change is necessarily for the worse.

Charters schools see mixed results after complaining about treatment by L.A. Unified - LA Times:

The Ohio Department of Education has a lot of explaining to do about its charter school grant: editorial | cleveland.com

The Ohio Department of Education has a lot of explaining to do about its charter school grant: editorial | cleveland.com:
The Ohio Department of Education has a lot of explaining to do about its charter school grant: editorial

 At this point, it's nearly impossible to trust anything the Ohio Department of Education has to say on charter school performance, the subject of so much chicanery last year that in November the federal government froze a giant $71 million charter school expansion grant to Ohio. 

And it just gets worse.

The latest news? A Jan. 29 letter from ODE to federal regulators sent in an attempt to win back the grant reveals that Ohio has nearly 10 times as many failing charter schools as it first reported to the U.S. Department of Education in its 2015 charter-school-expansion grant application.

The letter was in response to a federal government request for more information from Ohio as it reviews the state's once-successful grant that would allow the best charter schools to expand using federal funds.

Feds demand more information about Ohio's charter school application

Ohio must provide the U.S. Department of Education with a lot more details about its charter school oversight programs before receiving any of $71 million in federal charter expansion grants.

The feds froze the grant because of a separate issue: David Hansen, then ODE's school choice director, failed to include the F grades of online schools, as required by state law, in a statewide evaluation of charter sponsors, organizations that are responsible for the schools.  

Hansen resigned, but suspicion also fell on the state's grant application, as well it should, and on who else within ODE knew about this attempted sleight of hand The Ohio Department of Education has a lot of explaining to do about its charter school grant: editorial | cleveland.com:

James Kirylo: The Selling of Teacher Education (And Why We Should Resist) | deutsch29

James Kirylo: The Selling of Teacher Education (And Why We Should Resist) | deutsch29:

James Kirylo: The Selling of Teacher Education (And Why We Should Resist)

The following is a guest post by Dr. James Kirylo, professor of teaching and learning at Southeastern Louisiana University. Kirylo’s research interests include critical pedagogy, curriculum theory, teacher leadership, and literacy development.

  

James Kirylo

In his guest post, Kirylo takes issue with the marketing of a teacher education “brand”– complete with cash to entice teacher ed programs to get their respective faculty professionals to “buy in.”

The Selling of Teacher Education (And Why We Should Resist)

James D. Kirylo

All of us have likely been mandated or required to attend a meeting, seminar, or workshop at our places of employment where the objective of the event was to introduce a new concept, or a different instrument, or another way of doing things.

As a participant in those types of venues—particularly at a university setting where presumably democratic spaces are greatly valued—I find it more than annoying when the presenter at some point rolls out that the aim of the event is to get attendees to embrace the new direction, summoning the phrase that “buy in” has to occur.

It seems to me corporate types are fond of that phrase.  Maybe it’s because it gives them wicked pleasure that they are giving the—albeit false—appearance that participants have an element of choice as to whether they care to buy 

James Kirylo: The Selling of Teacher Education (And Why We Should Resist) | deutsch29:

CURMUDGUCATION: Citizens United vs. Friedrich

CURMUDGUCATION: Citizens United vs. Friedrich: "Citizens United vs. Friedrich"

Citizens United vs. Friedrich

Mark Joseph Stern, writing for Slate about Hillary Clinton's NH concession speech, notes in passing a looming contradiction between the Friedrich vs. California Teachers case and the terrible Citizen's United decision.

Folks tend to remember the bizarre reasoning that corporations are people, money is free speech, and there is no appearance of corruption when a corporation hands an elected official a giant suitcase full of money. But one of the arguments that the Supremes rejected in Citizens United was this one:

This problem arises because of the structure of corporations: the owners of the corporations, the shareholders, do not control how the assets of the corporation are used; the managers do. This separation of ownership and control is known as the agency problem in corporate law. The agency problem presents the potential for the shareholders’ agents, corporate management, to use the shareholders’ property, the assets of the corporation, for management’s own purposes. One argument made in favor of limiting corporate expenditures is that management can use the assets of the corporations to support political causes shareholders do not agree with, thereby violating the shareholders’ rights of association. The potential violation of this right gives the government a compelling interest justifying speech limitations.

In other words, shareholders could find their corporate assets being used to support a political cause CURMUDGUCATION: Citizens United vs. Friedrich: "Citizens United vs. Friedrich"

Where do the 2016 presidential candidates stand on education? | Parents Across America

Where do the 2016 presidential candidates stand on education? | Parents Across America:

Where do the 2016 presidential candidates stand on education?

PAA does not endorse any candidate, but we are committed to educating parents and the general public about where the candidates and parties stand on education issues. The information in the following table was retrieved on Feb. 10. 2016 from www.ontheissues.org/education and www.ballotpedia.org. We have focused on the two remaining Democratic candidates and the top 7 Republican nominees based on today’s national polling. Download a pdf version of this chart (one that’s quite a bit easier to read!) here.

Candidate	General education philosophy	Testing	Charters	Vouchers	Other
J. Bush (R)	Lines up with much        of corporate reform agenda	Pushed for more tests as Gov. of Florida	Strongly supports “choice” and charter schools, started a charter school	Strongly supports	Abolished FL lower class size program
B. Carson (R)	Public education is a propaganda system		Supports “choice”	Strongly supports
H. Clinton (D)	Democratic public  schools are important	Too much testing, no test-based teacher evaluation	Says charters should be a choice  for parents but has criticized them – says they should supplement not supplant strong public schools	Opposes	Supports arts education, universal pre-school
T. Cruz (R)	Control belongs at local level		Supports “choice”		Abolish Common Core, Dept. of Education
J. Kasich (R)	Competition key to education; give power back to local level		Strongly supports “choice”	Supports	Believes Bible is history, schools do not need more funding, supports constitutional amendment for school prayer
M. Rubio (R)	Competition and choice will save public education; less federal involvement, stronger local role		Strongly supports charters           and “choice;” says this benefits low-income families most	Strongly supports
B. Sanders (D)	His comments focus primarily on higher ed	Supports annual federal testing mandate but wants “holistic approach” to testing	Has supported charters, voted for more federal funding for them,    but recently stated that he opposes privately run charter schools.	Opposes	Supports reduced class size
D. Trump (R)	Much smaller federal role in education		Supports “choice”		Opposes teachers unions, Common Core

- See more at: http://parentsacrossamerica.org/2016-presidential-candidates-stand-education/#sthash.lcnesofH.dpuf

In Schools, Teacher Quality Matters Most | VAMboozled!

In Schools, Teacher Quality Matters Most | VAMboozled!:

In Schools, Teacher Quality Matters Most

Education Next — a non peer-reviewed journal with a mission to “steer a steady course, presenting the facts as best they can be determined…[while]…partak[ing] of no program, campaign, or ideology,” although these last claims are certainly of controversy (see, for example, here and here) — just published an article titled “In Schools, Teacher Quality Matters Most” as part of the journal’s series commemorating the 50th anniversary of James Coleman’s (and colleagues’) groundbreaking 1966 report, “Equality of Educational Opportunity.”

For background, the purpose of The Coleman Report was to assess the equal educational opportunities provided to children of different race, color, religion, and national origin. The main finding was that what we know today as students of color (although African American students were of primary focus in this study), who are (still) often denied equal educational opportunities due to a variety of factors, are largely and unequally segregated across America’s public schools, especially as segregated from their white and wealthier peers. These disparities were most notable via achievement measures, and what we know today as “the achievement gap.” Accordingly, Coleman et al. argued that equal opportunities for students in said schools mattered (and continue to matter) much more for these traditionally marginalized and segregated students than for those who were/are whiter and more economically fortunate. In addition, Coleman argued that out-of-school influences also mattered much more than in-school influences on said achievement. On this point, though, The Coleman Report was of great controversy, and (mis)interpreted as (still) supporting arguments that students’ teachers and schools do/don’t matter as much as students’ families and backgrounds do.

Hence, the Education Next article of focus in this post takes this up, 50 years later, and post the advent of value-added models (VAMs) as better measures than those to which In Schools, Teacher Quality Matters Most | VAMboozled!:

Christine Campbell, Randi Weingarten: Don’t be fooled by charter school bill (Gazette)

Charleston Gazette-Mail | Christine Campbell, Randi Weingarten: Don’t be fooled by charter school bill (Gazette):
Christine Campbell, Randi Weingarten: Don’t be fooled by charter school bill (Gazette)

When it comes to our neighborhood schools, we need to ensure they are places where parents want to send their children, educators want to teach and students thrive. This takes resources, hard work and collaboration — as we are doing in McDowell County. Unfortunately, the West Virginia Legislature is considering a bill that would go in the opposite direction, creating new charter schools that would — as experience in other states suggests — drain resources, thwart partnerships and strip local decision-making and taxpayer and parent accountability.

Charter schools succeed only when they are held accountable academically and financially, and when teachers and service personnel are respected and empowered to advocate for their students. Yet it is that lack of accountability and adequate protections for students and educators that are at the core of so many charter school failures.

One of the selling points by promoters of charter schools is that the schools get public dollars without the usual oversight regulations of traditional public schools.

But states with weak charter school laws, like the proposed legislation in West Virginia, have seen financial embezzlement, self-dealing and poor student performance.

For example, Michigan has one of the weakest charter accountability laws in the nation and offers a textbook case for what not to do. Even though taxpayers poured about $1 billion a year into charters, a Detroit Free Press investigation last year found a wide range of abuses, including wasteful spending, double-dipping and dismal school performance.

In Ohio, the state auditor found that between 2000 and 2014, 110 charter schools had misspent a total of $22.6 million, and many of those schools were closed.

In Pennsylvania, charter school officials have defrauded $30 million intended for students since 1997; ironically, virtually all of the state’s charter schools are found to be fiscally sound each year. And West

- See more at: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/gazette-opinion/20160210/christine-campbell-randi-weingarten-dont-be-fooled-by-charter-school-bill-gazette#sthash.LBSPqSTH.dpuf

The education mess in Ohio under Gov. John Kasich - The Washington Post

The education mess in Ohio under Gov. John Kasich - The Washington Post:

The education mess in Ohio under Gov. John Kasich

Ohio Gov. John Kasich is campaigning for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination by touting “successes” in his state, including his education record. But a look at that record offers a somewhat different picture than the one he paints. In fact, some see a real education mess created by the Kasich administration since he took office in 2011.

What does that mess look like? Issues confronting public education in Ohio include:

*a scandal-ridden charter school sector
*budget cuts for traditional public schools at the same time as increased funding for  charter schools and school vouchers
*controversial state takeovers of “failing” schools
*a questionable teacher evaluation system that uses as one factor the standardized test scores of students, against the recommendation of assessment experts
*the botched administration of the Common Core test known as PARCC (which the state later dropped).

Kasich’s campaign website highlights his education record, saying in part:

For American students to be prepared for success in an increasingly competitive global economy, they must receive strong education support from parents and educators, including high expectations — especially in math and English. John Kasich has put this priority to work in Ohio. He has also reinforced that education is a local responsibility, not one to be micromanaged by federal bureaucrats. Additionally, he has expanded school choice, worked to prevent students from dropping out and is helping make college more affordable.

Yet he has alienated many teachers. As an expression of how some Ohio The education mess in Ohio under Gov. John Kasich - The Washington Post:

Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo Testifies in Support of DPS Teachers - YouTube

Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo Testifies in Support of DPS Teachers - YouTube:

Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo Testifies in Support of DPS Teachers 

 Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo testifies in the Michigan Senate Committee. She is a former Detroit public school science teacher, and knows first hand the reality that Detroit teachers face everyday. 


The package of bills would impose stricter penalties for teachers and unions who violate the law, as well as impose fines on school districts that don't comply with MERC enforcement rulings. In addition, it would give the state superintendent authority to enforce penalties following a strike and allow joint or aggregate hearings for teachers accused of illegally striking. Rep. Sherry GAY-DAGNOGO (D-Detroit) testified against the bills at the hearing today, calling the legislation "un-American" and arguing that the bills go against democratic ideals and First Amendment rights. Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo Testifies in Support of DPS Teachers - YouTube:

Breaking laws or breaking children? A list of data and the laws. – Missouri Education Watchdog

Breaking laws or breaking children? A list of data and the laws. – Missouri Education Watchdog:

Breaking laws or breaking children? A list of data and the laws.

Are secret algorithms and mandated data collection violating basic human rights and existing law?  A list of each: data and law.

The data:

• Secret data collecting and predictive algorithms happening to school children here.
• Data badges, micro-credentials and competency based education here.
• Children being (mis)labeled in schools, how every state has an SLDS database and data dictionary of student personally identifiable information here.
• FERPA is a data sharing law: the FERPA “secret” from a data expert and advisor to Ed-Fi and the US Dept of Ed,  on how to share data with anyone, without having to de-identify it here.
• First in the nation, Education-Workforce-Credentialing $10 million pilot, with LinkedIn building tools to share data on a “massive scale” –and– a 327 page workforce blueprint to align SLDS databases and share data here.
• The astonishing amount of information collected on children here and here.
• Data insecurity: US Dept of Ed and it’s lack of security, lack of accountability and perceived lack of  integrity in protecting your children’s data here.

 The laws:

Meet the Nuremberg Code:

“The voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential.” -The Nuremberg Code
The Nuremberg Code is a U.S. law that lists many criteria which must be met before conducting research on humans, including consent. In fact, the Nuremberg Code is the basis requires Internal Review Boards (IRBs) designated to approve, monitor, and review biomedical and behavioral research involving humans. In the case of studies involving the use of educational tests, there are specific Breaking laws or breaking children? A list of data and the laws. – Missouri Education Watchdog: