Wednesday, April 7, 2021

THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Wednesday, April 7, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #openonlywhensafe #edchat #K12 #learning #edleadership #edtech #engchat #literacy #edreform

 Big Education Ape

THE TOP BANANA
TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES 



In Philadelphia, education secretary says schools can open safely https://philadelphia.chalkbeat.org/2021/4/6/22370730/in-philadelphia-education-secretary-says-schools-can-open-safely via @ChalkbeatPHL

An Early Retirement Incentive Exists! But, what does it say? | JD2718 - https://wp.me/pOjh-291 on @wordpressdotcom

Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Election Results plus State Legislative Special Elections in CA, MO, OK, and WI https://decisiondeskhq.com/wisconsin-superintendent-of-public-instruction-election-results-plus-state-legislative-special-elections-in-ca-mo-ok-and-wi/

April (2021) Useful Parent Engagement Resources – Part One | Engaging Parents In School… - https://engagingparentsinschool.edublogs.org/?p=6403

NEA leads fight to fix public service loan forgiveness https://educationvotes.nea.org/?p=49064#.YG3Q-kCDx4Y.twitter via @EdVotes

The Money Stays on Campus: Universities and Control of Urban Communities with Davarian Baldwin | NewBlackMan (in Exile) - https://www.newblackmaninexile.net/2021/04/the-money-stays-on-campus-universities.html

81% of teachers vaccinated or have appointments, according to union survey - CBS News - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-19-vaccine-teachers-81-percent/ on @CBSPolitics

COVID-19 cases dip as schools enjoy spring break https://thelensnola.org/2021/04/06/covid-19-cases-dip-as-schools-enjoy-spring-break/

San Francisco suspends plan to rename Lincoln, Washington schools http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRawStory/~3/1HSXxtwrePA/

NC bill orders any school employee to ‘immediately’ notify parents if a child ‘exhibits gender nonconformity’ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRawStory/~3/aUc8Szwo0_8/

California school district reaches impasse with union over its demands, including 4 child care centers https://www.foxnews.com/us/california-sacramento-school-district-union-return-to-work-conditions-impasse

No, thousands of people did not die from the coronavirus vaccine — and other news literacy lessons https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/04/07/no-thousands-of-people-did-not-die-from-vaccine/

Newsom expects K-12 schools to be open full time in fall http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/lanowblog/~3/tteobnWStIg/newsom-expects-k-12-schools-to-be-open-full-time-in-fall

State budget to bring a long-awaited windfall for NYC schools https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/ny-budget-foundation-aid-fully-funded-20210406-t4anqcb5bvduvdmuto765ranei-story.html#ed=rss_www.nydailynews.com/arcio/rss/category/new-york/education/

San Francisco Schools Will Keep Jefferson, Lincoln and Washington Names https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/07/us/san-francisco-schools-names.html

Poll: Nearly half of parents don’t want their kids to go to a four-year college https://hechingerreport.org/poll-nearly-half-of-parents-dont-want-their-kids-to-go-to-a-four-year-college/

JB signs two bills and I have concerns. – Fred Klonsky - https://wp.me/p4C3g-qfj via @fklonsky

Education Research Report: 6.8% fewer students attending college immediately after high school this past fall, an unprecedented one-year decline - http://educationresearchreport.blogspot.com/2021/04/68-fewer-students-attending-college.html

Perspective | Why Republican efforts to ban the 1619 Project from classrooms are so misguided https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/04/07/why-republican-efforts-to-ban-1619-project-classrooms-are-so-misguided/?tid=ss_tw

Masks and a good ventilation system are more important than social distancing for reducing the airborne spread of COVID-19 in classrooms http://educationresearchreport.blogspot.com/2021/04/masks-and-good-ventilation-system-are.html

Teacher turnover hasn’t increased during the pandemic — yet. https://www.chalkbeat.org/2021/4/6/22368846/teacher-turnover-quitting-pandemic-data-economy via @Chalkbeat

Natomas teachers union files unfair labor charge after district announces 5-day schedule http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/BB1fmO2U?ocid=st

Teachers union calls on Chicago to delay high school reopening by a week, but district wants to stay course - Chalkbeat Chicago - https://chicago.chalkbeat.org/2021/4/6/22370852/less-than-two-weeks-from-chicagos-high-school-reopening-date-questions-remain-over-labor-logistics#new_tab on chalkbeat

Nearly Half of U.S. Parents Want More Noncollege Paths - https://news.gallup.com/poll/344201/nearly-half-parents-noncollege-paths.aspx#new_tab on @Gallup

Survey: Even as schools reopen, many students learn remotely - https://apnews.com/article/survey-schools-reopen-many-students-still-learn-remotely-e4d47c469e5bbd96868766771064f620 on @ap

S.F. school board reverses decision to rename 44 schools, citing 'frivolous litigation' - https://www.sfchronicle.com/local/article/S-F-school-board-expected-to-reverse-decision-to-16081256.php#new_tab on @sfchronicle

Oklahoma Public School Districts Band Together To Fight Charter School Funding Equalization | KGOU - https://www.kgou.org/node/179463

70 school districts preparing to sue Ohio over private school vouchers - cleveland.com - https://www.cleveland.com/open/2021/04/70-school-districts-preparing-to-sue-ohio-over-private-school-vouchers.html#new_tab on @clevelanddotcom

Will Governor McKee take over the Providence school takeover? http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/BB1fnNz4?ocid=st

Bill would allow Alabama parents to move students to other school districts - al.com - https://www.al.com/news/2021/04/bill-would-allow-alabama-parents-to-move-students-to-other-school-districts.html#new_tab on @aldotcom

Answer Sheet: A Look at Whether Charter Schools Are Fiscal Threats to Local School Districts | National Education Policy Center - https://nepc.colorado.edu/node/10839 on @NEPCtweet

Here’s what we know about infections in D.C. schools https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/dc-school-covid-infections/2021/04/07/78aa4ce0-9343-11eb-a74e-1f4cf89fd948_story.html

How Box Tops for Education Lost Its Way http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheAtlantic/~3/46mM9y3dfOk/


Big Education Ape: Texas: Public Schools Are Better Than Charter Schools: Stop Funding Failure! | Diane Ravitch's blog - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/04/texas-public-schools-are-better-than.html


Big Education Ape: New York Allows Opt IN for State Tests This Year | Diane Ravitch's blog - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/04/new-york-allows-opt-in-for-state-tests.html


Big Education Ape: Betsy DeVos’ hand-picked candidate for Wisconsin state school superintendent loses | Salon.com - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/04/betsy-devos-hand-picked-candidate-for.html


Big Education Ape: Teacher Tom: Let's Turn The World Around: Teacher Tom's Play Summit - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/04/teacher-tom-lets-turn-world-around.html


Big Education Ape: OKLAHOMA ELECTION UPDATE - Paula Lewis re-elected chairperson of OKCPS Board of Education - NonDoc - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/04/oklahoma-election-update-paula-lewis-re.html


Big Education Ape: JEFF BRYANT: Yes, Biden Promised to End Standardized Testing in Schools - LA Progressive - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/04/jeff-bryant-yes-biden-promised-to-end.html


Big Education Ape: Carol Corbett Burris: Why Do Charter Schools Get Away with Massive Fraud? | Diane Ravitch's blog - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/04/carol-corbett-burris-why-do-charter.html


Big Education Ape: On Numerators and Denominators and the Reckless Redistribution of School Funding | okeducationtruths - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/04/on-numerators-and-denominators-and.html


Big Education Ape: The Hubris of Billionaire Philanthropy and the Damage Wrought by the Common Core Standards | janresseger - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/04/the-hubris-of-billionaire-philanthropy.html


Big Education Ape: SSPI Issues Statement Regarding Reopening CA + SFSP Mandatory Training is Now Available - Year 2021 (CA Dept of Education) - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/04/sspi-issues-statement-regarding.html


Big Education Ape: NYC Educator: The DOE Office of Equal Opportunity at Work - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/04/nyc-educator-doe-office-of-equal.html


Big Education Ape: CURMUDGUCATION: Can You Fool An AI Emotion Reader - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/04/curmudgucation-can-you-fool-ai-emotion.html


Big Education Ape: A VERY BUSY DAY Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 #tBATs - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/04/a-very-busy-day-larry-ferlazzos_7.html



YESTERDAY

THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Tuesday, April 6, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #openonlywhensafe #edchat #K12 #learning #edleadership #edtech #engchat #literacy #edreform
Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Biden’s school reopening drive fuels fourth surge of pandemic in the US https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/04/06/schl-a06.html Los Angeles teachers will get child care stipend for young kids https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2021/04/05/los-angeles-teachers-will-get-child-care-stipend-for-young-kids-1371732 NYC Educator

Big Education Ape

SAVE SACRAMENTO CITY'S AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM: 4TH R AFTER SCHOOL CHILDCARE - Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education #Save4thR @RSave4th

 Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education


Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education | Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Sacramento-Coalition-to-Save-Public-Education-195811913765187
Students and parents can't get back to "normal" without reliable childcare. 4th R is threatened with closure. Below are ways you can lobby decision makers to restore 4th R.
Hello Save 4th R Families!
Congratulations on getting nearly 1,000 signatures on our Petition! The Petition has been forwarded to the Superintendent and all the School Board Trustees as well as the City Council working group on 4th R (Councilmembers Valenzeula, Guerra, Schenirer, and Vang).
**Please note: SCCSC sent out an email last night that does seem to say it is attempting to replicate the 4th R program fairly closely. You can see those FAQs at https://sccsc.org/academy-of-scholars/.**
4th R is a special program for children and families. It’s more than convenience and low fees – it’s a trusted partner in raising and caring for the children in our neighborhoods. It’s a place where kids learn new life skills in a safe and fun environment. It’s something we all relied on and looked forward to our children resuming once the pandemic let up to give them the social and emotional space as we reopen our lives.
And both Natomas Unified and Twin Rivers have operating 4th R sites right now.
If you are still in this fight, here are some actions you can take before Thursday's School Board Meeting:
If you have 5 minutes:
Post a picture of you (or your child, if you’re comfortable with that) holding a #Save4thR sign on Social Media – please tag #Save4thR @RSave4th @mayor_Steinberg @OfficialSCUSD @katie4council @kyamamura @MackenzieMays @CBSSacramento @FOX40 @laurelrosenhall @sawsan24
If you have 10 minutes:
Forward this email on to 5 friends and family and send a note to your City Council Member (https://www.cityofsacramento.org/Mayor-Council) and School Board member (https://www.scusd.edu/board-education-members) telling them to Save 4th R! (If you need talking points, see below.)
If you have 15 minutes:
Draft a public comment for the school board meeting on Thursday (must be submitted by noon on Thursday!) by email to publiccomment@scusd.edu – and please send us at copy at saccityparentsandcaregivers@gmail.com (you can also submit it at https://tinyurl.com/SCUSDcommentApril8).
If you have a 30 minutes:
Sign up to testify at Thursday, April 8’s School Board meeting by noon on April 8 filling out the form at https://tinyurl.com/SCUSDcommentApril8 indicating you’d like to speak on item 9.0 Public Comment Items Not on the Agenda. You will have up to 2 minutes to speak. Directions about how you will be called will be emailed to you (you will get a telephone call from someone at the District. Please note, Public Comment isn’t “scheduled” to start until 9:30pm so submit your comment in writing if you can’t stay up late).
If you have 60 minutes:
Sign up to show up at the start of the School Board Meeting https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSf40z2s6EW.../viewform...
This Thursday, April 8 at 5:30pm-6:30pm
5735 47th Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95824
Talking Points – choose some that work for you
1. We want 4th R back.
2. My family is willing to wait for 4th R until summer or fall.
3. 4th R is a public asset that Sacramento wants expanded not gutted.
4. Our children are depending on the care and programming offered by 4th R. Haven’t they suffered enough in this pandemic?
Supports for your statements:
4th R is vital to our children’s social and emotional health and is a trusted partner for our children’s care and education
4th R at most sites is waitlisted. Instead of shutting down a treasured community-owned asset and giving it to a nonprofit, expand all our options and offer both and all schools and more. We need more childcare, not less!
This is a fee-based program that families pay for; it’s not costing the District any money. So let parents be part of the decision-making on who and where care will be provided. Don’t make a decision this core to our day-to-day life without engaging us and with no notice.
With all the relief money coming from the feds and state, we should be adding childcare options, not shutting them down.
This is a women’s and children’s rights issue. For women to return to work in any numbers, we must have safe, reliable, trusted, and quality childcare. 4th R was exactly that. Bring it back.
4th R supports families and children in innumerable ways – from affirming gender pronouns to sparking creativity. Our City needs 4th R to build our next generation.
Offer some limited care options for families that need it but wait for 4th R to ramp up.
4th R creates community at its sites. Children develop long-lasting relationships, keeps children learning in the summer, is safe and comforting, and provides relief to families in the middle of a pandemic. We need continuity and consistency. Not chaos.
The new program isn’t close to being ready anyway. Let’s wait for 4th R.

Big Education Ape: Sacramento School Kids Continue to Pay for City's Privatization Scheme - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2015/04/sacramento-school-kids-continue-to-pay.html

Big Education Ape: After-school programs could be cut at four Sacramento schools | The Sacramento Bee The Sacramento Bee - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2015/04/after-school-programs-could-be-cut-at.html

Big Education Ape: Sacramento City Council votes to keep 4th “R” programs, START intact | The Sacramento Bee The Sacramento Bee - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2015/04/sacramento-city-council-votes-to-keep.html


Texas: Public Schools Are Better Than Charter Schools: Stop Funding Failure! | Diane Ravitch's blog

Texas: Public Schools Are Better Than Charter Schools: Stop Funding Failure! | Diane Ravitch's blog
Texas: Public Schools Are Better Than Charter Schools: Stop Funding Failure!



I recently had the pleasure of speaking to the North Texas School Boards Association by Zoom. Right now, Texas is ground zero for the charter industry. This is astonishing because the public schools in Texas far outperform the charter schools. The charter school lobby markets themselves as “saviors” of children, but they are far more likely to fail than public schools. This is a summary of what I told my friends in Texas:

I am a graduate of the Houston public schools. My father, who grew up in Savannah, never finished high school; my mother, who was born in Bessarabia, was very proud of her high school diploma from the Houston public schools.

I believe that all of us, whether or not we have children, whether or not we have children in public school, have a civic obligation to support public schools, just as we must support other public services, like police, firefighting, public roads, public parks, and public libraries. Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society, and no investment is more precious than investing in the education of our CONTINUE READING: Texas: Public Schools Are Better Than Charter Schools: Stop Funding Failure! | Diane Ravitch's blog

New York Allows Opt IN for State Tests This Year | Diane Ravitch's blog

New York Allows Opt IN for State Tests This Year | Diane Ravitch's blog
New York Allows Opt IN for State Tests This Year



In New York, several school districts announced an “opt in” policy for state testing, led by the Ossining School District. The deal: If parents want their children to take the tests, they must write a letter asking for them to “opt in.” Other districts followed. Now the entire state of New York will allow districts to have an “opt in” policy. If parents want their child tested, it will be done. If they don’t, they don’t have to “opt out” or do anything. Some districts may prefer to stick with the old way of requiring everyone to take the tests.

This is a remarkable turn of events!

The U.S. Department of Education has denied waivers to states that don’t want to administer the tests. This was an incredibly tone-deaf decision that brought an outcry from educators and parents, who know it is unfair to administer standardized tests in the midst of a pandemic. During the campaign, candidate Joe Biden promised to get rid of the annual standardized tests. But his test-happy minions in the Department of Education issued a decision breaking his promise, even before Secretary Cardona was confirmed. He has had to explain and try to justify an very CONTINUE READING: New York Allows Opt IN for State Tests This Year | Diane Ravitch's blog

Betsy DeVos’ hand-picked candidate for Wisconsin state school superintendent loses | Salon.com

Betsy DeVos’ hand-picked candidate for Wisconsin state school superintendent loses | Salon.com
Betsy DeVos’ hand-picked candidate for Wisconsin state school superintendent loses
The race became somewhat nationalized with the charter school industry fighting Underly, who was backed by unions



Jill Underly has officially been elected as the new Wisconsin state school superintendent, local news stations reported Tuesday evening.

"State superintendent candidate Deborah Kerr solicited clients and organized branding for her private consulting business through her public school district email address, including several times during work hours, prior to her retirement as Brown Deer School District superintendent last year," said the report.

The race became somewhat nationalized with the charter school industry fighting Underly, who was backed by teachers' unions. Ultimately the normally unnoticed state-wide race brought in over $1 million in out-of-state money, TMJ4 reported.

Betsy DeVos’ hand-picked candidate for Wisconsin state school superintendent loses | Salon.com

Teacher Tom: Let's Turn The World Around: Teacher Tom's Play Summit

Teacher Tom: Let's Turn The World Around: Teacher Tom's Play Summit
Let's Turn The World Around: Teacher Tom's Play Summit



We heard it from Mandela,
"Turn this world around,
For the children" - turn this world around.
He's done it once before, and now we hear his call
For the children, turn this world around.
Turn, turn, turn,
Turn this world around
For the children, turn this world around.
Turn, turn, turn, 
Turn this world around
For the children
Turn this world around.
                                ~Raffi

It's an urgent message, one that's part of almost every conversation I have these days. The principle project of every society has always been to care for the children, yet in so many ways, we are failing in this fundamental task. I myself have been going along for years, feeling like I was doing enough: that if I just tended my little corner of the world where children are free to enjoy an authentic childhood, where they are respected, where their needs are met in a community that strives to let them grow up as free people . . . but I know now that this is not enough.

These last 12 months have been transformative in so many ways, not all bad. Indeed, many of us have expressed our hopes that the legacy of the pandemic might be exactly the catalyst we need to turn this world around, not just for children, but for all of us. At least as many are expressing fears, because transformation doesn't always naturally happen the way we want it to. No, the only way the world has ever "turned around" has been when we make it happen.

This is the inspiration behind Teacher Tom's Play Summit, a free online gathering of early childhood educators and parents taking place June 21-25. Please join us. Together we will turn this world around. 

We've managed to pull together some of the most progressive and thoughtful people in ECE, from Peter Gray, Lisa Murphy, and Maggie Dent to the beloved children's troubadour Raffi whose message of "child honouring" comes directly from the Dali Lama. We have cast a wide net to assemble a line-up of both established experts as well as less often heard voices from marginalized communities. The fate of young children is one of the few issues that can truly unite all of us, and it starts with listening to children, to one another, and sharing our perspectives from around the globe. 

Maori educator Brenda Souter says, "It's a journey. It's not a destination . . . And we certainly have not reached it if it is." Ojibwe teacher Hopi Martin warns, "There is a real need to repair what is lost. We've got to work together or we're in big trouble." And Denisha Jones, co-founder of Black Lives Matters in Schools, tells us that first "we have to liberate ourselves" which is, I think, the most logical next step in this journey that may not reach its destination in our lifetimes.

But that's okay. As Defending Early Childhood board member and Play Empowers founder Kisha Reid said to me when last we spoke, "Let's take over the world!" which is her way of saying "Turn this world around." 

As we hopefully try to emerge from a pandemic, from political and social turmoil, and as we are finally opening our eyes and ears to the voices of those less often heard, the time is ripe for transformation, for children, for all of us, and we are the ones to make it happen.

Please, please join us. Please share with others. Now is the right time and you are the right person. Click here to learn more about our presenters and get on the waitlist. Let's turn this world around.


******

Teacher Tom's Play Summit is online, free, and takes place June 21-25. To learn more and to get on the waitlist, click here!

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