Tuesday, March 2, 2010

A Few More People Need to Be Fired in Rhode Island | Intercepts

A Few More People Need to Be Fired in Rhode Island

In response to President Obama’s support for the firing of the entire staff of Central Falls High School in Rhode Island, the American Federation of Teachers released a joint statement by AFT President Randi Weingarten, Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals President Marcia Reback and Central Falls Teachers Union President Jane Sessums.

President Obama’s comments today condoning the mass firing of the Central Falls High School teachers do not reflect the reality on the ground and completely ignore the teachers’ significant commitment to working with others to transform this school. We know it is tempting for people in Washington to score political points by scapegoating teachers, but it does nothing to give our students and teachers the tools they need to succeed.

AFT attached an April 2009 report by a team of state and district officials who visited the school for two days to assess the literacy program. “The report reinforces the fact that, today, teachers are being blamed unfairly for the schools’ problems,” reads the joint statement.

For the record, I’m opposed to the wholesale firings. It speaks to the inability of the public school system to make any meaningful distinctions in employee performance. The report cited by AFT is not an exoneration of the Central Falls teachers, but a further indictment of the system. If AFT has a legitimate beef, it’s not that the school is improving and the teachers should keep their jobs. It’s that the school system’s method of oversight and evaluation is pathetic.

The 10-month old report is nine pages long – more than four of which simply list the members of the team, note the purpose of the visit, and describe the basics of Central Falls High School’s student body, staff and mission statement. The team included union president Jane Sessums and former NEA Rhode Island president Ronald L. DiOrio.

Here is the type of crucial insight the team provided:

* “Students read at varying levels of proficiency throughout the school.”

* “Students write in almost all classes across all grade levels…. Throughout

Campus Overload - Tuesday News Overload: UC protests continue

Campus Overload- Tuesday News Overload: UC protests continue

Tuesday News Overload: UC protests continue

Hundreds of students from across the University of California system rallied in Sacramento on Monday to urge lawmakers to increase state funding to higher education and increase diversity. Many chanted, "No cuts, no fees, education should be free" outside the Capitol while UC officials and other students met with state lawmakers inside, The Daily Californian reports. Five students were arrested after entering an assemblyman's office and refusing to leave unless he signed a letter promising support for increased funding for higher education as well as specific funding for recruiting and retaining low-income students.

Late Thursday night a violent riot broke out near UC Berkeley, involving more than 200 people, "six law enforcement agencies, runaway dumpsters, flaming trash cans, shattered windows and violent clashes between rioters and police," The Daily Californian reported.

But the largest protest is yet to come. On Thursday students across the state -- at the University of California, state college, community college and K-12 campuses -- and about a dozen other states plan to hold protests, teach-ins and walkouts, The Sacramento Bee reports. Protesters are urged to "March forth on March 4th" so teachers and other workers can keep their jobs and students will not face higher fees and tuition. A student government representative told The Daily Bruinthat after similar protests last semester, "legislators know that they cannot put higher education on the bottom of their list of priorities, or they will be in trouble."

Porn for Bibles
Yesterday students at the University of Texas, San Antonio, could exchange their Bibles, Torahs, Korans and other religious texts for Playboys, Penthouses and other adult magazines at the annual Smut

Calif. Unions Step Up Opposition to Public Education Gutting - Working In These Times

Calif. Unions Step Up Opposition to Public Education Gutting

Tuesday
March 2
7:55 am

Marches, rallies planned statewide

By Seth Sandronsky

SACRAMENTO, CALIF.—Students and workers in California’s public schools—K-12 and higher education—will protest against deep budget cuts on Thursday, March 4.

“We have never before witnessed this much participation and outrage about the dismal state of education on our state campuses and in our public schools,” says Lillian Taiz, president of the California Faculty Association (CFA), a labor union which represents a total of 23,000 tenured and tenure-track instructional faculty, lecturers, librarians, coaches and counselors in the 23-campus California State University. “The call for March 4 protests has hit a nerve. It’s an historic moment.”

In California and across the U.S., tax revenues have slowed sharply after the housing market crash. K-12 spending cuts of $18 billion in the past two years have closed California schools and forced local districts to fire employees. With a $20 billion state budget deficit now, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing education cuts of $2.5 billion, while vowing to protect California’s public school students.

“Our message is simple: legislators must protect and expand the budget for public education with adequate funding,” said Kevin Wehr, a sociology professor at Sacramento State University and CFA campus president.

Local school districts depend on state aid, the decline of which has received a short-term patch of federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that President Obama signed in mid-February 2009. These federal dollars have saved some K-12 school jobs and programs, but this revenue source is nearing an end.

The past year also brought double-digit fee increases for CSU and UC students. These post-secondary students are also facing fewer and more crowded course sections.

On Thursday, marches and rallies to defend public education from further spending cuts will take place statewide—from the San Francisco Civic Center and Pershing Square in Los Angeles to the CSU Northridge campus and state capitol in Sacramento.

Similar assemblies to oppose public education cuts will take place in 17 additional states across the country, according to the CFA. The 340,000-member California Teachers Association, a K-12 teachers union, is also showing support for the March 4 day of public education action.

Back in Sacramento—where Democrats control both houses of the legislature—Majority Leader Alberto Torrico (D-Newark) will speak at the state Capitol’s “Educate the State” rally. His Assembly Bill 656 would impose a 9.9 percent tax on California oil producers, directing roughly $1 billion to the state’s higher education system.

The California Federation of Teachers, which represents 120,000 teachers and support personnel from early childhood through the University of California, "is undertaking a series of actions to publicize the underfunding of public education and social services and to reform how the state legislators make decisions,” said Ken Burt, CFT political director.

These events include the March 4 protests, which aim to call attention to the detrimental affects of skyrocketing tuition at colleges and universities, and "a March 5 kickoff in Los Angeles for a march to Sacramento" that will push for a November 2010 ballot to allow a simple legislative majority to pass a state budget.

In California, the constitution requires the votes of two-thirds—not a majority—of lawmakers to pass budget and revenue actions.

CFT’s statewide march will end in Sacramento at the state apitol on April 21.

Linda Tuttle on her support for Patrick Kennedy, Sacramento City Council District 5

http://patrick-kennedy.com/

5 Arrested During UC Protest At Capitol - Politics News Story - KCRA Sacramento

5 Arrested During UC Protest At Capitol

Anger Rises Over Budget Cuts

POSTED: 8:59 am PST March 1, 2010
UPDATED: 6:38 pm PST March 1, 2010

The arrests came as University of California students marched at the state Capitol to protest statewide education cuts.Five students were arrested at the state Capitol Monday on suspicion of assembling and protesting without a permit on state property, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Students said they're angry with tuition increases -- the cost of tuition has doubled since 2001 -- and cuts that have made it difficult to get into classes.

Among their demands is a $1 billion increase in funding for higher education in 2010-2011; they propose tax increases to pay for those increases.

"What we want to accomplish today is to urge the Legislature to pass those bills we need in a nonviolent way," said Chris Santos, a student from University of California, Los Angeles.

The CHP said the five students who were arrested wanted Assemblyman Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber, to sign a document, but he wouldn't -- so the protesters did a sit-in.

On Friday, a tuition protest turned violent on the UC Berkeley campus. Police said at least 200 students set fires, smashed windows and tossed

False Fronts � The Quick and the Ed

Interest in holding higher education institutions accountable for results has increased steadily over the last decade. In 2000, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education released Measuring Up, the first of what would become biennial grades of each state’s performance in education. In 2006, the Spelling Commission on the Future of Higher Education urged the federal government to get seriously involved in higher education accountability for the first time. And, throughout the decade, higher education rankings grew in number and influence, particularly those of U.S. News & World Report.

In response to all these factors, and out of a (justifiable) fear of a No Child Left Behind-like federal accountability system, higher education leaders launched their own, optional systems. Institutions could decide individually whether it was worth joining the efforts, designed to provide new, comparable information to prospective students and their families.

Calling itself a, “new and distinctive resource for exploring and comparing private colleges and universities,” the University and College Accountability Network (U-CAN) was launched in September 2007. Just a couple months later, another new Web site, this one only for public institutions of higher education, was announced. Called the Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA), it marketed itself as, “a program to provide greater accountability by public institutions through accessible, transparent, and comparable information…” These initiatives and their sponsors should be applauded for their efforts, but is U-CAN really “new and distinctive,” and is the VSA truly “transparent” and “comparable?”

Both Web sites offer much to the public. They are both free, colorful, attractive, and

More from Central Falls Schools Matter

Schools Matter

More from Central Falls

A former Central High student writes:

The author graduated from Central Falls High in Rhode Island in 2003.

Under the advisement of Superintendent of Schools Frances Gallo, the Central Falls school committee in Rhode Island voted 5-2 to fire the entire faculty, 93 people total, including the principal, three assistant principals and 77 teachers at Central Falls High School on Feb. 23.
. . . .

Central Falls is one of the poorest cities in the state and the country, with a median income of only $22,000. Of the 800-plus students at Central Falls High, the only high school in the city, 65 percent are Latino, most whom speak English as a second language. Yet somehow, these facts do not get taken into account when looking at test scores.
Standardized testing such as the NECAP (New England Common Assessment Program) is culturally biased, and does not adequately "assess" a student’s knowledge. Imagine having to take a test in another language that you barely understand. Is it really possible to do well if the student does not even understand the questions?
Many students also lack "initiative" due to the inability to pay for college. If students know they cannot afford college, then why would high school matter to them? The same teacher added in her interview with PSLweb.org: "My major concern is the number of undocumented immigrants at the school. These students and their families are in fear that they will be discovered and deported. Many of them do not finish school because they can’t go to college without papers. This is a common occurrence."
These are the real issues that face Central Falls High School students every day. I know this personally. I graduated from Central Falls in 2003. I experienced first-hand families of friends struggling to make ends meet; students trying to juggle full-time jobs needed to help their parents pay bills and also trying to finish school work on time.

Schooling Sacramento voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence. - Guest Blogger: Schooling Sacramento

voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence. - Guest Blogger: Schooling Sacramento

Bey-Ling Sha is president of the Language Academy Parent Teacher Student Association. She was in Sacramento last week lobbying lawmakers on education. The views expressed here are her own, not those of her school or parent group. You can contact her atbeyling_sha@yahoo.com or just post a comment on the blog.

I learned a lot last week while participating in a legislative conference and lobbying with theCalifornia State Parent Teacher Association: The history of state funding for education. The economics of taxing and spending. The selling of societal needs (like good public education) as unaffordable wants. The (foreign) language arts involved in writing a budget bill. The engineering of consensus among politicians with diverse views. The math of getting to a two-thirds majority vote on anything budget-related. The impact of term limits on the psychology of elected lawmakers.

Because I'm a diligent student, I took notes, and here are the main lessons I learned about this game:

Pay Attention. People who care about education need to keep an eye on what their elected representatives are doing in Sacramento. Read the newspapers, know who your own representatives are , and check out lawmakers' websites.

Raise Your Hand. It's not enough to just watch the show. People need to speak up and object when lawmakers aren't funding education properly. Not everyone can visit the capitol, but anyone can make a phone call, send an email or write a letter. Your representatives can't know what you want unless you tell them.

Do Your Homework. Saying what you want is easy, but no one in Sacramento will take your demands seriously unless you've done your homework. Know what bills are being considered by state legislators. Read up on objective, non-partisan education research. Also, look at upcoming ballot initiatives and understand how they affect education funding. One reason we're in this mess today is that Californians in 1978 voted for Prop. 13 without understanding its implications for funding public services like education.

Participate in Activities. Sometimes you just have to roll up your sleeves and do some real work. Armchair activism only takes you so far. You need to visit legislators' offices in your area, attend public meetings, go to rallies, march on Sacramento. Legislators know that education is the foundation of California's future. But, they need your encouragement to make good decisions for the long term, not just for their term in office.

Respect Others. Even if you disagree with lawmakers or others as you participate in activities, you can make your points in a polite way. For anyone who is wondering, I did manage to bite my tongue while meeting in lawmakers' offices, even though I did not always smile. (Hey, you try smiling with your teeth on your tongue!)

Respect Yourself. If your lawmakers don't listen to you or if they don't take your concerns seriously, you should have enough self-respect to refuse taking that kind of treatment. If using your voice does not get results, then you need to use your vote.

These lessons sound familiar because we all learned them from grown-

Quote: RTTT "Gimmicks" This Week In Education

This Week In Education

Quote: RTTT "Gimmicks"

"I am struck by how many of these [RTTT] things Texas does... and how little difference it's made in the overall quality of education in this state... They're gimmicks."

- Texas education reporter Kimberly Reeves

Turnarounds: Roundup Of Reactions

Here's a quick roundup of news coverage detailing reactions to the speech from teachers unions and the business community:

Obama angers union officials with remarks in support of R.I. teacher firingsWashington Post

Obama courts Chamber on education POLITICO

Obama cites RI school firings in education speech Associated Press

School Fires Its Teachers In The Name Of Progress NPR

Obama Backs Rewarding Districts That Police Failing Schools NYT

Obama: Controversial Speech Delivered Without Alteration

It must have been tempting to massage the text but President Obama retained the reference to the turnaround in Rhode Island that was in his prepared remarks. [He also, it should be noted, included strong language about the importance of teachers, the use of staff firings as a last resort, etc.] Transcript here.

SCUSD Observer: Pay attention class...

Pay attention class...

In Sunday's Sacramento Bee, columnist Marcos Breton preached that SCUSD teachers need to share the pain, claiming that our teachers haven't "lifted a finger or sacrificed a dime" as the district has made devastating budget cuts.

An effective tactic of editorial writers is to spark controversy by taking a complex issue and distilling it down to one explanation and often, one villain.

And that is why, with permission, we reprint an online comment written (and reader-recommended) by an astute SCUSD government teacher who has no qualms about respectably talking back to power.

No matter the shape of the final budget deal that will be eventually be struck by Sac City teachers and the district, larger issues will continue to drain the life out of this state and nation. And in recognizing those bigger issues is where the writing of so-called opinion leaders like Mr. Breton fail. Continuing to tout give-backs and other slash and burn employment remedies as a way out of this crisis is folly and simply ignores basic macroeconomic concepts. More employee cost-cutting whether through lay-offs or benefit and pension cutting will not save us. Rather it is a

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss and Read Across America

Happy Birthday,

Dr. Seuss!

The Theodore Seuss Geisel Stamp was released on

Dr. Seuss's 100th birthday, March 2nd, 2004

Parents in a JAM

ED I am

I am ED

ED I am

That ED-I-am!
That ED-I-am!
I do not like
that ED-I-am!

Do you like
Parents in a JAM?

I do not like them,
ED-I-am.
I do not like
Parents in a JAM.

This an edited version of Dr. Seuss's Copyrighted Classic Green Eggs and a Ham

Education - Everything you need to know about the world of education.

Education- Everything you need to know about the world of education.

Obama angers teachers with comments on firings
President's support for the mass firings at a failing Rhode Island school draws rebuke from union officials
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ISO: Former D.C. public school teachers

Harvard gets first Egyptologist in 68 years

This may not mean much to you, but to an amateur archaeologist such as myself, this news is somewhat shocking: Harvard University is only now getting the first Egyptology professor it has employed since the last person holding the job died -- 68 years ago.

The school’s student newspaper, the Harvard Crimson, is reporting thatPeter Der Manuelian, a lecturer in Egyptology at Tufts University, will take the job. He has spent years studying and trying to publicize the work of the last Harvard Egyptologist, Professor George A. Reisner, a graduate of the Class of 1889.

Continue reading this post »

Why colleges hide mental illness

I'm still thinking about my colleague Jenna Johnson's front page piecelast week on changing college policies toward alcohol abuse. It turns out that a little-noticed amendment in the law in 1998 allows them to notify parents if undergraduate children under 21 have any booze or drug violations. If only they were as generous in letting families know when their children are suffering from mental or emotional illnesses.

The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 may be the most frequently misinterpreted law in the land, and the most destructive of family peace of mind. It prevents universities from sharing most student information, but allows them to contact parents if a child's health or safety is at risk.

Isn't that nice. It is a shame that so many university officials have chosen to err on the side of not helping parents who haven't heard from their kid in months and wonder if something is wrong. This is the higher ed version of similarly destructive K-12 practices that deny parents information about abusive teachers, and what their children might have seen them do to other children, creating nightmares for a lifetime.

Continue reading this post »

Spellings: Rhee has "fire in the belly"

My colleague Nick Anderson reports that former education secretary Margaret Spellings touted Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee at a meeting of The Post's editorial board Monday.

Spellings predicted that Rhee would continue her work in the District if Mayor Adrian M. Fenty wins another four-year term later this year.

"I think she's fearless and has the fire in the belly," Spellings said. "If he's re-elected, I think she's here to stay and coming on."

Spellings is a long-time Rhee booster who supported her appointment as chancellor while in the Bush cabinet. Last year, Fenty chose a Spellings lieutenant, former assistant secretary of education Kerri Briggs, to become D.C. State Superintendent of Education.

State on no one’s Race to the Top short list The Educated Guess

The Educated Guess

State on no one’s Race to the Top short list

Posted in Race to the Top

Word in the education blogosphere is that the Department of Education will announce the finalists for Race to the Top competition on Thursday, and none of the handicappers – surprise! – has listed California among them.
The finalists –likely a dozen or fewer states – will be invited to make their pitch in person in Washington on March 15, with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announcing the winners of the first round in April.
The losers – the large majority of the 40 states and District of Columbia that applied for a piece of the $4.35 billion prize – will each get an eight-to-10 page critique of their applications and an invitation to apply for the second round for whatever money is left over.
That could be as much as $2 billion, because the only big state that appears to have a good shot in the first round is Florida. Education Week reporters Lesli Maxwell and Michele McNeil and Thomas Carroll of the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal all it put high in their Race to the Top brackets. Florida has a model K-20 student data base and a strong charter law. They also named Louisiana and Tennessee as top picks. Louisiana, Carroll pointed out, has a value-added method of tracking student performance and 41 districts are experimenting with paying teachers for performance – a plus in the Race to the Top rating system.
Massachusetts, with its high state standards, top test scores on the nation’s report card or NAEP and clear plans to overhaul its bad schools was high on the Ed Week’s list.
It’s all speculation, because the evaluation process has been secret, which in itself has drawn criticism. The Education Department has not revealed the

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