Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Dysfunctional state government dooms chances for Race to the Top education dollars in near future

Dysfunctional state government dooms chances for Race to the Top education dollars in near future

Dysfunctional state government dooms chances for Race to the Top education dollars in near future

BY GLENN BLAIN
DAILY NEWS ALBANY BUREAU

Wednesday, March 31st 2010, 4:00 AM

A politically weak Gov. Paterson and a dysfunctional state government damages New York State's chances for education dollars, observers say.
Roske/AP
A politically weak Gov. Paterson and a dysfunctional state government damages New York State's chances for education dollars, observers say.

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ALBANY - New York is unlikely to improve its bid for Race to the Top dollars anytime soon - because state lawmakers have already won their own race to the bottom.

New York's notoriously dysfunctional state government is made more so by looming elections and a politically weak Gov. Paterson, all but dooming New York's chance of winning a next round for the critical education dollars, Albany watchers say.

"The special interests have not gone away," said Barbara Bartoletti, the legislative director for the League of Women Voters of New York.

She noted the warring factions are "going to be giving big bucks to get their agenda done."

The state on Monday failed to win a $700 million pot of educational gold from the Obama administration, setting off a new round of all-too-familiar finger-pointing in the state capital.

Gov. Paterson and charter school supporters blame the rejection on the Legislature's failure to raise the state's cap on charter schools and allow student performance data to be used in evaluating teachers.

The state's powerful teachers unions opposed both measures.

Paterson has pleaded with the Legislature to take action before the second Race to the Top application deadline on June 1.

Lawmakers have been noncommittal.

"That's something that has to be discussed by the senator with members of the (Democratic) conference," said Austin Shafran, a spokesman for Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson.

Senate officials argue that charter schools and teacher evaluation



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2010/03/31/2010-03-31_race_to_the_top_and_new_yorks_a_cellar_dweller.html#ixzz0jln7ABLC
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Gov. Chris Christie and education; Raise the gas tax; Bury the power lines | NJ.com

Gov. Chris Christie and education; Raise the gas tax; Bury the power lines | NJ.com

Gov. Chris Christie and education; Raise the gas tax; Bury the power lines

By Letters to the Editor/The Star-Ledger

March 31, 2010, 5:07AM

teachers.JPGDavid Gard/For The Star-LedgerTeachers and students protest Gov. Chris Christie's school aid cuts in Mendham.Free-market education

Gov. Chris Christie is absolutely right: Teachers should not get a free ride on the taxpayers’ backs. We should earn our money the same way electricians, chiropractors and lawyers do.

Charter schools and vouchers aren’t the answer because, as the governor points out, schools just breed mediocrity and corruption. A free-market education system will promote competition and our clients will hold us accountable.

The only difficulty I foresee is putting a dollar value on my education services. A contractor is charging me $900 in labor to spend one day replacing some windows in my home, so I do have some idea of what I can charge parents when I teach a child a skill like reading comprehension.

As a former lawyer, perhaps Christie could advise me how to create my fee scale and calculate my billable hours.

Tonio Favetta, West Orange

No longer needed

I was shocked to learn from your editorial of the arrogant attitude the NJEA has toward considering a one-year wage freeze ("Freeze teacher pay," March 25). What kind of a lesson does it teach our kids when a piece of paper trumps shared sacrifice, social justice, decency and

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Eduflack: Standing and Delivering

Eduflack: Standing and Delivering

Standing and Delivering

by Eduflack
Yesterday, the education community received some sad news out of Los Angeles. Jaime Escalante, the famed calculus teacher depicted in the 1988 movie "Stand and Deliver," passed away.

Eduflack assumes that just about everyone in education policy has seen this movie, and knows the story of what "Kimo" was able to do for the students of Garfield High School. The tale is actually quite remarkable, and is incredibly told in WaPo's Jay Mathews book, "Escalante: The Best Teacher in America."

Escalante's story is about more than just getting a group of students, previously given up on by just about every corner of public education, to succeed on one of the hardest tests (AP Calculus) that high school student can take. In many ways, Escalante embodies many of the issues we face today. He was a mid-career transition teacher, giving up a corporate career to follow his passion for teaching. He demonstrated that it is possible to close the achievement gap, and it is possible by pushing students harder and accepting no excuses. The cinematic version of his tale forced many to better understand the issues of cheating on standardized exams and what sends up red flags. And Escalante was a textbook example of what is possible with an effective,
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http://www.nsns.org/news/racial-strife-at-slu-students-drive-email-campaign

http://www.nsns.org/news/racial-strife-at-slu-students-drive-email-campaign

Racial Strife at SLU, Students Drive Email Campaign

Date: 3/31/2010 9:35 am

Recent racially-charged incidents on campus led students at Saint Louis University to drive an email campaign to university administrators last week. Over 120 emails demanding responsive action were sent to five top administrators, including SLU's president, vice presidents and a dean. Violent racial slurs had become more commonplace on campus, and some minor vandalism is also assumed to be connected to the tense campus climate.

“It seems the administration is just kind of like they know what they are politically supposed to say, and I want them to feel uncomfortable," said senior Tianyi Li. "I want them to feel embarrassed that they haven’t done their job.”
Earlier this semester, one black student reported hearing two male voices outside her door saying “F*** you, n*****,” while they ripped the name tag off her door. The students have since been identified and asked to leave campus, but the administration did not do anything to address racism on the campus at large following the incident.

The email campaign, organized by the unofficial student group Students for Social Justice, contained a list of eight demands including a new 24-hour hotline to assist students who feel threatened, immediate notification for students when discriminatory threats occur, and the establishment of a standard protocol for dealing with hate-related incidents.

“I really didn’t know what the motivation was to start the emails now in terms of timing, because we had not heard of any new incidents, so I didn’t quite know what their motivation was,” said Manoj Patankar, the Vice President of SLU's Frost Campus. “B
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Tech: State & Local Superintendents On Twit This Week In Education

This Week In Education

Tech: State & Local Superintendents On Twitter

Mailbox100405_560Here's a beginning list of state (@SSPIJack, @suptflanagan, @Tony_Bennett, @kycommissioner) and district superintendents (andreamerida, @canyonsdave, @colonelb, @pammoran,@johnccarver, @edubrew, @pammoran, @canyonsdave,@johnccarver, @colonelb, @Akee123, @ericconti) on Twitter. Are they any good at putting out interesting information about their thinking and experiences? I have no idea. Know any others who might be better? Let us know. Getting on Twitter is one thing. Putting out candid, useful information is another.
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Schools Matter: ED Blueprint Reactions

Schools Matter: ED Blueprint Reactions

ED Blueprint Reactions

by Jim Horn
Monty Neill posted a good sampling of reactions to the "Blueprint" at ARN:
The Forum on Educational ACcountability (FEA), which I chair, submitted its recommendations to the House Ed Comm on Friday; it includes evaluation of the Administration's 'blueprint.' . . . . And FairTest has its summary of these proposals on our website, off our home page at www.fairtest.org.

A number of groups affiliated with Rethink Learning Now (some of whom are signers of the Joint Statement on NCLB) submitted comments to the House.

Richard Rothstein's evaluation of the blueprint.

NEA sent a detailed set of recommendations, a summary is here [link to the whole document is
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In This Race, A Lot of Second Place :: Frederick M. Hess

In This Race, A Lot of Second Place :: Frederick M. Hess

Frederick M. Hess's Blog

In This Race, A Lot of Second Place

by Frederick M. Hess • Mar 31, 2010 at 9:20 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

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It's good that the Department of Education held the line in naming just two round one Race to the Top (RTT) winners. After the dismal decision to name 16 finalists, this was an important corrective (even if I've doubts about the signal sent by the two winners that emerged). Perhaps going from 16 to two was the plan all along, or perhaps public reaction usefully stiffened ED's spine. Either way, the outcome was better than I had feared.

I've conflicting reactions to the round one result. Not only do I think RTT is a good idea in principle, but I think Duncan deserves credit for drawing the line at two winners. While I've harped on what I deem an unfortunate emphasis on stakeholder buy-in in Monday's result, I don't want to shortchange Delaware or Tennessee. Both states put forward substantial plans, boast noteworthy reform agents (shout-out to Delaware's Paul Herdman, in particular), and deserve recognition for their efforts. Two other finalists that boasted similar levels of buy-in didn't make it across the finish line. And I sympathize with the Department's notion that widespread buy-in is key to driving systemic change (I don't buy it, but I get it). Moreover, I don't wish to accidentally fuel the notion that the Department's push for reform-minded buy-in is tantamount, at least in the minds of states and union locals, to the ability of recalcitrant unions to torpedo state RTT plans.

At the same time, I fear that there's a temptation to imagine that stakeholder buy-in and sweet, painless, and comforting consensus around vague principles and jargon-laden promises is synonymous with real change. I fear that journalists, ed schools, local business leaders, and professional associations are only too eager to

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Notes from the news, Mar. 31 | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Notes from the news, Mar. 31 | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Notes from the news, Mar. 31

by Erika Owens
14 Phila. schools to get radical makeovers The Inquirer
All Renaissance Eligible Schools will undergo turnaround. Nine will be managed by outside providers and five will be managed from Superintedent Ackerman's office.
See also: 9 Renaissance Schools, 5 Promise Academies announced The Notebook blog
Ackerman slates 14 schools for big changes WHYY
In surprise move, 14 schools to get makeovers Daily News
Private Firms To Run 9 Philly Schools Fox 29
Public No More Metropolis

School said to double as nightclub to be investigated Daily News
The District is investigating and City Controller Alan Butkovitz found financial irregularities concerning Rhonda Sharif, Harambee CFO.
See also: City Controller questions payments to charter-school accountant The Inquirer
Controller: 'Questionable spending' at Harambee school 6 ABC
Uproar Over School Cafeteria That Doubled as a Nightclub New York Times
Philadelphia School District Strikes Again Philadelphia Weekly (opinion)
Dropouts take toll on city's economy Frost Illustrated via Philadelphia Tribune
A study by the Alliance for Excellent Education found that decreasing the dropout rate will help improve the economy.
Beloved [Frankford] High teacher gets Rachael Ray kitchen The Inquirer
Frankford High teacher Wilma Stephenson will get a floor-to-ceiling renovation of the culinary arts classroom.
See also: Rachael Ray Shines on Frankford Frankford Gazette
2 women arrested in fight at school Daily News
Please email us if we missed anything today or if you have any suggestions of publications, email lists, or other places for us to check for news.
Click here to get Notes from the news in your inbox every day.
Notes from the news
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The Educated Guess State Board cites emergency, intervenes in Salinas school district

The Educated Guess

State Board cites emergency, intervenes in Salinas school district

Posted in State Board of Education, Turning around failing schools
Meeting in emergency session by teleconference Tuesday, the State Board of Education voted unanimously to appoint an interim trustee to oversee the academically troubled, trustee-challenged Alisal Union School District. The decision was in response to reports of continued instability and intimidation in the low-income elementary district in East Salinas.
The Board’s action came two weeks after it took the unprecedented step of voting to oversee Alisal and neighboring Greenfield Union School District in Monterey County. The State Board has appointed trustees for financially failing districts before but never for academic and leadership failures. But what may have been somewhat controversial on March 11 quickly turned prescient.
(Read more and comment on this post)
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Education - Everything you need to know about the world of education.

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

Rhee's job uncertain as mayor's race heats up

D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee (Benjamin J. Myers).













Make strong anti-bullying programs mandatory in schools

More than 40 states have some sort of law that makes bullying illegal, yet the harassment of young kids by their classmates remains common.
According to the latest U.S. government statistics, about one-third of students aged 12-18 say they are bullied in some fashion, and it wouldn’t be surprising if that statistic is low.
And here we are again, with the fallout from an egregious bullying situation in Massachusetts. Phoebe Prince, 15, took her own life in January after months of being bullied by other kids.
Now nine teens face charges for bullying her, including a group of girls charged with stalking, criminal harassment and violating the girl’s civil rights. Sadly, this is just one of several suicides of young people over the past year who had been bullied by classmates.
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KIPP visitor's critique, KIPP leader's response

A reader signing in as "suegjoyce" recently posted a comment on this blog describing her visit to a KIPP middle school "in the Delta." KIPP is the Knowledge Is Power Program, the most successful charter school network in the country and the subject of my most recent book. I was pleased to see suegjoyce's comment, since I have been urging readers curious about KIPP to ignore the myths they read on the Internet and instead visit a KIPP school. The vast majority of people I have encountered online with negative opinions of KIPP give no indication that they have ever been inside one of those schools, so she was setting a good example.
She had some critical things to say. She was not specific about which KIPP middle school she visited, but only one has the word "Delta" in its title, the KIPP Delta College Preparatory School in Helena-West Helena, Ark. So I asked Scott Shirey, executive director of the KIPP schools in that area, to respond. Neither Scott nor I know how to reach suegjoyce, but if she sees this and has more to say, I would be delighted to post her thoughts prominently on the blog.
Scott broke down her post into its different parts, and commented on each. I would be very happy if more readers sent me reports of their visits to schools that we don't know enough about, either as comments here or by emailing me at mathewsj@washpost.com.
suegjoyce: “Having heard so much about the success of Kipp schools, I visited one, a middle school in the Delta. This is what I observed and was told by students and staff. First, they take all students BUT if the students do not follow the rules, they are put out. I was told that the boot rate was 41% but I have not seen any official data. The kids who flunk out and misbehave go ... guess where? ... yep, the public schools.”

Shirey: While we have had high rates of attrition in the early years, they have stabilized over time.Last year our attrition rate was 17.6 percent, down 7.6 percent from two years ago. So far we have expelled less than one percent of students who have enrolled at KIPP. Expulsion is a serious matter, and requires a formal review with the board. We have had some of our greatest success with Special Education students and low performers, many of whom have been accepted to college this year.
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Is election a referendum on Rhee?

Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee's future is now officially and certifiably up in the air.
D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray, who finally entered the mayoral race Tuesday, says he'll decide on appointments when -- or if -- he is elected. Developer R. Donahue Peebles, edging toward running after edging away from it, has already been all over the place on the issue. He told WTOP's Mark Plotkin within the space of a single December interview that she's in and that she's out. In an interview that same month with my colleague Bob McCartney, he said that Rhee could stay but only if she made what he called "personality adjustments."
Rhee's sole reliable supporter in the field is Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, the man who brought her to town in 2007. Rhee has frequently said that it will probably take two mayoral terms to truly overhaul the school system. That second term is now in question, and her record is likely to be a major issue in this campaign. While there is encouraging news on test scores (up) and enrollment (flat and no longer hemorrhaging), Fenty and Rhee have seen their approval ratings slide down parallel paths. People like the changes, but many apparently find the change agents themselves less appealing.
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Ed Buzz: The Nation

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