Thursday, July 22, 2010

Readout of President Obama's Call with Shirley Sherrod | The White House

Readout of President Obama's Call with Shirley Sherrod

The President reached Ms. Sherrod by telephone at about 12:35. They spoke for seven minutes.

The President expressed to Ms. Sherrod his regret about the events of the last several days. He emphasized that Secretary Vilsack was sincere in his apology yesterday, and in his work to rid USDA of discrimination.

The President told Ms. Sherrod that this misfortune can present an opportunity for her to continue her hard work on behalf of those in need, and he hopes that she will do so.

Effectiveness council still getting organized | EdNewsColorado

Effectiveness council still getting organized

by Todd Engdahl

The State Council for Educator Effectiveness is considering ramping up its meeting schedule to handle the work assigned it by the state’s groundbreaking new educator evaluation law.
The council held its fifth meeting Wednesday, but the panel is still struggling with organizational issues.

Members did agree to an “initial draft” of a teacher effectiveness definition and began discussion of more-detailed quality standards for teachers.
And, education Commissioner Dwight Jones dropped by to give the group a brief pep talk.
“Thank you for doing this important work,” Jones said. “I sure plan to get more engaged … just to listen and offer any support where you think it might be helpful.” Jones noted that the council’s duties expanded when Senate Bill 10-191 was passed after the council was created. He encouraged members to challenge their “core beliefs”

Op-Ed Spotlight: The Conservative Case for National School Standards | The Atlantic Wire

Op-Ed Spotlight: The Conservative Case for National School Standards

By ERIK HAYDEN on July 22, 2010 11:32am

By the latest tally, 28 states have adopted the proposed "Common Core" national education standards that have won praise from leading journalists, think-tanks, and pundits. Wednesday, as debate in Massachusetts over the move heated up, the Wire covered the pros and cons of moving to a national, rather than state-based, system.

One of the concerns, of course, is loss of state power to the unpopular feds. That makes it all the more interesting to find Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Michael J. Petrilli at the Thomas B. Fordham

School Tech Connect: Make A Call For Illinois Schools Today #education

School Tech Connect: Make A Call For Illinois Schools Today

Make A Call For Illinois Schools Today

by effacethefacade@yahoo.com (Tim)

Looks like Fred Klonsky riled up a real Limbaugh-esque expert-in-everything, which in itself is not surprising. What is surprising is how similar the Chicago Tribune's position on public education is to the position held by the most fringe, burn-down-the-schools extremists.

If you're an Illinois teacher, and you're subscribing to the Tribune, you're supporting an organization that is doing everything it can to undo public education. The Trib's political agenda -- lower taxes for the wealthy-- is in conflict with the idea of quality public schools for all Illinois kids, and they're on a rampage to shrink the system down to where it can be drowned in a bathtub.

They're particularly peeved that people get paid to teach and that they have a pension system and that teaching

L'eo' Letter to the lord, ah that's Board as in SCUSD Board of #Education

Our Vision
Let’s take a simple idea and start a revolution.
Let’s pledge that children come first in the Sacramento City Unified School District. Let’s promise to put a child’s best interest at the heart of every decision we make. Let’s stand up together.
What would happen?
SCUSD

Dear Board Members:

For your consideration tonight and this coming school year I would like to offer an alternative vision from my home town. I have many nieces and nephews in San Diego so I continue to follow education where I began public school teaching. This was during the Bersin era of top down change. This era is featured by Diane Ratvich in her recent book which I hope you are pondering. Here are some excerpts from an interview with her on SDUSD's experience with the pilot project of the change model that SCUSD is adopting in many ways, even if it is dressed in a gentler style.

Why San Diego? What is it about the battles here that proved important for you in illustrating a larger point about school reform?
San Diego was a very important district in the current reform narrative because it was the first big district to apply the top-down approach. The leadership knew exactly what teachers should be doing, and they required compliance. Its "take-no-prisoners" approach was subsequently copied by Joel Klein in New York City and Michelle Rhee in Washington, D.C.
...
Conflict is a sign of failed leadership in education. When one is running a prison system, it is important to have a tough, top-down style, because you can't take chances. But in education, the leadership must rely on the teachers to do the daily work. If the leadership does not win their willing, even enthusiastic, support, then the reforms will stall. Teachers are educated adults; they have experience with students. They don't like to be treated like children. They need to feel respected.

Voice of San Diego Education.org

There are plenty of problems in San Diego but I do think that the board majority there (which also operates with a policy governance model) can provide examples that are worth your consideration.
Attached is an excerpt from the March annual State of the District speech by the board president. I urge you to consider placing the vision of community driven change ahead of chief driven change:

"The competing vision for reform comes from what I would characterize as the community model. This vision sees change as fundamentally coming from those closest to kids - teachers, parents, principals, support staff at the school such as paraeducators, counselors, librarians and office staff, community volunteers and even students themselves. The community model puts its faith in strong relationships built between people within a school community, striving for what University of Chicago professors Anthony Bryk and Barbara Schneider term 'Trust in Schools.' " (SCUSD President))
Thanks for your dedication to our children,
Leo

Dear School Board members:

In regards to the FUA for PS 7, it seems to me that all of the PS 7 students should be on one campus per Prop 39 regulations. As a step in this direction I urge you to consider keeping this agenda item as a conference item. This would allow time to have staff negotiate a transition plan with PS 7 to achieve this goal.

An option to consider is to keep the incoming 6th graders at the neighborhood school site that they have been attending. The previously stated reason for moving the 6th graders based on increased enrollment no longer applies. There has been decreasing numbers of in district students at PS 7's excellent but specialized program.

PS 7 had 344 total students enrolled at CBEDS 2006 (K-7) the last year they were wholly at Strawberry Lane. In June their in-district students totaled 144 plus 131 out of district students for a total of 275 K-6. There is plenty of room for a unified K-6 program with the historic Muir site having a district listed capacity of 406.
In my opinion PS 7 demonstrated the ability to handle last minute changes when they relocated their 6th graders with a week's notice for the 2008-09 school year.

There is even the possibility of making PS 7 whole this year given June's total enrollment of 365; however such a rapid transition may not be desirable even though there is the capacity listed at John Muir.
It is unfortunate that adults are challenged to resolve these issues in a timely manner. At the same time the injustices and mistakes of the past should not become the practice of the present due to inertia.
What do you think?
Peace,
Leo

The Educated Reporter: Standards vs. reality, cont'd.

Standards vs. reality, cont'd.

by Linda Perlstein

Had I read the actual Fordham report I mentioned yesterday, I would have seen, and highlighted for you, this passage in the foreword, by Checker Finn and Mike Petrilli:

Yet everyone also knows that standards often end up like wallpaper. They sit there on a state website, available for download, but mostly they’re ignored. Educators instead obsess about what’s on the high-stakes test—and how much students actually have to know in order to pass—which

School removes fired Lawrence schools chief's name - Boston.com

School removes fired Lawrence schools chief's name

July 22, 2010

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LAWRENCE, Mass.—All traces of a fired superintendent of Lawrence schools, who is facing fraud and embezzlement charges, are being removed from the new high school he helped build.

School officials recently have removed Wilfredo Laboy's name from the $110 million school he and other officials dedicated three years ago. They also have removed his name from School Department headquarters.

Leonard Degnan, Mayor William Lantigua's chief of staff, said there was

A Metallic Vampire Stalking the Earth! | Intercepts

A Metallic Vampire Stalking the Earth!

by Mike Antonucci

School district officials in Columbus, Ohio, were jazzed when they installed the new $1.7 million Kronos computer system to track workers’ attendance. The idea was that all employees, from the superintendent on down, would have to swipe a card through a reader as they entered and exited their workplace. The district computers would record the amount of time each employee spent on the job, much like the old factory punch cards and clock.
There was only one problem. The use of the system is considered to be a change in working conditions

‘We Have No Idea Where You’re Coming From’ voiceofsandiego.org

Education

‘We Have No Idea Where You’re Coming From’

The coalition of businessmen, philanthropists and others calling for changes to San Diego Unified brought their message to a Tierrasanta community meeting last night. The problem was, the Tierrasantans didn't seem to understand just what their message was.

"What is your mission statement? ... We have no idea where you're coming from," said Tracy Conroy, a member of the Tierrasanta Community Council.

Scott Himelstein, the leader of the newly named San Diegans 4 Great Schools, explained that his group was disappointed with test scores in the local schools and believed "governance" -- a buzzword that translates into "how the school board works" -- was a big part of the problem. Dramatic changes in the school board have caused superintendent churn, he said, causing wild swings in direction.

Several at the meeting agreed that the schools needed help. Community Council President

More Details About Ebony / U Chicago Event - District 299: Chicago Public Schools Blog

More Details About Ebony / U Chicago Event

by Alexander Russo

Here's the official invitation to the Ebony / University of Chicago event next month, about which you have heard much before. Anyone going? Let us know what happens.
UEI/Ebony Education Roundtable

[See below for the agenda, etc.]
The event on Wednesday, August 11, is open to the public and will be broadcast live via webcast. Additionally

AM News: Daley Allies Help Huberman Present A "United" Front

by Alexander Russo

400 CPS teachers to get the ax this week Sun Times: Notices began going out Wednesday to 400 classroom teachers and 200 educational support personnel, a CPS official said. The 600 represent staff at about 200 Track E elementary schools that start their year earlier than most schools, on Aug. 10. (See CTU email about this after the break)... Police should work on days off to combat gangs: Ald. Burke Sun Times: Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th), chairman of the City Council's Finance Committee, said Daley's plan to ease a severe manpower shortage by hiring 100 more officers will take too long and fall far short... A start, but only that, on opennessDaily Herald: Grayslake High School District 127, hired the principal last year and then accepted his resignation in December, owes the people an explanation... The Head Cheerleaders Chicago Reader: Huberman's latest public appearances suggest he was strategizing with Finney and Rangel so they could give the appearance of rock-solid black and Latino support for Daley in his brewing fight with the Chicago Teachers Union. From Karen Lewis:

In Chicago, and across the nation, educators are under attack. In the last few weeks, the Board fired over 200 educators without due process. They have threatened even more cuts that ignore seniority and tenure rights and will harm students by raising class sizes.

The CTU requested full access to all documents pertaining to the 2010-11 CPS budget. Last year, CPS spent $400 million in contracts, but who holds those contracts and for what? On the revenue side, TIFs take $250 million away from our schools each year, $100 million more

The Heartland Institute’s Director of Reform and union hater finds a home at the Chicago Tribune. � Fred Klonsky's blog

The Heartland Institute’s Director of Reform and union hater finds a home at the Chicago Tribune.

by preaprez

My brother Mike asked if he could post my piece on teacher pay and the teacher bashing Chicago Tribune in his spot as delegate at the Catalyst Caucus, an online round table that addresses education issues.
“Sure,” I said.
I didn’t think that it would result in a lengthy response from a loony libertarian.
Plus, in my attempt to get people to drop their subscription to the Chicago Tribune in protest of their ongoing

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Thursday, July 22, 2010