Thursday, October 21, 2010

Maine high school student expelled over rap song - Boston.com

Maine high school student expelled over rap song

October 21, 2010

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HERMON, Maine—A high school senior in Maine says his First Amendment right to free speech is being violated after he was kicked out of school over the lyrics of a rap song he wrote about the school.

Seventeen-year-old Trevor Moore was expelled this week for a song titled "Hermon High School" that he posted on a social networking site. The expletive-filled rant, sung to the tune of an Eminem song, refers to school officials by name and contains lyrics that some see as threatening.

Moore tells the Bangor Daily News that he meant no harm and wants to return to school so he can graduate.

While not discussing the specifics of Moore's case,

Media AdvisorDirector of White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities to Speak at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte |

Director of White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities to Speak at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte | U.S. Department of Education

Director of White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities to Speak at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte John S. Wilson, executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, will address the Smith Institute for Applied Research Symposium Friday at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte. His topic: ...

RSA Commissioner Ruttledge to Give Keynote Address at the Iowa Rehabilitation Association's Annual Training Conference Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) Commissioner Lynnae Ruttledge will present the keynote address at the Iowa Rehabilitation Association's Annual Training Conference Friday, Oct. 22 in Des Moines, Iowa.

Assistant Secretary Dann-Messier to Speak at Arkansas Association of Continuing and Adult Education State Conference Dr. Brenda Dann-Messier, assistant secretary for the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, will give keynote remarks at the Arkansas Association of Continuing and Adult Education State conference Friday, Oct. 22 in Little Rock, Ark.

Education Assistant Secretary to Address Smithsonian Teachers' Night U.S. Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Thelma Melendez will give opening remarks at the Smithsonian Teachers' Night 2010 at 7:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, Oct. 22 at the National Museum of American History.

Gay rights group plans rally on Rutgers campus in wake of Tyler Clementi tragedy - NorthJersey.com

Gay rights group plans rally on Rutgers campus in wake of Tyler Clementi tragedy

Thursday, October 21, 2010
LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY OCTOBER 21, 2010, 9:29 AM

BY HANNAN ADELY

THE RECORD

STAFF WRITER

NEW BRUNSWICK - A gay rights group plans a rally Thursday to protest what it says is Rutgers University's failure to confront harassment against gays.

Tyler Clementi

The rally comes less than a month after Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers freshman from Ridgewood, killed himself after his roommate allegedly broadcast Clementi's sexual encounter with a man over the internet.

Queering the Air leaders say they have compiled complaints from LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) students about safety, housing and medical and counseling, and plan to present it in a letter to university President Richard McCormick.

The letter will be delivered at a Rutgers University Student Assembly

Why 'Convenient' Lies Won't Set Us Free - Bridging Differences - Education Week

Why 'Convenient' Lies Won't Set Us Free

by Deborah Meier

Dear Diane,

You offer the perfect response. The fact that some of the usual suspects are divided on the "bash the teachers" agenda is good news. It gives us new sources of hope. And I remember that even in a flawed democracy like ours (and is there an un-flawed one?), neither "we" nor "they" can ever declare a total victory.

When I came to New York City in the fall of '65 my friends and acquaintances (like the real estate agent who was helping me locate an apartment) told me that "no one sends their kids to the public schools." Of course, 1.2 million children couldn't all have been orphans, but I understood the code. I hadn't taken it for granted, since my kids had been OK at their prior public schools in Chicago's South Side and Philadelphia's West Mount Airy. So my children spent their pre-college years in NYC's public schools. I grew accustomed to the guilt trips I listened to from folks like Davis Guggenheim, who tells us that "Waiting for Superman" was made to assuage his guilt.

Schools Matter: "Fairly Respected Writer" and the Grossest of Neo-Confederate Propaganda

"Fairly Respected Writer" and the Grossest of Neo-Confederate Propaganda

by Jim Horn

In the right-wing revisionist history preferred by the Republican Tea Party nitwits (includes Virginia's Governor), the Civil War was not fought over slavery but about states rights. Got it. You have to wonder which one of these fools chose a 4th grade history text written by Cub Scout den mother for Virginia school children that channels that Tea Party line by claiming that thousands of black soldiers fought under Stonewall Jackson to preserve the Confederacy. Her former exploits into publishing include bestsellers like "Oh Yikes: History's Grossest Moments." From WaPo:

By Kevin Sieff
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 20, 2010; 12:53 AM

A textbook distributed to Virginia fourth-graders says that thousands of African Americans fought for the South during the Civil War -- a claim rejected by most historians but often made by groups

SCUSD Board Member Diana Rodriguez Reflects on the White House Initiative for Educational Excellence for Hispanics

My Dear Friend,

Just yesterday I was at the White House East Room with the President of the Unites States, Barack Obama, to witness him signing the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.

The initiative calls for the expansion of educational opportunities, improvement of education outcomes, and the need to deliver a complete and competitive education for all Hispanics, the Initiative shall, consistent with law, promote, encourage, and undertake efforts designed to meet the goals and objectives set forth in the document signed by President Obama on the 19th day of October in the year 2010.

The initiative also calls for us to work across communities in partnership with one another to help achieve President Obama's goal to ensure that all of our children, regardless of race, are provided a world-class education. As President Obama stated in his speech, just before signing the White House Initiative for Educational Excellence for Hispanics, "Now, this is not just a Latino problem; this is an American problem. Weâ€™ve got to solve it because if we allow these trends to continue, it wonâ€™t just be one community that falls behind -â€“ we will all fall behind together."

This is why I have taken the commitment to our children in Sacramento to continue to learn as much as I can and to use my knowledge, skills, and abilities to ensure we provide results and positive outcomes in alignment with President Obama's 2020 goal. As you know, we are not only local or national, we are a globally competitive environment, and we can no longer afford to see things as just a local issue. We have a responsibility to ensure our work is being done in the manner in which it is prescribed in order to achieve the greatness that we know we are.

I have a simple request of you; that you continue to support me; and when I call upon you for assistance, please roll up your sleeves to help create a brighter and more prosperous future for our children; for not only our city, but also our great nation, and ultimately, our entire world.

After all, it's all about the kids. If we fail them, we fail ourselves and everyone else we share this planet with.

Have a great evening and enjoy your time with your families. When you look at the young children in your family, in their precious faces, know that there are people who are genuinely concerned about doing the right thing for them and their future.

Sincerely,

Diana Rodriguez
SCUSD Board Member
District 5

Students aren’t citizenship-ready — Joanne Jacobs

Students aren’t citizenship-ready

by Joanne

Preparation for active citizenship — an understanding of the nation’s founding principles and documents, the structure of government, and the ability to analyze and think critically about politics and power — isn’t on the education agenda, complains Diana Jean Schemo on Remapping Debate. Education advocates want students to be “college- and career-ready,” but not necessarily “citizenship-ready.”

Broadly speaking, preparation for active citizenship really connotes two related areas: civics and citizenship education. Civics, said Mary McFarland, past president of the National Council for the Social Studies . . . teaches (students) about the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, and the Federalist

Teacher ranking road show heads for Broadway. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Teacher ranking road show heads for Broadway.

by preaprez

What started in LA is now moving to NY.

The Department of Education has promised to release personal value added teacher rankings to the press. The rankings are based on student test scores at the beginning of the year and at the end. No research supports the use of student test scores as a reliable measure of teacher effectiveness.

The teachers union plans to go to court to block the release of the rankings.

A NY teacher commented at Gotham Schools:

I am a teacher who has wanted to know my rating for a very long time. I cannot

Official: Obama to fight to repeal parts of No Child Left Behind - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

Official: Obama to fight to repeal parts of No Child Left Behind

ROCKFORD — A key administrator in the U.S. Department of Education told area educators today to expect President Barack Obama’s administration to push Congress to repeal elements of the No Child Left Behind Act that many say are punitive and unrealistic.

Peter Cunningham, the assistant secretary for communications and outreach at the U.S. Department of Education, met with area superintendents, teachers and community members.

About 50 people attended a morning session at Rockford College, and before that, Cunningham met with six local superintendents. He also met with about 20 elementary teachers from Rockford, Winnebago and Kinnikinnick school districts at Lewis Lemon Elementary School and secondary-level teachers at Belvidere High School.

Frustration with No Child Left Behind, local school district budget struggles, parental involvement in schools, teacher evaluations and labor management relationships were among the issues that educators and members of the public discussed with Cunningham.

The Record: Money for charters - NorthJersey.com

The Record: Money for charters

Thursday, October 21, 2010

THE RECORD

AFTER MONTHS of headlines but little actual news, we're pleased to note some forward momentum on charter schools in New Jersey.

Charter schools are privately run, but they receive public funding and are tuition-free. They are held to many of the same standards as traditional public schools but are not required to hire unionized teachers. Many have unorthodox schedules, specialized curriculum and strict codes of conduct. We believe charters spur educational innovation and provide choice for families, and support moves by President Obama and Governor Christie to encourage them.

Under state law, charter schools are supposed to receive 90 percent of whatever the local school district spends per student, but the vagaries of public funding mean that many receive far less. And they have been frozen out of federally subsidized

My Blood, My Sweat, and My Test Scores � Outside the Cave

My Blood, My Sweat, and My Test Scores

by Stephen Lazar

1 person liked this

As you might know, this week the NYC DOE said it would release 12,000 teachers’ names and their students’ test scores on State ELA and math tests in grades 3-8. I teach high school, so I am not directly effected, buthere are my students’ Regents test scores from my four years teaching in NYC, anyway. I put them out there in solidarity with my brothers and sisters who are about the be put under the microscope.

You can have the scores, just please remember they are almost meaningless. They tell you about 5% of what I do. Here’s what they don’t tell you:

They don’t tell you that last year I taught 100% of our juniors who are special education students and/or

Charter school hearing in Manhattan gets ugly over videotape flap

BY KERRY WILLS AND JOE KEMP
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Thursday, October 21st 2010, 4:00 AM

A public hearing to bring a charter school to an upper West Side public school erupted in chaos on Wednesday when the head of a community board tried to boot a woman for videotaping the meeting, officials said.

Larisa Beachy, 24 - an operations coordinator for the Harlem Success Academy - was arrested after she refused to leave Public School 145 on W. 105th St. on the ground that she had the right to openly record the public meeting, officials said.

Beachy was hired by the Success Charter Network, run by former City Councilwoman Eva Moskowitz (D-Manhattan), to document the meeting of about 300 people.

"This was an important public meeting," said Jenny Sedlis, a spokeswoman for the group. "It's a shame the CEC [Community Education Council] obstructed the public's

Parents want to know if instructors measure up

by ROB SGOBBO and MEREDITH KOLODNER, DAILY NEWS WRITERS

Many parents said they would welcome knowing how much their child's teacher improved test scores, but some were concerned about how the information would be used.

Waiting for K.J. - Feature Story - Local Stories - October 21, 2010 - Sacramento News & Review

Waiting for K.J.

Mayor Kevin Johnson evangelizes for Superman and school reform

By Cosmo Garvin
cosmog@newsreview.com
More stories by this author...

This article was published on 10.21.10.

Fifth-grade teacher Carlos Rico says much of the reform agenda being pushed by Kevin Johnson and others will undermine the teaching profession, and ultimately students.

PHOTO BY MIKE IREDALE

Related stories this week:
Who will fix our schools?
Can Sacramento public schools be fixed? Let’s ask those vying for a spot on the school board.

School board candidates: Area 1
Online only answers to SN&R’s endorsements questionnaire.

School board candidates: Area 2
Online-only answers to SN&R’s endorsements questionnaire.

School board candidates: Area 6
Online-only answers to SN&R’s endorsements questionnaire.

If you haven’t yet seen the movie Waiting for “Superman,” you probably have a sense of its main message: Schools are failing American kids, largely because teachers unions have too much power and have blocked needed reform. Even people who haven’t seen the film have an opinion about it.

Like the dozen or so parents and teachers who protested the film’s opening in Sacramento on October 4—marching with signs saying things like, “Stop blaming teachers,” or the ever-popular “Where’s my high school?” or “Real reform = smaller class size.”

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson has been evangelizing about the film for weeks—holding two special screenings of the film in Sacramento. He has his own long history of fighting the unions here in Sacramento over his own St. Hope

Requiring teaching experience in the class room for principals/adminstrators � Failing Schools

Requiring teaching experience in the class room for principals/adminstrators

OCTOBER 20, 2010

by markfriedman1

After a conversation with Sabrina within the last week, I started thinking deeply about education policy in regards to state mandates on administrative certifications as well as local district requirements. Locations vary widely in requiring administrators to have a certain length of time teaching and to be deemed expert teachers before climbing the ranks of administration.

I thought about ballot initiatives, organizing, lobbying and various other means of enacting education policy to ensure that we prevent the ranks of leadership growing thicker with individuals who spent either little or no time in a classroom. As I pondered this, I remembered back a ways to a conversation with an administrator who suggested that I seek out an

Next state superintendent should change the relationship with districts | Thoughts on Public Education

Next state superintendent should change the relationship with districts
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Posted on 10/21/10 • Categorized as Uncategorized

By Rick Miller

As both candidates for state Superintendent of Public Instruction travel the state, debate, discuss, and answer thousands of questions, there is one key question no one is asking: How will you run the California Department of Education? At its heart, that is the fundamental job Messrs. Larry Aceves and Tom Torlakson want, and their answers matter greatly.

Since the Serrano v Priest court decision, shifting control of K-12 dollars from local districts to Sacramento to ensure equity, and the passage of Proposition 13, the state has slowly consolidated decision making within the power corridors of the State Capitol. Legislatures and governors have attempted to micro-manage reform, most often with one-size-fits-all

This Week In Education: Ratings: Repeat Of LAUSD / LA Times Debacle In NYC

Ratings: Repeat Of LAUSD / LA Times Debacle In NYC

by Alexander Russo

There's blame to go around when it comes to this latest flareup over teacher ratings and public disclosure:

Why did news outlets push to obtain data that they know is misleading and problematic when released "raw" without any contextual information (ie

AM News: Schools Neglect Early Elementary Absenteeism

by Alexander Russo

Early grades new front in abstenteeism wars EDNews CO: An average of one in 10 students younger than grade 3 nationwide is considered chronically absent, defined as missing 10 percent or more of school. That’s about 18 days in a normal 180-day year, according to the San Francisco-based Attendance Counts and the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation and others... Virginia 4th-grade textbook criticized over claims on black Confederate soldiers Washington Post: The issues first came to light after College of William & Mary historian Carol Sheriff opened her daughter's copy of "Our Virginia" and saw the reference to black Confederate soldiers... Much hope at dedication of Barack Obama Elementary School in Upper MarlboroWashington Post: The students at Barack Obama Elementary School boasted presidential manners and flashed toothy grins, eager to show off songs they learned for the school's official dedication last week... City program is honored at White House Boston Globe: A Boston program aimed at reducing the dropout rate for city public school students who are not fluent in English was one of 15 programs nationwide to receive the 2010 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award yesterday.

The Answer Sheet - English teacher: Data can drive us down wrong road

English teacher: Data can drive us down wrong road

Roxanna Elden is the author of See Me After Class: Advice for Teachers by Teachers. She teaches high-school English in Miami, Florida and is a National Board Certified Teacher. This first appeared on the website of the magazine Education Next. By Roxanna Elden While reviewing a practice passage called “The Night Hunters” for last year’s 9th-grade Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), I had to peek at the teachers’ guide to check my answer to this question: Which of the owls’ names is the most misleading? I was stuck between (F) the screech owl, because its call rarely approximates a screech, and (I) the long-eared owl, because its real ears are behind its eyes and covered by feathers. The passage explains that owls hear through holes behind their eyes, so the term long-eared owl seemed misleading. Then again, a screech owl that rarely screeches? That is pretty misleading, too. According to

UFT seeks temporary restraining order against release of Teacher Data Reports � JD2718

UFT seeks temporary restraining order against release of Teacher Data Reports

by jd2718

A bunch of media, papers and at least one TV station, sued to get individual Teacher Data Reports released, and the DoE is planning to hand the stuff over. The UFT will be in court today looking for a temporary restraining order.

At last night’s Delegate Assembly this was the biggest order of business, getting delegates to support a resolution that says we will support members, we’ll try to keep the reports from coming out, etc, etc. It was a fine resolution, which I supported. There was an irrelevant amendment, which was defeated with maybe less than a dozen votes. And now we want to block the release, and we want to find mistakes in the reports that will

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Victory in Pilsen

Victory in Pilsen

by Mike Klonsky

CPS chief Ron Huberman, left, state Rep. Cynthia Soto, second from left, and representatives of the Whittier mothers group gather at the news conference announcing the agreement to save the field house. (Nancy Stone, Tribune photo / October 19, 2010)

Parents win all their demands

The occupation of the Whittier Elementary School field house has officially ended in victory with a written

Latest News and Comment from Education

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Maine high school student expelled over rap song

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I am a teacher who has wanted to know my rating for a very long time. I cannot

Official: Obama to fight to repeal parts of No Child Left Behind

Charter school hearing in Manhattan gets ugly over videotape flap

Waiting for K.J.

Requiring teaching experience in the class room for principals/adminstrators

Next state superintendent should change the relationship with districtsShare

Next state superintendent should change the relationship with districts
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