Teachers evaluated under new rating system receive same low rates of tenure

Teachers evaluated under new rating system receive same low rates of tenure

BY BEN CHAPMAN
DAILY NEWS WRITER

Sunday, July 31st 2011, 4:00 AM

Mary Kate Denny/Getty

The DOE's new teacher-evaluation system had no significant effect on the number of teachers who were given tenure this year.

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The city's controversial new teacher-rating system didn't make a dent when it came to deciding tenure this year.

Teachers who were evaluated on how students performed on state tests won the job-protection status at the same low rate as those who weren't.

About 56% of the 498 teachers ranked by teacher-data reports earned tenure this year. The rate for all eligible teachers was 58%. In 2006, it was 99%.

This year about 3% of all eligible teachers were denied tenure. The remaining 39% had their decisions postponed.

The city has heralded the teacher-data reports as a fair way to evaluate educators, but the teachers union says they rely too heavily on test scores.

Department of Education officials said principals used

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2011/07/31/2011-07-31_tenure_eludes_rated_teachers.html#ixzz1TgviXrCj

#SOSMarch Save Our Schools Rocks the Capital! - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Save Our Schools Rocks the Capital! - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Save Our Schools Rocks the Capital!

by Anthony Cody

Wow. What a day. Friday the temperature had hit about 104, but Saturday was breezy and cooler, topping out in the mid-90s. We had a couple of tents behind the stage for all the speakers and performers, and folks started to arrive. We had a little time to fill between the first band and the rally kickoff, so I arranged for some teachers to read some of the messages we had gathered from Teachers' Letters to Obama, and our more recent petition to the President. We also shared the wonderful videos made for Save Our Schools by Tom and Amy Valens.

Then the rally kicked off, with some recognition of the outstanding work done by our state-level information coordinators and volunteers. The contingent from Wisconsin entered the park en masse, with their red and blue signs. I started to work to help make sure the next speakers were ready when it was their turn, assisting a fantastic young man by the name of Troy Grant. There was a buzz by the back of the staging area as Matt

4LAKids - CAMERON DIAZ FILM INSULTS TEACHERS, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER SAYS

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: CAMERON DIAZ FILM INSULTS TEACHERS, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER SAYS

CAMERON DIAZ FILM INSULTS TEACHERS, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER SAYS

JASON SONG | LA TIMES/LA NOW | HTTP://LAT.MS/AQGFBE

SEE ALSO: High concept moviemaking?: BAD TEACHER IS A F-ing COMEDY! + BAD TEACHER MOVIE BOASTS BAD TASTE: By smf for 4LAKidsNews...http://bit.ly/iltPzy

June 30, 2011 | 3:45 pm - The Los Angeles School Board on Thursday was supposed to discuss whether teachers with special skills should be rehired after layoffs, but board member Richard Vladovic had another idea.

After apologizing in advance for veering off-topic, Vladovic launched into a lengthy complaint about the new Cameron Diaz movie "Bad Teacher."

The film, which finished second at the box office last weekend and brought in $31 million, focuses on a foul-mouthed teacher (Diaz)

#SOSMarch The Best Posts & Articles On The Save Our Schools March | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

The Best Posts & Articles On The Save Our Schools March | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

Telling Time I’ve just updated The Best Sites For Learning How To Tell Time and made these additions. They are collections of multiple interactives related to telling time: Telling Time Telling The Time Telling Time

The Best Posts & Articles On The Save Our Schools March The Save Our Schools March took place earlier today in Washington, D.C., with other actions throughout the country. I’m on a previously-scheduled train trip with twenty family members, but thought I’d put together a quick “The Best…” list. This is ...

Radical Scholarship: Special Issue on Obama/Education: Journal of Inquiry & Action in Education

Radical Scholarship: Special Issue on Obama/Education: Journal of Inquiry & Action in Education

Special Issue on Obama/Education: Journal of Inquiry & Action in Education

by P. L. Thomas

Journal of Inquiry & Action in Education
Vol 4, No 1 (2011)

The Obama Education Files: Is There Hope to Stop the Neoliberal Agenda in Education?	CarrPorfilio.PDF
Paul R. Carr, Brad J. Porfilio	1-30

Explaining Obama: The Continuation of Free Market Politics in Education and the Economy	Hursh.PDF
David Hursch

Teachers protest No Child Left Behind #SOSMarch

Teachers protest No Child Left Behind

Teachers protest No Child Left Behind

Michael Alison Chandler,Sarah Khan, Washington Post

Sunday, July 31, 2011

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Tracy A Woodward / Washington Post

Teachers march past the White House and a rally against Syrian President Bashar Assad during their protest against standardized testing.

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Washington --

There are many reasons thousands of teachers traveled across the country to protest in front of the White House on Saturday - including to oppose charter schools, to fight for equal funding for poor schools and to have more say in public education policies.

But at a noisy, sweltering rally, their message boiled down to one point, which was summed up by the sound check before the first speaker took the stage: Tap. Tap. "No testing, no

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/07/30/MNE51KHAQA.DTL#ixzz1Tgr3wz9E

An Urban Teacher's Education: #SOSMarch in DC

An Urban Teacher's Education: SOS March in DC

SOS March in DC

by James Boutin

Today was the Save Our Schools March on Washington. The park service said that as many as 8,000 people attended, mostly in red.

I arrived early and listened to people read powerful passages about the negative impacts of the attempted standardization of schools. Then came the big time speakers. Linda Darling-Hammond spoke first, but I missed her because I was explaining to tourists near the Washington Monument why the march was happening. Mark Naison did an incredible rap on corporate reform. John Kuhn gave a riveting speech that I heard many people identify as their favorite. Kuhn reminded people that public schools take ALL students, not just the ones who are easy to education. He said he was proud to be unacceptable (the label bestowed on Texas schools when they don't meet

Schools Matter: Wall of Separation between Education and Government/Corporations

Schools Matter: Wall of Separation between Education and Government/Corporations

Wall of Separation between Education and Government/Corporations

by P. L. Thomas

Many of the foundational beliefs among Americans are driven by more mythology than fact. Americans have a contradictory attitude about the “wall of separation between Church and State” attributed to Thomas Jefferson. Just as many Americans speak fervently about a separation of church and state being a bedrock of democracy as make the claim that the Founders of the U.S. were all men of Christian faith, thus the U.S. is a Christian nation.

While the argument about the wall separating church and state has been with the U.S. as long as there has been a country, we have rarely debated or even confronted the need for a wall protecting one of our most important institutions—universal public education. The debates over public school quality and needed education reform—though not as old as the church and state debate—reach back more than a century in the U.S.

Yet, we have not considered fully the essential characteristic our public schools need in order for them to fulfill

#SOSMarch Matt Damon: Stop The War On Teachers | ThinkProgress

Matt Damon: Stop The War On Teachers | ThinkProgress

Matt Damon: Stop The War On Teachers

By Zaid Jilani on Jul 30, 2011 at 4:45 pm

ThinkProgress filed this report from the Save Our Schools March in Washington, D.C.

Actor and activist Matt Damon spoke at the Save Our Schools rally today. Before he spoke, Damon granted ThinkProgress an exclusive interview. We asked him about how teachers unions are being demonized in much of the media and teachers are being blamed as the root of all problems in public education. Damon told us that the attacks on teachers unions are part of a larger “war on unions over the last decade” and condemned “punitive policies” that punish teachers without looking at the social factors that lead to student achievement.

Towards the end of his statements, Damon joked about the right-wing meme that unionized teachers are

#SOSMarch Education policy critics march in D.C. | EdNewsColorado

Education policy critics march in D.C. | EdNewsColorado

Education policy critics march in D.C.

by admin

Editor’s note: This Education Week article is one result of a partnership between EdNews Colorado and the weekly education journal, allowing us to provide in-depth stories from a national perspective.

By Nirvi Shah, Education Week

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Teachers and their supporters gathered near the White House on Saturday afternoon to chant, cheer, and march for a variety of changes they hope to see in public schools — most notably, a 180-degree shift away from standards- and testing-based accountability.

People march to the White House during the Save Our Schools rally on July 30. Photo/EdWeek

Aside from that message, those who attended the Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action in the

#SOSMarch Teachers march on Washington - The Washington Post

Teachers march on Washington - The Washington Post

Teachers march on Washington

Tracy A Woodward/THE WASHINGTON POST - Teachers march past the White House during a ”Save Our Schools“ rally.

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By Michael Alison Chandler and Sarah Khan, Saturday, July 30, 4:06 PM

There are many reasons thousands of teachers traveled across the country to protest in front of the White House on Saturday — including to oppose charter schools, to fight for equal funding for poor schools, and to have more say in public education policies.

But at a noisy rally starting at noon under soaring temperatures, their message boiled down to one point, which was summed up by the sound check before the first speaker took the stage:

#SOSMarch Education Week: Education Policy Critics March on White House

Education Week: Education Policy Critics March on White House

• 
• Complete Coverage

Education Policy Critics March on White House

People march to the White House during the "Save Our Schools" rally in Washington, D.C., on July 30. Marchers chanted and carried signs expressing their demands after hearing speeches nearby.

—Nicole Frugé/Education Week

By Nirvi Shah

Washington

Teachers and their supporters gathered near the White House on Saturday afternoon to chant, cheer, and march for a variety of changes they hope to see in public schools—most notably, a 180-degree shift away from standards- and testing-based accountability.

Aside from that message, those who attended the Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action in the scalding sun preached everything from boosting support for teachers’ unions, to booting U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, to getting more federal

#SOSMarch Matt Damon’s clear-headed speech to teachers rally - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Matt Damon’s clear-headed speech to teachers rally - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Matt Damon’s clear-headed speech to teachers rally

by Valerie Strauss

Here is the speech that actor Matt Damon gave today to thousands of teachers, parents and others who attended the Save Our Schools march on the Ellipse near the White House to protest the Obama administration’s education policies that are centered on standardized tests.

Damon was the last of many speakers, including Diane Ravitch, Linda Darling-Hammond, Deb Meier and Jonathan Kozol. I’ve published posts of theirs before, so here is something different: Damon’s common-sense, straight-to-the-point speech.

Read full article >>

All Education Matters: Debt Ceiling Fiasco and Student Loans

All Education Matters: Debt Ceiling Fiasco and Student Loans

Debt Ceiling Fiasco and Student Loans

by C. Cryn Johannsen

As AEM has been reporting, the debt ceiling disaster will have a direct affect upon interest rates on student loans. On the floor today, Senator Harkin called the situation a "manufactured crisis." That is true, and pathetic, because millions of Americans will, undoubtedly, pay a price. Most politicians on the floor are now confirming that a downgrade is probably inevitable.

Reuters has put out a great piece on how a fallout from a downgrade will affect average Americans, and one of

The Save Our Schools March - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post #SOSMarch

The Save Our Schools March - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

The Save Our Schools March

by Valerie Strauss

“I don’t know where I would be today if my teachers’ job security was based on how I performed on some standardized test.”

That was actor Matt Damon talking to thousands of teachers, parents, principals, school board members and other education activists who stood today for hours in 90-plus-degree temperatures near the White House to protest the standardized testing mania that is at the heart of the Obama administration’s school reform policies.

He was one of dozens of speakers — including education historian Diane Ravitch; prominent educators Linda Darling-Hammond, Jonathan Kozol, Deb Meier; Jon Stewart (on video); and Florida activist Rita Solnet — who protested the Bush administration’s No Child Left Behind, and the current administration’s Race to the Top, which, to the disappointment of many Obama supporters, is as punitive and at least as test-centric as NCLB.

Read full article >>

#SOSMarch The sun shone, the stars came out for the SOS march « Parents Across America

The sun shone, the stars came out for the SOS march « Parents Across America

The sun shone, the stars came out for the SOS march

by pureparents

After two days of movement-building speeches, workshops, and networking, the SOS march ended with a sun- and passion-drenched rally and march in the middle of Washington DC.

It felt like a huge family reunion. Parents Across America was well-represented. It was so much fun to see our members meeting up with their friends from home.

We even had star power – Pedro Noguera, Deb Meier, Angela Valenzuela, Diane Ravitch and, yes, Matt Damon, whose mother, Nancy Carlson Page, a professor of early childhood education, introduced him.

Matt actually gave a fantastic, personal and heartfelt speech. He asserted that creativity, imagination, love of drama and theater – the things that made him who he is – cannot be tested. He said that he came close to standardized

#SOSMarch Actor Matt Damon rallies teachers in Washington - CNN.com

Actor Matt Damon rallies teachers in Washington - CNN.com

Actor Matt Damon rallies teachers in Washington

By the CNN Wire Staff

July 30, 2011 -- Updated 2147 GMT (0547 HKT)

Damon said the things he values "came from the way that I was parented and taught," and that these qualities can't be tested.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Damon speaks out against standardized testing
• Teachers say focus takes them away from educating students
• Damon attributes his success to his teachers not being forced to do "silly test prep"

(CNN) -- Actor Matt Damon rallied teachers Saturday at a march in Washington decrying the widespread use of standardized testing to judge how well teachers, students and schools are performing.

A group of teachers and education advocates organized the Save Our Schools March in an effort to inspire change in standardized testing policies, according to founder Anthony Cody. Critics say standardized testing takes teachers' focus off their core mission of educating students.

Teachers marched to the White House, chanting "Save our schools" and other slogans and carrying signs. One read, "Children are more important than test scores." Another read, "I am not the problem."

Damon, whose mother is an educator, said he achieved his successes in large part because teachers at the public schools he

#SOSMarch Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » The sun shone and the stars came out for the SOS march

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » The sun shone and the stars came out for the SOS march

And the sun shone on the SOS march

by admin

SOS March in DC July 30, 2011

After two days of movement-building speeches, workshops, and networking, the SOS march ended with a sun- and passion-drenched rally and march in the middle of Washington DC.

It felt like a huge family reunion. Our brand new Parents Across America group was well-represented. It was so