A cautionary charter school tale - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

A cautionary charter school tale - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

A cautionary charter school tale

by Valerie Strauss

Some public charter schools do wonderful work. Some don’t. This is what can happen when officials who allow charter schools to open don’t pay enough attention to what happens after the doors open to students.

In a trendy area of Dade County called Coconut Grove, controversy is swirling around the Academy of Arts & Minds and how one man dominates the school’s operations.

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Are we seeing glimmers of hope?

by Valerie Strauss

This was written by George Wood, principal of Federal Hocking High School in Stewart, Ohio, who this year is also taking on the role of superintendent of his small school district. He is executive director of the non-profitForum for Education and Democracy, a collaboration of educators from around the country.

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Which Path to Excellence in Education? « InterACT

Which Path to Excellence in Education? « InterACT:

Which Path to Excellence in Education?

by David B. Cohen

This blog post was co-authored with Rachel Norton, a school board member for San Francisco Unified School District. Earlier this year she also contributed to this site by sharing her thoughts about school turnaround models. A slightly shorter revision of this blog post was also posted at Beyond Chron, a progressive alternative media site.

San Francsico (photo: David B. Cohen)

It’s not often San Francisco hosts Jeb Bush and Rupert Murdoch, let alone on the same day, but it’s happening this week. Bush is Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Foundation for Excellence in Education. The Foundation brings its National Summit for Education Reform to San Francisco on October 13-14, with Bush and Murdoch among the keynote speakers (agenda here).

We hope they enjoy their stay, but reject their approach to education reform. Will their speeches include disclosures of their personal and family financial stakes in charter schools, educational publishing, and testing

Jeb Bush’s ed reform show in San Francisco | Thoughts on Public Education

Jeb Bush’s ed reform show in San Francisco | Thoughts on Public Education:

Jeb Bush’s ed reform show in San Francisco

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Former Fla. gov's summit seeks choice, tests and tech

Posted on 10/14/11 • Categorized as Common Core standards, Technology

By Kathryn Baron

You could say that the only folks missing from the National Summit on Education Reform at San Francisco’s Palace Hotel were teachers, but that would be wrong, on a technicality; they were outside protesting. Teachers might have had a vested interest, or even an interesting viewpoint, in the issues raised during the two-day conference. Stuff like tenure, seniority, testing, Common Core standards, and using technology in education.

Governor Jeb Bush, Chairman of the Foundation for Excellence in Education. (Photo from Foundation website)

But, no, they weren’t invited into the inner sanctum of power brokers, policy makers, and politicians brought together for two days of learning and lobbying by former Florida governor Jeb Bush’sFoundation for Excellence in Education. It might have been awkward for them be in the room when Idaho’s schools chief praised his state legislature for eliminating teacher tenure, or when Indiana’s Superintendent of Public Instruction described the “herd mentality of

Turning teaching upside-down - by John Fensterwald - Educated Guess

by John Fensterwald - Educated Guess

Witty, brilliant, self-effacing, a seeming agnostic in the education wars over school choice and performance pay, Salman Khan is an unlikely revolutionary. But Khan, the former hedge-fund manager turned online tutor, first for his East Coast nieces and nephews and now for the world, is flipping education upside-down. Many teachers and their unions have been [...]

Emanuel – Preckwinkle power grab of teacher pension fund. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Emanuel – Preckwinkle power grab of teacher pension fund. « Fred Klonsky's blog:

Emanuel – Preckwinkle power grab of teacher pension fund.

by Fred Klonsky

She ran as a progressive for County Board Prez. Now she’s close pals with the teacher union hating Mayor.

This news pissed off my friend Tim Furman this morning. And why wouldn’t it?

Preckwinkle, who ran for County Board President as a progressive, has linked arms with the union-hating Mayor

Geaux Teacher!: Sharon Hewitt Campaign Bows to Pressure

Geaux Teacher!: Sharon Hewitt Campaign Bows to Pressure:

Sharon Hewitt Campaign Bows to Pressure

by noreply@blogger.com (Lee Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT)

You can imagine my surprise when teachers began calling me Tuesday to ask if I had dropped out of the campaign for BESE District 1.

All teachers in St. Tammany Parish Schools found the first issue of "The St. Tammany Notebook," official publication of the St. Tammany Federation of Teachers and School Employees, that had been published in a long time. You see, the local union President, Elsie Burkhalter, had been conspicuously "absent" for quite a long time.

And she hasn't been in Baton Rouge during that absence. I remember seeing her one time during the last two legislative sessions, and I was there testifying on behalf of teachers and public education every day that an education related committee met.

So why the sudden interest? It seems that she was supplied by a local school board member with a private

Which Path to Excellence in Education? by David Cohen

by noreply@blogger.com (Lee Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT)

This blog was created by David B. Cohen and posted on InterACT. It was so good that I am posting it in full here rather than try to say the same thing in another way. Thanks David for this great post. Sounds like Louisiana to me!!

October 13, 2011



by David B. Cohen
.

This blog post was co-authored with Rachel Norton, a school board member for San Francisco Unified School District. Earlier this year she also contributed to this site by sharing her thoughts about school turnaround models. A slightly shorter revision of this blog post was also posted at Beyond Chron, a progressive alternative media site. [Note: on that version, we stated that the Foundation for Excellence in Education had only three board members, a statement based on the contents of their website at the time we wrote that draft. Their website has since been updated to reflect a board of eight members].

It’s not often San Francisco hosts Jeb Bush and Rupert Murdoch, let alone on the same day, but it’s happening this week. Bush is Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Foundation for Excellence in Education. The

Nate Easley, voucher proponent | DeFENSE

Nate Easley, voucher proponent | DeFENSE:

Nate Easley, voucher proponent

by andreamerida

A lot’s been said about the despicable, race-baiting campaign launched by the LiFERs (Latinos for Education Reform). It should be noted that these persons with Hispanic surnames don’t actually send their own kids to the zero-tolerance test prep labs that are the charter schools they promote. No, their kids get to go to cool magnets and the better schools in town, because THEY DON’T ACTUALLY LIVE IN NEIGHBORHOODS WITH HIGH NUMBERS OF LATINO FAMILIES.

Turns out that the LiFERs are really just a front for the pro-voucher movement. You remember vouchers, right? It’s the experiment normally tried on low-income communities to slide out of the social contract to provide a sound and equitable public education to every child in America. You know, like the experiment in Milwaukee that never worked, not even after 20 years of heartfelt trying.

And for all the gnashing of teeth about “accountability,” LiFER’s high-powered cadre of influential folks can’t

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Geoffrey Canada asks for leniency for convicted Wall St. crook #ows

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Geoffrey Canada asks for leniency for convicted Wall St. crook:

Geoffrey Canada asks for leniency for convicted Wall St. crook

by Mike Klonsky

Another hedge-funder is going to prison for insider trading. Only this time, the imprisonment of convicted Wall Street crook Raj Rajaratnam could be costly to some corporate school reforms and charter school privateers.

Rajaratnam, 54-year-old founder of the Galleon Group hedge fund was sentenced to 11 years in a North Carolina federal prison where he could wind up as Bernie Madoff's cell mate. He was also fined $10 million and ordered to forfeit $53.8 million in what the judge said were illicit profits from trading on confidential corporate information.

But one of the biggest losers is the deal will be charter operator and star of Waiting For Superman, Geoffrey

solidaridad: "Occupy LAUSD" and Reclaim Our Schools! #ows

solidaridad: "Occupy LAUSD" and Reclaim Our Schools!:

"Occupy LAUSD" and Reclaim Our Schools!

by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene

"Occupy LAUSD" and Reclaim Our Schools!


Open Planning Meeting
Friday, October 14, 2011 at 5:00pm
UTLA Building
3303 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles CA,90010
Room 815

Reclaim and Occupy LAUSD
Begins Tuesday, 10/18/11
4:00pm Meet w/Occupy LA in Downtown LA and march to LAUSD HQ

4:45pm Rally and Protest at LAUSD HQ
333 S. Beaudry Ave. Los Angeles CA, 90017

Suggested Signs: "Bail out Schools, Not Banks," "Corporate Greed out of LAUSD," "Stop Starving our Schools" t-- t"Bring Back our Teachers, Librarians, Custodians, and More!" "We are the 99%, Lower Class sizes now!" "Classes with 42 plus? "Stop School Giveaways!" "LA School Board, Shame on YOU!"

For more information and endorsements contact: OccupyLAUSD@gmail.com or call info line at: (323) 500-0232

Website: http://www.OccupyLAUSD.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OccupyLAUSD
facebook: https://twitter.com/OccupyLAUSD

Background:
This is a call out to the 99% who live, work, play and learn in the Los Angeles Unified School District. tIt is time we Reclaim Our Schools from the 1% wealthy Billionaires and Corporate Management Companies who continue to set educational policies of school giveaways, increases in corporate charter schools, and constant school lay-offs.

Despite an LAUSD Board memo indicating a district surplus of $55-million dollars, LAUSD Supt. John Deasy has laid off 1200 teachers, hundreds of custodial and clerical staff, and untold numbers of librarians, nurses, and school psychologists. tSecondary classes routinely pack more than 40 students in academic classes, leading to further student disengagement and higher drop-out rates. tUnder Deasy's direction, the District recently laid off 80 PSA counselors in charge of stemming school drop-out rates and ensuring adequate state funding based on attendance. tSchool libraries are being closed or inadequately staffed.

It is time the LAUSD School Board listens to us, the 99%. We demand full funding of our schools, an end to layoffs that disrupt our school communities, and an end to Public School Giveaways. It is time we hire back our teachers, counselors, nurses, office workers and all others who make our school communities great. tWe demand Wall Street out of LAUSD. It is time we bail out our schools, not banks.

The information herein represents the views and opinions of the Reclaim and Occupy LAUSD committee and does not necessarily represent or reflect the opinions of UTLA. tThis has not been officially endorsed by the United Teachers of Los Angeles or it's affiliates. At least not yet.

Big Education Ape: STOP Starving America’s Public Schools | Protest LAUSD CUTS

Big Education Ape: Starving America’s Public Schools | OurFuture.org:

Starving America’s Public Schools | OurFuture.org:

Starving America’s Public Schools

How Budget Cuts and Policy Mandates Are Hurting Our Nation’s Students

By Jeff Bryant
Campaign for America's Future

October 13th, 2011

Related Topics:

• Quality Education

Read full report »

VIDEOS

School Cuts Hurt Kids. . . 

Critics of America’s public schools always seem to start from the premise that the pre-kindergarten-through-12th-grade public education system in this country is failing or in crisis.

This crisis mentality is in stark contrast to years of survey research showing that Americans generally give high marks to their local schools. Phi Delta Kappa International and Gallup surveys have found that the populace holds their neighborhood schools in high regard; in fact, this year’s survey found that “Americans, and parents in particular, evaluate their community schools more positively than in any year since” the survey started.

How could there be such a disconnect between a national narrative about public education and opinions about local schools? The two contradictory narratives draw on completely different sources of evidence.

Debate about public education on the national level generally draws on evidence from macro-sources of data: scores from standardized testing, reports on the nation’s dropout rates, samplings from various student populations, and comparative assessments in various subject areas. But people get their school news from far more local, personal, and qualitative sources — from hometown newspapers, from local television and radio broadcasts, from neighbors, and

School Tech Connect: Dear Toni Preckwinkle

School Tech Connect: Dear Toni Preckwinkle:

Dear Toni Preckwinkle

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

You've lost my vote. Whoever runs against you, even if it is a Tea Party lunatic, I will vote for that person.

I hadn't really read the background of the suburban/county attack on Chicago's elected pension boards. If I had known Preckwinkle was in on it, I would have called her out loudly and publicly at the Labor Day rally, where she said some nice words about average Americans. It turns out that these average Americans aren't elite enough for Toni Preckwinkle. Where and whenever I see her next, I will boo loudly until I am removed. I highly recommend

Big corporate money coming in to suppress community voices in DPS school board election | DeFENSE

Big corporate money coming in to suppress community voices in DPS school board election | DeFENSE:

Big corporate money coming in to suppress community voices in DPS school board election

by defensedenver

Well, the campaign finance reports are in, and just as we’ve suspected, corporate Denver, Stand for Children and DFER are coming to the rescue for their slate.

Kind of puts everything into perspective, right?

Give to the pro-community campaigns, or volunteer, today.

Schools Matter: Wake County Lame Duck Segregationists Hustle to Approve Anti-Diversity Plan

Schools Matter: Wake County Lame Duck Segregationists Hustle to Approve Anti-Diversity Plan:

Wake County Lame Duck Segregationists Hustle to Approve Anti-Diversity Plan

by Jim Horn

Despite an election that has changed the face of the Tea Party controlled school board, and despite public questions and appeals to go slow, the defeated school board chair, Ron Margiotta, has put the new anti-diversity plan on next Tuesday's school board agenda.

Mobilize the stop the premature vote that defies the wishes of Wake County voters. From News Observer Oct. 13:

RALEIGH The three newly elected Democratic school board members, echoing many who spoke at a public hearing today, said Tuesday is too early for a final vote on Wake County schools’ sweeping new student assignment plan -- even if the delay puts off the plan for a school year.

District 8 representative-elect Susan Evans, who defeated chairman Ron Margiotta in Tuesday’s

Book Giveaway: Creating the Opportunity to Learn … by Boykin and Noguera | The Jose Vilson

Book Giveaway: Creating the Opportunity to Learn … by Boykin and Noguera | The Jose Vilson:

Book Giveaway: Creating the Opportunity to Learn … by Boykin and Noguera

by Jose

Creating the Opportunity to Learn: Moving from Research to Practice to Close the Achievement Gap by A. Wade Boykin and Pedro Noguera

Hello and welcome to this installment of The Jose Vilson Book Giveaway, where I’ll do my best to offer the latest and greatest books I can scrounge up … and all for free.

< whooping and hollering here >

This week, I’m offering a book for any and all contestants who wish to participate. Before I continue, though …

The rules are as follows:

1. Leave a comment at the bottom of this post with the words: “You can’t stop my go. I been born to be where I am.”

2. Hit “Like” in my fan page Jose Vilson (and leave the same comment on my page!).

That’s IT!

The last day to enter your comment is Thursday, October 20th, 2011 at 11:59pm. A winner will be randomly selected from all the commenters. Multiple entries are not allowed. Once you win, I’ll contact you directly with further details. Please make sure you respond quickly (within 48 hours of my choosing the winner), or you’ll lose the drawing.

The book I’m giving away in this entry is Creating the Opportunity to Learn: Moving from Research to Practice to Close the Achievement Gap by A. Wade Boykin and Pedro Noguera. I reviewed the book recently and I like it already. Here’s a few things I said then:

“To a teacher, some of these strategies seem obvious, but they don’t settle for the seemingly understood or ostensible. They dig deeper into the psychology of these strategies and why they’re so important. Unlike some research reviewers who settle for just aggregating their colleagues’ work, Boykin and Noguera hope to make a meaningful discourse in which all can participate. Unlike some researchers who only speak in professorial language when bringing up suggestions about their work, this duo prefers to clearly define and explicate these rather complex ideas in a clear and concise manner. The one piece that some educators might have asked for from Boykin and Noguera is the how, meaning how the ideas they proffer look like for the average teacher on a day-to-day basis. While there are some specific examples of these models in the book, the day-to-day narratives of how these practices look like daily would be useful if not necessary.”

It’s got real talk. Also included is actual advice from students. A well-rounded book in my opinion.

For more information, ASCD has:

· Select sample chapters from the book here;
· A free study guide that goes along with the book here; and
· A recorded Talks with an Author interview featuring Wade and Pedro here;

I’ve added this as my first full book on my iPad, so you know it’s good. Good luck to all the contestants!

ASCD in no way sanctioned this giveaway, but because I’m a rebel, I’m having it anyways. Yes sir!

Jose, who’s got a few more like these …

Technorati Tags: a. wade boykin, book giveaway, creating opportunities to learn, pedro noguera

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L.A. Unified adds test score measure to school report cards - latimes.com

L.A. Unified adds test score measure to school report cards - latimes.com:

L.A. Unified adds test score measure to school report cards

October 13, 2011 | 4:36 pm

1

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The report cards produced by Los Angeles Unified to allow parents and the public to evaluate the performance of district schools now include a new feature that measures the performance of a school's standardized test scores from year to year, district officials announced Thursday.

The measurement -- academic growth over time -- shows how much students’ performance improved or decreased in each grade in English and math compared to the previous year's exam scores. The district said the measure offers a fuller view of school performance.

L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy said the addition of this data allows educators and parents to have an