Seattle Schools Community Forum: State Supreme Court Issues Pointless Ruling

Seattle Schools Community Forum: State Supreme Court Issues Pointless Ruling:

State Supreme Court Issues Pointless Ruling

by Charlie Mas

The Washington State Supreme Court has upheld the ruling by a King County that the state is failing to fulfill its constitutional duty to provide funding for public schools.

Here is the Court's opinion.

Then the Court threw up their hands and admitted that there was nothing they could do about it. They can't - or won't - force the legislature to do anything and they have given the legislature six years to mend their ways. Can you imagine? "This Court finds that you have been mal-nourishing these children in your charge and gives you

Schools more and more resemble maximum security prisons: schools without playgrounds, children without recess, and kids without play | Dailycensored.com

Schools more and more resemble maximum security prisons: schools without playgrounds, children without recess, and kids without play | Dailycensored.com:

Schools more and more resemble maximum security prisons: schools without playgrounds, children without recess, and kids without play

Written by Danny WeilEducationJan 5, 2012

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Picture of Thieves in Dante’s Hell

A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) indicates that children in poor urban neighborhoods need more chances for old-fashioned playtime in their daily lives. A number of experts in the report have raised concerns that in the current climate of treating youth not at risk, but a risk themselves, children have little time for unstructured play — which, AAP says, is important for kids’ physical and mental development. Perhaps the lack of play is due to the fact that more and more students are spending all day in school classes, hunched over desks preparing for standardized tests under the corporatized Obama educational policy, Race to the Top. The (AAP) report seemed to think this was the case noting that even U.S. suburban children are “over-scheduled” with formal classes and lessons, leaving them little time for simple play (Poor kids miss out on playtime, pediatricians say, http://bit.ly/udH1U2 Pediatrics, online December 26, 2011).

A 2009 report by the Alliance for Childhood surveyed kindergartens in New

Danger in a Little Knowledge « My Island View

Danger in a Little Knowledge « My Island View:

Danger in a Little Knowledge

by tomwhitby

I just finished another post on how educators oppose technology, Teachers Resist High-Tech Push in Idaho Schools. The headline from the New York Times misleads somewhat from the content of the article, but it does support the seemingly anti-tech-in-education bias of the NYT. The focus of the article is on the resistance that educators and parents in Idaho are showing to legislation being moved forward in regard to mandating technology in education. As an ardent supporter of technology in education, one would think that I would wholeheartedly support this legislation. The problem with any legislation dealing with education however is the ignorance of the legislators in regard to education and learning.

The fact of the matter seems, in this case, to be that teachers are opposed, not to the technology, but rather, the intent of its use, as well as the lack of support for training and implementation of the technology. I addressed this same issue in my last post, Another Tarnished Silver Bullet. The purchasing of mass quantities of

Jersey Jazzman: Stupid Teacher Evaluation Tricks

Jersey Jazzman: Stupid Teacher Evaluation Tricks:

Stupid Teacher Evaluation Tricks

by Duke

In our brave, new, reformy world, teachers need to be evaluated through multiple measures. So we're going to use test scores to rate their effectiveness, but we're also going to use observations from their principals. Because it wouldn't be right to just use one or the other: reformy types all agree on this.

But how we will make both work together? Lucky for you, America, the great state of Tennessee is leading the way on teacher evaluation:

In Murfreesboro City Schools, principals rated nearly half the teachers a five — the best score possible on the state’s new evaluation.

But in Fayette County Schools in far West Tennessee, only 1 percent garnered that rating.

The first glimpse of how educators fared under the system, which ultimately will affect whether they earn and keep tenure, demonstrated how subjective the process can be. The Tennessee

Pathway School District Decides To Monitor Students 24 / 7 … | Truth in American Education

Pathway School District Decides To Monitor Students 24 / 7 … | Truth in American Education:

Pathway School District Decides To Monitor Students 24 / 7 …

by James Bell

Missouri Edwatch caught this story. At a nearly-empty school board meeting in Chesterfield, Missouri, the Parkway District School Committee approved the mandatory use of GPS tracking devices on district students. While claiming these tracking devices were needed to study student physical activity, board members agreed to implement the use of “Polar Active Devices”, which are essentially ankle bracelets that track a student’s every move. Although the school board’s decision to make students adorn anklets like criminals in house arrest/prison is certainly alarming, what is more alarming is the fact that there was seemingly no discussion as to the legality of the devices- or offering parental waivers- at the meeting. The Parkway School district seems willing and eager to begin implementing its program to track students 24/7 (yes, even while they are at home).

The school claims that these GPS ankle bracelets are necessary in the name of “data collection”. They claim

The Facts DO Matter in Terms of Charter Schools | Seattle Education

The Facts DO Matter in Terms of Charter Schools | Seattle Education:

The Facts DO Matter in Terms of Charter Schools

by seattleducation2011

Remember the post “The fact’s don’t matter”, with the League of Education Voters”?

As I wrote:

During Munn’s presentation this week praising the glories of charter schools, one of the images she showed during her rather weak Power Point presentation were the words The “fact’s” don’t matter. She said that approving or disapproving of charter schools was simply a matter of “values”,either you like them or you don’t.

How convenient to say that the facts don’t matter when there is a plethora of information regarding charter schools and most of it is not good.

I was pulling together some information that someone had requested on charter schools this morning and as the

The entire winter issue of Rethinking Schools is accessible here, free of charge. Rethinking Schools

Rethinking Schools:

VOLUME 26, ISSUE 2 — WINTER 2011-2012
The entire winter issue of Rethinking Schools is accessible here, free of charge.
If you aren’t already a member of Rethinking Schools, we hope the exciting and thought-provoking articles in this issue will inspire you to join.

SPECIAL ISSUE • THE SCHOOL-TO-PRISON PIPELINE
This special issue of the magazine focuses on the school-to-prison pipeline, which is turning far too many schools into pathways to incarceration rather than opportunity. We investigate the roots of the crisis, then explore how to challenge it—from how we build community in our classrooms and deal with conflicts with and among our students, to what demands we see as central to the fight for social justice education.

Editorial • Stop the School-to-Prison Pipeline
By the editors of Rethinking Schools.

Schools and the New Jim Crow • An Interview with Michelle Alexander
By Jody Sokolower
The author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindnessapplies her thought-provoking analysis to children, schools, and priorities for education activism.

The Classroom-to-Prison Pipeline
By Linda Christensen
A master teacher faces a classroom revolt. She realizes that, no matter how imminent the high-stakes test, stopping the school-to-prison pipeline begins in the classroom with student-centered, meaningful curriculum.

Haniyah's Story
By Haniyah
An autobiographical essay by a 17-year-old reveals the impact of having a parent behind bars.

Teaching Haniyah
By Jody Sokolower
How can teachers support students with incarcerated parents, siblings, or other relatives?

There is a lot more inside this issue.

Van Roekel’s date with Kopp and Duncan not going over too well. « Fred Klonsky

Van Roekel’s date with Kopp and Duncan not going over too well. « Fred Klonsky:

Van Roekel’s date with Kopp and Duncan not going over too well.

by Fred Klonsky

Matt Damon is a friend of education, but no friend of Wendy Kopp.

When the 10,000 delegates to last summer’s NEA RA passed a critical New Business Item about Teach For America and another one sharply critical of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, few of us thought that meant for IEA President Dennis Van Roekel to arrange a lunch date with both.

I guess he did.

And it’s not going so well for Dennis.

Valerie Strauss’s column in the Washington Post addresses the backlash to a USA Today column jointly written

2012 National Youth Science Camp Nomination - Letters (CA Dept of Education)

2012 National Youth Science Camp Nomination - Letters (CA Dept of Education):

January 4, 2012

Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:

2012 NATIONAL YOUTH SCIENCE CAMP NOMINATION PROCESS

The California Department of Education (CDE) is pleased to announce it is accepting applications for the 2012 National Youth Science Camp (NYSC).

The NYSC is a residential science education program that honors and challenges two graduating high school students from each state. The NYSC is offered at no cost to participants. All educational and recreational programming, as well as meals, lodging, and round-trip air passage on scheduled airlines are provided free of charge to the delegates.

The NYSC will be held at a facility located in the Monongahela National Forest near Bartow in the eastern mountains of West Virginia. Delegates must be able to attend the entire NYSC program. Delegates arrive in Charleston, West Virginia, on Wednesday, June 27, 2012, and depart on Saturday, July 21, 2012. More information is available on the NYSC Web page at http://www.nysf.com/w/programs/nysc/nysc-2011/ (Outside Source).

To be eligible for consideration, an applicant:

• Must be a candidate for high school graduation between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012.
  
• Must complete the application enclosed or found on the CDE NYSC Web page athttp://www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in/nysc.asp and return it and supporting materials to the CDE by a postmark deadline of Friday, February 17, 2012.
  
• Must demonstrate superior academic proficiency, including recognition in mathematics and/or the sciences.
  
• Must demonstrate an application of leadership abilities and social maturity through involvement in school and community activities.
  
• Must demonstrate skills and achievements outside the realm of science and outside the realm of academic pursuits.
  
• Must demonstrate a curiosity and an eagerness to explore many and varied topics.

The completed application and supporting materials must be postmarked by Friday, February 17, 2012, and sent to the attention of:

Craig Cheslog
Principal Advisor to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Superintendent’s Initiatives Office
California Department of Education
1430 N Street, Suite 5602
Sacramento, CA 95814

As part of the NYSC program, scientists from across the nation present lectures and hands-on science seminars and linger to interact informally with student delegates. Delegates are challenged to explore new areas in the biological and physical sciences, art, and music with resident staff members.

Opportunities are provided for delegates to present seminars covering their own areas of interest and research. A visit to Washington D.C. permits delegates to visit some of the nation’s premier scientific, governmental, and cultural facilities. The NYSC experience includes overnight expeditions into the Monongahela National Forest featuring backpacking, rock-climbing, caving, mountain biking, or kayaking opportunities.

If you have any questions about the National Youth Science Camp nominations process, please contact Craig Cheslog, Principal Advisor to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Superintendent’s Initiatives Office, by phone at 916-319-0554 or by e-mail at ccheslog@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Tom Torlakson

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2012-00081

Heritage Schools Can Now Register with State,
Superintendent Torlakson Announces

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced that the 2012 Heritage School Registration System is open. Heritage schools—which give students a chance to focus on the language, culture, and traditions of a foreign country—must register online annually with the California Department of Education (CDE) by the end of January.

"Heritage schools continue to play an important role in helping students learn about and connect with their family's culture, values, and traditions," Torlakson said. "I'm pleased that the Department of Education supports these institutions by offering an easy-to-use online registration system."

Annual registration exempts heritage schools from licensure by the State Department of Social Services as a child daycare center. While the registration process does not constitute an evaluation or approval process, it does mean that schools that register agree to follow health, safety, operational, and parent notification requirements.

The annual heritage school registration process is required under California Education Code Section 33195, which became law in January 2010. The statute defines heritage schools as out-of-school-time programs that serve public and private school children between the ages of four years, nine months and 18 years by providing activities focused on the language, culture, and traditions of a foreign country.

Annual heritage school registration carries a fee to cover the implementation costs incurred by the CDE, consistent with the statute. The 2012 registration fee for each heritage school is $250, and is based on the costs associated with receiving, processing, and posting the registration forms, along with the necessary technical assistance offered.

For additional information on heritage schools and the registration process, please visit Heritage Schools - Parents/Family & Community.

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST USELESS RESEARCH « Teachers Fight Back

JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST USELESS RESEARCH « Teachers Fight Back:

JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST USELESS RESEARCH

by alkleen

I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore. I’m urging my congressman to initiate legislation that would make it a federal crime to conduct unnecessary research. I urge all of you to get behind this effort and contact your legislator. Your efforts just might be enough to prevent me from doing bodily harm to the next researcher who examines a subject that doesn’t need examining.

Two more scientific studies are out that reach such a blatantly obvious conclusion that it makes you wonder if the researchers are from another planet. It’s really irritating that one of these, like many others, were done at a public institution that receives tax payer money. We must stop this madness now!

One of the studies concludes that, “kids who get more exercise tend to do better in school.” The other study concludes that kids from an impoverished background are less likely to ask questions in class than middle-class

Matt Damon and Mother Reject Union's Award – SchoolBook

Matt Damon and Mother Reject Union's Award – SchoolBook:

Matt Damon and Mother Reject Union's Award

Robyn Beck/Agence France-Press-Getty ImagesMatt Damon with his mother, Dr. Nancy Carlsson-Paige, in 2007 after he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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Jan. 5, 2012, 11:25 a.m.

By ANNA M. PHILLIPS

12:19 p.m. | Updated The actor Matt Damon and his mother, a professor of education, on Wednesday turned down an award from the country’s largest teachers union after reading an opinion article that the union’s president had co-authored with the founder of Teach for America.

Writing that she was “confused by your collaboration” with Teach for America, Dr. Nancy Carlsson-Paige said she and her son, Mr. Damon, no longer desired to be nominated for the National Education Association’s Friend of Education Award.

In the opinion piece that Dr. Carlsson-Paige referred to, Dennis Van