Latest News and Comment from Education

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Modern School: California Judge Rules in Favor of Seniority

Modern School: California Judge Rules in Favor of Seniority:


California Judge Rules in Favor of Seniority

The current wave of Ed Deform is breathtaking for the diversity and quantity of ill-conceived and destructive demands being made by its proponents. Despite the fact that these reforms contribute to the demoralization of teachers and potential flight from the profession at a time of teacher shortages, while also deteriorating safety and learning conditions for students, it seems like legislators and the courts are perfectly content to support and promote the madness.

However, in a breath of fresh air, administrative law judges recently ruled that San Francisco Unified and Sacramento City Unified did not have the authority to ignore state seniority laws in their attempts to keep veteran teachers at low-performing schools. While state law allows for few exceptions to seniority-based layoffs, administrative law judges recently ruled that San Francisco Unified had not made a compelling case for ignoring seniority, while Sacramento 

The PowerPoint Slides That Were Too Hot for TED - Restoration Roundtable

The PowerPoint Slides That Were Too Hot for TED - Restoration Roundtable:


The PowerPoint Slides That Were Too Hot for TED

May 16, 2012 | 5:14 PM
The idea--that the rich should pay more taxes to close the income inequality gap-- that TEDorganizers recently decided was too controversial to spread is being shared anyway.

Here's a look at venture capitalist Nick Hanauer's slides from the talk that was deemed to controversial to share: 








The Danger of Mindlessness - Bridging Differences - Education Week

The Danger of Mindlessness - Bridging Differences - Education Week:


The Danger of Mindlessness

Dear Diane,
Sixty year ago, as a student at the University of Chicago, I met a wonderful man named Chick (Ernest) Callenbach. He moved westward and I moved eastward, and we gradually lost touch. Last month he died, and left behind some words that touched me deeply: (See May 6, 2012, on TomDispatch.com)
"To all brothers and sisters who hold the dream in their hearts of a future world in which humans and all other beings live in harmony and mutual support—a world of sustainability, stability, and confidence."
A few days later someone sent me a piece by Paul Goodman, called "The Empty Society," from 1966! As a fan of Goodman and Callenbach (although not in agreement half the time!), I was touched by how prescient Goodman's words were about schools and the role of corporate greed in its decline. His final words in that lecture (which can be heard on the CBCradio website, "Ideas with Paul Kennedy") reminded me of Chick's final words:
"The chief danger at present is our mindlessness, induced by empty institutions ... We have all the talking points but less and less content ... We have lost our common sense for which we were 

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Thursday, May 17, 2012

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Education Headlines

Thursday, May 17, 2012

District Attorney's Office reviews case of teacher accused of abuse

The Orange County District Attorney's Office is reviewing the case of an Orange teacher accused of physically abusing special-education students, officials said Tuesday.

Twin Rivers school board candidate has criminal record

Twin Rivers Unified School District school board candidate John Berchielli has a lengthy criminal record, including felony convictions for child endangerment, setting booby traps, marijuana cultivation and welfare fraud.

Sacramento City Unified enacts worst-case-scenario budget cuts

Fifteen months ago, Sacramento City Unified School District approved a worst-case-scenario budget that called for laying off 355 full-time teachers, principals, counselors and librarians, and cutting off sports, band, cheerleading, choir and drama. By June 1, 2011, however, the district got a reprieve because state income tax revenue spiked – blunting the cuts and letting sports and other activities survive.

Atwater board OKs superintendent search

Controversy still swirls around the dismissal of school Superintendent Melinda Hennes.On split votes at a special meeting Wednesday night, board members approved a search for her replacement but rejected motions to remove Lena Mendoza as board president and delay the search until after November.

Former FAME charter school CEO claims in suit that she's a scapegoat

The former CEO of the FAME charter school says she is being used as a scapegoat for the school's problems and that she faced "hostility and retaliation" from board members before she was removed from her position, according to a lawsuit filed in Alameda Superior Court.

San Jose's East Side district names former teacher as superintendent

When the East Side Union High School District Board chose a new superintendent, it didn't have to go far. It tapped Chris Funk -- the current assistant superintendent for instruction in the neighboring San Jose Unified School District -- to oversee the largest high school district in Northern California, with 24,000 students.

Moraga school district refinances bonds

Property owners will pocket $204 in total savings over nine years after the Moraga School District on Tuesday refinanced $8.2 million in facilities bonds.

Fensterwald: Full-scale assault on tenure, dismissal laws

A nonprofit founded by a Silicon Valley entrepreneur has filed a sweeping, high-stakes lawsuit challenging state teacher protection laws.

Much anticipated fed guide on restraint of disabled gets panned

New guidance from the U.S. Department of Education on the use of restraint and seclusion in schools has already drawn criticism from one leading advocacy group as being “too weak.

Even with Brown's proposed tax, California could face chronic deficits

Even if voters approve Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal for higher taxes this fall, his ballot initiative would be only a partial solution to the state's chronic budget deficits.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012

High school execs get a look at 'all the craziness'

Throughout Kern HSD -- one of just 10 districts chosen statewide by California School Employees Association to participate this year -- about 35 or so school administrators and district officials watched and learned from the classified school workers.

School districts laying off more teachers

More than 100 Ventura County teachers have received final layoff notices, but that's fewer than some school districts had anticipated in March.

An Open Letter from Former Stand for Children Activists About a Ballot Measure | Seattle Education

An Open Letter from Former Stand for Children Activists About a Ballot Measure | Seattle Education:


An Open Letter from Former Stand for Children Activists About a Ballot Measure

If only the Stand for Children folks in our state had such convictions.
The following is an open letter from former Stand for Children members in Massachusetts.
As parents, teachers, and community members, we are Massachusetts grassroots activists for education. We read bills, testify at hearings, write letters to the editor, pore over budgets, speak at town meetings, make phone calls, and hold fundraisers. Many of us have done so for years.
It was as part of this work and with great hope that we joined Stand for Children.  And—initially—Stand helped us do great work.  We cast a critical eye on education bills at the State House and testified as needed. We turned back ballot initiatives that would have gutted education funding. We closely watched local budgets to keep dollars close to classrooms. We put our voices, time, money, and reputations into building Stand for Children. Because we were united and we spoke from our experience, we were heard.
Along the way, we learned a great deal about the legislative process, education funding, and policy. We learned 

Arizona Republican Introduces Bill That Would Make The Lives Of Teachers A Living Hell | Addicting Info

Arizona Republican Introduces Bill That Would Make The Lives Of Teachers A Living Hell | Addicting Info:


Arizona Republican Introduces Bill That Would Make The Lives Of Teachers A Living Hell

February 13, 2012
By 
Five GOP Senators in Arizona have introduced a bill in Arizona that would make the lives of teachers and professors a living hell inside and outside of school. Senator Al Melvin, Senator Andy Biggs, Senator Don Shooter, Senator Lori Klein, and Senator Steve Smith are the sponsors of SB 1467, which would prohibit teachers from engaging in “speech or conduct that would violate the standards adopted by the federal communications commission concerning obscenity, indecency and profanity if that speech or conduct were broadcast on television or radio.” In other words, teachers can’t do things that aren’t allowed on television.

Here is the full text of the bill:
“Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
A.  If a person who provides classroom instruction in a public school engages in speech or conduct that would violate the standards adopted by the federal communications commission concerning 

What teachers don’t need (but are getting anyway) - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

What teachers don’t need (but are getting anyway) - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:


What teachers don’t need (but are getting anyway)

This was written by Paul Thomas, an associate professor of education at Furman University in South Carolina. A version of this first appeared on dailykos.com.

By Paul Thomas
Just days ago, I completed my 28th year as a teacher — 18 as a high school teacher of English followed by 10 years as a professor of education.
Read full article >>

The (college) kids are alright

This was written by Stephen Whittaker, a professor of rhetoric at The University of Scranton.

By Stephen E. Whittaker
For three decades, I have taught rhetoric in a university honors program, so I see the academic cream of the crop. Many of my former students today are doctors, lawyers, educators, managers, editors and non-profit leaders, and when I see them at reunions, they strike me as articulate, humane and conscientious.
Read full article >>

Full-scale assault on tenure, dismissal laws | Thoughts on Public Education

Full-scale assault on tenure, dismissal laws | Thoughts on Public Education:


Full-scale assault on tenure, dismissal laws - by John Fensterwald - Educated Guess

A nonprofit founded by a Silicon Valley entrepreneur has filed a sweeping, high-stakes lawsuit challenging state teacher protection laws. A victory would overturn a tenure, dismissal, and layoff system that critics blame for the hiring and retention of ineffective teachers. A loss in court could produce bad case law, impeding more targeted efforts to [...]

Busting out of traditional notion of school demands taking risks - by Robert Schwartz

Maybe I’m too close to it. I’ve started schools, run schools, taught in schools, gone to school, visited schools – and they all look pretty much the same. As I imagine what schools might look like, I bump up against my preconceived and ingrained notions of what school has always been – [...]

Beware of AstroTurf Ed Reformers 

Just Like Michelle Rhee's Students first only BETTER


Astroturf lobbying refers to political organizations or campaigns that appear to be made up of grassroots activists but are actually organized and run by corporate interests seeking to further their own agendas. Such groups are often typified by innocent-sounding names that have been chosen specifically to disguise the group's true backers

Just Like Michelle Rhee's
 Students first Astroturf lobbying (only Better) 

Other Astroturf lobbying groups


Just Like Michelle Rhee's
 Students first Astroturf lobbying (only Better) 

Sanctimonious Scolding Isn't a Great Strategy for Promoting School Choice :: Frederick M. Hess

Sanctimonious Scolding Isn't a Great Strategy for Promoting School Choice :: Frederick M. Hess:


Sanctimonious Scolding Isn't a Great Strategy for Promoting School Choice


The other day, the Fordham Institute's Adam Emerson attacked Louisiana's Zachary school district for having the temerity to not participate in the state's new voucher program. After expressing initial interest, Zachary opted not to partake. The voucher program, championed by Governor Bobby Jindal, would allow students who attend Louisiana public schools earning a C, D, or F on the state's accountability system to attend a private or another public school.
Emerson denounced Zachary for "erect[ing] a fence around its public schools" and thundered at "those who make 'sacrifices' for the best [but] want to keep their investment exclusive." (I'm not sure what's up with the air quotes around "sacrifices.") He also attacked Michigan's Grosse Pointe school district for similarly opposing Governor Rick Snyder's proposal to make mandatory the state's voluntary interdistrict choice program. Emerson denounced a Grosse Pointe resolution for seeking "to preserve the 'personal sacrifices' of its citizens who opted to invest 'in premium housing stock.'" (Again, I don't know what's up with the air quotes.)
In the end, Emerson laments, "If [advocates] can't convince better-performing schools to open their doors to 

Is Miami-Dade Next to Endorse the National Resolution on High Stakes Testing? | Scathing Purple Musings

Is Miami-Dade Next to Endorse the National Resolution on High Stakes Testing? | Scathing Purple Musings:


Is Miami-Dade Next to Endorse the National Resolution on High Stakes Testing?

The state’s most recognized superintendent was clearly mad yesterday. Alberto Carvalho, a man who carefully chooses his words said some interesting things at the Miami-Dade school board meeting yesterday about this week’s FCAT nightmare. From Miami Herald columnist Fred Grimm:
“What we saw yesterday , we predicted,” Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho told his school board Wednesday. “We knew [the percentage of failures] would be significant. What we didn’t know was how severe.”
Carvalho described a chaotic series of “recurring and ever changing” teaching standards pouring out of the state over the last year, most of them after the school year was well under way. He counted 18 major changes.
Teachers, whose salaries depend, in part, on FCAT scores, started out the school year expecting to emphasize certain accountability criteria but learned along the way that the state had decided 


GO TO 
PINEAPPLE REBELLION 2012 (click picture)

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Happenings and Good News in SPS

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Happenings and Good News in SPS:


Happenings and Good News in SPS

Lowell Elementary Chess Team wins 24th Place at National Elementary Chess Championship
This event was held May 11-13th in Nashville Tennessee.  Lowell was the only team with just two players (they could have had up to four).  Jan Buzek, 4th grade, placed 47th out of 284 players and Marcell Szabo, 5th grade, was co-National Champion in the K-5 section.

 Note:  these blurbs were either submitted or the work of SPS Communications.  I did not write any copy so create due to those who did.

B.F. Day Elementary School received the Outstanding School Award May 15 from the Seattle Special Education PTSA for its work in building an inclusive school community.

Toby Jarman, who nominated B.F. Day, gave a glowing account of the contributions of special education teacher Maki Ichikawa, instructional assistants Jillian and Francina, general education teacher Mike Agrellas, and Principal Susan McCloskey.

Susan Sturms, President of the Seattle Special Education PTSA, said the nomination highlighted the professionalism, positive attitude, high expectations, appropriate instructional strategies, and inclusive 

NYC Educator: What Real People Think about State Exams

NYC Educator: What Real People Think about State Exams:


What Real People Think about State Exams

In my experience, at least, teachers can run in somewhat isolated social circles; i.e. many of our friends and relatives are also teachers.  But I have the great fortune to be married to a real person non-teacher, Mr. Eyre, who nevertheless possesses a great deal of forbearance when it comes to my willingness to discuss the absurdities of my profession.

A few days ago, we were listening to WNYC covering the scoring of the state ELA and math exams, and we had this conversation:

WNYC ANNOUNCER: Because of cuts in state funding, there was no money available to pay teachers overtime to score the exams, so teachers were removed from classrooms for days at a time to score the exams at central locations.

MR. EYRE: So the state exams get

A Worrisome Tradeoff of the School Choice Movement

A Worrisome Tradeoff of the School Choice Movement:


A Worrisome Tradeoff of the School Choice Movement


Source: http://photography-business-tips.com
The New York Times’ most emailed articles list typically does not include the most hard-hitting journalism. Instead, the list features pet stories about Ivy League graduates forced to wait tables or, this week, parents paying for their middle-aged daughters to freeze their eggs as grandparent insurance. Monday morning’s list, however, had an important story that examines a tradeoff posed by the charter school movement: the increasing self-selection into segregated schools.
Over the last few decades, the charters have brought the market to the schoolhouse. For parents whose children would have been siphoned into a low-performing school, school choice can provide other, hopefully better, 

NY State PTA President Testifies on Role of Families in Education Reform

NY State PTA President Testifies on Role of Families in Education Reform:


NY State PTA President Testifies on Role of Families in Education Reform

Dr. Maria Fletcher, president of the New York State PTA, will testify this morning at the US. House of Representatives Education and the Workforce Committee — Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education.  
The hearing, titled "Exploring State Success in Expanding Parent and Student Options," will focus on the role of parents in education reform. Research shows a direct link between family engagement and student achievement. Meaningful family engagement also empowers parent-school partnerships to ensure that every child succeeds and every school in every neighborhood is high quality; we need long-term solutions and not just an immediate alternative.
Fletcher is from Long Island and a constituent of U.S. House of Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) who, along with Rep. Todd Platts (R-PA) and U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Christopher Coons (D-DE), introduced the Family Engagement in Education Act (H.R.1821/S.941). The proposed bill incentivizes schools and districts to meaningfully engage families to close the achievement gap.
Witnesses scheduled:
  • Kevin Chavous, senior adviser, American Federation for Children
  • Todd Ziebarth, vice president for state advocacy and support, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
  • Maria A. Fletcher, president, New York State Parent Teacher Association
  •  Gwen Samuel, founder, Connecticut Parents Union
The hearing will be broadcast today at 10 a.m. EST. The testimony can be viewed at the following address:
http://edworkforce.house.gov/Calendar/EventSingle.aspx?EventID=294598
Fletcher's testimony can be downloaded in PDF format.

Education Report: Chronic Absenteeism Undermines Over 5 Million Students

Education Report: Chronic Absenteeism Undermines Over 5 Million Students:


Education Report: Chronic Absenteeism Undermines Over 5 Million Students

Danet Robaina-Cline, an attendance counselor at Chaparral High, considers her school lucky.

Like other schools in Las Vegas, a city reeling from the worst ravages of the foreclosure crisis, Chaparral serves impoverished children. They live in foster care or homeless shelters. They must watch over their younger siblings or move several times a year. But because Chaparral is in the middle of a well-funded turnaround process, it's one of the very few schools that can afford an attendance counselor.

It's one of the very few schools that could have picked up on the fact that a certain student was the sole breadwinner for his family.

After Chaparral's attendance reporting system found this student had missed many days of school, administrators sent him to talk with Robaina-Cline. "During our second meeting, he was discussing this very 

GERM in Brazil « Diane Ravitch's blog

GERM in Brazil « Diane Ravitch's blog: "Global Education Reform Movement"


GERM in Brazil

In his recent book Finnish Lessons, Pasi Sahlberg talks about the spread of GERM (the Global Education Reform Movement), the devout belief in testing, accountability, competition, choice, and privatization. One reason for the contagious nature of GERM is that it is boosted by an unparalleled public relations campaign. This campaign makes dramatic claims about successes, test score gains, improvements of all kinds. If one has the opportunity to look closely at these claims, they disappear in smoke.
Such is the case with the “miracle” of New York City under Mayor Bloomberg. As New Yorkers know all too well, the mayor came into office claiming that he could fix the city school system without spending any more than the current budget. He persuaded the state legislature to give him total control of the public schools. He controls a rubber-stamp board, which compliantly does whatever he wants, regardless of the wishes of parents, teachers, students, and communities. Year after year, the city’s test scores went up and up, until 2010 when the State Education Department admitted that it had lowered the passing mark each year. The city’s gains collapsed overnight, the achievement gap went back to where it had been eight years earlier, but the Mayor never admitted that the boasting was in error. There is a bit less touting of the miracle, although now he and his employees