John Walton: DFER Catalyst? « DFER Watch

John Walton: DFER Catalyst? « DFER Watch:

JOHN WALTON: DFER CATALYST?

Posted by ken libby on November 27, 2010 · 4 Comments 

John Walton: DFER catalyst? So says Whitney Tilson in an interview from his documentary, A Right Denied. Here is a snippet:

[DFER was started] …with a few other friends that are involved with a couple other other charter schools, and they were money managers like me involved with a couple similarly high-performing charter schools, we finally decided to create a little guerilla movement within the Democratic party. Interestingly, it came about as a result – what really catalyzed it – was a conversation with John Walton, who passed away a couple years ago in a plane accident, as you may be aware. But he, through his foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, has been one of the most generous supporters of KIPP and other charter schools and school reform in general. And he was a big backer of a group called the Alliance for School Choice. So we saw him speak at the Harvard Club, a couple of my friends and I, went to talk to him afterwards and he invited us to come join this organization and so we participated in a few calls. And what we discovered was that we were the only Democrats on the call or in the room, and it was largely backed by well-known Republicans like John Walton and Wal-Mart and so forth, and they were quite 

DON'T BE FOOLED BY "DEMOCRATS FOR EDUCATION REFORM"

An organization dedicated to promoting and expanding for-profit charter schools is using the good name of the Democratic Party to confuse voters in the 46th Assembly District.

If you live in the 46th AD, you have probably received numerous mailers announcing that "Democrats For Education Reform" has endorsed candidate Brian C. Johnson. These mailers include the photos of beloved Democratic presidents, prominent donkey logos, and other signifiers of Democratic support, and create the impression that Mr. Johnson has Democratic party backing.

DON'T BE FOOLED. Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) is not affiliated in any way with the California Democratic Party, the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, DPSFV, or any other Democratic party organization. This endorsement is part of a $350,000 independent expenditure campaign, funded by charter school interests, to fool Democratic voters into believing the Democratic Party has endorsed in this race.

As LA County Democratic Party Chair Eric Bauman wrote in a "cease and desist" letter to DFER: "Third party groups, such as EdVoice, that deceive voters with independent expenditures to promote and insinuate the purported support of Democratic-sounding groups like Democrats For Education Reform, while being funded by Republicans and conservative organizations, serve only to mislead voters and distort truth."

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD: Tell your friends in the 46th AD that "Democrats for Education Reform" does not speak for the Democratic Party. DPSFV stands with LACDP in demanding that DFER cease and desist using the Democratic name to confuse voters in California elections.

Owners and players. « Fred Klonsky

Owners and players. « Fred Klonsky:

Owners and players.

by Fred Klonsky

Even as a kid I knew the difference between owners and players and the game.
As a Dodger fan I loved Jackie Robinson. And I hated Walter O’Malley.
As an adult I could swear allegiance to the Bulls and MJ while feeling nothing but contempt for Jerry Reinsdorf.
So I have no problem with the Cubs and their players.
Even though the new owners are scumbags.
The story today is that the Ricketts family, owners of the Cubs, are million dollar funders of a super-PAC that is planning to launch a race-baiting campaign against President Obama.
The Ricketts family don’t seem to be the brightest stars in the sky considering that they are looking for a government hand-out to repair  Wrigley Field. Wrigley’s charms are somewhat mitigated by the falling pieces of 

Study: 7.5 million students miss a month of school each year – USATODAY.com

Study: 7.5 million students miss a month of school each year – USATODAY.com:

Study: 7.5 million students miss a month of school each year

By Greg Toppo, USA TODAY

Updated 13h 39m ago

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Reprints & Permissions

On any given day, about 90% of USA students come to school — pretty good as attendance goes. But scratch beneath the surface and you may find less flattering figures.

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  By Chris Landsberger, AP
  New research suggests millions of students miss a month of school each year, raising the likelihood they'll fail academically and eventually drop out.

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By Chris Landsberger, AP

New research suggests millions of students miss a month of school each year, raising the likelihood they'll fail academically and eventually drop out.

Sponsored Links

New research suggests that as many as 7.5 million students miss a month of school each year, raising the likelihood that they'll fail academically and eventually drop out of high school.

The findings, from education researcher Robert Balfanz of Johns Hopkins University, estimate that 10% to 15% of students nationwide are "chronically absent" from school, missing enough class time to be at "severe risk" of dropping out.

Among the biggest dilemmas, he says: Most states don't even measure how many kids miss more than a few days 

Alec Exposed in Wisconsin: The Hijacking of a State | Uppity Wisconsin

Alec Exposed in Wisconsin: The Hijacking of a State | Uppity Wisconsin:

Alec Exposed in Wisconsin: The Hijacking of a State

by Steve Hanson

CMD Releases New Report

“ALEC Exposed in Wisconsin: The Hijacking of a State”

 

Watchdog Groups Call for Attorney General Investigation of ALEC Lobbying Activities

 

MADISON -- Today, the Madison-based Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) released a new report that details the exclusive network of corporate lobbyists and special interest groups that influence the Wisconsin legislature through the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

“This report reveals details of the extraordinary influence of ALEC and its agenda on the Wisconsin legislature and our laws over the past 16 months,” said Lisa Graves, executive director of the Center for Media and Democracy. “This corporate-backed agenda undermines the rights of Wisconsin families while advancing the agenda of huge corporations and special interest groups.”

Six weeks ago, corporate members of ALEC started jumping ship when it became known that Florida’s “Stand 

All Things Education: Ssshhhh! Testing in Progress

All Things Education: Ssshhhh! Testing in Progress:

Ssshhhh! Testing in Progress

by Rachel Levy

This is a guest post by a DCPS teacher who wishes to remain anonymous due to fears of reprisal by administrators.

"Ssshhhh! Testing in Progress" 

These signs hang on every classroom door and throughout the hallways of the elementary school where I teach. Bulletin boards throughout the building are plastered with test-taking tips, countdown to testing days, and even testing-themed poetry. Teachers are feverishly reviewing the pages and pages of rules, regulations, and routines that will serve as a survival guide for the next two weeks. Administrators walk around inquiring about the happenings in each classroom, wanting to know how each lesson will contribute to the students' achievement on the upcoming standardized tests. Flyers are sent home describing the stress that will ensue in the following weeks and how we will cover up this anguish with a makeshift “spirit week.” Pajama day, crazy sock day, class color day. I momentarily found myself reminiscing about the days of high school homecoming, but this is no homecoming. Our school has become a den of bubble-sheet masters, nervous teachers, and strangers with clipboards, taking notes on every move made and the potential breaches of test security. 

I’m not sure what's worse, the testing itself or the preparation and anxiety built up beforehand. As I sat through a 

GO TO 

National Resolution on High-Stakes Testing

Indianapolis Charters Dumping Students « Diane Ravitch's blog

Indianapolis Charters Dumping Students « Diane Ravitch's blog:

Indianapolis Charters Dumping Students

by dianerav

Sharon Higgins, a parent activist in Oakland, manages an important blog called “charter school scandals.” she collects articles from around the nation about the misdeeds of charter operators. That’s how I learned about the story below.
I have heard from many public school principals about the practice of dumping low-performing students and keeping the tuition money. Don’t be surprised if Tony Bennett doesn’t turn a blind eye:
“IPS superintendent calls for state investigation into charter schools.” FOX59 (IN), 10/24/2011
Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Eugene G. White called for a state investigation Monday.  White called for the state to investigate what he calls an illegal charter schools practice that will cost his district $500,000 in state aid this year.
In a letter to State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Tony Bennett, White claims that charter schools are

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS WEBSITE

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS

A compilation of news articles about charter schools which have been charged with, or are highly suspected of, tampering with admissions, grades, attendance and testing; misuse of funds and embezzlement; engaging in nepotism and conflicts of interest; engaging in complicated and shady real estate deals; and/or have been engaging in other questionable, unethical, borderline-legal, or illegal activities. This is also a record of charter school instability and other unsavory tidbits.

Couldn't Find Your Own Special Charter School Scandal

Just Type the name of your city or charter school in the box below

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS

If you don't find yours today

Keep checking

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS

Be sure to check out two other Great blogs:

-THE BROAD REPORT (as in Eli) -THE PERIMETER PRIMATE

LAUSD'S FINAL SOLUTION FOR EXPENSIVE HIGH SENIORITY TEACHERS - Perdaily.com

LAUSD'S FINAL SOLUTION FOR EXPENSIVE HIGH SENIORITY TEACHERS - Perdaily.com:

LAUSD'S FINAL SOLUTION FOR EXPENSIVE HIGH SENIORITY TEACHERS

by Leonard Isenberg

(Mensaje se repite en Español)

(For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)

The biggest problem with bringing about change in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is that most people of good will find it impossible to believe that people running a school district could actually be so malevolent. In what now amounts to the hundreds of calls I have received from teachers being targeted by LAUSD for dismissal from their jobs on completely fabricated charges is these teachers steadfast belief that there must be a misunderstanding and all they have to do is explain themselves to somebody higher up at LAUSD. If not vindicated by LAUSD, then at least those charged with defending them at their union United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) will have to intercede on their behalf. Of course this misunderstanding or the isolated improper behavior of their principal will ultimately be set right by those in power, who will reverse the actions taken to remove them. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Slowly, targeted teachers become aware of the fact that their principal is not some sort of insane loose canon, who decided on their own to target them, but rather is the 

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Lots of upcoming events in real school reform

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Lots of upcoming events in real school reform:

Lots of upcoming events in real school reform

by admin

Sunday, May 20, 5 to 7 pm @ Luther Memorial Church, 2500 W. Wilson.
PURE’s Wanda Hopkins will be featured on a panel, “Critically Thinking about Chicago Public Schools.” Also featured, members of the CTU, City Council, Raise Your Hand, Albany Park Neighborhood Council, and VOYCE; CPS Board members are also invited.
“The notion of education reform is not a contentious issue for the vast majority of Chicago voters, as 82% consider reform either extremely or very important. However, not all reform is viewed the same. What shape does that reform take? Hear from members of the community involved in reshaping education so it benefits all stakeholders.”
Wednesday, May 23, 3 pm @ the Auditorium Theater, 50 W Congress
“Parents 4 Teachers is organizing a parent rally to coincide with the CTU rally on May 23. We’re meeting at 3 p.m. outside the Auditorium Theater, 50 E. Congress. We want parents there when the teachers come in to the theater to show we are behind them. The union is expecting an overflow crowd and will be conducting an outdoor rally (at 4:30 pm) as well, which we’ll be participating in as well.”
Tuesday, May 29, 6:30 – 8:30 pm @ Talcott School, 1840 W. Ohio
I’ll be bringing home the Chicago connection to the great short documentary “The Inconvenient Truth behind Waiting for Superman” (here’s the flyer in English and Spanish). The program will offer Spanish translation; a Spanish-language transcript of the film will also be available.

Wednesday, May 30, 6 – 8 pm @ DePaul College of Education, 254 SAC (Schmitt Academic Center), 2320 N. Kenmore
“CReATE, along with the Chicago Teachers Union and the DePaul College of Education, is sponsoring an important program:  EVALUATING TEACHER EVALUATION with Dr. Jesse Rothstein from the University of California at Berkeley. CPS will be including Value Added Metrics (VAM) as part of teacher evaluation. VAM shows serious inconsistencies and inaccuracies when used for teacher evaluation. Learn more about VAM and its flaws from a nationally-recognized expert.
“This program is a follow-up to our press conference and the release of (CReATE’s) open letter on teacher evaluation. The letter can be downloaded here.
“Dr. Rothstein is a nationally known researcher and critic of the use of Value Added Metrics for teacher evaluation. The Chicago Public Schools will be using these metrics as part of the implementation of the new teacher evaluation system.
“Isabel Nuñez, a CReATE member from Concordia University, will discuss the letter as well as the CReATE testing brief.
Saturday, June 2, 10 am – 12:30 pm, UIC, Jane Addams College of Social Work, 1040 W. Harrison, 4th floor, room 4013
“Chicago activists, educators, students, academics and parents are coming together June 2 to talk about how we can use Free Minds, Free People, the powerful national gathering on education justice, to support the development of a national education movement. Be part of this critical discussion about how to connect the burgeoning, city-wide education movement in Chicago to education for liberation work across the country.
“Chicago is the birthplace of Free Minds, Free People, and one of the most important sites in the fight for education justice in this country. We expect Chicago to have a powerful voice in shaping the direction of this critical national gathering. Please join us!
“Breakfast and childcare will be provided. You must register your child in advance.
(Donations for food are appreciated)”

Education Research Report: The Importance of Being in School: A Report on Absenteeism in the Nation’s Public Schools

Education Research Report: The Importance of Being in School: A Report on Absenteeism in the Nation’s Public Schools:

The Importance of Being in School: A Report on Absenteeism in the Nation’s Public Schools

ATTENDANCE COUNTS!

Just one day. That’s what we think when we skip school or pull our child out. It can’t really matter that much. But add up those one days and you get months of missed learning time. We’ve created a tool that allows you to chart the effect of missing school. Check it out, share it and read more about the issue.

• MIDDLE SCHOOL
  
  
• HIGH SCHOOL

Students need to attend school daily to succeed. The good news of this report is that being in school leads to succeeding in school. Achievement, especially in math, is very sensitive to attendance, and absence of even two weeks during one school year matters. Attendance also strongly affects standardized test scores and graduation and dropout rates. Educators and policymakers cannot truly understand achievement gaps or efforts to close them without considering chronic absenteeism.

Chronic absenteeism is not the same as truancy or average daily attendance – the attendance rate schools use for state report cards and federal accountability. Chronic absenteeism means missing 10 percent of a school year for any reason. A school can have average daily attendance of 90 percent and still have 40 percent of its students chronically absent, because on different days, different students make up that 90 percent.

Data from only six states address this issue: Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Nebraska, Oregon and Rhode Island. How these states 

Hey, Over Here… I got this standardized test for yah… Cheap. - Wait, What?

Hey, Over Here… I got this standardized test for yah… Cheap. - Wait, What?:

Hey, Over Here… I got this standardized test for yah… Cheap.

by jonpelto

Three weeks ago came the news that  Bridgeport Superintendent  Paul Vallas and the corporate reformers who are busy “turning around” the Bridgeport School System decided to add another round of standardized tests to finish up the school year (even though the state-wide Connecticut Mastery Tests just took place only a few weeks ago.)  See Wait What? More Standardized Testing, Hooray!

Vallas’s Chief Administrative Officer informed Bridgeport’s teachers about the development with a memo that read “…there will be end-of-year testing in English Language Arts and mathematics that will mirror the CMT and CAPT examinations.  These tests will be administered to all students in Grades 3-11 during the week of June 4th, including Grades 9 and 11 who do not take state assessments.”

According to this new Vallas Doctrine, “traditionally, instruction wanes after the administration of the state tests.  Unfortunately, this ‘lull’ in teaching and learning deprives our students of much-needed academic support.”

Sadly Vallas’ team of administrators and consultants failed to provide any evidence to 

From the National Academy of Sciences, a year ago this month, Current Test-Based Incentive Programs Have Not Consistently Raised Student Achievement in U.S | Seattle Education

From the National Academy of Sciences, a year ago this month, Current Test-Based Incentive Programs Have Not Consistently Raised Student Achievement in U.S | Seattle Education:

From the National Academy of Sciences, a year ago this month, Current Test-Based Incentive Programs Have Not Consistently Raised Student Achievement in U.S

by seattleducation2011

One year ago, the National Academies provided a report regarding the focus of standardized testing and its effects or lack thereof on our educational system. Unfortunately the Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and his corporate sponsors don’t seem to be heeding the warning.

To follow is a press release that was issued last May and deserves another review by all. Arne Duncan as well as our Washington State PTA could certainly use a reminder.
Dora
Current Test-Based Incentive Programs Have Not Consistently RaisedStudent Achievement in U.S.; Improved Approaches Should Be Developed and Evaluated
WASHINGTON — Despite being used for several decades, test-based incentives have not consistently generated positive effects on student achievement, says a new report from the National Research Council.  Thereport examines evidence on incentive programs, which impose sanctions or offer rewards for students, teachers, 

May 17, 1954 | Supreme Court Declares School Segregation Unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education - NYTimes.com

May 17, 1954 | Supreme Court Declares School Segregation Unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education - NYTimes.com:

May 17, 1954 | Supreme Court Declares School Segregation Unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education

By THE LEARNING NETWORK

Thomas J. O’Halloran/Library of Congress U.S. News & World Report Magazine Photograph CollectionIn Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the NAACP lawyer Thurgood Marshall successfully argued that school segregation was a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Historic Headlines

Learn about key events in history and their connections to today.

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• See all Historic Headlines »

On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court issued its landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ruling, which declared that racially segregated public schools were inherently unequal.

The decision overturned the 1896 Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson, in which the court ruled that segregation laws were constitutional if equal facilities were provided to whites and blacks. Segregation was therefore justified under the doctrine “separate but equal,” but in few cases were segregated facilities actually equal. The disparity was particularly clear in public schools, where the amount of financing and the standard of education for all-black schools lagged far behind all-white schools.

In 1951, the NAACP recruited families from Topeka, Kan., to take part in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of school segregation. The named plaintiff, Oliver Brown, had a daughter who was forced to take a bus to an all-black school rather than attend the all-white school blocks from her house. The case was combined with similar cases from other parts of the country and argued before the Supreme Court by a team of NAACP lawye

The Students Success Task Force the focus of May 12th conference on the privatization of California Community Colleges: Students discuss strategies to form a California State Wide Union of Students | Dailycensored.com

The Students Success Task Force the focus of May 12th conference on the privatization of California Community Colleges: Students discuss strategies to form a California State Wide Union of Students | Dailycensored.com:

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The Students Success Task Force the focus of May 12th conference on the privatization of California Community Colleges: Students discuss strategies to form a California State Wide Union of Students

Posted by: Danny Weil Posted date: May 17, 2012 In: Business, Education | comment : 0 Comments

If you are not familiar with the proposal coming out of the state government regarding privatizing and fianancializing community colleges in California please go to the website http://nosstf.blogspot.com and familiarize yourself with the issue.  One of the best fact sheets and analysis of the Orwellian named “Students Success Task Force” has been done by No SSTF at: http://nosstf.blogspot.com. 

In a never ending cascade of brutality, the forces of privatization and financialization are working harder than ever in concert with their lap-dog politicians to privatize education in the interest of Wall Street — this time the target is the 112 community colleges in the state of California that serve 2.6 million students. 

There is a video that you can see at the website http://nosstf.blogspot.com

Below are a few important bullet points quoted from No SSTF:

“Fact Sheet – Recommendations for Student Failure

The California Community Colleges Student Task Force recommendations are meant to radically defund the community college system, which has already had a $1.75 billion in cuts during the past three years. This has resulted in programs eliminated, tens of thousands of students turned away, and overcrowded classes. The Task Force recommendations would cut education further.