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Removing the Mask From Reform in Bridgeport, CT

by dianerav

Thanks to Linda from CT for this article:

Removing the mask from Bridgeport education reformers

Published 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 18, 2012

• There is always more than meets the eye, particularly when a mask camouflages a hidden agenda.

Excel Bridgeport, a new education reform group, describes itself in flattering terms on its website. It announces:
“1. We want every child in Bridgeport to have the opportunity fo

The Big Business of Charter Schools

by dianerav

You may have been naive enough to think that charter schools are multiplying because some people want better education for American children.
You may have thought they were expanding to give more choices to children trapped in bad public schools.
You may have wondered why they continue to proliferate when so many studies agree that they don’t get better results than the public schools.
But if you thought those things, you were on the wrong track.

Who Will Pay for the Economic Meltdown?

by dianerav

I read two items within the same hour that presented a stark contrast.
First was this blog post about the Michigan Legislature’s change in teachers’ pensions. Apparently there are many people who think that teachers’ benefits are way too generous and must be scaled back. Can’t afford them anymore. Tough times.
Then I read in the New York Times that investigators checking into the collapse of the MF Global fund decided

Why Incentives Fail in Education

by dianerav

This reader notes that people attracted to work in education are different from those who choose to work in risk-taking occupations. I would disagree only to this extent: Read Deming, Pink, Ariely, and Deci, who say that extrinsic rewards don’t work in the corporation either; that people, regardless of occupation, are motivated by idealism, a sense of mastery and autonomy, and other factors intrinsic to the work, not by bonuses. We are today seeing a resurgence of early twentieth century Taylorism, scientific efficiency, low-level behaviorism, which

An Astonishing Article about TFA

by dianerav

We are accustomed to reading puff pieces about TFA, to hearing again and again how the “best and the brightest” are sacrificing two years of their lives to save the needy children of America from their wretched teachers, etc.
And we see fund-raising drives for TFA everywhere, on our ATM machine in the bank, as the beneficiary of the recent “Teachers Rock” concert in Los Angeles, as though TFA were a hard-pressed charity, sort of like the Girl

New school year: doubling down on failed ed policy - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

New school year: doubling down on failed ed policy - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

New school year: doubling down on failed ed policy

By Valerie Strauss

This was written by Lisa Guisbond, a policy analyst for the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, known as FairTest, a Boston-based organization that aims to improve standardized testing practices and evaluations of students, teachers and schools.

By Lisa Guisbond

Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt credited his teammate, Jamaican runner Yohan “The Beast,” Blake, with helping him improve by beating him in earlier races. The defeats forced Bolt to reflect on what he needed to do differently to improve. Bolt’s victory modeled a powerful lesson: Always try to learn from your mistakes, rather than repeat them.

President Obama and Arne Duncan (AP)As children head back to school after a decade of No Child Left Behind, will they benefit from 

Ten things teachers, students should expect this year

by Valerie Strauss

This was written by Boston educator Larry Myatt, a convener with The Forum for Education and Democracy, the cCo-founder of the Education Resources Consortium and a former National Faculty Member of The Coalition of Essential Schools. A version of this was first published on the Forum for Education and Democracy website and newsletter.
Read full article >>

Having gone to school doesn’t mean we all can run a school | EdSource Today

Having gone to school doesn’t mean we all can run a school | EdSource Today:

Having gone to school doesn’t mean we all can run a school - by Seth Rosenblatt

by Seth Rosenblatt

Almost all schools need parent volunteers, and educators will universally agree that getting supportive parents and other family members to be part of the educational process is crucial. This involvement can be anything from just making sure a child does their homework all the way through volunteering at the school, tutoring, helping the PTA organize schoolwide events, raising money, attending school board meetings and other district events and forums, or dozens of other ways parents can (and should) get involved. Parents have essentially become the part-time workforce upon which our schools rely, particularly in this age where public education is being defunded.

Each school district will likely have its own approach to engage parents and other community members. The ones more focused on this engagement often have inclusive decision-making processes with multiple community committees and other ways to encourage involvement and feedback (both positive and negative). But even if they do, it’s inherently a self-selection process as parents will choose how (and for what issues) they want to get involved (or choose not to get involved). Many of the 

District settles with ACLU over program for English learners - by John Fensterwald

by John Fensterwald

While insisting that it did nothing wrong, a Central Valley school district has quickly settled a lawsuit filed by several chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of a half-dozen parents and teachers who charged that the district had adopted a destructive program for English learners, which the state, in turn, failed to monitor.

ACLU Chief Counsel Mark Rosenbaum said no teachers defended the program.

Mark Rosenbaum, chief counsel of the ACLU of Southern California, vowed Friday that it would be filing similar suits in order to force the state Department of  Education to fix flawed programs that other districts offer English learners.

Under the terms of a settlement released last week, Dinuba Unified has agreed to immediately replace the controversial reading program, Second Language Acquisition Developmen

Lucy Calkins and a True Success Story of Writer's Workshop.southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com:

Lucy Calkins and a True Success Story of Writer's Workshop

by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)

Last Monday, the cult of Lucy Calkins and her Teacher's College reading and writing thingy was thoroughly eviscerated on these pages. However in the comments section one lackey defended TC and Lucy Calkins, and while we disagree with this anonymous commenter, we salute this person for bringing up a point that opposing viewpoints must be heard.

With this in mind, and in deference to the above mentioned commenter, we here at SBSB felt that is was not only important, but in the name of fair and balanced reporting, to show the other side of the story, the good work that Lucy Calkins has done with students in the NYC schools.

What better way to show that than inviting a guest blogger to SBSB to share with all how he learned to 

More with Less? Really? Welcome to Back to School - Lily's Blackboard | Lily's Blackboard

More with Less? Really? Welcome to Back to School - Lily's Blackboard | Lily's Blackboard:

More with Less? Really? Welcome to Back to School

Aug 18th, 2012 

by Lily.

Yeah, we all the got the memo, and here’s the thing: if one more person smiles at me and says, “Look, times are tough. You’ve got to learn to do more with less…” Well, let’s just say, you don’t want to be that person.

Let me go on record as saying I am a Utah teacher. The highest class sizes. The lowest per-pupil expenditures. A state motto that says: Stack ‘Em Deep/Teach ‘Em Cheap. I’ve had 39 5th graders in one small classroom all pushing and shoving for my attention.

I can stretch a dollar until you can see through it. I get it. Times are tough. And getting tougher.

But here’s the other thing: teachers, support staff and administrators don’t need 

Is Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Florida’s Future a Paper Tiger? | Scathing Purple Musings

Is Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Florida’s Future a Paper Tiger? | Scathing Purple Musings:

Is Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Florida’s Future a Paper Tiger?

by Bob Sikes

Last month’s blurb in the Tampa Bay Times that wealthy ed privatization advocate John Kirtley was hosting  a fundraiser for Jeb Bush to support his Foundation for Florida’s Future during the RNC caught the eye of Bush’s critics. Especially when it was revealed that two members of the Florida Board of Education – Kathleen Shanahan and Akshay Desai would be co-hosting the event. Whether of not the presence of the board members is ethical has yet to asked by the Florida media, but Bush and Kirtley are continuing their pattern of going after wealthy donors to fund their agenda. The invitation card seeks donations of $5000, $10000, and $15000.
So what’s Bush  war chest for? A fundraising letter he sent out one week ago was done on behalf of Parent 

Schools Matter: Educational Groups Only Oppose INVALID Ways of Measuring Teacher Accountability

Schools Matter: Educational Groups Only Oppose INVALID Ways of Measuring Teacher Accountability:

Educational Groups Only Oppose INVALID Ways of Measuring Teacher Accountability

by skrashen

Sent to the Los Angeles Times, August 20

Educational Groups Only Oppose Invalid Ways of Measuring Teacher Accountability

“A Capitol Force” (August 19) claims that educational groups such as the California Teachers Union are opposed to increased teacher accountability. Not so. These groups are opposed to using measures that base teacher ratings on student test scores.

A number of studies have shown that rating teachers using test score gains does not give consistent results. Different tests produce different ratings, and the same teacher’s ratings can vary from year to year, sometimes 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

by Mike Klonsky

Friday's failed pension grab

“We all look like idiots. I’ll say it again: We all — not the governor, not the other side, not our side — we all look like idiots.” -- Daniel Biss, Evanston Democrat 

L.A. charter cheating scandal

"Here I had been going around bragging about how awesome our school is, and now I wonder: Are we cheaters?" --Former L.A. Charter School teacherLisa Sims. 

Racist voter suppression in Ohio

“I guess I really actually feel we shouldn’t contort the voting process to accommodate the urban — 

AT LAUSD, ADVOCATING FOR LATINO RIGHTS CAN COST YOU YOUR JOB ( AT LAUSD, DEFENSA DE LOS DERECHOS latinos pueden costarle su trabajo) - Perdaily.com

AT LAUSD, ADVOCATING FOR LATINO RIGHTS CAN COST YOU YOUR JOB ( AT LAUSD, DEFENSA DE LOS DERECHOS latinos pueden costarle su trabajo) - Perdaily.com:

AT LAUSD, ADVOCATING FOR LATINO RIGHTS CAN COST YOU YOUR JOB ( AT LAUSD, DEFENSA DE LOS DERECHOS latinos pueden costarle su trabajo)

by Leonard Isenberg

(Mensaje se repite en Español)

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

Superintendent John Deasy called me tonight on a robo call to tell me how well they were doing at the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). In our brief telephonic interlude Deasy seemed moist with anticipation for the student test scores that were being released on August 31st. Me, I don't have to wait for August 31st to know the dismal results of 

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's principals: “Class of ’08” continues to dwindle - D.C. Schools Insider - The Washington Post

DC principals: “Class of ’08” continues to dwindle - D.C. Schools Insider - The Washington Post:

DC principals: “Class of ’08” continues to dwindle

By Bill Turque

In 2008, then-Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee turned over a third of the city’s public school principal posts, reassigning some leaders and hiring what the head of New Leaders for New Schools, a recruiting nonprofit, called “an army of believers.”

But struggling urban school systems chew up principals. With each successive spring, more members of the DCPS 2008 cohort have moved on through resignation, retirement, termination for poor academic performance or other issues. Officials never spell out the exact reasons, and few of those moving on ever talk.

DCPS confirmed Tuesday that at least 17 school leadership jobs will change this year. They include three more members of the class of 

Man who armed Black Panthers was FBI informant, records show | California Watch

Man who armed Black Panthers was FBI informant, records show | California Watch:

Man who armed Black Panthers was FBI informant, records show

by Seth Rosenfeld

Seth Rosenfeld

Seth Rosenfeld was an investigative reporter for the San Francisco Examiner and San Francisco Chronicle and has won the George Polk Award and other journalism honors. He can be reached at seth@sethrosenfeld.com. This story was edited by Robert Salladay and copy edited by Nikki Frick.
The Center for Investigative Reporting, parent organization of California Watch, is the nation’s oldest independent, nonprofit investigative news center in the United States.

PopoutVideo: Ariane Wu
The man who gave the Black Panther Party some of its first firearms and weapons training – which preceded fatal shootouts with Oakland police in the turbulent 1960s – was an undercover FBI informer, according to a former bureau agent and an FBI report.
One of the Bay Area’s most prominent radical activists of the era, Richard Masato Aoki was known as a fierce 

Steinberg seeks to change report cards for California schools - Education - The Sacramento Bee

Steinberg seeks to change report cards for California schools - Education - The Sacramento Bee:

Steinberg seeks to change report cards for California schools

by jsanders@sacbee.com (Jim Sanders)

California schools spend all year grading student performance, but lawmakers are turning the tables with an issue that strikes at the heart of education: How should a school be graded?

Geometry teacher Beth Riggs goes over first-day-of-class information with her students at El Camino High School last week. Senate Bill 1458 would change how schools are evaluated.

MEASURING SCHOOLS

California's annual evaluation of school performance, called an Academic Performance Index score, is derived solely from standardized test scores. Senate Bill 1458 would do the following:

• Require student test results to make up no more than 40 percent of the API score for a high school, but at least 40 percent for a primary or middle school. The change would take effect in 2014-15.

• Eliminate annual comparison of all public schools against each other by API decile ranking but continue the practice of measuring schools with similar socioeconomic characteristics.

• Provide to the Legislature, before October 2013, a plan to reflect more emphasis in API, or by other means, student mastery of science and social science standards.

• Authorize the superintendent of public instruction, with approval from the state Board of

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/20/4740075/measuring-schools.html#mi_rss=Education#storylink=cpy

Daily Kos: Krugman deconstructs and detroys Ryan

Daily Kos: Krugman deconstructs and detroys Ryan:

Krugman deconstructs and detroys Ryan

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

in a column for Monday's New York Times titled An Unserious Man.
Krugman begins by noting that it is the "commentariat" which

years ago decided that he was the Honest, Serious Conservative, whose proposals deserve respect even if you don’t like him.

  To which our Nobel Laureate responds simply

But he isn’t and they don’t. Ryanomics is and always has been a con game, although to be fair, it has become even more of a con since Mr. Ryan joined the ticket.

Award-winning economist that he is, Krugman then totally takes apart Ryan's plan by the numbers.  You need to 

School Tech Connect: Come Out To The Heartland!

School Tech Connect: Come Out To The Heartland!:

Come Out To The Heartland!

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

On my calendar for August 28, at Heartland Cafe:

Dangerously informed, ordinary citizen Don Washington is hosting a Tutorial Fund Raiser for Raise Your Hand on education. On the eve of a possible strike in a city that can find $5.3 million to finance a billionaire member of the unelected school board’s latest hotel and millions for turnaround and charters while disinvesting in neighborhood schools surely there is a logical explanation. Such are the ironies and absurdities under the rule of our new Mayor/Overlord Rahm Emanuel. Did teacher’s pensions and lavish pay cause the city all this financial trouble? Aren’t Charter Schools far and away the best schools in Chicago? Isn’t an elected school board the worst idea in a democratic state? We'll be playing games, learning things, taunting the powerful and answering all of these questions and more!

Raise Your Hand For Illinois Public Education is worth $25, and so is an evening with Don Washington. In the time since I transformed this space from a tech blog to a war blog, what I've learned is that the good guys are already organized and that the people fighting for the great American public school system are already going door-to-door with clipboards. Come out and meet them! 

I have a crazy little prediction, by the way. I was thinking about how Rahm has been governing, and it occurs to me that he thinks that the 23% of registered voters that he won last time comprised some kind of mandate to act like Napoleon. Well, I'm just here to say that I think that the elected, representative school board question is going to get at least that. And then what? Will the people be wrong? 

Oh, and by the way, follow @MSGunderson. She rocks.

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Obama Says Class Size Matters; Bill G, Are You Listening?

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Obama Says Class Size Matters; Bill G, Are You Listening?:

Obama Says Class Size Matters; Bill G, Are You Listening?

by Melissa Westbrook

Via NYC Parents blog:

Parent leaders throughout the nation thank President Obama for recognizing the importance of class size in his weekly address, and for releasing a report that shows how the elimination of 60,000 teaching positions since 2009 is not only unprecedented in US postwar history, but has led to class size increases that are severely damaging the quality of our public schools.

Leonie Haimson, Executive Director of Class Size Matters, said: “The President’s speech yesterday and the new White House report, Investing in our Future, make it crystal clear that the class size increases across the nation represent a crisis that is severely undermining our children’s opportunity 

To Survive, Some Catholic Schools Rebrand to Lure Wealthier Families - NYTimes.com

To Survive, Some Catholic Schools Rebrand to Lure Wealthier Families - NYTimes.com:

To Survive, a Catholic School Retools for a Wealthier Market

By JENNY ANDERSON

Published: August 19, 2012

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Catholic schools have been bleeding enrollment and money for years, and many have been forced to close. But some, like St. Stephen of Hungary, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, have found a way to thrive — attracting a more affluent clientele by offering services and classes more commonly found in expensive private schools.

Enlarge This Image

Librado Romero/The New York Times

The Rev. Angelo Gambatese, the pastor of St. Stephen of Hungary church, speaking to students of the St. Stephen school. The school, he said, expected to "achieve the same level of performance" as highly-rated private schools.

Selling points include small class sizes and extracurricular activities beginning in the youngest grades. And by often charging far less, these schools have been able to stabilize themselves and even grow.

“Our competition or our standard isn’t another good Catholic school,” said the Rev. Angelo Gambatese, the pastor at St. Stephen of Hungary church, which shares a 

Jersey Jazzman: Policy Based on FICTIONAL Movies

Jersey Jazzman: Policy Based on FICTIONAL Movies:

Policy Based on FICTIONAL Movies

by Duke

This is so ridiculous, I had to post from the road. Frank Bruni of the NY Times apparently thinks we should make education policy based on fictional movies:

“Our very best teachers ought to be treated much, much better than they are today,” said Joe Williams, the executive director of Democrats for Education Reform. “But in order to get there, we need to be able to say out loud that some teachers are better than others.”

That’s precisely what “Won’t Back Down” says. Although the movie is bound, in this politically charged climate, to be analyzed solely in terms of the position it seems to take on parent trigger or its qualms with union behavior, it’s ultimately about the impact of superior teaching, the need to foster more of it and the importance of school accountability. Who 

Sharing Sundays: A Renee Moore and Jesse Turner Sighting | The Jose Vilson

Sharing Sundays: A Renee Moore and Jesse Turner Sighting | The Jose Vilson:

Sharing Sundays: A Renee Moore and Jesse Turner Sighting

by Jose

Last week, I wrote a post about students in Mississippi getting arrested for things as trivial as dress code.Renee Moore responded:

Thank you so much for giving this sad story the attention and the angle it deserves. This is not just another excuse for people to point their fingers here at MS, but really to point a finger at our collective selves for becoming so callous.

This was worth saying because it’s not just about Mississippi. Too many people equate “backwards” with the South. The next day, I found out that some New Jersey kids won a $500,000 settlement after the assistant principal made them eat off the floor of the gym in front of other kids. The AP was moved to another school, but 

Missouri Education Watchdog: A Teacher who knows what Common Core Means to the Teaching Profession

Missouri Education Watchdog: A Teacher who knows what Common Core Means to the Teaching Profession:

A Teacher who knows what Common Core Means to the Teaching Profession

by stlgretchen

There is an interesting discussion on Hotair.com regarding teacher tenure.  There are some interesting comments specifically about tenure but the conversation expanded on how the real problems in education are much deeper and wider than just teacher tenure.  Read the full article and thread here.

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All I want to do is teach. And I wish people would just let me teach the kids who want to 

View from the Inside: an endorsement of voice and vision for teachers « InterACT

View from the Inside: an endorsement of voice and vision for teachers « InterACT:

View from the Inside: an endorsement of voice and vision for teachers

by Lisa Alva Wood

 

On August 8, I finished a four-week Fellowship at LAUSD Central Offices.The program is sponsored by Education Pioneers, a national foundation that takes MBA candidates and Teach for America teachers and puts them into policy-level offices in school districts and connected organizations for a time. This is the first summer that Ed Pioneers and LAUSD included school-based people. There were five of us – four classroom teachers and a principal. Here’s what I learned:
Lesson One: You’re not alone. Yes you are. But you’re not! But you are.
Lesson Two: What a great idea! We’ve thought of that.
Lesson Three: We want to get out of the box, but the (red) tape is