NJ Spotlight | Interactive Map: What NJ Public School Teachers Earn

NJ Spotlight | Interactive Map: What NJ Public School Teachers Earn:

Interactive Map: What NJ Public School Teachers Earn

Across the state, teacher's pay offers a patchwork of possibilities, but tax caps and a sluggish economy are keeping raises tight

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By Colleen O'Dea, September 6, 2012 in Education |1 Comment

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The average New Jersey public school teacher earned $67,412 last year, an increase of less than 1 percent over the prior year.

Related Links

Average Teacher's Salary -- Elementary Districts

Average Teacher's Salary -- K-12 Districts

Average Teacher's Salary -- Regional High School Districts

Average Teacher's Salary -- Charters and Vocational Schools (PDF)

That small pay hike ($356 on average) reflects continuing poor economic conditions and the relatively tight 2 percent cap on tax increases imposed by the state.

The average salary for non-administrative professional staff -- including teachers, librarians, counselors, and others -- was up nearly 6 percent over the 2009-10 

Average Administrator Salaries -- Regional High School Districts

Interactive Map: Average Teacher's Salary -- K-12 Districts

Interactive Map: Average Teacher's Salary -- Elementary Districts

HechingerEd Blog | From the convention: Michelle Rhee on how Obama — or Romney — should change education

HechingerEd Blog | From the convention: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee on how Obama — or Romney — should change education:

From the convention: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee on how Obama — or Romney — should change education

by Sarah Butrymowicz

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee, thinks that Democrats have entered a new phase in their relationship with teachers unions. And she thinks a push by Republicans for local control of education is unquestionably wrong.

Michelle Rhee

A political – and often controversial – figure since she started as chancellor in 2007, Rhee will be spending this election season focused on state-level policies. She started her organization, StudentsFirst, to create a counterweight to union political pressure. The organization provides support to politicians of both parties who promise to work for statewide education reforms.
The new effort does not mean that Rhee, a Democrat, doesn’t have opinions about what’s happening on the 

Chicago Public Schools teachers: Monday strike date still on - Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Public Schools teachers: Monday strike date still on - Chicago Sun-Times:

Chicago Public Schools teachers: Monday strike date still on

BY ROSALIND ROSSI  AND STEFANO ESPOSITO Staff Reporters September 5, 2012 4:34PM

• Reprints
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Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, talks to reporters Thursday after Chicago Teachers Union House of Delegates unanimously agreed to strike starting Sept 10. August 30 2012. I Scott Stewart~Sun-Times

Updated: September 6, 2012 2:23AM

 

Chicago Public Schools officials freshened their economic offer to teachers Wednesday but teachers union officials immediately labeled the deal “unacceptable’’ and held firm to a Sept. 10 strike date.

CPS didn’t budge from its May offer of four years of 2 percent raises, but for the first time it formally dropped the requirement that the fourth-year raise be tied to a form of merit pay and “differentiated compensation,’’ Chicago Teachers Union officials said.

“I have some reasonable news: The board has moved off of merit pay,’’ CTU President Karen Lewis told reporters after the union’s House of Delegates held its monthly meeting. But, Lewis said, “We 

Assessing Charter Schools: Follow the Money | California Progress Report

Assessing Charter Schools: Follow the Money | California Progress Report:

Assessing Charter Schools: Follow the Money

by callen

By Mark Naison
Unlike some of my friends and political comrades, I am not against charter schools as a matter of principle. However, I am acutely aware that the charter school movement has been used by the nation’s financial elite as a strategy to weaken public schools, undermine teachers unions, divide parents in working class communities against one another, and in all to many cases, build careers or make profits.
The following are some common sense categories I have developed to judge whether charter schools, or charter school organizations, represent well intentioned experiments in diversifying public education, or cynical efforts to undermine public schools and degrade the teaching profession.
read more

Clint Wasn't Always Politically Inept

by callen

By Dick Meister
You might reasonably think Clint Eastwood lacks political savvy, given his bizarre presentation at the Republican National Convention. But he was once plenty savvy, as he showed clearly during his two-year stint as mayor of tourist favorite Carmel.
Prior to his election, folks in Carmel and elsewhere tended to think of Clint as just a craggy, handsome movie actor playing at politics. But, boy, were they wrong. Listen to what Carmel resident Jean Lajigian said after Eastwood took office in 1986:
"When I voted for Clint Eastwood, I knew that democracy worked, that we could change things. Since he's been mayor, there's been just an upbeat feeling in the community."
read more

School Tech Connect: Hang Out With Rita Solnet!

School Tech Connect: Hang Out With Rita Solnet!:

Hang Out With Rita Solnet!

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

So much good stuff coming up. I see Jonathan Kozol is coming to town on the 27th.   Also, the good folks at SOS are hosting a webinar with the unbelievably fabulous Rita Solnet on September 7. I hope to make it to both.

I'm just going to post the email I received about this event below. Evidently there's a movie out there, and evidently it's about how some parents use a "trigger" law to convert an evil public school into a charter. The propaganda against the great American school system is a powerful thing. I wouldn't be surprised if there were a scene in this movie where Michelle Rhee pops out of a cake and pours an upside-down margarita into Arne Duncan's mouth.


Save Our Schools Webinar
Rita Solnet Speaks to Parents Who "Won't Back Down"
Friday, September 7, 2012
8:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time [EDT}

Please Join Us!

 
  

Co-Founder of Parents Across America, Rita Solnet speaks to moms and dads, students, teachers, and any of us who "Won't Back Down." Rita understands the intensity of their feelings. As a mother herself, Ms Solnet would do anything within her power to ensure that a child receives the best education possible. She relates to the pain of seeing her child ill-served in a classroom.

She understands the struggle when a school does not meet a son or daughter's needs. Rita's own distress with what seemed a broken school system led to her current career as an education activist. This is the reason that Rita Solnet might be the best person to speak to what is glorified today in the recently released film. In it "Won't Back Down"'parents convert their school.'   The Moms and Dads 'force the district to remove staff...teachers and even a principal.'

You might think Rita would applaud a movie where parents 'help fix their children's failing school.'' Then, again you might be surprised.

Please join Rita Solnet's Webinar this Friday, September 7th. The Film "Won't Back Down" will be among the topics discussed. Rita will also talk about the Parent Trigger Law, an issue loosely addressed in the movie, and the actions you might take in your local community. You may have seen Rita's recent article....

'Won't Back Down': Realities the movie ignores

Originally Published on August 20, 2012 at 2:53 PM ET in The Answer Sheet. Washington Post.
By Rita Solnet

"Change a school, change the neighborhood."

That's a line from the controversial, star-studded movie, "Won't Back Down," scheduled to be released on September 28th. I attended a Washington D.C. screening of this compelling movie over the weekend. I carried a small notebook and a long list of preconceived notions about what I expected to see in this film. 

I walked out with a long list of questions as to what I didn't see portrayed in the film. The synopsis describes this movie as:

"Two determined mothers, one a teacher, who look to transform their children's failing inner city school. Facing a powerful and entrenched bureaucracy, they risk everything to make a difference in the education of their children."

However, the messages in this feel-good, underdog-winning movie go far beyond what this summary depicts....

For More Information, See the Save Our Schools WebSite.

SaveOurSchoolsMarch.org

To Register for the Webinar, Please Click Here

*I apologize in advance for the revolting scene depicted in my commentary above. It was beneath me. However, please also know that the part I already deleted was this: "while Chris Christie and Juan Rangel chest-butt each other like sea lions on a crowded beach."  So, I feel I've matured even in the space of this one post.

Arne Duncan's DNC Speech Focuses On Ryan Budget, But Not Class Size

Arne Duncan's DNC Speech Focuses On Ryan Budget, But Not Class Size:

Arne Duncan's DNC Speech Focuses On Ryan Budget, But Not Class Size

by Joy Resmovits

When addressing the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan appealed to the crowd not in his official capacity, but "as a parent with two young children who attend a wonderful public school."

"No one has more at stake in this election than our kids, and that is why we need to re-elect President Obama!" Duncan said, before stressing that the quality of America's schools speaks to the next generation's employment prospects.

But Duncan did not overtly mention class size, the Obama campaign's loudest rallying cry against Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney when it comes to K-12 education. Instead, Duncan's brief remarks toed the line between Obama's education record, and the way the president's campaign has attacked Romney on the 

The sad, sad school district Michelle Obama mentioned - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

The sad, sad school district Michelle Obama mentioned - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

The sad, sad school district Michelle Obama mentioned

by Valerie Strauss

Early in her triumphant speech at the Democratic National Convention, Michelle Obama spoke about “the very best of the American spirit” and
(Charlie Neibergall/AP)praised a school district but did not mention it by name. That district is Chester Upland in Pennsylvania, and, unfortunately, it is in the direst of straits. School reform efforts — including opening charter schools — have done nothing but sink the district into deeper trouble.

First, here’s what Michelle Obama said Tuesday night:

...Over the past few years as first lady, I have had the extraordinary privilege of traveling all across this country. And everywhere I’ve gone, in the people I’ve met, and the stories I’ve heard, I have seen the very best of the American spirit. I have seen it in the incredible kindness and warmth that people have shown me and my family, especially our girls. I’ve seen it in 

Jersey Jazzman: What The Kids Are Listening To:

Jersey Jazzman: What The Kids Are Listening To::

What The Kids Are Listening To:

by Duke

No, I am not kidding; look at the hit count on YouTube:

Popout

One of the reasons I love teaching is that it keeps you young. I know way before my friends do what their kids are checking out.

The flip side to that is, every once in a while, the students put something into my brain that will not leave, no matter how hard I try...

Hey.... sexy lady!

In Chicago. Don’t miss an evening with Jonathan Kozol. « Fred Klonsky

In Chicago. Don’t miss an evening with Jonathan Kozol. « Fred Klonsky:

In Chicago. Don’t miss an evening with Jonathan Kozol.

by Fred Klonsky

Activist author Jonathan Kozol will speak in Chicago – the epicenter the corporate-style “education reform” storm – on September 27 about his new book Fire in the Ashes: Twenty-Five Years Among the Poorest Children in America.
Kozol argues that there is a profound connection between urban poverty, racism and educational neglect. Today, he says, the public schools and teachers who serve children in poverty are under attack. Kozol, author of a series of notable books about the conditions of children in urban America, will speak in Chicago on September 27. He will address the current, unprecedented assault on public education and on public school teachers.

 In Fire in the Ashes Kozol reconnects with some of the children his readers first met in Amazing Grace (1996), Savage Inequalities (1991) and Shame of the Nation (2006) and his other works documenting the social and educational conditions facing urban children. Kozol argues that as a society, we must judge ourselves by the way we treat our children–particularly our poorest children–and that public schools are a critical anchor in a democratic society. He describes vividly the resilient and curious spirits of children growing up in adversity; he asks that we examine the priorities of our society which has seized upon their public schools as a profit center, instead of a sheltering, supportive center of learning.

 Kozol’s lecture will be sponsored by the Chicago Teachers Union along with university, parent and community groups. A book signing by the author will follow the talk. This event is free and open to the public. However, reservations are strongly recommended.

Fire in the Ashes: Twenty-Five Years Among the Poorest Children in America 

Hosted by: Michael Klonsky and William Ayers along with The Children and Families Justice Center of Northwestern University Law School.  Sponsored by the Chicago Teachers Union, CReATE, Parents United for Responsible Education, and the Raise Your Hand Coalition.

Event Location

Northwestern University Law School’s Thorne Auditorium375 East Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60611

 

The event is free, but reservations are strongly recommended.

Ten minute drawing. Democratic Party poster child.

by Fred Klonsky

Pain Management: Grading: Part I | Mr. Teachbad

Pain Management: Grading: Part I | Mr. Teachbad:

Pain Management: Grading: Part I

by teachbad

A few months back I asked peo­ple to take the one ques­tion Teacher Annoy­ance Sur­vey. The pur­pose was to see which of the three unavoid­able annoy­ances of teach­ing is most both­er­some to most of you. The vote was split almost exactly into thirds between 1) Tedium and Pre­dictabil­ity, 2) Bell and Chain, and 3) No Career Path.

Here is part one of Tedium: Grad­ing.

How­ever one deals with the daily home­work side of grad­ing, there still await the tests, quizzes, projects and papers. Lit­tle might hope to be worse than your very own stack of 85 Eng­lish papers or Alge­bra II final exams to grade. There will never be a good time to do this. They will sit in a pile and taunt you until you give in. They can wait, but they will not be denied. It is sim­ply the way of things.

There are two basic ways to approach the grad­ing of a giant stack of essays or exams. The first is to start in on them right away. Just dig in; knock­ing them out a few at a time when­ever you have a few min­utes. It starts imme­di­ately, 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Thanks to SOS

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Thanks to SOS:

Thanks to SOS

by Mike Klonsky

Kudos to Save Our Schools (SOS). They just wrote a check for $1,000 to the CTU Solidarity Fund. BTW, for those organizations or individuals who want to follow SOS' lead on this or top them, CTU's Michael Harrington tells me you can mail your checks to:

CTU Solidarity Fund
222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza
Suite 400
Chicago, IL 60654

Also, those planning on attending Jonathan Kozol's Chicago lecture on Sept. 27th, you can get your free tickets at the CTU website to guarantee yourself a seat. The event should sell out early so get your tickets now.