UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE IN THE AFTERNOON 9-7-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

Governor Deval Patrick Touted Wrong School

by dianerav

Andrea Gabor got an email from the principal of Brockton High School.
She and the teachers succeeded in turning around their school without firing 80% of staff.
They did it the old-fashioned way, through team work.
But Arne likes mass firings.

Crew Member of “Won’t Back Down” Speaks

by dianerav

Did the stars and crew of the anti-union film “Won’t Back Down” know that they were carrying a message on behalf of rightwing extremists?
This writer says no:

Syracuse Elementary Schools Drop Recess

by dianerav

In hopes of raising test scores, elementary schools in Syracuse are eliminating recess.
This discounts mountains of research about the importance of non-cognitive skills, which are often learned on the playground,
And too there is the pesky fact that children need tine to run and play.
A sound mind in a healthy body.
But not in Syracuse.

Democrats Abroad Wrote Great Platform!

by dianerav

The Democrats Abroad platform unequivocally supports the strengthening of public education and the education profession. It opposes privatization of public education. It opposes charter schools and vouchers. It supports the use of tests for diagnostic purposes and opposes the use of tests to evaluate 

Why Teach-to-the-Test Wins

by dianerav

Arne Duncan reminded us In his speech at the Democratic National Convention that President Obama opposes teaching to tests. Duncan didn’t say whether he agrees. It’s hard to take this sentiment seriously now that so many states are evaluating teachers by student test scores, at Duncan’s urging.
When this practice is one day acknowledged to be bogus, we will remember who imposed it.
Meanwhile Governor Dannel Malloy, who has specifically endorsed teaching to the tests, was made chairman of

Did Anyone Copy Democrats Abroad Post?

by dianerav

I accidentally deleted yesterday’s post about platform of Democrats Abroad.
If you have a copy, would you  send it to me so I may restore it?

School’s Out for Teachers « MomsRising Blog

School’s Out for Teachers « MomsRising Blog:

School’s Out for Teachers

by Katherine Gallgher Robbins

By Abby Lane, Fellow, National Women’s Law Center
We’re back this Friday with your monthly update on the BLS jobs numbers. Other things are back too – cooler temps are back, Monday night football is back, and kids are back to school – but one thing that isn’t back are teachers. Local education lost jobs last month, capping a year of losses totaling over 83,000. In fact, since the recovery started in June 2009, local education has lost 301,000 jobs. This is bad news for kids and for women, who make up over 70 percent of the positions in this sector.
These education losses are just part of the ongoing public sector losses. I know we hammered it home last month, but the big story for women this month is still public sector job losses. Over the recovery, women’s public sector job losses have wiped out a whopping 45 percent of their private sector gains. Since June 2009, women have now lost 450,000 public sector jobs, while they gained 999,000 private sector jobs.

Though the month wasn’t great all around – the economy added 96,000 jobs in August and the overall unemployment rate dropped slightly to 8.1 percent, hovering near the level it has been at since the start of 2012 

Teachers face layoffs around the country | The Raw Story

Teachers face layoffs around the country | The Raw Story:

Teachers face layoffs around the country

By Kay Steiger
Friday, September 7, 2012 15:11 EDT

Topics: Wisconsin

 

In the state of Wisconsin, where many marched in protest last year to widespread cuts to education and attacks on collective bargaining under Gov. Scott Walker, things aren’t looking so great for teachers.

“We hear from members anywhere from second-year teachers to people with 12 years of teaching experience who are uncertain about where they’re going to be,” Mary Bell, president of the Wisconsin Education Association (WEA), a union that represents teachers in the state, told Raw Story. A number of teachers have told her they’re seeking work in other nearby states like 

Ten minute drawing. The Civil Rights issue of our time. « Fred Klonsky

Ten minute drawing. The Civil Rights issue of our time. « Fred Klonsky:

Ten minute drawing. The Civil Rights issue of our time.

by Fred Klonsky

My limited understanding of public vs. charter schools « My Island View

My limited understanding of public vs. charter schools « My Island View:

My limited understanding of public vs. charter schools

by tomwhitby

I was a public-school educator for 34 years. While I recognize many of public education’s shortcomings, I am a staunch supporter. More than ever, I believe that this country needs its citizenry to be more than just educated, but also critical thinkers and lifelong learners.
Our country is a representative democracy dependent on leadership, and the direction for our country is placed in the hands of our elected officials who are our politicians. In our government, all leaders are politicians, but not all politicians are leaders. That would make a majority of our government officials, politicians and not leaders. Ideally, leaders make decisions based on the needs of the people. Politicians see the same problems and make decisions based on their needs, or the needs of their political party, or the party’s special interest supporters. This holds true for both political parties.
I first became aware of the charter school movement in 2004. It was my understanding that it was determined 

In Chicago, the Whole World is Watching Once Again

In Chicago, the Whole World is Watching Once Again:

In Chicago, the Whole World is Watching Once Again

by Sam

In 1968, student protesters stationed outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago broke into a spontaneous chant that quickly crystallized the tenor of the times: “The whole world is watching!”
It’s ironic, then, that one day after this year’s Democratic National Convention, rumors of a city-wide teacher strike in Chicago are reaching a similarly feverous pitch.
As they do, I want to borrow that famous line from 1968 and re-purpose it for 2012. The whole world should be watching, once again, because the core issues at stake in Chicago are the same core issues at stake in our ongoing efforts to improve American public education. In short, what’s happening in Chicago is extremely important, extremely rare, and not entirely discouraging.
It’s extremely important because you have a Democratic mayor pushing reforms that his city’s teachers — the 

Follow up on Ed Waivers, Junk Rating Systems & and Misplaced Blame – New York City’s “Failing” Schools « School Finance 101

Follow up on Ed Waivers, Junk Rating Systems & and Misplaced Blame – New York City’s “Failing” Schools « School Finance 101:

Follow up on Ed Waivers, Junk Rating Systems & and Misplaced Blame – New York City’s “Failing” Schools

by schoolfinance101

About a week ago, I put up a post explaining a multitude of concerns I have with the current NCLB waiver process itself and how it is playing out at the state level. To summarize, what we have here is the executive branch of the federal government coercing state officials to simply ignore existing federal statutes, by granting waivers to state officials who adopt the current administration’s preferred education reform strategies. Setting aside the legal/governance concerns, which are huge, few if any of these preferred strategies are informed by any sound research/analysis.
Equally if not more disturbing is how this waiver process is playing out at ground level, and the message it sends.  Once again (as in Race to the Top) the administration has encouraged the adoption of ill-conceived homogenized policy frameworks across states. States are encouraged, through the waiver application process, to propose how they will abuse data yielded by their generally inadequate data systems in order to 

Leonie Haimson: The Reality and the Hype Behind Online Learning and the 'School of One'

Leonie Haimson: The Reality and the Hype Behind Online Learning and the 'School of One':

The Reality and the Hype Behind Online Learning and the 'School of One'

Leonie Haimson Executive Director, Class Size Matters

The Daily News has a story about a new negative evaluation of DOE's much vaunted "School of One" program. This study, which found no significant achievement gains from the program, was quietly placed on the Research Alliance website in the middle of summer with no apparent outreach to the media or the public. This contrasts with the huge publicity machine promoting this online program that has operated since its inception as a pilot started in the summer of 2009.

The School of One is an online, or "blended," learning math program, combining online with small group instruction. It was started by Joel Rose when he was at DOE, using an algorithm devised by Wireless Generation. Rose, along with Chris Rush, formerly of Wireless Gen, has now taken the company private and renamed it New Classrooms. According to its website, the company is hiring new staff to work in NYC, as well as in Washington D.C., Chicago and Perth Amboy, N.J. schools 

Solutions, Not Suspensions | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Solutions, Not Suspensions | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:

Solutions, Not Suspensions

by obriena

Did you know that each year more than three million students are suspended from school?
While some of these suspensions are the result of violent or other extreme behavior, others are the result of relatively minor infractions – dress code violations, being late for school and so on.
Should we really be putting students through suspension for a minor infraction? Out-of-school suspension does not benefit schools in terms of test scores or graduation rates. And it can have a very negative impact on individual children. In addition to immediate academic consequences stemming from time out of the classroom (we all know the phrase, “you can’t teach to an empty desk”), suspension is a leading indicator of whether a child will drop out of school. It is also related to risk for future incarceration, part of the school-to-prison pipeline that we often hear about.
And these impacts are not spread equally throughout the student population. A recent report from the Civil Rights Project found that Black, Latino and Native American students are much more likely than their White and Asian American peers to be suspended. Seventeen percent of Black students – that is one out of every six enrolled in K-12 education – were suspended at least once in
read more

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Recognizes 269 Schools as 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools | U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Recognizes 269 Schools as 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools | U.S. Department of Education:

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Recognizes 269 Schools as 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools

SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Contact:  

 Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov 

Related Resources
	National Blue Ribbon Schools homepage
	2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today recognized 269 schools as 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools based on their overall academic excellence, or for making progress in improving student academic achievement levels. Secretary Duncan was joined by Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Patrick Murphy for the announcement at Arlington Traditional Elementary School in Arlington, Va.

The Department will honor approximately 219 public and 50 private schools at a recognition ceremony on Nov. 12-13 in Washington, D.C. In its 30-year history, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed this coveted award on nearly 7,000 of America's schools.

"Our nation has no greater responsibility than helping all children realize their full potential," Duncan said. "Schools honored with the National Blue Ribbon Schools award are committed to accelerating student achievement and preparing students for success in college and careers. Their work reflects the conviction that every child has promise and that education is the surest pathway to a strong, secure future."

The National Blue Ribbon Schools award honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools where students perform at very high levels or where significant improvements are being made in students' levels of achievement.

The program recognizes schools in one of two performance categories. The first category is "Exemplary High Performing," in which schools are recognized among their state's highest performing schools, as measured by state assessments or nationally-normed tests. The second category is "Exemplary Improving," in which schools that have at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds demonstrate the most progress in improving student achievement levels as measured by state assessments or nationally-normed tests.

To select National Blue Ribbon Schools, the Department requests nominations from the top education official in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and the Bureau of Indian Education. The Council for American Private Education (CAPE) nominates private schools. A total of 417 schools nationwide may be nominated, with allocations determined by the numbers of K-12 students and schools in each jurisdiction. The Secretary of Education invites nominated schools to submit an application for possible recognition as a National Blue Ribbon School.

Note To Editors: A list of the 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools is available athttp://www.ed.gov/nationalblueribbonschools. Nominated schools from some states will be included at a later date following final certification by the state's chief state school officer.

WHY ARE CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS SUSPENDING MORE STUDENTS THAN THEY GRADUATE? | The California Endowment Newsroom

WHY ARE CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS SUSPENDING MORE STUDENTS THAN THEY GRADUATE? | The California Endowment Newsroom:

WHY ARE CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS SUSPENDING MORE STUDENTS THAN THEY GRADUATE?

Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg discussing his bill to reduce suspensions. 

LOS ANGELES, Calif. --  On September 10,  The California Endowment will join the offices of California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson and California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris in sponsoring a statewide hearing titled “Why Are California Schools Suspending More Students Than They Graduate?”

California schools suspend more than 400,000 students a year, and the majority of suspensions are unrelated to violence or drugs, according to state and federal data.   The hearing will feature youth, community leaders, researchers, educators and policy experts who will discuss the reasons behind the overuse of school discipline, the impact on youth and communities, and alternatives to suspension that are effective for all students.

The Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education, Russlynn H. Ali will highlight new federal data documenting the overuse of suspensions and expulsions in schools, especially among youth of color. As assistant secretary, Ali is responsible for enforcing the U.S. civil rights laws as they pertain to education at the U.S. Department of Education.

The hearing will include the release of new California school discipline policies and program research from Ed Source with findings from the first-ever survey of California school districts about their discipline policies and programs.  Ed Source is a leading source of education research, policy and information in California. 

The California Endowment, through the statewide “Health Happens in Schools” campaign, supports common-sense school discipline approaches that keep kids in school while holding them accountable for their behavior and helping them learn from mistakes.  Even one suspension increases the chances that students will drop out and become involved with the criminal justice system.  Completing high school is linked not only to economic opportunity but also to lifelong health benefits.

WHAT:	Statewide Hearing on School Discipline Policies in California
WHO:	Sponsors:  The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, the Office of Attorney General Kamala D. Harris and The California Endowment.
	Supported by :  ACLU of California, Alliance for Boys and Men of Color, Black Organizing Project, Black Parallel School Board, Brothers Sons   Selves   Coalition, CADRE, Children’s Defense Fund-California, Dignity in Schools - Los Angeles Chapter, Education Development Center Inc., Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, Gay-Straight Alliance Network, Labor Community Strategy Center, PolicyLink, Public Counsel, The Earl Warren Institute on Law and Social Policy at the UC Berkeley School of Law, Youth Justice Coalition, Youth Leadership Institute
WHEN:	Monday, September 10, 3pm – 6pm
WHERE:	Los Angeles Public Library, Mark Taper Auditorium 630 W. Fifth Street, Los Angeles CA

The Democratic Convention. Bull Connor at the mic. And by the way, the guy has a dream. « Fred Klonsky

The Democratic Convention. Bull Connor at the mic. And by the way, the guy has a dream. « Fred Klonsky:

The Democratic Convention. Bull Connor at the mic. And by the way, the guy has a dream.

SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

If education is the Civil Rights Movement of our time, do you invite Bull Connor to the microphone?

For the past four years I’ve been listening to the Obama administration talk about education being the Civil Rights Movement of our time.

Here’s what President Obama said about education last night.

For the first time in a generation, nearly every state has answered our call to raise their standards for teaching and learning. Some of the worst schools in the country have made real gains in math and reading. Millions of students 

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, September 7, 2012

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Kamala Harris, California Attorney General @ DNC

Education Headlines

Friday, September 7, 2012

Alvord looks at contingency plans

Alvord Unified School District could shorten this school year up to three weeks if voters reject tax initiatives on the November ballot under one contingency plan presented to the school board Thursday night, Sept. 6.

'Drug free' clubs launch at Santa Clarita high schools

Santa Clarita teens who pledge not to use drugs and agree to random tests can join the DFYIT clubs, which offer social events. "We want there to be a culture shift," a school district official says.

Heat wave costs LAUSD more than $400K in AC repairs

Los Angeles Unified maintenance crews racked up more than $400,000 in overtime repairing overloaded air-conditioning units during the heat wave that swamped the region during the opening days of school, officials said.

Pleasanton kids say goodbye to meat -- on Mondays

Starting Monday, children in the Pleasanton school district will be changing out meaty lunches for lunches that include Mediterranean offerings with hummus and grapes as "Meatless Mondays" go into effect.

Oakland Unified cuts off funds for private school, but troubles remain

The Oakland Unified School District is cutting off federal funds benefiting a private school accused of abuse after determining that the church school inflated its enrollment numbers.

SI&A Cabinet Report: Torlakson’s teacher panel finalizes report on improving quality

A blue-ribbon state panel on improving teacher quality in California calls for more rigorous monitoring of preparation programs and more aggressive enforcement of state standards, sources familiar with the report said Thursday.

Fensterwald: Steinberg hoping this time Brown will sign bill changing API

Darrell Steinberg is the epitome of persistence – or a glutton for rejection. Undeterred by a stinging message accompanying a veto a year ago, the president pro tem of the Senate tried again, authoring a bill, heading once more to Gov. Jerry Brown, that would change the metrics of the state’s school accountability system.

Teachers union gives another $6.9 million to Prop. 32 fight

California's largest teachers union is literally doubling down to fight Proposition 32, the November ballot measure that promises to eliminate special-interest money in politics.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Tehachapi approves Abernathy charter school, with conditions

A petition to establish a charter school named for one of the most powerful Republican political operatives in Kern County has been given the green light by the Tehachapi Unified School District.

District OKs $2.1 million for 15 buses

Lodi Unified School District trustees authorized a $2.1 million purchase of 15 new special-education school buses Tuesday night.

California law requires schools to roll out new grade level, transitional kindergarten

Transitional kindergarten, a steppingstone between preschool and kindergarten, has been rolled out at school districts across the state as the result of a 2010 state law.

Four Monterey County school districts seek some fiscal independence

Monterey Peninsula Unified, Salinas Union High, Salinas City Elementary and Alisal Union school districts have announced to the county their intention to become "fiscally accountable," which basically means they want to perform most of their financial operations — payroll, purchasing and the like — in house.

Michael Geheren: Obama Puts Education Center-Stage

Michael Geheren: Obama Puts Education Center-Stage:

Michael Geheren

16-year-old junior at Huntley High School in Huntley, IL

Obama Puts Education Center-Stage

As I enter my senior year in the public school system, I have grown to learn and appreciate the education I have recieved, from my kindergarten teacher to my seven teachers in high school and countless mentors I have today. The nation's leaders say that America is falling behind on a world wide stage when it comes to our technology, mathematics, medicine and science. The foundations of our country is built on good education and I believe that the candidates running for President of the United States need to put education on the top of their radar.

Education has taken a backseat in this election, but the fact that President Barack Obama devoted so much time on it in his Democratic National Convention Speech on Thursday now makes it a bigger issue. The standards of No Child Left Behind make no sense to me -- how 99 percent of students somehow can reach a standard that is set so high is mind-boggling.

"Life is not a multiple choice test," said Anne Pasco, a mentor of mine and the Blended Learning 

Webinar; Rita Solnet Speaks to Parents Who "Won't Back Down" :: Save Our SchoolsSave Our Schools

Webinar; Rita Solnet Speaks to Parents Who "Won't Back Down" :: Save Our SchoolsSave Our Schools:

Webinar; Rita Solnet Speaks to Parents Who “Won’t Back Down”

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 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 to speak to what is glorified today in the recently released film, “Won’t Back Down” In it ‘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 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.

Within the first few minutes, projected on the screen in large letters are the words,“Inspired By True Events.” That conveys the message that parents and teachers took over and ran a school somewhere in our nation. That never happened. I suppose that sells better than opening the film with, “This is Fictitious.”

Outstanding performances by star-studded and new young actors will put this movie on the Academy Award nomination list, I’m sure. The actors did a superb job of drawing you into the movie.

I cried several times despite knowing that this movie was funded by charter school privatizers seeking fistfuls of dwindling education dollars.

I cried despite knowing that the story behind the “failing” school was not told.

I knew that the divisive and unsuccessful “parent trigger” laws that have been passed in California and a few other states — and are being considered in about 20 others — was intentionally disguised in this movie as a fictitious law cleverly named “Fail-Safe,” yet I still wept.

I wanted to jump into the movie and help these moms win. The audience audibly cheered for the underdogs every step of the way. Who wouldn’t? Moms in the face of adversity knocking down barriers to help their kids chances for a better future. Of course, I’m on their side.

Unfortunately, this film depicts a story that is more about good vs. evil than about the truth behind public schools today and the movement to privatize them. Portraying a complex public education system as irretrievably broken — and blaming abusive, older teachers and their rabidly protective unions is much easier than illustrating the complicated truth, I suppose.

Realities that make true school reform so hard were left out of the film. To Read the rest of this article..‘Won’t Back Down’: Realities the movie ignores