Schooling in the Ownership Society: Who's behind Washington state charter initiative? Who do you think?

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Who's behind Washington state charter initiative? Who do you think?:

Who's behind Washington state charter initiative? Who do you think?

by Mike Klonsky

Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton gave  $1.7M. (Mug Shot)

Washington voters have rejected the opening of public charter schools three times — in 1996, 2000 and 2004 — but this time around, big money is pouring in on the side of privately-run charter schools.

Valerie Strauss at the Answer Sheet posts:
To get an understanding of how America’s wealthiest people are using some of their fortunes to drive school reform, take a look at a list of the contributors to the pro-charter school initiative on the Washington state ballot in November. The first few pages — the ones with the biggest donations — is a who’s who of billionaires.

This all helps illustrate what education historian Diane Ravitch referred to as “the billionaire boy’s club” (which 

Diane in the Evening 10-15-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

Testing Madness Is Sick

by dianerav

The Wall Street Journal reports that New York City has adopted a new test for its gifted and talented classes. It is said to be “harder” than the previous test. The Bloomberg administration uses a test as the sole means of getting into these highly coveted classes.
Critics say it will reduce the proportion of black and Hispanic students in these classes even lower than it is now, but the test-maker disagrees.
Parents who have invested thousands in test prep for the old test are worried. Now they must invest thousands in 

Carol Burris Writes President Obama

by dianerav

Carol Burris, who was recently named to the honor roll as a hero of public education, wrote a letter to President Obama. Carol understands how excessive testing is harming students and demoralizing teachers. She warns the President how this policy–at the heart of Race to the Top–will do increasing damage as it is institutionalized.
Dear Mr. President:
First, thank you for all you do.
I am writing because as the principal of South Side High School, an integrated high school in New York, I am 

National Health Education Week Kicks Off Today — Whole Child Education

National Health Education Week Kicks Off Today — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

National Health Education Week Kicks Off Today

October 15, 2012 by Kristen Pekarek

National Health Education Week 2012 kicks off today! This year's celebration looks to promote and establish healthy behaviors among U.S. youth through the theme, "Adolescent Health: Planting Seeds for a Healthier Generation." As part of the awareness week, whole child partner the Society for Public Health Education will be offering free resources to professionals who work with kids in schools and communities on the following themes.

• Monday, October 15—Nutrition and Physical Activity: Action for healthy adolescents (PDF) | Sample proclamation (PDF)
• Tuesday, October 16—Alcohol,Tobacco, and Other Drug Use: Integrating evidence-based strategies for prevention (PDF) | Raising Tobacco-Free Kids: Tip sheet for parents (PDF)
• Wednesday, October 17—Sexual Health: Making the case for comprehensive sex education (PDF)
• Thursday, October 18—Emerging Trends in Adolescent Injury and Violence (PDF)
• Friday, October 19—Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth: Embracing diversity and promoting inclusion

Download (PDF) the full tool kit and begin sharing and using the guide to plan your next activities.

In honor of National Health Education Week, I would like to highlight one of our whole child partner organizations whose work is helping to plant seeds for a healthier younger generation. The Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA works to improve outcomes for young people by addressing mental health and psychosocial concerns through school-based interventions. One of the Center's projects is a collection of school improvement themes, with related aids and resources, arranged to follow the school year. October's theme is enhancing student engagement. By integrating a monthly theme into school improvement planning, the Center believes schools engage more stakeholders, increase opportunities for students to succeed, and make schools better places for both students and faculty.

Keep up with the latest school health and youth well-being news and resources through the biweekly Health and Learning News and Updates Newsletter. Read archived issues and subscribe. The e-newsletter is a product of Healthy School Communities, which is a worldwide ASCD effort to promote the integration of health and learning and the benefits of school-community collaboration.

RheeFirst! » “Juking the Stats”* in El Paso and DC

RheeFirst! » “Juking the Stats”* in El Paso and DC:

“Juking the Stats”* in El Paso and DC

by admin

The New York Times reported this weekend about fraudulent student test scores in El Paso and the scandal that led to the superintendent’s jail sentence :
“It sounded at first like a familiar story: school administrators, seeking to meet state and federal standards, fraudulently raised students’ scores on crucial exams.
“But in the cheating scandal that has shaken the 64,000-student school district in this border city, administrators manipulated more than numbers. They are accused of keeping low-performing students out of classrooms altogether by improperly holding some back, accelerating others and preventing many from showing up for the tests or enrolling in school at all.“
But banning likely low performers from test-taking is nothing new to those who follow Michelle Rhee’s tenure in DC. Bill Turque of the Washington Post reported that Rhee took several steps to prevent groups of low-performing students from bringing down test scores. Turque wrote:
“Less-visible strategies pursued by Rhee and DC Mayor Adrian Fenty] involved cleansing and reorganizing the 

News Conference: Clear Channel Comes under Fire for Biased Advertisements Intended to Intimidate Voters « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

News Conference: Clear Channel Comes under Fire for Biased Advertisements Intended to Intimidate Voters « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:

News Conference: Clear Channel Comes under Fire for Biased Advertisements Intended to Intimidate Voters

by millerlf

                                                                          Community Leaders Respond to Voter Suppression Billboards-

                                                                    Demand Clear Channel Remove Billboards Aimed at Intimidating Voters

Billboard at Corner of Holton and Nash
Today members of the African-American Civic Engagement Roundtable and community partners came together to demand that Clear Channel take down billboards placed throughout Milwaukee that 

Impact of NCLB waiver on poor schools challenged:

Impact of NCLB waiver on poor schools challenged

Posted by Valerie Strauss on October 15, 2012 at 2:33 pm

•   Text Size
• Print
• Reprints

• Share:
• More »

President Obama and Arne Duncan talk about NCLB waivers last Feb. 9. (YURI GRIPAS/Reuters)

Below is a letter sent today to Education Secretary Arne Duncan from a coalition of organizations, researchers, activists and government officials who are questioning the racial and economic impacts of the No Child Left Behind waiver granted to New Jersey.

 The letter says that the “accountability” system put in place by the state’s Education Department as a result of the waiver rewards schools that serve majority white students while is more punitive toward school districts serving low-income students of color.

 Duncan’s department began handing out waivers that would exempt states from the most onerous mandates of No Child Left Behind if those states agreed to reforms that the Obama administration supported. Critics said the waivers required accountability systems that 

AP Classes Are a Scam - John Tierney - The Atlantic

AP Classes Are a Scam - John Tierney - The Atlantic:

AP Classes Are a Scam

inShare33OCT 13 2012, 8:15 AM ET 132

The College Board earns over half of all its revenues from the courses -- and, in an uncertain environment, students keep being suckered.
Fraudulent schemes come in all shapes and sizes. To work, they typically wear a patina of respectability. That's the case with Advanced Placement courses, one of the great frauds currently perpetrated on American high-school students.
That's a pretty strong claim, right? You bet. But why not be straightforward when discussing a scam the scale and audacity of which would raise Bernie Madoff's eyebrows?
The miscellany of AP courses offered in U.S. high schools under the imprimatur of the College Board probably started with good intentions. The idea, going back to the 1950s, was to offer college-level courses and exams to high-school students. The courses allegedly provide students the kind of rigorous academic experience they will encounter in college as well as an opportunity to earn college credit for the work.
Sounds pretty good. And every year, millions of high-school students enroll in the courses that are offered in 39 different subjects. They do so at an annual growth rate almost ten times the yearly percentage increase in the number of high school graduates. If there weren't something good about 

Allan Elementary shows solid academic progress in year before charter takeover « A "Fuller" Look at Education Issues

Allan Elementary shows solid academic progress in year before charter takeover « A "Fuller" Look at Education Issues:

Allan Elementary shows solid academic progress in year before charter takeover

by Dr. Ed Fuller

As Austin-area readers know, the Austin school board decided to hand over Allan elementary school to IDEA Charter Schools based in the Rio Grande Valley. This decision was based partially on the relatively poor performance on the state mandated Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills at Allan (although other East Side elementary schools had worse performance histories).
This decision was made in December 2011, a full 6 months after students completed the 2011 TAKS testing and at least 5 full months after the state released student-level data.
Now, given that AISD has some top-notch researchers, one would have suspected that AISD would have had internal researchers examine the student growth at Allan relative to other AISD schools and schools across the state after controlling for student demographics, school size, etcetera. At the very least, one would have though the district would have hired some outside consultants to examine all of the relevant information about the schools before making such a decision. They did not do this either other than hire a physics professor with no training in research methodology and who does not believe in any type of statistical analyses that controls for student background characteristics.  The physics professor did not have access to student-level data (the district 

Proposition 32 Divides California's Education Reformers

Proposition 32 Divides California's Education Reformers:

Proposition 32 Divides California's Education Reformers

by Joy Resmovits

When Californians enter voting booths this November, they will face a slew of ballot propositions. Among them will be Proposition 32, a "paycheck protection" measure that the state's labor groups liken to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's union-busting bills.

Prop 32 would prevent unions from using dues automatically pulled from employees' paychecks to sponsor political activity. The measure is backed by $4 million from the Koch brothers and the contributions of other wealthy donors, like Charles Munger Jr. The California Teachers Association asserts that the measure would shut the union out of the political process, thereby devastating organized labor in California, where unions remain a powerful force. CTA has spent $18 million against the ban.

A Los Angeles Times/University of Southern California poll found that 44 percent of voters oppose the measure, while 36 percent support it.

But in July, Prop 32 got a new ally: California's arm of the national group Democrats for Education Reform, led by 

Debate Watch: Obama, Romney Education Advisers to Square Off Tonight - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Debate Watch: Obama, Romney Education Advisers to Square Off Tonight - Politics K-12 - Education Week:

Debate Watch: Obama, Romney Education Advisers to Square Off Tonight

by Michele McNeil

This is the debate before the debate.
Two key education advisers are facing off tonight in a debate at Teachers College, Columbia University, which is being co-sponsored by Education Week. You can watch it online at 7 p.m. by signing up here.
In President Barack Obama's corner is Jon Schnur, an education adviser to President Obama who co-founded New Leaders for New Schools and has more recently started America Achieves.
Representing Republican challenger Mitt Romney is Phil Handy, the former chairman of the Florida State Board of Education and the higher education co-chair for the campaign.
Post-game analysis will be provided by our own Alyson Klein, who will be joined by Jeffrey Henig, professor of political science and education at Teachers College and a professor of political science at Columbia University, and Liz Willen, editor of the Hechinger Report. EdWeek's government and politics editor, Mark Bomster, will moderate.
Will Schnur and Handy address many of the questions that went unanswered during last week's vice-presidential debate? And will they offer us a preview of what's to come from tomorrow's town hall debate, the second meeting of the presidential candidates? Stay tuned.
- Michele McNeil

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: ADVICE FOR PARENTS WHO WANT TO BE PARTNERS IN THEIR KID’S EDUCATION

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: ADVICE FOR PARENTS WHO WANT TO BE PARTNERS IN THEIR KID’S EDUCATION:

ADVICE FOR PARENTS WHO WANT TO BE PARTNERS IN THEIR KID’S EDUCATION

BY SAM MACER, SPECIAL TO CNN | HTTP://BIT.LY/TN7BF6

CNN Editor’s Note: Sam Macer is a PTA dad and foster parent. As the immediate past president of the Maryland PTA and the current president of the Maryland Foster Parent Association, he uses his 30 years of PTA experience to support Maryland’s foster parents as they strive to provide the youth in their care with safety, permanency, wellbeing and educational support.  He was recently honored at the White House as a PTA “Champion of Change.”

October 15th, 2012  : 04:29 AM ET  ::   (CNN) – As a PTA parent, grandparent, uncle and foster parent to over 40 children I have gained valuable experience in the area of parent engagement. I have had children who absolutely hated school and children who loved the challenge of being the best they could be. As a PTA leader, I have the opportunity to share some of my thoughts, experiences and perspectives with all parents concerning their efforts to raise and sustain academic achievement and build a strong home/school connection.
There are four basic suggestions I share with parents: Make  the commitment, make a plan, determine  expectations and coordinate effective parent–teacher conferences.
One of the first things I share with parents is the need to make the personal commitment to be involved and engaged the entire school year. I have never had an "easy" school year. Many times I have had to remind myself why I am engaged and why I need to stay engaged. There are many challenges to being an effective support for the children and their teachers and every once in a while I have to remind myself of my 

Ed Roundup for 10-12-12 - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education)

Ed Roundup for 10-12-12 - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education):

Education Roundup for the Week Ending October 12, 2012

SACRAMENTO—The California Department of Education (CDE) today issued this week's Education Roundup of education-related announcements of public interest.

CDE to Participate in Green Ribbon Schools Award Program

The CDE will participate once again this year in the U.S. Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools award program. The award recognizes schools that are taking a comprehensive approach to greening their campuses.

This includes environmental learning and positive environmental and health impacts. The first step is to apply to be a state nominee, and, if selected, the second step is to provide additional information for the nominee package that will be forwarded to the U.S. Department of Education.

Application reviews will be based on the applicant's demonstrated progress toward the goals of each of three Green Ribbon School "pillars":

• Pillar I: reduce environmental impact;
• Pillar II: improve the health and wellness of students and staff;
• Pillar III: provide effective environmental and sustainability education, incorporating STEM, civic skills, and green career pathways.

On Wednesday, October 17, the CDE will host a Webinar to provide helpful hints on how to complete the application. For more information, please visit the Webinar Web page.

Most Local Educational Agencies in California are Tobacco Free

All 58 county offices of education and 75 percent of California's 1,037 school districts are now certified as Tobacco-Free School Districts by the CDE. The list of agencies is on the CDE's Tobacco-Free School District Certification Web page.

The designation means the local educational agencies are committed to addressing the public health issues associated with the dangers of tobacco use. Also, the prohibition of tobacco use on agency property helps protect students, staff, and visitors from the environmental consequences of tobacco use.

The certification is necessary in order for local educational agencies to apply for Tobacco-Use Prevention Education Program funds that are designed to prevent and reduce tobacco use among school-age youth.

The certification process is conducted by county offices of education and the CDE. As part of the process, local educational agencies must meet four criteria under state law. The four criteria are: adopting and establishing policies that prohibit tobacco use; communicating that policy and enforcing it; posting "Tobacco Use is Prohibited" signs; and offering tobacco cessation opportunities to students and staff.

For more information on California tobacco prevention efforts, please visit the CDE's Tobacco-Use Prevention Education Program Web page.

The voluntary adoption of these policies is part of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson's Team California for Healthy Kids Initiative to provide all students with a safe and healthy environment at school.

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

Recalled Peanut Butter to be Destroyed

No Reported Cases of California Students Affected

SACRAMENTO—The California Department of Education (CDE) today announced that any Sunland, Inc. peanut butter received by school districts from CDE Distribution Centers, commercial manufacturers, and Commodity Supplemental Food Program agencies will be destroyed after the federal government issued a recall order. There are no cases reported of California students being affected by the product.

The peanut butter was purchased by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the National School Lunch and Commodity Supplemental Food Programs. About 2,072 cases of Sunland, Inc. peanut butter affected by the recall were sent to 320 school districts throughout the state. Another 23,040 cases were shipped to six California food banks.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration put the product on hold October 5 while it investigated the product for potential Salmonella contamination. The peanut butter has been held at school sites, food banks, manufacturers, and distribution centers awaiting instructions from federal officials.

Agencies were advised today to take an inventory of all recalled Sunland, Inc. peanut butter and destroy it. Individual school districts that sent the recalled peanut butter to food processors for later use should notify the processor to destroy their product. Individual school districts that purchased the peanut butter products commercially are responsible for its destruction.

For more information on the recall, please visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration  Web site. Additional information can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  Web site.

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

A letter to Arne Duncan about the No Child Left Behind Waiver: New Jersey doesn’t want it | Seattle Education

A letter to Arne Duncan about the No Child Left Behind Waiver: New Jersey doesn’t want it | Seattle Education:

A letter to Arne Duncan about the No Child Left Behind Waiver: New Jersey doesn’t want it

by seattleducation2011

Washington State is applying for this No Child Left Behind Waiver.
Let’s learn from the mistakes of others as we have done with the Race to the Top bribe to privatize our public schools and the beleaguerment of our public school systems across the country by way of charter schools.
Let us also be concerned with how much this would cost the state in terms of tax dollars.
To follow is a letter that was sent to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan regarding the No Child Left Behind Waiver by educators, ministers, parents, community leaders and child/education advocate organizations in New Jersey.
The words in bold are mine.
Dora
Arne Duncan
U.S. Secretary of Education
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Dear Secretary Duncan,
We are writing to express our grave concerns about the negative impact of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waiver on New Jersey’s most vulnerable children.
We understand that the waivers were an effort to return more control to the states to improve educational opportunities and outcomes. Unfortunately, here in New Jersey, it is quite clear that the NCLB waiver is being used to apply measures that are more damaging than NCLB would have been, particularly to low-income Black and Latino children.
Below, we detail our most pressing concerns with the program the State is implementing under the waiver: 1) introduction of a punitive accountability system that disproportionately impacts school districts populated by low-income children of color while rewarding selective schools and those populated by wealthier, majority white students; and 2) a process of State intervention that excludes low-income communities of color from substantive input in the planning or implementation of the proposed interventions.
To replace the NCLB framework, the State has adopted a new classification system that will reinforce racial and economic segregation and inequity in New Jersey’s public schools. The classification system uses state standardized tests, graduation rates, and gaps in achievement, to target a group of 75 “Priority” schools and 183 “Focus” schools for dramatic State-mandated intervention, including possible closings and conversions to charter schools. These Priority and Focus Schools serve overwhelmingly Black and Latino, very 

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Undermining higher order thinking in the pursuit of the mundane…

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Undermining higher order thinking in the pursuit of the mundane…:

Undermining higher order thinking in the pursuit of the mundane…

by alicemercer

My district has made a strong commitment to starting to switch over to Common Core standards before the 2014 deadline. How committed? Folks have been sent to trainings, in the face of a $28M budget shortfall. Hearing what was being brought back, second-hand, was not giving me a good idea of what the district has in mind, so I made the leap of volunteering to go as a representative from my site, to the district’s Common Core ELA leadership cadre. I went with a co-worker who has been attending these meetings for the last two years. Apparently things are becoming clearer, but that’s not necessarily better.

First, I and others have always said it would be the assessments that would be where we’d find out what they really want us to teach. The Smarter Balanced assessment consortium has put out some sample items from 

CULTURE: Parent Attention Gap Behind Class Divide | NewsTaco

CULTURE: Parent Attention Gap Behind Class Divide | NewsTaco:

CULTURE: Parent Attention Gap Behind Class Divide

by NewsTaco

By Sam Quiñones,  A Reporter’s Blog
Fascinating piece in The Atlantic online this morning about what’s behind the class chasm in America.
The magazine holds that a major reason for the class divide in this country is the number of kids born into single-parent families. Or put another way, single-parent families and less parental time spent with kids are both cause and effect of the class divide.
More-educated people are more likely to get married later, and form lasting two-parent families, the magazine 

This post is not about explaining the Illinois Constitutional Amendment on pensions. It is just explaining why it is important for you to vote and get everyone you know to do the same. « Fred Klonsky

This post is not about explaining the Illinois Constitutional Amendment on pensions. It is just explaining why it is important for you to vote and get everyone you know to do the same. « Fred Klonsky:

This post is not about explaining the Illinois Constitutional Amendment on pensions. It is just explaining why it is important for you to vote and get everyone you know to do the same.

by Fred Klonsky

We have done a good number of blog posts on why the Constitutional Amendment on the November 6th ballot is a bad idea.
Not today.
This is just about why you need to be sure to vote and get everyone you know to vote too (Unless you are voting yes. Then skip the rest of this post).
In order to pass, the amendment needs 60%.
That means for every two no votes, the amendment needs three yes votes to pass.
There are roughly 800,000 members of state pensions in Illinois. You have family members of voting age. You have friends.
Make sure they vote early and vote no.
If you need to supply reasons, go here.

Ten minute drawing. Smart cookie.

by Fred Klonsky

Click on drawing to enlarge.

Shanker Blog » Looking Backwards Into The Future

Shanker Blog » Looking Backwards Into The Future:

Looking Backwards Into The Future

by Eugenia Kemble

This is an adaptation of a recent message to AFT staff and leadership from Eugenia Kemble, on the occasion of her departure as the Albert Shanker Institute’s founding executive director, a position she held from March 1998 through September 2012.
I hope you will accept a few reflections from an old-timer as I leave the Albert Shanker Institute, which was launched with the support of the American Federation of Teachers in 1998, a year after Al’s death.
I started in 1967 as a cub reporter forNew York’s Local 2 and have worked for the AFT, the AFL-CIO, and the Albert Shanker Institute since 1975, so I have been on duty for awhile. I was particularly grateful for the decision to create the Shanker Institute.  It has become a very special kind of forum – directed by an autonomous board of directors to ensure its independence – where, together with a broad spectrum of colleagues from both inside and outside the union, core ideas, positions, and practices could be discussed, examined, modeled, and debated.  Its inquisitive nature and program attempt to capture a key feature of Al Shanker’s contribution to union leadership.  As a result, the Institute’s work has helped many, including me, to reach a clearer understanding of the essential character of the AFT, unionism, public education, and of democracy itself, as well as what about