Tuesday, November 13, 2012

The media barely noticed, but voters in three states rejected the profit-driven fraud that is education "reform"

TOPICS: 2012 ELECTIONS, EDUCATION, EDUCATION REFORM, SCHOOL REFORM, POLITICS NEWS

(Credit: AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

If your only source of news about American education came from docu-propaganda like “Waiting for Superman,” Hollywood politi-schlock like “Won’t Back Down” and elite-focused national news outlets in Washington, D.C., and New York City, you might think that the so-called education “reform” (read: privatization) movement was a spontaneous grass-roots uprising of good-old-fashioned heartlanders generating ever more mass support throughout the country. You would have no reason to believe it was a top-down, corporate-driven coalition of conservative coastal elites trying to both generally undermine organized labor and specifically wring private profit out of public schools, and you would similarly have no reason to believe it was anything but wildly popular in an America clamoring for a better education system.

In other words, you would be utterly misinformed — especially after

Family Engagement in Student Learning: A Conversation with Dr. Maria C. Paredes | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Family Engagement in Student Learning: A Conversation with Dr. Maria C. Paredes | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:

Family Engagement in Student Learning: A Conversation with Dr. Maria C. Paredes

by Tarsi Dunlop

Parent and family engagement is a critical component when it comes to ensuring student achievement and success in school. However, traditional models of parent-teacher interaction (for example, conventional parent-teacher conferences) do not necessarily have a substantial effect on student performance. Maria C. Paredes noticed that although parents in the Creighton Elementary School District did have high levels of engagement, student performance levels were static. Through surveys, Dr. Paredes redesigned the parent-teacher engagement model to better serve both parents and teachers. The result - Academic Parent-Teacher Teams (APTT (C)*) - is proving effective, and the model is spreading across classrooms and districts. Dr. Paredes recently took time to discuss the model with Public School Insights.

Public School Insights (PSI): Tell us a little about the program at Creighton and the APTT Model. What are some of the key components?

Dr. Paredes: Academic Parent-Teacher Teams (APTT)* is an intentional, systematic means of increasing student academic learning and performance by enhancing the quality of parent-teacher communication and collaboration. APTT was designed using the lessons learned from

What's Wrong with Teacher Evaluation and How to Fix It: Observation Equals Evaluation — Whole Child Education

What's Wrong with Teacher Evaluation and How to Fix It: Observation Equals Evaluation — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

What’s Wrong with Teacher Evaluation and How to Fix It: Observation Equals Evaluation

November 13, 2012 by James H. Stronge

So, where do we begin?

Teacher evaluation, throughout most of our recent history, has been practiced religiously with the intent—or, at least, hope—that it will improve performance. The assumption underlying much of teacher evaluation practice goes something like this:

Teacher Observation = Teacher Evaluation = Teacher Improvement

We know that this system does not work. A picture of educator skill and practice cannot be gained through observation alone and not all evaluation processes promote professional growth and affect student achievement. In this series of blog posts, I attempt to offer an analysis of three contemporary teacher evaluation practices within a problem/solution framework.

What can we do about the abysmal state of teacher evaluation? Firstly, we need to recognize what's wrong

CTU protest marches to downtown Hyatt - chicagotribune.com

CTU protest marches to downtown Hyatt - chicagotribune.com:

Teachers union marches against school closings

Protesters target board's Penny Pritzker in demonstration at Hyatt hotel

By Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah, Chicago Tribune reporter

November 13, 2012

As it girds for a battle over school closings, the Chicago Teachers Union is adhering to the strategy it employed during the September strike by framing the fight as one pitting regular Joes from the neighborhood against elitist big-money interests.

On Tuesday, school board member Penny Pritzker bore the brunt of the ire of protesters who marched along North Michigan Avenue, banging drums and blowing whistles before filling the lobby of the Hyatt Chicago Magnificent Mile on North St. Clair Street.

"We have fat cats like Penny Pritzker who take money from our schools and put them into the Hyatt," a CTU official yelled to the overflow crowd, which responded with enthusiasm.

The CTU and its allies charged that Pritzker, who sits on the board of Hyatt Hotels Corp., has taken tax increment financing development money to develop a new hotel in the city's Hyde Park neighborhood. Protesters attached an oversized sign made to look like a library overdue notice onto a pillar outside the Hyatt, demanding that Pritzker return the money to CPS.

A spokeswoman for Hyatt said in an email that the company has not received any money from the city for the construction of the Hyde Park hotel, which is being developed by outside

Diane in the Evening 11-13-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

Sirota Exposes the Big Lie Technique

by dianerav

David Sirota, an author and talk-show host, here analyzes the election results and says they exposed the Big Lie of the corporate reform movement.
The public is not hankering to privatize their public schools.
The corporate leaders and rightwing establishment dropped millions of dollars to push their agenda of

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-13-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Testing Toddlers in Louisiana? by dianerav Louisiana plans to test 3- and 4-year- olds. This is out-of-control testing fanaticism. We have come to expect extremism in Louisiana. The state is placing its bets on high-stakes testing and privatization. Andrea Gabor, who writes about business and education, interviewed early childhood specialists in Louisiana. They think the people making the new laws and policies have no idea about child development. As one says, they think that there is no difference between... more »

Checking-In on the Legacy of Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's Teacher Reforms in Washington, D.C. - Dana Goldstein

Checking-In on the Legacy of Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's Teacher Reforms in Washington, D.C. - Dana Goldstein:

Checking-In on the Legacy of Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's Teacher Reforms in Washington, D.C.

by Dana Goldstein

A new report from The New Teacher Project, "Keeping Irreplacables in D.C. Public Schools," takes a look at how Michelle Rhee's controversial IMPACT teacher evaluation program has fared since she left the district in 2010. Under IMPACT, teachers are rated according to a number of measures, including multiple annual classroom observations by administrators, as well as teachers' individual students' growth as measured by district and classroom-level tests. Those who agree to forgo certain job security protections, and who rate in the top category, "highly-effective," are eligible for annual bonuses between $2,000 and $25,000, as well as eventual raises in their base pay and promotions to "distinguised" and "expert" teacher status.
There have been some significant changes to IMPACT under Chancellor Kaya Henderson, such as bonuses for effective teachers who agree to teach at the lowest-performing, highest-poverty schools; a renewed focus on holistic measures of teaching excellence, including "commitment to school community;" and fewer classroom observations throughout the year for teachers whose fall observations earn high scores. So is IMPACT working? Are great teachers staying in DC, and are bad teachers being replaced by better ones?
According to TNTP's anlysis, DC retains about the same percentage of its top-fifth-rated teachers--88 percent--as

PSAT for 11-13-12: Tell new/re-elected state legislators to deny 3B’s extension Parents United for Responsible Education

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 11-13-12: Tell new/re-elected state legislators to deny 3B’s extension:

PSAT for 11-13-12: Tell new/re-elected state legislators to deny 3B’s extension

by admin

First, we want to take a moment to congratulate all of our new and re-elected state senators and representatives. Then we want to remind them why they were elected – to representus in Springfield.
So, for today’s Public Schools Action Tuesday, please take a moment to send a message to those senatorsand representatives still in the legislature who will attend the upcoming veto session and may be considering the request of new CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett’s for an extension of the state-mandated December 1 deadline for announcing school actions including school closures.
We say NO!
Here’s the letter I’m sending now:
Dear State Senator/Representative:

We oppose the request by Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Chief Executive Officer Beverly Byrd- Bennett for an

Students For Education Reform? Not the Change We Need | Education on GOOD

Students For Education Reform? Not the Change We Need | Education on GOOD:

Students For Education Reform? Not the Change We Need

from GOOD

It all began in early August of this year. Stephanie Rivera, a student at Rutgers University and future teacher, published a gutsy, investigative piece uncovering the lunacy behind Students for Education Reform, an organization founded by two Princeton students, Catharine Bellinger and Alexis Morin. I highly suggest you read it yourself, but the commentary struck a profound chord with me for a number of reasons.
SFER has rolled out its corporate reform agenda onto over a hundred college campuses across the nation, which includes defending the takeover of public schools by charters and teacher evaluation systems that tie salaries to test scores. Don't believe me? Bellinger and Morin, marionettes of the likes of Joel Klein, Michelle Rhee, Wendy Kopp, and Eli Broad, are now forcing some chapters to sign onto agreements that they carry out the mission of

Team Vallas increases spending on Bridgeport’s 64 principals and assistant principals by 22.4% - Wait, What?

Team Vallas increases spending on Bridgeport’s 64 principals and assistant principals by 22.4% - Wait, What?:

Team Vallas increases spending on Bridgeport’s 64 principals and assistant principals by 22.4%

by jonpelto

According to a new budget document that has been added to the Bridgeport School System’s website, Paul Vallas, and his “Education Reform” efficiency team, have increased spending on Bridgeport’s 64 school principals, assistant principals and management supervisors by $1,696,054 million over the amount spent on these senior school administrators last year.

During the 2011-2012 school year, the Bridgeport education budget allocated $7,572,512 to pay the top 64 Bridgeport school administrators.

But this year, according to a new Financial Condition Report released by Superintendent Paul Vallas, the taxpayers of Bridgeport and Connecticut will be shelling out $9,268,566 to cover the salaries of the 64 principals, assistant principals and management supervisors.

This $1.8 million increase means that the total being spent on these positions has

Washington to allow charter schools after billionaire-backed initiative squeaks through

Washington to allow charter schools after billionaire-backed initiative squeaks through:

Washington to allow charter schools after billionaire-backed initiative squeaks through

Posted by Valerie Strauss on November 13, 2012 at 1:03 pm

Text Size
Print
Reprints

Washington becomes the 42nd state to allow public charter schools to open now that ballot Initiative 1240 has passed, apparently by about 1 percentage point — this after a group of billionaires, including Bill Gates, donated more than $10 million to get it pushed through.

Under the initiative, as many as 40 charter schools will be permitted to open across the state over the next five years.

Because Washington state voters had rejected the idea of opening charter schools three times since 2004, supporters of the initiative did everything they could this year to make

What's Ahead for Education in the Lame Duck? - Lily's Blackboard | Lily's Blackboard

What's Ahead for Education in the Lame Duck? - Lily's Blackboard | Lily's Blackboard:

What’s Ahead for Education in the Lame Duck?

Nov 13th, 2012

by LilysBlackboard.

Join hosts Donna Schwartz Mills (MOMocrats) and Cynthia Liu (K-12 News Network) as they talk with experts on education and try to switch gears from presidential politics to the lame duck session of Congress. What’s the “fiscal showdown,” and what will it mean for federal education dollars beginning January, 2013? Who’ll feel the proposed cuts and what can we do to prevent them?

Our three experts are National Education Association VP Lily Eskelsen, the NEA’s Director of Governmental Relations Mary Kusler, and a third guest, instructional paraprofessional Mike Hoffman, who works with special ed children

Part 2: High stakes testing and opting out: The Types of Tests | Seattle Education

Part 2: High stakes testing and opting out: The Types of Tests | Seattle Education:

Part 2: High stakes testing and opting out: The Types of Tests

Posted on November 13, 2012 by seattleducation2011 | Leave a comment

High Stakes Testing and Opting Out: The Types of Tests

- Dora Taylor

There are different types of tests that students typically take in a school year. One test the teacher creates and bases it on the information that has been provided in the classroom within a particular span of time. It provides information to the teacher, the parent and the student describing how much of a grasp the student has on the material.

Another test is a standardized test. Typically students take this test once each year to gauge their understanding and abilities in math, reading and writing. This

A Liberal Arts Tuition Surcharge at Florida’s Public Colleges? « Student Activism

A Liberal Arts Tuition Surcharge at Florida’s Public Colleges? « Student Activism:

A Liberal Arts Tuition Surcharge at Florida’s Public Colleges?

by Angus Johnston

A Florida education task force established by Governor Rick Scott is recommending that students at the state’s public colleges and universities be charged extra for majoring in subjects that the state considers unattractive for employers.
Under the proposal, state lawmakers would draw up a list of “high-skill, high-wage, high-demand” undergraduate majors, and tuition in those fields would be frozen for three years. If state funding did not replace the revenue lost due to the targeted tuition freeze, colleges would be free to raise tuition in other specific disciplines to make up the gap.
In addition to the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the report identified degree

Dear Dennis. « Fred Klonsky

Dear Dennis. « Fred Klonsky:

Dear Dennis.

by Fred Klonsky

Dennis Van Roekel
President, National Education Association
November 13, 2012
Dear Dennis.
Like you, I was pretty pleased with the results of the election on Tuesday.
Let me qualify that. I was mostly pleased.
I have to say, that even apart from the defeat of Romney, this was one of the most broadly based progressive electoral victories in a national election in my memory: Tax support for education in California. Marriage equality in a number of states. The defeat of the Republican Superintendent of Education in red state Indiana. Advances in representation by women and minorities. A long list. Longer than I have room to write in this letter.
It is significant, I think, that for the first time in history the Democratic Caucus in Congress in now made up by a

Ten minute drawing. A deal with the devil.

by Fred Klonsky

Click on drawing to enlarge.

Shanker Blog » Value-Added, For The Record

Shanker Blog » Value-Added, For The Record:

Value-Added, For The Record

by Matthew Di Carlo

People often ask me for my “bottom line” on using value-added (or other growth model) estimates in teacher evaluations. I’ve written on this topic many times, and while I have in fact given my overall opinion a couple of times, I have avoided expressing it in a strong “yes or no” format. There’s a reason for this, and I thought maybe I would write a short piece and explain myself.
My first reaction to the queries about where I stand on value-added is a shot of appreciation that people are interested in my views, followed quickly by an acute rush of humility and reticence. I know think tank people aren’t supposed to say things like this, but when it comes to sweeping, big picture conclusions about the design of new evaluations, I’m not sure my personal opinion is particularly important.
Frankly, given the importance of how people on the ground respond to these types of policies, as well as, of

Gates foundation and ACE go big on MOOC-related grants | Inside Higher Ed

Gates foundation and ACE go big on MOOC-related grants | Inside Higher Ed:

Establishment Opens Door for MOOCs

November 13, 2012 - 11:03am

By

Paul Fain

The clearest path to college credit for massive open online courses may soon be through credit recommendations from the American Council of Education (ACE), which announced today that it will work with Coursera to determine whether an initial group of 8-10 MOOCs should be worth credit. The council is also working on a similar arrangement with EdX, a MOOC-provider created by elite universities.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is funding that effort as part of a wide-reaching group of new MOOC-related grants, including research projects to be led by ACE, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and Ithaka S+R, a research group that will team up with the University System of Maryland to test and study the use of massive open online courses across the system. (See related article on the latter effort here.)

Until now, MOOCs have been a source of fascination mostly because they make teaching by top-notch professors at prestigious universities free and available on the Internet to students anywhere

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, November 13, 2012

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Surf's Up

Education Headlines

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Sacramento-area school board races vary widely in voter participation

As ballots continue to be counted, a trend among local school districts appears to be holding – voter participation in school board races varies drastically from one area to another.

Elk Grove's Hmong find a voice on their school board

Steve Ly, 38, used a fresh army of 250 volunteers, most of them Hmong Americans between the ages of 16 and 25, to become the first Hmong American to be elected to public office in Northern California.

L.A. schools science center in San Pedro struggles to stay open

The Christensen Math Science and Technology Center in San Pedro is a beleaguered survivor of the Los Angeles Unified School District's budget cuts.

Frugal Brown vows thrift as Californians open checkbook

Proposition 30, the first voter-approved state tax increase in eight years, gives Gov. Jerry Brown a chance to mend the tattered finances of the world’s ninth-largest economy. He has the opportunity to restore California’s reputation for world-class universities, schools and infrastructure built under his father, Governor Edmund G. “Pat” Brown in the 1960s.

Proposition 30 win no guarantee of fiscal safety for California

The bloodletting that has become a ritual part of assembling the state budget is expected to fade. But some of the issues that have made California's financial problems so persistent remain and could still create a budget gap if things don't go as planned. In essence, analysts say, voters have stabilized the patient, but surgery may still be required.

Schrag: What last Tuesday’s vote got us (not much)

Yes, Proposition 30 won, and yes, there may be Democratic supermajorities in both houses of the Legislature – maybe – that in theory could raise taxes without Republican votes. But even if every cent went to schools of the $6 billion to $8 billion that Proposition 30 will generate, which certainly will not happen, we still wouldn’t get back to the national average in per-pupil spending, much less to anything approaching real adequacy or equity in our diverse, convoluted system.

Fensterwald: This time, groups get to say their piece on weighted student funding

Intent on passing school finance reform this year but open to revising last year’s proposal, the Brown administration held the first of three Friday meetings with dozens of school district officials and advocates last week on plans for weighted student funding.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Stockton USD likes early results of in-school suspensions

Three key factors have moved Stockton Unified to test a modification of its approach to student discipline.

Novato charter supporters, opponents square off

More than 250 people packed the Novato Unified School District's headquarters Thursday night to debate a controversial proposal for a new charter school.

Fensterwald: In local votes of confidence, most bonds, parcel taxes pass

Proposition 30, raising statewide taxes to support education, was a nail biter, struggling to get a majority of voters behind it. But that wasn’t the case for most K-12 parcel taxes and school construction bonds on the ballot Tuesday.

Oregon TAG education lacking, says report; here are tips and resources for parents | OregonLive.com

Oregon TAG education lacking, says report; here are tips and resources for parents | OregonLive.com:

Oregon TAG education lacking, says report; here are tips and resources for parents

Published: Tuesday, November 13, 2012, 8:08 AM Updated: Tuesday, November 13, 2012, 8:08 AM

By Amy Wang, The Oregonian
Follo

As of this fall, all 197 Oregon public school districts have put in writing their plans for supporting the state's 40,375 Talented and Gifted students.

It's one step toward resolving "The Quiet Crisis in Talented and Gifted Education in the State of Oregon" -- as an Oct. 1 report to the Oregon Legislature's Interim Legislative Education Committees describes the current state of TAG education in Oregon.

The report, written by a statewide task force convened under Senate Bill 330, listed these findings:

Oregon lags most of the country in TAG education -- it's one of five states that mandate TAG education but don't provide funding for it.

Oregon state law has required TAG education since 1987. The state funded TAG education through grants for a few years, but "Oregon has not funded Talented and Gifted Education to districts since 2004," the report says. TAG education also doesn't fall under Title I federal

Latest News and Comment from Education