SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: WalMart Schools and Kevin Johnson

SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: WalMart Schools and Kevin Johnson:

WalMart Schools and Kevin Johnson

by Duane Campbell

WalMart schools in Sacramento

A fine by the California Fair Political Practices Committee (FFPC) against Mayor Kevin Johnson revealed that the Mayor has received  $500,000 dollars from the Walton Family – the owners of WalMart- for his advocacy through the organization StandUP. 

The money did not go to the public schools but to advocacy for specific positions. Mayor Johnson has a number of well known positions on “school reform” starting with his initial role in privatizing Sacramento High School as a charter.   He serves as Chair of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s Education Reform Task Force.

Applying the WalMart perspective to schools would privatize  the public institutions.  WalMart is notoriously anti union and exploits its workers for the family’s own gains.  Low wages; pushing wage scales down: few benefits; passing  costs such as  adequate food and health care of workers off to the public programs; and an authoritarian even totalitarian management environment  are mainstays of WalMart stores.  I don’t think they will be able to import the teachers from China, but they will be able to cut wages, benefits, and job security. See http://forrespect.org.

One way you could improve schools would be to adequately fund them, however during the recent vital election to  fund the schools through California Prop. 30, Mayor Johnson and his wife Michelle Rhee were occupied in campaign events in other states. http://choosingdemocracy.blogspot.com/2012/11/what-was-kevin-johnson-doing-during.html

Kevin Johnson’s approach to school change is consistent with the anti teacher  efforts of Democrats for Educational Reform (see prior posts). Also see https://sites.google.com/site/democracyandeducationorg/

Parents groups, NAACP to file ethics complaint over school district consultant - Philly.com

Parents groups, NAACP to file ethics complaint over school district consultant - Philly.com:

Parents groups, NAACP to file ethics complaint over school district consultant

December 05, 2012|By Kristen A. Graham and Jeff Gammage, Inquirer Staff Writers

Members of two parent groups and the city's NAACP chapter plan to file a city ethics complaint Wednesday alleging that William Penn Foundation-funded work that a consulting firm did for the Philadelphia School District this year constituted lobbying.

For several months, the Boston Consulting Group studied the district's operations. It came up with an extensive set of recommendations on how to cut costs and restructure operations in a school system hundreds of millions of dollars in debt.

Parents United for Public Education, the Philadelphia Home and School Council, and the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP say William Penn, which paid BCG more than $1 million for its work, essentially wrote a check for BCG to lobby the district on a pro-charter-school agenda and to target dozens of schools for closure.

Story continues below.

The complaint comes after the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia completed an analysis last 

Why I Hate School But Love Education | toteachornototeach

Why I Hate School But Love Education | toteachornototeach:

Why I Hate School But Love Education

by aristotlethewise

‘Why I Hate School But Love Education’ Viral Video
Points To Stupid In America And All The Wrong Questions 

by Emmeline Zhao
English rapper-poet Suli Breaks is out with a video that’s taking the Internet by storm, and young people are loving it.
“Why I Hate School But Love Education” has received nearly half a million views since it was posted to YouTube 

FDOE Pulls Back SB736 Teacher Data Marking Third Flawed Data Roll Out This Year | Scathing Purple Musings

FDOE Pulls Back SB736 Teacher Data Marking Third Flawed Data Roll Out This Year | Scathing Purple Musings:

FDOE Pulls Back SB736 Teacher Data Marking Third Flawed Data Roll Out This Year

by Bob Sikes

It was there. Then it was gone. Writes Joey Flechas in the Gainesville Sun:

The Florida Department of Education released statewide data on the new teacher evaluations Wednesday only to pull it back in the afternoon.
After officials in Hillsborough County reported problems with the numbers, which contained duplicate records, the DOE took the report off its website to review the records.
The DOE released this statement late Wednesday afternoon:
“Hillsborough County Management Information Systems staff notified the Department of Education 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: un·der·uti·lize

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: un·der·uti·lize:

un·der·uti·lize

by Mike Klonsky

Underutilize is one of those fabricated words, like fiscal cliff, that politicians grab onto when they want to do nasty things to us. According to Mirriam-Webster, the first known use of the term took place in 1951. The dictionary doesn't say where or why the term was used was first used, but I suspect it had to do with somebody taking something away from somebody because they didn't think they were using it enough.

1951

Let's see, 1951 -- OK in 1951 U.S. nuclear scientists set off the world's first thermonuclear reaction in a test at the mid-Pacific atoll, Eniwetok. They probably thought that the Marshall Islanders were underutilizingEniwetok anyway, so they used their homes and magnificent coral reefs as an atomic testing ground and used them and their children as radiation guinea pigs. I guess you could say, Eniwetok was turned around.

OK, I'm not really equating nuclear testing with Chicago school closing, some of which may be 

Jersey Jazzman: StudentsFirst: Wrong About Newark AND Chicago!

Jersey Jazzman: StudentsFirst: Wrong About Newark AND Chicago!:

StudentsFirst: Wrong About Newark AND Chicago!

by Duke

I knew this would happen: the corporate reformers finally got a union to give in on merit pay bonuses, and now they want to shove them down everyone else's throat:

Teachers in Newark just OK’d one of the nation’s most progressive collective-bargaining agreements. It rewards great teaching and treats educators as true professionals, whose effectiveness in the classroom makes a big difference in the futures of their students.

It’s the first contract in New Jersey to reward highly effective teachers — particularly those teaching hard-to-staff subjects or serving in high-needs schools — with higher pay, and the first to end the traditional system of compensation in which longevity alone determines salary increases. It puts “merit pay” in its proper context: not as a driver of test scores, but as a tool to focus limited 

Mother Crusader: One Million LIES...

Mother Crusader: One Million LIES...:

One Million LIES...

by darciecima

Headlines were generated nationwide last week when Greg Richmond, President and CEO of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) and New Jersey's own Commissioner Cerf teamed up at a press conference in DC to announce the "One Million Lives" campaign.  

The happy couple

What is the One Million Lives Campaign you ask?  That is a damn good question.

Most of the headlines about the roll out of the campaign seemed to focus on a promise to close underperforming charters.  For example, Joy Resmovitz of the Huffington Post titled her piece 

"Charter School Proponents To Announce Major Focus On Shutting Down Failing Schools."  

The real message of the campaign seemed to escape most reporters.  But one Indiana radio station got it and 

Jersey Jazzman: Hiring Mercenaries to Police Schools Teaches Compliance

Jersey Jazzman: Hiring Mercenaries to Police Schools Teaches Compliance:

Hiring Mercenaries to Police Schools Teaches Compliance

by Duke

Just another study group, learning what it means to be an American...

Because when you use a bunch of armed mercenaries to police public high schools, what could possibly go wrong?

At 9 a.m. on the morning of October 31, 2012, students at Vista Grande High School in Casa Grande were settling in to their daily routine when something unusual occurred.

Vista Grande High School Principal Tim Hamilton ordered the school -- with a student population of 1,776 -- on "lock down," kicking off the first "drug sweep" in the school's four-year history. 

Florida VAM – The Scarlett Equation … Our Symbol of Shame. « Continuing Change

Florida VAM – The Scarlett Equation … Our Symbol of Shame. « Continuing Change:

Florida VAM – The Scarlett Equation … Our Symbol of Shame.

by gatorbonbc

Back in the old days, we just wore a ‘Scarlett A’.
Nowadays, they are more transformative.
We wear a whole equation.
After nearly 25 years of teaching in the state of Florida, here is the Value Added Model equation that, as determined by Florida’s Race to the Top, will determine my contract.
y¬_ti=X_i β+∑_(r=1)^L▒〖y_(t-r,i) γ_(t-r) 〗+∑_(q=1)^Q▒〖Z_qi θ_q 〗+e_i

Florida VAM – Our Symbol of Shame..

Happy Holidays, eh?

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 12-5-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Nite Cap UPDATE

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

Parents Opposed to Citizens of the World Charter: Hundreds, Parents in Favor: 4

by ed notes online

The NY State Dept. would allow the Hitler Youth Charter to breeze through and not only would they authorize the Ku Klux Klan Charter School for Racial Harmony but they would wash the sheets.  -- Norm at charter hearing

I actually made it to the Hearing on the proposed co-location of Citizens of the World Charter School in JHS 126 tonight and it was great seeing so many old pals from District 14 where I spent my entire career. Citizens of the World charter is the brainless child of Eric Grannis, Eva Moskowitz husband in their attempt to take over the lucrative vigorish in the gentrified areas of Brooklyn. I've been to so many of these hearings -- this one by the useless -- actually, harmful, State Ed Department charter authorizing agent which lost its beard with the departure of Pedro Noguera could no longer defend their actions in authorizing anything. As I pointed out in my speech -- I was the final speaker -- they would allow the Hitler Youth Charter to breeze through and not only would they authorize the Ku Klux Klan 

NEW TEACHERS – STAY AWAY FROM ILLINOIS, – OTHERWISE KNOWN AS, “LA LA LAND”

by alkleen

There is a new “pension reform” proposal being talked about among Illinois legislators. The plan has several components, but a couple of the sections deal specifically with younger teachers. Under the proposal, retirement ages would not rise for people 46 and older, but a phase- in would increase retirement ages by as much as five years for people 34 and under. Employee contributions would rise 1 percentage point the first year and another percentage point the second year. Clearly, the younger you are, the more you would contribute with the increase over your lifetime of teaching. New public school teachers would be part of a cash-balance pension plan, sort of a hybrid between a plan that guarantees employees a certain benefit and also partly relies on investment returns. (Not really a guaranteed pension).
With these three parts of the new proposal, Illinois legislators have made a loud and clear statement, “New and

Patrick Walsh: A Talk on Education, Democracy and Freedom: The Unspeakable Price of Corporate Education Reform

by ed notes online

Patrick will use Pearl Harbor Day to bomb the ed deformers into submission. I went to Patrick's talk a few years ago -- and I even taped it -- when full power is back I promise to put it up. Such valuable points doth the man make. 

For the past two years, as part of the Catholic Worker Friday Night Lecture Series, I have given talks on the corporate and oligarchic campaign to expropriate the American public school system, corporatize all aspects of education, and obliterate the teachers’ union all in the name of “education reform.”  The campaign continues unabated.

This year I will be speaking on what I perceive to be the price of said “education reform” on our already anemic democracy and the unspoken motivations, ideological as well as monetary,  behind it.

The talk will be held at Mary House on December 7, 2012 and begin at 7:45.  It will last about 45 minutes and be followed by a Q and A.

The event is free and all are welcome.

Mary House is located at 55 East 3^rd St, NY, NY 10003 between 1^st and 2^nd Ave near the F train as well as the 4, 5, and 6 trains.

Telephone: 212 777 9617

Hope to see you there.

Gates gives Philly schools $2.5 million to work together

by thenotebook

by Benjamin Herold for NewsWorks, a Notebook news partner
Philadelphia's traditional public schools, charters and Catholic schools historically have been rivals.
Now they are receiving $2.5 million over the next three years from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to foster 

Pa. considers 8 new cyber charters, while critics question cost and quality

by thenotebook

by Benjamin Herold for NewsWorks, a Notebook news partner
Amid concerns about quality, cost, and corruption in Pennsylvania's extensive system of cyber charters, state officials are considering eight new proposals for independently managed schools providing mostly online 

ALEC Myths Exploded!!!

by Democurmudgeon

The AFL-CIO brought to light a new study, that "Shatters ALEC, Laffer Economic Myths."

I'm going to cut right to the facts of the study, but suffice it to say, ALEC's policies are bad for our economy:

A new study of proposals from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) shows that policies the organization promotes do more to harm the economy than help it, despite the claims of the group's lead researcher and author, Arthur Laffer. States that are highly rated in ALEC's annual Rich States, Poor States report, actually do worse economically than states ALEC rates 

800 Public Schools to Expand Access to AP STEM Courses Thanks to Grant

The College Board is announcing the AP® STEM Access program, created to increase the number of traditionally underrepresented minority and female high school students who participate in Advanced Placement Program® courses in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines. A $5 million grant from Google as part of its Global Impact Awards to DonorsChoose.org will make it possible for this program to invite over 800 public high schools across the country to start new AP math and science courses and to encourage traditionally underrepresented minority (black/African American, Hispanic/Latino and American Indian/Alaska 

Remember when merging CSU & Community Colleges was going to save money so they could hire more faculty…

by jonpelto

Tags: Board of RegentsHigher EducationMalloy They said it was all about adding faculty for Connecticut’s public colleges. While the number of students had increased dramatically, the number of full-time faculty had declined by 10 percent over the past eight years. First came Malloy’s merger of the Connecticut State Universities and the Community Colleges.  The promise was that the plan would [...] (Read more...)

Discomfort is the Starting Point, Not the End Goal When It Comes To Race [Edutopia]

by Jose

Tim Howard, Goalkeeper

An excerpt from my widely-distributed Edutopia article on race:

1. Discomfort is the Starting Point, Not the End Goal

Discussions about big ideas like race, religion and politics necessitate some discomfort. By discomfort, I mean that people who participate in the discussion have a degree of soul-searching and reassessment about their own perceptions and biases. For instance, does one person find that their opinions get listened to more readily than those of certain school colleagues? Do they always sit with people of similar interests, or does it go deeper than that? How often do they interact with people that don’t look like them or speak like them? As long as people begin with a clear understanding that the discussion won’t start off with warm, fuzzy feelings, then the next few steps become easier.

Read and read again. Like. Share. Use in your discussions. Thank you.
Jose, who doesn’t shy away from the tough discussions in spaces where others do …

Top Content »

1. How to Ignite Passion in Your Students: 8 Ways Educators Can Foster Passion-Based Learning

by Tess Pajaron

Added by Tess Pajaron on October 12, 201

District 6: SEIU & UTLA Endorsements*

by Hillel Aron

SEIU Local 99 has endorsed Antonio Sanchez for school board in District 6, which covers the East San Fernando Valley, according to a longtime politico.
The endorsement isn’t a huge surprise since Sanchez, a former employee of the LA County Federation of Labor, was always expected to be a union-friendly candidate. In addition to Sanchez, the three other candidates who have qualified for the March ballot in District 6 are Maria Cano, Monica Ratliff, and Ernie Cardenas, brother of the newly elected Congressman Tony Cardenas.
Meanwhile, UTLA is expected endorse all four District 6 candidates tonight at the House of Representatives 

LAO says adult education needs comprehensive restructuring

The Legislature’s effort in 2009 to give cash-strapped schools flexibility in the use of billions of dollars in categorical money has helped diminish the status of adult education programs operated by K-12 districts, the non-partisan Legislative Analyst reported Wednesday.

Resistance gathers to parsing school administrative credential

Members of a statewide organization representing school administrators are lobbying the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to drop plans for creating separate, qualified certification authorizations for school leadership positions.

Mayor Villaraigosa tours Partnership for LA Schools

by Vanessa Romo

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa got a chance to show off several of his Partnership schools today. He toured the campuses with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and ended the visit with a commendation.

Villaraigosa and Superintendent Tom Torlakson took short tours of 99th Street Elementary School and Gompers 

Discomfort is the Starting Point, Not the End Goal When It Comes To Race [Edutopia] | The Jose Vilson

Discomfort is the Starting Point, Not the End Goal When It Comes To Race [Edutopia] | The Jose Vilson:

Discomfort is the Starting Point, Not the End Goal When It Comes To Race [Edutopia]

by Jose

Tim Howard, Goalkeeper

An excerpt from my widely-distributed Edutopia article on race:

1. Discomfort is the Starting Point, Not the End Goal

Discussions about big ideas like race, religion and politics necessitate some discomfort. By discomfort, I mean that people who participate in the discussion have a degree of soul-searching and reassessment about their own perceptions and biases. For instance, does one person find that their opinions get listened to more readily than those of certain school colleagues? Do they always sit with people of similar interests, or does it go deeper than that? How often do they interact with people that don’t look like them or speak like them? As long as people begin with a clear understanding that the discussion won’t start off with warm, fuzzy feelings, then the next few steps become easier.

Read and read again. Like. Share. Use in your discussions. Thank you.
Jose, who doesn’t shy away from the tough discussions in spaces where others do …

“All Over the Map: 10 Ways to Teach About Geography” | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

“All Over the Map: 10 Ways to Teach About Geography” | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…:

“All Over the Map: 10 Ways to Teach About Geography”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 36 minutes ago

The New York Times Learning Network has published an excellent post called All Over the Map: 10 Ways to Teach About Geography. I’m adding it to The Best Websites For Learning & Teaching Geography.

The Best Year-End Collections Of Images — 2012

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 52 minutes ago

I’m beginning my annual “The Best…” list highlighting “year in review” images. There aren’t a whole lot right now on the date of this post, but they’ll soon be coming out of the woodwork. I figured it would be helpful … Continue reading →

“9Slides” Shows Your Slides & You At The Same Time

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 hour ago

9Slides lets you upload a presentation and lets you record and sync a video of you providing narration. You’re allowed five presentations before you have to start paying for more. It seems similar to Present.me. I’m adding it to The … Continue reading →

Here’s What I Do During My Favorite Time Of The School Week

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 hours ago

Usually, during my lunchtime, I am either with students in my classroom (our cafeteria isn’t large enough to accommodate all our students at lunch time) or am meeting with colleagues. However, one day a week during lunch I do my … Continue reading →

My Best Posts Over The Years — Volume Five

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 22 hours ago

I’ve been writing this blog for six or seven years. I thought readers might find it useful for me to dig back in the “archives” and highlight my choices for some of the best posts that appeared during that time. … Continue reading →