Jersey Jazzman: Rocketship: "Poor Kids Don't Deserve Music & Art!"

Jersey Jazzman: Rocketship: "Poor Kids Don't Deserve Music & Art!":

Rocketship: "Poor Kids Don't Deserve Music & Art!"

by Duke

As a lifelong music educator, this is one of the most despicable education stories I've ever heard:

JEFFREY BROWN: Now we look to a California education experiment called the Rocketship Model that involves teachers, kids and parents and aims to expand one day to serve a million students.
NewsHour's special correspondent for education, John Merrow, has our report. 

[...] 

JOHN MERROW: For about one hour every day, students practice math and literacy skills. They work independently at their own pace. The computer is able to track and guide the progress of each student. 

It's something educators call differentiated learning. Some students work on basic skills, 

How’s your honeycomb? Collecting pollen and making honey #professionallearning | Connected Principals

How’s your honeycomb? Collecting pollen and making honey #professionallearning | Connected Principals:

How’s your honeycomb? Collecting pollen and making honey #professionallearning

by Bo Adams

Many – maybe all – schools send teachers to conferences. This practice seems important (otherwise, why do we do it, right?). It’s like collecting pollen for the hive. Curious, ambitious teachers venture out to conferences – ASCD, Learning Forward, NAIS, EduCon, SXSWedu, Solution Tree, etc. – to learn and grow. To collect pollen for the hive.
How does your school work to transform that collected pollen into honey? How do you set up and maintain your “honey production system?” How’s your honeycomb?
Do the teachers …

• Tweet tidbits of learning and links to resources gathered during the conference experience?
• Storify the highlights from multiple Twitter accounts active during the event?
• Share blog posts about what they learned?
• Create a podcast or short summary video to distribute like

Miracle Schools!: Proceed with Caution:

Miracle Schools!: Proceed with Caution

By P.L. Thomas on December 30, 2012 3:00 pm / no comments

During her tenure as Secretary of Education (2005-2009), Margaret Spellings announced No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was proving to be a success based on a 7 point gain in NAEP reading scores from 1999-2005. The data evidence referenced by Spellings was factual as framed, but when Gerald Bracey and Stephen Krashen dug beneath that broad claim, Spellings’ claim fell apart since the gain occurred entirely between 1999-2002, before any implementation of NCLB had occurred.

Lessons embedded in the false claims based on factual data by Spellings include the need to be skeptical about media and political analyses of data, the danger of assigning causation to any data without careful analysis, and the essentially distorting effect of large data points that blur the nuance of more detailed data.

While many educators and scholars have spent a great deal of time and effort to confront the enormous amount of misleading negative claims about education, little attention has been paid to the dangers of praising school success.

Miracle Schools!: Proceed with Caution

Historically, reaching well back into the nineteenth century, public schools have been maligned more often than praised, and in the past decade, most school success stories have either been claims of “miracle” schools or advocacy for high-flying charter 

The FBI coordinated the crackdown of Occupy with big banks | Seattle Education

The FBI coordinated the crackdown of Occupy with big banks | Seattle Education:

The FBI coordinated the crackdown of Occupy with big banks

Posted on December 30, 2012 by seattleducation2011 | Leave a comment

From the Guardian:

Revealed: how the FBI coordinated the crackdown on Occupy

There is a new twist: the merger of the private sector, DHS and the FBI means that any of us can become WikiLeaks, a point that Julian Assange was trying to make in explaining the argument behind his recent book. The fusion of the tracking of money and the suppression of dissent means that a huge area of vulnerability in civil society – people’s income streams and financial records – is now firmly in the hands of the banks, which are, in turn, now in the business of tracking your dissent.

Police used teargas to drive back protesters following an attempt by the Occupy supporters to shut down the city of Oakland.

It was more sophisticated than we had imagined: new documents show that the violent crackdown on Occupy last fall – so mystifying at the time – was not just 

Charter schools now big business nationwide - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Charter schools now big business nationwide - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Charter schools now big business nationwide

Management firms bring money, clout to help operate them

Again, It's about the Money

The early charter schools in Pennsylvania were largely the product of passionate parents or community groups, who sometimes planned their dream schools around the kitchen table.

But the picture has changed dramatically since the charter school law was passed in Pennsylvania in 1997, with an expansion of education management organizations that bring big money and clout into the picture.

While some of the early charter planners succeeded -- such as the Manchester Youth Development Center on the North Side, which then offered an after-school tutoring program and started the Manchester Academic Charter School -- many schools never materialized, with some planners saying it was harder than expected to come up with the necessary capital and expertise.

That was before so many businesses aimed at providing curriculum, management and facilities entered the scene, including organizations that don't just assist but help initiate support for a

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/education/charter-schools-now-big-business-nationwide-668354/#ixzz2GXz2fJ5A

Why don’t more girls study physics? | The Raw Story

Why don’t more girls study physics? | The Raw Story:

Why don’t more girls study physics?

By The Guardian
Sunday, December 30, 2012 9:31 EST

Topics: Alice Williams

 

Almost half of Britain’s co-ed schools have no female students taking A-level physics, but one London school is showing how it is possible to buck the trend.

Alice Williams is 16, and her eyes are gleaming. As she speaks, her face grows pink with excitement and her hands wave around expressively. You might expect her to be talking about the latestTwilight film or a teenage boy band. But no: Alice is talking about heat resistance. More specifically, a heat-resistance experiment in her A-level physics class.

“The most exciting experiments are when a normal one goes horribly wrong,” says Alice, a sixth-former at Lampton School in Hounslow, west London. “One time we were testing the resistance in wire, and if it’s too hot it starts to glow. We thought the power was off, but it was on, and it was 

MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-30-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

Do Poor Kids Need Art and Music Education?

by dianerav

This is one of the most important posts you will read this year–or next.
The Rocketship charter chain hopes to be the mass-produced model for poor kids in America. It intends someday to enroll one million children.
Jersey Jazzman takes a close look at John Merrow’s PBS episode about Rocketship charters. .
The children in these charters get no music or art. None.
The leaders of Rocketship don’t see this as a problem.
In their view, poor kids need basic skills, not the arts.
Affluent parents wouldn’t accept this kind of schooling.
It is not education. It’s just schooling.
It’s schooling on the cheap for Other People’s Children.

Why the Reform Movement Is Foundering”

by dianerav

An English teacher explains that she always teaches non-fiction in her courses. What she can’t understand is the mindset of those who want to impose a statistical straight jacket on teachers. She wonders if the people who did this have sound educational values.
“The argument that English teachers are opposed to non-fiction because they love literature is an unsubstantiated generalization. Just because you love English doesn’t mean you don’t love non fiction as anyone of my English colleagues could attest to. One does not have to have a bias against non fiction to find arbitrary percentage points embedded in a badly conceived aspect of Common Core suspect. In fact, what interests me is the notion that pointing out weaknesses in the Common Core is a bias of any kind. Is the Common Core so well conceived that it would never need to be refined or reconsidered in any aspect? Really?

Corporate Reform Vs. Equity, Per Julian Vasquez Heilig

by dianerav

Julian Vasquez Heilig of the University of Texas is devoted to equity for students of color.
This has made him a critic of corporate reform.
And it may account for the name of his blog, which is “Cloaking Inequity.”
You should browse his blog archives. He writes with verve and humor, which we know is rare indeed among the 

Should Public Schools Depend on Charity?

by dianerav

A reader asks a good question:
Call me a socialist, but I am totally against any & all fundraising for public schools. We as a nation should provide all our children equally with the highest possible standards we as a nation can afford. Private schools can do their own thing, whatever they can afford. (though it is my understanding that private schools pay teachers less than public schools). I don’t support or contribute in any way to fund raisers for either private or public schools. It sickens me that our children are sent out selling candy & holiday wrapping paper & cans of popcorn to raise money for special programs like art, gym, music in their schools, and that teachers have to help fund 

Common Core Nonsense

by dianerav

In an earlier post, I complained about the arbitrary ratios embedded in the Common CoreStandards for fiction and “informational text.” I asked who would police whether Mr. Smith and Ms. Jones was teaching too much or too little fiction.
Please read this exchange.
A reader commented as follows:
“You ask at the end of your post – “Whose wisdom decided on 50-50 and 70-30? Who will police the 

Diane in the Evening 12-29-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: Why Is John Deasy Reconstituting a Successful School? by dianerav This is a puzzling story. At Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles, teachers, administrators, students, and the community leaders worked together to improve te school. It seemed to be working. The school made enormous gains. But then Superintendent John Deasey stepped in and pulled the plug. He will reconstitute the school, break it up into four small schools, fire the staff, and start over. The staff can reapply for heir old jobs, but half or more are not likely to be invited back. The school ... more »

The New York Times Has Discovered The Perils Of Being Data-Driven — I Just Wish Arne Duncan Would, Too | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

The New York Times Has Discovered The Perils Of Being Data-Driven — I Just Wish Arne Duncan Would, Too | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…:

The New York Times Has Discovered The Perils Of Being Data-Driven — I Just Wish Arne Duncan Would, Too

by Larry Ferlazzo

I have written regularly about the dangers of being “data-driven” instead of being “data-informed.” In fact, I have a lengthy, and popular, post titled The Best Resources Showing Why We Need To Be “Data-Informed” & Not “Data-Driven.”
Here’s my previously posted summary of how our school’s extraordinary principal, Ted Appel, explains the difference:
If schools are data-driven, they might make decisions like keeping students who are “borderline” between algebra and a higher-level of math in algebra so that they do well in the algebra state test. Or, in English, teachers might focus a lot of energy on teaching a “strand” that is heavy on the tests — even though it might not help the student become a life-long reader. In other words, the school can tend to focus on its institutional self-interest instead of what’s best for the students.
In schools that are data-informed, test results are just one more piece of information that can be helpful in 

Revisiting Florida’s 2012 Charter School Scandals | Scathing Purple Musings

Revisiting Florida’s 2012 Charter School Scandals | Scathing Purple Musings

Revisiting Florida’s 2012 Charter School Scandals

by Bob Sikes

Tampa Bay Times reporter Diane Steinle sees the unseemly details of a taxpayer-funded charter school as one of North Pinellas biggest stories of the year:

Life Force Arts and Technology Academy, a publicly funded charter school in Dunedin, was open for only two years, but in that time it accumulated a lengthy list of shortcomings: mismanagement, misappropriation of funds, deviations from the authorized curriculum, bankruptcy and some of the lowest student test scores in the Tampa Bay area.
Students lacked for school supplies, and teachers were paid only $85 a day, with no benefits or contracts.
Life Force was already in bankruptcy when Hanan Islam and her Clearwater company, the Art of 

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS WEBSITE

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: Gulen charter schools in Florida

Jul 24, 2012

A compilation of news articles about charter schools which have been charged with, or are highly suspected of, tampering with admissions, grades, attendance and testing; misuse of funds and embezzlement; engaging in ...

http://charterschoolscandals.blogspot.com/

Florida virtual schools provider K12 (43 school districts)

Sep 20, 2012

The Florida Department of Education has launched an investigation of K12, the nation's largest online educator, over allegations the company uses uncertified teachers and has asked employees to help cover up the practice.

http://charterschoolscandals.blogspot.com/

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: Florida charter schools

Aug 23, 2010

At the same time, more than $200 million of the $492 million Florida spent on these privately operated schools in 2005 went to charters that had business relationships with school officials: renting buildings to the charters, ...

http://charterschoolscandals.blogspot.com/

Florida charter schools (high failure rate) - Charter School Scandals

Jul 09, 2011

MIAMI (CBS4) – In his first visit to South Florida as governor, Rick Scott visited Florida International Academy, a charter school operated with public money by a private, for-profit company. Scott – a big charter school booster ...

http://charterschoolscandals.blogspot.com/

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A compilation of news articles about charter schools which have been charged with, or are highly suspected of, tampering with admissions, grades, attendance and testing; misuse of funds and embezzlement; engaging in nepotism and conflicts of interest; engaging in complicated and shady real estate deals; and/or have been engaging in other questionable, unethical, borderline-legal, or illegal activities. This is also a record of charter school instability and other unsavory tidbits.

Couldn't Find Your Own Special Charter School Scandal

Just Type the name of your city or charter school in the box below

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS

If you don't find yours today

Keep checking

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS

Be sure to check out two other Great blogs:

-THE BROAD REPORT (as in Eli) -THE PERIMETER PRIMATE

SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: For public education

SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: For public education:

For public education

by Duane Campbell

Once social change begins, it can not be reversed.  You cannot un-educate the person who has learned to read.  You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride.  You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore.  Cesar Chavez.  Nov.9, 1984.

Parents and pupils worried about Philadelphia school closings take their concerns to City Hall - Philly.com

Parents and pupils worried about Philadelphia school closings take their concerns to City Hall - Philly.com:

Parents and pupils worried about Philadelphia school closings take their concerns to City Hall

December 29, 2012|By Kristen A. Graham, Inquirer Staff Writer

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Khyrie Brown, 12, a seventh grader at L.P. Hill Elementary School in Strawberry Mansion,… (KRISTEN A. GRAHAM / Staff )

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What do students from L.P. Hill and Duckrey Elementary Schools - two among the 37 Philadelphia School District buildings slated for closure in June - think about officials' decision to shutter their schools?

"I feel down," said Shemar Bates, 11, a sixth grader at Duckrey, in North Philadelphia on the edge of Temple University's campus. "I feel shocked. I don't want them to close my school."

Shemar was one of a handful of students, parents, and members of the community organizing group ACTION United who met at City Hall on Friday, hoping to hand-deliver petitions and dozens of letters directly to Mayor Nutter. They want the mayor, governor, School Reform Commission, and anyone else with clout to listen and, they hope, intervene to halt school closings.

Story continues below.

Reforming Businesses, Reforming Schools: Outsourcing as a Fad | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Reforming Businesses, Reforming Schools: Outsourcing as a Fad | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

Reforming Businesses, Reforming Schools: Outsourcing as a Fad

by larrycuban

Readers over a certain age may recall reforms that cascaded through corporations in each decade since the 1960s. They might recall “zero-based budgeting,” “management by objectives,” “restructuring,” “management by walking about,” and “Quality  Circles.” Sure, I could name more but that is enough.
Opinion leaders beat the drums for each one as they rapidly spread through The Financial Times, Forbes, The Economist, and other media as CEOs wrapped their tongues around the inevitable acronyms surrounding these reforms.  They were immensely popular for a few years, even a decade or more and, you know what’s coming, they faded. They live now as footnotes in doctoral dissertations–the last refuge for a reform.
I want to add another one to that list: “Outsourcing.”
Outsourcing or “offshoring” occurred as a global market for U.S. products matured in post-World War II decades. 

Less Time Teaching, More Time Learning | Connected Principals

Less Time Teaching, More Time Learning | Connected Principals:

Less Time Teaching, More Time Learning

by George Couros

This post originally appeared on the “Education is My Life” site, which has several offerings aggregated by A.J. Juliani.
I don’t remember much about what I learned in elementary school, but I do remember how much I cared about my teachers, and inversely, how much they cared about me.  The teachers that meant the most to me were the ones who understood that I was a very active kid who could not sit still for anything; and if you look back at any of the pictures that I had to colour in as a student, you would find many unfinished pieces of art.  To say I became bored easily would be an understatement and I constantly needed to move on to the next challenge.

AN ASSIGNMENT WORTH REMEMBERING

Then in grade three, I had an assignment that I will never forget.  Actually, I could not tell you much about what