Special Late Nite Cap EXTRA 3-21-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Nite Cap EXTRA

EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA

I’ll get something written up for you

by alicemercer

I’ve been doing a lot with short constructed writing response. Part of this is due to trainings I’m going to on Common Core for my district. The standards emphasize a written response that sites the information from the text the question is based on. I’m not in love with the standards, but feel I can live with the upper-elementary level ones (mostly because as Tom Hoffman points out, it’s not like their worse than what was here before). I make no claims about their appropriateness for primary (the fact that NO early childhood educators or experts were included in their development is appalling), and high school (where the discussions of implementation have degenerated into a ridiculous metrics like “50% of text reading should be informational” – like you don’t get information from reading Moby Dick?).
I’ll be writing a post soon on the results of this exploration of writing I’ve been doing (two thumbs up, IMHO) for those who prefer action in the classroom to my gassing on about policy, etc. which I’ll continue to do in here in the remainder of this post.
Why am I doing this? Frankly, Common Core is a convenient excuse, and not my main reason. I love having students write. To make it manageable level of grading, I prefer the short answer for formative assessment 

Cobb faces drastic actions to cope with school budget crisis. Considers some online high school classes.

by Maureen Downey

Georgians can grasp just how grave the underfunding of education has become when they read about what’s happening in Cobb County.
On Thursday night, the school chief proposed shifting many high school classes into online courses, cutting five days from the school year, eliminating transportation to several thousand students and giving district staff five furlough days to address an $86.4 million deficit.
T his is occurring in one of more affluent counties in the state. How is the rest of Georgia coping with drastic funding cuts to their schools?
I’m not sure how happy Cobb parents are going to be when word of these proposed economies reach them. Many parents will have questions about the online delivery of classes for their high school students. It sounds like the classes will follow a blended model, which combines virtual and face-to-face instruction.
To be honest, I would be nervous to have my children in the inaugural application of a blended learning model as there are …

Lancaster's not having it.

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

Just posting a denial letter here for future reference. It's the text of the Lancaster, PA school district denial of a Gulen charter: the Academy of Business and Entrepreneurship, which I found in a conversation over at Diane Ravitch's.

This is a situation where the school will soon go to the state charter commission and overrule the school district, just like the Concept people did here.

I'm posting it here because I have no other place to put it--- it's a truly scathing letter, and I haven't seen anything 

Madison High School event turns angry as community members accuse DISD administrators of unfairly forcing out principals

by Matthew Haag

A meeting Thursday night at Madison High School billed as a discussion of South Dallas’ schools turned tense when dozens of parents, students and elected officials accused Dallas ISD administrators of trying to force out the school’s principal.
After a brief overview of the area’s school by Dallas school trustee Bernadette Nutall, speakers lined up to attack district administrators in attendance over concerns that principals might be forced out of their jobs. They claimed that Madison … [visit site to read more]

Read How Lucy Calkins Ruins A Life in 2023

by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)

On March 6 we here at SBSB shared the wisdom of Robert Pondiscio and his thoughts on cult leader Lucy Calkins methods of of abusing children with her failed Reader's Workshop. Later that evening I tweeted Robert and asked him if he had ever shared his thoughts on the other abusive Calkins failure, of Writer's Workshop. He indeed did.

A few things stick out in his article. Just for full disclosure, I have been blessed this year to be at several Writer's Workshop workshops given by 25 year old presenters. I have also been blessed with reading those writer's notebooks that Lucy so loves and must say how amazed I am by the writing in these notebooks. Amazed at how all the bad grammar, spelling, and lack of any writing mechanics 

NJ Ed Commish Cerf: Wrong On Poverty, Wrong On Teacher Evaluation

by Duke

If my email is any indication, teachers across New Jersey are just now being introduced to our new, top-down, state-mandated evaluation system, AchieveNJ. There's a lot of concern about this system - as well there should be. AchieveNJ has many serious flaws that I've documented over the last two weeks: see here, here, here,here, here, here, and here.

But none of these seem to concern Commissioner of Education Chris Cerf; if anything, he seems more confident than ever in AchieveNJ's infallibility:

Students in New Jersey are going to be placed in peer groups with students who scored similarly on the previous year’s test. They will get a score based on how 

Lots of speakers, lots to say to the SRC about school closings, expansions

by Paul Socolar

The School Reform Commission got an earful from nearly 50 speakers at its Thursday evening action meeting – the first since their vote to close 23 schools on March 7.  And the closings were again a major theme:
read more

Controversial Video Game Draws Mayroral Ire

by Last Stand for Children

The Mayors of New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago have called on video game manufacturer Satan's Child Games to pull School Closing Fight from store shelves for it's over the top violence and depiction of urban life.

The controversial game manufacturer first caught the public's eye with Evil Bus Driver, a game where you tried to crash into buses filled with helpless orphans and force them off the road.  However, according to Philadelphia's Mayor Nutter, this time the game company has "gone too far."

In School Closing Fight, players take the part of either a hardened criminal or a public school student who is forced to cross into their territory because their neighborhood school has been closed.   The student gains points 

Tweed to Absorb Much of Lost Aid

by Yasmeen Khan

Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott told the CIty Council Thursday that the Department of Education was planning for next year without the $250 million dollars in education aid that was withheld by the state after the city failed to reach a deal on a teacher evaluation plan with the teachers union.
This despite a judge’s ruling that blocked the state from withholding the aid, and the city from proceeding with cuts, until a lawsuit brought by parents moves forward.
“Explain to me why you want to make the cuts now, that have irreparable harm to our children, with the

Urgent action required. Call these Illinois senators NOW! Tomorrow will be too late.

by Fred Klonsky

From Glen Brown:

These are senators who apparently have no regard for a teacher’s earned constitutionally-guaranteed benefits and will most likely vote “yes” for an unconstitutional bill from the House of Representatives.1. John Cullerton (217-782-2728, Chicago: 773-883-0770)

2. Daniel Biss (217-782-2119, Skokie: 847-568-1250)

3. Don Harmon (217-782-8176, Oak Park: 708-848-2002)
4. Patricia Van Pelt (217-782-6252, Chicago: 312-888-9191)

5. Steven Landek (217-782-0054, Burbank: 708-430-25100

6. Napoleon Harris III (217-782-8066, 708-232-8780)
7. Bill Cunningham (217-782-5145, Chicago: 773-445-8123)
8. Michael Hastings (217-782-9595, Matteson: 708-283-4125)
9. Michael Noland (217-782-7746, Elgin: 847-214-8864)
10. Mike Jacobs (217-782-5957, Moline: 309-797-0001)

11. Heather Steans (Yes vote on SB 35, “Present” on SB 1) (217-782-8492, Chicago: 773-769-1717)

12. Michael Connelly (Yes on SB 35, “Did Not Vote” on SB 1) (217-782-8192, Wheaton: 630-682-8101)


Other Illinois Senators Who Voted “Yes” on the blatantly unconstitutional SB 0035 and will most likely vote “yes” for an unconstitutional bill from the House of Representatives.

13. Kirk Dillard (217-782-8148, Westmont: 630-969-0990)

14. Jim Oberweis (217-782-0471, North Aurora: 630-800-1992)
15. Dan Duffy (217-782-8010, Barrington: 847-277-7100)

16. Matt Murphy (217-782-4471, Palatine: 847-776-1490)

17. Pamela Althoff (217-782-8000, McHenry: 815-455-6330)

18. Karen McConnaughay (217-782-1977, South Elgin: 847-214-8245)

19. Darin Lahood (217-782-1942, Peoria: 309-693-4921)

20. Sue Rezin (217-782-3840, Peru: 815-220-8720)

21. Christine Radogno (217-782-9407, Lemont: 630-243-0800)

22. William Brady (217-782-6216, Bloomington: 309-664-4440)

23. Dave Syverson (217-782-5413, Rockford: 815-987-7555)

These senators voted “present” on SB 0035

24. Mattie Hunter (217-782-5966, Chicago: 312-949-1908)

25. Jacqueline Collins (217-782-1607, Chicago: 773-224-2830)

26. Thomas Cullerton (217-782-9463, Villa Park: 630-903-6662)

These senators “did not vote” on SB 0035

27. Kimberly Lightford (217-782-8505, Westchester: 708-343-7444)

28. Tim Bivins (217-782-0180, Dixon: 815-284-0045)

29. Gary Forby (217-782-5509, Benton: 618-439-2504)

CALL THESE LEGISLATORS TODAY!

Bring Rodrigo Home – Kids For Kids!

by Reyna Diaz

My name is Reyna Diaz Mayida and my life changed in Houston, Texas on January 10, 2013. Houston was where my family and I were refused entry back into the US from Mexico. It was where we were turned away from coming home to Berkeley, California.

I always returned to Mexico to renew my passport and would always comply with the law by renewing my visa every six months. Every six months my partner, our son Rodrigo and I would go to Tijuana to renew our visas. But we grew afraid. The boarder patrol agents there would ask a lot of questions and by then our son, Rodrigo, did not speak Spanish very well. The last time we renewed our visas was in August 2011.

Rodrigo’s father used to work at a fraternity house in Berkeley as a cook. I worked cleaning houses. We lived in a studio apartment in Berkeley. Everything we had is back there. My partner’s mother got everything — she is a resident of the country. She isn’t a U.S. citizen so she can’t sponsor us.

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 3-21-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Nite Cap UPDATE

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

CORPORATE ED REFORM

Report from Indiana: Protesters Fill the Rotunda

by admin

By Phyllis Bush

On Tuesday, March 19, the rotunda at the Indiana state house was filled by more than 500 people opposed to the expansion of vouchers. This followed an intense morning of speaking to legislators.

NPE Boarb member Phyllis Bush shared this reflection on the day.

Today’s thoughts are from a mixture of exhilaration and exhaustion from yesterday’s visit to the State House in Indianapolis. We spoke with two senators for an hour and for 40 minutes with another. They said all of the “right things” about how they support public education, public schools, public school teachers, public school kids, and blah blah blah; however, after many years of teaching, my BS detector was going wildly off the charts. One 

Chicago School Closings: District Plans To Shutter 54 Schools

by Joy Resmovits

Citing budget concerns and falling enrollment, Chicago Public Schools officials announced Thursday they plan to close 54 schools next year and shut down 61 school buildings -- the largest single wave of school closures in U.S. history.

For months, looming closures seemed inevitable. After a teachers union strike last fall concluded with anexpensive contract, observers were left without a doubt that the only way the cash-strapped district could afford it was to shut down schools and fire the teachers who worked there.

Since the September strike, Chicago hired a new CEO for its schools, Barbara Byrd-Bennett, a veteran of closures in cities like Detroit. The district held hearings with parents about the fates of their children. Rumors 

Changes to teacher eval law tackles a city-labor dispute (again)

by Geoff Decker

For the second year in a row, legislators are revising the state’s teacher evaluation law in part because of New York City’s difficulties in complying with it.

The legislature is expected to insert new language into the law to clarify that plans stay in effect even after they expire, according to officials briefed on the budget legislation, which has not been finalized. Concerns that a negotiated plan would default back to the current system was one reason talks between the Bloomberg administration and the United Federation of Teachers broke down earlier this year.

The change would ensure that, moving forward, no districts could ever be without an evaluation system. To 

Chicago closing 54 schools; union leader blasts 'outrageous' plan

by Valerie Strauss

Chicago officials finally announced what was widely rumored: They will close 54 under-enrolled schools this year in the country's third largest district to help close a $1 billion budget deficit. It is the largest mass district closing of schools ever in the United States, and it is fiercely opposed by many teachers, parents and education activists.

Read full article >>

Fairfax County schools outperform U.S. average, many countries, on new test

by T. Rees Shapiro

A sampling of Fairfax County freshmen outperformed their peers across the country on a new test that measures how students compare around the world in math, reading and science. But the assessment also showed that the majority of the Fairfax students were unhappy with their teachers and found them unhelpful.

Read full article >>

In Montana, an Indian reservation’s children feel the impact of sequester’s cuts

by Lyndsey Layton

The public schools on the isolated, windswept Fort Peck Indian reservation here are at the frontier of the federal sequester, among the first to struggle with budget cuts sweeping west from Washington.

Read full article >>

N.Y. school board battle brings out racist, anti-Semitic barbs

by The Associated Press

The school board is almost entirely made up of ultra-Orthodox Jews who send their children to private schools, while public school students are mostly Hispanic and black

Original enclosure (east-ramapo-smalljpg-17ea85eb9db89c7b.jpg)

Parent trigger bill stalls in Senate: The trigger wasn’t pulled but the bill was.

by Maureen Downey

Earlier this session, folks in the Georgia Senate told me that the parent trigger bill was unlikely to win passage. I thought they were wrong when the bill flew through the House but today’s events suggest my sources were right.

House Majority Whip Edward Lindsey, R-Atlanta, withdrew his parent-trigger charter school legislation amid doubts by his GOP Senate colleagues.

Seven states have enacted parent trigger laws; Georgia was among three state considering them. House Bill 123 

District outlines plan to outsource more Head Start seats

by Dale Mezzacappa

One issue that has mostly flown under the radar in the frenzy over school closings: The District is planning to privatize nearly 2,000 additional Head Start seats, saying that without this move the number of children getting pre-K services -- already just a fraction of those eligible -- would shrink precipitously.

Featured Title: 

Opponents worry about maintaining quality

read more

Solving teacher retirement system’s shortfall would cost billions - by John Fensterwald

by John Fensterwald

When Gov. Jerry Brown talks about paying down the state’s “wall of debt,” he doesn’t mention the state teachers’  retirement system. And yet the towering $73 billion unfunded shortfall in the state pension fund for teachers and administrators, the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, makes Brown’s wall, at about $30 billion, look like a picket fence. On Wednesday, at joint...

How big is the policy book?

by Charlie Mas

In a discussion about the 12th grade humanities class at The Center School, commenter parent wrote:

"They've got so many procedures and policies, it's impossible to follow them." I have heard Director Martin-Morris describe them as a long shelf stuffed with binders. That's not accurate.

I hear this sort of thing all the time. I also observe the reaction I get from people when my knowledge of School Board policies is displayed. They are generally surprised. That's not appropriate.

Here's the truth: You could probably read all of the policies in a single sitting in a single afternoon.

There aren't that many policies and most of them are pretty brief. You, too, could become a policy expert 

Another Positive Review Of My New Book

by Larry Ferlazzo

Another nice review of my new book, Self-Driven Learning, was published today.

Here’s how Winifred Kehl concludes her review at the Getting Smart blog:

Reading it felt like a friendly tour through a toolbox of techniques teachers (and educators of all sorts) can apply and experiment with. Sprinkled liberally with references to teaching resources and research, there is a treasure trove of further reading I can follow up on, but more importantly, I am left with practical suggestions I can put to use today to encourage intrinsic motivation in students of all ages.

Notes from Diane – March 15, 2013

by admin

We Will Stand Up to the Billionaires

The organizers of the Network for Public Education are thrilled by the wonderful response from parents, teachers, students, and concerned citizens who have joined us as members and allies.

We received excellent press coverage, and the word of our existence is spreading across the nation.

We will help grassroots groups connect to other grassroots groups.

We will identify education bloggers across the nation.

We exist to amplify their message and to give them moral support.

In the coming months, we will provide information and research to help friends of public education support their 

Last-minute open enrollment tactics

By Loretta Kalb

lkalb@sacbee.com

Published: Wednesday, Mar. 20, 2013 - 12:00 am | Page 2B

Last Modified: Wednesday, Mar. 20, 2013 - 7:42 am

Sara Noguchi, area assistant superintendent at the Sacramento City Unified School District, joined The Bee for a live chat Tuesday and offered last-minute guidance on open enrollment.

The deadline is today at 5 p.m. for elementary school students. Applications are available on the district's website, www.scusd.edu. The district has seen a rise in applications this year after it

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/20/5276914/last-minute-open-enrollment-tactics.html#storylink=cpy

71 school actions in massive district shakeup

CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett will recommend the Board of Education close 61 school buildings (displacing 54 school staffs), co-locate 11 schools and turnaround six schools.

The closing schools are the ones whose administrators will be laid off and most of the teachers will be displaced. Some of the welcoming schools will be located in the closed school buildings.

The list is below. More to come.

Karen Lewis on Chicago School Closings

by dianerav

The mass closing of public schools in Chicago should be the lead story on every news channel tonight. It is not. The fact is that a dozen years of No Child Left Behind and three-plus years of Race to the Top has persuaded the American public that closing schools is “reform.”

It is not.

It is a dereliction of responsibility. It is an abdication of any oath of office that a public official in this country takes. It is a betrayal of any commitment to equality of educational opportunity. It is a capitulation to corpora

Illinois Democrats and Florida Republicans pillage teacher pensions SIMULTANEOUSLY | Reclaim Reform

Illinois Democrats and Florida Republicans pillage teacher pensions SIMULTANEOUSLY | Reclaim Reform:

Illinois Democrats and Florida Republicans pillage teacher pensions SIMULTANEOUSLY

by kenpreviti

Illinois Democrats and Florida Republicans legislate to pillage active and retired teacher pensions simultaneously. This is NO coincidence.
Who wants to teach where teachers past and present are being openly scapegoated and financially ripped? Who wants their children to attend public school?
Teachers and other public workers are threatened with a vote to pillage their pensions tomorrow by the Florida Republican super-majority legislature just as the Illinois Democratic super-majority legislature did today. There is a well financed War against the Middle Class going on at this minute and hundreds of thousands are being financially attacked and hurt as you read this.
  
The bluest of blue states, Illinois, with its Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn and his super-majority legislature and one 

#msnbc: Will they or won’t they cover racism in Chicago? – @ the chalk face

#msnbc: Will they or won’t they cover racism in Chicago? – @ the chalk face:

#msnbc: Will they or won’t they cover racism in Chicago?

by Timothy D. Slekar

Here is the latest out of Chicago brought to us by MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry.

Breaking: Chicago to close 61 school buildings

http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/03/21/breaking-chicago-to-close-61-public-schools/
They are SCHOOLS filled with children—not buildings!
Here is what I have been trying to post to the discussion section of the story.

If MSNBC turns away from this story then we know that it is a corporate owned propaganda factory. The research on closing schools is extremely valuable. Simply, school closings hurt neighborhoods and result in poor learning conditions for the schools that absorb children from closed schools. The buildings are typically then used to house Charter Schools that refuse to admit local children. This leads to a gentrification process that pushes out the local residents. And 90% of the time this is done in minority communities.
This is blatant racism and classism! It doesn’t matter that the mayor is a Democrat and that the current President is from Chicago. Cover the story and hit the guilty parties hard.
It does not matter to the families and children of closed schools if it is a Democrat or a Republican 

Stop School Closings! Chicago March and Rally March 27th 4:00PM

Stop School Closings! Chicago March and Rally March 27th 4:00PM:

Stop School Closings! Chicago March and Rally March 27th 4:00PM

by Server

Action Alert

Stop School Closings! March and Rally March 27th 4:00PM

Scores of parents, students, teachers, public school employees and community residents are gearing up for the next stage in their fight to save 129 schools from the chopping block. While the District contemplates how many neighborhood schools they will shutter this year, taxpayers who have had enough of these top-down, draconian measures are strategizing about how to elevate their voices in the school closing fight.
An anti-school closings march and rally is planned for 4:00 p.m. on March 27 in downtown Chicago.
Demonstrators will gather at Daley Plaza, proceed to City Hall and then head toward the Board of Education.
GEM activists and CTU members are holding joint meetings this week in each network. Please see the flyer below for individual meetings times and locations.
The Chicago Teachers Union, the Grassroots Education Movement, parents, students and legislators demand a full moratorium on school closings and charter proliferation this school year. School closings do not save money. Already, 10 people have been arrested in protest of the mayor’s school closing policies. After CPS releases its “hit list” of schools targeted for closure and consolidation, members of the Board of Education will vote in May whether to uphold the proposed actions.

Click any flyer below to download a printable version.
CTU Organizing Meetings.
Members, Parents, Students, Community.
Suport Our Schools.
Do Not Close Them. March 27th RallySpanish Version; Support Our Schools.
Do Not Close Them. March 27th Rally

UPDATE: Notes from Diane + Why the Strongsville Strike Matters for Education | The Network For Public Education

Why the Strongsville Strike Matters for Education | The Network For Public Education:

Why the Strongsville Strike Matters for Education

by admin

In the last few weeks, something big has been happening in our small town. The Strongsville Education Association, our local teacher’s union, has been on strike since Monday, March 4th. As an alumna of this district, the last two weeks have taught me some important things about our town, the national conversation about education  and the future of unions and middle class jobs.

The current national debate about teacher pay and public unions is built on two notions that are now “common wisdom.”

1. Teachers (and public employees) are not doing a good enough job and would not be able to compete in the private sector. Challenging or breaking their unions is important to improving the quality of the services provided.
2. Teachers are overpaid and their salaries and benefits are unsustainable for local and state governments

The Strongsville teachers are the first teachers to strike in the state of Ohio in more than five years. More

Notes from Diane – March 22, 2013

by admin

Diane Ravitch President

Dear Friends,
The Network for Public Education has received a very positive response, and we are building alliances with grassroots groups across the nation. If you know of any who have not signed up, please tell them how to find us.
You know what we oppose: High-stakes testing; privatization of public education; mass school closures to save money or to facilitate privatization; demonization of teachers; lowering of standards for the education profession; for-profit management of schools.

Here is what we support:

• We support schools that offer a full and rich curriculum for all children, including the arts, physical education, history, civics, foreign languages, literature, mathematics, and the sciences.
• We support schools that are subject to democratic control by members of their community.

New Mexico Education Secretary Left in Limbo and Strong Policy on the Governor’s Desk

by admin

By Elaine Romero
New Mexico has alternating 30-day and 60-day legislative sessions. The 2013 60-day included 33% new senators and 48% new representatives.  Never before had a governor played such a prominent role in local races as GOP Governor Suzanna Martinez during the 2012 elections of senators and representatives.  The session began on January 15 with a 42-member Senate (25D-17R) and a 70-member House (38D-32R).  The session ended in total disarray as the Governor rammed a complicated tax package of corporate tax breaks through in the final 5 seconds of the House session.  This is a strategy that we are witnessing across the country as was recently documented by our NPE colleague, Larry Lee in Alabama.
The Senate Education Committee consisted of 6 out of 9 freshmen senators.  The chair, Senator John Sapien (D), his first year as chair, was in his 2nd term and the ranking member Senator Gay Kernan (R) in her 4th term.  The House Education Committee consisted of 5 out of 13 freshman representatives.  The chair, Representative Mimi Stewart (D), her first year as chair, was in her 10th term and the ranking member was Majority Floor 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: CReATE PRESS RELEASE ON NEW STUDY

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: CReATE PRESS RELEASE ON NEW STUDY:

CReATE PRESS RELEASE ON NEW STUDY

by Mike Klonsky

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Stephanie Farmer, Roosevelt University
773-628-7680
sfarmer@roosevelt.edu

New Study from CReATE: School Closures will Negatively Impact Academic Performance, Destabilize Communities

CHICAGO (March 21, 2013) -- Closing public schools in Chicago will negatively impact academic performance and create more hardship for communities that are already suffering from disinvestment, according to a new study by Chicagoland Researchers and Advocates for Transformative Education (CReATE), a group of Chicago-area university professors specializing in educational research.

After a review of scholarly research and new data on school closings occurring in Chicago and around the country, CReATE, a network for more than 100 professors from Chicago-area universities, urged the Chicago Board of Education on Thursday to reject a proposal that would shutter 80 neighborhood schools.

“We find that the history of previous school closures and school actions reveal that closures will negatively impact academic performance and create hardship for communities. Simply put, we believe that massive school closures will do more harm than good for Chicago’s children,” said David Stovall, professor education at the University of Illinois at Chicago and contributor to the CReATE report.

Calling the school-closure issue “the most critical education policy decision today” for Chicago and its future, CReATE researchers found evidence that:

School closures historically have had a negative impact on children’s academic performance.  Analyses of school closures in Chicago reveal that 94% of students from closed CPS schools did not go on to “academically strong” new schools.  The evidence also shows that students transitioned to new schools experience lower test scores and are at an increased risk of dropping out.  School closings also negatively affect the achievement levels for students in the receiving schools due to increased class sizes and overcrowding in receiving schools.

School closures have not historically resulted in the savings predicted by school officials. In national studies of school closings, closure-related costs have consistently been underestimated or understated by officials, as districts found themselves paying for closed school site maintenance or demolition, moving services, new costs of transporting students and support for both displaced students and the schools that received them.  A Pew study shows that CPS is having difficulty disposing of the schools they have already closed.  Furthermore, public school districts may also lose federal and state grants if parents remove students from the destabilized public school system and send them to charter schools.

Chicago Public Schools measurement of ideal utilization of 30 children per classroom reflects poor education policy.  The evidence shows a huge gap between the number of empty seats CPS claims it has versus what CPS has reported in their yearly data, thus casting doubt on the magnitude of the so-called underutilization problem.  More importantly, studies on class sizes advise against the Chicago Board of Education’s standard of ideal utilization at 30 children per classroom.  The most credible study on the impact of class size, Tennessee’s Student Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) program found that students from smaller classes outperformed students from larger classes, with the biggest gains seen amongst African American students, lower-income students, and students from urban areas.

School closures have historically benefited charter school expansion.  Previous rounds of CPS school closures have facilitated charter school expansion whereby 40% of closed CPS school buildings have been leased to privately operated charter schools.  Enrollment data show that the presence of charter schools contributes to declining CPS enrollment in neighborhood schools, which goes on to create the conditions for neighborhood school closures.  Charter school funding from the state is expanding while funds for public neighborhood schools are significantly reduced.  Finally, CPS signed an agreement with the Gates Foundation to introduce 60 more charter schools in Chicago at precisely the same time CPS threatens to close 80 neighborhood schools due to underutilization.

School closures exacerbate racial inequalities in Chicago.  Approximately 90% of the school closings will impact predominately African-American communities.  The pattern of schools being considered for closure overlays the patterns of disinvestment in African-American communities such as closed public housing units, foreclosures, city-owned vacant properties and troubled mortgages.  We believe that closing schools will deepen the distress and insecurity that these communities are already confronting.

School closings will contribute to even more violence Chicago communities are enduring.  Studies of previous school closures in Chicago found spikes of violence in and around the elementary and high schools where students from closed schools were sent.

For all these reasons, CReATE has determined that school closures are not in the best interest of Chicago children, parents, residents and communities.

“We strongly believe that the pathway to stronger schools for children is paved by safe and stable school environments, and strong communities.  School closures undermine these conditions,” Stephanie Farmer, professor of sociology at Roosevelt University and contributor to the CReATE report.

The CReATE Research Brief on School Closures is available at http://createchicago.blogspot.com.

The briefing paper was prepared by professors Stephanie Farmer of Roosevelt University, Isaura Pulido of Northeastern Illinois University, Pamela J. Konkol of Concordia University, Kate Phillippo of Loyola University, David Stovall of the University of Illinois at Chicago and Mike Klonsky of DePaul University.

The in box. I was told my school was slated for turn-around and was provided a list of free mental health services. | Fred Klonsky

The in box. I was told my school was slated for turn-around and was provided a list of free mental health services. | Fred Klonsky:

The in box. I was told my school was slated for turn-around and was provided a list of free mental health services.

by Fred Klonsky

Fred,
This morning a meeting was called, prior to our actual start time, to explain that my school was slated for turn-around. I was provided a handout that listed free mental health services and within five minutes I was required to retrieve my students and start my day. 17 years of working within a community , a neighborhood school, commitment, continued degrees, national board certification. Long enough to start to teach the children of former students. Relationships built, baby shower invitations, funerals and burials. My school is identified as a failure, the children failing and 

This Week In Education: Thompson: Secrecy, Not Privatization, Marred Broad Grad's Oklahoma City Tenure

This Week In Education: Thompson: Secrecy, Not Privatization, Marred Broad Grad's Oklahoma City Tenure:

Thompson: Secrecy, Not Privatization, Marred Broad Grad's Oklahoma City Tenure

by john thompson

Alexander' recent Scholastic Administrator Profile of Eli Broad makes a strong case that Eli Broad does not seek to privatize public schools.  Those of us who despise Broad's policies are on firmer ground when explaining how the harm he has caused is due to his self-proclaimed "art of being unreasonable."
Russo cites the education blogger (and critic) Tom Hoffman who says the Gates Foundation is “feckless and trendy” on school reform, as compared with the “focused malice” of the Broad Foundation. I agree, but, who cares whether Broad's damage is the result of his impatience or anger?
According to Russo, Broad has been willing to make adjustments in his metrics, and two districts asked his foundation to do diagnostic audits of their systems.  I welcome any diagnostic metrics and I would also offer a suggestion.
Oklahoma City's Broadie ordered audits of seven aspects of our school system, but he kept them private.