UPDATE: What’s wrong with school ‘choice’? Here’s what.

What’s wrong with school ‘choice’? Here’s what.:

What’s wrong with school ‘choice’? Here’s what.

By Valerie Strauss, Published: May 20, 2013 at 1:00 pmE-mail the writer

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The idea of giving students a choice of where to go school — with public funds — may sound good, but there are problems attached. The following post explains some of them. It was written by David A. Pickler, president of the National School Boards Association and chairman of Tennessee’s Shelby County Board of Education.

By David A. Pickler

Imagine a state outsourcing the education of its disadvantaged children to dozens of private entities, asking for only minimal updates on the students’ learning and their financial management of taxpayers’ dollars.

This happened in Louisiana last year, when Gov. Bobby Jindal and his allies in the state legislature rammed through a school voucher bill that diminished communities’ schools and their students by siphoning off public funds to private, parochial, and for-profit enterprises.

But the Louisiana Supreme Court  recently took a strong stand for public education

Harvard students seek probe of controversial PhD thesis on Hispanics’ IQ

by Valerie Strauss

Harvard University students signed and delivered a petition to President Drew Faust last week demanding an investigation into how the school awarded a doctorate in 2009 based on a dissertation that claimed that Hispanics are not as smart as whites. … Continue reading →

Marchers to deliver “save our schools” petitions to City Hall at 2 p.m.; Rally at Daley Plaza @ 4| www.ctunet.com

Chicago Teachers Union | www.ctunet.com:

Marchers to deliver “save our schools” petitions to

City Hall at 2 p.m.; Rally at Daley Plaza @ 4

CHICAGO – As parents, teachers, students, community leaders, clergy and others complete the three-day march for education justice, a coalition of them will attempt to deliver petitions asking for a one-year moratorium on school closings to the mayor’s office at 121 N. LaSalle,  today at 2 p.m. The signatures were gathered during the “Our City. Our Schools. Our Voice,” demonstrations which started this weekend on the South and West sides of the city.

The group will also conduct a press conference to talk about the next series of actions in the school closings fight.  The Chicago Teachers Union will begin training hundreds of new deputy registrars as early as Wednesday (May 23) to help gear up for its voter registration intensive.

At 4 p.m. marchers from the South and West side routes will converge downtown and walk to Daley Plaza for a rally.

WHO:                   Parents, educators, students, community leaders and others

WHAT:                Will hand deliver petitions to Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office and discuss upcoming anti-school closing actions before the Board of Education vote on Wednesday.

WHEN:                 Today, at 2 p.m.

WHERE:             City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle, 5^th Floor

###

 The Chicago Teachers Union represents 30,000 teachers and educational support personnel working in the Chicago Public Schools, and by extension, the more than 400,000 students and families they serve.  The CTU is an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Federation of Teachers and is the third largest teachers local in the United States and the largest local union in Illinois.  For more information please visit CTU’s website at www.ctunet.com.

SG:oteg-743-tr

UPDATE: The (Unofficial) End of CSCOPE + Utah Republicans Pass Anti-Common Core Resolution | Truth in American Education

Utah Republicans Pass Anti-Common Core Resolution | Truth in American Education:

North Carolina Senate Budget Includes Common Core Provision

by Shane Vander Hart

The North Carolina Senate included a Common Core provision intheir recommended budget released last night.

SECTION 9.2.(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of G.S. 115C-174.11(c), the State Board of Education shall report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee prior to the purchase and implementation of a new assessment instrument to assess student achievement on the Common Core State Standards, including the Common Core Smarter Balance Consortium Assessments. The State Board shall not purchase such 

The (Unofficial) End of CSCOPE

by Shane Vander Hart

Texas State Senator Dan Patrick (R-Houston), chair of the Texas Senate Education Committee, announced the end of CSCOPEthrough a press release issued this morning.  This comes prior to a vote that was supposed to occur today in the Texas House.  He said that a letter signed by all 20 members of the Texas Education Service Center Curriculum Collaborative (TESCCC) Board  stated this morning that they would notify their 875 school district clients that all of their lesson plans will be removed from their website on August 31st, 2013 and that school districts cannot use any lessons they currently have beyond that date.  They also state that the 20 Regional Service Centers will not produce lessons in the future and that they will go back to just providing a management tool for teachers to stay on schedule in regards to teaching TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) in their 

Utah Republicans Pass Anti-Common Core Resolution

by Shane Vander Hart

The Utah Republican Party passed an anti-Common Core resolution by a 65.5% to 35.5% margin at their State Convention this weekend.  This happened despite a huge effort by the Utah State Office of Education to oppose the resolution.   Christel Swasey has a good recap of what happened on Saturday.

Here is a copy of the resolution written by Christel Swasey and Cherilyn Eagar.

Utah GOP Anti-Common Core Resolution

The post Utah Republicans Pass Anti-Common Core Resolution appeared first on Truth in American Education.

Georgia GOP Resolutions Committee Passes Anti-Common Core Resolution

by Shane Vander Hart

The Georgia GOP Resolutions Committee on Friday passed 11-3 a resolution calling on Georgia to withdraw from the Common Core State Standards.  The convention on Saturday ran behind schedule and since resolutions were last on the agenda there was not a quorum of delegates left to vote on them.

This is still a victory.  Governor Nathan Deal had sent representatives to lobby the resolutions committee to reject the resolution, but they still lost by a wide margin.  It demonstrates the growing opposition that the 

Portland's high dropout rate reveals illusion of success at big high schools (Diplomas denied, Part 1) | OregonLive.com

Portland's high dropout rate reveals illusion of success at big high schools (Diplomas denied, Part 1) | OregonLive.com:

Portland's high dropout rate reveals illusion of success at big high schools (Diplomas denied, Part 1)

by Betsy Hammond, The Oregonian

View full sizeJamie Francis/The OregonianMegan Brophy, who dropped out of Portland'™s Cleveland High early in her junior year, is among the 1,300 students in Portland'™s class of 2011 who failed to earn a diploma in four years. As was the case with other dropouts from Portland Public Schools, she had to find her own way after no one from Cleveland reached out to try to get her back in school.

A Cleveland High dropout tells her storyPortland Public Schools educators did little to help Megan Brophy succeed in high school and nothing to urge her to get back in school.

Portland Public Schools turns out more than 1,100 dropouts every year, largely because leaders have hidden that rampant failure from those best positioned to prevent it, an analysis by The Oregonian has found.

That consigns one of every three young people who enter a Portland high school to a life of reduced earnings and opportunity. In Portland's class of 2011 alone, 1,300 students -- 35 percent of the class -- failed to earn a diploma in four years.

Most of them never will.

The single biggest factor behind the sky-high dropout rate? Oregon's largest school district shuffles struggling students by the hundreds into a network of low-profile, mostly unaccountable alternative schools. There, out of sight of their former teachers, principals and classmates, at least 80 percent drop out.

That disconnect between the district's nine big high schools and the fate of students who

More students at Washington district try walking to school

by The Associated Press

Some students at elementary schools in Mount Vernon are walking or riding bikes to school to determine what happens when the district eliminates bus stops within a mile of schools

Why Bill Cosby thinks Germantown High should close | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Why Bill Cosby thinks Germantown High should close | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

Slideshow: Philly students walk out and rally against school budget cuts

by thenotebook

[View the story "Philadelphia student walkout " on Storify]
read more

Why Bill Cosby thinks Germantown High should close

by thenotebook

by Brian Hickey for NewsWorks
As the final day of Germantown High School's 99-year history approaches — the Class of '13 will don caps and gowns on June 19 — NewsWorks will present a series of stories including interviews with grads and former students.
To launch the GHS series, NewsWorks is sharing excerpts from an interview with Bill Cosby, the actor and comedian who attended the school, but failed out in the 10th grade, taking a shoe-repair job rather than repeat the year.
During a 20-minute phone interview in early May, Cosby made it perfectly clear why you didn't hear him get involved in the school-closing protests.
read more

Paradigm-a-dox? — Whole Child Education

Paradigm-a-dox? — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

Paradigm-a-dox?

May 20, 2013 by Walter McKenzie

We're in the midst of an education paradigm shift. Are you on board? How do you know? More importantly, do you know what's driving it? Knowledge? Technology? The institution itself? We may have as many different definitions of the paradigm as we do of the shift.

I would argue the true paradigm shift is the move of focus from an individual to a communal orientation to society; a global view. This is a challenge in a culture were rugged individualism is a virtue. Our lore and legend are full of examples of strong individuals standing staunchly against adversity: Paul Bunyan, John Henry, Superman, Rambo. Then again our historical heroes are also larger than life: Washington, Lincoln, Patton, MacArthur. They are revered for altering history against all odds. So how did this become our defining ideal, when the earliest settlers focused on the virtue of community? From colonizing in the new world to finding salvation in the afterworld, everything was achieved through communal life. How did we get from The Pilgrim's Progress to Walking Tall? It feels like a shift in paradigm and a paradox; a paradigm-a-dox.

The romantic notion of the rugged individual persisted over time, as pirates, gunslingers, and gangsters were celebrated as daring rogues living by a maverick code. People prided themselves in living within "decent" society, but they were fascinated with the dashing figures living on their own terms outside the law. Even as we moved toward standardization a century ago, people flocked to theaters to cheer on renegade characters portrayed by Edward G. Robinson, Marlon Brando, Clint Eastwood, and Robert De Niro. Individualism 

Commissioner Pryor issues bullying report without recommendations, despite law… - Wait, What?

Commissioner Pryor issues bullying report without recommendations, despite law… - Wait, What?:

Commissioner Pryor issues bullying report without recommendations, despite law…

by jonpelto

The law required the State Department of Education to issue its report on Safe School Climate Plans in Connecticut no later than February 2012…

Commissioner Pryor issued his report 14 months late, in April 2013, after his failure to follow Connecticut law was reported on here at Wait, What?

The law also mandated that the report include recommendations for reducing school bullying and improving school safety.  In fact, the law actually reads that the Commissioner and the State Department of Education provide recommendations “… regarding additional activities or funding to prevent bullying in schools and improve school climate.”

Now that Pryor’s report is finally out, it turns out that his report FAILS TO MAKE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS for reducing bullying or improving school safety.

One of the most important issues of our time

UPDATE: FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, May 20, 2013

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Fix School Discipline

Troubled youths deserve more effective discipline than suspension

Education Headlines

Monday, May 20, 2013

Common Core collaboration among local teachers 'unprecedented'

Although Common Core goes into great detail about what students should know when, the state Board of Education hasn't dictated how teachers should teach the new standards, nor has it provided a curriculum or instructional materials.

School safety concerns latest issue for Linden Unified

Four Waverly Elementary School parents have filed uniform complaints with the California Department of Education against Linden Unified School District.

Soledad Unified hires new superintendent

A veteran educator from Southern California has been hired as superintendent of the Soledad Unified School District. Rupi Boyd, who holds a doctorate among several degrees and credentials, was hired May 8.

Charter revoked for Father's Heart in Thousand Palms

A charter school in Thousand Palms will have to close its doors for good by the end of this school year, forcing about 70 students to move to other Coachella Valley schools.

RIVERSIDE: STEM Academy set to expand

Eighth-graders at the Riverside STEM Academy are preparing for chemistry next year as Riverside Unified School District expands the magnet school to attract 60 to 70 ninth-graders from throughout the district.

At San Jose's Overfelt High, miracles to parade at graduation

High school graduation season kicks off Saturday at 16 schools and programs in the East Side Union High School District. Gilroy, Mountain View-Los Altos, Palo Alto and San Mateo Union follow, with other districts' commencements in early June. Miracles like Cesar Torres often are cultivated by one teacher, counselor or administrator. And they also blossom from a student's inner strength, confidence or resilience.

Troubled youths deserve more effective discipline than suspension

There is no simple fix for disruptive behavior, but we owe it to struggling students to focus on ways to keep them in the classroom, not shut out of it.

More than just test scores: Local educators wants real estate agents to learn that many other qualities define good schools

Although education officials caution that the API (Academic Performance Index) isn't the only measure of a school's quality, many real estate agents highlight top ranking schools in their sales pitches. But in an effort to change the agents' approach so they can convince clients to be more open-minded about schools in the lower tiers, the San Mateo County School Boards Association will host a morning workshop Wednesday on "Understanding (and Selling) San Mateo County Public Schools" at the San Mateo Event Center.

Gov. Brown's school funding plan runs into lawmakers' concerns

In many ways, resistance to Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to overhaul California's school financing system is a function of simple math. Though a majority of California's more than 6 million schoolchildren live in urban and rural districts expected to benefit from Brown's proposal, all but a handful of lawmakers who will vote on the measure represent at least one school district identified by the Department of Education as a potential loser.

Adams: Teacher layoffs lowest since economic downturn, CTA reports

Teacher layoffs shrank to the lowest number since the recession began in 2008, with about 1,300 teachers, librarians, counselors and other public school employees receiving final layoff notifications by the May 15 deadline, according to the California Teachers Association.

Friday, May 17, 2013

New deadline set for Alisal credit card documents

Alisal Union School District officials have until Tuesday to come up with all the documents needed to complete an investigation of its superintendent.

Claremont school district board passes recommendation to offer career technical education course despite opposition

The Claremont Unified School District passed a recommendation Thursday to offer a career technical education course as an optional high school graduation requirement in lieu of visual and performing arts or world language course.

Robert P. Taylor named new superintendent of Walnut Valley Unified School District

Robert P. Taylor has been appointed superintendent of Walnut Valley Unified School District. He will take over July 1 in the high-performing district that is facing a difficult fiscal future.

The MAP has been scraped in Seattle high schools | Seattle Education

The MAP has been scraped in Seattle high schools | Seattle Education:

The MAP has been scraped in Seattle high schools

by seattleducation2011

From the teachers at Garfield High School:

At 2:06 pm on Monday, May 13^th, a message from Seattle school superintendent Jose Banda stated: “High schools may opt out of MAP in 2013-14.”

Banda was referring to the controversial Measure of Academic Progress (MAP), which has been boycotted by teachers in several Seattle high schools since January because of the deep flaws in the test, which is not aligned with the school curriculum and was brought to Seattle Public Schools through what a state investigator found was a conflict of interest. The boycott gave a boost to the national movement against the overuse of standardized tests, with support from across the U.S. and even abroad.

The announcement of this victory over the MAP test led to spontaneous celebrations at Garfield High School as students and teachers traded high fives, fist-bumps in the hallways.

Garfield Special Education teacher Serena Samar said of the announcement, “Our actions as a staff have reignited the belief that a group of people can make a difference. 

D.C. charter school would teach all but math and English online | WashingtonExaminer.com

D.C. charter school would teach all but math and English online | WashingtonExaminer.com:

D.C. charter school would teach all but math and English online

May 19, 2013 | 9:00 pm 

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY 

Con Academy 

Browse Con Academy  library of over 3,100 educational videos...

A controversial computer-based learning model is competing with eight other proposals to be one of the next charter schools approved for the District.

The proposed Nexus Academy of DC, run by a subsidiary of publishing giant Pearson, would offer grades 9 through 12 in Ward 2, eventually serving up to 600 students.

English and math would be taught by teachers at the school, while every other subject -- from science and social studies to foreign languages and electives -- would be taught online by an expert on various subjects. Some of these experts would be dedicated to the school full time, while others would not.

Proposed charter schools

On Monday, the D.C. Public Charter School Board is scheduled to vote on nine school proposals. Under D.C. law, the board cannot approve more than 10 new charter schools in a single year.

Academy of Hope Public Charter School

Model: Career pathways program -- academic instruction combined with workforce training

Grades: Adult education

Total enrollment: 260

Location: Wards 5 and 8

Crossway Community DC Montessori Public Charter School

Model: Montessori

Grades: PreK-3

Total enrollment: 210

Location: NoMa

DC Voice Empowerment Public Charter School

Model: Alternative high school and accompanying early childhood center for at-risk children and young adults; aims specifically to help teen mothers

Grades: Preschool (6 weeks to age 4), PreK and 9-12

Total enrollment: 250

Location: Ward 4

Lee Montessori Public Charter School

Model: Montessori

Grades: PreK-6

Total enrollment: 228

Location: Ward 5 or Ward 7

Existing schools: The Montessori program at Marshall Elementary School, a public school slated to close in July

Nannie Helen Burroughs Public Charter School

Model: Converting the private Nannie Helen Burroughs School into a public charter school

Grades: K-5

Total enrollment in 2018: 279

Location: Ward 7

New Pathways Academy Public Charter School

Model: "Street Academy," modeled after former Dix Street Academy High School in Ward 7

Grades: 9-12

Total enrollment: 350

Location: Not given

Nexus Academy of DC

Model: Blended learning

Grades: 9-12

Total enrollment: 600

Location: Ward 2

One World Public Charter School

Model: Individualized learning plans

Grades: 5-8

Total enrollment: 300

Location: Ward 4

Organizing an Urban Revolution (O.U.R.) Leadership Academy Public Charter School

Model: A nontraditional high school for disconnected youth who have not been successful in traditional schools

Grades: 9-12

Total enrollment: 200

Location: Ward 5 or Ward 6, near Navy Yard

Blue Mass Group | Citizens First: A Call to Create “Charter” Police and Fire Stations, brought to you by Democrats for Public Safety Reform (DFPSR)

Blue Mass Group | Citizens First: A Call to Create “Charter” Police and Fire Stations, brought to you by Democrats for Public Safety Reform (DFPSR):

Citizens First: A Call to Create “Charter” Police and Fire Stations, brought to you by Democrats for Public Safety Reform (DFPSR)

columwhyte   |   Sat, May 18, 2013 10:52 PM EST

The status quo is not working. “Something” has to be done. Generous direct “donations” from the Waltons and Koch Brothers, as well as strong support from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) have helped “Citizens First” realize our goals. Truly, public safety is a civil right; we shall overcome.

CF proposes a national movement to ensure that no citizen be protected by a single union stifled Police Officer or Firefighter again. For too long the patrolman and firefighters unions have stifled innovation in our neediest municipalities. We need reform. We need to put citizens first, and not put the needs of adults before public safety.

Studies show that the US is not safe, and we rank near the bottom of international rankings as defined by the Public Safety Metric (PSM). Bold action needs to be taken.

CF, in conjunction with our affiliates at AEI, propose a trailblazing new vision of Public Safety Reform. Our lobbying networks have dubbed our reform efforts No Citizen Left Behind. Below is a synopsis of how our federal legislation will work to ensure national safety proficiency for all by 2025.

Firstly, we will track all police stations and fire stations in every municipality in the United States. We will collect public safety data and then grade all states, cities, towns, and municipal districts accordingly using our public safety metric (PSM) devised by public safety scientific experts. Underperforming police and fire stations will now be held