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Friday, May 24, 2013

Keeping Kids Academically Sharp During Summer | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Keeping Kids Academically Sharp During Summer | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:

Keeping Kids Academically Sharp During Summer

by National PTA
By Sherri Wilson, Senior Manager, Family and Community Engagement, National PTA
It's impossible to overestimate the role that parents can play in their children's education. In addition to being their children's first teachers, parents are also their children's teachers year after year. While a student moves from classroom to classroom, parents and families stay the same. In fact, nobody else knows my children and the struggles they face from year to year better than I do.
That consistency is one reason why parents are so vital to their children's education. More importantly, it's the reason parents must work to maintain a learning environment at home over the summer and during extended breaks. Research proves that the home-school partnership plays a critical role in student academic achievement. As Anne Henderson and Karen Mapp noted in "A New Wave of Evidence," when families are involved in their children's learning, children earn better grades, enroll in higher-level programs, have higher graduation rates and
read more
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In American Schools, What is Quality Work?

In American Schools, What is Quality Work?:

In American Schools, What is Quality Work?

by Sam


For years now, I’ve been asking everybody I meet the same question: “When and where were you when you learned best?”
I’ve asked this question because so many of our national school reform efforts are not about learning at all; they’re about achievement, which has come to mean something quite apart from the stories people tell when you ask them to recall one of the most powerful experiences of their lives.
And here’s the thing: if you stitch everyone’s stories together, a clear pattern emerges. I know because I did this (see for yourself). And what emerged was that we all need, to differing degrees, learning opportunities that are challenging, engaging, relevant, supportive, and experiential.
I was reminded of that work – and of the importance of relevance – when watching Chapter 8 in the 10-part video series about Mission Hill, a public elementary and middle school in Boston.  It begins with a young boy holding 
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Modern School: Two-Day UC Strike Unlikely to Sway Bosses

Modern School: Two-Day UC Strike Unlikely to Sway Bosses:

Two-Day UC Strike Unlikely to Sway Bosses

by Michael Dunn

A strike by nurses and other patient care workers at University of California (UC) hospitals and medical centers entered its second and final day Wednesday, despite efforts by the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) to block some employees from participating. UC officials said it would “threaten public health and safety,” the SF Appeal reported this week. The dispute involves over 12,500 employees, who are represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union (AFSCME). Hundreds of members of the University Professional and Technical Employees Union threatened to join in a one-day sympathy strike on Wednesday.

According to AFSCME officials, the PERB injunction only barred around 120 employees from participating. Almost twenty-four of them had already been exempted from striking under the union’s “Patient Protection Task Force,” which allowed them to cross the picket line to help maintain emergency patient care.

UC officials predictably condemned the strike, saying it would cost them $20 million “to ensure 
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Oregon Save Our Schools: URGENT ACTION: INVEST in STUDENTS, NOT BUREAUCRATS!

Oregon Save Our Schools: URGENT ACTION: INVEST in STUDENTS, NOT BUREAUCRATS!:

URGENT ACTION: INVEST in STUDENTS, NOT BUREAUCRATS!

by Oregon SOS

Putting the Public Back in Our Public Schools!


by Oregon Save Our Schools

Please contact members of the Joint Ways & Means Committee and urge them to say NO to the proposed strategic investments in education of the OEIB and redirect those funds into classrooms!

See sample letter and background information below.

Contact:
Senator Richard Devlin sen.richarddevlin@state.or.us503-986-1719
Representative Peter Buckley rep.peterbuckley@state.or.us503-986-1405
Senator Betsy Johnson sen.betsyjohnson@state.or.us503-986-1716
Representative Dennis Richardson rep.dennisrichardson@state.or.us503-986-1404
Representative Nancy Nathanson rep.nancynathanson@state.or.us503-986-1413
Senator Alan Bates sen.alanbates@state.or.us503-986-1703
Senator Rod Monroe sen.rodmonroe@state.or.us503-986-1724
Senator Elizabeth Steiner Hayward sen.elizabethsteinerhayward@state.or.us503-986-1717
Senator Chuck Thomsen sen.chuckthomsen@state.or.us503-986-1726
Senator Doug Whitsett sen.dougwhitsett@state.or.us503-986-1728
Senator Jackie Winters sen.jackiewinters@state.or.us503-986-1710
Representative Jeff Barker rep.jeffbarker@state.or.us503-986-1428
Senator Chris Edwards sen.chrisedwards@state.or.us503-986-1707
Senator Fred Girod sen.fredgirod@state.or.us503-986-1709
Senator Bill Hansell sen.billhansell@state.or.us503-986-1729
Representative Lew Frederick rep.lewfrederick@state.or.us503-986-1443
Representative Tim Freeman rep.timfreeman@state.or.us503-986-1402
Representative Bruce Hanna  rep.brucehanna@state.or.us503-986-1407
Representative John Huffman rep.johnhuffman@state.or.us503-986-1459
Representative Bob Jenson rep.bobjenson@state.or.us503-986-1458
Representative Betty Komp rep.bettykomp@state.or.us503-986-1422
Representative Mike McLane rep.mikemclane@state.or.us503-986-1400
Representative Tobias Read rep.tobiasread@state.or.us503-986-1427
Representative Greg Smith rep.gregsmith@state.or.us503-986-1457
Representative Carolyn Tomei rep.carolyntomei@state.or.us503-986-1441
Representative Jennifer Williamson rep.jenniferwilliamson@state.or.us503-986-1436

For easy, you can cut and paste these addresses into your email:



Sample message (please personalize):

Subject Line: NO on OEIB bills! INVEST IN STUDENTS, NOT BUREAUCRATS!

Dear Members of the Joint Ways & Means Committee:

With our kids sitting in ever more crowded classrooms, our Governor chooses to make a series of poorly thought out and disconnected “strategic investments” which have not be properly vetted by the public. Many of the dollars proposed in these bills are for “competitive grants” that will reward only a few districts, while the rest of our districts struggle. Additionally, most of these so called “investments” were developed by a private team cherry picked by the Governor. When these ideas were presented to the public in a series of forums, the public was outraged and noted how out of touch they were with reality and what we as parents, teachers, students and other community members know is needed to close the achievement and opportunity gaps. Restore common sense and democracy by voting NO on these bills, and redirect these funds into our classrooms!

While there are a variety of OEIB related bills that should be thoroughly scrutinized and called into question, we call upon you to redirect the funds of SB 5548, HB 3232, HB 3233, and HB 2636 into classrooms immediately!

Sincerely,
Name
Address
Phone #

Further background information (you can add as you see fit):

SB 5548:This is the OEIB budget bill currently at $7.2 million. Does the OEIB really need its own budget? Does it really need to hire a team of  researchers? A discretionary fund for the CedO? Money for a marketing campaign?? We think not.

HB 3232:Directs the OEIB to design and implement programs that make strategic investments related to education. This includes programs such as Oregon Reads, which public librarians, the Oregon School Librarian of the Year, and even members of the National Council of Teachers of English say is not the best use of funds to increase reading achievement at this time. Total right now is $39 million. Why is this money not being used to invest in our school libraries and library teachers instead?  Research shows that students, especially students of poverty, use their school library much more than the public library due to immediate access and instructional opportunities in information and literacy skills.

HB 3233:Directs OEIB/State Board of Ed to direct funds to public and private entities for a “Network of Quality Teaching and Learning.” This is the scaled down version of the “Regional Achievement Centers.” How effective can it really be if educators don't buy in? Stakeholders need to be a part of the decision making process in order for change to be effective. Even a good idea is doomed to fail if the stakeholders feel it is imposed on them without their input. Educators have ideas on how to approve achievement. Many are even more cost effective than what we put in place, yet these voices are ignored.  Morale of teachers is at an all time low. Is it any wonder why when we ignore them as professionals? Total right now is $30 million.

HB 2636:This directs $50 million of the General Fund to the STEM Investment Council for grants and articulates goals for K-12 and post-secondary STEM education. Rather than a grants based program, how about directing this money into actual career and tech training?

These four bills alone represent a total of $126.2 million. This is equivalent to 1400FTE or 700 teachers each year for the next two years. (That is more jobs than Nike promised with their tax deal!)
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UPDATE: The in box. Risky Business + bond markets are betting on a pension bill + The most loathsome politician in America. | Fred Klonsky

The most loathsome politician in America. | Fred Klonsky:

The in box. Risky Business: Living In Our “Golden Years” Without The Gold.

by Fred Klonsky
MV5BMTQ4OTUyNzcwN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTQ1NDE3OA@@._V1_SX214_
It would be nice if all of us ended up living in a retirement world where it was always “Five O’Clock Somewhere” instead of “Zero – Dark -Thirty” everywhere.
 Jim Keating, DuPage Illinois Retired Teachers Association newsletter
Recently, the IRTA foundation sent out a letter saying that it pays the bills for “retired teachers who devoted their lives to teaching but cannot maintain the lifestyle dignity to which a retired teacher is entitled.” Most of us here in DuPage County may join them if the state legislature eventually eliminates our COLAs. That seems to be their goal. Ever wonder what life would be like if they actually did take away our COLAs?
Because we worked as educators we were paid less than others with the same educational skills, talents, and levels of creativity as we had. We probably retired with a less generous pension than they did too. That’s fine. Today, we are fine. We live in the greater DuPage area and probably have a pension similar to our neighbors,(solidly middle class for this area, our occupational skill level and level of education), and a COLA that allows us to maintain that buying power. Without the 


The bond markets are betting on a pension bill. But don’t bet on it.

by Fred Klonsky
From Jim Broadway’s authoritative Illinois School Policy Updates (subscription only).
By Naarah Patton for State School News Service
Just a week before the 2013 spring session of the Illinois General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn, bond markets are apparently predicting that the legislators may achieve something in the next seven days that has eluded them for seven decades – pension “reform.”
Bloomberg calls it a “rally.” Taxable Illinois pension-obligation bonds matured this month at their most favorable rate since August of 2011, the financial news publication reported. “I would think 

The most loathsome politician in America.

by Fred Klonsky


On her blog Diane Ravitch asks, “Who is the most loathsome man in American politics?”
And then she answers the question.
Rahm Emanuel.
Is that a low or a high bar? I can never remember.
I mean there are so many loathsome ones to pick from.
Illinois seems to produce more than we are entitled to.
But when he issued the order to his toadies on the Chicago school board to shutter 50 public schools, he earned 
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UPDATE: Missouri Education Watchdog: Call the Common Core Bullies Out. Just Say No to Standardized Testing.

Missouri Education Watchdog: Call the Common Core Bullies Out. Just Say No to Standardized Testing.:


DESE Stifling More Debate About Common Core?

by stlgretchen
DESE doesn't like answering questions.

That was evident in the May 2 statewide meetings that were designed to be "informational" only.  DESE representatives were clear to the attendees that answers were not to be forthcoming but could be found within a week on its website.

The answers still aren't there and the clock keeps ticking.

Has DESE  blocked James Shuls of Show-Me Institute for wanting to have an "old-fashioned" debate on the merits of Common Core?  

From More Evidence of DESE Stifling Debate About Common Core?:

*******************************************

On May 3, I sent a tweet to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and Commissioner of Education, Chris Nicastro. In the tweet I wrote, “I’m willing to have a good ‘ol fashion debate on the merits of #CommonCore. Missourians deserve that.” Apparently, state education officials aren’t interested in a true debate about Common Core, because I am now blocked from accessing the DESE Twitter page.
Blocked_by_DESE

The tweet was sent the day after DESE officials hosted eight meetings throughout the state 

Call the Common Core Bullies Out. Just Say No to Standardized Testing.

by stlgretchen

gra·tu·i·tous  (gr-t-ts, -ty-)adj.
1. Given or granted without return or recompense; unearned.
2. Given or received without cost or obligation; free.
 Is public education gratuitous or forced?


Is the Blue Hat movement the beginning of the doom of Common Core?  Below is a story of a student's refusal to take the North Carolina's state test to protest standardized testing and the coming Common Core assessments.

You will discover and learn about the enormous bureaucracy strangling public schools.  You will learn about the bullying tactics of school administrators and lawyers.  What is the state's responsibility in the providing of education?  Is it to adhere to standardized testing and federal mandates?  In the last House hearing for SB210, Ron Calzone testified to what Missouri had to provide constitutionally in education.  From the Missouri Constitution:


Section 1(a). A general diffusion of knowledge and intelligence being essential to the 
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UPDATE: Federal Civil Rights Complaint Filed Against Bloomberg’s DOE + Schoolcuts: Amazing resources on Chicago schools @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

Schoolcuts: Amazing resources on Chicago schools crisis – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER:



Just Say No: “Big egos don’t produce success”

by plthomasedd
I thought I was about to read yet another news story about Michelle Rhee and DC schools when I saw this headline: Big egos don’t produce success, study finds Instead, I found an article about research addressing students who feel entitled. Yet, I cannot help thinking that the headline from Australian Geographic is a potential […]

Federal Civil Rights Complaint Filed Against Bloomberg’s DOE

by Jim Horn
Could this be the first significant step in the beginning of the end of school resegregation in America? From the Education Law Center: Federal Civil Rights Complaint Brought by Parents and Community Groups Parents and community groups filed a complaint with the federal Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights, on May 20, 2013. They charge the New […]

Schoolcuts: Amazing resources on Chicago schools crisis

by Chalk Face, PhD


I was directed towards the following site for information on the Chicago school disruptions. It has absolutely everything you need to know.
But one of the things I was wondering, which prompted the suggestion for Schoolcuts, was the kinds of re-routing kids would have to experience. I asked for an exemplary route and was given William H. King ES (closed) to Jensen ES (receiver).
They’re just under a mile from each other, so let’s take a look at the new walk to school, from King to Jensen. I mapped it. Took some screenshots on the way. Here’s a gallery:
I don’t know what we’re supposed to learn from this. I was just curious. And this is only from school to school. But imagine what it must be like now for these communities to soon have a giant abandoned building sitting there. That can’t be good.
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Daily Kos: Not quite sure how to describe the day

Daily Kos: Not quite sure how to describe the day:

Not quite sure how to describe the day

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

Yesterday was my 67th birthday, a fact I acknowledged here.  Thanks to Social media, the day was full of communications from other wishing me well on the day, some of which I did not see until this morning.  The major event of the evening was a wonderful dinner out to which Leaves on the Current took me.  The restaurant, on Connecticut Avenue in the Cleveland Park section of DC (across the street from the Uptown Theater), is named Ripples.  For some of my generation that might bring forth images of a cheap wine.  Don't be fooled.  It has a terrific wine list, and of greater importance for me on my birthday, an equally enjoyable beer list.   The food is delicious, much of it organic and natural, such as the Amish chicken I ate, and is stunningly presented.
Yet as wonderful as the meal was, as enjoyable as the leisurely time spent with my wife, I am feeling - how can I say it -  overwhelmed, humbled, blessed, because of the messages I received.
They began a few days before.  A few came this morning.
There were hundreds upon hundreds - via Twitter, email, comments on my diary, dkos messages, and especially Facebook.  Some came from great distance - a former teaching colleague now working in China, an expert on Finnish education from his own country.
I feel validated in an important way, especially as I explore reentering the classroom in the Fall, because more than half of them were from my students.
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