All Week 6-8-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: 

A Revenue First Agenda: Open Commentary to Triggermen Ben Austin and Bruce William Smith

rdsathene * Robert D. Skeels at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 hours ago

These myths falsely portrayed desegregation’s failures as the product of autonomous individual choice. Meanwhile, these myths obscured inequalities in desegregation. A new, but parallel, kind of mythmaking about choice is underway in today’s charter school efforts. — Ansley T. Erickson Parent Revolution’s executive director, wealthy white Beverly Hills lawyer Ben Austin, has made himself out […]

CPS enrollment figures unreliable, so we should probably rethink this whole school funding scheme, no?

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 17 hours ago

The Chicago Tribune is reporting today that the enrollment proportion offered by CPS to tout progress of the massive closure plan is, well, bunk. Bottom line: Chicago Public Schools touted a smooth start to the school closing process this week by announcing that 78 percent of students at schools being shut down have been enrolled […]

The One Type of Data That is Off Limits (For Now)

Kris Nielsen at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 18 hours ago

Health history and information is protected at a Federal level by HIPAA (Health Insurance and Portability and Accountability Act) laws. This provides a challenge for education data collectors that are trying to gather health records and information on students under Arne Duncan’s P-20 program. And, unfortunately, Arne isn’t allowed to mess with the HIPAA rules […]

New KIPP:Care Will Include Child Doping Benefit

Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 19 hours ago

Since corporate school cult leader, Mike Feinberg, left his KIPP superintendent’s duties in Houston for the full-time pursuit of national brand saturation, KIPP teachers report chaos at a number of the KIPP stores schools around Houston, with mass retentions, administrative meltdowns, faltering test scores, and mass teacher resignations. What will it take to restore […]

What Road to Take?: The CCSS Debate

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 21 hours ago

I invite readers of this blog to my personal blog where I examine the fatalism behind false arguments about a moratorium on CCSS high-stakes testing: “There wasn’t a lot of choice, but there was some” It has lots of dystopian literature, including zombies, with some Deleuze and Freire tossed in for good measure. Enjoy. Tagged: ccss, […]

Say that again Mr. Kayser! LAUSD should have more public meetings

rdsathene * Robert D. Skeels at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago

“As it is, the meetings are held downtown in the middle of the day when most parents, students and employees cannot participate. Ultimately this behavior pattern leads to decisions made in a vacuum, isolation from reality and the rubberstamping of pre-determined outcomes.”—Bennett Kayser Former teacher and current Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board of […]

Broad’s Girl Friday in RI, Deb Gist, Looking for the Duncan Bump

Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago

If there is an education official in Rhode Island who has earned an Arne Duncan endorsement, it would have to be Deborah Gist (Broad Class of 2008). Her ability to ignore those pestering parents, those vomiting children, those weeping teachers, and those angry grandparents has earned Ms. Gist a place among the giants of corporate […]

Ingredients for a great thin soup: Asparagus, Fennel, and Turnips. @aftunion

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago

I call it AFT soup for short. It’s really good and very easy to make. Ingredients 1 bundle chopped asparagus 1 fennel bulb sliced, not the greens 1 diced turnip 4 cups veggie broth 4 garlic cloves, chopped fine 800 AFT teachers, roughly 1/3 from NY state alone Directions 1. In a 4 quart pot, […]

Where are my #edtech folks on this one? #prism AND #connectED?

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago

At noon today, on the White House blog, ConnectED was announced to, among other things: That’s why President Obama is unveiling a bold, new initiative called ConnectED, which will connect 99 percent of America’s students to the internet through high-speed broadband and high-speed wireless within 5 years. The President also directed the federal government to […]

How Do We Go from “the Anti-Education Era” to Meaningful Learning for All?

John Thompson at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago

James Paul Gee’s The Anti-Education Era is full of analyses of how humans learn that should inform the practice of all types of educators. Previous posts, here and here, describe his powerful indictments of test-driven schooling, as well as his subtle explanations of where “reformers” and other educators have gone wrong. This post will focus […]

ELA or Math support classes, fun for everyone!

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago

If you’re not necessarily enjoying school, guess what? You’re going to love it now when you are enrolled in an ELA/Math support class. Yes, that’s right, all of the low kids, all in one place, at one time, you know, so we can identify you. Enjoy. Tagged: ela, farmingdale, math, support class

Terrific Use of State Letterhead in New York

Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago

When we think creatively about any nonviolent means to eradicate, disrupt, quell, explode, destroy, demolish, or otherwise confound the high stakes testing scourge that has American education paralyzed, here is a great example, as reported by DNAinfo New York’s Amy Zimmer: BROOKLYN — Rebecca Herz was relieved to receive a letter from the principal of Prospect […]

Give us your tired, your poor, your befuddled masses @educationweek

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 2 days ago

Good friend Gary Valiant today kicked off a rather interesting idea: a boycott of Education Week, the education publication of record, apparently. Even an anonymous education blogger for the publication is frustrated. To wit: I understand the frustration with EdWeek. As I have responded when this has been raised elsewhere, I think it is important to […]

A new letter to go viral: Is this parody or not, you decide? #commoncore

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 2 days ago

Based on a previous post on the food edition of common core, I happened upon another letter dictating what is best for common core implementation. If only we had well-behaved, clean, happy, stable, plastic children, then CCSS would go off without a hitch. Let’s keep piling on those cosmetic changes, people. We’ll get there. Tagged: […]

The Common Core: Food Edition

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 2 days ago

Here’s a picture of a letter sent out by a local school working group on common core. Now, on the whole, I completely support healthier eating habits for children. I would encourage more physical activity and better food choices, especially given how predatory fast food marketing is towards children and their families. It takes a […]

Saving DC Schools with Catastrophe Innovation!

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 3 days ago

Emma Brown in The Washington Post offers an important window into school reform occurring (ad infinitum) in Washington DC: D.C. Council member David A. Catania plans to announce wide-ranging legislation Tuesday that could substantially reshape the city’s public education system, as he seeks to increase funding to educate poor children, give more power to principals, […]

Why “Reform” Failed: Part Two of James Paul Gee and The Anti-Education Era

John Thompson at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 3 days ago

James Paul Gee’s The Anti-Education Era uses cognitive science to explain in a nuanced manner why test-driven reform has failed. This second post on Gee’s subtle analysis will help explain why “reformers” and others have failed to improve public schools. A third post will present Gee’s thoughts on improving education. Gee explains that “formal education […]

Just Let Them Play!

antiqueteacher60 at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 3 days ago

Tonight the Bands at our little school will give their final concert performance “The Concert in the Park”, which is actually a concert held on the front lawn of the school. Along with a chicken barbecue dinner, this event is one of the best attended in the community. It occurs to me that the top […]

Teenage Guest Post: Hey, Inept Test Maker!

Kris Nielsen at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 3 days ago

This is a guest post. I have been busy traveling lately and haven’t had the energy or the sustained time to really write anything. (Spoiler alert: Except for pieces of the new book!) So here is a post from a debut blogger. She’s my daughter, Kayla! A friend of hers smuggled a writing benchmark question […]

Harkins’ “Strengthening Corporate Control of Schools Act for 2013″

Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 3 days ago

This new re-write of ESEA is more similar to NCLB than just the 1000+ pages of corporate lawyerese used to maintain and extend the current power structure over schools. Most of the specifics of NCLB stay in place, and where they are changed, they reflect changes found in RTTT. It is, yet, another document written […]

Guest Post: Why My Family is Boycotting the State Field Tests

Lauren Cohen at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 3 days ago

I previously wrote about the NY State Field Tests, in which unsuspecting students have their learning time hijacked so they can do free research for Pear$on. This piece, from a fellow member of NYC-based Change the Stakes, was originally published on Schoolbook. Why My Family is Boycotting the State Field Tests by Jinnie Spiegler There […]

Just a quick announcement, NBD

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 3 days ago

I am teaching myself to use Xcode. In three months time, by the end of this summer, At the Chalk Face will have a smartphone/tablet application. Perhaps I’m being naive about the app submission and review process. Or, my ability to learn code from scratch. No matter. The goal has been set. That is all. […]

School “Reform” in the Anti-Education Era

John Thompson at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 3 days ago

Someday, historians of education will have to explain why school “reformers,” who should have been excited by the opportunities created by the 21st century, started a twenty year campaign to turn the clock back to the Model T era. Otherwise dynamic (and often libertarian) Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, liberals like President Obama, and neo-liberals like Bill […]

Broad’s Creation, Green Dot, Headed to Memphis to Cash In During School Fire Sale

Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 3 days ago

Update: Daily News reports today that Green Dot will, indeed, claim at least one high school. The corporate wizards who are calling the shots in the new exploded version of Memphis schools have their eye turned toward an Eli Broad charter creation to take over one of the high schools in Memphis. Will the target […]

Think Tank Advocacy v. Measured Researchers

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 3 days ago

Anthony Cody has offered a powerful argument about the offensive nature of the education reform machine as compared to the always responsive mode of educators, academics, and researchers. A distinct and disturbing example of this dynamic confronted me today when a public school advocate contacted me about the consequences of the Florida model for retaining […]

solidaridad: SPaARCS calls for support of the Lower Class Size resolution at LAUSD

rdsathene * Robert D. Skeels at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 4 days ago

solidaridad: SPaARCS calls for support of the Lower Class Size resolution at LAUSD. Tagged: Class Size Reduction, community, lausd, resistance, SPaARCS, Struggle

PESJA: Since Llury Garcia is a self-appointed expert on literacy, language arts, & principals, can we expect her to apply for Cobian’s job?

rdsathene * Robert D. Skeels at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 4 days ago

Since Llury Garcia is a self-appointed expert on literacy, language arts, & principals, can we expect her to apply for Cobian’s job? #LAUSD — PESJA Los Angeles (@PESJA_LA) June 3, 2013 This week, parents voted to accept Cobian’s turnaround plan as the next step forward. Although a Parent Revolution statement quoted [Llury] Garcia as saying […]

Let’s get real about #optout @John_Merrow

peggyrobertson at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 4 days ago

To understand this post it might be helpful to read Tim Slekar’s post here – to follow the discussion that ensued after John Merrow said “to hell with the tests.” His comment encouraged me to think that perhaps we had a reporter who was ready to tell the citizens of our country that a simple […]

What John Merrow didn’t post.

peggyrobertson at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 4 days ago

To understand this post it might be helpful to read Tim Slekar’s post here – to follow the discussion that ensued after John Merrow said “to hell with the tests.” His comment encouraged me to think that perhaps we had a reporter who was ready to tell the citizens of our country that a simple […]

Check out our new episode with Jesse Hagopian

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 4 days ago

You can listen here, great discussion, and a great call from a Portland area teacher. Good food for thought. At the same time Jesse and supporters are boycotting the MAP, and winning concessions, they are developing an alternative assessment structure based on their values as the actual educators. They are creating an assessment vacuum, so […]

NY’s Rube Goldberg Plan for Teacher Evaluation

Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 4 days ago

When you have news that is too toxic even to go into the Friday afternoon news dump, you save it for Saturday when everyone is at the beach or at the park. That’s just what NY’s Broadie Ed Commish, John King, did Saturday, with the release of another anti child and anti teacher battle plan […]

Here I am, enjoying my coffee, and…

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 4 days ago

I have my local Fox 5 affiliate on in the background for noise, not really sure why. In any event, I see a short piece on the “Common Core Controversy.” I’ll post the segment later if the link becomes available. Not a lot of meat to the piece, but I must say one thing: Tea […]

De-Testing and De-Grading Schools (Peter Lang USA)

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 5 days ago

Please consider supporting this important volume available soon from Peter Lang USA and available now to preview and pre-order at amazon: De-Testing and De-Grading Schools, Joe Bower and P.L. Thomas, editors Includes work from many important voices in the New Media of blogging and Twitter: Joe Bower Alfie Kohn FairTest Anthony Cody Julie and David […]

#optout is so much more than “angry parents” @John_Merrow

Timothy D. Slekar at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 5 days ago

Last week Shaun and I interviewed John Merrow concerning Michelle Rhee’s blatant cover up of cheating in DCPS while she was the Chancellor. John did his homework and presented a factual documentation that at a minimum deserves further media attention. It was an enlightening conversation and I’m still flabbergasted by the reluctance of any other media outlets […]

More on Parent Revolution triggerman Ben Austin’s gunning down of a well regarded LAUSD principal

rdsathene * Robert D. Skeels at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 5 days ago

“The ‘parent trigger’ by definition is a hostile act. It creates division and conflict. It sets parents against parents. It sets parents against teachers. It sets parents against administrators. It is a “trigger” and triggers kill.” — Professor Diane Ravitch Parent Revolution, the well funded neoliberal operatives in charge of achieving reactionary Andy Smarick’s dream […]

NY Columnist Worries About Global Warming from School Air Conditioners as State Prepares to Punish Teachers in Hot Classrooms

Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 5 days ago

Opinionator Sara Mosle learned both teaching and politics from Teach for America, and now she is a favorite at the NYTimes to express the positivized neoliberal edu-position without having to think about it. Sara wonders in her latest column if children in air conditioned classrooms have an advantage over children who must swelter in school […]

Asking a Better CCSS Support Question

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 5 days ago

As a follow up to my earlier post on “a majority supports” arguments for CCSS, now reposted at The Answer Sheet, let’s see if any of the CCSS advocates will try a new question: Since adopting, implementing, and testing CCSS will cost a tremendous amount of time and money, would you prefer adopting CCSS or […]

Moving Beyond “A Great Majority Supports…”

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 days ago

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” Mark Twain If you have a moment, take some time to glance through your middle school (or if you’re old like me, junior high) or high school yearbook. Pay close attention to the powerful consistency of fashion and […]

Gates, Murdoch and data mining

Activism in paradise - Voices from down under at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 days ago

Gates and Murdoch like to say their interest in education is because their big hearts mean they really must help the poor wee kiddies learn better. Funny how they weren’t so interested until profit could be made, but hey, I’m just a bit cynical these days. And it’s no wonder I am when you learn […]

What’s upcoming At the Chalk Face this week

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 days ago

At our usual time, Sundays at 6PM EST, we’re going to be joined by Jesse Hagopian to discuss the successful MAP boycott and his new website, I am an Educator. Then, join us for a special episode on Thursday at 6PM EST when we’ll be joined once again by Dr. Mercedes Schneider so she can […]

Dutiful responses from Hart and @rweingarten. Relieved? M-haps. #commoncore

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 days ago

Ah, well, it appears as if both Hart and Ms. Weingarten dutifully responded to Ms. Schneider’s concerns regarding the AFT’s survey on the CCSS. I definitely missed this back and forth because who can follow everything that’s happening? Amiright? In any event, here’s the Weingarten response and the one from Hart. I’ve even read the comments […]

Have you heard of NYSECTA?

antiqueteacher60 at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 days ago

As I was cleaning out my email, I found an invitation to join a new and exciting group in NY. This group, NYSECTA (New York State Elementary Classroom Teachers Association) is holding its inaugural conference this summer. One of the keynote speakers is the illustrious Dr. John B. King – NY’s own Commissioner of Education. […]

A story of retaliation, of struggle, and of joy in solidarity

Barbara Madeloni at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 days ago

In the year since I received my letter of non-renewal for supporting students who stood up to Pearson-Stanford’s field test of a national assessment for student teaching, I found myself in many conversations about fear. Teacher educators, teachers, students, even parents worry about the power held over them and the repercussions if they speak out. […]

The Letter the Memphis Commercial Appeal Won’t Print

Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 days ago

Hey, I tried. But it seems that Old Money and Gates Money have a stranglehold on the city’s main newspaper–which makes the Gates-ASD-AEI silent throttling of public education in Memphis even more ominous. The AEI connection? Here’s what the head of the State of Tennessee’s Achievement School District, Chris Barbic (former CEO of Uncommon Schools, […]

New Research Cuts Oxygen to School Vouchers

Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 days ago

The corporate reform schoolers continue to push their wheezing antiquarian agendas, and school vouchers, once on life support, have been revived with cash from ALEC and the Oligarchs (that’s not a rock band). Even though Gov. Scott Walker’s anti-people crusade has put him in a deep political hole, he, nonetheless, keeps digging, with renews efforts […]

Right-wing groups stand behind Parent Revolution and Ben Austin—The FreedomWorks Teabaggers

rdsathene * Robert D. Skeels at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 days ago

Right-wing groups stand behind Parent Revolution and Ben Austin—The FreedomWorks Teabaggers. #LAUSD #parenttrigger twitter.com/FreedomWorks/s… — Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) June 1, 2013 While the community and social justice activists protest Ben Austin and his neoliberal wrecking crew, the birchers, birthers, and teabaggers have lined up behind them and their deceptive, divisive, and duplicitous charter trigger […]

Weigand ES Community protest the trigger happy Parent Revolution astroturf reactionaries

rdsathene * Robert D. Skeels at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 week ago

First published on solidaridad on June 1, 2013 “This further substantiates our claim that by not openly demanding wealth redistribution, reparations, or justice for exploited workers, white social justice non-profits function as brokers for the wealthy.” — Tiffany Lethabo King and Ewuare Osyande (The Revolution Will Not Be Funded, 82) Great footage by LArepresents of […]

Noam Chomsky, Howard Gardner, and Bruno della Chiesa on 45th anniversary of “Pedagogy of the Oppressed”

rdsathene * Robert D. Skeels at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 week ago

“I stayed with Marx in the worldliness, looking for Christ in the transcendentality.” — Paolo Freire On May Day 2013, Harvard’s Askwith Forum commemorated the 45th anniversary of the publication of Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed with a discussion about the book’s impact and relevance to education today. Chuck Leddy tweeted about his write […]

Two Questions for Commissioner Deborah Gist

Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 week ago

Commissioner Gist of Rhode Island has taken to the op-ed pages to defend standardized testing, going so far as to declare that Too often, standardized tests become a convenient stand-in for the ills of our education system. People frequently blame assessments for less-than-inspired teaching. Really? Is that your experience, Ms. Gist? If you ask the […]

Parents Opt Out . . . of Student Eye Scanning

Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 week ago

In the state that spawned Chiefs for Change (and Folding Cash), the education industrial complex just got hooked up with the homeland security and surveillance complex in Polk County. Just as everyone was starting to believe that the Polk County Schools were working on an austerity basis with a twelve million dollar budget shortfall as […]

Governor Chris Christie and Ed Commissioner Cerf Leaving NJ’s Children Behind

freetoteach at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 week ago

Funding for New Jersey’s public schools is falling behind and leaving lots of children left behind. After more than a decade of NCLB which was supposed to close the achievement gap, yeah right, Chris Christie and President Obama’s love fest this past week in boosting the tv ratings on the Jersey Shore, is little comfort […]

Return Philadelphia Schools to Local Control Rally Wed June 5th

freetoteach at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 week ago

Pennsylvania Education Crisis Highlights - May 31st, 2013 Philadelphia City Council Education Committee hearing on the return of the Philadelphia School District to local control Monday, June 3rd 10:00 a.m. People wanting to speak may sign up right before the meeting. Stand Together for real food and safe schools for our kids Rally: Wednesday, June 5th 4:00 p.m. […]

Denver Blacklisting Teachers Without Cause

freetoteach at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 week ago

Sign petition here All across the country, from coast to coast, even here in New Jersey, where we have had the best public school systems in the country, experienced teachers are being fired. Under the guise of a bad evaluation, teachers in Denver are the latest victims and are being targeted despite years of teaching […]

Over a Half-Million Viewers Share Rubenstein’s Resignation Speech

Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 week ago

Captured in 10 minutes here are so many of the truths known by teachers everywhere during these Dark Days. When teachers begin to speak this way while still employed, rather than as they walk out, only then will we see progress in rolling back the influence of the oligarchs to create a new breed of […]

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 6-7-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Nite Cap UPDATE

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

CORPORATE ED REFORM

My experience at a #TFAListen event

by Gary Rubinstein

TFA has two new co-CEO’s, Elisa Villanueva-Beard and Matt Kramer.  Since they have started a few months ago, they have been going on a ‘listening’ tour around the country.  Based on Tweets I had read about the tour and also from a montage video I had seen, the tone of the meetings could best be described as ‘chipper.’  To me this meant that either there was an effort to get a pro-TFA audience, or that TFA was just choosing to share the least contentious parts of these tour stops.
Popout
In a recent post I had written about the two new co-CEOs of TFA, I had mentioned that if I were invited to an event on their TFA listening tour, I’d go, even if it was some sort of mass invite instead of a personal invitation.
Well, a few days ago I did receive an email that Matt and Elisa want to meet with some alumni from the 1990s 

I think Charles Blow gets it right again

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

in a piece titled Of Slippery Slopes.  Even though he assumes others are

tracking, or could track, everything I do in an increasing virtual reality.

 That he assumes it does not mean he agrees with it:  it is just that because something CAN be done

eventually will be done, for good or ill, because information is power and human beings bend toward power the way weeds bend toward the sun.

He is thus not surprised about the news that has exploded starting with the NSA and the Verizon data gathering. 

June 10, 2013

Education Department to Host High School Culinary Students’ Competition for Healthy School Lunch

The U.S. Department of Education will host the national finals for eight teams of high school culinary students who are competing in the preparation of healthy, tasty and creative school lunches on Monday, June 10, at the department’s headquarters building in Washington, D.C.

Public Relations Group Launches Scholarship Program for Hispanic Undergrads

The Hispanic Public Relations Association’s New York Chapter announced the creation of the HPRA-NY Scholarship Program to assist New York area students of Hispanic descent (origin) achieve their educational goals. The program recognizes outstanding undergraduate academic achievement and community service among students who are pursuing a career in public relations and related communications fields. The announcement was made today by HPRA-NY President Andy Checo at the organization’s “Inside the Mind” event in New York City. A recent analysis conducted by The Pew Hispanic Center revealed that nearly 69 percent of 2012 high school Hispanics enrolled in college compared to 67 percent of their counterparts. While these numbers are promising, the analysis also uncovered a disparity in the number of Hispanics enrolling full-time in four-year colleges and universities. The HPRA-NY scholarship will be awarded to a qualified 

TeacherCast.net

TeacherCast.net: A Place for Teachers to Help Other Teachers

Karen Lewis on Ben Austin’s Letter

by dianerav

A comment on Ben Austin’s open letter to me:
“Why would Ben Austin insert his own and his brother’s story in an open letter to you? And just for good measure, the annoying phrase, “…kids trapped in failing schools…” I am so sick of this refrain because it sounds like the rich and powerful really care. The parent tricker law is an outrage as are so many of these ALEC-induced mandates that are driving the joy out of teaching and learning.
“Here’s how we fix the schools. Go to the private schools where the elite send their children and watch what their 

My Reply to Ben Austin’s Open Letter to Me | Diane Ravitch's blog

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

My Reply to Ben Austin’s Open Letter to Me | Diane Ravitch's blog: My Reply to Ben Austin’s Open Letter to Me by dianerav [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Earlier today, Ben Austin wrote an open letter to me on Huffington Post. He expressed dismay about my characterization of him and his group Parent Revolution. Read his letter here. Here is my reply. Dear Ben Austin, Thank you for your invitation to engage in dialogue in your letter posted on Huffington Post. You probably know that I have been writing a daily blog for the past fourteen months and during that ti... more »

Bill Introduced: H.R.2173 Effective Teaching and Leading Act

To improve teacher quality, and for other purposes.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2170 Foreign Language Education Partnership Program Act

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a partnership program in foreign languages.

This is not a school: Parents United statement on district layoffs

by parentsunitedphila

[Update: The District has actually issued 3,783 layoffs, over 20% of its total staff.]

Over 3,000 layoffs.  Aides, secretaries, nurses, librarians, art and music teachers, classroom teachers, assistant principals, counselors—people who have worked in our children’s schools for years, keeping schools running smoothly and keeping our kids safe, teaching them to read music, administering medication, guiding them through applying to high school and college, and helping them acquire research skills.

Parents are appalled at this action, which will hurt everyone in our city in many ways.  When 3,000 people lose their jobs, the economic and personal consequences borne by those individuals and their families are not only 

My Reply to Ben Austin’s Open Letter to Me | Diane Ravitch's blog

My Reply to Ben Austin’s Open Letter to Me | Diane Ravitch's blog:

My Reply to Ben Austin’s Open Letter to Me

by dianerav

Earlier today, Ben Austin wrote an open letter to me on Huffington Post. He expressed dismay about my characterization of him and his group Parent Revolution. Read his letter here. Here is my reply.
Dear Ben Austin,
Thank you for your invitation to engage in dialogue in your letter posted on Huffington Post.
You probably know that I have been writing a daily blog for the past fourteen months and during that time, I have written over 4,000 posts. I can’t remember any time when I have lost my temper other than when I wrote about your successful effort to oust an elementary school principal in Los Angeles named Irma Cobian.
I apologize for calling you “loathsome,” though I do think your campaign against a hardworking, dedicated principal working in an inner-city school was indeed loathsome. And it was wrong of me to say that there was a special place in hell reserved for anyone “who administers and funds this revolting organization that destroys schools and fine educators like Irma Cobian.”
As I said, I lost my temper, and I have to explain why.
I don’t like bullies. When I saw this woman targeted by your powerful organization, it looked like bullying. Your organization is funded by many millions of dollars from the Walton Family Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. You have a politically powerful organization, and you used your power to single out this one woman and get her fired.
Your organization sent in paid staff to collect signatures from parents. The teachers in the school were not permitted to express their opinion to parents about your efforts to fire their principal. When you succeeded in getting her fired, 21 of the 22 teachers on staff requested a transfer. That suggests that Cobian has the loyalty of her staff and is a good leader.
Who is this woman that you ousted?
All I know about her is what I read in this article in the Los Angeles Times.
It said: “More than two decades ago, Cobian walked away from a high-powered law firm to teach. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, she said she was inspired by a newspaper article about the low high school graduation rates of Latinos and wanted to make a difference.
“Her passion for social justice led her to Watts in 2009.”
Irma Cobain is now in her fourth year as principal of the school, and you decided that her time was up.
What did her teachers say about her?
“Third-grade teacher Kate Lewis said Irma Cobian is the best principal she’s had in nine years at Weigand Avenue Elementary School in Watts.
“Joseph Shamel called Cobian a “godsend” who has used her mastery of special education to show him how to craft effective learning plans for his students.”
“Fourth-grade teacher Hector Hernandez said Cobian is the first principal he’s had who frequently pops into classrooms to model good teaching herself. Recently, he said, she demonstrated how to teach about different literary genres by engaging students in lively exercises using characters from the “Avengers” comic book and film.”
When Cobian arrived at the Weigand Avenue Elementary school four years ago, she found a school with low test scores, low parent involvement, and divisiveness over a dual-language program. “All the students come from low-income families, more than half are not fluent in English and a quarter turn over every year,” the Los Angeles Times story said.
Cobian decided to focus on improving literacy and raising morale. She certainly won over the faculty.
The day after Cobian learned about the vote removing her, she went to a second-grade classroom to give prizes to children who had read 25 books this year. She cheered those who met the goal and encouraged those who were trying. But she could not hide her sadness.
“I need happiness today,” Cobian told the bright-eyed students. “What do I do when I’m sad?”
“Come here!” the students sang out.
For a moment, her sadness gave way to smiles. But later, she said: “I am crushed.”
Ben, how did you feel when you read that? I felt sad. I felt this was a caring and dedicated person who had been singled out unfairly.
Ben, I hope you noticed in the article that Dr. John Deasy, the superintendent of schools in Los Angeles, praised the plan that Cobian and her staff developed for improving the school. He called it a “well-organized program for accelerated student achievement.” He thanked Cobian for her commitment and hard work.” But you decided she should be fired.
Ironically, the parent who worked with you to fire Cobian said she preferred Weigand to her own neighborhood school where she had concerns about bullying. Even stranger, the parents at Cobian’s school voted to endorse her plan. Your parent spokesperson said she did not like the plan because it focused on reading and writing, but she told the reporter from the Los Angeles Times that she actually never read the plan.
I understand from your letter, Ben, that you somehow feel you are a victim because of what I wrote about you. But, Ben, you are not a victim. Irma Cobian is the victim here. She lost her job because of your campaign to get rid of her. She is the one who was humiliated and suffered loss of income and loss of reputation. You didn’t. You still have your organization, your staff, and the millions that the big foundations have given you.
I am sorry you had a tough childhood. We all have our stories about growing up. I am one of eight children. My father was a high-school dropout. My mother immigrated from Bessarabia and was very proud of her high school diploma from the Houston public schools. She was proud that she learned to speak English “like a real American.” My parents were grateful for the free public schools of Houston, where I too graduated from high school. We had our share of problems and setbacks but I won’t go on about myself or my siblings because my story and yours are really beside the point. What troubles me is what you are doing with the millions you raise. You use it to sow dissension, to set parents against parents, parents against teachers, parents against principals. I don’t see this as productive or helpful. Schools function best when there is collaboration among teachers, parents, administrators, and students. Schools have a better chance of success for the children when they have a strong community and culture of respect.
Your “parent trigger” destroys school communities. True to its name, the “trigger” blasts them apart. It causes deep wounds. It decimates the spirit of respect and comity that is necessary to build a strong community. Frankly, after the school shootings of recent years, your use of the metaphor of a “parent trigger” is itself offensive. We need fewer triggers pointed at schools and educators. Please find a different metaphor, one that does suggest violence and bloodshed.
It must be very frustrating to you and your funders that–three years after passage of the “parent trigger” law– you can’t point to a single success story. I am aware that you persuaded the parents at the Desert Trails Elementary School in Adelanto, California, to turn their public school over to a privately operated charter. I recall that when parents at the school tried to remove their signatures from your petition, your organization went to court and won a ruling that they were not allowed to rescind their signatures. Ultimately only 53 parents in a school of more than 600 children chose the charter operator. Since the charter has not yet opened, it is too soon to call that battle a success for Parent Revolution. Only the year before, the Adelanto Charter Academy lost its charterbecause the operators were accused of financial self-dealing.
But, Ben, let me assure you that I bear you no personal ill will. I just don’t approve of what you are doing. I think it is wrong to organize parents to seize control of their public school so they can fire the staff or privatize it. If the principal is doing a bad job, it is Dr. Deasy’s job to remove her or him. I assume that veteran principals and teachers get some kind of due process, where charges are filed and there is a hearing. If Cobain was as incompetent as you say, why didn’t Dr. Deasy bring her up on charges and replace her?
I also have a problem with the idea that parents can sign a petition and hand their public school off to a private charter corporation. The school doesn’t belong to the parents whose children are enrolled this year. It belongs to the public whose taxes built it and maintains it. As the L.A. Times story pointed out, one-quarter of the children at Weigand Avenue Elementary School are gone every year. The parents who sign a petition this year may not even be parents in the school next year. Why should they have the power to privatize the school? Should the patrons of a public library have the power to sign a petition and privatize the management? Should the people using a public park have the right to take a vote and turn the park over to private management?
We both care about children. I care passionately about improving education for all children. I assume you do as well. You think that your organized raids on public schools and professionals will lead to improvement. I disagree. Schools need adequate resources to succeed. They also need experienced professionals, a climate of caring, and stability. I don’t see anything in the “trigger” concept that creates the conditions necessary for improvement. Our teachers and principals are already working under too much stress, given that schools have become targets for federal mandates and endless reforms.
I suggest that educators need respect and thanks for their daily work on behalf of children. If they do a bad job, the leadership of the school system is responsible to take action. What educators don’t need is to have a super-rich, super-powerful organization threatening to pull the trigger on their career and their good name.
Ben, thanks for the open letter and the chance to engage in dialogue. If you don’t mind, I want to apologize to Irma Cobain on your behalf. She was doing her best. She built a strong staff that believes in her. She wrote a turnaround plan that Dr. Deasy liked and the parents approved. Ms. Cobain, if you read this, I hope you can forgive Ben. Maybe next time, he will think twice, get better information, and consider the consequences before he decides to take down another principal.
Diane Ravitch

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-7-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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Do I need to stop the car and come back there? - Wait, What?

Do I need to stop the car and come back there? - Wait, What?:

Do I need to stop the car and come back there?

by jonpelto

Let’s just say it wasn’t one of Connecticut Legislature’s finest moments.

As two news stories today make pretty clear, a “he said/he said” situation has put $127 million in early childhood funding in jeopardy.

The CT Mirror’s article is entitled Childcare providers worry their money held hostage by politics, while CTNewsjunkie’ s story is called Did Early Childhood Bill Fall Victim To Sunday Bow Hunting?

Here’s the PROBLEM (as reported by CTMirror):    

“The state budget shifts $127 million in funding from various state agencies into a new Office of Early Childhood Education… But the office was never statutorily created because the bill that did so was never approved by the state House of Representatives or Senate.”

According to the CT Mirror, “Early childcare providers are concerned the money they 

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress 6-7-13

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress:

Bill Introduced: H.R.2170 Foreign Language Education Partnership Program Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 25 minutes ago

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a partnership program in foreign languages.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2173 Effective Teaching and Leading Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 25 minutes ago

To improve teacher quality, and for other purposes.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2184 Working to Encourage Community Action and Responsibility in Education Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 2 days ago

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to foster community involvement, and for other purposes.

Ed Notes Online: Parents Present Pearson With $38 Million Invoice for Use of Child Labor for Field Tests

Ed Notes Online: Parents Present Pearson With $38 Million Invoice for Use of Child Labor for Field Tests:

Parents Present Pearson With $38 Million Invoice for Use of Child Labor for Field Tests

by ed notes online

Press Contacts:

Kemala Karmen                                                                    Janine Sopp

Tel. 917-807-9969                                                               Tel. 917-541-6062

optout@parentvoicesny.org                                                            janinesopp@gmail.com

For Immediate Release

Parents Create Invoice to Showcase the True Cost of NYSED/Pearson’s “Stand-Alone” June Field Tests:
$37, 991, 452

“The State Education Department Should Be COLLECTING from Pearson, Not Handing Out Our Tax Dollars for Tests of Dubious Value!”

New York City –Concerned parents, who wonder why it should be assumed that their children would serve as uncompensated research subjects in a commercial R & D product development process, have drawn up a bill, payable to the people of New York State, for the creator of the stand-alone field tests, Pearson LLC.

To arrive at a “Balance Due” of $37,991,452, parents calculated the value of their children’s free labor, including the opportunity costs of lost instructional time and resources, and added these to the real costs to schools of administering the June tests. They unveiled the invoice at a press conference held in front of Tweed Courthouse on the morning of June 6th. At that time, they also announced that at least 37 New York City schools had parents opt their children out of the tests; on Long Island, more than 30 schools saw test refusals. Organizers were also aware of resistance at 4 schools in the Westchester and Hudson regions. [List of schools at end of this document.]

The design for the invoice, which originally enumerated only the services provided to Pearson by one child, emerged in the lead-up to 2012’s parent-coordinated campaign against the tests.  It encapsulated the resentment parents felt; their children were being inducted into a study without their parents’ informed consent, and without any direct benefit to the students or their schools. “If Pearson wants to use my daughter to ‘field test’ during the school day,” opined Brooklyn parent Johanna Henry, “they will have to pay us, and they need to get in touch with me in order to negotiate a fair price.  I will use the money to provide my child an enjoyable and relevant learning experience.’”

This year, as parents continue to fight the field tests, the invoice has been expanded to reflect that NYSED gives away to for-profit Pearson the services of 434,000 3^rd through 8^thgraders (a number derived, in part, by assuming average class size). These services would be worth $32,550,000 (if child labor were legal), an amount roughly equal to the sum ($32,136,276) that New York State has contracted to pay Pearson for 5 years of test development. Moreover, the State essentially donates to Pearson the salaries of the teachers ($1,541,250) and assistant principals ($753,519)who coordinate and administer the tests.*

Former DOE analyst Fred Smith, who provided technical assistance with the invoice to parents from grassroots groups Change the Stakes and ParentVoicesNY, was alarmed. “Usually corporations and foundations make charitable contributions or donations

to public institutions or to support public works,” said Smith.  “Here, SED has arranged it so that we, the client or end-users are giving away time, money and opportunity to the benefit of a private company.”

The invoice also includes a line for taxes that the state could be collecting from Pearson for its unreimbursed expenses. The tax bill alone comes in at more than $3 million, a scenario that especially rankles during a time when schools are being asked to do more with less. “Our schools are being cut to the bone, but city and state education officials always manage to find staggeringly large sums of money for all these tests and test prep materials,” claimed Sharmeela Mediratta, a Queens parent whose daughter did not take the field test.

Organizations who contributed to our list of 2013 field test opt outs include: Change the Stakes, ParentVoicesNY, Restore Education Funding – Nyack/Valley Cottage, Time Out From Testing, Long Island Opt Out (list in formation)

# # #

Schools Where Parents are Participating in the Field Test Boycott

This list is growing, as not all schools have administered tests yet and we are not in touch with all schools where opt outs are happening. At this point there are 37 in NYC and at least 34+ outside of the city. (Long Island submitted the names of districts rather than individual schools, of which 30+ saw opt outs)

Schools in New York City

  East Village Community School

Neighborhood School

Earth School

  PS 40/Augustus Saint-Gaudens

Ella Baker School

Institute for Collaborative Education

  PS 75/Emily Dickinson

 PS 87/William Sherman

  Central Park East I

  PS 173

  3 schools in District 3 who wish to remain anonymous

  PS 8

PS 9 - Teunis G Bergen

 PS 11 -Purvis J Behan

PS 132 - The Conselyea School

PS 257 - John F Hylan

PS 15 - Patrick F Daly

PS 29 - John M Harrigan

PS 39 - Henry Bristow

PS 58 - The Carroll School

MS 88 - Peter Rouget

PS 107 - John W Kimball

The Brooklyn New School

PS 154 - Magnet School for Science and Technology

PS 230 - Doris L Cohen

PS 261 - Philip Livingston

PS 295 - Studio School of Arts and Culture

PS 321 - William Penn

The Children's School

 New Voices Middle School

 MS 447 - The Math and Science Exploratory School
 MS 448 - Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies
 PS 139 - Rego Park

 JHS 157 - Stephen A Halsey

 PS 122 - Mamie Fay

Outside New York City

Lenape Elementary, New Paltz, NY

New Paltz Middle School

Nyack Middle School

Upper Nyack Elementary School

Long Island Schools or Districts:

North Merrick

East Meadow

Bayport Blue Point

Middle Country

Hauppauge

Miller Place

Valley Stream Central High District 1

East Meadow

Seaford

Riverhead

Lynbrook

Northport

Bellmore Merrick

Mt. Sinai

East Islip

Sachem Samoset Brentwood UFSD

Middle Country

# # #

** Anatomy of a Giveaway

Invoice to Pearson:

Figuring that half a day will be devoted to the field tests and administrative logistics:

For half an AP's daily salary = $753,519.  That's 3,614 x $208.50.

For half a Teacher's daily salary = $1,541,250.  That's 12,330 x $125.00.

ABC Coverage: http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=9129701