Posted: 2:00 a.m. Thursday, July 11, 2013
A rare day in education when we can say something's working
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Thursday, July 11, 2013
A rare day in education when we can say something's working | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com
A rare day in education when we can say something's working | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:
Feds search Oakland charter school in criminal investigation - Inside Bay Area
Feds search Oakland charter school in criminal investigation - Inside Bay Area:
school to hire his companies.
Feds search Oakland charter school in criminal investigation
Posted: 07/10/2013 07:07:33 PM PDT
Updated: 07/10/2013 10:00:32 PM PDT
OAKLAND -- The FBI and IRS have opened a criminal investigation into a charter school whose former director allegedly funneled $3.8 million from the school to companies he owns for construction and classroom rental spaces, and they were executing search warrants at three locations Wednesday afternoon.
"These are sealed search warrants and they are part of an ongoing criminal investigation," said FBI spokeswoman Julie Sohn.
Sohn would not say when the investigation into American Indian Model Schools started or what it entails.
A state audit last year found that former school director Ben Chavis, who now lives in North Carolina, broke state laws including the Political Reform Act, when he directed the
Gui Yu, of Oakland, who has a child attending the American Indian Model Schools, holds a sign as well as a large banner during a Oakland Unified School District special meeting to pull the charter of the AIM Schools in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, March 20, 2013. ( Doug Duran )
Chavis did not immediately return phone calls Wednesday. Current school director Nabeehah Shakir also was not available for comment.
In June, Chavis said the money he got from the school for renovation and construction was money he donated to the
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
The Educated Reporter: Getting It Right on Preschool For All
The Educated Reporter: Getting It Right on Preschool For All:
Getting It Right on Preschool For All
EWA's 66th National Seminar was recently held at Stanford University, and we asked some of the education reporters attending to contribute blog posts from the sessions. Today's guest blogger is Suzanne Bouffard of the Harvard Education Letter. The full podcast of the session can be found here. Stream any session from National Seminar in your browser, or subscribe via RSS or iTunes. For more on early learning, visit EWA's Story Starters online resource.
Preschool teachers will tell you that it’s not all about what you do in the classroom, it’s also about how. The same is true when it comes to preschool policy. That's the advice of panelists who spoke at EWA's national seminar session about President Obama's proposal to provide preschool access to all four year olds from low- and moderate-income families. Responding to questions posed by Karin Klein of the Los Angeles Times, the panelists expressed concerns about the details of the proposa
Preschool teachers will tell you that it’s not all about what you do in the classroom, it’s also about how. The same is true when it comes to preschool policy. That's the advice of panelists who spoke at EWA's national seminar session about President Obama's proposal to provide preschool access to all four year olds from low- and moderate-income families. Responding to questions posed by Karin Klein of the Los Angeles Times, the panelists expressed concerns about the details of the proposa
Rahm Emanuel and St. Vincent DePaul | Reclaim Reform
Rahm Emanuel and St. Vincent DePaul | Reclaim Reform:
Rahm Emanuel and St. Vincent DePaul
St. Vincent DePaul was a Catholic priest who fed, clothed, educated and housed poor children. The religious organizations he created still perform his good works. READ HERE.
(Disclosure: As a child on the South Side of Chicago on a bitterly cold day, my mother took me on the bus for a winter coat at the St. Vincent DePaul Society clothing distribution center. I was given, yes given, a coat and warmer shoes. My feet and body were enveloped in my own warmth, so I cannot remember what else we received.)
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel closed 50 public schools in poor neighborhoods and has created havoc and danger to these school children that is beyond the imagination of most people to fully comprehend. Public libraries, mental health clinics, park district programs, etc. have also been closed in these same areas creating a landscape of desperation as
John White: “I’ll Just Tell Them Reforms Are Working.” | deutsch29
John White: “I’ll Just Tell Them Reforms Are Working.” | deutsch29:
John White: “I’ll Just Tell Them Reforms Are Working.”
I have learned that if John White writes something it must be true.
Gotcha.
Today among the letters to the editor at nola.com is an entry from John White. Despite his history of lying, hiding data, hiring non-educator, overpaid, pro-reform-minded TFA spawn and other opportunists just like himself; despite his proved incompetence to supervise charter schools, his failed, overpaid voucher effort, his thwarted attempts to siphon MFP monies away from community schools; despite his promoting inflated schools performance scores, his contracting to send student data wherever he wishes–despite all of this established self-serving, deceitful, disruptive, distorted behavior, the readers of nola.com simply must trust what John White has to tell them.
Not.
Let us examine what John wishes for his readers to believe and then discuss the opposite (i.e., the truth), shall we?
White’s letter is entitled, “Reforms are improving student performance, opportunities.”
As to the first part of the title, “reforms are improving student performance”: ”Student
Press Conference & Court Hearing: Neighborhood School Closure Civil Rights Lawsuit Moves Forward
Press Conference & Court Hearing: Neighborhood School Closure Civil Rights Lawsuit Moves Forward:
Press Conference & Court Hearing
Neighborhood School Closure Civil Rights Lawsuit Moves Forward
SACRAMENTO, CA – This Thursday, July 11, students, parents, community members, and plaintiffs will convene for an evidentiary hearing in the civil rights lawsuit (A.A., et al v. Sacramento City Unified School District, et al) against the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD). A press conference that will highlight the long-term detrimental impact that the closures have on minority, low-income, and limited-English proficient families and preview arguments that will be made during the hearing will precede this hearing, which was granted by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller.
Parents and students continue to express frustration and anguish with the poorly developed school closure plans that deliberately targeted socioeconomically disadvantaged communities and families. The court hearing will feature expert testimony from Dr. Jesus Hernandez, a professor who has conducted thorough and comprehensive research on the impact of discriminatory policies on Sacramento’s historically disenfranchised communities. The Court will also consider arguments around the exercise of a preliminary injunction in order to prevent the close of Sacramento’s neighborhood schools. Contrary to efforts to discredit parents and families, the U.S. District Court is proceeding with the lawsuit with expediency because it recognizes the seriousness of the plaintiff’s claims and the need for a speedy resolution.
WHO: Plaintiffs including Students, Parents and Parent-Teacher groups from closed schools, Hmong Innovating Politics (HIP), and United for Sacramento Students (USS)
WHAT: Press Conference before Federal Court Evidentiary Hearing
WHEN: Thursday, July 11, 2013
WHERE: Sacramento Robert Matsui Federal Courthouse
Press Conference - Court House Plaza
Hearing - Courtroom #3, 15th Floor
501 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
TIME: 8:00am – 8:30am (Press Conference & Rally) & 9:00am – 3:00pm (Court Hearing)
CONTACT: Stephanie Yang, 916.367.1900
**Interview Opportunities**
Attorney Mark Merin and HIP organizers will be available for comment at the conclusion of the court hearing. The time is at the discretion of the court.
HIP Organizers envision a Sacramento of empowered communities that thrive in a socially and economically just democracy.
Press Conference & Court Hearing: Neighborhood School Closure Civil Rights Lawsuit Moves Forward
Press Conference & Court Hearing
Neighborhood School Closure Civil Rights Lawsuit Moves Forward
SACRAMENTO, CA – This Thursday, July 11, students, parents, community members, and plaintiffs will convene for an evidentiary hearing in the civil rights lawsuit (A.A., et al v. Sacramento City Unified School District, et al) against the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD). A press conference that will highlight the long-term detrimental impact that the closures have on minority, low-income, and limited-English proficient families and preview arguments that will be made during the hearing will precede this hearing, which was granted by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller.
Parents and students continue to express frustration and anguish with the poorly developed school closure plans that deliberately targeted socioeconomically disadvantaged communities and families. The court hearing will feature expert testimony from Dr. Jesus Hernandez, a professor who has conducted thorough and comprehensive research on the impact of discriminatory policies on Sacramento’s historically disenfranchised communities. The Court will also consider arguments around the exercise of a preliminary injunction in order to prevent the close of Sacramento’s neighborhood schools. Contrary to efforts to discredit parents and families, the U.S. District Court is proceeding with the lawsuit with expediency because it recognizes the seriousness of the plaintiff’s claims and the need for a speedy resolution.
WHO: Plaintiffs including Students, Parents and Parent-Teacher groups from closed schools, Hmong Innovating Politics (HIP), and United for Sacramento Students (USS)
WHAT: Press Conference before Federal Court Evidentiary Hearing
WHEN: Thursday, July 11, 2013
WHERE: Sacramento Robert Matsui Federal Courthouse
Press Conference - Court House Plaza
Hearing - Courtroom #3, 15th Floor
501 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
TIME: 8:00am – 8:30am (Press Conference & Rally) & 9:00am – 3:00pm (Court Hearing)
CONTACT: Stephanie Yang, 916.367.1900
**Interview Opportunities**
Attorney Mark Merin and HIP organizers will be available for comment at the conclusion of the court hearing. The time is at the discretion of the court.
HIP Organizers envision a Sacramento of empowered communities that thrive in a socially and economically just democracy.
Teach For America's Civil War
Teach For America's Civil War:
Teach For America's Civil War
Twenty-four years running, the rap on Teach for America (TFA) is a sampled, re-sampled, burned-out record: The organization’s five-week training program is too short to prepare its recruits to teach, especially in chronically under-served urban and rural districts; corps members only have to commit to teach for two years, which destabilizes schools, undermines the teaching profession, and undercuts teachers unions; and TFA, with the help of its 501(c)4 spin-off, Leadership for Educational Equity, is a leading force in the movement to close “failing” schools, expand charter schools, and tie teachers’ job security to their students’ standardized test scores. Critics burn TFA in internet-effigy across the universe of teacher listservs and labor-friendly blogs. Last July, it earned Onion fame: an op-ed entitled “My Year Volunteering As A Teacher Helped Educate A New Generation Of Underprivileged Kids,” followed by a student’s take, “Can We Please, Just Once, Have A Real Teacher?”
Despite the endless outcry, no one has ever staged a coordinated, national effort to overhaul, or put the brakes on, TFA—let alone anyone from within the TFA rank-and-file. On July 14, in a summit at the annual Free Minds/Free People education conference in Chicago, a group of alumni and corps members will be the first to do so.
The summit, billed as “Organizing Resistance Against Teach for America and its
NPE News Briefs ← from The Network for Public Education
NPE News Briefs ← from The Network for Public Education:
TODAY
Audit Reveals Systemic, Widespread Problems In Louisiana’s School Voucher Program | CenLamar
by Lamar White, Jr. Mr. Varney obviously didn’t bother to read the audits. It was far easier for him to take Superintendent White’s word for it, shine up some fuzzy math, and recite a litany of conservative talking points on “school choice” than it was for him to actually do his homework. After reading the ...read moreThe post Audit Reveals Systemic, Widespread Problems In Louisiana’s School Vouch
Appeals Court Upholds State Control of Newark Schools | New Jersey Spotlight
by John Mooney – A state appellate court yesterday gave a big boost to the Christie administration – and future administrations – when it comes to control of the state’s most troubled school districts. In a strongly worded decision, the three-member court rejected an appeal by Newark’s local school board and a group of community ...read moreThe post Appeals Court Upholds State Control of Newark Sc
Alternative Grad School Raises Concerns About Who’s Teaching NJ’s Teachers | New Jersey Spotlight
by John Mooney – The Christie administration has conditionally approved New Jersey’s first graduate education program not affiliated with an in-state college or university, stirring up the state’s teacher education establishment in the process. Related Links Hendricks Letter to Relay Cantu Consultant Report New Jersey Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Letter The pushback is ...read mor
Make Big Money Building Charter Schools: Joe Bruno Shows You How! | Jersey Jazzman
by Jersey Jazzman – Over the past month I’ve been telling the story of the misogynist rapper Pitbull, his new charter school in Miami, and his speech before the 2013 National Charter Schools Convention. I pointed out that Kevin Chavous, board chair of the very reformy group Democrats For Education Reform, apparently both embraces the values espoused by ...read moreThe post Make Big Money Building
MLK Does TFA | EduShyster
by EduShyster – Long before Martin Luther King Jr. became the most ‘liked’ civil rights leader in Facebook history he was just another well-connected college graduate from out-of-town. Which raises an obvious and interesting question: were MLK alive today, would he do what thousands of well-connected college grads have already done and Teach for America? ...read moreThe post MLK Does TFA | EduShys
My Very First Youtube Posting | deutsch29
by Mercedes Schneider – Dr. Raynard Sanders of the New Orleans Imperative radio program (theneworleansimperative.org; WBOK1230am.com) invited me to speak on his hour-long show about school performance scores, the Recovery School District (RSD) and Teach for America (TFA). I spoke for about 20 minutes; then, phone lines were opened for a few callers. I spoke ...read moreThe post My Very First Youtu
Blinded by the Stereotype Spotlight | the becoming radical
by plthomasedd – Why are drug sweeps routinely conducted by police in high-poverty minority neighborhoods and not dorms on college campuses? Why was shooting victim Trayvon Martin drug tested, and his shooter, George Zimmerman, not tested? Why are Teach for America recruits, with no formal training as teachers, allowed to teach high-poverty minority students, often in ...read moreThe post Blinded
Teach For America critics gathering to organize resistance | The Answer Sheet – The Washington Post
by Valerie Strauss – Teach For America alumni and students of corps members who are critical of TFA are holding this weekend what amounts to the first national assembly aimed at organizing resistance to the organization that is popular with school reformers. The anti-TFA assembly is part of the Free Minds, Free People national conference starting ...read moreThe post Teach For America critics gath
NY Times: The Destruction of North Carolina’s Progressive Legacy | Diane Ravitch’s blog
by Diane Ravitch – The New York Times wrote a searing critique of the slash-and-burn policies of North Carolina’s governor and legislature. What was once one of the south’s most forward-looking states is rapidly being decimated into a hard, mean backwater. As we have learned over recent months, the legislature has imposed deep budget cuts ...read moreThe post NY Times: The Destruction of North Car
Sorry, You Missed Today’s Symposium about Cashing in on the Charter Sector | Diane Ravitch’s blog
by Diane Ravitch – If only I had known sooner, I would have posted the announcement of today’s symposium. Yes! There is money to be made by investing in charter schools! It’s all about the children! It’s the civil rights issue of our time! And a great investment too!! “Bonds and Blackboards: Investing in Charter ...read moreThe post Sorry, You Missed Today’s Symposium about Cashing in on the Chart
What Einstein Said About Standardization | Diane Ravitch’s blog
by Robert Shepherd; posted by Diane Ravitch – Robert Shepherd was pleased that Susan Ohanian joined the honor roll of the blog. He wrote this: “Susan Ohanian’s website is a garden of many, many delights. I love this bit she posted from Albert Einstein, who was a pretty bright guy (and who had some truly ...read moreThe post What Einstein Said About Standardization | Diane Ravitch’s blog appeared f
To fix schools, parents and citizens need to lead the way: Commentary | Syracuse Post-Standard
by Michael Gilbert – This commentary is in response to the ongoing debate regarding the performance and behavior of students in our public schools. The recent focus on school suspension is not an issue about race and detracts from the real underlying issues. It is a symptom of a much greater problem in communities across ...read moreThe post To fix schools, parents and citizens need to lead the wa
Ethical Literacy Lessons to Ponder This Summer: Tolerance for Ambiguity — Whole Child Education
Ethical Literacy Lessons to Ponder This Summer: Tolerance for Ambiguity — Whole Child Education:
Our seventh annual Ethical Literacy Conference was smaller than usual, yet we came away from it with bigger ideas and a stronger sense of success than in past conferences. Our ability to maintain flexibility and respond to educators' needs was key to this opportunity and underscored the importance of balancing "structure" with "free flow" in the learning process.
I'm reminded of a key research finding from our Schools of Integrity project: tolerance for ambiguity. To some extent, this finding explores teachers' competence in letting go—of lesson plans, of control, of relational power—as they become more expert in sensing and subscribing to the balance between structure and free flow in their classrooms. It's a lovely art! It means that when a student's question seems arbitrary or even intimidating, the response is to listen more closely, query to learn more, and certainly step away from the plan if the student can take you and the class on a better journey. By stepping away to some degree from our own plans for this year's conference, we were able to open up to new possibilities and learning that otherwise might not have happened. These "lessons" seemed more authentic, because they came directly from
solidaridad: @TCFKSM: Sign BAR’s Petition: Anti-Racist Educators Should Not Issue Ghetto Passes To Teach For America
solidaridad: @TCFKSM: Sign BAR’s Petition: Anti-Racist Educators Should Not Issue Ghetto Passes To Teach For America:
@TCFKSM: Sign BAR’s Petition: Anti-Racist Educators Should Not Issue Ghetto Passes To Teach For America
First published on TCFKSM on July 10, 2013.
'If this is how "anti-racism education" works - giving cover to organizations and policies that hurt people of color more than anybody else, it might be time to re-think that whole contraption as well.' —Bruce A. Dixon
Black Agenda Report (BAR) has been a consistent and principled opponent of neoliberal education reform for as long as corporate interests have been attacking our public schools. Please sign their petition right away:
Anti-Racist Educators Should Not Issue Ghetto Passes To Teach For America
Here's the text of the petition:
'If this is how "anti-racism education" works - giving cover to organizations and policies that hurt people of color more than anybody else, it might be time to re-think that whole contraption as well.' —Bruce A. Dixon
Black Agenda Report (BAR) has been a consistent and principled opponent of neoliberal education reform for as long as corporate interests have been attacking our public schools. Please sign their petition right away:Anti-Racist Educators Should Not Issue Ghetto Passes To Teach For America
Here's the text of the petition:
Mass firings and layoffs of experienced teachers, school closings like those in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and elsewhere are only happening in black and brown school districts. Teach For America is a key element of policies driving us toward the
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