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Monday, July 22, 2013

Morning Wink 7-22-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #edreform #EDCHAT #P2


BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS



TODAY

Jersey Jazzman: Free Lunch "Fraud" Menu: Red Herring
Jersey Jazzman: Free Lunch "Fraud" Menu: Red Herring: Free Lunch "Fraud" Menu: Red HerringApparently, the greatest threat to the fiscal well-being of New Jersey is children who mightbe getting their school lunches for free [all emphases in this post mine]:More than 100 people – including 83 public employees – gave false information about income on applications for free lunches submitted to school
7-22-13 Schools Matter @ The Chalk Face
SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE: The impact of #commoncore in KindergartenA good friend and parent posted a video, which is embedded below, about her son’s experience in Kindergarten. It’s important to remember that accountability in public education is for now one single definition. Not all accountability is created equal. We can be held accountable in numerous ways and to very different things.
Interview with Mindy Willard: ASCA's 2013 National School Counselor of the Year | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights
Interview with Mindy Willard: ASCA's 2013 National School Counselor of the Year | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Interview with Mindy Willard: ASCA's 2013 National School Counselor of the YearBy Tarsi Dunlop on July 22, 2013The economy may be slowly improving, but many families and children are still struggling to get by in communities across the country. Economic insecurity
Why Charter Schools Are Tearing Public Campuses Apart | California Progress Report
Why Charter Schools Are Tearing Public Campuses Apart | California Progress Report: Why Charter Schools Are Tearing Public Campuses ApartPosted on 22 July 2013By Gary CohnFor more than 30 years each, Cheryl Smith-Vincent and Cheryl Ortega have shared a passion for teaching public school in Southern California. Smith-Vincent teaches third grade at Miles Avenue Elementary School in Huntington Park;
7-22-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Road Trip Week 2Xian Barrett: Yes, I was fired and we will still win.By Xian Barrett Posted on his blg: Teacher X: http://chiteacherx.blogspot.com/2013/07/yes-i-was-fired-and-still-we-will-win.html At 9:11am Friday morning, on a quiet, scripted phone call from my principal, my teaching career ended. A
Trustee Carla Ranger says Mike Miles’ statement on DISD investigation violates spirit of public information act | Education Blog
Trustee Carla Ranger says Mike Miles’ statement on DISD investigation violates spirit of public information act | Education Blog: Trustee Carla Ranger says Mike Miles’ statement on DISD investigation violates spirit of public information actBy Matthew Haagmhaag@dallasnews.com7:31 am on July 22, 2013 | Permalink2604Dallas ISD Superintendent Mike Miles released a statement Sunday denying wrongdoing
NYC Educator: Attention Daily News and Legal Expert Campbell Brown!
NYC Educator: Attention Daily News and Legal Expert Campbell Brown!: Attention Daily News and Legal Expert Campbell Brown!To keep informed, I read all the education articles in the Daily News, and I've noticed a common theme. They are terribly concerned about "pervs" and "sex creeps" because they worry about how our students are treated. As I read the stories, I can't help but notice that they pic
U.S. Schools Chief Arne Duncan Labors to Straddle Political Divide - WSJ.com
U.S. Schools Chief Arne Duncan Labors to Straddle Political Divide - WSJ.com: U.S. Schools Chief Arne Duncan Labors to Straddle Political DivideBy  MONICA LANGLEY  CONNECTEducation Secretary Arne Duncan was riding to the airport in a black government SUV late last week, working his cellphone to try to save a plan to reduce interest rates on new student loans that is expected to face a vote in the
Missouri Education Watchdog: A Lack of Faith in Christian Schools?
Missouri Education Watchdog: A Lack of Faith in Christian Schools?: A Lack of Faith in Christian Schools?Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookAt almost all of the talks I give on common core around our state someone will ask me what is happening with Common Core in private and parochial schools. I can always tell them what I know from having talked to leaders in the St. Louis Archio
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Can You Hear Me Now? Listening to Your Students' Behavior!
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Can You Hear Me Now? Listening to Your Students' Behavior!: Can You Hear Me Now? Listening to Your Students' Behavior!When I saw this photo posted on WeAreTeachersFacebook status, I had to post it. "The kids who want the most Love, will always ask for it in the most unloving of ways." It speaks to so many of our kids. It spoke to so many of the kids I have had ov
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-22-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: The First Review of “Reign of Error”!This is the first review of my new book. Kirkus sends out early reviews that are read by journalists, librarians, and others in the publishing industry. This reviewer provides an accurate summary of the book. He or she got the main point and presents it succinctly here. REIGN OF ERROR The Hoax o
Perdido Street School: DFER's Mock Mulgrew
Perdido Street School: DFER's Mock Mulgrew: DFER's Mock MulgrewDFER propaganda-meister Joe Williams mocks UFT President Michael Mulgrew and the UFT leadership in an opinion piece in the Daily Pravda of teacher-bashing, the Daily News.Williams says because the UFT-endorsed candidate Bill Thompson has shown no overall movement in the polls since the UFT endorsed him, the UFT is no longer a kingmaker
The Washington Teacher: WTU Prez Nathan Saunders Wears Out His Welcome & Refuses to Gracefully Accept Exile
The Washington Teacher: WTU Prez Nathan Saunders Wears Out His Welcome & Refuses to Gracefully Accept Exile: WTU Prez Nathan Saunders Wears Out His Welcome & Refuses to Gracefully Accept ExileAugust 1 deadline approachingBy Candi PetersonTeachers have been asking why deposed Washington Teachers' Union (WTU) President Saunders (whose constitutional term ended June 30, 2013) still remains a 
Teacher: Why the last school year was ‘crushing’
Teacher: Why the last school year was ‘crushing’: Teacher: Why the last school year was ‘crushing’By Valerie Strauss, Published: July 22 at 6:00 amE-mail the writer0CommentsMoreNew York City Public Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott recently sent a letter to the city’s Education Department staff describing the 2012-13 school year as “extraordinary.” Here, Katie Lapham, an elementary school English-
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLESXian Barrett protests Chicago school closings. He was one of 2,100 teachers and staff fired Friday. CPS called his mother to tell her, son has been fired from his job.  Fired Chicago teacher Xian Barrett“The fact that there’s a script and it has in it, 'Thank you for the service to the kids’ but no details — the fact that it’s alwa
Districts leave Washington without waiver but still confident one is coming | EdSource Today
Districts leave Washington without waiver but still confident one is coming | EdSource Today: Districts leave Washington without waiver but still confident one is comingJuly 22nd, 2013 | Add a Comment | By John FensterwaldShare on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on printMore Sharing ServicesRick Miller, left, executive director of the California Office to Reform Education, confers with
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: TURNING THE TABLES
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: TURNING THE TABLES: TURNING THE TABLESfrom United Teacher: MR. DEASY’S POST-STULL CONFERENCE MEMOBY WARREN FLETCHER IN THE PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE COLUMN OF UNITED TEACHER, THE NEWSPAPER OF UTLA |HTTP://BIT.LY/1BF5VSU Note to UNITED TEACHER readers: As this issue goes to press, the results of the recent membership-wide “Stull of the Superintendent” had

YESTERDAY

The Educated Reporter: EWA's Resources for Reporters Have You Covered
The Educated Reporter: EWA's Resources for Reporters Have You Covered: EWA's Resources for Reporters Have You CoveredI wanted to take a moment to remind you that EWA's website -- Ed Media Commons -- is open to the public. You still need to be an EWA member in order to take part in online discussions, but visitors are welcome. I encourage you drop by, take a look around, and consider joining EWA.Al
Poll: Parents don’t support many education policy changes - The Washington Post
Poll: Parents don’t support many education policy changes - The Washington Post: Poll: Parents don’t support many education policy changes Most parents with children in public schools do not support recent changes in education policy, from closing low-performing schools to shifting public dollars to charter schools to private school vouchers, according to a new poll to be released Monday by the Am
Pension Heist: Revisited | Reclaim Reform
Pension Heist: Revisited | Reclaim Reform: Pension Heist: RevisitedPosted on July 21, 2013by kenprevitiRevisited and updated from 5/15/13 to reflect the full extent of today’s attempts at the grand theft of teacher pensions.Pension theft in Illinois (and many other states, counties, cities and towns across America) simply has puppets with local legislative names and even some union names mouthing
CA produces only half the number of special ed teachers needed SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: CA produces only half the number of special ed teachers neededBy Tom ChorneauMonday, July 22, 2013Even as enrollment in special education programs statewide continues to escalate, California’s teacher credentialing system is turning out only about half the number of fully authorized classroom educators needed to serve students with disabilities.The d
Change Agent in Education Collects Critics in Connecticut Town - NYTimes.com
Change Agent in Education Collects Critics in Connecticut Town - NYTimes.com: Joshua Bright for The New York Times“No good deed goes unpunished,” said Paul G. Vallas, superintendent for Bridgeport, Conn.By JAVIER C. HERNÁNDEZPublished: July 21, 2013FACEBOOKTWITTERGOOGLE+SAVEE-MAILSHAREPRINTSINGLE PAGEREPRINTS
Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: MMM, MMM GOOD?
Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: MMM, MMM GOOD?: MMM, MMM GOOD?On the Rise and Fall (and Rise and Fall, Again) of One of Sacramento's Original Suburbs  Sacramento News & Review on Franklin Blvd.  July 18, 2013Cosmo Garvin's remarkable full-length feature examines the history, sociology and politics of a part of Sacramento many C.K. McClatchy students call home, Franklin Blvd/Fruitridge/47th Avenue.
The whole truth and nothing but the truth… - Wait, What?
The whole truth and nothing but the truth… - Wait, What?: The whole truth and nothing but the truth…The facts:                                                                On March 4, 2013 (despite a state law prohibiting Paul Vallas from becoming Bridgeport’s permanent superintendent of schools until he had completed a School Leadership Program, which would have then allowed Connecticut’s Commi
Dallas ISD Superintendent Mike Miles releases statement on district report suggesting he tried to manipulate bid process, interfere with investigation | Education Blog
Dallas ISD Superintendent Mike Miles releases statement on district report suggesting he tried to manipulate bid process, interfere with investigation | Education Blog: Dallas ISD Superintendent Mike Miles releases statement on district report suggesting he tried to manipulate bid process, interfere with investigationBy Matthew Haagmhaag@dallasnews.com5:08 pm on July 21, 2013 | Permalink030Dallas
@NCTQ pitching their propaganda to higher education leaders – SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE
@NCTQ pitching their propaganda to higher education leaders – SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE: @NCTQ pitching their propaganda to higher education leadersJULY 21, 2013 BY TIMOTHY D. SLEKAR 4 COMMENTSLast week I posted a blog in the form of a letter to College and University leaders.  I asked them to think about teacher education programs and the importance of these programs to the overall success
Nite Cap 7-21-13 #BATsACT #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2
James Baldwin said it best: "For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAPTODAYPerdido Street School: George Miller Is RightPerdido Street School: George Miller Is Right: George Miller Is RightRepresentative George Miller, ranking Dem on the House education committee, never met a standardized test he didn't like, a teacher he di
Perdido Street School: George Miller Is Right
Perdido Street School: George Miller Is Right: George Miller Is RightRepresentative George Miller, ranking Dem on the House education committee, never met a standardized test he didn't like, a teacher he didn't think should be evaluated by that standardized test and testing companies and edu-entrepereneurs he wasn't happy to take money from in order to make sure the Endless Testing regime he helpe
Diane in the Evening 7-21-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Lance Hill: A Principal Paid $115,000 for a School with 13 Students?Lance Hill reports that Steve Barr has hired a principal at a salary of $115,000 for a charter school with an enrollment of 13 freshman students. Perhaps the reason enrollment is so low is that Barr hyped the schools as “the most dangerous school in America” on a T
Seattle Schools Community Forum: The One-Two Punch of NCLB and Common Core
Seattle Schools Community Forum: The One-Two Punch of NCLB and Common Core: The One-Two Punch of NCLB and Common CoreThe fight is on.  Some in Congress are trying to rewrite NCLB (as this work has been put off/ignored for years).  Some of this push is about the use of Common Core which several states are now dragging their feet on.  This rewrite by Rep. John Kline (R-MN) and Rep. Todd Rokita (R-IN
Thoughts on Civilization & Privilege | Lefty Parent
Thoughts on Civilization & Privilege | Lefty Parent: Thoughts on Civilization & PrivilegeJuly 21st, 2013 at 11:35For nearly 200,000 years our human species (homo sapiens) lived on this bountiful planet in what most anthropologists now believe were mostly small egalitarian bands or tribes of hunter-gatherers, less than a million people scattered about Earth’s various habitable environs livi
"Fruitvale Station": Recreating a tragic loss of a life - CBS News
"Fruitvale Station": Recreating a tragic loss of a life - CBS News: "Fruitvale Station": Recreating a tragic loss of a life(CBS News) A new movie based on a true story takes a look at a controversial shooting four years ago that still has echoes today. Erin Moriarty of "48 Hours" has the story behind the film:Every day, 16,000 riders run through this Bay Area Rapid Transit, or BART, station in Oak
Emperor Arne Has No Clothes | Matt Farmer
Emperor Arne Has No Clothes | Matt Farmer: Emperor Arne Has No ClothesPosted: 07/19/2013 6:07 pm It was an "emperor has no clothes" moment in public education, and it took place on July 18 in a federal courtroom in Chicago.The "emperor" in question was none other than Arne Duncan, who ran Chicago Public Schools from June 2001 to January 2009, at which he time took his act nationwide.And the person
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Road Trip Week 2The in box. Paul Krugman on “the big pension scare.”Paul Krugman, NY Times: OK, this is quite amazing: Dean Baker catches the WaPo editorial page claiming that we have $3.8 trillion in unfunded state and local pension liabilities. Say it in your best Dr. Evil voice: THREE POINT EIGHT T
Morning Wink 7-21-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #edreform #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSTODAYAmerican education and the IQ trap - latimes.comAmerican education and the IQ trap - latimes.com: American education and the IQ trapFor students, one score doesn't tell all.Comments3EmailShare183A survey in 2011 found that the predominant method of measuring whether or not students are gifted is assessing their performances in both an IQ test and a st



Jersey Jazzman: Free Lunch "Fraud" Menu: Red Herring

Jersey Jazzman: Free Lunch "Fraud" Menu: Red Herring:

Free Lunch "Fraud" Menu: Red Herring



Apparently, the greatest threat to the fiscal well-being of New Jersey is children who mightbe getting their school lunches for free [all emphases in this post mine]:
More than 100 people – including 83 public employees – gave false information about income on applications for free lunches submitted to school districts.  
That is the finding of a Comptroller’s investigation announced Wednesday involving 15 school districts over a three-year period that uncovered widespread fraud.

Comptroller Matthew Boxer’s office reported that it has referred 109 names to the Division of Criminal Justice for prosecution: the 83 public workers and 26 others who are spouses or other household members of the public workers. The total in unreported income of those cases was over $13 million [What a poorly constructed sentence; that is not the amount of fraud, but the income misreported - JJ].

7-22-13 SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE

SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE:

gears






Poverty Matters Redux
The “poverty is not destiny” mantra is wearing thin as a cousin to the “no excuses” movement in education that demonizes teachers and schools serving high-poverty and minority children. The ugly truth is that both slogans are simply rhetorical strategies for facing inequity, for avoiding confronting the privileged who tend to be the ones spouting […]



A fantastic chunk of info from @NEPCTweet and @stephrrivera on @xianb8. And an anecdote
Don’t take my word for it. Go here and learn. But I also want to share an anecdote if I may. I met Xian in person at UOO’s Occupy 2.0 event in DC this last April. There was one individual in particular who sort of wandered into our event and was making some folks uncomfortable. […]


Our interview with Peter DeWitt #freetobe
Check out our interview with Education Week blogger and principal Peter DeWitt. We discussed some intersections between education leadership, anti-bullying, and the common core. Seems a tad contradictory doesn’t it, at least the last two. And since he mentioned it, a clip for you all to enjoy of Free to be You and Me. Watching […]


Yelp reviews as an action strategy in education? #edreform #edchat
Just a quick idea if you have the time: Yelp reviews of major reform organizations. I posted mine on the Gates Foundation. Are there others?  I personally would like to see more done. Link to them in the comments.


The impact of #commoncore in Kindergarten
A good friend and parent posted a video, which is embedded below, about her son’s experience in Kindergarten. It’s important to remember that accountability in public education is for now one single definition. Not all accountability is created equal. We can be held accountable in numerous ways and to very different things. In addition to […]


7-21-13 Schools Matter @ The Chalk Face
SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE: Did you know that Michelle Rhee has 93 civil actions against her?I know. Maybe some of these are trumped up cases. I’d have to look at them in detail. This is perhaps what you get for being in charge of people and making decisions. You make some enemies. But still, 93 cases in all? Are you serious? If I had one, I’d never work in this […]by Chalk Face, PhD / 15min 

Interview with Mindy Willard: ASCA's 2013 National School Counselor of the Year | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Interview with Mindy Willard: ASCA's 2013 National School Counselor of the Year | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:

Interview with Mindy Willard: ASCA's 2013 National School Counselor of the Year

Tarsi Dunlop's picture
The economy may be slowly improving, but many families and children are still struggling to get by in communities across the country. Economic insecurity increases childhood stress and negatively affects a student's ability to focus and be present in the classroom. School counselors are on the front lines when it comes to supporting students through this and other challenges ranging from incidents of bullying, issues at home, academic struggles, and depression and anxiety, to name just a few.
Recently, Mindy Willard, the American School Counselor Association's (ASCA's) 2013 National Counselor of the Year, was kind enough to share her insights and experience with Public School Insights (PSI). She has created a counseling program at Sunset Ridge Elementary School that serves all its 650 students through a range of activities and interventions. She also provided specific goals, interventions and results from the program, highlighting how such efforts support student health and learning. And, as the National Counselor of the Year, she shared some of her thoughts on the challenges counselors face, important facts to highlight in advocacy efforts and what she's looking forward to doing this year in her national role. 
Public School Insights (PSI): First, congratulations on being named the 2013 ASCA School Counselor of the Year. And thank you for taking the time to answer some of our questions 

Why Charter Schools Are Tearing Public Campuses Apart | California Progress Report

Why Charter Schools Are Tearing Public Campuses Apart | California Progress Report:

Why Charter Schools Are Tearing Public Campuses Apart

Posted on 22 July 2013




Gary CohnBy Gary Cohn
For more than 30 years each, Cheryl Smith-Vincent and Cheryl Ortega have shared a passion for teaching public school in Southern California. Smith-Vincent teaches third grade at Miles Avenue Elementary School in Huntington Park; before retiring, Ortega taught kindergarten at Logan Street Elementary School in Echo Park. Both women have been jolted by experiences with a little-known statewide policy that requires traditional public schools to share their facilities with charter schools. Ortega says she has seen charter-school children warned against greeting non-charter students who attend the same campus. Smith-Vincent reports that she and her students were pushed out of their classroom prior to a round of important student tests – just to accommodate a charter school that needed the space.
“It was extremely disruptive,” Smith-Vincent says of the incident.
The practice of housing a traditional public school and a charter school on the same campus is known as “co-location.” Charters are publicly funded yet independently operated, and are intended to encourage innovation and improve student performance. Under Proposition 39, a school-funding ballot initiative adopted by California voters in 

7-22-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:

Road Trip Week 2




Still road trippin’.
We are about halfway through our road trip through the Northwest. The last two days we have been staying at a beautiful lodge on Lake Quinault. Our stay included a guided three-hour hike through the Quinault National Forest, a rain forest. During the five-month rainy season the area gets a foot of rain a day, The climate here produces an amazing variety of things that grow out of the earth and



Xian Barrett: Yes, I was fired and we will still win.
By Xian Barrett Posted on his blg: Teacher X: http://chiteacherx.blogspot.com/2013/07/yes-i-was-fired-and-still-we-will-win.html At 9:11am Friday morning, on a quiet, scripted phone call from my principal, my teaching career ended. Again. Many of you have already read the exact details here: http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/21411000-418/cps-calls-teachers-mom-to-tell-him-hes-getting-laid-of
  
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Road Trip Week 2The in box. Paul Krugman on “the big pension scare.”Paul Krugman, NY Times: OK, this is quite amazing: Dean Baker catches the WaPo editorial page claiming that we have $3.8 trillion in unfunded state and local pension liabilities. Say it in your best Dr. Evil voice: THREE POINT EIGHT T