8-15-13 teacherken at Daily Kos

teacherken at Daily Kos:

shocking newly found video of Japanese Tsunami

you will be able to watch the water coming in, which begins to be clearly evident about 3 minutes in, and then to watch the water recede.   So much water.  So much damage.

2 by rss@dailykos.com ... / 8min 

8-13-13 teacherken at Daily Kos

teacherken at Daily Kos: Eugene Robinson asks "What NSA reforms?"In this Washington Post op ed Robinson notes The modest reforms Obama proposed do not begin to address the fundamental question of whether we want the National Security Agency to log all of our phone calls and read at least some of our e-mails, relying on secret judicial orders from a secret court for permission. The president indica

by mike simpson / 11h

It’s Begun: Florida County’s Republican Assembly Officially Demands Explanations on Common Core | Scathing Purple Musings

It’s Begun: Florida County’s Republican Assembly Officially Demands Explanations on Common Core | Scathing Purple Musings:

It’s Begun: Florida County’s Republican Assembly Officially Demands Explanations on Common Core

Posted on August 15, 2013by Bob Sikes

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 Vote

From State Impact’s John O’Connor:

The St. Johns County Republican Assembly is the latest GOP group to ask questions — quite literally — about new education standards fully adopted by Florida and 44 other states.

The group has adapted a list of questions first posed by North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest about the origins, content and adoption of the Common Core State Standards.

Common Core State Standards are scheduled to be used in every Florida classroom beginning next fall. The standards outline what children should know at the end of each grade in math and English language arts.

But as the deadline approaches, critics on the political right and left are opposing the standards. Conservatives worry the standards will centralize education, reduce local control and will cost more, among other concerns.

“Only the state elected officials that took the Race To The Top Grant and have imposed the CCSS on Florida’s children can give you the answers you deserve and need to understand the CCSS,” the group wrote. “If they cannot answer these questions, or will not, you should reject the Common 

How bad is Phillie schools crisis? This bad.:

How bad is Phillie schools crisis? This bad.

By Valerie Strauss, Published: August 15 at 4:00 amE-mail the writer

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The word “crisis” is misused and abused in the education world, but it applies perfectly to what is going on in Philadelphia. A financial crisis in the Philadelphia school district is so profound that schools may not be able to open as scheduled Sept. 9. Superintendent William Hite, a former schools superintendent in Prince George’s County, Md., has said he may have to keep the schools closed, open only a few or open some and operate for on half-day schedules. If schools do open, they will be missing some of the fundamentals that were cut in a “doomsday budget” that the School Reform Commission passed in late May. It has no funding for athletics, arts, music, counselors, paper, new books, and more. In addition, the districts laid off thousands of employees, including hundreds of teachers. Even Arne Duncan, the U.S. education secretary, made an unusual public statement about the financial crisis in Philadelphia, urging officials to fix the problems. His recent statement said in part:

There’s no excuse for a public school system anywhere in the U.S. to be in this situation in the 21st century, and it’s even worse to see it in Philadelphia, the cornerstone of this great country and the cradle for our founding principles.

To understand how the crisis is affecting students, here’s a powerful open letter from a teacher, Daniel Ueda of Central High School, about how the crisis is affecting him, his colleagues and the award-winning robotics team of 80 students that he oversees. This 

Louisiana Educator: Flawed Strategic Plan for EBR

Louisiana Educator: Flawed Strategic Plan for EBR:

Flawed Strategic Plan for EBR

The following letter is to the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board and should be read in reference to the proposed revised strategic plan for EBR. This plan is available here on the EBR web site. I am publishing this letter because the issues discussed here are important to all teachers in Louisiana public schools. See also today's letter to the editorin the Advocate about the proposed plan.

This is posted today, Aug. 15 because the School Board is scheduled to possibly adopt this plan today!

 

 Recommendations to the EBRP School Board on its Proposed Strategic Plan

Dear Board Members:

This a follow-up to the email I sent Board members last week. One of my major concerns about the proposed strategic plan is the proposal to dismiss the bottom 25% of teachers rated by the state Value Added Model (VAM). I believe such a policy is unwise because the state evaluation system is very erratic and unstable and could result in many teachers being falsely identified as “ineffective”. There are several technical reasons for this which I would be happy to discuss with the board members. But at this point I wish to point out that teachers are so uncomfortable with the idea of VAM determining their careers that many may choose not to teach VAM subjects in EBR, causing a serious loss of top 

John Thompson: Can Education Trust Be Trusted by Teachers? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

John Thompson: Can Education Trust Be Trusted by Teachers? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

John Thompson: Can Education Trust Be Trusted by Teachers?

By Anthony Cody on August 15, 2013 2:11 AM

I only have one problem with Joy Resmovits' Huffington Post article "Dream Deferred: Are We Leaving Black Students Behind?," but I will save that detail until the end of my response. My big problem is with the venom of many of the 3538 comments. I also believe that the policy analysts Resmovits cites have contributed to the bitterness of many commenters. But, first, I want to agree with the thrust of her post.

Resmovits recounts teacher Dwight Davis' "nightmarish" ordeal as a black student in Washington D.C. Bad teachers helped create a sense that no one cared. "Though he excelled in elementary school, as he got older," she reports, "he fell in with the wrong crowd. His grades dropped, and he wound up in lower level classes, courses that attracted 'all the bad teachers.'"

Davis came back to D.C. and during his nine years in that city he felt compelled to "insulate his fifth graders from what he saw as bad teachers, teachers who just passed along students who didn't learn or try." It is no criticism of Davis to note that he is now one of the many teachers who has moved on to easier schools.

Resmovits also reports on the Education Trust's proposals for improving teacher quality and equity. That liberal "reform" advocacy group condemns the "comparability" loophole that allows school systems to duck this equity issue. The rule, sadly, is the only protection against 

Why Common Core Standards Will Succeed | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Why Common Core Standards Will Succeed | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

Why Common Core Standards Will Succeed

Even though there is little evidence that state standards have increased student academic achievement since the 1980s, the District of Columbia and 45 states have embraced the Common Core–(see here and here).

Even though there is little evidence that countries with national standards do not necessarily score higher on international tests than nations without national standards, many states have already aligned their standards to textbooks, lessons, and tests– (see here and here).

Even though there is little evidence Common Core standards will produce the skilled and knowledgeable graduates that employers and college teachers have demanded of public schools, most state and federal officials have assured parents and taxpayers that the new standards and tests will do exactly that–(seehere and here).

Even though there is little evidence that state and national officials have resolved tough issues in the past when it came to curriculum standards (e.g., supplying professional development for teachers and principals, appropriate instructional materials, determining whether teachers altered their practices) much less reduce the inevitable problems that will occur in implementing the Common Core standards (e.g., resources for computer-based testing), cheerleaders  continue to beat the drums for national standards–(see here andhere)

With all of these “even though”s  (and there are more), Common Core standards 

Corbett rejects plea on Phila. school funding - Philly.com

Corbett rejects plea on Phila. school funding - Philly.com:

Corbett rejects plea on Phila. school funding

Mayor Nutter said the schools have met many conditions for the money. State Sens. Vincent Hughes (left), Anthony Hardy Williams flanked him. (DAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer)

By Troy Graham and Martha Woodall, Inquirer Staff Writers

POSTED: August 14, 2013

Gov. Corbett emphatically rejected on Tuesday a request to release $45 million in state funds, the latest twist in the ongoing battle to resolve the Philadelphia School District's financial crisis.

Corbett's budget secretary, Charles Zogby, said the money would not be available until the teachers' union signs a contract that includes substantial "fiscal savings and academic reforms."

"The law is clear," Corbett reiterated during an appearance in Chester. "Until that takes place, there can be no release of funds."

Corbett's comments were made shortly after an all-star roster of the city's state and local elected officials stood together in City Hall and urged the governor to release the money.

The district has been counting on $124 million in union concessions and savings to help close a $304 million deficit. The current contract expires at the end of this month and negotiations are continuing.

The dispute over the $45 million state grant comes as Mayor Nutter and City Council wrestle over another piece of the $140 million package hashed out in Harrisburg last month to address the district's shortfall.

The state plan calls for the city to borrow $50 million against future collections of the city's extra 1 percent sales tax, which was to expire next June, and turn the money over to the schools.

Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. warned last week that unless he received assurances by Friday that the $50 million would be available, the district would postpone the scheduled Sept. 9 opening of schools, open just a few, or operate them on half-day schedules.

The $45 million grant is contingent on the education secretary's determining that the district has obtained sufficient reforms and concessions from the teachers' union.

Philadelphia legislators, led by State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams, said at City Hall that Zogby could release the money now.

"Children do not negotiate contracts and should not be held hostage," said State Rep. Cherelle L. Parker, chair of the city's 

8-15-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

E4E Slammed in Minnesota by PEJAM

The new strategy is to convince the public that teachers really do want the corporate reforms, but that it is actually their own unions that are keeping them silent.  It is a devious approach that can pit new teachers against veteran teachers.  These newer groups receiving money from Gates, the Waltons, and other corporate foundations are started and led, by mostly TFA alumni, and recruit heavily

6 by ed notes online / 19min 

Another Blogger Slams Eva's Success Academy Charter Scam

Owen Davis at The Commonal follows up on Gary Rubinstein's analysis of the Eva Moskowitz charter scam which we reported on the other day: Rubinstein: Success Academy Scores Based on High Attrition Plus Other Factors.Davis takes Gary's work a bit further:It’s true that Success owes its success to more than just general student attrition. But Rubinstein only examined the overall numbers. When you lo

2 by ed notes online / 19min 

E4E Slammed in Minnesota by PEJAM

The new strategy is to convince the public that teachers really do want the corporate reforms, but that it is actually their own unions that are keeping them silent.  It is a devious approach that can pit new teachers against veteran teachers.  These newer groups receiving money from Gates, the Waltons, and other corporate foundations are started and led, by mostly TFA alumni, and recruit heavily

2 by ed notes online / 4min 

Matt Damon Still a Save Our Schools Superstar

This week Jeb Bush, a shameless supporter of these destructive corporate reform policies, had the audacity to criticize Matt Damon for choosing not to subject his children to the test-driven, standardized public education Bush has helped create.Jeb Bush and ed deformers are afraid of Matt Damon. Following up on NYC Educator's great post on Matt Damon (Who's Afraid of Matt Damon?) the other day, th

1 by ed notes online / 4min 

Another Blogger Slams Eva's Success Academy Charter Scam

Owen Davis at The Commonal follows up on Gary Rubinstein's analysis of the Eva Moskowitz charter scam which we reported on the other day: Rubinstein: Success Academy Scores Based on High Attrition Plus Other Factors.Davis takes Gary's work a bit further:It’s true that Success owes its success to more than just general student attrition. But Rubinstein only examined the overall numbers. When you lo

2 by ed notes online / 4min 

Neo-liberalism and Ed Deform and Krugman on Rand Paul's "Better Dead than Fed"

Ed Deform's connection to neo-liberalism can be defined in one dirty word: CHOICE CORE in Chicago began with 8 people reading Naomi Klein's "Shock Doctrine" to try to make sense of what was being done to the schools because so much of it didn't make sense educationally or even rationally, the idea of a grander privatization conspiracy began to make sense. In fact, the only thing that made sense.Pa

1 by ed notes online / 1h 

8-14-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Naison Calls for John King's RemovalWe've had 3 DUD NYSTATE Ed Comms in a row since 1995. Time to move on.Dear Speaker Silver and Assembly Member Nolan    It is time to remove John King  Education Commissioner of the State of New York. Commissioner King purposely decided to score state tests in such a way as to insure that the majority of the students in the state failed. The resu

by mike simpson / 2h 

THE COMMON CORE ED-DEFORM MONSTER: A Maze of MegaPrivateers Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública: THE COMMON CORE ED-DEFORM MONSTER: A Maze of MegaPrivateers

Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública: THE COMMON CORE ED-DEFORM MONSTER: A Maze of MegaPrivateers:

THE COMMON CORE ED-DEFORM MONSTER: A Maze of MegaPrivateers

A Walk Thru the Common Core Labyrinth of Supporters & Funders

Walking the Labyrinth of the Corporate-Owned-Common Core 

This short homemade video is an introduction to the complexity of US corporate-military interest in public education "reform"--with actual feet in the footage.'

Growing Fairness teaser

Restorative Justice VideoDoc from Teachers Unite Growing Fairness teaser from Teachers Unite on Vimeo. Growing Fairness teaser from Teachers Unite Plus   A documentary film, workshop series, and online toolkit resource for school communities to use as they begin the project of implementing transformative justice and other alternative accountability methods in schools, Growing Fairness tells a s

by Black Educator / 56min 

8-15-13 SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE

SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE:

I’m NOT quitting. Well, with #highered at least, I’m done for now.

Personally, I’ve tried to keep a pretty low profile. You must be thinking, “You’re nuts!” But no, I have. I’ve been very careful in the last couple of years especially to keep my name OFF of things. I do the best I can to go as “Chalk Face,” even though anyone with two fingers can […]

by Chalk Face, PhD / 0min 

How Much Value Added for Divorce?

How about having some freakin’ Common Core Standards on how to teach kids about surviving their parents’ divorce? Watching this HBO documentary, “Don’t Divorce Me!” got me thinking about how utterly ridiculous and destructive this entire high stakes accountability policy actually is in the real world, where most of us live. How many points, data adjustments or […]

1 by freetoteach / 2h 

This is why we can’t have nice things. Because Klout.

Good God Almighty, folks are seriously upset, or whatever, I don’t know, because the guy from Fordham posted the top Klout people in education on Twitter. It’s been analyzed and discussed.  Klout. Really? A pointless algorithm? I guess some egos have been demolished it seems. But seriously, that Petrilli guy from Fordham who released it, not […]

by Chalk Face, PhD / 1min

The myth of failing schools and the unforgiven sins of wealth and power

There are no failed or failing schools! But there are plenty of buildings that serve as museums to display the failed social policies and economic disparities inflicted by politicians and their wealthy financiers. A kindergarten class overcrowded with 35 children who lack basic healthcare, nutrition, and access to books and safe neighborhoods is NOT an […]

24 by Timothy D. Slekar / 6h 

8-14-13 Schools Matter @ The Chalk Face

SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE: New Media, New Public Intellectuals | the becoming radicalNew Media, New Public Intellectuals | the becoming radical.by plthomasedd / 5min 8-13-13 Schools Matter @ The Chalk FaceSCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE: Paul Toner, MA TURNcoat, Leads Charge for Common Core and PARCCLawyer, corporate stooge, and MTA President, Paul Toner has sold teachers down the river in M

by mike simpson / 3h