A new challenge for Common Core — from the left | Tampa Bay Times

A new challenge for Common Core — from the left | Tampa Bay Times:

A new challenge for Common Core — from the left

TALLAHASSEE — Conventional wisdom held that liberals and teachers supported the new Common Core curriculum standards.

Until the Badass Teachers Association crashed the party.

The 25,000 BATs, as they call themselves, are pushing back against the national standards with Twitter strikes, town hall meetings and snarky Internet memes. They have no qualms with the theory behind the new benchmarks, but they fear the larger movement places too much emphasis on testing and will stifle creativity in the classroom.

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"It's not just the tea party that's skeptical of the Common Core," said Bonnie Cunard, a Fort Myers teacher who manages the Facebook page for the 1,200 Florida BATs. "We on the left, like the folks on the right, are saying we want local control."

The BATs represent a new wave of liberal opposition to the Common Core standards, which includes some union leaders, progressive activists and Democratic lawmakers. They are joining forces with tea party groups and libertarians, who want states like Florida to slow down efforts to adopt the new benchmarks and corresponding tests.

They face an uphill battle. The Common Core standards have a strong base of support that includes Democrats and Republicans. What's more, the standards are being taught across all grade levels in Florida.

"Our commitment (to the Common Core) is strong because it is the best decision for the future of our state and most importantly, the future of our students," interim state Education Commissioner Pam Stewart wrote in a statement.

The Common Core State Standards — and the controversy 

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BAT!

Badass Teachers Association

This is for every teacher who refuses to be blamed for the failure of our society to erase poverty and inequality, and refuses to accept assessments, tests and evaluations imposed by those who have contempt for real teaching and learning.

Badass Teachers Association

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER@BADASSTEACHERSA

8-26-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:

As We are Talking about Teachers

Is this NY Times article about short-term teachers the future for teachers?  I can only say, I hope not.As tens of millions of pupils across the country begin their school year, charter networks are developing what amounts to a youth cult in which teaching for two to five years is seen as acceptable and, at times, even desirable. Teachers in the nation’s traditional public schools have an average

by Melissa Westbrook / 26min 

SEA Rejects District Offer

From SPS Communications:We value the contributions, skills, and dedication that our educators bring to Seattle Public Schools’ students on a daily basis. Their leadership and passion drive the success of our district and community. While we are disappointed that members of the Seattle Education Association did not approve our proposal, we are hopeful that we will reach an agreement that is in the

by Melissa Westbrook / 39min 

Seattle Schools Shows Improvement on State Tests

From SPS Communications (bold mine): Seattle Public School students again made significant academic gains during the 2012-2013 school year, Superintendent José Banda announced today. The preliminary scores released by the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) show Seattle students outperforming the state average in multiple subjects.[1]In 2013, Seattle students met o

by Melissa Westbrook / 3h mark as read  //  save

Struggling System, Part Two

From SPS Communications:Student  Information System now live, Waiting List Moves will begin August 31 We want all families, including those with students on wait lists, to know what to expect as we implement a new, improved student information system. The system is live as of August 26. However, we must carefully check current capacity at schools before we begin moving waiting lists. We expect to

by Melissa Westbrook / 4h 

Seattle Schools - A System that Struggles

We've heard from many parents who are unhappy about enrollment issues like waitlists.  My understanding is that the district was switching technology systems.  Reading the Queen Anne Elementary principal's blog, it would seem that the whole system has been down,  in one form or another.Principal Elliot's explains that on Back to School Night (an event they are having this week), parents would be a

by Melissa Westbrook / 2min 

8-25-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Carlyle Proposes Paying School Board MembersThe Times has an article about the idea of paying School Board members of the largest districts (likely to be Seattle, Spokane and Tacoma) a real salary.   This idea is being spearheaded by Rep. Reuven Carlyle and I agree with him.   "State Rep. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, is trying to improve the job by proposing members

by mike simpson / 22h 

Feds propose eliminating scores from modified testing as part of AYP SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources:

Feds propose eliminating scores from modified testing as part of AYP
By Tom Chorneau
Monday, August 26, 2013

NCLB Reorganization 

As part of a long-standing and controversial commitment to holding all students to challenging content and achievement standards, the Obama administration proposed late last week ending a practice allowing states to use scoring on modified assessments for students with disabilities as part of their overall performance calculation.

The so-called “two-percent” rule permits states to develop alternative testing for special education students and use some of those results for accountability purposes under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Currently, the maximum number that states can count toward their proficiency benchmark is 2 percent of students in the grades assessed using the alternate assessments based on modified academic achievement standards.

In a proposal published in the Federal Registry Aug. 23, the U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan would do away with the rule and require students with disabilities who had been taking the modified assessments to transition to the new national curriculum standards and general testing by the 2014-15 school year.

“We have to expect the very best from our students and tell the truth about student performance, to prepare them for college and career,” Duncan said in a statement. “That means no longer allowing the achievement of students with disabilities to be measured by these alternate assessments aligned to modified achievement standards. This prevents these students from reaching their full potential, and prevents our country from benefitting from that potential.”

The idea is likely to provoke much debate within the disability community, which has long supported the concept of inclusion within the education system but also has vigorously protected the rights of students to receive appropriate accommodations especially when it comes to high-stakes testing.

In California the alternative test is called the California Modified Assessment and about 200,000 students take it each 

Smith brings new energy, commitment to ACSA and CA schools

Wes Smith, newly-appointed executive director of the Association of California School Administrators, steps into a key position of influence at a time when schools in California as well as the rest of the nation are at the crossroads of dramatic transformation.

5min 

K-12 News Network | Et tu, 5-2? (LAUSD School Board Meeting, August 20, 2013)

K-12 News Network | Et tu, 5-2? (LAUSD School Board Meeting, August 20, 2013):

Et tu, 5-2? (LAUSD School Board Meeting, August 20, 2013)

admin August 26, 2013 Charter Schools, Los Angeles, School Boards, School Districts, State Education Law 0

Special to K12NN from Karen Wolfe. Karen is an LAUSD parent leader and activist in support of public schools.

While corporate education reformers take every opportunity during this week’s anniversary of the March on Washington to co-opt civil rights rhetoric, I was fortunate to bear witness as Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte, the feisty, African American septuagenarian on LAUSD’s board out-did any scripted talking points.

Steve Zimmer had put everyone on notice that a new five-to-two board majority was convening. During a contentious discussion about a co-location at Lorena Street Elementary School, Zimmer announced a plan to seek comprehensive Prop 39 relief from the state. His Lorena Resolution seeks three forms of redress: He wants the state board of education to redo Prop 39 implementation guidelines based on the havoc they’ve caused in the state’s largest school district (which are only beginning to show up in smaller districts); the state legislature to start regulating the solicitation of families on school property by other schools; and finally to explore a class action lawsuit on behalf of students disproportionately impacted on co-located Prop 39 campuses.

As the board struggled over whether the Lorena Resolution should be voted on at this meeting or the next, LaMotte attempted to settle the debate. “Sometimes we have to do things dramatically rather than right. OK?” She went on, “and those of you who have seen [the film] ‘The Butler’ will understand why we got to do some things sometimes! And I mean that.”

With legal counsel recommending that the board wait until next month to vote on the Lorena Resolution, the fight moved on to another school.

The next item was a new charter school petition, targeting students in LaMotte’s beleaguered inner city district.

Exasperated that anyone would rationalize yet another school in the area, LaMotte laid out the context. “There are 31 elementary schools within the five-

8-26-13 Wait What?

Wait What?:

Malloy’s strange electoral strategy…

Maybe it is unquenchable desire to alienate key constituencies within the base of the Democratic Party. Or maybe it is just his feeling that he always knows best. But last week, in the contested race for the Mayor’s job in New Haven, Governor Malloy, the titular head of the Connecticut Democratic Party, endorsed the Democratic […]The post Malloy’s strange electoral strategy… appeared first on Wait

3 by jonpelto / 2h

“The world of politics, power — and money” or “The man Gov. Malloy has on speed dial”

Wait, Can you run that by me again…? Over the weekend, three Connecticut Hearst Media Group reporters, Kate King, Neil Vigdor and Ken Dixon published a front-page story in the Stamford Advocate. Considering it was the last “real” weekend of the summer and the newspaper’s primary readership is in Stamford, most Connecticut residents might have […]The post “The world of politics, power — and money”

6 by jonpelto / 2h

Mass Insight swaps out more consultants: Further reducing experience for CT Alliance Districts

As Connecticut’s Alliance Districts have become painfully aware, rather than utilize the tremendous expertise and experience within the Connecticut State Department of Education, Governor Malloy and his “Education Reform” Dream Team led by Commissioner Stefan Pryor decided to replace Connecticut experts with out-of-state, paid consultants to direct Connecticut’s “School Turnaround” program. As Wai

3 by jonpelto / 2min 

8-23-13 Wait What? Malloy balks at efforts to require the state to further desegregate Hartford’s schools

Wait What?: Malloy balks at efforts to require the state to further desegregate Hartford’s schoolsMalloy balks at efforts to require the state to further desegregate Hartford’s schools (CT Mirror 8-23-2013) Wait, What? “Gov. Dannel P. Malloy drew a line in the sand on what he is willing to agree to.” Wait, what?? Malloy says…“Let me be very clear, I don’t think failing to reach a standard is a rea

by mike simpson / 22h 

Civil Rights Leaders Condemn Privatization of Prisons and Schools - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Civil Rights Leaders Condemn Privatization of Prisons and Schools - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

Civil Rights Leaders Condemn Privatization of Prisons and Schools

By Anthony Cody on August 26, 2013 11:23 AM

Speakers at this weekend's March for Justice in Washington, DC, drew attention to the failed war on drugs, and called for its end as one step towards reducing the number of people incarcerated in America. On the Melissa Harris-Perry show, a former Baltimore circuit judge named Billy Murphy spoke out as well.

The war on drugs is the 800-pound gorilla that must be killed. The private prison industry is sucking the life out of the black community. ... it is the enemy of progress for black people.

Murphy drew attention to a speech earlier this month by the nation's Attorney General, Eric Holder, who called for dramatic changes as well, including ending mandatory sentencing laws. Holder also said it was time to:

...confront the "school-to-prison pipeline" and those zero-tolerance school discipline policies that do not promote safety, and that transform too many educational institutions from doorways of opportunity into gateways to the criminal justice system. A minor school disciplinary offense should put a student in the principal's office and not a police precinct.

One of the most remarkable speeches in Washington last weekend was nine-year-old Asean Johnson. Here is what he had to say: 

I am marching for education, justice and freedom. All over the country public education is under attack. Public schools are closing in African American and Latino communities. In Chicago we have 50 school closings in African American and Latino communities, budget cuts in all public schools and an increase in charter school budgets, and new charter school openings. Every child deserves a great education. Every school deserves equal funding and resources. I encourage all of you to keep Dr. Martin Luther King jr's dream alive. Help us fight for freedom, racial equality, jobs, and public education, because I have a dream that we shall overcome.

Asean Johnson first came to our attention when he called out Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuelfor his decision to close public schools. This policy is being repeated, with tacit and overt support from the Obama administration, in communities of color across the nation. These 

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, August 26, 2013

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Adams: School bullying prevention efforts falling short, state audit says

Education Headlines

Monday, August 26, 2013

New Inglewood Unified leader rescinds wave of campus security layoffs

The move to undo the wave of about 40 layoffs and demotions amounted to one of the first major decisions by Don Brann since he became the troubled district’s latest state-appointed administrator in June.

Adams: School bullying prevention efforts falling short, state audit says

Responding to concerns that schools should do more to stop bullying, a new state audit found that most schools do not track whether their anti-bullying programs have made campuses any safer and that schools are inconsistent in how they record and resolve bullying incidents.

Twin Rivers administrator resigns, will receive nearly $175,000 on way out

A top Twin Rivers Unified School District administrator resigned this week and will receive nearly $175,000 on his way out, the district confirmed Friday. Rob Ball, associate superintendent of business support services, submitted his "voluntary resignation" to the Twin Rivers Board of Trustees, which accepted it on Thursday, according to a statement.

Q&A: Twin Rivers' new leader seek to rebuild public trust in school district

Twin Rivers Unified Superintendent Steven Martinez has been busy since he took the position July 1.

Teaching's pressures magnified in Juvenile Hall

On the best days, Wendy Leece feels like a teacher with the most inspiring of assignments. On more challenging days, her tasks can leave her feeling more like a machine.

Stakes high at Juvenile Hall school

Reaching a student who is held on suspicion of a crime – or who has been convicted of one – can mean the difference between a productive life and one spent behind bars.

School trustee’s vote aided future boss

Former Carlsbad school board member Kelli Moors was hired by a law firm 12 days after she voted to renew the firm’s $100,000 contract with the district.

Carlsbad to redo law-firm vote

The Carlsbad school board on Friday announced that it will redo a vote to renew a $100,000 law-firm contract, one day after U-T Watchdog reported that one board member was in negotiations for a job with the firm at the time.

District joins education coalition

Riverside Unified School District is one of eight new members accepted into the League of Innovative Schools, a national coalition of education agencies committed to transforming teaching and learning to improve student achievement.

Mt. Diablo school board is poised to appoint new superintendent on Wednesday

The Mt. Diablo school board is poised to appoint Nellie Meyer, a deputy superintendent in the San Diego district, as its new superintendent on Wednesday.

With new state funding, East Bay schools eye crowded classrooms

With the best budget prospects in years, East Bay school districts are finally taking a look at reducing their bloated class sizes after five years of brutal cuts.

Are high-risk and district No Child waivers illegal?

An unprecedented set of recent Education Department decisions about No Child Left Behind waivers is at the least an overreach and at the very worst illegal, a chorus of critics say.

Friday, August 23, 2013

County school board to decide fate of Thousand Oaks charter school

Parents of at least 200 students have their hopes pinned to the Ventura County Board of Education, which will meet Monday to determine the fate of the Albert Einstein Academy.

Twin Rivers Unified official gets $400,000 to settle lawsuit

A Twin Rivers Unified School District administrator will receive $400,000 to settle a lawsuit in which he alleged officials retaliated against him for reporting misdeeds, the district confirmed Thursday.

Fresno, Clovis school districts on economic upswing but face large class sizes

A review of California's 30 largest school districts shows two Valley districts are successfully digging out of the Great Recession, even as they contend with large class sizes and high numbers of impoverished students.

Katrina Pain Index 2013: New Orleans Eight Years Later | Dissident Voice

Katrina Pain Index 2013: New Orleans Eight Years Later | Dissident Voice:

Katrina Pain Index 2013: New Orleans Eight Years Later

by Bill Quigley / August 26th, 2013

Eight years after Katrina, nearly a hundred thousand people never got back to New Orleans, the city remains incredibly poor, jobs and income vary dramatically by race, rents are up, public transportation is down, traditional public housing is gone, life expectancy differs dramatically by race and place, and most public education has been converted into charter schools.

Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005. The storm and the impact of the government responses are etched across New Orleans. A million people were displaced. Over a thousand died. Now, thanks to the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center (GNOCDC) and others, it is possible to illustrate the current situation in New Orleans. While some elected officials and chambers of commerce tout the positive aspects of the city post-Katrina, widespread pain and injustice remain.

New Orleans is still down about 86,000 people since Katrina according to the Census. Official population now is 369,250 residents. When Katrina hit it was 455,000.

Nearly half of the African American men in the city are not working according to the GNOCDC. Since 2004, the city’s job base has declined 29 percent. Fifty three percent of African American men in the New Orleans area are employed now. African American households in the metro New Orleans area earned 50 percent less than white households, compared to the national percentage of 40 percent.

Jobs continue to shift out from New Orleans to suburbs. In 2004, New Orleans provided 42% of metro or 247,000 jobs, now that number has dropped to 173,000 and the percentage has dropped to 34%.

Low paid tourism jobs, averaging a low $32,000 a year, continue to be the largest sector of work in New Orleans. But even this low average can be misleading as the hourly average for food preparation and serving jobs in the area is just over $10.00 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Median earnings for full-time male African American New Orleans workers are going down and are now at $31,018; for white male workers they are going up and are now at $60,075. Whites have experienced an 8 percent increase in middle and upper income households while African Americans 

Arne Duncan’s endless supply of ‘game changers’:

Arne Duncan’s endless supply of ‘game changers’

By Valerie Strauss, Published: August 26 at 11:00 amE-mail the writer

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Education  Secretary Arne Duncan                (By Jacquelyn Martin-Associated Press)

Education Secretary Arne Duncan has something of an affinity for the phrase “game changer.” Just how much is chronicled in this post by Matt Farmer, a Chicago trial lawyer  and parents who is a member of the Local School Council at Philip Rogers Elementary School. This appeared on thethirdcity.org website.

By Matt Farmer

A lot of my friends are public school teachers. They’re scattered throughout the country, working in classrooms from New York to California. And as students head back to school, many of my teacher friends are already wondering how their local districts plan to “change the game” this year.

Talk to enough veteran teachers and you’ll get an earful about the annual roll-out of new initiatives and assessments that get handed down to them in August, only to serve as the educational “flavor of the month” until the following year, when those programs are supplanted by a whole new set of acronyms, benchmarks and buzzwords. (“I’ll take Rigor for $600, please, Alex.”)

Why, these teachers wonder, does the game keep changing?

Look no further than Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. School superintendents from Maine to Montana know that the 6’5” small forward from Chicago is “a big fan” of 

8-26-13 Jersey Jazzman

Jersey Jazzman:

The Merit Pay Virus Spreads

The Camden teachers contract is up for negotiation, just as the state has taken over the district and is ready to install a new, reformy superintendent, Paymon Rouhanifard. This young fellow spent his career in New York City forcing charter school co-locations on communities that did not want them; consequently, there here is little doubt he is being installed in Camden to turn the district into a

by Duke / 1min 

8-23-13 Jersey Jazzman

Jersey Jazzman: New Camden Super Appointment Rushed With NO Community Input!This is incredible: The New Jersey State Board of Education has scheduled a special meeting Monday to vote on Gov. Christie's selection for Camden superintendent. Paymon Rouhanifard, 32, of New York, was announced Wednesday as Christie's pick for the next Camden school chief. The state board is expected approve the selecti

by mike simpson / 2h