12-20-13 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University):

Worst Education Op-Ed of 2013?

Worst Education Op-Ed of 2013?.

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Schools Matter: Who Controls the Table Wins

Schools Matter: Who Controls the Table Wins

1 by plthomasedd / 3h 

12-19-13 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): Our Dystopia Is Now: The CircleFor twenty-first century readers and students, George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 poses, I think, a temporal paradox. 1984, George Orwell Orwell’s “other world” appears simultaneously a horrifying totalitarian future possibility for human

by mike simpson / 8h 

12-20-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

Taking Back Newark From The Privatizers

In case you missed this:@KarenLewisCTU @deBlasioNYC @berthalewis Ras Baraka for Mayor of Newark http://t.co/7PjLgIioQx …— Mark Naison (@McFiredogg) December 21, 2013Electing a pro-public school mayor to Newark would be a big thing, a really big thing.Hedge fund crony Cory Booker has gone on to do bigger and more damaging things at the federal level now, but maybe, just maybe, somebody can come in

by reality-based edu... / 1min 

De Blasio Puts Ed Deformers John Legend And Harvey Weinsten On His Pre-K Push Team

From Eliza Shapiro at Capital NY:De Blasio unveiled the Campaign for Universal Pre-K and Afterschool along with a new website and accompanying promotional video which was sent to tens of thousands of people by actress Cynthia Nixon, one of the campaign's leaders. The goal is to convince New Yorkers to support a tax hike to fund the programs. In addition to Nixon, other recognizeable names include

by reality-based edu... / 8min 

De Blasio Promises Chancellor Announcement Will Come "Soon"

From Eliza Shapiro at Capital NY:Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio said Thursday he has not yet offered the city schools chancellor job to any of the leading candidates, but promised an announcement would come "soon."De Blasio gave few details about the chancellor search at an event at a Crown Heights preschool where he unveiled another part of his campaign to enact universal pre-K and expanded

by reality-based edu... / 30min 

Why No Chancellor Announcement Yet?

So now it's December 20th, the last school day of Dennis Walcott's tenure as chancellor.In just 12 calendar days, Walcott's replacement is supposed to come into power.There have been lots of stories in the press and on the Internet about the names that are supposed to be on de Blasio's short list for chancellor, but no actual announcement about the pick itself from de Blasio.Here is de Blasio's sc

by reality-based edu... / 2h hide  //  save

Things They Should Name To Honor Dennis Walcott

An empty storefront.A garbage dumpster.A burnt, abandoned car.A mold-infested FEMA trailer.Flight deck at Bellevue.That smell on the subway in August. Any others?

by reality-based edu... / 5h 

12-19-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Bloomberg Claims His Education Reforms Are "Poster Child" For National ReformThe Daily News is doing Bloomberg "legacy" pieces today and the story on education by Ben Chapman is pretty good.Here's the opening: He ran for office as the Education Mayor, but his report card is mixed — at best. Mayor Bloomberg’s overhaul of the public schools was one of the m

by mike simpson / 9h 

Sac Unified School District Unanimously Votes in Favor of Transgender Policy | KTXL FOX40

Sac Unified School District Unanimously Votes in Favor of Transgender Policy | KTXL FOX40:

Sac Unified School District Unanimously Votes in Favor of Transgender Policy

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  8 hours ago
  by Tia Ewing
  Reporter/Anchor
• AB 1266 
  Comments

SACRAMENTO-

Sacramento City Unified School District voted unanimously in favor of a transgender policy for students, 7-0.

This means about two dozen students can now use bathrooms, participate in sports and dress according to their gender identity.

“Stripping down to your undergarments with a guy right next to me, that’s not too comfortable, ” said Vera, a student in the district.

AB 1266, could face some hurdles on the state level.

“Six hundred nineteen thousand signatures have been collected against this 30,000 right here in Sacramento. It means the law won’t go into effect in January,” attorney Michael Faber said. “There could be a referendum and the law would be decided in November.”

The school board heard those against and those for the policy. Many of them personal stories of why the policy supporting transgender students should be put in

Read more: http://fox40.com/2013/12/19/sac-unified-school-district-unanimously-votes-in-favor-of-transgender-policy/#ixzz2o1eHsNyd

Taking stock of Jonathan Raymond’s tenure and legacy at Sac City | EdSource Today

Taking stock of Jonathan Raymond’s tenure and legacy at Sac City | EdSource Today:

Taking stock of Jonathan Raymond’s tenure and legacy at Sac City

December 19th, 2013 | Add a Comment | 
By John Fensterwald

Outgoing Sacramento City Superintendent Jonathan Raymond stressed focusing on “soft skills,” like resilience and self-motivation, as underlying conditions for student achievement. Credit: Sacramento City Unified

Jonathan Raymond saw his charge as superintendent of Sacramento City Unified as transforming the district. This week, after 4½ years leading the 42,000-student district, he departs with a credible list of accomplishments at least partly attributable to his leadership.

Some of those – progress in implementing Common Core standards, greatly expanded summer programs, new college and career programs tied to businesses and the community, home-school visits and new parent-teacher partnerships – will survive. So too probably will the new focus on social and emotional aspects of learning, which, Raymond said, “is really catching on like the beginning of a wild blaze.”

Other changes, though – protections he provided a half-dozen once low-performing Priority Schools and a waiver from the No Child Left Behind law tied in part to adoption of a new teacher evaluation system – will remain under attack from the teachers union with whom Raymond repeatedly clashed.

Harder to predict is whether Raymond’s vision of an infectious commitment “to do whatever it takes for kids” will endure. Superintendents, he said in an interview, “can create the culture that becomes the permanent change.” Raymond expressed confidence that he has.

But whether he or, for that matter, any superintendent in conflict with a strong teachers union, can create irreversible, systemic change in several years will be left for his successor and future school board members to determine.

Raymond, 53, is leaving to return to the Boston area, where he and his wife are from, and their three young children’s grandparents still live. Resigning for “family reasons” is sometimes code for feeling the heat to quit. But Raymond has had the  support of his school board throughout his time, although the once sure 6-1 votes have edged closer to 4-3. Leaving, nonetheless

Are the RSD (Recovery School District) and LDOE (Louisiana Department of Education) actively covering up school wide test cheating that bolsters their performance? | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

Are the RSD (Recovery School District) and LDOE (Louisiana Department of Education) actively covering up school wide test cheating that bolsters their performance? | Crazy Crawfish's Blog:

Are the RSD (Recovery School District) and LDOE (Louisiana Department of Education) actively covering up school wide test cheating that bolsters their performance?

Posted on December 20, 2013

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I have been told the RSD and LDOE are actively covering up cheating on student test scores so I have embarked on a quest to discover the truth. My quest is ongoing but I have learned some things from evidence presented to me and responses I’ve had to my Freedom of Information Requests to the LDOE. I’ve gotten no response from RSD, which has been defined in numerous cases as a non-juridical entity incapable of suing or being sued. They are legally considered a part of LDOE, but they have a separate e-mail system and LDOE does not appear to supply any information on their behalf.  Nifty Catch 22 or a violation of state law, you be the judge.

Case 2:11-cv-01588-SSV-JCW

The court noted that both the Department of Education and the State

Board of Elementary and Secondary Education are a “body

corporate” under the Louisiana Revised Statutes. Id.; La. Rev.

Stat. 36:642 (Department of Education); La. Rev. Stat. 17:1

(Board of Elementary and Secondary Education). The 

Ted Mitchell, Education Dept. Nominee, Has Strong Ties to Pearson, Privatization Movement | The Nation

Ted Mitchell, Education Dept. Nominee, Has Strong Ties to Pearson, Privatization Movement | The Nation:

Ted Mitchell, Education Dept. Nominee, Has Strong Ties to Pearson, Privatization Movement

Lee Fang on December 19, 2013 - 5:05 PM ET

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Ted Mitchell, then president and CEO of the NewSchools Venture Fund attends the New York Times “Schools for Tomorrow” conference panel. (AP Photo)

Ted Mitchell, the chief executive of the NewSchools Venture Fund, was nominated in October by President Obama to become the Under Secretary of the Department of Education.

As the administration continues to reshuffle its team, and confront new regulatory challenges, some view Mitchell’s nomination as a move towards greater privatization. In the coming months, the Department of Education will release “gainful employment” rules to rein in for-profit colleges, an experiment in proprietary education that many see as an unmitigated disaster.

As head of the NewSchools Venture Fund, Mitchell oversees investments in education technology start-ups. In July, Zynga, the creators of FarmVille, provided $1 million to Mitchell’s group to boost education gaming companies. Mitchell’s NewSchool Venture Fund also reportedlypartners with Pearson, the education mega-corporation that owns a number of testing and test-book companies, along with one prominent for-profit virtual charter school, Connections Academy.

Jeff Bryant, a senior fellow with the Campaign for America’s Future, says it seems likely that Mitichell will “advocate for more federal promotion of online learning, ‘blended’ models of instruction, ‘adaptive learning’ systems, and public-private partnerships involving education technology.”

Mitchell did not respond to TheNation.com’s  request for comment.

His ethics disclosure form shows that he was paid $735,300 for his role at NewSchools, which is organized as a non-profit. In recent years, he has served or is currently serving as a director to New Leaders, Khan Academy, California Education Partners, Teach Channel, ConnectED, 

UPDATE Ted Mitchell, Nominee for Under-Secretary of Education, Is a Privatizer | janresseger

Ted Mitchell, Nominee for Under-Secretary of Education, Is a Privatizer | janresseger:


Valerie Strauss Column Today Corrects Misconceptions about National Council on Teacher Quality

In a his NY Times column last Tuesday,  What Is Good Teaching?  Joe Nocera describes the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ)  as though it is a legitimate reviewer of colleges of education.  He writes, “The lack of teacher training in education schools has also been borne out recently by a new report by the National Council on Teacher Quality, entitled ‘Training Our Future Teachers.’” I wil

by janresseger / 2min 

Ted Mitchell, Nominee for Under-Secretary of Education, Is a Privatizer

Posted on December 20, 2013 by janresseger

Lee Fang, a respected investigative reporter for The Nation magazine, exposes ties of Ted Mitchell to private education contractors and a for-profit university.  Mitchell is chief executive of NewSchools Venture Fund and President Barack Obama’s nominee as Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

According to Fang, “As head of the NewSchools Venture Fund, Mitchell oversees investments in education technology start-ups.  In July, Zynga, the creators of FarmVille, provided $1 million to Mitchell’s group to boost education gaming companies.  Mitchell’s  NewSchool Venture Fund also reportedly partners with Pearson, the education mega-corporation that owns a number of testing and text-book companies, along with one prominent for-profit virtual charter school, Connections Academy.

Fang also connects Mitchell to a for-profit university, at a time when many hope the Department of Education will begin better regulating these institutions:  “Mitchell serves as an adviser to Salmon River Capital, a venture capital firm that specializes in education 

Sacramento City school board approves transgender policy - Our Region - The Sacramento Bee

Sacramento City school board approves transgender policy - Our Region - The Sacramento Bee:

Sacramento City school board approves transgender policy

By Richard Chang
rchang@sacbee.com

Published: Thursday, Dec. 19, 2013 - 10:18 pm

Transgender students in the Sacramento City Unified School District will gain new rights and protections, with the approval of a set of guidelines by district trustees Thursday night.

The policy, passed in a 7-0 vote, will give administrators direction on how to accommodate transgender students – those who identify with a gender different from their sex at birth – and will allow them to use bathrooms and locker rooms for whichever sex they identify as.

The vote comes on the heels of a bill Gov. Jerry Brown signed in August that solidifies the rights of transgender students. Assembly Bill 1266 by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1.

District board member Jay Hansen hailed the policy as setting an example for the state.

“We’re a trendsetter in the best possible way for other districts,” he said.

The discussion before the vote was heated. Second Vice President Christina Pritchett raised numerous questions from her constituents.

Pritchett said the main concern involves a transgender female undressing in the girls’ locker room.

“I don’t feel we have the nuts and bolts figured out,” she said. “It’s easy for us to say we support this issue, but how are we going to go forth with protecting our students.”

Twenty-eight people spoke before the board during the public comment period. A majority of them urged district officials to pass the policy.

“Thank you for supporting all students. By approving this policy, you are helping to teach our youth how to affirm diversity,” said Mandy Taylor, interim director of programs at Sacramento

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/19/6015977/sacramento-city-school-district.html#mi_rss=Education#storylink=cpy

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: UNO laying low 'til the heat blows over

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: UNO laying low 'til the heat blows over:

UNO laying low 'til the heat blows over

Rahm and disgraced UNO leader Rangel (left)

The Reader's Ben Joravsky is at it again. He's still dogging UNO charter school hustlers who have handily ripped off the taxpayers for more than $98 million, thanks to the largesse of Gov. Quinn, Boss Madigan, and Mayor Emanuel.

Ben tells us how UNO uses its non-profit front, UNO Charter School Network, or UCSN, to hide behind while ace Sun-Times reporter Dan Mihalopoulos tries to make them accountable for how they spent all that money. Good luck on that one, Dan.

But at least all the sunlight shining on UNO has forced them to withdraw their bid for even more new charter schools. They are already the biggest private charter operator in the state. I guess Rahm must have told them to lay low for a while til the heat blows over. Rahm really needs to make this one go away before 2015. Good luck on that one, Rahm.

BTW, what ever happened to the feds's UNO investigation? Just asking.

SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS

As newly-elected N.Y. Mayor Bill de Blasio scrambles to find a decent chancellor to run the 

The Educated Reporter: EWA National Seminar: Stopping the School-to-Prison Pipeline

The Educated Reporter: EWA National Seminar: Stopping the School-to-Prison Pipeline:

EWA National Seminar: Stopping the School-to-Prison Pipeline

This week we're catching up on sessions from EWA's 66th National Seminar, held at Stanford University. We asked journalists who attended to contribute posts, and today's guest blogger is Scott Travis of South Florida's Sun Sentinel. Stream any session from National Seminar in your browser, or subscribe via RSS or iTunes. 

Racist people are no longer a problem in the American education system, but racism still is, according to an Education Writers Association seminar panelist.

It’s racism that’s implicit, not explicit, that plays a big factor in so many black children being sent from the schoolhouse to the jailhouse, Philip Goff, an assistant professor of social psychology at UCLA, told attendees.

“No longer is it the case where a large segment of the population will tell you, ‘I don’t like this group of people,’ and it’s not that people are learning to hide their feelings,” said Goff, who was speaking from his office via Skype. “Prejudice is going away. 

PS 154 in the Bronx; Violence Free Since the Week Before Last! southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com:

PS 154 in the Bronx; Violence Free Since the Week Before Last!

Yes, it's true! PS 154 in the Bronx has gone a full SEVEN DAYS without violence from December 6 thru December 16, 2013.

Every day I get in the queue (Too much, the Peace Bus)

What does this mean? It means hat day, or some special goofy wearing thing day is about to happen and the marker on the Peace Bus moves up!

To get on the bus that takes me to it (Too much, the Peace Bus)

So for those keeping score at home, PS 154 has had 1 day straight without violence in October, 5 days straight at the end of October, 5 days straight around Thanksgiving, and now 6 days straight. The Crack Team is hard at work to see if the Peace Bus crashes or moves past 6 days.

I'm so nervous, I just sit and smile (Too much, the Peace Bus)

Funny, shouldn't there be no days at all without violence? Or better yet, why are days celebrated with a negative connotation instead of a positive one such as, "Six days straight of tranquility." Not only will something positive be celebrated, but a students will learn and new word, it's meaning, projects, 

Modern Families: What Educators Need to Know

NEA Today:

Modern Families: What Educators Need to Know

By Brenda Álvarez Modern Family” may be a show on television about different family structures. But now that students and families throughout the U.S. are more diverse than they were 30 years ago, “Modern Family” is much more than a sitcom. Today’s family is less homogenous and monochromatic than ever before. They’re often a blend of cultures, ethnicities, and races. A salient shift in parental ro

by twalker / 1h 

Why Other Countries Teach Better

America’s stature as an economic power is being threatened by societies above us and below us on the achievement scale. Wealthy nations with high-performing schools are consolidating their advantages and working hard to improve.  Worse still, the United States is losing ground in worker training to countries in Europe and Asia whose schools are not just superior to ours but getting steadily better

by twalker / 1h 

Why Tenure Matters: The Teacher as Advocate and Innovator

Innovation, risk-taking and child advocacy only happen in a secure environment. One way that educational leaders can provide for this environment is by being open to teacher curriculum ideas, supportive of risky lessons created with student engagement in mind and by listening when a teacher advocates for a child. The other way is by providing the protections afforded by tenure. Source: Ross Walsh

by twalker / 1h hide  //  save

Grammy Music Educator of the Year To Be Announced in January

Ten music teachers from ten cities across eight states have been announced as finalists for the Recording Academy and Grammy Foundation’s first annual Music Educator Award. The finalists were culled from more than 30,000 initial nominations submitted from all 50 states. The winner will be unveiled in January. Visit Grammy.com for more information. Related posts: Red Hot Chili Peppers Drummer Chad

by twalker / 1h 

7 Hats Principals Must Be Prepared to Wear | Connected Principals

7 Hats Principals Must Be Prepared to Wear | Connected Principals:

7 Hats Principals Must Be Prepared to Wear

by William Parker • December 20, 2013 • 0 Comments

Recently, I was asked to speak to a group of teachers who are interested in becoming school principals.

My task was to summarize some of the principal’s roles and responsibilities.

If you are a principal, I am sure you could add more to my list. If you are thinking of becoming a principal, here are seven hats I believe you should expect to wear:

1. Coach
Someone has to make the final call, and as the principal, that will often be you. Like a good coach, you will need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your team. You will need to listen to input from others. But ultimately, you will be the one who often makes many of the final calls in your building.

Coaches also set the tone, cast the vision, or help motivate their teams to action. Even if you are not a pep-talk kind of person, it is important that you are clear with direction, consistent with follow-through, and fair-minded in difficulties. Like it or not, others will look to you for direction and follow your lead. So plan to lead in a positive direction.

2. Manager
School leadership is much more than management, but it is still an important part of it.

Some principals are surprised at the amount of work required for supervision, personnel decisions, report generating,