5-7-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD

LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District):

School board candidates could be skirting finance disclosure laws

At least two candidates running for the LA Unified school board may be skirting campaign finance laws by sending campaign literature to voters without proper disclosure. The candidates, George McKenna, a retired administrator, and Rachel Johnson, who serves on the city council of Gardena, are competing in a large field to fill the open school board seat representing South LA (see map here), left v

5min 

Number of students on CA charter school wait lists hits a record

Despite the ongoing debate over whether charter schools are better than traditional public schools and the steady increase annually of new charters, the California Charter Schools Association reports a record number of students are on charter school wait lists statewide. In LA Unified, the largest district in the state, an estimated 36,300 students are hoping to get a spot in either an affiliated

3 by Vanessa Romo / 18min 

LAUSD rules that Carthay Center teachers are welcome back

Carthay Center Elementary School Playground Another day, another win for the parents of Carthay Center Elementary School. After LA Unified removed first-year Principal Crystal Campbell-Shirley over their complaints that she was ill-suited to learn during the school shift to magnet status, they were told today that the seven teachers she declined to rehire for next year would be welcome back. Four

3 51min 

JFK High librarian removed after allegations of fraud, forgery

JFK High School LA Unified officials are investigating a teacher who has now been removed from John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills, over allegations that she mishandled and manipulated record-keeping and stole money from ARC, an after-school educational program that works with public, private and charter schools throughout several area school districts. Parents and students at Granada Hil

2 by Yana Gracile / 34min hide  //  save

Morning Read: LAUSD ends review on Miramonte abuse

LAUSD quietly disbands Miramonte child-abuse investigative panel The Los Angeles school district has quietly shut down a high-profile special investigative panel intended to review the Miramonte Elementary child-abuse case, citing its cost. The school system had pledged to form the commission in 2012 as a measure of its commitment to protect students after the arrest of veteran elementary teacher

3 1h 

5-6-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD

LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District): Carthay Center parents get wish: principal is removedCarthay Center Elementary School As they rallied for the ouster of their school principal this morning, parents at Carthay Center Elementary School were told their efforts had paid off: Crystal Campbell-Shirley was removed from her post. Instructional D

by mike simpson / 21h 

5/7/2014 – Charter Schools Fail - Education Opportunity Network

5/7/2014 – Charter Schools Fail:

5/7/2014 – Charter Schools Fail

May 7, 2014 Subscribe THIS WEEK: US Teachers Lack Diversity … Scary Common Core Cut Scores… Common Core vs. Real Issues … Funding For Higher Ed Not Recovering … Young Workers Face Tough Climb TOP STORY Charter Schools Fail: New Reports Call Their ‘Magic’ Into Question By Jeff Bryant “In today’s climate of trumped up political truisms … the supposed necessity of charter schools is just the lates

by Jeff Bryant / 33min hide  //  save

Charter Schools Fail: New Reports Call Their ‘Magic’ Into Question

When members of the U.S. House of Representatives consider, beginning today, a bill to incentivize the expansion of charter schools, you can expect there to be a lot of heat but not very much light in their discussion of the need for more of these institutions. The bipartisan bill, HR 10, is “likely to pass,” according to the experienced observers at Education Week. And “amid lots of cross-aisle f

by Jeff Bryant / 1h 

4/30/2014 – The Magic Education Metric

April 30, 2014 Subscribe THIS WEEK: Real Benefits Of Pre-K … Resistance To Common Core … School Privatization Hurts Poor Kids … Crackdown On Teacher Prep … Student Debt Hurts Entire Economy TOP STORY The Pursuit Of The Magic Education Metric By Jeff Bryant “There is a belief that education policy is adrift unless there is a simplistic metric –’rating systems’ or grades – that make it easily dis

7 by Jeff Bryant / 6d hide  //  save

The Pursuit Of The Magic Education Metric

To address the nation’s struggling economy, the Obama administration has announced a bold proposal to require states to provide more useful data about the career success of business and financial executives who graduate from the nation’s colleges and universities with degrees in finance, accounting, and business administration. Armed with this data, the administration plans to use tens of millions

33 by Jeff Bryant / 6d 

APR 23

4/23/2014 – Parental Advice To Education Policy Makers

April 23, 2014 Subscribe THIS WEEK: English Learning Neglected … Bullying Effects Last … Most Teachers Not “Engaged” … TFA Takes Teachers’ Jobs … Public Schools Out-Perform Voucher Schools TOP STORY Parental Advice To Education Policy Makers By Jeff Bryant “A recent spate of new research studies have revealed current education policies … as being dangerously misaligned with parenting and the mu

5 by Jeff Bryant / 13d 

Parental Advice To Education Policy Makers

For most children, their first teacher is a parent or primary caregiver. And most teachers will tell you that parent behaviors in the home affect student learning in schools. So it would make sense to make sure education policy isn’t strongly at odds with what we know about good parenting. However a recent spate of new research studies have revealed current education policies – particularly high-s

11 by Jeff Bryant / 14d 

The LAUSD Dinosaur: The Truth Behind The Economics Of Scale (And Waste). - Perdaily.com

The LAUSD Dinosaur: The Truth Behind The Economics Of Scale (And Waste). - Perdaily.com:



The LAUSD Dinosaur: Dismantling The Economics Of Scale

(Mensaje se repite en Español)

The only justification that I have ever heard for the continued existence of LAUSD is the economics of scale. Simply stated, this is the notion that larger organizations can buy goods and services for significantly less money than smaller organizations, because of the quantity and consequential discounts they are able to get because of their size.You can see this principle in practice in a companies like Costco or Home Depot, where these companies abilities to buy larger quantities for less gives them a significantly lower unit cost, which ultimately gives them a market advantage over smaller businesses whose unit costs are higher.

At LAUSD, the second largest school district in the country, where economics of scale should thrive, nothing could be further from their daily reality, since the majority of what they purchase is acquired from "agreed upon vendors," whose status as such insulates them from market competition that might ultimately have given them lower costs in educating students. In addition, not only does LAUSD not benefit from the economics of scale, they rather incorporate the worst ills of any too-large organization that suffers from the lack of coordinated management that comes from being so very large, cumbersome, and unaccountable. Cue the dinosaur business model.

The following teacher's comment illustrates how work is typically done at LAUSD:

"We're all upset about layoffs to both certified and classified personnel. However, I want to point out that about 5 years ago, it took a team of FIVE painters more than a week to paint my slightly larger than average-sized elementary classroom. Meanwhile, my class met in the auditorium -- a wonderful place to work with 6 year olds. In the many times I entered my room to retrieve materials, I never once saw any of them actually painting, but I did catch a lot of coffee breaks."

While LAUSD drones often repeat vacuous platitudes like small learning communities, most are reluctant -- or unable -- to sequence enough facts together to understand that the same accountability that hypothetically makes a smaller school better for learning might also far outweigh any potential savings derived from the economics of scale, by eliminating the waste and corruption that is endemic to a dinosaur like public school districts, because responsibility and accountability are necessarily lost... not to mention the actual implementation of anything even remotely resembling the real principles of economics of scale.

When accountability is lost, the interests of the unaccountable The LAUSD Dinosaur: The Truth Behind The Economics Of Scale (And Waste). - Perdaily.com:

High school wasteland: Demographic changes do not explain test-score stagnation among U.S. high school seniors | Education By The Numbers

High school wasteland: Demographic changes do not explain test-score stagnation among U.S. high school seniors | Education By The Numbers:

High school wasteland: Demographic changes do not explain test-score stagnation among U.S. high school seniors

Source: NCES

The National Assessment of Education Progress, run by the U.S. Department of Education, is the only test that is administered in schools across every state in the nation. Fourth and eighth graders across the country have shown meaningful progress on it since the early 1990s, especially in math. The 2013 results in these younger grades even showed small improvements from 2011. (Source: NAEP Mathematics and Reading 2013).

But the 2013 testing results for twelfth graders, released May 7, 2014, are woefully stagnant. The scores for high school seniors haven’t improved at all since 1992, when reading tests were first administered. Indeed, today’s reading scores are actually lower than they were in 1992. The math results, which date back to only 2005, show a modest increase right after that first year. But it’s been complete stagnation since.

It’s hard to make sense of this data. How do you explain why there are improvements in fourth and eighth grade, but not twelfth?

One explanation could be demographic changes. Today there are many more minorities in twelfth grade. The Hispanic population, which has typically scored lower, has exploded. Hispanics have tripled from 7% of high school seniors in 1992 to 20% in 2013. The white population, which has traditionally scored higher, has declined to 58% from 74% in the same time period. More students are diagnosed with a disability today (11% in 2013 vs. 5% in 1992). More students are English language learners.

Furthermore, the high school graduation rate has jumped from 74 percent to 81 percent. That means that the weakest students who used to drop out of high school and were previously not around in twelfth grade to be tested on the NAEP, are now taking the test.

“Our twelfth grade population is our population. And we don’t explain away test scores based on demographics. But it’s useful to keep in mind that we are seeing increases in subgroups that have High school wasteland: Demographic changes do not explain test-score stagnation among U.S. high school seniors | Education By The Numbers:

5-7-14 Curmudgucation

CURMUDGUCATION:

Oh Nos!! NAEP Sadness!

Wednesday unleashed a torrent of bureaucratic sadness as the newest batch of NAEP numbercrunching shambled out into the light of day. NAEP stands for National Assessment of Educational Progress (and not, as I always assumed, No Actual Educational Purpose), and it involves giving math and science tests to students throughout their educational career.The Big Sadness is because high school seniors ha

6 by Peter Greene / 1h 

Or Else

"Well, my child won't be like that."Are there any more hilarious words to come out of the mouths of not-quite-yet parents? Many an actual parent has enjoyed the spectacle of non-parents making pronouncements about a child they haven't even met yet, combined with criticism of the parenting skills of people whose children are actually here."Well, I would never let my child get away wi

1 by Peter Greene / 5min 

Charter$ & Ca$hing In

Since the President has declared this week National Charter School Appreciation & General Praise Week, you are probably thinking, "How can I be part of the charter school excitement?"In the past, many charters were launched that focused solidly on providing unique and exciting educational experiences for their communities. These schools were innovative. These schools were connected t

by Peter Greene / 9min 

5-6-14 Curmudgucation Week

CURMUDGUCATION: My Teacher AppreciationIt is Teacher Appreciation Week, though you could be forgiven for not having noticed. It's the perfect time for all of us to stop and say a few words about the teachers who made a difference for us, whose work we respect, and whose lives in the classroom (and beyond) inspire us. Here are some of mine:Susie and I went to high school together. She eventually re

by mike simpson / 32min 

Moody’s Blames Philly Charters for Bad Rating

Moody's issues warning on School District's bond rating:




Moody’s Blames Philly Charters for Bad Rating

MARTHA WOODALL, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

LAST UPDATED: Wednesday, May 7, 2014, 1:08 AM
POSTED: Tuesday, May 6, 2014, 4:55 PM

PHILADELPHIA At a time when the Philadelphia School District's financial condition is already dire, Moody's Investors Service is warning that rising charter costs and uncertain funding could further sink the district's precarious bond rating.

On Monday, while Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. and School Reform Commission Chairman Bill Green were pressing City Council for more money for city schools, Moody's was giving its assessment of the district's finances.

Moody's analysts said the $2.5 billion budget the district released two weeks ago was so grim that it could fuel a student exodus to charter schools, increasing the district's charter costs.

"Rising charter school enrollments have been a drag on the district's finances, as state law mandates that public school districts pay the costs of sending students to charter schools," Moody's said in its "Credit Outlook" report.

The district already spends 31 percent of its budget on charters, which enroll 67,315 students. Moody's analysts said that the district's financial picture could cause that number to grow.

District officials have said the budget they presented for the fiscal year that begins July 1 would imperil the district's ability to provide an adequate education for its 131,500 students. Unless the district receives at least $216 million more, officials said, 1,000 staffers would be laid off, and the average class size would soar to 41 students.

Analysts have not changed the district's bond rating. It remains Ba2 - essentially speculative or junk bond status - but they have a negative outlook on the district's obligations.

If Moody's does downgrades the bonds, the district's borrowing costs would increase. The district already spends 11 percent of its budget on debt service.

"The Moody's analysis accurately reports some of the consequences the School District may face if schools are not adequately funded," district spokesman Fernando Gallard said in an e-mail Tuesday. "The effects of inefficient funding for public education go well beyond the classroom."

The district will spend $700 million on charter payments through June, about $25 million more than budgeted. One reason for the higher bills is that charters have enrolled 1,600 more students than permitted in their operating agreements.

The district currently pays charter schools $8,419 per student, $22,312 for those who receive special-education services.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20140507_Moody_s_issues_warning_on_Phila__School_District_s_bond_rating.html#JvplW8301JidUYSf.99

5-7-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"

Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement":

This Is The Best Critique Of The “Broken Compass” Parent Involvement Book That I’ve Seen…

Parental involvement overrated? Don’t buy it is a very, very impressive response to the “Broken Compass” authors dismissal of most types of parent involvement. It’s written by three college professors — By Todd Rogers, Lucas Coffman and Peter Bergman — and appeared on the CNN website. I can’t emphasize enough that people should read the entire post, but here’s an excerpt: Citing their research, th

3 by Larry Ferlazzo / 18min 

5-6-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"

Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": “How to be an advocate for your (special needs) child”How to be an advocate for your (special needs) child by Jovan Miles could be a very useful post to share with parents. It’s a great additions to The Best Resources To Help Engage Parents Of Children With Special Needs.4 by Larry Ferlazzo / 58min hide  //  save“19 Proven

by mike simpson / 14h 

5-7-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

Chicago Teachers Join National Opposition to Common Core

BY CTU COMMUNICATIONS  |  05/07/2014CHICAGO – Today, members of the House of Delegates (HOD) of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) passed the following resolution that enjoins the city’s educators to growing national opposition to the Common Core State Standards, saying the assessments disrupt student learning and consume tremendous amounts of time and resources for test preparation and administrati

2 by Jim Horn / 9min 

Charter Schools: New Report on Massive Fraud, Abuse, and Mismanagement

  Charter School Vulnerabilities to Waste, Fraud, & Abuse

by Jim Horn / 14min 

KIPP's Gritsters Get Hammered for Amoral Character Goals

Capitalism is neither moral nor immoral; it is amoral.  There is no room at the bottom line for pious judgments of right or wrong that might affect the balance sheet.  Capitalism is about the accumulation of capital to make more capital and nothing else.  There was a time in our not-so-distant past when capitalists chose to make money in ways that supported some of the humane individual and group

by Jim Horn / 4min 

5-6-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: Can a Weingarten Stamp of Approval Mean Anything Good for NYC Teachers?The saddest part of Randi Weingarten’s rainy day trip to Lake Placid to get some press press photos of her protesting at the DFER ed deform meeting is that the Misleaders of the AFT and NEA have endorsed most of the agenda of the hedge funders inside the meeting, whether it is bonus pay for test scores, teacher

by mike simpson / 23h 

Article: CONFLICTED: MSNBC's Mixed Reporting on Common Core and Charter Schools | OpEdNews

Article: CONFLICTED: MSNBC's Mixed Reporting on Common Core and Charter Schools | OpEdNews:

CONFLICTED: MSNBC's Mixed Reporting on Common Core and Charter Schools

By Gustav Wynn (about the author)  

opednews.com

by gw

Last fall, I asked whether MSNBC hosts like Rachel Maddow and Chris Hayes (my two favorite) are pressured not to cover issues like hydrofracking or GMO foods by their bosses (see Is Rachel Maddow Going Easy on MSNBC Advertisers?). No one knows whether or not they had to sign confidentiality agreements governing editorial control of their shows, or what, if any influence there may be by new ownership. Media watchdog FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting) notes that Maddow's history of reporting on the shady dealings of ALEC becomes awkward as MSNBC's new parent Comcast is a celebrated corporate member of ALEC with plans to exploit the Common Core "juggernaut" selling their wares to schools.

As a teacher, I've watched the charter/Common Core debates go mainstream of late, including reports on CNN, ABC, CBS, the Washington Post, Newsweek, Stephen Colbert, The Nation, Mother Jones and many more. But NBC and MSNBC are different because they were previously involved in promoting Common Core. Researching the record of MSNBC hosts, I soon learned of their divisions (which could be a good thing). Let's go through it:

It started with MSNBC blogsman Trymaine Lee. I thought it odd that he wrote so articulately about the charter school controversy, while Morning Joe gives obvious preference to charter school principals with air time and promotion.

CHRIS HAYES: had a real teacher on the air one time (a BadAss Teacher from the 45,000+ member Facebook group) in a balanced debate against a charter proponent, while Hayes stayed neutral. Hayes noted keen interest in "Common Core" as an issue held against Jeb Bush's by his competitors, but misspoke about Common Core's component parts. He did interview Diane Ravitch here and reported on Michelle Rhee's "bombshell" cheating cover-up here. But why would his news instinct take him away from Common Core, the latest tea party stampede, and subject of Glenn Beck's next book?

RACHEL MADDOW: Noticeably absent on the issue of Common Core, charters and #Rheeform in general, but has concerns about career readiness and smartness deficits. In thoughts about raising expectations made at a 2013 appearance at her alma mater Stanford, Rachel asked "who is going to write the stuff that goes into Wikipedia?"

This is the first part of the classic Common Core pitch - we're so "low" we need to do something. The second part is the Common Core lobby's assertion that changing standards helps, a claim in major dispute. So Rachel avoids the subject on her show, but basically can't Article: CONFLICTED: MSNBC's Mixed Reporting on Common Core and Charter Schools | OpEdNews:

Statement: Improving voting procedures for 2014 Renaissance process | Parents United for Public Education

Statement: Improving voting procedures for 2014 Renaissance process | Parents United for Public Education:

Statement: Improving voting procedures for 2014 Renaissance process

Posted on May 7, 2014 by PARENTSUNITEDPHILALeave a comment

Parents United for Public Education

Suggestions to improve Renaissance Process voting procedures

May 5, 2014

Parents United for Public Education has raised serious concerns about the overall Renaissance charter effort. Nevertheless, we supported the District’s decision this year to permit parents to vote on whether their schools should be taken over by charter operators. We laud the parent and school community of Edward T. Steel Elementary School who demonstrated what an informed, vigilant and engaged parent community looks like. We strongly urge the District to continue its partnership with the League of Women Voters, which ran the popular election at Steel. The contrast between the popular election run by the League v. the SAC election run by the District charter office – the latter of which has resulted in grievances and much controversy – is further proof of the League’s value in this election.

As the District looks ahead to a June 5 vote at Luis Munoz-Marin, we believe the following steps can help improve notification, voter accessibility, and publishing of results. This statement relates solely to election procedures and is not an endorsement of the Renaissance effort.

Policies and practices BEFORE the general parent election

The lack of proper notice and clarity of procedure for the election was the primary procedural concern. We make the following suggestions:

• At least two weeks before the actual vote, the District must publicly display large-scale posters inside and outside the school building alerting parents to the election date/times, ID required, sample ballot, and a contact phone number. The District cannot rely on flyers lying around the school building or sent home in backpacks as adequate notification. This information must be made available in multiple languages.
• The District must determine language access needs ahead of the vote and ensure all languages will be accommodated in all public sessions (including SAC meetings) and through the voting process.
• The District must disclose clear procedures for filing absentee ballots and make absentee ballots conspicuously available in the school building.
• The District must use its robocall feature to alert parents of voting day and what ID is necessary. These calls must be conducted in multiple languages.
• The District must be able to confirm a parent’s eligibility to vote before the day of the vote. No parent or guardian should be surprised about their status or eligibility to vote.
• Conversely, the District must be clear about what groups of parents cannot vote. For example, the District should explicitly state that pre-K parents cannot vote. This was a contentious issue at Steel, where the District would consistently use the phrase “only parents currently enrolled at the school” can vote. By May, however, many pre-K parents had already enrolled for kindergarten and remained confused about their right to cast a vote. It’s the District’s responsibility to be as clear as possible, not the burden of immigrant or new parents to figure it out.
• The District must give clear procedures for the grievance process, which includes acknowledgment of receipt of grievances, identifying agency/department who will conducts the investigation, time frame for investigation and findings and the general manner/procedures to be used by the agency/department in investigating a grievance.
• The District MUST specifically state a date and time when the results of the voting will be released and the manner by which these results will be made public. We believe unofficial results should be posted the day of the vote, unless there is significant reason to conclude that the votes are invalid. Results should also be publicly posted in the school building and on the School District website.
• Mandated lobbying and ethics training by the City Ethics Office required of charter operators and the School District and also made open and available to school communities and the public.

Policies and procedures DAY OF election

• Language access must be on site the day of the election.
• The District must provide independent observers from each side for the actual vote count.
• The District should leave a sealed copy of the unofficial vote results in a physical place at the school, not to be opened until the actual vote is publicly released.

Policies and procedures POST election

• Election results must be publicly posted within the school building and on the District website.
• An independent review and comprehensive report of the election process must be made publicly available which includes full details such as meeting dates, official presentations by charter operators/District/school, SAC participation/names, number of eligible voters, number of actual votes, number of absentee ballots cast, number of votes per side, any voting irregularities, grievance(s) filed, grievance outcomes, etc.
• The District should make a good faith effort to determine the percentage of eligible voters without necessary ID. It should analyze the reasonability and/or deterrence of various voter ID requirements. There should also be a public accounting of voters rejected because of a lack of proper ID.

Polices and procedures regarding SACs

Parents United for Public Education takes parent governance seriously. SACs have clear governance responsibilities that both pre-date and go well beyond a single SAC vote. We strongly oppose the forced reconstitution of an existing SAC or the formation of an entirely new SAC solely for the purpose of voting in a single election. If there is an existing SAC, those members should lead the vote and have a central responsibility for informing and engaging parents. If there is no existing SAC, none should be formed solely for one election, and the popular parent vote should take precedent.

Additionally, it is wrong for the charter office to supervise the formation or reconstitution of any SAC as this does not fall under their responsibilities. SACs should not be politically constituted bodies, and should remain under the supervision of the offices which oversee their governance responsibilities.