6-27-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy

Wait What?:

Wait What? 

“This is stealing from the poor and middle class to make a billionaire even richer” (Pelto, August 2012)

Twenty-two months later – vindication! Almost two years ago, Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy announced that he was giving Bridgewater Associates, the world’s most profitable hedge fund, $120 million to move their headquarters from Westport to Stamford. Bridgewater’s CEO, Ray Dalio, is known as the nation’s highest paid individual with an annual income of over $2 […] The post “This is stealing from th

by jonpelto / 27min 

Who me?  Pryor calls for an investigation of Jumoke Academy/FUSE charter school management company

Until tonight, observers could safely say that the single most outrageous political maneuver during Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy tenure has been his claim that he was pro-public education while being the only Democratic Governor in the nation to propose doing away with teacher tenure and repealing collective bargaining for teachers in so-called “turnaround” schools. But […] The post Who me?  Pryor

by jonpelto / 26min 

IT’S ABOUT THE SUBSTANCE (By Ann Policelli Cronin)

In this guest post, educator Ann Policelli Cronin provides a clear-cut explanation of some of the problems with the Common Core.  Now if our elected officials would just take the time to learn the facts, they’d join us in our effort to drop the Common Core and stop the inappropriate, unfair, and expensive Common Core […] The post IT’S ABOUT THE SUBSTANCE (By Ann Policelli Cronin) appeared first on

13 by jonpelto / 1h 

Squelching dissent in Bridgeport City Hall (by Carmen Lopez)

This commentary piece first appeared in the CT Post on June 25, 2014  The 1949 movie “All the King’s Men,” based on the novel of the same name by Robert Penn Warren, opens with the main character, Willie Stark, confronting political corruption in a small southern town. Stark, played by Broderick Crawford, claims that a […] The post Squelching dissent in Bridgeport City Hall (by Carmen Lopez) appea

by jonpelto / 1h 

6-26-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy

Wait What?: Wait What? I met my political tracker….Following my speech to the Working Families Party last Saturday, I held an informal press conference outside the hall with members of the Connecticut media.  While a few of the reporters are relatively new to the state, I’ve known others for well over 30 years.  I have tremendous respect for the role real journalists play […] The post I met my pol

by mike simpson / 7h

6-27-14 Answer Sheet

Answer Sheet:

A disturbing look at Common Core tests in New York

The promise of new standardized tests aligned to the Common Core State Standards  was that they would show which students were ready for college and career and which weren’t. But in New York, a look at the tests shows how the state is failing to meet that promise. This was written by Carol Burris and […]

by Valerie Strauss / 25min hide  //  save

Obama expands use of standardized tests for special-needs and American Indian students

President Obama recently told graduates at the University of California, Irvine, that people who deny the science behind climate change are just as wrong as people who say the moon is “made of cheese.” Congress, he said, “is full of folks who stubbornly and automatically reject the scientific evidence” about climate change and call it a […]

3 by Valerie Strauss / 55min 

6-26-14 Answer Sheet

Answer Sheet: Standard & Poor’s rates outlook for charter school sector as ‘negative’Standard & Poor’s has issued a new report that extends its “negative” outlook for the charter school sector. Of 214 public charter school ratings done by the agency, 41, or 19 percent, are negative while only 4 — or 2 percent — are positive. Furthermore, it says, funding has not generally “returned to pre-

by mike simpson / 7h 

6-27-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum:

Friday Open Thread

The West Seattle blog reports on a fire at one play area at Schmitz Park early Thursday morning.  It did $50K in damage to a playground that the district paid for last year.   That likely means it is covered by insurance.  The Fire Department is unsure if it was arson, an accident or spontaneous combustion (from wood chips).   From Principal Kischner: “We appreciate the prompt response of the Seat

by Melissa Westbrook / 5min 

Seattle Schools and Building Leadership Teams

Building Leadership Teams (BLTs) exist at every SPS school (or should).There should be parent/community representation at every SPS school's BLT (or should).  That representation should NOT be controlled by the principal.There should be bylaws written and readily available for anyone to be able to access about the decision-making process for each school. Let us know how the BLT at your school work

by Melissa Westbrook / 8h hide  //  save

Washington State Democrats Approved Revised Education Plank

You may recall I, along with other Dems, were not so happy to see what appeared to be a stripped-down public education plank in the Washington State Democrats platform. I heard from one of the members of the Platform Committee members, Andrew Villeneuve, on this topic recently.I wanted to let you know that this past weekend, the Washington State Democratic 2014 Convention was held in Spokane. The

by Melissa Westbrook / 9h 

6-26-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum: UpdatesMarch and Rally to Gates Foundation To note: there is the march and rally to protest the ed reform work of the Gates Foundation today, starting at 5 pm at Westlake Park.  The march will then go to the Gates Foundation on Mercer at 5th.  There will be speeches and some kind of flash mob dance. The police are warning of possible traffic issues.   From Diane Ra

by mike simpson / 3h 

6-27-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL:

Video: Experience A Little Bit Of What Someone With Autism Feels….

I’m adding this video to The Best Sites For Walking In Someone Else’s Shoes:

by Larry Ferlazzo / 8h 

6-24-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Good Posts & Articles On Education PolicyHere are some recent useful posts and articles on educational policy issues: Aren’t California tenure policies in fact unreasonable? Plus 4 more Vergara questions asked and answered is from The Washington Post. I’m adding it to California Court Rules It’

by mike simpson / 8h 

6-27-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

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

Illinois pension lawsuit update from the Illinois Retired Teachers Association (IRTA).

- From the IRTA: On June 26th our lawyers appeared in court for a continued case management hearing in our case. Overall our lawyers thought the hearing went very well. The lawyers will be working to draft a case management order that sets out deadlines for further actions in the case, but these are the highlights of the court’s rulings. First, the Court granted the plaintiffs’ joint motion to wit

1 by Fred Klonsky / 29min 

Reforming admissions.

. Through interviews with teachers and students at the High School of American Studies, this documentary explores efforts to reform the admissions system for New York City’s elite specialized high schools.

by Fred Klonsky / 2h hide  //  save

Letter to the editor. What if the Hinsdale board owned the Blackhawks.

Letter to the Darien Patch. By listening to the new board majority and its supporters you’d think that the teachers in District 86 have little or nothing to do with the district’s tradition of excellence. After all, Mr. Skoda talks about how overpaid the teachers are and how many applicants the district gets and Mr. Corcoran says that teachers should be so honored to work in such a prestigious sc

1 by Fred Klonsky / 2h 

6-26-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Poll. Voting for a pension thief?Take Our Poll1 by Fred Klonsky / 58min hide  //  saveRocky Mountain High.The IEA has sent out memos to delegates attending the NEA RA in Denver regarding pot smoking. In 25 years of attending every RA but the one in LA, I have never been warned about dope. I have heard

by mike simpson / 7h 

6-27-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"

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

“Power Of Community” Is A Must-Read Report

I’ve written a lot about the tremendous parent engagement work of the St. Paul teachers union. They’ve just come out with a must-read report on their work titled Power Of Community. I’m adding it to The Best Reasons Why Parents Should Be Looked At As Allies & Not Targets Of Blame.

2 by Larry Ferlazzo / 6h 

British Mother Fined For Taking Son Out Of School To Attend Her Wedding

Earlier today, I posted about a new parents group in England organizing for more parent engagement in schools and against that country’s ridiculous law of finding parents for taking their kids out of school during the year. Now, The Telegraph has run a story about: Clare Whitelegg has been told she cannot take her son out of school for her wedding as it does not amount to ‘exceptional circumstanc

2 by Larry Ferlazzo / 6h 

“Parents Want A Say” Is New British Group Formed To Give Parents A Voice In Ed Policies

The Guardian reports on a new British parents group called Parents Want A Say. Its initial impetus was fighting what appears to me a ridiculous policy of fining parents when they take their kids on vacation while school is in session, but they’re not stopping there: While the group’s initial focus is on changing the policy on term-time absences, Langman says it is only one of many areas where pare

2 by Larry Ferlazzo / 6h hide  //  save

Parents Organize Charter School With Support Of Teachers Union

Many parents — and teachers — were rightfully upset last year when our Sacramento district closed a number of elementary schools, especially because the district wasn’t transparent with the decision-making process they used. Now, a very large group of parents, with the support of our teachers union, has gotten approval from the School Board to start a “dependent” (in other words, committing to hir

2 by Larry Ferlazzo / 6h 

“Truancy court: Parents get support, kids get to school”

I’ve previously posted about a number of punitive actions districts have considered or taken against parents in order to get actions taken by them. Truancy court: Parents get support, kids get to school is an article in the San Francisco Chronicle that takes a different approach: Here’s an excerpt: In the past 10 years, 740 parents have been prosecuted and charged with truancy infractions and 85 t

5 by Larry Ferlazzo / 6h 

“Big Brother: Meet the Parents”

Big Brother: Meet the Parents is an article at Politico. Here’s an excerpt: A months-long review by POLITICO of student privacy issues, including dozens of interviews, found the parent privacy lobby gaining momentum — and catching big-data advocates off guard. Initially dismissed as a fringe campaign, the privacy movement has attracted powerful allies on both the left and right. The American Civil

2 by Larry Ferlazzo / 6h 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 6-27-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:

Attention All LAUSD Teachers: FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES & “THE CHILDREN OF WILLESDEN LANE”

from Councilmember Jose Huizar’s Downtown Community e-newsletter | http://bit.ly/Vugqmw 27 June 2014  ::  The Music Center is excited to partner with Mona Golabek and The Los Angeles Unified School District to present “The Children of Willesden Lane” project, a special series of performances for middle and high school students November 3-7, 2014.  The performances will take place at

by smf / 1h 

Poll Finds Common Core Opposition Rising In California

By John Fensterwald |EdSource  | http://bit.ly/1jrLsAC Credit: John C. Osborn/EdSource Today June 26, 2014  ::  Here are some key results of the poll of Californians’ views on education conducted by the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education and Policy Analysis for California Education. For more details of the survey, see below. An annual poll of Californians

by smf / 4min 

Including Teachers In The Student Mental-Health Continuum

Commentary By Thomas J. Cottle and Jennifer Greif Green | Education Week http://bit.ly/1qiI2HS Published Online: June 20, 2014  ::  The location changes, but the story is a familiar one: An angry young man*—sometimes a teenager—guns down others in a public place. Whether it's Troutdale, Ore.; Isla Vista, Calif.; or Newtown, Conn., questions soon arise about the mental health of the killer and

by smf / 4min hide  //  save

YESTERDAY

Sacramento Lawmakers in AB 2449: STUDENTS NEED 20 MINUTES TO EAT

by Alisha Kirby | SI&A Cabinet Report ::  http://bit.ly/UOBtQe June 26, 2014  ::  (Calif.) A bill headed for a final vote in the state Senate addresses a problem many kids and parents would like to see resolved: Students not having enough time to eat lunch at school. Twenty minutes, according to the California Department of Education, is considered the minimum “adequate time” to consume a

by smf / 8h 

Retweeting Howard Blume: U.S. STUDENTS BEST AT………..oops, sorry, I dozed off…….. OUR KIDS ARE BEST IN THE WORLD AT BEING SLEEPY!

  U.S. Students Get Top Scores for Sleepiness By Holly Yettick , Education Week |  http://bit.ly/1qA69Qc Published Online: June 10, 2014, Published in Print: June 11, 2014  ::  While U.S. students often catch flak for their performance on large-scale international assessments, they may be approaching world dominance on one such indicator: sleepiness. In

by smf / 8h 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 6-26-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Contingent Approval Of The 2014-15 Lausd Arts Education Budgetby smf for 4LAKidsNews, from the office of Boardmember Zimmer At last Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting the following “not an amendment” to the Arts and Music Education Budget detail was offered by Boardmember Steve Zimmer and accepted by the superintendent and the Board of Education witho

by mike simpson / 7h