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Friday, June 27, 2014

Nite Cap 6-27-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2



James Baldwin said it best: 

"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."


A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP



Why We MUST Support Teachers Running For Elected Office | Opt Out Orlando
Why We MUST Support Teachers Running For Elected Office | Opt Out Orlando: Why We MUST Support Teachers Running For Elected OfficeBy Opt Out OrlandoIn Florida, only seven of the 160 state legislators are public school teachers, making decisions for the largest slice of the budget pie ($24 Billion or approximately 30% of the state’s general fund).  No wonder things are such a grand mess.How many of
by mike simpson / 7min 
Charter school board members found themselves powerless | Detroit Free Press | freep.com
Charter school board members found themselves powerless | Detroit Free Press | freep.com: Charter school board members found themselves powerless> As president of the board of the Detroit Enterprise Academy, Sandra Clark-Hinton was pressing hard for detailed financial records from a representative of the charter school’s management company.His response: The documents were “none of the board’s busi
by mike simpson / 19min 
All Things Education: Tell Governor McAuliffe: no OEI, no way, no how.
All Things Education: Tell Governor McAuliffe: no OEI, no way, no how.: Tell Governor McAuliffe: no OEI, no way, no how.About two weeks ago, Virginians got this great news about the state's new anti-democratic education bureaucracy, the Opportunity Educational Institution:A judge has ruled that the state's plan to take over failing schools violates the Virginia constitution. The idea had been to e
by mike simpson / 36min 
NYC Public School Parents: Comment on the Blue Book changes
NYC Public School Parents: Comment on the Blue Book changes: Comment on the Blue Book changesThe just announced change to the "Blue Book",  the annual school capacity and utilization report, to attribute the enrollment in trailers or TCUs to the main building is a good one – and was recommended in our report, Space Crunch.  But we still need to know how many students are sitting in trail
by mike simpson / 39min 
Assessing the Risk | The Crucial Voice of the People
Assessing the Risk | The Crucial Voice of the People: Assessing the RiskJohn W. Gardner, an influential Republican who served both parties and helped bring to fruition a federal education law under a  Democrat’s administration. Is it fair to have said in 1983, and to say now, that we are a nation at risk? My gut tells me yes, forever and always, we should be viewing this republic in that light les
by mike simpson / 44min 
How do you want to be remembered? | Connected Principals
How do you want to be remembered? | Connected Principals: How do you want to be remembered?by Derek Hatch • June 27, 2014 • 0 CommentsIn my role as a high school Assistant Principal, I am also a grade coordinator. I met my “class” almost three years ago when they started grade 10. These kids (almost 300 of them) are now in grade 12 and they will be graduating this month. Over the course of the las
by mike simpson / 2h 
State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson to Unveil Blueprint for STEM Education
Events, June 30, 2014 - Events (CA Dept of Education): Events, June 30, 2014Ed Ahead and calendar listings of anticipated news releases, media advisories, upcoming visits by Superintendent Torlakson, and other newsworthy announcements.State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson to Unveil Blueprint for STEM EducationState Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson will hold a news conference Monday i
by mike simpson / 2h 
New Orleans schools should stop hiring so many teachers who don’t understand the students’ culture or backgrounds | Hechinger Report
New Orleans schools should stop hiring so many teachers who don’t understand the students’ culture or backgrounds | Hechinger Report: New Orleans schools should stop hiring so many teachers who don’t understand the students’ culture or backgroundsBy Glenn SullivanThe lunch period ended like so many others. After the bell rang, students raced up the stairwell, not in a rush to get to class on time
by mike simpson / 2h 
ETS and College Board "deeply apologetic" for racist t-shirt
ETS and College Board "deeply apologetic" for racist t-shirt: ETS AND COLLEGE BOARD "DEEPLY APOLOGETIC" FOR RACIST T-SHIRTJoint statement addresses "culturally offensive actions" at AP World History ReadingSo you may have heard about some of that racist bullsh*t that went down at the Educational Testing Service's annual AP World History Reading earlier this month in S
by mike simpson / 3h 
6-27-14 Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All Week
Jersey Jazzman: Charter School Cream Skimming Doesn't Always Pay OffThere's a bit of a "he said/she said" thing going on in Jersey City between the school district and a charter school:After telling Jersey City parents two weeks ago that the school district was investigating a possible data breach of personal student information, and then saying two days later that there was no data brea
by mike simpson / 3h 
An open letter from the NEA and the educators of America These “test, label, and punish” policies have failed
NEA - Open Letter: An open letter from the NEA and the educators of AmericaA generation ago, our nation enacted the No Child Left Behind law (NCLB) which measured the quality of our schools by the state standardized reading and math test scores of students. Schools that did not make the required progress were labeled as failing and punished by being closed, turned into charters and/or having schoo
by mike simpson / 3h 
Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Why Tenure?
Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Why Tenure?: Why Tenure? In the aftermath of the initial Vergara decision, there are lots of questions about effects. Having taught in a public school under a turn-around model, where hiring and being retained, was based solely on the discretion of the site administrator, I think I already have a pretty good idea of what that will look like, and it’s not go
by mike simpson / 4h 
A series to explore summer learning loss | Philadelphia Public School Notebook
A series to explore summer learning loss | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: A series to explore summer learning lossBy Dorian Geiger on Jun 27, 2014 01:46 PM Too much downtime this summer could prove to be a major detriment to Philadelphia's students when they return to classes in fall.The phenomenon of summer learning loss, often nicknamed "summer slide," is a nationwide dilemma tha
by mike simpson / 4h 
La. State Board Not “Bound by Law” to Either CCSS or PARCC | deutsch29
La. State Board Not “Bound by Law” to Either CCSS or PARCC | deutsch29: La. State Board Not “Bound by Law” to Either CCSS or PARCCJune 27, 2014On June 18, 2014, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal made the executive decision to remove Louisiana from the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and associated assessment, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC).The way that
by mike simpson / 4h 
Vermont and its Educators Lead the Way on Single Payer | NEA Today
Vermont and its Educators Lead the Way on Single Payer | NEA Today: Vermont and its Educators Lead the Way on Single PayerJune 27, 2014 by twalker  Filed under Featured News, Health Care Reform, Top StoriesLeave a CommentBy Mary Ellen FlanneryThe same state that led the nation on same-sex marriage is now tackling another social justice issue: health care coverage for all of its residents.Led by Go
by mike simpson / 5h 
6-27-14 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): Morning Read: Former Obama aides let fly at teacher tenureObama alums join anti teachers union case Teachers unions are girding for a tough fight to defend tenure laws against a coming blitz of lawsuits — and an all-out public relations campaign led by former aides to President Barack Obama. The Incite Ag
by mike simpson / 5h 
Educating Gates Rally: Morna McDermott and Susan DuFresne on Vimeo
Educating Gates Rally: Morna McDermott and Susan DuFresne on Vimeo: Educating Gates Rally: Morna McDermott and Susan DuFresnefrom Schoolhouse Live PRO 4 hours ago NOT YET RATEDMorna McDermott and Susan DuFresne Educating Gates Rally: Morna McDermott and Susan DuFresne from Schoolhouse Live on Vimeo.
by mike simpson / 5h 
6-27-14 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: Learn about TMoE at Chalkface Radio Interview ArchiveChalkface Radio has up a terrific interview archive.  Check it out. Here's the one Denise Wilburn and I did 10 months ago, soon after The Mismeasure of Education was published.  Current Politics Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Chalk Face on BlogTalkRadioJuly 12 will mark the one year since TMoE was published.  How time flies.  B
by mike simpson / 7h 
Teachers love their job but feel undervalued, unsupported and unrecognised, says OECD
Newsroom - OECD: Teachers love their job but feel undervalued, unsupported and unrecognised, says OECD25/06/14 - Most teachers enjoy their job, despite feeling unsupported and unrecognised in schools and undervalued by society at large, according to a new OECD survey.The OECD’s Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) finds that more than nine out of ten teachers are satisfied with their
by mike simpson / 7h 
CHICAGO POLICE TORTURE | Bill Ayers
CHICAGO POLICE TORTURE | Bill Ayers: CHICAGO POLICE TORTURESaw the chilling and powerful “Death and the Maiden” at Victory Garden Theater last night, followed by an inspiring conversation with Chicago torture survivors and anti-torture activists and lawyers. Please see it, and also join the movement for reparations:change.org/petitions/pass-the-ordinance-seeking-reparations-for-the-chicago-police-
by mike simpson / 7h 
Positively Deviant School Reform?
Positively Deviant School Reform?: Positively Deviant School Reform?FRIDAY, JUNE 27TH, 2014 AT 10:42 AMIf you had six months, little to no resources, and a clear mandate to solve a chronic country-wide problem – knowing that, if you failed, you would be asked to leave that country altogether – what would you do?I ask because this was precisely the challenge Save the Children was faced with, in Vie
by mike simpson / 7h 
Morning Wink 6-27-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-27-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Tom Scarice: The Greatest Crime Against Education, Educators, and Students Is….Tom Scarice, superintendent of schools in Madison, Connecticut, here speaks out and names the criminal corruption o
by mike simpson / 8h 
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-27-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Tom Scarice: The Greatest Crime Against Education, Educators, and Students Is….Tom Scarice, superintendent of schools in Madison, Connecticut, here speaks out and names the criminal corruption of education into a test-taking industry that has no goal other than test scores. He knows that as the stakes go higher, people succumb to t
by mike simpson / 8h 
6-27-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy
Wait What?: Wait What? 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 tha
by mike simpson / 8h 
6-27-14 Answer Sheet
Answer Sheet: A disturbing look at Common Core tests in New YorkThe 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
by mike simpson / 8h 
6-27-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools and Building Leadership TeamsBuilding 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 decisi
by mike simpson / 8h 
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, & EFLLarry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: This
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.: 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  //  saveLetter to the editor. What if the Hinsdal
by mike simpson / 8h 
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 ReportI’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 Blam
by mike simpson / 8h 
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 6-27-14
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Including Teachers In The Student Mental-Health ContinuumCommentary 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
by mike simpson / 8h 
6-27-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: Who Are We? We Are the ResistanceWho Are We? We Are the Resistance. via Who Are We? We Are the Resistance.1 by plthomasedd / 42min 6-26-14 @ The Chalk Face@ THE CHALK FACE: The Troubling Realities of School SegregationI read this story twice and also read this blog to learn more about the situation and it has left me with many unanswered questions. But first let me see if I have
by mike simpson / 8h 
6-27-14 With A Brooklyn Accent: The Challenges Facing the NEA and the AFT at Their National Conventions
With A Brooklyn Accent: The Challenges Facing the NEA and the AFT at Their National Conventions As teachers unions prepare to meet this summer, they face three great challenges, which are also opportunities:The rapidly growing grass roots movement against the Common Core Standards, which has already led several states to withdraw from CCSS, and has probably doomed its creators vision of CCSS as a
by mike simpson / 8h 
Detroit For-Profit Charter School Spends Big On Ads | PopularResistance.Org
Detroit For-Profit Charter School Spends Big On Ads | PopularResistance.Org: For-profit charter school corporation’s Detroit media ad buy now has a price tag: several hundred thousand dollarsIt’s Day Four of the explosive Detroit Free Press exposé of Michigan charter schools and also Day Four of the National Heritage Academies complete takover of the websites of Detroit’s two biggest newspapers wi
by mike simpson / 8h 
6-26-14 The Whole Child Blog — Becoming Better Listeners
The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education: Becoming Better ListenersPost written by Melinda Moran At its heart, differentiation is about knowing your students—not only where they are relative to learning goals, but also who they are as learners, or better yet, as people. Because our students are really people "under construction," differentiation is most successful when we continually
by mike simpson / 8h 
6-27-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University)
the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): Who Are We? We Are the ResistanceDiane Ravitch’s post about the debate over the Gates moratorium includes a comment from John Thompson that deserves close attention: In a note to me, John Thompson pointed out that our side, which doesn’t have a name, cherishes the clash
by mike simpson / 8h 
6-27-14 empathyeducates
empathyeducates: Why Kids Care More About Achievement Than Helping OthersSeattle Municipal Archives/Flickr With thanks to my parents who often practiced as they preached. Mom and Dad often reflected, in raising a child you need to think – Does my tone of voice, body language, and facial expression, all together, communicate what I believe? If as a […]by empathy / 6h YESTERDAY18 Things White People
by mike simpson / 8h 
6-27-14 Curmudgucation
CURMUDGUCATION: Buy Mercedes Schneider's BookMercedes Schneider is pissed.There are many things that come through in her book A Chronicle of Echoes, but what's most immediately palpable is her anger at what has been done to public education in this country. And as each chapter unrolls, it's impossible not to see why she is so angry.Schneider is one of the most important bloggers in the edublogosph
by mike simpson / 8h 
6-27-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: The UFT MUST Endorse Andrew Cuomo For GovernorI am calling for the UFT to enthusiastically and vocally endorse Governor Andrew M. Cuomo for re-election this November.Sure Cuomo has shown himself to be anti-union, anti-teacher and anti-traditional public schools during his tenure as governor.And sure it makes no sense that a teachers union would continue to support a politici
by mike simpson / 9h 
Financial Corruption and Academic Failure in Charter Sector Beg for Oversight | janresseger
Financial Corruption and Academic Failure in Charter Sector Beg for Oversight | janresseger: Financial Corruption and Academic Failure in Charter Sector Beg for OversightPosted on June 27, 2014 by janressegerEarlier this week, tracking an extraordinary investigative series on charter schools by theDetroit Free Press (still ongoing today) , this blog commented: “Although the federal government has
by mike simpson / 9h 
Trusting Teachers With Collective Autonomy | Education Evolving
Trusting Teachers With Collective Autonomy | Education Evolving: Trusting Teachers With Collective AutonomyMotivating students and personalizing learning is necessary to improve student achievement. This is bound to enlarge and to change the teacher's role. Inside school the teachers know the students best, and should be free to adapt and innovate according to their students' needs.This runs again
by mike simpson / 9h 
NYC Educator: When's the Best Time to Activate UFT Activists?
NYC Educator: When's the Best Time to Activate UFT Activists?: When's the Best Time to Activate UFT Activists?I'm amazed at how we're under attack on so many different fronts. Aside from Vergara and its copycats, the US Supreme Court appears to be contemplating making the United States a Right to Work country. This is really not what its supporters would have you believe. If dues are optional, a l
by mike simpson / 10h 
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Finally, a viable opponent for Mayor One-Percent?
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Finally, a viable opponent for Mayor One-Percent?: Finally, a viable opponent for Mayor One-Percent?“I’m a little sick of the mayor and I don’t see anyone stepping up,” Lewis told the Chicago Sun-Times by telephone Thursday evening. “I am seriously thinking about it.”"Do we want 'Star Wars' museums or public, neighborhood schools? Do we want presidential librari
by mike simpson / 10h 

YESTERDAY

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 6-26-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
Nite Cap UPDATEUPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATECORPORATE ED REFORM18 Things White People Should Know/Do Before Discussing RacismAmericans, for decades now, have aspired to be colorblind, just not completely. Oh we long to see pretty pink crocuses and yellow daffodils flowers bloom in the spring. We want to walk through tall green grasses and bathe in the bright sun. We want to wear colorful […]by empat
by mike simpson / 18h 
6-26-14 Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All Week
Jersey Jazzman: Why Do We Need Tenure? Ask Elizabeth's TeachersMy post about Mike Mignone, the brave teacher and union leader in Belleville, NJ who is up on tenure charges, went viral this week. Mignone has been on unpaid leave pending his hearing; he alleges it's because he asked dared to question his school board about an outrageous surveillance system that includes a camera and microphone in ev
by mike simpson / 20h 
Karen Lewis "Seriously" Considering Mayoral Run | NBC Chicago
Karen Lewis "Seriously" Considering Mayoral Run | NBC Chicago: Karen Lewis "Seriously" Considering Mayoral RunChicago Teachers Union president met with election attorneys, source says
by mike simpson / 21h 
Poverty & Race- What Education Can’t Do | educarenow
Poverty & Race- What Education Can’t Do | educarenow: Poverty & Race- What Education Can’t DoPosted on June 26, 2014 | Leave a commentIn staying with the theme of poverty and education that I addressed in myprevious post, I want to make readers aware of two different writings that have come out that explode the myth that education by itself is the tool of leverage that can alleviate povert
by mike simpson / 22h 
More Evidence of the Trouble with ‘Student-Centered’ Teaching | Paul Bruno
More Evidence of the Trouble with ‘Student-Centered’ Teaching | Paul Bruno: More Evidence of the Trouble with ‘Student-Centered’ TeachingBy PAUL BRUNO | Published: JUNE 26, 2014I’ve long had many related-but-separate complaints about ‘student-centered’ teaching practices. A new study in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis lends new evidence to several of them. (You can also check out good w
by mike simpson / 23h 
Photo Essay: Chinese School is Lesson for US Policymakers | Cloaking Inequity
Photo Essay: Chinese School is Lesson for US Policymakers | Cloaking Inequity: Photo Essay: Chinese School is Lesson for US PolicymakersThe Chinese are serious about vocational (aka career and technical education). The United States is not. Vocational education in the United States has a long history of being used as holding bin for African American students by purposefully providing inferior educ
by mike simpson / 23h hide  //  save
Malloy offers ‘Connecticut Core’ as Common Core fix | The CT Mirror
Malloy offers ‘Connecticut Core’ as Common Core fix | The CT Mirror: Malloy offers ‘Connecticut Core’ as Common Core fixBy: MARK PAZNIOKAS | June 26, 2014With cover from the state’s two largest teachers unions, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Thursday kicked off “Connecticut Core,” the administration’s latest effort to quell the political and policy clamor over how Common Core curriculum standards should
by mike simpson / 23h 
Nite Cap 6-26-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
James Baldwin said it best: "For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAPWill Philly delegation 'play ball' on budget to win dollars for city schools? | Philadelphia Public School NotebookWill Philly delegation 'play ball' on budget to win dollars for city schools? | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Will Philly de
by mike simpson / 1d 





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Why We MUST Support Teachers Running For Elected Office | Opt Out Orlando

Why We MUST Support Teachers Running For Elected Office | Opt Out Orlando:



Why We MUST Support Teachers Running For Elected Office

By Opt Out Orlando


In Florida, only seven of the 160 state legislators are public school teachers, making decisions for the largest slice of the budget pie ($24 Billion or approximately 30% of the state’s general fund).  No wonder things are such a grand mess.

How many of your state legislators are teachers, or know anything about public education at all?  We have to change this on a national scale.

If what people understand is the bottom line, then let’s talk about the bottom line – the money going down the testing toilet.



Take Remedial Reading, for example:

Any student who fails the FCAT (renamed the Florida State Assessment or FSA) is mandated by law to take remedial reading, until they pass the test. This includes capable students, who may be AP, IB, or Honors students with straight As and amazing GPAs.

In an average high school in Florida, we now employ nine teachers to teach remedial reading six times a day, five times a week. Cost: $425,000 for salaries alone. For a single school. Can anyone really believe that all of these students need remedial reading instruction, especially when, according to progress reports, report cards, and teacher-developed tests, the vast majority of these students are performing adequately in school?

Students who would benefit from individualized, human-centered reading instruction, are being force-fed mundane, pre-packaged corporate curricula. This is the high fructose corn syrup of curricula. Like high fructose corn syrup, all the best qualities have been refined out to leave nothing but a sugary poison, which comes at a cost of approximately $80,000 per year or more per OCPS high school.

Let’s do the math (Remember – this is JUST for remedial reading)

$        425,000
$         80,000+ 
$       505,000
             X  30  OCPS high schools
$  15,150,000
Are these remedial reading classes really helping these students to learn to read any better, when so many are already proficient in their AP, IB and Honors classes?

What does it mean to say that we’re wasting $15.15 Million on remedial reading instruction in a single school district, in one state?

There are two main problems.  First, for students who need reading instruction, meaningful curriculum has been sacrificed for exorbitantly expensive, standardized curriculum.  Then, at the same time, students across the board (including many AP, IB and Honor students) are being made to sacrifice enriching and beneficial elective classes in order to fit remedial reading and test prep into their schedules, for the sole reason that they missed the cut score on the state’s standardized high stakes test, some by as few as a single point.  The electives are what keep students interested, engaged, and wanting to go to school. For some students, it’s all that keeps them in school. It matters not that their body of work proves that they are proficient. What matters to the state is their grade on a single test, on a single day.

It is the LAW. A BAD law.

If policies dictating the measures above were being crafted primarily by educators, they would be able to discern and understand that the policy of remediating children based on the test scores from a single test, on a single day, would be harmful, could not but be harmful to children.  I’d like to think that we would not have such inane policies.

Keeping all of that in mind, if we were to multiply $15.15 Million by the number of high schools in Florida, and even if we were to conservatively reduce that number by half, the numbers are staggering.

This is just a SINGLE facet of the entire Corporate Reform Agenda, which you can read about here (by Paul Thomas, EdD, one of the most incisive educators writing about education policy today.)



So what can YOU do about this?

When decisions are made about education policy, the decisions are being made primarily by non-educators, with one thing in mind – THE BOTTOM LINE.  But our children are not commodities.  They are not products.  They are human beings.  We need teachers in office to translate for the decision-makers, what policies mean in the classroom; what education laws enacted look like in the classroom; how it affects individual students’ lives every day.

More teachers in elected office would mean that students have a voice, teachers have a voice. Because right now, they don’t. Teaching is a profession and teachers don’t need corporate shills speaking for them. Those shills are really only looking out for their campaign donors. Teachers need to speak for themselves.

Teachers in office are able to inform decision-making and can communicate to fellow trustees the challenges that students and teachers face together in the classroom.  It is crucial to have strong representation on important matters such as common core, class sizes, budget allocations/cuts. 

CRITICALLY IMPORTANT:  Increasingly, public school teachers are stepping up to run for elected office. Nationwide, we MUST stand behind the educators running for office – school boards, unions, city councils, state senate and congress. It is also important to support State Representatives outside of our own districts as well, because they have statewide impact. Find the ones with whom you agree, support them strongly and spread the word widely. 



Joshua Katz is the Orange County high school math teacher, whose Ted Talk on the Toxic Culture of Education is currently burning up the internet with almost 38,000 hits. Today, he threw his hat into the ring for school board (District 1) in Orange County, the ninth largest school district in the country. In an interview yesterday, he says he believes the question not being asked in education today is: “Is this really what’s best for the student?” If not, WHAT is best for the student? And why aren’t we asking it, with the intention to elicit genuine discourse?

See Katz’ announcement here.  

In addition to Joshua Katz, here are some courageous educators who have won office, are running for office, or running for re-election:



CALIFORNIA

Kevin Beiser is a high school math teacher in the Sweetwater Union High School District and is also President of the San Diego Unified School District, which was touted by Diane Ravitch as the best urban school district. He believes that being a classroom teacher enables him to share his perspective with his fellow trustees. He strongly advocates to keep the Beginning Teacher Support Program (BTSA), smaller class sizes at all grade levels-especially K-3, and dealing with Common Core roll out from the state. California ranks 49th in per pupil funding.

Monica Ratliff is a second generation teacher, who ran for school board in LAUSD, and outspent by $2 million, she still won. Read about her electionhere.  She says, “One of the beautiful things about my election is my ability to remain independent. My commitment is to the students and the voters. I do think there’s a tendency to forget the nitty-gritty of the classroom. Every [issue] that comes my way, I look at in terms of how does this impact the classroom. It’s important to me that over time we provide more autonomy to our schools, to teach in a way they believe is best.”



FLORIDA

Karen Castor-Dentel is State Representative of District  30. She is a third grade OCPS teacher.  Fed up with the reforms encroaching on her classroom, she  ran for office. She was not expected to win. She did and we are grateful. She has brought meaningful legislation before the Florida legislature, such as the Ethan Rediske Act to protect medically fragile children from the harms of high stakes testing. This bill was summarily dismissed by the Florida legislature in favor of vouchers. We will continue to fight for the Ethan Rediske act. Castor Dentel’s mother, Betty Castor is Florida’s last elected Commissioner of Education. Her sister Kathy is a US Representative from Hillsborough County.

Regina Hellinger (District 3) has served public education since 1991. For over ten years, she has served OCPS as a teacher at Carver Middle School and Endeavor Elementary School. She was the 2011 OCPS Teacher of the Year representing Endeavor Elementary School.  She is running for Rick Roach’s seat on the board as he steps down to run for State Senate. Regina Hellinger is for Smarter Spending, Smarter Collaboration, Smarter Students.

Pam LaRiviere  (Lee County) During her 31 years as an educator in the School District of Lee County, she served as an elementary and middle school teacher; curriculum writer, developed and provided training for district staff; Reading Specialist; and Reading Coach. As a recent retiree, she has her finger on the pulse of the needs of teachers, students, and parents.

Rick Roach (District 13) is the former teacher and school board member who made national headlines by exposing the testing abuse in Florida. He is running for Florida Senate to build on his work as a strong advocate and a voice of reason on behalf of Florida’s students, teachers and families. Florida ranks 50th in per pupil funding.

Shannon Maureen Russell (Duval County - District 2) is currently a High School English III IT Academy Teacher, Head Union Representative, and Duval Teachers Union (DTU) Board of Director.

Michael Weston (Hillsborough County) is a former Math and Special Ed teacher in Hillsborough County, Florida is running for a seat on the Hillsborough school board. He believes that public education is a sacred duty – vital to our neighborhoods, states and nation.   Education, he believes, must be about enriching young minds; not the burgeoning education industry. He says our leadership should respect learning more than measurement.



ILLINOIS
Tim Meegan -  an independent candidate for 33rd Ward Alderman. “I’m not a politician or from a political family. I’m not a Republican or a Democrat. I am a husband, a father of two boys, and a social studies teacher at Roosevelt High School. I’m running for alderman because I want to protect the diversity and improve the quality of life for my neighbors in the 33rd ward.”



MARYLAND
Bess Altwerger is a teacher educator. After 25 years of teaching teachers at Towson University, the retired professor is one of 13 candidates seeking four open seats on the Howard County Board of Education.  She is a member of the Steering Committee of Save Our Schools.  Read more about Bess here.



MASSACHUSSETTS

Barbara Madeloni  recently won the leadership of the Massachusetts Teachers’ Association, by taking a strong stance against kowtowing to the oligarchy. We need an army of Barbara Madelonis to stand up for the teachers, who are standing up for our children.



NEW YORK
Brian Jones is an educator and activist, who has become a leading voice in discussions about public education. He is the Green Party’s 2014 candidate for Lt. Governor of New York.  Jones and the Green Party support progressive taxation, fully-funded schools, renewable energy, single-payer health care, $15 minimum wage and a New York that works for the 99%. Hear him talk about his platform here.
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Opt Out Orlando has not endorsed any of these candidates.  It is your duty to learn more about your candidates so that you can be an informed voter in your local elections.  Please share this information and urge your friends and family to become as informed as you… and then VOTE.

These are just some of the courageous teachers who are stepping up to the plate across the country.  Helping our teachers to get elected has the potential to drastically shift the scales back in favor of our children.

If we, as a movement, were successful at installing just twoteachers onto each school board across the country, what would public education look like in just one year?

Find out if an educator in your district is running and donate to their campaign – with your time, talent and treasure.



And if there isn’t one, change that too.



Sandy Stenoff

Becky L. Noël Smith

Cindy Hamilton


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Charter school board members found themselves powerless | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

Charter school board members found themselves powerless | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:



Charter school board members found themselves powerless


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As president of the board of the Detroit Enterprise Academy, Sandra Clark-Hinton was pressing hard for detailed financial records from a representative of the charter school’s management company.
His response: The documents were “none of the board’s business,” Clark-Hinton told fellow board members at a 2010 meeting, recounting her phone conversation with the company official. She resigned later that night, saying she’d had enough.
Charter school board members are supposed to oversee the finances of their school, maintain independence from their management company and make information available to the public.
That’s the law in Michigan. But it doesn’t always happen.
In its investigation into how Michigan’s charter schools perform and spend nearly $1 billion a year in taxpayer dollars, the Free Press found board members who were kept clueless by their management companies about school budgets or threatened and removed by a school’s authorizer when they tried to exercise the responsibilities that come with their oath of office.
Board members removed by an authorizer have no recourse in Michigan.
“There have been board members who have basically said, ‘We tried to make changes, we tried to instill our rights as board members overseeing a public school’ and were essentially told to back off,” said Casandra Ulbrich, vice president of the state Board of Education, which sets education policy and advises lawmakers. “You have to question who’s really running the show here because technically and legally, it’s supposed to be the board.”
In traditional school districts, with elected boards, members can’t be removed for asking tough questions. Voters get to decide whether to re-elect a board member.
It’s not clear how often authorizers remove board members who challenge their management company about excessive rents, management fees or lack of transparency. But critics say it underscores a shortcoming in state law: no penalties for authorizers that fail to ensure that the very board members they appoint are independent of the management company.
The result, said state Board of Education President John Austin: “You have private companies facilitated by authorizers in perpetuating money-making deals that really don’t stand the light of day.”Charter school board members found themselves powerless | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:

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All Things Education: Tell Governor McAuliffe: no OEI, no way, no how.

All Things Education: Tell Governor McAuliffe: no OEI, no way, no how.:



Tell Governor McAuliffe: no OEI, no way, no how.



About two weeks ago, Virginians got this great news about the state's new anti-democratic education bureaucracy, the Opportunity Educational Institution:
A judge has ruled that the state's plan to take over failing schools violates the Virginia constitution. 
The idea had been to establish Opportunity Educational Institution to take control of six schools, including three in Norfolk, that were denied accreditation by the state Board of Education. Tuesday's ruling by Norfolk Circuit Court Judge Charles Poston strikes down the plan. 
The state can appeal.

In case you missed it, I wrote about my misgivings about the OEI in this post a little over a year ago:
According to this post, the OEI would take over schools that were denied accreditation, which is done in accordance with "federal accountability data," also known as standardized test scores. The Institution will be run by a board of gubernatorial appointees, which includes the executive director. There is no guarantee that the board would include any people who know anything about education. The board would contract with non-profits, corporations, or education organizations to operate the schools. Funding for the new bureaucracy would be provided by federal, state, and local taxpayers. The "failing" schools' local governing bodies would be represented on the board in some way, but they would lose decision-making power and would not be able to vote or, from what I can tell, have much All Things Education: Tell Governor McAuliffe: no OEI, no way, no how.:
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NYC Public School Parents: Comment on the Blue Book changes

NYC Public School Parents: Comment on the Blue Book changes:



Comment on the Blue Book changes


The just announced change to the "Blue Book",  the annual school capacity and utilization report, to attribute the enrollment in trailers or TCUs to the main building is a good one – and was recommended in our report, Space Crunch.  

But we still need to know how many students are sitting in trailers – which DOE fails to report for thousands of high school students, and an unknown number of elementary, middle and District 75 students as well – especially if they plan to replace those seats.

Other reforms that will be necessary in order to achieve a more accurate picture of school overcrowding include:

·         Lowering the target class sizes in grades 4-12, which are far higher than they should be at 28-30, and even higher than current average class sizes in these grades, and thus would tend to push class sizes even larger than they are now;
·         Providing a more reasonable number of cluster and specialty rooms for each school, in order to provide a well-rounded education;NYC Public School Parents: Comment on the Blue Book changes:
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Assessing the Risk | The Crucial Voice of the People

Assessing the Risk | The Crucial Voice of the People:



Assessing the Risk

John W. Gardner, an influential Republican in a Democrat's administration.
John W. Gardner, an influential Republican who served both parties and helped bring to fruition a federal education law under a  Democrat’s administration.


 Is it fair to have said in 1983, and to say now, that we are a nation at risk? My gut tells me yes, forever and always, we should be viewing this republic in that light lest we become complacent. Wait! Too late? … Not really.

The words “rising tide of mediocrity” from Ronald Reagan’s National Commission on Excellence in Education report, titled “A Nation at Risk,” lives in infamy to stir a divisive debate. Were those words a fair assessment?
To decide, I reviewed the 11 statistical indicators used by the commission but then I got to thinking; education reports of any true significance to long-term progress (which is what should be part of our concern) tend to run a decade or so behind any given change. And that is when it dawned on me to ask my fellow 1974 graduates what they thought of the education we received in our small, mid-western, blue-collar town.
I posted this on Facebook: “Albion High School (AHS) Graduates: how would you describe our education at AHS? Great/Mediocre/Poor?” Was this scientific? No. Is it significant? You decide.
Those that responded overwhelmingly judged their education in the late 60’s and early 70’s as mediocre leaning towards poor. Was it a “rising tide”? I don’t know. But what I do know is, asAssessing the Risk | The Crucial Voice of the People:
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How do you want to be remembered? | Connected Principals

How do you want to be remembered? | Connected Principals:



How do you want to be remembered?

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remembered
In my role as a high school Assistant Principal, I am also a grade coordinator. I met my “class” almost three years ago when they started grade 10. These kids (almost 300 of them) are now in grade 12 and they will be graduating this month. Over the course of the last three years, I have asked students many times (individually and at student assemblies), “How do you want to be remembered when you leave this high school?” I go on to explain to them that they are in charge of how they will be remembered by their attitude and their actions.
Now, as I leave this high school as an administrator (yes…the phone rang and I am moving to a different school), it is time for me to answer the question, “How do I want to be remembered?”
  • I want to be remembered as an educational leader who trusted teachers, empowered them to be better, and gave them opportunities to lead.
  • I want to be remembered as a technology leader who showed teachers (and students) that technology does not have to be scary. Hopefully, I was able to show that technology is a tool which helps us to learn.
  • I want to be remembered as a guy who had positive relationships with theHow do you want to be remembered? | Connected Principals:
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State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson to Unveil Blueprint for STEM Education

Events, June 30, 2014 - Events (CA Dept of Education):



Events, June 30, 2014

Ed Ahead and calendar listings of anticipated news releases, media advisories, upcoming visits by Superintendent Torlakson, and other newsworthy announcements.

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson to Unveil Blueprint for STEM Education



State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson will hold a news conference Monday in San Francisco to announce the release of his STEM Task Force's final report, titled INNOVATE: A Blueprint for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in California Public Education.
The 55 volunteer members of the task force worked to examine five key areas: curriculum and instruction, resources and infrastructure, professional learning, testing and assessment, and community and business partnerships.
Joining Torlakson for the news conference will be Exploratorium Executive Director Dr. Dennis Bartels; Task Force Co-Chair Herb Brunkhorst; Bay Area Council Vice President Public Policy Linda Galliher, J.D.; KQED Science Executive Producer Sue Ellen McCann; 2008 California Teacher of the Year Lewis Chappelear; and Herbert Hoover Middle School graduate Kabrea Fields.
Date
Monday, June 30, 2014
Time
10 a.m.
Place
Exploratorium, Pier 15, Kanbar Forum, San Francisco
Questions: Communications | communications@cde.ca.gov | 916-
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New Orleans schools should stop hiring so many teachers who don’t understand the students’ culture or backgrounds | Hechinger Report

New Orleans schools should stop hiring so many teachers who don’t understand the students’ culture or backgrounds | Hechinger Report:



New Orleans schools should stop hiring so many teachers who don’t understand the students’ culture or backgrounds

By
The lunch period ended like so many others. After the bell rang, students raced up the stairwell, not in a rush to get to class on time but to finish socializing and playing with their friends. I was a sophomore at Lake Area New Tech High School in New Orleans at the time, and I was not very different from the other students. Instead of studying during my spare time or rushing to get to class, I talked to girls and texted on my phone. But on this particular day I came to a realization. As students rushed by, my fifth period teacher Mr. Allen simply opened the door to let his students enter his classroom. By the time the tardy bell rang, we had all taken our seats and opened our history books, quietly awaiting further instructions.
Glenn Sullivan
Glenn Sullivan
How was it that one of the few great black teachers in the school building was able to gain our trust and respect when less than five minutes ago we had no concerns about what we were doing so long as it was not school work? Somewhat to my surprise, I realized that Mr. Allen’s background partly explained our behavior. But what shocked me even more than this realization was the fact that a lot of other teachers could not control a class, let alone get their students interested in the work. Mr. Allen could do both.
This situation helped me notice an even bigger issue in my school. A lot of the good, black teachers were being replaced. Not only were they being replaced, but younger white teachers were replacing them. This started during my sophomore year and continued until I became a senior this past school year. Given that the school is predominantly black, this troubled me.  Particularly upsetting to me was the departure of the music teacher, a veteran black educator who helped run the school choir and put together trips for students.
When I talked to administrators about the departures of good black teachers, I was told that students need diversity in order to receive a high quality education. The school principal, who is black, has pointed out that a majority of the teachers are still black — a higher percentage than at many other New Orleans charter schools. He also pointed out that students are not always privy to the reasons teachers depart, and some might have chosen to leave.
I believe that students need diverse educational experiences, but I do not agree that this diversity must come from the race of the teachers. In my opinion, this is not the best tactic to improve education for students, particularly students of color.
Mr. Allen provided his students with diverse learning experiences by engaging them in many different ways. Some days we read and took notes, some days we watched video clips and had open-ended discussions. Along with understanding the necessity of varying his teaching methods, Mr. New Orleans schools should stop hiring so many teachers who don’t understand the students’ culture or backgrounds | Hechinger Report:

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