Wednesday, July 9, 2014

7-9-14 The Whole Child Blog — Tell Your Representative to Support the Whole Child!

The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education:

Take Action: Tell Your Representative to Support the Whole Child!

U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Rodney Davis (R-IL) just introduced federal resolution H.Res.658 (PDF), which supports a whole child approach to education. It's a crucial first step in getting federal lawmakers to develop policies and make decisions that more effectively promote students' long-term learning, development, and success. Now, we need your help in letting your lawmake

by ASCD Whole Child ... / 52min

Keeping a Hidden Population Safe at School

What percent of students is it okay to let feel unsafe at school? 0 percent 1 percent 5 percent 10 percent You, like me, probably answered zero percent. As an educator dedicated to a whole child approach to education, you recognize the value of each and every learner. What if I told you we have allowed (albeit unintentionally in most cases), if not contributed to, an entire population of student

by Jason Flom / 2min

7-8-14 The Whole Child Blog — Digitally Speaking: Creating Exceptional Podcasts, Videos, and More with Erik Palmer

The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education: Digitally Speaking: Creating Exceptional Podcasts, Videos, and More with Erik PalmerJoin Erik Palmer, author of the ASCD book Teaching the Core Skills of Listening and Speaking, for an exciting, free webinar to learn how you can use digital tools in your classroom to develop competent communicators. Wednesday, July 16, 2014, 3:00 p.m. eastern time Regi

by mike simpson / 17h

Kristal Clear on Common Core: And This Fat Lady Sings

Kristal Clear on Common Core: And This Fat Lady Sings:

And This Fat Lady Sings

This is customer service nowadays and it is also what it feels like when you call the Capitol and attempt to voice constituent concerns with legislators, Governors and policy directors -- DEAF EARS!! Even those "good" politicians (which there are not very many) compromise when push comes to shove and or get overruled by the Chamber of Commerce and BIG $$$ Lobby Groups. Another great reminder why I have always dreaded politics!!

These past 8 months I have met some BRAVE souls, stepped way outside my comfort zone, became a GIANT target, endured more slander than in High School, saw some heroic efforts by a few Godly politicians, witnessed grown men weep over poor political decisions, saw recognized leaders get up and walk out refusing to vote for unjustice, truly understood the meaning of "money is the root to all evil", been disappointed to be a republican, cried the ugly cry in front of MANY people (at the Capitol, school, even at the grocery store) and yet, have also been encouraged and inspired by some of the most genuine and virtuous people I've ever come in contact with.

The 2014 legislative session and school year has come to an end. Summer is here, most people have moved on and forgotten what was painful for some to endure. We did not necessarily accomplish what we came for, the fat lady sang and we move on. Did we truly win repeal? No!!! Did we lose? NO WAY!! God sees every heart, God sees all the focused efforts, God convicts those that need conviction and He will water and fertilize the MANY seeds that have been planted. Virtue remains virtue, and evil eventually will be judged by Him in His timing.

Until then I rejoice in knowing that He is in control of EVERY situation, I re-focus my efforts on leaning on Him preserving my own family and their needs and I exercise ALOT to remove these extra 2 inches I gained while trying to fight the good fight!

THIS FAT LADY is hitting the road with my music, my quiet moments, and MANY more prayers!!!

And just for the record, especially those of you that have children going into 3rd grade...demand a portfolio be maintained starting on day 1 in Kristal Clear on Common Core: And This Fat Lady Sings:

HOW TO ENTICE THE BEST TEACHERS TO WORK IN HIGH-POVERTY CLASSROOMS | Teachers Fight Back

HOW TO ENTICE THE BEST TEACHERS TO WORK IN HIGH-POVERTY CLASSROOMS | Teachers Fight Back:

HOW TO ENTICE THE BEST TEACHERS TO WORK IN HIGH-POVERTY CLASSROOMS

7-9-14 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):

At AFT convention, teachers union expected to fire up the base

Randi Weingarten, AFT President The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) kicks off its annual convention in downtown Los Angeles tomorrow bringing more 3,500 national union delegates to the home of LA Unified, the second largest school district in the country. On the agenda: fending off what the union sees as its biggest threats, including billionaire money, an assault on tenure, and the “pervasi

3 by Vanessa Romo / 37min

LA Unified to add more dual language immersion programs

The LA Unified school district plans to expand its dual language immersion program next fall, adding Spanish language programs to three elementary schools in the district. According to LAUSD officials, that brings the total number of dual language programs offered by the district to 57, including 43 in Spanish, 10 in Korean, and four in Mandarin. Hilda Maldonado, the director of the multi-lingual

by Yana Gracile / 37min

Morning Read: Overpaid Centinela Valley superintendent fired

Centinela Valley school board fires embattled Superintendent Jose Fernandez The Centinela Valley school board Tuesday night voted to fire Superintendent Jose Fernandez, ending a five-month chapter that began with revelations that the leader of the tiny school district might have been among the nation’s best-compensated public servants. The Daily Breeze Arts education in schools could grow under L

2 3min

7-8-14 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): Ouch! LAUSD to pay $1.1 billion for teacher pension rescueLA Unified must come up with $16 million this year to pay an unexpected bill as a result of legislation signed by Governor Jerry Brown aimed at rescuing the state’s teachers retirement pension system known as CalSTRS, but the district’s total incre

by mike simpson / 21h

Evangelical Christian clubs coming to Portland-area public schools, opposition says curriculum is 'hardcore fundamentalist indoctrination' | OregonLive.com

Evangelical Christian clubs coming to Portland-area public schools, opposition says curriculum is 'hardcore fundamentalist indoctrination' | OregonLive.com:

Evangelical Christian clubs coming to Portland-area public schools, opposition says curriculum is 'hardcore fundamentalist indoctrination'

Hundreds of Portland-area residents are organizing to stop a network of Christian clubs from proselytizing to children on public school campuses.

The Good News Club has been controversial around the country, but Portland may be the first city to organize on such a large scale against the group.

"We think if people have enough information, they'll choose not to do it," said Robert Aughenbaugh, a co-founder of Protect Portland Children. His said the group purchased a full-page advertisement in Wednesday's Willamette Week.

The Good News Club's curriculum includes teaching children that every person is a sinner. In the eyes of many Christians, "sin" is any failure to meet God's standards. The Bible states, for example, that "all have sinned."

"We believe that these doctrines are harmful to 5-year-old children," Aughenbaugh said. "They teach fear. They teach shame."

Missouri-based Child Evangelism Fellowship has already launched Good News Clubs in roughly 4,300 schools nationwide, said program manager John Luck. Now organizers of the religious group want to expand to Portland and its suburbs.

Good News Clubs have been around for roughly 75 years. Good News Across America, the CEF program that runs Good News Clubs, has focused on expanding into a new city every summer since 2008.

This year, Good News Across America is hosting summer Bible schools in partnership with 30 churches in the Portland region. Each church will run a separate program the week of July 21 and, if they have enough volunteers, work to establish a Good News Club at a nearby school in the fall.

Luck declined to name participating churches, though members at Lake Bible Church in Lake Oswego and Sunnyside Community Bible in Damascus said they're involved in at least the summer program and possibly an after-school club.

Luck said he didn't want to pull any churches into controversy by naming them without their permission.

He did provide a list of school districts churches have expressed interest in for Bible clubs. They are:

Portland Public, Tigard-Tualatin, Battle Ground, Oregon City, Hillsboro, David Douglas, Centennial , Reynolds Parkrose, North Clackamas, Lake Oswego and West Linn-Wilsonville.

There are already two Good News Clubs in suburban public schools, said local CEF Evangelical Christian clubs coming to Portland-area public schools, opposition says curriculum is 'hardcore fundamentalist indoctrination' | OregonLive.com:

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 7-9-14

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

L.A. SCHOOL-BY-SCHOOL ARTS INSTRUCTION BREAKDOWN: Check your school here.

Ed Code requires school districts to teach all K-6 students all four art forms: Visual Arts, Music, Dance & Theater. Only 70 of 500+ elementaries in LAUSD do …and then only to some kids! by Mary Plummer, KPCC/Pass Fail | http://bit.ly/1nfDwrh A screenshot of a map created using data from Los Angeles Unified School District. Blue dots represent elementary schools that offer dance,

by smf / 16min

California Court: CORRUPTION IS NOT SUFFICIENT REASON TO CLOSE A HIGH-SCORING CHARTER SCHOOL

By Diane Ravitch, from her blog | http://is.gd/Ar1v9e July 6, 2014 :: For a few years, the American Indian Model Charter Schools in Oakland, California, were the most celebrated charter schools in the nation, beloved especially by the conservative and rightwing media, not only for their high test scores but for their founder’s scathing comments about liberals, unions, and “multiculturalists.”

by smf / 1h

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 7-8-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Mystery Group Sues Two Dozen School Districts Over Inadequate Physical Education, Including LausdBrett Kelman, The Desert Sun (Coachella Valley) | http://desert.sn/1r6cHGn (Photo: File photo ) 10:07 p.m. PDT July 7, 2014 :: Two desert school districts have been named in a far-reaching class-action lawsuit over inadequate physical education, but the s

by mike simpson / 18h

What Would Mark Twain Have Thought of Common Core Testing? - David Perrin - The Atlantic

What Would Mark Twain Have Thought of Common Core Testing? - David Perrin - The Atlantic:

What Would Mark Twain Have Thought of Common Core Testing?

In his autobiography and in Tom Sawyer, the author skewered the test-centered teaching of his day. It's not hard to imagine what he would have thought about an exam that grades student essays via computer.

I've been teaching high school English in Illinois for over 20 years, but have only recently come to believe that I am complicit in a fraud. For nearly a decade, I have dutifully prepared college-bound students for the rigors of the ACT and the Advanced Placement (AP) English Literature and Composition exam. Even though I believe there's an undue emphasis on testing in our current school culture, I have considered this preparation an important part of my job because these tests are important to my students both academically and financially. But I question what, if anything, the new Common Core test—which will include writing components graded in part by computer algorithms—will have to offer my students.

I am not alone in my skepticism about the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exam, which rolls out next year. Criticism has come from the left, led by Diane Ravitch, a former U.S. secretary of education who has become one of Common Core's most vehement opponents. Conservative pundits like Glenn Beck have railed against it, too. Even Louis C.K. has an informed opinion.

It's not hard to guess what another great American satirist would have had to say about the Common Core curriculum. Mark Twain had an abiding concern with education, and he treated formal schooling derisively in his writings. His 1917 autobiography describes his education in the mid-19th century, at the dawn of the public school movement; his acerbic portrayal of Mr. Dobbins in the school scenes of Tom Sawyer is based on Twain’s remembrances of his own teachers and experiences. In one scene, set on Examination Day, Twain mocks the vacuous nature of writing instruction as he shows Tom Sawyer's classmates reading their essays aloud: “A prevalent feature in these compositions was a nursed and petted melancholy; another was a wasteful and opulent gush of ‘fine What Would Mark Twain Have Thought of Common Core Testing? - David Perrin - The Atlantic:

What’s Obama’s Problem With School Choice? - Gov. Bobby Jindal and Gov. Scott Walker - POLITICO Magazine

What’s Obama’s Problem With School Choice? - Gov. Bobby Jindal and Gov. Scott Walker - POLITICO Magazine:

What’s Obama’s Problem With School Choice?

Why would the federal Department of Justice cite the Civil Rights Act and the specter of segregation to try and block a school choice program where more than nine in 10 participants come from racial minority groups? Or use the Americans with Disabilities Act to claim another school voucher program discriminates against individuals with disabilities, without so much as a single complaint from a student or parent to prove their case?

Yet that’s exactly what the Obama administration’s Justice Department is doing—taking actions designed to stifle, and even block outright, programs that give children and parents more educational choices. Ironically enough, the DOJ even cited civil rights laws in attempting to deny parents the opportunity to move their children from failing schools—one of the foremost civil rights challenges of our time.

Legal arguments aside, the basic problem is this: Eric Holder, the Obama administration, and vast swathes of the left have forgotten the basic premise of education policy: It’s all about the children.

Or at least it should be. In both our states, we’ve maintained a relentless focus on making sure that children and parents have the best educational options they choose regardless of income. That’s why we support our states’ school choice initiatives.

In Wisconsin, more than 25,000 students took advantage of our choice initiative this past school year to study at a school of their choosing.

In Louisiana, we will offer spots to nearly 9,000 students in private school choice programs this coming academic year, roughly 7,000 more students than in 2011-12. Thirteen thousand applied this year, which shows how many parents in failing schools want an opportunity to explore other options for their children. They’re seeking out these opportunities because school choice works: More than nine in 10 parents are satisfied with the program—and they’re satisfied with their children’s academic progress because of it.

But in both states, Holder and the Justice Department have built roadblocks, undermining our efforts by attempting to sow dissension where none existed. The department’s attempted enforcement actions in Wisconsin violate past Supreme Court precedent and Education Department policy. In Louisiana, the Justice Department resurrected a nearly 40-year old de-segregation case, initially asking a federal court to block the choice program entirely.

The blind obeisance of President Obama and Attorney General Holder to the educational-industrial complex might seem like a game to federal bureaucrats in far-away Washington. But to a struggling single mother in inner-city Milwaukee, or a precocious young child in New Orleans, access

A view of the future through kindergarten demographics | Pew Research Center

A view of the future through kindergarten demographics | Pew Research Center:

A view of the future through kindergarten demographics

BY JENS MANUEL KROGSTAD LEAVE A COMMENT

Today’s kindergartners offer a glimpse of tomorrow’s demographics. A new data analysis by Pew Research Center finds a big increase over the past decade in the number of states where at least one-in-five public school kindergartners are Latino.

There are 17 states where Latino children comprise at least 20% of the public school kindergarten population, according to our analysis of 2012 Census Bureau data. By comparison, just eight states had such a composition a decade earlier, in 2000.

At 54 million, Hispanics are the largest minority group. They make up 17% of the nation’s population, and have dispersed across the nation. The states where at least one-in-five kindergartners are Hispanic include some states with historically few Hispanic immigrants, such as Nebraska, Idaho and Washington. In Kansas and Oregon, fully one-in-four kindergartners are Hispanic, the same share as in New York, which has the fourth-largest Hispanic population in the country.

Fueled in part by Hispanic population growth, there may be more minorities in classrooms when school starts this fall (among them blacks, Asians and Hispanics) than white students nationwide in K-12 public schools, according to U.S. Department of Education projections. In 2014, some 50.3% of students are projected to be minorities. That’s a sharp increase from 1997, when minorities made up just 36.7% of students.

Minorities also are expected to become the majority in the United States in the coming decades. Minorities today make up about 37% of the overall population, with the share projected to increase to 57% by 2060, according to the Census Bureau. Among people of all ages, there are four states where minorities make up a majority of the population—California, Hawaii, New Mexico and Texas.

Looking ahead, nearly half of babies born in the U.S. today are a racial or ethnic minority, though they are not yet a majority. The number of Hispanics has increased in recent years primarily due to births, as the number of Hispanic immigrants has stalled after four decades of rapid growth. In 2012, one-in-four of the nation’s newborns were Hispanic. By 2060, Hispanics are projected to make up 31% of the overall U.S. population.A view of the future through kindergarten demographics | Pew Research Center:

Teacher Quality And The Decline In Teachers of Color - The Jose Vilson

Teacher Quality And The Decline In Teachers of Color - The Jose Vilson:

Teacher Quality And The Decline In Teachers of Color

This morning, I came across this article on Huffington Post (I know, I know, hear me out, though) and thought I should ask questions about President Obama’s initiative to enforce former President George W. Bush’s mandates for “excellent teachers” to stay in the highest-need communities. Read this:

President Barack Obama’s new initiative, titled “Excellent Educators For All,” seeks to ensure that states comply with the George W. Bush-era No Child Left Behind mandate by asking state officials to submit “comprehensive educator equity plans” that detail how states plan to put quality educators in classrooms with disadvantaged students. The Department of Education also plans to pour millions of dollars into a “Education Equity Support Network” and publish profiles of states and districts that have succeeded in promoting teacher equity.

For one, I’m usually skeptical about any initiative that attempts excellence when we haven’t defined (or even characterized) what actual excellence is. For instance, people often describe an excellent teacher as “caring,” but isolating “caring” as a characteristic would be short-sighted in terms of identifying the best teachers. Even something like the Danielson Framework can’t quite pinpoint because numbers aren’t always facts.

Secondly, I often see people who talk up teacher quality not address the issue of working conditions. People too often make working conditions and teacher quality a chicken and an egg argument. There were presumably eggs before chickens, and so it goes that working

- See more at: http://thejosevilson.com/teacher-quality-decline-teachers-color/#sthash.p6z0Qpt0.dpuf

Clowns In The Tent, Oh My!

The Camel's Nose In The Tent.

The Camel's Nose In The Tent.

One cold night, as an Arab sat in his tent, a camel gently thrust his nose under the flap and looked in. "Master," he said, "let me put my nose in your tent. It's cold and stormy out here." "By all means," said the Arab, "and welcome" as he turned over and went to sleep.

A little later the Arab awoke to find that the camel had not only put his nose in the tent but his head and neck also. The camel, who had been turning his head from side to side, said, "I will take but little more room if I place my forelegs within the tent. It is difficult standing out here." "Yes, you may put your forelegs within," said the Arab, moving a little to make room, for the tent was small.

Finally, the camel said, "May I not stand wholly inside? I keep the tent open by standing as I do." "Yes, yes," said the Arab. "Come wholly inside. Perhaps it will be better for both of us." So the camel crowded in. The Arab with difficulty in the crowded quarters again went to sleep. When he woke up the next time, he was outside in the cold and the camel had the tent to himself.

Who Let These Clowns In??

Organizing and Action | educationalchemy

Organizing and Action | educationalchemy:

Organizing and Action

I have created (see link at here chart3 and at end of blog) a chart that may help folks in thinking through how to organize effective resistance to ed reform and crafting meaningful and effective alternatives to current education policies. My motivation to create this came from my own frustrations with a few things:

1) Where to begin? Sometimes parents, teachers and other community members will stop before they even get started because the whole mess just feels so damn overwhelming!

2) To better understand how we are all connected. Its a Catch 22 really. Politicians and legislators are the ones with the power to write bills that end bad policy and initiate good ones. But politicians are motivated by voters. Parents, teachers and community members must put weight on politicians to get them to do anything! Most of them are either woefully uninformed or bought out by corporate interests. So they need educating and serious pressure from us, and;

3) Focusing not only on what we are against but what we are FOR. Effective strategy includes a vision of what we want! And taking steps to manifest it.

The chart itself is rather simple. Here are some suggestions for things to insert into the chart (or to consider):

Who are the People in Your Neighborhood? (sung to a jaunty tune): Now, what “we” want depends on the “we.” Generally speaking its the real stakeholders: Children in public schools, parents, and members of the local communities most affected by the changes to their public school systems. For example, in your state or district are parents, teachers and communities of color being silenced, sold out, or colonized? (note: this is most likely “yes” where ever you throw a dart at the US map…) Who must have a voice and input for change to be meaningful and effective? Do you have a strong teachers union? Parent organizations? Involvement from social organizations or clubs?

What organizing “looks” like is a local issue. For some communities the greatest concern right now might be school closures. For others it might be intrusion of online edu-tech companies inserting themselves in the public system. We are, all of us, affected in some way by all these things…but each community must focus on the specific battles it wishes to fight. Be specific and take concrete actions, issue by issue. One month you might focus on testing refusal and a few months later work on legislation that demands state tax payer dollars in public ed NOT go to testing but to some other school-based need like hiring more teachers, improving infrastructure, or preserving the school library.

Community organizing does not only include parents and teachers, but other groups/issues within the community. Again, advocacy and organizing directly bubble up from the needs of that community. It will most likely be slightly Organizing and Action | educationalchemy: