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Saturday, March 21, 2015

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 3/21/15 Charter Schools Players Ball Edition


Special Nite Cap Catch Up on Today's Post 3/21/15


Charter Schools Players Ball Edition

Special Nite Cap 

CORPORATE ED REFORM



Hedge fund execs' money for charter schools may pay off - NY Daily News: Hedge fund executives give 'til it hurts to politicians, especially Cuomo, to get more charter schools Outside the Harvard Club in Midtown, a group of parents from the Alliance for Quality Education picketed as they chanted, “Public schools are not for sale!”But the hedge fund chiefs inside had other ideas.The title of the he
by mike simpson / 2h 
No Child Left Behind Is a Cheats’ Charter: No Child Left Behind Is a Cheats’ Charter Although re-authorization is still politically complicated, 2015 appears to be the year the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) will bereformed.Popularly known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), ESEA promised to close the achievement gap and herald an era of evidence-based education policy by giving federal
by mike simpson / 3h 
More California parents exercise right to skip standardized tests | Local News - KCRA Home: More California parents exercise right to skip standardized testsState launches its newest student testing programSACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) —California launched its newest student testing program Tuesday. Superintendent of Instruction Tom Torlakson made the announcement at Sutter Middle School in Sacramento
2 by mike simpson / 4h 
PARCC Consortium Protects Pearson Using “Best Practices” Co-authored by Testing “Nonprofit” | deutsch29: PARCC Consortium Protects Pearson Using “Best Practices” Co-authored by Testing “Nonprofit” On March 20, 2015, I published a post about the lately-produced Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) “Test Fairness and Security” statement.Included in that statement i
1 by mike simpson / 6h 
She gets $250,000 a year to spearhead Rauner education plans - Government News - Crain's Chicago Business: She gets $250,000 a year to spearhead Rauner education plans(AP) — A former Chicago charter schools executive is earning $250,000 a year to spearhead Gov. Bruce Rauner's top education initiatives, a salary that is more than double what her predecessors received and places her as the highest-p
1 by mike simpson / 7h 
Charter leaders fired, they spent thousands on cars, spas, concerts: Charter leaders fired, they spent thousands on cars, spas, concerts Amid accusations its co-leaders used school credit cards for more than $94,000 in personal purchases, the Family Foundations Academy charter school has fired the pair, re-shuffled its board, and handed the reins to the leaders of Eastside Charter School in hopes
by mike simpson / 9h 
P is for PARCC, Pearson, and Pushback | The Progressive: P is for PARCC, Pearson, and Pushback Jennifer C. BerkshireBefore the first day of PARCC testing, the results are in. Push back against indefensible state policies and the state will crack.The special time you’ve been waiting for has at last arrived, boys and girls. It’s PARCC testing week! Think Easter but with a few key differences. Like i
1 by mike simpson / 9h 
The Crosshairs of High Expectation and Poverty | The Progressive: The Crosshairs of High Expectation and Poverty José Luis VilsonEverything is for the kids.Want to create a new program? Say it’s for the kids. Want to implement a new policy? Tell them it’s for the kids. Need to raze an entire school in a densely populated school district? Preface it with “We did it for the kids.” Need to convince t
by mike simpson / 9h 
CURMUDGUCATION: Whitney Tilson Is Better Than You: Whitney Tilson Is Better Than YouWhen we're talking about the kind of hedge-fund managing, faux-Democrat, rich fat cat, anti-public ed reformsters who are driving much of the modern ed reform agenda, we're talking about guys like Whitney Tilson.The Tilson Story Tilson is a walking Great Story-- his parents are educators who met while serving in th
1 by mike simpson / 9h 
Wendy Lecker: The truth about the SBACs - StamfordAdvocate: Wendy Lecker: The truth about the SBACs A New England state is leading the way on sane testing policy. Unfortunately for us Nutmeggers, that state is Vermont, not Connecticut.There is a growing national consensus that standardized testing has deleterious effects on education. The National Research Councilconcluded that test-based accounta
1 by mike simpson / 9h 
‘You do not speak for our children’ - The Washington Post: ‘You do not speak for our children’Earlier this year, 19 organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the United Negro College Fund, issued a joint statement about what they would like to see in a newly written No Child Left Behind law, an exercise Congress is now attempting to complete.  The statement (which you can rea
1 by mike simpson / 9h 
Finland schools: Subjects scrapped and replaced with 'topics' as country reforms its education system - Europe - World - The Independent: Finland schools: Subjects scrapped and replaced with 'topics' as country reforms its education systemFor years, Finland has been the by-word for a successful education system, perched at the top of international league tables for literacy and numeracy.Only far e
1 by mike simpson / 9h 
What do teacher evaluations really accomplish? - Newsday: What do teacher evaluations really accomplish? In 2011, a few hundred educators were called to Albany by the State Education Department to be the vanguard for New York's education reform movement -- to learn the Common Core, and to introduce changes in teacher evaluation.The Common Core was barely newsworthy then, but the seeds of disconten
1 by mike simpson / 9h 
Fate of No Child Left Behind Law Generates Hope and Fear - NYTimes.com: Fate of No Child Left Behind Law Generates Hope and Fear CLEVELAND — Ginn Academy, the first and only public high school in Ohio just for boys, was conceived to help at-risk students make it through school — experimenting with small classes, a tough discipline code and life coaches around the clock.Its graduation rate was clos
by mike simpson / 9h 
Hipsters for charter schools: The big lie “Togetherness” tells about race and education - Salon.com: Hipsters for charter schools: The big lie “Togetherness” tells about race and educationRich whites run charter industry and funnel them cash. On HBO, it's a post-racial bandwagon gutting public schools Michelle Pierson, a 40-ish mother of two, is in a state of confusion over her the direction in li
by mike simpson / 10h 
School Medicaid claims rejected again :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: School Medicaid claims rejected againby Tom Chorneau(Calif.) After several years of negotiations, federal administrators of a school-based Medicaid program appeared this week to issue a final rejection of some $460 million in claims for services provided by California sch
1 by mike simpson / 10h 
New funding law creates disparity among low-income schools | EdSource: New funding law creates disparity among low-income schools The state’s new education funding formula provides extra money for all low-income children, students learning English and foster youth, and contributes more dollars if they make up the bulk of students in a district. But if these “high-need” kids happen to be concentrat
by mike simpson / 10h hide  //  save
Common Core's cyber spies - Stephanie Simon - POLITICO: Common Core's cyber spies Bent over their computers in Salt Lake City, a dozen cyber sleuths scan the vast reaches of the Internet for contraband.Only, they’re not hunting traffickers of drugs or sex.Story Continued BelowIt’s standardized testing season across the U.S. — and they’re on the lookout for student tweets about the tests.The web pa
by mike simpson / 10h 
How to Build a School Library from Scratch | School Library Journal: How to Build a School Library from ScratchBy Jess deCourcy Hinds on March 9, 2015 Leave a CommentJess deCourcy Hinds with one of the student volunteers who helped build her library.Photo by Bruce ConwellFresh out of library school in 2009, I was invited to start a brand-new library for Bard High School Early College Queens (BHSEC
by mike simpson / 10h 

46th District Seattle Democrats pass a resolution to support Nathan Hale High School teachers who do not administer the SBAC | Seattle Education
46th District Seattle Democrats pass a resolution to support Nathan Hale High School teachers who do not administer the SBAC | Seattle Education:46th District Seattle Democrats pass a resolution to support Nathan Hale High School teachers who do not administer the SBACThis resolution is a highly shortened version of other legislative district resolutions but it does show support for the Nathan Hal
1 by mike simpson / 21h hide  //  save
NJ, Pearson, and PARCC: Lies or ineptitude? | Bob Braun's Ledger
NJ, Pearson, and PARCC: Lies or ineptitude? | Bob Braun's Ledger:NJ, Pearson, and PARCC: Lies or ineptitude? A legal analyst for the New Jersey education department told a legislative committee the other day that Pearson, the multi-billion British corporation that produces the PARCC tests,  could protect its “intellectual property” rights in the test by searching out what students are posting abou
1 by mike simpson / 21h 
Winner Of $1 Million Teaching Prize Has Some Depressing Thoughts About The State Of Education
Winner Of $1 Million Teaching Prize Has Some Depressing Thoughts About The State Of Education: Winner Of $1 Million Teaching Prize Has Some Depressing Thoughts About The State Of Education Nancie Atwell, who over the weekend won a $1 million award for her accomplishments in education, has been a teacher for more than four decades -- but she said she would not advise her students to go down the sam
2 by mike simpson / 22h 
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on All the Days Post 3/20/15
Special Nite Cap Catch Up on All the Days Post 3/19/15Special Nite Cap CORPORATE ED REFORMPARCC’s Lately-Published “Test Fairness and Security” Statement | deutsch29PARCC’s Lately-Published “Test Fairness and Security” Statement | deutsch29: PARCC’s Lately-Published “Test Fairness and Security” StatementUnder the heading, “Latest News,” the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and C
2 by mike simpson / 22h 


2015 National Conference – Chicago

The Countdown to Chicago Has Begun!

If you haven’t registered for the 2nd Annual NPE Conference in Chicago, there is still time! You can register for the conference on our Eventbrite page, and take advantage of discounted hotel rates at the site of this year’s conference, the Drake Hotel, by following this link. 

These rates expire on March 22nd! 

Make your reservation today, and take advantage of this opportunity to stay at the Drake Hotel with the nation’s most celebrated public school activists.
The theme of this year’s conference is:



 Bob Braun's Ledger
Bob Braun
Join host Dr. James Avington Miller Jr. as he continues to expose how Pearson is invading the privacy and taking away the first amendment rights of our students.

Bob Braun of the Bob Braun's Ledger will return to continue his great reporting on the nefarious union between the NJ Department of Ed and Pearson. 



Also joining us for the hour will be Ken Previti - retired teacher and blogger for Reclaim Reform.
http://reclaimreform.com/

And a last minute update! 


Also joining us on the show on Sunday will be Leonie Haimson - Executive Director of Class Size Matters and Co-chair of the Parent Coalition to protect student privacy.
http://www.classsizematters.org/

The more we learn, the scarier it gets...

Click on the website below to listen live and join the discussion:

http://bbsradio.com/thewarreport

 Sunday 

2:00 PM PDT
4:00 PM CDT
5:00 PM EDT

A direct listen-in line only
Station 1 - 716-748-0150

To call-in and interact live
Station 1 - 888-627-6008

The War Report on Public Education with Dr James Avington Miller Jr




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Hedge fund execs' money for charter schools may pay off - NY Daily News

Hedge fund execs' money for charter schools may pay off - NY Daily News:



Hedge fund executives give 'til it hurts to politicians, especially Cuomo, to get more charter schools






 Outside the Harvard Club in Midtown, a group of parents from the Alliance for Quality Education picketed as they chanted, “Public schools are not for sale!”

But the hedge fund chiefs inside had other ideas.
The title of the hedge fund bosses’ all-day symposium on Tuesday said it all: “Bonds & Blackboards: Investing in Charter Schools.” Sponsored by the Gates Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation, its aim was to convince investors there’s money to be made in charter schools.
Hedge fund executives have unleashed a tsunami of money the past few years aimed at getting New York’s politicians to close more public schools and expand charter schools.
They’ve done it through direct political contributions, through huge donations to a web of pro-charter lobbying groups, and through massive TV and radio commercials.
Since 2000, 570 hedge fund managers have shelled out nearly $40 million in political contributions in New York State, according to a recent report by Hedge Clippers, a union-backed research group.
The single biggest beneficiary has been Andrew Cuomo, who received $4.8 million from them.
Several of the governor’s big hedge fund donors, such as Carl Icahn, of Icahn Enterprises, Julian Robertson of Tiger Management, and Daniel Loeb, of Third Point LLC, are also longtime backers of charter schools.
Loeb is chairman of the board of the Success Academy network run by former City Councilwoman Eva Moskowitz. He’s given $62,000 to Cuomo, while 18 other members of the Success Academy board or their family members have given nearly $600,000 to the governor, according to state campaign records
But the direct donations don’t tell the full story.
In this era after the Supreme Court’s Citizens United case, the indirect contributions are even more astounding.
Take, for example, a group called New Yorkers for a Balanced Albany. It financed a massive advertising campaign late last year aimed at keeping the state Senate in Republican hands, largely by blasting upstate Democrats as tied to Mayor de Blasio.
That group received $3.5 million from just six hedge fund backers of charter schools.
Loeb contributed $1 million. So did Robertson, whose son Spencer runs a Brooklyn charter school. The others included Paul Tudor Jones, founder and chairman of Excellence Charter School, with $500,000; Icahn, who founded several Bronx charter schools, with $250,000; and Gotham Capital’s Joel Greenblatt, a founder of Success Academy, with $250,000.
The money they gave to New Yorkers for a Balanced Albany thus rivaled the $4.8 million that the teachers union, with its 185,000 members, spent on all political contributions.
But the same people also gave money to other pro-charter groups. Greenblatt, for instance, donated $45,000 to Democrats for Education Reform, a political action committee that, in turn, has given Cuomo $72,000.
Two other pro-charter groups, Families for Excellent Schools and the political arm of Students First New York, spent more than $10 million last year on their lobbying effort.
All that money and lobbying triumphed when Cuomo and the Legislature approved up to $2,600 more per pupil for charter school facilities, with New York City expected to pick up a big portion of that.
Now, the governor wants the Legislature to increase the state limit on charter schools.
Little wonder the big-money hedge fund managers gathered at the Harvard Club. They were there to examine, according to program literature, “the current state of the charter schools facilities financing landscape and new innovative financing mechanisms.”
In other words, all that money thrown at the politicians is about to pay off.
“Their agenda has nothing to do with improving our public schools,” said Zakiya Ansari, spokeswoman for the parents picketing outside.Hedge fund execs' money for charter schools may pay off - NY Daily News:

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No Child Left Behind Is a Cheats’ Charter

No Child Left Behind Is a Cheats’ Charter:



No Child Left Behind Is a Cheats’ Charter





 Although re-authorization is still politically complicated, 2015 appears to be the year the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) will bereformed.

Popularly known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), ESEA promised to close the achievement gap and herald an era of evidence-based education policy by giving federal teeth to a state-based accountability process launched in the early 1980s. However, NCLB not only failed to accomplish these goals, it also led to some schools resorting to cheating, so as to increase test scores.
Starting in 1984, I taught for 18 years in a South Carolina public school. For the past 13 years I have been a professor of teacher education. Throughout these 30-plus years, I have witnessed how accountability based on standards and high-stakes testing has guided how we view and run schools.
My experience and analysis of education policy during that time have revealed important lessons from NCLB–ones likely to be ignored during the re-authorization process. Education reform under the Obama administration and the initial plans for re-authorization show that politicians continue to support standardized testing as part of accountability policies, despite a long record of failure.

U.S. education policy has been misguided by “miracle” claims

Throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, “miracles” in education reform have significantly influenced U.S. education policy. NCLB, for instance, was built on bipartisan support for George W. Bush’s self-proclaimed Texas miracle.
The “miracle” under Bush suggested that accountability based on standards and high-stakes testing raised student achievement and solved some long-standing educational challenges, such as dropout rates and achievement gaps.
However, scholars have raised questions about the “miracle.” An emeritus professor at Boston College, Walt Haney, who analyzed the Texas reform, concluded:
The gains on TAAS (Texas Assessment of Academic Skills) and the unbelievable decreases in dropouts during the 1990s are more illusory than real. The Texas “miracle” is more hat than cattle.
Despite ample evidence and expert opinion, such “miracle” reforms continue to drive policy even under Obama. Before becoming secretary of education in the Obama administration, Arne Duncan was credited with improving student pass rates in Chicago, another so-called education miracle.
Early in his administration, Barack (and Michelle) Obama endorsed theHarlem “miracle” that claimed enormous gains at Harlem charter schools. Yet,both “miracles” have been called into question.

Testing pressures have led to corrupt practices

In addition, NCLB has created several negative consequences.
For example, the pressure of accountability to meet unattainable goals such as 100% proficiency has resulted in cheating in order to raise test scores. High-profile cases have occurred in Atlanta and Washington, D.C.
Also as detailed by an academic, Andre Perry, testing pressures under NCLB led to corrupt practices in public and charter schools that were exposed in New Orleans. As Perry stated in his analysis, “the desperation to show growth can lead to nefarious practices like counseling out" (identifying students likely to score low on tests and recommending they leave a school) or even excessive expulsion and suspension.
The focus on raising test scores led to other negative consequences as well–such as increasing the emphasis on core courses while also eliminating electives such as art and even more teaching for the test. As a result,expectations for students were also narrowed.
A final consequence was a booming education marketplace. U.K.-based Pearson “has reaped the benefits,” as Stephanie Simon reports: “Half of its $8 billion in annual global sales comes from its North American education division.” A Software & Information Industry Association report reveals that testing and assessment products–which include software, digital content and related digital services–have increased by 57% since 2012-13. They now make up the largest single category of educational technology sales.

NCLB fails to close the achievement gap

Most important of all, NCLB has failed its most ambitious goals, including closing the achievement gap and ushering in evidence-based policy.
Based at UCLA and founded to deepen understanding of racial and ethnic groups in the United States, the Civil Rights Project and FairTest, a program that works to end the misuses and flaws of standardized testing, after a careful analysis of  National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data, reveal that the achievement gap, which appeared to be closing before these No Child Left Behind Is a Cheats’ Charter:
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