Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 8/27/15 #SaveDyett

SPECIAL NITE CAP 

CORPORATE ED REFORM

With Market Rates Unaffordable, Oakland Turns To Building Teacher-Only Affordable Housing | ThinkProgress

With Market Rates Unaffordable, Oakland Turns To Building Teacher-Only Affordable Housing | ThinkProgress: With Market Rates Unaffordable, Oakland Turns To Building Teacher-Only Affordable HousingWhen the Oakland school year began Monday, the city’s public school system was still scores of teachers short of the number it needs. The Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) has thrown job fairs and de

by mike simpson / 2min 

Woodridge superintendent urges more accountability for charter schools - Stow Sentry | Stow & Munroe Falls, OH

Woodridge superintendent urges more accountability for charter schools - Stow Sentry | Stow & Munroe Falls, OH: WOODRIDGE SUPERINTENDENT URGES MORE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR CHARTER SCHOOLSColumbus -- A liberal think tank, a state teacher's union and a Summit County school district reiterated calls Aug. 27 for lawmakers to move legislation to clamp down on poor-performing charter schools.Innovation O

by mike simpson / 6min 

Public School Advocates Rally For Local Control, Against Influence of Charter Schools | KUAR

Public School Advocates Rally For Local Control, Against Influence of Charter Schools | KUAR: Public School Advocates Rally For Local Control, Against Influence of Charter SchoolsProtesters in front of the Little Rock School District headquarters.CREDIT SARAH WHITES-KODITSCHEK / KUARLocal advocates for public schools held a protest in front of the Little Rock School District’s headquarters Thursda

by mike simpson / 13min 

Calls for charter school reform | NBC4i.com

Calls for charter school reform | NBC4i.com: Calls for charter school reformCOLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — For one failing charter school here in Columbus, there won’t be a 2015-2016 school year.The sign on door informed parents and employees that operations at the FCI Academy on Mock Road have been suddenly suspended by the school’s sponsor…just as the school year was about to start.Charter school criti

by mike simpson / 24min 

The complicated politics of national standards: Even more sources of opposition (Part 2 of 3) | Brookings Institution

The complicated politics of national standards: Even more sources of opposition (Part 2 of 3) | Brookings Institution: The complicated politics of national standards: Even more sources of opposition (Part 2 of 3)In a previous post, I detailed several different sources of discontentment that various coalitions have cited as reason to oppose the Common Core State Standards. In this post, I will iden

by mike simpson / 30min 

The Time Has Come… | Deborah Meier on Education

The Time Has Come… | Deborah Meier on Education: The Time Has Come… The Time Has Come……to get back to writing about what’s happening. I am preparing for my granddaughter’s wedding a week from Sunday (at my place in Hillsdale). I am working on a project (book) with Emily Gasoi that hopefully takes a useful look at the past half-century of school “reform” as it relates to democracy. And just got a c

by mike simpson / 1h 

The Movement Against Standardized Testing Has Turned Into a Nationwide Revolt

The Movement Against Standardized Testing Has Turned Into a Nationwide Revolt: The Movement Against Standardized Testing Has Turned Into a Nationwide RevoltThe majority of Americans now oppose standardized testing as coalition of teachers, parents, and students, gains momentum.Katherine Brezler, a educator from New York with 10 years of experience, is now one of the nation’s leading voices against

by mike simpson / 1h 

CURMUDGUCATION: So, Charters Can Cheat, Apparently

CURMUDGUCATION: So, Charters Can Cheat, Apparently: So, Charters Can Cheat, ApparentlyThe New York charter school that had the highest jump in ELA test scores is also the charter schoolthat decided to score their own tests.English scores at the Teaching Firms of America Charter School jumped from 20% proficiency to 40% proficiency. And according to NY Chalkbeat, the principal doesn't find anything

by mike simpson / 2h 

Louisiana Educator: Letter From BESE Member BEEBE

Louisiana Educator: Letter From BESE Member BEEBE: Letter From BESE Member BEEBEClick Here to Follow Flip BESE on Facebook LEE P.BARRIOS FOR BESE 1 Web SiteJASON FRANCE FOR BESE 6 Web SiteMIKE KREAMER FOR BESE 7 Web SiteNote to readers: The following is a letter from Dr Lottie Beebe, BESE member representing Dist. 3. Dr Beebe has been the voice of reason on BESE. She points out that John White as

by mike simpson / 3h 

Defense Department schools begin implementing Common Core standards — but giving them different name - The Washington Post

Defense Department schools begin implementing Common Core standards — but giving them different name - The Washington Post: Defense Department schools begin implementing Common Core standards — but giving them different nameThe public school system run for the Department of Defense to educate children of active duty military and civilian department families in the United States and around the worl

by mike simpson / 4h 

BACK TO SCHOOL: A parent’s guide to K-12 school success

A parent’s guide to K-12 school success

by mike simpson / 4h 

ACLU sues to stop Nevada’s new school voucher program - The Washington Post

ACLU sues to stop Nevada’s new school voucher program - The Washington Post: ACLU sues to stop Nevada’s new school voucher programThe American Civil Liberties Union is challenging the constitutionality ofNevada’s new school voucher program, arguing in a lawsuit filed Thursday that the program violates the state’s prohibition against using public money for religious purposes.“Parents who want their

by mike simpson / 4h 

Videos from PAA Week | Parents Across America #FightForDyett

Videos from PAA Week | Parents Across America: Videos from PAA Week PAA Week Day 6: Test Stress and our Children (7-24-15)PAA’s Laura Bowman and Julie Woestehoff talk about PAA’s extensive research into the negative effects of the misuse and overuse of standardized tests on our children, and how PAA thinks we should do instead. .PAA Week Day 5: Local Heroes, Walking the Walk (7-23-15)Campaign and

by mike simpson / 4h 

California voters back extending Proposition 30 to funnel more money to public schools | Policy Analysis for California Education

California voters back extending Proposition 30 to funnel more money to public schools | Policy Analysis for California Education: California voters back extending Proposition 30 to funnel more money to public schoolsPACE/USC Rossier Poll shows voters have little knowledge of Local Control Funding Formula reform meant to dramatically alter public school finance and accountability in the stateConta

by mike simpson / 5h 

Thompson: Greg Toppo Sees the Game's Future and It Works This Week In Education:

This Week In Education: Thompson: Greg Toppo Sees the Game's Future and It Works: Thompson: Greg Toppo Sees the Game's Future and It WorkI've always been confused by the seemingly absurd dichotomy. Brilliant computer geeks and digital geniuses create such potentially liberating technologies. But, they also became a driving force in corporate school reform and its efforts to turn schools back to th

by mike simpson / 5h 

Going the extra mile OR Part of the same team - Lily's Blackboard

Going the extra mile OR Part of the same team - Lily's Blackboard: Going the extra mile OR Part of the same team Like many of you, I, too, cheered for the U.S. women’s national soccer team when it won the World Cup this summer. As I watched the team celebrate, one thing stood out: everyone involved with the organization contributed to the team’s success.The players and head coach are the most visi

by mike simpson / 6h 

People Don’t Like Current Education Policies, So Why Do Policy Leaders?

8/27/2015 – People Don’t Like Current Education Policies, So Why Do Policy Leaders?: People Don’t Like Current Education Policies, So Why Do Policy Leaders?August 27, 2015 SubscribeTHIS WEEK: People Hate Education Reform … New Orleans Miracle Is A Myth … No Quick Progress From Common Core … Don’t Let States Take Over Schools … Rep Mark Takano Talks EducationTOP STORYPeople Don’t Like Current Educa

by mike simpson / 6h 

Schools Matter: New Test to Solve Tennessee's "true ethical and moral dilemma"?

Schools Matter: New Test to Solve Tennessee's "true ethical and moral dilemma"?: New Test to Solve Tennessee's "true ethical and moral dilemma"?Candice McQueen has replaced Tennessee's toxic former Commissioner of Education, Kevin (Rhee) Huffman.  In doing so, McQueen has inherited one of the most aggressive corporate education agendas in the nation. At the same time, she has t

by mike simpson / 6h 

The student as education insurgent | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

The student as education insurgent | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: The student as education insurgent"Educating for Insurgency," by Jay Gillen, makes the case that the transformation of our schools depends on recognizing the critical role of young people in high-poverty schools.Gillen is a Baltimore math teacher who helped organize the Baltimore Algebra Project, a student-run coll

by mike simpson / 6h 

TBT: The 1970 Chicano Moratorium Against the War in Vietnam – 45 Years Later!

The 1970 Chicano Moratorium Against the War in Vietnam – 45 Years Later!: The 1970 Chicano Moratorium Against the War in Vietnam – 45 Years Later!By Herman Baca / August 26, 2015Long forgotten by US history and barely remembered by many (even in the Chicano community) is the historical 45th anniversary of theAugust 29, 1970 Chicano Moratorium against the War in Vietnam.The Moratorium held in Los A

by mike simpson / 6h 

High-stakes teacher evaluations may not help :: SI&A Cabinet Report

High-stakes teacher evaluations may not help :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: High-stakes teacher evaluations may not helpby Alisha Kirby(N.Y.) High-stakes teacher evaluations have not been shown to improve student achievement and may even be detrimental to student success, according to a recent study.Researcher Alyson Lavigne, an assistant

by mike simpson / 7h 

#FightForDyett Parents Hunger Strike For High School City Of Chicago Planned To Close | ThinkProgress

Parents Hunger Strike For High School City Of Chicago Planned To Close | ThinkProgress: Parents Hunger Strike For High School City Of Chicago Planned To CloseA small group of parents and community members in the South Side of Chicago have gone on a hunger strike until the Chicago Board of Education agrees to a proposal to revitalize a local school. It has lasted 10 days. Dyett High School will shu

by mike simpson / 7h 

Dirty Tricks in District 6 | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

Dirty Tricks in District 6 | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: Dirty Tricks in District 6Kathy Edmonston, my opponent in the District 6 BESE race, just released a poll that her political consultant ran that shows her tied with the incumbent Chas Roemer, me at 6%, and the undecided at 44%. This is not the first time I’ve seen or heard these numbers.  The first time I heard them was Thursday August 20th when s

by mike simpson / 7h 

AFT President Randi Weingarten joins #FightForDyett hunger strikers. | Fred Klonsky

AFT President Randi Weingarten joins #FightForDyett hunger strikers. | Fred Klonsky: AFT President Randi Weingarten joins #FightForDyett hunger strikers.Life in Rahm’s Chicago. Welcome back, AmerMy drawing from July, 2014.The poster boy for Rahm’s City Hall corruption, Amer Ahmad, is coming home.Not home to Chicago, where he was hired by Mayor Rahm’s Chief Financial Officer, Lois Scott.Home to Ohi

by mike simpson / 7h 

CURMUDGUCATION: PA: Charter Vampires on the Loose

CURMUDGUCATION: PA: Charter Vampires on the Loose: "PA: Charter Vampires on the Loose"PA: Charter Vampires on the LooseIn Pennsylvania, opening a charter school, particularly a  cyber-charter, has long been just like printing money in your garage (only you won't get in any trouble for it).The current plight of the Chester Upland School District highlights just how screwed up the whole me

by mike simpson / 7h 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: DAY 10 -- Support builds and the media curtain has finally lifted.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: DAY 10 -- Support builds and the media curtain has finally lifted.: DAY 10 -- Support builds and the media curtain has finally lifted.Rep. Bob Martwick and other pols step up. Martwick is sponsor of the Elected School Board bill. The Tribune and Sun-Times have finally discovered the hunger strike. So has theWashington Post.A SMALLTALK SALUTE goes out to AFT Pres. Ran

by mike simpson / 7h 

2015 Superintendent of the Year: High-stakes testing is the ‘fool’s gold’ of accountability - The Washington Post

2015 Superintendent of the Year: High-stakes testing is the ‘fool’s gold’ of accountability - The Washington Post: 2015 Superintendent of the Year: High-stakes testing is the ‘fool’s gold’ of accountabilityPhilip D. Lanoue is the superintendent of the 13,000-student Clarke County School District in Georgia, the most impoverished county in the state — and he is the 2015 American Association of Scho

by mike simpson / 7h 

Phantoms Playing Double-Dutch: Why the #FightForDyett is Bigger than One Chicago School Closing | Seven Scribes

Phantoms Playing Double-Dutch: Why the Fight for Dyett is Bigger than One Chicago School Closing | Seven Scribes: Phantoms Playing Double-Dutch: Why the Fight for Dyett is Bigger than One Chicago School ClosingCause everybody dies in the summer / Wanna say your goodbyes, tell ‘em while it’s spring / I heard everybody’s dying in the summer So pray to God for a little more spring.”– Chance the Rappe

by mike simpson / 7h 

21 Oregon districts, ranging from small to huge, miss targets for Smarter Balanced test participation | OregonLive.com

21 Oregon districts, ranging from small to huge, miss targets for Smarter Balanced test participation | OregonLive.com: 21 Oregon districts, ranging from small to huge, miss targets for Smarter Balanced test participationTwenty-one Oregon districts ranging from small to the state's largest failed to meet federal testing targets for Smarter Balanced assessments,according to state data.The launch of

by mike simpson / 7h 

#FightForDyett hunger-strikers vow to continue fight Randi Weingarten praised the actions of the hunger strikers at Dyett

Dyett hunger-strikers vow to continue fight: Dyett hunger-strikers vow to continue fightRandi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, praised the actions of the hunger strikers at Dyett High School. | Mitch Dudek/Sun-TimesOn Wednesday morning — Jeannette Taylor’s 10th day of a hunger strike aimed at saving a neighborhood school in Bronzeville — paramedics removed her from a C

by mike simpson / 8h 

Former CPS CEO Paul Vallas blames successors for $1B deficit | abc7chicago.com

Former CPS CEO Paul Vallas blames successors for $1B deficit | abc7chicago.com: FORMER CPS CEO PAUL VALLAS BLAMES SUCCESSORS FOR $1B DEFICIT CHICAGO (WLS) --Strong words from a former head of Chicago Public Schools. Former CPS CEO Paul Vallas is in Chicago talking about the current budget woes and how to fix it.The school system is dealing with more than a billion dollar deficit. Vallas points the

by mike simpson / 8h 

How kindergarten got so serious - LA Times

How kindergarten got so serious - LA Times: How kindergarten got so seriousWhere did the playtime go in kindergarten?The blocks?The sandbox?The Times published a front-page story over the weekend about efforts in Sacramento to make kindergarten mandatory. Right now, parents in California are not required to send their children to school until they’re 6 years old. In other words, mandatory schoolin

by mike simpson / 8h 

Dyett hunger strikers gain support; striker collapses at CPS board meeting - #FightForDyett

Dyett hunger strikers gain support; striker collapses at CPS board meeting - Chicago Tribune: Dyett hunger strikers gain support; striker collapses at CPS board meeting On the 10th day of their hunger strike, a group of parents and activists rallying to save a Chicago high school were joined by national education leaders, a handful of elected officials and dozens of organizers who wanted to lend t

by mike simpson / 8h 

10 Things Smart Teachers Don't Do | Peter Greene

10 Things Smart Teachers Don't Do | Peter Greene: 10 Things Smart Teachers Don't DoOver at the Inc website, contributing editor Jeff Haden last week contributed "10 Things the Smartest People Never Do." It's business-oriented, but it actually translates well into the teaching world as well. Here's the teacherfied version of the list of things that smart people never do.1. Thoughtlessly w

by mike simpson / 8h 

For-profit schools getting a hall pass as state watchdog plays hooky

For-profit schools getting a hall pass as state watchdog plays hooky: For-profit schools getting a hall pass as state watchdog plays hookyIn 2010, the U.S. Department of Education issued a “program integrity” rule in an attempt to increase state oversight of for-profit colleges. Among the provisions was a requirement that all students enrolled in for-profits be made aware of where they can file a

by mike simpson / 8h 

New Orleans' switch to charter schools after Katrina: a 'takeover' or a success? | US news | The Guardian

New Orleans' switch to charter schools after Katrina: a 'takeover' or a success? | US news | The Guardian: New Orleans' switch to charter schools after Katrina: a 'takeover' or a success?In 2005 the city enacted radical education reform, turning its worst-performing public schools into an educational marketplace of sorts run by charter operators – but locals remain wary of its aims even as perform

by mike simpson / 8h 

Plan to curb boycott of NY standardized tests creates a backlash | NCPR News

Plan to curb boycott of NY standardized tests creates a backlash | NCPR News: Plan to curb boycott of NY standardized tests creates a backlashAug 27, 2015 — The New York State education commissioner’s plans to quell the testing opt-out movement is getting some backlash from some Republicans in the legislature, including a former teacher.Mary Ellen Elia watched as New York's Board of Regents voted

by mike simpson / 8h 

Is Teach for America Flunking Out? - The Daily Beast

Is Teach for America Flunking Out? - The Daily Beast: Is Teach for America Flunking Out?Among a divided community of alumni, a plethora of blog posts and think pieces, and a controversial business model, Teach for America has reached its moment of truth.As students head back to school in the coming days, the lowest number of new Teach for America (TFA) teachers since the start of the decade will g

by mike simpson / 9h 

YESTERDAY

State removes 15 years of test results before releasing new scores | EdSource

State removes 15 years of test results before releasing new scores | EdSource: State removes 15 years of test results before releasing new scoresCalifornia Department of Education officials have repeatedly cautioned against comparing students’ scores on past state standardized tests with forthcoming results on tests aligned with the Common Core standards. The academic standards have changed and th

by mike simpson / 18h 

Philanthropy & Washington Post Reporting: A Few Missing Facts | Education Town Hall

Philanthropy & Washington Post Reporting: A Few Missing Facts | Education Town Hall Forum: Weekly Broadcast Archives, Extended Discussion, plus Monthly BUS Ride: Philanthropy & Washington Post Reporting: A Few Missing Facts DC won more money per student from pro-privatization donors than any other urban school system, according to researchers who followed several years of educational phila

by mike simpson / 18h 

The Melting of Mark Zuckerberg’s Donation to Newark Schools - The New York Times

The Melting of Mark Zuckerberg’s Donation to Newark Schools - The New York Times: The Melting of Mark Zuckerberg’s Donation to Newark SchoolsThe national debate over how to best educate our children is usually undertaken at a high level of abstraction. Constructive dialogue is often hampered by intense philosophical preconceptions that drive the perceptions and characterizations of all key players

by mike simpson / 18h 

Seattle opt out numbers for 2014-2015. It’s on! | Seattle Education

Seattle opt out numbers for 2014-2015. It’s on! | Seattle Education: Seattle opt out numbers for 2014-2015. It’s on!Seattle had an incredible first year resisting the SBAC.Let’s take a look at the final numbers and see what happened. It’s also worth noting Seattle’s opt out numbers turned out to be higher than what was initially reported by OSPI in July.11th GradeSeattle’s 11th graders captured th

by mike simpson / 22h 

Hospitalized Dyett Activist Returns to Continue Hunger Strike for 10th Day #FightForDyett

Hospitalized Dyett Activist Returns to Continue Hunger Strike for 10th Day - Grand Boulevard - DNAinfo.com Chicago: Hospitalized Dyett Activist Returns to Continue Hunger Strike for 10th DayIrene Robinson has returned to a 10-day hunger strike at Dyett High School after being hospitalized Monday for dangerously high blood pressure.GRAND BOULEVARD — A dozen school activists are being forced to cons

by mike simpson / 22h 

Teachers sing ‘One Day More’ before students return to school — and it’s awesome | WGN-TV

Teachers sing ‘One Day More’ before students return to school — and it’s awesome | WGN-TV: Teachers sing ‘One Day More’ before students return to school — and it’s awesomeDES MOINES, Iowa — Teachers and staff in the West Des Moines school district broke into song during an employee meeting last week, accurately capturing the angst over having only one more day before students return from summer br

by mike simpson / 23h 

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 8/26/15 #SaveDyett

SPECIAL NITE CAP CORPORATE ED REFORMYou'd Be On C-SPAN Getting Mic'd Up Too [Video] | The Jose VilsonYou'd Be On C-SPAN Getting Mic'd Up Too [Video] | The Jose Vilson: You’d Be On C-SPAN Getting Mic’d Up Too [Video] JOSE VILSON AUGUST 26, 2015 VIDEO LEAVE A COMMENTGiven how little I advertised this, I’m glad so many of you got to watch this interview of me via C-SPAN’s Wasington Journal with Pedro

by mike simpson / 1d h

With Market Rates Unaffordable, Oakland Turns To Building Teacher-Only Affordable Housing | ThinkProgress

With Market Rates Unaffordable, Oakland Turns To Building Teacher-Only Affordable Housing | ThinkProgress:

With Market Rates Unaffordable, Oakland Turns To Building Teacher-Only Affordable Housing

When the Oakland school year began Monday, the city’s public school system was still scores of teachers short of the number it needs. The Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) has thrown job fairs and deployed administrative employees with teaching credentials to the classroom to cover the shortfall.

But now, thanks to a twist in a city land deal that’s been years in the making, the district may have a new lure to offer potential hires: teachers-only affordable housing.

OUSD is weighing a bid to build below-market rental housing units for city teachers on a plot of land near Lake Merritt. Earlier this summer, the acre appeared to be headed destined to turn into high-end housing. But critics scuttled the deal before it could receive final city council approval, and Oakland announced it would accept new proposals for developing the land.

Converting the plot to teacher-specific housing at an affordable price could solve multiple problems at once for the district. Rents are rising faster in Oakland than almost anywhere else in the country — including neighboring San Francisco, though separating the two cities’ readings downplays the connection between San Francisco’s infamously tight real estate market and Oakland’s role as first-choice spillover city for many people who work across the bay. The 12.1 percent increase in rental costs from 2014 to 2015 is second only to Denver’s 14.2 percent hike, according to Trulia.

As rents boomed, teacher salaries didn’t keep pace. The contract approved by teachers earlier this summer includes gradual 14 percent raises, but Oakland Educational Association (OEA) members are hardly thriving. First, that 14 percent hike over three years will mostly be playing catchup to the 12 percent rent increase that’s already happened.

Second, the raise is applied to an obscenely low floor. Out of 125 major city school districts analyzed in a 2014 National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) report, Oakland ranked 121st on With Market Rates Unaffordable, Oakland Turns To Building Teacher-Only Affordable Housing | ThinkProgress:

Woodridge superintendent urges more accountability for charter schools - Stow Sentry | Stow & Munroe Falls, OH

Woodridge superintendent urges more accountability for charter schools - Stow Sentry | Stow & Munroe Falls, OH:

WOODRIDGE SUPERINTENDENT URGES MORE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS

Columbus -- A liberal think tank, a state teacher's union and a Summit County school district reiterated calls Aug. 27 for lawmakers to move legislation to clamp down on poor-performing charter schools.

Innovation Ohio, the Ohio Education Association and officials from Woodridge Schools also said recent budget legislation provides increased state support for charters, subsidizing failing locations while taking needed funds from public schools.

"We receive $680 roughly per student in state funding," said Woodridge Superintendent Walter Davis. "However, when students leave our school district to go to a charter school, they take an average of $6,853 with them. ... For every child that leaves our school district to go to a charter school in the state of Ohio, there are 10 resident Woodridge students who receive no state funding. This is egregious, it is unfair, and we call on the general assembly to enact reforms that will level the playing field and make charter schools as accountable as we are and have been to the taxpayers of our school district."

Lawmakers have been considering charter school reform. Before breaking for the summer, the Ohio Senate OK'd HB 2, which would institute new requirements for charter school sponsors, governing boards and operators.

Among other provisions, the bill would block poorly performing charters from switching sponsors and poorly performing sponsors from sponsoring other charter locations.

The legislation would require increased disclosure of charter contracts, facility costs, attendance policies and other details of their operation.

The state education department would have to annually rate charter sponsors on academic performance and other compliance issues and publish lists of charters that have closed since 2011 and other details of the schools.

The final bill is a combination of the original House-passed legislation, provisions outlined in separate Senate legislation and language that was included in Gov. John Kasich's executive budget proposal.

One of the primary co-sponsors of HB 2, Rep. Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson) was supportive of the Senate changes. But the Ohio House recessed for the summer without considering the Senate changes.

House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger (R-Clarksville) said earlier this summer that Roegner and the other primary co-sponsor of the legislation, Rep. Mike Dovilla (R-Berea), were not in agreement on the Senate version.

"... It's disappointing that we began a new school year without necessary action having been taken to pass HB 2, legislation that would help ensure all of Ohio's students are attending schools including charters that are being held to high standards of transparency and accountability," said Scott DiMauro, vice president of the Ohio Education Association. "After months of hearings in both houses of the general assembly, a unanimous vote in the Senate and a clear majority of House members prepared to approve the Senate-passed bill on a bipartisan basis, it's a shame that leadership failed to bring the bill to the floor for a final vote back in June."

Earlier this summer, David Hansen, husband of Gov. John Kasich's former chief of staff and current campaign manager, resigned as school choice director at the Ohio Department of Education following revelations that he purposely excluded data on failing online schools in an Woodridge superintendent urges more accountability for charter schools - Stow Sentry | Stow & Munroe Falls, OH:

Public School Advocates Rally For Local Control, Against Influence of Charter Schools | KUAR

Public School Advocates Rally For Local Control, Against Influence of Charter Schools | KUAR:

Public School Advocates Rally For Local Control, Against Influence of Charter Schools

Protesters in front of the Little Rock School District headquarters.

CREDIT SARAH WHITES-KODITSCHEK / KUAR

Local advocates for public schools held a protest in front of the Little Rock School District’s headquarters Thursday to a call for a return to local control and an end to charter schools in the state.

Anika Whitfield with the Coalition to Reclaim Our Schools in the Little Rock School District said she believes the state takeover of the district and the increasing presence of charter schools in the state will negatively impact minority students.

"What a lot of places are doing are now lowering their standards from student testing to justify maintaining these schools and charter school systems. It shows the element of racism as well as social and classism that continues to impede our country," she said. 

The rally was held following the publication of a national report by The Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools, a group that includes the country’s two biggest teachers’ unions.

The group opposes what it calls “market intervention” and state takeovers of local districts. Little Rock School District officials did not respond immediately for comment. Public School Advocates Rally For Local Control, Against Influence of Charter Schools | KUAR:

Calls for charter school reform | NBC4i.com

Calls for charter school reform | NBC4i.com:

Calls for charter school reform

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — For one failing charter school here in Columbus, there won’t be a 2015-2016 school year.

The sign on door informed parents and employees that operations at the FCI Academy on Mock Road have been suddenly suspended by the school’s sponsor…just as the school year was about to start.

Charter school critics used the opportunity to renew their call for charter school reforms at the statehouse.

Checking online records, the FCI Academy scored Ds and Fs on state standards, and by nearly every measure scored lower than Columbus City Schools. Even so, Columbus transferred close to $2.5 million to FCI…about $6,800 per Columbus student attending the academy.

That’s about $2800 more per student than Columbus receives from the state.

This is happening all across Ohio.Calls for charter school reform | NBC4i.com:

The complicated politics of national standards: Even more sources of opposition (Part 2 of 3) | Brookings Institution

The complicated politics of national standards: Even more sources of opposition (Part 2 of 3) | Brookings Institution:

The complicated politics of national standards: Even more sources of opposition (Part 2 of 3)

In a previous post, I detailed several different sources of discontentment that various coalitions have cited as reason to oppose the Common Core State Standards. In this post, I will identify and discuss even more sources of opposition to the standards.

Curriculum and culture wars

The crafting of new national standards also has reignited long-standing ideological debates about multiculturalism — how American literature and history should be taught, and whether the science curriculum should include reservations about evolution and global warning. Opponents of the Core cast it as a national curriculum that is ill-suited for a country with such religious, political, ethnic, and cultural diversity. Some conservatives are concerned that progressive educators are using the public schools to indoctrinate children with liberal social and economic values on such hot-button issues as homosexuality, abortion, sex education, and socialism.

In reality, the standards outline the essential skills and information that students should know in math and language arts but do not mandate a particular curriculum for delivering instruction. Core advocates have endeavored in vain to communicate that standards are not curriculum, but the general public has neither understood nor embraced the concept. In addition, Core opponents say the standards mandate particular textbooks or pieces of literature. They do not. But the authors of the standards have recommended a list of materials that have been judged to satisfy the Core. Nonetheless, this is another area where public misperception is driving down support for the Core, as only half of Americans who have heard of it understand that states and local school districts retain the ability to choose their own educational materials.

Anti-testing backlash

Other opposition to the Core—particularly among parents—is related to a broader backlash against the amount of testing and teaching to the test that students are perceived to be facing in the wake of NCLB. While the Core standards are separate from the new assessments—states can and have adopted one but not the other—they have become conflated in the public mind; concerns about testing have spilled over into the push for common academic expectations. While proponents argue that the Common Core standards and assessments are designed to be an improvement on NCLB that addresses many of its failings, many have come to see the Common Core as simply NCLB 2.0.

Meeting the higher bar

The debate over the Common Core has also become entangled with long-standing concerns that governments are not doing enough to address poverty, safety, health, and other out-of-school factors affecting student achievement as well as concerns that teachers are not being given sufficient training and resources to effectively instruct disadvantaged students. These views have been prominently articulated by Diane Ravitch, Linda Darling-Hammond, and The complicated politics of national standards: Even more sources of opposition (Part 2 of 3) | Brookings Institution:

The Time Has Come… | Deborah Meier on Education

The Time Has Come… | Deborah Meier on Education:

The Time Has Come… 

The Time Has Come…

…to get back to writing about what’s happening. I am preparing for my granddaughter’s wedding a week from Sunday (at my place in Hillsdale). I am working on a project (book) with Emily Gasoi that hopefully takes a useful look at the past half-century of school “reform” as it relates to democracy. And just got a copy of a book edited by Matthew Knoester, Kathy Clunis D’Andrea and myself called Teaching in Themes, An Approach to Schoolwide Learning, Creating Community and Differentiating Instruction. TC Press, just arriving in the store(s).

Then yesterday an old friend dropped by—Fred Bay—and obsessed with me about the state of the planet Earth. He is right—it is not an issue that can wait until we better educate another generation. It is this generation of adults or else.

So why am I ignoring it? It doesn’t even matter what/who “caused it.” The only thing that matters is who is going to turn it around if not us. Why do I avoid it?

Because I find it much more comforting to stick with what I know best, and which The Time Has Come… | Deborah Meier on Education:

The Movement Against Standardized Testing Has Turned Into a Nationwide Revolt

The Movement Against Standardized Testing Has Turned Into a Nationwide Revolt:

The Movement Against Standardized Testing Has Turned Into a Nationwide Revolt

The majority of Americans now oppose standardized testing as coalition of teachers, parents, and students, gains momentum.

Katherine Brezler, a educator from New York with 10 years of experience, is now one of the nation’s leading voices against standardized testing. The uprising has been dubbed the “opt-out” movement, in which students either refuse to take the test, or parents send letters to the school district informing them that they’re making the decision on behalf of their child to not participate in high-stakes, standardized testing. Brezler believes determining school funding based on test scores further disenfranchises schools in high-poverty neighborhoods.

“Your ZIP code shouldn’t determine your access to quality public education, but it does,” Brezler said.

“Poverty is the number one reason for low test scores,” Brezler continued. “The actual causality for students not achieving statistically well is poverty.”

According to the 47th annual Phi Delta Kappan/Gallup poll released this week, 64% of Americans (and 67% of public school parents) believe that there is too much emphasis on standardized testing in schools. What’s more, 55% (and 63% of public school parents) now believe that test scores shouldn’t be used to evaluate teachers, perhaps in recognition of how that can distort how teachers’ priorities in the classroom.

Brezler said the entire method of funding public schools through standardized testing is flawed as it doesn’t account for poverty. Most school funding currently comes from municipal property taxes — in which wealthier, suburban neighborhoods naturally have better-funded schools — and through standardized testing.

Even in middle-class communities, parents have felt the sting of paying for previously included expenses like bus service and cleaning supplies out of pocket, and having to fundraise for extra reading teachers and other important personnel. That’s why, despite a long-standing attempt to convince the public that “money doesn’t matter” in education, when asked about the number one problem facing their local schools, Americans of all races and political identifications overwhelmingly answered “a lack of financial support” in the survey for the tenth year in a row.

“I’ve seen an hour of testing at the end of the year turn into 540 minutes of testing for a 9 year old person. I’ve seen students for special needs have seizures or other accidents while testing,” Brezler told U.S. Uncut. “This is something I never experienced as a young person, or early on in teaching. It’s something that’s quite new to me.”

The “opt-out” movement has now attracted roughly 200,000 students across New York who have refused to participate in standardized testing. In Pennsylvania, the opt-out rate tripled in 2015. The opt-out movement is also picking up traction in Arizona. 1,000 students in New Mexico walked out of classrooms in protest of standardized testing in March.

The federal government has used as a means of allotting public school funding since George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law. Standardized testing was also coupled with public school teacher evaluations after President Obama green-lighted the Race to the Top program. Brezler said these two programs, along with the implementation of Value-Added Measures (VAMs), force teachers to choose between educating children based on their strengths and weaknesses, and teaching in preparation for a year-end test.

“It was like an ever-moving bar,” Brezler said. “They changed the rules in the middle of the game.”

After the New York assembly passed a budget in which education funding was based on a coupling of student test scores with teacher evaluations, Brezler fought back by launching a crowdfunding campaign aimed at raising awareness across the state, raising $19,000 in just ten days. Brezler organized a robocall with education advocate and New York gubernatorial candidate Zephyr Teachout, targeting parents with children in public schools, to educate parents about the opt-out movement:

“This is Zephyr Teachout. I’m calling to tell you that high stakes testing is hurting our kids and you have a constitutional right to refuse them without any negative consequences to your child or financial loss to the school.” 

After the robocall campaign, the percentage of students who refused to take the test went from 5 percent in the previous year, to 20 percent in 2015. Teachout said she wanted to let parents know if they wanted their students to be tested, it was The Movement Against Standardized Testing Has Turned Into a Nationwide Revolt: