Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 10/29/15

CORPORATE ED REFORM

PAA responds to President Obama’s letter on testing | Parents Across America

PAA responds to President Obama’s letter on testing | Parents Across America: PAA responds to President Obama’s letter on testingOn Monday, President Obama published an open letter to parents and teachers about testing.The letter introduced his administration’s new Testing Action Plan which is supposed to fix the problems of excessive testing. The plan defines a set of testing principles for state

by mike simpson / 1h 

Peg with Pen: U.S. Dept. of Ed. and Educational Warfare

Peg with Pen: U.S. Dept. of Ed. and Educational Warfare: U.S. Dept. of Ed. and Educational WarfareObama has done a stellar job of launching a mainstream campaign to alert the public to his deep concerns around too much testing, the need for better testing, and testing that we embrace and love. Please remember, those who have destroyed your public schools won't suddenly do an about face to save the

by mike simpson / 1h 

Three Candidates Seek Two School Board Seats | South Pasadena Now

Three Candidates Seek Two School Board Seats | South Pasadena Now: Three Candidates Seek Two School Board Seats Election on TuesdayNPE Action Endorses Dr. Suzie Abajian - NPE Action http://bit.ly/1MXCEAhThree candidates are seeking two seats on the South Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education as residents go to polls next Tuesday, November 3, to cast votes. Joe Loo is the incumbent an

by mike simpson / 1h 

CURMUDGUCATION: StudentsFirst Weak Core Endorsement

CURMUDGUCATION: StudentsFirst Weak Core Endorsement: StudentsFirst Weak Core EndorsementAndy Cuomo's Common Core Task Force is supposed to be busily working today to come up with a new name for the Common Core to carefully examine and consider educational modifications to the Core because it's politically expedient to do so because it's politically expedient to do so.StudentsFirst NY was only too

by mike simpson / 2h 

Jersey Jazzman: Charter Schools, An Exchange: Part IV

Jersey Jazzman: Charter Schools, An Exchange: Part IV: Charter Schools, An Exchange: Part IVDmitri Mehlhorn and I continue our exchange about charter schools.Part I: Mehlhorn's opener.Part II: My reply.Part III: Mehlhorn's response. Leave your thoughts in the comments below. We'll go one more round before we finish this series. Again, my thanks to Dmitri for participating in this debate.* * *Dmitr

by mike simpson / 2h 

Billionaires for Bronin - Wait What?

Billionaires for Bronin - Wait What?: Billionaires for BroninHartford voters can thank Connecticut’s 4th wealthiest resident for helping provide Luke Bronin with the money he wanted in order to run for Mayor of Connecticut’s Capital City.In fact, as Greenwich native and Hartford newcomer Luke Bronin eagerly awaits being elected Hartford’s next Mayor, he will need to thank many people for funding h

by mike simpson / 2h 

CURMUDGUCATION: Ask Arne: Testing and Accountability

CURMUDGUCATION: Ask Arne: Testing and Accountability: Ask Arne: Testing and AccountabilityYou know I'm a huge fan of the Ask Arne video series, because who doesn't enjoy seeing their tax dollars used to produce little pieces of high tech advertising for failing policies? You can read about previous Ask Arne videos here, here, here, and here.Today's entry was put up on December 9, but seems linked

by mike simpson / 3h 

Obama Fails on Testing | Alan Singer

Obama Fails on Testing | Alan Singer: Obama Fails on TestingBarack Obama is a pretty smart guy, so it is amazing that even his efforts to compromise on high-stakes standardized testing are so far off. On testing he keeps failing the test.After six years of pushing high-stakes testing as part of his Race to the Top education initiative, Obama decided there is now too much testing in American school

by mike simpson / 6h 

Outside groups disappointed over LA Unified's search process - LA School Report

Outside groups disappointed over LA Unified's search process - LA School Report: Outside groups disappointed over LA Unified’s search processSure, they can go to any of the communitymeetings. Sure, they can fill out asurvey online. But, ultimately, outside groups say they want a seat at the table when deciding the next LA Unified school superintendent.At a special session after a closed session on

by mike simpson / 6h 

7 percent of U.S. kids have had a parent in jail

7 percent of U.S. kids have had a parent in jail: 7 percent of U.S. kids have had a parent in jailMore than 5 million children in the U.S. have had a parent in jail. That’s roughly 7 percent of the nation’s kids 17 and under, or one out of every 14 children.Findings from Child Trends — a nonprofit based in Maryland — explores “the prevalence of parental incarceration and child outcomes associated

by mike simpson / 6h 

Merrow vs Moskowitz: What Happens to Those Who Speak Out? - Living in Dialogue

Merrow vs Moskowitz: What Happens to Those Who Speak Out? - Living in Dialogue: Merrow vs Moskowitz: What Happens to Those Who Speak Out? By John Thompson.While I disagree with PBS’s ombudsman, Michael Getler, I believe we should take his statement on John Merrow’s News Hour finale as a learning experience opportunity for education activists. Then we can make it a teachable moment for the non-educ

by mike simpson / 6h 

How the New SAT Test Is Taking Cues from Common Core - The Atlantic

How the New SAT Test Is Taking Cues from Common Core - The Atlantic: How the Common Core Is Transforming the SATThe college-admissions test is being restructured as an extension of the controversial public-school reading and writing standards.High-school students who enjoy obscure vocabulary and puzzle-like math problems might want to sign up for the SAT now, before the 89-year-old college-admissi

by mike simpson / 6h 

For American-Israeli Teacher, Death Came on the No. 78 Bus - The New York Times

For American-Israeli Teacher, Death Came on the No. 78 Bus - The New York Times: For American-Israeli Teacher, Death Came on the No. 78 BusBEIT SHEMESH, Israel — Richard Lakin’s funeral on Wednesday was touching in the tiny, usual ways. His grown son tearfully recalled a man who began every morning with a banana and a chuckle. His teenage granddaughter thanked him for teaching her to ride a bike a

by mike simpson / 6h 

With A Brooklyn Accent: The Drug War: A Brilliant Strategy to Divide People Along Racial Lines When All Boats are Sinking

With A Brooklyn Accent: The Drug War: A Brilliant Strategy to Divide People Along Racial Lines When All Boats are Sinking: The Drug War: A Brilliant Strategy to Divide People Along Racial Lines When All Boats are SinkingDuring the last thirty years, working class incomes in the US have fallen sharply The vast majority of income gains in the US during those years have accrued to people in the top 2

by mike simpson / 6h 

NAEP Scores Stagnate; Test-and-Punish Flops; But Duncan’s New Plan Fails to Change Course | janresseger

NAEP Scores Stagnate; Test-and-Punish Flops; But Duncan’s New Plan Fails to Change Course | janresseger: NAEP Scores Stagnate; Test-and-Punish Flops; But Duncan’s New Plan Fails to Change CourseThe biennial NAEP scores were released yesterday.  Diane Ravitch knows a lot about the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the NAEP.  Appointed by President Bill Clinton, she served on the National

by mike simpson / 6h 

Increasing Access to Education Hasn’t Fixed America’s Inequality - The Atlantic

Increasing Access to Education Hasn’t Fixed America’s Inequality - The Atlantic: Education Reform and the Failure to Fix Inequality in AmericaAn abridged history of the misleading connection between classroom opportunity and economic mobilityAs the U.S. continues to reckon with a widening income gap between the wealthiest Americans and marginalized communities, politicians and advocates have often

by mike simpson / 6h 

Opinion: An Inconvenient Truth About President Obama’s Testing Plan - NJ Spotlight

Opinion: An Inconvenient Truth About President Obama’s Testing Plan - NJ Spotlight: OPINION: AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH ABOUT PRESIDENT OBAMA’S TESTING PLANCapping standardized testing at 2 percent of instruction time should overjoy the opt-out movement. So why are they outraged?On Saturday President Obama proposed a “Testing Action Plan” (TAP) that urges states to cap student standardized testing at n

by mike simpson / 7h 

Prepared Testimony for the People’s Budget Town Hall | Seattle Education

Prepared Testimony for the People’s Budget Town Hall | Seattle Education: Prepared Testimony for the People’s Budget Town HallThe City of Seattle’s newly created Department of Education and Early Learning will spend $235 million over the next seven years on various education initiatives. This money gives the city a lot of leverage to pursue its vision of what it wants public education to look like

by mike simpson / 7h 

NEA President: NAEP Results Signal What Needs to Change to Better Serve Students - NEA Today

NEA President: NAEP Results Signal What Needs to Change to Better Serve Students - NEA Today: NEA President: NAEP Results Signal What Needs to Change to Better Serve StudentsThe National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)—known as The Nation’s Report Card—was released on Wednesday and the results caused a stir in the education community. Overall, students’ math and reading scores dropped or

by mike simpson / 7h 

Democracy 'Experiments': Alternatives to Traditional Schools - Bridging Differences - Education Week

Democracy 'Experiments': Alternatives to Traditional Schools - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Democracy 'Experiments': Alternatives to Traditional Schools Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here.Dear Harry and friends,Democracy does, indeed, become an empty word in the absence of any real experience with it—lived experience.

by mike simpson / 7h 

At a Success Academy Charter School, Singling Out Pupils Who Have ‘Got to Go’ - The New York Times

At a Success Academy Charter School, Singling Out Pupils Who Have ‘Got to Go’ - The New York Times: At a Success Academy Charter School, Singling Out Pupils Who Have ‘Got to Go’From the time Folake Ogundiran’s daughter started kindergarten at aSuccess Academy charter school in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, the girl struggled to adjust to its strict rules.She racked up demerits for not following direction

by mike simpson / 7h 

Connecticut BEWARE of Governor Malloy’s most fiscally irresponsible proposal yet. - Wait What?

Connecticut BEWARE of Governor Malloy’s most fiscally irresponsible proposal yet. - Wait What?: Connecticut BEWARE of Governor Malloy’s most fiscally irresponsible proposal yet.“Gov. Dannel P. Malloy outlined Wednesday a sweeping plan to overhaul state government’s pension system.”  – CT Mirror 10-29-2015Governor Dannel Malloy’s state budget, that took effect last July 1, is already a quarter of a

by mike simpson / 7h 

Demand Better Schools, Not Fewer Tests - Bloomberg View

Demand Better Schools, Not Fewer Tests - Bloomberg View: Demand Better Schools, Not Fewer TestsPresident Barack Obama is in danger of squandering one of his most important legacies -- better public education policies -- and doing real harm to our poorest students and America’s future.Over the weekend, the president and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called for limiting the amount of time that 

by mike simpson / 8h 

California students score near bottom in math and reading

California students score near bottom in math and reading: California students score near bottom in math and readingCalifornia students' test scores are among the worst in the nation.The state that some call the "world's 8th largest economy" is producing students that score among the lowest in the United States in reading and math, according to the San Jose Mercury News.The National Asse

by mike simpson / 8h 

Data: Majority of Nevadans seeking school vouchers live in upscale suburbs - Las Vegas Sun News

Data: Majority of Nevadans seeking school vouchers live in upscale suburbs - Las Vegas Sun News: Data: Majority of Nevadans seeking school vouchers live in upscale suburbsThis week, the Nevada State Treasurer’s Office released a trove of data regarding applications for Nevada’s education savings accounts.It’s the first peek into who is applying for Nevada’s voucher-like program, the most sweeping

by mike simpson / 8h 

So what if teachers hate No Child Left Behind? - The Washington Post

So what if teachers hate No Child Left Behind? - The Washington Post: So what if teachers hate No Child Left Behind?On a warm September evening along coastal Georgia, Lily Eskelsen García, the face of 3 million teachers, paused to balance another plate of fried chicken and shake another hand. It was early evening and she was standing in a room at the Savannah Arts Academy, surrounded by parents, t

by mike simpson / 8h 

Unions Are Basically Dead and That's Really Bad - The Atlantic

Unions Are Basically Dead and That's Really Bad - The Atlantic: Farewell to America's Middle Class: Unions Are Basically DeadThe U.S. is one of the only rich countries that has reached the (incorrect) conclusion that organizing workers is counterproductive.For a group of presidential candidates who claim to be interested in the plight of the American worker, it was surprising that the five Democra

by mike simpson / 9h 

Unions form national coalition to ward off attack by right wing | United Federation of Teachers

Unions form national coalition to ward off attack by right wing | United Federation of Teachers: Unions form national coalition to ward off attack by right wingThe American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association have joined together with other publicsector unions to combat the right’s attempt to use a case before the U.S. Supreme Court to hamstring them financially by abolis

by mike simpson / 9h 

Kaya Henderson’s Calendar: Fundraising, Fundraising, and More Fundraising - Loose Lips

Kaya Henderson’s Calendar: Fundraising, Fundraising, and More Fundraising - Loose Lips: Kaya Henderson’s Calendar: Fundraising, Fundraising, and More FundraisingOn a given day in the course of running the 47,000-student D.C. Public Schools system, Chancellor Kaya Henderson could be handing out iPads, reading to elementary school kids, or haggling with a councilmember.But running one of the country

by mike simpson / 9h 

Um, Kentucky — and other reactions to the national drop in NAEP scores - The Washington Post

Um, Kentucky — and other reactions to the national drop in NAEP scores - The Washington Post: Um, Kentucky — and other reactions to the national drop in NAEP scoresThe 2015 numbers for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are out, and scores are down. In fact, as my Post colleague Emma Brown reports, math scores for fourth-graders and eighth-graders across the United States dropp

by mike simpson / 9h 

Cuomo names Common Core critic to key education post | Long Island Business News

Cuomo names Common Core critic to key education post | Long Island Business News: Cuomo names Common Core critic to key education postGovernor Andrew Cuomo today announced that Jere Hochman, a school superintendent and former English teacher who has been a vocal critic of the Common Core, was named deputy secretary for education.Hochman since 2008 has been the superintendent of the Bedford Central

by mike simpson / 9h 

YESTERDAY

The NAEP Indictment of Corporate Reform | deutsch29

The NAEP Indictment of Corporate Reform | deutsch29: The NAEP Indictment of Corporate ReformOn October 28, 2015, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released the 2015 “Nation’s Report Card”– the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores.Students across the nation are randomly selected to complete the NAEP, which is given approximately every two years in two areas (r

by mike simpson / 19h 

Randi and Eva: Stop Suspending Our Babies! | Reggie Harris

Randi and Eva: Stop Suspending Our Babies! | Reggie Harris: Randi and Eva: Stop Suspending Our Babies!This weekend I had the pleasure of attending the #BlackStudentLivesMatter forum in Oakland, California.  At this event I had a chance to hear many compelling stories, including the story of Cameron Simmons, the Youth Advocate from Restorative Justice Oakland Youth; the story of a boy who was first

by mike simpson / 20h 

A Sample Opt Out Letter | Seattle Education

A Sample Opt Out Letter | Seattle Education: A Sample Opt Out LetterStandardized testing has started in Seattle Public Schools.Wondering when your child will be tested? Curious what tests will be given at your school?  Here are the links to the SPS assessment calendar. Click here for the testing schedule for grades K-8. For grades 9-12, click here.Opting out is the most powerful tool parents have

by mike simpson / 20h 

Bloomberg: Obama and Duncan are making a wrong turn over testing - The Washington Post

Bloomberg: Obama and Duncan are making a wrong turn over testing - The Washington Post: Bloomberg: Obama and Duncan are making a wrong turn over testingFormer New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg says that President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan are “making a grave mistake” by pledging to reduce the amount of standardized tests mandated in U.S. schools.In an essay first published Tues

by mike simpson / 21h 

Malloy announces new fiscal strategy based on the notion of “Putting Head in Sand.” - Wait What?

Malloy announces new fiscal strategy based on the notion of “Putting Head in Sand.” - Wait What?: Malloy announces new fiscal strategy based on the notion of “Putting Head in Sand.”For the past five years, Governor Dannel Malloy has steadfastly refused to properly address Connecticut’s failure to properly fund its long-term obligations, including the state’s two pension funds and state employee po

by mike simpson / 21h 

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 10/28/15

CORPORATE ED REFORMSchool-Sponsored Violence Against Children: When Will We End Corporal Punishment? - Living in DialogueSchool-Sponsored Violence Against Children: When Will We End Corporal Punishment? - Living in Dialogue: School-Sponsored Violence Against Children: When Will We End Corporal Punishment?By Anthony Cody.The shocking video of an African American high school girl being violently gra

by mike simpson / 21h

PAA responds to President Obama’s letter on testing | Parents Across America

PAA responds to President Obama’s letter on testing | Parents Across America:

PAA responds to President Obama’s letter on testing

On Monday, President Obama published an open letter to parents and teachers about testing.

The letter introduced his administration’s new Testing Action Plan which is supposed to fix the problems of excessive testing. The plan defines a set of testing principles for states and school districts to follow to make for “fewer and smarter” tests.

The President invited us to respond to this plan. We shared our response today (see below or download our letter here).

We agree with Diane Ravitch and the Network for Public Education that the plan is too little, too late.

The principles outlined in the plan leave out too many issues that parents care about including test bias, lack of transparency in the actual test questions, student data privacy, growing student test anxiety, etc.

We suspect that this letter is less an expression of shared parental concern and more a last-ditch effort to make sure that any revision of ESEA maintains an annual testing requirement.

You can add your thoughts to ours using the comment form link provided by the White House.

Parents Across America

Response to President Obama’s open letter to parents and teachers on testing

Parents unconvinced that new Obama Testing Action Plan will fix testing crisis

October 29, 2015

Dear President Obama,

Thank you for reaching out to parents and teachers on the important issue of testing in our schools.

As a network of public school parents of all backgrounds from around the U.S., Parents Across America (PAA) helps bring the voice of public school parents – and common sense – to local, state, and national education debates.

In this role, PAA has consistently raised concerns about the way standardized tests have taken over our schools, and we appreciate the fact that you took the time to raise some of these same concerns in your October 26 letter to parents and teachers. We would like to respond to points you raise in your letter, and then share some of our concerns about the limitations of the Testing Action Plan.

As parents, we especially appreciate the fact that you approach over-testing as a father, saying, “I certainly wouldn’t want that for my girls.” We feel the same way about our children. You and Secretary Duncan have been able to

- See more at: http://parentsacrossamerica.org/paa-responds-president-obamas-letter-testing/#sthash.7aJFLhIp.dpuf

Peg with Pen: U.S. Dept. of Ed. and Educational Warfare

Peg with Pen: U.S. Dept. of Ed. and Educational Warfare:

U.S. Dept. of Ed. and Educational Warfare

Obama has done a stellar job of launching a mainstream campaign to alert the public to his deep concerns around too much testing, the need for better testing, and testing that we embrace and love. Please remember, those who have destroyed your public schools won't suddenly do an about face to save them.

All of us however, have done a stellar job of creating the People's Movement - the Opt Out Movement. Hold how that makes you feel - and remember it. Remember the power you have, the relationships you have built, and keep that feeling strong and those relationships strong - as you will need it. 

But back to the new mainstream "testing" campaign.......

In HuffPost's Open Letter to America's parents and teachers Obama states: First, our kids should only take tests that are worth taking -- tests that are high quality, aimed at good instruction, and make sure everyone is on track. Second, tests shouldn't occupy too much classroom time, or crowd out teaching and learning. And third, tests should be just one source of information. We should use classroom work, surveys, and other factors to give us an all-around look at how our students and schools are doing.

It's interesting to see the choice of language being used in the Testing Action Plan as well as in his Open letter. Much of the language alludes clearly to a shift to quick and snappy online daily testing as I mentioned in my post here earlier this week. The language is really about redirecting the conversation to usher in a new and better form of cash crop testing - testing that will be renamed I am sure - but for now it's best known as competency based testing, Peg with Pen: U.S. Dept. of Ed. and Educational Warfare:

Three Candidates Seek Two School Board Seats | South Pasadena Now

Three Candidates Seek Two School Board Seats | South Pasadena Now:

Three Candidates Seek Two School Board Seats Election on Tuesday

NPE Action Endorses Dr. Suzie Abajian - NPE Action http://bit.ly/1MXCEAh

Three candidates are seeking two seats on the South Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education as residents go to polls next Tuesday, November 3, to cast votes. Joe Loo is the incumbent and will be challenged by Suzie Abajian and Jon Primuth. The South Pasadena Review asked each candidate to express his or her views on local school issues. Here is what they had to say:
Dr. Suzie Abajian
How can you make a difference by serving on South Pasadena’s Board of Education?
I bring to the table 16 years of experience in the field of education, including many years of teaching at the K-12 and university levels. I understand educational policies and the impact that their implementation has at the classroom level. Because of my professional background in education, I will be able to ask the right questions to hired educational experts, consultants and staff and ensure that the School Board is making sound policy decisions. As someone with an extensive mathematics education background, I will use my experience and knowledge of innovative mathematics curricula and educational practices to bolster our mathematics programs. My connections and work in higher education will be invaluable in partnering with local colleges and universities to provide more resources and opportunities for our students. I will work with the School Board to broaden partnerships with local organizations and strengthen collaboration between the School Board and the City Council.
In your estimation, what is the state of South Pasadena schools?
In South Pasadena, we have award-winning schools and a dedicated teaching force. However, our academic programs, such as mathematics, could be further supported and strengthened, particularly within the context of the newly released 11th grade Smarter Balanced test scores. Although we are performing above the county average, our 11th grade mathematics scores are below neighboring schools such as Mark Keppel in Alhambra and Arcadia High School. Also, we have a persistent achievement gap. Although our schools provide an excellent education to many students, there are still different groups of students who are underserved and need further support including our Special Needs students. Additionally, we do not have the wealth of enrichment programs that a district like ours could provide its students. We can expand our arts, music, theater and Dual Language Immersion programs, offer alternative foreign language instruction for elementary school students and invest in alternative athletic programs and girls’ sports.
If elected, what would be your top three priorities for the Board of Education?
When elected my top priorities will include:
1) Bolstering our Mathematics and STEM programs as well as advocating for a well-rounded curriculum for our students that encompasses a strong arts, theater, music, Dual Language Immersion, foreign language instruction and alternative/varied athletic programs.
2) Addressing our persistent achievement gap for our underserved students including Special Needs students.
3) Building stronger communication and collaboration between the South Pasadena School Board, South Pasadena City Council and the larger South Pasadena community.
The South Pasadena Unified School District is looking to have a 91-unit residential complex constructed in its parking lot as a revenue stream to support local schools. How do you feel about the project? Should it be built?
We need to carefully evaluate the findings of the Draft EIR that will be released in January and the impact that the development will have on issues of congestion, traffic, pollution and water usage. A careful cost/benefit analysis must be conducted, with sufficient community input, to decide what is the most sustainable and profitable move for our school district and community because this decision has significant ramifications that will impact many generations to come. We have to consider the effects of this project on our school district, given the expanding student population and the increasing need for space within our schools. The School Board needs to make a more concerted effort in engaging the community and listening to the concerns of the residents living within close vicinity of the project and make a decision that is best for the district as well as the City of South Pasadena.Three Candidates Seek Two School Board Seats | South Pasadena Now:

CURMUDGUCATION: StudentsFirst Weak Core Endorsement

CURMUDGUCATION: StudentsFirst Weak Core Endorsement:

StudentsFirst Weak Core Endorsement

Andy Cuomo's Common Core Task Force is supposed to be busily working today to come up with a new name for the Common Core to carefully examine and consider educational modifications to the Core because it's politically expedient to do so because it's politically expedient to do so.

StudentsFirst NY was only too happy to get involved with a forum sponsored by High Achievement New York, a coalition that asks the question, "If you rub a whole bunch of astroturf together, can you light a fire under New York politicians?" Today they're reporting the testimony of four parents, and it's a sign of how weak the pro-Core argument has become. I'm not going to list the parent names, though SFNY does. I just want to concentrate on the actual argument being pushed here.

Parent #1

Parent #1 has a third grade student who will be taking his first CCSS-aligned test in February. And he has a story to tell.

In the past, I had no way of really knowing if he was making the grade. Last year, he fell behind academically and the only way I found out was after I asked his teacher at a parent teacher conference.  I don’t understand why they didn’t let me know he needed extra help. 

Let me be clear-- this is a real problem, and Parent #1 has every reason to be upset. However, the CURMUDGUCATION: StudentsFirst Weak Core Endorsement:

Jersey Jazzman: Charter Schools, An Exchange: Part IV

Jersey Jazzman: Charter Schools, An Exchange: Part IV:

Charter Schools, An Exchange: Part IV

Dmitri Mehlhorn and I continue our exchange about charter schools.

Part I: Mehlhorn's opener.

Part II: My reply.

Part III: Mehlhorn's response.

 Leave your thoughts in the comments below. We'll go one more round before we finish this series. Again, my thanks to Dmitri for participating in this debate.

* * *

Dmitri Mehlhorn starts off his latest chapter in this debate by quoting me:

“As Jazzman wrote to me: ‘Almost everything you say is factually correct; however … you arrive at conclusions that simply are not warranted.’”

Notice the ellipsis? Here’s what I said in its entirety:

“Your essay is, in many ways, a perfect example of "reform" thinking. Almost everything you say is factually correct; however, you are so selective in your citations, and so lacking in context when discussing them, that you arrive at conclusions that simply are not warranted.”

Reads a little bit different when you get the whole quote, doesn’t it?

In a way, I’m glad Mehlhorn did this: unwittingly, he has given a perfect demonstration of why the charter sector's arguments in favor of the rampant expansion of charter schools simply do not hold up. He cherry-picks his data and places it completely out of appropriate

- See more at: http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2015/10/charter-schools-exchange-part-iv.html#sthash.BEJh24Da.dpuf

Billionaires for Bronin - Wait What?

Billionaires for Bronin - Wait What?:

Billionaires for Bronin

Hartford voters can thank Connecticut’s 4^th wealthiest resident for helping provide Luke Bronin with the money he wanted in order to run for Mayor of Connecticut’s Capital City.

In fact, as Greenwich native and Hartford newcomer Luke Bronin eagerly awaits being elected Hartford’s next Mayor, he will need to thank many people for funding his record breaking $1.2 million mayoral campaign.

Among those who deserve “special recognition” are all of those on the extensive list of Greenwich residents who, taken together, donated nearly $100,000 to fund their hometown guy’s dream of leading the City of Hartford and its residents.

And first among all of those equals is real-life Billionaire Paul Tudor Jones II whose net worth exceeds $4.6 Billion, making him the 108^th richest American and placing him in the number 352 on the list of wealthiest people in the world.

Jones resides, at least some of the time, in a 13,000 square-foot Greenwich mansion that includes a 26-car garage.

Earlier this year, Paul Tudor Jones made news when he gave a TED talk in Canada condemning the “unsustainable” wealth gap between the rich and everyone else.   While stating that he was not only an extremely success but a “proud capitalist” Jones observed Billionaires for Bronin - Wait What?:

CURMUDGUCATION: Ask Arne: Testing and Accountability

CURMUDGUCATION: Ask Arne: Testing and Accountability:

Ask Arne: Testing and Accountability

You know I'm a huge fan of the Ask Arne video series, because who doesn't enjoy seeing their tax dollars used to produce little pieces of high tech advertising for failing policies? You can read about previous Ask Arne videos here, here, here, and here.

Today's entry was put up on December 9, but seems linked to the baloneyfest that started with CCSSO and CGCS announcing they were really looking at testing, with "looking at" meaning "trying to fix how it's playing in Peoria" and not "considering substantive changes." Then Arne said, "Me, too" in a Washington Post op-ed that dodged the issue of federal responsibility for testing issues. All of that happened back in October, but it appears to be in the recent past for the making of this video.

This video represents a real change in style for the Ask Arne franchise, which usually depends on a "conversation" between the Secretary of Education and ordinary civilians (hand picked by the Dept. of Education). Today's host is my personal favorite-- Emily Davis, on loan from her job teaching middle school Spanish in St. Augustine, FL-- but beyond her intro (filmed in what is below-standard lighting for this series), her function is to ask basically just one question.

Her intro sets us up. "Lately we've heard a lot of questions from educators, principals and teachers, as well as parents and students around the current climate of testing in schools." It's a nicely shaded choice of verbage, suggesting a more generalized curiosity ("So, how's that testing business shaping CURMUDGUCATION: Ask Arne: Testing and Accountability:

Obama Fails on Testing | Alan Singer

Obama Fails on Testing | Alan Singer:

Obama Fails on Testing

Barack Obama is a pretty smart guy, so it is amazing that even his efforts to compromise on high-stakes standardized testing are so far off. On testing he keeps failing the test.

After six years of pushing high-stakes testing as part of his Race to the Top education initiative, Obama decided there is now too much testing in American schools. This decision is a response to intense push back by parents and teachers against the testing regime.

It seems that the average student in some United States big-city schools now takes over 100 hundred hours of mandatory standardized tests during their school career. Eighth grade students are the most tested. They sit through between 20 and 25 hours of standardized tests, which makes up about 2.3% of school time. The Obama Administration proposed that Congress cap standardized testing at 2% of instruction time when it votes on reauthorizing federal legislation governing elementary and secondary schools.

Why 2% test time? How did this become the magic number? Nobody knows. Must have been the algorithm.

But wait kids before you celebrate. First, the highly partisan divided Congress has not been so good at passing anything. Second, the Obama proposal does not mean students will not have to take traditional teacher-made, school, and district tests which somehow did not figure into their hourly calculations.

In addition, Arne Duncan, lame-duck Education Secretary made it clear that the Obama Fails on Testing | Alan Singer:

Outside groups disappointed over LA Unified's search process - LA School Report

Outside groups disappointed over LA Unified's search process - LA School Report:

Outside groups disappointed over LA Unified’s search process

Sure, they can go to any of the communitymeetings. Sure, they can fill out asurvey online. But, ultimately, outside groups say they want a seat at the table when deciding the next LA Unified school superintendent.

At a special session after a closed session on Tuesday, the school board voted against a proposal to create a separate community panel of seven people, each school board member appointing one. The proposal by MónicaGarcía, who was lobbied heavily by many of the groups, was voted down 5-2.

“We are very disappointed the board turned down another opportunity to let community organizations have a say in picking the next superintendent,” said Sarah Angel, the managing regional director of the California Charter Schools Association. “We proposed a plan that wasn’t quite as harsh as the one Móníca Garcia proposed, and we still hope there is a way to be move involved.”

The board faced a more open proposal by board member Mónica Ratliff that would have allowed the entire community to meet the finalists of the superintendent search. That was voted down by a 4-3 vote.

“We think that something in between those two ideas would work the best,” said Angel, whose group was one of the signatories to the CLASS (Communities for Los Angeles Student Success) letter that originally asked for wider community participation in the search. Some of the groups, like CCSA, had to request to be included to give their input into the search.

Sara Mooney, of United Way LA, said, “The school board made a non-welcoming vote for community involvement. They are against sharing responsibilities for the community to be involved in the choice of the next superintendent. We are disappointed.”

Like some of the other community organizations, Mooney said the United Way had to ask to have a meeting with search firms and was not among the groups picked by the school board members to be involved in the process. Mooney said she has spoken to parents who feel as if they have no say in the process “and feel like they already have a list and what their input is makes no difference.”

A few coalitions of educational groups have appealed to keep the search confidential but include a committee of community groups to help screen the finalists. Several board members said they feared that such a process would diminish responsibilities that the board was elected to carry out.

But what exactly do these scores tell us? It turns out that much depends on which scores one chooses to focus on, what time frame one looks at, and whether one looks at growth in scores rather than at scores at fixed points in time.

For now, the community outreach appears lacking, say some of the groups.

“I have been disappointed in the student turnout for some of these sessions,” saidMelanie Kimes, the youth organizer of the Community Coalition. “I was in a group where only 15 students showed up.”

Also speaking before the board after their decision on Tuesday was Konstantin Outside groups disappointed over LA Unified's search process - LA School Report:

7 percent of U.S. kids have had a parent in jail

7 percent of U.S. kids have had a parent in jail:

7 percent of U.S. kids have had a parent in jail

More than 5 million children in the U.S. have had a parent in jail. That’s roughly 7 percent of the nation’s kids 17 and under, or one out of every 14 children.

Findings from Child Trends — a nonprofit based in Maryland — explores “the prevalence of parental incarceration and child outcomes associated with it.” Data from 2011-2012 showed that children in poverty were three times more likely to experience a parent in incarceration, and the percentage rate among black children was twice as high as that of white children.

Child Trends found that of those children who had a parent in jail:

• More than 50 percent had lived with someone with a substance abuse problem.
• Roughly three in five had encountered parental divorce or separation.
• More than one-third had seen violence between parents or guardians.
• More than one in four had lived with a mentally ill or suicidal individual.
• Nearly one in 10 experienced the death of a parent.

The data may very well be an “underestimate,” Child Trends reports, as it does not include children with a non-residential incarcerated parent.

2.2 million people are behind bars. Learn more via PBS NewsHour’s “Broken Justice.”7 percent of U.S. kids have had a parent in jail: