Mike Klonsky: Civil Rights Advocate Payne Appointed CPS Chief Educator

Mike Klonsky: Civil Rights Advocate Payne Appointed CPS Chief Educator

Mike Klonsky

Educator, Author of "Small Schools: Public School Reform Meets the Ownership Society"

Civil Rights Advocate Payne Appointed CPS Chief Educator

Interim Chicago schools chief executive Terry Mazany has appointed Charles Payne, a University of Chicago sociology professor and author of So Much Reform, So Little Change: The Persistence of Failure in Urban Schools to the position of chief education officer. Payne is a long-time social-justice advocate who also authored one of the best histories of the civil rights movement, I've Got the Light of Freedom: The Organizing Tradition and the Mississippi Freedom Struggle.

The post has been vacant since the departure of Barbara Eason-Watkins in June. There has been a strong community demand, especially in the midst of the mayoral campaign, for the appointment of educators to leading positions within CPS.

Both Mazany and Payne have education backgrounds and are local foundation favorites as well. They are both critical of the over emphasis on standardized testing, by the previous administration

Sacramento: poised to become ground zero of privatization « Parents Across America

Sacramento: poised to become ground zero of privatization « Parents Across America

See the report below from Kate Lenox of the Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education, a new affiliate of Parents Across America.

Sacramento parents and concerned citizens, please join their Facebook page, or email Kate for more info at klenox@earthlink.net:

The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education is a group of parents, teachers, and community members that has been fighting the privatization of public education here in Sacramento for eight years. We formed when the board of Sacramento City Unified School District voted to close Sacramento High School, the second oldest public high school west of the Mississippi, and give it to a charter operator to run.

That charter operator is St. HOPE, an organization formed by former NBA star Kevin Johnson, who is now our mayor and is engaged to Michelle Rhee. We believe that

This Week In Education: TFA20: A Premature (Or Even Unwarranted) Celebration?

This Week In Education: TFA20: A Premature (Or Even Unwarranted) Celebration?

TFA20: A Premature (Or Even Unwarranted) Celebration?

Imagine a world in which Michelle Rhee is something of a rock star no one’s much over 45 everyone is smart and optimistic and hard working and basically competent (if not particularly wise) and thinks they’re doing a bang-up job. That’s what it was like at this weekend’s TFA20 Summit, a slick celebration and expensive-seeming birthday party for Teach For America. No doubt TFA’s heart is in the right place and it deserves credit for lasting this long and growing as big as its gotten compared to many other rinky dink education nonprofits. But the sense of accomplishment was, even for a revival, both immodest and premature – reminding me of the kid who expects praise for doing his homework for a few days in a row or the football player who starts celebrating before he's reached the end zone. The situation TFA faces is far from clear. Two of its biggest champions -- Rhee and Klein -- were recently bounced from office. The

Kyle Olsen’s EAG caught in Andrew Breitbart’s tangled web of deceit. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Kyle Olsen’s EAG caught in Andrew Breitbart’s tangled web of deceit. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Kyle Olsen’s EAG caught in Andrew Breitbart’s tangled web of deceit.

by Fred Klonsky

The problem that the Education Action Group in Michigan has is that the head of it, Kyle Olsen, doesn’t have much. A couple of people staff his office. Their website in rarely updated. Olsen has a handful of followers on his Twitter site. And his latest attack on me on his own website has produced zero referrals to mine.

Because EAG has not much going on its own, he forwarded his post to Andrew Breitbart’s Big Government blog.

This is a problem for Olsen, who has already admitted to making up stories to move his right-wing agenda, because Beitbart’s truthfulness has been in question since he concocted the phony story and video about Shirley Sherrod, the Civil Right Movement hero that was forced to resign from the Obama Agriculture

Miguel del Valle Says Tea Party Group’s Endorsement of Gery Chico Highlights Need for Truly Progressive Alternative to Emanuel

Del Valle for Mayor | For All Chicago For Every Neighborhood: Miguel del Valle Says Tea Party Group’s Endorsement of Gery Chico Highlights Need for Truly Progressive Alternative to Emanuel

Del Valle Challenges City’s Red Light Cameras--Expired Meter From the Expired Meter, 2.14.2011 *Wants Reform Of 'Oppressive' Driving, Parking Policies* The corner of Halsted & Madison might seem an unlikely place for a press conference. But Chicago mayoral candidate Miguel del Valle picked this location Monday ...

Miguel del Valle Says Tea Party Group’s Endorsement of Gery Chico Highlights Need for Truly Progressive Alternative to Emanuel Points to group’s right-wing views on immigration, health care reform, and other issues facing Chicagoans February 13, 2011 (CHICAGO)--Mayoral candidate Miguel del Valle today called on Chicagoans to support a “true progressive alternative” to Rahm ...

With layoffs coming, it's time to stand up for seniority | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

With layoffs coming, it's time to stand up for seniority | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

With layoffs coming, it's time to stand up for seniority

by Ron Whitehorne on Feb 14 2011 Posted in Social justice unionism

• COMMENTS (0)PRINT
• EMAIL

Tags:

• teacher quality
• teacher turnover
• unions
• teachers
• site selection
• Philadelphia Federation of Teachers

With many school districts facing budget shortfalls, teachers, including those in Philadelphia, will likely face layoffs.

The budget crunch coincides with a growing attack on teacher tenure and seniority as the governing principle for teacher assignment and layoffs. Even Antonio Villaraigosa, the mayor of Los Angeles and long time teacher union organizer and staffer has joined the choruscalling for “peformance” as the “driver” in decision around these issues. And former Washington, D.C. superintendent Michelle Rhee has made ending tenure and eliminating seniority central agenda points of her “Students First” campaign.

Much of the current debate over tenure ignores the many changes that unions

Parent PAC Endorses Miguel del Valle for Mayor

Del Valle for Mayor | For All Chicago For Every Neighborhood: Parent PAC Endorses Miguel del Valle for Mayor

Parent PAC Endorses Miguel del Valle for Mayor

by Joanna2011

Parent PAC says del Valle is Best Choice for CPS and Kids

CHICAGO (February 14, 2011)--Parent PAC, an organization of public school parents, today announced its endorsement of Miguel del Valle for Mayor of Chicago.

“Education is one of the few issues being discussed in this campaign, and for good reason. Polling shows that education is the number one issue for voters after jobs and the economy. All of the candidates have put out good ideas on education, but Miguel del Valle stands out from the field and is strongly endorsed by Parent PAC,” said Jonathan Goldman, a founding member of Parent PAC.

“Del Valle has an unmatched record of leadership on education issues, and a comprehensive vision for Chicago Public Schools (CPS) that starts with strong neighborhood schools. He is dedicated to ensuring

Obama Budget Would Maintain Pell Grant Eligibility, Award … But Cut Two Programs « Student Activism

Obama Budget Would Maintain Pell Grant Eligibility, Award … But Cut Two Programs « Student Activism

Obama Budget Would Maintain Pell Grant Eligibility, Award … But Cut Two Programs

by Angus Johnston

President Obama’s new budget proposes some $10 billion a year in Pell Grant cuts, but looks to achieve that goal without reducing the maximum grant or dropping any students from the program. They’re doing that by seeking Pell savings in two areas — summer grants and graduate loan interest.

Summer Pell Grants are a recent addition to the Pell program, under which students can apply for a second grant for summer school if their total courseload adds up to more than a full academic year’s worth. The summer

Wisconsin Says ‘No Way’ to Walker’s Budget, Bargaining Assault | AFL-CIO NOW BLOG

Wisconsin Says ‘No Way’ to Walker’s Budget, Bargaining Assault | AFL-CIO NOW BLOG

Wisconsin Says ‘No Way’ to Walker’s Budget, Bargaining Assault by Donna Jablonski, Feb 14, 2011

121Share

UPDATE: Veterans are strongly objecting to Walker’s “inappropriate threat to activate the National Guard to intimidate state workers, as his administration moves forward with plans to break up workers’ unions,” according Vote Vets.org.

“Maybe the new governor doesn’t understand yet – but the National Guard is not his own personal intimidation force to be mobilized to quash political dissent,” said Robin Eckstein, a former Wisconsin National Guard member, Iraq War Veteran from Appleton, Wis., and member of VoteVets.org. “The Guard is to be used in case of true emergencies and disasters, to help the

Mayoral Candidate Miguel del Valle, in Reviewing City’s Use of Red Light Cameras, Pledges Not to Balance Budget on Backs of Chicagoans

Del Valle for Mayor | For All Chicago For Every Neighborhood: Mayoral Candidate Miguel del Valle, in Reviewing City’s Use of Red Light Cameras, Pledges Not to Balance Budget on Backs of Chicagoans

Mayoral Candidate Miguel del Valle, in Reviewing City’s Use of Red Light Cameras, Pledges Not to Balance Budget on Backs of Chicagoans

by Joanna2011

Proposes increased yellow light duration to reduce traffic accidents

February 14, 2011 (CHICAGO)--City Clerk and mayoral candidate Miguel del Valle, standing at one of the 190 intersections where the City has installed red light cameras, called for the city government to stop squeezing its own residents under the guise of public safety.

“There is an oppressive climate in this city,” del Valle said at a press conference at the intersection of Halsted and Madison. “We can do better, both for our budget and for people in Chicago’s neighborhoods.”

Through 2009, the City generated $250 million in revenue from issuing $100 tickets. Some

Timothy D. Slekar: Rejecting Standardized Testing With The Bartleby Project

Timothy D. Slekar: Rejecting Standardized Testing With The Bartleby Project

Timothy D. Slekar: Rejecting Standardized Testing With The Bartleby Project

by Timothy D. Slekar

"I'm inviting you to join a real conspiracy, call it an open conspiracy, with real consequences on millions of real lives. I know that sounds megalomaniacal, but be patient. If we pull this off, a great many will bless us, although the school industry few will curse us. This is about a project to destroy the standardized testing industry... This adventure is called 'The Bartleby Project.'" John Taylor Gatto. (Weapons of Mass Instruction, New Society Publishers 2008)

My 11-year-old son loves the show Myth Busters. From the first time he put two Legos together he was hooked on constructing intricate things (200 piece Bionicles at age 5). He creates Rube Goldberg contraptions and loves animals. He can manipulate through different technologies (Google Earth, iPad, iPod, Facebook, Sims, etc) and he doesn't need instructions because his curiosity enables him to navigate and learn new technologies. He also

Dad at the Chalkboard: Writing - It's a Love/Hate Thing.

Dad at the Chalkboard: Writing - It's a Love/Hate Thing.

Writing - It's a Love/Hate Thing.

by Brian H

"The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible." - Vladimir Nabokov

"Writing is easy. All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead." - Gene Fowler

The act of writing is a strange beast. A creature to love and to loathe, quite often at the exact same time.


It can be an act whose very execution causes the soul to feel at one with the universe. The writer can almost feel the wind blowing full-on into the sails of the story, mother nature herself dotting the i's and crossing the t's. The act of writing becomes a journey to a mythical land, where mysteries abound and the unexpected can happen at

Education Secretary and National Leaders Team Up at Collaborative Labor-Management Conference | U.S. Department of Education

Education Secretary and National Leaders Team Up at Collaborative Labor-Management Conference | U.S. Department of Education

Education Secretary and National Leaders Team Up at Collaborative Labor-Management Conference

Contact:

Sara Gast, (202) 401-1989, sara.gast@ed.gov

Event Date 1: February 15, 2011 02:00 pm - 06:00 pm
Event Date 2: February 16, 2011 08:15 am - 01:30 pm

Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Department officials and several national education leaders will discuss the future of labor-management collaboration during a conference in Denver on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 15 and 16. School districts and labor leaders from across the country will attend the conference to identify labor-management relationships, policies and agreements that can more directly drive student achievement.

The event is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education in partnership with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, the National School Boards Association, the American Association of School Administrators, the Council of the Great City Schools, and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. Funding to support the conference is being provided by the Ford Foundation.

Hundreds of school districts applied to attend the event. To attend, the board president, superintendent and teacher union or teacher association leader had to agree to come, and all attendees pledged to collaboratively develop and implement policies. The broad cross section of participating districts selected by the Department closely mirrors the makeup of America’s schools. Overall, close to 5.2 million students will be affected by the work of the districts invited to participate.

Press must RSVP to press@ed.gov if they wish to attend. Members of the media are asked to check in at the registration table in Four Seasons Ballroom 2 & 3, which will be available from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Feb. 15 and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 16. All events listed below will take place at the Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St., Denver, Colo.

Event 1

Who :	Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education
What :	2-2:30 p.m. Welcome, Framing and Overview Four Seasons Ballroom 2 & 3 2:30-3:30 p.m. The Principles in Action: Structuring Labor-Management Collaboration for Student Success Moderator: Charlie Rose, General Counsel, U.S. Department of Education Four Seasons Ballroom 2 & 3 3:45-6 p.m. Breakout Sessions #1 and #2

Event 2

Who :

Joanne Weiss, Chief of Staff, U.S. Department of Education

What :

8:15-8:30 a.m. Welcome, Review Agenda for the Day Four Seasons Ballroom 2 & 3 8:30-9:30 a.m. Breakout Sessions: Breakout #3 9:30-10:30 a.m. The Difference You Can Make: The Positive Impact of Reform From the Perspective of Students, Parents, Teachers, and Principals Moderator: Brad Jupp, Senior Program Advisor, U.S. Department of Education Four Seasons Ballroom 2 & 3 10:45-11:45 a.m. Supporting Labor-Management Collaboration Four Seasons Ballroom 2 & 3 12:15-1:15 p.m. Leading a Movement to Advance Student Achievement Through Labor-Management Collaboration Moderator: Russlynn Ali, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education Participants: Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education Anne L. Bryant, Executive Director, National School Boards Association Michael Casserly, Executive Director, Council of the Great City Schools George H. Cohen, Director, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Daniel A. Domenech, Executive Director, American Association of School Administrators Dennis Van Roekel, President, National Education Association Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers Four Seasons Ballroom 2 & 3 1:15-1:30 p.m. Next Steps and Closing Remarks Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education Four Seasons Ballroom 2 & 3

Fixing California: Getting Beyond Me-Me-Me and No-No-No | California Progress Report

Fixing California: Getting Beyond Me-Me-Me and No-No-No | California Progress Report

Fixing California: Getting Beyond Me-Me-Me and No-No-No *By Peter Schrag* As almost anyone who listens these days must have noticed, there are two choirs singing their familiar hymns in Sacramento. One, on the (vaguely) left, goes to the refrain of me-me-me. The other, more firmly on the right, goes ...

Cut Corrections Now *By Margaret Dooley-Sammuli* Drug Policy Alliance Every part of the state budget has suffered big cuts in the last few years – with one perverse exception. The corrections budget, which increased from $4 billion in 2000 to over $9 billion in 2010, ...

Clarence Thomas, Health Care Reform, and the Case of the Lobbyist Wife *By Earl Ofari Hutchinson* New America Media California Democrat Anna G. Eshoo and 75 other House members have called on Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from the Supreme Court’s almost certain deliberations on the constitutionality of the ...