4LAKids - UTLA Tuesday Talking Points: VICTORY FOR SCHOOLS

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: UTLA Tuesday Talking Points: VICTORY FOR SCHOOLS:

UTLA Tuesday Talking Points: VICTORY FOR SCHOOLS

NOVEMBER 13, 2012 LATEST NEWS AND ISSUES | HTTP://BIT.LY/SCW1BD

1. Voters stand with us to pass Prop 30 and defeat Prop 32: Prop. 30 does not solve all of our schools’ fiscal problems but it begins to repair the damage done by years of budget cuts. This victory paves the way for a full school year for 2012-13 and the cancellation of furlough days. On Prop 32, voters saw through the deceptive power grab by wealthy businessmen and Wall Street special interests and soundly defeated it. This means that UTLA and our union allies can continue to be players in the political arena.Thanks to everyone who made a difference in this campaign! Enjoy this victory for our students, our profession, and our union!

Next campaign stop—March 5 School Board elections: UTLA will be building on the momentum from our election victories—and the volunteer base we mobilized—to campaign for School Board members on March 5. Three seats will be up for grabs, giving us a golden opportunity to shift the balance of power on the School Board.
2. HOW FURLOUGH DAYS WILL GET CANCELLED/RESTORED
Now that Prop 30 has passed, here’s what happens next: Two days after Prop. 30 passed, LAUSD issued a memo to all schools announcing the District’s intent to cancel all furlough days and restore all lost instructional days. While the furlough days are not formally cancelled yet, we are on the cusp of seeing all 10 days restored, which means UTLA members will get their full annual 

I know nothing…but I’m learning « Cooperative Catalyst

I know nothing…but I’m learning « Cooperative Catalyst:

I know nothing…but I’m learning

by Paul Freedman

I had a wonderful meandering conversation recently with Co-op Cat, Scott Nine.  We shred ideas and thoughts on a wide range of topics.  But one has really stuck with me: “maybe we should be less focused on knowing and more focused on learning.”  Our educational system and our culture as a whole has seriously privileged knowledge.  To know things, to have knowledge of facts and to possess skills these are the goals, aren’t they?  That is why we teach at, and lecture to, and test and test and test.  Do the kids know the material yet?  What do they know?
The more I think about it, and I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently, knowing is less and less interesting to me.  It seems that to claim “knowledge” of something is to end a process, the process of learning and growth.  Some things we strive to learn are indeed arrived at via short straight paths.  I want to know the state capitals, my multiplication facts, how to spell “conundrum,” how to tie my shoelace, e.g.  So I memorize and I practice.  It’s easy and relatively quick.  I gain confidence and self esteem and a false sense of my own worth.  I know stuff.  But, in general, the things anyone can claim to know are either of little value (easily Googled facts) or else they are fleeting and illusory or simply not “true,” but rather represent a single perspective (“I know that 

My Election Dashboard | Lefty Parent

My Election Dashboard | Lefty Parent:

My Election Dashboard

by Cooper Zale

My “ministry” is all about celebrating and championing human development at an individual and societal level. A key thread in that development (at both the individual and societal level) is our society’s transition from hierarchies of control towards circles of equals. So in that regard, what light (if any) does the recent election shed on our path forward?
I’m a lover of lists, and here is my list of the areas of this transition that continue to be of most interest to me…
1. The engagement between youth and adults – With women emerging more and more as partners to men around the world, young people remain the world’s last human “chattel”, often beyond the reach of full human rights even in a democratic country like the U.S. At issue is the liberation of this group of people, that many still diminish as mere “children”.
2. Human development – While more and more we acknowledge this as a lifelong process, we still generally 

The Failure of Those in Charge Permeates District 7.southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com:

The Failure of Those in Charge Permeates District 7

by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)

Juan Gonzalez wrote a great piece in yesterday's Daily News on how the Young Leaders Elementary School, a school opened up by Uncle Mike in 2008, is now on the list of possible closures. 

Funny thing is, Young Leaders Elementary School replaced another closed school, PS 220 back in 2008. PS 220 was run by one of the classiest principals ever to work for the DOE, Michelle Kahn. I know Michelle is up above having the last laugh. She should.

Again, students and their families education is going to again be uprooted and thrown into disarray. Will another school be a community school, or will be a magnet school attracting students from all over the neighborhood. Teachers that have built up some modicum of trust within the community will be thrown away like bathwater. Then again, since this schoo

An Urban Teacher's Education: Resources from NCTE

An Urban Teacher's Education: Resources from NCTE:

Resources from NCTE

by James Boutin

This week I have the pleasure of attending the NCTE national convention in Las Vegas. I've gathered a few resources so far I thought might be worth sharing. I'll write more about the conference later, but for now, here are some links:

http://www.nwp.org/

http://kellygallagher.org/

www.informationisbeautiful.net

http://www.heinemann.com/authors/902.aspx

http://pennykittle.net/

https://depts.washington.edu/pswpuw/

Jersey Jazzman: Does the Newark Teacher Contract Really "Involve Teachers"?

Jersey Jazzman: Does the Newark Teacher Contract Really "Involve Teachers"?:

Does the Newark Teacher Contract Really "Involve Teachers"?

by Duke

Back to NJ Governor Chris Christie and AFT President Randi Weingarten's love-fest on Morning Joe yesterday. Both are selling this deal as great for teachers, because NTU's members will be "involved" in their evaluations:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Christie: "It's no longer just seniority or degrees received. But now it's how you perform in the classroom. And that evaluation is not just done by the administration. It's done by teachers who are involved as well."

Weingarten: "It's funny to me that, like, people have focused on the one $5,000 bonus as opposed to the 

Overcoming Digital Dualism | Ideas and Thoughts

Overcoming Digital Dualism | Ideas and Thoughts:

Overcoming Digital Dualism

by Dean Shareski

Digital dualism is the belief that the on and offline are largely separate and distinct realities. Digital dualists view digital content as part of a "virtual" world separate from a "real" world found in physical space. 
I had a great day yesterday at Dakota Collegiate in Winnipeg. This is a school that is in their 3rd year of a BYOD initiative and for the most part, they are making some wonderful headway. My observations and conversations with them suggest they are really trying to be thoughtful in their implementation. Like any large school, some are more comfortable and trying to push the envelope and others are in need of time to explore more and yet others still are questioning the value of the technology as a connecting device. 
I had the opportunity to speak with the entire staff in small groups throughout the day. Our conversations were very interesting. We discussed a range of topics from asessement, attentio

Diane in the Evening 11-17-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

EduShyster Finds the Biggest Turkey Idea of School Reform

by dianerav

EduShyster has done it again.
Imagine a conference on the freshest, boldest education idea of ever. Who would you want to hear from? Of 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-17-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] If Baseball Were Like Race to the Top by dianerav I recently posted a hilarious item that asked what would happen if basketball leagues were run in accordance with the rules of No Child Left Behind. John Thompson asks what would Major League Baseball look like if it were conducted in accordance with the requirements of Race to the Top and the School Improvement Grants. Why this sudden interest in sports analogies? My guess is that education policy has become so insane that he Does Segregation Improve T... more »

MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-16-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] What Schools Should Do in Crisis Times by dianerav After the hurricane, Mayor Bloomberg was eager to reopen the city’s public schools as soon as possible for the 1.1 million children enrolled. He worried that they were “losing time” and had to get back to their studies, back to normal. The facts that many of the schools suffered damage, that many were turned into shelters, and that many children were in shock because of their experiences were irrelevant. It was back to the routine. In this brilliant post, ... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitc...

Jersey Jazzman: Chris Christie: Massive, Divisive Hypocrite

Jersey Jazzman: Chris Christie: Massive, Divisive Hypocrite:

Chris Christie: Massive, Divisive Hypocrite

by Duke

This week, Newark's teachers ratified a controversial contract that includes merit pay. As usual, Governor Chris Christie decided to take his victory lap on MSNBC's Morning Joe, where he is regularly showered with praise and insulated form any criticism whatsoever. Christie is nationally known as one of the biggest teachers union bashers in the country, which made the segment even more strange, as he was joined in praising the Newark deal by American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten.

The 12-munite segment deserves a close look, which I'm going to divide up into several posts. But let's start with something that needs to be pointed out immediately:

Yes, that's right: Chris Christie says, "You can't expect to be the leader of all the people and be divisive."

Well...

April, 2010, CNBC:

“I love the public schools but the fact of the matter is there is excess