CTU President Karen Lewis discusses school closings. #EDCHAT #EDREFORM

CTU President Karen Lewis discusses school closings.

The Mayor's office and Board of Education have threatened to close up to one hundred of our neighborhood schools. CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett is expected to release the hit list within a week. 

Through the month of February, CPS held hearings underwritten by the Walton Family Foundation (Wal-Mart) to sell these school closings to the public. Concurrently, charter school profiteers have been pushing their message of replacing neighborhood schools with charters through the so-called "School Choice Week." The public did not buy what the saboteurs and privatizers were selling and thousands attended these meetings to save all schools from closing. CTU members and our parents and community partners have organized summits, knocked on doors, and phoned aldermen.

We, as a Union, need to be prepared for the release of the hit list by staying organized and vigilant. 

CTU President Karen GJ Lewis explains what we all must do to save our schools.

Taking Time to Practice Democracy | The IDEA Blog

Taking Time to Practice Democracy | The IDEA Blog:

Taking Time to Practice Democracy

by Sabrina Stevens in Blog

Are we ‘school-year’ wise, but lifetime foolish?

Immediately after finishing the first video chapter of “A Year at Mission Hill,” I went over to the school’s website and read their mission statement. I was first struck by just how beautiful it is; their care and dedication to “helping parents raise youngsters” for a democratic society is evident in every single line.

But in thinking about how to make schools like this the rule rather than the exception, this part in particular stood out to me:

Toward these ends, our community must be prepared to spend time even when it might seem wasteful hearing each other out. We must deal with each other in ways that lead us to feel stronger and more loved, not weaker and less loveable...  

There is so much in the whole statement that I would love to parse and consider, but the piece about time really struck me.

When we think about what schools need to succeed, money is usually the first thing that comes to mind. That’s especially salient in our austere and inequitable circumstances, where virtually everything, down to the physical condition of some schools, reminds some students, families and educators that there are those who view them as “weaker and less loveable” than others. But time is perhaps just as important, though much more rarely considered.

To be clear, funding is important. Teachers and principals are people (imagine!), who need to earn a living in order to take care of 

Mother Crusader: Paterson Collegiate Charter School Application; The Man Behind The Plan, Part II

Mother Crusader: Paterson Collegiate Charter School Application; The Man Behind The Plan, Part II:

Paterson Collegiate Charter School Application; The Man Behind The Plan, Part II

by darciecima

This is Part Two in a series about the Paterson Collegiate Charter School Application.  Here's the link to Part I.

In Part II we will look at the man behind the Paterson Collegiate Charter School Application; Steven F. Wilson.  

Steven F. Wilson, founder and president of Ascend Learning, is also a senior fellow at Education Sector, a Washington think tank, and formerly, the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. He is the former CEO of Advantage Schools, an urban school management company 

What Obama should say about education in State of Union:

What Obama should say about education in State of Union

Posted by Valerie Strauss on February 11, 2013 at 3:30 pm

•   Text Size
• Print
• Reprints

President Obama giving State of Union address in 2012. (whitehouse.gov)

Bill Moyers asked experts in different policy areas to write what they would like to hear President Obama say in Tuesday’s State of the Union address (which you can read all about on his website here.) One of those experts is education historian Diane Ravitch, who wrote the following about what she would like to hear from Obama in his speech:

My fellow Americans, I have said in previous addresses on this occasion that the key to our future success is to make sure that the education we provide our young people is the best in the world. I have said that we must out-educate and out-innovate 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This Week:

Seattle Schools This Week

by Melissa Westbrook

Monday, Feb. 11th
Curriculum&Instruction Policy Committee Meeting from 4-5:30 p.m. Agenda  

Tuesday, Feb. 12th
Special Education Advocacy &Advisory Council Meeting from 6:30-9:00 p.m. at JSCEE, 2nd floor, room 2700.  The Open Forum & District updates portion of the meeting is from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Levy election for Operations and BEX.

State of the Union speech by President Obama at 6 p.m.  

Wednesday, Feb. 13th
Executive Committee Meeting from 8:30-10:00 am.  Agenda.  Review of next couple of Board meeting agendas, government relations, community engagement, strategic plan.  And, the next Board Retreat agenda which I am very interested in because I am hoping to be sponsoring that retreat (just as the Alliance for Education is allowed to).

Open House At Rainier Beach High School about their new IB program from 6:30-8:30.  Any families curious about attending Rainier Beach should plan on attending.  There will be information about our programs, a 

Pritchett: Scrap SCUSD Plan to Close Schools, Start Over - Rosemont, CA Patch

Pritchett: Scrap SCUSD Plan to Close Schools, Start Over - Rosemont, CA Patch:

Pritchett: Scrap SCUSD Plan to Close Schools, Start Over

Some students in Rosemont may see their elementary school close next year, but not if their school board member has anything to say about it.
Christina Pritchett, a first-year trustee on the Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Education, says she's opposed to the district's plan to close 11 under-enrolled elementary schools, including James W. Marshall Elementary Schoolin Rosemont.
"I'm wiling to make the hard decisions–we just need to make sure we're making the right choices," Pritchett said in a phone interview last week. "The plan that was proposed to us was flawed."
On Thursday, the school board heard hours of comments from numerous parents, students and other community members on the topic, extending the board's meeting 

Welcome Idahoans for Local Education | Truth in American Education

Welcome Idahoans for Local Education | Truth in American Education:

Welcome Idahoans for Local Education

by Shane Vander Hart

On behalf of Truth in American Education I’d like to welcome Idahoans for Local Education as one of our new participants.  This is a new group started by Stephanie Zimmerman who has tirelessly fought against the Common Core in her state.  Their stated mission is:

…to preserve Idaho’s local educational sovereignty by keeping the decision making close to home, where parents can make a difference.  We want to make sure that Idaho‘s education system has the highest standards so our children are given the ability to be anyone they want to be.

Be sure to like their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter.  Their website just went up over the weekend so it is still pretty content light, but that will change soon.  Also if you have any friends in Idaho be sure to share this new resource to them as well.

The post Welcome Idahoans for Local Education appeared first on Truth in American Education.

Mass murderers in public schools profit charter branding via legislators: insanity | Reclaim Reform

Mass murderers in public schools profit charter branding via legislators: insanity | Reclaim Reform:

Mass murderers in public schools profit charter branding via legislators: insanity

by kenpreviti

Create an image of public schools as hellholes of slaughtered children, of constant fear and terror, that is odious to parents and taxpayers. Frighten their children into privatized charter schools where parents can buy a brand that provides the illusion of safety that is “well worth the money” to “keep your children safe” from the bogeyman created by those who can make a profit from fear mongering.

Who can help the profiteers profit from fear mongering? The politicians whose coffers are filled by privatization charter contributors. In Illinois, Gov. Pat Quinn is the hatchet man disguised as the Patron Saint and Protector of Our Children. “IL Gov. Quinn Calls for Shooting Drills in All Public Schools. Read HERE.

“Starve the Beast” is a method of destroying public services in order to sell them off to profit making corporations and/or non-profit organizations who pay their executives obscenely high salaries buffered with additional perks and benefits.
Activist Grover Norquist is a well-known proponent of the strategy and has famously said, “My goal is to cut 

Pew study of 12 districts finds that closed schools are most often reused as charters | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Pew study of 12 districts finds that closed schools are most often reused as charters | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

Pew study of 12 districts finds that closed schools are most often reused as charters

by Dale Mezzacappa

More than 40 percent of shuttered school buildings in 12 cities were ultimately reused as charter schools, according to a Pew Charitable Trusts study of 12 big cities that have undergone substantial downsizing of their traditional districts.
The reasons, according to the report: the buildings are most suited as schools, public policy that encourages charter growth, the availability of tax-exempt bonds, and the availability of funding from private foundations.

Image: 

Image Caption: 

The sale of Rudolph S. Walton Elementary School, which closed in 2003, to KIPP Philadelphia Charter School and MIS Capital LLC was approved last November.

Photo Credits: 

Nathaniel Hamilton/NewsWorks

read more

Parents 4 Teachers to call for investigation of CPS school closing process Parents United for Responsible Education

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Parents 4 Teachers to call for investigation of CPS school closing process:

Parents 4 Teachers to call for investigation of CPS school closing process

by admin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY
CHICAGO—Parent and community groups will hold a news conference Tuesday to request an independent investigation of CPS plans to close up to 140 schools. The groups charge the CPS school closing process is fraught with misconduct and is misleading the public about the true motives behind the school closings.
The Tuesday announcement comes just one day before CPS is expected to release its preliminary list of school closings.
WHAT: Parent and community group news conference
WHEN: Tuesday, Feb. 12, 10:30 a.m.
WHERE: Chicago Temple, 77 W. Washington, Chicago
WHY: Parents and community groups are seeking an independent investigation of CPS school closing process
The school closing list due out this week comes just months after CPS approved plans to open 13 new charter schools next year. Although, the district claims half its schools are under enrolled, an independent analysis shows the formula CPS uses to determine school utilization is flawed. Parents are seeking an independent investigation to shine light on the misinformation, conflicts of interest and misconduct associated with the school closing process.
For more information, contact:
Erica Clark, Parents 4 Teachers, 773-851-6287
Rhoda Rae Guiterrez, Parents 4 Teachers, 773-213-3064
++++++++++++++++++++
Parents 4 Teachers is a city-wide parent group that believes standing up for teachers means standing up for our kids

Reimagining Public Education, One Story at a Time — Whole Child Education

Reimagining Public Education, One Story at a Time — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

Reimagining Public Education, One Story at a Time

February 11, 2013 by Sam Chaltain

I know we're already six weeks into 2013, but think back to last year for a second:

What were the most talked about education stories of 2012?

I'm guessing your list looks something like this—Common Core. The Chicago Teacher Strike. Newtown. And what worries me is that no matter what other stories you recalled—from Michelle Rhee to the Dropout Crisis to Race to the Top—they're all likely to fit into one of the following categories: content, conflict, or catastrophe.

This is a huge problem, because the way we see "education" is colored by two things: our own personal memories of schooling—which are remarkably similar across the past 100 years—and our national conversations about schooling—which are remarkably negative, dispiriting, and two-dimensional.

Combine these two influences, and what you get is what we have:

Paul Vallas’ No Bid Contract with the Public Consulting Group - Wait, What?

Paul Vallas’ No Bid Contract with the Public Consulting Group - Wait, What?:

Paul Vallas’ No Bid Contract with the Public Consulting Group

by jonpelto

It is a familiar tune.

When Superintendent of Schools Paul Vallas arrived in Bridgeport, he quickly signed a series of no-bid contracts.

One was with the Public Consulting Group (PCG), a company that he had done business with when he was the CEO of the Chicago School System and again when he was the CEO of the Philadelphia Schools.  In fact, PCG even features the Chicago and Philadelphia projects on its website.

Word of the contract came when a memo arrived from Team Vallas announcing that the school system would be dropping the software that the Bridgeport Schools had been 

Report Card: Video: Kindergartener asks board not to close his school

Report Card: Video: Kindergartener asks board not to close his school:

Video: Kindergartener asks board not to close his school

Six-year-old Gavin Whelan approached the podium with confidence, stepping onto a stool and leaning into the microphone at Thursday's school board meeting regarding school closures in the Sacramento City Unified School District.

Whelan immediately won the hearts of the room, as you'll see in the video below that captures the last half of his speech. For his bravery, as well as his patience in waiting through three hours of prior public comment, Whelan earns this blog's Gold Star award.

Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/report-card/2013/02/video-kindergartener-asks-board-not-to-close-his-school.html#storylink=cpy

UPDATE: Thousands Protest Chicago School Closures and Budget Lies Schools Matter: "Minimum" tech standards to give common core tests

Schools Matter: "Minimum" tech standards to give common core tests:

Thousands Protest Chicago School Closures and Budget Lies

by Jim Horn

February 8, from George Schmidt:

Things are exploding here, with protests of more than 1,000 people against Chicago's school policies every night. We are only reporting some of them, and just about everyone leading them will need some rest this weekend. The CORE re-election campaign is holding the Second City benefit Sunday night, and that will provide everyone with some respite.

In addition to the local protests against the latest round of proposed school closings and the latest budget lies, the CTU voted unanimously Wednesday night to be part of "More than a score" and begin the petitioning, in the middle of winter, at 35 elementary schools. 

"Minimum" tech standards to give common core tests

by skrashen

A blog in Ed Week has summarized “minimum technology standards states will have to meet” to give the common core tests. The description is quite daunting. All this has to be done by 2014-15.

http://tinyurl.com/amc4g8j

Here are two comments posted on the Ed Week website:

Sonja L
3:39 PM on February 8, 2013
Common Core is just another push by big business to suck public funds from our school system. There are so many urban poor and rural areas that would never have funds, nor means to have the computer access/internet platforms available to take the publishing industrial complex's "tests" in the time frame suggested. Many schools don't have full-time teachers (or properly credentialed teachers in the case of many Charter schools that are 

Dan Rather Covers Scrap the Map

by Judy Rabin

If you have access to AXS TV, Dan Rather features Seattle school district opt out

movement and Garfield High Teacher Jesse Hagopian

Published on Feb 6, 2013

Saying it's a waste of time, teachers in Seattle are refusing to give standardized tests to high schoolers because the tests don't effectively assess students and educators don't want their evaluations tied to a faulty test. The move is receiving widespread support across the nation. Dan Rather Reports airs Tuesdays at 8pm 

LA Times publishes the other side of the education story

by skrashen

THE KEYS TO LEARNING

All four letters published in the Sunday Los Angeles Times, Feb. 10. 2013

Re "Beware of miracles," Editorial, Feb. 6

I was delighted to see The Times recommend healthy skepticism before adopting the latest "solutions" to educational problems. And yes, I clearly remember my colleagues' "value-added" ratings splashed across your website, even though there were plenty of cautionary articles elsewhere calling their use problematic.
The Los Angeles Unified School District seems to think that having students take standardized tests is an answer to our achievement problems, even though most teachers feel their curriculum has been weakened by 

What Diversity and Greatness Look Like: A Year at Mission Hill School

by Jim Horn

James Coleman told us almost fifty years ago about the importance of social capital.  Here's what he was talking about:

Popout

The website here.

Garfield High School MAP test boycott to be featured on Dan Rather Reports « Seattle Education

Garfield High School MAP test boycott to be featured on Dan Rather Reports « Seattle Education:

Garfield High School MAP test boycott to be featured on Dan Rather Reports

by seattleducation2011

Garfield High School MAP test boycott to be featured on Dan Rather Reports

Saying it’s a waste of time, teachers in Seattle are refusing to give standardized tests to high schoolers because the tests don’t effectively assess students and educators don’t want their evaluations tied to a faulty test. The move is receiving widespread support across the nation. Dan Rather Reports airs Tuesdays at 8pm ET on AXS TV. “Teaching to the Test” airs February 12, 2012.

Diane in the Evening 2-11-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

Vote for This Man for School Board!

by dianerav

I don’t know Michael Weston, but I love his comment below.
He is a teacher in Hillsborough County, Florida, which received many millions of dollars from the Gates Foundation to pilot a new teacher evaluation program.
Bill and Melinda visited the district and expressed great pleasure at the compliments directed their way. They don’t seem to realize that 1) educators are very polite (as a rule), and 2) people are starstruck in the presence of 

The Onion Finds a New Reason to Worry about US Students

by dianerav

Watch this, get a good laugh, and go to sleep!
We see similar nonsense in the mainstream media every day, but this one is funny.

Have You Been Calibrated Yet?

by dianerav

Carol Burris, principal of South Side High School in Rockville Center, New York, describes how New York is preparing principals and teachers for the new world order decreed by Arne Duncan and his Race to the Top.
She went to a training to learn how to evaluate teachers, something she had been doing successfully in her school for many years.
She learned which words were impermissible.
She was taught to think “out of the box” by conforming to the rules and

Gerald Coles Replies to Critics: Obama’s Second Term

by dianerav

I posted Gerald Coles’ predictions about President Obama’s second term. Many commenters responded. This is Coles’ response to those who raised questions:
With respect to the suggestion that the “federal govt. should get out of the classroom entirely,” I think that’s a complicated issue, given, for example, the federal government’s role in ending LEGAL segregation of schools. While issues of curriculum and what should and should not be discussed in the classroom do caution against a

A Reader Asks: Are There Any States That Are NOT Infested with Corporate Reform?

by dianerav

I am reposting this because the first version had a typo in the title. I wrote NOW instead of NOT, changing the meaning.
So here is the correct version!

A reader wrote to ask a question. Are there any states that have resisted the tidal wave of bad ideas? It is impossible to avoid high-stakes testing because it was imposed first by No Child Left Behind and then reinforced by Race to the Top.
Are there ANY states now that are not voucherizing and privatizing, doing high stakes standardized testing, institutiting abusive evaluations, refusing to use Teach for America and generally giving the schools over to the 

Fun and Games in Reporting about the New Orleans Non-Miracle

by dianerav

Our frequent contributor Mercedes Schneider sent the following news in response to a post about Bobby Jindal selling the New Orleans miracle in Virginia:

From Mary K. Bellisario, VP of St. Tammany Parish School Board (Louisiana) :
The Associated Press at least printed some of the truth about the RSD:
“However, New Orleans schools run by the Recovery School District still have a D grade on average while those 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 2-11-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Everything You Wanted to Know About Michelle Rhee by dianerav Here is Michelle Rhee, as reviewed by Mercedes Schneider in part viii of her study of the board of the National Council of Teacher Quality. Mercedes Schneider is a teacher in Louisiana who holds a Ph.D. In statistics and research methods. Here she is at her best, doing a close examination of the life and work of Michelle Rhee. My Vacation in Cuba by dianerav I just returned from an amazing week in Cuba. I went there legally, from Miami to Hava... more »