Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools Leadership Posts Announced

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools Leadership Posts Announced:

Seattle Schools Leadership Posts Announced

by Melissa Westbrook

From Superintendent Banda via SPS Communications (and I believe one of our astute readers called this one for Michael Tolley about a week ago):

"I am pleased to announce that after a strong national search, Michael Tolley has been named Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, where he will oversee all aspects of students’ academic growth at Seattle Public Schools.

Mr. Tolley stepped into this role as the Interim Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning in September and has demonstrated his strong leadership. He plans to have the District’s Teaching and Learning team continue development of a comprehensive professional development plan to implement the Common Core State Standards and provide students with increased academic and social/emotional supports. In addition, he will 

PSAT for 2-26-13: Tell Congress no sequestration cuts to education! Parents United for Responsible Education

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 2-26-13: Tell Congress no sequestration cuts to education!:

PSAT for 2-26-13: Tell Congress no sequestration cuts to education!

by admin

Congress and the White House are working to resolve the “sequestration” threat set up by their failure to agree on a federal budget last year. Without a budget agreement, massive across-the-board program cuts will kick in on Friday. This may include:

• Loss of 100,000 Head Start slots.
• Service cuts to 500,000 special needs students.
• An end to Title 1 grants, affecting 2 million students.
• Huge class size increases and service cuts as districts are forced to terminate tens of thousands of teachers and support staff.

PURE supports saving money by cutting ineffective and damaging programs like Race to the Top, massive new 

The in box. ISBE’s Koch wants repeal of class size limits AND 30 percent limit in GenEd. Act now! | Fred Klonsky

The in box. ISBE’s Koch wants repeal of class size limits AND 30 percent limit in GenEd. Act now! | Fred Klonsky:

The in box. ISBE’s Koch wants repeal of class size limits AND 30 percent limit in GenEd. Act now!

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

Illinois State Superintendent of Education Chris Koch
supports the complete “repeal” of BOTH special education
class size limits AND the 30 percent limit in general education.

This would directly affect EVERY special education teacher
in Illinois, and EVERY student with disabilities in Illinois.

Koch stated today that  -

(1) “our current rules go beyond federal law”

(2) “class size is an issue that is best addressed locally.”

(3) “These artificial limits are, in some cases, actually keeping
students with disabilities out of general education classrooms”

Koch states bluntly that “The rules will go to the State Board
for adoption in late spring.” (see complete statement at the

Respect, Compassion, and Fairness in Schools — Whole Child Education

Respect, Compassion, and Fairness in Schools — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

Respect, Compassion, and Fairness in Schools

February 26, 2013 by Paula Mirk

The current debate about school safety, as tragic as recent events may be, risks derailing the positive direction we need to go in as a nation if we want to uphold the broadest purpose of education: "What kind of people are we preparing to lead society into the future?" The very sad incident in Newtown was the result of one individual's mental impairment and a variety of factors—including his access to weapons—that happened to come together in a perfect storm at an elementary school. But if our response is to arm our schools, I'm afraid that by that logic we must also arm our cinemas and arm our supermarket parking lots. The list will go on and on. In other words, the Newtown issue is not so much about "school shootings" as it is about a "shooting that took place at a school, like many others that have taken place in many other environments."

In other words, as counterintuitive as this might seem, the gun violence issue, in all its urgency (and I believe it is an urgent national issue), shouldn't cloud the school safety issue (another urgent national issue). Well in advance of keeping students safe from the very rare outside attack of a disturbed individual, we have lots of work to do to make sure our students are safe from the various forms of harassment and bullying they 

NYC Educator: And Now for Something Completely Different …

NYC Educator: And Now for Something Completely Different …:

And Now for Something Completely Different …

by NYC Educator

by special guest reviewer Recovering ATR 

You might have heard of the movie Life of Pi. It just picked up a bunch of Academy Awards, and it was overall my favorite movie of the year. The thing is, all the teachers talked about how "Lincoln" would be a great movie to show in history class. I actually think the movie to show students is Life of Pi. And that is because I lived the Life of Pi.

No, I didn't get shipwrecked and stranded in the ocean with a huge tiger named Richard Parker. But I was recently involved in a personal situation that had become unbearable. I won't get into the details, but let's just say it exemplified "relation-ship wreck."

The whole situation left me with a lot of anger. I am not good at expressing anger. There are certain people who can really make mincemeat of the people they are angry at with a few choice words or a withering glance. I am not one of those people. Instead, I tend to bottle up all unpleasant feelings until one day I wake up and realize, "This cannot go on."

So (spoiler alert!) I did exactly what Pi did in the movie and book. I wrote a short story (actually two) that used 

Diane in the Evening 2-26-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

Illinois: No Class Size Limits for Special Education?

by dianerav

Please don’t say this is school “reform.”
The state superintendent of education in Illinois wants to remove class size limits for special education.
Time to ask why the richest nation on earth can’t afford to provide a free and appropriate education for children with the greatest needs.

Today! Three Million Page Views!

by dianerav

Today, this blog passed the three million page view marks.
That represents the number of times someone has read a post here.
The blog started April 24, 2012.
Thank you, readers.
We will continue to learn from one another.
We will continue to stand strong for a high-quality education for all.
We will continue to advocate equality of opportunity.
Thank you!

How Kasich’s Budget for Ohio Hurts All Schools But Especially Poorest

by dianerav

Governor John Kasich has made clear that he wants to privatize the schools of Ohio as much as possible with vouchers, charters, and online schools. His new budget reflects his attitude toward public education.
This report came from Jan Resseger in Cleveland. Jan works tirelessly on behalf of equity and social justice.
It is likely you have been getting mixed messages about Ohio’s proposed school funding plan. The political 

The Fatal Flaw of the Common Core

by dianerav

Since I wrote that I could not support the Common Core, several readers have written to say that I criticized the process of its creation and implementation, not its content. My response to more than one reader was that means and ends both matter. You can’t do the right thing in the wrong way. You can’t suspend democratic process for what you think is the good of the people. Good things imposed by force tend not to stick.
This reader explains her objections to the process:
My thoughts on the CC:
Subtexts: Close Reading of the Common Core
As ridiculous as it sounds, my resistance to the common core standards is disconnected from its content. The 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 2-26-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] How You Can Help the Garfield Teachers by dianerav The entire teaching staff at Garfield High School in Seattle voted to boycott the MAP test, on grounds that it is a waste of time and resources. The superintendent will soon decide whether to dock their pay as a punishment. Meanwhile, the teachers have Why I Cannot Support the Common Core Standards by dianerav I have thought long and hard about the Common Core standards. I have decided that I cannot support the... more »

Torlakson Urges Congress to Avoid Cuts - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

Torlakson Urges Congress to Avoid Cuts - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education):

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Urges Congress to Prevent Devastating Cuts

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today urged Congressional leaders to work together and immediately pass legislation that would repeal drastic budget cuts set to take effect Friday under sequestration.

"Without Congressional intervention, automatic budget cuts from sequestration will take effect on March 1," said Torlakson in a letter* to Congressional leaders. "After years of extensive state and federal budget cuts to education, these cuts will devastate communities across California…. These automatic cuts will cause long-lasting and irreparable harm."

Sequestration cuts could represent a $262 million funding reduction to California’s federal education program. These include estimated cuts of:

• $91 million for Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, intended to improve education for disadvantaged students;
• $72 million in special education funding for programs that serve the needs of students with disabilities;
• $2.8 million for public charter schools;
• $6.9 million for Career and Technical Education;
• $9.6 million in funding for English learners; and
• $3.7 million in Impact Aid affecting students in federally impacted school districts in California, including children of active duty service members.

"Further, these cuts come at a time when California is just beginning a recovery from state-level cuts of over $20 billion to education spending over the last five years," Torlakson added. "The California Department of Education, school districts, and local educational agencies will need to find ways to cut costs even further under sequestration. This could result in school closures; teacher and administrator layoffs; increased student-teacher ratios; the elimination of college counselors and school-based mental health personnel; and deferred purchases, renovations, and repairs. These cuts would come at a crucial time in a student’s life. Many of these students may never make up the lost ground."

# # # #

* Letter to Congressional leaders (Coming Soon)

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

Students Bear the Consequences of the School Closure Vote | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education

Students Bear the Consequences of the School Closure Vote | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education:

Students Bear the Consequences of the School Closure Vote

published by Kate_Lenox on Tue, 02/26/2013 - 11:18am

Today's Bee editorial lauds the SCUSD board of education for "tough but wise" decision" on schools closures because the district needed to close schools because of shrinking enrollment. While it is true that the district has too many schools for its enrollment, the objections many had with these school closures was the process. It was too hasty, used questionable data about school capacity, had no plan in place for student safety and  engaged the public after the fact. In short, it did not follow best practices recommended by the California Dept. of Education. All this for a mere $1.2 million dollars a year--a savings that will probably wiped out when the charter schools that will inevitably take over some of these sites enroll SCUSD students and further decrease the district's enrollment.

The district had no real plan, that was evidenced by the removal of schools from the list at the last minute. This demonstrated, not flexibility, but an attempt to buy the votes of reluctant board members Arroyo, Rodriguez and Prichett.  All this talk about providing transportation is just that.  The district doesn't have money to pay for it. How could it? It doesn't have the money to keep these schools open.  Open enrollment isn't an option if you have no means to get your child to a school outside your neighborhood. Choice is a myth for those without means. The

NYC Public School Parents: My 20 questions to DOE about their failure to live up to their commitments to our children and in the C4E law to reduce class size

NYC Public School Parents: My 20 questions to DOE about their failure to live up to their commitments to our children and in the C4E law to reduce class size:

My 20 questions to DOE about their failure to live up to their commitments to our children and in the C4E law to reduce class size

by Leonie Haimson

According to the Contracts for Excellence (C4E) law, the DOE is supposed to be reducing class size in all grades, and in the fall of 2007, submitted a plan to do so in along with annual targets and five year goals.  Yet class sizes have risen every year since then.  The DOE finally released its latest proposed C4E planfor the current (2012-2013) school year on Feb. 18 for public comment, long after most of the C4E funding has been spent.   The deadline for public comment is March 18; please send your comments to the DOE by emailing contractsforexcellence@schools.nyc.gov; please copy Commissioner King atjking@mail.nysed.gov  

The DOE has failed NYC children in many ways but in no way more disappointing  than in its failure to live up to its legal and ethical commitments to our children to reduce class size.  See my 20 questions sent to DOE below. 

From: Leonie Haimson [mailto:leonie@att.net]
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2013 4:21 PM
To: contractsforexcellence@schools.nyc.gov
Cc: leonie@att.net
Subject: twenty C4E questions

1. Why do you not present any data on class size in your proposed citywide plan, your failure to meet class size reduction targets in the past, or any information about your goals for class size moving forward? 

2. Why is there no mention on the C4E webpage about the provision in the state law that obligates NYC to have a plan to reduce class sizes in all grades? 

3. What happened to last year’s class size reduction proposal?  Was it approved by the 

Send an email to the DOE about class size today!

by Leonie Haimson

Every year since 2007, parents have voted smaller classes their #1 priority, according to the Department of Education’s own annual surveys. In addition, the state passed a law in 2007 called the Contracts for Excellence (C4E), requiring that NYC reduce class size in all grades, in return for receiving additional state aid. Yet class sizes have increased every single year since then. 

This year, the DOE has posted its proposed C4E plan in February for public comment, long after most of these funds have been allocated and spent.  The deadline for public comment is March 18.  Please send in your comment today, with a copy to John King, the State Education Commissioner.  A sample message is below; feel free to change it any way you like.  You can check out my 20 Questions to DOE, about their lack of accountability in this area. 

We will be presenting at several Community Education Council meetings in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, starting tomorrow in Baruch Middle School on 330 East 21st St., where we will be giving presentations on C4E and class size, and if there is time, speaking briefly about new threats to student privacy.  If you are interested please come, more info about when and whereis posted here.

Thanks, Leonie

To: contractsforexcellence@schools.nyc.gov
cc: jking@mail.nysed.gov

The DOE has failed NYC children in many ways but in no way more disappointing  than in its failure to live up to its legal and ethical commitments to reduce class size. 

As a parent of a child in a NYC public school, it is unacceptable to me:

·         That NYC public school students continue to be subjected to the largest class sizes in the state;

·         That they have been deprived of their constitutional right to an adequate education because of their excessive class sizes, according to the state’s highest court;

·         That class sizes have risen every year for the last five, and are now the largest in 14 years in the early grades;

·         That DOE continues in its latest C4E proposal to do nothing to reduce class sizes despite a law passed in 2007, requiring them to lower class size;

·         That DOE has never allocated a single penny of the more than $500 million in annual C4E funds to district-wide or targeted programs to reduce class size;

·         That many of the DOE  policies have in fact encouraged INCREASES in class size, including but not limited to the following:

·         Cutting school budgets by 14% since 2008, despite increases in overall education spending and in many other areas;

·         Eliminating the early grade class size funding in 2010, despite a promise to the state to keep the program intact;

·         Stopping capping class size in grades 1-3 in 2011 to 28 students per class;

·         Demanding that special needs children be accommodated in general education and inclusion classes at maximum contractual levels, despite the fact that these students need smaller classes most of all;

·         Refusing to align either its school utilization formula or capital plan with class size reduction goals;

·         Continuing to co-locate new schools in school buildings, taking up every possible inch of space and depriving schools of the ability to lower class size in the future:

·         Holding meetings in February and March for the current year’s C4E proposal, and refusing to hold borough hearings, making a mockery of the public process required by the law.

You have utterly failed in your responsibilities to my child as well as 1.1 million other NYC students, who have been deprived of a quality education because of your continued negligence. 

Yours,

Name, school, borough

Bait-and-switch: Rebranding Public Schools as New Charter Schools

Education Week: Rebranding Public Schools as New Charter Schools:

Rebranding Public Schools as New Charter Schools

—Susan Sanford

By Jack Schneider

Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org.

Read more FREE content!

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Charter schools are a silver bullet for urban education. But not for any of the reasons you might think.

Charters, as research reveals, don't achieve particularly impressive results. In a study conducted by the Stanford University-based Center for Research on Education Outcomes, or CREDO, 17 percent of charters outperformed their traditional public school counterparts. But nearly half performed no differently. And more than a third—37 percent—produced results that were worse. Other studies have produced similar results. In short, charters are on average not that different from traditional public schools: Some are high performers, some are basement dwellers, and the vast majority are someplace in between.

Yet ask Americans what works in urban education, and you're likely to hear something about charter schools. As polling data reveals, support for charters has grown nearly every year for the past two decades and now hovers around 70 percent. And with backing from the Obama administration, the movement is booming. Roughly 2 million 

The real reasons many low-income students don’t go to college | Hechinger Report

The real reasons many low-income students don’t go to college | Hechinger Report:

The real reasons many low-income students don’t go to college

by Sarah Carr

-Adapted from Hope Against Hope, a new book about the rebirth of the New Orleans schools after Katrina. One spring afternoon, O. Perry Walker High School Principal Mary Laurie made her way to the school’s courtyard, where a lone student sat at a picnic table with a large stack of papers in front of him and a frustrated look on his face. Laurie recognized the student as a shy senior with one of the highest GPAs in his class. The documents, it turned out, were all from Tuskegee University. Tuskegee had accepted the 18-year-old, offering him a full scholarship. But they required a $500 deposit within the next few days if he wanted to secure his spot. The student had no idea what to do. “If that’s where you want to go, let me know,” Laurie said. “I’ll try to get the five hundred dollars.” The student said nothing. “You want to go to college, baby?” Laurie asked gently. The young man nodded and wandered off, a confused look on his face. If one of Walker’s top students was struggling to navigate the college-admissions and financial-aid maze, Laurie worried about how less-motivated students were faring. Earlier that winter, she had decided Walker needed to do a better job helping its students sift through the process. Now she saw how far the school still had to go. Walker employed two college counselors, but they had their hands full helping caseloads of hundreds. Laurie wanted someone to create a comprehensive data system so the school knew, at any given moment, how many of its students had taken the ACT, been accepted into colleges, and qualified for the state’s main college scholarship 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Should All Students Learn to Code?

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Should All Students Learn to Code?:

Should All Students Learn to Code?

by Melissa Westbrook

This is a new video circulating out in the Internet world.  You'll recognize many of the faces in it.

Look, I'm married to someone who knows how to program (and teaches computer science).  He did a stint at Google and yes, it's an exceptional work environment (free food - for both you and your dog - free snacks, massage chairs, games - it's a swell place to work).   But I would also gently point out that not everyone is cut out to be a programmer and many of the people in computer science have what I might gently call "communication issues."  Sometimes people are drawn to certain jobs based on their personalities.

Yes, learning to program does bring together a lot of elements in the brain.   I think it might be good to have an elective class in every high school for programming.  But not everyone is going to have to program to have a job.

Do I think it should be a core item to teach?  I do not.

I sense some arrogance in this video about who the new "wizards" of the world are.  I can only say, from my own 

Tuesday Open Forum

by Melissa Westbrook

Another film-making competition that high school students can enter from the NW High School Film Festival.  They also have a scholarship competition as well.

Looks like the district may not be able to save the Native American murals at Wilson-Pacific after all.  The artist feels he's getting the runaround from the district and has declined permission to digital reproduce them. From the Times:

He repeatedly congratulated the district for the passage of the levy, which he opposed. But Morrison said he’s lost trust in the district, in part because no school official approached him about saving the murals until he started showing up at public meetings about the levy. He also said he’s talked wit
h four different officials, and has no confidence they won’t simply continue to pass him along.

“For many reasons,” he said, “it’s in my best interests to step away.”

(P.S.  This may be one of the last Times' articles I will be able to link to for the blog.  I am unlikely to be 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Looking back at Clinton's campaign against youth violence

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Looking back at Clinton's campaign against youth violence:

Looking back at Clinton's campaign against youth violence

by Mike Klonsky

It's difficult and heart-breaking to look at the news each day and see the growing body count of Chicago's mostly-young gun violence victims without thinking about what might have been. Pandemic gun violence with accompanying catastrophic effects on the families and friends of both the victims and shooters, could have been avoided or at least, diminished if appropriate measures would have been taken and policy decisions made in the wake of the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School.

Back during the Clinton administration, as part of his National Campaign Against Youth Violence (NCAYV), in the months following the Columbine disaster, I was invited to join Pres. Clinton's Academic Advisory Board. The board, was led by Anthropologist John Devine ("Maximum Security") and included some of the nation’s leading scholars of urban America and youth violence like Elijah Anderson ("Code of the Street"), Sissila Bok ("Common 

From Seattle to Chicago: testing forum March 19th Parents United for Responsible Education

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » From Seattle to Chicago: testing forum March 19th:

From Seattle to Chicago: testing forum March 19th

by admin

From Seattle to Chicago: testing forum March 19th

From Seattle to Chicago:
The Case Against High Stakes Standardized Testing

Tuesday, March 19, 7:00pm

Mt. Carmel MB Baptist Church, 2976 S. Wabash

With Jesse Hagopian, teacher at Garfield High School in Seattle and leader of MAP test boycott
and Karen Lewis, Chicago Teachers Union president

Sign up for this event on Facebook!

The well-publicized efforts of teachers, parents and students in Seattle in boycotting the MAP test there has brought the issue of the overuse and misuse of high stakes standardized testing to the national stage.
Join teachers, parents and students to understand the role high stakes testing is playing in undermining great teaching and learning in our schools.
Test scores are a key component of school rankings and closings, student tracking and promotion, principal evaluations, teacher evaluations, and all too often result in a limited and narrow curriculum in our classrooms. Tests unfairly discriminate against schools with low income students, students of color and students with disabilities.
We will discuss the many options for becoming involved in the growing movement against excessive standardized testing in our schools.
Childcare will be provided.

Sponsored by
More Than A Score,
the Chicago Teachers Union
and CReATE
www.morethanascorechicago.org
info@morethanascorechicago.org

A great day for public education | Parents Across America

A great day for public education | Parents Across America:

A great day for public education

by pureparents

Report from the 4-state regional Parents Across America/Public Schools Across America action planning meeting on February 25, 2013

Seventy-five public school activists from Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois braved ice and cold to come together for a half-day regional action planning meeting in Fort Wayne, Indiana, this past Saturday, Feb 23.

This energetic and positive meeting was a great start to what we hope will be coordinated action across our four states and beyond to support and strengthen public schools against the current onslaught of corporate reform.

A state super with 1.6 million more votes than the governor!

Starting the afternoon out with the upbeat story of her election as Indiana’s top educator was our keynote speaker, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz. Superintendent Ritz shared t