The Effective Principal — Whole Child Education

The Effective Principal — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

The Effective Principal

April 24, 2013 by Klea Scharberg

The topic of principal effectiveness and its role in comprehensive, sustainable school improvement has been on our minds as we bring our ASCD Forum discussion to a close. We asked readers of ASCD SmartBrief, a free daily e-mail news service that provides summaries and links to major education stories and issues, what best defines effective principals. More than a third (34 percent) of readers agree that the most important standard is for principals to have a clear vision and inspire and engage others in developing and realizing it. At a secondary level, about one in six educators felt that one of the following four standards were equally important and most descriptive of an effective principal:

• They model professional, ethical behavior and expect others to do the same.
• They are committed to student and adult learners and their development.
• They foster a cohesive culture of learning.
• They drive, facilitate, and monitor the teaching and learning process.

We look to principals and heads of schools for leadership and support as we are asked to do more with less for our students. As leaders, learners, advocates, communicators, and developers, principals face complex challenges. Today's challenges include the development of the whole child, the changing global economy and society, the importance of school and community partnership, and using data to inform practice.

Whole child partner organization National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) shares 

Jersey Jazzman: Happy Blog Birthday, Diane!

Jersey Jazzman: Happy Blog Birthday, Diane!:

Happy Blog Birthday, Diane!

by Duke

On the one year anniversary of her eponymous Wordpress site, let us raise a glass to Diane Ravitch - blogger.

There's no point in my retelling yet again how much Diane means to the real reform movement for her tireless advocacy, her books, her speeches, her media appearances, and everything else she has done to turn back the billionaire-powered tide of reforminess. We all know what she's done; we all know what she means to us.

But I think it's worth giving Diane special praise for her blog. It's become the first thing I look at in the morning and the last thing I read before bed. I know that if anything essential has happened in the education policy world, Diane will cover it.

There are, of course, other disseminators of education news who are outstanding. Susan Ohanian is the godmother of us all, the first of us to understand the power of the internet in fighting back against reforminess; she remains essential. Valerie Strauss is also a critical resource and one of the few reasons left to have any faith in our corporate media. NEPC's Best of the Blogs is another great gateway; anything there is worth reading (even me!).

But I think Diane has somehow found the sweet spot: she's got a keen eye for finding the blog post or newspaper article or reader comment that isn't just important, but necessary. Her synopses always make me want to click through, and often make me want to come back and comment. (I always find it funny when she links to a post of mine and there are far more comments at her blog than at Jersey Jazzman.)

So thank you, Diane, for blogging. At the risk of sounding selfish: please don't stop.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg donates another $350,000 to LAUSD race - LA Daily News

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg donates another $350,000 to LAUSD race - LA Daily News:

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg donates another $350,000 to LAUSD race

by By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who contributed $1 million to a slate of reformers in the LAUSD primary election, has now donated $350,000 to support a candidate facing a runoff for a school board seat in May.According to statements filed today on the city Ethics Commission website, Bloomberg made the $350,000 donation on Tuesday to the Coalition for School Reform, which is backing education advocate Antonio Sanchez in his bid for the District 6 seat on the LAUSD board.
In February, the New York City billionaire contributed $1 million to the coalition, an independent expenditure committee that supported Sanchez, District 2 incumbent Monica Garcia and District 4 challenger Kate Anderson. Garcia won outright, Anderson lost to incumbent Steve Zimmer and Sanchez was forced into a runoff with teacher Monica Ratliff for the East San Fernando Valley seat.
Bloomberg's $1 million donation came as the coalition tried to solidify support for Los Angeles Unified Superintedent John Deasy and his efforts to implement data-based performance evaluations and expand charter schools. Those policies are also supported by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who brokered that initial contribution.
The March 5 primary for three school board seats drew about $5.5 million in contributions to independent

SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 2013

solidaridad: Monica Ratliff for LAUSD at Empress Pavilion Fundraiser

solidaridad: Monica Ratliff for LAUSD at Empress Pavilion Fundraiser:

MONICA RATLIFF FOR LAUSD AT EMPRESS PAVILION FUNDRAISER

 

by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene

Hello Friend,
I am happy to let you know about a marvelous young candidate, a teacher, for LA School Board in a run-off in the area I served for 8 years in the East San Fernando Valley. She grew up with a single mom who went back to school to help her daughter go to College at Columbia University. Well her daughter, Monica Ratliff, won a National Hispanic Scholarship to Columbia and then went on to Columbia Law School. After law school she went to work both at the NAACP and Neighborhood Legal Services in the SF Valley. She then decided and has now taught for 11 years at a downtown garment district poverty elementary school earning honors for her commitment to students. She won the LA Times and the LA Daily News Endorsement. I would very much like you to support her as her opponent received 1.2 million dollars to her 14,000 dollars. I hope you will join us or send your support for her campaign.
Thanks always,
David Tokofsky

Monica Ratliff for LAUSD at Empress Pavilion Fundraiser by Robert D. Skeels

---

One other thing about Ms. Ratliff that Mr. Tokofsky failed to mention above: she's NOT supported by Rupert Murdoch, Eli Broad, Philip Anschutz, and Michelle Rhee like some other District 6 candidates are. When United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) House of Representatives (HOR) was to vote on endorsements, I was with a group of Adult Education Students supporting my candidacy (when you work with the community, you get community support) passing out literature to voting HOR members. I was standing next to a young man who I assumed was an intern or working on another candidate's campaign because of his youth and inexperience. I introduced myself as a District 2 candidate and he said he was Antonio Sanchez, a candidate for District 6. I asked him my stock question that I ask all political candidates, "what is your stance on school privatization." I was taken aback by his response. He said "I don't like that word, we need to get away from using that word." Next morning I read in the LA Times that he came out of the Villaraigosa camp. That made sense, he didn't want to talk about school privatization at the UTLA building because he's for school privatization. At the Stonewall Democratic Club endorsement meeting I had the temerity to bring up Antonio Sanchez's connections with the arch-reactionary Coalition for School Reform (CSR), including Philip Anschutz, who was a major player in the passage of Prop 8. That truth made for a close vote, but afterwards I was told I was being unfair for "tarring Sanchez with the brush on an IE" (independent expenditure).
Let's be clear. Had I ever been endorsed or learned that and CSR IE on my behalf was started by fringe-right reactionaries including: Rupert Murdoch, Philip Anschutz, Eli Broad, Reed Hastings, Jamie Alter-Lynton, Michelle Rhee, Joel Klein, Michael Bloomberg, and others, I would have held a press conference denouncing their politics and disassociating myself from them and their vile ideologies. Of course, that's because I believe in public education and oppose privatization and neoliberalism.
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Seattle Schools Community Forum: Big Fight at Nova/World School Yesterday

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Big Fight at Nova/World School Yesterday:

Big Fight at Nova/World School Yesterday

by Melissa Westbrook

From the Stranger Slog:

A Central District high school was locked down yesterday afternoon as police responded to reports that a former student and suspected gang member had assaulted several peers and had allegedly pulled a gun on one student. 

Students from Nova High school and the World School, a multilingual school for newly arrived immigrant and refugee students that shares space with Nova, were locked into the building at around 2:30 p.m. yesterday, after teens reported seeing a bloody, brass-knuckle-fueled fight between at least four high school students on the schools' playfield.

"A 14-year-old student who used to go to the World School had basically been kicked out and was going to Chief Sealth school, but he wanted to be re-admitted and the principal had turned down his request," confirms 

NYC Educator: Reclaiming Our Precious Nouns

NYC Educator: Reclaiming Our Precious Nouns:

Reclaiming Our Precious Nouns

by NYC Educator

Michael Fiorillo wrote a great piece about the "choices" city residents have for their kids. The corporate geniuses who make all the decisions about education have determined, since vouchers have never been popular anywhere, to get into the charter business. Of course, by the sole criterion with which they are measured, test scores, they aren't really any better than the neighborhood schools they displace.

But everyone wants Choice. You can go to the neighborhood school, if they haven't closed it yet, and if it isn't drained of space and resources you may do OK there. Of course, there could be three or four small schools, or maybe a Moskowitz charter, and you may feel like a second-class citizen as the Moskowitz school gets refurbished and yours doesn't. And, of course, the Moskowitz school doesn't take all those inconvenient special education and ESL students, and they oppose any bill compelling them to take a mix that reflects the neighborhood. Better to dump them on the neighborhood school, watch their test scores plummet, then take it 

Stanford nonprofit questions success of Advanced Placement Program - San Jose Mercury News

Stanford nonprofit questions success of Advanced Placement Program - San Jose Mercury News:

Stanford nonprofit questions success of Advanced Placement Program

By Theresa Harrington

Contra Costa Times

Posted:   04/24/2013 06:24:10 AM PDT

Updated:   04/24/2013 06:24:34 AM PDT

STANFORD -- A nonprofit organization in the Stanford Graduate School of Education is reporting that the Advanced Placement program -- which offers college level courses in high schools and is a factor considered by many colleges in making admissions decisions -- may not live up to its claims.

In a report released Monday, Denise Pope, co-founder of the Challenge Success group and senior lecturer at Stanford, said her organization found no clear proof that the College Board's AP Program helps students succeed in college.

"The direct association between AP classes and college admission is not precise," she said in a statement, "and several researchers recommend that a student's AP experience should not be disproportionately weighed in making admission decisions."

Pope said her analysis was based on more than 20 research studies, as well as her own organization's research.

Trevor Packer, a senior vice president at The College Board, which administers the Advanced Placement Program, said in a statement that Pope's analysis was one-sided and failed to accurately cite a 2004 study.

"The problem with Ms. Pope's analysis is that she fails to separate studies that analyze the benefit of simply taking 

Brown fights back, responds to critics of his funding formula | EdSource Today

Brown fights back, responds to critics of his funding formula | EdSource Today:

'

Brown fights back, responds to critics of his funding formula - by John Fensterwald

by John Fensterwald

Gov. Jerry Brown emphatically vowed Wednesday “to fight with everything I have and whatever we have to bring to bear” for passage this year of his school finance reform, as proposed.

Back from a trip to China and re-engaged on a priority issue, Brown spoke at a news conference a day after Senate Democrats announced they would propose a bill that would delay action on the governor’s Local Control Funding Formula(LCFF) for a year and would eliminate one of its chief features, providing a “concentration grant” for districts with high percentages English learners and low-income children.

“We will go for the full program and fight any effort to dilute” the proposal, Brown said. “Kids cannot wait; superintendents and thousands of people will work to see passage of our bill.”

Standing with Brown were 20 superintendents whom the governor had summoned to Sacramento to voice their support. Some then testified at a hearing on Brown’s proposal before the Assembly Education Committee.

Brown’s plan would invest an extra 35 percent in per student funding for every low-income student and English learner, with a concentration bonus in districts where high-needs students comprise a majority.

Brown said the concentration grant would put “a relatively small amount of money into high concentrations of poverty,” where it will have powerful effect.

Brown characterized LCFF as a civil rights issue that deals with “the fact of life that there are deep inequities from Oregon to the Mexican border.” In California, he said, 60 percent of children are poor and 23 percent speak a language other than English at home. “People who know best,” he 

State sued for lacks of services to students learning English - latimes.com

State sued for lacks of services to students learning English - latimes.com:

State sued for lack of services to students learning English

by By Howard Blume

Mark Rosenbaum, chief counsel of the ACLU of Southern California, which is suing California over lack of services to students who are not fluent in English. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press / May 30, 2012)

The state education department has ignored its obligation to make sure that thousands of students learning English receive adequate and legally required assistance, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

State officials said they had not studied the lawsuit, but insisted they are meeting their legal obligations.

The suit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and others, focuses on an estimated 20,000 students who are receiving no help or inadequate services as they work to learn English and keep up academically at the same time.

“It is a blatant violation of the law not to provide these students the most basic and essential component of their education -- language to access their classes,” said Jessica Price, staff attorney with the ACLU Foundation of Southern California.

Advocates based their conclusions on information that school districts report to the state Department of Education. About 250 districts acknowledge they are providing no services or inappropriate language help to these students, and yet "the state of California does absolutely 

Students in D.C. region can’t formally ‘opt out’ of standardized tests:

Students in D.C. region can’t formally ‘opt out’ of standardized tests

Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 24, 2013 at 3:51 pm

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Though parents in some other states are formally “opting out” of high-stakes standardized tests and keeping their children at home on test days, officials in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia say it is not permitted in their jurisdictions.

A movement by parents to opt out  of standardized tests and keep their children home on test day — without penalty for the child — has been building in other parts of the country, including California, where it is guaranteed under California Education Code Section 60615:

Notwithstanding any provision of law, a parent’s or guardian’s written request to school officials to excuse his or her child from any or all parts of the assessments administered pursuant to this chapter shall be granted

In the past week or so, hundreds of parents in New York have kept their children home 

NYC Public School Parents: Citizens of WHAT World? Charter's recruiting tactics and leaked documents

NYC Public School Parents: Citizens of WHAT World? Charter's recruiting tactics and leaked documents:

Citizens of WHAT World? Recruiting tactics and leaked documents

by Leonie Haimson

For more on this issue, see the DNA article here.

Williamsburg and Greenpoint parents have been fighting what we see as a real threat to re-segregate public schools in our neighborhood through Citizens of the World Charter Schools (CWC), a Los Angeles-based chain of schools imposed upon District 14 as well as District 17 in

Crown Heights.  

CWC's Core parent group = "Predominantly white"

From the earliest stages, CWC identified the white, affluent families in Williamsburg (and later, Crown Heights) as the "community stakeholders" who would help them form their proposal. These families, none of whom had school age children, were targeted with private information sessions and invites sent through email lists and members-only listservs.

Now DNAInfo reveals an internal marketing memo that documents how Citizens of the World treats white, affluent families differently 

McMillin Amendment Halts Common Core in Michigan | Truth in American Education

McMillin Amendment Halts Common Core in Michigan | Truth in American Education:

McMillin Amendment Halts Common Core in Michigan

by Shane Vander Hart

Breaking…. big move in the Michigan House of Representatives!   The Michigan House today approved the Department of Education budget (HB4328) on a 59-51 vote with an amendment which does not allow them to implement Common Core State Standards or “Smarter Balanced Assessments”.  The amendment was sponsored by State Rep. Tom McMillin, the amendment is similar to House Bill 4276 which is currently before the House Education Committee.

The amendment reads:

Funds appropriated in Part 1 (MDE’s full budget) shall not be used to fund the Common Core State Standards Initiative or Smarter Balanced Assessments. Funds shall not be used to implement programs or student assessments created by the Common Core State Standards Initiative or Smarter Balance Assessments.

It should be noted that Common Core State Standards were never approved by a Michigan Legislature (or any state legislature for that matter). A press release sent by McMillian noted said that “Concerns have been raised 

Diane in the Evening 4-24-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

You Have Only a Few Hours to Read This Shocking Exposé

by dianerav

When Yasha Levine wrote his extraordinary article about the parent trigger in Adelanto, he was struck by the failure of the media to do any investigative reporting. It seemed that everyone was cheering for the charter promoters.
He wrote this as a follow-up.
Its title: “Et Tu, NPR?”
His thesis: the a billionaires Boys Club has bought up the mainstream media, even NPR.

NYC Mayoral Forum, May 2

by dianerav

Come to PS 29 in NYC to hear the mayoral candidates:
Want to know where the Democratic primary candidates stand on education? Ask!
A forum on the future of public education
in NYC
with Democratic primary mayoral
candidates
Moderated by
Diane Ravitch
Thursday May 2nd
5:30-7:00 pm
PS 29 (425 Henry Street, Brooklyn)
What do 800,000+ New Yorkers have in common?
We are NYC public school parents.
And Parents Ask Questions.
Ask Your Question*
*Submit your question to
questions@parentvoicesny.org.
This event is being organized by ParentVoicesNY
Because we are the parents voting for our
kids’ future.

Mayor Bloomberg Tries Again to Buy the Los Angeles School Board

by dianerav

NYC Mayor Bloomberg just dropped $350,000 into the campaign to beat Monica Ratliff in a runoff for the LA school board.
A few weeks ago, Bloomberg gave $1million to the coalition of billionaires, who assembled a $4 million war chest, mostly to defeat Steve Zimmer.
Bloomberg’s million was enhanced by fat gifts from Rupert Murdoch, Michelle Rhee, Eli Broad, and the

John Thompson: Who Will the Billionaires Kick Down Next?

by dianerav

Veteran teacher John Thompson says that it is time for the billionaires to step back and recognize the damage that they are doing to American education. They assume that because they are so successful, they know it all.
Shocked to discover that poverty actually exists, they decided that the best way to save poor kids was to destroy the school system.
___________________
In this thoughtful and provocative essay, Thompson writes:
“So, with the best of intentions, these novices assumed the mantle of “accountability.” Market-driven “reformers” set out to destroy education schools, teachers’ due process, and local systems of governance. These 

Hilarious! Cursive Writing: Follow the Money

by dianerav

This is crazy, or is it?
We learned the other day that Texas Instruments is a big promoter of Algebra 2 as a graduation requirement in Texas. Why? Civic spirit, love of education, or the fact that TI supplies most of the graphing calculators needed for Algebra 2?
Now we learn from this report that a company selling cursive writing materials is a major proponent of a law requiring same in North Carolina.
Please do not misunderstand the issue here.
I believe that everyone should learn cursive writing, both to do it and to read it.
But I don’t believe that state legislatures should dictate 

NCLB: The Creation of a Mad Dr. Frankenstein?

by dianerav

If you want to know how No Child Left Behind has injured our society’s most vulnerable children, read this heart-breaking story about the sanctions imposed on the Rhode Island School for the Deaf.
Written by a recently retired teacher at the school, it describes how the standardized testing regime struck the children and the school like a sledgehammer, causing it to be labeled Persistently Low Performing.
The story begins:
“I recently participated in the inspiring and informative webinar “How to Organize a Grassroots Group” put on by the Network for Public Education and the Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education. I am a retired teacher of the deaf, having retired from the Rhode Island School for the Deaf in the fall of 2011 profoundly dismayed by the unreasonable sanctions placed on the school by the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), headed by 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-24-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson 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] Paul Barton on Common Core Implementation by dianerav Paul Barton, an experienced analyst of trends in American education, has written this piece to emphasize the importance of appropriate implementation of the Common Core standards. He warns that testing should not begin until teachers are prepared, a curriculum is in place and has been taught, and teachers have the materials they need. A Critical Stage for the Common Core ​The much-anticipated Common Core Sta... more »

UPDATE: Missouri Education Watchdog: Tracking Students: Remember Parkway School District and the Polar Go Fit Bracelets?

Missouri Education Watchdog: Tracking Students: Remember Parkway School District and the Polar Go Fit Bracelets?:

Common Core Gag Order: Teacher Told to Not to Question Common Core Implementation

by stlgretchen

Teacher not allowed to question CCSS implementation in Wyoming

Following is an amazing story from Truth in American Education and a Wyoming teacher who was threatened by her administrator for questioning the CCSS implementation and ramifications of the standards in terms of privacy and loss of local control.

Please share with other teachers and parents.  Where is the "critical thinking" allegedly present in CCSS?


From A Wyoming School's Common Core Gag Order:

I received this email from a 6th grade teacher in Wyoming whose school placed a gag order on her regarding her opposition to the Common Core State Standards.  I’m withholding her name to protect her privacy (and career).

I am currently a teacher in a smaller district in Wyoming. I attended a Wyoming 

Tracking Students: Remember Parkway School District and the Polar Go Fit Bracelets?

by stlgretchen

We wrote a story last year about Parkway Schools wanting to use student tracking devices to measure sleep patterns and academic achievement via Polar Go Fit bracelets.

We highlighted a video from the school board where a district employee explains the tracking and the information to be gathered from the data obtained while the students wore them home.  The video has now been pulled from the internet and "made private by the owner".

This video is from a school board meeting.  Would someone from the Parkway School District contact the superintendent/board members and ask why a video from a public meeting has been pulled from the district website?  Aren't the owners of this video the taxpayers?

Here's the link showing the video has been pulled:

http://web.archive.org/web/20120118111401/http://www.pkwy.k12.mo.us/boe/archive/boe120711.cfm

Here's the rough transcript I typed from the speaker's presentation:

Notes from the video:

Video of the School Board Meeting December 7, 2011