Monday, June 3, 2013

by Fred Klonsky

Outside the shiny headquarters were about 100 CTA employees protesting layoffs by CTA boss Forrest Claypool.
“What do you do with your time,” I am often asked.
In the old days time was money.
Now money is time.
I have been working on the goal of living as well and spending less.
So I will spend time (which I have more of) to save some (which we have less of).
Take the annual city sticker fee. We still have two cars and the city sticker costs $85.
But seniors only have to pay $30.
Before we were seniors we could pay the fee online and get the stickers in the mail. But it wasn’t clear how to do the senior thing online.
And you only get one senior discount no matter how many cars. Both cars are in my name.
“Add your wife’s name to the title on one of the cars,” a pleasant City Hall voice told me on

Former DISD chief of staff Jerome Oberlton federally indicted for deal in Atlanta Public Schools | Education Blog

Former DISD chief of staff Jerome Oberlton federally indicted for deal in Atlanta Public Schools | Education Blog:

Former DISD chief of staff Jerome Oberlton federally indicted for deal in Atlanta Public Schools

by Matthew Haag

Former Dallas ISD chief of staff Jerome Oberlton was indicted Monday by a federal grand jury, accused of receiving at least $60,000 in kickbacks connected to a contract awarded by Atlanta Public Schools.
Oberlton resigned as … [visit site to read more]

Another boondoggle in the making: At a cost of more than $12 million to CT Taxpayers - Wait, What?

Another boondoggle in the making: At a cost of more than $12 million to CT Taxpayers - Wait, What?:

Another boondoggle in the making: At a cost of more than $12 million to CT Taxpayers

by jonpelto

On Wednesday, June 5, 2013 the Connecticut’s State Board of Education is scheduled to vote on a proposed new charter school for Windham, Connecticut called The Path Academy.

The Path Academy is a project of Our Piece of the Pie, a Hartford-based “youth development agency” that seeks to “help young people access and attain a mix of the educational, employment, and personal skills that contribute to their success.”

One of their goals is to help “over-age, under-credit (OU) students” get a high school diploma. The term is a bit misleading because it doesn’t mean that the student is over 21 or even 18. In many cases it just means the student has had academic problems and

Diane in the Evening 6-3-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

Student Speaks Out Against StudentsFirst Award to Anti-Gay Legislator

by dianerav

A reader shared the following story about a student in Tennessee, where StudentsFirst named an outspoken anti-gay legislator as its “Reformer of the Year.”
“11-year old takes on Michelle Rhee and Students First over endorsing “Don’t Say Gay” lawmaker endorsement. “
“I am Marcel Neergaard, and I am 11 years old. This year I was homeschooled for sixth grade because of severe bullying. If I had gone back to public school, there is a great possibility that I would have taken my own life. That possibility would have grown if a certain bill introduced in my home state of Tennessee had passed into law. This

Rally in L.A. For Reduced Class Size!

by dianerav

A reader in Los Angeles welcomes all who care about improving public education:
Parents from all across Los Angeles are Mobilizing!!!!
Please gather tomorrow, Tuesday June 4 at 8:30 am out front of LAUSD central offices on Beaudry street downtown.
Lend your voice to a collective choir that demands to be heard.
We are Students, Parents and Angelenos for Real Classroom Support: SPARCS.
We must ignite the SPARCS of this truth in front of our elected school board:
KIDS NEED SMALLER CLASSES IN ORDER TO LEARN BETTER
What We Stand For:
Strong, Truly Public Schools. In Los Angeles, we demand truly public schools accountable to the public, administered and run by individuals dedicated to educating every child.
Democracy Fortified Through Public Education. Every child in Los Angeles has a civil right to attend a good public school dedicated primarily to their education.
Dynamic, Responsive Public Education. Appropriate, effective evaluation of our public schools, with parents welcomed, respected and contributing to decisions regarding the school system at every level.
What We Stand Against:
Privatizing Public Schools. The educational system is a sacred public trust, part of the social contract. We have a moral responsibility to the social and educational welfare of all among us.
Mechanized Schooling. All learners are individuals; standardization of classes and tests eliminates the unique contribution of a professional teacher to education and learning.
Public School Control By Non-participants. Educators should drive educational public policy; family and society its social components. Political demogoguery has no place in our social contract to provide effective Public Schooling for all.
Who We Are:
We are many. We are parents from across all of Los Angeles Unified’s seven districts. We have children in LAUSD. We are children in LAUSD. We are concerned with and about children in LAUSD.
We are Students, Parents, Angelenos for Real Classroom Support: SPARCS
If you stand with us, amplify our SPARCS by joining here:
http://www.facebook.com/SPaARCS

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-3-13 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] Anthony Cody: Is the Tea Party Right About Common Core? by dianerav There is a surprising overlap between the views of the Tea Party and those of some in the left towards the Common Core. In Indiana, Democrats and Tea Party activists combined to defeat far-right State Superintendent Tony Bennett and elect educator Glenda Ritz. Democrats opposed his support for privatization and his haughty treatment of teachers: Tea Party activists opposed him for his zealous supp... more »

Administration Honors U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and District Sustainability Awardees; Launches Facilities Best Practices Tour | U.S. Department of Education

Administration Honors U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and District Sustainability Awardees; Launches Facilities Best Practices Tour | U.S. Department of Education:

Administration Honors U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and District Sustainability Awardees; Launches Facilities Best Practices Tour

JUNE 3, 2013

Contact:

Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov

White House CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley, EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe, and Deputy Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Janey Thornton joined U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and U.S. Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter to congratulate the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and District Sustainability Awardees on their achievements at a ceremony in Washington, DC. At the event, sixty-four schools were honored for their exemplary efforts to reduce environmental impact and costs, promote better health, and ensure effective environmental education, including STEM, green careers and civics. In addition, 14 districts were honored for the first-ever District Sustainability Award.

Representatives from honored schools and districts received sustainably crafted plaques and banners in recognition of their achievements.

"Together, healthy, safe and modern facilities combined with wellness practices like outdoors physical activity, nutritious food and hands-on environmental learning form a strong foundation for a quality education. These schools and districts exhibit best practices to reduce costs and increase achievement, health and equity, for all schools, not just aspiring green schools," said Secretary Duncan.

"The schools being honored today are taking smart, innovative steps to reduce environmental impacts and energy costs, promote healthy learning environments, and teach students sustainable practices that they can carry with them into their homes and future careers," said Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley. "These leaders are models for how schools nationwide can achieve healthier classrooms, lower their energy bills, and set their students up for success."

"The Green Ribbon Schools and District Sustainability Awardees are preventing harmful pollution that leads to illnesses like asthma and creating healthier learning spaces for our children. Thanks to the efficient technology and energy-saving practices that help them achieve their goals, the awardees are also saving money," said EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe. "As we see time and time again, sustainability is good for our environment, our economy and, most importantly, our children's health. And because the students who attend these schools have a firsthand understanding of the link between environmental protection and public health, sustainability is also good for our future; it helps empower the next generation of environmental stewards."

"I am proud to see schools and districts across the country making changes to set up America's children for a lifetime of success, both in the classroom and out in the real world. Improving the nutrition of our young people is a top priority for USDA and this Administration," said Thornton, deputy under secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "Giving children the tools they need to make healthy diet and exercise choices today creates a generational change that will lead to a healthier American future."

Duncan and Kanter also announced the 'Education Built to Last' Facilities Best Practices Tour. The tour will highlight practices that states, districts and schools use to improve the overall wellness, productivity, and achievement of occupants through health, safety, and educational improvements in school facilities.

"Because where students learn matters as much as the who and how, the Department will be visiting these honorees to highlight what schools and districts can do now to ensure that their learning facilities promote achievement, health, equity and cost savings," said Under Secretary Martha Kanter.

The schools were confirmed from a pool of candidates voluntarily nominated by 32 state education agencies, with honorees selected from 30. The list of selectees includes 54 public schools and 10 private schools. The public schools include seven charter, five magnet and four career and technical schools. The schools serve various grade levels, including 40 elementary, 23 middle and 19 high schools are among them, with several schools having various K-12 configurations, from 29 states and the District of Columbia. Over half of the 2013 honorees serve a student body more than 40 percent of which is eligible for free and reduced price lunch.

A report with state-by-state summaries of the 78 honorees can be found here. The list of all selected schools and districts, as well as their nomination packages, can be found here. More information on the federal recognition award can be found here. Resources for all schools to move toward the three Pillars in which the 2013 honorees are exemplary can be found here.

The Department is looking forward to a third year of the recognition award, and will be publishing updated competition criteria this summer. State education agencies are encouraged to indicate intent to nominate schools in 2014 by August 1, 2013. Schools must be nominated by a participating state education agency and cannot apply directly to ED.

A complete list of the 2013 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools follows:

Alabama

Harriette W. Gwin Elementary School
Hoover, AL
Munford Middle School and Munford High School
Munford, AL
Fayetteville High School
Sylacauga, AL
Talladega County

Arkansas

Fayetteville District

California

Charles Evans Hughes Middle School
Long Beach, CA
Journey School
Aliso Viejo, CA
Redding School of the Arts II
Redding, CA
Prospect Sierra School
El Cerrito, CA
Oak Park Unified School District

Colorado

Kinard Core Knowledge Middle School
Ft. Collins, CO
Douglas County School District

Connecticut

Barnard Environmental Studies Magnet School
New Haven, CT
Environmental Sciences Magnet School at Mary Hooker
Hartford, CT
Common Ground High School
New Haven, CT

Delaware

St. Andrew's School
Middletown, DE

District of Columbia

Mundo Verde Bilingual Public Charter School
Washington, DC
Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School
Washington, DC
Woodrow Wilson High School
Washington, DC

Florida

Driftwood Middle School
Hollywood, FL
St. Paul Lutheran School
Lakeland, FL
School District of Palm Beach County

Georgia

Ford Elementary School,
Acworth, GA
Gwinnett County Public Schools

Indiana

Guion Creek Middle School
Indianapolis, IN

Iowa

Starmont Community School
Arlington IA
Des Moines Independent Community School District
Kansas
Bluejacket-Flint Elementary School
Shawnee, KS

Kentucky

Cane Run Elementary School
Louisville, KY
Northern Elementary School
Georgetown, KY
Locust Trace AgriScience Farm
Lexington, KY

Maryland

Cedar Grove Elementary School
Germantown, MD
Summit Hall Elementary School
Gaithersburg, MD
Montgomery County Public Schools

Massachusetts

Manchester Essex Regional Middle High School
Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA
Quincy High School
Quincy, MA
Berkshire School
Sheffield, MA
Acton Public Schools and Acton-Boxborough Regional School District

Minnesota

Jeffers Pond Elementary School
Prior Lake, MN
Heritage E-STEM Middle School
West St. Paul, MN
School of Environmental Studies
Apple Valley, MN
Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools

Mississippi

Watkins Elementary School
Jackson, MS

Nebraska

King Science and Technology Magnet Center
Omaha, NE

New Hampshire

Phillips Exeter Academy
Exeter, NH

New Jersey

Bedwell Elementary School
Bernardsville, NJ
Summerfield Elementary School
Neptune, NJ

New York

Crompond School
Yorktown Heights, NY
PS 057 Hubert H. Humphrey
Staten Island, NY
Rye Country Day School
Rye, NY

Ohio

Kenston High School
Chagrin Falls, OH

Pennsylvania

Albert M. Greenfield Elementary School
Philadelphia, PA
Broughal Community Middle School
Bethlehem, PA
Nazareth Area Middle School
Nazareth, PA
Westtown School
West Chester, PA
Lower Merion School District

Rhode Island

The Compass School
Kingston, RI
Providence Career and Technical Academy
Providence, RI

Tennessee

Ivy Academy
Soddy-Daisy, TN
Lipscomb Academy Elementary School
Nashville, TN

Vermont

Reading Elementary School
Reading, VT
St. Albans City School
St. Albans, VT
Shelburne Community School
Shelburne, VT

Virginia

Stony Point Elementary School
Keswick, VA
Magna Vista High School
Ridgeway, VA

Washington

Glacier Park Elementary School
Maple Valley, WA
Sacajawea Elementary School
Vancouver, WA
Tahoma Senior High School
Covington, WA
The Evergreen School
Shoreline, WA
Kent School District

West Virginia

Hometown Elementary School
Red House, WV
Petersburg Elementary School
Petersburg, WV
Marshall County Schools

Wisconsin

Summit Environmental School
La Crosse, WI
Westlawn Elementary School
Cedarburg, WI
Jefferson Elementary-Fox River Academy
Appleton, WI
Racine Montessori School
Racine, WI
School District of Fort Atkinson

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Illinois still in student data mining program

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Illinois still in student data mining program:

Illinois still in student data mining program

by admin

Yesterday the Tribune printed a Reuters story about the InBloom (formerly Wireless Generation) program funded by Bill Gates that is currently collecting student confidential records it plans to share with private software companies. In Bloom says it cannot guarantee the safety of this data.
The story reported that several states or districts which InBloom claimed were past of “Phase 1″ of their project have either disavowed that or pulled out.
The only remaining clients at this point are Illinois, Colorado and New York. Currently only Bloomington and Normal school districts are involved in our state, but Illinois plans to add Chicago and 34 other districts in 2014.
I’ve written about this before, and tip my hat to the tireless work of my PAA colleague Leonie Haimson to expose this enormous threat to family privacy. I’ll share more on this tomorrow for Public Schools Action Tuesday, but meanwhile, here’s the letter I just sent to the Tribune:

Thank you for publishing the excellent Stephanie Simon piece about states choosing not to share confidential student and teacher data with the Gates-funded corporation called inBloom Inc. Most parents are unaware of this threatened encroachment on family privacy which is already underway in the Bloomington and

Ed Notes Online: Thompson Pans Evaluations as Critiques (other than UFT) Roll in

Ed Notes Online: Thompson Pans Evaluations as Critiques (other than UFT) Roll in:

Thompson Pans Evaluations as Critiques (other than UFT) Roll in

by ed notes online

Fleisher reports that Tisch and Thompson didn't speak before he released his comments criticizing the new plan.... WSJ

So this morning the City’s Gates-trained drones are hard at work developing new tests for Auto Mechanics, Special Ed, Art, Drama, Newspaper, PhysEd, and the rest. By the way, you can forget any help to kill this plan from Randi’s boy, Mulgrew, at UFT. He has already sent out a letter to dues-paying union members celebrating the lipstick he was able to reach over the fence and smear on this pig. He should be recalled and sent packing, along with Weingarten... Jim Horn @thechalkface.

I don't have access to Lisa Fleischer's article as linked to by Azi Paybarah at Capital New York (Excellent daily report on happenings). I wonder if she, in addition to friction with Tisch, also contrasted Thompson's critique to the UFT leadership's joy given they will almost certainly endorse him? If anyone has access send me the article or leave it as a comment.

Check out some of the analysis going on from the blogroll. Here is a tweet from Jim Horn: Jim Horn‏@MismeasureOfEd 11m

NY's Rube Goldberg Plan for Teacher Evaluation: http://wp.me/pJX8i-7FG via @thechalkface.

Thompson pans evaluations, but what does his campaign chair think?		Thompson. Aleksandra Slabisz via nycma
	The state has announced a new plan to evaluate public school teachers, something that City Hall and the teachers union had been unable to agree on after months of stalled negotiations. As Lisa Fleisher at the Wall Street Journal reports, the new deal reveals some tension between a mayor mayoral candidate and one of his leading advisers. The 241-page plan was called "unworkable" by Democratic mayoral candidate Bill Thompson, the former president of the Board of Education who has as his campaign chairperson Merryl Tisch, chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents. In that latter role, Tisch oversees state education commissioner John King, who helped devise the new teacher evaluation plan. Fleisher reports that Tisch and Thompson didn't speak before he released his comments criticizing the new plan. New teacher evaluations were announced by the state this weekend. "Student test scores will make up 20 percent of their rating, while classroom observations will account for 60 percent. Principals and teachers will work together to decide how to evaluate the remaining 20 percent." [Javier Hernandez] "There’s a pattern here that speaks to Bloomberg’s hopeless impatience." [New York Post] In an op-ed, Bloomberg said the city can't afford retroactive raises for union members. [Daily News]

MORE Comments on Eval Plan

by ed notes online

MORE Statement on Evaluation Plan

3JUN

UFT Rank and File Says King’s Evaluation Plan Bad for Teachers, Students

While Micheal Mulgrew launches a campaign to convince the membership that the new teacher evaluation system is designed to help teachers improve and give them a professional voice, Bloomberg is proclaiming victory. The truth of the matter is, this evaluation system is bad for educators and the children they serve: the system requires a tremendous amount of additional work with no compensation, time or otherwise. It will create an even greater climate of fear and effectively ends tenure as we know it; putting all educators who partner with parents to advocate for the best policies for children at risk. This system places too much value on testing and is flawed in its high stakes premise. Educators are best positioned to evaluate and assess our students and teachers, not imposed tests, not junk science, not pre-packaged rubrics. Julie Cavanagh, Elementary School Teacher & Chapter Leader P.S. 15 Brooklyn

The day has finally come. State Education Commissioner John King has imposed a new teacher evaluation deal on New York City. UFT president Michael

Community schools bring services under one roof | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Community schools bring services under one roof | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

Community schools bring services under one roof

Advocates here are educating the public about the concept, which has taken off in other cities.

by Dale Mezzacappa

COMMENTS (1)PRINT

Photo: The Children's Aid Society

New York’s Children’s Aid Society has developed community schools that house dental clinics and a variety of other services.

The idea of community schools, long discussed in Philadelphia but never quite a reality, takes to a whole different level the notion of maximizing time and optimizing resources for children.

More than just a place for students to have something stimulating to do in the afternoons, community schools integrate services for families right in the building. Other cities have developed the idea in ways that have been transformative, prompting a movement to bring community schools here.

Advocates in Philadelphia, in the wake of the widespread school closings, see community schools as not just an educational strategy, but as a way to revitalize neighborhoods.

“Community schools is not just afterschool, but the total integration of a

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Education and Strange Bedfellow: Common Core is Wrong

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Education and Strange Bedfellow: Common Core is Wrong:

Center School Saga Continues On

by Melissa Westbrook

I had heard about this but had no real info but our friends over at The Stranger have written this:
(bold theirs)

Rumor has it that the Seattle School District is punishing the high school teacher at the center of a controversy earlier this year—concerning his award-winning race and social justice class—by transferring him to another school.

Greenberg heard from the district this weekend—after chaperoning prom on Saturday night—that he'll be sent to Hamilton Middle School next year.

Current teachers have sent around a public letter saying they "stand categorically opposed to the proposed transfer. Jon Greenberg is an outstanding, award-winning teacher and a seminal member of The Center School

Education and Strange Bedfellow: Common Core is Wrong

by Melissa Westbrook

First off - read Anthony Cody's column from his Living in Dialogue slot at Education Week. READ IT in its entirety.

Why? Because it gives quite the total picture of Common Core and why so many - yes, including Tea Party folks - are against it. Worried about it. And will fight it. You should be, too, if only to protect your child's privacy.

Here's the basics from his column but again, READ IT:

"1. Sharing of student and teacher data with third party developers of all sorts, with no guarantees of privacy. As noted in this post, there are plans in place in some states such as Illinois and New York, and others as well, to collect massive amounts of data, which will be housed in a cloud based databank maintained by inBloom, a non-profit created by the Gates Foundation for this purpose."

"2. As the Post notes, "Critics also charge that Common Core was thrust onto schools with little public

Education Policy via Litigation | InterACT

Education Policy via Litigation | InterACT:

Education Policy via Litigation

by David B. Cohen

photo: Jawed Karim (commons.wikimedia.org)

Education is a highly politicized aspect of society, affecting the lives of millions and requiring hundreds of billions of dollars per year. The politics of education policy may be unavoidable, but there are reform strategies that bypass politicians and voters. Try a lawsuit.
In a couple of prior blog posts, I’ve praised the efforts to improve public education by seeking legal remedies; specifically, I’ve written about Lobato v. Colorado (here, and here), along with a case in Kansas. A preliminary ruling in the Lobato case held that Colorado had failed to uphold its duty under the state constitution, to provide a quality education to all of its children – though the Colorado Supreme Court just overturned that ruling. Too bad. I thought the judge’s initial ruling was a powerful indictment of governmental and societal indifference to school quality, and suggested some real accountability for the notion that a quality education really is a right, as expressed in many state constitutions.
Here in California, there are currently two adequacy cases in the courts: Campaign for Quality Education v. State of California, and Robles-Wong v. State of California. More recently, a variation on the adequacy lawsuit has entered the court system, one that aims to address inequity in the distribution of “quality” teachers. Plaintiffs

NYC Public School Parents: AFT statement on inBloom and new video critique out of the UK

NYC Public School Parents: AFT statement on inBloom and new video critique out of the UK:

AFT statement on inBloom and new video critique out of the UK

by Leonie Haimson

On Friday, in an official statement, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, expressed her concerns about inBloom Inc., and how inBloom needs to address the growing public distrust of its credibility and security protection:

"Any potential inBloom has to improve and personalize learning is being overshadowed by a growing lack of public trust in its early communications and operations, and genuine concerns about the security, privacy, sharing and exploitation of data. The AFT raised many of these issues originally, and we, along with parents and teachers, continue to have many concerns about the privacy and security of student and teacher data. We have sent a letter to the funders of inBloom seeking clarification."

"These privacy and security concerns go well beyond inBloom. With a growing marketplace emerging for data collection, storage, analysis and monetization—both for good and for ill—we must be more vigilant than ever about the privacy and security rights of students, teachers and the American people. The rights and responsibilities of parents, students, teachers and school officials in protecting sensitive data, and in determining how others can use that data, must be transparent

Peg with Pen: Let’s get real about #optout @John_Merrow

Peg with Pen: Let’s get real about #optout @John_Merrow:

Let’s get real about #optout @John_Merrow

by Peggy

To understand this post it might be helpful to read Tim Slekar’s post here – to follow the discussion that ensued after John Merrow said “to hell with the tests.” His comment encouraged me to think that perhaps we had a reporter who was ready to tell the citizens of our country that a simple way to halt the harm to our public schools and begin to preserve and improve our public schools with the support of REAL educators, students, and citizens of our community was – to simply – REFUSE the tests. I continued commenting (as you can see if you click on the link above) in the hopes that John would see the value of opt out.

But then John wrote this:

John writes: “We are reporters first, although you know I have a few opinions. But regarding opting out, we would have to be convinced that it’s not just a few hundred angry families but something akin to the beginnings of a movement. Then it’s a story… Does that make sense?”

And I wrote this:

Unfortunately, it makes perfect sense in the current country we live in which is owned by the