Friday, December 13, 2013

State has paid millions to charter schools since SRC suspended the code | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

State has paid millions to charter schools since SRC suspended the code | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

State has paid millions to charter schools since SRC suspended the code

by Dale Mezzacappa on Dec 13 2013 Posted in Latest news

The Pennsylvania Department of Education revealed today that it has directly paid more than $3.7 million in disputed per pupil allotments to six Philadelphia charter schools this fall. That's $3.7 million in expected state aid the School District won't be receiving.

The state's payments to charters appear to defy an August decison of the School Reform Commission, suspending the part of the school code that required the state to make such payments when there is a disagreement between a charter and a district about how much the district should pay them.

The SRC action was designed to allow the District to control charter growth -- to impose enrollment caps -- so it could plan financially. But the issue of whether the District can limit a charter's enrollment has long been the object of legal and political wrangling between Philadelphia and its charters.

When the state pays charters directly in a dispute over students, it withholds an equal amount from its subsidy to the chartering district. Districts pay charter schools on a per pupil basis, and Philadelphia was anticipating paying $675 million to charters this year, not counting transportation costs.

According to a spreadsheet obtained from PDE, the state has directly paid more than $5.1 million to 10 charters this year because of disputed enrollment numbers. Nearly $1 million of that was to reconcile underpayments from the 2012-13 school year. Another $516,000 was paid in July and August to Walter D. Palmer Leadership Learning Partners Charter, which has been the most aggressive in seeking direct payments as a result of disputes with the District. Palmer has taken the District to court, and so far has prevailed in most legal rulings in the ongoing

tomhayden.com - The Peace Exchange Bulletin - Support the Peace and Justice Resource Center in 2014!

tomhayden.com - The Peace Exchange Bulletin - Support the Peace and Justice Resource Center in 2014!:

SUPPORT THE PEACE AND JUSTICE RESOURCE CENTER IN 2014!

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2013 AT 12:23PM |

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Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Feed Me, When I'm 64 74?

December 11, 2013

I turn 74 today, and with your support feel fully ready to write my brains out until they last. I am oddly proud that my work is uncompensated in this money-made country. That's right, the hundred or so Peace Exchange Bulletin articles of the past year - unpaid labor. The dozens of The Nation and Huffington Post pieces - also unpaid. An opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times or The Guardian - a couple of hundred bucks towards my kid's education and music classes. Two years' work on a book - maybe a thousand bucks a month, with no money for advertisements and promotion. You get the picture, because many of you are in the same boat or an even leakier one.

Before 2013 ends, please make a contribution to the PJRC to pay for my stellar research assistant, Emma Taylor, and our minor administrative expenses. Nothing's free, but we are as free as it gets. If you cannot donate to the PJRC, please pledge to copy, paste and circulate our materials as widely as you can. And send feedback too.

One of the nicest messages I've received recently came from Michael Ratner, the human rights attorney who heads the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York, which has been litigating

12-13-13 THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG Learning Compacts Between Schools and Families — Whole Child Education

Learning Compacts Between Schools and Families — Whole Child Education:

Learning Compacts Between Schools and Families

School and home can often be worlds apart. In a recent issue of ASCD Express, we looked at the types of outreach that draw family strengths and influence into the school community in positive ways and unite these two spheres of a student's life. This video discusses Step 5: Outreach to Parents in the Connecticut Department of Education's 10-step model for engaging families in learning objectives

by Klea Scharberg / 13min hide // save

Throughout December and January: Personalized Learning

How do we help each student succeed? One promising way is to personalize learning and put each student at the center of her learning experience. Broader than individualized or differentiated instruction, personalized learning is driven by the learner. Ensuring personalized learning for all students requires a shift in thinking about long-standing education practices, systems, and policies, as wel

by Klea Scharberg / 13min

12-12-13 THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG Letter to the Editor: The Secret Ingredient to Building Resilience in Children

Letter to the Editor: The Secret Ingredient to Building Resilience in Children — Whole Child Education: Letter to the Editor: The Secret Ingredient to Building Resilience in ChildrenDecember 12, 2013 by ASCD Whole Child BloggersDear Editor,The following is a response to the excellent articles in a recent issue of ASCD'sEducational Leadership magazine. I am a Montessori school principal living and

by mike simpson / 22h

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's Common Core Crud | Cato @ Liberty

Michelle Rhee's Common Core Crud | Cato @ Liberty:

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s Common Core Crud

By NEAL MCCLUSKEY

I don’t dislike the oft-attacked Michelle Rhee. I don’t even know her. But I do dislike disingenuous or empirically anemic arguments about the Common Core, and she offers too many of both in a new Politico op-ed.

Let’s start with the most aggravating thing she does in her piece: imply that anyone who opposes the Core based on concerns about Washington’s role in it is proffering a “false narrative of a federal takeover” and making “wild claims.” As Core apologists have done repeatedly, Rhee utterly ignores the $4.35-billion Race to the Top program that de factorequired Core adoption to compete, and No Child Left Behind waiver rules that locked most states into the Core. She also turns a blind eye to the overall trajectory of federal education policy, which went from decades of mainly providing money, to requirements that states

Is Mental Health Still Struggling for Attention in the School Safety Debate? | NEA Today

Is Mental Health Still Struggling for Attention in the School Safety Debate? | NEA Today:

Is Mental Health Still Struggling for Attention in the School Safety Debate?

December 13, 2013 by twalker
Filed under Featured News, Top Stories

mark as read

Is Mental Health Still Struggling for Attention in the School Safety Debate?

By Tim Walker A recent Duke University study involving more than 10,000 American teenagers revealed that more than half of adolescents with psychiatric disorders go untreated. For those who do receive treatment, schools are the most likely source. That’s good and bad news. While schools play a vitally important role, budget cuts – and misplaced priorities – have been undermining their ability to provide these services. “It’s still the case in this country that people don’t take psychiatric conditions as seriously as they should,” said Jane Costello, associate director of the Duke Center for Ch

8min

Learning Cursive Is a Basic Right

It seems like an especially terrible thing to deny kids the chance to learn cursive, according to Abigail Walthausen, because so many enjoy mastering it. Script not only adds speed to writing, but it adds the intimacy of the personal mark to the writing process and adds interest for students who are artistically inclined or visual learners. “”Today more and more I meet high school students who, though they can read, sometimes well and sometimes poorly, are ashamed whenever they are confronted with the need to sign a document.” Source: The Atlantic Related posts: The Write Stuff? Schools Erasin

Nominate a Teacher for the National Teachers Hall of Fame – January 13

The mission of The National Teachers Hall of Fame is to recognize and honor exceptional career teachers, encourage excellence in teaching, and preserve the rich heritage of the teaching profession in the United States. Each year, five outstanding teachers are inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame after a rigorous nomination/ application process. Do you know an outstanding teacher who should be inducted into the Hall of Fame? Submit a nomination by January 13. Related posts: National Teachers Hall of Fame – Nominations Due Jan. 2 National Teachers Hall of Fame – Nominations Due Jan.

TODAY

‘Blue Light’ May Impair Students’ Sleep, Studies Say

Schools may soon face an unintended consequence of more flexible technology and more energy-efficient buildings: sleepier students. That’s because evidence is mounting that use of artificial light from energy-efficient lamps and computer and mobile-electronics screens later and later in the day can lead to significant sleep problems for adults and, particularly, children. Source: Education Week

by twalker / 8h

YESTERDAY

What I’ve Learned: Complacency is a Teacher’s Worst Enemy

Educators may spend their careers preparing lessons, but often the most memorable are those they learn themselves. With that in mind, NEA Today asked school staff – everyone from classroom teachers and bus drivers to guidance counselors and school nurses – to share the everyday lessons they’ve picked up along the way in a series called “What I’ve Learned.” What I’ve Learned: Complacency is a Tea

by twalker / 1d

The Washington Teacher: WTU Panel to Participate in Education Roundtable on December 14

The Washington Teacher: WTU Panel to Participate in Education Roundtable on December 14:

WTU Panel to Participate in Education Roundtable on December 14

Education Round Table Discussion

By Candi Peterson

The DC City Council Committee on Education will hold a public oversight round table discussion; Setting Teachers Up for Success. The purpose of the round table, chaired by Council member David Catania is to hear from District of Columbia educators about their experience and perspective on the state of public education and how they and their students can be set up to succeed. The discussion will be held this Saturday, December 14, 2013 from 10 am - 1 pm at McKinley Senior High school located at
151 T Street, NE.

Both District of Columbia public school teachers and charter school teachers have been invited to testify.

Washington Teachers' Union (WTU) has convened a panel of DCPS educators/WTU members to present testimony at tomorrow's round table. Our WTU panel includes:

Elizabeth Davis
WTU President

Candi Peterson
WTU General Vice President

David Tansey
Dunbar Senior High School

Angela Thompson Murphy
LaSalle Education Campus

Guy Brandenburg
DCPS retired educator

Signe Nelson
Whittier Education Campus

Maria Angala
Jefferson Academy

Janice Brown
Itinerant Related Service Provider

Emily Washington
WTU Teacher Center

Erich Martel
DCPS retired educator

Hope to see you there!

NYC Public School Parents: NYSAPE: Flanagan’s Proposed Legislation Insult to the People of New York

NYC Public School Parents: NYSAPE: Flanagan’s Proposed Legislation Insult to the People of New York:

NYSAPE: Flanagan’s Proposed Legislation Insult to the People of New York

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 13, 2013

More information contact:

Eric Mihelbergel (716) 553-1123; nys.allies@gmail.com

Lisa Rudley (917) 414-9190; nys.allies@gmail.com

Senator Flanagan’s Proposed Legislation Insult to the People of New York

During the past few months, Senator John Flanagan of Long Island held a series of hearings across the state entitled, “The Regents Reform Agenda: Assessing our Progress”. Senator Flanagan, his colleagues and members of the State Education Department listened to a steady stream of concerned citizens express their grave concerns regarding the implementation of Common Core, high stakes testing, APPR, and student data sharing. The overwhelming majority of speakers were very critical of the performance of the New York State Education Department, and the leadership of Commissioner John King and Chancellor Merryl Tisch.

Yesterday, December 12, 2013, Senator Flanagan released his findings along with proposed legislation: (http://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/nys-education-chairman-flanagan-calls-immediate-sed-action-common-core-and-unveils-pac). Unfortunately, the four bills fall completely short of addressing parent concerns.

Bianca Tanis, New Paltz public school parent and Founding Member of NYS Allies for Public Education says, "These bills fall short of the mark. I am sorely disappointed by the lack of protection afforded to students. The bills do not address the concerns of nearly all who took the time to attend, speak out, and testify.”

According to Carol Burris, Ed.D. principal of South Side High School in Rockville Centre New York, “The P-2 Senate bill S6006http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S6006-2013 appears to be an attempt to blame schools for the extra testing caused by the teacher evaluation system mandated by the legislature. It allows schools to re-write APPR plans to exclude pre-tests, but such pre-tests were given in the fall. Its passage this spring would have little to no impact on students. Second, it does not relieve schools of the obligation to incorporate student achievement in teacher evaluations and provides no valid or reliable alternative measure.”

The Unnecessary Testing Senate Bill S6008 http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S6008-2013 also does not address the serious concerns raised by parents regarding standardized testing and young children. The bill allows schools to test pre-K to grade 2 students, using "BOCES or regionally developed assessments that are rigorous and comparable across classrooms." Such tests, as described, meet the definition of a standardized tests. “Ironically, S6008 both bans and encourages standardized testing at the same time,” says Jeanette Deutermann, Bellmore public school parent and Founder of Long Island Opt-Out (of testing) group. Deutermann further states, “There will be an explosion the number parent refusing the state tests.”

Lisa Rudley, Ossining public school parent and Founding Member of NYS Allies for Public Education says, “The Privacy Protection Bill S6007 http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S6007-2013 would not stop the state from sending students’ sensitive data to inBloom, nor does it allow for parents the option of “opting out” – even though 78% of the New York school board members in a recent survey said parents should have that right. It does however, add another level of bureaucracy by calling for a “Chief Privacy Officer” under the control of the Commissioner – who has shown he has no respect for parent rights or student privacy – and calls for penalties to be issued, but only after data breaches have occurred. The Senator missed the mark on parental rights.” Rudley further says, “Making the Commissioner of Education essentially responsible for the “Parents Bill of Rights” further indicates that our explicit concerns in trusting Commissioner King were ignored.”

Although we applaud a serious review of the testing system in the Truth-In-Testing Senate Bill S6009 http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S6009-2013, however, until an objective, in-depth audit is conducted, Common Core testing should be suspended. “Parents do not need an audit to know that their young children are being subjected to too much testing and test preparation. The audit could be conducted using 2013 testing conditions, items and results” said, Tim Farley, a parent and a principal of the Ichabod Crane School in Kinderhook, New York.

NYS Allies for Public Education are deeply disappointed that the Senator did not propose meaningful legislation that addresses the problems created by the hastily enacted Regents Reform Agenda. Parental trust in our New York State leaders is rapidly eroding.

New York State Allies for Public Education represents forty-five grassroots parent groups from every corner of the Empire State. The organizations are proud to stand with the parents, community members and fellow educators in NYSAPE to call for a change in direction and policy beginning with new leadership at the New York State Education Department.

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A Different Spin on Failure | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

A Different Spin on Failure | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:

A Different Spin on Failure

By Tarsi Dunlop on December 13, 2013

Dr. Maria Ferguson recently addressed the topic of failure in a column written for the December issue of the Kappan, a PDK publication. In it, she pointed out that many education leaders and policy makers are unwilling to accept that some amount of failure is predictable and that there are lessons to be learned from failure. It reminded me of the saying, if at first you don’t succeed, then try, try again. We set lofty goals in education; Dr. Ferguson highlights the goal of 90% graduation rate under the Clinton administration, with the target date of the year 2000. There was also the objective set out under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), 100% proficiency by 2013-2014.
Our graduation rate is increasing, but we’re well past 2000. NCLB failed to produce the results we desired. Did we really believe our education system was prepared to accomplish those ends within the timeframe we prescribed? If we set ourselves up for failure, it is no wonder that we find ourselves falling short. But then, what do we learn from these repeated failures?
This succinctly written piece has clear implications for this current era of education reform as

Putting Educators’ Professional Rights on Trial Hurts Students, Wastes Taxpayer Dollars and Time - California Teachers Association

Putting Educators’ Professional Rights on Trial Hurts Students, Wastes Taxpayer Dollars and Time - California Teachers Association:

Putting Educators’ Professional Rights on Trial Hurts Students, Wastes Taxpayer Dollars and Time

Contact: Frank Wells, CTA, (562) 708-5425 and Fred Glass, CFT, (510) 579-3343

LOS ANGELES – A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has ruled the deeply misguided Vergara vs. State of California lawsuit may proceed to trial denying the state of California’s, California Teachers Association’s (CTA) and the California Federation of Teachers’ (CFT) motion for summary judgment against it. CTA and CFT remain firmly committed to protecting learning and teaching environments, despite today’s ruling which will put on trial the professional rights of teachers. The judge said the decision to deny the request to dismiss the case in no way indicates the trial’s outcome.

“While today’s ruling against the summary judgment is not surprising, it’s disappointing as putting professional rights of teachers on trial hurts students,” said CTA President Dean E. Vogel. “This most recent shenanigan by corporate special interests and billionaires to push their education agenda on California public schools is resulting in a waste of taxpayer dollars and time – time that should be spent focusing on providing a quality education to all students as the economy improves. CTA will continue to fight to ensure we have qualified and experienced teachers in the classrooms whose rights are respected as set forth by law, and not subject to arbitrary and capricious behavior or favoritism.”

The suit challenges five Education Code statutes claiming they violate the Equal Protection clause of the California state Constitution. If there are legitimate problems with education laws, they should be addressed through the legislative process where parents, educators and all community members can be heard.

“It is deceptive and dishonest to pretend that teacher due process rights are unfair to students,” said CFT President Josh Pechthalt, parent of a ninth grade student in the LAUSD. “Students need a stable,

Teachers’ leader: Schools reflect society’s polarization and anger » peoplesworld

Teachers’ leader: Schools reflect society’s polarization and anger » peoplesworld:

Teachers’ leader: Schools reflect society’s polarization and anger

WASHINGTON (PAI) - The "polarization and anger" running through U.S. society, as a result of the collapse of the American Dream, "is playing out in the schools as well," Teachers President Randi Weingarten warns.

In a free-flowing talk and Q & A at the Women's National Democratic Club in D.C. on Dec. 12, the head of the 1.5-million-member union adds the conflict appears in fights over charter schools, state and local school funding cuts, and even in the Obama administration, in its emphasis on business-like practices in schools and on test scores.

Weingarten's remarks came as Congress is stalled, yet again, on what to do about federal school funding, and as Democratic President Barack Obama and his Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, emphasize their "race to the top" program, egging schools on with additional federal funds - if the schools improve test scores.

That teach-to-the-test ethos riles both parents and teachers, Weingarten told the group, as it assumes teachers can solve all of society's problems in the schools, and they can't. And parents are upset because subjects that actually would draw their kids into school and make it a place to learn, like music and art, are sacrificed, she said.

"There's a conversation that says teachers, who are viewed as a combination of Mother Teresa, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King and Tony Soprano, can do it all. People want us to be angels - just like at Sandy Hook" during the school massacre there a year ago, she noted.

"They want us to turn it all around ourselves, and if we can't we should be fired."

The big reason teachers can't do it themselves, Weingarten said, is poverty, a theme she's emphasized before. The problems at low-performing schools, which are usually those in the poorest neighborhoods, lead to searches for "silver-bullet solutions" such as vouchers and charter schools, she added. Test data show little improvement.

"Testing is important," she admitted. "But it really says that something didn't happen in the engagement" between teachers and kids. And the success of such interaction drops, Weingarten told the group, when state and local officials slash education funding.

The results included 300,000 teachers, out of 3 million nationwide, laid off after stimulus money ran out and a

Choosing Democracy: How Wall Street Power Brokers Are Designing the Future of Public Education

Choosing Democracy: How Wall Street Power Brokers Are Designing the Future of Public Education:

How Wall Street Power Brokers Are Designing the Future of Public Education

as a Money-Making Machine

by Anna Simonton. Alternet

December 5, 2013 |

Given that Arthur Rock has a net worth of $1 billion, lives in California and spends his time heaping money on tech startups (with the mantra, “Get in, get out,” as his guide), a local school board race in Atlanta, Ga. seems an unlikely candidate for his attention.

Yet there is his name, on the campaign finance disclosure reports of four candidates—two of whom were elected in November, and two who won a runoff[3] on December 3—for the board of Atlanta Public Schools. On each report, two columns over from his name, the sum of $2,500 is listed, the maximum allowable amount.

The APS race was a pivotal one for Atlanta, a city still dealing with the fallout of a cheating scandal [4] that thrust its public school system into the national limelight. Only two incumbents were re-elected to the nine-seat board.

The biggest question facing the board of newcomers is to what degree they will embrace charter schools. Last year, Georgia voters passed a constitutional amendment that enabled the creation of a state-appointed commission authorized to bypass local and state school boards in approving new charter schools. Critics say the measure passed because the text on the ballot, written by governor Nathan Deal, referenced “parental involvement” and “student achievement,” but not the specific authorities of the commission. In this climate, APS, which already has the most charter schools of any Georgia school district, will only avoid becoming the next laboratory for corporate education reform with significant pushback from the new school board.

That’s where Arthur Rock comes in. And a lot of other rich people, too.

Rock is not the only name on the reports with financial power and a less than obvious connection to Atlanta Public Schools. Greg Penner [5] of the Walmart empire, Dave Goldberg of the Sheryl Sandberg empire (they’re married), and Kent Thiry of the DaVita kidney dialysis empire (it sounds inglorious, but he pulls in $17 million annually), are among the names that had some Atlantans scratching their

Who Decides What is Taught in Our Schools? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Who Decides What is Taught in Our Schools? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

Who Decides What is Taught in Our Schools?

By Anthony Cody on December 13, 2013 1:35 PM

The fundamental question that has been presented to all of us through the Common Core process is this one: Who decides what is taught in our schools? I first started thinking seriously about national education policy when No Child Left Behind became law, and my school was labeled a failure. Our staff meetings began to be dominated by "data," and experts told us to focus on the students who could improve our ratings, and ignore those who were too far behind to reach proficiency. I was not alone. Teachers and parents across the country became widely dissatisfied and raised their voices. NCLB became a "toxic brand." The rallying cry then was to make sure teachers "had a seat at the table" when important policy decisions were made.

Now we have Common Core, and a whole system of tests and curriculum aligned to it, and very clearly teachers were NOT at the table when the key decisions were made.

The "deciders" in the Common Core process were those who set the process in motion at the Gates Foundation and Department of Education, and the testing companies who were involved in crafting the standards so they would be testable.

So I have been raising objections. Loudly, repeatedly, and with supporting evidence to document the basis for my concerns. The archive for my blog shows 80 posts in the "Common Core" category, and this post will add yet another. But some people think I am wasting my breath. Commenter Al Meyers wrote this week:

It's time to rename this blog "Living in Dialogue To Kill The Common Core." Isn't it time to live in

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Friday, December 13, 2013