BULLETIN: Cami to Newark: I won’t show. Ever. | Bob Braun's Ledger

BULLETIN: Cami to Newark: I won’t show. Ever. | Bob Braun's Ledger:

BULLETIN: Cami to Newark: I won’t show. Ever.

Cami will meet with one mayoral candidate but not parents or teachers or taxpayers.

Cami Anderson, appointed by Gov. Chris Christie to run the state’s largest school district, just told the city’s residents that–starting tonight–she would no longer attend public meetings of the School Advisory Board. The board is the statutory remnant of the Newark Board of Education whose powers were transferred to the state superintendent by the state takeover law.

She made the decision just days after it was reported here that she would layoff 700 or more teachers while reserving the right to hire new instructors. She has applied to outgoing state Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf for a so-called “equivalency or waiver” that she believes would permit her to lay off tenured teachers without regard to seniority.

Anderson also is boycotting the public meetings in the midst of a controversy over her plan to close at least four neighborhood schools, expand charter school enrollment, and otherwise change the operations of about a third of the city’s schools.

“She’s a coward and doesn’t want to face the people,” said Grace Sergio, the president of the Hawthorne Avenue parent-teacher organization. Sergio was 

Tennessee Education Association: Put the Brakes on PARCC | Truth in American Education

Tennessee Education Association: Put the Brakes on PARCC | Truth in American Education:

Tennessee Education Association: Put the Brakes on PARCC

Filed in Common Core Assessments, Education at State Level by Shane Vander Hart on February 25, 2014 •0 Comments

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Gera Summerford

The Tennessee Education Association issued a statement today saying the state should “put the brakes” on using the PARCC assessment.

“TEA believes Tennessee needs to reconsider the use of the PARCC assessment,” said Gera Summerford, TEA president and Sevier County math teacher. “First and foremost, we object to our students being set up to fail. Any assessments aligned with the Common Core standards should ensure no harm is done to Tennessee students, schools or educators.Though PARCC supporters speak of an apples-to-apples comparison of student achievement, Tennessee students will be measured against states that invest thousands of dollars more per pupil.”

They expressed support the use of the Common Core State Standards themselves.

“TEA supports the more rigorous standards that are included in Common Core, but the implementation must provide adequate time and resources to be effective. Tennessee teacher

 

Schools Strike Back Against Common Core Opponents

Tin foil hats gives any outfit class regardless of the event.Two different stories were brought to my attention today.  They are from different parts of the country, and vary in seriousness, but it gives a snapshot of how Common Core opponents are being treated in some quarters.One is a case of a substitute teacher suing his school district for being fired from Courthouse News Service:A substitute

by Shane Vander Hart / 3h 

2-25-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

Getting Organized for the Restoration of Sanity in Schools

COMMUNITY FORUM ON STANDARDIZED TESTING: “TESTED TO DEATH”Tennesseans Reclaiming EducationalExcellence (TREE) is excited to announce “Tested to Death,” a community forum featuring the authors of The Mismeasure of Education, Dr. Jim Horn and Dr. Denise Wilburn. The event will be held at the New Song Church auditorium (formerly Turner School) at 2949 Nolensville Pike in Nashville on Saturday, March

2 by Jim Horn / 3h 

2-24-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: Political Cowards Blaming Parents for School ClosuresTomorrow evening the titans of King Cotton in Memphis will decide the next round of public school turnovers to the corporate welfare kings and queens lined up at the public feeding trough.Superintendent Dorsey Hopson is correct about one thing: closing these schools is not about saving money. If it were, he would be hard pressed

by mike simpson / 7h 

Oregon teachers report big classes are a big problem, more so than in 47 other states | OregonLive.com

Oregon teachers report big classes are a big problem, more so than in 47 other states | OregonLive.com:

Oregon teachers report big classes are a big problem, more so than in 47 other states

Sixty percent of Oregon teachers say excessively large class sizes are one of the main challenges they face in doing their jobs, a new survey found. Only two states, Arizona and Nevada, had a higher share of their teachers report that big class sizes are one of the most significant challenges they face.

Nationally, 43 percent of teachers reported that excessive class sizes are a significant barrier to doing a good job.

Those findings come from an online survey of more than 20,000 teachers in all 50 states done at the behest of Scholastic and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which sought to bring attention to teachers' views on current issues in education.

Take 3 For Politics: class sizes and teacher workload

Politics reporter Jeff Mapes and education reporter Betsy Hammond talk about Portland-area class sizes and teaching loads.

Survey-takers were asked why they went into teaching, what factors help or impede their work, how prepared they are to teach to the new Common Core State Standards and more.

When asked to name the most significant challenges they face on the job, teachers in Oregon and nationally had the same No. 1 response: constantly changing demands.

In Oregon, where new teacher evaluations are required this year, most districts just switched to a new student information system, the new multistate standards for reading, writing and math are rolling out and many districts bought new instructional materials in reading, that frustration over frequent changes is not surprising.

The same could be said for teachers' angst over big classes. As The Oregonian has been reporting for years, Oregon teachers face some of the largest teaching 

Free college tuition study bill wins final passage in Oregon Legislature

The bill directs the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to study the cost of no-cost college.

5 by Harry Esteve | he... / 3h 

Class sizes and teacher workloads: Take 3 For Politics (video)

Education reporter Betsy Hammond talks with senior politics reporter Jeff Mapes about her surprising findings. Share what you think and want to know.

2 by Michelle Brence |... / 3h 

Oregon teachers report big classes are a big problem, moreso than in 47 other states

Oregon and the four other states where teachers shoulder the heaviest student loads are the same five states where teachers are most likely to report that class size is a problem

1 by Betsy Hammond | b... / 3h 

Most Oregon teachers find their performance evaluations aren't very helpful, survey finds

According to a survey, many Oregon teachers want to be evaluated more often and want more specific, actionable feedback.

1 by Betsy Hammond | b... / 4h 

Paul Horton: Why the Common Core is Unlike Standards of the Past - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Paul Horton: Why the Common Core is Unlike Standards of the Past - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

Paul Horton: Why the Common Core is Unlike Standards of the Past

By Anthony Cody on February 25, 2014 3:15 PM

Guest post by Paul Horton.

Many defenders of the Common Core call attention to the idea that critics of the Core often focus more on how it is related to other issues like standardized testing and value added teacher assessments. They claim that the Common Core is good practice and should be separated from the other elements of Race to the Top as an exemplary curriculum. 

This claim is also advanced with the argument that many states have implemented standards and that these standards are a good idea. They ask, "why not keep the Common Core as shared standards and disconnect them from the other elements of RTTT? Why not slow down and implement them more carefully? Many teachers and parents like the standards, they say, so lets slow down and get more constituents involved in the implementation and allow teachers more of a say in writing and revising a small percentage of the more troublesome elements?"

This sort of thinking is increasingly expressed among Common Core supporters who understand that there was no adequate process involved in their implementation. But the lack of process is 

2-25-14 Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All Week

Jersey Jazzman:

OUTRAGE: Cami Anderson to Newark: "Who Cares What You Think?"

I just received this press release about 10 minutes ago from the Newark Public Schools. Apparently, State Superintendent Cami Anderson, appointed by Gov. Chris Christie and unaccountable to the elected Newark Advisory School Board, can't be bothered with criticism from the public or tough questions from their elected officials [emphasis mine]:.So, at the last possible minute -- I got the official

100+ by Duke / 1h 

2-24-14 Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All Week

Jersey Jazzman: Education "Reform": The Endgame"What, in your opinion, is the endgame with all this?"A veteran educator with years of experience teaching children in New Jersey's urban areas asked me this Saturday during my talk at the Abbott Leadership Institute. I had just gone through an explanation of the analysis I did with Bruce Baker of the One Newark plan, State Superin

by mike simpson / 17min 

Blogging and Tweeting and Edcamp – Oh My! | InterACT

Blogging and Tweeting and Edcamp – Oh My! | InterACT:

Blogging and Tweeting and Edcamp – Oh My!

FEBRUARY 25, 2014

tags: edcamp, twitter

by David B. Cohen

My most recent post was looking ahead to Edcamp Silicon Valley, which we pulled off a few days ago now. I’m still kind of processing and decompressing, and hoping to gather my thoughts for a blog post about the experience of organizing and edcamp and bringing it to fruition. I also want to share more information about the level of support we garnered from our local teachers associations, and how we attracted a little bit of media coverage as well (14 minutes into this radio newscast).

But for today, I’m going to highlight a couple #edcampsv summaries and reactions that made it online ahead of mine. For starters, please read this post by my colleague Christina Nosek, a fifth grade teacher in my district and fellow edcamp organizer.

HOW DID I TEACH BEFORE EDCAMP & TWITTER?

In a succinct blog post, Chris manages to recap what has happened in the past couple years since