With A Brooklyn Accent: The Education Of Kevin Powell- A Unique Window into a World of Pain, Trauma and Redemption

With A Brooklyn Accent: The Education Of Kevin Powell- A Unique Window into a World of Pain, Trauma and Redemption:

The Education Of Kevin Powell- A Unique Window into a World of Pain, Trauma and Redemption

There have been many great coming of age stories written by Black male authors, but none quite like Kevin Powell's new book, "The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy's Journey into Manhood."

The violence Powell experienced as a young person, and the violence he inflicted, as an adult, are hardly new themes in Black coming of age stories- but the sensibility Powell brings to the narrative comes off as startling.  Powell admits every bit of vulnerability and weakness in a way a way that brings to life what it means to be a child in environments in which childhood was a luxury denied both by a racist society and impoverished deeply wounded residents. A brilliant sensitive child in places where neither of these were welcomed; where weakness invited aggression, Powell somehow survived without developing the armor that most male children had to envelop themselves in. The result is a narrative of male powerlessness written with a feminized sensibility that I have almost never seen in literature of this kind.  There are no masks. There is no bravado.  Just the honest recollection of someone whose very survival was a miracle and who still lives with the damage inflicted on him every day.

 Now remember who we are talking about here. A nationally known journalist, author, political activist, who has had an opportunity to meet and write about some of the most important figures in hip hop and African-American politics.   Handsome, famous, accomplished yet still traumatized  by everything he endured as a child, in his home, in the streets, in school.

You want to understand the impact of racism and poverty on a vulnerable child, read this book. You want to see how pain is transmitted from generation to generation, look no further. In a country where Black children are often denied the right to be treated as being sensitive, thoughtful, limitless in their potential, Powell puts you in the mind of a Black child who possess all of those traits, and you can not help but cry tears of pain and empathy. The writing is evocative, raw, and mercilessly self-reflective.  You end up seeing the consequences of all this pain when Powell becomes an adult and engages in all kinds of self destructive behavior even as he finds a voice which inspires millions.

  But it is the childhood portions of this book that make it unique. Think Richard Wright's "Black Boy." Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes."  Junot Diaz's "The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao." Think of the best music of Tupac Shakur and Wu Tang Clan.  There are no masks. No illusions. We see a  racist, gendered society putting crushing burdens on young Black boys born into poverty. Powell speaks for them, not just the strong ones, all of them, with unmatched eloquence  Because Powell leaves nothing out. No twinge of fear. No  moment of weakness. No bout of rage and self-doubt.

 I hope millions of people read this book. But not just alone, as I have. In classes, in study groups, in reading groups where people can make their own connections to what Powell puts before us.

 Because all of us have been hurt. All of us carry childhood wounds. All of us have been afraid. All of us hurt the ones we love. Because Powell admits these things about himself, he pushes all of us to be equally honest and introspective.

 What makes the book all the more remarkable is that as Powell admitsWith A Brooklyn Accent: The Education Of Kevin Powell- A Unique Window into a World of Pain, Trauma and Redemption:

PAA Position Paper: Parents stand up against test stress | Parents Across America

PAA Position Paper: Parents stand up against test stress | Parents Across America:

PAA Position Paper

Parents Stand Up against Test Stress

July 2015

Across our nation, children of all ages are showing an alarming increase in test anxiety. Larger percentages of students are reporting test stress, more are seeking test-stress counseling, and more are experiencing severe psychological and physiological symptoms tied to testing. The rate of ADHD diagnosis has increased significantly since the No Child Left Behind testing regime began.

Please see our fact sheet, Test Stress and our Children, and our documentation paper.

Parents, teachers, administrators, and mental health professionals report student nausea, dizziness, crying, vomiting, panic attacks, asthma attacks, tantrums, headaches, sleeplessness, refusal to go to school, “freaking out,” meltdowns, depression, suicide threats and suicide attempts

Recent research has demonstrated that prolonged stress can profoundly undermine learning , mental health and brain development in young people. As a result, while testing is promoted as improving education, test stress is in fact sabotaging learning for many students.

The misuse and overuse of standardized tests is doing particular harm to our most vulnerable children. Students with special needs, low-income students, children of color and those whose first language is not English are most likely to do poorly on norm-referenced standardized tests, and to suffer the high-stakes consequences of retention, inappropriate labeling and tracking, push-out or drop-out. One study has found that as many as 41 percent of African American elementary school children have experienced high test anxiety.

Much of the literature on test anxiety focuses on how to help children cope with the stress. In contrast, PAA believes the cause of the stress must be addressed. No child should be exposed to prolonged, intense stress which can inhibit brain function and take a toll on mental health.

Instead of more coping strategies, PAA recommends the following policy changes:

PAA recommendations to stop abusive testing

End high-stakes standardized testing: A switch from high-stakes testing to a systematic review of actual student work would

• lessen excessive test stress that undermines learning,
• provide superior evidence of academic progress, and
• enrich classroom experiences.

Use report cards as the primary record of student progress because they are

•  the only evaluations that look at the students’ work over time and across all areas of learning and growth.

• prepared by experienced, qualified adults who personally observe and assess each student’s progress.
• easily understood by parents, unlike secretive standardized test scores.

De-emphasize The Tests: JUST SAY NO to test pep rallies, test prep worksheets that replace meaningful class- and homework, constant messages about consequences of test “failure,” prizes for test-takers, etc.

Recognize opt-out rights: Parents are opting their children out of testing in record numbers, in part to protect them from the stress caused by misuse and overuse of standardized tests. Federal and state law must support this decision by parents.

Advocate for local and state assessment policies that align with professional standards for assessment.

Download a pdf version of this statement.

- See more at: http://parentsacrossamerica.org/paa-position-paper-parents-stand-test-stress/#sthash.Os1exgQ4.dpuf

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Svigos buys another closed Chicago school

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Svigos buys another closed Chicago school:

Svigos buys another closed Chicago school

Svigos Assets bought Peabody. Put a charter in it. 

After they sat as empty blights on the community for nearly three years, the sell-off of closed CPS neighborhood schools has begun in earnest. Board members on Wednesday approved the sale of three vacant schools that were shuttered in 2013,providing "a small windfall of cash for its struggling budget".

Liza Balistreri is in charge of real estate at Chicago Public Schools and is running the sales of Near North Elementary in Noble Square, Overton Elementary in Bronzeville, and Von Humboldt Elementary in Humboldt Park.

Among the developers looking to make a profit on CPS real estate is Svigos Asset Management Corp. based in suburban Buffalo Grove. Svigos specializes in developing and managing commercial and residential properties, and owns apartment buildings in Lakeview, Logan Square and Albany Park.

Svigos is buying Near North for $5.1 million and plans to turn the school into "residential and commercial development". His company previously purchased the old Peabody Elementary for $3.5 million in 2014 only to turn around and sell space back to Rowe Charter School. Previously, district officials had said no closed school would be used as a charter school. The former Peabody was also developed as market-rate housing.

Paul Svigos has been a regular campaign contributor to Rahm Emanuel. The well-connected Svigos family has also made big contributions to the Daley's and other Democratic Party candidates.

Svigos was a former top Merrill Lynch stockbroker who the firm fired in October Schooling in the Ownership Society: Svigos buys another closed Chicago school:

There are Many Roads and Destinations for Children with Disabilities

There are Many Roads and Destinations for Children with Disabilities:

There are Many Roads and Destinations for Children with Disabilities

 Every child doesn’t have to arrive at the same destination. There are many endpoints and lots of highways. So why are parents and students directed to one score and one test to say who will be successful?

The Atlantic is asking whether No Child Left Behind (NCLB) should be considered an achievement when it comes to students with disabilities. Some believe that with the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, schools will no longer be strict enough when it comes to testing students with disabilities. Others think the tests will still be too strict and used inappropriately.

Here is a quote in the article: The problem that students with disabilities face in schools is that people have such low expectation for what they can achieve.

When Education Secretary Arne Duncan says Every child, regardless of income, race, background, or disability can succeed if provided the opportunity to learn, it is, in fact, a hopeful statement. The trouble is his idea of success is only based on a high score on a test.

Many parents and some civil rights groups have bought into this.

Instead of focusing solely on test scores why don’t they focus on the real keys to helping children with disabilities? Why don’t they look at a broader more encompassing picture There are Many Roads and Destinations for Children with Disabilities:

California public schools plan calls for immediate steps to address teacher shortage | 89.3 KPCC

California public schools plan calls for immediate steps to address teacher shortage | 89.3 KPCC:

California public schools plan calls for immediate steps to address teacher shortage

A four-year plan to improve the state's public schools calls for fast action to address a shortage of teachers and principals already impacting Southern California school districts.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson issued his "A Blueprint for Great Schools" that builds on an earlier plan on improving state schools and that will guide him in his current four-year term in office.

Torlakson discussed the report at a press conference Friday at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

“This is about our kids and their future but it's also about California's economy,” Torlakson said. “We'll get back to the top ranked in the nation where we deserve to be, where our kids deserve to have us to be for them.”

Torlakson also touted the state’s transition to the new learning standards known as the Common Core. During an interview with KPCC, he discussed both the standards and the new statewide, computerized tests based on the new standards.

The tests are a major departure from the old assessments. Called Smarter Balanced exams, they emphasize such skills as critical thinking and problem-solving instead of rote memorization.

Results will be sent to parents and guardians in late August. Torlakson cautioned that the new test results may not be stellar.

"I think we’ll do well,” he said. “There’s a low, lower performance until everybody gets in line – the curriculum, the teaching and the testing and getting used to computers themselves as a way of measuring your learning and your proficiency.” 

The blueprint, developed by a task force of educators, notes the state's graduation rate reached 80.8 percent in 2014, up from 74.7 percent four years earlier. 

“Unfortunately, California’s school funding continues to lag. The latest annual state ranking by Education Week placed California 46th in the nation in school spending, but it was based on data from 2011–12,” according to the blueprint.

"California’s expanding state budget for 2015–16 has certainly increased our ranking, though California is still likely to remain in the bottom half of the nation,” the plan states.

Among other recommendations, the plan calls for research into why the teacher shortage is occurring, especially in bilingual and special education teachers; working with schools of education to coordinate teacher recruitment and preparation programs; and encouraging diverse undergraduates to pursue teaching as a career.California public schools plan calls for immediate steps to address teacher shortage | 89.3 KPCC:

How school district boundaries are gerrymandered to keep poor kids segregated - Vox

How school district boundaries are gerrymandered to keep poor kids segregated - Vox:

How school district boundaries are gerrymandered to keep poor kids segregated

There's nothing natural about school district boundaries. They're drawn by human beings — often in ways that keep poorer students separate from their wealthier peers.

RelatedAmerica spends more than $600 billion on schools. Here's where it goes and why it matters.

This is partly a reflection of neighborhood segregation by race and class. But school districts themselves often have arbitrary, gerrymandered boundaries. EdBuild, a startup advocating for changes to school finance, makes this clear by mapping school districts' poverty rates.

The national map looks like a map of poverty by county in the US. But school districts don't always follow county lines — they carve counties and sometimes cities and towns into poorer and richer sections, keeping poor students separate from everyone else.

Wyandotte County, Kansas, is an example. About 35 percent of kids in the county were in poverty in 2012. But the county is divided into four school districts (including two within Kansas City, Kansas, itself) with varying poverty levels, ranging from 40 percent of students in the Kansas City Unified School District to 11 percent in neighboring Piper:

(EdBuild)

Wyandotte County, Kansas, includes four school districts with varying poverty levels. (Neighboring Johnson County is even less poor.)

Camden, New Jersey, has one very poor district — 45 percent of kids living in poverty — surrounded by many districts with much lower poverty:

(EdBuild)

Camden, New Jersey, has a peninsula of poverty surrounded by well-off districts.

Arguably the most egregious example — or at least the worst that EdBuild found — comes from Ohio, where the Toledo School District is split in half:

(EdBuild)

Toledo City Schools are split in two.

This dates from the late 1950s, when a plan to merge school districts went wrong because one district had more black and low-income students. The wealthier district voted to reject them:

Spencer students were left in a smaller, poorer Spencer-Sharples school district. By 1968, the district was under-enrolled and underfunded, with no neighboring school district willing to join with it. At the request of the Ohio state government, Toledo Public Schools, which lay on the other side of Springfield, agreed to annex Spencer-Sharples. But by 1980, district leadership decided it had become too costly and difficult to operate schools located in Spencer, isolated as they were from the rest of Toledo’s school system. Over the strong objections of many in the affected community, Toledo closed all schools formerly located in Spencer-Sharples and began to bus students through Springfield into western Toledo.

The children in the former Spencer-Sharples district are now part of Toledo's school district, which has a 38 percent poverty rate. They all have to take a bus all the way through a district with 21 percent poverty, and much closer schools, just to get an education.How school district boundaries are gerrymandered to keep poor kids segregated - Vox:

Teacher blasts popular classroom training program: It is turning us into robots. - The Washington Post

Teacher blasts popular classroom training program: It is turning us into robots. - The Washington Post:

Teacher blasts popular classroom training program: It is turning us into robots.

Have you ever heard of of a classroom management method called the No-Nonsense Nurturer® Program created by The Center for Transformative Teacher Training? Educator Amy Berard was trained in it at Guilmette Middle School in Lawrence, Massachusetts, when she was teaching English Language Arts there last year, and she became a fierce critic for reasons she explains in the following tough critique.

Berard was among dozens of teachers who were let go in Lawrence at the end of the school year. A Boston Globe story about the dismissals quoted Superintendent and district receiver Jeffrey Riley as saying that nontenured teachers can be let go if they are deemed to be a bad fit for the district, while union President Frank McLaughlin called them “a punch in the gut.”

I asked Kristyn Klei Borrero, chief executive officer and co-founder of the Center for Transformative Teacher Training, if she had seen the piece, and, in an e-mail, she responded that she had. She also said that “we  honor every teacher’s right to disagree with our approach and use feedback like this to reflect on our practices to ensure we are constantly improving as an organization and enhancing the body of work.” You can read her full response following the Berard post, which first appeared on the EduShyster blog of Jennifer Berkshire, a freelance journalist and public education advocate.

Here is a video explaining the No-Nonsense Nurturer® Program:

And here is the critique of the program:

By Amy Berard

“Give him a warning,” said the voice through the earpiece I was wearing. I did as instructed, speaking in the emotionless monotone I’d been coached to use. But the student, a sixth grader with some impulsivity issues and whose trust I’d spent months working to gain, was excited and spoke out of turn again. “Tell him he has a detention,” my earpiece commanded. At which point the boy stood up and pointed to the back of the room, where the three classroom “coaches” huddled around a walkie talkie. “Miss: don’t listen to them! You be you. Talk to me! I’m a person! Be a person,  Miss. Be you!”

Meet C3PO

Last year, my school contracted with the Center for Transformational Training. or CT3, to train teachers using an approach called “No Nonsense Nurturing™.” It was supposed to make us more effective instructors by providing “immediate, non-distracting feedback to teachers using wireless technology.” In other words, earpieces and walkie talkies. I wore a bug in my Teacher blasts popular classroom training program: It is turning us into robots. - The Washington Post:

The attack of the Walmartians: Part I: The Wild, Wild, World of Charter Schools – Let’s get Something Straight! | Public Schools Central

The attack of the Walmartians: Part I: The Wild, Wild, World of Charter Schools – Let’s get Something Straight! | Public Schools Central:

The attack of the Walmartians: Part I: The Wild, Wild, World of Charter Schools – Let’s get Something Straight!

By Thomas J. Fiala

The unregulated world of charter schools is about to get another boost if the current ECAA is put into law.  We already know how most of our senators and congressional leaders feel about the ECAA, and in this case, charter school expansion and increased funding.   Many of us have had to engage supporters of charter schools who are always ready to point out that “not all charters are the same,” and of course, their claim that the charter schools they do endorse are taking the right approach to helping students who are being harmed by those nasty public schools.

Now I want to get this straight from the outset, before you read any farther.  I unabashedly support America’s democratic system of public education, regardless of whether a public school is governed by a locally elected school board or a school board appointed by a mayor.   Understand, however, that I do not support the process per se for any mayor appointing a school board.  This is a bad idea that is being shown again and again to be the wrong approach to meeting the educational needs of communities, large and small.  For example, if Chicago is not the poster child for using Rahm Emanuel’s  power to destroy public schools, while he sends his children to an elite private school, then I am certainly open to other contenders for the poster.   I like a city or any other type community having to elect their public school governing board.  This fact alone is going to be foundational in understanding my concerns about the charter onslaught that is increasingly pillaging our public schools across the nation.

First and foremost, charter schools are a scam for those individuals, wittingly or not, who support the neoliberal Friedmanomic educational notions of voucher and choice that circumvent the public school educational process, which has historically been a positive part of our democratic fabric and still needed today.   But let’s get down to the nitty gritty as to why charters are problematic in the very least, while an overwhelming number are simply despicable.  But first and foremost, I am not going to buy the corporate pro-charter line used by many charter start up supporters that goes like this:

Sure I support public schools, but until public schools solve all their problems, then I am going to proceed with creating my idea of what a charter school is supposed to look like!   I know charters have problems but so do public schools!

Now for those pro-charter folks using this line, I am going to school you a little – or maybe a lot!  First and foremost, the wonderful and courageous part about our public schools is that they nobly take on the challenges facing the United States.  These schools reflect the larger society, and all the wonderful aspects of that society – and all the ills of that society.  Our public schools DO NOT require a student and parent to sign a contract that has requirements and rules that if violated means that the student can rather easily be removed and then – of course – be sent back to the good old public school!  So, let me be straight with anyone reading this.  If your charter school requires a contract signed by a parent and child, and if that contract states The attack of the Walmartians: Part I: The Wild, Wild, World of Charter Schools – Let’s get Something Straight! | Public Schools Central:

STATE TAKEOVER: An Achievement School District Primer - Mitchell Robinson: Reforming Reform

An Achievement School District Primer - Mitchell Robinson: Reforming Reform:

An Achievement School District Primer

"Achievement School Districts" are a recent phenomenon in the corporate education reform movement. These "school districts" are designed to guarantee "rapid improvement in the state’s low performing schools", although specific methods, techniques and strategies to accomplish this goal are rarely mentioned. ASDs have sprung up all across the nation, under various names and guises, from the "Education Achievement Authority" in Detroit, to the "Recovery School District" in New Orleans, to "Achievement School Districts" in Tennessee and Nevada--and Georgia and North Carolina have recently announced plans to form their own ASDs. These experimental school systems usually target the "bottom 5%" of low-performing schools in a state or region for governmental takeover, with the promise of quickly improving student learning.



The one thing all of these experiments have in common is that they've been crashing failures. In spite of incredible amounts of publicity, spin and hoopla, not one of these educational petri dishes has resulted in any appreciable improvement in student learning, accountability, or curricular reform.

• In Tennessee, audits of the ASD uncovered problems in the way that federal dollars were handled and the way payments were being processed. In a perhaps related story, Chris Barbic, the founding superintendent of the TNASD, recently announced his resignation.
• In a disturbingly similar development, Detroit's EAA manager, John Covington, resigned from his position after less than 2 years of service amidst heated criticism"for high rates of student and teacher turnover, questionable spending on travel and expenses, problems with special education services and the use of a computer-based curriculum rather than traditional textbooks."
• And in New Orleans, despite Gov. Bobby Jindal's claims of miraculous improvements since the inception of the city's Recovery School District, recent research tells a very different story, with only "6 percent of high school seniors in the Recovery School District (scoring) high enough in English and Math to qualify for admission into a Louisiana four-year college or university straight out of high school. Five of the district’s 16 high schools produced not a single student who met these requirements."

An Achievement School District Primer



How do you know if your state is considering creating an Achievement School District? Well, Achievement School Districts are characterized by several traits, none of which makes even the tiniest amount of sense in terms of helping to improve student learning or teaching quality:



School Funding

• Individual ASD schools are often required to pay a "kickback" or "tax" to the state ASD authority for the "privilege" of being identified as a "low performing school". In Nevada,"ASD schools receive the same state and local per-pupil resources that they would have received as part of their original home district. This includes local, state, and federal funding. As with other charter school sponsors, the ASD will receive a small administrative fee from each school it authorizes." (bold added)  

In other words, in spite of the probability that an ASD school has been chronically underfunded for years, perhaps decades, the state will now take its own cut from whatever local, state and federal funding the school may be receiving for administrative overhead, further decreasing the actual number of dollars that are going to classrooms, teachers and children.

 

Local Control

• Local control, long recognized as a hallmark of public education, is a dinosaur in ASDs. In Detroit, the locally-elected school board still meets, but has essentially been stripped of all power and authority. The members of the elected school board refer to themselves as being "exiled," and the newly elected state superintendent of schools has called on the governor and state legislators to return control of the Detroit Public Schools to the local school board, saying, "I believe we ought to have a Detroit school district for the Detroit community." Instead, Gov. Rick Snyder has proposed a radical plan to split the city's schools into two districts: one to educate children, and the other devoted to addressing the district's debt problem. 

Transparency

• Even though it is often trumpeted as an integral aspect of effective school governance, very few ASDs follow their own propaganda when it comes to transparency in reporting. Detroit's EAA is an especially notorious offender in this respect, making claims that do not stand even the faintest amounts of scrutiny. According to Wayne State professor of education Thomas Pedroni, the EAA's "internal data directly contradicts their MEAP data. Even Scantron, the maker of the internal assessment, would not stand behind the EAA's growth claims. And Veronica Conforme, the current EAA Chancellor, removed all the dishonest growth claims from their advertising and their website, and told me personally she doesn't give them credence for the purpose the EAA used them for." For more from Dr. Pedroni on the EAA's specious relationship with transparency, see this, and this.

Punitive vs. Educative Methods

• Many ASD charters include language regarding the possible consequences if schools do not meet "adequate yearly progress" goals, such as: "Operators of ASD schools that do not demonstrate meaningful improvement will be held accountable pursuant to policies set by the ASD." Indeed, school closings have become a prominent tool in the school reform playbook: 
• • Washington, D.C. closed 23 buildings in 2008. Officials are currently considering another 15 closures.
  • New York City closed more than 140 schools since 2002; leaders recently announced plans to shutter 17 more, beginning in 2013-14.
  • Chicago closed 40-plus buildings in the early 2000s. The district recently released a list of 129 schools to be considered for closure.

This approach follows guidelines first established in the No Child Left Behind legislation, which stipulate draconian changes for any school that fails to meet yearly progress within five years:

These school districts must implement plans to restructure the school. Options for restructuring include:

• Reopening the school as a charter school;
• Replacing all or most of school staff;
• Turning over the school operations to the state or to a private company with a demonstrated record of effectiveness; or
• Other major governance restructuring.

This thinking represents a sea change in terms of strategy with respect to schooling and education policy. Never in our nation's history have we taken apunitive approach rather than an educative approach when schools or children have struggled with demonstrating expected levels of progress.

 

When students experience difficulties in learning we respond by providing remediation, extra tutoring, or alternative teaching strategies--we don't kick them out of school. By the same token, when under-funded and under-resourced public schools do not show "adequate yearly progress," our response should be to find out why these schools are struggling, and provide them with the materials and support they need to improve--not for the charter management companies that run these schools to walk away before the end of the school year, forcing families to scramble to get their kids placed into public schools with little notice and no assistance.

 

Public education is far too important to treat it like a science experiment, with fuzzy methodology and uncertain results. Our children deserve schools that are adequately funded, controlled by locally elected school boards made up of persons with ties to the community and a vested interest in the success of their schools, transparency in reporting of school finances and learning outcomes, and that are founded and administrated with educative goals in mind, not punitive ones.



It's time to demand the return of our schools and our children from Achievement School Districts and the forces of school privatization. Education is not a business, and our children aren't widgets.

ASD_One_Pager_Updated.pdfAdobe Acrobat Document [314.0 KB]

An Achievement School District Primer - Mitchell Robinson: Reforming Reform:

Mitchell Robinson, Ph.D.

Welcome to my web page! Use the links to the left to find resources on graduate study and advising at Michigan State University and information on our doctoral students and graduates in music education.



There is also a link to a page devoted to the distribution of clinic and workshop materials, handouts, research presentations, and other music education resources. All materials are offered free of charge and may be duplicated as needed, with proper citations and acknowledgements. http://www.mitchellrobinson.net/welcome/