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Thursday, July 25, 2013

7-25-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:





Today 4-7PM - MORE Summer Series: How Should We View the UFT/AFT Leadership?
I helped organize this discussion based on what I see as various points of view regarding the union leadership in the UFT/AFT. It will take place at Local 138 (138 Ludlow St, a block and a half north of Delancey.)There have been internal debates for years in ICE, GEM and MORE on this issue. How far does an opposition caucus go in criticizing the leadership? Does it risk blow back -- feeding into a

7-24-13 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online:Randi Weingarten Proves She's an Ed Deformer, Mulgrew and UFT Should Condemn Her......but it will not happen because Mulgrew and Unity are totally aligned with her.I won't get into the details given other bloggers hammering Randi:Pissed off teacher: Union Should Stick To Defending Teachers -     When a person hires a lawyer, the lawyer does not decide whether the person is guil



Supreme Court leaves Vallas in place during appeal process… (updated with statement from plaintiffs) - Wait, What?

Supreme Court leaves Vallas in place during appeal process… (updated with statement from plaintiffs) - Wait, What?:

Supreme Court leaves Vallas in place during appeal process… (updated with statement from plaintiffs)




 Last Friday lawyers for Paul Vallas filed a brief arguing why Paul Vallas should stay “on the job” during the Supreme Court’s review of Judge Bellis’ ruling that Vallas cannot serve as Bridgeport’s superintendent of schools because he failed to complete a school leadership program as required under state law.
Today, lawyers for Carmen Lopez and the plaintiffs filed a detailed brief that explained why Vallas should not be allowed to stay during the appeal process.  It cited that the fact that Vallas lacks the credentials necessary to serve as a superintendent in Connecticut and that there are plenty of other administrators who could run the school system during the appeal process.
Soon after the brief was filed….the Supreme Court announced that it will release a 


Still no word that Justice Andrew McDonald has recused himself from the Vallas Case… - Wait, What?
Still no word that Justice Andrew McDonald has recused himself from the Vallas Case… - Wait, What?: Still no word that Justice Andrew McDonald has recused himself from the Vallas Case…  Andrew McDonald was Governor Malloy’s Chief Counsel for two years.  As we know, he played a pivotal role in the Malloy Administration’s failed attempt to take over the Bridgeport School System.And when the Supreme

Missouri Education Watchdog: Why Are Some Florida Former GOP Leaders Supporting Common Core? Are They Really Republicans?

Missouri Education Watchdog: Why Are Some Florida Former GOP Leaders Supporting Common Core? Are They Really Republicans?:

Why Are Some Florida Former GOP Leaders Supporting Common Core? Are They Really Republicans?


From Truth in American Education and Countering Florida GOP Leaders Defense of the Common Core:

Five former Florida Republican Party leaders have urged the state GOP to ignore the parents and teachers who object to the centralization of education through the Common Core State (sic) Standards. Like other Common Core proponents, they repeat the talking points; like the others, they fail to produce evidence to support their statements. Below is a point-by-point response to their claims. 
 Read more here for the responses to the fallacious claims of these party leaders.

Why are unelected officials offering their misguided opinion on Common Core especially when the Republican National Committee has come out against the standards?  From the RNC resolution against Common Core State Standards:

RESOLVED, the Republican National Committee recognizes the CCSS for what it is — an inappropriate overreach to standardize and control the education of our children so they will conform to a preconceived “normal,” and, be it further

RESOLVED, That the Republican National Committee rejects the collection of personal student data for any non-educational purpose without the prior written consent of an adult student or a child student’s parent and that it rejects the sharing

7-25-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:

Road Trip Week 2









Ken Davis’ Chicago Newsroom on Rahm and pensions.
[ youtube=http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4J-00iHqDM&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DY4J-00iHqDM]


7-24-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Road Trip Week 2Todd Mertz’s Illinois pension update.By Todd Mertz For the most part, nothing new or significant came out of the three planned Pension Conference Committee meetings. At this time, there are no meetings scheduled. But you can be sure there is work going on behind closed doors. Actuaries

UPDATE: But NOT for his own kids… + Ty Fahner of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago admits to rigging the Illinois bond rating. | Reclaim Reform

Ty Fahner of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago admits to rigging the Illinois bond rating. | Reclaim Reform:

But NOT for his own kids…
“Surely Mayor Emanuel and his appointed school board wouldn’t think these polices and practices (and their ground-level reverberations) would be good for their own kids. If not, why insist that they’re good for other people’s children?” - Gregory Michie in Huffington Post View his entire excellent article HERE. Many of Rahm’s appointed school board members are multimillionaires and billionaires. T

Ty Fahner of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago admits to rigging the Illinois bond rating.

Ty Fahner of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago admits to rigging the Illinois bond rating. Hundreds of millions of dollars in additional profits will thus be made by pushing down the bond ratings which inflates the interest rates for the investors in the audience. (The CCCCC is a private club of multimillionaires and billionaires – plutocrats.)
“The Civic Committee, not me, but me and some of the people that make up the Civic Committee… did meet with and call – in one case in person – and a couple of calls to Moody’s and Fitch and Standard & Poors, and say ‘How in the hell can you guys do this?’”
Fahner1
Pat Hermann, a retired Illinois teacher and pension advocate, presents this fully documented post of who, what, where, why and how it was done.
Yesterday we saw evidence the fat cats at The Club intervened in having the ratings agencies push down the bond ratings to put political pressure on Illinoisans to take away 

#ASKARNE What'sup? with SEC. 1118. PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT in the New ESEA?




SEC. 1118. PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT.

(a) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY POLICY-
(1) IN GENERAL- A local educational agency may receive funds under this part only if such agency implements programs, activities, and procedures for the involvement of parents in programs assisted under this part consistent with this section. Such programs, activities, and procedures shall be planned and implemented with meaningful consultation with parents of participating children.
(2) WRITTEN POLICY- Each local educational agency that receives funds under this part shall develop jointly with, agree on with, and distribute to, parents of participating children a written parent involvement policy. The policy shall be incorporated into the local educational agency's plan developed under section 1112, establish the agency's expectations for parent involvement, and describe how the agency will —
(A) involve parents in the joint development of the plan under section 1112, and the process of school review and improvement under section 1116;
(B) provide the coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist participating schools in planning and implementing effective parent involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance;
(C) build the schools' and parents' capacity for strong parental involvement as described in subsection (e);
(D) coordinate and integrate parental involvement strategies under this part with parental involvement strategies under other programs, such as the Head Start program, Reading First program, Early Reading First program, Even Start program, Parents as Teachers program, and Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters, and State-run preschool programs;
(E) conduct, with the involvement of parents, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parental involvement policy in improving the academic quality of the schools served under this part, including identifying barriers to greater participation by parents in activities authorized by this section (with particular attention to parents who are economically disadvantaged, are disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background), and use the findings of such evaluation to design strategies for more effective parental involvement, and to revise, if necessary, the parental involvement policies described in this section; and
(F) involve parents in the activities of the schools served under this part.
(3) RESERVATION-
(A) IN GENERAL- Each local educational agency shall reserve not less than 1 percent of such agency's allocation under subpart 2 of this part to carry out this section, including promoting family literacy and parenting skills, except that this paragraph shall not apply if 1 percent of such agency's allocation under subpart 2 of this part for the fiscal year for which the determination is made is $5,000 or less.
(B) PARENTAL INPUT- Parents of children receiving services under this part shall be involved in the decisions regarding how funds reserved under subparagraph (A) are allotted for parental involvement activities.
(C) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS- Not less than 95 percent of the funds reserved under subparagraph (A) shall be distributed to schools served under this part.
(b) SCHOOL PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT POLICY-
(1) IN GENERAL- Each school served under this part shall jointly develop with, and distribute to, parents of participating children a written parental involvement policy, agreed on by such parents, that shall describe the means for carrying out the requirements of subsections (c) through (f). Parents shall be notified of the policy in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, provided in a language the parents can understand. Such policy shall be made available to the local community and updated periodically to meet the changing needs of parents and the school.
(2) SPECIAL RULE- If the school has a parental involvement policy that applies to all parents, such school may amend that policy, if necessary, to meet the requirements of this subsection.
(3) AMENDMENT- If the local educational agency involved has a school district-level parental involvement policy that applies to all parents, such agency may amend that policy, if necessary, to meet the requirements of this subsection.
(4) PARENTAL COMMENTS- If the plan under section 1112 is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, the local educational agency shall submit any parent comments with such plan when such local educational agency submits the plan to the State.
(c) POLICY INVOLVEMENT- Each school served under this part shall —
(1) convene an annual meeting, at a convenient time, to which all parents of participating children shall be invited and encouraged to attend, to inform parents of their school's participation under this part and to explain the requirements of this part, and the right of the parents to be involved;
(2) offer a flexible number of meetings, such as meetings in the morning or evening, and may provide, with funds provided under this part, transportation, child care, or home visits, as such services relate to parental involvement;
(3) involve parents, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of programs under this part, including the planning, review, and improvement of the school parental involvement policy and the joint development of the schoolwide program plan under section 1114(b)(2), except that if a school has in place a process for involving parents in the joint planning and design of the school's programs, the school may use that process, if such process includes an adequate representation of parents of participating children;
(4) provide parents of participating children —
(A) timely information about programs under this part;
(B) a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet; and
(C) if requested by parents, opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children, and respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible; and
(5) if the schoolwide program plan under section 1114(b)(2) is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, submit any parent comments on the plan when the school makes the plan available to the local educational agency.
(d) SHARED RESPONSIBILITIES FOR HIGH STUDENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT- As a component of the school-level parental involvement policy developed under subsection (b), each school served under this part shall jointly develop with parents for all children served under this part a school-parent compact that outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve the State's high standards. Such compact shall —
(1) describe the school's responsibility to provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment that enables the children served under this part to meet the State's student academic achievement standards, and the ways in which each parent will be responsible for supporting their children's learning, such as monitoring attendance, homework completion, and television watching; volunteering in their child's classroom; and participating, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children and positive use of extracurricular time; and
(2) address the importance of communication between teachers and parents on an ongoing basis through, at a minimum —
(A) parent-teacher conferences in elementary schools, at least annually, during which the compact shall be discussed as the compact relates to the individual child's achievement;
(B) frequent reports to parents on their children's progress; and
(C) reasonable access to staff, opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child's class, and observation of classroom activities.
(e) BUILDING CAPACITY FOR INVOLVEMENT- To ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school involved, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement, each school and local educational agency assisted under this part —
(1) shall provide assistance to parents of children served by the school or local educational agency, as appropriate, in understanding such topics as the State's academic content standards and State student academic achievement standards, State and local academic assessments, the requirements of this part, and how to monitor a child's progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children;
(2) shall provide materials and training to help parents to work with their children to improve their children's achievement, such as literacy training and using technology, as appropriate, to foster parental involvement;
(3) shall educate teachers, pupil services personnel, principals, and other staff, with the assistance of parents, in the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between parents and the school;
(4) shall, to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parent involvement programs and activities with Head Start, Reading First, Early Reading First, Even Start, the Home Instruction Programs for Preschool Youngsters, the Parents as Teachers Program, and public preschool and other programs, and conduct other activities, such as parent resource centers, that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children;
(5) shall ensure that information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to the parents of participating children in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand;
(6) may involve parents in the development of training for teachers, principals, and other educators to improve the effectiveness of such training;
(7) may provide necessary literacy training from funds received under this part if the local educational agency has exhausted all other reasonably available sources of funding for such training;
(8) may pay reasonable and necessary expenses associated with local parental involvement activities, including transportation and child care costs, to enable parents to participate in school-related meetings and training sessions;
(9) may train parents to enhance the involvement of other parents;
(10) may arrange school meetings at a variety of times, or conduct in-home conferences between teachers or other educators, who work directly with participating children, with parents who are unable to attend such conferences at school, in order to maximize parental involvement and participation;
(11) may adopt and implement model approaches to improving parental involvement;
(12) may establish a districtwide parent advisory council to provide advice on all matters related to parental involvement in programs supported under this section;
(13) may develop appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses in parent involvement activities; and
(14) shall provide such other reasonable support for parental involvement activities under this section as parents may request.
(f) ACCESSIBILITY– In carrying out the parental involvement requirements of this part, local educational agencies and schools, to the extent practicable, shall provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children, including providing information and school reports required under section 1111 in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language such parents understand.
(g) INFORMATION FROM PARENTAL INFORMATION AND RESOURCE CENTERS- In a State where a parental information and resource center is established to provide training, information, and support to parents and individuals who work with local parents, local educational agencies, and schools receiving assistance under this part, each local educational agency or school that receives assistance under this part and is located in the State shall assist parents and parental organizations by informing such parents and organizations of the existence and purpose of such centers.

(h) REVIEW- The State educational agency shall review the local educational agency's parental involvement policies and practices to determine if the policies and practices meet the requirements of this section.

solidaridad: Ethnic Cleansing Illustrated: The Echo Parque Gang Injunction. Join the resistance!

solidaridad: Ethnic Cleansing Illustrated: The Echo Parque Gang Injunction. Join the resistance!:

Ethnic Cleansing Illustrated: The Echo Parque Gang Injunction. Join the resistance!


Ethnic Cleansing Illustrated: The Echo Parque Gang Injunction. Join the resistance! http://j.mp/12njtiv  pic.twitter.com/eAhm27E1A6
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Study finds musical interaction cultivates empathy in children | The Raw Story

Study finds musical interaction cultivates empathy in children | The Raw Story:

Study finds musical interaction cultivates empathy in children






Schools could one day add “empathy education” to their curriculum. New research suggests that understanding the emotional state of others is something that can be learned and practiced.
According to a study published in the July issue of Psychology of Music, playing musical games can help cultivate a sense of empathy in children.
“Perhaps the most important thing the study tells us about the development of emotional empathy is that it is amenable to intervention,” Tal-Chen Rabinowitch of the University of Cambridge, the lead author of the study, told PsyPost. “We now have the (very friendly and enjoyable) tools to influence and enhance emotional empathy in children, a significant building block for shaping a more empathic and other-minded society.”
The study was co-authored by Ian Cross and Pamela Burnard of the University of Cambridge.
For their study, the researchers ran a musical program over the length of an entire school year. Children ages 8-11 participated in the program in several small groups. The program was 

Nite Cap 7-25-13 #BATsACT #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2


James Baldwin said it best: 

"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."


A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP



TODAY

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Morning Wink 7-25-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #edreform #EDCHAT #P2
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Reform Fairytales | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: Reform FairytalesPosted on July 25, 20130The sheer audacity of John White’s Louisiana Department of Education never ceases to impress me. They are more than willing to make any argument that suits their purposes regardless of the facts or previous arguments they have made. They are not afraid to lie to the media, parents, and even judges believing that no
Democratizing the Public School System Coalition for Public Education/CoaliciĂłn por la EducaciĂłn PĂşblica
Coalition for Public Education/CoaliciĂłn por la EducaciĂłn PĂşblica: Democratizing the Public School SystemBy Kathy Emery and Eric Mar-- http://urbanhabitat.orgWhenever popular education is mentioned, Paolo Freire is usually the first name that comes to mind.1 But students of democratic pedagogy in the United States have plenty of home grown examples of their own to study. John Dewey, for example, w
7-25-13 Schools Matter @ The Chalk Face
SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE: Congress Set to Profit from Student Loan Rates Determined by Wall Street SwindlersIf you ever wonder how the Feds are going to pay for the new era of non-risk corporate welfare farming, charter schools, preschools, for-profit college subsidies, military contractors, corporate welfare spy firms, etc., Congress has a plan.  One drop in that national cash reserve for

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The Educated Reporter: Guest Post: K-12 Opportunity Gaps and Out-of-School Factors
The Educated Reporter: Guest Post: K-12 Opportunity Gaps and Out-of-School Factors: Guest Post: K-12 Opportunity Gaps and Out-of-School FactorsWith President Obama focusing on the struggles of the middle class -- and those working to reach it -- in a speech at Knox College on Wednesday, it seems like a good time to catch up on a valuable discussion on the opportunity gap which took place at EWA's
LAUSD parents, teachers fight mainstreaming of disabled kids - LA Daily News
LAUSD parents, teachers fight mainstreaming of disabled kids - LA Daily News: LAUSD parents, teachers fight mainstreaming of disabled kidsBy Barbara Jones, Staff WriterPosted:   07/24/2013 07:24:44 PM PDTUpdated:   07/24/2013 07:47:02 PM PDT Protesters line Balboa Boulevard in front of the office of LAUSD board member Tamar Galatzan, Wednesday, July 24, 2013. Parents and Teachers United for Action
ETS Explores the Link Between Poverty and Education - Higher Education
ETS Explores the Link Between Poverty and Education - Higher Education: ETS Explores the Link Between Poverty and EducationJuly 24, 2013 | Category: News,Subfeature | :     inShare        by Jamaal Abdul-AlimBruce Baker, professor of educational theory, policy and administration at Rutgers, discusses isolation and segregation in education at ETS forum.WASHINGTON — To change the life trajectory of
Senate leader tries to ban use of lesson plans in Texas schools | Education Blog
Senate leader tries to ban use of lesson plans in Texas schools | Education Blog: Senate leader tries to ban use of lesson plans in Texas schoolsBy Terrence Stutztstutz@dallasnews.com7:50 pm on July 24, 2013 | Permalink810The chairman of the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday filed a bill that prohibits use of a controversial series of lesson plans in Texas schools – even though hundreds of d
7-24-13 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online:Randi Weingarten Proves She's an Ed Deformer, Mulgrew and UFT Should Condemn Her......but it will not happen because Mulgrew and Unity are totally aligned with her.I won't get into the details given other bloggers hammering Randi:Pissed off teacher: Union Should Stick To Defending Teachers -     When a person hires a lawyer, the lawyer does not decide whether the person is guil
S.1334: Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act of 2013 - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress
S.1334: Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act of 2013 - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress: S.1334 - Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act of 2013A bill to establish student loan interest rates, and for other purposes. view all titles (2)OverviewActions & VotesNews (0) & Blogs (0)Comments (0)Bill's ViewsToday:11Past Seven Days:34All-Time:34 Introduced SenatePasses HousePasses PresidentSigns  07/
Senate Approves College Student Loan Plan Tying Rates to Markets - NYTimes.com
Senate Approves College Student Loan Plan Tying Rates to Markets - NYTimes.com: By JEREMY W. PETERSPublished: July 24, 2013 WASHINGTON — The Senate on Wednesday approved a bipartisan plan that would tie interest rates for college student loans to the financial markets, bringing Congress close to finally resolving a dispute that caused rates to double on July 1.But the 81-18 vote, which drew overwh
Nite Cap 7-24-13 #BATsACT #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2
James Baldwin said it best: "For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAPTODAYMissouri Education Watchdog: Join this #stopcommoncore Telephone Conference Thursday, July 25Missouri Education Watchdog: Join this #stopcommoncore Telephone Conference Thursday, July 25: Join this #stopcommoncore Telephone Conference Thursday, July 2