Latest News and Comment from Education

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 4-7-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2


Nite Cap UPDATE

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE


CORPORATE ED REFORM




L.A. teacher wins job back after removal for science projects
A Los Angeles high school science teacher is returning to the classroom two months after being suspended over concerns that two students had assembled "dangerous" science projects under his supervision.
L.A. Unified can keep teacher ratings anonymous, judges say
The Los Angeles Unified School District does not need to release the names of teachers in connection with their performance ratings, according to a tentative court ruling issued Thursday.

What Will it Take to Educate the Gates Foundation?
Bill Gates has made it clear that this was an experiment from the start. What he did not seem to allow for in his scenario was the possibility that his experiment would not succeed.


National Briefing | Northwest: Washington: State Loses Control of Some School Funds
Washington has become the first state to lose its federal waiver for some requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind education law as well as control over how $40 million is spent to improve student performance in its public schools.


Book Review: Doing the Right Thing: A Teacher Speaks by David Greene
A few days ago, after receiving a new prescription, I picked up my eyeglasses. Reading David Greene’s book, Doing the Right Thing: A Teacher Speaks, was a similar eye-opening experience. What I saw every day was much clearer and more detailed, such as the trees across the street, individual leaves and all. In addition, there were things I had not really noticed much which were now clearly in view


False advertising & Concept Schools
This coming fall, Concept Schools will be adding two more charter schools to its collection. Both are in Chicago and come courtesy of the Chicago school board members who voted to approvethe two proposals in January. The promotional brochure designed to attract student enrollment states: “Concept serves 12,000 students in 30 high-performing charter schools across the Midwest, including 3 schools

Author Janet Mock Propels Transgender Conversations in Academia
Janet Mock (third from right), author of Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much MoreJanet Mock’s bestselling memoir, Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More, is inspiring academic exploration of transgender issues and helping shape the evolution of women’s, gender and sexuality studies. On Wednesday at Barnard College in New Yor

Testing issue coming back to the boil
The waning days of the 2014 legislative session may see a Democratic-sponsored bill to cut back on statewide testing. Sen. Andy Kerr, chair of the Senate Education Committee, confirmed to Chalkbeat Colorado Thursday that he is working on a late bill that would roll back the currently scheduled expansion of testing in high school and also trim the frequency of social studies tests, which launched j


Districts may have funding flexibility to repair and improve school facilities - by Karla Scoon Reid/EdSource correspondent
To weather deep cuts in public school funding, many California school districts shifted much needed dollars away from repairing and maintaining their buildings to keep teachers in the classroom and save instructional programs from being ... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit the Edsource Today website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
What inBloom’s Shutdown Means for the Industry | EdSurge News
In less than two years, inBloom went from being a sort of Holy Grail for student data services to a sacrificial lamb that has brought data and privacy discussions to the forefront. On Monday, April 21, inBloom CEO Iwan Streichenberger announced on the nonprofit’s homepage his “decision to wind down the organization over the coming ...read more
Breaking News: Tennessee Legislature Rolls Back Test-Based Teacher Evaluation Law
In a stunning reversal,the Tennessee Legislature overwhelmingly repealed a law to evaluate teachers by test scores, and the law was swiftly signed by Governor Haslam. On a day when Arne Duncan withdrew Washington State’s failure to enact test-based teacher valuation system, this is a remarkable turn of events. Joey Garrison of The Tennessean reports: “Gov. Bill Haslam has signed into law a bill

Expert Opinion on the Common Core
Re:  Common Core demonized as Obamacare: Our View (April 23, 2014)USA Today does not mention the real opposition to the common core, criticisms from professional educators and scholars. The common core does not deal with the real reason for unspectacular performance by American students. The US has the second highest level of child poverty among all 34 economically advanced countries (now over 23%


Where is Education Secretary Duncan’s Head?
Where is Education Secretary Duncan’s Head? Found it!Today Secretary Duncan canceled Washington State’s No Child Left Behind Waiver. Why? Because Washington State’s ELECTED officials were not able to conform to Duncan demands to DO IT HIS WAY (you know, the corporate way to privatizing Public Education). I can’t decide if he is just Arne the Corporate Autocrat or he doesn’t care. Either way there
Nite Cap 4-24-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #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 CAPMarie Corfield: Tom Moran crosses the line in latest editorialMarie Corfield: Tom Moran crosses the line in latest editorial: Tom Moran crosses the line in latest editorial(Note: as I was drafting this post this week, Bob Braun wrote several exce

Where is Education Secretary Duncan’s Head?



Where is Education Secretary Duncan’s Head?

 
Found it!

Today Secretary Duncan canceled Washington State’s No Child Left Behind Waiver. Why? Because Washington State’s ELECTED officials were not able to conform to Duncan demands to DO IT HIS WAY (you know, the corporate way to privatizing Public Education). I can’t decide if he is just Arne the Corporate Autocrat or he doesn’t care. Either way there is a ton of money that is at stake with Duncan’s withdrawal of the waiver. The big ticket item in this waiver  is the SES - Supplemental Education Services which can be up to 20% of Title I funds designated for the poorest students. This is a program, by Sec. Duncan’s own admission, is a failure ( see links at the end of this piece). It is a terrible waste of much needed funds. Arne the Corporate Autocrat would rather continue to waste this money because Washington State won’t knuckle under to his demands.
Recently my district here in Sacramento withdrew from a district waiver similar to the Washington State’s. The former Sacramento Superintendent, a Corporate Reformer, a graduate of the Broad Academy said this about losing the waiver here in Sacramento:  
“You can imagine my shock and sadness at hearing the news of the district’s decision to abandon its hard-earned waiver from the failed and punitive No Child Left Behind law. Equally distressing is the lack of discourse over what our children will lose, and the lack of outrage, empathy and courage from those in a community whose sole focus should be on protecting and advocating for the best interests of children. By giving up the No Child Left Behind waiver, here is what the children of Sacramento will lose:

• Sacramento City Unified will lose flexibility over the use of $4 million to support our most disadvantaged students.Roughly $4 million is wasted each year on ineffective supplemental education service providers – tutors approved by the state – who are not accountable to the district and over which Sacramento City Unified has no direct supervision. With the waiver, district schools and teachers could have used these dollars much more effectively to expand engaging after-school programs and offer summer experiences filled with civic and community engagement such as Summer of Service, and more.Without the waiver Sacramento City Unified no longer has the flexibility to give these students what they need and deserve – and families should be outraged.

• Sacramento City Unified will lose the ability to remove the label of “failure” that No Child Left Behind attached to three-quarters of Sacramento schools.NCLB labeled these schools failures because they did not reach every annual goal that the law set. But NCLB is a misguided and ineffective federal policy that labels students, schools and teachers based on unachievable and unrealistic goals. It doesn’t take into account children’s academic growth or other pertinent measures that demonstrate how greatly Sacramento City Unified schools have improved.Without the waiver, the dark cloud of “failure” will once again cloak Sacramento schools.”
Hopefully Sec Duncan can find himself and extricate himself from this awful waiver game. The American people deserve much better than having to waste money that is intended for poor children on a failed program just because Sec. Duncan wants it his way.


SES IS A MESS: Impacts of Title I Supplemental Educational Services on Student Achievement

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Impacts of Title I Supplemental Educational Services on Student Achievement: Impacts of Title I Supplemental Educational Services on Student Achievement "Impacts of Title I Supplemental Educational Services on Student Achievement" examines the potential achievement benefits of academic support services offered outside the regular school day by state-approved Supplemental Educational Service providers. As one of the parental choice provisions implemented with Title I funds under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, parents of low-income students in low-performing schools are offe... more »

SES IS A MESS: Duncan to Florida: Tutoring Doesn't Work - Politics K-12 - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Duncan to Florida: Tutoring Doesn't Work - Politics K-12 - Education Week: Duncan to Florida: Tutoring Doesn't Work By Alyson Klein on May 17, 2012 3:39 PM U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said today he doesn't understand why Florida passed a law requiring districts to continue offering free tutoring to students in struggling schools. Florida is one of 11 states that got a waiver from many of the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. That means districts in the Sunshine State no longer have to put aside 20 percent of their Title I money for tutoring and school choice.... more »

The Education Department is for the first time yanking one of the waivers it gave to states that exempts them the most onerous parts of the flawed No Child Left Behind law. As a result, Washington state will now have to comply with all parts of No Child Left Behind. Because of the peculiarities of […]
by Valerie Strauss / 25min 

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Teacher to David Coleman: Yes, What Children Think and Feel Does MatterVeteran teacher Eileen Riley Hall has some advice for David Coleman, architect of the Common Core standards. Coleman famously said, in taped remarks at the New York State Education Department, that   “As you grow up in this world, you realize people really don’t
by mike simpson / 1min 

Tutor center scammed $2M in federal funds | New York Post: Tutor center scammed $2M in federal fundsBy Rich CalderApril 15, 2014 | 6:42pmModal TriggerPhoto: ShutterstockMORE ON:SCAMSCasino: World poker champ took $9.6M in card-cheat scamCheating bus driver turns himself in to Manhattan DASmooth-talking con man sent to slammerHasbro cheated ‘Mr. Scrabble’ out of $1M: suitA bicoastal tutoring center
by mike simpson / 8h 



SES IS A MESS! Fraud still dogs SES programs despite waivers :: SI&A Cabinet Report
Fraud still dogs SES programs despite waivers :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: MARCH 20, 2014Fraud still dogs SES programs despite waiversby Tom Chorneau(District of Columbia) Although most of the nation is operating under waivers that relieve states and school districts from mandates to provide tutoring services, federal auditors remain con

  1. Big Education Ape: SES IS A MESS: Read Dallas, Garland and San ...

    bigeducationape.blogspot.com/.../ses-is-mess-read-dallas-garland-and-sa...

    Mar 15, 2013 - SES WHAT A MESS: More on Dallas ISD & the federal tutoring program... SES IS A MESS- #askArne - Fraud, waste hijack tutoring program ...

  2. Big Education Ape: FIX THE SES MESS! Lawmakers, education ...

    bigeducationape.blogspot.com/.../fix-ses-mess-lawmakers-education.html

    Mar 30, 2012 - FIX THE SES MESS! Lawmakers, education leaders spar over embattled tutoring program - baltimoresun.com. Lawmakers, education leaders ...
    You've visited this page 2 times. Last visit: 7/27/13

  3. Big Education Ape: SES IS A MESS: State investigators: 3 Dallas ...

    bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2013/.../ses-is-mess-state-investigators-3.h...

    Apr 12, 2013 - SES IS A MESS: State investigators: 3 Dallas-area tutoring companies fraudulently billed Garland and San Antonio ISDs | Education Blog.

  4. Big Education Ape: SES IS A MESS: Critics question billion-dollar ...

    bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2013/.../critics-question-billion-dollar.ht...

    Jul 28, 2013 - SES IS A MESS: Critics question billion-dollar tutoring program - Education - The Sacramento Bee. Critics question billion-dollar tutoring ...
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: CORE districts win ground-breaking waiver from NCLBBy Tom ChorneauWednesday, August 07, 2013Statement on NCLB Waiver Approval - Year 2013"All California schools deserve relief from the unworkable mandates of No Child Left Behind"In a move rife with policy implications nationwide, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan granted Tuesday eight California s

SES IS A MESS So why only 8 Waivers? Supplemental Educational Services
Supplemental Educational Services: Supplemental Educational Services Statement on NCLB Waiver Approval - Year 2013"All California schools deserve relief from the unworkable mandates of No Child Left Behind"Description: What are supplemental educational services?Legislation: What does No Child Left Behind, section 1116(e), require for implementing supplemental educational services?Regulations: What