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Thursday, May 22, 2014

The Cami cover-up | Bob Braun's Ledger

The Cami cover-up | Bob Braun's Ledger:



The Cami cover-up

Chris Christie and Cami Anderson
Chris Christie and Cami Anderson–covering up?
The chairman of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Public Schools has asked the state education commissioner, the state attorney general, and the state comptroller to coordinate an investigation into the state’s operation of the Newark school district. He asked many of these questions before–and, so far, the Christie Administration and its legislative allies, including Democrats, have stonewalled his efforts and covered up the possible violations of law.
State Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Essex), in a 10-page letter to the state officials, lists scores of detailed questions he wants answered about the Newark district’s proposed $53 million deficit, the hiring of consultants, the granting of raises to top aides of the state-appointed school superintendent,  the operation of the district’s “One Newark” enrollment plan,  possible business connections between public officials and private entrepreneurs,  the lack of state oversight over her spending and travel practices, the treatment of special education students, and possible conflicts of interest involving the state Economic Development Authority (EDA) that has awarded more than $100 million in construction funds to Newark charter schools.
Rice has twice demanded state-appointed superintendent Cami Anderson appear before his committee to answer the questions but she blew off his invitations twice—including when she traveled to California to attend a conference, part of her disappearance from Newark in the run-up to the mayoral election.
“The lack of information, transparency, and accountability by Superintendent Cami Anderson and her administrators has raised much concern by the public regarding the sale of the 18the Avenue School building, the ‘One Newark’ plan, the igh salaries and raised provided to her staff, her relationship with consultants as well as the superintendent’s continuous travel out of state to conferences rather than being in the district to address the problems of the Newark Public Schools,” Rice wrote.
For five months, Rice has asked these questions and they have been reported in the media–including, at times, the main-stream media. Clearly, state education The Cami cover-up | Bob Braun's Ledger:

Labor Groups Petition Arne Duncan To Dump Sallie Mae

Labor Groups Petition Arne Duncan To Dump Sallie Mae:



Labor Groups Petition Arne Duncan To Dump Sallie Mae



A prominent student group and the nation’s largest labor federation are among organizations with close ties to the White House demanding that the Department of Education terminate its contract with the student loan company formerly known as Sallie Mae.
The AFL-CIO, United States Student Association, American Federation of Teachersand other advocacy groups in recent days have called on their members to sign anonline petition urging Education Secretary Arne Duncan to sever Navient Corp.’s lucrative contract to collect monthly payments on federal student loans after federal authorities accused the company of cheating soldiers. Sallie Mae recently split itself into two companies, Navient and Sallie Mae Bank.
The involvement of the AFL-CIO, an ally of the White House and the Democratic Party, opens a new political front in student advocates’ campaign to force Duncan to hold Navient accountable.
“The Department of Education shouldn't be in business with companies like Sallie Mae that break the law, and I don't want my taxpayer dollars supporting such a company,” the petition states. “I urge you to not turn a blind eye to these disreputable practices. Please take these matters seriously by ending your agency's contract and business dealings with Sallie Mae at once.”
Last week, the Department of Justice and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. accused Sallie Mae and its former loan unit, Navient, of intentionally violating the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act for years by overcharging active-duty troops beginning in 2005. The FDIC also said Sallie Mae and Navient illegally processed borrowers’ monthly student loan payments in a way that maximized late fees.
The organizations’ joint petition, which has garnered more than 50,000 signatures and was organized by the nonprofit Jobs With Justice, threatens to ratchet up pressure on Duncan to penalize Navient.
The Education Department last fall told Sallie Mae it intended to renew its contract(now held by Navient), even though federal investigators a few months earlier had discovered evidence that the company had violated the servicemembers law. Breaking the law constitutes a breach of the company’s contract with the Education Department.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has said the Education Department risks becoming a "lapdog" as a result of its lackluster supervision of Sallie Mae. The company has told Labor Groups Petition Arne Duncan To Dump Sallie Mae:

John White’s “Statewide Trends” of LEAP Supposed to be Publicized on May 27 | deutsch29

John White’s “Statewide Trends” of LEAP Supposed to be Publicized on May 27 | deutsch29:



John White’s “Statewide Trends” of LEAP Supposed to be Publicized on May 27

May 22, 2014

When Louisiana State Superintendent John White withheld the Louisiana Education Assessment Program (LEAP) scores on Friday, May 16, 2014– the day that these scores were supposed to be released, he chose to wait until midday to contact the schools.
White offered no reason for the delay. However, by now, it is no secret that scores for White’s pet project, predominately-charter Recovery School District (RSD), were likely the reason for the delay.
On May 19, 2014, White issued a district newsletter that opened with a message from him. Here is that message, in full:
Dear Colleagues,
In the body of this weekly email you will find instructions regarding 2014 LEAP, iLEAP, and LAA 2 results. The results are now available in the secure LEAPWeb portal, and you may access them at this time. 
In the days to come, the Department will issue a summary report detailing statewide trends. We will provide you notice of when the report will be issued and would ask that until that time you use the posted results for educational John White’s “Statewide Trends” of LEAP Supposed to be Publicized on May 27 | deutsch29:

Reflecting on the effects of violence | Parents United for Public Education

Reflecting on the effects of violence | Parents United for Public Education:



Reflecting on the effects of violence




 sadieEvery year, the Philadelphia Coalition for Victim Advocacy holds a candle lighting to honor victims and survivors of crime in the Philadelphia area. This year the PCVA felt it especially important to incorporate a youth portion to the event. PCVA, Victim Witness Services of South Philadelphia (VWSSP), Asians American United (AAU), and youth from Science Leadership Academy (SLA) decided to reflect about what violence means to youth. Youth are impacted by violence everyday – in our schools, in our neighborhoods, in our homes. Statistics show that 42% of people victimized in 2006 were under the age of 25. But I don’t want to limit this to just physical violence. It also means exposure to violence, exposure to tragedy or harassment. 
VWSSP and youth at SLA did a poll earlier this month to get an overview of what types of violence young people are exposed to and how it has impacted the lives of students.  It was overwhelming how many young people have been affected by violence and don’t feel safe in our communities. On the other hand in many ways violence has been completely normalized to youth. We heard young people talk about bullying like it was a rite of passage. We heard young people talking about fighting and retaliation and snitching like those were normal things. 
VWSSP and myself decided to create a survey to give youth an opportunity to voice their opinions on safety, violence and their communities. Here are a couple of responses from the survey:
  • “I feel as if the violence in Philadelphia has changed the way Philadelphia looks at their youth. Not all of us contribute to the crime in Philadelphia and we should not be treated as if we do. Even if it just for precaution. They think that anywhere we go there is going to be a fight or flash mob. Some of us would just like to get lunch aft10303756_10152106177927828_8082233701674964461_ner school without having to be in the liberty place by a certain time, or else we aren’t allowed in.”
  • “I think that violence can be directly related to ignorance and the way people are being formed in this city. Not only can the lack of education affect the future generation but it has been affecting this generation greatly.” 
  • “Violence is not only about physical attacks but also verbal attacks. Sometimes, people internalized the violence they encountered. This is not right. No one should have the power to oppress others. To stop Reflecting on the effects of violence | Parents United for Public Education:

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: “If you don’t like the criticism, fire the critic 2!”: OUSTED OPPONENT OF LA SCHOOLS iPAD FIGHTS TO REGAIN SEAT ON OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: “If you don’t like the criticism, fire the critic 2!”: OUSTED OPPONENT OF LA SCHOOLS iPAD FIGHTS TO REGAIN SEAT ON OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE:



“If you don’t like the criticism, fire the critic 2!”: OUSTED OPPONENT OF LA SCHOOLS iPAD FIGHTS TO REGAIN SEAT ON OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

  1. ALSO SEE: “If you don’t like the criticism, fire the critic!”: SCHOOL BOARD BLOCKS APPOINTEE CRITICAL OF iPADS | http://bit.ly/1sU4iVd
  2. BASED ON ED REPORTER HOWARD BLUME's TWITTER FEED, A MAJOR STORY IS COMING FROM THE LA TIMES: @howardblume: ●Next week's meeting of school bond oversight committee has new agenda item: Stuart Magruder, the nominee Board of Ed wouldn't approve. ●Current & former committee members say L.A. Unified exceeded authority by blocking Magruder from panel overseeing spending of bond $s. ●Some LAUSD officials say they had right to reject Magruder, the nominee of architects assn. He's a vocal critic of $1billion+ iPad effort. ●Bond Committee apparently not giving in to district. They'll take up matter first off at meeting next week.
  3. NOTE TO THE LAUSD BOARD: What part of “Independent Oversight” is so hard to understand?
  4. WITNESS THE WITLESSNESS YOURSELF:  http://bit.ly/RfEbM9  Start it at 8:30, turn your volume up and pay more attention to the words and actions of the members who are OFF mic, rather than the ones who are ON-mic, right up to the point where Ms Galatzan says, "Jeff, I'm confused."

BY ANNIE GILBERTSON |  PASS / FAIL | 89.3 KPCC HTTP://BIT.LY/1JBGMXU

ipad FRANCE-EDUCATION-SCHOOL-TECHNOLOGIES
FREDERICK FLORIN/AFP/Getty Images
May 21st, 2014, 5:38pm  ::  The architect tossed off a Los Angeles Unified School District oversight committee Tuesday is fighting to be reinstated.

The school board voted to remove Stuart Magruder, an outspoken critic of the district's iPad program, from a list of renewal appointments on the committee that oversees how bond funds are spent. Those voter-approved bonds have been the principal funding source for Superintendent John Deasy's $1 billion one-to-one tablet initiative.

School officials have said bond funds can be spent on technology upgrades.

But Magruder said voters clearly meant for the $19 billion loans to be used to maintain and build schools, not to buy "the modern equivalent of pencils and paper." He said his ouster was political retribution.

"It drastically calls into question the independence of the committee," he said in an interview.

On Wednesday, the American Institute of Architects asked the school board — nicely — to reconsider his reappointment, given that the committee's founding documents give the institute to a guaranteed seat on the committee.

"According to the charter memorandum of understanding, the school board shall appointment one member nominated by the American Institute of Architects Los 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: “If you don’t like the criticism, fire the critic 2!”: OUSTED OPPONENT OF LA SCHOOLS iPAD FIGHTS TO REGAIN SEAT ON OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE:

SKrashen: In education, satire is obsolete (Alfie Kohn)

SKrashen: In education, satire is obsolete (Alfie Kohn):



In education, satire is obsolete (Alfie Kohn)




Quite a few people who reacted to my post (see below) thought it was real. It wasn't. It was an attempt at satire. Part of its failure was my fault, for not making it clear that it was satire. And part was the situation we are now living in, a situation so bizarre that this kind of announcement is believable. The reaction confirms Alfie Kohn's statement: In education, satire is now obsolete.
The post was inspired by the news that 69% of Californians said they liked the Common Core standards after hearing a brief statement about them. The statement said only that they "are designed to ensure that students graduating from high school have the knowledge and skills they need to enter college programs or the workforce." I'm surprised anybody would object.
I owe more than a hat-tip to Andy Borowitz, who writes amazing political satire. Follow him on borowitzreport.com.

OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR THE COMMON CORE!!!
There is now no doubt: Americans overwhelmingly support the common core. In a poll organized by the Pearson Publishing Company, 96% strongly agreed with the statement, "Schools should teach important things." By a wide margin, those surveyed also agreed that "teachers should help students learn stuff."
Education Secretary Arne Duncan announed that "This poll is a real-game changer. Despite the complaints of nay-sayers, the public has finally got the SKrashen: In education, satire is obsolete (Alfie Kohn):

Children, schools, teachers, pensions, hotels, basketball, real estate, stocks, hedge funds and everything else where money can be made corruptly. | Reclaim Reform

Children, schools, teachers, pensions, hotels, basketball, real estate, stocks, hedge funds and everything else where money can be made corruptly. | Reclaim Reform:



Children, schools, teachers, pensions, hotels, basketball, real estate, stocks, hedge funds and everything else where money can be made corruptly.

This is NOT about political parties and ideological differences. This is about children, schools, teachers, pensions, hotels, basketball, real estate, stocks, hedge funds and everything else where money can be made corruptly.
Who are the players in the wholesale destruction of public schools, public services and all forms of democratic government?
Billionaire Kenneth Griffin, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D), ex-Mayor Richard M. Daley (D), convicted felon and ex-Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich (D), New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R), Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney (R), Political Propagandist Karl Rove (R), Illinois Governor Pat Quinn (D), billionaire Illinois republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner (R) and a list of outwardly diverse players who in reality serve the American Gods of Greed – including the Koch Brothers.
Rahm Emanuel Ken Griffin together
“Keep in mind–TIFs divert property tax dollars from public schools that are so dead broke many of them can’t afford to buy basic supplies, like toilet paper. Moreover, the mayor is earmarking money to build the Marriott at the very moment he says he has to jack up property taxes and cut payments to pensioners because the city can’t afford to make good on its pension obligations.”
“In short, the city claims it doesn’t have money for its school children or retirees, but it somehow has plenty of cash to enrich a hotel corporation – one that just so happens to be part owned by the hedge fund of the mayor’s largest contributors.”

Nite Cap 5-22-14 #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 CAP




Newark Students Occupy School Board Meeting | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity
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empathyeducates – Enforcing School Dress Codes Teaches Girls to be Ashamed, Not ‘Modest’
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Massachusetts Teachers Association Takes On High Stakes Tests, School Takeovers - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
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Morning Wink 5-22-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
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YESTERDAY

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 5-21-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
Nite Cap UPDATEUPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATECORPORATE ED REFORMwww.tomtorlakson.com/Ronald McDonald: Explain this to the children whose classrooms you visit.Outside McDonalds Headquarters in Oak Brook, IL – an affluent suburb of Chicago – fast-food workers and their supporters are arrested and treated like enemy combatants in a foreign country by warrior uniformed police. Insane over-reaction to a r
Is Cami leaving? | Bob Braun's Ledger
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One Valuable History Lesson: an open letter | Reclaim Reform
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Nite Cap 5-21-14 #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 CAPBREAKING NEWS!!!! FARINA WANTED ATR's DONE AWAY WITH!! southbronxschool.comhttp://www.southbronxschool.com: BREAKING NEWS!!!! FARINA WANTED ATR's DONE AWAY WITH!!Sources in Tweed shared starling news today with The Crack Team about how the negoti