Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 9/22/15





CORPORATE ED REFORM





Feds Admit U.S. Education Department ‘Forced’ States To Accept Common Core From Its Start - Breitbart
Feds Admit U.S. Education Department ‘Forced’ States To Accept Common Core From Its Start - Breitbart: FEDS ADMIT U.S. EDUCATION DEPARTMENT ‘FORCED’ STATES TO ACCEPT COMMON CORE FROM ITS STARTIn a remarkable admission, the former director of the Race to the Top (RttT) competitive grant program and chief of staff to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan says the federal government “forced” full supp
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Advanced Learning: Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Advanced Learning: Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here: Advanced Learning: Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter HereSPS put out a press release about Advanced Learning and testing.  The Board is due to vote on acceptance of the latest AL plan to OSPI at the Board meeting tomorrow night (and it's not even being discussed - it's on the Consent Agenda).After you read this thr
This is How We Win on Vimeo
This is How We Win on Vimeo: This is How We Win from Tracey Noelle Luz on Vimeo.This is How We Winfrom Tracey Noelle Luz PRO 4 days ago / via Adobe Media Encoder CC / Creative Commons License: by ALL AUDIENCESPublic education is a right. The move to Charter Schools in Newark and elsewhere -- whether intended or not -- is destroying public school systems.This story needs to be told -- especially t
New Mexico’s Teacher Evaluation Lawsuit Underway: Day Two | VAMboozled!
New Mexico’s Teacher Evaluation Lawsuit Underway: Day Two | VAMboozled!: New Mexico’s Teacher Evaluation Lawsuit Underway: Day TwoFollowing up on my most recent post, about the “Lawsuit in New Mexico Challenging [the] State’s Teacher Evaluation System,” I testified yesterday for four hours regarding the state’s new teacher evaluation model. As noted in both articles linked to below, I positioned t
Progressive Education Fellows | The Progressive
Progressive Education Fellows | The Progressive: Progressive Education Fellows Introducing the 2015 “Progressive Education Fellows,” an online gathering of prominent advocates, activists, thinkers, and writers in the progressive education movement.The Fellows come together at a critical time for public education in the United States. Not since the Civil-Rights-era battles over school desegregation
Dale Russakoff's The Prize and How Corporate School Reform Failed in Newark | John Thompson
Dale Russakoff's The Prize and How Corporate School Reform Failed in Newark | John Thompson: Dale Russakoff's The Prize and How Corporate School Reform Failed in NewarkDale Russakoff's The Prize is a wonderful account of the way that Cory Booker, Chris Christie, Christopher Cerf, Cami Anderson and other corporate reformers largely squandered the $200 million opportunity created by Facebook's Mark
School Board attorney takes issue with property opinion from charter’s lawyer | The Lens
School Board attorney takes issue with property opinion from charter’s lawyer | The Lens: School Board attorney takes issue with property opinion from charter’s lawyerThe Orleans Parish School Board’s property lawyers are at odds with a charter school’s lawyers regarding a legal memo given to the charter two weeks before it bought a School Board building.In the April 21 legal memo, which The Lens
Mission Accomplished – Dem Party's Colonialism takes down country’s only big city Puerto Rican Mayor - Wait What?
Mission Accomplished – Dem Party's Colonialism takes down country’s only big city Puerto Rican Mayor - Wait What?: Mission Accomplished – Dem Party’s Colonialism takes down country’s only big city Puerto Rican MayorDemocrat Governor Dannel Malloy, Malloy’s entourage of neoliberals and Connecticut’s Democratic Establishment are doing the Happy Dance today with the news that their plan to install Gr
Zimmer accuses Broad charter plan of strategy to 'bring down' LAUSD - LA School Report
Zimmer accuses Broad charter plan of strategy to 'bring down' LAUSD - LA School Report: Zimmer accuses Broad charter plan of strategy to ‘bring down’ LAUSDSteve Zimmer, president of the LA Unified school board, said today that plans by Eli Broad and other philanthropists to expand the number of charter schools in the district represents “a strategy to bring down LAUSD that leaves 250,000 kids vuln
The Seattle Educators’ Strike for Social Justice | I AM AN EDUCATOR
The Seattle Educators’ Strike for Social Justice | I AM AN EDUCATOR:The Seattle Educators’ Strike for Social JusticeOn Sunday evening, thousands of Seattle Education Association members gathered in a general membership meeting and voted to approve a new contract with the Seattle Public Schools. This vote officially ended the strike by Seattle educators, which began on September 10, 2015, and inter
The Progressive Launches New Project to Defend Public Education: Progressive Education Fellows | The Progressive
The Progressive Launches New Project to Defend Public Education: Progressive Education Fellows | The Progressive: The Progressive Launches New Project to Defend Public Education: Progressive Education FellowsANNOUNCING OUR 2015 PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION FELLOWS!A fundamental struggle for democracy is going on behind the scenes in statehouses around the country, as a handful of wealthy individuals and
Shavar Jeffries and the color of education ‘reform’ - The Washington Post
Shavar Jeffries and the color of education ‘reform’ - The Washington Post: Shavar Jeffries and the color of education ‘reform’Shavar Jeffries took over last week as president of Democrats for Education Reform, the national group that represents the wing of the Democratic Party that has embraced public charter schools, merit pay, mayoral control of urban school districts and other measures at odds
CURMUDGUCATION: OH: 200 Failed Charters
CURMUDGUCATION: OH: 200 Failed Charters: OH: 200 Failed ChartersWhen the Washington State supreme court ruled charters unconstitutional just before the school year started, charter fans were outraged. "How can you just toss those charter students into the street? How can you destabilize their educational life?" That's a legitimate complaint. But if charter boosters feel that way about th
Where Are All the Black Male Teachers? - NEA Today
Where Are All the Black Male Teachers? - NEA Today: Where Are All the Black Male Teachers?As minority children have become a majority in public schools, districts struggle to build a diverse educator workforce.These days, the teaching profession can be a hard sell. It’s a fact made even more apparent as districts nationwide struggle to fill vacancies, and as some look to place Black male and other
What Is 'Public' Education? - Bridging Differences - Education Week
What Is 'Public' Education? - Bridging Differences - Education Week: What Is 'Public' Education? Dear Harry and friends,It's good to get back to a schedule with deadlines.  After a lifetime of deadlines this retirement life is sometimes harder to enjoy than it ought to be. Harry Boyte is a very old friend, although not as old as I am.  We've always been sort of on the same page but coming to it fr
Schools must teach that black lives matter - The Hechinger Report
Schools must teach that black lives matter - The Hechinger Report: Schools must teach that black lives matterThere is nothing wrong with black folk that ending racism can’t solveKhalilah Harris, Deputy Director of the White House Initiative for Educational Excellence for African Americans (right) with Anita Sewell, 19, creator of the Souls of Black Girls.NeW ORLEANS — Let’s get something straight;
NYC Educator: There are No Oversized Apples for Oversized Classes
NYC Educator: There are No Oversized Apples for Oversized Classes: There are No Oversized Apples for Oversized ClassesThis Apple Will Probably Never Make it to a Teacher's Desk...Ed. "reformers" believe that branding teachers as "ineffective" is the single most important way to improve educational outcomes.  Although driving away experienced teachers with seniority and burgeoni
Has America Decided to Educate Promising Children and Leave the Rest Behind? | janresseger
Has America Decided to Educate Promising Children and Leave the Rest Behind? | janresseger: Has America Decided to Educate Promising Children and Leave the Rest Behind?In what seems to me the most chilling moment in The Prize, Dale Russakoff’s new book (discussed in yesterday’s post here) about the catastrophic five-year school reform experiment imposed by Mayor Cory Booker, Governor Chris Christi
Dismantling an Unstable Discipline: Education without Foundation | the becoming radical
Dismantling an Unstable Discipline: Education without Foundation | the becoming radical: Dismantling an Unstable Discipline: Education without Foundation“Whether we are willing to admit the role or not,” Lou LaBrant wrote in 1943, “schools cannot escape responsibility for some share in determining whether the peace which comes will last” (p. 225).As the U.S. approached the mid-twentieth century—af
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Behind Rauner's call to 'end unfunded mandates'
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Behind Rauner's call to 'end unfunded mandates': Behind Rauner's call to 'end unfunded mandates'Rauner and SmithUnfunded mandates. I hate 'em. Schools and school districts hate 'em.It didn't take our demagogic, education-know-nothing governor, with help from his much-smarter State Supt. Tony Smith, very long to figure that out and issue a call to end all unfunded man
In Chicago, Students From Low-Income Neighborhoods Commute to Local School More Than Wealthier Peers - CityLab
In Chicago, Students From Low-Income Neighborhoods Commute to Local School More Than Wealthier Peers - CityLab: When It Comes to School Choices, It's a Privilege to Have FewerWhile a range of options might seem like a plus, there are costs.It’s no secret that public school funding comes largely from local property taxes —a model that has produced, in the words of the social-justice writer Jonathan
I asked if Obama, Duncan know the impact of their teacher evaluation policies. This is their answer. - The Washington Post
I asked if Obama, Duncan know the impact of their teacher evaluation policies. This is their answer. - The Washington Post: I asked if Obama, Duncan know the impact of their teacher evaluation policies. This is their answer.President Obama delivers remarks next to Secretary of Education in 2013. (YURI GRIPAS/REUTERS )A focus of the Obama administration’s education reform effort has been the remaki
5 years after Facebook pledge, Newark schools struggle - Yahoo News
5 years after Facebook pledge, Newark schools struggle - Yahoo News: 5 years after Facebook pledge, Newark schools struggleNEWARK, N.J. (AP) — When Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg appeared on Oprah Winfrey's show five years ago this week to announce a $100 million donation to remake education in Newark, it was presented as an effort to make a struggling city a national model for turning around ur
The fight for Dyett will go on #FightForDyett
The fight for Dyett will go on | SocialistWorker.org: The fight for Dyett will go onCoalition to Revitalize Dyett spokesperson Jitu Brown speaks at Operation PUSH (Bob Simpson)After 34 days, a group of parents, teachers and community activists who had been on hunger strike to demand the establishment of a new neighborhood school in a former Chicago high school closed down by the city announced an
$490-million plan would put half of LAUSD students in charter schools - LA Times
$490-million plan would put half of LAUSD students in charter schools - LA Times: $490-million plan would put half of LAUSD students in charter schoolsitics of Los Angeles public schools have outlined an ambitious $490-million plan to place half of the city's students into charter schools over the next eight years, a controversial gambit that backers hope will serve as a catalyst for the rest of t
After debate, Regents pass teacher-evaluation rules
After debate, Regents pass teacher-evaluation rules:After debate, Regents pass teacher-evaluation rulesThe state Board of Regents passed a revamped set of rules Wednesday for New York's new system of evaluating teachers, but promised to pen a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state lawmakers outlining their many concerns.The Regents, the state's education policymakers, voted 10-6 in favor of the new

YESTERDAY

How we got the Common Core Standards: Federal Manipulation Through Race to the Top | Seattle Education
How we got the Common Core Standards: Federal Manipulation Through Race to the Top | Seattle Education: How we got the Common Core Standards: Federal Manipulation Through Race to the TopFrom the Truth in American Education, An admission of Federal manipulation through Race to the Top:Arne Duncan’s former chief of staff pulls back the curtain on Race to the TopWe couldn’t keep up with the enormous
Ed Notes Online: Eva Moskowitz Sept. 30 Rally Prelude to her Mayoral Campaign: Using Kids, Parents and Teachers Paid With Public Funds
Ed Notes Online: Eva Moskowitz Sept. 30 Rally Prelude to her Mayoral Campaign: Using Kids, Parents and Teachers Paid With Public Funds: Eva Moskowitz Sept. 30 Rally Prelude to her Mayoral Campaign: Using Kids, Parents and Teachers Paid With Public FundsLeaked Success Academy memo: tell parents rally is not political... Upcoming charter Sept. 30 anti-de Blasio rally is blatant misuse - theft of pub
Systems Thinking: Seeing How Everything is Connected | Creative by Nature
Systems Thinking: Seeing How Everything is Connected | Creative by Nature: Systems Thinking: Seeing How Everything is Connected“People normally cut reality into compartments, and so are unable to see the interdependence of all phenomena. To see one in all and all in one is to break through the great barrier which narrows one’s perception of reality.” ~Thich Nhat HanhNowadays, most people seem to b
It doesn’t look good for Newark’s neighborhood schools | Bob Braun's Ledger
It doesn’t look good for Newark’s neighborhood schools | Bob Braun's Ledger: It doesn’t look good for Newark’s neighborhood schoolsThe committee that is supposed to figure out how the state will give up control of the Newark schools after 20 years has scheduled its first public meeting Wednesday night (Sept. 23).  The  “Newark Educational Success Board” (NESB)– established in a deal between Gov. C
Raw Scores, Scaled Scores, and Louisiana’s PARCC-ish Tests | deutsch29
Raw Scores, Scaled Scores, and Louisiana’s PARCC-ish Tests | deutsch29: Raw Scores, Scaled Scores, and Louisiana’s PARCC-ish TestsA number of Louisiana parents are insisting that the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) release raw score information on the PARCC-sort-of test that it administered in spring 2015 to students in grades 3 through 8.I agree that parents have the right to know their
Another Opt Out Message Being Hijacked - UNITED OPT OUT: The Movement to End Corporate Education Reform
Another Opt Out Message Being Hijacked - UNITED OPT OUT: The Movement to End Corporate Education Reform: Another Opt Out Message Being HijackedIn August 2015 the National Association of State Boards of Educators (NASBE) created a handy dandy chart entitled “Opt Out Guidance” for all fifty states. How wonderful of them. Their chart was highlighted in a recent Washington Post article and seems to be
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 9/21/15
CORPORATE ED REFORMCURMUDGUCATION: Time To BreatheCURMUDGUCATION: Time To Breathe: Time To BreatheI looked over the brink today. For a moment, I wanted to throw stones at a teachable moment.Context. Not an excuse, but context.My building has been in a state of flux for the last few years. This is not all bad news-- we have made some moves that have removed toxic elements from the life of the schoo