Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, March 23, 2015

Not My Daughter – One Dad’s Journey to Protect His Little Girl from Toxic Testing - Badass Teachers Association

Badass Teachers Association:



Not My Daughter – One Dad’s Journey to Protect His Little Girl from Toxic Testing

 By:  Steven Singer

Originally posted on his blog:  https://gadflyonthewallblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/20/not-my-daughter-one-dads-journey-to-protect-his-little-girl-from-toxic-testing/
FATHERS-AND-DAUGHTERS
I’ll admit it – I was scared.
I’m a nationally board certified teacher with a masters degree in education. I’ve taught public school for over a dozen years. But I’ve only been a daddy for half that time.
Would making this call get my little girl in trouble?
I didn’t want to rock the boat. I didn’t want my daughter to suffer because her old man is making a fuss. I didn’t want her teachers and principal giving her a hard time because of something I did.
But I couldn’t deny what I know.
Standardized testing is destroying public education. It’s stressing kids out by demanding they perform at levels they aren’t developmentally ready to reach. And its using these false measures of proficiency to “prove” how bad public schools are so they can be replaced by for-profit charters that will reduce the quality of kids’ educations to generate profits.
No. There was no doubt about it. I had to make this phone call.
I used my most professional voice on the line with the principal.
“Hi, Mr. Smith. This is Steven Singer. I’m Amy’s father. I know she’s just in kindergarten but it’s come to my attention she’s taking standardized tests, and I’d like to opt her out.”
Before my little girl started school, I hadn’t even realized there were standardized tests in kindergarten. She takes both the DIBELS and the GRADE test.
He seemed surprised, even a bit fearful, but he quickly suggested a meeting with me, my daughter’s teacher, the councilor and a few others to get it done.
It was my turn to be surprised. I had expected to be asked to review the tests before writing a formal letter citing my “religious” reason for refusal. But I guess things are different before students reach third grade. Without legislation mandating a formal process, we needed to meet and discuss like adults.
And a few weeks later, here I was waiting for that meeting to begin.
It wasn’t long before my daughter’s teacher arrived. We chatted briefly about a fire drill and how my sweetheart hadn’t been afraid. Then the councilor, principal and others came in and ushered us into the conference room.
Most of the space was taken up by a long rectangular table surrounded by black leather chairs on wheels. It looked like the kind of place where important decisions are made – a bit imposing really.
We sat down and Mr. Smith introduced me to the team and told them I Badass Teachers Association:

Thar's Gold in Them Thar Charter Schools: Walton and Gates Foundations Edition | The Range: The Tucson Weekly's Daily Dispatch | Tucson Weekly

Thar's Gold in Them Thar Charter Schools: Walton and Gates Foundations Edition | The Range: The Tucson Weekly's Daily Dispatch | Tucson Weekly:



Thar's Gold in Them Thar Charter Schools: Walton and Gates Foundations Edition



COURTESY OF PHOTOSPIN


 When the Walton Foundation—the ultra conservative WalMart fortune foundation which pours close to two hundred million a year into "education reform"—teams up with the Gates Foundation—Bill Gates' reasonably apolitical foundation which believes that every problem has a business model solution and also spends hundreds of millions on education initiatives—to put on a conference about education, it's worth taking notice. On March 10, the two groups hosted  "Bonds and Blackboards: Investing in Charter Schools" in New York. The purpose of the get-together was to let investors know they can make money lending to charter schools.

With the explicit intent of helping investors "Learn and understand the value of investing in charter schools and best practices for assessing their credit," the event featured experts on charter school investing from Standard & Poor's, Piper Jaffray, Bank of America, and Wells Capital Management, among others.

[snip]

Hedge funds and other private businesses are particularly interested in the growth and success of charter schools. The growth of charter networks around the US offer new revenue streams for investing, and the sector is quickly growing. Funding for charter schools is further incentivized by generous tax credits for investments to charter schools in underserved areas.

"It's a very stable business, very recession resistant, it's a high demand product. There are 400,000 kids on waiting lists for charter schools ... the industry is growing about 12-14% a year," David Brain, former President and CEO at EPR Properties, told CNBC in 2012.

"It's a public payer, the state is the payer on this category," he added in support of the highly safe investing opportunities in charter schools.
As safe as an investment in charter schools may be, Ducey and the AZ Lege want to make it safer still by creating a $24 million pot of collateral, which Ducey calls the "Arizona Public School Achievement District plan," to guarantee the loans. Details about the plan have not yet been announced, but if I read it right, it's a win-win for charter schools and investors. The only ones at risk are Arizona taxpayers. The collateral brings down interest costs because the loans are secured. Great for charters. Investors know they'll get their money no matter what. Great for investors. But if a charter fails, the state is left paying off the loan and holding the bag. Not so great for the state budget and the taxpayers who fund it.Thar's Gold in Them Thar Charter Schools: Walton and Gates Foundations Edition | The Range: The Tucson Weekly's Daily Dispatch | Tucson Weekly:




PARCC postponed as N.J. school district's network 'held hostage' for bitcoins | NJ.com

PARCC postponed as N.J. school district's network 'held hostage' for bitcoins | NJ.com:

PARCC postponed as N.J. school district's network 'held hostage' for bitcoins








 Swedesboro-Woolwich school district's entire computer system network was hacked over the weekend preventing its four elementary schools from administering the PARCC exams.

The school district's technical services operators noticed the problem Saturday morning and have been working throughout the weekend and into Monday to correct it, according to Superintendent Terry Van Zoeren.
"There's basically no tech service happening in Swedesboro-Woolwich right now," he said. "Essentially our network has been taken over and has been made nonoperational."
The hackers have asked the school district to send bitcoins in order to free up their system.
This has affected the district's entire operations from internal and external communications to its point-of-sale for school lunches.
It also has prevented any students from taking the scheduled PARCC exams, which are entirely computerized.
"We are operating as if it's about 1981 again," Van Zoeren said. The network administrator received a message with complex directions to forward $500 in bitcoins -- a digital currency popular on underground online markets.
Technicians are working to rebuild Swedesboro-Woolwich's system without paying the ransom, and the district is hoping it will be fixed by Tuesday morning.
While it can often be very difficult to find out who is responsible for hacking into the system, the district will pursue the culprits "to the greatest extent possiblePARCC postponed as N.J. school district's network 'held hostage' for bitcoins | NJ.com:

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 3/23/15


Special Nite Cap - Catch Up on Today's Post 3/23/15


Special Nite Cap 

CORPORATE ED REFORM


After-school, summer program funding threatened | EdSource
After-school, summer program funding threatened | EdSource:After-school, summer program funding threatened Advocates for after-school programs will be holding a national summit in Los Angeles on Tuesday to build opposition to a plan to eliminate $1.15 billion in federal funding for after-school and summer programs.U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, has proposed ending 21st Century Community L
The cult-like religion of corporate education reform
The cult-like religion of corporate education reform: The cult-like religion of corporate education reform Recently I've seen some interesting, puzzling news items about education wherein the principal players seem to cast logic to the wind and fall back on irrational opinions like medieval peasants.Like those parents in New York who are angry about the fact that their school just ended homework f
Have You Any Decency? What Every American Needs to Know About High Stakes Testing and the Latest Threat to Civil Liberties | Yohuru Williams
Have You Any Decency? What Every American Needs to Know About High Stakes Testing and the Latest Threat to Civil Liberties | Yohuru Williams: Have You Any Decency? What Every American Needs to Know About High Stakes Testing and the Latest Threat to Civil Liberties Education bloggers revealed that the company retained by testing giant Pearson, to ensure the integrity of its assessments, has been mo
CAASPP Communications Toolkit Smarter Balanced Summative Assessment - (CA Dept of Education)
CAASPP Communications Toolkit - California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System (CA Dept of Education): CAASPP Communications ToolkitThe CAASPP Communications Toolkit is a link to Smarter Balanced Summative Assessment resources, including communications and key informational documents to inform schools, families, and community representatives about online summative testin
Testing thought experiment | Deborah Meier on Education
Testing thought experiment | Deborah Meier on Education: Testing thought experimentPosted on March 23, 2015 by debmeierDear Readers,Let’s do a “what if” experiment. Supposing that all the poor and Black and Hispanic children surprised us all and got scores more or less equal to (or even better!) than their richer and whiter peers on the spring tests.If you imagine there would be celebrations galor
Elementary school teachers: How PARCC testing is affecting our classrooms - The Washington Post
Elementary school teachers: How PARCC testing is affecting our classrooms - The Washington Post: Elementary school teachers: How PARCC testing is affecting our classroomsWith the spring standardized testing season under way, we are hearing from a growing number of teachers, principals and even superintendents who are speaking out about the negative effects of high-stakes testing on teaching and le
This Is Not A Test, New York Edition [Thanks, NYCoRE] | The Jose Vilson
This Is Not A Test, New York Edition [Thanks, NYCoRE] | The Jose Vilson:This Is Not A Test, New York Edition [Thanks, NYCoRE] JOSE VILSON MARCH 23, 2015 JOSE LEAVE A COMMENTFirst, let me thank the New York Coalition of Radical Educators for putting me on. When they originally asked me to come on, they wanted me to do “This Is Not A Test,” the poem, but the urgency of now called. Without further de
Rahm Emanuel 'traded political favours with Rod Blagojevich' - ‪#‎Chuy2015‬ ‪#‎imwithchuy‬
Rahm Emanuel 'traded political favours with Rod Blagojevich' - Telegraph: Rahm Emanuel 'traded political favours with Rod Blagojevich'Rahm Emanuel, President Barack Obama's chief of staff, traded political favours with Rod Blagojevich, the former Illinois governor, in 2006 while he was a congressman, according to leaked emails. By Michele Walk in Washington11:38PM BST 22 Jun 2010Mr Emanuel publish
People Are Pissed at Pearson | Alan Singer
People Are Pissed at Pearson | Alan Singer: People Are Pissed at Pearson Sir Michael Barber, Pearson's chief educational officer, actually became a British knight in 2005 for his role in leading marketplace "educational reform" in Great Britain. I suspect if he were good in math they would have made him a count. Barber apparently can't decide whether Pearson is leading a global Renaissan
De-Professionalizing Teachers in the Age of Accountability | educarenow
De-Professionalizing Teachers in the Age of Accountability | educarenow: De-Professionalizing Teachers in the Age of Accountability Teacher/student/activist Cory Steeves has done an important analysis of the discourse of “21st Century” education reform in (De/Re)-Constructing Teachers and Their Work: A Discourse Analysis of British Columbia’s 21st-century Policy Agenda. His work covers a lot of gr
Messer/Polis Student Privacy Bill Protects Commercial Interests of Vendors not Kids | Student Privacy Matters
Messer/Polis Student Privacy Bill Protects Commercial Interests of Vendors not Kids | Student Privacy Matters: MESSER/POLIS STUDENT PRIVACY BILL PROTECTS COMMERCIAL INTERESTS OF VENDORS NOT KIDSContact: Rachael Stickland, 303-204-1272, info@studentprivacymatters.orgLeonie Haimson, 917-435-9329, leoniehaimson@gmail.comwww.studentprivacymatters.orgdMesser/Polis Student Privacy Bill ProtectsCommercia
Reporting About Reporting….. | Taking Note
Reporting About Reporting….. | Taking Note: Reporting About Reporting I had planned to devote time to Alexander Russo’s critique of my reporting for the PBS NewsHour about students “opting out” of the Common Core States Standards tests. However, we have too much going on [1] for me to spend excessive time looking back.So, quickly, here’s the backstory: Alexander emailed education reporters to say
Most Important Election of 2015: Chuy Garcia's People's Campaign Versus Rahm Emanuel's Big Money ‪#‎Chuy2015‬ ‪#‎imwithchuy‬
Most Important Election of 2015: Chuy Garcia's People's Campaign Versus Rahm Emanuel's Big Money | Mike Lux: Most Important Election of 2015: Chuy Garcia's People's Campaign Versus Rahm Emanuel's Big Money Every so often, a local election comes along that has enormous implications in terms of the national political narrative. Back in the 1980s, Harold Washington's stunning upset of the Daley machi
Why Are We Facing So Many "Under-the-Radar" Corporate Attacks on Oklahoma Public Schools? | John Thompson
Why Are We Facing So Many "Under-the-Radar" Corporate Attacks on Oklahoma Public Schools? | John Thompson: Why Are We Facing So Many "Under-the-Radar" Corporate Attacks on Oklahoma Public Schools?The previous blockbuster discovery for Oklahoma City and Tulsa schools was SB 68, the "under-the-radar" bill to authorize cities to compete with school systems in sponsoring
New student data privacy bill in Congress does little to protect privacy — analysis - The Washington Post
New student data privacy bill in Congress does little to protect privacy — analysis - The Washington Post: New student data privacy bill in Congress does little to protect privacy — analysis Two U.S. legislators just introduced a bill in the House that they say is aimed at limiting the way education technology companies can use data that they collect about students from kindergarten through the 12
Pearson Priority 1 Alert: Maryland students accused of using Twitter to cheat on test - Yahoo News
Maryland students accused of using Twitter to cheat on test - Yahoo News:Maryland students accused of using Twitter to cheat on test(Reuters) - Two Maryland high school students have been accused of using Twitter to cheat on Common Core state standardized tests, officials said on Monday.A security firm hired by the test company to search social media including Twitter, Instagram and Facebook found
Are we really at a ‘new low in the teacher wars’? - The Washington Post
Are we really at a ‘new low in the teacher wars’? - The Washington Post:Are we really at a ‘new low in the teacher wars’?Robert Pianta, dean of the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, recently wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post blasting critics of a multimillion-dollar initiative by the Obama administration to rate colleges of education. Serving as a cheerleader for the Edu
Common Core and White Privilege: The Claim With a Long Internet Life - State EdWatch - Education Week
Common Core and White Privilege: The Claim With a Long Internet Life - State EdWatch - Education Week: Common Core and White Privilege: The Claim With a Long Internet LifeBy Andrew Ujifusa on March 23, 2015 7:57 AMAs recent polling about misperceptions surrounding the Common Core State Standards has revealed, there's a lot of heated rhetoric on offer in the discussion about the standards, as there
Cameras in the Classroom: Is Big Brother Evaluating You? - NEA Today
Cameras in the Classroom: Is Big Brother Evaluating You? - NEA Today: Cameras in the Classroom: Is Big Brother Evaluating You?Video technology can improve safety and classroom practice, but using it to spy and find 'bad teachers' should be a non-starter.— JANUARY 23, 2015 • BY TIM WALKER —In January 2014, sixteen video cameras were delivered to the Washington County School District in Tennessee, o
History and logic to the rescue in reauthorizing No Child Left Behind | TheHill
History and logic to the rescue in reauthorizing No Child Left Behind | TheHill: History and logic to the rescue in reauthorizing No Child Left Behind More than a dozen years after it was reauthorized as the No Child Left Behind Act, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is under hot debate.  Why the heat?  Although the act has boosted student achievement (a major goal), not all students demo
Defending public education. — “The Chicago Public Education Blues”
Defending public education. — “The Chicago Public Education Blues”:  “The Chicago Public Education Blues” <7 links="">Steve Horn, “Chicago School Closings and the Joyce Foundation: The Obama Connection”, Mint Press News, July 9, 2013http://www.mintpressnews.com/a-closer-look-at-the-joyce-foundation-shows-obamas-ties-to-chicago-school-privatizations/164972/Carol Caref, et.al., “The Black & Whit
PARCC exams: Following the money behind N.J.'s costliest test | NJ.com
PARCC exams: Following the money behind N.J.'s costliest test | NJ.com: PARCC exams: Following the money behind N.J.'s costliest test Question: How much will New Jersey taxpayers spend to implement the new PARCC standardized tests in the state's public schools?(A) $25 per student(B) $22 million(C) $108 million(D) No one knowsThe answer, according to state officials, is all of the above. New Jersey
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 3/22/15
Special Nite Cap Catch Up on Today's Post 3/22/15Special Nite Cap CORPORATE ED REFORMPeg with Pen: Littleton Public Schools, Colorado: Will You Stand on the Right Side of History?Peg with Pen: Littleton Public Schools, Colorado: Will You Stand on the Right Side of History?: Littleton Public Schools, Colorado: Will You Stand on the Right Side of History?Last Thursday night I addressed the Littleton




2015 National Conference – Chicago

The Countdown to Chicago Has Begun!

The Network For Public Education | 2015 National Conference – Chicago