Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, January 30, 2016

Two Former New Orleans Charter Principals Exploited SPED Students for Money, Among Other Issues | deutsch29

Two Former New Orleans Charter Principals Exploited SPED Students for Money, Among Other Issues | deutsch29:

Two Former New Orleans Charter Principals Exploited SPED Students for Money, Among Other Issues

The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) does not systematically and regularly audit its state-run schools. No entity does. In fact, the only way for an audit to happen is via whistleblowing– for some irregularity to be brought (often) first to public attention– and then the state or the Recovery School District (RSD) might step into action.
But not until fraud has already been perpetrated.
LDOE and RSD are fine with this tipster-induced means of “accountability.”
Those who drool to emulate New Orleans’ RSD ought to dry their chins and take note.
Below is the story of a New Orleans charter school, ReNew SciTech Academy, and how two principals, Tim Hearin and Alex Perez– who abruptly resigned in May 2015– cheated on tests and inflated special education funding so that their school would get more state funding, a better school grade, and impress an outside funder.
(For readers wanting more, see nola.com writer Danielle Dreilinger’s excellent account.)
On January 29, 2016, LDOE sent this 88-page report to ReNew Board Chair Brian Weimer. Here is how the report begins:
Dear Mr. Weimer,
This letter represents a Notice of Breach of the Charter School Performance Compact for failure to comply with several Special Education critical indicators as outlined below and committed violations related to state testing procedures.
On June 1st, 2015, the Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) was made aware that SciTech Academy’s Head of School and the Principal had resigned 
Two Former New Orleans Charter Principals Exploited SPED Students for Money, Among Other Issues | deutsch29:
 

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/30/15



CORPORATE ED REFORM





Sacramento City Unified wants to cut benefits in exchange for higher raises | The Sacramento Bee
Sacramento City Unified wants to cut benefits in exchange for higher raises | The Sacramento Bee: Sacramento City Unified wants to cut benefits in exchange for higher raises The Sacramento City Unified School District and its teachers union generally agree that their teachers deserve higher salaries, considering that counterparts in nearby districts receive larger paychecks on average.But there is
In a first, New York’s state ed commissioner will attend charter rally | Chalkbeat
In a first, New York’s state ed commissioner will attend charter rally | Chalkbeat: In a first, New York’s state ed commissioner will attend charter rally In a first, State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia will attend a rally held by charter-school advocates next week, officials confirmed Friday.The annual rally is smaller than the massive events that another pro-charter group, Families for E
When Test Scores Are Meaningless Why Subject Your Child to the Test? Missouri Education Watchdog
When Test Scores Are Meaningless Why Subject Your Child to the Test? It’s the “Why are Fire Trucks Red” Illustration. – Missouri Education Watchdog: When Test Scores Are Meaningless Why Subject Your Child to the Test? It’s the “Why are Fire Trucks Red” Illustration. Common sense and the rule of law long ago flew out the window when the Common Core State Standards Initiative was adopted before the
Assigning Letter Grades to Schools? The Danger of a Single Performance Indicator – The Progressive Educator
Assigning Letter Grades to Schools? The Danger of a Single Performance Indicator – The Progressive Educator: Assigning Letter Grades to Schools? The Danger of a Single Performance IndicatorWe recently published a commentary in Teachers College Record that revisits a topic we took up in 2014 – the decision by the Arkansas legislature to require the “grading” of schools.   You can read the first por
The Sub-Prime Education Crisis Part 2: It’s All About The Bubble - Badass Teachers Association
Badass Teachers Association: The Sub-Prime Education Crisis Part 2: It’s All About The BubbleBy Terri Michal Many people are asking themselves, what is happening that would lead elected officials from all over the country to create, and/or vote for, such harmful and anti-public school legislation?To understand it, I feel we need to take a step back and look at the larger machine at work. For a mom
Who is Dr. Marzano? – Save Maine Schools
Who is Dr. Marzano? – Save Maine Schools: Who is Dr. Marzano? Meet Dr. Robert Marzano.Dr. Marzano calls himself an education expert.  His specialities include competency-based education and teacher observation. He was never a teacher, but he’s done enough “research” to know what it takes to transform your classroom.(Sign up for more information on his website to can get more information, and a rep
Unions Can’t Just Be About What We’re Allowed to Do: Social Justice Unionism | gadflyonthewallblog
Unions Can’t Just Be About What We’re Allowed to Do: Social Justice Unionism | gadflyonthewallblog: Unions Can’t Just Be About What We’re Allowed to Do: Social Justice UnionismIf labor unions were an animal, they’d be an old hound dog napping on the porch.They’re slow to get up and chase away burglars but they do like to howl at night.Most of the time you don’t even know they’re around until the d
A Poisonous Approach to Governing | Common Dreams | Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community
A Poisonous Approach to Governing | Common Dreams | Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community: A Poisonous Approach to GoverningBand-Aid solutions such as the ones seen in Flint or the push to privatize advocated by ALEC and its corporate cronies stem from a larger crisis—inadequate federal fundingFlint resident Otis Powell, 56, sheds a tear as he stands in below-zero-degree temperat
An Epic Battle for Public Education: A Front Line View | LucidWitness.com
An Epic Battle for Public Education: A Front Line View | LucidWitness.com: An Epic Battle for Public Education: A Front Line View Governor Tom Wolf is battling for fair funding for Public Education. It’s an epic battle in Pennsylvania and part of the war on Public Education across America.  It involves us all.In spite of the facts that legislators have failed to propose an acceptable budget, and t
CURMUDGUCATION: CCSS: Safe and Secure
CURMUDGUCATION: CCSS: Safe and Secure: CCSS: Safe and Secure The Collaborative for Student Success is yet another Common Core shilling group, supported by folks like the Gates Foundation, the New Ventures Fund, and the Fordham. It has to be lonely over there, standing up for the Common Core when nobody will even mention its name unless they're paid to do so.Election Doesn't MatterLast week executi
New York City Rejects Federal Findings That Many Elementary Schools Defy Disabilities Law - The New York Times
New York City Rejects Federal Findings That Many Elementary Schools Defy Disabilities Law - The New York Times: New York City Rejects Federal Findings That Many Elementary Schools Defy Disabilities LawThe administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio, left, has taken issue with an investigation into access by disabled students at city schools by the office of Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in
Portland Public Schools shortchanges low-income students in classes and class time: Editorial Agenda 2016 | OregonLive.com
Portland Public Schools shortchanges low-income students in classes and class time: Editorial Agenda 2016 | OregonLive.com: Portland Public Schools shortchanges low-income students in classes and class timeAll sixth graders in Portland Public Schools take a test to measure readiness for algebra. But even those who pass might not be able to access the class at some schools. (Oregonian/OregonLive fi
NYC Educator: Eva Doesn't Need No Stinking Rules
NYC Educator: Eva Doesn't Need No Stinking Rules:Eva Doesn't Need No Stinking RulesEva Moskowitz is pissed off that mean old NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio is demanding she sign a contract over her pre-K classes. So what if 277 other pre-K programs have signed it? She's Eva Moskowitz, dammit, and rules don't apply to her. If you, a lowly public school teacher, made kids sit in chairs until they peed the
Kludge: A Metaphor for Technology Use in Schools | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
Kludge: A Metaphor for Technology Use in Schools | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Kludge: A Metaphor for Technology Use in SchoolsKludge(electronics engineering) An improvised device, usually crudely constructed. Typically used to test the validity of a principle before doing a finished design.(general) Any construction or practice, typically inelegant, designed to solve a pr
The Retroactive Lowering of the GED Cut Score | deutsch29
The Retroactive Lowering of the GED Cut Score | deutsch29: The Retroactive Lowering of the GED Cut ScoreOn January 20, 2016, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution carried a story about the possibility that the GED Testing Service would retroactively lower the cut score for passage of its revised GED.  That same day, EdWeek picked up the story, and on January 26, 2016, GED Testing Service confirmed that
Michael J. Kennedy, Lawyer for Underdogs and Pariahs, Dies at 78 - The New York Times
Michael J. Kennedy, Lawyer for Underdogs and Pariahs, Dies at 78 - The New York Times: Michael J. Kennedy, Lawyer for Underdogs and Pariahs, Dies at 78Mr. Kennedy, right, at a news conference in 1982 with his client Bernadine Dohrn and her fellow former Weathermen member William C. Ayers, whom Ms. Dorhn married that year.CreditDavid Handschuh/Associated Press Michael J. Kennedy, who as a criminal
Detroit Teachers Explain Why They’re ‘Sicking-Out’ - Yahoo News
Detroit Teachers Explain Why They’re ‘Sicking-Out’ - Yahoo News: Detroit Teachers Explain Why They’re ‘Sicking-Out’Thousands of people have fled the Detroit public schools, but Alise Anaya decides every day to do the opposite, commuting from the suburbs to teach in one city school and drop her children off at another.It's a surprising choice. Anaya grew up in Southwest Detroit, but many of the fam
Alfie Kohn: ‘Hand’s not raised? Too bad. I’m calling on you anyway’ - The Washington Post
‘Hand’s not raised? Too bad. I’m calling on you anyway’ - The Washington Post: ‘Hand’s not raised? Too bad. I’m calling on you anyway’Do you remember sitting in class, trying to be inconspicuous so that the teacher wouldn’t call on to answer a question you couldn’t answer, or were too shy to express yourself well in front of the class? Here’s a piece about the practice of calling on students who a
Buffalo teachers union rejects School Board’s offer of 10 percent raise - City & Region - The Buffalo News
Buffalo teachers union rejects School Board’s offer of 10 percent raise - City & Region - The Buffalo News: Buffalo teachers union rejects School Board’s offer of 10 percent raise The Buffalo Teachers Federation unanimously rejected the Board of Education’s latest contract proposal, which called for a 10 percent increase in teacher salaries.The BTF called the district’s offer “insulting and de
The Narrative Of School Failure And Why We Must Pay Attention To Segregation In Educational Policy | Shanker Institute
The Narrative Of School Failure And Why We Must Pay Attention To Segregation In Educational Policy | Shanker Institute: The Narrative Of School Failure And Why We Must Pay Attention To Segregation In Educational PolicyOur guest authors today are Kara S. Finnigan, Associate Professor at the Warner School of Education of the University of Rochester, and Jennifer Jellison Holme, Associate Professor a
Should Charter Schools Be Held to Desegregation Standards? | The Range Tucson Weekly
Should Charter Schools Be Held to Desegregation Standards? | The Range: The Tucson Weekly's Daily Dispatch | Tucson Weekly:Should Charter Schools Be Held to Desegregation Standards? Today's post in honor of School Choice Week: State proposals and lawsuits in Minnesota look at charter schools and desegregation. In general, segregation has increased in our public schools over the last few decades ar
Teach for America director out-raises union leader
Teach for America director out-raises union leader: Teach for America director out-raises union leaderCOLUMBUS — A Teach for America leader out-raised presumptive frontrunner Brigid Kelly in the second half of 2015 in an expensive, six-way primary to replace term-limited Rep. Denise Driehaus.Ben Lindy, founding executive director of Teach for America of Southwest Ohio, raised nearly $103,000 from
‘What passes for acceptable school choice rhetoric is frightening’ - The Washington Post
‘What passes for acceptable school choice rhetoric is frightening’ - The Washington Post: ‘What passes for acceptable school choice rhetoric is frightening’Supporters of charter schools rally at the Legislative Office Building on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016, in Albany, N.Y. Speakers at the rally said they’ll push lawmakers to increase funding for charters. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)This past week was Scho

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TBFURMAN: This Is How You Talk About The Gulen-Linked Charters
TBFURMAN: This Is How You Talk About The Gulen-Linked Charters: This Is How You Talk About The Gulen-Linked ChartersI'm trying to think of a place where he got it wrong, but I can't. He's basically right. We are now at a point where the conflict between Erdogan and Gulen is playing out in the board meetings of American public school districts. It seems pretty likely to me that when Gulenists move
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/29/15
CORPORATE ED REFORMBlack Michigan lawmakers demand that Rick Snyder fire Detroit school system appointeeBlack Michigan lawmakers demand that Rick Snyder fire Detroit school system appointee: Black Michigan lawmakers demand that Rick Snyder fire Detroit school system appointeeThe Michigan legislative black caucus voted on Friday to ask Governor Rick Snyder to fire Darnell Earley, the controversial