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SchoolsMatter Blog
Posted by Stephen Krashen Thursday, January 03, 2013
Hafiz,
14th century Sufi poet, comments on the Common Core:
"Dropping Keys
The small person
Builds cages for everyone
She
Sees.
Instead, the sage,
Who needs to duck her head,
When the moon is low,
Can be found dropping keys, all night long
For the beautiful,
Rowdy,
Prisoners."
(For this and other great quotes, see http://www.susanohanian.org/quotes.php)
Education
Week Spotlight Published Online: January 3, 2013
Ind. lawmakers seek decentralized school choices
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Two Republican state
senators announced Wednesday they will push measures to decentralize school
leadership in Indiana Carmel Indianapolis calls
for ending Indiana
Indiana
Senate Republicans website Jan. 2, 2013
State Sen. Mike Delph (R-Carmel) has filed Senate Bill 189
to reward academic excellence in Hoosier schools. This is the second year he
has brought this idea before the Indiana General Assembly, but the first time
as a stand-alone bill proposal. Delph’s
proposal would grant high-performing districts, such as Carmel
IndyPolitics January 3, 2012
Republican State Senator Scott Schneider of Indianapolis
has filed legislation that would force Indiana
In 2010, the State Board
of Education voted to adopt the Common Core State Standards as Indiana
Anti-Common Core Legislation Coming From Indiana
Ever since the defeat of a resolution opposing
the Common Core State Standards at the American
Legislative Exchange Council, a Washington-based conservative think tank
which ideologically might have been sympathetic with common standards foes, the
question for those foes has been where they would go from there. Without the
stamp of ALEC's influential approval, what would be their strategy?
Indiana Sen. Scott Schneider, a Republican, has
one straightforward strategy—he has proposed legislation that would require Indiana Indiana Indiana
The Backlash Against Common Core
American
School Board Journal By Lawrence
"Fewer. Clearer. Higher."
Those are the types of academic standards the Common Core State Standards Initiative has promised since its founding in 2009 by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). With 46 states participating, the math and language arts standards are being adopted with enthusiastic support -- and considerable funding -- from the Obama administration.
"Fewer. Clearer. Higher."
Those are the types of academic standards the Common Core State Standards Initiative has promised since its founding in 2009 by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). With 46 states participating, the math and language arts standards are being adopted with enthusiastic support -- and considerable funding -- from the Obama administration.
By the 2014-15 school
year, technologically sophisticated assessments -- developed by the Partnership
for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and the Smarter
Balanced Assessment Consortium -- will be introduced in schools across the
country. And finally, the U.S.
At least, that’s the
plan. But today, the path to implementing the Common Core is looking far more
complicated than the vaunted “fewer, clearer, higher” standards themselves.
Scholars, politicians, and educators are arguing about what impact, if any,
they will have on student achievement.
Hite will present his
blueprint for Philly schools Monday
Kristen A. Graham, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
POSTED: Thursday, January 3, 2013 , 9:09 PM
Coming Monday: a
blueprint for the William
R. Hite
Jr.-era Philadelphia
School District
Expect a focus on early
literacy, a call for more art and music classes, more students in advanced math
by middle school, and more and higher-quality spots in vocational programs.
Count on "more
prescriptive" strategies in teaching reading in struggling schools, though
not a return to the reviled scripted curriculum the district used in prior
years, the superintendent said.
Get ready for an
emphasis on better training for teachers and principals, and a real framework
for just how Philadelphia
Hite said his
"action plan," to be released on his 111th day on the job, will focus
on two goals that must be the backbone of every decision the school system
makes going forward: improving academics for students in both district-run and
charter schools, and ensuring fiscal sustainability.
Governor Corbett is
slated to present his budget on February 5th, 2013
PBPC Revenue Tracker: Strong December Puts State
$172 Million Ahead of Estimate Midway Through Fiscal Year
PA Budget and Policy Center December 3, 2012
The commonwealth collected $2.4 billion in
General Fund revenue in December. Fiscal year-to-date collections are $12.2
billion, exceeding projections by $171.5 million, or 1.4%. Midway through the 2012-13 Fiscal Year,
overall revenue collections are 5% above where they were at the midpoint of the
2011-12 Fiscal Year.
Below is a summary of overall General Fund
revenue and tax only collections for the first six months of the 2012-13 Fiscal
Year compared to estimate and to year-to-date collections for 2011-12. Check
back later for a full analysis of the latest revenue numbers.
The VAM Sham
It’s a new year, but
for public education it looks like we may be seeing more of the same old thing.
Tonight the Pittsburgh School Board will be reviewing a new teacher evaluation
plan developed by the District based on highly problematic data drawn from all
those high-stakes-tests our kids have been taking. Not only is the data bad,
but the uses to which it is being put should be setting off alarm bells in
every parent’s head as it actually damages our schools, our teachers, and even
our children’s education. To understand why, Yinzercation talked to Dr. Tim
Slekar, an education researcher and Head of the Division of Education, Human
Development and Social Sciences at Penn State Altoona.
Give
teachers, administrators right to bear arms in schools, two Pa.
By Eric Boehm, PA Independent Published: Thursday, January 03, 2013
Labor board decision that school is "private
entity" may set precedent
WBEZ By: Becky Vevea
January 2, 2013
Teachers at a Chicago Science Academy
THURSDAY, JANUARY
3, 2013
10th Period
Blog by Stephen Dyer
Charter Schools are a
fascinating creature legally. They take state money. Yet they are exempted from
about 200 state regulations. Their advocates call them "public", yet
any money given to for profit operators is shielded from public view.
So what are Charters anyway? Are they really public schools or not? This matters tremendously because if they are not considered public schools, then they could be exempt from protections afforded by the 14th Amendment; protections afforded to minorities and other traditionally discriminated against groups. The 14th Amendment only applies to "state actors", not private entities.
So what are Charters anyway? Are they really public schools or not? This matters tremendously because if they are not considered public schools, then they could be exempt from protections afforded by the 14th Amendment; protections afforded to minorities and other traditionally discriminated against groups. The 14th Amendment only applies to "state actors", not private entities.
EPLC 2013 REGIONAL WORKSHOPS
FOR SCHOOL
The Education Policy and Leadership Center, with the Cooperation
of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) and Pennsylvania
Association of School Business Officials (PASBO), will conduct A Series of Regional Full-Day
Workshops for 2013
Pennsylvania School Board Candidates. Registration is $45 and includes
coffee/donuts, lunch, and materials.
Philadelphia Region Saturday, February 2, 2013
– 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, 1605 W. Main Street, Norristown, PA 19403
Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, 1605 W. Main Street, Norristown, PA 19403
Harrisburg Region Saturday, February 9,
2013– 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Pennsylvania School Boards Association Headquarters, 400 Bent Creek Boulevard, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
Pennsylvania School Boards Association Headquarters, 400 Bent Creek Boulevard, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
Pittsburgh Region Saturday, February 23, 2013 – 8:30
a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Doubletree Hotel Pittsburgh/Monroeville, 101 Mall Blvd., Monroeville, PA 15146
Doubletree Hotel Pittsburgh/Monroeville, 101 Mall Blvd., Monroeville, PA 15146
Chairman Kline Welcomes New and Returning
Republican House Committee on Education and the Workforce Members
U.S. House Committee on Education and the
Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-MN) today announced the Republican committee
members for the 113th Congress.
Rokita stood out as one
of the most conservative members of a very conservative bunch of lawmakers.
….What's more, he put forth—then withdrew—a game-changing provision that would
have basically repealed the entire decades-old ESEA law—not just the No Child
Left Behind Act of 2001. The legislation would have essentially allowed states
to opt out of federal education programs and return the money to taxpayers.
Conservative Rep. Todd Rokita Named Chairman of
K-12 Panel
Rep. Todd Rokita, a conservative Republican from
Indiana
January ASBJ online now with
Change Agents, Common Core backlash
NSBA’s School Board News Today by Kathleen Vail, January 3, 2013
About City Connects
City Connects addresses the academic and
out-of-school factors impacting students, enabling them to come to school ready
to learn and thrive. As a Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education Priority Partner for Turnaround, City Connects is committed to
revitalizing student support in high-poverty urban schools and is currently
working in 16 Boston and 8 Springfield, Mass., schools (grades K-8). Pilot
efforts are also underway in early childhood and high school settings. Recent
education reform efforts have largely concentrated on improving instruction, a
core function of schools. Districts have adopted successful evidence-based
curricula and teaching strategies that are continuously informed by data. At
the same time, research shows that a significant portion of the achievement gap
is attributable to non-academic factors that impact learning. To close the
achievement gap, we must develop the same rigorous practices for another core
function of schools–student support.
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