Education Notes Online: The Fourth Amigo

Monday, August 4, 2008

The Fourth Amigo

UPDATE
GBN News commentary on the unlikely alliance between Joel Klein and Al Sharpton

Is that guy on the right handing Sharpton a million bucks under the cloak?

Photoshopping by DB as he strikes again

0 comments:

Gary Comments on Tony Avella

Gary Babad has left a new comment on your post "David (Bellel) Does Tony (Avella)":

I've dealt with Tony a fair amount through my work. I've found him to be extraordinarily committed, honest and ethical, especially for a politician. I've spoken to him a few times about educational issues, and I think he's as genuinely outraged at the BloomKlein mess as most people I know. I'm glad to see him finally getting some press coverage. His race seemed somewhat quixotic from the start, but he could actually end up being a viable alternative to Thompson if he can garner enough coverage and get better known outside his home district.

Contradictions

Ed in the Apple, UFT apologist Peter Goodman:

Teachers don’t embrace merit pay, or easier dismissal rules because teachers don’t trust Joel Klein and his principals. How many teachers are in rubber rooms because they voiced their disagreement with the principal? In a Brooklyn elementary school nine teachers received U rating from a first year Leadership Academy principal because, basically, they disagreed with her.

Teachers admire Randi Weingarten because she fought for us, she became our hero.

Let's see now, Peter. Randi embraces merit pay and runs a union where all of the above takes place. Drop by and let him know what you think.

Teachers Unite is doing what the UFT has failed to do

Fiorillo on Charter School Blather

Charter apologists and propagandists are quick to respond to criticism, but it seems they can rarely be bothered to fashion a response that differs from their robotic buzz word/talking points: ""Blah, blah, blah... achievement gap...blah, blah, blah, teacher quality... blah, blah, blah... civil rights movement of our time... blah, blah, blah... laboratories of innovation... blah, blah, blah ...parent choice."

Is there a chip implanted in their brains that makes them unable to respond in any way other than a recurring loop? When it comes to real debate, it seems that all that money spent on Ivy League educations has been wasted.

Best,

Michael Fiorillo

Featured Blog: See the results of the BloomKlein Administration at Ground Level

Moral Obligation tells the tales of Lehman High at 19 credits.

Start at the beginning and read a tale of inept leadership as a new principal at one of the largest high schools in the city, replacing a legend who was forced out by the DOE, attempts to forestall the dreaded DOE breakup of large high schools by establishing Small Learning Communities and alienating most of the teachers in the process.

Excerpt: How many of you
...have shown up to school to find that the school called your PARENTS' house three time zones away to find out why you weren't in school, thereby leading to hospitalization of one of said parents?...and then received an unsatisfactory observation report immediately after discussing said phone call?

Teachers are beginning to desert the sinking ship.

One commenter said:
Someone, I think it was Joan of Arc, once said "Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me?"

"Am I the only person who hears "If I Only Had a Brain" when our leader speaks?

Dr. Canerose wants to make Herman High the flagship school of the Bronx. Better think "Somalia.

Under Assault Finds That Randi Steals ICE Platform

Sometimes someone does such an awesome job of analysis, based on an enormous amount of work, that your jaw just has to drop.

Under Assault parses Randi Weingarten's "innovative" May 9 speech at the UFT Spring Comference and finds whole chunks of ideas lifted from the Independent Community of Educators 2004 platform when we ran against her Unity Caucus.

Gee, I helped write that and still had no idea. But then again I can't stand to read another word from Randi. Thanks to UA for saving me from a bout of nausea.

ACES sounds like ICE

Footnote:
DA REPORT PART I: RANDI/UNITY TAKES ICE RESOLUTION ON PROTECTING CHAPTER LEADERS & MAKES IT THEIR OWN

Building Bridges: Mayoral Control and the Schools

CORE member Jackson Potter spoke on the closing panel

Los Angeles students threaten walkouts

A number of Los Angeles Unified School District students say they will walk out of their classes today to protest potential teacher layoffs. The group sent an anonymous e-mail to communications media that included the details of a news conference, scheduled for 6:30 a.m. in front of the Santee Education Complex near downtown.

The e-mail also said that if teachers were fired, the students would boycott standardized tests scheduled later this month, even though most such testing for the year is completed.

The threatened walkout follows a demonstration last Friday by the teachers union to protest rising class size and potential firings. The district, which is facing up to $131 million in new cuts this year, could lay off up to 2,500 instructors.

During their demonstration, almost 40 teachers union members were arrested for sitting in the middle of Beaudry Avenue outside district headquarters.

On Thursday, about 350 students walked out of classes at Santee and West Adams Prep, according to district officials.

The student e-mail also listed a contact telephone number. A boy who answered the phone declined to discuss specifics, aside from listing several schools where walkouts were planned. "I can't answer for security reasons," he said several times.

-- Jason Song

Just a sample of how a non-collaborationist union operates.

UFT: DO NOT APPLY

UFT Brochure: How to Run a Chapter Election

UFT Brochure: How to Run a Chapter Election

Click on link to download pdf from the ICE web site.

WARNING: FOLLOW EVERY RULE, PARTICULARLY IF YOU ARE NOT UNITY, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE VIEWED AS SUSPECTED OF DABBLING WITH THE OPPOSITION. THEY WILL RULE AGAINST YOU FOR SPITTING ON THE SIDEWALK.

proofoflife said...

Having held elections already, I caution everyone to go exactly by the book. My victory is being challenged by one ass kissing principal's puppet on the fact that I did not put the notice of elections in everyone's school mailboxes. It didn't matter that I emailed everyone on several ocassions, spoke at numerous Chapter meetings, posted the pull- out with instructions on two bulletin boards, and have been under constant attack and threats from the principal's and her cronies. NO, none of this matters.Not to mention I won by a landslide. Are there any risks to your career?? YES, YES, YES and to your SANITY!!!Good luck!

UNITY PREFERS AN ASS-KISSING SUCK-UP TO THE PRINCIPAL ANY DAY OVER A CL WHO WILL RIGOROUSLY DEFEND THE MEMBERS.

Eduwonkette on the New Teacher Project Report

A point of clarification on this point from the New Teacher Project’s report that you cited, i.e. “By September 2007, unselected excessed teachers from 2006 were six times as likely to have received a prior “Unsatisfactory” rating as other New York City teachers.”

If you read the footnotes in their report, 81 percent of teachers in the ATR have never received an Unsatisfactory rating. Only 6 percent of all teachers in the ATR - about 14 teachers - have received an unsatisfactory rating more than once in their careers.

Beyond these facts, I have no idea to what extent this pool represents great or terrible teachers, and the important point to remember is that no one really knows. It’s not reasonable or fair to indict the entire group based on the very misleading “six times” TNTP sound bite. If someone else applied this kind of statistical discrimination to other groups - for example, by establishing the probability of an outcome like incarceration or welfare receipt by gender, class, or race and characterizing the entire group - we would all be up in arms.

posted at Gotham Schools

Eduwonkette Comments on Students Accepted to Gifted Programs in NYC

Last year, 40% of all students qualifying for gifted programs came from just three districts - District 2, District 3, and District 22.

This year, the exact same percentage - 40% - of all students qualifying for gifted programs once again came from just these three districts.

If you want to add the next three largest sending districts - Districts 15, 20, and 21 - 56% of all admissions last year went to students from just six districts. This year, 56% of admissions again went to students from these districts.

The overall numbers of students qualifying is up, but the distribution of seats between districts has not changed in any meaningful way. Expressing the growth in number of seats in terms of percent changes in extremely misleading given that the poor districts had a tiny number of students participating to begin with.

From Gotham Schools

Letter from a NYC School Supervisor

A reminder to King Bloomberg who claims "the professionals support my educational policies":

Arne Duncan was a professional BASKETBALL PLAYER
and Joel Klein a professional LAWYER. The only thing either of these two has ever tried to do with Public education is privatize it, because neither one of them has ever been a successful teacher or school leader and thus, has no idea of how to improve public schools.

Ask yourself why there are no Charter schools in the suburbs. It is because the parents would not allow their schools to be taken over by a bunch of privateers.

Enough already! Give New York City parents the same quality Public Schools they are entitled to instead of trying to give their schools to private companies who get rich off of our kids .

Tracking the Charter School Debates

We've reached the bizzarro stage where Eva Moskowitz, miffed that her real estate grab for publicly funded NYC school buildings went awry, incites parents in Harlem to demand the DOE close the local zoned school when the DOE rescinded its plan to close PS 241 after the NYCLU and UFT filed suit.

In preparation for the upcoming conference on charter schools to be held in NYC on April 27, we are listing some useful resources.

Olson Online: They don't serve the common good. They benefit some students --usually the more advantaged-- at the expense of others. Bite the bullet: get rid of school choice.More pros and cons for charters and choice

Perimeter Primate: Comparing parent education backgrounds in charter and public schools opens a window on creaming.

Charter School Tactics

Charter Schools and the Attack on Public Education
LA teacher Sarah Knopp nails it.

Sara Mosle at Slate with a balanced view of KIPP
"What the Knowledge Is Power Program has yet to prove." http://www.slate.com/id/2214253/

MORE ON CHARTERS:
http://aplacetorespond.blogspot.com/2009/02/public-schools-outperform-private.html

Bloomberg to Host Charter School in Living Room

Hey Oakland, you’re being duped!

http://education.change.org/blog/view/the_case_for_charter_schools_part_three

DEFEND PUBLIC EDUCATION, COUNTER THE EDUCATION DEFORMERS

Educational “reforms” which exclude some students from the process, focus heavily on standardized testing and attack teachers unions and teachers’ rights, while not addressing the fundamental problems of apartheid-like school segregation and school overcrowding are not reforms at all. We believe in fighting for a quality, well-rounded education for all regardless of socioeconomic or racial background. Quality education will require the democratic input of parents, students and educators.

NYC is at the center of these proposals for "reform". What we do in NYC will help to set the educational agenda for the rest of the country.

SEE MY VIDEO ON HARLEM SUCCESS RALLY:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEp7rg_L5JI

The Myth of the Powerful Teachers' Union
A must read!
http://www.counterpunch.org/macaray03202009.html

Separate AND Unequal at Jamaica High

Must read: James Eterno on the situation at Jamaica HS at the ICE blog.

"New York State Education Department reported that our school was allocated out of Contract for Excellence funds -- $530,123, while our school budget only shows $337,184 in C4E funding. Where is the rest of that money?"

"In grade twelve social studies (participation in government and economics), average class size was 29 in the fall and was projected to be lowered to 27 for the spring. However, with the elimination of one class, class size is now up to 35."

"Furthermore, here at Jamaica High School, two additional classes for students who previously failed social studies have been eliminated thus decreasing student opportunities to make up credits in a proper classroom setting. Instead, three day make-up sessions called “Credit Recovery” have been created where students receive a full class credit for three days of attendance and completion of a project."

Another Open Letter to the State

UPDATE on Suspended AP at PS 154X

http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/090331_Bronx_Assistant_Principal_Suspended

"The Department of Education said officials were investigating and deny allegations that complaints from parents and students about Townsend's conduct were ignored."

An absolute lie by the DOE since there have been complaints since the fall (Ed Notes has been kept informed all along) and they only acted after press reports. We can cite chapter and verse on teachers sent to the rubber room for looking the wrong way. (Congrats to a former colleague who gets out of the RR tomorrow after 14 months. I wish I had license to go into details - it would make your hair stand straight up.)

A Tale of Two Rallies

Watch the rank & file hold their own spirited rally while the UFT staff holds a wine and cheese infomercial.

See Randi Weingarten scream, "Norman, put down that camera!"

Hear her approach me near Tweed and ask me to hand over the tape.

No wonder she pushed through a gag-rule resolution at the Jan. 28 Delegate Assembly (read James Eterno's account at the ICE blog.)

See the two-part video:

The Video the UFT Doesn't Want You To See: The ATR Rally

Related: Accountable Talk's brilliant critique of Randi's recent job fair letter. Break A Leg, ATRs

NYC Schools Protest Closings

The UFT calls school closings a fait accompli.

We are going to have to try to stop the insanity on our own.

ICE has been distrtibuting leaflets at the schools slated to close. If you are at one of these schools contact us.

School closings and the ATR situation are obviously related.

Now we have added the issues of teacher data reports and high stakes testing. We are holding our next committee meeting jointly with Justice Not Just Tests on Tues. Mar 10 at CUNY, 5th Ave and 34th st, rm 5414 from 4:30-6:30 (ok to come late.) Open to all interested parties as we try to develop a strategy to force the UFT to act in our interests.

Rallies at PS/IS 72
Brandeis HS
IS 399X are covered at:

Can the UFT Be Forced to Act on School Closings?

MS 399 had a previous rally on Dec 17 -
MS399 Protest against closing/phase out designation
ICE's Angel Gonzalez made a video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqGPK_kK3MA&feature=channel_page

Brandeis HS rally video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ66wzQIWUk

Thanks to the great effort of the Brandeis Staff, Students, Parents and Community. Let's organize citywide and put the pressure on the powers that be to stop this government assault on education.

Chapter leaders and teachers from other non-closing schools came out in support.

History/structure of the UFT

One of the fun things about doing this organizing thing is meeting young teachers who are interested in how the UFT operates. The tough thing is knowing where to start and putting it all in context.

I did a presentation for the NYCORE Labor Study ITAG, part of a 6 week examination of the role of teacher unions and labor in general. There was just to much material to spill out in 2 hours as I tried to cover the entire history of the union from the 1920's (thanks to Bruce Markens for his superb memory.)

I am developing materials for further refinement which will be posted at Norms Notes. I'm starting with a flow chart and will add text later. This is a work in progress that will be refined to hopefully make it useful to use with teachers who want to know more about the union.

The first chart is a monster on the formal structures of the UFT: AdCom, Ex. Bd., DA and how they all get chosen. Sitting on top of it all is an institution not mentioned in any formal UFT materials: Unity Caucus.

UFT Primer

What the UFT Spends

NYC Educator check out the spending of our union leaders:
The Money Go Round.

He barely grazed the surface. He posts a link to check them out yourself at the LM2 page, at the Department of Labor (federal). Type in 063-924, for the UFT.

Check out the salaries, in particular of district reps. There's a lot of coverup going on since many salaries are paid by the DOE and the UFT reimburses them but hides the total in a lump sum.

Also look for the consultant fees, like Howard Wolfson (Glover Park), formerly of the Hillary Clinton campaign and now working for Mayor Bloomberg. Are you surprised people are on the payroll of both the UFT and the Mayor?

Monday, August 4, 2008

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Gotham Profiles Eterno, ICE/TJC Presidenital Candidate Opposing Mulgrew

Now Playing at Ed Notes: PS 123 July 7 Protest Against Harlem Success Invasion

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Gary Comments on Tony Avella

Contradictions

Contact Education Notes/ICE/GEM

Joel Klein Eviction Notice Video

Retired chapter election results:

Francis Lewis HS Chapter Leader Slugs It Out at the Ed Sector

Time Out For Testing's Jane Hirschman Seizes Bloomberg Podium

JOIN NOW! Download an ICE Membership Application

Bloomberg Watch is organizing a meeting

Leonie Haimson "Darkness at Noon: meet the new NYC Board of Education"

Teachers Unite is doing what the UFT has failed to do

I see that Randi has now become a big fan of continuing one-man rule in NYC

GEM Buttons For Sale

I'm a Wild and Crazy Guy

Grassroots Education Movement News

Untamed Teacher Warns

Gary Babad on the Brilliant BloomKlein Social Experiment

Fiorillo on Charter School Blather

New York’s annual math tests are repeating themselves

Norm on WBAI June 11 at 7 PM on Education Crossroads

Seung-Yong Ok of GEM (and recent controversy)

Featured Blog: See the results of the BloomKlein Administration at Ground Level

Never was so much owed by so many to so few

Our Daily Blogs

Video of Marine Park Protest

Under Assault Finds That Randi Steals ICE Platform

Sometimes someone does such an awesome job of analysis, based on an enormous amount of work, that your jaw just has to drop.

Under Assault parses Randi Weingarten's "innovative" May 9 speech at the UFT Spring Comference and finds whole chunks of ideas lifted from the Independent Community of Educators 2004 platform when we ran against her Unity Caucus.

Gee, I helped write that and still had no idea. But then again I can't stand to read another word from Randi. Thanks to UA for saving me from a bout of nausea.

Building Bridges: Mayoral Control and the Schools

The Sellout Tour 2009

Pallas on Brooks

There's No Bidness Like No Bid Bidness

Jeremy Garrett has the first cut and a request for pics

Archives - Over 1000 Points of Drivel

Harlem Charter Schools Serve Fewer High Needs Kids

CORE member Jackson Potter spoke on the closing panel

MUST READ: James Eterno Sentences UFT Grievance Head to LIF

High School Discharge Report From Jennifer Jennings and Leonie Haimson

The Swine Flew

Get Tweets From LA

Los Angeles students threaten walkouts

LA Teachers: Shame on our NYC UFT backward bureaucrats!

LA Teachers Sit-in Over Budget Cuts

A strike for our schools (LA teachers vote for one-day strike on May 15!

Support Principal for Pedro Santanl Rally at MS 391X

GEM on WBAI

UFT Brochure: How to Run a Chapter Election

Eduwonkette on the New Teacher Project Report

Using "civil rights" to sell charter schools

Eduwonkette Comments on Students Accepted to Gifted Programs in NYC

NYC Parent Commission

Diane Ravitch Replies to Klein Comment in Principal's Weekly

Letter from a NYC School Supervisor

Eli, Margaret, Joel and Randi

NUTs on the MOVE

Protests on No Useless Tests

Charles Barron Lays One on the Ed Deformers: Must see video

Philadelphia School District schools outperform those run by outside managers...

Tracking the Charter School Debates

Pres. Feliciano of the Puerto Rican Teachers Union FMPR Interviewed About Democratic Unionism

Report Calls for More Teaching, Less DOE $ for Testing

Voices of Brownsville

DEFEND PUBLIC EDUCATION, COUNTER THE EDUCATION DEFORMERS

ICE/NYCORE BANNER

ICE Members Testify at State Assembly Education Committee Hearing in Brooklyn

Chapter leaders James Eterno (Jamaica HS) and Lisa North (PS 3 in Bed.-Stuy) tell the committee what it's like to live under mayoral control.

NYC High Schools Closed since 1999

Why Obama is wrong about our schools

Separate AND Unequal at Jamaica High

The Independent Community of Educators

NORM DOES LES MIS

Educators' Discussion with Pres. Rafael Feliciano, FMPR

Getting a Diploma in NYC