Walcott to Principal: You are OK if you don't talk about your penis to female staffers (again)!

“I’m not going to remove him [Principal John Chase], but he knows he cannot have any similar type of comments. He is on a very strict line as far as his behavior,” said Walcott, who added that some school staffers want Chase to remain in his post.  Daily News

Our pal South Bronx School has been on the Chase case promoting the rally tomorrow. Rally Against Bronxdale Principal John Chase Jr 1/10/2012

When: January 10 @ 3 30 PM until dark

Where: Columbus Campus; 925 Astor Ave. - Bronx 10469

Speakers; Councilman Jimmy Vacca, the office of State Senator Jeff Klein, several U.F.T. chapter leaders from the campus, and the office of Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera.

Other groups;  the N.O.W. Network (National Organization of Women) and local community groups, and  The Bronx U.F.T.

I wonder how Walcott would react if his teacher/daughter had been spoken to that way? And if a teacher should dare mention the word "penis" or "blow job" - suspension without pay and fired.

Retired Bronx HS UFT District Rep Lynne Winderbaum points to the double standard and in a post on the NYCEdNews listserve asks:

What is wrong with Dennis Walcott?

Following the deplorable moral standards of his predecessors under Bloomberg, Dennis Walcott staunchly asserts that he will not remove principal John Chase from his leadership position at Bronxdale High School.

I have represented teachers for many years as a UFT chapter leader and district representative. Given the unique position of teachers, the role model status we have, and the damage we can do if we display immoral behavior in front of children, there has been no tolerance for remaining in a classroom under even an allegation of misconduct. Teachers are removed pending adjudication to err on the side of protection. The Department of Education does not see the equivalence in protecting staff and students from misbehaving principals however.

This article in yesterday’s Daily News focuses on his b--- j-- comment regarding the copy machine but omits his inappropriate comments made to female employees for which he has already been found guilty. Perhaps if his own wife were subjected to comments about her breasts by her boss Walcott might take it more seriously? But this is only a secretary and he doesn’t even know her. It is much more important to stand tough in protecting the job of a principal.

And as far as school staffers wanting him to remain in his post, his entire teaching staff consists of eight untenured teachers (another good argument for tenure). They can be fired for any reason at any time while on probation. So their position must be taken with a grain of salt until they can speak without fear of consequences. Teachers should stand against sexual harassment in the workplace even if the victims are secretaries or paraprofessionals--all union members and all human beings.

And since when do chancellors, including Walcott, care if staffers want accused workers to remain in their jobs? When 400 people marched outside Roosevelt High School in support of teacher Raqnel James, a respected and beloved tenured teacher, the Department of Education stood idly by as she was shipped to the rubber room and arrested. The principal, Iris Blige, created the charges to have her removed from the school after she took the principal’s friend to court for unpaid rent. It cost James three years of salary and legal battles until finally being found “not guilty” last month in a trial. Clearly, hundreds of staffers wanted this innocent teacher to remain in her job but the DOE was unmoved. And this is just an egregious example. There are many schools where good teachers face charges and the staff supports them. Suddenly, in this case of a foul-mouthed sexual harasser, who happens to be the school leader, Dennis Walcott feels that staff “support” should outweigh the finding of guilt and the suffering of his victims?

Easy answer. Excusing principals’ bad behavior is policy. This is the Department of Education that ignored years of allegations of sexual misconduct by Richard Bost, former principal of Fordham Leadership Academy, who was also found guilty of abusing a secretary and guilty of giving $7000 of school money to his AP. Finally, after committing unwanted sexual advances against a parent, Sen. Jeffrey Klein’s office got involved and he was removed.

This is the Department of Education that supports Valerie Reidy after charges of supervisory harassment were upheld by an arbitrator, a well-documented mass-exodus of excellent teachers from Bronx High School of Science, and many demonstrations--the most recent on January 5--asked for her removal. This is the Department of Education that keeps Barbara Kirkweg, of Bronx Aerospace in place after several investigations into grade changing and loss of all Air Force funding due to a finding of misappropriation. This is the Department of Education that failed to conclude investigations into Anthony Rotunno until the state comptroller found him guilty of misusing $90,000 of school money and then he resigned. This is the Department of Education that retains Iris Blige as principal of Fordham High School for the Arts despite the false charges against Raqnel James and the finding of guilt by the Office of Special Investigations into pre-determining the unsatisfactory ratings of teachers she did not like before she observed their teaching. She was fined a mere $7500 for abusing her authority and left in place. The protection of principals is paramount and appears to be the unwavering policy of the Department of Education. It is again time to fight back against this policy and demand the removal of John Chase.

What’s wrong with Dennis Walcott? 

Sir Ken Robinson - Blowing Up Standardized Testing and Common Core Standards -the Linchpins of Ed Deform

11 minutes of magic.

JOIN WITH THE FIGHT AGAINST HIGH STAKES TESTING 
Wed. JAN. 11 5:30PM

GEM HIGH STAKES TESTING COMMITTEE
I was at a meeting Friday called by Noah Gotbaum to discuss actions we can take to battle school closings and charter co-locations. Many of the stake-holders were in the room, including the UFT and their allies the Coalition for Educational Justice(CEJ) and the Alliance for Educational Quality (AQE), along with groups like CPE, GEM, and other activists, including students from some closing schools - at least 40 or more coming out at 4:30 on a Friday afternoon. (And at least 40-50 came out for the Occupy DOE meeting Sunday afternoon - mostly different from Friday). Pretty impressive and a sign the reaction to ed deform is brewing all over the city and the nation - see Chicago (Activists Turn the Tables at Chicago Closing School Hearing).

Patrick Walsh, a chapter leader from Harlem in a co-located school with Moskowitz' Success Academy which has helped drive him into activism, spoke early in the Friday meeting, pointing high stakes standardized testing as the ultimate culprit that must be defeated. (NOTE: Not that there shouldn't be testing but they shouldn't be the major determiner of student progress, teacher jobs and the life or death of a neighborhood school).

I know this has been around for a while but I was reminded today of this Sir Ken Robinson animate video viewed by over 6 million people in an email from Paul Thomas who I met in Reefton, New Zealand on my recent trip. Paul is a former government official who retired and came to Reefton, which was a dying gold mining town and he has almost single-handedly turned it around by starting a variety of businesses. We got to talking education and he said some wonderful things which I have video of but just no time (am I retired or what?) to work on it. He was impressed by this video and promised to send me the link.

This animate was adapted from a talk given at the RSA by Sir Ken Robinson, world-renowned education and creativity expert and recipient of the RSA's Benjamin Franklin award. (For more information on Sir Ken's work visit: http://www.sirkenrobinson.com).

Sir Ken Robinson: Changing Education Paradigms 

http://youtu.be/zDZFcDGpL4U

JOIN WITH THE FIGHT AGAINST HIGH STAKES TESTING 
Wed. JAN. 11 5:30PM

GEM HIGH STAKES TESTING COMMITTEE 

There is a lot of activity going on and we've been doing some great work in the past few months. The truth about testing pamphlet is pretty much ready to go to the printer (come Wednesday if you want to provide last edits!) and the new opt-out petition (sign it here!)  is up and running. Woo! We're working on the workshop geared towards parents which should be ready to go soon as well, and we can hopefully start getting into schools and CECs soon. But there is so much work to be done, and neat ideas have been bouncing around. Want to do flash mobs? Build for a city-wide student walk out on a regents testing day in the spring? Lots to discuss and plan. Don't miss Wednesday's meeting at the CUNY graduate center, 5:30 pm in room 5414.

PS... sign the petition! 

See Fred Smith in the Washington Post:

Putting New York’s testing program on trial

By Valerie Strauss

This was written by Fred Smith, a retired New York City Board of Education senior analyst who worked for the city public school system in test research and development. In this post he writes about New York state’s standardized testing program for students. Though his comments are specific to New York, the same types of problems are prevalent in other states as well.


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Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on the right for important bits.

Activists Turn the Tables at Chicago Closing School Hearing

Below is a great report via Mike Klonsky of how Mayor Rahmbo "hired" 200 people to control a closing school hearing. But they turned around and began to support the 200 activists opposing the closing of the school.

Report from hearing on the closing of Crane High School

Hearing on Chicago school closing. (M. Ritter)

Unreal event tonight.

Donald Fraynd was the MC and Jesse Ruiz of the Board was present. Around 200 rental protesters were bused in [by the mayor's people]. They didn't know why they were there but all said they got paid. Around 200 Crane supporters: community allies, students, alums, staff, etc. 

Crane Coalition prepared a Power Point presentation -- but were told we could not present it... so after the initial Board presentation 10-15 Crane presenters engaged in civil disobedience and stood at the mike, made a statement about presenting the power point and stood silent. This was extremely effective as our crew and even the rental protesters began to shout together: Show the power point!!! This went speaker after speaker for 20-30 minutes. Jesse Ruiz and CPS didn't know what to do. Finally they relented and let us show our stuff that refuted tons of CPS data. The place erupted as we began to win the hearts and minds of the bused in folks. CPS looked confused and worried.

It gets better: At that point the public officials walk in together. Sen. Annazette Collins, Alderman Burnett, Congressman Davis, Fmr Alderman Ed Smith, and Alderman Fioretti (wearing a Crane Varsity Letterman's Jacket - the place goes nuts for this). They speak one by one stating their position supporting Crane staying open and opposed to phase out!

They tell CPS - listen to the people. Congressman Davis was more on the neutral side but he said his job was to listen to the people and he said the people were demanding Crane to stay open. The bussed in people are either silent or on our side. A good number of current and former students, parents and community reps speak.

After that person after person tell CPS - "Don't phase out Crane." 8 p.m.comes and CPS high tails it outta there. Round 1 victory.

Martin (Marty) L. Ritter

That is why we need increasing bodies of people to create a force of opposition (I'm about to head over to 60 Wall St. for the Occupy DOE meeting at 2PM). ODOE is one of our hopes here in NYC because unlike Chicago, we have to do it with tenuous and hesitant support from the UFT leadership, which will dip its toe in the water -- get buses, etc.- but put in little political capital and boots on the ground.

Note this comment I cut from an email -

The militancy this year is at a much higher level and there is a powerful partnership between the Chicago Teachers Union and parent groups not seen elsewhere in the US (or in Chicago). ---anonymous report from Chicago

The action in Chicago after 16 years of ed deform/mayoral control has excited people here in NYC. Could it happen here? Maybe. But the crucial difference between Chicago and here is the approach of the teachers union. Chicago has a reform/progressive/social justice oriented recently elected group (CORE) running the union. In NYC we have a 50 year-old one party (Unity Caucus) dominated union which controls every single seat on the UFT Executive Board and has the power to pack every Delegate Assembly to control the vote - and will do so again at the Jan. 18 DA to push through a constitutional amendment that will increase the power of retirees to control the fate of the union.

Think: could we see a day where the UFT/Unity leadership would support an occupation of Bloomberg's office? (Chicago Parents Hold Day 2 of Sit-in at Mayor Emanuel's Office)

So for those hoping for a Chicago hope, I say "Nope" - not until there is a significant movement for democratization and change in the UFT.

Substance reports:

We Are The People Who Will Save Our Schools is a new YouTube video produced by Labor Beat. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFAOJsBxAxY 

This video begins with Professor of Education Pauline Lipman (University of Illinois-Chicago) briefly recapping the plans hatched a decade ago in Chicago to replace public schools with private charter schools. Then Chicago Public Schools head Arne Duncan implemented those plans (Renaissance 2010) so obediently that President Obama picked him to do the same thing to every school system in the country.


So Chicago's growing uprising against these deepening attacks against public education has national importance. Here is a battalion of voices from the communities and the teachers union, all exposing the constantly changing, Kafkaesque rules for evaluating school turn-arounds and closings. The counter-attack from the working people in the city is energized and spreading, and is on a collision course with the 1% who want to take away their children's futures. Includes comments from Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, teachers and parents from targeted school communities. Length - 24:40.

Check out this article by one of my Chicago pals who is working for the union:
Where is the debate? Kenzo Shibata challenges corporate schools reformers on Huffington Post

A more general report on Chicago from an email:

Chicago education struggles are back in the news -- on a higher level. CPS proposes to close or hand over to a corporate turnaround group 19 neighborhood schools in African American and Latino communities. The struggle against school closings this year is more fierce and more political and is invoking the spirit of the civil rights movement. At this moment parents and teachers and community members from the Bronzeville area are in their 3rd day of a sit-in/occupation at the mayor's office.

In Dec. teachers, members of the CTU, parents, and supporters including occupy Chicago slept out in front of the school bd all nite (it was raining and cold) and then packed the school bd meeting, took it over with a mic check, and shut down the meeting. Videos of that meeting went viral nationally. See below.

This is a big story because Chicago is the model for Duncan's national agenda of closing neighborhood schools and opening charters or turning neighborhood schools over to private operator "turn-around specialists." The militancy this year is at a much higher level and there is a powerful partnership between the Chicago Teachers Union and parent groups not seen elsewhere in the US (or in Chicago).

The most organized group is the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization which has brought a real civil rights flavor to this movement. they are leading the occupation at the mayor's office. Their community has born the effects of school closings and disinvestment since 2004. They developed a plan with teachers and parents and academic experts over the last 18 months to transform their schools. Instead of considering this plan, CPS announced that they would close 3 of the schools. KOCO has requested multiple meetings with the mayor to discuss their plan but has been totally ignored.

I also want to remind you that the mayor appoints Chicago's BD of Ed which is dominated by corporate CEOs and finance capitalists (the President was the CEO of the Chicago BD of Trade) -- summary of BD attached.

Below are links to video's and media accounts to give you a sense of what is happening. There is going to be a showdown around this and I hope DM can cover it. It will make a difference not only in Chicago but to the education movement nationally.

labor beat  24 minute video Shut Down at Board Meeting Dec. 14
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAiDwPf7G8E

Dec. 13 Save our Schools Rally
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbRKZk-yYw0&feature=youtu.be

Mic check shuts down School Bd. Mtg Dec. 14
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoIsdXkVzVg

Stop the Hit list!  Teach in at King HS, Dec. 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPyiW-XQfQc

Checkout good print media, and there is much TV footage on the web:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/9440216-418/protesters-take-over-chicago-school-board-meeting.html

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-crowds-gather-to-protest-cps-school-closures-and-turnaround-projects-20111214,0,10496.story

Protesters disrupt Chicago Board of Education meeting
http://www.wbez.org/story/protesters-disrupt-chicago-board-education-meeting-94896

For more info: contact Jitu Brown or Jay Travis at the Kenwood Oakland
Community Organization  jitubrown@yahoo.com  jhatayn@yahoo.com
 

And  one more from NYC based activist/videomaker Jaisal Noor on a piece he did for Democracy Now in Chicago in the fall 2010 http://www.democracynow.org/2010/10/21/chicago_parents_occupy_elementary_school_building
 
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Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on the right for important bits.

Fred Arcoleo - Ten Years Later After Stroke at 38

I'm posting a newsletter from Fred Arcoleo, a musician and a high school chapter leader in Washington Hts. Fred tells a remarkable story of his stroke at the age of 38 ten years ago. I got to know Fred before his stroke through distributing Ed Notes at the Delegate Assembly. Fred distributed Ed Notes to the 4 schools in his building.

A little background
Fred attended a meeting I called I think in the spring or fall of 2001. I can pin the date because it was pre- Fred's stroke. I had (finally) come to the realization after 4-5 years of trying to work with Randi Weingarten hoping she would bring a new democratic vision to the UFT, that the quest was hopeless. Given that the opposition parties were getting nowhere, I decided to try to get reps from all of them plus the independents I had met through Ed Notes together to see if a strong run could be made at Unity. The major groups were New Action (which was the biggest group by far), Progressive Action Caucus - PAC (focused on people who has license problems) and Teachers for a Just Contract - TJC (not really a caucus at the time). There was lots of tension between the official groups but I hoped that independents like Fred could infuse new blood into the opposition and function as a sort of glue.

While there was some hope at that meeting - though New Action clearly had little interest since they viewed themselves as the big boy in the room and didn't have to work with anyone. At a follow-up meeting things fell apart between TJC and PAC and I ended the quest. I was frustrated that these groups couldn't seem to make a dent. Other independents like Fred seemed to feel the same.

A year later I begin to think about getting just the independents (the people who wouldn't join a caucus for a variety of reasons) together and that led to the founding of the Independent Community of Educators (ICE) in late 2003. Sounds crazy maybe to add another group to the mix but given people like Fred I figured at the very least issues would be raised that the other groups were refusing to address (mayoral control, high stakes testing, the growing cancer of ed deform).

One day in 2002 when I dropped by Fred's school I found out he was out due to a stroke. What a shock - and a warning to everyone that this can happen no matter what your age. Fred's full recovery took some time and since then he has focused on his music.

On my last visit to my doctor, in an effort to get me to take Lipitor due to my cholesterol levels, he said, "I don't care if you die" (GEE THANKS DOC) "but am more worried about you having a stroke." Scary, but I'm still not taking it. Maybe Fred's story below will spur me on to get those numbers in line.

And make sure to check out Fred's appearances and his CD "Seeds."

HAPPY 2012! Welcome to the 2nd installment of the RALLY FOLK! NEWSLETTER. _______________________ OCCUPYING this month's newsletter: VIRILITY & MORTALITY FIRST ANNUAL GROUNDHOG DAY EXTRAVAGANZA! FRED'S POETRY IN NEW “POETRY OF YOGA” BOOK FRED ON THE RADIO! ______________________________ 1. VIRILITY & MORTALITY Ten years ago today I had a stroke at 38 years old. I was taking a routine 5-mile run from the Upper West Side back home to Washington Heights when I started to feel odd. In those days, I’d go to political meetings downtown and run home with my shoulder bag and notebook under my arm. “I think I might need to slow down,” I told myself at first. Funny, I thought: I've never said that to myself while running. Then, a couple of minutes later: “I think I’m going to fall down.” Next thing I know, I’m looking up from the tar in the middle of 178th & Broadway at an oncoming car with its emergency flashers (I had apparently drifted into the road from the sidewalk). I raised my arms to get up, but my legs didn’t respond. A man appropriately named Angel ran into the street and lifted me, brought me to the curb and called an ambulance, but when the cops came to check it out and asked me how I was, the cottony mush that came out of my mouth convinced me in my otherwise lucid state that they’d surely think I was just drunk, so I rubber-banded to them that I was ok. I sat for a few minutes on the curb, got up and walked home, stopping at first to pick up some photos (which kept slipping out of my left hand, along with my keys, along the way). I initially thought it was because I hadn’t eaten breakfast and “overdid it,” as I usually did. It wasn’t until the next morning that “stroke” even entered my mind and then only slowly. People my age have strokes? I had no idea. “I don’t know how you walked in here,” the emergency room doctor said after my CAT Scan.   Ten years later, I’m almost completely recovered. My left arm, hand, & fingers aren’t quite the same, and an old neck injury came back to haunt me and remind me of my mortality, but all in all I am a very lucky man.   This month my friends and I will be putting on a show--on Friday the 13th no less (!!) (see sidebar)--to celebrate both our virility and our mortality. Won’t you join us?   2. Coming in February . . .  We've just confirmed the 1st Annual Groundhog Day Extravaganza! THURS. FEB. 2, 8-10 pm Le Chéile Café & Artspace  839 W. 181st St., Washington Heights (corner of Cabrini Blvd.) A or 1 train to 181st St. (212) 740-3111 http://lecheilenyc.com/wp/cafe I wanted to be right in my dear-own neighborhood to celebrate my adopted holiday, Groundhog Day: rebirth, the heroic journey, & a desperate hankering for spring! Featuring Demetrius Daniel, Amy Soucy, other neighborhood luminaries (special guests both human & animal) & prizes for the season! And of course, a kick-ass live version of my song "Groundhog Day"! http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_6971315 3. FRED'S POETRY IN NEW "POETRY OF YOGA" BOOK! I'm proud one of my poems, "Stillness,"  has been selected for inclusion of part one of a two-volume set of poetry of yoga, the brainchild of HawaH, founder of the educational and community service organization One Common Unity (http://onecommonunity.org). You can preview and order the book on http://thepoetryofyoga.com, where you can also hear an audio clip of my poem featured on the front page! If you're in the area, come to the NYC Book Launch event and hear me recite the poem and sing with Amy Soucy (see sidebar). : ) 4. FRED ON THE RADIO!   Sun. Jan. 29, 8 PM WTBQ, 1110 AM, 93.5 FM I’m proud to have been invited to feature at the weekly Hootenanny Café Mini-Concert, hosted by Folk DJ Jon Stein of Hudson Valley’s WTBQ out of Warwick, NY. You can also listen live at http://www.wtbq.com.   AND FINALLY... If you haven't already, LISTEN TO "SEEDS"! Just visit http://reverbnation.com/fredarcoleo and you can hear entire tracks from "SEEDS," plus a few live videos (including a new song, "We Are the Ones") GET THE CD! RALLY FOLK MUSIC IS NOT FOR SALE! It's true that for now, online copies of the CD are only available "for sale," but when I get my own website, I plan on creating a pay-what-you-can format to encourage people to LISTEN TO MUSIC FIRST, then contribute what you can afford. For now, simply send me an email with your address and I'll send you your own copy. Listen to the music and send me what you can in return.  STAY TUNED/GET IN TOUCH! I'd love to hear from you. If you know of a place or event where I can play, or would like to write a review of "SEEDS," tell me what you think of the songs, or if you just want to say hi, please do it now, while you're thinking about it! ; ) "One day we're moving mountains another day sinking in sand dizzy with demands of history but in the long run                                          made to stand"

JANUARY SHOWS! WED. JAN. 11th, 8-9:30 pm The Poetry of Yoga Book Launch! Jivamukti Yoga Center (with Amy Soucy!) 841 Broadway, 2nd floor New York, NY 10003 (212) 353-0214 Book launch for The Poetry of Yoga, a two-volume set of poems selected by artist and organizer HawaH  (http://onecommonunity.org) and including contributions from many giants of yoga, including Sharon Gannon, Krishna Das, Douglas Brooks, Rod Stryker, Shiva Rea, Leza Lowitz, Climbing Poetree, & many more! Hosted by Sharon Gannon. I'll be sharing my poetry from the book and singing joyfully with my friend & fellow yogi, Amy! For more event details, see http://www.jivamuktiyoga.com/fms/index.html FRIDAY THE 13th! 8-11 pm "A Stroke of Luck" Starving Artist Café  (with Amy Soucy!) 249 City Island Ave., Bronx, NY 10464 (718) 885-3779 “Cryptogenic”—cause unknown—is what they told me ten years ago after I had my stroke. STROKE??! But I was in perfect health. What better time to commemorate the tenth anniversary of this freak event but on (Lucky) Friday the 13th? LUCKY to be alive!  Join my friends Amy Soucy, Buddy Coughlin, Jim Harrison and myself as we celebrate the joy, fragility, resilience, AND LUCK of life. We’ll be singing songs of rebirth, second chances, & survival, and all-around rocking the evening. Come & celebrate with us! Musicians, bring your instruments and play a song!    “Life is a daring adventure, or nothing.” – Helen Keller (http://www.starvingartistonline.com/) (hopstop it! http://hopstop.com) FRI.-SUN. JAN. 27-29 People's Music Network Winter Gathering Friday Concert: Lawrence High School Performing Arts Center 70-72 North Parish Rd., Lawrence, MA Saturday & Sunday Gathering: Lawrence Senior Center 155 Haverhill St., Lawrence, MA  Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Bread and Roses Strike.  more details at http://peoplesmusic.org

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Ravitch/Rubinstein Savage Study On Long-Term Teacher Impact

Diane Ravitch on NYCEDNEWS listserve:

I don't understand why NY Times gives such breathless, admiring treatment to a study that has not been peer reviewed.
I have a few questions.
How were they able to generate value-added measures for 2.5 million students over a 20-year period when no district was collecting value-added data? This was probably generated from NYC data, given the large number of students.


More important, perhaps, how were they able to gain access to individuals' income? And how were they able to match test scores, teachers' names, and income over a 20 year period?
Did they include selective schools?
Did they account for pupil mobility?
I hope peer reviewers will explore these issues.
Meanwhile, I am astounded that economists would confidently conclude that it's best to start firing more teachers sooner rather than later.

Value- added be damned: Study in NY Times an political hit job
I do not know one teacher who thought that their impact on student test scores would affect their lifetime earnings. So how nice/sad to find out in the front page NY Times Friday article that my teaching contributed to the long term high/low incomes of my former students, thus having a positive/negative impact on the US economy.

The great Gary Rubinstein (who daily proves that Teach for America CAN produce amazing teachers) chimes in with a powerful piece (The ‘three great teacher’ study — finally laid to rest) - a must read:

The New York Times​ story frustrated me since I know that value-added does not correlate with future student income. Value-added does not correlate with teacher quality. Value-added doesn’t correlate with principal evaluations. It doesn’t correlate with anything including, as I’ll demonstrate in this post, with itself.

Don need no stinkin' research
They should have used my school on Bushwick Ave. where most teachers spent their careers there despite teaching in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. Classes were grouped homogeneously by reading scores, we often rotated from top to middle (when there was a middle) to bottom class - except when the principal wanted to reward the pets with the top class year after year.

I could do the study for them using my own students. When I had top classes with better readers - even though they were all free lunch these kids often came from more 2 parent homes with someone working - from anecdotal evidence I can say that my teaching helped the American economy move forward. When I taught the bottom class, alas, my efforts helped sink America - including causing a rise in the prison population. (One Thanksgiving I got a call from 2 former students in the same cell block. They told me there were 9 former students from my school there with them.)

Now I was a special case in that the principals didn't care for my style of teaching which did not focus on test scores - yes Virginia, from my earliest days of teaching in the last 60's test scores DID count for administrators and teachers - I didn't totally ignore prepping kids but did not make it the main focus like lots of other teachers did. And they wanted to put the teachers who could produce the highest scores - by hook or crook - in the top class.

Thus I only had top classes - which is funny since we often only had 2 in the grade - twice - and the 2nd time I had to really fight for that class with a principal who hated me - she even diluted the top scores by making it the only heterogeneous class in the school (along with my colleague in the other class) - students from those classes that I run into or hear about are doing quite well. I would pat myself on the back but I had little to do with it. But go ahead and blame me for the kids who died on the streets or went to prison. I'll take the hit.

Questions from Josh Karan on the NYEDNEWS Listserve:

I would like to see more analysis and commentary on the anecdotal experience of some of the long time educators who posted on this article that they believe standardized tests are necessary to evaluate student progress, and that without them students of limited English language, of poverty, and facing racial discrimination would continue to be left behind.

Some of the educators who left comments to the alternet article admit that school funding is critical, and I expect that they would agree that class size reduction is also critical. They also try to distinguish between the tests themselves and the way they are used.
Still they believe that these tests are a valuable tool for measuring basic competency in math and english, which too many of our students never obtain.

In my experience, when my daughter attended a "progressive" elementary school 15 years ago, prior to the extensive utilization of tests that are employed now, the outcomes for students who did not enter kindergarten with the same verbal fluency that my daughter did was that they never participated in class to the same extent and graduated to what were considered lower performing middle schools, which may or may not have prepared them for higher level academic work. Anecdotally I perceived that they were never challenged with rigor.

The front page NY Times article of yesterday, citing a study that purports long term gain in both academics and life for students whose test scores increased over time is also something I would like to read more commentary on from professional educators of the Time Out From Testing/Fair Test orientation.

Josh

Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on the right for important bits.

Bloomberg Orders Private Army (NYPD) to Declare War on the Press and the Occupy Movement

Published Jan. 6, 2011 in The Wave www.rockawave.com

by Norm Scott

Do you know of a drug operation in your neighborhood and want it cleaned out? Contact City Hall and tell them there are protestors connected with the Occupy movement and “Voila,” they will be removed. And if you happen to be a reporter, photographer or video maker covering just about any Occupy event, don’t be surprised if you are harassed, bullied or threatened with having your press pass revoked.

Mayor Bloomberg, who bragged recently that he has his own private army, has been using that army in a vendetta against those who exercise their rights of peaceful protest and assembly and those who cover it. But do we expect anything less from someone who flaunts his wealth and power at every turn? Is now a good time to repeat the David Letterman line – “Since the death of Kim Il Jong the only tiny tyrant left is Mayor Bloomberg.”

What surprises me is how the right, which claims to abhor government intervention and control over people’s lives (unless it comes to who you can marry, what you can smoke, and all the other social issues they want government to enforce), is so supportive of increasing restrictions on civil liberties, which includes Obama’s signing a law that suspends basic civil liberties guaranteed by that old Constitution people on the right claim to love so much – which just might explain the appeal of Ron Paul in whose campaign elements of the left and right come together. But I digress.

While I have been generally supportive of the Occupy movements, I’ve been particularly interested in the branch I have been working with – Occupy the DOE (Department of Education) a group formed to focus on NYC education issues. ODOE is beginning to get attention given that the minions of Bloomberg/Klein/Walcott have occupied the NYC public schools for almost a decade and have shut out the voices of parents and teachers while the schools have been opened up to privatizers looking to make a buck. Or in the case of people like billionaires Bill Gates and Eli Broad, looking to gain control of education policy – largely successful given the support the Obama administration has given to the ed deform agenda.

Now I’m a very minor player but have been attending various meetings in lower Manhattan with Occupy DOE. There has been a persistent level of attempted interference on the part of the Bloomberg administration, often in conjunction with people controlling spaces that are supposed to be public to curtail people from meeting. Many groups have been meeting on Sundays at the atrium at 60 Wall Street but often find themselves on the street after last minute announcements of “closed for cleaning” and often end up in coffee shops even though as many as 40 people have attended these meetings.

Let me point out that I’ve also been generally supportive of the rank and file police and almost every single contact I’ve has with police officers has been positive – until the past 3 months since the Occupy movement began. Teachers and police officers have a lot in common. In addition to being unionized public service employees working for the city, teachers spend a whole bunch of time doing policing in their schools, whether it be classroom management, patrolling the halls, or doing lunchroom and cafeteria duty. In the few encounters I’ve had with police where it was clear I was a teacher, I found some sense of recognition of this commonality. Thus, I've never viewed police as an enemy but as fellow public workers and members of the same class - ergo - the 99%.

But recent encounters with some police over the Occupy movement have not been positive. It seems that some officers take anything to do with Occupy as a personal affront and get some glee out of hassling people. I had my own minor wrestling match with some of the overwhelming security at the December 14 Panel for Educational Policy meeting where the press was more hassled than I've seen in almost a decade of covering PEP meetings. On one side of the auditorium, the video press was penned in behind metal grates while on the other side I was standing inside a white square for the press (the first time I had seen that) but leaving when there was something to cover in the auditorium and was continually warned, even threatened with being ordered to leave. When I asked what has changed, a security guy in charge said, “Occupy” and as I was standing there two security guys came over and penned us in on 3 sides. There was a look of intense satisfaction on their faces. The enemy (the press) was vanquished.

The ODOE people walked out en masse and I heard one female cop say, "Now they'll engage in civil disobedience outside" when nothing of the sort was occurring. It was sad see a rank and file cop view the people as “they” – she must be a would-be 1 percenter.

NYC teacher: "When a public body meeting to talk about our schools has to do so under armed guard what does that say about your policies? No matter how many police you bring here that's a sign of your unpopularity." (You can view Brian’s speech at www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPiNqcKSDm4).

The next big battle at the PEP will be on February 9 where Bloomberg’s puppets on the panel will vote to close 25 schools no matter how vocal and passionate the opposition. Occupy DOE will meet at the atrium at 60 Wall St. Sunday Jan. 8 at 2PM to plan some PEP actions – come on down (alt. space if it’s closed for “cleaning” is – shhh, don’t tell the NYPD – is Stir Café, 32 Broadway).

Expect a large police presence at the Feb. 9 at Brooklyn Tech HS. While I understand that rank and file police have to follow orders, I hope there is some understanding that students, teachers and parents whose voices have been shut out for a decade have reached a level of frustration where actions more than having your 2 minute say that is ignored are necessary to force changes in policy (and they may include civil disobedience). Message to police: Yes, do your job. Follow orders. But history has proven that following orders is no excuse when the orders lead to curtailing basic rights. Remember the context – in this case a meeting that will shutter neighborhood schools and turn students and teachers into nomads. And never believe you are part of the 1% because one day as part of the general attack on public workers, they will come for you and your pensions.

I put together a video demonstrating the police presence including them penning me in at the Dec. 14 PEP: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa-OQGuMXhI

Video of Bronx Science Jan. 5 Protest Against Vicious Valerie Reidy

 UPDATED with new version of video: Friday, Jan. 6, 10:45AM

NOTICE TO BS STUDENTS: VALERIE REIDY AND HER MINIONS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO RETALIATE AGAINST STUDENTS WHO EXERCISE FUNDAMENTAL CIVIL RIGHTS. CONTACT ED NOTES IF YOU EXPERIENCE THAT AND WE WILL PUBLICIZE YOUR STORY IF YOU WISH.

Here are some reports from the Anti-Reidy Rally. Read them all at Schoolbook link below.

I cringe every time I hear a parent say their child will be attending Bronx Science next year. I sadden every time a college professor, colleague, or supervisor smiles when I mention being a Bronx Science alumni, praising it for it history as a school of talented and gifted young adults. I let them know how I feel. I feel cheated of an experience that warrants that praise.--- Jordan Bonet

Paula Walzer

As a parent I would like to point out the consequences of teachers leaving for those who stay--the students. Mrs. Reidy says she feels very good about the people she's hired. Well, I don't. She only hires young inexperienced untenured teachers, who, no matter how well intentioned, are still learning how to do their jobs.

Bronx Science Alumni Protest video by Angel Gonzalez, GEM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByQrkU6CExg

 

Schoolbook links - read amazing comments from mostly current and former students.

Rally Against Bronx Science Principal, This Time By Students and Alumni

What's your take on the turnover at Bronx High School of Science?

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Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on the right for important bits.

State of The UNION: Sat. Feb. 4

Public education is under attack! 

Stand up, fight back!

As educators we are strongest when our voices are united. 
That is what a UNION is for. 
The UNION makes us strong.

For far too long the leadership of our union, the United Federation of Teachers,
along with the national American Federation of Teachers, have been silent, thrown up minimal defenses too little too late, and have even collaborated in the assault on our profession, our students and their families.

It is time to re-imagine our teachers’ union.

Imagine. . .

A union with true democracy.

A union where members’ concerns, ideas and opinions form the union identity.

A union that works to educate, organize and mobilize its members in support of public education,
our careers as professionals, and our students, their families and communities.

A union that works to end mayoral control and other racist policies
that have removed the voice of educators and parents from decision making.

A union that works with individual schools to recruit and train chapter leaders and delegates who share this vision.

A union that supports Chapter Leaders in struggles with administrations and in their work to educate and organize members.

Join rank and file union members 
and their parent and community allies at 
The State of the UNION Conference

Come meet other UFT members who want a new kind of union

Learn about the history and functioning of the UFT in workshops facilitated by rank and file members, union delegates,
and fellow teachers

Workshops include: 

UFT 101: Introduction to the UFT
Organizing 101: parents and teachers working together--a vision for a community oriented teacher union
The UFT past and present
What is social justice unionism?
What happened to Brown vs. Board of Education: resegregation of our schools
The disappearing Black and Latino Teacher and the deprofessionalization of Teaching
What's the 1% want with our schools? (Privatization 101)
Mayoral Control vs. A People's Board of Education
Building your chapter: how do you organize at the school level?
Federal, State and local policy and our schools
What does democracy in our union look like?
Strategy and tactics: after Occupy Wall Street, what’s next for our movement?
Teacher evaluations and transformation schools

Saturday, February 4th, 2012 
10:00 am to 4:00 pm
at The Graduate Center for Worker Education
25 Broadway, 7th Floor, NYC 
Directions:  http://workereducation.org/contact-us
Find us on Facebook: State of the Union 


Please register online for the State of the Union Conference: http://stateoftheunionconference.eventbrite.com


$10 pre-registration 
$15 at the door

Scholarships available, please email stateoftheunionfeb4@gmail.com 

For childcare services at the conference please email Peter Lamphere at peter.lamphere@gmail.com

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Chicago Hope: Chicago Parents Hold Day 2 of Sit-in at Mayor Emanuel's Office

UPDATED: 10:30AM - See Chicago Teachers Union Report
Video:

Parents, teachers, and community leaders hold sit in at City Hall from Chicago Teachers Union on Vimeo.


TODAY: Reminder - Bronx Science Rally Against Principal Reidy - Had Enough BS, Bronx Science? We're Going to Help ...

I was at a meeting the other day and said, "We are 5 or more years behind Chicago here in NYC. Watch what is going on there to see the future here."

They had mayoral control/ed deform since 1995. The union has been under worse attack than in NYC dropping from 40 to 30 thousand members and the teachers took a chance by electing CORE, a caucus in existence for 2 years to run the union. Parent/teacher alliances have grown and here below is a result.

The fact that after 16 years, during which failed managers like Paul Vallas (who has ruined multiple school systems since) and Arne Duncan who does even worse damage nationally) the results have been dismal. (In another post I will talk about some major differences between Chicago and NYC but see below for a sign of the times.)


Here is a news video: http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=8490652 

mikeklonsky 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Chicago mayor stars in right-wing, anti-public school video bit.ly/xMzOfu

Gotham reports: An annual report on waste in Chicago schools found millions of dollars in improper spending. (Tribune)

Here is the press release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2012

MEDIA ALERT

Chicagoans Keep Heat on Mayor Emanuel!!!

Chicago Parents Continue to Sit-in at City Hall for a Second Day Refusing to Be Ignored by Chicago Board of Education & Mayor Rahm Emanuel to resist failed school reform policies in Black and Latino neighborhoods, and call for support of community-based model

What do do about new Bloomberg PEP Puppet Judy Bergtraum

How sad. With that family history.

Has Bloomberg closed Murray Bergtraum yet?

How will Judy vote when he decides to close Edith Bergtraum?

Wait, wait, don't tell me.

...Diane Ravitch

She was at the last meeting and voted the Bloomberg party line. She did not speak. No questions or comments. I can't see how she was well informed enough to even vote. With the current governance model it doesn't really matter what qualifications his appointees have.  ---Non-Puppet Patrick Sullivan

And if the school boards become extinct?
"I’ll find some other way to get involved," Bergtraum promised.

NOTE: Not that she thinks it bad for school boards to become extinct.

Background: Bloomberg Puppet (and possible crook) Joe Chan Resigns from PEP

How to treat new Bloomberg PEP appointee Judy Bergtraum, a former teacher (now a lawyer) and the daughter of Murray and Edith, both teachers who had schools named after them? Some people are calling on escalated personal attacks (including home and business demos) to hold the puppets who vote whatever Bloomberg wants accountable.

Not that all reports on Judy Bergtraum are bad. Here is Leonie's report.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

News flash! The mayor appoints someone qualified to sit on the Panel for Educational Policy!

I am surprised that the DOE has not yet released any biographical information for Judy Bergtraum, the new member of the Panel for Educational Policy, whose appointment was announced several weeks ago.  She is from a well-known and educationally prominent Queens family, and until recently, was a Community Education Council member and president from District 25. 

Her mother was Edith Bergtraum, a teacher at Public School 143 in Corona for 25 years, who was also member of Community School Board District 25 in 1974 for 19 years. After her death, an elementary school in Queens (PS 165 in District 25) was renamed in Edith's memory.

Her father was Murry Bergtraum, who was a member of the NYC Board of Education from 1969-1973, first as its VP and then its president until his death in 1973.  He also has a school named after him: Murry Bergtraum HS for Business Careers in lower Manhattan, site of several loud and contentious PEP meetings.

Judy is a former teacher who became a lawyer, has worked in city government, was a school board member and then CEC member & president, and now is Deputy to the Vice Chancellor of the Office of Facilities Planning, Construction and Management at CUNY.

Unlike most of the mayoral appointees to the PEP, she has a long-standing interest and experience in public education. She appears to be the most qualified mayoral appointee to the PEP since it was established.  

A short interview with her in the Queens Tribune from several years ago is here; her professional resume is here. Her email is Judy.bergtraum@mail.cuny.edu

And this from someone who has worked with her:

What I can say about Judy Bergtraum is she is devoted to helping schools and education. As President of the Community School Board and the the appointee to the CEC she was effective and objective for the most part. I hope that on the PEP she considers things the same way as if it were D25. we worked very well together as she knew the parent factor was key to success. She is organized and is not afraid to go outside the box. Hopefully things have not changed that much.

Jane

Maybe there are miracles but if I get a chance at a PEP I think I will ask Judy directly if she has any idea what Bloomberg's minions have done to destroy the fabric of education at the school named in her dad's memory. She ought to have a chat with Chapter Leader John Elfrank. When the day comes as Diane Ravitch says above, will she vote Murry Bergtraum as a school out of existence like so many of the other large schools?

 Queens Tribune: http://www.queenstribune.com/archives/featurearchive/feature99/20/index.html

Judy on-Duty

Judy Bergtraum had very little choice but to get involved with education. It’s in her blood. "Both of my parents have had schools named after them. PS 165 in Flushing (Bergtraum’s alma mater) is called the Edith K. Bergtraum school, and there’s a high school in Manhattan named after my father," Bergtraum said.

After graduating from Forest Hills High School, Bergtraum (naturally) pursued a teaching career, instructing both regular and special education. But educators, she soon realized, were not the people making important educational decisions. Administrators were.

"I was once told by a prominent political figure that as a female, if I wanted to work in government, one way I could do it was to become an attorney. What he meant was that women, who don’t really have a leg up in government, can gain equal footing with an attorney’s title."

Now a law school graduate, Bergtraum says she has "the best of both worlds." She got that government job, serving as Deputy Commissioner for Deputy Citywide Administrative Services for the City of New York, and continues to work for children as a member of School Board District 25, for which she ran again as an incumbent on May 18.

And if the school boards become extinct?

"I’ll find some other way to get involved," Bergtraum promised. 

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Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on the right for important bits.

Antonucci on AFT/NEA merger

UPDATED: 11:30PM

Interesting post from Mike at EIA.
Now that NEA made nice with TFA and already endorsed Obama they are in ed deform camp with Randi who will officially endorse Obama at AFT convention in Detroit in late July. Obama will toss out a few banal words on how bad testing is to keep troops in line and Unity Caucus clones will eat it up.
With both national unions trying to show how much they want ed deform instead of real reform rank and file teachers are fighting a 2 front war.
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Wishful Thinking or Inside Poop?

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 09:02 AM PST

Former NEA executive director John Wilson lists this among his predictions for 2012:

The National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers will begin merger talks as they realize it is in the best interest of sustainability and power as well as an efficient use of members’ dues dollars.

Ever since the failed national merger attempt in 1998 there has been little desire by the national unions to revisit the issue. In fact, the formal structures created to grease the skids for future merger proposals have since dwindled and died.
So it would take a significant change in the environment for merger to gain any traction. However, the recent wars over public sector collective bargaining might be exactly the change that would spur such movement. That’s what makes me wonder if Wilson’s prediction is more than just his personal hope and actually reflects a new sentiment in the NEA camp.
You’ll notice the reasons Wilson cites for merger talks: sustainability, power and efficient budgets. Those are a departure from the 1998 arguments and are more likely to resonate with state affiliates on the political and financial ropes.
I’ll believe it when I see it, but a new merger effort is no longer out of the question.