Bob Braun's Ledger
THE ORGANIZATION DIRECTOR OF THE NEWARK TEACHERS UNION--has been charged by the Newark school administration with "defiant trespass" after he visited a school that was involved in a personal tragedy with serious implications for staff--the death of a 6-year-old child, apparently from meningitis. John Abeigon learned of the charges against him only after receiving letters in the mail from lawyers offering to represent him. Abeigon, a NTU vice president who could lose his teaching licenses if convicted, visited teachers at the school--permitted by the NTU contract--and had called attention to the failure of the administration to clean it after the death of the child. The state administration of the district, led by Christie-appoin ted superintendent Cami Anderson, had falsely reported that the child had not been in school for 10 days before his death and therefore posed no threat to children and school employees. It turned out, said a spokeswoman for Anderson, that the child had been in school when he was contagious. Abeigon's critical remarks of the handling of the charges have been met with criminal charges. More about the incident as part of the continuing failure of Anderson to keep good attendance records in a later blog.
season 1. But it was cold and Junior's cheesecake beckoned from across the street.
Damn. Now I have to stay awake another hour reading all this great stuff from Susan.What the world needs NOW:
a)
http://susanohanian.org/cartoon_fetch.php?id=1001
b)
http://susanohanian.org/cartoon_fetch.php?id=1000
In solidarity for ethical teaching and the ability to say 'No!'
Susan
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Wrong-Headed Common Core Testing
Susan Ohanian
blog
2015-03-18
http://susanohanian.org/core.php?id=796
Smarter Balanced assessments pushes 4th graders to write in the 'It was a dark and stormy night' genre.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Parents, Protect Your Children from the Smarter Blanced Test
Susan Ohanian
blog
2015-03-18
http://susanohanian.org/core.php?id=794
Consider the terrible test prep that will be inflicted on children to prepare them for this nonsense.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Vermont State Board of Education Statement and Resolution on the Appropriate Use of SBAC Standardized Tests and School Accountability
Resolution
Vermont State Board of Education
2015-03-17
http://susanohanian.org/core.php?id=793
This resolution uncoupling accountability from Smarter Balanced testing passed unanimously.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Organized Confusion: PARCC Hypocrisy, Bullying, and Fear-Mongering in Chicago Public Schools
Troy LaRaviere
blog
2015-03-15 http://susanohanian.org/core.php?id=791
A Chicago principal stands up to his boss and defends the right of students to opt out of PARCC.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Smarter Balanced Guide for Spying on Students
Susan Ohanian
blog
2015-03-14 http://susanohanian.org/data.php?id=585
Smarter Balanced test security instructs schools to follow students on Twitter and Facebook. And more.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Pearson, NJ, spying on social media of students taking PARCC tests
Bob Braun
Bob Braun's Leger
2015-03-13 http://susanohanian.org/data.php?id=584
Here's evidence of just how much a Big Brother Pearson has become.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Privacy Pitfalls as Education Apps Spread Haphazardly
Natasha Singer with Ohanian Comment
New York Times
2015-03-12 http://susanohanian.org/data.php?id=583
Teachers are wildly using so many apps that 'guarding against the potential pitfalls -- data breaches, identity theft, unauthorized student profiling -- is a herculean endeavor.'
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
To the editor
Stephen Krashen, USC Professor Emeritus
US News & World Report
2015-03-12 http://susanohanian.org/show_letter.php?id=1752
Excellent, whistle-blowing letter.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Law Schools Face New Rules on Reporting Graduates’ Success
Jacob Gershman
Wall Street Journal
2015-03-18 http://susanohanian.org/outrage_fetch.php?id=1936
Law schools face scrutiny for their practice of funding jobs for graduates, a move that can boost their position in the U.S. News rankings.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Tisch Must Go -- Bill Cala to State Board of Regents
Bill Cala and Norm Scott
EdNotes Online
2015-03-16 http://susanohanian.org/outrage_fetch.php?id=1935
A lifetime education leader asks for ouster of longtime New York State Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Why Walton Has Stopped Funding Milwaukee
Alan J. Borsuk and L.S. Hall
MilwaukeeInside Philanthropy
2015-03-13 http://susanohanian.org/outrage_fetch.php?id=1934
The Walton Family Foundation is pulling out of Milwaukee, 'redirecting' its money mill to places they believe are 'most ripe' for their aims.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
When the Market Drives Reporting
Susan Ohanian
blog
2014-03-17 http://susanohanian.org/show_research.php?id=569
A small look at the bias in the Education Week narrative.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Children's Books for the One Per Cent
Eric Schulmiller
The New Yorker
2015-03-11 http://susanohanian.org/show_nclb_news.php?id=921
Very funny. Very clever. And early childhood reformers aligned with the Common Core won't 'get' it.
Old-school racism at the heart of anti-unionism? Who would have ever thought?... Michael Fiorillohttp://pando.com/2015/03/13/
I may have a new career. I will be going to a PTA meeting at a Title I school in Brooklyn to rep CTS tomorrow. Parents at another Brooklyn Title I school asked CTS to send a rep this morning but I couldn't make it. The "only white middle class opt out" line is beginning to break.I have been maintaining that it is only a matter of time before the opt-out color line is broken. Black and latino/a kids are even more messed up by high stakes tests. The middle class in those communities supposedly support tests. I think that may turn into a myth.
Assemblyman Jim Tedisco, R-Glenville, who turned out to be the top contender in the Assembly on the "Stop Common Core" ballot line in 2014, announced new legislation he is drafting: the Common Core Parental Refusal Act. This legislation would require school districts to notify parents about their right to opt-out of Common Core standardized tests for students in grades 3 through 8.Where are the Democrats? With their pals in NYSUT and the UFT I guess.
 |
| Bookstore in Oneonta NY: books for kids to read while opting out of the state tests. NYSAPE suggested the list and supplied the sign. |
I am so steamed today b/c at our school's meeting for parents getting ready for tests, admin. would not share the DOE Parent Guide. There should be copies available for parents. Though I asked beforehand. Luckily I prepped another parent to tell the other parents b/c I could not make it. And, this is after we all marched together around the school on Thurs. But more parents than before have asked for info about opt out and the fifth grade parents might be ready to try now.
To the City Council:
As a parent in a public school for the past six years, and as a strong proponent of refusing state ELA and math tests, I ask that you require specific information about opting out of state tests, steps detailing how to do so, and an outline ofAdd on: Opt-out is causing panic at the DOE
consequences, be shared with parents at the start of each year in the Parents' Bill of Rights.
The Parent Guide at http://schools.nyc.gov/Accountability/resources/testing/default.htm is difficult for parents and guardians to find and, to my knowledge, has not been widely shared. Families who want to make an informed decision about whether or not to allow their children to take the tests are unable to do so. At a time in which the DOE wants to engage parents more fully, and work together in partnership, every step should be taken to give us information that we are fully entitled to. It is every parent or guardian's right to determine what is best for their child, and not providing clear information to all parents, early in the school year, is unacceptable.
Schools ask permission to take our children's photos. to take them on field trips, and to participate in sports or dance classes. However, for the state tests, which have stakes that are higher than ever and cause tremendous disruption to the schools, the burden is upon parents and guardians to search for information in order to opt out or refuse.
Please pass this bill (Res. 577-2015), so that all parents have equal access to opt-out/refusal policies.
My sons teachers told me today I can't opt out for the state testing this year. They said the principal will require them to go to summer school and they will have to do a project. Is this true? Last year my son was able to opt out with no problem.And then this:
I'm choosing to opt my son (8th Grade, NYC public school in Manhattan)out of the upcoming ELA exam. I wrote a letter to his principal explaining my views and expressing my desire to opt him out. Today I get a phone call from his school saying that due to new DOE policy, I need to have a meeting with the school administration to discuss the matter before they will exempt him. Never heard of this policy, do you know if this is legal or legitimate?
How Sloppy Education Reporting Is Slowly Killing Our Schools
Our union is in many ways just an appendage, a weak one at that, of the Democratic party. As the party sinks further into the money raising pit, don't expect to see much positive change. Democrats are not capable as currently constituted of doing much for us. Since our union bosses are a major part of the Democratic establishment, do not expect them to lead a movement to put real progressives on the ballot. We'll need to do it ourselves at the grassroots level... James Eterno, ICE blog, BEWARE OF DEMOCRATS COURTING UNION VOTETwo recent items caught my eye, the Eterno piecce and this
Hey Norm,
I got a call from the Democratic Party last night. I politely listened to the gentleman who told me dems lost seats in the last election. Dems who lost strayed away from the party and our president. They want to back the best people who stay on message. The voter turnout was low. When he was done I told him that if the democratic party showed a backbone and supported unionized teachers, then more of us would have voted for them. But as things stand now I will not support them. He responded with more rhetoric about Obama. Then I told him President Obama has proven that he too is bad for unionized teachers. His appointee Arne Duncan is a clear example of that. He interrupted me as I was making that point and began to argue. I told him I would wait to see how the dems behave going forward and they would have to earn my vote. He continued to interrupt me so I told him I wasn't staying on the phone arguing with a stranger who wants my vote and I hung up. Are there any other teachers (or unionized workers) you know of who have gotten this phone call lately?
The absolute nerve of these people.....they turn their backs on us and then complain about low voter turnout. I always vote....but I've gone Green Party last couple of elections....until the dems grow a backbone they aren't getting my vote.Then James Eterno posted a great piece on the ICE blog today. The UFT/NYSUT/AFT has so tied itself to the Democratic Party -- it is so important for Randi to be able to play in that pen, they leave themselves little options.
Instead, we need to be more organized and much more militant. That should be our first priority but we can't stick our heads in the sand and ignore elections. Chicago Teachers are setting the example by strongly opposing Democratic anti-union Mayor Rahm Emanual's bid for reelection. They might not win but they have earned respect for sure by forcing a runoff.And he attempts to answer the question raised by NYC Educator:
As for how the weakness of labor impacts teacher unions, NYC Educator did a piece about a week ago wondering why UFT/NYSUT/AFT leaders make decisions that actually harm their members. Why is our union supporting rubbish such as teachers being rated based on student test scores on standardized exams (junk science), the untested Common Core and plenty of other nonsense that the rank and file overwhelmingly abhors? Why did AFT President Randi Weingarten make phone calls for anti-public school candidate Kathy Hochul in a contested primary last yea? Why did Randi act as an apologist for our foe Governor Andrew Cuomo during the fall election campaign?
These questions are not that difficult to answer.
Our union is in many ways just an appendage, a weak one at that, of the Democratic party. As the party sinks further into the money raising pit, don't expect to see much positive change. Democrats are not capable as currently constituted of doing much for us.
Dear education advocates,Council Members Helen Rosenthal and Daniel Dromm have introduced a bill (Res. 577-2015) to amend the DOE Parents' Bill of Rights. The bill would require DOE to distribute the document to all parents at the start of every school year, and it would require DOE to include information about parents' right to opt their children out of standardized tests. You can see the current version of the Parents' Bill of Rights on the DOE website.The bill will be heard in an Education Committee hearing on Thursday, March 19 at 1pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall. The hearing is open to the public, and you are welcome to submit testimony about the bill to Jan Atwell at jatwell@council.nyc.gov or Ashya Schomburg at aschomburg@council.nyc.gov. If you cannot attend the hearing, you can watch the video here. (It will be streaming live, or you can watch it after the fact.)Please share this information with your network, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions.Best,StephanieStephanie BuhleDirector of CommunicationsOffice of Council Member Helen Rosenthal(212) 788-69756th District: Upper West Side & Clinton
Chancellor Tisch has vehemently supported the policies of John King and demonstrated an uncomfortable alliance with the draconian policies of Governor Cuomo. She has been unapologetic, unresponsive and deaf to the public she serves. Her continued leadership of the board will signal defiance of the will of the educational community and an arrogance of unmeasured proportions... Bill Cala
Dear Members of the New York State Board of Regents,By the way- Bill and his wife Joanne run an amazing charity in Africa where they build schools and do other wonderful stuff. Check it out - http://www.joiningheartsandhands.org/aboutus.php - and DONATE!
Over the past year, it should be apparent that the direction of education in New York is changing. Parents have raised their voices and are no longer willing to blindly accept the state and national agenda of testing and punishment to their children and their children's teachers. Parents have made it clear that they support their public schools and teachers and will no longer accept a rigid curriculum and testing regime.
Former commissioner King's management of curriculum, data, parents and the implementation of the common core (as well as the common core itself) surely precipitated his departure. Parents, teachers, school board members and the general populace demanded that the process of appointing members to the Board of Regents by the legislature dramatically change and that the process become more transparent. Those demands were so loud and deafening that the legislature had little choice but to listen. As a result, unprecedented turnover resulted. The most ardent supporter of John King was regent Robert Bennett. Throughout Bennett's term he has supported positions that have been at cross purposes with the wishes of parents and teachers. Before John King's departure, Bennett's praise for his policies were unwavering. In fact, when King resigned, Bennett was quoted as saying "...he is the best educator I have ever met." Quite curious that when interviewed for reappointment to the Board of Regents recently, the story changed. It became apparent that Mr. Bennett read the tea leaves and knew that support for John King would not secure reappointment. Fortunately the legislators paid attention and knew very well where he stands on the issues and this led to Mr. Bennett's withdrawal of his application. As you know, this was not the only incumbent who fell.
You all know the history and hopefully you all are aware of the movement for a more responsive government and a board of regents more receptive to the needs and desires of the people of the state of New York. The big question that remains is whether or not the new composition of the board will do "business as usual" or will this board respond to the outcry of parents and teachers. The most effective sign that the Regents are listening and care about the people they serve would be to elect a new chancellor.
Chancellor Tisch has vehemently supported the policies of John King and demonstrated an uncomfortable alliance with the draconian policies of Governor Cuomo. She has been unapologetic, unresponsive and deaf to the public she serves. Her continued leadership of the board will signal defiance of the will of the educational community and an arrogance of unmeasured proportions.
I trust that events of the recent weeks and months will bring a change of heart which subsequently will lead to a change of leadership so desperately needed in New York. Anything less will send a signal that the voices of communities across the state have been ignored.
Sincerely,
William C. Cala Ed.D.
Lifetime New York educator and child advocate
Posted: 16 Mar 2015 11:49 AM PDTMONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015
One cheer for the New York Times: Last week, we offered an anecdote and an impression about our public schools.
On C-Span, Professor Guinier and a gloomy caller had said that we’re destroying another generation of black kids in our public schools.
That’s often considered the hip, gloomy thing for know-nothing “liberals” to traffic! In response, we said we think that a lot of people have been trying very hard to create better schools for low-income kids.
To refresh your recollection, click here.
Middle School 88 (Park Slope, Brooklyn) sounds like another such school. We’ll offer three cheers for the school itself, one cheer for the way the New York Times reported on its math instruction.
The report appeared in yesterday’s Sunday Review, a very high-profile placement. The Times described Tina Rosenberg, author of the report:
Download Mobile Tickets 
In a rare move, the board that oversees the city’s retirement fund for civil servants killed a proposal to invest in a high-yield hedge fund — run by one of the city’s biggest investors in charter schools, sources told The Post.The New York City Employees’ Retirement System nixed a recommendation from the comptroller’s office to sink a portion of its $54 billion pension fund into Gotham Asset Management, which is run by Success Academies co-founder Joel Greenblatt.The charter network is overseen by Eva Moskowitz, a long-time foe of Mayor de Blasio.The 11-member board is stacked with reps who are allied with the anti-charter teachers’ union — including appointees from de Blasio, Borough Presidents Eric Adams and Ruben Diaz Jr. and leaders of three major city unions.“It’s extremely rare for public pensions to be run like this,” said an expert on municipal finance. “The fact that we do it through these boards lends itself to decision-making that isn’t solely based on rates of returns. It can get political.”The investment was rejected even though it’s unusual for such proposals to be derailed after making it onto the board’s agenda, according to a source familiar with the process.Investment recommendations are made only after considerable economic research by a division of the comptroller’s office.“New York denied itself the opportunity to invest and get a great return,” said a separate source familiar with the vote.Gotham’s four fund offerings have done relatively well since launching over a stretch of time, ranging from a 7.8 percent return for one launched nine months ago to 48 percent for the oldest fund, launched in August 2012.Officials at the hedge fund declined comment.It’s not possible to determine which NYCERS reps voted down the measure — nor their motivation — because the action was taken in executive session.The Comptroller’s Bureau of Asset Management referred Greenblatt’s hedge fund to NYCERS for consideration as a potential investment last month, but a spokesman for Comptroller Scott Stringer declined to say how it learned of the fund.“As the investment adviser to the New York City Pension Funds, the Bureau of Asset Management recommends investments based strictly on their merits,” said Stringer spokesman Eric Sumberg.Stringer is among the 11 trustee members. Other board members either did not return calls or declined to comment, citing the confidentiality of discussions that took place in an executive meeting on Feb. 24.But some of the reps have made it clear in the past that ideological considerations are fair game for investment decisions.As public advocate in late 2012, de Blasio called for the city’s pension funds to divest themselves from firms that manufacture military-grade guns — both for financial prudence and moral reasons.“Beyond our fiduciary duty, we should not be giving capital to an industry that is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans each year,” de Blasio said shortly after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.Asked about the board’s vote, UFT President Michael Mulgrew said, “We’re confident that the NYCERS board members voted in the best interest of their members.
The UFT is not among the three unions — DC-37, TWU Local 100 and Teamsters Local 237 — that sits on the NYCERS board. But its parent union, the American Federation of Teachers, has sought to steer pension funds to invest with firms that help, or at least don’t harm, union members.
Featuring extensive coverage of City-As and the convergence in Washington Square Park where folks from PS1, Liberty High, Independence HS, Manhattan Comprehensive Night and Day, NYU, and other schools rallied and spoke out.... John AntushI've been working with John Antush in MORE for almost 3 years and it gives me such great pleasure to see his efforts to build coalitions inside his school and in the lower Manhattan area begin to pay off. What distinguishes this City-As led rally and the District 15 rally at Cuomo's office was the networking of schools which builds power of them all - and let's not neglect to say these events have not been oppositional but partnerships with the UFT leaderships in and outside the schools. To see so many MORE's take part like Alexandra Alves from PS 2, who we met just last June when she attended a lower Manhattan meetup hosted by John and Jia Lee.
32,000 teachers have left city schools to take their talents elsewhere or have exited the profession altogether since 2002. Among mid-career teachers with six to 15 years of experience, the number of resignations per year leapt from 500 to 900 between 2008 and 2013...While the UFT ignores, the Indypendent takes on the issue of principals from hell.
Brooklyn elementary school teacher Michelle Baptiste got in trouble with her principal when she used her after-school hours to meet with families of troubled children instead of entering her students’ standardized test results into an Excel spreadsheet. Photo: Alex Ellefson
March 11, 2015
When discussing how to improve public education, Governor Andrew Cuomo likes to complain about how difficult it is to fire “bad teachers” and the need to reduce job security for classroom educators. He is not alone in this. The Partnership for Educational Justice, a well-funded nonprofit fronted by former CNN host Campbell Brown, is pursuing a lawsuit in a Staten Island court that seeks to scrap teacher tenure protections. Both New York City tabloids, meanwhile, never miss a chance to promote a lurid teacher sex scandal and then denounce the teachers union for protecting the right of the accused to a fair hearing.
But what if the real teaching crisis in New York is not the inability to get rid of bad teachers, but the failure to keep experienced and highly capable teachers and allow them to do their jobs?...
Baptiste told The Indypendent she had been too busy meeting during after-school hours with the families of troubled children in her class — including some who did not have stable housing — to keep on schedule with entering data, which she described as “garbage.” Still, she recognizes her actions put her career in peril.
“If you get enough of these letters in your file, you can be brought up on charges of incompetence and you can lose your livelihood,” said Baptiste. She has switched to teaching second grade, where students are tested less frequently.
Principals From Hell
“My assistant principal was absolutely disgusting. I walked in on him cornering a special education teacher in the library,” Thurman told The Indypendent. “He would even eye students who came into his office. I started encouraging teachers, who started coming to me, that I could be a witness for them, but as a young teacher there’s so many fears, not just sexual harassment.”
Print Tickets 
Contact the Host