The Impact of Scanning on a School

Updated 11am: See Gary Babad's comment below

We know the fear there is out there about weapons, etc., especially since Columbine. Though if those guys wanted to do the same even with scanning, no one would have stopped them unless they were scanned first outside the grounds of the school.

Many schools have scanning every day and there are always reports of the impact, from having to stand outside for a half hour and missing their first class, to the dehumanizing aspects.

The report below is from a school in eastern Queens with a higher proportion of middle class parents, who often seem to be the most outraged at how their children are being treated. It is often pointed out that there seem to be few complaints from parents in the poorer inner city but that may be due to a complex set of reasons.

I've heard more from teachers, generally on the left, who object to the degrading dance the poorest, most at-risk students must go through. Given the general conditions, even before scanning, the number of weapons used in attacks by students seemed pretty low compared to the population, but it is understandable that safety is on people's minds.

But when you throw police into the mix, with an all-too-often attitude of perps and peeps - we've heard of kids getting arrested for refusing to take off their hats – a more hostile environment is created. Ed Notes has been opposed to police in the schools, which can make a bad situation worse and that as much as possible, educators who at least have some modicum of experience in dealing with kids on a regular basis, should be left to address these issues. But schools must be given the educator (rather than police) resources to do the job adequately and as painlessly as possible.

You'll note below that the principal of John Bowne did not seem happy when the scanning was imposed on the school. Didn't BloomKlein give principals all that power and shouldn't the decision to bring in scanners have been left to him? As you can see, at least he is to some extent responsible to a PTA, which we're sure would be abolished by BloomKlein ( I wonder how the anti-parent policies of Bloomberg would play in the hinterlands in a presidential campaign?)

Frankly, in today's pressure cooker environment in schools, it's more likely for a teacher to go postal.

A report from a parent on the nyceducationnews listserve:

At John Bowne's PTA meeting last nite, the issue of scanning was brought up by the principal. We had scanning on Dec. 17. I asked what the attendance was for that day and the principal said the drop was between 18 and 23%. He was not a happy camper about the whole situation either. He estimated that the overtime alone cost the school about $10,000.00. And he was also not happy about the disruption to the education process. He had deans, APs, secretaries, teachers, etc. bagging and tagging electronic devices? Another mom asked what was confiscated, other than eds - 2 pockets knives, a box cutter and a couple bags of pot. The principal said that he made 4 announcements yesterday that eds would not be tolerated and hoped that the kids got the hint that scanning was going to be done today (but we didn't hear that from him). When I got home, I asked my daughter about the announcements and she didn't ge the hints. However, she promptly started texting and sending out My Space alerts to her friends. Sure enough, this AM, the outside of the school was crawling with (what I assumed) police officers (another waste of our tax dollars) and school security officers.

Gary Babad adds:
For anyone who has not seen it, the NYCLU report, "Criminalizing the Classroom" is a comprehensive look at this issue, with history and some chilling anecdotes, but also a set of alternative proposals for maintaining school security. One can navigate to and download the entire PDF file.
http://www.nyclu.org/policinginschools

Big Business of Public Education Forum Attracts a Crowd

Updated Friday, Jan. 11

It was standing room only at today's Teachers Unite-sponsored forum on privatization. Speakers Michael Fiorillo and Leonie Haimson wowed the crowd with their knowledge and analysis of the privatization of public schools. Michael concentrated on the historical and broad context, while Leonie focused on the impact of BloomKlein on NYC.

Michael is an ESL teacher and chapter leader at Newcomers HS in Long Island City and Leonie is the founder and director of Class Size Matters and the co-founder of the NYC Public School Parents blog.

The mixed crowd consisted of teachers new to the system and veterans and there was a rousing discussion afterwards with some the fault lines between newbies and vets being exposed. Teachers Unite, under the direction of Sally Lee, will attempt to address some of these issues at future events. (We've talked about holding a "bridging the gap" open discussion at some point.)

Why have these forums (we've held 3 events so far) tempted over 50 teachers to come out on a Thursday afternoon/evening and attracted the interest of some influential people in the ed/political world (look for more fabulous speakers in the future)? Because these crucial discussions are taking place no where else. One of our goals will be to figure out how to include more audience participation as there were still many questions left unanswered and the sense that people would have staid around even longer.

I put together a list of resources for the participants and will post them later.
I videotaped the event and will try to get sections up on the web within the next 2 weeks.

Look for the next forum on big business and privatization on March 27.

Run, Bloomberg, Run

graphic by DB

by Norman Scott
From The Wave, Jan. 11, 2007
www.rockawave.com

A story in the NY Times, "Obama’s Surge Deflates Forum and Talk of a Bloomberg Run," on the day before the New Hampshire primary may have been premature in burying Michael Bloomberg’s independent run for the presidency. I hope he does run, but not because I am a supporter.
One has to ask why so many veteran NYC educators have such disdain for Bloomberg and his henchman Joel Klein. They have witnessed close up and personal the destructive nature of what has been done to an already fragile school system.
There is no question that the NYC schools needed major reform. But not on the basis of bringing competitive business practices like merit pay for teachers and students, competitions between schools, bottom line results resulting in punitive measures for schools and personnel – all while funneling money to private interests that leech off the system.
Not only are they an indication of educational policy gone awry but also a tale of major incompetence that has invited comparisons to the mismanagement of the Bush administration.
Hopefully, a presidential campaign by Bloomberg will focus national attention on the Bloom/Klein educational "reform" disaster.

Small learning communities
With so many initiatives by Bloom/Klein being wrong-headed, the idea of setting up small learning communities with a regular Ed and special Ed teacher working together seemed to have possibilities. I have heard of some cases where, if carefully managed, with small class sizes and with lots of teacher input, it has worked. Do you think any of these factors are in operation on the small learning communities set up by the NYCDOE? That’s a rhetorical question. There are such setups at our own Beach Channel HS. Let us know how they are working out.

Beach Channel staff shaken by Far Rockaway HS closing
The staff at BCHS is preparing for an influx of 9th graders next year that will have nowhere convenient to go other than BCHS. Worried about a disproportionate influx of ELA and special ed students who will not be accepted at the small schools replacing Far Rock, there is the additional factor of increased gang activity due to rivalries between students at the two schools. Will the DOE provide in increase in resources to BCHS to handle the influx? Or will the DOE squeeze the school to force it into a closing of it’s own? You can find hints of an answer in items one and two above.

State Education Dept. and Board of Regents performance shameful
Someone ought to start an investigation as to why NY State is one of the most regressive in the nation when it comes to over testing, amongst other items. Who to blame? Start with the Board of Regents, which appoints the state education commissioner, who happens to be the hapless Richard Mills. It is time to take the appointments of these people out of the hands of politicians and hold an election, as is done in many other states.

Political action as a teacher
As someone who was an unwilling entrant into teaching in 1967, I’m convinced that becoming an educational activist both in the union and in the community I worked in (Williamsburg) gave me perspective and an understanding of the forces that impacted on the daily events I was witnessing. The powers that be at the schools and district level and in the UFT were not very happy, but I was young and didst not know what I was doing. But I’m very glad I became an activist. Regularly meeting with like-minded people enabled me to work with parents and community and gave me insights I was able to use with the kids. These types of meetings continue today. A current project is:

The big business of public education
Millions of dollars are exchanged between New York City’s Department of Education and private companies. How do these relationships impact our classrooms? What can be done about the seemingly inescapable trend of schools privatization?
I’ve been involved in helping set up forums addressing these issues in conjunction with Teachers Unite, an organization (www.teachersunite.net), under the direction of Sally Lee, that builds ties between educators and community organizers, using these political/education forums to build an informed teacher constituency where educators can relate their experiences in schools to larger political trends.
The 2007-2008 forums focus on the impact of privatization and the corporate model on classroom life in NYC public schools. Next year, with the law giving the mayor total control of the schools due to sunset in 2009, we will tackle the thorny issue of school governance. These forums are open to the public.

Rockaway Theater Company
I spent the past season as the videographer for the Rockaway Theater Company and the more involved, the more impressed I was about the quality work they do. Recently, I finally delivered DVD’s of all the shows. Working on them was delightful, as it gave me a chance to see the shows time and again, something I never get tired of. If I don’t chicken out, I might even take their acting course, taught by a remarkable young actor who delighted audiences with his antics as the narrator in Rockaway Café and as “Larry” in “Inspecting Carol.”

Rubber room movie
The trailer for a movie about the rubber room, also known as Teacher Reassignment Centers, has been released and can be viewed at www.rubberroommovie.com.

UFT to start it’s own grading system
As I was finalizing this piece, I read a report by Elizabeth Green (the most relentless education reporter in NYC) that Randi Weingarten was going to create a union-sponsored grading system as a counter weight to the one being used by the DOE. Fraught with lots of minefields, this idea bears watching. I’ll comment next time.

Education Notes Prognostications for 2008

Teachers urged to give steroids to low scoring children to pump up scores.

Teachers ordered to take steroids during height of testing season to counter "testing fatigue."

What the hell: Teachers told to give steroids to all children.

Roger Clemons becomes NYCDOE Chancellor. NY State Ed Commissioner Richard "DICKIE BOY" Mills gives Clemons special waiver. "He has even more qualifications than Joel Klein to be Chancellor. He has 4 children,” says Mills.
Test scores and grad rates break Bloom/Klein record for inflation.

Bloomberg is elected President on a platform of nationalizing schools before selling them off to private interests. Russia's Putin puts in best bid and owns the entire school system of the United States. The business community cheers the advent of a Soviet style system that will prepare children to work long hours without complaining.

Joel Klein arrested for handing out cash to children in front of schools. His claims he was only paying kids for getting high scores on tests were laughed out of court.

Bloomberg Presidential Campaign being Derailed by Obama?

I am saddened at the story in today's NY Times, "Obama’s Surge Deflates Forum and Talk of a Bloomberg Run."

We will be missing an opportunity to focus national attention on the BloomKlein educational "reform" disaster. Not only are they an indication of ed policy gone awry but also a tale of major incompetence that has invited comparisons to the mismanagement of the Bush administration.

Photoshopped by DB at pseudo-intellectualism

Seduced and Abandoned by Intel: My Poor Sad XO Laptop

It does tricks too

When I saw the chance to get my hands on one of the XO laptops when One Laptop Per Child offered a 2 month "Give One Get One" deal where for $400 you get one and so does some kid in the third world, as a tech freak, I jumped at it.

Mine arrived last Thursday and it is so cute - little green and white thing with a 7 inch screen. And so light and rugged. Just toss it into a bag and go. I took it to a meeting the other day and when we needed a bit of info I found a wi-fi link in the restaurant and googled it. It comes with a bunch of stuff that kids will get a kick out of but we shouldn't expect the tech savvy kids in this country to love it more than the stuff they already have. But to a kid in Combodia, it is way cool. You can even charge it up like a windup toy. Check out the OLPC web site for info.

Kids in the Andes in Peru using the XO.
Photo from the NY Times article.

Enter the Evil Empire
Saturday's business section of the NY Times has a very informative article written by John Markham, titled "Intel Quits Effort to Get Computers to Children."

"The project has been a lightning rod for controversy largely because the world’s most powerful software and chip making companies — Microsoft and Intel — had long resisted the project, for fear, according to many industry executives, that it would compete in markets they hoped to develop."

Maybe it was all pie in the sky when former MIT Media Lab boss Nicholas Negroponte started the One Laptop Per Child in an effort to bring inexpensive technology deep into the third world by producing and inexpensive laptop that costs $200. I'm a fan of MIT Media Lab because of the work they've done with tech ed, including developing the prototype of the LEGO brick we use in robotics. And I love the constructivist ideas (ok, I'm out of the closet) of Seymour Papert and was a big fan of the Logo programming environment he developed at MIT.

The XO laptop uses a processor from Advanced Micro Devices instead of Intel's chips and the Linux open-source operating system. Microsoft’s Windows and Office software are nowhere to be seen.

Is this idea a threat to industry giants Microsoft and Intel? You bet it is. Intel wants to sell their own $350 version and it's sales force around the world has been trashing the XO. And of course, Bill Gates, that paragon of virtue when it comes to ed reform (in many cases with the twist that Windows and Office are part of the package) – well, don't expect any of the Gates money to go to places where the XO is used. A $200 laptop with software for schools in the US where you could equip an entire classroom for about $5000 instead of 5 or 10 times as much? What kind of ed reform is that where the business world can't make a buck or 2?

One of the hidden costs of the BloomKlein takeover of the NYC public schools has been the catastrophe visited upon whatever tech program existed in the schools before they came on the scene and the enormous amount of money Intel and Microsoft have walked away with. I know where too many bodies are buried to go into depth on this and won't write much about it until everyone I know is clear.

Markham writes:

“They played another dirty trick in Peru,” [Negroponte] said. “It’s a little bit like McDonald’s competing with the World Food Program.”

In Peru, where One Laptop has begun shipping the first 40,000 PCs of a 270,000 system order, Isabelle Lama, an Intel saleswoman, tried to persuade Peru’s vice minister of education, Oscar Becerra Tresierra, that the Intel Classmate PC was a better choice for his primary school students.

Unfortunately for Intel, the vice minister is a longtime acquaintance of Mr. Negroponte and Seymour Papert, a member of the One Laptop team and an M.I.T. professor who developed the Logo computer programming language. The education minister took notes on his contacts with the Intel saleswoman and sent them to One Laptop officials.

In a telephone interview Friday, Mr. Tresierra said that his government had asked Intel for a proposal for secondary-school machines, and it had responded with a proposal offering the Classmate PC for primary grades.

“We told them this is a final decision, we are running the primary-grade project with the XO,” he said. “She wasn’t very happy.”

He said the decision to purchase the XO had come after the government had run a pilot project with the computers. “We were very happy with the results,” he said.

I think I will be too. The XO even has a little camera that can take stills and short videos. Last night me and the guys were watching the football games at my friend's house with the XO logged on to a neighbor's wi-fi. Need to know who Joe Namath's backup was when the Jets won the Super Bowl? Babe Parilli. And the XO took pics of all the chips, dip and Chinese food we consumed. I won't share and gross you out. Urp!

More on ATRs' from Pissed Off

Pissed Off Teacher after reading out item below about Klein going after ATR's has this report from the trenches:

Excerpt (go to her blog to read the entire item):

An ATR in my school came to the cafeteria today visibly upset about something. When pressed, she told us that she had been called down to the APO's office. It seems APs, deans and school aides have been complaining about her classroom management. It is interesting that this incident came about today, the day after the above story came out. This woman has been in the school since September and in all this time has only had two classes that she could not handle. The classes she could not handle are classes that give their regular teacher a hard time. Yesterday, she had the class from hell. One AP walked into the room and got the kids to settle down for a little while. Unfortunately, this pompous a** did not show his face until the last twenty minutes of the period and did not stay around for long.

A coincidence?

Last week we had our Shanker fest and talked about the '68 strike and how the UFT framed it as a fight for due process after a bunch of teachers were transferred. It is way more complex than that but the enormous amount of people under attack while the UFT sits by makes for an interesting contrast.

A follow-up comment from Ira on ICE-mail:

I really think this sums up quite succinctly exactly what they are doing -- ATR's can never be expected to control difficult classes so they are going to make sure they get them as often as possible and then they will probably be observed when they are in one of those classes.

Eduwonkette Goes to Washington...

....figuratively, that is. Jimmy Stewart better duck [for old movie buffs.]

Eduwonkette's blog is migrating over to the Education Week at this new address.

"I will not be an employee of Ed Week - they'll just be hosting the site. They're not responsible for my views, nor I for theirs."

That's good news, though we'll miss the funky pink atmosphere. The national exposure Ed Week can provide should be a plus for the good guys. Not bad for a blog a little over 3 months old.

Education Notes 2008 Prognostications

Randi Weingarten is elected AFT President and roams the country trying to get Hillary Clinton elected – in 2016.

Joel Klein arrested for handing out cash to children in front of schools.

Teachers urged to give steroids to low scoring children to pump up scores.

Teachers ordered to take steroids during height of testing season to counter "testing fatigue."

What the hell: Teachers told to give steroids to all children.

Roger Clemons becomes NYCDOE Chancellor. NY State Ed Commissioner Richard "DICKIE BOY" Mills gives Clemons special waiver. "He has even more qualifications than Joel Klein to be Chancellor. He has 4 children. Test scores and grad rates break BloomKlein record for inflation.

Bloomberg is elected President on a platform of nationalizing schools before selling them off to private interests. Russia's Putin puts in best bid and owns the nation's entire school system.

In sports:
The NY Jets draft Patriots' QB Tom Brady's infant children and all future unborn that he might have with super models.

Klein to Go After ATR's Weingarten Says

A correspondent reports:

Randi's visit to the Queens Rubber room

Aside from a lot of useless prattle, she also indicated that Klein was going after ATR's as a form of featherbedding. She, as always, the unsuspecting, unknowing, innocent lawyer, does not seem too sure about her ability to uphold the union's ironclad policy of protecting atrs. What else is new?

Raging Debates on KIPP and Class Size...

.... took place during the week off.

The KIPP/charter school discussion, with a KIPP teacher taking part, came about spontaneously at NYC Educator in this post from Reality Based Educator and has already inspired 56 comments.

The class size debate is part of a series of posts at Eduwonkette, where her able assistant Skoolboy, Leonie Haimson and a cast of thousands deep massaged the class size issue.

Check out 2 of the push-button issues on today's ed/pol pallet.

You big asshats

Pissed Off Mom Reports:

My son called me about 10 mintues ago to inform me that his school is now formally a prison. He said when he arrived there were police surrounding the building and scanning was happening. He said that he turned around knowing full well that he was going to be stopped. The police officer stopped him and said "Hey where do you think you are going?", his reply ummm the college is over there. Glad he is almost 7 feet tall with a full beard that I almost made him shave off over the break.

Yeah that's right my child walked away with my permission and called me with his cell the one he has to hide under a rock before entering the building, the only reason he will be staying at this school is he graduates this year, otherwise I would be all over there in a minute pulling his big giant behind out of there. Enough is enough already. This is a place of EDUCATION, not demoralizing your students and staff. You big asshats.

THE BIG BUSINESS OF PUBLIC EDUCATION

Teachers Unite presents:

THE BIG BUSINESS OF PUBLIC EDUCATION: How will we reclaim public schools from privatization?
Thursday, January 10th, 5-7p.m.

CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Ave. (between 34th and 35th St.), Room C201
Photo I.D. is required to enter the building
Space is limited. RSVP to sally@teachersunite.net.

Millions of dollars are exchanged between New York City’s Department of Education and private companies. How do these relationships impact our classrooms? What can be done about the seemingly inescapable trend of schools privatization?

Speakers:

Michael Fiorillo, Chapter Leader, Newcomers High School

Leonie Hamison, Executive Director, Class Size Matters

Discussion to follow

This forum is the third in a series of events where educators can relate their experiences in schools to larger political trends. The 2007-2008 forums focus on the impact of privatization and the corporate model on classroom life in NYC public schools.

Teachers Unite provides leadership opportunities that build ties between educators and community organizers, and political education forums that build an informed teacher constituency. Teachers Unite is an organization for educators who act in solidarity with the communities they serve. www.teachersunite.net

Rubber Room Trailer Released

Greetings all and Happy New Year,

Five Boroughs Productions is proud to announce the release of our trailer for The Rubber Room, which is now available for viewing at www.rubberroommovie.com. Although all aspects of production have not been completed, we are excited to show you a preview of some of the footage we have obtained so far.

We here at Five Boroughs Productions would also like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all of you for your continued support and feedback over the last 2 and a half years of researching and filming this project. Indeed, this project would not be possible without your participation, no matter how small your contribution.

In 2008 we look forward to making great strides in the completion of this project including funding and distribution. As always, your input as well as word of mouth is welcome.

All the best in 2008,
--
Jeremy Garrett
Executive Producer
Five Boroughs Productions
www.rubberroommovie.com

Playing Bullshit Bingo at Faculty Conferences

At the new ednotes humor blog. Check for daily postings from back issues of Ed Notes.

Pinkey Opposes Referendum

Ed Notes reprint: Jan. 2004

by Pinkey the Cat

Hi guys! I saw that piece by my sister Pippin in the last issue. Yeah! She’s the brains behind this operation! She leaves her brains in the litter box every time she uses it.

Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about those 115,000 people who signed petitions to Reduce Cat Size. I am glad Mayor Bloomberg got that off the ballot. I am perfectly happy being the size I am. If that referendum had passed I might have ended up being the size of my shrimp sister (who at least I can still beat up.)

Imagine the costs to this society if we reduce the size of every cat. Where is the money going to come from? Why there must be a hundred countries we haven’t invaded yet. That 89 billion for Iraq is practically gone. And I was hoping it would be invested in Friskies research. I urge you to stand firm against the "reduction of cat size" referendum.

Er...what did you say?

You mean it's "Class size"?

Never mind.

Can The Past Divine The Future?

Let's start the New Year with a...

....guest column by NYC teacher C.B. Abraham

I have been reading Ed Notes forever. I happen to believe in the concept of a loyal opposition. One can be “in the opposition” without being opposed to the system itself. It keeps the ruling party from running roughshod over those that disagree with the ruling elite’s actions. In short, an opposition party helps to maintain equilibrium.

There, in the December 26^th online issue of Ed Notes “Shuffling the deck on the UFT Titanic” I read the following about Sandra Feldman: “But she trained as a teacher and was a socialist with a trade union background”. As I said, I have been reading Ed Notes for a very long time. That word “socialist” rang a distant bell. And then I fell out of my chair.

As readers of Ed Notes know, sometime during November of 2003, a new Chapter Leader disagreed with the president of the union concerning extra money for teachers in certain curriculum areas. For this, according to Ed Notes, the chapter leader was called a "socialist." Fast-forward 4 years and lo and behold, the specter of merit pay has taken on a new life. It is now called a "bonus". A rose by any other name?

The bonus pay idea has the potential to be so divisive that it will put union members at each other’s throats. Why should anyone work in a school, teaching the same children, under the same conditions, with the same teaching credentials and be paid differently from their neighbor?

All of us, ruling party and opposition, should salute those schools that turned down the money tied to performance. They would not allow any member of their chapter to be construed as a dunsel in the education process. Those chapters understand what it means to be united. They understand the idea of a union.

If that past prediction on merit pay has come true, then what other treats await us in the coming year?

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and a prosperous new year.

C.B. Abraham

Ed Note:

Here is the original article published in the Jan. 2004 edition of Education Notes:

Randi Calls Chapter Leader a Socialist for Disagreeing With Her at Chapter Leaders Training
Reports from Chapter Leaders attending UFT Chapter Leader training on Nov. 23. 2003

Randi gives updates on the union-initiated grievances and says that we are in a holding pattern until the next municipal election. [Is she saying that the grievances won’t be won until we elect a new mayor?] Expect “negative blow back” in the media each time we make any kind of advance.

Eventually she postulates the following idea:

Perhaps more prep time (she may have mentioned money here as well, but our correspondent is not 100% sure ) could be given to teachers in Title 1 schools in an effort to enable these schools to be adequately staffed. A chapter leader from a middle school questioned this and told her to ask for more money and time, not for a select group of schools, but for all schools in the system. Anything less would fracture and divide the membership, create different levels or tiers for the teachers in the UFT and would have the same effect as Merit Pay.

Randi responded by calling him a socialist. She later apologized.

There are reports that Randi also suggested that higher pay for math and science teachers might be inevitable. If true, this would be a major giveback. What next? Elementary teachers asking for higher pay because they teach longer hours? High school and middle school teachers saying they should be paid more because of the amount of papers they mark.

One more note: This is not the first time UFT leaders have resorted to red-baiting as a way to brand people who oppose them. Expect a lot more of this kind of thing in the upcoming [2004] UFT elections.

[Note also the red-baiting that took place in the 2007 elections.]

Not On The Test

Here's a new song about school testing that John Forster & I (Tom Chapin) wrote.
It helped usher in the New Year on National Public Radio, appearing on "Morning Edition" on January 1, 2007.

LISTEN
http://64.23.8.93/audio/NotOnTheTest.mp3

Not On The Test
by John Forster & Tom Chapin
© 2007 Limousine Music Co. & The Last Music Co. (ASCAP)

Go on to sleep now, third grader of mine.
The test is tomorrow but you'll do just fine.
It's reading and math. Forget all the rest.
You don't need to know what is not on the test.
Each box that you mark on each test that you take,
Remember your teachers. Their jobs are at stake.
Your score is their score, but don't get all stressed.
They'd never teach anything not on the test.
The School Board is faced with no child left behind
With rules but no funding, they're caught in a bind.
So music and art and the things you love best
Are not in your school 'cause they're not on the test.
Sleep, sleep, and as you progress
You'll learn there's a lot that is not on the test.
Debate is a skill that is useful to know,
Unless you're in Congress or talk radio,
Where shouting and spouting and spewing are blessed
'Cause rational discourse was not on the test.
Thinking's important. It's good to know how.
And someday you'll learn to, but someday's not now.
Go on to sleep, now. You need your rest.
Don't think about thinking. It's not on the test.

---

This new song does not yet appear on any Tom Chapin CD. You can download the song for free, either on Tom Chapin's website (here), or on Tom's Myspace page.

Brandeis HS Rejects Merit Pay by Default

There's an interesting article in The Chief on the process focusing on Brandeis HS which I have also put up on Norms Notes here.

I've received requests for details of the merit pay plan in terms of the future. I put this out to the ednotes chapter leader/delegate list and will put responses in the comments section of this post.

1. If there is no 55/25 pension does the plan go on hold for next year? Is there a deadline?

2. Does it have to be re-voted every year? When would that vote take place? In other words, would the vote for the 2009/10 school year take place in the fall of 08 like this vote did? or if a school voted for it is it set in stone for the future or until the DOE offers it to other schools?

3. Is there an intention to expand the program throughout the school system or will it be limited to around 250 schools?

Feel free to include details on what took place in your school.

How did you as a chapter leader address the issue? If you are not the CL how did your CL address it.

Anonymity guaranteed but if you don't mind it to be published say so.

Leaving "No Child Left Behind" Behind by Richard Rothstein

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=leaving_nclb_behind

Black Boy Middle School, Parts 1-3

I found this as a comment on the NYC Educator blog. Really good stuff:

i just want to remind ye teachers what you are fighting for. i carved out a sense of self in school because of you folks. when the line dips in the yearly graph for energy and commitment to the classroom, remember what i say: teachers were my parents growing up. school was my sanctuary. i'm remembering those days with images and words here. come by to get rejuvenated.

Black Boy Middle School, Parts 1-3
http://youtube.com/watch? v=wdgEz...feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch? v=3xaBZ...feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8gVI07rDY7A