Friday, March 28, 2014

De Blasio Rolled - Say no to this budget deal; call the Speaker & your Assemblymember NOW!

I hate to tell you I told you so, but I told you so. That Eva would never pay a dime in rent.
Not only that but now de Blasio will have to pay her rent. Here's the lesson boys and girls. We can't beat the 1% in the political arena. Massive grassroots organizing is what it would take. And having a tepid UFT not being able to lift a finger in opposition leaves us defenseless.
Even though I voted for deB in the primary when it came to the general election I just couldn't pull the trigger for him and wrote in some candidate.
There are 2 hopes now -- build MORE into a force in the UFT and Change the Stakes into a force on the opt-out movement. We have precious little else we can do.
For those who finally had hope due to the deB win - well, enjoy the bitter victory -- he is folding faster than a cheap suit -- can I predict right now -- one term. Go ahead, keep wasting your efforts in the increasingly stacked political arena - keep spitting into the wind. 

Gothamist
March 28, 2014

Today's Lead Story
Tentative Deal Struck To Protect Charters In State Budget
Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state legislative leaders struck a tentative deal on charter schools during budget negotiations yesterday that would increase per-charter pupil spending statewide and force the City to provide rent assistance to charters. Per pupil funding would rise $1,100 over three years, starting with $250 the initial year, then $350 the next, and $500 the third. The boost would amount to an increase of about 3.4 percent. Also, the city would be forced to look for space for charters in public schools, or provide rent money for them to use in private spaces, which could cost up to $40 million a year. According to the deal, a third-party arbitrator would make a final ruling if the City and a charter school disagree over a co-location plan and the City would be barred from charging rent for space in public school buildings. The deal would also force the City to find space for the three Success Academy schools run by Eva Moskowitz whose co-locations were rolled back last month. The plan does not, however, offer building aid for charters to replace the $210 million in capital funding that Mayor Bill de Blasio recently diverted away from charters.

This just in from Leonie. She says to call your local politician -- I'm going over to mine, Phil Goldfeder soon to yell at him.

According to today’s NY Post, the legislature is about to make the worst possible deal imaginable: considerably more per pupil funding for charters, including more than $1100 per student over three years, and free space or rent paid for by NYC  for any new or expanding  NYC charter going forward – just in NYC, by the way, where we have the most overcrowded schools in the state, with more than half our students sitting in extremely overcrowded schools by the DOE’s own metrics, which we know are an underestimate.

Thousands of kids on waiting lists for Kindergarten each spring, thousands more sitting in trailers, and the capital plan provides less than one third of the seats needed to eliminate current overcrowding and address future enrollment growth.  But charters will be guaranteed the space to expand – paid for by city taxpayers, while our public school students  are crushed into larger and larger classes with less space to learn.

Call the Speaker’s office now:  tell him to say NO to the deal forcing the city to pay for facilities forever for new or expanded charters, while public school students will sit in increasingly overcrowded buildings.

Speaker Silver: (518) 455-3791

Then call your Assemblymember and urge them to say NO to this deal as well; find their contact info here:

If this deal goes forward, this will truly create a two tier system in which the charter schools will  be the only ones in uncrowded facilities, with the rent paid for by NYC taxpayers, and all parents will be forced to apply to charter schools whether they want to or not,  just to guarantee a seat for their child in a school that is not hugely overcrowded. 


Thursday, March 27, 2014

Refuse the Tests: Change the Stakes Releases Video

Amazing - Lisa Donlan, parent, CEC 1
Join the hundreds of NYC parents -- let's make it thousands -- who are refusing to let their children take the NYS tests, which begin April 1st! Watch our powerful new video where parents explain why they're opting out! Visit the Change the Stakes website to view the video and access information that tells you how to opt your child out of the tests. If you have questions, email us at changethestakes@gmail.com. http://changethestakes.wordpress.com/ 
We don't have $4 million for ads, but we have great people. The UFT should take this and run it as an ad for one even one day. 

Kudos to the wonderful crew at Change the Stakes and  who organized this little gem with filmmaker Michael Elliot. What a cooperative effort - draft after draft with the crew offering comments and the clip getting better and better. We don't need no stink'n hedge fund scum.




Number of NYC Parents Refusing State Tests Expected to Triple in 2014

What began two years ago as a small pocket of resistance has burgeoned into a full-blown protest movement: public school parents are demanding an end to the excessive use of standardized tests and top-down, corporate-backed reforms.  Change the Stakes estimates that three times as many NYC school children as last year – perhaps exceeding 1,000 – will refuse to take the annual English Language Arts (ELA) and math exams that begin next week. FULL STORY HERE

12 Reasons to Opt Out (pdf)

How to Opt-Out

Sample Opt-Out Letters

English: .html | .doc
Spanish: .html | .doc

Will My School Lose Funding?

See NYSAPE: The 95% Participation Rate and How Schools Do NOT Lose Funding

From the NYC Department of Education

For the official take, see the NYCDOE’s Student Participation in Grades 3-8 New York State Tests Parent Guide (pdf)

CEC 21 (Brooklyn) calls on Farina and de Blasio to reverse co-location plan for I.S. 281, Joseph B. Cavallaro and I.S. 96, Seth Low

I was at the rally this afternoon - Tish James and other politicos came down - I have some video - will update this space when processed.


Community Education Council District 21
 


           
Officers: Heather Fiorica, President · Anna Lembersky, 1st Vice President · Joyce Finger, 2nd Vice President ·
Linda Dalton, Recording Secretary ·Randi Garay, Treasurer
Members: Muneer Abualroub ·Mohammad Akram ·Sean Chin ·Maria Di Graziano · Yoketing Eng ·Evangelean Pugh
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Community Education Council District 21 calls on Chancellor Farina and Mayor de Blasio to reverse the decision to implement co-location plan for I.S. 281, Joseph B. Cavallaro and I.S. 96, Seth Low.
         The announcement made on February 27th  regarding the continuance of charter co-locations at I.S. 281, Joseph B. Cavallaro and I.S. 96, Seth Low, is a major setback for our community.  There was such hope that Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Farina would finally listen to the voices of parents and community members.  Many of us now feel only disappointment and frustration. In the fall of 2013, the Community Education Council District 21 passed two resolutions opposing both co-locations, we have rallied, gone to PEP meetings and still our voices were not heard.  2014 had such potential for parents and yet again, we have been pushed to the side.  We have been given a promise that they will do things better in the future.  What about the children and their families that are already attending I.S. 281, Joseph B. Cavallaro and I.S. 96 Seth Low, don’t they count too?  We understand that they based their decisions on families that applied for seats for September 2014 and the deadline was coming.  Our children’s educations should not be about deadlines.  We provide excellent educational opportunities for all children in district 21 and have seats in our traditional public schools for the children who have applied.  More time should have been taken to visit and speak to schools, families, and community members regarding these co-locations. There is no need to rush putting two more elementary schools in our district. We have and always will supply a high quality education for every student in our district’s traditional public schools.   Mayor de Blasio's plan is to provide full day, high quality Pre-K programs to 53,000 students in 2014. With two elementary Charter school co-locations opening in 2014 in district 21, what middle school space can the Chancellor guarantee will be available for these students in the future?
          It’s time to come together once again as a community with our elected officials! Let our voices be heard loud and clear “We say NO to the co-locations decisions on I.S. 281, Joseph B. Cavallaro and I.S. 96 Seth low”. The Community Education Council District 21 calls on Chancellor Farina and Mayor de Blasio to reverse the decision to implement co-location plan for I.S. 281, Joseph B. Cavallaro and I.S.96, Seth Low.

The Community Education council of District 21 invites all community members to join them at I.S. 281 Cavallaro (  8787 24th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11214) to Rally on  Thursday, March 27, 2014 at 3:30 PM.
Regards,
Heather Ann Fiorica
President
Community Education Council District 21
1401 Emmons Avenue – room 101
Brooklyn, New York  11235
Visit our NEW Website at: www.cecd21.org
"Like" our Community Education Council on Facebook at: www.Facebook.com/CECD21

WAGPOPS, District 14 Resources for Opt-Outers

My old district where I worked for 35 years is beginning to come up big time in the opt-out movement -- and new alliances are being built with parents, some principals and the Superintendent -- many people I've known for decades plus the newcomers.

Below is a letter from parent activist Lorna. I taped the town hall last week. Link: https://vimeo.com/90159926

Hello Parents --
As you know, the state tests begin next Tuesday.

I have spoken to several of you on separate occasions about my family's decision to opt out. We are not opting out because we oppose testing and assessment of students, we are doing it because:
  • What used to be assessment has become corporate-driven, high-stakes tests that are used as an instrument  to punish teachers.
  • Overemphasis on testing robs our kids of a well rounded education, and robs teachers of their ability to offer individualized instruction.
  • Ultimately, Common Core Standards and all the curricula and tests that go along with it serve to enrich corporations instead of our children.
  • As part of Race to the Top, New York State sold away our children's personal data to third party vendors like Gates-funded InBloom, without allowing us to opt-out.
Please know that these tests are not desired or concocted by our teachers, principal, or any local administration. It's being forced by the State, and since our previous mayor and his staff were in full support of it, teachers and administrators could not speak out...

...BUT WE CAN!

By agreeing to the Race to the Top initiative, the State has taken away our right to a decent education, the right of teachers being allowed to teach, the right to have well-designed curriculum materials that are designed to educate not confuse and confound, the right to preserve private & sensitive educational data about our kids, and the right to equitable funding.


The only hope we have to put a stop to all of this is to OPT-OUT. You will not just be opting out of the tests they put so much faith in -- you'll be sending a message loud and clear that we are taking back our rights.


This weekend, our local grassroots parents' organization, WAGPOPS, wrote a letter about the recent Town Hall that our Community Education Council hosted. The letter was sent to all the principals and parent coordinators in our district. Diane Ravitch, one of the most respected education experts/advocates in the nation posted it yesterday on her blog, so if you didn't receive it you can read it here:
http://dianeravitch.net/2014/03/25/our-education-spring-the-parent-led-opt-out-movement-grows-in-new-york-city/

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
  1. Read the link above and the attached "Why Opt Out" letter for more info.
  2. Download the sample "Opt Out Letter" attached, fill it in and send it in to your child's principal and teacher ASAP. I suggest email and print outs in backpacks.
  3. Talk to your child about it and call the school to make sure they are given an alternate activity to do, so they will not be forced to "sit and stare."
  4. SHARE THIS INFO WIDELY!


WE ARE LUCKY...
To live in District 14 because the opt out movement has the full support of all of our elected officials, our superintendent (who hosted the opt-out Town Hall last week) and many, many teachers and administrators. 
Because of this, you are backed by a team of powerful people who will not let your child be held back or your school lose funding.

Please reach out to me if you have questions. And if you haven't already, please "Like" WAGPOPS on Facebook to get up-to-date news & info about opting out, as well as all the educational issues that affect Williamsburg & Greenpoint parents.

https://www.facebook.com/WilliamsburgGreenpointParents
If you're still not sure, I have provided some background reading below. :)

Best,
Lorna


MORE READING ABOUT COMMON CORE, OPTING OUT AND THE "ED REFORM" MOVEMENT:

Lots of resources for info on opting out:
http://changethestakes.wordpress.com/
http://unitedoptout.com/
http://www.liparentsforeducation.com/

545 NYS Principals and 3,000 parents sign letter to opt out:
http://scfeeney.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/anopenlettertonewyorkparents_21nov13.pdf

Carol Burris, NYS Principal and education activist:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/03/04/principal-i-was-naive-about-common-core/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/11/18/who-are-the-enemies-of-common-core/


Student data and privacy:
http://www.classsizematters.org/inbloom_student_data_privacy/
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/student-data-compiling-system-outrages-article-1.1287990

Bill Gates:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/16/1247790/-What-Bill-Gates-really-thinks-of-Common-Core-State-Standards#
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/business/deciding-who-sees-students-data.html?_r=0
http://teachersletterstobillgates.com/

Pearson, and that awful curricula:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/31/a-ridiculous-common-core-test-for-first-graders/
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/21/nyregion/standardized-testing-is-blamed-for-question-about-a-sleeveless-pineapple.html
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2014/01/the-defiant-parents-testings-discontents.html
Diane Ravitch:

http://dianeravitch.net/

WPIX Video: Opt-Out, Test Resistance Breaks into Mainstream -

Diana Zavala of Change the Stakes,  Jeannette Deutermann of Long Island Opt out, Lisa Rudley of NYSAPE -  WPIX this morning. ..
http://video.pix11.com/Opting-out-of-standardized-tests-25755159?playlistId=11929#.UzQ1DPldXTp.
Yea for our own Diana, former NYC teacher and parent activist supreme.

Finally, the key to the ed deform movement - high stakes testing for kids and teachers - is beginning to come apart. Even that bastion of media ed deform - NBC - The Today Show - did a segment the other day about that pre-k teacher in Mass. who quit. OK, so they had Michelle Rhee on, but their poll showed over 6000 opposed and less than 100 in favor on the current testing issue.

It is time for teachers to step up and inform and assist parents who want to opt-out - and we know some principals will go crazy, so we need to figure out ways to do that.

I believe this movement will also begin to impact on the test-intensive charter schools where parents will also begin to get fed up. We just have to get to them.

One thing - and you'll see when I post a video of the District 14 forum we took part in last week - is that right now it is mostly white, middle class parents who are opting out. So CTS has begun to penetrate into places like East NY and Brownsville and Bed-Stuy --  CEC 19 in East NY is holding a forum on Tuesday - Katie Lapham from MORE and Janine and Fred Smith from CTS will be there and I hope to tape.

Below is a great video segment where the parents opposed to common core did not come off as right wing nuts as the pro-common core people have tried to paint them.

Diana and parents from NYSAPE were part of a long segment in WPIX this morning where they were given an opportunity to address the high stakes testing issue in some depth. Diana gave a great response to the question about what has changed by linking the tests to teacher eval which has nothing to do with the child. And one of the other parents nailed the State Ed Dept statement asking why parents wouldn't want to know how their children are doing by pointing to the fact that neither they nor teachers ever get to see the results of the tests - other than a number 6 months later.

This is only the beginning -- lots more coming from our little flagship group of mostly parent activists. When all is said and done in terms of my 44 years of activism, being part of the founding of this group as an offshoot of the Grassroots Education Movement 4 years ago, will go down as one of my proudest achievements. And the best thing is that I don't have to do any heavy lifting - just watch them and kvell.

Here is a summary from Fred Smith:
Questions allowed Lisa, Jeanette and Diana to be articulate about a wide range of issues.  Segment began with references NYSAPE website for information on opting out and went to a reporter on scene in anticipation of today's Hamilton Heights protest (Test Free Zone). Then it came back to the studio.  Lisa kicked off with being able to opt out.  Jeanette then told that there was no educator input in development of CC.  Diana- debunked the myth that there were no standards before the Core and the fact that the USA has been a world leader in innovation.  Other points built the case for opting out:
LR- Testing has come at the expense of instructional time; schools are now a test-driven environment.
JD- Whatever Andrew Cuomo is now saying, his policies (ATTR) have been at the center of the problem. Pervasive test prep--teacher careers in balance. Focus of school year is on testing. She points to upcoming ELA and Math tests, as well as field tests, as the place to opt out.
Reporter asked about financial consequences to schools/districts if parents opt kids out.  JD answered that no funding was withheld on LI.  She and LR said there is no evidence that federal money will be taken away (waivers) and that money would remain to be allocated in a different way--not lost.
LR- References an Academy of Sciences study that said there is no benefit to the testing--which does not provide a valid measure of educational outcomes or contribute to children's learning. The amount of ELA and math testing time alone has increased enormously since the start of NCLB. Testing companies like Pearson are calling the shots and making decisions aimed at profiting them.
DZ- Makes CtS points about how testing has gone much too far in NYC-- promotions denied to kids who do well all year but stumble on the test; teacher evaluation dependent on scores of 8-year olds; summary judgments being made about schools (school report cards).
An official SED statement was presented: Tests offer opportunity for parents to gauge the progress a child is making toward meeting standards.  Why wouldn't a parent want to know how well child is doing?
JD- Knocked that one out of the park: Teachers and parents don't get timely feedback.  Maybe some information six months after-the-fact. No details and results not useful diagnostically to improve instruction. Not useful to teachers. Curriculum has been "highjacked" and there is no benefit to children or classrooms.
At the end, the host of the show said that this is a story--to be continued....
(The above account is based on a DVR I made of the program.)
Thanks again to this trio, who have been unsparing in their efforts and commitment to do what is best for children and public education.
Fred


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4dJ2_Vx0sI




Change the Stakes Press Release: Number of NYC Parents Refusing State Tests Expected to Triple in 2014


Change the Stakes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                              
March 26, 2014

CONTACT: 
           
Number of NYC Parents Refusing State Tests Expected to Triple in 2014

New York City –What began two years ago as a small pocket of resistance has burgeoned into a full-blown protest movement: public school parents are demanding an end to the excessive use of standardized tests and top-down, corporate-backed reforms.  Change the Stakes estimates that three times as many NYC school children as last year – perhaps exceeding 1,000 – will refuse to take the annual English Language Arts (ELA) and math exams that begin next week.

At the Brooklyn New School, well over 200 students – nearly 80% of students in testing grades – will not take this year’s exams; last year only 4 BNS students opted out of the tests. The estimated test refusal rate at the Earth School in Manhattan is 50%, compared with 30% last year. At P.S. 446 in Brownsville, as many as 25 3rd grade parents have submitted refusal letters. At the Academy of Arts and Letters in Fort Greene, the number is 40, representing 75% of the 3rd grade. Principals say they expect the numbers to continue to rise until the exams begin April 1st.

Although children not taking the tests span the full range from 3rd to 8th grade, parents of younger children often refuse the tests because of changes in their child’s attitude toward school as a result of the testing.

Roseanne Cuffy-Scott, parent of a 3rd grader in the East Village said, “My son used to love going to school until his evenings were filled with homework assignments that confused him with complicated and poorly written math and reading questions. His assignments are stressful for both him and myself. I have to spend hours explaining concepts that he's not ready for developmentally.” As for the tests, she said her son is nervous and “is fearful he will have to attend summer school or repeat third grade.”

Many parents refusing to have their children tested encounter supportive principals and teachers, while others are not so fortunate. Samantha De Los Santos, parent of a 3rd grader with special needs in Queens’ District 25, wants to opt her son out but says administrators and staff are pressuring her to allow her son to be tested. “They’re telling me he’ll be scored as failing if he doesn’t take the test and that he might not be promoted. They’re really scaring me.”

The lack of direction from the NYC Department of Education has led to uncertainty among administrators about how to respond to families refusing the tests; parents are still seeking guidance from the DOE. Although the new Chancellor, Carmen Fariña, has made clear her intent to be more responsive to parents, her department’s efforts have been hampered by the transition falling in the middle of the school year and pressure to tackle a multitude of issues at once.

The information vacuum has fostered misinformation, with students being threatened with various punishments – being forced to attend summer school or denied promotion as well as being excluded from graduation ceremonies and other school celebrations – for opting out of the tests.

But many parents refuse to be dissuaded from protecting their children from a public education system gone wrong. Dawn Babbush, a 3rd grade parent in Brooklyn’s District 13, asks “What has happened to our schools? How did it get this bad? The voices of trusted educators and caring parents have been completely disregarded.  Our children are being subjected to a curriculum that lacks joy and life – it’s scripted and standardized and full of test prep. Test scores are used to sort students and rank teachers, creating a climate of competition and fear. It's no wonder teachers feel pressure to teach to the test.”

Ms. Babbush added, “This is not the education we want for our children and we will not stand for it any longer. Parents have a voice, and our elected officials need to recognize us. We'll be paying attention come November.”

###

Change the Stakes (changethestakes.org) is a group of New York City parents and educators promoting alternatives to high stakes-testing. 

 


The End of My Brief Acting Career: How to Succeed... Heads for Final Weekend

So I am a few days away from ending my preoccupation with this once in a lifetime theater experience, so bear with me. Even though in the play, I've managed to do a bunch of video. Here is one I shot Sunday when I had to miss the performance due to a party but got there in time to shoot part of Act II. Here is the big number - missing me of course.

https://vimeo.com/90084496


RTCBRotherMar 23 2014 from Rockaway Theatre Company.

And here is my column in this week's Wave - where I get to push the show to try to fill the place up -- still tiks for Friday and maybe a few left for Sat and Sun. http://www.rockawaytheatrecompany.org -


Memo From The RTC: “How To Succeed…” Roars Into Final Weekend
By Norm Scott - The Wave, March 28, 2014

With rousing performances in front of full houses last Saturday and Sunday, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at the Post Theater in Fort Tilden, now heads
into the stretch with 3 performances remaining – Friday, Saturday at 8PM and Sunday at 3PM. By 6:30PM on Sunday I hope to be at the cast party in the theater munching on my favorite food of all time, pigs in the blanket. Maybe the yutes in the cast will have a post-party cast party – I might have to disguise myself as a 25 year old.



The performances get better with each show as people not only work out kinks but come up with creative ways of presenting tiny slivers of their individual performances. The other night Steve Ryan (Bratt) told David Risley (Bud Frump) as he was collecting on a bet, “Don’t you know there’s no gambling on company time,” and grabbed some of the money: not in the script but a funny rif. Steve has been such a help with little tips.


The Executive washroom - He believes in himself while we want to Get That Man

David is a remarkable comic actor and mainstay of the RTC for over a decade playing major roles in Boeing Boeing, a brilliant Hysterium in A Funny Thing Happened… and countless other roles. As a cast member, I had the honor of watching David up close as Felix in The Odd Couple, my only other acting experience. No one does the classic sad sack like David. The Bud Frump role was a much coveted one by other actors and David pulls it off with perfection.

Brotherhood
Pirate girls

Katherine Robinson - Rosemary
The reputation of the RTC as a superb operation has attracted talent from the entire metropolitan area - from Brooklyn, Queens and even Harlem. To accommodate people, roles often have to be shared. Thus the female lead (Rosemary), is shared by two amazing talents. The breathtaking Katherine Robinson is in 6 performances. She has been in a number of RTC productions. (I first noticed her as the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.) As we were greeting the departing audience after the show Friday night, a guy walking out said to her, “I wanted to be the one to marry you.” “Who wouldn’t,” I said? My young cousin who came to the show the next night said the same thing. I sadly informed him Katherine was already married - to the very talented Bill Hartery, currently appearing in The Producers in New Hampshire. They did the great Beatles song Getting Better in Rockaway Café: The Comeback. RTC newcomer, Devra Seidel, takes on the Rosemary role in the other performances and is a perfect ingénue with loads of musical talent . Not only can she act and sing, she is also a professional pianist. When she is not Rosemary she goes back to the secretarial pool, which does a rip-roaring tap dance to open Act II. (Video: https://vimeo.com/89258541).

I only made it to the evening performances last weekend, as I had a 70th birthday to attend on Sunday afternoon, where I was on the younger end of the crowd and suffering sticker shock after having spent so much time working with a cast where I was 2 and 3 times older than almost everyone else.

L to R: John Panepento, Cliff Hesse, Joe Hagopian (playing me), Steve Ryan
I was replaced for the Sunday matinee with fellow cast member and Brooklynite Joseph Hagopian who spent weeks studying how to deliver my 4 lines while trying to look and sound 45 years older. Luckily Joe doesn’t need makeup to accomplish that feat. At the end of the big “Brotherhood of Man” number, Joe and I have to clasp arms and raise a fist. In my absence, the dexterous Joe managed the remarkable feat of shaking hands with himself while raising both fists.

Needless to say, the almost 40-member cast is a fun group – becoming a family over the months of rehearsals but really solidifying once the play opened. There will be the joy of a job well done on the afternoon of the final performance as most go on to future projects. But this particular group will never be together again and that is a sad fact of the theater. As a first experience for me, the process if disengagement will not be easy. Hopefully, joining chief set builder, designer and carpenter Tony Homsey and his crew Monday morning in taking apart the set will provide closure. Soon after we will begin building the set for the May opening of Moon Over Buffalo, already in rehearsals with a number of our cast members playing roles.

RTC videographer Jim Peithman, who runs VIDEOINVISION, a video and editing firm based in Belle Harbor, posted a 3-minute highlight of the show on you tube: http://youtu.be/4Br4y3Mlv0g.

While RTC brings out the best of Norm’s nature, he is not so kind to the ed deformers on his blog, ednotesonline.org.


The great tap number opens Act II
Greeting the audience as they depart

Morris Woodruff and Emily Stonebridge - Channel 5 news at 10pm
Cast members Dante Rei and Paivi Kankaro take on fantasy roles in the parking lot.


Emergency Education Rally (Thursday) Noon at Tweed

From Noah Gotbaum

Anyone who can make it should do so.  The state budget is hitting crunch time, with the Charter lobby spending millions on behalf of privatization and the 3% in charters, while firmly controlling both the Governor and the State Senate.  Support must be given to Speaker Silver and the Assembly Dems to hold fast for the 97% of our kids in public schools and for public education, and to allow Mayor de Blasio to determine his own education policies. 
The Senate/Cuomo proposal would force the DOE (and all local public school boards throughout the state) to provide public space for EVERY charter authorized at the state level, or else pay the charter's rent in private space; a colocation policy that would be worse than anything Bloomberg ever sought.  Additionally, the charter lobby boondoggle bill would give Charters more upfront money (aka tuition), and give Albany control of our NYC public school buildings and budget, while sending 25 cents of every new state education dollar to the 3 out of 100 kids in charters. Meanwhile, the City and State public schools are looking at 2009 funding levels which the courts said were $2 billion short - back then.  Outrageous.

Please join New York Communities for Change, Public School Parents, Elected Officials, Educators, Community Members.

Thursday, March 27
12 noon
Tweed Courthouse - 52 Chambers

Noah
noah eliot gotbaum
community education council district 3 (cec3)
twitter:  @noahegotbaum

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Time to put an end to The Discontinued - Dreaded D Teacher Blacklist at NYCDOE

Ed Notes has been covering the story of the Dreaded D - Discontinue - since teachers who have been blackballed by the vicious act of principals who were handed a loaded gun by the DOE without a peep from the UFT. Only non-tenured can be discontinued - where a mark is placed in the computer system and even if another principal wanted to hire them they couldn't.

The teacher is out of your school, so why would you give a shit if someone else wants to hire them? Only a personal grudge would lead to such a despicable act.

Below is a link to a petition.

Here are previous ed notes stories on the Dreaded D.

Nov 07, 2011
As a discontinued teacher, I completely understand the experience. I find that principals have too much and little is done to check and balance it. Principals know they have a better union than the UFT and know that teachers ...
Apr 11, 2012
I have been discontinued and U rated and I have been subbing in 2 other NYC public schools. The AP's in both schools picked up my resume (through networking). In fact, one of the AP's loves my classroom management and ...
Sep 28, 2012
Principal Olga Livanis gave out 7 U ratings and a Discontinue to a non-tenured and popular teacher last year, in addition to driving at least one top notch fed-up teacher into resigning. The D is a career-ender (vs a U which ...
Dec 30, 2013
End the Discontinue that kills a teacher's career immediately. Revamp DOE Legal and OSI. I will not be cheering for Carmen Farina until I see some changes in these policies. She ought to walk across the street one day in ...

Mar 18, 2010
Now on to the UFT. If you find you are blacklisted by the dreaded D and ask the UFT for help you will get 12 different answers. The most common is: Don't worry, that is only for your district. You can be hired by another district.
May 06, 2012
Over the years we at ICE have been contacted by a number of teachers who received the Dreaded D rating which basically blackballs them from teaching under their license again even if another principal wants to hire them.


Save the Careers of Discontinued Teachers

Save the Careers of Discontinued Teachers

    1. Dont Tread On Educators
    2. Petition by
      Staten Island, NY

Her name is Jennifer and she is in her early twenties. She wanted to be a teacher since she was a little girl.  It’s August and she gets the call that her interview at a local elementary school went well. Principal Higgins wants her to fill an opening for a 5th grade position. Jennifer and her family of teachers are ecstatic. Then, several months later and out of the blue, it happened. Without even realizing it, Jennifer crossed Principal Higgins by questioning some change in assignment and a preparation period she felt she was owed. Suddenly, Jennifer stopped receiving "satisfactory" observation reports and began receiving several "unsatisfactory" ones. Principal Higgins then rated Jennifer unsatisfactory for her first year final rating. Jennifer was devastated. It didn’t make sense. The students and parents liked her. She received unofficial praise from the assistant principal, but to Principal Higgins Jennifer didn’t differentiate instruction. She didn’t have coherent lessons and didn’t demonstrate knowledge of resources.
Then came the letter from the district superintendent stating that the NYC DOE would be making a final decision concerning discontinuance of her probationary period. Jennifer’s heart sank even more. She rounded up exemplary student work. Her mother and family of teachers jumped in to help save her young career. Parents and students wrote letters. Jennifer even bound everything nice and neat before submitting it to the superintendent. Unfortunately, it was all for naught. She was ultimately discontinued and her probationary period terminated. Jennifer was now red-flagged in the DOE Human Resources system, and assigned a “problem code” next to her name. This meant that none of the other 1700+ principals in the NYC DOE could hire her.
Jennifer is not alone. From 2011 to 2013, over 450 teachers were discontinued and problem-coded. Many have been barred from teaching our 1.1 million children only because of personality conflicts with one administrator. In many cases, when attacking pedagogy was not enough, the administrator also submitted trumped up charges with the Office of Special Investigations, the Special Commissioner of Investigation or the Office of Equal Opportunity.
In light of a new mayor and chancellor in New York City, we are calling for a full and unbiased evaluation of the problem-coded railroaded teachers. These teachers were:
-Discharged with malice by limiting or preventing their ability to work as a teacher in other schools.
-Coerced to sign paperwork extending their tenure. Many of these teachers were terminated.

In the end it was another casualty and point for the attack on tenure and the teaching profession.


To:
Katherine Rodi, New York City Department of Education Human Resources
OPI Problem Code, New York City Department of Education Human Resources
Ursulina Ramirez, New York City Department of Education Chief of Staff
New York City Department of Education, Chancellor Fariña
Chancellor Fariña,
Please consider reevaluating the way these probationary teachers are problem-coded with Human Resources and the Office of Personnel Investigation. You have the power to undo the previous administration’s methods and help competent teachers, like Jennifer, be allowed to teach our children again.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
 

A Newark Teacher on Randi's Support for Common Core

The woman changes colors more often than a chameleon!
... Newark Teacher

Breaking News:

AFT President Randi Weingarten continues to advocate for Common Core State Standards and now opposes standardized testing and VAM.

I am sitting here reading my American Educator/Spring 2014 magazine and I cannot believe my eyes. I have reread Randi's column Teaching and Learning over Testing so many times I am getting a headache. Our fearless leader is "... in favor of the Common Core State Standards while opposing the fixation on standardized testing in education." Randi dear, maybe you should call your BFF Bill Gates for a refresher course on education reform in America. Common Core State Standards and standardized testing are inextricably linked. The purpose of national standards and nation-wide testing is to expand markets for Microsoft, Amplify and Pearson.

Randi, however, is on the latest bandwagon wishing to help students "... develop persistence and grit to deal with struggles and setbacks." I may be old fashioned, but I am skeptical of the ability of teachers to inculcate students with grit; the value du jour. Grit is acquired by traversing la vida loca and not by effective lesson planning.

The most amazing phenomenon in Randi's intellectual evolution is she is opposed to VAM recognizing that "... its flaws and limitations are well-established." If that is the case, why, may I ask, has VAM been part and parcel of AFT negotiated teacher contracts? I am sure Arne Duncan can provide assistance in getting you back on track with VAM, Randi.

Randi is interested in reclaiming the promise of public education by supporting strong neighborhood public schools. I am pleased to report that Randi and I are in agreement on nearly all points. Perhaps by the time I wake up in the morning, she will have altered her position on Common Core State Standards. The woman changes colors more often than a chameleon!

A Newark Teacher

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Rally Against Charter Invasion, Thursday March 27 3:30PM




RALLY
at
CAVALLARO IS281
8787 24TH Avenue

Thursday, March 27th
3:30 pm
Come show your support for Cavallaro and tell the Mayor to reverse the Coney Island Prep   Charter
co-location!    

Liz Krueger Slams Ed Tax-Credit Scam for the Wealthy - another death-knell for public education



Statement from State Senator Liz Krueger on Education Tax-Credit Scam Endorsed in Daily News Editorial

For Release: March 24, 2014
Please Contact: Andrew Goldston | agoldston@gmail.com | 917.720.7895
 
Statement on Education Tax-Credit Scam Endorsed in Daily News Editorial
 
Albany, NY – The following statement is attributable to New York State Senator Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan):
 
"With respect to the Daily News editorial board, it looks like they've been hoodwinked by a tax-avoidance scam for wealthy donors to elite private schools. In fairness, they're hardly the first to be bamboozled.

"This private interest school tax-credit scam would literally refund donors more than they give to 'yet to be formed' educational charitable organizations -- basically paying the wealthy and corporations money back on their tax avoidance investments.

"Under this new tax credit the 'charitable contribution' would be deductible on federal and state individual taxes, and wealthy donors would get money back on their federal income taxes. That is, wealthy donors will make a taxpayer-funded 'profit' on any contributions made under this provision, in addition to getting back the entire amount of their contribution. At the top marginal federal  and state income tax rates, a wealthy tax payer could end up with a 'profit' of nearly $300,000 on a contribution of $1 million.

"Full implementation will result in an annual loss of $300 million in taxpayer money, and as far as I can tell the tax credits would be given out to donors on a first-come, first-served basis.  This is not philanthropy, it is tax avoidance for those who least need tax reductions and it will leave a permanent hole in the state budget. Plus, the research on giving by the wealthy and corporations confirms that they are far more likely to choose to invest in elite institutions or favored and well-funded charters, not the struggling schools that really need a 'shot in the arm.'

"This proposed education tax credit is unprecedented, and it allows the wealthiest to avoid paying their taxes and instead direct their tax money to their favored educational activities as they choose, at a time when state aid to public schools falls well short of what's needed to fund a sound basic education for public school students."

Background:

Monday, March 24, 2014

CCC 13 (Brooklyn) - High-Stakes Testing: “How Does It Impact Our Students?" Tues. Mar. 25 6:30PM

Bringing the opt-out movement to the communities.

Last week I was at the CEC 14 similar event - still working on the video.


​​High Stakes Testing Forum Meeting 

WHEN: Tuesday, March 25th

WHERE: PS 133- 610 Baltic St, 11217 , 2014 

TIME: 6:30pm-8:30pm 

 Entrance on Baltic & 4th Ave 

High-Stakes Testing: “How Does It Impact Our Students?" 

 ► How to help your child with test anxiety 

 ► How test scores are used 

 ► Options for families (including opting out) 

Panelists Include: 

 Rep. from NYCDOE

 Rep. “Change the Stakes” 

 And others To Be Announced 

STUDENT OF THE MONTH AWARDS will be given!! 
Light Refreshments will be served! 

Sponsored & hosted by CEC13

For more information contact: (718)636-3212

As the NYSUT World Turns: Some NYC Unity Caucus Delegates May Bolt and Vote Stronger Together

Leroy Barr Offer to Unity RA Delegates
Reports are surfacing that a small faction of Unity may just vote their conscience and damn the consequences at the April 5 NYSUT Representative Assembly.

Unity Caucus held a meeting at 52 Broadway (UFT HQ) after last Wednesday's (March 19) Delegate Assembly - with dinner served (were they using our dues money - did they pay rent? Can MORE hold caucus meetings there too?).

Leroy Barr strongly reminded the 800 Unityites who were elected as delegates to state and national conventions in the March 2013 elections that they were expected to vote as a block for the Mulgrew/Weingarten instigated Revive slate in the April 5 NYSUT election and they would be watched due to the open ballot.

There are early signs that Barr's message did not go over very well with at least a few of the Unity faithful, soon to be classified as traitors and drummed out of the Caucus if they should dare cast their vote for Stronger Together on April 5.

Barr also admonished them that they should not miss sessions to traipse around the city, as usual, using their meal money to eat at local restaurants. "Bring your own food and snacks into the convention hall" - paraphrasing Barr's comment from someone who was present. I'll bring them a bag of peanuts when I stop by late Saturday afternoon on April 5th after I work the FIRST LEGO League robotics tournament at the Javits Center.

Too bad I'll miss Arthur Goldstein's early morning speech that day. Arthur us running a piece this morning (On Timeliness and Learning) chronicling  his travels around the state speaking and making new friends as he goes head to head for NYSUT VP against former UFT District Rep Andy Pallotta, who by the way makes around $350,000 a year. I gotta hit Arthur for a loan when he wins - and by the way, if he does I bet we see Arthur make a move to reduce those crazy salaries of our union leaders, just as Karen Lewis did in Chicago.

Arthur has a funny piece running this morning on
The Sad Tale of UFT-Unity's Robo Voters with cartoons yet.




That Barr had to make this point so strongly as a reminder to the Unity faithful (and those soon to be not so faithful) is a sign there is some unhappiness inside Unity Caucus (in the UFT) with the way the NYSUT split was fomented.

In some of my personal contacts when the subject comes up there is a rolling of the eyes. Sometimes a shrug. Clearly, little enthusiasm for the initiative to dump the current NYSUT leadership minus Andy Pallotta, a leadership that has one of their popular former members - Maria Neira - being dumped too. Maria still has a lot of supporters in Unity. Her integrity is well-known and counts for something when she sticks with Dick Iannuzzi when she probably could have deserted him for what could have been a guaranteed win if she ran on the Revise slate.

We always know that there are some decent Unity Caucus people with a conscience, but a conscience that will be put on hold when it comes to supporting dictums from the top. (I remember on the bus to the airport in Seattle after the 2010 Bill Gates AFT convention, some Unity people approached me and said they agreed with Ed Notes on many positions and trashed Randi and the Gates appearance. That didn't stop them from booing the people who walked out on Gates.)

There are some Unity people planning on leaving the caucus on their own and this vote will be their form of resigning. If they are thrown out of the caucus before the AFT July convention in LA, do they still get to go, given they were elected? In 2010, a Unity delegate and chapter leader who had invited my pal Angel Gonzalez to her soon to be closed school was tossed from the convention trip because she hadn't paid her Unity dues on time. She sent me off to Seattle with a scathing criticism of Randi/Mulgrew and Unity and joined GEM (the pre-cursor to MORE and Change the Stakes).

How interesting if even a sliver of Unity actually joins Stronger Together, the first even minor break in Unity here in the city since the mid-to late 60s. (We saw in the 2013 elections a large rank and file desertion of Unity - votes that MORE was not able to pick up.)

There is so much going on behind the scenes that I can't talk about yet - if I did I would have to kill you. But you will read it here first.

Stay tuned to "As the NYSUT World Turns."

Newark Teacher Gives Thanks and Advice to Ravitch

"Here is my advice to teachers who are unfairly rated by the spurious method called 'value added assessment': Sue them."....Diane Ravitch: From One Teacher to Another: VAM is Junk Science
When your union cannot/will not back you up and in fact cooperates with the people looking to kill you, it makes fighting back for most people very difficult. Diane Ravitch never puts herself in a position to hold the unions accountable, while jumping at the chance to make Randi Weingarten look good when she utters a mere word that can be hung on to give the impression she is fighting. Like that big cheer when Randi said she would not take certain Gates money (but will take the rest.)

Here a Newark teacher has a small bone to pick with Diane's advice to sue.

Are you serious Diane Ravitch? As a Newark teacher, I am faced with the real possibility of a layoff. State Education Commissioner Chris Cerf left an equivalency request on the table for his successor David Hespe. State District Superintendent Cami Anderson has filed for a waiver to circumvent the laws and our contract pertaining to tenure and seniority protections in order to lay off one thousand teachers in the next three years. In addition to the upcoming layoff, TEACHNJ the tenure reform act provides for tenure revocation for teachers rated ineffective, or partially effective in two consecutive summative evaluations.

Will the Newark Teacher's Union (NTU) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) file a class action lawsuit on behalf of the cohort of laid off teachers for wrongful termination? Will another class action lawsuit be filed on behalf of teachers whose tenure has been revoked? If it weren't for the betrayal of AFT President Randi Weingarten, operating in collusion with the NTU in advocating for the "historic contract," Newark teachers most likely would not be in this perilous predicament.

Would I personally file a lawsuit for wrongful termination? If I were to lose my primary income stream, I would be overwhelmed by my financial obligations. I would be required to procure health insurance. Therefore, I would hardly be in a position to lay out thousands of dollars to retain an attorney to sue the State of New Jersey taking into consideration that my chances of prevailing would be slim.

I read your blog religiously Diane Ravitch and I am thankful to you for your prolific blogging. I am glad you switched to the minor leagues to serve as our umpire. I enjoy my new make-believe friends; Chris in Florida, Louisiana Purchase and NY teacher. I appreciate your national perspective. Please reconsider your legal advice.

A Newark Teacher

Sunday, March 23, 2014

South Bronx School Blogger Joins Opt-Out Movement

For those that want more information, follow NYS Allies for Education for how the "How to Opt Out" primer. It can be done, it should be done! ......I asked [my son] would he feel bad if he didn't take the exams and would the other kids make fun of him. His reaction was that he would not feel bad and that the other kids would want to know where they can sign up to miss the exams. In fact as this is being written he is texting his friends telling them he is not taking the exams. His friends are way jel.... South Bronx School
We know that at this point in NYC teacher boycotts of tests has not taken off here in NYC as it has in Seattle and Chicago, but boy, what if every teacher with a child in public school joined SBS in opting their children out of the test? SBS takes us through the process he and his family went through. Discussions like this are being shared on the Change the Stakes extremely active listserve where we see new and exciting things around opt-out and promotion policy happening every day.

This can be done. This should be done. Parents of Harrison NY, Westchester County, and NYC,
please read. This is important. You can take back control of your child's education.

I have been wanting to opt out my son of the NYS exams for a number of years. Actually every year since he started testing. He is in 7th grade now and I have finally decided that enough is enough. This year he is not wasting his time taking the state ELA and math exams.

The people it took the most convincing to opt him out have been my wife and my step-mother, a retired (13 years now) AP in the Bronx. For those who are of the Jewish persuasion you know with Jewish mothers you kinda don't have much of a say at times. But I digress. After last years ELA debacle in which not one student in his class finished the exam on any of the 3 days testing a stand had to be made.
 
Portelos left this comment at SBS:  
Mr. Portelos has left a new comment on the post "Hey Harrison NY! I'm Opting Out My Son and So Can ...":

I opted both my kids out. They are 2 and 3. They will never take a standardized test.

Video: 12 Days to Being Tossed Out By Eva Moskowitz Success Charter

Interview with former Success Charter parent exposes shady tactics.

Great work by GEM's Darren Marelli.

An interview with New York City Parent Karen Sprowal.  Ms. Sprowal tells the story of her kindergarten son's 12 days at Success Academy Charter School. Ms. Sprowal describes how her son was pushed out of the charter school and eventually embraced by a neighborhood public school, PS 75.


https://vimeo.com/88615316



Interview with former Success Academy Charter School parent from Grassroots Education Movement.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Inside UFT Chapter Leader Training: Mulgrew Reacts to Unity Rejection of MORE "Bully Principal" Reso at DA by ....

.... talking about picketing in front of schools with abusive administrators and the UFT PINI list! Principal's in Need of Improvement.... 
Classify this in the category of:  Not an original thought in their heads. Or: too little too late.

At the ICE blog read all about the DA and how top UFT official Emil Pietromonaco said people had enough protections - and the Unity slugs agreed. (UNITY TURNS DOWN MORE DA RESOLUTION CALLING FOR ESCALATION OF DEFENSE OF CHAPTER LEADERS & RANK AND FILE)

Emil was the Staten Island borough rep while Portelos was being chopped. Ya think some kind of picketing in front of the school, led by PINI principal supreme Linda Hill, by the SI UFT might have meant something for the Portelos case? Even Staten Island resident Mulgrew could have easily attended.

Given that MORE is focusing on this issue just watch them do a show rally for publicity and then forget about it -- unless MORE picks up the ball and forces them to function out of fear MORE may be making headway.

Remember the Unity prime directive is not the interests or defense of the members but holding onto power. The stronger MORE gets the more Unity will be forced kicking and screaming to defend the members. I hear that a third or more of the DA is beginning to vote with MORE.That is a big change from the scattering of cards number 2 digits in the past.



Support Suan Ohanian on White House Petition

Please don't send me 'excuses.' I've heard them already--from union officers who tell me they have other fish to fry, teachers who insist putting initials on a petition will cost them their jobs, etc. etc.  .. Susan Ohanian
I hate petitions and think they do little good. But when Susan Ohanian speaks I listen. Here is the link:
http://wh.gov/lV7q7


White House Petition

Although I have strong reservations about petitions, I launched a petition to the White House, hoping to draw attention of the public and the press to the fact that massive standardized testing is Presidential policy. I hope you will read the petition, sign it, and promote it.

The rules are that a petition must garner 100,000 signatures in 30 days to get White House 'attention.' Sad to say, after 5 days, we have only 1,326 signatures. With 3.5 million public school teachers, not to mention concerned parents, my disappointment is dissolving into rage. Please don't send me 'excuses.' I've heard them already--from union officers who tell me they have other fish to fry, teachers who insist putting initials on a petition will cost them their jobs, etc. etc.

I'm keeping a tally state by state. Here are those with most signers:
New York: 168
California: 121
Michigan: 58
Illinois: 52
Connecticut: 48
Washington: 44
Indiana: 46
Massachusetts: 41
New Jersey: 31

And least.
Delaware: 2
Montana: 2
Wyoming: 2
North Dakota: 1

Here's the petition:
http://wh.gov/lV7q7