Parent groups in New York are trying to block the release of student data to an entity that includes Wireless Generation, a technology company owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, in collaboration with the Gates Foundation.
“On Sunday, October 14, at a press conference held at the midtown law offices of Siegel Teitelbaum & Evans LLP, attorney Norman Siegel and New York parents released a letter sent Friday to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and the New York State Board of Regents, demanding that the agreement between the NY State Education Department and the “Shared Learning Collaborative” be released, setting out the conditions and restrictions on the use of confidential student and teacher data to be provided to this limited corporation. The letter asked that parents be informed exactly what information concerning their children will be shared with this corporation, why the transfer of this data does not violate federal privacy protections, and demanding that the parents have the right to withhold their children’s information from being shared. The letter is posted at http://bit.ly/W6H2qV”
Read the background information here about Wireless Generation, Gates, etc. very important!
Diane Ravitch's blog 
This is the breaking point for me…I honestly think I am about to lose my mind with all this nonsense.
Please excuse my language but this is bullshit. A man whose company hacked into the cell phone of a missing murdered 13 year old child wants access to our children’s test scores so he can market his digital crap.
We need a friggin revolution….over my dead body would anyone get my kids or grandkids test scores for marketing purposes.
I am so sorry, but I am livid and I can hardly contain myself.
I don’t know you Leonie, but if you are reading this thank you for everything you have done for all the children in our country. I am sick and in tears that this could even be happening in our country.
Do you think Malia and Sasha scores will be included in the database? Hell no!
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I am sick & sad too!
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Good Evening- God bless this Parent Group!! I support them in all of their efforts. Finally, the voices of those who truly care the most about children are demanding to be heard!! I am inspired!!
Marge
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Didn’t Obama circumvent Congress and decide data on students is open game for the Federal depts to share?? I believe this was part of the Tucker plan. So the Labor Dept can share with future employers.
It’s good to hear that parents are saying NO. However how many voted for their “Master” who thinks their elected Reps do not matter?
“Under the United States Constitution, the Federal Government has NO authority to hold states accountable for their education performance …in the Free Society Envisioned by the founders, schools are held accountable to PARENTS not federal bureaucrats….Ron Paul.
You either answer to the Master your you return power to where it belongs. With the PEOPLE>
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It appears that this access to student information was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and states were required to comply to receive funding.
“How the feds are tracking your kid” –
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/how_the_feds_are_tracking_your_kid_xC6wecT8ZidCAzfqegB6hL?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME
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Great NY Post and News Corp. disconnect. Talk about irony. Feds vs News Corp. Who do you trust?
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This should be front page news in every major newspaper in the country. It is disgusting and outrageous. As teachers we are bound to the highest ethical standards and must respect the confidentiality of our students and their families. When we are told about medical conditions, the home environment, or other private matters, we must not disclose this information to anyone. Parents often tell us things in strictest confidence, so we can better understand and teach their children. If a teacher were to pass on this information to a 3rd party, I would think dismissal would be an appropriate consequence. All support and admiration to these parents!
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Wonderful news
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Finally, someone is going to a lawyer!
There is so much being done in the education “reform” movement that is lawsuit-worthy, I can’t believe law firms have not been more active in seeking out parents whose children have been adversely affected. Charter schools getting rid of kids with learning or behavioral issues even though they get public school money is one area where there should be several lawsuits going on.
And now this. A big bravo to that parent group!
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It could be a brand new legal field…..charter chasers.
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I’d be cool with that. 🙂
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Could you turn off your italics tag?
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God bless Leonie Haimson, and this lawyer. THANK YOU!
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Great job, Leonie.
I am very much relieved to see this in print.
Thank you.
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FYI – The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) lists detailed information about Shared Learning Collaborative:
http://www.ccsso.org/Resources/Programs/Shared_Learning_Collaborative_(SLC).html
And from Shared Learning Collaborative:
October 20-21,2012 – SLC Camp Comes to NYC – Register Now!
http://slcedu.org/blog/slc-camp-comes-nyc-–-register-now
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Check out the second link…are they bribing adults with prizes?
Also, they can’t even spell principal…..
After two successful SLC Camps in Chicago and Boston, it’s on to the Big Apple. Whether you’re a teacher, a principle, a school CTO, a start-up founder or just a developer with a passion for ed tech, you won’t want to miss this extraordinary opportunity to collaborate in channeling your energy and expertise toward innovating ideas and apps designed for classroom use.
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That’s principle as in the principle owner of an ed tech start up company-ha ha!!
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The Gates name is everywhere..he is a spreading fungus….I wish he would just get a job like the rest of us.
Will his kids be tracked via SLC….slithering lackluster creeps!
Parents in each of the 50 states should be calling their ACLU office tomorrow.
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Ed…thank you for this link:
http://slcedu.org/blog/slc-camp-comes-nyc-–-register-now
There is a dialog box at the bottom for comments. I just left one. Please do the same.
It will probably be deleted soon..
Is this just a bribe so you can track the test scores of unsuspecting children and families and then market your digital crap so you can rake in $$$$$$ from the race to the trough?
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Reblogged this on Transparent Christina.
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TY Leonie Haimson! The parents have an ally. What about the teachers and administrators. Why are they sitting still? Oh, wait NEA and AFT. ‘Nuff said.
I can’t wait until the fringe groups and the radical right gets ahold of this. Should I speed it along?
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The right has been concerned about this years for years. I am amazed at the depth of their knowledge. This is not a partisan problem. Laws haven’t caught up to the ‘power’ of technology. It’s hard to get laws passed protecting children when technology driven lobbyists & philanthropists give money to everyone.
The NY1 interview (link below) mentions a national database. I was glad to hear that idea is catching on. Civil liberty groups should have been all over this. Chris Calabrese from the ACLU has spoken out on the national level about warehousing information about children for years.
They’re profiling children. Not good.
They (I don’t know who) have kept more left leaning groups concerned about charter schools, privatization, online learning.
I have to praise SLC for being transparent. Look at the LRMI & the Learning Registry. The SLC is just one piece of scheme.
I read it and can’t believe what I am seeing. It’s very ugly. A good chunk of the US economy is dependent on churning student data.
SLC interview with NY1:
http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2012/10/videos-of-our-press-conference-sunday.html?spref=tw
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Awesome background report. Will contact my Congressional reps for MD. I recommend others do also. Squeaky wheel/s. Who knows what may happen.
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