Long Island, New York, is home to the state’s biggest concentration of parents and educators who are in search of a better alternative to the state’s obsession with high-stakes testing. It is also home to a vigorous opt-out movement. This event promises to be a first-rate evening of discussion about where we go from here to improve our schools and find a better philosophy than test-and-punish.
BUILDING PROFESSIONAL CAPITAL
SUMMER INSTITUTE
DEVELOPING AN ALTERNATIVE PATH
FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
Join community members and fellow educators in exploring the
Business Capital
vs.
Professional Capital
Models of Education
In this latest and most important collaboration, renowned educators Andy Hargreaves and
Michael Fullan set out a groundbreaking new agenda to transform the future of teaching and
public education. Ideas-driven, evidence-based, and strategically powerful, Professional
Capitalcombats the tired arguments and stereotypes of teachers and teaching It includes
action guidelines for classroom teachers, administrators, schools and districts, and state and
federal leaders. This is a book that no one connected with schools can afford to ignore.
August 21st,2014
8:30am-3:00pm
First 10 DISTRICT
TEAMS to register
receive a free copy of
the book!
HOSTED BY DOWLING COLLEGE
150 Idle Hour Blvd, Oakdale, NY 11769
Registration
Fee $25
DISTRICT TEAMS consisting of 4-6 participants-BOE members, teachers,
administrators, union and PTA representatives are encouraged to attend.
First 10 teams to register receive a free copy of the book in advance of the event.
All others, register by August 15th to receive a 40% discount on the book.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER, GO TO: http://bit.ly/1n3wCVE
OR CONTACT DAVID GAMBERG AT (631) 765-5409 EXT. 304 or at
Dgamberg@southoldufsd.com
LUNCH AND BREAKFAST PROVIDED
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I’m all for substantive discussion of education on the local level, but this group makes me a bit nervous. I saw Ms. Brown, now a full-time lobbyist, interviewed on Stephen Colbert where she made it clear that this is a “National” -level organization out to raise a lot of money, but she made it also clear that their donors will remain anonymous. The Idea of a big-money backed, essentially faceless group dipping into how local school boards operate and how individual states set up public education carries an implied threat, and not just to teachers and their unions. I can almost see the corporate interests behind the Charter School push behind this, as well as campaign pressure and dollars for specific candidates. Maybe I’m paranoid, but…
The language is quite frightening. $25? There is no info about the gentlemen except that they are “educators”, whatever that means. There is no sense that their ideas are “grounded”.
It says that it is “evidence based” with “action guidelines”, just what teachers are missing?
May just settle back with a Paola Friere book. I don’t think that he gave his books for free to the first arrivals.
Educators don’t need seminars and “experts” to tell them what needs to be done.
The people liberate themselves.
Che-
I was able to read the first chapter as a prievew on Amazon.com. It seems to be ok, it is critical of what is considered to be “reform” right now, and looks to the Finnish system to
grab inspiration. However, I think more debate needs to take place if this book is used as “the way forward”. Again, I only read the first chapter.
One thing really bothers me. In the first chapter (page 4) the authors justify their conclusion based on a study that used student test scores as the measure. Not sure if this was the authors using language that is generally accepted, or they simply find this to be an acceptable measure.
With all my caution aside, perhaps this is the beginning of real debate/discussion. Perhaps not.
Some people (like Edushyster!) should go, anyway, to ferret out info. for the rest of us.
At $25 (& NOT $1 K +), seems affordable for those of us who would be flies on the wall (includes breakfast & lunch, as well!).
The Long Island group is a good group. Not promoting testing and privatization.
Thanks for all your comments. Please do read our book. It is clearly and consistently opposed to business capital which uses public education to reap short term profits through private markets and also strategies to lower teachers’ salaries by creating a more temporary, less qualified and younger teaching workforce. In its place it proposes long term professional capital to yield strong returns (socially and personally, and not just economically) in the generations that teachers’ educate with a highly qualified, well supported and collaborative teaching profession that retains its teachers so they can develop and refine expert judgment over many years. The book is garnering support across the profession in many countries, including among administrator groups and teacher unions such as the California Teachers’ Association.
Good luck!
Aside from dehumanizing teachers by referring to them as “capital,” – faceless, soulless, fungible entities – those who use such terms are just plain wrong.
Despite B-school anti- language referring to overseeing teachers as “talent management” or “human capital management,” teachers are in fact seen and managed as “Labor,” as a factor of production, to be minimized in every way possible.
The authors of this book may honestly oppose the current policies of the so-called reformers, but by using their language, they demonstrate they are perhaps far closer to them in spirit than they realize.
This morning’s Newsday carried the story of nineteen District Supervisors whose retirement packages are in excess of $300,000 annually. If Long Islanders want to fix what’s wrong with our education practices here, they need to put an end to these kind of ridiculous burdens. I suppose the argument in favor is that “you need high salaries to attract the best”. That might hold true in the corporate sector, but in public education, it is a luxury that we can’t afford and which in light of “performance” doesn;t provide any benefits to our students.
This is a follow-up to an event I attended in February at SBU. Pasi Sahlberg was there and I found the discussion and approach refreshing, and positive. I am on my districts BOE and very much looking forward to this event.
In Freire’s words, it is “reflection- true reflection which leads to action.” I look forward to spending the day with fellow educators reflecting on our practice.