Archives for the year of: 2014
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Network for Public Education on the Death of Michael Brown

By dianeravitch
August 20, 2014 //
27

Last night, the Network for Public Education issued this statement on the death of Michael Brown:

The killing of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri, is a national tragedy. The Network for Public Education sends our condolences to his family and community. We also decry the inequitable treatment that Michael and millions of other young people of color receive in the form of racial profiling and disparate justice. School segregation and systemic oppression culminated in the August day when Michael was killed, and if unchecked, will continue to hurt many more young people.

We hope that those joining us in decrying this injustice will not only condemn this direct act of violence but the violent systems that perpetuate inequality. Join us to fight for educational and social justice for all young people. We desperately need equitable law enforcement that is responsive, respectful and protective of the entire community it serves; we also need equitable, fully funded public schooling. We need a criminal justice system that is restorative and non-oppressive; we also need to support educators to implement restorative practices within our schools. We need to devote resources to providing a strong neighborhood school in every community; we also need to ensure that community members have access to job opportunities to support their families.

Michael Brown was a fellow human being whose life was ended violently and prematurely. We urge people not merely to say, “Never again,” but to join us in the struggle to ensure that all of us receive due process and fair treatment. We encourage and support educators across our society to continue to teach and model justice in our classrooms in solidarity with the young people of our country to help build the future that Michael Brown deserved.

Categories Network for Public Education

Two Champs Charter Schools Won’t Open in Palm Beach County, Florida

By dianeravitch
August 19, 2014 //
4

Two Champs charter schools were supposed to open in Delray Beach and Riviera Beach, Florida, but they failed to enroll enough students. They told Palm Beach County school district officials they will never open. Each was supposed to enroll 112 students but enrolled only 2 or 3 students.

Is the public wising up? Or is the market saturated?

Categories Charter Schools, Florida

No Charter School for Cheatham County, Tennessee

By dianeravitch
August 19, 2014 //
7

The school board of rural Cheatham County, Tennessee, voted 6-0 against opening a charter school.

Categories Charter Schools, Tennessee

Schneider: Why Jindal Lost in Court on Common Core and PARCC

By dianeravitch
August 19, 2014 //
2

A Louisiana judge ruled against Governor Jindal in his efforts to dump Common Core and PARCC.

Mercedes Schneider read the court decision and concludes that Jindal lost in court against proponents of Common Core because his lawyer didn’t make a good case. She says he better get a better legal team or be prepared to lose again.

Categories Common Core, Jindal, Bobby, Louisiana

Democrats for Public Education Launches New Group to Support Public Schools

By dianeravitch
August 19, 2014 //
101

Readers of this blog are familiar with the many organizations that have been created to attack public schools and teachers’ rights, including groups like Democrats for Education Reform (hedge fund managers); Stand for Children (pro-charter); StudentsFirst (pro-charter, pro-voucher, anti-union, anti-teacher); Teach for America; ConnCAN and 50StateCAN (pro-charter); Students for Education Reform; TeachPlus; National Council on Teacher Quality (favors rating teachers by test scores); Education Reform Now; and a bunch of other groups with si,liar names, overlapping boards, and similar funding (Gates, Broad, Walton, Dell, Arnold, Dell, etc.).

On our side, we have the Network for Public Education and dozens of grassroots organizations, some of which are statewide or community-based. None of us has much funding. Now there is a new national organization supporting public schools. This is good news to see elected officials and public citizens standing up for the principle of free public education.

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, August 19th, 2014

Contact: Joshua Henne, 732-407-5938

DEMOCRATS FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES

Democrats Remain United Around Core Set of Principles To Ensure Public Education Thrives For Generations To Come

(WASHINGTON, D.C.)– Today, national Democratic Party leaders announced the official launch of Democrats For Public Education (DPE) – a new 527 organization rooted in the belief that each and every child deserves access to strong, safe neighborhood schools with well-prepared and supported teachers. DPE represents a diverse coalition of Democrats from throughout the country who support public education. You can learn more at the new website: http://www.DemocratsForPublicEducation.com.

Democrats for Public Education will lift up public education in America. For far too long, a coordinated effort has been successful in framing a radical, false narrative that the Democratic Party is evenly spilt among those who stand strongly for public schools and those who believe public schools are detrimental to student success. This is simply untrue. With a few extremist, well-funded, vocal exceptions, Democrats remain united around a basic set of beliefs when it comes to educating our children.

“A high-quality public education is an economic necessity, an anchor of democracy and a moral imperative, “ said former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm. “Democrats For Public Education is a diverse coalition of Democrats from all across America. We’ve already received strong early backing from hundreds of leaders and activists at all levels of government, from communities coast-to-coast and states in between. That’s because we share the belief that every child deserves engaging curriculum, as well as social services to meet their mental, social and physical needs.”

“Democrats For Public Education is committed to bringing people together to ensure our public school system endures – and thrives – for generations to come,” said former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland. “This is about standing up for our principles, standing up for teachers, standing up for kids and standing up for public education.”

The goal of Democrats For Public Education is to show broad-based support around a core set of principles, which includes:

Fulfilling our collective obligation to help all children succeed;
Fighting for neighborhood public schools that are safe, welcoming places for teaching and learning;
Ensuring that teachers and school staff are well-prepared, are supported, have small class sizes, and have time to collaborate to meet the individual needs of every child;
Guaranteeing that all children have an engaging curriculum that includes art, music and physical education;
Providing children access to wrap-around services to meet their emotional, social and health needs;
Working to provide school districts – particularly those serving the highest concentration of students in need of extra services and support – with the resources required to provide all students with a world-class education; and
Making it clear that public education – for all children – is both an economic necessity and a fundamental civil right.
“As a proud graduate of Louisiana’s public schools, I know the importance of a good public education,” said Donna Brazile, Democratic Strategist and DNC Vice-Chair. “Frankly, it’s the only way we can strengthen, revitalize and grow our middle-class. And it’s the best way we can provide a springboard for the working poor and preserve our American values.”

“As Democrats for Public Education, we’re focused on just that – supporting public education,” said Rep. Mark Pocan, representing Wisconsin’s 2nd Congressional District. “We support superior standards and finding ways to make classrooms challenging and rewarding for both teachers and students. We believe in instilling critical thinking skills needed for 21st century jobs and the new economy. And we’re committed to a level playing field for all, with well-resourced schools responsive to the needs of the community.”

The list of Democrats For Public Education co-chairs includes the following – with more chairs to be announced in the coming weeks:

Governor Jennifer Granholm (MI)
Governor Ted Strickland (OH)
Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH)
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI)
Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA)
State Superintendent Denise Juneau (MT)
Donna Brazile – Democratic Strategist & DNC Vice-Chair

At DemocratsForPublicEducation.com, visitors can continue adding their name to those all across America who have already signed up to show their solidarity. The DPE website will be a resource and information hub for supporters, activists and the press to keep up-to-date with the latest news on Democrats For Public Education, as well as education issues of interest in general.

You can also follow Democrats for Public Education on Twitter (@Dems4PublicEd) and on Facebook (Facebook.com/DemsforPublicEd).

Categories Democrats, Supporting public schools

FAIRTEST: Flat ACT Scores Show Failure of NCLB, Race to the Top

By dianeravitch
August 19, 2014 //
41

Give it up, reformers. The scores on the ACT are flat from 2010-2014, despite the billions wasted on testing, test-based teacher evaluation, and merit pay. Your reforms have reformed nothing. They have failed. Pay attention.

Improve the lives of children and families. Improve working conditions in the school. Demand equitable resources for schools. Reduce class sizes for needy children. Do what works. Throw your punishments and sanctions into the ash-heap of history. It will happen sooner or later.

Start now to build the structures that work for students and teachers.

FairTest_______________________
National Center for Fair & Open Testing
for further information:
Bob Schaeffer (239) 395-6773
cell (239) 699-0468
for use with annual ACT scores on or after Wednesday, August 20, 2014

STAGNANT ACT SCORES SHOW TEST-DRIVEN U.S. SCHOOL POLICIES
HAVE NOT IMPROVED COLLEGE READINESS,
EVEN WHEN MEASURED BY OTHER TESTS

Another year of flat scores on the ACT, the nation’s most widely administered college admissions exam, provides further evidence that a decade of test-driven public school policies has not improved educational quality.
Reacting to ACT scores released today, Bob Schaeffer, Public Education Director of the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest) said, “Proponents of ‘No Child Left Behind,’ ‘Race to the Top,’ ‘waivers,’ and similar state-level programs promised that focusing on testing would boost college readiness while narrowing score gaps between racial groups. The data show a total failure according to their own measures. Doubling down on unsuccessful policies with more high-stakes,
K-12 testing, as Common Core exam proponents propose, is an exercise in stubbornness, not meaningful school improvement.” (see http://fairtest.org/common-core-assessments-factsheet)

Stagnant scores and racial gaps have also been reported on the federal government’s National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the SAT college admissions test.

Schaeffer continued, “The lack of progress toward excellence and equity will provide further ammunition for the country’s growing testing resistance and reform movement. Ending the counter-productive fixation on standardized exams is necessary to create the space for better assessments that actually enhance learning and teaching.” FairTest actively supported this past spring’s opt-out campaigns and other protests that focused attention on testing overuse and misuse.

FairTest is also a national leader for test-optional higher education admissions. More than 830 accredited, bachelor-degree granting colleges and universities now do not require all or many applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores (see http://fairtest.org/university/optional). Eight more schools – Wesleyan University, Old Dominion University, Hofstra University, Temple University, Montclair State University, Beloit College, Bryn Mawr College and Emmanuel College — dropped test-score requirements already this summer. In addition, Hampshire College, which long was test-optional, is now “test-blind.”
– – 3 0 – –

2014 COLLEGE-BOUND SENIORS AVERAGE ACT SCORES
1,845,787 million test takers

COMPOSITE SCORE FIVE-YEAR SCORE TREND
(2010 – 2014)
ALL TEST-TAKERS 21.0 0.0

African-American 17.0 + 0.1
American Indian 18.0 – 1.0
Asian 23.5 + 0.1
Hispanic 18.8 + 0.2
White 22.3 0.0

Source: ACT, The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2014

Categories Accountability, NCLB (No Child Left Behind), Race to the Top, Teacher Evaluations, Testing

Common Core Support Eroding, Especially Among Teachers

By dianeravitch
August 19, 2014 //
39

A poll commissioned by “Education Next,” a conservative journal, finds that the public supports the idea of common standards but the support drops sharply when asked about Common Core. See the Edweek account here.

The biggest declines from 2013 to 2014 were among teachers and Republicans. Support among Democrats remained steady at about 63-64%. The proportion of Republicans supporting Common Core dropped from 57% to 43%. Certain prominent Republicans continue to promote Common Core, including Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, and Other Republican governors.

The biggest decline in support was among teachers. Support dropped from 76% to 46%. This sharp decline is notable not only for its size but for two other reasons: first, both national teachers’ unions have endorsed Common Core and reiterated their support for Common Core at their national conventions just weeks ago. Second, of the various groups questioned, teachers are the most knowledgable about the Common Core since almost every state is training teachers to Implement the new standards.

Peter Greene explains the decline of support among teachers with this phrase: “Familiarity breeds contempt.” He says, “I’m hoping leadership in both unions takes a good hard look at this result. Again– a group that is committed to promoting CCSS, that has a vested interest is being able to say that people and teachers love the Core, has determined that teachers do not love the Core much at all. Please pay attention, union leaders.”

The editors of “Education Next” are known for their hostility to teachers’ unions and teacher tenure and their advocacy for school choice, including charters and vouchers.

Categories Common Core

Utah: Common Core Tests Cause Proficiency Rates to Fall Below 50%

By dianeravitch
August 19, 2014 //
62

The first results of Utah’s Common Core tests are in, and they follow the pattern of other states: a sharp drop in the proportion of students who are “proficient.”

“The percentage of Utah students who scored proficient or better in science ranged from 37 percent to 45 percent, depending on grade level. In math, anywhere from 29 percent to 47 percent of kids scored proficient. And in language arts, proficiency ranged from 38 percent to 44 percent.

“Proficiency was defined as performing at or above standards for grade level.”

“Proficiency levels were much higher on CRTs last year. In science last year on CRTs, proficiency levels ranged from 58 percent to 76 percent, depending on grade level; in math, from 39 percent to 85 percent; and in language arts, from 77 percent to 90 percent.”

State officials, having bought into the Common Core, are not at all disturbed.

Parents and teachers should be outraged. Common Core tests are aligned with NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) “proficiency” levels, which are NOT grade level. NAEP proficiency represents “solid academic achievement.” I served on the NAEP governing board for seven years. Most students will not reach NAEP proficient because it is NOT grade level. I think of it as a high level of achievement.

May I remind you that we are one of the most powerful and most creative and most productive nations in the world. We didn’t get that way with a stupid population.

The Common Core tests are developmentally inappropriate. The achievement levels are out of reach of most students. You cannot reasonably expect a fifth-grader to answer questions on a seventh-grade level? Does Utah have plans for the 50-55% of their students who will not be able to graduate high school because of Common Core’s absurd definition of “proficient”?

Categories Common Core, Testing

Florida Law Requires Multiple Tests for Kindergartners

By dianeravitch
August 19, 2014 //
62

Florida has gone bonkers. State law requires children in kindergarten to take tests for every subject taught in kindergarten. Some counties will develop as many as 15 different tests, ranging from physical education to art. Most children will be required to take seven tests.

State Sen. David Simmons, a member of the education committee, said “For us to assure that schools do their jobs we can only test. If you don’t test, you don’t care,” said Simmons.

School districts will decide whether children’s performance on the tests will impact their grades and their ability to move on to first grade.

This must be another of former Governor Jeb Bush’s bright ideas. You can tell how much he cares because Florida students take so many tests.

Categories Childhood, Pre-K, K, Florida, Testing

Michelle Gunderson on the Ethical Use of Student Data

By dianeravitch
August 19, 2014 //
4

On Anthony Cody’s new independent blog site, “Living in Dialogue,” Chicago teacher Michelle Gunderson offers her views on the ethical use of student data. 

 

In her many years as an elementary school teacher, she has seen standardized tests evolve from a sorting instrument to a means of punishing children to an excuse for privatizing public schools.

 

She will not be complicit in any of these uses of student test scores. She would abolish the standardized tests if she could, but that is not within her power.

 

So she pledges, first, that they will always be on of multiple measures; that she will remain strict confidentiality about student test scores and never publish them on a data wall or release them to the public; and that she will communicate with families about the frequency and amount of time spent on testing.

 

Tests, like all tools, may be used wisely or wrongly. Tests should be used to help children and teachers, not to punish or label them or close their school.

Categories Data and Data Mining, Education Industry, Privatization, Students, Testing
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