Posted on by arotherham

4th of July Picnic Chatter

Remember, application deadline for the Bellwether blogging seminar is July 9th.  It’s free, but more applicants than slots so get yours in asap.

The National Academy of Advanced Teacher Education is ramping up for a summer session in Chicago again this year.  Teachers who went through it last year loved it and if you’re looking to learn about a cool program that isn’t a household name – this is it.

There was some chuckling when the American Federation of Teachers partnered with an overseas corporation to launch its lesson sharing site (outsourcing, privatization, corporate, private equity all in one deal!).  But turns out there is more…Rupert Murdoch connections and some lockouts and labor strife as well.

Over the weekend a federal court invalidated part of the Department of Education’s “gainful employment” rule.* In the last Education Insider survey 72 percent of policy insiders believed that a Romney win would mean a revisiting of this rule.  Looks like an Obama win could mean the same…Speaking of Insider, more on the deck via Huff Post.

All those desks on the National Mall?  Richard Whitmire says they point to the Oval Office.

*Update: Dep’t responds here.

6 Replies to “4th of July Picnic Chatter”

  1. Hi Mr. Bellwether,

    Do you know the name of the Phoenix program that reinvented parent teacher conferences that Mr. Whitmire cites? I tried to find it, but was unsuccessful. Thanks!

  3. Hi,

    I did research on this program– it’s called Academic Parent Teacher Teams. It is in the Creighton School District in Phoenix (and growing in other districts as well). It was started by a woman named Maria Paredes, who now works at West Ed. If you’re interested in more information I recommend reaching out to Maria. Or you might also want to check out the Flamboyan Foundation, based out of Washington, D.C. They are helping bring Academic Parent Teachers Teams (APTT) to DCPS as well.

    Hope that helps.

  4. What’s the New trick for Today:
    Email shows Louisiana schools chief tried to ‘muddy up’ state’s voucher-vetting process

    “This will allow us to kill multiple birds with one stone,” White writes. “It would allow us to talk through the process with the media, muddying up a narrative they’re trying to keep black and white.

    SOP from the Professional Education Reform Movement.

    When contacted for comment about the email, White questioned how it was obtained.

    Of course.

    John White is a Teach For America alum,

  5. Meanwhile, over in Jersey, home of the ice cream shouting governor:

    THURSDAY, JULY 5, 2012

    About Those Charters That Are Taking Over Newark
    Let’s go back to today’s usurpation of democracy in Newark. The state-appointed superintendent, Cami Anderson, overrode the elected yet powerless local advisory board to allow for the closing of several public schools and subsequent leasing of the properties to five charters. This all happened immediately after the state reaffirmed that they will retain control over Newark’s schools; the justification was that the schools are not run well, even though it’s the state itself that’s controlling them.

    Yes, they are that shameless at the NJDOE.

    http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2012/07/about-those-charters-that-are-taking.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+JerseyJazzman+%28Jersey+Jazzman%29

  6. And next door in PA:
    New law excludes charter school teachers from revised evaluations
    July 5, 2012 12:05 am

    By Amy McConnell Schaarsmith and Eleanor Chute / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    In 2013-14, public schools across the state will be required to consider student performance when evaluating teachers — except for charter schools.
    The General Assembly last week approved legislation that requires half of a teacher’s evaluation to be based on observation and half on various measures of student performance. Under the old law, considering student performance is not required in teacher evaluations.

    Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/education/new-law-excludes-charter-school-teachers-from-revised-evaluations-643311/#ixzz205Z6KcSr

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.