Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Kindergarten at School 61

The Indianapolis Star's Robert King continues his interesting series of articles in A difficult start for one child at IPS School 61. He focuses on one explosive kindergartener's behavior and how the school is trying to help the student.

D.C. Primary

The Washington, D.C. Democratic mayoral primary is today. Not living anywhere near the District, I'd guess there are more issues at stake than just a referendum on the leadership of Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee. But that one issue has dominated the news about the primary between incumbent Mayor Adrian Fenty and D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray. In the last minute runup to the election, some interesting articles and one press release have appeared.

Jay Mathews has a pro-Rhee story in New teacher applauds Michelle Rhee's quick response to problem. Bill Turque had covered a lawsuit filed last week in Pregnant Shadd student sues teacher. Apparently the attorneys for the student weren't much impressed with the coverage they got and put out a press release, Sexual Misconduct Suit Filed Against D.C. Public School Chancellor Michelle Rhee and Former Teacher. The title seems a bit misleading to me.

And Michael Birnbaum writes about the new D.C. contract in D.C. schools unveil teacher-pay bonus plan.

President to Address America's Students

President Obama will be making his second annual speech directly to America’s students today, welcoming them back to school. The prepared text of the speech was released yesterday. The live video feed begins at 1 P.M. (EDT).

Odds 'n' Ends

eSchool News associate editor Meris Stansbury has an informative story in What schools can learn from charters about teaching English language learners. Sam Dillon's Racial Disparity in School Suspensions won't be a surprise to most teachers. And Daniel Willingham's Obama ed policy lacks scientific support is a good voice of reason, although no one in the Obama Administration will take heed of it.

Other than Robert King's excellent article and the addition of a new affiliate advertiser, Kazoo and Company, who carry the Melissa and Doug floor puzzles my students loved, I had trouble really getting into this posting. In fact, I just blew off the post in disgust Monday morning and instead spent my time on a new raised garden bed I'm building.

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Wednesday, September 15, 2010

D.C. Primary

D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray has defeated Mayor Adrian M. Fenty in the Washington, D.C. Democratic mayoral primary. Since the Republicans didn't field a primary candidate, it would appear Gray has a lock on the November general election in the heavily Democratic District of Columbia.

Even though the election has been viewed somewhat as a referendum on the controversial D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee, Gray has been vague about whether he'd retain or replace her. Since Gray won't assume office until January, providing he wins in November, there's lots of time for speculation. But there's also lots of time for Rhee and Gray to talk, negotiate, and plan. While a longshot, they might come to an agreement that would allow Rhee to continue as chancellor. (I'm thinking a muzzle would have to be part of any such agreement!) More likely because of all the rancor Rhee's leadership style has caused, it could provide for an orderly transition to a new chancellor.

It will be interesting to watch.

• Vincent Gray Wins D.C. Mayor's Race over Adrian Fenty by Michael Ruane, Fredrick Kunkle and Mike DeBonis
• Gray Defeats Fenty as Voters Choose Conciliatory Approach over Brash Tactics by Tim Craig and Nikita Stewart
• 2 D.C. Council Members to Push Gray and Rhee to Compromise on Contract Extension by Bill Turque
• What Gray, Rhee should do now for D.C. schools by Valerie Strauss

Ravitch on that Civil Rights Report

Diane Ravitch revisits the Framework for Providing All Students an Opportunity to Learn (606K PDF document) issued in late July by several civil rights groups in Why Civil Rights Groups Oppose the Obama Agenda. Ravitch quotes the Post's Valerie Strauss, whom she calls "our nation's most indispensable education journalist," as summarizing the report:

Dear President Obama, you say you believe in an equal education for all students, but you are embarking on education policies that will never achieve that goal and that can do harm to America's school children, especially its neediest. Stop before it is too late.

Ravitch goes on to highlight the key points made in the report, including "competition for federal funding," "stop-gap" measures that rely on "quick fixes" that "offer no real long-term strategy for effective systemic change," closing neighborhood schools without "close collaboration with parents, the community, and teachers," "reliance on charter schools," and using test scores as a "sole or primary measure of teacher effectiveness." Ravitch writes:

It [the report] is a strong statement, and it deserves a close reading. If you believe that education is a civil right, or that education is of paramount importance to the future of our nation, or that every child should have access to a high-quality education, it is hard to conclude that the Obama administration's education policies are wise, practical, or likely to succeed.

She concludes with a strong and, I feel, accurate indictment of the Obama Administration:

If the Obama administration won't listen to the groups who are most assertive in defending America's neediest children, if they listen instead to hedge-fund managers and venture philanthropists, what hope is there for a more thoughtful approach to federal policy?

Walt on Unintended Consequences

Walt Gardner writes today about Unintended Consequences of School Choice on his Reality Check blog. He tells of the difficulty for parents navigating the often confusing rules in applying to charter schools. One unintended consequence he notes is that parents of students "rejected by the schools in their neighborhoods because they constituted a disproportionate presence" enrolling their children in private or religious schools, "rather than remain on waiting lists in the hope that the next time they apply will mean acceptance."

His suggested solution is pretty much common sense, meaning that no one in the Obama Administration will take heed of it:

So what is the solution? In the final analysis, fairness is in the eyes of the beholder. What satisfies one family unavoidably will fail to satisfy another. That's why some reformers have insisted from the start that the only solution is to improve all neighborhood schools. If that goal were ever achieved, it would provide a strong disincentive for parents to look elsewhere. That would indeed be cause to celebrate.

Odds 'n' Ends

The importance of the decision of District of Columbia voters to reject the Fenty administration may go well beyond the beltway. Because the primary election became a referendum of sorts on the leadership of Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, hired and fully supported by Fenty, it could mark the beginning of voters rejecting the hardball style of school reform espoused by Rhee, President Obama, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and others. Whether it's an isolated incident or the beginning of the electorate demanding a broader, more inclusive approach to education reform remains to be seen.

On the Lighter Side

I've written here previously about concerts Annie and I have attended at the Rosebud Theater in Effingham, Illinois. We've seen terrific performances there by the Gin Blossoms, Foreigner, and Air Supply. Sadly, the Rosebud didn't make it and closed last year. But the site has been taken over by the community and reopened as the Effingham Performance Center. Single concert tickets for the 2010-2011 season went on sale last Friday. (Yes, we got some!) They have a varied lineup of performers this year, including Amy Grant, Ron White, Arlo Guthrie, and REO Speedwagon. It's a small venue (around 1500 seats), and there's not a bad seat in the house. If you live in central Indiana or Illinois or are just passing through, it's a good place for a nice night out.

Adding to the experience of seeing concerts at the EPC is the highly-rated Firefly Grill next door. Their menu changes daily, sometimes based on what is coming on fresh in their own gardens. It's a great dining experience in a gorgeous setting, and is lots of fun for drinks after the show.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

D.C. Primary

Stories about District of Columbia Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray's primary victory over Mayor Adrian M. Fenty remain in the news. The tone of the articles linked today, however, is considerably different from yesterday's news coverage.

Washington Post Metro Columnist Courtland Milloy writes in D.C. election didn't just unseat abrasive Mayor Fenty. It was a populist revolt:

But Fenty was a cruel mayor. He inflicted deep hurts, not little boo-boos that you kiss and blow to heaven and make feel okay overnight.

Valerie Strauss, obviously incensed at Michelle Rhee's comments in an interview with MSNBC, writes in Is that so, Chancellor Rhee:

So, it turns out, the problem with school reforms in D.C. -- which contributed to the defeat of D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty in the Democratic primary -- wasn’t that some of them were punitive and nonsensical. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee said in an interview today that the people just didn’t get it.

It’s the people’s fault, actually.

Candi Peterson tells of the uplifted spirits of teachers before listing Jackie Pinckney-Hackett's Top Ten Lessons Learned From The DC Mayoral Primary. Here's number one and two:

1. Dictatorships don't work in DC
2. School reform without parent and community involvement is not welcomed

Even Deborah Meier, usually linked here to the Bridging Differences blog she co-authors with Diane Ravitch, got into the act in a guest blog on Valerie Strauss's The Answer Sheet, Meier on Trust and Skepticism in Public Schools. Deb begins with a paraphrased Lincoln quote, "You can fool some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time," before getting her dig in on Rhee:

This rosy view was confirmed this morning by the news that D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, the media-darling and heroine of all the major foundations and hedge-funders, lost handily—by way of Mayor Adrian Fenty’s defeat in Washington D.C.’s Democratic primary.

Meier does, by the way, go on to give a pretty interesting discussion about trust and skepticism in schools and in a democracy.

Jim Horn should probably get an award for the most provocative headline today for his posting on Schools Matter, Was that Superman Who Got His Ass Handed to Him Yesterday in DC? Jim's target was actually the new Waiting for Superman film, which I'll not comment upon further until I've seen it.

Possibly the most interesting of all the articles I read preparing for this posting is Natalie Hopkinson's Why Michelle Rhee's Education 'Brand' Failed in D.C. in the Atlantic. I don't agree with her conclusion, but her blunt take on why Rhee failed is refreshing.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Constitution Day and Citizenship Day

The DOE put out an info page yesterday afternoon, Commemorating Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. It contains some general information about observance of the day and resource links. See our posting from last Friday for more resource ideas.

Odds 'n' Ends

Bill Turque's D.C. school chief Rhee's next move probably toward the door covers Michelle Rhee's unfortunate comments at a screening of the Waiting for Superman film and where the Gray-Rhee drama may go next. Valerie Strauss's Why 'Waiting for Superman' premiere was chilling briefly critiques the film before moving on to some comments about Michelle Rhee's style of leadership.

Have a great weekend!