Open Thread Friday
Oh look, this from the Times about Issaquah's adoption of Discovering Math.
or
this from an email from Sara Morris, head of the Alliance for Education:
So you have the facts, the polling currently in-field is new and not a redux of the Survey Monkey survey. It’s a statistically valid survey being administered by a professional market research firm. I look forward to sharing the results with you.
Weigh in on that or any other issue.
(To note, the entire district seems to die down during breaks which I find a mystery. The schools, okay but why is it hard to contact people in the administration during breaks? )
or
this from an email from Sara Morris, head of the Alliance for Education:
So you have the facts, the polling currently in-field is new and not a redux of the Survey Monkey survey. It’s a statistically valid survey being administered by a professional market research firm. I look forward to sharing the results with you.
Weigh in on that or any other issue.
(To note, the entire district seems to die down during breaks which I find a mystery. The schools, okay but why is it hard to contact people in the administration during breaks? )
Comments
It's a great interview. Watch it all the way through.
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/3/26/a_look_at_arne_duncans_vip
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/education/24chicago.html
EDUCATION REFORM IS THE BEST STOCK ON THE MARKET
http://dailycensored.com/2010/03/25/education-reform-is-the-best-stock-on-the-market/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Dailycensored+%28Daily+Censored%29
The interesting aspect about education reform and corporate entities is how the two perpetuate each other.
The NYT reports that a bunch of NYC school closures cannot yet move forward...
"...Justice Lobis ruled that the city failed to act in compliance with education law when it issued its Educational Impact Statements for the schools, providing insufficient detail of what the closings would mean to the surrounding communities.
The city, she said, “failed to provide the detailed analysis an impact statement mandates..."
Saaaaa-weet!
My guess is they handed their 'survey monkey' questionnaire to a firm to administer the same survey via phone, using a random sample of Seattle residents.
My question back to her would be what are they trying to find out? And what are the data going to be used for? Because most folks are not going to be savvy enough to ask about what was missing from the survey.
http://www.k12.wa.us/Communications/PressReleases2010/SchoolsEligibleFedGrants.aspx
"Applications for the grants were due to OSPI on March 5. Of the 47 schools, 41 have applied for grant money. ... Districts and schools will be notified about their applications by March 26."
Helen Schinske
Well, DUH.
Thanks Sara and Alliance for that insightful survey and what are going to be riveting results.
:shakes head:
We know that the business world's employees and managers, each and every one of them, has all these qualities and more: We must follow their lead.
OMG...the questions are so loaded that even an oaf could see that they are taking a push-poll.
BTW...who is giving the home phone numbers of teachers to A4E. Cell phones have been called when teachers do not have land-lines.
Here's a key excerpt and gosh, the situation sounds familiar.
"Justice Lobis agreed with the plaintiffs’ contention that the department had issued boilerplate statements, which she found lacked “the detailed analysis that an impact statement mandates.” She found other procedural violations, including insufficient public notification before hearings."
SPS website. Open enrollment closes March 31!
http://www.seattleschools.org/area/eso/testverify.html
Yup filed the Writ at the WA Supreme Court today, which names the Seattle School Board and Seattle District #1 and two Superior Court Judges Laura Inveen and Theresa Doyle. The allegation sees: the school folks as needing to follow the state laws and the Superior Court Judges as needing to hold the District accountable for following the laws.
but ...(on to our current example)
In regard to getting an "Administrative Record" as required by law with in 20 days of the filing of the NTN appeal on March 5th well it did not happen ...////
because the law just gets ignored when dealing with the SPS.
In Anderson et. al v. Seattle Dist #1.... here is how it went.
Appeal filed March 5
Attorneys for SPS request an extension of 20 day limit...
Stafne writes fabulous document saying no way to that extension.
Tuesday District responds to Stafne's NO way with a repeated request for time extension.
So after due date of Mar 25 has passed ... it is now March 26 and the judge has yet to rule on anything..... It is just normal King County action involving SPS.
Glad I filed that writ today.
Even if you are on a 'do not call' list, you are eligible to be called for marketing research. That is why the survey folks give a big disclaimer at the beginning of the call.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amanda-copeland/captain-o-captain-autism_b_506427.html?view=screen
(from Huffingtonpost.com, "O Captain" is article name if link doesn't work)
I wait all weekend, wondering, then call enrollment this morning. After explaining the situation a half dozen times, being put on hold 4 times, I'm told that the person who should have my paperwork is not answering the phone. Or maybe isn't in. With out being able to confirm with a supervisor, the staff on the phone says that since I have the signed, stamped copy of my choice form, that's all I need. "I'd believe that over the computer," she says, "probably something wrong on the the website."
Anyone else having trouble with the online verification tool?
in regard to:
"I'd believe that over the computer," she says, "probably something wrong on the the website."
Yes having a written record may be as valuable as submitting written comment to the school board in regard to a coming decision.
I have lots of copies on my hard drive and laying about ... but where does the info go that is submitted to the district?
Seems to disappear whether submitted as written testimony or via email.
A veritable Astro-physical black hole seems to consume it all.
Of course, it would make sense to allow all of us to view our forms as they get entered into the system. I don't care if it's April or early May. If there is a data-entry mistake or some other error, wouldn't they want it corrected prior to mailing the second round of assignment letters in late May?
We turned in our form at one of the local library opportunities last week. I have a stamped receipt of what I turned in, but I guess I won't know whether they will process it correctly until late May! Trying not to stress over it just yet...
My opinion: if the online system isn't accurate and is therefore likely to cause stress instead of alleviate stress, just admit the mistake and shut it down! It's probably doing more harm than good right now.