Seattle Schools Community Forum

N.J. school gave students the wrong PARCC test Students in the gifted program knew they do well in math but thought this test was way too easy. That's because the algebra test they were supposed to take wasn't what they got.  Among the other tidbits of info from this story. Christiana said he doesn't think it's fair to the students that they wasted an afternoon on the wrong test. "Now they are told their test was nonsense and they have to take another one," Christiana said. "I am frustrated, and they are not giving us any answers." Less than a week earlier, students were locked out of PARCC testing because of an error by an employee at Pearson, the company that provides the exams. Teachers are instructed not to look at student's computer screens during PARCC testing, even if a student has a question, said Matthew Stagliano, a spokesman for the New Jersey Education Association, the state's largest teachers union. So the kids can tell s...

I'm not actually sure who wrote this letter but Senator Tom Harkin is being urged to ask Sec. of Education Arne Duncan these questions.  You can too by e-mailing the Secretary at arne . duncan @ed.gov "How many of your staffers have worked for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation? Who are they, and why did you hire them? "What role did these staffers and Bill Gates have on the formulation of the RTTT mandates? "How much classroom teaching experience do the principal authors of the RTTT mandates have, individually, and as a group? "Why are these individuals qualified to make decisions about education policy? "Were you, or anyone who works within the Department of Education in contact with any representative or lobbyist representing Pearson Education, McGraw-Hill, or InBloom before or during the writing of the RTTT mandates? "What is the Broad Foundation? What is your connection to the Broad Foundation? What education policies does the Broa...

In the ever-continuing line of "is there nothing Michelle Rhee won't say to get her way", comes this latest video from her group, Students First.  It's a play on the Olympics (by the way, Michelle, you might want to watch that usage because the REAL Olympics is highly territorial about the use of the word).   It's a cheap shot video that has earned her a lot of criticism.  There are rumblings coming out of Chicago, which may have a teachers strike, that TFA is going to roll in with 5,000 TFAers.  There is a word for people who cross picket lines and if that happens, it will not be pretty.  It will be ugly and it may mark a very dark day for TFA.  We have many, many teachers in this country and if you are in a union, as hired TFAers are, you NEVER cross a picket line against others in your union.  Quit the union and then try it - you'd be better off.   I have to shake my head at the idea.   On the upside for TFA, a story of braver...

Today, yes today, is the last day to register to vote for the August 7th primary.  Here's a link to do it online.  The deadline for the General Election is October 8th.  Well, as one grass-roots group put it, sometimes the little guy does get heard.  Check out this graph of the dropoff of "likes" at Michelle Rhee's Students First Facebook page.  Looks like the word got out about her use of signing people up for her organization by luring them to sign petitions at Change.org.  That or she's not getting much interest via Facebook anymore.  Also in the category of the little guy speaking up, here comes a story from the NY Times about a teacher, Harris Lirtzman, who spoke up for Special Education students.   It's classic because after he spoke up, he was denied tenure, the principal told him to leave the school and, when he went to the NYC Ed Dept., they launched an investigation of him.  He went up the food chain and guess what?...

From our friends over at the Seattle Education blog , comes news from a column in the Huffington Post by Leonie Hamison, " Will Our Federal Government Renounce Their Proposal to Increase Class Size ". The Obama administration has proposed that in next year’s education budget, 25 percent of the funds to reduce class size or keep teachers on staff be diverted to a competitive grant program to create and expand “new pathways” to teaching — e.g. to help fund organizations like Teach For America. That would mean a cut of more than $600 million that, if approved, would lead to even larger classes in schools throughout the country next year. Senate Appropriations Committee will have its say on this issue next week when it considers the FY13 Labor, Health and Education funding bill. Recently, a group of corporate education reform groups, let by 50-CAN and joined by other organizations including Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst and Teach for America, sent a letter to Sen...

 What's on your mind?  To quickly note: from Diane Ravitch's blog , beware of any education petition at Change.org.  Michelle Rhee's group, Students First has numerous "education" petitions there (which you may or may not support).  However, what happens if you sign one is that makes you a member of Students First.   This is how they expand their numbers without you ever knowing.   K-5 STEM Meet & Greet When: Wednesday, June 13th from 6-8 PM Where: Madison Middle School (3429 45th Ave SW) Who: Enrolled families, interested families (kids too!), community members, and partners What: Meet the faculty and staff and get an update on K-5 STEM Fall 2012