In This Issue:
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“A
first-ever public accounting of the potentially career-ending behavior
alleged of Los Angeles teachers”: LAUSD CRACKS DOWN ON TEACHER
MISCONDUCT |
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WITHFRANKLIN WIN, LAUSD SWEEPS 2013 ACADEMIC DECATHLON SEASON |
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Letters: LACK OF SCHOOL LIBRAIRES+LIBRARIANS IMPERILS BILINGUAL EDUCATION |
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TED meets PBS head on: TED TALKS EDUCATION |
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HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but
not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources |
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EVENTS: Coming up next week... |
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What can YOU do? |
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Featured Links:
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From the Order of Business (ie: Agenda – never let
one word suffice when you have three to use) of next Tuesday’s LAUSD
Board Meeting (Available in all its verbose glory here: http://bit.ly/10okYFy)
BOARD MEMBER RESOLUTIONS FOR ACTION (Continues at Tab 66)
52. Mr Kayser, Ms. Galatzan—Resolution Supporting AB 375 “Updating and
Streamlining Teacher Discipline and Dismissal Process”
53. Mr. Kayser – Ensuring Transparency and Effective School Choice
(Noticed March 19, 2013, 9 a.m. and Postponed from Previous Meetings)
54. Ms. Martinez, Ms. García, Mr. Zimmer – Community Partnerships to
Enhance College Preparation and Career Readiness by Maximizing Linked
Learning Resources
(Noticed March 19, 2013 and Postponed from the Regular Board Meeting of April 16, 2013,
12pm)
55. Mr. Kayser – To Engage the Los Angeles Unified School District
Community and Establish Fiscal Priorities (Noticed March 19, 2013 and
Postponed from the Regular Board Meeting of April 16, 2013, 12pm)
56. Mr. Kayser – To Create Sustainable Funding for Modern Technology in
Los Angeles Unified School District Classrooms (Noticed March 19, 2013
and Postponed from the Regular Board Meeting of April 16, 2013, 12pm)
TO BE POSTPONED
57. Mr. Zimmer, Mr. Kayser – Opposition to Proposed Power Distribution
Station Near Marquez Charter School (Noticed April 16, 2013, 9am)
58. Ms. García – Student Personal Safety and Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month (Noticed April 16, 2013, 12pm)
59. Ms. García – 2013 School Discipline Policy and School Climate Bill of Rights
(Noticed April 16, 2013, 12pm)
61. Ms. García – Beyond 180: Increasing Instructional Time to Improve Student Success (For Action June 18, 2013)
66. Mr. Kayser – Resolution Supporting the Local Control Funding Formula
(Noticed May 14, 2013, 9am)
Board Resolutions are not school district policy. They are not rules or
regulations or legislation - binding on no one they express the thinking of the Board of
Education.
These boardmember resolutions encompass 16½ pages of single-spaced
Whereases, Therefores and Be it resolveds – instructing the
superintendent to do things he probably is doing anyway, should be doing
or perhaps has no intention of doing. Most of it is posturing and
position taking; some of it is micromanagement – none of it is
earthshaking. Most of it, when not taken in a full 16½ page dose, sounds
really good …and like the quack of a duck, does not echo at all.
LET’S TAKE A LOOK:
#52. Amends a previous resolution that supports a bill that is yet
another effort to make dismissing “bad” teachers easier. Last year LAUSD
sponsored SB 1350 (OK: they wrote it!), which didn’t make it out the
Assembly in the waning days of the session. That bill was reintroduced
this year as SB 10 – which never made it out of its first committee
hearing. Now LAUSD is putting its eggs in the AB 375 basket.
#53. Attempts to correct injustice being performed by the
superintendent upon the District’s Magnet School Program in the name of
©hoice+®eform. I wish the maker luck – but I suspect that the damage
will have to be corrected after this superintendent is gone.
#54. We need more Linked Learning, Workplace-Based Learning and Multiple
Pathways. We need fewer names for what used to be called “work
experience” - and much less talk about it. We really don’t need another
resolution about it.
#55. Of course LAUSD really needs to set long range funding priorities
– but in a District that moves from crisis-to-crisis and
budget-to-budget – and can’t even get a three-year-budget the County
Office of Ed will accept - it ain’t gonna happen!
#56. This is a counter to the superintendent’s Tablets-for-All/“Common
Core Technology Plan”. It’s going to take a Pulitzer Prize winning
series of articles in the national press – or a 60 Minutes expose
starring the ghost of Mike Wallace to stop that train from leaving the
station. There are two resolveds:
(A) Resolved, That the Governing Board of the Los Angeles Unified
School District directs the Superintendent to develop a District-wide
technology implementation plan for its students including a budget and
an oversight mechanism; and, be it finally
(B) Resolved, That the Superintendent is directed to go to the voters
within the District’s boundaries seeking long-term funding of said plan
within one year’s time.
Even in this “TO BE WITHDRAWN” draft, Resolved B is in strikeout type.
The textbook publishers and the testing companies are redesigning how
education is delivered – and how - and how much - they get paid.
#57. Is a no brainer, but it pits the interests of the very
unaccountable LAUSD against the interests of the even more unaccountable
L.A. Department of Water and Power.
#58. Underneath the autopilot recognition that May is School Safety and
Child Abuse Prevention Month - (which is what resolutions are really
for) this is a resolution that creates an LAUSD Personal Safety and
Child Abuse Prevention Unit under Student Health and Human Services –
which may mean the Board President finally seems ready to take action on
all the child abuse allegations ongoing. More than likely it’s eyewash.
#59. Shows Board President Garcia must have heard from folks in the
community (besides me) who are a more than a trifle concerned about the
LAUSD Operations Department’s handling of Student Discipline Policy
since it was taken from Student Health and Human Services last year.
That the superintendent hasn’t been able (or interested) to do a little
course-correction to right this before it comes before the board is very
interesting.
#61. On the face of it this seems like wonderful thinking – calling for
an increase in the school year from 180 to 200 days. The last couple of
years we cut days, this year we put them back – now this! What it
actually signals is the end of the Fight Over No Money and the beginning
of the Fight Over More Money (from Prop 30 and increased Prop 98
allotments from increased tax collections from the improving economy)
and perhaps whatever windfall LAUSD might see from the Local Control
Funding Formula …when-and-if. This involves an uncertain amount of
wishful thinking plus some chicken counting before the eggs are even
laid.
The question becomes:
1. Do we pay teachers more for working more days?
2. …or do we pay more teachers for working with fewer kids as we re-implement Class Size Reduction?
I really don’t know which is best for kids …and I suspect the answer and
the question are both far more complicated than I just posed.
#66. Of course LAUSD supports the Local Control Finding Formula is it is
currently proposed – but the legislature needs to tweak it and make it a
little more palatable to other school districts. The Senate Democrats
want to delay it for a year. And two hours before the board meeting on
Tuesday Governor Brown is going to offer his new numbers in the Budget
Revise – which will change much.
WHAT: The Governors May Budget Revision
WHEN: May 14, 2013 at 10:00 a.m.
WHERE: California State Capitol, Governor’s Press Conference Room, Room
1190, Sacramento, CA 95814 WEBCAST: The press conference will be
streamed live on the California Channel at www.calchannel.com. The
revised budget will be posted online shortly after the news conference
begins at: www.ebudget.ca.gov.
But for May 14 in L.A. we have this sideshow and these resolutions. Stay tuned.
ON SATURDAY THE LAUSD BEYOND THE BELL PROGRAM HELD A TALENT SHOW AT ON
THE NEW YORK STREET BACKLOT AT PARAMOUNT STUDIOS IN HOLLYWOOD. The Arts
and Music are alive and well in LAUSD – in-spite-of-and despite the
budget cuts practiced by the powers-that-be to those programs. There
was more talent and creativity and enthusiasm and attitude and strange
colored hair than one can imagine. And imagination+creativity were in
full flood. And the volume of all those components was dialed to eleven.
There were about 3,000 happy young people and a huge number of adults
who work-in and sponsor the BTB programs. There was a glorious sunny
spring day, plenty of bottled water and the smell of greasepaint and
sunscreen. There wasn't enough senior LAUSD staff to witness the good
work and good vibes ...but we know who they weren't because of their
unpicked-up badges at the credentialing table.
I suppose there are those who would say that the display of talent
somehow proves that that Arts+Music Education Programs don’t need
funding or support – or instruction between-the-bells – and I can’t
possibly say how I feel about that sort of twisted rationale without
having the LAUSD naughty-word-firewall shut down this blog. (I am
adverse to use the word “Mother” inappropriately on today of all days!)
Lift up your hearts and sing me a song
That was a hit before your mother was born.
Though she was born a long, long time ago
Your mother should know.
Happy Mother’s Day everyone.
¡Onward/Adelante! - smf
“A first-ever public accounting of the potentially
career-ending behavior alleged of Los Angeles teachers”: LAUSD CRACKS
DOWN ON TEACHER MISCONDUCT
100 FIRED, 200 RESIGN AND 300 'HOUSED' + smf’s 2¢
By Barbara Jones, Los Angeles News Group | http://bit.ly/17hPl99
Sunday, 5-12-2013 - 8:31:17 AM PDT :: LOS ANGELES — The personnel
files stretched the length of the 15-foot conference table in
Superintendent John Deasy's office, a chronicle of the corporal
punishment, verbal and physical abuse and sexual misconduct reported in
the classrooms of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Cuts and bruises. Curses and racial slurs. Caresses and pornography.
In the past, the misdeeds detailed in the teachers' files would likely
have earned the offender a disciplinary memo, maybe a week's suspension,
perhaps a transfer to another school.
Today, they're grounds for firing.
Under the zero-tolerance policy that Deasy enacted after a sex-abuse
scandal erupted in the district in February 2012, the school board has
voted to dismiss more than 100 teachers for misconduct, and accepted the
resignations of at least 200 others who were about to be terminated.
Nearly 300 additional teachers accused of inappropriate behavior remain
"housed" in administrative offices while officials investigate the
complaints.
"It feels like we're seeing more cases," said school board member Tamar
Galatzan, who is working to streamline the school district's cumbersome
process for investigating alleged misconduct.
"We've heard from principals that, 10 years ago, many felt that if they
jumped through all the hoops to recommend dismissal, the board wouldn't
back them and they would get a teacher back who not only had been
reported for wrongdoing but was now hostile.
"Now, principals know that their recommendation will be supported. Once
the allegations are investigated and confirmed, the board will move to
dismiss teachers who shouldn't be teaching. "
Under California law, a school board's vote to dismiss a teacher takes
effect 30 days later unless the educator appeals to the state Office of
Administrative Hearings. District officials say they expect an appeal
from every teacher dismissed since the district's crackdown on
misconduct.
It's the files of those teachers that were spread out in Deasy's office
after he agreed to provide a first-ever public accounting of the
potentially career-ending behavior alleged of Los Angeles teachers.
"It is important for people to know that this administration will remove
teachers who act like this. They should have supreme confidence that we
won't ignore a complaint or over-react or under-react," he said.
"Student safety comes first."
The files are crammed with paperwork from the internal investigations
that can take a year or more to wrap up. There are statements from
students, parents and witnesses; disciplinary memos; supporting
documents like attendance sheets and gradebooks; and the paperwork
formalizing the reason for their dismissal. Some include photos of
injured students, copies of X-rated images found on district computers
or stick-figure drawings by kids too young to verbalize what happened.
Most of the files also contain rebuttals of the allegations or explanations from teachers defending their actions.
"We get a pretty thorough written briefing," said Galatzan, a career
prosecutor who represents the West San Fernando Valley, "If a board
member wants additional paperwork, then we're provided with that.
Several of the teachers also have voluminous e-mail correspondence with
the board, so we become more familiar with some cases than others. "
What Deasy agreed to provide were the basics of the complaints. Because
the files contain the names of teachers, students, classmates and
parents, he read aloud from the complaints but omitted identifying
details. He did provide the genders of the employees and students, the
type of school and its general location in the district and, where
available, the year the teacher was born.
On the advice of the district's lawyers, he did not discuss the
dozen-or-so cases in which the school district is involved in active
lawsuits or the teachers are facing criminal charges.
Nor did he disclose any specifics about the 44 teachers who were cleared
of the allegations against them and returned to the classroom.
Still, it took hours to pore through the files of the 58 men and 26
women, Deasy frequently shaking his head or rubbing his eyes as he
recited the litany of alleged misconduct that led to the employees'
dismissals.
"God, how do I even explain this?" Deasy asked, before recounting that a
Westside elementary teacher in his early 60s "trained" his students to
give him a full-body massage for 20 minutes every day while he "rested."
Youngsters, including some special-education students, later told
officials that he shouted profanities, spanked them and hit them with
rolled-up papers when they misbehaved.
The initial incident was reported by a classroom aide assigned to help the special-ed students.
That's also how the district learned about a teacher at a San Fernando
Valley elementary school who disciplined youngsters by locking them in a
bathroom or barricading them in a corner using tables and chairs.
"Maybe this will teach you a lesson," the teacher reportedly told the
kids as they cried to be released.
And that an Eastside elementary teacher used clothespins to pinch the
ears of youngsters who weren't paying attention to the lesson. The same
teacher also discouraged thumb-sucking by putting nasty-tasting
disinfectant on kids' fingers and forced students to scrub their desks
using cleanser and their bare hands.
A rash of sex-related complaints were made in the weeks after the
Miramonte scandal broke, including allegations of tickling and fondling,
and inappropriate and vulgar comments made in class. One high school
student said a female teacher inexplicably took her along when she went
shopping for sex toys in Hollywood. A few months later, girls at another
high school complained that their male teacher had downloaded photos of
them onto his laptop, and given each a salacious name.
Nearly a dozen male teachers were fired for pornography found on their district-issued laptops.
They include an instructor at a middle school who inadvertently
projected an X-rated video rather than the family-hour fare he'd planned
to show his class as a "reward" after a difficult week. "You didn't see
this," he told the kids, shutting down the film once he realized his
mistake. Several students reported the incident, and officials found 636
pornographic images and two adult videos on his computer.
And there were dozens of reports of corporal punishment, which the
school district abolished in 1984 and is also banned by state law. Some
complaints came from campus nurses who treated injured students and
others from parents who noticed cuts and bruises when their kids got
home from school.
"I want my days spent supporting the tens of thousands of amazing
teachers," Deasy said. "Instead, they're taken up by a very, very few
with gross misconduct. "
Teacher misconduct became a hot-button issue after teacher Mark Berndt's
arrest on charges that he'd blindfolded and spoon-fed his semen to 23
students at Miramonte Elementary. Pressure mounted with news reports
that there had been prior complaints against Berndt; that he'd received
$40,000 to resign; and that the district had failed to tell parents
about the accusations or to report his alleged misconduct to the state
Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
After the Daily News reported in February 2012 that Telfair Elementary
teacher Paul Chapel was arrested four months earlier for molesting
students, the district announced that parents would be notified within
72 hours about alleged teacher misconduct.
Deasy also ordered that all accusations of wrongdoing for the previous
four years be sent to the credentialing panel - an exercise that
overwhelmed the state agency with more than 500 files.
And he imposed the zero-tolerance policy, which he defended against
criticism that it is too harsh and fails to distinguish between innocent
and predatory behavior.
"Miramonte occurred in the middle of my first year as superintendent,
and I learned a great deal about how to change the system of reporting
and investigation," he said. "When we know something, we do something. "
But United Teachers Los Angeles leaders have characterized Deasy's
actions as a "witch hunt," saying he's using misconduct allegations to
get rid of troublesome teachers and those on the upper rungs of the
experience and pay scale.
Richard Schwab, a partner in Trygstad, Schwab & Trystad, the law
firm that represents the teachers' union in labor issues, said he's seen
a significant shift in the types of allegations being used to dismiss
teachers.
"Every case must be judged on its own merits," Schwab said. "But in a
number of cases, the nature of the charges haven't been appropriately
investigated or have been too vigorously pursued and the evidence never
supported such allegations. "
Under current law, teachers who are fired by the school board have 30
days to appeal their dismissal to the state's Office of Administrative
Hearings. It assigns each case to a panel composed of an administrative
law judge and two educators - one chosen by the teacher, the other by
the district - which reviews evidence and hears witness testimony before
deciding whether or not the teacher should be fired. That process may
take years, however, and cost the district hundreds of thousands of
dollars in staff time and legal fees.
And either the district or the teacher can appeal the administrative
ruling to Superior Court, dragging out the case even longer. Over the
last decade, LAUSD officials say, they've won about half of the cases
that have gone to an administrative hearing and 60 percent of those
appealed to Superior Court.
There have been efforts in recent years to streamline the process, but
none has been successful. Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, D-San Ramon, has
introduced a new measure that some believe has a chance of passing.
Assembly Bill 375 would set a deadline of seven months for the
administrative appeal, start to finish. It has the support of UTLA and
the California Teachers Association, which last year lobbied strongly
against a bill that would have given a school board the final say in
firing a teacher. Under heavy lobbying by the unions, that measure died
in committee.
Deasy, the school board, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and some education
advocates support the goals of AB 375, but say it doesn't go far enough
in letting districts get rid of bad teachers. Some officials also worry
that lawmakers will consider all of the problems solved if they pass AB
375, halting efforts for additional reforms.
The current dismissal process includes a mandatory settlement
conference, with a mediator trying to negotiate a compromise between the
district and teacher before the case goes to a hearing. It was at this
point that Berndt, the accused Miramonte teacher, received a $40,000
payout to drop the appeal of his dismissal.
Deasy said he has put an end to that type of incentive.
"We're not doing that anymore," he said. "Not on my watch. "
Schwab, the UTLA attorney, said many veteran teachers opt to resign
rather than pursue an administrative hearing because they fear losing
their lifetime health benefits if the ruling goes against them.
"Although they may be innocent or not guilty of the offense they're
accused of, they are deciding it's in their best interest to resign," he
said. "This is a tool being used to attack some very, very good
teachers."
If the employee prevails, however, the district must reinstate the employee and pay back wages.
Even if the district is ordered to reinstate a teacher, Deasy said he
has no intention of letting employees accused of misconduct back in the
classroom.
"We're ordered to keep them hired, but there are other jobs," he said.
"I can't think of a case where that person should be back in front of
students. "
With nearly 300 teachers still being investigated for misconduct, and
new allegations trickling in, the abuse crisis in Los Angeles Unified is
unlikely to end soon. While there are efforts to make the process more
manageable, there's no indication that district officials or the school
board plan to change their tough stance on student safety.
"The fact that the school board is dismissing teachers who are being
physically abusive to students is the way this process is supposed to
work," Galatzan said. "I'm certainly not going to apologize for that. "
________________
●● smf’s 2¢: Which one is it?:
• “Even if the district is ordered to reinstate a teacher, Deasy said he
has no intention of letting employees accused of misconduct back in the
classroom”.
• “Nor did he disclose any specifics about the 44 teachers (accused of
misconduct) who were cleared of the allegations against them and
returned to the classroom”.
Today’s extra-credit homework assignment is Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible”.
WITHFRANKLIN WIN, LAUSD SWEEPS 2013 ACADEMIC DECATHLON SEASON
FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL WINS NATIONAL ONLINE DECATHLON COMPETITION
By Rick Rojas, LA Times | http://lat.ms/15HdMgp
Mayy 7, 2013, 6:30 p.m. :: Academic Decathlon teams from Los Angeles
have won the state competition and, in a first, taken both first and
second place at the national competition. Now, the season ends with one
more distinction for L.A. Unified: Franklin High School has won a
national online competition.
District officials said Tuesday that Franklin scored 38,184 points out
of a possible 48,000 in the virtual battle of wits, in which students
were tested in such subjects as math, science and literature. It's the
third year that L.A. Unified schools have swept the state, national and
online competitions, the district said.
"Franklin's tremendous victory in the online competition is the
culmination of another great performance by LAUSD schools in the
Academic Decathlon," L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy said in a statement.
Cliff Ker, the district's coordinator for the decathlon, added: "In a
competition where expectations are always very high, this group has
excelled."
Granada Hills Charter High School -- for the third year -- has taken the
state and national titles. After a rule change allowed more than one
team from each state to proceed to the national competition, El Camino
Real Charter High School -- a longtime decathlon powerhouse, having won
nationals six times in the past -- also took part, placing second at the
competition last month in Minneapolis.
Franklin represented California in the online competition in the
category of large schools, based on enrollment. Nine schools from across
the country competed.
Unlike the typical competition -- which includes 10 subjects, including
subjective portions such as giving speeches and being interviewed by
judges, as well as the Super Quiz relay -- the online showdown is based
on six objective tests in economics, language and literature, math,
music, science and social studies.
The Franklin team, coached by Samuel C. Kullens, included Terence
Tolentino, Antonio Maldonado, David Gonzalez, Czarelle Valencia, Susan
Arevalo, Jessy Baltazar, Alex Moreno, Adriana Rodriguez and Aaron
Flores.
Letters: LACK OF SCHOOL LIBRAIRES+LIBRARIANS IMPERILS BILINGUAL EDUCATION
ALL READERS AT RISK: CALIFORNIA NEAR BOTTOM OF U.S.
IN SCHOOL LIBRARY QUALITY AND DEAD LAST IN THE SCHOOL LIBRARIANS PER
STUDENT
Letters to the LA Times | http://lat.ms/ZEosob
Re "Lawsuit: State fails some English learners," April 25 / 4LAKids - CALIFORNIA SUED ON BEHALF OF FAILING ENGLISH LEARNERS | http://t.co/tTxe8ZRQZD
April 30, 2013 :: The article does not mention two approaches to help
those acquiring English, both with substantial research support.
One is bilingual education, dismantled by Proposition 227 more than a
decade ago. Research has shown that students in bilingual programs
outperform students in all-English programs on tests of English reading.
Also, studies show that Proposition 227 did not result in improved
English proficiency.
Second, there is strong evidence that those who do more pleasure reading
in English do better on English-language tests, and case histories
reveal that those who succeeded in acquiring the English needed for
school were dedicated readers. California English learners, however,
have a hard time finding books: California ranks near the bottom of the
country in school library quality and is dead last in the ratio of
school librarians per student.
Lawsuits should include restoring bilingual education and investing more in libraries and librarians.
- Stephen Krashen
Los Angeles
The writer is a professor emeritus of education at USC.
●●2cents smf: I agree with Dr. Krashen 1000% – except that
change/improvement/reform of public education should not rely on
lawsuits any more than it should rely upon billionaire philanthropists,
labor leaders or cranky bloggers.
Q: Where is the legislative and school district leadership?
A #1: If the answer is “in the pocket of billionaire philanthropists and
labor leaders” we need to send them into the ranks of the unemployed
and/or incarcerated.
A #2: If the answer is “in the pocket of cranky bloggers”, there is psychiatric help for that!
TED meets PBS head on: TED TALKS EDUCATION
By smf for 4LAKids
The YouTube phenomenon TED Talks met the Public Broadcasting System
Tuesday night and the result was not unlike a train wreck – one of those
staged at the turn of the last century where two stream locomotives
were run into each other on a single track at full speed. To see – and
sell tickets to – what would happen.
The TED Talks are the viral progeny of The TED (Technology,
Entertainment and Design) Conferences - annual gatherings of
well-heeled/well paid folk who can afford the tariff to see+ hear their
peers talk about the future. Ted Conferences are like the Bohemian Grove
get-togethers of the rich and powerful; not quite the exclusivity of
Davos, far from the democracy of Chautauqua.
Ted Talks are given by the likes of Bono and Bill Clinton, etc. The Ted
Talks are single speakers’ holding forth from a bare stage without notes
or a podium on a single subject – the well rehearsed motivational
cheerleading of movers-and-shakers; secular sermons - the truth revealed
in 18 minutes-or-less of talking head Infotainment. Only TED members
can attend the conferences, membership is $6000 annually. The talks are
available free and without copyright protection – a way to involve the
hoi-polloi without actually having to share the room.
I’m going to let anecdote take precedence over real data – but the TED
membership tends towards the entrepreneurial class, their philosophy
aligned with the Billionaire Boys Club, the foundation philanthropies
and ®eform Inc. The folks PBS rely upon as underwriters.
4LAKids is reminded of #41 in By the Numbers: How to Tell If your District has been Infected by The Broad Virus (http://bit.ly/jqDocs):
Broad and Gates Foundations give money to local public radio stations
which in turn become strangely silent about the presence and influence
of the Broad and Gates Foundation in your school district.
Tuesday’s premiere of the TED Talks on PBS was as to be expected: one
part educational philosophy, one part motivational speaking, and one
part show biz glitz – shaken and not stirred. Rather than have the
speakers alone on the stage supported only by the strength of their
argument – it was hosted by entertainer John Legend. And if you have
Legend he should sing a song [http://bit.ly/12rqkCL]
– and to tie it together Legend must tell a joke or tug at a
heartstring. …and he next thing you know you have a variety show. With
guests like Geoffrey Canada [http://bit.ly/10BJROW] and Bill Gates [http://bit.ly/14fnW3b]. (The show was shot in New York City; how Mayor Bloomberg didn’t give a chat eludes me.)
The best and shortest heartstring tug was 19 year old poet Malcolm London [http://bit.ly/10BIrUR]
“At 7:45 a.m., I open the doors to a building dedicated to building, yet
only breaks me down. I march down hallways cleaned up after me every
day by regular janitors, but I never have the decency to honor their
names. Lockers left open like teenage boys' mouths when teenage girls
wear clothes that covers their insecurities but exposes everything else.
Masculinity mimicked by men who grew up with no fathers, camouflage
worn by bullies who are dangerously armed but need hugs. Teachers paid
less than what it costs them to be here. Oceans of adolescents come here
to receive lessons but never learn to swim, part like the Red Sea when
the bell rings.
“This is a training ground. My high school is Chicago, diverse and
segregated on purpose. Social lines are barbed wire. Labels like
"Regulars" and "Honors" resonate. I am an Honors but go home with
Regular students who are soldiers in territory that owns them. This is a
training ground to sort out the Regulars from the Honors, a reoccurring
cycle built to recycle the trash of this system.
“Trained at a young age to capitalize, letters taught now that
capitalism raises you but you have to step on someone else to get there.
This is a training ground where one group is taught to lead and the
other is made to follow. No wonder so many of my people spit bars,
because the truth is hard to swallow. The need for degrees has left so
many people frozen.
“Homework is stressful, but when you go home every day and your home is
work, you don't want to pick up any assignments. Reading textbooks is
stressful, but reading does not matter when you feel your story is
already written, either dead or getting booked. Taking tests is
stressful, but bubbling in a Scantron does not stop bullets from
bursting.
“I hear education systems are failing, but I believe they're succeeding
at what they're built to do -- to train you, to keep you on track, to
track down an American dream that has failed so many of us all.”
All of this said, the show was+is worth seeing [http://bit.ly/10BIHmz],
partly to see what the rascals are up, partly to witness the disaster
of the pieces of the locomotives strewn across the landscape - and
mostly to see and hear what Sir Ken Robinson has to say.
Robinson is the most popular and YouTube-viewed of all TED speakers
ever. He mixes standup and educational philosophy. He is a star – and he
has the added benefit of being right and honored by his queen for being
so. Following is a link to Sir Ken’s Talk, not the edited version from
the show (sacrilege!) …but the full version.
I need say no more.
HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T
FIT: The Rest (but not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other
Sources
CA TAX COLLECTIONS OFFICIALLY UP $4.6 BILLION, MAKING
NEXT WEEK’S MAY REVISE MUCH ROSIER: By Tom Chorneau, ... http://bit.ly/13QWbP4
STATE BOARD OF ED CHALLENGES SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY MESAUREMENT, LOOKS FOR OPTIONS: By Kimberly Beltran, SI&A C... http://bit.ly/162v5so
LAUSD FIGHTING FOR ZERO-TOLERANCE ON TEACHER CHEATING: The school district says a decision by a state panel — ... http://bit.ly/10FMeoC
SIR KEN ROBINSON FROM TED TALKS EDUCATION: “It’s a short plane ride from Los Angeles to America.” “The re... http://bit.ly/1629IHK
PRINCIPAL TAKES FIFTH, ATTORNEY ACCUSES 11-YEAR-OLD OF TESTIFYING FOR MONEY AT DE LA TORRE MOLESTATION HEARING... http://bit.ly/15YwSyJ
Breakfast in the Classroom: HUNGER IS NOT AN OPTION: by UCLA IDEA | http://bit.ly/14crq6G 5-03-2013 :: The... http://bit.ly/136DfZM
U P D A T E D: MATH BY WAY OF ART + PASADENA CENTER AT FOREFRONT OF EARLY MATH PROGRAMS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN: MA... http://bit.ly/13MigOB
Parent trigger: WHO’S FOR IT AND WHO’S AGAINST IT TELLS THE STORY: By Valerie Strauss, Washington Post Answer ... http://bit.ly/19aJr6k
HOUSE GOP LAWMAKERS WANT MORE INFORMATION ON NCLB WAIVERS: By Alyson Klein, Politics K-12 - Education Week | ... http://bit.ly/10BRJES
MATH BY WAY OF ART: For Pasadena school, arts plus math is really adding up: S.T.E.A.M. – Integrating Science,... http://bit.ly/10AX3IH
WHAT DO ENRON, DOT-COM AND THE HOUSING BUST HAVE IN COMMON WITH ONLINE
LEARNING, CHARTER+CHOICE SCHOOLS AND THE COMMON CORE STANARDS? ... http://bit.ly/17b1P28
RONALD REAGAN AND THE DECLINE+FALL OF UC: How one Golden State icon helped tarnish another: Op-Ed By Seth Rose... http://bit.ly/10zO4Yj
LAUSD, ATTORNEY DISPUTE REPORTING OF 2009 SEX-ABUSE COMPLAINTS + CONFIDENTIAL REPORT + smf’s 2¢: By Barbara Jo... http://bit.ly/15OlchZ
WITH FRANKLIN WIN, LAUSD SWEEPS 2013 ACADEMIC DECATHLON SEASON: By Rick Rojas, LA Times | http://lat.ms/15HdM ... http://bit.ly/15HeZUW
L.A. UNIFIED KNEW OF ALLEGED TEACHER ABUSE 3 YEARS BEFORE ARREST: Some of the charges against Robert Pimentel,... http://bit.ly/15HeZEu
DEASY'S COVER UP IN DELATORRE CHILD ABUSE CASE ALLEGED IN NEW REPORT - http://cbsloc.al/15nJ3J8
Letters: LACK OF SCHOOL LIBRAIRES+LIBRARIANS IMPERILS BILINGUAL EDUCATION: ALL READERS AT RISK: California nea... http://bit.ly/15zsINp
EVENTS: Coming up next week...
• THE BOARD OF ED MEETS TUESDAY AT NOON,
• THE BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEETS WEDNESDAY @ 10AM.
Both meetings in the Board Room, 333 S. Beaudry Ave. There is Validated Free Parking.
*Dates and times subject to change. ________________________________________
• SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE:
http://www.laschools.org/bond/
Phone: 213-241-5183
____________________________________________________
• LAUSD FACILITIES COMMUNITY OUTREACH CALENDAR:
http://www.laschools.org/happenings/
Phone: 213-241.8700
What can YOU do?
• E-mail, call or write your school board member:
Tamar.Galatzan@lausd.net • 213-241-6386
Monica.Garcia@lausd.net • 213-241-6180
Bennett.Kayser@lausd.net • 213-241-5555
Marguerite.LaMotte@lausd.net • 213-241-6382
Nury.Martinez@lausd.net • 213-241-6388
Richard.Vladovic@lausd.net • 213-241-6385
Steve.Zimmer@lausd.net • 213-241-6387
...or your city councilperson, mayor, the governor, member of congress,
senator - or the president. Tell them what you really think! • Find
your state legislator based on your home address. Just go to: http://bit.ly/dqFdq2 • There are 26 mayors and five county supervisors representing jurisdictions within LAUSD, the mayor of LA can be reached at mayor@lacity.org • 213.978.0600
• Call or e-mail Governor Brown: 213-897-0322 e-mail: http://www.govmail.ca.gov/
• Open the dialogue. Write a letter to the editor. Circulate these
thoughts. Talk to the principal and teachers at your local school.
• Speak with your friends, neighbors and coworkers. Stay on top of education issues. Don't take my word for it!
• Get involved at your neighborhood school. Join your PTA. Serve on a School Site Council. Be there for a child.
• If you are eligible to become a citizen, BECOME ONE.
• If you a a citizen, REGISTER TO VOTE.
• If you are registered, VOTE LIKE THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT. THEY DO!.
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