#ThnksButNoThnksEli

4LAKids: Sunday 11•Oct•2015 In This Issue:  •  John Thompson: DARE ANYONE SAY NO TO ELI BROAD?  •  ELI BROAD AND THE END OF PUBLIC EDUCATION AS WE KNOW IT  •  HOW A BILLIONAIRE IS TRYING TO CONTROL LOS ANGELES PUBLIC SCHOOLS  •  LAUSD MAGNET SCHOOLS/TIPS FOR PARENTS: HOW TO NAVIGATE ONE OF L.A.’s MOST COMPLEX MAZES  •  HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources  •  EVENTS: Coming up next week...  •  What can YOU do? Featured Links:  •  Give the gift of a 4LAKids Subscription to a friend or colleague!  •  Follow 4 LAKids on Twitter - or get instant updates via text message by texting "Follow 4LAKids" to 40404  •  4LAKids Anthology: All the Past Issues, solved, resolved and unsolved!  •  4LAKidsNews: a compendium of recent items of interest - news stories, scurrilous rumors, links, academic papers, rants and amusing anecdotes, etc. A question is asked following: “Dare anyone say ‘No!’ to Eli Broad?” The answer is simple: We must all say “NO!!” ● Teachers and Administrators and Parents and Students - and school staffs from yard aides to librarians to office techs and school police and lunch ladies - must say “NO!” ● The LAUSD Board of Ed and the current+future superintendents must say “NO!” Faceless Beaudry Bureaucrats must say “NO!” ● The city councils and the mayors of the twenty-six jurisdictions that make up LAUSD must say “NO!” ● The LA County Board of Ed and the county supervisors must say “NO!” ● Ultimately Eli's 1%er billionaire friends – upon whose $500 million he is relying upon – must say “NO!” We need to say “Thanks but No Thanks Eli!” to Broad and his plan to take over half of LAUSD and turn it into charter schools while tossing the other half of Los Angeles’ kids under the bus …if for no other reasons than the three-hundred-thousand-plus-LAUSD-students left-behind that Eli doesn’t propose to save! We need to “connect enthusiastically and lead bravely”. The Broad Plan: “GREAT PUBLIC SCHOOLS NOW” was surreptitiously issued in June 2015 – and has been conveniently credited elsewhere to John Deasy. While “Dr.” D’s fingerprints are all over GPSN, his authorship is subject to dispute and plausible deniability. The work – a half-baked-draft-in-progress – was certainly a group effort…with plenty of likely suspects to go around. Deasy, a Broad consultant and ‘Superintendent-in-Residence’ is not a noted writer and The Broad Foundation has no shortage of writers (see http://bit.ly/1OqRBAC + http://bit.ly/1OqRAwE ) – the most obvious one being Bruce Reed, who was president of the Broad Foundation in June. Since the plan was written (but before it became public) there has been a leadership change at The Broad Foundation. It was announced in July that Reed was leaving to spend “more time on a variety of domestic issues" and his "lifelong interests in writing and politics." Reed remained as a consultant and senior adviser to the foundation until Aug. 31 and continues as a member of the board of directors of the Broad Center for the Management of School Systems. Reed, a former assistant to President Obama and chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, was the Broad Foundation's first president, named to the position in November 2013. An accomplished writer, Bruce co-authored with then-U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel "The Plan: Big Ideas for Change in America." Speculation is that Reed – who is categorized as a ‘political operative’ on Wikipedia – has returned to DC to work on Joe Biden’s possible presidential campaign. With Reed’s exit, Paul Pastorek, the former Louisiana schools chief who raised and oversaw the rebuilding/charterization of the New Orleans school system after Hurricane Katrina, was named as one of two co-executive directors of the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation's education work. Pastorek, who was already affiliated with the Broads as the chairman of the board of directors of the Broad Center, will serve as co-executive director with Gregory McGinity, managing director of policy for The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. “With extensive education policy experience at the federal, state and local levels, McGinity leads the foundation’s investments in cutting-edge education policy research, development and implementation aimed at removing policy impediments that hinder student achievement.” Read on. TUESDAY MORNING THE BOARD OF ED CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION & EDUCATIONAL EQUITY COMMITTEE held our first meeting of the year. [Streaming video: http://bit.ly/1VLkiwv] (On Tuesday afternoon the Board of Ed also had a meeting …but it lasted about 15 minutes.) The CIEQ meeting was informative; laying out how well the Common Core Standards and new Smarter Balanced assessments are working in LAUSD – at the school, in the local districts and at the central level – and at traditional schools, charter schools and magnet programs. The data shows that LAUSD’s Magnet Program outperforms charter schools, wall-to-wall/across the board. Read on about applying for the magnet program. Lead on about growing, un-complicating and demystifying the LAUSD magnet program. One of the statistical surprises is the interestingly-yet-unexpected result that in both the state and local tests girls outperform boys. (I know, we already knew that …but in the old bubble-in/multiple-choice STAR tests boys+girls performed equally!) This is a benchmark year; the scores don’t compare to previous results. Student outcomes are neither about the measurement nor the act-of-measuring. One’s eyes glaze over as the statisticians, geometricians, bean-counters and data driven hold forth – because we all know in our inner being that true outcomes can only be measured by post-graduate student success over time. But hats-off to teachers, administrators, District staff and most of all: Students (and parents) for progress made. IN+OUT OF CONTEXT: “We are confronted by mounting piles of studies about standardized testing, green coffee-bean extract, paleo diets, vitamin use by older men and sexual assault on campus. And in too many cases, before the findings have been confirmed by other studies, they become the basis for approving new drugs, or they set off new diet fads or lead to new policies.” http://lat.ms/1hyaXFB SOME NEW LAWS KICK IN. Sex Ed + Health Ed has been strengthened. The Anti-Vaxer ballot initiative failed to make the petition count. Counselors are empowered …if not funded! Bain v. CTA got tossed out of court. Not only did the California High School Exit Exam get tossed …but all past CAHSEE results got retroactively erased, disinfected with the Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind. There is a new name for all the students who met all the graduation requirements except passing the CAHSEE. It is High School Graduate. ¡Onward/Adelante! - smf John Thompson: DARE ANYONE SAY NO TO ELI BROAD? from Diane Ravitch’s Blog | http://bit.ly/1WTniUM October 9, 2015 // John Thompson, historian and teacher, here analyzes Eli Broad’s plan to add 260 charters for Los Angeles, so that charters enroll half the students in the LAUSD. One of our regular readers, Jack Covey, commented on the blog that the “anonymous” plan was actually authored by former LAUSD superintendent John Deasy, but I can’t confirm that. • John Thompson was an award-winning historian, lobbyist, and guerrilla-gardener who became an award-winning inner city teacher after crack and gangs hit his neighborhood. He blogs at thisweekineducation.com and is writing a book on 18 years of idealistic politics in the classroom and realistic politics outside. A former oilfield roughneck and hitch-hiker, a current backpacker and Obamamaniac, he is a "people person" who seeks compromises, while defending the principles of the liberal arts and constitutional democracy. He is a nonstop memo writer and enthusiastic basketball player, believing that education is an affair of the heart not a narrow part of the intellect. The largely pro-reform LA School Report and the Los Angeles Times have already published powerful analyses of the Broad Foundation’s once-secret plan to turn half of the Los Angeles Public School System into charters. But the 44-page anonymously authored proposal is jammed-packed with even more dubious claims. And, it provides more insight into the corporate reformers’ mindset. The Broad Foundation did not respond to the LA School Report’s critique of its methodology and its exaggerated claims of success. The School Report’s Craig Clough parsed the actual data and concluded: But when all factors are considered, there is little conclusive evidence in the report outlining the expansion plans that shows big investments in charters always — or evenly routinely — achieve consistent academic improvements, raising an important question: Just what can Broad and other foundations promise for an investment of nearly half a billion dollars in an expansion effort that would dramatically change the nation’s second-largest school district? The reporting by the LA Times Howard Blume also provides a solid overview. LA charters serve student populations that are somewhere in between the ones served by LA magnet schools and traditional public schools. And, their outcomes are somewhere in between those posted by the city’s magnets and neighborhood schools. The Broad paper gives no reason to believe that LA charters could be scaled up and still perform better than the city’s high-poverty traditional public schools. Turning to the actual Broad proposal, which it now calls a “preliminary discussion draft,” it cites the data (contradictory as it is) from three high-performing charter school chains as evidence that 260 new charters could be established by 2023, and that they would greatly increase student performance. It makes a big deal out of the 52% of charters receiving an API score of 800 and greater, but it doesn’t attempt to identify how many of them are high-poverty. Broad brags about the average charter API of 811 and contrasts it with the 80% low-income LAUSD’s average API of 745. But, two of the featured charter chains have an average APIs of 762 and 714, respectively. And, they run 34 of the 43 charter schools that supposedly are the model that will save Los Angeles. In other words, even with the charters in the chains showcased by Broad, only about 1/5th of them produce above-average scores. (Moreover, those schools are run by KIPP, and they don’t come close to serving the “same” students as high-poverty neighborhood schools.) The bottom line is that the Broad claim that 260 high-quality charter schools can be created in eight years is basically based on the results from nine schools in a chain known for its high attrition rate. Broad also ignores Blume on how “many parents apply to both magnets and charters before making a choice,” and pretends that the numbers on those lists are not inflated by those multiple applications. It then assumes that waiting lists will grow by 10,000 students a year. Using equally flimsy logic and evidence, Broad projects that charters will have 130,000 students by 2023. This claim assumes that “Great Public Schools Now” schools will grow their student population by 7% per year even though they don’t yet exist, have no students, and are merely a “preliminary discussion draft.” The report admits that it the charter teachers will be paid less, making teacher recruitment more difficult. It acknowledges that solving the problem of recruiting principals is nonnegotiable, so it warns that that issue must be addressed immediately. In other words, it seems unlikely that Broad bothered to ask whether it was physically possible to even slap that many schools together in such a time frame. Of course, the key issue is whether charters are capable of learning how to serve their share of students with special education disabilities and English Language Learners, as well as children who have endured extreme trauma. The Broad paper is silent on that crucial question, as it changes the subject to marketing. It produces a multicolored map of clusters of low-performing schools, while pretending that it doesn’t undermine their case. The graphic supposedly shows, “These areas are especially ripe for charter expansion.” But, it doesn’t explain why today’s charters haven’t already tried to tackle those challenges, or why they would be successful if they tried. In other words, Broad doesn’t see complicated real world problems to be solved; it sees market opportunities. Even when it gets to the political marketing at which it excels, the Broad logic falls short. Corporate reformers forget the repudiation of their client, former LA Superintendent John Deasy. Their paper asserts, “The recent Board elections also moved in a positive direction, although there is still not a pro-charter majority.” It counts one of the races as a victory, admitting that one was a defeat, but claiming that “many are hopeful that the victor in that race, Scott Schmerelson, will take a reasonable position toward charter expansion. Or should I say the reformers pretend to forget their educational and political defeats? Perhaps they can blow off the failure of their expensive and risky school improvement experiments, but it doesn’t seem like they can shake off rejection at the polls. Why else would Broad draft a school reform plan that ignores education evidence while focusing on conquering education markets and defeating opponents? Concluding a proposal that ignores social science research and fails to articulate a scenario where students would benefit from mass charterization, Broad instead tallies the troops on both sides of the battle it is about to launch. It argues “the number of parents with children on charter waitlists now exceeds the number of UTLA members.” Broad thus forgets that parents who sign up for multiple waitlists can’t vote multiple times in the same election. But, that is not the key point. It should now be clear that successful efforts to improve schools must be done with educators, not to them. Broad’s inclusion of that insulting graphic makes it clear that it sees teachers as the enemy. The corporate reforms are obviously focused on Broad’s personal enemies – educators, unions, and public schools controlled by the patrons, and not his minions. They continue to ignore the real enemy – the poverty that undermines learning. And that bring us back to the LA School Report’s Clough and his question of what does Broad actually promise. It promises more assaults on teachers, unions, and patrons who disagree with them. The Broad plan promises more reward and punish, but not a policy that is likely to do more good than harm to children. It certainly does not promise improved schools for entire neighborhoods with intense concentrations of generational poverty and children who have survived extreme trauma. Instead, Broad promises a fight to the finish between the two halves of the city’s schools. It thus promises more test, sort, winners and losers, and the pushing out of children whose test scores make it more difficult for adults to defeat their opponents. It promises an ultimate battle over who controls public education. Perhaps most importantly, it promises retribution to educators across the nation if they try to resist Eli Broad and the Billionaires Boys’ Club. ELI BROAD AND THE END OF PUBLIC EDUCATION AS WE KNOW IT By Marc Haefele | Capital & Main | http://bit.ly/1VJNqnU October 7, 2015 :: If there were still any doubt about Eli Broad’s desire to gut traditional public education, it has been erased by his much-discussed “Great Public Schools Now” initiative, a draft of which LA Times reporter Howard Blume obtained last month. Broad’s 44-page proposal outlines plans to replace half of LAUSD’s existing public schools with charter schools. “Such an effort will gather resources, help high-quality charters access facilities, develop a reliable pipeline of leadership and teaching talent, and replicate their success,” states the document. “If executed with fidelity, this plan will ensure that no Los Angeles student remains trapped in a low-performing school.” According to the proposal, Broad wants to create 260 new “high-quality charter schools, generate 130,000 high-quality charter seats and reach 50 percent charter market share.” (Actually, LAUSD has 151,000 kids in charters now: 281,000 out of 633,000 LAUSD students is 43 percent. This isn’t the only imprecision in the proposal.) The estimated cost of this LAUSD transformation would be nearly half-a-billion dollars. By his own account, Broad is the fourth-richest resident of Los Angeles, with $7 billion in wealth. So he could easily finance this proposal out of pocket and still pay his property taxes in Brentwood. But that’s not the plan. Instead, Broad is shaking the can to his fellow foundationeers and squillionaires. The Gates Foundation of Seattle has already given $29 million for charter schools, while the Walmart-backed Walton Foundation of Bentonville, Ark. has invested over $65 million. Broad says he’s “creating a more supportive policy environment for charters.” He hopes that virtually overturning the LAUSD in Los Angeles will set a revolutionary example that will enable charter schools to sweep the nation. The private sector would partially regain the control of public education that it lost in the 19th century, whose market-driven schools were excoriated by Charles Dickens. But modern charter schools are a lot better, right? Some studies show a marked improvement in charters’ performance compared to traditional public schools in areas like reading and math. Others, however, suggest that the average results are about the same. LAUSD already has more charters than any other U.S. school district. But supply-side institutions are risky. According to a new report by the Center for Media and Democracy, 2,500 have failed between 2001 and 2013 — 43 in Los Angeles alone — stranding their students and teachers and sinking many millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars. Charter teachers, lacking union support, appear to burn out faster. According to his autobiography, “The Art of Being Unreasonable,” Broad blames school problems on administration (his signature educational achievement is the Broad Superintendent Academy, whose graduates include recently ousted LAUSD super John Deasy), with little attention to the actual rubber-meets-the road matter of better teaching. Like most charterites, Broad seems to feel that working under a tough superintendent without a union or tenure brings out the best in young teachers. According to the bio, Broad resented attending Detroit’s Central High. “My high school teachers made it very clear that they found my constant questions annoying,” he recalls. It’s interesting that he doesn’t credit Central for any of his ample college success, not to mention his unparalleled business career. He hasn’t always felt this hostility, though. In 2000, he persuaded former Colorado Governor Roy Romer to apply for LAUSD superintendent, the initial step in the steady if slow revival of the agency derided as “LA Mummified.” Romer and his board championed a $3.3 billion bond measure that studded the landscape with over 20 new LAUSD schools; Broad gave $200,000 toward its passage. In 2007, he cofounded Strong American Schools, a lobby for better schooling that reportedly eschewed “controversial’’ topics like vouchers and charter schools. But soon his Strong American Schools partner Bill Gates was rooting for charters and Broad followed. Yet, as recently as his 2012 autobiography, he didn’t find conventional public education hopeless. Now, at 82, Broad’s ambition apparently is to do away with public education as we know it. “Part of it is ideological commitment to the deregulation notion, and part of it is practical – teacher unions are the last, biggest unions, and taking them down will create much more room for a broader deregulation of the economy and public sector,” said United Teachers Los Angeles chief Alex Caputo Pearl. Ultimately, it should be about the students. My late friend, LAUSD teacher Alan Kaplan, struggled for over 30 years to teach “left behind” children to think and aspire, rather than just pass standardized tests. I wonder how long Al and others like him would last under a tenure-free, test-focused, supply-side charter school system. HOW A BILLIONAIRE IS TRYING TO CONTROL LOS ANGELES PUBLIC SCHOOLS By Valerie Strauss | The Answer Sheet/Washington Post | http://wapo.st/1GyzlNO October 8, 2015 :: Eli Broad is a housing and insurance tycoon whose California-based Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation has poured hundreds of millions into “transforming” K-12 urban education by training administrators and supporting charter schools, merit pay and other market-based reforms. And now, Broad wants to do even more, trying to lead a campaign to raise nearly half a billion dollars to open enough charter schools to enroll nearly half of the students in the country’s second-largest school district. Broad, according to various reports, wants to open 260 new charter schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District over the next eight years — effectively doubling today’s number. Whether the plan will ultimately be approved by the city’s officials is unclear, but the idea is clearly spelled out in a 44-page memo obtained by the Los Angeles Times. It names other foundations and wealthy philanthropists who could be involved, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as well as the Hewlett and Annenberg foundations. Individuals include Tesla Motors’ Elon Musk and entertainment magnate David Geffen. (Note: The Broad Foundation has partly funded the Los Angeles Times’ new digital initiative to expand education coverage.) Broad was one of the early members of what education historian and activist Diane Ravitch dubbed “The Billionaire Boys Club,” whose members, including Gates, have spent so much money on corporate school reform that private philanthropy has had a major effect on public policy. Broad has repeatedly championed charter schools — which are publicly funded schools that are privately run. Earlier this year his foundation suspended a program in which it gave annual $1 million awards to high-achieving traditional public urban school districts, but Broad is carrying on with a $250,000 Broad Prize for charter schools, which he says do a better job than traditional public schools in educating high-needs students who live in urban areas. His memo cites three major charter operators — Green Dot Public Schools, Alliance College-Ready Public Schools and KIPP Public Charter Schools — as having seen “significant” gains by students. But it turns out that those results have actually been mixed. According to the LA School Report, a pro-reform publication: In building a case for creating 260 charter schools within in LA Unified eight years at a cost of $490 million, the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation has cited “significant” gains by three charter organizations that have received $75 million from the foundation. But when all factors are considered, there is little conclusive evidence in the report outlining the expansion plans that shows big investments in charters always — or evenly routinely — achieve consistent academic improvements, raising an important question: Just what can Broad and other foundations promise for an investment of nearly half a billion dollars in an expansion effort that would dramatically change the nation’s second-largest school district? The LA School Report story details where test scores went up — and down — at the three cited charter school networks in Los Angeles, pointing to what is generally known about charter performance around the country: On the whole they don’t perform better than traditional public schools, but it is hard to compare because the populations of students are often not the same. The Los Angeles Times notes in this story that “charter forces point to test scores showing that their students, on average, do better than those in L.A. Unified” but that district officials “argue that it’s more accurate to compare charter schools not with the district as a whole but with magnet schools. In that match, magnets generally do better.” Of course, that isn’t a fair comparison, either, given that the populations of charters and magnets are also different. The proposal, called Great Public Schools Now, would require some 5,000 teachers, according to this story in the Times, which also says: The Broad proposal, which would set aside $43.1 million for a “teacher pipeline,” refers to Teach For America as the “strongest human capital partner” for charters in Los Angeles. That group recruits recent college graduates and provides training that consists of six weeks before they start teaching — more in some cases — combined with ongoing support and course work. The plan also looks to other fast-track programs, the New Teacher Project and the Relay Graduate School of Education, as avenues for hires. The New Teacher Project recruits those who want to change careers as well as recent grads; Relay is an emerging program developed in conjunction with charter leaders. It’s based in New York City, with regional campuses in five states, not yet including California. Younger teachers offer a workforce that charters consider more flexible and one that is willing to work at a pace that may be unsustainable over the long term, some experts said. Teach For America is the nonprofit famous for recruiting new college graduates, giving them five weeks of training in a summer institute and placing them in schools that are among America’s neediest. It has been a prime mover in the “no excuses” movement, which promotes the notion that the conditions in which children live can’t be blamed for poor academic performance. In other words, teachers should be able to overcome a child’s hunger, sickness or trauma. Most charter schools have teachers who are not unionized, and so it is no surprise that unionized teachers in the traditional Los Angeles public schools oppose Broad’s proposal. Several hundred last month protested the Broad charter plan at the opening of a new Broad museum in Los Angeles, the Times reported: “You want art for the masses?” one person shouted into a bullhorn. “Then fund more classes!” others shouted in reply as they paraded back and forth under the museum’s much-discussed honeycomb facade. Charter schools have not proven to be the magic bullet that their supporters had hoped a few decades ago when they began to open as a way to push improvements in traditional urban public education. Still, the Times’ editorial board likes Broad’s idea, endorsing it in an editorial titled, “A charter school expansion could be great for LA.” The editorial notes that all charter schools are not high quality and that it will be important to make sure that bad charters are monitored and closed. It actually says: The only serious official scrutiny that charter operators typically get is when they are issued the right to operate, and five years later when they apply for renewal. It would seem a more thoughtful approach could be developed. It would seem so, don’t you think? Here’s what Ravitch wrote in 2011 about the growing influence of the wealthy on education reform policy. It still has resonance today: “What does all this outpouring of interest by the wealthiest people in the United States mean? Some no doubt are motivated by idealism. Some think they are leading a new civil rights movement, though I doubt that Dr. King would recognize these financial titans as his colleagues as they impose their will on one of our crucial public institutions. Some hate government. Some love the free market. Some think that the profit motive is more efficient and effective than any public-sector enterprise. All of them share a surprising certainty that they know how to “fix” the public schools and that the people who work in those schools are lazy, unmotivated, incompetent, and not to be trusted. “For me, as a historian, the scary part is that our public schools have never before been subject to such a sustained assault on their very foundations. Never before were there so many people, with such vast resources, intent on dismantling public education. What does this mean for the future of public education? What does it mean for our democracy? __________________ #ThnksButNoThnksEli: “THE GREAT PUBLIC SCHOOLS NOW INITIATIVE” LAUSD MAGNET SCHOOLS/TIPS FOR PARENTS: HOW TO NAVIGATE ONE OF L.A.’s MOST COMPLEX MAZES By Sonali Kohli | LA Times | http://lat.ms/1G5IvGK Oct 10, 2015 :: The stakes are high for families across Los Angeles later this fall. Applications are being accepted for a spot in one of 210 magnet programs in L.A. public schools; the deadline is Nov. 13. For some parents, getting in is the difference between staying in public schools and choosing a private or charter option. “I just really want to know ... the whole process, step by step,” said mother Latisha Lewis. She attended a recent magnet school fair at Baldwin Hills Elementary School with her 10-year-old daughter, Kyera Parker, who currently attends a charter. Choosing and applying to magnet schools can be confusing. We spoke to experts and parents to find out about L.A. Unified’s magnet schools. They are listed at the bottom of this post. WHAT IS A MAGNET SCHOOL? A magnet school is a themed school within LAUSD that is open to all students, regardless of neighborhood. Some are located within a larger campus, and some are free-standing campuses. Schools have different themes, including performing arts, science and math, and those aimed at gifted students. L.A.’s magnet program was created in the 1970s as part of a court-ordered desegregation plan intended to increase racial equality in schools. HOW DO I APPLY? Fill out the magnet schools application by Nov. 13 at 5 p.m. The application brochure is available online at the district’s website, as well as in schools and public libraries. That link also includes descriptions of the magnet schools and their themes. Parents can select up to three schools. Some magnet coordinators will offer parents help at the schools, providing access to computers, the Internet and volunteers to help with the process. SHOULD I FILL OUT A SECOND AND THIRD CHOICE? It depends. If you really want one program, it might be best to leave the other two blank. You’ll first be entered into the lottery for your top choice. If you’re not picked, you’ll be entered for your second, and then third, choice. If you are accepted into any of them, you will not be on the wait list for your first choice. IS THE LOTTERY RANDOM? No. Students are chosen through a lottery system, but the students with the most points get picked first. HOW DO I GET POINTS? If your child is not in a magnet school already, students can earn four points for every year that they apply to a magnet school and remain on the wait list, up to three years. That equals 12 matriculation points. There are parents who have made a game of this, applying every year to the most popular magnets to reduce their chances of being picked, so that they can collect a high number of points in time for middle school or high school. This is a dicey game to play—if you get into a magnet and decline to attend, all those points disappear. Whether you apply to the same school repeatedly or try for different ones does not affect your points or odds, because lotteries happen at the district level. Students also receive four points for living in the neighborhood boundaries of an overcrowded school, and another four points for living in the neighborhood boundaries of a "predominantly Hispanic, black, Asian and other non-Anglo" (PHBAO) school. The latter designation applies to most schools in the district. Tack on another three points if a sibling already attends the magnet school to which the student is applying. Students already in a magnet school receive an automatic 12 points when they matriculate to the next campus. Students who complete 5th grade, for example, in a magnet elementary school have an automatic 12 points for their middle school magnet application. HOW DO I CHOOSE A MAGNET TO APPLY TO? Parents can apply to any magnet in the district. The best way to choose a magnet is to see if the school’s theme aligns with the student's interests and to visit the campus. Know that themed magnets can also be strong in other areas — for example, a student interested in STEM could attend a humanities magnet that also offers high-level math and science courses. There are magnet fairs [http://bit.ly/1Pn6WRX] throughout the district, and parents can call magnet schools to set up tours. WHAT ARE GIFTED AND TALENTED PROGRAMS? Gifted and talented programs are intended for students who excel or show promise academically or in the arts. Close to 50 of the district’s magnets are gifted and highly gifted programs. Admission to these programs requires further tests or auditions. Students can be classified as academically gifted or high ability through a confirmation from the principal, an LAUSD psychologist, or a score in the 85th percentile or higher on standardized tests that the district approves. Students can be classified as highly gifted if they score 99.5% to 99.9% on the district’s intellectual assessment. Students who score 99.9% are given priority. WHY IS RACE REQUIRED ON THE APPLICATION? A primary goal of magnet schools is to achieve balance between white students and students of color. About a fourth of the schools are required to give either 30% or 40% of spots to white students, and 70% or 60% to students of all other races. This system is a remnant of the program’s founding, during which the goal was to draw white students into minority schools, and vice versa. Multiracial students must choose only one race for the purposes of magnets. White students have always been overrepresented in Los Angeles magnets, though to a lesser degree than they are now. WHAT IF I MISS THE DEADLINE? Parents can submit a Space Available application from Dec. 1 onward. Parents can list only one school on those, and these students will be placed behind everyone else on the wait list. DO MAGNETS HELP KIDS GET INTO COLLEGE? It depends on the school. Some are known for their rigor, for their AP class offerings or for focusing on college-level coursework. All of these will help students enter college. Similarly, a school focused on performing arts could help students hone their abilities before college. But a school is not automatically better than other schools because it is a magnet. There are magnets that are under-enrolled and those that don’t have the level of rigor as their local neighborhood or charter schools. IS THERE TRANSPORTATION TO MAGNET SCHOOLS? Yes. If a student lives outside a two-mile radius for elementary school and outside a five-mile radius for secondary school, the district provides busing to those schools. IF MY CHILD DOESN'T GET IN, WILL HE/SHE GET IN NEXT YEAR? There’s no guarantee, but the points from the previous year will help. SHOULD I APPLY EVEN IF IT APPEARS THERE AREN'T THAT MANY SPACES? Yes, always apply if you want to go to the school. In at least one of the most in-demand schools, students come in with an average of 16 points. But many schools dip deep into their waiting lists, as there are many reasons that parents would drop off the list. Some schools get to the end of their waiting lists. WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT A MAGNET VERSUS A CHARTER OR REGULAR LAUSD SCHOOL? The main differences are the racial quotas, the themes and the enrollment process. Neighborhood schools fill up by first offering priority to residents, and then opening the waiting list to other students on a first come, first served basis. Charter schools also use lotteries for admissions, but each charter school has its own application process and waiting list. Lotteries for magnet schools, meanwhile, are conducted centrally through the district. The differences in quality vary from school to school. Parents can compare test scores on the L.A. Times website. The best way to know which is a good fit for your child is to visit the schools and talk to parents and students about their experiences. SOURCES FOR THIS STORY: • -Keith Abrahams, LAUSD executive director of Student Integration Services • -Tanya Anton, founder/creator of Go Mama Guide • -Ellana Selig, magnet coordinator at Los Angeles Center For Enriched Studies • -Susan Yoon, Cleveland Humanities Magnet Parents Association president • -http://echoices.lausd.net/ HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources In wake of school shootings, Gov. Jerry Brown bans concealed guns on California campuses - LA Times http://lat.ms/1Lpl6Al    BILL JOHNSTON ON THE SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH PROCESS http://bit.ly/1K0LDyH ANTI-VAXXER’ BALLOT MEASURE FAILS/SEX ED LAW IS CALIFORNIA’S LATEST HEALTH TRIUMPH http://bit.ly/1NvXCMf REPORT HIGHLIGHTS EDUCATION INEQUITIES IN NINE CALIFORNIA, FIFTY U.S. CITIES http://bit.ly/1JXWDgc OHIO CHARTER CONTROVERSY CONTINUES http://bit.ly/1VK1Zrv SB 451: NEW LAW CALLS FOR MODERNIZED ROLE FOR SCHOOL COUNSELORS …even if there’s only 1 for every 847 students! http://bit.ly/1LE7Dqy A dazzling array of choices…”: LAUSD MAGNET PROGRAMS ATTRACTING STUDENTS DURING MONTH OF OCTOBER http://bit.ly/1RywH0T CENTER FOR MEDIA & DEMOCRACY PUBLISHES FULL LIST OF 2,500 CLOSED CHARTER SCHOOLS (with Interactive Map) http://bit.ly/1GAHXDA GOV BROWN SIGNS BILL SUSPENDING HIGH SCHOOL EXIT EXAM + ERASING PAST RESULTS ...it's like the CAHSEE was never there! http://lat.ms/1hsPGwO THOUSANDS OF LAUSD TEACHERS’ JOBS WOULD BE A RISK WITH CHARTER EXPANSION PLAN http://bit.ly/1L20Of2 “CONNECT ENTHUSIASTICALLY + LEAD BRAVELY.” How To Change the Story About Community-Based Public Education http://bit.ly/1NoqZ31 BACKERS OF NEW CALIFORNIA SEX-ED LAW SEE STEP FORWARD IN SAFETY, TOLERANCE http://bit.ly/1FTR4Vd LAUSD ASKING PUBLIC TO RATE QUALITIES NECESSARY IN NEXT SUPERINTENDENT http://bit.ly/1JTC5FH “THE ASTROTURF IS RESTLESS”: ‘CLASS’ (formed to Save John Deasy) demands its say in LAUSD superintendent search http://bit.ly/1Rur2ZM BAIN v. CALIFORNIA TEACHERS ASSOCIATION: Judge Rejects Suit to Let Teachers' Union Members Avoid Political Spending http://bit.ly/1L39FLd CHARTERS WITH BROAD SUPPORT SHOW ONLY A MIXED RETURN ON INVESTMENT - LA School Report http://bit.ly/1WPKByJ 1st Monday in Oct: U.S. SUPREME COURT REJECTS CHALLENGE TO MANDATORY SCHOOL VACCINATION LAW, Refuses other Ed appeals http://bit.ly/1MbM0rN AB 329: SEX ED TO BECOME MANDATORY IN GRADES 7-12 IN CALIFORNIA http://bit.ly/1LuciLJ NOW THAT ARNE DUNCAN IS OUT, IS 'NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND' TO STAY? The Atlantic http://theatln.tc/1FTf4r8 TODAY OCT 5th IS WORLD TEACHER'S DAY - AN UNESCO INITIATIVE. This year's spotlight is on Early Childhood Ed http://ti.me/1NhqzeK LATE PARENT NOTIFICATION OF TEST RESULTS FRUSTRATES SOME EDUCATORS + smf’s 2¢ bit.ly/1Q1F5ow EVENTS: Coming up next week... TUESDAY: Regular Board Meeting - October 13, 2015 - 10:00 a.m. - Including Closed Session Items Regular Board Meeting - October 13, 2015 - 1:00 p.m. *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 • LAUSD BOARD OF EDUCATION & COMMITTEES MEETING CALENDAR What can YOU do? • E-mail, call or write your school board member: Scott.Schmerelson@lausd.net • 213-241-8333 Monica.Garcia@lausd.net • 213-241-6180 Ref.Rodriguez@lausd.net • 213-241-5555 George.McKenna@lausd.net • 213-241-6382 Monica.Ratliff@lausd.net • 213-241-6388 Richard.Vladovic@lausd.net • 213-241-6385 Steve.Zimmer@lausd.net • 213-241-6387 ...or your city councilperson, mayor, county supervisor, state legislator, 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 at http://registertovote.ca.gov/ • If you are registered, VOTE LIKE THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT. THEY DO! Who are your elected federal & state representatives? How do you contact them? Scott Folsom is a parent leader in LAUSD and was Parent/Volunteer of the Year for 2010-11 for Los Angeles County. • He is Past President of Los Angeles Tenth District PTSA and has represented PTA on the LAUSD Construction Bond Citizen's Oversight Committee for over 12 years. He is Vice President for Health, Legislation Action Committee member and a member of the Board of Directors of the California State PTA. He serves on numerous school district advisory and policy committees and has served as a PTA officer and governance council member at three LAUSD schools. He is the recipient of the UTLA/AFT "WHO" Gold Award and the ACSA Regional Ferd Kiesel Memorial Distinguished Service Award - honors he hopes to someday deserve. • In this forum his opinions are his own and your opinions and feedback are invited. Quoted and/or cited content copyright © the original author and/or publisher. All other material copyright © 4LAKids. • FAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 4LAKids makes such material available in an effort to advance understanding of education issues vital to parents, teachers, students and community members in a democracy. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. • To SUBSCRIBE e-mail: 4LAKids-subscribe@topica.email-publisher.com - or -TO ADD YOUR OR ANOTHER'S NAME TO THE 4LAKids SUBSCRIPTION LIST E-mail smfolsom@aol.com with "SUBSCRIBE" AS THE SUBJECT. Thank you.

#45: Umpqua Community College, Roseburg, Oregon

4LAKids: Sunday 4•Oct•2015 In This Issue:  •  ARNE DUNCAN, EDUCATION SECRETARY, TO STEP DOWN IN DECEMBER + WHAT DID ARNE DUNCAN DO FOR CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS?  •  BETTER L.A. UNIFIED SCHOOLS WOULD BE BEST WEAPON AGAINST CHARTER PUSH  •  REPORT FROM THE CATHEDRAL OF THE AALA ANGELS  •  HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources  •  EVENTS: Coming up next week...  •  What can YOU do? Featured Links:  •  Give the gift of a 4LAKids Subscription to a friend or colleague!  •  Follow 4 LAKids on Twitter - or get instant updates via text message by texting "Follow 4LAKids" to 40404  •  4LAKids Anthology: All the Past Issues, solved, resolved and unsolved!  •  4LAKidsNews: a compendium of recent items of interest - news stories, scurrilous rumors, links, academic papers, rants and amusing anecdotes, etc. There have been forty-five school shootings in the U.S. this calendar year – and it’s only October 4th. The earliest known shooting to happen on school property in North America was the Pontiac's Rebellion school massacre on July 26, 1764, where Delaware (Lenape) American Indian fighters entered the schoolhouse near present-day Greencastle, Pennsylvania, shot and killed schoolmaster Enoch Brown, and killed ten children (reports vary). Only one child survived. [http://bit.ly/1WEdnCt] In recent memory I suppose it started in that tower at the University of Texas on August 1, 1966. It didn’t start at Columbine in 1999 – but it’s a point of reference. There have been thirty-four school shootings since Sandy Hook resulting in fatalities: PLACE SCHOOL TYPE ● 1/8/2013 Fort Myers, FL Apostolic Revival Center Christian School K-12 ● 1/15/2013 Hazard, KY Hazard Community and Technical College College ● 1/16/2013 Chicago, IL Chicago State University College ● 2/13/2013 San Leandro, CA Hillside Elementary School K-12 ● 6/7/2013 Santa Monica,CA Santa Monica College College ● 6/19/2013 W. Palm Beach, FL Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts K-12 ● 8/15/2013 Clarksville, TN Northwest High School K-12 ● 8/23/2013 Sardis, MS North Panola High School K-12 ● 9/21/2013 Savannah, GA Savannah State University College ● 10/21/2013 Sparks, NV Sparks Middle School K-12 ● 12/13/2013 Arapahoe County, CO Arapahoe High School K-12 ● 1/21/2014 West Lafayette, IN Purdue University College ● 1/24/2014 Orangeburg, SC South Carolina State University College ● 2/20/2014 Raytown, MO Raytown Success Academy K-12 ● 4/11/2014 Detroit, MI East English Village Preparatory Academy K-12 ● 4/21/2014 Griffith, IN St. Mary Catholic School K-12 ● 5/21/2014 Milwaukee, WI Clark Street School K-12 ● 6/5/2014 Seattle, WA Seattle Pacific University College ● 6/10/2014 Troutdale, OR Reynolds High School K-12 ● 6/23/2014 Benton, MO Kelly High School K-12 ● 8/14/2014 Newport News, VA Saunders Elementary K-12 ● 10/3/2014 Fairburn, GA Langston Hughes High School K-12 ● 10/24/2014 Marysville, WA Marysville-Pilchuck High School K-12 ● 12/16/2014 Pittsburgh, PA Sunnyside Elementary School K-12 ● 2/5/2015 Columbia, SC University of South Carolina College ● 2/15/2015 Merced, CA Tenaya Middle School K-12 ● 4/13/2015 Goldsboro, NC Wayne Community College College ● 5/4/2015 Cleveland, OH Willow Elementary School K-12 ● 7/24/2015 Converse, TX Elolf Elementary School K-12 ● 8/8/2015 Wichita, KS Wichita State University College ● 8/27/2015 Savannah, GA Savannah State University College ● 9/3/2015 Sacramento, CA Sacramento City College College ● 9/14/2015 Cleveland, MS Delta State University College ● 10/1/2015 Roseburg, OR Umpqua Community College College That doesn’t count church shootings, or off-campus shootings like Isla Vista, or theater shootings, or military recruiter shootings. It certainly doesn’t count the mindless gun+gang madness on our streets. Crazy White guys with guns at schools. (The Umpqua shooter, who was mixed-race, is an outlier.) It’s complicated: Sheriff John Hanlin: “Let me be very clear: I will not name the shooter. I will not give him the credit he probably sought with this horrific and cowardly act. You will never hear me mention his name.” Anonymous Infamy: Lovely thinking. Of course, Hanlin is on record against increased gun control after Sandy Hook. Guns don’t kill people; shooters-with-no-name kill people. The victims, all from Oregon, had names: • Lucero Alcaraz, 19, of Roseburg. • Quinn Glen Cooper, 18, of Roseburg. • Kim Saltmarsh Dietz, 59, of Roseburg. • Lucas Eibel, 18, of Roseburg. • Jason Dale Johnson, 33, of Winston. • Lawrence Levine, 67, of Glide. • Sarena Dawn Moore, 44, of Myrtle Creek. • Treven Taylor Anspach, 20, of Sutherlin. • Rebecka Ann Carnes, 18, of Myrtle Creek. Yes, how many deaths will it take till we know That too many people have died? The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin' in the wind. Lucero, Quinn, Kim, Lucas, Jason, Lawrence, Sarena, Treven & Rebecka. Godspeed. TODAY IS TEN-FOUR: Ten-codes, especially "10-4" (meaning "understood" or “I acknowledge”) first reached public recognition in the mid- to late-1950s through the popular television series Highway Patrol, with Broderick Crawford. Crawford would reach into his patrol car to use the microphone to answer a call and precede his mumbled-with-a-mouthful-of-marbles response with "10-4”. ASKED AND UNANSWERED: On Tuesday, in between stories about a guy who crashed his car into a light pole being attacked by bees and marijuana dispensaries offering free pot to folks whose houses burned down in Northern California there was: “FORMER L.A. MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA ENDORSES CHARTER EXPANSION EFFORT” | http://lat.ms/1GhsXKA. When asked if he’d be interested in the job of LAUSD superintendent, Mayor Tony replied, with a grin: “I’ve already been asked.” HAPPY HOLIDAYS (Luke 2:10): Arne Duncan is leaving (‘Ankling’ is the Daily Variety word) as U.S. Secretary of Education in December. Some in the media+Ed ®eform commentariat celebrate his “successes”: Charterization, Privatization, Nationalization of-curricula (in the guise of ‘state standards’), Reconstitution, Reorganization, Union+Teacher Bashing, Disruption-for-disruption’s sake, Mayoral control, Testing, Value-Addled Accountability, Competition, Bullying, Data-Driven-to-Distraction, Carrot+Stick/Go-for-the-Dough/Race to the Top. Rather than reforming Race to the Top he granted waivers – with multiple strings attached. Accountability anyone? He managed to piss-off not just educators and organized labor but Lib Dems and the Tea Party! His replacement isn’t going to be much of an improvement …but at least he ain’t Arne! AALA, THE ADMINISTRATOR’S UNION holds an annual back to school event at the Conference Center of the Cathedral of the Angels. Last year I apparently made a not-so-sotto-voce remark about how one doesn’t expect the antichrist at a party at the cathedral when John Deasy made an appearance (there may have been alcohol involved). I am told Dr. John heard me. Dr. D. wasn’t there this year (though some Pearson peeps were), a fine time was had by all - and I was on much better behavior. PLEASE LISTEN CAREFULLY AS THE OPTIONS HAVE CHANGED …OR PARENT ENGAGEMENT BY ROBOCALL: Press ONE if you like the Early Start Calendar, Press TWO if you think school should start after Labor Day, Press THREE if you’d like a longer Holiday Break, Press FOUR if you’d like the school board and the next superintendent figure out what’s best for kids+education …and just do it! MAGNET SCHOOLS ARE BETTER THAN CHARTER SCHOOLS: Pass it on/Apply today. | http://echoices.lausd.net] ¡Onward/Adelante! - smf ARNE DUNCAN, EDUCATION SECRETARY, TO STEP DOWN IN DECEMBER + WHAT DID ARNE DUNCAN DO FOR CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS? ►ARNE DUNCAN, EDUCATION SECRETARY, TO STEP DOWN IN DECEMBER By GARDINER HARRIS and MOTOKO RICH, NY Times | http://nyti.ms/1NcZDNb OCT. 2, 2015 :: WASHINGTON — Arne Duncan, the secretary of education, whose influential Race to the Top program offered financial incentives for school districts to innovate, announced Friday that he would step down in December, marking the departure of one of the longest-serving members of President Obama’s cabinet. Mr. Duncan was arguably one of the most powerful education secretaries in history, both because of his personal ties to the president and the billions of dollars in funding that came to the department as part of the fiscal stimulus program during the financial crisis. He was at times the subject of criticism from both parties, angering Democrats by challenging teachers’ unions and infuriating Republicans by promoting national academic standards. Mr. Obama announced that he would nominate John B. King Jr., the deputy education secretary and a former commissioner of education in New York State, to replace Mr. Duncan. “Arne’s done more to bring our educational system, sometimes kicking and screaming, into the 21st century than anyone else,” Mr. Obama said at a White House news conference on Friday. “It’s a record that I truly believe that no other education secretary can match. Arne bleeds this stuff.” Mr. Duncan, who led the Chicago public schools before coming to Washington and grew up in Mr. Obama’s Hyde Park neighborhood, had a bond with the president that few other cabinet officials could match. He thanked Mr. Obama for not determining education policy based on political expediency. “For me, it’s not the political leadership; it’s not the educational leadership; it’s the moral leadership” of Mr. Obama, Mr. Duncan said. Mr. Duncan’s wife and children moved back to Chicago over the summer, which led to speculation that Mr. Duncan would resign. As recently as Wednesday, during a speech at the National Press Club, Mr. Duncan responded to a question about his own plans. “There is so much work we need to do not just for the next 14 months but for the next 14 years as a nation,” he said, adding that he was “tunnel-visioned” in his current job. On Friday, Mr. Duncan said he no longer wanted to live without his family. “I can’t wait to come home and see a couple of more track meets,” he said. Mr. King, in his own remarks on Friday, recounted the story of losing his parents by the time he was 12, and credited teachers with putting him on a path to succeed. “New York City public schoolteachers are the reason I’m alive,” he said. “They are the reason I became a teacher. They’re the reason I’m standing here today.” Congress is considering legislation that will leave Mr. King without the authority or the financial resources wielded by Mr. Duncan. The Race to the Top program offered billions of dollars to school districts in a competition intended to spur them to innovate. While the $4.35 billion in prizes represented a tiny fraction of overall educational spending, the competition led most states to encourage greater use of test scores in teacher evaluations, raise academic standards, eliminate caps on charter schools and make it easier to fire poor teachers, changes that enraged teachers’ unions and some parents. Mr. Duncan pushed for more changes by offering relief to the most onerous provisions of the Bush administration’s No Child Left Behind law in exchange for adoption of new academic standards like the Common Core. Many state lawmakers and Republican presidential candidates have criticized that program as federal overreach. “I think history will show that this time period was the apex of federal authority in education,” said Michael J. Petrilli, the president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a right-leaning education policy group in Washington. “That’s in part because there’s a sense among members of Congress but also among people in the education field that he abused his power,” he said, referring to Mr. Duncan. Kati Haycock, the president of the Education Trust, a left-leaning nonprofit, said Mr. Duncan’s aggressive push to introduce new tests and teacher evaluations was bound to create a backlash that would handcuff his successors. Anyone who pushed that hard, she said, “was going to be a villain no matter what.” Mr. Duncan’s critics are an unusual coalition from the left and right. “There’s no question that the Department of Education’s fixation on charters and high-stakes testing has not worked,” said Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, the nation’s second-largest teachers union, in a statement. In an interview in April at the Education Writers Association, Mr. Duncan said he accepted that some of his work was controversial but said he fundamentally regretted that “education isn’t seen as a national priority.” Mr. King’s nomination will not please many of Mr. Duncan’s critics. As commissioner of education in New York State, Mr. King oversaw the rollout of the Common Core standards, as well as more difficult standardized tests intended to measure student progress on those standards, despite protests from parents and teachers. ●Gardiner Harris reported from Washington, and Motoko Rich from New York. ___________________ ►WHAT DID ARNE DUNCAN DO FOR CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS? by Howard Blume, LA Times | http://lat.ms/1L2gsnt Oct 2, 2015 6:59 PM :: Arne Duncan, who on Friday announced he will step down as U.S. Secretary of Education in December, had a sometimes stormy relationship with California, despite its status as a stronghold of support for Democrats and the Obama administration. An early conflict was the state’s effort to secure grants through Duncan’s signature Race to the Top effort. States competed for the funds based on their willingness to pursue reforms favored by the U.S. Department of Education. The sticking point for California was that states had to agree to a teacher evaluation system based, in part, on measures such as student standardized test scores. In addition, state teachers unions had to sign on to a state’s application. Then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a moderate Republican, supported the requirements but could not secure agreement from teachers unions. The state’s application was downgraded as a result and other states got the money. Other elements of Duncan’s push for major policy change included increasing the number of charter schools. Charters are independently managed and exempt from some rules that govern traditional public campuses. Duncan also promoted aggressive school “turnarounds,” which in many places meant replacing the entire staff at a school or closing a traditional school, with its union-represented workforce, and replacing it with a non-union charter school. Duncan’s department had a huge influence in shaping education policy because it used grants to fill a vacuum left by Congress, whose members could not agree on education policies. Both support and criticism for Duncan’s actions crossed party lines. Mitt Romney, 2012 Republican presidential candidate, opined that he’d be willing to keep Duncan on the job in a Republican White House. Meanwhile, Duncan's staunchest critics included teachers unions, a critical Democratic constituency. California Gov. Jerry Brown came into office as an ally of teachers unions and a skeptic of many reforms he regarded as faddish and unproven. His administration resisted federal conditions for certain grants and refused to bend when Duncan wanted the state to continue using old state standardized tests until new ones were ready. In that resistance, Brown was joined by majorities in the state Legislature and by Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, who also had political support from teachers unions. California’s issues with Duncan were related not only to test scores and teacher evaluations, said Michael W. Kirst, president of the state Board of Education. Duncan wanted states to exert more authority over local school systems at a time when the state was trying to be less heavy-handed, to promote creative solutions at the local level, Kirst said. Allies of Duncan, meanwhile, were concerned that local control in California would equate to tolerating poor academic achievement. In contrast to California — and in exchange for federal money — many states quickly embraced Duncan’s reform agenda, which also had support from major philanthropies, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation and the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. Unable to move state government in Sacramento, advocates in California sometimes turned to the courts instead. In 2014, they won a ruling that overturned traditional teacher job protections such as tenure rights and layoffs based on seniority. At the time, Duncan said the court’s decision represented an opportunity “to build a new framework for the teaching profession that protects students’ rights ... while providing teachers the support, respect and rewarding careers they deserve.” The group that brought the case, Vergara vs. California, lauded Duncan on Friday. “Secretary Duncan refused to turn a blind eye to broken systems that chronically fail the students in our country already struggling through poverty and violence outside of school,” said Manny Rivera, a spokesman for the advocacy group Students Matter. “Secretary Duncan spurred states to take action to elevate the quality and equity of America’s public schools.” Brown is appealing the Vergara ruling, in conjunction with the state’s two largest teachers unions. Praise for Duncan also came from the Broad Foundation, which has circulated a plan to enroll half the students from L.A. Unified in charters over the next eight years. "Secretary Duncan has done a remarkable job,” said Paul Pastorek, co-executive director of the foundation. Duncan, he said, “was relentless in focusing on reducing the number of chronically low-achieving schools.” On some matters, California political leaders proved to be welcome allies for Duncan and vice versa. When a nationwide recession gripped California, forcing staggering cutbacks in state government spending, school districts were poised for draconian budget slashing. Federal economic stimulus money prevented deep cutbacks from becoming cataclysmic, according to both supporters and critics of Duncan. And California, in turn, proved fertile ground for the new learning goals called the Common Core, which were developed with substantial federal assistance. California also agreed to take part in new standardized tests that are based on the Common Core learning targets. The tests, and even the learning goals themselves, have been increasingly debated. Texas and seven other states never approved, or backed away from, the Common Core. In New York, about 20% of parents refused to let their children take the new tests, which could compromise their statistical validity. "Some of his policies were not a good fit for California and some were,” Kirst said. In Los Angeles, Duncan was cautiously allied with opponents of the teachers union on policy. He repeatedly praised former Supt. John Deasy as one of the nation’s top superintendents. But Duncan also tried to avoid picking fights -- he also praised current Supt. Ramon C. Cortines, who has a better rapport with employee unions. Duncan also gave L.A. Unified valuable relief from the outdated federal No Child Left Behind Law. That law imposed penalties on districts that could not reach unrealistic achievement targets. The administration only relaxed these punitive measures when states agreed to meet certain federal conditions. Duncan could not agree on terms with California, and he began to work instead with a group of California districts that included L.A. Unified. Duncan ultimately granted these districts a waiver from No Child Left Behind, which returned control of millions of dollars annually to these schools systems. Both for L.A. Unified and the nation as a whole, Duncan was an enormously positive force, said Deasy, who called Duncan the "most consequential secretary of education ever." "He had a huge imprint on the education landscape, especially for youth in poverty," Deasy said. "He was unflinching on high expectations for all." Deasy also praised Duncan's interim successor, John King, who is a deputy secretary in the Education Department. ▲Valerie Strauss describes John King’s stormy tenure as State Commissioner of Education in Néw York: “IF YOU THOUGHT ARNE DUNCAN WAS CONTROVERSIAL, MEET HIS SUCCESSOR” | The Washington Post | http://wapo.st/1iU9wCi "No better person to follow and lead the department," Deasy said. "Between his own personal story and leadership experiences, the department and the youth of the country are in very, very good hands." King previously was commissioner of New York's state education department and also co-founded a charter school. His time in New York was marked by controversy over the pace at which he moved the state to the Common Core. Critics also faulted him for immediately linking teacher evaluations to tests based on the new learning standards. "New York wanted to be first to show that high-stakes testing was the policy of the country, and John King wanted to make sure that New York was first," said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. "It had a terrible polarizing effect.” She said she also worried that King would continue along Duncan’s ideological path, including his preference for spurring the growth of charters, which she said has become a dangerous “magic bullet” strategy in Los Angeles and elsewhere. Alex Caputo-Pearl, leader of L.A.'s teachers union, had a negative appraisal of Duncan, including the secretary's support for charter schools. Caputo-Pearl sides with those who say that many charters try to exclude students who are more difficult and expensive to educate. "He expanded the number of schools that don’t play by the same rules in terms of serving students," Caputo-Pearl said. "He also increased the amount of time spent on testing rather than learning. And he contributed to the philosophy that you should run schools like a business, and the idea that test scores are the bottom line." In recent years, as a backlash developed against some of Duncan’s favored reform strategies, he eased his insistence on some of them. He began speaking more about gauging student achievement through measures other than test scores or, at least, through measures in addition to test scores. “His position really evolved over time,” said Dale Russakoff, who has written a book on how these favored reforms were pursued in the Newark, N.J., school system. “He came in with this idea of Race to the Top, that had very prescriptive changes that every state would make. But he moderated his viewpoint. It says something about the whole reform movement: There was an attitude of, ‘We know what works’ that has evolved to incorporating more of the perspective of teachers, parents and community groups.” BETTER L.A. UNIFIED SCHOOLS WOULD BE BEST WEAPON AGAINST CHARTER PUSH By The Times Editorial Board | http://lat.ms/1FN2Z7b 2 October 2015 :: The gloves are off between charter school supporters and the Los Angeles Unified school board. And so far, their clash shows all the calm maturity of a playground shouting match. Charter schools in L.A. got higher scores on a recent round of standardized tests than traditional district schools, the state's charter school association pointed out. Oh, yeah? L.A. Unified replied. Our magnet schools outscored your charter schools. But you included the magnet schools for gifted children, the charters retorted. Uh-huh, said the district, but even taking out those programs, the magnets beat you. Neener-neener. This tacky exercise in one-upmanship follows the recent disclosure of a dramatic, $480-million expansion plan to double the number of district students attending charters. It's not surprising that such an in-your-face move by charter school supporters — who want half of all L.A. students to be in charters in eight years — has set off a wave of anxiety among the district's teachers and officials. They have legitimate reason to worry: Charters draw more-motivated and higher-achieving students, so they often leave traditional schools worse off, with less money to serve more students with behavioral problems and disabilities. Hence the aggressive response. Board member Scott Schmerelson recently characterized the planned charter expansion as “an insult” to teachers and “an attack on democratic, transparent and inclusive public school governance....” His colleague Steve Zimmer called it a “hostile takeover.” But if the district really wants to fend off a charter incursion, its best bet is not to ramp up the angry rhetoric but to create and build the kinds of public schools that attract and keep students. Parents whose children are happily enrolled in orderly, well-run neighborhood schools, or exciting magnet schools, have little reason to switch. The expansion plan is not an insult to anyone. It's a boon for kids and their parents, who will have new and, we hope, better choices. The district has its own stable of outstanding magnet schools — and some regular public schools that are showing signs of major improvement — and charter supporters should not be trying to diminish their reputations. As with charter schools, there are waiting lists for district magnets. So why isn't the district, which still has too many underperforming schools, rapidly expanding its popular magnet program? To his credit, Zimmer tried to do exactly that with an expanded Mandarin-language program in Mar Vista, but NIMBY forces shut down his plan. Earlier this year, when he was running for school board, Schmerelson had this to say: “Charter schools are here to stay. Let's not fight them, let's embrace them…. My goal is to build up our traditional public schools to the point that parents and students would have a difficult time in deciding between a charter and a traditional public school.” That's a smarter philosophy than his recent slam. REPORT FROM THE CATHEDRAL OF THE AALA ANGELS By Karen Wolfe (from her iPhone!) by email to 4LAKids October 3, 2015 :: The AALA Fall Reception took place last Wednesday at the Plaza Center at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Maybe, with Pope Francis making the most sense of anyone in the halls of Congress last week, AALA was hoping some of that holy mojo would rub off on all the board members, senior district staff and administrators present. There was no mention of any sacredness of the spot by AALA president, Juan Flecha. Separation of church and state and all. So maybe it was just the nearest available downtown venue. Regardless, the speakers--especially the board members--seemed inspired. Tom Torlakson, California’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, offered a benediction of sorts - and then the more personal messages followed. Steve Zimmer, with his usual preachy oratorical flare, paid tribute to the superintendent. "What Ray Cortines has done is one of the most incredible acts of public service I have ever seen." He went on to thank the administrators, particularly in light of the horrific news of the high number of shootings in Los Angeles neighborhoods over the weekend. He attempted to reassure the administrators in the wake of the privateers' declaration of war against LAUSD, saying, "We are going to walk through this fire together." George McKenna offered the parables and personal anecdotes to which we've become accustomed: "We can't just fight to fight; we have to fight to win. When the elephants fight, only the grass gets trampled." His best line, which seemed to either search for encouragement or to serve as a warning, was: "We're either going to be the seven board members or we are going to be the seven dwarves. And I am not going to be Dopey!" Monica Ratliff shared her uplifting comparison of those in attendance to the administrators she's now working with in a nearby school district. She said she had hoped to take a part time job outside LAUSD to bring in some great ideas but reported that there she has witnessed no miracles. "You experience challenges that many in many districts do not." She also lamented, "We don't see a lot of news about how fantastic our principals are." If it's true that God helps those who help themselves, perhaps the miracle was prophesied by the newest board member, Scott Schmerelson. He thanked AALA members for being the first to endorse him in his election. A retired principal, his folksy remarks sounded typical at first: “I think it's very important that we model good behavior." But then, like in a Catholic funeral mass, when a crescendo lifts the deceased into the heavens, he led the charge: "There is to be no bullying anywhere in LAUSD. And that is not just for kids. We need to expose those bullies and embarrass them. And there is a big bully running around and his name is Eli Broad and he will not bully us." The audience roared. Or maybe that was the angels singing. HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources THE ‘REANIMATION’ OF JOHN DEASY, WILL THE NEXT SUPERINTENDENT BE A NATIVE? Includes UTLA video + AALA Update article http://bit.ly/1iV11a5 WHAT DID ARNE DUNCAN DO FOR CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS? http://bit.ly/1OeBdmJ Talk about getting the news wrong!: REPORT: LOS ANGELES UNIFIED WANTS TO TURN 50% OF ITS SCHOOLS INTO CHARTER SCHOOLS http://bit.ly/1Rne0NJ APPLICATION PROCESS FOR LAUSD MAGNET SCHOOLS BEGINS; PROCESS ENDS 11/13. Magnets consistently outperform charters! http://bit.ly/1KShSUH IF YOU THOUGHT ARNE DUNCAN WAS CONTROVERSIAL, MEET HIS SUCCESSOR - The Washington Post http://wapo.st/1iU9wCi SEPP BLATTER: Coca-Cola say FIFA president must stand down http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/34430729 … BETTER L.A. UNIFIED SCHOOLS WOULD BE BEST WEAPON AGAINST CHARTER PUSH http://fw.to/yfn28tQ JUDGE ORDERS LAWYER TO JAIL FOR CONTEMPT OF COURT IN L.A. UNIFIED CASE http://fw.to/mPyM4uP NASBE ‏@NASBE Oct 2 via @politicsk12 - Arne Duncan to Step Down as Ed. Sec., John King to Head Up Department -http://ow.ly/SWF6X GREAT NEWS FROM CALIFORNIA! @GOVJERRYBROWN SIGNED AB329 INTO LAW -- CHEERS FOR A ROBUST SEX ED LAW THAT IS... http://fb.me/22yJY5Gmq A little background/updated: LAUSD PHONE SURVEY SEEKS INPUT FOR THREE-YEAR SCHOOL CALENDAR http://bit.ly/1O8ijho "Good evening, this is Ray Cortines...." http://bit.ly/1FEM9HD Message from the 'Uh-Oh Squad' http://bit.ly/1LkiANN ¿What are the 5 Q's? ¿COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT BY ROBOCALL?: L.A. Unified wants to know when parents want school to be in session (Redux) http://bit.ly/1Vngdi1 LAUSD SOLICITING FEEDBACK FROM PARENTS ON PROPOSED SCHOOL YEAR CHANGES + smf’s 2¢ http://bit.ly/1MVqEVl THREE YEARS LATER, RESULTS OF LAUSD’S ARTS EXPERIMENT ARE MIXED http://bit.ly/1LKDzbf EVENTS: Coming up next week... CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND EDUCATIONAL EQUITY COMMITTEE MEETING - Tuesday, October 6, 2015 - 10:00 a.m. EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND PARENT ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE - Tuesday,October 6, 2015- 2:00 p.m. REGULAR BOARD MEETING -Williams Valenzuela Textbook Sufficiency - Tuesday, October 6, 2015 - 4:00 p.m. *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 • LAUSD BOARD OF EDUCATION & COMMITTEES MEETING CALENDAR What can YOU do? • E-mail, call or write your school board member: Scott.Schmerelson@lausd.net • 213-241-8333 Monica.Garcia@lausd.net • 213-241-6180 Ref.Rodriguez@lausd.net • 213-241-5555 George.McKenna@lausd.net • 213-241-6382 Monica.Ratliff@lausd.net • 213-241-6388 Richard.Vladovic@lausd.net • 213-241-6385 Steve.Zimmer@lausd.net • 213-241-6387 ...or your city councilperson, mayor, county supervisor, state legislator, 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 at http://registertovote.ca.gov/ • If you are registered, VOTE LIKE THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT. THEY DO! Who are your elected federal & state representatives? How do you contact them? Scott Folsom is a parent leader in LAUSD and was Parent/Volunteer of the Year for 2010-11 for Los Angeles County. • He is Past President of Los Angeles Tenth District PTSA and has represented PTA on the LAUSD Construction Bond Citizen's Oversight Committee for over 12 years. He is Vice President for Health, Legislation Action Committee member and a member of the Board of Directors of the California State PTA. He serves on numerous school district advisory and policy committees and has served as a PTA officer and governance council member at three LAUSD schools. He is the recipient of the UTLA/AFT "WHO" Gold Award and the ACSA Regional Ferd Kiesel Memorial Distinguished Service Award - honors he hopes to someday deserve. • In this forum his opinions are his own and your opinions and feedback are invited. Quoted and/or cited content copyright © the original author and/or publisher. 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