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23 comments:
ExpEducator requests that we explore:
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT as defined by Dylan William,
James Popham and Mgt Heritage.
On July 30th, according to Board Minutes, PPS contracted with Dylan William at a cost of $10,000
(Yes, ten thousand ) for one day to provide professional development for "select" PPS educators.
Who and how many attended? What did they learn? And what are the implementation plans for Administrators, Teachers, Students and Communities?
Teacher hiring criteria intended to get best candidates
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_692945.html
Interesting article for parents and educators. A neighbor on our street applying for a teaching job in the PPS District. After completing the whole application process on line. She had to take the Gallup
TeachertInsight Assessment an online multiple-choice test designed to help select candidates for screening. She has impeccable references, student taught in the PPS and q QPA of 3.9. She completed the Gallup TeachertInsight Assessment and she did not pass the online test and has to wait for a period of a year.
Can a person explain this to a parent-why another test for selection process?
Yet, they are furloughing teachers.
Class of 2010-2012 - The Broad Residency in Urban Education
... Pittsburgh Public Schools, Prince George's County Public Schools, Providence Public Schools, The College Ready Promise ... Pittsburgh Public Schools ...
www.broadresidency.org/.../2010-2012.html?...0...
Well, the BROADIES are coming out in full force two for PPS. Where are they employed inside PPS ADM?
Moreover, at least two for Gates Foundation money fed school District Hillsborough County School District.
Check out the Districts and see the alignment of research and consultants that are found working for the all the districts that are listed-simultaneously.
We need Big Brother watching this form of Marxism.
Amazing Money Trail‼
Parents and Educators New Monthly Board Meeting Schedule very interesting!
To find out the Board meetings I never go to A+ Schools-I go directly to the Board Calendar-
Very Interesting changes an OPEN meeting between Agenda Review and Legislative Meeting. Observe Agenda Review August 18th-and the Open meeting August 23rd and Legislative Meeting August 25th.
AUGUST SCHEDULE
Pittsburgh Public Schools - Board of Directors Monday, August 02, 2010 - 06:00 PM
Executive Session Meeting (Closed) Location: Board Committee Room
Pittsburgh Public Schools - Board of Directors Monday, August 02, 2010 - 06:00 PM
Special Legislative Meeting (Open) Location: Board Committee Room
Pittsburgh Public Schools - Board of Directors Monday, August 02, 2010 - 06:15 PM
Board Committee Meeting (Open) This Board Committee meeting will concern the School Reconfiguration Plan
Pittsburgh Public Schools - Board of Directors Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 05:30 PM Rescheduled: Education Committee (Open) Regular meeting of the Education Committee.
Location: Board Committee Contact: Board Office Email: boardoffice@pghboe.net Phone: 412-622-3770 Pittsburgh Public Schools - Board of Directors
Wednesday, August 18, 2010 - 05:30 PM Personnel Committee Meeting (Closed) Location: Board Office, Administration Building, 341 S. Bellefield Avenue (Oakland) Contact Information: Contact: Board Office Email: boardoffice@pghboe.net Phone: 412-622-3770
Agenda Review (Open)
The Board and staff review and discuss the education and business/finance items on the agenda.
This meeting will be available for viewing on City Channel Pittsburgh, Comcast Channel 13, on the following dates and times:
Thursday, August 19, 7:00 PM
Friday, August 20, 10:00 AM
Location:
Board Committee Room, Administration Building, 341 S. Bellefield Avenue (Oakland)
Contact Information:
Contact: Board Office
Email: boardoffice@pghboe.net
Phone: 412-622-3770
Public Hearing (Open) (New starting time)
Special Note: Beginning in August 2010, Public Hearings will move to the Monday before the Legislative Session and start at 6PM, one hour earlier than in the past.
A regular public hearing for citizens’ comments on agenda items and other school matters is held each month.
To speak at a Public Hearing call the Superintendent's Office at 412-622-3600 beginning one week before and no later than noon on the day of the Public Hearing.
Location:
Conference Room A, Administration Building, 341 S. Bellefield Avenue (Oakland)
Contact Information:
Contact: Superintendent's Office
Email: superintendentoffice@pghboe.net
Phone: 412-622-3600
Pittsburgh Public Schools - Board of Directors Wednesday, August 25, 2010 - 05:30 PM
Executive Session (Closed) Location: Board Office Contact Information: Contact: Board Office Email: boardoffice@pghboe.net Phone: 412-622-3770
On page 115 of the July 21st minutes of the legislative meeting there are two notations of PELA residents getting moving/living expenses. Who are these people and where are they coming from?
Anon 8:36, is there a link to the minutes of the meeting?
http://www.pps.k12.pa.us/143110127101918110/lib/143110127101918110/2010/07-21-10.pdf
the above may work or get that far and key p 115/301
ROOSEVELT’S Wants to Implement Marshall Plan? And/Or feels like Elizabeth Taylor’s Seventh Hubbie
Please read about Mr. Roosevelt as a CONSULTANT/Speaker
Gloomy Side Of Reform
By Andrew Carr acarr@post-journal.com
POSTED: August 7, 2010
CHAUTAUQUA - Speaking about education reform is a hard thing to do without being gloomy, said Mark Roosevelt to a Chautauqua Institution audience.
Roosevelt, in his lecture Friday, managed however, to weave humor and truth together to make a compelling argument in the education reform issue. After hearing many of the speakers this week, he said he would try to not reiterate many of the points they had made.
"I feel like Elizabeth Taylor's seventh husband," he said. "I know exactly what to do, just not how to make it interesting."
The truth of the matter is not pretty, he said.
"My generation is the first generation to be worse off than our parents," he said.
He described the "it takes a village" argument, saying he believes this is true; therefore all the blame cannot be put on teachers, administrators or unions alone.
"We are all responsible for what is happening," he said. "We are not raising our children the way they need to be raised."
Roosevelt shared his experience in the Pittsburgh school system, and how as superintendent he was trying to change that system. Being in Pittsburgh, the school system must tackle many hardships such as economic disparity, he said.
"The things in our culture that can drive children down away from where they need to be are so powerful," he said.
In order to inspire the reform that is needed, the American public must know what is going on and become involved, he said.
"Most of America does not know how big this problem is," he said. "You can't solve a problem if you don't know it exists."
Roosevelt spoke about the achievement gap, and how we focus on this as the main issue. Roosevelt reiterated that this is a very important issue, but is part of a larger problem.
"If we remove the African-American and Latino children from the equation, our highest achieving children are still in the middle of the pack," he said. "And our African-American and Latino children are second to last in the world. It is very important to recognize we have achievement gaps in this country, but we can't let that obscure the fact that most children are not getting the education they need."
In order to change the educational system, we need to recognize academic achievement, and inspire national standards, he said.
"If you want to make change in the educational system, you have to think about 15,274 school board agendas," he said. "We need to work together if we are ever going to make this change. There is truth in a lot of people's views, but there is no simple truth, no simple answer."
Roosevelt said that there are many reasons to be optimistic, however. Some schools have started to become nuclei of innovation, there are signs on non-partisanship on the issue, and the history of our country shows that when we recognize a big problem we can do something about it.
"We need a Marshall Plan for public education in America," he said.
PureReformthe enclosed articles need to be posted for comments they are very insightful and very revealing regarding Roosevelt-he gave more out about himself and his agenda in NY-never in PPS
Please post each as a seperate blog entry.
We need to have this as comsuption and the blog can have open discussion.
It would be nice to take key points from each article to-Roosevelt is silent in PPS and PGH-place him in NY and pay him as a xonsultant and or public speaker he even answers questions-both give excellent insight for our future children under his tutelage the next couple years for PPS.
The Chautauquan Daily - Roosevelt to share Pittsburgh successes
Roosevelt to share Pittsburgh successes Mark Roosevelt by Sara Toth Staff writer The Chautauqua audience has heard numerous perspectives on the public ...
www.chqdaily.com/.../roosevelt-to-share-pittsburgh-successes
Gloomy Side Of Reform
Jamestown Post Journal
By Andrew Carr acarr@post-journal.com
CHAUTAUQUA - Speaking about education reform is a hard thing to do without being gloomy, said Mark Roosevelt to a ...
http://www.chqdaily.com/post/910209039/roosevelt-to-share-pittsburgh-successes
Here is the correct link
Here is further insight into the progressive mogul elites.
The following are two articles by F William Engdahl:
Bill Gates Talks About “Vaccines to Reduce World Population”
http://www.engdahl.oilgeopolitics.net/Swine_Flu/Gates_Vaccines/gates_vaccines.html
"Doomsday Seed Vault" in the Arctic
Bill Gates, Rockefeller and the GMO giants know something we don’t
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=7529
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100810/NEWS02/8100364/Education-Department-finalists-include-4-with-Des-Moines-school-ties
Linda Lane too?
Four current or former administrators from the Des Moines public school district and one rural Iowa superintendent are finalists for the job of director of the Iowa Department of Education, Gov. Chet Culver's office said.
Monday, in response to a public-records request, Culver's office released the names of the finalists to replace Judy Jeffrey, who retired in May. They are:
- Todd Abrahamson, superintendent of the Sigourney school district.
- Linda Lane, former deputy superintendent of the Des Moines school district and now deputy superintendent of accountability for the Pittsburgh, school district.
PTOs and PTAs and PTSOs contribute a great deal to their buildings in the form of activities, fundraising for field trips and outside programs and performances, a ready group of volunteers, etc
Each school has a PSCC (Parent/School/Community Council) with scheduled meetings monthly. You may not find its purpose easily, and I may be simplifying the whole process, but this is the grassroots level of parent engagement. You will find buildings in PPS where fewer than three parents attend a monthly PSCC meeting. You will find buildings where a meeting is held just to SAY a meeting was held. And, you will find buildings where even if the staff attending a meeting outnumber the parents in the room, the purpose of the PSCC is respected. In these cases, in my observation, it happens when the parents make it happen.
Parents need to start thinking differently about parent meetings. Parents need to redirect the agenda to focus on the issues of the day, the ones THEY feel are critical at that moment. For instance, every PSCC meetings should begin with a report from the building Discipline Committee. Nothing sinks a building's reputation more than the perception of disorder. The rumors on the streets should be addressed at a PSCC and not be left to grow OR be swept away and dismissed. If our kids and our staff are not safe, this is where the campaign to fix the situation should begin and where accountability is paramount. A PSCC can be useful to the school community. It is up to parents to restore it to its original purpose and have it move away from being just a way to meet a federal requirement for parent involvement.
This is more of an idea than a comment. Can this blog contact other community blogs that mirror our concerns?
Here are a few examples: http://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/
http://www.susanohanian.org/index.php
This site has a lot of links:
http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/
Maybe we can all share ideas and experiences.
Here is my testimony from today's public hearing.
A school bus was provided to transport folks from Homewood to support the plan (note that buses have never been provided for opponents of administration proposals). Even so only a small handful attended. Two school board members were absent as was the deputy superintendent.
My testimony, which I will look forward to revisiting in several years as we see how things pan out:
PPS Public Hearing
August 23, 2010
Annette Werner PURE Reform
Good evening.
I'm going to talk about the school reconfiguration plan. My overall impression of this plan is that it would not last in the long run because it forces arrangements that are not a good fit.
- 6-12 format: The community dialogues proved 6-12 to be an extremely unpopular grouping. It may be accepted at a school like CAPA with few sports and a select group of students who want to be there no matter what (although CAPA high school students have told me they would much prefer a performing arts high school). Elsewhere the 6-12 format imposes a burden on participation in sports and activities that would never be imposed on Allderdice or schools in the North and South regions and which will have to be fixed by a reconfiguration at a future date.
- Peabody area students to the Hill and Homewood- At risk students need a convenient, easily accessible school. Ongoing incidents in Homewood make the plan to send Peabody students to Westinghouse even more challenging and stressful for these students and their families. Eventually the Peabody community will take back the Peabody building.
- Mandatory CTE- Requiring students to participate in a career program, and a very limited one at that, solely because they live in a particular part of the city will not lead to a strong CTE program, particularly as students move in and out of the feeder pattern.
- Peabody building for IB- The combination of a non-central location, windowless spaces and limited outdoor athletic facilities will not help to attract students who have other options.
- Lack of regard for diversity- When this whole process began the high schools with limited diversity- Peabody, Oliver and Westinghouse- were the most problematic. The district then went ahead and added another school with limited diversity which has not been able to attract and retain students. Feeder patterns may be ever expanded but the more committed and involved parents will continue to seek diverse options for their children, leaving less diverse schools underenrolled and underperforming.
- Failure to align schedules of proposed year round schools with the schedules of younger family members.
Over the past two years I have spoken with all of you on the Board and observed most of your meetings, and I have found that each of you has common sense. Today I urge you to please, use that common sense to vote down this very untenable, ill-advised proposal. I know there are a better alternatives.
Here is my testimony from today's public hearing.
A school bus was provided to transport folks from Homewood to support the plan (note that buses have never been provided for opponents of administration proposals). Even so only a small handful attended. Two school board members were absent as was the deputy superintendent.
My testimony, which I will look forward to revisiting in several years as we see how things pan out:
PPS Public Hearing
August 23, 2010
Annette Werner PURE Reform
Good evening.
I'm going to talk about the school reconfiguration plan. My overall impression of this plan is that it would not last in the long run because it forces arrangements that are not a good fit.
- 6-12 format: The community dialogues proved 6-12 to be an extremely unpopular grouping. It may be accepted at a school like CAPA with few sports and a select group of students who want to be there no matter what (although CAPA high school students have told me they would much prefer a performing arts high school). Elsewhere the 6-12 format imposes a burden on participation in sports and activities that would never be imposed on Allderdice or schools in the North and South regions and which will have to be fixed by a reconfiguration at a future date.
- Peabody area students to the Hill and Homewood- At risk students need a convenient, easily accessible school. Ongoing incidents in Homewood make the plan to send Peabody students to Westinghouse even more challenging and stressful for these students and their families. Eventually the Peabody community will take back the Peabody building.
- Mandatory CTE- Requiring students to participate in a career program, and a very limited one at that, solely because they live in a particular part of the city will not lead to a strong CTE program, particularly as students move in and out of the feeder pattern.
- Peabody building for IB- The combination of a non-central location, windowless spaces and limited outdoor athletic facilities will not help to attract students who have other options.
- Lack of regard for diversity- When this whole process began the high schools with limited diversity- Peabody, Oliver and Westinghouse- were the most problematic. The district then went ahead and added another school with limited diversity which has not been able to attract and retain students. Feeder patterns may be ever expanded but the more committed and involved parents will continue to seek diverse options for their children, leaving less diverse schools underenrolled and underperforming.
- Failure to align schedules of proposed year round schools with the schedules of younger family members.
Over the past two years I have spoken with all of you on the Board and observed most of your meetings, and I have found that each of you has common sense. Today I urge you to please, use that common sense to vote down this very untenable, ill-advised proposal. I know there are a better alternatives.
I never thought I would say this, but how about a "Thank you Mark " thread, or at the very least a thread about holding the school "Broad" accountable.
I watched 30 minutes of the meeting tonight, it was a joke. The board is a joke, and our kids our being shuffled around by an administration with ADHD.
I do not get the Roosevelt love.
Oops! "Thank you Mark Brentley thread
Besides this blog site, does PureReform use other media to disseminate their message; like local radio/tv, as well as, national radio/tv. More frequent editorials in local newspapers would capture public attention. Flyers posted in and around neighborhoods would spark interest.
Any plans to hold strategic meetings with members? Strong grassroot organizations need foot soldiers on the ground. A good recruitment tool is to have each member bring a different friend/neighbor with them to every meeting.
There is strength in numbers. I dare any local media to ignore a huge PureReform rally outside while Roosevelt meets with a select group of parents, teachers, a/o community members to discuss PPS concerns. Rally during a board meeting. PureReform has legitimate concerns that demands local and national attention.
Eli Broad, Roosevelt, and the rest of the Broadies will back down and eventually leave if this grassroot effort truly organizes and pushes back. They do not want opposition. They do not want exposure.
wpxi reported on this armed robbery across the street from reiz
http://www.wpxi.com/news/24853960/detail.htm
still wating for post gazette to mention it.
Another new post?
State school board praises city new teacher initiatives
A new teacher evaluation and performance pay system introduced in the Pittsburgh Public Schools this year are the kind of initiatives that districts around ...
postgazette.com/pg/10259/1087895-53.stm
Advocates keep critical eye on Pittsburgh's public schools
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
She keeps an eye on Pittsburgh Public Schools as a volunteer with A+ Schools, a Downtown-based watchdog. "I wanted to understand how the (school) board ...
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_700346.html
Article insights/Quotes
A+ Schools, which is recruiting volunteers, formed in 2004 after then-Mayor Tom Murphy established the Commission on Public Education to address problems that culminated with three foundations pulling financial support for the district.
Another Mayor involved in Education-much lighter than the role of DC’s Former Mayor and Rhee’s appointment as Chancellor.
"They've helped us see things we wouldn't have seen," board President Theresa Colaizzi said. "When you're sitting at the table, you're not thinking about the person that's outside looking in."
Theresa Colaizzi-get yourself actively involved- IN ALL SCHOOLS-your tenure as President is a very sad example of just having the title-please-just love the power ---Power.
Please let us not have Isler or Sumpter voted in as President--the real dictatorship will be solidified with Roosevelt. Moreover, the backdoor tactics will be huge.
"I came to find out that the definition of the position having been filled was different between our department and the criteria the principal was using," Lane said. "This year, we believe we should have significant improvements."
Hello, Dr Lane name the latest person running PPS HR? Principals have Budgets-can they afford their teaching staffs>
Where is the transparency?
Are we using the latest version of waiting to see the student numbers, student enrollment shifts due to AYP guidelines for September 30, 2010.
I hope they are checking daily student attendance trends.
WE NEED THE HARDCORE DATA REGARDING THE 2010-11 SEPTEMBER STUDENT ENROLLMENT –this way will the enrolment trends be vital for the Budget regarding construction projects, teacher projects and school closings and reconfiguration?
Debt or Taxpayers issues and student loss of activities and quality educational opportunities?
Insightful article-but sad.
Another Blog Entry-More verbal language from Roosevelt
Pittsburgh High School Reform Task Force | National Grants Foundation
By xes_10
Superintendent Mark Roosevelt, the founding of the Pittsburgh Public Schools High School Reform Task Force announced. High School Reform Task Force, which includes the leaders of both universities and secondary schools, ...
National Grants Foundation -
http://nationalgrantsfoundation.blognub.com/
September 21, 2010 7:05 AM
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