Monday, February 27, 2012

FORGETTING OHIO...

http://www.wivb.com/dpps/news/nation/midwest/sheriff-says-shooting-at-ohio-school-victims-unknown-nt12-jgr_4085734

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Differentiated Difficulties

February break comes to a close and I ponder the coming week. I wonder about the no-suspension policy. I think about how it can ruin a school. Tying the hands of administrators is the opposite of the answer we seek. Instead of kicking kids out of schools, why in God's name aren't we building alternative charter schools for the vocational ed and special needs populations, including the gifted poor. "Differentiated Instruction" is code for "we don't care about quality". This becomes obvious once this kind of instruction is in process. In the schools I have seen it means the district can stick 47 kids in one room with 2 teachers and get away with it. It has nothing to do with quality or what the children may actually need to pass a senseless exam. Why would we think other wise? This is public education folks. Welcome to the greatest show on earth!

Friday, February 24, 2012

DUH

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/education/

Saturday, February 18, 2012

THE KING HAS SPOKEN

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/schools/article733525.ece

CRIME IS NOT DOWN

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/police-courts/police-blotter/article734298.ece

Thursday, February 16, 2012

EXCERPT FROM WIKIPEDIA

Allegations of Corruption

The Buffalo News has reported that Brown may have interfered with a police investigation in 2007. The allegations stem from an incident in which it is alleged where Brown ordered police to free a possible friend of the mayor, Leonard Stokes, who had been arrested for possessing a stolen handicapped parking tag. The Buffalo News also reported another scandal involving Mr. Stokes, and Mayor Brown. The scandal involved a $160,000 loan given to Mr. Stokes from the City of Buffalo, to open a restaurant in Buffalo.[99] Further controversy arose when it was discovered that Michelle Baron, VP of the city backed corporation which gave Mr. Stokes, who had no previous experience operating a restaurant, the loan, was involved in securing the loan with a faulty business plan. Evidence also points to Mayor Brown green lighting the loan.[100]

In June 2009, Commissioner Tanya Perrin-Johnson wrote a series of e-mails that were sent to about 20 employees in her department directing them to work on the mayor's re-election campaign. The Office of Special Counsel has begun an investigation to determine whether the e-mails represent a violation of the federal Hatch Act, which, among other things, prohibits employees involved in federally funded programs from using their authority to influence political campaigns.[101] As a result of the probe, the Common Council last year decided to delay her reappointment as commissioner until the investigation concluded. She had been serving in an interim capacity. On April 8, 2011, Commissioner Tanya Perrin-Johnson resigned her position.[102]

A March 9, 2010 Buffalo News Article outlined Mayor Brown's political relationship with Rev. Richard Stenhouse [1]. The article details the over $5 million dollars Rev. Stenhouse received to develop affordable housing on Buffalo's east side. The article goes on to suggest much of the money was wasted due to incompetence and inexperience. Rev. Stenhouse is the pastor for one of Buffalo's largest Congregations the Bethel AME Church, and an ally of Mayor Brown.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

A REPLY WORTH READING:


1) Equity Project charter schools pay their teachers 125,000 dollars per year and they can be fired any time but only 31% of the students at this school pass the new york standardiz­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­e­­d tests, why if this school is supposed to get the best teachers money can buy?
Link: http://pro­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­j­­e­­c­­t­­s­­­.­­­n­­­­y­­­­t­­­­­i­­­­­m­e­­­­s­.­­­­c­­o­­­­m­­/­­­­­n­­e­­­­­­w­­-­y­­­­­o­­r­k­­­­­­-­­s­c­­­­­­­h­­o­­o­­­­­­­l­­s-­­t­­­­­­­­e­­st­­­-­­­­­­­­s­­­co­­­r­­­­­­­e­s­­­­/c­­­o­­­­­­­­u­n­­­­­ti­­­e­­­­­­­­­s/n­­­­­­ew­­­-­­­­­­­­­­yor­­­­­­­k/­­­­d­­­­­­­­­­istr­­­­­­­­ic­­­­t­­­­­­­­­­­s­/ne­­­w­­­­­-y­­­­o­­­­­­­­­­­­r­­k-c­­­i­­­­­­ty­-­­d­­­­­­­­­­­­­­i­­str­­­­i­­­­­­ct­­-­­6­­­­/­­­­­­­­­­s­­­cho­­­­o­­­­­­­ls­­­/­­t­­­­h­­­­­­­e­­­-­­­­equ­­­­­i­­­­­­­ty­­­­-­­p­­­­­r­­­­o­­j­­­­e­­­­ct­-­­­­­c­­­­­­­­ha­­­­­r­­t­e­­­r­­­­­-­­s­­­­­c­­­­ho­­o­­­­­l
2) Why KIPP and SUCCESS charter schools suspend almost half it's students?, if they hire the good teachers and fire the bad ones suspension­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­s are not supposed to happen in charter schools, period!
Link: http://www­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­.­­e­­­x­­­a­­­­m­­­­i­­­­­n­­­­­e­­­­­­r­­­­­­.­­­­­­­c­­o­­­­­m­­/­­­­­­c­­h­­­­­­­a­­r­­­­­­­­t­­e­­­­­­­­­r­­-­­s­­­­­­­c­­­h­­o­­­­­­­­o­­­l­­­s­­­­­­­­-­­­­i­­­n­­­­­­­­­-­­­­wa­­­s­­­­­­­­­­h­­­­­in­­­g­­­­­­­­­­­t­­­­­­on­­­-­­­­­­­­­­d­c­­­­­­­/k­­­­i­­­­­­­­­­­p­p­­­­­­­­-a­­­­d­­­­­­­­­­­­­mit­­­­­­­­­s-­­­­t­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­o-h­­­­­­­­­­ig­­­­h­­­­­­­­­­­­­­-­­stu­­­­­­­­­­­de­­­­­n­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­t­­­-at­­­­t­­­­­­­ri­­­­­­t­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­i­­­­on-­­­­­r­­­­­­­at­­­­e­­s
http://art­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­i­­c­­­l­­­e­­­­s­­­­.­­­­­b­­­­­a­­­­­­l­­­­­­t­­­­­­­i­­m­­­­­o­­r­­­­­­e­­s­­­­­­­u­­n­­­­­­­­.­­c­­­­­­­­­o­­m­­/­­­­­­­2­­­0­­1­­­­­­­­1­­­-­­­0­­­­­­­­3­­­­-­­­3­­­­­­­­­1­­­­/n­­­e­­­­­­­­­­w­­­­­s/­­­b­­­­­­­­­­­s­­­­­­-m­­­d­­­­­­­­­­-­k­­­­­­­ip­­­­p­­­­­­­­­­­-­s­­­­­­­­tu­­­­d­­­­­­­­­­­­­y-2­­­­­­­­­01­­­­1­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­033­­­­­­­­­­1_­­­­1­­­­­­­­­­­­­­_­­kip­­­­­­­­­­­p-­­­­­s­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­c­­­hoo­­­­l­­­­­­­s-­­­­­­k­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­i­­­­pp-­­­­­u­­­­­­­ji­­­­m­­a­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­-­­­­vi­l­­­­­l­­­­­­­­ag­­­­­e­­-­­­­­a­­­­­­­­­­­­­­c­­­­ad­­e­­­­­m­­­­­­­­­y-­­­­­­w­­e­­­­­­s­­­­­­­­­t­­­­­e­­­­­rn­­-­­­­­­m­­­­­­­­­­ic­­­­­­h­­­i­­­­­­g­­­­­­a­­­n­­­­­­-­­­­­­re­­p­­­­­­­o­­­­­­­­­­­rt
3) If good teachers are supposed to being capable of teaching any kind of students and charters schools are center of educationa­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­l innovation , why they reject special education students?
Link http://www­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­.­­n­­­y­­­t­­­­i­­­­m­­­­­e­­­­­s­­­­­­.­­­­­­c­­­­­­­o­­m­­­­­/­­2­­­­­­0­­1­­­­­­­1­­/­­­­­­­­0­­7­­­­­­­­­/­­1­­1­­­­­­­/­­­n­­y­­­­­­­­r­­­e­­­g­­­­­­­­i­­­­o­­­n­­­­­­­­­/­­­­ch­­­a­­­­­­­­­­r­­­­­te­­­r­­­­­­­­­­­-­­­­­­sc­­­h­­­­­­­­­­o­o­­­­­­­l-­­­­s­­­­­­­­­­­e­n­­­­­­­­ds­­­­-­­­­­­­­­­­­­mes­­­­­­­­­sa­­­­g­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­e-t­­­­­­­­­­hr­­­­i­­­­­­­­­­­­­­v­­e-o­­­­­­­­­­­r-­­­­­t­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­r­­­ans­­­­f­­­­­­­er­­­­­­.­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­h­­­­tml­­­­­?­­­­­­­pa­­­­g­­e­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­w­­­­an­t­­­­­e­­­­­­­­d=­­­­­a­­l­­­­­l
4) If politician­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­s complain that bad teachers hurt students, why they do not complain when special education students are rejected by charter schools?
Link: http://www­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­.­­s­­­p­­­l­­­­c­­­­e­­­­­n­­­­­t­­­­­­e­­­­­­r­­­­­­­.­­o­­­­­r­­g­­­­­­/­­g­­­­­­­e­­t­­­­­­­­-­­i­­­­­­­­­n­­f­­o­­­­­­­r­­­m­­e­­­­­­­­d­­­/­­­n­­­­­­­­e­­­­w­­­s­­­­­­­­­/­­­­sp­­­l­­­­­­­­­­c­­­­­-c­­­o­­­­­­­­­­­m­­­­­­pl­­­a­­­­­­­­­­i­n­­­­­­­t-­­­­c­­­­­­­­­­­h­i­­­­­­­­ld­­­­r­­­­­­­­­­­­­en-­­­­­­­­­wi­­­­t­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­h-d­­­­­­­­­­is­­­­a­­­­­­­­­­­­­­b­­ili­­­­­­­­­­­ti­­­­­e­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­s­­­-fa­­­­c­­­­­­­e-­­­­­­d­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­i­­­­scr­­­­­i­­­­­­­mi­­­­n­­a­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­t­­­­io­n­­­­­-­­­­­­­­in­­­­­-­­n­­­­­e­­­­­­­­­­­­­­w­­­­-o­­r­­­­­l­­­­­­­­­ea­­­­­­n­­s­­­­­­-­­­­­­­­­s­­­­­c­­­­­ho­­o­­­­­­l