Obama and others refuse to use the "G" word in the case of the Armenians

Armenian community is still waiting to hear from Congress
By Haykaram Nahapetyan - 12/27/10
The Hill's Congress Blog

The “lame-ducking” Congress did not vote on H-Res 252 recognizing the period of systematic massacres of the Armenian people during the WW1 as genocide. On March 4th, it passed House Foreign Affairs Committee with 23 to 22 votes but speaker Nancy Pelosi did not bring the Armenian Genocide Resolution to the floor agenda, despite her initial pledge. There was a certain pressure from State Department as well as from the Turkish lobby in order to prevent it from happening....

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It’s noteworthy that President Barack Obama, Vice President Biden, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton actively supported the Armenian Genocide Resolution, when they were candidates for the presidency and vice-presidency in 2008. Read more...

Shutting out parents, and how it must stop!

Education Week just published an article I co-authored with Julie Woestehoff of Chicago’s PURE called Shutting Out Parents: Obama's Disappointing Blueprint for Reform, about how the US Department of Education has completely excluded parents and our ideas from their education agenda, including the need for smaller classes and more parental involvement.

The only instance in which parent involvement in decisionmaking is mentioned in Duncan’s entire blueprint for ESEA is to require that the parents of Native American children be included in the design of programs at the school level. (!!)

Though the U.S. Department of Education calls many of their proposals “innovation,” we see them as representing large-scale experiments on our children—experiments lacking a foundation in research and implemented without informed parental consent—something that would never be allowed in fields such as medicine.

It is a shortened version of a letter we sent last month to the President and Congress, signed by parent leaders across America.

Please send your own message to DC policymakers, by signing our NEW petition to Obama and Congress, Put the Parent Voice Back in Public Education, if you agree.

Obama Set To Sign Bill Widening Hate Crime Laws

NPR
By Ari Shapiro

Click here to see a map of hate crime laws by state

At a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden Wednesday afternoon, President Obama plans to sign a bill into law that was more than a decade in the making. It is an update to the federal hate crimes statute that Congress initially passed in 1968.

For the first time, the law that had previously protected people from attacks motivated by race, religion or ethnicity will include gay, lesbian, transgender and disabled people.

Read full story

Darfur: Debate Over Obama's Sudan Policy - TIME

Darfur Activists Frustrated with Obama's Sudan Policy

TIME
By Daniel Pepper

Photo: Sudanese fighters of the Justice and Equality Movement on the Sudan-Chad border in northwest Darfur Stuart Price / AFP / Getty

.....(excerpt) - On Oct. 19 the White House released its much delayed Sudan policy. It proposes a series of "incentives and pressures" designed to encourage the government of Sudan to end the slaughter of civilians in Darfur and credibly implement the 2005 peace agreement between the Arab north and the animist and Christian south. While the exact carrots and sticks remain classified, advocacy groups have responded to the overall approach with cautious optimism. The Save Darfur Coalition released a statement saying it cautiously welcomes the new policy but that "its success will depend on implementation backed by sustained presidential leadership." ...

Read article

Article includes links to related articles on the topic, photos of Darfur and Sudan, and a video.

Political movements require community organizing

When Obama encouraged Americans to get involved with community, I took that call to action seriously.

Today marks the beginning of my new role as a nationwide organizer for the Forgive Student Loan Debt Movement.

Here's to organizing and empowering the indentured educated class!

* If you're interested in volunteering, please let me know.

President Obama's Speech to Students

http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama - Back to School Event
Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009

The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning....keep reading...

Why can't a woman become a social worker without it leading to financial ruin?

Gina Moss, a single mother, from Baltimore decided to go to college in the hopes of carving out a better life for herself and her daughter. Ms. Moss, however, worried about the cost of going to school. But then she was offered a package from a school in Ohio that she simply couldn't turn down. This entailed taking out about $7,000 a year in loans in order to become a social worker. But there were other costs  - books, living expenses, etc. - so when Ms. Moss graduated, she told the reporter in this interview about the student loan debt crisis, that she ended up owing around $50,000. As a result of accrued interest, Ms. Moss now owes well over $70,000. That number continues to grow minute by minute, day by day, month by month. She is not alone . . .

She cannot find a job in her field. She has no support from the man who is the father of her child. Why? Ms. Moss was sexually assaulted in school. A traumatic experience that no person ought to face. But violence like this is unfortunately all too common. After the assault, Ms. Moss learned that she was pregnant. She made the decision to keep her child.

At one point the reporter asked, "why didn't you think about getting a degree that would allow you to earn more money?"

Ms. Moss replied, "at the time I didn't think about. I didn't think about getting an MBA or a law degree . . ."

While I appreciate this report overall, I think that question was a poor one. This woman wanted to become a social worker, because she likes to help people. As a result of wanting to help people, and not earning an MBA or a law degree, Ms. Moss is now homeless. Why? She took out FFELP loans. These loans were in collection, and Ms. Moss was advised by this lender's collection department to pay money on her loan instead of on her rent. Since I abide by the belief that in order to truly understand a person's life and struggles, you must walk in that person's shoes first, I will not judge her for the decision she made. I can only imagine the critics and their loud, taunting voices on here, shouting things like: "Well, she should have known better!" or "Why would she have taken such stupid advice. It's her own fault!"

Instead of standing afar and casting a cruel judging eye upon this particular woman, I want to emphasize that her struggle is a collective one. Go to the message boards affixed to all these stories about student lending issues - you will find thousands and thousands of stories like Gina Moss's! She is NOT alone. But yet we all feel very alone, don't we? We - the new indentured educated class - have been effectively silenced by a corrupted, bureaucratized system and now our bourgeois spaces serve as our prisons. These enclosed spaces were once, for the educated bourgeoisie - safe havens, but not anymore. Not for this new indentured educated class.

So, we may have access to internet, own a nice television (Ms. Moss, mind you, does not even have a T.V nor does she have a home), but we are enslaved by the student lending industry (I also see the DOE as culpable).

I ask Mr. Obama: are we REALLY engaged citizens? What sort of change are you offering your educated middle-class, Mr. President?

If Mr. Obama had not written that wonderful memoir about his father, HE and HIS WIFE would still have student loan debt. THE president of THE United States of America would still owe debt had it not been for that marvelous book. Now, I ask all of you, even the critics, doesn't that seem ABSURD?

At least glaneurs could glean without the fear of accruing interest from the things they collected! What sort of prison have we created for our own class?

Comments on Race to the Top Proposal

The Obama Administration has provided a proposal for spending $ 4.5 billion in Federal funds to push their education agenda. The full proposal and a form to submit comments can be found here. I submitted the following comment:

Comments on Obama Administration’s Race to the Top Proposal.

Patrick J. Sullivan, Manhattan Member, Panel for Educational Policy, NYC Board of Education

The proposal emphasizes increased uses of standardized testing and expansion of charter schools, two strategies for improving student performance that do not have a research base supporting their efficacy.

In contrast evidence-based strategies such as class size reduction are not anywhere supported by the proposal. Beyond small class size, attributes of high performing public and private schools – enrichment programs, arts, foreign language, and sports – are nowhere to be found in the proposal despite the fact that these programs are always found in schools already at “the top”.

The definition of effective teacher and student growth are too narrowly dependent on standardized tests. Application of these definitions as proposed for teacher tenure, compensation and termination decisions will have negative consequences for teaching and learning.

The “effective teacher” and “very effective teacher” are defined as those who demonstrate “student growth” which is itself defined to be changes in “student achievement”. “Student achievement” is defined as changes in state standardized test scores. Once enshrined as criteria for making tenure decisions, rating and termination decisions as suggested by the proposal (Reform plan criteria C2), this approach will lead to narrowing of the curriculum and teaching to the test. Only tested subjects will be emphasized. There is also significant risk that educators will avoid schools where factors outside of a teacher’s control such as overcrowding, underfunding, poverty, crime, weak administration and lack of parental support create a more difficult environment for teaching. Rather than seeking to define effective teaching, the RttT proposals should focus on proven tactics for improving teaching effectiveness such as lower class size or innovative solutions for addressing the challenges teachers face.

Proposed interventions for underperforming schools lack vision and emphasize measures that, in practice, will be punitive toward educators.

The interventions required in “Turning Around Struggling Schools” (Reform Plan Criteria D3) include closing schools, elimination of the majority of staff and forced conversion to charter or private management. The emphasis of these tactics will cause talented teachers to avoid low performing schools likely to lead to situations where teachers will be terminated or otherwise stigmatized as failing.

The proposal systematically excludes parents as stakeholders in the education of their children.

One factor considered in awarding the grants to each state is the extent to which support and commitment of key stakeholders is enlisted (Overall Selection Criteria E3). While the administration has a long list of stakeholders, parents are not on it. Charter schools, teachers unions and foundations are deemed to be important stakeholders but not parents. These criteria should be extended to explicitly include parents, parent groups and Parent Associations as stakeholders. There is only one place where parents are even mentioned in the proposal, as consumers of reports produced by the proposed data systems. The proposal’s exclusion of parents and the rejection of their role in the education of their children are inappropriate and will undermine any genuine reform effort. Reform efforts must engage parents as they play an essential role in maintaining a supportive environment for learning and must set expectations for their children. This type of thinking appears to be alien to the drafters of the proposal who appear to seek only to hold teachers accountable to the exclusion of all other factors or stakeholders.

"Effective Teacher" as Defined By the Obama Dept of Ed

The proposal for allocating Race to the Top Funds is worth reading for its insights into how educational policy in the Obama administration is evolving. There is much discussion of "effective teachers and principals" and the use of "effectiveness information" for granting tenure and dismissing teachers is suggested. But what do these words mean? Fortunately, there is a list of definitions at the end of the document (use the pdf -- it's the easiest to read)

First, the "effective teacher":

Effective teacher means a teacher
whose students achieve acceptable rates
(e.g., at least one grade level in an
academic year) of student growth (as
defined in this notice). States may
supplement this definition as they see
fit so long as teacher effectiveness is
judged, in significant measure, by
student growth (as defined in this
notice).

What then, is "student growth". Also in the definitions section:

Student growth means the change in
achievement data for an individual
student between two points in time.
Growth may be measured by a variety of
approaches, but any approach used
must be statistically rigorous and based
on student achievement (as defined in
this notice) data, and may also include
other measures of student learning in
order to increase the construct validity
and generalizability of the information.

Of course, "student achievement". That's what we're all after. But not surprisingly it's nothing more than our old friends, the ELA and Math tests.

Student achievement means, at a
minimum—
(a) For tested grades and subjects: A
student’s score on the State’s assessment
under section 1111(b)(3) of the ESEA;
and
(b) For non-tested grades and subjects:
...

Is that all there is?

Comments are being taken on the Race to the Top Fund proposal through August 29th. Cliick here for the comment form.

Obama Education Grant Criteria Excludes Parents as Stakeholders

The Obama administration has issued proposed rules and guidelines for the Race to the Top education grants. One factor considered in awarding the grants to each state is the extent to which support and commitment of key stakeholders is enlisted. While the administration has a long list of stakeholders (see below), parents are not on it. Charter schools, teachers unions and the foundations are deemed to be important stakeholders but not parents.

Submit your comments online through August 29th.

(E)(3) Enlisting statewide support and commitment: The extent to
which the State has demonstrated commitment, support, and/or funding from the following key stakeholders:

(i) The State's teachers' union(s) and charter school authorizers;
(ii) Other State and local leaders (e.g., business, community,
civil rights, and education association leaders);
(iii) Grant-making foundations and other funding sources; and
(iv) LEAs, including public charter schools identified as LEAs
under State law, with special emphasis on the following: High-need LEAs (as defined in this notice); participation by LEAs, schools, students, and students in poverty; and the strength of the Memoranda of Understanding between LEAs and the State, which must at a minimum be signed by the LEA superintendent (or equivalent), the president of the local school board (if relevant), and the local teachers' union leader (if relevant).

Quick Bite: "Nelnet, Sallie Mae-Funded Senators Opposing Student Aid Reforms"

Michael Connery's posting here discusses how a bipartisan group of senators were not happy about Obama's eye on reforming aid and lending in higher education.

Is Arne Duncan Destroying the Obama Brand?

Education blogs today were transfixed by US Education Secretary Arne Duncan's gushing appreciation for the New York Post's contribution to the mayoral control debate here in NYC.

From the Post's story:

Arne Duncan, the US secretary of education, lauded The Post's coverage.

"I appreciate your paper's leadership. I appreciate the thoughtfulness. You guys did a lot of work on [the mayoral-control issue]," Duncan said.

Gotham Schools has a genuinely thoughtful analysis entitled "The Fruitful Alliance of Arne Duncan and Rupert Murdoch" including some great quotes from incredulous education and journalism insiders.

NYC Educator's scathing commentary dismisses Duncan as "cheerleader for the Bloomberg PR machine".

The President ought to watch his back. The Post's circulation dropped 21% this year. With his own numbers headed south as well, he might want to suggest his Education Secretary find some new friends.

Bad news for our society: PUBLIC law schools becoming unaffordable

In a recent interview, Kevin R. Johnson, dean of the University of California, Davis School of Law, said, "I fear, given the fees our law students are being charged, [that] affordable public legal education is no longer in existence."

The University of California, Davis School of Law, is not alone in its struggle to provide affordable legal education. As a result of state budget issues and the disappearance of solid endowments, tuition hikes are occurring at University of Indiana's Maurer School of Law (costs will be 25% higher), University of Texas School of Law (16% for residents and 11% for non-residents) , and the University of Colorado School of Law (depending upon your status and state residency, tuition is rising between 12% to 20%). That's just to name a few.

While this news isn't necessarily surprising for those of us who are aware of tuition hikes, it's nevertheless frightening. After all, this country's foundations rest upon law. It's a central theme to the concepts we as Americans take pride in (equality and justice for all, etc.). Moreover, our current president is (thankfully) an expert on Constitutional Law. For 12 years Obama lectured on various aspects relating to law at the University of Chicago (my alma mater).

If law schools for the public cease to be affordable, what are the cultural and political repercussions of that?

Regardless of the lawyer jokes (head's up: not all lawyers are out to swindle you or your neighbor. In fact there's a large contingent of them who fight for our rights), this issue is no laughing matter. The significance of law (in both practice and theory) is hallowed in this country. If it disappears, we are heading down a dangerous path.

U.S. Backs Implementing U.N. Doctrine Against Genocide

The Wall Street Journal
July 30, 2009. By JOE LAURIA

UNITED NATIONS -- The Obama administration is supporting moves to implement a U.N. doctrine calling for collective military action to halt genocide.

The next step is to see if the countries in favor of implementing the policy will act when a new genocide is brewing if all other diplomatic actions fail. The doctrine is political, not legal: Although these countries have expressed the political will to act, they aren't legally bound to. Read article...

Duncan Speaks

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan today delivered a major speech on the Obama Administration's teacher quality priorities before the National Education Association. He challenged the NEA to think differently about approaches to teacher compensation, while thanking NEA for its support of National Board teacher certification. He also said that the Adminstration was not interested in imposing reforms on teachers, but wanted to work with educators to develop such reforms.

Here are some brief excerpts -- on teacher pay and reform:

I am big believer in this program, but let's also be honest: school systems pay teachers billions of dollars more each year for earning PD credentials that do very little to improve the quality of teaching.

At the same time, many schools give nothing at all to the teachers who go the extra mile and make all the difference in students' lives. Excellence matters and we should honor it—fairly, transparently, and on terms teachers can embrace.

The President and I have both said repeatedly that we are not going to impose reform but rather work with teachers, principals, and unions to find what works. And that is what we did in Chicago. We enlisted the help of 24 of the best teachers in the system to design a pilot performance compensation system. We also sat down with the union and bargained it out.

It was based on classroom observation, whole school performance and individual classroom performance, measured in part by growth in student learning. The rewards and incentives for good performance went to every adult in the school—including custodians and cafeteria workers—not just the individual teachers.

Where you see high-performing schools—it's the culture—every adult taking responsibility and creating a culture of high expectations.

On seniority and tenure--

And I'm telling you as well—that when inflexible seniority and rigid tenure rules that we designed put adults ahead of children—then we are not only putting kids at risk—we're putting the entire education system at risk. We're inviting the attack of parents and the public—and that is not good for any of us.

I believe that teacher unions are at a crossroads. These policies were created over the past century to protect the rights of teachers but they have produced an industrial factory model of education that treats all teachers like interchangeable widgets.

On data, student assessment and teacher evaluation--

Now let's talk about data. I understand that word can make people nervous but I see data first and foremost as a barometer. It tells us what is happening. Used properly, it can help teachers better understand the needs of their students. Too often, teachers don't have good data to inform instruction and help raise student achievement.

Data can also help identify and support teachers who are struggling. And it can help evaluate them. The problem is that some states prohibit linking student achievement and teacher effectiveness.

I understand that tests are far from perfect and that it is unfair to reduce the complex, nuanced work of teaching to a simple multiple choice exam. Test scores alone should never drive evaluation, compensation or tenure decisions. That would never make sense. But to remove student achievement entirely from evaluation is illogical and indefensible.

It's time we all admit that just as our testing system is deeply flawed—so is our teacher evaluation system—and the losers are not just the children. When great teachers are unrecognized and unrewarded—when struggling teachers are unsupported—and when failing teachers are unaddressed—the teaching profession is damaged.

Shooting at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM)

All of us at the Holocaust Center send our colleagues at the USHMM and the family of Officer Johns our condolences, thoughts, and prayers for safety and healing in this difficult time.

Such acts of violence and hatred reiterate the need for the work we are doing.

Holocaust museum closed in tribute to slain guard (CNN)

The President and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar offer condolences.
From the White House Briefing Room Blog:

President Obama:
I am shocked and saddened by today’s shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. This outrageous act reminds us that we must remain vigilant against anti-Semitism and prejudice in all its forms. No American institution is more important to this effort than the Holocaust Museum, and no act of violence will diminish our determination to honor those who were lost by building a more peaceful and tolerant world.

Today, we have lost a courageous security guard who stood watch at this place of solemn remembrance. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends in this painful time.

Secretary Salazar:
Today, we witnessed an act of violence and hatred in one of our world's most sacred sites of remembrance. This horrible crime took the life of Officer Stephen Tyrone Johns, whose courage in the line of duty saved lives and protected the hallowed halls of the Holocaust Museum. Americans' thoughts and prayers tonight are with Officer Johns’ family.

We are also reminded of the great sacrifices our law enforcement officials, including security guards and the Park Police who protect the National Mall, make every day on our behalf. This tragic act of violence only reaffirms the lessons of peace and human dignity that the Holocaust Museum teaches.

President Obama visits Buchenwald

At a Holocaust Site, Obama Calls Denial ‘Hateful’

New York Times. Published: June 5, 2009
By Jeff Zeleney and Nicholas Kulish

DRESDEN, Germany — President Obama on Friday intensified his pledge to unlock the Middle East stalemate, sending an envoy next week to pursue his call for a two-state solution, as he toured a former concentration camp that he said served as a lesson to “be ever-vigilant about the spread of evil in our own time.”
Read article.

Obama Marks Anniversary of Armenian Genocide

NPR - All Things Considered, April 24, 2009

President Obama marked the 94th remembrance day for the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the Turks during World War I. As a candidate, Obama called the killings genocide. On a trip to Turkey as president last month, he shied away from that description.

Click here to listen (2min 9 sec)

President Obama's Days of Remembrance Address

Yom Hashoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day
National Ceremony in Capitol Rotunda, April 23


View President Obama's Days of Remembrance Address
View the transcript of the President's remarks

Coming soon - transcript of the powerful speech given by Elie Wiesel.