Delegate files complaint with ethics panel…

…over Dance’s consulting job

Superintendent Dallas Dance (Pictured above) is involved in corruption and covered up by the Maryland State Board of Education.

A Maryland legislator has filed a complaint with the Baltimore County school board’s ethics panel, saying he wants them to rule on whether Superintendent Dallas Dance violated board policy when he took a part-time job with a company doing business with the school system.

Dance took a part-time job in August, training Chicago principals with a for-profit company that had received a $875,000 contract with the school system in December 2012. He also did not notify the board ahead of time about the job, which his contract required. He said that he thought he only had to disclose to the board once a year.

Dance resigned his job this month with SUPES Academy of Illinois after his association with the company was made public and he was criticized by legislators.

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/blog/bs-md-co-ethics-complaint-20131230,0,5414134.story#ixzz2p1IbiTI5

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School board says Dance should have gotten its OK

…before taking consulting job

Baltimore County Superintendent Dallas Dance should have sought the school  board’s approval before taking a consulting job with a company that had a  contract with the system, board President Lawrence Schmidt said Tuesday  night.

Schmidt said in a statement that the board has directed Dance to let members  know in advance of any proposed consulting work in the future.

The board has reviewed Dance’s contract and the school system’s ethics policy  and has found that “there is no indication that Dr. Dance’s performance as  superintendent was in any way adversely impacted” by the consulting, according  to Schmidt.

The board spoke with Dance at a closed-door meeting Tuesday about his  part-time job with SUPES Academy, an Illinois-based company that provides  training for administrators.

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/blog/bs-md-co-board-statement-dance-20131217,0,4187135.story#ixzz2npqQlyd3

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OPINION

Coming from the TOP school official, this looks real bad for Maryland State Board of Education and Mr. Dallas Dance. If he skirts the rules, who is to say what other unethical endeavors has he taken on.

This clearly is a slap in the face of the board who hired him, who was too young to lead Maryland teachers and implement his new Common Core philosophy. Many of the parents we spoke with are ashamed and embarrassed to live in Maryland more and more. The ignorance at every level of Maryland is really starting to show by allowing people unqualified to lead, hire, re hire and expand. Entitlement has gotten Maryland into a world of stupidity on a national level and showed America which state is most dependent on federal Government to maintain lifestyles.

No chief executive in the private sector would be allowed to do this. Donating 2/3 of the compensation does not mitigate the conflict of interest here.  Either Superintendent Dance gives up the employment with the company or the company gives up its contract with Baltimore County.  End of discussion.

The funny thing is that, teachers can’t tutor a student in their building for pay, even if that teacher doesn’t teach that student in any regular class.

So a teacher can’t pick up an extra $25 an hour for legitimate educational work, but the superintendent can take tens of thousands of dollars from a company that paid nearly a million dollars in taxpayer money?

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Call your elected officials now and the media. Demand investigations and initiation of changes… There is no smoke without fire!!

In our opinion, We aver and therefore believe Maryland State Board of Education President Dr. Charlene Dukes shown here has demonstrated a culture of corrupt leadership style and continues “an integrated pattern of pay to play” and manipulation during her tenure. Both leaders need to resign to create room for new leadership.

Dr. Lillian Lowery Embattled State Superintendent is currently presiding over deep-seated corruption in Maryland school system. She has demonstrated a culture of discrimination and racism while on the job.

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Superintendent Dallas Dance quit a consulting job Saturday amid questions  over the propriety of his work for a company that does business with the  Baltimore County school system.

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Read more ~~~>> Part I and Part II of the double standards involving Maryland School system Education leadership involved in corruption and the tax payer funds.

Superintendent involved in a Conflict of Interest

…Dance has consulting job with company doing business with schools

Several months after the Baltimore County school system signed an $875,000 contract with a professional development company in Illinois, Superintendent Dallas Dance took a part-time job with that company to coach Chicago school principals.

Dance is allowed under his employment contract to do private consulting work with prior approval of the school board as long as it does not interfere with the superintendent’s job. However, Dance acknowledged in an interview Friday that he had not yet sought the board’s approval, even though he took the job with SUPES Academy over the summer.

Dance’s second job prompted questions about the propriety of his working for a company that does business with the school system, training its principals. It also raised concerns about the superintendent taking the time to train educators in other states when Baltimore County schools are undergoing changes that have drawn complaints from teachers.

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/blog/bs-md-dance-coaching-contract-20131213,0,1762346.story#ixzz2nT2k5Ait

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OPINION

Coming from the TOP school official, this looks real bad for Maryland State Board of Education and Mr. Dallas Dance. If he skirts the rules, who is to say what other unethical endeavors have they taken on.

This clearly is a slap in the face of the board who hired him, who was too young to lead Maryland teachers and implement his new Common Core philosophy. Many of the parents we spoke with are ashamed and embarrassed to live in Maryland more and more. The ignorance at every level of Maryland is really starting to show by allowing people unqualified to lead, hire, re hire and expand. Entitlement has gotten Maryland into a world of stupidity on a national level and showed America which state is most dependent on federal Government to maintain lifestyles.

No chief executive in the private sector would be allowed to do this. Donating 2/3 of the compensation does not mitigate the conflict of interest here.  Either Superintendent Dance gives up the employment with the company or the company gives up its contract with Baltimore County.  End of discussion.

The funny thing is that, teachers can’t tutor a student in their building for pay, even if that teacher doesn’t teach that student in any regular class.

So a teacher can’t pick up an extra $25 an hour for legitimate educational work, but the superintendent can take tens of thousands of dollars from a company that paid nearly a million dollars in taxpayer money?

Call your elected officials now and the media. Demand investigations and initiation of changes… There is no smoke without fire!!

In our opinion, We aver and therefore believe Maryland State Board of Education President Dr. Charlene Dukes shown here has demonstrated a culture of corrupt leadership style and continues “an integrated pattern of pay to play” and manipulation during her tenure. Both leaders need to resign to create room for new leadership.

Dr. Lillian Lowery Embattled State Superintendent is currently presiding over deep-seated corruption in Maryland school system. She has demonstrated a culture of discrimination and racism while on the job.

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Maryland Youth earn diploma in a day!

… in Philadelphia under suspicious circumstances

A recent article, “Baltimore  foster care youths get diploma in a day in Philadelphia,” Nov. 23) describing the referral of youths in foster care to a high school diploma program in Pennsylvania, highlights one of the glaring  deficiencies in Maryland’s educational programs — the lack of educational  options for students in high school. While Maryland may have the “highest ranking  school system” in the nation, its one-size-fits all approach to educating high school students leaves many of our most at-risk students without reasonable options for securing a high school diploma.

In the case of older teens living in foster care, many of them have attended  many different schools in multiple school systems. Because they lack a  consistent education, they fail to earn credit in courses they are otherwise  capable of passing. At 18 years of age, many of them still need 2-3 years of  schooling to meet Maryland graduation requirements. Many other teens placed at risk because of poverty, unmet mental health needs or educational disabilities,  face similar challenges.

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-foster-care-diplomas-20131123,0,6270528.story

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OPINION

In PGCPS District, there are still problems involving homeless youth and the issues are not always addressed properly. Read more >>> PGCPS Mess

If you want a more effective, and less corrupt, School Board, citizen needs to get involved in our political system.

We need great candidates to run in 2014. We need to financially invest in them and make a change. We need to knock on doors for them. We need to wake the sleeping electorate and help them understand that without their informed vote, partnership with schools, and protection of their significant taxpayer investment in the public schools, it hurts all of us. An underperforming school system run under corruption and lack of transparency consistently hurts the image of the county and Maryland as a State. It limits our ability to attract good economic development and it is a drain in our purses. Poor education of our youth leads to limited professional opportunities and increased crime. We are all hurt by those outcomes. As many of you know, many children do not attend the public schools because of fear of crime.  Many parents in Maryland and in Prince George’s County in particular are still waiting for the schools to get better, and at this point prefer a faith-based private schools for their children. However, we strongly believe in the value of high-quality public schools, and know we cannot move forward as a county and State without making sure that we have this problem solved first. That is a challenge we must all own and collectively tackle together, and until we do that, there’s not going to be significant achievement on any other front. Corruption as a way of life here in Maryland must be eliminated.

Political corruption is the use of power by government officials for illegitimate private gain. An illegal act by an officeholder constitutes political corruption only if the act is directly related to their official duties, is done under color of law or involves trading in influence.

Forms of corruption vary, but include bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, patronage, graft, and embezzlement. Corruption may facilitate criminal enterprise such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking, though is not restricted to these activities. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by private persons or corporations not directly involved with the government.

The activities that constitute illegal corruption differ depending on the country or jurisdiction. For instance, some political funding practices that are legal in one place may be illegal in another. In some cases, government officials have broad or ill-defined powers, which make it difficult to distinguish between legal and illegal actions. Worldwide, bribery alone is estimated to involve over 1 trillion US dollars annually. A state of unrestrained political corruption is known as a kleptocracy, literally meaning “rule by thieves”.

Some forms of corruption – now called “institutional corruption” – are distinguished from bribery and other kinds of obvious personal gain. Campaign contributions are the prime example. Even when they are legal, and do not constitute a quid pro quo, they have a tendency to bias the process in favor of special interests and undermine public confidence in the political institution. They corrupt the institution without individual members being corrupt themselves. A similar problem of corruption arises in any institution that depends on financial support from people who have interests that may conflict with the primary purpose of the institution.

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Call your elected officials now and the media. Demand investigations and initiation of changes… There is no smoke without fire!!

In our opinion, We aver and therefore believe Maryland State Board of Education President Dr. Charlene Dukes shown here has demonstrated a culture of corrupt leadership style and continues “an integrated pattern of pay to play” and manipulation during her tenure. Both leaders need to resign to create room for new leadership.

Dr. Lillian Lowery Embattled State Superintendent is currently presiding over deep-seated corruption in Maryland school system. She has demonstrated a culture of discrimination and racism while on the job.

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Teacher slams scripted Common Core lessons…

…that must be taught ‘word for word’

A public school teacher in Delaware wrote the following moving piece but asked not to be identified out of fear of retaliation. It explains what is happening to many teachers who are being given scripted lessons  aligned to the Common Core State Standards by their principals and district superintendents.  Note that this teacher is not opposed to standards. It’s an important point, as critics of the Common Core’s implementation in many school districts have been accused of being opposed to standards and wanting to keep the “status quo.”

Here is the teacher’s piece: >>> Read More Washington Post >>> See video  >>> Read the Blaze >> TheBlaze

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OPINION

Here in Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS), Common Core lessons are being pushed down the throats of educators without proper consultations and preparations. Many teachers are actually saying– they are being asked to teach a curriculum that is incomplete, using materials that are not age or reading-level appropriate and are being “encouraged” to fill in the gaps—while they run a classroom.  It’s important to remember that, the teachers’ evaluations in 2014 will be based upon the MSA test scores from this coming March (2014). The MSA test does not match the new common core curriculum. It would be like studying history of France then having to take a test on the history of the US.

Rather than rush the process, Teachers need at least 2-3 years to adapt to the new standards, align new curricula with these standards, and then the state can give the new assessments that align with the Common Core standards. These rushed scenarios are wrong and completely inappropriate.

It’s important to note that,  when CEO Kevin Maxwell heard of a grievance having been filed in Baltimore County Public Schools by the union there, He quickly emailed the attached document to circumvent any possibility of unfair treatment of the PG County educators by the PGCPS Management; In our own considered opinion, we have reviewed the documentation submitted and we have detected numerous prima facie anomalies in the process contrary to laws of the land.

Rather than work with people, changes which we advocated for are not being done and problems are being covered up. Clearly, this is not the Prince George’s County which is in harmony with itself. Everyone in PGCPS District knows the unions are in bed with the management.  (Read more) So why did CEO Maxwell make it so obvious by summoning Mr. Kenneth Haines who is leaving at the end of his term in 2014 and is term limited? Below is the questionable letter.

The superintendent and head of PGCEA sent this to teachers on Monday:

TO: All Teachers

FROM: Kevin M Maxwell, Ph.D. Chief Executive Officer
November 25, 2013
Kevin M. Maxwell, Ph.D
Chief Executive Officer
MEMORANDUM 
Kenneth Haines, President
Prince George’s County Educators’ Association (PGCEA)

RE: Teacher Evaluations 

First, I would like to personally thank each one of you for the immeasurable effort you put into educating the children in our district each and every day; it is both appreciated and important. I would also like to thank PGCEA for their support and collaboration in creating the new teacher evaluation process. Thus Mr. Kenneth Haines, PGCEA President, joins me in sending out this memorandum. The purpose of this communication is to clarify the professional practice component of the new evaluation process and provide the new forms that will be used for teacher evaluations.

In our new teacher evaluation model a large portion of all teachers’ professional practice rating will be based on the formal Framework for Teaching observations. A smaller portion of the professional practice rating will be based on data from two other multiple measures:
· A student perception survey based on a teacher’s classroom environment
· Component 4E in Charlotte Danielson’s Framework for Teaching Evaluation Instrument on professional growth
The data provided from these sources will provide valuable information to support a teacher’s professional growth.
Attached to this document are copies of the new interim and final evaluation instruments. Please review these documents carefully. They will be utilized for interim evaluations for select teachers, and final evaluations for all on-cycle professional practice teachers being evaluated using student growth during the 2013-2014 school year.

It is important to note that both Ken and I recognize the enormous magnitude of this change not only for Prince George’s County but for the entire state. Our joint commitment between our organizations is to continue to review our work, each and every document and process, to ensure validity and reliability. If changes or adjustments need to be made along the way we will not hesitate to review those concerns mutually to ensure that we have developed the best possible model.

As a final note, we know you may have questions related to the new evaluation model and its implementation. Comprehensive information regarding evaluations is available in the new Teacher Evaluation Handbook which, along with other valuable information, is posted on the Staff and Educator Effectiveness Delivering Student Success (SEEDS) website at http://www1.pgcps.org/seeds/. In addition, you can email questions directly to the Employee Performance and Evaluation Office at teacher.evaluation@pgcps.org. Again I would like to personally thank you for your dedication to our students, and your efforts on their behalf.

KMM: whr Attachments
cc: Monique Davis, Ed.D
Mr. Robert J. Gaskin
Mr. William H. Ryan Associate Superintendents Instructional Directors School-Based Administrators

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Call your elected officials now and the media. Demand investigations and initiation of changes… There is no smoke without fire!!

Dr. Maxwell was appointed to right wrongs but very little appears done to fix issues.

In our opinion, We aver and therefore believe Maryland State Board of Education President Dr. Charlene Dukes shown here has demonstrated a culture of corrupt leadership style and continues “an integrated pattern of pay to play” and manipulation during her tenure. Both leaders need to resign to create room for new leadership.

Dr. Lillian Lowery Embattled State Superintendent is currently presiding over deep-seated corruption in Maryland school system. She has demonstrated a culture of discrimination and racism while on the job.

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Md Social Services to review alternative edu…

…programs offered to foster youths.

The Baltimore Department of Social Services on Monday pledged a comprehensive  review of alternative education programs for foster children, after revelations that it paid $40,000 to send students to a school in Philadelphia where they obtained a diploma in one day.

The Crooked Places Made Straight Academy, where 80 youths from Baltimore took a three-hour exam to obtain a Pennsylvania high school diploma, shut down its  one-day program Friday after inquiries from The Baltimore Sun.

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/blog/bs-md-ci-foster-care-diploma-folo-20131125,0,1575953.story#ixzz2mGi6DSoT

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Call your elected officials now and the media. Demand investigations and initiation of changes… There is no smoke without fire!!

In our opinion, We aver and therefore believe Maryland State Board of Education President Dr. Charlene Dukes shown here has demonstrated a culture of corrupt leadership style and continues “an integrated pattern of pay to play” and manipulation during her tenure. Both leaders need to resign to create room for new leadership.

Dr. Lillian Lowery Embattled State Superintendent is currently presiding over deep-seated corruption in Maryland school system. She has demonstrated a culture of discrimination and racism while on the job.

How thinking like an engineer can help school reform.

Arthur H. Camins, director of the Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J., suggests a new way to make progress in education policy — through engineering design thinking.  The ideas expressed in this article are his alone and do not represent Stevens Institute.  His other writing can be found at www.arthurcamins.com >>> Read More Washington Post

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Md. says it will include more special ed students…

…in national test

Acknowledging that scores on a national reading test may have been inflated, Maryland education officials changed course this week, saying they will work harder to reduce the number of special education students excluded from taking the test.

State school Superintendent Lillian M. Lowery said she would discuss the issue with local superintendents, testing directors and special education supervisors across the state in the coming year, putting more pressure on the local school districts to limit the practice. Recently released memos also show that state Department of Education officials have encouraged school systems over the years to include more children on the national test.

“I am concerned about people having a good baseline of information on how we as a state are performing,” Lowery said.

Read more: chttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/bs-md-special-ed-accommodations-20131126,0,1108318.story#ixzz2mB7X6k5C

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Call your elected officials now and the media. Demand investigations and initiation of changes… There is no smoke without fire!!

In our opinion, We aver and therefore believe Maryland State Board of Education President Dr. Charlene Dukes shown here has demonstrated a culture of corrupt leadership style and continues “an integrated pattern of pay to play” and manipulation during her tenure. Both leaders need to resign to create room for new leadership.

Dr. Lillian Lowery Embattled State Superintendent is currently presiding over deep-seated corruption in Maryland school system. She has demonstrated a culture of discrimination and racism while on the job.

Common Core resistance growing in Maryland

Dr. Lillian Lowery Embattled State Superintendent is currently presiding over deep-seated corruption in Maryland school system. She has demonstrated a culture of discrimination and racism while on the job.

As Maryland moves ahead with school reform and the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, state officials are facing growing resistance among teachers, lawmakers and others who are concerned that too much change is being forced onto schools too soon.

The issue in Maryland has become political. In the next legislative session, House Republicans plan to push for the state to withdraw from the Common Core initiative; and Harford County Executive David R. Craig, a Republican gubernatorial hopeful, has said the Core is too costly and gives too much control over Maryland classrooms to national testing organizations, my colleague John Wagner reported here. >>> Read More

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Call your elected officials now and the media. Demand investigations and intiation of changes… There is no smoke without fire!!

In our opinion, We aver and therefore believe Maryland State Board of Education President Dr. Charlene Dukes shown here has demonstrated a culture of corrupt leadership style and continues “an integrated pattern of pay to play” and manipulation during her tenure. Both leaders need to resign to create room for new leadership.

Baltimore County teachers file a grievance…

…over workload from Common Core

In an unusual move, Baltimore County teachers filed a grievance this week  against the county school board saying new education initiatives are forcing  them to work long hours beyond their normal day.

Teachers in the county and the rest of the state have had to adapt their  teaching this school year to new, more rigorous standards known as the Common  Core. Local school districts were expected to have written a curriculum — a  detailed road map of lessons — based on the new standards, but the county fell  behind in the elementary grades.

The county teachers have complained that they’ve been working long hours  because the lesson plans have not been available until just weeks before they  are to be taught and the website to access those lessons has been difficult to  use.

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/blog/bs-md-co-teacher-grievance-20131119,0,4440262.story#ixzz2lA1L6QxC

Baltimore County Superintendent Dallas Dance.

 

Dr. Lillian M. Lowery Maryland State Superintendent  of schools has shown very poor leadership skills in several ways including discrimination conduct on several occasions and received an F grade for Common Core meetings recently. Above all, Dr. Lillian Lowery is currently presiding over deep-seated corruption in Maryland school system.

In our opinion, We aver and therefore believe Maryland State Board of Education President Dr. Charlene Dukes shown here has demonstrated a culture of corrupt leadership style and continues “an integrated pattern of pay to play” and manipulation during her tenure.

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Read More about the plane fixing as articulated by Dr. Dallas Dance and Dr. Lilian Lowery