PGCPS submit report to MD lawmakers…

…on governance structure.

The Prince George’s County school system — operating under a new governance structure for the past six months — has hired a new superintendent, gained six new school board members and is pushing forward with plans to reinvent itself, according to a new report submitted to state lawmakers.

Following last year’s overhaul initiated by County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D), the county schools now plan to reestablish a parent and community advisory council to increase parent engagement, hire a board liaison to work with the community and the administration, and work with the county government to create a legislative agenda and reduce spending. >>> Read more Washington Post

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Criticism of Teacher Unions in 2013.

Anthony Cody a teacher who spent 24 years working in Oakland schools, 18 of them as a science teacher at a high school reviews his own sharp criticism of teachers’ unions during the past year for their support of the Common Core standards in 2013.

Cody questions why teachers have no one to support them when they question the validity of the Common Core.

He doubts that a one-year moratorium on high-stakes testing of the Common Core will matter much.

In a column that he cites, he wrote:

In effect, the Common Core tests will refresh NCLB’s indictment of public schools and teachers, with supposedly scientific precision.

Teachers – and union leaders — may feel as if they should get on board, to try to steer this process. However, I think this is a ship of doom for our schools. I think its effect will be twofold. It will create a smoother, wider, more easily standardized market for curriculum and technology. This will, in turn, promote the standardization of curriculum and instruction, and further de-professionalize teaching. The assessments will reinforce this, by tying teachers closer to more frequent timelines and benchmark assessments, which will be, in many places, tied to teacher evaluations. And the widespread failures of public schools will be used to further “disrupt the public school monopoly,” spurring further expansion of vouchers and charters and private schools.

We must move beyond not only the bubble tests, but beyond the era of punitive high stakes tests. Only then will we be able to use standards in the way they ought to be used – as focal points for our creative work as educators. I would be glad to have a year’s delay for the consequences of these tests, but I think we need to actively oppose the entire high stakes testing paradigm. The Common Core standards should not be supported as long as they are embedded in this system.

He calls upon the unions to exert leadership–not just in helping to impose CCSS–but in thinking critically about the corporate agenda and CCSS’s role in that agenda.

He holds out hope for change in 2014, a hope that we all share.

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Read more >> Union Accountability needed in PG County

Read more>>>Violation of the Grievance system

Cartoon of Income Inequality

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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Crossland HS student fatally shot in Pr. George’s Saturday

Prince George’s County police have identified the person found dead in a parking lot in Suitland over the weekend as a 17-year-old freshman from Crossland High School.

Patrol officers found Brandon Ramone Johnson after answering a welfare check at about 3:15 a.m. Saturday in the 4900 block of Suitland Road, police said. They found Johnson suffering from a gunshot wound when they arrived and declared him dead at the scene.

Detectives were not able to identify Johnson until Sunday because he didn’t have identification on him, said Lt. William Alexander, a spokesman for the Prince George’s police.

Police detectives are working to determine suspects and motives, but do have leads they’re investigating, Alexander said.

Police say anyone with information should call 1-866-411-TIPS.

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Baltimore Teachers tell Dance they are frustrated…

… by Common Core, other reforms

Baltimore County teachers at a town hall meeting Thursday night told  Superintendent Dallas Dance they are desperately trying to keep up with the fast  pace of state-mandated educational changes that have brought them more work and  much frustration.

Teachers, some in tears and some angry, said the first year of the county’s  introduction of its new curriculum tied to the Common Core had significant  problems that have yet to be addressed. More than 100 teachers attended the  forum, the first Dance has held with teachers.

Vicki Charikofsky, a Millbrook Elementary School teacher, said she is an  experienced teacher who had mentored colleagues but that she was having  difficulty with the workload.

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/blog/bs-md-co-teacher-town-hall-20131205,0,3602063.story#ixzz2mgvtBaoV

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In Prince George’s County, things are not getting better either. Please read Opinion concerning Common Core directives issued by CEO Maxwell recently. Click here >>> OPINION

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 has far to go in testing…

…and teaching special education students

Excluding children with disabilities from assessments artificially inflates  state rankings and reveals instruction issues

The Baltimore Sun gets high marks for uncovering the shameful fact that  Maryland ranks first nationally in improperly excluding  students with disabilities from taking the leading national test of reading  ability (“Md. excluded large number of special-education students in national  test,” Nov. 16). These exclusions inflate the state’s test scores. They also  deflate Maryland’s reputation as the No. 1 education state as ranked by  Education Week.

The exclusions help to reveal how certain practices ruin many, if not most,  chances that students with disabilities have for academic success. But they are  only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the lack of understanding — not  just about testing but about overall instruction of students with  disabilities.

Maryland has excluded so many students mainly because, under the rules  governing the test (known as the National Assessment of Academic Progress),  students with disabilities cannot have the test questions read aloud to them.  Without this “read-aloud accommodation,” as it’s known under federal law, many  students with disabilities would fail the test, lowering Maryland’s national  ranking.

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bs-ed-special-ed-20131205,0,3427384.story#ixzz2mgmn5mpS

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OPINION

• Here is Prince George’s County we must emphasize that, real improvements in a school system like ours take time and hard work. Miraculous sudden improvements in student achievement reported today by Washington Post, when there were so many problems last year is likely the result of outright fraud or a rigged evaluation system designed to produce desired results.>>>> (Read More Washington Post )
• We must demand election reform. We must move away from a system that enables elected officials here in Maryland  and party insiders to ensure that their preferred candidates always win down ballot races, such as elections for Board of Education members. Slates formed by incumbent elected officials and their “sample ballots” must go.  We deserve to have real elections where all candidates must sink or swim based on their own merits.

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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Ads appear on Prince George’s County school system Web site.

Visitors to the Prince George’s County school system’s Web site can learn about charter school applications, how to prevent and report bullying, and the implementation of new academic standards. But they also are likely to find advertisements for furniture stores and clothing stores, online university programs and insurance companies.

The ads — on the public school system’s main Web site — are placed by a Google AdSense program and are accompanied by a disclaimer that “Prince George’s County Public Schools does not endorse any messages, products or services presented in the ads below.” >>> Read More Washington Post

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OPINION

The way this article is written appears like Prince George’s County Public schools (PGCPS) Management is doing the right thing. However, a closer scrutiny reveals that, accountability and transparency initiatives started in PGCPS almost two years ago by the Maryland legislature are yet to be enforced. (Read more). Nevertheless,  after talking to several board members, they will tell you that, they themselves do not know what happens to the money once it comes in. As non profit organization, PGCPS which receives public funding should know better including the politicians involved irrespective of their rank.  Furthermore, considered they are on a governmental website, there should be full accounting to the public. We are talking of children money here and money being raised in the name of children only to disappear in thin air. Where is the common decency?

There is growing recognition both among governments, donors and civil society that citizens and communities have an important role to play with regard to enhancing accountability of public officials, reducing corruption and leakage of funds and improving public service delivery. As a result, Social Accountability has become an attractive approach to both the public sector and civil society for improving governance processes, service delivery outcomes, and improving resource allocation decisions. Over the last decade, numerous examples have emerged that demonstrate how citizens can make their voice heard and effectively engage in making the public sector more responsive and accountable. Scales of responsibility apply to all citizens and all institutions including all arms of the government which cannot escape accountability. Those complaining about the government  and civil society pointing out wrongs in PGCPS and Maryland Education system should read the Bible and the Constitution as well to understand what responsibility is all about.

Accountability is defined as the obligation of power-holders to account for or take responsibility for their actions. Power-holders refers to those who hold political, financial or other forms of power and include officials in government, private corporations, international financial institutions and civil society organizations (CSOs).

There might be a glimmer of hope that our society is changing and maturing somewhat. However, we are yet to see the results here in PGCPS District. And if we are able to extend compassion and mercy to fellow United States citizens, we should go one step further and extend it to non-US citizens, in particular migrant workers from other countries who perform arduous and dirty work that many Americans shun.

Civility must grow as society grows. It must become highly mobile and more interactive, be it via the media or through daily personal contact. We must show proper accountability even of the money collected through public websites like in PGCPS.

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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 (pictured above) 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.

Figure 1 – Click here to see benefits of social accountability —->>>Figure 1

Figure 2 – Click here to see the Accountability Framework —->>> Figure 2

Figure 3 – Critical Factors for Social Accountability – See below.

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.