Educator of The Day | Published News

USA Today Asks The Question: Are School Zero Tolerance Policies too Harsh?

smarty — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 13:59:28 EST

Looks like the mainstream media is starting to figure it out: the zero tolerance policies that they have encouraged over the past 20 years are way too harsh. The article sites the example of a Shrieveport LA high school student is forced to go to Alcoholics Anonymous because she offered a classmate a Midol for PMS.

In Missouri, Being Raped in Middle School is a "Prohibited Public Display of Affection"

smarty — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 08:48:16 EDT

A Greene County, Missouri seventh grade girl was raped at school twice in a two year period. According to a Federal lawsuit launched earlier this week by her parents, after reporting the second incident and medical evidence of sexual assault, the school suspended her for a "prohibited public display of affection." According to an ABC News report, the girl was forced to appologize to here alleged rapist.

Standardized Test Cheating: Double Standard, Anyone?

indymike — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 06:19:25 EDT

Anyone else angry that teachers are justifying cheating on standardized tests? The cheating scandals in Atlanta, New Jersey, DC and Pensylvania show that educators are unable to take responsibility for fraud on a scale that only Bernie Madoff and Tim Durham would appreciate.

Cheating Scandal: This Time it's 89 Schools in Pennsylvania

smarty — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 07:28:25 EDT

Education blog The Notebook has uncovered an erasure scandal in Pennsylvania involving 89 different schools. Unlike the scandals unfolding in Atlanta, New Jersey and Washington DC, several charter schools are being investigated. The State of Pennsylvania is investigating and has released a list of schools that are being targeted by the investigation.

Missouri Bans Student-Teacher Facebook (and Twitter, MySpace, Google+, LinkedIn) Friendships

smarty — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 06:43:55 EDT

The People's Republic of Missouri has passed a breathtakingly stupid law designed to protect children from teacher sexual predators by preventing teachers from connecting with them on Facebook and other social networks.

According to the law, "Teachers cannot establish, maintain, or use a work-related website unless it is available to school administrators and the child's legal custodian, physical custodian, or legal guardian..." The law appears to restrict teachers connecting with students while leaving the door open for groups that include parents and school administrators while eliminating being able to connect and communicate directly with students: "Teachers also cannot have a nonwork-related website that allows exclusive access with a current or former student."

Read Missouri's new law

Principal of the Year Candidate Does Meth With Teacher, State Closes School

smarty — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 08:19:38 EDT

What do you do with a vocational school where the principal and teachers are caught smoking meth and meth residue is found throughout the school? Close it down.

Bonus: Another teacher was arrested for making meth and purchasing sudafed for the purpose of making meth.

Potential Standardized Test Cheating Scandal in New Jersey

smarty — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 07:32:52 EDT

The New Jersey Department of Education has announced an investigation into standardized test results at 38 schools (list here). The issue is a high number of "erasures" where a wrong answer was changed to correct. Another smoking gun: some schools being investigated show a large jump in test scores, this year versus last.

Recently, in Atlanta, Georgia, a simmilar investigation uncovered widespread, systematic cheating that resulted in 138 administrators and teachers being asked to resign.

Editor's Note: Unlike the scandal in Georgia which was uncovered when whistleblowers were fired, the investigation in New Jersey was uncovered as part of a routine review of test scores.

Colorado Teachers Union Protects the Children By Opposing Public Disclosure of Arrests for Sex Crimes

smarty — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 18:01:11 EDT

Apparently, Colorado's largest teacher's union believes that the children would be safer if the public doesn't know when a teacher is arrested for a sex offense. The union sued to chalenge the constitutionality of Colorado's teacher sex crime disclosure law. The union said that Colorado's public disclosure law makes it easy for teachers to be confused with non-teachers with similar names that commit sex crimes.

Houston Prankster Discovers School Administrators Have Nothing that Resembles a Sense Of Humor

smarty — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 06:10:34 EDT

Stephen Pottinger, procurement manager at Houston ISD is in hot water. Was it the $100's of thousands of dollars in bus part inventory for buses that are no longer in services? Nope. How about the $800,000 in hand sanitizer purchased to fight bird flu that is sitting in district warehouses waiting to expire later this year? Not at all. So, what landed Pottinger in the Houston Chroincle and led to a strongly worded reprimand by administrators? Epic pranks:

Singing up a single co-worker for a Russian dating site.
Ordering a mail order bride for another employee.
Faking the firing of another worker.

NEA: Teachers For America is TAKING AWAY OUR JOBS!

smarty — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 08:05:44 EDT

The NEA has taken a new position on Teach for America, the not for profit that places qualified teachers into low income and distressed schools where hiring teachers is sometimes difficult. The NEA's new position is simple: Teach for America is taking our jobs, is being used to bust unions and is bad for local teachers colleges. Apparently the NEA doesn't get that Teach for America is about improving the quality of education, not placing new teachers at places union teachers do not want to work.

Photo Credit: kconnors

Everyone is Against Teachers. Everyone.

charterschoolssuck — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 08:00:37 EDT

Great article exposing how everyone from Democrats in Congress, education reformers to anti-union Republicans are attacking the teaching profession in the name of reform. Everyone thinks the solution to education is to put the teacher of the year in every classroom and pay them less than the janitor.

Cheating Scandal: Atlanta Public Schools "Run Like the Mob"

smarty — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 10:17:01 EDT

Late last year a story emerged that Atlanta Public Schools were embroiled in a standardized test cheating scandal when the teachers responible for blowing the whistle were fired by school administrators. What has emerged may be the largest cheating scandal since 1994's Naval Academy Cheating Scandal. Today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that investigators have submitted their findings: that the cheating scandal was encouraged by senior administraotrs, and teachers were involved in "cheating parties" where student test sheets were corrected before being scored. One teacher claimed that APS was, "run like the mob."

The investigation discovered that teachers were rewarded for inproving scores "by any means necessary" and teachers were punished and fired for opposing the widespread cheating. Investigators found the following:

Over 80 teachers confessed to cheating.
Evidence of cheating was found at 45 of 56 schools investigated.
38 principals were involved in the conspiracy.

Read more at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

High School Students Ordered to Return Their 2011 Yearbooks

momoffive — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:15:34 EDT

Students at Big Bear High School have been told to return their 2011 yearbooks after a photo depicting a male student with his hand underneath a female student's clothing at a school dance somehow managed to be published. The students appear in the background of the photo and "are not the intended focus of the photograph. The students have not been identified, but Bachman (a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department) said the boy is 17 and the girl is 15. According to federal law, any visual depiction of a minor "engaging in sexually explicit conduct" can be considered child pornography. Because of this, officials warn, anyone who still has the photograph could face a criminal charge of possession of child pornography.

Charter School Teacher Tapped To Lead School Turnaround Effort in Indiana

smarty — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 14:13:07 EDT

Indiana Superintendent of Public Education Tony Bennett has selected former seventh grade charter school teacher Jim Larson to lead the state's efforts to turn around 18 failing public schools.

Alert: Detroit superintendent accepts over $145,000 in income from school reform organizations

smarty — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 20:17:43 EDT

Detroit schools are being run by a superintendent who according to Forbes Magazine's E.D. Cain is recieving over $145,000 in pay from third party school reform advocacy organizations. Cain reports that Bobb's salary is $280,000, so the additional $145,000 exceeds one half of his salary. Clearly, a public servant accepting that kind of money from organizations with a mission to change public schools has to severely questiond.

Carmel Basketball Bus Hazing Incident Results in $2.25 Million Lawsuit

smarty — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 06:18:02 EDT

One year ago, several 14 year old basketball players were sodomized with inanimate objectes on the team bus in a hazing incident at Carmel High School in an affluent suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. After the incident, coaches were fired and the local prosecutor filed misdemeanor charges against the players who performed the hazing.

The family of one of the victims has launched a $2.25 Million lawsuit against the Carmel Clay School District claiming that school officials were negligent in failing to prevent the attack. The school district plans to defend the case in court.

Waste Alert: NY Area Superintendent Makes $500,000, Administrative Assistant Clears Six Figures

smarty — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 08:53:09 EDT

Syosset has 7,000 students and 10 schools in the district. It pays superintendent Carole Hankin $542,000 per year in salary and benefits. Additional investigation by MyFoxNy.com revealed that an administrative assistant is being paid over $100,000 per year. Hankin's salary has drawn the ire of NY Governor Andrew Cuomo who called it an example of wasteful school spending.

In a move that is sure to thow gasoline on the fire, the Syosset school system has announced that Hankin will not get a raise next year.

YouTube - ‪Florida Teacher Punches Student. Self Defense or Child Abuse?‬‏

momoffive — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 07:45:27 EDT

Wow! I usually don't side with a teacher who hits a child. But after watching this video, I can see how this teacher was using self defense to get out of that situation. She did what she needed to do, and no more. She stayed in control. What do you think? Self defense or child abuse?

How Schools Hide the True Cost of Education

smarty — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 07:20:16 EDT

This video shows how school districts hide as much as 200% of the money spent per student from voters in an effort to make public schools look like a good deal compared to private schools. In the video, the Cato Institute found that DC Public Schools was costing taxpayers more than the area's most elite private schools on a per student basis.

Katrina's Silver Lining: The School Choice Revolution in New Orleans‬‏

smarty — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 07:07:48 EDT

Katrina destroyed New Orleans' public school system. As New Orleans rebuilt, most district schools were converted to charter schools or taken over by the state. The early results are optimistic. 2/3 of voters don't want schools returned back to the school board. Test scores are going up. And the cop with the metal detector wand that greeted students has been replaced by a smiling teacher.