All my love to everyone!

This photo was taken yesterday during my visit to the DC Area Writing Project (DCAWP) Young Writer's Camp at Howard University School of Education. Love their energy, amazing artworks and writings!

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Today, as I celebrate my 37th birthday, I think about those relentless people close to my heart who enthusiastically spread the gift of love...our hopeful students, selfless teachers and committed parents who deserve a highly effective world class public education...thank you for the inspiration and for sharing this journey with me, all my love to everyone!

Congratulations to our new APALA-DC Officers

Congratulations to our new APALA-DC Officers:  (officers from l to r) Secretary-Treasurer Jenny Ho, VP of Development Yu-Lan Duggan, President Katrina Dizon and VP of Communications Heather Laverty

Silent No More


Founded in 1992, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) is the first and only national organization of Asian Pacific American union members to advance worker, immigrant and civil rights. APALA has 13 chapters in 8 states serving as a bridge connecting Asian Pacific Americans with the broader labor movement. The bridge has three major program areas:

APALA Organizing Institute
APALA Every Vote Counts political program

Strengthening labor and community partnerships

D.C.'s teacher-evaluation method draws fairness questions

School districts nationwide are considering new ways to evaluate teachers and many are looking at the Impact system in Washington, D.C., which focuses heavily on test scores and five annual classroom observations and can result in dismissals for teachers deemed ineffective. Many educators, however, say Impact -- which was adopted under former Washington, D.C., schools chancellor Michelle Rhee -- ignores students' socioeconomic status and other factors beyond their control. Some also say the system favors teachers at wealthier schools who face fewer challenges. The New York Times

WTU Press Release- WTU Endorses "Save Our Schools" March and Rally!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 27, 2011
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Monique LeNoir

Communications Manager

(202) 293-8620

WASHINGTON TEACHERS' UNION PARTNERS WITH LOCAL AND NATIONAL LABOR ORGANIZATIONS TO ENDORSE THE "SAVE OUR SCHOOLS" MARCH AND RALLY

WASHINGTON, DC- Washington Teachers' Union (WTU) today announced that it has partnered with local and national labor organizations to endorse the "Save our Schools" (SOS) Movement on Saturday, July 30th. WTU will stand with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), National Education Association (NEA), Baltimore Teachers Union, additional labor partners, teachers, parents, students, community leaders, and other educational stakeholders to let policymakers know that they have gone astray in their remedies for improving American schools.

WTU will join forces with a diverse group of celebrities, unions, organizations and labor leaders, including Diane Ravitch, Matt Damon and AFT President Randi Weingarten. Scheduled to take place on the White House Ellipse, this grassroots movement is dedicated to restoring educator, parent, student, and community influence over education policy and practice. The main purpose of the rally is to put public school stakeholders back at the center of all education policy conversations and to refocus national, state, and local efforts on providing the resources and support schools need in order to provide a high-quality education for every student.

"Washington Teachers' Unions' endorsement of the SOS Rally is a continuation of our efforts to bring the message to the forefront that we must improve public education for all children," stated WTU President Nathan Saunders. "It's time to put an end to the policies and practices that have demoralized teachers, particularly here in the District, and negatively impacted children across this country. There is strength in numbers, and teachers, students, families and other educational stakeholders must lead the education reform movement, so that all students can receive a quality education that they so rightfully deserve."

Diane Ravitch to Address 2011 NBPTS Conference

Arlington, Va. – The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is pleased to announce that Diane Ravitch, one of the most respected voices in education today, will serve as a keynote speaker at the 2011 NBPTS Conference. Author of The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education, Ravitch is a research professor of education at New York University and a historian of education. Read more

Follow Diane Ravitch on Twitter

About the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

NBPTS, an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan and nongovernmental organization, is an integral part of America’s growing education reform movement. In developing, recognizing and retaining accomplished educators, NBPTS provides advanced standards, assessments and professional development resources to support educators at all stages of their professional growth; links subject-matter knowledge and effective teaching practices to student learning and achievement; and helps build and support school-based professional learning communities. Today, more than 91,000 National Board Certified Teachers are making a positive difference in the lives of students across the nation. For more information, visit http://www.nbpts.org/

Deal is reached to spare NYC teachers from widespread layoffs

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the city council and the United Federation of Teachers have reached a budget agreement that spares the jobs of 4,100 teachers. Under the agreement, teacher sabbaticals would be postponed for one year and teachers without permanent placements could act as substitutes more often. However, 2,600 teaching positions will be lost to attrition, 600 more than planned. The budget still must be approved by the council. The New York Times

N.C. district recruits more minority teachers

Suzette Murphy, a fifth-grade teacher, listens during a planning session at Walnut Creek Elementary School, which has many minority teachers but needs more.

In Wake County, N.C., recruiters are focused on hiring more male and minority teachers for the district, where half of the students are minorities. While 85% of the district's current teachers are white, officials say they have hired 27 minority teachers over the past two months. The hiring focus, seen nationwide, is based on evidence that minority students perform better when they have a minority teacher. The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)

'Pump It Up' playground in Chicago accommodates autistic kids

A network of indoor playgrounds across the country has added Sensory Jump Time sessions for children with autism. Pump It Up partnered with Autism Speaks to create the modified activities. "The Sensory Jump Time program can help families expand on other therapies that are being incorporated at home ..." said Liz Klug, the executive director for the Chicago chapter of Autism Speaks. WLS-TV (Chicago)

ONE - U2

ONE...but not the same, we need to share it, we get to carry each other...ONE

Md. county focuses on life skills for those not in inclusion programs

The Montgomery County school district in Maryland began phasing out special-education "learning centers" five years ago in favor of inclusion for most students with disabilities. Now just 2% of special-needs students are in self-contained programs -- down from 25%. Teachers in those programs work to encourage camaraderie and teach students skills they will need to live independently after graduation. The Washington Post

Robotics lessons inspire problem-solving for students with disabilities

Students with developmental disabilities at a Teaneck, N.J., school are learning robotics skills such as programming, mechanical design and the use of sensors as part of lessons provided by local inventor and author Steven Paley. Besides learning robotics and problem-solving, Paley says the lessons help build students' confidence. "Kids overcome their disabilities because the goal is so compelling to them," he said. Patch.com/Teaneck, N.J.

Live United for Education

To kick off the Campaign for the Common Good, and celebrate the teachers who rock, we're inviting people of all ages to share a story about a teacher who changed their life here in this website.

Thanks to budget cuts, shiny new school sits unused

From Yahoo News!

A more striking symbol of the impact of cuts to education funding would be hard to imagine: A gleaming new Southern California high school that cost more than $100 million to build will sit empty and unused, because the local school district doesn't have enough money to run it.

In 2007, voters approved approved bonds to finance the building of Hillcrest High School in Riverside, which was intended to relieve overcrowding at a nearby high school. But thanks to major cuts in state education funding, the local school district can't afford the $3 million it would cost to pay administrators, teachers, and other staff, and to handle the other expenses that come with operating a school.

So when the school year begins in the fall, Hillcrest will sit idle. Its campus is currently fenced off.

Wendell Tucker of the Alvord Unified School District said the district's $130 million operating budget had been cut by $25 million.

"When the California budget goes down and income in the state goes down, funding to K-through-12 education goes with it," Tucker told USA Today. "We made a number of budget adjustments. Right now, we simply are out of adjustments, and it's not feasible … to open this school."

And it's not clear that things will be any different in 2012. "We'll look at it on a year by year basis," Tucker added.

As if all this weren't frustrating enough, even though the school won't be in use, the district will still have to spend $1 million to maintain the buildings and run air conditioning and other systems, to keep them from deteriorating. The library and sports fields will be made available for community use.

That's little comfort to students at nearby La Sierra High School, where some classes pack in as many as 37 kids.

"I wanted to go to that school," said Natalie Mercado, 14, who lives near the new campus. "I was really excited. … It looked really good."

According to Alvord school board member Ben Johnson, it was a choice between laying people off and keeping Hillcrest closed. "Choosing between people losing jobs and opening the school site, I couldn't in my mind justify one more person out of a job," he said.

Hillcrest's woes are just a symptom of a larger education funding crisis in the Golden State. To address a severe budget shortfall, the state has cut one third of K-12 funding over the last three years--$18 billion in all. California's once-vaunted education system is now 44th among states in terms of per-pupil spending.

Meanwhile, the state's economy is showing few signs of improvement. Its 11.7 percent jobless rate is the second-highest in the nation, and its housing market, hit hard by the mortgage crisis, has yet to recover.

The Hillcrest fiasco is a poignant marker of the bleak situation. "It's definitely a sign of the times," Tucker said. "This is a real-life example of what the current budget situation has done to K-through-12 education.''

Wow, pretty cool :) I love it! It's convenience @ my fingertips; I can Facebook, Twitter, blog, check work emails & personal emails, surf the net frm my celfone

I'm here trying out this new feature of my blog. Just activated the text-blogging, so I'm actually blogging now from my android! Let's see how this looks like...

Help 50,000 Kids Discover New Worlds Through Books

(From Live United website)

Remember when summer felt endless? Every kid loves summer vacation, but our students need opportunities to make the most of those three months off. Books are one of the best ways to indulge in summer adventures and still stay focused on learning.

On June 21, United Way and Target are teaming up to put together summer reading backpacks for 50,000 elementary school students.

Will you help? Come down to the National Mall for a few hours, and together, we can help 50,000 students transform their summers into reading adventures. Sign up today:

http://liveunited.org/summer-backpacks

From exciting action stories to gripping fairy tales, we'll be bringing summer fun to the elementary school students of Washington to keep them engaged in healthy activities. Your help can make the difference for how many backpacks we're able to get out into the community.

It really takes just a few hours of your time to keep kids on the right track this summer. Sign up today to join us on the National Mall:

http://liveunited.org/summer-backpacks

See you on June 21st!

Encouraging student pledges to prevent school bullying

Maurice Elias, director of the Social-Emotional Learning Lab at Rutgers University, in this blog post encourages teachers to consider their position on creating a pledge for students to sign to help prevent bullying in school. Elias suggests that a powerful and effective pledge created in part by, and for students, would affirm values that the students seek to uphold, and would be signed publicly by each student.

Here's her list:

#1. Have the creation of the pledge be a shared activity with students. Involve them in the idea and the wording. It’s fine to have several versions even in the same school to make them developmentally appropriate and meaningful.

#2. Make sure the pledge addresses HIB prevention and also affirms positive values that students pledge to uphold. This is what turns students from bystanders into upstanders. Values such as respect for all classmates, being responsible to self, others, and the environment, and acting with integrity all create antidotes to HIB. Be sure to discuss whatever positive values are affirmed and integrate them into class and school rules, academic subject work, school report cards, and conversations with parents.

#3. Every student should read aloud (individually or in small groups) the pledge in a public forum and sign their own individual copy, which they keep. Consider wallet-card versions of the pledge as well as how to share the pledge with parents and community groups.

#4. No less often than the end of each marking period, ask students to rate how they have been doing in terms of keeping to the pledge and generate ideas for what individuals, classes, and the school as a whole can do better.

#5. Ensure that the principles in the pledge are incorporated into disciplinary conversations, guidance sessions, special education IEP’s and processes, after-school, extracurricular and athletic and other programs and events, including bus behaviors and Internet behavior.

Do you have anything else to add in her list? Please visit her blog and leave her a comment.

My students' final class project...way to go!!

No one will really understand the challenges that my students and I are having inside the classroom unless he has taught full time for at least a week inside a special education self-contained or a resource classroom. But what we are  having in our class this school year is way beyond the challenges that we had in the past. What made us survive this school year? Aside from having a wonderful instructional aide, whom I will always be grateful for never abandoning me through thick and thin, I have learned to mix common sense with best practices and teaching standards (thanks to the National Board process!).

There is really no "cookbook recipe" citing exactly what should work and not work in a special education classroom. What works is taking a cup of common sense and mixing it with heaping spoonfulls of patience, understanding, consistency, positive expectations, and an enthusiastic attitude, and not forgetting to pour in a heart full of love, and bake for one school year. I have learned a great deal from reading, and reading, and reading books and blogs of our exceptionally great teacher leaders!

Who else believed in my students' abilities? I know my students ---they really can do it. Here's a teaser for our class culminating activity. My students were able to finish the Unit on Intro to Greek Mythology for MS, as a final class project they played the role of their favorite gods and goddesses and introduced their characters in a short video clip. Teaser attached, culminating presentation will be scheduled soon. Watch and enjoy!! (BTW, the video ended earlier than the audio, sorry about that!)