In Case You Missed It: Take your money back, Super PAC; Charters, Charters everywhere

Here on EdVox we’re excited to bring you the latest news about education issues and policies affecting our communities. It can be hard to keep up with all of the events and happenings, so – in case you missed it… Here is a recap of the latest stories in NYC education news, starting with Monday of last week:

MONDAY

•  Hedge fund-backed super PAC StudentsFirstNY announced it would spend on ads to push voters to elect Assm. Hakkem Jeffries in his race for Congress in Brooklyn:http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/reform-group-ties-mayor-bloomberg-supports-a-critic-mayor-brooklyn-congressional-primary-article-1.1089315
• Jeffries rejected the group’s money, saying “We did not seek it, do not want it and will win without it.”:http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2012/06/ny-8-hopeful-hakeem-jeffries-to-studentsfirstny-get-your-out-of-my-election

TUESDAY

• Significant changes to Mayor Bloomberg’s controversial education policies are likely under the next mayor, according to the Wall Street Journal–motivating his supporters to coalesce:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303918204577448823829344702.html?mod=WSJ_NY_LEFTTopStories
• The executive director of one such result of that coalescing, StudentsFirstNY, told a DL21C crowd that they would be focused on organizing parents because “As education moved from a grassroots movement to the regime, the energy on the outside dissipated”:http://gothamschools.org/2012/06/05/ny-branch-of-rhees-group-will-focus-on-parents-school-choice/#more-84727
• Students told personal stories of egregious punishment at a hearing on the City’s proposed new discipline code for schools, meant to reduce suspension and unnecessarily punitive disciplinary action:http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beats/education/162534/suspensions-to-decrease-under-revised-doe-discipline-code
• City Council Speaker Quinn applauded the proposed changes to the code, but called for even more reliance on alternative methods of discipline:http://www.nytimes.com/schoolbook/2012/06/04/the-city-council-speaker-weighs-in-on-changes-to-the-school-discipline-code/?partner=rss&emc=rs
• New York State Education Commissioner John King and federal Education Secretary Arne Duncan disagreed with Chancellor Walcott’s belief that teachers’ ratings should be public information:http://gothamschools.org/2012/06/05/only-division-during-ed-officials-pitch-is-teacher-ratings-release/

WEDNESDAY

•  Students and parents from New York City charter schools rallied for charters in downtown Manhattan:http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beats/education/162603/parents-rally-in-support-of-charter-schools
• Organizing for the rally was marked with dissent between charter organizations, some of which did not attend because they think the current process of siting new charters favors just a few major groups and excludes the independent operators:http://gothamschools.org/2012/06/06/charter-school-rally-brings-out-deep-tensions-within-the-sector/
• Meanwhile, the DOE eliminated its charter school office, folding into a larger group within the department:http://gothamschools.org/2012/06/06/doe-collapses-charter-schools-office-as-charter-landscape-shifts/
• A new coalition of teachers and special education advocates — ARISE — has formed over concerns that the City’s overhaul of services for students with special needs will result in cuts to essential programs, the Daily News reported:http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/arise-coalition-schools-prepared-adequately-reforms-involving-students-special-article-1.109127

THURSDAY

• Education leader Zakiyah Ansari took the Bloomberg Administration to task for not listening to parents and researchers earlier in an El Diario op-ed after the City quietly rolled back its ban on social promotion in schools: http://www.eldiariony.com/¿Cuatro_anos_para_revertir_una_mala_decision?  [Spanish] & http://gothamschools.org/2012/06/08/four-years-to-reverse-a-bad-decision/#more-85016 [English]
• Nearly half of the arbitrators who rule on teachers’ disciplinary hearings have quit in the last month: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/arbitrator_dropouts_WqMtGFEYr1fcRFw8ADyQrK
• Charter school advocacy organization New York City Charter School Center announced it would be broadcasting an ad this week on cable television:http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2012/06/07/charter-school-advocates-buy-tv-ad/?mod=WSJBlog&mod=WSJ_NY_NY_Blog
• Thousands of students are opting out voluntary state field tests by controversial exam administrator Pearson following a number of high-profile mistakes, and they kicked off their boycott with a protest:http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/parents-students-protest-dummy-exams-talking-pineapple-test-maker-article-1.1091840

FRIDAY

• A Pearson executive defended his company’s state exam errors amid the protests to the Wall Street Journal:http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2012/06/08/qa-testing-company-head-defends-controversial-exams/?mod=WSJBlog&mod=WSJ_NY_NY_Blog
• Parents in wealthier neighborhoods raised money to pay for teachers and programs otherwise lost to budget cuts at about 40 schools in the last year:http://www.nytimes.com/schoolbook/2012/06/08/parents-pay-for-school-staff-with-little-oversight/