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3,346 | abcnews--2019-12-20--Hawaii law enforcement to stand-down from telescope site | 2019-12-20T00:00:00 | abcnews | Hawaii law enforcement to stand-down from telescope site | HONOLULU -- Hawaii officials are having police leave a mountain where protesters are blocking construction of a giant telescope because the project isn't moving forward for now. An international consortium wants to build the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii's tallest peak. But some Native Hawaiians believe the telescope will desecrate sacred land. Protesters have stopped construction from going forward since mid-July. Telescope builders informed the state it is not prepared to move forward with construction at this time, according to a memo Thursday from Gov. David Ige's office. But that doesn't mean the embattled Thirty Meter Telescope will move to an alternate site in Spain's Canary Islands. Protesters aren't leaving. “The protectors are still committed to holding their position, protecting Mauna Kea," said Kealoha Pisciotta, a protest leader. Ige “expressed his severe disappointment that TMT will not move forward for now, despite months of often intense behind-the-scenes discussions among protesters, telescope owners and state and county officials,” the memo by the governor's chief of staff, Linda Chu Takayama, said. “Those efforts will continue, and the Governor anticipates that activity on the project will resume in the future.” State and county officials haven't demonstrated they can provide safe access to the Big Island mountain for everyone, TMT vice president for external relations Gordon Squires said in statement. “We don’t want to put our workers, the people of Hawaii, and the protesters at risk,” he said. Big Island police will withdraw from the mountain by 3:30 p.m. Friday, Mayor Harry Kim said. There's no time-table for removing state personnel from the mountain and re-opening the access road, Ige said. “As you all know we're in the holidays and so we have made decisions that we will be withdrawing our personnel so they can enjoy the holidays with everyone else," Ige said. Some protesters who say they're protecting the mountain had been bracing for colder weather at the mountain. “Construction during winter is definitely more difficult, but not impossible,” Squires said. The Spanish island of La Palma, which already hosts several powerful telescopes at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, was chosen as a back-up site for the telescope in 2016. Scientists consider Hawaii a more desirable location. Mauna Kea's summit was selected because the weather and air conditions there are among the best in the world for viewing the skies. The telescope would give researchers a view back to the deepest reaches of our universe and allow them to examine the time immediately following the Big Bang. | null | https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/hawaii-law-enforcement-stand-telescope-site-67832336 | Fri, 20 Dec 2019 04:22:36 -0500 | 1,576,833,756 | 1,576,843,522 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
4,294 | activistpost--2019-03-21--Law Enforcement Uses Facial Recognition To Identify Shoplifters | 2019-03-21T00:00:00 | activistpost | Law Enforcement Uses Facial Recognition To Identify Shoplifters | For those of you who still hold onto to the idea that America will never follow in China’s Big Brother footsteps, I give you this disturbing story. A recent CNET article revealed how the Washington County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) in Oregon uses Amazon’s Rekognition software to identify shoplifters. An unnamed WCSO Deputy allegedly used Amazon’s Rekognition to search a 300,000-person mugshot database looking for a potential match. What makes this so disturbing, is number one: a cop is using a private corporation’s software to identify people which has never been independently vetted for accuracy because “it is too sophisticated.’ And, secondly, each time a police officer investigates a petty crime; 300,000 people will have their faces scanned without a warrant. Using facial recognition to identify people accused of petty crimes is a mirror image of what is happening in China. China uses facial recognition to identify citizens accused of jaywalking and bans “discredited” citizens from taking buses and trains for unspecified behavioral crimes. Law enforcement and retailers are creating a nationwide facial recognition database of everyone. Yesterday, CNET warned that retail stores are secretly using facial recognition to identify shoppers and how the potential for abuse affects everyone. With facial recognition, getting caught in one store could mean a digital record of your face is shared across the country. Stores are already using the technology for security purposes and can share that data — meaning that if one store considers you a threat, every business in that network could come to the same conclusion. Creating secret watchlists of Americans is major concern that even CNET is acknowledging. Retailers are also using things like Iris tracking cameras, thermal imaging cameras and loyalty rewards to secretly identify shoppers. | Activist Post | https://www.activistpost.com/2019/03/law-enforcement-uses-facial-recognition-to-identify-shoplifters.html | 2019-03-21 17:57:35+00:00 | 1,553,205,455 | 1,567,545,306 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
5,036 | activistpost--2019-07-23--Does Facial Recognition Technology Make You Grimace New Website Offers Map of Where Its Being Use | 2019-07-23T00:00:00 | activistpost | Does Facial Recognition Technology Make You Grimace? New Website Offers Map of Where It’s Being Used by Law Enforcement and How to Get It Banned. | Think law enforcement using facial recognition technology to catch criminals isn’t a big deal? You may want to review new website – Ban Facial Recognition – and reevaluate your position. According to it: Facial recognition surveillance programs identify the wrong person up to 98% of the time. These errors have real-world impacts, including harassment, wrongful imprisonment, and deportation. Facial recognition software programmatically misidentifies people of color, women, and children —supercharging discrimination and putting vulnerable people at greater risk of systemic abuse. Once our biometric information is collected and stored in government databases, it’s an easy target for identity thieves or state-sponsored hackers. Successful attacks have already happened, and will only grow more commonplace as government surveillance expands. More unsettling information is provided at the website as well as a U.S. map of where this technology is being used by law enforcement. Kudos to San Francisco, CA, Oakland, CA, and Somerville, MA for already passing local ordinances banning it. Facial recognition technology is also being used in some stores including Kroger and Walgreens for what is referred to as “Surveillance Capitalism.” That could be why it seems like more shoppers are wearing sunglasses now. Then again the sunglasses could be for the blinding LED light bulbs. Subscribe to Activist Post for truth, peace, and freedom news. Follow us on Minds, Twitter, Steemit, and SoMee. Provide, Protect and Profit from what’s coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today. | Activist Post | https://www.activistpost.com/2019/07/does-facial-recognition-technology-make-you-grimace-new-website-offers-map-of-where-its-being-used-by-law-enforcement-and-how-to-get-it-banned.html | 2019-07-23 01:10:16+00:00 | 1,563,858,616 | 1,567,536,016 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
5,320 | activistpost--2019-08-20--Law Enforcement To Flag and Spy On Future Criminals | 2019-08-20T00:00:00 | activistpost | Law Enforcement To Flag and Spy On Future Criminals | America’s fear of mass shootings is about to take a truly bizarre turn. That’s because our law enforcement will soon be used as fortune tellers to spy on future criminals. How will law enforcement be used as fortune tellers? A recent Albuquerque Journal article revealed that law enforcement will flag people who they think might pose a potential risk. What types of things could Americans do that law enforcement would consider threatening? Inside Sources revealed that police would be looking for “certain indicators.” I think it’s obviously important for all of the citizens of New Mexico to be on the lookout for certain indicators of these types of folks that would do this. And part of our job as government officials is to ensure that the citizens of the community understand what those indicators are so they can report them. The Tampa Bay Times reports that police are looking for “certain critical threat indicators” on students’ social media posts, and has even created their own FortifyFL app that allows anyone to secretly report suspicious behavior. What these “indicators” are is anyone’s guess. Johnson also said that it was “important for law enforcement and other social services to follow up” on reports of possibly dangerous citizens “in the hopes of preventing” acts of domestic terrorism. Law enforcement and other agencies are being encouraged to report on and flag anyone who they deem a “potential risk.” What could possibly go wrong? It was only a couple of months ago, when I warned people about the “Threat Assessment, Prevention and Safety Act” that basically allows law enforcement to label anyone a potential threat. Police across the country are already using “red flag” laws to take weapons away from people they deem a potential threat. So why is Homeland Security creating a whole new class of suspicious people? Because the War on Terror constantly needs new enemies if it is to keep Americans living in fear. The Albuquerque Journal revealed how law enforcement plans to use the red flag bill to allow law enforcement and other agencies to give people secret threat ratings. “Sheriffs had been working with the Democratic sponsor of a proposed red flag bill toward a possible compromise. In its original form, the bill would have allowed courts to order the temporary taking of guns from someone deemed an immediate threat,” San Juan County Sheriff Shane Ferrari said. From Homeland Security spying on everyone’s social media posts to the FBI, it seems like no one is safe from Big Brother’s prying eyes. Reason.com warned that the FBI’s “red flag” social media spying tool is “a meme-illiterate Facebook-stalking precog from the Minority Report.” Reason also warned that spying on everyone’s social media posts could spiral out of control. Placing people on a secret risk chart is a disaster waiting to happen; just ask those people on the no-fly list or terror watch list. | Activist Post | https://www.activistpost.com/2019/08/law-enforcement-to-flag-and-spy-on-future-criminals.html | 2019-08-20 12:31:07+00:00 | 1,566,318,667 | 1,567,533,924 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
320,987 | msnbc--2019-02-18--Targeting federal law enforcement Trump | 2019-02-18T00:00:00 | msnbc | Targeting federal law enforcement, Trump... | Apropos of nothing, Donald Trump published a tweet yesterday about Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his team of federal investigators. For the record, I have no idea if Limbaugh actually said this. The president occasionally misquotes people – even his allies – to advance his own purposes, and it would probably be a mistake to assume this reflects the far-right radio host’s exact words. What matters, however, is the underlying sentiment that Trump was eager to endorse: the president believes federal law enforcement officials, examining a foreign adversary’s attack on our elections, aren’t just part of some elaborate, partisan conspiracy, he apparently also believes they “ought to be in jail.” That strikes me as a notable rhetorical escalation for the embattled president. Trump went on to reiterate his belief that the special counsel’s investigation is “illegal,” before publishing a couple of additional missives about former FBI Deputy Director and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein targeting him with “a very illegal act,” which the president believes may be “treasonous.” Given the context, I’m assuming Trump is referring to the alleged 2017 conversation about the 25th Amendment. Regardless of the context, let’s not forget that, as of right now, Rod Rosenstein remains one of the nation’s top law enforcement officials. He’s also, evidently, someone Trump considers a criminal. Occasionally, the Republican president likes to assure the public that he’s a champion of law enforcement, which is what makes outbursts like these so bizarre. Indeed, as regular readers know, Trump’s attacks on federal law enforcement are strikingly common. This is, after all, the same president who said last fall that he sees his conflict with the FBI as one of his “crowning achievements.” Trump added at the time that he sees some leaders who’ve served in federal law enforcement as “a cancer in our country.” The president has also referred to the “Department of ‘Justice’ ” – as if he believes the DOJ’s commitment to justice is in doubt – as “an embarrassment to our country!” Last year, the president also insisted that the FBI’s reputation was “in tatters” and is now the “worst in history.” Soon after, he added, “The top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department have politicized the sacred investigative process.” A month later, Trump went after the bureau again, calling it “disgraceful” that then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions hadn’t done more to investigate the FBI. It’s the same president who fired dozens of U.S. attorneys under unusual circumstances. And then fired an FBI director. And a deputy FBI director. And an acting attorney general. And an attorney general. And dozens of federal prosecutors. Trump has attacked federal law enforcement with conspiracy theories. He’s attacked common law-enforcement tools. He’s even urged law enforcement to enforce his political vendettas and help Republicans win elections. And yet, despite all of this, suggesting federal investigators “ought to be in jail” still seems like a new one. | Steve Benen | http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/targeting-federal-law-enforcement-trump-turns-things-notch | 2019-02-18 16:20:23+00:00 | 1,550,524,823 | 1,567,548,174 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
322,838 | msnbc--2019-05-03--Should law enforcement be able to search phones at the border | 2019-05-03T00:00:00 | msnbc | Should law enforcement be able to search phones at the border? | 'Knock Down the House' looks at AOC, 2018 midterms | null | http://www.msnbc.com/velshi-ruhle/watch/should-law-enforcement-be-able-to-search-phones-at-the-border-58800709892 | 2019-05-03 18:24:19+00:00 | 1,556,922,259 | 1,567,541,321 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
397,550 | occupydemocrats--2019-06-19--Four law enforcement agencies just opened a money laundering investigation of Deutsche Bank | 2019-06-19T00:00:00 | occupydemocrats | Four law enforcement agencies just opened a money laundering investigation of Deutsche Bank | Four federal agencies just opened a major money laundering investigation into hundreds of millions of dollars worth of transactions between the most important bank lender to the President and his family. Deutsche Bank has been at the heart of major Russian money laundering scandals for years. During that time, President Trump has borrowed billions of dollars from the bank, and his plenipotentiary minister, son-in-law Jared Kushner is an even bigger client of the bank, whose transactions set off money laundering alerts that got shelved. Now, three different groups of prosecutors and one federal law enforcement agency chose to look into a brave whistleblower’s recent, public allegations about Deutsche Bank’s cover-up of their relationship with the Trumps. The Times reports: The investigation includes a review of Deutsche Bank’s handling of so-called suspicious activity reports that its employees prepared about possibly problematic transactions, including some linked to President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, according to people close to the bank and others familiar with the matter. In addition to the F.B.I., the Justice Department’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section in Washington, and the United States attorney’s offices in Manhattan and Brooklyn are conducting the investigations. Representatives for the agencies declined to comment. Amazingly, investigators told the Times that they believe their results could shed light on any role that the German lender has in yet another massive multi-billion-dollar banking scandal unfolding in Denmark. Three bank employees recently confirmed that Jared Kushner’s transactions triggered money laundering alerts that should have resulted in a suspicious activity report to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network known as FinCEN. The President still owed Deutsche Bank over three hundred million dollars through his family real estate business when he was sworn into office. Early in Trump’s term, the Post revealed that Jared Kushner got a loan from the bank for $285 million just before the 2017 inauguration ceremony. House Democrats are fighting doggedly – in court – to force Deutsche Bank to release a treasure trove of records documenting all of the billions of dollars worth of transactions as part of its oversight function. Last week, Trump’s personal lawyers in DC filed an appeal in the case against Mazars, the president’s accounting firm, whom the House Oversight committee is investigating. Then yesterday, his attornies in New York filed an appellate court brief in their frivolous fight to keep his personal financial records out of Congress’ hands. It was already plainly obvious that whatever is inside of President Trump and Jared Kushner’s financial records must be explosive information, or they wouldn’t be fighting to keep it out of Congress’ hands. But today’s news that not one, but three different groups of prosecutors across the country and the FBI’s financial crimes enforcers are looking into the high-level cover-up Deutsche Bank appears to have engaged in, there can be little doubt that these records could provide damning evidence of either Trump, Kushner or Deutsche Bank’s illegal financial activities. | Grant Stern | https://occupydemocrats.com/2019/06/19/four-law-enforcement-agencies-just-opened-a-money-laundering-investigation-of-deutsche-bank/ | 2019-06-19 21:48:29+00:00 | 1,560,995,309 | 1,567,538,808 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
399,107 | osce--2019-09-23--Law enforcement agencies should embrace Artificial Intelligence to enhance their efficiency and effe | 2019-09-23T00:00:00 | osce | Law enforcement agencies should embrace Artificial Intelligence to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness, say police experts at OSCE meeting | VIENNA, 23 September 2019 - Law enforcement authorities and agencies should embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their work to increase their efficiency and effectiveness, and to keep up with technological innovations, said opening speakers at the 2019 OSCE Annual Police Experts Meeting in Vienna today. This technology must be used in strict compliance with human rights and fundamental freedoms, they added. The meeting, this year entitled Artificial Intelligence and law enforcement – an ally or adversary?, brings together some 130 law enforcement experts and other criminal justice practitioners, representatives of OSCE delegations, regional and international organizations, technical specialists, and researchers, as well as civil society representatives from OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation. Over the course of two days, discussions will focus on how AI impacts the work and structure of police services and what challenges and opportunities the future could bring. Opening the meeting on behalf of Slovakia’s 2019 OSCE Chair, General Jana Maškarová, First Vice-President of Slovakia’s Police Force, said: “As the title of this year’s meeting indicates, we will devote our attention to the issue of artificial intelligence and try to answer the elementary question: Is artificial intelligence our ally or our adversary. When is it our ally and when does it become our adversary? For a long time we have been aware that modern technologies are not only used by us – police officers – in detecting and investigating crimes, but especially by our adversaries – in order to facilitate their illegal activity.” It was noted that although AI in the work of law enforcement is relatively new, it is commonly agreed that AI techniques have considerable potential. Some AI-based tools have already been tested and are used by police services worldwide. These include video and image analysis software, facial recognition systems, biometric identification, drones and robots, and predictive analysis tools to forecast future crime. Addressing the meeting participants through a video message, OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger said: “Many have already started to positively apply AI in their work. Just think about AI-enabled algorithms that automatically recognize missing persons or stolen cars. Or advanced crime forecasting tools, such as predictive policing. However, criminal organizations are also quick to adopt new technologies. We have seen it in the past, and AI will be no exception.” He added that irresponsible or unethical uses of AI can pose unforeseen risks to liberties and privacy rights. Therefore, the correct balance between effective policing and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms must always be an essential element in both the discussions on AI and its use. The first session will introduce the concept of AI and the use of AI-related technologies in the work of law enforcement authorities and agencies. Participants will later explore how AI technologies can be misused for committing crime in the future, including cybercrime or human trafficking. The final session will be dedicated to key legal, ethical, human rights and gender-related concerns linked to the application of AI-based technologies in the work of law enforcement authorities and agencies. The main findings and outcome of the meeting will be compiled in a report, which will serve as a basis for further discussions on AI at the national, regional and international level, and as guidance for the OSCE when developing and providing capacity building and technical assistance to the participating States and Partners for Co-operation. | SVashisht | https://www.osce.org/chairmanship/432152 | 2019-09-23 14:08:47+00:00 | 1,569,262,127 | 1,570,222,446 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
424,217 | powerlineblog--2019-02-14--Law Enforcement Usually Great But Sometimes Awful | 2019-02-14T00:00:00 | powerlineblog | Law Enforcement: Usually Great, But Sometimes Awful | As regular readers know, I am a fan of law enforcement. I think “systemic racism” is bullshit, and police officers’ conduct is admirable, or at least defensible, in an overwhelming majority of cases. See, for example, this post and this one. I am unequivocally on the side of law enforcement. But a few cops, unfortunately, are rotten. We saw that here in Minnesota with Mohammed Noor, who shot an obviously harmless woman who dialed 911, for no apparent reason. Something even worse–but for the fact that no one died–happened in Glendale, Arizona in 2017 when police officers accosted a car full of people who were parked in a hotel lot and, perhaps, not up to much good. But we never learned anything about that, because one of the cops went straight to the authoritarian shtick, and then to the taser. In the end, a guy who never did anything wrong was tased 11 times, including on his private parts after having his pants pulled down. He was charged with a crime or two, as was his wife, who allegedly struck a police officer over the head with a water bottle. If she did it, good for her. It was the least she should have done, under the circumstances. Here is the video, compiled by a local TV news station from body and dash cam cameras: Was that sickening to watch, or what? Happily, most people who go into law enforcement are altruistic and want to serve their communities. Unfortunately, some aren’t and don’t. People like the officers involved here should be viewed with contempt and subjected to legal penalties–like Mohammed Noor, if he lives long enough to come to trial, which seems a long way off. Today, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, a solid conservative, urged re-opening the investigation into the tasing fiasco. He is right. Let’s investigate and punish where punishment is due. Watching the video, it seems blindingly obvious where that is. | John Hinderaker | https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2019/02/law-enforcement-usually-great-but-sometimes-awful.php | 2019-02-14 01:05:55+00:00 | 1,550,124,355 | 1,567,548,579 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
461,450 | renegadetribune--2019-08-22--Law Enforcement To Flag and Spy On Future Criminals | 2019-08-22T00:00:00 | renegadetribune | Law Enforcement To Flag and Spy On Future Criminals | America’s fear of mass shootings is about to take a truly bizarre turn. That’s because our law enforcement will soon be used as fortune tellers to spy on future criminals. How will law enforcement be used as fortune tellers? A recent Albuquerque Journal article revealed that law enforcement will flag people who they think might pose a potential risk. What types of things could Americans do that law enforcement would consider threatening? Inside Sources revealed that police would be looking for “certain indicators.” I think it’s obviously important for all of the citizens of New Mexico to be on the lookout for certain indicators of these types of folks that would do this. And part of our job as government officials is to ensure that the citizens of the community understand what those indicators are so they can report them. The Tampa Bay Times reports that police are looking for “certain critical threat indicators” on students’ social media posts, and has even created their own FortifyFL app that allows anyone to secretly report suspicious behavior. What these “indicators” are is anyone’s guess. Johnson also said that it was “important for law enforcement and other social services to follow up” on reports of possibly dangerous citizens “in the hopes of preventing” acts of domestic terrorism. Law enforcement and other agencies are being encouraged to report on and flag anyone who they deem a “potential risk.” What could possibly go wrong? It was only a couple of months ago, when I warned people about the “Threat Assessment, Prevention and Safety Act” that basically allows law enforcement to label anyone a potential threat. Police across the country are already using “red flag” laws to take weapons away from people they deem a potential threat. So why is Homeland Security creating a whole new class of suspicious people? Because the War on Terror constantly needs new enemies if it is to keep Americans living in fear. The Albuquerque Journal revealed how law enforcement plans to use the red flag bill to allow law enforcement and other agencies to give people secret threat ratings. “Sheriffs had been working with the Democratic sponsor of a proposed red flag bill toward a possible compromise. In its original form, the bill would have allowed courts to order the temporary taking of guns from someone deemed an immediate threat,” San Juan County Sheriff Shane Ferrari said. From Homeland Security spying on everyone’s social media posts to the FBI, it seems like no one is safe from Big Brother’s prying eyes. Reason.com warned that the FBI’s “red flag” social media spying tool is “a meme-illiterate Facebook-stalking precog from the Minority Report.” Reason also warned that spying on everyone’s social media posts could spiral out of control. Placing people on a secret risk chart is a disaster waiting to happen; just ask those people on the no-fly list or terror watch list. | renegade | http://www.renegadetribune.com/law-enforcement-to-flag-and-spy-on-future-criminals/ | 2019-08-22 12:12:16+00:00 | 1,566,490,336 | 1,567,533,757 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
490,075 | slate--2019-08-21--Law Enforcements Use of Ancestry Websites Is a Huge Privacy Conundrum | 2019-08-21T00:00:00 | slate | Law Enforcement’s Use of Ancestry Websites Is a Huge Privacy Conundrum | In this episode, Aaron Mak learns about how law enforcement is using public genealogy websites to crack cold cases. His guest is Nila Bala, associate director of criminal justice policy at the R Street Institute, a think tank whose mission is to find solutions to complex policy problems. Bala is also a former public defender. She says that while it’s great that criminals are being brought to justice, there should be more rules in place to limit false positives and prevent privacy violations. After the interview, Shannon Palus joins the show for this week’s edition of Don’t Close My Tabs. • “Criminal Suspects Deserve Genetic Privacy, Too” in Slate • Shannon’s tab: “The App That Has Gen Z Hooked on Thrifting” in the Cut • Aaron’s tab: Every Spongebob Frame In Order on Facebook If you have a question or comment, you can email us at [email protected]. If Then is presented by Slate and Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter. | Aaron Mak | https://slate.com/podcasts/if-then/2019/08/ancestry-and-genealogy-websites-crack-cold-cases-but-raise-privacy-concerns?via=rss | 2019-08-21 17:48:41+00:00 | 1,566,424,121 | 1,567,533,791 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
492,656 | slate--2019-12-19--We’re Entering a New Phase in Law Enforcement’s Use of Consumer Genetic Data | 2019-12-19T00:00:00 | slate | We’re Entering a New Phase in Law Enforcement’s Use of Consumer Genetic Data | On Dec. 9, Verogen, a California-based forensic genomics company, acquired GEDmatch, a user-sourced DNA genealogy site. The acquisition suggests that GEDmatch’s transformation from a popular genealogy site to a crime-fighting tool is almost complete. The privacy implications will be enormous, even for those who have never considered taking a consumer genetic test. GEDmatch launched in 2010 as an open-source database where individuals who have tested their DNA with private companies, like 23andme and AncestryDNA, could upload their results and find family members. More recently, GEDmatch has acquired a second use—solving crimes. Most Americans first learned about GEDmatch in 2018, after law enforcement announced that they had used it to identify the suspected Golden State Killer. While not the first time the technique was used, the Golden State Killer investigation was certainly the highest-profile, and it opened the floodgates to solving crimes with genetic genealogy. Law enforcement simply input DNA from unsolved cases into GEDmatch (as well as some other databases, like FamilyTreeDNA and Othram). When crime scene DNA demonstrates even a partial match, forensic genealogists can use that information to construct a family tree and determine who a suspect might be. The final step is to acquire the suspect’s DNA (often through something discarded, like a tissue) and confirm the match. Genetic genealogy was used in an estimated 200 cases in 2018 alone. To date, more than 1.3 million users have uploaded their DNA to GEDmatch. When they uploaded their information, they might reasonably have expected that it would be kept safe and secure, shared only with those users authorized and in ways they intended. Unfortunately, this has rarely been the case. Instead, the past few months have revealed that GEDmatch lacks security, has altered its terms of use without predictability, and has been used by law enforcement in unexpected ways. Genetic genealogy has ushered in a new era devoid of rules and regulations concerning genetic privacy. And for a long time, GEDmatch co-founder Curtis Rogers tried his best to create order out of the chaos. Without guidance from the government on the matter, he navigated difficult decisions—such as which types of crimes law enforcement could use the site to try to solve and whether users should have to opt in to or opt out of sharing their data with the police. Each decision created controversy. At first, Rogers’ policy was that GEDmatch would only be used to help solve the most egregious violent crimes—like murder and sexual assault. But he changed his mind after Utah law enforcement contacted Rogers for assistance in a 2018 assault case they were investigating. First, he made an exception. Then, a few months later, he codified the change and expanded the definition of “violent crime” to include “murder, nonnegligent manslaughter, aggravated rape, robbery, or aggravated assault.” Another policy change occurred when GEDmatch was criticized for sharing information with law enforcement without users’ explicit consent. So in May 2019, GEDmatch changed its policy to an opt-in version, asking users when they logged in whether they wanted to share their profiles with law enforcement. Many thought this would be the end of GEDmatch as an effective mechanism for police to solve cold cases—though competitor site FamilyTreeDNA still made most of its more than 1 million profiles available through an opt-out approach. Still, by November 2019, 185,000 individuals on GEDmatch had opted into allowing law enforcement to access their profiles. While reasonable parties may differ on where to draw the line regarding the use of genetic genealogy, the troubling reality here is that one individual—in this case, Rogers—had the power both to draw that line and to change it unilaterally. With no legal regulations providing clarity on how and when genetic genealogy should be used to fight crime, we have left private entities in charge of the decision-making. And with Verogen taking over GEDmatch, we have new reasons to be concerned. GEDmatch was a nonprofit company free for users who hoped to explore their family histories. In contrast, Verogen is a next-generation sequencing business in the forensic genomics market. It has been working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to create DNA profiles for the National DNA Index System, the database that combines contributions from federal, state, and local forensic laboratories. Verogen CEO Brett Williams has made clear he sees GEDmatch as a crime-fighting tool—a “molecular eyewitness” that will enable law enforcement to solve violent crimes. There may be some benefits to Verogen taking over GEDmatch. For instance, Williams has promised he will improve the system’s security, which is important, given that in November, computer scientists revealed serious vulnerabilities. This is significant: If DNA gets into the wrong hands, experts say we can expect a parade of horribles, including having our genes held ransom, people pretending to be our relatives asking for our help, and our data being sold to insurance companies and drug manufacturers. Williams has also said that he will keep the same opt-in standard that GEDmatch adopted in June 2019. But as Rogers’ tenure demonstrated, GEDmatch’s terms and conditions are subject to change—and that was before a profit motive was introduced. While time will tell exactly how Verogen’s takeover will affect users, the company’s business model explicitly includes selling its services to crime labs, suggesting that future partnerships with law enforcement agencies would not be a surprise. With no legal regulations, we have left private entities in charge of the decision-making. After Verogen acquired GEDmatch, users were quietly informed when they logged in that the purchase had taken place, and those who were uncomfortable with the new for-profit management could delete their accounts. But many thousands of users uploaded their data to GEDmatch, forgot about it, and have never logged back in, leaving a treasure trove of genetic data for Verogen to potentially use at its discretion. While the current terms and conditions protect individuals who haven’t opted in from being subjected to law enforcement searches, Verogen could always change those policies. With a for-profit entity that is interested in sharing genetic data at the helm, GEDmatch might well become more like Facebook, Twitter, and other for-profit social networking sites, but with access to much more vital data. We ask these sites to be responsible stewards of our information, but they are nevertheless subject to incentives to make millions by selling our data to others. Thus far, only our pictures, clicks, likes, and preferences have been monetized. Now, we’re talking about our DNA, and the potential buyer is the government. With an ally like Verogen in control of GEDmatch, law enforcement will be able to more easily conduct dragnet searches—the genetic equivalent of stop-and-frisk. Police often do not have an individual suspect in mind when they start their search; user-sourced DNA sites give them thousands of genetic profiles to wade through to attempt to find a match. And unfortunately, DNA searches are not foolproof. For example, police did not immediately conclude that Joseph DeAngelo was the Golden State killer—initially, two other suspects were identified. Police issued a warrant for one man in an Oregon nursing home and had him supply his DNA. In another case, police identified the wrong individual in a DNA search of a cold case. It took several anxiety-filled days before the man was exonerated by a swab of his cheek. This is all to say that the government’s power to invade genetic privacy is immense, and mistakes made in the criminal justice system can be costly. Genetic privacy is vital: Unlike an ATM or credit card number, DNA cannot be changed. It can reveal information about us that we don’t even know ourselves—about paternity and siblings, our ethnic ancestors, and our propensity to get certain diseases. What’s more, DNA can reveal information about individuals who have not shared anything at all: A study last year found that 60 percent of white Americans can be identified through GEDmatch searches, with that number expected to rise as more people share their DNA with the system. Verogen’s acquisition of GEDmatch should thus concern us all—even those of us who haven’t shared anything with GEDmatch. It is vital that there are clear policies about when and how genetic genealogy is used, and that those policies are created by publicly accountable institutions, not by a private for-profit entity on an ad hoc basis. The onus is on legislative bodies to draft laws to govern law enforcement searches for familial DNA matches. Potential regulations could require that law enforcement use this technique only for the most serious crimes, lower false positive identifications, and ensure that the data is stored and managed appropriately. Additionally, a warrant should be required to search databases like GEDmatch, which would ensure a third-party judicial officer would review each case. Legislation could specify that only those who have opted-in to assist law enforcement should be subjected to a search (avoiding what occurred in November in Florida, when a judge authorized a search of the entire GEDmatch database). In addition, the law can put punitive measures in place to remedy situations when data is misused or the rules are not followed. Without such limits, and with Verogen’s takeover, the use of genetic genealogy by police will only increase. But by articulating guidelines now, lawmakers can create boundaries that apply no matter who is in charge of genetic platforms like GEDmatch. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. | Nila Bala | https://slate.com/technology/2019/12/gedmatch-verogen-genetic-genealogy-law-enforcement.html?via=rss | Thu, 19 Dec 2019 12:30:03 +0000 | 1,576,776,603 | 1,576,815,331 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
569,027 | tass--2019-08-13--Kremlin defends law enforcement for taking tough action to curb riots | 2019-08-13T00:00:00 | tass | Kremlin defends law enforcement for taking tough action to curb riots | "We believe that it is absolutely unacceptable when there is disproportionate use of force by the representatives of authorities and believe it is absolutely justified when law enforcement agencies take tough actions in order to curb civil disorder," Peskov said. MOSCOW, August 13. /TASS/. The Kremlin believes that the disproportionate use of force by police is unacceptable, but justifies tough actions of law enforcement agencies for curbing riots, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday. The Kremlin spokesman emphasized that any lawsuits filed should be investigated and later considered by the court. However, he called for drawing a distinction between legitimate and authorized events and steps, which are the attempts of staging riots and involving people in them. "These are absolutely different things. You know that both of them have taken place," Peskov stressed. "I mean an authorized rally and the attempts of organizing civil disorders." According to Peskov, Russia’s law enforcement agencies are fulfilling their duties and are making every effort for curbing these illegitimate attempts as well as for ensuring security during legitimate and authorized events. In case an illegal rally spirals into mass riots, it can be described as "organized disorders." The Kremlin takes note of cases involving police brutality and disobedience to police, Peskov said, adding that probes were conducted into all such incidents. "We take note of all reports about such incidents, internal probes are conducted into all of them," he said. "We also take note of incidents when law enforcement officers have to face disobedience and violence, which is unacceptable," Peskov added. "We have seen various videos," he went on to say. "Law enforcement officers indeed had to face violence. Investigations are underway aimed at confirming or denying that there were attempts to disobey police orders and resist police officers," the Kremlin spokesman noted. At the same time, he emphasized that the presidential administration "cannot and should not issue verdicts on the matter." "Only courts have the right to make decisions," Peskov stressed. Peskov has cautioned against being guided by emotions when evaluating the situation around the election to the Moscow parliament and the steps of law enforcement personnel at the rallies, while advising to wait for the results of internal checks and the courts’ rulings. "We cannot and should not be guided by emotions. That’s why the phases like ‘unlawful use of force,’ ‘unlawful exclusion from elections,’ ‘unlawful arrests’ and so on can be only used by agencies after an internal review or the courts. You and I cannot do this and have no right to do this," Peskov said. Peskov said first the lawsuits should be filed and the rulings should be passed in order to describe the events. Russian President Vladimir Putin is paying attention to the rallies in Moscow but does not consider them to be anything striking, Peskov said. He underlined that "the president naturally is paying attention to what’s happening." At the same time, Peskov stressed that he is talking about "certain rallies of different nature" that are taking place in the capital. "Russia sees an enormous amount of events happening daily, which the president is paying attention to and he should not deliver his opinion on each of them," he said. The spokesman also said that Kremlin is not undertaking coordination of various agencies’ actions regarding rallies in Moscow. | null | https://tass.com/politics/1073189 | 2019-08-13 10:12:51+00:00 | 1,565,705,571 | 1,567,534,266 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
575,458 | tass--2019-12-19--Putin against purges in law enforcement, but for improvement in their work | 2019-12-19T00:00:00 | tass | Putin against purges in law enforcement, but for improvement in their work | MOSCOW, December 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has told a news conference that he is against "purges" in the law enforcement agencies, but believes that their operation needs improvement and public control. "As far as purges are concerned, we’ve been through this in our not very long distant past. And it looks like we should better have no more of them again," Putin said. At the same time he believes that the operation of the law enforcement must be improved and controlled by the public. "This is quite obvious," he said. All law enforcement agencies have their own internal security divisions. Putin believes that all of them are rather effective. He disagreed with claims the law enforcement organizations were adamant not to lose face under any circumstance. "It is totally incorrect. True, there may be situations in which bosses try to cover up somebody, but let me say once again that internal security units are rather effective and a considerable number of criminal cases - there are many of them - which are opened against law enforcement personnel, are based on checks carried out by internal security units," Putin said. | null | https://tass.com/politics/1101329 | Thu, 19 Dec 2019 17:17:12 +0300 | 1,576,793,832 | 1,576,815,687 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
660,482 | thedenverpost--2019-02-22--Law enforcement planning to search Fountain landfill for Kelsey Berreths remains | 2019-02-22T00:00:00 | thedenverpost | Law enforcement planning to search Fountain landfill for Kelsey Berreth’s remains | Law enforcement investigators will soon search a Fountain landfill for the remains of Kelsey Berreth after a witness in a murder case said the accused killer may have thrown her body in the dump, police said. The search at Midway Landfill for Berreth’s remains or evidence linked to the case will begin Tuesday and could last between 16 and 80 days, Woodland Park Police Department Cmdr. Christopher Adams said. Equipment needed to search the landfill will begin assembling at the landfill on Monday, a news release stated. “I want to express my gratitude to Waste Management for working so closely with our investigators as we continue our efforts to locate Kelsey,” Woodland Park Police chief Miles De Young said in a statement. According to the news release, Woodland Park police continue to receive tips about locating Berreth’s remains. Patrick Frazee, 32, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, three counts of solicitation to commit murder, and tampering with a dead body. Berreth’s body has not been found. Idaho nurse Krystal Kenney Lee, 32, told a Colorado Bureau of Investigation agent that Frazee confessed to beating Berreth to death with a bat in her Woodland Park home. Lee said she watched Frazee place a black bag he said contained Berreth’s remains and the bat in an animal watering trough and light it on fire at his ranch. When flames melted the plastic bag, Lee saw a lump she believed was Berreth’s body, she told authorities. Lee also said she cleaned Berreth’s home after the killing and threw blood-covered items, including toys, into the flames. Some of those things may not have been completely consumed by the blaze. | Kirk Mitchell | https://www.denverpost.com/2019/02/22/kelsey-berreth-remains-fountain-landfill-search/ | 2019-02-22 22:40:51+00:00 | 1,550,893,251 | 1,567,547,618 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
2,772 | abcnews--2019-12-03--AP source: Los Angeles police officer fondled dead woman | 2019-12-03T00:00:00 | abcnews | AP source: Los Angeles police officer fondled dead woman | A Los Angeles police officer is under investigation after a random review of body camera footage showed him fondling a dead woman’s breasts, according to a person briefed on the incident. The Los Angeles Police Department officer and a partner had responded to a report of a body at a residence, the person said. The officer fondled the corpse’s breasts when his partner was not in the room. The person, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the case and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said officials conducted a random inspection of the officer’s body camera videos and found the incriminating footage. The officer had disabled the body camera but the act was caught on video when he turned it back on, the person said, because the devices have two-minute buffering periods to capture what happens right before they are activated. Josh Rubenstein, an LAPD spokesman, would not comment on the allegation but said the unidentified officer has been removed from active duty while the incident is investigated. “If this allegation is true, then the behavior exhibited by this officer is not only wrong, but extremely disturbing, and does not align with the values we, as police officers, hold dear and these values include respect and reverence for the deceased,” the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents rank-and-file officers, said in a statement. “This behavior has no place in law enforcement." The person did not know when the incident occurred or when it was discovered. It is not clear how long the officer fondled the corpse or what prompted him to turn the camera back on. The Los Angeles Times first reported the incident. | null | https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/ap-source-los-angeles-police-officer-fondled-dead-67475237 | Tue, 03 Dec 2019 18:50:24 -0500 | 1,575,417,024 | 1,575,417,941 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
2,920 | abcnews--2019-12-06--Detroit police officer suspended after cop's death retires | 2019-12-06T00:00:00 | abcnews | Detroit police officer suspended after cop's death retires | A Detroit police officer responding to a home invasion was fatally shot by a man hiding in the basement, while a senior officer stayed at his patrol car a block away, investigators said. Sgt. Ronald Kidd, a 21-year veteran, suddenly retired this week after Chief James Craig suspended and publicly shamed him, saying it was the second time that he had ignored critical duties by refusing to get involved. Police from across the country attended a funeral Friday for the officer who was killed. The fatal shooting came a few weeks after two off-duty Georgia officers were fired for running from gunfire at a party. Elsewhere, a deputy is facing charges for not trying to stop a gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Experts said it’s hard to know how common it is for officers to look the other way in the face of risk because there are no statistics. But danger, they add, is part of the job. “You don’t just get a bulletproof vest and a gun because they make you look like a real man. You get them because they’re unfortunately part of the tools of the trade,” said Seth Stoughton, a former police officer who trained officers and now teaches at University of South Carolina law school. Detroit officer Rasheen McClain, 46, was killed and another officer was injured when they entered a house on Nov. 20. An ex-convict, JuJuan Parks, was ultimately arrested and charged with murder. Before entering, McClain sought help from a supervisor but didn’t get any and decided to make his own decisions, Craig said. Kidd, meanwhile, was a block away, telling a younger officer that “we should get cover,” according to video reviewed by the chief. “I know of no time where I’ve seen this kind of neglect,” Craig said of Kidd. “And, some could infer from my statements, maybe some cowardice.” Steve Dolunt, who retired as assistant chief in 2017, said the sergeant’s job would be to set up a perimeter and decide how to proceed against a suspected gunman inside a house. “I’m blown away by this,” Dolunt said. Kidd’s attorney, Odey Meroueh, said the sergeant's actions were clouded that night by post-traumatic stress disorder. He said PTSD was only recently diagnosed and led to Kidd’s retirement this week. “He couldn’t have done anything to save the officer,” Meroueh said Friday. “There was an immediate and substantial response to the scene by his fellow officers such that his direct involvement could not have possibly altered the tragic events. That’s my understanding of the situation.” It wasn’t the first time that Kidd was accused of neglecting his job. A discipline board wanted to fire him in 2014 after he stood by while a mentally ill man attacked a female officer, Craig said. But Kidd survived with a suspension and was subsequently promoted to sergeant, under union rules. “Someone signed my name and it was not my signature. ... I was stunned,” Craig said of the suspension agreement. Kidd remains under investigation in the incident that led to McClain’s death. “As to whether or not his inaction amounts to criminal misconduct will ultimately be the decision of the prosecutor when our investigation is finished,” Craig told The Detroit News. In suburban Atlanta, Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill recently fired two officers who were accused of running from gunfire while working off-duty at a private party. A teenager was killed. “You do not want officers who approach too aggressively and officers who refuse to approach at all,” he said. “If you end up on either side of those extremes it’s a problem.” Meanwhile, law enforcement officers filled Greater Grace Temple for McClain’s funeral Friday. Craig promoted him to sergeant posthumously, describing McLain as an “American hero who will never be forgotten.” | null | https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/detroit-police-officer-suspended-cops-death-retires-67554325 | Fri, 06 Dec 2019 16:40:26 -0500 | 1,575,668,426 | 1,575,677,192 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
2,949 | abcnews--2019-12-07--Alabama police officer killed in drug-related shooting | 2019-12-07T00:00:00 | abcnews | Alabama police officer killed in drug-related shooting | An Alabama police officer was killed Friday during a drug-related shooting, authorities said, making him the sixth law enforcement officer in the state slain in the line of duty this year. The officer died at a hospital after being shot in the heart, Huntsville Police Chief Mark McMurray said during a news conference Friday evening. Authorities did not release the name of the slain officer, but said he was a 20-year veteran of the department. Police said the suspect was captured after a short foot chase. McMurray said the shooting occurred during a task force operation after investigators learned of a large amount of drugs being delivered. He said the suspect “drew a gun and immediately fired on the officer.” The officer was wearing a bulletproof vest, but the bullet still managed to strike the officer in the heart, the police chief said. He said the officer’s name would be released Saturday. Lt. Michael Johnson, a spokesman for the department, said the shooting is a stark reminder of the danger faced by police officers. Six Alabama law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty in 2019, according to numbers released by the Alabama attorney general's office following last month's fatal shooting of Lowndes County Sheriff John Williams. “I am grieved to hear of the Huntsville Police Officer killed in the line of duty and extend my deepest sympathies and prayers to his family for their unimaginable loss. It has been an exceptionally tough year for our law enforcement community, and this will be felt across our state," Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement. Although the officer was not publicly named, U.S. Attorney Jay Town said the officer was known for his dedication and professionalism. “We must now direct our prayers to his grieving family and pull together in full support of the Huntsville Police Department and law enforcement everywhere who lost another brother of the badge tonight. I am beyond grief.” | null | https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/alabama-police-officer-critically-wounded-shooting-67557352 | Sat, 07 Dec 2019 06:49:09 -0500 | 1,575,719,349 | 1,575,720,387 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
2,996 | abcnews--2019-12-08--Police: Slain Arkansas officer 'ambushed' in patrol vehicle | 2019-12-08T00:00:00 | abcnews | Police: Slain Arkansas officer 'ambushed' in patrol vehicle | A man who “was looking for an officer to kill” drove into a police parking lot in northwestern Arkansas, approached an officer who was sitting in a patrol car and shot him point-blank in the head, police said Sunday. Officer Stephen Carr, 27, was “ambushed and executed" late Saturday outside Fayetteville Police Department headquarters, Chief Mike Reynolds said. Reynolds said two officers ran outside after hearing gunshots behind the police department at about 9:42 p.m. Saturday and confronted an armed suspect, who they shot and killed. Reynolds identified the suspect as London Phillips, 35, of Fayetteville. Police said they don't know why he did it but that they believe Phillips set out to kill a police officer. “All I know is that this was a cowardly act. I have no information that leads me to believe that he targeted this officer specifically. He was looking for an officer to kill," Reynolds said during a news conference Sunday. Reynolds said Phillips used a 9 mm Taurus pistol and had two boxes of ammunition with him. Fayetteville police had a “brief history” with Phillips, Reynolds said. Police received a call in December 2018 about Phillips impersonating a police officer, he said. In April, Phillips pawned a gun at a local pawn shop. Reynolds said the owner of the shop would not return the gun because Phillips had a medical marijuana card, which disqualifies someone from possessing a gun in Arkansas. Reynolds became choked up and appeared to fight back tears during the news conference. He said Carr was from Texas and had joined the Fayetteville police department about 2 1/2 years ago. He was a patrol officer who was assigned to the entertainment district. “He was an all-American boy," he said. “He came from a law enforcement family. He knew what the job was about and he just wanted to serve his community.” Reynolds said there has been an outpouring of shock, disbelief and support from people in Fayetteville and the surrounding area. “”I think it just proves that we’re not immune and that officers are being targeted every day throughout our country. It’s just unfortunate," he said. Fayetteville police have asked the Washington County Sheriff's Office and the FBI to investigate. A spokeswoman for the sheriff's office declined to release details of the investigation Sunday. Police did not immediately release the names of the two officers who shot Phillips. Under city and police department policy, both officers have been placed on administrative leave until Reynolds can review the results of the investigation. The fatal Arkansas shooting followed the shooting death of a Houston police officer Saturday night. | null | https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/arkansas-officer-fatally-shot-station-suspect-dead-67575033 | Sun, 08 Dec 2019 18:42:55 -0500 | 1,575,848,575 | 1,575,849,938 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
3,968 | activistpost--2019-02-07--Alabama Police Will Not Allow Poor Drivers To Leave The State | 2019-02-07T00:00:00 | activistpost | Alabama Police Will Not Allow Poor Drivers To Leave The State | If you are too poor to pay a traffic ticket or a fine in Alabama the police will not let you leave the state. You read that right, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency will issue poor people “hardship drivers licenses” but you cannot leave. The mass media is falling all over themselves praising the new law, saying “this rule could help tens of thousands of people, over 20,000 alone had their licenses suspended just an for inability to pay for fines and fees that were assets to them,” said Dev Wakeley. “They will be able to drive to work to school to medical appointments, to civic appointments or civic organization events as well as you know to go out and vote or if they need to do household chores or things of that nature,” says Captain Jon Archer of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. (Source) Captain Archer confirms that poor people will not be allowed to leave Alabama. Hardship drivers licenses exist in every state and are mostly used for minors and DUI offenders; they are not used to punish the poor. An article in Alabama Today claims police have begun accepting applications to restore limited driving privileges to thousands of motorists who simply are too poor to pay their ticket. According to Senate Bill 55 the police will only give poor people a hardship drivers license if they do not pose a risk to public safety. Welcome to American policing where one’s inability to pay a ticket or a fine is now a risk to “public safety.” Before Alabamians are allowed to drive again, Big Brother wants to know things like where you work and go to church. They also want to know the EXACT routes you will take to get there. | Activist Post | https://www.activistpost.com/2019/02/alabama-police-will-not-allow-poor-drivers-to-leave-the-state.html | 2019-02-07 16:50:21+00:00 | 1,549,576,221 | 1,567,549,269 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
4,469 | activistpost--2019-04-15--Four Steps Facebook Should Take to Counter Police Sock Puppets | 2019-04-15T00:00:00 | activistpost | Four Steps Facebook Should Take to Counter Police Sock Puppets | Despite Facebook’s repeated warnings that law enforcement is required to use “authentic identities” on the social media platform, cops continue to create fake and impersonator accounts to secretly spy on users. By pretending to be someone else, cops are able to sneak past the privacy walls users put up and bypass legal requirements that might require a warrant to obtain that same information. The most recent examples—and one of the most egregious—was revealed by The Guardian this week. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security executed a complex network of dummy Facebook profiles and pages to trick immigrants into registering with a fake college, The University of Farmington. The operation netted more than 170 arrests. Meanwhile, Customs and Border Protection issued a privacy impact assessment that encourages investigators to conceal their social media accounts. Last fall, after the Memphis Police Department was caught using fake profiles to monitor Black Lives Matter activists, Facebook added new language to its law enforcement guidelines emphasizing that this practice was not permitted. Facebook also removed the offending accounts and sent Memphis a stern warning not to do it again. However, Facebook has proven resistant to sending warning letters to every agency caught red-handed; recently it turned down a request by EFF that it confront the San Francisco Police Department after court records revealed its use of fake accounts in criminal investigations. This latest DHS investigation uncovered by The Guardian, as well as The Root’s report revealing other agencies that authorize undercover cops to friend people on Facebook, indicates that much more needs to be done. EFF is now calling on Facebook to escalate the matter with law enforcement in the United States. Facebook should take the following actions to address the proliferation of fake/impersonator Facebook accounts operated by law enforcement, in addition to suspending the fake accounts. Facebook’s practice of taking down these individual accounts when they learn about them from the press (or from EFF) is insufficient to deter what we believe is a much larger iceberg beneath the surface. We often only discover the existence of law enforcement fake profiles months, if not years, after an investigation has concluded. These four changes are relatively light lifts that would enhance transparency and establish real consequences for agencies that deliberately violate the rules. As EFF’s senior investigative researcher, Dave Maass is a muckraker/noisemaker, covering issues related to police surveillance, free speech, transparency, and government accountability. In addition to leading deep-dive investigations, Dave coordinates large-scale public records campaigns, advocates on state legislation, and compiles The Foilies, EFF’s annual tongue-in-cheek awards for outrageous responses to FOIA requests. He sometimes represents EFF in digital rights-themed cosplay at Dragon Con, and he edited EFF’s first science fiction collection, Pwning Tomorrow. He also researches virtual reality as part of the team that developed Spot the Surveillance, EFF’s first VR experience. Contact him with questions or information on police technology (e.g. automated license plate readers, biometric identification), prisoner rights, or public records laws. Dave is currently Visiting Professor of Media Technology at the University of Nevada, Reno Reynolds School of Journalism. This article was sourced from EFF.org. | Activist Post | https://www.activistpost.com/2019/04/four-steps-facebook-should-take-to-counter-police-sock-puppets.html | 2019-04-15 15:20:19+00:00 | 1,555,356,019 | 1,567,542,900 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
4,484 | activistpost--2019-04-16--Police Use Drones To Spy On Suspicious People At Potential Crime Scenes | 2019-04-16T00:00:00 | activistpost | Police Use Drones To Spy On Suspicious People At “Potential Crime Scenes” | For years, law enforcement has been claiming that drones will only be used for natural disasters, crime scene investigations, car accidents and rescue operations. That is the bill of goods being sold to the public, but it is all a lie. A perfect example of how law enforcement promises the public one thing and, after time passes, uses it for something else is taking place in Texas at the Memorial Villages Police Department (MVPD). Two years ago, Click2Houston reported how the MVPD claimed that they would only use drones for “better emergency response during disasters.” They also used police officer and UAV pilot Larry Boggus to solidify their claim that drones would only be used for natural disasters saying, “drones are a huge asset for us because very quickly we were able to see the amount of houses that were damaged” during a 2018 storm. I love it when police departments provide comic relief to prove my point. It only took one year for the MVPD to prove their “Boggus” claim that drones would only be used during emergencies was a lie. (Pun intended.) Last week, Click2Houston revealed that the MVPD is using drones to respond to home alarms and to identify suspicious people. When police use drones to respond to home alarms, don’t think for one second that they will only use them to fly over that particular home. When police respond to a possible break-in using a patrol car, they will typically drive around the neighborhood looking for suspicious people and possible signs of forced entry. So what do you think police will use drones for? All across the country their are numerous examples of police using drones to spy on crowds, but a Harvard Law School article titled “Drones as Crime-Fighting Tools in 2020: Legal and Normative Considerations” warned that the Boston Police Department’s plan to use “observation warrants” to justify spying on the public is a harbinger of what is to come. As the video above explains, sending police drones to investigate “potential crimes” means that everyone is a potential suspect. Police will use drones to spy on people’s homes, backyards and streets, looking for suspicious people, essentially turning our Bill of Rights into a paper tiger. A perfect example of our Bill of Rights being turned into a paper tiger is the use of Stingrays. Law enforcement has been using Stingrays to intercept millions of innocent phone conversations and texts without a warrant. Which is exactly how law enforcement plans to use drones. Police Stingrays and drones are designed for mass surveillance and do not care if they spy on innocent people. As Andrew Ferguson, a David A. Clarke School of Law professor warned, “once you have flying cameras available, they will likely be used beyond the pilot project,” Ferguson said. “They will fly more and capture more data. This is a perfect example of how big data surveillance will change the power balance between citizens and police and erode community trust.” How often do police respond to false alarms? A 2014 study by the Statesman found that 90% percent or 9 out of 10 home alarms are false alarms. False alarms are so common that some police departments charge homeowners $300.00 to as much as $500.00 for responding to them. To put it another way, a Google search of “police respond to false alarms” returned 9.4 million hits. So there is no question that launching a police drone to investigate millions of false alarms is a bad idea. Allowing law enforcement to use drones to investigate potential crimes, suspicious people or conduct observation warrants will have a negative effect on Americans’ freedoms. You can read more at the MassPrivateI blog, where this article first appeared. | Activist Post | https://www.activistpost.com/2019/04/police-use-drones-to-spy-on-suspicious-people-at-potential-crime-scenes.html | 2019-04-16 18:11:10+00:00 | 1,555,452,670 | 1,567,542,771 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
4,522 | activistpost--2019-04-22--US Police Refuse to Stop Creating Fake Profiles on Facebook | 2019-04-22T00:00:00 | activistpost | US Police Refuse to Stop Creating Fake Profiles on Facebook | Local, state, and federal law enforcement are refusing to comply with Facebook’s policy against law enforcement creating fake social media accounts. A new report by The Guardian details how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has violated Facebook policy by creating fake social media accounts connected to a fake university created to identify illegal immigrants. ICE agents created profiles of individuals alleged to have attended the fictional University of Farmington as part of their attempt to ensnare students in an immigration scam. More than 600 students, most of whom were Indian citizens, were indicted in the federal government’s operation. Starting in 2015, undercover agents built the Michigan school’s facade, with a fake website, government documents that confirmed it was eligible to enroll foreign students and fake Facebook accounts, including supposed staff members. In a January indictment, the government accused students of enrolling in the school to stay in the country illegally, knowing that the institution was a sham. In a network of suspicious Facebook accounts linked to the University of Farmington, the college’s alleged president, Ali “AJ” Milani, liked the Michigan Jaguars sports club and had a 51-person friend list that was mostly people from south Asia, despite Milani ostensibly living in Detroit. Carey Ferrante, who did not list any link to the school but had interactions with persons interested in it, posted three photos of herself that were actually stock photos, including one of a faceless woman in a bikini, and sent Facebook messages to at least one person. Edward Bajoka, an attorney representing eight of the individuals indicted, told The Guardian that it has been confirmed the U.S. government own the profiles of Ali “AJ” Milani and Carey Ferrante. Khaalid Walls, ICE’s North-East Regional Communications Director, declined to comment on the accounts but confirmed that 172 students had been arrested for civil immigration violations. Meanwhile, a Facebook representative told The Guardian that law enforcement are subject to the same policies that require users to use their real name on Facebook. “Operating fake accounts is not allowed, and we will act on any violating accounts,” the representative said. ICE has previously been exposed for creating another fake university, University of Northern New Jersey, in order to make arrests. This is also not the first time that law enforcement has been caught in the act of creating fake social media profiles in an attempt to catch potential criminals. Law enforcement in Ohio, New York, Georgia, and Nebraska have admitted to allowing investigators to use aliases and undercover profiles. In addition, the Memphis Police Department was previously caught using fake profiles to monitor Black Lives Matter activists. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has called on Facebook to improve their standards for dealing with U.S. law enforcement. “Facebook’s practice of taking down these individual accounts when they learn about them from the press (or from EFF) is insufficient to deter what we believe is a much larger iceberg beneath the surface,” EFF writes. “We often only discover the existence of law enforcement fake profiles months, if not years, after an investigation has concluded.” EFF is calling for four specific changes to “enhance transparency and establish real consequences for agencies that deliberately violate the rules.” These changes include publishing data on the number of fake law enforcement accounts, including the agency they belong to and any action taken. EFF is also calling for Facebook to alert users and groups that have interacted with said fake accounts. Facebook should also amend its “Amended Terms for Federal, State and Local Governments in the United States” to make it clear that law enforcement are agreeing not to operate fake profiles on the platform. Whether or not Facebook chooses to enact the EFF’s suggestions remains to be seen. However, it is already clear that law enforcement has no qualms about lying, breaking policies—or even the law—to achieve their goals. The American people should not depend on law enforcement to be an example of moral and ethical behavior. The only way these types of situations will end is for the people to stand up and push back against platforms like Facebook. Until that time social media users need to practice better security culture and be discerning when accepting new social media friends and accounts. This article was sourced from The Mind Unleashed. Provide, protect and profit from what is coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today. | Activist Post | https://www.activistpost.com/2019/04/us-police-refuse-to-stop-creating-fake-profiles-on-facebook.html | 2019-04-22 16:41:27+00:00 | 1,555,965,687 | 1,567,542,098 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
4,530 | activistpost--2019-04-23--Police State Madness Cops In DUI Vans Drawing Motorists Blood | 2019-04-23T00:00:00 | activistpost | Police State Madness: Cops In DUI Vans Drawing Motorists’ Blood | Halloween is less than six months away but that has not stopped law enforcement from taking people’s blood. In fact, police officers want our blood so bad that they are purchasing blood draw vans … sorry, I meant DUI vans like the one pictured above. Last year, I wrote an article about police officers forcing hospitals to draw a drunk or drugged suspect’s blood. But what I could never have imagined is that within a year, police officers would be physically drawing motorists’ blood. Save Independent Media for as Little as $1 Per Month A recent article in Pew Charitable Trusts revealed that police DUI vans in Arizona and California are drawing people’s blood. What makes this story so disturbing is that typically a person must be a certified phlebotomist or healthcare professional who is trained to draw blood from a patient in a safe and sanitary manner. But as you can imagine that is not what is happening. I will eat my hat if law enforcement claims their vans and police departments are sanitary. Alleging that police officers should be treated like healthcare professionals and be allowed to physically draw blood from a person is obscene. As the article reveals, the real reason why police officers want our blood is to “save money because they don’t need to pay phlebotomists and hospitals for blood draws.” I cannot possibly discuss all the different things that could go wrong with police officers drawing blood, so I will only focus on two. When a police officer calls a DUI blood van to forcibly draw a person’s blood based on a hunch that they might be on drugs or drunk, we no longer have a Bill of Rights to protect us. As attorney John Whitehead said, forced blood draws make a mockery of the Fourth Amendment. The act of merely driving on state-owned roads should not mean that we give up our rights. In Massachusetts, judges are starting to question so-called Drug Recognition Expert police officers who claim to have special senses that can detect if a person is impaired. What sort of country refers to forcibly taking Americans blood as a “game-changer?” The International Association of Police Chiefs, which is the mouthpiece of law enforcement, cannot wait for vampire cops to draw motorists’ blood. When law enforcement has judges on-call to issue e-warrants within minutes, it is like having a fellow cop on-call authorizing the shredding of our rights. Attorney Ramsell is correct; having judge’s on-call to OK e-warrants without second guessing a police officer’s hunch will have major civil rights implications. If the public meekly accepts this invasive and horrific practice of allowing police to conduct forced blood draws, then forced DNA swabs cannot be far behind. As a teenager, I watched hundreds of horror movies but I never once had nightmares that police would FORCIBLY take blood from Americans! But times have changed and it won’t be long before Hollywood makes a law enforcement reality blood draw TV show. Here are a few names for their new show. Instead of calling it Hawaii Five-O why not call it Hawaii Type O or call the The First 48, The First Blood Draws. Last but not least, why not rename Blue Bloods the Blood Suckers? As I said before, allowing police officers to conduct their own blood draws is a monumentally bad idea that will have major civil rights implications for everyone. You can read more at the MassPrivateI blog, where this article first appeared. Provide, protect and profit from what is coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today. | Activist Post | https://www.activistpost.com/2019/04/police-state-madness-cops-in-dui-vans-drawing-motorists-blood.html | 2019-04-23 16:34:20+00:00 | 1,556,051,660 | 1,567,541,976 | crime, law and justice | law enforcement |
62,668 | birminghammail--2019-05-31--Our children are at breaking point - hundreds of parents rally over shameful SEND funding crisis | 2019-05-31T00:00:00 | birminghammail | 'Our children are at breaking point' - hundreds of parents rally over 'shameful' SEND funding crisis | Hundreds of parents from across the West Midlands descended on Victoria Square today to protest funding cuts that are pushing their children to “breaking point”. The SEND National Crisis rally was one of a number of national events aimed at pressuring the government to do more to fund special education specifically, and school budgets generally. The rally brought together parents from all walks of life - but they all share a similar experience. Every single parent speaking to BirminghamLive described getting educational provisions and support for their children as a battle. They voiced the heartbreaking struggles they face daily. One parent said she was attending the event as she claims the education system she has witnessed is “completely and utterly broken”. Sylvia Stanway has two Autistic children and the battle to ensure they receive an education has cost her and her husband thousands. She said: “If we weren’t the kind of parents who are financially able to raise the money for an independent report and advocacy, my daughter would not have an educational health care plan. Our mortgage has gone up thousands. “There are so many children who are unable to access education. The older they get the worse it is - they end up in mental health facilities or with addictions. “So I’m marching so policy makers listen and follow the law and provide robust education health care plans. “The nature of inclusivity is that you need a variety of types of education and facilities. Not one size fits all.” Rachel Tenacious has also spent thousands in campaigning to get her autistic daughter the right provisions. The 52-year-old said the battle not only caused a financial strain, but also damaged her own mental health and wellbeing. “I can’t imagine how much it has cost us,” she said. “It took us 81 weeks instead of the set 18 to get an education health care plan. “All of that time my daughter was out of provision. We had to finance everything ourselves - including tutors. She had seven hours of tutoring provided by the council a week - but there’s no way she would get enough teaching in that time to do her GCSEs. “Parents are talking about the fight all the time because they’re forced to fight to get their children the education they need. “Potentially my daughter could work and earn a living, she could even live independently with some support. But if she never gets an education then how can she do that? “I keep saying to the council that if they invest in these children now, they won’t have to support them with adult social care and benefits later down the line. “They can’t be self sufficient unless they’ve had an education. “The council are fighting the wrong battle. They are fighting against parents instead of fighting so that children can succeed." Many parents at the event say their experience can be incredibly isolating - which is why rallies and support groups are so important. Event organiser Kate Taylor said the event wasn’t just about pushing for more funding, but also to bring together parents in their struggles. “As a parent of a child with special needs it’s very isolating and actually this event isn’t very isolating, it’s enabling and that’s what is so important about it. It brings people together; we can be here and we can be united and hopefully make our point heard. “We’ve tried to make the event as inclusive as possible, so we’ve made it so that people can come and their children can play and they can be here and listen to the speeches that are happening. “In 2014 when they introduced the children and families act, they introduced something called an EHC and that was meant to be a really simple and easy process that brought together health and education. “It’s meant to take 20 weeks, but it can take years. In that time, your children are not getting the support they need. You are also waiting round for services. “At one point my son needed help from CAMs, but it took a year for that to come through. During that time he was in crisis. “We got the support in the end, but it could have ended very differently. Nothing is joined up and people don’t communicate properly. “We have a postcode lottery where you might have a different experience in Birmingham than you do in Worcester or elsewhere. So we’re asking for a joined up approach which all local authorities have to follow.” The postcode lottery Kate explained is something Elisabeth Roberts from Shropshire has suffered in. There is no school fit for her son’s needs in her area, meaning he’s currently at a residential school in Lancashire. “It’s a six hour round trip to see him,” she said. “He no longer feels like part of our family, it’s horrendous. “Children should have the right to get an education at home. There was no school here that would support his needs.” Some parents have struggled so much they’ve resorted to setting up their own community organisations. Jane Thomas-Wright runs Aspire Leisure Group in Erdington. The group holds numerous activities for children and young adults with autism. She said: “I set up the group because when my daughter came back from residential college we couldn’t access services because of cutbacks. I just thought right, we’ve got to do this ourselves. “We do a wide range of things so parents and children can get support and a safe place to go. “I’m trying to do that on top of work, supporting my own family and trying to have my own life, but it gives me a lot of joy. Just to see the children and parents enjoying themselves makes it all worth it. “I just feel sorry for parents with younger children. If this doesn’t stop now we know it’s going to get worse and lead to damage down the line. We’re seeing the fall out of that.” Parent Jenny Jones said each of her children had suffered from not being able to attend school. She said: “One of my sons was out of school for five months as there was no where for him to go. For my others it has been about getting support in schools for them. At every single stage there is a battle or a court tribunal. “Some of the basic things we’ve had to fight for is speech and language therapy, just a school place for my son. “My daughter has brittle bone disease, but it took three tribunals for her to get supervision at school. “No parent at all should have to go through what we’ve been through.” Children and Families Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “Our ambition is for every child, no matter the challenges they face, to have access to a world class education that sets them up for life. "Funding for the high needs budget is a priority for this government and we know that councils and schools are facing pressures – that’s why in December, we provided an extra £250 million up to 2020 to help manage these costs. "This takes the total amount that we have allocated for high needs funding to £6.3 billion this year, compared to £5 billion in 2013. “At the same time, the Education Secretary has been clear that we are working closely with the sector as we approach the spending review, we have launched a call for evidence to make sure the funding system is getting money to the right places at the right time and we are revising the SEND Code of Practice to improve ways to identify and meet special educational needs.” | [email protected] (Verity Bowman) | https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/our-children-breaking-point-hundreds-16356197 | 2019-05-31 12:12:35+00:00 | 1,559,319,155 | 1,567,539,512 | education | parent organisation |
64,393 | birminghammail--2019-07-04--Parents blast Parkfield School for shambles consultation into No Outsiders lessons | 2019-07-04T00:00:00 | birminghammail | Parents blast Parkfield School for 'shambles' consultation into No Outsiders lessons | Consultation over No Outsiders equality lessons at Parkfield School was 'a shambles', disappointed parent representatives said today. The school, in the heart of Alum Rock, has announced it intends to reinstate the equality lessons when school resumes in September. The programme has been amended to be more sensitive to religious concerns and will be renamed as 'No Outsiders in a Faith Community.' But the announcement has infuriated Parkfield Parents Group, which has been in consultation with the school for more than four months. "We are hoping we can still put a stop to this for the sake of community harmony," said Javed Iqbal, a grandfather of two pupils and representative of Alum Rock Community Forum. "These talks should have been an example to the rest of the country that consultation is better than protest - that peaceful discussion can lead to compromise. "We do not want anyone to start protesting again at the school gates. I don't believe in having megaphones and protests outside a primary school. "We managed to calm things down and get everyone around the table, but now parents feel they have been sold out," he said. The school faced weeks of protests at the gates earlier this year. Anger erupted when mum Fatimah Shah petitioned to stop No Outsiders - a programme evolved around the Equality Act that includes storybooks about LGBT and same-sex marriages - back in January. The programme was the brainchild of the school's assistant head Andrew Moffatt and is being used in schools across the country. Campaign trucks, heated speeches, posters and hundreds of picketing protesters rallied to bring the programme to a halt. The situation calmed when the school suspended the programme to begin talks with parents and community representatives. Parents and campaigners were persuaded to back off in the belief that through consultation there would be give and take, leading to a greater acceptance on both sides, said Mr Iqbal. "We don't feel that has been done here - the school have conceded very little. Parents feel let down," he said. "They expected we could negotiate some compromise. We did not expect to get everything to their liking, but for there to be give and take. "This could all have been settled and a model for the rest of the country if the school had been willing to compromise over its use of No Outsiders but it was not." The key issue for some parents is the continued use of the No Outsiders programme, in preference to other equality programmes used by schools elsewhere. They say No Outsiders has a too heavy emphasis on LGBT equality and links to the controversial Prevent agenda. "There are many other equality programmes used in schools but the school was adamant they would stick with this programme," added Mr Iqbal. "The parents believe in equality, no ifs and buts about that, but this programme in particular has been a huge issue for parents." Mr Iqbal, whose grown up children all attended the school, added: "The community feel demonised for being Muslim and for their faith." The parent group is now continuing to press the school to think again to try to avoid stirring up renewed conflict in the community. A final meeting of the consultation group is due to take place today (July 4), while representations are continuing to be made direct to Education Secretary Damian Hinds and Regional Schools Commissioner Andrew Warren. The talks had been 'peaceful and professionally conducted' and parents had maintained their media silence throughout, as promised, added Mr Iqbal. "We were very clear that protest was not the answer, and we pressed parents and the school to consult. We got people around the table and listening to each other. "I do not agree with protest at the school gates and using megaphones - all I want is for people to live peacefully." In a tweet he described the outcome of the consultation as "Consultation failure of the highest order. A shambles." A fellow representative, Wajid Hussain, went further: "No #mediation No#consultation Yes#dictatorship" The programme was developed by Mr Moffatt, who was awarded an MBE for his work in equality education. It is taught by schools across the country, the ethos being to promote LGBT equality and challenge homophobia in primary schools. The school was told the No Outsiders books and lessons were age appropriate during a spot check by Ofsted earlier this year. It praised Parkfield’s record on promoting “tolerance, acceptance and mutual respect”, and confirmed its rating of “outstanding”. Fatima Shah, who first raised the issue and pulled her daughter out of the school, saying children were too young to be learning about same-sex marriages and LGBT issues in class, also said the concerned parents had not been listened to. "'The school has said it will do exactly the same as it was doing before but with a slightly different name. How is that taking our views into account?” she said. In a statement, the school said: "As a result of the consultation 'No Outsiders for a Faith Community' has been especially designed for Parkfield Community School acknowledging and respecting the concerns and sensitivity expressed by some parents in the present school community." The resources and programme will also be structured for each year group. "Our school ethos of equality and everyone being welcome remains a key aspect of our school," the school statement added. The programme's creator Mr Moffatt has said its aim was to introduce children to diversity in society and make them accept difference within the world today so that 'everybody is welcome'. Last week we learned the school's headteacher, David Williams, was leaving to become a senior headteacher at another school managed by the trust which runs Parkfield. The recent demonstrations spread to Anderton Park School in Sparkhill, which does not use the No Outsiders programme. The school recently won a high court injunction banning protests in the streets around the school. A full trial to consider the injunction is to take place between July 22 and 31. | [email protected] (Jane Haynes) | https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/parents-blast-parkfield-school-shambles-16528204 | 2019-07-04 10:25:58+00:00 | 1,562,250,358 | 1,567,536,856 | education | parent organisation |
63,661 | birminghammail--2019-06-26--Parents battle to educate disabled son suffering from school phobia | 2019-06-26T00:00:00 | birminghammail | Parents battle to educate disabled son suffering from 'school phobia' | A Dudley mum has spoken out about her struggle to educate her disabled son who has an amputated leg and a phobia of school. Daniel Webster from Halesowen has missed two years of school due to his special educational needs, which include school refusal - a psychological condition in which children develop an inherent fear, also known as school phobia. The 11-year-old, who is due to start secondary school in September, also suffers from autism and selective mutism, and had his leg amputated last year. The family were then offered a place Earls High School in Dudley who had previously told mother Trina they were not equipped to cater his needs. However, she says mainstream schools would be "too noisy and too much pressure", reports the BBC . The family will now attend a tribunal in July at Dudley Council to try to find Daniel a suitable place at a special school. At the age of six, doctors found a tumour in Daniel's hip and thigh. He was deemed "medically unfit" and signed off from primary school in 2017 after being prescribed a course of morphine and drugs for the pain. A year later, the youngster was admitted into hospital to have his leg amputated. When it was time to return to school at Cherry Tree Learning Centre, Daniel's school refusal symptoms began to emerge. He also suffers with selective mutism, an anxiety disorder that affects the ability to speak and communicate. Now Daniel is ready for secondary school, Mrs Webster has told the BBC she's received letters from mainstream and special schools saying they could not cater for his needs. After securing the Earls High offer, she said mainstream schools would not be right for Daniel. She said: "One said he would be isolated because there was no peer group for him. Another said his needs were too complex." Dudley Council said it was committed to giving children "the means to reach their full potential." Councillor Ruth Buttery, cabinet member for children and young people, said: "Working in conjunction with health and education providers, we are determined to provide the best possible outcomes for pupils with Send or additional health needs and we have recently appointed two specialist education officers to support and advice parents and carers." | [email protected] (Oprah Flash) | https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black-country/parents-battle-educate-disabled-son-16489047 | 2019-06-26 13:25:51+00:00 | 1,561,569,951 | 1,567,537,968 | education | parent organisation |
66,581 | birminghammail--2019-09-20--Student found hanged in university halls failed by mental health services heartbroken parents say | 2019-09-20T00:00:00 | birminghammail | Student found hanged in university halls 'failed' by mental health services, heartbroken parents say | The parents of a student found hanged at her halls of residence have said she was "failed" by mental health services. University of Liverpool student Ceara Thacker, 19, was found dead in her room in the Brownlow Hill accommodation on May 11 last year. The five-day inquest at the Gerard Majella Courthouse in Liverpool heard her family was not informed she had taken an overdose three months before her death, or that she was struggling with her mental health. Speaking outside the court on Friday, her father, Iain Thacker, 56, said: "For as long as I live I will never understand why no-one at the university picked up the phone to us in February 2018, and told us that our 19-year-old daughter was in hospital after taking an overdose. "If we had known how Ceara was suffering we could have, and would have, made a difference." He said his daughter, from Bradford, had found herself "falling through the cracks" with different mental health services, who failed to communicate with each other. He added: "In my view it is absolutely essential that all universities have in place proper systems for identifying students at risk and communicating effectively with healthcare services and, where appropriate, with families, to ensure they are kept safe." Her mother Lorraine Dalton-Thacker, 51, said: "At every turn, she was failed. "I can't imagine how frightening that must have been for her. She should not have had to face this and it breaks our hearts that she did. "We don't want any other family to go through this pain." Recording a conclusion of suicide, area coroner Anita Bhardwaj said she would make a report for the prevention of future deaths to the NHS, recommending that the issue of parental involvement, with consent, was included in mental health assessments. She said: "It's difficult and unclear whether Ceara would have had a different outcome had she had additional mental health appointments, been given an urgent appointment, and had family involvement." Ms Bhardwaj said there was no record of discussions between medical professionals and Miss Thacker about contacting her family. She said: "It would have been helpful to have those discussion, so if Ceara wanted additional support from her family that could have been facilitated. The coroner described a delay of two months between Miss Thacker referring herself to the university's mental health advisers in February, and being given an appointment in April, as "unacceptable". The court heard the delay was caused by "exceptional circumstances", including strike action, staff sickness and training days. Mr Thacker said it was "disappointing" that the University of Liverpool had chosen not to adopt an "opt-in process", which is now used at Bristol University, where students fill in a form when registering to ask whether they would want their parents to be contacted in the event of mental health problems. Gavin Brown, pro-vice-chancellor for education at the University of Liverpool, said: "We have conducted a thorough review of the support Ceara was offered and, as a result of this and our ongoing review of how these services work, we have instigated a number of improvements to mental health support services. "This includes an additional £0.5 million investment in staffing and the introduction of rapid access appointments with an adviser. "Following Ceara's death, we have also updated guidance to ensure that students who are experiencing substantial distress as a result of mental health difficulties are asked whether they would like to inform family members. "We know that students' family circumstances can differ, and where students choose not to inform family we will explore reasons for this, and work with individuals to identify alternative support networks." | [email protected] (James Rodger) | https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/uk-news/student-found-hanged-university-halls-16956651 | 2019-09-20 17:23:21+00:00 | 1,569,014,601 | 1,569,590,552 | education | parent organisation |
67,353 | birminghammail--2019-10-18--Anderton Park School parents feared LGBT teaching would 'subdue religious beliefs' | 2019-10-18T00:00:00 | birminghammail | Anderton Park School parents feared LGBT teaching would 'subdue religious beliefs' | Concerned Muslim parents and their children felt they were being "made to accept LGBT teaching" and "subdue their own beliefs" to show they were not extremist, a High Court hearing into the Anderton Park school protests heard. Protests at the gates of the Sparkhill school came about because the rights of parents were being infringed, a judge was told. Barrister Mr Ramby de Mello said: "Parents feel they are told: 'You have got to accept our teaching and keep your own beliefs under the bushell in a closet at home'...this conflict amounts to discriminatory treatment." “They hear: ‘We would like you to learn about equality at the expense of subduing your own religious belief because (doing so) demonstrates tolerance, inclusivity and stepping away from extremism.” He said this also indirectly discriminates against the 644 Muslim, mostly Pakistani heritage, pupils who attend the school. Citing from the witness statement of an imam, Mr de Mello said the parents feel they have a “moral obligation” to stand up against any teaching that impinges on the “heterosexual norm”. His comments came on the fifth and final day of an injunction hearing triggered by protests over LGBT teaching at the school. Judge Mr Justice Warby, who has to decide whether an exclusion zone should remain around the school to stop further protests, has now reserved judgement and will announce the outcome in writing "as soon as possible". He will weigh up five days of evidence and hundreds of pages of witness statements, videos and social media messages before announcing his ruling. In the meantime the existing temporary exclusion zone will stay in place. The case, brought by Birmingham City Council, is seeking an injunction that would permanently ban protests at the gates and in the streets surrounding the school. The council is also seeking to extend the zone to include two grassy areas on Yardley Wood Road, where protesters have continued to gather. The current temporary injunction prohibits three named defendants – Mr Afsar, his sister Rosina Afsar and Amir Ahmed - along with “persons unknown” from protesting or encouraging others to protest inside the exclusion zone. It also prohibits use of social media accounts to make abusive comments about any member of staff at the school in relation to teaching. The injunction application is being contested by Afsar, Afsar and Ahmed along with a fourth defendant, John Allman, from Okehampton in Devon, who sought to join the case to represent "persons unknown", claiming the injunction was too wide ranging and prohibited free speech online. Mr Ramby de Mello, representing the Afsars and Ahmed, said the protests came about because the rights of parents were being infringed. There was discrimination against families because of their religious and cultural beliefs, he told the judge. “This group are made to feel, because of their religious and cultural beliefs, in some way inferior to others – in this case over the teaching of LGBT,” he said. He said much had been made of the behaviour of a couple of outsiders who had joined protests, including an imam whose comments were condemned and disowned by Mr Afsar and Mr Ahmed. Earlier barrister Paul Diamond, representing Mr Allman, 66, a Christian campaigner, claimed a “politicised” Birmingham City Council was driving the injunction and claiming harassment and abuse against teachers at Anderton Park School, even though no criminal offences had been committed. There was often a difference in understanding and values that meant people “talked past each other” because of their beliefs. Someone telling another they risk “going to hell” is seen by some not as offensive but instead as “informing this person of their spiritual destiny and wanting to help them,” said Mr Diamond. He added that teachers had no "special privilege" not to face online comments as long as it does not reach a level of criminality. After the hearing concluded, teaching union chief Rob Kelsall, of the NAHT, said head teachers across the country were now "anxiously waiting" on the ruling outcome and watching events unfold in Birmingham "with fear". He said: "Whatever the outcome this is not the end. We have been supporting around 70 more schools across the country over pressure they have received over equality teaching. In our view it's completely unacceptable for public servants doing their job to be subject to this kind of torment." Describing Anderton Park head teacher Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson as "one of the strongest, most courageous people I've ever met", he said the pressure of the case has had "a very negative and wearing effect on her and her staff. That for me is extremely concerning." He reiterated calls on Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to "stop passing the buck to heads", and to be unequivocal that teachers should include all aspects of equality in relationships education, including LGBT. "We need to avoid this happening to any other school." Shakeel Afsar, representing the protesters, said after the hearing: "We parents should not have been here. We hope the judge will see that parents were within their rights and were forced to protest. "Whatever the outcome we would urge the school to start a fresh dialogue with parents...for the betterment of the community." Mr Justice Warby said he would deliver his judgement in writing "as soon as possible" and would begin work on it on Monday. "I can't at the moment given any reliable commitments as to when judgement will be but I assure I will reach a verdict as quickly as I can." | [email protected] (Jane Haynes) | https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/anderton-park-school-parents-feared-17110330 | Fri, 18 Oct 2019 19:00:17 +0000 | 1,571,439,617 | 1,571,443,326 | education | parent organisation |
68,466 | birminghammail--2019-11-26--Quarter of Brit parents 'would not feel proud to have LGBT child' - YouGov poll | 2019-11-26T00:00:00 | birminghammail | Quarter of Brit parents 'would not feel proud to have LGBT child' - YouGov poll | A quarter of adults in the UK would not feel proud to have an LGBT child, research has suggested. A YouGov poll commissioned by LGBT youth homelessness charity akt, formerly known as the Albert Kennedy Trust, asked how people would respond in a variety of scenarios if they had a child that came out to them. Faced with the statement "I would feel proud to have an LGBT child", 26% of those polled disagreed. Less than half (46%) of more than 2,100 people surveyed agreed they would feel proud to have a child who had come out. The survey also found that more than one in 10 (11%) would be uncomfortable living at home with their lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender child. Previous akt research found that 24% of homeless people aged 16 to 25 identified as LGBT plus, with more than three-quarters (77%) citing abuse and rejection from their family as the main factor in their homelessness. A quarter of people (25%) surveyed by YouGov said relationships and sex education should not include LGBT issues, with 59% in support of including topics such as gender identity and sexuality at an age-appropriate level. The poll also found that nearly three in 10 people (28%) would not be willing to change the pronouns used for their child, such as he, she and they, if the child came out as transgender. However, 46% of people said they would be willing to change the pronouns - 52% of women and 39% of men. Non-parents were more also more willing to make the change, compared with existing parents or guardians. One in five gay or lesbian participants (20%) also said they would not change pronouns used for their child. In contrast, 72% of gay or lesbian people surveyed said they were willing to change pronouns, along with 79% of bisexual people. More than half of respondents aged between 25 and 34 (55%) would change the pronouns, compared with 41% of those aged 55 and over. Tim Sigsworth, chief executive of akt, said: "These figures barely capture the heartbreaking realities we hear every day from the young people that akt is here to support. "People often talk about the 'unconditional love' that parents have for their children, however we know first-hand that in many cases, the act of coming out can result in parental rejection and abuse for many young people. "akt is here to support LGBTQ+ young people into safe homes and better futures, and work toward a world where no young person has to choose between having a roof over their head and being who they are." :: YouGov carried out the survey of 2,109 people online in October. | [email protected] (James Rodger) | https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/quarter-brit-parents-would-not-17321259 | Tue, 26 Nov 2019 20:06:28 +0000 | 1,574,816,788 | 1,574,814,888 | education | parent organisation |
72,958 | breitbart--2019-09-07--Minnesota Parents Rally to Protect Kids Against State-Mandated Planned Parenthood Sex Ed | 2019-09-07T00:00:00 | breitbart | Minnesota Parents Rally to ‘Protect Kids’ Against State-Mandated Planned Parenthood Sex Ed | Child Protection League (CPL) Action will hold its “Protect Kids Rally” on Sunday, September 22 on the steps of the state capitol in St. Paul. CPL Action states that, in April, a majority of Minnesota House lawmakers voted to mandate that every Pre-K-12 traditional public and charter school teach comprehensive sex ed. “Democrats said the legislation focused on teaching ‘harassment’ and ‘consent,’” CPL Action continues. “But the curriculum includes pornographic images and unscientific ideas about gender, and it trivializes or even encourages high-risk and abusive sexual behavior.” The group points to a book titled It’s Perfectly Normal, recommended by Planned Parenthood and intended for fourth graders, which describes “sexual intercourse” as “having sex” that “can involve the penis and the vagina, or the mouth and the genitals, or the penis and the anus.” “[T]he book seems to encourage anal sex, and conflates this act with other types of sexual activity that carry a far-lower risk of injury and sexually transmitted infection,” CPL states. In a video posted to Facebook in April, Rep. Eric Lucero (R) described the book to fellow state House lawmakers. “I shared disgusting content from the book It’s Perfectly Normal and the Democrat agenda to sexualize the minds of our young children including Planned Parenthood’s goal of curriculum for elementary schools,” Lucero wrote. According to CPL, when state Rep. Jim Davnie (D) insisted “Planned Parenthood is not in this bill,” state Rep. Peggy Scott (R) gave the response in this video clip: I think it’s essential that members of the public, that parents and taxpayers, know that the sex education curriculum in this bill was written in part at least by Planned Parenthood. You can go to their website. They’re promoting this … and you can see some language that they think is important to have in sex ed curriculum and it’s verbatim what’s in this bill. So, members of the public need to understand that Planned Parenthood – a very controversial organization – is putting forth its agenda into our public schools. In fact, Planned Parenthood – they boast on their website about how they are already reaching “50,000 Minnesotans across the lifespan—including young people in elementary, middle, and high school, as well as parents and adults.” Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota states on its website that the group is highly involved in sex ed in Minnesota, citing “trained educators throughout Minnesota provide sex education to youth and adults in their communities.” “Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of comprehensive sex education in Minnesota,” Planned Parenthood says and adds: U.S. Parents Involved in Education (USPIE), a national organization devoted to the return of local control of education, says in a says in a statement that CSE “is a blatant intrusion into a traditional family domain and a dangerous assault on the health and innocence of children.” “We urgently encourage parents to retake control of their children’s sex education,” the group asserts, adding the type of CSE programs that are mandated by some states are “rights-based” approaches that are politically influenced. They entail “a great deal more than just teaching children and youth about anatomy and physiology, sexual intercourse, and human reproduction,” USPIE warns. | Dr. Susan Berry | http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/breitbart/~3/xJARQIwiH9s/ | 2019-09-07 02:59:13+00:00 | 1,567,839,553 | 1,569,330,865 | education | parent organisation |
73,356 | breitbart--2019-09-19--Louisiana Parents Outraged over State Health Survey Asking Sexually Explicit Questions | 2019-09-19T00:00:00 | breitbart | Louisiana Parents Outraged over State ‘Health’ Survey Asking Sexually Explicit Questions | One parent, Christin Willis, provided KPLC TV with a list of several questions from the survey: “Children are naïve,” Willis said. “They go to school and know they have to listen. They’re going to do what you tell them what to do. If you put them in a room and tell them to take a survey, they’re going to take the survey.” Willis, a divorced mother who shares custody with her ex-husband, said she was not asked to have her son pulled out of class and taken to the school-based health center to take the survey. Her ex-husband, however, gave his consent for their son to have a physical at the center in order to play football. “Yes, joint custody, both parents have to be listed. Call both parents,” Willis read from the documents. “I was notified nothing of this. I have spoken with my ex-husband and his wife. They thought that he was getting a sports physical. They were not told he was going to be surveyed or be pulled in for any other reason.” Willis said when she asked about the survey questions at the school-based health center, she was told children must take the survey in order for the center to receive grant money. “I don’t like my child being used for you to get money for a system that I don’t support,” Willis said. “We have a health care facility, we have a doctor. If I want to discuss sexually explicit things with my children, I’ll do so in my home or at my doctor’s office — his doctor’s office.” School-Based Health Centers were created in the Obamacare (Affordable Care Act) legislation with the support of the nation’s largest teachers’ unions. The law included funds to build and run clinics to give students free diagnoses, treatment for chronic medical conditions and mental health screenings. Over $200 million in grant funds were appropriated in Obamacare for school-based health centers. The Healthy Schools Campaign and Trust for America’s Health provided Kathleen Sebelius, Obama-era secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, with recommendations for the development of these centers. “[W]ellness is not relegated to an occasional health lesson or physical education class–it is part of math, science, lunch and everything in between,” said the Healthy Schools Campaign in 2012. “It means providing teachers with professional development related to children’s physical and emotional development, and integrating health into every subject, reward system and classroom management strategy.” One of the recommendations that became a special cause for concern was that schools should “track health and wellness data, which would be used to make ‘data-driven decisions’ about how health and wellness impact student learning.” Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust for America’s Health, also said in 2012 the recommendations “represented a major culture shift in how the nation views health – health will no longer be separated from education, transportation, housing and other clearly connected policies.” In a statement to KPLC News, the Allen Parish School Board said, “School-Based Health Centers provide comprehensive medical and behavioral health services on or adjacent to schools.” The screening tool was designed by Dr. Jennifer Salerno and is utilized by school health centers nationwide. It was offered as a reliable screening method by the state Office of Public Health for use in selected Louisiana school health centers. The screening questionnaire is conducted as part of a child well visit. The mother did not agree with the wording in 2 or 3 of the 21-question screening survey. The Allen Parish School board agrees with the mother and is working to change/remove these particular questions. [T]he Oakdale School-Based Health Center is one of over 60 sites in the state of Louisiana who receive grant funding in part from the Department of Health, Office of Public Health, Adolescent School Based Health Center. This funding is used for the salaries and the operation of the School-Based Health Center. In return for the funding, these school-based health centers have certain medical and behavioral health services that must be provided at each site. U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, the leading Republican gubernatorial candidate in Louisiana, condemned the state health department survey that asks middle-school children sexually explicit questions. “I’m disgusted with what State government is doing to our children,” said Abraham, a family physician, in a press statement. “This is a topic that should be addressed privately by parents and their children or doctors and their patients.” “This is another example of how John Bel’s Department of Health is imposing its radical agenda on our state,” Abraham continued. “When I’m governor, I will fire Secretary [Rebekah] Gee on day one and reform this department from top down.” Breitbart News reached out for comment to Democrat Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards’ re-election campaign as well but did not receive an immediate response. | Dr. Susan Berry | http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/breitbart/~3/g_qoh40B030/ | 2019-09-19 23:24:55+00:00 | 1,568,949,895 | 1,569,329,805 | education | parent organisation |
76,506 | breitbart--2019-11-27--‘Sex Ed Showdown’: Parents Defeat Planned Parenthood in Blue Massachusetts | 2019-11-27T00:00:00 | breitbart | ‘Sex Ed Showdown’: Parents Defeat Planned Parenthood in Blue Massachusetts | Parents and church leaders in Worcester, Massachusetts, joined with Massachusetts Family Institute (MFI) to defeat a Planned Parenthood-implemented sex-ed curriculum in public schools. In a column at the Daily Signal, Michael King, MFI director of community alliances, referred to the joint efforts of his organization, parents, and church leaders as a “sex ed showdown” with Planned Parenthood and its supporters. He told Breitbart News in a phone interview that the Worcester school board committee ultimately voted down the curriculum because of the outreach of both parents and church leaders who outnumbered supporters of Planned Parenthood. King explained MFI has reached out to about 125 different churches across the state throughout the past three years. He testified before the school board committee after reviewing the “Making Proud Choices” sex-ed curriculum materials, asserting that “abstinence” has been “redefined” in one of the program’s workshops to include: “The only reason I read that is because that is how we are defining abstinence today,” King continued in his testimony. “And I think a lot of people in this room would have a different definition of abstinence.” Making a reference to the common criticism by Planned Parenthood and its allies that studies show abstinence education does not work with teens, King said, “If studies show that abstinence doesn’t work, maybe it’s because they’ve redefined it and they’re not really looking at the real definition.” “So, I want you to think about that, and think about what are we teaching our kids, that we are over-sexualizing our kids, and is this really age-appropriate?” he asserted. Planned Parenthood says about the curriculum: King told Breitbart News the decision by the school board committee to shelve Making Proud Choices was “a huge victory.” “We had about 75 people, many from the Hispanic community,” he said, who joined with his organization. Mary Ellen Siegler, MFI consultant on comprehensive sex education, told Breitbart News the fact that many parents are not aware of what is being taught in their children’s schools is “alarming.” She said parents have shown her emails of responses by school officials to requests for details about the proposed sex-ed program, but those responses are often cursory or evasive. “They’re being sent back this information that, honestly, if you are not educated on the issues or haven’t done the deep research, it looks like what they’re being presented is totally fine,” Siegler explained. King said MFI is working in other towns and cities across the Bay State “to encourage parents to go to their school principal, or whoever teaches sex ed, and request exactly what is being taught to their children, especially in middle school and high school.” | Dr. Susan Berry | http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/breitbart/~3/DWq2ZIpn3EY/ | Wed, 27 Nov 2019 01:39:21 +0000 | 1,574,836,761 | 1,574,856,468 | education | parent organisation |
88,868 | channel4uk--2019-06-26--SEN children physically restrained at school say parents | 2019-06-26T00:00:00 | channel4uk | SEN children physically restrained at school, say parents | Parents of young children with special educational needs say they are frequently being physically restrained in school. And critics of the practice argue that restraint is being used as a way to control children’s behaviour, instead of teachers supporting their needs. The Department for Education has promised to publish long-awaited guidelines for schools soon. It’s seen as a much-needed step to protect some of the most vulnerable children. | Anja Popp | https://www.channel4.com/news/sen-children-physically-restrained-at-school-say-parents | 2019-06-26 19:08:45+00:00 | 1,561,590,525 | 1,567,538,038 | education | parent organisation |
109,639 | cnsnews--2019-01-29--How Parents Can End Socialism in Americas Schools School Choice | 2019-01-29T00:00:00 | cnsnews | How Parents Can End Socialism in America’s Schools: School Choice | January 20 marked the beginning of National School Choice Week. This year, more than 40,000 events were held to highlight the benefits of school choice—an important effort considering the abysmal track record of the nation’s public schools and the fact that government schools have a near-monopoly on education. In 2018, nearly 90 percent of American K–12 students attended a public school. Although National School Choice Week is traditionally a time to celebrate freedom, it also provides an important opportunity to reflect on the disturbing fact that the U.S. government-run school system abhors individual choice and now serves as one of the world’s largest socialist propaganda organizations. The government’s education monopoly emboldens an army of left-leaning administrators and teachers to indoctrinate students with their political ideology, which is much closer to Karl Marx than James Madison. It’s no wonder then that 51 percent of Americans aged 18 to 29 and 57 percent of self-identified Democrats now have a positive view of socialism, according to a 2018 Gallup poll. How did this happen? Could it be that the majority of those surveyed flunked U.S. and world history? Did they fall asleep during the history lessons on the horrors of the Soviet Union and Mao’s China? Probably not. It’s much more likely these people, like millions of others, have received an education teeming with socialist propaganda. One doesn’t have to look far to find evidence socialism has permeated government schools. The National Education Association (NEA), which includes more than three million members (the largest union in the United States), doesn’t even try to hide its socialist philosophy. Among its “Core Values,” NEA lists: “Collective Action. We believe individuals are strengthened when they work together for the common good … we improve both our professional status and the quality of public education when we unite and advocate collectively.” Additional examples abound of teachers and administrators engaging in socialist activities inside and outside classrooms. For instance, Jesse Sharkey, president of the Chicago Teachers Union, is a member of the International Socialist Organization (ISO). He even moderated two panels at the 2018 Socialism Conference in Chicago. Other participants on the panel have been linked to the ISO and Democratic Socialists of America, the largest socialist organization in the United States. During the 2018 West Virginia teachers strike, Zac Corrigan, a member of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality, called for “living wages,” single-payer health care, a government-run universal jobs guarantee program, and the need for getting students—your children—more involved in teachers’ union activities. Many parents recognize that something is amiss in the government-run school system, but they feel trapped because they cannot afford to transfer their child to a private school or don’t have the time or money to homeschool. It doesn’t have to be that way, however. Parents can break this broken model by demanding universal education choice, which can best be provided through a universal education savings account (ESA) program. ESAs allow parents to remove their children from socialist classrooms by providing them with a tax-free account that can be used to pay for education-related expenses at other public schools, private schools, or even for homeschooling. ESAs, which are funded using the money already allotted for public schools, would empower parents to enroll their children in schools that teach our nation’s founding principles of freedom, self-reliance, and limited government. Giving parents and students education freedom would finally bring robust competition to the education sphere, forcing government-run schools to rethink the wisdom of maintaining their socialist-driven curriculum programs, including those linked to Common Core. The best way to stop the march toward socialism in the United States is to provide all parents the opportunity to choose the educational path that most aligns with their values. Until parents have the freedom to choose their children’s education, students will be unable to escape these socialist indoctrination centers. As President Ronald Reagan so eloquently warned us: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. The only way they can inherit the freedom we have known is if we fight for it.” The fate of freedom hangs in the balance. Unless Americans demand education freedom, Reagan’s warning will become reality: “you and I may well spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it once was like in America when men were free.” Lennie Jarratt ([email protected]) is project manager for the Center for Transforming Education at The Heartland Institute. Chris Talgo ([email protected]) is a former public education teacher and editor at The Heartland Institute. | Lennie Jarratt, Chris Talgo | https://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/lennie-jarratt/how-parents-can-end-socialism-americas-schools-school-choice | 2019-01-29 21:43:24+00:00 | 1,548,816,204 | 1,567,550,350 | education | parent organisation |
111,697 | cnsnews--2019-04-09--California Parents Protest Explicit Sex Ed Gender Fluidity Lessons in Elementary Schools | 2019-04-09T00:00:00 | cnsnews | California Parents Protest Explicit Sex Ed, Gender Fluidity Lessons in Elementary Schools | (CNSNews.com) -- An estimated 500 protesters gathered at the steps of the Sacramento Capitol Building on March 28 to protest explicit sex education, including gender fluidity lessons, being taught in the state’s elementary schools. The protest was organized by the Informed Parents of California (IPCA), which was established following the enactment of the California Healthy Youth Act in January 2016. That legislation was initially called the California Comprehensive Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Prevention Education Act and was designed to provide “comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education” to California kids in grades seven through 12. “They want to teach our children how to give and receive consent,” said IPCA Founder Stephanie Yates at the Capitol, as reported by the Sacramento Bee. “There’s so many things wrong with this curriculum and framework. Our children are not legally allowed to give and receive consent… It [should be] nobody touches me, not [how to] have negotiation skills for child sex!” IPCA has organized school walk-outs — called SeXXX ed Sit-outs — in which 40 school districts participated. IPCA co-Founder Aileen Blachowski said, “Department of Education, hear this loud and clear: The parents of California will not submit their children to indoctrination. … If you will not listen to us. … We will pull our kids from your schools.” The state-wide curriculum, which is implemented under the Health Education Framework, says its goal is to “teach knowledge and skills related to comprehensive sexual health and HIV prevention education in grades kindergarten through grade six (K–6), inclusive.” The conservative California Family Council (CFC) studied the 1,000-plus pages of the Framework. In a summary of what the state is offering to elementary schools – “cut and pasted directly from the California Department of Education Website: https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/he/cf/,” nothing altered -- the CFC noted that the Framework recommends the book, My Princess Boy by Cheryl Kilodavis, for kids in kindergarten. “[S] students can still begin to challenge gender stereotypes in a way that is age appropriate,” reads the Framework’s comments for My Princess Boy. While students may not fully understand the concepts of gender expression and identity, some children in kindergarten and even younger have identified as transgender or understand they have a gender identity that is different from their sex assigned at birth.” On one of the book’s pages it reads, “His dad tells my Princess Boy how pretty he looks in a dress. His dad holds his hand and tells him how to twirl! My Princess Boy smiles and hugs his dad.” Also recommended for kindergarten is The Great Big Book of Families, which promotes the idea that all family structures are valid – “families with lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender parents, guardians, or caretakers and children,” and so on. For Grade 1, the Framework recommends Who Are You?: The Kids Guide to Gender Identity by Brook Pessin-Whedbee. On one page the book teaches, “These are just a few words people use: trans, genderqueer, non-binary, gender fluid, transgender, gender neutral, agender, neutrois, bigender, third gender, two –spirit …” Most kids in Grade 1 are six years old. To learn more about the books and lessons recommended in the Framework, click here. For Fifth graders in the Framework it states, “Fifth-grade students will have an opportunity to learn that gender is not strictly defined by physical anatomy or sex assigned at birth. Rather, students understand that gender refers to attitudes, feelings, characteristics, and behaviors that a given culture associates with being male or female.” The Framework further says, "Instruction on sexual health content must affirm diverse sexual orientations and include examples of same-sex relationships when discussing relationships. Comprehensive sexual health instruction must also include gender, gender expression, gender identity, and the harmful outcomes that may occur from negative gender stereotypes (EC section 51933[d][6])." In a statement provided to Channel 10 ABC, the California Department of Education said, “Our priority is to make all children feel comfortable at school… dispelling myths, breaking down stereotypes, and linking students to resources ... the [California Healthy Youth Act] and the health framework are critical steps towards this goal.” State Sen. Mike Morrell (R ), borrowing from Churchill, told the crowd at the Capitol, “Never, never, never, never–in nothing great or small, large or petty–never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. As California goes, so goes the nation. … California is the battle ground for the soul of the United States of America. “ State Sen. Brian Jones (R ) said, “I don’t want the government to dictate to my wife and I how we raise our kids, ” Jones said. Of all the things I am, “I’m the husband of a fired up mama. If you mess with my wife’s kids, you’ve got a battle on your hands." “The State Board of Education is attacking our liberty with these disgusting, unintellectual proposals," said Jones. "The parent-child relationship is sacred. … Parents and guardians know what is best for their children.” | Alex Madajian | https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/alex-madajian/california-parents-protest-explicit-sex-ed-gender-fluidity-lessons | 2019-04-09 17:35:44+00:00 | 1,554,845,744 | 1,567,543,423 | education | parent organisation |
114,500 | cnsnews--2019-08-16--Brent Bozell Parental Nightmares in Public Schools | 2019-08-16T00:00:00 | cnsnews | Brent Bozell: Parental Nightmares in Public Schools | Public schools are reopening for business across America, meaning it's time to get back to reading, writing, arithmetic ... and revolution. As usual in matters such as these, California is leading the way. On the first day of classes at Denair Middle School near Modesto, science teacher Luis Davila Alvarado handed out a worksheet from a transgender advocacy group titled "The Gender Unicorn" asking students about their "gender identity," "gender expression" and their sexual and emotional attractions. These are children. And yet the teacher did not ask permission to hand the worksheet out. Most parents were outraged. The school estimated about 50 children received the worksheet. It turns out Alvarado was educating the children about his own life. He declared he rejects the term "Mr." and prefers to be addressed with the newfangled "Mx.," pronounced "Mix." A school official quickly put a stop to it, but the damage was done. In California, waiting until middle school for this boatload of propaganda is actually inappropriate! In May, the California State Board of Education established a set of guidelines insisting schools should begin discussing "gender identity" in kindergarten . "While students may not fully understand the concepts of gender expression and identity," the guidelines insist, "some children in kindergarten and even younger have identified as transgender or understand they have a gender identity that is different from their sex assigned at birth." Schools apparently must leap to address the "harm of negative gender stereotypes." Public schools aren't just undermining parents with the curriculum. When children "decide" they "might" be transgender, parents better not object, or else they will be treated as a threat to their own children's well-being. On Aug. 12, USA Today published a chilling op-ed from Jay Keck, a parent in the Chicago suburbs, about how his autistic teenage daughter — who showed "no signs" of being unhappy with her gender — suddenly decided in 2016 that she was male and wanted to be addressed with male pronouns. She first "came out" at school, and Keck says the school immediately addressed her with male pronouns and provided access to a gender-neutral bathroom. When Keck and his wife found out, they insisted the school address their daughter by her legal name — and were ignored. They met with an assistant superintendent, who asserted the school had to, as USA Today wrote, "follow the law" — a nonbinding directive from the Obama administration, which was repealed by Team Trump. According to Keck, surprise, surprise: The American Civil Liberties Union has sent threatening letters to schools telling them that "students have the constitutional right to share or withhold information about their sexual orientation or gender identity from their parents, teachers, and other parties." Then the real nightmare kicked in. Put yourself in the position of the Keck family. "My daughter told me that the school social worker was advising her about halfway houses," he said. "The social worker confirmed this when I scheduled a meeting with him to discuss it. This felt like a horrifying attempt to encourage our daughter to run away from home." Keck had his daughter evaluated by a psychologist approved by the school district. He said, "He told us it was very clear that our daughter's sudden transgender identity was driven by her underlying mental health conditions, but would only share his thoughts off the record because he feared the potential backlash." When his daughter graduated high school, parental wishes that her birth name would be announced were again ignored. This growing gender-bending orthodoxy is what Pope Benedict called the "dictatorship of relativism," or, if you prefer, "the tyranny of tolerance." Dissent — even from parents — is being condemned as bigotry, cruelty and hate speech. This will not stop until the nuclear family is destroyed. Or until parents stand up as one and declare a commitment to destroy this movement. L. Brent Bozell III is the president of the Media Research Center. Tim Graham is director of media analysis at the Media Research Center and executive editor of the blog NewsBusters.org. | L. Brent Bozell III, Tim Graham | https://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/l-brent-bozell-iii/parental-nightmares-public-schools | 2019-08-16 08:47:08+00:00 | 1,565,959,628 | 1,567,534,090 | education | parent organisation |
63,444 | birminghammail--2019-06-21--Protest warning to city primary schools - you could be next if you ignore parents wishes | 2019-06-21T00:00:00 | birminghammail | Protest warning to city primary schools - you could be next if you ignore parents' wishes | Any city primary school head that fails to heed parental concerns on equality teaching could face school gate protests of the like seen at Anderton Park and Parkfield schools, campaigners warned today. ‘Ignore us at your peril’ was the message issued by Amir Ahmed and Shakeel Afsar, co-organisers of the protests at Anderton Park in Sparkhill. "We are widening the campaign," said Mr Ahmed, who was also behind the protests that blighted Parkfield School in Saltley earlier this year. "This is not about a handful of schools, but about the whole city and country. We need these LGBT equality lessons and messages to stop being shared in schools where parents object. "We have no intention of stopping and protest is the only way for parents to have their voices heard. The council has tried to throw a blanket over protests outside schools but we will not be deterred. Nobody is standing up for parents so we have to protest." He added he did not know where protests were likely to start up next - but it could be "anywhere where parents feel they are not being listened to." Union leader Rob Kelsall, of the National Association of Headteachers , said Mr Ahmed's comments echoed his own findings that revealed ‘at least 20’ schools in the city were being pressured over what and when they introduced LGBT equality messages, with letters sent in to schools and direct contact. “It is completely unacceptable and demonstrates again that the Government needs to step up urgently to eradicate any uncertainty and protect staff, parents and pupils." So far this year we have reported about eight primary schools which have stopped teaching equality programmes featuring LGBT messages after concerns were raised by parents. Birmingham MP Jess Phillips, who has given her unequivocal backing to school heads facing protests, said it was unfair and unacceptable for school heads to be facing this level of pressure to conform to parents' wishes - and it was time for Education Secretary Damian Hinds to act decisively. “He thinks this is a local minority issue on a small scale - he needs to wake up to the fact that there are huge implications for every school. "Schools are being pressured on this in Birmingham, in Manchester, in Yorkshire. Hinds needs to intervene and make it clear and explicit that this is not optional and to end the burden on head teachers. "There is no opting out of the public sector equality duty and no opting out of RSE legislation (which comes into force next year). Any school that does so could themselves face a legal challenge. "If we don't sort this out now it will be a troubling issue for years. It makes me very angry that heads are facing intimidation for carrying out their legal duty, while the Education Secretary fudges the issue." Meanwhile, video footage has emerged from Green Lane Masjid and Community Centre, one of the city’s biggest mosques, of an imam urging parents and young men to take a stand against LGBT equality teaching, in the name of Islam. The footage shows him saying: “We say it’s okay to schools to talk to our children about relationships and sex education – but it comes with conditions. “Don’t teach my child homosexuality because I don’t condone it - in the same way you don’t want your child to hear about plural marriages and the blessings of plural marriages. “This goes against my religion.” The imam was Abu Usamah, who regularly visits to deliver prayers and guidance from the pulpit. A protest is planned again today (June 21) close to Anderton Park School - outside the exclusion zone in place around the school's perimeter after a temporary injunction was introduced last month . Meanwhile, talks between parents and teachers at Parkfield School in Saltley are heading towards a finale. The No Outsiders programme of equality teaching, the brainchild of the school's assistant head Andrew Moffatt, is currently suspended while the consultation takes place. Similar talks have also just started at five primary schools run by the Leigh Trust - Alston Primary Schoo l, Wyndcliffe Primary School , Leigh Primary Schoo l, Marlborough Junior Schoo l and Marlborough Infants School . The trust suspended No Outsiders in April and began consultation with parents. A spokesman for the Leigh Trust said: "We are proud to be an open and inclusive group of schools which embraces equality and diversity that have always been reflected in our core vision, values and ethos. Over the last few years, we have used the No Outsiders programme to support this. "Our Trust also values positive parental engagement. That is why we paused the programme, so that we could hear their views and have open discussions with the parents of all children in our schools. "This process has just started, through first inviting written responses, which will then be sifted through by a representative working group of parents from across year groups and schools, teachers, trust leaders and governors. “This process will ensure we find a productive way forward for continuing to deliver equality and diversity.” Two other schools, Yew Tree Primary and City Road Primary, run by the Inspire Education Community Trust, has also put elements of teaching around the personal, social, health and emotional curriculum 'on hold' while it hosts workshops and information events with parents. Prof Colin Diamond, Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Birmingham and education chief for Birmingham City Council, has previously sounded the alarm about the potential for the protests to spread to any schools that don't bow to parents' wishes. He said he felt it was 'a mistake' for schools like Parkfield and the Leigh Trust schools to suspend lessons while consulting with parents. “It’s sending out the message that the curriculum is negotiable, according to mob rule," he explained. "I have yet to see any statement of unequivocal support for the school from the Department for Education. Headteachers working further afield where the protests have spread, such as Oldham and Manchester, are vulnerable unless they can count on local and national support,” he said. He compared what was happening now over LGBT equality and sex ed at schools to the Trojan Horse saga of 2014-15. “The protests have been most pronounced in Birmingham because it has a history of religious activism to undermine schools,” he said. He said the big difference between now and 2014, when the Trojan horse scandal broke, was how activists were seeking to undermine school leaders they disapprove of, under the auspices of religious concern. No longer so easily able to infiltrate governing bodies, they are now trying to influence policy “from outside the school gates”, he said. "This is a deliberate tactic designed to undermine confidence and pressure teachers. The fact they are isolated, with no strong messages coming from the Department for Education, makes them more vulnerable." Lawyer Nazir Afzal, who tried to mediate in the Anderton Park School row without success, made the same damning assessment, suggesting teachers were being left isolated by the failings of what he called a 'cowardly Government' unwilling to be explicit about what the law on equality and human rights requires schools to do, and when. By way of response, Damian Hinds wrote an opinion piece for BirminghamLive - you can read his comments in full HERE | [email protected] (Jane Haynes) | https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/protest-warning-city-primary-schools-16460903 | 2019-06-21 11:14:12+00:00 | 1,561,130,052 | 1,567,538,411 | education | parent organisation |
127,594 | dailyheraldchicago--2019-06-26--River Trails District 26 parents speak out against grade level centers | 2019-06-26T00:00:00 | dailyheraldchicago | River Trails District 26 parents speak out against grade level centers | A proposal to replace elementary schools with grade level centers in Mount Prospect-based River Trails Elementary District 26 was opposed by dozens of parents and community members who packed a school board meeting Tuesday. Combining kindergarten through second grade at the existing Euclid Elementary and grades 3-5 at Indian Grove Elementary is one option the board is considering to deal with overcrowding in the district. The proposal also comes after voters in April rejected plans to borrow $19 million to expand Park View School so it could hold kindergarten and preschool classes and free up space at the two elementary schools. A $27 million request by referendum to build an early learning center also failed in 2015. District officials say that by combining grades, the highest average class size would be 21 students in grades K-2, and 24 in grades 3-5. Were the traditional elementary schools to stay in place, class sizes would grow to 22 students in K-2, and 26-27 in grades 3-5, they say. Another option the school board is considering is to move all kindergarten classes -- now held at the two elementary buildings -- to Park View, while preschool classes would move from Park View back to the elementaries. As a result, it could cost $1 million to make building renovations to Park View. Park View also houses the district administrative offices and a Montessori school, but that organization's lease expires at the end of this week. Another "hybrid" model introduced Tuesday by Superintendent Nancy Wagner would implement grade level centers and a centralized kindergarten center. She said it would eliminate overcrowding but still come with the cost of making building renovations. "I think in a perfect world we'd all love to maintain our local schools with kindergarten through fifth grade," Wagner said. "We don't have room." Wagner said the projected class size of 29 students in fifth grade next year is "not what people are used to in River Trails 26." "That's really scary for us," she said. "We worry about giving kids the education they need." But parents overwhelmingly voiced their opposition to the possibility of grade level centers, with some two dozen speaking during 1½ hours of public comment Tuesday night. Kathy Sagris gave the board a petition of 245 people against the plan, saying it would hurt student academic performance and would do little to solve the overcrowding. "How can this be the best option for our kids?" Sagris said. Jim Meyer, a former District 26 board member and now retired Wheeling High School teacher, said the board looked at grade level centers in the late 1990s as enrollment was going up, but he believes it is cyclical. "It goes up. It goes down," Meyer said. "I think moving kids around is just a bad idea." Board President Frank Fiarito said he didn't support grade level centers when he ran for the board nine years ago, but he also said, "Never say never." He said other options, such as mobile classrooms or larger class sizes, are not ideal, and grade level centers remain "one of the best options we have." Board member Janine Freedlund said she did not like any of the options presented. "We will have preschool kids -- the majority are special eds -- who will be kicked back to their home school, then kicked back to the kindergarten center, then kicked back to their home school," she said. "It's a lot of movement everywhere. No matter what we do, it's really awful." The board is expected to vote on a plan July 16, with changes to take effect in the 2020-2021 school year. | null | http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20190626/river-trails-district-26-parents-speak-out-against-grade-level-centers | 2019-06-26 04:18:12+00:00 | 1,561,537,092 | 1,567,538,101 | education | parent organisation |
221,988 | freedombunker--2019-07-19--Yes Parents Are Capable of Choosing How Their Children Should Be Educated | 2019-07-19T00:00:00 | freedombunker | Yes, Parents Are Capable of Choosing How Their Children Should Be Educated | At the heart of debates around education freedom and school choice is the subtle but sinister sentiment that parents can’t be trusted. They are too busy, too poor, or too ignorant to make the right decisions for their kids, and others know better how to raise and educate children. Never mind that parents have successfully cared for and educated their children for millennia, ensuring the ongoing survival and continued success of our species. As economist Richard Ebeling writes in the introduction to Sheldon Richman’s book Separating School & State: We see this distrust of parents play out in a number of policy areas, including most recently with the implementation of universal government preschool for four-year-olds (and increasingly three-year-olds) in cities like New York and Washington, DC, and in academic reports arguing for “Cradle to Kindergarten” government interventions. These efforts are nearly always framed as helping parents, taking the burden off of low- and middle-income families, and addressing inequality and achievement gaps. But the message is clear: parents, and especially disadvantaged parents, can’t be expected to effectively raise their children and see to their education without the government’s help. Some researchers say this outright. In an article published in this week’s Washington Post about alleged summer learning loss among schoolchildren, Kelly Chandler-Olcott suggests that to fix the problem, we need to stop expecting parents to nurture their children during the summer months and instead rely on experts to do it for them. She writes: This is during the summertime, mind you, when parents have long been responsible for the care of their children. Apparently now the academic crisis is so dire, particularly for low-income children, and parents’ “year-round obligations” are so huge, that we should entrust others to do throughout the summer months what seemingly didn’t work well during the academic year. As I wrote at NPR, we need to ask ourselves if kids can so quickly forget during summertime what they purportedly learned during the school year, did they ever really learn it at all? And if “most parents lack preparation to address academic subjects,” then what does that say about the education they received through public schooling? The idea that parents get in the way of children’s education and can halt their flourishing is nothing new. As he was designing the architecture for compulsory mass schooling in the 19th century, Horace Mann argued that education was too important to be left to parents’ discretion. He explained that strong parental bonds are obstacles to children’s and society’s development, writing in his fourth lecture on education in 1840: Mann goes on to say that “just as soon as we can make them see the true relation in which they and their children stand to this cause, they will become advocates for its advancement,” supporting the complete shift in control of education from the family to the state. It’s for the good of all, Mann said—except for parents like him who homeschooled his own children while mandating forced schooling for others. Place trust in the “perennial force” of parenthood, even when—or perhaps especially when—others distrust it. The solution is for parents to push back against creeping government control of education and child-rearing. Don’t be wooed by the siren song of feigned empathy for your burdens of work and family. Don’t be convinced of the false belief that you are incapable of caring for your children and determining how, where, and with whom they should be educated. Don’t let your “inexhaustible” parental instincts be weakened by government guardians who think they know what is best for your child. Demand freedom and choice. Parents are powerful. They are not perfect, and they do fail, but they are more perfect and fail much less than state agents and government bureaucracies intoxicated by authority and ego. They should take back control of their children’s education by advocating for parental choice and resisting efforts to undermine their innate capacity to care for their children’s well-being. Place trust in the “perennial force” of parenthood, even when—or perhaps especially when—others distrust it. | Sean McBride | http://freedombunker.com/2019/07/19/yes-parents-are-capable-of-choosing-how-their-children-should-be-educated/ | 2019-07-19 15:00:32+00:00 | 1,563,562,832 | 1,567,536,365 | education | parent organisation |
223,881 | freedombunker--2019-12-10--High School Cancels ‘Tarzan’ Musical Because Parents Said It’s Racist | 2019-12-10T00:00:00 | freedombunker | High School Cancels ‘Tarzan’ Musical Because Parents Said It’s Racist | 'They just were worried about the portrayal of our students in terms of students of color and whatnot in that,' Baiocco said of the parents." Baiocco added that the parents were also troubled by the possibility that nonwhite students would appear as apes onstage. According to state education data , the district that includes Alexander Hamilton serves a diverse student population. More than 50 percent of students are Hispanic or Latino and about 23 percent are black or African American. So these are two different objections: First, that the source material, Tarzan of the Apes, is problematic, and second, that students of color might be dressed up as apes. It would be wrong to say that both concerns are entirely unfounded. (The novel, like many things written more than a hundred years ago, is no doubt flawed by modern standards.) But here's a pertinent question: Did any of the actual students share these objections? The Post article puts it all on the parents, who must seemingly be placated at any cost. "One of the things that we're working on this year is a big equity push in terms of making sure that we're equitable in everything that we do," said Baiocco. "One of the messages that I had conveyed to parents at the beginning of school year was that if one person felt uncomfortable with something, please let us know that. We want those voices to be heard." Susan Van Buskirk, who directed a Tarzan play at another high school, pointed out that there are real downsides when a school defaults to knee-jerk censorship the moment anyone complains: "'The whole point of theater is to reflect society and discuss society, whatever it is you're seeing,' Van Buskirk told the Journal News. 'I think if we decide we're just going to immediately hair-trigger cancel anything that might make anyone uncomfortable, we're missing a chance to teach.'" This development follows the cancellation of an anti-racist play at Washington College because some members of the campus community said any depiction of the Ku Klux Klan—even as the villains of the story—would make people feel unsafe. Censoring depictions of past injustices will not make society better educated about injustice. Similarly, forbidding teenagers from acting out Disney's Tarzan due to past racial stereotypes (and the original source material of the Disney rendition that has since been deviated from) seems likely to reinforce, rather than undermine, past racism. | Ed Krayewski | http://freedombunker.com/2019/12/10/high-school-cancels-tarzan-musical-because-parents-said-its-racist/ | Tue, 10 Dec 2019 21:38:19 +0000 | 1,576,031,899 | 1,576,024,521 | education | parent organisation |
232,784 | greenwichtime--2019-11-15--Westchester County football coach benched; parents in uproar | 2019-11-15T00:00:00 | greenwichtime | Westchester County football coach benched; parents in uproar | A New Rochelle, N.Y. school superintendent, who reassigned a popular football coach before a big playoff game, has prompted calls for her resignation. Laura Feijóo’s decision to “reassign” Lou DiRienzo from coaching the New Rochelle High School Hugunots has ignited a firestorm of opposition with many parents demanding answers. DiRienzo, known as “Coach D,” has held the coaching job for 28 years. He is also a physical education at the school. On Thursday morning, Feijóo, who has been on the job two weeks, held a new conference on her decision to strip DiRienzo from his coaching duties. Many parents were on hand to express their disappointment with her decision. Some said that Feijóo - not DiRienzo - should be reassigned out of her job. But Feijóo and district officials said they could not disclose exactly why DiRienzo was reassigned. In a letter send home to parents, Feijóo wrote “While many of you may be seeking and/or may seek additional information concerning the foregoing, please know that the district has an obligation to ensure that the confidentiality rights of our staff members are not violated by District representatives at any time. “This obligation invariably limits the amount of information that can be shared with parents, notwithstanding our desire to do so. “We understand many of you may be disappointed by this news and certainly understand the importance of this game to our school and our community. “However, we are confident that our student athletes will continue to perform in an outstanding manner under the assistant coaches' stewardship during this time and we will provide any and all resources necessary to ensure our team's continued success.” Since then, the New Rochelle High School Football Parents Association posted on its Facebook page Friday what they said were new “facts” of the incident. It also started a petition on change.org to “Reinstate Coach D immediately.” It said DiRienzo was inside his office on Wednesday when he got a call from a parent, who is a relative. “The parent said words to the effect of ‘I got a call from my daughter’s friend, who said my daughter is sick and I need to come and pick her up. My husband is on the way to the school to get her. Would you please go see if she’s OK?’ “The coach went to the cafeteria and saw the student was in distress. She required help walking out of the building. Her friends supported her, and the coach walked with them to the door.” DiRienzo went back to his office where he received a call from the school principal, who questioned him about the incident. “Shortly afterward, coach was advised that he could not conduct practice with the football team that afternoon and had to attend a meeting with the director of human resources that morning. He then received a letter from Peter Scordo, the Director of Human Resources, that he is ‘temporarily reassigned from his coaching duties’ pending completion of an investigation.” The association said the administration had neither met with DiRienzo or told him told the reason for his benching. “There no element of the foregoing facts that would justify their suspension of a dedicated mentor who has served this community to the utmost, much less justify the public slap in the face and irreparable damage to Coach DeRienzo’s reputation caused by this incident.” On Saturday, DiRienzo’s assistants will coach the Hugunots’ regional playoff game at Mahopac High School in Putnam County. A victory would send the undefeated New Rochelle team to next weekend’s semifinals as they seek its third state championship. While he won’t be coaching the team, “Coach D” will be watching. | By Jim Shay | https://www.greenwichtime.com/local/article/Westchester-County-football-coach-benched-14837632.php | Fri, 15 Nov 2019 15:00:00 UT | 1,573,848,000 | 1,573,866,015 | education | parent organisation |
237,512 | hitandrun--2019-12-20--Kindergarten Bars Boys from Wearing Ear Studs, Parents Sue for Sex Discrimination | 2019-12-20T00:00:00 | hitandrun | Kindergarten Bars Boys from Wearing Ear Studs, Parents Sue for Sex Discrimination | On its face, the policy clearly does discriminate based on sex, and thus seems like a facial violation of Title IX and a presumptive violation of the Equal Protection Clause (since the kindergarten is a public charter school). But courts in employment discrimination cases have long upheld certain kinds of sex-differential grooming policies, such as hair length policies, so long as both men and women are subjected to standards that are seen as socially accepted for their sex. Here is an excerpt from Hayden ex rel. A.H. v. Greensburg Community School Corp. (7th Cir. 2014), the precedent on which the plaintiff chiefly relies, which struck down a male-only hair-length limit for a high school's baseball and basketball players: Presumably in this case, the school will indeed argue that its policy provides extensive grooming rules (albeit not identical ones) both for boys and for girls: Appropriate undergarments must be worn and not visible. Camis for girls and undershirts for boys are allowed, but not required, and must not show. Make-up may not be worn until the 7th grade and must be conservative in nature. Tattoos and body piercings, other than girls' earrings, are not allowed. Earrings must be limited to 1 earring per ear. Large, dangling or hoop-type earrings are not allowed. Jewelry other than watches for boys or girls, and small earrings on girls, may not be worn. This includes bracelets. Bracelets are not allowed. Official RMCA bracelets are allowed to be worn. Necklaces may be worn but should be inside the shirt. Hairstyle and hair color must be conservative in nature. Boys' hair must not extend below the top of the shirt collar in the back, the bottom of the ears on the sides or the eyebrows in front. Mohawk, faux hawk, no symbols, shapes or designs of any kind shaved into the head or anything that inhibits the learning environment as determined by the campus principal. Hair may not be spiked. Large hair decorations may not be worn. Bandanas may not be worn. Highlights must be two tones lighter or darker than the student's natural hair color. No highlights that are not a natural hair color. No pocket chains or hats may be worn in the building. And the Supreme Court's pending case on whether gender identity discrimination violates Title VII may ultimately affect the analysis as well, depending on what reasoning the Court endorses. You can read the plaintiff's motion for a temporary restraining order, and here's the school's public statement in response (its legal arguments have not yet been filed): Rocky Mountain Classical Academy works hard every day to create a positive school environment for all its students. Since the School's opening, an important component of this has included a dress code for all students. Our dress code is part of our overall student code of conduct, which expects students to uphold a high standard of excellence and contribute in a positive fashion to their class and the school. Our dress code is published on our website and contained in the Parent Student Handbook, which all parents must review and sign at the beginning of each school year. The mother in this situation signed the Parent Student Handbook at the beginning of the year like all other parents. She was aware of RMCA's dress code prior to enrolling her son in Kindergarten. As with every other parent, numerous RMCA employees have asked the mother to bring her son to school in compliance with the dress code, which would mean removing his earrings when he is at school. She has refused and appealed her disagreement up the chain of command to the RMCA Board, which upheld the dress code after a public meeting on December 3, 2019. Once the Board made its final decision, the School instructed the mother to comply with the dress code by December 9, but she continued to refuse. This left the School no choice but to suspend the student for willfully disobeying the School's rules. The School will continue to insist that this family, like every other, obeys the RMCA dress code, which contributes towards the positive educational environment that all RMCA families enjoy each day. | Eugene Volokh | http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/reason/HitandRun/~3/GW3jQ91nJAw/ | 2019-12-20T16:11:27Z | 1,576,876,287 | 1,576,887,671 | education | parent organisation |
240,739 | hotair--2019-07-30--New perfectly legal college scam Rich parents giving up guardianship of their children to qualify | 2019-07-30T00:00:00 | hotair | New, perfectly legal college scam: Rich parents giving up guardianship of their children to qualify them for financial aid | For some reason it’s the petty corruption of stories like this and the Lori Loughlin one, involving fatcats rigging the college process for their kids, that brings out my inner populist more so than the grand-scale corruption that the rich routinely engage in. You want to buy off federal regulators to protect your business’s bottom line? Eh, whatever. That’s something elite cretins in every society do. You want to run a scam to get your kid a discount admission to university when poorer families are desperate for aid? Then we should turn you and your spawn into hot dogs. Partly that’s me being parochial. Many of us know firsthand the financial burden of paying for school whereas influence peddling on Capitol Hill doesn’t reach us as directly. But it’s also partly the sense that the playing field should be a bit more equal for kids, at least. There’s so much time for the rich to game various systems to their advantage once they’re adults! At least give the teens from schlubby middle-class families a fighting chance. Anyway, fire up the grill. It’s hot-dog time. Parents are giving up legal guardianship of their children during their junior or senior year in high school to someone else — a friend, aunt, cousin or grandparent. The guardianship status then allows the students to declare themselves financially independent of their families so they can qualify for federal, state and university aid, a ProPublica Illinois investigation found… ProPublica Illinois found more than 40 guardianship cases fitting this profile filed between January 2018 and June 2019 in the Chicago suburbs of Lake County alone. The parents involved in these cases include lawyers, a doctor and an assistant schools superintendent, as well as insurance and real estate agents. A number of the children are high-achieving scholars, athletes and musicians who attend or have been accepted to a range of universities… In Illinois last year, about 82,000 students who were eligible for the [Monetary Award Program] grant, up to about $5,000, did not receive it because there wasn’t enough money. The grant is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. In other words, if you’re in the not-so-sweet spot between middle class, where your kid qualifies for aid, and quite rich, where the cost of education is of no consequence, you’re better off effectively emancipating them so that they can feed from the same trough of grant money as students in more dire need of financial help. The Journal looked at one case: One Chicago-area woman told The Wall Street Journal that she transferred guardianship of her then 17-year-old daughter to her business partner last year. While her household income is greater than $250,000 a year, she said, she and her husband have spent about $600,000 putting several older children through college and have no equity in their home, which is valued at about $1.2 million, according to the property website Zillow. She said she has little cash on hand and little saved for her daughter’s education… Today, her daughter attends a private college on the West Coast which costs $65,000 in annual tuition, she said. The daughter received a $27,000 merit scholarship and an additional $20,000 in need-based aid, including a federal Pell grant, which she won’t have to pay back. The daughter is responsible for $18,000 a year, which her grandparents pay, the woman said. Once the guardianship was established, the daughter’s household income for federal financial aid purposes was a scant $4,200. And really, what else could the family in this case do? What’s that, you say? They could have sent their daughter to a state school instead? Well … yeah, I suppose they could have. Or they could have asked each of their children to attend state schools so that there’d be money left over to pay the youngest’s tuition? I guess they could have done that too. Or they could have sold their million-dollar home years ago in anticipation of another round of tuition, downsized to a smaller place, and applied the monthly savings in housing costs to a 529 account? The Department of Ed is reportedly looking at tightening the rule for guardianships so that students who continue to receive financial support from their parents after a guardianship has been granted would be treated as still belonging to their parents’ household for financial aid purposes. That’s good, but I wonder how easy it would be to skirt it. In one case described by Pro Publica, the guardianship lasted for just a month; presumably it’d be easy for some of these families to gift their kid with, say, six months’ of living expenses before a short-term guardianship so that no support needs to be provided afterwards. Unanswered exit questions: Are these cases only happening in and around Chicago, which is the focus of the two pieces quoted above, or is it a national phenomenon? Should the feds be able to recover grant money awarded pursuant to a fraudulent guardianship? | Allahpundit | https://hotair.com/archives/allahpundit/2019/07/30/new-perfectly-legal-college-scam-rich-parents-giving-guardianship-children-qualify-financial-aid/ | 2019-07-30 20:01:59+00:00 | 1,564,531,319 | 1,567,535,381 | education | parent organisation |
263,907 | instapundit--2019-06-27--CHANGE Asian parents call for Schools Chancellor Richard Carranzas firing Branding him a dang | 2019-06-27T00:00:00 | instapundit | CHANGE? Asian parents call for Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza’s firing. “Branding him a ‘dang… | CHANGE? Asian parents call for Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza’s firing. “Branding him a ‘dangerous’ anti-Asian racist, a group of some 80 protesters gathered Wednesday outside the Department of Education headquarters in Manhattan to call for Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza’s ouster.” | Stephen Green | http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pjmedia/instapundit/~3/-WdMvM6JICY/ | 2019-06-27 16:39:07+00:00 | 1,561,667,947 | 1,567,537,808 | education | parent organisation |
290,675 | lifesitenews--2019-12-19--After parents revolt, New Hampshire school board axes horrible transgender policy | 2019-12-19T00:00:00 | lifesitenews | After parents revolt, New Hampshire school board axes horrible transgender policy | December 18, 2019 (MassResistance) — Earlier this month, the school board in Franklin, New Hampshire, dominated by liberal politicians, was ready to pass an odious "transgender" policy that would impose bizarre and radical rules on all students (and their parents) in the district. The proposed policy, titled "Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Students Procedure," reads like something from a crackpot "queer theory" book. Some of its features: • It forces students and staff to accept pseudo-scientific terms, such as gender identity, gender non-binary, cisgender, transgender, gender fluid, and gender transition. • It allows a student to decide if he or she wants to dress as the opposite sex, be called by an opposite-sex name, and be referred to by the pronoun of the opposite sex. All students and staff would be forced to go along with this. • The policy includes a "privacy" provision where this could all be kept private from the student's parents! • It would allow a "transgender" student to use either the boys' or girls' restrooms or locker rooms, whichever he or she desires, depending on the student's chosen "gender identity." • Students and staff members will be required to undergo "training" to accept these deviant behaviors as if they were completely normal. It's madness. But the school officials and Board members saw no problems with it. The policy was quietly introduced by the Board in October, and given its second reading on November 18. Many people in town were shocked and outraged, but the Board members figured they could vote it in without much trouble. Claiming that the state forced them to do it The School Board said that the reason they were doing this was that in July the legislature passed into law Bill SB 263, titled "An act relative to anti-discrimination protection for students in public schools." (The bill was signed by the RINO Governor Chris Sununu.) The law includes this vague clause that requires schools to develop some type of policy (with details left up to the individual school districts): This policy requirement appears to be another attempt to push the Left's growing ideological laundry list of "protected classes" into the public schools. But the Franklin school officials are clearly using this as an excuse to push their own bizarre agenda by submitting a set of radical "transgender" rules to impose on everyone. They ignored actual wording of the law — and the larger list of anti-discrimination classes. And almost no one would have noticed that the school officials were doing that. Then MassResistance intervened. In late November we got a call from Karen Testerman, a member of the Franklin City Council and a long time pro-family activist. The parents there needed help, and we got right to work! We organized people and educated them on what was happening and how to deal with it. We worked with the people in Franklin to begin an aggressive social media campaign along with phone calls to Board members, and hard-hitting testimony at the Board meetings. We made sure that people knew very clearly how this proposed policy doesn't even follow the law, but is just a sham being pushed by pro-LGBT officials. On December 9, the Board conceded to parents' demands and held a public hearing to hear comments from the community on the new policy. We didn't disappoint them! People filled the room. One of the most powerful speakers was Karen Testerman. Among other things, Karen told the Board Members: • If a student is able to authorize his or her record without parental consent, this is in violation of FERPA which gives parents ultimate authority. • Gender dysphoria is a mental health problem that needs professional help. Are the Franklin High School counsellors certified practitioners? • According to the recent National Assessment and Educational Progress Reports, 64% of Franklin High School eleventh graders cannot read at grade level, and 85% of them cannot do math at grade level. On a standard A–F grading scale, you [Board members] are failing at your primary mission. • You [Board members] often express your concern over the 50-plus percent of your students who are on free and reduced lunches, the challenge of opioid addiction, and the tragedy of the suicides amongst our youth. And yet, you are discussing implementing a policy that encourages the use of drugs (including opposite-sex hormones and puberty blockers), mutilation of their physical bodies, and results in a very high suicide rate. Others reminded the Board — also in very strong terms — that this is all unscientific nonsense that will result in hideous destruction to children. People are either male or female — and that is permanent. It's a clinical disorder for anyone to believe it's possible to change their sex. So-called sex reassignment involves amputation of healthy body parts and other ghastly procedures that cause permanent harm and disfigurement. One study has shown that over 40% of transgenders have attempted suicide. These children need psychiatric help, not pandering to their afflictions. Only a few people came and spoke in support of the transgender policy. The high school principal, who agrees with the policy, sat with the supporters. (That says a lot about the kind of people who are running the schools.) But our efforts worked. As a result, at that meeting the Board Chairman announced that the policy was being sent back to the "policy committee" for a re-write. And we're organizing even more people to sure it doesn't come back in any similar form! What should the policy look like? We'll take a stab at that here: A true, common-sense anti-discrimination policy, going along with what the text of the law instructs, would "guide the development and implementation of a coordinated plan" that would protect all students and their parents from having to subvert their values and religious beliefs to unscientific quackery and radical ideology. This would certainly apply to the laundry list of "protected classes" being thrust at them by the Legislature. That kind of policy would ultimately be better for everybody. It's something all parents should demand. As we mentioned above, the fact that the principal, Superintendent, and School Board all have no problem with the outrageous policy they almost voted in should be a huge red flag to the community! Most people simply don't appreciate how bad the people running our schools really are. We'll keep you informed on what happens with the Franklin School District policy. | null | https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/after-parents-revolt-new-hampshire-school-board-kills-horrible-transgender-policy | 2019-12-19T01:55:00+00:00 | 1,576,738,500 | 1,576,814,484 | education | parent organisation |
292,491 | liveaction--2019-11-30--Massachusetts parents push back against Planned Parenthood sex ed | 2019-11-30T00:00:00 | liveaction | Massachusetts parents push back against Planned Parenthood sex ed | (The Daily Signal) Worcester, the second largest city in solidly blue Massachusetts, was the scene of a sex ed showdown between Planned Parenthood and concerned parents and church leaders. Last February, more than 75 of those parents and church leaders stood up alongside the Massachusetts Family Institute to outnumber pro-Planned Parenthood voices at a meeting of a local school committee. The parents, church leaders, and Massachusetts Family Institute officials were there to pose a question: What would Planned Parenthood gain from teaching students about safe sex that would reduce both pregnancies and abortion? How would that benefit a business that relies heavily on income from abortion? Planned Parenthood didn’t just want to redefine abstinence, it wanted to introduce comprehensive sex education, including curriculum on sexual orientation and gender identity. Planned Parenthood advocates argued that their curriculum qualified as age-appropriate, medically accurate, and evidence-based. But when read aloud, as I did at the meeting, the content of the curriculum is found to be clearly neither age-appropriate nor medically accurate. Congress is moving to impeach the president. But will their plan to remove him from office succeed? Find out more now >> To further expose what is going on in Massachusetts schools, we interviewed a young man who recently had been exposed to this curriculum. In this brief video (viewer discretion advised) pasted below, he explains what students are being taught and how sexual behavior and abortion are being completely normalized. The Massachusetts Family Institute is working with local churches to introduce positive curriculum alternatives to Planned Parenthood’s version because many parents want their children to be taught to value abstinence and marriage. The organization is working with several churches in Lawrence, Massachusetts, to convince local school officials to adopt curriculum that is truly age-appropriate, medically accurate, and evidence-based. Our organization believes there is a Biblical mandate to protect the minds of young people from being polluted and seeks to build on its success in Lawrence by replicating this strategy all over the state. READ: Planned Parenthood’s brand of sex ed isn’t slowing the spread of STDs Over the past three years, the Massachusetts Family Institute has spoken at about 125 different churches across the state. Churches are starting to see that their Biblical mandate, as Martin Luther King Jr. explained, is to be the conscience of the state and never its slave. Relationships between local churches, parents, and pro-family groups are strategic. Ultimately, in Worcester, the school committee voted to not allow the “Making Proud Choices” curriculum from Planned Parenthood into the schools. We succeeded in defeating Planned Parenthood and protecting the minds and hearts of our young people in Worcester. But parents, community leaders, and pro-family advocates can team up anywhere to strengthen the family, life, and liberty. Editor’s Note: This article was published at The Daily Signal and is reprinted here with permission. “Like” Live Action News on Facebook for more pro-life news and commentary! | Michael King | https://www.liveaction.org/news/massachusetts-parents-against-planned-parenthood-sex-ed/ | Sat, 30 Nov 2019 14:24:48 +0000 | 1,575,141,888 | 1,575,137,894 | education | parent organisation |
292,799 | mail--2019-01-04--Parents sue over districts policy to arm teachers at school | 2019-01-04T00:00:00 | mail | Parents sue over district's policy to arm teachers at school | The district in Tamaqua, a coal-mining region about 90 miles (145 kilometers) from Philadelphia, serves more than 2,100 students in three schools and is believed to be the first school system in Pennsylvania to let teachers carry weapons. Tamaqua school board members "endangered their community" when they approved a "manifestly illegal" policy to give weapons to teachers and other school employees, according to a lawsuit filed by three parents and a grandparent. "A teacher's role is to teach," Holly Koscak, one of the plaintiffs, said Friday at a news conference. "We should not be putting those extra roles on a teacher when it's out of their scope." She said her daughter, a sophomore, is "very anxious" about having armed teachers in school. The teachers union had already filed suit to overturn the policy. Teachers are allowed to carry weapons in several states, including Texas, Missouri and Ohio, and a number of other states are considering similar measures in the wake of the Parkland, Florida, school massacre last February. The National Education Association, the nation's largest teachers union, says its members "overwhelmingly reject" proposals to have them carry guns in school. Using the hashtag "ArmMeWith," some teachers have taken to Twitter to express their opposition. In Florida, the panel investigating the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School recommended that teachers who volunteer and undergo extensive background checks and training be allowed to carry concealed guns on campus. The state teachers union and PTA oppose it. In Lee County, Virginia, a school district is trying to persuade skeptical state officials to allow it to become the state's first county to arm teachers and staff. The district says it cannot afford to hire more than a few resource officers to protect 11 schools. Mo Canady, executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers, said law enforcement officers are likely to be better trained for situations in which they might have to shoot a student or look for a shooter. But he said districts that do not have the money for a school resource officer face a difficult choice. "I realize there are poor rural districts throughout this country," Canady said, citing schools that cannot afford a resource officer without federal or state help. "I don't know that I'm in a position to say, well, you shouldn't have anyone armed." In Tamaqua, the firearms policy approved in September says that teachers and other employees can volunteer to carry concealed, district-issued guns after training. The policy also establishes guidelines for the use of force. "The rationale for the policy is to prevent the apocalypse," school board member Nicholas Boyle said. "When we have a shooter in the building, how are we going to stop that shooter from killing more and more and more people? We have to have an armed presence there." Citing operational security, the district will not say whether an armed force is already present in the schools. But Boyle said that "the litigation is not stopping the policy." He said the number of volunteers who signed up for gun training has exceeded his goal of at least a dozen. Pennsylvania education officials said they are not aware of any other district with a policy of arming teachers. Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, is opposed to the idea. "The Wolf administration has maintained that school districts may only authorize trained school police officers and school resource officers to carry firearms around students in our schools, should the school professionals feel they need it," education department spokeswoman Nicole Reigelman said. Boyle said the district has received no blowback from the state so far. Associated Press Writer Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo, New York, contributed to this story. | null | https://www.mail.com/news/us/8933302-parents-sue-districts-policy-to-arm-teachers-schoo.html | 2019-01-04 21:49:00+00:00 | 1,546,656,540 | 1,567,553,881 | education | parent organisation |
312,450 | mercurynews--2019-04-08--Parents protest plan to give Bullis Charter School a Los Altos School District campus | 2019-04-08T00:00:00 | mercurynews | Parents protest plan to give Bullis Charter School a Los Altos School District campus | As part of the national debate over the growth of charter schools, parents in Los Altos want to gut a deal that could mark an end to a decade of court battles between the Los Altos School District and Bullis Charter School. Nearly 100 parents and students gathered outside of Egan Junior High School Monday morning with dozens of signs that read “save our neighborhood schools”, “our schools, our community” and “reform Prop 39”. They were protesting a tentative agreement that was announced last week to give the Egan Junior High School facility to Bullis Charter School and relocate hundreds of the Egan students to a brand new facility expected to be built near a shopping center in about four years. The district and charter school have until the end of the month to finalize the agreement and will be taking public input right up to the deadline. Egan, which enrolls about 650 students, is one of two junior high schools in the Los Altos School District and has been a staple in the community for the last 50 years. Bullis is a public school chartered by the Santa Clara County Board of Education, and the Los Altos School District is required to provide it with facilities under California’s Proposition 39. Since Bullis opened in 2003, the two sides have struggled to agree on what the charter school’s facilities should consist of. While statewide enrollment in non-charter schools has decreased over the last five years, charter school enrollment has increased from 9.2 percent to 10.6 percent of the state’s public school population, according to data from the California Department of Education. Monday’s protest was just one example of the strong opposition to the expansion of charter schools across California — an issue at the heart of both the recent teacher strikes in Los Angeles and Oakland. Charter school critics argue that the schools drain resources from traditional public schools and create challenges — such as the facilities debate in Los Altos — for school districts. The agreement between the Los Altos School District and Bullis Charter School would span 10 years and give Bullis the Egan Junior High campus to house all of its students, including those currently sharing a building at Blach Intermediate School in Los Altos. It would also restrict the charter school’s enrollment from exceeding 1,111 students. Egan’s students, who currently share the campus with Bullis, would be moved to a brand new building about half a mile away at the San Antonio shopping center in Mountain View. Although the agreement could put an end to a decade of lawsuits, some parents say the deal also could lead to an exodus of families leaving the district. Amber MacDonald, a parent of one current student and another future student in the district, said that parents are upset with the planned location of the new school — next to a shopping center instead of in a residential neighborhood — and that the board doesn’t seem to be supporting the community. “No one wants to see their school get taken over by a school you have to apply to get into and 50 percent of kids don’t get in,” MacDonald said.”… And you don’t really want to put all your time, money and effort into a district and a board that doesn’t support you.” A Change.org petition to stop the district from moving Egan Junior High students from their current location has racked up more than 5,000 signatures. Peipei Yu, a parent of two students in the district, said the agreement points to a need for education reform in California. “Ultimately charter schools are a mechanism to the privatization of all schools in the U.S., and this agreement is another piece of that agenda,” Yu said Monday. “If the laws allow for these behaviors, then the laws need to change.” Joe Hurd, chairman of the Bullis Charter School Board of Directors, acknowledged that the agreement was never going to make everyone happy. “There was a lot of give and take on both sides,” Hurd said Friday. “…But after 15 years of back and forth, I think this solution is the best outcome for both the students and the community.” Both the school boards will hear their first dose of public input at separate meetings Monday night. And the district’s board is not stopping there. Board members also will attend 15 PTA meetings over the next three weeks at schools across the district, hold three days of office hours and receive input at one more board meeting on April 26. Jessica Speiser, president of the Los Altos school board, said she has already received a flood of calls and emails from community members since the agreement was announced last week. “We have a very engaged community,” Speiser said Friday. “That’s why we’re going to every campus to be there to hear concerns and answer questions.” | Maggie Angst | https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/04/08/parents-protest-plan-to-give-bullis-charter-school-a-los-altos-school-district-campus/ | 2019-04-08 21:59:41+00:00 | 1,554,775,181 | 1,567,543,573 | education | parent organisation |
313,460 | mercurynews--2019-05-21--Three Bay Area parents pleading guilty this week in college admission scandal | 2019-05-21T00:00:00 | mercurynews | Three Bay Area parents pleading guilty this week in college admission scandal | A Napa Valley vintner and two Menlo Park business owners are among eight wealthy parents who are expected to plead guilty this week in the nationwide college admissions bribery scandal. The parents will enter their guilty pleas in federal court in Boston, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts. One father, Agustin Huneeus Jr. of San Francisco, is expected to enter his guilty plea Tuesday afternoon. The eight parents are accused of hiring college admissions consultant William “Rick” Singer to boost their children’s entrance exams or to create fake athletic profiles to help them gain admission to prestigious U.S. colleges as athletic recruits. The parents are expected to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, the Los Angeles Times reported. They also are among 20 parents and coaches who already have entered guilty pleas in “Operation Varsity Blues” or who will do so in the near future, according to the Times. Their pleas are presumably part of cooperation deals with prosecutors to avoid lengthy prison sentences. Prosecutors have said in court filings they will recommend prison time and hefty fines for parents in some of the cases — the charges carry up to 20 years. However, the final decision will be left up to a judge. TV actress Felicity Huffman, for example, may end up serving a relatively light sentence of four to 10 months in prison after accepting a cooperation deal. She pleaded guilty at the Boston courthouse last week, acknowledging she paid Singer $15,000 to boost her daughter’s SAT score. She previously issued a statement apologizing for her actions and for the pain she had caused “the educational community,” her friends and her family, notably her oldest daughter, 18. Fourteen Bay Area parents have been charged in the scandal. Hillsborough couple, Bruce and Davina Isackson, entered guilty pleas in early May and will be sentenced late July. The three entering guilty pleas this week are: Agustin Huneeus Jr. of San Francisco Huneeus, whose family owns Napa’s Quintessa winery and heads the company’s wine portfolio, allegedly paid Singer $50,000 to get his daughter into USC, ostensibly as a water polo player. The money would ultimately go as a bribe to Donna Heinel, USC’s senior associate athletic director, according to the complaint. Huneeus allegedly learned about Singer’s services from William McGlashan, another parent at Marin Academy, the private prep school in San Rafael their children attend, according to the complaint. McGlashan, of Mill Valle, is the founder of a prominent San Francisco equity firm and also was charged in the scandal. He has pleaded not guilty to allegedly hiring Singer to fake ACT results for his son. With Huneeus, he and Singer were recorded by investigators talking about how Huneeus’ daughter wasn’t “worthy” to be on the water polo team. At one point Hunees asked: “I just want to confirm. She actually won’t really be part of the water polo team, right?” :No, no,” Singer said. “She doesn’t have to do anything.” Huneeus at another point complained that the person who took the SAT exam in place of his daughter earned only 1380 out of a possible 1600. Huneeus asked if his daughter’s score could have been as high as 1550. But Singer told him that such a high score would probably be noticed, given that her grades apparently didn’t show her to be that academically gifted. “I would have got investigated for sure based on her grades,” Singer said. Huneeus also “sought reassurance that his $50,000 payment to Heinel would be returned if his daughter was not admitted to USC,” the complaint shows. Peter Jan Sartorio of Menlo Park Sartorio, a packaged food entrepreneur, is expected to enter his plea on Wednesday. He allegedly paid $15,000 in cash in June 2017 to have a fraudulent proctor oversee his daughter’s ACT exam and correct her answers. The test took place at a West Hollywood test center instead of at the daughter’s high school, Singer had contacts with administrators at the center who had agreed to take bribes to allow Singer’s alleged cheating schemes to take place there, according to the complaint. The complaint alleges that Sartorio’s daughter received a score of 27 out of a possible 36 on the ACT, which placed her in about the 86th percentile. She had not previously taken the ACT. Prosecutors noted the girl had previously earned scores of 900 and 960 out of a possible 1600 in successive administrations of the PSAT, which placed her between the 42nd and 51st percentile for her grade level. According to the complaint, Sartorio was recorded on October 25, 2018, listening to Singer explain that his Key Worldwide Foundation was being audited by the Internal Revenue Services. Singer used this educational non-profit to receive payments from parent clients that were disguised as purported donations, the complaint said. After Singer assured Sartorio he would not mention to the IRS how he had someone take “the test” for his daughter, the two talked about getting “our stories correct,” the complaint said. Sartorio told Singer that there was no record of such an arrangement, the complaint said: “There is — no — there is no record on my end like a 1040. There is nothing on my end that shows that your company, or anyone else received cash payments.” Marjorie Klapper of Menlo Park The jewelry business co-owner is expected to enter her guilty plea Friday. She is accused of paying $15,000 to Singer’s Key foundation in November 2017 after a phony proctor oversaw the ACT exam for her son at the West Hollywood test center. After Klapper’s son received a score of 30 out of a possible 36, she emailed a copy of the test score to Singer, with the message: “Omg. I guess he’s not testing again.” Singer replied, “Yep he is brilliant.” Singer also told Klapper he was being audited in a recorded conversation on Oct. 24, 2018. As with other parent clients, Singer told Klapper to make sure she doesn’t say anything about the money she paid going toward someone else taking the ACT for her son. “You’re gonna say that the — the $15,000 that you paid to our foundation was to help underserved kids,” Singer told her, according to the comlaint. “I just wanted to make sure that our stories were aligned. | Martha Ross | https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/05/21/three-bay-area-parents-pleading-guilty-this-week-in-college-admission-scandal/ | 2019-05-21 18:26:44+00:00 | 1,558,477,604 | 1,567,540,282 | education | parent organisation |
318,660 | motherjones--2019-07-30--Parents Are Giving Up Custody of Their Kids to Get Need-Based College Financial Aid | 2019-07-30T00:00:00 | motherjones | Parents Are Giving Up Custody of Their Kids to Get Need-Based College Financial Aid | Dozens of suburban Chicago families, perhaps many more, have been exploiting a legal loophole to win their children need-based college financial aid and scholarships they would not otherwise receive, court records and interviews show. Coming months after the national “Varsity Blues” college admissions scandal, this tactic also appears to involve families attempting to gain an advantage in an increasingly competitive and expensive college admissions system. Parents are giving up legal custody of their children during their junior or senior year in high school to someone else—a friend, aunt, cousin or grandparent. The guardianship status then allows the students to declare themselves financially independent of their families so they can qualify for federal, state and university aid, a ProPublica Illinois investigation found. “It’s a scam,” said Andy Borst, director of undergraduate admissions at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “Wealthy families are manipulating the financial aid process to be eligible for financial aid they would not be otherwise eligible for. They are taking away opportunities from families that really need it.” While ProPublica Illinois uncovered this practice in north suburban Lake County, where almost four dozen such guardianships were filed in the past 18 months, similar petitions have been filed in at least five other counties and the practice may be happening throughout the country. ProPublica Illinois is still investigating. Borst said he first became suspicious when a high school counselor from an affluent Chicago suburb called him about a year ago to ask why a particular student had been invited to an orientation program for low-income students. Borst checked the student’s financial aid application and saw she had obtained a legal guardian, making her eligible to qualify for financial aid independently. The University of Illinois has since identified 14 applicants who did the same: three who just completed their freshman year and 11 who plan to enroll this fall, Borst said. ProPublica Illinois found more than 40 guardianship cases fitting this profile filed between January 2018 and June 2019 in the Chicago suburbs of Lake County alone. The parents involved in these cases include lawyers, a doctor and an assistant schools superintendent, as well as insurance and real estate agents. A number of the children are high-achieving scholars, athletes, and musicians who attend or have been accepted to a range of universities, from large public institutions, including the University of Wisconsin, the University of Missouri and Indiana University, to smaller private colleges. Officials at those universities did not immediately respond to requests for comment. ProPublica Illinois reached parents or guardians in 15 of these cases and none agreed to speak on the record. Some hung up, others declined to comment and some demanded anonymity. Borst said the university told the three students midway through last school year that their university-based financial aid would be reduced. “We didn’t hear any complaint, and that is also a big red flag,” Borst said. “If they were needy, they would have come in to talk with us.” The university now asks more questions of students who have recently entered into a guardianship, including whether they have contact with their parents, who they live with and who pays for their health insurance and cellphone bill. The questions have deterred some families from continuing to seek university aid, Borst said. While the university has discretion over offering institutional aid, it is obligated to distribute the federal and state grants for needy students, known as the Pell Grant and the state Monetary Award Program, or MAP grant in Illinois, Borst said. Combined, they can total about $11,000 a year. He said the university has alerted the U.S. Department of Education and officials at the Illinois agency that administers state financial aid, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. An ISAC spokeswoman said the agency has not yet been told about a specific case, but that it would alert the state attorney general and the U.S. Department of Education if necessary. A spokesman at the U.S. Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In Illinois last year, about 82,000 students who were eligible for the MAP grant, up to about $5,000, did not receive it because there wasn’t enough money. The grant is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. When filling out the application for financial aid, called the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, students have to prove formal separation from their parents to qualify as an independent. One of the few ways to do that is through a legal guardianship change. Students cannot just declare financial independence—even in cases where parents are able to pay but refuse to do so, Borst said. According to the U.S. Department of Education website, “a student in legal guardianship does not need to report parent information on the FAFSA form because he or she is considered an independent student.” Independent students are evaluated for financial aid based on their own income and resources and not that of their parents. “It’s not like these families are close or on the tipping point” of being eligible for the aid, Borst said. “I don’t know how big this is, but I hope we can nip this in the bud now. … If it is legal, at what point is it wrong?” The process starts in the courthouse. Nearly all the cases identified by ProPublica Illinois were handled by one of two law firms: The Rogers Law Group in Deerfield, which handled most of them, and the Kabbe Law Group in Naperville. The only case filed by a different firm involved the family of Rick Rogers, of the Rogers Law Group. The petitions filed by Rogers, whose firm specializes in real estate, are very similar, with language saying the guardianship would be in the minors’ “best interest” and typically citing educational reasons. Many, for example, say: “The Guardian can provide educational and financial support and opportunities to the minor that her parents could not otherwise provide.” Reached by phone, Rogers declined several times to comment about the families he represented, the process or why he sought a legal guardian for his son. The Illinois Probate Act, the law that governs guardianship, does not specify circumstances in which guardianship should be denied. According to Illinois law, a court can appoint a guardian if the parents consent, the minor agrees and the court determines it is in the minor’s best interest. Even if a parent is able to care for the child, the court can approve the guardianship if the parents voluntarily relinquish custody of the child. That is what was happening routinely in the Lake County courthouse until late last month, when Judge Joseph Salvi, who recently began hearing guardianship cases, questioned a petition involving a high school student who lives with his parents in suburban Long Grove. The judge denied guardianship and, in response, the attorney for the guardian, a “close family friend” of the student, wrote a brief arguing why the judge should use his “broad authority” to grant the guardianship. In the brief, attorney Mari Berlin argued that the student’s parents are finalizing a divorce and can’t afford to support his college education. It said that the family is “working with a Certified College Planner to help him find a way to independently support himself through college, with specific focus on how to afford tuition.” Berlin wrote in the brief that the student, who dreams of becoming a doctor, would be best served by a guardianship “that would allow him to attain the independent status necessary to achieve his goal.” Berlin, of the Kabbe Law Group, said the firm has represented families in about a dozen cases in Lake County. She said the firm has filed between 20 and 30 cases in all, with varying success, throughout the Chicago area during the past two years, including in Kane, Will, DuPage, Cook, and McHenry counties. Berlin said families who are going this route are in a financial position where their income is too high to qualify for financial aid but they still will struggle to pay for college. While this is an atypical use of guardianship, Berlin said, families have a strong legal basis for bringing the cases. The law doesn’t preclude it, she said. “It’s a solution they have been able to find as college costs go up and they are unable to pay,” she said. “It is in the best interest of the minor, which is the statute’s purpose.” In typical guardianship cases, an adult is stepping in to care for a child after an unexpected or troubling event: Mothers are homeless, seeking mental health care or working two jobs and can’t care for a child, fathers are in prison, addicted to drugs or deported. One Lake County guardianship case describes a child suffering from “severe physical and emotional abuse” by a parent, while another pleads: “He is a good kid. He is alone. He needs someone to take care of him.” Those are the types of cases Rebekah Rashidfarokhi usually deals with at Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, a legal aid group that she said handles more than 300 guardianship cases in Cook County annually. While she said she hasn’t seen the so-called college guardianship cases, she said the law is intended to address the life of a child as a minor and who will care for the child on a day-to-day basis, not an “11th-hour petition” right before the teen turns 18. “That’s not the way guardianship is supposed to be used,” she said. “If someone is trying to do that at the very last minute, it seems that they might be trying to take advantage of the system.” The children obtaining guardianships for educational “opportunities” have attended some of the area’s most prestigious schools, including Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire and Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook. Others go to high schools in Vernon Hills, Grayslake, Libertyville, and Lake Forest. A guardian interviewed by ProPublica Illinois said he felt conflicted when some family friends asked him to be their daughter’s guardian. He wanted to help the girl, whose work ethic and grades he admires. “I did wrestle with this,” said the man, who agreed to speak as long as he was not identified. He said his wife works at a university and “knows it from the other side,” he said. “And her comment was, ‘Is it going to deprive someone else of … financial aid?’ And so that’s the issue. I was told it does not.” “It’s one of these gray areas, and my heart wanted me to do it for the family,” the man said. “But I also have a conscience. I wanted to make sure we were doing the right thing.” The man eventually agreed to become the teenager’s guardian, though the guardianship lasted only about a month, until she turned 18. He said that he did not provide financial support for her, and that she did not live in his home. The man said he asked “a lot” of questions of Rogers, the attorney on the case, and a college consultant named Lora Georgieva with whom the family worked. Georgieva runs a Lincolnshire-based college consulting company, Destination College, which offers “strategies to lower tuition expenses.” The company’s logo is a graduation cap with dollar bills spilling out of it. In video testimonials, clients praise the company for saving them money. She is tied to at least several of the families, as well as to Rogers, the attorney, who is also featured in the video. The description for the company’s “premier” services includes a “College Financial Plan, Using Income and Asset Shifting Strategies to Increase Your Financial and Merit Aid and Lower Out of Pocket Tuition Expenses.” Reached Monday morning, Georgieva said she was “in the middle of something” and would call later. She then contacted an attorney, Phillip Zisook, who called ProPublica Illinois on her behalf to say she was worried about being depicted in a false light. Zisook said he would relay ProPublica Illinois’ questions to Georgieva. As of publication time, she had not responded. Mark Kantrowitz, a leading financial aid expert and publisher and vice president of research for savingforcollege.com, called the guardianship changes “an extreme measure.” “This is the first time I have heard of something so brazen,” Kantrowitz said. “It’s completely unethical.” | Becca Andrews | https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/07/parents-are-giving-up-custody-of-their-kids-to-get-need-based-college-financial-aid-1/ | 2019-07-30 10:00:58+00:00 | 1,564,495,258 | 1,567,535,305 | education | parent organisation |
328,479 | nationalinterest--2019-12-15--Too Cool for School: Why Parents Should Communicate Better With Educators | 2019-12-15T00:00:00 | nationalinterest | Too Cool for School: Why Parents Should Communicate Better With Educators | Text messages, email alerts, open houses, fundraising appeals, robocalls – parents know the drill. They are inundated with requests from children’s schools. These missives aren’t really asking for engagement. Rather they can be viewed as ways for educators to tell parents what they should do to support their students or the school. These experiences can inadvertently communicate that schools alone know what’s best for children – and parents should listen and follow directions, a dynamic especially present in schools serving working-class communities of color. As scholars and parents, my colleagues and I research the intersection of families, schools and racial inequities. We have learned new ways for schools and families to work together to help realize children’s potential. And the answer isn’t fundraising, checking the latest school app or listening to robo-calls. Research tells us that families play a critically important role in the educational success of their children. We also know from research that schools typically expect parents and families of color to conform to the values and behaviors of white, middle-class parents. The hitch is that families of color don’t always participate in the ways schools expect. Histories of distrust and conflict often exist between families of color and schools. We know, for example, that there are well-documented racial disparities in discipline referrals, in access to high-quality teachers and instruction, and in resources and robust learning opportunities. But when parents raise questions about racial bias and inequities, their questioning, our research and other work has shown, it is rarely well received by educators and school leaders. Rather than acknowledging these well-documented tensions and revising expectations, educators can interpret behaviors that deviate from their expectations as evidence that there’s something wrong or lacking in families of color. A study by Dr. John Diamond and his colleagues found that when teachers decide parents don’t care or are interfering with their professional authority, they tend to feel less responsible for those students’ learning. These assumptions rely on age-old narratives that implicitly blame families of color – and have negative consequences, especially for Native American, black, Latinx, Pacific Islander and some Asian students. Catalyzed by a charge from the 2014 White House Symposium on Transformative Family Engagement, we have been working on a different set of approaches to co-design more “just schools” with families. Based on the research of our national network of scholars and family leaders, Family Leadership Design Collaborative, schools and policymakers can approach families differently. They can: 1. Start with families’ and communities’ priorities, not the school’s agenda. Families and communities need to be the architects of their own futures. That means starting with family stories, experiences, knowledge and cultural practices. That might mean recognizing negative histories with schools before jumping to solutions. For example, in Chicago’s urban Indigenous community, families discussed the trauma of boarding schools and the erasure of Indigenous communities. They also shared their ancestral knowledge and stories of raising children to envision what education would be required to raise “good elders.” Parents in another district shared experiences of positive relationships with teachers but also their frustrations dealing with bullying and racism at the school. After sharing these experiences, they developed a curriculum for other parents to help them build relationships with each other to address issues of bullying and to support positive racial and cultural identities for their children. 2. Recognize and treat families of color as experts on their own children. When schools help families build relationships with each other and recognize their expertise, they can become powerful leaders in school change. In Los Angeles, black and Latinx parent leaders with the organizing group CADRE changed the discipline policies in the district. And yet, based on our research, parents of color still felt blamed and judged in everyday conversations with teachers and principals about discipline – and there had been little change in the pipeline from school to prison, especially for black boys. Now those parent leaders are collaborating with faculty at UCLA to help new teachers reshape everyday conversations to be less about blame and more about enabling parents to share their expertise on their own children. 3. Give families and communities the resources, time and space to envision solutions, not just share their pain. Listening sessions can be powerful but limiting. Families share their traumas with educators, but school leaders ultimately decide what to do with what they heard. Our research shows how families can be part of designing solutions if they are provided the time, space and resources to do so. For example, in Salt Lake City, a school decision-making body supposedly included parents, but families of color experienced meetings as alienating and exclusionary. We found rather than airing those negative experiences and expecting policymakers to do something, parents, teachers, principals, researchers and district leaders imagined what a productive council would be like and started to enact those changes. They got the legislature to let them use funds for outreach to more diverse families. They created a comic to share with parents whose first language wasn’t English. They are developing a training for educators on the councils to learn how to engage differently. And they envisioned spaces prior to formal council meetings for parents to come together to discuss what their schools need most. 4. Help families and educators learn to facilitate meetings across racial, cultural and other differences. According to the U.S. Department of Education, most teachers and leaders in the U.S. are white, and a growing majority of students and their families are from communities of color. Collaborating across lines of race, culture and roles requires skillful facilitation. Real tensions emerge between people and ideas in equity work. School and parent leaders need to be able to intervene in tense interactions. That might be as simple as asking educators to slow down, listen more and use fewer acronyms. But imbalances of power often require skilled facilitation, like what to do when one loud voice dominates the conversation or when white parents inadvertently disregard parents of color. Even parents of color can reinforce these narratives. For instance, one group of immigrant parents in a diversifying suburban district voiced a belief that other immigrant families are focused on meeting their immediate needs and don’t care about their children’s education. The facilitator at this session could have gone with this simplistic explanation that blamed parents for disparate opportunities – a stereotype that empirical research has proven wrong. Instead, the facilitator leaned into the tension and shared her own challenges as a working parent who was often away from her child. Her vulnerability challenged the discourse of blame, and parents began to strategize about how they could better support each other collectively. Such facilitation skills must be learned, and schools and systems need to invest in developing those capacities. School and district leaders in our study came to see the routine decisions they made in their jobs as critical opportunities for family and community influence. Educational leaders redesigned key decisions that impacted students and families, especially those marginalized by typical processes. For instance, one principal supervisor in an urban district redesigned the hiring process for a new principal with students, families and teachers in the school. He enlisted a colleague who helped families discuss the broken trust they felt with the district due to prior decisions, then they collectively designed their own questions for principal candidates. They held separate student, family and teacher interview panels, then proposed their top choice (which was unanimous, in this case). The district hired that principal, and several families wrote letters to the school board about how the process helped repair their broken trust with the district. These and other actions laid out in our full policy memo can recast families and communities as essential collaborators in fostering equitable schools and educational systems. [ Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter. ] Ann M. Ishimaru, Associate Professor, University of Washington; Megan Bang, Professor of Learning Sciences and Psychology, Northwestern University, and Michelle Valladares, Associate Director of the National Education Policy Center, University of Colorado Boulder This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. | Ann M. Ishimaru, Megan Bang, Michelle Valladares | https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/too-cool-school-why-parents-should-communicate-better-educators-103902 | Sun, 15 Dec 2019 14:14 EST | 1,576,437,240 | 1,576,457,040 | education | parent organisation |
343,868 | newsbusters--2019-08-17--Bozell Graham Column Parental Nightmares in Public Schools | 2019-08-17T00:00:00 | newsbusters | Bozell & Graham Column: Parental Nightmares in Public Schools | Public schools are reopening for business across America, meaning it’s time to get back to reading, writing, arithmetic….and revolution. As usual in matters such as these, California is leading the way. On the first day of classes at Denair Middle School near Modesto science teacher Luis Davila Alvarado handed out worksheets from a transgender advocacy group titled “The Gender Unicorn” asking students about their “gender identity,” “gender expression,” and their sexual and emotional attractions. These are children. And yet the teacher did not ask permission to hand this out. Most parents were outraged. The school estimated about 50 children received the worksheet. It turns out Alvarado was educating the children about his own life. He declared he rejects the term “Mr.” and prefers to be addressed with the newfangled “Mx.,” pronounced “Mix.” A school official quickly put a stop to it, but the damage was done. In California, waiting until middle school for this boatload of propaganda is actually inappropriate! In May, the California Board of Education established a set of guidelines insisting schools should begin discussing “gender identity” in kindergarten. “While students may not fully understand the concepts of gender expression and identity,” the guidelines insist, “some children in kindergarten and even younger have identified as transgender or understand they have a gender identity that is different from their sex assigned at birth.” Schools apparently must leap to address the “harm of negative gender stereotypes.” Public schools aren’t just undermining parents with the curriculum. When children “decide” they “might” be transgender, parents better not object or else they will be treated as a threat to their own children’s well-being. On August 12, USA Today published a chilling op-ed from Jay Keck, a parent in the Chicago suburbs, about how his autistic teenaged daughter – who “showed no signs” of being unhappy with her gender -- suddenly decided in 2016 that she was male and wanted to be addressed with male pronouns. She first “came out” at school, and the school immediately addressed her with male pronouns and provided access to a gender-neutral bathroom. When Keck and his wife found out, they insisted the school address their daughter by her legal name – and they were ignored. They met with an assistant superintendent, who asserted the school had to “follow the law” – a non-binding directive from the Obama administration which was repealed by Team Trump. According to Keck, surprise, surprise: the ACLU has sent threatening letters to schools telling them that “students have the constitutional right to share or withhold information about their sexual orientation or gender identity from their parents, teachers, and other parties.” Then the real nightmare kicked in. Put yourself in the position of the Keck family. Keck said his daughter told him that the school social worker was advising her about halfway houses. “The social worker confirmed this when I scheduled a meeting with him to discuss it. This felt like a horrifying attempt to encourage our daughter to run away from home.” When Keck had his daughter evaluated by a psychologist approved by the school district, he said “it was very clear that our daughter’s sudden transgender identity was driven by her underlying mental health conditions, but would only share his thoughts off the record, because he feared the potential backlash.” When his daughter graduated high school, parental wishes that her birth name would be announced were again ignored. This growing gender-bending orthodoxy is what Pope Benedict called the “dictatorship of relativism,” or, if you prefer, “the tyranny of tolerance.” Dissent – even from parents – is being condemned as bigotry, cruelty, and hate speech. This will not stop until the nuclear family is destroyed. Or until parents stand up as one and declare a commitment to destroy this movement. | Brent Bozell, Tim Graham | https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/tim-graham/2019/08/17/bozell-graham-column-parental-nightmares-public-schools | 2019-08-17 02:15:00+00:00 | 1,566,022,500 | 1,567,534,083 | education | parent organisation |
348,491 | newspunch--2019-04-09--Parents Threaten To Withdraw Hundreds Of Children From Second UK School Over LGBT Lessons | 2019-04-09T00:00:00 | newspunch | Parents Threaten To Withdraw Hundreds Of Children From Second UK School Over LGBT+ Lessons | A second UK primary school is facing daily protests from parents who oppose LGBT + lessons for their five to eleven year old children. Angry families are threatening to withdraw around 400 children from another Birmingham primary school saying they are too young to learn about about lesbian, gay and transgender relationships. Parents also want the headteacher to resign. The Independent reports: Parkfield Community School, another primary school in Birmingham, suspended its “No Outsiders” programme, which uses story books to teach about same-sex couples, after hundreds of parents reportedly withdrew their children from class amid weekly protests. A petition is due to be handed into Anderton Park Primary on Wednesday calling on headteacher Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson to resign and for the LGBT+ inclusive education to be suspended. Protesting parents will then meet on Thursday to decide whether to withdraw their children. Mr Afsar told The Independent: “If our letter or petition is not listened to then we will go forward with a mass withdrawal of the school. At least 400 students [would be withdrawn]. Unfortunately the headteacher is putting us into a bracket of homophobia and she is not wanting to talk. She is not helping the situation at all.” Speaking last month, Ms Hewitt-Clarkson, who has been subjected to chants calling for her to resign, said teachers and parents have called the police repeatedly after feeling harassed by the daily protests during school pickup. Staff have been given a phone number for a counselling service in the school in the wake of the protests, which have left children in tears and staff feeling “incredibly intimidated”, the head said. Parents across the country have been leafleting against the government’s decision to make relationships education compulsory in primary schools and relationships and sex education compulsory at secondary schools in England from September 2020. The curriculum guidance, which a large majority of MPs backed last month, encourages primary schools to teach children about different families, including same-sex parents. Under the reforms, parents will not be allowed to withdraw their children from relationships classes and from the age of 15, students can opt into sex education regardless of their parents’ wishes. The headteachers’ union NAHT is to write to school leaders making clear they have a legal duty to teach about same-sex families in primary schools and about sex education in secondary schools. But the union will urge them to do this sensitively and to involve parents in discussions to explain lessons. Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT, said: “Schools have a duty to eliminate discrimination. The Equality Act places an obligation on schools to talk to pupils about the differences between themselves and their peers. | Niamh Harris | https://newspunch.com/parents-threaten-to-withdraw-hundreds-of-children-from-second-uk-school-over-lgbt-lessons/ | 2019-04-09 19:31:19+00:00 | 1,554,852,679 | 1,567,543,444 | education | parent organisation |
363,831 | newyorker--2019-03-13--An Investigative Journalist on How Parents Buy College Admissions | 2019-03-13T00:00:00 | newyorker | An Investigative Journalist on How Parents Buy College Admissions | On Tuesday, the Department of Justice charged fifty people in the largest college-admissions scandal in recent memory. According to the indictments, dozens of rich and well-connected parents, including two television stars, participated in a criminal scheme run by William Singer, the founder of a college preparatory and counselling business. Singer allegedly helped his clients to insure their children’s admission to selective colleges by bribing university staff and coaches to misrepresent their children as athletes or by recruiting administrators and proctors to help falsify their children’s scores on admissions tests. The schools targeted included Yale, Stanford, U.S.C., U.C.L.A., and more; the uproar over the story, and the lengths that the government claims the parents went to, suggest that college admissions, especially at élite schools, continue to be a topic of immense interest and angst. To discuss the scandal, I spoke by phone with Daniel Golden, the author of the 2006 book “The Price of Admission: How America’s Ruling Class Buys Its Way into Elite Colleges—and Who Gets Left Outside the Gates.” Currently a senior editor at ProPublica, Golden showed how the wealthiest parents, including Jared Kushner’s, have wheeled and dealed their way into gaining admission for their children, often via large gifts to their university of choice. My conversation with Golden about today’s blockbuster story and its larger meaning, which has been edited for clarity and length, is below. How does this scandal change, if it does change, your understanding of the larger issue that your book addresses? I think that it’s kind of a logical outgrowth of the scandal that my book exposed. What my book showed was that the rich and famous exploit the college-admissions system by using private college counsellors who serve as conduits for donations, by benefitting from the various admissions preferences, like the preference for athletes, because there are so many patrician sports in which their kids participate, like crew or sailing or fencing or equestrian events. In this case, they take it to the extreme, through pretense. Normally, students from rich families benefit from athletic preference because they actually row crew or sail or fence, which is a preference in itself, because those sports are not played at most inner-city high schools. But here the kids did not even engage in those activities. Instead, it was a sham. Similarly, the private college counsellor here went beyond all the bounds of accepted behavior, if we can believe the allegations. He didn’t just facilitate the admission by hinting to college officials that the family might be inclined to be philanthropic if the kid was accepted. Instead, he appears to have flat-out bribed test administrators and college coaches and the like. They pushed, to the fullest extent, an unfair system that has been in place for a long time. It’s the fantasy, extreme version of an endemic problem. When you say that it’s been in place for a long time, does that mean since American colleges were founded, or was there a golden era when this stuff was not going on? I don’t think there was ever a golden era. College admissions has evolved over the years. Initially, back before there were standardized-test scores, and when élite schools, like Harvard, mostly recruited from their own areas, they just straightforwardly preferred candidates from wealthy, well-established families. But then there were various efforts towards meritocracy, like standardized tests, and the system we have now. And there was also entry by high-achieving groups, like Jews, that the colleges didn’t want to let in, in perhaps the numbers that they deserved. So, in response to the pressure for meritocracy, this crazy-quilt complicated system developed, which appears, on the surface, to be merit-based but actually includes quite a few hidden boosts for the wealthy. And that system has been in place for some decades. But it’s post-World War II. Do you have reason to think that this sort of thing we saw with the indictments today has been going on for a long time, and, if it is increasing, why might it be increasing? I don’t know if this kind of criminal activity is widespread. There are widespread practices that are unfair and benefit the wealthy. One of the puzzles of this case is: Why did these families bother to go to this extreme? Why did they pay so much money to fake their kids having athletic preference, or have somebody else take their tests? Why didn’t they simply contribute a lot of money to the university? Maybe their kids were so far underqualified that they couldn’t get in no matter how much was donated. Or, possibly, it was less expensive for them to pay these kinds of bribes. But there are so many advantages anyway, and giving money usually meets such a receptive audience, that it is a little puzzling why they would have to engage in this kind of criminal activity. Colleges obviously still rely a lot on legacy admissions. Are they relying on it less than a decade or two ago, and might this lessening be causing legacy admissions or the rich and famous to be more desperate to get their kids in by any means necessary? Actually, regarding legacy admissions, what’s happened in the last couple decades is two contrasting things. The first is that, yes, the percentage of legacies admitted has declined. It’s less of a guarantee of admission than it used to be. On the other hand, the over-all acceptance rate at these élite schools has declined even more. So legacy, proportionally, is a bigger advantage than it once was. If you take a typical Ivy League school, maybe twenty or thirty years ago, they might admit two-thirds of legacy applicants. Now they might admit one-third of legacy applicants. But, at the same time, their over-all acceptance rate has probably gone down from between twenty and twenty-five per cent to between five and ten per cent. So, proportionally, being a legacy is even more of an advantage. But, in any particular case, a legacy is less likely to get in than they used to. Now, the pressures over all are generally working a little bit the other way. They are working for the benefit of donors rather than to their detriment. What’s happened is that other sources of income for universities have stayed level or declined. The percentage of small, grassroots donors—alumni who give a little bit—has declined, and universities are more dependent on big donations, the kind that often carry a kind of admissions tit for tat. Similarly, there hasn’t been big growth in terms of federal funding for research and other sources of income for universities. So universities are actually more dependent on big gifts than ever before, or at least in recent memory, and, as a result, donors are even more in the driver’s seat. Did you have any other takeaways from the story today? The other thing that is interesting is that, in my book, I wrote about preferences not just for the rich but for celebrities—how Brown University had gained buzz by admitting the kids of celebrities. It’s sort of a separate preference. It’s an additional benefit. They might not be hugely rich, but they have a kind of cachet. There might be someone at Goldman Sachs who is worth ten times as much as a television personality. But there is a cachet to having the kid of a television personality. I thought it was interesting, in that regard, that this case involved both the traditionally rich—chief executives and securities investors—and television actresses. My book focussed on those groups as somewhat separate, overlapping but distinct. Is there anything you think your book got wrong or understated? I think the general themes were right on point, and I don’t think it’s because I was so brilliant. I think it’s because this was a system that was hidden in plain view and was in front of your nose if only you looked, and also because it was so offensive to most people’s idea of what America is about. The fundamental ethos of America is equal opportunity and upward mobility and everybody gets a chance. The people who perform the best are supposed to rise to the top, and college education is supposed to be the driving force in upward mobility. So the idea that the wealthy can perpetuate their own privileged status through college admissions, that it’s not an equal gateway for everybody but a way to perpetuate American aristocracy, is a real affront to people. And that’s the resonance a case like this has. The Times’ Ross Douthat had a long Twitter thread about this, in which he wrote, in part, “This is not proof that meritocracy is somehow ‘broken.’ Quite the reverse: It shows that the desire to claim some measured ‘merit’ to legitimize success extends to parents who by merely financial measures don’t need the Ivy stamp to ensure their kids’ success. Like ‘James Gatz’ becoming ‘Jay Gatsby’ in the Main Line/social-register dispensation, a CEO or TV star buying an Ivy admission and even a fake test score for their lackluster scion is the homage that mere money plays to the gods of the resume and the SAT.” What do you think of that? I think it’s nicely written. And I also think that he is correct in saying that the perceived value of an Ivy League degree goes beyond money. It does have to do with social status and bragging rights and an aristocratic identification. So I think that’s true. Also, there are a lot of debates about how much an Ivy League degree affects financial gain in future years, and I don’t pretend to know or even understand the math on which those debates are based. All I can say is that some people are extremely desirous of an Ivy League degree. It’s easy for people on the outside to say, “What does it matter if your kid went to the Ivy League or School X?,” but it does seem to matter an awful lot to an awful lot of people. If you look at the hallways of power in our society—the U.S. Senate, the Supreme Court, places like that—you will find a lot of people with undergraduate or graduate degrees from élite schools. I also think that, often in our society, the great entrepreneurs, the great originators of success, are not necessarily Ivy League graduates. They may be dropouts like Bill Gates or people who didn’t go to college at all, or went to a school that doesn’t have as high a reputation. But then they often want to cement that status by making their family a permanent part of whatever passes for aristocracy in America, and they often see the Ivy League degree that they didn’t get themselves as the imprimatur for their children or grandchildren. You will often see at these Ivy League the second or third generations of a great business family rather than the first generation. | Isaac Chotiner | https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/an-investigative-journalist-on-how-parents-buy-college-admissions | 2019-03-13 00:29:16+00:00 | 1,552,451,356 | 1,567,546,496 | education | parent organisation |
381,846 | newyorkpost--2019-12-07--Brooklyn parents upset by second-graders’ naked locker room encounters | 2019-12-07T00:00:00 | newyorkpost | Brooklyn parents upset by second-graders’ naked locker room encounters | The principal of Brooklyn’s PS 169 is in hot water over a swimming program for second-graders that exposes to them more than just the backstroke. Parents at the Sunset Park School are aghast the tots are taking lessons at a Manhattan fitness center where the children gather in a locker room with the club’s sometimes-naked members, school insiders told The Post. “Kids were seeing naked adults in the locker room. They don’t close the access to the public. Any member could come in. Adults could come in, change in the locker room while these kids are in the locker room at the same time,” one source said. “Teachers are in the locker room as well. They see the kids naked. The kids see each other naked.” But principal EuJin Tang — who once made headlines for canceling Christmas at the school — told parents they could not opt out, the insider said. Furious parents even called 311 to complain, the insider said. Tang touted the weekly lessons at Asphalt Green in Battery Park City in a June letter to parents saying that in September students would be provided with “more real-world experiences. For example, every second grader will learn how to swim.” The school has about 1,400 students in grades K-5 and serves mostly immigrant and low-income families. The student population is about 62% Asian and 33% Hispanic and half the kids are English language learners. There are about 300 students in second grade. Tang held a midday meeting with parents in October and, in a seeming about-face, said the swimming lessons weren’t mandatory. But no notice went out to parents who couldn’t make the meeting, the insider said. “She wants this program so bad. She doesn’t want them to opt out,” one parent said. Asphalt Green offers the “Waterproofing” program to children in public and private schools. “Over the past 25 years, Asphalt Green’s Waterproofing program has provided free and low-cost weekly swimming lessons to tens of thousands of public school students, in an environment that is safe, educational, and fun,” an organization spokesman said. The organization said it offered the use of private family changing rooms to allay any concerns. But the PS 169 insider said kids must still wait their turn in the communal locker room where they can see the nude adults. Tang did not respond to requests for comment. A DOE spokeswoman said only two families opted out and that “Swim lessons save lives, and this program helps ensure children, regardless of background, have access to them.” Tang ruffled feathers shortly after arriving at the school in 2014 when she decided to scrap Santa Claus, celebrate the “fall harvest” rather than Thanksgiving and eliminate a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance over the school’s public address system. The principal, then known as EuJin Jaela Kim, was forced to change her tune after a Post expose. But she stirred up controversy again in 2016 when she threw away 1,200 almost-new desks and replaced them with tables. | Melissa Klein | https://nypost.com/2019/12/07/brooklyn-parents-upset-by-second-graders-naked-locker-room-encounters/ | Sat, 07 Dec 2019 18:36:48 -0500 | 1,575,761,808 | 1,575,764,053 | education | parent organisation |
385,168 | npr--2019-04-22--Most Teachers Dont Teach Climate Change 4 In 5 Parents Wish They Did | 2019-04-22T00:00:00 | npr | Most Teachers Don't Teach Climate Change; 4 In 5 Parents Wish They Did | More than 80% of parents in the U.S. support the teaching of climate change. And that support crosses political divides, according to the results of an exclusive new NPR/Ipsos poll: Whether they have children or not, two-thirds of Republicans and 9 in 10 Democrats agree that the subject needs to be taught in school. A separate poll of teachers found that they are even more supportive, in theory — 86% agree that climate change should be taught. These polls are among the first to gauge public and teacher opinion on how climate change should be taught to the generation that in the coming years will face its intensifying consequences: children. [**Don't see the graphic above? Click here**](https://apps.npr.org/dailygraphics/graphics/ipsos-climate- teach-20190418/child.html?mode=childlink&utm_source=nprnews&utm_medium=app&utm_campaign=storyredirect) And yet, as millions of students around the globe participate in Earth Day events on Monday, our poll also found a disconnect. Although most states have classroom standards that at least mention human-caused climate change, most teachers aren't actually talking about climate change in their classrooms. And fewer than half of parents have discussed the issue with their children. [**Don't see the graphic above? Click here**](https://apps.npr.org/dailygraphics/graphics/ipsos-climate- responsibility-20190419/child.html?mode=childlink&utm_source=nprnews&utm_medium=app&utm_campaign=storyredirect) When it comes to one of the biggest global problems, the default message from older generations to younger ones is silence. **Parents and the general public** Laine Fabijanic, a mother of three living in Glenwood Springs, Colo., says her part of the country is feeling the effects of climate change, from an unusually snowless winter last year to scary fires. She and her family recycle and eat organic; they are even installing solar panels on the house. Still, she says she hasn't talked about the big picture of climate change with her young daughters. "I don't think we've talked much about it at all," she said in an interview. "Probably because it hasn't come up from them." About 3 in 4 respondents in our nationally representative survey of 1,007 Americans agreed that the climate is changing. That figure is in line with previous results from Ipsos and other polls. [**Don't see the graphic above? Click here**](https://apps.npr.org/dailygraphics/graphics/ipsos-climate- real-20190418/child.html?mode=childlink&utm_source=nprnews&utm_medium=app&utm_campaign=storyredirect) Parents are even more likely than the general public to support teaching students thoroughly about climate change, including its effects on our environment, economy and society. Among parents with children under 18, 84% agree that it should be taught in schools. A plurality of all parents support starting those lessons as early as elementary school. And though it may be a controversial subject, 65% of those who thought climate change should be taught didn't think parental permission was necessary. Among Republicans, the corresponding figure was 57%. However, parents like Fabijanic aren't necessarily holding these conversations themselves. Just 45% of parents said they had ever discussed the topic with their own children. **Teachers support teaching climate change more in theory than in practice** If they don't hear about it at home, will kids learn about climate change in school? To answer this question, NPR/Ipsos also completed a nationally representative survey of around 500 teachers. These educators were even more likely than the general public to believe in climate change and to support teaching climate change. In fact, 86% of teachers believe climate change should be taught in schools. In theory. But in practice, it's more complicated. More than half — 55% — of teachers we surveyed said they do not cover climate change in their own classrooms or even talk to their students about it. The most common reason given? Nearly two-thirds (65%) said it's outside their subject area. [**Don't see the graphic above? Click here**](https://apps.npr.org/dailygraphics/graphics/ipsos-climate- why-20190419/child.html?mode=childlink&utm_source=nprnews&utm_medium=app&utm_campaign=storyredirect) Let's not forget that teachers are busy, and often underresourced and overworked. When asked to rank the importance of climate change, it fell to near the bottom of a list of priorities for expanding the curriculum, behind science and math, basic literacy and financial education. **Parents seen as obstacles to teaching climate** But there are other factors at work, too, in the decision of whether to cover climate change. For example, almost a third of all teachers say that when it comes to teaching climate change, they worry about parent complaints. [**Don't see the graphic above? Click here**](https://apps.npr.org/dailygraphics/graphics/ipsos-climate- prepared-20190419/child.html?mode=childlink&utm_source=nprnews&utm_medium=app&utm_campaign=storyredirect) In our poll, teachers who do not teach the subject were allowed to choose more than one reason. They named many obstacles. * 17% say they don't have the materials. * 17% also say they don't know enough about the subject to teach it. * 4% say their school does not allow the subject to be taught. Moreover, there also seems to be a divide in terms of resources, attitudes and support between teachers who cover climate change in their classrooms and those who don't. Mallory Newall of Ipsos said for some teachers, maintaining that it's not their job to teach climate change "may just be a way to rationalize why they're not talking about it." That's because teachers who do talk about climate change are also more likely to say: * There should be state laws that require teaching it (70% versus 38% of teachers who don't talk about climate change). * They have the resources they need to answer students' questions about climate change (77% versus 32%). * Their students have brought up climate change in the classroom this year (78% versus 14%). * Their school encourages them to discuss climate change (64% versus 18%). In our [NPR Ed newsletter](https://www.npr.org/newsletter/ed), we did a callout to teachers to find out more about how they teach climate change. Some teachers we heard from mentioned the divisiveness of the issue and the difficulty in dealing with students whose parents are deniers of climate change. "There's so much political jargon around climate change that I would either have to dismiss their concerns that they bring up or burn a lot of time talking about something that is outside my content area," said Jack Erickson, a science teacher at Cienega High School in Vail, Ariz., in response to our callout. **Some teachers get creative in teaching climate change** On the other hand, about 42% of teachers in our survey said they are indeed finding ways to address climate change in the classroom. In our callout, we heard from far more than just science teachers. Preschool, English, public speaking, Spanish, statistics, social studies teachers — even home economics teachers and librarians — all are finding ways to approach the topic. For example, Rebecca Meyer is an eighth-grade English language arts teacher at Bronx Park Middle School in New York City. Meyer's students researched water scarcity and then read a "cli-fi" (or climate-fiction) novel by Mindy McGinnis called _Not a Drop to Drink._ _"_ The main character, Lynn, lives in a version of the U.S. where physical water scarcity is the norm. As we read the novel, kids made connections between what is happening today and the novel," she told NPR. "They were very engaged; they loved it. They learned so much they didn't know." Debra Freeman teaches family and consumer science — what used to be called home economics — at McDougle Middle School in Chapel Hill, N.C. Her curriculum includes healthy food choices. "Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health is directly connecting the overconsumption of animal products to our global warming dilemma," she says. "We also touch on the role of food waste (a huge problem in the U.S.) and its effect on climate change. Students in middle school are at a pivotal age for developing a multifaceted lens for thinking, evaluating and problem-solving. I place great hope in them!" Erin Royer's mixed-age classroom at Steele Elementary School in Denver comprises fourth- and fifth-graders. Does she cover climate change in elementary school? "Hell yes!" she says. "If you teach from a problem-based learning style, students will repeatedly arrive at climate change as the cause and effect of many problems/issues in their world." Whether the topic is animals, energy, or hurricanes and wildfires, "When they read information, through their research, put out by reliable scientists, they arrive at climate change again and again." And Lily Sage teaches "really little people" at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education's nature-focused preschool in Philadelphia. "It's a little above their heads, but we talk about Earth changes and ways we can avoid the ones that are causing mass extinctions. Because dinosaurs are accessible to them, that is often the framing for that conversation." **State school policies mostly include climate change** Since 2013, 19 states and the District of Columbia have adopted the[ Next Generation Science Standards](https://www.nextgenscience.org/), created by a consortium of states and science authorities to strengthen the teaching of science. The standards instruct teachers to cover the facts of human-caused climate change beginning in middle school. According to an analysis done for NPR Ed by Glenn Branch, deputy director of the National Center for Science Education, 36 states in total currently recognize human-caused climate change somewhere in their state standards. But, he says, "the fact that human-caused climate change is included in a state's science standards doesn't mean that teachers in that state do teach it," and vice versa. Moreover, this year alone, there have been numerous bills and resolutions introduced in statehouses that would restrict the teaching of climate change. In Connecticut, a recent bill would have cut climate change materials from the state's standards. An Iowa bill would have directly repealed the state's use of Next Generation Science Standards. Others — including in Arizona, Maine, South Dakota and Virginia — would prohibit the teaching of any issue included in a state political party platform, on the grounds of anti-indoctrination. Florida's [bill prescribes ](https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=_s0330__.DOCX&DocumentType=Bill&BillNumber=0330&Session=2019)"balanced" teaching for "controversial" science subjects. While most of these bills were tabled or failed to pass (Florida's is still live), Branch sees them as part of a concerted and continuing effort to block the teaching of mainstream science. For example, some of these bills resemble model legislation created[ years ago](https://www.alec.org/model-policy /environmental-literacy-improvement-act/) by the American Legislative Exchange Council, a group that brings businesses together with lawmakers to write bills that are often industry-friendly. **Students are feeling the effects** As the political debate continues, more and more students don't have to wait to learn about climate impacts in the classroom. That's because they are experiencing them in their daily lives. High school junior Celeste Palmer holds a burned piece of paper that drifted into her neighborhood during the California Tubbs Fire in 2017. **Olivia Sun/NPR** ****hide caption**** ****toggle caption**** Olivia Sun/NPR High school junior Celeste Palmer holds a burned piece of paper that drifted into her neighborhood during the California Tubbs Fire in 2017. Olivia Sun/NPR NPR Ed found in an analysis that in [just one semester, the fall of 2017](https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/12/15/564058043/natural-disasters- and-the-implications-of-missing-so-much-school), for example, 9 million U.S. students across nine states and Puerto Rico missed some amount of school owing to natural disasters — which scientists say are becoming [more frequent and severe because of climate change](https://www.npr.org/2018/09/11/646313648 /climate-change-drives-bigger-wetter-storms-storms-like-florence). The Schools for Climate Action Summit in Washington, D.C., in March, was instigated by students in Northern California whose communities were ravaged by wildfires. They also brought together students affected by Hurricane Harvey in Houston and by agricultural droughts on tribal lands in New Mexico to lobby at the Capitol. Celeste Palmer, a high school junior, came to the summit with scraps of burned paper that had drifted into her Santa Rosa, Calif., neighborhood from the Tubbs Fire in 2017. She calls climate change "a generational justice issue for my generation in particular ... because it's affecting us now." | Anya Kamenetz | https://www.npr.org/2019/04/22/714262267/most-teachers-dont-teach-climate-change-4-in-5-parents-wish-they-did?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news | 2019-04-22 09:00:00+00:00 | 1,555,938,000 | 1,567,542,181 | education | parent organisation |
409,905 | pinknewsuk--2019-05-30--Malicious outsiders lying to Birmingham school protest parents | 2019-05-30T00:00:00 | pinknewsuk | ‘Malicious outsiders’ lying to Birmingham school protest parents | Signup to receive a daily roundup of the top LGBT+ news stories from around the world The Birmingham school protests against LGBT-inclusive relationship lessons have been worsened by outside forces lying to parents, according to a mediator. Human rights lawyer Nazir Afzal was brought in to broker peace between parents and school officials over lessons which taught young children about different types of families, including those with same-sex parents. Revealing that talks have broken down, Afzal alleged that “outside forces… people who are not parents of pupils at the school” are perpetuating lies to parents, who fear that their children are being taught explicit sex education. “I have looked at the curriculum and studied the books used. There is nothing remotely sexual in the content. Then I realised something more was at work,” he told BirminghamLive. “There’s talk of grooming, talk of wanting to ‘take our kids’. It is malicious.” Parents have been put “under pressure” to join in the Birmingham school protests, Afzal added, explaining that the “vast majority” support the school and want an end to the dispute. Demonstrations have been taking place outside of Birmingham schools since March, with one—Anderton Park Primary—forced to close early on Friday (May 24) due to safety concerns around a mass gathering. The event was organised by Shakeel Afsar, a man who does not have children at the school. On May 22, Afsar told This Morning hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby: “Parents feel that in primary school, we should be teaching our children about humanity, respect for humanity. “Parents at the school shouldn’t feel like the school is over-promoting one narrative and not the other and we should try to make it transparent.” Schools across Birmingham have insisted that the lessons simply place LGBT+ people on an equal footing, teaching children about same-sex parents as part of lessons on different families. “Equality is a real strength of ours, the children talk about it all the time,” Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson, headteacher of Anderton Park Primary School, told PinkNews on March 21. She added that the school’s policy is to underline the Equality Act 2010. “Part of the Equality Act is race and religion, so [we] can’t discriminate against different religions, so we will say to children: ‘Two ladies can get married, two men can get married, but your mums and dads may have a different view on that because of their religious beliefs… we respect people’s religious beliefs but you need to know that this is British law.’” | Reiss Smith | https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/05/30/birmingham-school-protests-lgbt-lessons-parents-lied/ | 2019-05-30 10:46:38+00:00 | 1,559,227,598 | 1,567,539,676 | education | parent organisation |
427,183 | prepareforchange--2019-07-24--California Parents Horrified The New Sex Ed | 2019-07-24T00:00:00 | prepareforchange | California Parents Horrified: The New Sex Ed | The debate over whether schools should teach sex education to minors has been going on for decades. But now, perhaps more than ever, many parents are horrified by what their children are being taught – especially when parents, despite their religious beliefs, have no say about the teaching materials. In a small California community, parents and clergy were so appalled at the explicit and LGBTQ-inspired lessons, they went undercover to investigate deeper. What they discovered at a Riverside County Comprehensive Health Education meeting so horrified them, they determined to stop the curriculum. Our Watch President Pastor Tim Thompson said, “We don’t want our children exposed to some of these things they are showing, th(is) pornographic, sexually explicit material. It has no place in the classroom. It’s not right, and it won’t be tolerated.” Thompson was referring to Positive Prevention Plus, the text for sex ed classes. John Andrews, parent of a student in the Murrieta School District, was sick over the explicit material depicted in the “educational” materials. He said: “They talk about mutual masturbation. They discuss gender roles, the gender spectrum, and in the support materials … they take it even further. They discuss everything, topics like roleplaying for different genders, blood play, dental dams … fisting is mentioned. I mean, they mention it all. “If I were to show that material to a child, I would be brought up on charges. But somehow our public schools are allowed to teach this to junior high and high school kids.” The graphics in the instructional guides use cartoon images so detailed that many parents found them inappropriate. Wanting to discover more about what children would be learning, Thompson’s group attended meetings held by the school boards. At one particular meeting in Riverside, a woman went “undercover” and recorded the event. Thompson said he was shocked to discover some of the biggest contributors to the new sex ed curriculum included Planned Parenthood and Cardea Services, which he said is a huge advocate for the LGBT community. Another shocker was that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was on hand to explain how to excuse children from class to get abortions without parents finding out. “We knew parents had to see for themselves or else they weren’t going to believe it,” Thompson said, referring to the video he posted. In the video, ACLU Attorney Ruth Dawson can be heard describing how to give students seeking an abortion an excused absence. She explained that the excused absence was necessary to ensure the school would still receive its financial support. However, the schools needed to ensure that the parents would not find out, so they needed to find a way to prevent their phone systems from making automated calls to parents informing them of students’ absenteeism. Later in the meeting, Dawson explained to the audience the spectrum of gender identity, which is a social construct, not a binary. “We don’t have male/female full-stop. There are people who identify as non-binary. There are people who identify as gender-queer. There are a bunch of genders. Not only are gender identity and gender expression non-binary, but, really, clinical biological sex is not binary either.” And if that isn’t confusing enough, she added, “Then we have ‘who are you physically attracted to’? Emotional attraction is also separate from physical attraction.” But wait, there’s more. Dawson described the complex world of identities in talking about LGBT, and she went on to list some of them: It is “a clear political agenda to destroy the traditional family in America,” said Parental Rights in Education Executive Director Suzanne Gallagher to the Daily Caller. Mary Rice Hasson, author of “Get Out Now: Why You Should Pull Your Child from Public School Before It’s Too Late,” attorney, and director of the Catholic Women’s Forum, said that Our Watch’s video was “deadly accurate.” “Who gave progressive LGBTQ activists, Planned Parenthood, or the ACLU the right to teach other people’s kids about queer identities and explicit sexuality?” Hasson asked. “Especially over the objection of the kids’ own parents?” Unfortunately, parents’ rights are being usurped by government and schools, and there doesn’t seem to be much hope reclaiming that power any time soon. In the quest for equality and inclusion, traditional Christian family values are being threatened. Disclaimer: We at Prepare for Change (PFC) bring you information that is not offered by the mainstream news, and therefore may seem controversial. The opinions, views, statements, and/or information we present are not necessarily promoted, endorsed, espoused, or agreed to by Prepare for Change, its leadership Council, members, those who work with PFC, or those who read its content. However, they are hopefully provocative. Please use discernment! Use logical thinking, your own intuition and your own connection with Source, Spirit and Natural Laws to help you determine what is true and what is not. By sharing information and seeding dialogue, it is our goal to raise consciousness and awareness of higher truths to free us from enslavement of the matrix in this material realm. | Edward Morgan | https://prepareforchange.net/2019/07/24/california-parents-horrified-the-new-sex-ed/ | 2019-07-24 18:11:08+00:00 | 1,564,006,268 | 1,567,535,939 | education | parent organisation |
427,630 | prepareforchange--2019-11-02--In Georgia, Parents Win Battle Over Transgender Bathrooms at School | 2019-11-02T00:00:00 | prepareforchange | In Georgia, Parents Win Battle Over Transgender Bathrooms at School | Jasper, Georgia, isn’t a big town. At last count, it had about 3,800 residents. So it was a big deal when 900 squeezed into the Pickens High School auditorium determined to stop Jasper from becoming the next stop in the march for transgender bathrooms. For the small community, the time for polite conversation was over. The residents packed into the special school board meeting were angry. They’d already made accommodations for the two students who identified as another gender, setting up single-person restrooms for anyone who wanted them. The trouble is, these kids weren’t satisfied with that compromise. In a fiery meeting that pit Superintendent Carlton Wilson against most of the town, moms and dads like Nathan Barfield were furious. Barfield says his two children are being made uncomfortable because a handful of students want access to any bathroom. “Most people won’t say anything because they fear retaliation,” Barfield fumed. “[But] accommodations have already been made for transgender students. This is nothing but a political stunt to gain attention.” A raucous applause broke out, punctuated by a series of “Amens!” “Once you give into this, you’ll open the floodgates,” warned one mom. In places like the U.K., where this sort of gender free-for-all is commonplace, parents are distraught about the rise in their kids’ anxiety. Some girls are staying home so they don’t have to use the bathrooms with boys. Others are risking bladder infections by not drinking. Here in the U.S., even liberal parents are calling it a “bathroom crisis.” The Atlantic, not to be confused with a conservative magazine, is the latest to sound the alarm, publishing a long feature from George Packer headlined “When the Culture War Comes for Your Kids.” Packer tells the story of sending his son to a public school in New York City to expose him to more diversity. There, a single girl in the second grade “had switched to using male pronouns, adopted the initial Q as a first name, and begun dressing in boys’ clothes.” Within two years, “almost every bathroom in the school, from kindergarten through fifth grade, had become gender-neutral. Where signs had once said boys and girls, they now said students,” he writes, adding: Kids would be conditioned to the new norm at such a young age that they would become the first cohort in history for whom gender had nothing to do with whether they sat or stood to pee. All that biology entailed—curiosity, fear, shame, aggression, pubescence, the thing between the legs—was erased or wished away. The school didn’t inform parents of this sudden end to an age-old custom, as if there were nothing to discuss. Parents only heard about it when children started arriving home desperate to get to the bathroom after holding it in all day. Girls told their parents mortifying stories of having a boy kick open their stall door. Boys described being afraid to use the urinals. Our son reported that his classmates, without any collective decision, had simply gone back to the old system, regardless of the new signage: Boys were using the former boys’ rooms, girls the former girls’ rooms. This return to the familiar was what politicians call a ‘commonsense solution.’ It was also kind of heartbreaking. As children, they didn’t think to challenge the new adult rules, the new adult ideas of justice. Instead, they found a way around this difficulty that the grown-ups had introduced into their lives. It was a quiet plea to be left alone. In Jasper, the parents were fortunate. They won. Wilson saw the outpouring of opposition and reconsidered. But despite all the Trump administration has done to put these decisions back in communities’ hands, there will always be a small army of activists who try to slip this indoctrination into your district. When that moment comes, make sure you’re prepared. Read through Family Research Council’s “A Parent’s Guide to the Transgender Movement in Education” and make sure to watch the powerful stories from people at the Values Voter Summit who’ve suffered at the hands of this agenda. Disclaimer: We at Prepare for Change (PFC) bring you information that is not offered by the mainstream news, and therefore may seem controversial. The opinions, views, statements, and/or information we present are not necessarily promoted, endorsed, espoused, or agreed to by Prepare for Change, its leadership Council, members, those who work with PFC, or those who read its content. However, they are hopefully provocative. Please use discernment! Use logical thinking, your own intuition and your own connection with Source, Spirit and Natural Laws to help you determine what is true and what is not. By sharing information and seeding dialogue, it is our goal to raise consciousness and awareness of higher truths to free us from enslavement of the matrix in this material realm. | Edward Morgan | https://prepareforchange.net/2019/11/02/in-georgia-parents-win-battle-over-transgender-bathrooms-at-school/ | Sat, 02 Nov 2019 21:38:19 +0000 | 1,572,745,099 | 1,572,881,064 | education | parent organisation |
432,911 | prisonplanet--2019-09-24--Parents shocked as UK schools teach 6-10yo kids to touch their private parts in beds showers | 2019-09-24T00:00:00 | prisonplanet | Parents shocked as UK schools teach 6-10yo kids to touch their ‘private parts’ in beds & showers | Parents in Britain are outraged after more than 240 primary schools introduced lessons on “self-stimulation” for children as young as six as part of their sex education program. A teaching manual, published by the Mail on Sunday, instructs how to teach children aged six to ten about “the rules of self-stimulation.” The lessons are part of the new All About Me program rolled out in more than 240 primary schools in central England’s Warwickshire County. The program, in turn, is designed to be taught in accordance with the compulsory Relationship and Sex Education (RSE), which will be implemented all across the UK next September. In the section called ‘Touching Myself’, the teachers are advised to tell the youngsters that “lots of people like to tickle or stroke themselves as it might feel nice,” including touching their “private parts.” The children are told that this is “really very normal,” despite the fact that “some people may get cross or say that it is dirty.” The children are then warned that it is “not polite” to touch themselves in class or other public places, and they should “only” do it when they “are alone, perhaps in the bath or shower or in bed.” Some parents were shocked by the program, saying that children of such young ages should not be exposed to mature topics like masturbation. “This sexualisation of our children is just totally inappropriate,” Matthew Seymour told the Mail on Sunday. “They are calling it self-touching and they won’t use the term masturbation, but when you read it that’s exactly what they’re talking about.” Parents who disagree with this type of sex education took their children from school when it was taught. A number of education experts and teachers criticized the program’s wording for being too vague and not suitable for primary schoolers. “We never use the word self-stimulation, not in primary school. For us it is not appropriate,” teacher Lynette Smith said. Even some politicians who support the idea of compulsory sex education are skeptical towards All About Me. Conservative MP David Davies was “furious” over the program. “These classes go way beyond the guidance the Government is producing and are effectively sexualising very young children,” he said. Warwickshire County Council, meanwhile, maintains that the lessons simply tell young students how to “distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate touching” and “recognise the difference between public and private behaviours.” The council’s website says the program helps to develop the skills required for managing “healthy relationships,” builds “self-esteem” and allows the children “to explore personal identity.” One of the program’s authors, education consultant Jonny Hunt, argued that “however uncomfortable adults may find it, children of all ages will self-stimulate from time to time.” This article was posted: Tuesday, September 24, 2019 at 5:12 am | admin | https://www.prisonplanet.com/parents-shocked-as-uk-schools-teach-6-10yo-kids-to-touch-their-private-parts-in-beds-showers.html | 2019-09-24 10:12:47+00:00 | 1,569,334,367 | 1,570,222,373 | education | parent organisation |
433,134 | prisonplanet--2019-10-08--Parents fume over teacher kneeling during Pledge of Allegiance: ‘Not paid to indoctrinate our studen | 2019-10-08T00:00:00 | prisonplanet | Parents fume over teacher kneeling during Pledge of Allegiance: ‘Not paid to indoctrinate our students’ | Parents fume over teacher kneeling during Pledge of Allegiance: ‘Not paid to indoctrinate our students’ A Vineland, New Jersey teacher is taking a knee during the morning Pledge of Allegiance at a school named after a local war hero, and district leaders are scrambling to figure out what to do about it. “Like any problematic issue, the district is exploring options to address this situation in fairness to all involved and with utmost concern for the students,” Joseph Rossi, executive director for Vineland Public Schools, told The Daily Journal. The best option, several at the board meeting argued, is to make it stop. School board members heard complaints from several folks at last week’s meeting about a teacher kneeling during the daily pledge, though Rossi contends the teacher “has not indicated anything ‘political’ about her views.” “Teachers are paid to educate our students, they’re not paid to indoctrinate our students,” Vineland resident Ron Maccri told the board. “What this woman is doing would be bad in any school, but because it’s in the (Sgt.) Dominick Pilla School – who gave his life for our military – it’s reprehensible.” The controversy comes just months after the school board renamed Lincoln Avenue Middle School to honor Pilla, an Army Ranger who died at the age of 19 during a mission in Somalia that inspired the movie “Black Hawk Down.” Pilla was among 18 Americans killed in the 1993 mission. He was selected by the school board from among 12 nominations for a new school name. The school also reworked its “pillars of character” – the school’s foundation of trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship – into “Pilla’s Pillars” to honor the fallen veteran and the military. “The military itself falls in line with building character and leadership, and we’re trying to drive that home,” Principal Tammy Monahan told The Press of Atlantic City at the school’s renaming ceremony in April. “I see the students making that connection, and they’re eager to learn.” Now they’re learning a different kind of lesson, and locals like U.S. Coast Guard veteran Randy London aren’t impressed. “That type of behavior offends me,” London complained about the kneeling teacher. “I’m not saying anyone needs to agree with everything, but if that is the district’s policy, there should be no teacher … taking a knee during the Pledge of Allegiance.” District policy 3233 states the Board of Education “recognizes and encourages the right of all citizens, including teaching staff members, to engage in political activity.” It continues: “The Board prohibits the use of school premises and school time, however, for partisan political purposes.” Lou Russo, president of the local teachers union, doesn’t seem to think the teacher’s defiance during the pledge is a problem, and he suggested students and others could learn a lot from the educator. “Students do not have to stand, you can’t force students to stand, we cannot make students leave the room if they refuse,” Russo said. “It would be weird to think that the students in this situation have different or more rights than the employee.” “My perspective is this is a wonderful learning experience for all of us, particularly for students; we have civil liberties, we have the Constitution and we have First Amendment rights,” he said. “I’m sure in some way, shape, or form, we can speak to her right to free exercise …” “I hope we use it as a good learning experience whether it’s a political perspective, a social perspective or religious perspective, they are all protected,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity for us all to have a lesson on civics.” School board vice president Tom Ulrich didn’t seem to think the teacher’s stunt is quite as “great” as Russo suggests. Ulrich noted that he was raised to salute the flag and support America, and said he thinks teachers should stick to the curriculum. Teachers “should not be imparting their own personal views – political, religious, anything, upon a student,” he said. “If they don’t want to salute the flag and stand up and not pledge the Pledge of Allegiance, that’s one thing. “But to think to impart their views on impressionable young children, is also, I’ll use your term, reprehensible,” Ulrich said. “It sets a bad tone.” This article was posted: Tuesday, October 8, 2019 at 4:34 am | admin | https://www.prisonplanet.com/parents-fume-over-teacher-kneeling-during-pledge-of-allegiance-not-paid-to-indoctrinate-our-students.html | Tue, 08 Oct 2019 09:34:06 +0000 | 1,570,541,646 | 1,570,536,123 | education | parent organisation |
456,306 | redstate--2019-05-08--California Parents Take a Page From the Union Handbook Organize Strike Against Sex-Ed Overreach | 2019-05-08T00:00:00 | redstate | California Parents Take a Page From the Union Handbook, Organize ‘Strike’ Against Sex-Ed Overreach | California teachers in the Sacramento City Unified School district are planning their second single-day strike of the year to demand – what else – an increase in education spending and salaries to stave off cuts. The Golden State is no stranger to teacher strikes. The Los Angeles Unified School District also began the 2018-2019 school year with a teacher strike. The complaints are always the same – not enough money, not enough benefits, not enough classrooms. Regardless, the strikes have always been successful. LAUSD teachers managed to extort yet another pay and benefits raise despite the district’s credible claims that they simply couldn’t afford any spending increases at all. Los Angeles is now set to vote on additional property taxes in order to cover the new agreement. Now California parents are taking their cues from the union’s strategy and organizing their own “strike” in protest of the explicit and controversial new sex ed curriculum currently being implemented across the state as a part of the deceptively titled California Healthy Youth Act. On May 17th, Informed Parents of California (IPOC) will lead a student sit-out aimed at the coffers of the state. A significant portion of state and federal education funds are dispersed on a “butts-in-seats”, meaning schools and districts only get paid for “excused absences” or for children physically being in school. California parents across the state are being encouraged to keep their children home for the day without calling in the absence. At issue is the graphic nature of the new curriculum framework and the political ramifications. An IPOC “bullet points” list of particularly concerning elements of framework includes the promotion of sexual pleasure, the promotion of masturbation, normalization of anal and oral sex, and the promotion of transgender/gender identity ideology beginning as early as kindergarten. IPOC founder and president Stephanie Yates says the curriculum goes too far in sexualizing children and cutting out parent involvement and notification. She contends that such discussions are inappropriate for a classroom setting in which parents are not present. Yates believes it is a purposeful division. The grassroots group has already organized two protests in front of the state capitol building in Sacramento. On March 28th close to 500 parents met on the steps to hear special guest speakers and concerned parents vocalize their objections to a curriculum that has been described as explicit, pornographic and deeply inappropriate for minors to be discussing with adults while parents are not present. The protesters then walked to the Department of Education to register public comments with the Instructional Quality Commission before they voted to advance the curriculum framework to the final stage of approval. The second protest took place once again at the capitol, this time in advance of the final vote to approve the curriculum framework. Parents again marched over to the Department of Education to register their comments prior to the vote, which will mark the last opportunity parents will have for input. The vote is expected to pass. Pastor and IPOC representative Gheorghe Rosca says the entire process has been corrupted from the beginning, frustrating parent efforts to slow down and evaluate the legislation. Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego) sponsored the original legislation (AB 329) and she also just happens to sit on the Instructional Quality Commission – the very committee that approves or rejects all curriculum framework. Rosca says not enough has been done to properly inform families about the questionable process of framework adoption or even what is in it. The public needs to know the level of corruption and collusion that is going on in our Capitol! The success of an organized parent/student “strike” is hard to predict. In a state in which the government has nearly total control over the dissemination of policy information it is difficult to gage how many parents are even aware of the new curriculum changes and how it will affect which grade levels and when. However, IPOC has has seen a shocking swell in membership on their Facebook page which leaped from under 13,000 followers to over 20,000 followers in weeks following the March protest. As districts slow to adopt the new standards are now being harassed by the ACLU and other activist groups, parents are beginning to become more and more aware of the crisis at their doorstep. Unfortunately when the law was passed almost three years ago few people were informed about what it really meant for public schooling and children. Now that parents are being forced to confront what the new standards include, there is a new sense of urgency to pump the brakes on any implementation and at least start the process over with more teacher and parental input and less meddling from partisan, activist groups. Parents and interested parties can find out more about the sex ed curriculum, action steps and the May 17 sit out by going to informedparents.org. “The California Healthy Youth Act is making a lot of parents–and students—sick”, says parent Ailen Blachowski. “Cough, cough! It’s likely to be contagious”. | Kira Davis | https://www.redstate.com/kiradavis/2019/05/08/california-parents-take-page-union-handbook-organize-strike-sex-ed-overreach/ | 2019-05-08 21:34:59+00:00 | 1,557,365,699 | 1,567,540,910 | education | parent organisation |
476,900 | rt--2019-10-29--‘They barely know their biology!’ Parents protest as Texas school approves polarizing sex-ed curricu | 2019-10-29T00:00:00 | rt | ‘They barely know their biology!’ Parents protest as Texas school approves polarizing sex-ed curriculum teaching ‘gender identity’ | A new sex-education curriculum will teach children in Austin, Texas about sexual orientation, as well as how to use prophylactics. Parents say the initiative encourages kids to engage in unhealthy and dangerous sexual activity. Austin Independent School District’s board unanimously approved the new course material on Tuesday. The curriculum, which spans grades three through eight, will touch upon gender identity – a first for the district. Seventh graders (12-year-olds) will also learn about how to correctly use a condom. Proponents of the new guidelines said that it’s important to foster “healthy communication” about sex and relationships, as well as to reaffirm the district’s support for the LGBTQ community. Plenty of parents were less than thrilled about the new changes, however. “[The curriculum] encourages minor children to engage in vaginal, oral, and anal sexual activity through the comprehensive sex ed they’re voting on,” Carol Ayala, the director of Concerned Parents of Texas, told local media. Others expressed fears that focusing on gender identity at such a young age would be detrimental to children who barely understand their own biology. Demonstrations both for and against the curriculum were held outside the board meeting. A group of parents opposed to the course material were countered by a trans woman who shouted “trans lives matter” as she was hauled off by police. The district says that parents will have the chance to opt out of the sex-ed curriculum lessons for their children. The new curriculum could be in place as early as May 2020. Like this story? Share it with a friend! | RT | https://www.rt.com/usa/472105-sex-ed-dallas-texas-children/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS | Tue, 29 Oct 2019 13:59:00 +0000 | 1,572,371,940 | 1,572,533,757 | education | parent organisation |
483,209 | skynewspolitics--2019-05-30--Parents against LGBT lessons in school being pushed into corner | 2019-05-30T00:00:00 | skynewspolitics | Parents against LGBT lessons in school 'being pushed into corner' | Parents against LGBT lessons in school 'being pushed into corner' Parents against LGBT lessons in school 'being pushed into corner' A man accused of inflaming tensions over relationships classes at a primary school in Birmingham has told Sky News his "people are being pushed into a corner". Shakeel Afsar is one of a number of people who do not want children to be taught about same-sex partnerships at Anderton Park Primary School. It is estimated the 300-strong protest at the school gates will grow to 500 when term recommences next week. Mr Afsar told his supporters on social media that he would challenge Sky News to walk the streets with him to test public views. I accepted his offer on condition I chose who we spoke to. He says he has been asked by members of the local Muslim community to represent them. He does not have a child at the school but his sister has two there. Former chief prosecutor Nazir Afzal, who has been brought in as a mediator, says misinformation is being spread by people with no children at the school, who he describes as "other agents". He also blames them for talks breaking down, and says there is "nothing in the curriculum that is LGBT-specific. There is nothing about gay sex". He added that staff at Anderton Park Primary School are at risk and breaking down in tears. But Mr Afsar said Mr Afzal had "lost touch with Asian communities". He added: "I have been accused of being an outside agent. Well then, unfortunately Mr Nazir Afzal has lost touch with Asian communities, because our nieces and nephews are regarded as good as our children." Asked whether he was inflaming tensions and thwarting mediation, he said it was "nonsense, absolute nonsense", adding: "I stood up because my people are being pushed into a corner." There is clearly a lot of community support for Mr Afsar's campaign - something we witnessed as people stopped their cars to greet him. One man said the subject of gay relationships should not be raised in the classroom until children reach puberty. But as we continued our walkabout in the Moseley area of Birmingham, we were approached by a gay mother who had seen an earlier report on Sky News. Katy Bennett told us she lives around the corner from the school, is "gay from a two-mum family", and has a five-year-old son. She said: "The thing I have trouble with is people saying it is not appropriate for four/five year olds to know gay people exist. "My son is fully aware that many different types of people exist. And the issue I have is that no human right, no protected characteristic, should be promoted over another." Mr Afsar replied: "I know my community. We do not discriminate against anyone. However you choose to bring up your children is your choice and the parents should be allowed that choice. "We respect you for who you are and we believe you should be given as much rights as everyone else." He invited Ms Bennett to join him at the school gates to understand his and his fellow protesters' positions. But she declined, saying she felt "a bit frightened going near the school to be honest". Earlier this month, schools minister Nick Gibb MP defended plans to teach compulsory relationships education to primary school pupils from next year, following protests by some parents worried about their children being told about same-sex relationships. Writing on the Sky News website, he said: "We want all children to leave school prepared to take their place in a welcoming, successful and diverse country, to understand the world they are growing up in, to be able to form healthy relationships and to respect difference. "We have consulted widely on this new policy, refusing to shy away from strong opinions on all sides - engaging in constructive dialogue to find a way forward. "We support headteachers to make the right decisions for their pupils. "That is why we have given headteachers discretion over their curriculum, including how and when to teach what's expected about LGBT relationships." He added: "Teachers and headteachers should not be intimidated or threatened for doing their jobs. "There is no reason why teaching children about the society that we live in and the different types of loving, healthy relationships that exist cannot be done in a way that respects everyone's views." | null | http://news.sky.com/story/parents-against-lgbt-lessons-in-school-being-pushed-into-corner-11731820 | 2019-05-30 16:56:00+00:00 | 1,559,249,760 | 1,567,539,693 | education | parent organisation |
489,637 | slate--2019-07-31--That Parents Are Giving Up Custody of Their Kids to Get Financial Aid Means the System Not Just the | 2019-07-31T00:00:00 | slate | That Parents Are Giving Up Custody of Their Kids to Get Financial Aid Means the System, Not Just the Parents, Is Broken | According to a report published by ProPublica this week, parents in Illinois have been giving up legal custody of their children as they near college age in order to make the kids look less wealthy and maximize the amount of need-based financial aid they receive for school. The news organization found more than 40 such cases around Chicago filed during the past 18 months. The parents involved tend to be well-paid professionals. They include “lawyers, a doctor and an assistant schools superintendent, as well as insurance and real estate agents,” the sorts of people you’re likely to hear complain that they earn too much for their kids to qualify for financial aid but not enough to pay for college out of pocket without pain. Their kids attended big public universities as well as smaller private schools. One obvious way to read this story is that affluent and entitled households are using their resources to game a system meant to help lower income kids. That seems to be the angle ProPublica is going with. “It’s a scam,” said Andy Borst, director of undergraduate admissions at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (his school found 14 applicants who tried this hustle). “Wealthy families are manipulating the financial aid process to be eligible for financial aid they would not be otherwise eligible for. They are taking away opportunities from families that really need it.” Borst isn’t wrong. In our current world of scarce higher educational resources, posing as a poor kid in order to skim aid dollars from a limited pot is, objectively, a pretty crappy thing to do. But it’s also a sign of a deeper crisis of legitimacy in higher ed. We’ve reached a point where even fairly comfortable families feel like they’re being asked to pay more for college tuition than they can afford, regardless of what a university’s financial aid formula says. (Just Google the phrase “too rich for financial aid, too poor for college” and see what pops up.) Some of this is just the unfortunate product of the insane status anxiety that surrounds college in the United States, which leads many parents to believe that they need to send their child to the “best” and most expensive school, even if there are perfectly good and more affordable alternatives. It’s also a bit ironic, since, over the decades, colleges have shifted a greater share of their financial aid to upper-income students by awarding more of it based on “merit” rather than “need.” As a result, according to the College Board, the average student from a family earning six figures today actually receives enough grant money to exceed their officially calculated financial need. But again, the concept of “need” is highly subjective, and regardless of why or whether it’s justified, a lot of ostensibly well-off Americans come out feeling like victims in our current system of college finance. And when people feel victimized by the rules, they inevitably try to get around them. It probably doesn’t help matters that the actual process of applying for financial aid can seem like an absurd challenge that’s meant to be gamed. After all, once you’re reading tips on CNBC about how to properly shelter your family’s assets in order to keep them from counting against your kid’s aid award, it might not feel like that huge a jump to just file some paperwork at court so your kid can declare herself “financially independent.” This is where part of the logic of scrapping our current approach to student aid and making college tuition free comes into play. Critics of that idea often complain that free college would waste money on rich kids who don’t need it. But as I’ve argued before, in many ways that’s a feature rather than a bug. By promising everybody a college education at the low, low price of $0, you create a reasonably straightforward, transparent system where nobody feels like they need to cheat to get ahead. It’s a way of making government seem like, and be, something that works for all, not just those deemed worthy of help, or who are willing to cheat for it. Preserving our current system of doling out financial aid based on complicated formulas to determine need or vague definitions of merit might make more sense if it were doing a fantastic job helping the students that it’s supposed to. But it’s not. Every year, for instance, millions of students fail to fill out the paperwork necessary to apply for help, many of whom would be eligible for assistance if they only sent in the forms. Meanwhile, plenty of poor and lower-middle-class students are ending up stuck under loads of crushing student debt. Even if you don’t care about the concerns of the upper middle class, there are plenty of reasons to move to a more straightforward system of cheap or tuition-free college for all. The fact that parents have resorted to schemes where they sign away legal guardianship of their kids in order to save money on college is a sign, however, that something is deeply wrong, and not just with those parents. We have an insane system of financial aid that’s inspiring insane behavior. By comparison, making college free looks imminently logical. | Jordan Weissmann | https://slate.com/business/2019/07/parents-custody-financial-aid-free-college.html?via=rss | 2019-07-31 17:55:46+00:00 | 1,564,610,146 | 1,567,535,181 | education | parent organisation |
491,069 | slate--2019-10-04--The Long History of Parents Complaining About Their Kids Homework | 2019-10-04T00:00:00 | slate | The Long History of Parents Complaining About Their Kids’ Homework | If you find yourself stressed, annoyed, and furious about your child’s homework this fall, it might help to know that you are participating in a great American tradition. In January 1900, Edward Bok wrote a scathing editorial in Ladies’ Home Journal about homework in America, with the headline “A National Crime at the Feet of American Parents.” “The child is made to study far, far beyond his physical strength, and consequently his mental good,” Bok pronounced. The elementary and junior high school student, Bok wrote, shouldn’t even need to tote books home from school, because he should be outside with his friends between dismissal and dinner—and after that, he should be asleep. “To rob a child of the playtime which belongs to him is a rank injustice,” Bok argued. “No child under fifteen years of age should be given any home study whatever by his teachers.” In October of 1900, Bok followed up on his polemic, writing that since it had published, the magazine had received “hundreds of letters from teachers and parents” that “conclusively showed that the facts were even much worse than had been stated,” along with letters from “physicians, almost without number” who “urged the elimination of this evil and injury from the lives of our children.” Bok suggested that parents could act. They should send notes to teachers “stating that under no circumstances whatever will the father and mother permit any home study by the child.” And according to the editor, thousands did just that. We often think of the American past as a time when students labored for hours in candlelit rooms to meet rigorous educational standards. But as the education researcher Brian Gill and the historian Steven Schlossman have reported in a series of articles, ever since the early 20th century, when American law began to require that all children go to school, many American parents have found homework infuriating. They’ve even complained about helping their kids with math, just like you. The 19 century consensus was that if a student couldn’t handle the homework, he was free to drop out. In the 19th century, school instruction revolved around memorization and recitation. Students rehearsed at home and performed at school, “saying their lessons” for the teacher; instructors might shame or physically punish children for a lack of preparedness. But only a small percentage of students got past the fourth grade, and homework contributed to the high dropout rate. Families often couldn’t afford to lose their children’s help in the afternoon and evening hours; having a child go to high school might mean having to hire an extra farmhand or clerk, and for many, this was prohibitive. As far as historians can tell, the small group of well-to-do parents who could keep their children in school through junior high and high school in the 19th century expected their kids to spend the evening studying and didn’t find the prospect too upsetting. There were some exceptions, to be sure. Gen. Francis A. Walker, a Civil War veteran and economist who was the president of the school board in Boston in the 1880s, described his own experience helping his kids with their math homework: “Over and over again, I have had to send my own children, in spite of their tears and remonstrances, to bed, long after the assigned tasks had ceased to have any educational value and had become the means of nervous exhaustion and agitation.” Walker got the school board to restrict the city’s schoolteachers from assigning math homework except in “exceptional cases.” But mostly, the 19th century consensus was that if a student couldn’t handle the homework, he was free to drop out. After laws passed in the late 19th and early 20th century mandated compulsory school attendance for children and teenagers, anti-homework sentiment grew. More and more parents were experiencing what it was like to have a school make demands on their children’s time, and everyone was trying to figure out what family life would look like in this new world. Parents’ resistance to homework, as articulated in articles like Bok’s, aligned with a lot of other things people believed about childhood starting in the early 20th century: that children should be outdoors; that they shouldn’t participate in rigorous intellectual activity when they were young; and that their developing bodies were at risk of permanent damage if they were stressed by “overwork.” Anti-homework activists often cited the contemporaneous campaign to restrict child labor, wondering why it made sense for schoolchildren to work more hours in a week than they might have if they had been paid for their labor. By 1901, the year after Bok’s articles ran in the Journal, “two-thirds of American urban school districts had restricted homework,” Peter Stearns writes in his history of parental anxiety. In testimony he gave before Congress in 1900, William Torrey Harris, the U.S. commissioner of education, said that homework was “a prolific source of abuse” that “ought to be rigidly limited so that the child does not study more than two hours per day out of school after he is 12 years old, and not any out of school before that time.” These anti-homework efforts were most effective in California, where the state legislature mandated in 1901 that no child under 15 should have any homework at all. In 1937, Parents’ Magazine asked readers to write in with their homework-related opinions—an article that, because of the probable overlap between middle-class readers of Ladies’ Home Journal and Parents’, serves as a good way to check in on the evolution of parents’ attitudes toward home study since the turn of the century. “A majority of the writers of letters received disapproved of home study for school children,” the magazine reported. Isabel Howell Kerr, of Maryland, had moved with her family from a low-homework school to one with a bigger homework burden and reported that in their new school, the children were miserable, “went to bed with it on their minds at night,” and “did not make as good progress as before.” Ominously, Kerr wrote, her children’s new friends, who had been going to the school for longer, “seemed to have very few resources within themselves and used the movies as their regular form of recreation.” How could we expect to keep up with the Russians if our young men spent the hours between school and bed drinking sodas with girls? Consensus on homework’s worth shifted during the Cold War, when many Americans, looking at the educational practices of other countries, began to opine that American children were snowflakes who needed a good dose of 19th-century-style drill. Life magazine ran a comparative article about the lives of an American and a Russian teenager in 1958, and the difference between the two students’ activities during after-school hours was particularly stark. Photographers caught the Russian boy doing science experiments in a quiet parlor, while the American, out with his friends, danced, socialized, and smiled. Unacceptable, many who wrote in response to this piece thought; how could we expect to keep up with the Russians if our young men spent the hours between school and bed drinking sodas with girls? More than one author writing about the history of homework notes that since the ’40s, we’ve swung back and forth on the topic in 15-year cycles: 15 years of homework rejection, 15 years of homework celebration. The late ’60s and early ’70s, a time of youth liberation, brought another anti-homework backlash. Cathy Vatterott, a professor of education and present-day homework reformer, cites a 1968 statement on homework limitation by the American Educational Research Association: “Whenever homework crowds out social experience, outdoor recreation, and creative activities, and whenever it usurps time that should be devoted to sleep, it is not meeting the basic needs of children and adolescents.” Just in time, the 1980s ushered in a new commitment to homework. The government’s report “A Nation at Risk,” published in 1983, contained the line “History is not kind to idlers.” Not surprisingly, the report held that high schoolers should have far more homework than they did, to prepare them to compete with the Japanese, South Koreans, and Germans. But by the late 1990s the pendulum swung again, and we were back to the idea of homework abolition, with cover stories in Newsweek and Time lamenting homework’s effects on what early-20th-century writers would have called “home life.” If the 15-year theory of American homework sentiment holds, we’re in a pro-homework period right now, when homework is assigned to younger and younger kids; some parents of kindergarteners are now reporting sitting with tired 5-year-olds at the end of the day to get a packet of worksheets done. As present-day researchers on the topic have found, the answer to the question “Does homework help children learn?” is “It depends”—on the amount assigned, the age of the students, and the content of the homework. The “it depends” position has some precedent in the past. Gill and Schlossman identified a group of progressive educators who, from the 1920s through the 1950s, advocated homework reform rather than abolition. The idea was to connect home with school by crafting assignments that applied things learned in class to the rest of the world. The superintendent of New York City’s schools, William J. O’Shea, wrote in 1929 that homework could consist of reading, drawing, or visiting museums; others thought field trips to “woods, factories, museums, libraries, art galleries” could be “assigned” as homework. Other teachers thought students might write thank-you notes for their English homework or look at the family budget for their math homework. (Would I rather help my child with a multiplication worksheet or expose her to the horror that is our family budget? Tough call.) Why can’t we seem to find a happy middle ground on homework? Brian Gill and Steven Schlossman observe that “homework has been one of the most emotionally charged topics in American education. … One side has idealized homework: The more the better. The other side has demonized homework.” The history of homework protest shows how the debate over homework has always been about a much bigger question: What is childhood for? There’s little wonder we can’t agree. | Rebecca Onion | https://slate.com/human-interest/2019/10/parents-complaining-about-homework-history.html?via=rss | 2019-10-04 14:42:57+00:00 | 1,570,214,577 | 1,570,633,616 | education | parent organisation |
507,788 | sottnet--2019-11-06--Parents sue school board for teaching their daughter 'girls are not real' | 2019-11-06T00:00:00 | sottnet | Parents sue school board for teaching their daughter 'girls are not real' | Discrimination 'on the basis of sex and gender' then surely they can accommodate the inclusion of children who experience no discord between their biology and their sense of self There is very little empirical evidence to see how these types of educational lessons affect children A Canadian couple have filed a human rights complaint against an Ontario school board for telling their six-year-old daughter during a lesson on gender identity that "there's no such thing as boys and girls."Pamela and Jason Buffone have filed the complaint on behalf of their daughter against the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, the child's former teacher and the principal of her schoolin contravention of the Human Rights Code. An amended application filed last week by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which is representing the young girl and her parents, also notes that the child's rights to security of the person and equality under sections 7 and 15(1) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms have also been infringed, said Lisa Bildy, a staff lawyer with the centre.Pamela Buffone told Radio Canada International she knew something was wrong when her six-year-old daughter (who's being referred to as "NB" to protect her identity) demanded to know why her teacher was telling the class that "girls are not real and boys are not real.", Buffone said."She was very passionate about all kinds of social justice topics, most of which our daughter really enjoyed learning about," Buffone said.One day, Blouin showed the class a YouTube video entitled, "He, She, and They?!? - Gender: Queer Kid Stuff #2".The video, produced by Queer Kid Stuff, an LGBTQ+ and social justice webseries for children, discussed the concept of gender identity, and asserted that "some people aren't boys or girls" and that those who do not feel like a "she" or a "he" might not have a gender.During another lesson, Blouin drew a gender spectrum on the board and asked each student to identify where they fit on the spectrum.the human rights complaint alleges.This was extremely upsetting and unsettling for their daughter, Buffone said."At the age of six she was just figuring out that animals are divided into boys and girls; when she met a new dog on the street, for example, she would ask 'is it a boy or a girl?'," Buffone said. "So she was very confused by what her teacher was saying and was struggling to understand what it meant for her as a girl."Buffone said she asked for a meeting with Blouin to understand what she was teaching and why, and to raise her concern with her about the appropriateness of the lessons given her daughter's questions and reaction.The teacher suggested they take it up with the school principal, which they did, Buffone said.Buffone said. "When we tried to raise our concerns that the lessons weren't factual or age-appropriate, they just pointed to their policies, the specialist they have on staff, the training that they had had.", Buffone said."I was astonished that this was such a one-way conversation and they did everything they could to dismiss our concerns and get us to fall in line with this kind of instruction," Buffone said. "It's extremely concerning to me that people in positions of authority who are supposed to be looking out for the welfare of all children have zero interest in understanding the impact of their lessons on very young children."Ultimately the family decided to move their daughter to another school, but even after moving to the new school the young girl was upset and unsettled by her experience, Buffone said."I was surprised at how much it affected her because she kept raising it to us in different ways even after she started at a new school," Buffone said. "She was very confused about why her teacher would be saying things like that, but she seems to be doing much better now that she's out of that environment."In March of 2019, the family filed a formal application to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO).Last week, Bildy filed an amended application claiming that Blouin discriminated against the little girl "on the basis of sex and gender identity by using the authoritative platform of a teacher to publicly deny the existence of the female gender and biological sex, and to undermine the value of being biologically female and identifying as a female."Buffone said. "We want the school to understand how this was discriminatory, and to take steps to refrain from treating other gender-conforming children this way in the future. I also want them to stop teaching the idea that boys and girls don't exist."If the school board can accommodate the inclusion of trans and other gender identities into the classroom setting,, Bildy said.Among other things, the family is asking the tribunal to force the school board to stop "teaching gender theory in any manner which suggests that sex categories of male and female do not exist, or are fluid, or exist on a spectrum," she added."To teach otherwise cannot be anything but discrimination on the basis of sex, which is a protected ground," said Bildy.Kenneth Zucker, a professor of developmental psychology who specializes in gender dysphoria, said the school board's foray into gender education amounts to "a pedagogical social experiment" where teachers and other educators are providing information to children of various ages about very complex topics."What it brings to mind for me are a few issues," Zucker told Radio Canada International. "Number one, what is the actual qualification of teacher like 'JB' to be exposing children to this type of information?"Zucker, who has more than forty years of experience as a clinical psychologist and university professor, said the teacher is alleged to have made some bizarre statements to children.Zucker said.Another question that's being raised by this case is how one vets these kinds of lessons in schools, Zucker said."One parameter that I think is very important to keep in mind is that children are not all the same," Zucker said. "And some children might feel much more vulnerable and confused by what they are hearing."While one of the underlying goals of gender education is to make children who are gender non-conforming or who have clinically significant gender dysphoria be acknowledged and supported by teachers, it's not clear that the current system is the way to go, Zucker said."As a scientist, one of the things I would want to know is how the school boards evaluate the effectiveness of what they are teaching kids," Zucker said., Zucker said.The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) said in a written statement that they will be responding through the tribunal's process, but in light of the current legal proceedings, they are not able to comment on the particulars of this case."The OCDSB is committed to providing inclusive, safe and caring programs for all students," the statement said. "Our equity and inclusive education policy is grounded in honouring the human rights and dignity of all persons and commits to reducing barriers that impact equity of access and opportunity for all students."In addition, the OCDSB has a guide to support administrators and educators on gender identity and gender expression, the statement added.No date has been set yet for a hearing. | null | https://www.sott.net/article/423389-Parents-sue-school-board-for-teaching-their-daughter-girls-are-not-real | Wed, 06 Nov 2019 21:20:04 +0000 | 1,573,093,204 | 1,573,083,211 | education | parent organisation |
530,935 | sputnik--2019-04-10--WATCH the Disturbing US School Bathroom Fight Shocking Parents Teachers | 2019-04-10T00:00:00 | sputnik | WATCH the ‘Disturbing’ US School Bathroom Fight Shocking Parents, Teachers | On Tuesday, WNDU shared footage of the incident, which occurred at Discovery Middle School in Granger, Indiana. In the 10-second clip, one 14-year-old boy can be seen grabbing another 14-year-old boy's shirt and repeatedly punching him. Neither of the involved students' identities have been revealed. According to reports, St. Joseph County police were called to the school Monday afternoon, after a teacher entered the restroom, concerned about the loud sounds emanating from it. School principal Sheryll Harper sent a letter to parents Tuesday confirming that the school is aware of the "cell phone video of this altercation" and that she wants to "clear up some rumors and misunderstandings." "This incident happened during a passing period. This incident involved three general education students, despite what has been discussed and questioned on social media," Harper wrote. Following the circulation of the video on social media, rumors surfaced that the victim of the attack is on the autism spectrum. However, that appears to have been a rumor, according to Harper. "Teachers on hall duty heard the disruption in the bathroom, and while it is not seen on the video, the teachers did intervene quickly. All the boys involved were stopped as they exited the bathroom, and our investigation into the incident began immediately, including contacting the parents of those involved," Harper explained, saying "appropriate disciplinary" action in accordance with the student handbook disciplinary guidelines had been taken. According to multiple news sources quoting police reports, two students, the one who threw the punches as well as the boy taking the video, were suspended. The altercation may have been prompted by one student spitting on the other right before spring break the previous week, although these details have not been confirmed by St. Joseph County police. Police did not immediately respond to Sputnik's request for comment. "Please respect and understand that under FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) we can not disclose or discuss the details of these students' disciplinary measures with those not involved in the incident," Harper noted. The letter to parents also stated that the altercation is "disturbing in nature on so many levels" and should be used as a reminder for students to report unsafe behavior to an adult immediately. "I was in sheer shock," Sarah Lamonds of Mishawaka told NewsCenter 16, describing her reaction after seeing the video on social media. Her children attend a different school in another district. "I just couldn't believe that was happening, for one, and for two, that all the other students were standing around doing nothing while this little boy was being attacked," she said, adding that her son has been bullied before. "It starts at home. We have to teach our children better," she said. "We have to show them right from wrong. We have to hold them accountable for their actions, because if we don't hold them accountable now, who will?" "Don't watch it more than once… I hope they [the parents] have a nice long talk with their sons," Dewey recently told ABC57. | null | https://sputniknews.com/viral/201904101074007973-disturbing-US-school-bathroom-fight/ | 2019-04-10 18:54:00+00:00 | 1,554,936,840 | 1,567,543,370 | education | parent organisation |
590,256 | theconservativetreehouse--2019-12-29--Parents Beware – California Public Schools Will Implement Already Proven Failed Program to Stop Scho | 2019-12-29T00:00:00 | theconservativetreehouse | Parents Beware – California Public Schools Will Implement Already Proven Failed Program to Stop Schools from Suspending Students With Bad Behavior…. | California public schools are on the cusp of initiating a new state-wide law that will ban schools from suspending students for antisocial, disruptive behavior. The absolutely worst part of this initiative is that California doesn’t need to wait to find out the results of what will happen. This exact program was initiated in Miami-Dade and Broward County Florida schools with disastrous and deadly consequences. SACRAMENTO (KRON) — New laws taking effect in 2020 will impact schools across California. Starting next school year, it will be illegal for public schools in the state to suspend students in first through fifth grade for willfully defying teachers or administrators. Then, from 2021 through 2025, it will be temporarily extended to kids in grades six through eight. Supporters say suspensions for willful defiance are disproportionately used against students of color. (read more) What is being described here is exactly the same as the “Promise Program” tried out in Broward County and “My Brother’s Keeper” program tried-out in Miami-Dade county since 2010. Both counties initiated diversionary programs for anti-social behavior that focused on keeping offending students in the school. After several years of attempting the alternate disciplinary programs the result was abject chaos in both school systems; systemic educational failure in all affected schools; and eventually the culmination of all that progressive effort resulted in the 2018 deaths of 17 students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida. It might seem like a good idea, most emotional progressive policies always do, but the prior educational results were exceptionally damaging. Parents in California should strongly look at the results of where these types of programs were attempted before. There is no need to take a wait-and-see approach for the consequences. This approach has already been tested over the course of almost ten years. In an effort to keep badly behaving students attending school the only thing that happens is teachers spend the majority of their time attempting to control those very same students. The school administrators then have to start initiating internal programs to protect good students from the bad ones while being forced to keep them together in the same classrooms. The result is an absolute mess. Good students suffer because the quality of education drops almost immediately. Bad students don’t improve and there is no actionable consequence for even violent anti-social behavior. Parents end up stuck in the middle with few options…. until eventually it all boils over and either: (A) a formerly stable student, who has now been initiated to years of bullying, comes to school with a weapon to fend off the emotional or physical violence; or (B) one of the willfully-defiant students, like Nikolas Cruz, comes to school with a weapon to complete their mission. In the lead-up to this guaranteed outcome, as increasing violence becomes unacceptable to the parents, reactionary school districts will try to find a way to stay compliant with the law while retaining student safety…. Ergo schools will start hiring security officers in an attempt to be proactive; metal detectors will become visible; school lockers will be eliminated as a source of potential contraband… which shifts the concern to backpacks etc. etc… It’s a never ending cascade of unintended consequences. Over time, within this state-wide educational jungle, each district will then start debating the acceptable number of violent assaults, rapes, drug offenses and other crimes that will have to be navigated in order to meet all the legal compliance demands. A multi-tiered process of loosely defined school regulations will result… every individual decision will become opaque based on the situational crisis and the people placed in untenable situations. The negative impacts will disproportionately be felt in the minority neighborhoods who already have educational challenges. California school bus drivers, now forced to transport violent offenders, will request protective cages on their buses. Some districts will reimburse teachers for bullet proof clothing. School administrative offices will spend millions on security, CCTV, steel reinforced doors and armed security; all of this collective effort is used to manage an increasingly defiant group of students. However, all of this effort amounts to a focus that is entirely detached from teaching anything. Schools will turn to law enforcement for help. Arrests will replace suspensions…. then there will be a backlash to the number of students getting arrested… the same progressive thought leaders who initiated the “non suspension” policy for willful defiance, will now propose juvenile justice reform that will lower “student arrests”…. and so the cycle will go until eventually the entire educational system is based on Safari Rules. Loosely defined, Safari Rules say: don’t get out of your car or it’s your own fault for being eaten by the animals. Translated into context: sending your kids to public schools is the same as pushing them out the car door. California doesn’t need to wait to see the outcome, it has already been tried. | sundance | https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2019/12/29/parents-beware-california-public-schools-will-implement-already-proven-failed-program-to-stop-schools-from-suspending-students-with-bad-behavior/ | Sun, 29 Dec 2019 19:46:17 +0000 | 1,577,666,777 | 1,577,664,810 | education | parent organisation |
635,201 | thedailymirror--2019-06-27--Parents slam prison-like playground rules that say who children play with | 2019-06-27T00:00:00 | thedailymirror | Parents slam 'prison-like' playground rules that say who children play with | A “strict” primary school has been slammed over “ prison -like” playground rules which ban children from choosing who they want to play with. Parents spoke out this week after it emerged that children at Welton Primary School in Hull are being “actively discouraged” from socialising in the classroom. And when it comes to playtime, they are divided into colour groups and must take part in a pre-set activity determined by the school. The school says their policy helps children make “good progress”, reports the Hull Daily Mail. However, parents are not so sure - with some branding the programme “horrific” and “weird”. The concerns over the rules were raised after the school's headteacher sent a “blunt” letter to parents telling them that new classes are being formed each year in a “strategy” which enables pupils to “develop and build skills that will be very important to them as they grow up”. Meaning children will change who they’re with in class each year, rather than the class staying together until they leave for secondary education. One mum who has just discovered the rules as their child moves from foundation into Year 1 described actively discouraging socialisation as "horrific”. She said: "The kids are dictated to about who they are to play with - it's weird. "It's the only free time they have. It would be like telling a colleague they had eat lunch with somebody specific. "The kids are banded like yellow etc and that's who they have to play with. They should be able to free play. Apparently the 'children come in calmer’.” The mum said she spent a lot of time researching schools before her child joined last year, but was not made aware of the playground rules from Year One upwards and also did not know classes were mixed up each year. She said: "I really don't know what is going on in the headteacher's head, saying socialisation is a 'barrier to to pupil outcomes’. "The sentence seems harsh and at odds with children's need for socialisation and their mental health and wellbeing. Is this child focused and is it nurturing? "Other schools keep children together as a class but here they also purposely split them, even from foundation. I don't like that. "I wasn't told anything about this policy when we joined, and we spent a lot of time looking into schools and discussing child focused approach, etc. We just got the letter in the bags on Friday. "I think they have a difficulty with classroom control possibly and this is why they are doing it. Can six to seven year olds really be that hard to manage?! It's controlling." Another mum, who has older children at the school said: "They mix the classes every year. Sometimes it's been a disaster for us and sometimes it's been a posivite. "At playtime they have a band system for activities so if the children don't get there quick they miss out - once you are in a zone you can't swap - a bit like a prison. “My child is desperate to move schools because of it. They also are not allowed to play football either and can only run in certain zones.” Headteacher Nikki Pidgeon said mixing up the classes each year and discouraging socialisation while learning helps pupils make "good progress”. She said: "At Welton we have been forming new classes each year since we grew to have two classes in each year group eight years ago. "Parents tell the school that the relationships the children have with each other are one of the things that impress them about the school. "The current class teachers meet together to form two new classes that provide a balance of abilities and gender. They work hard to make sure all the children have friends in their new classes. "While we are keen to see the children making friends, socialising in the classroom is discouraged to ensure that their lessons are inclusive of all children working as a team, regardless of their external friendship group. "Every class has the same set of school expectations that encourage children to get better at working together and to ensure that the children are able to use their social skills in a way that help each other to learn and make good progress.” Mrs Pidgeon said the playground rules have been in force for the past 10 years. | [email protected] (Joanna Lovell) | https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/parents-slam-prison-like-playground-17263959 | 2019-06-27 09:50:02+00:00 | 1,561,643,402 | 1,567,537,893 | education | parent organisation |
636,378 | thedailymirror--2019-07-06--Parents of Manchester attack victim return to her school for poignant tribute | 2019-07-06T00:00:00 | thedailymirror | Parents of Manchester attack victim return to her school for poignant tribute | The parents of the Manchester Arena terror attack's youngest victim have returned to her school for the first time to pay a poignant tribute. Two years on from the tragedy, Saffie Roussos' mum Lisa and her husband Andrew opened a memorial garden for their daughter at her old school, Tarleton Community Primary near Preston, Lancashire. Lisa cut the pink ribbon to a round of applause and the small, close-knit crowd sang Happy Birthday to Saffie, who would have turned 11-years-old last Thursday. In a poignant moment her friends, each holding teddy bears, released 11 heart-shaped-balloons into the air. Saffie, eight, was among 22 people who died in the attack at an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017. The youngster had attended the concert with her mother Lisa Roussos and sister, Ashlee Bromwich, when suicide bomber Salman Abedi, 22, detonated a device in the arena's foyer. Lisa was left in a six-week coma before waking up to find out her beloved daughter was dead. The grief-shattered mum then had to gather the strength to battle back from appalling life-changing injuries after suffering 117 shrapnel wounds. Speaking after the occasion at the school this week, Lisa said: "It's strange because I do find it hard coming back to the school and seeing her friends growing up knowing that she should be there with them. "As difficult as it is to come back to the school and she's not here, the other side of that is being here where she was the happiest. "She loved school, loved everybody and everybody loved her. That's comforting. It was nice to come back and get a hug from her friends. I miss them too. "The children here shouldn't have had to go through what they went through. For me, it's still difficult to understand what happened because of the way in which it happened. "Saffie will always be with them but I think it's important for them to move forward. They will leave the school and head off to high school hopefully with a new fresh approach." Asked how she was coping both physically and mentally Lisa added: "I can't make sense of it and I won't let my thoughts go there. "It's hard to explain. People think you're brave. It's like you're acting - you sort of disconnect yourself from reality because it's too shocking, too real." The memorial garden, in a central compound in the school, was created out of the goodwill of friends and neighbours of the Roussos family in Leyland. In the centre of the wooden decking, six roses were in full bloom. Towards the back sits a bench with a canopy and a plaque in Saffie's name. Her school friends had painted stones with rainbows and bright colours - things that they felt best represented her. At the ceremony, addressing Saffie's close friends, Andrew said: "We as a family find it difficult to come back to the school for obvious reasons. "But there is no better place for us to be. "When we meet people they always ask us what Saffie's character was like but coming here and being with you, we don't have to explain it. "What's happened is very difficult to deal with, particularly at your age. It's very tough. "It was so important to get this garden done. You are moving on to high school. This garden will always be here. Saffie will always be here. "It's a special place for all of us." Speaking of the lasting trauma the school children had endured since the attack, headteacher of Tartleton Community Primary Chris Upton said: "With us, as a school, it's been a two-year recovery that we have been through and we are still on that journey. "That rawness is still within in the school. "We are dealing with it in waves. It's still a big issue with our children two years on and it's not going away. "We have done additional work with the high school, Tarleton Academy. "We are having a leaving assembly for the year sixes soon and that is going to be hard. "We've done work around the Islamic faith. We are taking them to visit a mosque. The children need to understand that it is a religion of love and tolerance. "As a school, we have had to find our own way. We have had children diagnosed with PTSD as a consequence of that night. "We have worked with the Department of Education and the Home Office to provide information and make recommendations of how schools can be best supported in the wake of a terror attack. "The garden is important in that it's at the centre of the school, the heart of our school as Saffie is. "It's about life and about remembering Saffie." | [email protected] (Nathan Sandhu) | https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/parents-manchester-attack-victim-return-17483575 | 2019-07-06 19:38:20+00:00 | 1,562,456,300 | 1,567,536,667 | education | parent organisation |
643,766 | thedailyrecord--2019-01-30--Parents fury as St Andrews Academy ballot splits up siblings and friends | 2019-01-30T00:00:00 | thedailyrecord | Parents fury as St Andrew's Academy ballot splits up siblings and friends | Brothers, sisters and friends will be split up when they go to high school after a number of pupils missed out on a St Andrew's Academy spot in a ballot. Furious parents of children at non-associated primary schools have called on Renfrewshire Council to rethink its policy when a high school is at full capacity. Youngsters who live near to St Andrew’s Academy but do not attend one of eight associated primary schools had their names drawn from an envelope. However, the process has left children facing the prospect of going to a different school to their older siblings and in some cases being separated from friends. John McCormick’s son Taylor is the only one of a group of 11 friends who will not attend St Andrew’s, despite having went through nursery and Todholm Primary School with them. John said: “It’s a farce because his older brother is in St Andrew’s. Taylor is absolutely gutted. “He never ate all weekend. Taylor is one of 11 friends who have went right through school from nursery and he’s the only one that’s not got in.” Tracey Dow’s daughter Hannah was another unfortunate student who missed out, despite living minutes from St Andrew’s. As Hannah lives less than two miles from an alternative school, she does not qualify for a place on a school bus. Tracey said: “My wee girl never got in and I live a stone’s throw from the school. I’m a single mother with three kids. My wee boy goes to Todholm Primary School and my baby is just one. “They’re expecting my daughter to go to Gleniffer or Paisley Grammar. We’ve got to deal with transport ourselves. “We’ve been trying to see if we can arrange transport but the council haven’t been having it. If they have to walk, that’s putting the kids at risk.” Susan Roy is concerned she will now have to choose a school for son Nathan because it’s easier to get to rather than what she feels is best for him educationally. Nathan is another who lives in the catchment area of St Andrew’s but fell short in the ballot. “He has a sibling in Todholm, so I can’t get one to a school in Glasgow Road and one to Todholm. “I don’t have a car. My only option would be to let him go himself because he’s under the two-mile radius. I don’t feel that road to school is safe. “The council has to look at its policy because this is an unprecedented situation. “It’s not our problem, it’s the council’s problem and they can’t just turn around and say it’s tough because it’s going to have a huge impact on families. “At the moment my children’s future is based on access, the school I can physically get to rather than education.” Paisley East and Central Councillors Will Mylet and Carolann Davidson are planning to speak to education chiefs at the local authority about parents’ concerns. Councillor Davidson said: “I have been contacted by lots of distressed parents regarding this ballot and I attended the meeting that parents organised on Tuesday night. “There were a lot of very concerned people there, who are worried sick about their children, many of whom have older siblings already attending St Andrew’s. “I have arranged an urgent meeting with the head of schools and the acting director of children’s services to discuss anything that can possible be done to resolve the parents and children’s concerns, for both now and future years.” A spokesman for Renfrewshire Council said: “Secondary school pupils who live more than two miles away from their catchment school are entitled to a place on a school bus. “This policy ensures every pupil is treated fairly and equitably. “All pupils from an associated primary in the catchment were allocated a place at St Andrew’s Academy and due to unprecedented demand, a ballot in line with our school admissions policy determined the remaining places. “Pupils from a non-associated primary who were not allocated a place can attend Paisley Grammar as their associated secondary school or make a placing request for one of our other schools.” | Jack Thomson | https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/parents-fury-st-andrews-academy-13929196 | 2019-01-30 17:17:16+00:00 | 1,548,886,636 | 1,567,550,258 | education | parent organisation |
644,192 | thedailyrecord--2019-02-06--Parents concerned Bishopton school catchment review will create community divide | 2019-02-06T00:00:00 | thedailyrecord | Parents concerned Bishopton school catchment review will create community divide | Parents have raised concerns of a “them and us” divide being created by the proposed catchment area of a new school in Bishopton. A consultation has been launched reviewing the catchment areas of Bishopton Primary School and a new build scheduled for 2021. A school for 430 pupils, which is expected to cost just under £18 million, will be built to meet the demand from the growing Dargavel Village development. Plans have been drawn up to create a natural geographic boundary line between the new school and Bishopton Primary School by the railway line adjacent to Dargavel Village. However, a clear consensus could not be found at a public consultation meeting held at Bishopton Primary School on Tuesday. Several parents suggested the proposed catchment areas will create division, while others claimed the plans were what they had been sold when buying property in Dargavel Village. David Woodrow, chairman of Bishopton Community Council, said the subject of school provision in Bishopton would need a complete review at some point. The community leader warned a capacity of 430 was not big enough for a housing development which is expected to produce around 4,000 homes by 2034. Mr Woodrow said the council should consider completing a “review for the potential replacement” of Bishopton Primary School. Speaking about the proposed catchment areas, he added: “It looks too divisive at the moment and it all needs to be reviewed at some point.” It was confirmed at the meeting children will not be forced to move school if they are already attending Bishopton Primary School in 2021. Gordon McKinlay, head of schools at Renfrewshire Council, said: “If your child is in a school and settled in a school, we are not going to ask them to move. “They are free to move but we are not going to ask them to move.” If a child has a sibling in Bishopton Primary School, they should also be able to attend the school. Mr McKinlay added: “If you already have a connection with that school, you may retain that connection. “Bishopton being a village tends to have a village identity. “We are not trying to create a division, we are trying to make sure there’s enough provision. “I understand this school is under pressure. The school is busy and it feels full. “We need to be careful how we cut it. It would be very difficult to go back and do something that is hugely and radically different. “We have put forward a proposal. If you have reasons or suggestions otherwise we want to hear them. All of this will be presented to councillors.” Councillor Natalie Don, who represents Bishopton, urged parents to submit their views to the consultation. She said: “I was glad to see a big turnout at Tuesday’s meeting, it is extremely important that residents understand the proposals and got the opportunity to ask questions. “It was clear that there are some strong feelings in relation to the catchment area but that is expected with such an important matter. “The most important thing is that people ensure they submit their views to the consultation to ensure that they can be considered when a final decision is made.” The consultation will be completed by March 26 and the findings will be discussed by councillors at August’s Education and Children’s Services Policy Board. It can be viewed at renfrewshire.gov.uk/article/8590/Bishopton-and-Dargavel-Village-Primary-Catchment-Review | Jack Thomson | https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/parents-concerned-bishopton-school-catchment-13960361 | 2019-02-06 15:45:00+00:00 | 1,549,485,900 | 1,567,549,460 | education | parent organisation |
645,076 | thedailyrecord--2019-02-21--Call for birthday discrimination crackdown as South Lanarkshire parents look to secure tots educat | 2019-02-21T00:00:00 | thedailyrecord | Call for 'birthday discrimination' crackdown as South Lanarkshire parents look to secure tots education | An Avondale councillor has called for a crackdown on “birthday discrimination” as South Lanarkshire Council look to secure education options for tots. Councillor Margaret Cooper put forward a motion to halt how a child’s birthday affects their access to free early years education in relation to the ‘free at three’ scheme. That sees children not aged three by the August or January intakes having to pay for early years education because of fixed admission dates. Councillor Cooper said she hoped to “rectify the birthday discrimination that exists in South Lanarkshire” for kids under three, with the Independent group saying there is money available to do this. However, the SNP administration suggest they would need to cost proposals to help make the changes in order to see if funding for this was available. Speaking to the East Kilbride News, the leader of the Independent SLC group, Councillor Cooper said: “As a group we are delighted the Scottish government is committed to the expansion of early years education to 1140 hours per child by 2020. “However, in South Lanarkshire this commitment is not as effective as it could be since the date of child’s birthday affects when that child can access Early Learning Childcare (ELC) without fees. “Unlike surrounding councils like East Renfrewshire, North Lanarkshire and City of Glasgow, children here can often wait several months after their third birthday to gain a free place in early learning.” A council spokeswoman noted a new funding report had been presented to elected members “with further information on funding options to facilitate this initiative” last week. SNP councillor Katy Loudon, chairwoman for education resources, dubbed any move to push forward the scheme “irresponsible”. She said representatives had been told SLC was not in a position to agree such a large financial commitment, adding that no decision was to be made until the final grant settlement from the Scottish government was made clear. She said: “Independent and Labour councillors ignored this warning, and pressed for an immediate decision. Calling on other councillors to green light multi-million pound projects without the full financial facts is highly irresponsible, and our constituents deserve better. “Our SNP administration is committed to providing expanded, high-quality early years provision, and support the principle behind ‘free at three’.” Meanwhile, the Tories have accused the SNP administration of being “reluctant” to take a firm line on the issue, insisting the council prepare to change the policy. Councillor Mark McGeever, spokesman for the Conservative group, said: “This sensible approach shows our determination to be an effective and responsible opposition. “We will neither endanger local services nor allow the SNP administration to dodge tough discussions with the SNP government.” Labour leader Joe Fagan said his party “support efforts” to bring South Lanarkshire “into line with neighbouring authorities”. | Mark Pirie | https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/call-birthday-discrimination-crackdown-south-14021449 | 2019-02-21 11:45:00+00:00 | 1,550,767,500 | 1,567,547,792 | education | parent organisation |
646,398 | thedailyrecord--2019-03-22--Anxious wait for Logierait parents and pupils | 2019-03-22T00:00:00 | thedailyrecord | Anxious wait for Logierait parents and pupils | Parents at Logierait face a nervous sweat to see if their school will be spared in the council’s latest review. A study is to be carried out to see if introducing a nursery could sustain the rural Perthshire school. Amongst the proposals for the school’s future were permanently closing the school down, or to review the school’s catchment area in a bid to increase the school role. However, education bosses have asked the council’s lifelong learning committee to postpone making a decision on the school until September, and in the meantime carry out a study on introducing early learning and childcare at Logierait. When the committee meets next week, councillors will be asked to approve the move to start a feasibility study on this. A report for councillors states: “The most recent projections indicate that there may be sufficient ante-pre-school and pre-school children to establish a small early learning and childcare provision at Logierait Primary School.” Cllr Callum Purves, vice-convener of lifelong learning at Perth and Kinross Council, said: “Logierait Primary School has a dedicated and committed parent body who are passionate about securing the future of their school. “The overwhelming feedback that came through in the public consultation was that they would like to see the introduction of nursery provision at the school explored as an option to boost the future school roll. “We have listened to this suggestion and are undertaking a study to examine this option to inform the final options appraisal for the school.” Cllr Xander McDade, who represents Highland Perthshire at Perth and Kinross Council, said: “I’m really pleased that my campaign for increased nursery provision in the Highland ward over the past year, along with the Logierait Parent Council campaign to save their school, has finally paid a dividend with an option of a nursery for Logierait Primary School to be explored. “This would help secure this wonderful school’s future and support the thriving local economy.” | Rachel Clark | https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/anxious-wait-logierait-parents-pupils-14171934 | 2019-03-22 10:49:55+00:00 | 1,553,266,195 | 1,567,545,241 | education | parent organisation |
646,841 | thedailyrecord--2019-04-02--Cambuslang crossing patrols rejected by South Larnarkshire Council despite parents fears | 2019-04-02T00:00:00 | thedailyrecord | Cambuslang crossing patrols rejected by South Larnarkshire Council, despite parents fears | Requests for school crossing patrols in Cambuslang have been rejected, despite desperate pleas from a councillor and concerned parents. New Road, Overton Road and Woodland Crescent were all assessed by South Lanarkshire Council, which found “insufficient” demand to justify new patrols to assist pupils at Park View, Hallside Cairns and St Cadoc’s primaries. New Road met 90 per cent of the required criteria, while Woodland Crescent met 85 per cent of the criteria. The council has agreed to put a school travel plan in place for Cairns and St Cadoc’s and to increase ‘road safety education’, however parents insist that is not enough. Gayle Murphy, who has two children at Cairns Primary, has campaigned for improved safety measures in the area. She said: “It is good to see local councillors getting involved, but it is like banging your head against a brick wall with the problems there. “In some cases you have children crossing the road three or four times in that area and there’s just too many drivers who don’t pay enough consideration to the roads - they just keep going because they are in a hurry. “At least a crossing patrol would make them more aware, although the whole road is a danger.” A commitment has been made to reassess New Road by the summer after it met 90 per cent of the value required. The criteria is determined by surveys taking place at the sites during school journey times, measuring the volume of pedestrians and traffic. Cambuslang East councillor, Walter Brogan, asked the council’s roads safety forum to “take pre-emptive action” and put patrols in place, pointing to “horrendous” parking problems in the area He said: “Thank you for this report, however I would like to add some local knowledge. The school roles have increased and continue to increase rapidly because of the new housing developments. The assessment has not taken into consideration cars turning at New Road and Overton Road. “Parking is also horrendous at Cairns and St Cadoc’s primaries. This is a plea on behalf of parent councils and local residents. I think we should take pre-emptive action.” The forum agreed to the recommendations and refused the request, however agreed to establishing a travel plan and increasing road safety education. Councillor Brogan added: “It doesn’t give me comfort. I think they are more dangerous than the criteria suggests.” Engineering officer Colin Smith confirmed that the sites did not meet the current criteria and that New Road would be reassessed. Mr Smith also said that when the assessment falls between 50 and 100 per cent of the required value, other environmental factors are considered including vehicle speeds, parking problems and the concentration of accidents. The roads safety forum were also updated on the council’s Kerbcraft road safety training initiative which will now include Cairns and St Cadoc’s. Targeting more deprived areas, the initiative gives school pupils on-road pedestrian training. Councillor Brogan added: “It can be extremely dangerous at Cairns and St Cadoc’s so kerb training is welcomed.” | Jonathan Geddes | https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/cambuslang-crossing-patrols-rejected-south-14225970 | 2019-04-02 23:00:00+00:00 | 1,554,260,400 | 1,567,544,349 | education | parent organisation |
648,899 | thedailyrecord--2019-05-21--More parents in Perthshire to get school clothing help | 2019-05-21T00:00:00 | thedailyrecord | More parents in Perthshire to get school clothing help | Hundreds more parents experiencing hardship will soon be able to apply for cash grants to clothe their schoolkids as long as councillors approve a paper this week. The council’s lifelong learning committee is scheduled to be asked to approve a report tomorrow giving officers licence to extend hard-up parents’ eligibility to claim for cash for school uniforms and shoes for their kids. The paper recommends elected members agree to revise existing criteria so that all parents whose children are entitled to receive free school meals during the next school term will also be able to apply for up to £100 to buy them new uniforms and footwear as well. Carers will become equally eligible to make claims under the move too. It comes after information gathered from neighbouring local authorities showed Perth and Kinross Council had “the least generous eligibility criteria for school clothing and footwear grants”. The report says parents/carers will only be able to make one claim per child up to age of 16 per session but officers still expect the change will benefit “up to a further 300 primary and secondary pupils ... in Perth and Kinross”. It says last year PKC paid enough grants to clothe 1358 pupils. The document explains: “The current position is that parents/carers in Perth and Kinross who are eligible to claim free school meals due to being in receipt of a qualifying welfare benefit determined by the Scottish Government may not qualify for a school clothing and footwear grant due to the different criteria being used. “It is proposed that the criteria for considering parents/carers’ eligibility for school clothing and footwear grants are revised and updated to align the qualifying benefits with those for entitlement to free school meals for primary and secondary pupils. “This will broaden the eligibility for school clothing and footwear grants meaning that more parents/carers will receive the grant.” It adds: “Extending the eligibility criteria for school clothing and footwear grants will ensure that those families who currently receive free school meals as a result of a qualifying benefit will now also be able to receive a school clothing and footwear grant. “The revised eligibility criteria is a positive step in tackling child poverty and aligns with the eligibility criteria for free school meals which will provide consistency for parents/carers.” The council’s executive director for education and children’s services, Sheena Devlin, will be tasked to ensure the revised eligibility criteria is published should the committee choose to approve tomorrow’s paper. | Paul Cargill | https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/more-parents-perthshire-school-clothing-16176940 | 2019-05-21 10:43:57+00:00 | 1,558,449,837 | 1,567,540,307 | education | parent organisation |
654,814 | thedailyrecord--2019-12-15--Peebles parents who set up fundraiser for fire-ravaged high school smash £5k target in days | 2019-12-15T00:00:00 | thedailyrecord | Peebles parents who set up fundraiser for fire-ravaged high school smash £5k target in days | Kind-hearted parents who set up a fundraiser following a devastating blaze at a Scots school have smashed their target. The charity page was launched in the aftermath of the November 28 inferno which completely gutted Peebles High School. Up to 70 firefighters were at the scene at the height of the blaze, with many remaining there well into the next day to dampen down remaining hotspots. Scottish Borders Council made a "swift decision" to close the school until after the Christmas break as two boys were charged in connection with the incident. But now the Parent Council's £5000 target has been hit just days after launching their project on December 9. The total currently sits at nearly £6k. The money will be to support the school and help get it back up and running. A statement on the Crowdfunder site read: "Following the recent fire at Peebles High School, the Parent Council has set up this Fundraising page to help support the urgent needs of the school at this difficult time. "This is partly in response to the many generous offers of financial support from the wider community. Thank you for your support." Well-wishers who donated were quick to praise the parents' efforts, saying they were "absolutely in awe" of their charity drive. Fiona Dalgleish wrote: "More than just a building. Massive massive thanks to everyone who has helped since the fire." While Cheryl Turpie said: "Our amazing school community has shown that its strength is not the bricks and mortar. “It will take a long time to recover and even longer to build up the resources lost through this fire. Good Luck all. Stay Strong!” And Paula Fleming posted: “Absolutely in awe of PHS teachers, staff, parent council and all involved in getting the students back into face-face education within 10 days of a devastating fire. Thank you.” Pupils returned to "face-to-face formal teaching" on Monday December 9, with S1-S3 being taught at alternative locations in Peebles. However S4 to S6 pupils had to travel to locations in Galashiels - nearly 20 miles away. On December 4, police confirmed that two boys had been arrested in connection with the huge blaze. One of the boys was cuffed and charged with wilful fire raising, while the other was released pending further inquiries into the incident. A spokesperson from Police Scotland said: "Police Scotland can now report that a second boy has now been charged in relation to the wilful fire-raising at Peebles High School on Thursday, November 28. "A report will be sent to the Children's Reporter. "We would remind the public that, as the person charged is below the age of 18, he cannot be named or identified for legal reasons as per the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995." Council convener David Parker previously said: "This has been a devastating incident for Peebles High School's pupils and staff and the local community. However, without the magnificent efforts of firefighters, it could have been significantly worse in terms of damage to the school estate. "Crews worked tirelessly to contain the fire for almost 24 hours, with up to 70 firefighters on the scene, highlighting the extent of the fire. "During and in the aftermath of this challenging incident, the community of Peebles has also stepped forward to support the emergency services and the school. "We have also seen offers of assistance from businesses, including a local hotel who has agreed to host Peebles High's senior dance this week. "On behalf of the council, I thank all who have provided generous support during this extremely difficult incident for Peebles' community." You can donate to the fundraiser here . | [email protected] (Nicholas Keyden) | https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/peebles-parents-who-set-up-21101075 | Sun, 15 Dec 2019 11:06:50 +0000 | 1,576,426,010 | 1,576,412,763 | education | parent organisation |
2,340 | abcnews--2019-11-18--Kansas researcher denies working for Chinese university | 2019-11-18T00:00:00 | abcnews | Kansas researcher denies working for Chinese university | An associate professor in Kansas accused of secretly working for a Chinese university contends in a court filing that a visiting scholar fabricated the allegations against him after unsuccessfully trying to extort him for $300,000. Attorneys for Feng “Franklin” Tao filed a motion on Sunday seeking to dismiss the federal indictment charging him with one count of wire fraud and three counts of program fraud. It alleges the Lawrence man was working full time for Fuzhou University in China while also doing research in Kansas on projects funded by the U.S. government and then failed to report it on a conflict-of-interest form. Tao contended in his court filing that he never accepted the offer for a teaching position in China and therefore had no obligation to disclose it as a conflict to the University of Kansas. The defense filing alleges that an unpaid visiting scholar was angry at Tao because she thought she should have received greater credit as a co-author on certain research manuscripts at the Kansas university. After Tao would not change the attribution, she demanded he pay her $300,000 or else she would falsely accuse him of economic espionage, his attorneys wrote. That court filing also included as exhibits emails from the scholar, including one dated April 21 in which she wrote, “Do not consider it too much. You ruined my future.” Another sent the next day warned that “when anything that belongs to me is taken away, my counterattack will be very strong and very extreme.” The woman filed authorship dispute complaints to the Office of Integrity and Compliance and with the university’s Internal Audit Office on June 4, and 15 minutes later emailed Tao saying, “it seems the term ‘tech spy’ is very popular nowadays. You should be careful. I have given you many chances and you didn’t care.” Tao’s attorneys wrote in their court filing that the woman later admitted to the FBI that she hacked into Tao’s email account to fish for “evidence” she could provide the FBI. The defense contends she used phony aliases to make false complaints to both the university and to the FBI. Her lies to the FBI “succeeded in wreaking her revenge,” Tao’s attorneys wrote. The FBI immediately opened a grand jury investigation, which culminated in Tao’s arrest and indictment. Rather than prosecuting the visiting scholar for extortion, false statements and computer fraud — and notifying Tao that he was the victim of a federal computer crime — the government instead charged Tau with fraud for failing to disclose to his university the job offer from China, according to the defense motion. Jim Cross, the spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Kansas, said in an email that prosecutors are evaluating the defense motion and will be responding in court. The visiting scholar, who has not been charged with any crimes, did not respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment. Tau, an associate professor of engineering at the University of Kansas, was born in China and moved to the United States in 2002. He has been employed since August 2014 at the Kansas university's Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis in Lawrence. The center conducts research on sustainable technology to conserve natural resources and energy. | null | https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/kansas-researcher-denies-working-chinese-university-67108048 | Mon, 18 Nov 2019 13:50:27 -0500 | 1,574,103,027 | 1,574,103,932 | education | vocational education |
5,088 | activistpost--2019-07-26--Top University Artificial Intelligence Experts Warn of Technical Flaws In Pre-Crime Police Systems | 2019-07-26T00:00:00 | activistpost | Top University Artificial Intelligence Experts Warn of “Technical Flaws” In Pre-Crime Police Systems | It is unfortunate that citizens and experts alike are finally waking up to the threat of artificial intelligence being used by law enforcement when the genie is already out of the bottle. It is especially troubling to see the high-level institutions that have been behind the creation of these systems beginning to warn of potential miscalculations due to rolling out artificial intelligence before it is properly understood. But, as they say, better late than never. A new paper released by MIT entitled “Technical Flaws of Pretrial Risk Assessments Raise Grave Concerns” has been signed by some of the highest level university experts in the field of A.I. and law. Despite this very esteemed panel of mainstream contributors, their concerns about the current state of artificial intelligence in law enforcement and the justice system align with those which readers of alternative media already would be quite familiar. The document is naturally filled with a bit of technical jargon and euphemistic language, but it’s still fairly concise at around 4 pages. Their main concerns appear in the Summary. My emphasis added: Actuarial pretrial risk assessments suffer from serious technical flaws that undermine their accuracy, validity,and effectiveness. They do not accurately measure the risks that judges are required by law to consider. When predicting flight and danger, many tools use inexact and overly broad definitions of those risks. When predicting violence, no tool available today can adequately distinguish one person’s risk of violence from another. Misleading risk labels hide the uncertainty of these high-stakes predictions and can lead judges to overestimate the risk and prevalence of pretrial violence. To generate predictions, risk assessments rely on deeply flawed data, such as historical records of arrests, charges, convictions, and sentences. This data is neither a reliable nor a neutral measure of underlying criminal activity. Decades of research have shown that, for the same conduct, African-American and Latinx people are more likely to be arrested, prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to harsher punishments than their white counterparts. Risk assessments that incorporate this distorted data will produce distorted results. These problems cannot be resolved with technical fixes. We strongly recommend turning to other reforms. That is about as comprehensive a condemnation as one could hope to find. And, yet, we already exist in a world where smart home gadgets are snitching on their owners by calling police. Police departments have experimented with secret pre-crime A.I. systems that have put innocent people on watchlists. Facial recognition is widely being used in the government and private sector to determine criminal threats as well as become integrated into financial systems. And the military now feels comfortable to roll out new facial recognition systems for its soldiers to be connected to weapons and target people identified by A.I. as potential threats or even confirmed enemies. I would encourage people to become familiar with the technical aspects of these systems described within the above paper that are now admittedly “no better than a crystal ball” and yet threaten the core American concept of being innocent until proven guilty, as well as putting anyone in the crosshairs of a military scope if these systems are not reined in immediately. Fortunately, the pushback has already started in several cities, and a few police departments have dropped their programs after becoming aware of the inaccuracies. Let’s work to keep the momentum moving in the right direction. Nicholas West writes for Activist Post. Support us at Patreon for as little as $1 per month. Follow us on Minds, Steemit, SoMee, BitChute, Facebook and Twitter. | Activist Post | https://www.activistpost.com/2019/07/top-university-artificial-intelligence-experts-warn-of-technical-flaws-in-pre-crime-police-systems.html | 2019-07-26 23:00:31+00:00 | 1,564,196,431 | 1,567,535,668 | education | vocational education |
17,572 | aljazeera--2019-11-20--In Pictures: Inside the besieged Hong Kong Polytechnic University | 2019-11-20T00:00:00 | aljazeera | In Pictures: Inside the besieged Hong Kong Polytechnic University | Dozens of protesters in Hong Kong remain barricaded inside a besieged university campus for a fourth straight day as a violent standoff between pro-democracy demonstrators and police continues. Protesters at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) said on Wednesday some 50 remained after hundreds had fled worsening conditions and following official warnings that police could fire live rounds to clear the area. Photos showed youths wandering the campus, with some preparing Molotov cocktails while others slept on a gym floor. The standoff has been the most intense and prolonged in nearly six months of unrest that began over a now-shelved bill to allow extraditions to China, which revived fears that Beijing was cutting into the city's freedoms. Carrie Lam, the Beijing-backed Hong Kong chief executive, on Tuesday called for the protesters to surrender, adding that those over 18 would face rioting charges, but minors would not be arrested. Others were medically evacuated on stretchers overnight, and on Wednesday before dawn police chased down and arrested around a dozen students making a break for it. Police said that since the siege began around 800 people had left the campus as of late Tuesday night. The United Nations human rights office was watching the university situation with "deepening concern", spokesman Rupert Colville said in Geneva. The violent standoff between demonstrators and police at PolyU rippled overseas, with the United Nations calling for a peaceful resolution to the siege, while the US senate passed new legislation supporting protesters' demands. | null | https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/pictures-besieged-hong-kong-polytechnic-university-191120055439021.html | Wed, 20 Nov 2019 08:25:02 GMT | 1,574,256,302 | 1,574,252,496 | education | vocational education |
36,620 | bbcuk--2019-02-10--Blaze at St Andrews University science building | 2019-02-10T00:00:00 | bbcuk | Blaze at St Andrews University science building | More than 30 firefighters are tackling a blaze in a science building at the University of St Andrews in Fife. Six fire appliances were sent to the scene after the alarm was raised just before 17:00 on Sunday. The building is in the North Haugh area of the town. Images posted on social media showed flames and smoke rising into the air from the four-storey building. The fire service said there were no reports of any casualties. They remain at the scene along with officers from Police Scotland. The university said the fire started in the biomedical sciences building in the afternoon. They said there were no reports of any injuries or anyone being in the building at the time of the fire. | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-47192584 | 2019-02-10 18:41:10+00:00 | 1,549,842,070 | 1,567,549,039 | education | vocational education |
791,874 | themanchestereveningnews--2019-01-03--The importance of continued training in tech | 2019-01-03T00:00:00 | themanchestereveningnews | The importance of continued training in tech | The relentless pace of change in the digital sector brings countless opportunities for businesses to become ever more efficient. In a nutshell, that's why training is so important. Appropriate training policies and working practices ensure that organisations maximise their return on IT investment. Indeed, investing in people unlocks not only business growth but is also essential for personal development and career advancement. And if a company doesn’t move with the evolution of technology then it runs the risk of losing its competitive advantage. Importantly, these assertions are backed by research. According to Deliotte's Global Human Capital Trends 2016 survey, 83 percent of executives in the technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) industry stated that learning is of integral importance to success. Lawrence Jones, CEO of UKFast, said: "We often talk about the skills gap in the technology industry, yet there is so much that businesses can do to improve the skills level within tech and in the broader business arena. "At UKFast we have invested heavily in training and education to help teammates with their personal development. This includes everything from industry accreditations to soft skills training. We run learnch (learning lunches) sessions and fund courses to ensure that everyone who wants to is always growing." He added: "Equally, training is absolutely essential to ensure that your team are safe in their use of technology and know how to protect your data properly, particularly in the age of GDPR. In such a fast-moving industry it’s essential to continually update your knowledge particularly surrounding cybersecurity. "It would be easy to separate the ‘tech industry’, however, tech no longer operates in a silo; every modern business harnesses digital technology. "That means that every business needs to set a priority on technical training and development to stay ahead of the game and to keep their business safe online. That’s one of the reasons we extend our training facility at UKFast to our customers and the wider community." Pauline Norstrom is managing director of NetVu, a Cheshire-based technology business which innovates in the security and surveillance market. Through a combination of data, alarms and video integrated into one control point, NetVu delivers a multi-sensory service, allowing information to be distributed within a business or to security services, providing insights that allow them to take fast and appropriate action. The business, which is headquartered in Northwich, regards training and innovation to be equally important. Norstrom explained: "Training technology is imperative to ensure your teams are staying ahead of the curve and maximising their roles within your business. “Technology inevitably brings complications and some individuals are naturally more adept than others, however, familiarity and confidence building are key to success of any technology product. "That means creating and maintaining a working environment that brings technology to life, allowing training and building knowledge that instils confidence, long term engagement and understanding." Norstrom added that NetVu places an equal emphasis on training clients' staff as well as its own employees. But she also believes that it's only when an organisation has invested in its own employees' training that they're in a position to with customers and other partners. Norstrom added: “When you work in a field where your product or service is technology, it is crucial for the employees to understand the challenges and the problems that your technology solves. "It always comes back to the customer need, as opposed to the technology. “At NetVu we are currently in the process of developing our innovation lab for 2019, this is our learning and development facility that houses demonstration suites and really allows us to immerse our people in the technology we are building and delivering. "It is backed up with a syllabus of tech and learning that employees can touch and feel – it is practicality as opposed to just theory.” And all the indication are that the digital sector will continue to gain momentum in 2019. The relentless pace of change is possibly best summed up best by the phenomenon of "unicorns". These are those start-up companies that grow to be billion-dollar businesses within 12 to 24 months of their formation. Norstrom concluded: “Technology and innovation go hand-in-hand, and often the challenge is to demonstrate how the technology being used is better than that it is replacing, and bringing that to life. "Within our own business we span the spectrum of innovators and the invention of the technology, through to the plain-English conversations with customers and installers. "Our own staff and, in turn, our customers make up a separate spectrum of learning, therefore it’s vital we cater for this. “Training programmes, demo suites and equipment, as well as easy-to-use ‘how to’ guides are key to ensuring people get the most from our technology, ultimately helping our success as a company.” | Ben Rooth | https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/business/business-news/importance-continued-training-tech-15624223 | 2019-01-03 11:55:14+00:00 | 1,546,534,514 | 1,567,554,119 | education | vocational education |
38,944 | bbcuk--2019-04-10--Institutes of Technology to boost skills training | 2019-04-10T00:00:00 | bbcuk | 'Institutes of Technology' to boost skills training | The government has announced the locations of 12 "Institutes of Technology" in England, intended to provide high-quality skills training. The aim is to offer young people a vocational alternative to universities. Employers will support the institutes, most of which will be based around existing colleges and universities. The dozen include three in London, two in the west Midlands and the other six in Milton Keynes, Swindon, Durham, Exeter, York and Somerset. Prime Minister Theresa May said they would "end outdated perceptions" that were biased against vocational skills. But Labour said the plans were too small-scale and would not help the "overwhelming majority" of students in technical education. Vocational training has often been seen as being underserved by the education system, with more status attached to young people taking an academic pathway, through GCSEs, A-levels and university. The idea of introducing a network of Institutes of Technology is to create a high-quality route to gain skills and technical qualifications, comparable to going to university. They will begin opening from the autumn, supported by funding of £170m. The institutes, based in further education colleges and universities, will each have an industry specialism, and use the expertise of relevant employers. For instance, the planned institute in Durham will involve local colleges, Newcastle University and Nissan, with a specialism in "digital advanced manufacturing". In east London, Queen Mary, University of London will lead a group with Newham College and employers including Siemens, with specialisms of transport and engineering. There have been warnings that by international standards England has relatively low numbers of people trained for advanced vocational skills. The review of higher education funding, chaired by financier Philip Augar, is believed to have been looking at ways to improve access to student finance for those taking vocational courses. There are plans for a new technical qualification, the T-level, to be introduced next year, which is the latest attempt to create a vocational equivalent to A-levels. "I firmly believe that education is key to opening up opportunity for everyone - but to give our young people the skills they need to succeed, we need an education and training system which is more flexible and diverse than it is currently," said the prime minister. "These new institutes will help end outdated perceptions that going to university is the only desirable route, and build a system which harnesses the talents of our young people," said Mrs May. Matthew Fell, policy director of the CBI business group, said: "Expanding high-quality technical education and training is a top priority for employers, who will welcome this extra investment." The institutes will be the "pinnacle of technical training", said Education Secretary Damian Hinds. He hoped they would "make sure young people have the skills they need to build a well-paid rewarding career, while the economy gains the skilled workers it needs to be more productive". But Labour's shadow education secretary Angela Rayner said the institutes did not match the scale of the demand. "While investment in further education is desperately needed, this announcement will do nothing for the overwhelming majority of providers and students in technical education," said Ms Rayner. She said the funding did not replace the money already lost to further and adult education budgets - and the proposed institutes did not cover enough of the country. "When they first announced this policy years ago, the government said they would make higher-level technical education available in all areas, yet this list does not include a single university or college in the north-west," she said. | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-47866292 | 2019-04-10 01:07:20+00:00 | 1,554,872,840 | 1,567,543,359 | education | vocational education |
44,905 | bbcuk--2019-11-11--Labour promises free jobs retraining for adults | 2019-11-11T00:00:00 | bbcuk | Labour promises free jobs retraining for adults | Labour is promising a £3bn plan to offer adults in England free access to retraining to help their job chances and to tackle skills shortages. Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner wants to "throw open the door" to adults wanting to learn new skills. The Lib Dems are promising a £10,000 training grant for each adult, which it calls a "skills wallet". The Conservatives have a National Retraining Scheme for adults needing to update their skills for work. With concerns about automation threatening jobs and warnings from employers about a lack of skilled staff, the political parties are setting out their stall for adult education and retraining. The CBI business group welcomed making training a priority, saying: "Adult participation in education is at its lowest for two decades." The Edge vocational education charity warned the current skills shortage was costing UK businesses £4.4bn per year. On Tuesday, Labour's election campaign will set out its plans to spend an extra £3bn per year to provide free access to vocational learning for adults - which it hopes will reach an extra 300,000 people per year. Ms Rayner says it will help people "who want to change career, are made redundant or didn't get the qualifications they needed when they were younger". "For many, adult education is too expensive, too time-consuming or too difficult to get into," she says. Labour would offer adults up to six years of training, such as for qualifications for working in the healthcare and engineering sectors. Employees would also have a right to paid time off for education and training and there are promises to improve careers advice for adults. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says education should be "like an escalator running alongside you throughout life, that you can get on and off whenever you want". The Liberal Democrats have put forward their plans for adult education - based on the idea of individuals having a "skills wallet" to pay for training, with government funding being available to be drawn down at different stages of life. At the age of 25, there would be £4,000 put into the skills wallet, £3,000 at the age of 40 and then £3,000 at the age of 55. • National Retraining Scheme for workers who lose jobs to automation • 'I left school with no exams, but that didn't mean I was thick' "In an ever changing workplace, people often need to develop new skills but the cost of courses and qualifications shuts too many people out," Lib Dem business spokesman Sam Gyimah says. The Conservatives in government have begun to test plans for a National Retraining Scheme, supported by £100m announced in last year's Budget. This is intended to help people train for changing jobs and alternative careers if their jobs are threatened by automation. There are some local pilot tests for the retraining scheme, available to adults without degrees in low-income jobs. It is scheduled to be rolled out more widely in 2020. The Conservatives also highlighted their plans for new vocational qualifications, called T-levels. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said Labour was "making promises that it simply won't be able to fulfil". But Jo Grady, leader of the UCU lecturers' union, warned of "steep falls" in numbers of adult students. "For too many years, adult learning has been a sorely neglected part of our education system," she said. Neil Bates, who chairs the Edge vocational educational charity, said employers would want to tackle the £4.4bn cost of skills shortages - and individuals needed to have the skills for "secure, well paid, sustainable jobs". Employers have complained of skills shortages and Matthew Fell, the CBI's chief policy director, said it was important "lifelong learning is rising to the top of the political agenda". He said businesses would also welcome support for technical education and giving it a status "on par with academic learning". All the parties know their record on adult education is pretty poor, writes Sophie Hutchinson. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, in the past 15 years, overall spending on classroom-based courses has fallen by two-thirds, as have the number of adult learners. The adult education budget fell by 32% between 2003-04 and 2009-10 under Labour and by a further 47% from 2009-10 to 2018-19 under the coalition and the Conservatives. Labour now says it would reverse that and more, coming close to doubling the current adult education budget, taking it back to levels similar to 2003. The Lib Dems also want a boost to lifelong learning - with a "skills wallet" for money for adults to spend on learning. But there will be a challenge ensuring this is spent on genuine courses - as a previous Individual Learning Account scheme faced widespread fraud. | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-50378666 | Mon, 11 Nov 2019 23:55:46 GMT | 1,573,534,546 | 1,573,518,322 | education | vocational education |
90,825 | charlotteobserver--2019-11-18--Idaho college receives $1.1M to expand teacher training | 2019-11-18T00:00:00 | charlotteobserver | Idaho college receives $1.1M to expand teacher training | An Idaho college has received a $1.1 million grant to help reverse a statewide teacher shortage through an alternative certification program. The Times-News reports the College of Southern Idaho plans to expand its Non-Traditional Educator Preparation Program. The state Workforce Development Council operating under the office of Republican Gov. Brad Little approved the grant. Officials say the program is for teachers without a certificate or hoping to change their certificate and career changers or paraprofessionals who want to become fully accredited teachers. Officials say the accelerated, four-semester program provides classroom mentors for hands-on training as well as monthly course material delivered in person or online. The program is expected to train 830 teachers over the three-year period of the grant. | <span class="ng_byline_credit">The Associated Press</span> | https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article237502374.html#storylink=rss | Mon, 18 Nov 2019 14:58:34 EST | 1,574,107,114 | 1,574,107,242 | education | vocational education |
130,356 | dailyheraldchicago--2019-12-02--How District 214's Educator Prep program is training teachers early to address shortage | 2019-12-02T00:00:00 | dailyheraldchicago | How District 214's Educator Prep program is training teachers early to address shortage | Editor’s note: Suburban Education Lab is an occasional series focusing on innovative programs at suburban schools, often tackling common, universal problems in education. Four weeks into a hands-on internship working with students with behavioral issues, Brandon Zuniga knew he wanted to become a teacher. In the spring, Zuniga helped run activities in a special-needs physical education class at Timber Ridge School in Arlington Heights, ensuring students "stay on task," because they can get hyper. "I enjoyed it a lot," said the 17-year-old Rolling Meadows High School senior enrolled in Northwest Suburban High School District 214's Educator Prep program, which helps prepare high school students to become licensed teachers. Zuniga plans to major in early childhood education with a minor in physical education. He is the only male student enrolled in the program. "My favorite part is after I give a new idea to a student, I just like the smile on their face indicating they enjoy learning," he said. "When they get that 'aha' moment, that's probably the most rewarding thing in this." Investing in such programs is key to addressing a statewide teacher shortage, state education officials say. At District 214, participants take a three-year sequence of courses, earn early college credit and get experience co-teaching and supporting teachers in real classrooms. They complete four internship rotations in elementary, middle school, English language learner and special education classrooms at various schools. This year, the Joyce Foundation and Illinois P-20 Council funded 21 school districts to expand and create similar teaching career paths modeled after District 214's program. Grant recipients include District 214, Plainfield District 202 and Indian Prairie District 204. "One way to build an educator workforce is to help build the program in high schools," said Stephanie Banchero, education program director for The Joyce Foundation. "District 214 is unique. They do two things that are really smart: help kids get college credit while in high school, (and) they are giving them exposure to the profession. Those are two key components to a very strong pathway." High school teacher preparation programs also help train people who ultimately might return to work in their communities, Banchero said. "Research shows that teachers work within 15 miles of where they grew up," Banchero said. "So growing teachers in the community where they are probably going to live is a good idea." District 214's Educator Prep program, started in 2016, is the most developed education career program at the high school level that other school districts have sought to emulate, officials said. During the last four years, 350 participants have signed letters of intent to pursue careers in education, and roughly 1,000 students are taking education courses at six district sites. Last school year, more than 100 students participated in teacher internships in partnership with nine feeder elementary districts: Arlington Heights District 25, Elk Grove Township District 59, Fremont District 79, Palatine District 15, Prospect Heights District 23, River Trails District 26, North Shore District 112, Wheeling-Buffalo Grove District 21 and the Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization. Students who complete Educator Prep and its capstone course, Education Academy, are guaranteed placement in education degree programs at Northeastern Illinois University and National Louis University. The program's first graduates will matriculate in two years. District 214 also supports those students in college, offering professional development and guaranteed student-teaching placements in-district and with partner schools within its communities. "We are holding them close to us, changing our community from within," said Megan Knight, District 214 director of academic pathways and programs. "At the end of the day, our highest priority is we need our classrooms to be staffed by teachers who reflect the changing demographics of our schools. We need our students to see themselves in the people they see standing in front of them every day." • Share ideas of innovative educational programs at suburban schools by email to [email protected]. | null | http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20191203/how-district-214s-educator-prep-program-is-training-teachers-early-to-address-shortage | Mon, 2 Dec 2019 23:43:04 -0500 | 1,575,348,184 | 1,575,375,759 | education | vocational education |
92,708 | chicagosuntimes--2019-02-14--Preckwinkle unveils dual generational job training program | 2019-02-14T00:00:00 | chicagosuntimes | Preckwinkle unveils ‘dual generational’ job training program | Parents would get job training at the schools where their kids are learning under a plan unveiled by Toni Preckwinkle Thursday that also targets 60,000 young people neither in school nor working. Mayor Rahm Emanuel points with pride to having expanded the “One Summer Chicago” jobs program to 32,223 opportunities at a time when state and federal funding for those programs has dried up. Emanuel is also using a $10.4 million settlement triggered by inadequate driver background checks by ride-hailing giants Uber, Lyft and Via to bolster mentoring programs for at-risk youth and spending $2.6 million to expand and sustain mentoring programs like Becoming a Man (BAM) with “demonstrable success in violence reduction.” None of that is enough to satisfy Preckwinkle. If elected mayor, she plans to use the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership she created as county board president to create new job training programs that better meet the needs of working parents, older employees, at-risk youth and ex-offenders. One of the new wrinkles is what Preckwinkle’s policy volunteer Jay Lee calls a “dual generational training opportunity” that would allow “under-employed parents to train at the same schools their kids attend.” The expiring contract with the Chicago Teachers Union earmarked $10 million to create a so-called “sustainable community schools program.” It brings “community partners” into 20 pilot schools to provide additional services, such as literacy and language training. Every participating school gets a $500,000 grant. Preckwinkle wants to ramp up that program to include 55 schools and add workforce agencies to the pool of organizations brought in to help provide “job training and soft skills.” Lee pointed to a recent study by Northwestern University showing that when parents and children get “dual-generation training” at the same location, both generations benefit. “Sometimes, these job training programs are far from where kids go to school. It becomes difficult for the parents to manage both,” Lee said. “By creating opportunities for parents to train in the same place where their kids are going to school, you eliminate the child care burden. Kids do better knowing their parents are nearby. And parents do better knowing they don’t have to worry about their kids.” Chicago has nearly 60,000 young people ages 16 to 24 who are not in school and don’t have jobs. Most live on the South and West Sides. They are in danger of becoming either victims of crime or criminals themselves. To prevent those young people from succumbing to the lure of street gangs, Preckwinkle wants to modify the city’s summer jobs program to put a laser-like focus on detached youth. Instead of just giving a kid a summer job and telling them to show up at a desk or a park, Preckwinkle wants to duplicate the “intensive,” $1 million program she used at the county to create a 90 percent job placement rate for 400 young people most at risk. “Counselors are doing individual development and checking up on the family situation and things outside the program. Almost social work stuff. They’re finding emotional trauma resources and making sure they’re getting to work. They’re being more intentional on the employer side by finding high-growth industries and doing a match,” Lee said. “There’s a critical need to start using the summer to get some of these kids into permanent careers with … a future. Going back to high school is great. But we know there’s a population that’s not doing that. We need to use the summer to help those kids get sustainable careers.” Like former Mayor Richard M. Daley, Emanuel has made it a priority to find jobs for roughly 3,000 ex-offenders who return to Chicago each year. But Preckwinkle argued that the city’s “disorganized cluster” of ex-offender programs “makes it near impossible” for former inmates to get the help they need to ease the transition home. She’s promising to coordinate all re-entry programs through a task force under the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice. She also plans to expand the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership’s Back to Work 50+ program with AARP to every one of Chicago’s seven city colleges. | Fran Spielman | https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/preckwinkle-job-training-at-risk-youth-rahm-emanual-chicago-mayor-election-2019/ | 2019-02-14 21:53:36+00:00 | 1,550,199,216 | 1,567,548,489 | education | vocational education |
785,119 | theirishtimes--2019-03-12--How to fund your postgraduate education | 2019-03-12T00:00:00 | theirishtimes | How to fund your postgraduate education | As attention turns towards final undergraduate projects and exams, you may also start thinking about the next step and how you’re going to fund your postgraduate degree. Whether you intend on undertaking a taught or research postgraduate, how to fund it will be of concern to many students. Scholarships are available from all universities, as is funding from other bodies and institutes. The following is an outline of some of the scholarships and funding available. A full list of all prizes and bursaries is available from each of the institutes’ websites and from individual departments. All have various deadlines and application requirements, so it is imperative that you follow up with the relevant department as soon as possible and submit your application on time. For students hoping to begin a postgraduate in the 2020-21 academic year, now is a good time to begin researching as some applications will close later this year. State funding is available for postgraduate courses through the Susi (Student Universal Support Ireland) system. Many students will be familiar with Susi if they applied to and received funding through it throughout their undergrad. However, even if a student has received Susi funding before, they will need to apply again for their postgraduate course. Applications for the upcoming academic year open at the beginning of April. It is advised you apply as early as possible and take very careful note of all documentation required by Susi, to avoid any delay to your application and to receive your funding, if you are eligible, as early as possible. The amount awarded will depend on a number of factors, such as your own or family income, whether you are a dependent or independent applicant and your distance from the college. Your first port of call should be the Susi eligibility reckoner (susi.ie/eligibility-reckoner-app/), which provides an indication of your possible eligibility for funding based on the information you provide to a series of questions. Postgraduate funding for Level 8 to 10 is available from Susi for a maximum of four years. Tax relief of 20 per cent can be claimed on postgraduate fees by whoever pays the fees, be it the student themselves or another party. However, the relief is subject to a “single disregard” amount. This amount (typically €3,000 for full-time postgraduate courses) is taken away from the total qualifying fees (this is the amount paid for tuition fees, including the student contribution fee) and no relief can be received on that portion of the fees. More information is available from Revenue (revenue.ie). Sixty taught masters scholarships worth €2,000 each are available to students undertaking full-time programmes at Maynooth University. A minimum final overall undergraduate honours bachelor’s degree of a 2.1 is required to be considered for them. More information on the scholarships is available at maynoothuniversity.ie. Last year 27 John and Pat Hume Doctoral Award scholarships were granted by the university. Established in honour of John and Pat Hume in recognition of their lifelong support for human rights issues and their work for peace and reconciliation, the top level of funding provides an up to €18,000a year stipend plus fees for four years of PhD research. There are also lower levels of funding available. The scholarship is open across all disciplines and to both professional doctorates and part-time students. For more information visit: maynoothuniversity.ie/jphawards. NUI Galway’s main taught masters scholarship is its 1:1 scheme, worth €1,500 each. While it is awarded to anyone with a first-class honours degree who has been accepted on to a full-time programme, an application form must still be filled out. For those undertaking research, the Hardiman PhD Scholarships are fully funded for four years, with a stipend of €16,000 per year plus fees. The scholarships offer opportunities for suitably qualified individuals to pursue a structured PhD focused within five key areas of research: humanities; biomedical science and engineering; informatics, physical and computational; environment, marine and energy, and social science and public policy. Those undertaking the professional master of education in order to teach through Irish at second level can also apply for a €2,000 bursary. A number of other postgraduate scholarships varying in value are also available across a number of disciplines, such as business, technology, health sciences, and old and middle Irish. More information is available at nuigalway.ie/postgraduate_scholarships/. UCC offers a range of scholarships and prizes, with funding ranging from €500 up to €28,000. There are a number of taught masters scholarships, such as the Quercus scholarship, which is a 50 per cent contribution towards postgraduate fees for the duration of a course; the Southern Law Association Prize (worth €1,000), and, for history students, the Michael Joseph McEnery memorial prize, worth about €12,000. For UCC graduates who have a parent with the surname O’Connor, they can apply for the €10,000 O’Connor Scholarship. There are also large number of research scholarships available, such as the Heinz doctoral research fellowship in international business strategy (€15,000) and the David John Barry Fellowship in Food Technology and Marketing (€7,000), while medical students can apply for the Ainsworth Scholarship, which is dependent on the candidate’s financial need and the costs likely to be incurred. See ucc.ie for more information. UL offers a number of postgraduate scholarships. Ten taught scholarships are available through UL’s Kemmy Business School and 10 from the faculty of science and engineering, each offering €2,000 towards fees. Students hoping to study any of the taught MA programmes at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance can apply for one of the €1,000 Stepping Stones scholarships available, while the academy also offers a limited number of full and/or partial fee waivers for research students at MA and PhD level. The school of allied health offers two structured PhD scholarships paying fees for four years (€17,284 in total), while the school’s interprofessional education PhD scholarship is worth €92,768 in total over a four-year period. There are also a number of physical education and sport sciences scholarships on offer, including the Physical Education and Sport Sciences Postgraduate Scholarship and the PJ Smyth scholarship, both for PhD students, covering fees and providing a bursary of €13,000 per annum for four years. See ul.ie for more information. DCU offers a wide range of scholarships across its schools. The John Thompson scholarship in digital marketing offers full fees and a small contribution towards books and study expenses, while the school of communications has up to five PhD scholarships with a tax-free stipend of not less than €14,000, plus fees. The 30% Club, which aims to achieve better gender balance at all levels in leading Irish businesses, is offering a fee scholarship to female engineers or computer scientists studying on a full- or part-time basis in DCU’s faculty of engineering and computing. The Intel scholarship worth €3,000 is available to graduates who plan to enter either the MEng in electronic and computer engineering or the MEng in mechanical and manufacturing engineering, while the UrbanVolt scholarship is available to one DCU masters student who demonstrates an innovative and entrepreneurial mindset. The San Jose-Dublin Sister City Programme Exchange Scholarship, valued at more than $50,000, awards a taught masters scholarship to an engineering, physics or computer science graduate. There are also a number of other scholarships available, such as sports, aviation and alumni scholarships. For more details on all scholarships visit the postgraduate section on each of the schools’ websites. UCD has a diverse range of postgraduate scholarships, bursaries and awards varying in value. Top-performing eligible candidates can apply for scholarships in their chosen fields, such as the Achiever MBA Scholarships (up to €34,500 each); the Réalta Master in Engineering Scholarship (€7,500); the Caroline Walsh Bursary in Creative Writing (€6,300); three MA scholarships in the UCD school of English, drama and film, each to the value of €5,000; the Kevin B Nowlan Scholarship in Irish or Modern European History (€5,500); the Helga and Hugh Staunton Scholarship for postgraduate studies in German (€5,000), and 16 Intel scholarships, each to the value of €3,000. Business students can apply for a range of full and partial merit- and needs-based scholarships, through the Women on the MBA Scholarship and the Aspire MBA and MSc scholarships for those who demonstrate the ambition to study at the Smurfit School but who need some financial help. For more information on all scholarships contact the respective schools and colleges within the university. TCD has a broad range of studentships, scholarships and specific funded projects for research across all disciplines, normally covering tuition fees and providing a stipend. The university also offers a number of named benefactions and awards funded by largely private donations and bequests. However, scholarships and funding for taught postgraduate courses are more limited and when available are advertised on the individual course web pages and the website of the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies. The university website provides a full breakdown of opportunities. Details of scholarships available can be found at: tcd.ie. Universities Ireland, the body which promotes collaboration between universities in the North and the Republic, offers four scholarships (which last year were worth €15,000 each) to students who have been accepted to undertake a recognised masters degree or are entering the first year of a PhD programme at a university on the island of Ireland and meet a number of eligibility requirements as detailed on its website: universitiesireland.ie. The Irish Research Council manages a range of interlinked programmes funding researchers across all career stages and disciplines. Applications for 2019-20 have already closed but those with an eye on 2020-21 should monitor the council’s website, as funding opportunities typically open at different times during the year and close at various dates from the summer onwards. See research.ie/. The Fulbright Awards are open to Irish citizens to study or undertake postgraduate research in the US for a period of four months up to a year. Applications for 2019-20 have closed but will reopen in August 2019 for 2020-21 applications. See fulbright.ie for more. Other sources of funding that prospective 2020-21 students should look out for include funding from the Irish Cancer Society, Teagasc and Science Foundation Ireland. | null | https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/how-to-fund-your-postgraduate-education-1.3808692 | 2019-03-12 00:00:00+00:00 | 1,552,363,200 | 1,567,546,606 | education | vocational education |
785,120 | theirishtimes--2019-03-12--How to select the right postgraduate course for you | 2019-03-12T00:00:00 | theirishtimes | How to select the right postgraduate course for you | How to differentiate between what’s on offer and, more particularly, how to ensure your course has credibility in the labour market, is a major challenge. But before you decide what you want to study, you should ask yourself about what type of programme you wish to follow: research or taught. Taught postgraduate courses can be a continuation of your undergraduate studies or in an entirely new area. The length of a course usually determines its qualification. A higher certificate is generally a 30-credit programme over six modules. A graduate diploma is generally 60 credits and the master’s degree requires 90 credits. Taught masters often include a research component, possibly during the summer and, in some cases, in an industry setting. Research masters, including MLitt’s, generally take 15 months to four years, depending on whether it’s full-time or part-time. If you choose a research-based course, explore the courses in your research area and the quality of the support and supervision offered. You can contact potential employers in your research area for views on the programme’s strengths. Finding out the labour market’s opinion of the quality of support and supervision at this stage will pay dividends when engaging with potential employers near completion of your programme. Some master’s programmes will facilitate an immediate transfer on to a PhD. A doctorate takes a minimum of three years. The topic is determined by your area of interest and those of your supervisor. Some PhDs are designed for the lone scholar under the direction of a single expert supervisor. There are also structured PhDs where groups of students come together for transferable skills. Talk to the programme director to get help deciding which structure suits you and your work-style best. Validity and recognition are central to choosing a programme. Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), a Department of Education and Skills agency responsible for the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), validates all qualifications from literacy programmes at level 1 to doctoral awards at level 10 within the Stare. The validation of any qualification is central to its value; in Ireland this is usually seen in its relationship to the NFQ. The universities, the Technological University of Dublin and the Institutes of Technology make their own awards under legislation, or under “delegated awarding power” from QQI. These awards are on the NFQ for both undergraduate and postgraduate level and are listed by the higher education institutions on their websites. QQI also makes awards in higher education mainly for programmes offered by private or independent higher education colleges. The database on www.qqi.ie lists higher education offerings from private institutions leading to awards at level 6 and upwards. The qualifax.ie website has information on all postgrad opportunities in Ireland, including those not validated by QQI (for example, courses in Northern Ireland that fall outside the remit of QQI). Qualifax currently lists 2,831 postgraduate programmes up from 2,714 in 2018 in 85 institutions in Ireland, including Northern Ireland institutions which provides 351 programmes. They range from accounting in UCD to zoology in NUIG. Qualifax also lists some programmes at private colleges, where awards are on or aligned to the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). There are another 100-plus courses offered by private colleges, with degrees awarded by external awarding bodies such as the universities in the UK. Aside from programmes on Qualifax, highly reputable postgraduate degrees are offered online by top ranking universities worldwide. Unfortunately, there are also many worthless postgrad offerings online from colleges with little or no academic credibility. So, for those considering programmes not validated by QQI, caveat emptor or buyer beware. It can be difficult to verify the recognition of a qualification in another country. The European Network of Information Centres and National Academic Recognition Information Services (ENIC NARIC offices) in the relevant country is invaluable if you are considering studying abroad. See http://enic-naric.net The Qualifax website is the source for all postgraduate courses in Ireland validated by QQI. You can search for programmes under a range of criteria, location, cost and key search words relevant to your area of interest. For courses in NI and the UK, ucas.com has a comprehensive postgrad section. There’s a growing number of postgrad programmes through English in European universities – see eunicas.ie. Online, highly reputable postgrads are offered by bodies such as the Open University and prestigious universities internationally. “We see students selecting one of three types of course – depending on their own goals and motivation,” says Eilis O’Brien, director of communication at UCD. “They fall into one of the following categories: progression students, who wish to become more expert in their bachelor subject; conversion students, who have a degree in one area but want to add skills and knowledge from another; and professional students, who want the qualification that goes with a particular graduate course.” This third group generally have a career path mapped out, so the choice may be more about where and when. The first two groups start to think of postgraduate options around now in the final year of studies. The high-quality Stem graduates emerging from universities and ITs have opportunities, but the competition has also increased, so many go on to graduate level to enhance their skill set. Edel Carraway, programme internship manager for science at UCD, offers practical advice to final-year students thinking about taking a master’s or PhD: “Many students want their graduate degrees to open career doors and having an internship is very beneficial on your CV and can lead directly to a job offer from the placement company.” Many colleges offer internships as part of taught master’s, particularly in the Stem subjects. “Seven of our science master’s degrees offer 12 to 15-week internships in semester three,” Carraway says. “Students are matched with suitable organisations and undertake a specific industry research project, which is carefully supervised and assessed.” This type of experience can be invaluable. Science graduates with a background in life sciences or chemistry, and thinking about setting up on their own, may consider a hybrid conversion degree such as an MSc in biotechnology and business, including completing a business plan with a biotechnology company. As a hub of biotechnology, Ireland is a good place for science graduates and an increasing number of international students are enrolling here. Biotechnology master’s and doctorate programmes with appropriate internships are also offered by DCU, UCC, NUIG and the TUD. With 37 per cent of undergrads going on to postgrad, careers offices in colleges are crucial in advising undergraduates of their choices by running events to promote master’s and PhD options to their final-year students and preparing applications for graduate studies. | null | https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/how-to-select-the-right-postgraduate-course-for-you-1.3814862 | 2019-03-12 00:00:00+00:00 | 1,552,363,200 | 1,567,546,606 | education | vocational education |
785,129 | theirishtimes--2019-03-12--Matching skills with labour market demand | 2019-03-12T00:00:00 | theirishtimes | Matching skills with labour market demand | Undertaking a postgraduate programme is one way in which today’s graduates are future-proofing for a constantly evolving jobs market. Undergraduates expecting to secure employment upon finighing their primary degree might be surprised to discover that they may lack the core skills which employers look for when recruiting. For many, the option of undertaking a postgraduate programme, which will add to and complement their existing skills, is one they need to consider. Such a programme will add a set of cross-sectoral skills to complement their CV and enhance their employability. There is increasing confluence between sectors such as information and communications technology (ICT), business and engineering, which were once considered to be unique in their own right. ICT now permeates almost all sectors of the economy, and similarly, strong business skills are relevant across many sectors. Accounting firms today don’t only hire accountants - they are also on the lookout for marketing, IT and engineering graduates. Arts and journalism graduates who can bring communications and social media skills are sought after by firms who need to expand their social media and online presence. Data analytics is now the fastest-growing skill in demand and demand is set to continue in the years ahead. The combination of data and marketing skills is perhaps the most highly sought-after combination. Evolving IT security threats and the corresponding need for greater data protection is feeding demand for IT security roles with increased demand for dedicated cyber-security functions. Ever-increasing investment in web-based services has created a major skills shortage for software developers with Java, NET, Python, Ruby on Rails and Scala, in particular. The intersection between finance and technology has undergone a huge shift which is changing the face of the financial services landscape. With dozens of Irish start-ups operating in this area, the expectation is for significant growth in this area in the coming years. The opportunities for hybrid professionals - graduates with skills spanning financial services and technology - will continue to increase as the finance and technology sector sees increasing collaboration between government, education and industry sectors. There are abundant opportunities for graduates with large financial institutions and smaller global tech companies operating in the financial sphere as traditional companies work towards adapting to the rise of finance and technology. There are increasing overlaps in the skill sets required across different sectors and job roles. In addition to sector-specific skills, cross-sectoral employability skills are increasingly being sought by employers. These include people skills, critical/analytical thinking skills, management skills and creativity, design and innovation, entrepreneurialism, team working, communications and business acumen, with ICT skills and foreign languages, and cultural awareness, which is vitally important in developing our markets outside of the British Isles in a post Brexit environment. Languages in demand include German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, the Nordic languages and a growing need for Mandarin. Every year dozens of companies, across a wide range of sectors, recruit graduates and postgraduates. The larger companies typically have graduate training programmes in place. They recruit graduates who can demonstrate strong academic ability, but who may have limited or even no experience of the world of work. A graduate training programme is a way of bridging this gap by easing new entrants into the world of work and equipping them with the necessary skills required by the organisation. Graduate training programmes tend to be up to two years long. Some will offer opportunities in different areas of the business before settling on a specific career area within the company. Such programmes are an excellent opportunity to learn on the job, gain experience and earn some money at the same time. Graduate training programmes are a significant stepping stone to a permanent job. Some examples of cross-sector graduate recruitment campaigns include CRH, Intel, Analog Devices, Deloitte, Bank of Ireland, ESB and Accenture. European Movement (EM) Ireland has a long-running internship programme of three to four months, where final-year students or recent graduates undertake a placement for between three and six months in their offices in Dublin city centre. Check out CareersPortal.ie for details of other graduate recruitment programmes. There may be a gap between the skills employers are looking for and the skills you are leaving college with. It is possible to bridge this gap. Springboard is an initiative for higher education that offers free, part-time courses at certificate, degree and master’s level, leading to qualifications that are in demand among employers. Most courses are one-year or less. In a rapidly shifting economic environment, Springboard courses have provided more than 35,000 people with a new skillset, specifically tailored to the needs of today’s market. All the courses aim to reskill people in areas where job opportunities in skilled employment are growing - ICT; high-level manufacturing; medical devices; biopharma; international financial services; skills to trade internationally; entrepreneurship and business start-up; and niche skills in the construction industry. The current Springboard+ programme offers a choice of more than 245 free, part-time and intensive conversion courses in higher education from certificate to degree to post-graduate level at certificate, degree and postgraduate level. Most are part-time, but there are also some full-time courses including ICT conversion courses. There are 8,088 free places available throughout the country. Springboard qualifications are available in cross-enterprise skills such as innovation, enterprise/entrepreneurship, digital marketing and project management. To find out more about Springboard+ or to apply for one of its courses visit springboardcourses.ie. | null | https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/matching-skills-with-labour-market-demand-1.3813830 | 2019-03-12 00:01:42+00:00 | 1,552,363,302 | 1,567,546,606 | education | vocational education |
785,137 | theirishtimes--2019-03-12--Postgrad earnings what you can expect | 2019-03-12T00:00:00 | theirishtimes | Postgrad earnings: what you can expect | It’s rarely possible to say that a particular postgraduate qualification will lead to a specific job and a clearly defined salary as, outside of a narrow set of jobs in the tech and life science sectors, most courses will open up a variety of career opportunities. Certain sectors require a postgraduate qualification: most secondary school teacher jobs, certain healthcare roles or becoming a research scientist, for instance. In most roles, however, a postgraduate qualification can give a leg-up but experience is what really counts. That said, Graduate Outcomes, a recent survey carried out by the Higher Education Authority, did find a clear premium for postgrads, with 43 per cent of taught postgrads earning between €35,000-79,999 compared to just 24 per cent who have an undergraduate degree alone. The HEA data is not broken down by discipline, but the earnings boost of a postgraduate course is clear. When it comes down to particular roles, we’ve included a selection of average salaries for some of the jobs that these postgraduate courses might lead to. All salaries are from the website Jobs.ie, which provides a useful breakdown of the various salaries in different roles across a range of industry sectors, and some salary comparisons between different companies. Payscale. com can also be a useful guide for budding postgraduates. For more information, see Jobs.ie/job-talk and follow the links to the salary guides: Helpdesk support (entry level): €24-29,000, rising to €36-40,000 after five years experience Business analyst (entry level): €40-50,000, rising to €65-80,000 after five years experience Data analyst (entry level): €30-50,000, rising to €65-90,000 after five years experience Regulatory affairs officer: €30-60,000 (Dublin), €30-45,000 (outside Dublin), rising to €80-120,000 (Dublin) and €80-110,000 (outside Dublin) for a director of regulatory affairs And a selection of average salaries according to Jobs.ie *Salary estimates are based on salary data collected from Jobs.ie advertisements in Ireland during the last 12 months | null | https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/postgrad-earnings-what-you-can-expect-1.3815110 | 2019-03-12 00:00:00+00:00 | 1,552,363,200 | 1,567,546,606 | education | vocational education |
785,143 | theirishtimes--2019-03-12--Spotlight on courses around the country | 2019-03-12T00:00:00 | theirishtimes | Spotlight on courses around the country | We take a look at a selection of the many postgraduate courses available in Ireland’s universities, institutes of technology and colleges. Where indicated, we have listed the most popular courses by number of applications in the higher education institutions. We have also included some salary expectations for some of the potential jobs for graduates of these courses. Prof Diarmuid Ferriter, one Ireland’s best-known and respected historians, is one of the lecturers on this new course from the largest school of history in Ireland. Students will work closely with him and other renowned historians, including Dr Lindsey Earner Byrne. Students will have an opportunity to focus on their own particular areas of interest, and be guided by historians with a strong track record in the teaching, research and writing of a range of absorbing and provocative themes. Modules include case studies in 20th century Irish history; welfare, health and gender; public history; the legacies of Irish revolution; and European history to place Irish history in a comparative context. Students will also complete a dissertation on a specialist topic of their choice, working with their supervisor to produce a thesis based on original research. And there’s an opportunity to organise a conference, sharing research findings and developing presentation skills. Applicants are required to have a minimum of a 2.1 or international equivalent in BA history or a related discipline. History graduates are employed in fields including law, business, journalism, public relations, broadcasting, education and creative writing. EU fees for the full-time course are €7,055 for the year or €4,235 for a part-time two-year course. Popular courses on offer, by number of applications, include: Interested in working in business, but lacking that primary undergraduate degree? The MSc in management – ranked first in western Europe for general management by Eduniversal in 2018 – might just be the course for you. Over one full-time yea, students on this programme will be equipped with the management skills needed to work in the world of global business, with all the key areas of management covered including people management, finance, operations and strategic planning. As the course is not designed for business graduates the intake has been consistently diverse and includes students with primary degrees in arts, science and medicine. Modules on the course include financial management, ethical business, entrepreneurship, the psychology of management and leading change in a complex world. Students will also learn about research methods, and carry out a dissertation project based on primary research; previous projects have covered a diverse range of areas including cinema and marketing management, engineering and strategy and fashion and supply chain. Expert guest speakers, case studies and interactive discussion will help students to critically analyse business issues and to develop their own style of leadership. Graduates have gone on to work in areas including consulting, financial services and media/entertainment in companies including Accenture, Deloitte and EY. Applicants must have a minimum level eight 2.1 degree as well as two academic referees. Spotlight on: MA in critical and creative media The MA in critical and creative media offers flexibility to students who are new to media studies and wish to gain a broad understanding of media (these students will generally need a BA undergraduate degree) or those who have studied media or a related discipline and wish to specialise. The course allows students to choose from a selection of subjects with a wide range of themes relating to production and practice, media history and media theory. Students who are keen to explore the interdisciplinary nature of media can also choose to take courses in related disciplines such as sociology, law, geography, anthropology and Irish. They will develop transferable research, writing and analytical skills. Depending on the route students take through the degree, the course prepares them for a career in digital media, audiovisual production, marketing and advertising, research, content production, the arts sector or further postgraduate studies. Graduates have gone on to work in content writing, journalism and digital marketing. One graduate, Dafe Pressu, produced a soundtrack and documentary on Irish hip-hop music,and is now working in marketing. Students must have a 2.1 honours degree in media studies or a related subject in humanities, art, social science, communication or ICT. Full-time EU fees are €6,200 for the one-year programme or €4,170 for a flexible two-year part-time course Popular courses on offer, by number of applications, include: This two-year, full-time course offered by UCC’s college of medicine and health is an accelerated pre-registration programme for students with a primary degree in subjects other than diagnostic radiography. The course – which was the first programme of its kind in Ireland – aims to provide students with knowledge and experience of both academic and clinical environments including clinical and research skills and the abilities necessary for working and developing as clinicians, researchers and agents of change in healthcare. Modules on the course include professional practice in radiography, biological sciences for health professionals, image interpretation, advanced radiation science and diagnostic pathways and patient needs. Students will also undertake three clinical placement blocks in semesters two and three of first year, four clinical placement blocks for a total of 20 weeks in second year and an elective three-week placement for those who wish to encounter other hospital experiences. There’s also a short research proposal and a research dissertation to complete. Classes will take place from 9am-5pm every day during term time. Possible careers, once graduates are registered with CORU, include advanced or consultant practitioner, management or teaching. Some students may be eligible for a part-scholarship sponsored by the HSE South/South West Hospital Group. Fees are €11,000 for each of the two years (total: €22,000). Popular courses on offer, by number of applications, include: New course: MA sports journalism and communication AI is predicted to make many jobs obsolete with the coming decades, but – according to research carried out last year by audit firm PWC – it will create many more than it displaces. The World Economic Forum estimates that by 2025 machines will perform more current work tasks than humans today, while AI and robotics could contribute over €13.2 trillion to the global economy by 2030. This new full-time, one-year programme will equip graduates to work in this major growth area, which has the potential to transform every aspect of our lives and worlds. Foundational modules include machine learning and deep learning, ethics in AI and natural language processing, while advanced modules include data visualisation, web and network science and tools and techniques for large-scale data analytics. This is a particularly competitive course: applicants should have a first class honours from a level eight computer science programme, or a level eight science programme that provides extensive training in computing (such as object-oriented programming, modern software engineering and database development). However, applicants with a strong 2.1 degree may be admitted on the recommendation of the programme director. EU fees for this course are €7,215. New courses at Dublin City University and the University of Limerick This year DCU has introduced three very timely new courses with a focus on mental health, wellbeing and inclusion. The new MSc in psychology and wellbeing provides psychology graduates with a strong grounding in theory, policy and practice of wellbeing. The focus of the course is on the psychological, societal, environmental and physical factors on the wellbeing of individuals, families and whole communities. This programme is intended as a springboard for students going on to further clinical, research or professional psychology careers in education, community settings, mental health, family support and clinical psychology. The course is offered on a one-year full-time or two-year part-time basis. Fees are €7,650 (full time) or €15,300 part-time. The second of DCU’s courses is a Masters of education in autism (MEdA). Last year DCU became the world’s first autism-friendly university. This has involved creating spaces that are more comfortable for students with autism, providing training to help staff understand the challenges that people with autism may face and celebrating students on the autism spectrum. This new course is a part-time blended, two-year programme open to qualified teachers working with pupils on the autism spectrum and is focused on developing teachers with a greater understanding of the educational needs facing learners with autism. There is a significant amount of online learning. Students on this course complete a thesis. Applicants must hold a minimum H2.2 level eight education qualification. EU fees are €4,500 per year. The MEd in specific learning difficulties (dyslexia) is a two-year part-time course with a mix of online learning and some weekend lectures. The course aims to develop expertise among educators working with learners who have specific learning difficulties, and is based on a professional portfolio rather than a thesis. Participants on this course learn to write diagnostic reports, especially in the context of the teaching environment, and will become specialists in diagnostically assessing for dyslexia, planning the most appropriate interventions and teaching students with dyslexia and literacy difficulties. Applicants working in a range of educational settings, including primary, post-primary and higher education, are welcome. Fees are €3,900 in year one and €4,300 in year two. The University of Limerick has also introduced a number of new courses. The MSc in design for health and wellbeing, offered by the faculty of science and engineering, is a one-year, full-time programme bringing together students from across different disciplines to develop and apply people-centred, innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to designing consumer health and wellbeing products, medical devices and product service systems for health. Stakeholders from hospitals, mental health services, public health and health care have been involved in designing the programme. EU fees are €6,225 for the year. The MSc in applied sports coaching, offered by the faculty of education and health science, is a two-year, part-time programme giving experienced coaches the chance to develop their skills and work with leaders and researchers in sport coaching. The programme is offered by the department of physical education and sports sciences, and the fee is €4,000 per year. Also at UL, the new MSc in business analytics is a one-year, full-time on offer at the Kemmy Business School which will train graduates to work in the growing area of solving business problems using statistical methods, large data sets, predictive models and optimisation techniques. The MA in composition and creative music practice, a one-year full-time programme where students will create acoustic and/or electronic music through a range of composition, improvisation and performance practices. The course draws from UL’s expertise in music teaching and research, and students from all music traditions and sound art practices are welcome. For fee information on these two courses contact UL’s postgraduate office. Popular courses on offer, by number of applications, include: This is a two-year part-time masters with classes taking place on Mondays and Wednesdays in TU Dublin’s Tallaght campus (formerly IT Tallaght before its merger with the Dublin Institute of Technology and IT Blanchardstown). The course is for hospitality and culinary management professionals who are interested in innovative food to meet the consumer demands and expectations in the growth area of health and wellness. Modules on the course include flavour science, human nutrition, culinary nutrition, food regulatory affairs and strategic marketing for the contemporary chef. Students will also complete professional practice and an applied research project. Graduates can expect to develop the skills needed to work in diverse roles including culinary innovation and food product development, food consultancy, food marketing, food production and service, food science research and nutritional analysis. Applicants must have a level eight honours degree, although applicants who hold a level-seven (ordinary degree) but have gained sufficient industry experience will also be considered. Students who do not wish to complete the applied research project can exit with a postgraduate diploma in applied culinary nutrition. The course costs €2,750 per year (€5,500 in total) including a non-refundable €100 application fee. Popular courses on offer, by number of applications, include: Cyber security has become increasingly important as more and more life moves online, and the skills gap in this area continues to grow. CIT’s MSc in information security has a strong emphasis on how knowledge can be applied, while being underpinned by in-depth theoretical knowledge. Modules on the course include web application and network penetration testing, cloud security, incident response and digital forensics, data analytics and malware investigations. Students will also carry out an information security research project. The course is offered on a full-time on-campus day programme basis as well as part-time online night programme. EU students will pay €6,500 for the full-time course, and €9,000 for the part-time course. Applicants should have a minimum level eight honours degree in computing or a related discipline, although applicants with significant industrial experience may also be considered. Popular courses on offer, by number of applications, include: MSc in quality and safety for health and social care This one-year, full-time taught MSc degree focuses on how we can apply the insights gained from animal behaviour to wildlife conservation. Conservation behaviour is a relatively new area of study, and will be of interest to people interested in careers in ecological consultancies, research institutes, government agencies, NGOs and charities. Students will study species in marine, freshwater and terrestrial habitats, acquiring a range of skills including acoustic and visual monitoring of marine mammals, camera trap surveying for terrestrial mammals, geographic information systems and data analysis. Modules include studies in conservation behaviour, animal behaviour, recording and analysis, and acoustic monitoring as a marine conservation tool. Students will also develop practical field skills during a residential field course in an area that allows them to study a range of animals in a variety of habitats (eg the Aran islands, the Burren, the Dingle peninsula) and to undertake a research thesis. EU fees for this course are €6,000. A selection of postgraduate research groups across business, engineering, health sciences, science and computing, humanities, and lifelong learning and education are looking for students to carry out postgraduate research degrees including masters by research and PhD degree programmes. Programmes are designed to allow students network with postgraduates in other disciplines, with optional weekly seminars on a range of topics as well as sessions aimed at developing practical skills organised by the WIT graduate studies office. Students are supervised by at least two academics with experience in the research topic. In addition, PhD students will be able to develop transferable skills through modules such as academic writing for research postgraduates and research integrity and ethics. Students can apply for funded or self-funded research programmes. Anyone interested in self-funded programmes should contact WIT academic staff to discuss potential topics, while those applying for funded positions as advertised on the WIT website and elsewhere can apply directly to the research group on Google search “WIT postgraduate prospectus” for more information. MA and PhD by research in art and design Youth workers will be interested in this level nine special purpose award which aims to equip them with the skills to engage young people in youth work through games. Students on the course will learn about the role of games in youth culture, and will gain the skills needed to design them. Students on this part-time course must be actively involved in youth work, either as a paid employee or a volunteer. Teaching will be by online lectures, reading material, weekly seminar at the LIT Thurles campus and a monthly three-hour webinar. Modules on this course include critical youth work theory, games and youth engagement, digital games in contemporary youth culture and designing games for youth work practice. Assessment will be by a project agreed with the host youth organisation, an essay or project, and online questions. PG Dip/ Master of engineering in connected and autonmous vehicles This is a two-year, full-time programme concentrating on advanced interior architectural design. The course combines elements of architecture, art, fashion, furniture and product design, graphics and performing arts. Students will be encouraged to discover their own style and expression by engaging in active research. There are four elective streams on this programme including interiors without boundaries, innovative building conservation, contemporary furniture design and energy and the built environment. Applicants should have a minimum 2.2 degree in interior architecture, architecture, interior design or a related subject. For fee details, contact IT Sligo on 0719155222 or email [email protected] Popular courses on offer, by number of applications include: Spotlight on: MA in advanced professional practice (intake every second year) Using a mix of online and blended learning options, this is a two-year, part-time programme geared towards graduates from a range of backgrounds including health, education, welfare and social care. The course aims to equip graduates with a thorough understanding of how research, policy and practice are important in shaping work activities. Modules on the course include leadership, social policy, affecting social justice in practice and international comparative social policy. Students will also undertake a research project. Applicants should have a minimum 2.2 honours level eight degree. Fees are €6,375 in total across the two years. NCAD is offering four new design MA programmes for 2019, all of which are suitable for applicants from a broad range of disciplines including design, art, humanities, social science, computer science, engineering and business. Scholarships are available across all disciplines. The MA in service design is a one-year taught masters applying design practice, methods and thinking to the service sector, including retail, tech, banking, transport, health and education, with students examining the issues facing business and governments, and creating new services to transform customer and citizen experiences. The MA communication design is a 15-month research masters where students will develop the skills needed to succeed within contemporary graphic design, illustration and moving image. Research and critical studies are combined with advanced studio practice. The MA design for body and environment, also a 15-month research masters, covers a broad range of design disciplines including fashion and textiles, jewellery and accessories. Students will examine the past, challenge the present and develop ideas that address industry, social, cultural and political agendas. Finally, the MA product design is a 15-month research masters where students will address real world challenges of balancing creativity and technical capability to meet the needs of people in homes, workplaces or the public domain. A small but well-respected college at the intersection of Dublin’s IFSC and Silicon Docklands, NCI specialises in business, computing and human relations. This one-year full-time or two-year part-time course is aimed at anyone who wants to advance their career at senior management, particularly in HR. Graduates will be eligible for chartered membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Modules include employment law, talent development and mediation and conflict management. Students will also learn about research methods and carry out a dissertation. Applicants should hold a minimum 2.2 level eight degree, although some graduates with extensive professional experience or other relevant qualifications will be considered. Griffith College offers three separate law masters courses, including LLM in international law, LLM in international commercial law and LLM in international human rights law. The LLM in international law is offered across one year full-time or two years part-time. Core modules on the course include public international law, international commercial law and international human rights law, while electives include corporate governance, international tax law and international criminal law. Applicants should have a minimum 2.2 degree in law or a related discipline where law comprises at least 50 per cent of the course. EU fees are €7,200. This course aims to produce graduates who understand how tech is changing the world of finance, with digitisation, block chain and the cloud among the innovations affecting the industry. The course was developed with industry collaboration to meet specific skills shortages in the finance sector (including banking, insurance, tech and start-ups) and students can expect to learn about financial analytics, advanced databases, disruptive technologies, web tech and security. Students will also learn about research methodologies, and carry out a project. Applicants should have a minimum 2.2 level eight degree in a related discipline, or at least two years’ industry experience. The MSc nursing (advanced leadership) aims to develop the student’s ability to reflect on their leadership role and examine theories and policies underpinning health and healthcare at individual and organisational level. During this two-year part-time programme students will have the opportunity to build their confidence in taking a leading role as an effective member of a healthcare team and enable them to actively participate in the interdisciplinary team approach to care delivery. The course also provides an opportunity to develop and engage in research projects and activities across disciplinary boundaries in the area of leadership. Students will develop an in-depth knowledge of information retrieval, data management skills, referencing skills, systematic reviewing, research implementation and action research skills. The early childhood care sector has grown significantly in recent years and is becoming a graduate-led workforce. Graduates with recognised degrees attract higher capitation fees for early-years settings which offer the free childcare scheme, and, as a result, are highly sought by employers. One of these degrees is the higher diploma in arts in early years Montessori education, delivered by St Nicholas Montessori College in Dublin and Cork. While this is a level-eight qualification it is only open to learners who have previously earned a degree. The degree provides a foundation in Montessori philosophy and practice while also providing graduates with the core competencies, skills and knowledge needed to work with children in the national Síolta and Aistear frameworks. Students will also complete business and legal modules to enable them establish their own early-years businesses. The course is delivered across 18 months on a full or part-time basis, with tuition in the evenings and weekend. Placement is an essential part of the course. For more information, see smsi.ie or call 012300080. | null | https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/spotlight-on-courses-around-the-country-1.3810076 | 2019-03-12 00:00:00+00:00 | 1,552,363,200 | 1,567,546,606 | education | vocational education |
787,041 | theirishtimes--2019-05-20--Why Science Employers across all sectors value science graduates | 2019-05-20T00:00:00 | theirishtimes | Why Science? Employers across all sectors value science graduates | For secondary school students, science generally means physics, chemistry and biology. At third-level, however, science is a very broad term, and refers as much to a way of thinking - the scientific method of testing and proving ideas about the universe and everything in it - as to any particular subjects. Zoology, geology, pharmacology, genetics, nanotechnology and astronomy are among the other science subjects available in college. Meanwhile, maths, psychology and even philosophy are among the disciplines that use a scientific method. Some colleges and universities offer broad, general entry science courses, with students taking a wide range of subjects in first year before going on to specialise down the line; these include DIT, UCD, WIT, NUI Galway and Maynooth University. Others, including UCC and UL, have opted to retain more specialised entry routes while, last year, Trinity College moved to introduce four distinct entry routes: biological and biomedical sciences, chemical sciences, geography and geoscience and physical sciences. CIT has a mix of science entry, while DCU students undertake a common-entry science route before choosing from one of eight degree courses, including biotechnology, physics & astronomy, applied physics, and genetics & cell biology. Employers across all sectors value science graduates because they are highly-trained critical thinkers and creative problem-solvers. They’re needed to work on clinical trials, research and development, regulation, particularly in biopharmaceuticals, microbiology, product development, food policy, business and the civil service. Of course, some will go straight into research, whether in academia or the private sector, but most science graduates don’t work in labs and wear white coats, and they’re particularly sought after by finance and tech firms. The last recession saw received tradition turn on its head, as students abandoned once-popular arts courses and chose science, technology, engineering and maths courses instead. This has led to points rising over the past decade, although they have stayed relatively steady or even declined slightly over the past two years. Trinity’s biomedical science and physical sciences courses both required 509 points, UCD’s general entry science courses stood at 505, NUI Galway required 401 points and Maynooth University applicants needed 350. A recent Higher Education Authority survey found that 64 per cent of science graduates were in employment or about to start a job within nine months of graduation, with a further 28 per cent in postgraduate education or further training, while graduates could expect to be on €32,070 within nine months of getting their degree. | null | https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/why-science-employers-across-all-sectors-value-science-graduates-1.3887793 | 2019-05-20 09:45:04+00:00 | 1,558,359,904 | 1,567,540,434 | education | vocational education |
789,430 | theirishtimes--2019-09-26--Learn or earn Is a postgraduate course the right choice for you | 2019-09-26T00:00:00 | theirishtimes | Learn or earn: Is a postgraduate course the right choice for you? | Gone are the days when education was capped with a third-level or postgraduate qualification. Today, in most professions, some level of lifelong learning is unavoidable. But for many people who have recently finished their undergraduate degree, deciding whether or not to take on a postgraduate course or go straight into the workplace can be a tough call. And, unfortunately, there really is no one-size-fits-all answer. Dr Fergal O’Brien is the assistant dean of postgraduate studies at the University of Limerick. “Demand for postgraduate courses is cyclical and driven by the economy,” he says. “In a recession, people may want to stay in education but there are issues around financing. During a boom, there is the attraction of the labour market, whereas a [full-time]postgraduate course may delay it.” Right now, we are in the teeth of a boom, but Brexit, Donald Trump’s trade war and our relentless capacity to trash the environment could herald a recession. One seemingly obvious decision is to work for a few years and consider a postgraduate course down the line, but the risk is that it can be very hard once you’re earning money to go back to education. “Many are still choosing to do a postgraduate course fresh out of college,” says Dr O’Brien. “There is a trade-off. You can go into the workforce now and, if there’s a recession in two years’ time, you have to consider whether the employer will value that experience more than a postgraduate.” “It really depends on the employer,” Dr O’Brien says. “When a slowdown comes, new entry positions will have higher entry requirements than before. A masters qualification is really helpful in getting a promotion or when moving jobs, but it’s perhaps less important in the first job. When you’re up against colleagues with the same level of experience, the postgraduate qualification [can help].” At Trinity College, Shaz Oye, the new president of the Graduate Students’ Union, took 52 per cent of the vote in a three-horse race by promising to fight for the rights of postgraduates and ensuring they are not taken for granted. She says Irish society needs postgraduates, and a qualification is a prerequisite for some for many jobs – but many are saying that courses are hard to fund and that their contribution isn’t adequately valued. After leaving school, Oye went straight to work. She is one of those relatively rare postgraduate students who was accepted onto a course based entirely on her prior work experience. “I have never been impressed, if on an interview panel, if someone sitting in front of me has never worked. If they have gone straight from school to undergraduate and then immediately onto a postgraduate, without any work experience, I’m hesitant. Ultimately, there is no shortcut to experience, and you can’t learn everything in the classroom. I have worked in companies where they need people who can hit the ground running – you need to have some sort of experience.” Postgraduate courses can cost between €7,000-€15,000 depending on what you study and where, but the big question is whether it’s worth the investment. “Research shows it does pay off over a person’s career, but it can be hard right now when the cost is exacerbated by higher rental and living costs,” says Dr O’Brien. Either way, there are options. Part-time courses, often delivered fully or partially online, are in demand, because it means people can work and study at the same time. “Universities are becoming more flexible and adaptable to accommodate the different needs of different learners, including those who are some distance from the college as well as student professionals who may wish to do just one module in an area that will enhance and improve their work,” says Oye. The downside, of course, is that working and studying at the same time can be exhausting. And, as Oye points out, postgraduate programmes mean that you are, at least, “studying to become a master of knowledge in that specialist field, so you have to be very clear about why you are doing it, and be aware it requires a high level of academic rigour”. Of course, in some instances, a postgraduate is particularly useful, or even essential. “There are two types of postgraduate students: one group have been studying for three or four years and want to learn more, while another group may wish to change course or reposition themselves,” says Dr O’Brien. “So we see a lot of finance graduates who might, for instance, wish to move into analytics, and a postgraduate course is the route.” Postgraduate students at DCU Business School also tend to fall into two categories, says Prof Anne Sinnott, executive dean at the DCU Business School: those students opting to convert to business after completing an undergraduate degree in science or the arts, or business students who want to specialise further in a business discipline or in an industry that is of particular interest to them. Either way, the benefits are clear: “Postgraduate programmes offer a very different learning experience, such as smaller class sizes, tailored course content, opportunities to engage with companies and personal development opportunities,” she says. “These add value to students’ employment prospects and form a much stronger base for career development than just having an undergraduate degree.” Some graduates can have the best of both worlds: with a shortage of staff in many areas, many big firms recruit straight out of college in areas as diverse as finance, accounting, pharmaceutical, technology, retail, fast moving consumer goods and elsewhere. This means graduates can go straight into a paid role where they also receive on-the-job training and opportunities for further learning and career progression too. Free, massive open online courses (MOOCs) may also be a way for graduates to learn new skills: although they don’t lead to a qualification, they can help people to figure out whether a course is a good fit. Value postgrads – or take them for granted? At Trinity, Oye’s platform includes entering into a conversation with the college authorities on accepting and recognising that postgraduate and masters students are doing extensive work for the college without adequate payment. “PhD candidates teach, design new modules, assist tutors in labs and classrooms, have their own projects and put in a lot of hours. They may receive a stipend of €16,000 a year in the best-case scenario, but others are on less. This is not enough to cover the cost of rent and living in Dublin. There has been a culture in academia that treats students as lucky to be here, and there has been a lack of recognition that they are service users of the organisation and paying a lot of money. We need innovative thinking to get postgraduate work and study appropriately valued, and this is a hot issue in college life.” Oye says a rise in research grants for the work doctoral candidates carry out, even by about €4,000, would make a real difference to people’s lives but barely make a dent in the education budget. Is it worth it? Oye is careful, however, not to paint postgraduate courses as all doom and gloom. “I loved it the day I came here. I am doing something I adore and would not be anywhere else for any money. I would recommend to younger students who are considering a postgraduate course to think carefully about the type of career they want and the experience and knowledge they will need. Find out what employers are looking for in the areas that interest you. There may be opportunities in some areas, such as drama, to do a continuous professional development course that is much shorter, cheaper and more suitable than a postgrad.” Prof Sinnott says there are plenty of options available for further study but stresses the importance of preparation. “Employers value lifelong learning and many students will opt to complete a part-time programme or executive education programme as their career progresses and the skills needed in a particular field evolve,” she says. “It’s never too late. I’d advise anyone thinking of doing a masters to understand their motivation, look closely at course content and be sure to get answers to any questions you may have about particular course. Come to an open evening if you can.” If postgrads were free and people were paid to do them, the choice would be a lot easier. But just how can a student finance their course? Springboard is a Government-run initiative that offers free courses in areas of the economy that are experiencing key skills shortages. At the moment, there’s strong demand for ICT skills conversion courses, with one-year full-time and two-year part-time courses open to graduates a year after completing their undergrad. For full details and eligibility criteria, see Springboard.ie. Postgraduate students can apply for a limited amount of financial assistance: this can vary between €2,000 and €6,270, depending on your personal circumstances. You’ll find more details on Susi.ie. Various third-levels and their individual faculties or departments also offer scholarships. At UCD, for instance, these include the Réalta Master in Engineering Scholarship and the Caroline Walsh Bursary in Creative Writing. It’s definitely worth contacting the department you’re interested in and seeing what’s on offer. The Irish Research Council also offers potentially lucrative awards to research students, but the process is highly competitive. See Research.ie. Tax relief of 20 per cent is available on postgraduate fees. And don’t forget: students can claim postgraduate grants and multiple scholarships at the same time. | null | https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/learn-or-earn-is-a-postgraduate-course-the-right-choice-for-you-1.4017199 | 2019-09-26 23:01:00+00:00 | 1,569,553,260 | 1,570,222,172 | education | vocational education |
789,433 | theirishtimes--2019-09-26--Programmes that offer graduates a route into industry | 2019-09-26T00:00:00 | theirishtimes | Programmes that offer graduates a route into industry | For graduates seeking an insight into how some of the most successful corporations, businesses and firms in Ireland are run, then a place on The Chartered Governance Institute graduate scheme, to become a company secretary or chartered governance professional, could be just the ticket. Ensuring organisations operate sustainably, ethically and responsibly, this is a position where graduates can have influence, working with company boards and senior decision-makers from the get-go. Those with a business, finance or law degree can launch their career immediately with their qualifying programme. Those with no legal or business background can enter the scheme through its foundation programme, where graduates will earn a level 4 foundation certificate before progressing to the next stage of the programme. Qualifying as a chartered governance professional or chartered secretary is achieved by completing the Chartered Governance Qualifying Programme or an ICSA-validated postgraduate programme at its partner university, Ulster University, which can be taken in Dublin. Students taking either option will take exams and study for about two to three years before qualifying. Study can be undertaken while working, blending the practical with the theoretical, so students can gain invaluable practical experience alongside an internationally recognised qualification. The Lidl Graduate Development Programme is an 18-month programme with the German supermarket giant, directed at graduates seeking to enter one of the programme’s nine streams: ecommerce; IT; sales; management; accounting; marketing; environment, health and safety; audit; purchasing; and central services. All graduates hit the ground running, beginning with a four-month operational training programme before being placed in their chosen area for the remaining 14 months of the programme. Graduates then get to experience all aspects of how the business works, spending time in stores, warehouses and head office. One-to-one coaching, as well as a structured mentorship programme, and competency assessment days are also part of the programme. “We’re looking for potential to develop and progress, so soft skills are key, such as effective communication, entrepreneurial actions, organisational and problem-solving skills,” says Aoibheann Maddy, recruitment and retention at Lidl Ireland, explaining what kind of applicants they seek. “For us, it’s important to recruit graduates with a growth mindset, who are looking for opportunities to develop and learn and who are adaptable and open to change.” The programme runs annually, with applications closing on October 31st, 2019, for those applying for positions on the 2020 programme. The Aldi Graduate Area Management Programme offers recent graduates an opportunity to pursue a career in management over the 12-month scheme. Each year, Aldi recruits about 100 area managers across the UK and Ireland through the scheme, although this figure is ever-increasing as the business expands. Successful applicants begin the programme in store for six months, before transitioning to shadow many different, experienced area managers, in anticipation of eventually taking charge of their own stores. In the final six months, in addition to shadowing, graduates train with regional teams, such as store operations, logistics, and buying. Graduates will have a dedicated mentor, as well as regular one-to-one sessions with colleagues. “Training at Aldi puts graduates right into the heart of the action, where they work their way through every role in store to gain a real understanding of how the business works,” explains Hannah Condron, personnel development manager at Aldi Ireland. “Every day is different at Aldi, and it’s important that our graduates are exposed to this reality during their training.” Applications for the Aldi Graduate Area Management Programme for 2020 are open until November 30th, 2019. The Jameson International Graduate Programme employs 80 graduates on its programme across 50 international markets, recruiting 20 to 30 new graduates each year. Successful applicants are offered an initial 13-month contract, which includes four weeks’ training followed by 12 months on placement in their assigned market. Following this 13-month period, graduates can then apply to rotate markets and extend for a further 12 or 24 months. Upon completion of the programme, 70 per cent of graduates move into permanent positions within either Irish Distillers or Pernod Ricard globally. “No two days are the same on the Jameson International Graduate Programme,” says Sinéad D’Arcy, head of the programme. “One day, a brand ambassador could be educating bartenders on Jameson Irish Whiskey, the next you could be hosting an event, the next you could be interviewed on a local radio show.” The variety, she says, means graduates must have strong time and project-management skills, as well as a passion for the work they are doing. Those seeking to apply do so through an online application, which includes a brief written application as well as a two-minute video submission, allowing applicants to tell their own story. The online application for the 2020 intake of the programme closes on January 15th, 2020. Public Jobs runs its graduate programme for those wishing to enter the Civil Service. The programme is about nine months in duration, and graduates undertake eight modules over the course of the programme – in administrative office competencies: leadership potential; interpersonal and communication; analysis and decision-making; and delivering for results; and Civil Service modules: communication in the Civil Service; Government accounting; evidence-based policy making; and introduction to the legislative process. Applicants must have a first or second class honours degree, while applicants to specialist streams such as business, finance and human resources must have a relevant level 8 qualification. Graduates will receive guidance and input from subject matter experts adapted to their level in order to allow them to flourish, both personally and in the workplace. The graduate programme “encourages participants to begin to develop their professional network of Civil Service colleagues and to learn to collaborate with those of different departments with competing priorities and perspectives, in preparation for their future careers as leaders of the Civil Service,” says Fiona Farrell, marketing and communications officer at the Public Appointments Service. Applications will open online from Tuesday, October 1st, until 3pm on Monday, October 7th. The Fulbright Commission in Ireland awards grants to Irish citizens to study, research or lecture in the US, and for Americans to do the same in Ireland. Grants are available across all disciplines, and offer additional opportunities in areas such as health, new technologies, climate change, sustainability, marine science, forestry, and many others. The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 by Senator J William Fulbright, seeking to foster mutual cultural understanding between countries through educational exchange. Since its foundation, 2,000 individuals have participated in the programme between Ireland and the US. Fulbright Irish Awards are open to Irish citizens, or EU citizens who have been living in the Republic of Ireland for at least the last three years. The awards are open to current or prospective postgraduate students, scholars, and professionals with at least five years’ relevant professional experience. Emma Loughney, communications manager at the Fulbright Commission of Ireland, advises: “Applicants must demonstrate a strong rationale for going to the US, strong leadership skills or potential, and an understanding and commitment to the ethos of being a Fulbrighter.” The application deadline for the 2020-2021 Fulbright Irish Awards is October 31st, 2019. The Aer Lingus Graduate Recruitment Programme offers graduates the opportunity to learn about the aviation industry, while working across both corporate office and operational areas. Aer Lingus currently employs 16 graduate employees, and will take on four more to start the two-year programme in September 2019. Graduates on the scheme specialise in the specific department of most interest to them, with current graduates working across finance, revenue management, operations, marketing, HR and engineering. Those working in the finance department will stay with the company for the duration of their professional exams, that is, about 3½ years. Because of the vast size of the company and the range of departments, interpersonal and teamwork skills are of extreme importance for incoming graduates. Graduates are assigned experienced mentors to offer them guidance and advice outside of their day-to-day tasks. “Aer Lingus is focused on nurturing talent, sharing our knowledge of the airline business, and constant learning and feedback in an ever-evolving industry, creating a great work experience for graduates,” says Tess Brady of Aer Lingus. “Ongoing training is central to the programme, with a strong investment in professional development along with on-the-job learning.” Applications for the next programme intake open in early 2020, with assessment taking place in spring, and induction taking place in September 2020. Each year, KPMG takes on 350 graduates to its programme across its four offices in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Belfast. The programme employs graduates from all degree disciplines, including accounting and business, but also technology, science, maths and engineering. The scheme consists of a mix of client work and team projects, while working towards the professional chartered accounting qualifications, preparing graduates for long-term careers. The graduate programmes typically last between three and 3½ years, and for those pursuing them, continue for the duration of graduates’ professional exams. “We believe that training is about more than preparing you for your professional exams; it is about preparing you for a career as a professional business adviser, through on-the-job development and relevant formal training programmes,” explains Kelli O’Malley, communications manager at KPMG. Applications for the 2020 programme close on October 13th for non-chartered accountant roles, and October 16th for chartered accountant roles. Deloitte runs nine graduate programmes every year, with each focused on a different kind of role: audit and assurance; actuarial, reward and analytics; consulting; restructuring services; risk advisory; tax; technology programmes; apprentice solicitor programmes; and Deloitte (Northern Ireland). Each of the pathways varies in length, depending on the professional qualifications undertaken by the individual graduate. Deloitte employs more than 3,000 people in Ireland, with graduate opportunities available in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Belfast. Deloitte is seeking graduates from a wide range of backgrounds. “Throughout your graduate training and entire career, you’ll connect and collaborate with colleagues across different teams, to tackle challenges for our clients,” explains Finola Gallagher-Taaffe, manager of talent and learning at Deloitte. “From the moment you join, you’ll be treated the same as your more experienced colleagues, valued for the unique contribution you make and the fresh ideas you bring.” The PwC graduate programme can last between 3½ and five years, depending on what exam route the graduate takes for its professional exams. PwC also offers graduate contracts to students in its consulting practice who opt to take a non-exam route. PwC takes on 350 graduates each year across its various programmes. It seeks ambitious students who wish to progress and develop personally and within the firm, and those with a strong academic record, great technical skills and excellent relationship-building skills. While on the programme, graduates receive in-class training and support as well as career progression assistance as they near the end of the programme. “The culture at PwC offers more than just a place to work,” says people partner Emma Scott. “Graduates will be joining a value-driven, innovative, collaborative, tech-enabled workplace. From day one, graduates can expect to work on interesting and important projects, supported by their teams and coaches.” Applications for the 2020 programme are open until October 14th for the consulting stream and October 16th for the assurance, tax and risk assurance streams. EY employs graduates to any one of its five departments – assurance; tax; transactions; advisory; and IT, data analytics and cyber. The advisory or IT, data analytics and cyber programmes last two years, while the others are three to 3½ years in duration. EY takes on about 270 graduates each September, across its five offices in Dublin, Limerick, Cork, Waterford and Galway. Graduates at EY get to work in a hands-on environment in their chosen field, while also receiving coaching and career development support as they pursue their professional qualifications. Describing the programme as a “career incubator”, Jennifer Whitehead, senior recruitment marketing associate at EY, says its graduate programme “offers graduates the opportunity to take their natural talent and develop it naturally through real-world experiences”. Applications for the EY Graduate Programme close in mid-October. The Central Bank of Ireland Graduate Programme offers graduates a number of rotations across several business areas, affording them the opportunity to develop professionally and broaden their skill-sets across many disciplines over the course of the three-year programme. Graduates train on the job, and undertake training in central banking and financial regulation. Following a probationary period, graduates are given the opportunity to apply for external learning opportunities that suit their individual development needs and their role within the organisation. “Our work is challenging, engaging and diverse. Given our wide-ranging mandate, the day-to-day work of the graduates can vary across business areas,” says David Walley, media relations at The Central Bank. “At the Central Bank, we don’t just accept difference – we seek it and we embrace it because we know that it benefits our people, our organisation and our work.” Applications open each year in mid-September for a three-week period, with successful applicants being called for interview in November and made an offer in December. | null | https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/programmes-that-offer-graduates-a-route-into-industry-1.4019587 | 2019-09-26 23:00:00+00:00 | 1,569,553,200 | 1,570,222,172 | education | vocational education |
791,148 | theirishtimes--2019-12-16--Career opportunities: Highest-paying college degrees revealed | 2019-12-16T00:00:00 | theirishtimes | Career opportunities: Highest-paying college degrees revealed | Substantial salary gaps open up between college graduates within years of leaving higher education, according to a Higher Education Authority (HEA) study. The research, which tracked the earnings of tens of thousands of graduates who left third level between 2010 and 2017, shows medicine graduates are by far the best paid within four years of leaving college (€1,085 per week), followed by graduates of statistics (€925), chemical engineering (€853), medical diagnostic technology (€830) and ICT (€802). By contrast, pre-school education and arts graduates are the lowest earners and take home about half these amounts. The lowest-paid graduates are in creating arts such as fine arts & handicrafts (€425 per week), music and performing arts (€439), as well as pre-school teacher training (€469), religion, philosophy and history studies (€514), languages (€525) and psychology (€525). Other relatively low-earning subjects include political sciences/civics and childcare/youth services. The research breaks down earnings after completing degrees in more detail than ever before by analysing pay linked to about 70 different areas of study. The average weekly earnings for graduates across all subjects after four years is €658 per week. It also indicates that the trajectory of a graduate’s earnings are heavily influenced by combination of factors such as Leaving Cert points, type of school attended and gender. For example, college graduates who went to fee-paying schools earn more than graduates who attended disadvantaged schools – even where they ended up studying same third-level course. The figures show that, overall, graduates who attended private schools earned 22 per cent more than those who attended disadvantaged or Deis schools eight years after college. However, when these figures are adjusted to compare students on a like-for-like basis – such as studying the same type of course – the difference in earnings falls to just under 3 per cent. The study also shows how a gender gap in earnings is opening up between men and women within a year of leaving college. While women outperform men in the Leaving Cert and third level, they earn €14 less each week a year after leaving college, rising to €130 after eight years. The HEA study says much of the gap is likely to be the result of higher proportions of men opting for higher-earning courses such as ICT and engineering. In addition, higher proportions of women opt for lower-earning areas such as preschool teaching. However, even after adjusting for this and comparing men and women completing the same courses, there is still an earnings gap of about 3 per cent. The type of higher education institution a student attended also influences graduate earnings. For example, graduates from institutes of technology earn 14 per cent less than university graduates four years after graduation. But when comparing like-for-like individuals, this difference falls to 4 per cent. The study also examines these trends for postgraduate students over the same time period. It shows postgraduates with qualifications in physics have the highest average earnings four years after graduation. Other high earning subjects for postgraduates include accounting and taxation, electronics and automation, and software/applications development. As was the case with undergraduates, postgraduates from arts & humanities fields of study comprised the five lowest earning subjects The research is based on matching Revenue data on earnings with individual students and graduates on an anonymised basis. The study’s authors have cautioned that the income data covers PAYE income for employees only; self-employment income is excluded. Earnings are defined in the report as an individual’s weekly gross earning, less tax reliefs such as pension contributions. | null | https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/career-opportunities-highest-paying-college-degrees-revealed-1.4116108 | Mon, 16 Dec 2019 01:00:00 +0000 | 1,576,476,000 | 1,576,499,295 | education | vocational education |
834,294 | therussophileorg--2019-01-15--Tour of ASI projects exhibition | 2019-01-15T00:00:00 | therussophileorg | Tour of ASI projects exhibition | This [post](http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59678) was originally published on [this site](http://en.kremlin.ru/) Before the meeting of the Supervisory Board of the autonomous non-profit organisation _Agency for Strategic Initiatives to Promote New Projects_ (ASI), Vladimir Putin learned about ASI “boiling points”– special places set up in 19 cities of the country to host project sessions, lectures, workshops, business games and other events related to the agency’s activities. ASI coworking centres are designed for experience sharing and project cooperation by entrepreneurs, engineers, scientists, teachers, under- and postgraduate students, as well as representatives of the authorities, professional communities and public organisations. The head of state was told about the selection of “boiling points” and initiatives carried out in Moscow, Vladivostok, Irkutsk and Ivanovo. The President also learned about the programmes _University-2035_ , _Databased Management_ , and _100 City Leaders_ as well as social and volunteer projects, including those related to ecotourism. The President also examined the stand of the ASI Leaders Club and samples of high-tech products of Russian companies included in the ASI New Business programme. from http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59678 | Presidential Press and Information Office | https://www.therussophile.org/tour-of-asi-projects-exhibition.html/ | 2019-01-15 18:10:35+00:00 | 1,547,593,835 | 1,567,552,331 | education | vocational education |
870,172 | therussophileorg--2019-07-05--Greetings on opening of 8th International Youth Industrial Forum Engineers of the Future 2019 | 2019-07-05T00:00:00 | therussophileorg | Greetings on opening of 8th International Youth Industrial Forum Engineers of the Future 2019 | This [post](http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/60931) was originally published on [this site](http://en.kremlin.ru/) The message reads, in part: “Over the past years this project, impressive in its scope, has strengthened its authority and received vigorous support from major Russian corporations, leading technical universities and non-governmental organisations. It has helped many specialists beginning their careers to put their plans into practice. Today the forum brought together young scientists, employees of industrial enterprises and design centres, undergraduate and postgraduate students, those who do not want to follow the beaten track and are looking for unexpected and promising scientific and engineering solutions, those who have bold ideas and ambitious goals, and who are united by a sincere wish to work for the benefit of Russia. And, of course, such consolidating efforts offer a good opportunity to launch new initiatives and endeavours. It is important that more and more young people are choosing engineering professions and high technology. I am sure that your intellectual and creative potential, your initiative and innovative attitude will certainly be in demand for the benefit of Russia’s breakthrough development.” from http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/60931 | Presidential Press and Information Office | https://www.therussophile.org/greetings-on-opening-of-8th-international-youth-industrial-forum-engineers-of-the-future-2019.html/ | 2019-07-05 10:53:23+00:00 | 1,562,338,403 | 1,567,536,725 | education | vocational education |
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