Monday, November 29, 2010

Boards endorse social studies CSAPs | EdNewsColorado

Boards endorse social studies CSAPs

by Todd Engdahl

Colorado students should be tested on social studies at least three times during their K-12 careers, the state’s two top education boards proposed Monday.

The recommendation came as the State Board of Education and the Colorado Commission on Higher Education agreed to a broad set of five “attributes” they want to see in a new state testing system to replace the current CSAPs.

A 2008 state law, the Colorado Achievement Plan for Kids, requires creation of a new state testing system and specifically assigned the two boards to agree on a broad shape for the program by Dec. 15. The SBE also is scheduled to consider a more detailed description of the new system, also mandated by the law, at a meeting next week.

The language agreed on by the two boards reads: “Science and Social Studies will be measured at least once in

Teacher Pay – Current Model Definitely Outdated — Open Education

Teacher Pay – Current Model Definitely Outdated

by Thomas

The first step towards merit pay is to begin paying teachers according to what research has already proven to be critical.

Research indicates that the two most effective correlates of higher student achievement are the value a family places on education and the quality of instruction that children receive.

In simple terms, students from homes that value education are very successful in school even when they receive average or below average instruction. But at the same time, the positive impact associated with quality instruction can be dramatic with the effect most notable for minority children and those from less affluent families.

Moving forward, it is essential that education place greater emphasis on teacher effectiveness. Doing so will

Everytime You Use “It,” They Win — The Jose Vilson

Everytime You Use “It,” They Win

by Jose

Ace Ventura

You ever have that one friend who has that daft, irritating catch phrase they picked up from some movie or TV show and he just wouldn’t stop saying it? I probably agitated my younger brother and cousin everytime I thought something was corny and I’d reply with an “AAAAAALLLLLLLRRRRIGHTY THEEENNN!!!” (© Ace Ventura). They in turn found ways to harass me with a gill or a bop (or some other form of firm smack of the head or neck) for

KDLT.com South Dakota News - SD Board of Education Looks At New Teaching Model

SD Board of Education Looks At New Teaching Model

by Jesse Batson
November 29, 2010

The South Dakota Board of Education is on it's way to adopting a statewide standard teaching model. The model they're looking at was created by a woman in New Jersey.

The name Charlotte Danielson may not ring a bell to you, but the name is well-known amongst educators.

"Her work is is well rounded and researched. The four domains itself looks at the framework of what good teaching looks like," said Deputy Secretary of Education Melody Schopp.

Charlotte Danielson, a woman from Princeton, New Jersey, created a teaching model -- one that evaluates the work teachers do inside the classroom. The four parts, or domains, include the basics: setting goals,

The Answer Sheet - Bloomberg gets his schools chancellor in NYC

Bloomberg gets his schools chancellor in NYC

There is no guarantee that someone with a degree in education, or, engineering, or medicine, or any other subject, for that matter, will be good at their jobs. And there is no certainty that a lot of experience means someone has become an expert in their field. But it’s a good bet that degrees and experience make someone much more likely to be successful than someone who walks into a job with no related credential or experience. That’s why doctors should run hospitals and educators should run schools and school systems. And that’s why it is unfortunate that Cathleen Black, a media executive with no educational experience, is going to run the largest school district in the country. (Actually, she is on the board of a charter school, Harlem Village Academies, but the New York Daily News reported that she didn’t have much to do with the school.) .

Remainders: “There will be one person in charge,” mayor says | GothamSchools

Remainders: “There will be one person in charge,” mayor says

by Maura Walz

Cathie Black received the waiver she needs to become chancellor. (GS, Times, DN, WNYC)
Bloomberg on the Black-Suransky pairing: “There will be one person in charge.” (Daily Politics)
Eli Broad argues that management is the most important skill for superintendents. (HuffPo)
Teachers will go to Hearst tomorrow and ask to be hired as Black’s replacement. (Observer)
Shael Polakow-Suransky is a “thoughtful educator” who shares Klein’s love of data. (Village Voice)
In Albany, a bill that allocates federal school aid would also freeze funding to charters. (Albany T-U)
A city teacher was suspended for using a Spanish slang word with many meanings, some profane. (AP)
Getting the best teachers into the neediest schools is proving a challenge in Milwaukee. (Hechinger)
The Philadelphia superintendent interceded to replace one contractor with another. (Inquirer)
Rick Hess examines some of the trade-offs prompted by special ed spending mandates. (EdWeek)
Despite early-onset Alzheimer’s, US Ed Sec Arne Duncan’s mother Sue continues to tutor. (Chicago Trib)

The Science Of Teacher Development

This article discusses the importance of professional development, especially for new teachers. I was blessed to have a very supportive and nurturing department chair who pointed me toward professional organizations and grants for professional development early in my career. Now that I’m the department chair, I try and do the same for our new teachers. Of course the

Queens Teacher: Why Non-Educator School Chiefs Aren't the Answer

Why Non-Educator School Chiefs Aren't the Answer

by Queens Teacher

Why non-educator school chiefs aren't the answer
By Valerie Strauss

This was written by Larry Cuban, a former high school social studies teacher (14 years, including seven at Cardozo and Roosevelt high schools in the District), district superintendent (seven years in Arlington, Virginia) and professor emeritus of education at Stanford University, where he has taught for 20 years. His latest book is "As Good As It Gets: What School Reform Brought to Austin." This appeared on his blog.

By Larry Cuban
Many questions accompany the current reform effort for mayors and urban districts to hire non-educators. Here are a few.

1. Where do non-educator superintendents serve?

Lawyers Harold Levy and Joel Klein served as Chancellors in New York City. Publishing executive Cathie Black

Controversial Hebrew-immersion charter school in Bergen County may finally open | NJ.com

Controversial Hebrew-immersion charter school in Bergen County may finally open

Published: Monday, November 29, 2010, 5:47 PM Updated: Monday, November 29, 2010, 5:47 PM

The Associated Press
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WOODLAND PARK — A controversial plan to open a Hebrew-immersion charter school in Bergen County might have its best chance at state approval this year as the Christie administration looks to expand school choice throughout the state.

The application for Shalom Academy — thrice rejected by the state and opposed by local school administrators — is also buoyed by the opening this year of a similar school in East Brunswick, which already has a waiting list for the next school year.

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"If it's a quality application, it's got a better shot than ever now," said Derrell Bradford, executive director of E3, a statewide school-choice advocacy group.

"In the past, charters were viewed as a nuisance and granted grudgingly," said Bradford, who is helping the state review charter applications. "Without a doubt, the governor and the current

Ackerman, 'cultural competence,' and the national urban education agenda | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Ackerman, 'cultural competence,' and the national urban education agenda

by Helen Gym on Nov 29 2010

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Recently, Schools Superintendent Arlene Ackerman sat down for an interview withInquirer columnist Annette John-Hall. Ackerman, who had been avoiding local media for months, emerged none-too-shy about her opinions. Her target? Former DC Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee:

"I don't think she was culturally competent for the community she was trying to help," Ackerman says, though she does support some of Rhee's reform. "And I don't think she took time to listen." Ackerman adds that Rhee's mistake was that she thought she could "tell somebody she knew what was good for them when she hadn't walked in their shoes."

Failure of “cultural competence” as applied to Rhee, who is Korean American, is thinly veiled code for perceived race/racism. While it might be easy for some to jump to Rhee’s defense or decry Ackerman for her own insensitivity, one has to think: What big city superintendent these days is culturally competent?

Recently, 15 of the nation’s urban superintendents signed onto a Joel Klein/Michelle Rhee-fronted Washington Post op-ed dubbed a “manifesto” on how to fix schools. Among the prescriptions: a blanket endorsement of charters, merit pay, and a focus on removing incompetent teachers. Most of the signers

Education reform: Have business-savvy officials improved big-city schools? - CSMonitor.com

Education reform: Have business-savvy officials improved big-city schools?

Big-city mayors have been turning to leaders from the business world to push their agenda of education reform. Critics say schools need leadership from educators.

Washington, D.C., Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee announced her resignation Oct. 13 at a news conference that came shortly after the primary loss of Mayor Adrian Fenty – a loss partly attributed to public opposition to her proposed reforms.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

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By Amanda Paulson, Staff writer / November 29, 2010

Chicago

New York Mayor Michael Bloom berg surprised many people in early November with his choice of successor to schools chancellor Joel Klein, who announced he was stepping down after an eight-year tenure in which he added charter schools, closed failing schools, and gave more power to

Cathie Black gets her Wheels

State waiver clears Cathie Black to replace Joel Klein as Mayor Bloomberg's city schools chancellor

BY MEREDITH KOLODNER
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, November 30th 2010, 4:00 AM

Patino for News

Cathie Black now has the green light to become the city schools chancellor.

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Cathie Black, the magazine executive tapped by Mayor Bloomberg to run the city school system, was granted a necessary state waiver on Monday.

Black now has the green light to replace outgoing Chancellor Joel Klein, whose last day will be Dec. 31.

"After careful review," wrote state Education Commissioner David Steiner, "it is my judgment that, when viewed in its entirety, Ms. Black's training, background and experience are substantially equivilent to the certification requirements set forth in