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Saturday, June 4, 2011

An Urban Teacher's Education: Dear Jonathan Alter (Again)

An Urban Teacher's Education: Dear Jonathan Alter (Again)

Dear Jonathan Alter (Again)

Dear Jonathan Alter,

I wrote you last November with concerns I had about a piece you wrote for Newsweek: "A Case of Senioritis." You responded and, to be fair, seemed initially open to having a real dialogue. You did not, however, engage with me beyond that initial email. I can understand that. I'm sure you're busy. But after reading your piece, "Don't Believe Critics, Education Reform Works," I find myself again compelled to raise some very serious concerns.

While the majority of your column was written in response to Diane Ravitch's work, my purpose in writing to you is not to defend her. Dr Ravtich is quite capable of doing so on her own. Instead, I'd like to respond to your ideas and rhetorical techniques. It is my hope that we might find a more constructive way to present our perspectives on education reform.

First and foremost, please, for the love of God, stop referring to people who disagree with corporate reform as "the forces of the status quo." Any time someone uses that phrase, I am immediately disinclined to give them any more of my time. It is both obnoxious and beyond exhausted. More importantly, there are many legitimate concerns with the corporate reform model. To suggest that anyone who resists it is against education reform (as

School Tech Connect: Getting Back To Basics

School Tech Connect: Getting Back To Basics

Getting Back To Basics

I'm awash in self-criticism for failing to write about technology for so long, an odd phenomenon given the name of this blog. So, here and now, with you as my witness, I re-commit to writing about technology. Here goes.

Today, I used technology to take a picture of a chocolate-sprinkled chimney cake, which I picked up at the newish Transylvanian bakery on Devon, Chimney Cake Island.


This morning one of the owners, Mara, took pity on me as I drifted in from the rain with almost enough money to purchase one of these spiral-cut delights. Perhaps she was just trying to get rid of me. I don't care; either way, I

Charter Schools: A Public Hearing and a Public Forum « Failing Schools

Charter Schools: A Public Hearing and a Public Forum « Failing Schools
Save Our Schools March & National Call to Action, July 30, 2011

Charter Schools: A Public Hearing and a Public Forum

JUNE 4, 2011
by markfriedman1
On Thursday, May 26th, we at the Community Education Task Force in Rochester, NY participated in two informative events. Video for both events from Rochester Indymediais featured here.
The first event was a public hearing for two proposed charter schools in the Rochester City School District, the Young Women’s College Prep Charter School of Rochester and theRochester Career Mentoring Charter School. The purpose of the public hearing was to gather and relay “community input” to one of the two NY State Charter authorizing bodies, in this case the NYS Board of Regents. We raised many of the questions we’re seeing across the nation

Big Education Ape: 6-4-11 PM DNC official will go to Rhee Spin group Edition

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now
Big Education Ape: Ed News Now

Published by Coopmike48 – 5 contributors today



Duncan and BBC Go After Ravitch

schoolsmatter.info - There's an old quote that comes out the early labor movement: "First they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. And then they attack you and want to burn you. And then they build monuments to you." F...
DianeRavitch

Education According to Mike Milken

businessweek.com - With K12, the largest U.S. operator of taxpayer-funded online schools, the former junk-bond king has figured out how to make money in education. Is that a good thing?By John HechingerTen-year-old A...
leoniehaimson

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Douglas Massey on Diane Ravitch and Jonathan Alter's attack

nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com - The observations below are from Douglas Massey, professor at Princeton and president of the American Academy of Political & Social Sciences (photo at left). On Thursday night, the Academy present...
leoniehaimson

The George Burns School of Public Policy « Failing Schools

failingschools.wordpress.com - Earlier today, Jonathan Alter posted an odd and misguided attack on Diane Ravitch’s recent piece in the New York Times. Resorting to some of my ‘favorite’ school reform tropes, Alter grossly mischa...
leoniehaimson

The Answer Sheet - Ravitch answers Gates

voices.washingtonpost.com - In a paean to Bill Gates, Newsweek's Jonathan Alter calls Diane Ravitch the Microsoft founder's "chief adversary."It's the world's richest (or second richest) man vs. an education historian and New...
DianeRavitch

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Here's to the Parents! SOS March and National Call to Action

bigeducationape.blogspot.com - learn more at http://www.saveourschoolsmarch.org/ This is the third in our series trumpeting the values teachers, students and parents want to see reflected in the nation's education policy. We wil...
coopmike48

Vivo e interactivo con Sir Ken Robinson

vivirlaeducacion.com - Publicado el 5 Junio 2011Archivado en Josep | Ăšnase a mĂ­ para una entrevista con Sir Ken Robinson, autor de el elemento directo e interactiva: cĂłmo encontrar su pasiĂłn cambia todo.Fecha: martes, 30...
coopmike48

Another Flashmob Getting Footloose at Jefferson Memorial

nbcwashington.com - Last week, five men got cuffed at the Jefferson Memorial for doing a silent dance at the Jefferson Memorial. The men said they were exercising their rights as citizens to free speech. The Park Pol...
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The Newest Member of Our Family -- Ayn Reagan Kimble

kimbleforcongress.blogspot.com - I am very pleased to announce that after a very exhaustive search that took us to over two dozen states and 40 orphanages, we have adopted a new daughter. Seven year old Ayn Reagan Kimble is just...
leoniehaimson

School Tech Connect: Forever Is Enough

bigeducationape.blogspot.com - School Tech Connect: Forever Is EnoughForever Is Enoughby effacethefacade@yahoo.com (Tim)I'm still officially on shore leave, but I thought I'd chime in for a moment to post some of the letter I re...
coopmike48

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Teaching Our Polish Partners in Torture: State Secrets

emptywheel.firedoglake.com - I had been predicting for weeks before Obama went to Poland that the Poles would move to quash their investigation into the black site at which KSM and others were tortured. And sure enough, that a...
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Schools Matter: The invention of lying and educational policy

bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Schools Matter: The invention of lying and educational policyThe invention of lying and educational policyby skrashenPosted as a comment on "The invention of lying" – an interview with Naomi Oreske...
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Schools Matter: The invention of lying and educational policy

bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Schools Matter: The invention of lying and educational policyThe invention of lying and educational policyby skrashenPosted as a comment on "The invention of lying" – an interview with Naomi Oreske...
coopmike48

Here's to the Parents! SOS March and National Call to Action

bigeducationape.blogspot.com - learn more at http://www.saveourschoolsmarch.org/ This is the third in our series trumpeting the values teachers, students and parents want to see reflected in the nation's education policy. We wil...
coopmike48

#pflaRead this paperSee all


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