Latest News and Comment from Education

Friday, February 24, 2012

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top 2-24 AM Posts #soschat #edreform


AFT - Research Begins to Detail Success in Community Schools

AFT - A Union of Professionals - Research Begins to Detail Success in Community Schools:Research Begins to Detail Successin Community SchoolsTeachers know firsthand that wraparound services like healthcare and family counseling really help when it comes to getting students ready to learn. But education experts are only beginning to gather actual data that show us how."Positive Student Outcomes in Community Schools" begins to fill that gap. The report, produced by the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Evening Posts 2-23 #SOSchat #p2 #edreform

Buyer Beware - Bridging Differences - Education WeekBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-46 minutes agoBuyer Beware - Bridging Differences - Education Week:Buyer Bewareby Deborah MeierDear Diane,Three days with the North Dakota Study Group restores my spirits every year. Some great speeches, small "works in progress" workshops, presentations by students, and just food and talk, talk, talk.I read your blog this week while I was at the NDSG and passed it around. It's superb, and we should all tweet it ... more »

Why we won’t publish individual teachers’ value-added scores | GothamSchools

Why we won’t publish individual teachers’ value-added scores | GothamSchools:Why we won’t publish individual teachers’ value-added scoresby Elizabeth Green and Philissa Cramer, at 6:24 pmTomorrow’s planned release of 12,000 New York City teacher ratings raises questions for the courts, parents, principals, bureaucrats, teachers — and one other party: news organizations. The journalists who requested the release of the data in the first place now must decide what to do with it all.At GothamSchools, we joined other reporters in requesting to ... more »

Thirty minutes with Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis. « Fred Klonsky

Thirty minutes with Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis. « Fred Klonsky:Thirty minutes with Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis.by Fred KlonskyToday on my favorite local news show.The in box: Will Guzzardi challenges Toni Berrio’s lies.by Fred KlonskyRepresentative Berrios,I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to ask a quick question about a mailer you sent out recently, discussing a law firm you claim is “allied with” me.This struck me as curious, given that I’m not allied with any ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Cracks in the pavement

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Cracks in the pavement:Cracks in the pavementby Mike Klonsky"This is Little Rock, 1957," Jackson told the board. "This is apartheid."The mayor had no trouble getting his hand-picked gaggle of billionaires and their toadies on the school board to unanimously vote for more school closings and turnarounds. But it's become clear that mounting protests have begun to create some space for dissent among the minions. Media coverage of the protests seems to have moved somewhat out of ... more »

Video: Mr. Raymond Goes to Sacramento - Rosemont, CA Patch

Video: Mr. Raymond Goes to Sacramento - Rosemont, CA Patch:Video: Mr. Raymond Goes to SacramentoThe Sacramento City Unified School District's superintendent testified before the California senate last week.By Cody KitauraEmail the author2:00 pm Email Print Comment1 of 1 Upload Photos and VideosThe school district that includes Rosemont made some tough budget decisions earlier this month, cutting $28 million from next year's budget.Last week, Sacramento City Unified School District Superintendent Jonathan Raymond went to the source of the district's funding to ...more »

United Opt Out National

United Opt Out National:OCCUPY THE DOE IN DC – ALL DETAILS HERE – PLEASE READ ENTIRE POSTEvent:Occupy the DOE in DC – ALL DETAILS HERE – Please read entire postStart:March 30, 2012End:April 2, 2012Organizer:Occupy the DOE in DC – ALL DETAILS HERE – Please read entire postUpdated:December 9, 2011Venue:U.S. Department of EducationAddress:Google Map400 Maryland Ave, SW ,Washington, DC, 20202,United StatesUnited Opt Out National endorses Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Together by creating ACTION in solidarity. PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE POST ... more »

INSANE or NUMB? (please report) | Mr. Teachbad

INSANE or NUMB? (please report) | Mr. Teachbad:INSANE or NUMB? (please report)by teachbadA couple of weeks ago someone posted a comment I think you should read. Jessica Knapp wrote about what teaching can do to people. Her words struck an arrow through my heart. I would very much like for you to add your thoughts and stories. Here’s what she said: I taught KG for 6 years in an inner city school where 94% of the stu­dent body qual­i­fied for ... more »

Arne Duncan on a legislative proposal in South Carolina to block implementation of the Common Core

Statement by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan | U.S. Department of Education:Statement by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne DuncanOn a Legislative Proposal in South Carolina to Block Implementation of the Common Core Academic StandardsFEBRUARY 23, 2012Contact: Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov Following is a statement by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on a legislative proposal in South Carolina to block implementation of the Common Core academic standards:“The idea that the Common Core standards are nationally-imposed is a conspiracy ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Christie to Teachers: "Tough S#!&"

Jersey Jazzman: Christie to Teachers: "Tough S#!":Christie to Teachers: "Tough S#!"by DukeWe now live in a world where politicians that give huge tax breaks to the wealthy and break promises to middle-class workers are considered "courageous":Dellossa, a teacher at Palisades Park High School, where the town hall was held, asked Christie why he had gone back on a campaign promise not to cut teacher benefits.She spoke specifically of one provision of his public employee benefits overhaul that hit close to ... more »

The Good Doctor Seuss, Green Grinches, and a Lorax who Speaks for Trees - Lily's Blackboard – Lily's Blackboard

The Good Doctor Seuss, Green Grinches, and a Lorax who Speaks for Trees - Lily's Blackboard – Lily's Blackboard:The Good Doctor Seuss, Green Grinches, and a Lorax who Speaks for TreesFeb 23rd, 2012 by Lily.March 2nd was chosen by the National Education Association years ago to celebrate NEA’s Read Across America Day.It’s Dr. Seuss’s birthday, and each year is another chance to celebrate a joy that goes beyond sounding out the word and improving one’s vocabulary. Teachers and college professors ... more »

Education Research Report: California Charter Schools Don’t Narrow Black-White Achievement Gap

Education Research Report: California Charter Schools Don’t Narrow Black-White Achievement Gap:California Charter Schools Don’t Narrow Black-White Achievement GapJonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 hour agoΩ In a recent report, the California Charter School Association claims that the state’s charter schools are narrowing the Black-White achievement gap. Not so, explains Arizona State University professor David Garcia, an expert on charter school research, in a review of the CCSA study conducted for the National Education Policy Center (NEPC) at the ... more »

Mike Petrilli. Your Ohio charter schools are lousy for kids. « Fred Klonsky

Mike Petrilli. Your Ohio charter schools are lousy for kids. « Fred Klonsky:Mike Petrilli. Your Ohio charter schools are lousy for kids.by Fred KlonskyMike Petrilli is a charter booster for the right-wing Fordham Foundation.He’s never seen a public school he likes or a charter he doesn’t.Even his own crappy ones in Ohio.Almost 2,400 students are in Fordham charter schools that rank in the bottom half of all of Ohio’s schools. Why hasn’t Fordham been able to translate SB5 like tools ...more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: New Survey Shows Washington State Supports Charter (Just Ask the Questions the Right Way)

Seattle Schools Community Forum: New Survey Shows Washington State Supports Charter (Just Ask the Questions the Right Way):New Survey Shows Washington State Supports Charter (Just Ask the Questions the Right Way)by Melissa WestbrookI saw that the Washington Policy Center (which is basically a right-wing thinktank) did a poll and they say that 60% of the people surveyed say they support allowing charters and 64% say they support allowing "low-income and minority children in urban neighborhoods" to attend them. They surveyed ... more »

HechingerEd Blog | Affirmative action on the docket again: Justice Kennedy’s past opinions hint at outcome

HechingerEd Blog | Affirmative action on the docket again: Justice Kennedy’s past opinions hint at outcome:Affirmative action on the docket again: Justice Kennedy’s past opinions hint at outcomeby Sarah GarlandAffirmative action in college admissions is on the Supreme Court docket again this year after a white student named Abigail Fisher challenged a University of Texas program meant to promote diversity on UT campuses.Affirmative-action proponents, including many university leaders, are concerned that if the University of Texas loses, efforts to increase ... more »

More Than Three Dozen Campus Occupations In the Last Five Months « Student Activism

More Than Three Dozen Campus Occupations In the Last Five Months « Student Activism:More Than Three Dozen Campus Occupations In the Last Five Monthsby Angus JohnstonAs the map below shows, students have staged more than three dozen campus occupations across the United States and Canada during the 2011-12 academic year. Starting with the University of New Orleans at the end of August, more than two weeks before Occupy Wall Street kicked off, the movement has grown to encompass at least ... more »

Sacramento Education News & Comment by Wanda Yanez

Education News Comment:The Sacramento Police Department is offering a free educational class to teenage drivers and their parent or guardian on driver safety. The class is free, open to teenagers, 15-19 years old, and they are required to bring a parent or guardian. This class is being offered in an effort to keep new drivers, and their passengers, safe on the road. New drivers lack the experience that is sometimes needed in various driving situations. The leading cause of death ... more »

Five tell-tale signs you’re becoming a teacher leader. « Fred Klonsky

Five tell-tale signs you’re becoming a teacher leader. « Fred Klonsky:Five tell-tale signs you’re becoming a teacher leader.by Fred KlonskyEducation Week Teacher has an article on Five tell-tale signs you’re becoming a teacher leader.You wish you had an impact beyond your classroom.Colleagues ask you for advice.You “think big” about problems.You want to take new teachers under your wing.You always want to know more.These are good.Let me suggest some additional signs that identify teacher leaders.You ask difficult questions in building meetings ... more »

Arbitration over Jefferson Parish teacher layoffs begins | NOLA.com

Arbitration over Jefferson Parish teacher layoffs begins | NOLA.com:Arbitration over Jefferson Parish teacher layoffs beginsPublished: Thursday, February 23, 2012, 7:49 AM Updated: Thursday, February 23, 2012, 10:16 AM By Mark Waller, The Times-Picayune FollowThe Jefferson Parish School Board and Jefferson Federation of teachers start arbitration today over the union's claim that teacher layoffs last summer violated its collective bargaining agreement with the board. Union President Meladie Munch said the proceedings will begin about 9 a.m. and are likely to last ... more »

Buyer Beware - Bridging Differences - Education Week

Buyer Beware - Bridging Differences - Education Week:Buyer Bewareby Deborah MeierDear Diane,Three days with the North Dakota Study Group restores my spirits every year. Some great speeches, small "works in progress" workshops, presentations by students, and just food and talk, talk, talk.I read your blog this week while I was at the NDSG and passed it around. It's superb, and we should all tweet it to anyone we can think of—not just educators.Not surprisingly, the folks at the NDSG claimed ... more »

Disciplining students - chicagotribune.com Support PURE!

Disciplining students - chicagotribune.com:Changing the code of disciplineComments3Share0As parents and students across Chicago know, and as academic research confirms, the results of these extreme discipline policies have been disastrous.(Jon Krause illustration / February 22, 2012)RelatedThe Noble rulesBy Jasmine Sarmiento and Julie WoestehoffFebruary 23, 2012If you don't like it, you can leave.That's the line of defense that Noble Network of Charter Schools' supporters have fallen back on in the wake of research showing that the rapidly expanding charter school network has ... more »

Drowning In A Rising Tide Of… | Taking Note

Drowning In A Rising Tide Of… | Taking Note:Drowning In A Rising Tide Of…by John MerrowIf education is drowning, what's the overwhelming agent? And will some future plans help to quell the problem?“The educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a nation and a people.”Surely everyone recognizes the five-word phrase. Some of you may have garbled the phrase on occasion — I have — into something ... more »

Shanker Blog » Do Value-Added Models "Control For Poverty?"

Shanker Blog » Do Value-Added Models "Control For Poverty?":Do Value-Added Models “Control For Poverty?”by Matthew Di CarloThere is some controversy over the fact that Florida’s recently-announced value-added model (one of a class often called “covariate adjustment models”), which will be used to determine merit pay bonuses and other high-stakes decisions, doesn’t include a direct measure of poverty.Personally, I support adding a direct income proxy to these models, if for no other reason than to avoid this type of debate (and ... more »

Bill Gates Really Has Evolved on Teacher Quality - Dana Goldstein

Bill Gates Really Has Evolved on Teacher Quality - Dana Goldstein:Bill Gates Really Has Evolved on Teacher Qualityby Dana GoldsteinI heard some push back last month when I praised Bill Gates for adopting a more holistic view of teacher evaluation, one focused less on student test scores and more on peer review and continuous improvement. But today he's signaling his evolution on these ideas in the loudest way possible, by publishing an op-ed in the New York Times that argues ... more »

Diving into the Wreckage: Our Schools and the Future Society « Bill Ayers

Diving into the Wreckage: Our Schools and the Future Society « Bill Ayers:Diving into the Wreckage: Our Schools and the Future Societyby billayersMultiple Choice Question: A typical American classroom has as much to offer an inquiring mind as does:A) a vacant lot B) a country road C) a street corner D) the city dump E) the custodian’s closet F) none of the aboveAnalogy Test: High-stakes, standardized testing is to learning as:A) memorizing a flight manual is to flying B) watching ... more »

L.A. schools chief 'horrified' at handling of teacher abuse cases - latimes.com

L.A. schools chief 'horrified' at handling of teacher abuse cases - latimes.com:L.A. schools chief 'horrified' at handling of teacher abuse casesLos Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy said he was "horrified" by the way the school district has handled past allegations of teacher abuse against students and called on major changes on how such allegations are handled.He said the district will report all teachers accused of misconduct to the state credentialing commission in an effort to keep those who pose a ... more »

The man without shame says shame is not the solution. « Fred Klonsky

The man without shame says shame is not the solution. « Fred KlonskyThe man without shame says shame is not the solution.by Fred KlonskyIt is the very definition of irony.This morning billionaire Bill Gates, the man whose deepest of deep pockets financed the current decade-long assault on teachers and teacher professionalism, decries the shaming of teachers in an opinion piece written for the NY Times.As they say, it’s hard to make this stuff up.The irony continues, since it is the ... more »

DIANE RAVITCH: Education reform: Testing teaching, teaching testing | The Economist

Education reform: Testing teaching, teaching testing | The Economist:Testing teaching, teaching testingFeb 22nd 2012, 15:07 by M.S.DIANE RAVITCH, the education-reform advocate famous for having long advocated chartered schools and centralised assessment of teachers only to turn against both reforms in the past few years, has a post at the New York Review of Books railing against New York's new testing standards. The state moved last week to conduct a centralised assessment of all public-school teachers on the basis of whether ... more »

Aligning Early Education with the Common Core «

Aligning Early Education with the Common Core «:Aligning Early Education with the Common CoreFebruary 23, 2012 by Irene SegePhoto: Alessandra Hartkopf for Strategies for ChildrenAcross the country, early educators face questions about how best to align early childhood programs with the academic rigor of the Common Core State Standards adopted by 46 states (including Massachusetts) and the District of Columbia. The answer, experts say, lies in developmentally appropriate practice and understanding what research tells us about how young children learn.“We ... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Notice to DESE: SHOCKER! Apparently Common Core Standards Will Cost Missouri Money.

Missouri Education Watchdog: Notice to DESE: SHOCKER! Apparently Common Core Standards Will Cost Missouri Money.:Notice to DESE: SHOCKER! Apparently Common Core Standards Will Cost Missouri Money.by stlgretchenIn February 2011 Missouri Commissioner of Education Chris Nicastro published a document stating Common Core standards wouldn't cost the state of Missouri any significant money. DESE published a document online entitled:COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDSWhat implications do the Common Core State Standards have for Missouri?The Department has prepared a frequently asked questions docum... more »