High-stakes testing cheats children out of a quality education | Get Schooled
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High-stakes testing cheats children out of a quality education | Get Schooled: High-stakes testing cheats children out of a quality education3:47 amApril 2, 2012,byMaureen DowneyThe folks at FairTesthave been raising the alarm about excessive testing and its impact on education long before most people.Here is a response tothe AJC investigation into nationwide disparities in test resultsfrom Robert Schaeffer, public education director of FairTest: the National Center for Fair Open TestingBy Robert SchaefferAcross the U.S., the politically mandated misuse of standardized ... more »
Mishandled finances not uncommon in charter schools | The Columbus Dispatch
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Mishandled finances not uncommon in charter schools | The Columbus Dispatch: Mishandled finances not uncommon in charter schoolsByJennifer Smith RichardsThe Columbus DispatchMonday April 2, 2012 6:56 AMComments: 1ShareThisSpend first, ask permission later, and don’t bother with receipts.The loose financial systems at some of Ohio’s charter schools have led to questionable spending in recent years. Some schools hired treasurers with spotty track records; others hired qualified treasurers but disregarded their advice when they insisted on better checks and balances.The recent case ... more »
U.S. in and out of step with top ed systems | Thoughts on Public Education
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U.S. in and out of step with top ed systems | Thoughts on Public Education: U.S. in and out of step with top ed systems - by Kathryn BaronbyKathryn BaronAndreas Schleicher looks the part of a diplomat. Tall and slim, with thick gray hair, and impeccable English spoken with a European accent. He is also the consummate diplomat when it comes to assessing the United State’s standing in education. In most countries, low results on the Programme for International Student ... more »
School officials stand by test scores despite paper's findings | Seattle Times Newspaper
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Local News | School officials stand by test scores despite paper's findings | Seattle Times Newspaper: School officials stand by test scores despite paper's findingsSchool officials stand by test scores despite paper's findingsAn investigation by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has identified about 200 school districts, including four in Washington state, that recently reported test-score gains the article describes as extremely improbable.ByBrian M. RosenthalSeattle Times education reporterRELATEDThe Atlanta-Journal Constitution investigationWashington state scoresThe Atlanta Jour... more »
Austin Independent School District Battles On for Charter IDEA In-District against the Will of Parents and the Community « Parents Across America
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Austin Independent School District Battles On for Charter IDEA In-District against the Will of Parents and the Community « Parents Across America: Austin Independent School District Battles On for Charter IDEA In-District against the Will of Parents and the CommunitybyLorie BarzanoBy Lorie BarzanoCo-Chair of CoalitionSAUS (Strengthen Austin Urban Schools)A parent led group representing inner-city public schools working to ensure accessible, quality Public Education for all children and healthy, thriving Public Schools in Austin’s urban coreIn a special meeting on December ... more »
Rockford teachers end strike and overwhelmingly approve settlement. « Fred Klonsky
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Rockford teachers end strike and overwhelmingly approve settlement. « Fred Klonsky: Rockford teachers end strike and overwhelmingly approve settlement.byFred KlonskyWhile I was visiting back east with my family in Brooklyn there camethe newsof a settlement in nearby Rockford.“Teachers were thrilled to be going back to the classroom, but I’ll tell you, they
Bloomberg and Tweed: “Our Standards Mean Nothing” | Edwize
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Bloomberg and Tweed: “Our Standards Mean Nothing” | Edwize: Bloomberg and Tweed: “Our Standards Mean Nothing”byLeo CaseyLast Wednesday, the New York City Department of Education (DoE) began holding public meetings for the 33 Transformation and Restart Schools that Mayor Bloomberg announced he would close in his State of the City speech. At the start of each meeting, a Deputy Chancellor reads out a prepared script which purportedly makes the case for closure. For 19 of those 33 schools, nearly 3 ... more »
Report: New schools outperform redesigns | EdNewsColorado
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Report: New schools outperform redesigns | EdNewsColorado: Report: New schools outperform redesignsbyNancy MitchellDenver Public Schools has opened 36 new schools in the past five years in the quest to improve student achievement, but a new report says not all types of new schools are performing equally well.Students from Gilpin Elementary, a redesigned school, pose in this EdNews file photo.In “Great Expectations, Mixed Results,” released today by the Donnell-Kay Foundation, report author Alex Ooms focused on student academic growth to compare ... more »
SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: BREAKING NEWS!!! PREVIEW OF 2012 NYS MATH AND ELA TESTS!!!
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SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: BREAKING NEWS!!! PREVIEW OF 2012 NYS MATH AND ELA TESTS!!!: BREAKING NEWS!!! PREVIEW OF 2012 NYS MATH AND ELA TESTS!!!bynoreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)Yes, today being the first day of April that can only mean that testing season is just around the corner. The crack team has been hard at work through intermediaries to get a preview of the upcoming standardized tests for grades 3-8 and just several hours ago all Math and ELA tests have fallen in the ... more »
The Gulen Movement’s connection to the largest US charter network « Parents Across America
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The Gulen Movement’s connection to the largest US charter network « Parents Across America: The Gulen Movement’s connection to the largest US charter networkbyleoniehaimsonBy Sharon Higgins, founding member ofParents Across AmericaNote: This is an expanded version of aguest postpublished in The Washington Post under Valerie Strauss’s column, The Answer Sheet, on March 27, 2012.The largest charter school network in the United States is operated by people in and associated with the Gulen Movement (GM), a secretive and controversial Turkish religious ... more »
Coping with asthma leaves schools gasping | EdNewsColorado
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Coping with asthma leaves schools gasping | EdNewsColorado: Coping with asthma leaves schools gaspingbyRebecca JonesCastle Rock mom Heather Clark was so concerned that her 13-year-old daughter, Sami, would have an asthma attack at school and that no one would know what to do, she took to sneaking an inhaler into her daughter’s backpack, just in case. She calls it her “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.She didn’t realize that there was no need to treat the inhaler as if it were ... more »
Education’s Hungry Hearts - NYTimes.com
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Education’s Hungry Hearts - NYTimes.com: Education’s Hungry HeartsBy MARK EDMUNDSONPublished: March 31, 2012RECOMMENDTWITTERLINKEDINCOMMENTS(67)SIGN IN TO E-MAILPRINTREPRINTSSHAREBatesville, Va.Readers’ CommentsShare your thoughts.Post a Comment »Read All Comments (67) »“EVERYBODY’S got a hungry heart,” Bruce Springsteen sings. Really? Is that so? At the risk of offending the Boss, I want to register some doubts.Granted my human sample is not large — but it’s not so small either. I’ve been teaching now for 35 years and in that time have had about 4,000 students ... more »
TRS’s Dick Ingram scares the shit out of people. « Fred Klonsky
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TRS’s Dick Ingram scares the shit out of people. « Fred Klonsky: TRS’s Dick Ingram scares the shit out of people.byFred KlonskyA leaked memo by TRS Executive Director Richard Ingram has caused a flood of concerned emails into my inbox this weekend.Ingram is predicting insolvency for the teacher pension by 2009.And what is scaring retirees ishis threatthat reduced benefits to retirees was a likely solution.First of all, Ingram seems to view things a little too much as a benefit problem ... more »
A Dictator Unwilling to Step Down « Cooperative Catalyst
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A Dictator Unwilling to Step Down « Cooperative Catalyst: A Dictator Unwilling to Step DownbylinedalileI speak about education from an unflattering point of view, maybe because it is destroying our fascinating, curious minds.I don’t claim to be an expert in education, I am still a student and I speak for myself. I believe that students should have a voice in the education system today, because mainly they are the ones who are being educated. The control of education should be ...more »
Sen. Sanders' open letter: Charter Schools - WSFA.com: News Weather and Sports for Montgomery, AL.
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Sen. Sanders' open letter: Charter Schools - WSFA.com: News Weather and Sports for Montgomery, AL.: Sen. Sanders' open letter: Charter SchoolsPosted:Mar 30, 2012 5:21 PM PDTUpdated:Mar 31, 2012 10:14 AM PDTFile Photo: Senator Hank SandersDECISION 2012MOREKeith Olbermann ousted by Current TVEtch A Sketch launches ad campaignRomney gets Bush backing, but no sign of George W.Obama outspends Republican campaigns by millionsGeorge H.W. Bush to formally back RomneyAlabama State Senator Hank Sanders (D-Selma) penned the following open letter to Alabama Governor Robert ... more »
NYC Public School Parents: DOE to spend millions of dollars on new local assessments, starting in preK?
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NYC Public School Parents: DOE to spend millions of dollars on new local assessments, starting in preK?: DOE to spend millions of dollars on new local assessments, starting in preK?byLeonie HaimsonThe DOE released a new set of RFP’s totesting companies to develop yet another set of “local assessments” to be given starting next year. [Apparentlythe408assessmentsbid out in July did not result in any contracts.] The bids aredue April 23.The announcement says that24 contracts could result, for God knows how many ... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Note to SPS: Ask Amazon And Vulcan to be Good Civic Partners
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Seattle Schools Community Forum: Note to SPS: Ask Amazon And Vulcan to be Good Civic Partners: Note to SPS: Ask Amazon And Vulcan to be Good Civic PartnersbyMelissa WestbrookToday's front page headlinestoryin the Times is about Amazon, "a virtual no-show in hometown philanthropy."The story points out that while it even took the Gates Foundation awhile to start opening its vast pockets, Amazon still hasn't. Their model?"Our core business activities are probably the most important thing we do to contribute, as ... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: Let's Make a Common Core Video featuring Herrings and Doves! The Sunday Education Weekly Reader 04.01.12
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Missouri Education Watchdog: Let's Make a Common Core Video featuring Herrings and Doves! The Sunday Education Weekly Reader 04.01.12: Let's Make a Common Core Video featuring Herrings and Doves! The Sunday Education Weekly Reader 04.01.12bystlgretchenWelcome to the Sunday Education Weekly Reader for April Fool's Day 2012! We're really not doing a video for Common Core standards as so many teachers have, but if we did do a video, we'd probably sing about how they are:unprovenuntestedunderfundedunconstitutionalToday is April Fool's Day andtwo ... more »
Daily Kos: "Us" versus "Them"
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Daily Kos: "Us" versus "Them": "Us" versus "Them"byrss@dailykos.com (teacherken)Perhaps it is my age, or perhaps it is my experience, but I have a visceral and negative reaction towards anyone who seeks to divide us up. I see such framings as that I used for the title of this post as seeking to designate some as "other" and thus not worthy of respect nor or recognition of rights. On the one hand, in some ways I might qualify for many examples ... more »
Voters favor limited city role in schools | UTSanDiego.com
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Voters favor limited city role in schools | UTSanDiego.com: Voters favor limited city role in schoolsPoll shows little support for mayor taking control of districtGrading public schoolsGrade public schools in SD…A/BCD/FTotal34%3622Party RegistrationDemocrat393814Republican283432DTS/Other333622RegionWest (1, 2)364216North Central (5, 6, 7)343226South Central (3, 4, 8, 9)323623EducationHS or less412723Some College284318College grad323426Post grad373820School-Age ChildrenYes482723No303822Top IssueEconomy and Jobs344016Reforming city pensions283032Education423418Mayoral BallotDeMaio233... more »
Shanker Blog » Measuring Journalist Quality
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Shanker Blog » Measuring Journalist Quality: Measuring Journalist QualitybyMatthew Di CarloJournalists play an essential role in our society. They are charged with informing the public, a vital function in a representative democracy. Yet, year after year, large pockets of the electorate remain poorly-informed on both foreign and domestic affairs. For a long time, commentators have blamed any number of different culprits for this problem, including poverty, education, increasing work hours and the rapid proliferation of entertainment media.There is no doubt ... more »
Evolution of Classroom Technology (Jeff Dunn) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
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Evolution of Classroom Technology (Jeff Dunn) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Evolution of Classroom Technology (Jeff Dunn)bylarrycubanJeff Dunnis Executive Editor of Edumedia. He posted his version of technological devices that influenced classroom teaching and learning on April 18, 2011. Because of space, I have dropped some of the artifacts he included. There are, of course, many definitions of instructional technology; this one relies on devices and machines. Dunn’s evolution of technology, then, tracks the different devices ... more »
"What's Going On "
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Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr.(April 2, 1939– April 1, 1984)What's Going OnLyricsMother, motherThere's too many of you cryingBrother, brother, brotherThere's far too many of you dyingYou know we've got to find a wayTo bring some lovin' here today - YaFather, fatherWe don't need to escalateYou see, war is not the answerFor only love can conquer hateYou know we've got to find a wayTo bring some lovin' here todayPicket lines and picket signsDon't punish me with brutalityTalk to me, so you can ... more »
A new approach to school turnarounds (or ‘old dogs CAN learn new tricks’) - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post
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A new approach to school turnarounds (or ‘old dogs CAN learn new tricks’) - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: A new approach to school turnarounds (or ‘old dogs CAN learn new tricks’)byValerie StraussThiswas written by educator Anthony Cody, who worked for 24 years in the Oakland schools, 18 years teaching science at a high-needs school and six years as a mentor and coach of teachers. He is a National Board-certified teacher. A version ofthis postappeared on hisEducation Week ... more »
Sunday links « Fred Klonsky
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Sunday links « Fred Klonsky: Sunday linksbyFred KlonskyChicago Teachers Take Mock Strike Vote.Just one link this Sunday morning.It is to an MSNBC story about couple of votes taken at two Chicago high schools.CTU members voted on whether they would approve a strike next Fall.The answer was overwhelmingly “yes.”Talk to any CPS teacher and you will know the reasons.And each individual teacher has their own grievances.The proverbial straw came last week when the CPS board moved unilaterally and with haste to ... more »
