The Pineapple Story Tests Us: Have Test Publishers become Unquestionable Authorities? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
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The Pineapple Story Tests Us: Have Test Publishers become Unquestionable Authorities? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: The Pineapple Story Tests Us: Have Test Publishers become Unquestionable Authorities?byAnthony CodyFollow me onTwitter at @AnthonyCodyThe New York Daily News has perhaps inadvertentlyshed some lighton why teachers might be hesitant to have a large portion of their evaluations based on standardized test scores. In a rare moment of transparency, one of the 8th grade reading comprehension questions has been published, and ... more »
solidaridad: Parents Across America Action Alert: Help fight ALEC!
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solidaridad: Parents Across America Action Alert: Help fight ALEC!: Parents Across America Action Alert: Help fight ALEC!byRobert D. Skeels * rdsatheneHelp fight ALEC! You may have been reading about the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) lately because this group wrote the controversial Florida "Stand Your Ground" law involved in the Trayvon Martin case. They were also behind the union-busting and voter ID laws in Wisconsin.ALEC is a secretive business-backed group that writes conservative legislation and then spreads it rapidly across ... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: A Win For the Victim Of Bullying But No Real Solutions to Bullying Coming From Policy Makers
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Missouri Education Watchdog: A Win For the Victim Of Bullying But No Real Solutions to Bullying Coming From Policy Makers: A Win For the Victim Of Bullying But No Real Solutions to Bullying Coming From Policy MakersbyAnngieThis week's lawsuit settlement by the Ramsey Board of Education, paying former student Sawyer Rosenstein $42. million, while not a legal admission of "a violation of any law or duty owed to the Plaintiffs,” (from the official RBE statement), is certainly an indication of ... more »
LAUSD, John Deasy - Perdaily.com
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LAUSD, John Deasy - Perdaily.com: LAUSD: THE DEVIL AND JOHN DEASY BY MARK HEMPHILLbyLeonard Isenberg(Mensaje se repite en Español)(For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)No, this is neither a parity nor a satire based on Steven Vincent Benet's, The Devil and Daniel Webster. In that story, the Devil met his match. Rather it's about how John Deasy managed to turn his own little witch hunt into a full blown reign of terror. ... more »
RheeFirst! » Rhee (& George Bush) to speak at meeting of most cynical group of edu for-profiteers ever assembled
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RheeFirst! » Rhee ( George Bush) to speak at meeting of most cynical group of edu for-profiteers ever assembled: Rhee ( George Bush) to speak at meeting of most cynical group of edu for-profiteers ever assembledbyadminWritten by David Halperin for the Republic Report. Read theentire post here.“Republic Report previously reported that former PresidentGeorge W. Bushwill be speaking at theannual meetingofAPSCU, the leading association of for-profit colleges, on June 22 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel Casino in Las Vegas. For-profit colleges ... more »
Scams and Frauds (Plus George W. Bush and Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee) At Upcoming Subprime College Conference in Vegas
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Scams and Frauds (Plus George W. Bush and Michelle Rhee) At Upcoming Subprime College Conference in Vegas: Scams and Frauds (Plus George W. Bush and Michelle Rhee) At Upcoming Subprime College Conference in VegasByDavid Halperinposted Apr 20th 2012 at 2:12PM Michelle Rhee will join George W. Bush as a speaker at the annual for-profit colleges meeting in Las Vegas.Republic Report previously reported that former PresidentGeorge W. Bushwill be speaking at theannual meetingofAPSCU, the leading association of for-profit colleges, on June ... more »
President Obama, Dr. Jill Biden to Honor Teachers of the Year | The White House
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President Obama, Dr. Jill Biden to Honor Teachers of the Year | The White House: President Obama, Dr. Jill Biden to Honor Teachers of the Year WASHINGTON, DC – On Tuesday, President Obama will honor the 2012 National Teacher of the Year and finalists, thanking them for their hard work and dedication each and every day in the classroom. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will also attend the event. The President believes that the education of our children is critical ... more »
Career Education Plan From Obama Administration Unlikely To Bear Fruit For A Year Or More
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Career Education Plan From Obama Administration Unlikely To Bear Fruit For A Year Or More: Career Education Plan From Obama Administration Unlikely To Bear Fruit For A Year Or MorebyJoy Resmovits U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan traveled to a community college in the middle of Iowa to announce Thursday what he called a "transformation" of vocational education."The Perkins program must be transformed if it is to live up to its potential to prepare every youth and adult to participate ... more »
The LegiSchool Project - Center for California Studies at Sacramento State - Leadership begins here.
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The LegiSchool Project - Center for California Studies at Sacramento State - Leadership begins here.: The LegiSchool ProjectIn a democratic society an important purpose of schools is the preparation of students for their involvement in civic life. Today it is more important than ever that students leaving high school have a basic understanding of public issues and have the ability to participate fully in the political process. In order to do this they must be able to think critically, exercise ... more »
Talking pineapple question on state exam stumps ... everyone! - NY Daily News
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Talking pineapple question on state exam stumps ... everyone! - NY Daily News: Talking pineapple question on state exam stumps ... everyone! Students, teachers, principals - no one has any idea what the deal isComments (35)BYBEN CHAPMANANDRACHEL MONAHAN/ NEW YORK DAILY NEWSALEX CAO/GETTY IMAGESDo you need ears of corn to hear a talking pineapple? Maybe testing company Pearson has the answer.TAKEOUR POLLWas the question about a talking pineapple absurd?Yes, it was ridiculousNo, it was fineStudents across the state are still ... more »
Jersey Jazzman: No Experience Necessary
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Jersey Jazzman: No Experience Necessary: No Experience NecessarybyDukeWe have many highly qualified, experienced, and very successful superintendents in New Jersey. But when it's time to get informed opinions about our school system, we often pass them by for by for folks who are... well (to put in kindly),somewhat less experienced:The governor also wants to change the way enrollment is counted. Students are now counted on Oct 15. The governor wants to base funding on average daily attendance, which he says ... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Dare the council stand up to autocrat Rahm?
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Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Dare the council stand up to autocrat Rahm?: Dare the council stand up to autocrat Rahm?byMike Klonsky"We've debated this long enough. I'm not in the position of analysis. I'm in the position of getting things done."--Rahm to his councilScientists have discovered signs of life in Chicago's city council. The discovery comes as a shock to our autocrat mayor (and to me) who thought he had already crushed or bought off the last flicker of democratic impulse ... more »
SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: Reich, Beyond Outrage
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SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: Reich, Beyond Outrage: Reich, Beyond OutrageThe Daily Show with Jon StewartGet More:Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor Satire Blog,The Daily Show on FacebookPOSTED BYDUANE CAMPBELLAT9:12 PMEMAIL THISBLOGTHIS!SHARE TO TWITTERSHARE TO FACEBOOK
Creighton supporters stave off charter conversion - for now | Philadelphia Public School Notebook
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Creighton supporters stave off charter conversion - for now | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Creighton supporters stave off charter conversion - for nowbyBenjamin Heroldon Apr 19 2012 Posted inLatest news By Benjamin Heroldfor the Notebook and WHYY/NewsworksResponding to passionate support from parents, community members, and teachers foran “outside-the-box” planto keep Thomas Creighton Elementary under District control, the School Reform Commission decided on Thursday evening to delay a planned vote to convert Creighton into a Renaissance charter.“I agree with my colleagues ... more »
Daily Kos: Eugene Robinson nails it
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Daily Kos: Eugene Robinson nails it: Eugene Robinson nails itbyrss@dailykos.com (teacherken)in his Friday column for the Washington Post. TitledRepublican rhetoric over the topit totally demolishes the false equivalence some try to offer to avoid confronting how awful some of what spews from the mouths of Republicans and their supporters actually is.He begins very bluntly:Not all overheated political rhetoric is alike. Delusional right-wing crazy talk — the kind of ranting we’ve heard recently from washed-up rock star Ted Nugent and Tea ... more »
Testing the Teachers - NYTimes.com
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Testing the Teachers - NYTimes.com: Testing the TeachersByDAVID BROOKSPublished: April 19, 2012FACEBOOKTWITTERGOOGLE+EMAILSHAREPRINTREPRINTSThere’s an atmosphere of grand fragility hanging over America’s colleges. The grandeur comes from the surging application rates, the international renown, the fancy new dining and athletic facilities. The fragility comes from the fact that colleges are charging more money, but it’s not clear how much actual benefit they are providing.Josh Haner/The New York TimesDavid BrooksGo to Columnist Page »Go to David Brooks’s Blog »The ConversationDavid B... more »
Friday Finds | Inside Higher Ed
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Friday Finds | Inside Higher Ed: Friday FindsbyDean DadBlog:Confessions of a Community College DeanIf you haven’t seen thisinterview with Jane Wellman,it’s well worth a read. She’s an expert on the drivers of college costs, and she was the founding director of the Delta Cost Project. (She’s also funny as hell in a sardonic, I’ve-had-toothaches-scarier-than-you way.) She makes several points that I wish we could all just stipulate before having any more conversations about college costs: that every new dollar of ... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: More calls for civility
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Seattle Schools Community Forum: More calls for civility: More calls for civilitybyCharlie Mas Here's an interesting trend: calls for civility in the discussion of education issues in Seattle.They are coming from a variety of sources.Here'sone from Alison Krupnickthat I read in Crosscut. Yeah, Crosscut, where the editor referred to the two newly elected board members as "insurgents" and refuse to interview them as candidates.Here'sone from Robin Lakeof the Center for Reinventing Public Education that appeared on the EdWeek blog.Here'sone from ... more »
The Innovative Educator: Tell Bully Principal How You Feel
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The Innovative Educator: Tell Bully Principal How You Feel: Tell Bully Principal How You Feelbynoreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nielsen)This week in theOpt Out of Testing - New Yorkgroup (there's a group for each state)one parent shared the response of her school's principal in regards to opting out of tests. As you'll note in the email below the principal not only disregards this parent's decision to do what is best for her child, but he threatens to contact child protective services. Why on ... more »
Daily Kos: Why I Teach - Educators Share Their Stories
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Daily Kos: Why I Teach - Educators Share Their Stories: Why I Teach - Educators Share Their Storiesbyrss@dailykos.com (teacherken)is a new endeavor by John Merrow of Learning Matters, who covers education for the News Hour, to highlight teachers.You can see the entire serieshere.So far there have been four post:Esther Wojcicki of Palo Alto High schoolNancy Gardner, Mooresville (NC) High SchoolJessica Hahn, Explore Charter School in NYand someone who began his post like this: I chose to teach so I could ... more »
Palm Beach School Board Blasts FCAT; Is Texas-Style Opposition Next? | Scathing Purple Musings
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Palm Beach School Board Blasts FCAT; Is Texas-Style Opposition Next? | Scathing Purple Musings: Palm Beach School Board Blasts FCAT; Is Texas-Style Opposition Next?byBob SikesSmall wonder Florida republican legislators want to end salaries of school board members. They can’t have high-profile opposition to the one thing they cannot go without to drive their privatization agenda. Last night, members of the Palm Beach county school board let everyone know that they didn’t care for FCAT and didn’t like the effect it ... more »
Hartford Courant Editorial Sticks to “Don’t Confuse me with the Facts” Approach. by jonpelto- Wait, What?
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- Wait, What?: Hartford Courant Editorial Sticks to “Don’t Confuse me with the Facts” Approach.byjonpeltoNo matter how much the downsizing and corporatization of the Hartford Courant undermines the image it once had, I will never stop believing that it the Courant is OUR newspaper and, as such, has earned the right to continue to be known as Connecticut’s “paper of record.”That’s why I find it so painful, frustrating and sad when they write editorials that lack an underpinning of facts. ... more »
The Toxic Trifecta, Bad Measurement & Evolving Teacher Evaluation Policies « School Finance 101
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The Toxic Trifecta, Bad Measurement Evolving Teacher Evaluation Policies « School Finance 101: The Toxic Trifecta, Bad Measurement Evolving Teacher Evaluation Policiesbyschoolfinance101This post contains my preliminary thoughts in development for a forthcoming article dealing with the intersection between statistical and measurement issues in teacher evaluation and teachers’ constitutional rights where those measures are used for making high stakes decisions.The Toxic Trifecta in Current Legislative Models for Teacher EvaluationA relatively consistent legislative framework for teach... more »
Schools Matter: The Real News on the Fake Education Reform
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Schools Matter: The Real News on the Fake Education Reform: The Real News on the Fake Education ReformbyJudy RabinPopoutMore testing, more accountability for teachers and public schools, more data collection, merit pay for teachers based on worthless test scores and crap curriculum supplied by Pearon, McGraw Hill and Houghton Mifflin, more computer learning, more charters and more privatization. Yes, that is the agenda of those who profit from this fake education reform in the name of closing the achievement gap.The ... more »
ADOLF HITLER CURRENTLY MORE POPULAR THAN PUBLIC EMPLOYEES’ PENSIONS? « Teachers Fight Back
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ADOLF HITLER CURRENTLY MORE POPULAR THAN PUBLIC EMPLOYEES’ PENSIONS? « Teachers Fight Back: ADOLF HITLER CURRENTLY MORE POPULAR THAN PUBLIC EMPLOYEES’ PENSIONS?byalkleenWith no dissenting votes, the Illinois House proposed a constitutional amendment that would make it more difficult to increase pension benefits for public employees. The House voted 113-0 to adopt the amendment and send it to the Senate. If the Senate approves it, it will appear on the November ballot. The amendment requires that any legislation that enhances pension ... more »