James Baldwin said it best:
"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."
A Big Education Ape Nite Cap
Jersey Jazzman: Will Democracy Come to Jersey City?
Jersey Jazzman: Will Democracy Come to Jersey City?: Will Democracy Come to Jersey City? by Duke The circus train that is the NJ Department of Education pulled into Jersey City this week: Superintendent candidates Debra Brathwaite and Marcia V. Lyles made their first appearances at a public meeting on Friday, answering pre-selected questions on district issues at a four-hour special session attended by about 200 residents. But their appearance at School 11 seemed to take a back seat to drama that unfolded, centered on one candidate who failed to make the final cut – interim supe... more »
Request for Waiver of Provisions - Letters (CA Dept of Education)
Request for Waiver of Provisions - Letters (CA Dept of Education): [image: California Department of Education (CDE) Seal] [image: California State Board of Education (SBE) Seal] *CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TOM TORLAKSON,* State Superintendent of Public Instruction 916-319-0800 *CALIFORNIA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION MICHAEL W. KIRST,* President 916-319-0827 1430 N Street Sacramento, CA 95814-5901 June 15, 2012 Deborah Delisle, Assistant Secretary Office of Elementary and Secondary Education U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202 Dear Assistant ... more »
In 20002, Business Week Revealed Why Common Core Disdains Fiction | Dailycensored.com
In 20002, Business Week Revealed Why Common Core Disdains Fiction | Dailycensored.com: In 20002, Business Week Revealed Why Common Core Disdains Fiction by susano And the little very very very very very very very old man smiled, and looking at the faerie he said: ‘Why?’ —e. e. cummings, The Old Man Who Said Why This is the kind of writing primary graders savor. I speak from first-hand, on-the-spot observation here. Of course, teacher experience, knowledge, and intuition count for nothing. Education policy makers are deaf to my expertise. Unions are deaf to my expertise. NCTE, ... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: News Hot off the Presses
Seattle Schools Community Forum: News Hot off the Presses: News Hot off the Presses by Melissa Westbrook This week, Orlando, FL is hosting the U.S Conference of Mayors. According to Reuters, "hundreds" of mayors endorsed "parent trigger" laws... *"...aimed at bypassing elected school boards and giving parents at the worst public schools the opportunity to band together and force immediate change."* Well, it does force change but is it change the only outcome parents create? Generally so. The adage *"be careful what you wish for" *surely applies here to those parents.* * I c... more »
Mayors Gone Mad « Diane Ravitch's blog
Mayors Gone Mad « Diane Ravitch's blog: Mayors Gone Mad by dianerav The annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors unanimously passed a resolution endorsing the so-called parent trigger idea. The parent trigger means that any 51% of parents at a school can sign a petition, and as the Reuters article about it, said “seize control” of the school. Once the parents have seized control, with the endorsement of the mayors, they can fire the staff or hand the school over to a charter corporation. In other words, they can seize public property and privatize it. This is nuts. The pare... more »
Schools Matter: Memphis Consolidation Plan Trojan Horse for Urban Privatization Via Charter Schools
Schools Matter: Memphis Consolidation Plan Trojan Horse for Urban Privatization Via Charter Schools: Memphis Consolidation Plan Trojan Horse for Urban Privatization Via Charter Schools by Jim Horn When Memphis City Schools announced it would accept $90 million from Gates to "improve teacher quality," Supt. Kriner Cash blubbered, “This is huge, this is huge, this puts Memphis City Schools in very elite territory, on the front page of the nation.” Now almost three years later, Gates's fingerprints are on every aspect of school operations in Memphis, including a scheme to shut dow... more »
Standardized Testing in the Arts? No. Please, No. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher
Standardized Testing in the Arts? No. Please, No. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: Standardized Testing in the Arts? No. Please, No. by Nancy Flanagan When it comes to assessing music students, and their learning, I can say with confidence that I am a bona fide expert. I did this work for thirty years--by my count, evaluating well over 5000 music students, giving them grades and feedback. Which only means I had lots of practice--not necessarily proficiency--but depth of experience matters here. Over three decades, I developed and continuously adjusted a conce... more »
Mother Crusader: The Christie Administration's Weapon Of Choice
Mother Crusader: The Christie Administration's Weapon Of Choice: The Christie Administration's Weapon Of Choice by darciecima Matt Katz has written several pieces lately about the Government Records Council (GRC), and how he has been unable to get documents related to the Governor's press release recipient list. Hardly seems like it should be highly classified information, but Katz's Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request was denied. He appealed, and it was brought before the GRC. And who is one of only four members of the GRC? None other than your friend and mine, Acting C... more »
Obama Administration Position on DC Vouchers | ED.gov Blog
Obama Administration Position on DC Vouchers | ED.gov Blog: Obama Administration Position on DC Vouchers Posted on June 19, 2012 by Arne Duncan You may have seen a few stories yesterday that left a misleading impression that the Obama administration changed our position on vouchers. That’s not true. As we said yesterday, our focus is on making sure all students get a world-class education. The best way to do that is by reforming our public school system. Despite the agreement to allow a modest increase in the number of students admitted to the DC voucher program next year to comply... more »
Dear Cinda. About HJRCA49. « Fred Klonsky
Dear Cinda. About HJRCA49. « Fred Klonsky: Dear Cinda. About HJRCA49. by Fred Klonsky In case you missed IEA Executive Director Charlie McBarron’s response to my friend Jerry Mulvihill’s request for polling data, I wanted to repost it today. IEA President Cinda Klickna has claimed that private polling of members dictated that they concede to a plan that would have members contribute more than the 9.4% that they presently pay into TRS. Jerry asked to see the polling data. And then he asked again a few weeks later. And then a few weeks later he
Schools Matter: Case Against Ben Chavis Goes to District Attorney
Schools Matter: Case Against Ben Chavis Goes to District Attorney: Case Against Ben Chavis Goes to District Attorney by Jim Horn Any public school with such a record of abuse, corruption, and anti-social malfeasance would have been shut years ago. From the Oakland Tribune: The head of an Oakland charter school organization that has made national headlines for its low-income students' outstanding test scores is now faced with mounting evidence that he used his position to enrich himself and his family. A state investigation into allegations of operational fraud and other unsc... more »
Schooling in the Ownership Society: School privateers set up new $10 million "venture fund" for Chicago schools
Schooling in the Ownership Society: School privateers set up new $10 million "venture fund" for Chicago schools: School privateers set up new $10 million "venture fund" for Chicago schools by Mike Klonsky RaunerHere we go again. Chicago Civic Committee and billionaire Bruce Rauner are pushing a "venture philanthropy fund" for public school "innovation." Even though the new fund is supposed modeled on the Gates Fund, this time around, this collection of school privateers and union busters can buy their way in for a meager $10 million investment in order to push privately-managed c... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: Will the Cambridge, MA Government Control Your Food Choices...in Private Restaurants?
Missouri Education Watchdog: Will the Cambridge, MA Government Control Your Food Choices...in Private Restaurants?: Will the Cambridge, MA Government Control Your Food Choices...in Private Restaurants? by stlgretchen Banned French lesson phrase for Cambridge, MA restaurants? This is a follow up on our previous post* The Regulation (not Education) of Food "Choices".* The City of Cambridge, Massachusetts is pondering *banning soda and sugar-sweetened beverages in restaurants.* This is because *high intake of soda and other sugar sweetened beverages increases the risk of diabetes a... more »
State Pensions Update - Pew
State Pensions Update - Pew: *Report* The Widening Gap Update States are $1.38 Trillion Short in Funding Retirement Systems - States' Fiscal Health - Contact Nicole Dueffert 202.552.2274 - Yesterday [image: The Widening Gap Update] PDF Downloads - Full Report - State Fact Sheets Quick Summary The gap between the promises states have made for public employees’ retirement benefits and the money they have set aside to pay these bills was at least $1.38 trillion in fiscal year 2010, according to Pew's latest comprehensive analysis on pension and retiree health care ... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: A jobs for youth program? Are you sh*%#ing me?
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: A jobs for youth program? Are you sh*%#ing me?: A jobs for youth program? Are you sh*%#ing me? by Mike Klonsky Unemployment rate in Cook County is around 9% not including those who have given up looking. For black and Latino youth it's closer to 50%. For ex-offenders it is much, much higher. The record number of young victims of gun violence in Chicago streets this summer parallels the youth unemployment rates. For Chicago area young people, unemployment, poverty and family income account for nearly all of the risk factors leading to juvenile incar... more »
Designer of Value-Added Tests a Skeptic about Current Test Mania - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
Designer of Value-Added Tests a Skeptic about Current Test Mania - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Designer of Value-Added Tests a Skeptic about Current Test Mania by Anthony Cody Follow me on Twitter at @AnthonyCody Defenders of our current obsession over test scores claim that new, better tests will rescue us from the educational stagnation caused by a test prep curriculum. And one of those new types of tests is an adaptive test, which adjusts the difficulty of questions as students work, so that students are always challenged. This gives a better measure of student... more »
Geaux Teacher!: WHATEVER YOU DO, PLEASE DONT' THROW ME IN THE BRIAR PATCH!
Geaux Teacher!: WHATEVER YOU DO, PLEASE DONT' THROW ME IN THE BRIAR PATCH!: WHATEVER YOU DO, PLEASE DONT' THROW ME IN THE BRIAR PATCH! by noreply@blogger.com (Lee Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT) Bobby Jindal fails to see that the more people he alienates, intimidates, or fires - the more people we have to sign the recall petition. His mama never told him that you catch more bees with honey. *GOP targets recalls against Jindal, allies * By Marsha Shuler Capitol news bureau June 18, 2012 12 Comments The state Republican Party has started fighting efforts to recall Gov. Bobby Jindal, H... more »
FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, June 19, 2012
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Air Force *Flight Test Center* Education Headlines *Tuesday, June 19, 2012* Butte County Board of Education approves 2012-13 budgetThe budget was prepared with the assumption that Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed tax increase initiative won't pass at the November general election. Calif. applies for No Child Left Behind waiverCalifornia has submitted an application seeking a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind act, which has labeled thousands of schools as failing. But the application submitted Friday lacks key reforms outlined... more »
Deconstructing Funding Fairness: Comments on the release of our latest report « School Finance 101
Deconstructing Funding Fairness: Comments on the release of our latest report « School Finance 101: Deconstructing Funding Fairness: Comments on the release of our latest report by schoolfinance101 Today, I, along with colleagues at the Education Law Center released the second round report on school funding fairness which can be found here: http://www.schoolfundingfairness.org We cover much ground in this report and develop what we believe are a useful set of indicators for comparing state school finance systems. In this new version of the report, we also include interactive table... more »
STEM Makes No Sense | Truth in American Education
STEM Makes No Sense | Truth in American Education: STEM Makes No Sense by Shane Vander Hart [image: STEM-Education1]According to Marc Tucker at EdWeek: Here is an interesting fact. The countries that are producing more people with higher skills in mathematics, science, engineering, technology and science don’t have STEM programs. When we do benchmarking research in those countries, we don’t hear their educators talking about STEM priorities. We don’t hear their industrial leaders doing that either. The term is not used. The programs don’t exist. What is going on here? How com... more »
Kid in Cuffs - Number of Miami-Dade students ‘Baker Acted’ on the rise - Schools - MiamiHerald.com
Number of Miami-Dade students ‘Baker Acted’ on the rise - Schools - MiamiHerald.com: Number of Miami-Dade students ‘Baker Acted’ on the rise At least 646 times this year, Miami-Dade school police have handcuffed a student, put him or her in the back of a patrol car and driven to a mental health facility under the rules in Florida’s mental health law, the Baker Act. BY LAURA ISENSEE AND DAVID OVALLELISENSEE@MIAMIHERALD.COM The number of Miami-Dade students taken by school police from campus for an involuntary psychiatric exam has almost exactly doubled in the past five years, acc... more »
Save One Scott Appointee, Pinellas School Board Candidates Agree on FCAT, Referendum | Scathing Purple Musings
Save One Scott Appointee, Pinellas School Board Candidates Agree on FCAT, Referendum | Scathing Purple Musings: Save One Scott Appointee, Pinellas School Board Candidates Agree on FCAT, Referendum by Bob Sikes From Rachael Jolley in *Patch:* In light of the emergency rule that was created back in May to keep the failure rate unaltered, candidates were 8-1 in support of the resolution against high-stakes testing. All were in favor of the resolution except for district seven candidate, Glen Gilzean. Gilzean said that he thought the state should have made its own resolution rather ... more »
Wait, What? - Working to educate, persuade and mobilize through "perceptive and acerbic" observations about Connecticut Government and Politics
Wait, What? - Working to educate, persuade and mobilize through "perceptive and acerbic" observations about Connecticut Government and Politics: Ask and Ye Shall Receive – “Vallas Summer School Plan” Makes Surprise Appearance by jonpelto (Bridgeport) – With the last full day of the school year over, and six hours after Bridgeport; What if they had Summer School and nobody was told was posted here at Wait, What?, Bridgeport’s Superintendents Office issued a press release entitled “*Bridgeport Public Schools announces Summer School Programs*.” With Vallas like finesse, the statemen... more »
Summer Break & Summer Work « PWC Education Reform Blog
Summer Break & Summer Work « PWC Education Reform Blog: Summer Break & Summer Work by pwceducationreform Summer Break & Summer WorkJune 19, 2012 — pwceducationreform *Summer Break* Just a reminder to our readers that we tend to take a break from posting over the summer. We will return with test score data when scores are released to the public in late July or early August. Until then, conversations will continue on our facebook page, but articles will not be posted here regularly. *Summer Work* We remind parents of children in grades 3 – 8 that the school system will be imp... more »
Free Webinar: Beyond Differentiation with Robyn Jackson — Whole Child Education
Free Webinar: Beyond Differentiation with Robyn Jackson — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Klea Scharberg]Free Webinar: Beyond Differentiation with Robyn Jackson June 18, 2012 by Klea Scharberg [image: Robyn Jackson] Join Robyn Jackson, author of *Never Work Harder Than Your Students & Other Principles of Great Teaching*, for an exciting, free webinar on differentiating instruction for your students. *Wednesday, June 20, 2012, 3:00 p.m. eastern time* *Register now!* Read more » TAGS Challenged, Engaged, Special Needs, What's News COMMENTS (0) [image: ASCD Whole Chi... more »
Geaux Teacher!: I TOLD YOU SO #1
Geaux Teacher!: I TOLD YOU SO #1: I TOLD YOU SO #1 by noreply@blogger.com (Lee Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT) I have been saying for some time now that if I were a lawyer I would be specializing in Education Law. I would guess that someone is beginning to track the increase in the overall costs of "public education" and the*percentage cost attributable to legal fees* as a result of the *transformational changes *that reform is bringing. I'm not sure if that analysis should include criminal as well as civil representation!!! Because this new IRS scrutiny of charters is a day late and a bil... more »
Electing a school board. « Fred Klonsky
Electing a school board. « Fred Klonsky: Electing a school board. by Fred Klonsky Chicago has a long and proud history of progressive reform. It also has produced some duds. Like mayoral control of the public schools. Mayoral control was an idea that came from the brain of the second Mayor Daley. So right away you can see the problem. The citizens of Chicago are allowed to elect the board that runs our water filtration plant, but not the board that governs our schools. Although I have to admit that our water is clean. To demonstrate how smart this idea of mayoral control is, it led t... more »
Should Students Wear a Galvanic Skin Response Bracelet? - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Should Students Wear a Galvanic Skin Response Bracelet? - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Should Students Wear a Galvanic Skin Response Bracelet? by Diane Ravitch Dear Deborah, As you may know, I started my own blog because I found that I needed more room to respond to emerging issues in education. Much as I enjoy our weekly exchanges, and much as I enjoy tweeting, I felt that I needed something between a long letter to you and a 140-character tweet. So I have been waking every day at 5 a.m. to read the latest education news and to comment on it. The most intriguing topic ... more »
Charter Schools : 21 Reasons NOT to have charter schools in the state of Washington | Seattle Education
Charter Schools : 21 Reasons NOT to have charter schools in the state of Washington | Seattle Education: Charter Schools : 21 Reasons NOT to have charter schools in the state of Washington by seattleducation2011 [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] *Written by Washington State Representative Marice Maxwell:* 1. Charters have NOT outperformed public schools – the majority of charter schools have performed equal to or poorer than public schools. 2. Charter schools too often increase segregation of minority students and students of poverty. 3. Charter school legi... more »
New venture connects US teachers online - Boston.com
New venture connects US teachers online - Boston.com: New venture connects US teachers online [image: FILE - In this March 2, 2011, file photo, Randi Weingarten, left, president of the national American Federation of Teachers, waits to speak to a group of teachers and union laborers on the steps of Providence, R.I., City Hall. Concluding her remarks about education reform at Stanford University last year, Weingarten decided to turn the tables and ask a question of the audience. 'You're all technology people,' she said. 'Could you actually help us?' Weingarten said she received one ... more »
NYC Educator: Tell Us How You Really Feel
NYC Educator: Tell Us How You Really Feel: Tell Us How You Really Feel by Miss Eyre Did you know you can evaluate the Regents exams and the administration thereof? You can. The State Education Department wants your feedback. Here is an excerpt from how I plan to fill out my survey*: *Did the examination as a whole constitute an appropriate measure of the commencement-level expectations set forth in the New York State Learning Standards and core curriculum?* Well, considering that the English Regents asks students to write an essay in a single draft in an hour or less, not really... more »
IRS Examining Charter Schools « Diane Ravitch's blog
IRS Examining Charter Schools « Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] IRS Examining Charter Schools by dianerav A reader sent the following article about IRS scrutiny of the financial management of charters, especially for-profit management companies. *http://www.rothgerber.com/showarticle.aspx?Show=1627* * * *Alert: Increased IRS Scrutiny of Charter Schools Operated by For-Profit Management Companies* * * * * *Author(s): Eric V. Hall, H. William Mahaffey, Christopher D. Freeman* *Published: 06/18/2012* * * *In some cases, charter schools are mana... more »
Teachers For Social Justice: June 30th Ethnic Studies Fundraiser
Teachers For Social Justice: June 30th Ethnic Studies Fundraiser: June 30th Ethnic Studies Fundraiser by sarah-ji Support the Ethnic Studies Program in Tucson, Arizona and around the nation! Come make connections between Raza Studies in Arizona and Chicago education with a panel discussion, performances and local art work. Indulge in meaning dialogue with the panelist: Dr. David Stovall- UIC professor Dr. Mirna Garcia- Chicago Grassroots Curriculum Taskforce Jonah Bondurant, Jackie Rodriguez & Students -Teachers at Rudy Lozano Academy Performances by: Reggie Eldridge- Spoken Word K... more »
What Rodney King Meant To Me | The Jose Vilson
What Rodney King Meant To Me | The Jose Vilson: What Rodney King Meant To Me by Jose I have a student who already glorifies the idea of enrolling for the armed forces. He resolves every imaginary conflict with a shotgun or a mixed martial arts move. I’ve made it a running joke just to show how absurd he sounds every time he puts his fingers up in a shot-trigger motion. Yet, something unnerved me about him. For the last three years, I’ve worked on making him one of my student leaders, and thus, he reflects me in a way no other student in the building does. His continued impersonati... more »
Daily Kos: Juneteenth
Daily Kos: Juneteenth: Juneteenth by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger, who had arrive with Union troops on Galveston Island the day before, read General Order #3, which began as follows: The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer. This was the fir... more »
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: "Ouch! My Brain Hurts!": Rigor in the Classroom
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: "Ouch! My Brain Hurts!": Rigor in the Classroom: "Ouch! My Brain Hurts!": Rigor in the Classroom by Lisa M Popout I watched this video, and cracked up! I was trying to find articles about rigor and bumped into this video. It's a bit long in making its point, but I get it. This poor teacher is being hounded by her principal, to "perform" , so that her students can learn the parts of speech. I don't have a problem with rigor in the classroom, I embrace it. I love how a contributor to the article, Rigor:What Does It Mean to You?, described rigor. S... more »
Schooling in the Ownership Society: WSJ critical of PA Republicans for being soft on vouchers
Schooling in the Ownership Society: WSJ critical of PA Republicans for being soft on vouchers: WSJ critical of PA Republicans for being soft on vouchers by Mike Klonsky NAACP protest in Harrisburg, slams vouchers & Gov. Corbett's budget cuts.There's no better place to get the Ownership Society viewpoint on school reform than from the Wall Street Journal (although lately EdWeek has been running a close second). A June 16th, WSJ article, "Keystone State Kop-Out on Education," by David Feith, lambasts Pennsylvania Republicans for not doing enough on passage of a state-wide voucher bi... more »
PSAT for 6-19-12: Fight test-based student retention - Parents United for Responsible Education
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 6-19-12: Fight test-based student retention: PSAT for 6-19-12: Fight test-based student retention by admin PURE has been fighting the Chicago Public Schools’ test-based student promotion policy since 1998, and although the rules have changed a bit, there are still thousands of students who are flunked every year based on their state tests scores alone. The harm begins with the way CPS bars eighth graders from participating in graduation celebrations if their state test scores fall below an artificial cut-off point. ... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: Jeb Bush, Levesque, Obama, Duncan. No Difference in Educational Philosophy Between Republicans and Democrats. Some Floridians are not Happy with this Bipartisanship.
Missouri Education Watchdog: Jeb Bush, Levesque, Obama, Duncan. No Difference in Educational Philosophy Between Republicans and Democrats. Some Floridians are not Happy with this Bipartisanship.: Jeb Bush, Levesque, Obama, Duncan. No Difference in Educational Philosophy Between Republicans and Democrats. Some Floridians are not Happy with this Bipartisanship. by stlgretchen A trio of elitists applauding the implosion of public education. Is Levesque standing in the wings? Here's a crosspost of Grumpyelder's blog on what's happening educationally in Florida with Jeb Bush and the b... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Tenure Confusion in NJ
Jersey Jazzman: Tenure Confusion in NJ: Tenure Confusion in NJ by Duke I posted a summary of the two competing New Jersey tenure bills over at Blue Jersey earlier today. And the invaluable Deciminyan posted video of today's testimony a few posts above mine. I was actually feeling a less pessimistic about the ways things are going - but still with some substantial reservations - until I read this post over at Diane Ravich's blog. A reader of Ravitch's reports that tenure can still be revoked with an appeal to a third party. I don't think that's right... but then I realized that I... more »
Families risk arrest in protesting school closure
Families risk arrest in protesting school closure: [image: SFGate] Families risk arrest in protesting school closure Jill Tucker Tuesday, June 19, 2012 Dozens of students, parents and activists who have set up camp at an Oakland elementary school to protest a plan to permanently close the school were risking arrest Monday after police posted orders to vacate the school grounds. The demonstration started as a sit in at Lakeview Elementary School Friday afternoon and bled into the weekend, organizers said. Roughly 15 students and parents remained at the school Monday morning, down f... more »
LAUSD & UTLA: A POSITIVE VISION OF WHAT COULD BE? - Perdaily.com
LAUSD & UTLA: A POSITIVE VISION OF WHAT COULD BE? - Perdaily.com: ' LAUSD & UTLA: A POSITIVE VISION OF WHAT COULD BE? by Leonard Isenberg [image: One room school house.jpg] *(Mensaje se repite en Español) (For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)* *Since November of 2009 and with this post, perdaily has published 414 blogs over the last 4 years about the failing of public education at the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and other predominantly minority filled school districts like it around the country. Whether it is the militant igno... more »
LAUSD Ruling Clear on the Law, Won’t Shake Up the State « InterACT
LAUSD Ruling Clear on the Law, Won’t Shake Up the State « InterACT: LAUSD Ruling Clear on the Law, Won’t Shake Up the State by David B. Cohen One week ago, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Chalfant issued a ruling on the use of student test scores in teacher evaluations. Reformers are crowing, unions are complaining, and most of the state’s teachers and students, heading off to summer break, are not yet aware of the ruling and the changes it might bring. For a good overview of the case and the ruling, and some interesting exchanges of comments on the ruling, see John ... more »
Open mouth, insert foot: My advice to Ms. Levesque as she fails to make her case for standardized testing in Forida - MyEdNext
Open mouth, insert foot: My advice to Ms. Levesque as she fails to make her case for standardized testing in Forida - MyEdNext: Open mouth, insert foot: My advice to Ms. Levesque as she fails to make her case for standardized testing in Forida - Posted by Diane Hanfmann on June 18, 2012 at 3:00am - View Blog Please allow me to begin kindly. I could hold Ms. Levesque less responsible for her mistaken words since she has no cousework in education..but why should I? With only a background in finance and business administration,she took the reins along with Latin American... more »
Change.org Denies Wrongdoing Despite Teacher Petition | Aaron Krager
Change.org Denies Wrongdoing Despite Teacher Petition | Aaron Krager: Change.org Denies Wrongdoing Despite Teacher Petition CHICAGO / EDUCATION / POLITICS / WORKER RIGHTS Jun 18, 2012 Aaron Krager 1 Comment More than 2,700 people, the overwhelming majority coming from Chicago, signed a petitiondemanding that Change.org stop supporting corporate education advocacy organizations. Well, Change.org decided to respond and it should not come as a surprise that the social justice oriented site cannot see its own wrongdoing. A full response can be seen at the end of this post but ...more »
Race To The Top Grant Might Not be Worth Its Cost to SCUSD | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education
Race To The Top Grant Might Not be Worth Its Cost to SCUSD | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education: Race To The Top Grant Might Not be Worth Its Cost to SCUSD by Kate_Lenox Restrictions on the Use of the Grant Mean the Money Can't Help Restore Education Cuts [image: Home] The US Dept. of Education has released its rules for districts applying to receive Race to the Top grants. They allow individual districts or a consortia of districts to apply directly to the federal government for the money, bypassing state education officials. This is particularly significant in... more »
School Tech Connect: For Each Child That's Born
School Tech Connect: For Each Child That's Born: For Each Child That's Born by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) At the recent CODE event on the northwest side, there was an extraordinary performance of Sweet Honey in the Rock's *We Are. * As a professional non-journalist, I am fully capable of losing my notes from any given assignment, and I have once again done so here. I regret not getting these women's names, but I believe Jitu Brown referred to them as being either board members or staff members (or both) of KOCO, the organization that understands better than any other the eff... more »
The 2012 Democratic Party Platform on education is revealed. « Fred Klonsky
The 2012 Democratic Party Platform on education is revealed. « Fred Klonsky: ' The 2012 Democratic Party Platform on education is revealed. by Fred Klonsky [image: Arnold, Benedict images] We’ve been told that the national Democrats won’t have an education plank in their 2012 campaign platform. But don’t believe it. Want to know why President Obama has been silent in response to Romney’s attack on teachers and teacher unions? Brother Mike reveals the answers in a post today. The Chicago Sun-Times exposes the ties between the Obama administration, their chief political strategist Da... more »
EdWeek---Districts Gear Up for Race to Top Scramble | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education
EdWeek---Districts Gear Up for Race to Top Scramble | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education: EdWeek---Districts Gear Up for Race to Top Scramble by Kate_Lenox [image: Home] By Alyson Klein and Christina A. Samuels Leaders of some large-city school districts say they are prepared to jump into the competition for nearly $400 million in new Race to the Top grants from the U.S. Department of Education. But the head of a coalition of rural districts said that while the money would be welcomed, it may require too much effort from small district staffs to apply for and to adm... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Charter News Roundup - It's Not Pretty
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Charter News Roundup - It's Not Pretty: Charter News Roundup - It's Not Pretty by Melissa Westbrook [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] - Let's start with Diane Ravitch's call at her blog for ed reform stories from around the country. It's staggering to read and most are about charters. - Last Stand for Children First Illinois about how turnaround schools happen in their state. - Diane's blog again - a story about the "American Indian Charter School" in Oakland, CA. The school is about 86% Asian-Ameri... more »
Lakeview Elementary sit-in: Oakland schools police order crowd to disperse - ContraCostaTimes.com
Lakeview Elementary sit-in: Oakland schools police order crowd to disperse - ContraCostaTimes.com: Lakeview Elementary sit-in: Oakland schools police order crowd to disperse By Katy Murphy and Anna Gallegos Oakland Tribune Posted: 06/18/2012 09:58:05 AM PDT Updated: 06/18/2012 01:14:53 PM PDT Click photo to enlarge Joel Velasquez, a parent of three kids, and Timothy Tery, an alum of Lakeview Elementary, stand... - - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - » OAKLAND -- Days into a sit-in to protest the closure of Lakeview Elementary School, the Oakland school district police f... more »
The Financialization of education: New teacher standards and evaluations means vendors are cashing in on the ‘teacher training’ like pigs in a trough | Dailycensored.com
The Financialization of education: New teacher standards and evaluations means vendors are cashing in on the ‘teacher training’ like pigs in a trough | Dailycensored.com: The Financialization of education: New teacher standards and evaluations means vendors are cashing in on the ‘teacher training’ like pigs in a trough by Danny Weil I remember when, 25 years ago I was a second grade teacher in then changing South Central Los Angeles. One of the first things that I had my face shoved in was the corporate text book ‘advisors’ or “consultants’ that would come to our school and tell ... more »
Free Webinar: Beyond Differentiation with Robyn Jackson — Whole Child Education
Free Webinar: Beyond Differentiation with Robyn Jackson — Whole Child Education: Free Webinar: Beyond Differentiation with Robyn Jackson by Klea Scharberg [image: Robyn Jackson] Join Robyn Jackson, author of *Never Work Harder Than Your Students & Other Principles of Great Teaching*, for an exciting, free webinar on differentiating instruction for your students. *Wednesday, June 20, 2012, 3:00 p.m. eastern time* *Register now!* Are you bogged down trying to plan differentiated lessons to meet the diverse needs of all of your students? If so, join this free ASCD Webinar to learn how... more »