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
What Are We Waiting For? | Taking Note
What Are We Waiting For? | Taking Note: What Are We Waiting For? by John Merrow Low income, high poverty high school students earning their AA degrees while they are still in high school? If you saw our two-part report on PBS * NewsHour *last week, you know it’s not a fantasy: What’s more, this is not a flash in the pan or a new idea. The University of Chicago had a version in the 1940’s and 50’s. I remember great programs at LaGuardia Community College in the 1980’s, and Minnesota has had a vibrant post-secondary options programs in its high schools for years. Today, theEarly Coll... more »
CTU on the west side. « Fred Klonsky
CTU on the west side. « Fred Klonsky: CTU on the west side. by Fred Klonsky From the CTU: Collective Bargaining – Fact Finding- Work Stoppage What do these mean for students and parents? Join the CTU for a community forum to discuss the next Chicago schools contract. Wednesday, July 11th6 to 7:30 PMSankofa Cultural and Business Center5820 West Chicago AvenueForum sponsors: Chicago NAACP – Westside Branch, South Austin Community Coalition (SACC), Westside Health Authority, PACE/Raise Your Hand-Illinois, and local elected officials.For more information contact: Dwayne Truss at 773-8... more »
A Field Report on New York’s Educator Evaluation System « Diane Ravitch's blog
A Field Report on New York’s Educator Evaluation System « Diane Ravitch's blog: A Field Report on New York’s Educator Evaluation System by dianerav The principals of New York State have been up in arms in opposition to the “educator evaluation” system that the New York State Education Department has designed. More than one-third of the principals across the state have bravely signed a petition in protest. The reason for the evaluation system is that New York had the misfortune to “win” Race to the Top. The $700 million did not go to schools for urgent needs, but to meet the manda... more »
Justin Bieber vs. Selena Gomez: Race, Immigration and Who’s “American”Political News and Opinion from a Multicultural Point of View | Political News and Opinion from a Multicultural Point of View
Justin Bieber vs. Selena Gomez: Race, Immigration and Who’s “American”Political News and Opinion from a Multicultural Point of View | Political News and Opinion from a Multicultural Point of View: Justin Bieber vs. Selena Gomez: Race, Immigration and Who’s “American” [image: Justin Bieber vs. Selena Gomez: Race, Immigration and Who’s “American”] There’s been a great deal of discussion about a new Pew Research Center report confirming that migrants from Asian countries now outnumber those from Latin America. The report uses broad brushstrokes to paint a picture of Asian migrants a... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: News Roundup
Seattle Schools Community Forum: News Roundup: News Roundup by Melissa Westbrook Today, yes today, is the last day to register to vote for the August 7th primary. Here's a link to do it online. The deadline for the General Election is October 8th. Well, as one grass-roots group put it, sometimes the little guy does get heard. Check out this graph of the dropoff of "likes" at Michelle Rhee's Students First Facebook page. Looks like the word got out about her use of signing people up for her organization by luring them to sign petitions at Change.org. That or she's not getting... more »
Spending Unspent Funds « PWC Education Reform Blog
Spending Unspent Funds « PWC Education Reform Blog: Spending Unspent Funds by pwceducationreform It seems the idea of taking a few weeks off this summer just isn’t going to happen. As power, internet, and phone service appears to have been restored in most areas of PWC, an issue has popped up that deserves more than the scant attention it’s getting on facebook and local blogs. That is the issue of what the county and school division do with excess funds at the end of the year (with a Hat Tip to the Sheriff of Nottingham, PWC , the facebook page MymoneyPAC, and others for raising... more »
One Teacher’s Opinion on Common Core – Be Wise in the Sniffing. « Continuing Change
One Teacher’s Opinion on Common Core – Be Wise in the Sniffing. « Continuing Change: One Teacher’s Opinion on Common Core – Be Wise in the Sniffing. by gatorbonbc *My comment on Diane Ravitch’s blog today. Diane writes,* *“In these times of austerity, I wonder how much money districts and states have available to implement the standards faithfully. I wonder how much money they will put into professional development. I wonder about the quality of the two new assessments that the U.S. Department of Education laid out $350 million for.* *These are things I wonder. But how can I possi... more »
Behind the scenes, Boston Consulting Group has been a driving force on labor negotiations, school closings, and charters | Philadelphia Public School Notebook
Behind the scenes, Boston Consulting Group has been a driving force on labor negotiations, school closings, and charters | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Behind the scenes, Boston Consulting Group has been a driving force on labor negotiations, school closings, and charters by Benjamin Herold by Benjamin Herold for the *Notebook* and WHYY/*Newsworks* The Boston Consulting Group has identified up to 60 Philadelphia school buildings as potential candidates for closure and helped line up private vendors willing to replace the School District’s unionized blue-collar workforce ... more »
Oakland’s special education reorganization: a parent’s critique - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools
Oakland’s special education reorganization: a parent’s critique - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools: Oakland’s special education reorganization: a parent’s critique Monday, July 9th, 2012 at 9:36 am in No Comments *Stacey Smith is an Oakland school district parent and volunteer who has served on the District GATE Advisory Committee, the school board’s Special Committee on School Based Management, and the Community Advisory Committee for Special Education. I invited her to contribute periodically to The Education Report; any topic she writes about — includ... more »
The coo coo birds leave DC and fly to Detroit for the AFT convention. « Fred Klonsky
The coo coo birds leave DC and fly to Detroit for the AFT convention. « Fred Klonsky: The coo coo birds leave DC and fly to Detroit for the AFT convention. by Fred Klonsky As I was flying to DC for the NEA RA I was sent a copy of a challenge to the NEA from a group of standardized testing critics (which I am as well). If you go back and read the posts and comments that followed you know that this got all very heated. All that anti-union invective seemed odd to me, since the NEA RA *did* pass a New Business Item offering support for parents who have their children opt out. This di... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The Nat'l. Resolution on High Stakes Testing
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The Nat'l. Resolution on High Stakes Testing: The Nat'l. Resolution on High Stakes Testing by Mike Klonsky In the mail box From: Bob Schaeffer at FairTest Thank you for endorsing the National Resolution on High-Stakes Testing! The Resolution campaign is off to a great start. We now have more than 10,000 individual signatures and endorsements from nearly 400 organizations. Our work has earned national attention, including from the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. The Resolution has generated particular strength in Florida. School boards... more »
Pat LaMarche: Dept. of Education Latest Report Shows More than 1% of School Kids in 2011 Were Homeless
Pat LaMarche: Dept. of Education Latest Report Shows More than 1% of School Kids in 2011 Were Homeless: Dept. of Education Latest Report Shows More than 1% of School Kids in 2011 Were Homeless Last month the U.S. Department of Education issued their most recent report on the education of homeless children. The results -- which even the agency admits are incomplete -- paint a bleak picture of the nation and its glut of homeless kids. When it comes to homelessness, the numbers are only as good as the reporting mechanisms, the diligence of the agencies and school departments involve... more »
National Teacher of the Year: 'The revolution begins with us' – Schools of Thought - CNN.com Blogs
National Teacher of the Year: 'The revolution begins with us' – Schools of Thought - CNN.com Blogs: National Teacher of the Year: 'The revolution begins with us' [image: National Teacher of the Year: 'The revolution begins with us']2012 National Teacher of the Year Rebecca Mieliwocki spoke at the NEA annual meeting on July 5. By* Donna Krache* and* Jamie Gumbrecht,* CNN *(CNN)* - The United States is obsessed with high-stakes testing that doesn't show whether teachers are masterful and students are knowledgeable, National Teacher of Year Rebecca Mieliwocki said to nearly 8,000 of... more »
Politicians Ignore Research, Say Smaller Class Size Makes No Difference | NEA Today
Politicians Ignore Research, Say Smaller Class Size Makes No Difference | NEA Today: Politicians Ignore Research, Say Smaller Class Size Makes No Difference July 9, 2012 by twalker Filed under Featured News, Top Stories Leave a Comment [image: Email][image: Share] *By Ava Wallace* Michigan high school teacher Laura Sauer teaches two class periods that are nearly identical in demographics but much less similar in academic achievement. One of Sauer’s English classes has consistently higher test scores, and consistently better writing samples and class presentations. What makes that d... more »
Aesthetic Thinking: The Forgotten Dimension in Higher Education | Miguel Angel Escotet
Aesthetic Thinking: The Forgotten Dimension in Higher Education | Miguel Angel Escotet: Aesthetic Thinking: The Forgotten Dimension in Higher Education by Miguel Angel Escotet Science and art, as dimensions of creative thought, are universal in nature and develop to the full in freedom. Science stimulates the cognitive processes of the individual involved and art the emotions, but the cognitive and emotional elements coexist in both. Through science it is possible to experience aesthetic enjoyment, and with art it is possible to develop knowledge unfettered. As a scientist myself,... more »
Vouchers Create a Split Between "Ed Reform" Conservatives: Accountability Bean-Counters and the Religious Right | K-12 News Network
Vouchers Create a Split Between "Ed Reform" Conservatives: Accountability Bean-Counters and the Religious Right | K-12 News Network: Vouchers Create a Split Between “Ed Reform” Conservatives: Accountability Bean-Counters and the Religious Right by admin The New Republic has an interesting analysis of Louisiana’s experiment in privatization of public schools: Ed Kilgore argues in “How the GOP’s New Education Policy Embraces the Market and Abandons Objective Standards” that vouchers pander to parents as the ultimate source of “accountability.” But this emphasis on parents’ subjectiv... more »
If K-12 matters most, why doesn’t state budget reflect this? | EdSource Today
If K-12 matters most, why doesn’t state budget reflect this? | EdSource Today: If K-12 matters most, why doesn’t state budget reflect this? ** July 8th, 2012 | 1 Comment | By Robert Manwaring Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on google_plusone More Sharing Services [image: Robert Manwaring] Robert Manwaring Polling data (here for example) consistently shows that K-12 education is Californians’ highest state budget priority. Indeed, Gov. Jerry Brown plans to put those beliefs to the test with a $7 billion tax initiative on the November ballot aimed at resolving the ... more »
FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, July 9, 2012
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Education Headlines *Monday, July 9, 2012* Judge: Tustin district did not illegally move studentsA Riverside Superior Court judge ruled the Tustin Unified School District followed state law when it approved construction projects at four schools and transferred students to a vacant elementary school while work is being done. Schools aren't keeping up with anti-bullying law, grand jury saysNot all Orange County schools have posted anti-discrimination and anti-bullying policies in public places as required by law, an oversight that sho... more »
A Letter to Parents from a Parent | United Opt Out National
A Letter to Parents from a Parent | United Opt Out National: A Letter to Parents from a Parent by admin *This letter was written almost one year ago and we present it today as we begin to prepare for the 2012-2013 school year. There are many ways for parents to opt out of corporate education reform. What will you say to parents in your neighborhood? Send us your letters today at unitedoptoutnational@gmail.com. Together we will change the narrative.* Aug 21st, 2011 Dear Parents, I write this letter as a parent myself, who also happens to be an educator for over twenty years (a... more »
Diane Ravitch: Common Core State Standards Rolled Out in 45 States Without A Field Test Anywhere | Truth in American Education
Diane Ravitch: Common Core State Standards Rolled Out in 45 States Without A Field Test Anywhere | Truth in American Education: Diane Ravitch: Common Core State Standards Rolled Out in 45 States Without A Field Test Anywhere by Shane Vander Hart [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Diane Ravitch, a historian of education and research professor of education at New York University, wrote about the Common Core State Standards this morning to say she’s neither for or against because they have not been field tested. She wrote: I have neither endorsed nor rejected the ... more »
Geaux Teacher!: CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS ARE DANGEROUS
Geaux Teacher!: CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS ARE DANGEROUS: CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS ARE DANGEROUS by noreply@blogger.com (Lee Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT) *Texas GOP Declares: "No More Teaching of 'Critical Thinking Skills' in Texas Public Schools" * I would have liked to re-post this entire article but permission is required, so I am including the link for you to read yourself along with a few excerpts to peak your interest. This is one of those believe-it-or-not moments. If anyone researchs the veracity of this report and finds it is not true, I will be glad to share that research. htt... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Where is Byrd-Bennett?
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Where is Byrd-Bennett?: Where is Byrd-Bennett? by Mike Klonsky Back on April 30th, CPS made a major announcement. *Barbara Byrd-Bennett* had been named to replace *Noemi Donoso* as the interim Chief Education Officer. Donoso jumped ship after serving less than a year in the Rahm/Brizard regime. Donoso herself was brought in more than a year when the post remained empty following the departure of Barbara Eason-Watkins. BBB, who during her time in Cleveland was the highest paid school superintendent in the nation, was supposed to come in to town on M... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Arne Duncan Does Not Get It
Jersey Jazzman: Arne Duncan Does Not Get It: Arne Duncan Does Not Get It by Duke *Our new Secretary of Education* Diane Ravitch points us to this conversation with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan about using test scores in teacher evaluations. Just watch the first minute or two in the clip to see Duncan, once again, prove he has no idea what he is talking about: *So again, let's sort of look at where we are as a country. For decades, zero percent of a teacher's evaluation was based upon whether their children were learning.* That's hogwash for two reasons. First, principals an... more »
Life in Rahm’s Chicago. This year school principals measure test scores, dropout rates and funerals. « Fred Klonsky
Life in Rahm’s Chicago. This year school principals measure test scores, dropout rates and funerals. « Fred Klonsky: Life in Rahm’s Chicago. This year school principals measure test scores, dropout rates and funerals. by Fred Klonsky Linda Lutton of Chicago public radio reports on Chicago’s year of increasing violence. Leonetta Sanders is principal at Harper High School in the Englewood neighborhood. But on this day, she’s also a mourner, one of hundreds overflowing a little church at 88th and Hermitage. She is wearing a bright orange shirt, the color of lilies and popsicles.One ... more »
One more time. Repeat after me: “It’s not a benefit problem. It’s a revenue problem.” « Fred Klonsky
One more time. Repeat after me: “It’s not a benefit problem. It’s a revenue problem.” « Fred Klonsky: One more time. Repeat after me: “It’s not a benefit problem. It’s a revenue problem.” by Fred Klonsky *Ralph Martire. executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, a Chicago-based bipartisan fiscal policy think tank.* No matter how many times we say it, it is just really hard for some folks to wrap their head around the idea. The current underfunding of the state’s public employee pension plans is not the result of unsustainable benefits. The problem is 40 year... more »
Shanker Blog » The Data Are In: Experiments In Policy Are Worth It
Shanker Blog » The Data Are In: Experiments In Policy Are Worth It: The Data Are In: Experiments In Policy Are Worth It by David Dunning *Our guest author today is David Dunning, professor of psychology at Cornell University, and a fellow of both the American Psychological Society and the American Psychological Association. * When I was a younger academic, I often taught a class on research methods in the behavioral sciences. On the first day of that class, I took as my mission to teach students only one thing—that conducting research in the behavioral sciences ages a person. I mea... more »
The Death and Birth of Teacher Unions | assailedteacher
The Death and Birth of Teacher Unions | assailedteacher: The Death and Birth of Teacher Unions USA Today claims that the nation’s largest teacher’s union, the National Education Association, has lost nearly 100,000 members since 2010. That is a decrease of 16%. The blogosphere is awash with postmortems of the NEA. The explosion of online learning, the rise of non-unionized charter schools, the passage of right-to-work laws in many NEA states, the general disregard for the rights of collective bargaining and the transience of many newcomers to the teaching
Indentured Students Rise as Loans Corrode College Ticket - Businessweek
Indentured Students Rise as Loans Corrode College Ticket - Businessweek: Indentured Students Rise as Loans Corrode College Ticket By Janet Lorin on July 09, 2012 Geraldine Damiani Brezler took out a $5,000 student loan in the late 1960s to study at the State University of New York. She became a nurse, got married, bought a house and repaid the debt in less than three years. Today, her son, David, 38, owes about $85,000 in loans for a master’s degree in education at New York University. He can’t find full-time work, lives with his parents in White Plains, New York, and has deferred... more »
My View of the Common Core Standards « Diane Ravitch's blog
My View of the Common Core Standards « Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] My View of the Common Core Standards by dianerav I have neither endorsed nor rejected the Common Core national standards, for one simple reason: They are being rolled out in 45 states without a field trial anywhere. How can I say that I love them or like them or hate them when I don’t know how they will work when they reach the nation’s classrooms? In 2009, I went to an event sponsored by the Aspen Institute where Dane Linn, one of the project directors for developing ... more »
Brown names former head of military charter to State Board | EdSource Today
Brown names former head of military charter to State Board | EdSource Today: Brown names former head of military charter to State Board by John Fensterwald [image: Bruce Holaday] Gov. Jerry Brown has named Bruce Holaday, who for five years ran the military charter school in Oakland that Brown founded, the next member of the State Board of Education. The governor’s nontraditional appointment to the 11-member board was long in coming. Former member Greg Jones resigned 18 months ago, and two other members’ terms expired in January. Holaday, 59, currently does fundraising and designs... more »
Two sets of college standards: One for foreign students and one for native English speakers | Get Schooled
Two sets of college standards: One for foreign students and one for native English speakers | Get Schooled: Two sets of college standards: One for foreign students and one for native English speakers by Maureen Downey Here is an interesting essay by Rick Diguette, an Atlanta area writer who also teaches English at a local college. By Rick Diguette A student from China recently sent me an email. “In this summer I enjoy your lecture,” she wrote, “and I know that you care about every student. However, I have to consider withdrawing myself.” She then explained that in order to transf... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLES by Mike Klonsky Pat Deutschman Pat Deutschman *When the Florida commissioner of education, who is appointed, not elected, tells a room full of hundreds of elected school board members to basically stop questioning the testing regime and to do as we are told, something is terribly wrong with the balance of power and I honestly feel is a significant challenge to democracy. --* Citrus Cty. Chronicle. Pat is a member of the Citrus County School Board. She can be reached at: deutschmanp@citrus.k12.fl.us. Florida T-Part... more »
The Innovative Educator: Educators Examine Flipped Classrooms
The Innovative Educator: Educators Examine Flipped Classrooms: Educators Examine Flipped Classrooms by noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nielsen) I was recently interviewed by NPR about why I'm not flipping over the flipped classroom. Here is the story. Share Tweet E-mail 1 Comment Print Credit James Sarmiento / Flickr By ADAM COTTERELL LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW Educators from all over Idaho meet in Boise Tuesday and Wednesday to talk about creating 21st century classrooms. One of the themes of theEduStat conference is flipping education. Greg Greene is principal of a high school in subur... more »
Texas GOP rejects ‘critical thinking’ skills. Really. - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post
Texas GOP rejects ‘critical thinking’ skills. Really. - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: [image: Answer Sheet] Texas GOP rejects ‘critical thinking’ skills. Really. by Valerie Strauss In the you-can’t-make-up-this-stuff department, here’s what the Republican Party of Texas wrote into its 2012 platform as part of the section on education: *Knowledge-Based Education – We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learnin... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: What School Board Associations Should Be Teaching their Members: They Have Little to No Power in Educational Decisions for their Districts
Missouri Education Watchdog: What School Board Associations Should Be Teaching their Members: They Have Little to No Power in Educational Decisions for their Districts: What School Board Associations Should Be Teaching their Members: They Have Little to No Power in Educational Decisions for their Districts by stlgretchen The actions of most school board members to Federal Control of their schools The Missouri School Board Association's explanation of its purpose sounds promising. From the first two paragraphs under "history": *The school board is a unique institution in American ... more »
Is School Segregation Still Legal? Chicago Teens Reflect on Their Racial Isolation - Education - GOOD
Is School Segregation Still Legal? Chicago Teens Reflect on Their Racial Isolation - Education - GOOD: Is School Segregation Still Legal? Chicago Teens Reflect on Their Racial Isolation by Liz Dwyer [image: little.rock.arkansas] Legal school segregation ended back in 1954 with the Supreme Court's landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, but for most students across the nation, racial isolation is still the norm. Nationally, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, 52 percent of black students and 58 percent of Latino students attend schools where 75 percent or ... more »
CPS Board President David Vitale is back. « Fred Klonsky
CPS Board President David Vitale is back. « Fred Klonsky: CPS Board President David Vitale is back. by Fred Klonsky Strange. For some reason my drawing of CPS Board President David Vitale was removed from my blog. I didn’t do it. But I’m putting it back.
People’s School at Lakeview Elementary School in Oakland California Says “Fight Continues”, Announces Next Steps | Dailycensored.com
People’s School at Lakeview Elementary School in Oakland California Says “Fight Continues”, Announces Next Steps | Dailycensored.com: People’s School at Lakeview Elementary School in Oakland California Says “Fight Continues”, Announces Next Steps by Danny Weil Early Tuesday morning, on what would have been the 18th day of the Sit-in and 12th day of the People’s School, OUSD police and other Oakland area police forces raided the encampment and school. While participants were allowed to remove their items, the police arrested a parent as well as a former Lakeview student, and subse... more »
Judge revokes state oversight of 6 schools in prominent charter system | California Watch
Judge revokes state oversight of 6 schools in prominent charter system | California Watch: Judge revokes state oversight of 6 schools in prominent charter system Corey G. Johnson Brian Turner/Flickr A superior court judge has invalidated the State Board of Education's oversight of one of the state's biggest charter school companies, giving six schools until June 2013 to gain approval from local school districts or be forced to close. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jo-Lynne Lee found that the board improperly awarded Aspire Public Schools rights to bypass local district oversig... more »
The Educated Reporter: NCLB: A Glass Now More Than Half Empty?
The Educated Reporter: NCLB: A Glass Now More Than Half Empty?: NCLB: A Glass Now More Than Half Empty? by Emily Richmond The number of states granted waivers from the most onerous provisions of No Child Left Behind crossed the halfway mark when Washington and Wisconsin joined the 24 others that have obtained waivers from the U.S. Department of Education. "It is a remarkable milestone that in only five months, more than half of the states in the country have adopted state-developed, next-generation education reforms to improve student learning and classroom instruction, while ens... more »
Why Does Governor Christie Have a Grudge Against Teachers? « Diane Ravitch's blog
Why Does Governor Christie Have a Grudge Against Teachers? « Diane Ravitch's blog: Why Does Governor Christie Have a Grudge Against Teachers? by dianerav One of the best bloggers in New Jersey, if not the whole northeast, is Jersey Jazzman. He has gathered statements that Governor Christie has made about teachers that are quite negative. His teachers remember him fondly. By all accounts, he had an idyllic childhood and experienced great public schooling.
Drummond: Oakland School superintendent wrong target - ContraCostaTimes.com
Drummond: Oakland School superintendent wrong target - ContraCostaTimes.com: Drummond: Oakland School superintendent wrong target BAY AREA NEWS GROUP Posted: 07/08/2012 12:00:00 AM PDT Updated: 07/08/2012 03:22:23 AM PDT There is a line between a peaceful demonstration and intimidation. The people who marched to Oakland Unified School District Superintendent Tony Smith's house to protest the closing of five public elementary schools crossed it. The crowd gathered outside Smith's house Tuesday evening demanding he reopen the schools or resign. Luckily for Smith, neither he nor his... more »
Save Our Schools D.C. Convention 2012 :: Save Our SchoolsSave Our Schools
Save Our Schools D.C. Convention 2012 :: Save Our SchoolsSave Our Schools: Save Our Schools D.C. Convention 2012 Speakers/Supporters. Deborah Meier, Shanta Driver, Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Rose Sanders, and Jonathan Kozol *Please Join Us in D.C.*Last summer, we brought thousands of people to the SOS March and Rally in D.C. This August, teachers, parents, students and community activists are gathering again in the nation’s capitol at the SOS People’s Education Convention. Join us to adopt a People’s Principles on the most urgent issues facing public education. Let’s use this meeting as ... more »
Stephanie Rivera: A Liberator | United Opt Out National
Stephanie Rivera: A Liberator | United Opt Out National: Stephanie Rivera: A Liberator by admin Today we welcome Stephanie Rivera. Stephanie is a Rutgers University student and a future teacher. She occupied the Dept. of Ed. in D.C. with United Opt Out and she can be followed on Twitter @stephrrivera and at her blog: Teacher Under Construction. In the words of William Lloyd Garrison, who famously declared in the first issue of The Liberator: “*I am in earnest — I will not equivocate — I will not excuse — I will not retreat a single inch — AND I WILL BE HEARD*.” Stephanie Rivera w... more »
The Latino Namesake | The Jose Vilson
The Latino Namesake | The Jose Vilson: The Latino Namesake by Jose I landed in Orlando / Cocoa Beach a few hours ago, and had the fortune of getting a van all to myself to escort me to the hotel. On such occasions, I usually don’t think about the privilege I have to work in an environment where my boss places cultural barriers on my person. As for my driver, that wasn’t the case. I read his name tag: Domingo, same as my uncle. As we walk away from his dispatcher, I start to notice his English isn’t too fluid. Noticing his struggles, I wait until the elevator to code-switch. I said... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Education in Louisiana
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Education in Louisiana: Education in Louisiana by Melissa Westbrook You did hear about Louisiana, right? After Katrina, New Orleans is virtually a charter district. And, pushed by Governor Bobby Jindal (and maybe next VP), a bill was pushed through that gives voucher money to parents to choose where their education dollars go for their child. This includes religious schools. Here's some interesting outcomes so far: - many private schools - the good ones - are restricting the number of space to those parents who have vouchers dollars. - some... more »
Peg with Pen: Eye. On. The. Ball.
Peg with Pen: Eye. On. The. Ball.: Eye. On. The. Ball. by Peggy Do not get distracted. We are looking at four key things we need to shut down: high stakes testing, value-added measure, common core and charter/choice - they lose if we shut these down. Keep your eye on the ball. That is the advice I’ve received from a good friend this week whose opinion I trust implicitly. At United Opt Out National we issued a statement. We revised the final paragraph for clarity. I haven’t commented on any of it personally because I felt that the statement by United Opt Out and the revision w... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Does the Star-Ledger Enjoy Embarrassing Itself?
Jersey Jazzman: Does the Star-Ledger Enjoy Embarrassing Itself?: Does the Star-Ledger Enjoy Embarrassing Itself? by Duke Why does the *Star-Ledger* continue to embarrass itself by publishing schlock like this? The Newark school system once served more than twice as many kids as it does today, but it still has almost as many schools. So it’s full of empty space, with more than 8,000 vacant seats at last count. That’s an expensive albatross. The city is also home to a thriving charter school movement that is bursting at the seams. *The best charter organizations, such as North Star ... more »
Geaux Teacher!: GATES FOUNDATION VS HUMANITY
Geaux Teacher!: GATES FOUNDATION VS HUMANITY: GATES FOUNDATION VS HUMANITY by noreply@blogger.com (Lee Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT) This blog which appears in Education Week Magazine on line can be found with all of its links open at: http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2012/07/the_gates_foundations_leverage.html *The Gates Foundation's Leveraged Philanthropy: Corporate Profit Versus Humanity on Three Fronts * By Anthony Cody on July 4, 2012 11:47 AM Guest post by Chemtchr. Part One of Two. Philanthropy wonk Lucy Bernholz defines the buzzword leverage as "the idea that yo... more »
Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 7-7-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post
Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 6-30-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post
Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 6-23-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 6-16-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 6-9-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 6-2-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 7-7-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 7-6-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 7-5-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 7-4-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 7-3-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 7-2-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 7-1-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
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Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-24-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
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Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-20-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-19-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-18-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-17-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-16-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-15-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-14-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-13-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-12-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-12-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-11-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-10-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-9-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-8-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-7-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-6-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-5-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-4-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-3-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-2-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-1-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-20-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-19-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-18-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-17-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-16-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-15-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-14-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-13-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-12-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-12-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-11-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-10-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-9-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-8-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-7-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-6-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-5-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-4-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-3-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-2-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-1-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2