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
Chicago Teachers Strike Nearing Resolution, Sources Say
Chicago Teachers Strike Nearing Resolution, Sources Say: Chicago Teachers Strike Nearing Resolution, Sources Say by Joy Resmovits The standoff between Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the city's teachers' union appears to be nearing resolution, several sources close to the situation tell The Huffington Post. Neither side, as of Thursday evening, was willing to declare victory, both because negotiations remained unsettled and because any triumphalism had the potential to alienate the opposition. But a source in the room in Chicago said that the thorny issue of teacher evaluations w... more »
Governor signs bill allowing training benefits for laid-off teachers siacabinetreport.com
Cabinet Reportsiacabinetreport.com Article: *Governor signs bill allowing training benefits for laid-off teachers**By Kimberly Beltran* Monday, September 10, 2012 Laid-off teachers will soon be able to collect unemployment benefits even while participating in specialized training under a bill signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday. SB 1291 by Sen. Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, adds credential preparation or other teacher training programs in math, science and special education to the list of allowable activities under the state’s unemployment program – which generally does ... more »
Rep. Lee: Beyond shameful that 16 million children are living in poverty | The Raw Story
Rep. Lee: Beyond shameful that 16 million children are living in poverty | The Raw Story: Rep. Lee: Beyond shameful that 16 million children are living in poverty by Eric W. Dolan [image: Barbara Lee by United States Mission Geneva (Public Domain)] Topics: Barbara Lee ♦ Congresswoman Lee ♦ war on poverty Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), co-chair of the Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus, on Thursday called for Congress to declare a “war on poverty.” “It is beyond shameful that over 45 million Americans, including over 16 million children, are living in poverty in the wealthiest nation in ... more »
Schools Matter: Chicago Rage is About More Than Money or Schedules
Schools Matter: Chicago Rage is About More Than Money or Schedules: Chicago Rage is About More Than Money or Schedules by Jim Horn from HuffPo by Lisa Guisbond: CHICAGO TEACHERS SAY "NO" TO HIGH-STAKES TESTING MADNESS Huffington Post Education -- September 13, 2012 By Lisa Guisbond Sometimes things get so crazy in our schools that classroom educators must use their "Teacher Voice" to restore sanity. That's what is happening in Chicago, where striking public school teachers are shouting "enough is enough" to test-driven school reform schemes. The strike is just the latest, and lou... more »
Engaging Students in Politics — Whole Child Education
Engaging Students in Politics — Whole Child Education: [image: ASCD Whole Child Bloggers]Engaging Students in Politics September 13, 2012 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers *Post written by Jill Bass, director of Curriculum and Teacher Development for Mikva Challenge's Center for Action Civics. Connect with Bass by e-mail at jill@mikvachallenge.org. This post was originally featured in*ASCD Express*.* Every teacher has at least a handful of moments with students that make him or her think, "*This* is why I became a teacher." One such moment for me was on a campaign trip with about 60 stud... more »
Pass / Fail : LA brings in team from Georgia to reform student discipline | 89.3 KPCC
Pass / Fail : LA brings in team from Georgia to reform student discipline | 89.3 KPCC: LAUSD schools bring in team from Georgia to reform student discipline by By Tami Abdollah *LA officials are meeting with a team from an Atlanta suburb that has pioneered methods to reduce on-campus arrests, in hopes of creating a similar, more holistic system to deal with misbehaving students. (Sept. 13, 2012) Credit: Yellow Dog/Getty Images* Los Angeles school, law enforcement and county officials are meeting Thursday with a team from an Atlanta suburb that pioneered methods to reduce on-campus ... more »
Teachers Don't Suck !: May I Suggest An Addendum to the Report?
Teachers Don't Suck !: May I Suggest An Addendum to the Report?: May I Suggest An Addendum to the Report? by Walt S. Here are some ways they might have forgotten: 501. End teacher bashing and disparagement by politicians and the media. 502. Require NJDOE executives to have real teaching experience before they dictate policy from on high. (Not four years in a private school or no experience at all - Please read my Friday, December 9, 2011 piece - "It Takes One to Know One!" ). 503. Require NJDOE executives to come to schools and demonstrate how it is to be done (preferable inner cit... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: SBAC Chief State Officers Public Meeting Reveals Some Cracks In The Dam?
Missouri Education Watchdog: SBAC Chief State Officers Public Meeting Reveals Some Cracks In The Dam?: SBAC Chief State Officers Public Meeting Reveals Some Cracks In The Dam? Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook St. Louis - Yesterday the State Education Chiefs of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortia (SBAC) held a public meeting to approve the next steps in the development process of the Common Assessments. Both MEW co-editors attended this meeting. The following items were on the agenda. 1. Approving the process to be used for the development of Achievement... more »
The Rag Blog interview. « Fred Klonsky
The Rag Blog interview. « Fred Klonsky: The Rag Blog interview. from Fred Klonsky's blog by Fred Klonsky *An interview with Fred Klonsky:* *Chicago teachers in red and on strike* *If the city of Chicago wins this strike it will very likely give the green light to big cities such as Los Angeles and New York to go after teachers’ unions there.**By Jonah Raskin* / *The Rag Blog* / September 13, 2012 Fred Klonsky, 64, retired in June 2012 after 30 years of working as an art teacher in grades k-5 in the public school system in Illinois. He doesn’t go into the classroom to teach kids anymo... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: "The worst way to evaluate teachers..."
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: "The worst way to evaluate teachers...": "The worst way to evaluate teachers..." by Mike Klonsky *Isabel Nunez* is an associate professor at the Center for Policy Studies and Social Justice at Concordia University and my colleague at CReATE. She has written a great commentary in the Sun-Times, "Standardized test scores are worst way to evaluate teachers." * I am part of a group called CReATE, or Chicagoland Researchers and Advocates for Transformative Education, which is trying to unite the voices of academics in opposition to these changes and to th... more »
Why We Can’t Talk About Real Education Reform, in Chicago or Anywhere Else « Student Activism
Why We Can’t Talk About Real Education Reform, in Chicago or Anywhere Else « Student Activism: Why We Can’t Talk About Real Education Reform, in Chicago or Anywhere Else by Angus Johnston Sarah Jaffe has a great new piece up dismantling a bunch of complaints about the Chicago teachers’ union and their strike. The whole thing is well worth reading, but I wanted to piggyback on one particular bit. Jaffe quotes Times columnist Joe Nocera’s claim that “the status quo, which is what the Chicago teachers want, is clearly unacceptable,” and responds with this: “Here’s a deep-seated bit of... more »
Candidacy Countdown - LA School Report
Candidacy Countdown - LA School Report: Candidacy Countdown by Alexander Russo Want to know who’s filed to run for LAUSD board member next year, and how much cash they’ve gathered for their campaigns? Click over to the LA City Ethics Commission’s website: 2013 Municipal and LAUSD Election. Below is a snapshot from yesterday evening showing the three LAUSD races for 2013 (towards the bottom). District 2 is the seat currently held by Monica Garcia. District 4 is the seat currently held by Steve Zimmer. District 6 is the seat currently held by Nury Martinez. Both Zimmer and Garcia ... more »
NYC Public School Parents: Predictions of Pedagogic Peril
NYC Public School Parents: Predictions of Pedagogic Peril: Predictions of Pedagogic Peril by Gary Babad *September 13, 2012 (GBN News):* Despite withering criticism of his efforts to influence the US Presidential election, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again injected himself into American domestic politics. In an apparent attempt to persuade the US to agree to an attack on Iran, Mr. Netanyahu has reportedly given President Obama intelligence information that suggests the Iranians may be secretly enriching curriculum. A senior White House official, speaking on ... more »
Teacher Salaries, Demographics & Financial Disparities in the Chicago Metro « School Finance 101
Teacher Salaries, Demographics & Financial Disparities in the Chicago Metro « School Finance 101: Teacher Salaries, Demographics & Financial Disparities in the Chicago Metro by schoolfinance101 No time to really write much here today, but I do have a few figures to share. I’m posting these mainly because I keep seeing so many ridiculous a-contextual… and in many cases simply wrong statements about Chicago teachers’ salaries. As I understand it, salaries are not really the main issue in the contract dispute… but rather… the teacher evaluation system. I’ve already written extensi... more »
Prop 30 vs. Prop 38: A Voter Guide for Parents
Prop 30 vs. Prop 38: A Voter Guide for Parents: Prop 30 vs. Prop 38: A Voter Guide for Parents By Kim Tso 8 Comments As a parent who volunteers in the schools and has learned the hard way just how complicated school finance is, I want to share my personal analysis of the two education initiatives on this November’s ballot — Prop 30 (a.k.a. Governor Brown’s Initiative) and Prop 38 (a.k.a. Molly Munger’s Initiative). If you need some basic background about each proposition, you can find good links at my “homework” post. I based my analysis on one simple principle: Children should ... more »
Chicago, ground zero on teachers and test scores - latimes.com
Chicago, ground zero on teachers and test scores - latimes.com: Chicago, ground zero on teachers and test scores - [image: print] - Comments 7 - Email Share - - - [image: Chicago teachers on strike] Striking Chicago teachers are unhappy about several issues. (Sitthixay Ditthavong / Associated Press / September 12, 2012) By Karin Klein September 13, 2012, 5:30 a.m. The Times' editorial board has supported making student test scores part of a teacher's performance evaluation -- within reason. But the Chicago teachers strike shows at least one rea... more »
Mother Crusader: Selling Online Education to the New Jersey Legislature
Mother Crusader: Selling Online Education to the New Jersey Legislature: Selling Online Education to the New Jersey Legislature by darciecima I think the members of The Joint Committee on the Public Schools thought they were going to be educated about online education at yesterday's hearing. Instead, what they got was a sales pitch. In my previous blog post I was pretty clear that all three presenters are very cozy with K12 Inc., the for-profit online education behemoth that stands to gain the most financially if NJ starts rewriting our laws, allowing them to get a foothold. Che... more »
Chicago Tribune - CTU chief: Deal likely today but classes may not resume until Monday
Chicago Tribune - CTU chief: Deal likely today but classes may not resume until Monday: *CTU chief: Deal likely today but classes may not resume until Monday* As negotiations began this morning between the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools, the two sides said they were still confident of reaching an agreement today but were divided on how soon classes can resume. On a scale of 1-10, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis said "I'm a 9" on a deal being reached today. But she said classes may not resume until Monday because the union's House of Delegates wou...more »
Corporate Media's War on Public Education : Indybay
Corporate Media's War on Public Education : Indybay: *Corporate Media's War on Public Education* by Stephen Lendmanl *Thursday Sep 13th, 2012 12:38 AM* education Corporate Media's War on Public Education by Stephen Lendman [image: Corporate Media = Corporate Lies] September 12 marked day 3 of Chicago's teacher strike. At stake is the future of public education in the city and perhaps the country. This battle is too important to lose. It's too early to tell what's coming. Teachers are resolved. Parents and students support them. Union officials in Chicago and across America ar... more »
Chicago is a union town. Teacher bashing doesn’t work here. « Fred Klonsky
Chicago is a union town. Teacher bashing doesn’t work here. « Fred Klonsky: Chicago is a union town. Teacher bashing doesn’t work here. by Fred Klonsky ** *“Look up. Look down. Chicago is a union town.”* I have read some analysis lately that tries to discuss the issue of teacher bashing. Some have tried to make a link between the current Chicago teachers’ strike and a spreading attack on teachers that they say exists among the broad population. I don’t see it. Regular Chicago folks support the teachers *and* the union. Rich folks? Not so much. It’s not that I haven’t had my run-ins ... more »
UPDATE Response to Anthony Cody: The Role of the Marketplace in Ecationdu re: A Chicago Teacher Writes: The Joy of Finally Fighting Back - Living in Dialogue
A Chicago Teacher Writes: The Joy of Finally Fighting Back - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: A Chicago Teacher Writes: The Joy of Finally Fighting Back by Anthony Cody *Guest post by Katie Osgood.* * There is jubilation on the streets of Chicago.* The excitement is tempered with humility. No one wants a strike. Chicago teachers are very aware that this strike is difficult on parents, on students, and on the teachers themselves. But for the first time in decades, Chicago's teachers are standing up. They are saying "no more" to the countless waves of harmful, poorly-planne... more »
UPDATE: Support for the Chicago Teachers’ Strike | Seattle Education
Support for the Chicago Teachers’ Strike | Seattle Education: Chicago Teachers Strike: News and Interviews by seattleducation2011 I recently discovered a great news source, Real News. Jaisal Noor, who is also a reporter for Democracy Now, does some excellent reporting on education issues around the country and understands the political and financial undercurrents for the big push towards the privatization of our public schools. To follow are two reports by Mr. Noor for Real News on the teachers’ strike and then the first episode in a series on where the presidential candidates st... more »
The Stakes in Chicago's Teachers Strike :: Frederick M. Hess
The Stakes in Chicago's Teachers Strike :: Frederick M. Hess: The Stakes in Chicago's Teachers Strike *by Frederick M. Hess • Sep 13, 2012 at 9:09 am Cross-posted from Education Week* Reports this morning suggest that CPS and the CTU may be closing in on a deal in Chicago. MSNBC reported that both sides seemed to suggest that schools may reopen for Friday (see here). If they get this resolved in the next couple of days, the fallout will be muffled by the media storm ignited by the murderous rampage in Libya. At this point, I'm betting the most likely scenario is a face-saving dea... more »
FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Thursday, September 13, 2012
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: [image: The back-to-school bus in Sacramento]*The "Education Drives America" bus arrives in Sacramento* Education Headlines *Thursday, September 13, 2012* Galt high school district board approves employee contractsClassified and certificated employees of the Galt Joint Union High School District will work two fewer days this school year under separate contracts unanimously approved Tuesday by the school board. Columbia criticisms continue at meetingA new school year has started, but many of the same concerns about administration ... more »
The in box. Karen Lewis writes the Sun-Times. « Fred Klonsky
The in box. Karen Lewis writes the Sun-Times. « Fred Klonsky: The in box. Karen Lewis writes the Sun-Times. by Fred Klonsky *Dear Editor,* * * *The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is so cash-strapped that it plans to close and consolidate under-utilized schools, with rumors that it could be upwards of 120 schools this coming year. Many people would consider this to be fiscally prudent. Mayor Emanuel is of course going to blame the soon-to-be agreed upon new union contract.* * * *What the public does not understand, however, even though both the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Tim... more »
Chicago Teachers Union Strike: A Proxy for Deep Teacher-Parent Dissatisfaction With Current Education Policy | K-12 News Network
Chicago Teachers Union Strike: A Proxy for Deep Teacher-Parent Dissatisfaction With Current Education Policy | K-12 News Network: Chicago Teachers Union Strike: A Proxy for Deep Teacher-Parent Dissatisfaction With Current Education Policy by admin This is a must-read from The Nation on why the Chicago teacher’s strike is much more than a local issue. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel share roots in the city that was Obama’s training ground as a politician, and so they’re deserved targets as well as proxies for all that many teachers and parents find... more »
Autotuned Arne Begins Bus Tour Across America | ED.gov Blog
Autotuned Arne Begins Bus Tour Across America | ED.gov Blog: Autotuned Arne Begins Bus Tour Across America by Cameron Brenchley [image: The back-to-school bus in Sacramento]The "Education Drives America" bus arrives in Sacramento. Official Department of Education photo by Joshua Hoover. *Silicon Valley* You might not think that a panel discussion on education technology with the Secretary of Education and the Chairman of the FCC would excite an auditorium of high school students, but at this morning’s kick-off event at Sequoia High School in Redwood City, Calif., the air was ele... more »
Shanker Blog » The Impact Of Race To The Top Is An Open Question (But At Least It's Being Asked)
Shanker Blog » The Impact Of Race To The Top Is An Open Question (But At Least It's Being Asked): The Impact Of Race To The Top Is An Open Question (But At Least It’s Being Asked) by Matthew Di Carlo You don’t have to look very far to find very strong opinions about Race to the Top (RTTT), the U.S. Department of Education’s (USED) stimulus-funded state-level grant program (which has recently been joined by a district-level spinoff). There are those who think it is a smashing success, while others assert that it is a dismal failure. The truth, of course, is that these claims, part... more »
UPDATE: Chicago: A battle for the soul of Public Education - Wait, What?
Chicago: A battle for the soul of Public Education - Wait, What?: Chicago: A battle for the soul of Public Education by jonpelto “(Reuters) – Chicago teachers…are taking on not just their combative mayor but a powerful education reform movement that is transforming public schools across the United States.” Stephanie Simon and James Kelleher, of Reuters News Service, have written on excellent news piece about what is really behind the teacher’s strike in Chicago. It should be required reading for those reporting on the strike and for policymakers, who are being called upon to ad... more »
Modern School: The Chicago Strike and the Rebirth (or Death) of Unionism
Modern School: The Chicago Strike and the Rebirth (or Death) of Unionism: The Chicago Strike and the Rebirth (or Death) of Unionism by Michael Dunn The current Chicago teachers strike is the first major teachers strike in years. Indeed, there have been few major strikes in any industry over the past decade, with a general trend of declining job actions and union membership over the past thirty years and a corresponding downward spiral in wages and living conditions. In Michigan, for example, there were 454 teacher strikes between 1967 and 1980 (an average of 35 per year), resulti... more »
This Week In Education: Movies: The School Behind "Won't Back Down"
This Week In Education: Movies: The School Behind "Won't Back Down": Movies: The School Behind "Won't Back Down" by Alexander Russo You might be surprised to find out that "Won't Back Down" -- a screening of which I snuck into the other night -- isn't actually the fictionalized story of Desert Trails, site of the real-life still-unfolding parent trigger attempt outside of Los Angeles. It's actually the fictionalized story of Locke High School, the struggling South Central LA school that in 2008 was wrestled away from the Los Angeles public school system (and the teachers union) a... more »
Schools Matter: Tennessee's K12, Inc. Virtual School Receives Lowest Score Possible and $16,000,000 a Year to Pay for It
Schools Matter: Tennessee's K12, Inc. Virtual School Receives Lowest Score Possible and $16,000,000 a Year to Pay for It: Tennessee's K12, Inc. Virtual School Receives Lowest Score Possible and $16,000,000 a Year to Pay for It by Jim Horn Last week even TFA lawyer and Commissioner of Education in TN had described the for-profit K-12, Inc.'s Tennessee operation as "unacceptable," which is no surprise to anyone who has followed K-12's checkered history, which began when gambling addict, Bill Bennett, leveraged his influence with the Bushies to cart away $14 million in discretionary f... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Day 4
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Day 4: Day 4 by Mike Klonsky *so join the picket line like mr pickett in his prime, put on ya red shirt like the bulls in 95. hit the streets with a sign that says im fightin for mine IT’S A FORK IN THE ROAD AND U GOTTA CHOOSE A SIDE* -- Rebel Diaz The Tribune reports that an agreement is near and that Vitale has moved some on the teacher evaluation issue. *“We feel like we’re in a pretty good place, we’ve made a lot of progress today,” said Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis. “We spent a lot of time on evaluation. We still have a lot of wor... more »
On Diane and Mission Hill - Bridging Differences - Education Week
On Diane and Mission Hill - Bridging Differences - Education Week: [image: Bridging Differences] On Diane and Mission Hill by Deborah Meier Dear Diane, I shall miss writing to you—but count on me to respond often to your blogs. And thanks for giving me the idea to do something similar—but not at your rate. That's another amazing thing about you. Of many. But Mary-Ellen, our editor, is looking around for a possible ornery correspondent who might disagree with me on enough stuff to be interesting to all of you and both of us. We might take it month by month ... or, we'll see. ... more »
Morning UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-13-12 Diane Ravitch's blog
Diane Ravitch's blog: An Intelligent Editorial about the Strike by dianerav The Los Angeles Times printed a thoughtful editorial about the teachers’ strike and about evaluating teachers by student test scores. These days it is unusual to find an editorial or opinion column asking whether the tests were designed to measure teacher quality. They were not. Frankly, the test publishers ought to be yelling bloody murder about the inappropriate use of the tests, but they are making so much money that it’s hard to hear their complaints or to CTU: Wisconsin Teachers Will Be There on Saturd... more »
School Tech Connect: The Road To Ruin
School Tech Connect: The Road To Ruin: The Road To Ruin by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Just reprinting one of my favorite things, the Track E Assessment Calendar for Chicago Public Schools. What this is is a visual representation of the road to ruin. It's the color-coded key to a culture of compliance. And this ain't nothin'. Wait 'til every student has to have high-stakes testing in every subject so that every teacher can be fired with bureaucratic efficiency. Here's what you should do today if you're in Rahm's Tea Party political base. Call up the school where the mayor sen... more »
Chicago School Strike is Against Obama “Race To The Top” Agenda of School Privatization and Corporate Education Reform | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education
Chicago School Strike is Against Obama “Race To The Top” Agenda of School Privatization and Corporate Education Reform | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education: [image: Home] Chicago School Strike is Against Obama “Race To The Top” Agenda of School Privatization and Corporate Education Reform by admin by BAR managing editor Bruce A. Dixon - BlackAgendaReport.com *Polls say that most Chicagoans support the striking teachers. Mitt Romney says he supports Rahm Emanuel. But why do so many who say they oppose charters, educational privatization, the drive to demonize teache... more »
How things look to a returning Chicago teacher - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post
How things look to a returning Chicago teacher - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: How things look to a returning Chicago teacher By Valerie Strauss With the Chicago teachers strike continuing for a fourth day, it makes sense to hear how things look in the Windy City to an actual Chicago teacher. So here’s a piece by Gregory Michie, a new public school teacher in Chicago and senior research sssociate at the Center for Policy Studies and Social Justice at Concordia University Chicago. His new book, “We Don’t Need Another Hero: Struggle, Hope, and Possibilty in the Age of High-... more »
Modern School: Chicago Teachers Strike Update
Modern School: Chicago Teachers Strike Update: Chicago Teachers Strike Update by Michael Dunn - Support by parents is still fairly strong. A Chicago Sun Times opinion poll on Monday found that nearly half of parents support the teachers, while only 39% oppose the strike. This could change, of course, particularly if the strike drags on and parents are forced to hire babysitters or stay home from work to care for children. - Custodians plan on joining the strike this week, KOAM TV reported. The more classified (non-credentialed staff) that join the strike, the g... more »
Last Stand for Children First: Chicago Teachers Strike Day 3: Principals and Practice
Last Stand for Children First: Chicago Teachers Strike Day 3: Principals and Practice: Chicago Teachers Strike Day 3: Principals and Practice by Last Stand for Children The strike has now entered day 3 and it looks like a tough one. Among CTU's outrageous proposals was giving teachers with good evaluations who lost their jobs because their school was turned around or the enrollment dropped first crack at jobs ahead of hiring new teachers. While it may make sense at first glance that in a field where half the people quit in the first 3-5 years to give a nod to proven successful te... more »
Democracy (Not) at Work in Chicago: The Teacher Strike Is Missing Some Important Voices - Education - GOOD
Democracy (Not) at Work in Chicago: The Teacher Strike Is Missing Some Important Voices - Education - GOOD: Democracy (Not) at Work in Chicago: The Teacher Strike Is Missing Some Important Voices by Venus Evans-Winters [image: chitown.tchrs] This week Americans have been watching images and listening intently to reports of the Chicago Public Schools teacher strike. Being the home to President Barack Obama and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel—once regarded as the President’s right hand man—the Windy City's strike has political, economic, education, and teachers union officials watching cl... more »
Who Can Democrats Trust About The Chicago Teachers Strike? | OurFuture.org
Who Can Democrats Trust About The Chicago Teachers Strike? | OurFuture.org: Who Can Democrats Trust About The Chicago Teachers Strike? by Jeff Bryant "So much for Democratic harmony," is the way Herold Meyerson chose to start his op-ed in *The Washington Post* analyzing the ramifications of the current Chicago teachers strike on the well being of the Democratic party. His conclusion is that there must be some kind of "win-win solution," but a meaningful compromise has been thwarted because Chicago mayor Rham Emanuel "from the start… had no interest in working with the teachers, and ... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Burden of Reformy Proof
Jersey Jazzman: Burden of Reformy Proof: Burden of Reformy Proof by Duke Once again, leave it to Matt DiCarlo to cut through the rhetoric and clearly state the issue: One final note: The truly important point about the “year and a half of learning” argument, just like the ubiquitous “three great teachers in a row can close the achievement gap” talking point, is what they mean for policy (especially since they’re usually used to make policy arguments). They are both stylized ways of saying the same thing, about which there is really very little disagreement – teachers are importan... more »
UTLA: LAUSD's JUDAS GOAT - Perdaily.com
UTLA: LAUSD's JUDAS GOAT - Perdaily.com: UTLA: LAUSD's JUDAS GOAT by Leonard Isenberg [image: Judas goat.jpg] *(Mensaje se repite en Español) (For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)* *Cattle can be very dangerous if they realize their own power and use it in a concerted effort to be free. This is why slaughterhouses use Judas goats to calm the sheep or other cattle, so that they can be calmly lead to their demise. Much the same technique is used by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and its in-house union United Teachers Los Ange... more »
“Sacramento City Teachers Association declines to participate in Race to the Top “ | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…
“Sacramento City Teachers Association declines to participate in Race to the Top “ | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…: “Sacramento City Teachers Association declines to participate in Race to the Top “ by Larry Ferlazzo Our teachers’ union local has just decided to not support our Superintendent’s plan to apply for District Race To The Top funds. A diverse committee, including Alice Mercer, Lori Jablonski and myself (I’m just including our three names and links because of our social media activity) met to develop a report and recommendations to our Executive Board, which has... more »
Report Card: Duncan meets with mayors and school superintendents
Report Card: Duncan meets with mayors and school superintendents: Duncan meets with mayors and school superintendents [image: duncan.JPG]While in Sacramento during a national bus tour, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said the biggest challenge facing public education is complacency and he challenged parents and students to demand more of those in charge. Duncan spoke Wednesday to a group of more than 40 mayors and school superintendents from across the state, who met in Sacramento for a panel discussion on education issues, such as California's No Child Left Behind waiver a... more »
You Can’t Bubble Literacy … A College Freshman Calls Out Standardized Testing for What It Is. « Continuing Change
You Can’t Bubble Literacy … A College Freshman Calls Out Standardized Testing for What It Is. « Continuing Change: You Can’t Bubble Literacy … A College Freshman Calls Out Standardized Testing for What It Is. by gatorbonbc *I blog alot. This blog, entitled ”You Can’t Bubble Literacy” was written by a college freshman. No doubt it will be the blog that makes me the most proud. Why? Simple.* *.* *This blog was written by my daughter: * *“Christina Haas and Linda Flower’s Reading Strategies and Construction of Meaning tackles the question: What makes a ‘good’ reader? Their results... more »
Obama’s Education Secretary Far From Neutral When It Comes to Chicago Teachers Strike | The Dissenter
Obama’s Education Secretary Far From Neutral When It Comes to Chicago Teachers Strike | The Dissenter: Obama’s Education Secretary Far From Neutral When It Comes to Chicago Teachers Strike by Kevin Gosztola Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at Education Commission States Event (Photo by US Department of Education) The Chicago Teachers Union went on strike on September 10. At least twenty-six thousand educators have been taking a stand in the streets, for a fair contract and for reductions in class sizes, the provision of social services for children, a halt to the expansion of cha... more »
School Tech Connect: Bad Ideas Abound
School Tech Connect: Bad Ideas Abound: Bad Ideas Abound by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Wtf is the board out in Lake Forest thinking? The teachers are standing firm in opposition to the school board’s demands for a two-tier salary schedule that would require new teachers to teach for 45 years in order to reach top pay. Um, two-tier salary schedules are worth walking out over, and this one in particular just stupid. It's nonsense. Did the Tea Party take over out there? I'm sorry, I meant to ask if the Tea Party underwent a lobotomy and then took People Get What's Happening... more »
Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 9-8-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post
Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 9-1-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 8-25-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 8-18-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 8-11-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 8-4-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post
Big Ed Ape Nite Cap SPECIAL STRIKE EDITION DAY #3 9-12-12 #faircontractnow #CTUSTRIKE #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap SPECIAL STRIKE EDITION 9-11-12 #faircontractnow #CTUSTRIKE #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
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