What Schools Should Do in Crisis Times
After the hurricane, Mayor Bloomberg was eager to reopen the city’s public schools as soon as possible for the 1.1 million children enrolled. He worried that they were “losing time” and had to get back to their studies, back to normal. The facts that many of the schools suffered damage, that many were turned into shelters, and that many children were in shock because of their experiences were irrelevant. It was back to the routine.
In this brilliant post, Rabbi Andy Bachman of Congregation Beth Elohim in Park Slope, Brooklyn, has a better
In this brilliant post, Rabbi Andy Bachman of Congregation Beth Elohim in Park Slope, Brooklyn, has a better
Will Tennessee Create an ALEC-Style Charter Board to Trump Local Boards?
The right-wing group called ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) has model legislation to enable a governor to appoint a commission to authorize charter schools, thus bypassing those pesky local school boards that don’t want to bring privately managed schools to their local district. The local school boards are charged with improving their schools, not with dividing up the public funds between their schools and an out-of-state corporation that wants to open a school in its district.
This is the reason for the constitutional amendment that passed in Georgia. The privatizers objected to having to
This is the reason for the constitutional amendment that passed in Georgia. The privatizers objected to having to
The Boston Globe’s Mad Love Crush on Charters
EduShyster has done it again.
This time she nails the Boston Globe.
This is the Boston Globe’s dream as expressed by its lead education writer:
“There’s a lot at stake in the takeover of the Gavin by UP Academy. If it succeeds at raising student achievement with an identical student population, then the main complaint of charter school critics will lose its resonance. If relatively inexperienced teachers can do what veterans can’t — namely turn around a school where only one out of four students performs at grade level — then the public cry for longer school days, merit pay, and stricter teacher evaluations will grow louder.”
How great would that be? If the test scores go up at Gavin, now taken over by UP Academy, every inner-city
This time she nails the Boston Globe.
This is the Boston Globe’s dream as expressed by its lead education writer:
“There’s a lot at stake in the takeover of the Gavin by UP Academy. If it succeeds at raising student achievement with an identical student population, then the main complaint of charter school critics will lose its resonance. If relatively inexperienced teachers can do what veterans can’t — namely turn around a school where only one out of four students performs at grade level — then the public cry for longer school days, merit pay, and stricter teacher evaluations will grow louder.”
How great would that be? If the test scores go up at Gavin, now taken over by UP Academy, every inner-city
Nebraska Joins the Honor Roll
This just in from a teacher in Nebraska. The state did not get any Race to the Top funding, and therefore didn’t “win” money that would cost them more to implement than they “won.” It is taking a “wait and see” approach to Common Core standards. It doesn’t want the U.S. Department of Education to tell Nebraskans what to do. It doesn’t have any charters.
The state is trying to do what is best for children. Imagine that! The public schools are supported by the public.
Is Nebraska still part of the United States? How did we overlook the amazing common sense that still exists
The state is trying to do what is best for children. Imagine that! The public schools are supported by the public.
Is Nebraska still part of the United States? How did we overlook the amazing common sense that still exists
Standards for 0-5?
A reader wonders, when do we start assessing parents and caregivers?
http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/CCSS/PreK_ELA_Crosswalk.pdf
http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/CCSS/PreK_ELA_Crosswalk.pdf
Let’s not laugh too hard. I posted the links above in response to Dr. Ravitch’s post called “What are we doing to the little ones?” The links take you to draft Connecticut documents relating to CCSS for preschoolers. The introduction states that the adoption of CCSS for K-12 “has naturally led to questions regarding standards for preschool and/or prekindergarten students.” The next section talks about a work group that has been charged
http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/CCSS/PreK_ELA_Crosswalk.pdf
http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/CCSS/PreK_ELA_Crosswalk.pdf
Let’s not laugh too hard. I posted the links above in response to Dr. Ravitch’s post called “What are we doing to the little ones?” The links take you to draft Connecticut documents relating to CCSS for preschoolers. The introduction states that the adoption of CCSS for K-12 “has naturally led to questions regarding standards for preschool and/or prekindergarten students.” The next section talks about a work group that has been charged
Yet Another Trial of Merit Pay
Jersey Jazzman describes here the Newark teachers contract, which was just ratified.
The central feature of the contract is merit pay. This particular gimmick is a fixation of billionaire Eli Broad, who calls the shots in the Garden State through Acting Commissioner Chris Cerf and Newark’s Superintendent Cami Anderson, both of whom were “trained” to think the Broad Way in the uncertified Broad Superintendents Academy.
Cerf has probably forgotten the New York City bonus plan that failed when he was Deputy Chancellor; the city blew away $50 million on it before the RAND corporation declared it a failure.
The central feature of the contract is merit pay. This particular gimmick is a fixation of billionaire Eli Broad, who calls the shots in the Garden State through Acting Commissioner Chris Cerf and Newark’s Superintendent Cami Anderson, both of whom were “trained” to think the Broad Way in the uncertified Broad Superintendents Academy.
Cerf has probably forgotten the New York City bonus plan that failed when he was Deputy Chancellor; the city blew away $50 million on it before the RAND corporation declared it a failure.
How TFA Is Saving the World
You may have thought that the biggest problems facing the world were things like war, terrorism, poverty, and growing inequality. If you thought that, you are wrong. What is really needed in every country is an organizationprepared to recruit a few dozen smart college graduates and groom them to take over the nation’s education system. From their positions as leaders, they can advance an agenda of testing and privatization. And then, one
Eduwonkette: Where Are You Now That We Need You?
The greatest education blogger ever was Eduwonkette.
For some 22 months, the masked woman fired off sharp missives, dissecting bad ideas with hard data and incisive questions.
She started her blog at Education Week in January 2007 and kept it going until October 2009, when she
For some 22 months, the masked woman fired off sharp missives, dissecting bad ideas with hard data and incisive questions.
She started her blog at Education Week in January 2007 and kept it going until October 2009, when she
MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-15-12 Diane Ravitch's blog
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Children in Mississippi Are Helping Children in Long Island by dianerav This makes my day. Michael Vanveckhoven, a reader of this blog sent me a photo of children in Meridian, Mississippi, collecting warm hats and gloves for children in Rockville Center on Long Island in New York. Michael read here a note from high school principal Carol Burris about students whose homes were severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy. The south shore of Long Island took the full force of the hurricane and How Did David Beat Gol... more »