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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

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What You Need to Know About Play

From a reader who is passionate about child’s play:
Let’s talk to Arne about Play Science? We have schools in Asia setting up Play Science Institutes. They know that they need to innovate. The teacher is the one who can identify and scaffold upon the innate talents of the child. No computer program can see, feel, connect and mentor that deeply. Data is not knowledge. Metaphoric thinking is developed through three dimensional play, something one cannot develop from a two dimensional screen. It has everything to do with hand-brain co-evolution and the neuroscience of tinkering, object play, or other three dimensional forms of play. Real world problem solving necessitates nuanced metaphorical thinking, 


Gary Rubinstein Asks: Is Poverty Destiny?

Gary Rubinstein ponders the familiar phrases “poverty is not destiny” and “poverty is not an excuse.”
He understands that many poor students succeed in school, but most don’t.
The typical claim of the “reform” movement is that every student, regardless of poverty, would perform at high levels of proficiency if their teacher has high expectations or if they attended a “no-excuses” charter school.
Gary suggests it might be more fruitful to ask whether insufficient resources are destiny.
He writes:
A suburban school where the students don’t have to contend with so many out of school factors might not need 


Should Arne Be Our Next Secretary of State?

This is not a joke.
Tom Friedman of the New York Times thinks Arne Duncan should be the Secretary of State because he can do to the world what he has done to education.
Wonder what a a Race to the Top would look like internationally?

John Kuhn Explains Why the Status Quo is Wrong

John Kuhn is superintendent of a small school district in Texas. But his voice is mighty and powerful. Those who have heard him wish he were Commissioner of Education for the state of Texas or in another position where everyone would learn from his wisdom.
Kuhn was the first person to be named to the honor roll for his eloquence and courage in support of public education.
November 02, 2012 07:21 PM CDT November 02, 2012 09:04 PM

Point Person: Our Q&A with John Kuhn on school’s over-reliance on testing



What You Should Know About School Closings in Chicago

Mayor Rahm Emanuel in Chicago plans to close as many as 100 public schools because they are under enrolled. But he also plans to open dozens of new charter schools. It is the dynamic of privatization: as public school close, privately managed charters open, accelerating the destruction of neighborhoods and public education. The charters, of course, will almost all be non-union.
“Kurt Hilgendorf, a CTU researcher and legislative activities staffer, spoke November 20, 2012, at the Chicago City Council Education Committee Hearings on School Closings. Kurt Hilgendorf taught history, economics and 



Diane in the EveningDiane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: Mississippi Bests Florida by dianerav For years we have heard about the Florida miracle, supposedly the result of Jeb Bush’s tough accountability measures. But whoa! The latest federal data show that Mississippi has a higher graduation rate than Florida. Is there a Mississippi miracle? New Report on New Jersey Charter Schools by dianerav Bruce Baker here analyzes the new CREDO report on charter schools in New Jersey. Charters in Newark outperform district schools, and Baker explains the secrets of their success. Outside of Newark, charters were no differen... more »