BIG EDUCATION APE 2ND BANANA
RECAP OF LAST WEEK'S BEST POST
Jersey Jazzman: An Open Letter To Randi Weingarten
Jersey Jazzman: An Open Letter To Randi Weingarten: An Open Letter To Randi Weingarten by Duke Monday, November 26, 2012 Ms. Randi Weingarten President, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO Washington, D.C. Dear Ms. Weingarten: Allow me to start by saying that I am an admirer of your work as an advocate for both public education and America's teachers. While I, like the majority of New Jersey's teachers, am represented by the New Jersey Education Association (a state affiliate of the National Education Association, and, therefore, not affiliated with AFT), I have great r... more »
ASCD Presents Common Core State Standards
Common Core State Standards: *Common Core State Standards* [image: Photo of ASCD]ASCD *2,360* followers, *38* pins Unfollow [image: Core Connection, October 3, 2012] Core Connection, October 3, 2012 1 like20 repins ascd.org [image: Susan Ryan and Dana Frazee, Common Core Standards for High School English Language Arts: A Quick-Start Guide] Susan Ryan and Dana Frazee, Common Core Standards for High School English Language Arts: A Quick-Start Guide 2 likes13 repins ascd.org [image: From Common Core Standards to Curriculum: Five Big Ideas (Part 5) by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins] From C... more »
The Texas Miracle, The Florida Miracle, and Rush | Andrew Tobias
The Texas Miracle, The Florida Miracle, and Rush | Andrew Tobias: The Texas Miracle, The Florida Miracle, and Rush *by A.T. on JULY 14, 2003* You saw the front page of Friday’s *Times*? The Texas education miracle touted during the 2000 campaign appears now to have been slightly less miraculous. An audit of 16Houston schools for the school year 2000-2001 recommended reclassifying 14 of them from ‘best’ to . . . well . . . there’s no easy way to put a good face on this . . . ‘worst.’ It seems that – for example – one school that had reported no drop-outs for the year had . .... more »
Stonehaven Development and “Getting” a High School « PWC Education Reform Blog
Several days ago Planning Office Director Chris Price presented the recommendation for development of the Stonehaven property in the Gainesville / Bristow area. The proposal from county staff was to reduce the amount of land in that parcel that was to be dedicated to employment centers and increase the number of houses to be built there from about 1200 to 2000. During the presentation it was implied that this would be a good thing for area residents as we’d *“get”* a much needed high school that would relive overcrowding at Patriot and Battlefield high schools. This folks, is mal... more »
Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 11-29-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
*Nite Cap UPDATE**UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* My Best Posts Over The Years — Volume One by Larry Ferlazzo I’ve been writing this blog for six or seven years. I thought readers might find it useful for me to dig back in the “archives” and highlight my choices for some of the best posts that appeared during that time. This first collection — Volume One — comes from 2007 (and, in the case of some articles, even earlier): The Best Of The Best — 2007: Here I brought together links to my first annual lists, along with highlighting the sites I ranked first in each category. Intriguing Way... more »
“I Dare You to Measure the ‘Value’ I Add” | Edwize
“I Dare You to Measure the ‘Value’ I Add” | Edwize:
“I DARE YOU TO MEASURE THE ‘VALUE’ I ADD”
An ESL teacher in a NYC elementary school makes a case against value-added assessments.
Tell me how you determine the value I add to my class.
Tell me about the algorithms you applied when you took data from 16 students over a course of nearly five years of teaching and somehow used it to judge me as “below average” and “average”.
Tell me how you can examine my skills and talents and attribute worth to them without knowing me, my class, or my curriculum requirements.
BASED ON NEW REPORT 8 OF 4O WASHINGTON STATE'S NEW CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE CANDIDATES FOR CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS SITE
CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: *BASED ON NEW REPORT 8 OF 4O WASHINGTON STATE'S NEW CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE CANDIDATES FOR CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS WEBSITE* National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) Group: 1 in 5 charter schools not doing well enough to stay open A group that oversees more than half of the nation's 5,600 charter schools said as many as one in five U.S. charter schools should be shut down because of poor academic performance. http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2019784379_charterschools29.html Robert Treat Academy The Perimeter Primate at CHARTER SCHOO... more »
Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 11-30-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
*Nite Cap UPDATE**UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* My Best Posts Over The Years — Volume Two by Larry Ferlazzo I’ve been writing this blog for six or seven years. I thought readers might find it useful for me to dig back in the “archives” and highlight my choices for some of the best posts that appeared during that time. The first list in this series, My Best Posts Over The Years — Volume One, focused on the year 2007 and included a fair amount of still-useful material (at least in my opinion). Here in Volume Two I’ll identify the best of 2008: I began an *eighty* (no, that’s not a typ... more »
LAUSD, teachers union make a deal on performance evaluations - LA Daily News
LAUSD, teachers union make a deal on performance evaluations - LA Daily News: LAUSD, teachers union make a deal on performance evaluations By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer Posted: 11/30/2012 03:01:35 PM PST Updated: 11/30/2012 03:22:21 PM PST Proposed LAUSD teacher evaluation contract Facing a Tuesday deadline to come up with a deal, Los Angeles Unified and its teachers union announced today that they'd hammered out a tentative agreement that incorporates student test scores in performance evaluations. Under the tentative deal, teachers' evaluations will factor in how well their... more »
Diane in the Evening 11-30-12 Diane Ravitch's blog
Diane Ravitch's blog: Louisiana Judge Rules Voucher Program Unconstitutional by dianerav A Louisiana judge ruled against the state’s new voucher program, agreeing with the plaintiffs that it violated the state constitution by diverting public funds to private schools. The state will appeal. The attorney for the Louisiana Federation of Teachers explains here why the teachers are suing to block Governor Jindal’s Act 2. It’s not because the law is “illegal,” but because it expressly violates the state constitution. It’s not because it spends public money for vouchers but because it t... more »
NSBA to Court: School Officials Must be Given Flexibility in Handling Student Harassment
NSBA to Court: School Officials Must be Given Flexibility in Handling Student Harassment: *NSBA to Court: School Officials Must be Given Flexibility in Handling Student Harassment* * * Alexandria, Va. (November 30, 2012) - The National School Boards Association (NSBA) is urging the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit to rule that school districts should not be held financially liable for harassment related to a student’s disability if school officials took appropriate steps to stop it. NSBA, along with the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA), the Alabama ... more »
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-30-12 Diane Ravitch's blog
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Rick Hess’s Startling Analysis of Common Core by dianerav Many of us had been under the impression that the goal of the Common Core standards was to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the nation’s schools. As someone who spent years advocating for national standards–but has been agnostic about the new Common Core standards–it was always my hope that improving education would be, should be the goal. At least that was my hope when I worked in the US Department of Education in 1991-93 and expended... more »
School Tech Connect: The Culture Of Testing in Chicago
School Tech Connect: The Culture Of Testing in Chicago: The Culture Of Testing in Chicago by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) [image: Home] In a word, wow. Raise Your Hand held the most remarkable forum tonight, called The Culture of Testing- Assessing the Assessments at CPS. I've been to a lot of forums in the past couple of years; this one was far and away the most... astonishing? poignant? I don't even know the word for what it was. People from all over the city gathered to talk about an epidemic of testing that has gripped the students of CPS over the past couple of years. As... more »
Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 11-29-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
*Nite Cap UPDATE**UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* My Best Posts Over The Years — Volume One by Larry Ferlazzo I’ve been writing this blog for six or seven years. I thought readers might find it useful for me to dig back in the “archives” and highlight my choices for some of the best posts that appeared during that time. This first collection — Volume One — comes from 2007 (and, in the case of some articles, even earlier): The Best Of The Best — 2007: Here I brought together links to my first annual lists, along with highlighting the sites I ranked first in each category. Intriguing Way... more »
Jersey Jazzman: "Reform Churn"
Jersey Jazzman: "Reform Churn": "Reform Churn" by Duke These days, urban schools system change their "reforms" as often as I change my underwear: Global Village had arrived in Newark with great fanfare just three years earlier. During its short life, it extended the school day for many children at the seven schools it served, provided eyeglasses to students who needed them, distributed books to build home libraries, and connected parents with a variety of social services, from mental health care to housing assistance. Much like the highly publicized Harlem Children’s Zone, Globa... more »
Parents Across America
Parents Across America: *PARENTS CAN!* *Go to Parents Across America.* School closing controversy in Chicago pureparents at Parents Across America - 39 minutes ago PAA co-founder Julie Woestehoff was quoted in several newspaper stories (Chicago Tribune here, Sun-Times here) about Mayor Emanuel’s proposal to push a school closing announcement deadline back several months. Emanuel wants to close as many as 100 Chicago schools in 2013. The Tribune editorial board, which usually takes the corporate reform side, quoted a PURE blog post in agreeing with PURE’s opposition to the mayor’s pla... more »
Again; Relevance, Why Twitter? « My Island View
Again; Relevance, Why Twitter? « My Island View: Again; Relevance, Why Twitter? by tomwhitby Twitter has been a topic for educational Bloggers for several years now. I believe that those educators using Twitter are drawn to those posts, while other educators, not using Twitter, are driven away. Maybe the problem is the emphasis, or focus of the blog posts. Maybe the focus should be on relevance and no mention of twitter. Are educators relevant in our technology-driven society? The obvious answer is that some are, and some are not. A more important question is which of these two ... more »
UPDATE: Seattle Schools Community Forum: It's a School Zone, Folks
Seattle Schools Community Forum: It's a School Zone, Folks: It's a School Zone, Folks by Melissa Westbrook Unbelievable. From the Times: *Mayor Mike McGinn said he expected traffic cameras near four Seattle schools to catch a lot of speeding drivers when the devices went live Nov. 1.* *But almost 6,000 in less than a month?* *"We were surprised," McGinn said.* *Because there were so many speeders, the warning-citation period that was to end this week has been extended to Monday, Dec. 10, he said. From that day on, the registered owners of vehicles caught driving faster than 2... more »
NYC Public School Parents: CFE may sue for money owed & lessons learned re accountability and oversight
NYC Public School Parents: CFE may sue for money owed & lessons learned re accountability and oversight: CFE may sue for money owed & lessons learned re accountability and oversight by Leonie Haimson Exciting news! The Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) announced in a letter today that it was considering re-opening the lawsuit against New York State, on the basis that the funding promised NYC and other high-needs school districts has never been fulfilled. The current plan puts off full funding "until at least 16 years from now, in 2028. *Thus, two more gen... more »
'Isolation box:' Abuse or therapy for Longview school kids? | Local & Regional | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News
'Isolation box:' Abuse or therapy for Longview school kids? | Local & Regional | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News: 'Isolation box:' Abuse or therapy for Longview school kids? By Patrick Preston KATU News and KATU.com Staff Published: Nov 28, 2012 at 8:16 AM PST Last Updated: Nov 28, 2012 at 9:37 AM PST [image: 'Isolation box:' Abuse or therapy for Longview school kids?]»PLAY VIDEO One of the photos posted on Facebook shows the isolation box at Mint Valley Elementary School in Longview, Wash. LONGVIEW, Wash. -- Longview Public Schools administrators call i... more »
UPDATE: Seattle Schools Community Forum: Closing Bad Charters
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Closing Bad Charters: Closing Bad Charters by Charlie Mas The National Association of Charter School Authorizers said 900 to 1,300 of the privately run, publicly financed schools should close because they are in the bottom 15 percent of public schools in their states. Here's a link totheir press release and a Bloomberg News story that the Seattle Times ran. In short, there are a number of poor performing charter schools and, according to NACSA, they should be closed. NACSA also calls for states to add school closure provisions to their charter sch... more »
Education Research Report: State Spending on K-12 Assessment Systems
Education Research Report: State Spending on K-12 Assessment Systems: State Spending on K-12 Assessment Systems by Jonathan Kantrowitz In the coming years, states will need to make the most significant changes to their assessment systems in a decade as they implement the Common Core State Standards, a common framework for what students are expected to know that will replace existing standards in 45 states and the District of Columbia. The Common Core effort has prompted concerns about the cost of implementing the new standards and assessments, but there is little comprehensive up... more »
Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee writes a ‘zealot’s manifesto,’ er, memoir
Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee writes a ‘zealot’s manifesto,’ er, memoir: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee writes a ‘zealot’s manifesto,’ er, memoir Posted by Valerie Strauss on November 29, 2012 at 11:00 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » Michelle Rhee has written a memoir that gives her version of reality about the years (2007-2010) that she ran D.C. Public Schools and became a national leader of corporate-based school reform. The book is due out next year but Washington City Paper’s L... more »
Common Core [sic] Standards (Susan Ohanian Speaks Out)
Common Core [sic] Standards (Susan Ohanian Speaks Out): To Be or Not To Be: The Teacher Must Decide by elaine Susan Ohanian Source: Susan Ohanian.org Opportunists have always promoted stupid things in education, but the Common Core seems to send opportunism traveling as skills development over the top of Mount Absurdity. I clicked on an ad for *Imagine Learning* appearing on the ASCD Smartbrief (sic) that comes in my e-mail every day. I couldn't resist the sell: *A Cure for the Common Core*. Every literacy salesman in the country is now selling The Cure. Imagine Learning invited ... more »
Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's New Memoir Reads Like a Zealot's Manifesto, Details Time in D.C. - Loose Lips
Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's New Memoir Reads Like a Zealot's Manifesto, Details Time in D.C. - Loose Lips: Rhee-visionist History Posted by Alan Suderman on Nov. 28, 2012 at 8:01 pm Like most sequels, the current round of D.C. Public Schools closings is a lot less dramatic than the first wave presided over by former Schools Chancellor*Michelle Rhee *four years ago. That soap opera included a protest outside the Wilson Building set to Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power,” police removing a man who yelled expletives at Rhee during a D.C. Council hearing, and some very unhappy ... more »
MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-29-12 Diane Ravitch's blog
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] J. Crew Raising $$$ for Rich Kids by dianerav J. Crew is raising money to help Teach for America, which has $300 million in assets and many high-level employees with six-figure salaries. Why don’t they use the proceeds to hire nurses and librarians for public schools in cities like Chicago, Philadelphia and Cleveland. Like, you know, poor kids? What Does the NJ Charter Report Overlook? by dianerav Count on Jersey Jazzman to catch the flaw in the CREDO study of charters in his home state. It purports to stu... more »
An Analysis of the ACHIEVE Act vs. the DREAM Act | First Focus
An Analysis of the ACHIEVE Act vs. the DREAM Act | First Focus: An Analysis of the ACHIEVE Act vs. the DREAM Act [image: First Focus - Making Childen and Families the Priority] [image: First Focus Campaign For Children][image: Childrens Budget] FACT SHEETS Search resources November 28, 2012 By Wendy Cervantes and Kevin Lindsey Download this Resource This fact sheet provides a comparison of key provisions of the Assisting Children and Helping them Improve their Educational Value for Employment (ACHIEVE) Act (S. 3639) and the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM)... more »
ACLU 8th Annual “Youth Social Justice Forum” Gives Voice to MPS High School Students « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!
ACLU 8th Annual “Youth Social Justice Forum” Gives Voice to MPS High School Students « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: ACLU 8th Annual “Youth Social Justice Forum” Gives Voice to MPS High School Students Filed under: ACLU,Student Movement,Student Organizing — millerlf @ 8:34 pm On Wednesday, November 28th, I spent the day talking with high school students at the ACLU’s 8th “Youth Social Justice Forum.” Attended by over 400 high school students, subjects included- - police oversight - racism - gay rights - student rights - bullying - voting - MPS In... more »
December 8: TOGETHER Education Summit - Parents, Students, Teachers & Community United for Better Schools
Chicago Teachers Union | Events: TOGETHER Education Summit Now that the Board of Education and Rahm Emanuel have gotten the Illinois Legislature to delay the announcement of school closings, we know we have a fight on our hands.We should expect that CPS will close up to 150 schools and announce them by March 31, 2013. Join hundreds of parents, students and community members who want to help us FIGHT FOR OUR STUDENTS AND OUR SCHOOLS! Let’s make it happen… TOGETHER [image: PHOTO: Students, parents and community members march in Rahm Emanuel’s neighborhood with a banner reading: Suppo... more »
APPR: It's All About the Students — Whole Child Education
APPR: It's All About the Students — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: ASCD Whole Child Bloggers]APPR: It’s All About the Students November 28, 2012 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers [image: American Association of School Librarians] *Post submitted by Paige Jaeger, coordinator for school library services with the Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex (N.Y.) Board of Cooperative Educational Services, and Sue Kowalski, president of New York State Library Association's Section of School Librarians, on behalf of whole child partner American Association of School Libraria... more »
Diane in the Evening 11-28-12 Diane Ravitch's blog
Diane Ravitch's blog: What Would Happen if Arne Became Secretary of State by dianerav You may recall that Thomas Friedman of the New York Times proposed that Arne Duncan should become Secretary of State and extend his Race to the Top internationally. Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters in New York City sees the implications: “Close &/or privatize embassies that are struggling in terms of diplomacy & conflict resolution?” Any readers with better ideas? Ohio Starts New Group to Support Public Schools by dianerav Citizens of Ohio have launched a new organization to support strong p... more »
UPDATE: NYC Public School Parents: Arne Duncan as Secretary of State? Please help us shape the next administration's education agenda!
NYC Public School Parents: Please help us shape the next administration's education agenda!: Arne Duncan as Secretary of State? What would he do? by Leonie Haimson Tom Friedman of the New York Times opined that Arne Duncan should be the Secretary of State because he can do to the world what he has done to education. This column provoked much hilarious comment on Twitter last night. Here is a sample: Friedman pushes Arne Duncan for Secy of State Nocera wants Petraeus for Sec Defense; what are they smoking at NYT? nytimes.com/2012/11/28/opi… — leonie haimson (@leoniehaimson) Nove... more »
Shanker Blog » Creating A Valid Process For Using Teacher Value-Added Measures
Shanker Blog » Creating A Valid Process For Using Teacher Value-Added Measures: Creating A Valid Process For Using Teacher Value-Added Measures by Douglas N. Harris *Our guest author today is Douglas N. Harris, associate professor of economics and University Endowed Chair in Public Education at Tulane University in New Orleans. His latest book, *Value-Added Measures in Education*, provides an excellent, accessible review of the technical and practical issues surrounding these models. * Now that the election is over, the Obama Administration and policymakers nationally can return ... more »
MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH Gangnam Style 11-28-12 Diane Ravitch's blog
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] *Diane Ravitch Gangnam Style* Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab! What You Need to Know About Play by dianerav 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 ... more »
UPDATE: UCI uses force to silence students right to protest.: Prop 30 Won’t Save Us | Occupy UCI!
November 8th: Prop 30 Won’t Save Us | Occupy UCI!: Student Conduct Charges from Nov. 8th Rally + March by Occupy UCI In response to the previous letter the lawyer sent to the administration (see here: UAW Lawyer’s email to the UCI admin), the Office of Student Conduct has released their first charge against a student-worker that organized and participated in November 8th’s Rally and March against UC privatization. Sure enough the charges are absurd, given that these are the same charges *we* accused the administration of taking against several student activists that same day. (N... more »
Sabrina Stevens Shupe: The Other Trouble With 'Elites'
Sabrina Stevens Shupe: The Other Trouble With 'Elites': The Other Trouble With 'Elites' Posted: 01/19/12 12:10 PM ET @TeacherSabrina Wednesday morning, Denver progressive radio host David Sirota had DPS Superintendent (and Boulder, Colo. resident) Tom Boasberg on his show. The segment picked up on a point from Sirota's recent opinion piece, "America's dangerously removed elite": the significance of a high-profile school superintendent who, as neither an educator or a DPS parent, has virtually no stakeholder ties to the school district he runs. Listening to Boasberg's comments, I ... more »
My Secretary of State - NYTimes.com
My Secretary of State - NYTimes.com: My Secretary of StateBy THOMAS L. FRIEDMANPublished: November 27, 2012 Comment Mr Friedman could be RIGHT! If there ever was someone who could sell stuff! - FACEBOOK - TWITTER - GOOGLE+ - SAVE - E-MAIL - SHARE - PRINT - REPRINTS - President Obama is assembling his new national security team, with Senator John Kerry possibly heading for the Pentagon and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice the perceived front-runner to become secretary of state. Kerry is an excellent choice for defense. I don’t know Rice at all, so I have no ... more »
Video: U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan discusses Dallas ISD | Education Blog
Video: U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan discusses Dallas ISD | Education Blog:
Schools Matter: Private Prison Corporation Participates in Public School Drug Raid Plus other Stuff
Schools Matter: Private Prison Corporation Participates in Public School Drug Raid: Private Prison Corporation Participates in Public School Drug Raid by Jim Horn Vista Grande High School in Case Grande has this the bottom of its lengthy list of violation and procedures on its Discipline Page: * **The administration retains the right and privilege to issue consequences for acts of behavior not specifically stated herein and to alter any consequences, as they consider necessary. Furthermore, the administration reserves the right to amend any provisions in this handbook which they de... more »
UPDATE: A Challenge for Chris Cerf - Jersey Jazzman: NJ CREDO Report: No Evidence Charter "Success" Can Be Replicated
Jersey Jazzman: NJ CREDO Report: No Evidence Charter "Success" Can Be Replicated: NJ CREDO Report: No Evidence Charter "Success" Can Be Replicated by Duke [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] A Challenge for Chris Cerf by Duke Here's the statement from NJDOE Commissioner Chris Cerf about today's CREDO charter report (thx Mother Crusader). The money quote: *Key findings from the **report*:**** **· ***School level:* “At the school level, 30 percent of the charter schools have significantly more positive learning gains *than their TPS (traditional public ... more »
Stand united: an appeal to commenters | Philadelphia Public School Notebook
Stand united: an appeal to commenters | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Stand united: an appeal to commentersby Frank Murphy on Nov 27 2012 Posted in Commentary I have been troubled by the negative tone of several comments posted in response to *Notebook* articles over the last few months. Anonymous posters have increasingly engaged in highly critical and often sharply worded personal attacks on individual Philadelphia school district employees and union personnel. Though I can understand the depth of emotion that motivates people to make such remarks I do not support such ... more »
UPDATE: PSAT for 11-27-12: Push back on closing extension this morning! Parents United for Responsible Education
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 11-27-12: Push back on closing extension this morning!: PSAT for 11-27-12: Push back on closing extension this morning! by admin Pressure is mounting on the Illinois General Assembly not to go along with Mayor Emanuel’s ill-conceived request to push back the school closing announcement until March 31 and allow CPS to close up to 120 schools with little time for families, communities, and school staff to prepare for the massive upheaval this will cause. Right now, this morning, you need to contact your state senator a... more »
Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 11-26-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
*Nite Cap UPDATE**UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* There's Gold In Them There Schools! by Walt S. Public education is being bought and paid for, all under the guise of helping children. If my suspicions are correct, the welfare of children is being used to camouflage the takeover of the public schools by private interests. Access to the vast sums of money spent each year on educating our children is the golden goose they seek. This article was published in Salon on November 17th. It makes clear much of the tactics and ploys that will be and are being used to ultimately transfe... more »
The Washington Teacher: Here We Go Again: More DC Public School Closures!
The Washington Teacher: Here We Go Again: More DC Public School Closures!: Here We Go Again: More DC Public School Closures! by noreply@blogger.com (Candi Peterson) Written by Candi Peterson Let's take a trip down memory lane back to 2008 when Michelle Rhee was the Chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools. Rhee rolled out a plan to abruptly close 23 public schools. Her premise was that the closing of under enrolled public schools would save the taxpayers $23 million dollars and that these cost savings could be used to hire additional teachers and create new programs. S... more »
Enslaved to the Enslaved by the Enslaving. « Cooperative Catalyst
Enslaved to the Enslaved by the Enslaving. « Cooperative Catalyst: Enslaved to the Enslaved by the Enslaving. by Jabreel Chisley *Is the school the source of the feeling of perpetual entrapment that the youth claim to fill? Is the number 2 pencil the slave master for the children, the ones doped up on Adderall and Ritalin, and removed from society so that they can tend to the slave masters distant cousin, the standardized assessment? Are the children the sheep in a corporatist panacea of reform? Are the teachers the herders, unknowingly herding the children of tomorrow into a fie... more »
Schools Matter: Louisiana Constitution on Trial and Schools on the Chopping Block
Schools Matter: Louisiana Constitution on Trial and Schools on the Chopping Block: Louisiana Constitution on Trial and Schools on the Chopping Block by Jim Horn *RIGHT Again Sec. Duncan* Louisiana has the highest number of black student retentions in the nation to go along with the highest black incarceration rate in the U. S. The private prison industry is worth $182 million a year when beds are full, and "Louisiana's incarceration rate is nearly five times Iran's, 13 times China's and 20 times Germany's." To say that it is a police state is hardly an exaggeration, and the cha... more »
KIPP DC a finalist in Race to the Top competition - D.C. Schools Insider - The Washington Post
KIPP DC a finalist in Race to the Top competition - D.C. Schools Insider - The Washington Post: KIPP DC a finalist in Race to the Top competition by Emma Brown Charter school operator KIPP DC is one of 61 finalists in the federal government’s $400 million Race to the Top-District grant competition, U.S. Department of Education officials announced Monday. “We’re very excited,” said Susan Schaeffler, KIPP DC’s chief executive. “This was a heavy lift for all of us to get this application done, make it meaningful — and at this point we’re really excited to be in the top 61.” The final... more »
Charter group, but not L.A. Unified, finalist for Race to the Top - latimes.com
Charter group, but not L.A. Unified, finalist for Race to the Top - latimes.com: Charter group, but not L.A. Unified, finalist for Race to the Top A local charter school organization is a finalist for a high-profile federal grant, but the Los Angeles Unifed School District failed to qualify in the same competition. Green Dot Public Schools, which operates 18 charter schools, remains in the running for a “Race to the Top” grant, the U.S. Department of Education announced Monday. If successful, Green Dot could receive $30 million over a four-year period. In the application process,... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Ed News Roundup
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Ed News Roundup: Ed News Roundup by Melissa Westbrook First up, this is not directly ed related (although peripherally), a letter from a whiter-than-white (his term) Republican who was mightily unhappy with his party this election. (Caution: he minces no words so if you are a delicate reader, do not read this section.) He does speak to some of what ed reformers on the Dem side like to do; namely, name-call and harangue which to my mind, never works. *One of the reasons my family is affluent is that my wife and I have a collective fifteen year... more »
U.S. Department of Education Announces 61 Applications as Finalists for $400 Million Race to the Top - District Competition | U.S. Department of Education
U.S. Department of Education Announces 61 Applications as Finalists for $400 Million Race to the Top - District Competition | U.S. Department of Education: U.S. Department of Education Announces 61 Applications as Finalists for $400 Million Race to the Top - District Competition NOVEMBER 26, 2012 *Contact: * Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov Today, the U.S. Department of Education announced that 61 applications have been selected as finalists for the Race to the Top-District (RTTT-D) competition. The 2012 RTTT-D program will provide close to $400 million to suppor... more »
Leading, led or standing still? Time is running short if we’re going to stop the pension deal. « Fred Klonsky
Leading, led or standing still? Time is running short if we’re going to stop the pension deal. « Fred Klonsky: Leading, led or standing still? Time is running short if we’re going to stop the pension deal. by Fred Klonsky Take out your calendars. Or open it on your iPad. Here is the schedule: The House and Senate are to convene Tuesday through Thursday of this week, and again December 4-6. This is the veto session. But that doesn’t mean they only meet to override Quinn’s veto of passed bills. They might legalize marijuana for medical purposes. More casino gambling. Marriage equality... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: A Primer on Standards Based Grading
Missouri Education Watchdog: A Primer on Standards Based Grading: A Primer on Standards Based Grading by Anngie Want to watch a teacher's blood pressure rise right before your eyes? Ask them what they think of Standards Based Grading. This is one of the zombies of education reform. It never really seems to die and keeps coming back to eat your brain. Some schools are trying to adopt it now as it is expected to be used in Common Core Assessments. For those who are unfamiliar with SBG, here are the basics. Numerical ratings are used rather than letter grades/percents. There are fou... more »
Evaluating Teachers on the Hidden Curriculum — Whole Child Education
Evaluating Teachers on the Hidden Curriculum — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Paula Mirk]Evaluating Teachers on the Hidden Curriculum November 26, 2012 by Paula Mirk Teachers should be evaluated on the atmosphere they create in their classrooms and the degree of trust they have established with their students. Several findings from the Schools of Integrity and other research literature support examining both classroom culture and teacher-student relationships. *Classroom culture:* The hidden curriculum of a school starts in each individual classroom. Faculty sho... more »
Kids and pets – it’s just natural – Pets in the Classroom Grants - Pet Grants, small pets, aquarium equipment
Pet Grants, small pets, aquarium equipment: Kids and pets – it’s just natural – Pets in the Classroom Grants *Pets in the Classroom Grant Program Sets Goal of Reaching 5 Million Children* *The Pet Care Trust’s Pets in the Classroom grant program has helped more than 15,000 classrooms, with many more classrooms yet to be impacted.* *Bel Air, Maryland* - With more than 500,000 elementary and middle school students having already been given the opportunity to interact with pets on a daily basis in their classroom, the Pet Care Trust board has announced a new goal for its Pets in the ... more »
MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-26-12 Diane Ravitch's blog
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Test Mania Tortures Tots in. New York City by dianerav If you believe, as I do, that standardized testing is now being misused and overused, you will be shocked to read about New York City’s latest plan to ration admission to programs for gifted 4-year-olds. If you wanted to satirize the misuse of testing, you would come up with a plan like the one in NYC. Little children will take a test, be rank ordered, and only those who score 90% or higher are sure to win a coveted seat. Sorry, an 89% won’t make it. Whe... more »
Lincoln and arrested development « JD2718
Lincoln and arrested development « JD2718: Lincoln and arrested development by jd2718 Good movie, Lincoln. Some nice development of his sons’ characters (I spotted the Third Rock kid!). And I’ve usually always liked Sally Field. Not quite Norma Rae, but made Mary Todd Lincoln interesting. And the portrait of Lincoln is rich – story teller, backwoods lawyer, astute politician, caring husband and father – and politically adept at balancing expediency and long term goals, etc, etc. But Spielberg left Lincoln’s political allies and opponents flat. The motivations of Lincoln are easy ... more »
A new cheating scandal: Aspiring teachers hiring ringers | Get Schooled
A new cheating scandal: Aspiring teachers hiring ringers | Get Schooled: A new cheating scandal: Aspiring teachers hiring ringers by Maureen Downey Interesting story in the AJC today on a cheating scandal involving hired ringers taking the teacher qualification exam for candidates in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee. The ringers used faked IDs to sit for the Praxis exam, administered by the Educational Testing Service. Praxis exams are required by 40 states and territories to measure the academic achievement and proficiency of newly minted teachers. According to ETS: *The Praxis... more »
Arizona Charter School Officials Are Enriching Themselves With Public Funds | The New Republic
Arizona Charter School Officials Are Enriching Themselves With Public Funds | The New Republic: How Charter Schools Fleece Taxpayers - Timothy Noah - November 20, 2012 | 2:10 pm - 4 comments - Share on redditShare on tumblrShare on stumbleupon|More Sharing ServicesMore - [image: Print]Print - SHARE inShare12 MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR The Two Americas Small Business Sells John Boehner Out Fred Barnes: Fine, We’re The Party Of Whitey Christopher Furlong/Getty Images In government, if I help myself to taxpayer dollars, we call that embezzlement and I go to jail. In th... more »
Jersey Jazzman: "Race To The Top": Segregation Gone Wild!
Jersey Jazzman: "Race To The Top": Segregation Gone Wild!: "Race To The Top": Segregation Gone Wild! by Duke Late last week, New Jersey announced which of it school districts would be applying for Race To The Top grantsin a competition designs for individual districts. The controversial program started at the state level; it rewarded states with relatively small amounts of money for implementing policies like charter school expansion and using standardized test data to rank teacher effectiveness. There is no evidence that any of this will work, and Secretary of Education Arne Dunc... more »
solidaridad: Refocusing LAUSD on reading and learning instead of testing
solidaridad: Refocusing LAUSD on reading and learning instead of testing: Refocusing LAUSD on reading and learning instead of testing by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene First published on Robert D. Skeels for School Board on November 24, 2012. ------------------------------ *It's difficult to explain exactly what being poor is all about, or why access to books and ideas might be as important as a free breakfast. — Walter Dean Myers* [image: The Power of Reading by Stephen Krashen]*Hope Is an Open Book*, an op-ed piece by author Walter Dean Myers, was tweeted this morning by educator Sus... more »
Peg with Pen: The Teacher's Voice
Peg with Pen: The Teacher's Voice: The Teacher's Voice by Peggy Just a short note today. I am teaching again as an instructional coach in an elementary school so blogging time is limited, but here are my thoughts this November as I continue to advocate for our teaching profession and our public schools.... Thanksgiving break is over and tomorrow I head back to school - I am partly filled with dread and partly filled with hope. I am surrounded by testing, scripted curriculum, the god forsaken pacing guide and the common bore standards in a Broadie district which has plans to shove ... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Charter Update in the Times
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Charter Update in the Times: Charter Update in the Times by Charlie Mas Linda Shaw, writing for the Seattle Times, reported today on the likely near-term future of charter schools in Washington, Modest start for charter schools expected. Her predictions and report aligns with our predictions: national charter school chains will hang back, if they come to Washington at all. After all, they didn't have any plans to expand into Washington before the vote and they want to wait and see how the regulations are determined and how the inevitable Court ch... more »
Ed Notes Online: Leonie Haimson: Educate All Kids Like Sasha and Malia
Ed Notes Online: Leonie Haimson: Educate All Kids Like Sasha and Malia: Leonie Haimson: Educate All Kids Like Sasha and Malia by ed notes online Obama’s education policies are failing children, except for his own. BY Leonie Haimson Rather than follow blindly in the path of privatization and unleashed free-market competition that led to the collapse of our economy, it’s time for Obama to start listening to parents and teachers. Cramming kids into classes of 30 or more and putting them on laptops while supervised by novices will never enhance their creativity or critical thinking s... more »
Please Sign to Oppose Suspension of Democracy in Michigan « Diane Ravitch's blog
Please Sign to Oppose Suspension of Democracy in Michigan « Diane Ravitch's blog: Please Sign to Oppose Suspension of Democracy in Michigan by dianerav From a reader in Michigan: *Repeal Michigan’s Emergency Manager Law* A Message to all Supporters of Democracy The people of 77 the 83 counties in Michigan voted successfully to repeal Michigan’s Emergency Manager Law. Governor Rick Snyder and the extremist-controlled Michigan legislature are now attempting to circumvent the will of the people by passing new legislation that is every bit as unconstitutional, anti-democratic and vile ... more »
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-25-12 Diane Ravitch's blog
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Profiteering in the Schools by dianerav A friend shared an invitation that came to his email. The for-profit sector is not only lurking, it is invading. Just think: while teachers and principals work 11hours a day, taking home salaries that barely cover the mortgage and living expenses, while an equity investor will make millions from their labor. Save the date! On January 15, there will be an exciting seminar on how to make a profit by investing in A Plague of Junk Food in the Schools by dianerav Marc Ep... more »
How Teachers Unions Lead the Way to Better Schools | toteachornototeach
How Teachers Unions Lead the Way to Better Schools | toteachornototeach: How Teachers Unions Lead the Way to Better Schools by aristotlethewise *How Teachers Unions Lead the Way to Better Schools* *Contrary to mainstream wisdom, poverty and inequality cause* *failing schools, not teachers unions and the teachers themselves.* BY Amy Dean I have a concern: Teachers are getting pummeled. Too often, they are being demonized in the media and blamed by politicians for being the cause of bad schools. Right-wing governors, power-hungry mayors and corporate “reformers”—all ignoring root issues... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: Understand this about Education Reform: "The state’s claim to godhood does not make it so"
Missouri Education Watchdog: Understand this about Education Reform: "The state’s claim to godhood does not make it so": Understand this about Education Reform: "The state’s claim to godhood does not make it so" by stlgretchen “Any state, any entity, any ideology that fails to recognize the worth, the dignity, the rights of man that state is obsolete.” -Rod Serling Daniel Taylor in Old-Thinker News has written a thought provocative article about education and how individuals can fight against governmental control in *The Best Kept Open Secret of Our Time: Individuals Have... more »
California's English language learners getting stuck in schools' remedial programs - LA Daily News
California's English language learners getting stuck in schools' remedial programs - LA Daily News: California's English language learners getting stuck in schools' remedial programs by By Rob Kuznia, Staff Writer Melanie Perez wishes she could have played the saxophone. Octavio Reyes would have liked to take a computer science class. Both students at San Pedro High School say they can't sign up for these electives because, at some point in their school careers, they were stuck having to take remedial classes for English learners - even though both speak English fluently and hav... more »
Schools Matter: Refocusing LAUSD on reading and learning instead of testing
Schools Matter: Refocusing LAUSD on reading and learning instead of testing: Refocusing LAUSD on reading and learning instead of testing by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene First published on Robert D. Skeels for School Board on November 24, 2012. ------------------------------ *It's difficult to explain exactly what being poor is all about, or why access to books and ideas might be as important as a free breakfast. — Walter Dean Myers* [image: The Power of Reading by Stephen Krashen]*Hope Is an Open Book*, an op-ed piece by author Walter Dean Myers, was tweeted this morning by educator... more »
What's the Matter with Michigan? - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher
What's the Matter with Michigan? - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: What's the Matter with Michigan? by Nancy Flanagan ** *For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness.* Ralph Waldo Emerson So--on this Thanksgiving weekend, I'm trying to be more grateful for what's working fine. I'm also trying not to be angry so often. There's a lot to be angry about, from Black Friday and Wal-Mart, to the fact that my teaching colleagues make 1/225th what the average CEO makes. Big things to get steamed about. Little things to irritate. Mostly, what I'm ... more »
INFOGRAPHIC: If The World Were 100 People | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com
INFOGRAPHIC: If The World Were 100 People | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com: INFOGRAPHIC: If The World Were 100 People Published at 3:02 pm EST, November 24, 2012 [image: INFOGRAPHIC: If The World Were 100 People] Photo: 100People.org Click Here to Enlarge Photo What would the Earth’s population look like if there were only 100 people? What percentage of the population would Latin Americans make up? How many would speak Spanish? What about literacy rates? The 100 People Foundation have created this thought provoking infographic depicting a world of only 100 people. [image: Image]
A Chinese Education, for a Price | toteachornototeach
A Chinese Education, for a Price | toteachornototeach: A Chinese Education, for a Price by aristotlethewise *A Chinese Education, for a Price* By Dan Levin BEIJING — For Chinese children and their devoted parents, education has long been seen as the key to getting ahead in a highly competitive society. But just as money and power grease business deals and civil servant promotions, the academic race here is increasingly rigged in favor of the wealthy and well connected, who pay large sums and use connections to give their children an edge at government-run schools. Nearly everything... more »
Critical Reading Task: How do FERPA Guidelines Affect Student Privacy? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
Critical Reading Task: How do FERPA Guidelines Affect Student Privacy? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Critical Reading Task: How do FERPA Guidelines Affect Student Privacy? by Anthony Cody *Guest post by John Chase.* Teachers who may be looking for a complex informational text for their students to practice with in preparation for the new assessments might consider using the following excerpts from the *Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) which was amended 12/2/11. (*selected passages and bold font added for clarity and emphasis) ...These amendments ... more »
The GOODEST: Our Favorite Things to Learn and Do This Past Week | Business on GOOD
The GOODEST: Our Favorite Things to Learn and Do This Past Week | Business on GOOD: The GOODEST: Our Favorite Things to Learn and Do This Past Week Fish Poo Power: A Genius Countertop Aquaponics Garden “We’ve been doing this [testing the gardens] for eight months, and it still blows my mind when I see the first one sprouting—out of rock. It’s just crazy. I get so excited about it, but imagine a little kid seeing that.” With a bit of the wonder that dwells in any farmer, Arora adds, “They’re never going to forget that for the rest of their lives.” 'Solutionaries': Why Adults Need to ... more »