Schools Matter: Ethnic Studies and Culturally-Relevant Pedagogy Under Attack

Schools Matter: Ethnic Studies and Culturally-Relevant Pedagogy Under Attack:

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Ethnic Studies and Culturally-Relevant Pedagogy Under Attack

by Jim Horn

Please take a few minutes to view this film clip from Democracy Now:

Text from Democracy Now:

An Arizona administrator has ruled that the public school district in Tucson must end its acclaimed Mexican American Studies program for grades K-12, saying it violates a new state law that bans the teaching of any class designed for a particular ethnic group or that "promote[s] resentment toward a race or class of people." But the program’s supporters say the classes push the district’s largely Latino student body to excel academically while teaching them long-neglected

Hey, Dennis--Take Your Award and Shove It

by Jim Horn

From Huffington Post:

Matt Damon and his mother, Nancy Carlsson-Paige, have declined a nomination for the Friend of Education award from the National Education Association's Massachusetts arm -- because of the NEA's collaboration with Teach For America on a USA Today op-ed.

In a letter Wednesday to NEA President Dennis Van Roekel, Carlsson-Paige, a professor of early childhood education at Lesley University, says that she and Damon had originally planned to

Last Stand for Children First: Elevating the Teaching Profession with STRIPES

Last Stand for Children First: Elevating the Teaching Profession with STRIPES:

Elevating the Teaching Profession with STRIPES

by Last Stand for Children

One of the biggest problems that we face in education today is the seemingly endless quest to elevate the teaching profession. Back in 1989, Wendy Kopp had a vision of taking gifted college students who weren't education majors, but wanted to teach and sending them out to learn how to teach on our country's neediest children. The result has been Teach for America and one need only watch a talk show or listen to musicians like Common and John Legend to know what a success it has become.

Unfortunately, 23 years later, Teach for America feels like a relic of an earlier time. Things like smart phones, the internet, and HDTV didn't exist in 1989. In today's cyber age, gifted young people don't want to wait through a laborious five week training period and then commit to a two year teaching period. You only have to wait 48 hours to get a gun, why should you have to wait five weeks

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts #edreform

Rally Against Bronx Science Principal, This Time By Students and Alumni – SchoolBook

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Rally Against Bronx Science Principal, This Time By Students and Alumni – SchoolBook:Rally Against Bronx Science Principal, This Time By Students and Alumniby Anna M. Phillips“BS Deserves Better,” said a sign at a rally outside of the Bronx High School of Science, one of the city’s most storied high schools that has been at war with itself for years over the pedagogical policies of its principal, Valerie J. Reidy.On Thursday, roughly two dozen current students and recent alumni gathered on ... more »

Modern School: Online Ed: Trojan Horse for Destroying Teachers Unions

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Modern School: Online Ed: Trojan Horse for Destroying Teachers Unions:Online Ed: Trojan Horse for Destroying Teachers Unionsby Michael DunnBeware of Capitalist Bearing Gifts of Cheap Canned Curricula (Image from Flickr, by Perfecto Insecto)Idaho teachers and parents are pissed off: Last year, their state Legislature passed a law requiring all high school students to take some online classes to graduate, according to theSan Francisco Chronicle. They also mandated that students and teachers be given laptops or tablets to take and manage ... more »

Final HQT “Highly Qualified Teacher” Workshop for 2011-12 - Letters (CA Dept of Education)

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 46 minutes ago

Final HQT Workshop for 2011-12 - Letters (CA Dept of Education):Final HQT Workshop for 2011-12The California Department of Education is hosting the finalElementary and Secondary Education Act“Highly Qualified Teacher” Workshop for 2011–12Presented byLynda NicholsEducation Programs ConsultantMonday, April 2, 2012East End Complex1500 Capitol Avenue, Room ABCSacramento, CA 9581410:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.This workshop will focus on the “Highly Qualified Teacher” requirements related to theElementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Topics will include an overview ofthe ESEA teacher comp... more »

Jersey Jazzman: REPOST: OK, Smart Guy - What Would YOU Do?

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 46 minutes ago

Jersey Jazzman: REPOST: OK, Smart Guy - What Would YOU Do?:REPOST: OK, Smart Guy - What Would YOU Do?by DukeFor all of my new, trollish freinds: here's the Jazzman Reform Plan from September, 2011. I may change a few things now, but I still think most of it is solid.Over at Blue Jersey, I recently spent a week demolishing the corporate "reform" argument. Well, no, that's not quite right; I'd spent the last week bringing together a bunch of research ... more »

Would I announce my bargaining position before bargaining? No. But that’s me. « Fred Klonsky

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 46 minutes ago

Would I announce my bargaining position before bargaining? No. But that’s me. « Fred Klonsky:Would I announce my bargaining position before bargaining? No. But that’s me.by Fred KlonskyThere was some concern about the way I reported Senate President John Cullerton’s statement yesterday.On the video I posted, Cullerton said plainly that the state employee unions, our leadership included, had expressed a willingness to negotiate adjustments in the pension benefits of union members.I wan’t shocked by Cullerton’s statement because our union leadership ... more »

Concerned African American Mothers (CAAM) Call for End to Racial Profiling by the Milwaukee Police Department « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 46 minutes ago

Concerned African American Mothers (CAAM) Call for End to Racial Profiling by the Milwaukee Police Department « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:Concerned African American Mothers (CAAM) Call for End to Racial Profiling by the Milwaukee Police Departmentby millerlfConcerned African-American Mothers (CAAM)African-American Racial Profiling Complaint Against the City of Milwaukee Police Department Under the direction of Police Chief Edward Flynn, the City of Milwaukee Police Department from approximately July 2008 to the present has engaged in practice of racial profiling ...more »

Jersey Jazzman: The Reformy Incompetence of Duncan, Kopp, and Rhee

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 46 minutes ago

Jersey Jazzman: The Reformy Incompetence of Duncan, Kopp, and Rhee:The Reformy Incompetence of Duncan, Kopp, and Rheeby DukeValerie Strauss reports on a tiff with Matt Damon and his mom, education professor Nancy Carlson-Paige, on one side and NEA President Dennis Van Roekel on another. Personally, I think the NEA is not well-served bysidling up with the likes of Teach For America's Wendy Kopp, but I do see the point that she is well-funded and not going away any time soon.What ... more »

GenEd and California Department of Education Working Together | Asbarez Armenian News

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 46 minutes ago

GenEd and California Department of Education Working Together | Asbarez Armenian News:GenEd and California Department of Education Working TogetherMurad Minasian (Left) and Raffi Momjian, GenEd Executive Director (Right), at meeting with Superintendent Tom TorlaksonTeacher survey and joint projects initiatedSAN FRANCISCO–The Genocide Education Project (GenEd) and the California Department of Education have initiated a working relationship aimed at expanding instruction of the Armenian Genocide to more schools across California. Through the efforts of Murad Minasian, the Armenian-Ame... more »

Moving Beyond Political Rhetoric in International Comparisons | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

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Moving Beyond Political Rhetoric in International Comparisons | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:Moving Beyond Political Rhetoric in International Comparisonsby obrienaMaking international comparisons about education systems was all the rage in 2011. Rhetoric suggested that America’s education system is performing so poorly that we as a nation have lost our competitive edge, and that the world’s emerging economies are out-educating us, which will result in the further decline of our nation.I’m not sure if that rhetoric will stop ... more »

Ravitch to speak in California - California Teachers Association

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 46 minutes ago

Ravitch to speak in California - California Teachers Association:Ravitch to speak in CaliforniaBy Dina MartinOnce an educational conservative and an early supporter of President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind policy, Diane Ravitch has shaken up the education world by doing a complete about-face on testing, accountability, and the merits of charter schools.In the process, she has become a champion of educators who show up every day to teach their students.Through her speeches, her appearances on popular shows such ... more »

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Rally Against Bronxdale Principal John Chase Jr 1/10/2012

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SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Rally Against Bronxdale Principal John Chase Jr 1/10/2012:Rally Against Bronxdale Principal John Chase Jr 1/10/2012by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)We here at SBSB have been right on top of the the"Objects My Penis Loves" scandal at Bronxdale High School in the Bronx. We also provided commentary when the DOE gave Bronxdale High principal John Chase Jr, a slap on his pen..., er we meant hand when it found that yes, he was guilty of guilty of violating Chancellor's Regulations ... more »

Adjust pension benefits? Cullerton says the unions have “indicated a willingness to do so.” « Fred Klonsky

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

Adjust pension benefits? Cullerton says the unions have “indicated a willingness to do so.” « Fred Klonsky:Adjust pension benefits? Cullerton says the unions have “indicated a willingness to do so.”by Fred KlonskyAs I discussed earlier, Senate President John Cullerton has chosen a different path in going after state employee pension benefits than his cohorts in the House leadership.Cullerton believes that a frontal assault will only waste time and money in years of court battles.Following the old notion that you catch ... more »

The Photographs of Your Junk (will be publicized!)

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My View: Time for the status quo to make room for meaningful school reform – Schools of Thought - CNN.com Blogs

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My View: Time for the status quo to make room for meaningful school reform – Schools of Thought - CNN.com Blogs:My View: Time for the status quo to make room for meaningful school reformby Anthony Cody, Special to CNNEditor’s note: Anthony Cody worked in high-poverty schools in Oakland, California, for 24 years. For 18 of them, he taught middle school science. He now lives in Mendocino County and leads workshops for teachers. He writes the Living in Dialogueblog and you ... more »

Is It Our Job to “Unteach” Behavior Learned at Home? « Diary of a Public School Teacher!

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Is It Our Job to “Unteach” Behavior Learned at Home? « Diary of a Public School Teacher!:Is It Our Job to “Unteach” Behavior Learned at Home?by OldschoolteachWe are studying WWI, and I was sharing photographs, quotes, and information particular to Delaware during that era. The texttouched on segregation, and we were sidetracked into a lively discussion. My students find segregation unfathomable, they can’t wraptheir minds around the fact that your skin color determined your place in the world.One little girl ... more »

Letter to Arne Duncan - Two Teachers and a Microphone

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

Letter to Arne Duncan Listen for a minute to what I sayWe don't teach kids for the merit pay I wipe away tears and break up fights in the hallsWhile Arne Duncan plays basketballPublic school you never taught in your lifeBut you studied Harvard so it gives you the right To bully the states who don't in your run raceWho oppose the policies that you embraceBased on the test you and your crewCrucify teachers and close our schoolsPimping out Pearson ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Evening Posts #ows #edreform

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The Answer Sheet - A School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington PostBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-41 minutes agoThe Answer Sheet - A School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post:Do schools need a longer school day? A debateValerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 1 hour agoA policy brief released last month concluded that contrary to popular perception, most U.S. public schools require at least as much or even ... more »

Districts start their own charter schools for more federal funding and flexibility | OregonLive.com

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

Districts start their own charter schools for more federal funding and flexibility | OregonLive.com:Districts start their own charter schools for more federal funding and flexibilityPublished: Wednesday, January 04, 2012, 4:24 PM Updated: Wednesday, January 04, 2012, 4:27 PM By Nicole Dungca, The Oregonian View full sizeJamie Francis/The OregonianTeacher Dan Semrad explains a physics lesson to Damon Rutherford at the Clackamas Academy of Industrial Sciences, which is located in Oregon City High School. The district-initiated charter school took advantage of about ... more »

Peg with Pen: It Just Got Personal. Join Me. January 7th.

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Peg with Pen: It Just Got Personal. Join Me. January 7th.:It Just Got Personal. Join Me. January 7th.by PeggyDid you know that Tom Boasberg, Superintendent of DenverPublic Schools, sends his child to a Waldorf School - where standardized highstakes testing doesn't exist? Not only does it not exist - the Waldorf philosophycompletely disagrees with the concept of excessive, high stakes standardizedtesting. In addition, while DPS gets to have fun Racing to the Top - didyou know that Waldorf schools emphasize ... more »

Fighting back against mandatory school testing: It’s my way or the highway, says No Child Left Behind—but is it really? « Parents Across America

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 18 hours ago

Fighting back against mandatory school testing: It’s my way or the highway, says No Child Left Behind—but is it really? « Parents Across America:Fighting back against mandatory school testing: It’s my way or the highway, says No Child Left Behind—but is it really?by leoniehaimsonAaryn is a parent in San Diego. This piece is cross posted at Aaryn’s blog,Thematically Fickle. An opt out letter that California parents can use is posted here.by Aaryn BelferThe red pillow takes the least space. The ... more »

CIP Updates Underway for PWCS « PWC Education Reform Blog

CIP Updates Underway for PWCS « PWC Education Reform Blog:

CIP Updates Underway for PWCS

January 5, 2012 — pwceducationreform

PWCS has announced that they will begin updating the CIP shortly and citizen comments are welcomed. Here’s the announcement and link:

Capital Improvement Planning Begins; Community Input Opportunities to Come

January 5, 2012

Preliminary work is underway on the ever-evolving Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) Capital Improvements Program (CIP). School Board Members last night (January 4) discussed staff recommendations for updating the program in the face of County growth that continues to add an average of 2,400 students annually. The latest recommendations ensure the School Division can provide a safe, inviting school environment that meets the needs of all children and allows every student to reach his or her full potential.

A formal version of the program will be considered and subject to public comment at the School Board’s official

NEA Stance on Teach For America Continues to Raise Questions - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

NEA Stance on Teach For America Continues to Raise Questions - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

NEA Stance on Teach For America Continues to Raise Questions

by Anthony Cody

The decision by Dennis Van Roekel to co-author a column with Teach For America director Wendy Kopp continues to generate negative reaction among educators, the latest being the decision by Nancy Carlsson-Paige and her son Matt Damon to reject the union's Friend of Education award. The response by the union has been defensive. Van Roekel's statement said,

I believe NEA should talk to those who support public education, even if we don't agree on everything, and work together to serve students. Wendy Kopp and I agree that students will benefit from stronger recruiting and teacher preparation. NEA isn't going to quit fighting for students and our members, or for stronger teacher preparation. In fact, better teacher preparation is part of our 3-point plan on Leading the Profession that was released last month.

I have no desire to prevent Mr. Van Roekel from talking with anyone he likes, even if they do NOT support public