Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 2-11 #edreform #ows


A Father. « Student Activism

A Father. « Student Activism:A Father.by Angus JohnstonImagine a father gives his teenaged daughter a lovely carved wooden box. Imagine she puts her diary in it, and letters she’s written to her friends, and letters they’ve written to her. Imagine she puts photos in it, and keepsakes, and mementoes. Imagine it’s where she keeps her camera, and her iPod.Imagine he overhears her once with her friends, looking at stuff from the box, giggling. Reading diary entries aloud, sharing photos. Private ... more »

School Tech Connect: "Shills and Cruel Jokes"

School Tech Connect: "Shills and Cruel Jokes":"Shills and Cruel Jokes"by noreply@blogger.com (Tim)Feeling kind of wobbly here but on the mend. I'll be flopping around in no time. Meanwhile, here's Labor Beat's review of the CPS show trials. I'll only say this--- I work in the suburbs with people who mostly live in the suburbs. One of my colleagues was recently reading in the Trib about the NCLB waivers and he told me that it sounded like a good idea.I guess ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: The Joke’s on Us

NYC Public School Parents: The Joke’s on Us:The Joke’s on UsFebruary 11, 2012 (GBN News): In a stunning development, GBN News has learned that Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s signature “Race to the Top” program was originally conceived as a practical joke on President Obama. According to a source in the Education Department, the Secretary was merely looking to embarrass the President after a particularly humiliating loss on the basketball court.Apparently, Mr. Duncan never really expected to carry the hoax quite ...more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Evening Posts 2-11 #ows #edreform

Facebook Emails « DFER WatchBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-14 minutes agoFacebook Emails « DFER Watch:FACEBOOK EMAILSPosted by ken libby on February 11, 2012 · Leave a Comment From a January 27, 2012 ACLU-NJ blog post:NEWARK - A Superior Court judge today ordered a lawsuit to proceed against the City of Newark (151k PDF) over documents related to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s $100 million donation for the city’s schools, and ordered the city to produce a list of the ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Dmytro Fedkowskyj on why he voted "No" on the 23 school closings

NYC Public School Parents: Dmytro Fedkowskyj on why he voted "No" on the 23 school closings:Dmytro Fedkowskyj on why he voted "No" on the 23 school closingsby Leonie HaimsonHere is the statement made by Dmytro Fedkowskyj, Queens representative on the Panel for Educational Policy, before voting against the 23 school closings and numerous co-locations. The vote was 9-4, with the 8 mayoral appointees plus the Staten Island rep Diane Perrugia, voting lockstep in favor of each proposal by the DOE, ... more »

Mother Crusader: No Transparency At NJDOE Or For-Profit White Hat. What Are They Hiding?

Mother Crusader: No Transparency At NJDOE Or For-Profit White Hat. What Are They Hiding?:NJDOE Released Charter Application Reviewer's Names, But What We Need Are The Reviewer's Scores And Commentsby darciecimaTen charter schools in Ohio that contract with White Hat Management, aren't too happy. The saga is beingcovered extensively by StateImpact Ohio.White Hat has been sued by the governing boards of some of the schools it manages. According to the lawsuit, White Hat collects at least 95 percent of the schools’ ... more »

Blue Jersey:: The New Teacher Evaluation Policy

Blue Jersey:: The New Teacher Evaluation Policy:The New Teacher Evaluation Policyby newschoolboardmemberpromoted by RosiI attended a meeting last night and learned a few things about the new teacher evaluation policy set to roll out for all districts in the 2013-2014 school year.Our district will join the pilot program for one of our schools next year (2012-13). We will apply for a grant, but the cost of implementing this plan will cost upwards of $50,000. Other districts will have different costs, ... more »

Outsourcing Gym Class - The Bay Citizen

Outsourcing Gym Class - The Bay Citizen:Outsourcing Gym ClassWith budgets tight, schools look for new ways to pay for physical educationTEXT SIZE A A ABy KATHARINE MIESZKOWSKI on February 11, 2012 - 11:57 a.m. PSTstart discussionThor Swift for The Bay CitizenJessica Mazeau (center in blue sweater), a physical education teacher, works with fourth grade students at Clifford Elementary in Redwood CityREDWOOD CITY — On the blacktop at Clifford School recently, a fourth-grade class played two-on-two keep-away with basketballs. Jessica Mazeau, ... more »

Facebook Emails « DFER Watch

Facebook Emails « DFER Watch:FACEBOOK EMAILSPosted by ken libby on February 11, 2012 · Leave a Comment From a January 27, 2012 ACLU-NJ blog post:NEWARK - A Superior Court judge today ordered a lawsuit to proceed against the City of Newark (151k PDF) over documents related to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s $100 million donation for the city’s schools, and ordered the city to produce a list of the documents in its possession. Judge Rachel N. Davidson denied a motion by ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: What Is "Teachers Village"?

Jersey Jazzman: What Is "Teachers Village"?:What Is "Teachers Village"?by DukeRemember the name: Teachers Village. It's a $150 million, mixed-use development that just broke ground with great fanfare in Newark. The idea is that teachers will live in the complex and teach at one of the three charter schools that will occupy the site.As you might imagine, your taxpayers dollars are funding this experiment:The project was awarded nearly $40 million in Urban Transit Hub tax credits from the state Economic Development ... more »

“Giving Parents the Runaround on School Turnarounds” | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

“Giving Parents the Runaround on School Turnarounds” | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…:“Giving Parents the Runaround on School Turnarounds”by Larry FerlazzoGiving Parents the Runaround on School Turnarounds is the title of the press release from the respected Great Lakes Center announcing a review of a recent report on marketing unwise “school turnaround strategies.”Here’s an excerpt from the press release:Federal school “turnaround” strategies that call for firing teachers, replacing managers, or closing or converting public schools into charters are often ... more »

When A Cult Takes Over Your Profession | United Opt Out National

Action for the Week of February 12, 2012 – Dump Duncan | United Opt Out National:ACTION FOR THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 12, 2012 – DUMP DUNCANWhen A Cult Takes Over Your ProfessionImagine that you work in a profession where every important institution that controls your destiny has been seized by leaders of a cult which seek to reduce the accumulated wisdom of a lifetime to a few simple principles that can be incorporated into tests and tracked by mathematical formulas. ... more »

Kelly Flynn Tackles the Learning Problem that Dare Not Speak its Name - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Kelly Flynn Tackles the Learning Problem that Dare Not Speak its Name - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:Kelly Flynn Tackles the Learning Problem that Dare Not Speak its Nameby Anthony CodyGuest post by Kelly Flynn.Teachers and corporate reformers both refuse to acknowledge the real roadblock to teaching and learning. It's an unspoken pact: teachers will not talk about the biggest roadblock to teaching and learning. They'll talk about all sorts of other things, things you've heard a million ... more »

Saturday coffee + Mea Culpa + Old school. « Fred Klonsky

Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky:Saturday coffee.by Fred KlonskyIt was just me and the baristas at Peet’s this morning.Anne is with the kids and grand kids in Brooklyn for the weekend.It’s a guy’s weekend at home. Just me and Ulysses.The temperature is hovering around 12 degrees with a wind chill below zero. I’ll bundle up and take Uly out for a Hope College. Mea Culpa.by Fred KlonskyBen Velderman of AEG does not represent the students of Hope College.Back last March when ... more »

Nearly 700 teachers in the Elk Grove Unified School District called in sick Friday - KTXL

Nearly 700 teachers in the Elk Grove Unified School District called in sick Friday, leading many to ask if a "sick out" was happening. - KTXL:Nearly 700 Elk Grove Teachers Call out SickComments0Share0TopicsTeaching and LearningTeachersSean Bennett and Ian McDonaldFOX40 News5:08 p.m. PST, February 10, 2012ELK GROVE—Nearly 700 teachers in the Elk Grove Unified School District called in sick Friday, leading many to ask if a "sick out" was happening."We heard rumors last week that there may be a sick out,” ... more »

Dump Duncan cuz he is flunkin’ : The Petition | Seattle Education

Dump Duncan cuz he is flunkin’ : The Petition | Seattle Education:Dump Duncan cuz he is flunkin’ : The Petitionby seattleducation2011With Arne Duncan came the privatizers like a slimy trail from his time in Chicago as CEO of the Chicago Public School system creating charter schools for the big boys to Washington D.C as Secretary of Education which has since been populated by Gates trainees.See Arne Duncan’s Renaissance 2010 for links to a full analysis of his actions as CEO ... more »

Arne Duncan is Wrong. The Pressing Issue in Civil Rights is not Education, it's the Right to Protect Your Information from Arne Duncan.

Missouri Education Watchdog: Arne Duncan is Wrong. The Pressing Issue in Civil Rights is not Education, it's the Right to Protect Your Information from Arne Duncan.:Arne Duncan is Wrong. The Pressing Issue in Civil Rights is not Education, it's the Right to Protect Your Information from Arne Duncan.by stlgretchenMissouri received $890,000 from the Federal government in 2010 to expand its data capturing and reporting ability for school children in public education. Everything's coming up data...teacher evaluations are to be made ... more »

Daily Kos: What if this is my last year in the classroom?

Daily Kos: What if this is my last year in the classroom?:What if this is my last year in the classroom?by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)Sometime within next two weeks I will find out if I made it to the interview stage for a free doctorate at Harvard. In early April I will find out if I will be offered a fellowship at Columbia that would enable me to write a book. Both of these are quite unlikely, but the fact I applied ... more »

This Week's The Answer Sheet - A School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post

The Answer Sheet - A School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post:Academic ‘walkthrough’ teams: Surreally realValerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 1 hour agoThis *was written by Andrew Ganim, a Philadelphia resident who shared a version of this story as testimony to the School Reform Commission last month. This first appeared on the * * The Philadelphia Public School Notebook blog. * * * Read full article [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to ... more »

School Tech Connect: The Other Learning Problem

School Tech Connect: The Other Learning Problem:

The Other Learning Problem

Go read this, including the comments.

I agree. Incidentally, technology is not going to change the fact that we have a nation full of kids who are strangely not looped into the fact that k-12 education is now the frontline of national security and economic prosperity. It's not even going to make a dent in the problem, as long as we have standardization and ever-mounting pressure on test scores, even if all the pressure is on the teachers alone.

By the way, back when I interviewed at one of the city's charter schools, it became clear to me that the entire educational theory of the place was based on regimentation-- silence in the halls, straight lines, correct learning postures, and that this was all very popular with the working-in-poverty families that sent their kids there. As for the teaching, there was not much new or inspiring going on there. It was all very Madeline Hunter, circa whenever. If you just give people order, or the semblance of it, and you keep out the vilde chaya children from

RIP Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You - Lyrics

A Father. « Student Activism

A Father. « Student Activism:

A Father.

Imagine a father gives his teenaged daughter a lovely carved wooden box. Imagine she puts her diary in it, and letters she’s written to her friends, and letters they’ve written to her. Imagine she puts photos in it, and keepsakes, and mementoes. Imagine it’s where she keeps her camera, and her iPod.

Imagine he overhears her once with her friends, looking at stuff from the box, giggling. Reading diary entries aloud, sharing photos. Private things. Silly things. Imagine he sneaks into her room one day when she’s at school and breaks open the lock. Imagine he reads everything. Imagine he finds something that’s crudely,

School Tech Connect: "Shills and Cruel Jokes"

School Tech Connect: "Shills and Cruel Jokes":

"Shills and Cruel Jokes"

Feeling kind of wobbly here but on the mend. I'll be flopping around in no time. Meanwhile, here's Labor Beat's review of the CPS show trials. I'll only say this--- I work in the suburbs with people who mostly live in the suburbs. One of my colleagues was recently reading in the Trib about the NCLB waivers and he told me that it sounded like a good idea.

I guess it does sound like a good thing if you're not paying very, very close attention or if you get your information from one of the two big teacher unions. And that's the whole thing. People have no idea about the massive increase in testing that is just around the corner, and they have no idea that the schools where very, very poor people send their kids are still going to be closed down, and those kids are going to be dispersed all over the

NYC Public School Parents: The Joke’s on Us

NYC Public School Parents: The Joke’s on Us:

The Joke’s on Us

February 11, 2012 (GBN News): In a stunning development, GBN News has learned that Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s signature “Race to the Top” program was originally conceived as a practical joke on President Obama. According to a source in the Education Department, the Secretary was merely looking to embarrass the President after a particularly humiliating loss on the basketball court.

Apparently, Mr. Duncan never really expected to carry the hoax quite as far as it went. But, the source told GBN News, “Practically every state in the Union bought into it hook, line and sinker. All sorts of bizarre stuff started happening: Every

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Evening Posts 2-11 #ows #edreform


Facebook Emails « DFER Watch

Facebook Emails « DFER Watch:FACEBOOK EMAILSPosted by ken libby on February 11, 2012 · Leave a Comment From a January 27, 2012 ACLU-NJ blog post:NEWARK - A Superior Court judge today ordered a lawsuit to proceed against the City of Newark (151k PDF) over documents related to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s $100 million donation for the city’s schools, and ordered the city to produce a list of the documents in its possession. Judge Rachel N. Davidson denied a motion by ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: What Is "Teachers Village"?

Jersey Jazzman: What Is "Teachers Village"?:What Is "Teachers Village"?by DukeRemember the name: Teachers Village. It's a $150 million, mixed-use development that just broke ground with great fanfare in Newark. The idea is that teachers will live in the complex and teach at one of the three charter schools that will occupy the site.As you might imagine, your taxpayers dollars are funding this experiment:The project was awarded nearly $40 million in Urban Transit Hub tax credits from the state Economic Development ... more »

“Giving Parents the Runaround on School Turnarounds” | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

“Giving Parents the Runaround on School Turnarounds” | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…:“Giving Parents the Runaround on School Turnarounds”by Larry FerlazzoGiving Parents the Runaround on School Turnarounds is the title of the press release from the respected Great Lakes Center announcing a review of a recent report on marketing unwise “school turnaround strategies.”Here’s an excerpt from the press release:Federal school “turnaround” strategies that call for firing teachers, replacing managers, or closing or converting public schools into charters are often ... more »

When A Cult Takes Over Your Profession | United Opt Out National

Action for the Week of February 12, 2012 – Dump Duncan | United Opt Out National:ACTION FOR THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 12, 2012 – DUMP DUNCANWhen A Cult Takes Over Your ProfessionImagine that you work in a profession where every important institution that controls your destiny has been seized by leaders of a cult which seek to reduce the accumulated wisdom of a lifetime to a few simple principles that can be incorporated into tests and tracked by mathematical formulas. ... more »

Kelly Flynn Tackles the Learning Problem that Dare Not Speak its Name - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Kelly Flynn Tackles the Learning Problem that Dare Not Speak its Name - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:Kelly Flynn Tackles the Learning Problem that Dare Not Speak its Nameby Anthony CodyGuest post by Kelly Flynn.Teachers and corporate reformers both refuse to acknowledge the real roadblock to teaching and learning. It's an unspoken pact: teachers will not talk about the biggest roadblock to teaching and learning. They'll talk about all sorts of other things, things you've heard a million ... more »

Saturday coffee + Mea Culpa + Old school. « Fred Klonsky

Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky:Saturday coffee.by Fred KlonskyIt was just me and the baristas at Peet’s this morning.Anne is with the kids and grand kids in Brooklyn for the weekend.It’s a guy’s weekend at home. Just me and Ulysses.The temperature is hovering around 12 degrees with a wind chill below zero. I’ll bundle up and take Uly out for a Hope College. Mea Culpa.by Fred KlonskyBen Velderman of AEG does not represent the students of Hope College.Back last March when ... more »

Nearly 700 teachers in the Elk Grove Unified School District called in sick Friday - KTXL

Nearly 700 teachers in the Elk Grove Unified School District called in sick Friday, leading many to ask if a "sick out" was happening. - KTXL:Nearly 700 Elk Grove Teachers Call out SickComments0Share0TopicsTeaching and LearningTeachersSean Bennett and Ian McDonaldFOX40 News5:08 p.m. PST, February 10, 2012ELK GROVE—Nearly 700 teachers in the Elk Grove Unified School District called in sick Friday, leading many to ask if a "sick out" was happening."We heard rumors last week that there may be a sick out,” ... more »

Dump Duncan cuz he is flunkin’ : The Petition | Seattle Education

Dump Duncan cuz he is flunkin’ : The Petition | Seattle Education:Dump Duncan cuz he is flunkin’ : The Petitionby seattleducation2011With Arne Duncan came the privatizers like a slimy trail from his time in Chicago as CEO of the Chicago Public School system creating charter schools for the big boys to Washington D.C as Secretary of Education which has since been populated by Gates trainees.See Arne Duncan’s Renaissance 2010 for links to a full analysis of his actions as CEO ... more »

Arne Duncan is Wrong. The Pressing Issue in Civil Rights is not Education, it's the Right to Protect Your Information from Arne Duncan.

Missouri Education Watchdog: Arne Duncan is Wrong. The Pressing Issue in Civil Rights is not Education, it's the Right to Protect Your Information from Arne Duncan.:Arne Duncan is Wrong. The Pressing Issue in Civil Rights is not Education, it's the Right to Protect Your Information from Arne Duncan.by stlgretchenMissouri received $890,000 from the Federal government in 2010 to expand its data capturing and reporting ability for school children in public education. Everything's coming up data...teacher evaluations are to be made ... more »

Daily Kos: What if this is my last year in the classroom?

Daily Kos: What if this is my last year in the classroom?:What if this is my last year in the classroom?by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)Sometime within next two weeks I will find out if I made it to the interview stage for a free doctorate at Harvard. In early April I will find out if I will be offered a fellowship at Columbia that would enable me to write a book. Both of these are quite unlikely, but the fact I applied ... more »

This Week's The Answer Sheet - A School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post

The Answer Sheet - A School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post:Academic ‘walkthrough’ teams: Surreally realValerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 1 hour agoThis *was written by Andrew Ganim, a Philadelphia resident who shared a version of this story as testimony to the School Reform Commission last month. This first appeared on the * * The Philadelphia Public School Notebook blog. * * * Read full article [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to ... more »

First Lady Michelle Obama Celebrates 2nd Anniversary of Let's Move - Hispanically Speaking News

First Lady Michelle Obama Celebrates 2nd Anniversary of Let's Move - Hispanically Speaking News:First Lady Michelle Obama Celebrates Second Anniversary of Let’s Move!Expansion of HealthierUS School Challenge Boosts Nutritional Outcomes for Nation’s SchoolchildrenFirst Lady Michelle Obama joined students, Top Chef chef’testants and the Dallas Cowboys at the Kleberg-Rylie Recreation Center today to highlight the Dallas Independent School Districts efforts to foster healthy, nutritious school environments as part of her three-day nationwide tour celebrating the second anniversary of Le... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Cerf Nomination Hearing: 2/16/12

Jersey Jazzman: Cerf Nomination Hearing: 2/16/12:Cerf Nomination Hearing: 2/16/12by DukeI've been alerted that ACTING NJ Education Commissioner Cerf will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee this coming Thursday, February 16th. Although Cerf has been acting with the full authority of his office for over a year, his formal nomination has been blocked through senatorial courtesy by Senator Ron Rice, who wants him to appear before Rice's Joint Committee on Public Schools.Cerf is getting around this by claiming he now has ... more »

This Week's Education Research Report

Education Research Report:High school students test best with 7 hours' restJonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 17 hours agoΩ Whether or not you know any high school students that actually get nine hours of sleep each night, that’s what federal guidelines currently prescribe. A new Brigham Young University study found that 16-18 year olds perform better academically when they shave about two hours off that recommendation. “We’re not talking about sleep deprivation,” says study author Eric Eide. “The data ... more »

Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN

Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN:Top Content this WeekTop Content Rank1Why mobile learning?Added by Thomas Whitby on February 10, 20122Moving from Traditional Teaching to PBLPosted by Jill Galloway on October 20, 20093Critical thinking and internet researchAdded by Benjamin Darr on January 29, 20124Social Media in EducationAdded by Thomas Whitby on October 14, 20095Digital Common Formative assessmentsAdded by Benjamin Darr on February 5, 20126Do Kids Really Need Homework?Added by Thomas Whitby on January 31, 20127Must Read Books for New/Pre-Service ... more »

Schools give kids a pass on grading homework - chicagotribune.com

Schools give kids a pass on grading homework - chicagotribune.com:Educators question significance of grades for homeworkMore teachers break with tradition, reserve grades for classroom work insteadComments16Share5681 2 next | single pageBy Tara Malone, Tribune reporterAugust 13, 2010Jami Dehn prepped homework packets to send home with her class of third-graders every Friday afternoon last year, carefully charting how much they should read, write in cursive and practice spelling.But while she checked the returned assignments and wrote comments in the margins, the ... more »

"Pissing is a Human Right." Nowhere to go - ContraCostaTimes.com

Nowhere to go - ContraCostaTimes.com:Nowhere to goBy Theresa HarringtonContra Costa TimesPosted: 02/10/2012 04:29:40 PM PSTUpdated: 02/11/2012 05:41:31 AM PSTClick photo to enlargeLocked bathrooms are giving students at Mt Diablo High School a valid reason for fidgeting in...123»CONCORD -- Instead of beating the bell between classes at Mt. Diablo High, senior Charles Campos often finds himself waiting frantically for a chance to use a rare unlocked restroom on the sprawling campus.Relief has been hard to come by since embattled Principal Kate ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 2-10 #edreform #ows

ASCD Inservice: Tell Washington That Education is More Than Test ScoresBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-5 minutes agoASCD Inservice: Tell Washington That Education is More Than Test Scores:Tell Washington That Education is More Than Test ScoresWe need your help. Congress is on the verge of making the same mistakes they made in NCLB: a narrow focus on reading and math at the expense of other subjects, relying on standardized state test scores as the measure of a student's abilities, ... more »

Latino Population,Bilingual education Needed to Keep Kids on Track - Hispanically Speaking News

Latino Population,Bilingual education Needed to Keep Kids on Track - Hispanically Speaking News:As Latino and Other Immigrant Populations Grow, Bilingual Education is Needed to Keep Kids on Track0 CommentsFebruary 10, 2012 | by HS News Staff | Chicago MetroThe following is a portion of “Caught Between Two Language” written by Rebecca Harris for theCatalyst-Chicago.In CPS, 12 percent of English-language learners are in the middle grades, and many are at risk of failing in high school. Why? Middle-grades bilingual students present ... more »

U.S. Department of Education Blog

U.S. Department of Education:Senior U.S. Education Officials Darnieder and White to Participate in National Council for Community and Education Partnerships WorkshopMedia Advisories | U.S. Department of Education - 7 hours agoU.S. Department of Education officials Greg Darnieder, senior advisor to the Secretary of Education on the College Access Initiative, and John White, deputy assistant secretary for rural outreach, will participate in the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships Workshop on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 13-14 at the New York ... more »