Best Questions: Good Schools — Whole Child Education
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Best Questions: Good Schools — Whole Child Education: Best Questions: Good SchoolsbyMolly McCloskeyDespite the rumors, school improvement is hard. It's not about a single passionate leader. It's not about "fixing" teachers and teaching or parents and parenting. It's not about poverty. It's not about money. And it's not about standards. It's about all of them. And more.In this column, I'll take on the real deal of school improvement—for all schools, not just certain kinds. And for all kids. Because it's ... more »
Triggers Create Nothing but Chaos and Division - Room for Debate - NYTimes.com
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Hopes and Feard for Parent Trigger Laws - Room for Debate - NYTimes.com: Triggers Create Nothing but Chaos and DivisionCaroline Grannan is a San Franc isco public school parent and a founding member ofParents Across America.UpdatedMarch 18, 2012, 7:00 PMThe first parent trigger – a ploy born here in California – collapsed amidchaos, controversy, charges and countercharges of fraud and intimidation.The second, also in California, ignited more battles, which are still being fought.There've been no other parent triggers. So it's ... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: What's Weak This Week
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Seattle Schools Community Forum: What's Weak This Week: What's Weak This WeekbyCharlie MasThere will be a board meeting this week and it's gonna be a doozy.Check out thisincredibly long agenda. Good thing they cut twenty minutes from public testimony. Those twenty minutes were the whole problem that created long meetings. Now the Board meetings will be over in a flash.As you can see from the agenda (and every single previous agenda ever), the board is primarily concerned with property management ... more »
N.J. teacher calls on Gov. Christie, NJEA to 'find a way to work together' | NJ.com full video
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N.J. teacher calls on Gov. Christie, NJEA to 'find a way to work together' | NJ.com: N.J. teacher calls on Gov. Christie, NJEA to 'find a way to work together'Published: Monday, March 19, 2012, 1:47 PM Updated:Monday, March 19, 2012, 1:48 PMByJenna Portnoy/Statehouse BureauKEARNY— woman who identified herself as a second-grade teacher on maternity leave today implored Gov. Chris Christie and the state’s largest teachers union, of which she is a member, to “find a way to work together.”“I’m scared ... more »
SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: California Schools and Taxes
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SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: California Schools and Taxes: California Schools and TaxesbyDuane Campbellby Duane E. CampbellCalifornia, like most states,needs additional revenue to fund schools and to invest in the future. Atax plan known as The Millionaires Tax has been proposed bythe California Federation of Teachers and the Courage Campaign to increaserevenues to pay for vital services. It was assigned the officialtitle "Tax To Benefit Public Schools, Social Services, Public Safety, AndRoad Maintenance,". The Sacramento Progressive Alliance has been circulating this initiative... more »
Divisive Michelle Rhee and the 29 Right Wing Stooges v. All The Union’s Men
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All The Union’s Men: All The Union’s MenByDean PaganionMarch 18, 2012(Hartford, CT) – It is odd, perhaps inevitable, but certainly noteworthy that organized labor plays such a critical role on so many issues in so many states. Most often, standing in the way of what some elected leaders believe to be progress. Or at the very least, standing in the way of what some elected leaders believe they were elected to do.It could be that with 29 Republican governors trying ... more »
“Working in the Nation’s Lowest-Performing Schools: A Progress Report” | U.S. Department of Education
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“Working in the Nation’s Lowest-Performing Schools: A Progress Report” | U.S. Department of Education: “Working in the Nation’s Lowest-Performing Schools: A Progress Report”Remarks of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to the 2nd annual Building a Grad Nation SummitMARCH 19, 2012Contact:Press Office, (202) 401-1576,press@ed.govThank you, Reba, for that generous introduction--and thanks to Target for the commitment and leadership they’ve shown in working to strengthen our nation’s schools.I also want to give a shout-out to Bob Balfanz and John Bridgeland for ... more »
Soulforce » 2012 Equality Ride
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Soulforce » 2012 Equality Ride: National “Equality Ride,” Young Activists to Protest Minneapolis’ North Central U’s Discriminatory PoliciesLesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Social Justice Bus Tour to Bring Message of Acceptance to AreaMINNEAPOLIS, MN – Today, Soulforce’s “Equality Ride” – a national social justice bus tour to discriminatory evangelical colleges and universities – announced that the 17 young lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) activists aboard the bus will be visiting the Minneapolis area this week from Tuesday, ... more »
Walton Foundation Releases Details of Grants to Shape K-12 Education in 2011 | Edwize
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Walton Foundation Releases Details of Grants to Shape K-12 Education in 2011 | Edwize: Walton Foundation Releases Details of Grants to Shape K-12 Education in 2011byChristina CollinsThe recent release of the Walton Foundation’slist of recipients of grants for K-12 educationin 2011 has gotten someinterest in the blogosphere. Some of the names on the list were old news, particularly the big five-year grants to national groups like Teach for America ($49.5 million) and KIPP ($25.5 million), which werereported last summer.As we ... more »
Extremist Candidate for President of Student Gov’t at Cal State San Marcos Busted for Election Fraud
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Extremist Candidate for President of Student Gov’t at Cal State San Marcos Busted for Election Fraud: Extremist Candidate for President of Student Gov’t at Cal State San Marcos Busted for Election FraudbySOURCEonMARCH 19, 2012·0 COMMENTSinCIVIL RIGHTS,EDUCATION,SAN DIEGO,WOMEN'S RIGHTSCSUSM: The results of electing inactionBy Kit-Bacon Gressitt/Excuse Me, I’m Writing/ March 17, 2012Do something. In the face of hatred, apathy will be interpreted as acceptance — by the perpetrators, the public and, worse, the victims. Decent people must take action; if we ... more »
Action Alert: Get the charter school clause out of the state budget | Seattle Education
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Action Alert: Get the charter school clause out of the state budget | Seattle Education: Action Alert: Get the charter school clause out of the state budgetbyseattleducation2011Senator Tom with his Republican buddies presented a budget last Thursday which included the K-12 funding that had been agreed to previously but a clause regarding charter schools had been added. It was yet another attempt at an end run around the democratic process, something that Senator Tom and others around the country have ... more »
Affordable Care Act Tweetup Features Rep. Keith Ellison and Dr. George Askew of HHS
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Home | First Focus: Affordable Care Act Tweetup Features Rep. Keith Ellison and Dr. George Askew of HHSWednesday, March 21st, 2:00-3:00pm Eastern Time. Hashtag: #InvestInKidsRep. Keith EllisonDr. George AskewWe're excited to partner withMomsRising.orgto host a Twitter "Tweetup" on the big wins for kids in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). We're especially excited to be joined by two special guests: U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Dr. George Askew, Senior Health Policy Advisor at the federal Administration for Children and Families. ... more »
Less Sympathy, More Empathy :: Frederick M. Hess
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Less Sympathy, More Empathy :: Frederick M. Hess: Less Sympathy, More Empathyby Frederick M. Hess • Mar 19, 2012 at 9:24 amCross-posted fromEducation WeekPrintSendRSSShareEducators and "reformers" have a knack for sympathy. They feel for the kids, decry achievement gaps, and remind us that we need to do better. Champions of reform are intent on building cultures that "put kids first" and that remind everyone "it's about the kids." As one impassioned twenty-something district official told me, "We're doing the right ... more »
Go Rudy! Beat Jonah! « Fred Klonsky
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Go Rudy! Beat Jonah! « Fred Klonsky: Go Rudy! Beat Jonah!byFred KlonskyRudy Lozano Jr.In the race for the 21st Illinois House District the names may say Rudy Lozano and Sylvano Tabares.Don’t believe it.The race is really between Rudy and Jonah Edelman and tens of thousands of dollars from Edelman’s Stand for Children.Rudy Lozano Jr. is a long-time progressive political activist from the southwest side. He is the son of assassinated community organizer, Rudy Lozano Sr. (Disclosure: I have known Rudy ... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES
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Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLESbyMike KlonskyJoshua Lott for The New York TimesMatt de la Peña’s novel has been banned at Tucson High for containing “critical race theory.”John Huppenthal, AZ state supt.“When we encountered this situation, we did what Hannibal did to the Romans. This is the eternal battle, the eternal battle of all time, the forces of collectivism against the forces of individuality.”--
Shanker Blog » Learning From Teach For America
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Shanker Blog » Learning From Teach For America: Learning From Teach For AmericabyMatthew Di CarloThere is a small but growing body of evidence about the (usually test-based) effectiveness of teachers from Teach for America (TFA), an extremely selective program that trains and places new teachers in mostly higher needs schools and districts. Rather than review this literature paper-by-paper, which has already been done by others(seehereandhere), I’ll just give you the super-short summary of the higher-quality analyses, and quickly discuss what ... more »
Why Some Parents Resent the Success Charter Schools – SchoolBook
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Why Some Parents Resent the Success Charter Schools – SchoolBook: Why Some Parents Resent the Success Charter SchoolsMarch 19, 2012, 8:24 a.m.ByMARY ANN GIORDANOThe controversy in Brooklyn over the impending arrival of Success Academy charter schools made it onto theOpEd page of The New York Timesthis weekend, when Lucinda Rosenfeld explained just what is making so many middle-class parents so angry.In an opinion article, Ms. Rosenfeld, a writer and the parent of a kindergarten pupil atP.S. 261 Philip Livingstonin Boerum ... more »
Diane Ravitch: Another Battle in the War Against Public Schools - Room for Debate - NYTimes.com
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Another Battle in the War Against Public Schools - Room for Debate - NYTimes.com: Another Battle in the War Against Public SchoolsDiane Ravitchis a historian of education at New York University.UPDATEDMARCH 18, 2012, 7:00 PMThe “parent trigger” must be understood within the current context of vilifying public education. Today, there is a national effort to privatize public schools by turning them over to privately managed charters. This movement is financed by some of the nation’s richest foundations -- theBill and ... more »
Teach for America’s new partnership with largest for-profit charter network - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post
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Teach for America’s new partnership with largest for-profit charter network - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: Teach for America’s new partnership with largest for-profit charter networkbyValerie StraussTeach for Americaloves to expand its reach, and so it has again, this timepartnering withthe controversial Imagine schools, the nation’s largest for-profit charter school network.That’s an interesting pairing.Imagine is based in Arlington, Virginia, with some 75 schools in more than a dozen states, including Maryland, and the District of Columbia. The for-profit ... more »
Diane Ravitch: In Defense of Facing Reality
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Diane Ravitch: In Defense of Facing Reality: Diane RavitchHistorian, NYU professorGET UPDATES FROM DIANE RAVITCHLike73In Defense of Facing RealityPosted: 03/18/2012 9:24 pmI recently wrote two review articles for theNew York Review of Booksabout the teaching profession. The first wasa review of Pasi Sahlberg'sFinnish Lessons, about the exceptional school system of Finland, which owes much to the high professionalism of its teachers.The second of the two articles was areview of Wendy Kopp'sA Chance to Make History, and it focused on her ... more »
Roy Orbison - In Dreams
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A candy-colored clown they call the sandmanTiptoes to my room every nightJust to sprinkle stardust and to whisper"Go to sleep. Everything is all right."I close my eyes, Then I drift awayInto the magic night. I softly sayA silent prayerLike dreamers do.Then I fall asleep to dream My dreams of you.In dreams I walk with you. In dreams I talk to you.In dreams you're mine. All of the time we're togetherIn dreams, In dreams.But just before the dawn, I awake and ... more »
A Sunday evening watch: Diane Ravitch on Public Education, Privatization and Professionalization | Seattle Education
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A Sunday evening watch: Diane Ravitch on Public Education, Privatization and Professionalization | Seattle Education: A Sunday evening watch: Diane Ravitch on Public Education, Privatization and ProfessionalizationfromSeattle Education 2010byseattleducation2011This presentation by Diane Ravitch was given in San Francisco on January 20th of this year and sponsored by the California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers. It includes a question and answer period.This is the description that was provided regarding her talk:She provides an overview of the corpora...more »
Civic Engagement | Inside Higher Ed
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Civic Engagement | Inside Higher Ed: Civic EngagementbyHerman BerlinerBlog:Provost ProseWe have a very active and respected Center for Civic Engagement on our campus. The Center has undertaken many worthwhile initiatives including the development of “a brief workshop for students who will be working with off campus communities.” This workshop, which is slightly over an hour in length, examines how students feel about working with off-campus communities and how these communities feel about working with students. The attitudes stressed to the ... more »
Early Learning: Changing The Rules of Engagement « Cooperative Catalyst
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Early Learning: Changing The Rules of Engagement « Cooperative Catalyst: Early Learning: Changing The Rules of EngagementbyStephen HurleyThis is a cross-post of a piece that I submitted to the newly-established websitevoicEd.ca. Inspired by the work that the Cooperative Catalyst has been doing, and dismayed by the polarization that sometimes characterizes online conversations about education, we had the idea thatthe time might be right for a collaborative working space dedicated to schooling in Canada. Please know just how much your efforts ... more »
Real World Business Advice Applied to Education « InterACT
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Real World Business Advice Applied to Education « InterACT: Real World Business Advice Applied to EducationbyDavid B. CohenTeachers, how many times have we heard that we don’t work “in the real world”? We finish work at 3:00 p.m. every day, we have summers off, and schools are not results-oriented like businesses. Never mind that we take our work home with us (average teacher works 53 hours per week), or that we work on the weekends and in the summer, or ... more »
School Tech Connect: Reflections on Not Teaching
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School Tech Connect: Reflections on Not Teaching: Reflections on Not Teachingbynoreply@blogger.com (Tim)I have been out of the classroom now for a few years. I taught English 7th, 8th, and 9th grade English for 23 years.For me, going into a regular line of work has given me my life back. As an English teacher, I graded and planned every evening and most of every Sunday during the school year. There were also the after-school meetings, the committees, the curriculum mapping, the ...more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Lastest Gates Foundation Research Asked the Teachers
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Seattle Schools Community Forum: Lastest Gates Foundation Research Asked the Teachers: Lastest Gates Foundation Research Asked the TeachersbyMelissa WestbrookA new Gates Foundationreport(with Scholastic) has just come out calledPrimary Sources: 2012 - America's Teachers on the Teaching Profession.They surveyed about 10,000 teachers via e-mail and in person about schools, their classrooms, student and teacher performance and assessment, tenure, family involvement, job satisfaction and digital content. It was not revealed to the teachers who was sponsoring the survey.One chart that ju... more »
Callahan: 'Double-speak' on charter schools | Online Athens
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Callahan: 'Double-speak' on charter schools | Online Athens: Callahan: 'Double-speak' on charter schools‘Double-speak’ on charter schoolsA couple of passages in a Wednesday Banner-Herald column by Tony Roberts, CEO of the Georgia Charter Schools Association, headlined “No private charter schools in Georgia,” need a closer look.Last summer, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled as unconstitutional the authorization of charter schools by a state charter school commission. Also ruled unconstitutional was the funneling of local taxpayer education dollars to charters that had not ... more »