A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP
Melissa Harris-Perry: Joy Reid: This holiday season, please thank a teacher: *Joy Reid: This holiday season, please thank a teacher * Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Ms. Katie's Ramblings: A "Kerfuffle" to Cover Education Reform's Greatest Secret: A "Kerfuffle" to Cover Education Reform's Greatest Secret I am completely baffled by the recent "kerfuffle" on twitter and the blogosphere regarding the remarks of first Diane Ravitch and then later CTU president Karen Lewis regarding the tragedy in Newtown. EdReformers of all kinds are simply "outraged" over, well I'm not exactly sure, since it's not about what both Ravitch and Lewis actually wrote Honestly, I'm too tired of this silliness to write it out in full here so please see what the great J... more »
The Class Struggle in American Higher Ed « Student Activism: The Class Struggle in American Higher Ed by Angus Johnston This, from the front page of today’s New York Times, is a really strong piece, and really worth reading. I may find time to say more about it after the Christmas break, but for now I’ll just cut and paste what I said about it on Facebook a moment ago… One thing stuck out powerfully for me in this story is that making students jump through hoops sucks. Too often recently, administrators and legislators have justified increased tuition by bumping up financial aid c... more »
Favorite Posts of 2012: Deepening the Dialogue - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Favorite Posts of 2012: Deepening the Dialogue by Anthony Cody *This has been a remarkable year for education.* What was previously a one-sided conversation about education reform has signs of becoming a dialogue in which teachers are heard. The sleeping giant is waking up, as was seen in Chicago in September, when grassroots organizing paid off as teachers there were able to win their strike. Voters began to wake up as well, as we saw arch-reformer Tony Bennett defeated in the state of ... more »
UTLA & TEACHER JAIL - WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? WHAT SPECIFICALLY ARE YOU DOING? - Perdaily.com: UTLA & TEACHER JAIL - WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? WHAT SPECIFICALLY ARE YOU DOING? by Leonard Isenberg [image: Warren Fletcher.jpeg] *(Mensaje se repite en Español)* * * *From LAUSD's point of view, what is the downside they face from screwing teachers? It is now close to 3 weeks since Scott Mandel wrote in a letter reproduced below that "UTLA President Warren Fletcher was actively working on your plight." So, other then staff-development-like rhetoric, what has been accomplished to address the... more »
A Christmas Carol, 1843 – Education Today | Reclaim Reform: A Christmas Carol, 1843 – Education Today by kenpreviti [image: Tiny Tim] In 1843 Charles Dickens wrote *A Christmas Carol* which speaks to an identical issue we face today. “This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want (Poverty). Beware them both… but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased.” - The Spirit of Christmas Present speaking to Scrooge Lack of education and poverty. Doom for an entire society and the wealthy who control it. In the introductory notes... more »
Education Secretary Arne Duncan Tears Up Over Gun Control: ‘It’s Time We Do Something About It’ | Mediaite: Education Secretary Arne Duncan Tears Up Over Gun Control: ‘It’s Time We Do Something About It’by Anjali Sareen | 10:34 am, December 23rd, 2012 Education Secretary *Arne Duncan* says that gun violence has “haunted” him his entire life, and in a new interview, becomes deeply emotional discussing the subject. Duncan grew up in Chicago and later became a school superintended there. He’s a former basketball player and is now a member of the president’s Cabinet. He’s also part of... more »
The fundamental flaws of ‘value added’ teacher evaluation: The fundamental flaws of ‘value added’ teacher evaluation Posted by Valerie Strauss on December 23, 2012 at 2:00 pm - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » Evaluating teachers by the test scores of their students has been perhaps the most controversial education reform of the year because while it has been pushed in a majority of states with the support of the Obama administration, assessment experts have warned against the practice for a varie... more »
Diane Ravitch's blog: In Defense of Tracking by dianerav When Marc Epstein, who was a history teacher at Jamaica High School in New York City (now closed to make way for small schools), read Carol Burris’s post opposing differentiated diplomas and tracking, he wrote to express his disagreement. I invited him to write a post, and he said he had already written it. It is here. What do you think? Ms. Katie Has the Last Word on the Meaning of the Twitter Kerfuffle by dianerav Katie Osgood teaches children in a psychiatric hospital in Chicago. She is one of our most eloquent blogge... more »
Arming Teachers Isn’t the Answer | toteachornototeach: Arming Teachers Isn’t the Answer by aristotlethewise *Arming Teachers Isn’t the Answer* [image: armingteachers_500] By Deborah Gorman-Smith and Michele McLaughlin The tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School has led to a national conversation about guns, with many arguing that access to these weapons is the problem and others claiming that arming teachers—or in the case of the NRA, putting armed policeman in schools—is the solution. Lawmakers in several states are reportedly drafting bills that would allow teachers to carry guns... more »
*The New American Privateers* During the early days of the United States, our government commissioned Privateers to attack and rob enemy vessels. Privateers were part of naval warfare of some nations from the 16th to the 19th century. The cost of commissioning privateers was borne bycorporate investors hoping to gain a significant profit from prize money earned. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without spending public money or commissioning naval officers. And for the “investors the pay off was the captured cargo and the prize vessel itself, if service... more »
Dialectics in Science: An Interview with Helena Sheehan - Online University of the Left: Dialectics in Science: An Interview with Helena Sheehan by admin *By Ben Campbell* *The North Star* Dec 15, 2012 – While today’s left has frayed into many strands, there was a time when the left presented, or at least aspired to present, a coherent Weltanschauung. This was Marxism, founded on Karl Marx’s brilliant synthesis of materialism and the philosophy of G.W.F. Hegel, which led him and his collaborator Friedrich Engels to an unprecedented coalescence of existing human knowledge. Today’s ... more »
Kimble's Corner: Win a Free Copy of Profiles in Courageousness Ebook: Win a Free Copy of Profiles in Courageousness Ebook by Representative Kimble My new Ebook has taken the country by storm, but you can have a copy for free. As you know, the world was supposed to end on December 21st, but the day ended without an apocalypse. I can only assume this was because of something President Reagan did behind the scenes back in the 1980s. To win a copy of the Ebook,
A holiday wish list for education | Seattle Education: A holiday wish list for education by seattleducation2011 [image: SIGN the Sandy Hook Elementary School National Sympathy Card | causes.com] *An Education Wish List* *Posted from the Nation* *Listen up Bill Gates, et al.* *A Broader, Bolder Christmas: Top Ten “Gifts” for Under the (Education Policy) Tree* *10. A Roof Over Every Student’s Head:* Children who lack stable homes are more anxious and less focused than their peers who have adequate housing. They are also at higher risk for poor health and developmental problems, and... more »
The Sunday Mail. « Fred Klonsky: The Sunday Mail. by Fred Klonsky Popout*Look up hypocrite on Google and Scott Walker’s picture shows up*. Walker called for a moment of silence for Sandy Hook but took nearly a million bucks in campaign money from the NRA. *“Education, a force meant to erode class barriers, appears to be fortifying them,”* reports this morning’sNY Times. *A teacher asks,* “Do we want a nation of highly trained children, or highly educated children?” *Is New Orleans our future?*
RSD announces latest management changes; moves toward all-charter system | NOLA.com: RSD announces latest management changes; moves toward all-charter system [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] New Orleans' Recovery School District will become a nearly 100 percent charter system in the 2013-2014 academic year, with the district running only five or six schools directly, down from 12 this year, Superintendent Patrick Dobard announced Thursday. Among the changes: three schools will close; three will become charters; one will merge with an existing charter; and... more »
Condoms for free at 22 city schools: Condoms for free at 22 city schoolsThe district is installing dispensers over winter break at high schools with the highest rates of STDs. [image: Condom dispensers are going into 22 city high schools. The protection is free to students, except those whose parents signed opt-out forms.] Kristen A. Graham, *Inquirer Staff Writer* POSTED: Sunday, December 23, 2012, 6:40 AM Coming over the holiday break to about a third of Philadelphia high schools: clear plastic dispensers chock-full of free condoms. The dispensers will be placed in the 22 high scho... more »
What we did — and didn’t — learn from education research in 2012: What we did -- and didn't -- learn from education research in 2012 by Valerie Strauss School reformers this year had something of a banner year, moving ahead with key initiatives such as using standardized test scores to evaluate teachers, expanding charter schools and establishing voucher programs that permitted the use of public funds to be used to pay religious school tuition. But is any of this grounded in research? Here’s a look at the year in ed research from Matthew Di Carlo, senior fellow at the non-profit ... more »
Short Notes: The Educational Income Gap And The Man Who Helped Us Defeat It | The Jose Vilson: Short Notes: The Educational Income Gap And The Man Who Helped Us Defeat It by Jose [image: Fr. Jack Podsiadlo and My Brother] Fr. Jack Podsiadlo and My Brother A few notes: - Jason DeParle writes that poor students struggle in college as class plays a bigger role in education. Another case of “We told you so.” [New York Times] - Jack Jennings of the Center on Education Policy joins the chorus of those who believe
NYC Educator: Redhog Rides Again: Redhog Rides Again by NYC Educator I was very surprised to find a piece written by Ron Isaac in Diane Ravitch's Blog. The piece, in Isaac's unique flowery prose style, addresses the language of "reformers" and the nature of propaganda. He bemoans the way language can be twisted and manipulated to serve the purposes of those who have a different message altogether. What got me active in the UFT was the 2005 contract. I found it incredible that we would give away so much for so little. While, at the time, it appeared to me the worst aspect was the e... more »
Woman fired for being ‘irresistible’ blasts Iowa Supreme Court ruling | The Raw Story: Woman fired for being ‘irresistible’ blasts Iowa Supreme Court ruling A dental assistant who was fired from her job because her boss claimed she was “irresistible” spoke out on Saturday. Melissa Nelson told CNN she had no idea what changed. She had worked at the position for more than 10 years without incident. Nelson said she “absolutely” wasn’t having an affair with her boss, but did have a personal relationship with him and his family. The all-male Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday that the fir... more »
The Education Report: After Newtown shooting, readers share thoughts and safety concerns - Inside Bay Area: The Education Report: After Newtown shooting, readers share thoughts and safety concerns By Katy Murphy Oakland Tribune Posted: 12/23/2012 12:00:00 AM PST [image: SIGN the Sandy Hook Elementary School National Sympathy Card | causes.com] This is a sampling of The Education Report, Katy Murphy's Oakland schools blog. Read more atIBABuzz.com/education. Follow her at Twitter.com/katymurphy. In the aftermath of one of the worst school shootings in history, at Sandy Hook Eleme... more »
The Last Newsweek Cover Has a Hashtag on It - Business - The Atlantic Wire: The Last Newsweek Cover Has a Hashtag on It by Connor Simpson You're pretty much resigned to reading *Sports Illustrated* or *Reader's Digest* the next time you go to the dentist's office now because *Newsweek* is no more. In a questionable move, Tina Brown made the magazine's final coverfeature an old picture of the *Newsweek* building and a hashtag. Because of course Tina Brown tarnished *Newsweek*'s last issue cover with a hashtag. *Newsweek* will be no more once 2013 comes around in a little over a week.... more »
All Education Matters: Defaults On The Rise: Defaults On The Rise by Cryn Johannsen Once again, I bring up the loans that are in default. It is getting worse, much worse. I just received a note earlier this week from a borrower. It was a comment as a matter of fact. They were insisting that borrowers rise up and refuse to pay the predatory lenders. Occupy pushed this agenda as well. And I was under the impression that there would be a debtors' revolt, but I was wrong. Even though more and more people are falling off the grid, thanks to their crippling debt, they have not risen up... more »
Why Do Smart People Do Dumb Things? Thinking about School Reform | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Why Do Smart People Do Dumb Things? Thinking about School Reform by larrycuban Examples are legion. Recall President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. Or Director of the Central Intelligence Agency David Petraeus resigning over extra-marital affair. Or shrewd investors in Bernard Madoff’s company losing their financial shirts. Switch to education and consider El Paso (TX) Superintendent Lorenzo Garcia who went to jail for inflating student test scores and giving a no-... more »
Infamous for Hosting Adult Parties After Hours – Miami Charter School Foreclosed | Scathing Purple Musings: Infamous for Hosting Adult Parties After Hours – Miami Charter School Foreclosed by Bob Sikes [image: School Parties] Reports* South Florida Business Journal *reporter Brian Bandel: The former home of a shuttered charter school is set for auction after Great Florida Bank won a $2.24 million foreclosure judgment. The Miami-Dade County School Board voted in April to shut down the Balere Language Academy after parents complained of house parties with alcohol and distasteful pr... more »
Ed Notes Online: Ed Notes Exclusive: NRA Solves Fiscal Cliff Problem: Ed Notes Exclusive: NRA Solves Fiscal Cliff Problem by ed notes online *The only thing that stops a bad Democrat from heading us over the cliff is a good Republican with a gun. There is only way to avoid going over the fiscal cliff. Give every good tea party member of Congress an assault rifle. "---Wayne LaPierre* LaPierre called for the federal program implementing the NRA's solution to the fiscal cliff issue to be headed by Dick Cheney. He also called for armed guards in every row of every movie complex, the... more »
Schools advocate TJ Mertz talks about Madison Prep, teachers and school ‘reform’: *Schools advocate TJ Mertz talks about Madison Prep, teachers and school ‘reform’* If you’ve kept up on the local debate on educational achievement in the Madison Metropolitan School District, you’ve probably heard of Thomas J. “TJ” Mertz. If you haven’t heard of him, you probably will soon, since he announced a run for the School Board last week. A vocal critic of the controversial Madison Preparatory Academy proposal last year that brought the achievement gap back to the top of the schools agen... more »
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] A Substitute Teacher Dies as a Hero by dianerav A teacher sent me this link and urged me to post it. This is a story about Lauren Rousseau, a substitute teacher who lost her life during the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School on one of the days that she was hired to teach. Teaching was what she most wanted to do, but Newtown had a declining enrollment and was not hiring teachers. It has laid off 10% of its teachers in the past few years. Lauren Rousseau worked for $75 a day with no benefits. She was a... more »
Daily Kos: Protecting Guns, Sacrificing (Some) Children: Protecting Guns, Sacrificing (Some) Children byplthomasEdDFollow [image: SIGN the Sandy Hook Elementary School National Sympathy Card | causes.com] "In 2008, 2,947 children and teens died from guns in the United States and 2,793 died in 2009 for a total of 5,740," details *Protect Children Not Guns 2012* (Children's Defense Fund), "—one child or teen every three hours, eight every day, 55 every week for two years" (p. 2). *Tragedy* is often reserved for single catastrophic events, but cumulative... more »
Ed Notes Online: Sunday Funnies: Sunday Funnies by ed notes online ------------ Have a Very Rephormy Christmas! Posted on December 22, 2012 1 *And an excellent and innovative new year…* Still looking for the purrfect gift for that extra excellent and innovative someone in your life? Not to worry. EduShyster has assembled an assembly of offerings guaranteed to send test scores soaring all through the holidays and into 2013. So from my rephorm family to yours: ¡feliz navidad and a very prospero año! Continue reading → http://edushyster.com/?p=1627
The Innovative Educator: Teacher dropouts: Teacher dropouts by noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nielsen) More than 20 years ago John Taylor Gatto wrote a letter announcing his departure from the teaching profession, titled *I Quit, I Think. *The letter was published in the op-ed pages of the *Wall Street Journal *where he said he no longer wished to "hurt kids to make a living." He gave this advice: "We don’t need a national curriculum or national testing either. Both initiatives arise from ignorance of how people learn or deliberate indifference to it. I can’t teach this way any longe... more »
solidaridad: Photos from the campaign trail: Robert D. Skeels for LAUSD Schoolboard: Photos from the campaign trail: Robert D. Skeels for LAUSD Schoolboard by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene Robert D. Skeels for LAUSD Schoolboard 2013 [image: Robert D. Skeels, a Social Justice Schoolboard Candidate]
Schools Matter: A Life of Indentured Servitude for a Chance at a College Diploma: When the American Dream Goes Nightmare: A Life of Indentured Servitude for a Chance at a College Diploma: When the American Dream Goes Nightmare by Jim Horn Recently the NYTimes shows signs of coming out of its corporate cocoon to do real investigative reporting again. The recent story on WalMart corruption was terrific, and in this story, the Times looks at the deepening of the categorical inequality as it plays out in the higher education arena. The story is based in Galveston, TX, and the cha... more »
Steering Committee Election 2013 - 2015: Steering Committee Election 2013 – 2015 by Server *Save Our Schools: A National Call to Action* www.saveourschoolsmarch.org Steering Committee Election 2013 – 2015 *Dear Save Our Schools Supporters…* *Save Our Schools* is moving forward in developing strategies that ensure grassroots voices are heard in the education conversation. Issues such as testing, privatization, and school funding are our primary concerns. To facilitate this process the *SOS* membership will nominate and elect a new National Steering Committee. The process consisted of ... more »
Schools Matter: Sanity Comes to Charlotte-Mecklenburg: Sanity Comes to Charlotte-Mecklenburg by Jim Horn [image: and Charlotte-Mecklenburg] When Charlotte's former superintendent, Peter Gorman, was run out of town, he found work as another edu-henchman for Rupert Murdoch. Since then, Charlotte has hired someone who is willing to challenge the status quo of more high stakes testing. From the Charlotte Observer: Posted: Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 By Ann Doss Helms ahelms@charlotteobserver.com The barrage of new state tests being rolled out this year is “an egregious waste of taxpayer ... more »
New Orleans schools ban creationist curriculum, shun Texas revisionist textbooks | toteachornototeach: New Orleans schools ban creationist curriculum, shun Texas revisionist textbooks by aristotlethewise *New Orleans schools ban creationist curriculum, shun Texas revisionist textbooks* [image: original] by Robert T. Gonzalez Sanity wins this round — at least for six schools in New Orleans. By a *unanimous vote*, N.O.’s Orleans Parish School Board voted on Tuesday to keep creationism out of its classrooms. Hallelujah. “No teacher of any discipline of science shall teach any aspect of ... more »
Despite Exemptions, Police and Firefighters Show Labor Solidarity in Michigan Right-to-Work Battle | MyFDL: [image: User Picture]Despite Exemptions, Police and Firefighters Show Labor Solidarity in Michigan Right-to-Work BattleBy: Michelle Chen Thursday December 20, 2012 10:47 pm [image: Tweet]Tweet5 [image: digg] [image: stumbleupon] Jamee Urrea via Twitter: http://t.co/kkFAJ8DK *Originally posted from In These Times* Michigan’s new right-to-work law has has struck a savage blow to America’s labor movement in its heartland. Unions across the state have thronged to Lansing to op... more »
Schools often first line of defense in identifying, treating kids with mental illness - LA Daily News: Schools often first line of defense in identifying, treating kids with mental illness By Barbara Jones Staff Writer Posted: 12/22/2012 02:17:07 PM PST Updated: 12/22/2012 03:44:22 PM PST They teach kids to read, write and solve math problems, and to work and play well with others. And along with those lessons, educators are increasingly being trained to spot depression, anxiety and other troubling behaviors in their students, with administrators and teachers forming the first ... more »
Poor Students Struggle as Class Plays a Greater Role in Success - NYTimes.com: Poor Students Struggle as Class Plays a Greater Role in Success by By JASON DePARLE For Poor Strivers, Leap to College Often Ends in a Hard Fall Michael Stravato for The New York Times Angelica Gonzales, admitted to Emory, hoped to be the first college graduate in her family. By JASON DePARLEPublished: December 22, 2012 - FACEBOOK - TWITTER - GOOGLE+ - SAVE - E-MAIL - SHARE - PRINT - SINGLE PAGE - REPRINTS - GALVESTON, Tex. — Angelica Gonzales marched through high school in ... more »
Have a Very Rephormy Christmas | EduShyster: Have a Very Rephormy Christmas by edushyster2012 *And an excellent and innovative new year…* Still looking for the purrfect gift for that extra excellent and innovative someone in your life? Not to worry. EduShyster has assembled an assembly of offerings guaranteed to sent test scores soaring all through the holidays and into 2013. So from my rephorm family to yours: ¡feliz navidad and a very prospero año! Nothing says “you’re proficient” like a Galvanic bracelet from the Gates collection of great ideas. *Just for her, a Galvanic Gates-le... more »
NYC Public School Parents: Carol Burris on the Regents proposal for three different kinds of diplomas: Carol Burris on the Regents proposal for three different kinds of diplomas by Leonie Haimson Congratulations to Carol Burris, co-author of the principal lettercritiquing the APPR, the new NY state teacher evaluation system. Her school, South Side HS in Rockville Center, was just named the second best high school in the state, according to US News and World Report, and it is one of few non-selective relatively diverse schools on the list. Here is her explanation: "*We do great thi... more »
Diane Ravitch's blog: Uses and Abuses of Online Learning by dianerav The school district in Manchester, New Hampshire, is considering online classes–not blended learning–as Acosta-saving device. The idea is to put kids online and lay off teachers. Anyone who deals with children and adolescents knows that face-to-face contact, human-to-human relationships are very important. Something’s, Do We Care About Children? by dianerav This teacher asks, how can we show that we really care about children? Why Armed Guards Change Nothing by dianerav A reader explains why armed guards will ... more »
Stop Special Needs Vouchers in Wisconsin! : blue cheddar: Stop Special Needs Vouchers in Wisconsin! by AnnieJo If there’s one thing we’ve learned in Wisconsin since February 2011, and in Michigan just this month, it’s that what gets passed in the statehouse after the election can be devastatingly different than what was promised or campaigned upon or even hinted at before. We’ve also been hit with the following corollary: these things can happen with blinding speed. Since the Nov. 6, 2012 election, the Walker administration has made no secret of their priority-plans to expand sch... more »
