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UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE
Brian Jones in Portland Friday evening
This will be an opportunity to meet Brian Jones, co-narrator of The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman and meet other concerned and active parents, teachers and students. Friday, January 11th, 5-6:30PM Public Forum with Brian Jones: Real VS. Phony … Continue reading →
Another Day – Another Charter School Closure in Florida
From the Lehigh Acres Citizen:
Most of the 149 students at the Lee Alternative Charter School, off of Taylor Lane in Lehigh Acres, are in classes in other schools in Fort Myers this week.
The students and their parents were forced to find other schools because the Lehigh school, which was owned by Richard Milburn Academy Schools of Southwest Florida, was forced to close due to
Frontline on Rhee: Only Part of the Story
So the big Frontline special on Michelle Rhee aired last night. Diane Ravitch says most of what's on my mind right now; I'll only add a bit more:
- How can any report about Michelle Rhee talk about her years teaching in Baltimore yet not mention the reporting this year that shows she greatly exaggerated her "success" as a teacher there? And that now she disavows the very specific claims she made on film that were shown on Frontline last night? How could John Merrow, the reporter, miss this in his piece?
- The test scores that Merrow talked about were all related to the DC-CAS, Washington D.C.'s local test. But Rhee admitted that many of her "gains" were due to simple changes designed expressly to increase scores, and
- How can any report about Michelle Rhee talk about her years teaching in Baltimore yet not mention the reporting this year that shows she greatly exaggerated her "success" as a teacher there? And that now she disavows the very specific claims she made on film that were shown on Frontline last night? How could John Merrow, the reporter, miss this in his piece?
- The test scores that Merrow talked about were all related to the DC-CAS, Washington D.C.'s local test. But Rhee admitted that many of her "gains" were due to simple changes designed expressly to increase scores, and
More Reformy Gift Card Nonsense
What is it with StudentsFirst types and gift cards?
An effort by a Livingston billionaire to hand out free $100 gift cards to Jersey City residents affected by Hurricane Sandy turned into a fiasco last week after some residents who spent hours in line say they were shut out.
The effort led to long lines last Monday night at some community centers, including the Mary McLeod Bethune Center, as people sought to register for the
The "Disrespectful Student" Dilemna!
I'm trying. I am really trying. I am trying not to let one kid ruin my enjoyment of my class. I refuse to let this student get on my last nerve to the point where I lose my cool. But, it is hard. And everyday, it gets more difficult. I understand where it comes from. When you live in a household where you are king in a house of two, and then come into
State has taken over probe into past test cheating at Wagner Middle School
by Benjamin Herold for NewsWorks, a Notebook news partner
The Pennsylvania Department of Education has taken over the probe into possible widespread cheating on state tests at Philadelphia's Wagner Middle School in 2009, 2010, and 2011.
The investigation had previously been the purview of the School District of Philadelphia. District spokesman
The Pennsylvania Department of Education has taken over the probe into possible widespread cheating on state tests at Philadelphia's Wagner Middle School in 2009, 2010, and 2011.
The investigation had previously been the purview of the School District of Philadelphia. District spokesman
Teaching: Dead-End Job: Part I
Wow… Happy New Year. That was a long Teachbreak I just took there. I wouldn’t say I was relaxing. The holidays and family visiting isn’t relaxing. I’ve been working on a major Teachbad-related project and another non-Teachbad-related project which have both kept me unbloggish for a bit. Plus I have a job, kids, dog and a house that’s 115 years old. But I’m back. And I missed you. I hope your heat shields maintained their integrity upon reentry into your classroom this week. I know it was Read more […]
The Brain Drain and The Wallet Drain
I recently had the poor judgment to log in to the local message board on the Internet. In so doing, I read a post by a town resident regarding the high school.
After reading it, I continued to exercise poor judgment by responding.
I guess I just lack self control! Maybe that's why I continue to write this blog.
Below is the initial statement to which I replied. It is followed by the remainder of the conversation.
I have blocked out all the names of the institutions mentioned because I don't want be accused of spreading disparaging comments about any school system.
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Poster:
Unfortunately, the problem of the brain drain at the high school level inNHS is not unique in Bloomfield and Montclair as well. The movement of students to private high schools in this part of Essex County seems to be common.
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W:
I have worked with many students who attend private schools and also
NEW WAY TO FUND THE TEACHERS’ PENSION
I have another way that the State of Illinois can repay some of the stolen money to the Teachers’ Pension fund. Currently there are millions of dollars in lottery winnings promised to people who won huge lottery sums. Those people elected to take lifetime payments, so many millions of dollars in promised payments by the state have yet to be paid. The state should simply tell those lottery winners that they will not receive the remainder of their lifetime payments because of the financial problems of the state.
Can you imagine the outrage if the state were to pull such a stunt ? That is exactly what the state has done and
Can you imagine the outrage if the state were to pull such a stunt ? That is exactly what the state has done and
A new approach to mental math
I received an email from Anton Prosolov, a programmer from Norway. His site, King of Mnemonics, sells software that Anton developed, and a novel he wrote.
I have invented a brand new approach to mental math that focuses on something people are good at (which is memory) rather than something they're bad at (which is arithmetics).
For the first time in history, ANY person can now learn how to perform truly amazing calculations
Coeducation effort at Deep Springs College dealt setback in Inyo County court ruling
An Inyo County court has dealt a setback to a coeducation effort at an unusual eastern Sierra college that for a
Helping Explain #optout
Since October I have met with parent groups across the state of Pennsylvania to talk about the opt out movement. I have been impressed by the strong desire on the part of many parents to explore opt out as a way to fight corporate education reform and the inhumane practice of using high stakes tests [...]
The Education 4 the 99% blog and newsletter has a new name: ClassRoom Struggle!
We are very excited to announce that the Occupy Oakland Education Committee and the Education for the 99% Newsletter and Blog have been renamed. Our new name is ClassRoom Struggle and we are calling to Transform Education, Abolish Capitalism and Heal (TEACH :). Following is an explanation of this decision. Please comment to share your [...]
D.C.’s Controversial Former Chancellor Releases New Ed. Policy Report Card
The “State of Education” report has met with mixed reviews.
Washington — A new report card released Wednesday gives mostly mediocre and poor grades to states on whether their education policies are conducive to raising student achievement. But it was the report card itself that earned some unfavorable marks during its national debut.The new annual report card — titled “State of Education: State Policy Report Card” — was released by
Pew Report Finds that College Degrees Shelter Economic Stability
Dana Elliott, Pew Research Center Manager