Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, March 4, 2013

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 3-4-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2


Nite Cap UPDATE

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE


sequester



Wealth Inequality in America [Video]

This is why every American who makes a middle class living should care about millionaires’ and billionaires’ dabbling in education reform. Why sequestration is hogwash. Why anyone who tells you there is no money for school buildings or public school teachers or health care or medical benefits is full of it. There is more than enough to go around.
Commence reality check.
Popout

Walmart Foundation vs. Walton Foundation

Earlier today when I posted about President Obama’s decision to name the Sylvia Mathews Burwell, CEO of the Walmart Foundation, to become the head of the Office of Management and Budget, I made the error of identifying her as CEO of the Walton Family Foundation. It was obviously a mistake, and readers quickly called my attention to it. I made the change at once. I didn’t realize that the Walton billionaires have two different foundations. In addition, members of the family give a lot of money to political campaigns for candidates and issues, always on the same side of the political spectrum.
The Walton Family Foundation has given $158 million for each of the

Reminder: My Ed Week Webinar Is Tomorrow (Tuesday)

Developing Intrinsic Motivation in Students
Teacher Larry Ferlazzo and principal Chris Wejr will provide background and actionable strategies for creating conditions in classrooms and schools that inspire students to take greater ownership of their learning and futures. Register.
March 5, 2013 at 4pm ET
Motivating students to engage fully with their schoolwork is a perennial challenge for educators. What’s more, many time-honored motivational tactics, such as offering incentives or rewards for specific outcomes, tend to produce only short-term effects-and sometimes backfire completely. This webinar provides teaching strategies to sustain students’ levels of interest and effort.
Our expert guests-teacher and author Larry Ferlazzo and principal Chris Wejr-will provide background and actionable strategies for creating conditions in classrooms and schools that inspire students to take greater ownership of their learning and futures. Among the topics they will address are relationship-building, collaborative learning, praise strategies, opportunity-based instruction, and meaningful communication of expectations. They’ll also respond to viewers’ questions on specific challenges and problem-areas concerning motivation. Registrants will also receive an exclusive discount offer for Ferlazzo’s newest book: Self-Driven Learning: Teaching Strategies for Student Motivation.

Lumina Foundation pushing privatization of education in Mexico

An interesting report out of Mexico concerning corruption charges against the head of the Mexican teacher’s union has appeared at Al Jazeera.  The report, found [...] The post Lumina Foundation pushing privatization of education in Mexico appeared first on DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored...

Space Coast, Florida and Chicago: 50 years later, school (closing) discrimination becomes an issue

The people on the Space Coast, home of Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center, are faced with the issue of school discrimination and civil rights issues. Black and white supporters stood together as an attorney announced that one mother and one grandmother were seeking an injunction to stop the Brevard County School District from closing specific schools.
Yes, one mother and one grandmother.
Parents must lead and demand. Without that, the children become victims.
Brevard school closing objection Stop means stop.
Stop means stop. No means no. Even in the land of Tea Party Governor Rick Scott, previously the CEO of a healthcare corporation that was fined over $1 billion for defrauding Medicare. Even with this super-majority republican state legislature someone must yell, “STOP!”

I See You, I Got You, & I Love You

IgotuCross posted at: PHSdirectorBLOG
What happens when 75 adults and 300 teenagers “lower the waterline” and let others really know them?  What is the affect of bullies telling their victims they are sorry in front of a large crowd of their peers?  How do students react when they find out that many of their school peers have experienced some horrible emotional situations?  What is it like for students when their teachers, school administrators, school board members, and other community members share true stories about their lives and shed a tear or two?  What is the affect of six hours of laughing, dancing, listening, crying, hugging, and caring for people in ways never thought of before?  CULTURE CHANGE!  The building of empathy and understanding. The realization that we are all so much more alike than different.  The awareness of what we say, do with and to others has a major effect that can be both life affirming or devastating.
I have said before, many times, that our students don’t care what we know until they know we care.  We have tried very hard to build school community and trust here the past several years in an effort to improve school performance.  I think we may have really turned a corner this past week.  We shut down the bell system, slowed down the prescribed learning and perhaps learned the most important lesson of all; We all matter!  I hope what