NYSUT Clamps Down on Free Speech
Dear Readers, I would like to share with you an email I sent last week to my class parents:
April is the cruelest month…
I doubt the NY State Education Department had T.S. Eliot in mind when they made the state testing schedule, but it does seem appropriate. Even with trying to keep test prep – oops, I mean “Defense Against the Dark Arts” – at a minimum, there’s so much I feel obligated to do! [Other 5th grade teacher] and I were talking about the uncertainty surrounding the content on the math test, and she put it really well, “If we see a question on the test about the one thing that we chose not to
Charter schools are not about charter schools
By Kelvin Smythe
Reposted from Networkonnet.
The education situation is dire, western economies are struggling, with one of its manifestations being the rich and powerful acting to undermine public schools. Charter schools not being about charter schools is emblematic of that dire situation.Let us look at how this is playing out in New Zealand. Throughout our history our overriding economic plan has been to hang on to the coat tails of first England, then America, now China. We were only truly comparatively wealthy in the Korean War period when the price of wool sky rocketed. The present government is now taking the coat-tail policy to extreme: selling farm land, allowing foreign manufacturing of farm produce, emphasising tourism (with its low pay characteristics), mining exploitation, asset sales, and signing sycophantic free trade policies. Apparently we can raise capital for property speculation but not for industry.
No matter the slightly more benign period at the moment, our prospects are that we are going to face severe
New Contest: Worst (Best) Test Prep Videos
Inspiration. You never know when it will hit you. However, I would like to thank Mr. Chris Cerrone. After his last post I decided to see how many “test prep” video’s I could find.
Someone has to say it! “Holy Crap!”
If we actually spent some time teaching instead of making ridiculous videos imagine the possibilities.
Not now though. It’s Game Time
Vote for your “favorite” Pennsylvania (PSSA) test prep video below. In the comment section please feel free to
Someone has to say it! “Holy Crap!”
If we actually spent some time teaching instead of making ridiculous videos imagine the possibilities.
Not now though. It’s Game Time
Vote for your “favorite” Pennsylvania (PSSA) test prep video below. In the comment section please feel free to
So, I spent more time than necessary in the #stopcommoncore thread
Wow. Pretty wild. Basically, a very active stream of mainly conservative leaning folks stormed twitter at noon today to show their distaste of the CCSS, egged on mainly by it looks like uber-conservative blogger Michelle Malkin.
Let me be clear: I do not support the common core at all. But there are some key differences in my arguments against it, as a left of center progressive and advocate for public education. I learned a few things from participating in what seemed to be an overall pretty respectful debate. Thank God.
Let me be clear: I do not support the common core at all. But there are some key differences in my arguments against it, as a left of center progressive and advocate for public education. I learned a few things from participating in what seemed to be an overall pretty respectful debate. Thank God.
- The Right seems ahead in their opposition, chiefly because the CCSS is affiliated with Obama in their minds.
- There is a confusion with some language, like common and its similarity to communism. Then, we start getting into government over-reach, socialism, Obamacare, and indoctrination. I don’t see these as at all relevant.
- The Right did not at any point acknowledge the fact that progressive activists have been at this for a while
#nea was for VAMs but now against? I’m so confused!
As readers of @thechalkface already know, both the NEA‘s Dennis Van Roekel and AFT’s Randi Weingarten support the use of VAMs in teacher evaluations. Of course they will never admit to it and instead typically refer to VAM usage as using student generated “data.”
However, out of EdWeek today we learn that the NEA is actually suing on behalf of teachers that were subjected to the use of some distorted VAM vodoo in Florida.
Someone has to say it! “
Testing madness or fun?
However, out of EdWeek today we learn that the NEA is actually suing on behalf of teachers that were subjected to the use of some distorted VAM vodoo in Florida.
NEA President Dennis Van Roekel, speaking during a conference call, intimated that the action wouldn’t be the union’s last word on the subject. Teachers across the nation are “fed up with flawed evaluation systems being pushed by politicians and corporate education reformers in school districts across the country,” he said.Huh? Since when did Van Roekel care about “fed up” teachers?
Someone has to say it! “
Mr. Van Roekel if you really are sincere, unequivocally denounce your past statements
Testing madness or fun?
Test prep out of control?
Brainwashing?
Kool Aid drinking?
OR
Fun?
Taking away test stress?
Brainwashing?
Kool Aid drinking?
OR
Fun?
Taking away test stress?
Reminder of the #edreform Mad Lib you can share and use.
