@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER:
A Revenue First Agenda: Open Commentary to Triggermen Ben Austin and Bruce William Smith
rdsathene * Robert D. Skeels at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 hours ago
These myths falsely portrayed desegregation’s failures as the product of autonomous individual choice. Meanwhile, these myths obscured inequalities in desegregation. A new, but parallel, kind of mythmaking about choice is underway in today’s charter school efforts. — Ansley T. Erickson Parent Revolution’s executive director, wealthy white Beverly Hills lawyer Ben Austin, has made himself out […]
CPS enrollment figures unreliable, so we should probably rethink this whole school funding scheme, no?
Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 17 hours ago
The Chicago Tribune is reporting today that the enrollment proportion offered by CPS to tout progress of the massive closure plan is, well, bunk. Bottom line: Chicago Public Schools touted a smooth start to the school closing process this week by announcing that 78 percent of students at schools being shut down have been enrolled […]
The One Type of Data That is Off Limits (For Now)
Kris Nielsen at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 18 hours ago
Health history and information is protected at a Federal level by HIPAA (Health Insurance and Portability and Accountability Act) laws. This provides a challenge for education data collectors that are trying to gather health records and information on students under Arne Duncan’s P-20 program. And, unfortunately, Arne isn’t allowed to mess with the HIPAA rules […]
New KIPP:Care Will Include Child Doping Benefit
Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 19 hours ago
Since corporate school cult leader, Mike Feinberg, left his KIPP superintendent’s duties in Houston for the full-time pursuit of national brand saturation, KIPP teachers report chaos at a number of the KIPP stores schools around Houston, with mass retentions, administrative meltdowns, faltering test scores, and mass teacher resignations. What will it take to restore […]
What Road to Take?: The CCSS Debate
plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 21 hours ago
I invite readers of this blog to my personal blog where I examine the fatalism behind false arguments about a moratorium on CCSS high-stakes testing: “There wasn’t a lot of choice, but there was some” It has lots of dystopian literature, including zombies, with some Deleuze and Freire tossed in for good measure. Enjoy. Tagged: ccss, […]
Say that again Mr. Kayser! LAUSD should have more public meetings
rdsathene * Robert D. Skeels at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago
“As it is, the meetings are held downtown in the middle of the day when most parents, students and employees cannot participate. Ultimately this behavior pattern leads to decisions made in a vacuum, isolation from reality and the rubberstamping of pre-determined outcomes.”—Bennett Kayser Former teacher and current Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board of […]
Broad’s Girl Friday in RI, Deb Gist, Looking for the Duncan Bump
Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago
If there is an education official in Rhode Island who has earned an Arne Duncan endorsement, it would have to be Deborah Gist (Broad Class of 2008). Her ability to ignore those pestering parents, those vomiting children, those weeping teachers, and those angry grandparents has earned Ms. Gist a place among the giants of corporate […]
Ingredients for a great thin soup: Asparagus, Fennel, and Turnips. @aftunion
Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago
I call it AFT soup for short. It’s really good and very easy to make. Ingredients 1 bundle chopped asparagus 1 fennel bulb sliced, not the greens 1 diced turnip 4 cups veggie broth 4 garlic cloves, chopped fine 800 AFT teachers, roughly 1/3 from NY state alone Directions 1. In a 4 quart pot, […]
Where are my #edtech folks on this one? #prism AND #connectED?
Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago
At noon today, on the White House blog, ConnectED was announced to, among other things: That’s why President Obama is unveiling a bold, new initiative called ConnectED, which will connect 99 percent of America’s students to the internet through high-speed broadband and high-speed wireless within 5 years. The President also directed the federal government to […]
How Do We Go from “the Anti-Education Era” to Meaningful Learning for All?
John Thompson at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago
James Paul Gee’s The Anti-Education Era is full of analyses of how humans learn that should inform the practice of all types of educators. Previous posts, here and here, describe his powerful indictments of test-driven schooling, as well as his subtle explanations of where “reformers” and other educators have gone wrong. This post will focus […]
ELA or Math support classes, fun for everyone!
Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago
If you’re not necessarily enjoying school, guess what? You’re going to love it now when you are enrolled in an ELA/Math support class. Yes, that’s right, all of the low kids, all in one place, at one time, you know, so we can identify you. Enjoy. Tagged: ela, farmingdale, math, support class
Terrific Use of State Letterhead in New York
Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago
When we think creatively about any nonviolent means to eradicate, disrupt, quell, explode, destroy, demolish, or otherwise confound the high stakes testing scourge that has American education paralyzed, here is a great example, as reported by DNAinfo New York’s Amy Zimmer: BROOKLYN — Rebecca Herz was relieved to receive a letter from the principal of Prospect […]
Give us your tired, your poor, your befuddled masses @educationweek
Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 2 days ago
Good friend Gary Valiant today kicked off a rather interesting idea: a boycott of Education Week, the education publication of record, apparently. Even an anonymous education blogger for the publication is frustrated. To wit: I understand the frustration with EdWeek. As I have responded when this has been raised elsewhere, I think it is important to […]
A new letter to go viral: Is this parody or not, you decide? #commoncore
Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 2 days ago
Based on a previous post on the food edition of common core, I happened upon another letter dictating what is best for common core implementation. If only we had well-behaved, clean, happy, stable, plastic children, then CCSS would go off without a hitch. Let’s keep piling on those cosmetic changes, people. We’ll get there. Tagged: […]
The Common Core: Food Edition
Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 2 days ago
Here’s a picture of a letter sent out by a local school working group on common core. Now, on the whole, I completely support healthier eating habits for children. I would encourage more physical activity and better food choices, especially given how predatory fast food marketing is towards children and their families. It takes a […]
Saving DC Schools with Catastrophe Innovation!
plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 3 days ago
Emma Brown in The Washington Post offers an important window into school reform occurring (ad infinitum) in Washington DC: D.C. Council member David A. Catania plans to announce wide-ranging legislation Tuesday that could substantially reshape the city’s public education system, as he seeks to increase funding to educate poor children, give more power to principals, […]
Why “Reform” Failed: Part Two of James Paul Gee and The Anti-Education Era
John Thompson at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 3 days ago
James Paul Gee’s The Anti-Education Era uses cognitive science to explain in a nuanced manner why test-driven reform has failed. This second post on Gee’s subtle analysis will help explain why “reformers” and others have failed to improve public schools. A third post will present Gee’s thoughts on improving education. Gee explains that “formal education […]
Just Let Them Play!
antiqueteacher60 at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 3 days ago
Tonight the Bands at our little school will give their final concert performance “The Concert in the Park”, which is actually a concert held on the front lawn of the school. Along with a chicken barbecue dinner, this event is one of the best attended in the community. It occurs to me that the top […]
Teenage Guest Post: Hey, Inept Test Maker!
Kris Nielsen at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 3 days ago
This is a guest post. I have been busy traveling lately and haven’t had the energy or the sustained time to really write anything. (Spoiler alert: Except for pieces of the new book!) So here is a post from a debut blogger. She’s my daughter, Kayla! A friend of hers smuggled a writing benchmark question […]
Harkins’ “Strengthening Corporate Control of Schools Act for 2013″
Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 3 days ago
This new re-write of ESEA is more similar to NCLB than just the 1000+ pages of corporate lawyerese used to maintain and extend the current power structure over schools. Most of the specifics of NCLB stay in place, and where they are changed, they reflect changes found in RTTT. It is, yet, another document written […]
Guest Post: Why My Family is Boycotting the State Field Tests
Lauren Cohen at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 3 days ago
I previously wrote about the NY State Field Tests, in which unsuspecting students have their learning time hijacked so they can do free research for Pear$on. This piece, from a fellow member of NYC-based Change the Stakes, was originally published on Schoolbook. Why My Family is Boycotting the State Field Tests by Jinnie Spiegler There […]
Just a quick announcement, NBD
Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 3 days ago
I am teaching myself to use Xcode. In three months time, by the end of this summer, At the Chalk Face will have a smartphone/tablet application. Perhaps I’m being naive about the app submission and review process. Or, my ability to learn code from scratch. No matter. The goal has been set. That is all. […]
School “Reform” in the Anti-Education Era
John Thompson at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 3 days ago
Someday, historians of education will have to explain why school “reformers,” who should have been excited by the opportunities created by the 21st century, started a twenty year campaign to turn the clock back to the Model T era. Otherwise dynamic (and often libertarian) Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, liberals like President Obama, and neo-liberals like Bill […]
Broad’s Creation, Green Dot, Headed to Memphis to Cash In During School Fire Sale
Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 3 days ago
Update: Daily News reports today that Green Dot will, indeed, claim at least one high school. The corporate wizards who are calling the shots in the new exploded version of Memphis schools have their eye turned toward an Eli Broad charter creation to take over one of the high schools in Memphis. Will the target […]
Think Tank Advocacy v. Measured Researchers
plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 3 days ago
Anthony Cody has offered a powerful argument about the offensive nature of the education reform machine as compared to the always responsive mode of educators, academics, and researchers. A distinct and disturbing example of this dynamic confronted me today when a public school advocate contacted me about the consequences of the Florida model for retaining […]
solidaridad: SPaARCS calls for support of the Lower Class Size resolution at LAUSD
rdsathene * Robert D. Skeels at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 4 days ago
solidaridad: SPaARCS calls for support of the Lower Class Size resolution at LAUSD. Tagged: Class Size Reduction, community, lausd, resistance, SPaARCS, Struggle
PESJA: Since Llury Garcia is a self-appointed expert on literacy, language arts, & principals, can we expect her to apply for Cobian’s job?
rdsathene * Robert D. Skeels at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 4 days ago
Since Llury Garcia is a self-appointed expert on literacy, language arts, & principals, can we expect her to apply for Cobian’s job? #LAUSD — PESJA Los Angeles (@PESJA_LA) June 3, 2013 This week, parents voted to accept Cobian’s turnaround plan as the next step forward. Although a Parent Revolution statement quoted [Llury] Garcia as saying […]
Let’s get real about #optout @John_Merrow
peggyrobertson at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 4 days ago
To understand this post it might be helpful to read Tim Slekar’s post here – to follow the discussion that ensued after John Merrow said “to hell with the tests.” His comment encouraged me to think that perhaps we had a reporter who was ready to tell the citizens of our country that a simple […]
What John Merrow didn’t post.
peggyrobertson at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 4 days ago
To understand this post it might be helpful to read Tim Slekar’s post here – to follow the discussion that ensued after John Merrow said “to hell with the tests.” His comment encouraged me to think that perhaps we had a reporter who was ready to tell the citizens of our country that a simple […]
Check out our new episode with Jesse Hagopian
Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 4 days ago
You can listen here, great discussion, and a great call from a Portland area teacher. Good food for thought. At the same time Jesse and supporters are boycotting the MAP, and winning concessions, they are developing an alternative assessment structure based on their values as the actual educators. They are creating an assessment vacuum, so […]
NY’s Rube Goldberg Plan for Teacher Evaluation
Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 4 days ago
When you have news that is too toxic even to go into the Friday afternoon news dump, you save it for Saturday when everyone is at the beach or at the park. That’s just what NY’s Broadie Ed Commish, John King, did Saturday, with the release of another anti child and anti teacher battle plan […]
Here I am, enjoying my coffee, and…
Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 4 days ago
I have my local Fox 5 affiliate on in the background for noise, not really sure why. In any event, I see a short piece on the “Common Core Controversy.” I’ll post the segment later if the link becomes available. Not a lot of meat to the piece, but I must say one thing: Tea […]
De-Testing and De-Grading Schools (Peter Lang USA)
plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 5 days ago
Please consider supporting this important volume available soon from Peter Lang USA and available now to preview and pre-order at amazon: De-Testing and De-Grading Schools, Joe Bower and P.L. Thomas, editors Includes work from many important voices in the New Media of blogging and Twitter: Joe Bower Alfie Kohn FairTest Anthony Cody Julie and David […]
#optout is so much more than “angry parents” @John_Merrow
Timothy D. Slekar at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 5 days ago
Last week Shaun and I interviewed John Merrow concerning Michelle Rhee’s blatant cover up of cheating in DCPS while she was the Chancellor. John did his homework and presented a factual documentation that at a minimum deserves further media attention. It was an enlightening conversation and I’m still flabbergasted by the reluctance of any other media outlets […]
More on Parent Revolution triggerman Ben Austin’s gunning down of a well regarded LAUSD principal
rdsathene * Robert D. Skeels at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 5 days ago
“The ‘parent trigger’ by definition is a hostile act. It creates division and conflict. It sets parents against parents. It sets parents against teachers. It sets parents against administrators. It is a “trigger” and triggers kill.” — Professor Diane Ravitch Parent Revolution, the well funded neoliberal operatives in charge of achieving reactionary Andy Smarick’s dream […]
NY Columnist Worries About Global Warming from School Air Conditioners as State Prepares to Punish Teachers in Hot Classrooms
Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 5 days ago
Opinionator Sara Mosle learned both teaching and politics from Teach for America, and now she is a favorite at the NYTimes to express the positivized neoliberal edu-position without having to think about it. Sara wonders in her latest column if children in air conditioned classrooms have an advantage over children who must swelter in school […]
Asking a Better CCSS Support Question
plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 5 days ago
As a follow up to my earlier post on “a majority supports” arguments for CCSS, now reposted at The Answer Sheet, let’s see if any of the CCSS advocates will try a new question: Since adopting, implementing, and testing CCSS will cost a tremendous amount of time and money, would you prefer adopting CCSS or […]
Moving Beyond “A Great Majority Supports…”
plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 days ago
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” Mark Twain If you have a moment, take some time to glance through your middle school (or if you’re old like me, junior high) or high school yearbook. Pay close attention to the powerful consistency of fashion and […]
Gates, Murdoch and data mining
Activism in paradise - Voices from down under at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 days ago
Gates and Murdoch like to say their interest in education is because their big hearts mean they really must help the poor wee kiddies learn better. Funny how they weren’t so interested until profit could be made, but hey, I’m just a bit cynical these days. And it’s no wonder I am when you learn […]
What’s upcoming At the Chalk Face this week
Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 days ago
At our usual time, Sundays at 6PM EST, we’re going to be joined by Jesse Hagopian to discuss the successful MAP boycott and his new website, I am an Educator. Then, join us for a special episode on Thursday at 6PM EST when we’ll be joined once again by Dr. Mercedes Schneider so she can […]
Dutiful responses from Hart and @rweingarten. Relieved? M-haps. #commoncore
Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 days ago
Ah, well, it appears as if both Hart and Ms. Weingarten dutifully responded to Ms. Schneider’s concerns regarding the AFT’s survey on the CCSS. I definitely missed this back and forth because who can follow everything that’s happening? Amiright? In any event, here’s the Weingarten response and the one from Hart. I’ve even read the comments […]
Have you heard of NYSECTA?
antiqueteacher60 at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 days ago
As I was cleaning out my email, I found an invitation to join a new and exciting group in NY. This group, NYSECTA (New York State Elementary Classroom Teachers Association) is holding its inaugural conference this summer. One of the keynote speakers is the illustrious Dr. John B. King – NY’s own Commissioner of Education. […]
A story of retaliation, of struggle, and of joy in solidarity
Barbara Madeloni at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 days ago
In the year since I received my letter of non-renewal for supporting students who stood up to Pearson-Stanford’s field test of a national assessment for student teaching, I found myself in many conversations about fear. Teacher educators, teachers, students, even parents worry about the power held over them and the repercussions if they speak out. […]
The Letter the Memphis Commercial Appeal Won’t Print
Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 days ago
Hey, I tried. But it seems that Old Money and Gates Money have a stranglehold on the city’s main newspaper–which makes the Gates-ASD-AEI silent throttling of public education in Memphis even more ominous. The AEI connection? Here’s what the head of the State of Tennessee’s Achievement School District, Chris Barbic (former CEO of Uncommon Schools, […]
New Research Cuts Oxygen to School Vouchers
Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 days ago
The corporate reform schoolers continue to push their wheezing antiquarian agendas, and school vouchers, once on life support, have been revived with cash from ALEC and the Oligarchs (that’s not a rock band). Even though Gov. Scott Walker’s anti-people crusade has put him in a deep political hole, he, nonetheless, keeps digging, with renews efforts […]
Right-wing groups stand behind Parent Revolution and Ben Austin—The FreedomWorks Teabaggers
rdsathene * Robert D. Skeels at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 days ago
Right-wing groups stand behind Parent Revolution and Ben Austin—The FreedomWorks Teabaggers. #LAUSD #parenttrigger twitter.com/FreedomWorks/s… — Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) June 1, 2013 While the community and social justice activists protest Ben Austin and his neoliberal wrecking crew, the birchers, birthers, and teabaggers have lined up behind them and their deceptive, divisive, and duplicitous charter trigger […]
Weigand ES Community protest the trigger happy Parent Revolution astroturf reactionaries
rdsathene * Robert D. Skeels at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 week ago
First published on solidaridad on June 1, 2013 “This further substantiates our claim that by not openly demanding wealth redistribution, reparations, or justice for exploited workers, white social justice non-profits function as brokers for the wealthy.” — Tiffany Lethabo King and Ewuare Osyande (The Revolution Will Not Be Funded, 82) Great footage by LArepresents of […]
Noam Chomsky, Howard Gardner, and Bruno della Chiesa on 45th anniversary of “Pedagogy of the Oppressed”
rdsathene * Robert D. Skeels at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 week ago
“I stayed with Marx in the worldliness, looking for Christ in the transcendentality.” — Paolo Freire On May Day 2013, Harvard’s Askwith Forum commemorated the 45th anniversary of the publication of Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed with a discussion about the book’s impact and relevance to education today. Chuck Leddy tweeted about his write […]
Two Questions for Commissioner Deborah Gist
Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 week ago
Commissioner Gist of Rhode Island has taken to the op-ed pages to defend standardized testing, going so far as to declare that Too often, standardized tests become a convenient stand-in for the ills of our education system. People frequently blame assessments for less-than-inspired teaching. Really? Is that your experience, Ms. Gist? If you ask the […]
Parents Opt Out . . . of Student Eye Scanning
Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 week ago
In the state that spawned Chiefs for Change (and Folding Cash), the education industrial complex just got hooked up with the homeland security and surveillance complex in Polk County. Just as everyone was starting to believe that the Polk County Schools were working on an austerity basis with a twelve million dollar budget shortfall as […]
Governor Chris Christie and Ed Commissioner Cerf Leaving NJ’s Children Behind
freetoteach at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 week ago
Funding for New Jersey’s public schools is falling behind and leaving lots of children left behind. After more than a decade of NCLB which was supposed to close the achievement gap, yeah right, Chris Christie and President Obama’s love fest this past week in boosting the tv ratings on the Jersey Shore, is little comfort […]
Return Philadelphia Schools to Local Control Rally Wed June 5th
freetoteach at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 week ago
Pennsylvania Education Crisis Highlights - May 31st, 2013 Philadelphia City Council Education Committee hearing on the return of the Philadelphia School District to local control Monday, June 3rd 10:00 a.m. People wanting to speak may sign up right before the meeting. Stand Together for real food and safe schools for our kids Rally: Wednesday, June 5th 4:00 p.m. […]
Denver Blacklisting Teachers Without Cause
freetoteach at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 week ago
Sign petition here All across the country, from coast to coast, even here in New Jersey, where we have had the best public school systems in the country, experienced teachers are being fired. Under the guise of a bad evaluation, teachers in Denver are the latest victims and are being targeted despite years of teaching […]
Over a Half-Million Viewers Share Rubenstein’s Resignation Speech
Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 week ago
Captured in 10 minutes here are so many of the truths known by teachers everywhere during these Dark Days. When teachers begin to speak this way while still employed, rather than as they walk out, only then will we see progress in rolling back the influence of the oligarchs to create a new breed of […]