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CORPORATE ED REFORM
Education Hostage Crisis
A recent report by one of my favorite local NPR-affiliate reporters, Kavitha Cardoza, made me want to scream. She was reporting on a report about suspension and expulsion rates in Washington DC traditional and public charter school. The gist of it is that 1) students in poor neighborhoods get suspended and expelled more than students in wealthier neighborhoods; and 2) charter schools suspend and expel students at a higher rate than traditional public schools. Other snippets: Across both systems Read more [...]
What's Behind the Rise of the Badass Teachers Association?
But nothing can compare to what has happened with a group I helped found earlier this weekend, with an activist from the midwest, Priscilla Sanstead. It's called "The Badass Teachers Association." Within one day, the group had grown to about 270 members, and then, through a recruiting contest we organized on the recommendation of Long Island teacher Marla Massey Kilfoyle, we shot up to more than 1,500 members between 4 PM and midnight on Sunday! Four days later, nearly 6,500 educators have joined.
The surge of energy that accompanied this meteoric rise in membership is like nothing I had experienced before in Facebook activism. And it requires some explanation. Why did a group with a half-humorous, and extremely provocative name, create such excitement among teachers all over the nation?
The key may lie in the statement we wrote describing our reason for creating the group:
"This is for every teacher who refuses to be blamed for the failure of our society to erase poverty and inequality, and refuses to accept assessments, tests and evaluations imposed by those who
Remainders: On the unexpected lessons from Regents week
- One lesson from the hard slog of Regents week: that students are good people. (View from the Bronx)
- Teacher Marc Epstein puts the current Regents scoring fiasco into an historical context. (HuffPo)
- A new documentary profiles a Newark high school teacher of students with autism. (Answer Sheet)
- A researcher says criticism of testing in New York City is fair, but a real plan is needed. (Eric Horowitz)
- Jessica Siegel says she knows from a phone call that StudentsFirstNY is planning a comeback. (HuffPo)
- A teacher breaks down and learns from his students’ responses to a survey he gave. (Larry Ferlazzo)
- City schools have very different yields from parent fundraising, which a map shows. (N.Y. World)
- In Japan, one out of 40 students refuses to go to school, and few school options exist for them. (NY1)
- A UFT official sees a disheartening future and a need for change in the city’s graduation rate. (Edwize)
- A cigar store will have to close after smoking up Millennium High School’s gym. (Downtown Express)
- Having to round up support for their classes can feel like groveling for teachers. (TAL via Hechinger)
- City teens, with the Center for Court Innovation, have ideas for curbing absenteeism. (Insideschools)
City had concerns about McGraw-Hill, but low-ball offer won out
There was apparently a better choice than CTB McGraw-Hill to oversee the new electronic grading system that this week faltered in spectacular fashion: Pearson.
But Pearson’s services would have cost the city nearly three times as much as McGraw-Hill’s, a bargain that the
But Pearson’s services would have cost the city nearly three times as much as McGraw-Hill’s, a bargain that the
Predominantly Latino Elementary School in California to be Renamed in Honor of Michelle Obama
A predominantly Latino San Fernando Valley School has voted to change its name to honor First Lady Michelle Obama.The Valley Region Elementary School No. 13 school name change came after the Los Angeles Unified board (LAUSD) voted unanimously this week for the change.
“This name was selected by the school-site council because Michelle Obama supports active living and eating healthy, and the school models itself on that,” said LAUSD board member Nury Martinez to the Pasadena Star News.
The $23 million school was opened last year to relieve overcrowding in the nearby schools of Burton, Nobel, Panorama City, and Valerio elementary schools.
The student body is very diverse made up of 5 ethnicities. The largest ethnic group are Latinos which represent 91% of the student body followed by African-American, Asian and Fillipino students. The majority of students (52%) are English learners with nearly all families socio-economically disadvantaged according to official school demographics.
Is Michelle Rhee a Fraud? | John Merrow’s Taking Note
by John Merrow – “Thank you for showing the world that Michelle Rhee is a fraud.” The woman who said that to me at a banquet at the Harvard Club last week is known to serious education wonks. “I have been sending your exposé to governors and legislators all over the country,” she added. “In ...read more
Washington Stink Tank Launches Center on Higher Education Reform
Andrew Kelly is the founding director of the American Enterprise Institute.The center, which is led by AEI founding director Andrew P. Kelly, is expected to “conduct independent, data-driven research and analysis designed to inform policymaking and shape the higher education reform conversation,” according to AEI.
“AEI’s new Center on Higher Education Reform will lead the conversation about how we can make higher education work for all Americans, and to prepare American students to flourish in the decades to come,” AEI
Did You Ever Expect to Hear Eloquence at a School Board Meeting?
Steve Zimmer, the school board member who beat back a multi-million dollar campaign to defeat him just a few months ago, spoke to his fellow members of the Los Angeles school board at their meeting yesterday.
He talked about the importance of class size. He demolished the claim that teachers want to reduce class size
He talked about the importance of class size. He demolished the claim that teachers want to reduce class size
Guest Post: Stopping the School-to-Prison Pipeline
We asked some of the journalists attending EWA's 66th National Seminar, held at Stanford University in May, to contribute posts from the sessions. You can find additional content, including video, at EdMedia Commons. Helen Zelon of City Limits is today's guest blogger.
Since the dawn of zero-tolerance policing in the 1980s, responsibility for school discipline has steadily shifted from teachers, principals, deans and counselors to law enforcement officials, including police officers and school resource officers or safety agents. The result has been a steep, persistent rise in student arrests, suspensions and expulsions, despite steady declines in violence in schools.
Since the dawn of zero-tolerance policing in the 1980s, responsibility for school discipline has steadily shifted from teachers, principals, deans and counselors to law enforcement officials, including police officers and school resource officers or safety agents. The result has been a steep, persistent rise in student arrests, suspensions and expulsions, despite steady declines in violence in schools.
The Texas Tribune: In Dallas, 3-Year High School Diploma Would Expand Preschool
A bill passed in the legislative session will allow the Dallas I.S.D. to use money saved when students in the new plan graduate, and redirect it to prekindergarten programs.
A Lifeline for Minorities, Catholic Schools Retrench
Many blacks and Latinos say they can trace the success they have achieved in their careers to the guidance they received in Catholic schools.
Blacklisted DPS teachers get second chance - Blacklisted teachers
CMS Community School parent Angela Rodriguez complains about the number of probationary teachers whose contracts were not renewed at her school at a DCTA news conference MondayThe majority will be able to apply for future positions in the district after three years of demonstrated classroom success in another district or charter school.
While not spelled out in policy, the district practice was tweaked in a document reviewed by the board Thursday.
Probationary teachers whose contracts are not renewed now face three options: they are immediately eligible for
Lawmakers Attempt to Save Student Loan Deal
WASHINGTON—A handful of senators struggled Thursday to hold together a bipartisan deal to keep student loan rates from doubling on July 1 while their colleagues traded political barbs with little more than a week to go before the deadline.
Top White House officials, meanwhile, told lawmakers they were open to changes in President Barack Obama’s student loan proposal if a compromise could be reached that would win congressional approval.
The behind-the-scenes negotiations were an attempt to head off a rate hike that Congress’ Joint Economic Committee estimated would cost the average student borrower an extra $2,600. Both parties rushed to microphones to point fingers at the other for the potential hike but kept in touch with back-channel efforts that
Top White House officials, meanwhile, told lawmakers they were open to changes in President Barack Obama’s student loan proposal if a compromise could be reached that would win congressional approval.
The behind-the-scenes negotiations were an attempt to head off a rate hike that Congress’ Joint Economic Committee estimated would cost the average student borrower an extra $2,600. Both parties rushed to microphones to point fingers at the other for the potential hike but kept in touch with back-channel efforts that
Virginia, North Carolina Schools, Universities Partner to Provide STEM Opportunities to Minorities
The Virginia-North Carolina Alliance supports minority students in STEM.Through these partnerships, public, private and historically Black colleges exchange resources and best practices to implement programs focused on student support, academic enrichment and research skill development. Such alliances also allow schools to pursue grant money toward increasing enrollment among underrepresented groups. Recently, the Virginia-North Carolina Alliance for Minority Participation received a
Parent to LAUSD School Board: Please Protect Us with Fairness | Diane Ravitch’s blog
by Raquel Cedillo; posted by Diane Ravitch – This is testimony delivered by a parent to the Los Angeles school board, as they debated whether to create new rules governing the “parent trigger” takeover process. She asked the school board to guarantee a fair process that protects parents against manipulation and exploitation. This is what ...read more
The post Parent to LAUSD School Board: Please Protect Us with Fairness | Diane Ravitch’s blog appeared first on NPE News Briefs.
The post Parent to LAUSD School Board: Please Protect Us with Fairness | Diane Ravitch’s blog appeared first on NPE News Briefs.