SPECIAL Mid Day Banana Break
Opposition to bad ideas isn’t ‘defending the status quo’
Gary Rubinstein says: It is not fair to label a group of people who include me, Diane Ravitch, Anthony Cody, Katie Osgood, Jersey Jazzman, EduShyster, and so many others as ‘status quo defenders’ just because the changes that we think would improve the education system are not the exact same changes that people who know nothing about schools including Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg, Arne Duncan, Wh
This teacher blogger takes issue with the opinion article written by Kerrie Dallman, the president of the Colorado Education Association, supporting inBloom, a project of Bill Gates and Rupert Murdoch. She writes: “Aside from your support of inBloom in Colorado and the glaring ethics and privacy issues the system poses, I have some real problems with your argument that teachers need inBloom as a
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-24-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: A New Film That Celebrates the Success of Public SchoolsIn this essay, Peter Dreier contrasts the films of the corporate reformers with a new film that shows the struggles, challenges, and successes of an American public school. Dreier usefully follows the money behind the corporate-funded films “Waiting for Superman” and “Won’t Ba
As the political debate swirls in some statehouses over the Common Core math and reading standards, most state education officials responsible for implementing the new K-12 standards are confident that their states will stick with the program, according to a survey released Wednesday. Read full article >>
Trusting Teachers Is a Means to Authentic Parent Engagement is an interesting post by Kim Farris-Berg over at Education Week. I’m adding it to The Best Reasons Why Parents Should Be Looked At As Allies & Not Targets Of Blame.
Google Partners with Publishers to Bring Affordable e-Textbooks to Students
Google has announced it will be partnering with 5 major textbook publishers to bring affordable e-textbooks to its Google Play Store starting in the Fall. Called "Play Textbooks," the announcement should be good news for students who have been pounded by skyrocketing textbook costs. Since 1978, college textbooks have seen an 812 percent rise in price--a rate that far outpaces inflation and tuition
Design-a-thon for Early Childhood Education
We've all heard of hack-a-thons, but have you heard of a design-a-thon? Ideaction Corp worked with the First Five Years Fund to put together a successful design-a-thon to address early childhood education. Learn more about what they did and a few lessons they learned along the way!
Help me become a Climate Leader
I have been selected as one of the few Climate Leaders (as well as the only South African) for the Climate Reality Leadership Corps (see http://climaterealityproject.org/leadership-corps) to attend training from the 30th of July to the 1st of August 2013 in Chicago, U.S.A. http://climaterealityproject.org/2013/07/16/climate-reality-leadership-corps-training-by-al-gore-in-chicago/ The Climate Reali
The trial of a civil lawsuit accusing HISD trustee Larry Marshall, the school district and two contractors of a bribery scheme has been postponed five weeks to Dec. 3. U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison on Wednesday pushed back the trial date after granting a request by HISD for more time to file motions in the Read More
President Obama will nominate Caroline Kennedy as the new ambassador to Japan on Wednesday, according to a report from the Associated Press. Kennedy, whose nomination to the post has been anticipated for some time, was a major supporter of Obama during his run for the presidency. The former first daughter would become the first female ambassador to the country, according to the AP. But she'd be
By Erika Hernandez, South Kern Sol/New America Media ARVIN, Calif. — This small town in South Kern County is home to many farmworkers, including young college students eager to make some cash during their summer break. And although it may seem strange to those living outside of California’s Central Valley, working in the fields, although physically demanding, can be a gratifying experience for man
Bankruptcy judge blocks labor lawsuits against Detroit
DETROIT (Reuters) – A U.S. bankruptcy court judge on Wednesday suspended lawsuits brought in Michigan state courts that had challenged Detroit’s bankruptcy filing on state constitutional grounds while the judge reviews the city’s petition for protection from creditors. All issues...
Inching Toward Equity: What Should Schools Do to Increase Social Mobility?
The great equalizer. It’s what public education is supposed to be. It’s what draws many of us to the field of educational improvement. And it’s what drew me to Core Knowledge. Taking the knowledge and skills that have long been exclusively in the minds of the educational elite and spelling out a grade-by-grade plan for [...]
A lifelong learner. Ninety-seven-year-old Hal “Grandpa” Lasker was a commercial typographer in his youth, designing and hand-drawing letters to create new fonts for greeting cards to advertising posters. Since retirement, Grandpa’s learned to use his computer to create extraordinary, finely detailed, pixilated paintings. (The Pixel Painter, Vimeo) “Twitterati.” Here is Anthony Jackson’s (in-progre
A little while ago the social media started lighting up with news of arrests at the state capitol. Solidarity Sing-Along members have been arrested in the Capitol, as the Department of Administration and Capitol Police are flexing their muscles after the recent court ruling that the DOA rules for the capitol are constitutional. We have heard that at least four have been arrested and released, and
Knox College Galesburg, Illinois 12:13 P.M. CDT THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Galesburg! (Applause.) Well, it’s good to be home in Illinois! (Applause.) It is good to be back. It’s good to be back. Thank you. Thank you so much, everybody. (Applause.) Thank you. Everybody, have a seat, have a seat. Well, it is good to be back. I want to, first of all, thank Knox College -- (applause) -- I wan
