All Week @ THE CHALK FACE
Let me tell you a little something about me #edreform
Since 2009, in professional terms, I’ve suffered some fairly significant losses. I pursued a PhD in 2005 and completed it in 2009, thinking that higher education would lift me to some higher plane in terms of my understanding and practice of my chosen discipline. Understanding it brought me, indeed. And improvements to my practice, certainly, […]
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A MOMENT IN NCTE HISTORY – NCTE ANNUAL CONVENTION BOSTON, 2013. via A MOMENT IN NCTE HISTORY – NCTE ANNUAL CONVENTION BOSTON, 2013.
In May 2010, US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan spoke at the first annual “Mom Congress” at Georgetown University. Duncan’s goal, as reported on the USDOE website, was “to discuss how to effect meaningful change in American education and to mobilize millions of parents to become more involved in their children’s learning.” [Emphasis added.] Duncan wants […]
Today, a protest took place, which was started by a New York State mom and was aggressively advertised as a move against the Common Core State Standards. It was celebrated as national day of protest, although it seems that designation fell flat. It seemed like a good way to get attention, and to some extent, […]
YESTERDAY
My LWV Speech and Debate of Common Core
On Thursday, November 21, 2013, I had the opportunity to speak to members and guests of the Baton Rouge group, Leaders With Vision, regarding my experience with and research writings on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). My speech and debate partner was retired St. Tammany teacher and fellow blogger/activist Lee Barrios. Barrios and I debated against two […]
The Disconnect Between the “College Push” and Projected Louisiana Career Reality
John White insists that Louisiana needs “the higher academic expectations” that supposedly come with the untested Common Core State Standards (CCSS). He insists that CCSS will “prepare students for the rigor of education after high school” and cites the lametable statistic that “fewer that 30 percent of Louisianans have a two- or four-year degree.” There […]
@thechalkface and @slekar talking turkey: Studio Versions
Shaun and I have been doing the Sunday night radio show on Blog Talk Radio for the last three years. However, at the same time we have been traveling to Madison, Wisconsin to record professionally produced episodes of @the chalkface at MidWest Family Broadcasting. Over the last three years, during marathon interviewing sessions we have […]
NOV 21
Michelle Malkin favorited this tweet of mine. Interesting. #tcot
Behold. Explain? Tagged: malkin, tcot, tea party, Twitter
So, the BATS still can’t be bothered to sign a darn petition?
Why are BATS not flying on this one? Have we finally gauged the limits of slacktivism? That is, a like on Facebook translating to almost nothing. Not that I or we put too much stock in petitions. But it’s been an interesting few days, where I’ve seen an actual White House petition to dump Duncan […]
Higher Ed, Corporate Reform Has Arrived: Featuring Maryland’s Nancy Grasmick
Though much of corporate reform focuses on the K-12 classroom, its well-financed, invasive influence certainly does not stop with the public high school. Imposing philanthropy and its fast friend, the business of education, also aim to control America’s college and university classrooms. Higher education faculty, you are not out of the reformer’s reach. Over the last several decades, there has bee
NOV 20
Does Common Core Matter? An Excellent Musing by Tom Loveless
The Education Week article below was written in April 2012 by Brookings Institute member Tom Loveless. In it, Loveless argues why having “common standards” across states will likely produce no monumental gains for states adopting Common Core. The piece raises such excellent points that I had to offer it to my readers. Does the Common Core Matter? By Tom […]
The New York Times in an Era of Kool-Aid Journalism
The New York Times in an Era of Kool-Aid Journalism. via The New York Times in an Era of Kool-Aid Journalism.
The Bizzaro World of Education 2.0
The policy of public school consolidation is recipe for disaster. Education “reformers, experts, policy makers” close public schools by using “under-utilization” or “under-performing” seats as an excuse to create larger school sizes. They view the outcome (test scores) as a production problem (teachers) and aim to alter the process (instruction) for the consumer (students). This […]
NOV 19
Closed minds from close reading?
Great piece by Valerie Strauss from the Washington Post Answer Sheet column on close reading of the Gettysburg address per the Common Core gods. I cannot speak for ELA teachers, but teaching history using this method is poor practice in my opinion. From Valerie Strauss: Imagine learning about the Gettysburg Address without a mention of […]
A #commoncore, #collegeandcareerready version of the Gettysburg address. Enjoy the world of work future bees!
If the CCSS gets its way, here’s what it might do to the Gettysburg address, on its 150th anniversary. Tagged: college and career ready, common core, gettysburg address
My attempt at completing my first grader’s Common Core math homework - and a little historical CCSS context
Reblogged from Crazy Crawfish's Blog: I know that many people are thinking the commotion over Common Core, CCSS, is much ado about nothing. I've heard some folks liken this change to the Affordable Care Act (AKA) Obamacare. There are some similarities to how these things were implemented and rolled out nationwide, but while the ACA was voted […]
The Duncan Debacle: It’s Not (Just) about Duncan
The Duncan Debacle: It\’s Not (Just) about Duncan. via The Duncan Debacle: It’s Not (Just) about Duncan.
An Arne Duncan Reader: Let’s Have that Conversation
While Secretary of Education Arne Duncan—career-long bureaucrat who has never taught and has no formal background in education—has created a controversy over his swipe at “white suburban moms,” the great irony comes from his equally vapid apology, in which he concludes: “Let’s get back to that conversation, because it’s an important one for our country.” Yes, we should […]
The Elephant in the Classroom
When it comes to dealing with chronically disruptive students, everyone – administrators, teachers, guidance counselors, and social service providers – must operate from the “same page.” Keeping chronically disruptive students in the classroom, as opposed to removing them from classroom, isn’t an effective instructional practice. Although suspensions aren’t effective, no student has the right to
NOV 18
Keeping the Billionaires Out of Reform Resistance: What Do WE Want?
Image from: http://kochcash.org/the-kochtopus/ Arne Duncan’s trying his darndest to cloak resistance to education reform as the mantle of either “crazy Tea Party” people or privileged “suburban moms” (his words, not mine). Nice way to deflect Arne, but it won’t work. You see, here in the trenches we are not all Conservatives. And we are not all […]
Arne Is Aiming for Damage Control But Just Can’t Seem to Get It Right
US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s tasteless remarks on Friday about the seeming inability of “White suburban mothers” to come to terms with their children’s limited intellectual ability as such is highlighted by the Duncan-beloved Common Core State Standards (CCSS) has the former Australian basketball player-gone-US-Sec-of Ed attempting to “close the gap” and re-score some […]
@chucktodd @dailyrundown: Why SC State Sen. Lee Bright when talking #CCSS?
I was outside this morning checking the handy work completed by my wife and me yesterday in the rain and cold (putting up a shed). Luckily the shed was still in the yard but just as I was going to check out the detailed craftsmanship my wife opened the door, “Tim! Hurry up! Come here!” […]
Where are YOUR boundaries of activism, and can they be pushed a little?
I know for an irrefutable fact that this petition on ousting Secretary Duncan, more symbolic than practical, has been making the rounds in the last two days. Given the recent press on Duncan’s odd remark regarding suburban white moms, or whatever, I have no idea why this petition, as of this writing, is stagnant at […]
Cuomo: No longer the “lobbyist” for the students?
As the fight over Common Core, high-stakes testing, the new APPR teacher evaluation system, and education commissioner John King’s leadership hits a fever pitch in New York State, Governor Andrew Cuomo has been silent for weeks. Today we finally get some quotes from Cuomo who declared himself “lobbyist” for the students of New York. “It’s […]
Now we all care Secretary Duncan.
My initial and continued reaction to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s ‘suburban moms” speech is how he insulted all parents with his flippant comment. Does he imply that other parents do not care about their children? Or does he think Common Core opposition comes from only one segment of society? Is this the continued strategy of Common […]
NOV 17
New Mexico Grad Requirements Mean Trouble
Just in time for high school juniors and seniors to give thanks for all that Hanna Skandera has given them (headaches, stress, prescriptions for anti-migraine medications), the New Mexico Public [sic] Education Department has released its final version of the requirements needed to graduate with a diploma. This is great news! It means that the […]
Guest Post by Joseph Rella: A letter to @arneduncan
Secretary Arne Duncan U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue,SW Washington, D.C. 20202 Dear Secretary Duncan: My name is Joseph Rella. I am the Superintendent of Schools in the Comsewogue SchoolDistrict located in Port Jefferson Station, New York. I am writing to you as a non-white surburban mother to express my deep concern over recent comment that you made regardingcriticism […]
Perhaps the only thing proven by @arneduncan’s latest flub…
… is that he’s really an idiot without the skills and expertise to really understand what it is that he’s supposed to be doing. That is all. Tagged: arne duncan, secretary of education
Secretary Duncan and the Politics of White Outrage
Secretary Duncan and the Politics of White Outrage. via Secretary Duncan and the Politics of White Outrage.
NOV 16
Ravitch’s Realistic Assessment of 2013 NAEP Results and Reform “Success”
In his smug review of education historian Diane Ravitch’s November 8, 2013, questioning of the inconsistencies in 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results as an indicator that the corporate reform agenda is “working”– I use the term ”working” loosely since corporate reform has narrowed academic “success” to the almighty test score– StudentsFirst (don’t let the […]
At the Chalk Face brings it home again…
Another great set of studio shows in the can after a couple of days in Madison, WI, interviewing Karen Lewis, Ruth Conniff, a parent opt-out activist, Pasi Sahlberg, and a great hourlong chat with Nancy Carlsson-Paige. This WILL be syndicated. Soon. Tagged: at the chalk face, edreform radio, johnson, slekar