Latest News and Comment from Education

Friday, November 8, 2013

Morning Wink 11-8-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2


BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS

TODAY

11-8-13 Fred Klonsky | Running for our pensions. | VOTE 4 Fred Klonsky
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Running for our pensions. | VOTE 4 Fred Klonsky Running for our pensions. | VOTE 4 Fred KlonskyRunning for our pensions. | Fred Klonsky:  I’ve never campaigned to be a delegate to the IEA Representative Assembly before, although I have been a delegate for all but one of the last twenty or so.My old lo
11-8-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Friday Open ThreadTwo Director Community meetings tomorrow:Director Carr from 8:30-10:30 am at Bethany Community ChurchDirector Smith-Blum from 10 am to noon at Capitol Hill LibraryRemember that commercial about pollution from the '70s with the Native American man surveying what pollution had done to the land?  The one that ends with the tear down his cheek? Here's
The Principal: The Most Misunderstood Person in All of Education - Kate Rousmaniere - The Atlantic
The Principal: The Most Misunderstood Person in All of Education - Kate Rousmaniere - The Atlantic: The Principal: The Most Misunderstood Person in All of EducationA single individual, in a single professional role, acts on a daily basis as the connecting link between a large bureaucratic system and the daily experiences of a large number of children and adults.  A few years ago when I walked the
A few quick thoughts and graphs on Mis-NAEP-ery | School Finance 101
A few quick thoughts and graphs on Mis-NAEP-ery | School Finance 101: A few quick thoughts and graphs on Mis-NAEP-eryPosted on November 8, 20130 Yesterday gave us the release of the 2013 NAEP results, which of course brings with it a bunch of ridiculous attempts to cast those results as supporting the reform-du-jour. Most specifically yesterday, the big media buzz was around the gains from 2011 to
5 Things You Need To Know About Your Student Loans | ED.gov Blog
5 Things You Need To Know About Your Student Loans | ED.gov Blog: 5 Things You Need To Know About Your Student LoansPosted on November 8, 2013 by Nicole CallahanIf you’re anything like me, you probably neglected to read all the fine print when you first took out your student loans. Now it’s time to start repaying them, and you have no idea where to begin…Lucky for people like us, many federal stud
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-8-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Bad News from Me | Diane Ravitch's blogDo New York Officials Understand NAEP Scores?This reader points out that the leaders of New York State so not understand NAEP achievement levels. They are not grade levels. “Proficiency” on NAEP means superior academic performance. Please, someone, explain the levels to them : “John King and M
11-8-13 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: MORE Video: The Time is NOW to Say NO to the High Stakes Testing MadnessNow playing at MORE: 11/7 Day of ActionOk. So I'm a day late and a dollar short (what the hell does that mean?). The talented Dan Lupkin, one of MORE media's newer recruits, made this video for the Nov. 7 national day of action protesting testing madness, an idea that came out of MORE's participation in a nati
11-8-13 Wait What?
Wait What?: When Capital Prep’s Steve Perry isn’t AWOL he is busy doing media interviews…Thursday, November 7, 8:15 AM More than 500 students are inside or headed to Capital Prep Magnet School in Hartford But Steve Perry, Capital Prep’s principal is tweeting “Birmingham Alabama! Tune in at 7:30 to WJLD. I can’t wait to be back in Birmingham w your Mayor,” Since Birmingham, Alabama is in the Centra
11-8-13 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: Part 2: Has Corporate Education "Reform" Earned Another 25 Years to Complete the Resegregation and Privatization Agendas?As noted in Part 1 of our consideration of the 2013 NAEP results, the twenty years of NAEP testing prior to 1990 are not presented by this year by Duncan's Little Shop of Horrors. To do so would serve as a reminder of how the dramatic narrowing of the a
11-8-13 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Sometimes It's Cool To Do NothingNAEP scores out - small gains on math and reading.WE MUST DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!!!WE CANNOT ALLOW THIS!!!SOMEBODY MUST BE FIRED, WE MUST CHANGE EVERYTHING AND MAKE SURE THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN!!!WE CANNOT WAIT ANY LONGER!!!!CHANGE COMES NOW!!!!by reality-based edu... / 5h  7-11-13 Perdido Street SchoolPerdido Street School: Another Bloomb
11-8-13 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: Learning and Teaching in Scarcity: How High-Stakes ‘Accountability’ Cultivates Failure | AlternetLearning and Teaching in Scarcity: How High-Stakes \’Accountability\’ Cultivates Failure | Alternet. via Learning and Teaching in Scarcity: How High-Stakes \’Accountability\’ Cultivates Failure | Alternet. via Learning and Teaching in Scarcity: How High-Stakes ‘Accountability’ Cultiva
Send Tom Corbett Packing! | WeArePCAPS
Send Tom Corbett Packing! | WeArePCAPS: Send Tom Corbett Packing!Posted on November 8, 2013by wearepcapsYesterday protestors outnumbered supporters as Tom Corbett opened his campaign in Southeast PA in Fox Chase.   The Governor was definitely not kissing babies and pressing flesh as he was whisked into his SUV as angry demonstrators surrounded him.   The “Send Corbett Packing” U-haul van that appe
After 5 hours of testimony, State Board sends funding law regs back for revisions | EdSource Today
After 5 hours of testimony, State Board sends funding law regs back for revisions | EdSource Today: After 5 hours of testimony, State Board sends funding law regs back for revisionsNovember 7th, 2013 | Add a Comment | By John Fensterwald2Staff and members of the State Board of Education promised to revise proposed spending rules for the new school funding system after hearing speed testimonies Thu
With A Brooklyn Accent: While Diane Ravitch Recovers, the BATS will Carry on Her Work
With A Brooklyn Accent: While Diane Ravitch Recovers, the BATS will Carry on Her Work: While Diane Ravitch Recovers, the BATS will Carry on Her WorkAs we all hope and pray for Diane Ravitch's full recovery, let us take a moment to contemplate what with her full and enthusiastic support, this group has accomplished. In five short months, we have built an organization that has as much, or more publi
Not Everything That Ails Public Education is Common Core | Truth in American Education
Not Everything That Ails Public Education is Common Core | Truth in American Education: Not Everything That Ails Public Education is Common CoreFiled in Common Core State Standards by Shane Vander Hart on November 8, 2013 • 0 Comments65Awareness about the Common Core is up and that is good.  I’ve been thrilled by the interest and activism that is taking place on a national and state level.  In our
11-8-13 The Answer Sheet - Common Core implementation called ‘worse’ than Healthcare.gov launch
Common Core implementation called ‘worse’ than Healthcare.gov launch: Common Core implementation called ‘worse’ than Healthcare.gov launchBY VALERIE STRAUSSNovember 8 at 6:00 am(Photo by Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg)Whether you support the Common Core State Standards or don’t, it’s hard to argue that the implementation so far has been smooth. I’ve posted some pieces about just bad the implementation of
NYC Educator: Why a Second Language Is Important
NYC Educator: Why a Second Language Is Important: Why a Second Language Is ImportantI'm pretty lucky in that I teach English as a Second Language. Apart from the fact that my students are amazing, interesting, and unpredictable, they generally have an intrinsic motivation. If you want any sort of worthwhile future in the United States, you really have to learn English. If you're an aspiring dishwa
Big Concerns Spur Big Turnout of Teachers at Annual NJEA Convention - NJ Spotlight
Big Concerns Spur Big Turnout of Teachers at Annual NJEA Convention - NJ Spotlight: BIG CONCERNS SPUR BIG TURNOUT OF TEACHERS AT ANNUAL NJEA CONVENTIONJOHN MOONEY | NOVEMBER 8, 2013Tougher evaluations, new standards and testing for students – and re-election of nemesis Gov. Chris Christie – among items on agendaMaybe it was the pent-up energy from the year off due to Hurricane Sandy. The New Jerse
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Racing to the Top?
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Racing to the Top?: Racing to the Top?Socrates: "We're all mortal", even Diane. AMAZING DIANE RAVITCH, still blogging from her hospital bed. But she has to cancel her Chicago talk. First Free Church would have been packed to the rafters.This week I realized that Socrates was right: All men are mortal. So are all women. I am going to take some time off and r
How Do Teachers Teach in Turnaround Schools? | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
How Do Teachers Teach in Turnaround Schools? | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: How Do Teachers Teach in Turnaround Schools?I posted this piece in August of 2009. I offer it again because the points I raise in it remain relevant today. Turning around a school means that federal, state, and local officials identify a low-performing school, remove staff, and new administrators an

YESTERDAY

For the Record: Teach for America placement | catalyst-chicago.org
For the Record: Teach for America placement | catalyst-chicago.org: For the Record: Teach for America placementShare on windycitizenShare on facebookShare on emailAs Teach for America's presence in Chicago grows, nearly 60 percent of teachers in the program are in charter schools.By: Rebecca Harris / November 7, 2013The mass teacher layoffs this year that resulted from school closings and budget c
Monster (Teaching In The Era of Evaluations) - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson
Monster (Teaching In The Era of Evaluations) - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson: Monster (Teaching In The Era of Evaluations)by JOSE VILSON on NOVEMBER 7, 2013in MR. VILSONLion RoarThe way I taught this year, you’d think I had a chip on my shoulder. I do, and now I own it.The last two months, I revamped my whole teaching style, not because Charlotte Danielson or any other education expert told me
Robben Island at 4360 Broadway southbronxschool.com
http://www.southbronxschool.com: Robben Island at 4360 BroadwayAs many of you know, I have been reassigned due to my blogging and exposing the day in and day out hypocrisy of the NYCDOE. I believe that this has been part of a vast conspiracy with my principal, Dr Alison Coviello; PhD and Principal at the center of the conspiracy. I don;t have any concrete evidence, but I believe that God shine a p
4LAKids - L.A. UNIFIED LOSES ROUND IN EFFORT TO KEEP TEACHER RATINGS SECRET
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: L.A. UNIFIED LOSES ROUND IN EFFORT TO KEEP TEACHER RATINGS SECRET: L.A. UNIFIED LOSES ROUND IN EFFORT TO KEEP TEACHER RATINGS SECRETBY HOWARD BLUME, L.A. TIMES | HTTP://LAT.MS/17HNW26November 7, 2013, 7:28 p.m.  ::  The Los Angeles Unified School District has lost a key round in a legal battle to keep the performance ratings of individual teachers confi
On the latest D.C. NAEP Miracle | Gary Rubinstein's Blog
On the latest D.C. NAEP Miracle | Gary Rubinstein's Blog: On the latest D.C. NAEP MiracleToday the results from the 2013 NAEP came out, and ‘reformers’ everywhere are celebrating the amazing gains by states with an aggressive reform agenda.  In 2011, the average national score for the four main NAEP tests (4th grade reading, 4th grade math, 8th grade reading, and 8th grade math) was about a 250, w
Bad News from Me | Diane Ravitch's blog
Bad News from Me | Diane Ravitch's blog: Bad News from MeDear Friends,I wanted to share some not very good news about my health.This week, my hyperactivity and age caught up with me. It turns out I am not Wonder Woman but mortal me.I have been in a hospital for teo days in Brooklyn, where they determined I have blood clots in one leg and walking pneumonia. Doctors’ orders: rest.That means I cannot
Sue Peters: Newly Elected Seattle School Board Member | Seattle Education
Sue Peters: Newly Elected Seattle School Board Member | Seattle Education: Sue Peters: Newly Elected Seattle School Board MemberThis morning Suzanne Estey conceded the race and Sue Peters is now our newly elected School Board Director for District 4 in Seattle.It really happened. David downed Goliath. The Goliath of $200,000 in PAC donations from a moneyed few as opposed to the $28,000 in donation
2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress - Year 2013
2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education): California Students Make Major Gains in National Tests,State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson AnnouncesSACRAMENTO—California's eighth graders made the biggest gain in reading scores in the country last year, the 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) shows, State Superintendent of Public Instruction To
With A Brooklyn Accent: Tennessee BAT Tales- Installment One
With A Brooklyn Accent: Tennessee BAT Tales- Installment One: Tennessee BAT Tales- Installment OneHere is what is happening in Tennessee. For the past few years, working conditions for teachers and learning conditions for students have gotten progressively worse. The emphasis on testing is hurting our schools. Teachers and students are constantly preparing, taking, or reviewing tests. Many teacher
Nite Cap 11-7-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
James Baldwin said it best: "For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAPTODAYCommitment to Community Schools: Alignment in Purpose | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School InsightsCommitment to Community Schools: Alignment in Purpose | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Commitment to Community S
Commitment to Community Schools: Alignment in Purpose | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights
Commitment to Community Schools: Alignment in Purpose | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Commitment to Community Schools: Alignment in PurposeThe Coalition for Community Schools on behalf of Hartford Public SchoolsStory posted October 22, 2013Results:Between the 2009-2010 and 2011- 2012 school years, reading proficiency scores increased by over 10 percentage pointsSchool attend
It's time to show our appreciation for our education support professionals | Lily's Blackboard
It's time to show our appreciation for our education support professionals | Lily's Blackboard: Flowers for MargaretNov 7th, 2013 by Lily.I always started my day at Orchard Elementary checking my mailbox in the school office for any memos, flyers, notes,  you-name-it. I ended my day the same way.Looking back now, I remember that Margaret, our school secretary, was already at her desk greeting stud
Enacting Economic Equity – redqueeninla
Enacting Economic Equity – redqueeninla: Enacting Economic EquityIt’s the avowed 800 pound gorilla in the room, No, Not that ONE! It’s the avowed 800 pound gorilla in the room: poverty just mucks up everyone’s numbers. Kids don’t “achieve learning”, schools fail to make “adequate yearly progress”, businesses can’t locate sufficient or acceptable workers.The “education gap” between rich and poor is
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: PARENT ENGAGEMENT
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: PARENT ENGAGEMENT: PARENT ENGAGEMENTCPS parent volunteersLatest from CPS -- All parent school volunteers will now be required to be fingerprinted. Accurate Biometrics has been given the $650,000 contract (no board approval required) to do the fingerprinting and parents will have to travel to one of their four centers in the city to have it done. According to Brother
'Nation's Report Card': Who Cares? If you fix some of these numbers maybe the other numbers will mean something!
Per Student Public Education Spending Decreases in 2011 for First Time in Nearly Four Decades, Census Bureau ReportsNote: This is a revised release due to two changes. The embedded map incorrectly had Wyoming as spending more than $16,000 and the District of Columbia spending less than $16,000. The map was corrected to reflect the true spending for Wyoming ($15,849) and the District of Columbia ($
Fallacies, realities about teachers and education schools | Other Views | NewsObserver.com
Fallacies, realities about teachers and education schools | Other Views | NewsObserver.com: Fallacies, realities about teachers and education schools By Michael Maher and Paola SztajnEvery day when we come to work, we have the privilege of interacting with amazing young people. Many of them were among the top students in their high schools with average SAT scores above 1100 and an average weighted
11-7-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: From the Live Blog thread, The Mission of this BlogA lot of discussion arose in the live blog thread about the nature of this blog and the needs of the community. This blog can be the place for people to connect all across the District. If you have a thread that you would like us to start, then you are free to suggest it. We get a lot of such requests and typically
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: HOW TO GRADE A TEACHER: The usefulness of test scores is limited and should be treated that way + smf’s 2¢
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: HOW TO GRADE A TEACHER: The usefulness of test scores is limited and should be treated that way + smf’s 2¢: HOW TO GRADE A TEACHER: The usefulness of test scores is limited and should be treated that way + smf’s 2¢BY THE LA TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD  |  HTTP://LAT.MS/1HMJVJDNovember 7, 2013  ::  As the recent job evaluation of Los Angeles Unified Supt. John
11-7-13 THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG Common Core: An Educator's Perspective — Whole Child Education
Common Core: An Educator's Perspective — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGCommon Core: An Educator’s PerspectiveNovember 7, 2013 by Steven WeberIf the state of North Carolina decides to pull the plug on the Common Core State Standards, it will be a slap in the face to the teachers and administrators who have spent countless hours (most on their own time without reimbursement) preparing t
11-7-13 Jersey Jazzman
Jersey Jazzman: What Happened Tuesday?I've listened to a fair bit of punditry and read a fair bit of opinion about Tuesday's election results. And it still doesn't make sense to me. I'll leave Virginia out of this because I really didn't follow the race. But here in Metro NYC, we had two big, contiguous races. Both ended in landslides - but for candidates who couldn't be more different: Bill de Bl
Running for our pensions. | VOTE 4 Fred Klonsky
Running for our pensions. | Fred Klonsky:  I’ve never campaigned to be a delegate to the IEA Representative Assembly before, although I have been a delegate for all but one of the last twenty or so.My old local, the Park Ridge Education Association, could send five delegates. And frankly it was good if most years we had five people willing to spend three days in a large hotel convention room.Some
NAEP? Nope: Why (Almost) Everyone Will Misread (Again) Data on Gaps | the becoming radical
NAEP? Nope: Why (Almost) Everyone Will Misread (Again) Data on Gaps | the becoming radical: NAEP? NOPE: WHY (ALMOST) EVERYONE WILL MISREAD (AGAIN) DATA ON GAPSLet the data orgy begin!NAEP data have been released and I anticipate almost as much time and money will be wasted on the data as has been wasted on administering the tests, scoring the tests, and creating the handy web link to all that data
New Assessments, Better Instruction? | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights
New Assessments, Better Instruction? | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: New Assessments, Better Instruction?By Anne O'Brien on November 7, 2013Advocates hope that the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Initiative will lead to deeper learning by students – that the standards will result in students learning not only academic content, but how to think critically, work collaborati
Cali Education Headlines Thursday, November 7, 2013
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Fensterwald: States’ testing exec embraces California’s controversial decision for Common Core testsEducation HeadlinesThursday, November 7, 2013Alum on Coachella Valley High's Arab mascot: 'Times are changing'A national anti-discrimination group is pressuring Coachella Valley High School to abandon its longstanding mascot — a sneering, hook-
Ray Kelly Doesn’t Need the Support of Liberal Civil Libertarians. Brown’s Student Activists Do. |
Ray Kelly Doesn’t Need the Support of Liberal Civil Libertarians. Brown’s Student Activists Do. |: Ray Kelly Doesn’t Need the Support of Liberal Civil Libertarians. Brown’s Student Activists Do.November 7, 2013 in StudentsYesterday The Nation hosted an online roundtable about an incident at Brown University in which New York police chief Ray Kelly, the public face of that city’s racist, unconstitu
The Educated Reporter: The Nation's Report Card: A Slow Climb Up a Steep Hill
The Educated Reporter: The Nation's Report Card: A Slow Climb Up a Steep Hill: The Nation's Report Card: A Slow Climb Up a Steep HillThe “Nation’s Report Card” is out today for fourth and eighth graders in reading and math, and while there are some positive trends over the past two decades, a significant achievement gap persists among minorities and for America’s students when compared with their
Momentum Grows Against Zero Tolerance Discipline and High-Stakes Testing - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
Momentum Grows Against Zero Tolerance Discipline and High-Stakes Testing - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Momentum Grows Against Zero Tolerance Discipline and High-Stakes TestingBy Anthony Cody on November 7, 2013 10:25 AMGuest post by Judith Browne Dianis,  Rhonda Brownstein, Jessica Feierman, and Monty Neill.Across the country, resistance is growing against public education's incre
Morning Wink 11-7-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSTODAYWelcome to The Nation's Report Card! NAEP - Mathematics and Reading 2013NAEP - Mathematics and Reading 2013: Welcometo The Nation's Report Card!Explore interactive and dynamic graphics that illustrate the results of the 2013 mathematics and reading assessments.Test yourself with actual National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) questions.Watch