NPE News Briefs ← from The Network for Public Education:
New York’s Teacher of the Year Is Not Rated “Highly Effective” | Diane Ravitch’s blog
Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio’s Education Promises | NYC Public School Parents
Arne Duncan to State Chiefs: Prove Critics Wrong by Setting the Bar Higher | Politics K-12 – Education Week
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New York’s Teacher of the Year testified to the State Senate Education Committee that the education evaluation system made it impossible for her to be rated “highly effective” because of the “dysfunctional implementation” of the Common Core standards. Kathleen Ferguson, the New York State Teacher of the year, was also the teacher of the year ...read moreThe post New York’s Teacher of the Year Is Not Rated “Highly Effective” | Diane Ravitch’s blog appeared first on NPE News Briefs.
Friday, November 15, 2013 Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio’s Education Promises On June 14, 2013, at a candidate forum held at Murray Bergtraum High School, Bill de Blasio pledged to follow through on the following education policies if elected mayor, and signed a document containing these promises. (These are marked as Forum below.) In response to ...read moreThe post Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio’s Education Promises | NYC Public School Parents appeared first on NPE News Briefs.
By Evie Blad on November 15, 2013 5:28 PM By guest blogger Evie Blad of the Rules for Engagement blog This week’s rollback of requirements for renewal of waivers from No Child Left Behind should not be interpreted as a softening of federal expectations for high standards and creative approaches among states, U.S. Education Secretary ...read moreThe post Arne Duncan to State Chiefs: Prove Critics Wrong by Setting the Bar Higher | Politics K-12 – Education Week appeared first on NPE News Briefs.
TODAY
Common Core Standards: Ten Colossal Errors | Anthony Cody – Living in Dialogue
By Anthony Cody on November 16, 2013 6:18 AM A recent book described the “Reign of Errors” we have lived through in the name of education reform. I am afraid that the Common Core continues many of these errors, and makes some new ones as well. The Business Roundtable announced last month that its #1 ...read moreThe post Common Core Standards: Ten Colossal Errors | Anthony Cody – Living in Dialogue
The NYSESLAT: Mandated standardized testing for ELLs in K-2 | Critical Classrooms, Critical Kids
On November 14, 2013, the following statement was made by John King, NYSED commissioner. “We support the drive to prohibit standardized testing of pre K through 2nd grade students. “There are no pre-K – Grade 2 standardized tests administered or required by the state, and there never have been. Decisions about how to measure student ...read moreThe post The NYSESLAT: Mandated standardized testing
YESTERDAY
Parents plan for one-day school boycott on Monday over Common Core Curriculum | 7online.com
Art McFarland ELTINGVILLE, STATEN ISLAND (WABC) — At least a few kids were dismissed from Staten Island’s P.S. 42 on Friday, as their parents plan for a one-day school boycott on Monday, over the Common Core Curriculum standards. “I have a Dual Master’s in education, and I believe the Common Core is disgusting. I believe ...read moreThe post Parents plan for one-day school boycott on Monday over C
North Carolina Governor Appoints Anti-LGBT Attorney Buddy Collins To School Safety Post | Huffington Post
WASHINGTON — When North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) first nominated attorney Buddy Collins to the state school board in March, he faced significant criticism from LGBT groups because of Collins’ long history of opposing anti-bullying measures aimed at protecting LGBT students. Nevertheless, the GOP-controlled North Carolina General Assembly confirmed Collins. And in a further ...read moreThe pos
Outstanding teacher reluctantly leaving North Carolina | NC Policy Watch
Asheville Middle School teacher Chris Gable has spent the last decade becoming a fixture in this mountain town. Not only has he taught social studies and language arts to hundreds of its students, he also coaches young writers and budding poets, giving them the confidence they need to keep putting pen to paper. Gable is ...read moreThe post Outstanding teacher reluctantly leaving North Carolina |
Bennett accused of ethics breach | The Journal Gazette
INDIANAPOLIS – A year after a surprising defeat at the polls, former state schools chief Tony Bennett now faces an ethics violation accusation for essentially campaigning on state time and resources. Indiana Inspector General David Thomas filed a complaint Thursday charging the former state superintendent of public instruction. “Throughout my time in public service, I ...read moreThe post Bennett
Florida Principal Agrees With Mom Angry Over Son’s Honor Roll Status | Yahoo
A Florida principal agreed today with a mother who was angry that her son made the honor roll despite having a C and a D on his report card. Principal Kim Anderson of Pasco Middle School in Dade City, Fla., was siding with Beth Tillack who was upset that her seventh grade son Douglas was ...read moreThe post Florida Principal Agrees With Mom Angry Over Son’s Honor Roll Status | Yahoo appeared firs
Excuse Me, Your Privilege Is Showing (White Privilege in Ed Reform) | The Jose Vilson
It always starts when someone brings up a point about race within your “own” ranks. Whatever that means. I’m OK with taking on the role as education’s Race Man, but the more I write about it, the more prevalent these discussions become. It’s almost as if people are waiting for [insert name of favorite White ...read moreThe post Excuse Me, Your Privilege Is Showing (White Privilege in Ed Reform) |
More NY School Districts Withdraw from Race to Top | Diane Ravitch’s blog
The number of suburban districts in New York State dropping out of the state’s Race to the Top program continues to grow, largely because of parent concern about the data-mining of their children’s private records. These districts received relatively small amounts of money in exchange for accepting many mandates. This article sums up the current ...read moreThe post More NY School Districts Withdr
My Health: Good News! | Diane Ravitch’s blog
As readers know, I suddenly developed blood clots in my legs a week ago and was hospitalized. This was not the first time this happened; that was in 1998, when I not only had blood clots (deep vein thrombosis (DVT), but pulmonary embolism (PE), which is potentially fatal, as it means the clots detached and ...read moreThe post My Health: Good News! | Diane Ravitch’s blog appeared first on NPE News
My advice to TFA staffers: Quit For America | Gary Rubinstein’s Blog
by Gary Rubinstein The organization of TFA is a bit like a pyramid scheme. There are a bunch of VPs who are making a lot of money for a non-profit, certainly six figures. Then there are the majority of staffers, people who work in recruitment, teacher ‘effectiveness’, even the alumni team, IT, etc., who make ...read moreThe post My advice to TFA staffers: Quit For America | Gary Rubinstein’s Blo
Union-Led Reform Project in California Shares Lessons | Anthony Cody – Living in Dialogue
By Anthony Cody on November 15, 2013 6:39 AM If you were to think of the key things that you would want to do to support learning at high poverty schools, what would be on your list? Leaders at the California Teachers Association asked that question six years ago, and came up with a program ...read moreThe post Union-Led Reform Project in California Shares Lessons | Anthony Cody – Living in Dialog
Five Takeaways From the Education Department’s NCLB Waiver About-Face | Politics K-12 – Education Week
By Michele McNeil on November 15, 2013 7:19 AM Wednesday we told you about the big changes the U.S. Department of Education was making to the process states are undertaking to renew their No Child Left Behind Act waivers. No longer will states have to come up with plans to improve the spending of federal ...read moreThe post Five Takeaways From the Education Department’s NCLB Waiver About-Face | P
Closing the School-Readiness Gap: The Benefits of Preschool for Children of Color | Alternet
The majority of children under age 1 in the United States today are children of color; that one simple fact means that our future will be very different from our current reality. Before we reach the end of this decade, more than half of all youth in this country will be of color. Today, Hispanics ...read moreThe post Closing the School-Readiness Gap: The Benefits of Preschool for Children of Color
After Two Disastrous Meetings on Long Island, State Officials Have One More | Diane Ravitch’s blog
Things have gone badly for New York state officials at each of their community forums. Parents and educators have turned out in large numbers, and have overwhelmingly opposed the state’s mandates about Common Core and testing. Frustrated locals have booed and jeered in anger and gotten nothing but bland assurances that the state is listening. ...read moreThe post After Two Disastrous Meetings on L
Stunning New Report and Website Expose Connected State-by-State Web of Privatizers | janresseger
As an advocate for public policy, I believe it is more important to know more about what I am for than about what I am against. Let me begin by naming what I am for: public schools—universally available, publicly funded, and accountable to the public. I also believe that our most important priority in the ...read moreThe post Stunning New Report and Website Expose Connected State-by-State Web of
Is Common Core Illegal? Did Duncan Break the Law? | Diane Ravitch’s blog
When I worked in the U.S. Department of Education in the early 1990s, I was frequently reminded by colleagues and counsel that the Department was forbidden by law from interfering into what was taught in the schools. When the Department made grants to professional groups of teachers and scholars to create “voluntary national standards,” I ...read moreThe post Is Common Core Illegal? Did Duncan Bre
NOV 14
The fetishization of international test scores | The Answer Sheet
BY VALERIE STRAUSS November 14 at 2:09 pm Not one, not two, but 10 national educational organizations are planning to host a blowout digital event to talk about (what else?) international standardized test scores. There’s even a new Web site just for PISA Day, called, you won’t be surprised to learn, PISADay.org. The event is ...read moreThe post The fetishization of international test scores | Th
The Match that Started a Blaze | EduShyster
Tutors at a no-excuses charter school learn some hard lessons By Mr. Smith Last December, I drove down to Boston from Middlebury College in Vermont where I was finishing my senior year. On a crisp Monday morning, I parallel parked, straightened my tie and walked into an interview to become a tutor at a “no ...read moreThe post The Match that Started a Blaze | EduShyster appeared first on NPE News
NPE News Briefs Podcast: Anthony Cody on whether educators created the Common Core
Educator and Blogger, Anthony Cody discusses the question about whether educators were involved in the writing of the Common Core.The post NPE News Briefs Podcast: Anthony Cody on whether educators created the Common Core appeared first on NPE News Briefs.
Your Soapbox — On the front lines: Educators’ stories inside and outside the classroom | NC Policy Watch
Thanks to the General Assembly, teachers have watched North Carolina fall from 25th to 46th in the nation in teacher pay since 2008. In July, lawmakers stripped teachers of tenure and salary supplements for those who have obtained master’s degrees. Educators are also dealing with years of drastic cuts to supplies, textbooks, and teacher assistants. ...read moreThe post Your Soapbox — On the front
NYC Parents File Lawsuit to Block State from Sharing Student Data | NBC New York
A group of New York City public school parents filed a lawsuit Wednesday to block state education officials from sharing student information with the data-storage firm inBloom. The lawsuit, filed in state Supreme Court in Albany, is based on the claim that disclosing identifiable student data without parental consent violates state privacy laws. Karen Sprowal, ...read moreThe post NYC Parents File
An Apology to John Arnold | Diane Ravitch’s blog
On October 10, I posted a column about John Arnold, a billionaire who supports charter schools, TFA, and similar projects. I noted that he was giving $10 million to keep Headstart centers open during the government shutdown. In that column, I quoted investigative journalist David Sirota, who said that Arnold was trying to buy good ...read moreThe post An Apology to John Arnold | Diane Ravitch’s bl
Glenda Ritz: Pence and Right-Wing Are Taking Over Public Education | Muncie Voice
We’ve been talking about school reform and pointing to the republicans in Indianapolis who are determined to convert our public schools into a corporate run system to eliminate teacher unions which will assign a commodity price to every student within the system. Yesterday, Glenda Ritz wrote a letter where she literally slapped a white glove ...read moreThe post Glenda Ritz: Pence and Right-Wing A
NYC Parents Sue to Block Data-Sharing Plan | Diane Ravitch’s blog
A dozen parents in New York City have sued to stop the State Education Department from releasing confidential information about their children to data storage companies, such as the Gates-Murdoch group called inBloom. One of the parents explained: Karen Sprowal, a petitioner whose son is in fifth grade in a New York City public school, ...read moreThe post NYC Parents Sue to Block Data-Sharing Pla
How Charter Schools Are Undermining the Future of Public Education | Alternet
Rethinking Schools / By Stan Karp November 14, 2013 | Somewhere along the way, nearly every teacher dreams of starting a school. I know I did. More than once during the 30 years I taught English and journalism to high school students in Paterson, New Jersey, I imagined that creating my own school would open ...read moreThe post How Charter Schools Are Undermining the Future of Public Education |
Principal Explains to CEO of Xerox Why Common Core Is Not What She Thinks | Diane Ravitch’s blog
Dan Drmacich was principal of Rochester’s School Without Walls. He is now head of that city’s Coalition for Justice in Education. He read an opinion piece in the local paper by Xerox CEO Ursula Burns touting the virtues of the Common Core and decided he needed to respond. He concluded she had no idea what ...read moreThe post Principal Explains to CEO of Xerox Why Common Core Is Not What She Think
Board has concerns about Vallas’ exit | Connecticut Post
BRIDGEPORT — Departing Schools Superintendent Paul Vallas told the Board of Education on Tuesday night that his focus would be on the district, and not on running for lieutenant governor of Illinois, during the remainder of his tenure here. Try as they might, however, board members could not pin him down to an exit date. Vallas, who ...read moreThe post Board has concerns about Vallas’ exit | Conn
My Short Program for Improving Public Schools in NYC | With A Brooklyn Accent
Here is my short program for improving public education in NYC which I am presenting at BK nation forum tonight 1. Cut testing budget in half and use funds to lower class size 2. Stop school gradings and school closings 3. Triple the number of portfolio schools in NYC exempt from all state tests 4. ...read moreThe post My Short Program for Improving Public Schools in NYC | With A Brooklyn Accent a
Children Psychologically Imprisoned?: Whistleblower Reveals High-Stakes Testing Preparation | Cloaking Inequity
I’ll admit it. When A Terrifying Report about Child Abuse in Texas Schools–and in Your State Too first ran about a month ago on Diane Ravitch’s blog— it flew under my radar. The post detailed the allegations of child abuse for the purposes of high-stakes testing at a high-minority, Title I East Austin elementary school near downtown. ...read moreThe post Children Psychologically Imprisoned?: Whist
We Don’t Need a NJ Version of Race To The Top | Jersey Jazzman
For the life of me, I can’t think of one good reason why New Jersey needs this: State Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) has filed a bill to be heard on Thursday that would create an Innovation Fund and appropriate $5 million in its first year to help schools trying new programs in scheduling, technology and ...read moreThe post We Don’t Need a NJ Version of Race To The Top | Jersey Jazzman appeared first
What is developmentally appropriate in learning? The Answer Sheet
BY VALERIE STRAUSS November 14 at 4:00 am (Photo by David Jolkovski for The Washington Post) What is developmentally appropriate when it comes to learning? Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham wrote about the subject recently on his Science and Education blog, and here is a version of that post. Willingham is a professor and director of graduate ...read moreThe post What is developmentally appro