All Week @ THE CHALK FACE
NGA “Corporate Fellows”: Providing Governors Ideas That Work
For four of the five years that I taught in Northwestern Georgia, I taught at an alternative school. Every time I received a new student, it meant that the student had been expelled from a district public school. I had a student who built a bomb and discharged it on a principal’s lawn. I had […]
The American Enterprise Institute, Common Core, and “Good Cop”
In my research on Gates’ Common Core State Standards (CCSS) spending, I came across this unusual grant to the pro-reform group, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI): Date: June 2012 Purpose: to support their education policy work in four distinct areas: Exploring the Challenges of Common Core, Future of American Education Working Groups, Innovations in Financial Aid, and Bridging K-12 and […]
When Schools Close
“The Arts & Technology Academy Public Charter School (ATA) is a Pre-K3 through 5th grade elementary school {Washington, D.C.} that focuses on performing, visual, and media arts instruction, which is infused with an extraordinary use and application of modern technology. Charter schools are independently run, publicly financed, and non-selective of its students.” Although ATA is a public charte
@johnkuhntx guest post: The Wizards of Ed.
By John Kuhn There is a conundrum facing American K-12 education. It is the same conundrum that has always faced American K-12 education. How do we educate “those” kids? “Those” refers to the kids who are dealing with any (or all) of a host of disadvantages. They are from the “wrong” side of the tracks. […]
2014 Resolution: Educate the Whole Child to Curtail School Shootings
The professional education community, as a whole, must do a better job in addressing school violence, i.e. school shootings, in 2014 and beyond. Unfortunately, since the devastating event in Sandy Hook, we’ve witnessed twenty-seven school-based shootings. We MUST do a better job in acknowledging the problem, and recalibrating our focus beyond simple test scores. We […]
Anatomy of Charter School Advocacy
Anatomy of Charter School Advocacy. via Anatomy of Charter School Advocacy.
Spellings Doubles-Down on “Incredibly Complicated” High-Stakes Testing
While political and popular debates teeter on the brink somewhere between surreal and catastrophic—consider the mess that is Sarah Palin homophobic-splaining the Phil Robertson controversy—the media access afforded Margaret Spellings may be reaching a level that rises about worse-of status for just a single year. I have offered the worst Op-Ed of 2013 and Bruce […]
DEC 26
Some Governors and Common Core: “Hot Friends Cooling”
Hoping to advance your own political career? Better be quiet about Common Core. Amazing how a number of formerly outspoken, pro-CCSS governors have strategically opted for silence (or some other form of distance) regarding the now-highly-charged CCSS. New York: Andrew Cuomo It seems, for example, that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has become somewhat of […]
A story of revolution….
The King and his policymakers gather in a large building making laws for the people in lands far from the towers of the capital. The leaders imposed a biased system of judgement that took away the opportunities for localities to make their own decisions. People proclaimed that citizens should be judged by their “peers” instead […]
VAM, Sham, Thank You Ma’am
Here’s a short, but hopefully sweet, three-minute speech on why I believe VAM is an unfair measure. ~ @angelcintronjr Tagged: teaching, vam
The Fordham Strong Arm of Letter Grades for State Standards
In my previous post, The Importance of Common Core for Nationally-pervasive Ed Reform, I cite the 2009 Broad Foundation report in which a number of major reformer “participants” told America of the reforms it might expect to be in place in 2012– one of which is the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Among the list of “participants” […]
DEC 25
My Christmas Post
On most mornings, as part of my morning routine, I listen to T.D. Jakes of the Potter’s House in Dallas, Texas. As my Christmas present to my readers, I offer one of my favorite Jakes sermons. It is about love. I think it will surprise most listeners. Merry Christmas.
DEC 24
Auld Lang Syne
Should C.C.S.S. be for not, Or not erased in time, Should C.C.S.S. be for not, Our job remains divine. Our job remains divine, my dear, Our job remains divine. We’ll defend the art of teaching yet, For our job remains divine. We, too, have students in our hearts, And teach our babies’ minds. We teach […]
IMPACT scores in DCPS show errors. Is this not evidence enough for its immediate overhaul?
This from the Washington Post. But an interesting choice of words at the end there: In October, researchers from the University of Virginia and Stanford University who have examined IMPACT reported that its rewards and punishments were shaping the school system workforce, affecting retention and performance. The study found that two groups of teachers were inspired to […]
QQ: Why would it cost a low-income school in SE DC to host student teachers? @urbanteacherctr #DCPS
When I was a professor and teacher educator for four years, we did NOT cost our placement schools anything. In fact, we offered mentor teachers a modest stipend. And by modest, I really do mean modest. In any case, why would a school be charged with the privilege of hosting student teachers? And how much […]
Top Posts of 2013, and Thank You
Top Posts of 2013, and Thank You. via Top Posts of 2013, and Thank You.
DEC 23
We’re more than the Common Core
We wake up early, every morning, ready to teach, and we look forward to opening our classroom door. We quietly ponder which student we’ll reach, because we’re more than the Common Core. We spend countless hours planning lessons ahead, and we genuinely want our students to soar. We reflect on each school day before resting in […]
This Is the Common Core You Support?
You have plenty of Urban Legend and baseless conspiracy theories swirling around the Common Core, and none of that really serves anyone well. But you also have evidence (and from what I can tell, that doesn’t carry much weight). So for all those who support the Common Core, and tend to ignore the evidence-based arguments […]
DEC 22
The Importance of Common Core for Nationally-pervasive Ed Reform
A great error made by those combating corporate reform is in viewing the reforms as separate and distinct one from another. I have noticed as much in discussions about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). However, the “standards” were not intended to “stand” without the entire spectrum of reforms. In fact, the power of a […]
The Axiom of the Abandoned: “I Am the Union”
I am pro-union. Teachers need strong representation and advocacy. But it’s broken right now. Just when I thought that the speeches and editorials from Dennis Van Roekel and Randi Weingarten were showing a turn-around back to reality, and just when I thought those two were going to start fighting for public education and their members, […]
TUDA victor go the spoils?
The recently published 2013 Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) has received a great deal of attention, especially in regards to the District of Columbia Public Schools. Although leading education reform advocates express cautious optimism, they claim the results as “evidence” that the 2008 education reforms in D.C., vis-à-vis former DCPS Chancellor Michelle Rhee, were, not […]
Our last show of 2013, DC mayoral candidate joins us At the Chalk Face
I attended a forum sponsored by the Washington Teacher’s Union on December 9th, which was part of a larger national day of action for AFT affiliations to reclaim public education. Candidates for DC mayor showed up to answer some questions on education posed by the President of the WTU. I was particularly impressed by the […]
Kindergarten and the #commoncore @dianeravitch
Some pretty emotional comments were posted to Diane Ravitch’s blog recently from Kindergarten teachers about how they’re teaching was forcefully changed by the Common Core. And by forcefully, I mean that new rounds of observation by new evaluators compel teachers to adjust their instruction in very negative ways. Two points. One, I do sympathize with […]
Battling Education Reform: In the End it must be a “calling.”
I am the “new” Dean of a School of Education at a Catholic College in the Midwest. One of the major reasons I was attracted to this position was the prominence of the college’s Dominican values (Truth, Justice, Compassion, Partnership, and Community). Think about it. If a college was committed to these values what would […]
I Don’t Need Standards To Teach, I Need Students
I Don\’t Need Standards To Teach, I Need Students. via I Don’t Need Standards To Teach, I Need Students.
Teachers of Conscience and the Common Core Scylla and Charybdis
Teachers of Conscience and the Common Core Scylla and Charybdis. via Teachers of Conscience and the Common Core Scylla and Charybdis.
DEC 21
Education policy “wonks” + pop culture = train wreck
Michael Petrilli, the executive vice president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute in Washington, D.C., and, according to his profile, “one of the nation’s most trusted education analysts,” apparently has a lot of time on his hands. I’m not against having fun at work, and I even applaud these so-called policy wonks’ attempt at creating […]
Is California “Common Core Unrest State #23″?
In response to my post, UPDATE: Common Core Unrest in 22 States, I received the following comment: You should include California. It is the sleeping giant that no one is paying attention to and here is why: First, this past summer, California Republican Party overwhelmingly passed a resolution condemning Common Core. Based on your above analysis, this […]
The Ed-ventures of Edysseus
Edysseus lived on the island of Paideia with his wife, Sophia, and son, Foiti̱tí̱s. Far away, on the island of Columbia, the “war of the pedagogues” threatened to spread to the peaceful island of Paideia. Although Edysseus tried to avoid entering the war, it was no use, as he had sworn to the gods of […]
Supporting Common Core Is Supporting Entire Reform Machine
Supporting Common Core Is Supporting Entire Reform Machine. via Supporting Common Core Is Supporting Entire Reform Machine.
