Time for a Laugh
Hat tip to KrazyTA for sharing this great cartoon.
Anthony Cody on Charter Schools: Public, Private or Parasitical?
Anthony Cody wrote a series of posts in which he reviewed some of the key events of 2013. In this one, he considers the changing perception of charter schools. He notes that some of their advocates frankly admit that they are for “strivers,” not for all. While he acknowledges that some charter founders really do aim to help the neediest students, he observes that charter organizations argue in cou
Douglas County, Colorado: Worse Than at First Glance
I reported yesterday that an administrative law judge found that the school board of Douglas County, Colorado, had violated the state’s fair campaign practices law by commissioning Frederick Hess to write a paper extolling the school board’s agenda of privatization. But when I read the story in the Denver Post, I realized that the school board had been even more active in promoting its agenda than
A Teacher’s Advice to Commissioner King: How Schools Are–and Are Not–Like Business
Beth Goldberg is a Middle School Mathematics Teacher at Linden Avenue Middle School in Red Hook, NY in the Mid-Hudson Valley. Beth has been teaching for eight years since obtaining her Masters of Arts in Teaching at Bard College. Prior to earning her MAT, Beth was a senior executive at JP Morgan Chase where she had global responsibility for a suite a payment services products. Beth holds an MS
Edward F. Berger on the Ignorant Mindset Destroying American Education
Edward Berger invites you to watch some important TED talks, which he uses to make a point about the appalling ignorance of some of our key “thought leaders.” Berger writes: To get the most out of this blog, view Ted Talks 2011 – Knowledge Is Power. #1: Sir Ken Robinson; and #5: Salman Kahn, and the Kahn Academy. I selected these two excellent presentations for many reasons, but the most important
Gates Invests in Urine-Powered Cellphone
When I heard about this, I thought it was a joke: The Gates Foundation is investing in the development of a urine-powered cellphone. Frankly, I have always harbored a secret wish that someone would develop a urine-powered engine for automobiles. No one would ever run out of fuel. Now, that would be a wonderful idea and would provide an endless supply of sustainable energy forever! But a urine-powe
Alan Singer’s Advice to Mayor de Blasio: Ignore the “New York Times”
Alan Singer, former public school teacher and current professor at Hofstra University, offers free advice to the new Mayor of New York City: Ignore the New York Times, especially when it writes editorials about education policies. In his post, he rebuts the New York Times’ editorial advice point by point. He explains why tenure and seniority are necessary and fair. He rejects merit pay and recomme
Battle Over Privacy of Student Data Heads to Court
Parents in New York are suing the State Education Department to block the release of their children’s confidential data to inBloom, fearing it ay be hacked or turned over to commercial vendors. New York is the only state that continues to insist that it will release all student data to the database created by the Gates Foundation and the Carnegie Foundation and developed by Rupert Murdoch’s compa
Schneider: Common Core Pushback in 23 States
Mercedes Schneider has been keeping track of the states where there is significant opposition to Common Core standards and/or testing. Initially, she identified 22 states where Common Core has encountered opposition. After that post appeared, she learned that California should be added to the list, for a total of 23 states where critics are rallying against the CCSS.
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 12-28-13 #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2
Diane Ravitch's blogLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONGDIANE RAVITCH'S BLOGPaul Thomas: Teachers Between a Rock and a Hard PlacePaul Thomas taught high school for nearly two decades befor he became a professor at Furman University in South Carolina. He understands the dilemma of teachers caught between Scylla and Charydis, now known as a rock and a hard place. The dilemma arises when federal and