A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP
Northwest Philly community fights to keep three 'anchor institutions' open in Germantown | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Northwest Philly community fights to keep three 'anchor institutions' open in Germantownby thenotebook on Feb 23 2013 Posted in Latest news ="" style="color: rgb(76, 153, 72); cursor: pointer; float: left; padding: 0px 2px;">Share on email COMMENTS (0)PRINT Photo: Nat Hamilton/NewsWorks School Reform Commission Chair Pedro Ramos listens to testimony on day two of the school-closing hearings. *by Aaron Moselle* The Philadelphia School District's plan to close... more »
State Assessment Results: “It Just Doesn’t Matter” – @ the chalk face: State Assessment Results: “It Just Doesn’t Matter” by Chris Cerrone Even though we opted our oldest out of the third grade state assessments last year, an error occurred and her blank math test answer form was scanned and sent on to the New York State Education Department. As a result, we received a Parent Report from NYSED via our school. I am glad this occurred because it helped me to see the actual report for the first time. We informed the school and my child’s score will not count towards the school’s rat... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Greedy, Overpaid NJ Teachers: Greedy, Overpaid NJ Teachers by Duke *And it's pretty damn ugly right now.* Remember when Chris Christie used to run up and down New Jersey complaining about "*... the teachers union demanding raises at 4 to 5 times the rate of inflation...*"? Remember when I was one of the few places you couldgo to regularly find out this was absolutely ridiculous? Remember when I repeatedly wrote that the notion of "overpaid teachers" with "gold-plated benefits" was transparently idiotic? Good times... So, how is the allegedly greedy, overpaid teac... more »
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Parent: Public Schools Worked for My Children by dianerav A reader posted this comment: *My children did go to the local public school. The percentage of Title I students has grown at the neighborhood school. We are still living in the same house since 1977. My neighborhood was once considered middle class. Not now. So, no I did not send my kids to charters or private schools. My oldest son and middle daughter did great in public school. The youngest struggled with focusing due to ADHD. He did okay until high... more »
Teachbad’s Secret Project | Mr. Teachbad: Teachbad’s Secret Project by teachbad For all the right reasons, I am trying to write a book about teaching in the modern era. I’ve been working on it for a long time and now it’s getting a little more serious. I don’t have anything to post because I’ve been working on that, so I’m going to give you a little taste of the book proposal. This is the first page; where I must grab a publisher’s attention so completely that she is compelled to read the second page. See what you think. (Maybe add a comment about what a great ide... more »
The Weekly Update: NPEC gives out the Bunkum Awards for bad studies, Duncan gets an “F” on education equity, Edushyter’s Eduttantes and much, much more | Seattle Education: The Weekly Update: NPEC gives out the Bunkum Awards for bad studies, Duncan gets an “F” on education equity, Edushyter’s Eduttantes and much, much more by seattleducation2011 [image: A protester at the Rhee event in Seattle.] A protester at the Rhee event in Seattle. We definitely had a better time outside than the audience did inside on Tuesday evening at the Rhee event. In fact, some members of the audience, a... more »
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Voucher Expansion: “Walker’s voucher plan goes too far, too fast” | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Voucher Expansion: “Walker’s voucher plan goes too far, too fast” by millerlf http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/walkers-voucher-plan-goes-too-far-too-fast-ee8rbqm-191911461.html We urge the Legislature to substantially modify the governor’s plan or kill it outright. Feb. 19, 2013 MJS Editorial We have long supported choice in public education. We still believe that, despite its flaws, the Milwaukee Parental Ch... more »
Engaging Parents In School… » My Best Posts On Parent “Academies” & “Universities”: My Best Posts On Parent “Academies” & “Universities” by Larry Ferlazzo Parent “universities” or “academies” seem to be all the rage these days, with school districts organizing these trainings typically to help parents understand how the school works. I’ve written plenty of posts about these types of programs, and have been critical of many of them. They tend to fall on the parent “involvement” side of things instead of the “engagement” side. Parents usually don’t participate in determining their ... more »
Blue Jersey:: NJ Education Round-Up for 2/23/13: NJ Education Round-Up for 2/23/13 by Jersey Jazzman *Here's the plan: each Saturday, I'll have a round-up of the week's education news in New Jersey. I'm hoping this is the place all you non-eduwonky "dirty hippies" go to get your Garden State education news in one easily digestible post.Of course, I will be shamelessly linking to my own blog, Jersey Jazzman. But I'll also be relying heavily onMother Crusader's Darcie Cimarusti, NJ Farmer Blog's Bob Grundfest, the Education Law Center's News Page,NJ Spotlight, Rutgers professor Br... more »
Tested to Despair (and mad as @#$%) | EduShyster: Tested to Despair (and mad as @#$%) by edushyster2012 The best thing about writing an anonymous snarky edu-blog is that you hear from so many interesting people. Just yesterday, for example, I was complimented on my excellent writing style, “just like JD Sallinger,” by someone named Shanghai Escort. Thank you sir (madame?), or should I say 謝謝? Every once in a while I hear from someone who is not offering a product to enhance my organs. Such was the case with the public school teacher whom I’ll call Mr. Mell. EduShyster premium reade... more »
Lame Duck Schools | Cooperative Catalyst: Lame Duck Schools by Brooksy Boy * * There’s a regular occurrence in politics where elected officials have neared the end of their tenure either by reaching the limit of their allowed term/s or being defeated in re-election bids. Their successors have already been chosen, but before the looming takeover the old guard continues to serve in office. This awkward transition period can lead to a focus on the future that disempowers those operating in the present. George W. Bush experienced this “lame duck” phenomenon acutely before vaca... more »
Saturday coffee. | Fred Klonsky: Saturday coffee. by Fred Klonsky Popout. Ten days ago I was having a catheter shoved through my major artery to check on the condition of my heart. The results showed that I have a good heart and clear arteries. Yesterday I had my annual physical and thanks to *Mike the trainer*, my new-found love of the gym and no access to the sweets that were always available in the teacher’s lounge, I am down twelve pounds from a year ago. *Mike the doctor *said I could stop taking two of my drugs. Anne and I celebrated by having dinner at Crosby’s Kitchen on Sou... more »
Should cursive writing be required? A N.C. bill would mandate it: Should cursive writing be required? A N.C. bill would mandate it Posted by Valerie Strauss on February 23, 2013 at 10:14 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » [image: (By Darwin Weigel/The Calvert…)] (By Darwin Weigel/The Calvert Recorder) Are we headed to a “back to basics” movement? A bill actually called “Back to Basics” in the North Carolina House of Representatives would make cursive writing part of the curriculum for elementary... more »
I’m going to critique the #stuvoice, so bear with me here – @ the chalk face: I’m going to critique the #stuvoice, so bear with me here by Chalk Face, PhD [image: @TCF on Blog Talk Radio] There’s something I need to get off my chest, and that’s what a blog is for, correct? In recent months, a particular student has been thrust into the spotlight as a passionate advocate for progressive values in education. This young person, who is of high school age, wrote a book about it. Upon completing high school early, this individual is now touring the country, giving speeches, and writing... more »
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Duncan Press Secretary Working for Rupert Murdoch by dianerav Justin Hamilton, who recently stepped down as Arne Duncan’s press secretary, has accepted an executive position at Rupert Murdoch’s Amplify. This division, headed by Joel Klein, sells technology to the schools. This is funny, because last May I had a Twitter debate with Justin about the role of entrepreneurs in education. I didn’t see much good coming from injecting the profit motive into schooling, ... more »
This is Your Brain on Test Scores: This is Your Brain on Test Scores by Sam There are two seemingly unrelated columns in today’s Opinion page of the *New York Times* that provide a crisp summary of where we stand in our current thinking about school reform — and where we need to go. The first is a piece about charter schools in New York City, in which the editors reference “a national studyfinding that only 17 percent of charter schools offered students a better education, as measured by test scores, and that an astounding 37 percent offered a worse one.” This is not the first tim... more »
Overheard at KIPP | Gary Rubinstein's Blog: Overheard at KIPP by Gary Rubinstein In November I visited the KIPP high school in New York City and wrote about it. Trying to be diplomatic and maybe even be invited to come back some time, I left out some things that I wanted to write about. More recently, I reached out to the two founders of KIPP in one of my open letters and was kind of disappointed that they did not respond to it. I also had tried to make that letter pretty tame and easy to respond to, and both Dave and Mike did write back to me that they got the letter, but it ... more »
Dangerous Talk – @ the chalk face: Dangerous Talk by Barbara Madeloni Talking is dangerous. Jesse Hagopian, a teacher leader from Garfield High School, says that their boycott, “began with a conversation in the teacher’s lounge.” In the fall of 2011 I found myself in many conversations with people I had never before met. Conversations about economic justice, about the possibilities for and nature of change, about racism, about schooling and about democracy. I had these conversations in Zuccotti Park, at Occupy Springfield Massachusetts, at Pulaski Park in my hometown of Northampt... more »
Does the state law being used against DeKalb board cede too much power to SACS? | Get Schooled: Does the state law being used against DeKalb board cede too much power to SACS? by Maureen Downey In his passionate closing statement before the state Board of Education on Thursday, attorney Bob Wilson hearkened to fallen soldiers, the flag and the Constitution in an effort to save the jobs of his clients, veteran DeKalb County school board members “I look at that flag back there and I think about the young men and now the young women who lost their lives defending it. For what? Freed... more »
Ed Notes Online: MS 80 - Bronx Parents Need Your Help - 2/28 Rally: MS 80 - Bronx Parents Need Your Help - 2/28 Rally by ed notes online Hi brothers and sisters This goes out on behalf of one of our Bronx parents. We could really use your support in this. Bronx community groups and parents will be holding a rally in support of MS 80 parents. MS 80 really suffering under this new principal Emmanuel Polanco. MS 80 was one of the schools slated to close last year, however the community at large fought to keep the school open. The DOE assigned a new principal to the school, a pri... more »
Nueva y simple herramienta da calificaciones a universidades de EEUU - Univision Vida y Familia: Nueva y simple herramienta da calificaciones a universidades de EEUU Univision.com | Fecha: 02/13/2013 - Imprimir - A+ A- - - - - - Enviar [image: College Scorecard] El Gobierno lanzó una nueva "tarjeta de calificaciones" para orientar a los estudiantes sobre dónde pueden obtener mejor educación por su dinero. *- GobiernoUSA.gov* Enlaces Relacionados Consejos para solicitar FAFSA Ayuda financiera para estudiar Opciones para pagar la universidad para estudiantes ... more »
*4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:* *4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT* Election 2013/The best democracy money can buy: COULD A SINGLE SCHOOL BOARD RACE DETERMINE LAUSD'S FUTURE? + DONATIONS FROM INDEPENDENT GROUPS SHAPING CITY, LAUSD ELECTIONS smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 7 hours ago Could a single school board race determine LAUSD's future? Vanessa Romo | Take Two | 89.3 KPCC | http://bit.ly/ZyKQE2 Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/KPCC - L.A. Unified School District board member Steve Zimmer outside the home of a high school dropout. He and other edu... more »
Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN: 1[image: 30 Myths About eLearning that Need to Die in 2013]30 Myths About eLearning that Need to Die in 2013 Added by Tess Pajaron on January 12, 2013 2[image: Learning from our youth - A positive experience]Learning from our youth - A positive experience Added by Lori Ann Gibson on February 16, 2013 3[image: TEDxCreativeCoast - McGrath Davies - The Future Will Not Be Multiple Choice]TEDxCreativeCoast - McGrath Davies - The Future Will Not Be Multiple Choice Added by Thomas Whitby on February 5, 2013 4[image: RSA Animate - Changing Educati... more »
Education Research Report: *THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT* * * Not mixing genders in high-school classes = long-run gains Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 11 minutes ago In most European and North American countries women have overtaken men in college graduation rates. Nevertheless, a striking gender gap persists in the salaries of men and women, even when they are highly educated – and even if the overall gap has, in fact, narrowed in some nations (Black and Spitz-Oener 2007). One important reason for that gap is that men and women choose different college... more »
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL *LARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAY* *LOOK FOR MY UPCOMING BOOK IN MARCH, 2013*[image: Ferlazzo200(1)] "Self-Driven Learning: Teaching Strategies for Student Motivation" will be a sequel to"Helping Students Motivate Themselves" “Quandary” Is A Cool Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Game Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 8 hours ago Quandary is a neat online game/choose your own adventure story that is can work well as a tool for English language development (see Digital Play for an ELL lesson pla... more »
Daily Kos: Saturday morning reflection - encouraging risk taking by students: Saturday morning reflection - encouraging risk taking by students by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) I am offering this reflection at the strong suggestion of my beloved spouse, Leaves on the Current, who says it is one of the most important principles underlying my own teaching. To me the greatest failure of our current approach to educational reform is by and large we discourage students from taking intellectual risks. We condition them to fear being wrong. In one sense this is not surprising - look a... more »
An open letter from a Centennial parent | DeFENSE: An open letter from a Centennial parent by defensedenver [image: Community protests in the cold in solidarity with Centennial families.] Last night’s Board of Education meeting was a wild ride,and there’s so much to tell you. First, this open invitation from one of the dads of Centennial, the school in which we stand in firm solidarity: Dear NW Denver Parents, Teachers, Business Owners, Citizens, Press, DPS board; This message is intended for anyone who wants to protect the NW Denver community & have great schools for our childr... more »
Edy the Warrior – @ the chalk face: Edy the Warrior by Kris Nielsen I have never been to Austin, Texas, so I have no idea how clean it is. I know that the slogan, “Don’t mess with Texas,” is very well known in the U.S. (and that littering fines can be hefty), but corporate reform fighters like Edy Chamness are giving that slogan a new meaning. [image: 20130202-Michels-Edy-Chamness-OptOut1-712x475] The Texas Observer gave us a great article about my good [Facebook] friend, Edy, as she showed her strength and resolve in sticking up for her son against the storm of standardized testin... more »
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: "I Apologize" An Open Letter to My Students!: "I Apologize" An Open Letter to My Students! by Lisa M Dear Kids, *I am sorry.* I am sorry that, yet again, I am placing another test (or assessment if you like using big words) on your desk. I am sorry that I am, again, forcing you to take another test. Yes, I know this is the 3rd test in a week, but you don't understand. In order to meet your needs, I have to collect data. Lots and lots of data. So much data in fact that I will never be able to look at it, especially since I have 25 of you sitting... more »
More bad news for Texas teachers | K-12 Zone | a Chron.com blog: More bad news for Texas teachers by Jennifer Radcliffe A few recent studies paint a mostly dismal picture for teachers in Texas and across the nation. According to a recent National Education Association study, Texas’ per-pupil spending has fallen to about $8,500 — about $2,000 below the national average. (New York spends $17,746 per student.) Nearly 5 million children attend public school in Texas — the second highest population in the country — but Texas has the largest instructional staff with 366,204 K-12 public s... more »
School Tech Connect: A Little Bit of Everything: A Little Bit of Everything by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Still slammed with school stuff. They're working me like Seabiscut! No blog post for you! I'm off (at 4AM tomorrow) to a tech conference with some great kids. We've got a number of presentations ready and we're going to rock the house, I'm pretty sure. Since I'm a tech writer (*cough! hack!*) I'm going to tell you the five hallmarks of a successful school technology program. 1. Your students can name the books they're reading and give several recommendations. 2. The... more »
Daily Kos: Well, if you want to know how I responded: Well, if you want to know how I responded by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) I can point you at what I wrote. If you do not understand what this is about, several days ago I posted So tell me how you might respond. Something I had written originally at * Academe* had been posted by Valerie Strauss at her blog at the*Washington Post*, where it proceeded to go viral. I had mentioned Jay Mathews in the piece, and he responded with a piece in which he somewhat disagreed with me. Jay and I will have our own direct back and forth, but ... more »
#edreformers: War Pigs! – @ the chalk face: #edreformers: War Pigs! by Timothy D. Slekar In this latest installment of “someone has to say it” I again reveal my attempt to engage EDweek and *Teacher Beat* author Stephen Sawchuk in a legitimate discussion concerning education reform. Last week EDweek published Stephen’s story on the “proposed” changes to teacher accreditation unveiled by the new Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). In case you’ve forgotten NCATE and TEAC merged (CAEP) to further destroy professional teacher preparation and turn teaching into... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Long Live The Queen of Tenure!: Long Live The Queen of Tenure! by Duke *Accountability begins at home.* The Queen of Tenure has survived her attempted usurpation: *The Perth Amboy Board of Education has voted to end its lengthy fight with Superintendent Janine Caffrey by rescinding her suspension*. On Thursday, the nine-member board — with three new members elected in November and two re-elected — rescinded a resolution it adopted Sept. 23 that placed Caffrey on administrative leave with pay, and notified her she would not be reappointed at the end of her term in... more »
NYC Public School Parents: Why Families Need a Progressive Middle School in District 4: Why Families Need a Progressive Middle School in District 4 by Leonie Haimson *The following is by Raven Snook, a parent in District 4. WhileDOE often claims to be responding to "parent choice" they are really responding to the choice of privatizers, in their effort to expand charters as quickly as possible, and give them space inside public school buildings, even when they already have leased alternatives, as in the example below.* My 7-year-old attends Central Park East II, one of two progr... more »
Megan Allen of Tampa Florida speaks out against budget cuts that hurt students and families. She is in Washington, DC to testify to Congress today. [image: Allen 2] Florida 5th grade teacher Megan Allen testifies before the House Democratic Steering Committee on the potential impact of sequestration/fiscal cliff on her school and her students. Allen is also the 2010 Teacher of the Year and is a member of the Florida Education Association. PHOTOS: NEA/Bill Clark
Massachusetts professors protest high-stakes standardized tests: Massachusetts professors protest high-stakes standardized tests Posted by Valerie Strauss on February 22, 2013 at 3:55 pm - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » [image: teset1]A coalition of more than 130 Massachusetts professors and researchers from some 20 schools — including Harvard, Tufts, Boston and Brandeis universities — signed a new public statement that urges officials to stop overusing high-stakes standardized tests to assess s... more »
Schools Matter: Feds cut funding, but the tests will survive: Feds cut funding, but the tests will survive by skrashen Sent to the Washington Post, Feb. 22, 2013 “U.S. schools brace for federal funding cuts,” Feb. 21, did not mention that despite anticipated cuts of $1.3 billion in federal funding of education, there are no plans to cut back on the common core standards, accurately described by Susan Ohanian as “a radical untried curriculum overhaul and … nonstop national testing.” The common core requires that all students be connected to the internet in order to take the tests ... more »
Jersey Jazzman: LEAP Update: LEAP Update by Duke *Accountability begins at home. * Here's an update to the LEAP charter school scandal; to my mind, Claudia Vargas of the *Philadelphia Inquirer*buries the lede: LEAP has resolved another issue. regaining its status as a tax-exempt organization last week. The IRS revoked that status after LEAP failed to file the required Form 990 for three consecutive years. That's big news, because this might save the $8.5 million in bonds that LEAP used to finance its expansion, guaranteed by Rutgers-Camden, from going into default. I'll assume t... more »
The Fight to Save Our Schools Begins Today | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education: The Fight to Save Our Schools Begins Today by Kate_Lenox [image: Home] It's not just a school, it's a community that will be lost. Parents trust that teachers and staff will act in the best interests of their children to look after them and to teach them for 6 hours a day. It's a stressful and scary situation for a parent to lose the school that is your child's safe haven. Programs that serve the students can be moved to others schools, but that's pointless if the kids can't participa... more »
