Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 10-21-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

Nite Cap UPDATE

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

CORPORATE ED REFORM

Protests as City College Closes a Student Center

Officials at City College insisted that a room’s charged history was not a factor when they decided that it would be better used as an annex for the school’s career services office.    

91 by By ARIEL KAMINER / 25min 

Portland Association of Teachers supporters rally at Portland School Board meeting

Portland Public Schools and the Portland Association of Teachers have been negotiating for a new labor agreement since April but still remain stuck on several issues.

2 by Nicole Dungca | n... / 25min 

The Best College Jobs… While You’re In College

The Best College Jobs… While You’re In College by Scott Weingold Any job you take during college is a good one. That’s because it shows employers you can balance school and work at the same time. The best college jobs, though, are the ones that help you land the career you want, right after you’ve graduated. And if you really want to get a leg up on these jobs, be sure to make your way — sooner ra

by aristotlethewise / 4min 

Whose voice is in your Leadership Circle?

When making decisions, having discussions, or troubleshooting topics on your campus, how many people are involved? How many voices have input? I think it’s important to have several…in fact, I can give you some perspective on 4 voices that I think NEED to be involved in practically all of your campus decisions. A quadrant of leadership, if you will. First voice, the Boss. The head honcho. The one

1 by Amber Teamann / 5min mark as read  //  save

Leading Innovative Change Series: Embrace an Open Culture

I wanted to try my hand at writing a series of blog posts on “Leading Innovative Change.” As I am looking at writing a book on the same topic, I thought I would put some ideas out there and hopefully learn from others on these topics. I also want to give these ideas away for free. These posts are for anyone in education, but are mostly focused on school administrators. In all of these, the idea th

2 by George Couros / 5min 

Breaking Bounds with Autism

Laura Mackenzie was diagnosed with autism at the age of 7. Today, she is a student at Metropolitan State University in Denver. Picking at a muffin in a campus cafe, Laura Mackenzie says she and her parents thought she’d go to college, “but pretty much everyone else didn’t.” Cheerful and matter-of-fact, the 23-year-old recounts troubled years that included difficulty walking and expressing herself,

by cmaadmin / 5min

NAACP Increases Efforts to Target College Students

  Mikaela Ferrill, the vice president of the Georgetown University NAACP chapter with Hilary Shelton, the bureau chief of the D.C office of the NAACP. WASHINGTON, D.C.—For as long as she can remember, Georgetown University junior Mikaela Ferrill has been an active member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Ferrill, 20, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, attended her fi

by cmaadmin / 5min 

Get Schooled: "We need those standardized college admissions tests."

Patrick Mattimore is a former high school teacher and an adjunct professor in the Temple University/Tsinghusa University LLM program. He wrote this essay in response to recent AJC stories on how SAT scores often align with family income. Among the AJC pieces that Mattimore saw was a column by ...

3 0min

Advocacy Groups Urge Arne Duncan to Get Tough on NCLB Waivers

In a letter sent to the department today, these groups express deep concerns about waiver implementation, from how graduation rates are factored into accountability systems to how subgroups of at-risk students are being helped. Click the headline to read the full post. Questions? Email websupport@epe.org.

by Michele McNeil / 1min 

The fight for education, a documentary Op-Ed - Latino News and Opinion

The fight for education, a documentary Op-Ed - Latino News and Opinion:

The fight for education, a documentary Op-Ed

Por AL DÍA NEWS

14:02 | 10/17/13

More Sharing ServicesCompartir este artículo|Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on deliciousShare on linkedinShare on googleShare on digg|Share on emailShare on printShare on favorites - The Pennsylvania state constitution states that, "the General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education." Yet in Philadelphia, where one out of three students comes from a low-income household, education is severely underfunded.  "The Fight for Education" is an AL DÍA documentary op-ed that explores the 2013 efforts of teachers, students, parents and the community to achieve equal access to education in the city of Philadelphia.

America is now raising a nation of poverty stricken kids Maps of Economic Disaster | The Economic Populist

Maps of Economic Disaster | The Economic Populist:

Maps of Economic Disaster

Submitted by Robert Oak on October 20, 2013 - 7:42am

America has a problem, a big one, the middle class has been wiped out.  It is economic genocide and the target is most of America.  The statistics just continue to pour in on how poorly America is doing.  Even as the great manufactured crisis is over in D.C., the political agenda once again has nothing to do with helping America's middle class.  Why jobs are not job #1 by this government we do not know.  To drive home just how bad it is below we show some damning maps.

The Southern Education Foundation has a new report showing the percentage of low income students in public schools from 2011.  In 2010 and 2011 there was a new record set, the majority of kids in public schools in the West are poor.  Below is their map showing in the South and West, the majorityof students are low income.  In other words, America is now raising a nation of poverty stricken kids.

A majority of public school children in 17 states, one-third of the 50 states across the nation, were low income students – eligible for free or reduced lunches – in the school year that ended in 2011. Thirteen of the 17 states were in the South, and the remaining four were in the West. Since 2005, half or more of the South’s children in public schools have been from low income households.

Low income is defined as below 130% of the poverty line and these kids qualify for a free lunch.  Poverty also significantly impacts reading test scores, school opportunities and the ability to go to college.  When one just looks at cities, the situation is much worse.  Kids in public schools who are low income account for 59.8% on average of all students in K-12 public schools.  Any urban area with a population greater than 100,000 is teeming with America's poor.  Mississippi had the highest rate of low income students, 83%, In New Jersey cities 78% of the students are poor and Louisiana, Illinois and Oklahoma all low income rates of greater than 70% for their K-12 students.

Health Care

In 2012 there were 48 million people without health insurance in the United States.  This is 15.4% of the population under the age of 65 on average with Texas hitting 24.6% uninsured.  Considering Obamacare is off to a terrible start, this isn't good news.  On the other hand, States with Republican governors refused Federal funds to expand their Medicaid coverage and as a result, 5.2 million will not be able to obtain health insurance coverage.

Today 15% of Americans live in poverty.  Below is a county map showing the previous year's poverty rate and we see once again the South has high concentrations. Maps of Economic Disaster | The Economic Populist:

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Common Core: In a Land Far, Far, Away!

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Common Core: In a Land Far, Far, Away!:

Common Core: In a Land Far, Far, Away!

I have never seen a profession where the last person's opinion that is valued are the actual people doing all the work. Everyone, and their mother, has an opinion on how to educate our children.  The sad part is that these people are taken seriously, whereas the "lowly" teacher's opinion is scoffed at.

In a land faraway, Common Core came to town. Teachers were asked their opinions, and many felt it was too much too soon. They did not have a problem with Common Core per say, but they thought it should be tested, researched. They wanted to see how it worked with our students before we rushed into anything.

But what did those silly teachers know? So Common Core was implemented with great fanfare! Dum,dum, dum, dum! People in every kingdom rushed to use it. "We must have these for our students!", they said, everyone else is using it!" The king has promised us untold wealth if we use it."

But the teachers said, "Are you sure we should do this?" The testing alone will cost millions. 

10-21-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

PEP Video: Community Says "No MORE Charters"

Panel for Educational Policy October 15, 2013:NYCDOE votes to cram 23 co-locations and charters into existing schools despite large protests, mostly unreported by the press which gave extensive coverage when charters closed schools for half a day and told parents they had to attend.Members of MORE help lead protest at PEP as parents, students, teachers and entire communities around the city say NO

10 by ed notes online / 0min 

Ed Notes Online: Monday: Public Hearing and Rally to Protest Co-Location by Parents and students: PS 196/MS 582, Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Ed Notes Online: Monday: Public Hearing and Rally to Protest Co-Location by Parents and students: PS 196/MS 582, Williamsburg, Brooklyn: Monday: Public Hearing and Rally to Protest Co-Location by Parents and students: PS 196/MS 582, Williamsburg, BrooklynI'm heading over to cover this. PS 196 is a few blocks away from the school I taught at for 27 years and I covered the school for tech support wh

by mike simpson / 18h 

10-19-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Ed Notes OnlineRevisiting ObamaCare IT: Race to the Top - of IncompetenceI'm listening to Brian Lehrer on NPR talk about the Obama roll-out disaster and the corporate disaster speak we are hearing -- exact tone we hear from Bloomberg/Walcott on that kid who is missing for 2 weeks.For the record, I posted ObamaCare IT: Race to the Top - of Incompetence on Oct. 10 where I pointed ou

1 by mike simpson / 8h

Language-Gap Study Bolsters a Push for Pre-K - NYTimes.com

Language-Gap Study Bolsters a Push for Pre-K - NYTimes.com:

Language-Gap Study Bolsters a Push for Pre-K

Ramin Rahimian for The New York Times

Picking out a book in Fremont, Calif. Oral language is closely tied to reading comprehension

Nearly two decades ago, a landmark study found that by age 3, the children of wealthier professionals have heard words millions more times than those of less educated parents, giving them a distinct advantage in school and suggesting the need for increased investment in prekindergarten programs.

Now a follow-up study has found a language gap as early as 18 months, heightening the policy debate.

The new research by Anne Fernald, a psychologist at Stanford University, which was published in Developmental Science this year, showed that at 18 months children from wealthier homes could identify pictures of simple words they knew — “dog” or “ball” — much faster than children from low-income families. By age 2, the study found, affluent children had learned 30 percent more words in the intervening months than the children from low-income homes.

The new findings, although based on a small sample, reinforced the earlier research showing that because professional parents speak so much more to their children, the children hear 30 million more words by age 3 than children from low-income households, early literacy experts, preschool directors and pediatricians said. In the new study, the children of affluent households came from communities where the median income was $69,000; the low-income children came from communities with a median income of $23,900.

Crash Course on Speaking in Tongues, All 22 of Them

A workshop in Brooklyn was held over three hours, in seven classrooms, featuring classes on nearly two dozen languages taught mostly by native speakers.    

200+ by By JOHN LELAND / 15min

10-21-13 Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog:

New Sealand

Population: 27 (2002)Area: 1.544 sq miles (4 km²)Founded: September 2, 1967Sealand, an old British radar platform from World War 2, is a self-declared micronation that is unfortunately not recognized by the world’s countries. This ship “was a Maunsell Sea Fort constructed by the British military in 1943, and originally given the name HM Fort Roughs. Later it would be renamed Sealand by Major Paddy

1 by Melissa Mcdaniel / 1h 

10-15-13 Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: Government ShutdownnAre we finally close to a deal between the Republicans and Democrats concerning the shutdown ?1 by Aidan Flynn / 6h Obamacare Vs. Affordable Care Act     Unfortunately our society is not well informed about its own governments plans. Today the the big question is,"which is better? 'Obamacare' or 'Affordable Care Act'?" For those of you who

by mike simpson / 10h

Pictures, Videos from the 2013 OTL Organizing Summit | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity

Pictures, Videos from the 2013 OTL Organizing Summit | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity:

Pictures, Videos from the 2013 OTL Organizing Summit

Posted on: Sunday October 20th, 2013

In early October, the Opportunity to Learn Campaign hosted its 2013 Organizing Summit in Los Angeles in conjunction with the American Federation of Teachers' Civil, Human and Women's Rights Conference. Over 200 parents, students, organizers and OTL allies from across the country joined 300 teachers from the AFT and National Education Association for an exciting weekend of trainings and strategy sessions aimed at building a collaborative movement to defend public education.

Thursday 10/3 – OTL Education Town Hall

The OTL-led portion of the weekend began with an Education Town Hall moderated by former MSNBC and BET journalist and social commentator Jeff Johnson.

Kicking off the Town Hall discussion, panelist John H. Jackson, President and CEO of the Schott Foundation for Public Education, said that current education reforms like standardized testing and mass school closures haven't created a sustainable "education ecosystem" that provides every student with the supports to succeed in the classroom. Rather than focusing solely on setting standards and holding teachers and school accountable, our nation should focus on building a system of resources and opportunities that helps every student achieve.

The lively discussion that followed focused on what is needed to create sustainable education ecosystems. Panelist Eugene Chasin (Say Yes to Education) said that community ownership is key to changing and improving public institutions. Maisie Chin (CADRE) highlighted how empowering parents helps them use their experiences with structural racism to break down similar barriers for their children. Youth leaders Minkah Smith (Community Rights Campaign) and Carlos "Elmo" Gomez (Sons, Brothers, Selves) both spoke about the necessity of ending harsh school discipline policies that alienate students and push them down the school-to-prison pipeline. Charles Fields (California Endowment) highlighted the link 

Pictures, Videos from the 2013 OTL Organizing Summit | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity:

More: Pictures, Videos from the 2013 OTL Organizing Summit | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity: