Latest News and Comment from Education

Show All

Sunday, December 22, 2013

The Educated Reporter: Remediation: New Strategies to Help Students Catch Up and Complete College

The Educated Reporter: Remediation: New Strategies to Help Students Catch Up and Complete College:

MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2013

Remediation: New Strategies to Help Students Catch Up and Complete College





President Obama is planning a summit with higher education leaders to discuss college success for lower-income students early next year (the original meeting date was canceled following the death of Nelson Mandela). This week we're catching up with some of the top sessions from EWA's 66th National Seminar, and given the accelerating focus on outcomes for postsecondary students, this guest post from Laura Insensee of Houston Public Radio particularly timely.Stream any session from National Seminar in your browser, or subscribe via RSS or iTunes. For more on college completion, visit EWA's Story Starters online resource. 

Remediation is the “black hole” of higher education, as moderator Paul Fain, a senior reporter with Insider Higher Ed, put it. Most students get placed in at least one remedial course to catch up on content. That’s more than half of the students at community colleges and about 20 percent of students enrolled in four-year 
Posted by at

Bumpy Start for Teacher Evaluation Program in New York Schools - NYTimes.com

Bumpy Start for Teacher Evaluation Program in New York Schools - NYTimes.com:

Bumpy Start for Teacher Evaluation Program in New York Schools

Ángel Franco/The New York Times
Nina Phillips, upper right, being evaluated last month as she taught at P.S. 295 in Brooklyn.
By 
Published: December 22, 2013

Connect With NYTMetroOver the 24 years Lily Din Woo has been the principal of Public School 130 in Lower Manhattan, her typical day changed very little: sick or misbehaving students, budgets, curriculum woes and meetings with parents, many of whom do not speak English.
Metro Twitter Logo.
Follow us on Twitterand like us onFacebook for news and conversation.

This year, however, she and the assistant principal are spending parts of each day darting in and out of classrooms, clipboards and iPads in hand, as they go over checklists for good teaching. Is the lesson clear? Is the classroom organized?
All told, they will spend over two of the 40 weeks of the school year on such visits. The hours spent sitting with teachers to discuss each encounter and entering their marks into the school system’s temperamental teacher-grading database easily stretch to more than a month.
“At some point, something is just going to give,” Ms. Woo, 62, said. “The observations are important, but so is counseling a troubled child or a family struggling to help their 
Posted by at

The Importance of Common Core for Nationally-pervasive Ed Reform | deutsch29

The Importance of Common Core for Nationally-pervasive Ed Reform | deutsch29:

The Importance of Common Core for Nationally-pervasive Ed Reform

December 22, 2013


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 truly national privatization of public education depends upon CCSS.
CCSS is the cornerstone of unprecedented, national-level corporate reform that has been in the making for several years.
Allow me to explain.
2009: An Important Year for National-scale Reform
Before the “national standards” were written, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten wholeheartedly endorsed them.
That was February 2009, the same month that Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 and approved $100 billion in federal funding for education.
In April 2009, the Broad Foundation published a report predicting a spectrum of reforms that Americans could expect by January 2012. Among them, CCSS:
First, and most fundamental, by January 2012 Americans should expect to see a common core of fewer, clearer, higher, evidence-based, college- and career-ready 
Posted by at

3 Questions To Guide Your Vision | Connected Principals

3 Questions To Guide Your Vision | Connected Principals:

3 Questions To Guide Your Vision

by  •  • 0 Comments



There are a lot of people in newly formed leadership positions where they have a blank slate to create something new in their work.  One of the things that I remember one of my mentors asking me when I first started as a principal was, “What will be your fingerprint on this school after you leave?”
I have always thought about that statement in my career and bring it to everything that I do.  One of the things that I feel is important in a leadership position is that you build capacity and create an environment that eventually will not need you.   Yet there are many people in administrative positions that will be best remembered because they brought food to workshops.  That’s great, but it’s not enough.
I think that great work and learning, doesn’t start with answers, but always questions.  Here are some of the things that help guide my career.
What is the vision for the work that I am doing and how am I making that vision come true? 
If I meet you, and you are in a leadership position, this is a question that I am asking you right away.  We can easily say things like “I want students to be engaged”, but what does that really mean and look like.  Does it mean that they are engaged in curriculum that they sometimes wouldn’t care about otherwise?  Even when you talk about the notion of “vision”, it is about 
Posted by at

Times Я Tough | EduShyster

Times Я Tough | EduShyster:

Times Я Tough



 The man to whom EduShyster is *technically* married makes a desperate plea for your help this holiday season
Littlest Bolshevik here: AKA the man to whom EduShyster is *technically* married. While EduShyster is otherwise engaged—in a senseless Twitter battle with a singing ed reformer—I’ve seized the means of communication in order to deliver this urgent appeal. Sadly I have been too busy this holiday season fomenting worker revolt at Walmart and among fast food workers to do much Christmas shopping (yes, we celebrate Christmas). Which is where you come in…
Now I know you wouldn’t want EduShyster to pad out to the Christmas tree first thing Wednesday morning and find nothing but unsold socialist newspapers and a bullhorn with dead batteries waiting beneath the boughs. To that end I am hoping we might do this collectively in the spirit of the most redistributive of all of the holidays. Below you will find EduShyster’s Christmas wish list with a line through all of the items that I’ve already purchased. Anything that you can do to make her eyes shine with wonder will be much appreciated. In other words, just
Posted by at

Nite Cap 12-22-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2


James Baldwin said it best: 

"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."


A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP


You Can Address Your Pet Project and Inequality At The Same Time! | The Jose Vilson
You Can Address Your Pet Project and Inequality At The Same Time! | The Jose Vilson: Why Yes, You CAN Address Inequality and Your Pet Project At The Same Timeby JOSE VILSON on DECEMBER 22, 2013in JOSEAsa Phillip RandolphEver notice that whenever someone brings up issues of inequality, another person is bound to say, “Yes, that’s a necessary conversation, but let’s work on this [not-as-significant]
by mike simpson / 1min 
I don’t feel safe. | BCS in Context
I don’t feel safe. | BCS in Context: Something must be done.FBI report lists Los Altos as one of Bay Area’s safest communities Yes, I’ve read the article, I’m sure it’s right. I moved my family to Los Altos because we love the village atmosphere, the family-friendly downtown, the great schools and low crime rate. We considered towns like Hillsborough and Woodside but eventually settled on Los Alto
by mike simpson / 4min 
empathyeducates – To Track or Not to Track?
empathyeducates – To Track or Not to Track?: To Track or Not to Track?To Track or Not to Track?Way back when, in the stone-age of education, ability grouping and tracking were popular. Some might argue that even when it was out it was in, dependent on where you lived. Nonetheless, it existed and/or exists. When the practice is present the torch of proficiency is the gold standard. You either have
by mike simpson / 1h 
AFT's Weingarten Talks Michelle Rhee, Common Core, Pitfalls in Obama's Education Strategy - Politics K-12 - Education Week
AFT's Weingarten Talks Michelle Rhee, Common Core, Pitfalls in Obama's Education Strategy - Politics K-12 - Education Week: AFT's Weingarten Talks Michelle Rhee, Common Core, Pitfalls in Obama's Education StrategyBy Alyson Klein on December 22, 2013 3:51 PMRandi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, has famously called for a moratorium on high-stakes standardized testin
by mike simpson / 2h 
Express Yourself: A Lyrical Critique of Reformers | Cloaking Inequity
Express Yourself: A Lyrical Critique of Reformers | Cloaking Inequity: Express Yourself: A Lyrical Critique of ReformersWant to have a little lyrical fun? Express Yourself popped up on my ITunes playlist the other day. For those of you not familiar with Express Yourself, it is the song by the Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. It played in the background in the film Mr. and M
by mike simpson / 2h 
12-22-13 Wait What NEWS FLASH: Steve Perry’s use of private email account will not shield public’s right to know - Wait What?
NEWS FLASH: Steve Perry’s use of private email account will not shield public’s right to know - Wait What?: NEWS FLASH: Steve Perry’s use of private email account will not shield public’s right to knowA set of emails acquired by Wait, What? reveals that as early as November 2012, a year before the Hartford Board of Education voted to reject a secret deal to hand Capital Prep Magnet School and S.A.
by mike simpson / 3h 
Parents United calls for investigation into use of pepper spray on students | Parents United for Public Education
Parents United calls for investigation into use of pepper spray on students | Parents United for Public Education: Parents United calls for investigation into use of pepper spray on studentsPosted on December 22, 2013 by PARENTSUNITEDPHILALeave a commentHow far do we go in the name of “safety”? That’s the question Parents United would like answered in the wake of two recently surfaced incidents of
by mike simpson / 3h 
TUDA victor go the spoils? | Ward 8 DC Teacher
TUDA victor go the spoils? | Ward 8 DC Teacher: TUDA victor go the spoils?by ANGEL CINTRON JR. • DECEMBER 22, 2013The recently published 2013 Trial Urban District Assessment 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 200
by mike simpson / 3h 
Koritelling: Wretched Numbers
Koritelling: Wretched Numbers (I'm Looking at You, CPS): Wretched Numbers (I'm Looking at You, CPS)Yesterday morning, I woke up early to make a really healthy, warm breakfast for EJ, as it is cold outside, and she had the reading portion of her NWEA test, and wanted to do her best.Unlike in past years, when this has been "just another thing they do" at school, with little fanfare, this y
by mike simpson / 3h 
Thanks for voting for us! | Parents United for Public Education
Thanks for voting for us! | Parents United for Public Education: Thanks for voting for us!Posted on December 20, 2013 by PARENTSUNITEDPHILALeave a commentThanks Philly!Thanks for voting for Parents United for Public Education as Philebrity’s 2013 Non-Profit Organization of the Year.We had a great time at Johnny Brenda’s and had a drink (or two) celebrating the hard work all of us put in to support
by mike simpson / 4h 
12-21-13 Jersey Jazzman
Jersey Jazzman: "Shrieking" People of Color Demanding Autonomy, and Other Threats to AmericaWhen black people in Newark start getting a little too "uppity," it's time to fluff up the pillows on our local punditocracy's fainting coach. Quickly, someone catch the editorialists at the Star-Ledger - and bring the smelling salts!Cami Anderson, the superintendent of schools in Newark
by mike simpson / 4h 
An Urban Teacher's Education: On Teacher Workload and Pretending
An Urban Teacher's Education: On Teacher Workload and Pretending: On Teacher Workload and PretendingThe New York Times published an article yesterday on the effects of budget cuts on class sizes across the country.A few items that stand out:"Across the country, public schools employ about 250,000 fewer people than before the recession.""Staff cuts among reading, special education an
by mike simpson / 5h 
12-22-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Potpourri of Parenting StoriesNo "This Week in Seattle Schools" today.  Instead a round-up of stories - happy and sad - about parenting.Let's go with happy first (and you can skip sad if you want to).What to do over the holidays (unlike the Times, I'll try to give you the free/low-cost stuff):visit the Gingerbread Villlage at the Sheraton, 1400 Sixth Aven
by mike simpson / 5h 
What You Believe About Homosexuality Doesn’t Matter | In The Parlor
What You Believe About Homosexuality Doesn’t Matter | In The Parlor: What You Believe About Homosexuality Doesn’t MatterPosted on December 19, 2013by TylerToday, there are 2 news stories that have been circulating all over my Facebook and Twitter news feeds. One you are probably aware of, the other maybe not. The two, though, are closely related. The first news story is the indefinite suspension o
by mike simpson / 6h 
Tennessee Student: Is Standardization Making Us Conform to an Ill Formed Bureaucracy? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
Tennessee Student: Is Standardization Making Us Conform to an Ill Formed Bureaucracy? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Tennessee Student: Is Standardization Making Us Conform to an Ill Formed Bureaucracy?By Anthony Cody on December 22, 2013 11:28 AMA remarkable video has been making the rounds, of a Tennessee student named Kenneth Ye, a senior at Farragutt High School in Knox County.
by mike simpson / 6h 
How to Use Technology in Education (Frederick Hess and Bror Saxberg) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
How to Use Technology in Education (Frederick Hess and Bror Saxberg) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: How to Use Technology in Education (Frederick Hess and Bror Saxberg) Frederick M. Hess is director of educational-policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Bror Saxberg is chief learning officer at Kaplan, Inc. They are the authors of  Breakthrough Leadership in th
by mike simpson / 7h 
12-22-13 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: In The ‘Silent Prison’ Of Autism, Ido Speaks Out
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: In The ‘Silent Prison’ Of Autism, Ido Speaks OutThe high school student's 'Ido in Autismland' is part memoir and part protest, a compelling message to educators on how to teach people such as him. By Thomas Curwen/ Photography and video by Genaro Molina |Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/1fy6f4x Ido Kedar takes a breather while working out at a local hi
by mike simpson / 7h 
12-22-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Sunday reads. Think globally. Give locally.  Retired teacher and blogger John Dillon has a great post on the impact of corporate giving during the holidays and the rest of the year. Here’s a partial list of the 24 corporate Samaritans, and I’ll just highlight the companies with membership in the Civic
by mike simpson / 7h 
12-22-13 The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: Where education technology will — and won’t — take us by 2024What’s the future of education technology? Venturing an educated guess is Larry Cuban, a high school social studies teacher for 14 years and a district superintendent (seven years in Arlington, VA), is professor emeritus of education at Stanford University, where he has taught for more than 20 years. His latest book is
by mike simpson / 7h 
12-22-13 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: The Memphis Hopson HustleUnless the public stops the corrupt capitulation by Memphis politicians to the Gates agenda for privatizing American schools, the children of Memphis will soon become the educational property of corporate charter schools that receive public money to subject the poorest children to their cultural and behavioral neutering programs.  Here is a telling chunk of
by mike simpson / 8h 
Morning Wink 12-22-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSAnother Slice - V.A.M.: Value Added MeasureV.A.M.: Value Added Measure: Another Slice of "American Pie"A long, long time ago I can still remember how that teaching used to make me smile And, I knew if I had my turn that I could make those people learn, and... Maybe they'd be studying a while But, February made me shiver with every test score I'd
by mike simpson / 8h 
Another Slice - V.A.M.: Value Added Measure
V.A.M.: Value Added Measure: Another Slice of "American Pie"A long, long time ago I can still remember how that teaching used to make me smile And, I knew if I had my turn that I could make those people learn, and... Maybe they'd be studying a while But, February made me shiver with every test score I'd deliver Bad news on the scantron - It made me want to rant on I can't remember if I c
by mike simpson / 9h 
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-22-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Teachers: Common Core in Kindergarten ClassThese comments were posted by a kindergarten teacher in response to a post about the Common Core English language arts standards: I teach kindergarden. The five-year olds have an incredibly tight schedule to keep in our county: an hour of math, hour of science, 2 hours of language arts, ha
by mike simpson / 9h 
12-22-13 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: I Don’t Need Standards To Teach, I Need StudentsI Don\’t Need Standards To Teach, I Need Students. via I Don’t Need Standards To Teach, I Need Students.by plthomasedd / 1min hide  //  saveTeachers of Conscience and the Common Core Scylla and CharybdisTeachers of Conscience and the Common Core Scylla and Charybdis. via Teachers of Conscience and the Common Core Scylla and Charybdi
by mike simpson / 9h 
12-22-13 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Time To Make Andrew Cuomo Pay Politically For His Teacher Evaluation ReformsCarol Burris in the Times Union on how to reduce the damage over-testing is doing to students, teachers and schools:The real solutions are simple but courageous. First, follow the lead of California and do not engage in grade 3-8 testing this year. Have early childhood experts review the standards an
by mike simpson / 9h 
12-22-13 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness
the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): Teachers of Conscience and the Common Core Scylla and CharybdisIn our popular discourse, we are prone to say we are caught between a rock and a hard place, a veiled allusion to Homer’s Scylla and Charybdis. For K-12 public school teachers over the past thirty years, our 
by mike simpson / 9h 
12-22-13 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education
Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: How Jeff Clemens Bill Forces Florida Charter Schools Into a Debate They Don’t Want to HaveLet’s get this out-of-the-way now. Jeff Clements bill has zero chance of getting a hearing. But it sure makes the for-profit charter school bristle. The Florida Current’s James Call
by mike simpson / 9h 
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Important Post For Email Subscribers To This BlogI really “went to town” yesterday and published many posts to get caught up on a backlog. Unfortunately, Feedblitz didn’t include all of them in the email they sent to subscribers. So here are links to the posts they didn’t include: More Good “Year In Review” Features “Educat
by mike simpson / 9h 
12-22-13 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: Matt Vaz in The Brooklyn RailThen he gets on the train, everybody in the train car has to lie face-down on the floor with their hands behind their head. Then the train goes 150 yards, and then stops in between two stations, and then Bloomberg exits through a private tunnel, and then gets back in his helicopter and flies to Bermuda to get a manicure and pedicure. He goes to Bermuda
by mike simpson / 9h 
teacherken at Daily Kos 12-22-13: the Nation's Progressive Honor Role for 2013
Daily Kos: the Nation's Progressive Honor Role for 2013: the Nation's Progressive Honor Role for 2013is something everyone here should read and ponder. The Progressive Honor Roll of 2013 is authored by John Nichols, and is subtitled We celebrate these heroes both for their accomplishments of the past year and their determination to do even more in 2014. There are those whom we would expect to appe
by mike simpson / 9h 
A look at what SAT report on Camden means - Philly.com
A look at what SAT report on Camden means - Philly.com: A look at what SAT report on Camden meansBy Julia Terruso, Inquirer Staff WriterPOSTED: December 21, 2013CAMDEN A statistic released by the Camden School District - that three out of about 882 high school seniors scored "college ready" on the SAT in 2012 - sparked criticism and questions from education advocates last week.The number
by mike simpson / 9h 
Teacher Diversity Matters | Center for American Progress
Teacher Diversity Matters | Center for American Progress: Teacher Diversity MattersA State-by-State Analysis of Teachers of ColorSOURCE: AP/Pat SullivanMarjorie Hunt-Bluford works with her fifth-grade students on math problems.By Ulrich Boser | November 9, 2011PRINT:   SHARE:        Download this report (pdf)Download the introduction and summary (pdf)Read the full report in your web browser (Scrib
by mike simpson / 9h 

YESTERDAY

Subtract Teachers, Add Pupils - Math of Today’s Jammed Schools - NYTimes.com
Subtract Teachers, Add Pupils - Math of Today’s Jammed Schools - NYTimes.com: Overcrowding in Classrooms: Cuts to payrolls in school districts have resulted in unwieldy class sizes and a lack of specialists to help those students who struggle academically.By MOTOKO RICHPublished: December 21, 2013 COATESVILLE, Pa. — The recession may have ended, but many of the nation’s school districts that laid
by mike simpson / 22h 
I Believe in Human Rights: Youth Homelessness and Education | ED.gov Blog
I Believe in Human Rights: Youth Homelessness and Education | ED.gov Blog: I Believe in Human Rights: Youth Homelessness and EducationPosted on December 21, 2013 by Deb DelisleCross-posted from the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness BlogFor two years in a row, I have been honored to speak with the recipients of the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth’s LeTen
by mike simpson / 22h 
Should your local public school have to pay for charter and county vocational school sports programs?
Save Our Schools NJ: Should your local public school have to pay for charter and county vocational school sports programs?The New Jersey Legislature is about to vote on legislation that would do just that!Assembly Bill 3421/Senate Bill 3043 require public school districts to allow students attending charter or county vocational schools, or being home schooled, to play on the local public school sp
by mike simpson / 1d 
Nite Cap 12-21-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
James Baldwin said it best: "For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP#StackRanking and Other Immoral Horrors: The Invisible Hands and Invisible Morals of Bill and Melinda Gates | Teachers' Letters to Bill Gates#StackRanking and Other Immoral Horrors: The Invisible Hands and Invisible Morals of Bill and Melinda Gat
by mike simpson / 1d 



Posted by at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)