Latest News and Comment from Education

Friday, January 3, 2014

1-3-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE:





Beware of Data Sharing Cheerleaders Offering Webinars
Perhaps the most sobering component of the privatization push is its unprecedented demand for data collection (data “mining”) on American students. Data mining is not just an American issue. However, on the American front, two education activists have been at the forefront of the fight against this mammoth student data collection: Louisiana’s Jason France (here’s a great […]


Constantly saying teachers are “poor” kind of pisses me off. I think we should stop it.
I get it. We all get it. Relative to other careers with similar education credentials, teachers are underpaid, given that many have graduate degrees. To wit: The average salary for full-time public school teachers in 2010–11 was $56,069 in current dollars (i.e. dollars that are not adjusted for inflation). In constant (inflation-adjusted) dollars, the average […]
@johnkuhntx: The Tyranny of the Datum
By John Kuhn Data is a big deal. A great deal of innovation is happening right now in the field of data collection, storage, and management in the field of education. There are some well-documented fears among parents and teachers regarding these trends. Who will control the data? How will the data be used? Will […]


@ArneDuncan is suzerain to the vassals
The Washington Post (aka Valerie Strauss) reported just days ago that the Secretary of Education intervened in choice of chancellor of NYC schools, discouraging choice of MD Supe Josh Starr. How dare Duncan, yes? Interfering in local education matters. My analysis? NYC is not merely a local education matter. This isn’t Albuquerque. This is New […]

Guest Post: Here’s to a Progressive/Conservative Movement to Take Back Our Schools
We met the other day in the kitchen of a retired teacher. We were quite the mix of people, with a far right conservative and a far left progressive; long­time retired teachers, and currently working teachers; elementary teachers, high school teachers and a university teacher. Despite our differences, we all came together out of a single concern: what is happening to public education.   Although th
The Observation Gap?
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) has become the black hole of education discussions or “debates.” In fact, I’d submit that we spend far too much time and energy arguing for, or against, the CCSS that we’re neglecting other critical aspects of our profession. Case in point: the role classroom observations serve in providing teachers […]


Conditions of Teaching Are Conditions of Learning: On Students
Conditions of Teaching Are Conditions of Learning: On Students. via Conditions of Teaching Are Conditions of Learning: On Students.
1-2-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: @johnkuhntx Teaching: The Card GameBy John Kuhn In the spirit of “War” and “Old Maid,” I present a card game called “Teaching.” (Note: there is something inherently icky about symbolizing students with numbers or, in this case, playing cards. I didn’t create this game to imply that students are merely numbers or that some students are “worth more” than […]8 by Timothy D. Slekar /