Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Morning Wink 1-28-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS




LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-28-14 Diane Ravitch's blog A site to discuss better education for all #EDCHAT #P2
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Houston Learned from Los Angeles What NOT to Do with TechnologyThe Los Angeles iPad program has become a national lesson in what NOT to do. Other districts, watching the slow-motion disaster in L.A., are taking heed and planning their purchases and implementation of technology with greater care than was exercised in the nation’s se
1-28-14 Wait What?
Wait What?: Commissioner Pryor and entourage are the biggest threat to Malloy’s Re-election…Considering Governor Dannel Malloy won the last gubernatorial election with less than 50% of the 1.2 million votes cast and his margin of victory was only 6,404 votes, virtually anything could cost him his re-election dreams. But forget the Republicans and their propensity to snatch defeat from the jaws of
1-28-14 @ The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: The hype and reality of ‘school choice’In case you missed any of the endless streams of announcements, it’s National School Choice Week, and advocates are staging thousands of events across the country to talk it up. There is even a school choice train making a whistle-stop tour across the country for rallies and other such goings-on to draw attention to a movement that has been
1-28-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Tuesday Open ThreadComing up on Thursday is the one-year anniversary of the MAP test boycott.  It's also the day that SEE (Social Equality Educators) are introducing their "Respect' slate of candidates to challenge the current SEA leadership.  They are having a forum on Thursday at Garfield Community Center.   Lead by Jesse Hagopian, a Garfield teacher who was
1-28-14 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: SKrashen: The Common Core: A Disaster for Libraries, A Disaster for Language Arts, a Disaster for American EducationSKrashen: The Common Core: A Disaster for Libraries, A Disaster for Language Arts, a Disaster for American Education: Stephen Krashen Knowledge Quest 42(3): 37-45 (2014). There never has been a need for the common core and there is no evidence ...by Robert D. Skeels .
1-28-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida
Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: Florida Republican Lawmakers Devotion to STEM Conflicts With Their School Choice ObsessionThe nation’s supposed need for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) professionals drives much republican education policymaking in Florida. Governor Rick Scott turned a
Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog 1-28-14
Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: Animal TestingAnimal Exploitation Now has recently exposed that the number of fines the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) has made for  "laboratory negligence" has gone up by 162% in the past 3 years. The group is claiming that the USDA is failing at its job of regulating labs and not protecting animals used for testing. All together 35 labs were fined and
1-28-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: This Week In Web 2.0In yet another attempt to get at the enormous backlog I have of sites worth , I’ve recently begin a regular feature called “The Week In Web 2.0.” (you might also be interested in The Best Web 2.0 Applications For Education In 2013): Curriculet lets teachers assign what appears to be books in the public d
1-28-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Soup Kitchen and half a cola at Robyn Gabel’s office.This afternoon our chapter of IEA Retired, the Skokie Organization of Retired Educators (SORE) had planned another pension protest outside the Evanston district office of State Representative Robyn Gabel. We had planned to set up a soup kitchen and
FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, January 28, 2014
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Trial over California teacher protection laws opensEducation HeadlinesTuesday, January 28, 2014FCMAT provides links to California K-12 news stories as a service to the industry. However, some stories may not be accessible because of newspapers' subscription policies.Proposed changes at Salinas charter school have parents riledMiddle school ag
1-28-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": “Parents Should Demand Partnerships With Schools to Boost Achievement”Parents Should Demand Partnerships With Schools to Boost Achievement is a post over at Education Week reporting on a recent meeting of parent convened by the National Assessment Governing Board (they’re the ones who administer the NAEP tests, which I beli
1-28-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: What We Know (and Ignore) about Standards, Achievement, and EquityWhat We Know (and Ignore) about Standards, Achievement, and Equity. via What We Know (and Ignore) about Standards, Achievement, and Equity.2 by plthomasedd / 1h 1-27-14 @ The Chalk Face@ THE CHALK FACE: Bad Journalism, Test-Mania, and High Education: “A Flabbergasting Reality”About thirty years after the fabricated
1-28-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD
the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): What We Know (and Ignore) about Standards, Achievement, and EquityCalling for, establishing, and implementing high (or higher) standards has been a part of U.S. public education at least since the 1890s when the Committee of Ten called for higher standards for high schoo
1-28-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Regents Grading HellIf you're reading this post anytime around 7:30 AM when I had it scheduled to be posted, then you're reading it long after I left for my ELA Regents exam grading assignment.You see, the NYCDOE sent the teachers in my department to a school almost as far away from our school on the island of Manhattan as you can get without being:a) in the Bronxb) in the E
Accountability Bill: Privatization Driven | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!
Accountability Bill: Privatization Driven | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: Accountability Bill: Privatization DrivenFiled under: Charter Schools,Low Performing Schools — millerlf @ 10:01 am 4 features of the proposed Accountability Bill (SB 286/AB 379) are :1. Low performing schools will be closed or turned over to independent charter management organizations (CMO).2. The MPS Superint
The Public School Where Prayer Is Everywhere - Andrew Cohen - The Atlantic
The Public School Where Prayer Is Everywhere - Andrew Cohen - The Atlantic: The Public School Where Prayer Is EverywhereA Buddhist family has filed a lawsuit against Louisiana's Sabine Parish School Board for violating the First Amendment. David Goldman/AP ImagesA federal lawsuit filed last week in Louisiana contains some of the most startling allegations you will ever see against public school of
New slogan for state? “Georgia: Where it’s hot and clammy and... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com
New slogan for state? “Georgia: Where it’s hot and clammy and... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com: New slogan for state? “Georgia: Where it’s hot and clammy and we’re still singing about your mammy.” Making the rounds this morning is a map that reflects the stereotypes of all the states based on Google searches that ask, “Why is State X so…….”A story and map in Huffington Post proclaim that the most f
Mayor de Blasio Defends Preschool and After-School Programs with Determination | janresseger
Mayor de Blasio Defends Preschool and After-School Programs with Determination | janresseger: Mayor de Blasio Defends Preschool and After-School Programs with DeterminationPosted on January 28, 2014 by janressegerNew York’s new mayor, Bill de Blasio made the needs of young children and pre-adolescents the centerpiece of his election campaign last fall.   A promotional website describes a well fram
empathyeducates – Minority Kids Disproportionately Impacted By Zero-Tolerance Laws
empathyeducates – Minority Kids Disproportionately Impacted By Zero-Tolerance Laws: Minority Kids Disproportionately Impacted By Zero-Tolerance LawsPhotograph; Kyle Thompson, 15, of Farmington, Michigan was arrested and kicked out of school after a tug-of-war with a teacher over a note.By Halimah Abdullah | Originally Published at Cable News Network [CNN].Saturday, January 25, 2014(CNN) — A year a
Shanker Blog » Unionization And Working Poverty
Shanker Blog » Unionization And Working Poverty: Unionization And Working PovertyPosted by Ian Robinson on January 28, 2014Our guest author today is Ian Robinson, Lecturer in the Department of Sociology and in the Residential College’s interdisciplinary Social Theory and Practice program at the University of Michigan.Poverty is (by definition) a function of inadequate income relative to family or
One Teacher's Perspective: False Narratives Dogging Public Education
One Teacher's Perspective: False Narratives Dogging Public Education: False Narratives Dogging Public EducationIn annual class discussions about slave history, almost always some student asks, “Why didn’t slaves resist slavery?” Of course, this is a fallacious question. I do not blame the annual questioner since the premise is rooted in a false narrative retold many times in the historiography of
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Chicago newest church-affiliated charter school
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Chicago newest church-affiliated charter school: Chicago newest church-affiliated charter schoolSchool planner, Donnita TravisSometimes even cynical me can be found gasping at the audacity of Chicago's charter school hustlers. My latest gasp came after reading about the newest church-affiliated charter approved by the mayor's hand-picked school board last week, targe

YESTERDAY

1-27-14 Jersey Jazzman Jammin'
Jersey Jazzman: Can We Please Have Some Straight Talk About Charters?It was a reformy vortex last week when the Second Annual New Jersey School Choice Summit took place in Newark. After these fine reformy folks handed out yellow scarves to what appears to be a mostly empty room, it was time for noted education experts and experienced teachers Bob Bowden and Derrell Bradford to spout their pre-scri
Special Late Nite Cap EXTRA 1-27-14 #EDCHAT #P2 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk
Nite Cap EXTRAEXTRA EXTRA EXTRA EXTRAUnion to hit Olney Charter with unfair labor practice chargePHILADELPHIA A union that has been involved in organizing teachers at Olney Charter High School is set to file an unfair labor practice charge Monday over a new social-media policy the union said was an attempt to silence staff.1min Portland teachers union supporters pack meeting, blast Superintendent
Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 1-27-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
Nite Cap UPDATEUPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATECORPORATE ED REFORMRewards for reading aloud?To be published in the School Library JournalShould we provide rewards if parents read 1000 books aloud to their children ("Vivacious vocabulary," Jan. 2014)? Read-alouds are very pleasant for both parents and children. The vast majority of children say that they enjoy being read to: 97% in Walker and
Nite Cap 1-27-14 #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 CAPSummer Food Service Applications - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)Summer Food Service Applications - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education):State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Urges Agencies to Apply to Become Summer Food Service Program SponsorsSACRAME
Summer Food Service Applications - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)
Summer Food Service Applications - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education):State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Urges Agencies to Apply to Become Summer Food Service Program SponsorsSACRAMENTO—Helping students get enough nutritious food during the summer recess will help them succeed in school in the fall, according to State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, who today urged eligible organi
EduCon, Addressing Privilege, and Developing Learners Through Race - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson
EduCon, Addressing Privilege, and Developing Learners Through Race - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson: EduCon, Addressing Privilege, and Developing Learners Through Raceby JOSE VILSON on JANUARY 27, 2014in JOSEWhen friend Audrey Watters invited me to create an EduCon session, one that would eventually run concurrently with my Sunday panel on openness and transparency in education, my first reacti
What’s the Difference Between Wealth and Money? | Gatsby In L.A.
What’s the Difference Between Wealth and Money? | Gatsby In L.A.: What’s the Difference Between Wealth and Money? “We’ve been saying that Myrtle’s having an affair with Tom for the money, but that has a different connotation than saying she’s having an affair with him because of his wealth,” says a blond guy in the front who’s been relatively quiet during class so far.By “relatively quiet” I mean
The White Choice | EduShyster
The White Choice | EduShyster: The White Choice A growing number of choosy choosers are choosing the white choice for their childrenIt’s hard to believe but National School Choice Week is here again. This year’s choicetacular celebration started off with a bang—make that a bell—as students fromNewark Prep Charter School, operated by K12 (NYSE: LRN), rang the New York Stock Exchange opening bell, s
NYC Public School Parents: Call the Governor; tomorrow is Data Privacy Day!
NYC Public School Parents: Call the Governor; tomorrow is Data Privacy Day!: Call the Governor; tomorrow is Data Privacy Day!Tomorrow is National Data Privacy Day.   Please take a moment to sign this petition and call Governor Cuomo at (518) 474-8390 with the following message:The Governor needs to publicly oppose the state’s plan to share student data with inBloom Inc. and other vendors. NY is no
My Summary and Thoughts of the Progressive Social Media Summit + (my original speech) | Crazy Crawfish's Blog
My Summary and Thoughts of the Progressive Social Media Summit + (my original speech) | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: My Summary and Thoughts of the Progressive Social Media Summit + (my original speech)Posted on January 27, 20140This is by no means meant to be a complete summary of this awesome experience put on by Louisiana Progress, but I thought I would share a few thoughts of mine that came out of t
SPECIAL Mid Day Banana Break 1-27-14 #RealEdTalk #edreform
Big Education Ape - Mid Day Banana BreakWe Can't Do It Alone Anymore A session with AFT president Randi ...The blare of trumpets signaled the Valley's official welcome to American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten last Tuesday afternoon.35min Welner Writes a Message to the President: Are We Serious About Reducing Inequality? | Diane Ravitch’s blogKevin Welner, director of the Natio
1-27-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State Charter Schools UpdateItems of interest:- the Charter Commission is going to have a phone-in meeting tomorrow, the 28th from 9 am to 10 am.  The agenda vaguely says " discussion of resolution process" and "bills currently under consideration."  Dial-in number is 800-245-9874, Access code 7784207.- the Charter Commission will hav
Corporate Ed Reformers Want To Own Your School - Let'S Check Their Record #Edreform #Choice
CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS WEBSITEA compilation of news articles about charter schools which have been charged with, or are highly suspected of, tampering with admissions, grades, attendance and testing; misuse of funds and embezzlement; engaging in nepotism and conflicts of interest; engaging in complicated and shady real estate deals; and/or have been engaging in other questionable, unethical, bord
Sometimes, a Chat Is Just a Chat | My Island View #Edchat
Sometimes, a Chat Is Just a Chat | My Island View: Sometimes, a Chat Is Just a ChatJanuary 27, 2014 by tomwhitbyI recently attended a provocative session at Educon. For those who don’t know Educon is an annual education Conference held at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia each year on the week before the Super Bowl. It is a conference of discussion as opposed to a conference of presen
Obama's Empty Rhetoric on Education - Stephen Lurie - The Atlantic
Obama's Empty Rhetoric on Education - Stephen Lurie - The Atlantic: Obama's Empty Rhetoric on EducationIn his State of the Union addresses, the president has talked about schooling in very superficial ways. Charles Dharapak/AP PhotoAs the crescendo of his first Address to a Join Session of Congress in January 2009, newly elected President Barack Obama decided to share a story of a school. That sch
Holding Arne Duncan to a Higher Standard | Jason Stanford
Holding Arne Duncan to a Higher Standard | Jason Stanford: Holding Arne Duncan to a Higher StandardPosted: 01/23/2014 12:26 pmAmerica, the elites are very disappointed in you. We're not keeping up with South Korea and Singapore, they tell us, because you are coddling your mediocre children who are being taught by bottom-of-the-barrel teachers. But have no fear, help is on the way! Pearson, the tes
College-Ready, Career-Ready--and Playing Music. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher
College-Ready, Career-Ready--and Playing Music. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: College-Ready, Career-Ready--and Playing Music.By Nancy Flanagan on January 27, 2014 11:45 AM Years ago, in a mid-70s masters class in The Future of Education, the professor told us that we should be prepared to live in a future world where discipline-based 30-year careers with a single focus woul
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Selling us junk
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Selling us junk: Selling us junk“They are saying this is choice, yet they are not advertising any public schools at all,” said protester Rousemary Vega. “That doesn’t give any parents choice.” -- NBC 5 ChicagoRahm and Byrd-Bennett have turned into junk salesmen. Their New Schools Expo was little more than a flea market of mostly inferior goods being sold to desperate
LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District)
LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District): Vergara suit on teacher dismissal opens, courtroom packedPosted on January 27, 2014 by LA School ReportA lawsuit that could lead to a seismic shift in teacher tenure and dismissal methods is underway today in a packed Los Angeles courtroom.LA Unified SuperintendentJohn Deasy is expected to take the stand.
1-27-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: Bad Journalism, Test-Mania, and High Education: “A Flabbergasting Reality”About thirty years after the fabricated “the sky is falling” moment in public education—A Nation at Risk—we may be witnessing a similar dismantling of higher education in the U.S., as John Marcus overstates: On weekend mornings all this winter, anxious high school juniors and seniors will file into school c
1-27-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD
the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): Bad Journalism, Test-Mania, and High Education: “A Flabbergasting Reality”Bad Journalism, Test-Mania, and High Education: “A Flabbergasting Reality”.1 by plthomasedd / 17min1-26-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdDthe becoming
The First-Ever Virtual "Big Block of Cheese Day" – The White House is Open for Questions | The White House
The First-Ever Virtual "Big Block of Cheese Day" – The White House is Open for Questions | The White House: The First-Ever Virtual "Big Block of Cheese Day" – The White House is Open for QuestionsPresident Obama has always been dedicated to the idea that the White House is truly "The People's House" and has worked to make 1600 Pennsylvania and his administration open
FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, January 27, 2014
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: California teacher tenure, dismissal challenged in lawsuitEducation HeadlinesMonday, January 27, 2014FCMAT provides links to California K-12 news stories as a service to the industry. However, some stories may not be accessible because of newspapers' subscription policies.Bond refinancing by Coachella Valley Unified School District reduces ta
In America, only 10% of 8th-grade Black boys can read proficiently* - Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública
Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública: In America, only 10% of 8th-grade Black boys can read proficiently******************************************************************* "If you teach that nigger how to read, there will be no keeping him! It will forever unfit him to be a slave! He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master."These are
As Schools Jump to Tablets, Questions Linger Over Impact on Writing and Reading Skills | NEA Today
As Schools Jump to Tablets, Questions Linger Over Impact on Writing and Reading Skills | NEA Today: As Schools Jump to Tablets, Questions Linger Over Impact on Writing and Reading SkillsJanuary 27, 2014 by twalker  Filed under Featured News, Top StoriesBy Jesse KirschA group of students in English class sits arranged in a horseshoe. Two signs on opposite sides of the room read “strongly agree” and
De Blasio’s challenge: Paying for middle schoolers to stay late … and getting them to show up | Hechinger Report
De Blasio’s challenge: Paying for middle schoolers to stay late … and getting them to show up | Hechinger Report: De Blasio’s challenge: Paying for middle schoolers to stay late … and getting them to show upBy Sarah ButrymowiczThis story also appeared at:When she heard last fall that she would have to stay in school until nearly 5 p.m., sixth grader Jenaba Sow tried to get out of it by telling her
1-27-14 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: Updates from Weekend NYSUT Meeting: Locals and Counting Oppose Mulgrew Takeover.... just last year, Mulgrew asked the State legislature and Cuomo to allow King to arbitrate a dispute Mulgrew was having with Bloomberg over APPR shows that UFT wants and needs King and Cuomo’s help.... Friday night, Mulgrew accused Cutler of undermining him at the UFT’s last delegate assembly because
1-27-14 The Whole Child Blog - Improving Schools: The Prerequisites for Personalizing Learning — Whole Child Education
Improving Schools: The Prerequisites for Personalizing Learning — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGImproving Schools: The Prerequisites for Personalizing LearningJanuary 27, 2014 by Sean SladePersonalizing learning* will not truly take place in our schools unless we understand and act on three key things. Until then we will continue to tinker, adjust, and tweak a fundamentally non-person
Morning Wink 1-27-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-27-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all #EDCHAT #P2Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Debate about Cost of Pre-K Grows in NYElected officials in NY are debating the cost of universal pre-K. It was a central plank in Mayor Bill de Blasio’s campaign. He won in a landsli