Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, January 27, 2014

Special Late Nite Cap EXTRA 1-27-14 #EDCHAT #P2 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk

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Union to hit Olney Charter with unfair labor practice charge
PHILADELPHIA 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.


Portland teachers union supporters pack meeting, blast Superintendent Carole Smith and school board
Nearly 430 union supporters packed into the Portland Public Schools district office on Monday

BREAKING: Photo Subject Sabrina Jenkins to Join Michelle Obama for State of the Union
              FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 28, 2014                      First Lady Michelle Obama Invites Sabrina Jenkins, Featured in The Shriver Report, as Guest at the State of the Union Invitation highlights the impact of The Shriver Report, focusing the country’s attention  on the 1 in 3 American women living on or over the brink of poverty   Washington, D.C. — Putting a face on the econ
State of the Union Guest Sabrina Jenkins: 1 of 42 Million American Women Pushing Back from the Brink
‘The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink’ photography subject Sabrina Simone Jenkins, a single mom and veteran from South Carolina, will join First Lady Michelle Obama as an invited guest in her box during tonight’s State of the Union speech, to highlight the face of economic inequality and social immobility.  Sabrina’s daughter Kenya will be accompanying her to the State o

Do Educators Actually DO Anything?
I attended my first #EduCon this past weekend. I observed and participated in many great things: learning from educators who regularly take risks, sharing my experiences with others, and bonding with the 6 staff members who let me accompany them to Philadelphia for the PD. One thing that stood out was consistent with my experiences at #PlayDateDG58 and #EdCampChicago: these educators do stuff. Th



The LPB Common Core Cover-up Continues
Recently the producer of LPB’s monthly Louisiana Public Square, Kevin Gautreaux, reached out to me to address some concerns I raised on my blog about LPB’s recent show on Common Core. The show was horribly biased, you can view it here. http://beta.lpb.org/index.php/publicsquare/topic/01_14_-_decoding_common_core/ I wrote a post condemning the obvious one-sidedness of the whole production. http:/


Yesterday, the Blog Readership Broke a Record
Yesterday, the blog recorded 69,817 page views. This was a record for the blog. The single most-read blog was the breaking news from Indiana, alerting readers that Governor Pence was trying again to strip the powers of Glenda Ritz. Over 30,000 people read that entry. Information is power. Stay informed.

Feds Reviewing Pa. Student’s Bomb Arrest
PITTSBURGH—The FBI and federal prosecutors were reviewing allegations against a college student from Russia who has been charged with possessing bomb-making and marijuana-growing materials, though police acknowledge the suspect told them he wasn’t planning on “blowing anything up.” No federal charges had been filed against Vladislav Miftakhov by early Monday. The 18-year-old was arraigned Saturday
State AGs Investigating For-Profit Education Firms
Attorneys general for more than a dozen states have ordered several for-profit education companies to turn over information on the firms’ business practices. ITT Educational Services Inc., Corinthian Colleges Inc., Career Education Corp. and Education Management Corp. disclosed Friday and Monday that they had received subpoenas or civil investigative demands from a group of state attorneys general
Samford Law’s Wendy Greene Uses Lessons of Civil Rights Movement to Fight Current Day Racial Inequality
  Wendy Greene says effective teaching is more than lecturing; it is engaging students in the subject matter through different methodologies so that the learning has personal meaning and application to students’ daily lives. From an early age, Wendy Greene knew she wanted to be a lawyer. Inspired by the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and the stories of her parents’ participation in s
Testing, Common Core officially on the legislature’s plate
A Republican-sponsored bill to delay rollout of new statewide tests and to require a new study of the state’s academic standards – which include the controversial Common Core Standards – was introduced in the Senate Monday. That sets the stage for legislative debate on some of the nation’s most contentious education issues, although the odds may be long for passage of the bill. Prime sponsor Sen.

Bill Gates, wife to be Stanford commencement speakers01/27/2014 04:24 PM PSTCommencement weekend, June 13-15, will feature Bill and Melinda Gates, whose created the world's largest private foundation. It is committed to lifting the global burden of poverty, hunger and disease.  

Report: Va., Md., D.C. have some of the nation’s highest gaps by income level in reading proficiency
Fourth-grade students in Virginia, Maryland and the District have among the largest gaps in reading proficiency in the country when broken down by income level, according to a report released Tuesday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Read full article >>    


Immigration Activists Fasting for Reform Taking Show on the Road
The activists who went without food for a month to demand that Congress act on immigration reform, announced Monday that they are taking the Fast for Families protest on the road. The campaign will go on until April 9, organizers told a press conference in Washington. The tour comes at a time when the Republican Party, headed by House Speaker John Boehner, is working on a list of principles it wi


Affordable Care Act Helps Millions But Language Access Hampers Legislation’s Success
Before becoming a mother, having quality health care didn’t mean as much to me as it does now. But since having my son almost two years ago, I’m more driven than ever to make sure that everyone, especially women and children, has access to affordable health care. As policy director of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, I’m very lucky to work with a great team of people who are


A Conversation With: Salman Khan Turned Family Tutoring Into Khan Academy
Salman Khan’s first student was a family member. Now his free electronic schoolhouse reaches more than 10 million users around the world.    



Seattle’s socialist city council member vows to keep just 34 percent of her salary
Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant promised on Monday to retain just 34 percent of her $117,000 salary after taxes, with the rest going toward various social activism groups. The Stranger reported that Sawant, a self-identified Socialist who was active in the Occupy Wall Street movement...

New 5-year farm bill would cut subsidies while slashing food stamps benefits
Congressional negotiators reached a deal on a five-year bill Monday that eliminates or caps agriculture subsidies for thousands of farmers and slashes the food stamp program for needy Americans. The mammoth measure, which took some two years to hash out and endured a collapse of negotiations in...
Full Show: State of Conflict: North Carolina | Moyers & Company | BillMoyers.com
Full Show: State of Conflict: North Carolina | Moyers & Company | BillMoyers.com


Contours of Calif. Teacher-Protection Suit Take Shape
Highlights from opening arguments in the Vergara v. California trial.



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

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-scripted malarky. Such fun...But there was a special added treat: William


Updates On California Case Attacking Teachers
The Vergara vs. California court case began today. Here are new additions to The Best Resources On California Court Case Attacking Teacher’s Rights: California teacher tenure, dismissal challenged in lawsuit is from The San Jose Mercury News. RT @Joy_Resmovits: #Vergaratrial defendent, repping Cali: VAM is "purely theory," plaintiffs cannot prove teachers are "grossly ineffective&q