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CORPORATE ED REFORM
Ohio charters leading in the race to the bottom with a little help from their friends
As I posted here three years ago, to get a charter in Ohio, all you need it seems, is lots of money for local Republican campaigns and a white hat.When it comes to crappy, low-performing, and mismanaged charter schools, Ohio certainly leads the race to the bottom. Columbus alone, had 17 charter school failures in the past year. Nearly 30% of all Ohio charters have closed since 1997. The median lif
Previewing the Battle Over Common Core in Pierre
The Rapid City Journal had an article on Sunday on the upcoming battle over the Common Core State Standards in South Dakota. The first line was music to my ears. “State Education Secretary Melody Schopp expects to spend much of the upcoming South Dakota legislative session defending the Common Core standards…”Good, keep her busy. I’m thankful for the push back that they are starting to receive.
Teaching is the mother of innovation.
It’s often said, “necessity is the mother of invention.” Although this statement is true, I firmly believe the teaching profession, itself, creates several “necessity” moments. Since teachers use their creativity, on a daily basis, they’re often the most innovative people. As a result, I often wonder why teachers aren’t the world’s best inventors? In my […]
You Have to Know History to Actually Teach It.
You Have to Know History to Actually Teach It, an interview with Eric Foner. http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/01/you-have-to-know-history-to-actually-teach-it/282957/
Smagorinsky on Authentic Teacher Evaluation
By Paul L. Thomas, Ed.D. | Originally Published at The Becoming Radical. January 14, 2014 At mid-nineteenth century, public schools were under attack by the Catholic church; Bishop John Hughes “described the public schools as a ‘dragon…devouring the hope of the country as well as religion’” (Jacoby, […]
Maria Shriver meets with President Obama at the White House to report on The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink
Jan. 14, 2014Maria Shriver meets with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office to discuss the findings in “The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink” in partnership with Center for American Progress. Shriver’s groundbreaking report examines America’s new economic reality WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Maria Shriver met with President Obama in the Oval Office at the White House to
Obama to host college opportunity summit
UC San Diego chancellor among those invited to Thursday's gathering at the White House.
What Christie failed to mention in State of State speech about his education record | The Answer Sheet
BY VALERIE STRAUSS January 14 at 6:06 pm A big part of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s State of the State speech Tuesday was devoted to his record on school reform and his plans for moving forward — and it is worth noting the big difference between what Christie (R) says about his record on ...read moreThe post What Christie failed to mention in State of State speech about his education record |
Chicago Parents Rally Against More Charters | Diane Ravitch’s blog
MEDIA ALERT: TUESDAY FORUM PARENTS DEMAND HALT TO CHARTER EXPANSION- Community Organizations across Chicago Urge CPS to Vote Against Proposed Charter Expansion and Refocus on Protection/Funding of Neighborhood Schools What: Following the closure of 50 neighborhood schools due to budget and a so-called “underutilization crisis,” parents and community members are furious at the proposal for ...read
For the Record: Turnaround principal turnover | catalyst-chicago.org
CPS has relied heavily on turnarounds to improve failing schools, but a Catalyst Chicago analysis shows that turnarounds face challenges in one area: Keeping top leaders in place. Among 42 principals at the 18 schools that have been turnarounds for at least three years, about a quarter — 10 — have left either within a ...read moreThe post For the Record: Turnaround principal turnover | catalyst-ch
Richard Berman’s Declared Union-bashing Strategy
On January 13, 2014, I published a post about Richard Berman’s Center for Union Facts (CUF) attack on the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) via its five-story billboard in Times Square (and its similar, full-page New York Times ad in December 2013). I believe that this barrage of CUF ads is the direct result of recently-elected New York City Mayor Bill […]
Call It What It Is: Predatory Reform
by Morna McDermott “Shutting down public schools and handing them over to private organizations is not a ‘turnaround,’ it is a heist.” – Sabrina Stevens- I am a member of a bloggers group called Basecamp, which has about 100 amazing bloggers comprised of teachers, activists, academics, parents and others from around the country. Frequently new questions or […]
Get Schooled: The new machine age: Are students prepared for jobs of the future or jobs that won't be there?
MIT’s Andrew McAfee gave a good TED talk on future jobs and the technology that will result in the obsolescence of many of today's jobs. At MIT, McAfee studies how information technology affects businesses and how computerization affects competition, society, the economy and the workforce. Reflecting a key theme ...
The Year 2013: Smoke and Mirrors
It has been an interesting year, 2013, and I can't say I'll miss it. That is especially the case when it comes to the student loan debt crisis.As we get wiser, we learn a thing or two about smoke and mirrors, whether it's in our professional lives or our personal ones. This is particularly true if we become committed to living a rigorous life dedicated to moral integrity, honesty with one's self a
'To Be Takei' to premiere at 2014 Sundance Film Festival
Feature documentary on a star's trek for life, liberty and loveOh my, moviegoers. I'm a little bummed that I can't attend the Sundance Film Festival this year. Maybe next time. One of the films I really wanted to see was the world premiere of To Be Takei, a feature documentary about Star Trek icon and human rights activist George Takei. Directed by Jennifer M. Kroot, the film follows George and hi
Richard Berman’s Declared Union-bashing Strategy
On January 13, 2014, I published a post about Richard Berman’s Center for Union Facts (CUF) attack on the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) via its five-story billboard in Times Square (and its similar, full-page New York Times ad in December 2013). I believe that this barrage of CUF ads is the direct result of recently-elected New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s both challenging former NYC M
For Data's Sake!:Teaching Interruptus!
It's the middle of the year, and that means only one thing. It's data collection time! We have to STAR, ORF or DORF, WTW, universally screen, and commonly assess our kids all by the data collection deadline! My poor babies.:( The other day we were told we would have to DORF (Dibels Oral Reading Fluency) our students. This is comprised of giving them 3 stories to read. Each story is read for a
School lunch still healthy despite rule change, nutritionists say - by Jane Meredith Adams
The two-ounce hamburger is no longer the rule for school lunches, after the federal government this month permanently removed limits on the amount of protein and grain allowed in meals under the federally subsidized National School Lunch Program. But does this mean the much-heralded healthier school lunches are returning to super-sized ... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit the Edsource Tod
Successful ‘Hour of Code’ computer tutorials prompts effort to change school policies
Hadi Partovi, retired at 38 after working for Microsoft and creating other tech companies, was figuring out what to do with the rest of his life. After spending his career in computers, he was troubled by one fact: In this digital age, roughly one in 10 U.S. schools teach computer science. Read full article >>
Christie's Useless School Time Proposal in Three Graphs
So Chris Christie implemented "Operation Ignore Bridgegate" today at his State of the State address with a proposal that was sure to make reformies swoon:Despite the improvements we are seeing in Newark and Camden, I believe we need to take bigger and broader steps to adjust our approach to K-12 education to address the new competitive world we live in. Our school calendar is antiquated
Kennedy clan member Bobby Shriver entering L.A. county race
Former Santa Monica Mayor Bobby Shriver is officially running for Los Angeles County supervisor, emailing supporters Monday that he plans to announce his bid imminently.
L.A. Board of Education approves next phase of iPad plan
The Los Angeles Board of Education Tuesday approved the next phase of a $1-billion effort to provide computers to every student, teacher and administrator. The board agreed to distribute iPads to every student at 38 more schools, begin a bidding process to provide laptops for students at seven high schools and buy as many iPads as needed to complete new state tests in the spring.
LA Unified board OKs more iPads, caretaker for vacancy
The LA Unified School Board made two major decisions today that will go a long way toward shaping the months ahead. The six members green-lighted Phase 2 of the iPad plan, ensuring enough tablets for standardized testing in the Spring, and they approved the appointment of a non-voting representative to serve District 1 until later in the year. In a unanimous vote on the iPads, the board put into a
Regent Cashin proposes New York withdraw from inBloom
This happened at the Board of Regents meeting this morning in Albany.Unfortunately, Merryl Tisch changed the subject and ignored Cashin's proposal to be responsive to the pleas of parents, school board members, educators and elected officials to protect the privacy and safety of the state's children and pull out of inBloom Inc.
No ‘Mary Poppins,’ School Chief Honed Blunt Style Over 40 Years
As a teacher and principal, Carmen Fariña became known for her hands-on approach, which propelled her rise in the Education Department and ultimately contributed to her departure.
Point of Public Information with @Walmart
Following the release of a claim from Anonymous that Walmart would be targeted, we received the following secret internal documents on Walmart’s attempts to thwart workers who are mobilizing for basic rights and a decent wage. These documents go a long way in revealing just how scared Walmart is of its own workers standing together for change. FACT CHECK: OUR Walmart is not a union nor is it see
UO law school plans to expand programs to Portland
School officials said Tuesday the program will provide students with the chance to study in the Oregon city with the highest concentration of legal professionals, allowing those who want to live in Portland after graduation to network and easily attend job interviews.
It's Testing Season: Be a No-Show and Opt Out!
Testing "season" is gearing up and your student's school newsletters will start to fill with messages about making sure children get a full night's sleep, having them eat regular healthy meals, and supporting them with encouragement to do their best.However, a better approach to helping your child do their best, might be to not allow them to take the test at all. This practice is calle
LA school board green lights up to 100,000 more iPads
; Credit: Maya Sugarman/KPCC The Los Angeles Unified School Board voted Tuesday to allow Superintendent John Deasy to decide how many iPads to purchase for students to take new digital state tests. The board also affirmed a decision to run a laptop pilot of 19,300 and buy 28,000 more iPads loaded with Pearson learning software. Deasy said giving students access to technology was "a civil rig
Oh, the skillz they will learn!
Asking middle school students to write (and share) book recommendations isn’t new. It gives them the opportunity to write about literature they have enjoyed, be inspired to check out books that their peers have loved, and demonstrate their growing reading and writing skills for their teacher. But move those book recommendations to the students’ own blogs, and suddenly they are learning a whole ha
Come with me… if you wanna go to Kansas City? Thoughts on BBQ, Baseball and Reformy BS
Urban school districts are easy targets – oft the whipping boy – exemplars of the failures of big government bureaucracy. Kansas City Missouri is a frequent target when it comes to education policy. But as I’ve discussed in more than one peer reviewed article (one, another), and other reports, tales of Kansas City’s failures are largely urban legend. This past week, the good citizens of Kansas Cit
Previewing the Battle Over Common Core in Pierre
The Rapid City Journal had an article on Sunday on the upcoming battle over the Common Core State Standards in South Dakota. The first line was music to my ears. “State Education Secretary Melody Schopp expects to spend much of the upcoming South Dakota legislative session defending the Common Core standards…”Good, keep her busy. I’m thankful for the push back that they are starting to receive.
Forest Grove School District's transfer analysis shows some students left for online programs
The district analyzed 95 inter-district transfer forms and now knows more about why students are leaving the district.
Pro-Public Education? Pro-Teacher? Anti-High Stakes Testing? Huh? | Reclaim Reform
Pro-Public Education? Pro-Teacher? Anti-High Stakes Testing? Huh? | Reclaim Reform: Pro-Public Education? Pro-Teacher? Anti-High Stakes Testing? Huh?Posted on January 14, 2014by Ken PrevitiHow can quality public education for all be a solid part of our children’s lives? How can qualified career teachers find support and respect? How can insanely expensive and corporately profitable charters and hi
NYC Public School Parents: My appearance on MSNBC and Daily News oped: Why de Blasio is right to charge rent to co-located charters:
NYC Public School Parents: My appearance on MSNBC and Daily News oped: Why de Blasio is right to charge rent to co-located charters:: My appearance on MSNBC and Daily News oped: Why de Blasio is right to charge rent to co-located charters:A shortened version of the oped below is published in today's Daily News; along with the StudentsFirst opposing view. Also below is my brief appearance Saturday
Teachers Receive Presidential Honors - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)
Teachers Receive Presidential Honors - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Congratulates Two CaliforniaMath and Science Teachers Receiving Presidential HonorsSACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today congratulated two outstanding California educators recently named by President Barack Obama as recipients of the 2012 Presidential Award
Nite Cap 1-14-14 #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 CAPK-12 News Network | A Closer Look at Common Core’s ‘Close Reading’ Strategy Reveals Deep FlawsK-12 News Network | A Closer Look at Common Core’s ‘Close Reading’ Strategy Reveals Deep Flaws: A Closer Look at Common Core’s ‘Close Reading’ Strategy