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Monday, March 17, 2014

3-17-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE:




Gates Dined on March 13, 2014, with 80 Senators
Bill Gates has too much power. The following announcement, dated March 13, 2014, is from Politico: DINNER WITH GATES – About 80 senators are expected to attend a dinner discussion at the Capitol tonight with Microsoft founder Bill Gates and the NYT’s David Brooks. The 6:45 p.m. dinner, according to an invitation obtained by Huddle, is sponsored by […]


Security theater during high stakes testing. Why? Because security.
I’m advocating for a new government agency, under the authority of the Department of Education or Homeland Security, or perhaps a novel collaboration between the two. This new agency could easily handle the security theater that permeates all schools during the testing window. Actually, it’s apt to call it a theater of the absurd. For […]

Teaching or Testing – Teachers Talk
Surveys and focus groups do not capture the pain and frustration teachers experience under mandates for high stakes testing and teacher evaluations that require the constant proving of ones worth. This video from Educators for a Democratic Union captures some of the devastating impact of testing on teachers, students, and our hopes for public education. […]

Lend a Blend

Shiny Happy People: NPR, “Grit,” and “Myths that Deform” pt. 2
Shiny Happy People: NPR, “Grit,” and “Myths that Deform” pt. 2. via Shiny Happy People: NPR, “Grit,” and “Myths that Deform” pt. 2.

NPR Whitewashes “Grit” Narrative
NPR Whitewashes “Grit” Narrative. via NPR Whitewashes “Grit” Narrative.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical
Who Is Unprepared? US Students? Or Arne Duncan?
While Arne Duncan continues his ugly swipes at students, parents, teachers, and schools, I believe it is time to turn the focus on the accuser. Are U.S. students unprepared for college? I recommend Carol Burris’s answer: Are American students grossly unprepared for college? Or is Duncan unprepared, noting that he has no experience teaching but lots […]


3-16-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: The Self-Defeating South, Words Not Spoken: Racism as a Scar and CancerThe Self-Defeating South, Words Not Spoken: Racism as a Scar and Cancer. via The Self-Defeating South, Words Not Spoken: Racism as a Scar and Cancer.by plthomasedd / 1min All Week 3-15-14 @ THE CHALK FACE@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: All Week @ THE CHALK FACE Bill Gates Tries to Fashion Teacher Suppor