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Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Nite Cap 3-5-14 #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 CAP




Wendy Davis On Education: 'We Texans Have A Different Way Of Doing Things'
Wendy Davis On Education: 'We Texans Have A Different Way Of Doing Things': Wendy Davis On Education: 'We Texans Have A Different Way Of Doing Things'Posted: 03/05/2014 7:40 pm EST Updated: 03/05/2014 7:59 pm ESTGubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis makes an election day visit to her campaign phone bank at Wendy Davis campaign headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, March 4, 2014. (Max Faulkner/
CURMUDGUCATION: Coleman Speaks Out (Sort of)
CURMUDGUCATION: Coleman Speaks Out (Sort of): Coleman Speaks Out (Sort of)Oh, the interwebs were alive with the sound of David Coleman today. His fervent presentation about the new, CCSS-infused SAT roused journalists (Wall Street Journalist), sort of journalists (Huffington Post), and tweetists (now we're on my level) galore. I read splintered quotes of Colemania, which must have merely scratched
Smarter Balanced Question Types - Smarter Balanced Assessment System (CA Dept of Education)
Smarter Balanced Question Types - Smarter Balanced Assessment System (CA Dept of Education): Smarter Balanced Question TypesExamples of question types that students may encounter on the Smarter Balanced Field Test, and the student technology skill required to respond to each question type.The Smarter Balanced Consortium also has developed Practice and Training Tests  that include examples of all o
Choosing Your Tomorrow Today — Whole Child Education
Choosing Your Tomorrow Today — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGChoosing Your Tomorrow TodayMarch 5, 2014 by Whole Child SymposiumChoosing your tomorrow today. What does this phrase mean to you? Probably your first thought is that it conveys an understanding that what we decide today affects what we become tomorrow. Obviously skills, behaviors, and knowledge learned today increase or dec
Civil and Human Rights Coalition Annual Awards Dinner to Honor Sen. Tom Harkin, Randi Weingarten, and Eliseo Medina
Civil and Human Rights Coalition Annual Awards Dinner to Honor Sen. Tom Harkin, Randi Weingarten, and Eliseo Medina: Civil and Human Rights Coalition Annual Awards Dinner to Honor Sen. Tom Harkin, Randi Weingarten, and Eliseo MedinaHubert H. Humphrey Award is the Highest Honor of the Civil and Human Rights CoalitionFor Immediate ReleaseContact: Scott Westbrook Simpson, 202.466.2061, simpson@civilr
It's All About Eva Moskowitz southbronxschool.com
http://www.southbronxschool.com: It's All About Eva MoskowitzOK, time to get things straight about all this charter school hullabaloo.Yes, Uncle Mike pushed through co-locations and approval of charter schools at the October PEP. Nineteen of these co-locations were charter schools. AsDNAinfo.com reported; De Blasio axed Moskowitz's plan to move into the August Martin High School complex in Jamaica
Why MUST our children take high stakes state mandated tests? | Reclaim Reform
Why MUST our children take high stakes state mandated tests? | Reclaim Reform: Why MUST our children take high stakes state mandated tests? “Know your place, and be thankful you have a job.”Yes, our children are learning this right now – unless we refuse useless high stakes testing for them. Re-learn what Charles Dickens once taught us.Our children are being forced to take high stakes state mandat
New SAT To Bring Back 1600-Point Scale -- With Optional Essay
New SAT To Bring Back 1600-Point Scale -- With Optional Essay: New SAT To Bring Back 1600-Point Scale -- With Optional EssayPosted: 03/05/2014 2:18 pm EST Updated: 03/05/2014 2:59 pm ESTJC559 via Getty Images AUSTIN, Texas -- The venerable SAT college admissions test will look very different in spring 2016. And, according to the new test's architect, there will be "no more mysteries."The
Child Abuse Reporting Guidelines - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)
Child Abuse Reporting Guidelines - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Releases Guidelines Helping Parents Identify and Report Child AbuseSACRAMENTO—Parents and guardians have a new and updated tool in their efforts to keep their children safe, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today as he released revised "Child Abuse Reporting Procedures fo
Student Organization Galvanizes Education Community With Second Student Voice Live! Event Student Voice to Mobilize “Pro Voice” Education Influencers at New York Conference
Student Organization Galvanizes Education Community With Second Student Voice Live! Event Student Voice to Mobilize “Pro Voice” Education Influencers at New York Conference: Student Organization Galvanizes Education Community With Second Student Voice Live! Event Student Voice to Mobilize “Pro Voice” Education Influencers at New York ConferenceMarch 4, 2014CONTACT:Public Relations CorrespondentJes
Louisiana Educator: Education Legislation
Louisiana Educator: Education Legislation: Education LegislationI have asked my readers to consider participating in my Defenders of Public Education email system. This system is designed to provide up to the minute information about important education legislation. The “Defenders” can then contact their legislators and advise them before they vote. The Defenders include a cross section of parents
3-5-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD
LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District): LA Unified board votes to pay Deasy for unused vacationSuperintendent John Deasy: Little time for vacation Superintendent John Deasy works too much. So much so, that he rarely takes time off for vacation. As a result, the Los Angeles Unified School board voted at its monthly meeting yesterday to pay him f
Russ on Reading: An Anthem for the Opt Out Movement?
Russ on Reading: An Anthem for the Opt Out Movement?: An Anthem for the Opt Out Movement?Back in the sixties when I was in my folk music stage, a song by singer Ed McCurdy was making the rounds of the coffee houses. The song was calledLast Night I Had the Strangest Dream and it was a powerful anti-war anthem later recorded by Simon and Gafunkel, Pete Seeger, Johnny Cash and many others. If you wan
3-5-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Petition Against Cuts in SPS School BudgetsThere is a petition against cuts in school clerical staff - which will primarily affect high schools where, frankly, they can least take it - to send a message to the district. There is a minute-and-a-half video of the issue by Mary Smith who works in the office at Ingraham.  Mary is a long-time SPS school employee and I h
FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, March 5, 2014
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Fensterwald: Judge denies motion to dismiss lawsuit challenging teacher job protectionsEducation HeadlinesWednesday, March 5, 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.Two out of three valley school districts o
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 3-5-14
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: California, U.S. Needs To Add To Student Online Privacy RulesSB 1177, The Student Online Personal Information Protection Act  - a bill by state Sen. Darrell Steinberg would ban private firms contracting with public schools from selling California student's records. Editorial By The LA Times editorial board| http://lat.ms/1gaaRfQ State Senate leader Darr
3-5-14 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week
With A Brooklyn Accent: 3 Principles That Should Guide Testing in the Public SchoolsThree Principles That Should Guide Testing in Public Schools ( to be presented at PS 8 Testing Forum in Brooklyn)1. Test Transparency. No tests should be given which do not guide instruction. All tests must be returned to teachers and parents after they are taken so their results can be reviewed with those who have
Morning Wink 3-5-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSSXSWEdu: Gates Foundation vs. Microsoft Education: What’s the difference? | DigitalSXSWEdu: Gates Foundation vs. Microsoft Education: What’s the difference? | Digital: SXSWEdu: Gates Foundation vs. Microsoft Education: What’s the difference?On my first day in Austin I had a terrific hourlong conversation with Cameron Evans, Chief Technology Officer for Mic
SXSWEdu: Gates Foundation vs. Microsoft Education: What’s the difference? | Digital
SXSWEdu: Gates Foundation vs. Microsoft Education: What’s the difference? | Digital: SXSWEdu: Gates Foundation vs. Microsoft Education: What’s the difference?On my first day in Austin I had a terrific hourlong conversation with Cameron Evans, Chief Technology Officer for Microsoft Education. He had a lot of candid observations and great lines: “The vast amount of data in our education system can b
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-5-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Watch the Brilliant Speeches by John Kuhn and Karen Lewis HereJohn Kuhn and Karen Lewis spoke as keynoters at the first annual conference of the Network for Public Education at the LBJ Center at the University of Texas in Austin last weekend. Watch and listen here.1 by dianeravitch / 30min hide  //  saveNPE Leadership Calls for Con
3-5-14 Wait What?
Wait What?: Diane Ravitch Speech at the Network of Public Education ConferenceHere is a link to Diane Ravitch’s inspiring speech at last weekend’s Network of Public Education Conference in Austin Texas. http://www.schoolhouselive.org/ I was particularly honored and appreciative that Diane would recognize my efforts and my blog in her speech. As background, The Network for Public Education is an ad
3-5-14 The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: Parent to Obama: Why don’t private schools adopt your test-based school reforms?Bertis Downs is a parent who lives in Athens Ga., and the former legal counselor and manager of the band R.E.M.  He wrote the following letter to President Obama, inviting the president to visit a high school in Athens to see the impact of his administration’s standardized test-based policies there.  
3-5-14 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: NYS Test Refusals Hit Main Street1 by freetoteach / 6h 3-4-14 Schools MatterSchools Matter: Tennessee School Board Model for Resistance to CorpEdRESOLUTION OF THE RUTHERFORD COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATIONIN OPPOSITION TO  LEGISLATIONTHREATENING A FREE PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEMWHEREAS, Rutherford County Schools are not for sale; andWHEREAS, a number of bills are being advanced before the S
3-5-14 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.: Tim Furman’s Red AlertThe Chicago Teachers Union did NOT endorse Kirk Dillard.From the Chicago Teachers Union: CHICAGO—While the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) has endorsed Republican gubernatorial hopeful Sen. Kirk Dillard in the upcoming primary, the Chicago Teachers Union Local 1 (CTU) has n
3-5-14 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: Chicago: Testing Opt-Out Capital: Chicago: Testing Opt-Out CapitalIn some cases, principals have told teachers they will be arrested if they leaflet parents on the public sidewalks outside their schools, even though the teachers are distributing the materials on their own time.The explosion of the Chicago Opt Out movement comes despite orders from CPS administrators -- usually &qu
3-5-14 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: Fact-Checking Rick Scott’s Sketchy Education ClaimsIt didn’t take long for the media call Rick Scott on one of his education claims from his State of the State address yesterday. In his attempt to take credit for “four schools in the nation’s top ten” PolitiFact responds
3-5-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: “Earth Hour” Is On March 29th — Here Are Lots Of Related ResourcesEarth Hour, the annual time when people around the world switch-off lights for an hour to bring attention to environmental issues, takes place on March 29th this year. You might find The Best Sites To Learn About “Earth Hour” helpful….by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h T
3-5-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: The Conversation: Moving ‘quality’ teachers between schools will not help disadvantaged childrenMoving ‘quality’ teachers between schools will not help disadvantaged childrenFiled under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical Tagged: disadvantaged children5 by plthomasedd / 3h hide  //  saveYESTERDAYYou don’t know the meaning of #dontbackdownI’m pretty angry.  Yesterday, I was on a panel
3-5-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University)
the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): The Conversation: Moving ‘quality’ teachers between schools will not help disadvantaged childrenMoving ‘quality’ teachers between schools will not help disadvantaged children1 by plthomasedd / 3h  3-4-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L.
empathyeducates Common Core Costs Too High, Failure Guaranteed
empathyeducates: Common Core Costs Too High, Failure GuaranteedBy Paul L. Thomas, Ed.D. | Originally Published at The Becoming Radical. March 4, 2014 Teaching literacy has been my career and life for over thirty years now. Having grown up in the South with my own peculiar grasp of so-called standard English, I feel fortunate to […]by empathy / 7h  empathyeducates Many L.A. Unified School Libraries
3-5-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Comptroller Stringer Says NYC Will Have Extra $510 Million In Budget Than Predicted - Can Be Used To Settle ContractsFrom the Wall Street Journal:New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer is predicting an extra $510 million in revenue in next year's budget, a windfall that he fears could be eclipsed by the sum needed to settle the city's open labor contracts. Mr. Stringer, wh
Why I should get in-state tuition as an undocumented student | Hechinger Report
Why I should get in-state tuition as an undocumented student | Hechinger Report: Why I should get in-state tuition as an undocumented studentBy Miguel MolinaNew Jersey recently became the latest state to join a movement granting equal tuition for undocumented students. But not all do. East Los Angeles College student Miguel Molina shares how the different rules in different states have separated h
New Book from David Berliner: Update on Manufactured Crisis He Identified 20 Years Ago | janresseger
New Book from David Berliner: Update on Manufactured Crisis He Identified 20 Years Ago | janresseger: New Book from David Berliner: Update on Manufactured Crisis He Identified 20 Years AgoPosted on March 5, 2014 by janressegerIn 1995, nearly 20 years ago, Arizona State University education professor David Berliner and University of Missouri professor Bruce Biddle published a prophetic book that an
Today, I was offered $1,000. By Teach for America. « inspirEDucation
Today, I was offered $1,000. By Teach for America. « inspirEDucation: Today, I was offered $1,000. By Teach for America.And I’m turning it down. Here’s why:As you all may know, I’ve been very busy recently putting together a student-led education conference for youth in LA called EmpowerED: Los Angeles Student Power 2014. I’m incredibly excited for this event, but have been struggling to raise mon
Charter Op-Ed Misrepresents (Big Tree): My Response That They Won’t Print (Small Axe) | Cloaking Inequity
Charter Op-Ed Misrepresents (Big Tree): My Response That They Won’t Print (Small Axe) | Cloaking Inequity: Charter Op-Ed Misrepresents (Big Tree): My Response That They Won’t Print (Small Axe)If you are the big tree, we are the small axe, ready to cut you down, to cut you down! Bob MarleyI submitted an Op-Ed two weeks ago to the San Antonio Express News (SAEN) and they have refused to print it. Th
NYC Educator: Eva Moskowitz Forges a Way to Student Lobbyist Cuomo's Heart
NYC Educator: Eva Moskowitz Forges a Way to Student Lobbyist Cuomo's Heart: Eva Moskowitz Forges a Way to Student Lobbyist Cuomo's HeartWhen folks who make half a million dollars a year have problems, you'd better believe Andrew Cuomo has solutions. If that bad old Bill de Blasio won't give Eva Moskowitz free rent, well, he'll just take our tax dollars and give it to her.The Post is very happy abo
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm -- 'I don't want to be a phony'
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm -- 'I don't want to be a phony': Rahm -- 'I don't want to be a phony'Nixon -- "I am not a crook"Whenever a politician begins by saying something likeRichard Nixon did -- "I am not a crook", you immediately know that they are crooked. When Rahm Emanuel begins his Sun-Times interview with Fran Spielman by saying, "I don't want to be a phon

YESTERDAY

NYC Public School Parents: inBloom executives finally testify before the NYS Assembly; what a sad spectacle it was
NYC Public School Parents: inBloom executives finally testify before the NYS Assembly; what a sad spectacle it was: nBloom executives finally testify before the NYS Assembly; what a sad spectacle it wasSee the videotaped testimony of NYSED's Ken Wagner, along with a crew from inBloom Inc., including Peggy Brookins, Board Member, Jat Pannu, Senior VP of Services and Virginia Bartlett, Chief Privacy
‘What’s Next? at TFA’ webcast. Spoiler alert: More of the same | Gary Rubinstein's Blog
‘What’s Next? at TFA’ webcast. Spoiler alert: More of the same | Gary Rubinstein's Blog: ‘What’s Next? at TFA’ webcast. Spoiler alert: More of the sameTFA has been recently taking a beating in social media.  Whether in response to this, or if it is just something that’s been planned for a while, the two co-CEOs Elisa Villanueva-Beard and Matt Kramer were part of a live webcast tonight called ‘What
Parent Power School- Session II « NYC Coalition for Educational Justice
Parent Power School- Session II « NYC Coalition for Educational Justice: Parent Power School- Session IIRegister Now!Advanced Training for Parent LeadersParent Power School educates, empowers and instills confidence and hope for parents to be articulate messengers and change agents on education issues affecting their children and the community. By developing the voices, skills, issue expertise and
CURMUDGUCATION: Why the Hell Are We Racing Anywhere?
CURMUDGUCATION: Why the Hell Are We Racing Anywhere?: Why the Hell Are We Racing Anywhere?Race to the Top had been rather quiet as a brand until President Obama revived it in his new budget proposal. Unfortunately, the new iteration underlines the metaphorical problems with the nom de regulation. For a guy who launched his career by being a moving speaker, Obama has hit on a real tone-deaf clunker
Last Stand for Children First: Not All Parents Oppose Excessive Testing
Last Stand for Children First: Not All Parents Oppose Excessive Testing: Not All Parents Oppose Excessive TestingThe credit for this article goes to the great Alexander Russo, who urged journalists to do a better job reporting on testing by finding the many parents and students who don't oppose excessive standardized testing.  This is much the same way that the media overemphasized Jackie Robinson
Obama's Budget Boosts Preschool, Access To Top Teachers, But Freezes Many Education Programs
Obama's Budget Boosts Preschool, Access To Top Teachers, But Freezes Many Education Programs: Obama's Budget Boosts Preschool, Access To Top Teachers, But Freezes Many Education ProgramsPresident Barack Obama sits with Marcus Wesby and other preschool student during his visit to Powell Elementary School in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2014. Obama visited the school to
3-4-14 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 Senate Republicans Ignore Superintendts, Jeb Bush Abandons College Readiness in First Passage of New School Grade BillIt comes as no surprise the republican-dominated Senate Education Committee didn’t listen to the recommendations of two school superintendents in
Please Refrain from “Think[ing] of VAMs Like an Oak Tree” |
Please Refrain from “Think[ing] of VAMs Like an Oak Tree” |: Please Refrain from “Think[ing] of VAMs Like an Oak Tree”inShare It happened again. In the Tampa Bay Times a journalist encouraged his readers to, as per the title of his article, “Think of VAMs Like an Oak Tree” as folks in Florida are now beginning to interpret and consume Florida teachers’ “value-added” data. It even seems that folks
Nite Cap 3-4-14 #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 CAPDiane Ravitch Education - Diane Ravitch Schools Us On Public Education - EsquireDiane Ravitch Education - Diane Ravitch Schools Us On Public Education - Esquire: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-4-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better educa