THE LIST: NEW JERSEY'S 'EDUBLOGGERS' TALK POLICY, POLITICS -- AND TECHNOLOGY
Ten of the state's leading education bloggers make every aspect of learning and teaching (and administering) their business
Never short of voices questioning and commenting on education policy and practice, New Jersey enjoys a robust roster of active bloggers on the issue.
This list of the top education blogs in the state is loosely organized in order of influence, as gauged by a combination of quality, quantity, buzz, and an informal survey of peers and others.
Unsurprisingly, this list of "edubloggers" is dominated by those focusing on policy, a cottage industry these days, especially among critics of the Christie administration’s education reforms. Some bloggers concentrate chiefly commentary; others do a considerable amount of independent research and reporting. This list favors the latter.
A few blogs dedicated to the practice of education, rather than just politics, are included as well -- drawn from the sizable collection of edubloggers across the state, some with a national audience.
1. Will Richardson
A South Hunterdon Regional High School teacher turned speaker, author, and consultant, Richardson is a pioneer among education bloggers. Starting in 2001, he was among the first to integrate the Internet into classroom instruction -- not just in New Jersey but nationwide. Ever insightful and provocative – his mantra: “Time to Rethink Education” -- Richardson’s blog has evolved over the years and remains a must-visit site for educators thinking about the future of their craft. Just ask his 47,000 Twitter followers.
2. schoolFinance101.com
The site is home to Bruce Baker, a professor of education policy at Rutgers University. Despite the title, Baker takes on all sorts of education policy issues, in New Jersey and elsewhere, and has proved a leading -- and incredibly prolific -- voice of dissent to the Christie administration’s math in its school funding and its charter school policies.
3. New Jersey Left Behind
The brainchild of Laura Waters, a policy wonk by hobby more than trade, and an unabashed defender of the school reform movement. She also serves on the Lawrenceville school board, adding to her perspective. (Full disclosure: Waters is a regular guest columnist for NJ Spotlight, as is another member of this list).
4. A Principal’s Reflections
New Milford High School Principal Eric Sheninger writes often and regularly about the issues of school leadership in New Jersey. And if you doubt his influence, Sheninger has more than 50,000 Twitter followers.
5. Jersey Jazzman
Another Christie antagonist (and NJ Spotlight columnist), Warren Township teacher Mark Weber is among the best-read in New Jersey’s anti-reform circles -- and national circles, too.
6. TeachIngenuity
The blog is written by David Janosz, a longtime leader in the state on the use of technology in education. His site is a little more tech-centered, but is accessible to anyone interested in its mission of “developing the power of creative imagination in young people.”
7. Mother Crusader
Blogger Darcie Cimarusti is one of the early organizers of Save Our Schools NJ, a grassroots group that has become a leading progressive voice in the state. Her blog is especially focused on holding accountable state’s ever-expanding charter school movement.
8. Bob Braun’s Ledger
Braun has more than 40 years as an education reporter and columnist in New Jersey with the Newark Star-Ledger. Since leaving the Ledger, his blog has become a must-read in the debates about Newark’s reform efforts under superintendent Cami Anderson.
9. JerseyCAN
This is one of the newer education blogs in the state, created by an organization chaired by former Gov. Tom Kean and more aligned with the reform movement than with its critics. The blog itself is a joint effort of the organization’s staff, led by Janellen Duffy, education advisor during the administration of former Gov. Jon Corzine.
10. Brad Currie Blog
Brad Currie is a vice principal and supervisor in Chester district schools and a pioneer in a movement of New Jersey school leaders going online to share their ideas on how teachers teach and children learn. Currie cofounded the popular #Satchat discussions that take place on Twitter every Saturday morning, and span the country. His blog was a finalist for an Edublog Award in 2013.
‘CALCULATOR’ HELPS NJ TEACHERS FIGURE WHETHER THEY’LL MAKE THE GRADE
Online tool helps determine where they might fall within new ‘ineffective’ to ‘highly effective’ evaluation system
Figuring out exactly how New Jersey’s public school teachers will be rated under the state’s new evaluation system has been a little vexing, so the state Department of Education has put out an online “calculator’ for teachers to figure out how they might fare.
The new calculator goes a long way to simplifying how the various ratings – from “ineffective” to “highly effective” -- will be determined for the teachers.
To be sure, the tool offers a range of interesting scenarios, depending on the teacher’s circumstances.
For teachers who will be gauged in part on state test scores, even good ratings from class observations may not save a teacher from at least a “partially effective” rating if their students haven’t shown above-average gains on the tests.
Yet for the vast majority of teachers who will not be gauged on test scores in the first years, the classroom observations will be almost the sole determinate. These teachers are still being required to set student performance goals based on other measures, but at 15 percent of the rating, the calculator shows how these goals’ impact is limited.
For example, even a teacher who does not meet any of those performance goals would still get an “effective” rating if he or she gets at least 3 out of a maximum of 4 points in the classroom-observation component.
The department said the calculator was only meant to help teachers test out different scenarios that will lead to their final grade, which is known as the “summative rating.” These final ratings will still be set by the districts and, ultimately, the state.
“Official summative ratings are calculated by an educator's district/the Department, but this tool can help educators get a sense of how the various components of an evaluation can affect a summative score,” said a memo to districts last week from assistant education commissioner Peter Shulman, in unveiling the new tool.