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
SPECIAL Mid Day Banana Break 4-8-13 #soschat #edreform
Big Education Ape - Mid Day Banana BreakWEA Supports Families Opting out of State TestingI had heard about this vote this past weekend but couldn't find info on it at the WEA website. From KUOW:The state’s largest teachers’ union has passed a motion to support parents and students who opt out of statewide standardized tests. The union also promotes opting out of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Co
Kids Under Pressure
Kids Under Pressure: Kids Under PressureApril 8, 2014 by Mark Naison Leave a CommentUnder Pressure: Does Test Stress at School Added to Economic Stress at Home Constitute a Toxic Combination?During the last decade, America’s public school students have seen a steady increase in the amount of testing they have to endure. As a result of state policies and federal mandates, schools have transformed c
empathyeducates – The School-to-Prison Pipeline Can Be Stopped
empathyeducates – The School-to-Prison Pipeline Can Be Stopped: The School-to-Prison Pipeline Can Be StoppedWhich “Culture” Will We Adopt?Harsh school policies and practices and an increased role of law enforcement in schools have combined to create a “schoolhouse-to-prison pipeline,” particularly our Black young. Huge numbers of children and youth, are pushed out of school and into the juvenile a
Statisticians' Group Issues Statement on Use of 'Value Added' Data for Teachers - Teacher Beat - Education Week
Statisticians' Group Issues Statement on Use of 'Value Added' Data for Teachers - Teacher Beat - Education Week: Statisticians' Group Issues Statement on Use of 'Value Added' Data for TeachersBy Stephen Sawchuk on April 8, 2014 2:38 PMIf you've been following this blog, then you know that there are few more controversial policy shifts of late than the integration of "value added" methodo
GOP hopeful Bruce Rauner’s Noble Street charter network scores $400,000 at the expense of low-income, minority children
Chicago Teachers Union | www.ctunet.com: GOP hopeful Bruce Rauner’s Noble Street charter network scores $400,000 at the expense of low-income, minority childrenCHICAGO—As the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) pushes for reform in Illinois charter school law and increased accountability to the public from charter networks, there is increasing concern among parents and fair education advocates over disci
4-8-13 Curmudgucation Week
CURMUDGUCATION: Why "Reformy"?Part of a series of posts for folks who are just beginning to find there way through the current debates on education. My blog dedicated to that audience is Reclaiming Pubic Education 101.As one wades out into the sea of education blogging, one repeatedly encounters the term "reformy" or "reformy stuff." There's a short explanation, but i
4-8-14 Perdido Street School Week
Perdido Street School: Is Chris Christie Toast?It has been fairly quiet on the Chris Christie scandal front since Christie crony David Samson resigned from the Port Authority a while back and Christie is going around the country raising money for the Republican Party like nothing's the matter, that all is on schedule for his 2016 run for president.Jeff Smith at Politico says pay no attention to wh
4-8-14 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): Groups stage a rally to show impact of LAUSD drop outsThe sound of classroom silence. As part of a rally by parents, education advocates and civil rights groups who represent Communities for Los Angeles Student Success, or CLASS, 375 desks were set up this morning at the LAUSD headquarters in downtown Los
4-8-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": inBloom Is On Its Deathbed & No Tears Are ShedinBloom, the ill-conceived, Gates-funded effort to collect just about every piece of data on just about every K-12 student in America (and opposed by parents across the United States), lost its only remaining customer last month when New York State withdrew from it. Here’s a
Teachers For Social Justice: TSJ General Meeting Saturday April 19th at 1 PM at UIC
Teachers For Social Justice: TSJ General Meeting Saturday April 19th at 1 PM at UIC: TSJ General Meeting Saturday April 19th at 1 PM at UICAPRIL 8, 2014 LEAVE A COMMENTGet involved! Join a committee and help plan! More info to come! Saturday, April 19th, 20141:00 PM - 3:00 PMUIC College of Education1040 W. Harrison StChicagoAll are welcome and refreshments served!We will begin planning the 13th A
PSAT for 4-8-14: Let Springfield know the truth about charter schools Parents United for Responsible Education
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 4-8-14: Let Springfield know the truth about charter schools: PSAT for 4-8-14: Let Springfield know the truth about charter schoolsToday, charter school advocates will be taking out their checkbooks to fund Springfield trips for folks to lobby for less oversight of and more money for charter schools.Mayor Emanuel says that the trut
NYC Public School Parents: Despite parent protests, DOE to go ahead with plan to push class sizes to 46 at PS 11Q Queens & violate building code
NYC Public School Parents: Despite parent protests, DOE to go ahead with plan to push class sizes to 46 at PS 11Q Queens & violate building code: Despite parent protests, DOE to go ahead with plan to push class sizes to 46 at PS 11Q Queens & violate building codeFor more on the class size violations this plan will trigger, and the opposition of elected officials and parents, see DNA info h
Department of Education Releases New Parent and Community Engagement Framework | ED.gov Blog
Department of Education Releases New Parent and Community Engagement Framework | ED.gov Blog: Department of Education Releases New Parent and Community Engagement FrameworkThe fourth quarter of the school year is generally a time of preparation for schools and districts as they finalize next year’s budget, student and teacher schedules, and professional development for the upcoming school year. Du
This Tax Day, tell the USDOE to #ShowTheDocs - Integrity in Education
This Tax Day, tell the USDOE to #ShowTheDocs - Integrity in Education: This Tax Day, tell the USDOE to #ShowTheDocsWho’s actually driving education policy in the United States?When groups supported by corporations like Pearson, McGraw-Hill, and ETS overhaul curriculum standards and call for test-driven policies, and government officials who worked for those groups write those ideas into law, who’s
I am pro-child, and I opt out | Twin Cities Daily Planet
I am pro-child, and I opt out | Twin Cities Daily Planet: I am pro-child, and I opt outBy Sarah Lahm, Eyes on EducationApril 07, 2014Tonight, I will be in St. Cloud, speaking to a group of parents about how and why to opt their children out of the upcoming MCA (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment) tests.I have also recently connected with parents in a district just north of the Twin Cities, who say
4-8-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Curriculum and Instruction Policy Committee meeting notesThe Board Curriculum and Instruction Policy Committee met yesterday (Monday, April 7). The agenda included an update on Creative Approach Schools, information on the application for a SIG grant by Rainier Beach High School, an update on Special Education program placement, and an update and further discussion
4-8-14 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: Corporate Welfare Charter Schools--the Vampire Squid of Educationfrom Alan Singer at HuffPo:On Sunday, March 23, 2014 in a speechat Riverside Church in Manhattan, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, faced with declining public opinion poll numbers, made nice to charter school companies and their wealthy backers. He told congregants that his administration and the charter movement h
4-8-14 Ed Notes Online Week
Ed Notes Online: Thursday - Rally Against Cuomo - 4 PMThursday - Rally Against Cuomo - 4 PMLots of forces gathering for the big march and rally on Thursday to Cuomo's Manhattan office. Are you pissed off at Cuomo? BE THERE!!!!by ed notes online / 8min 4-7-14 Ed Notes Online WeekEd Notes Online: Lauren Cohen Stands Up to Bully Tests and Bully Unity SlugsYesterday morning I watched from the audience
Educators are Political Operatives | educarenow
Educators are Political Operatives | educarenow: Educators are Political OperativesPosted on April 8, 2014 | Leave a commentAs educators, we must always be aware that we are operating in a highly contested political arena- one the defines winners and losers.Gary Howard’s words are so true:“The forces of social dominance…are, by definition, directed toward protecting and perpetuating the good of th
Morning Wink 4-8-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTSLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-8-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: exas Superintendent Asks for Help in Stopping Failed VAMThis superintendent posted a request for help. I will be posting a summary of research on value-added-measurement later today. I think it i
Do Students Still Have Free Speech in School? - David R. Wheeler - The Atlantic
Do Students Still Have Free Speech in School? - David R. Wheeler - The Atlantic: Do Students Still Have Free Speech in School?Social media has eroded young people's privacy—and advocates are trying to win it back. Adam Hunger/ReutersIn 1965, when Mary Beth Tinker was 13 years old, she wore a black armband to her junior high school to protest the Vietnam War. The school promptly suspended her, but
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-8-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: exas Superintendent Asks for Help in Stopping Failed VAMThis superintendent posted a request for help. I will be posting a summary of research on value-added-measurement later today. I think it is fair to say that while economists like VAM (they measure productivity), education researchers overwhelmingly oppose VAM because they kno
Thoughts From a Former KIPP Teacher: Testing, Common Core, and Charters Are Myths | Cloaking Inequity
Thoughts From a Former KIPP Teacher: Testing, Common Core, and Charters Are Myths | Cloaking Inequity: Thoughts From a Former KIPP Teacher: Testing, Common Core, and Charters Are MythsIn the bid for a better education for all students in America, recent reform efforts have focused on increasing the expectations – standards and exams – for students. What is not explicitly discussed are the negativ
Another Lawsuit in Rochester, New York |
Another Lawsuit in Rochester, New York |: Another Lawsuit in Rochester, New York Following my most recent post, it seems, again, and as per another post in Diane Ravitch’s blog, that the Rochester, New York Teachers Association is also now “suing the state over its teacher evaluation system, alleging that it does not take into account the impact of poverty on classroom performance.”As per the orig
4-8-14 Wait What?
Wait What?: Trumbull postpones Common Core Smarter Balanced Assessment Testing for juniorsOnly 26 of Trumbull High School’s 530 juniors showed up to take last Friday’s Common Core Smarter Balanced Assessment Test of a test. Earlier in the week, only 47 (less than 10 percent) of the town’s high school juniors participated in that day’s portion of the test. In response, Trumbull has postponed thi
4-8-14 The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: Principals slam 2014 NY Common Core tests as badly designedStudents in New York have been taking state-mandated Common Core-aligned standard tests in English Language Arts in recent days and, for the second year in a row, educators are saying the tests — designed by the giant education company Pearson — were badly designed for the second straight year. Last year, the tests sparke
4-8-14 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 PTA: The Boogeyman Who Torments Step Up for StudentsDuring last year’s run-up to another failed parent trigger bid, House sponsor Rep. Carlos Trujillo attempted to marginalize PTA opponents of his bill as “there to bake cookies.” Trujillo’s problem – and that of
4-8-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: The Best Posts & Videos About Sugata Mitra & His Education IdeasProfessor Sugata Mitra and is famous for his “holes in the wall” experiments where he placed computers in impoverished Indian communities and students “self-organized” their instruction. Professor Mitra was awarded the TED Prize last year, and expanded
4-8-14 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.: The day after. Charter farters pay for a party in Springfield. Or are we footing the bill?Who said, “Timing is everything?” Socrates? Shakespeare? Certainly nobody in the charter school movement. A day after the Medill Data Project and Sun-Times released a study showing that the state’s charter school
FCMAT » Cal Education Headlines Tuesday, April 8, 2014
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: L.A. Unified students want one of their own on school boardEducation HeadlinesTuesday, April 8, 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.Central San Joaquin Valley schools begin new computerized state testsAft
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 4-8-14
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: In Teacher Jailby Gerald and Esther Schiller, from an email circulating widely Our son is in jail. But there are no bars or armed guards, or wardens. And he does go home to his wife each afternoon. Our son is in “teacher jail.” For those who may be unaware of this bizarre institution, “teacher jail” is the name applied (with no affection) to what the
4-8-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: Video: Which Louisiana Teachers Wrote Common Core?When I debated Stephanie Deselles of the Council for a Better Louisiana (CABL) in November 2013, she mentioned “three Louisiana teachers” who were involved in writing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Never mind that “three” is an embarrassingly low number. Deselles provided no names. During testimony on the writing of CCSS
Schools can overcome the challenges of poverty — with the right interventions | Hechinger Report
Schools can overcome the challenges of poverty — with the right interventions | Hechinger Report: Schools can overcome the challenges of poverty — with the right interventionsBy Pamela CantorWhen President Obama launched My Brother’s Keeper last month to help young men and boys of color reach their full potential, he shared what had made the difference in his own life: “I had people who encouraged
School Is Conservative, Education Is Progressive - Bridging Differences - Education Week
School Is Conservative, Education Is Progressive - Bridging Differences - Education Week: School Is Conservative, Education Is ProgressiveBy Guest Blogger on April 8, 2014 8:41 AMRobert Pondiscio of Democracy Prep concludes his blogging partnership with Deborah Meier today. Deborah will respond on Thursday and then take a one-week blogging break before returning with a new co-blogger the week of A
Brownback’s Lack of Leadership on Common Core Defunding | Truth in American Education
Brownback’s Lack of Leadership on Common Core Defunding | Truth in American Education: Brownback’s Lack of Leadership on Common Core DefundingFiled in Common Core State Standards, Education at State Level by Shane Vander Hart on April 8, 2014 • 0 Comments1The Kansas Senate on Thursday night voted to defund the Common Core State Standards after an amendment to the school finance bill overwhelmingly
A Fascinating Way to Put a Stop to the School-to-Prison Pipeline for Black Children | Alternet
A Fascinating Way to Put a Stop to the School-to-Prison Pipeline for Black Children | Alternet: A Fascinating Way to Put a Stop to the School-to-Prison Pipeline for Black ChildrenRestorative justice techniques for all children will stem the tide of unequal classroom punishment.5 COMMENTSPhoto Credit: advprojectdc; Screenshot / YouTube.comApril 7, 2014 | Destiny was in eighth grade when, in the
Tell Me Again: Why Did We Adopt Common Core? | Missouri Education Watchdog
Tell Me Again: Why Did We Adopt Common Core? | Missouri Education Watchdog: Tell Me Again: Why Did We Adopt Common Core? Missouri had high standards according to the Commissioner circa 2009. So why did we adopt CCSS?Commissioner Chris Nicastro was appointed as Missouri Education of Commissioner and began her duties officially on August 1, 2009.Governor Jay Nixon unilaterally signed the intent to a
Video: Which Louisiana Teachers Wrote Common Core? | deutsch29
Video: Which Louisiana Teachers Wrote Common Core? | deutsch29: Video: Which Louisiana Teachers Wrote Common Core?April 8, 2014When I debated Stephanie Deselles of the Council for a Better Louisiana (CABL) in November 2013, she mentioned “three Louisiana teachers” who were involved in writing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).Never mind that “three” is an embarrassingly low number.Deselles pr
Disappearing Black & Latino Teachers Reach Severe Levels in NYC Public Schools Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública
Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública: Disappearing Black & Latino Teachers Reach Severe Levels in NYC Public SchoolsThanks to the decade-long dogged work of CPE member Sean Ahern and the research of the NYC Independent Budget Office's Raymond Domanico, we have the latest stats (above) about how deeply institutionalized is the "disappearing" of Black &
Plan would use vouchers to expand, restructure child care :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet
Plan would use vouchers to expand, restructure child care :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: APRIL 08, 2014Plan would use vouchers to expand, restructure child careby Tom Chorneau(Calif.) The state should abandoned its cumbersome delivery and funding system for child care services and replace it with one utilizing vouchers, according to a prop
From the White House to Diane Ravitch: A whirlwind week for Parents United | Parents United for Public Education
From the White House to Diane Ravitch: A whirlwind week for Parents United | Parents United for Public Education: From the White House to Diane Ravitch: A whirlwind week for Parents UnitedPosted on April 8, 2014 by HELENGYMLeave a commentThe past few weeks have been kind of a whirlwind as a host of events converged around our Parents United work seemingly all at once. I thought I’d share a few tho
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm's two biggest scams
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm's two biggest scams: Rahm's two biggest scams “Have you changed the way you measure statistics?” one reporter asked. “I don’t buy the premise of the question,” Emanuel answered and quickly moved on. -- Chicago MagazineThe mayor and his two chiefs, schools CEO Byrd-Bennettand top cop Garry McCarthy, have put together a couple of scams any 3-card-Monte hustler o
YESTERDAY
Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 4-7-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
Nite Cap UPDATEUPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATECORPORATE ED REFORMCharter-Mania, High-Stakes Testing and Teacher-Bashing: Can Rhee’s Approach Be Stopped?Is public education doomed to destruction? Has it already been done in? Everyone has an opinion. The question is will the Vergara v. California court decision permanently define what might be? Will education equity be set free? Stanford Professor Linda
Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog 4-7-14
Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: Canada Takes Steps for Country's HealthCanada has taken steps this week to give more information about diabetes to the country. Approximetly one in four Canadians has diabetes or prediabetes. And that statistic costs the country over $1.6 billion yearly, causing some concern for the countries health care system. Canada gives their citizens free health care and large amo
The Factoid World of Michael Goodwin of the New York Post southbronxschool.com
http://www.southbronxschool.com: The Factoid World of Michael Goodwin of the New York PostI buy two newspapers on Sunday. The Daily News, I read in the car while my son is in Sunday School and The Times to read throughout the day. The Post, except for Phil Mushnick is a waste of my time.But this past Sunday I was able to read a free copy of the Post. I forgot where I was but I came across Michael
Nite Cap 4-7-14 #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 CAP4-7-14 Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All WeekJersey Jazzman: Why Is Michelle Rhee Wrong About Everything?Michelle Rhee is consistently wrong about everything.She was wrong about teaching to the test. She was wrong about her grading of state education po
