Morning Wink 5-14-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS

5-14-14 LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH Diane Ravitch's blog #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Our Brilliant Students: Stop Bashing Our KidsI used to be one of those people who complained that the younger generation was not as smart as my generation. I met adolescents who had never heard of “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” or some other piece of literature that I thought was central to our literary tradition. Or, I noticed

by mike simpson / 0min 

5-14-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet: Holder, Duncan asked to investigate ‘racially discriminatory’ school closings in New OrleansThis week marks the 60th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 Supreme Court ruling that was intended to strike down the “separate but equal” doctrine that codified racism in America’s public schools. You can read a report here about what it has and has not accomplished. Fol

by mike simpson / 3min 

5-14-14 Ed Notes Online: Tonight: Laurel Sturt's "Dante's Inferno" - Reading and Discussion

Ed Notes Online: Tonight: Laurel Sturt's "Dante's Inferno" - Reading and Discussion: Tonight: Laurel Sturt's "Dante's Inferno" - Reading and DiscussionReads like a Steven King horror story.I started reading Laurel Sturt's "Dante's Inferno," her story of 10 years in hell in the NYC school system under  the Bloomberg years, on a beach in Florida in February.  There were

by mike simpson / 7min 

Ras Baraka Wins in Newark: Victory for Baraka, Democracy, and Public Education | janresseger

Ras Baraka Wins in Newark: Victory for Baraka, Democracy, and Public Education | janresseger: Ras Baraka Wins in Newark: Victory for Baraka, Democracy, and Public EducationPosted on May 14, 2014 by janressegerWhat happened in Newark, NJ yesterday should matter to you no matter where you live in America.  It is the story of the triumph of participatory democracy over a system flooded with money.  A

by mike simpson / 14min 

5-14-14 Wait What? Pelto Could Upend Gubernatorial Race As 3rd-Party Candidate - Wait What?

Pelto Could Upend Gubernatorial Race As 3rd-Party Candidate - Wait What?: Pelto Could Upend Gubernatorial Race As 3rd-Party CandidateThe Hartford Courant has a major story on my potential run for governor. The story, written by Jon Lender and Daniela Altimari, reports; Former Rep. Jonathan Pelto, once a Democratic insider but now a vocal critic of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, said Tuesday he plans to fo

by mike simpson / 16min 

5-14-14 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: Testing Screw-Ups, Fines and We’re Working on ItWTSP reporter Grayson Kamm went looking for more answers about last months FCAT snafu and spoke with education commissioner Pam Stewart. He writes: “Where is the state in figuring out how much money this screw-up cost us?”

by mike simpson / 21min 

5-14-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Video: “Around the World in 360° Degrees”In his own version of “Where The Hell is Matt?”, here’s a guy who took panoramic videos of himself in different places around the world. I don’t think it’s anyway near as interesting as the two “Matt” videos (which are also embedded below), since Matt shows much more interaction with

by mike simpson / 24min 

5-14-14 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 power of Ras Baraka’s win in Newark yesterday.The new Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, Ras Baraka and daughters. To get a feeling for the importance of Ras Baraka’s victory in the Newark Mayor’s race yesterday, don’t read my words. Read from the front page story of the election in this morning’s NY Ti

by mike simpson / 33min 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 5-14-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: First impressions: THE GOVERNOR’S MAY REVISE BUDGET + May Revision Budget Documentvia email/in order received from ESEA Cabinet Report May 13, 2014 No major improvements for schools in May Revise by Tom Chorneau (Calif.) Focusing his attention and much of the $2.4 billion in unanticipated state revenue in other directions, Gov. Jerry Brown offered a rev

by mike simpson / 36min 

empathyeducates – New Orleans Teachers and Students Wrestle With Racial Tension

empathyeducates – New Orleans Teachers and Students Wrestle With Racial Tension: New Orleans Teachers and Students Wrestle With Racial TensionStudents at a fundraiser for Liberation Academy in New Orleans March 14, 2014. Some of the students who led protests over the district’s Collegiate Academy charter schools withdrew from those schools and enrolled in Liberation Academy, founded by parents and

by mike simpson / 38min 

5-14-13 Curmudgucation

CURMUDGUCATION: Why Isn't the 21st Century Here Yet?Technology is awesome and transformative, and will completely change the way we do business in schools and in the classroom. So why hasn't that really happened yet? Why aren't we all working in high-tech, super-duper computer driven schools yet? I think I know, and it has nothing to do with philosophies of education or resistance to change.I'm st

by mike simpson / 39min 

5-14-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Get Ready For Another Common Core/Civil Rights Speech From NYSED Commissioner John KingNYSED Commissioner King has already compared himself to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and said the education reform/Common Core fight is much like the fight for civil rights:Paraphrasing Martin Luther King, Jr., the commissioner said: “In a real sense, this afternoon, we can say that our feet

by mike simpson / 40min 

Barbara Kanninen for Arlington County School Board

Barbara Kanninen for Arlington County School Board: Barbara Kanninen for Arlington County School BoardbyteacherkenFollow    Email  3 Comments / 3 NewBarbara Kanninen - for Arlington County School BoardPerhaps a single seat on a local school board might not seem a matter of sufficient importance for a national political blog such as Daily Kos.And after all, I am prejudiced.I live in Arlington Virgi

by mike simpson / 43min 

RAS BARAKA WINS NEWARK MAYORALTY, DEFEAT FOR ED SABOTEURS Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública:

Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública: RAS BARAKA WINS NEWARK MAYORALTY, DEFEAT FOR ED SABOTEURS: RAS BARAKA WINS NEWARK MAYORALTY, DEFEAT FOR ED SABOTEURS The New Mayor Will Struggle to Take Back Newark Public Schools for the PeopleMayor Ras Baraka with his daughters.Ras Baraka, a high school principal and the son of a poet, yesterday easily defeated a Wall Street-back

by mike simpson / 46min 

NYC Educator: Would You Buy a Yugo from this Man?

NYC Educator: Would You Buy a Yugo from this Man?: Would You Buy a Yugo from this Man?My jaw drops at some of the nonsense I'm hearing in defense of the new contract. The first line of defense, of course, is Mulgrew's threat to the DA. If you vote no, you have to wait for 150 unions. Let's be clear. First, there is history here. In 1995, Sandra Feldman told us anyone who thought we'd do better mus

by mike simpson / 52min 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Independent movement carries Ras Baraka to victory in Newark

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Independent movement carries Ras Baraka to victory in Newark: Independent movement carries Ras Baraka to victory in NewarkSpeaking to the crowd, Baraka wished his mother a happy Mother's Day and said he knew his father, who died in January, was "in the room tonight." He urged the crowd to "be the mayor" and work for positive change, a reference to

by mike simpson / 53min 

We Gave the Common Core Elites the Power. It is Time to Take it Away. | Missouri Education Watchdog

We Gave the Common Core Elites the Power. It is Time to Take it Away. | Missouri Education Watchdog: We Gave the Common Core Elites the Power. It is Time to Take it Away.inShareYour children owe nothing to education reformers, federal agencies, third party researchers or the Chamber of Commerce. Not their data, not their allegiance, not the power to determine if they will be a good worker by kinde

by mike simpson / 55min 

Weingarten Wants Common Core; Lewis Says We're Done | Mercedes Schneider

Weingarten Wants Common Core; Lewis Says We're Done | Mercedes Schneider: Weingarten Wants Common Core; Lewis Says We're DoneIn the spring of 1991, I completed my student teaching at Ascension High School in Gonzales, Louisiana. I taught Lord of the Flies, a creepy novel about the dangers of groupthink.So often when I think of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) Unity Caucusmindset of unquesti

by mike simpson / 57min 

Doing Classroom Research | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Doing Classroom Research | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Doing Classroom ResearchAt a time when Big Data rules, I look for small answers to big questions about how policies get translated into classroom practices. Big Data can be seen in massive surveys when thousands of teachers respond to questions that pollsters ask. And yes, there are huge data sets derived from major pr

by mike simpson / 1h 

How young is too young to be suspended from school? | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC

How young is too young to be suspended from school? | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC: How young is too young to be suspended from school?Deepa Fernandes | May 14th, 2014, 5:00amDeepa Fernandes / KPCCNorwalk preschool teacher, Stefanie Servin, reads to her class as her LAUP coach, Astrid Feist, observes and takes notes from the back of the classroom.Last September, Ronan started at his forth school in two

by mike simpson / 1h 

YESTERDAY

Ras Baraka wins | Bob Braun's Ledger

Ras Baraka wins | Bob Braun's Ledger: Ras Baraka winsMayor-elect Ras Baraka                Ras Baraka, a high school principal and the son of a poet, yesterday easily defeated a Wall Street-backed promoter of school privatization to become the next mayor of Newark. Baraka’s victory repudiated the policies not just of his rival, Shavar Jeffries, but  those of Gov. Chris Christie,   former Mayor Cor

by mike simpson / 9h 

Mother Crusader: Baraka Triumphs Over Wall Street Ed Reform Juggernaut

Mother Crusader: Baraka Triumphs Over Wall Street Ed Reform Juggernaut: Baraka Triumphs Over Wall Street Ed Reform JuggernautRas Baraka has won the election! The DFER/Education Reform Now money was all for naught!And they kept pouring it in until the very last minute.Since I last wrote about the DFER money filling the coffers of the Jeffries campaign, more reports have been filed with the Election

by mike simpson / 9h 

In revised budget, Gov. Brown details costly 30-year plan to fix teacher pensions | EdSource Today

In revised budget, Gov. Brown details costly 30-year plan to fix teacher pensions | EdSource Today: In revised budget, Gov. Brown details costly 30-year plan to fix teacher pensionsMay 13th, 2014 | Add a Comment | By John Fensterwald3Gov. Brown points to a chart showing the possible insolvency of the CalSTRS pension fund for teachers and administrators in 30 years unless the state, teachers and sc

by mike simpson / 9h 

College Dropout Bill Gates, Who Spends Millions on Harvard, Gets Honorary Doctorate | deutsch29

College Dropout Bill Gates, Who Spends Millions on Harvard, Gets Honorary Doctorate | deutsch29: College Dropout Bill Gates, Who Spends Millions on Harvard, Gets Honorary DoctorateMay 13, 2014In 2007, Bill Gates spoke at Harvard University’s graduation.Gates dropped out of Harvard to start Microsoft.In 2007, Harvard awarded Gates an honorary doctorate.Gates has never had to follow a predetermined

by mike simpson / 9h 

Mulgrew Confesses The Truth southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com: Mulgrew Confesses The TruthYes, we here at SBSB have not been to kind to UFT President Mike Mulgrew in the past. We don'tthink it has ever been personal, just business. Yes, an argument can be made to tone down the snarkiness and sarcasm, but that is what makes this blog so neat.But as was told an SBSB groupie yesterday, we will defend Mulgrew when he needs defendi

by mike simpson / 9h 

Ras Baraka Wins Newark Mayoral Race - Hit & Run : Reason.com

Ras Baraka Wins Newark Mayoral Race - Hit & Run : Reason.com: Ras Baraka Wins Newark Mayoral RaceEd Krayewski|May. 13, 2014 9:37 pmEmailrasjbaraka.comSouth Ward Councilman Ras Baraka, son of the beat-era poet Amiri Baraka, won today’s mayoral election in Newark, N.J. today. Baraka ran against Shavar Jeffries, a former school board president who campaigned as an education reform advocate. Educa

by mike simpson / 12h 

Nite Cap 5-13-14 #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 CAPTeaching and Leading While Black - The Jose VilsonTeaching and Leading While Black - The Jose Vilson: Teaching and Leading While Black (On My Visit To The White House)by JOSE VILSON on MAY 13, 2014in JOSEArne DuncanNancy Flanagan’s recent post on

by mike simpson / 15h 

Teaching and Leading While Black - The Jose Vilson

Teaching and Leading While Black - The Jose Vilson: Teaching and Leading While Black (On My Visit To The White House)by JOSE VILSON on MAY 13, 2014in JOSEArne DuncanNancy Flanagan’s recent post on teacher leadership finally gave me the push to dive into my experience in Washington, D.C., where Dr. Jill Biden and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan hosted us.The function was part of the White House’

by mike simpson / 15h 

5-13-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"

Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": Zuckerberg’s $100 Million Donation To Newark Schools — Parents & Children LoseI’ve published a number of posts about the $100 million donation Mark Zuckerberg made to Newark’s schools, particularly its sham parent engagement program (see The Best Posts & Articles For Learning About Newark’s $100 Million From Faceboo

by mike simpson / 16h 

The Myths of Technology Series: “Technology Makes Us Dumb” | Connected Principals

The Myths of Technology Series: “Technology Makes Us Dumb” | Connected Principals: The Myths of Technology Series: “Technology Makes Us Dumb”by George Couros • May 13, 2014 • 0 CommentsFor ISTE 2014 in Atlanta, I will be presenting on the “Myths of Technology and Learning”. As I am really thinking about what I will be sharing at the conference, I wanted to write a series of blog posts that will he

by mike simpson / 17h 

Torlakson Reacts to May Revise - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)

Torlakson Reacts to May Revise - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Reacts to May State Budget RevisionSACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson issued the following statement in connection with Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.'s May Revision  of the State Budget:"Governor Brown's May Revision reaffirms California's commitment to local co

by mike simpson / 19h 

Who Are Our Third Graders Who Are Being Held Back? | John Thompson

Who Are Our Third Graders Who Are Being Held Back? | John Thompson: Who Are Our Third Graders Who Are Being Held Back?Who are the nearly 8000 Oklahoma 3th graders who failed Oklahoma's high-stakes reading test? Democratic House Minority Leader Scott Inman notes that 16% of the state's elementary students failed the test required for promotion to the 4th grade. In the high-dollar Oklahoma City subu

by mike simpson / 19h 

District Advisory Council (DAC) meeting & elections 5/13/14 - Sacramento City Unified School District

2013-2014 DAC Regular Meeting Agendas - Sacramento City Unified School District: May 12, 2014Sacramento City Unified School DistrictDistrict Advisory Council (DAC) meeting & elections 5/13/14School Site Council Elections Are you holding yours?School & District Financial Reports available How are you spending your money? Hello,Three important items:DAC Meeting:To ensure that every intereste

by mike simpson / 20h 

Time for Congressional Hearings into the misuse of standardized testing The Network For Public Education | Grassroots Toolkit:

The Network For Public Education | Grassroots Toolkit: Time for Congressional Hearings into the misuse of standardized testing: Grassroots Toolkit: Time for Congressional Hearings into the misuse of standardized testingMarch 7, 2014 NPE Tool KitWill Your Congressperson or Senator Join Us?On March 2, 2014, The Network for Public Education issued a call for congressional hearings into the overuse an

by mike simpson / 21h 

5-13-14 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): LIVESTREAM coverage of today’s LAUSD school board meetingToday the Los Angeles Unified School Board tackles a hefty agenda that includes hammering out details of next year’s budget in a meeting that could extend late into the evening. While there’s no vote on the budget until early summer, the board has b

by mike simpson / 21h 

Researchers give failing marks to national effort to measure good teaching | Education By The Numbers

Researchers give failing marks to national effort to measure good teaching | Education By The Numbers: Researchers give failing marks to national effort to measure good teachingSchool systems around the country are trying to use objective, quantifiable measures to identify which are the good teachers and which are the bad ones. One popular approach used in New York, Chicago and other cities, is to

by mike simpson / 21h 

5-13-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Tuesday Open ThreadThe Seattle International Film Festival Opens this week.  They have some great programming for families in their Films4Families section and FutureWave section for teens (note: some of this section's programming is for mature teens - check out the films before you send them off). Anyone attend a Director community meeting this weekend? What's on y

by mike simpson / 21h 

5-13-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: Responding to Joanne Jacobs on Her KIPP "Character" DefenseJoanne Jacobs applies her own distinct brand of mild mommish corporate apologia to defend against the insightful essay last week by Jeff Snyder on KIPP's "value-free" character indoctrination program developed by Dr. Martin Seligman and Dave Levin.  In fact, Joanne would be entirely on board if Dave and

by mike simpson / 21h 

Florida’s VAM-Based Evaluation System Ruled “Unfair but Not Unconstitutional” |

Florida’s VAM-Based Evaluation System Ruled “Unfair but Not Unconstitutional” |: Florida’s VAM-Based Evaluation System Ruled “Unfair but Not Unconstitutional” From Diane Ravitch’s blog comes an important update re: on the lawfulness of VAM-based systems that I want to be sure readers of this blog didn’t miss.She writes: “A federal judge in Florida dismissed a lawsuit against the state evaluation s

by mike simpson / 21h 

Feds offer school climate improvement grants :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet

Feds offer school climate improvement grants :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: MAY 13, 2014Feds offer school climate improvement grantsby Tom Chorneau(District of Columbia) As students in many parts of the country work on a transition this spring to new standards and new testing systems, there’s also renewed attention being paid to the condit

by mike simpson / 21h 

Geaux Teacher!: Face off - Diane Ravitch takes on Newsweek and Wins!

Geaux Teacher!: Face off - Diane Ravitch takes on Newsweek and Wins!: Face off - Diane Ravitch takes on Newsweek and Wins!I can't help myself. I have to re-post some of these excellent articles that lend truth to the fiction of Common Core Standards, standardized testing, evaluating teachers based on student test scores etc.Here is another one -comprehensive!  A must read.Diane Ravitch Backs Louis

by mike simpson / 21h 

Keep Calm and #Drink #Charter #Kool-Aid | Cloaking Inequity

Keep Calm and #Drink #Charter #Kool-Aid | Cloaking Inequity: Keep Calm and #Drink #Charter #Kool-AidAre charters headed for the same long-term, low-result arc that has plagued No Child Left Behind? I remember about fifteen years ago when Bush and Paige went to Washington that almost everyone was drinking the Kool-Aid on the Texas-style accountability and high-stakes testing bandwagon. There were s

by mike simpson / 21h 

Mark Zuckerberg’s Newark schools cash drop: “Everybody got paid but Raheem still can’t read” - Salon.com

Mark Zuckerberg’s Newark schools cash drop: “Everybody got paid but Raheem still can’t read” - Salon.com: Mark Zuckerberg’s Newark schools cash drop: “Everybody got paid but Raheem still can’t read”Four lessons we learned about educational reform and Facebook philanthropy from an epic New Yorker articleANDREW LEONARD  Share 515   151    66    TOPICS: MARK ZUCKERBERG, FACEBOOK, PHILANTHROPY, NEWARK

by mike simpson / 21h 

5-13-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet: Academics call for pause in PISA testsHere’s an open letter written by academics and school activists from around the world to Andreas Schleicher, director of the Program of International Student Assessment, known as PISA, which tests 15-year-olds in dozens of countries and individual education systems in math, reading and science every three years.  The letter expresses concerns

by mike simpson / 23h 

Evaluating Teachers with Classroom Observations: Lessons Learned in Four Districts | Brookings Institution

Evaluating Teachers with Classroom Observations: Lessons Learned in Four Districts | Brookings Institution: Evaluating Teachers with Classroom Observations: Lessons Learned in Four DistrictsBy: Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, Matthew M. Chingos and Katharine M. LindquistThe federal government has spurred the creation of a new generation of teacher evaluation systems at the state level throu

by mike simpson / 23h 

Drawing a Line on Common Core - Bridging Differences - Education Week

Drawing a Line on Common Core - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Drawing a Line on Common CoreBy Guest Blogger on May 13, 2014 10:48 AMAuthor and advocate Mike Klonsky again writes to Deborah Meier today. The two are currently co-blogging on Bridging Differences.Deb,Your last post took me all over the world in time and space. But there's no time or space here to discuss the rise of fascism i

by mike simpson / 23h 

Geaux Teacher!: Why Reject Common Core Standards K-3?

Geaux Teacher!: Why Reject Common Core Standards K-3?: Why Reject Common Core Standards K-3?This article is re-posted from the Website Defending the Early Years because it is do important.  Opponents to the Common Core Standards insist that these standards are not researched and tested and are therefore too experimental to use our children as guinea pigs. Now that we have had these standards thrus

by mike simpson / 23h 

Morning Wink 5-13-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS5-13-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacherFred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: NEA and AFT conventions. Looking ahead.I will be back at the NEA Representative Assembly this summer as an elected Retired delegate. With the exception of one year, I have been to every con

by mike simpson / 1d 

2nd Banana 5-10-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 

2nd Banana 5-3-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 

2nd Banana 4-26-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

2nd Banana 4-19-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

2nd Banana 4-12-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

2nd Banana 4-5-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 

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