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
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’
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
5-13-14 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.: 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 convention since 1998. The one year I didn’t go it was in Los Angeles. The Illinois delegation was put up in a hotel
LAUSD and the Ritualistic Killing of School
LAUSD and the Ritualistic Killing of School: LAUSD and the Ritualistic Killing of School 13 May 2014Written by Odysseus BostickFont SizeTHE BOSTIC REPORT-If the Los Angeles Unified School District were a used car, parents would be reading the fine print of California’s historic lemon law by the end of first grade. The second largest school district in the nation is not the most well oiled machine,
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 5-13-14
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Lausd And The Ritualistic Killing Of SchoolWritten by Odysseus Bostick - THE BOSTIC REPORT in LA CityWatch | http://bit.ly/1jCOx4D 13 May 2014 :: If the Los Angeles Unified School District were a used car, parents would be reading the fine print of California’s historic lemon law by the end of first grade. The second largest school district in the nat
5-13-14 LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH Diane Ravitch's blog #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: TFA: The Kids Are Not AlrightWhen asked about Teach for America, I always answer that the recruits are terrific, very smart, very idealistic, but the organization is greedy, self-serving, and power-hungry. This commenter disagrees. He/she thinks that the recruits should know better. She/he thinks that if they are smart, they should
5-13-13 Curmudgucation
CURMUDGUCATION: Better Teacher TrainingThe US DOE recently revived an initiative for improving teacher training in this country. It's a dumb initiative. Pearson offers edTPA, basically a new gateway into the profession, to insure that only the qualified enter the profession. edTPA is a dumb program. TFA is only the most prominent of the many "alternative paths" into teaching. As a means
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The CPS principals revolt: A single spark can start a prairie fire
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The CPS principals revolt: A single spark can start a prairie fire: The CPS principals revolt: A single spark can start a prairie fireShe [Byrd-Bennett] can't "get to the bottom" of it when the culprit is at the top. -- Principal Troy LaRaviereA SMALLTALK SALUTE goes out to Blaine Principal Troy LaRaviere for standing up and speaking truth to power. His May
5-13-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Important New Report Questions VAMAn important new report was published today raising major questions about the usefulness of Value-Added Measurement as a teacher evaluation tool. Read about it at The Washington Post’s article, Good teaching, poor test scores: Doubt cast on grading teachers by student performance, and at Ed
Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: UFT Contract: Mulgrew Says It's OK to Fire ATR for "Screaming in the Hallway"UFT logo for ATRsDon't you think we should have the definitions of "problematic" behavior BEFORE voting on the contract?Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, said a panel of hearing officers would "solidify the definition" of problematic behavior. &
5-13-14 Wait What?
Wait What?: 6 more reasons why Connecticut should reject the Common Core K-3 standardsConnecticut needs to repeal Governor Malloy’s education reform legislation, halt the implementation of the Common Core and develop more appropriate policies for Connecticut’s students, teachers and public schools. The following is another clear and concise explanation of why the Common Core Standards are wrong fo
5-13-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida ALL Week
Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: Florida Public Schools Understand the Hyprocrisy Behind Budget NumbersThe narrative that Florida republican legislators and Governor Rick Scott advanced at the end of the legislative session was that public schools were somehow the big winners. Public school officials ar
5-13-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Opt-Out Movement Posied To Grow Even BiggerFrom Gary Stern and Randi Weiner at LoHud:More than 3,140 students in the Lower Hudson Valley sat out the recent state math tests, an 84 percent increase over the number who opted out from the ELA tests only four weeks earlier.Overall, 3.4 percent of local students in grades 3-8 were directed by their parents to skip the math tests,
May 13 Rally at the US Supreme Court | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity
May 13 Rally at the US Supreme Court | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity: May 13 Rally at the US Supreme CourtPosted on: Tuesday May 13th, 2014May 13 – Rally at the U.S. Supreme CourtFulfilling the Promise of Brown v. Board:Organizing for Educational Justice for AllSixty years after Brown v. Board of Education, our nation's public schools are stil
5-13-14 The Whole Child Blog — Symposium Focuses on Educating Young People for Their Future, Not Our Past — Whole Child Education
Symposium Focuses on Educating Young People for Their Future, Not Our Past — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGSymposium Focuses on Educating Young People for Their Future, Not Our PastMay 13, 2014 by Whole Child SymposiumThe decisions we make today—for our systems, our schools, and our classrooms—will affect what all of our tomorrows will look like. This past week, ASCD hosted its inaugu
NYC Educator: What About the Kids?
NYC Educator: What About the Kids?: What About the Kids?With all this talk about how awful this contract is for us, it seems a good time to take a look at how it will benefit the students we serve. After all, the Daily News is interviewing legal expert Campbell Brown again. Of course, she and whoever pays for her to do whatever it is she does are only interested in firing as many teachers as possi
Separate and Unequal 60 Years After “Brown v. Board” | janresseger
Separate and Unequal 60 Years After “Brown v. Board” | janresseger: Separate and Unequal 60 Years After “Brown v. Board”Posted on May 13, 2014 by janressegerProPublica has published Segregation Now, an in-depth history of school integration and re-segregation in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The experience of Tuscaloosa is a microcosm of the history of the South’s experiment with school integration and th
Help us, people of Newark | Bob Braun's Ledger
Help us, people of Newark | Bob Braun's Ledger: Help us, people of Newark This is not a burden they asked for, or even want, but, today, the voters of Newark go to the polls to decide the possible future of both public education and democracy as we now know them both to be. The race has become bigger than a contest between Ras Baraka and Shavar Jeffries. It has become a question
Shanker Blog » Can Early Language Development Promote Children's Psychological Wellbeing?
Shanker Blog » Can Early Language Development Promote Children's Psychological Wellbeing?: Can Early Language Development Promote Children’s Psychological Wellbeing?Posted by Esther Quintero on May 13, 2014We know oral language is young children’s door into the world of knowledge and ideas, the foundation for reading, and the bedrock of all academic learning. But, can language also protect young k
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5-12-14 Education Opportunity Network
Education Opportunity Network: 5/13/2014 – Who Betrayed Brown?May 13, 2014 Subscribe THIS WEEK: Scale Pre-K Legislation … Teaching Grit Is Wrong … Digital Reading Harms Comprehension … Pisa Harms Education … Deep Learning TOP STORY Who Betrayed The Legacy Of Brown V. Board? By Jeff Bryant “60 years after Brown v. Board, what passes for advancements in civil rights is often grand gestures of ‘progr
5-12-14 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: UFT Contract: MORE Talks Business While Unity Goes Into HidingSince the Unity slugs aren't willing to hold a conversation about the contract, MORE is going to do so. Which would you rather attend? A one-way filibuster at a Unity/UFT sponsored borough meeting - while your school is getting a visitor from the UFT who will also filibuster in your school while leaving a few minutes fo
Mother Crusader: A Look Inside What $2M DFER Dollars Is Buying In Newark
Mother Crusader: A Look Inside What $2M DFER Dollars Is Buying In Newark: A Look Inside What $2M DFER Dollars Is Buying In NewarkAs I detailed last week, Democrats for Education Reform(DFER) spawn Education Reform Now (ERN) dumped over 2 million dollars into the Super PAC called Newark First to defeat unabashed public education supporter, Ras Baraka.I thought it would be interesting to see what ki
Good teaching, poor test scores: Doubt cast on grading teachers by student performance - The Washington Post
Good teaching, poor test scores: Doubt cast on grading teachers by student performance - The Washington Post: Good teaching, poor test scores: Doubt cast on grading teachers by student performanceIn the first large-scale analysis of new systems that evaluate teachers based partly on student test scores, two researchers found little or no correlation between quality teaching and the appraisals teac
Nite Cap 5-12-14 #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 CAPTen Years After: Is Genuine Teacher Leadership Dead in the Water? - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week TeacherTen Years After: Is Genuine Teacher Leadership Dead in the Water? - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: Ten Year
