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
Common Core Tests: Educational Malpractice for Students with Special Needs | Teachers' Letters to Bill Gates
Common Core Tests: Educational Malpractice for Students with Special Needs | Teachers' Letters to Bill Gates: Common Core Tests: Educational Malpractice for Students with Special NeedsPosted on May 4, 2014by Teachers'LettersToBillGatesDear Mr. and Mrs Gates:This is what is gong on in every county across the country as students with disabilities are forced to take tests they are not yet ready for a
Breaking News: Houston Teachers Suing over their District’s EVAAS Use |
Breaking News: Houston Teachers Suing over their District’s EVAAS Use |: Breaking News: Houston Teachers Suing over their District’s EVAAS Use It’s time!! While lawsuits are emerging across the nation (namely three in Tennessee and one in Florida), one significant and potentially huge lawsuit was just filed in federal court this past Wednesday in Houston on behalf of seven teachers working in the
Corporate Reformers Say Money Doesn’t Matter in Public Schools. The Facts Say Otherwise. | NEA Today
Corporate Reformers Say Money Doesn’t Matter in Public Schools. The Facts Say Otherwise. | NEA Today: Corporate Reformers Say Money Doesn’t Matter in Public Schools. The Facts Say Otherwise.May 4, 2014 by twalker Filed under Education Funding, Featured News, Top StoriesLeave a CommentBy Tim WalkerOne of the most destructive myths propagated by so-called education “reformers” is that fully funding
Teachers, be silent no more! TLtBG will be signed, sealed, delivered to Bill and Melinda Gates at #EducatingGates June 26th! | Teachers' Letters to Bill Gates
Teachers, be silent no more! TLtBG will be signed, sealed, delivered to Bill and Melinda Gates at #EducatingGates June 26th! | Teachers' Letters to Bill Gates: Teachers, be silent no more! TLtBG will be signed, sealed, delivered to Bill and Melinda Gates at #EducatingGates June 26th!Posted on May 4, 2014by Teachers'LettersToBillGatesDear Teachers,Katie and I have formally endorsed the Washington B
5-4-13 Curmudgucation Week
CURMUDGUCATION: A Real RaceMy wife is a runner. I love my wife. That's why I woke up this morning at 4:45 in a Pittsburgh hotel.We did this last year, but last year she ran the full marathon; this year she's a first-year first-grade teacher who lacks the time to train, to put in the 147 hours of prep required for six-year-olds, and to occasionally hang out with me. So this year she ran the half ma
5-4-14 Ed Notes Online Week
Ed Notes Online: Advice to MORE on Contract StrategyNorm, you strike me as a realist. What are your thoughts on getting this voted down?... Roseanne McCosh PS 8xRoseanne asks a good question. Before trying to respond I want to lay down some historical points because being out of schools for a decade I don't have the best feel for the mood of the members, other than the fact that some old supporter
Leaders: Strive to be the Weak Link | Connected Principals
Leaders: Strive to be the Weak Link | Connected Principals: Leaders: Strive to be the Weak Linkby Sam LeDeaux • May 4, 2014 • 0 CommentsMany have leadership titles, but our true leaders exhibit leadership behaviors. Some are listed here. Certainly not an exhaustive list, nor set in stone; but led to some great candid discussion and sharing–which is what learning and education should be all about!
WaBATS are Leading a Movement: #EducatingGates Foundation Rally – June 26th! | Teachers' Letters to Bill Gates
WaBATS are Leading a Movement: #EducatingGates Foundation Rally – June 26th! | Teachers' Letters to Bill Gates: WaBATS are Leading a Movement: #EducatingGates Foundation Rally – June 26th!Posted on May 4, 2014by Teachers'LettersToBillGatesDear Bill and Melinda,Katie and I would like to extend an invitation to both of you to join us at the Gates Foundation in a movement started by teachers and host
The Republicans of Democrats for Education Reform
The Republicans of Democrats for Education Reform: What is Democrats for Education Reform?Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) is an education privatization group started by hedge fund managers who wanted to influence Democrats' education policies just as the Wal-Mart family had influenced Republicans'. In the words of one of DFER's founders, in order to get Democrats to emulate Republicans on e
Geaux Teacher!: Whose Responsibility Is Education?
Geaux Teacher!: Whose Responsibility Is Education?: Whose Responsibility Is Education?I am an educator and a parent/grandparent. I understand how children learn, how to teach them to learn, why they learn differently and why some face huge obstacles to learning. My knowledge and understanding are based on research, training and experience. I have no interest in nor authority to develop pedagogy
Front Page Seattle Times Article on SEA election: “Politics plays role in teachers union vote for president” | I AM AN EDUCATOR
Front Page Seattle Times Article on SEA election: “Politics plays role in teachers union vote for president” | I AM AN EDUCATOR: Front Page Seattle Times Article on SEA election: “Politics plays role in teachers union vote for president”By I AM AN EDUCATOR on May 4, 2014The Seattle Times ran an important front page article today on the current election in the Seattle Education Association (SEA), “
5-4-14 Perdido Street School Week
Perdido Street School: UFT Contract - What Will The Rank And File Do?Most of the bloggers in the New York City education blogosphere have been critical or outright contemptuous of the contract proposal between the UFT and the city that was announced on Thursday.Once it became apparent that no more than 2% compensation would hit the salary step ladder this calendar year if the contract is passed, i
5-4-14 The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: ‘Today was the first day I was ever ashamed to be a teacher’Students around the country are taking high-stakes Common Core-aligned standardized tests now and some teachers are expressing unhappiness about having to administer them. Some are refusing to administer them and others are going public with their concerns about the nature of the tests and the emphasis being placed on t
5-4-14 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: Did Step Up for Students Buy Florida Voucher Expansion?At some point, the Republican-dominated Florida senate was going to be able to impose their will on expanding Florida’s voucher system. Few legislators have fought against what’s now become a clear effort by Republic
5-4-14 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: “Hans Rosling – fossil fuel distribution in two minutes”I’m adding this video to The Best Hans Rosling Videos:by Larry Ferlazzo / 59min Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Week… 5-3-14 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFLarry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFLLARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF T
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 5-4-14
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Legislating morality? Criminalizing bad behavior? :: CARSON MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MOVE TO OUTLINE BULLYINGBy Michael Finnegan, LA Times | http://lat.ms/1umicmB Carson Mayor Jim Dear said, "Many kids don't even understand the concepts behind bullying and how people manipulate and take advantage of other kids." (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles T
5-4-14 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week
With A Brooklyn Accent: The "Sit and Stare" Policies used against Test Resistors are Daily Practice in Many Charter SchoolsFor the past year, I have been working with, and trying to get legal representation for, parents whose children have been forced to "sit and stare" during standardized tests they have refused to take. This punitive policy has outraged parents and Test Refus
Open Letters To ‘B-List’ Reformers I Know. Part 3: Michael Petrilli | Gary Rubinstein's Blog
Open Letters To ‘B-List’ Reformers I Know. Part 3: Michael Petrilli | Gary Rubinstein's Blog: Open Letters To ‘B-List’ Reformers I Know. Part 3: Michael PetrilliPosted on May 3, 2014by garyrubinsteinWith social media, I suppose I can say that I ‘know’ someone if we’ve sent tweets to each other over the years. This is the case with Michael Petrilli. He is executive vice president of The Fordham I
Morning Wink 5-4-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS5-4-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Sunday reads.This week teachers at Brooklyn’s International High School at Prospect Heights said no to pointless and testing. Veteran New York teacher and un
5-4-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Sunday reads.This week teachers at Brooklyn’s International High School at Prospect Heights said no to pointless and testing. Veteran New York teacher and union Chapter leader Arthur Goldstein explains why he is against the contract to Diane Ravitch who wrote that it was a good deal. The Sunday New Yo
5-4-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: Celebrities, Thank You, But…Celebrities, Thank You, But…. via Celebrities, Thank You, But….by plthomasedd / 6min All Week 5-3-14 @ THE CHALK FACE@ THE CHALK FACE : All Week @ THE CHALK FACE Incompetent Pearson “Wins” PARCC Contract. Big Surprise.In his six-minute videoed speech on the necessity of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), billionaire Bill Gates patiently explains
5-4-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD
the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): Celebrities, Thank You, But…My formative years, thanks to my mother, included George Carlin, The Firesign Theater, and Richard Pryor. I am convinced a powerful line from Carlin to Kurt Vonnegut remains the most important foundation of who I am outside of the people direc
Remarks by the President at White House Correspondents' Dinner | The White House
Remarks by the President at White House Correspondents' Dinner | The White House: Remarks by the President at White House Correspondents' Dinner10:21 P.M. EDTTHE PRESIDENT: Thank you so much, everybody. Have a seat, have a seat. Before I get started, can we get the new presidential setup out here? (Aides bring out two ferns.)It was worked before. (Laughter and applause.) That’s more like it.I
STOP COMMON CORE, FOR THE CHILDREN | Gene McVay On Guard
STOP COMMON CORE, FOR THE CHILDREN | Gene McVay On Guard: STOP COMMON CORE, FOR THE CHILDRENCommon Core or ObamaEd descended on America like a sandstorm from Hell. With Federal Dollars as bait, State Legislators jumped on the Band Wagon in droves. They passed the Bill and then found out what’s in the Bill. Not all states drank the ObamaEd Kool-Aid, Texas for example. Former U.S. assistant secretar
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-4-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Why the Anti-Teacher Book Is Not Selling, ExplainedAt first I thought that Paul Peterson’s new book about how teachers are blocking school reform was selling poorly, despite a vigorous public relations campaign, because people actually like teachers. Now, I am not so sure. Look at the recommended reading levels and grade levels for
Stephen Krashen Blog 5-4-14
SKrashen: "Pressing needs" in American EducationS. KrashenDiane Ravitch recently observed that there has been a big hurry to implement the Common Core. In 2009, she urged the authors of the Common Core to field test it before implementation, advice they did not follow. Again in 2010, at the White House, she urged field testing, but officials "quickly dismissed the idea. They were in
Are We Dumb Enough to Passively Accept Common Core? | Missouri Education Watchdog
Are We Dumb Enough to Passively Accept Common Core? | Missouri Education Watchdog: Are We Dumb Enough to Passively Accept Common Core?inShareTwitter users commented on this George Carlin graphic and how it addresses the Common Core intent:Hence the enormous emphasis on the narrow learning captured by PISA, NAPLAN etc. Educators should NEVER forget this.*Obama’s definition of College & Career R
5-4-14 empathyeducates – Can Big Data Transform Social Justice?
empathyeducates – Can Big Data Transform Social Justice?: Can Big Data Transform Social Justice?Tracking police stops and use of force will allow researchers to analyze police behavior across the country, says Phillip Goff | Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty ImagesBy Phillip Atiba Goff | Originally Published at Cable News Network [CNN]. Updated May 2, 2014 1:08 PM EDTEditor’s note: Phillip Atiba Goff i
5-3-14 Wait What?
Wait What?: One more gimmick laden State Budget before the 2014 election for governorWhen Dan Malloy was running for governor in 2010 he wrote, We have to be committed to getting our fiscal house in order…the current budgeting is a perfect example of irresponsible budgeting…Why? Because this administration, once again, took the easy way out…the current budget was balanced on phantom cuts and one-
5-4-14 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: "Pressing needs" in American educationS. Krashen Diane Ravitch recently observed that there has been a big hurry to implement the Common Core. In 2009, she urged the authors of the Common Core to field test it before implementation, advice they did not follow. Again in 2010, at the White House, she urged field testing, but officials "quickly dismissed the idea. They
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": New Not-Very-Useful Survey Finds That Teachers Want More Parent InvolvementEducation Week reports on a new survey that finds most teachers want more involvement from the parents of their students (see Survey: Most Teachers Want Involved Parents But Don’t Have Them). Unfortunately, it didn’t really define what “parent involv
Marie Corfield: Happy Teacher Appreciation Week: Tales from the front lines
Marie Corfield: Happy Teacher Appreciation Week: Tales from the front lines: Happy Teacher Appreciation Week: Tales from the front linesTuesday is National Teacher Appreciation Day, and all across the country PTOs and PTAs will be honoring us for the work we do. I am continually grateful for and humbled by all the PTO does at my school this week because they already do so much for us throughout th
US teachers nowhere as diverse as their students - SFGate
US teachers nowhere as diverse as their students - SFGate: US teachers nowhere as diverse as their studentsBy JESSE J. HOLLAND, Associated PressUpdated 6:05 am, Sunday, May 4, 20141 of 2Lyle Alderson, left, a former teacher, with his wife Jan Alderson, a high school science teacher, both of Overland Park, Kansas, and Kevin Gilbert, 42, of Ridgeland, Miss., right, a member-at-large on the National
NYC Educator: Top 10 Reasons Common Core Isn't Good for Bill Gates', John King's, Andrew Cuomo's, or Barack Obama's Kids
NYC Educator: Top 10 Reasons Common Core Isn't Good for Bill Gates', John King's, Andrew Cuomo's, or Barack Obama's Kids: Top 10 Reasons Common Core Isn't Good for Bill Gates', John King's, Andrew Cuomo's, or Barack Obama's KidsHave you ever seen a guinea pig with a silver spoon in its mouth?Have you ever wondered why educational reform is supposedly good for most people's children, but not for mo
YESTERDAY
A Letter to Educators Who Embrace the #commoncore | National Education Policy Center
A Letter to Educators Who Embrace the #commoncore | National Education Policy Center: A Letter to Educators Who Embrace the #commoncore Peggy RobertsonJune 21, 2013Schools Matter @ the Chalk Face Blog Curriculum and Teaching Equity and Social Justice Philosophy of Education Standards-Based ReformDear Educator Friends,While the common core may not be an issue for you, or your school, do know
Call on the Koch Brothers to Have a Public Debate on Climate Change — Petitions — NextGen Climate
Call on the Koch Brothers to Have a Public Debate on Climate Change — Petitions — NextGen Climate: CALL ON THE KOCH BROTHERS TO HAVE A PUBLIC DEBATE ON CLIMATE CHANGEThe Koch Brothers have always been shrouded in secrecy, their labyrinth of shadowy organizations have spent hundreds of millions of dollars benefiting candidates who deny basic science and push legislation that enables climate change.
Nite Cap 5-3-14 #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 CAPThe Amazon.com Ranking of My Book: Thank you! | deutsch29The Amazon.com Ranking of My Book: Thank you! | deutsch29: The Amazon.com Ranking of My Book: Thank you!May 3, 2014I want to thank all who have purchased my newly-released book, A Chronicle
