CURMUDGUCATION:
Curmudgucation Week
John Thompson's Response to My Response to John Thompson's Post
I recently (oh, good lord, it was this morning-- am I still sitting here at the computer) wrote a piece in response to historian John Thompson's guest post on Living in Dialogue. That piece is here. John attempted to post a very thoughtful response in the comments section, but apparently it was so thoughtful that it broke the internet. He asked for my help in posting it, and I asked if I could in
Talking about Tenure and Trust
Rick Hess (one of my favorite bloggers that I frequently disagree with) recently reflected on his conversation with Randi Weingarten about tenure.He had several smart observations, but I think one of the most useful ones was an acknowledgement throughout that the reform battles in general and the tenure conversation in particular are hampered by distrust on both sides. In a companion post to this
What Happened To the Trust?
Rick Hess (one of my favorite bloggers that I frequently disagree with) recently reflected on his conversation with Randi Weingarten about tenure.He had several smart observations, but I think one of the most useful ones was an acknowledgement throughout that the reform battles in general and the tenure conversation in particular are hampered by distrust on both sides. In a companion post to this
UPenn Offers Degree in Soulless Profiteering
The University of Pennsylvania has decided that the only thing the world needs more than educational profiteers looking to make a buck in the ed biz is educational profiteers with a Masters degree.At EdTech Times, Michelle Harven reports, "Education and entrepreneurship is the modern match, and the evidence of a new thriving industry is pilling up." I think she meant "piling,"
Is It Time for a Truce
As guest blogger over at Anthony Cody's Living in Dialogue, John Thompson asks the question, "Is it time for a truce." He's responding specifically to the Gates Foundation call for a two-year testing moratorium. Now that they've put down that particular club, do we point down our pointy sticks and try to have a chat?It is odd to watch the moratorium idea play out. Since it's a recommenda
YESTERDAY
Don't Worry About the Rich
There will always be great schools in this country. On that point, you need not worry. There will always be great schools, just as there will always be excellent health care and great libraries. These things will always exist.Well, at least, they will always exist for the rich.The rich will always have access to the finest version of these things, these items that we all believe are an important p
How Charters Fake Success
Jersey Jazzman is one of the premiere edubloggers out there, and I rarely mention him here because I generally don't have anything to add except, "Yeah. What he said. Read that." But his post from yesterday about a subtle way in which charters can cook the books is extra worth taking another look-- and I think I can add some value for the stats-impaired readers.I'll start by echoing his
JUN 19
TNTP Evaluates NCTQ
It's a rare day when one titan reformsylvania decides to critique another's work, but that's what we have over at the TNTP blog, where Karolyn Belcher suggests that the NCTQ evaluation of teacher programs could use some tweaks. Mind you, they think that NCTQ is doing God's work, and doing it well. Their ratings will stir up controversy and "it's the right conversation to have on a critical is
Lessons from EdCamp
Tom Murray, from the Alliance for Excellence in Education in DC, shared a "What I Learned at EdCamp" post over at the USDOE blog, and it's a striking study in how disconnected the work of the USDOE is from its words.Murray lists five takeaways from the DOE's convocation of teachers from all over the place.Relationships and Culture Matter at All LevelsPersonally, how will I foster relatio
Another CCSS Writer Awakens
Psychology Today ran a great interview in January, talking to Dr. Louisa Moats, a psychologist, teacher, and researcher who was a contributing writer for the Common Core Standards, that is now making the rounds. The interview is worth reading in its entirety, but let me entice you with some highlights. And let me start by noting that David Coleman recruited Dr. Moats to work on the project, so thi
JUN 18
CT's Choice of Evils
Connecticut teacher-voters are facing the Choice Between Evils for the gubernatorial race, and the AFT isn't making things any easier.ICYMI, Connecticut voters face a choice between current Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy and GOP challenger Tom Foley. This problematic because Malloy is co-president with NY Governor Andrew Cuomo of the So What If I'm a Democrat; Public Schools and Their Stupid Te
Inauthentic Reading Assessment
Does it seem as if test writers come up with the most obscure, boring, reading-resistant passages possible for standardized test? It's not just you. It's a deliberate choice, and not necessarily an ill-intended one, but the result is a completely unreal inauthentic reading experience that real humans don't have anywhere except on standardized tests.One goal in test design is to steer the ship of a
JUN 17
NCTQ Coverage- How's It Look So Far?
The release of this year's NCTQ teacher prep school ratings is another opportunity for news organizations to practice press release journalism. The good news is that as of noon-time on June 17, most outfits aren't even bothering to do that.Foxnews.com is headlining a list of twelve terrible teachers who are being protected by tenure. A search on USAToday.com for "nctq" produces only a pr
TNTP & The Unreal Lessons of Vergara
TNTP is the less famous faux-reform sibling of StudentsFirst, but like that other batch of corporate reformsters, they can be counted on to articulate their agenda in a more-transparent-than-they-probably-meant-to-be manner. Last week they brought their reformy skills to "The Real Lessons of Vergara," in which Tim Daly and Dan Weisberg reveal some of the huge holes in the reformster agen
JUN 16
Yes, Virginia, There Are Bad Teachers
"So I guess you just deny that there are any bad teachers at all."This is a popular retort to various forms of "Your system for evaluating teachers is a lousy system." It is a dumb retort. It is dumb in the same way the following exchanges are dumb.Chris: I am going to cure your mother's cancer by poking her in the eye with a pointy stick.Pat: I do not want you to poke my mothe
Why Conservatives Should Not Love the Vergara Decision
Over at the National Review, Rick Hess catches what conservatives should have noticed before they started applauding the Vergara decision.While I am clearly someone who isn't a fan of that decision, I was surprised that some conservatives were not also at the very least nervous about it, given that it involved 1) Serious judicial activism in the service of 2) Extending government c
Did NYC Tenure Changes Chase Away Weaker Teachers?
At EdWeek, Stephen Sawchuk reports on research which suggests that NYC tenure changes chased away weaker teachers. I suspect that the research is further proof that, when it comes to teacher quality, we have no idea what the hell we're talking about.The working paper, written by Susanna Loeb of Stanford with Luke C. Miller and James Wyckoff of the University Virginia, looks at what happened in New
JUN 15
Tenure- Private vs. Public
Nobody else has tenure. Why should teachers get it?So what if you could be fired for any reason? That's how employment works for every one else. Most people are "at will employees."You've heard these arguments (and if you haven't, gird your loins and go strolling through the trolling in the comments section of any article about Vergara and/or tenure). And I believe it's a sincere, honest
An Action Everyone Can Take
It can seem huge and hopeless, the large scale of the current battle for the soul of public education in this country. But there is a useful, positive, strengthening, helpful action that every single one of us can take.Write a letter.Because here's two things I know about teachers.Thing one. We work mostly in isolation, with our main human contact the small persons we work with every day. Get busy
JUN 14
How To Get Great Teachers
One of the relentless reformster refrains these days is that we must put a great teacher in front of every student. We must get the best and brightest into our classrooms, and we must keep them. We talk as if there are millions of awesometastic young teachers fighting to get into classrooms (which are currently occupied by hoary old wildebeasts of teaching), when in fact almost fifty percent of ne
Van Roekel Gets Feisty-ish
It has been a noisy week for NEA president Dennis van Roekel. In the face of a great deal of anti-teacher rhetoric (some if it coming from a sitting judge in a major court case), DVR has decided that it's time to finally speak up on behalf of teachers.First, he opened up in HuffPo, declaring that our accountability system is flunking. He wrote, in part:The idea that everything will be better if we
