Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

6-24-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:






How Many Teachers Voted For Obama In 2012?
I didn't - not after Race to the Top and Arne Duncan and the Rhode Island teacher firings that Obama applauded.But I bet lots of teachers out there still voted for Obama because they were scared that Mitt Romney might get elected.Well, here's what Obama and his people are doing now, teachers:Teachers unions are girding for a tough fight to defend tenure laws against a coming blitz of lawsuits — an

How Many Christie Scandals?
Lots - as noted by a commenter at the NY Times:So we can tack this investigation onto the original GWB lane closures, the Hoboken extortion accusations from Mayor Zimmer, the mis-use of Hurricane Sandy funds to for unrelated projects, and the numerous conflicts of interest by David Samson in his Port Authority role. Have I missed any? Mr. Fishman is going to have a full-time job just investigating


Just Make Every Student A Former ESL Student And You'll Magically Raise Your Test Scores!
In case you missed this story in the NY Post:Students at the troubled William Cullen Bryant High School in Queens were falsely labeled as not fluent in English — to grant them extra time to finish last week’s Regents exams, The Post has learned.More than 100 teens in one teacher’s English classes were recently marked “FELL,” for “former English language learner.” The label grants students exam “ac

Chelsea Clinton Is As Full Of Shit As Her Parents
From The Daily News:Hillary Clinton insists she isn’t “well-off” and now daughter Chelsea, according to a recent interview, claims she couldn't care less about money.“I was curious if I could care about (money) on some fundamental level, and I couldn’t,” she told Fast Company in an interview that ran in the magazine's May edition, explaining why she gave up lucrative gigs to join her family’s phil
WSJ: Campbell Brown Is Aiding Parent Group For Tenure/Seniority Lawsuit
Not a surprise:A new advocacy group is helping parents prepare a challenge to New York's teacher tenure and seniority laws, contending that they violate children's constitutional right to a sound basic education by keeping ineffective teachers in classrooms.Campbell Brown, a former CNN anchor who has been a critic of job protections for teachers, launched the group, Partnership for Educational Jus
Chris Christie Has Second Bridge Scandal On His Hands
From the NY Times:Investigations into the Christie administration and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have zeroed in on possible securities law violations stemming from a $1.8 billion road repair agreement in 2011, according to people briefed on the matter.While the inquiries were prompted by the apparently politically motivated lane closings at the George Washington Bridge last year
End Of The Year Meetings
We're having lots of end of the year meetings that make me want to stick a pencil through my eye and have to be taken to the hospital.I guess sitting at these meetings making it look like I actually give a shit about the nonsense they're talking about is good practice for the weekly PD crap that's coming at us via the new UFT contract.How about you - are you having a decent end of the year week or
6-23-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: NYCDOE Should Expand Composting Program To Include Common Core/EngageNY ModulesFrom the Times:New York City’s school composting program, kicked off just two years ago by parents on the Upper West Side, is now in 230 school buildings in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island, and is expected to more than double in size and reach all five boroughs in the fall, with an ultimate