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
Battle For Texas: #SaveBillPowers Has Strong Record on Race & Gender | Cloaking Inequity
Battle For Texas: #SaveBillPowers Has Strong Record on Race & Gender | Cloaking Inequity: Battle For Texas: #SaveBillPowers Has Strong Record on Race & GenderYesterday I blogged “July 4 Coup”: Governor Perry and Lackey Cigarroa Trying to Fire Powers. The debate is much larger than UT-Austin. Inside Higher Education quoted Hunter Rawlings III, president of the AAU.I thought the State of Tex
An Urban Teacher's Education: On Schools, Health, and Success
An Urban Teacher's Education: On Schools, Health, and Success: On Schools, Health, and SuccessIn the Western world, success is often thought of in terms of working hard to become upwardly , making a name for yourself, and, perhaps, accomplishing something of lasting importance.Our notions of success, and the pressures they exert on our egos and superegos, have had varied effects on millions ofType
ACT for Kindergarteners: Redefining Childhood and Monetizing Children | Reclaim Reform
ACT for Kindergarteners: Redefining Childhood and Monetizing Children | Reclaim Reform: ACT for Kindergarteners: Redefining Childhood and Monetizing ChildrenPosted on July 7, 2014by Ken PrevitiACT for kindergarteners is a form of corporate education reform greed that is so bad as to defy explanation. Let’s accept that as a challenge. Let’s attempt to explain this most recent abusive targeting of o
7-7-14 Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All Week
Jersey Jazzman: Earth to @starledger: There Are No Miracle Charter SchoolsWhat do you do with someone who, when presented with the truth time and time again, refuses to see it? What so you do when a person of influence -- for example, the Star-Ledger's Editorial Page Editor, Tom Moran -- repeatedly, stubbornly, infuriatingly continues to perpetuate myths that are demonstrably untrue?Newark, for al
At National Charter Conference, the Numbers Add Up | EduShyster
At National Charter Conference, the Numbers Add Up | EduShyster: At National Charter Conference, the Numbers Add UpExcept for the ones that don’t…*The numbers add up.* That was the theme of this year’sNational Alliance for Public Charter Schools conference in Las Vegas, an event that drew me like a moth to a high-performing flame. The numbers that are adding up, of course, refer to the growing num
Nation's Largest Teachers' Union Calls On Arne Duncan To Resign
Nation's Largest Teachers' Union Calls On Arne Duncan To Resign: Nation's Largest Teachers' Union Calls On Arne Duncan To Resign WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's largest teachers' union wants Education Secretary Arne Duncan to quit.Delegates of the National Education Association adopted a business item July 4 at its annual convention in Denver that called for his resignation. The vote underscores th
Remarks by the President before Lunch with Teachers | The White House
Remarks by the President before Lunch with Teachers | The White House: Remarks by the President before Lunch with TeachersBlue Room12:10 P.M. EDTTHE PRESIDENT: Well, good afternoon, everybody. I am here with some outstanding teachers as well as Secretary Arne Duncan. And the reason we’re here is with the school year now over, it is a great time for us to focus on what we need to do to make sure
The Take-over of Testing
The Take-over of TestingThe Take-over of Testing focuses on the history of standardized testing as well as documenting the use of these tests to close public schools in Chicago. This documentary also focuses on how children are affected by these tests and closings. Public education reform is the issue of our time. How we fairly educate all of our children has yet to be addressed.
7-7-14 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): Morning Read: Big questions linger in shadow of VergaraFor Vergara ruling on teachers, big questions loom Among the lingering questions: Will the ruling, at a slim 16 pages, hold up on appeal? Will California’s notoriously polarized legislature, fearful of additional litigation and bad press, consider cha
ISTE14 Impressions | My Island View
ISTE14 Impressions | My Island View: ISTE14 ImpressionsJuly 7, 2014 by Tom Whitby @tomwhitbyThis year ISTE put on what appeared to me to be the biggest education extravaganza to date. The number of participants was said to be somewhere between 20 and 22 thousand educators. I never verified that number but based on the food lines it seemed likely to be true.Of course there was apparently a huge num
Geaux Teacher!: New Leadership for NEA
Geaux Teacher!: New Leadership for NEA: NEA Election Results Are In: Garcia Wins PresidencyBy Liana Heitin on July 4, 2014 6:53 PMBy guest blogger Liana HeitinDenverWith 94 percent of the vote going her way, Lily Eskelsen Garcia was elected president of the National Education Association today at the Representative Assembly. Garcia will replace Dennis Van Roekel, who has served as president since
Bill Gates needs to drop his Common Core obsession - Salon.com
Bill Gates needs to drop his Common Core obsession - Salon.com: Bill Gates needs to drop his Common Core obsessionThe billionaire's latest little fixation is catching hell on all sides. Here's why he's better off simply moving onBill Gates (Credit: AP/John Minchillo)It’s hard to envision Bill Gates not getting exactly what he wants, or backing down from anything. However, that was before he became
7-7-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: About the radio showJoin Drs. Shaun Johnson and Tim Slekar LIVE Sundays at 6PM EST and Wednesdays at 7PM EST on Blog Talk Radio for progressive, pro-public education talk radio. Call in to speak live with Tim and Shaun during the show, (805) 727-7111. You can also listen to our Monday "Sunday-Replay" at 7PM EST, and re-broadcasts of the archives every Tuesday and Thursd
Replace Arne Duncan with Secretary of Education Bill Gates | John Thompson
Replace Arne Duncan with Secretary of Education Bill Gates | John Thompson: Replace Arne Duncan with Secretary of Education Bill GatesThe National Education Association annual conference approved a national campaign for equity and against "Toxic Testing." It seeks to end the "test, blame and punish" system that began under President Bush and which has grown worse under the Obam
Morning Wink 7-7-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTSLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-7-14 Diane Ravitch's blog #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: The Same Old Miracle School in Chicago, with a High Attrition RateA few years ago,I wrote an article in The New YorkTimes about “miracle schools” that weren’t. I called out Mayor Bloomberg, as well as Arne Duncan
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-7-14 Diane Ravitch's blog #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: The Same Old Miracle School in Chicago, with a High Attrition RateA few years ago,I wrote an article in The New YorkTimes about “miracle schools” that weren’t. I called out Mayor Bloomberg, as well as Arne Duncan and President Obama for making grandiose claims about schools that allegedly graduated 100% of their students or saw dra
7-7-14 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: SI Supt to Kathleen Grimm: Sam (Pirozzolo) is a Fool.... and this was before Pirozzolo hooked up with Moaning Mona Davids in their rediculous copycat Vergara tenure law suit.A Jan. 2013 email between District 31 (Staten Island) Supt. and Deputy Chancellor Kathleen Grimm, over Francesco Portelos' appearance at a Dist. 31 CEC meeting shows just how high up concerns over his actions
7-7-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy
Wait What?: Wait What? All WeekIs Malloy politicizing the Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities?Last week, with no public announcement or press release, Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy quietly appointed a long-time Hamden politician as the new Executive Director of the Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities. Malloy’s announcement is sending shock wav
The Answer Sheet 7-7-14
Answer Sheet: How college remediation rates are distorted — and whyAre a large percentage of high school graduates so unprepared for college when they get there that they have to take remedial courses to catch up? School reformers like to say so, and throw out big percentages of students who are said to need remediation. But where do these figures come from, and are they […]83 by Valerie Strauss /
7-7-14 Schools Matter All Week
Schools Matter: Kindergarten Achievement Tests Before KindergartenRiverdale and Horace Mann are now using a new test to make sure that only kids who can afford IPads and tutoring get in. Could you pass the test? Which flag completes the pattern?2 by Jim Horn / 1h 7-6-14 Schools Matter All WeekSchools Matter: Ravitch Waves Goodbye to Common Core "Testing" and Throws Kisses to Dennis and R
7-7-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL, & EF
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Our National Union Has A New President!Lily Eskelsen García was just elected President of the National Education Association. You can read more about her at: Eskelsen García: We Are Fearless and We Will Not Be Silent at NEA Today. Doug Robinson: Former lunch lady Lily Garcia goes to Washington to run for the NEA from Desere
7-7-14 Curmudgucation Week
CURMUDGUCATION: Hitting the RoadIn a few hours my wife and I will get on a plane and head off for Seattle, where I will learn about PLCs (yay) and stay with my daughter and son-in-law. From there, it's off to LA, where we will stay with my son and future daughter-in-law. Consequently, things will be quieter than usual here. Were I a blogger of Diane Ravitch's stature and stamina, I would keep up
7-7-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Salon Covers Bill Gates' Common Core ObsessionMichael P. Mazenko on Bill Gates and the Common Core at Salon:It’s hard to envision Bill Gates not getting exactly what he wants, or backing down from anything. However, that was before he became the sugar daddy and primary backer of the Common Core State Standards, which have raised the ire of parents, students and educators in
Shanker Blog » The Importance Of Relationships In Educational Reform
Shanker Blog » The Importance Of Relationships In Educational Reform: The Importance Of Relationships In Educational ReformPosted by Kara S. Finnegan and Alan J. Daly on July 7, 2014Our guest authors today are Kara S. Finnigan, Associate Professor at the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester, and Alan J. Daly, Professor and Chair of Education Studies at the University of Califo
Musings and Mental Meanderings
Musings and Mental Meanderings: Musings and Mental MeanderingsbyteacherkenFollow 2 Comments / 2 NewA few perhaps random thoughts rattling around inside my cranium.There has been much commentary on the fact that the persistent conservative majority on SCOTUS seen in things like the recent Hobby Lobby case consists of 5 Catholic men, four of whom apparently have connections with Opus Dei. Yet th
Common Core Dissent: You Have No Right to Disagree if You Aren’t an ‘Expert’ | Missouri Education Watchdog
Common Core Dissent: You Have No Right to Disagree if You Aren’t an ‘Expert’ | Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core Dissent: You Have No Right to Disagree if You Aren’t an ‘Expert’inShareThe underlying assumption of CCSS supporters is that CCSS opponents do not possess a certain baseline of competence and cannot decide what constitutes “evidence”. (Link below) ~~from “The D
New Obama Initiative Stresses Equal Access To Good Teachers
New Obama Initiative Stresses Equal Access To Good Teachers: New Obama Initiative Stresses Equal Access To Good TeachersThe Obama administration will announce plans on Monday to enforce a long-ignored federal mandate: a decade-old requirement that states give students of all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds equal access to good teachers.The new initiative, called "Excellent Educators for
Teachers Should Just Say No to Cheap Talk & Lip Service :: Frederick M. Hess
Teachers Should Just Say No to Cheap Talk & Lip Service :: Frederick M. Hess: Teachers Should Just Say No to Cheap Talk & Lip Serviceby Frederick M. Hess • Jul 7, 2014 at 8:38 amCross-posted from Education Week Teachers get lots of lip service, misty-eyed declarations of admiration, and cloying tributes. These blanket hugs are ritually offered up to three million plus teachers, without q
NYC Educator: Summer Reading Suggestion
NYC Educator: Summer Reading Suggestion: Summer Reading SuggestionOne of my favorite bloggers, José Luis Vilson, actually sat down and wrote a book. A book! I'm pretty impressed by this. First of all, it had hundreds of pages, and each one was filled with words. That in itself was impressive to me. Even better, it kept me turning pages, which many books fail to do nowadays.More impressive was fina
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLES"Vergara was the straw that broke the camel's back.The Secretary's response to the Vergara verdict—it was just shameful. And it underscored his lack of understanding." -- CTA Pres. Dean Vogel Dennis Van Roekel, outgoing NEA president"Let's be clear—we as educators are not opposed to tests. Good God, we invented th
Students Learn by Doing, Not Testing | WagTheDog
Students Learn by Doing, Not Testing | WagTheDog:Students Learn by Doing, Not TestingEliminating weeks of meaningful instructional time (projects, research, learning activities, performances, field trips…) so that tests can be administered to measure student growth and achievement is like an overweight person cancelling membership at the gym for a month in order to get weight and blood pressure ch
Schools expanding social media use to reach parents :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet
Schools expanding social media use to reach parents :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: JULY 07, 2014Schools expanding social media use to reach parentsby Alisha Kirby(Calif.) Ninety-five percent of local and state education agencies nationwide are on Facebook and/or Twitter, according to a recent survey by the Reform Support Network.Eighty per
Bruce Dixon Profiles Paul Vallas as “Neoliberal Chainsaw Man” on Public Education | janresseger
Bruce Dixon Profiles Paul Vallas as “Neoliberal Chainsaw Man” on Public Education | janresseger: Bruce Dixon Profiles Paul Vallas as “Neoliberal Chainsaw Man” on Public EducationPosted on July 7, 2014 by janressegerBruce Dixon, the managing editor of The Black Agenda Report, has been consistently insightful about the danger of the privatization of education. His reports for The Black Commentatorw
YESTERDAY
Proposed changes to LCAP renew debate | EdSource
Proposed changes to LCAP renew debate | EdSource: The new LCAP template would tie goals and measurements of progress to actions and expenditures for each state academic priority and for all students and subgroups of high-needs students generating additional dollars.Proposed changes to LCAP renew debateJuly 6, 2014 | By John Fensterwald | No Comments SHARE THIS ARTICLEThe State Board of Education
Choosing Democracy: Breton repeats deeply flawed Vergara claims
Choosing Democracy: Breton repeats deeply flawed Vergara claims: Breton repeats deeply flawed Vergara claimsSacramento Bee opinion columnist Marco Breton published a piece on Sunday, July 6, noting that Progress ( on race relations) has been slow since the 1994 campaign of Proposition 187. The first half of the article where he recounts the history of the Prop. 187 effort is reasonably well done
7-6-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This WeekFriday, July 11BEX Oversight Committee meeting, 8:30 am-10:30 am. Unfortunately, whoever runs this group does not put up the agenda nor past minutes in a timely manner so I can't tell you what will be discussed. I've asked if that could happen and told it would but it doesn't. The last minutes are from the meeting in April and have some c
SKrashen: The Vergara decision: The big picture
SKrashen: The Vergara decision: The big picture: The Vergara decision: The big pictureSent to the San Francisco ChronicleIn response to: http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/When-kids-sued-and-won-5599200.phpThe Vergara decision is part of a movement to eliminate the teaching profession.The other fronts of this war include the accusation that our schools are failing because of bad teaching, prefe
Eskelsen García: We Are Fearless and We Will Not Be Silent | NEA Today
Eskelsen García: We Are Fearless and We Will Not Be Silent | NEA Today: Eskelsen García: We Are Fearless and We Will Not Be SilentBy Brenda ÁlvarezNEA president-elect Lily Eskelsen García, after praising those who have supported and worked in concert with her, concluded NEA’s 152nd Annual Meeting with a strong message to those “who don’t know what they’re talking about”: We will not be silent“We,”
7-6-14 Fred All Week 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 RA. Dennis Van Roekel says goodbye and so do I. But I will be back in a few days.by Fred Klonsky / 1h 7-5-14 Fred All Week 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.: Fred All Week Klons
White hoodwinks La. citizens | The News Star | thenewsstar.com
White hoodwinks La. citizens | The News Star | thenewsstar.com: White hoodwinks La. citizensWhile Gov. Bobby Jindal has not used his executive authority to reverse the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education's 2010 adoption of Common Core Standards, he has issued an executive order that effectively halts the purchase of a test that promises to be aligned with Common Core because of an alleged
Nite Cap 7-6-14 #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 CAPempathyeducates – Common Core Battle Escalatesempathyeducates – Common Core Battle Escalates: Common Core Battle EscalatesWhat happens in each state reminds us that we are all connected. Politicians vie for elected positions and education school
