Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Nite Cap 8-16-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT



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




Former D.C. charter board CFO promoted private companies that allegedly paid him - The Washington Post
Former D.C. charter board CFO promoted private companies that allegedly paid him - The Washington Post: Former D.C. charter board CFO promoted private companies that allegedly paid himBy Emma Brown August 16 at 6:05 PM  As the D.C. Public Charter School Board’s chief financial officer, Jeremy L. Williams was responsible for monitoring charter schools’ business practices and ensuring their complian
Rating Common Core Math Textbooks—Isn’t THIS a National Curriculum?
Rating Common Core Math Textbooks—Isn’t THIS a National Curriculum?: Rating Common Core Math Textbooks—Isn’t THIS a National Curriculum?AUGUST 16, 2014 BY NANCY BAILEY LEAVE A COMMENTA new report in Education Week discusses a “Consumer Reports-like” nonprofit group that will now evaluate math textbooks from different companies online. If you are teaching math and want to know which books are best—
Updates for La. Common Core/ PARCC Lawsuits– Including Fresh Spin from John White | deutsch29
Updates for La. Common Core/ PARCC Lawsuits– Including Fresh Spin from John White | deutsch29: Updates for La. Common Core/ PARCC Lawsuits– Including Fresh Spin from John WhiteAugust 16, 2014The State of Louisiana is currently involved in three lawsuits over the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and/or the CCSS testing consortium assessments belonging to the Partnership for Assessment of Readines
8-16-14 Saturday Matinée Double Feature "CA Sharknado and Queen Vilification Investiture" News Breakout
Saturday MatinĂ©e Special Double FeatureCA Sharknado Queen Vilification InvestitureNews BreakoutandThe RSD has failed, but from the ashes an Education Mecca has been born | Crazy Crawfish's BlogThe RSD has failed, but from the ashes an Education Mecca has been born | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: The RSD has failed, but from the ashes an Education Mecca has been bornPosted on August 16, 20140The RSD, the
The RSD has failed, but from the ashes an Education Mecca has been born | Crazy Crawfish's Blog
The RSD has failed, but from the ashes an Education Mecca has been born | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: The RSD has failed, but from the ashes an Education Mecca has been bornPosted on August 16, 20140The RSD, the New Orleans Recovery School District that was formed just prior to Katrina and used as an excuse an opportunity to wrest control of local schools and school districts from Orleans Parish and sc
Public Dollars, Private Rules: The Charter School Calculus | UConn Today
Public Dollars, Private Rules: The Charter School Calculus | UConn Today: Public Dollars, Private Rules: The Charter School CalculusAugust 14, 2014By: Tom Breen Category: Nation & WorldShare on emailShare on print|16The phenomenal growth of charter schools nationwide has been aided by a canny legal strategy in which the schools claim to be public for the purpose of taking in tax dollars but pr
State Supreme Court to decide if charter schools are constitutional | The Today File | Seattle Times
State Supreme Court to decide if charter schools are constitutional | The Today File | Seattle Times: State Supreme Court to decide if charter schools are constitutionalPosted by The Associated PressThe Washington Supreme Court announced Friday it would consider whether a voter-approved charter school law violates the state constitution.Oral arguments concerning the lawsuit brought by charter-scho
2nd Banana 8-16-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post #EDchat #EDreform
BIG EDUCATION APE 2ND BANANARECAP OF LAST WEEK'S BEST POSTFailed D.C. schools chief Michelle (Rhee) Johnson named to Scotts Miracle-Gro board - Columbus - Columbus Business FirstFormer D.C. schools chief Michelle (Rhee) Johnson named to Scotts Miracle-Gro board - Columbus - Columbus Business First: Former D.C. schools chief joins Scotts boardEnlarge PhotoAndrew Harrer/BloombergMichelle Johnson, fo
Morning Wink 8-15-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS8-16-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": “Oklahoma PTA Unanimously Calls for End to High-Stakes Testing”Oklahoma PTA Unanimously Calls for End to High-Stakes Testing is from Diane Ravitch’s blog. Here’s an excerpt: Over 340 delegates at the Ok
8-16-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": “Oklahoma PTA Unanimously Calls for End to High-Stakes Testing”Oklahoma PTA Unanimously Calls for End to High-Stakes Testing is from Diane Ravitch’s blog. Here’s an excerpt: Over 340 delegates at the Oklahoma PTA’s annual convention voted unanimously to adopt resolutions that call for a ban on policies that force the state’
NYC Educator: NYSUT Takes a Stand. Or Is it a Sit?
NYC Educator: NYSUT Takes a Stand. Or Is it a Sit?: NYSUT Takes a Stand. Or Is it a Sit?A few weeks ago, at the AFT Convention, NYSUT President Karen Magee, despite campaign promises that her leadership opposed Common Core, said the following:If not standards, then what? A free-for-all? Everyone does what they please? No common base? No common method to look at what they're doing?This is a black a
Tissue Paper Reforms: Coding for Kindergartners | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
Tissue Paper Reforms: Coding for Kindergartners | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Tissue Paper Reforms: Coding for KindergartnersSome school reforms are like rebar that have lasted for more than a century. Examples? The age-graded school and the kindergarten.Some school reforms are like industrial-strength plastic-covered packages which cover new toys, computer cables and gift
As the new school year begins. . . | Crazy Crawfish's Blog
As the new school year begins. . . | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: Crazy Crawfish's BlogZesty Louisiana Education PoliticsAs the new school year begins. . .Posted on August 14, 20144As the new school year begins I find myself more than a bit confused by what is going on in Louisiana education these days. Lately it’s felt a little like forces outside of my control are dictating the outcomes of a whole lot
Does Michael Agona Have Any Ethics? southbronxschool
http://www.southbronxschool.com: Does Michael Agona Have Any Ethics?Michael Agona is like an onion. As one peels back the layers on his nefarious dealings, there becomes more to see. We decided to touch on a link from last week's blog post about Agona.Very quickly. In 2006, teacher, Yolanda Strong, was accused of corporal punishment at her Queens school (PS 52) and received a U rating for the year
California bill curbing ‘willful defiance’ suspensions opens school discipline debate - Capitol and California - The Sacramento Bee
California bill curbing ‘willful defiance’ suspensions opens school discipline debate - Capitol and California - The Sacramento Bee: California bill curbing ‘willful defiance’ suspensions opens school discipline debateBy Jeremy B. Whitejwhite@sacbee.comPublished: Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014 - 12:00 amAssemblyman Roger Dickinson says the willful defiance provision varies wildly in its application and f
8-16-14 Living in Dialogue
Home | Living in Dialogue:Ranking and Sorting: The Sordid History of Standards and TestsBy Anthony Cody When critics such as myself point out the very bad effects the Common Core tests are having, as they label more than two thirds of our children unready for college and career, we are accused of “conflating tests with standards.” UFT president Michael Mulgrew was making this argument on the AFT c
Stephen Krashen Blog 8-16-14
SKrashen:Pre-K = childhood's end?
Comment posted following “As the first day of school approaches, the city trains thousands of universal pre-K teachers,” on ChalkbeatPosted on August 12.I wonder how many of those interested in teaching Pre-K in New York have read the "New York State Prekindergarten Foundation for the Common Core." The document is 62 pages long, filled with an astonishin
8-16-14 Hemlock on the Rocks
Hemlock on the Rocks: Georgia teacher fired after students post her naked selfies online  - NY Daily News@media print { .original-url { display: none; } } h1.title { font: -apple-system-headline; font-weight: normal; text-align: start; -webkit-hyphens: manual; } blockquote { color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); margin-left: 20px;by Rene Diedrich / 4h California Teacher Credential Corruption Ignored@media pr
8-16-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida
Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in FloridaScathing Purple MusingsColor me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in EducationCharter Schools’ USA Hillsborough Facililities Will Not Be Shuttered This Year…ButFrom Marlene Sokol in the Tampa Bay Times: TAMPA — Responding to concerned parents who learned last week that the Hillsborough County school d
8-16-14 Wag The Dog Week
WagTheDog | Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart. ~ Rumi: Wag The Dog WeekHe Who Controls The Language…‘I don’t know what you mean by “glory,”‘ Alice said. Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. ‘Of course you don’t—till I tell you. I meant “there’s a nice knock-down argument for you!”‘ ‘But “glory” doesn’t mean “a nice knock-down
8-16-14 With A Brooklyn Accent: Love Letters to the BATS
With A Brooklyn Accent:Imagination- A Poem for Michael BrownI can only imaginewhat its like to bewatchedfearedseen as a threatwhen i walkwhen i drivewhen i go to schoolNever knowingwhen i will bestoppedsearchedthrown on the groundor when words thatI sayand gestures that Imakecan lead to mydeathby Mark Naison / 2d Us VS Them- A Guest Post on the Larger Implications of Ferguson by Dr Lori MartinThe
8-16-14 Jersey Jazzman NJ Ed News Round-up Jammin' All Week
Jersey Jazzman:Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All WeekBook Review: This Is Not a Test, by JosĂ© Luis VilsonLet me start with the easiest part of this review:Buy and read JosĂ© Luis Vilson's This Is Not a Test.@TheJLV is one of the better known teacher-bloggers around, and a prodigious tweeter. He asks hard questions and gives little quarter when it comes to issues of race and education (although I've notice
8-16-14 Curmudgucation Week
CURMUDGUCATION:Curmudgucation WeekTeachers in ThunderdomeOne of the dreams of reformsters is a school system in which teacher employment is shaped by neither tenure nor seniority. When the time comes for cutting staff, administrators will just grab their Big Spreadsheet of Teacher Effectiveness Data, look down at the bottom of list, point at the name next to the lowest rating number and declare, &
8-16-14 THE WHOLE WEEK @ The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education
The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education:THE WHOLE WEEK @ The Whole Child Blog ASCD’s New ED on EdJudy Seltz, ASCD's new executive director, outlines her plans for the association and her vision for education in a wide-ranging interview with Education Week blogger Peter Dewitt. In the process, Seltz details some of the association's policy priorities and recent successes. Read on for highlight
8-16-14 This Week in 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):Galatzan calling for probe into computer system snafusGalatzan calling for probe into computer system snafus Concerned by a slew of problems with the district’s new student management computer system, board member Tamar Galatzan said today she is planning to ask the district’s Inspector General to conduct
All Week @ The Answer Sheet 8-16-14
The Answer Sheet:All Week @ The Answer SheetCampbell Brown put on notice by teachers unionI recently wrote a post about how Campbell Brown’s new advocacy group, the Partnership for Educational Justice, had used on its Web site the exact wording of the slogan of the current branding campaign of the American Federation of Teachers, the nation’s second-largest teachers union. It turns out that the AF
8-16-14 Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Schooling in the Ownership Society All Week
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog:Schooling in the Ownership SocietyMike Klonsky's SmallTalk Schooling in the Ownership SocietyMilitarization vs. the Network SocietyI was deeply moved yesterday evening, to be standing with more than a thousand fellow Chicagoans, hands raised in a gesture of solidarity with the family of Michael Brown and the courageous people of Ferguson, MO. Similar demonstrations ar
8-16-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy
Wait What?:  Wait What? All Week Pelto/Murphy 2014 Giving voters more choices…should be as American as the Fourth of July – Ralph NaderFirst there was the “social justice” lobbyist who wrote a piece in the Hartford Courant instructing people not to sign a Pelto/Murphy 2014 ballot petition because it might hurt Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy’s re-election chances. More recently, a Journal Inquirer ed
8-16-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week
Seattle Schools Community Forum:Seattle Schools Community ForumFrom Two Sides: Ed Reform versus the Most Famous Teacher in the U.S.That teacher would be 5th grade teacher Rafe Esquith from Hobart Elementary School in Los Angeles.  He has taught for nearly 30 years and written several books.   But I'll let Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post's Answer Sheet tell you more:*When he goes to China he
8-16-14 Ed Notes Online Week
Ed Notes Online: Ed Notes OnlineParents and Educators Reject the Tests, the Scores and Corporate Agenda of NYSED & PearsonFred Smith, a test specialist formerly with the NYC Department of Education (DOE) stated, “The State Education Department took a half-step by releasing 50 percent of the English and math questions from the April 2014 exams. It was a half-step not just because it falls halfw
8-16-14 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.: Fred All Week Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacherCPS bans parent Rousemary Vega.6 by Fred Klonsky / 15h Movement in Hinsdale D86- From HHSTA District 86 Negotiations Moving Forward. Teachers association and board of education work toward an agreement HINSDALE, IL. — August 15, 2
8-16-14 Perdido Street School Week
Perdido Street School: Perdido Street School WeekWhy Did NYSUT Endorse The Pro-Charter, Pro-Voucher Jeff Klein? From State of Politics:Independent Democratic Conference Leader Jeff Klein on Friday touted his endorsement from the New York State United Teachers union. “I’m honored to have the endorsement of NYSUT, whose membership works hard each and every day on everything from shaping young minds
8-16-14 the becoming radical EMPATHYEDUCATES! | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD
THE BECOMING RADICALEMPATHYEDUCATES!the becoming radical  A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by Ten Things White People Can Do About Ferguson Besides TweetTen Things White People Can Do About Ferguson Besides Tweet By Kate Harding | Originally Published at Dame Magazine. August 14, 2014 They’re happening all around the country tonight, including at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, around 7 p.m. East
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 8-16-14
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT  Judge Tells California To Teach All English LearnersBy BRIAN MELLEY, Associated Press |  San Jose Mercury News http://bit.ly/Vl1OW6 Posted:   08/13/2014 08:51:01 AM   LOS ANGELES -- California was ordered to educate all children who don't speak English after reports revealed a quarter of its school districts f
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Week… 8-16-14 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL LARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE WEEKVideo: “1 World Trade Center Time Lapse”I’m adding this video to The Best Sites To Help Teach About 9/11: 1 World Trade Center Time Lapse – Return of the Lower Manhattan Skyline from Benjamin Rosamond Photography on Vimeo.by Larry Ferlazzo / 5h Friday Night Tweets About #Ferguson #Michael
This Week's Education Research Report 8-16-14 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Education Research ReportTHIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORTAssessing the Impact of Classroom Composition on Student AchievementThis study evaluates the effects of classroom peers on standardized testing achievement for all third- and fourth-grade students in the Philadelphia School District over 6 school years. With a comprehensive individual- and multilevel data set of all students matched to
8-16-14 Schools Matter All Week
Schools Matter:  Schools Matter All WeekNewsday Declares Down, Up, as Common Core CurdlesLast year's god-awful results on Common Core tests in New York set off a statewide resistance movement among advantaged and the disadvantaged parents to dump the Gates and Pearson CorpEd plan into the Long Island Sound. This second year, when most new testing regimes usually see big gains, state language arts
All Week 8-16-14 @ THE CHALK FACE
@ THE CHALK FACE : All Week @ 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 archiv
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 8-16-14 #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2
Diane Ravitch's blogLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONGDIANE RAVITCH'S BLOGPaul Thomas: Time for Phase 3 in the Resistance to the Corporate TakeoverPaul Thomas says that events are moving swiftly, and we must move with them. When the corporate reform movement started, educators were taken by surprise and treated by children. When did it start? Was it the accountability movement that began after

YESTERDAY

AFT's Weingarten on Philadelphia School Budget Crisis
AFT's Weingarten on Philadelphia School Budget CrisisWASHINGTON— Statement of American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on the budget crisis in Philadelphia's public schools, following today's announcement by Superintendent William Hite."Which Philadelphia is this—the thriving metropolis Mayor Michael Nutter just showed the Democratic National Committee or the one where the s
HEADLINE: Medicare Advantage Plans Exaggerate Members’ Diseases to Make More Money | Reclaim Reform
HEADLINE: Medicare Advantage Plans Exaggerate Members’ Diseases to Make More Money | Reclaim Reform: HEADLINE: Medicare Advantage Plans Exaggerate Members’ Diseases to Make More MoneyPosted on August 15, 2014by Ken PrevitiTeachers and other retired public employees, you are being defrauded of your money and earned compensation. How do Medicare Advantage Plans code for additional cash for themselve
8-15-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: From Two Sides: Ed Reform versus the Most Famous Teacher in the U.S.That teacher would be 5th grade teacher Rafe Esquith from Hobart Elementary School in Los Angeles.  He has taught for nearly 30 years and written several books.   But I'll let Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post's Answer Sheet tell you more:*When he goes to China he is so popular he needs securi
Quick ways to model “Digital Leadership” #leadershipday14 | Connected Principals
Quick ways to model “Digital Leadership” #leadershipday14 | Connected Principals: Quick ways to model “Digital Leadership” #leadershipday14by Amber Teamann • August 15, 2014 • 0 CommentsThis post is my contribution to Leadership Day 2014 and is cross posted at Technically yours, Teamann. This year I am choosing to take part in Scott McLeod’s Leadership Day 2014. He challenged us all to write about
Nite Cap 8-15-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT
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 – What White People Can Do About the Killing of Black Men in Americaempathyeducates – What White People Can Do About the Killing of Black Men in America: What White People Can Do About the Killing of Black Men in AmericaBy Paul Br