Latest News and Comment from Education

Show All

Monday, September 29, 2014

Nite Cap 9-29-14 #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




A Prof Debunks Standardized Testing & Pearson Strikes Back
A Prof Debunks Standardized Testing & Pearson Strikes Back: A Prof Debunks Standardized Testing & Pearson Strikes BackDon't Tread on My PROFITS! Rebellions sometimes begin slowly, and Walter Stroup had to wait almost seven hours to start his. The setting was a legislative hearing at the Texas Capitol in the summer of 2012 at which the growing opposition to high-stakes standardized testing
8 by mike simpson / 12min 
Gene V Glass: Education in Two Worlds: How Charter School Owners Feather Their Nets & Other Conflicts of Interest
Gene V Glass: Education in Two Worlds: How Charter School Owners Feather Their Nets & Other Conflicts of Interest: How Charter School Owners Feather Their Nets & Other Conflicts of InterestMany people in one of my home states — Arizona — seem to have no concept of a conflict of interest.When charter schools were authorized in Arizona in the mid-1990s, it wasn’t long before a young woman “r
by mike simpson / 24min 
Computer Essay Grading v. Student Journals
Computer Essay Grading v. Student Journals: Computer Essay Grading v. Student JournalsSEPTEMBER 29, 2014 BY NANCY BAILEY LEAVE A COMMENTThe beauty of being an English or language arts teacher is helping students develop the skill of writing. Next to learning how to read, learning how to express your ideas through writing is a valuable form of communication. And in today’s world, being able to comm
by mike simpson / 34min 
What I Saw, Who I Met and What You Should Know About My Back to School Tour - Lily's Blackboard
What I Saw, Who I Met and What You Should Know About My Back to School Tour - Lily's Blackboard: What I Saw, Who I Met and What You Should Know About My Back to School TourSeptember 29, 2014 by LilyCategories: GeneralTags: back to school, parents, Testing, tourI am on a plane, heading home for the first weekend I’ve had off in six weeks. I’m not tired. Maybe it’s the six cups of coffee I had this
3 by mike simpson / 1h 
9-29-14 Hemlock on the Rocks
Hemlock on the Rocks: Big Education Ape: LAUSD spends like Billionaires while being a Tyrant about Teacher’s Salaries - Lydia Gutierrezhttp://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2014/09/lausd-spends-like-billionaires-while.html LAUSD spends like Billionaires while being a Tyrant about Teacher's Salaries - Lydia Gutierrez Lydia Gutierrez: LAUSD spends like Billionaires while being a Tyrant about Teacher's
1 by mike simpson / 1h 
9-29-14 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: EIA: Providence Teachers Union Prefers Convicted Felon to Charter School DirectorMy question to Mike Antonucci is: What exactly is the difference? Providence Teachers Union Prefers Convicted Felon to Charter School DirectorThe executive board of the Providence Teachers Union “overwhelmingly” endorsed Vincent “Buddy” Cianci Jr. for mayor. “Mr. Cianci had a little bit more experienc
1 by mike simpson / 1h 
Blue Jersey:: Camden parents protest "Urban Hope Act" outside Assembly Session
Blue Jersey:: Camden parents protest "Urban Hope Act" outside Assembly Session: Camden parents protest "Urban Hope Act" outside Assembly Sessionby: Rosi EfthimMon Sep 29, 2014 at 03:15:19 PM EDTA group of Camden parents is walking the halls of the New Jersey legislature today in advance of the Assembly's vote in this afternoon's session on the "Urban Hope Act".I'm tol
1 by mike simpson / 2h 
9-29-14 Curmudgucation - Data Dopiness Survives in Indiana
CURMUDGUCATION: Data Dopiness Survives in IndianaYou may recall that back in the day, one of the items on our List of Terrible Things About Reformy Stuff was data mining. Featured in RttT and RttT Lite Waivers, the mandate to hoover up giant mounds of data was one of the great hated evils of reformsterdom, loathed by conservatives and liberals alike.The Leonie Haimson led a fight against InBloom i
1 by mike simpson / 3h 
Choosing Democracy: California Enacts First-in-the-Nation Law to Eliminate Student Suspensions for Minor Misbehavior
Choosing Democracy: California Enacts First-in-the-Nation Law to Eliminate Student Suspensions for Minor Misbehavior: California Enacts First-in-the-Nation Law to Eliminate Student Suspensions for Minor Misbehavior AB 420 signing caps landmark year for school discipline reform in the stateRoger Dickinson SACRAMENTO, CA  – Today California becomes the first state in the nation to eliminate suspensi
1 by mike simpson / 3h 
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Shooting the messenger
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Shooting the messenger: Shooting the messengerOn Friday, I received the following missive from SEIU Pres. Christine Boardman via the union's general counsel Tyson Roan.First, I'm glad to find that the president of SEIU Local 73 is such an avid reader of SmallTalk. I remember meeting Mayor Emanuel at a social event a while back (got friends in low places) and as he sh
3 by mike simpson / 3h 
Did Rheeformers Rhee and Henderson Actually Close Any of Those Achievement Gaps in DC Public Schools? | GFBrandenburg's Blog
Did Rheeformers Rhee and Henderson Actually Close Any of Those Achievement Gaps in DC Public Schools? | GFBrandenburg's Blog: Did Rheeformers Rhee and Henderson Actually Close Any of Those Achievement Gaps in DC Public Schools?Part Sixteen and FinalToday we look at the black-white and hispanic-white achievement gaps in the Washington, DC public school system, which has now been under mayoral contr
1 by mike simpson / 3h 
LAUSD spends like Billionaires while being a Tyrant about Teacher’s Salaries - Lydia Gutierrez
Lydia Gutierrez: LAUSD spends like Billionaires while being a Tyrant about Teacher’s SalariesLos Angeles: When charges were filled against LAUSD for not enforcing policy in protecting children from sexual predators, i.e. Mark Berndt, LAUSD School Board decided to hire 2 law firms, Sedgwick and Andrade, at $350 to $460 an hour, spending over $7 million dollars and still counting, to litigate the Mi
1 by mike simpson / 3h 
9-29-14 @ 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
1 by mike simpson / 3h 
9-29-14 Cali Education Headlines CSIS – California School Information Services
Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team | CSIS – California School Information Services: Education HeadlinesManteca Unified on curriculum’s cutting edgeFast becoming one of the most tech-savvy districts in the state, Manteca Unified moved ahead this month on a plan to equip every one of its students in January with a tablet-style laptop as it moves into the second phase of its $30 million d
1 by mike simpson / 4h 
9-29-14 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): Brown signs bill limiting ‘willful defiance’ suspensions, expulsionsBrown signs bill limiting ‘willful defiance’ suspensions, expulsions Gov. Jerry Brown With the signing of AB 420, Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday made California the first state in the nation to limit suspensions and expulsions for the reaso
1 by mike simpson / 4h 
BEING BAD: My Baby Brother and the School-to-Prison Pipeline | Bill Ayers
BEING BAD: My Baby Brother and the School-to-Prison Pipeline | Bill Ayers: BEING BAD: My Baby Brother and the School-to-Prison PipelineHere is another super-important book, just published and written by Crystal Laura, a former student and good friend. It’s called BEING BAD: My Baby Brother and the School-to-Prison Pipeline, and I wrote the Foreword (below). I sincerely hope people will check this
1 by mike simpson / 4h 
Come ride The BUS with SOS, United Opt Out, and The Badass Teachers’ Association | DCGEducator: Doing The Right Thing
Come ride The BUS with SOS, United Opt Out, and The Badass Teachers’ Association | DCGEducator: Doing The Right Thing: Come ride The BUS with SOS, United Opt Out, and The Badass Teachers’ AssociationTeaching and Speaking OutWhat happens to teachers who speak out about problems they see in their work? Teachers shared their first-hand stories on the Education Town HallBUS, Thursday, September 25.Fra
1 by mike simpson / 4h 
A Sociological Eye on Education | Want to be rated ‘highly effective’ in New York? Don’t teach English or math in grades 4-8
A Sociological Eye on Education | Want to be rated ‘highly effective’ in New York? Don’t teach English or math in grades 4-8: Want to be rated ‘highly effective’ in New York? Don’t teach English or math in grades 4-8English and math teachers in grades 4-8 in New York are much less effective in promoting student growth on state assessments (or comparable measures) than other teachers in the Empire
by mike simpson / 4h 
Meetings That Work–and Get Work Done! | Connected Principals
Meetings That Work–and Get Work Done! | Connected Principals: Meetings That Work–and Get Work Done!by Sam LeDeaux • September 29, 2014 • 0 CommentsIf you find these cartoons humorous, it’s unfortunately likely this is your workplace reality. You are not alone. Why is it common for meetings to be major obstacles to getting things done? Objective. Every leader of a meeting hopes it will be productiv
1 by mike simpson / 4h 
Blue Jersey:: The Danger of a Single Edu-Story
Blue Jersey:: The Danger of a Single Edu-Story: The Danger of a Single Edu-Storyby: okaikorMon Sep 29, 2014 at 06:40:07 AM EDTAfter several of us posted about an education bloggers meeting we had here in NJ with newly-elected NEA president Lily Eskelsen Garcia, Okaikor raised the question of why there were no black educators there. I thought it was a good question, particularly for NJEA to be invi
1 by mike simpson / 4h 
9-29-14 All NEW Living in Dialogue - Teachers and Students Still Trapped Going Up the Down Staircase
Home - Living in Dialogue: Teachers and Students Still Trapped Going Up the Down StaircaseBy John Thompson. Bel Kaufman’s Up the Down Staircase (1965) is the teachers’ and students’ Catch-22 (1961). She captures the fecklessness of bureaucracies, especially those damaged by a culture of powerlessness. She also illuminates the best single antidote to the situational ethics that dominate dysfunction
1 by mike simpson / 6h 
Announcing “More Than a Score: The New Uprising Against High-Stakes Testing” | I AM AN EDUCATOR
Announcing “More Than a Score: The New Uprising Against High-Stakes Testing” | I AM AN EDUCATOR: Announcing “More Than a Score: The New Uprising Against High-Stakes Testing”By I AM AN EDUCATOR on September 29, 2014Pre-order available for More Than a ScoreEdited by Jesse Hagopian, Foreword by Diane Ravitch, Introduction by Alfie Kohn,Afterword by Wayne AuA teacher threatened with having her teachin
1 by mike simpson / 6h 
Educators4Excellence | Raginghorseblog
Educators4Excellence | Raginghorseblog:Vergara v. California Part One: Thoughts on Hannah Arendt, a New Totalitarianism and Completing The Circle of DominationApril 21, 2014The Vergara Nine surrounded by handlers.It is a peculiar, dark and unhinged world in which we dwell and it seems to grow more so all the time. Consider the extraordinary case of Vergara v. California, now winding down and await
1 by mike simpson / 7h 
Morning Wink 9-29-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-29-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Who Loves Teachers Most?Back to politico.com: Instead of scapegoating teachers, politicians are competing to claim they raised salaries. How short are teachers’ memories? Vying and usually lying
3 by mike simpson / 7h 
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-29-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Who Loves Teachers Most?Back to politico.com: Instead of scapegoating teachers, politicians are competing to claim they raised salaries. How short are teachers’ memories? Vying and usually lying: “TEACHERS’ PETS?: Forget soccer moms. This election cycle, candidates across the country are scrambling to get teachers on their side – o
2 by mike simpson / 7h 
9-29-14 Wait What? - All Week
Wait What?: Why Connecticut Teachers SHOULD NOT VOTE for Governor MalloyHere is a long but important blog.  If you are a teacher, parents or supporter of public education, please take the time to read it. On Friday night the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Education Association voted, on behalf of their 45,000 members, to endorse Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy. With that move, the CEA […] The
1 by mike simpson / 7h 
9-29-14 Fred 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.: Raunerian ethics and voter fraud. Here and in North Carolina.Moral Monday protests in North Carolina. Man. Did I catch it when I accused Republican candidate for the 17th Illinois House District of voter fraud. She is running against Democrat Laura Fine. The Sun-Times had reported that Kathy Myalls wa
1 by mike simpson / 7h 
9-29-14 Answer Sheet
Answer Sheet: Why the kids who most need arts education aren’t getting itThough the benefits of art education are very real (see here for a list of 10), it is one of the big, unfortunate casualties of the high-stakes testing era, with its laser focus on math and English Language Arts — especially in schools with big populations of students who live in poverty. Just how effective […]74 by Valerie S
3 by mike simpson / 7h 
9-29-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Why the NatureBridge Case MattersThe reported rape on a Garfield High School field trip in November 2012 matters deeply to me. Not only because I care about student safety in general and sexual assault in particular, but because I see this case as a prime example of the central dysfunction in the District. This is a particularly tragic consequence of the District’s
by mike simpson / 7h 
9-29-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Excellent List Of Eleven “Classroom Discipline Mistakes”© 2014 Tim Pierce, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio Marvin Marshall, a great writer on positive classroom management, has published an excellent list of eleven “Classroom Discipline Mistakes.” You definitely want to read them all, but here are his first three: 1. BEING REACT
1 by mike simpson / 7h 
9-29-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Bill Gates Has Some Lessons Leadership For YouGreat start to week breakfast with @BillGates in DC #LessonsFromLeaders ... the ultimate thought-leader— Nick Owens (@MSPLLC) September 29, 2014Lesson #1:Only listen to yourself. No one else knows anything but you.Lesson # 2:Have more money than God so you don't have to listen to anybody else.Lesson #3:Be as ruthless in business
1 by mike simpson / 7h 
Homeless students increase by 58 percent in past six years | Education By The Numbers
Homeless students increase by 58 percent in past six years | Education By The Numbers: Homeless students increase by 58 percent in past six yearsDespite signs of a national economic recovery, homelessness in U.S. public schools steadily increased 8 percent, to 1.26 million students, in the 2012-13 school year from the previous year. That may not sound terrible, but consider that it is part of a 58
1 by mike simpson / 7h 
UOO Calls on Unions to Support Teacher Refusals to Administer Tests - UNITED OPT OUT: The Movement to End Corporate Education Reform
UOO Calls on Unions to Support Teacher Refusals to Administer Tests - UNITED OPT OUT: The Movement to End Corporate Education Reform: UOO Calls on Unions to Support Teacher Refusals to Administer TestsFor further information:Peggy Robertson (writepeg@juno.com, 720-810-5593), Ceresta Smith (cerestas@yahoo.com, 786-303-4785)The number of parents and students refusing to comply with federal and state
1 by mike simpson / 7h 
Venture Capital in Education—Education Technology and On-Line Charters Viewed as Investments | janresseger
Venture Capital in Education—Education Technology and On-Line Charters Viewed as Investments | janresseger: Venture Capital in Education—Education Technology and On-Line Charters Viewed as InvestmentsPosted on September 29, 2014 by janressegerLate last week The Nation posted on-line a series of articles that will appear in the October 13, print edition of the magazine—a special issue on education.
1 by mike simpson / 8h 
Student Organizing, Student Government, and the Big Rock Candy Mountain |
Student Organizing, Student Government, and the Big Rock Candy Mountain |: Student Organizing, Student Government, and the Big Rock Candy MountainSeptember 29, 2014 in StudentsOne of my favorite political songs is an old hobo tune called The Big Rock Candy Mountain, about a place where there are “lemonade springs where the bluebird sings.”That lyric doesn’t give the full flavor of the song, though
by mike simpson / 8h 
So Why Be Concerned About the Data Tracking of Personally Identifiable Information? A Congressional Candidate Tells You Why. | Missouri Education Watchdog
So Why Be Concerned About the Data Tracking of Personally Identifiable Information? A Congressional Candidate Tells You Why. | Missouri Education Watchdog: So Why Be Concerned About the Data Tracking of Personally Identifiable Information? A Congressional Candidate Tells You Why.inShareWhat questions are on your district’s kindergarten enrollment form? Who is accessing this information and why?The
by mike simpson / 8h 
Paid Sick Days for Parents Benefit Kids, Schools - Lily's Blackboard
Paid Sick Days for Parents Benefit Kids, Schools - Lily's Blackboard: Paid Sick Days for Parents Benefit Kids, SchoolsSeptember 29, 2014 by Lily's BlackboardCategories: Education, PolicyTags: opinion, paid leave, parents, sick leave, sick students, workers rightsIt’s back to school season! Educators and students are back in school, after many have prepared much of the summer. Families are once aga
by mike simpson / 8h 
The Reaction to My National Affairs Essay on the Common Core :: Frederick M. Hess
The Reaction to My National Affairs Essay on the Common Core :: Frederick M. Hess: The Reaction to My National Affairs Essay on the Common Coreby Frederick M. Hess  •  Sep 29, 2014 at 9:57 amCross-posted from Education WeekLast week, National Affairs published my extended essay on the state of the Common Core. The piece, "How the Common Core Went Wrong," explains why I think the enterpri
by mike simpson / 8h 
What Recovery? Schools Still Reeling From Budget Cuts | NEA Today
What Recovery? Schools Still Reeling From Budget Cuts | NEA Today: What Recovery? Schools Still Reeling From Budget CutsSeptember 29, 2014 by twalker  Filed under Featured News, Top StoriesLeave a CommentBy Janet Rivera MednikIn Virginia’s Prince William County, buses that once shuttled middle school students home from after-school activities have been parked.The reason? Lack of funding has shut s
1 by mike simpson / 8h 
NYC Educator: Teacher Detention
NYC Educator: Teacher Detention: Teacher DetentionMany of my colleagues are being forced to stay after school today. The other day, a teacher pointed out to me it was nothing more than detention for teachers. She found this ironic, since students in her school are not given detention. Worse, none of the teachers had done anything to merit detention. This notwithstanding, UFT leadership managed to
1 by mike simpson / 8h 
New law limits student discipline measure | EdSource
New law limits student discipline measure | EdSource:  New law limits student discipline measureFewer than 11,000 of California’s 6.2 million students will likely be affected each year by a new law that limits the use of “willful defiance” as a reason to expel or suspend students. But Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature on the bill signifies a growing commitment on the part of the state to find more posi
1 by mike simpson / 8h 
Charter School Wars Come to Brooklyn - Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública: Charter School Wars Come to Brooklyn
Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública: Charter School Wars Come to Brooklyn: Charter School Wars Come to BrooklynMORE (Movement of Rank & File Educators) Takes a Stand Against Eva Moskowitz at Hearings - Last Monday and Today in ManhattanThanks so much to all of you dear sisters and brothers who organized around getting folks out or going to the charter school heari
1 by mike simpson / 8h 
Schooling in the Ownership Society: The invisible rich
Schooling in the Ownership Society: The invisible rich: The invisible rich"Look out kid, they keep it all hid..." -- DylanIn this morning's NYT column, economist Paul Krugman compares the invisibility of the poor in the popular culture 50 years ago, to the invisibility of today's one-percenters.So Americans have no idea how much the Masters of the Universe are paid, a finding very much i
1 by mike simpson / 8h 
It’s beginning to look a lot like #NaNoWriMo! | Teaching Between the Lines
It’s beginning to look a lot like #NaNoWriMo! | Teaching Between the Lines: It’s beginning to look a lot like #NaNoWriMo!The first time I introduced National Novel Writing Month (a.k.a. NaNoWriMo) to my 8th graders, I was terrified. One of my teacher friends had said, “They’ll run screaming from the classroom in tears!”Some students did later confess to a brief moment of panic (“I almost lost my l
by mike simpson / 8h 

YESTERDAY

9-28-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": “Community Engagement: The Secret Ingredient”Community Engagement: The Secret Ingredient is a good commentary from the Annenberg Institute for School Reform that provides a good critique of much that is done in the name of “community-based” place-based-initiatives in education. Simply put, they tend to be foundation and pro
1 by mike simpson / 17h 
Geaux Teacher!: Common Core Standards and Disruption
Geaux Teacher!: Common Core Standards and Disruption: Common Core Standards and DisruptionRe-posted from The New Orleans Advocate. By Quinn Hillyer:http://www.theneworleansadvocate.com/opinion/quinhillyer/10365759-123/quin-hillyer-legislative-auditor-missesThe latest in useless Common Core disputes involves whether Louisiana’s legislative auditor indicated that the Core “drives” curriculum (Gov. B
1 by mike simpson / 17h 
9-28-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This WeekTuesday, September 30thMeet Superintendent Nyland from 6 pm - 7:00 pm at New Holly Community Center,7054 32nd Ave SWednesday, October 1stMeet Superintendent Nyland from 8:30 am-9:30 am at John Muir Elementary,3301 S. Horton St.School Board meeting, starting at 4:15 pm (note: there is to be an Executive Session on Potential Litigation from 8
1 by mike simpson / 17h 
Eureka Math. . . (I can think of another expletive to describe it.) | Crazy Crawfish's Blog
Eureka Math. . . (I can think of another expletive to describe it.) | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: Crazy Crawfish's BlogZesty Louisiana Education PoliticsEureka Math. . . (I can think of another expletive to describe it.)Posted on September 28, 20140This is an update to a story I’ve been meaning to get back to for a while on Louisiana’s textbook selection and adoption process. According to my sources Lo
1 by mike simpson / 17h hide  //  save
Nite Cap 9-28-14 #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 CAP9-28-14 Curmudgucation - One More Way To Kill Public SchoolsCURMUDGUCATION: One More Way To Kill Public SchoolsAEI has a new video about education. It's slick and well-produced, featuring Muchael McShane walking through a school while telling us
3 by mike simpson / 23h 




Posted by at