Tuesday, February 18, 2014

My name is Andrea Rediske, and I am Ethan Rediske’s mother. Please Pass the Ethan Rediske Act! | Teachers' Letters to Bill Gates

Ethan Rediske, 11, who was born with severe brain damage and cerebral palsy, has taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks, but his mother, Andrea Rediske, says school officials told her she needed to provide more proof that Ethan was dying to exempt him from the FCAT. (FILE)

Dear Bill and Melinda,

A national wave of empathy and outrage was created when the state of Florida demanded a child named Ethan Rediske take the FCAT high stakes test. Despite the fact that Ethan was on his deathbed at the time, and despite the fact that Ethan qualified for special education; Ethan’s family had to prove that he could not possibly take the FCAT.Unfortunately, this story needs a much better ending, as subsequently Ethan has since passed away as of February 7th. We here at Teachers’ Letters to Bill Gates extend our greatest sympathy for Ethan and his family.

Out of respect for Ethan and his family, we have offered to extend their appeal to all who read this: Pass the Ethan Rediske Act!

We hope that by sharing Ethan’s story here, our readers can help give Ethan’s family their wish as they presented it to the Florida Department of Education in a speech shared with us today.

A group called Opt Out Orlando escorted Ethan’s courageous mother to speak before the Florida Department of Education.

Andrea Pratt Radiske spoke on behalf of her son, on behalf of all children with special needs, and on behalf of any children who suffer pain and suffering from high stakes testing. Please watch the video of her speech and read it below.

We would like to broaden her message to call upon the common sense and morals of all corporate reformers, President Barack Obama, Secretary Arne Duncan, all legislators,

Community schools can help break the cycle of poverty | EdSource Today

Community schools can help break the cycle of poverty | EdSource Today:

Community schools can help break the cycle of poverty

February 18th, 2014 | Add a Comment |
By Ed Center / commentary

Ed Center

We’ve known for some time that children from low-income families are less likely to succeed in school relative to their higher-income peers. Many solutions to address this achievement gap have been explored, such as greater funding, more accountability for teachers or a longer school day. Yet as of 2012, 70 percent of the students who did not graduate from high school were living in poverty. Without a high school diploma, those students’ chance at future success is small.

So, is our public education system incapable of serving our low-income kids? No, but we must rethink the relationship between education and poverty.

The Local Control Funding Formula is a step in the right direction, aiming to improve academic outcomes by providing greater funding to schools with high-needs students. It’s also intended to give local school districts more control over the way they distribute their education dollars.

But as Professor Sean F. Reardon of Stanford University’s Graduate School of Educationsuggests, we need to take this work one step further. While flexibility of funding is critical, what we do with those funds is even more so. Investment in top-notch educators is essential when serving our highest-need students, but we must also invest in solutions that address the complex challenges that our low-income students bring to school.

Enter community schools, which are revolutionizing the way we solve educational and poverty-related challenges. Community schools bring fragmented services found in the community – such as food assistance, health clinics and after-school programs – onto school campuses, integrating them into the core educational strategy. The challenges that students bring with them each day – hunger, homelessness, health issues, a parent in jail – are addressed by professionals offering specialized community-based services. That way children can focus on school, rather than an

Renewed push to let community colleges award bachelor’s degrees - by Kathryn Baron

When Michigan granted community colleges the authority to confer baccalaureate degrees a year ago, it became the 21st state to do so. An effort is under way to make California No. 22. Senate Bill 850 by Sen. Marty Block, D-San Diego, would create an eight-year pilot program allowing each of the ... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit the Edsource Today website for full links, other content,

by Kathryn Baron / 4min

Report: College Success Compared of Those Submitting ACT, SAT Scores Versus - Higher Education

Report: College Success Compared of Those Submitting ACT, SAT Scores Versus - Higher Education:

Report: College Success Compared of Those Submitting ACT, SAT Scores Versus

February 18, 2014 | Category: News,Subfeature | :

by Ronald Roach

No significant differences were found in the success rates of students who provided standardized admissions test scores to colleges in comparison to those who had not submitted scores, a new national study on test optional admissions policies has found.

In “Defining Promise: Optional Standardized Testing Policies in American College and University Admissions”, the report authors found “the differences between submitters and non-submitters are five one-hundredths of a GPA point, and six-tenths of one percent in graduation rates.”

“By any standard, these are trivial differences,” said the study, which was posted Tuesday by the National Association for College Admission Counseling on the organization’s website. The three-year national study analyzed the records of 123,000 students at 33 institutions and is said to be the first major published research to evaluate optional testing policies in depth and across institutional types.

“From my point of view, the key message here is that human intelligence is far more fluid, complex, and multi-layered than we perhaps think it is,” said Dr. William C. Hiss, the study’s principal investigator.

Hiss, a faculty member and former admissions dean at Bates College, says critics of standardized admissions test believe the “study may be a tipping point and that it will encourage more colleges and universities to really think carefully about how much weight they put on testing and see if there’s a better way.”

“My hopes are that colleges use the study to examine carefully their own protocols, their own methods of admitting students, and see if optional test admissions could provide one route to substantially widen the doors to higher education. I believe it can,” Hiss said.

Hiss teamed up with Valerie Franks, a higher education research consultant and former Bates Colleg

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Questions for a Standardized Test: Maybe Your Creators Can Answer!

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Questions for a Standardized Test: Maybe Your Creators Can Answer!:

Questions for a Standardized Test: Maybe Your Creators Can Answer!

See the picture above, that's my first question.
Why am I told to make anchor charts that my students use throughout the year, and then told to take them down during testing? Do you really believe that any of my anchor charts have answers on them?
Why are we told to use technology to enhance instruction, become paperless, etc.., and then told our kids cannot use the computers once they are finished the test? What are they going to be able to do, give another student answers?
Why must I force my students to sit for hours taking a test that proves...?
Why do my students' show growth on these tests, but are still made to feel like failures because they did not meet the "target"?
Who created these "targets"? What are they based on? Made a call to DOE 2 years ago, still waiting for an answer.
Why am I giving a Science test based on the K-5 curriculum? Seriously? Have you ever heard of the Summer Slide? Now, consider 4 years!Oh wait, I forgot, I can

The mother of the seriously disabled child who recently died, tells the FLDOE about the insane high stakes testing demands… | Reclaim Reform

The mother of the seriously disabled child who recently died, tells the FLDOE about the insane high stakes testing demands… | Reclaim Reform:

The mother of the seriously disabled child who recently died, tells the FLDOE about the insane high stakes testing demands…

Posted on February 18, 2014by Ken Previti

Ethan Rediske, the seriously disabled child who recently died, was pressured until his death to take Florida’s mandatory high stakes tests. Ethan’s mother addresses the Florida Department of Education members.

Presently this video is posted for Facebook viewers.

Andrea Rediske speaks of the insane high stakes testing demands placed upon her dying son.

Here is the text of her statement.

My name is Andrea Rediske, and I am Ethan Rediske’s mother. Before you peg me as merely an angry and grieving mother, let me tell you a little bit about myself: I am an educator. I have a Master’s degree in microbiology and have been an adjunct professor of microbiology for 11 years. I have a passion for education and I know how to write an exam that accurately assesses the abilities of my students. Not only was the Florida Adapted Assessment inappropriate for the level of my son’s abilities, it endangered his health – the long, stressful testing sessions requiring him to sit in his wheelchair caused pressure sores, fluid to pool in his lungs, and increased seizures and spasticity that

Wisconsin Senate adopts narrow voucher school accountability bill | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Wisconsin Senate adopts narrow voucher school accountability bill | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:

Wisconsin Senate adopts narrow voucher school accountability bill

Filed under: Vouchers — millerlf @ 8:38 pm

No sanctions included in measure

By Jason Stein of the Journal Sentinel 2/18/14

Madison — The state would better track the performance of taxpayer-funded private voucher schools and expand the fight against heroin abuse, under bills passed by the Senate Tuesday.

After rejecting a much broader schools measure in recent days, Senate Republicans moved forward Tuesday with a narrow bill that would apply existing state report cards for public schools to voucher institutions but not impose sanctions on schools receiving poor marks. Assembly Republicans, meanwhile, still hope to proceed with a broader bill that would sanction failing schools.

The narrow measure passed the Senate 29-3 and now goes to the Assembly. Three Democrats voted against it: Sens. Bob Wirch of Pleasant Prairie, Jon Erpenbach of Middleton and Jennifer Shilling of La Crosse.

The Senate bill’s lead sponsor, Sen. Luther Olsen (R-Ripon), said that he had to postpone an “ambitious agenda” to sanction schools of all kinds that receive public money but don’t measure up. But Olsen said the bill made a “big step forward” forward by moving up the date for voucher schools to receive report cards from 2020 to the 2015-’16 school year.

“That’s my definition of accountability and that’s what this piece of legislation does,” Olsen said.

Sen. John Lehman of Racine, a former teacher and the ranking Democrat on the Senate Education Committee, dismissed that, saying that most senators of his party didn’t feel the bill went far enough. Republicans, he said, had caved to pressure from voucher supporters and broken a promise to hold voucher schools to the same standards as public schools.

“This bill started out as one thing and ended up as what I call a ‘no consequences bill,’ ” Lehman said. “I have a fear that this is going to be sold as some kind of an accountability bill, which it is not… This bill

Justice Dept. Urged to Investigate Treatment Immigrant Children in NC | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com

Justice Dept. Urged to Investigate Treatment Immigrant Children in NC | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com:

Justice Dept. Urged to Investigate Treatment of Immigrant Children in NC Schools

Published at 6:39 pm EST, February 18, 2014

A coalition of civil rights groups on Tuesday urged the federal Justice Department to launch an investigation of two North Carolina school districts for discrimination by denying admission to - or turning away - immigrant children.

The complaint was filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Legal Services of Southern Piedmont, North Carolina Justice Center and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice.

It is unconstitutional to refuse to let children register for school based on their age, immigration status, place of origin or inability to speak English, and the groups believe that this is a situation that occurs in various school districts in North Carolina, said SPLC staff attorney Caren Short by telephone.

Under North Carolina law, all students under age 21 have the right to attend public school at the place where they reside.

In the complaint, the groups mention the case of C.V., age 17, a Honduran girl who lives with

Are you busy busy, busy? | Connected Principals

Are you busy busy, busy? | Connected Principals:

Are you busy busy, busy?

by Amber Teamann • February 19, 2014 • 0 Comments

This post is cross posted from Technically yours, Teamann.

Busy is the new black. Ask anyone how they are doing and what do response do you get?

“Stressed!” “Overwhelmed!” “Can’t keep up!” “Tired!”

Can you imagine what would happen if you just answered that question with a “Inbox zero, task list completed, actually have time for an extra nap this week…”? It would stop traffic!

Many times busyness is equated with productivity. Just because the wheels are constantly spinning doesn’t mean you’re getting anywhere. I know that for me, my to do list can shift based on priority but I literally can work 12 hour days and still not get caught up…which makes it feel as if I am not making progress.

I listened to a podcast this weekend and heard something simplified that is so common sense I am almost ashamed to admit how clarifying it was for me. The author (Crystal Paine) was discussing how hard it is for her to say no and to prioritize her tasks. She said that at the beginning of each month (day, week, year, etc) she lists her BIG goals. Her big, all encompassing, gotta be done goals. Then she files all of her tasks into alignment with those goals. If it doesn’t fit? She doesn’t commit.

I’m a big “yes” girl. I like feeling accomplished and like I’ve done more than my share, like I’ve had my opportunity to get

New Report: An Empirical Critique of “One Newark” « New Jersey Education Policy Forum

New Report: An Empirical Critique of “One Newark” « New Jersey Education Policy Forum:

New Report: An Empirical Critique of “One Newark”

Our new report is too long to post in its entirety in blog form.

The report can be downloaded here: Weber.Baker_OneNewark_Jan24_2014

Below is the executive summary of the report:

Executive Summary

On December 18, 2013, State Superintendent Cami Anderson announced a wide-scale restructuring of the Newark Public Schools. This brief examines the following questions about One Newark:

Has NPS identified the schools that are the least effective in the system? Or has the district instead identified schools that serve more at-risk students, which would explain their lower performance on state tests?
Do the interventions planned under One Newark — forcing staff to reapply for jobs, turning over schools to charter operators, closure – make sense, given state performance data on NPS schools and Newark’s charter schools?
Is underutilization a justification for closing and divesting NPS school properties?
Are the One Newark sanctions, which may abrogate the rights of students, parents, and staff, applied without racial or socio-economic status bias?

We find the following:

Measures of academic performance are not significant predictors of the classifications assigned to NPS schools by the district, when controlling for student population characteristics.
Schools assigned the consequential classifications have substantively and statistically significantly greater shares of low income and black students.
Further, facilities utilization is also not a predictor of assigned

Cami to Newark parents: Don’t worry, we know best. | Bob Braun's Ledger

Cami to Newark parents: Don’t worry, we know best. | Bob Braun's Ledger:

Cami to Newark parents: Don’t worry, we know best.

Cami Anderson: You don't need to know — Cami Anderson: You don’t need to know

Pity the parents of Newark’s public school children. Many are unsure where their children will attend school in the fall. They’ve had to fill out application forms and hope they get their first choices in an ever-changing program called “One Newark.” For many, if their first choice was a neighborhood public school, they’re out of luck. Now comes a new insult—if they want to know how their children were picked for this school or that, they can just forget it. That’s secret information. They’re not allowed to know.

But, hey, no worries. The decisions will be made by a NPS staff with lots of experience with organizations like the Broad Academy, funded by the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. One worked with Barclay’s Capital, another with McKinsey & Co. Newark parents can feel comfortable their children are in the hands of people trained in business and by billionaires who understand completely what it’s like to be poor and live in Newark. Right.

That’s the answer received by the City Association of School Administrators (CASA), the union representing Newark’s school principals. They asked for public records showing how children will be distributed among the public schools and charter schools participating in the so-called “universal application” that’s part of the “One Newark” scheme.

The answer came back from Cami Anderson, appointed by Gov. Chris Christie to

Right Wing War on Public Schools Drones On | National Review Online

Winning the War on Charter Schools | National Review Online:

Winning the War on Charter Schools

By Reihan Salam

February 18, 2014 1:21 PM

Comments

The public charter school movement is entering a new phase. To put it bluntly, charter schools are finally becoming genuinely frightening to the powers-that-be in traditional public education, and for good reason. Charter schools have always been frightening to traditional public schools for the simple reason that they are granted wide autonomy to develop new instructional models, and most of the people associated with traditional public schools are afraid of change, or rather afraid of change that doesn’t involve increasing compensation levels. This is true of the people associated with most organizations, public or private, but public schools have long been shielded from the entry of new start-ups that leave them no choice but to start doing things in new ways. Brick-and-mortar retailers might resent Amazon.com for forcing them to experiment with new pricing models, or to have to learn how to deliver their products across vast distances quickly and inexpensively, but they often have a hard time strangling innovative business models in the crib — for one thing, incumbent businesses are often divided amongst themselves as to how to respond to new threats. In contrast, traditional public educators benefit from (a) enormous political influence, a product of the size of the public education workforce and the organization of large swathes of this workforce into effective labor unions, which are keen to protect the interests of their median members; and (b) the fact that “business-as-usual” has prevailed for so long makes it easy for people to awesome that newness is bad. You don’t generally have competing unions of public school teachers with dramatically different attitudes towards charters, despite the fact that you have individual public school teachers who might be sympathetic, or who might think that the competition for talent among charter schools might actually leave them better off than they are under the unionized status quo. But unions, like all democratic organizations should, represent the interests of their median members, and it is generally true that the teachers who think they’d be better off in a more diverse, competitive educational landscape represent a minority.

So unionized public school teachers have, from the start, fought to limit the expansion of public charters and, to the extent possible, their organizational autonomy. For example, if public charters are required to be subject to the collective bargaining agreements that prevail in a given district, you’ve kind of defeated the point of having a charter school, which is to allow school administrators and teachers to experiment with new ways of doing things. This is all old news. The new news, or the newish news, is that after years of fighting these battles, public charters have nevertheless kept growing. In 2010-2011, public charters represented 5 percent of all K-12 public schools in the United States and

Shallal criticizes D.C. school reform efforts, saying he would chart a different course - The Washington Post

Shallal criticizes D.C. school reform efforts, saying he would chart a different course - The Washington Post:

Shallal criticizes D.C. school reform efforts, saying he would chart a different course

The District’s high-profile efforts to improve public schools have largely failed, according torestaurateur Andy Shallal, the first mayoral candidate to challenge the fundamental policies that have driven D.C. education reform under Mayor Vincent C. Gray and his predecessor, Adrian M. Fenty.

“Education reform is just not working in Washington,” Shallal wrote in a white paperreleased Friday, criticizing the city’s emphasis on using standardized tests to judge educators and schools as a “war on teachers” and a strategy of “intimidation and punishment.”

(Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post) - Mayoral candidate Andy Shallal talks about what he what do if elected mayor at Turner Elementary School in Washington on Jan. 18.

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Shallal criticizes D.C. school reform efforts

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The restaurateur is the first mayoral candidate to seriously challenge Fenty/Gray education policies.

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Three students at the Northwest D.C. charter school were told the news during class.

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The victim’s body was found underwater in College Creek near the academy’s library.

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Gray (D) has highlighted education as a strong point in his campaign for reelection, citing national standardized test results that show the District — while still performing far below average — has made larger gains over the past two years than any state or other large city.

But Shallal — who has made the city’s growing income inequality a central theme of his campaign — argues that the citywide figures mask a large achievement gap between the city’s low-income and affluent students, and between black, Hispanic and white students.

Poor black students in the continue to trail their counterparts in other cities; only 9 percent of those students scored high enough in fourth grade to be considered “proficient” in reading, compared with 78 percent of white students.

“If we keep harping on this idea that the schools are doing great, we are misleading people,” Shallal said in an interview Monday.“We should not be married to an ideology at the expense of our children.”

Gray spokesman Pedro Ribeiro said that black students made statistically significant gains in all grades and subject areas on the most recent national exam and that the bottom-performing 10 percent of students made some of the largest gains across the city.

While some of Gray’s challengers have criticized him as moving too slowly on improving

Nite Cap 2-18-14 #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 CAP

2-18-14 THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG - ED Pulse Poll Results: What Types of PLCs Are Most Effective? — Whole Child Education

ED Pulse Poll Results: What Types of PLCs Are Most Effective? — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGED Pulse Poll Results: What Types of PLCs Are Most Effective?February 18, 2014 by Kit Harris, ASCD ResearchASCD continually seeks to provide solutions to the challenges that face educators of all levels. A recentASCD SmartBrief ED Pulse poll asked readers asked readers to identify which new t

by mike simpson / 1h

empathyeducates – Teachers Could Spank Harder Under Pending Legislation

empathyeducates – Teachers Could Spank Harder Under Pending Legislation: Teachers Could Spank Harder Under Pending LegislationThere are scars of all sorts. Each leaves a mark, but some are seen more readily. There are the less visible scars stress leaves behind. Fear of a test or failure hurts. But neither is said to cause, or indeed, to teach further aggression. Nonetheless, the “spare the rod, s

by mike simpson / 1h

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 2-18-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: LCFF: Promise of CA’s New School Finance Law Hinges On Parentsby Peter Schurmann, New America Media, News Report, http://bit.ly/1fw8d3I Above: From left to right, EdSource Executive Director Louis Freedberg, Children Now Senior Education Policy Director Samantha Tran and SFUSD Office of Family and Community Engagement Coordinator Ruth Grabowski. Posted:

by mike simpson / 3h

Bill Gates, On the Record - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Bill Gates, On the Record - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Bill Gates, On the RecordBy Anthony Cody on February 18, 2014 1:12 PMAs I wrote over the weekend, it has been announced that Bill Gates will be among the keynote speakers at the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards' Teaching and Learning conference next month. I have closely watched as Gates has become the most

by mike simpson / 3h

Modern Assessments Begin in March - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)

Modern Assessments Begin in March - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education): More Than Three Million California Students Set to Take Modern Assessments Next MonthComputer-Based Testing to Help Shape Teaching and Learning in the ClassroomSACRAMENTO—Computer-based assessments in California's schools will draw one step closer next month with the launch of the Smarter Balanced field tests across every school

by mike simpson / 3h

2-18-14 V.A.M.: Value Added Measure

V.A.M.: Value Added Measure: The Common Court Sports Standards?Arne Duncan raced to the top in the N.B.A. All-Star Celebrity Basketball Game last week in New Orleans. As witnessed in the video above, he made some fancy moves. Perhaps, we should call him Arne Dunkin'! On a night for the celebrity record books, he scored twenty points with eleven rebounds and six assists. Although he was not awa

by mike simpson / 3h

Pioneer Institute: Setting the Record Straight on Common Core (Part 1) | Truth in American Education

Pioneer Institute: Setting the Record Straight on Common Core (Part 1) | Truth in American Education: Pioneer Institute: Setting the Record Straight on Common Core (Part 1)In Part One of this series, Pioneer Institute Executive Director Jim Stergios talks about the basis for education reform in Massachusetts, and how that state-driven success model differs from Common Core national education stan

by mike simpson / 4h

When You Live In A Book Desert | Gatsby In L.A.

When You Live In A Book Desert | Gatsby In L.A.: When You Live In A Book Desert He was beefy and laconic, rumored to be gang-affliated. Kids whispered that he stood outside of school in the early mornings selling weed, though we could never catch him at it.He was also brilliant. If you define “intellectual” as a person who takes delight in the process of abstract thinking, Xavier* was one of the

1 by mike simpson / 5h

2-18-14 Ed Notes Online Week

Ed Notes Online: Exposing Revive Jive: Lola Kelly, East Rochester TA Pres and NEA board of directorsI come not to praise the current leadership of NYSUT but also not to bury it -- Yet. ... EdNotes Before you read this from Lola Kelly, president of East Rochester TA and statewide representative to the National Education Association, note that Michael Mulgrew supported giving John King the power to

1 by mike simpson / 5h

2-18-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Tuesday Open ThreadUW's department of Computer Science & Engineering has DawgBytes: A Taste of SCE which is their K-12 outreach program. They have lots of fun events as well as offering a UW CSE student to come out to your school to talk to students. They have an e-mail list so you can get regular updates of events.Remember the story, There Was an Old Woman W

1 by mike simpson / 6h

2-18-14 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): ‘Apprentice’ contestant Omarosa bidding for LAUSD board seatBringing unusual visibility to the upcoming LA Unified school board special election, Omarosa Manigault, a TV personality best known for contentious her role on The Apprentice, has told LA School Report she is entering the race. She filed papers

1 by mike simpson / 6h

#ResistTFA Tops Twitter Trend in United States | Cloaking Inequity

#ResistTFA Tops Twitter Trend in United States | Cloaking Inequity: #ResistTFA Tops Twitter Trend in United States#resistTFA Tops Twitter Trend.From DianeRavitch.net:The student-led movement to defend the teaching profession is off to a fast start:FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEPress Contacts:Stephanie RiveraRutgers University1.732.485.0508 srrivera92@gmail.comHannah NguyenUniversity of Southern California1

1 by mike simpson / 6h

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, February 18, 2014

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Fensterwald: Proposed initiative would give school districts back their property taxesEducation HeadlinesTuesday, February 18, 2014FCMAT provides links to California K-12 news stories as a service to the industry. However, some stories may not be accessible because of newspapers' subscription policies.Santa Ana dual-immersion charter school g

1 by mike simpson / 7h

Christie’s ed reform scandal: Principals suspended after questioning charter scheme - Salon.com

Christie’s ed reform scandal: Principals suspended after questioning charter scheme - Salon.com: Christie’s ed reform scandal: Principals suspended after questioning charter scheme"Narcissism," "dictatorial" and "totalitarian" tactics by Christie appointee, Newark councilman charges to SalonJOSH EIDELSON Follow 172 84 3 TOPICS: CHRIS CHRISTIE, CAMI ANDERSON,

3 by mike simpson / 7h

Morning Wink 2-18-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTSLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 2-18-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: A Stunning Article About the Obama Administration’s War on Public EducationThis article by Michael Brenner, a professor of international relations at the University of Pittsburgh, is a trenchant

2 by mike simpson / 7h

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 2-18-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: A Stunning Article About the Obama Administration’s War on Public EducationThis article by Michael Brenner, a professor of international relations at the University of Pittsburgh, is a trenchant summary of the relentless attack on public education launched by the Obama administration and backed by billions of federal and private do

1 by mike simpson / 7h

2-18-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet: Teacher to 3rd graders: I apologize for having to ‘quantify you with a number’Barnett Berry is the founder and chief executive officer of the Center for Teaching Quality, a national nonprofit organization based in Carrboro, North Carolina aimed at transforming the teaching profession. He wrote to me about a colleague of his, Wendi Pillars, a teacher who wrote an apology to young

1 by mike simpson / 7h

Thoughts From Detroit About Schools - Bridging Differences - Education Week

Thoughts From Detroit About Schools - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Thoughts From Detroit About SchoolsBy Deborah Meier on February 18, 2014 10:16 AMDeborah Meier writes again today to Robert Pondiscio of CitizenshipFirst.Dear Robert,I had you, and your last letter to me, in mind as I arrived in Detroit last Thursday for the annual meeting of the North Dakota Study Group (NDSG). What wo

1 by mike simpson / 7h

2-18-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: The Analogy, Hyperbole Problem: “With explanation kind” (Tone, pt. 5)The Analogy, Hyperbole Problem: “With explanation kind” (Tone, pt. 5). via The Analogy, Hyperbole Problem: “With explanation kind” (Tone, pt. 5).1 by plthomasedd / 3min 2-17-14 @ The Chalk Face@ THE CHALK FACE: A quick bite, using the new-new #commoncore math to calculate tips. Nicely done.Pretty funny!1 by Sha

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2-18-14 Wait What?

Wait What?: Malloy, Pryor, Superintendents – Stop lying about the Common Core Smarter Balanced Field!Anger and frustration on the part of parents, teachers and supporters of public education is bubbling over. Rather than protect the rights of parents and local schools districts, elected and appointed officials are inappropriately using their positions to mislead, lie and scare parents and teachers

1 by mike simpson / 7h

2-18-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: The White History We IgnoreFrom Alternet:February 14, 2014 | Schools across the country are adorned with posters of the 44 U.S. presidents and the years they served in office. U.S. history textbooks describe the accomplishments and challenges of the major presidential administrations—George Washington had the Revolutionary War, Abraham Lincoln the Civil War, Teddy Roosevelt the S

by mike simpson / 8h

2-18-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Well-Done Interactive: “The Cost Of Living In The United States”Produced By Online Accounting Degreesby Larry Ferlazzo / 1h hide // saveMusic Video: Jamaican Bobsled Team reggae songI’m adding this new official Jamaican Bobsled Team song to The Best Sites For Learning About The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games:by Larry Fer

by mike simpson / 8h

2-18-14 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.: Kirk Dillard and ALEC. Stand Your Ground wasn’t about education? ALEC’s Stand Your Ground bill and Trayvon Martin. I totally understand why many of my teacher colleagues are so terrified by Bruce Rauner that they will hold their nose and pull a Republican ballot and vote for someone like Kirk Dillard

by mike simpson / 8h

2-18-14 Engaging Parents In School All Week… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"

Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": Infographic: “Tips For Teachers On Family Engagement”The National PTA has created a nice infographic titled “Tips For Teachers On Family Engagement.” You can download the entire infographic here. Here’s a partial screenshot: I’m adding it to The Best Infographics About Parent Involvement In Schools.by Larry Ferlazzo / 7h hi

by mike simpson / 8h

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Lesser-of-two-evils theory on crack

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Lesser-of-two-evils theory on crack: Lesser-of-two-evils theory on crackLesser-of-evils theory on crack. IEA Pres. Klickna endorses ALEC leader Dillard for governor.The union is understandably worried about a Rauner victory. But still... The union gave Dillard’s campaign $250,000 along with a cadre of political foot soldiers. "These are dark days for active and

by mike simpson / 8h

2-18-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Note To Mulgrew: You Are Responsible For The Excessive Paperwork Problem TooA teacher called into a WNYC with UFT President Michael Mulgrew yesterday to complain about all the excessive paperwork teachers are dealing with.James Eterno posted about these excessive mandates last week:The list below was sent to me from a NYC public school teacher. Do you want to be a teacher to

by mike simpson / 8h

2-18-14 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week

With A Brooklyn Accent: Why I Will Never Raise My Voice Against Funding Prisoner EducationIf any of you wonder why I will never raise my voice against funding Prisoner Education, even if the politician supporting it is someone I despise, here's one good reason:I teach on the Bronx campus of Fordham University. In side the campus, there are as many people selling and using drugs as there are outsid

by mike simpson / 8h

2-18-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): The Analogy, Hyperbole Problem: “With explanation kind” (Tone, pt. 5)Prologue I am a child of literature, more specifically of science fiction. As a result, I am also a child of allegory, metaphor, and the richness of layered language. Smitten as a reader, I eventually—a

by mike simpson / 8h

The Personal Side of Superintending (Part 3) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

The Personal Side of Superintending (Part 3) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: The Personal Side of Superintending (Part 3)In The Managerial Imperative: The Practice of Leadership in Schools (1988), I wrote of my experiences as a superintendent, husband, and father and how the job intersected with my life during and after the workday. In the post here, my wife is Barbara and m

by mike simpson / 8h

Philanthropic Plutocrats Pushing the Levers and Pulling the Strings | janresseger

Philanthropic Plutocrats Pushing the Levers and Pulling the Strings | janresseger: Philanthropic Plutocrats Pushing the Levers and Pulling the StringsPosted on February 18, 2014 by janressegerOver the weekend, here and here, this blog covered last week’s pieces by David Sirota, hereand here, that exposed the $3.5 million grant the Public Broadcasting Service solicited from the Laura and John Arno

by mike simpson / 8h

NYC Educator: On Junk Science Evaluation--Garbage In, Garbage Out

NYC Educator: On Junk Science Evaluation--Garbage In, Garbage Out: On Junk Science Evaluation--Garbage In, Garbage OutShockingly, NY State is encountering problems with its new evaluation system. According to Newsday, teachers can rate effective in test passing percentages, yet rate developing overall. Alas, such are the exigencies of a system that is created based on wishful thinking and a desire

by mike simpson / 8h

Strengthening Home, School, & Community Partnership: Improving Discipline Policies in American Schools | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Strengthening Home, School, & Community Partnership: Improving Discipline Policies in American Schools | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Strengthening Home, School, & Community Partnership: Improving Discipline Policies in American SchoolsBy National PTA on February 18, 2014By Joshua McIntosh, for the National PTAIn a recent address to parent leaders, U.S. Secretary of

by mike simpson / 8h

Measures of the heart: non-cognitive skills tests | Digital

Measures of the heart: non-cognitive skills tests | Digital: Measures of the heart: non-cognitive skills testsBeing smart isn’t all you need to succeed.Non-cognitive or meta-cognitive skills such as self-awareness, self-control, empathy, communication and cooperation are as important or even more important to long-term success than cognitive factors like math and reading ability. The evidence is u

by mike simpson / 8h

Nation’s top science teachers culling NGSS resources :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet

Nation’s top science teachers culling NGSS resources :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: FEBRUARY 18, 2014Nation’s top science teachers culling NGSS resourcesby Kimberly Beltran(Va.) A team of expert instructors from all over the country are preparing to release soon an online gallery of educational resources that can be used to help teach new

by mike simpson / 8h

YESTERDAY

Rally to Stop Common Core at the Utah State Capitol Tonight | Truth in American Education

Rally to Stop Common Core at the Utah State Capitol Tonight | Truth in American Education: Rally to Stop Common Core at the Utah State Capitol TonightFiled in Common Core State Standards, Education at State Level by truthed on February 18, 2014 • 0 Comments(Salt Lake City, UT) Utahns Against Common Core will hold a rally on Tuesday, February 18, at 6:30pm to send a message to Utah Legislators; sta

by mike simpson / 16h

Hite releases school action plan built on 'bold expectations'

Hite releases school action plan built on 'bold expectations': Hite releases school action plan built on 'bold expectations'Despite enormous, ongoing fiscal challenges in the Philadelphia School District, Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. is thinking big.How big?Every 8-year-old in the city reading at grade level. Every student graduating ready for college and careers. Every school with a great p

by mike simpson / 16h

Great year for CalSTRS won’t alter need for big increase in contributions | EdSource Today

Great year for CalSTRS won’t alter need for big increase in contributions | EdSource Today: Great year for CalSTRS won’t alter need for big increase in contributionsFebruary 17th, 2014 | Add a Comment | By John FensterwaldThe Assembly committee that will decide how to fix the multi-billion dollar funding shortfall for teacher and administrator pensions will get good – and some sobering – news when

by mike simpson / 16h

Newark mayoral candidate Ras Baraka outlines education plan | NJ.com

Newark mayoral candidate Ras Baraka outlines education plan | NJ.com: Newark mayoral candidate Ras Baraka outlines education planMayoral candidate Ras Baraka, standing outside Weequahic High School in Newark in December, unveiled his blueprint for improving Newark public schools. (Frances Micklow/The Star-Ledger)NEWARK — Positioning himself as the Education Mayor, Newark councilman and mayoral can

by mike simpson / 18h

An Open Letter to Bill Gates and a Keynote Challenge | deutsch29

An Open Letter to Bill Gates and a Keynote Challenge | deutsch29: An Open Letter to Bill Gates and a Keynote ChallengeFebruary 17, 2014Dear Bill,You don’t know me. I have never applied for one of your fat, corporate-reform-promoting education grants. I am not even tempted to even though I have little money. You see, I am a career public school teacher, and I consider your money wielding a detrimen

by mike simpson / 18h

Another Nimrod of Negativity Bashes Teachers southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com: Another Nimrod of Negativity Bashes TeachersWe don't have Bloomberg to kick around anymore when the Daily News publishesanti-teacher columns like it did today. I mean does Mort still fear the wrath of Uncle Mike?So just who is this Katharine A Stevens that wrote another ill informed hit piece against NYC teachers today?Kathy it seems is super duper smart. She is gr

by mike simpson / 19h

Fight With Us Too, Damnit (Educators and Jordan Davis) - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson

Fight With Us Too, Damnit (Educators and Jordan Davis) - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson: Fight With Us Too, Damnit (Educators and Jordan Davis)by JOSE VILSON on FEBRUARY 17, 2014in JOSEWhen the Michael Dunn verdict came down, I fully expected him to get off on all counts. The Trayvon Martin case only created two pathways for future cases like these: either America – specifically Florida – would

by mike simpson / 21h

SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: Organizing in the New Economy Forum

SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: Organizing in the New Economy Forum: Organizing in the New Economy Forum The objective of this event is to bring workers and activists together to hear from speakers and openly discuss building union power in today’s economy. As you know, the nature of work in America is changing rapidly. CEO and executive compensation is skyrocketing, while the middle class is shr

by mike simpson / 21h

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Seniority Has No Privileges:Eliminating Teacher Tenure!

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Seniority Has No Privileges:Eliminating Teacher Tenure!: Seniority Has No Privileges:Eliminating Teacher Tenure!I've always equated age with wisdom, thus, leading me to believe that a veteran teacher has a lot to offer.Of course, there are older teachers who refuse to change. They are teaching the way they used to be taught, and see the changes in education asjus

by mike simpson / 22h

“What sober person gives standardized tests to a kindergartner? Ever meet a 5-year-old?” – Part 1 | Teachers' Letters to Bill Gates

“What sober person gives standardized tests to a kindergartner? Ever meet a 5-year-old?” – Part 1 | Teachers' Letters to Bill Gates: “What sober person gives standardized tests to a kindergartner? Ever meet a 5-year-old?” – Part 1Posted on February 18, 2014by Teachers'LettersToBillGatesDear Bill and Melinda,It is no surprise that 522 + people find the headlines to Nerissa Ediza’s tweet horrifying.

by mike simpson / 22h

The Curriculum Conundrum | Truth in American Education

The Curriculum Conundrum | Truth in American Education: The Curriculum ConundrumFiled in CCSS Content by Shane Vander Hart on February 17, 2014 • 0 Comments2Below is a guest contribution by Leslie Beck, who is a former math teacher and mom who lives near Des Moines, IA. She runs the Stop Common Core in Iowa Facebook group and helps me administer Iowans for Local Control’sFacebook page.The Curricu

1 by mike simpson / 22h

Nite Cap 2-17-14 #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 CAP2-17-14 V.A.M.: Value Added MeasureV.A.M.: Value Added Measure: Season 2, Episode 6 in the Twilight Zone of Educational Deformity: "The Eye of the Beholder"!Common-Core Reformers Instruct a Teacher on How to Implement the New Learning

by mike simpson / 1d