Latest News and Comment from Education

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Confused about LCFF? Oakland students break it down, why the upcoming LCAP meetings are so important and what democratic school budgeting would look like | Classroom Struggle

Confused about LCFF? Oakland students break it down, why the upcoming LCAP meetings are so important and what democratic school budgeting would look like | Classroom Struggle:



Confused about LCFF? Oakland students break it down, why the upcoming LCAP meetings are so important and what democratic school budgeting would look like

This is a repost of an article from a new Oakland student blog. Check out the original here: http://youngoakland.com/2014/02/students-want-their-voices-heard-in-new-school-budget-making/

Students Want Their Voices Heard in New School Budget Making

By , February 26, 2014
Screen Shot 2014-02-26 at 10.46.31 AM
By Nelzy, Katie and Ana
After a lot of effort by students in California, a new budget plan was passed by the state legislature to offer equity vs. equality. The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) determines the amount of money schools will receive for each California student, creating a new base line amount and providing additional money for students who are in need of more resources because they are low income, english learners or foster kids. The LCFF also offers students, teachers and parents a chance to work with school districts to have a say on how the money should be spent.
Under the LCFF, each student in California brings his or her school $6,342. On top of that a school receives $2,220 more for each student who is low income, or a foster kid, or an English Learner. But that’s not all! The schools in which more than 50% of students fall into those categories get another $2,220 per student.
Each district according to the LCFF law should have a Local Control 

New Sup for Sac? - One Vote for Community Builder!





New Sup for Sac? - One Vote for Community Builder!


In an earlier post I asked "Sacramento Needs a New Superintendent- A Corporate Reformer or A Community Builder?" Well here is one vote for Community Builder: 



Who Will Your Board Member Pick for the Next Superintendent? 


You remember the old saying, “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me!” Well, its time to dust off this old saying and use it again if we allow our board to make the monumental error of selecting a less than qualified superintendent again, especially in light of recent rumors circulating that some Board members are considering to pick Raymond’s hand-picked Interim Superintendent, Sara Noguchi, Ed.D. to become the next superintendent.  

SCUSD is the 11th largest and most diverse school district in California with over 47,900 students, 81 school campuses, and with an annual budget of over 450 million dollars. It is also a low achieving district who, according to CDE data, its API (Academic Performance Index) numbers have gone down from 2012 for every ethnic group of students and just about every other category. In other words, it is a school district in need of real, experienced leadership. 

If we have learned anything from former Superintendent Raymond's tenure, is that a superintendent with significant experience does matter. Every superintendent hired by the SCUSD board prior to Raymond had, on average, over twenty years of experience in education; and had served as superintendent at some other school district before coming to SCUSD. In other words, they had significant experience; and they had a track record. 

The same level of credentials also holds true of other school districts of comparable size to SCUSD across the country. For instance, a review of the biographies of superintendents currently serving in school districts in Boston, Chicago, Miami-Dade, New York, San Diego, and San Francisco reveals that they all have one thing in common: they have a minimum of 20 years experience in education having moved up from being school teachers, school principals, district administrators, and having led a school district before taking on their current roles. For the first time in recent memory this common sense criteria for hiring superintendents has not been applied by the SCUSD Board - Raymond was hired despite having only 2 years and 10 months of experience in education. The problem was not that SCUSD did not have a competitive salary to offer for the position. In fact, SCUSD offered a salary of $260,000 dollars for Superintendent, a highly competitive salary by any standard. 

Noguchi, unlike Raymond, does have more educational experience. For instance, she has a doctorate in education, has taught, and has served as consultant to education agencies such as CDE. However, Noguchi has never managed a school district before, not even a small one. And, perhaps, more significantly, she has no track record we can judge her on. What we are able to discern about her leadership since becoming Interim Superintendent, however, is that she has not negated any of Raymond’s decisions, no matter how ill thought out or ill advised. For example, she has not taken any action to reduce or correct the excessive salaries being paid to her colleagues in the Cabinet which total a staggering 1.3 million dollars.

In another area, Noguchi’s decision making style has not exhibited any true leadership, leaving everyone wondering who is really in charge, which shows that she is more a group thinker, than a leader. A recent example of this observation is her inability to hold her colleagues accountable for the deteriorating parent relationship with district officials under her colleague Teresa Cummings, a situation that reached an all time low when Cummings called outside police to settle a disagreement with a District Advisory Council parent leader - a matter being reviewed by the CDE. Unfortunately, the Interim Superintendent is on mute

The opportunity to redirect the district from a Broad Academy sponsored corporate agenda to a community agenda is now, but not with the people who Raymond left behind to run the school district. We should demand from our board that we will expect nothing less than a highly experienced superintendent with a track record we can judge them on for such issues as what he/she thinks about charter schools, school closings, parent engagement, common core, and who has a track record for promoting diversity among its staff. So remember the next time your Board member argues in favor of the least qualified candidate to run our school district: “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me!”


Union Election in Los Angeles: Meet Candidate Gaffney - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Union Election in Los Angeles: Meet Candidate Gaffney - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:



Union Election in Los Angeles: Meet Candidate Gaffney

Coleen Bondy, Los Angeles teacher, has prepared special coverage of the upcoming teacher's union election in her city. Here is her report:
United Teachers Los Angeles, the teachers' union for Los Angeles Unified School District, is holding elections for all of its major offices this spring. Ballots will be mailed out to the membership beginning Feb. 25.
Effective leadership has never been so critical to UTLA members as it is now. Teachers have endured years of brutal budget cuts, including furlough days, pink slips, increased class sizes, and have gone seven years without a raise.
In addition, LAUSD has implemented programs such as Breakfast in the Classroom that are wildly unpopular with teachers, who already deal with cleanliness issues in the classroom because of a lack of adequate custodial staffing.
LAUSD's school board appears to be charging full steam ahead on a plan to equip every student with an iPad, at a total cost of about $1 billion. It is planning to use bond money that voters 

@Every Learner: Someday Is Now — Whole Child Education

@Every Learner: Someday Is Now — Whole Child Education:



Whole Child Symposium

@Every Learner: Someday Is Now

2014 ASCD Annual ConferenceNow is the time to make a difference in the lives of our learners, to propel them into the world as beacons of success and hope. ASCD's 69th Annual Conference and Exhibit Show is two weeks away—it's not too late to participate!
The conference will be held in Los Angeles, California, March 15–17, 2014, and will showcase ideas and best-practice strategies that are driving student achievement and unlock ways to boost teacher and leadership effectiveness. Attendees will choose from more than 350 sessions that will enable them to prepare our world's learners to be creative, critically minded, and compassionate citizens. The conference's general session speakers include education luminaries such as Sir Ken Robinson, Daniel Pink, and Russell Quaglia. The conference is generously supported by sponsors including Microsoft, Adobe, and VINCI.
As you plan your conference experience, consider attending a whole child or policy session:
Saturday, March 15
  • A Whole Child Approach to School Improvement: The Opportunity to Make Change Happen
    At the ASCD Whole Child Theater, learn about school improvement, policy changes that are critical to school success, and a framework for intentional and targeted teaching.
  • Federal Education Policy and You
    Decisions made by policymakers in Washington, D.C., can influence educators' daily lives, from how teachers are evaluated to what student test scores are used for and the resources available to districts or schools. Learn about ASCD's positions and resources and how ASCD is actively advocating on your 
Getting to the Heart of Education: Listening to the Whole At-Risk Student
"Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all." —Aristotle Many at-risk students in schools are crying out for help with their real-life issues, yet many educators respond with an emphasis on academic proficiency skills. With today's stress on academic achievement at all costs with little regard for the mental, social, physical, emotional, or spiritual aspects

FEB 24

Everything Is Not Always Awesome, But It Can Be
A positive school culture is critical to the success of any school. As educators, we know that staying positive in the wake of planning, paperwork, meetings, grading, and all of the other administrative tasks is tough, especially when we got into this business because we love to work with students. It takes more effort than simply "putting on a happy face," as the musical number goes. Th

FEB 21

Every School Has Its Challenging Students
As educators, we are the gatekeepers for society and the nurturers of individuals. We have an obligation to teach all students, but some are really hard to teach. How can we promote safety and success for all, while supporting our challenging students to grow and learn? In this webinar, Jeffrey Benson, author of the ASCD book Hanging In: Strategies for Teaching the Students Who Challenge Us Most

FEB 20

Play: Is it Becoming Extinct?
Think back for a moment to when you were a young child. What games did you play? What things did you play at school? Do you remember your parents telling you to "go play?" I remember riding my bicycle, roller skating, getting together with the neighbor kids to play hide-and-seek, and Barbie's of course were my favorite! Today if a parent were to say "go play," would children kn

FEB 19

Personalized Professional Development Elements: Supporting the CCSS Transition
Personalized learning has proven effective for empowering students to monitor their learning, establish goals, and reflect on progress. As the the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) have become a target of focus for educators, we must consider how we are embarking on this learning journey as adults. Providing a professional atmosphere for personalized learning is essential in supporting teachers t
Throughout February and March: Building School Morale
Educators working in a positive school culture experience collegiality, trust, and tangible support as leaders and peers, creating an environment where there are high expectations, involvement in decision making, and open communication. Students entering a positive school culture feel safe, engaged, and connected and see school as a place where they can learn and contribute to the world around the

#ResistTFA and the Zero-Sum Game - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson

#ResistTFA and the Zero-Sum Game - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson:



#ResistTFA and the Zero-Sum Game

by JOSE VILSON on FEBRUARY 26, 2014
in JOSE
ZeroSumIn the middle of writing my piece on Jordan Davis and the lack of volume about the decision / non-decision on Michael Dunn, a few people bristled at the idea that Teach for America would use my piece as a rebuff of #ResistTFA, a trend started by education activists to combat the deleterious effects of Teach for America on K-12 education. Um, that’s not quite how it went down.
In fact, I knew about the hashtag, but I didn’t know when people would discuss this nor did I know that the conversation would make it to Al Jazeera or a few newspapers across the country. If anything, I wrote the Jordan Davis piece as its own isolated rejoinder to the ignorance I saw. I do mean ignorance in the truest sense of the word, for, to ignore this event is to ignore the students in front of you.
Unless you think you’re absolved from the results of a court case about a kid that looks like he could be my kid. Whatever works for you.
In any case, one commenter in particular found it curious that I would write this Davis piece because, “If the rule was that no one can speak out on an issue unless they have already spoken out on all the other concurrent tragedies, then everyone would have to go silent,” then went to try and challenge my record on these things.
A few things:
  • do speak to international issues, early and often. I speak on war, capitalism, race, gender, and homophobia frequently, but you’d actually have to know me to say that.
  • Me calling out folks for not speaking on these issues doesn’t dismiss any particular
- See more at: http://thejosevilson.com/resisttfa-zero-sum-game/#sthash.NuLiVF51.dpuf

solidaridad: Bill Gates and Steve Barr are trying to take over UTLA, again

solidaridad: Bill Gates and Steve Barr are trying to take over UTLA, again:



Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Arne Duncan: You’re a Liar, Common Core Will Destroy American Education | TheBlaze.com

Arne Duncan: You’re a Liar, Common Core Will Destroy American Education | TheBlaze.com:





Arne Duncan: You’re a Liar, Common Core Will Destroy American Education


Fred did a great job reporting exactly what Secretary Duncan said, without adding his own commentary. That’s what a good journalist does.
I, Pat Gray, however, am not a journalist. I definitely add commentary. Oh, and truth. Because Secretary Duncan flat out lied to Fred, and to you.
If you were to accept everything Secretary Duncan said at face value, you could easily say, “wow, this Common Core state standard thing sounds GREAT!”  That’s why I don’t recommend that you take everything he said, or what any Common Core advocate says, at face value.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan, speaks to the Associated Press during an interview in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013. Duncan says it's tough to prepare students for college when they're more worried about being killed than making it to graduation. Credit: AP
Education Secretary Arne Duncan, speaks to the Associated Press during an interview in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013. Duncan says it’s tough to prepare students for college when they’re more worried about being killed than making it to graduation. Credit: AP
Let’s start with Duncan’s claim that Common Core state education standards are not federal-level coercion, adding, as he put it, “as some Republicans in Congress have characterized them.”
That’s Duncan’s attempt to make this sound like a purely partisan issue. It isn’t. There are plenty of Republicans who are very much in favor of Common Core.  Some are names you know well, like Mike Huckabee, Jeb Bush, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval. Republicans can be just as wrong as Democrats sometimes, I think we’ve seen that.
As for Duncan’s claim that these standards are not federal-level coercion?
Well, let’s see; the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, (also known as the Stimulus Package) dangled federal funds like carrots in front of all 50 states to get them to adopt the 

AFT - Letter to N.J. Gov. Chris Christie

AFT - A Union of Professionals - Letter to N.J. Gov. Chris Christie:


Letter from Randi Weingarten to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on the school crisis in Newark

February 26, 2014
The Honorable Chris Christie
Governor of New Jersey
PO Box 001
Trenton, NJ 08625
Dear Governor Christie:
There is a crisis in Newark. And that crisis was made worse by your schools Superintendent Cami Anderson opting not to attend last night’s School Advisory Board meeting to hear the concerns and desires of parents, educators, students and the people of Newark.
Governor, you have complete and total control over the schools—the way they are managed, the way they are funded. The Newark community has met state requirements to regain local control twice now, in 2011 and 2013. But your administration kept changing the bar, and the state remains in control.
At the very least, then, your superintendent has the obligation to listen to the people of Newark—the people who send their children to our schools, and the people who spend their working lives trying to make a difference in children’s lives.
So we’re clear, please know I don’t condone disrespectful behavior, be it at a school board meeting or when, in my opinion, you bullied teachers. However, the potential that some at a school board meeting could be boisterous does not justify the superintendent skipping it entirely.
The people of Newark want their schools back. They don’t want the One Newark plan, and they have lost faith in the way Superintendent Anderson has managed the city’s public schools.
Let me explain. Superintendent Anderson dismantled the Global Village—a smart, community-driven effort to provide children with much-needed wraparound services. She ended the Newcomer program, which provided support for English language learners. Her “renew” schools efforts have yielded poor results. She quickly spent the sizable donation from Facebook. She suspended several administrators who disagreed with her, and she made backroom deals with charter operators. She is forcing through her One Newark plan despite public outcry. And now, under the guise of so-called budget problems, the superintendent has asked out-going state Education Commissioner Chris Cerf to allow her to waive our contract and state law, and wants to replace experienced teachers with new Teach for America recruits, who have never stepped into a classroom and have no qualifications to teach in the Newark schools.
We worked on that contract together. We agreed that it put into place policies that would be good for students and for teachers. You said yourself that it would “improve the quality of education across the City of Newark.” This is a failure of management, a failure of fiscal stewardship and a failure of instructional leadership.
Rather than deal with the fact that Newark students are suffering, school buildings are crumbling and staggering inequities persist, Superintendent Anderson would instead blame and mass fire the people who have devoted their lives to helping Newark’s children. 
Instead of driving deeper divisions and distrust in Newark, we need to be focused on solutions that work—early childhood education, wraparound services, project-based learning, professional development and more. We need to make Newark schools places where kids can build trusting relationships with each other and with adults, where they can learn the critical-thinking skills they need to compete in the 21st century, and where they develop the persistence and grit they’ll need to deal with adversity. 
Governor, the Newark community has made it known: They don’t want mass closings, mass firings or mass privatization. They want to regain local control of the district. They want to reclaim the promise of public education in Newark.
I ask you to listen. Give the people of Newark their schools and their future back.
Sincerely,
Randi Weingarten
cc:
Newark Superintendent Cami Anderson
Education Commissioner Chris Cerf
Newark Teachers Union President Joesph Del Grosso
AFT-New Jersey President Donna Chiera
State Senator Ronald Rice
State Senator M. Teresa Ruiz
State Senate President Steve Sweeney

Brevard Schools, Binggeli, the 1/2 cent sales tax increase – as sales tax money is being given away to Major League Soccer, Hollywood, vouchers to religious or politically affiliated… | Reclaim Reform

Brevard Schools, Binggeli, the 1/2 cent sales tax increase – as sales tax money is being given away to Major League Soccer, Hollywood, vouchers to religious or politically affiliated… | Reclaim Reform:



Brevard Schools, Binggeli, the 1/2 cent sales tax increase – as sales tax money is being given away to Major League Soccer, Hollywood, vouchers to religious or politically affiliated…

Brevard Supt. of Schools Brian Binggeli threatened potential cuts to arts programs while increasing class sizes, threatened to use temporary mobile classrooms, threatened to fire people, etc. IF the 1/2% (one half cent per dollar) sales tax increase doesn’t pass in November.
IMG_20140217_193359_401
This would seem fair if sales tax money wasn’t being given away by the hundreds of millions of dollars to special interest groups. We would pay the increased sales tax as certain select groups are handed the money. Not fair.
Threatened. Yes, that is the correct word. At the “informational meeting” at Viera H.S. on the night of Presidents Day, Feb. 17, a national holiday when schools are closed, Binggeli framed his arguments. He used massive projected charts which showed pages of people fired (For some reason, he said that no teachers would be fired – only contract workers who teach, whatever that means to him.), classes cut, class sizes increased, programs ended, bus problems left as-is, and lots more. Could be. Might happen.
Binggeli then professed to love every item on the lists, but somebody has to MAYBE cut, cut, cut. And Binggeli is the man to do it. So he said.
Now, IF the 1/2 cent sales tax passes, he MAY decide that SOME of these terrible things MIGHT NOT have to be done. NO PROMISES, mind you.
Dog and Pony Show2Binggeli promised to “take this show on the road” thirty times or more if necessary. And that is precisely what it is, a Dog and Pony 

Nite Cap 2-26-14 #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




Sacramento Needs a New Superintendent- A Corporate Reformer or A Community Builder?
Superintendent_Interview_Questions_-_Sample_4.pdf: Sacramento Needs a New Superintendent- A Corporate Reformer or A Community Builder? JR REPLACEMENT: An upgrade? What are your thoughts Parents and Community?Sara Noguchi, Ed. D.Interim SuperintendentSara Noguchi, Ed.D currently holds the position of Interim Superintendent at Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) in California. She has wo
Mother Crusader: Hebrew Charters: Does Crafty Compartmentalization of Secular and Religious Programs Equal A True Separation Of Church And State?
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Crunching Test Scores Isn't Enough to Educate Our Kids | Blog, Perspectives | BillMoyers.com
Crunching Test Scores Isn't Enough to Educate Our Kids | Blog, Perspectives | BillMoyers.com: Crunching Test Scores Isn’t Enough to Educate Our KidsFebruary 26, 2014by David Tansey and Elaine WeissStudents Julian Lopez, 12th grade, second left; Ben Montalbano, 11th grade, second right; and James Agostino, 12th grade, right; listen during their Advanced Placement (AP) Physics class at Woodrow Wilso
Adventures in Team Teaching | Connected Principals
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empathyeducates – Are Schools Asking to Drug Kids for Better Test Scores?
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NYC Educator: Major Moskowitz Meltown Comes Courting Cuomo
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Siena Poll: One Half of New Yorkers Support Two Year Delay of Common Core | Truth in American Education
Siena Poll: One Half of New Yorkers Support Two Year Delay of Common Core | Truth in American Education: Siena Poll: One Half of New Yorkers Support Two Year Delay of Common CoreFiled in Common Core State Standards, Education at State Level by Shane Vander Hart on February 26, 2014 • 0 Comments144Interesting poll from Siena College.Voters continue to be divided by the New York State Education Depa
A Student’s Voice Joins the Movement | Parents United for Public Education
A Student’s Voice Joins the Movement | Parents United for Public Education: A Student’s Voice Joins the MovementPosted on February 26, 2014 by SSPRAGUELOTTLeave a commentThousands of Philadelphia students walked out last spring to demand more resources in their schools. (Photo: Media Mobilizing Project)Hi, my name is Sadie Sprague-Lott and I am a junior at Science Leadership Academy (SLA) and an i
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Saturday in Austin
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New After School Standards - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)
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Choosing Democracy: Raza Educators Conference. March 1. Sacramento
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2-26-14 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week
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Eliminate Tech from the Education Discussion | My Island View
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2-26-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD
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Public Pension Reform Series | Brookings Institution
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2-26-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
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Wait, What? Educators Highly Satisfied With Classroom Autonomy, Morale | NEA Today
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Education Spring ‘Year Of Action’ Revs Up
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FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, February 26, 2014
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Fensterwald: Legislative Analyst suggests 3 ways to fix school busing formula -Education HeadlinesWednesday, February 26, 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.Parents drop Clovis Unified sex education suit
CURMUDGUCATION: Duncan's Pre-K Top 10
CURMUDGUCATION: Duncan's Pre-K Top 10: Duncan's Pre-K Top 10On Monday, February 23, Arne Duncan laid down some speaks on the National Governor's Association Winter Meeting. His prepared remarks touched on many areas of education, but he devoted much of his speaking to the issue of Pre-K.Mind you, Duncan did not speak about why Pre-K is a good idea or a valuable idea, nor did he speak about what Pr
Morning Wink 2-26-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 2-26-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Who Is the Man Funding the Vergara Trial?David Welch is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur who is spending millions of dollars in legal fees to try to strip teachers of any due process rights or job
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 2-26-14 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 Is the Man Funding the Vergara Trial?David Welch is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur who is spending millions of dollars in legal fees to try to strip teachers of any due process rights or job security. Who is he and who are his allies? This investigative report provides some answers, though no one can truly explain the animus tow
Big Easy, Little Choice | EduShyster
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2-26-14 @ The Chalk Face
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2-26-14 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): “Hunting Scapegoats”: WWII Literacy Crisis and Current Education Reform“Historians often mention World War II as a time when expectations for schooling and literacy really took off,” explains Deborah Brandt, “when what was considered an adequate level of education moved
2-26-14 Wait What?
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2-26-14 The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: Education reform and the corrosion of community responsibilityThe law of unintended consequences essentially states that individual and government actions always have some unintended consequences. In the following post, Arthur H. Camins writes about the unintended consequences of many education reform policies. Camins is the director of the Center for Innovation in Engineering an
solidaridad: The Impact of Proposition 209 and Our Duty to Our Students
solidaridad: The Impact of Proposition 209 and Our Duty to Our Students: The Impact of Proposition 209 and Our Duty to Our StudentsI'm so glad my university is finally taking a stand on the racist Proposition 209, and is thinking of ways to encourage diversity!Office of the ChancellorTo the Campus Community:Nearly two decades have passed since Californians voted to end affirmative action in admiss
2-2614 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida ALL Week
Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: Has Top FLDOE Numbers Cruncher Changed Her Tune On VAM?The Florida Department of Education vigorously opposed the release of controversial VAM data. FlaglerLive quotes chief of staff Kathy Hebda on the release: Monday, the Department of Education released masses of data
2-26-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Another Study Demonstrates The Ineffectiveness Of Extrinsic Motivation, But Also Something More….Yet another study has found that extrinsic motivation is not a effective in enhancing motivation. Since there is so much research showing this already, that’s not really big news. But it’s the details of this study that are part
2-26-14 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.: Karen Lewis. Standardized testing and the Eugenics movement.- Karen GJ Lewis is the President of the Chicago Teachers Union and National Board Certified Teacher. Many people who are convinced that standardized tests are reliable and valid indicators of student learning are not only sadly mistaken, but
2-26-14 Engaging Parents In School All Week… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": “Research Review Gives Thumbs Up to Community Schools Approach”Research Review Gives Thumbs Up to Community Schools Approach the headline of a post at Education Week. Here’s an excerpt: In the wake of newly elected New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s pledge to open 100 community schools, a report released Tuesday finds promise
2-26-14 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: The Lies Randi Tells on TwitterRandi Weingarten ‏@rweingarten  @beth_dimino @pfh1964-be4 u criticize know the facts-@uft had a rank & file comm including all caucuses & got overwhelming support at DA mtgWhile New Action enthusiastically supported the UFT charters, ICE -- if I am not mistaken, a caucus in the UFT, opposed it with Michael Fiorillo leading the charge and in f
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 2-26-14
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Libraries Are Vital To Student SuccessCSFDaily Titan Opinion By Michael Chen in the Cal State Fullerton Daily Titan | http://bit.ly/1o50Nci February 25, 2014  ::  The importance of libraries cannot be understated. Thousands of students across the state use libraries as a quiet haven to study, conduct research and to collaborate with their fellow classma
The Quick and the Ed » CTE Teacher Evaluation: One Size Does Not Fit All
The Quick and the Ed » CTE Teacher Evaluation: One Size Does Not Fit All: One size does not fit all when it comes to Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher evaluation.CTE teachers instruct in a number of fields (from health sciences and engineering to design and culinary services) and in a wide variety of settings (from typical middle or high school classrooms, to special in-school labs, to
2-26-14 V.A.M.: Value Added Measure
V.A.M.: Value Added Measure: Educators 4 ExecutionIn trying to find my voice as a teacher to effectively help improve education in the United States, I encountered E4E, a teacher-centered group advocating such things as merit pay, teacher evaluations based upon value-added measures and an end to LIFO (Last In First Out).  I was hooked.  It soon became apparent to me, however, that this organizatio
2-26-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Eva Moskowitz Only Closes Success Academies When She Needs Kids For A Photo OpStudents at Success Academies don't get too many days off from school - except when Eva Moskowitz needs them for political reasons. New York City charter school leaders are planning a massive rally at the state Capitol next Tuesday, as they pivot their advocacy to Albany afer failing to make progre
Community Schools Build Human Connection Lacking in Technocratic School “Reform” | janresseger
Community Schools Build Human Connection Lacking in Technocratic School “Reform” | janresseger: Community Schools Build Human Connection Lacking in Technocratic School “Reform”Posted on February 26, 2014 by janressegerChild Trends, an education policy group that conducts research on strategies to improve the lives of children, has just released a new report  (summary) on what are most often called
How Schools Can Give Men the Skills They Need to Be Good Dads - Christine Gross-Loh - The Atlantic
How Schools Can Give Men the Skills They Need to Be Good Dads - Christine Gross-Loh - The Atlantic: How Schools Can Give Men the Skills They Need to Be Good DadsApprenticeship programs have the potential to help young men get better jobs and develop relationship abilities.Jason Cohn/ReutersYoung men are more likely to drop out of high school and are less likely to aspire to college than their fema
Shame on you, Cami Anderson! | Bob Braun's Ledger
Shame on you, Cami Anderson! | Bob Braun's Ledger: Shame on you, Cami Anderson!State Sen. Ronald Rice and NJEA President Wendell Steinhauer confer at last night’s school board meetingCami Anderson,  Gov. Chris Christie’s appointee to run the Newark schools, is either afraid of, or contemptuous of, the people of Newark. She is imposing a hotly contested school closing plan on the city, selling off
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Saucedo test boycott -- 'A step towards reclaiming humanity, joy of learning and education.'
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Saucedo test boycott -- 'A step towards reclaiming humanity, joy of learning and education.': Saucedo test boycott -- 'A step towards reclaiming humanity, joy of learning and education.'A SmallTalk Salute...This one goes out to the 40 teachers at Maria Saucedo Elementary Scholastic Academy who voted unanimously Tuesday to boycottthe Illinois Standards Achievement Tes

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Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 2-24-15 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
Nite Cap UPDATEUPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATECORPORATE ED REFORMThe war on teachers: Test 'em all, let God sort 'em outArne Duncan demands Value-Added teacher evaluation asking, “What’s there to hide?”BUSH MENTALITY...Remember when Bush and Cheney decided to invade Iraq even though they knew Iraq had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks and that there were no WMDs? Now that same mentality is being use
Nite Cap 2-25-14 #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 CAPBULLETIN: Cami to Newark: I won’t show. Ever. | Bob Braun's LedgerBULLETIN: Cami to Newark: I won’t show. Ever. | Bob Braun's Ledger: BULLETIN: Cami to Newark: I won’t show. Ever.Cami will meet with one mayoral candidate but not parents or teache