Russ on Reading: Dispatches from the Front NPE Conference in Austin, Texas

Russ on Reading: Dispatches from the Front:

Dispatches from the Front

Russ on Reading goes to the Network for Public Education Conference in Austin, Texas

I am feeling so fortunate to be here in Austin with so many passionate advocates for public education. There is literally a public education hero around every corner. Today I met superstar superintendent John Kuhn, author of Test and Punish, which I reviewed here. In one session I sat next to Karen Lewis, charasmatic president of the Chicago Teachers Union. In another session I got to meet and talk for a few moments with long time child and school advocate Deborah Meier. I had a morning conversation with blogger and teacher Anthony Cody who writes the Living in Dialogue blog for Education Week. I traded tweets with the wonderfully witty blogger Edushyster.

I haven't been among a gathering of this many passionate progressives since I marched in the Moratorium Against Vietnam in 1969. 

The best quote of the day came from John Kuhn in his fiery keynote address: "Our kids education shouldn't be a sandbox for rich people." 

Kuhn's speech was full of such trenchant fare including, "The purpose of 

Schoolhouse Live Watch live streaming video NPE National Conference 2014

Schoolhouse Live: Watch live streaming video from schoolhouselive at livestream.comNPE National Conference 2014November 24, 2013 NPE National Conference, NPE NewsThe Network for Public Education is pleased to announce our first National Conference. The event will take place on March 1 & 2, 2014 (the weekend prior to the world-famous South by Southwest Festival) at The University of Texas at Au

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Twitter Chat 3.3.14 at 8:30PM EST – Authentic Incorporation of #StuVoice into Corporate Work Student Voice

Student Voice:



Twitter Chat 3.3.14 at 8:30PM EST – Authentic Incorporation of #StuVoice into Corporate Work 

Join us this Monday, March 3rd, at 8:30PM EST using the #StuVoice hashtag to talk about authentic incorporation of #StuVoice into corporate work. This special chat will be joined by corporations live from SXSW Edu to provide insight into the conversation. - See more at: http://stuvoice.org/blog/2014/03/01/twitter-chat-3-3-14-authentic-incorporation-of-stuvoice-into-corporate-work/

The Network For Public Education | Network for Public Education endorses Ras Baraka for Mayor of Newark, New Jersey:

Network for Public Education endorses Ras Baraka for Mayor of Newark, New Jersey

February 10, 2014 NPE Endorsements

The Network for Public Education enthusiastically endorses Ras Baraka for Mayor of the great city of Newark, New Jersey. Mr. Baraka currently serves on the Newark City Council and he is a leader in the fight against school closures & privatization.

Councilman Baraka had a long career as an educator – ten years as an elementary teacher, and twelve as an administrator. He also served as a teachers union representative for five years. This experience gives him a deep understanding of the challenges facing our schools, which was reflected in his responses to the questions posed by NPE.

Councilman Baraka said, “…our focus must be on strengthening, and enhancing our traditional public schools as the core educational reform strategy.” He is an advocate of small class sizes, and supports the right of parents to control their students’ private data. He is aware of the flaws in the corporate reform model now being implemented in Newark, and told us: “The notion that teachers are solely responsible for educational outcomes of children is a political view that is unsubstantiated by any research.”

The Network for Public Education only endorses candidates with a clear commitment to our schools. Councilman Baraka has lived that commitment, and The Network for Public Education offers him our strong support.

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: About Gulen charter schools + Gulen 101 webinar video

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: About Gulen charter schools + Gulen 101 webinar video:

About Gulen charter schools + Gulen 101 webinar video

(Video added 1/30/2014)

Some of the videos shown during the presentation have been deleted from the video, but you will find them online.

Portion of Gulen sermon
Portion of scholar Joshua Hendrick's talk at Gulen conference sponsored by the Rumi Forum 
Portion of Dr. Oz from Faces of America
Portion of Turkish Language Olympiad Missouri Finals
Portion of 4th New York Turkish Olympiads (student "whirling dervishes")
Portion of Actual Sema Ceremony (real "whirling dervishes")
Portion of TMSA Festival Students Dancing Semmame (Greensboro) 
Portion of TMSA Festival Turkish Song "Soyleymedim"(Greensboro)

  
--------------------------------------------------------

About Gulen charter schools 

In 1999, members of the Gulen Movement, a secretive and controversial cult-like religious group,opened their first charter school in the U.S. (in Ohio). Rapid expansion of the Gulen Movement's network has resulted in the largest charter school chain in the U.S.  (See my guest article in the Washington Post, "Largest charter school network in the U.S.: Schools tied to Turkey."3/27/2012). During the 2011-2012 school year, 135 Gulen charter schools operated in 26 states. 

This increasingly well-rooted network provides the Gulen Movement with daily access to the minds of over 45,000 students, and yearly access to hundreds of millions of hard-earned tax dollars. How did it come to pass that most Americans, including these students' parents, are completely 

Fethullah Gulen: Turkey's prime minister says all schools run by arch-rival must close | Al Jazeera America

Turkey's prime minister says all schools run by arch-rival must close | Al Jazeera America:

Turkey's prime minister says all schools run by arch-rival must close

March 1, 2014 8:30PM ET

Erdrogan wants academies run by exiled critic Fethullah Gulen to shutter

Topics:

 

Turkey

 

International

A Turkish protester holds up a banner with pictures of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen during a demonstration against the government on Dec. 30, 2013 in Istanbul. 

2013 AFP

Turkey's parliament has voted to close private preparatory schools, many of which are a source of income and influence for an Islamic cleric accused by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of covertly seeking to topple him.

The move is the latest as Erdogan battles months of protests calling for his ouster over charges that his government is corrupt and ineffective.

Lawmakers late on Friday set a deadline of Sept. 1, 2015 to shut the schools, Turkish news channels reported. Millions of students prepare at the centers for entrance examinations to win limited spots at state high schools and universities.

The row between Erdogan and his former ally, cleric Fethullah Gulen, erupted in November when government first floated the idea of shutting down the schools, a major source of income for Gulen's Hizmet movement.

In December, a corruption scandal led to dozens of Erdogan's allies being detained in police raids on allegations of bribery in construction projects, gold smuggling and illicit dealings with Iran.

Erdogan accused so-called Gulenists implanted in Turkey's police and judiciary of being behind the graft probe in a bid to undermine his government.

"Pull your kids out, if they go to these schools. State schools are enough," Erdogan told a campaign rally in the western town of Denizli on Saturday.

"They have sucked like leeches. Leeches are more virtuous: leeches suck dirty blood, while they 

Getting to the Heart of Education: Listening to the Whole At-Risk Student — Whole Child Education

Getting to the Heart of Education: Listening to the Whole At-Risk Student — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

Getting to the Heart of Education: Listening to the Whole At-Risk Student

February 25, 2014 by Stephen Sroka

"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 of the whole student, many teachers teach tests and not students. Students become grade-point averages and not people. And many students tune out and drop out, literally or figuratively. What do our at-risk students need? What can you do to make a difference?

Teaching across the country, from the poor inner cities to the rich suburbs and on isolated reservations, I have had the opportunity to dialogue with at-risk youth. In these diverse settings, I have asked students for suggestions on how we can reach and teach the whole at-risk student. Students shared their thoughts, reproduced below, on how to retain, engage, challenge, support, and educate all students.

What problems would you remove from your school?

• Apathy of teachers and students
• Not being challenged
• Not feeling welcomed
• Bullying and fighting
• Discrimination
• Boring classes
• Standardized

Bring Yourself to Work Every Day to Build Trust, Morale, and Culture — Whole Child Education

Bring Yourself to Work Every Day to Build Trust, Morale, and Culture — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGBring Yourself to Work Every Day to Build Trust, Morale, and CultureFebruary 27, 2014 by Whole Child PodcastDownload Podcast Now [Right-Click to Save]Educators working in a positive school culture experience collegiality, trust, and tangible support as leaders and peers, creating an en

by mike simpson / 1h 

The False Markets of Market Based Reforms | School Finance 101

The False Markets of Market Based Reforms | School Finance 101:

The False Markets of Market Based Reforms

Posted on March 1, 2014

0

I’ve not spent a great deal of time talking about “corporate reform,” “privatization” or “market based reform,” mainly because I find these labels unproductive and oversimplified. Most of which occurs in our public and private sectors (also a simplification) and provision of public and private goods and services is far more nuanced – well beyond simple classification. Further, as I have noted on a few occasions, the rhetoric which emanates from one side or the other of these ideological debates is often entirely inconsistent. See for example, my explanation that strategies being promoted for public schools as derivative of successful private sector industry are anything but. That which is pitched as “corporate reform” is little more than failed private sector management.

A similar hypocrisy has been nagging at me lately, and I’ve touched on it, in part, on a few previous posts (here’s one). That is, there are sweeping claims that many of the policies being advanced these days are about capitalizing on the virtues of free markets – that we are trying to use the rationality that emerges from less regulated private sector markets to achieve more efficient production of high quality schools.

Enter charter schools and alternative pathways to the teaching profession.

Two interconnected strategies that are often discussed under this umbrella are a) the expansion of charter schooling and b) reduction of barriers to entry to the teaching profession through 

Coop’s Childhood Part 4 – Boys, Bushes, Baseball & Beyond | Lefty Parent

Coop’s Childhood Part 4 – Boys, Bushes, Baseball & Beyond | Lefty Parent:

Coop’s Childhood Part 4 – Boys, Bushes, Baseball & Beyond

March 1st, 2014 at 15:11

Lilac bushes in Almendinger Park

The brooding and mostly repressed sexuality of America in the 1950s that I was born into, was being transformed by a sexual revolution that was taking form in the early 1960s. The seeds of this insurrection included Zoologist Alfred Kinsey’sreports on his research on human sexuality in males (1948) and females (1953), along with French feminist writer Simone de Beauvoir’s book, The Second Sex (1949), starting to rekindle the feminist movement including the right of women to have the same freedom to express and act on their sexual desires as men.

Many of my huge Baby-Boom generation born starting in 1946 into a burgeoning middle class after World War II were beginning to come of age in a relatively prosperous America. We had better access to education, and through the growing electronic media of radio and television, access to a popular culture that included championing the expression of sexuality and other forms of human liberation. Facilitated by the development of a reliablebirth control pill in 1960, elements of American culture were moving away from traditional values and social strictures towards more permissive and informalized attitudes. Rock-and-roll music, emerging in the 1950s borrowing from black R&B roots and becoming mainstream in the 60s was a huge cultural 

Few Great Picks Among Teacher Movies | InterACT

Few Great Picks Among Teacher Movies | InterACT:

Few Great Picks Among Teacher Movies

MARCH 1, 2014

tags: Edutopia, movies

by David B. Cohen

Over at Edutopia, there’s a discussion brewing about which film would deserve the Oscar for Best Teacher Movie. The conversation spilled over to Twitter a bit as well. Some of the movies are more broadly about education, not just teaching, of course. I have to say I’m not a huge fan of any of the leading contenders – at least, not if we think of them as teaching or education movies.Dead Poets Society, Mr. Holland’s Opus, and Goodbye, Mr. Chips seem to lead the pack among purely fictional stories, while Stand and Deliver and Freedom Writers, and Dangerous Minds are the based-on-a-true-story leading contenders.

Some of these are fine films, dramatic and compelling, well-written and full of good performances. But looking at them as teacher movies, only Mr. Chips leaves me with an unambiguously positive feeling. (I haven’t seen Dangerous Minds). The other movies show passionate teachers, but their passion becomes the centerpiece of the story; that might make for good narrative, but it doesn’t capture what I love about teaching or would want other to understand about good teaching. There’s also a significant cost – teachers sacrificing health, family time, jobs and marriages.

When it’s fictional, or a dramatized version of real life, it’s easy for viewers to shake their heads about the downsides and celebrate the good. In reality, the burnout and familial discord hav

The truth about ADHD: Over-diagnosis linked to cause championed by Michelle Rhee - Salon.com

The truth about ADHD: Over-diagnosis linked to cause championed by Michelle Rhee - Salon.com:

The truth about ADHD: Over-diagnosis linked to cause championed by Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee

Researchers have discovered a disturbing link between over-diagnosis and the proliferation of standardized testing

CAROLINE MILLER

There has been a lot of public agonizing lately about the steep rise in diagnoses of ADHD over the last two decades. There is growing, and justifiable, worry that a lot of kids are being put on stimulant medications who don’t need them.

What there hasn’t been is a plausible theory about what’s driving this explosion of diagnoses — 40 percent over the last decade and more than 50 percent over 25 years. The CDC now estimates that 12 percent of school age kids, and as many as 20 percent of teenage boys have been diagnosed with ADHD.

Blame has been directed at parents, for being so poor at discipline that they reach for a pill to make unruly kids settle down. Teachers are blamed for being so inept at maintaining order that they want students medicated into submission. Psychiatrists are blamed for being the pawns of drug companies peddling ADHD meds. But blaming doesn’t explain it. It’s not credible that an increase of this magnitude comes from individual parents, teachers and doctors suddenly pathologizing ordinary child and adolescent behavior. In my experience, most parents are quite reluctant to put their kids on psychotropic medication unless they’re in serious distress.

Now comes a book that, finally, offers a data-based analysis that could begin to account for an increase on this scale. “The ADHD Explosion,“ by Stephen Hinshaw and Richard Scheffler, considers all kinds of factors that may contribute to the surge, from diagnosis by undertrained and harried pediatricians to pharmaceutical advertising. But the eye-opening insight from Hinshaw, a clinical psychologist, and Schleffler, a health economist, who are colleagues at University of California, Berkeley, is the correlation between educational policies and the 

Nite Cap 3-1-14 #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

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Teach For America's unspoken alliance with the one percent | MyFDL

Teach For America's unspoken alliance with the one percent | MyFDL: Teach For America’s unspoken alliance with the one percentBy: danps Saturday March 1, 2014 5:44 am  Tweet9  Cross posted from Pruning Shears.Not being an educator, my knowledge of Teach For America (TFA) has been scant. Basically: it was a component of the Americorps program created during the Clinton administration, and plugged w

4 by mike simpson / 2h 

Marie Corfield's New Blog: Ras Baraka: The Cake Boss of Public Education

Marie Corfield: Ras Baraka: The Cake Boss of Public Education(Note: this is my very first blog post. Please bear with me as I learn to navigate blogspot.)My daughter is a foodie. She’s only 14 but she loves to watch cooking shows. Two of her favorites are:Chopped where “four chefs compete before a panel of expert judges and turn baskets of mystery ingredients into an extraordinary three-course mea

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2nd Banana 3-1-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post #EDchat #EDreform #RealEdTalk #p2 #1u

BIG EDUCATION APE 2ND BANANARECAP OF LAST WEEK'S BEST POST Nite Cap 2-28-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2James 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 CAPSchoolhouse LiveSchoolhouse Live Watch live streaming video NPE National Conference 2014Schoolhouse Live: Watch live streaming video from

by mike simpson / 6h 

Morning Wink 3-1-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSClarifications on Charter Rent & Equitable Portfolio Management | School Finance 101Clarifications on Charter Rent & Equitable Portfolio Management | School Finance 101: Clarifications on Charter Rent & Equitable Portfolio ManagementPosted on March 1, 20140      Rate ThisDianne Ravitch today titled her post on my recent Think Tank Review to sug

1 by mike simpson / 7h 

Clarifications on Charter Rent & Equitable Portfolio Management | School Finance 101

Clarifications on Charter Rent & Equitable Portfolio Management | School Finance 101: Clarifications on Charter Rent & Equitable Portfolio ManagementPosted on March 1, 20140      Rate ThisDianne Ravitch today titled her post on my recent Think Tank Review to suggest that I agree with Mayor Bill De Blasio that some charter schools can afford to pay rent.This statement while true as worded,

by mike simpson / 7h 

V.A.M.: Value Added Measure: The Fine Art of Advertising Bad Teachers in N.Y.C.

V.A.M.: Value Added Measure: The Fine Art of Advertising Bad Teachers in N.Y.C.: The Fine Art of Advertising Bad Teachers in N.Y.C.When I decided to become a teacher, twenty some odd years ago, I realized that I wouldn't have the same clout as a doctor or as a lawyer; yet, I never imagined in a million years that my chosen profession--which seemed noble at the time--would become the butt of billbo

by mike simpson / 7h 

Whose Failing Grade Is It? - ParentAdvocates.org

Parent Advocates - ParentAdvocates.org: Whose Failing Grade Is It?SINCE the subject today is schooling, let’s start with a quiz: 1. A third grader in Florida is often late for class. She tends to forget her homework and is unprepared for tests. The teacher would like to talk to her parents about this, but they fail to attend parent-teacher conferences. The teacher should: a) Fail the student; b) F

by mike simpson / 7h 

3-1-14 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):Candidates for open District 1 seat to join forum on MondayResidents of LA Unified District 1 will have an early look at some of the candidates for the open board seat on Monday, when Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, at 4269 S Figueroa St., holds its weekly conference for area ministers. A candidates’ forum is s

1 by mike simpson / 7h 

Stephen Krashen Blog 3-1-14

SKrashen:Invest in libraries and librariansSent to Los Angeles Times, Feb 24.Research and common sense tell us that we get better at reading (and writing, spelling, grammar and vocabulary) when we read a lot.  But we can only read a lot if we have access to books. Most students in LAUSD are without access to books: they have nowhere to turn. Eighty percent of LAUSD students live in poverty, which

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

3-1-14 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week

With A Brooklyn Accent:With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All WeekLife of a Bronx TeacherWorst year ever. Low morale, attack observations, endless Danielson rubrics. common Core standards every meeting, Talent coaches, Pre post post and midline test only for VAM ratings, making teachers have to teach every second, fearing that god forbid a class just relaxes and we show a piece of humanity. Hatred of

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

3-1-14 Open Congress : Major Bill Actions Education This Week - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress:Bill Introduced: H.R. 4086: Afterschool for America's Children ActTo amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to improve 21st Century Community Learning Centers.6h YESTERDAYBill Introduced: S. 2036: Keeping All Students Safe ActA bill to protect all school children against harmful and life-threatening seclusion and restraint practices.1d FEB

2 by mike simpson / 8h 

3-1-14 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:Scathing Purple Musings  Color me purple in Florida ALL WeekFort Myers News-Press: For Teachers, VAM Doesn’t Add UpFrom the editors of the News-Press: Think back to a schoolteacher who had a positive impact on your life. Chances are, your choice wasn’t based on explanatio

2 by mike simpson / 8h 

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog 3-1-14

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog:untitledPolice finally caught the most wanted criminal, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. He was known as the drug lord who escaped the police for a decade and has been finally caught.  Guzmán was allegedly found in a hotel.. At first when the marines knocked on the door, El Chapo  sneaked out through a hidden exit in a bathroom ,but however was still caught after he was captur

2 by mike simpson / 8h 

teacherken at Daily Kos This Week 3-1-14

teacherken at Daily Kos:teacherken at Daily Kos This WeekAn odd week in my classroomOne reason it was odd is that there were no interruptions or cancellations due to weather - as of now it looks like that trend will be broken at the beginning of next week. The week started out strong - we were observed by principals and the assistant superintendent for our cluster/region.  Several came into my 2nd

2 by mike simpson / 8h 

All Week @ The Answer Sheet 3-1-14

The Answer Sheet:All Week @ The Answer SheetA video that shows why teachers are going out of their mindsThe video below is not a parody. It shows Chicago Public School teachers in a professional development session that will make you understand why teachers are going out of their minds and to what extent administrators have infantilized teachers. Here is the video’s description on YouTube:  This p

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

3-1-14 Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Schooling in the Ownership Society All Week

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog:Schooling in the Ownership SocietyMike Klonsky's SmallTalk Schooling in the Ownership SocietyByrd-Bennett goes postal. Boycott movement grows.Nice flight down to Austin this morning. It seemed like half the plane (slight exaggeration) was filled with Chicago, NPE Conference goers.  Hilarious -- there was $8 Wi-Fi available on Southwest and next thing I knew everyone o

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

3-1-14 Wait What? All Week

Wait What?:  Wait What? All WeekMore and more teachers are leading the opt-out effort.Just this in from Chicago, a growing number of Chicago public schools teachers, like public school teachers in Seattle are standing up and taking on the corporate education reform industry’s absurd, unfair and inappropriate standardized testing frenzy. Guy Brandenburg, a fellow pro-public education advocate and b

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

3-1-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum:Seattle Schools Community ForumFriday Open ThreadWedgwood teacher, Kelly Clark, has been given the 2014 Civic Educator of the Year Award.  From Rep Gerry Pollet's office:  The award is sponsored by the Washington State Legislature to honor outstanding instructors in civics education.   Other SPS honorees:• Lori Dunn, program manager for Physical Education and Health

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

3-1-14 Ed Notes Online Week

Ed Notes Online: Ed Notes OnlineCharter Wars: Community Charters Eva Rally, Support Mayor Alt Rally for Pre-KA political play by anti-Eva charter faction? PLEASE MR. De B, CAN I HAVE SOME MORE RENT-FREE SPACE?I have mixed feelings about posting this charter propaganda piece, but I'll bite. They have termed themselves "community-based" charters. Someone else would have to check them out t

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

3-1-14 Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All Week

Jersey Jazzman:Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All WeekNo One Does Charter School Stupid Like the Star-LedgerOh, my stars and garters, this is so massively dumb:A charter school in Hoboken, “Hola,” is doing a terrific job educating kids with an innovate dual-language program, and parents are lining up to compete for scarce seats. Hola’s innovation is to immerse kids in both Spanish and English instruction

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

3-1-14 Fred All Week Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Fred All Week Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacherThis video of CPS Professional Development goes viral. PD on crack.Thanks to the Washington Post’s Valerie Strauss, this video of Chicago Public School ISAT preparation and Professional Development has gone viral. This presenter w

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

3-1-14 Perdido Street School Week

Perdido Street School: Perdido Street School WeekSupporting De Blasio On The Charter School IssueMichael Fiorillo on the war Eva Moskowitz, Andrew Cuomo and the media launched against Bill de Blasio over the charter school issue:Public school teachers, parents and students are in a tough position here. While De Blasio has not been as strong as people hoped - no surprise to many readers of this blo

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

3-1-14 the becoming radical EMPATHYEDUCATES! | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD

THE BECOMING RADICALRadical ScholarshipEMPATHYEDUCATES!the becoming radical  A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by How Not to Panic When Your Toddler Sounds a Little RacistGeneric image | THINKSTOCK By Jenée Desmond-Harris | Originally Published at The Root. February 26 2014 1:00 AM “My 3-year-old daughter attends preschool at a public charter in Washington, D.C. The school draws students citywide

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 3-1-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT  Teachers: LA SCHOOLS’ ARTS+MUSIC EDUCATION BUDGET ‘A STEP IN THE WRONG DIRECTION’●●smf: I would say half-as-much Arts Ed to twice-as-many students is two steps in two wrong directions! (When you multiply fractions you get less.) Mary Plummer, Education Reporter | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC http://bit.ly/1hg6pA7  

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Week… 3-1-14 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFLLARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAYCalifornia PTA Trying To Bounce Back From Election FiascoThe California PTA made some horrible miscalculations leading to the November, 2012 elections (see California PTA Sets Back Parent Engagement Efforts In State) and, though they have a long way to go, it appears to me they are making s

by mike simpson / 8h 

This Week's Education Research Report 3-1-14 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Education Research ReportTHIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORTKids who are 'held back' contribute to disruptive middle school environmentWhen students repeat a grade, it can spell trouble for their classmates, according to a new Duke University-led study of nearly 80,000 middle-schoolers.In schools with high numbers of grade repeaters , suspensions were more likely to occur across the school commu

by mike simpson / 8h 

3-1-14 Schools Matter All Week

Schools Matter:  Schools Matter All WeekNewark AFT Members Begin to Suffer Effects of Weingarten DealThe following links and annotations are from Ken Derstine in Philadelphia.  We have to wonder how much longer Diane Ravitch will keep her buried while Randi Weingarten makes off with more millions in hard-earned dues from teachers who are losing their jobs because of Randi’s complicity with CorpEd

by mike simpson / 8h 

All Week 3-1-14 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: All Week @ THE CHALK FACE My Open Letter to Dennis Van RoekelMr. Van Roekel: I haven’t formally thanked you for allowing me to share the stage with you in December of last year at the NCUEA conference in Austin. It was an enlightening experience for me and it was a pleasure to meet you. I remember being pleasantly surprised by your speech! Your insistence tha

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LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 3-1-14 #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2

Diane Ravitch's blogLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONGDIANE RAVITCH'S BLOGRobert Shepherd’s Reformish LexiconRobert Shepherd, a frequent contributor to this blog, has started his own blog. Our of our brilliant friend’s first contributions is a “Reformish lexicon ” in which he attempts to translate the language of “reform” into plain English. If you have more words for him, send them in. There a

by mike simpson / 8h 

YESTERDAY

Chicago Test Boycott - Second School Joins In - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Chicago Test Boycott - Second School Joins In - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Chicago Test Boycott - Second School Joins InBy Anthony Cody on February 28, 2014 10:38 PMGuest post by Michelle Gunderson.An 8 year old child sits at a desk separated and isolated from peers. There is a paper and pencil test placed in front with a bubble-in answer sheet. The teacher reads the scripted ins

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Portland students stand in solidarity with teachers’ strike | Classroom Struggle

Portland students stand in solidarity with teachers’ strike | Classroom Struggle: Portland students stand in solidarity with teachers’ strikeCheck out this video of students speaking out in solidarity with the teachers’ union in Portland. What would it take to build this type of solidarity between teachers and students in Oakland? Portland teachers prove the power of solidaritySarah Levy reports o

1 by mike simpson / 16h 

California PTA Trying To Bounce Back From Election Fiasco | Engaging Parents In School…

California PTA Trying To Bounce Back From Election Fiasco | Engaging Parents In School…: California PTA Trying To Bounce Back From Election FiascoFebruary 28, 2014 by Larry FerlazzoThe California PTA made some horrible miscalculations leading to the November, 2012 elections (seeCalifornia PTA Sets Back Parent Engagement Efforts In State) and, though they have a long way to go, it appears to me the

1 by mike simpson / 19h 

empathyeducates – How Not to Panic When Your Toddler Sounds a Little Racist

empathyeducates – How Not to Panic When Your Toddler Sounds a Little Racist: How Not to Panic When Your Toddler Sounds a Little RacistGeneric image | THINKSTOCKBy Jenée Desmond-Harris | Originally Published at The Root. February 26 2014 1:00 AMRace Manners: My white preschooler thinks she should do what “kids that are the same color” do at lunch. Help!“My 3-year-old daughter attends preschool at a

1 by mike simpson / 19h 

Parents support Chicago teacher test boycott | Parents Across America

Parents support Chicago teacher test boycott | Parents Across America: Parents support Chicago teacher test boycott Parents Across America, Chicago-based Parents United for Responsible Education, and
the Chicago coalition More Than a Score strongly support the teachers at Chicago’s Saucedo
and Drummond schools and any other teachers in Chicago or elsewhere in Illinois who are refusing to administe

1 by mike simpson / 19h 

SBE Agenda for March 2014 - State Board of Education (CA Dept of Education)

SBE Agenda for March 2014 - State Board of Education (CA Dept of Education): SBE Agenda for March 2014Agenda for the California State Board of Education (SBE) meeting on March 12-13, 2014.State Board MembersMichael W. Kirst, PresidentIlene W. Straus, Vice PresidentSue BurrCarl CohnBruce HoladayAida MolinaPatricia A. RuckerNiki SandovalTrish WilliamsJesse Y. Zhang, Student MemberVacancySecretary &a

1 by mike simpson / 20h 

Russ on Reading: The Common Core: Devils and Details

Russ on Reading: The Common Core: Devils and Details: The Common Core: Devils and DetailsI have the honor of speaking on a panel with other education bloggers at the Network for Public Education Conference in Austin, TX this weekend. Here is some of what I will say.When I began my journey addressing the Common Core State Standards in my blog one year ago, I was quite naïve. I assumed that the Comm

1 by mike simpson / 20h 

Nite Cap 2-28-14 #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 CAPSchoolhouse LiveSchoolhouse Live Watch live streaming video NPE National Conference 2014Schoolhouse Live: Watch live streaming video from schoolhouselive at livestream.comNPE National Conference 2014November 24, 2013 NPE National Conference, NPE

3 by mike simpson / 23h 

2nd Banana 3-1-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

2nd Banana 2-22-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 

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2nd Banana 1-18-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 

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