Tuesday, March 4, 2014

NYC Public School Parents: inBloom executives finally testify before the NYS Assembly; what a sad spectacle it was

NYC Public School Parents: inBloom executives finally testify before the NYS Assembly; what a sad spectacle it was:

nBloom executives finally testify before the NYS Assembly; what a sad spectacle it was

See the videotaped testimony of NYSED's Ken Wagner, along with a crew from inBloom Inc., including Peggy Brookins, Board Member, Jat Pannu, Senior VP of Services and Virginia Bartlett, Chief Privacy Officer before the NY Assembly Education Committee last Friday, February 28.

Highlights (or low lights): Ken Wagner giving a one sentence testimony at the beginning.

And inBloom's VP refusing to disclose what other states they are working with, by saying they "respect the confidentiality of their clients"!!! Too bad they don't respect the confidentiality of NYC public school children or their families.

Thanks to the Assemblymembers present, especially Chair Cathy Nolan, Danny O'Donnell, Tom Abinante, Ed Graf and Shelley Mayer, who asked great questions but got very little information in return.

Here is the testimony of Allison White, co-author of the privacy petition. There was no time allotted for parents to speak, but this is how it ends:

I will not allow my children to go to a public school if this is approved. I will protect my children's privacy and private information like medical records which are protected by our government already. I expect our government to be forthcoming about their intentions and inform us (the public) of matters that impact our children and ourselves. I will not allow the government to take away my parental decision making choice. STOP THIS EDUCATIONAL FARCE....

Our children are not employees, they are not commodities, and they are not owned by the government or special interest groups! This unnecessary intrusion into their lives needs to stop.

Parents and children should not lose their rights to privacy. These rights MUST be Protected. I'm completely opposed to any sharing or storage of student data for the OBVIOUS and valid reasons listed in this petition.

See the videotaped testimony of NYSED's Ken Wagner, along with a crew from inBloom Inc. @NYC Public School Parents: inBloom executives finally testify before the NYS Assembly; what a sad spectacle it was:

‘What’s Next? at TFA’ webcast. Spoiler alert: More of the same | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

‘What’s Next? at TFA’ webcast. Spoiler alert: More of the same | Gary Rubinstein's Blog:

TFA has been recently taking a beating in social media. Whether in response to this, or if it is just something that’s been planned for a while, the two co-CEOs Elisa Villanueva-Beard and Matt Kramer were part of a live webcast tonight called ‘What’s Next at Teach For America?”

This was an hour long live show broadcast out of Nashville where TFA alum Kevin Huffman is commissioner of education and another TFA alum Chris Barbic is the superintendent of the Achievement School District, which is like the Recovery School District in Louisiana.

As is everything with TFA, this was carefully scripted and controlled. It began with a high school student. This Latino student embodied everything that TFA believes in. She is obviously quite a gifted speaker and she has a TFA teacher as one of her teachers right now. Of course she proves that ‘poverty is not destiny’ and that every student who is poor and who did not go to college would have if they just had the chance to be taught by a TFA teacher. Hearing this student speak, I have a feeling that she was going to make it to college even if she had all traditional teachers. Let’s give the kid some credit, here.

Huffman was next on the bill. He reminded everyone that on the latest NAEP results, Tennessee had the most ‘growth’ of any state. Just like ‘miracle schools’ that have

Parent Power School- Session II « NYC Coalition for Educational Justice

Parent Power School- Session II « NYC Coalition for Educational Justice:

Parent Power School- Session II

Register Now!
Advanced Training for Parent Leaders

Parent Power School educates, empowers and instills confidence and hope for parents to be articulate messengers and change agents on education issues affecting their children and the community. By developing the voices, skills, issue expertise and relationships of public school parents and community members Parent Power School will build and strengthen CEJ.

Saturday, March 29th
10:00AM – 2:00PM
PSC-CUNY: 61 BROADWAY, 16TH FLOOR

Come to Parent Power School and:

Learn about community schools, pre-kindergarten, ending the school-to-prison pipeline and successful parent engagement initiatives!
Gain skills to effectively recruit more parents to be leaders for better schools!
Join the education justice movement!

A light breakfast, lunch, childcare and translation will be provided.

¡Aprenda cómo reclutar más padres para que sean líderes para mejores escuelas!
¡Aprenda acerca de las políticas importantes que pueden mejorar las escuelas de Nueva York!

Atende Parent Power School a PSC-CUNY: 61 BROADWAY, Piso 16 el Sab, 29 de marzo de las 10 a.m.-2 p.m.!
Vamos a explorar:

Las escuelas comunitarias
Jardín de Infantes (Pre-K)
Poner fin a los iniciativas que ponen mas jovenes en la carcel
Iniciativas exitosos de participación de los padres

y la forma de reclutar a otros padres para hablar de estos temas!

Se proporcionará un desayuno ligero, almuerzo, cuidado de niños y traducción.

Registrase aqui: Parent Power School

CURMUDGUCATION: Why the Hell Are We Racing Anywhere?

CURMUDGUCATION: Why the Hell Are We Racing Anywhere?:

Why the Hell Are We Racing Anywhere?

Race to the Top had been rather quiet as a brand until President Obama revived it in his new budget proposal. Unfortunately, the new iteration underlines the metaphorical problems with the nom de regulation. For a guy who launched his career by being a moving speaker, Obama has hit on a real tone-deaf clunker here.

This time, we are racing for equity, which means, I guess, that we are going to Race To The Top To The Middle. Seriously, how does this metaphor even sort of work? How does a race for equality work, exactly?

My first thought is that we are about to see a real-life Diana Moon Glampers to preside over a race in which the swift are properly held back. But no-- we're clearly supposed to be competing for excellence. Excellence in...not being any more or less excellent than anybody else??

But the metaphorical muddle that is Race To The Top To The Middle only raises a more important question which is-- why were we ever racing anywhere?

Competition in pursuit of excellence is highly overrated.

First of all, we only compete with other teams. The five members of a basketball team do not compete with each other to score the most baskets; if they did, they would be a terrible team and they would lose very much, and nobody would say, "Wow, those guys are really excellent!" Not even if they competed with great rigor.

So who is supposed to be the other team in this race? Other schools? We are supposed to beat other schools and teachers and students and leaving them whipped and beaten and in this way we will

Last Stand for Children First: Not All Parents Oppose Excessive Testing

Last Stand for Children First: Not All Parents Oppose Excessive Testing:

Not All Parents Oppose Excessive Testing

The credit for this article goes to the great Alexander Russo, who urged journalists to do a better job reporting on testing by finding the many parents and students who don't oppose excessive standardized testing. This is much the same way that the media overemphasized Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier, when the vast majority African American ballplayers were content to stay in the Negro Leagues.

Alexander Russo has long been a friend of this blog and that's because he has a clear way of getting to the bottom of a story. When other "journalists" were reporting on the teachers at two Chicago Public Schools refusing to give the ISAT, Russo saw that the real story was the nearly 50 people on his blog who vented about CPS principals.

I didn't have to go much further than Chicago's Bernard E. Epton School of Sufficiency. For those of you who don't remember, the Epton School got in some trouble last year when the principal was caught importing unlicensed standardized tests from China.   The principal, Dr. Michelle Perry claimed she acted at the urging of her teachers who noticed a 2 month period in the beginning of the year when there was no standardized testing in the school.

I was fortunate enough to get a chance to interview an entire family about their pro-standardized testing attitude and how they have found a home at Epton.   I was joined by

Obama's Budget Boosts Preschool, Access To Top Teachers, But Freezes Many Education Programs

Obama's Budget Boosts Preschool, Access To Top Teachers, But Freezes Many Education Programs:

Obama's Budget Boosts Preschool, Access To Top Teachers, But Freezes Many Education Programs

President Barack Obama sits with Marcus Wesby and other preschool student during his visit to Powell Elementary School in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2014. Obama visited the school to talk about his fiscal 2015 federal budget proposal, which was released today. Powell elementary has seen rapid growth in recent years and serves a predominantly Hispanic student body. Washington DC Mayor Vincent Gray, who greeted Obama at the school, recently directed $20 million to P | ASSOCIATED PRESS

President Barack Obama's 2015 budget request increases education funding 2 percent over the previous year, cheering many education advocates, and proposes a revamped Race to the Top competition that focuses on opportunity for all students and a tobacco tax to pay for a previously-announced preschool expansion effort.

Obama announced the budget, which would restore across-the-board cuts known as sequestration, at Powell Elementary School in Washington.

"We know -- and this is part of the reason why we’re here today -- that education has to start at the earliest possible ages," Obama said. "So this budget expands access to the kind of high-quality preschool and other early learning programs to give all of our children the same kinds of opportunities that those wonderful children that we just saw are getting right here at Powell."

In a call with reporters, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said the budget speech setting was no accident. "In tough economic times, education is receiving the largest non-defense increase" in discretionary spending, Duncan said.

Many newer education initiatives, such as a high school redesign competition, receive a boost in Obama's budget. But some key programs, including most parts of the

3-4-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida

Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education:

Florida Senate Republicans Ignore Superintendts, Jeb Bush Abandons College Readiness in First Passage of New School Grade Bill

It comes as no surprise the republican-dominated Senate Education Committee didn’t listen to the recommendations of two school superintendents in passing through the new and improved school grade formula. Nor is it any surprise Jeb Bush’s mouthpiece finds it just swell. Reports Miami Herald reporter Kathleen McGrory: The Senate Education Committee got right to work Tuesday morning, approving a pro

by Bob Sikes / 29min

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

Please Refrain from “Think[ing] of VAMs Like an Oak Tree” |

Please Refrain from “Think[ing] of VAMs Like an Oak Tree” |:

Please Refrain from “Think[ing] of VAMs Like an Oak Tree”

It happened again. In the Tampa Bay Times a journalist encouraged his readers to, as per the title of his article, “Think of VAMs Like an Oak Tree” as folks in Florida are now beginning to interpret and consume Florida teachers’ “value-added” data. It even seems that folks there are “pass[ing] around the University of Wisconsin’s ‘[O]ak [T]ree [A]nalogy,” to help others understand, unfortunately, what is a very over-simplistic and overoptimistic version of the very complex realities surrounding VAMs.

He, and others, obviously missed the memo.

So, I am redirecting current and future readers to Stanford Professor Edward Haertel’s deconstruction of the “Oak Tree Analogy,” so that we all might better spread the word about this faulty analogy.

I have also re-pasted Professor Haertel’s critique below:

“The Value-Added Research Center’s ‘Oak Tree’ analogy is helpful in conveying the theory [emphasis added] behind value-added models. To compare the two gardeners, we adjust away various influences that are out of the gardeners’ control, and then, as with value added, we just assume that whatever is left over must have been due to the gardener. But, we can draw some important lessons from this analogy in addition to those

Nite Cap 3-4-14 #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

Diane Ravitch Education - Diane Ravitch Schools Us On Public Education - Esquire

Diane Ravitch Education - Diane Ravitch Schools Us On Public Education - Esquire: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-4-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Diane Ravitch at NPE Conference (4th pass) on Vimeo #npeconferenceDiane Ravitch at NPE Conference (4th pass) on Vimeo: Diane Ravitch at NPE Conference (4t

by mike simpson / 9min

3-4-14 Wait What?

Wait What?: Quinnipiac poll confirms Governor Malloy faces major obstacles should he seek re-electionThe Quinnipiac University Polling Institute released its latest poll today. While the Malloy political operatives will claim that the poll shows him leading the unknown Republican candidates and is tied with former gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley, the data provides a harsh assessment of Malloy’

by mike simpson / 32min

Content Warnings and College Classes |

Content Warnings and College Classes |: Content Warnings and College ClassesMarch 4, 2014 in StudentsThe New Republic has a story out mocking and condemning what it describes as a trend toward the use of mandatory “trigger warnings” in college classes.I don’t have time for a full post on this subject right now, but as I said on Twitter a few moments ago, while I’ve never given a trigger warning by

by mike simpson / 2h

3-4-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Here's Some Homework - Common Core Style From a mom in NY State: My son's KINDERGARTEN homework. I hold a Master's Degree and have won multiple Emmy Awards and my husband is a Lieutenant in the NYPD. We couldn't figure it out. It's a SAD SAD SAD state when two well educated parents can't help their child with their KINDERGARTEN homework. This is what you have to l

by mike simpson / 2h

Support the teachers and parents at Saucedo and Drummond schools who refuse the useless state mandated tests | Reclaim Reform

Support the teachers and parents at Saucedo and Drummond schools who refuse the useless state mandated tests | Reclaim Reform: Support the teachers and parents at Saucedo and Drummond schools who refuse the useless state mandated testsPosted on March 4, 2014by Ken PrevitiRefusal to give a totally useless state mandated test, refusing to waste weeks of class-time for children who need education, an

by mike simpson / 2h

NYC Public School Parents: How your child can refuse the state tests, starting April 1! Check out the video now!

NYC Public School Parents: How your child can refuse the state tests, starting April 1! Check out the video now!: How your child can refuse the state tests, starting April 1! Check out the video now!For more information on how to your child can refuse the NY state 3-8th grade exams, including a parent guide and refusal letter, please check out the NY State Allies Public Education website at http:/

by mike simpson / 2h

What’s In a Selfie? | My Island View

What’s In a Selfie? | My Island View: What’s In a Selfie?March 4, 2014 by tomwhitbyWell, if you watched the Academy Awards last week, you witnessed the global impact that social media has in the world. Ellen DeGeneres was able to take a picture of a group of actors that, in the first half hour of it being posted, was re-tweeted 700,000 times, which temporarily knocked Twitter off the Internet. It

by mike simpson / 2h

3-4-14 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): Livestream coverage of today’s LAUSD school board meetingLA Unified School Board members meet today with a hefty agenda that includes charter school renewals, approving building repairs and a possible discussion about how to spend the new local control funding (though that will likely be put off for a fut

by mike simpson / 2h

Financial Literacy Requirements Lag in States

Financial Literacy Requirements Lag in States: States Lag in Educating Students About Personal Finance By Pamela M. Prah, Staff WriterStudents at Calera High School in Alabama surround New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram, center left, and Alabama Treasurer Young Boozer after playing an online game of Financial Football that teaches financial literacy. Alabama recently began requiring that

by mike simpson / 2h

Microsoft Tech Vouchers Available - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)

Microsoft Tech Vouchers Available - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces Millions More in Microsoft Technology Funds Available to California Schools from 2003 SettlementSACRAMENTO—More than 8,000 California public schools and districts are eligible to share $188.4 million in Education Technology K-12 Voucher Program funds, State Superintendent of Public Ins

by mike simpson / 2h

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 / 2h

SPECIAL Mid Day Banana Break 3-4-14 #RealEdTalk #edreform

Big Education Ape - Mid Day Banana BreakThe NCTQ is at it again in SeattleOver the past five years, Sue and I have followed the NCTQ since they first appeared in Seattle during our Broad superintendent’s reign when she had a report “created”, paid for by Bill Gates and Eli Broad, on those lazy, worthless teachers and how they need merit pay waved in front of them to get our students into shape. Th

1 by mike simpson / 3h

John Kuhn at the NPE Conference: This is Our Education Spring - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

John Kuhn at the NPE Conference: This is Our Education Spring - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: John Kuhn at the NPE Conference: This is Our Education SpringBy Anthony Cody on March 4, 2014 10:00 AMJohn Kuhn, alongside Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis, gave the keynote speech to the Network for Public Education conference on Saturday, March 1. He kindly gave me permission

by mike simpson / 7h

Morning Wink 3-4-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTSFCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, March 4, 2014FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Fensterwald: Loss of supermajority in Senate could doom vote on 55 percent parcel taxEducation HeadlinesTuesday, March 4, 2014FCMAT provides links to California K-12 news stories as a service to the industry. However, some stories may not be acces

by mike simpson / 7h

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-4-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Diane Ravitch at NPE Conference (4th pass) on Vimeo #npeconferenceDiane Ravitch at NPE Conference (4th pass) on Vimeo: Diane Ravitch at NPE Conference (4th pass) from Vincent Precht on Vimeo.NY Teacher Mercedes Schneider shreds Common Core from NPE Conference #npeconferenceNY Teacher Mercedes Schneider shreds Common CoreThe Networ

by mike simpson / 7h

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, March 4, 2014

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Fensterwald: Loss of supermajority in Senate could doom vote on 55 percent parcel taxEducation HeadlinesTuesday, March 4, 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.School lifts ban on Rainbow Loom braceletsFear

by mike simpson / 7h

3-4-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Video: “WKRP: Venus Explains the Atom” Shows Great Teaching In ActionNeil deGrasse Tyson shared this great video on Google Plus. I’m adding it to The Best Places To Learn About (And View Video Clips Of) Teachers In The Movies:by Larry Ferlazzo / 2h hide // save“Building ‘Political Will’ To Retain Teachers In High-Need Sch

by mike simpson / 7h

3-4-14 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.: Today is the first day of early voting. I won’t be voting for Kirk Dillard.Today is the first day of early voting in Illinois. After some coffee and breakfast I will head over to the library on Milwaukee Avenue and vote for Will Guzzardi in the 39th State Representative District. I promised to do that by mike simpson / 9h

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Pensions at the polls. The story of Travis and Guzzardi. Jay Travis and Will Guzzardi. Back in May when the Illinois House voted for Senate Bill 1, many of us called on our union and political leadership to mount primary campaigns against those state representatives who voted to cut our constituti

by mike simpson / 7h

Educators: Don’t Assume A Can Opener | Paul Bruno

Educators: Don’t Assume A Can Opener | Paul Bruno: Educators: Don’t Assume A Can OpenerBy PAUL BRUNO | Published: MARCH 4, 2014There is a famous joke about the way economists often undermine the usefulness of their conclusions by making too many simplifying assumptions. Here’s one of the older formulations:There is a story that has been going around about a physicist, a chemist, and an economist w

by mike simpson / 7h

States That Spend the Least on Students Are Growing the Fastest - Mikhail Zinshteyn - The Atlantic

States That Spend the Least on Students Are Growing the Fastest - Mikhail Zinshteyn - The Atlantic: States That Spend the Least on Students Are Growing the FastestThe school populations of Nevada and Arizona are expected to increase by 20 percent in the next decade—but these states also are in the bottom 10 on the list of per-pupil spending.Mike Derer/AP PhotoNew projections on student enrollment

by mike simpson / 7h

CURMUDGUCATION: How Grassy Are Your Roots?

CURMUDGUCATION: How Grassy Are Your Roots?: How Grassy Are Your Roots?The world of reformy stuff has altered my life; specifically, it has changed my daily routine. In the morning before school, I read. At lunch, I read. And sometimes in the evening, I read. And when I need a break from reading, I write.There are soooooo many powerful writers out there covering the world of education, the high sta

by mike simpson / 7h

3-4-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Brooklyn Rally Friday to Oppose de Blasio School Giveaway to Moskowitz/Success Charter"We want our schools back." Laticia James, at PEP, Oct. 2013.. RALLY, Friday, March 7, 2:30PM at Seth Low, 99 Ave. P.Will James be there? The counterattack begins. I know, how many of these anti-Eva rallies have we seen in school after school? Water off her back as she knows that when s

by mike simpson / 7h

3-4-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet: A bizarre letter from Florida’s Education DepartmentWhat is the Florida Education Department thinking? State Education Commissioner Pam Stewart just issued an open letter to teachers (see below) that makes the ridiculous mistake of accusing people who want a change in standardized testing requirements for severely disabled students of launching a political attack on the departmen

by mike simpson / 8h

3-4-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: Tennessee School Board Model for Resistance to CorpEdRESOLUTION OF THE RUTHERFORD COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATIONIN OPPOSITION TO LEGISLATIONTHREATENING A FREE PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEMWHEREAS, Rutherford County Schools are not for sale; andWHEREAS, a number of bills are being advanced before the State of Tennessee’s legislature by private lobbyists and for profit companies aimed at priva

by mike simpson / 8h

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

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: In Survey, Utla President Vows To File Complaints Over ‘Teacher Jails’By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/1n6UwOs Los Angeles teachers union president Warren Fletcher lashed out at the school district Monday for its handling of teachers accused of misconduct, vowing to file federal and state age-discrimination complaints. (Irfan Khan / Lo

by mike simpson / 8h

3-4-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: Some Details on the First NPE ConferenceThe first annual Network for Public Education (NPE) Conference was this past weekend, on Saturday, March 1, and Sunday, March 2, 2014. Below is a news brief on the conference: I participated in the NPE conference as a member of three panel discussions, the topics being investigative journalism, philanthropy (as such is undermining the democ

by mike simpson / 8h

3-4-14 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week

With A Brooklyn Accent: My "Aha" Moment at the NPE Conference in Austin.There were many great presentations at the Network for Public Education Conference in Austin, but the piece of information that made the biggest impression on me was about something I should have already known about- The New York State ELA and Math tests in grades 3-8. And here it is ( I don't remember who said it) T

by mike simpson / 8h

3-4-14 the becoming radical EMPATHYEDUCATES! | 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): Ravitch, Lewis, and Kuhn at NPEDiane Ravitch, Why We Will Win Karen Lewis and John Kuhn1 by plthomasedd / 1h hide // saveCommon Core Costs Too High, Failure GuaranteedTeaching literacy has been my career and life for over thirty years now. Having grown up in the South

by mike simpson / 8h

empathyeducates Many L.A. Unified School Libraries, Lacking Staff, are Forced to Shut

empathyeducates: 123PreviousNextMany L.A. Unified School Libraries, Lacking Staff, are Forced to ShutHands raisedRaising their hands, Alexa Martinez, 7, back row, left; Jennifer Hernandez, 6; Helen Hernandez, 7; and Noe Ortiz, 6, are eager to answer a question from library aide Cindy Ramirez after reading the book “Abe Lincoln’s Hat” at San Pedro Elementary School in Los Angeles. (Liz O. Baylen /

by mike simpson / 8h

3-4-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Andrew Cuomo Uses Felon Who Pleaded Guilty To Federal Tax Evasion To Raise Campaign Donations For HimFrom State of Politics:A former Republican state senator and GOP power broker who pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion in 2012 is co-hosting a high-dollar fund-raiser next month in support of Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s re-election effort, Capital Tonight has learned.Addi

by mike simpson / 8h

Shanker Blog » Revisiting The Widget Effect

Shanker Blog » Revisiting The Widget Effect: Revisiting The Widget EffectPosted by Matthew Di Carlo on March 4, 2014In 2009, The New Teacher Project (TNTP) released a report called “The Widget Effect.” You would be hard-pressed to find too many more recent publications from an advocacy group that had a larger influence on education policy and the debate surrounding it. To this day, the report is m

by mike simpson / 8h

GO PUBLIC Film Offers Inside View of Schools | InterACT

GO PUBLIC Film Offers Inside View of Schools | InterACT: GO PUBLIC Film Offers Inside View of SchoolsMARCH 4, 2014tags: documentary, GO PUBLIC, Pasadena, PUSDby Lisa Alva WoodGO PUBLIC offers an authentic fly-on-the-wall perspective of a public school district that every voter needs to see. This fresh and recent documentary film gives the viewer a frank, and sometimes painful, look inside the live

by mike simpson / 8h

What Business Doesn't Know About Education - Bridging Differences - Education Week

What Business Doesn't Know About Education - Bridging Differences - Education Week: What Business Doesn't Know About EducationBy Guest Blogger on March 4, 2014 9:19 AMRobert Pondiscio of CitizenshipFirst writes to Deborah Meier again today.Dear Deborah,In my last post I pointed out some of the ways in which education misunderstands business. One of the points I made was that schools, more than bu

by mike simpson / 8h

for the love of learning: 3 Things I learned from Network for Public Education Conference

for the love of learning: 3 Things I learned from Network for Public Education Conference: 3 Things I learned from Network for Public Education ConferenceI am Joe Bower (and that is Deborah Meier) and I teach in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. I wish to challenge 'traditional' schooling while exploring more progressive forms of education. I intend on using this blog to uproot some of the most deeply ro

by mike simpson / 8h

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Listen to Mike Klonsky and Julian Vasquez Heilig on Rag Radio in Austin, TX

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Listen to Mike Klonsky and Julian Vasquez Heilig on Rag Radio in Austin, TX: Listen to Mike Klonsky and Julian Vasquez Heilig on Rag Radio in Austin, TXRag Radio: Fighting for Public Education with Julian Vasquez Heilig & Mike Klonsky (February 28, 2014)Julian Vasquez Heilig and Mike Klonsky join Thorne Dreyer in discussing our endangered public education system,

by mike simpson / 8h

School closings: A solution in need of a solution | Hechinger Report

School closings: A solution in need of a solution | Hechinger Report: School closings: A solution in need of a solutionBy Andre PerryClosing schools has become an almost reflexive, corporate solution to a complex fiscal and social problem – a problem to which no one has found a satisfying answer.Districts shutter, sell or destroy physical properties typically for said fiscal reasons. Districts als

by mike simpson / 8h

The Common Core Debate | Connected Principals

The Common Core Debate | Connected Principals: The Common Core Debateby William Parker • March 4, 2014 • 0 CommentsLately, a lot of controversy has arisen over the implementation of Common Core standards in U.S. public schools.A recent op-ed by George Will, and a resolution by the Oklahoma Republican Party calling for the end of Common Core demonstrate what a thorny political issue it has become i

by mike simpson / 8h

UTLA ELECTIONS- REAL CHANGE OR THE USUAL SUSPECTS? - Perdaily.com

UTLA ELECTIONS- REAL CHANGE OR THE USUAL SUSPECTS? - Perdaily.com: UTLA ELECTIONS- REAL CHANGE OR THE USUAL SUSPECTS?(Mensaje se repite en Español)If you've been following the press releases for the UTLA 2014 City Wide Elections, it would seem to be an insiders' game for the presidency. Three names come up over and over again, Warren Fletcher, Greg Solkovitz and Alex Caputo-Pearl. There's a host o

by mike simpson / 9h

NYC Educator: Student Lobbyist Cuomo Ensures Our Kids Get Less

NYC Educator: Student Lobbyist Cuomo Ensures Our Kids Get Less: Student Lobbyist Cuomo Ensures Our Kids Get LessWe're in the odd position of having a governor who simultaneously calls himself a student advocate while also maintaining he has no say over what goes on in education. It's certainly nice to be able to take whatever position is expedient at the moment with no regard to the actual facts.

by mike simpson / 9h

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

Union Election in Los Angeles: Meet Candidate Ortega - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Union Election in Los Angeles: Meet Candidate OrtegaBy Anthony Cody on March 4, 2014 7:31 AMColeen 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 Unifi

by mike simpson / 9h

YESTERDAY

Some Details on the First NPE Conference | deutsch29 #npeconference

Some Details on the First NPE Conference | deutsch29: Some Details on the First NPE ConferenceMarch 3, 2014The first annual Network for Public Education (NPE) Conference was this past weekend, on Saturday, March 1, and Sunday, March 2, 2014.Below is a news brief on the conference:I participated in the NPE conference as a member of three panel discussions, the topics being investigative journalism,

by mike simpson / 17h

Diane Ravitch at NPE Conference (4th pass) on Vimeo #npeconference

Diane Ravitch at NPE Conference (4th pass) on Vimeo: Diane Ravitch at NPE Conference (4th pass) from Vincent Precht on Vimeo.NY Teacher Mercedes Schneider shreds Common Core from NPE Conference #npeconferenceNY Teacher Mercedes Schneider shreds Common CoreThe Network For Public Education | NPE CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGSThe Network For Public Education | PRESS RELEASE – NPE CALLS FOR CONGRES

by mike simpson / 18h

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 3-3-15 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

Nite Cap UPDATEUPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATECORPORATE ED REFORMCyber-Schools Still Suck, Says NEPC ReportThe National Education Policy Center announced the release of its report on virtual schooling with the hefty headline "Responsible Policymaking Still Absent for Virtual Schools, Which Continue To Proliferate Despite Scant Research Support and Lagging Quality" There's going to be plenty

by mike simpson / 19h

Nite Cap 3-3-14 #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 CAPJust home from #NPEConference & Ready to AWAKE Activate AGITATE in FL Join Me ? @DianeRavitch #LetThemKnow #AwakeFL | Continuing ChangeJust home from #NPEConference & Ready to AWAKE Activate AGITATE in FL Join Me ? @DianeRavitch #LetThemK

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