Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Through joint parent, student, and teacher organizing, the Saint Paul Federation of Teachers just settled a landmark contract, limiting class sizes and standardized testing, and emphasizing culturally relevant education and access to pre-school, while creating a path for teacher aides to become credentialed. For more information, check out this article: http://advocate.stpaulunions.org/2014/01/30/parents-students-support-teachers-walk-in-demonstrations-across-st-paul/

Part of the reason why the union in St. Paul was so successful is because of their policy of open bargaining. Over the last four years, St. Paul has pushed for rank-and-file teachers, parents, and community members to be present for and participate during bargaining, putting management on their best behavior: http://www.labornotes.org/2013/10/bringing-community-bargaining-table

Here is a summary of some of their key wins, as written by a teacher-activist in St. Paul:

Smaller Classes

The district agreed to calculate elementary class size limits within each

I Need You to Fight for My Students |

I Need You to Fight for My Students |:

I Need You to Fight for My Students

Posted on March 2, 2014 by Petals of Joy

I sat in the corner of the coffee shop swirling my raspberry mocha, waiting for it to cool. Looking up, I was greeted by a familiar face. A former student who held a piece of my heart.

He had graduated the year before and the story he told me shook loose the tears.

“Mrs. Iseminger. Graduation was the worst day of my life. My mom didn’t even stay long enough to hear my name called. I think she left in the H’s. I haven’t seen her since. I don’t even know where my parents are.”

He went on to talk about how he was getting by in the great big world with his great big high school diploma. And I wanted to heave a great big sob.

In recent months, two students have shown up at my classroom door with tears in their eyes, kicked out of their houses. Shuffling between homes of friends while just trying to graduate. No longer living with mothers-gone-wild-breaking-their-children. But what now, Mrs. Iseminger?

Students in our schools are broken. They’re broken pieces from broken backgrounds. Eyes hollow, wondering how to glue and stitch themselves back together realizing Elmer’s can’t fix their problems.

Ask teachers who love their students. Our hearts ache to touch the ripped places in their souls. To help them understand they’re a treasure. To show them they matter. But we don’t always have the tape and the glue and the patch-kits they need.

Sometimes they need you. We need you.

Our schools need you to fight for our students. Not with policies and procedures, rules and regulation. No. We need you to fight with love.

Because have you ever tried to learn with your stomach empty?

Did you ever try to comprehend grammar when all you think about is how you put your alcoholic mother to bed the night before?

What about understanding algebra when your dad invited you to get high with him just yesterday?

Can the history of the world be important to you when you’re wondering how to find a winter coat for your younger brother?

Is biology really as vital as working 30 hours a week to help your parents make rent?

Common Core. Parcc. NCLB. CLAST. Race to the Top. SAT. ACT. End of Course Exams. Teacher Evaluations. Standards. C2Ready?

Not a single one of these policies or tests or acronyms begin to touch the deepest needs of

CTA Leader to Legislature: Teachers' Voices Must Be Heard and Valued - California Teachers Association

CTA Leader to Legislature: Teachers' Voices Must Be Heard and Valued - California Teachers Association:

CTA LEADER TO LEGISLATURE: TEACHERS' VOICES MUST BE HEARD AND VALUED

(Photo above) CTA Vice President Eric Heins (c.) and a team of CTA professional staff, including (from l.) Legislative Advocate Patricia Rucker, IPD Consultant Norma Sanchez, and Legislative Advocate Isabelle Garcia listen and communicate about the testimony being heard by the Senate Education Committee during its informational hearing on “Teaching in the 21^st Century” on March 5.

(Photos by Len Feldman)

During his own testimony, the elementary school teacher stressed that implementing the Common Core State Standards and the state Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) requires that the voices of teachers be heard and valued.

In his testimony and his answers to lawmakers’ questions, the CTA vice president emphasized that efforts to transform the teaching profession must recognize the “power of teachers working together, collaborating, learning and making professional decisions based on their collective experience and judgment, a strategy of improvement that has been termed building professional capital.”

Both Heins and Sanchez testified before the committee. We have been communicating with lawmakers about our positions on these key issues of attracting and retaining high-quality educators.

Youth in Public Policy: My Goal, My Story, Our United Mission

Youth in Public Policy: My Goal, My Story, Our United Mission:

Youth in Public Policy: My Goal, My Story, Our United Mission

Dear Student Voice Readers,

My name is David Pettersen and I am a current resident of the great State of Wisconsin. On December 27th of last year, I officially declared my candidacy for a school board seat in my community. December 27, 2013 was my 18th birthday and I feel extremely humbled and honored to be partaking in such a great endeavor.

Being a high school student and candidate for school board is one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had, and on April 1st, my community will come together and decide who will represent them on the board. I’ll tell you one thing—I would be completely honored if they chose me. I know, like many others, that having youth in active public policy-making is one of the most important aspects of our government.

Therefore, I call upon all students—from anywhere in the United States—to step forward and consider running for public office in their community. Together, we can work past politics and improve the lives of others all across America. One of my goals is to provide the safest, most-secure learning environment for all district students. Another goal is to provide some of the most extensive academic achievement programs. In addition to this, I want to work to develop stronger economic infrastructure through the expansion of education, the ability to listen to all district parents, teachers, taxpayers, and students, and by seeking the cooperation of state legislatures.

None of these tasks are ever easy, but when students stand united, there isn’t a single thing that can’t be accomplished

UCSC Hahn Building Sit-in | occupy california

UCSC Hahn Building Sit-in | occupy california:

UCSC Hahn Building Sit-in

By *

SANTA CRUZ, California – Students at UC Santa Cruz gathered around 2:30pm on Wednesday afternoon to continue demonstrations against the new UC President, Janet Napolitano. Napolitano, the former head of Homeland Security, has been the target of several demonstrations on multiple campuses, including the recent occupation of the Blum Center at UC Berkeley by the Students of Color Solidarity Coalition (SCSC). The demonstrators proceeded to the administrative Hahn building and entered the

3-5-14 Jersey Jazzman Jammin'

Jersey Jazzman:

NJ Pays High Cost For Bad Teacher Evaluation

New Jersey's new teacher evaluation system -- code name: Operation Hindenburg -- is not cheap. Superintendents around the state have been warning us about this for a while: the costs of this inflexible system are going to impose a significant financial burden on districts, making this a wasteful, unfunded mandate.But if you don't believe me, and you don't believe these superintendents, why not lis

5 by Duke / 55min

3-2-14 Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All Week

Jersey Jazzman: Chris Cerf's Final Spin: Mt. OliveSo yesterday was the first day of the rest of Chris Cerf's life: the former NJ Education Commissioner left his post to take a job at Amplify, the Rupert Murdoch-owned company run by former NYCDOE Chancellor (and Cerf's former boss) Joel Klein. Amplify sells tablet computers designed, among other things, to help districts prepare their students for

by mike simpson / 6h

Proposed bill would provide $1.5 billion more for Common Core implementation | EdSource Today

Proposed bill would provide $1.5 billion more for Common Core implementation | EdSource Today:

Proposed bill would provide $1.5 billion more for Common Core implementation

March 5th, 2014 | Add a Comment |
By Kathryn Baron

Students will take computerized field tests aligned to Common Core standards in math and English next year, state officials announced. Credit: EdSource file photo

Students will take computerized field tests aligned to Common Core standards in math and English in the spring. Credit: EdSource file photo

California school districts would receive another year of Common Core implementation funds under a bill introduced Wednesday by Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, D-Concord.

Last year, as chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance, Bonilla pushed for the $1.25 billion that schools are using this academic year to support teacher training, textbooks and other instructional materials and technology upgrades needed to carry out the transition to Common Core State Standards. California and 44 other states have adopted the standards, which outline the skills students need in English and math. The new standards move away from lecture-focused instruction and what some have criticized is a heavy reliance on memorization and focus more on critical thinking and analytical skills and hands-on, interactive instruction.

Assembly Bill 2319 seeks $1.5 billion for a second round of implementation funds. Bonilla had requested the same amount last year – which the governor reduced to $1.25 billion – for a two-year total of $3 billion. She said that’s how much the California Department of Education said districts would need for ongoing Common Core implementation.

“What I’ve heard from many superintendents, principals and teachers is that the $1.25 billion absolutely has made all the difference this year in the transition into Common Core,” Bonilla said. “But we’re not done yet. We need more.”

Roland Maier is one of those voices. The superintendent of rural Cuyama Joint Unified School District in Santa Barbara County said he spent about 60 percent of his district’s $48,000 in implementation funds to buy new computers for the high school and upgrade its Internet bandwidth in preparation for this spring’s Smarter Balanced field test, the computerized assessment aligned to the new standards. That’s just for starters.

“Most of our computers are from six to eight years old,” Maier said. “My plan next year is to try to

@thechalkface | MX2 Media

@thechalkface | MX2 Media:

MX2 Media is proud to announce the launch of @thechalkface – a new, weekly, one-hour talk show dedicated to education. @thechalkface is the only talk on the radio about education by educators.

@the chalkface is known for its commitment to the hard facts with a humorous twist. Hosts Tim Slekar and Shaun Johnsoncover the biggest “real” issues in education. @the chalkface has been in existence for over three years as a blog and podcast. @the chalkface is finally available for syndication to radio. Starting small in 2010, @the chalkface has expanded to include a broad social media presence, a host of national authors, activists, and, @thechalkface | MX2 Media:

Nite Cap 3-5-14 #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

Wendy Davis On Education: 'We Texans Have A Different Way Of Doing Things'

Wendy Davis On Education: 'We Texans Have A Different Way Of Doing Things': Wendy Davis On Education: 'We Texans Have A Different Way Of Doing Things'Posted: 03/05/2014 7:40 pm EST Updated: 03/05/2014 7:59 pm ESTGubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis makes an election day visit to her campaign phone bank at Wendy Davis campaign headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, March 4, 2014. (Max Faulkner/

by mike simpson / 4min

CURMUDGUCATION: Coleman Speaks Out (Sort of)

CURMUDGUCATION: Coleman Speaks Out (Sort of): Coleman Speaks Out (Sort of)Oh, the interwebs were alive with the sound of David Coleman today. His fervent presentation about the new, CCSS-infused SAT roused journalists (Wall Street Journalist), sort of journalists (Huffington Post), and tweetists (now we're on my level) galore. I read splintered quotes of Colemania, which must have merely scratched

by mike simpson / 5min

Smarter Balanced Question Types - Smarter Balanced Assessment System (CA Dept of Education)

Smarter Balanced Question Types - Smarter Balanced Assessment System (CA Dept of Education): Smarter Balanced Question TypesExamples of question types that students may encounter on the Smarter Balanced Field Test, and the student technology skill required to respond to each question type.The Smarter Balanced Consortium also has developed Practice and Training Tests that include examples of all o

by mike simpson / 17min

Choosing Your Tomorrow Today — Whole Child Education

Choosing Your Tomorrow Today — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGChoosing Your Tomorrow TodayMarch 5, 2014 by Whole Child SymposiumChoosing your tomorrow today. What does this phrase mean to you? Probably your first thought is that it conveys an understanding that what we decide today affects what we become tomorrow. Obviously skills, behaviors, and knowledge learned today increase or dec

by mike simpson / 20min

Civil and Human Rights Coalition Annual Awards Dinner to Honor Sen. Tom Harkin, Randi Weingarten, and Eliseo Medina

Civil and Human Rights Coalition Annual Awards Dinner to Honor Sen. Tom Harkin, Randi Weingarten, and Eliseo Medina: Civil and Human Rights Coalition Annual Awards Dinner to Honor Sen. Tom Harkin, Randi Weingarten, and Eliseo MedinaHubert H. Humphrey Award is the Highest Honor of the Civil and Human Rights CoalitionFor Immediate ReleaseContact: Scott Westbrook Simpson, 202.466.2061, simpson@civilr

by mike simpson / 24min

It's All About Eva Moskowitz southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com: It's All About Eva MoskowitzOK, time to get things straight about all this charter school hullabaloo.Yes, Uncle Mike pushed through co-locations and approval of charter schools at the October PEP. Nineteen of these co-locations were charter schools. AsDNAinfo.com reported; De Blasio axed Moskowitz's plan to move into the August Martin High School complex in Jamaica

by mike simpson / 30min

Why MUST our children take high stakes state mandated tests? | Reclaim Reform

Why MUST our children take high stakes state mandated tests? | Reclaim Reform: Why MUST our children take high stakes state mandated tests? “Know your place, and be thankful you have a job.”Yes, our children are learning this right now – unless we refuse useless high stakes testing for them. Re-learn what Charles Dickens once taught us.Our children are being forced to take high stakes state mandat

by mike simpson / 31min

New SAT To Bring Back 1600-Point Scale -- With Optional Essay

New SAT To Bring Back 1600-Point Scale -- With Optional Essay: New SAT To Bring Back 1600-Point Scale -- With Optional EssayPosted: 03/05/2014 2:18 pm EST Updated: 03/05/2014 2:59 pm ESTJC559 via Getty Images AUSTIN, Texas -- The venerable SAT college admissions test will look very different in spring 2016. And, according to the new test's architect, there will be "no more mysteries."The

by mike simpson / 4h

Child Abuse Reporting Guidelines - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)

Child Abuse Reporting Guidelines - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Releases Guidelines Helping Parents Identify and Report Child AbuseSACRAMENTO—Parents and guardians have a new and updated tool in their efforts to keep their children safe, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today as he released revised "Child Abuse Reporting Procedures fo

by mike simpson / 6h

Student Organization Galvanizes Education Community With Second Student Voice Live! Event Student Voice to Mobilize “Pro Voice” Education Influencers at New York Conference

Student Organization Galvanizes Education Community With Second Student Voice Live! Event Student Voice to Mobilize “Pro Voice” Education Influencers at New York Conference: Student Organization Galvanizes Education Community With Second Student Voice Live! Event Student Voice to Mobilize “Pro Voice” Education Influencers at New York ConferenceMarch 4, 2014CONTACT:Public Relations CorrespondentJes

by mike simpson / 7h

Louisiana Educator: Education Legislation

Louisiana Educator: Education Legislation: Education LegislationI have asked my readers to consider participating in my Defenders of Public Education email system. This system is designed to provide up to the minute information about important education legislation. The “Defenders” can then contact their legislators and advise them before they vote. The Defenders include a cross section of parents

by mike simpson / 7h

3-5-14 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): LA Unified board votes to pay Deasy for unused vacationSuperintendent John Deasy: Little time for vacation Superintendent John Deasy works too much. So much so, that he rarely takes time off for vacation. As a result, the Los Angeles Unified School board voted at its monthly meeting yesterday to pay him f

by mike simpson / 7h

Russ on Reading: An Anthem for the Opt Out Movement?

Russ on Reading: An Anthem for the Opt Out Movement?: An Anthem for the Opt Out Movement?Back in the sixties when I was in my folk music stage, a song by singer Ed McCurdy was making the rounds of the coffee houses. The song was calledLast Night I Had the Strangest Dream and it was a powerful anti-war anthem later recorded by Simon and Gafunkel, Pete Seeger, Johnny Cash and many others. If you wan

by mike simpson / 7h

3-5-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Petition Against Cuts in SPS School BudgetsThere is a petition against cuts in school clerical staff - which will primarily affect high schools where, frankly, they can least take it - to send a message to the district. There is a minute-and-a-half video of the issue by Mary Smith who works in the office at Ingraham. Mary is a long-time SPS school employee and I h

by mike simpson / 8h

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, March 5, 2014

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Fensterwald: Judge denies motion to dismiss lawsuit challenging teacher job protectionsEducation HeadlinesWednesday, March 5, 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.Two out of three valley school districts o

by mike simpson / 8h

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 3-5-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: California, U.S. Needs To Add To Student Online Privacy RulesSB 1177, The Student Online Personal Information Protection Act - a bill by state Sen. Darrell Steinberg would ban private firms contracting with public schools from selling California student's records. Editorial By The LA Times editorial board| http://lat.ms/1gaaRfQ State Senate leader Darr

by mike simpson / 8h

3-5-14 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week

With A Brooklyn Accent: 3 Principles That Should Guide Testing in the Public SchoolsThree Principles That Should Guide Testing in Public Schools ( to be presented at PS 8 Testing Forum in Brooklyn)1. Test Transparency. No tests should be given which do not guide instruction. All tests must be returned to teachers and parents after they are taken so their results can be reviewed with those who have

by mike simpson / 8h

Morning Wink 3-5-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTSSXSWEdu: Gates Foundation vs. Microsoft Education: What’s the difference? | DigitalSXSWEdu: Gates Foundation vs. Microsoft Education: What’s the difference? | Digital: SXSWEdu: Gates Foundation vs. Microsoft Education: What’s the difference?On my first day in Austin I had a terrific hourlong conversation with Cameron Evans, Chief Technology Officer for Mic

by mike simpson / 9h

SXSWEdu: Gates Foundation vs. Microsoft Education: What’s the difference? | Digital

SXSWEdu: Gates Foundation vs. Microsoft Education: What’s the difference? | Digital: SXSWEdu: Gates Foundation vs. Microsoft Education: What’s the difference?On my first day in Austin I had a terrific hourlong conversation with Cameron Evans, Chief Technology Officer for Microsoft Education. He had a lot of candid observations and great lines: “The vast amount of data in our education system can b

by mike simpson / 9h

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-5-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Watch the Brilliant Speeches by John Kuhn and Karen Lewis HereJohn Kuhn and Karen Lewis spoke as keynoters at the first annual conference of the Network for Public Education at the LBJ Center at the University of Texas in Austin last weekend. Watch and listen here.1 by dianeravitch / 30min hide // saveNPE Leadership Calls for Con

by mike simpson / 9h

3-5-14 Wait What?

Wait What?: Diane Ravitch Speech at the Network of Public Education ConferenceHere is a link to Diane Ravitch’s inspiring speech at last weekend’s Network of Public Education Conference in Austin Texas. http://www.schoolhouselive.org/ I was particularly honored and appreciative that Diane would recognize my efforts and my blog in her speech. As background, The Network for Public Education is an ad

by mike simpson / 9h

3-5-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet: Parent to Obama: Why don’t private schools adopt your test-based school reforms?Bertis Downs is a parent who lives in Athens Ga., and the former legal counselor and manager of the band R.E.M. He wrote the following letter to President Obama, inviting the president to visit a high school in Athens to see the impact of his administration’s standardized test-based policies there.

by mike simpson / 9h

3-5-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: NYS Test Refusals Hit Main Street1 by freetoteach / 6h 3-4-14 Schools MatterSchools 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 S

by mike simpson / 9h

3-5-14 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.: Tim Furman’s Red AlertThe Chicago Teachers Union did NOT endorse Kirk Dillard.From the Chicago Teachers Union: CHICAGO—While the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) has endorsed Republican gubernatorial hopeful Sen. Kirk Dillard in the upcoming primary, the Chicago Teachers Union Local 1 (CTU) has n

by mike simpson / 9h

3-5-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Chicago: Testing Opt-Out Capital: Chicago: Testing Opt-Out CapitalIn some cases, principals have told teachers they will be arrested if they leaflet parents on the public sidewalks outside their schools, even though the teachers are distributing the materials on their own time.The explosion of the Chicago Opt Out movement comes despite orders from CPS administrators -- usually &qu

by mike simpson / 9h

3-5-14 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: Fact-Checking Rick Scott’s Sketchy Education ClaimsIt didn’t take long for the media call Rick Scott on one of his education claims from his State of the State address yesterday. In his attempt to take credit for “four schools in the nation’s top ten” PolitiFact responds

by mike simpson / 10h

3-5-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: “Earth Hour” Is On March 29th — Here Are Lots Of Related ResourcesEarth Hour, the annual time when people around the world switch-off lights for an hour to bring attention to environmental issues, takes place on March 29th this year. You might find The Best Sites To Learn About “Earth Hour” helpful….by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h T

by mike simpson / 10h

3-5-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: The Conversation: Moving ‘quality’ teachers between schools will not help disadvantaged childrenMoving ‘quality’ teachers between schools will not help disadvantaged childrenFiled under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical Tagged: disadvantaged children5 by plthomasedd / 3h hide // saveYESTERDAYYou don’t know the meaning of #dontbackdownI’m pretty angry. Yesterday, I was on a panel

by mike simpson / 10h

3-5-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University)

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): The Conversation: Moving ‘quality’ teachers between schools will not help disadvantaged childrenMoving ‘quality’ teachers between schools will not help disadvantaged children1 by plthomasedd / 3h 3-4-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L.

by mike simpson / 10h

empathyeducates Common Core Costs Too High, Failure Guaranteed

empathyeducates: Common Core Costs Too High, Failure GuaranteedBy Paul L. Thomas, Ed.D. | Originally Published at The Becoming Radical. March 4, 2014 Teaching literacy has been my career and life for over thirty years now. Having grown up in the South with my own peculiar grasp of so-called standard English, I feel fortunate to […]by empathy / 7h empathyeducates Many L.A. Unified School Libraries

by mike simpson / 10h

3-5-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Comptroller Stringer Says NYC Will Have Extra $510 Million In Budget Than Predicted - Can Be Used To Settle ContractsFrom the Wall Street Journal:New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer is predicting an extra $510 million in revenue in next year's budget, a windfall that he fears could be eclipsed by the sum needed to settle the city's open labor contracts. Mr. Stringer, wh

by mike simpson / 10h

Why I should get in-state tuition as an undocumented student | Hechinger Report

Why I should get in-state tuition as an undocumented student | Hechinger Report: Why I should get in-state tuition as an undocumented studentBy Miguel MolinaNew Jersey recently became the latest state to join a movement granting equal tuition for undocumented students. But not all do. East Los Angeles College student Miguel Molina shares how the different rules in different states have separated h

by mike simpson / 10h

New Book from David Berliner: Update on Manufactured Crisis He Identified 20 Years Ago | janresseger

New Book from David Berliner: Update on Manufactured Crisis He Identified 20 Years Ago | janresseger: New Book from David Berliner: Update on Manufactured Crisis He Identified 20 Years AgoPosted on March 5, 2014 by janressegerIn 1995, nearly 20 years ago, Arizona State University education professor David Berliner and University of Missouri professor Bruce Biddle published a prophetic book that an

by mike simpson / 10h

Today, I was offered $1,000. By Teach for America. « inspirEDucation

Today, I was offered $1,000. By Teach for America. « inspirEDucation: Today, I was offered $1,000. By Teach for America.And I’m turning it down. Here’s why:As you all may know, I’ve been very busy recently putting together a student-led education conference for youth in LA called EmpowerED: Los Angeles Student Power 2014. I’m incredibly excited for this event, but have been struggling to raise mon

1 by mike simpson / 10h

Charter Op-Ed Misrepresents (Big Tree): My Response That They Won’t Print (Small Axe) | Cloaking Inequity

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by mike simpson / 10h

NYC Educator: Eva Moskowitz Forges a Way to Student Lobbyist Cuomo's Heart

NYC Educator: Eva Moskowitz Forges a Way to Student Lobbyist Cuomo's Heart: Eva Moskowitz Forges a Way to Student Lobbyist Cuomo's HeartWhen folks who make half a million dollars a year have problems, you'd better believe Andrew Cuomo has solutions. If that bad old Bill de Blasio won't give Eva Moskowitz free rent, well, he'll just take our tax dollars and give it to her.The Post is very happy abo

by mike simpson / 10h

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm -- 'I don't want to be a phony'

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by mike simpson / 10h

YESTERDAY

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 wasSee 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

by mike simpson / 19h

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

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by mike simpson / 20h

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

Parent Power School- Session II « NYC Coalition for Educational Justice: Parent Power School- Session IIRegister Now!Advanced Training for Parent LeadersParent 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

by mike simpson / 20h

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

by mike simpson / 21h

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 TestingThe 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

by mike simpson / 23h

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 ProgramsPresident 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

by mike simpson / 1d

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 BillIt comes as no surprise the republican-dominated Senate Education Committee didn’t listen to the recommendations of two school superintendents in

by mike simpson / 1d

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”inShare 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

by mike simpson / 1d

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 CAPDiane Ravitch Education - Diane Ravitch Schools Us On Public Education - EsquireDiane 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 educa

by mike simpson / 1d