Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Draft accountability plans raise concerns about usefulness to parents | EdSource Today

Draft accountability plans raise concerns about usefulness to parents | EdSource Today:



Parent committee members and school officials review a draft of West Contra Costa Unified's LCAP on Wednesday, April 16 in Richmond. Photo by Alex Gronke
Parent committee members and school officials review a draft of West Contra Costa Unified’s LCAP on Wednesday, April 16 in Richmond. Photo by Alex Gronke
California school districts are in the process of drafting plans detailing how they intend to spend state education dollars and, so far, most of the documents are dense with education jargon, acronyms and legalese. And in many cases, they don’t provide a clear picture of how districts will use state funds to improve the academic performance of “high-needs” students.
The Local Control Funding Formula law promoted by Gov. Jerry Brown and approved last summer by the state Legislature is radically revising California’s school financing system. It requires districts to file a Local Control and Accountability Plan by July 1 of this year, and publish a draft plan ahead of that date so that parents, teachers and others at the local level can give their input.
Only a tiny fraction of the nearly 1,000 districts in the state have issued their draft plans. But as the plans are released, they are raising concerns about how useful they will be to parents and other community representatives trying to understand how funds will be spent, including money that is supposed to be targeted at high-needs students – low-income students, English learners and foster children.
The accountability plans are at the heart of Gov. Jerry Brown’s efforts to give local school districts more decision-making powers – and to encourage parents to get involved as well.
“The plans are useful in pushing superintendents and schools boards to articulate clear goals, but then they rapidly descend into the minutiae and the weeds, which makes these documents very hard to decipher,” said Bruce Fuller, professor of education at UC Berkeley.
The plans end up being “so detailed and gangly that they are hard for the average citizen to make sense of,” said Fuller, who is co-director of Policy Analysis for California Education, or PACE, a joint research and policy center sponsored by UC Berkeley, Stanford and the University of Draft accountability plans raise concerns about usefulness to parents | EdSource Today:

Duncan Flunks the “State led” Test with His Indiana NCLB Waiver Warning | deutsch29

Duncan Flunks the “State led” Test with His Indiana NCLB Waiver Warning | deutsch29:



Duncan Flunks the “State led” Test with His Indiana NCLB Waiver Warning

May 6, 2014



Corporate reformers love tests.
It seems that now, the test is on them.
Is the federal government usurping state authority over public education?
Consider the protestations that the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are not a federal mandate, as noted on the corestandards.org website:
Fact: The Common Core is a state‐led effort that is not part of No Child Left Behind or any other federal initiative. … State adoption of the standards is in no way mandatory. …This work is being driven by the needs of the states, not the federal government. [Emphasis added.]
Based on the above, it would seem that a state deciding to forego CCSS would face no federal sanctions associated with the never-reauthorized No Child Left Behind (NCLB), that the two concepts– CCSS and NCLB– would not even be related in any federal funding discussion, much less a punitive mandate that any state “prove” to the federal government that its “state-led” education standards must be CCSS, “or else.”
Though he spent a lot of time and energy on defending the “state-led” CCSS, US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan changed his story when questioned aboutfederal funding tied to CCSS:
In a hearing before a House appropriations subcommittee Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan defended the competitive grants built into his fiscal 2015 budget request, gave no substantive details about a proposed Race to the Top for equity contest, and continued to distance himself from the Common Core State Standards.
“I’m just a big proponent of high standards. Whether they’re common or not is Duncan Flunks the “State led” Test with His Indiana NCLB Waiver Warning | deutsch29:

Hey ATR's! The New Contract is a Trap! southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com:



Hey ATR's! The New Contract is a Trap!

The Crack Team got a phone call from an intrepid Mainstream Media reporter today inquiring if we knew of any ATR's that would like to comment on the mass email El Presidenté Mike Mulgrew blasted out to them Monday evening. We told our intrepid reporter that we do not, yet shared with him that our curiosity is now piqued and if he can share more with us. Being a New York newspaper reporter he did not have all the facts and sent us on our own to learn more.

A siren call was soon sent throughout the land of the ATR's for this magic memo. The Crack Team must have it's hands upon it. We needed to decipher it, to decode it, to touch it.

The call was soon filled by one of our earliest groupies who was more than eager to pull uncover the encasement of the UFT contract as it pertains to ATR's. To unmask and deflower Mulgrew and his web of prevarication, or as Mulgrew calls it, "myths."

Let it be known that The Crack Team as thoroughly run this muckety muck through the SBSB computers and have actually formulated reality from the fantasy to be published forthwith.

When the previous administration let it be known that it intended to summarily fire all members in the Absent Teacher Reserve, we as a union made a commitment to stand by our members. We held true to that commitment throughout our negotiations, and the results are in this new contract.

You stood up to Bloomberg, yet folded like a cheap off the rack suit that had been marked down 5 times at Moe Ginsburg's with this administration. What gives? Yes, you stood up for the ATR's http://www.southbronxschool.com:

Connected Principals | Sharing. Learning. Leading.

Connected Principals | Sharing. Learning. Leading.:









The Advantage of Separating Behaviors and Academics Through a Competency-Based Grading System.
As I watched one of our teacher’s training sessions this past Wednesday, I considered how far we had come in grading practices in a fairly short period of time. Our school made the transition to competency-based grading four years ago, and despite some of “bumps in the road”, we really have never looked back. Terry Bolduc, a fifth grade teacher at our school, is also one of our training team membe
Initiate change? Of course you can! #r10tech
I had the opportunity  today to present at the Region 10 technology conference. As always, I come away amazed at the work of the Region X team. This conference has evolved over the years into a must attend the event for the Region X area. From session flow to strategic sessions, to participant size to the addition this year of FOOD TRUCKS…they are doing it right! The conversations today with educa
Myths of Technology Series: “Technology Will Replace Face-to-Face Interaction”
For ISTE 2014 in Atlanta, I will be presenting on the “Myths of Technology and Learning”. As I am really thinking about what I will be sharing at the conference, I wanted to write a series of blog posts that will help myself and others “rethink” some of these statements or arguments that you hear in relation to technology in school.  I will be writing a series of blog posts on different myths, and
Myths of Technology Series: “Technology Makes Us Narcissistic”
For ISTE 2014 in Atlanta, I will be presenting on the “Myths of Technology and Learning”. As I am really thinking about what I will be sharing at the conference, I wanted to write a series of blog posts that will help myself and others “rethink” some of these statements or arguments that you hear in relation to technology in school.  I will be writing a series of blog posts on different myths, and

5-6-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"

Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement":











“How to be an advocate for your (special needs) child”
How to be an advocate for your (special needs) child by Jovan Miles could be a very useful post to share with parents. It’s a great additions to The Best Resources To Help Engage Parents Of Children With Special Needs.
“19 Proven Tips for Getting Parents Involved at School”
19 Proven Tips for Getting Parents Involved at School is a useful slideshow created by Edutopia. I’m adding it to The Best Sources Of Parent Engagement Advice For Teachers.


Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": New Not-Very-Useful Survey Finds That Teachers Want More Parent InvolvementEducation Week reports on a new survey that finds most teachers want more involvement from the parents of their students (see Survey: Most Teachers Want Involved Parents But Don’t Have Them). Unfortunately, it didn’t really define what “parent involv






Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Asking the wrong questions of technology…

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Asking the wrong questions of technology…:



Asking the wrong questions of technology…


1956 - Forbidden Planet

There has been a huge roll-out of technology with the advent of SBAC testing in California (and elsewhere in the country with CCSS testing in all forms). But is this really making education better? Is it making our kids better? Or is it like using Robbie shown above, good for little beyond holding the pretty lady’s train, and not the best use of public monies?

I know, I’m an ed tech enthusiast, but if this is the best we (and by we, I include me in that) can come up with…color me a Luddite and hand me some paper and pencils. I’m going to talk about what I think are stupid choices. Some of them are mine (which can be adjusted and improved on rather easily), and some are about how entire public education community and show little sign of improvement any time in the future.
In my last weekly reflection, I discussed how my kids did better writing with pencil and paper as compared to their online writing. Over the weeks, I would say their online writing is more generally better, but for my most fluent writers, they aren’t always quite as prolific and don’t always have as strong a voice in their online writing.
Some of the studies of reading and writing (in the form of note-taking) show paper and pencil to be more effective than computers and screens for the same task:
That second link has some caveats in it, and a really good question at the end:
Although many old and recent studies conclude that people understand what they read on paper more thoroughly than what they read on screens, the differences are often small…

Perhaps, then, any discrepancies in reading comprehension between paper and screens will shrink as people’s attitudes continue to change…

But why, one could ask, are we working so hard to make reading with new technologies like tablets and e-readers so similar to the experience of reading on the very ancient technology that is paper?
So I can see the mistake I’ve been making, I’m essentially transferring the writing that I used to have them do on paper, to a Wiki. Studies show improvements in students writing online happen with interaction, Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Asking the wrong questions of technology…:

Nite Cap 5-6-14 #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




Model SARBs for 2014 - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)
Model SARBs for 2014 - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces 2014 Model Attendance Improvement ProgramsSACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today that six programs in California schools have been designated as models of attendance improvement and dropout prevention by the State School Attendance Review Board (SARB).Th
NEA - National Teacher Day #ThankATeacher
NEA - National Teacher Day: National Teacher DayVideo: What’s the Best Part of Being a Teacher?2014 inductees into the National Teachers Hall of Fame share their thoughts about what being an educator means to them. Who's Thanking a Teacher Today?Around the country, thousands are thanking their educators. See the latest roundup of their efforts at our storify feed. Celebrate National Teacher Day on
NYC Public School Parents: Six Charter School Myths; my testimony before the City Council today
NYC Public School Parents: Six Charter School Myths; my testimony before the City Council today: Six Charter School Myths; my testimony before the City Council todayMy testimony before the City Council hearings today; a  pdf of this testimony is here.Six Charter School MythsTestimony before the NYC Council Education CommitteeLeonie Haimson, Executive Director, Class Size MattersMay 6, 2014Thank yo
Where is Our Money? | WeArePCAPS
Where is Our Money? | WeArePCAPS: Where is Our Money?Posted on May 6, 2014by wearepcaps Greenberg Elementary SchoolThe following is one of a number of persuasive essays from students in Kathy Cohen’s 7th grade class at Greenberg Elementary.   They were submitted to the Northeast Times but the paper appears to have ignored them.   We think the students deserve recognition for their thoughtful essay
5-6-14 The Whole Child Blog — ED Pulse Poll Results: What Is the Purpose of Education? — Whole Child Education
ED Pulse Poll Results: What Is the Purpose of Education? — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGED Pulse Poll Results: What Is the Purpose of Education?May 6, 2014 by Whole Child SymposiumPost written by Kit Harris, ASCD ResearchASCD continually seeks to provide solutions to the challenges that face educators of all levels. A recentASCD SmartBrief ED Pulse poll reached out to readers of the
empathyeducates – CTU’s Karen Lewis Promises 2015 City Election Will be ‘Contentious’
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Bring Back Our Girls! | Lily's Blackboard
Bring Back Our Girls! | Lily's Blackboard: Bring Back Our GirlsMay 6th, 2014 by Lily.I cry too easily.  I stopped apologizing for it years ago and have become One with the way I express my emotions.  Tears come, at times, from something sentimental and sweet.  At other times from great sadness.  Today it is from pure rage and frustration.This morning I, like the rest of the world, watched the news
Choosing Democracy: Local Control | Tom Torlakson
Choosing Democracy: Local Control | Tom Torlakson: Local Control | Tom TorlaksonCalifornia's Education Leaders Back Superintendent Tom TorlaksonApr 30, 2014SACRAMENTO - Demonstrating united support from key education leaders across California, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced endorsements from 67 county and school district superintendents and local school bo
Two Divergent Polls on Common Core | Truth in American Education
Two Divergent Polls on Common Core | Truth in American Education: Two Divergent Polls on Common CoreFiled in Common Core State Standards by Shane Vander Hart on May 6, 2014 • 0 Comments24421Two polls were released this week.  A poll taken of Republican voters the Washington Examinersaid poses a “conundrum for conservatives.”There are lies, damned lies and political polling.As pollster John McLaugh
10,000 Hours of Education History….And Counting | Taking Note
10,000 Hours of Education History….And Counting | Taking Note: 10,000 Hours of Education History….And Countingby JOHN MERROW on 06. MAY, 2014 in 2014 BLOGSIn early 2000 E. D. Hirsch, Jr, the developer of the “Core Knowledge” curriculum, said this about the growing importance of reading tests: “If you want students to do well on reading tests, they should read, read, read. Not spend time practicing
K-12 News Network | May 1st Candidate Forum: LAUSD School Board District 1 Special Election
K-12 News Network | May 1st Candidate Forum: LAUSD School Board District 1 Special Election: May 1st Candidate Forum: LAUSD School Board District 1 Special Electionadmin May 6, 2014 Elections, Los Angeles, School Boards 0By Radhika, LAUSD community member.May 1st Candidate Forum: LAUSD School Board District 1 Special Election.I was a fan of the late Marguerite LaMotte, whose sudden death forced a
Celebrate National Charter Schools Week: Pick Your Favorite CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDAL
CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS:Release: New Report On Charter Industry Exposes $100 Million in Taxpayer Funds Meant For Children Instead Lost To Fraud, Waste & Abuse - Integrity in EducationBlog - Integrity in Education: Release: New Report On Charter Industry Exposes $100 Million in Taxpayer Funds Meant For Children Instead Lost To Fraud, Waste & AbuseFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 5, 2014CONTACT:Ky
New OTL Policy Guide on Early Care and Education | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity
New OTL Policy Guide on Early Care and Education | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity: New OTL Policy Guide on Early Care and EducationPosted on: Monday May 5th, 2014New OTL State Policy Guide:High Quality Early Education Systems for Children & FamiliesClick here to downloadthis new policy guide!The first years of a child’s life are the most fo
5-6-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Tuesday Open ThreadFun at Teacher Appreciation Day at Arbor Heights Elementary.   I happened to be checking what schools require uniforms (I believe there are only 3-4 elementaries).  K-5 STEM is one of them.  From their webpage, the school certainly has quite a different feel to it.  For example, they have four sections to their Uniforms page and the FAQ is really
5-6-14 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): Carthay Center parents get wish: principal is removedCarthay Center Elementary School As they rallied for the ouster of their school principal this morning, parents at Carthay Center Elementary School were told their efforts had paid off: Crystal Campbell-Shirley was removed from her post. Instructional D
Charter Schools Gone Wild: Study Finds Widespread Fraud, Mismanagement and Waste | Connecting the Dots | BillMoyers.com
Charter Schools Gone Wild: Study Finds Widespread Fraud, Mismanagement and Waste | Connecting the Dots | BillMoyers.com: Charter Schools Gone Wild: Study Finds Widespread Fraud, Mismanagement and WasteMay 5, 2014by Joshua Holland286Students in a kindergarten classroom at North Valley Academy in Gooding, Idaho, wear red, white and blue shirts as part of their school uniform. The K-12 charter school
Opinion: Parental involvement overrated? Don't buy it - CNN.com
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5-6-14 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: Can a Weingarten Stamp of Approval Mean Anything Good for NYC Teachers?The saddest part of Randi Weingarten’s rainy day trip to Lake Placid to get some press press photos of her protesting at the DFER ed deform meeting is that the Misleaders of the AFT and NEA have endorsed most of the agenda of the hedge funders inside the meeting, whether it is bonus pay for test scores, teacher
Morning Wink 5-6-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSNewark Mayoral Candidate Ras Baraka: "I Will Lead a Full Scale Campaign for Local Control of Schools" - Living in Dialogue - Education Week TeacherNewark Mayoral Candidate Ras Baraka: "I Will Lead a Full Scale Campaign for Local Control of Schools" - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Newark Mayoral Candidate Ras Baraka: "
Newark Mayoral Candidate Ras Baraka: "I Will Lead a Full Scale Campaign for Local Control of Schools" - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
Newark Mayoral Candidate Ras Baraka: "I Will Lead a Full Scale Campaign for Local Control of Schools" - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Newark Mayoral Candidate Ras Baraka: "I Will Lead a Full Scale Campaign for Local Control of Schools"By Anthony Cody on May 6, 2014 10:37 AMWith New Jersey in the news this year, the mayoral race in Newark has emerged as a crucial
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-6-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Rick Hess Blasts Duncan’s Waiver PolicyRick Hess of the conservative American Enterprise Institute wrote a hard-hitting and sensible column critical of Arne Duncan’s NCLB waivers. The column is especially pertinent in light of Duncan’s decision to withdraw his waiver from Washington State for daring to defy his will. Duncan will pu
5-6-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: The Best Articles Showing Why Education Reform Is NOT The Best Way To Fight PovertyPaul Bruno has described one of my common frustrations: When charged with “ignoring poverty”, many education reformers will respond that in fact improving education is the best way to fight poverty. Arne Duncan once went so far as to say that
5-6-14 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.: Maybe I’m amazed. Rahm can’t afford to buy his own Paul McCartney tickets. And no lunch with Rauner.Fresh on the heels of stories about Rahm’s law-breaking motorcades and his snub of the great Whitney Young girls state championship basketball team comes the latest scandal. Actually, it’s not a scandal
5-6-14 Ed Notes Online
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5-6-14 Wait What?
Wait What?: Malloy’s “NO TAX” pledge will send Connecticut into the abyssAs a result of Governor Malloy’s gimmick ridden state budget, the candidate who wins the 2014 gubernatorial election will take office facing a projected state budget deficit of $1.3 billion or more. By using one-time revenues for on-going expenses, purposefully under-funding various government programs and utilizing a series
5-6-14 The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: What ‘setting high expectations’ for all students really meansHow many times have you heard that schools need to create “a culture of high expectations” for all students? What exactly is that?  Esther Quintero, a research associate at the nonprofit Albert Shanker Institute, explains in this post, which first appeared on the institute’s blog.   By Esther Quintero What exactly is “
5-6-14 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: The Florida PTA? Not THOSE Parents!Washington Post writer, Valerie Strauss pointed out the indefensible double-standard which Florida republican legislators operate when it comes to education policy. One statement in particular stood out to Strauss: The Associated Press
5-6-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: If This Is Teacher Appreciation, I’m Glad It Is Only a WeekIf This Is Teacher Appreciation, I’m Glad It Is Only a Week. via If This Is Teacher Appreciation, I’m Glad It Is Only a Week.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical1 by plthomasedd / 1h 5-5-14 @ The Chalk Face@ THE CHALK FACE: “TAKING BACK OUR SCHOOLS” May 17th  Come and bring your families, your friends, and your coll
5-6-14 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week
With A Brooklyn Accent: The Charter School Hustle by Notorious PhdThere's something goinground,called the Charter SchoolDump,pushing public schoolsdown,And charter schoolsup,When a student actsout,Or bombs on a testThe charters throwhim outSo their numberslook bestAnd the public schoolswho takeCharter refugeesWatch pols use their scoresto Bring them to theirknees.Its all about theBenjamins,And pol
5-6-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD
the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): If This Is Teacher Appreciation, I’m Glad It Is Only a WeekTalk back, speak up, be heard. Bill Ayers, To Teach. This is not the time for the teacher of any language to follow the line of least resistance, to teach without the fullest possible knowledge of the implication
5-6-13 Curmudgucation Week
CURMUDGUCATION: My Teacher AppreciationIt is Teacher Appreciation Week, though you could be forgiven for not having noticed. It's the perfect time for all of us to stop and say a few words about the teachers who made a difference for us, whose work we respect, and whose lives in the classroom (and beyond) inspire us. Here are some of mine:Susie and I went to high school together. She eventually re
5-6-14 Perdido Street School Week
Perdido Street School: Municipal Labor Committee Backs UFT/De Blasio Plan For Health Care PlanNot a surprise - the Municipal Labor Committee did exactly what Mulgrew and the UFT wanted on this:The Municipal Labor Committee, an umbrella group of New York City unions, voted Monday in support of a proposal championed by Mayor Bill de Blasio that the mayor says will generate $3.4 billion in health-car
Forcing the Fit Using Alternative “Student Growth” Measures |
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Ten Years After: Two Perspectives on Teacher Leadership - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher
Ten Years After: Two Perspectives on Teacher Leadership - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: Ten Years After: Two Perspectives on Teacher LeadershipBy Nancy Flanagan on May 6, 2014 9:17 AM Ten years ago, former National Teacher of the Year ('85) Terry Dozier pulled together a collaborative of teacher leaders to build an on-line national course on developing teacher leadership. Doz
Competition heats up for former school district headquarters in midtown Sacramento - Real Estate - The Sacramento Bee
Competition heats up for former school district headquarters in midtown Sacramento - Real Estate - The Sacramento Bee: Competition heats up for former school district headquarters in midtown SacramentoBy Loretta Kalblkalb@sacbee.comPublished: Tuesday, May. 6, 2014 - 12:00 amLast fall, a developer started talking to Sacramento City Unified School District staff about swapping a piece of south Sacra
Struggling L.A. schools seek larger class sizes :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet
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This is Common Core in Action. A Music Teacher is “Ineffective” Based on ELA/Math Standards. | Missouri Education Watchdog
This is Common Core in Action. A Music Teacher is “Ineffective” Based on ELA/Math Standards. | Missouri Education Watchdog: This is Common Core in Action. A Music Teacher is “Ineffective” Based on ELA/Math Standards.inShareIn the Common Core world of instruction, music teachers should not tell students to practice musical scales, utilize repetitive strategies, or help students develop individual s
Orwellian Language Again: Info-Graphic Answers Your Questions about Democrats for Education Reform | janresseger
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We Still Have Allies in the Fight - Bridging Differences - Education Week
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NYC Educator: Whither the Two-Hundred New Schools Under the Current Contract Proposal?
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Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Lewis: ''We don’t have a pension crisis, we have pension shortfall and a crisis in leadership'
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Lewis: ''We don’t have a pension crisis, we have pension shortfall and a crisis in leadership': Lewis: ''We don’t have a pension crisis, we have pension shortfall and a crisis in leadership'CTU Pres. Karen Lewis' speech Monday, at the City ClubOur members don’t want to wind up in poverty because somebody who just rode into town wants to take away their livelihoods. I

YESTERDAY

Measuring a ‘growth mindset’ in a new school accountability system | EdSource Today
Measuring a ‘growth mindset’ in a new school accountability system | EdSource Today: Measuring a ‘growth mindset’ in a new school accountability systemMay 5th, 2014 | Add a Comment | By Jane Meredith AdamsStanford University psychologist Carol Dweck’s research on intelligence, motivation and achievement has changed the thinking of educators around the globe – and now it’s helping to drive a first-
Hey Mulgrew! Where's The Beef For The ATR's?.southbronxschool.com
http://www.southbronxschool.com: Hey Mulgrew! Where's The Beef For The ATR's?I wish to thank UFT President Mike Mulgrew for graciously sending out not one, but two, emailsregarding the new contract. It was chock full of information that I, an informed UFT member, need and which will allow me to properly discuss when mocked by the chimps at the Bronx Zoo for being part of a union that can't do righ
‘Ashamed’ Teacher Calls Common Core Exams ‘Institutional Abuse’ | TheBlaze.com
‘Ashamed’ Teacher Calls Common Core Exams ‘Institutional Abuse’ | TheBlaze.com: ‘Ashamed’ Teacher Calls Common Core Exams ‘Institutional Abuse’A Long Island, New York elementary school teacher who gained national attention for blogging that he was ashamed for his role in administering Common Core tests to students told TheBlaze he wants to see the K-12 math and science standards done away with in
Two More Excerpts from My Book, A Chronicle of Echoes | deutsch29
Two More Excerpts from My Book, A Chronicle of Echoes | deutsch29: Two More Excerpts from My Book, A Chronicle of EchoesMay 5, 2014On April 27, 2014,  I announced my book, A Chronicle of Echoes: Who’s Who in the Implosion of American Public Education.Here is the book description:“Corporate reform” is not reform at all. Instead, it is the systematic destruction of the foundational American institut
Title I Acadamic Achievement Schools Named - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)
Title I Acadamic Achievement Schools Named - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces 2013-14 Title I Academic Achievement Award SchoolsSACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced that 106 public schools will be receiving the 2013-14 Title I Academic Achievement Award."I am proud of what these schools have accomplish
Marie Corfield: Happy Teacher Appreciation Week: How China and the US are swapping education philosophies
Marie Corfield: Happy Teacher Appreciation Week: How China and the US are swapping education philosophies: Happy Teacher Appreciation Week: How China and the US are swapping education philosophiesEarly on in my teaching career I taught elementary art in the Bernards Township School District in Somerset County. The township is about 83% white with the largest minority being Asian at 14%. With a med
Nite Cap 5-5-14 #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 CAPReport: Charter School Vulnerabilities to Waste, Fraud & Abuse - Integrity in EducationReport: Charter School Vulnerabilities to Waste, Fraud & Abuse - Integrity in Education: Report: Charter School Vulnerabilities to Waste, Fraud & A