7-20-14 Jersey Jazzman

Jersey Jazzman:

Civil Conversations Are Honest Conversations

Via Peter Greene, I see that Andy Smarick, formerly of the New Jersey Department of Education, is quite vexed at the idea that someone's feelings may get hurt when discussing the expansion of charter schools:I have two concerns with the way these things are trending. The first is that our field needs someone who consistently makes earnest, objective, sturdy philosophical arguments against charteri

by Duke / 2h 

7-19-14 Jersey Jazzman NJ Ed News Round-up Jammin' All Week

Jersey Jazzman:Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All Week@GovChristie's Executive Order Lays Bare the Fundamental Problems with AchieveNJYesterday, Chris Christie tried to play the "reasonable" reformer with his executive order on testing:First, he announced an executive order creating a new state task force -- entirely appointed by Christie – to study the effectiveness of state testing as a whole,

by mike simpson / 22min 

7-20-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy

Wait What?:

Wait What? 

And from the Wall Street Journal – Spoiler Fears on Left in Connecticut Governor Race

In a story entitled, Spoiler Fears on Left in Connecticut Governor Race – Jonathan Pelto’s Campaign Poses Risks for Gov. Dannel Malloy, the Wall Street Journal’s Jospeh De Avila writes, Some Republicans argue a conservative third-party candidate cost GOP nominee Tom Foley the governorship of Connecticut in the 2010 election. This year, a liberal third-party […] The post And from the Wall Street Jo

by jonpelto / 1h 

7-19-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy

Wait What?:  Wait What? All Week“Dr.” Terrence Carter – Lexington University:  Order Now, Graduate TodayThe individual known as “Dr.” Terrence Carter – who, thanks for Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor and Special Master Steven Adamowski is scheduled to be hired by the New London Board of Education on Monday told the Hartford Courant that he received his doctorate from “Lexington Un

by mike simpson / 37min 

Coleman Corps | WagTheDog

Coleman Corps | WagTheDog:

Coleman Corps

 In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities,

but in the expert’s there are few 

~ Shunryu Suzuki

Hard to imagine an applicant for a teaching job explaining to the panel of educators interviewing him/her that he really doesn’t give a shit what his students or their parents think or feel and admitting to the panel that she really isn’t qualified to teach the position she is applying for.

Yet the chief architect of the Common Core which was initially adopted and implemented by 45 states explained at a teacher conference in 2011, “forgive me for saying this so bluntly, is, as you grow up in this world you realize people really don’t give a shit about what Coleman Corps | WagTheDog:

Teachers: Don’t waste your votes? Waste? | Reclaim Reform

Teachers: Don’t waste your votes? Waste? | Reclaim Reform:

Teachers: Don’t waste your votes? Waste?

Posted on July 20, 2014by Ken Previti

“Portion of people living in Illinois who say they would move elsewhere if they could: 1/2″

- Harper’s Index in the Harper’s Magazine, August 2014 issue

Who believes all the lies about the greedy, lazy, incompetent teachers who are bankrupting the state and failing their students?

When a fear-filled lie, propaganda, is repeated often enough by corporate media outlets, fear wins out and social sanity collapses. Selecting a minority group to be an “other” as a scapegoat is a common propaganda procedure. “Stinkin’ teachers!”

Illinois, Florida, Connecticut, New Jersey, California, and YOUR state use teachers as scapegoats for the financial woes created by their own legislators who annually give hundreds of millions of dollars away to each of their corporate, multimillionaire and billionaire campaign contributors. No money for schools, teachers, pensions or anything except giveaways to cronies.

(By the way, states by definition cannot go broke; states are independent taxing entities.)

This “Illinois Is Broke” Campaign was carried on state government’s own State of Illinois sites (Yes, paid for with tax money.), on TV ads, radio and newspaper ads, and even the billboards that greeted visitors driving to and from the airport. AstroTurf organizations, Teachers: Don’t waste your votes? Waste? | Reclaim Reform:

Tuning in to Teachers | Randi Weingarten

Tuning in to Teachers | Randi Weingarten:

Tuning in to Teachers

 Why would 3,500 people go to sun- and fun-filled Los Angeles and opt to spend the bulk of their time inside a cavernous convention hall? To be heard. This was the case last week at the American Federation of Teachers biennial convention, where educators spoke up forcefully and passionately about economic and social justice, education and professional issues on which they are often denied a voice.

These days, the wisdom and experience of educators are often ignored and, worse, dismissed by policymakers who favor approaches emanating far from the classroom. Yet no one is better able to weigh in on what will help children succeed academically than educators, who have incomparable firsthand knowledge. That's exactly what AFT delegates did--setting union policies for how to reclaim the promise of public education--for our kids, families and communities. 
AFT's new policy revamping accountability is perhaps the most important because it confronts the destructive obsession with standardized testing.

Educators didn't simply rail against the harmful effects of "test-and-punish" accountability systems driven by No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top; they gave near-unanimous approval to a new approach aimed at ensuring kids have meaningful learning outcomes--based on a systemic support-and-improve model that holds to account all who have responsibility for education.

The most intense debate concerned the Common Core State Standards. Teachers have been told that these are an essential building block to help all students be ready for Tuning in to Teachers | Randi Weingarten:

Texas Hangin’ its Hat on its New VAM System |:

Texas Hangin’ its Hat on its New VAM System

 A fellow blogger, James Hamric and author of Hammy’s Education Reform Blog, emailed a few weeks ago connecting me with a recent post he wrote about teacher evaluations in Texas, titling them and his blog post “The good, the bad and the ridiculous.”

It seems that the Texas Education Agency (TEA), which serves a similar role in Texas as a state department of education elsewhere, recently posted details about the state’s new Teacher Evaluation and Support System (TESS) that the state submitted to the U.S. Department of Education to satisfy the condition’s of its No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waiver, excusing Texas from not meeting NCLB’s prior goal that all students in the state (and all other states) would be 100% proficient in mathematics and reading/language arts by 2014.

While “80% of TESS will be rubric based evaluations consisting of formal observations, self assessment and professional development across six domains…The remaining 20% of TESS ‘will be reflected in a student growth measure at the individual teacher level that will include a value-add score based on student growth as measured by state Texas Hangin’ its Hat on its New VAM System |:

7-20-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum:

Seattle Schools' Pre-K "Mission Study" - Day-by-Day Timeline

I will do my best to get this in a linear order but the e-mails were not always provided in that manner.To note, the trip was March 3-6th so clearly, getting started in early Feb was difficult on staff.  I wonder how the City thought the district had so much travel money to try to send 5+ people to three cities.   Key staffers involved:Cashel Toner - head of SPS Early Learning, seemingly the lead

by Melissa Westbrook / 8min 

Seattle Schools' Pre-K "Mission Study"

This will be Part One of a thread about the Pre-K "mission trip" that several Seattle schools' employees took as well as one Board director. Part One will be the Narrative of what happened.  Part Two will be the day-by-day planning for this trip.  Mirmac1 got e-mails via public disclosure and they paint a very damning picture.  Because of my concerns over this troubling incident, I wrote

by Melissa Westbrook / 10min 

Stand for Children's Petition - Don't Sign It

Stand has this "education" petition going around. Consider not signing it.First, note the source.  That should tell you all you need to know right there.  (What's funny is they want one word changed and claim it will "free" Washington from NCLB.  There's no way they can know that for sure.  Next, it is a GOOD thing that Washington State stood up to the feds on No Child Left Beh

by Melissa Westbrook / 0min 

7-19-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum:Seattle Schools Community ForumSeattle School Board Appoints Larry Nyland as Interim SuperThe Board seems in agreement of the appointment of Dr. Larry Nyland, former superintendent in Marysville (and a former Superintendent of the Year) to be the interim superintendent. More to come.  Board seems enthused.Updates:- Carr and Martin-Morris were out-of-town but were on

by mike simpson / 39min 

7-20-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

My Video of Randi Press Conf at #AFT14

Some interesting insights from Randi on Vergara, Duncan and other issues. But not enough of a rigorous defense of tenure - rather a sense of - we are willing to help get rid of teachers. Left hanging are those teachers who have been chopped due to political persecution. Lenny Isenberg from LA asks Randi a question as do I. A few days later there was a press conference with Mary Catherine Ricker de

by ed notes online / 43min 

7-19-14 Ed Notes Online Week

Ed Notes Online: Ed Notes OnlineI Defend Tenure in the IndypendentThanks to John Tarleton for a great editing job. Making me look literate ain't easy.Teacher Bashing Knows No Summer Vacation By Norm ScottJuly 16, 2014Issue # 198  In a closely watched case, a California judge ruled on June 10 that the state’s teacher tenure laws infringed on the civil rights of students in schools in poor communiti

by mike simpson / 41min 

7-20-14 Curmudgucation Week

CURMUDGUCATION:

Joe Klein's Non-comprehension

There are lots of things doesn't get, and many of them are related to education. In the process of railing last week about a de Blasio "giveback" of 150 minutes of special student tutoring time in New York schools, Klein managed to trot out a whole raft of misconceptions and complaints. Here he gets himself all lathered up.He said that the program had been “inflexible” and “one size fits

by Peter Greene / 13min 

Zephyr Teachout Is for Real

When the Washington Post ran an essay by Zephyr Teachout, they prefaced it by observing that she is "to say the least, not the kind of person you'd expect to run for office."That seems fair. Teachout is a Vermont-born law professor. In profiles of her by those who know her, she comes across as humble. In her own writing and speaking, she comes across as supremely capable. And she is shak

1 by Peter Greene / 11min 

7-19-14 Curmudgucation Week

CURMUDGUCATION:Curmudgucation WeekAFT Spanks Duncan (Sort Of)I know this is old news, but I've been out of town. On Sunday, July 13, I was in the air flying toward the very city where the AFT was kind of taking a stand.The NEA had taken similar steps earlier by calling for the ouster of Arne Duncan, though outbound president Dennis Van Roekel immediately chalked it up to members just being, you kn

by mike simpson / 25min 

7-20-14 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.:

Happy birthday Karen Jennings Lewis!

The lies of Hinsdale’s board. And why you should care.

The Hinsdale High School Teachers Association exposes the lies that their board is spreading. I’ve been focusing on Hinsdale, a Chicago suburban high school district because it is the perfect example of where a small group of ALEC and Tea Party activists have taken over a local school board for their own ideological purposes. They are not representative of the town of Hinsdale. They act in secret

by Fred Klonsky / 16min 

Twice.

For some people, having a really good person run for mayor – someone I can work for and vote for without reservation - only happens once in their lifetime. That I get the chance to do it twice? A blessing.

by Fred Klonsky / 5min 

The “Two million site visits” contest is now closed. All the August dates have been taken.

Since I am closing in on 2 million site visits, I decided to sponsor a contest. What date will my blog make it to two million? I opened the contest two days ago and by yesterday all August dates had been taken. To those of you who took days in September and December. Really? The winner get a custom fredklonsky.com t-shirt in a color of their choice.  

1 by Fred Klonsky / 8min 

Sunday reads.

Happy birthday Karen Jennings Lewis! Charles Schwab — A core member of the ‘charter cabal’. The Joe Berrios crime family. In case you forgot, Joe is Chairman of the Chicago Democratic Party. Teacher disciplined because her students’ scores are too high. Mom: My kindergartner was ‘work-sheeted to death’ Child migrants have been coming to America alone since Ellis Island. Massacre in Gaza: At least

3 by Fred Klonsky / 19min 

7-19-14 Fred All Week Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Fred All Week Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacherSaturday morning. The 2 million hits squares are filling up.Wow. The squares are fling up quickly. What date wil this blog hit 2 million site visits. Pick the correct date and win this beautiful customized t-shirt in the color of

by mike simpson / 43min 

Morning Wink 7-20-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-20-14 Diane Ravitch's blog #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Arthur Goldstein: Why Good Teachers Need Tenure TooArthur Goldstein, a high school teacher of English as a Second Language in New York City, explains in this article that good teachers need tenure too. Goldstein gives examples of teachers who were denied tenure because they stood up for the rights of their students. When he made de

by mike simpson / 27min 

7-20-14 Schools Matter All Week

Schools Matter: NEA, SEIU, and Eli BroadAt the recent AFT and NEA coronations, there was news about new linkages with SEIU, whose former president, Andy Stern, had close ties with Broad, Gates, and Obama (Stern had a choice seat in the Obama box at the Inauguration Parade). Below is part of a post I did in 2007, a day or so after a big fund-raiser in Los Angles for charter chain, Green Dot Public

by mike simpson / 30min 

7-20-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day | For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: All My Ed Week Posts On Parent Engagement In One Place!Q & A Collections: Parent Engagement In Schools is my latest post at Education Week Teacher. It brings together all my Ed Week posts related to parent engagement from the past three years. Here’s an excerpt: I’m adding it to My Best Posts, Articles & Interviews

by mike simpson / 31min 

7-20-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"

Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": Odd Question: Are Parents “Assets Or Liabilities”?John Merrow, who produces education-related segments for the PBS News Hour, recently published a post about parent engagement titled Assets or Liabilities? Though certainly there are teachers who are not very positive about working with parents, my suspicion is that they are

by mike simpson / 33min 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 7-20-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: VERGARA RULING BECOMES A CAMPAIGN ISSUE …at least in Tuck’s mind + smf’s 2¢By John Fensterwald | EdSource Today | http://bit.ly/1rdYjNb July 17, 2014 |State Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate Marshall Tuck this week launched a petition calling on his opponent, incumbent Superintendent Tom Torlakson, not to appeal a lawsuit ruling that struck

by mike simpson / 35min 

7-20-14 With A Brooklyn Accent: Love Letters to the BATS

With A Brooklyn Accent: New York Now Leads the Way in the Movement Against Common Core- At The Polls  Something truly extraordinary has happened in the New York State Gubernatorial race-something with broad national implications.  A big money Democratic Governor, Andrew Cuomo, who thought he was going to make himself a front runner in the 2016 Presidential Race by ramming through legislation requi

by mike simpson / 36min 

7-20-14 Perdido Street School Week

Perdido Street School: James GarnerIt has been announced that James Garner has died at the age of 86.Garner wrote one of my favorite pieces on actors and politics in 2011:James Garner's memoir "The Garner Files" was published today, and far from being a glossed over look at his career, it's very much matter of fact. Although he defends actors who express their political views, he is crit

by mike simpson / 38min 

It’s a bird…It’s a plane…It’s Superman! | WagTheDog

It’s a bird…It’s a plane…It’s Superman! | WagTheDog: It’s a bird…It’s a plane…It’s Superman! “Kids make their mark in life by doing what they can do, not what they can’t… School is important, but life is more important. Being happy is using your skills productively, no matter what they are.”~ Howard Gardner “The second concern is justifying the Common Core on the highly dubious notion that college

by mike simpson / 42min 

Teachers Union Conventions Reflect Common (Core) Frustrations | PopularResistance.Org

Teachers Union Conventions Reflect Common (Core) Frustrations | PopularResistance.Org: Teachers Union Conventions Reflect Common (Core) FrustrationsORGANIZE! EDUCATION By Bill Balderston, www.labornotes.orgJuly 20th, 2014  Powered by TranslateAt national conventions of the two major teacher unions this month, controversy flared over the Common Core, a standardized curriculum largely funded by the

by mike simpson / 44min 

Common Core Fallacy: Students Need Expensive Technology to be Successful | Missouri Education Watchdog

Common Core Fallacy: Students Need Expensive Technology to be Successful | Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core Fallacy: Students Need Expensive Technology to be SuccessfulinShareNone allowed in this summer math camp.The argument that each student needs an IPad or other technology to become a ‘global citizen’ and learn math might not be true.  Have you seen any research showing this to be a va

by mike simpson / 45min 

White Suburban Dads—Even Worse than Moms? | EduShyster

White Suburban Dads—Even Worse than Moms? | EduShyster: White Suburban Dads—Even Worse than Moms? If you could ask Arne Duncan just one question, what would it be?By Patrick HayesIf you could ask Arne Duncan just one question, what would it be? That’s the dilemma I faced when I heard that my district would be hosting a live Q & A with Big Dunk.There was the obvious choice:*Whaddya’ get Bill Ga

by mike simpson / 47min 

Tea Party text books in Arizona charter school Heritage Academy | Seattle Education

Tea Party text books in Arizona charter school Heritage Academy | Seattle Education: Tea Party text books in Arizona charter school Heritage AcademyHeritage Academy: “Learning Our Heritage, Creating Our Legacy”One of Arizona’s oldest public charter schools is under fire from the Americans United for Separation of Church and State for using textbooks that actively promote religious interpretations

by mike simpson / 49min 

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Charles Schwab -- A core member of the 'charter cabal'

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Charles Schwab -- A core member of the 'charter cabal': Charles Schwab -- A core member of the 'charter cabal'Brokerage firm founder Charles Schwab rode the emerging wave of online investing to amass client assets of over $2 trillion, and he now has a net worth of $6 billion. He's now become one of the biggest patrons of corporate-style school reform, investing

by mike simpson / 50min 

YESTERDAY

Nite Cap 7-19-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT

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 CAPDIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Kids on the Way to the Park: Is Joy Stifled in School??DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Kids on the Way to the Park: Is Joy Stifled in School??: Kids on the Way to the Park: Is Joy Stifled in School??There is

by mike simpson / 15h 

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Kids on the Way to the Park: Is Joy Stifled in School??

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Kids on the Way to the Park: Is Joy Stifled in School??: Kids on the Way to the Park: Is Joy Stifled in School??There is a playground in my development.During the summer, I have the pleasure of listening to children as they travel to the playground.The excitement can't be contained, talking, laughing, running!"Come back!" "Don't go too far!" &

by mike simpson / 16h 

All Things Education: Schooled by Schooled (& Silicon Valley)

All Things Education: Schooled by Schooled (& Silicon Valley): Schooled by Schooled (& Silicon Valley)I finally read The New Yorker article ("Schooled") about education reform in Newark, New Jersey. I think it was a fair piece but before I continue, a disclaimer: I assume that anything I say here could be legitimately challenged or discounted given what people who are on the grou

by mike simpson / 19h 

7-19-14 WagTheDog - Data-Driven Common Core Does Not Compute

Data-Driven Common Core Does Not Compute | WagTheDog: Data-Driven Common Core Does Not ComputeMore and more it feels like the education leaders who are tasked with overseeing the data-driven Common Core implementation and assessment policies are “Lost in Space” and their data “does not compute”.  During the school year 100% of teachers are expected to “unpack” the standards, differentiate instruct

by mike simpson / 19h 

Superintendent Jose Banda Welcome to Sacramento, Don't Mind the Bee Bashing (they were hoping for another Broadie)

Superintendent Jose Banda Welcome to Sacramento, Don't Mind the Bee Bashing (they were hoping for another Broadie)What others say about Superintendent Jose Banda:Next Seattle schools chief Banda: Building trust at top of to-do listThe Seattle School Board's unanimous selection of José Banda as the next district superintendent came after 3-1/2 hours of closed-door deliberations Sunday night, offici

by mike simpson / 19h 

Editorial: New superintendent contract gives a reward for Being Bashed by The Sacramento Bee

Editorial: New superintendent contract gives a reward for incompetence - Editorials - The Sacramento Bee: Editorial: New superintendent contract gives a reward for incompetenceBy the Editorial BoardPublished: Saturday, Jul. 19, 2014 - 12:00 amWhen José L. Banda takes over as superintendent for the Sacramento City Unified School District on Aug. 1, he will earn an annual salary of $290,000 – a $20,

by mike simpson / 21h 

The Choices Parents Really Want for Their Students with Special Needs

The Choices Parents Really Want for Their Students with Special Needs: The Choices Parents Really Want for Their Students with Special NeedsJULY 19, 2014 BY NANCY BAILEY LEAVE A COMMENTToday I want to talk about the choices, I believe, parents want for their students with exceptionalities or students in general.“Choice,” today, in the eyes of the ed. reformers means having a lot of charter schools

by mike simpson / 22h 

2nd Banana 7-19-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post #EDchat #EDreform #NN14

BIG EDUCATION APE 2ND BANANARECAP OF LAST WEEK'S BEST POSTDonna Brazile, Democrats for Public EducationDonna Brazile, Democrats for Public EducationDonna Brazile as one of the founding members of "Democrats for Public Education" talks about how privatization and market-based education reform has made education less equitable in many communities.by mike simpson / 5h OMG!!!!! Look who’s co

by mike simpson / 22h 

Morning Wink 7-19-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSThe Seven A’s of Successful High Schools | Connected PrincipalsThe Seven A’s of Successful High Schools | Connected Principals: The Seven A’s of Successful High Schoolshttp://nicholasferguson.org/wp-content/uploads/Success.jpg Defining what it means to have a “successful” high school is quite the challenge, with stakeholders often disagreeing on the approa

by mike simpson / 23h 

2nd Banana 7-19-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 

2nd Banana 7-12-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 

2nd Banana 7-5-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

2nd Banana 6-28-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

2nd Banana 6-21-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 

2nd Banana 6-14-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

2nd Banana 6-7-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

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