Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Christie, bully and punk, puts down a Newark teenager | Bob Braun's Ledger

Christie, bully and punk, puts down a Newark teenager | Bob Braun's Ledger:

Christie, bully and punk, puts down a Newark teenager

Gov. Chris Christie, arguably the most powerful man in New Jersey, yesterday ridiculed a high school senior for asking a perfectly reasonable question: Why won’t he come to Newark to hold one of his “town hall” meetings? He dismissed the question as “ridiculous” and then mocked the student for asking it.

The encounter occurred in politically safe Belmar and was captured on a video available from YouTube. Kristin Towkaniuk, a senior at Science Park High School and president of the Newark Students Union, asked why Christie has never held a town hall meeting—he has held more than 120 since taking office in 2010—in the state’s largest city.

The governor immediately went on the defensive, saying that, if the question implied he was ignoring Newark, then it was “ridiculous.” He inadvertently touched a sore spot by suggesting that anyone who believed he was ignoring Newark should talk to Cory Booker, he former mayor.

Booker, an ideological Republican who pretends to be a Democrat, has been a staunch Christie ally ever since the Governor took office. He and Christie conspired—openly, it turns out—to bring the incompetent Cami Anderson to the city as school superintendent (she was a Booker political operative) and to make Newark “the charter school capital of New Jersey,” according to a recent article in The New Yorker. Christie and Booker worked together to manipulate last year’s senate election so that Booker Christie, bully and punk, puts down a Newark teenager | Bob Braun's Ledger:

Three Lawsuits: BESE, White Out on a Limb and Wielding a Saw | deutsch29

Three Lawsuits: BESE, White Out on a Limb and Wielding a Saw | deutsch29:

Three Lawsuits: BESE, White Out on a Limb and Wielding a Saw

July 30, 2014

Late in the evening on July 29, 2014, I completely finished writing my book on the history, development, and promotion of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The manuscript is with the publisher. I promise that the book will make for quite the illuminating read.

At this point, publication looks like it will be in April 2015.

Proponents of CCSS like to call it “state led.”

What if the state is divided against itself over CCSS? What then?

As the 2014-15 school year rapidly approaches, we are discovering as much in Louisiana.

Why, on the very day that I finished my CCSS book, July 29, 2014, the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) held a special meeting to decide how to approach suing Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (let’s just get that intention out in the open and call the overall point of the meeting what it was). In short, Jindal does not want BESE to utilize any tests or even individual items created by or in cooperation with the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). BESE President Chas Roemer and State Superintendent John White want to continue with PARCC and believe that this is their right in the official capacities that they hold. (For background, read here, and here, and here, and here.)

A major problem with insisting that Louisiana education be tied to either CCSS or PARCC is that state involvement in both ventures requires states to forego state sovereignty over state educational affairs. For example, the CCSS memorandum of understanding (MOU) that Jindal and former State Superintendent Paul Pastorek signed in May 2009 (and that Jindal canceled on June 18, 2014) stipulates that CCSS revision will be determined in consortium form. Thus, states adopting CCSS agree to forego their individual rights to revise CCSS. CCSS is a group projectowned by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). By design, individual states must forfeit sovereignty to the NGA- and CCSSO-led “group.”

As for PARCC involvement and the forfeiting of state sovereignty: On the day of Three Lawsuits: BESE, White Out on a Limb and Wielding a Saw | deutsch29:

Arne Gets An Earful! By Mark Naison

Arne Duncan Meets BATS:

Arne Gets An Earful!

By Mark Naison

Arne Duncan Drops in Unexpectedly on Meeting With BATS at US Department of Education Office of Civil Rights and Gets an Earful!

On July 28, 2014, following the BAT Rally outside the US Department of Education, a delegation of BATS went up to the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights to share some of the main issues that BATS had with Department Policy. Representing the BATS were Marla Kilfoyle, General Manager of BATS. Dr Yohuru Williams of Fairfield University, Chicago BAM (Badass Moms) leader Shoneice Reynolds and her son Asean Johnson, Tennessee BAT leader Larry Proffitt, and me — Dr Mark Naison, co founder of BATS. The meeting had been set up by Marla Kilfoyle through an official of the Department of Education’s Office of Communications.

Arne Duncan was not originally scheduled to attend the meeting, but dropped in unexpectedly in the middle. What follows is my account of the meeting, including the dialogue with Mr. Duncan, along with some reflections on what it all means. How much of what transpired will lead to further communication and action, and how much represented a “smoke and mirrors” game by officials of the Department remains to be seen.

After going through security, we were escorted to a conference room in the US Ed Department’s Office of Civil Rights, where we were met by 9 people, including a senior staff member of the Office of Civil Rights, James Kim, who chaired the meeting, along with staff members from the Offices of Communications and Community Outreach and several student interns with the Department. Mr Kim, who chaired the meeting, was very cordial and asked us if we could present our major concerns, saying he hoped we could find areas of agreement as well as areas where we disagreed, and that a dialogue could develop which would hopefully continue after the meetings.

Arne Duncan Drops in Unexpectedly on Meeting With BATS - Badass Teachers Association

Badass Teachers Association:

Arne Duncan Drops in Unexpectedly on Meeting With BATS at US Department of Education Office of Civil Rights and Gets an Earful! (w/ added reflections by Larry Proffitt and Marla Kilfoyle)

By: Dr. Mark Naison

On July 28, 2014, following the BAT Rally outside the US Department of Education, a delegation of BATS went up to the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights to share some of the main issues that BATS had with Department Policy. Representing the BATS were Marla Kilfoyle, General Manager of BATS. Dr Yohuru Williams of Fairfield University, Chicago BAM (Badass Moms) leader Shoneice Reynolds and her son Asean Johnson, Tennessee BAT leader Larry Proffitt, and Dr Mark Naison, co founder of BATS. The meeting had been set up by Marla Kilfoyle through an official of the Department of Education’s Office of Communications.

Arne Duncan was not originally scheduled to attend the meeting, but dropped in unexpectedly in the middle. What follows is my account of the meeting, including the dialogue with Mr. Duncan, along with and some reflections on what it all means. How much of what transpired will lead to further communication and action, and how much represented a “smoke and mirrors” game by officials of the Department remains to be seen.

After going through security, we were escorted to a conference room in the
US Ed Department’s Office of Civil Rights, where we were met by 9 people, including a senior staff member of the Office of Civil Rights, James Kim, who chaired the meeting, along with staff members from the Offices of Communications and Community Outreach and several student interns with the Department. Mr Kim, who chaired the meeting, was very cordial and asked us if we could present our major concerns, saying he hoped we could find areas of agreement as well as areas where we disagreed, and that a dialogue could develop which would hopefully continue after the meetings.

When Mr. Kim asked if someone would present the groups major concerns, I stepped forward, I decided to do so in a manner which would focus attention on Department of Education policies that maximized educational inequality and violated the civil rights of students, parents and teachers in inner city and working class communities. Using my own experiences in the Bronx as a reference point, I said that BATS were deeply concerned with how Race to the Top Policies, which required rating schools and teachers on the basis of student test scores, closing allegedly “failing schools,” and preferring charter schools over public schools had the following consequences:

Leading teachers in vulnerable neighborhoods to “teach to the test” to the detriment of activities which fostered student creativity.

Leading to the use of recess time, gym time, and after school time to test prep, Badass Teachers Association:

Surprise announcement!!!! BATs will be conducting a National Teacher's Congress in DC in 2015!! We will vote on the date and we will swarm the Capitol!!!! STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFO!!

7-30-14 Teacher Appreciation | WagTheDog

Teacher Appreciation | WagTheDog:

What Makes A Good Teacher?

One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child. ~ Carl Jung

by getwhatugive / 9min

Learning To Care

If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it. ~ Atticus Finch, ( Gregory Peck) “To Kill A Mockingbird”

by getwhatugive / 29min hide // save

Teacher Appreciation

by getwhatugive / 1h

Standards Are Expectations of Learning | WagTheDog

Standards Are Expectations of Learning | WagTheDog: Standards Are Expectations of LearningMany ed reformers who are not experienced educators don’t understand that The Common Core State Standards are cognitive goals and expectations of student learning or “growth”.The Standards demand a fixed set of grade level cognitive skills and abilities that must be acquired by students, rather than imparted

by mike simpson / 8h

“Ineffective,” Veteran, Primary Grade Teacher in Tennessee Resigns |

“Ineffective,” Veteran, Primary Grade Teacher in Tennessee Resigns |:

“Ineffective,” Veteran, Primary Grade Teacher in Tennessee Resigns

As per a recent article in The Tennessean, it seems yet another teacher has resigned, this time from the 1st grade – a grade in which teacher-level value-added normally does not “count.” This teacher, a 15-year career 1st grade teacher, was recently categorized as “ineffective” in terms of “adding value” to her students’ learning and achievement, as her district added a new test to start holding primary grade teachers accountable for their value-added as well. To read her full letter of resignation and the conditions driving her decision, click here (http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/sumner/2014/06/03/defines-ineffective-teacher/9918539/)

Thirty-five percent of her evaluation score was based on student growth or value-added as determined by the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS), often called outside the state of Tennessee (where it was originally developed) the Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS). Both of these systems should be of increasing familiarity to readers/followers of this blog.

But given a different test recently introduced to help evaluate more teachers like her, again in the primary grades for which no other state-level tests exist (like in grades 3-8), just this year she “received a growth score of 1, [after which she] was placed on a list of ineffective teachers needing additional coaching.” Ironically, the person to serve as her mentor, to help her become better than an “ineffective teacher,” was her own student teacher from a few years prior. It seems her new teacher mentor was not able to increase her former-mentor’s effectiveness in due time, however.

But here’s the real issue: In this case, and exponentially growing numbers of cases like this across the country, the district decided to use a national versus state test (i.e., the SAT 10) which can (but should not) be used to test students in kindergarten and 1st“Ineffective,” Veteran, Primary Grade Teacher in Tennessee Resigns |:

Campbell Brown’s anti-union group uses union slogan (update) - The Washington Post

Campbell Brown’s anti-union group uses union slogan (update) - The Washington Post:

Campbell Brown’s anti-union group uses union slogan (update)

(Update: Adding comment from Brown’s group)

Campbell Brown doesn’t hide her disdain for teachers unions. She has frequently railed against them, and formed an anti-union advocacy group that filed a lawsuit in New York this week seeking to eliminate job protections for teachers in the state.

That’s why it is somewhat amusing that her group, the Partnership for Educational Justice, describes itself on its Web site with the very same language of the slogan branding the current educational campaign of the American Federation of Teachers, the nation’s second-largest teachers union.

Here’s the AFT’s logo for its “Reclaiming the Promise” campaign:

(AFT)

AFT President Randi Weingarten wrote last year in this piece on Huffington Post that “reclaiming the promise of public education” was vital for the future of the country .

Now take a look at an explanation of the Brown group mission, taken from its Web site (emphasis is mine):

About Us

We’re committed to reclaiming the promise of public education for all students. Our passionate team of parent leaders, education advocates and legal experts empowers local communities to strengthen their schools by pursuing common sense policy changes. We provide the resources and support families need to get the schools they deserve.
Partnership for Educational Justice
222 Broadway, 19th Floor
New York, NY 10038

Campbell Brown may be surprised that she has something in common with Randi Weingarten.

I asked the Partnership for Educational Justice for a comment about this and the following comment came back in an e-mail from Executive Director Campbell Brown’s anti-union group uses union slogan (update) - The Washington Post:

Lesson 5: Love is the Answer. And Also Skills. But Also Love. | Gatsby In L.A.

Lesson 5: Love is the Answer. And Also Skills. But Also Love. | Gatsby In L.A.:

Lesson 5: Love is the Answer. And Also Skills. But Also Love.

Remember my friend Lauren the English teacher? The one my former student Gerardo said had turned his life around because she just refused to give up on him?

I just found out that 16 of her students from last year passed the AP English Literature exam. Four of them scored “4’s.”

In the case of Lauren’s class, we are talking about students from one of the highest-poverty communities in Los Angeles, who until high school had attended some of the most infamously terrible schools in Los Angeles, many of whom came into 9th grade reading well below grade level. The AP English Lit exam, for those of you who haven’t taken it, relies heavily on a student’s knowledge of the entire body of English and American Literature. Of the many things I learned this year, one of them is that students who live in very high-poverty communities like South L.A. or Watts live in a kind of isolation that segregates them from exposure to other socioeconomic groups, which makes tests like the AP Lit exam, which tests upper-middle-class cultural knowledge as much as writing skills, particularly difficult. I’ve actually never heard of such a large number of kids passing the AP Lit exam at a school in a high-poverty community.

I know, because Lauren is incredibly modest, that she is going to want to kill me for writing about her, but she’s going to have to deal with it, because what she did is amazing—and it helps me understand the most important lesson I learned all year, which is that great teaching is much, much more than a set of techniques. I know that Lauren has Lesson 5: Love is the Answer. And Also Skills. But Also Love. | Gatsby In L.A.:

7/30/2014 – Dishonest Case for New Orleans School Reform Model Education Opportunity Network by Jeff Bryant

7/30/2014 – Dishonest Case for New Orleans School Reform Model:

7/30/2014 – Dishonest Case for New Orleans School Reform Model

July 30, 2014 Subscribe

THIS WEEK: Children’s Well-Being Suffers … Teacher Pay Stinks … Moms Winning Common Core War … School Library Cutbacks Hurt … Longer School Days No Solution

TOP STORY

The Dishonest Case for The New Orleans School Reform Model

By Jeff Bryant

“Anyone who wants to have a genuinely honest discussion about education policy based on the real facts of the matter … needs to constantly question what policy leaders and their scribes in the press are foisting off as ‘information’ … An especially egregious example of dishonest conversation is the way school administration in New Orleans … is now being marketed to the entire country as a ‘solution’ for public education.”
Read more …

NEWS AND VIEWS

Children’s Well-Being Reflects a Sluggish Economic Recovery

New America Foundation

“The 25th annual KIDS COUNT Data Book … found that on the whole, children today appear better off in terms of education and health than children five or even 25 years ago … but this doesn’t necessarily translate to changes in welfare for America’s most at-risk children … So while children overall may be doing better today than their predecessors, far too many children still aren’t receiving the resources they need … Despite initiatives to expand access to early education … 54% percent (more than half!) of the nation’s 3- and 4-year-olds are still not enrolled in pre-k … 6 of the 8 KIDS COUNT indicators for economic and family well-being have yet to return to pre-recession levels. The official child poverty rate has increased to 23%.”
Read more …

Teacher Pay Starts Low, Grows Slowly, Is Generally Awful, Report Says

Education Week

“Teachers not only have bad starting pay in many states, but also that teachers are unlikely to see major salary gains even after several years of teaching … Growth in teacher salaries is especially bad when comparing the U.S. to other developed countries … In only four states – Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York – can teachers max out on the salary schedule above $80,000.”
Read more …

Moms Winning The Common Core War

Politico

“In a series of strategy sessions in recent months, top promoters of the Common Core standards have concluded they’re losing the broader public debate – and need to devise better PR … Standards supporters say they’re at a huge disadvantage in the PR fight because anytime a child brings home a confusing worksheet, gets a bad grade or stresses out about a test, parents can — and do — blame it on the Common Core … Analysts say the opposition also has an edge because it’s tapped into a populist anger that animates both left and right. The self-proclaimed ‘mommy platoons’ organized to take down the standards portray them as an inferior product forced on unsuspecting communities by a cabal of big business and big government elites. Every time supporters come out with sophisticated new promotional material, it only feeds their anger at the big money backing … National polling … found voters more skeptical of the Common Core than they were two years ago. A Pew Research Center report last month found solid opposition among all Republicans, not just tea party members, while support from liberals was fairly anemic, at around 55%. And a recent Siena College poll of likely voters in New York state found 49% want to drop the standards and only 39% want to keep them.”
Read more …

School Librarian Cutbacks Widen Digital Divide

District Administration

“About one-third of public schools do not have a full-time, state-certified librarian … In states that have already tried Common Core exams, as many as 70% of students failed, raising fears of mass retentions among teachers, parents and children … Though physical book collections are shrinking in many districts, the role of librarians or media specialists is expanding. Along with fostering a love of reading, librarians teach students media literacy, in part how to research, analyze information and evaluate sources to determine what is accurate … School libraries with more staff and larger collections lead to stronger academic performance … Students at schools with better funded media centers tend to achieve higher average reading scores, regardless of family income and parent education level.’”
Read more …

Lessons From A School That Scrapped A Longer Student Day And Made Time For Teachers

The Hechinger Report

“Prompted in part by federal incentives to expand learning time for students, districts serving high-poverty populations are leaping into longer school days, without always embracing what research has found: Simply adding time is not enough to raise student performance … A case in New Haven tells a cautionary tale of what can happen when a low-performing school rushes to add time to close that gap. It also reflects the latest focus of the expanded-time movement: making extra time for teachers to learn … Over half a million American students, predominantly in urban areas, now attend public schools with extended learning time, with on average more than 200 extra hours per year.”
Read more …

Nite Cap 7-30-14 #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 CAP

Teacher In-Service: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Teacher In-Service: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Teacher In-Service: The Good, the Bad and the UglyJULY 30, 2014 BY NANCY BAILEY LEAVE A COMMENTMany teachers are starting back to work already. And along with the new school year comes in-service training. In-service is either good, it is bad, or it is downright ugly. The good in-service is really professional development. School districts shoul

by mike simpson / 30min

empathyeducates – The Charter School Profiteers – Leaving Children So Far Behind Some Cannot Be Found

empathyeducates – The Charter School Profiteers – Leaving Children So Far Behind Some Cannot Be Found: The Charter School Profiteers – Leaving Children So Far Behind Some Cannot Be FoundPhotograph; Credit Beth Fertig / SchoolBookBy Allie Gross | Jacobin. July 28, 2014In Detroit charter schools, mismanagement and opportunistic “education entrepreneurs” thrive.This is the second installment in our t

by mike simpson / 1h

A BATTY 36 HOURS | DCGEducator: Doing The Right Thing

A BATTY 36 HOURS | DCGEducator: Doing The Right Thing:A BATTY 36 HOURS Sunday, July 28th- Monday July 29th 2014 Almost 5 hours of driving down I-95 and its accompanying roads, service stations, and DC traffic is enough to wear out even the most high flying BAT, but inspired by the potential of meet and greet, dinner, and a great rally the next day, I showered, changed and ventured down to the Bat

by mike simpson / 2h

Clinton launches Talk, Read, Sing campaign | EdSource

Clinton launches Talk, Read, Sing campaign | EdSource: Clinton launches Talk, Read, Sing campaignJuly 23, 2014 | By Lillian Mongeau | 2 Comments SHARE THIS ARTICLEHillary Clinton spoke to a friendly crowd at Oakland’s UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital on Wednesday about her new campaign (no, not that one) to get parents to spend more time talking, singing and reading to their young children.“Brain

by mike simpson / 3h

7-30-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: About the radio showJoin Drs. Shaun Johnson and Tim Slekar LIVE Sundays at 6PM EST and Wednesdays at 7PM EST on Blog Talk Radio for progressive, pro-public education talk radio. Call in to speak live with Tim and Shaun during the show, (805) 727-7111. You can also listen to our Monday "Sunday-Replay" at 7PM EST, and re-broadcasts of the archives every Tuesday and Thursd

by mike simpson / 4h

“Stupid, absurd, non-defensible”: New NEA president Lily Eskelsen García on the problem with Arne Duncan, standardized tests and the war on teachers - Salon.com

“Stupid, absurd, non-defensible”: New NEA president Lily Eskelsen García on the problem with Arne Duncan, standardized tests and the war on teachers - Salon.com: “Stupid, absurd, non-defensible”: New NEA president Lily Eskelsen García on the problem with Arne Duncan, standardized tests and the war on teachersArne Duncan has met his worst nightmare -- an NEA president armed with facts and guts. She

by mike simpson / 5h

State offers last-minute 'parents' bill of rights'

State offers last-minute 'parents' bill of rights': State offers last-minute 'parents' bill of rights' on protecting student dataThe state Education Department has produced a last-minute "parents' bill of rights" on the use and security of student data – hours before a legally imposed deadline to do so.Ken Wagner, deputy education commissioner, sent an email to superintendents and other

by mike simpson / 5h

Looking Back (Part 1) | Taking Note

Looking Back (Part 1) | Taking Note: Looking Back (Part 1)by JOHN MERROW on 30. JUL, 2014 in 2014 BLOGSAlthough I spend most of my waking hours working on or thinking about the stories we’re trying to tell, I have also been retracing the paths that have led to the perch I now occupy, 40 years later. What follows is a trip down memory lane.I got my first reporting job in the fall of 1961 with the

by mike simpson / 6h

7-29-14 The Whole Child Blog — Survival Tips for New Principals

The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education: Survival Tips for New PrincipalsPost written by Ashley Allen, a master's student in communication management with an emphasis on marketing at the University of Southern California. She received her bachelor's degree from San Jose State University last spring and hopes to use her writing skills to make a difference. Susan Kessler, April Snodgrass, and A

by mike simpson / 6h

7-30-14 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): Morning Read: LCAP reporting mandate reignites disputeMorning Read: LCAP reporting mandate reignites dispute New dispute opens over LCAP reporting mandate A festering dispute over how much freedom local officials should have over education spending has reignited, pitting school managers against advocates

by mike simpson / 6h

Who's Really Behind Campbell Brown's Sneaky Education Outfit? | Mother Jones

Who's Really Behind Campbell Brown's Sneaky Education Outfit? | Mother Jones: Who's Really Behind Campbell Brown's Sneaky Education Outfit?The former CNN anchor says her nonprofit seeks to protect kids from predators in the classroom. Its real agenda may be union-busting.Early one morning in July, former CNN anchor Campbell Brown appeared onMSNBC's Morning Joe, pen in hand, notes fanned out in fro

by mike simpson / 7h

The New Yorker Nails the Real Lesson of the Atlanta Testing Scandal | John Thompson

The New Yorker Nails the Real Lesson of the Atlanta Testing Scandal | John Thompson: The New Yorker Nails the Real Lesson of the Atlanta Testing ScandalShare23Tweet60Email0Comment0Rachel Aviv's excellent The New Yorker article, "Wrong Answer," hits the proper balance. Aviv rightfully focuses on the conspiracies and the outright cheating in the Atlanta Public Schools. She mak

by mike simpson / 7h

Morning Wink 7-30-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTSLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-29-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Eva Moskowitz Set to Dominate New York City Charter LandscapeEva Moskowitz has applied to the State University of New York‘s Charter School Institute for permission to open another 14 charter sc

by mike simpson / 7h

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-29-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Eva Moskowitz Set to Dominate New York City Charter LandscapeEva Moskowitz has applied to the State University of New York‘s Charter School Institute for permission to open another 14 charter schools in New York City by 2016, a request that seems sure to be approved. Chalkbeat reports: “If Success’ proposal to open 14 new schoo

by mike simpson / 7h

7-30-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"

Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": “Home Visits Lifted Up as Best Practice by U.S. Department of Education”I’ve written a lot about the Parent-Teacher Home Visit Project, including our school’s — and my — active involvement in it (see The Best Resources For Learning About Teacher Home Visits). I’ve also posted about the U.S Department of Education’s “Parent

by mike simpson / 7h

7-30-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: MORE Caucus Press Release: Teacher Tenure is Good for StudentsBy eliminating teacher tenure, we risk further disconnecting students and teachers, and make it harder for them to have transformational dialogue about what actually needs to be done in our classrooms to further the growth of students... Primi Akhtar (2014 graduate of Queens Metropolitan High School, valedictorian) Real

by mike simpson / 7h

Answer Sheet 7-30-14

Answer Sheet: Respected science publication is fooled by The OnionIt’s one thing for an Iranian news agency to mistakenly cite as fact a piece in The Onion, a satirical humor publication, as actually happened in 2012 when the Fars News Agency referred in all seriousness to an Onion story about a Gallup poll that supposedly showed more rural white voters in America would rather […]1 by Valerie Str

by mike simpson / 7h

7-30-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: An Alternative Narrative on TurnoverThe Seattle Times likes to peddle this story about how a fractious and meddling Board is the driving reason for the turnover of senior staff, including the superintendent, at Seattle Public Schools.It's a good yarn, but it doesn't actually fit the facts. It doesn't fit the facts becauseThe Board isn't all that fractious. Most vot

by mike simpson / 7h

7-30-14 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: About Those Terrific School Grade Improvements for Charter Schools USACharter Schools USA boss Jonathan Hage bragged last month in his blog about some remarkable improvements his schools made in the past year: Every single one of our “D” and “F” schools from 2013 improve

by mike simpson / 7h

7-30-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: July’s Best Posts From This BlogI regularly highlight my picks for the most useful posts for each month — not including “The Best…” lists. I also use some of them in a more extensive monthly newsletter I send-out. You can see older Best Posts of the Month at Websites Of The Month (more recent lists can be found here). Here

by mike simpson / 7h

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Glen Brown. How you benefit from our defined benefit pension.- Glen Brown is a teacher, pension activist and blogger. This post can be found at Teacher/Poet/Musician. Pensionomics 2014: Measuring the Economic Impact of Defined Benefit Pension Expenditures reports the national economic impacts of publi

by mike simpson / 7h

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 7-30-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Pasadena Unified To File Lawsuit Against Acton-Agua Dulce Unified For Authorizing Charter School In PasadenaBy Hugo Guzman & Sarah Favot, The Pasadena Star-News | http://bit.ly/1lc2Av7 The Pasadena Unified School District school board voted to file a lawsuit against the Acton-Agua Dulce Unified School District for opening the SCALE Academy Charter S

by mike simpson / 8h

7-30-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): SC’s Zais MistakePublic education has been under assault and misrepresented by political leaders, the media, and the public since (at least) the mid-1800’s. Over the past couple of years, I have documented numerous times the key role mainstream media have played in the f

by mike simpson / 8h

7-30-14 Curmudgucation

CURMUDGUCATION: BATS and ArneThere's not a lot for me to add to Mark Naison's account of the meeting between six BAT representatives and several Department of Education reps, including Arne Duncan. You should be giving that a read, if for no other reason than it represents a moment when the USDOE paid attention to teachers that they themselves hadn't chosen to talk to.There are just a couple of mo

by mike simpson / 8h

7-30-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Here's Comes The "Health Care Savings" From City WorkersFrom the NY Times:When Mayor Bill de Blasio announced his first labor agreements with New York City unions this spring, he was sharply criticized for granting long-awaited wage increases in exchange for promises of unspecified though sizable savings on health care expenses.Now, some of the specifics are coming

by mike simpson / 8h

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: What's not to love about Chicago politics?

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: What's not to love about Chicago politics?: What's not to love about Chicago politics?When I think of Chicago politics, one word comes to mind, family. I think of a guy like Joe Berrios, the chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party, reaching out to help 15 of his relatives including sister Carmen , not only land a job with the county but collect on her disability

by mike simpson / 8h

New dispute opens over LCAP reporting mandate :: SI&A Cabinet Report

New dispute opens over LCAP reporting mandate :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: JULY 30, 2014New dispute opens over LCAP reporting mandateby Tom Chorneau(Calif.) A festering dispute over how much freedom local officials should have over education spending has reignited, pitting school managers against advocates for low-income families and som

by mike simpson / 8h

Standards Are Expectations of Learning | WagTheDog

by mike simpson / 8h

The Common Core Needs Unicorns and Rainbows | Truth in American Education

The Common Core Needs Unicorns and Rainbows | Truth in American Education: The Common Core Needs Unicorns and RainbowsFiled in Common Core State Standards by Shane Vander Hart on July 30, 2014 • 0 Comments2113Photo credit: FostersFan-Imp (CC-by-ND 3.0)I had to shake my head reading a piece by Stephanie Simon at Politico entitled “Moms winning the Common Core war.” The first statement that jumped

by mike simpson / 8h

Inventor of Portfolio School Reform Confirms It Isn’t Working Well | janresseger

Inventor of Portfolio School Reform Confirms It Isn’t Working Well | janresseger: Inventor of Portfolio School Reform Confirms It Isn’t Working WellPosted on July 30, 2014 by janressegerThe portfolio strategy of school reform embodies the idea of school choice. The provision of a range of privatized charter schools and the elimination of assigned school attendance zones are central to the theory,

by mike simpson / 8h

Hemlock on the Rocks

Hemlock on the Rocks: Symbiotc Relationship of Bill Gates, Arne Duncan and Pearson…and the Takeover1Arne Duncan has embraced Bill Gates' vision of education. Bill Gates has had a hand in crafting the common core standards and has provided grant money to advance the implementation in schools around the country. It doesn't apparently matter to Arne Duncan these standards are unproven, untested and

by mike simpson / 8h

Geaux Teacher!: BESE Abdicates Constitutional Authority to PARCC, PEARSON and U.S.ED

Geaux Teacher!: BESE Abdicates Constitutional Authority to PARCC, PEARSON and U.S.ED: BESE Abdicates Constitutional Authority to PARCC, PEARSON and U.S.EDChas, you continue to say "This is a question of who has authority to write the questions for our test." You are absolutely correct and it is absolutely clear that PEARSON has been given the authority to write the questions by virtue o

by mike simpson / 8h

empathyeducates – Recover the Recovery School District – Return the Schools to the People

empathyeducates – Recover the Recovery School District – Return the Schools to the People: Recover the Recovery School District – Return the Schools to the PeopleA crowd of about 50 showed up for the charter board meeting. photo: Della HasselleIntroductory Essay By Raynard Sanders, Ed.D.The failure of the corporate education reforms in New Orleans has been clearly documented. Of all the school com

by mike simpson / 8h

NYC Educator: Before You Buy Campbell's New Line of Soups, Don't Forget to Check the Label!

NYC Educator: Before You Buy Campbell's New Line of Soups, Don't Forget to Check the Label!: Before You Buy Campbell's New Line of Soups, Don't Forget to Check the Label!Imagine a line of soups sponsored by Campbell Brown, set to destroy the due-process rights of teachers,cut down the hard-won rights of workersand promote the privatization of education, promising great profits to those very same p

by mike simpson / 8h

Q&A: Michelle Rhee On Teacher Tenure Challenges : NPR Ed : NPR

Q&A: Michelle Rhee On Teacher Tenure Challenges : NPR Ed : NPR: Q&A: Michelle Rhee On Teacher Tenure Challenges In Vergara v. California, lawyers for the plaintiffs argued that the state's teacher tenure system hurts poor, minority students because they are more likely to end up with "grossly ineffective" teachers. The case focused on three areas: tenure, cumbersome dismissal pol

by mike simpson / 8h

National Education Association's Lily Eskelsen Garcia on teaching, testing, and fighting back

National Education Association's Lily Eskelsen Garcia on teaching, testing, and fighting back: National Education Association's Lily Eskelsen Garcia on teaching, testing, and fighting backJul 27, 2014 2:45pm PDT by Laura Clawson7959Both major teachers unions, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, have been moving toward a more confrontational response to the p

by mike simpson / 8h

YESTERDAY

Here It Is, A Profession Transformed - The Jose Vilson

Here It Is, A Profession Transformed - The Jose Vilson: Here It Is, A Profession Transformedby JOSE VILSON on JULY 29, 2014in JOSEI just got back from three packed-house events in Chicago, Chapel Hill, and Philadelphia in July. In each space, the energy in the room took me aback because I’m still not used to the idea that a bunch of folks with busy lives want to hear my mouth run for two hours. Ye

by mike simpson / 19h

15-7= Private Profit Taken from Public Education Taxes | Reclaim Reform

15-7= Private Profit Taken from Public Education Taxes | Reclaim Reform: 15-7= Private Profit Taken from Public Education TaxesPosted on July 29, 2014by Ken Previti15-7=8 cannot be copyrighted for profit.This example can be copyrighted for private profit from public education taxes.The content can be copyrighted, the instructional materials (text books, worksheets, computer and online programs, su

by mike simpson / 22h

The Kvetching of Mona Davids southbronxschool

http://www.southbronxschool.com: The Kvetching of Mona DavidsOh Mona Davids is in an uproar again. Poor, poor, Mona, how her crocodile tears do flow.The Daily News reported today that parents (And rightly so) are upset that the school day has been rescheduled in 450 to accommodate the 80 minutes of PD on Mondays and the 75 minutes of parent involvement on Tuesdays. Surely, Mona is happy with the a

by mike simpson / 22h

Badass Teachers Association

Badass Teachers Association: BATs July 28, 2014 SpeechBy: Dr. Yohuru WilliamsMr. Duncan in May of 1894, Jacob Coxey, and his Army marched on Washington DC in the wake of a worldwide depression to petition the government for jobs for the unemployed. Coxey opened his speech, not too far from here, invoking the promise of American democracy“We choose this place of assemblage” he told his audience,

by mike simpson / 23h hide // save

Nite Cap 7-29-14 #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 CAP7-29-14 Schools Matter All WeekSchools Matter: Evan Bayh Loves Christel DeHaan and Hedge Funders: CORPORATE SCHOOL ALERTby Doug Martin With so many people saying Evan Bayh must come back to Indiana to "save" public education as governor

by mike simpson / 1d