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Saturday, May 2, 2015

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 5/2/15


Special Nite Cap - Catch Up on Today's Post 5/2/15


Special Nite Cap 

CORPORATE ED REFORM




Dyslexia and Teachers in a World with No Special Education
Dyslexia and Teachers in a World with No Special Education: Dyslexia and Teachers in a World with No Special EducationMAY 2, 2015 BY NANCY BAILEY LEAVE A COMMENTWhat happens to students with dyslexia and learning disabilities when there are no more special education services?This from a teacher in Mississippi: I am an Inclusion teacher at my son’s high school. Our special ed department lost a cert
Hidden Costs of Choice + NY: Eval Overhaul In Scary Hands - CURMUDGUCATION
CURMUDGUCATION: Hidden Costs of Choice:Hidden Costs of ChoiceI'm going to set aside my several issues with a charter school system (say, the pitting of student educational interests against the charter operator's business interests) and pretend that I have other beefs with charters so I can focus on just one concern-- the extra costs of a charter-choice system.If you run a restaurant, offering a b
Network for Public Education Endorses Helen Gym for Philadelphia City Council | Diane Ravitch's blog
Network for Public Education Endorses Helen Gym for Philadelphia City Council | Diane Ravitch's blog: Network for Public Education Endorses Helen Gym for Philadelphia City CouncilNPE EndorsementsThe Network for Public Education is pleased to have endorsed candidates for public office in states throughout the country. We choose to make endorsements based on the record of support for public educatio
CPS CEO tied to second firm in feds' probe | Chicago
CPS CEO tied to second firm in feds' probe | Chicago: CPS CEO tied to second firm in feds' probe Embattled Chicago schools chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett worked for a second CPS contractor under investigation in a federal probe that’s rocked the Chicago Public Schools, records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times show.Byrd-Bennett — now on leave as a result of the federal probe — came to CPS after workin
SUPES Owner's Sketchy Past Revealed As Scandal Deepens for Byrd-Bennett: Chicagoist
SUPES Owner's Sketchy Past Revealed As Scandal Deepens for Byrd-Bennett: Chicagoist: SUPES Owner's Sketchy Past Revealed As Scandal Deepens for Byrd-BennettThe SUPES scandal just keeps getting worse for Barbara Byrd-Bennett, who took a paid leave of absence as CEO of Chicago Public Schools on April 17 after a federal investigation began into the $20.5 million no-bid contract she awarded to SUPES A
Badass Teachers Association
Badass Teachers Association: BATs Congratulate Senator Bernie SandersThe Badass Teachers Association would like to congratulate you, Senator Sanders, on your recent announcement to run for president.  The Badass Teachers Association is an education activist organization that is nationwide. Currently, we are 55,000 strong with chapters in every state.  We are organizing on the ground to change the
Why We Should Trust Teachers to Determine Who is Career and College Ready
Why We Should Trust Teachers to Determine Who is Career and College Ready:Why We Should Trust Teachers to Determine Who is Career and College ReadyCurrently, Washington State law allows five pathways to a high school diploma. These are the SBAC exams, the EOC exams, college entrance exams like the SAT, “collection of evidence” policies set by local school districts and course grades determined by
Corporate Reformer Pretending to be something he isn’t - the wealthy are buying the U.S. one election at a time
Evidence of a Corporate Reformer Pretending to be something he isn’t, and how the wealthy are buying the U.S. one election at a time | Lloyd Lofthouse: Evidence of a Corporate Reformer Pretending to be something he isn’t, and how the wealthy are buying the U.S. one election at a time There are two previous updates that may be found at the bottom of this post. In the 13 days since the last update, 
How to Buy a School District - Education Under Attack
Education Under Attack | Attacks on public education system hurt America: How to Buy a School DistrictThe Lyons Elementary School District 103 was recently purchased for $11,512.  The district, serving 2,600 students in west Cook County, has an annual budget over $30 million.  What a great deal!How the school district was bought:The mayor of one of the five communities the district serves, Chris G
Evaluation regs to be adopted without formal public comment | Capital New York
Evaluation regs to be adopted without formal public comment | Capital New York: Evaluation regs to be adopted without formal public comment ALBANY—State education officials will soon adopt regulations finalizing a new teacher evaluation system, but because of a statutory deadline imposed by Governor Andrew Cuomo and the Legislature, they’ll do so without the formal public comment period that’s typ
Jersey Jazzman: One Newark: "Choosing" Segregated Schools?
Jersey Jazzman: One Newark: "Choosing" Segregated Schools?: One Newark: "Choosing" Segregated Schools? Last week, I released a new brief at the NJ Education Policy Forum about One Newark, the one year-old school choice plan in New Jersey's largest city. I think this subject is important enough -- not just for Newark, but for education policy in general -- that it's worth my doi
Louisiana Educator: Latest News in the War Against Public Education and the Teaching Profession
Louisiana Educator: Latest News in the War Against Public Education and the Teaching Profession:Latest News in the War Against Public Education and the Teaching ProfessionFirst the Good News:HB 330 which would have greatly expanded vouchers, and HB 505 that would have taken away all due process rights of teachers were removed from the House Education Committee agenda for last week. These bills may
Are government officials trying to intimidate parents who resist testing? - The Washington Post
Are government officials trying to intimidate parents who resist testing? - The Washington Post: Are government officials trying to intimidate parents who resist testing?Tens of thousands of parents in a number of states have decided this spring to opt their children out of high-stakes standardized tests aligned to the Common Core and similar standards, and as that movement has grown, so has pushb
Michigan Governor Takes Recovery School District Model to New Chaotic Level | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!
Michigan Governor Takes Recovery School District Model to New Chaotic Level | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: Michigan Governor Takes Recovery School District Model to New Chaotic LevelFiled under: Recovery District — millerlf @ 2:47 am By Ann Zaniewski, Detroit Free Press Education April 30, 2015Story Highlights• Snyder wants to create new education boards whose members he and Mayor M
Yong Zhao’s NPE Speech, Transcribed– Part I | deutsch29
Yong Zhao’s NPE Speech, Transcribed– Part I | deutsch29: Yong Zhao’s NPE Speech, Transcribed– Part I On Saturday, April 25, 2015, University of Oregon education professor Yong Zhao gave a keynote address at the second annual conference of the Network for Public Education (NPE). Zhao’s entire 55-minute speech can be found here.It is a fantastic speech– truthful, yet also incredibly funny, and encou
Activist Ignites Heated Debate Over Whether Charter Schools Can Save Baltimore - Yahoo News
Activist Ignites Heated Debate Over Whether Charter Schools Can Save Baltimore - Yahoo News: Activist Ignites Heated Debate Over Whether Charter Schools Can Save Baltimore As the nation watched the unrest in Baltimore over the mysterious, police-involved death of a young black man from a poor inner-city neighborhood, education activist Jeanne Allen saw an undeniable symptom of a failing public sch
They turned college into McDonald’s: Adjunct professors, fast-food wages and how colleges screw more than just students - Salon.com
They turned college into McDonald’s: Adjunct professors, fast-food wages and how colleges screw more than just students - Salon.com: They turned college into McDonald’s: Adjunct professors, fast-food wages and how colleges screw more than just studentsAdjunct professors are joining the fight for a living wage -- and show us all education isn't a guarantee of a job The fight to raise the minimum wa
Charter schools’ five-mile enrollment under scrutiny
Charter schools’ five-mile enrollment under scrutiny: Charter schools’ five-mile enrollment under scrutiny Charter schools shouldn’t be able to give enrollment preference to students who live within five miles of their campus because doing so is leading to re-segregation, some lawmakers and advocates argue.If a charter school has more applicants than seats, Delaware law currently allows charters t
Vouchers on the Move: Return to School Segregation?
Vouchers on the Move: Return to School Segregation?: Vouchers on the Move: Return to School Segregation? Twenty-five years ago, Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson signed the nation's first school voucher bill into law. Pitched as social mobility tickets for minority students, Wisconsin vouchers allow children to attend private, and sometimes religious, schools on the taxpayers' dime.But as shown by
"Opting Out" (Cuomo's Song) sort of by Billy Joel
"Opting Out" (Cuomo's Song) sort of by Billy Joel (please consider sharing)With deep apologies to Billy Joel (although knowing his stances on education, I have a feeling he'd give me his blessing for this...)
New booklets celebrate May, Labor History Month
Labor's Edge Blog : New booklets celebrate May, Labor History Month: New booklets celebrate May, Labor History Monthby Fred Glass, California Federation of TeachersMay is Labor History Month.  Signed into law as AB 2269 (Swanson) in 2012 by Governor Brown, its purpose is to encourage schools “to commemorate this month with appropriate educational exercises that make pupils aware of the role the la

YESTERDAY

#ThankATeacher | WagTheDog
#ThankATeacher | WagTheDog: #ThankATeacher“…I had incredible teachers. And as I look at my life today, the things I value most about myself — my imagination, my love of acting, my passion for writing, my love of learning, my curiosity — all of these things came from the way that I was parented and taught.And none of these qualities that I’ve just mentioned — none of these qualities that I prize so
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 5/1/15
Special Nite Cap - Catch Up on Today's Post 5/1/15Special Nite Cap CORPORATE ED REFORMNewark HS students protest district turnaround program in front of Bridgegate reporters | NJ.comNewark HS students protest district turnaround program in front of Bridgegate reporters | NJ.com: Newark HS students protest district turnaround program in front of Bridgegate reportersNEWARK — While a gaggle of report