CORPORATE ED REFORM
CURMUDGUCATION: Gates Says Some Stuff
CURMUDGUCATION: Gates Says Some Stuff: Gates Says Some StuffLike many teachers, I could not tune in to Bill and Melinda Gates' trip down Ed Reform Memory Lane because I was busy doing my actual job. This seems metaphorically perfect-- Gates talks about schools while meanwhile, teachers are in schools doing actual work. However, I've scanned someaccounts of the speech from this afternoon, and I thi
The Education Reform Oligarchy: How They Used Us - The Crucial VoiceThe Crucial Voice
The Education Reform Oligarchy: How They Used Us - The Crucial VoiceThe Crucial Voice: The Education Reform Oligarchy: How They Used UsThe education reform oligarchy set an agenda, carefully selected their mode of operations, and agreed upon the bait. They developed a vision, knew what they needed to do, how to do it, and they had the monetary and political support to move a nation to do their bid
The Ugly Charter School Scandal Arne Duncan Is Leaving Behind
The Ugly Charter School Scandal Arne Duncan Is Leaving Behind: The Ugly Charter School Scandal Arne Duncan Is Leaving BehindUS Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s surprise announcement to leave his position in December is making headlines and driving lots of commentary, but an important story lost in the media clutter happened three days before he gave notice.On that day, Duncan rattled the educa
Improving U.S. schools tougher than global health, Gates says - The Washington Post
Improving U.S. schools tougher than global health, Gates says - The Washington Post: Improving U.S. schools tougher than global health, Gates saysBill Gates, whose foundation has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into K-12 education and influenced state and federal policy to embrace charter schools, teacher evaluation and the Common Core academic standards, said Thursday that trying to improv
L.A. charter school expansion could mean huge drop in unionized teaching jobs - LA Times
L.A. charter school expansion could mean huge drop in unionized teaching jobs - LA Times: L.A. charter school expansion could mean huge drop in unionized teaching jobs If a proposal for a massive expansion of charter schools in Los Angeles moves forward, the casualties would likely include the jobs of thousands of teachers who currently work in the city’s traditional public schools.As new charters
Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association : SCOTUSblog
Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association : SCOTUSblog: Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association Friedrichs v. California Teachers AssociationDocket No.Op. BelowArgumentOpinionVoteAuthorTerm14-9159th Cir.TBDTBDTBDTBDOT 2015Issue: (1) Whether Abood v. Detroit Board of Education should be overruled and public-sector “agency shop” arrangements invalidated under the First Amendment; and (2) w
CURMUDGUCATION: Common Schools vs. Diversity
CURMUDGUCATION: Common Schools vs. Diversity: Common Schools vs. DiversityOver at redefinED, a reliable source of reformy pro-school choice arguments, Patrick Gibbons (also a reliable source of pro-school choice arguments) has posted a pretty thoughtful response to the can of worms opened by the Washington state smackdown of charter schools.In "Common schools and the feat of diversity,"
NYC Public School Parents: Video Interview: Leonie Haimson on why she started Class Size Matters
NYC Public School Parents: Video Interview: Leonie Haimson on why she started Class Size Matters: Video Interview: Leonie Haimson on why she started Class Size MattersCheck out the short video below, filmed by Bob Greenburg, about how I got involved in the issue of class size, and why class size matters!NYC Public School Parents: Video Interview: Leonie Haimson on why she started Class Size Matter
Student Privacy Not Just About Identity Theft » Missouri Education Watchdog
Student Privacy Not Just About Identity Theft » Missouri Education Watchdog: Student Privacy Not Just About Identity TheftAt the National Student Privacy Symposium two weeks ago in DC, (written about on MEW here), Bill Fitzgerald of Common Sense Media, who writes the blog FunnyMonkey, was a panelist for the discussion of Potential Risks of Student Data Collection and Use. Up until that point in t
When Neighborhoods Gentrify, Why Aren't Their Public Schools Improving? - The Atlantic
When Neighborhoods Gentrify, Why Aren't Their Public Schools Improving? - The Atlantic: When Neighborhoods Gentrify, Why Aren't Their Public Schools Improving?“Gentrification, it turns out, usually stops at the schoolhouse door,” the reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones has argued.The ups and downs of gentrification have been chronicled thoroughly, but one of its consequences hasn’t been widely addressed:
The national Academe Blog asks – Is Dannel Malloy - A Democratic Scott Walker? - Wait What?
The national Academe Blog asks – Is Dannel Malloy - A Democratic Scott Walker? - Wait What?: The national Academe Blog asks – Is Dannel Malloy – A Democratic Scott Walker?A special thanks to Hank Reichman, the first vice-president and chair of the AAUP’s Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure, and the nationally respected Academe Blog, the blog of Academe Magazine, for reposting my Wait, What?
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Black aldermen mutiny. Rahm rushes to McCarthy's defense.
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Black aldermen mutiny. Rahm rushes to McCarthy's defense.: Black aldermen mutiny. Rahm rushes to McCarthy's defense.Supt. McCarthy goes all Che Guevara on us."I know what needs to happen. It's clear to me as anything on earth. It's a systematic failure and the system has to change." -- ABC 7 Yesterday's City Council budget hearings were like none I've seen
Fine Press Reporting Leads to Long Overdue Regulation of Ohio Charter Schools | janresseger
Fine Press Reporting Leads to Long Overdue Regulation of Ohio Charter Schools | janresseger: Fine Press Reporting Leads to Long Overdue Regulation of Ohio Charter SchoolsYesterday afternoon, a House-Senate conference committee of Ohio’s legislature met to work out a compromise to regulate Ohio’s notorious charter school sector. In Ohio, Republicans dominate both houses of the legislature, occupy
New Mexico’s Teacher Evaluation Lawsuit: Day Four | VAMboozled!
New Mexico’s Teacher Evaluation Lawsuit: Day Four | VAMboozled!: New Mexico’s Teacher Evaluation Lawsuit: Day FourUnfortunately I could not attend “Day Four” of the New Mexico’s Teacher Evaluation Lawsuit yesterday (Tuesday, October 6th) in Santa Fe, but for those of you following, tomorrow (Thursday, October 8th) closing remarks are scheduled. Originally, only two days of testimony were scheduled
CURMUDGUCATION: Recess Consultants. Seriously.
CURMUDGUCATION: Recess Consultants. Seriously.: GA: SmilesThis post is not a rant, and I've set aside the snark for the moment. We don't have cable, so I miss some things until I stumble across them on line. This one in particular struck me somewhere around the left ventricle. I know these are often heavily massaged and we don't get the whole story, but this seems pretty straightforward to me.It s
Teachers' Unions Look to Clinton to Save Them? - US News
Teachers' Unions Look to Clinton to Save Them - US News: Teachers' Unions Look to Clinton to Save Them To say the relationship between the Obama administration and the national teachers unions is strained would be an understatement.Democrats and unions have historically enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with Democrats backing pro-union policies, such as protecting bargaining rights, and unions usin
There Are Way More Homeless Students Than There Used To Be | FiveThirtyEight
There Are Way More Homeless Students Than There Used To Be | FiveThirtyEight: There Are Way More Homeless Students Than There Used To BeBut that’s partly because states are better at finding them.The number of homeless students in the country’s classrooms has more than doubled since before the recession, according to recently released federal data. That’s an alarming trend, but a new report offers
Teacher: Testing is supposed to provide ‘rich’ student data — but here’s why it’s actually worthless - The Washington Post
Teacher: Testing is supposed to provide ‘rich’ student data — but here’s why it’s actually worthless - The Washington Post: Teacher: Testing is supposed to provide ‘rich’ student data — but here’s why it’s actually worthlessOne of the big ideas driving school reform today is that data is king, and the more the better for teachers who can use it to improve and tailor instruction to their students.
Charter school reform bill tackles controversies over White Hat property, sponsor evaluations, new school rating measure | cleveland.com
Charter school reform bill tackles controversies over White Hat property, sponsor evaluations, new school rating measure | cleveland.com: Charter school reform bill tackles controversies over White Hat property, sponsor evaluations, new school rating measureCOLUMBUS, Ohio -- There's no clear magic bullet in Ohio's new charter school reform bill that will go up for final approval from the state Hou
Chicago Teachers Union president running for re-election - Chicago Tribune
Chicago Teachers Union president running for re-election - Chicago Tribune: Chicago Teachers Union president running for re-electionKaren Lewis, whose bid to challenge Mayor Rahm Emanuel was derailed by a cancer diagnosis a year ago, will run for re-election as president of the Chicago Teachers Union in May, a CTU spokeswoman confirmed.Lewis, 62, has been the union's president since winning a runo
Thousands gather at Brooklyn charter schools rally - US News
Thousands gather at Brooklyn charter schools rally - US News: Thousands of charter school supporters gather at Brooklyn rally featuring Jennifer HudsonNEW YORK (AP) — Grammy- and Oscar-winning star Jennifer Hudson is the headliner at a rally of charter school supporters in Brooklyn.Thousands of people in red T-shirts filled Cadman Plaza on Wednesday as the event got under way with a performance by
Will federal funding spawn more suburban charter schools? - DailyHerald.com
Will federal funding spawn more suburban charter schools? - DailyHerald.com: Will federal funding spawn more suburban charter schools?Could a proposal to create a charter school in Elgin, defeated last year, be revived with the injection of federal funding?Illinois is among eight states selected to receive a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The five-year, $42 million grant will provide
Tell the New Education Secretary: Charter Schools Flunk Out in New Orleans | Black Agenda Report
Tell the New Education Secretary: Charter Schools Flunk Out in New Orleans | Black Agenda Report: Tell the New Education Secretary: Charter Schools Flunk Out in New OrleansA Black Agenda Radio commentary by executive editor Glen FordArne Duncan said Katrina was the best thing to happen to New Orleans schools, and his successor, John B. King, doubtless feels the same. But “it’s all propaganda and p
Test Scores Under Common Core Show That ‘Proficient’ Varies by State - The New York Times
Test Scores Under Common Core Show That ‘Proficient’ Varies by State - The New York Times: Test Scores Under Common Core Show That ‘Proficient’ Varies by StateCOLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio seems to have taken a page from Lake Wobegon, where all the children are above average.Last month, state officials releasing an early batch of test scores declared that two-thirds of students at most grade levels were p
Congress in Chaos: Don't Leave Our Students Behind! | Heather Hiles | LinkedIn
Congress in Chaos: Don't Leave Our Students Behind! | Heather Hiles | LinkedIn: Congress in Chaos: Don't Leave Our Students Behind!“If my future were determined just by my performance on a standardized test, I wouldn't be here. I guarantee you that.” - Michelle ObamaThe No Child Left Behind Act, the sixth and most recent reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), was des
Dan Walters: Does early education truly help? | The Sacramento Bee
Dan Walters: Does early education truly help? | The Sacramento Bee: Dan Walters: Does early education truly help?The New America Foundation urges California in a new report to spend more on training and paying pre-kindergarten teachers.“Our bottom line is that California is not doing enough to educate early childhood educators so that kids don’t fall way behind in school,” the report’s author, Sar
YESTERDAY
Jersey City schools could gain full local control today | Bob Braun's Ledger
Jersey City schools could gain full local control today | Bob Braun's Ledger: Jersey City schools could gain full local control todayNJ Education Commissioner David HespeThe state Board of Education could return full control over the Jersey City public schools to its local school board today (Wednesday, Oct. 7)–exactly 26 years and three days after New Jersey officials, citing mismanagement and s
Peter Cunningham’s $12-Million-Dollar EdPost Cannot Purchase Readers | deutsch29
Peter Cunningham’s $12-Million-Dollar EdPost Cannot Purchase Readers | deutsch29: Peter Cunningham’s $12-Million-Dollar EdPost Cannot Purchase ReadersOn September 03, 2014, I wrote a post about Education Post, a nonprofit set up to pretty much just operate a pro-corporate-reform-promoting blog. Upon start-up, EdPost scraped together $12 million.Now that’s one expensive blog.It turns out that billi
Insights on teacher evaluation in DC | @ THE CHALKFACE
Insights on teacher evaluation in DC | @ THE CHALKFACE: Insights on teacher evaluation in DCI know at some point I’ve mentioned DC’s teacher evaluation system, IMPACT. As always, there is a lot being written and researched on the subject, including this recent call from the Network for Public Education to assist with a research project.Cool beans.I’m not going to add any redundant critique about I
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 10/6/15
CORPORATE ED REFORMDarling-Hammond: California reforms ‘will begin to level the playing field’ | EdSourceDarling-Hammond: California reforms ‘will begin to level the playing field’ | EdSource: Darling-Hammond: California reforms ‘will begin to level the playing field’The results on the Smarter Balanced assessments, the centerpiece of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, o
