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Friday, May 8, 2015

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 5/8/15




Special Nite Cap 

CORPORATE ED REFORM






What are Bill Gates and Warren Buffet talking about? - The Washington Post
What are Bill Gates and Warren Buffet talking about? - The Washington Post: What are Bill Gates and Warren Buffet talking about? Here’s one depressing conversation.Three of the most successful men in the history of men — Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Berkshire Hathaway chief  Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman Charlie Munger — were on CNBC’s “Squawk Box”this week to talk about pub
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Finally, Vallas appears on the crime scene.
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Finally, Vallas appears on the crime scene.: Finally, Vallas appears on the crime scene.The Synesi/SUPES Connection Once S-T reporters finally discovered the Synesi/SUPES connection in the current federal investigation of CPS contracting, I couldn't understand why they missed the obvious connection between Synesi/SUPES founder Gary Soloman and Chicago's first schools
Opt-out parents have a point - AEI
Opt-out parents have a point - AEI: Opt-out parents have a pointMiddle-class parents are right to question whether today's education reforms will help their kids.A new phrase has rapidly become familiar in schooling: “opt-out.” Across the nation, hundreds of thousands of students are refusing to take state reading and math tests, usually at the behest of their parents. In New York, 200,000 student
"Funky Monkey" and Pearson Fail the Test | Alan Singer
"Funky Monkey" and Pearson Fail the Test | Alan Singer: "Funky Monkey" and Pearson Fail the TestJohn Oliver nailed Pearson on his HBO Last Week Tonight show on Standardized Testing. If you have not seen it yet, clink the link and watch it. I laughed a lot but can't really say I enjoyed the show; it was too disturbing. It won't be funny until companies like Pearson are brought d
As Obama Admin Seeks More Funding for Charter Schools, Questions Raised over Billions Already Spent | Democracy Now!
As Obama Admin Seeks More Funding for Charter Schools, Questions Raised over Billions Already Spent | Democracy Now!: As Obama Admin Seeks More Funding for Charter Schools, Questions Raised over Billions Already Spent As the Obama administration asks Congress to increase funding for charter schools by almost 50 percent, a new report claims charter schools are spending billions of dollars with near
What Are Appropriate Roles for Companies in Education Reform? - Bridging Differences - Education Week
What Are Appropriate Roles for Companies in Education Reform? - Bridging Differences - Education Week: What Are Appropriate Roles for Companies in Education Reform?Today Deborah Meier and Joe Nathan discuss the role of corporations in improving schools. Deborah Meier begins, followed by a response from Joe.Deborah Meier writes:Dear Joe,I always hesitate to turn any help down. One of the best grant
What Really Happened to Atlanta's Students When Their Teachers Cheated - The Atlantic
What Really Happened to Atlanta's Students When Their Teachers Cheated - The Atlantic: What Really Happened to Atlanta's Students When Their Teachers CheatedEight educators have been sentenced to prison for the decade-long testing scandal. But was the tampering even necessary?A Georgia judge just finalized prison sentences for eight Atlanta educators, the latest development in a drama that has tra
CREDO: Trying Hard to Shape Urban Charter Success from Shoddy Research | deutsch29
CREDO: Trying Hard to Shape Urban Charter Success from Shoddy Research | deutsch29: CREDO: Trying Hard to Shape Urban Charter Success from Shoddy ResearchIn December 2014, Margaret Raymond, founding director of the Center for Research on Education Outcomes, (CREDO), made the following remarks about charter performance at the City Club of Cleveland (Ohio):I’ve studied competitive markets for much o
NYC Public School Parents: Class Size Matters 7th Annual "Skinny" Awards Dinner
NYC Public School Parents: Class Size Matters 7th Annual "Skinny" Awards Dinner: Class Size Matters 7th Annual "Skinny" Awards DinnerLeonie Haimson and Diane Ravitch,Patrick Sullivan and Monica MajorEmily Horowitz, and Cynthia Wachtellinvite you toClass Size Matters 7th Annual "Skinny" Awards DinnerWhen: Tuesday, June 9 at 6:30 PMWhere: Il Bastardo/Bocca Di Bacco191 7
Gates Foundation: Time to Declare an End to EdReform 2.0 - Living in Dialogue
Gates Foundation: Time to Declare an End to EdReform 2.0 - Living in Dialogue: Gates Foundation: Time to Declare an End to EdReform 2.0 By Anthony Cody.This coming week I will be back in Seattle, a few months shy of the third anniversary of my first visit to the Gates Foundation. I will give a talk at the University of Washington, introduced by Jesse Hagopian and several Teachers of Conscience fro
Remember the String - Badass Teachers Association
Badass Teachers Association: Remember the String By Anthony Griffin, a Long Island Teacher and Co-founder of Lace to the TopOriginally published on the Lace to the Top Blog: https://lacetothetop.wordpress.com/2015/05/08/remember-the-string/The only tangible thing I give students in my English 12 class is a piece of bakery string. I don't give them tests. I don't give them jobs. I give them a piece
Feds Spent $3.3 Billion Fueling Charter Schools but No One Knows What It's Really Bought | PR Watch
Feds Spent $3.3 Billion Fueling Charter Schools but No One Knows What It's Really Bought | PR Watch: Feds Spent $3.3 Billion Fueling Charter Schools but No One Knows What It's Really Bought -(Madison, WI)–The federal government has spent more than $3.3 billion over the past two decades creating and fueling the charter school industry, according to a new financial analysis and reporters' guide by t
Discrimination against students of color rampant in Louisiana school district | Southern Poverty Law Center
Discrimination against students of color rampant in Louisiana school district | Southern Poverty Law Center: Discrimination against students of color rampant in Louisiana school districtThree years after a Southern Poverty Law Center complaintsparked a U.S. Department of Education (DOE) investigation into the disproportionate number of African-American students arrested for minor rule violations i
Los Angeles teachers face political fight to defend public education
Los Angeles teachers face political fight to defend public education - World Socialist Web Site: Los Angeles teachers face political fight to defend public educationMore than 35,000 teachers are currently voting on the agreement reached between the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second-largest public school system in the United States
Stephen Colbert: SC Teachers' $800,000 man
Stephen Colbert: SC Teachers' $800,000 man: Stephen Colbert: SC Teachers' $800,000 man Comedian Stephen Colbert announced Thursday that he would fund every existing grant request South Carolina public school teachers have made on the education crowdfunding websiteDonorsChoose.org.Colbert made the announcement on a live video feed Thursday at a surprise event at Alexander Elementary School in Green
Jersey Jazzman: Lifestyles Of The Rich and Reformy
Jersey Jazzman: Lifestyles Of The Rich and Reformy: Lifestyles Of The Rich and ReformyBack in 2013, I told the story of Joe Bruno, a former accounting and health care executive who is now heads a non-profit that is one of the biggest sources of capital for charter school construction.This picture was taken at the 2013 National Charter School Conference; apparently, charter school advocates thought
A love letter to tireless teachers everywhere, who deserve a little appreciation
What teachers really want for Teacher Appreciation Week: A love letter to tireless teachers everywhere, who deserve a little appreciationOur teachers are under siege. They're underfunded, over-scrutinized and exhausted. And we're all paying the price.We're losing our best teachers. Nearly half. Four out of every 10 freshly minted teachers will leave the profession in the first five years of their
It’s National Charter Schools Week. Are charters really worth celebrating? - The Washington Post
It’s National Charter Schools Week. Are charters really worth celebrating? - The Washington Post: It’s National Charter Schools Week. Are charters really worth celebrating?Celebrating National Charter Schools Week: Dark Money Part 4  #CharterSchoolsWeekCelebrating National Charter Schools Week: Re-Segregating America’s Schools Part 3 #CharterSchoolsWeekCelebrating National Charter Schools Week: Fr
Los Angeles School District Builds Apartments for Teachers | L.A. Weekly
Los Angeles School District Builds Apartments for Teachers | L.A. Weekly: L.A. RENTS ARE SO HIGH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS BUILDING APARTMENTS FOR TEACHERSTeachers in Los Angeles aren't exactly poor. But consider the cost of living here: A report last year said it takes you nearly $100,000 a year in household income just to make a median rental home in L.A. affordable.Furthermore, a UCLA study conclu

YESTERDAY

Gonzalez: Feds failed to keep tabs on $3B in school aid to launch new charter schools - NY Daily News
Gonzalez: Feds failed to keep tabs on $3B in school aid - NY Daily News: Gonzalez: Feds failed to keep tabs on $3B in school aid  The federal government shelled out $3.3 billion over the past 20 years to launch new charter schools nationwide, yet failed to monitor how that money was used, a new report has found.Federal spending to launch charter schools zoomed from a mere $4.5 million in 1995 to m
Education doesn’t need Common Core reform, teachers need the time and resources to build great schools - The Hechinger Report
Education doesn’t need Common Core reform, teachers need the time and resources to build great schools - The Hechinger Report: Education doesn’t need Common Core reform, teachers need the time and resources to build great schoolsNow that every state has modified the Common Core and cherry picked their tests, are the standards “common?"Dear Jayne,In my last letter, I asked a question that I th
Oklahoma's Poor Need Much More than Charters Can Give
Oklahoma's Poor Need Much More than Charters Can Give: OKLAHOMA’S POOR NEED MUCH MORE THAN CHARTERS CAN GIVEWhat was once Harding High School in Okla. City Public Schools is now Harding Charter Preparatory High School, authorized by the district.| Photo by Brett DickersonThere has been a surge of anti-public-education talk in the past several weeks. Why?Legislation to allow the governments of Tuls
CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett Troubles Make You Wonder What They "Teach" at The Broad Academy
CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett May Have Met Her Match in Chicago - Working In These Times: CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett Troubles Make You Wonder What They "Teach" at The Broad AcademyLatest CPS Scandal Highlights Chicago’s Need for Democratically Elected, Representative School Board http://bit.ly/1H56qFFAs her inner circle draws federal heat, CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett steps down | Chica
9 Investigates high rate of charter school failures | www.wftv.com
9 Investigates high rate of charter school failures | www.wftv.com: 9 Investigates high rate of charter school failuresORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — There are 60 charter schools in central Florida, one-fifth are failing.Compared to the area’s traditional public schools, charter schools have about the same percentage of A-rated schools, however, charter schools have 10 times the number of F-rated schools.“
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 5/7/15
Special Nite Cap CORPORATE ED REFORMCalifornia Standardized Tests Spark Backlash in Oakland | News | East Bay ExpressCalifornia Standardized Tests Spark Backlash in Oakland | News | East Bay Express: California Standardized Tests Spark Backlash in OaklandTeachers say that the new test is significantly disrupting class time, is plagued by technical malfunctions, and is an unfair assessment of stude