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Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/13/15


CORPORATE ED REFORM




“Please—a little less love, and a little more common decency.” – the becoming radical
“Please—a little less love, and a little more common decency.” – the becoming radical: “Please—a little less love, and a little more common decency.”I wish that people who are conventionally supposed to love each other would say to each other, when they fight, “Please—a little less love, and a little more common decency.”Slapstick or Lonesome No More!, Kurt VonnegutI was a public high school Engli
Decline in Suspensions and Expulsions - Year 2016 (CA Dept of Education)
Decline in Suspensions and Expulsions - Year 2016 (CA Dept of Education):Decline in Suspensions and Expulsions SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced a 13.9 percent decline in the number of students expelled during the 2014-15 academic year and a 12.8 percent decrease in the number of students suspended compared to the year before. This marks the thir
solidaridad: K-12NN Wire: California's charter school law repeal movement update
solidaridad: K-12NN Wire: California's charter school law repeal movement update: K-12NN Wire: California's charter school law repeal movement updateFirst published January 13, 2016 on K-12 News Network“charter schools comprise a divisive and segregated sector” —Frankenberg, E., Siegel-Hawley, G., Wang, J. (2011)Voices Against Privatizing Public Education's (VAPPE) grassroots campaign to repeal th
Connecticut Recommends Thumbscrews | Daniel Katz, Ph.D.
Connecticut Recommends Thumbscrews | Daniel Katz, Ph.D.: Connecticut Recommends ThumbscrewsConnecticut’s Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy does not always grab attention in the annals of corporate education reform.  Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has made battles with public unions more central to his image.  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie plainly relishes getting to act “tough” and yell at t
Friedrichs v. CTA: Suing for the Right to Freeload - LA Progressive
Friedrichs v. CTA: Suing for the Right to Freeload - LA Progressive:Friedrichs v. CTA: Suing for the Right to FreeloadIwonder if Harlan Elrich, one of the plaintiffs in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, was the kind of kid who took his bat and ball and went home if he didn’t get his way on the sandlot.He evidently doesn’t believe in the democratic process or in majority rule.Elrich an
Obama’s Education Legacy Is More of a Mixed Bag Than He’d Like to Admit
Obama discusses K–12 education priorities in final State of the Union.: Obama’s Education Legacy Is More of a Mixed Bag Than He’d Like to AdmitIn his final State of the Union, President Barack Obama addressed an audience that included Acting Secretary of Education John King, the former New York education commissioner who took over from Arne Duncan at the start of this year. The president touted va
Bernie Sanders is Right: We Should Federalize Public School Funding | gadflyonthewallblog
Bernie Sanders is Right: We Should Federalize Public School Funding | gadflyonthewallblog: Bernie Sanders is Right: We Should Federalize Public School FundingBernie Sanders just dropped a massive dose of truth on us Monday night.No politician in my lifetime has ever said anything so dangerous, fraught with problems, unlikely, impractical, and absolutely on the nose right!The Presidential candidate
Across the Country, a New Type of Partnership Between Charters and Districts Emerges
Across the Country, a New Type of Partnership Between Charters and Districts Emerges  : Across the Country, a New Type of Partnership Between Charters and Districts Emerges Increasingly, I’m hearing a question that drives me crazy: “Are you for or against charter schools?”There can only be one legitimate answer to that question: It depends.Are you speaking of the situation in Michigan, in which fo
Stanford study suggests academic benefits to ethnic studies courses
Stanford study suggests academic benefits to ethnic studies courses: Stanford study suggests academic benefits to ethnic studies coursesNew research shows gains in attendance, GPA of at-risk high school students from incorporating culturally relevant pedagogy.A high school ethnic studies course examining the roles of race, nationality and culture on identity and experience boosted attendance and a
What is Corporate Opt Out? – Save Maine Schools
What is Corporate Opt Out? – Save Maine Schools: What is Corporate Opt Out?Confused about “Corporate Opt Out” and how Gates money can possibly be infiltrating this movement?  Here’s a flowchart that might help.What is Corporate Opt Out? – Save Maine Schools:
The College Board Still Has Not Delivered Many Oct 2015 PSAT Scores | deutsch29
The College Board Still Has Not Delivered Many Oct 2015 PSAT Scores | deutsch29: The College Board Still Has Not Delivered Many Oct 2015 PSAT ScoresAfter failing to deliver October 2015 PSAT scores by its initially-promised, mid-December deadline, the College Board re-promised to have those scores electronically available to school counselors by January 6, 2016, and to students, by January 7, 2016
Why England Is Pushing for Privately Sponsored, Charter-Like Government Schools - The Atlantic
Why England Is Pushing for Privately Sponsored, Charter-Like Government Schools - The Atlantic: The Rise of American-Style Charter Schools in EnglandA push by the prime minister for academies has left local schools struggling to adapt to student population increases.Without a doubt, the biggest change to the educational landscape in England over the next few years will be the growth of so-called a
Education Support Professionals Going Above and Beyond for Student Safety - NEA Today
Education Support Professionals Going Above and Beyond for Student Safety - NEA Today: Education Support Professionals Going Above and Beyond for Student SafetyEvery day, in every public school, education support professionals (ESPs) keep students safe. School bus drivers know the proper evacuation routes and safety procedures on the bus. School security staff keep the school campus free of drugs,
Will the safe choice for L.A. Unified chief turn out to be the best? - LA Times
Will the safe choice for L.A. Unified chief turn out to be the best? - LA Times: Will the safe choice for L.A. Unified chief turn out to be the best? No question about it. The selection of Michelle King as superintendent of Los Angeles Unified comes with what PR folks call a nice narrative.King, 54, attended district schools as a student, got her first job as an LAUSD student aide in 1978, became
Is Teach For America telling the truth? #TFA25 – Cloaking Inequity
Is Teach For America telling the truth? #TFA25 – Cloaking Inequity: Is Teach For America telling the truth? #TFA25This is the interview with a recent Houston high school principal that Teach For America doesn’t want you to hear.Recently Teach For America responded to a post on Diane Ravitch’s blog. Here is a summary of their points:We continue to be one of the country’s largest sources of African
Another disturbing message in Lt. Gov Forest’s charter school bullying | The Progressive Pulse
Another disturbing message in Lt. Gov Forest’s charter school bullying | The Progressive Pulse: Another disturbing message in Lt. Gov Forest’s charter school bullying There have been lots of excellent critiques of Lt. Gov. Dan Forest’s recent Soviet-style demands for a rewrite of a report on the not-so-impressive performance of North Carolina’s charter schools. My colleague Chris Fitzsimon authore
Hamilton High provides clues on how LAUSD's new superintendent will lead | 89.3 KPCC
Hamilton High provides clues on how LAUSD's new superintendent will lead | 89.3 KPCC: Hamilton High provides clues on how LAUSD's new superintendent will leadWhen the Los Angeles Unified board named longtime employee Michelle King the district’s newest superintendent Monday, board members cited her three decades of service to the school system -- years in which she worked mostly out of the spotlig
Drama at Supreme Court During ‘Friedrichs’ Oral Arguments Was Blatantly Political | janresseger
Drama at Supreme Court During ‘Friedrichs’ Oral Arguments Was Blatantly Political | janresseger: Drama at Supreme Court During ‘Friedrichs’ Oral Arguments Was Blatantly PoliticalHave you noticed the political and ideological operation of the U.S. Supreme Court lately?  In case you need a refresher on this trend, in a fine Washington Post column, Dana Milbank takes us right inside the drama of the
Detroit public schools teachers continue sickouts - World Socialist Web Site
Detroit public schools teachers continue sickouts - World Socialist Web Site: Detroit public schools teachers continue sickoutsTeachers marching in front of the Detroit Public Schools officeDetroit public school teachers continued rolling sickouts yesterday, forcing the closure of 24 schools or over one-fifth of the district. This follows Monday when 64 schools were closed, as hundreds of teachers
Teachers, Learning Styles, and Using Data to Drive Instruction | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
Teachers, Learning Styles, and Using Data to Drive Instruction | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Teachers, Learning Styles, and Using Data to Drive InstructionEveryone likes data that back their prejudices. Academics call it “confirmation bias.” It runs rife among U.S. Presidents, state governors, legislators, school district policymakers, and Moms and Dads. I include myself i
Common Core Standards: It’s all about the money | Seattle Education
Common Core Standards: It’s all about the money | Seattle Education: Common Core Standards: It’s all about the moneyA popular “single” from the 70’s:From Truth in American Education:Textbook Publishers Being “In It For The Money” Isn’t a Real SurpriseJames O’Keefe, a conservative activist who runs an organization called Project Veritas, is well known for undercover video work he has done in the pa
ALERT - Malloy/Wyman attack on parents, students, teachers, public schools (and the “out-out” movement) is a national disgrace - Wait What?
ALERT - Malloy/Wyman attack on parents, students, teachers, public schools (and the “out-out” movement) is a national disgrace - Wait What?: ALERT – Malloy/Wyman attack on parents, students, teachers, public schools (and the “out-out” movement) is a national disgraceYesterday, lawyers for Governor Dannel Malloy, Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman and Attorney General George Jepsen spent the day in a Connect
Netflix chief announces $100 million fund for education - The Washington Post
Netflix chief announces $100 million fund for education - The Washington Post:Netflix chief announces $100 million fund for educationNetflix founder and chief executive Reed Hastings, a longtime supporter of charter schools, is creating a $100 million foundation for education, he announced on his Facebook page Tuesday.The Hastings Fund launched with grants totaling $1.5 million to the Hispanic Fou
We Are Listening, and We Know You Have Something to Say - Lily's Blackboard
We Are Listening, and We Know You Have Something to Say - Lily's Blackboard: We Are Listening, and We Know You Have Something to SayAre you fed up with policies that don’t put students at the center of education? And with “experts” who don’t know the names of the students they keep talking about?Here is your chance to share your experience. What you see happening with your students, in your school
King Would Have Stood with Striking Teachers - LA Progressive
King Would Have Stood with Striking Teachers - LA Progressive: King Would Have Stood with Striking TeachersA the nation prepares to mark what would have been the 87th birthday of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, we should remember Dr. King as a staunch supporter of both public education andorganized labor. This is especially important as teachers in cities across the nation including Chicago a
With new superintendent in place, L.A. school board gears for battle on charter plan - LA Times
With new superintendent in place, L.A. school board gears for battle on charter plan - LA Times: With new superintendent in place, L.A. school board gears for battle on charter planA Day after unanimously selecting a new leader, the Los Angeles Board of Education once again found common ground by offering its first public opposition to a controversial $490-million proposal to increase the number o
Our State of the Union: Unarmed Truth. Unconditional Love. - Lily's Blackboard
Our State of the Union: Unarmed Truth. Unconditional Love. - Lily's Blackboard: Our State of the Union: Unarmed Truth. Unconditional Love.I am writing this having just watched President Obama’s State of the Union speech. I’m an educator. A teacher. A union activist. And so I was listening for his messages on education and students and schools and the men and women who work in them. And he had word
Schools Matter: Teachers in High Poverty Schools Get Lower Evaluation Scores
Schools Matter: Teachers in High Poverty Schools Get Lower Evaluation Scores: Teachers in High Poverty Schools Get Lower Evaluation ScoresDid you ever believe that using test scores to evaluate and reward teachers could be a disincentive to teaching in high poverty schools?  You were right.From Chicago:Teachers who score the lowest under the district’s relatively new evaluation system are overrepr
Blackmon: Testing robs students of real learning opportunities | Online Athens
Blackmon: Testing robs students of real learning opportunities | Online Athens: Blackmon: Testing robs students of real learning opportunitiesYou can’t have your cake and eat it, too.When it comes to college and career readiness, that old saying should be, “You can’t keep all your tests and still produce thinking graduates.” I get so sick of this determination to measure everything by tests, then
The Slippery Slope of School Discipline
The Slippery Slope of School Discipline: The Slippery Slope of School DisciplineTeacher administering a flogging to one of his pupils. (Photo: Reg Speller/Fox Photos/Getty Images)Mayor de Blasio and his schools chancellor, Carmen Fariña, are experimenting with a new approach to school discipline. Instead of suspending unruly students, misbehaving kids receive “warning cards” with a suggestion: tha
Houghton-Mifflin exec: Common Core is all about the money - New York Business Journal
Houghton-Mifflin exec: Common Core is all about the money - New York Business Journal: Houghton-Mifflin exec: Common Core is all about the moneyAn undercover video posted by New York City-based Project Veritas, the same organization that investigated the now defunct ACORN, shows an executive at one of the nation's largest school booksellers describing how common core education standards are a sche
Acting Secretary of Education Dr. John King Jr. is unfazed by politics - CBS News
Acting Secretary of Education Dr. John King Jr. is unfazed by politics - CBS News:Acting secretary of education is unfazed by politicsView More: Politics News|Live News|More News VideosThe new acting secretary of education, Dr. John King Jr., steps into a role his predecessor, Arne Duncan, left deep in controversy. With support for Common Core waning and student debt skyrocketing, King faces a ser
Bernie Sanders has a bold, simple idea for improving public education - Vox
Bernie Sanders has a bold, simple idea for improving public education - Vox: Bernie Sanders has a bold, simple idea for improving public educationAt Monday night's Brown & Black Democratic Presidential Forum in Iowa, Bernie Sanders came out in favor of a massive change in the way the US funds schools:"One of the things that I have always believed is that, in terms of education, we have to
Teach Your Teachers Well - The New York Times
Teach Your Teachers Well - The New York Times: Teach Your Teachers WellTrisha Matthews teaching fourth graders in Brooklyn. CreditRuth Fremson/The New York TimesLAST month, at the urging of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, New York’s Board of Regents suspended the use of state tests to evaluate teachers. This is a wise first step, but it won’t improve our schools unless we go further and build a professional
State School Board Member Dismantles Federal “Reminder” On Standardized Testing
State School Board Member Dismantles Federal “Reminder” On Standardized Testing:State School Board Member Dismantles Federal “Reminder” On Standardized Testingby Greg on January 12, 2016 · 1 CommentIn December, the United States Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education sent a letter out to all “Chief State School Officers” (i.e., state superintendents) in order to “ta

YESTERDAY

Rainier Prep charter school is anticipating funding from the state as they continue | Seattle Education
Rainier Prep charter school is anticipating funding from the state as they continue | Seattle Education: Rainier Prep charter school is anticipating funding from the state as they continueI’m not sure where this idea is coming from, yet, but Rainier Beach Prep charter school in the Highline School District is anticipating state funding from the state of Washington to reimburse their expenses as th
JUST IN: LA Unified board passes anti-charter growth resolution - LA School Report
JUST IN: LA Unified board passes anti-charter growth resolution - LA School Report: JUST IN: LA Unified board passes anti-charter growth resolutionSteve Zimmer, the LAUSD board presidentThe LA Unified board today put itself on record as opposing a proposal that originated with the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation to expand the number of charter schools in the district in the years ahead.By a 7-0 vo
Schneider’s ESSA Digest, Part IV (Switching Documents) | deutsch29
Schneider’s ESSA Digest, Part IV (Switching Documents) | deutsch29: Schneider’s ESSA Digest, Part IV (Switching Documents)On December 18, 2015, I began writing a series of posts on the Every Student Achieves Act (ESSA), the latest reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA).I began my series using the 1,061-page ESSA conference report draft. Since that time, the 1,
Jersey Jazzman: Dear Reformy Bloggers: B’Bye
Jersey Jazzman: Dear Reformy Bloggers: B’Bye: Dear Reformy Bloggers: B’Bye I'm going to keep this short because one of my New Years resolutions is to stop engaging folks who are not serious. But I do want the following on the record before I move on:Laura Waters is having a debate with Stephen Danley about Camden schooling. As far as I'm concerned, anything Stephen does is worth checking out, so h
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/12/15
CORPORATE ED REFORMMartin Luther King, Teachers' Unions and Social Justice | Yohuru WilliamsMartin Luther King, Teachers' Unions and Social Justice | Yohuru Williams: Martin Luther King, Teachers' Unions and Social JusticeAs the nation prepares to mark what would have been the 87th birthday of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, we should remember Dr. King as a staunch supporter of both public ed