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Sunday, January 3, 2016

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/3/15


CORPORATE ED REFORM






Why did retired teacher Roberta Rebb die the Sunday before Christmas? | Reclaim Reform
Why did retired teacher Roberta Rebb die the Sunday before Christmas? | Reclaim Reform: Why did retired teacher Roberta Rebb die the Sunday before Christmas? Roberta Rebb was a genuinely good person and an excellent teacher who had taken early retirement for health reasons. Most people ask how old she was or what disease she died from. It is most important in Roberta’s life to ask why she died on
NYC Public School Parents: Part III: Highlight's from NYSED's FOILed emails about inBloom in 2012
NYC Public School Parents: Part III: Highlight's from NYSED's FOILed emails about inBloom in 2012: Part III: Highlight's from NYSED's FOILed emails about inBloom in 2012NYSED's emails to the Gates Foundation about inBloom and Wireless Generation from 2012 are below; highlights include a dinner party at Merryl Tisch's home, to which Commissioner King invitesan array of corporate reform leaders -- t
The charter school shell game in Washington State: Money laundering at its best (or worst?) by way of OSPI | Seattle Education
The charter school shell game in Washington State: Money laundering at its best (or worst?) by way of OSPI | Seattle Education: The charter school shell game in Washington State: Money laundering at its best (or worst?) by way of OSPIIf you haven’t been keeping up with the fight over charter schools in our state, for now just know that the Washington State Supreme Court recently ruled that charter
Here Comes the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss | Diane Ravitch's blog
Here Comes the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss | Diane Ravitch's blog: Here Comes the New Boss, Same as the Old BossValerie Strauss has a good column introducing you to the new Acting Secretary of Education John King. Why will he be “acting”? Apparently there is some concern that, in light of his controversial tenure as state commissioner in New York, he might not be confirmed. Maybe busloads of an
What’s with the Foundations? | Save Maine Schools
What’s with the Foundations? | Save Maine Schools: What’s with the Foundations?Last spring, one of our state education officials explained to me in an email that our one-of-a-kind proficiency-based diploma mandate was critical for producing the types of graduates that businesses in Maine are desperate to find.“My friend at Texas Instruments tells me that he has over 120 openings that they simply c
Gadfly’s Choice – Top 5 Blogs (By Me) You May Have Missed from 2015 | gadflyonthewallblog
Gadfly’s Choice – Top 5 Blogs (By Me) You May Have Missed from 2015 | gadflyonthewallblog: Gadfly’s Choice – Top 5 Blogs (By Me) You May Have Missed from 2015There are an awful lot of great blogs out there.Especially if you’re into education. But many are telling the same story.You don’t hear much about it in the mass media, yet our public schools are being systematically starved to death. They’re
Merit pay could go down in flames | www.myajc.com
Merit pay could go down in flames | www.myajc.com:Merit pay could go down in flamesGov. Nathan Deal’s merit pay proposal for teachers runs the risk of becoming the hoverboard of education, a smooth way to advance our goals but apt to explode from poorly made parts.The incendiary issue will dominate the opening of the Legislature next week, according to House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge. Me
CURMUDGUCATION: How SAT Saves Market Share
CURMUDGUCATION: How SAT Saves Market Share: How SAT Saves Market ShareThe College Board, manufacturers and sellers of the SAT "suite" of tests as well as AP materials, has been struggling to regain share of the lucrative college gateway test market.Not that they're hurting. When the company brought in Gasper Caperton to help solve some cash flow issues, he announced that he didn't want t
What Are John King's Edu-Predictions for 2016? - Politics K-12 - Education Week
What Are John King's Edu-Predictions for 2016? - Politics K-12 - Education Week: What Are John King's Edu-Predictions for 2016?Happy 2016! And just in time for the new year, we have a brand new (acting) education secretary: John King. So what is he predicting will happen over the next 12 months?Here's a run down: More than 20 states will increase spending for high-quality preschool. That could be
What Arne Duncan Didn’t Do for Special Education
What Arne Duncan Didn’t Do for Special Education: What Arne Duncan Didn’t Do for Special EducationSo the tree is down and the egg nog is drunk and Arne is leaving. Everyone is sharing their parting thoughts, so I thought I would address Arne’s big moments with special education.Arne’s Letter to ParentsPerhaps the place to start is the letter Duncan sent in 2010, making it sound like he understood
CURMUDGUCATION: Gates Odd Good News
CURMUDGUCATION: Gates Odd Good News: Gates Odd Good NewsBack in mid-December, Bill Gates blogged about the top six good news stories of 2015. It's a fair enough list except for one notable and head-scratching inclusion.Items on the list include:* Africa went a year without a single polio case.* Neil deGrasse Tyson won an award and made a bad-ass short speech in support of science* The Nobel Prize
With A Brooklyn Accent: The Flawed Logic of Testing as a Strategy to Reduce Inequality
With A Brooklyn Accent: The Flawed Logic of Testing as a Strategy to Reduce Inequality: The Flawed Logic of Testing as a Strategy to Reduce InequalityAnyone who studies economic data, or carefully examines social conditions in low and moderate income neighborhoods knows that families are under extreme stress. As wages remain stagnant, as jobs with security and benefits disappear, and as larger and
Why Are IEPs So Expensive and Frustrating for Schools and Special Education Students and Their Parents? - The Atlantic
Why Are IEPs So Expensive and Frustrating for Schools and Special Education Students and Their Parents? - The Atlantic: The Special-Education CharadeIndividualized Education Programs, or IEPs, are one of the greatest pitfalls of the country’s school system.I am in hell—or its equivalent. Specifically, I am in an IEP (Individual Educational Plan) meeting for my 14-year-old daughter, a special-educa
December 2015 Is Gone, and So Is Arne Duncan– But USDOE Nonsense Remains | deutsch29
December 2015 Is Gone, and So Is Arne Duncan– But USDOE Nonsense Remains | deutsch29: December 2015 Is Gone, and So Is Arne Duncan– But USDOE Nonsense RemainsDecember 2015 is gone, and so is US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, whoannounced in October that he would be leaving DC in December.In this January 02, 2016, NBC “Meet the Press” article, President Obama offers an unsubstantiated statemen
American Press - Edwards' willingness to listen on ed issues a start
American Press - Opinion: Edwards' willingness to listen on ed issues a startGov. Bobby Jindal has spent his eight years as the leader of Louisiana first fighting for its people and then seemingly forgetting about them.But as his days wind down, the former presidential candidate seems to have one pet project he wants to see continue.On Jan. 11 governor-elect John Bel Edwards will take office and t
MaryEllen Elia plans to push school reforms despite teacher opposition - The Buffalo News
MaryEllen Elia plans to push school reforms despite teacher opposition - City & Region - The Buffalo News:MaryEllen Elia plans to push school reforms despite teacher opposition Legislature, union stand in way of planned reformsMaryEllen Elia, the state education commissioner, isn’t backing down on her insistence on education reforms including high standards and accountability.And neither is Ka

YESTERDAY

The Massacre of the Innocents in 2015-2016 | Reclaim Reform
The Massacre of the Innocents in 2015-2016 | Reclaim Reform: The Massacre of the Innocents in 2015-2016History repeats itself, or it rhymes as some insist. Rahm Emanuel’s Chicago with its school closings, intentional bankrupting of the public school system, the school to prison pipeline, and its mass killings of innocent children repeats/rhymes with the Massacre of the Innocents as commemorated in
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/2/15
CORPORATE ED REFORMThe New Gold | Save Maine SchoolsThe New Gold | Save Maine Schools: The New GoldOnly a short time ago, I thought my husband was being paranoid when he asked me if I’d read the security agreement for an app I was about to download.“Does it tell you how it will use your data?” he asked.I shrugged and told him to relax. What could they possible find out about me that would be of co