CURMUDGUCATION: Can Evidence Improve America's Schools? : Can Evidence Improve America's Schools? That's the question asked by Mike Petrilli (Fordham Institute) asks over at the Fordham blog. The piece harkens back to Chester Finn's 1986 book titled, unironically, What Works. And the piece also ties into Petrilli's ongoing series about how to drive change in education. After noting that nothing f
Parent to Broward School Board: “I will not go quietly into the night…” | THE OPT OUT FLORIDA NETWORK : Parent to Broward School Board: “I will not go quietly into the night…” Brandy Paternoster is one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit to make #180DaysCount in school. Her compelling address at the Broward County Public Schools’ Board meeting yesterday, is an indictment of the district’s position a
School House to White House : Why Destroying Public Schools is a BAD IDEA! School House to White House: The Education of the Presidents Larger Version First-grader Richard Nixon sits at the end of the first row. (Nixon Library) Our modern Presidents received educations and participated in school activities in ways as diverse as their backgrounds and their political philosophies. Some of the Presi
All the risk, none of the rewards for Michigan cities : All the risk, none of the rewards for Michigan cities Lincoln Park’s financial emergency, declared in 2014, inspired some serious rewrites of employee contracts and outsourcing of some city services. Retirees had their health coverage yanked. Now, the budget is balanced, if spare, and the city is poised to exit emergency management. But what
Ariz. charter school accused of illegally teaching religious doctrine | News | yumasun.com : Ariz. charter school accused of illegally teaching religious doctrine PHOENIX -- A national organization filed suit Wednesday against an Arizona charter school with ties to a member of the state Board of Education, accusing it of using state funds to illegally teach religious doctrine. The federal court l
Charter Schools: The New Private Prisons? - Mitchell Robinson: Reforming Reform : Charter Schools: The New Private Prisons? A new report from the Justice Department recommends the suspension of contracts for private prisons, effective immediately. In explaining the justification for this decision, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates concluded that "the facilities are both less safe and less
Cognitive Dissidence: ALEC Aims to Privatize All Schools : ALEC Aims to Privatize All Schools On the heels of a newly passed state budget that again leaves our K-12 public schools behind without ample and consistent funding, I recently headed back to where the school privatization push all began—the American Legislative Exchange Council , or ALEC. ALEC and its members, including the American Fede
Ed Notes Online: The Case of Eva and the Disappearing Sucess Academy Clueless Training Videos : The Case of Eva and the Disappearing Success Academy Clueless Training Videos ....taking down of 430 out of 485 videos is an extreme — even paranoid — response to the analysis of one blogger about four of their videos. I hope they put the videos back up soon but I’m assuming they won’t. Update: On Thur
9/8/2016 – Who Gains Most From School Choice? : Who Gains Most From School Choice? September 8, 2016, 2016 Subscribe THIS WEEK: Black Teachers Matter … Making Teachers Moonlight … Teacher Shortages Acute … How Charters End Afrocentric Education … How Charters Change Democrats TOP STORY Who Gains Most From School Choice? Not Low-Income Students Of Color By Jeff Bryant “No doubt school choice will
DeVos Family Contributes Lavishly to Legislators Who Defeated Detroit Charter School Oversight | janresseger : DeVos Family Contributes Lavishly to Legislators Who Defeated Detroit Charter School Oversight I grew up in Montana, where in Montana history class we learned that at one time Anaconda Copper owned the state legislature. While the patrons have changed over the decades, the political proc
California students with highest chronic absentee rates concentrated in 14 districts | EdSource : California students with highest chronic absentee rates concentrated in 14 districts The tiny Forks of Salmon Elementary School District in the far north of California reported that 100 percent of its students – all 12 of them – missed more than three weeks of sch ool in 2013-14 , a lapse that resear
The First Parent-Teacher Conference of One | The Jose Vilson : The First Parent-Teacher Conference of One I’m not supposed to be nervous about the first day. A couple of weeks ago, I told six hundred or so adults in Oak Park, IL that the first day doesn’t matter. I said it was the second day and beyond that ultimately determine a teacher’s effectiveness. But this first day is different. It’s not
Parent Revolution: Another Fiasco for Reformers | Diane Ravitch's blog : Parent Revolution: Another Fiasco for Reformers Beware of AstroTurf Ed Reformers Astroturf lobbying refers to political organizations or campaigns that appear to be made up of grassroots activists but are actually organized and run by corporate interests seeking to further their own agendas. Such groups are often typified by
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Notes from Standing Rock : Notes from Standing Rock We got to camp yesterday afternoon after driving hours through torrential rain storms. We drove in from the north (Bismarck), easily avoiding any roadblocks by taking Rte. 6 off of 94, to 24 and then east into camp. By the time we arrived, the sky had broken and we got our first clear look at this stunning Missouri
SKrashen: I do not support H.R. 4481, The "Education for All Act." : I do not support H.R. 4481, The "Education for All Act." Stephen Krashen September, 2016 H.R. 4481, the "Education for All Act" has been introduced in the US House of Representatives. The description: "To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide assistance for developing countries to
Obama’s education policies are a ‘disaster,’ Diane Ravitch tells Hillary Clinton - The Washington Post : Obama’s education policies are a ‘disaster,’ Diane Ravitch tells Hillary Clinton For some time now, Diane Ravitch has been hoping to get a chance to speak with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton about public education policy. Finally, she did. The meeting was not long, and Ravit
Nearly 600 kids taken out of Dutch "Gulen-schools" - NL Times : NEARLY 600 KIDS TAKEN OUT OF DUTCH “GULEN-SCHOOLS” A total 588 children were removed from nine schools in the Netherlands believed to have ties to Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, according to a study by Dutch newspaper Trouw. That is about a fifth of the schools’ total student count. PO-Raad, the umbrella organization for p
NITI Aayog plans ‘nudge unit’ to help push government's flagship schemes - The Economic Times : Bill Gates I a Nudge! NEW DELHI: India has taken a leaf out of Britain's book to bring behavioural economists and advertising gurus on board
