Seattle School Board Meeting, January 22, 2025
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*Update 2:*
I forgot the Board had an executive session at 3:30 pm; clearly, it ran
long.
The SPS channel has its music that I call “school board meetin...
Against AI Theft
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Among the many reasons to give Artificial Intelligence some real side-eye
is the business model that rests entirely on plagiarism-- stealing the works
of...
There is nothing peaceful about this transition.
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If I hear one more liberal politician talk about how this is a peaceful
transition of power, I will scream.Fred Klonsky in Retirement is a
reader-supported...
Shanker Blog: Reading Policy, the Wind and the Sun
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Shanker Blog: Reading Policy, the Wind and the Sun
There is a well-known tale about the Wind and the Sun who once debated who
was stronger. They agreed th...
Trump's Day One Executive Orders
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Day One of Trump 2.0 was full of shock and awful, precisely what we had
every reason to expect. In classic fashion, there was so much, and it was
so a...
Why We Need Children in the Midst of Life Itself
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My brother and I used to fight over who got to sit in the window seat on
airplanes. We wanted to be able to look out. The world from 30,000 feet was
an ...
Billionaires Driving Science of Reading
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By Thomas Ultican 1/21/2025 On January 2nd, billionaire created education
news source, The 74, declared there is a reading crisis in Los Angeles
Unified Sc...
Trump Acts Like a Maniac
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Or course, no one expected Trump to suddenly declare that the country’s
immigration system—the central topic to his ten years of dominance in
politics...
The Orange Turd feeds the racists
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The Orange Turd has been feeding red meat to the millions of angry racists
for the past 8 years. He has succeeded in hoodwinking these sad souls into
placi...
Civics
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“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to
think critically. Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true
education.”...
W.B. YEATS, MEET W.H. AUDEN and MATTHEW ARNOLD
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Prior to the November election, I invoked the poetry of W.B. Yeats, asking
his question, And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches
towar...
Heroes, Hypocrisy, and Hubris
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“One of the grimmer realizations of Sarkis’s youth had been the discovery
that knowing you were being an ass did not actually stop you from
continuing to b...
A Man’s World (pt. 3): Gaiman Edition
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[Header Photo by Museums of History New South Wales on Unsplash] I am
currently reading Haruki Murakami’s newest novel, The City and Its
Uncertain Walls. I...
Retiree Advocate Town Hall: The ARISE Campaign
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I am excited to be working on a UFT election campaign through Retiree
Advocate. Our first event is a Town Hall this Sunday at 7:30. Please
register if you ...
Ed Tech Digest
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Ten years ago, in another somewhat futile attempt to reduce the backlog
of resources I want to share, I began this occasional “Ed Tech Digest” post
where...
The Five Musketeers
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One for all and all for one … and in a modern update, One in Five, a
Texas-based foundation that grew out of the Uvalde tragedy to help patrol
schools and ...
Site Index - Updated December 31, 2024
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When I was teaching,
I got tired of hearing how bad American educators were.
*My Promise *
WHEN I STARTED BLOGGING IN 2011, I said I planned to speak ...
Perhaps this is a meaningless ramble
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but I am choosing to reflect on a number of disparate topics that are
currently on my mind. Perhaps I should start by explaining that I have been
at leas...
December Parent Engagement Resources
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Parent involvement in schools ⬆️. 87% of K–12 students from
English-speaking families had parents who reported attending a general
school meeting in 2019, ...
The 2024 NPE “Coal in the Stocking” Awards
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At NPE, we know who is naughty and nice when it comes to supporting our
public schools and their students.
The post The 2024 NPE “Coal in the Stocking” A...
Juntos lo haremos
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En el año que viene, tendremos que tomar decisiones difíciles sobre quienes
queremos ser en cada comunidad y como nación. Ha sido un año muy intenso.
Desde...
WTF, Democratic Caucus?
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Why is the failure of this current budget bill being blamed on Republicans
when almost every single Democrat voted against it? If only half of the
Dems had...
In Memoriam: Nikki Giovanni
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The literary and cultural world has lost an irreplaceable voice with the
passing of Nikki Giovanni. As one of the most celebrated poets and
activists of ou...
Education Has Failed and What Can We Do Next?
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Education has failed to prepare children for the world today. Despite the
increased investment, impactful reforms, hardworking teachers and school
leaders,...
Defining Productivity, Cost, and Efficiency
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Recycled material here… The central problem with US public schools is often
characterized as an efficiency problem. We spend a lot and don’t get much
for i...
Number 18 — A barely-hanging-on Blogoversary
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Blogoversary #18 SEPTEMBER 14, 2006 I started this blog while I was still
teaching, in 2006. I had just begun my 31st year as an educator. Just like
in pre...
Student "Growth" Measures Are STILL Biased
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This caught my attention:
New Jersey school districts may soon be evaluated differently, *with a
greater emphasis on student growth* as compared to stud...
AIN’T IT AWFUL
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As the terrible feelings of dread and angst spread across the world the
great majority of the American people feel powerless before the onslaught
of those ...
The Sky is Falling, or is it?
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Well, this is the first anniversary of the introduction of Generative AI in
the form of ChatGPT to the world of education. Before it was a week old,
over o...
Vote NO on the UFT Contract. Here is Why:
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The best reason to vote no on this contract is this: UFT Unity* lied* to us
in 2018. They misrepresented that contract. It was predicated on deals we
wer...
Metaphors in ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech
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In this article, we will explore the powerful use of metaphors in Martin
Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” ...
Read more
Testimony to the CPS Truancy Task Force
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I prepared testimony for one of two public hearings held by the Chicago
Public Schools Truancy Task Force, a body mandated by state legislation.
The meetin...
There Is A Teacher Shortage.Not.
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THERE IS A TEACHER SHORTAGE. And just to be sure you understand, it’s not
that teachers don’t want to teach. It’s not that there aren’t enough
teachers cer...
Book Banning Turns to Dick and Jane
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Breaking News: Dateline February 4, 2022 - Parents in Dimwitty, Alabama
have asked the Dimwitty Board of Education to ban the children's primer *Fun
with...
Have You Heard Has a New Website
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TweetHave You Heard has a new website. Visit us at
www.haveyouheardpodcast.com to find our latest episodes and our entire
archive. And be sure to check out...
Follow me at Substack
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I've moved. Follow me at Substack
I'm now posting regularly at Substack. You can subscribe for free to my new
Edu/Pol blog at michaelklonsky.substack.com
...
Aspiring Teachers Get New Help Paying For College
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[image: colorful classroom pattern]
*; Credit: shuoshu/Getty Images*
Cory Turner | NPR
New rules kick in today that will help aspiring teachers pay for c...
Tips Akses Situs Judi Qq Tanpa Perlu Takut Nawala
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Kegiatan berjudi slot melalui situs judi qq online, sekarang sudah
dilakukan oleh banyak penjudi Indonesia. Tentu, Kamu yang sedang membaca
artikel ini a...
The Threat of Integration
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I have lived in the same house in the Miracle Mile section of Los Angeles
for over 30 years, where up until now I have had little or no interaction
with th...
We fight for a democracy worthy of us all!
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The nation stands at a crossroads, said NEA President Lily Eskelsen García
in her final keynote address to the 2020 NEA Representative Assembly and
it’s up...
The Passing Of Chaz 1951-2020 Age 69
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I am the son of Chaz and like to inform you that he passed away this
afternoon from the COVID virus. My father passed in peace beside his loved
ones. We ar...
The Fight For Our Children
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*The number of suicides among people ages 10 to 24 nationally increased by
56 percent between 2007 and 2017, according to a new federal report showing
the ...
Read to Self: Just a Kid and a Book.
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Date: Monday, January 5, 2020 Place: My classroom Student: Mrs.Mims, could
we start doing Read to Self again because I got this great book for
Christmas an...
Keeping Progressive Schools Alive
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Dear Friends and Colleagues, Happy New Year and a special thanks to those
who respond to past blogs about choice, et al. I always mean to respond to
each c...
Reminiscences
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I just finished dumping the rest of my lesson plans. I guess I held on to
the calculus ones for so long because I spent so much time working on them
an...
Just Asking for some Teachers I know.
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Recently Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers stated, We must … recognize that
part of supporting our kids in the classroom means supporting the educators
who t...
Cara Menang Bermain Judi Bola Online
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Bermain judi bola online tentu saja memiliki kesenangannya tersendiri baik
itu mendapatkan keuntungan maupun ketika menantikan hasil skor pada sebuah
perta...
A Critique of Standards-Based Grading
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It first happened to me about ten years ago. I was beginning my third year
of teaching in a new school in Washington, DC. Social studies teachers were
si...
My First and Last Visit to Hudson Yards
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Figuring I did not need to invite any more darkness and vulgarity into my
head than that provided on a daily basis from Trump’s White House, and
after read...
The World According to Michelle Rhee
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The men behind the curtain fashioning the brave new world of corporate run
education in America! Michelle Rhee is the founder of StudentsFirst, The
New T...
Whose Opinions Matter in Education World?
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It's hard to identify education heroes and sheroes. And perhaps even harder
to pinpoint just whose work is slanted, paid-for and dishonest.
Blockchain: Life on the Ledger
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Originally posted on Wrench in the Gears:
I created this video as a follow up to the one I prepared last year on
Social Impact Bonds. It is time to examine...
New Local Businesses in Sacramento
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Starting a new local business in Sacramento is a monumental task, but can
be accomplished with footwork, perseverance and knowledge. One must learn
the loc...
Lesson Plan: Rhyme and Rhythm in Poetry
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I’ve started a recent unit on poetry with my class. I’m not a poet, and I’m
not a poetry fan (I don’t hate it, but I’m a prose gal), so this makes it
harde...
The Apotheosis of Betsy DeVos
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Betsy Devos has drawn few headlines in recent months, and that is a good
thing for the Secretary of Education. Her tenure began with Vice President
Mike P...
Education Is a Civic Question
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In their final post to end Bridging Differences' decade-long run, Deborah
Meier and Harry Boyte urge readers to put the energy, talents, wisdom, and
hard w...
Site News: New Home for Education News & Commentary
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Quick! Get over there! The daily education news roundup and education
commentaries that you're probably looking for are now being published over
at The Gra...
Should We Be Grateful?
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In an odd turn of events, and with little explanation, Michigan Governor
Rick Snyder has decided to return the state’s School Reform Office back to
the Dep...
An Open Letter to NC Lawmakers
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An Open Letter to NC State Lawmakers and NC State Superintendent Mark
Johnson: I am a NC native, voter, and public school teacher. I am
addressing you all ...
The Secret to Fixing Schools (My Next Bestseller)
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The Secret to Fixing Schools (My next bestseller) Prologue I just finished
watching a fascinating documentary on Netflix entitled, “The Secret”. The
film p...
Farewell, Sleep
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Today is the official last day of my spring break. I've done a scientific
survey: My natural bedtime is 2 AM, and my natural wake up time is 9:41
AM. Tom...
REPORT: States With the Best and Worst Schools
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States With the Best (and Worst)Schools
By *Evan Comen, Michael B. Sauter, Samuel Stebbins and Thomas C. Frohlich*
January 20, 2017- http://247wallst.com
...
Test Refusal = People Power
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In recent months, social media has been ablaze with talk of regular folk
taking action to resist the Trump agenda. Protests are a daily occurrence,
and ev...
Random Musings and Observations. . . .
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I’ve been gone a while from the blogging scene. Some of my more regular
readers no doubt noticed but did not hassle me about it. Thank you for
that. Sinc...
AB 934: A LEGISLATIVE FIX FOR VERGARA?
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By Michael Stratford | in the Politco Morning Education Report | via email
05/24/2016 10:00 AM EDT :: Two national education groups are backing a
Califor...
MY NEW BLOG
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My new blog will consist of fictitious headlines, meant to be a blend of
humor and satire. I apologize ahead of time if any other satirical site has
simila...
Thank you
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Dear Readers,
Thank you for visiting *The Perimeter Primate*. This blog is being retired
for the time being. Although I no longer post here, I do still s...
I am Retiring
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I have some news: I am retiring from the PBS NewsHour and Learning Matters.
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other
conte...
New Beginnings: Kickstarter and EdWeek Teacher
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Greetings to InterACT readers one and all! If you’ve been following posts
here recently you might recall that I’m moving my blogging activity to
other loca...
Adelaide L. Sanford Charter School
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*“With Adelaide L. Sanford Charter School closing, Newark families must
move on.”* The Star-Ledger (NJ), 6/25/2013
NEWARK — Bobby and Troy Shanks saw the...
Huntington Park: Tiny city becomes battleground in larger war over LA charter school expansion | 89.3 KPCC : Huntington Park: Tiny city becomes battleground in larger war over LA charter school expansion The turf war over the expansion of charter schools in the sprawling Los Angeles Unified School District has found an unlikely new battleground that measures exactly 3.1 miles square: the tiny cit
Schools Matter: Moral Necessity and the NAACP Charter Moratorium, Part 1 : Moral Necessity and the NAACP Charter Moratorium, Part 1 Get 20% Off w/code: RLEGEN16 Work Hard, Be Hard: Journeys Through "No Excuses" Teaching, By Jim Horn, 9781475825794 | Rowman & Littlefield - https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781475825794/Work-Hard-Be-Hard-Journeys-Through-%22No-Excuses%22-Teaching Principal Jondré Pryor of K
CURMUDGUCATION: Student$Fir$tNY Bankrolls GOP : Student$Fir$tNY Bankrolls GOP StudentsFirstNY launched back in 2012, an Empire State spin-off of the StudentsFirst orgnization launched by former DC chancellor, She Who Will Not Be Named. She was always nominally a Democrat (check out this awesomely non-prescient article from 2012 that says she's taking over the Democratic Party), but the NY branch
BRIDGEGATE TRIAL–On Monday, Bill Baroni will have a lot of explaining to do | : BRIDGEGATE TRIAL–On Monday, Bill Baroni will have a lot of explaining to do Bill Baroni–WSJ Photo Bill Baroni, a defendant in the Bridgegate trial, will testify Monday and, boy, he’d better be good because, so far, his case is depending on people like Marilyn Graber who wanted the jury to know she has three “fabulous”
Demand the Impossible! (excerpt # 7) | Bill Ayers : Demand the Impossible! (excerpt # 7) Bill Ayers -- Demand the Impossible!: A Radical Manifesto | Haymarket Books - http://www.haymarketbooks.org/pb/Demand-the-Impossible The history of US military actions is a history of conquest and genocide from the start and chaos and catastrophe ever since: invading and occupying Vietnam and then intentional
In California’s charter world, a tangled web of for-profit companies and nonprofit schools - The Washington Post : In California’s charter world, a tangled web of for-profit companies and nonprofit schools Charter schools are in the education news these days in a bigger way than usual. The national board of the NAACP, which has long expressed concern about charter schools, is scheduled this weeke
The Most Important WikiLeaks Revelation Isn’t About Hillary Clinton | New Republic : The Most Important WikiLeaks Revelation Isn’t About Hillary Clinton What John Podesta’s emails from 2008 reveal about the way power works in the Democratic Party. Arne Duncan was hand picked by finance industry to be Edu Sec even before the election by DFER (read here) The most important revelation in the WikiLea
Harper Academy highlights charter challenges in OKC - NonDoc : Harper Academy highlights charter challenges in OKC Harper Academy is seen Thursday in northeast Oklahoma City. (William W. Savage III) B en Felder of The Oklahoman reports, “Two Oklahoma City charter schools are likely to be bottom 5 percent performers when the ratings are released this month — Justice Alma Wilson SeeWorth Academy an
Teachers are expected to remain politically neutral. These Teachers of the Year say they can’t. - The Washington Post : Teachers are expected to remain politically neutral. These Teachers of the Year say they can’t. Teachers are often expected to remain politically neutral in class, not letting their students know which candidate they support or where they stand on controversial issues. Part of t
State will take charter schools away from 21 sponsors slapped with "poor" ratings | cleveland.com : State will take charter schools away from 21 sponsors slapped with "poor" ratings These key officers of charter school oversight organizations had their groups groups rated by the state today. Clockwise from the upper left are Apryl Morin of the Educational Service Center of Lake Erie West, Peggy Y
Communities of Co-Creators - Bridging Differences - Education Week : Communities of Co-Creators Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here . Dear Harry and friends, Well, the one good thing about being out of service for so long—with my peculiar eye condition—is that I think a lot about what to say. Democracy is one of those topics th
Policy-to-Practice Metaphors: Chain of Command, Pasta, or Medley Relay Races? | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice : Policy-to-Practice Metaphors: Chain of Command, Pasta, or Medley Relay Races? Metaphors can get people to think about the essence of organizations and how they work. Take the U.S. Army’s command-and-control structures, generals believe that their decisions can stee
Killing Teacher Prep During a Teacher Shortage: A Mystery? (Maybe Not) : Killing Teacher Prep During a Teacher Shortage: A Mystery? (Maybe Not) Are you in the mood for a mystery? Education Secretary John King recently came out with the intent to kill university teacher prep programs. His predecessor Arne Duncan, who never taught a day in his life, cheered him on . They will do this by denying fut
Pruning Teacher Education | The Merrow Report : Pruning Teacher Education “If half of the 1400 places that train teachers went out of business tomorrow, we’d be better off.” The Harvard professor paused. “And, with very few exceptions, it wouldn’t matter which half.” His is a widely held view of teacher education: too many institutions doing a lousy job. Most teachers I’ve met over the years were
Relay Graduate School Indoctrination | Seattle Education : Relay Graduate School Indoctrination Editor’s note: Recently, Seattle Schools Community Forum published a guest post about the Summit Atlas Public Forum that was held on September 29th. The Summit charter school chain set up in Seattle last year and there is one to open in West Seattle in 2017 even though there is a second charter school
A Quick Note About This 40 Under 40 List Thing | The Jose Vilson : A Quick Note About This 40 Under 40 List Thing You’re right: I don’t look under 40. I’m an old soul and I’ve stopped trying to correct folks en masse. Audrey and Chris decided to congratulate me for still being under 40. I have enough mileage in teaching years that I might disqualify myself. But alas, I’m here. And with that, I’d
Rich Reformers Reject Research - Living in Dialogue : Rich Reformers Reject Research By John Thompson. As test-driven, competition-driven school reform gets closer to scrap heap of history (at least in terms of improving schools), we will see more great journalists, such as Dana Goldstein, Dale Russakoff, Nikole Hannah-Jones, and Paul Tough document its failures. We can expect more analyses where
State report cards reveal test opt-out effects; With fewer Bend-La Pine juniors taking standardized test, scores go down : State report cards reveal test opt-out effects With fewer Bend-La Pine juniors taking standardized test, scores go down State report cards for schools and school districts released Thursday point to the impact of Bend-La Pine high school juniors opting out of standardized tes
NEA Wants States to Go For Bold Changes Under ESSA, Listen to Teachers - Politics K-12 - Education Week : NEA Wants States to Go For Bold Changes Under ESSA, Listen to Teachers The National Education Association wants to see states and school districts make serious changes under the Every Student Succeeds Act, not just put in a few tweaks to the accountability plans that were already on the books
Here's What Chicago Teachers Won & Lost In Contract Deal - Gladstone Park - DNAinfo Chicago : Here's What Chicago Teachers Won & Lost In Contract Deal Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis (c.) and Vice President Jesse Shakey (r.) are advising teachers to start saving for a possible strike. CHICAGO — Eight months ago, the leadership of the Chicago Teachers Union was prepared to accept a ne
Charter school teachers remain in contract battle, could strike next week - Chicago Tribune : Charter school teachers remain in contract battle, could strike next week Adrian Segura, staff member at the Noble Network of Charter Schools, chants with a group of supporters during a protest held outside of the Chicago Public Schools headquarters on Oct. 6, 2016. Chicago charter schools advocates gath
California's preschools are deeply segregated, new report finds | 89.3 KPCC : California's preschools are deeply segregated, new report finds Preschools around the United States and in California are deeply segregated, a new report from Penn State finds. Around the country, white children are overwhelmingly going to preschool with only other white children, and more than half of all black and Lat
Duel between California and Obama administration over education continues | EdSource : Duel between California and Obama administration over education continues The long-running battle between California and the federal government over the direction of state education policy continues, despite passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act , the new federal education law that delegates far more decisi
Public Ed Supporters Shocked and Gratified … LAUSD to Consider Rejection of Charter Schools : Public Ed Supporters Shocked and Gratified … LAUSD to Consider Rejection of Charter Schools EDUCATION POLITICS--Public education supporters in Los Angeles are shocked and gratified to learn that the staff of the Los Angeles school district has recommended rejection of several charter school petitions to
Seattle teachers organize Black Lives Matter day : Seattle teachers organize Black Lives Matter day Seattle teachers are organizing a Black Lives Matter demonstration next week. The demonstration will simply be teachers wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts on Oct. 19. The teachers are planning their demonstration during the kick-off event for Seattle Public Schools’ effort to close the achievement
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 10/13/16 Featured Post OIG audit more evidence charter schools are the new subprime mortgages - Business Insider The Washington Post asked Clinton, Trump for their education vision.