For Auld Lang Syne
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The words "for auld lang syne" translate into modern English as something
like, "for old time's sake." The song we sing on New Year's Eve is a
Scottish ...
In-Person Schooling and Juvenile Violence
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While investments in schooling generate large private and external
returns, negative peer interactions in school may generate substantial
social costs. ...
Retiree Advocate is running as part of ARISE
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December 29, 2024 Retiree Advocate is running in the Spring 2025 UFT
election… as part of a coalition: ARISE ARISE – the Alliance of Retired and
In Service...
MEMES THAT MADE ME LAUGH TODAY 12-29
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*MEMES THAT MADE ME LAUGH TODAY 12-29*
Big Education Ape: HAIRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAIRY HANUKKAH TOO!
https://biged...
ICYMI: Hatches Battening Edition (12/29)
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It's a curious moment. 2025 will arrive shortly, and we have no idea what,
exactly, it's going to bring. Something. Probably more than a few ugly and
unple...
Poem: the floor fell out from under us (redolent)
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[Header Photo by Emma Frances Logan on Unsplash] I wanted to get rid of
everything redolent of the past The City and Its Uncertain Walls, Haruki
Murakami T...
US Student Math Scores Plummet
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From the education blog, Chalkbeat:
*U.S. fourth graders saw their math scores drop steeply between 2019 and
2023 on a key international test even as mo...
Whiplash: Worst Teacher Movie Ever
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If you’ve been paying attention to the DOGE Brothers—Elon-n-Vivek—lately,
as they explain their personal theories around the failures of American
parents t...
Brushing Up on Polio.
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When the New York Times article, “Lawyer, Author and TikTok Star Spent 72
Years in an Iron Lung,” was published in March 2024, it did not hold the
same mea...
Christmas Miracles
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“People don’t want children to know what they need to know. They want their
kids to know what they ought to need to know. If you’re a teacher you’re in
a c...
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...
80 years old today!!
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It’s true: I’m 80 years old today! When I was 24, I thought making it to 30
would be a miracle–it was and it is. Keep rising, keep fighting for a world
at ...
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...
San Diego School Board Election Outcomes
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By Thomas Ultican 12/17/2024 Before the recent election, I wrote
recommendations for several school board seats in San Diego County. The San
Diego County R...
SPI Supports SB 48 to Keep ICE Off School Campuses
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State Superintendent Tony Thurmond sponsors Senate Bill 48 to keep
Immigration and Customs Enforcement off of school campuses, protecting
school attendance...
Schrödinger’s Cat
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Schrödinger’s cat is a famous thought experiment in which the renowned
scientist pondered how a cat in a closed box could be thought of as
simultaneously a...
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
-
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...
Obama administration spent billions to fix failing schools, and it didn’t work - The Washington Post : Obama administration spent billions to fix failing schools, and it didn’t work One of the Obama administration’s signature efforts in education, which pumped billions of federal dollars into overhauling the nation’s worst schools, failed to produce meaningful results, according to a federal anal
Our Next Secretary of Education Should Know Education | Schott Foundation for Public Education : Our Next Secretary of Education Should Know Education As Americans we celebrate the ideal that a freely elected president may appoint, with the advice and consent of the Senate, anyone capable of carrying out his or her vision for the future of our nation. To the victor go the spoils. However, in this
Badass Teachers Association : UnBEARable: Reflections on the DeVos Hearing Marla Kilfoyle, Executive Director The Badass Teachers Association (BATs) I would like to begin this piece with the following: Shame on you Sen. Alexander for attempting to protect Betsy DeVos, a grossly unqualified candidate, for Secretary of Education. Shame on you Sen. Alexander for putting politics over the children of
Pittsburgh Public Schools Advised to Repeat Same Mistakes Over and Over and Over… | gadflyonthewallblog : Pittsburgh Public Schools Advised to Repeat Same Mistakes Over and Over and Over… “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” -Albert Einstein (attributed) “AAAUUURGH!” -Charlie Brown If I crash my car right into a wall, the worst thing to do would be
Charters and Consequences - Network For Public Education : Charters and Consequences Pennsylvania Charters: Read how Pennsylvania charter schools, with few quality controls are defunding public school districts. You’ll find that story here . The Charter Chains: Charter chains are unregulated businesses at taxpayers expense. Learn more here . California Charters Gone Wild: A four part series on ho
Betsy DeVos embarrassed herself and should be rejected by the Senate - LA Times : Betsy DeVos embarrassed herself and should be rejected by the Senate The Times Editorial Board Be tsy DeVos ’ love of private school vouchers didn’t disqualify her for the role of U.S. Education secretary, even though vouchers are a bad idea. Nor did her lack of experience in public schools. What did render her unac
Bridgeport Charter Schools Discriminate Against Connecticut Children - Wait What? : Bridgeport Charter Schools Discriminate Against Connecticut Children As is the case elsewhere in Connecticut and across the country, charter schools generally refuse to accept and educate their fair share of children who require special education services, children who need help learning the English language, as w
Vouchers, and Growth Scores, and Bears, Oh My! | Daniel Katz, Ph.D. : Vouchers, and Growth Scores, and Bears, Oh My! Betsy DeVos, Donald Trump’s designated nominee for Secretary of Education, appeared before the Senate committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions late Tuesday afternoon. Before I comment further, here is an obligatory picture of a grizzly bear: This is inspired by one of th
Supplement Not Supplant Is Dead | Truth in American Education : Supplement Not Supplant Is Dead The U.S. Department of Education yesterday killed their draft rule for Title I funding in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) known as “Supplement, Not Supplant.” It’s not an issue that we’ve written a whole lot on here, but it highlighted one way that the Secretary of Education could gut any flexibi
Education Department Drops Fight Over School Money : NPR Ed : NPR : Education Department Drops Fight Over School Money The U.S. Department of Education has withdrawn a proposal that could have fundamentally changed the flow of federal dollars to schools that serve low-income students. "The law is clear that it is unacceptable to systematically underfund low-income schools and fill the hole with f
Sorry, Betsy DeVos: Guns Aren't a Bear Necessity in Schools - The Atlantic : Sorry, Betsy DeVos: Guns Aren't a Bear Necessity in Schools Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of education is right that that animals sometimes menace schools, but her solution doesn’t seem to fit the problem. The confirmation hearings for Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees have had plenty of wild moments, but none seems
From start to finish, the DeVos education confirmation hearing was rather remarkable - The Washington Post : From start to finish, the DeVos education confirmation hearing was rather remarkable From start to finish, this week’s Senate confirmation hearing for Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. education secretary, was a remarkable affair — remarkable as in seriously unus
On the Nature of Mass Demonstrations | Bill Ayers : On the Nature of Mass Demonstrations On our way to demonstrate for several days in Washington, reading the brilliant John Berger who passed away this month. Here is “On the Nature of Mass Demonstrations,” from 1968: Seventy years ago (on 6 May 1898) there was a massive demonstration of workers, men and women, in the centre of Milan. The events w
1/19/2017 – Does Betsy DeVos Care About Racial Equity? We Still Don’t Know. : THIS WEEK: DeVos Flunks Her Hearing … Choice Increases Segregation … Pivotal Year For Schools … Tribal Schools In Crisis … School Choice Divide? TOP STORY Does Betsy DeVos Care About Racial Equity? We Still Don’t Know. By Jeff Bryant “What are DeVos’ views on racial equity in education? … Race has historically played a
A Failing Charter Gets a Pass : A Failing Charter Gets a Pass BREAKING NEWS: NPE Action endorses Carl Petersen for LAUSD School Board " Carl Petersen is a...strong supporter of public schools " -Dr. Diane Ravitch Former Asst. Secretary of Education We cannot truly have the impact charters were intended to have – to reinvent public education – if we do not close those charters that have demonstrat
Betsy DeVos Is an Unusual Pick for Education Secretary - The Atlantic : What Makes Betsy DeVos Such an Unusual Nominee for Education Secretary For one thing, she’s never attended or taught at a public school. Betsy DeVos is likely to be confirmed as the next secretary of education. There’s nothing unusual about the Senate supporting a president-elect’s choice to lead the U.S. Department of Educat
CURMUDGUCATION: The $1 Salary : The $1 Salary So apparently billionaire heiress and presumptive Head of the Department of Things She Knows Nothing About, Betsy DeVos intends to take a salary of a mere $1 when she ascends her education throne. I think that's a lousy idea. I know it's meant to make her seem magnanimous and willing to take on the office just out of the sweet public servicey goodness
Betsy DeVos. Stupid, dangerous and a liar. | Fred Klonsky : Betsy DeVos. Stupid, dangerous and a liar. Bernie was only partly right when he told Betsy DeVos that she wouldn’t be sitting before him in hearings considering her as Secretary of Education if she hadn’t donated $200 million to the Republican Party. She is a right-wing self-proclaimed enemy of public education. She has spent her family’
Former Mayor Riordan puts in $1 million to defeat school board president Zimmer - LA Times : Former Mayor Riordan puts in $1 million to defeat school board president Zimmer Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan gave $1 million Wednesday to an independent campaign to defeat school board president Steve Zimmer. The donation swamps other contributions so far in what have become the most expensive
Local unions plan rallies against Trump, L.A. schools announce Unity Day 2017 - LA Times : Local unions plan rallies against Trump, L.A. schools announce Unity Day 2017 Student protests in Los Angeles In November, students from several high schools rallied at L.A. City Hall after walking out of classes to protest the election of Donald Trump. More protests are planned for this week (Reed Saxon /
Nominee Betsy DeVos’s Knowledge of Education Basics Is Open to Criticism - The New York Times : Nominee Betsy DeVos’s Knowledge of Education Basics Is Open to Criticism WASHINGTON — Until Tuesday, the fight over Betsy DeVos’s nomination to be secretary of education revolved mostly around her support of contentious school choice programs. But her confirmation hearing that night opened her up to ne
CURMUDGUCATION: School Accountability Diet : School Accountability Diet One of the best things the feds ever created was the nutritional information panel for food. When I go shopping, I can quickly and easily access information about the food I buy. There's how much fat in these power bars??!! Look-- twinkies have far fewer calories than I imagined! The panels are a model of transparency, becaus
Karma: Student PII Data Mining Concerns Coming Home to Roost for Dept of Ed Bureaucrats – Missouri Education Watchdog : Karma: Student PII Data Mining Concerns Coming Home to Roost for Dept of Ed Bureaucrats The Federal bureaucrats in the US Department of Education are worried about the data mining via the structure (student longitudinal data systems) they supported which captures student/family
Deplorable Showing by DeVos at Contentious Senate HELP Committee Hearing | janresseger : Deplorable Showing by DeVos at Contentious Senate HELP Committee Hearing If I were a Senator on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, I’d vote against recommending the nomination of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education for a vote by the full Senate. And if I were one of my own two Senat
Judging Reform “Success” and “Failure”: The Gary, Indiana Case | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice : Judging Reform “Success” and “Failure”: The Gary, Indiana Case In previous posts about the label “failure” attached to school reform, I laid out an argument that making such a judgment is tricky. Who makes the judgment and what clock they listen to matters in judging “failure” or
Pearson Stock Falls 30 Percent; Worst Day Since 1986 | deutsch29 : Pearson Stock Falls 30 Percent; Worst Day Since 1986 Three years ago, in 2014, education and publishing mammoth Pearson expected to make a killing on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). I wrote about Pearson’s CCSS profit expectations in this post based upon Pearson’s February 2014 earnings call. I noted that when one market a
DeVos, Grizzly Bears and Public Policy: Can Parents and Teachers Create a “#PublicSchoolProud” Movement? | Ed In The Apple : DeVos, Grizzly Bears and Public Policy: Can Parents and Teachers Create a “#PublicSchoolProud” Movement? Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos tussled with the committee Democrats for three hours last night, and, the answers to the committee questions ranged from vague
Tell Senators: Say "no" to DeVos and "yes" to students - Network For Public Education : Tell Senators: Say "no" to DeVos and "yes" to students I am sure that you were as appalled as I was by yesterday’s HELP committee hearing on the appointment of Betsy DeVos. – DeVos had no understanding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). –She would not promise to defend the rights of stu
Does Betsy DeVos Care About Racial Equity? We Still Don’t Know. : Does Betsy DeVos Care About Racial Equity? We Still Don’t Know. So Betsy DeVos doesn’t know much about education policy. Didn’t we already know that? Nevertheless, the hot takes coming after her rocky confirmation hearing for the US Secretary of Education nominee read as if people are genuinely surprised that someone who has never
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/18/17 Featured Post SPECIAL: The Morning After Betsy DeVos' Confirmation Hearing #BetsyDeVos #DeVosHearing #dumpdevos Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Trump's bikers on security. A 'wall