CURMUDGUCATION: Six Reasons To Oppose Betsy DeVos : Six Reasons To Oppose Betsy DeVos Senate hearings on Herr Trump's cabinet picks are coming up soon, and you should be calling your Senator. There are many good reasons for opposing Betsy DeVos as a Secretary of Education. 1) No experience with pubic education. This is not like appointing someone to the post of Attorney General who is not a lawye
Dear friends, help free a friend, please and thank you! | Bill Ayers : Dear friends, help free a friend, please and thank you! As you probably know, Governor Andrew Cuomo granted clemency to our friend and comrade Judith Clark, who has served 35 years in New York State prison for her participation in the Brinks robbery in 1981 that resulted in the deaths of two police officers and a Brinks guard.
Will Governor Malloy propose boondoggle for charter schools under guise of new education funding formula? - Wait What? : Will Governor Malloy propose boondoggle for charter schools under guise of new education funding formula? Connecticut’s existing school funding formula is unfair, inappropriate and unconstitutional. It leaves Connecticut’s public schools without the resources they need and plac
Organizing for Our Students - Lily's Blackboard : Organizing for Our Students The National Board for Professional Standards in 1989 published What Teachers Should Know and Be Able to Do and re-released this seminal work recently. It outlines the National Board’s Five Core Propositions for Teaching , concepts that accomplished teachers should know and be able to promote to spur student achievement
2017–18 SBP and SFSP Start-up and Expansion Grants - School Nutrition (CA Dept of Education) : 2017–18 SBP and SFSP Start-up and Expansion Grants Nutrition Services Division Management Bulletin Purpose : Beneficial Information Date : February 2017 Number : SNP-01-2017, SFSP 01-2017 To : Public School Districts, Direct Funded Charter Schools, and County Superintendent of Schools Attention : Food S
Seattle Schools Community Forum: This Week: Please Call Senators Murray and Cantwell about DeVos Appointment : This Week: Please Call Senators Murray and Cantwell about DeVos Appointment From the Network for Public Education: The confirmation hearings for Betsy DeVos will happen shortly. Please call your senators this week and let them know you oppose her appointment as Secretary of Education. If
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: 2017 will be a year of resistance : 2017 will be a year of resistance Alabama NAACP leaders arrested after sit-in at Session's office. After months of suffering in despair and taking badly-needed recovery time from Trump shock and awe, many left and progressive activists, including education activists, are awakening, finding their bearings and hitting the ground run
Senate schedules confirmation hearing for Betsy DeVos, Trump’s pick for education secretary - The Washington Post : Senate schedules confirmation hearing for Betsy DeVos, Trump’s pick for education secretary The Senate education committee has scheduled a confirmation hearing for Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to helm the education department, for Jan. 11. DeVos, who has spent mo
Inside Donald Trump's Extremist Education Agenda | Alternet : Inside Donald Trump's Extremist Education Agenda The Hillsdale College connection links Trump to the right-wing evangelical community of Betsy DeVos. Donald Trump’s election to the U.S. presidency left education policy experts at a complete loss to explain what this would mean for the nation’s schools. During his campaign, Trump gave f
Don’t Count on Grading, Ranking Educational Quality | radical eyes for equity : Don’t Count on Grading, Ranking Educational Quality Having been a long-time advocate for and practitioner of de-testing and de-grading the classroom , I also reject the relentless obsession of mainstream media to grade and rank educational quality among states as well as internationally (see Bracey and Kohn ). As Kohn
Education Research Report: Do vouchers reduce crime? : Do vouchers reduce crime? A new report from the University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform claims that Texas voucher legislation would reduce crime and thereby save the state a cumulative $194 million by the end of 2035. This claim is not warranted and has, in fact, already been discredited. The report’s calculations arise from ano
Argument preview: What level of educational benefit is “appropriate” for children with disabilities? - SCOTUSblog : Argument preview: What level of educational benefit is “appropriate” for children with disabilities? The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act gives federal funds to states that agree to offer a “free appropriate public education” (FAPE) to children with disabilities. An impor
Portland students plan walkout in response to Trump's education secretary pick | KATU : Portland students plan walkout in response to Trump's education secretary pick PORTLAND, Ore. – Hundreds of Portland students said they’re interested in joining a walkout in protest President Trump’s appointment of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education . According to an event invitation on the Portland Student
Schools Matter: SESSIONS, Jefferson Beauregard III (Jeff), (1946 - ) : SESSIONS, Jefferson Beauregard III (Jeff), (1946 - ) In the coming days, Congress will decide if a states rights segregationist from Alabama will be the next Attorney General of the United States. Jeffrey Beauregard Sessions III has a long history of working to fortify the commitment to white supremacy in his state, and if Don
Quoting President Karen Lewis. | Fred Klonsky : Q uoting President Karen Lewis. I only know Michael Antonucci from the few times we havemet at NEA Representative Assemblies. And from reading him online. He’s a nice enough guy although he is blinded by his anti-union theology. Mike ended the year by posting what he thought were outrageous quotes by union leaders. I will admit that some were dumb t
Facing pressure to cut special education, Texas schools shut out English Language Learners - Houston Chronicle : Facing pressure to cut special education, Texas schools shut out English Language Learners Photo: Marie D. De Jesus, Houston Chronicle Alexia Stamatis, 13, has been diagnosed with autism, epilepsy and hypotonia, a muscle disorder. But when her mother asked Houston Independent School Di
What will be Obama’s lasting education legacy? | PBS NewsHour : What will be Obama’s lasting education legacy? ALISON STEWART: We continue our look at the Obama years and his legacy. Tonight, we focus on a subject that often gets less attention, public education. Much of what happens in the classroom is decided at the state and local level. But the federal government can also be a big player in s
The Carolina Coup and the Fight for Public Education : The Carolina Coup and the Fight for Public Education The nation’s eyes are on my home state of North Carolina, where what many are calling a coup has shown the lengths to which Republicans will go to protect and expand their political power. The naked power grab by Republicans has shocked the nation. But few people really understand that a st
Education Law Prof Blog : The Texas Special: Purge Students with Disabilities Identifying students with a disability is not an exact science. Scholars have long-since documented both the over- and under-identification of certain demographic groups with certain disabilities. As Theresa Glennon argued in Race, Education and the Construction of a Disabled Class , educational disabilities can be a pr
Marie Corfield: Hey NJ! Whatcha Gonna Do About DeVos? : Hey NJ! Whatcha Gonna Do About DeVos? My religion is right for your kids! On January 11, the Senate will hold confirmation hearings on Betsy DeVos. Since Trump nominated her for Secretary of Education, a great deal has been written about how she has used her money, power and influence to destroy public education in Michigan, and advance her
Standardized science standoff: California, feds at odds again over a statewide test | 89.3 KPCC : Standardized science standoff: California, feds at odds again over a statewide test There's a standoff brewing between education officials in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., over what standardized science test California students should take this spring. It bears striking resemblance to a very simil
Robert Cotto Jr. - Disciplining Connecticut’s Schools: A critique of the Judge’s Decision on the CCJEF Education Funding Case - Wait What? : Robert Cotto Jr. – Disciplining Connecticut’s Schools: A critique of the Judge’s Decision on the CCJEF Education Funding Case Disciplining Connecticut’s Schools: A critique of the Judge’s Decision on the CCJEF Education Funding Case – by Robert Cotto Jr. – “
What the Washington Post’s Editorial Promoting School Privatization Neglects to Consider | janresseger : What the Washington Post’s Editorial Promoting School Privatization Neglects to Consider In an editorial earlier this week , Fred Hiatt the editorial page director of the Washington Post , endorses marketplace school choice along with Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Sec
Russ on Reading: Beyond Grades: How is My Child Doing? : Beyond Grades: How is My Child Doing? Part 3 in a series on grading and feedback In previous posts in this series on grading, I have argued first that grades fail to motivate genuine learning and second, that they provide only vague unhelpful feedback to students. But what about parents? Many teachers say that they must give grades because
Technology Trade-offs in a Physics Classroom (Alice Flarend) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice : Technology Trade-offs in a Physics Classroom (Alice Flarend) “Alice Flarend is a National Board Certified Teacher and is the physics teacher at Bellwood-Antis High School in Pennsylvania. She holds a B.S and M.S in Nuclear Engineering from University of Illinois and University of M
Doubling Down - Living in Dialogue : Doubling Down Buffalo Board Member Carl Paladino stands behind his racist remarks about the Obamas. Read about it here . See the rest of the interview here .
Highly Intelligent Cheaters Share Their Stories | deutsch29 : Highly Intelligent Cheaters Share Their Stories In this era of high-stakes test idolization, it would be foolish for one to believe that cheating is not alive, well, and thriving. There are even forums to discuss (brag?) on the ways one has cheated. The site Quora has a number of cheating-related brag pages, including the one featured
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/3/17 Featured Post John Thompson: Can the School Reform Wars Be Scaled Down? | The Huffington Post Fake Trump Tweets – A Fun Way To Face The Coming Trumpocalypse |
Early Signs of Dementia
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*“...Memory loss is a common symptom, but different types of memory loss
can mean different things. *Memory loss is closely associated with
dementia, s...
The Teacher That Jay-Z Remembered
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There’s always one teacher, isn’t there? There is always one teacher you
remember, one teacher you remember, the one who saw something in you that
no one...
Assessing My Writing: A Look Backward
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A month ago, a colleague wrote to me and asked me to write about my career
as a practitioner/scholar over the past half-century. I accepted. Part of
the re...
The Fake Frugality of the Fabulously Rich
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As a society, we simply do not want to believe that our rich may have
gained their riches through exploiting others or rigging our economy or
just finding ...
Classroom Instruction Resources Of The Week
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Each week, I publish a post or two containing three or four particularly
useful resources on classroom instruction, and you can see them all here.
You migh...
an interesting factoid on NRA and Virginia
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an explanation
I have just returned from a fundraiser for Barbara Kanninen to be reelected
to Arlington County VIrginia school board. it had a special f...
Berta Lives! Support Honduras!
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*Join us in showing our solidarity for Honduras!*
* Music Performance, Friday, April 27, 7PM *
* Film honoring Berta Caceres, Saturday, April 28, 5-7PM *
...
My Next Career
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So, I'm retiring shortly-- June 3 will be my last day working for my school
district-- and like many retirees, I'm wondering about my next career.
For the ...
What the Teacher Strikes Mean
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What the Teacher Strikes Mean:
*What the Teacher Strikes Mean*
[image: Image result for What the Teacher Strikes Mean]
Around seven years ago, I had a s...
Where Do Poems Come From?
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The quaint euphemistic way we once talked around having “the talk” with
children about the birds and the bees is at least metaphorical, even poetic
in its ...
Don't forget about reading
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Sent to the Taipei Times, April 22,2018
I was surprised to discover that the Taiwan Ministry of Education will
prioritize “listening and speaking skills” i...
This week.
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. This weeks drawings: . This week’s Hitting Left with the Klonsky Brothers
podcast with Mark Miller and Dexter Voisin. . This week’s tweets: Chicago
stude...
Why I Am So Dangerous
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When it comes to transforming this country, I am much more dangerous than
George Soros, even the George Soros of Fox News imagination! That George is
tran...
On the Road, Singing the Dark Times
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SINGING in DARK TIMES Sunday, April 29 | 5:00 PM-6:30 PM Comfort Station
| 2579 N Milwaukee Ave Motto In the dark times, will there also be singing?
Yes, t...
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
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Wednesday Metro Nashville Public Schools presented their proposed budget
for 2018 – 2019. Just for reference, I went back and watched the
presentation from...
Neo-Confederates, Monuments, and Flags
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By Paul Horton. Although advocacy groups like the United Daughters of the
Confederacy have made statements disavowing any groups that promote hate,
many ...
This Week in Education Organizing - April 20, 2018
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*Books, Not Guns*
Today is another day of protest, as tens of thousands of students and
supporters are expected to walk out of schools and rally for stri...
The Best Stick Collector
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"I'm the best stick collector." He said it to me earnestly, as if telling
me something I didn't already know. His cubby, the place designated for his
p...
What Feeds Bias in the Education World?
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I'm not naïve enough to think that schools could turn hearts and minds in a
K-12 generation. But could they do significant good, given the right tools
and ...
2018 Medley #10
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Teacher Activism, Retention-in-Grade, Charters, Testing, First Amendment,
Science TEACHER ACTIVISM The 9 states where teachers have it worst
According to C...
Educators have no business supporting war
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Damascus after the attack. War is the enemy of education, of children and
families. Education leaders have no business supporting war or encouraging
war-m...
A Rotten Peach Poisoning Atlanta Public Schools
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Sadly, the Atlantic Public Schools (APS) are careening from one destructive
tragedy to the next. On the heels of the great cheating scandal of 2009,
APS hi...
Heartbroken
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She was brilliant in high school. I admired her so much. She traveled to
our not so great school in the Bronx from Manhattan because of our honor
prog...
Featured Author @ Palmdale Book Festival
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Join me for a captivating book signing & storytelling! Get your very own
signed copy of 5 stars Chike the Invincible! and Oma the Faithful
Daughter! ...
Terrorism?
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Could somebody explain to me why acts like the unprovoked and senseless
attack by Salman Abidi in 2017 on an audience of predominantly innocent
children wa...
Expanding "No Excuses" Models is a Bad Idea
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An organization called The Future of Children came out recently with a
report titled* Charter Schools and the Achievement Gap* by Sarah Cohodes,
an assist...
ELA Assessment: Dear Board of Regents,
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Dear Members of the Board of Regents,
Thank you for your service as leaders in public education in New York
State. I am writing as a parent of two public ...
Advocating for Schools to City Leaders
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Dr. Robert Moses, civil rights icon and education advocate, joined the
April 12 Education Town Hall, along with long-time DC education advocate
Suzanne Wel...
PAA joins Google/You Tube FTC complaint
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Today, Parents Across America joined more than 20 civic and children’s
advocacy organizations in filing a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) complaint
against ...
Helping an ATR
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The following are real words and real life from a current ATR. The
statement below was read to the UFT executive board on March 26, 2018. Her
name has been...
A maximizing area question
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I gave this question to students as a challenge at the end of a trig unit.
A quadrilateral has perimeter = 60 and a 30º angle. What is the maximum
possible...
Welcome to the walkout, from okeducationmom
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When I marched for the passage of HB 1017 in 1990, I was hopeful and then
grateful that Governor Henry Bellmon and a bipartisan group of legislators
found ...
Who Survives Success?
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Success Academy opened in 2006 with 156 students — 83 kindergarteners and
73 first graders. Now, eleven years later, they have their first
graduating seni...
Silence Speaks At March For Our Lives
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Listen to Emma’s profound silence. Remember the silence of students
crouched in closets, hiding from the sound of an automatic weapon being
fired in their ...
Scenes for the March For Life in New York
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And so they came and came by the thousands, flooding Central Park West with
citizens of all ages, all races, all creeds, all who have had enough of
insane ...
A NATION THAT FEARS ITS CHILDREN?
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Here we are again. The murders caused by the NRA-GOP-Gun manufacturers
corruption have terrorized America for over a generation. Young people do
not see ad...
I’m voting for Chris Kennedy
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A question was posed to me last night. “At this point, does a vote for
Daniel Biss instead of Chris Kennedy help JB Pritzker?” During the last
presidential...
Amy/Andy and the Orphans
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Willowbrook. Any New Yorker of a certain age shutters at that name–and no,
not because it was Geraldo Rivera who brought it to our attention.
Willowbrook w...
Florina Rodov: The Truth About Charter Schools
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*“[W]hen teachers aren’t unionized, they’re exploited — and when teachers
suffer, so do kids.” — Florina Rodov*
This amazing piece by Florina Rodov on *S...
#NationalSchoolWalkout – Grown Ups Need to Listen
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Student activists, responding to the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman
Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, organized a national walk out to
memoriali...
Letter for BCPS Parents: My Child is Not a Pipeline
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(Image courtesy of Alison McDowell) Dear County Council Members, I am
writing on behalf of concerned BCPS parents regarding the newest rounds of
BCPS polic...
3rd Grade Reading: Who is Failing?
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Education Trust Midwest has just released its study on third grade reading
and, predictably, the results aren’t great. This study uniquely compares
Michiga...
Opting out of the Dinosaur (end of year test)
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Today I sent in a second letter to refuse PARCC/CMAS for my son, Luke. The
first email I sent at the beginning of the year was not sufficient as they
requi...
Resurrection
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I realized it's Lent, but this blog, bless Jesus Christ, can't wait.
Ok, so with that said, I plan to discuss Class Action suits in existence,
as well as w...
Are Our Educators Prepared For Their Students?
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If there is one thing that I am sure of as an educator it is that rapid
change greatly affects both what and how we learn. If there is a second
thing that ...
Who Is Pulling The Muppet Strings?
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Originally posted on Wrench in the Gears:
Sesame Street is an iconic brand that embodies humor, acceptance, and
humanity. Who doesn’t love a muppet? So, on...
IDEA Is Still The Law Of The Land
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Unless you've been living under a rock, you know the US Department of
Education (USDOE) rescinded 72 Dear Colleague and other letters of
explanation to s...
Budget Cuts To Kids Are Not Necessary!
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We’ve been hearing a lot of news from OUSD about how cuts to schools and
kids are necessary. So we’ll need to keep saying the truth… they are not
necessar...
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...
This is our Sputnik moment.
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School’s all across the nation are either starting or about to start a new
academic year. It’s suppose to be an exciting time for students and
teacher. How...
Student of the Month Nightmare
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*This is something I wrote for a monthly gathering to honor some of the
best students at our school. I figure most teachers will relate:*
I was grading pap...
99 Years of Progress Erased – unless we fight back
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Public healthcare for all? Public education for all? What is being done to
our monetized children regarding their potential healthcare and their
existing e...
You Can Be an Astronaut, but You Can't Be Black
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“What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s a question I always
imagined every kindergarten student hearing.
“I want to be a doctor!” declares Sally.
...
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...
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 ...
Don't Like Chris Christie? Blame the Democrats.
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Yesterday Diane Ravitch published a piece in The New Republic, titled Don't
Like Betsy DeVos? Blame the Democrats.
If you care about public education at al...
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...
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...
Education Bloggers Daily Highlights 3/2/2017
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Education Bloggers Daily Highlights 3/1/2017 Education Bloggers Daily
Highlights Courtesy of Big Education Ape A special thank you to education
blogger Mik...
Bad Hair Day
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It’s winter time. It’s cold — okay, not for anyone outside California and
Florida, but still — I’m wearing hats in the morning. Lovely knitted hats
that I’...
Capturing the Spark
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It’s been a long time since InterACT was an active education blog, though I
remain quite proud of what we did here. Those of us who wrote blog posts
here h...
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...
WTU Peterson Slate: Not a 1 Woman Dictatorship
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Candi Peterson & GeLynn Thompson
Candidates for WTU Prez & GVP 2016By Candi Peterson, WTU Gen. Vice President
*Statements or expressions of opinions herein...
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...
All Aboard the Opt Out Bus
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The #OptOutBus is currently traveling the country giving away free books to
children! Follow their progress at their Facebook page and donate to their
FR...
Flaws at the Heart of Current Education Reforms
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Originally posted on Creative by Nature:
“Teaching is an art form rooted in the wise and careful use of educational
research and assessment tools. When gove...