New U.S. Senate Education Committee Members | Truth in American Education : New U.S. Senate Education Committee Members Just an FYI, there have been some changes on the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee due to the election. These committee members will hold their hearing for Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos on January 11th . I’d encourage you to contact
Betsy Devos’s presumed agenda: Dismantle public education | Politics | Chicago Reader : Betsy Devos’s presumed agenda: Dismantle public education Local experts warn that Trump’s pick for Secretary of Education will wage war on “government schools.” Betsy DeVos, president-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of the Department of Education, might not be the worst of the megabucks donors and r
Embedded Assessments: An End Around Parental Opt-Outs | Truth in American Education : Embedded Assessments: An End Around Parental Opt-Outs Over the last several years, a major point of contention between parents and the education establishment (both federal and state) has been the issue of testing. Especially as states have responded to federal mandates by administering unvalidated assessments a
Public Education and the Spectre of Fascism | BustED Pencils : The Spectre of Fascism “Fascism is capitalism in decay”, said Lenin. We’ve seen this before. When the traditional capitalist system is failing, there are cracks within the ruling class, and its accompanying political structures are in turmoil, a section of that class backs a strongman for its own protection. These strongmen have a pop
The Rocks On Which We Can Build Better Schools (and a Better Democracy) | The Huffington Post - Linkis.com : The Rocks On Which We Can Build Better Schools (and a Better Democracy) During my first semester teaching in the inner city , Davina (as I will call her) did not ask permission to interrupt when I was in the middle of a sentence; she just got up and walked across the room. I wondered what
Republican legislator introduces bill to repeal Connecticut’s STUDENT DATA PRIVACY ACT. - Wait What? : Republican legislator introduces bill to repeal Connecticut’s STUDENT DATA PRIVACY ACT. When it comes the Connecticut General Assembly and education policy, one of the most important developments was the passage, last year, of a new Connecticut Student Data Privacy Act that requires school distr
Facebook Hires Campbell Brown to Help Smooth Relations with Mainstream Media | Diane Ravitch's blog : Facebook Hires Campbell Brown to Help Smooth Relations with Mainstream Media This is a stunner. Facebook has hired Campbell Brown to smooth over bad feelings with the mainstream media. To friends of public education, Brown is known as a propagandist for privatization. Will she give up her billion
CURMUDGUCATION: PA: The Property Tax Problem : PA: The Property Tax Problem AP's Marc Levy reports this week that Pennsylvania's legislature ( one of the largest and most expensive ones in the country ) is expected this year to once again tackle one of the great third rails of Pennsylvania politics-- property taxes. This system is part of the mechanism that gives Pennsylvania one of the country's
Third Wave Of Washington Charter Schools Eyed - Lens : Third Wave Of Washington Charter Schools Eyed Opening and running a charter school isn’t for the faint of heart , but in Washington their ranks will grow this year with three more starting up in the fall. Eight are already running – six under state supervision in King and Pierce counties, and two under the Spokane School District’s purview .
Coleman: Trump’s schools pick is scary : Coleman: Trump’s schools pick is scary Few of President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks frighten me more than Betsy DeVos as education secretary. Sure, his foreign policy team is suspect and potentially dangerous. His nominee for attorney general, U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, is a throwback to pre-Civil Rights era Jim Crow days. But DeVos, a former Michigan
Trump’s education nominee and her family members are major donors to the senators who will vote on her confirmation - The Washington Post : Trump’s education nominee and her family members are major donors to the senators who will vote on her confirmation Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for education secretary, is not just a prospective Cabinet member seeking confirmation from th
Schools Matter: Ed Deform 2.0 in Less than Five Minutes : Ed Deform 2.0 in Less than Five Minutes Published on Jan 5, 2017. This is a summary for the one-hour talk "Ed Reform 2.0-Personalized Learning in Orwellian Times" available for viewing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0quQS .... For additional information visit Wrench in the Gears at https://wordpress.com/stats/day/wrenc... . Schools
How testing practices have to change in U.S. public schools - The Washington Post : How testing practices have to change in U.S. public schools Florida teachers protest in Tallahassee against state’s education policies. (Photo by Mike Archer, Used with permission) There has been some testing reform progress made in the last year or so as state and federal officials finally began to acknowledge a
Ed Notes Online: Aim Of School Choice Is To Limit Choice - Norm in The WAVE : Aim Of School Choice Is To Limit Choice - Norm in The WAVE http://www.rockawave.com/news/2017-01-06/School_News/Aim_Of_School_Choice_Is_To_Limit_Choice.html AIM OF SCHOOL CHOICE IS TO LIMIT CHOICE School Scope By Norm Scott I’m continuing my series of columns on the voucher/school choice issue which will come to the for
DeVos would set precedent as secretary of education without strong commitment to public schools | EdSource : DeVos would set precedent as secretary of education without strong commitment to public schools Betsy DeVos may well be the first U.S. secretary of education to come to office without expressing a strong belief in the importance of traditional public schools as a core democratic institutio
Stabenow Opposes Betsy DeVos For Education Department Secretary | News/Talk 94.9 WSJM : Stabenow Opposes Betsy DeVos For Education Department Secretary Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D), Mich. U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow says she will vote against Betsy DeVos as the next head of the U.S. Education Department. The Michigan Democrat says she talked to DeVos. Stabenow says DeVos’ support for charter schools
AFT President Weingarten to Give Major Education Speech : AFT President Weingarten to Give Major Education Speech WASHINGTON , Jan. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With the nomination of Betsy DeVos as secretary of education, President-elect Donald Trump has signaled that the one bipartisan consensus on public education—the Every Student Succeeds Act—should be ignored, choosing instead the mos
How 2012 Chicago Teachers Strike Changed Fight Over Public Education | Chicago Tonight | WTTW : How 2012 Chicago Teachers Strike Changed Fight Over Public Education The Chicago teachers strike of 2012 made international headlines and marked a major shift in the fight over public education reform. After seven days on the picket lines, 26,000 teachers went back to the classroom with a new contract,
The American Teacher vs. Betsy DeVos : The American Teacher vs. Betsy DeVos They are asking me the question, ‘Is the American Dream dead?’ And the American Dream is in trouble. But we’re going to get it back and do some real jobs. –Donald Trump, Rochester, NH Town Hall, September 17, 2015 The appointment of Betsy DeVos as education secretary will offend every teacher in this country who has studi
Connecticut Congressional Delegation has raised more than $100 million - Wait What? : Connecticut Congressional Delegation has raised more than $100 million “Money is the mother’s milk of politics .” – Jesse Unruh, California Politician As California politician, Jesse Unruh, famously observed, money is the primary nourishment for American politicians. Big donors and lobbyists curry favor and buy
New research shows broad academic benefits for students taking ethnic studies classes | 89.3 KPCC : New research shows broad academic benefits for students taking ethnic studies classes Public school districts in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Long Beach and about a dozen others have started ethnic studies classes in recent years. But they’ve done so without a key ingredient: academic res
Democrats Who Oppose Betsy DeVos Have Nothing To Lose : Democrats Who Oppose Betsy DeVos Have Nothing To Lose In “an unprecedented break” from tradition, Democrats in the US Senate are expected to challenge as many as eight of Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees, including Betsy DeVos for US Secretary of Education, according to a report by the Washington Post . The opposition to DeVos, Politico repor
Education Law Prof Blog : Addressing the Recent Increase in Bullying: A Webinar for Parents On Wednesday, January 11, 2017, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law’s Parental Readiness and Empowerment Program (PREP) in partnership with the Center for Safe Schools and the Center for Education Equity will host a free webinar for parents and advocates on school bullying in response to a su
Small Local Group Uncovers Widespread Opposition to Confirmation of DeVos as U.S. Education Secretary | janresseger : Small Local Group Uncovers Widespread Opposition to Confirmation of DeVos as U.S. Education Secretary On Tuesday, January 3, as everybody crawled out from under holiday cooking, gifting and celebrating, leaders of our local Heights Coalition for Public Education met to consider mo
Badass Teachers Association: Trenton Deserves Board Members Capable of Selecting a Qualified Superintendent (NJ) : Trenton Deserves Board Members Capable of Selecting a Qualified Superintendent (NJ) The state capital of New Jersey has been under attack from education reformers for years. Following reformer playbook moves time and time again that seek to minimize the voice of the community and tak
Bill Ayers: Demand the Impossible! | Literati Bookstore : BILL AYERS: DEMAND THE IMPOSSIBLE! Literati welcomes Bill Ayers to Ann Arbor as part of a national tour to celebrate the release of his latest book, Demand the Impossible!: A Radical Manifesto . Demand the Impossible! is a manifesto for movement-makers. In an era defined by mass incarceration, endless war, economic crisis, catastrophic env
“Say it Ain’t So” NEA and AFT | tultican : “Say it Ain’t So” NEA and AFT In 1919, the biggest baseball star in Chicago and possibly all of America was “Shoeless Joe” Jackson. After “Shoeless Joe” and seven other members of the Chicago White Sox were convicted of fixing the 1919 World Series, the Chicago Daily News headline – “Say it ain’t so, Joe” – was the anguished plea from fans and especially
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/5/17 Featured Post The Rotten State of Charter Schools in Michigan: A For-Profit Bonanza, Sponsored by the DeVos Family | Diane Ravitch's blog Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: U.S. schools
Why Teacher Uprisings May Hit Blue States Too
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Surprising results from a new survey of teachers reveals the depth of
“financial strain” classroom professionals face. These include high levels
of college...
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...
Ohio: Online Testing System Crashes
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Ohio testing is bogged down by failure of the online system supplied by
vendor AIR. Can anyone remind me why everyone began switching to online
assessme...
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...
The Story Of How He Fell And Got Back Up
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As the two-year-old boy tried to walk up a short, sand-dusted concrete
slope, his feet slipped from beneath him. He fell forward onto the
concrete. I...
Join Us April 20th
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Communities across the nation will demand that our leaders protect students
and take real action to end gun violence on the National Day of Action
Against ...
An end to Friday night lights
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I don’t get it; will somebody please explain it to me. Jacksonville’s
schools, which mean Jacksonville’s children, are facing 62 million dollars
in cuts, y...
OF EFFICACY AND EQUITY
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I’m looking forward to the day when I write a piece that focuses on the
success of students and fails to mention the inadequacies of adults. Though
it does...
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...
Coalition Calls on Congress to Rewrite FERPA
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American Principles Project and individuals from more than 100
organizations including Education Liberty Watch and Eagle Forum called on
Congress to rewr...
Choice as a Substitute for Adequacy?
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Originally posted on School Finance 101:
Another excerpt from forthcoming work… Much of the expansion of charter
schooling occurred during the recession. T...
Can the Reading Pendulum Be Swinging?
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Two articles and some twitter chatter do not a trend make, but a guy can
hope.
One of the worst trends to come out of modern reform has been the
repackagi...
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...
Some thoughts on Trump, Rosenstein, and Mueller
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offered in light of recent events, and the information floating around both
that Trump wants to get rid of Rosenstein and that Rosenstein expects to be
f...
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...
Suffering Teachers Can't Be Good Teachers
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Teacher walkouts are the ultimate outcome of wringing every drop of energy,
patience and creative juice out of a well-meaning workforce.
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...
This Week in Education Organizing - April 6, 2018
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*Teacher Uprisings Continue!*
The West Virginia teachers strike was as close to a general strike as we’ve
seen in the U.S. in decades. Their historic and...
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 ...
Jeanette Deutermann: The True Cost of the Tests
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Watch as parent Jeanette Deutermann gets straight to the heart of why so
many parents opt out
The post Jeanette Deutermann: The True Cost of the Tests ap...
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 ...
2018 TSJ Inquiry to Action Groups (ItAGs)
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We are excited to announce the 2018 TSJ *Inquiry to Action Groups *(ItAGs).
ItAGs gather educators, activists and others to study a topic and
collectively...
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...