Badass Teachers Association: The Metaphor of School as A Business & How It Has Narrowed Our View of Learning and Life by Cheryl Binkley : The Metaphor of School as A Business & How It Has Narrowed Our View of Learning and Life by Cheryl Binkley Originally posted at: http://3rdmillenniumteacher.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-metaphor-of-school-as-business-how.html The metaphor of schools as businesses h
CURMUDGUCATION: The Decline of Accountability : The Decline of Accountability It was just a few years ago that outcomes were all the rage with the reform crowd. The problem with public schools, they said, was that we focus too much on inputs. Outfits like the Rand Corporation produced big reports on giving more weight to outputs. Or here's a paper by Mike Petrilli (Fordham Foundation) telling the
Opt Out FACT – SBAC test will be unfairly used in Connecticut’s teacher-evaluation process - Wait What? : Opt Out FACT – SBAC test will be unfairly used in Connecticut’s teacher-evaluation process As more and more parents understand, the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) Testing program unfairly discriminates against poor students, students who aren’t fluent in the English language an
It's Not About Them (It's About Us) | Blue Cereal Education : It's Not About Them (It's About Us) The class after lunch is always a colorful time. Students have just had a rowdy half-hour of the most freedom they’ll experience during the school day, and most are loaded up on sugar, caffeine, and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. It’s in that hour that I have Dalton, a fascinating young man who’s often dressed
One Teachers Union Is Talking to Betsy DeVos. The Other One Isn’t. Which Is Right? | New Republic : One Teachers Union Is Talking to Betsy DeVos. The Other One Isn’t. Which Is Right? Big Education Ape: Betsy DeVos called me. I sent her this letter - Lily's Blackboard - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2017/02/betsy-devos-called-me-i-sent-her-this.html Big Education Ape: DeVos to tour schools w
CURMUDGUCATION: The Lessons of Fordlandia : The Lessons of Fordlandia This week in the New York Times, Simon Romero took a fascinating visit (with photos) to one of Henry Ford's most monumental failures. It's reminder that billionaires who want to remake the world in their own preferred image are nothing new-- and their failures frequently come back to the same old lessons. In the 1920s, Fordland
So far, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is just what her critics feared - The Washington Post : So far, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is just what her critics feared Michigan billionaire Betsy DeVos has been U.S. education secretary for only a few weeks, but already she has shown herself to be exactly what her critics feared. In her brief time running the Education Department she has (among oth
Have We Lost Sight of the Promise of Public Schools? - The New York Times : Have We Lost Sight of the Promise of Public Schools? In the days leading up to and after Betsy DeVos’s confirmation as secretary of education, a hashtag spread across Twitter: #publicschoolproud. Parents and teachers tweeted photos of their kids studying, performing, eating lunch together. People of all races tweeted abou
Questions for candidates as OKCPS runoff begins - NonDoc : Questions for candidates as OKCPS runoff begins Stanley Hupfeld and Paula Lewis will square off in the OKCPS runoff election for chairperson on April 4. (NonDoc) T he top two candidates for the Oklahoma City Public Schools Chairperson were Elizabeth Warren and Betsy DeVos — or so it sometimes seemed based on what the voters asked about. S
You’re Fired! – Have You Heard : You’re Fired! The idea that schools can be fixed by firing teachers has become a fixation. In this episode of Have You Heard, Jack Schneider and I discuss the origins of the idea, which he has helpfully distilled here in this amazing graphic. We hear from three Boston teachers whose schools are about to be turned upside down, the lives of their immigrant students
School management linked to teacher turnover :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet : School management linked to teacher turnover (N.Y.) The high rate of teacher turnover in most schools serving low-income neighborhoods has generally been perceived as the result of the problems students from low-income families bring to class. But an examination of s
UT/TT Poll: Education is pretty good, but Texans have some suggestions | The Texas Tribune : UT/TT Poll: Education is pretty good, but Texans have some suggestions Texans don't like the standardized tests required of public education students, and they support a number of changes from higher spending to more pre-K classes, according to the new University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. More Texans t
DeVos praises virtual schools, but new research points to problems - The Hechinger Report : DeVos praises virtual schools, but new research points to problems A new study adds to the body of research showing that online-only schools don’t serve low-performing students It was the best of times and the worst of times for virtual schools, which allow students to go to school without ever stepping in
It’s not who controls the schools that matters, it’s whether they care about equity - The Hechinger Report : It’s not who controls the schools that matters, it’s whether they care about equity New Orleans has had plenty of school choice in the last decade, but vulnerable students have been left behind On President’s Day, a town hall was convened by the Orleans Parish School Board to update the co
Op-Ed: What Regaining Full Control of Schools Means for the People of Newark - NJ Spotlight : OP-ED: WHAT REGAINING FULL CONTROL OF SCHOOLS MEANS FOR THE PEOPLE OF NEWARK Students will be counting on us — the parents, residents, teachers, and leaders — to create a school environment that prepares them to succeed as adults Shanell Dunns Since 1995, the state of New Jersey has held full control of
Teachers of color: Student diversity is up but not educators | ABC10.com : Teachers of color: Student diversity is up but not educators As an African-American teacher, David Joiner is a rarity in education. Growing up in Louisiana, Joiner said he didn’t see many teachers who looked like him. Instead, he saw what many students see: a teaching workforce that has not kept up with the ever-changing d
School Asks Teachers To Take Down Pro-Diversity Posters, Saying They're 'Anti-Trump' | The Huffington Post : School Asks Teachers To Take Down Pro-Diversity Posters, Saying They’re ‘Anti-Trump’ Now, the students are fighting back. WASHINGTON ― School administrators in a 93 percent white 93 percent white Maryland county recently asked high school teachers to take down pro-diversity posters from cl
NYC Educator: Fordham U and Me : Fordham U and Me Last night I was honored to be included in a panel at Fordham University discussing mostly the welfare of our students. There was great discussion from both the panelists and the audience. In retrospect, it probably would've been smarter to write about this before it happened so more people would know about it. But better late than never. I had an
Clueless Betsy DeVos Blames School Teachers, Doesn’t Get that Test-and-Punish Is Core Problem | janresseger : Clueless Betsy DeVos Blames School Teachers, Doesn’t Get that Test-and-Punish Is Core Problem After our new U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos visited a Washington, D.C. middle school last week, she insulted the teachers there. She said the teachers were “in receive mode,” and continued
Data driving me crazy. | Fred Klonsky : Data driving me crazy. As an artist and retired art teacher I believe that classrooms, like all the built environment, should reflect good design principles. But what are those? A tweet by Michael Antonucci intrigued me. Follow Mike Antonucci @UnionReport74 Is Your Classroom Overdecorated? http://www. eiaonline.com/intercepts/201 7/02/21/is-your-classroom-o
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: More on Betsy DeVos' love affair with Florida's charter school system : More on Betsy DeVos' love affair with Florida's charter school system Here's a follow-up on yesterday's post about Betsy DeVos' love affair with Florida's "choice" system, a system of charters and vouchers that she's practically paid for. DeVos recently named Florida's "choice" system as her "mo
Louisiana Research: When Tenure Ends, Teachers Leave. | deutsch29 : Louisiana Research: When Tenure Ends, Teachers Leave. In 2012, the Louisiana legislature passed Act 1, commonly known as the “teacher tenure law.” Moreover, the Louisiana State Department of Education (LDOE) has translated Act 1 into an evaluation system whereby 50 percent of a teacher’s evaluation is connected to “student learni
Population Puzzle Problems Beyond Kasich Razzle Dazzle : Population Puzzle Problems Beyond Kasich Razzle Dazzle Ohio’s 69th governor has left the state again, this time to hop the pond for a few days to schmooze with German and English businesses. Odds are slim that the 64-year old supply side governor will learn anything about how important unions are to German companies. Called co-determination
W.E.B. DuBois and Dual Consciousness For Teachers of Color | The Jose Vilson : W.E.B. DuBois and Dual Consciousness For Teachers of Color In The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. DuBois posits: It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and p
Education Law Prof Blog : Bad News for the Office for Civil Rights and the Students It Serves? A Chronicle of Higher Education story indicates the likely nominee for the Assistant Secretary for the Office for Civil Rights will be Gail Heroit, who may take the Office in an entirely new direction. As discussed here and here , the Office has recently done incredible work. It seems that the task of t
Wisdom from the Sage of Mount Vernon – Live Long and Prosper : Wisdom from the Sage of Mount Vernon Words of wisdom appropriate to our time. …from George Washington, America’s first President, on the occasion of his 285 birthday. ON EDUCATION “A primary object should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And
Feds won't file charges after investigation of LAUSD iPad program | 89.3 KPCC : Feds won't file charges after investigation of LAUSD iPad program Federal investigators have closed their inquiry into the Los Angeles Unified School District's troubled iPad program without charging any of the current or former district officials involved, according to a statement from the head attorney for the schoo
Actions Speak Louder than Words – Have You Heard : Actions Speak Louder than Words Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos says she wants to empower teachers to make them great. Detroit teacher Stephanie Griffin isn’t buying it… By Stephanie Griffin When teachers in Detroit organized sick-outs last year, we weren’t in *receive mode,* as Betsy DeVos would say, waiting to be told what to do. The protest
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 2/21/17 Featured Post Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Why DeVos is making Florida's charter system her 'model'. She practically owns it. 3 Simple Ways to Counteract Internalized Bias
