Black History Month Series: A Challenge!SF Public School Mom : Black History Month (BHM) Series #1: A Challenge! In honor of Black History Month , I’m reposting this previous blog. A few years ago, (2015 to be exact!) I challenged myself to write 28 posts highlighting African-American History . I made a dent in my original goal, but one year later I still had a way to go. This year I finally reac
Making things complicated or difficult for the sake of making things complicated or difficult, well, that’s just stupid writes NYC Educator. | Fred Klonsky : Making things complicated or difficult for the sake of making things complicated or difficult, well, that’s just stupid writes NYC Educator. -I stole this post from NYC Educator and I don’t he would mind. I’ve heard from various and sundry a
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Why are Democrats smearing peaceful anti-Trump protests? : Why are Democrats smearing peaceful anti-Trump protests? DeVos protest in D.C. “Nothing about a firm commitment to free expression obliges us open our doors to (much less to provide platforms for) those who incite hatred and violence against refugees, immigrants, and minorities—that is, against our students,
CURMUDGUCATION: Guest Post: Open Letter To Pat Toomey : Guest Post: Open Letter To Pat Toomey Barbara Ferman is a professor at the College of Liberal Arts, Temple University. She's also the Director of the University Community Collaborative. She passed along this letter to share. If you want to make sure Senator Toomey sees it, feel free to help direct it to him. February 13, 2017 An Open Letter
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Gifted Education, Part One : Gifted Education, Part One (You didn't think I'd be able to say everything in one post, did you? Part Two will have me talking about what I hear and saw at various events and what direction I think the district will take.) As I gather up my thoughts from the Work Session on Advanced Learning,the two-day Equity and Gifted Education Summ
How exactly did the Department of Defense end up in my child’s classroom? | Seattle Education : How exactly did the Department of Defense end up in my child’s classroom? You cannot fully understand what is happening with Future Ready school redesign, 1:1 device programs, embedded assessments, gamification, classroom management apps, and the push for students in neighborhood schools to supplement
The Next Big Thing – Have You Heard : The Next Big Thing Barely had Massachusetts voters cast the last *nay* vote on raising the charter cap, aka the Last Big Thing, than the Next Big Thing was sweeping the Bay State. I speak, of course of the zones of empowerment, that suddenly have everyone who is anyone talking. The experiment in school turn around-ing underway in Springfield, headed up by edu
Take Action NOW: Support Arab Students and Families in SFUSD - SF Public School MomSF Public School Mom : Take Action NOW: Support Arab Students and Families in SFUSD Our district says it cares about Arab students. Nonetheless, when it comes to resourcing schools to support them in meeting the needs of students and families… Lately, I’m hearing *crickets*. After the election, Arab students came t
Education Reform Musing | tultican : Education Reform Musing I have done a lot of whining about “corporate education reform” and the “test and punish” theory of education reform and “standards based” top down education. I am in full agreement with the conclusion Kristina Rizga’s reached after her four years’ study of Mission High in San Francisco, “The more time I spent in classrooms, the more I
Hip-hop group: DeVos is bad for the inner cities - CNNPolitics.com : Hip-hop group: Betsy DeVos is bad for the inner cities Washington (CNN) The Black Opera has a message for new Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos: There should be no poor schools. "We've seen what's going on with DeVos right now and what she stands for as far as education is definitely not going to be a positive for the inner cit
Protester arrested outside D.C. school is Afghan refugee - The Washington Post : The man arrested at Friday’s protest of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’s visit The man arrested at Friday’s protest of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’s visit to a middle school has been identified as a 32-year-old who lives in Northwest Washington and faces charges of assault on a police officer and failure to obey
Teacher plans to shame mayor, SRC, superintendent with I-95 billboard : Teacher plans to shame mayor, SRC, superintendent with I-95 billboard Coming soon to I-95, if a city teacher has anything to say about it: a billboard calling out Mayor Kenney and Philadelphia School District leaders. Donations are streaming in to crowd-fund a giant reminder that Philadelphia teachers have not had a contract
Washington State Lawmakers Attempt to Strip Powers From State Board - State EdWatch - Education Week : Washington State Lawmakers Attempt to Strip Powers From State Board One of the big hurdles to pushing for education change in states is that, oftentimes, it's not exactly clear who's in charge. This has become a big issue as states craft their accountability plans under the Every Student Succeed
Bullying remains a serious problem in Los Angeles schools - LA Times : Bullying remains a serious problem in Los Angeles schools Add fighting bullying to the long list of priorities for which the nation’s second-largest school system has good intentions but sluggish follow-through. One in 5 Los Angeles high school students and 1 in 4 elementary students said they had been bullied last school year
Support Betsy DeVos, shoot yourself in the foot - The Hechinger Report : Support Betsy DeVos, shoot yourself in the foot Education groups aimed at uplifting black students should not be the black face of her agenda There are some things that can get you uninvited to a black family reunion — and tap dancing to the news that Betsy DeVos is the next Secretary of Education is one of them. By the skin
Navigating Choice Reading with High-Stakes Accountability in Mind | radical eyes for equity : Navigating Choice Reading with High-Stakes Accountability in Mind BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT: Trumplandia: Unmasking Post-Truth America by NCTE George Orwell Award Winning Author P.L. Thomas - Garn Press - http://wp.me/p3I85u-3NG As long as we have had formal education in the U.S., we have had a fair amount of pu
We #LoveTeaching and quizzes :) - Lily's Blackboard : We #LoveTeaching and quizzes :) These days, who couldn’t use a healthy dose of love? Maybe love isn’t all we need , but it sure would be good to have more of it. Valentine’s Day is about giving and showing love, and it’s also the kickoff for the weeklong #LoveTeaching campaign . The campaign was launched by teachers, and NEA is a proud partner
Happy Valentine’s Day! | Diane Ravitch's blog : Happy Valentine’s Day! Let’s forget the Orange Menace in the zwhite House for the day and think positive thoughts. Hug your friends. Kiss your loved ones. Call those who are far away and tell them you miss them. Give flowers, sniff flowers. Spread joy. I love you all. Even those who are persistently annoying. RESIST by forgetting about HIM for the d
Ed Notes Online: Charters are cancers. There are no good cancers–and charter schools are metastasizing throughout education : Charters are cancers. There are no good cancers–and charter schools are metastasizing throughout education Has the public ed ship sailed? After rigthly declaring charters are cancers, Bob Braun asks a very pertinent question on his blog : Do public school advocates have th
Advocates of disabled students closely watching new ed chief - The Washington Post : Advocates of disabled students closely watching new ed chief Betsy DeVos got off to a rocky start with families of disabled children when she acknowledged being confused by a question at her confirmation hearing about a federal law that has governed special education since 1975. Now that DeVos is on the job at th
Charter schools pose financial risk to municipalities by James Mulholland - Wait What? : Charter schools pose financial risk to municipalities by James Mulholland The charter school industry is proposing a change to Connecticut’s school funding system to require that local communities hand over local funds to subsidize charter schools attended by local students. The “money follows the child” fund
Education Law Prof Blog : Trans Students' Bathroom Rights: Will DeVos & Sessions Follow Candidate Trump's Common Sense? Not Likely by Diane Klein The most challenging part of the school day shouldn't be figuring out where to go to the bathroom - or whether one can safely do so anywhere at all. But thanks to the first act of our new Attorney General, those states that would deprive trans students
In Fine, New Book, Steve Nelson Urges New Education Path that Is Less Dangerous for Children | janresseger : In Fine, New Book, Steve Nelson Urges New Education Path that Is Less Dangerous for Children Steve Nelson’s new book, First Do No Harm: Progressive Education in a Time of Existential Risk , is refreshing in the author’s declaration of privilege as he applies all that he has learned in nine
glen brown: Resistance : Resistance The following is a copy-paste "Resistance Declaration" on Facebook from my good friend and colleague, Ken Previti: “I take ownership of most, if not all, ideals listed here...I have left the piece in its entirety (aside from minor grammatical an d format edits, lol) so all may appreciate it as they discern to be fit: “Republicans have been whining about the mas
US Ed Sec Betsy DeVos’ Letter to State Superintendents Re: ESSA State Plans | deutsch29 : US Ed Sec Betsy DeVos’ Letter to State Superintendents Re: ESSA State Plans On Friday, February 10, 2017, US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos sent to state superintendents a letter regarding the formulation of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plans. In short, she notes that the ESSA guidance composed unde
CURMUDGUCATION: New Congressional Attack on Education : New Congressional Attack on Education You probably already heard about H.R. 899 , a bill elegant in its simplicity. Here's the whole text of the bill: The Department of Education shall terminate on December 31, 2018. Thanks to Rep. Thomas Massie (R) of Kentucky for this little zen koan of legislation. It raises many questions. Will the depar
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 2/13/17 Featured Post What To Make Of Bad News Betsy’s Letter About ESSA To Chief State School Officers – Exceptional Delaware 2017 Badass Teachers Association: Hey there! It’s Amy
Queen Eva’s Gambit
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In the New York Post today there was a headline that read “Charter school
upsets juggernaut Stuyvesant HS on way to chess crown” It began in dramatic
fashi...
Democrats Need Allegorical Lesson to Grow
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Myself, I am a "left of center libertarian". I believe there is a place for
liberalism, I believe there is a place for government in our lives, I do
believ...
When China Buys Our Data
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We have worried about what ed tech companies would do with all the data
that they could (and do) collect from students. We have worried about the
creation ...
Of Interest From the Times
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Robert Eagle Staff Middle Schools, Licton Springs K-8 and Cascadia
Elementary are all relatively near Aurora and North 90th which makes this
very close to ...
Superintendent search, focus group members
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I have to say I don't like seeing a name or their designee in two spots.
Somebody should be willing to come or not and I wish the group skewed more
DCPS te...
Meredith Chapman’s Life Cut Short, Rest In Peace
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It was with extreme sadness when I received a call this morning about the
death of Meredith Chapman. While details are vague, there was a
murder-suicide a...
How we can get the full picture of autism
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As professionals who believe in children and are committed to unlocking
their potential, we want to make sure all of our students have exactly what
they ne...
All Human Problems And All Human Glories
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Marcus was working on a cardboard block tower. Lilyanna was helping.
They built it as high as they could, arriving at a point when they
struggled to re...
Tell Congress: Curb the President’s War Powers
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This week, the Senate will decide whether to confirm CIA Director Mike
Pompeo as Secretary of State. Pompeo is a key figure in Trump’s new war
cabinet, alo...
James Brown Is Back Once Again.
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It has come to my attention that James Brown is back on the DOE payroll.
Now he is assistant Superintendent under the* infamous ...
It’s NOT Education Reform – It’s School Sabotage
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High stakes testing and school privatization are NOT “Education Reform."
Even if we use the term to criticize the practice, we’re helping them do
their work.
THE TVAAS CANARD CONTINUES
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There is one thing that has remained consistent since I began writing this
blog 5 years ago: the inability of the state of Tennessee to conduct an
error-fr...
Gangsters’ Moves By TEA in Houston
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So Mike Morath, Texas Education Agency (TEA) commissioner, failed at his
Home Rule attempt in Dallas (See Panning a Charter Takeover of all public
schools)...
“Your House Is Just a Place for Your Stuff”
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The secretary’s desk is dark wood with a pull down door and one drawer
beneath the main section, divided into sections for office supplies and
such. It sit...
Testimony on Improving School Planning and Siting
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Below is the our testimony Class Size Matters gave at the City Council
hearings on tackling school overcrowding by improving the efficiency and
accuracy of...
What White People Need to Understand
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Last night, I listened to David Remnick’s New Yorker podcast interview with
James Comey to hear what he had to say about our 45th President, but what
dis...
WEEKEND QUOTABLES
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Photo: Sporting News Archive, Sporting News Via Getty ImagesDave Zirin
*It’s not for us to forgive Jack Johnson. The opposite is the case.* -- The
Nation
...
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...
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...
an interesting factoid on NRA and Virginia
-
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 *
...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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 ...
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
-
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...
