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Saturday, March 11, 2017

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 3/11/17


Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 3/11/17
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Suspending California students costs the state billions, report finds | EdSource




Ms. Katie's Ramblings: The Case for Striking
by mike simpson / 5min
Ms. Katie's Ramblings: The Case for Striking : The Case for Striking Things are very bad in the Chicago Public Schools right now. And we need to do something about it. I support the idea of my union going on strike May 1st in solidarity with workers and immigrants around the world. But I want to go further. I want to make the case for the Chicago Teachers Union to go on an open-ended strike this
Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION
by mike simpson / 3h
CURMUDGUCATION : Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION Noble Teachers Forming Largest Charter Union 19 by Peter Greene / 22h The 800 teachers and staff of Chicago's Noble charter school chain is working to form the largest charter teacher union in the country. They would not become the first charter union in the country, or even in Chicago. In fact, the Aspire network of charter schools just averted a str
Presentation for Advocacy 101: My Personal Journey | Seattle Education
by mike simpson / 4h
Presentation for Advocacy 101: My Personal Journey | Seattle Education : Presentation for Advocacy 101: My Personal Journey On March 5th, my friend Shawna Murphy, co-hosted a roundtable discussion on advocacy . I was invited to participate on the panel. These are my opening remarks. My name is Carolyn Leith and I write for the Seattle Education blog. However, I think the real reason why I’m sitti
In Defense of Independent Reading - Teacher Habits
by mike simpson / 4h
In Defense of Independent Reading - Teacher Habits : In Defense of Independent Reading In the entire history of stupid school tricks, there may be none dumber than the practice of banning independent reading from classrooms. Not only does the research not support such a drastic measure, but administrators who take such action should have their brains scanned to see if common sense has somehow sli
Don’t fall for the White lies. – Educate Louisiana
by mike simpson / 5h
Don’t fall for the White lies. – Educate Louisiana : Don’t fall for the White lies. Parents across the nation have let it be known that they do not want their children subjected to standardized test. In 2015, Louisiana parents initiated a statewide opt-out movement. With just weeks to go before testing, and under immense pressure from districts, Supt. John White agreed not to penalize schools wit
The ignorance and callousness of Betsy DeVos' 'gaffe' (Opinion) | OregonLive
by mike simpson / 5h
The ignorance and callousness of Betsy DeVos' 'gaffe' (Opinion) | OregonLive.com : The ignorance and callousness of Betsy DeVos' 'gaffe' (Opinion) Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos ironically touted historically black colleges and universities as a successful example of her beloved pet cause of "school choice." Of course, the existence of historically black institutions in America, in many cases
Congress Erases K-12 Rules, A Financial Aid Foul-Up And Other Education News : NPR Ed : NPR
by mike simpson / 6h
Congress Erases K-12 Rules, A Financial Aid Foul-Up And Other Education News : NPR Ed : NPR : Congress Erases K-12 Rules, A Financial Aid Foul-Up And Other Education News The case of transgender high school student Gavin Grimm, seen here last year, has been sent back to a lower court by the Supreme Court. Steve Helber/AP Once again, it was another big week for national education news. Here's our
Jersey Jazzman: NJ Charter Schools - A Fool's Gold Rush: Prelude
by mike simpson / 6h
Jersey Jazzman: NJ Charter Schools - A Fool's Gold Rush: Prelude : NJ Charter Schools - A Fool's Gold Rush: Prelude Chris Christie begins his last year in Trenton as the least popular governor in the nation . But that doesn't mean he still can't impose his will on New Jersey; the governorship here is one of the most powerful in the nation. So even though many communities throughout the state may
Keeping retirement weird. TrumpCare is Soylent Green. | Fred Klonsky
by mike simpson / 6h
Keeping retirement weird. TrumpCare is Soylent Green. | Fred Klonsky : Keeping retirement weird. TrumpCare is Soylent Green. Good morning from Brooklyn. We are here to celebrate Anne’s birthday with kids and grandkids. So not even Donald Trump can put me in a bad mood. Episode #6 of the podcast of Hitting Left with the Klonsky Brothers is in the can. It is an hour-long convo with tenth ward Alder
Suspending California students costs the state billions, report finds | EdSource
by mike simpson / 6h
Suspending California students costs the state billions, report finds | EdSource : Suspending California students costs the state billions, report finds Students in the class of 2014 who never graduated because they were suspended from school will cost California an estimated $2.7 billion in increased criminal justice costs and lower taxes paid over the course of their lifetimes, according to a n
'Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. and Today ...Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
by mike simpson / 6h
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all : 'Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. and Today ...Diane Ravitch's blog Chicago: Parent Discovers Massive Breach of Privacy of Student Records 4 by dianeravitch / 36min A parent in Chicago discovered a massive breach of private data about students in private schools receiving special education services. The data was contr
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle This and That
by mike simpson / 7h
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle This and That : Seattle This and That Spring Forward this Sunday 7 by Melissa Westbrook / 10h Feds Make It Harder for Students to Access Financial Aid 1 by Melissa Westbrook / 10h From Politico: FEDS DISABLE KEY FINANCIAL AID TOOL, CITING DATA SECURITY CONCERNS: The IRS and Education Department confirmed late Thursday that the federal government purposeful
New Strategy, Same Agenda, Lamar Alexander and Accountability by Cheryl Binkley - Badass Teachers Association:
by mike simpson / 7h
Badass Teachers Association: New Strategy, Same Agenda, Lamar Alexander and Accountability by Cheryl Binkley : New Strategy, Same Agenda, Lamar Alexander and Accountability by Cheryl Binkley Why would Lamar Alexander suddenly start to dismantle the “accountability” regulations of ESSA, the landmark Education Bill he worked over a year forging and heralded as a fabulous bi-partisan feat; one of th
Fighting Off a Prop-39 Parasite
by mike simpson / 7h
Fighting Off a Prop-39 Parasite : Fighting Off a Prop-39 Parasite Financial records obtained by The Times show that, as Celerity’s CEO, [Vielka McFarlane] paid for many of these expenses with a credit card belonging to her charter schools, which receive the bulk of their funding from the state. ” – Los Angeles Times, March 6, 2017 When LAUSD denied two Celerity charter renewals in October LAUSD C
Florida Voucher Nonprofit, Step Up for Students: A Tale of 15 Tax Forms | deutsch29
by mike simpson / 8h
Florida Voucher Nonprofit, Step Up for Students: A Tale of 15 Tax Forms | deutsch29 : Florida Voucher Nonprofit, Step Up for Students: A Tale of 15 Tax Forms Step Up for Students (Step Up) is the Florida nonprofit founded by venture capitalist John Kirtley (see his bio here ). Until 2011, Step Up was known as the Florida School Choice Fund (FSCF), which officially became a nonprofit in July 2000.
Raw deal for regular folks: Health & Education “Savings Accounts” | The Edvocate Blog
by mike simpson / 8h
Raw deal for regular folks: Health & Education “Savings Accounts” | The Edvocate Blog : Raw deal for regular folks: Health & Education “Savings Accounts” The two most important things we will ever pay for in this world are K-12 education and health care. That said, Americans are being fear-mongered by politicians over everything from losing healthcare to the constant lie that public schools are f
The Blinders of Partisanship: How Republicans and Democrats Miss the Point – We’re All Being Screwed | gadflyonthewallblog
by mike simpson / 8h
The Blinders of Partisanship: How Republicans and Democrats Miss the Point – We’re All Being Screwed | gadflyonthewallblog : The Blinders of Partisanship: How Republicans and Democrats Miss the Point – We’re All Being Screwed Perhaps the biggest disappointment of this election cycle wasn’t Donald Trump’s victory. It’s how quickly many of our allies on the right gave up their beliefs to fall in li

YESTERDAY

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 3/10/17
by mike simpson / 23h
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 3/10/17 Featured Post Is Betsy DeVos Getting Rid of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services? Schools Matter: What Ending Regulations on ESSA Will Mean by mike simpson / 10min Schools 

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Ms. Katie's Ramblings: The Case for Striking

Ms. Katie's Ramblings: The Case for Striking:

The Case for Striking


 Things are very bad in the Chicago Public Schools right now. And we need to do something about it.

I support the idea of my union going on strike May 1st in solidarity with workers and immigrants around the world.

But I want to go further. I want to make the case for the Chicago Teachers Union to go on an open-ended strike this school year with one, clear goal: Force the bosses to fund our schools. Yes, this is a much scarier proposal, but also far more powerful.

For the second year in row, after years of cuts, closures, consolidations, and chaos, Chicago Public School employees are facing the lost pay and lost time of yet more furlough days. Last year, it was three days of lost pay. This year, we are looking down the barrel of a total of 17 days slashed from our paychecks. At this point, our contract, and our negotiated pay scales, are not even worth the paper they're printed on. And we all knew that this was ALWAYS the plan. We knew it, our leadership knew it, Rahm certainly did, too.

And now our union leadership has asked us to consider a one-day strike on May 1st. It was an ask that was all over the news before we even had a moment to consider, perhaps unavoidably. But as a delegate, I will say that I appreciate the conversation. To be asked, not told, despite what the media misreports. And I want us, as a union, to really have this conversation. Not limited to one idea, but willing to consider all the possibilities.

While I support striking to participate in May Day actions-I think at the very least we must Ms. Katie's Ramblings: The Case for Striking:



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Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION

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Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION









Noble Teachers Forming Largest Charter Union
by Peter Greene / 22h
The 800 teachers and staff of Chicago's Noble charter school chain is working to form the largest charter teacher union in the country. They would not become the first charter union in the country, or even in Chicago. In fact, the Aspire network of charter schools just averted a strike by their own teachers' union by agreeing to wage increases, shorter workdays, and, apparently, occasionally liste
ESSA Big Mess
by Peter Greene / 1d
ESSA is caught in the middle of a very bad movie right now. It's the sequel to "How A Bill Becomes A Law," and it has no heroes. After the bill becomes a law, the work still isn't done. Because to build a bi-partisan agreement, you write the law with statements like "Treatment of mugwumps will be fair." (Perhaps not that vague, but as always, allow me to exaggerate to make a point). So Republicans

MAR 09

Testing Bribes
by Peter Greene / 1d
One of the biggest challenges connected with the Big Standardized Test is also one of the most important-- getting students to actually care . State and district officials all across the country have largely failed-- and they know it. Why, yes, I am very excited about the PARCC test. This is less of a challenge with the littles. A primary teacher can tell her students, "I need you to put your dead

MAR 08

Why School Choice Is Not A Thing
by Peter Greene / 3d
The promise, the dream of school choice is a system in which every family can choose from a wide range of schools, selecting the one that best fits their own child. If we would just break the public school "monopoly," the reasoning goes, even poor families would have the same wide range of choices available to upper and middle class families. This is not a true thing. It is not even an accurate po
8 Reasons To Opt Out
by Peter Greene / 3d
Depending on your state, it is that time again-- time to waste students' school time on the Big Standardized Test. Whether it's the PARCC or the SBA or whatever mutant offspring of the testing industry that your state prefers, it's headed your way like a hungry wildebeast. Maybe you have opted your child out in the past. Maybe you've thought about it, but ultimately decided not to. Maybe you've ev

MAR 07

Choice: The New Argument
by Peter Greene / 4d
The argument in favor of school choice continues to evolve, and post-DeVos, the conservative version is taking on its most honest form to date. It has been peeking its head out here and there for a while, but this week emerges full-blown in a US News piece from Robert Pondiscio (Fordham Institute). In " Asking the Wrong Questions on School Choice ," Pondiscio looks at the argument prompted by news

MAR 06

Can Choice Return To Its Roots?
by Peter Greene / 5d
Deborah Meier wrote in Education Week recently wit an interesting question. " Can school choice return to its progressive roots? " she asked. She goes back to the days in which she became involved in starting charter schools, to get out from under the heavy hand of regulation and red tape and start a school run by educators who would focus on the stuff that really matters, serving students who has
Real Performance Based Education
by Peter Greene / 5d
This afternoon the set was struck and the stage swept clean. We've come to the end of this year's spring musical. As always it was one of the highlights of my year, and as always, it reminded me of how inadequate so many of our educational models are. There are weeks of rehearsal, learning music, learning choreography, working on blocking and lines and the underlying character work that goes with

MAR 05

Making Students Pledge Test Security
by Peter Greene / 6d
When it comes to the Big Standardized Tests, we know that one thing is important before all else-- not the soundness of the questions or the validity of the test or the value of the scoring or the careful construction of questions that truly measure what they're alleged to measure. No, only one thing matters most-- Protecting the proprietary materials that belong to the test manufacturer. You may


ICYMI: In Like a Lion Edition (3/5)
by Peter Greene / 6d
As always, I recommend that you pass on, tweet, share and otherwise amplify the pieces that speak to you. It matters which voices we amplify and which we do not. Milwaukee's Voucher Verdict Milwaukee has been doing vouchers for 
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