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Saturday, August 31, 2019

Top Posts This Week 8/31/19 #REDFORED

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Top Posts This Week 8/31/19 

Big Education Ape: BACK TO SCHOOL: A parent’s guide to K-12 school success - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2019/08/back-to-school-parents-guide-to-k-12.html






Top Posts This Month 8/31/19 









 Posts This Week 8/31/19 




Peter Greene: The SAT Tweaked The Adversity Score. Can They Undo The Damage It Caused?

by Mike Simpson / 4min
The SAT Tweaked The Adversity Score. Can They Undo The Damage It Caused? The SAT Tweaked The Adversity Score. Can They Undo The Damage It Caused? Since David Coleman took the helm at the College Board, their flagship product--the ubiquitous SAT, one-time Queen of the college entrance exams--has been the victim of a series of unforced errors. The roll out and walk back of the "adversity score" is
Neighborhood Council Reiterates Support For School Board Resolution

by Mike Simpson / 14min
Neighborhood Council Reiterates Support For School Board Resolution “ Resolved, no regularly scheduled open meeting of the Board shall occur during the hours when school is in session, during the hours of regularly scheduled bus transportation, or during the time after school closing that it would take to commute from the furthest school in the district from the meeting location using public tra
Little Rock, Arkansas: Dr. Anika Whitfield Pleads for a Return of Democracy | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 1h
Little Rock, Arkansas: Dr. Anika Whitfield Pleads for a Return of Democracy Dr. Anika Whitfield is a remarkable woman. She is a podiatrist. She is an ordained Baptist minister. She has volunteered as a tutor in the public schools of Little Rock for many years. She is active in Save Our Schools Arkansas and Grassroots Arkansas. She is a fighter for social justice and equity. She wrote the followi
From Policy To Practice: Reforming American Schools and Classroom Lessons | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 1h
From Policy To Practice: Reforming American Schools and Classroom Lessons I have just sent in my manuscript to the publisher entitled “Chasing Success and Confronting Failure in American Schools.” Every book I have written in the past decade since I started this blog, I have posted the argument, drafts of chapters, and vignettes of schools and teacher lessons. Now I am considering my next projec
Betsy DeVos denounced for student debt relief rule change that critics say ‘Takes a scythe to defrauded borrowers’ – Raw Story

by Mike Simpson / 1h
Betsy DeVos denounced for student debt relief rule change that critics say ‘Takes a scythe to defrauded borrowers’ “With this policy overhaul, Secretary DeVos has cemented her legacy as best friend to predatory colleges and enemy to the students they rip off.” Critics condemned Trump Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Friday for replacing Obama-era federal loan forgiveness regulations for student b
Labor movement fights leadership gender gap – People's World

by Mike Simpson / 2h
Labor movement fights leadership gender gap The president of the nation’s largest union is a woman. The president of the nation’s second largest union is a woman. The president of the union that is arguably tied for third in numbers is a woman. And the Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, the federation’s #2 job, is a woman. But beyond Presidents Lily Eskelsen-Garcia of the National Education Ass
Helping Students Through Anxiety - Teacher Habits

by Mike Simpson / 2h
Helping Students Through Anxiety Guest Writer: Piper McIntosh How to Recognize Anxiety Children get anxious from time to time – it’s only normal. They may become nervous before presenting in front of the class, for example, be it right before the presentation or even beginning the night before. Sometimes they can become anxious even for activities like lunch and recess. Luckily, there are specif
Spending an Hour Interviewing Trevor Noah | Cloaking Inequity

by Mike Simpson / 3h
SPENDING AN HOUR INTERVIEWING TREVOR NOAH Enjoyed spending an hour interviewing Trevor Noah yesterday at the University of Kentucky’s historic Memorial Coliseum . The conversation focused on race and equality. Here are the questions that I asked: Many are familiar with your life story told in “Born a Crime,” growing up mixed-race in Apartheid South Africa. Are there particular lessons from your
Mayor Lightfoot, sustainable COLA pension benefits and the pension betrayal of the IFT’s Dan Montgomery. – Fred Klonsky

by Mike Simpson / 3h
MAYOR LIGHTFOOT, SUSTAINABLE COLA PENSION BENEFITS AND THE PENSION BETRAYAL OF THE IFT’S DAN MONTGOMERY. Chicago Mayor Lightfoot caused some concern yesterday when she spoke of “unsustainable” COLA benefits for retired public employees of the city when she sat down with editors from Crain’s Chicago Business. It is hard to know what she actually said since Greg Hinz didn’t quote her except to put
Choosing Democracy: Sac City Opens Schools Without Enough Teachers

by Mike Simpson / 3h
The Staffing Crisis School Board Member Transparency and Accountability Scorecard Sac City has a staffing crisis. Our conservative estimate is that at least 100 certificated position are unfilled, meaning that between 3,000 to 4,000 Sac City students are without a credentialed educator--or nearly 10% of the entire student population. As of today (August 30), Human Resources has been unable to pr
CURMUDGUCATION: Burn And Churn McModel Is Failing

by Mike Simpson / 3h
Burn And Churn McModel Is Failing To launch the fast food industry, owners and operators refined and adapted an industrial model, with every kitchen an assembly and every employee an easily-replaced meat widget, performing unskilled labor on a job that was employee proof. In the last couple of decades, some education reformsters have tried to adapt that McModel to education, creating teacher-pro
THIS WEEK Education Research Report

by Mike Simpson / 4h
Education Research Report THIS WEEK Education Research Report More than 60 percent of Pell Grants cover the total price of college attendance by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2d More than 60 percent of Pell Grant recipients at 4-year institutions received federal student loans to cover the total price of college attendance in four academic years between 2003-04 and 2015-16. A new NCES Data Point report,
This Week With Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007

by Mike Simpson / 4h
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 This Week With Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 “Q&A Collections: Author Interviews” by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h Q&A Collections: Author Interviews is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. All Classroom Q&A posts sharing author
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

by Mike Simpson / 4h
KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all GERM Warfare: Stopping the Global Education Reform Movement by dianeravitch / 17min No one has been more effective at describing and fighting the spread of GERM than Pasi Sahlberg, the Finnish educator now working to reform education standardization in Australia. I recently visited Pasi and his family in Croat

YESTERDAY

What Kids Who Bully Often Have In Common | HuffPost Life

by Mike Simpson / 1d
What Kids Who Bully Often Have In Common Experts share traits that have been linked to bullying behaviors. When parents, educators and mental health professionals talk about bullying, there is understandably a lot of emphasis on the victims. But in focusing solely on victims in anti-bullying efforts, an important part of the equation gets forgotten: the kids who do the bullying. “Bullying is not
Second tax measure to fund California schools proposed for 2020 ballot | EdSource

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Second tax measure to fund California schools proposed for 2020 ballot School boards association seeks backers for $15 billion tax on the wealthy T he California School Boards Association is exploring whether to place a $15 billion tax for K-12 schools, early education and community colleges before voters, creating the possibility of dueling tax initiatives on the statewide ballot in November 20
How DeBlasio Protects the Charter Industry in NYC | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 1d
How DeBlasio Protects the Charter Industry in NYC When Mayor Bill DeBlasio was on the Democratic debate stage, he lashed out at the charter industry and vowed to fight the privatizers. But as mayor, he is protecting them. As Leonie Haimson explains , DeBlasio’s Department of Education routinely hands over the lists of public school students to the charters, despite the protests of parents. No ot
The truth about Finland’s great schools: Yes, kids do get homework, and no, they didn’t stop teaching individual subjects. - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 1d
What Finland is really doing to improve its acclaimed schools Finland has been paid outsized attention in the education world since its students scored the highest among dozens of countries around the globe on an international test some 20 years ago. And while it is no longer No. 1 — as the education sector was hurt in the 2008 recession, and budget cuts led to larger class sizes and fewer staff
2019 Medley #16: Back to school 2019, Part 1 | Live Long and Prosper

by Mike Simpson / 1d
2019 Medley #16: Back to school 2019, Part 1 SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS AND LEAD POISONING In Flint, Schools Overwhelmed by Special Ed. Needs in Aftermath of Lead Crisis In nearly all my previous posts having to do with the lead poisoning of America’s poor children , I have commented that we would likely see increased numbers of students needing special services in areas where lead is an identified
What Kind of A—hole Ransoms School Data? | gadflyonthewallblog

by Mike Simpson / 1d
What Kind of A—hole Ransoms School Data? You’ve got to be a grade A sleaze bag to steal from kids’ public schools . But that’s exactly what a growing number of slime balls are doing when they hack into schools’ computer networks and hold their data for ransom. Even worse – districts are paying it! Just this week the Rockville Center School District in New York state paid an $88,000 ransom to get
Seattle Schools Community Forum: In How We Talk about Race and Equity

by Mike Simpson / 1d
In How We Talk about Race and Equity As some of you may know, I have had issues with a small cabal of people who think that loud namecalling and hyperbole can change the landscape around race and equity in this district (state, nation). Here's the problem with that - it will not work. The reason I say that with confidence is because as I have seen through the years, many people shrink back from
Helping Students Cope with Active Shooter Drills - NEA Today

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Helping Students Cope with Active Shooter Drills It’s back-to-school time across the country and as students settle into new classes and routines, they’ll also be practicing lockdown and active shooter drills, an unfortunate consequence of what’s become a new normal in America: mass shootings. The United States has witnessed nearly 2,200 mass shootings since the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre , accord
CURMUDGUCATION: Is It Really That Simple?

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Is It Really That Simple? Some days I look at the landscape of educational issues, and I think that all our educational problems boil down to one, simple, two-part problem. 1) We don't spend enough money on education because 2) We don't want to. We could erase the pockets of educational underserving, by spending the money necessary to fix the buildings, provide the resources, support the student

AUG 29

"FLINT WATER" IN CA: Lead Found in Drinking Fountains at 17% of California Public Schools | Capital & Main

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Lead Found in Drinking Fountains at 17% of California Public Schools | Capital & Main Lead Found in Drinking Fountains at 17% of California Public Schools The state only requires schools to take action if lead levels exceed 15 ppb. But the CDC says there’s no safe blood lead level for children. Two years ago Assembly Bill 746 required all California K-12 public schools built before 2010 to test f
Bombshell in California: E-Mails Reveal Charter Lobby’s Goal of Complete Privatization of All Schools in the State | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Bombshell in California: E-Mails Reveal Charter Lobby’s Goal of Complete Privatization of All Schools in the State Blogger Michael Kohlhaas received a huge trove of leaked emails from the Green Dot Charter School organization in Los Angeles. He has been releasing them as he reviews them. No one has disputed their accuracy. Yesterday, Kohlhaas released one of the most startling of these documents
The Walton Presence in Louisiana K12 Education (Still Watching for a 2019 BESE-Influencing Money Dump) | deutsch29

by Mike Simpson / 2d
The Walton Presence in Louisiana K12 Education (Still Watching for a 2019 BESE-Influencing Money Dump) I have been watching for the billionaire Walton influence in the upcoming, October 2019 elections of Louisiana’s Board of Elementary and secondary Education (BESE). On August 21, 2019, I posted about the disbanding of the Louisiana PAC (Louisiana businessman Lane Grigsby’s Empower Louisiana PAC
Grassroots Education Network- August 2019 Newsletter - Network For Public Education

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Grassroots Education Network- August 2019 Newsletter The NPE Grassroots Education Network is a network of over 135 grassroots organizations nationwide who have joined together to preserve, promote, improve, and strengthen our public schools. If you know of a group that would like to join this powerful network, please go here to sign up. If you have any questions about the NPE Grassroots Educatio
Virtual learning oversight: 'Riding a donkey into the space age'

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Virtual learning oversight: ‘Riding a donkey into the space age’ E arlier this month , I met with three administrators at the Oklahoma State Department of Education who have been wrestling with accountability issues for virtual and blended schools, especially for-profit charters like Epic Charter Schools. As spokesperson Steffie Corcoran told me, devising oversight systems for these schools is c
A Reckoning for the Inexcusable?: “No Excuses” and the Collapse of Misguided Educational Reform | radical eyes for equity

by Mike Simpson / 2d
A Reckoning for the Inexcusable?: “No Excuses” and the Collapse of Misguided Educational Reform Valeria Strauss has offered questions at The Answer Sheet : Some ‘no-excuses’ charter schools say they are changing. Are they? Can they? —including an answer by Mira Debs, Joanne Golann, and Chris Torres. As a long-time critic of “no excuses” (and the target of harsh backlash for that criticism ), I w
Broad’s Academy and Residencies Fuel the Destroy Public Education Agenda | tultican

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Broad’s Academy and Residencies Fuel the Destroy Public Education Agenda By T. Ultican 8/29/2019 In 2002, the billionaire, Eli Broad, established his own education leadership training program. Although he is the only person ever to create two Fortune 500 companies, Broad, who attended public school, has no other experience or training in education. However he is so rich, he can just institute hi
What Cory Booker isn’t telling us about the Newark water crisis Or How Did Newark Get Flint Water?

by Mike Simpson / 2d
What Cory Booker isn’t telling us about the Newark water crisis. | What Cory Booker isn’t telling us about the Newark water crisis. BY GUY STERLING Guy Sterling, a longtime resident of Newark and a member of the Newark Water Group, spent almost 30 years as reporter with The Star-Ledger when the paper was located in the Newark. Booker with political ally, former GOP Gov. Chris Christie Newark’s bi
Jeff Bryant: Flint’s Crisis Reveals National Failure On School ‘Leadership’ | OurFuture.org by People's Action

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Flint’s Crisis Reveals National Failure On School ‘Leadership’ | OurFuture.org by People's Action Flint’s Crisis Reveals National Failure On School ‘Leadership’ Flint, Michigan, became a national poster child for incompetence and corruption when a small group of autocratic officials put in charge by the state’s governor made the infamous decision to supply lead-tainted water to the public. But lo
The Forever Activists: NEA's Retired members fight on - Education Votes

by Mike Simpson / 2d
The Forever Activists: NEA’s Retired members fight on By Emily Bricker, Mallory Johnson, Amanda Menas, and Danielle Sklarew / lead photo courtesy of Mads Johansen The National Education Association is a powerhouse of advocacy on issues that matter for public schools. What many don’t realize is the major role that retired educators play in amping up that advocacy. More than 200,000 educators rema
School Shooting Threat & Racist Image Draw Attention To Local High Schools - Elk Grove Tribune

by Mike Simpson / 2d
School Shooting Threat & Racist Image Draw Attention To Local High Schools School Shooting Threat Neutralized Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department says they’ve detained at least one student in relation to a school shooting threat. The student in custody is from Elk Grove and attends Elk Grove Charter School. Two Arden Arcade High Schools, Jesuit High School and Rio Americano High School, were
At Your Wits’ End With A Screen-Obsessed Kid? Read This (Anya Kamenetz and Chloee Weiner) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 2d
At Your Wits’ End With A Screen-Obsessed Kid? Read This (Anya Kamenetz and Chloee Weiner) This article is based on a podcast episode that appeared in National Public Radio’s Life Kit. It was published June 30, 2019. Anya Kamenetz and Chloee Weiner are NPR journalists. Geoff and Ellie live in a suburban Chicago neighborhood that looks familiar from movies like Pretty in Pink and Ferris Bueller’s
Parent-teacher partnerships are crucial for students

by Mike Simpson / 2d
OPINION: Parents, here’s why your most important partner may be your child’s teacher (and vice versa) Seven ways that family collaboration can benefit students As teachers return to the start of school following summer break, I hope they will take some time to reflect on ways to effectively communicate and partner with the families of the students they teach. Particularly for educators in early
Pete Buttigieg on DeVos, Charter Schools, and the Federal Role in Education - Politics K-12 - Education Week

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Pete Buttigieg on DeVos, Charter Schools, and the Federal Role in Education It's unusual for criticisms of a cabinet official to play a role in a presidential primary. And it's even more unusual for a candidate to fundraise using ads attacking the U.S. Secretary of Education . But that's just what South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg has done as he's sought to distinguish himself from a crowde

AUG 28

A battle over California charter schools ends — for now — with a deal in Sacramento - Los Angeles Times

by Mike Simpson / 2d
A battle over California charter schools ends — for now — with a deal in Sacramento SACRAMENTO — Warring factions of California’s K-12 education system have reached an agreement on legislation that would place new restrictions on charter schools and pause a long-standing battle at the state Capitol between politically powerful teachers unions and deep-pocketed charter advocates. The deal, announ
Los Angeles: Controversial Charter Leader Takes Over Low-Performing “Learn4Life” Centers | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Los Angeles: Controversial Charter Leader Takes Over Low-Performing “Learn4Life” Centers Caprice Young is a star of the charter industry in California. She was a member and president of the board of the Los Angeles Unified School District. She was founder of the California Charter Schools Association, the well-heeled lobbyists for the private charter sector, which fights off accountability and t
CURMUDGUCATION: PA: Poorer Districts Worst Hit By Cyber Schools

by Mike Simpson / 3d
PA: Poorer Districts Worst Hit By Cyber Schools A study released in February shows that poorer school districts are bearing the brunt of funding Pennsylvania's cyber schools. The study was published in the American Journal of Education, and you can tell it's serious because its title is painfully dull: Cyber Charter Schools and Growing Resource Inequality among Public Districts: Geospatial Patte
John Thompson Reviews an Important New Book About Privatization of Public Services | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 3d
John Thompson Reviews an Important New Book About Privatization of Public Services John Thompson, historian and retired teacher, reviews an important new book. Lawrence Baines’ Privatization of America’s Public Institutions: The Story of the American Sellout combines analyses of assaults on four public sectors, the military, corrections departments, public schools, and higher education, to revea
U.S. to states: School lunch changes none of your business - Reuters

by Mike Simpson / 3d
U.S. to states: School lunch changes none of your business NEW YORK (Reuters) - As schools begin reopening their doors to children nationwide, the U.S. government has told a federal judge that states have no power to sue over new rules they say make school meals less healthy. In a Monday night court filing, the government said New York, five other states and Washington, D.C., could not sue based
Chartered: Florida's First Private Takeover Of A Public School System

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Chartered: Florida's First Private Takeover Of A Public School System Florida’s first all-charter school district was engineered by unelected state bureaucrats at then-Gov. Rick Scott’s Department of Education, funded by the state Legislature and carried out by a charter school network based in South Florida, nearly 500 miles away. This “experiment” in rural Jefferson County has been transformat
Parents' Concern About School Safety Remains Elevated

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Parents' Concern About School Safety Remains Elevated STORY HIGHLIGHTS Parental fear same now as after Newtown and Parkland school shootings 12% of parents say child has expressed worry about safety at school WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As summer winds down and children from kindergarten through high school head back to school, 34% of parents remain fearful for their safety. At the same time, fewer (12%
Is NCLB’s Reading First Making a Comeback?

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Is NCLB’s Reading First Making a Comeback? Reading First was President George W. Bush’s signature reading program, the cornerstone of No Child Left Behind. With a $6 billion price tag (a billion per year for six years), it promised “scientific proof” it would have every child reading by third grade. States had to apply for federal grants. Reading First centered around phonics. When the President
Celebrating the first day of school with community traditions

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Grooming traditions for back to school Getting your kid's hair cut? Pay it forward Earlier this month, New Orleans barber Brandus Mercadel, who goes by Fatt da Barber, set out to break the Guinness World Record for “Most free back-to-school haircuts.” Mercadel aimed for 200 cuts over the course of two days, starting August 3. Not surprisingly, families showed up en masse for a planned 8 a.m. sta
Who Should Get Priority Enrollment in Oakland Schools? OUSD Weighs Details of Policy Shift | KQED News

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Who Should Get Priority Enrollment in Oakland Schools? OUSD Weighs Details of Policy Shift The Oakland Unified School District's radical plan to downsize by closing and merging schools includes a key component to making sure displaced students end up in better schools. It's a policy change that could result in diversifying some of the city's most in-demand schools. But details of the so-called o
Racist Image Of Doctored Rio Americano High School Website Sparks FBI, Sacramento Sheriff Investigation - capradio.org

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Racist Image Of Doctored Rio Americano High School Website Sparks FBI, Sacramento Sheriff Investigation The FBI and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department are investigating a fake image of a racist post on the Rio American High School website, which was sent via phone to some students last week. A screenshot of the altered Rio Americano web page was shared last Wednesday and included a post
How Much of Your Formal Education Still Lives in You? | Teacher in a strange land

by Mike Simpson / 3d
How Much of Your Formal Education Still Lives in You? It was a Facebook post that started the conversation—a photo, taken at the Chicago Institute of the Arts by my good friend Kirk Taylor. Kirk and I taught together for 25+ years, and he was my children’s 8 th grade English teacher. The photograph features pointillist painter Georges-Pierre Seurat’s ‘A Sunday on La Grande Jatte,’ surrounded by
Lou Dobbs' Guest Blames 'Black Culture' For Academic Achievement Gap | HuffPost

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Lou Dobbs’ Guest Blames ‘Black Culture’ For Academic Achievement Gap Heather Mac Donald said it was up to “Black culture and the rest of culture” to close the academic achievement gap. Conservative commentator Heather Mac Donald blames “Black culture” for the academic achievement gap, and says race and gender diversity goals are blunting the nation’s “competitive edge.” The College Board announc
CURMUDGUCATION: "Tired Of Being Treated Like Dirt" Teacher Morale In The 2019 PDK Poll

by Mike Simpson / 3d
"Tired Of Being Treated Like Dirt" Teacher Morale In The 2019 PDK Poll The title of the 2019 Phi Delta Kappa Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools of " Frustration in the Schools, " and the focus in much of the coverage has been on the results about teacher morale. 75% of teachers say schools in their community are underfunded. 50% of teachers have considered leaving the profe
NYC Public School Parents: The NYC School Survey: Changes over time leading to possibly skewed results and how the survey could be improved

by Mike Simpson / 3d
The NYC School Survey: Changes over time leading to possibly skewed results and how the survey could be improved The following was written by the new research associate for Class Size Matters, Emily Carrazana. Take a look! Since 2007, the NYC Department of Education has issued something called the “Learning Environment Survey,” administered to students, parents, and teachers to collect their vie
NYC school diversity panel recommends ending gifted programs in public schools. One member explains the surprising decision. - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 3d
NYC school diversity panel recommends ending gifted programs in public schools. One member explains the surprising decision. A panel appointed by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) to find ways to diversify schools in the nation’s largest system just came out with a surprising recommendation : eliminate gifted programs in the city’s public schools. The mayor, who is running for the Democratic pre
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Amount of Recess Time in Seattle Public Schools

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Amount of Recess Time in Seattle Public Schools Excellent story from KUOW's Ann Dornfeld about recess in Seattle Public Schools. It should come as no surprise to anyone that schools that are largely white have more recess time in the day than schools that have largely Black students. SEA helped several years back during contract time: Seattle Education Association, the teachers’ union, bargained

AUG 27

New York City's Radical Proposal For A Troubled Program

by Mike Simpson / 3d
New York City's Radical Proposal For A Troubled Program New York City schools have been a prime example of what happens when the problems of segregation intersect with the problems of gifted programs. Now it appears they are prepared to throw up their hands and untie the Gordian knot with a flamethrower. In 2014, the UCLA Civil Rights Report found that New York schools were the most segregated i
WALTON'S PLAN TO DESTROY PUBLIC SCHOOLS: The Charter School Strategy: Working as Planned

by Mike Simpson / 4d
The Charter School Strategy: Working as Planned The Charter School Strategy: Working as Planned Enrollment is steadily increasing and charters have instigated new approaches to school governance. The charter school movement today confronts a challenging political environment.This contrasts with nearly three decades of bipartisan charter support from governors and legislators who created charter l
What Happened to the Students Who Began KIPP-Philly in 2003? | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 4d
What Happened to the Students Who Began KIPP-Philly in 2003? Marc Mannella opened the first KIPP middle school in Philadelphia in 2003. He started with 90 students in fifth grade. KIPP promised that students who stuck with the “no-excuses” regimen would go to college. Avi Wolfman-Arent of WHYY in Philadelphia tracked down 33 of those students to find out what happened to them. The former KIPPste
On reforming suspensions: a teacher’s plea to California’s lawmakers | EdSource

by Mike Simpson / 4d
On reforming suspensions: a teacher’s plea to California’s lawmakers Dear lawmakers: Jason Sanchez Before you make any law that affects public education, please talk to teachers — teachers from rural and urban areas as well as poorer and wealthier areas. Students, parents and teachers represent the largest proportion of the population that is directly affected by laws impacting public education.
Teens, Screens And Mental Health: Scientists Debate The Link : NPR

by Mike Simpson / 4d
The Scientific Debate Over Teens, Screens And Mental Health More teens and young adults — particularly girls and young women — are reporting being depressed and anxious, compared with comparable numbers from the mid-2000s. Suicides are up too in that time period, most noticeably among girls ages 10 to 14. These trends are the basis of a scientific controversy. One hypothesis that has gotten a lo
California Act To Save Lives Becomes California Law - Elk Grove Tribune

by Mike Simpson / 4d
California Act To Save Lives Becomes California Law In 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that an officer’s use of force must be reasonable. The new standard set by the California Act to Save Lives (CASL) goes even further, allowing police to use deadly force only when necessary . Additionally, prosecutors must now consider the behaviors of the officer(s) and suspect(s), leading up to the u
Struggling Texas schools working with charters, nonprofits got F ratings | The Texas Tribune

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Texas lets struggling schools partner with nonprofits or charters for improvement. But many got Fs this year. Four public schools being run by private organizations under a partnership must drastically improve their state ratings over the next couple of years or else face forced closure. Adrain Johnson was one of five Texas school superintendents last year to take a Hail Mary pass in order to im
How history textbooks reflect America’s refusal to reckon with slavery - Vox

by Mike Simpson / 4d
How history textbooks reflect America’s refusal to reckon with slavery Textbooks have been slow to incorporate black humanity in their slavery narratives. And they still have a long way to go. Four hundred years ago, a group of about 20 Africans were captured in the African interior, probably near modern-day Angola, and forcibly transported on a slave ship headed to the Americas. After tumultuou
Teaching First-Year Students Includes More than Disciplinary Content, Skills | radical eyes for equity

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Teaching First-Year Students Includes More than Disciplinary Content, Skills I have two vivid memories of my father—one when I was an older child, the other when I was a teen. Walking down Main Street of my hometown, my father and I stopped to talk to an adult, and when I didn’t respond with the obligatory “yes, sir,” my father slapped me hard across the face. Years later, my father was playing
NYC Educator: It's the First Day of Break

by Mike Simpson / 4d
It's the First Day of Break I'm crazy, right? You're sitting around, bummed out of your mind because one week from today you have to go to work . How is that fair? After all, you've finally located your true self and you're a beachcomber. The only thing you're missing is one of those metal detector thingies, and you've just seen one on sale at Costco. How could you pass up this opportunity? And
My Personal Top 10 Blog Posts | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

by Mike Simpson / 4d
My Personal Top 10 Blog Posts I started this blog about 11 years ago, and in that time I have written over 500 posts. Some of these posts are particularly meaningful to me so I thought I would collect my personal ‘top 10’. I know that I don’t often go through the archives of blogs I like so this is a way for people who read this blog to either re-live the ‘greatest hits’ or for newer readers to
Teacher Spending on School Supplies: A State-by-State Breakdown

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Teacher Spending on School Supplies: A State-by-State Breakdown Spending their own money on school supplies is for teachers as integral a back-to-school ritual as classroom seating arrangements, new lesson plans, meeting parents, etc. At a time when they are standing up for more education funding and a fair salary , public school educators continue to dip into their own pockets – to the tune of

AUG 26

Why We Should Teach About the FBI’s War on the Civil Rights Movement - Zinn Education Project

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Why We Should Teach About the FBI’s War on the Civil Rights Movement By Ursula Wolfe-Rocca On March 8, 1971—while Muhammad Ali was fighting Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden, and as millions sat glued to their TVs watching the bout unfold— a group of peace activists broke into an FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania, and stole every document they could find. Keith Forsyth, one of the people who
CURMUDGUCATION: CA: The Homeschool Charter Business Behind The Latest Scandal

by Mike Simpson / 5d
CA: The Homeschool Charter Business Behind The Latest Scandal If you aren't in California, you may have missed this special little variation on the charter school business model-- homeschooling charters. It's a curious note in the recent big money charter scam in California , which we'll get back to in a moment. This is what you get if vouchers and charters had a baby and it was raised by homesc
Marin students disrupted by San Diego charter school scandal

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Marin students disrupted by San Diego charter school scandal Two online charter schools closed by court-appointed receiver Just as the new school year is starting, dozens of Marin children could be in educational limbo because of recent indictments in Southern California involving online charter schools. Richard Kipperman, the court-appointed receiver in a San Diego County case involving accusat
School Facilities Matter! In so many ways (how could they not?) – School Finance 101

by Mike Simpson / 5d
School Facilities Matter! In so many ways (how could they not?) This post contains a brief summary on the importance of equitable and adequate school facilities – a topic unfortunately missing from my 2018 book. So here it is: I begin with a conceptual model of how investments in school facilities influence working conditions, employee (specifically teacher) attitudes and behaviors, student outc
How To Start An Anti-Racist Student Group In Your School | PopularResistance.Org

by Mike Simpson / 5d
HOW TO START AN ANTI-RACIST STUDENT GROUP IN YOUR SCHOOL The painful truth about public education is that racism is as common as bored students and overworked teachers. While many in our home of Seattle take pride in the city’s “progressive” reputation, the students of Seattle Public Schools, especially students of Color, know reality starkly contrasts with this reputation. In fact, Seattle Publ
Larry Lee: What Charter Pushers Don’t Understand About Rural Communities Like Fruitdale | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Larry Lee: What Charter Pushers Don’t Understand About Rural Communities Like Fruitdale Larry Lee writes about a small town in Alabama called Fruitdale. He describes the central role of the public schools in that community. It is the anchor of the community. The charter lobby doesn’t care about Fruitdale, its history, its people, its future. They have dollar signs in their eyes. He begins: Sweet
Report: Special Education Kids Missing from Charter Schools | Capital & Main

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Report: Special Education Kids Missing from Charter Schools Why do California charters enroll far fewer students with disabilities than traditional schools? A new special ed study released on Wednesday by United Teachers Los Angeles and the California Teachers Association confirms what many California parents, school district officials and advocates for disabled kids have long contended: that Go
“Great” Superintendents? Context and Longevity Matter | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 5d
“Great” Superintendents? Context and Longevity Matter Judging the greatness of superintendents has gone on for decades. Longevity is usually trotted out as the gold standard for being a “good,” “effective,” or “great” superintendent. How long did the superintendent serve? Superintendent-watchers usually dismiss school chiefs who served less than five years as wannabe “great” ones. Between five t
Louisiana Educator: State Senator Reveals the Rotten Core of Education Reform

by Mike Simpson / 5d
State Senator Reveals the Rotten Core of Education Reform One Senator on the Senate Education Committee Tells it Like it is Please take just a few minutes to view this video of Senator John Milkovich pointing out the serious flaws in education reform instituted under Governor Jindal and Superintendent John White. Here are some of the points made by Senator Milkovich. Lobbyists and bureaucrats ha
CURMUDGUCATION: FL: Courts Thwart Charter Theft

by Mike Simpson / 5d
FL: Courts Thwart Charter Theft Last fall, the Palm Beach County schools taxpayers voted to increase their taxes so that they could bring their public schools up to speed, specifically in terms of building security and teacher pay. And they specifically earmarked the money from this four-year tax for public schools. Some charter schools in Palm Beach County were upset, believing that the law ent
Louisiana: The Failure of Vouchers | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Louisiana: The Failure of Vouchers When I first started writing this blog in 2012, Louisiana’s then Governor Bobby Jindal was crowing about his new voucher plan. He and his state commissioner John White insisted that vouchers were a wonderful innovation. They would save poor children from failing public schools. They would give poor children the same choices that rich children have. All the DeVo

AUG 25

CATCH UP WITH CURMUDGUCATION + ICYMI:: SAHD Back To Work Edition (8/25)

by Mike Simpson / 6d
CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: SAHD Back To Work Edition (8/25) ICYMI:: SAHD Back To Work Edition (8/25) Here we go. Time for me to watch my household partner get back to her gig. But while I'm adjusting to a new routine, there's still reading to do. Remember-- sharing makes the word go round. Why Teachers Are Walking Out I'm not so sure about some of the gender discussion in this post on the Known cast,
Nick Melvoin’s Fire Sale Continues

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Nick Melvoin’s Fire Sale Continues Nick asked us explicitly for a list of things we want to get done, which is reflected in the resolve section. ” – CCSA Staffer Cassy Horton A small group of Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) stakeholders gathered last month in the District’s West Valley offices. The meeting was billed as a focus group to gather input on the rating system for schools w
My Gift to You, an Hour of Sheer Pleasure | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 6d
My Gift to You, an Hour of Sheer Pleasure I recently watched the PBS special about the Jewish legacy on Broadway, and I enjoyed every minute. It is online, and I share it now with you. I hope it is still online. I have always loved Broadway musicals, and many are reprised in this special. But in addition to the entertainment and the rich cultural history, we see a very contemporary story of immi
It's the Most Dangerous Time of the Year - Teacher Habits

by Mike Simpson / 6d
It’s the Most Dangerous Time of the Year Ben Franklin once said that “guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.” I am certain that my wife and I once smelled like three-day-old fish to some of our best friends. We had driven many hours to visit them and had decided to stay for four days. They insisted we sleep at their house instead of a hotel. We accepted. Since we’d always had a good
APS cheating scandal documentary to premiere at BronzeLens Film Fest

by Mike Simpson / 6d
APS cheating scandal documentary to make Atlanta debut at BronzeLens film fest A documentary about the Atlanta Public Schools test cheating scandal is heading to the BronzeLens Film Festival this weekend. RELATED: A timeline of how the Atlanta school cheating scandal unfolded “ One Child Left Behind: The Untold Atlanta Cheating Scandal ” will make its Atlanta debut at the Southwest Arts Center o
NYC Educator: Charter School Hires Hopelessly Out of Touch Staff

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Charter School Hires Hopelessly Out of Touch Staff I'm fascinated by this story in Chalkbeat. A former teacher, former school leader, and current leader of some after school program tells about his experience leading a charter that he taught in for five years. Evidently he was the only teacher of color there. Aside from all the standard charter school issues , all the other teachers were white,
Blaming Schools for Student Absences is Like Denouncing Doctors for Disease | gadflyonthewallblog

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Blaming Schools for Student Absences is Like Denouncing Doctors for Disease If something is wrong with children, it must be the school’s fault. Right? If kids can’t read, write and do ‘rithmetic, the teachers must not have taught ’em right . It couldn’t have anything to do with home life, generational poverty, economic inequality and systemic racism . Except that it almost always does. Inextrica
Tomorrow I begin teaching my students

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Tomorrow I begin teaching my students As I wrote in June in So here's my new teaching gig , I am now employed by DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville MD. I am, besides teaching 6 (of the 8) sections of Government required of all seniors, also one of the two coaches of the Freshman soccer team — we have 21 players, a bit more than we had planned, but something we can make work.; Over the l
With A Brooklyn Accent: For Me, Fighting Racism is Personal

by Mike Simpson / 6d
For Me, Fighting Racism is Personal When I talk about fighting racism, it isn't abstract I've seen what racists can do, up close and personal When I was a senior in college, i was kicked out of my family for falling in love with a Black woman, an amazing person, with whom I shared six years of my life. My parents, Jewish liberals, great teachers both, never found it in their hearts to reach out

AUG 24



Top Posts This Week 8/24/19 #REDFORED

by Mike Simpson / 7d
Big Education Ape Top Posts This Week 8/24/19 Big Education Ape: BACK TO SCHOOL: A parent’s guide to K-12 school success - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2019/08/back-to-school-parents-guide-to-



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