Big Education Ape: Nov 23, 2019

Saturday, November 23, 2019

TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 11/23/19 #REDFORED

Big Education Ape

TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 11/23/19

TOP POSTS THIS MONTH 11/23/19

POSTS THIS WEEK 11/23/19

TODAY

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Juneau and HCC Grouping

by Mike Simpson / 17min

Juneau and HCC Grouping A thoughtful reader sent me a couple of links around the issue of grouping for highly capable students. I first want to say - as I have said all along - if the district wants to return all HCC kids to their attendance area schools, that's fine. As long as they do/understand several things: This will NOT work without extensive professional development for all teachers and

Diane Ravitch Red for Ed Celebration

by Mike Simpson / 1h

Diane Ravitch Red for Ed Celebration Please join us in welcoming celebrated author and education historian, Diane Ravitch, to West Virginia! Diane will speak about her new book, Slaying Goliath, and will help us celebrate the two-year anniversary of the 2018 teacher and service personnel strike. The event will take place in Geary Auditorium at the University of Charleston. You don't want to miss

My Kids' School Is a Hellhole, Why in Hell Am I Expected to Send Them Anyway? - Philly's 7th Ward

by Mike Simpson / 1h

MY KIDS’ SCHOOL IS A HELLHOLE, WHY IN HELL AM I EXPECTED TO SEND THEM ANYWAY? It seems that every day there is a new article highlighting the environmental disgrace of Philadelphia’s aging public schools. Lead in the drinking water is reminiscent of Flint but rather unbelievable in the city that was essentially a 19 th century leader in water sanitation. On the surface, aging infrastructure is t

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Restorative Justice: Like Most Education Measure, It Needs Resources to Succeed

by Mike Simpson / 2h

Restorative Justice: Like Most Education Measure, It Needs Resources to Succeed There's this phrase - "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good" - that I see used quite often when speaking of public education initiatives especially in defense of charter schools. And then, districts, states, the feds plunge on into initiatives, apparently hoping it will all turn out well (see Race to the To

Learning Through Friendship: One Man’s Story (Part 5) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 2h

Learning Through Friendship: One Man’s Story (Part 5) June 2017 Reunion We had planned to have a reunion in October 2015 in Palo Alto but Yus took a bad fall and I had a pinched nerve and could not walk. We canceled. In mid-2016, Yus, Dave, Sam, and I began talking about setting another reunion date. I traveled to Pittsburgh in December and spent five days with Yus and Nancy, had dinner with Sam

Randi Weingarten and the UTLA Sanders endorsement. – Fred Klonsky

by Mike Simpson / 2h

RANDI WEINGARTEN AND THE UTLA SANDERS ENDORSEMENT One of the many disasters related to the Hillary Clinton run for president – aside from the eventual election of Donald Trump – was the undemocratic way her early endorsement by the two national teacher unions, the NEA and the AFT, was forced down the throats of rank and file union members. The endorsements of Hillary by the NEA and the AFT were

White Billionaires Cannot Buy the Charter School Debate | gadflyonthewallblog

by Mike Simpson / 2h

White Billionaires Cannot Buy the Charter School Debate Betsy DeVos is not woke . Bill Gates has not been to the mountaintop . Nor is the Walton Family Foundation concerned with promoting civil rights . So when white billionaires pour cash to charter school lobbying groups – as the Walton’s did Thursday for charter school protestors at an Elizabeth Warren rally – it isn’t exactly convincing. Spe

Bill Gates Pulls Back on His K12 Ed Experimentation | deutsch29

by Mike Simpson / 2h

Bill Gates Pulls Back on His K12 Ed Experimentation Billionaire Bill Gates likes to experiment with American K12 education. He bankrolled the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), and pushed “small schools,” and spent millions on measuring teachers using student test scores . Regarding the failure of Gates-funded education tampering, the January 15, 2019, Fair Observer notes the reality of billion

i-Ready Sells 50-Years-Old Education Failure | tultican

by Mike Simpson / 2h

i-Ready Sells 50-Years-Old Education Failure By Thomas Ultican 11/23/2019 i-Ready sells digital math and English lessons to school districts. It provides diagnostic testing which recommends interventions for struggling students that it then provides. i-Ready’s pedagogy embraces competency based education (CBE) a theory promoted by the US Department of Education and blended learning theory also f

My Breakfast with Ambassador Sondland | The Merrow Report

by Mike Simpson / 3h

My Breakfast with Ambassador Sondland That didn’t happen. I wanted to get you to open the link. Now I hope you will click on this link: https://www.adl.org/news/article/sacha-baron-cohens-keynote-address-at-adls-2019-never-is-now-summit-on-anti-semitism It’s just 24 minutes long, but its message about the unchecked power of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Google and ‘The Silicon Six’ is critical. Mo

School Integration is More Than Counting Kids by Race … | Ed In The Apple

by Mike Simpson / 3h

School Integration is More Than Counting Kids by Race … The 14 th Amendment, on its face, appears to remove all barriers to equality under the law for all Americans, emphasize all. All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall

The NewDeal for Education: Familiar Common Core and Data Driven Reformers Shifting Education to a Workforce Pipeline. – Missouri Education Watchdog

by Mike Simpson / 3h

The NewDeal for Education: Familiar Common Core and Data Driven Reformers Shifting Education to a Workforce Pipeline Before the roll-out of Common Core, 10 organizations got together in 2005 and created a “nonprofit” whose mission was about collecting and standardizing children’s data. That organization, The Data Quality Campaign , was and is funded by Bill Gates. One of the Data Quality Campaig

NYC Public School Parents: Has the city learned its lesson about not holding early voting in schools, and are their assurances enough? The PTA at PS 116 says no.

by Mike Simpson / 3h

Has the city learned its lesson about not holding early voting in schools, and are their assurances enough? The PTA at PS 116 says no. As discussed on this blog earlier, 33 public schools were selected as early voting centers this fall in NYC, out of a total of 61 voting sites- though there were none selected in Queens and only one public school in the entire rest of the state. One problem is th

Thoughts on #Red for Ed | Live Long and Prosper

by Mike Simpson / 3h

Thoughts on #Red for Ed RED FOR ED RALLY IN INDIANAPOLIS – NOW WHAT? Thousands of teachers, parents, and public education advocates rally in Indianapolis November 19, 2019 How many of the 15,000 – 20,000 Indiana teachers, ESPs, parents, and supporters of public education who rallied at the Capitol on Nov. 19, and the additional thousands who “wore Red for Ed” in their local communities, will fal

THIS WEEK Education Research Report

by Mike Simpson / 4h

Education Research Report THIS WEEK Education Research Report New College Scorecard contains program-level debt and earnings data, more inclusive graduation rates by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 13h Thanks to a groundbreaking redesign of the College Scorecard, students can now find customized, accessible, and relevant data on potential debt and earnings based on fields of study (including for 2-year pro

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 This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Useful Posts & Articles On Ed Policy Issues by Larry Ferlazzo / 9h Here are some recent useful posts and articles on educational policy issues (You might also be intere

KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all

by Mike Simpson / 4h

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all Slaying Goliath: The Passionate Resistance to Privatization and the Fight to Save America's Public Schools CLICK HERE TO Pre-order NOW John Merrow: My Breakfast with Ambassador Sondland by dianeravitch / 1h John Merrow had breakfast with Ambassad

YESTERDAY

CURMUDGUCATION: Booker Returns To The Corporate Fold

by Mike Simpson / 23h

Booker Returns To The Corporate Fold On Monday of this week, Cory Booker went full charter school in an op-ed for the New York Time s, a choice that made a little more sense when I looked at my Wednesday e-mail from Whitney Tilson. Whitney Tilson is a successful hedge funder who started Democrats for Education Reform mostly because at that point, Republicans for Education Reform would have been

New Episode! Parenting After Prison – Parenting for Liberation

by Mike Simpson / 1d

New Episode! Parenting After Prison In this week’s podcast, Trina talks with Matthew Arlington, who is currently interning with Parenting for Liberation through his program at California State University Fullerton. Matthew is a father who was formerly incarcerated during the early stages of fatherhood. This episode focuses on the hardships associated with parenting while incarcerated and methods

Announcing the RISE Award for Classified School Employees - ED.gov Blog

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Announcing the RISE Award for Classified School Employees We’re excited to announce the inaugural competition of the Recognizing Inspirational School Employees (RISE) Award to spotlight classified school employee’s outstanding contributions to quality education in the United States. Classified school employees include paraprofessionals, clerical and administrative services, transportation servic

Just Try to Catch Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all Just Try to Catch Diane Ravitch's blog A site to discuss better education for all Will Bunch: Why Bloomberg Cannot Win by dianeravitch / 5min Former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has officially entered the Democratic primaries . He will skip the first four primaries and join the race on Super Tuesday, focusing on the states holding t

CURMUDGUCATION: The Waltons Try To Disrupt Elizabeth Warren

by Mike Simpson / 1d

The Waltons Try To Disrupt Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Warren was in Atlanta at Clark Atlanta University to talk to black voters, when the rally was disrupted by a group of charter school supporters , angry about the hard line stance Warren has staked out on the charter school industry. The group of grass roots charter supporters had, they said, "come from all over the country," and if that doesn

CURMUDGUCATION: The One And Only Lesson To Be Learned From NAEP Scores

by Mike Simpson / 1d

The One And Only Lesson To Be Learned From NAEP Scores It has been almost a month since the NAERP scores have dropped, and some folks are still trying to torture some sort of useful insights from the numbers (here's Mike Petrilli at Fordham writing a piece that should be entitled " What to learn about being better a hitting the wrong target "). The world of education is a fuzzy one, with some de

Unequal Access and Denial of Opportunity: the Collateral Damage of Portfolio School Reform | janresseger

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Unequal Access and Denial of Opportunity: the Collateral Damage of Portfolio School Reform Last week, after New York City’s former mayor, Michael Bloomberg, expressed an interest in running for President, this blog reviewed the history of the school reform scheme he imposed during his three term tenure as mayor . In 2002, he convinced the state legislature to grant him mayoral governance of the

Um, that’s not what Warren actually said about charter schools - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Um, that’s not what Warren actually said about charter schools No, this isn’t about Wednesday night’s debate among the Democratic presidential candidates, which, incidentally, did not have a single substantive discussion about education. The moderators didn’t ask a single question about it, but then again, that’s happened in most of the Democratic debates too this year. This post is about Sen. E

Louisiana’s COMPASS Teacher Eval System Still Down Following Statewide Cyberattack | deutsch29

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Louisiana’s COMPASS Teacher Eval System Still Down Following Statewide Cyberattack On Monday, November 18, 2019 , Louisiana’s state office computer systems experienced a cyberattack. As a precaution, the state shut down those systems, with the expectation that computers in some offices would be back in operation the same day, and others, within days. However, as of this writing (Thursday evening

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Bellevue SD Dumps Check Yourself Mental Health Screener

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Bellevue SD Dumps Check Yourself Mental Health Screener My email to the Board this morning: Dear Directors, (Yes, I know - how can you miss me if I won't go away. Soon.) I just wanted to make you aware of a couple of changes that have come in the use of the Check Yourself mental health screener for middle school students. 1) Bellevue SD has dropped it completely. They are now using this SOS mode

Time to Panic? The NAEP Scores Didn’t Go Up! | Live Long and Prosper

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Time to Panic? The NAEP Scores Didn’t Go Up! The NAEP scores are in and the “reformers,” or as Diane Ravitch has taken to calling them, the “Disrupters” are up in arms because the scores haven’t improved. The disrupters promised all of us that charter schools, testing, vouchers, and other “reforms” would solve the low achievement scores, but as we now can see, that didn’t happen. Perhaps there’s

NOV 21

The Supreme Court Is Considering Forcing You To Fund Religious Education | Americans United for Separation of Church and State

by Mike Simpson / 1d

The Supreme Court Is Considering Forcing You To Fund Religious Education One of the most important things that separation of religion and government does is ensure that Americans are free to give financial support only to the faiths of their choosing – or support none at all. That’s the ideal, anyway. Sadly, the Supreme Court has been drifting away from that principle, and during this term, the

CURMUDGUCATION: Yes And

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Yes And Akil Bello @akilbello Why do I see such a profound lack of “yes and” in education conversations? “YES we can criticize bad data AND advocate for preparing students for the jobs of the future.” “YES we can advocate for abolishing the the tests AND argue to improve education.” 184 11:32 AM - Nov 13, 2019 Twitter Ads info and privacy 37 people are talking about this This tweet (shared with

A Model Of Mismanagement In Sacramento Schools (Opinion) | Sacramento, CA Patch

22by Mike Simpson / 2d

A Model Of Mismanagement In Sacramento Schools (Opinion) COMMENTARY: Sacramento is by no means the only Californian school district in financial and political meltdown. By Dan Walters, (BLAME EVERYTHING ON TEACHERS) Originally published on Monday, November 18 Two years ago, with teachers in Sacramento's school district on the verge of striking, the city's mayor stepped in to mediate a compromise

Education Through Friendship: One Man’s Story (Part 4) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Education Through Friendship: One Man’s Story (Part 4) Parts 1, 2, and 3 trace the arc of my close friendship with a small group of Pittsburghers beginning in the late-1940s. Far beyond the schooling I have had, my friendship with these “buddies” of mine has educated me and made possible my living a full life. Turning Points in the Group’s History Moving from a bunch of teenage boys in high scho

Education Research Report TODAY

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Education Research Report Education Research Report TODAY Most Teachers Access Academic Research, But Few Use It to Inform Practice by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 35min More than nine in 10 educators access academic research about education, but just 16% use it to inform classroom practice, according to new research by the nonprofit Jefferson Education Exchange. Based on surveys of educators from all 5

Louisiana Educator: John White, Common Core, Education Reform, and the Widening Learning Gap

by Mike Simpson / 2d

John White, Common Core, Education Reform, and the Widening Learning Gap Where are we going with Louisiana education for the next 8 years of education reform? How did we get here? The education policy we have been pursuing for the last 10 years was actually created without input from the parents and teachers who are closest to the delivery of education to our children. The present policy of poor

NYC Educator: Al D'Amato, Education Expert

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Al D'Amato, Education Expert Last week I wrote about how the NY Post had yet another article trashing the teachers who've been reassigned. I've read this article a million times. First it was Campbell Brown, on her mission to save the world from the perfidious individuals who teach children. This was covered quite a bit by then-education writer Ben Chapman in the Daily New s. This week former Se

SADNESS IN SEATTLE: Seattle Schools Community Forum: Yes, I'm Leaving

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Yes, I'm Leaving Yes, I'm Leaving Some of you might have seen the Board meeting or even been there but others might have heard through the grapevine. I am leaving Seattle and thus ends this blog as it currently is focused. It will likely close after Thanksgiving unless there was some breaking news that I think important for readers to be able to talk about and dis

Houston: HFT Files Lawsuit to Block State Takeover | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Houston: HFT Files Lawsuit to Block State Takeover This is one reason why unions are valuable for teachers and public schools. Unions have the resources to go to the courts to fight capricious actions, like the pending takeover of the Houston Independent School District based on the low test scores of one school. HFT Files Federal Lawsuit over Proposed State Takeover of School District HOUSTON—

Education Matters: Florida's teachers must strike if there is any hope in saving public ed or the profession

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Florida's teachers must strike if there is any hope in saving public ed or the profession Governor Ron DeSantis reveled his education budget and legislative priorities and after looking at them I have come to the conclusion that if we want to save the teaching profession and public education, teachers MUST strike. DeSantis received a lot of fanfare for his proposal to raise teacher starting sala

Worst NAEP Reading 2019 Hot Take of the Week | radical eyes for equity

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Worst NAEP Reading 2019 Hot Take of the Week This is really a hard feat, but Put “Whole Language” on Trial by the King of Know-Nothing edureform Michael J. Petrilli is easily the worst NAEP Reading 2019 Hot Take of the week. Dumb doesn’t get any dumber than this: An equal-opportunity challenge related to shoddy teacher preparation would likely face the same roadblock. Further, there is little, i

CARL J. PETERSEN: Excluding Special Education

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Excluding Special Education Excluding Special Education Charter School shall not request or require submission of a student’s IEP, Section 504 Plan, or any other record or related information prior to admission, participation in any admissions or attendance lottery, or pre-enrollment event or process, or as a condition of admission or enrollment. ” – GHCS Charter 504 and IEP documents are not req

NOV 20

Protecting Our Kids: Why We Need a Commissioner for America’s Children

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Protecting Our Kids: Why We Need a Commissioner for America’s Children When a child cries out for help, whether it is a sick child, an abused child, a hungry child, a homeless child, or a victim of gun violence, adults should listen and most Americans do. Unfortunately, our nation’s policymakers often treat children as merely an afterthought. They have powerful interest groups that are constantl

GUEST POST: How Charter Schools Trick Parents into Thinking They are Private Schools | gadflyonthewallblog

by Mike Simpson / 2d

GUEST POST: How Charter Schools Trick Parents into Thinking They are Private Schools By Lisa Lightner If you take a walk through any Costco on a weekend afternoon, you can see that Americans LOVE to get free stuff, no matter how small it is. Why else would we wait in line for a morsel of food that likely has lots of germs on it? Because, it’s FREE. So, what if I offered you the chance to send yo

CURMUDGUCATION: David Osborne Tells The Big Charter Lie

by Mike Simpson / 2d

David Osborne Tells The Big Charter Lie Somewhere on the other side of the Wall Street Journal paywall, David Osborne is bloviating about why charters are swell and Democratic candidates should stop telling "big lies" about them. The WSJ undoubtedly considers this a real stroke of some kind because Osborne is nominally a Democrat, the kind Arne Duncan hugging , Al Gore assisting Democrat who lov

When testing trumps teaching, the students suffer - Hartford Courant

by Mike Simpson / 3d

When testing trumps teaching, the students suffer In August, the nightmares start. Every teacher experiences the excitement, worry and sometimes dread as the first day of school approaches. It's a combination of Christmas Eve and April 14. Like most teachers, I spent the majority of my summer carefully crafting lesson plans. I spent weeks reading new books to add to my course and worked particul

Charter School Advocates Repulsed by Empowered Teachers | Dissident Voice

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Charter School Advocates Repulsed by Empowered Teachers Workers produce all the wealth of society. Unions have been around for generations and exist to protect the rights of workers. Currently, 90%—93% of privately operated non-profit and for-profit charter schools across the country have no teacher unions, whereas about 90% of public school teachers are unionized. One of the claims to fame of d

AFT Michigan wins order against conservative’s group – Valliant News

by Mike Simpson / 3d

AFT Michigan wins order against conservative’s group A Wayne County judge has ordered a nonprofit touted as probing fraud and corruption through undercover reporting to stop releasing information related to the state arm of the American Federation of Teachers that the union claims was obtained illegally. AFT Michigan in Detroit’s Third Circuit Court Thursday seeking action against , which is led

Let's talk about school segregation, let's talk about real estate. - SF PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Let’s talk about school segregation, let’s talk about real estate. An update on the SFUSD Enrollment conversation Last night I participated in a great discussion last night at the Ad Hoc Student Assignment Committee, Board of Education Commissioners continued to explore ways to revise our school enrollment system. Shoutout to district staff for putting together a thoughtful presentation and for

Why 15,000 Indiana Teachers Just Walked Off the Job

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Why 15,000 Indiana Teachers Just Walked Off the Job After making waves in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona, Kentucky, North Carolina and beyond, the Red for Ed movement has now spread to Indiana. Fed up with disinvestment in public schools and disrespect for their profession, teachers from across the Hoosier State are converging in Indianapolis today to hold lawmakers accountable and demand chan

School Secretary’s Sense of Pride Captures the Spirit of ESP Day

by Mike Simpson / 3d

School Secretary’s Sense of Pride Captures the Spirit of ESP Day In September of 1977, Jimmy Carter was President of the United States and the cost of a gallon of regular gas was $0.62. The top song on the charts was “Best of My Love” by The Emotions and the first episode of the long-running hit TV show Love Boat aired on ABC. It was also the start of a new school year and a new job for Mrs. Nil

Charter Schools Undermine the Public Schools Which Serve the Very Children Cory Booker Worries About | janresseger

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Charter Schools Undermine the Public Schools Which Serve the Very Children Cory Booker Worries About On Monday, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker published a column in the NY Times to announce his support for charter schools. I’ll give Booker credit for being honest. Until now, as an active candidate for the Democratic nomination for President, Booker has tried to hedge this issue, even though supp

The Right Moment … | GFBrandenburg's Blog

by Mike Simpson / 3d

The Right Moment … (A guest blog by Peter MacPherson on the need to revert to democratic local control of schools in Washington, DC.) By Peter MacPherson The right moment. A crucial sense of timing has long been viewed as the key to successful human endeavors. Advertising keeps reminding us that it’s crucial to have the erectile-dysfunction drug Cialis on hand when the right moment strikes, othe

Updates on Student Privacy, Class Size Data, and Upcoming CEC Presentations | Class Size Matters Updates on Student Privacy, Class Size Data, and Upcoming CEC Presentations | A clearinghouse for information on class size & the proven benefits of smaller classes

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Updates on Student Privacy, Class Size Data, and Upcoming CEC Presentations | Class Size Matters Updates on Student Privacy, Class Size Data, and Upcoming CEC Presentations 1.On Nov. 5, the Wall Street Journal published an excellent article about the College Board’s egregious practice of selling student data, showing that an important reason colleges purchase the data is to increase their rejecti

CURMUDGUCATION: PA: Charter Drains Public Schools, Now Wants To Absorb Them

by Mike Simpson / 3d

PA: Charter Drains Public Schools, Now Wants To Absorb Them his week the Philadelphia Enquirer ran the story of a charter operator that wants to take over all of a district's public elementary schools. This is perhaps a logical next step in a district that has been steadily and methodically starved over the past decade. Once you've sucked out the blood and consumed the flesh, what is there left

NOV 19

Louisiana Federation for Children: Out-of-State Money Buys 26 Out of 30 Seats | deutsch29

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Louisiana Federation for Children: Out-of-State Money Buys 26 Out of 30 Seats Anyone who doubts that ueber-wealthy ed reformers are purchasing elections in other states need only consider this November 10, 2019, campaign finance report for the Louisiana Federation for Children (LFC) Action Fund PAC. Even so, as one quickly realizes when following ed reform money, the connections readily become n

Fighting the misinformation pandemic: Here’s help teaching students to distinguish real news from what’s fake - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Fighting the misinformation pandemic: Here’s help teaching students to distinguish real news from what’s fake If you don’t know what the News Literacy Project is and does, it’s time you do. Founded over a decade ago by Alan Miller, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter at the Los Angeles Times, the News Literacy Project aims to do something that schools everywhere should be doing: teaching students

Houston Federation of Teachers files lawsuit over state takeover of HISD | FOX 26 Houston

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Houston Federation of Teachers files lawsuit over state takeover of HISD HOUSTON - The Houston Federation of Teachers filed a federal lawsuit in Austin on Tuesday, saying the proposed state takeover of the Houston ISD is "unconstitutional under U.S. and Texas law because it disenfranchises and discriminates against people based on race and national origin." "Gov. Greg Abbott and Education Commis

Pennsylvania: Low-Performing Charter School Demands Charter Takeover of Elementary Schools in Entire School District | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Pennsylvania: Low-Performing Charter School Demands Charter Takeover of Elementary Schools in Entire School District One charter school in the Chester-Upland district in Pennsylvania enrolls 60% of the district’s elementary schools. It is owned by one of the richest men in the state, a lawyer who was Republican Tom Corbett’s biggest campaign donor. That charter school, the Chester Community Char

NYC Public School Parents: Is it accurate to say that charter schools are the "boogeymen" of progressive Democrats, as Corey Booker and some reporters claim?

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Is it accurate to say that charter schools are the "boogeymen" of progressive Democrats, as Corey Booker and some reporters claim? In a NY Times oped this week, Senator Corey Booker argued that the expansion of charter schools had a positive role in improving Newark’s school system and by extension, nationwide. In the process, he described charters as "boogeymen" for other Democratic politicians

NYSAPE Update Data Privacy - NYS ALLIES FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION

by Mike Simpson / 4d

NYSAPE Update Data Privacy - NYS ALLIES FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION Dear NYSAPE Friends, Thanks to the advocacy of you and hundreds of other parents , we convinced the NY State Education Department not to revise the student privacy regulations so that the College Board and the ACT could continue selling student data. NYSED has now posted the regulations for a third round of comments, due Dec. 9. If you

Education Through Friendship: One Man’s Story (Part 3) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Education Through Friendship: One Man’s Story (Part 3) Parts 1 and 2 of this series describe the origin of a group of teenage friends in Pittsburgh (PA) in the late-1940s. It is also a story of my education outside of schools I attended in living a full life with people I loved. Deciding to Stay Together The idea of a group of close friends who worked at staying together did not emerge among us

It's Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... A VERY BUSY DAY | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 A Look Back: New Study Finds That Specific Ninth-Grade Intervention Very Effective & It’s Remarkably Similar To What We Do At Our School by Larry Ferlazzo / 4h I’m beginning to republish posts that made it onto my A LOOK BACK: 2019’S BEST POSTS FROM THIS BLOG – PART TWO list. Kunnasberg / Pixabay The

Pushout: Documentary Explores Why Black Girls are Punished More at School | NewBlackMan (in Exile)

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Pushout: Documentary Explores Why Black Girls are Punished More at School 'Research shows black girls are much more likely to be punished in school than white girls. As part of our School Matters series, we spoke to a 13-year-old who says she was dragged outside and left in the cold by her teacher in the second grade. Author and producer Monique W. Morris talks with CBS This Morning 's Jericka D

The Federal Government Collects Data on How Often Schools Seclude Children. The Numbers Don’t Add Up. — ProPublica

by Mike Simpson / 4d

The Federal Government Collects Data on How Often Schools Seclude Children. The Numbers Don’t Add Up. Even though school districts are required to report their use of seclusion and restraint to the U.S. Department of Education, it can be difficult for parents to see the full picture. This investigation is a collaboration between ProPublica Illinois and the Chicago Tribune. ProPublica Illinois is

Research, the Media, and the Market: A Cautionary Tale | radical eyes for equity

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Research, the Media, and the Market: A Cautionary Tale Reporting in The New York Times , Gina Kolata offers a compelling lede: The findings of a large federal study on bypass surgeries and stents call into question the medical care provided to tens of thousands of heart disease patients with blocked coronary arteries, scientists reported at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association on

Michigan: State Takeover of Detroit Schools was a “Costly Mistake” | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Michigan: State Takeover of Detroit Schools was a “Costly Mistake” Koby Levin of Chalkbeat reports that a study of the state takeover of Detroit’s public schools–which lasted for 15 years–was “a costly mistake.” The state was supposed to solve intractable problems that elected school officials in Detroit could not. It made things worse, according to a newly released report on the 15 years during

Education Law Prof Blog

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Democratic Plans to Boost School Funding Don't Pander to Teachers--They Seek an Important Goal This Nation Has Never Before Attempted Derek W. Black , University of South Carolina With few exceptions, the various Democratic plans for public education share a common theme: more funding, less privatizing. Candidates Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders have promised to dramatically increase

CURMUDGUCATION: PA: Vouchers Are One Step Closer To Ugly Reality

by Mike Simpson / 4d

PA: Vouchers Are One Step Closer To Ugly Reality HB 1800 , the bill intended to pilot vouchers in Pennsylvania, made it out of committee today . The vote was 13-12, with two GOP representatives (Rosemary Brown and Meghan Schroeder) voting no. The precipitating excuse for this bill is the school system of Harrisburg, a system that has suffered from financial mismanagement and so was put in financ

Seattle Schools Community Forum: A Lot of Seattle Special Education News

by Mike Simpson / 4d

A Lot of Seattle Special Education News Via Facebook: If your student identifies as 2e, please note and if you can help share that there is: 2e meeting tonight (Monday Night) at Thurgood Marshall and Dr. Liliana Sacarin will be the parent speaker tonight discussing Tomatis & Audio Therapy. Additionally for anyone who wishes to come there is a S eattle Special Education PTSA Meeting Tuesday night

WHEN BILLIONAIRES BUY YOUR SCHOOL BOARD: Caught in a Venn Diagram in “Progressive” West Hollywood

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Caught in a Venn Diagram in “Progressive” West Hollywood Caught in a Venn Diagram in “Progressive” West Hollywood Today I experienced something that felt like a car accident but instead of getting hurt in a vehicle I crashed into the center of a Venn diagram. I landed in the zone where public education, naivete and privilege all come together and form a very ugly picture. What makes it worse is t

NOV 18

Red for Ed Action Day: Teacher pay driving thousands to Statehouse

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Red for Ed Action Day: Teacher pay driving thousands to Statehouse - Half of Indiana’s public school students will be out of classrooms Tuesday while thousands of teachers from across the state rally at the Statehouse to demand better pay. It’s an unprecedented move from Indiana’s teachers, who have spent the last several years watching their counterparts in other states and cities striking, wal

Peter Greene: Can Rich Content Improve Education?

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Can Rich Content Improve Education? Can Rich Content Improve Education? Modern high-stakes testing really kicked into gear with No Child Left Behind, and then got another huge boost with the advent of Common Core. All through that era, teachers pushed back against the fracturing of reading instruction , the idea that reading is a suite of discrete skills that can be taught independent of any part

CURMUDGUCATION: Pondiscio: Success Academy Is Better And Worse Than You Think

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Pondiscio: Success Academy Is Better And Worse Than You Think Robert Pondiscio is a senior fellow at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a thinky tank steeped in conservative ed reform and staunch advocates of school choice, so one might expect that his book about Success Academy, the famous/infamous charter chain in New York City would be something of a puff piece, one more example of founder Eva

Gov. Wolf calls for constraints on Pennsylvania charter schools at school administrator meeting | News | mdjonline.com

by Mike Simpson / 5d

Gov. Wolf calls for constraints on Pennsylvania charter schools at school administrator meeting Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said Friday that the state’s charter and cyber charter schools are overfunded at the expense of traditional public schools and largely immune from public scrutiny – accusations that he intends to address through what he calls a “charter school accountability plan.” Speaking

What is a teacher? Tennessee lawmakers call for specific definition, cite ambiguity with pay raises | Chattanooga Times Free Press

by Mike Simpson / 5d

What is a teacher? Tennessee lawmakers call for specific definition, cite ambiguity with pay raises Throughout Hamilton County's contentious debate this year over public education funding and whether or not Hamilton County Schools or its teachers deserve more funding, one question has continuously been asked by elected officials, state lawmakers and taxpayers — who exactly is a teacher? And who

Australian Study: Is Digital Literacy Undercutting Literacy? | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 5d

Australian Study: Is Digital Literacy Undercutting Literacy? A newly released study in Australia raises questions about whether digital literacy is actually undermining children’s ability and interest in reading. A Four Corners investigation has found there are growing fears among education experts that screen time is contributing to a generation of skim readers with poor literacy, who may strug

Should all remedial classes in college be eliminated?

by Mike Simpson / 5d

States are testing unproven ways to eliminate remedial ed — on their students Florida study argues for restoring placement tests but lowering pass scores Community colleges and nonselective universities that enroll everyone are at a crossroads. Helping less-prepared students make the jump to college-level work is a big part of their mission. In recent history, roughly half of first-year college

Yes, Something Stinks about the State Takeover of the Houston Independent School District | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 5d

Yes, Something Stinks about the State Takeover of the Houston Independent School District A trio of activists on behalf of public schools wrote a blistering critique of the pending state takeover of the Houston Independent School District , based on the failure of ONE high school that has an unusually high proportion of students who are poor and have disabilities. Zeph Capo is president of the H

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Timeline for Decisions on HCC Dismantle

by Mike Simpson / 5d

Timeline for Decisions on HCC Dismantle Update : Here's wording from a parent group coalescing around the topic of revision of HCC. We need to continue to make our case, and press the Directors directly on our points. In our letter, we asked for two things: that the Directors decouple the discussion of the HCC program and the Technology Access Foundation, to be considered separately on their own

OPINION: A diverse teaching force helps black male students succeed

by Mike Simpson / 5d

TEACHER VOICE: The black men who proved that a student like me could be a teacher like them Three ways we can begin to reimagine, reinvent the U.S. teaching force I became a teacher because of the influence and mentorship of Mr. Murray and Mr. Simms, two elementary-school teachers in Detroit. They were excellent and ensured that I engaged in learning every day. They persevered when at first I di

Ruth Asawa. Anni Albers. Black Mountain College and recovering progressive education history. – Fred Klonsky

by Mike Simpson / 5d

RUTH ASAWA. ANNI ALBERS. BLACK MOUNTAIN COLLEGE AND RECOVERING PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION HISTORY Two recent exhibits at the Art Institute of Chicago included women who had spent time at Black Mountain College in North Carolina. Weaving Beyond the Bauhaus features the work of woman textile artists from the German art school, founded by Walter Gropius, that that existed from 1919 to 1933 when it was s

An Urgent Issue in Troubled Times: Building the Will to Support Public Education | janresseger

by Mike Simpson / 5d

An Urgent Issue in Troubled Times: Building the Will to Support Public Education For this blog, I’ve been tracking the explosion of new vouchers in Ohio, a similar expansion of the cost of school vouchers in Wisconsin, the proposed closure of the storied Collinwood High School by Cleveland’s mayoral-appointed school board, and the protracted negotiations in Lorain, Ohio to get rid of the state’s

FL teacher speaks: Ed Tech & the dystopia of individualized learning | The Edvocate Blog

by Mike Simpson / 5d

FL teacher speaks: Ed Tech & the dystopia of individualized learning Editor’s note: This post was submitted by a veteran Florida teacher whose identity must be protected for obvious reasons but whose insight, knowledge and willingness to speak out is heroic in these times. Here’s to the truth that must be told and the insiders who step up to tell it. Here’s to this teacher for sounding the alarm

Our Own Practice | The Jose Vilson

by Mike Simpson / 5d

OUR OWN PRACTICE This weekend, Colin Kaepernick practiced in front of NFL scouts. One version of the practice story is that the ball seemed to float out of his hands as if carried by pigeon and dropped off to his pro athlete friends for short and long yardage. The more complicated story is that Kaepernick dismissed the heavily anticipated practice quickly arranged by the NFL and assembled his ow

NOV 17

What is #TooFarLeft? - YouTube

by Mike Simpson / 5d

What is #TooFarLeft? I get it when wingnuts like Tucker Carlson or Anne Coulter cry about the “radical left.” It’s their job. They get paid $millions to do it. But when the man who swept into office on big hopes of transformational change tell an audience, “Persuadable independents or even moderate Republicans [whatever that is] are not driven by the same views that are reflected on certain left

In DeVos-Trump Era of Alternative Facts, Belief in Flat Earth Grows | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 6d

In DeVos-Trump Era of Alternative Facts, Belief in Flat Earth Grows If all facts are subjective and dependent on religious and personal views, there is no such thing as fact, truth, objectivity or science. Ohio’s dumb Republican-controlled legislature isn’t on the verge of passing a law that puts religious belief and science on the same plane. So it is not surprising that believers in a Flat Ear

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Parents Surrender: Is That Juneau's Message?

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Parents Surrender: Is That Juneau's Message? In the past, many superintendents have used the term "laser-focused" but Superintendent Denise Juneau is about the only one who really walks the talk on that term. But I see signs that there seems to be a parallel, less articulated agenda with the Superintendent and the Strategic Plan. Let's examine the evidence. This is what she says at the Strategic

CATCH UP WITH CURMUDGUCATION + ICYMI: Soup Party Day Edition (11/17)

by Mike Simpson / 6d

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Soup Party Day Edition (11/17) Soup Party Day Edition My nephew and his wife are hosting a big soup party today, which I'm pretty sure is a first for me. Kids these days. In the meantime, here an assortment of reading material from the week. Remember-- share the stuff that really speaks to you. That's how bloggers become rich and famous- okay, well, not actually. But it is

Pittsburgh Mayor’s Tantrum About School Finances Proves He Doesn’t Understand Education or Equity | gadflyonthewallblog

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Pittsburgh Mayor’s Tantrum About School Finances Proves He Doesn’t Understand Education or Equity Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto is steaming mad and he doesn’t care who knows it. On Tuesday he raved that Pittsburgh Public Schools’ finances should be taken over by the state – the same fate the city had suffered during its own economic troubles from 2004-18. The reason Peduto thinks the school shoul

Education Through Friendship: One Man’s Story (Part 2) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Education Through Friendship: One Man’s Story (Part 2) This is a five-part story of a long friendship in which I learned a lot about life outside of the schooling I received. See Part 1 for why I connect my friendships with an education that goes beyond schooling. How We Began Our origins are familiar, if not common. A group of urban teenagers, first and second generation Americans from homes of

CURMUDGUCATION: FL: Yet Another Bad Plan To Not Increase Teacher Pay

by Mike Simpson / 6d

FL: Yet Another Bad Plan To Not Increase Teacher Pay So previously there was the Best and the Brightest program, which awarded teacher bonuses based on student test scores and the teacher's own SAT scores. From high school. It had a variety of problems (above and beyond the basic boneheadedness of the idea) and the new governor, Ron DeSantis found it "confusing." Yes, you can still buy swampland

EdAction in Congress November 17, 2019 - Education Votes

by Mike Simpson / 6d

EdAction in Congress November 17, 2019 NEA members urge Supreme Court to preserve DACA NEA members Vicente Rodriguez and Karina Alvarez addressed the crowd gathered on the steps of the Supreme Court as the justices heard oral arguments on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) on Nov 12. “We love this country. It’s the only country we’ve known,” Rodriguez said. “We’re asking the court to

Open enrollment leads to segregation at Sacramento CA school | The Sacramento Bee

by Mike Simpson / 6d

A Nobel Prize winner graduated from this Sacramento school. Why it’s now being left behind The neighborhood where Jon and Jen Schwedler are raising a family, nestled between Fair Oaks Boulevard and the American River, is a suburban oasis. Large ranch-style homes, some with palm trees in the yards, line the quiet side streets. Parts of the neighborhood are a short walk from riverfront trails and

This Week New Black Man (In Exile)

by Mike Simpson / 6d

NewBlackMan (in Exile) How Disco Changed Sex in America by Mark Anthony Neal / 16h 'When you hear the word Disco, it might bring to mind the sound of cheesy manufactured dance music or images of John Travolta on the dance floor in Saturday Night Fever — but Disco was more than that. In fact, it was radical. Disco clubs arose out of gay subculture and its sound, which came to be dominated by fema

Little Rock schools and segregation + 50. – Fred Klonsky

by Mike Simpson / 6d

LITTLE ROCK SCHOOLS AND SEGREGATION + 50 Teachers in the Little Rock School District, the location of one of the most famous desegregation battles in the U.S., went on one-day strike Thursday. Union flyer for last Thursday’s one-day strike in Little Rock. The Arkansas state board of education directly controls the Little Rock School District, and has done so since 2015. State officials justified

Listen to this – 2019 #2 | Live Long and Prosper

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Listen to this – 2019 #2 Meaningful quotes… RED FOR ED IN INDIANA On November 19th, thousands of teachers across Indiana will converge on the state capital in Indianapolis, or gather in their local communities to draw attention to the lack of government support for public education in Indiana. Indiana teachers, through the Indiana State Teachers Association, sponsors of the event, have several p

Eric Blanc: Why Little Rock Teachers Went on Strike | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Eric Blanc: Why Little Rock Teachers Went on Strike If you want to understand what is happening in the Little Rock school District today, read Eric Blanc’s article. Eric Blanc has covered every one of the teachers’ strikes since the West Virginia strike in the spring of 2018. Now he is in Little Rock, where he interviewed teachers who went on strike yesterday to protest the State Board of Educat

NYC Educator: On Writing, and Writing Recommendations

by Mike Simpson / 6d

On Writing, and Writing Recommendations Unlike some of my colleagues, I don't write many recommendations. It's not that I don't want to--it's that I'm not frequently asked. This is largely because I teach beginning English language learners. Most of them are freshmen when they come to me, and three years later they have other teachers and other priorities. It's too bad, because I'm pretty good a

John Bel Edwards Wins Second Term as Louisiana Governor | deutsch29

by Mike Simpson / 6d

John Bel Edwards Wins Second Term as Louisiana Governor Democrat John Bel Edwards wins a second term as governor in deep-red, Republican Louisiana. With 100% of precincts reporting, Edwards has 51.3% of the vote. President Trump visited Louisiana three times in recent weeks to campaign for Republican gubernatorial challenger, Eddie Rispone. As of this writing, Trump has been silent on Twitter re

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Feedback from Work Group on K-12 State Funding

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Feedback from Work Group on K-12 State Funding From Neal Morton at the Seattle Times via Twitter - interesting reading: At the final meeting of a state work group charged with telling lawmakers how to fix K-12 formulas that pay for the adults working in school. Editor's note: when there's link to entire report, I'll put it up. It's due December 1. And as a reminder of how many students it takes

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