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Saturday, February 22, 2020

TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 2/22/20 #REDFORED #tbats

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POSTS THIS WEEK 2/22/20

TODAY

Gene V Glass: Education in Two Worlds: How Much Academic Growth?

by Mike Simpson / 30min
How Much Academic Growth? Recently, a colleague in England very politely called me on the carpet for something I wrote in 1981 that did not mercifully die in the interim. Here is his question. Dear Dr. Glass As you may know, the Education Endowment Foundation in England, in order to help with interpreting effect sizes in education, has suggested to teachers that an effect size of one standard de
Sacramento City Unified School District Board Votes To Lay Off Dozens - Elk Grove Tribune

by Mike Simpson / 51min
Sacramento City Unified School District Board Votes To Lay Off Dozens Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Education voted to eliminate dozens of positions within its district. Last year, more than 100 employees were laid off. On Friday, the board voted for approval of 82 layoffs for full time positions. Of those being cut, 54 are K-12 teachers and four are adult education teachers.
Women Read. Women Write. Women Vote. | Teacher in a strange land

by Mike Simpson / 58min
Women Read. Women Write. Women Vote. One of the more extraordinary end-of-2019 retrospective/resolution columns was Leonard Pitts’s announcement of his decision to read only female authors in 2020. Pitts, a self-proclaimed avid reader, realized, a couple years back, that he’d read 48 books that year—and only one of them was written by a woman. What made the piece memorable was not Pitts’s determ
Column: You'll need a shower after reading about this school board race that's descended into the gutter - Los Angeles Times

by Mike Simpson / 1h
Column: You'll need a shower after reading about this school board race that's descended into the gutter By Steve Lopez latimes.com — There she was, sitting right in front of me. Evil in the flesh, or so you’d believe from the fliers now landing in mailboxes across a wide swath of Los Angeles. She stands accused of discriminating against Latino families, putting children in the line of fire beca
CURMUDGUCATION: Social and Emotional Learning Is Drawing Fire

by Mike Simpson / 2h
Social and Emotional Learning Is Drawing Fire I told you so. If you are of a Certain Age, you remember Outcome Based Education, the Next Big Education Thing of the 1990s . Its basic idea was to reduce education to observable behaviors-- all those lesson plans with "The Student Will Be Able To...," are artifacts of OBE. The architects were intent on reducing all learning to something cold, hard a
Detroit: Why Are School Closures Concentrated in Black and Brown Communities? | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 2h
Detroit: Why Are School Closures Concentrated in Black and Brown Communities? In this study of school closures in Detroit , the authors note that the closures were concentrated in black and brown communities. Terrance L. Green, Joanna D. Sanchez, and Andrene J.Castro note this spatial concentration of closures and point out that it typically has negative effects on students. It reads in part: Be
Cartoons on Old Technologies for Nostalgic Readers | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 2h
Cartoons on Old Technologies for Nostalgic Readers Anyone under the age of 35, do not look at these cartoons. I target the middle-aged and elderly viewers of this blog for a trip down a memory lane of old technologies. Wait. Maybe for those under 35, take a look. I have also included some that may skewer them. Enjoy! MORE CARTOONS: Cartoons on Old Technologies for Nostalgic Readers | Larry Cuban
California’s $53 Million Lawsuit Settlement to Improve Reading | Ogo Okoye-Johnson

by Mike Simpson / 3h
California’s $53 Million Lawsuit Settlement to Improve Reading On Thursday February 20, 2020, in the Los Angeles Superior Court, 75 elementary public traditional and charter schools won a $53 million lawsuit settlement against the State of California for violating the students’ civil rights. The Ella T. vs. the State of California , lawsuit filed by students and their teachers two years ago clai
We Don’t Need Charter Schools in New York City – the Affinity District is a Far Better Model for Children and Teachers | Ed In The Apple

by Mike Simpson / 3h
We Don’t Need Charter Schools in New York City – the Affinity District is a Far Better Model for Children and Teachers The New York State charter school law begins by differentiating charter and traditional public schools, Provide parents and students with expanded choices in the types of educational opportunities that are available within the public school system; and (f) Provide schools with a
James Baldwin (1979): “you can’t change a school without changing the neighborhood” – radical eyes for equity

by Mike Simpson / 3h
James Baldwin (1979): “you can’t change a school without changing the neighborhood” Every time I make the case that in order to offer every child the very highest quality education all children deserve, we must address the socioeconomic inequity of homes and communities as well as the schools that serve them, I am chastised by some that teachers and schools cannot control any of those out-of-sch
Fifth National Conference on School Integration - Education Law Prof Blog

by Mike Simpson / 4h
Education Law Prof Blog Fifth National Conference on School Integration Join over 400 people from across the country to discuss and strengthen strategies for promoting racial and socioeconomic integration in elementary and secondary schools at our fifth national conference: National Conference on School Integration March 26-27th, 2020 JW Marriott Washington, DC Register for NCSD2020 Book your hot
Catch Up With Newblackman (In Exile)

by Mike Simpson / 4h
NewBlackMan (in Exile) After 40 Years, 'A Soldier's Play' Finally Marches Onto Broadway by Mark Anthony Neal / 1d 'In 1981, Charles Fuller 's A Soldier's Play premiered in New York City, featuring actors who would go on to become household names, like Samuel L. Jackson and Denzel Washington . The following year, Fuller became the second African American in history to win the Pulitzer Prize for D
THIS WEEK Education Research Report

by Mike Simpson / 4h
Education Research Report THIS WEEK Education Research Report Want to live longer? Stay in school, study suggests by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d Life expectancy in the United States has been in decline for the first time in decades, and public health officials have identified a litany of potential causes, including inaccessible health care, rising drug addiction and rates of mental health disorders,
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 Video: “How to do Mardi Gras like a New Orleans local” by Larry Ferlazzo / 8h hannahalkadi / Pixabay I’m adding this new Washington Post video to The Best Sites To Learn About Mardi Gras & Carnivals : A Look Back: “Teacher: How my 9th graders graded me” by Larry Ferlazzo / 8h I thought that new – and
KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all #tBATS

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 Order NOW Susan Edelman: Bloomberg’s Test Score Con by dianeravitch / 42min Strange as it may seem, the best education reporte

YESTERDAY

February 24-28 is Public Schools Week - Education Votes #PUBLICSCHOOLPROUD #PUBLICSCHOOLSWEEK

by Mike Simpson / 23h
February 24-28 is Public Schools Week - Education Votes February 24-28 is Public Schools Week A record number of lawmakers signed the bipartisan, bicameral resolution declaring February 24-28 Public Schools Week: 45 senators and more than 70 representatives—and still growing. The resolution recognizes the importance of our nation’s public schools and honors those who work tirelessly to support an
San Diego prosecutors: Districts that authorized A3 charter schools should pay back oversight fees - The San Diego Union-Tribune

by Mike Simpson / 23h
San Diego prosecutors: Districts that authorized A3 charter schools should pay back oversight fees Prosecutors say A3 charter schools were vehicles of fraud; six small districts benefited Prosecutors leading the A3 charter school criminal case want to take back potentially millions of dollars of charter school oversight fees that were paid to small school districts that were supposed to hold the
New Mexico Sues Google For Collecting Children's Data In Schools | HuffPost

by Mike Simpson / 1d
New Mexico Sues Google For Collecting Children’s Data In Schools The suit accuses Google of using its “education services package” to spy on children and their families. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico ’s attorney general sued Google Thursday over allegations the tech company is illegally collecting personal data generated by children in violation of federal and state laws.' The lawsuit file
CURMUDGUCATION: OH: Whose Gold Makes That Parachute?

by Mike Simpson / 1d
OH: Whose Gold Makes That Parachute? It turns out there's one more problem with the kind of autocratic corporate-style takeover that Ohio implemented under HB 70. You may recall that Lorain, Ohio, is one of three districts to be placed under the control of an all-powerful CEO . It was not pretty. An Ohio-style school CEO has all the powers of a school board and a superintendent, less the ability
American Federation of Teachers urges members to support Biden, Sanders, Warren - POLITICO

by Mike Simpson / 1d
American Federation of Teachers urges members to support Biden, Sanders, Warren The move was a pointed rebuke of former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg. The 1.7 million member American Federation of Teachers union announced Thursday that it would encourage its local and state affiliates to back or endorse the presidential bids of former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders or Sen. Elizabe
Eye Opening Book: The Power Worshippers | tultican

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Eye Opening Book: The Power Worshippers By Thomas Ultican 2/20/2020 Katherine Stewart’s The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism is a brilliant piece of investigative journalism. It shines a light on significant threats to American pluralism and representative democracy. The religious rights amazing successes now influence every aspect of American life, from the
Inequitable Opportunity to Learn: Student Access to Certified and Experienced Teachers | Cloaking Inequity

by Mike Simpson / 1d
INEQUITABLE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN: STUDENT ACCESS TO CERTIFIED AND EXPERIENCED TEACHERS I gave a keynote for the Tucson Urban League yesterday and one of the topics of discussion was the persisting inequality in teacher quality for low income and students of color. On cue, The Learning Policy Institute (LPI) has released Inequitable Opportunity to Learn: Student Access to Certified and Experience
NANCY BAILEY: ‘Screens in Schools Action Kit’ to Help Parents Push Back Against Edtech Overuse

by Mike Simpson / 1d
‘Screens in Schools Action Kit’ to Help Parents Push Back Against Edtech Overuse ‘Screens in Schools Action Kit’ to Help Parents Push Back Against Edtech Overuse Parents and educators worry about how much time students spend facing digital devices. Here is a useful resource to help children live lives that aren’t dominated by screen use. Contact: Seth Evans, Chair, (seth@commercialfreechildhood.o
CURMUDGUCATION: Common Core Is Dead. Long LIve Common Core.

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Common Core Is Dead. Long LIve Common Core. The Common Core State Standards are dead. Done. Finished. Authorities have told us so. Betsy DeVos delivered a brief eulogy at the American Enterprise Institute back in January. “And at the U.S. Department of Education, Common Core is dead,” she declared. In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis just announced that the work of “rooting out all vestiges of Com
NYC Educator: NYC Educator Endorses AFT's Multi-Endorsement

by Mike Simpson / 1d
NYC Educator Endorses AFT's Multi-Endorsement Last night I got a phone call from AFT, which evidently had something to do with a presidential endorsement. Sensing near-certain disappointment, I decided to walk my dog instead. Upon my arrival home I got a few questions about it, and went to AFT's website where I found this . I will cut to the chase in case you don't want to read the whole thing:
After Years of Failed Initiatives, Gates Foundation Keeps on Trying to Fix the Schools | janresseger

by Mike Simpson / 1d
After Years of Failed Initiatives, Gates Foundation Keeps on Trying to Fix the Schools You might imagine that Bill and Melinda Gates, with all their money, a large staff, and access to research would have developed a more nuanced and helpful strategy for school reform. But you’d be wrong. In their 2020 Gates Foundation Annual Letter , Bill and Melinda Gates continue to assume that academic outco
Make Your Own Light | Live Long and Prosper

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Make Your Own Light COLD WAR FEARS Many of us who grew up during the Cold War were emotionally traumatized by the fear of nuclear annihilation. Those of us old enough to remember hiding under our school desks during an air-raid drill remember the feelings of fear. Those of us old enough to understand what was happening in Cuba in late 1962 remember the feelings of fear… Research on the effects o
How should we evaluate teacher quality? | Cloaking Inequity

by Mike Simpson / 1d
HOW SHOULD WE EVALUATE TEACHER QUALITY? The education psychologist have recently released a policy brief that discusses empirically based assessment of teacher quality. They write, Division 15 (Educational Psychology) of the American Psychological Association is proud to announce their second policy brief, “Addressing Teacher Evaluation Appropriately.” This brief, focused on teacher evaluation p
Don’t Extend Kids’ School Day; Shorten Parents’ Work Week | gadflyonthewallblog

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Don’t Extend Kids’ School Day; Shorten Parents’ Work Week It’s rough being the parent of an American school student. You often leave for work before your kids have even made it to school yet – and you get home long after they’ve returned. When exactly are you supposed to parent ? Your kids have to get themselves to school. They have to get themselves home. And helping with homework, talking abou
Charter School Advocates Spending Big in LAUSD Board Elections – Los Angeles Education Examiner

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Charter School Advocates Spending Big in LAUSD Board Elections The California Charter School Association (CCSA) is the largest and most visible pro-charter organization in Los Angeles’ political scene. CCSA has chosen to endorse just one candidate in LAUSD’s 2020 school board elections, but that doesn’t mean that pro-charter candidates aren’t receiving millions of dollars in support from indepen

FEB 20

Michael Bloomberg has invested heavily in promoting charter schools in California | EdSource

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Michael Bloomberg has invested heavily in promoting charter schools in California f there is on e issue on which Michael Bloomberg and Donald Trump agree, it is on the value of charter schools. One difference is that Bloomberg does not appear to back using taxpayer funds to underwrite tuition for private and parochial schools, as Trump does. Another is that Bloomberg has actually been able to im
Andrea Gabor: Betsy DeVos’s Voucher Obsession Could Boomerang on Republicans | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Andrea Gabor: Betsy DeVos’s Voucher Obsession Could Boomerang on Republicans Veteran journalist Andrea Gabor explains that Betsy DeVos got the Trump administration to commit fully behind her voucher obsession, rolling some 29 or 30 programs into a block grant, including the toxic federal Charter Schools Program. In exchange, the Trump administration is seeking $5 billion for national voucher pro
Growing Awareness of "Period Poverty" in Schools - NEA Today

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Growing Awareness of “Period Poverty” in Schools Delaware high school teacher Kerry Stahl keeps a stash of tampons and menstrual pads—which she pays for herself—in her classroom for students. This way, she says, students can grab one, run to the bathroom, and be back in class in five minutes. Otherwise, Stahl’s students would have to trek to the nurse’s office (their school has one, but many don
CURMUDGUCATION: Avoiding Teacher Compensation

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Avoiding Teacher Compensation Erik Hanushek has been at this for a while, and his shtick is pretty well polished. With Raj Chetty , he's been making the assertion that having a good teacher will make a student wealthier . While he can occasionally seem like a champion of teachers and teaching, he also lapses often into the old reform whinge that teachers don't really want to be held accountable
Don’t Mess with Texas’ Schools – Have You Heard

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Don’t Mess with Texas’ Schools Have You Heard heads to fast-growing north Texas for a first-hand look at how support for public education is upending the state’s politics. Spoiler: GOP candidates are scrambling to paint themselves as lovers of public schools and their teachers. But does their new-found love translate into actual policy? And will former GOP voters who prize public education end u
¡Prop 13 Is Not About Property Tax! (But It Is About Funding Schools) – Los Angeles Education Examiner

by Mike Simpson / 2d
¡Prop 13 Is Not About Property Tax! (But It Is About Funding Schools) In 1978 Californians voted to limit their personal tax liability. The ballot initiative approved at that time was titled and summarized by the CA Secretary of State as “ Proposition 13, Tax Limitations Initiative (1978)”. Click here for a terrific retrospective (or primer, depending on your age). This is not the Proposition 13
New flyer for the Feb. 28 class size hearings; please come! | Class Size Matters

by Mike Simpson / 2d
| A clearinghouse for information on class size & the proven benefits of smaller classes New flyer for the Feb. 28 class size hearings; please come! Here and below is the updated flyer for the Feb. 28 class size hearings at City Hall, starting at 10 AM. Please share widely, and sorry for all the confusion. Please come to show your support for smaller classes, even if you don’t choose to testify.
CURMUDGUCATION: Shoving Babies Into The Pipeline

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Shoving Babies Into The Pipeline I knew I was going to be cranky after the very first sentence: The workforce pipeline begins with quality early education. This is Gil Minor, a retired CEO of a Fortune 200 company; he's also the chair of the Virginia Higher Education Council and vice-chairman of the group he's plugging in this op-ed, E3: Elevate Early Education. And not everything he has to say
NYC Public School Parents: Update: Class size hearings to be held on Friday Feb. 28, 10AM at City Hall!

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Update: Class size hearings to be held on Friday Feb. 28, 10AM at City Hall! Our class size hearings have been rescheduled again, and will now be held on Friday February 28, at 10AM at City Hall in the Committee Room. We really need parents, teachers, and concerned citizens to come out and show their support for this event. You can come to testify and/or bring signs to show your support for smal
Project-Based Learning, #3 | The Merrow Report

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Project-Based Learning, #3 Recently in this space I have been praising project-based learning, because it enables students to become producers of knowledge, not merely consumers (and sometimes regurgitators). As noted earlier, the best projects are ones where the teacher or teachers do not know ‘The correct answer’ because they also are engaged in the journey of discovery. In the end, students o

FEB 19

The Real Reading Debate and How We Fail to Teach Reading – radical eyes for equity

by Mike Simpson / 3d
The Real Reading Debate and How We Fail to Teach Reading Sometimes cliches hit the nail on the head: It’s deja vu all over again. Sometimes hackneyed metaphors paint the best picture: When you find yourself in a hole, keep digging. And that brings us to the “science of reading” version of the Reading War. Here, I want to address the often misunderstood real reading debate as well as outline how
Report Shows Racial Divide in Academic Success

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Report Shows Racial Divide in Academic Success in Progressive Cities The American education system is rife with problems. Schools go underfunded, teachers barely can make a living wage and students have to worry about either getting shot at or body-slammed by school resource officers. While many of those problems tend to be attributed to schools in lower-income areas, a study shows that’s not qu
Standardized tests voided at three dozen New Orleans schools due to irregularities | The Lens

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Standardized tests voided at three dozen New Orleans schools due to irregularities Thirty-four New Orleans public schools had at least one state standardized exam voided last school year due to test policy violations or suspected cheating, according to the Louisiana Department of Education’s annual testing irregularities report . Across the state, 1,497 exams at 299 schools were voided for a var
Agency saved by DeVos appears to have accredited a college with no students, faculty or classrooms | Salon.com

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Agency saved by DeVos appears to have accredited a college with no students, faculty or classrooms A joint investigation by USA Today and The Argus Leader calls the ACICS' ability to vet schools into question The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges & Schools (ACICS) accredited a college which appears to have no faculty or students after Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos reversed an Oba
Amplifying Profits Selling Harmful Pedagogy | tultican

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Amplifying Profits Selling Harmful Pedagogy By Thomas Ultican 2/19/2020 Amplify education Inc. has a two decade history of trying to profit by selling education technology. The bottom line is even if their pedagogy was good – which it is not – it would be unhealthy for children. The big dream of replacing teachers with digital screens and making gobs of money has a fatal flaw. The last thing 21
Food Fight: How 2 Trump Proposals Could Bite Into School Lunch | 89.3 KPCC

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Food Fight: How 2 Trump Proposals Could Bite Into School Lunch Two pending rule changes meant to reduce what the Trump administration calls abuse of federal benefit programs could also mean hundreds of thousands of children lose access to free school meals. The first proposed change: The Trump administration wants to tighten states' standards for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SN
Public Schools Are a “Pillar of our Democracy.” Trump and DeVos Declare Them “Antiquated and Oppressive.” | janresseger

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Public Schools Are a “Pillar of our Democracy.” Trump and DeVos Declare Them “Antiquated and Oppressive.” If you are going to read one article about public education this week, I recommend Derek Black’s commentary in last Friday’s USA Today , Trump’s ‘Education Freedom’ Plan Is an Attack on Public Schools. That’s Un-American . Derek Black is a professor of law at the University of South Carolina
School Reforms That Are Persistent and Admired But Marginal (Part 4) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 3d
School Reforms That Are Persistent and Admired But Marginal (Part 4) Every school reform is a solution to a problem. How a problem is identified (e.g., unilaterally, multilaterally) and who does the framing of it (e.g., policymakers, practitioners, parents), of course, matters. The cartoonish superintendent (or elected official) sees the problem in test scores declining the longer students are i
Rounding Up the Top News – Los Angeles Education Examiner

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Rounding Up the Top News Every week we’ll be rounding up the top education news. Here’s the top news from the last eight days. Who is funding the LAUSD elections ? LAUSD Board elections are becoming more and more expensive. We’ve already discussed how much of that money is from dark money PAC’s, but over the last week larger, legacy media have taken a look at the mega-bucks that are taking over
NYC Public School Parents: Class Size and School Overcrowding Citywide Trends

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Class Size and School Overcrowding Citywide Trends Here is a presentation explaining why class size is important, with data showing citywide class size trends since 2006. NYC Public School Parents: Class Size and School Overcrowding Citywide Trends

FEB 18

What it really means when Trump, DeVos and their allies refer to public schools as ‘government schools’ - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 4d
What it really means when Trump, DeVos and their allies refer to public schools as ‘government schools’ If you were listening to President Trump deliver his State of the Union address this month, you heard him refer to public schools as “government schools.” It was not the first time, and you can expect to hear it with increasing frequency from him, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and their alli
CURMUDGUCATION: Choice, Parents, Power, Caveat Emptor, and Stupid

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Choice, Parents, Power, Caveat Emptor, and Stupid Here's an opening sentence from a recent piece of charter advocacy from the74 : But charter schools and the new, more consumer-oriented public education landscape they represent are here to stay. Well, no. I'm going to skip past the "here to stay" part, because what caught my attention was the "consumer-oriented pub lic education landscape" bit.
Getting Rid of Gym Class | Teacher in a strange land

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Getting Rid of Gym Class In 2006, Michigan established a ‘merit curriculum’—a set of HS graduation requirements for every student in MI. There was a lot of fanfare around this standardizing and toughening up, with everyone from the governor to local representatives crowing about rigor and high expectations. Here’s the official blurb: A high school diploma in Michigan will soon say a lot more abo
Statement of Solidarity In Support of Wet’suwet’en First Nation: All The Darkness Shall Be Exposed To The Light – Wrench in the Gears

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Statement of Solidarity In Support of Wet’suwet’en First Nation: All The Darkness Shall Be Exposed To The Light Today I had the luxury of enjoying time with my child who is home from college for a brief visit. As wonderful as it was to have a day off of work, it felt wrong to enjoy a “holiday” celebrating two colonizers. This feeling was particularly strong for me this year. You see my child is
Federal Charter Schools Program, a Lifeline for Owners of Capital, Under Threat | Dissident Voice

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Federal Charter Schools Program, a Lifeline for Owners of Capital, Under Threat Neoliberals established the Federal Charter Schools Program in 1994, three years after the nation’s first charter school law was passed in Minnesota. Since then, billions of public dollars have been handed over to privately-owned-operated non-profit and for-profit charter schools through the federal program. The mone
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 It's Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... A VERY BUSY DAY The latest news and resources in education since 2007 A Look Back: Students Remember More When They Tell Stories 21 by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h I thought that new – and veteran – readers might find it interesting if I began sharing my best posts
A surprise big spender funds attack campaign mailers in key L.A. school board races - Los Angeles Times

by Mike Simpson / 4d
A surprise big spender funds attack campaign mailers in key L.A. school board races The barrage of campaign mail flooding voters in a Los Angeles school board race includes images of a child holding what appears to be a gun, with the message that school board member Jackie Goldberg is responsible for putting children at risk from gun-related violence. The multiple mailings that Goldberg calls “p
Aaron Wright: The Unintended Consequences of IDEA - NANCY BAILEY'S EDUCATION WEBSITE

by Mike Simpson / 4d
The Unintended Consequences of IDEA The Unintended Consequences of IDEA By Aaron Wright It is undeniable that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has aided educational access for autistic children. Prior to the first iteration of the law, children with disabilities did not necessarily have the right to a public education. However, an unforeseen side effect of the IDEA’s deficit
CURMUDGUCATION: How To Improve The Quality Of Teaching With Tools Districts Already Have At Hand (And How To Mess It Up)

by Mike Simpson / 4d
How To Improve The Quality Of Teaching With Tools Districts Already Have At Hand (And How To Mess It Up) There is never a shortage of ideas about how to improve the quality of teaching in U.S. classrooms. From the intrusive and convoluted (“Let’s give every student a test and then run the test through a complex mathematical formula and use it to identify the strongest and weakest teachers and th
National Education Policy Center: Are Zillow and Real Estate Agents Promoting Segregation? | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 4d
National Education Policy Center: Are Zillow and Real Estate Agents Promoting Segregation? How do renters or buyers judge the quality of the schools zoned to their prospective homes? Often it starts not with schools or teachers or students, but with the real estate industry. Two recent pieces of investigative journalism call attention to a prominent flaw with this system: Realtors and real estat
The Adequacy and Fairness of State School Finance Systems (second edition) | School Finance Indicators Database

by Mike Simpson / 4d
The Adequacy and Fairness of State School Finance Systems Download the full report When it comes to American education, few policy areas are as misunderstood — or as crucial — as school finance. Over the past several years, a political and empirical consensus has emerged about the importance of equitable and adequate school funding for high quality K-12 education. In other words, the evidence is
Opinion | School Choice Logic Doesn’t Apply Here. Does the Supreme Court Get That? - The New York Times

by Mike Simpson / 4d
School Choice Logic Doesn’t Apply Here. Does the Supreme Court Get That? The Montana education system was designed for fairness and pulling together. The justices should appreciate that legacy. Scrutinizing the avuncular sphinx Chief Justice John Roberts throughout the impeachment trial of President Trump, I kept wondering whether he will preserve or ransack the legacy of the framers we revere —
Black Agenda Report: The Looting of Oakland’s Public Schools by Broadies | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Black Agenda Report: The Looting of Oakland’s Public Schools by Broadies This is an astonishing report about the destruction and privatization of public schools in Oakland, California, and the billionaires who facilitated the looting of that city. The article by Eugene Stovall appeared in “Black Agenda Report.” The audacity of this attack on public education is astonishing. The mechanism for the
Who Controls Our Schools? How Billionaire-Sponsored Privatization Is Destroying Democracy and Enriching the Charter School Industry – Alternet.org

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Who Controls Our Schools? How Billionaire-Sponsored Privatization Is Destroying Democracy and Enriching the Charter School Industry Editor's note: AlterNet has covered the school privatization story in great detail. Over time, we became alarmed at what we were seeing. The Independent Media Institute, AlterNet’s parent organization, has published an ebook, Who Controls Our Schools? The Privatizat
“Purple Lit Book”: A Poem | deutsch29

by Mike Simpson / 4d
“Purple Lit Book”: A Poem In a recent creative writing assignment connected to our study of the Romantic period in British literature, I asked my senior English students to compose a poem about an item, object, experience, or person associated with the everyday. Below is one student’s response, which I offer to my readers for their enjoyment. Without further ado, and with student permission, I g
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: "I Don't See Color":Why Educators Should Acknowledge the Race & Ethnicity of Students.

by Mike Simpson / 4d
"I Don't See Color":Why Educators Should Acknowledge the Race & Ethnicity of Students. "I don't see color". This was a phrase that was used by a teacher in a Facebook discussion regarding an article about why more teachers of color are needed. The educator in the group took offense because she felt that she didn't see color in her classroom, therefore the race of the teacher should not matter. T
Important update: invitation to speak at Council hearings on class size Feb. 24! | Class Size Matters

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Important update: invitation to speak at Council hearings on class size Feb. 24! | A clearinghouse for information on class size & the proven benefits of smaller classes Important update: invitation to speak at Council hearings on class size Feb. 24! 1. Just a quick note to let you know that the hearings on class size have now been rescheduled on Mon. Feb. 24 at 1 PM at 250 Broadway; 14th floor a

FEB 17

The Charter School Movement Is Imploding. What Comes Next May Be Worse - Progressive.org

by Mike Simpson / 4d
The Charter School Movement Is Imploding. What Comes Next May Be Worse Trump’s plan for ‘school choice’ will lead to the further privatization of public education. “For too long,” Trump declared in his State of the Union address on February 4, “countless American children have been trapped in failing government schools.” Trump, to shore up his point, introduced two guests in the audience: Stepha
How Do The Current Democratic Candidates Stack Up On Public Education?

by Mike Simpson / 4d
How Do The Current Democratic Candidates Stack Up On Public Education? You’d be hard-pressed to find many single-issue voters whose single issue was public education, but if you could find such animals, what could they make of the current set of Democratic contenders? Ignoring other issues, including what may be the biggest question of them all (”How would you get Congress to enact any of this?”
Carl J. Petersen: The Children Are Left Behind in LAUSD School Board Race

by Mike Simpson / 5d
The Children Are Left Behind in LAUSD School Board Race The Children Are Left Behind in LAUSD School Board Race In 2015, the California Charter Charter School Association (CCSA) ran a campaign for now convicted felon Ref Rodriguez that first accused incumbent Bennett Kayser of being a racist and then referenced his diagnosis with Parkinson’s . Two years later they stumped for the ethically challe
California: Charter Schools Advocates Distribute Vile, Anti-Semitic Poster of School Board Member Scott Schmerelson | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 5d
California: Charter Schools Advocates Distribute Vile, Anti-Semitic Poster of School Board Member Scott Schmerelson A front group for the California Charter Schools lobby, which calls itself “Families and Teachers United,” released a flyer that attacked school board member Scott Schmerelson, a pro-public school member of the LAUSD school board and well-qualified educator. Schmerelson has been en
New Hampshire Seeks to Pilot Online Pre-Schooling and Tries Again for Charters | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 5d
New Hampshire Seeks to Pilot Online Pre-Schooling and Tries Again for Charters New Hampshire’s Governor is a Trump-style extremist, Chris Sununu, whose father John advised the first President Bush. Sununu appointed Frank Edelblut as state commissioner of education. The state commissioner home-schooled his children and follows the ideology of Betsy DeVos. He thinks government money should go wher
Do You Know About Mike Bloomberg’s Record on Public Education? | janresseger

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Do You Know About Mike Bloomberg’s Record on Public Education? Much of what follows is from a November post on this blog about the education policies of New York City’s former three-term mayor, Michael Bloomberg, who was granted the right, by the state legislature, to run New York City’s public schools. In November when this was originally posted, Bloomberg was exploring whether to join other De
With A Brooklyn Accent: Why Donald Trump Hates Our Educational System and Demonizes Teachers- A Personal Reflection

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Why Donald Trump Hates Our Educational System and Demonizes Teachers- A Personal Reflection Why Donald Trump Hates Our Educational System and Demonizes Teachers- A Personal Reflection As someone who is exactly the same age as DJT and went to school during the same years, I look at his rise to the top of our society with astonishment. As a young person from a family of modest means, going to publ
UFT won’t endorse Bloomberg – that’s not good enough | JD2718

by Mike Simpson / 5d
UFT won’t endorse Bloomberg – that’s not good enough The United Federation of Teachers has created a convoluted rationale for not making an endorsement at this time in the presidential race. Given their history of endorsements, I am surprised anyone is upset. In short, the national federation, the American Federation of Teachers, has given the green light to locals to make an endorsement. But th

FEB 16

Educational Redlining - Student Borrower Protection Center

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Educational Redlining Report The SBPC’s analysis of fintech and banking products uncovered cases where a prospective borrower may be hit with thousands of dollars in additional credit costs if he or she attended a community college, an Historically Black College or University (HBCU), or an Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). ( Download report here ) Page 3 / 30 Zoom 100% Educational Redlining -
The Black Teachers in Our City Dropped From 40% to 24%. We Can Change That, If We Want To - Philly's 7th Ward

by Mike Simpson / 5d
THE BLACK TEACHERS IN OUR CITY DROPPED FROM 40% TO 24%. WE CAN CHANGE THAT, IF WE WANT TO I will never forget the time I attended a teaching job expo in Valley Forge, PA. Districts from around the state had laid out the welcome mat, eager to attract the newest and brightest teachers into their ranks. I stood among the crowds, these hundreds of people ready to join this most important and dearest
I Love Teaching, Even When It Doesn't Love Me Back | The Jose Vilson

by Mike Simpson / 5d
I Love Teaching, Even When It Doesn't Love Me Back At 2:45 pm, the students have already left the classroom. The door is slightly ajar, just open enough to let the teenage energy dissipate from this great green room. A whiteboard displays equations, diagrams, and words in different color markers. Desks once rigidly paired are slightly misaligned with untucked chairs and random doodles on them. T
Why School Counselors Are More Essential Than Ever - Teacher Habits

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Why School Counselors Are More Essential Than Ever By Frankie Wallace When you think about some of the most influential people in the lives of children, there are a few that probably immediately come to mind. Parents, of course. Maybe grandparents or other involved members of the family. Perhaps a close family friend or godparent. Definitely school teachers. But what about school counselors? Man
Mitchell Robinson: A Betsy DeVos-approved accreditation group authorized a "visa mill" college with no students or faculty | Eclectablog

by Mike Simpson / 6d
A Betsy DeVos-approved accreditation group authorized a "visa mill" college with no students or faculty | Eclectablog A Betsy DeVos-approved accreditation group authorized a “visa mill” college with no students or faculty According to a breaking story in USA Today , a Betsy DeVos-sanctioned accreditation agency gave approval to operate for Reagan National University in South Dakota, a “university
School Reforms That Are Persistent And Admired But Marginal (Part 3) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 6d
School Reforms That Are Persistent And Admired But Marginal (Part 3) Who am I quoting here? Hint: Quotes come from person born in the 19th century. If education is always to be conceived along the same antiquated lines of a mere transmission of knowledge, there is little to be hoped from it in the bettering of man’s future. For what is the use of transmitting knowledge if the individual’s total
CATCH UP WITH CURMUDGUCATION + ICYMI: Discount Chocolate Edition (2/16)

by Mike Simpson / 6d
CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Discount Chocolate Edition (2/16) Discount Chocolate Edition (2/16) Well, sure-- what else does one do after Valentines Day except shop for deep discounts on chocolate! While you're eating irresponsibly, here's some reading from the week. Remember to share. School choice detrimental to public schools A guest op-ed from a state senator in the Sun Prairie Star suggesting that
Laura Chapman: Aaron Churchill, Minister of Misinformation for Privatization in Ohio | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Laura Chapman: Aaron Churchill, Minister of Misinformation for Privatization in Ohio The munificently-funded Thomas B. Fordham Institute, based in D.C., controls Educatuon Policy, graduation requirements, curriculum, and testing in Ohio. Mr. Fordham, for whom the institute is named, had no known interest in education, but his namesake is part of the rightwing ALEC nexus, where contempt for publi
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 / 6d
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 It's Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... A VERY BUSY DAY The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL by Larry Ferlazzo / 11h BiljaST / Pixabay Five years ago I began this regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to E
Oklahoma: EPIC Virtual Charter School Penalized $530,000 for Excessive Administrative Costs | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Oklahoma: EPIC Virtual Charter School Penalized $530,000 for Excessive Administrative Costs There is not much to admire in Oklahoma’s penurious funding of its public schools. But there is one admirable law on the books. Schools are not permitted to spend excessive amounts on administrative overhead. And when they do, they are penalized. Epic One on One virtual charter school has been penalized m
EdAction in Congress February 16, 2020 - Education Votes

by Mike Simpson / 6d
EdAction in Congress February 16, 2020 Trump/DeVos budget slashes education funding The Trump/DeVos budget proposal for fiscal year 2021, released Feb. 10, would slash education funding by $6.1 billion—8.4 percent—compared to the amount Congress provided this year. Other budget lowlights include cutting and replacing key education programs with a block grant, robbing public schools of resources

FEB 15



TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 2/15/20 #REDFORED #tbats

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Big Education Ape TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 2/15/20 ‘Slaying Goliath’: Diane Ravitch argues in new book that public education advocates have beat back efforts to privatize schools - The Washington Post The real story of New 


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