Politico: Will Biden Bring Teachers’ Unions in from the Cold? The past two decades have been rough times for the two big teachers’ unions. Republicans have demonized them. The Obama administration courted their support but did little to help them as they were attacked by the right in Republican state houses and the Courts. Duncan gleefully promoted the misguided use of test scores to evaluate te
Coveducation recap: OKCPS plan, attendance questions & snow days There’s a lot of Oklahoma education news to catch up on this week, from Gov. Kevin Stitt moving teachers to phase two of Oklahoma’s vaccine distribution plan to an updated audit of Epic Charter Schools showing the school could have shortchanged taxpayers an additional $823,000. Don’t fret. We’ve made it easy to stay up-to-date with
Bye-bye! SPOILER ALERT: DEVOS IS IGNORANT Betsy DeVos Warns That Biden Will Pick Education Secretary with Background in Education Andy Borowitz reminds us, in his own entertaining way, that Betsy DeVos hates public schools and knows nothing about education. While Borowitz’s article is satire, it sadly describes more than one of the nation’s Secretaries of Education (and Bill Bennett probably hat
EXTRA! Diane Ravitch Analyzes What Biden’s Choice of Education Secretary Will Mean What follows is a reblog of Diane Ravitch’s analysis—based on a recent report from POLITICO—of what President-elect Joseph Biden’s
“Dr.” Jill Biden Is Fine with Me. On January 20, 2021, Jill Biden will become the first First Lady to also hold a doctoral degree in education. In Jill Biden’s case, hers is a Doctor of Education in Education Leadership from the University of Delaware. Biden is headed for the White House, and given her newly-heightened profile, I am not surprised that someone rose to the ugly occasion of trying
More Brilliance from the Chancellor Dear Colleagues, This has been a year of new challenges and difficult choices, for you at least. I myself have to choose every day whether to sit at the desk in my home office or stay in bed and watch videos. With no guidance whatsoever from me or any of my six-figure flunkies, you’ve had to reinvent the wheel, or more likely, drive a car on which we failed to
Kids Are NOT Falling Behind. They Are Surviving a Pandemic Everyone is worried about how the Coronavirus pandemic is affecting children. And it IS affecting them. But so much worry is being wasted on the wrong things. Instead of agonizing about kids being put in danger of infection at in-person schools where the virus is out of control, we’re told to worry about academic regression. Instead of f
1776 Commission Members Appointed (And It's About What You'd Expect) You remember just six 2020 weeks ago (that's roughly a year and a half in regular time), Dear Leader proclaimed that the 1776 Commission would be formed in order to create a more perfect set of teaching stuff that would teach our young people to think about our country in the Correct Way. The proclamation announcing this was a
A FEAR OF LOOKING FORWARD Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK'S WILDNESS Dad Gone Wild Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it. + TENNESSEE EDUCATION REPORT - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/12/this-weeks-wildness-dad-gone-wild.html “don’t write out of what I know; I write out of what I wonder. I think most artists create art in order to explore, not to give the answers. Poetry and art are not ab
State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Announces Results of 2017–19 Biennial Statewide California Healthy Kids Survey Big Education Ape: SSPI TONY THURMOND: STUFF THIS WEEK FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/12/sspi-tony-thurmond-stuff-this-week-from.html SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced results today fr
A Toxic Mess in Cudahy In November, I drove to South East LA to visit the site where a charter school purchased polluted land to build a new campus. I made this trip after I had a conversation with Susie de Santiago, an activist protecting her neighborhood in Cudahy. I wanted to see with my own eyes twenty thousand square feet of heavy metal and arsenic laced dirt. After I drove around the sweet
Dad Gone Wild – Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it. THIS WEEK'S WILDNESS Dad Gone Wild Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it. A FEAR OF LOOKING FORWARD by TC Weber / 18h “don’t write out of what I know; I write out of what I wonder. I think most artists create art in order to explore, not to give the answers. Poetry and art are not about answers to me; they are about questions.” ― Lucille Clifto
Teacher Tom A Profession in Crisis 500+ 1d Projection, Empathy, Compassion 300+ 2d How We Become Wiser, Gentler People 500+ 3d What if Being Good at Things Wasn't the Point of Doing Them? 3K 3d I See It Every Day in Preschool 400+ 4d Worrying About Using the Words of Diagnosis 1K 7d Sucking the Joy From Their Lives 2K 9d Teacher Tom
California Department of Education SSPI TONY THURMOND STUFF THIS WEEK FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 2017–19 Biennial CA Healthy Kids Survey Results 19h State Superintendent Tony Thurmond announces results of 2017–19 biennial statewide California Healthy Kids Survey. English Language Development Video Series Released 1d State Superintendent Tony Thurmond announces release of English
NewBlackMan (in Exile) THIS WEEK WITH NEWBLACKMAN (IN EXILE) Black And Up In Arms by Mark Anthony Neal / 8h 'Guns. They're as American as apple pie. They represent independence and self-reliance. But ... not so much if you're Black. On this episode of The Code Switch Podcast , we're getting into the complicated history of Black gun ownership and what it has to tell us about our present moment.' M
Education Research Report African American youth who receive positive messages about their racial group may perform better in school by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2d SHARE PRINT E-MAIL Youth of color represent over half of the school-aged population (kindergarten through twelfth grade) in public schools in the United States. This creates a need for evidence-driven approaches that address the pervasiv
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 “Teach Math in Ways That Are ‘Proactive’ & Not ‘Reactive’” by Larry Ferlazzo / 8h Teach Math in Ways That Are ‘Proactive’ & Not ‘Reactive’ is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Eleven educators share their ideas on how to promote culturally responsive teaching in mathematics. Her
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 New York City: Pandemic Leads de Blasio to Drop Screens for Middle School Admissions by dianeravitch / 39min Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that middle schools will drop their screens –e.g., test scores, grades, etc.–for admissions and will choos
Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Reopening a New York City School: ‘It’s Been a Tough Start’ - The New York Times - https://www.nytimes.com/video/nyregion/100000007469742/nyc-bronx-school-reopening.html A Simple Fix: Kindergarten at Night - The New York Times - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/18/us/kindergarten-at-night.html NYC middle schools, high schools to change a
Children are not our future There are plenty of warm fuzzy teacher sayings that I could well do without, emphasizing as they do that teachers are too noble to ever want to do things like, say, insist on being paid a decent wage or have control over their working conditions. But there's a child-focused saying that I would like to banish to the Island of Misfit Cliches-- Children are our future. O
The Time for a Federal Racial Equity Stimulus Package is Now This abridged op-ed was originally published in The Grio . Click here to read the full essay. The story of America is the power of common people coming together around a vision of opportunity, democracy, and a better way of life for generations to come. However, from our earliest beginnings, that vision was executed with instruments of
THE CRIME OF BRANDING STUDENTS AS CRIMINALS Throughout my time as an educator, I’ve been pulled into my share of “special taskforces” meant to address “at-risk” students – namely Black students. I have no doubt that such groups can be found in schools across America; primarily (I believe) because districts accept “helping” Black children on the backend with interventions that feign problem solvi
Biden breaks the Obama mold on teachers union strife Biden’s rhetoric and policies suggest the president-elect is still listening closely to teachers unions in a way Obama often did not. When teachers were upset about the stringent accountability measures Barack Obama imposed on them as president, their union boss turned to Joe Biden for some empathy. “He listened,” recalls Randi Weingarten, who
State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Outlines Actions, Priorities, and Investments Needed to Address Pandemic’s Impact on Students SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond today outlined priorities and investments needed to address the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on students, laying out critical next steps for ways the California Department of Education (CDE
Another “School” of the Future Steve Davis, a reader of the blog, told me of this Isaac Asimov story published in 1951 about teaching and learning in 2155. I thought readers who saw the previous post on “Schools of the Future” would enjoy this as much as I did . Margie even wrote about it that night in her diary. On the page headed May 17, 2155, she wrote, Today Tommy found a real book! It was a
NewBlackMan (in Exile) NewBlackMan (in Exile) TODAY Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK WITH NEWBLACKMAN (IN EXILE) - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/12/this-week-with-newblackman-in-exile_12.html DREAMWEAVERS: In / Conversation - Ming Smith and Arthur Jafa by Mark Anthony Neal / 13h 'Check out episode 2 of UTA Artist Space's Dreamweavers series featuring artists Ming Smith and Arthur Jafa – i
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/12/this-week-in-education-larry-ferlazzos_12.html “Twelve Ways to Make Math More Culturally Responsive” by Larry Ferlazzo /
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG TODAY? A site to discuss better education for all Big Education Ape: KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/12/keep-up-catch-up-with-diane-ravitchs.html Jeff Bezos: A Not-So-Good Billionaire? by dianeravitch
A Profession in Crisis The pandemic notwithstanding, if 25 percent of our nation's doctors were planning to quit the profession, it would constitute a national crisis. If my neighbor Amazon got word that one in four of their professional employees were going to walk away, it would be a disaster. Indeed, if any profession or employer had that much of their workforce ready to walk away, not for "b
Writing as an Academic and Scholar My transition to being an academic and scholar occurred in the mid-1990s after I had been a public school English teacher for more than a decade and a writer for almost two decades. Looking back, one of the most pivotal moments of that transition was when Craig Kridel, a leading scholar of educational biography who would become the anchor on my doctoral committ
Lorrie A. Shepard: Testing Students This Spring Would Be a Mistake Lorrie A. Shepard is one of the nation’s most eminent assessment experts. In this article in Education Week, she explains that it would be a mistake to resume testing this spring. She is University Distinguished Professor in the research and evaluation methodology program of the school of education at the University of Colorado B
Edutopia: The Ten Most Significant Education Studies of 2020 This is an enjoyable read. Edutopia identified what it calls the ten most significant education studies of 2020 . Probably none of these studies made it into the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse. Here are the first three: 1. TO TEACH VOCABULARY, LET KIDS BE THESPIANS When students are learning a new language, ask
Bad Admin and Crickets Do you feel like the kid in the picture sometimes? An awful lot of teachers do. It seems, particularly with an evaluation system that bares its teeth at us, that a lot of supervisors speak to us like that. I began as an English teacher. I ended up as an ESL teacher by happy accident. For one thing, I could never find a permanent job as an English teacher. By the time I did
HOW STUDENTS SHOULD BE PROTECTED FROM SURVEILLANCE DURING REMOTE LEARNING December 2020 Endorsed by Access Living, ACLU of Illinois, Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, Children’s Screen Time Action Network, Civitas ChildLaw Center, Hartlieb & Horste, LLC, Illinois Families for Public Schools, Parent Coalition for Student Privacy, Raise Your Hand for
State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Announces Release of English Language Development Video Series SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced today the release of a new tool designed to aid educators who support students learning English: an Integrated and Designated English Language Development (ELD) Video Series. The series is intended to support educators who
The path towards safe school reopenings I don't see any pathway to safe urban school reopenings without first classifying teachers and school staff as essential, frontline workers, and putting them near the top of the vaccine priority list. This should be part of a national campaign championed by the incoming Sec. of Education. Schools should also become centers for mass community inoculation. C
More Teacher Effectiveness Mirages The Fordham Institution has a new report entitled " Teacher Effectiveness and Improvement in Charter and Traditional Public Schools. " Despite what it claims to study, the report is a neear-perfect demonstration of Campbell's Law in action. The study starts with a question that, as used car salesmen put it, assumes the sale: Study after study has found that urb
Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES 'Snow days as we know them may be gone': How distance learning might cancel 'magical' ritual https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/snow-days-may-be-gone-distance-learning-143529179.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw&tsrc=twtr via @Yahoo Betsy DeVos pleads with Education Department employees to ‘resist’ the Biden administration - MarketWatch -
Researching DeVos’s $185 Million School Funding Plan During a Pandemic Researching DeVos’s $185 Million School Funding Plan During a Pandemic During this pandemic, public school funding is critical. The American public deserves to know as best as possible how their tax dollars are being spent on education and every area for that matter. That’s why it’s disappointing to review Education Secretary
California teachers unions mobilize against Democratic school reopening bill SACRAMENTO — California teachers unions are demanding that the Legislature maintain pandemic restrictions on school reopenings and have begun mobilizing against a Democratic bill introduced last week that could force schools to reopen in March. In separate letters to legislative leaders, the California Teachers Associat
Reaganland: Public Education and America’s Right Turn In the latest episode of Have You Heard, we talk to Rick Perlstein, author of the monumental new history Reaganland, about America’s ‘right turn’ against public education. As Perlstein recounts, public schools were at the very center of the culture wars of the 1970’s. From parents in the northeast revolting against court-ordered busing to the
Two outsiders emerge as top contenders for Biden’s education secretary Two lesser-known educators have emerged as top candidates for education secretary — a former dean at Howard University and the commissioner of schools in Connecticut, people familiar with the process said. The first is Leslie T. Fenwick, dean emeritus of the Howard University School of Education and a professor of educational
Projection, Empathy, Compassion During my first year as a teacher, I had a student, a two-year-old, who loved her hugs. She would hug me hello in the morning. She would hug her mother and father goodbye. She would hug total strangers if given the chance. It was a charming instinct, one for which she had grown accustomed to receiving praise. "She is such a loving girl!" "Oh, how sweet!" However,
Report: Two New Top Contenders for Secretary of Education The Washington Post reported that two new names have emerged as top contenders for Secretary of Education in the Biden Administration. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/biden-education-secretary-fenwick-cardona/2020/12/16/5811142e-3fb4-11eb-8bc0-ae155bee4aff_story.html Laura Meckler and Valerie Strauss wrote: Two lesser-known educa
UFT Delegate Assembly December 16, 2020--With Vaccine Coming, What's in the Future? UFT President Michael Mulgrew --Welcome to last DA of 2020. People on this call are the leadership of the union. We understand how much people lean on leaders during normal times. During these times, dealing with shutdown, fear and anxiety, people look to you. What you have done in terms of moving schools to remo
Outsmarted by Michael Mulgrew I submitted a resolution to move away from blended learning last month. It was next on the agenda, 3 minutes left in the motions period, and they didn’t even tell me to get ready to speak. Mulgrew filibustered away the full 3 minutes. So I was going to reintroduce the resolution this month. Background – The UFT/DoE blended learning plan never made much sense pedagog
State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Announces Mini Grants Now Available to Educators to Address Equity and Opportunity Gaps SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond today announced that California school districts and charter schools can now begin applying for mini grants to address equity and opportunity gaps in student learning. Announced earlier this month as part of
ITS ALL IN THE PERSPECTIVE “Memory,’ wrote the Lebanese novelist Elias Khoury, is a process of organizing what to forget.” ― Ben Ehrenreich, The Way to the Spring: Life and Death in Palestine Today is the last day of classes for Metro Nashville Public Schools. As I sit here and craft my latest missive, I am uplifted by the sounds of my youngest’s chortles wafting through his bedroom door. His te
Normality in Sayaka Murata What is normal? Are you normal? Am I normal? “Normality was contagious, and exposure to the infection was necessary to keep up with it,” explains Natsuki in Sayaka Murata’s Earthlings . If we accept that “normal” describes what is typical, and thus, what we may expect in any circumstance, then the novels of Murata are themselves not normal. And the central characters i
Josh Karan on Mayoral control Tomorrow on Dec. 17, the NY State Assembly Standing Committee on Education will hold hearings on Mayoral control tomorrow, starting at 10 AM. You can view the hearings live streamed here . Testimony is by invitation only. Josh Karan was a member of the Parent Commission on School Governance, whose 2009 report is posted here . Other documents created by the Commissio
NewBlackMan (in Exile) NewBlackMan (in Exile) TODAY Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK WITH NEWBLACKMAN (IN EXILE) - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/12/this-week-with-newblackman-in-exile_12.html Stakes Been High: Mychal Denzel Smith on Life After the American Dream | Review by Mark Anthony Neal by Mark Anthony Neal / 40min Stakes Been High: Mychal Denzel Smith on Life After the American Drea
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/12/this-week-in-education-larry-ferlazzos_12.html The Wright Brothers Made Their First Flight On This Day 117 Years Ago – H
Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Texas schools struggling with enrollment urge state not to cut funds | The Texas Tribune - https://www.texastribune.org/2020/12/15/texas-school-funding-enrollment/ by @AliyyaSwaby on @TexasTribune Supreme Court will hear NCAA case on college athlete pay - POLITICO - https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/16/supreme-court-will-hear-ncaa-c
Going Back to School? Now What? Because I’ve reached the age and stage where memories blend, fade away, or are exaggerated beyond recognition, I cannot recall whether the insight, “ If my students aren’t learning, then I am not teaching ,” was uttered by a veteran colleague from my 4-year teaching stint, whether it came from one of the thousands of teachers I interviewed over 41 years of reporti
Republicans I was tempted to begin this reflection by saying ‘some of my best friends are Republicans’—but that’s not true, these days. I myself voted for years in the Republican primary, because it was the only way to have some say in who would be representing me, in my ruby-red district. My friends and family run the gamut from fire-breathing leftists to what we in Michigan call Milliken Repub
Are Charter Schools Making Their Move on the Suburbs? A s the COVID-19 pandemic began closing school buildings and forcing schools to quickly ramp up online learning programs in April, an op-ed by Alex Medler, the executive director of the Colorado Association of Charter School Authorizers, made an appeal to Betsy DeVos’s Department of Education to change the guidelines of her department’s grant
I'm Not Sure I Want My Students To Succeed I’m not sure I want my students to succeed. How’s that for an attention-grabber? Now I'll skillfully jump back and lay the foundation for such an outrageous claim and hope it’s enough to keep you reading until we reach it again further on. Four-Point Scale or Back Hoe? The question of how to grade, what to grade, or even IF to grade isn’t exactly new in
27% of teachers are considering quitting because of Covid: survey 27% of teachers are considering quitting because of Covid, survey finds The coronavirus pandemic has put significant pressure on America’s teachers. Some have been asked to weigh risks to their personal health and teach in person . Some have been asked to teach from behind computer screens and perfect distance learning . Many have
What It’s Like Teaching On Zoom To Students I’ve Never Met, And Often Not Seen Or Heard “I do not know what my students sound or look like, as they rarely come off mute or turn their cameras on.” I looked on the chat board and saw that one of my 7th-grade students had, once again, posted a picture of a McDonald’s meal. This meant that they needed a break and wanted to tell me about the Travis Sc
A Holiday Gift of Poetry 2020 The holidays will be a bit different for all of this year, but one constant source of joy and solace for me is poetry. Here are a few that I have resonant in this somewhat scary, socially distanced time. Happy Holidays. When Giving is All We Have Alberto Rios One river gives Its journey to the next. We give because someone gave to us. We give because nobody gave to
DeVos urges career staff to ‘be the resistance’ as Biden takes over The secretary's remarks come after nearly four years of frequently sparring with the career employees of her department. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos urged career employees at the Education Department on Tuesday to “be the resistance” when the Biden administration comes into power next month, according to a recording of her r
Carol Burris: How Charter Schools Cashed in on the Paycheck Protection Program Dr. Carol Burris is the executive director of the Network for Public Education, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that works to strengthen and improve public schools. Nearly 400,000 people in every state support its activities. Burris was a teacher and an award-winning principal in New York State. This summer, the
How We Become Wiser, Gentler People It happened in a flash. He wanted to dump the bowl of "jewels" (florist marbles) that he had collected into the mud. She wanted them to remain clean. He dump the jewels. There were loud voices and when I looked from across the sand pit I saw her push his face, then storm off. Both children were upset. The boy's mother was nearby and after checking to make sure
Public Schools Need the Modest Dollars in Current Fiscal Relief Package, But Addressing Educational Injustice Will Take Much More On Sunday, the leaders of the nation’s three largest school districts— Richard Carranza in New York, Austin Beutner in Los Angeles, and Janice Jackson in Chicago—published a column in the Washington Post demanding financial help to enable their school districts to fun
How Does Education Fix Poverty? Spoiler alert... The idea that we can educate poverty away has been a popular one with policymakers and politicians for years now. Here's just one example , from Janet Yellen, former Fed Chair and, possibly, future Treasury Secretary , back in 2017: Yellen spoke to a conference on community development today, where she says that providing children with the opportu
NewBlackMan (in Exile) Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK WITH NEWBLACKMAN (IN EXILE) - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/12/this-week-with-newblackman-in-exile_12.html Ijeoma Oluo on 'Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America' by Mark Anthony Neal / 12h 'In her new book, Mediocre : The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America , Ijeoma Oluo , author of the best seller So You Want to T
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/12/this-week-in-education-larry-ferlazzos_12.html “Eight Strategies for Engaging in Culturally Relevant Teaching” by Larry
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all Big Education Ape: KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/12/keep-up-catch-up-with-diane-ravitchs.html Nancy Flanagan: Norms, Ethics, and Civility by dianeravitch / 44min During the past four years, we have witnessed a dramatic erosion of n
Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES If Teachers Get the Vaccine Quickly, Can Students Get Back to School? - The New York Times - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/15/us/teachers-vaccine-school.html Black Student Expelled After Mother Complains About 'Fences' - The New York Times - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/15/us/providence-day-school-fences-.html Schools Will Close in
Paul Peterson: “No, Al Shanker Did Not Invent the Charter School” This is a fascinating article written by Paul Peterson of Harvard University about the origin of the charter school idea. Many people credit the idea to Al Shanker and Ray Budde of the University of Massachusetts, but Peterson sets them straight. Peterson is the foremost proponent of school choice, charters and vouchers, in the ac
Opinion | We need a Marshall Plan for our schools. And we need it now. - The Washington Post We need a Marshall Plan for our schools. And we need it now Richard Carranza, Austin Beutner and Janice Jackson are superintendents of the nation’s three largest school districts, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, respectively. President-elect Joe Biden has described the crisis in public schools caused b
Grandparents raising students face extra challenges during COVID-19 Grandparents raising students face extra challenges during COVID-19 Linda Chambers has had guardianship over her two grandchildren for the past four years. There were new things to learn, like getting the hang of school schedules and navigating programs through the Department of Human Services. But the biggest adjustment came thi
The Lower Realities of Higher Education I posted a fairly tame Tweet about the Wall Street Journal ‘s recent Op-Ed attacking Jill Biden using “Dr.” and editorial doubling-down on negative responses to the Op-Ed (none of which I will link here): The Tweet attracted conservatives with ten’s of followers, most of them misreading the Tweet and many of them attacking me for being an academic/professo
NewBlackMan (in Exile) NewBlackMan (in Exile) TODAY Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK WITH NEWBLACKMAN (IN EXILE) - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/12/this-week-with-newblackman-in-exile_12.html “You’re Minor, We’re Major”: Halfway Books Reimagines Hip-Hop Journalism by Tyler Bunzey by Mark Anthony Neal / 12h | @t_bunzey | NewBlackMan (in Exile) From ’71 ‘til, hip-hop has tried to ignore con
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all Big Education Ape: KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/12/keep-up-catch-up-with-diane-ravitchs.html Three Big-City Superintendents: We Need a Marshall Plan for Our Schools: Now! 32 by dianeravitch / 3h This article by the superintendents
DR. EVIL VERSUS LILY AND THE TEACHER UNIONS We’re still waiting to hear from the Biden administration as to their pick for Education Secretary. The delay could reflect the debate within the Democratic Party between the corporate education reformers like Democrats for Education Reform and the large teacher unions like the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association. For
They didn’t turn in their work for remote school. Their parents were threatened with courts and fines After their kids experienced tech glitches or turned off cameras during online learning, these families were accused of truancy and received legal threats Hayden, 12, had been having panic attacks about school even before a letter arrived at his home last month, threatening legal action for his
Classrooms of the Future? Technological fantasies of the future school have been around for decades. Here’s one from 1910. Note all of the information going into students’ heads comes from textbooks fed into a wood chipper. Or another from 1963 cartoon called “The Jetsons.” Or this one in 1982 predicting that the future school will be monopolized by the then dominant company Atari. And then “Mee
What if Being Good at Things Wasn't the Point of Doing Them? Our daughter played on a middle school soccer team in a league that didn't believe in keeping score. The kids, of course, simply kept score themselves, always knowing in the end who had won and who had lost. They knew that not keeping score wasn't part of the real world and they mocked the charade. That said, her team was not very good
Another Letter from the Chancellor Dear Colleagues, As we approach the end of the calendar year, I am reflecting back on some of the events of 2020. We have confronted uncertainty and pain together, working as a community dedicated in service to our city’s children. Because their safety is paramount, we took a principled stand and vowed to close schools as soon as the positivity rate reached 3%.
Patrick Sullivan on the DOE's acquisition of Reliant bus company: Why the PEP should vote no. Patrick Sullivan, a former member of the Panel for Educational Policy, sent this to current members in opposition to the DOE acquisition of Reliant bus company. For more on this issue, see Sue Edelman's article yesterday in the New York Post and the editorial today. The PEP is voting on this contract to
Epstein's poke at Dr. Jill Biden backfires. Whatever the purpose of Joseph Epstein's WSJ screed ... it surely failed. I think his poke at Dr. Jill Biden for professionally using 'DR.' in front of her name had less to do with educational leadership titles and Dr. Biden's personal achievements (which are notable) and more with discrediting the Biden/Harris election victory. The best honorific for
THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT “As far as Kiva could tell, whenever selfish humans encountered a wrenching, life-altering crisis, they embarked on a journey of five distinct stages: Denial. Denial. Denial. Fucking Denial. Oh, shit everything is terrible grab what you can and run.” ― John Scalzi, The Last Emperox This past weekend, riding in the car with my 10-year old son, I was regaling him with
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/12/this-week-in-education-larry-ferlazzos_12.html A Beginning List Of Resources For Teaching About Racist Mascots by Larry
Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES They Didn't Turn In Their Work For Remote School. Their Parents Were Threatened With Court And Fines. | HuffPost - https://www.huffpost.com/entry/truancy-remote-learning_n_5fd3aa5fc5b66a758414b732 on @HuffPostPol Wave of federal charter school funding on its way to N.H. - https://www.concordmonitor.com/Fiscal-Committee-approves-doubling
CDC: Schools Need Additional $442 Per Student to Reopen Safely The figure represents the total cost for schools implementing all safety measures for the approximately 51 million students enrolled in public schools in the U.S. PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE U.S. need as much as $22 billion to reopen for in-person learning during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new estimate from the Centers for Di
NewBlackMan (in Exile) NewBlackMan (in Exile) TODAY Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK WITH NEWBLACKMAN (IN EXILE) - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/12/this-week-with-newblackman-in-exile_12.html Diary of a Song: How Prince Wrote a Political Anthem That’s Still Relevant Today by Mark Anthony Neal / 12h 'Breaking down the 1987 track, “Sign o’ the Times,” that’s still powerfully resonant today,
I See It Every Day in Preschool Former Federal Reserve Chair and Joe Biden's nominee for Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has expressed the opinion that it's okay for the US to add trillions to our nation debt in order to improve education. Yellen is an impressive person. She is respected on both sides of the political aisle, having served at high levels under both Democrats and Republicans and s
Education Research Report Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK Education Research Report - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/12/this-week-education-research-report_12.html Least Advantaged Benefit Most From Attending Effective Schools by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 47min This study estimates the longer-run effects of attending an effective high school (one that improves a combination of test scores, su
114 studies on flipped classrooms show small payoff for big effort Research also hints at the importance of live video instruction during remote learning In a flipped classroom, students watch video lectures before class and use class time to work on assignments and group projects. It’s “flipped” because it’s the opposite of the traditional structure in which students first learn from a teacher’
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 A VERY BUSY DAY Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/12/this-week-i
ABOUT THAT PHD. With all the crises facing folks these days, some may wonder about why the hell are we talking about Jill Biden and her title as a doctor? The Wall Street Journal, which published the original op-ed piece by Joseph Epstein, doubled down. Top WSJ editor Paul Gigot complained about critics of the column playing the gender card. Whatever that is. Dr. Biden has earned her title. She
Ugly Attacks on Teachers and Teachers Unions As a candidate for President, Joseph Biden promised to appoint a teacher or someone experienced in public school education as U.S. Secretary of Education. Now as Biden is appointing the members of his Cabinet, we are reading opinion pieces filled with all the old conventional biases against schoolteachers in general and against the National Education
Will Civics Education Help Students Make Better Decisions? [It’s complicated] In my role as President of the Education Alumni Association at a local college I host a “Principal and Community Breakfast” every February. We invite a policy maker, a researcher, or a scholar to make a presentation to local principals and activists. This year we invited a speaker from the US Census; she made an excell
Why isn't planning fair across grade levels If you follow my blog, you know I am not happy with the new contract offer; however, the district's disrespect and playing a shell game with money, moving it around to keep it out of the hands of teachers who should be getting it, aren't my only concerns; another is why isn't planning equitable across grade levels? Why in some schools do teachers get 9
Schools, Supposedly, Have Caused the Fall of US Religion The Christian Church has been suffering a steady and rapid decline for a few decades now, a trend noted by many social scientists, and a source of struggle within many churches that are looking for ways to fill newly-emptied pews. You can look at many data sets on the subject. The folks at Pew Research find that there's a stark generationa
City Council candidate education briefing | Class Size Matters City Council candidate education briefing | A clearinghouse for information on class size & the proven benefits of smaller classes City Council candidate education briefing On Dec. 9, 2020, Class Size Matter and NYC Kids PAC held an online briefing for City Council candidates and campaign staff. About 85 or so candidates participated.
The shame of a nation. My blood is boiling after seeing news and videos of violent American fascists ("Proud Boys) being turned loose on mask wearers and counter-protesters in D.C. yesterday. This follows by days 126 Republican congressmen and 17 red-state attorneys general signing on to the Texas lawsuit aimed at disenfranchising millions of voters, especially voters of color. As expected, the
CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Still Shopping Edition (12/13) Still Shopping Edition Trying desperately to shop at small local stores, and it's a real challenge right now. And what has to be ordered comes with the special When Will It Actually Arrive suspense. Happy holidays, one and all. In the meantime, some reading.... San Joaquin Valley in the DPE Crosshairs Thomas Ultican peels back the layers on ye
Which COVID numbers do you check? Before Thanksgiving NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo held a press conference where he talked about how low New York State’s COVID numbers were, and how bad the numbers were in other places. North Dakota. Wyoming. He said Wyoming again and again, each time slowly, carefully forming each syllable like he was doing physical therapy for his jaw and tongue. “Wyoming.” He ma
Two School Board Members Fail To Hold Failing Charter School Accountable Nick Melvoin and Monica Garcia are the lone votes on the LAUSD School Board to approve Prepa Tec charter school for another five years. “ They’ve had five years to figure this out and they haven’t figured it out. ” - LAUSD Board Member Jackie Goldberg When the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) considers the renewa
Should Two Decades of Mayoral Control End? TEACHERS OF NYC TO HOLD VIRTUAL EVENT SUNDAY EVENING 8PM The de Blasio mis-leadership of the school system has put the control of the schools in the hands of one person on the table for discussion. Thank you for registering for "REIMAGINE: OUR CITY SCHOOLS (1) - December TONYC Meet-up". Please submit any questions to: theteachersofnyc@gmail.com Date Tim
#DecolonizingThanksgiving On the heels of Thanksgiving (aka Thanks-taking), decolonizing this holiday means we tell the truth about the violence this country has inflicted towards indigenous peoples, while also standing in solidarity with and honoring the ongoing struggle for native sovereignty. As we prepare to gather in safe & virtual ways with family and friends, the conversation may come up
Focus on union leader as Biden searches for education secretary At least a dozen names have been batted around as possible secretaries of education for President-elect Joe Biden, with no clear choice emerging. But one woman in particular is the subject of intense lobbying, both pro and con. Lily Eskelsen GarcÃa, who stepped down as president of the National Education Association in September, ha
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/12/this-week-in-education-larry-ferlazzos_12.html My Twelve Favorite BAM! Radio Shows Of The Year – 2020 by Larry Ferlazzo
Arthur Camins: My Hopes and Dreams for My Grandchildren’s Education Arthur Camins has had a fruitful career as a teacher, science educator, and technology expert. He writes here about the kind of education he hopes his grandchildren will have. He begins: Persistent inequity and underfunding, especially after decades of emphasis on test-based accountability and privatization, largely unopposed in
Before you vote to approve the new DCPS contract you should really consider these things. Teachers pivoted to online learning in a weekend. They have risked life and limb during the pandemic too. So what has DCPS done for them? Doubled down on testing, stolen planning time, and offered them a bad faith contract, all while sitting on nearly 70 million dollars. Please consider a few things before
Will PA Schools Ask Parents to Oversee CDT Testing at Home? Should parents be asked to administer on-line tests to their own children at home? Back in May someone at Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) had an idea. Since a global pandemic had shuttered classrooms, no children were being forced to take the multi-billion dollar testing company ’s products. Federally mandated assessments like the Pe
Big Education Ape TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 12/12/20 ‘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 Orleans and its charter schools - The Washington Post TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 12/5/20 #REDFORED #tbats #COVID-19 #REOPENSCHOOLSSAFELY #COVIDOUTBREAK #BIDENWINS #TOPBANANAHEADLINES UPDA
Will Pandemic Changes in Schooling Be Temporary or Permanent? “As Customers Move on Line, Shopping Is Forever Changed,” a New York Times article announce d. For the holiday season, Macy’s department stores in a few states have closed their doors to in-person shopping and become fulfillment centers for online shoppers. Jeff Gennette, Macy’s chief executive, said the dark stores are part of an exp
The week in coveducation: Board of Education appointee backs out, Epic updates Gov. Kevin Stitt’s controversial appointee to the State Board of Education withdrew her name from consideration this week. Meanwhile, the Epic Charter Schools board approved more corrective actions surrounding the investigative audit of Epic One-on-One and Epic Blended, as well as noncompliance found in the federal pr
My Suggestion for Holiday Gifts I always have this problem in early December: What shall I give to the children in my life? This year I did something I have wanted to do for a long time. I got a gift catalog from Heifer.com and I ordered animals that will be given to a family that needs them to have a better life. I purchased a sheep ($120) on behalf of one child and a goat on behalf of another.
School Leaders Who Never Learn Believe Students Can't Either It's hard to overstate the lack of vision and foresight of Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chancellor Richard Carranza, but they continue to trip all over themselves day after day. The mayor just finished announcing that the one-third of students who signed up for in person learning, at least those in lower grades, might be able to attend fiv
Florida: Leader of Closed Charter School Indicted for Embezzlement The leader of Paramount Charter School in Broward County, now closed, was indicted for theft of federal funds. The school opened in 2015, promising to provide an education that would meet “the highest academic and personal standards.” Didn’t happen, say parents. After compiling a terrible academic record, the school closed in 201
Schools Are Still Not Like Ubers Betsy DeVos (who will soon not be a humble servant in the education secretary's office, but will instead be a very rich lady who wants to dismantle public education) likes to compare her vision of education to the same kind of disruption offered by outfits like Uber, a comparison that many folks like to make . I've written before about what a lousy comparison tha
I will be voting no on the new contract and if you are a teacher in DCPS so should you You know a contract offer is bad when even people voting for it admit it. Over and over again, I have heard, yeah, it's not good, but what are we going to do. I will tell you what you should do, say no. Say no to the disrespect, say no to the shoddy offer, that robs Peter to pay Paul, say no to the threats, ju
2019-20 Data on Use of Restraints on Students - Year 2020 (CA Dept of Education) California Department of Education Releases 2019-20 Data on Use of Restraints and Seclusions on Students 2019-20 High School Graduation and Dropout Rates - Year 2020 (CA Dept of Education) - https://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr20/yr20rel101.asp SACRAMENTO—The California Department of Education (CDE) today released data on
Going to UFT Meetings There are people with perfect attendance and that’s not me, but I do like going to union meetings, and my attendance is pretty good. There are four different kinds of United Federation of Teachers meetings I attend. And all of them have changed during the pandemic. DR Meetings At my DR’s meetings we have a small group. It’s possible to have real discussion. And when I have
FRIDAY NEWS DROP “I believe that managing is like holding a dove in your hand. If you hold it too tightly, you kill it, but if you hold it too loosely, you lose it.” ― Tommy Lasorda In 1994 Major League Baseball went on strike . Like many fans, I was disappointed, angry, and frustrated. The games resumed in the Spring of 1995, but not without damage done to the preception of the game. Many fans
Dad Gone Wild – Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it. THIS WEEK'S WILDNESS Dad Gone Wild Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it. FRIDAY NEW DROP by TC Weber / 18h “I believe that managing is like holding a dove in your hand. If you hold it too tightly, you kill it, but if you hold it too loosely, you lose it.” ― Tommy Lasorda In 1994 Major League Baseball went on strike . Like many fans, I was disa
Teacher Tom Worrying About Using the Words of Diagnosis 500+ 23h Sucking the Joy From Their Lives 2K 2d Getting on the Same Bandwagon 400+ 3d It's the Thinking 200+ 4d Learning Rules Vs. Intellectual Development and Understanding 500+ 5d False Beliefs 200+ 8d Teacher Tom
California Department of Education SSPI THURMOND STUFF THIS WEEK FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 2019-20 Data on Use of Restraints on Students 15h California Department of Education releases 2019-20 data on use of restraints and seclusions on students. 2019-20 High School Graduation and Dropout Rates 16h California Department of Education releases 2019-20 high school graduation and dr
NewBlackMan (in Exile) South Africa After the Rainbow: A Conversation with Anne-Maria Makhulu by Mark Anthony Neal / 14h 'When professor Anne-Maria Makhulu returned to South Africa to start her research in the late 1990's, the South African Truth & Reconciliation Commission was just beginning to start it's work. She says that while the newly established transparency was important for understandi
Education Research Report COVID-19 and learning loss by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 19h The COVID-19 pandemic has both illuminated and magnified the persistent disparities between different races and income groups in the United States. In education, attention has largely focused on the achievement gap, which is widening because of the pandemic. But to address the achievement gap, schools must focus on
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 New Site Shares The Stories Of Thousands Who Were Enslaved by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h Enslaved is an amazing site allow people to learn the stories of hundreds of thousands of people who had been enslaved. You can research names, read short narrative stories , and a lot more at the site. A Smithsonian Mag
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 Florida: Leader of Closed Charter School Indicted for Embezzlement by dianeravitch / 20min The leader of Paramount Charter School in Broward County, now closed, was indicted for theft of federal funds. The school opened in 2015, promising to prov
Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Education Research Report: Study: Teacher performance measures may penalize black educators - http://educationresearchreport.blogspot.com/
