TOP POSTS THIS WEEK&nbsp; 1/30/21

Vaccine for Teachers, Shortages, and The Shock Doctrine | Live Long and Prosper

Steve Hinnefeld Reviews “A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door” by Schneider and Berkshire Steve Hinnefeld, an Indiana blogger, reviews Jack Schneider and Jennifer Berkshire’s new book A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door and finds that it resonates with his own experience in Indiana. He writes: “A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door” focuses on a fundamental debate on the nature of schools. Education, the authors

How I Got the Covid Vaccine: an Immunization Odyssey | gadflyonthewallblog

Vaccine for Teachers, Shortages, and The Shock Doctrine VACCINATE TEACHERS Anthony Fauci: ‘Get Teachers Vaccinated as Quickly as We Possibly Can’ Teachers were acclaimed as heroes when the pandemic lockdowns occurred in March. They adapted quickly to new technologies and new circumstances. That changed quickly, however, when people (and the media) realized that not everyone could stay home with

Education Matters: I can't imagine DCPS being more despicable.

How I Got the Covid Vaccine: an Immunization Odyssey So there I was standing out in the cold – miserable but happy. My jacket was buttoned up to my nose on top of my mask. My hood was up and my glasses were becoming a white screen of fog where my hot breath escaped into the chill. In my pocket, my left hand wiggled into a glove, then sneaked out to hold my glasses away from my face. It was the o

Choosing Democracy: Should California Schools Reopen?

I can't imagine DCPS being more despicable DCPS has been encouraging, cajoling, and in some cases threatening staff not to social distance. I put the following question on 5 Facebook pages that have the potential to reach almost 9000 people, many of whom are educators or very interested in education. DCPS teacher friends, have any of you been pressured or even asked to do small group instruction

‘School choice’ is a dog whistle for resegregation

Should California Schools Reopen? It’s been a month since Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced his Safe Schools for All Plan , in which he aims to reopen schools for in-person learning by February or March. However, with the Feb. 16 deadline to open schools looming, there’s no telling how many districts have actually signed on to adopt the plan. Education leaders and teachers have openly criticized it,

ALL THE WORLDS A STAGE, AND WE BUT MERELY PERFORMERS – Dad Gone Wild

‘School choice’ is a dog whistle for resegregation Congratulations to Cindy Marten. San Diego Unified School District’s superintendent has been tapped to become the next deputy U.S. education secretary. Under Marten, San Diego Unified was one of two large urban districts nationwide in 2019 to outperform average test scores for fourth- and eighth-graders. The district’s Black and Latino students

THIS WEEK'S WILDNESS Dad Gone Wild Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it. + TENNESSEE EDUCATION REPORT

ALL THE WORLDS A STAGE, AND WE BUT MERELY PERFORMERS “All politics is marketing. And in marketing, there are but two variables: product and salesmanship.” ― Tim Dorsey, Pineapple Grenade I’ve been deeply involved in the world of public education for nearly a decade now, yet I am still consistently amazed at just how weird it all gets. You would think the world of academia would adhere to some so

TEACHER TOM THIS WEEK IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Dad Gone Wild – Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it. THIS WEEK'S WILDNESS Dad Gone Wild Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it. ALL THE WORLDS A STAGE, AND WE BUT MERELY PERFORMERS by TC Weber / 19h “All politics is marketing. And in marketing, there are but two variables: product and salesmanship.” ― Tim Dorsey, Pineapple Grenade I’ve been deeply involved in the world of public education for near

SSPI TONY THURMOND: STUFF THIS WEEK FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Teacher Tom Disarming 200+ 23h The Radical Idea of Treating Children Like People 2K 2d What I Miss 400+ 3d The Absurd Myth of the "Self-Made Man" 400+ 3d The Death of a Hero 100+ 4d This is the Story of Our Lives 7d Teacher Tom

THIS WEEK WITH NEWBLACKMAN (IN EXILE) #BLM #BLACKLIVESMATTER

California Department of Education SSPI TONY THURMOND STUFF THIS WEEK FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SBE Agenda for February 10, 2021 13h Agenda for the California State Board of Education (SBE) meeting on February 10, 2021. Summer Meal Programs Applications Available 18h State Superintendent Tony Thurmond announces applications for Summer Meal programs. 2020 Equipment Assistance Gra

THIS WEEK Education Research Report

NewBlackMan (in Exile) THIS WEEK WITH NEWBLACKMAN (IN EXILE) The Tight Rope: Cornel West & Tricia Rose Talk with Charles M. Blow by Mark Anthony Neal / 1d ' In this episode of The Tight Rope , acclaimed journalist and op-ed columnist for the New York Times , Charles M. Blow , walks The Tight Rope with Dr. Cornel West and Professor Tricia Rose . The author of bestselling memoir Fire Shut Up in My

THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007

Education Research Report New WWC Reviews of Early College High Schools and Dual-Credit Courses for Student Success by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2d Not all education research is equal—the WWC identifies well-designed studies, trustworthy research, and meaningful findings to inform decisions and improve student outcomes. This month, we are highlighting two new reviews of studies on postsecondary educ

Big Education Ape / 4h

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Quote Of The Day – On School Desegregation by Larry Ferlazzo / 8h New York Schools Are Segregated. Will the Next Mayor Change That? is an article in today’s New York Times, and I think the textbox highlights its key portion. The online article also includes a couple of useful links backing-up that mes

KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all #REDFORED #tbats #REOPENSCHOOLSSAFELY #COVIDVACCINE

Big Education Ape / 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 Mitchell Robinson: If You Want Schools to Reopen, First Make Them Safe for Students and Teachers by dianeravitch / 34min Mitchell Robinson is a professor of music education at Michigan State University who writes frequently about K-12 issues. In

How I Got the Covid Vaccine: an Immunization Odyssey

200+gadflyonthewallblog / 4h

So there I was standing out in the cold – miserable but happy. My jacket was buttoned up to my nose on top of my mask. My hood was up and my glasses were becoming a white screen of fog where my hot breath escaped into the chill. In my pocket, my left hand wiggled into a glove, then sneaked out to hold my glasses away from my face. It was the only way I could see whether the line was moving. And d

YESTERDAY

THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Friday, January 29, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #REOPENSCHOOLSSAFELY #COVIDVACCINE

Big Education Ape / 23h

Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES The Impact of Teacher Deaths https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/29/us/the-impact-of-teacher-deaths.html Video: “Dr. Fauci joins AFT and NEA for vaccine discussion” | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - https://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/?p=115203 on @Larryferlazzo ALERT! Red State Governors Push DeVos Privatization Agenda As They Cel

More states seek federal waivers from standardized tests as Biden extends deadline for requests - The Washington Post

Big Education Ape / 23h

More states seek federal waivers from standardized tests as Biden’s Education Department extends deadline for requests The Biden administration is giving states extra time to seek a waiver from annual standardized tests mandated by federal law as New York and Michigan announced they don’t want to subject students to the exams this year during the covid-19 pandemic. “In light of the ongoing pande

ASD Light – Tennessee Education Report

Big Education Ape / 23h

ASD LIGHT State Senator Ferrell Haile of Sumner County has filed SB 122 , a bill creating a “School Turnaround Pilot Program.” Maybe Haile has never heard of the Achievement School District? It’s difficult to understand why someone who has served on the Senate Education Committee for some time now and should have at least a vague familiarity with education policy in our state would want to recre

Dr. Fauci has conversation with teachers' union about reopening schools in President Joe Biden's first 100 days - ABC7 San Francisco

Big Education Ape / 23h

Dr. Fauci has conversation with teachers' union about reopening schools in Biden's first 100 days SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Reopening most schools within President Biden's first 100 days is a big commitment. Many, including teacher unions, are questioning whether or not that is even possible. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, had a livestream

NYC Public School Parents: Last night's historic vote of the Panel for Educational Policy to reject the Pearson contract for assessing "giftedness"

Big Education Ape / 23h

Last night's historic vote of the Panel for Educational Policy to reject the Pearson contract for assessing "giftedness" Last night was truly one for the history books, at least in the history of NYC public schools: the Panel for Educational Policy, composed of a majority of mayoral appointees, voted down a DOE contract. After more than six hours of testimony by CEC members, elected officials, s

Dr. Cardona, Please Cancel the Tests - Network For Public Education

Big Education Ape / 23h

Dr. Cardona, Please Cancel the Tests Dear Dr. Cardona: On December 14, 2019, President Joe Biden participated in the 2020 Public Education Forum held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Early childhood expert, Dr. Denisha Jones, explained the damage done by standardized testing and then asked, “If you are elected President, will you commit to the ending of standardized testing in public schools?” Joe B

NEA’s top priorities in Congress - Education Votes

Big Education Ape / 23h

NEA’s top priorities in Congress By Barbara Moldauer and Amanda Menas Educators have high hopes for improving racial and social justice within school communities under the Biden-Harris administration during the 117th Congress. NEA, which represents 3 million educators nationwide, is calling on Congress to ensure that the lives of all of our students–Black, White, Latino, Native, LGBTQ+, and newc

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

Big Education Ape / 23h

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/2021/01/this-week-in-education-larry-ferlazzos_23.html Video: “Dr. Fauci joins AFT and NEA for vaccine discussion” by Larry Ferl

Teacher Tom: Disarming

Andrea Gabor: What the Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman Taught Us | Diane Ravitch's blog

Disarming There was once a time when I felt I always had to don my armor to go out into the world. You know what I'm talking about it, of course: everything from the clothing to the attitude that I wear when I leave the safety of home. It's the way we protect ourselves from a world that we fear will harm us if it sees who we really are. The hostility of the world is real. Black people better pro

Ohio Senate Killed New School Funding Plan: Now We Hear That Money Doesn’t Matter | janresseger

Andrea Gabor: What the Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman Taught Us Andrea Gabor has written recently about the importance of civics education. She has reminded us that the obsession with standardized testing has robbed students of the joy of learning and consumed time that could be better spent in other ways. The 22-year-old Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, who spoke so beautifully at the inauguration of

NYC Educator: NY Times Continues Its Battle on Common Sense

Ohio Senate Killed New School Funding Plan: Now We Hear That Money Doesn’t Matter Ohio Auditor Keith Faber explained on Tuesday that, “The Auditor of State’s Office recently completed a performance audit for the Ohio Department of Education.” Faber says that the purpose is to make recommendations about “economy, efficiency, and/or effectiveness in the areas reviewed…” One of the subjects of the

Teacher Comments on Being Tech Skeptics | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

NY Times Continues Its Battle on Common Sense I've been amazed for years as the NY Times, with some notable exceptions, offered the worst education reporting in Fun City. This is a revered name, with generations of history, and yet you always feel they hate union as much as the tabloids. Of course, the Times has had to deal with union and likely would have made more money if all those who worked

Capital Union President Lied To Every Single Teacher In Capital School District | Exceptional Delaware

Teacher Comments on Being Tech Skeptics I am fortunate to have many readers who are classroom teachers. I have published posts over the past few years about my research on exemplary teachers who integrated technology into their lessons. Some of those posts triggered responses from teachers. Here are a few of their comments. Louise Kowitch, retired Connecticut social studies teacher: ….The impact

NYC Public School Parents: Reimagine our City Schools: alternatives to Mayoral control on Sunday at 8 PM

Capital Union President Lied To Every Single Teacher In Capital School District For the past several months, teachers at Dover High School have been grappling with Covid, remote learning, hybrid learning and the district itself. But it appears their greatest enemy might just be their own union that is supposed to protect teachers. This past Monday, WDEL had an explosive article about teachers at

CURMUDGUCATION: Selling Roboscoring: How's That Going, Anyway?

Reimagine our City Schools: alternatives to Mayoral control on Sunday at 8 PM The deep flaws and persistent problems with Mayoral control are even more evident to many people, given the de Blasio’s push to have the Pearson contract for the gifted test approved, and when it failed last night at the PEP , even among many of his own appointees, his insistence to continue this controversial program

For Data Privacy Day — take our Survey: online apps used by districts and their privacy provisions | Parent Coalition for Student Privacy

Selling Roboscoring: How's That Going, Anyway? The quest continues--how to best market the notion of having student essays scored by software instead of actual humans. It's a big, bold dream, a dream of world in which test manufacturers don't have to hire pesky, expensive meat widgets and the fuzzy unscientific world of writing can be reduced to hard numbers--numbers that we know are objective a

THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Thursday, January 28, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #REOPENSCHOOLSSAFELY #COVIDVACCINE

FOR DATA PRIVACY DAY — TAKE OUR SURVEY: ONLINE APPS USED BY DISTRICTS AND THEIR PRIVACY PROVISIONS Today, January 28th is Data Privacy Day, the international annual day of action and awareness to promote the privacy of our personal data. The Parent Coalition for Student Privacy is researching which ed tech apps schools are asking students to use and whether they are sufficiently protective of ch

JAN 28

Iowa: Act NOW to Save Your Public Schools! | Diane Ravitch's blog

Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Analysis | Republicans assign QAnon supporter to House education committee — and top Democrats blast the move https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/01/27/qanon-supporter-put-on-house-education-committee/?tid=ss_tw Philadelphia plans hybrid school reopening next month - Chalkbeat Philadelphia - https://philadelphia.chalkbeat.org/

Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona, Connecticut Hedge Funds, and Human Capital – Wrench in the Gears

Iowa: Act NOW to Save Your Public Schools! Governor Kim Reynolds has proposed legislation to take money away from IOWA public schools and divert it to privately managed schools, vouchers for religious schools, charter schools, and home schooling. She is following in the footsteps of Betsy DeVos, who spent four years trying to eradicate public schools. If you live in Iowa, contact your legislator

We Need a Democratic Approach to Reimagining Schools—Asking People, Not Billionaires and Ideologues, What They Want | Ed Politics

Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona, Connecticut Hedge Funds, and Human Capital Tonight my friend Zakiya Sankara-Jabar of Real Talk With ZSJ invited me to discuss the appointment Dr. Miguel Cardona, former Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning in the Meriden, CT School District, to the position of the US Secretary of Education. We covered a lot of ground including: how pay for

Biden's first big Covid test: Keeping parents of school kids from losing it - POLITICO

WE NEED A DEMOCRATIC APPROACH TO REIMAGINING SCHOOLS—ASKING PEOPLE, NOT BILLIONAIRES AND IDEOLOGUES, WHAT THEY WANT As soon as Anna Grant’s busy workday at Forest View Elementary School in Durham, North Carolina, ended, she would head toward the next school where she was needed. “I would get off work and immediately drive to meetings, press events, whatever we had organized [for the school],” sh

The Whole Truth About Kids, School, and COVID-19 - The Atlantic

Biden's first big Covid test: Keeping parents of school kids from losing it A battle is brewing between teachers’ unions and Republicans. And so far, the White House is siding with the former. President Joe Biden’s vow to reopen most schools during his first 100 days is crashing into demands of one of his party’s most powerful constituencies: teachers’ unions. And the friction is creating an ear

Teacher Tom: The Radical Idea of Treating Children Like People

The Whole Truth About Kids, School, and COVID-19 F ederal health officials at the CDC this week called for children to return to American classrooms as soon as possible. In an essay in the Journal of the American Medical Association , they wrote that the “preponderance of available evidence” from the fall semester had reassured the agency that with adequate masking, distancing, and ventilation,

Farewell to the SAT! We Hope. | Diane Ravitch's blog

The Radical Idea of Treating Children Like People I sometimes forget how radical our ideas are about young children. I forget that not everyone trusts children even if most people say they do. I forget that most adults are convinced that children must be guided, coerced, tricked or otherwise manipulated to do "right" things, even as they genuinely profess a belief in their innate goodness. I for

Reopening a Can of Worms – Have You Heard

Farewell to the SAT! We Hope. The SAT is in trouble. Its business model is threatened by the more than 1,000 colleges and universities that no longer require it for admission. Many more higher education institutions dropped the SAT due to the pandemic. The SAT is big business. It collects more than $1 billion each year in revenue. Its CEO, David Coleman, was architect of the Common Core standard

THE BURDEN OF PROOF – Dad Gone Wild

Reopening a Can of Worms Have You Heard wades into the pitched debate about reopening schools. We hear from an epidemiologist, then tour the land to talk to parents and teachers who are trying to navigate an impossibly complex situation. Have You Heard · #105 Reopening a Can of Worms The financial support of listeners like you keeps this podcast going. Subscribe on Patreon or donate on PayPal. A

CURMUDGUCATION: New Horizons in Workplace Surveillance

THE BURDEN OF PROOF “Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters” ― Albert Einstein Two days ago the Tennessean ran an article reporting that MNPS had received a letter from the Commissioner of Education accusing them of fiscal malfeasance regarding their management of federal funds delivered through the CARES Act. In the commissioner’s words, “I

New Rankings Place UK Education Dean Among Top Education Policy Influencers | UKNow

New Horizons in Workplace Surveillance Work-from-home has triggered an explosion in Surveil-from-the-office features and products. There has certainly been a boom in programs specifically for surveillance of employees who are at home. These are creepy, with a reported 81% of the top programs logging keystrokes -- so that the boss can see exactly what you've been typing. But there's something eve

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

New Rankings Place UK Education Dean Among Top Education Policy Influencers LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 28, 2021) — An annual ranking of the U.S. scholars most influential in shaping education practice and policy once again includes University of Kentucky College of Education Dean Julian Vasquez Heilig. Vasquez Heilig has consistently been ranked among the top public influencers in the Edu-Scholar Publ

CHECK IT OUT: DIANE ON A ROLL TODAY - Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all #REDFORED #tbats #COVID-19 #REOPENSCHOOLSSAFELY #VACCINATETEACHERS

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/2021/01/this-week-in-education-larry-ferlazzos_23.html Looking Through The Lens Of Assets Works In The Classroom And…In The NBA

State Senator Dave Lawson Wants Smyrna Superintendent Patrik Williams To Resign | Exceptional Delaware

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all CHECK IT OUT: DIANE ON A ROLL TODAY Big Education Ape: KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/01/keep-up-catch-up-with-diane-ravitchs_23.html Shocker: NYC Education Board Rejects Mayor’s Plan to Test 4-Year-Olds for Gifted Program by dianera

We Need a Democratic Approach to Reimagining Schools—Asking People, Not Billionaires and Ideologues, What They Want

State Senator Dave Lawson Wants Smyrna Superintendent Patrik Williams To Resign State Senator Dave Lawson is calling for Smyrna Superintendent Patrik Williams to resign. Lawson reached out to the Smyrna Education Association, the Smyrna School District Board of Education, and Delaware Secretary of Education Dr. Susan Bunting asking for their help in getting Williams to resign. He will reportedly

JAN 27

45Ed Politics » Feed / 2d

As soon as Anna Grant’s busy workday at Forest View Elementary School in Durham, North Carolina, ended, she would head toward the next school where she was needed. “I would get off work and immediately drive to meetings, press events, whatever we had organized [for the school],” she recalls. Her second school of concern was Lakewood Elementary, where Grant now works. In 2017, Lakewood was a flash

THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Wednesday, January 27, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #REOPENSCHOOLSSAFELY #COVIDVACCINE

Our Choices During “School Choice Week” | The Merrow Report

Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Nine COVID-19 outbreaks in 100-plus Philly private schools since the fall, health department says https://philadelphia.chalkbeat.org/2021/1/26/22251174/nine-covid-19-outbreaks-in-100-plus-philly-private-schools-health-department-says via @ChalkbeatPHL Don't Call It A Comeback: School Districts That Never Opened Are Having Trouble Now ht

SHAWGI TELL: Arizona Pioneer in Wrecking Public Education through Charter Schools | Dissident Voice

Our Choices During “School Choice Week” This short piece attempts to make two points. First, public education must stop trying to ‘get back to normal,’ because “ normal” isn’t anywhere near good enough to justify continued large public investments of taxpayer dollars in public education . As widespread school reopenings draw closer, I believe that educators face decisions that will, at the end o

#PhilanthropySoWhite: An Urgent Conversation on Whiteness in Philanthropy | Schott Foundation for Public Education

Arizona Pioneer in Wrecking Public Education through Charter Schools | Dissident Voice Arizona Pioneer in Wrecking Public Education through Charter Schools Recent news articles claim that Arizona is a “leader in innovation” when it comes to private businesses like charter schools. Arizona is said to be amazing because it is ensuring “freedom” for parents to “choose” from an exciting array of char

Adapting Elizabeth May’s “Trash Drafting” for Students-as-Writers – radical eyes for equity

#PhilanthropySoWhite: An Urgent Conversation on Whiteness in Philanthropy REGISTER TODAY > After more than two years of reckoning, uprising for racial justice, a pandemic, and a turbulent election — where do white leaders in the philanthropy sector find themselves and their leadership regarding racial justice in and outside of their organizations? Philanthropy remains so white, but progress has

Mitchell Robinson: Stop Shaming Teachers into Reopening Schools | Eclectablog

Adapting Elizabeth May’s “Trash Drafting” for Students-as-Writers Science fiction and fantasy author Elizabeth May recently offered a really excellent Twitter thread about “trash drafting.” As a writer and teacher of writing, I was particularly drawn to the final Tweet in the thread : This emphasis on the proper place of editing in the writing process (attending to surface features later rather

CURMUDGUCATION: Teachers and the Toll of Disinterest

Stop Shaming Teachers into Reopening Schools | Eclectablog Stop Shaming Teachers into Reopening Schools A friend of mine made a post on social media last night saying that she “wasn’t angry about people thinking schools should reopen,” and while I admire the measured tone and spirit of cooperation she displayed in her commentary, that sentiment left me feeling uneasy. Because I AM angry about peo

Union leader: Chicago teachers are battling both coronavirus pandemic and fear | Fox News

Teachers and the Toll of Disinterest The closest I ever came to leaving public education was almost twenty years ago, when I was the president of our local union, and we were on strike. It was a challenging time. The contract negotiations started with stripping (a technique where the district proposes to gut the contract so that they can pretend to make concessions later by agreeing to only part

Union leader: Chicago teachers are battling both coronavirus pandemic and fear Randi Weingarten says American Federation of Teachers trying to 'get the safety measures in place' for in-person classes to resume American Federation of Teachers leader Randi Weingarten said Tuesday that Chicago educators are battling both the coronavirus pandemic and "fear" as an impasse continues over resuming in-p

Teacher Tom: What I Miss

NYC Educator: Bill de Blasio and His Magic 8-Ball

What I Miss Most of the time these days I manage to make peace with the pandemic, but there are other days when I wallow in what I miss. I miss the feeling of little fingers exploring my knee cap through the holes in my jeans as I read from a story book. I miss the blast of overheated breath against my cheek as they excitedly whisper their news in my ear. I miss the warmth of tears spreading thr

How the Arts (& #artseducation) Can Save the World – Sam Chaltain

Bill de Blasio and His Magic 8-Ball NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio is absolutely sure schools will open at "full strength" in September. That's great to hear, of course. I, for one, am growing tired of looking at computer screens rather than live students. On the other hand, Mayor de Blasio has not proven particularly adept at predicting the future. I'm sure you recall his ridiculous presidential camp

NewBlackMan (in Exile) TODAY #BLM #BLACKLIVESMATTER

HOW THE ARTS (& #ARTSEDUCATION) CAN SAVE THE WORLD In Australia, the country of his birth, Thanh Bui learned early on that kids who looked like him faced two possible paths. On one, traversed by the only other Asian student in his school, the cold sting of isolation and ridicule awaited. On the other, however, came the assimilatory embrace of knowing you were “one of the lads.” For Bui, youthful

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

NewBlackMan (in Exile) NewBlackMan (in Exile) TODAY Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK WITH NEWBLACKMAN (IN EXILE) - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/01/this-week-with-newblackman-in-exile-blm_23.html Diahann Carroll Talks Race and Makeup While Filming “Julia” by Mark Anthony Neal / 30min 'The late Diahann Carroll tells the story of when she spoke up in an early makeup session for the TV show J

Matt Bai: Time for Teachers to Grow Up and Get Back into the Classroom | Diane Ravitch's blog

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/2021/01/this-week-in-education-larry-ferlazzos_23.html Changes I’m Making – & Experiments I’m Trying – In My ELL History Class T

NANCY BAILEY: How the Media and School Districts Shame Teachers During Covid-19

Matt Bai: Time for Teachers to Grow Up and Get Back into the Classroom Matt Bai is an opinion writer for the Washington Post. He wrote recently that teachers should recognize that they are essential workers and get back into the classroom. He points out that remote learning is a disaster, that it is a horrible means of learning, and that students’ emotional health is damaged by not being in a ph

glen brown: Why You Should Double-Mask to Prevent Covid-19 and How to Do It

How the Media and School Districts Shame Teachers During Covid-19 How the Media and School Districts Shame Teachers During Covid-19 Listen to the news one moment, and you’re warned about the new variants of the virus. There’s uncertainty about it and whether it’s more deadly than the current strain. Next, the media gives voice to critics who belittle teachers and their unions for not returning to

CURMUDGUCATION: The Curmudgureading List

Why You Should Double-Mask to Prevent Covid-19 and How to Do It “As more contagious coronavirus variants emerge, health experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci , say it’s probably a good idea to start doubling up on your face masks. “The new variants are thought to have an easier time binding to our cells, so the more layers we have covering our noses and mouths, the less likely we’ll be exposed to

Suddenly President Biden Has Made Ameliorating Child Poverty a Topic of the Hour | janresseger

The Curmudgureading List I was recently reminded that it has been a while since I've done one of these. The edublogging universe has, I think, shrunk a bit in the last year or two, which is not to say that there aren't still hundreds out there. But lots of folks come and go, and I drop blogs from the list on the side when they've gone dormant for more than a few months. There has also been a shi

NYC Public School Parents: What the leaked DOE memo on the "gifted" test reveals

Suddenly President Biden Has Made Ameliorating Child Poverty a Topic of the Hour Last summer and through the autumn, Jason DeParle—a NY Times reporter and long chronicler of the devastation wrought when, in 1996, welfare reform eliminated Aid to Families with Dependent Children—made the case ( here and here ) for augmenting the Child Tax Credit as the best way to reduce child poverty in the Unit

2021 Medley #2 – Privatization, the Free Market, and Propaganda | Live Long and Prosper

What the leaked DOE memo on the "gifted" test reveals In several of the articles on the controversy over the renewal of the Pearson contract for the gifted test, which will be voted on tomorrow Wed. night by the Panel for Educational Policy, including in the Daily News and Chalkbeat , a confidential draft DOE memo from July 2020 is mentioned that was leaked to PEP members. The memo is embedded a

THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Monday, January 25, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #REOPENSCHOOLSSAFELY #COVIDVACCINE

2021 Medley #2 – Privatization, the Free Market, and Propaganda PRIVATIZATION, AND THE FREE MARKET Betsy DeVos might be gone from our federal government, but she and those who support her privatization schemes for public education are still around. It’s “School Choice Week” & I Choose… Stu Egan, who blogs at Caffeinated Rage wrote this about school choice week. In it, he reminds us that “Our pub

JAN 26

Cancel the Spring Tests! Sign the NPE Petition Here! AND Join the National Town Hall to Learn About Canceling Testing This Spring | Diane Ravitch's blog

Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Joe Biden supports Chicago Teachers Union COVID safety concerns as AFT president Randi Weingarten briefs senior White House staffers - Chicago Sun-Times - https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2021/1/25/22249359/joe-biden-chicago-teachers-union-covid-cps-public-schools-reopening AFT President Weingarten on Looming Chicago Teachers Stri

Michael Mindzak: Teacher-Volunteers: Unpaid Labor a Symptom of Precarious Work | Ed Politics

Cancel the Spring Tests! Sign the NPE Petition Here! | Diane Ravitch's blog Cancel the Spring Tests! Sign the NPE Petition Here! Dr. Cardona, Please Cancel the Tests - https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/secretary-cardona-cancel-the-tests/?link_id=0&can_id=481aa792da2a79ba2a38c6faa410b9f1&source=email-secretary-cardona-cancel-the-spring-tests&email_referrer=email_1054634&email_subject=urgent-ask-

An educator’s hope for the next two years | Eclectablog

MICHAEL MINDZAK: TEACHER-VOLUNTEERS: UNPAID LABOR A SYMPTOM OF PRECARIOUS WORK As we continue to contend with the various challenges surrounding COVID-19 one interesting result has been the pronounced decline in volunteerism . With increasingly stringent health measures such as social distancing and contact tracing, volunteerism at this time has decreased. This includes schools as well, where di

Make Believe – Tennessee Education Report

An educator’s hope for the next two years The following essay was written by Tina Beveridge. Tina is a veteran music educator of 17 years and is currently a 2nd year PhD student in music education at the University of Miami. It was first posted on her own blog Insert brilliant title here… Reader, I’m not going to lie. I felt an enormous weight lift when President Biden was sworn in last week. Bu

Teacher: What’s missing from calls for summer school to stem ‘learning loss’ - The Washington Post

MAKE BELIEVE he land of make believe is apparently where Gov. Bill Lee and his team go to find justification for their bad public policy. WMC-TV out of Memphis has the story about how the Lee Administration is using old data from a study based on projections to justify a demand that schools return to in-person learning. Here’s more: Despite new data suggesting COVID-19 learning loss wasn’t as se

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

Teacher: What’s missing from calls for summer school to stem ‘learning loss’ School districts concerned about how much learning students have missed since the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States last spring are considering how to get kids back on academic track, with options including summer school, year-round learning, grade retention and targeted tutoring. No option is ideal (and some,

DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG TODAY? A site to discuss better education for all #REDFORED #tbats #COVID-19 #REOPENSCHOOLSSAFELY #VACCINATETEACHERS

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/2021/01/this-week-in-education-larry-ferlazzos_23.html Wash. Post Publishes My Column: “What’s missing from calls for summer sch

Teacher Tom: The Absurd Myth of the "Self-Made Man"

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/2021/01/keep-up-catch-up-with-diane-ravitchs_23.html Cancel the Spring Tests! Sign the NPE Petition Here

Educator Says Testing This Year “Not Gonna Work” | Cloaking Inequity

The Absurd Myth of the "Self-Made Man" In Rudolf Erich Raspe's story The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen , the baron saves himself from drowning in a swamp by pulling himself out by his own hair. It's a ridiculous episode in a comic story about a character who notoriously weaves wondrous tales that are clearly untrue. We're amused by the absurdity of it, yet too many of us, in the real

What The Heck Sussex Tech??? + Why Delaware MUST Submit A Waiver For The Smarter Balanced Assessment This Year | Exceptional Delaware

EDUCATOR SAYS TESTING THIS YEAR “NOT GONNA WORK” Here are some points about administering testing this year from Brandy Alexander, a Texas testing coordinator and one of my former graduate students at UT-Austin. Here’s what she had to say about the difficult of high-stakes testing in the midst of a pandemic. We just met this morning to lay some ground plans for first administration and here’s wh

Being Skeptical of Technology | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

What The Heck Sussex Tech??? | Exceptional Delaware What The Heck Sussex Tech??? There was some very interesting legislation introduced last week in the Delaware General Assembly concerning Sussex Tech. As usual, the words “shall” and “may” can totally change a bill. The bill is mainly about taxation and enrollment but it seems to be a Christmas bonanza for the school. It appears, on the surface,

NYC Educator: UFT Executive Board January 25, 2021--Vaccine Availability Should Improve After Next Week

Being Skeptical of Technology Over the years, readers and students have asked me about the work I have done on school reform and especially reform-laden technologies. I answer some of them in this post. But first some background. I began doing research and writing on teacher and student uses of technology in the early 1980s when the first personal computers appeared in classrooms. That writing t

Education Pick Miguel Cardona On Biden's Promise To Reopen Schools | 89.3 KPCC

UFT Executive Board January 25, 2021--Vaccine Availability Should Improve After Next Week Tom Brown --supports David Kazansky as TRS trustee, great advocate for pensions, serves on multiple committees, knowledgeable and diligent. Has compassion for future retirees. Pensions are stronger and safer as result. Asks Board to nominate him for re-election. Motion for nomination passes. Cassie Prugh --

DISCRETION AS THE BETTER PART OF VALOR – Dad Gone Wild

Education Pick Miguel Cardona On Biden's Promise To Reopen Schools With many U.S. schools still shuttered or operating on a limited basis, and millions of children learning remotely (or trying to), the stakes are high for Miguel Cardona. He is President Biden's pick to run the U.S. Department of Education , and if confirmed, he'll be charged with making good on Biden's promise to re-open most K-

DEREK BLACK: Old ideas, not new ones, are the key to education — and democracy - kappanonline org

DISCRETION AS THE BETTER PART OF VALOR “With distrust came suspicion and with suspicion came fear, and with fear came hate–and these, in already distorted minds, inflamed a hell.” ― Zane Grey, To The Last Man: 8 Western Novels – Collection Since the dawn of social media, Nashville’s education leaders have chosen to utilize the platform as a means to division instead of unification. Some will say

Education Research Report TODAY - Report on Religious Charters Weakened by Key Omissions + Explaining the Race Gap in Teacher Performance Ratings + MORE

Old ideas, not new ones, are the key to education — and democracy - kappanonline.org Old ideas, not new ones, are the key to education — and democracy Protecting public education requires us to return to the ideals on which our country was founded. Public education as we know it is in trouble and, with it, so is our democracy. Rather than seeing it as a solution to segregation, inequality, and di

Michael Mindzak: Teacher-Volunteers: Unpaid Labor a Symptom of Precarious Work

Education Research Report TODAY Education Research Report TODAY Performance-Based Aid, Enhanced Advising, and the Income Gap in College Graduation by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 5min Income gaps in college enrollment, persistence, and graduation raise concerns for those interested in equal opportunity in higher education. This study presents findings from a randomly assigned scholarship for low-income

JAN 25

Ed Politics » Feed / 4d

As we continue to contend with the various challenges surrounding COVID-19 one interesting result has been the pronounced decline in volunteerism . With increasingly stringent health measures such as social distancing and contact tracing, volunteerism at this time has decreased. This includes schools as well, where distance education and limited interactions have meant that volunteers can or else

THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Monday, January 25, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #REOPENSCHOOLSSAFELY #COVIDVACCINE

Official: San Diego Unified Trained Employees to Delete Emails From Public Record — Voice of San Diego

Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Left of Black S9*E24: Jason Moran on James Reese Europe, The Great Migration and Living in Harlem (The Lost Episodes) | NewBlackMan (in Exile) - https://www.newblackmaninexile.net/2021/01/left-of-black-s9e24-jason-moran-on.html I’m a First Amendment scholar — and I think Big Tech should be left alone https://www.salon.com/2021/01/24/im-

Jill Biden honors teachers in her 1st event as first lady

Official: San Diego Unified Trained Employees to Delete Emails From Public Record Technology personnel trained top-level district officials on how to permanently delete sensitive emails from the district server to subvert public records requests, an official who took part in the training told Voice of San Diego. School districts, like all government agencies, are required by law to preserve emai

Reopen schools with COVID testing, teacher vaccines: Shah & Weingarten

Jill Biden honors fellow teachers in her 1st official event as first lady As an educator herself, Biden said she couldn't wait to take the opportunity to thank teachers across the nation for their “heroic commitment” to their jobs. For her first official event since becoming first lady, Jill Biden honored a group of Americans close to her heart — her fellow teachers. Biden, who’s an English prof

Teacher Tom: The Death of a Hero

With robust testing, we can open schools this spring before the vaccine is widely available We have spent months studying this problem and finding solutions. We know how to minimize risks enough for everyone to trust being back in a classroom. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, too many of America’s 51 million public school students have lost out. While educators and school staff have been Hercu

So This Actually Happened – Tennessee Education Report

The Death of a Hero Over the weekend I learned that Hank Aaron, one of my great childhood heroes, died. He was my favorite baseball players on my favorite team. He was known for hitting home runs, but it's hard to argue that there has ever been a better all-around player than Hammerin' Hank, although as a boy these nuances didn't play into my calculations. I only knew that he was a man who was d

John Thompson: A Hilarious Novel about Life in the Classroom Today | Diane Ravitch's blog

SO THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED H ere are some responses to a Facebook Post by Metro Nashville Education Association (MNEA) President Amanda Kail from MNPS School Board member Fran Bush. Enough of your bull! We are going to open in person soon. Either you want to teach or quit your day job with MNPS, I am sick of your tactics and your agenda!! Our kids deserves better than this and they will not be he

Chicago Teachers Union votes to refuse in-person classes - The Washington Post

John Thompson: A Hilarious Novel about Life in the Classroom Today Who knew that “adequate yearly progress” and “accountability” could be the subject of a comic novel? John Thompson just read that novel and he reviews it here. Roxanna Elden’s Adequate Yearly Progress is a hilarious, satirical novel that nails the very serious truths about the real world effects of corporate school reform. Althou

Dana Goldstein: Biden Is Vowing to Reopen Schools Quickly. It Won’t Be Easy. - The New York Times

Chicago Teachers Union votes to refuse in-person classes and continue remote instruction CHICAGO — The Chicago Teachers Union voted to refuse in-person instruction Sunday and directed educators to work remotely starting Monday. The decision comes two weeks after the nation's third-largest school district called teachers and staff into classrooms and started to lock them out from remote work. Chi

Biden Extends Moratorium on Student Debt Collection; Dept. of Ed. Staff Expose DeVos Policies that Favor For-Profit College Sector | janresseger

Biden Is Vowing to Reopen Schools Quickly. It Won’t Be Easy. - The New York Times Biden Is Vowing to Reopen Schools Quickly. It Won’t Be Easy. The slow vaccine rollout, and local fights between districts and unions, could make it hard for the president to fulfill his promise. In his first 48 hours in office, President Biden sought to project an optimistic message about returning the nation’s many

8 Concerns and What’s Positive About The President’s Plan for Schooling During Covid-19

Biden Extends Moratorium on Student Debt Collection; Dept. of Ed. Staff Expose DeVos Policies that Favor For-Profit College Sector The Biden Department of Education has already begun taking action on higher education policy. On Student Loan Debt Collection First, there is positive news for student loan borrowers. As one of his first-day—January 20, 2021—executive orders, President Joseph Biden e

Podcast: The Ethical and Emotional dilemmas of Choosing and Supporting Teach For America | Cloaking Inequity

8 Concerns and What’s Positive About The President’s Plan for Schooling During Covid-19 The Biden-Harris administration faces huge challenges. Addressing school safety during Covid-19 is at the top of their list. This is welcome news. Goals are important for clarity and to give us hope. President Biden wasted no time getting out his National Strategy for the Covid-19 Response and Pandemic Prepar

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

PODCAST: THE ETHICAL AND EMOTIONAL DILEMMAS OF CHOOSING AND SUPPORTING TEACH FOR AMERICA Truth For America is a podcast about Teach For America (TFA) that provides voice to educators, parents, students, and other key stakeholders. Truth For America is co-hosted by Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig, Dr. T. Jameson Brewer and Dr. Barb Veltri. This episode explores whether someone should support or choose

CATCH UP WITH CURMUDGUCATION + ICYMI: Bernie Meme Week Edition (1/24)

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/2021/01/this-week-in-education-larry-ferlazzos_23.html Excellent Visualization Of What Has Happened In The Ten Years Since Arab

JAN 24

THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Sunday, January 24, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #REOPENSCHOOLSSAFELY #COVIDVACCINE #BEGINAGAINBETTER #PRESIDENTBIDEN #VPHARRIS #46

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Bernie Meme Week Edition (1/24) Bernie Meme Week Edition I'm not a huge fan of pomp, but I do love a good meme explosion, and I'm fond of getting government out of the hands of people who actively, purposefully try to make it fail, so all in all, not a bad week. Before the list, let me give you your semi-regular reminder that sharing stuff is powerful. It makes bloggers thi

CURMUDGUCATION: High Stakes Testing Town Hall--Sign Up

Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER! - https://feedly.com/i/entry/8sIq4ZmZ4br6GT2I1PtBZXTRQJ2+YfW6tbY/KBkogeI=_17731359c76:22540:2686893 Author Interview: 'The New Phd: How To Build A Better Graduate Education' https://www.npr.org/2021/01/23/959985637/author-interview-the-new-phd-how-to-build-a-better-graduate-education Surge of Student Su

Open Letter to SC House and Senate Concerning Bill 3613 – radical eyes for equity

High Stakes Testing Town Hall--Sign Up Is there a debate about this spring's Big Standardized Test, exactly? On one side, you have pretty much everyone who has actual direct knowledge of education and teaching pointing out the many reasons that going ahead with 2021's spring edition of the BS Test is a waste of time and money (I've been offering my two cents on the subject here and here and here

EdAction in Congress January 24, 2021 - Education Votes

Open Letter to SC House and Senate Concerning Bill 3613 I am contacting you with an urgent caution about Bill 3613 and the historical failures of addressing reading in South Carolina through micromanaging legislation that has not resulted in improving home, community, individual equity or learning outcomes for students living in poverty, Black students, Emergent Bilinguals, or students with spec

Will Jeff Bezos Seek Control of American Education? | Diane Ravitch's blog

EdAction in Congress January 24, 2021 Biden / Harris administration charts new course It’s been less than a week since Joe Biden was sworn in as president and Kamala Harris as vice president, and big changes are in the works. Already, President Biden has issued over 25 executive orders to address the pandemic, reverse some of the Trump administration’s most damaging policies, and help reopen mos

DeVos was terrible at her job and knew nothing about public schools. That was exactly what the far right wanted - Raw Story

Will Jeff Bezos Seek Control of American Education? This is the scariest article of the week or month , not counting the violent rampage of Trump allies on January 6. Dominik Dresel writes in Edsurge about Jeff Bezos’ entry into the education “market.” He begins: Bezos, more than any other tech entrepreneur, is known to play the long game, masterfully. In a now-famous 1997 interview , he candidl

NYC Educator: Philly Teachers Have the Right Idea--Vaccinate Before Opening

- Celebrating 16 Years of Independent Journalism DeVos was terrible at her job and knew nothing about public schools. That was exactly what the far right wanted Even Betsy DeVos — one of the longest-serving of Donald Trump's revolving-door cabinet secretaries — finally reached what she called an " inflection point " with the former president's open call for violent insurrection, resigning slight

Join the National Town Hall to Learn About Canceling Testing This Spring | Diane Ravitch's blog

Philly Teachers Have the Right Idea--Vaccinate Before Opening I'm a big fan of common sense, even if it's the least common of all the senses. And in Philadelphia, the union is saying no to school openings until all staff is vaccinated . That seems like the best way to open school buildings. This is an important step to remove the terror and loathing of so many teachers and other employees (who o

Education Matters: Board chair Anderson fawns all over Desantis as she finally asks him to do the right thing.

Join the National Town Hall to Learn About Canceling Testing This Spring The standardized tests to which our students have been subjected for two decades have not improved American education. They have degraded it into endless months of test preparation, for tests of dubious reliability and validity. Schools have reduced or eliminated the arts, recess, civics, and other subjects because they “do

Kelly Gonez’s First Opponent Announces His Candidacy | by Carl J. Petersen | Jan, 2021 | Medium

Board chair Anderson fawns all over Desantis as she finally asks him to do the right thing. I would like to acknowledge the letter's sentiment to prioritize educators to get the vaccine is laudable if not way overdue. I also understand the need for some sugar, but to me, this goes overboard. So I am torn. I want to give Andersen props for doing the right thing, but I am frustrated it took so lon

La. Virtual School’s Whopper Course Sizes, with a Side of Edgenuity | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

Kelly Gonez’s First Opponent Announces His Candidacy Public school teacher and parent Marvin Rodríguez will attempt to unseat the LAUSD School Board President in the 2022 Board District 6 election. Representation on the school board should come from within the community whose members are directly affected by district schools.” - Marvin Rodríguez In the election that just passed the charter schoo

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

La. Virtual School’s Whopper Course Sizes, with a Side of Edgenuity At the outset of the tumultuous, 2020-21 pandemic school year, I was asked if I preferred to teach at my district’s virtual school rather than return to the classrrom in person. I declined, for two reasons. First of all, I did not want to put myself in a position in which I could be assigned hundreds of students because virtual