Atlanta Cheating Scandal: Is axe coming down at APS today? Will Hall lose title? | Get Schooled

Is axe coming down at APS today? Will Hall lose title? | Get Schooled

Is axe coming down at APS today? Will Hall lose title?

4:36 pm July 11, 2011, by Maureen Downey

A reader told me that he heard a radio report that all APS school reform team executive directors had been placed on administrative leave. However, I called APS spokesman Keith Bromery about the report, and he told me the school board has only just gone into executive session and that he was unaware that such an action had been taken.

“Any employee actions relating to the state CRCT investigation report is awaiting Atlanta Board of Education action, which may come later today during their monthly meeting,” he said.

So stay tuned for more info on this later today.

In the meantime, Channel 2 Action News has footage of former APS school chief Beverly Hall in Hawaii. She doesn’t say much to the TV reporter and looks fatigued.

Krugman to Teachers' Union: You're Not to Blame for the Economic Crisis - Dana Goldstein

Krugman to Teachers' Union: You're Not to Blame for the Economic Crisis - Dana Goldstein

Krugman to Teachers' Union: You're Not to Blame for the Economic Crisis

by Dana Goldstein

Paul Krugman just finished speaking to an annual American Federation of Teachers conference in Washington, D.C. Unlike many of his fellow Times columnists--most notably David Brooks and Thomas Friedman, who tend to support standards and accountability reforms--Krugman rarely writes explicitly about education policy. Given his role as a sort of national spokesman for disaffected liberals, I tuned in with interest to hear what Krugman would say in front of an audience of teachers.

The current anti-union, anti-public sector mood is based upon a faulty reading of economic history, Krugman said: the belief that the recession of the 1970s was caused by "excess government and too much labor power"

''Scott and Rhee push charters despite fail rate of 740 percent''

''Scott and Rhee push charters despite fail rate of 740 percent''

''Scott and Rhee push charters despite fail rate of 740 percent''

by admin

Originally posted at Fund Education Now. Read the entire article here.

“Governor Rick Scott and his education advisor, Michelle Rhee, believe that billions of public school dollars are better spent on for-profit charter school management companies (CMOs).

“Who are we to deny a child, a low income child, who has the opportunity to take the same dollars and actually get a better education?” Rhee asked when she joined Governor Scott at Opa Locka Charter who recently earned an F.

Here’s the breakdown according to Miami’s CBS4 I-Team:

Florida Traditional Public Schools: 2,280 schools*- 17 FCAT Fs.

Florida Charter Schools: 270 schools*- 15 FCAT Fs.

Florida Charter Schools Failure Rate: 740% higher than that of public schools.

*Includes only elementary and middle schools. FLDOE will release high school grades in the fall.

These FCAT grades are clear: Charter students are at a dramatically higher-risk of attending an F school than

How some ed reformers really work - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

How some ed reformers really work - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

How some ed reformers really work

by Valerie Strauss

It’s not often that we hear education reformers bragging in public about how they got the better of a teacher’s union. But in the following remarkable video, Jonah Edelman, co-founder and chief executive officer of the Oregon-based nonprofit education reform organization Stand for Children, talks about how he and his organization maneuvered to get education reform legislation passed in Illinois this year, snookering union officials along the way.

The video shows Edelman on a panel that took place at the recent Aspen Institute’s Ideas Festival.He discusses efforts to get Illinois Senate Bill 7 passed, which in its original form sought to severely limit teacher union rights in the state and linked student standardized test scores to teacher evaluation.

Read full article >>

TFA Founder Kopp Dodges Questions with “Read my book.” « InterACT

TFA Founder Kopp Dodges Questions with “Read my book.” « InterACT

TFA Founder Kopp Dodges Questions with “Read my book.”

by David B. Cohen

Larry Cuban (photo by the author)

Larry Cuban wrote a wonderful blog post recently, one that I’ve been planning to discuss in more detail, though now I’m going to bring it up in a way I hadn’t originally intended. In “Jazz, Basketball, and Teacher Decision Making” Cuban offers interesting analogies and scientific studies to illuminate just how complex teaching really is. Teachers make several dozen instructional decisions every hour, hundreds per day. For those decisions to be effective in promoting student learning, teachers need to know the difference between the meaningful information and the meaningless “noise” that we take in every second as we observe a classroom. We need a clear sense of priorities for each student and for each moment – and though this idea will shock some people who barely understand teaching – the top priority is not always to stick to the lesson plan. (More on that idea in

Big Education Ape - PostRank Todays 10

Big Education Ape - PostRank Today's 10

Charter vs. District Student Demographics — Beyond the Lotteries | Edwize Charter vs. District Student Demographics — Beyond the Lotteries | Edwize Charter vs. District Student Demographics — Beyond the Lotteries by Christina Collins Now that the school year has ended, the research and writing season can begin for those of us ...

IEA leadership response to Edelman: “Don’t look at us.” « Fred Klonsky's blog IEA leadership response to Edelman: “Don’t look at us.” « Fred Klonsky's blog IEA leadership response to Edelman: “Don’t look at us.” by Fred Klonsky The IEA leadership that appears to have been snookered or worse by Stand For Children’s Jonah Edelman ...

How Does Your State Stack Up in Teaching Science? | National Math and Science Initiative How Does Your State Stack Up in Teaching Science? | National Math and Science Initiative How Does Your State Stack Up in Teaching Science? - Posted at 2:23 PM CDT on 7.8.2011 - 0 Comments Posted by Rena Pederson, NMSI Communications Director: ...

NYC Educator: Fool Me Twice NYC Educator: Fool Me Twice Fool Me Twice by NYC Educator Jonah Edelman has apologized, in his fashion, to readers of Fred Klonsky's blog. .I'm one of them, and I thought it was elegant that Fred presented it without comment. Perhaps it's more accurate ...

Guest blog: Multiple choice madness. « Fred Klonsky's blog Guest blog: Multiple choice madness. « Fred Klonsky's blog Guest blog: Multiple choice madness. by Fred Klonsky *One of my great privileges is that I have many smart friends. Les Perelman is Director of Writing Across the Curriculum in the Program in ...

Braun: Advocates of privatized education want to end public schools | NJ.com Braun: Advocates of privatized education want to end public schools | NJ.com Braun: Advocates of privatized education want to end public schoolsPublished: Monday, July 11, 2011, 8:30 AM [image: Bob Braun/Star-Ledger Columnist] By Bob Braun/Star-Ledger ...

Hechinger Report | Two years after Obama’s college graduation initiative, major obstacles remain Hechinger Report | Two years after Obama’s college graduation initiative, major obstacles remain Two years after Obama’s college graduation initiative, major obstacles remain by Jon Marcus Jake Boyd, photographed on the campus of Macomb Community ...

Shanker Blog » The Faulty Logic Of Using Student Surveys In Accountability Systems Shanker Blog » The Faulty Logic Of Using Student Surveys In Accountability Systems The Faulty Logic Of Using Student Surveys In Accountability Systems Posted by Esther Quintero on July 11, 2011 In recent post, I discussed the questionable value of ...

Carnegie Launches Open-Source STEM Network - High School Notes (usnews.com) Carnegie Launches Open-Source STEM Network - High School Notes (usnews.com) Carnegie Launches Open-Source STEM Network By JASON KOEBLER Posted: July 11, 2011 Print - - retweet - Share This When President Obama promised 100,000 new science, ...

No apology necessary. Thanks Jonah. « Fred Klonsky's blog No apology necessary. Thanks Jonah. « Fred Klonsky's blog No apology necessary. Thanks Jonah. by Fred Klonsky When you read the apology it sure sounded like Jonah Edelman of Stand for Children got taken to the woodshed. By whom? Maybe by his esteemed ...

Pre-K Meet Post-K; Post-K Meet Pre-K

Pre-K Meet Post-K; Post-K Meet Pre-K

by RICHARD LEE COLVIN on JULY 11, 2011

in UNCATEGORIZED

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The cute pictures of proud 5-year-olds in their miniature caps and gowns “graduating” this year from preschool are probably still being exchanged by family members via the Internet. Such ceremonies are a great excuse to feed kids cake and, for teachers especially, celebrate the end of the year.

Photo by Paul Schultz

But therein is an opportunity to address a major weaknesses of our education system: we don’t pay enough substantive attention to the transition of students from one level of schooling to the next.

One of the biggest gaps occurs between preschool and kindergarten. Sam Meisels, president of the Erikson Institute

Quick Hits 7.11.11

by guest blogger

Law prohibiting teacher layoffs draws criticism. The law, which passed as part of the state budget, requires districts to maintain the 2010-2011 level of teachers in the coming year, even if funding drops. “Education officials have denounced the law as a stunning blow to local budget control and said it could drive more districts into financial insolvency. […]But Dean Vogel, president of the California Teachers Assn., said the law would give a well-deserved respite to teachers, who have suffered 30,000 layoffs in the last few years. The union backed the bill but did not initiate it, he said.” (The

Jonah may say he’s sorry, but what about the Walton Foundation and Bill Gates? « Fred Klonsky's blog

Jonah may say he’s sorry, but what about the Walton Foundation and Bill Gates? « Fred Klonsky's blog

Jonah may say he’s sorry, but what about the Walton Foundation and Bill Gates?

by Fred Klonsky

Parents Across America posted this article by Susan Barrett, former leader of Jonah Edleman’s Stand For Children in Portland.

I recently stepped down as a volunteer co-leader of a Stand for Children (SFC) team in Portland Oregon, the headquarters of this organization. Being a SFC member has meant fighting for the needs of children and better public schools for all students in this state (see this pdf.) However, things have started changing here in Oregon, and I worry that SFC is headed down the path that disaffected parents, like me, identify as the corporate reform movement.

I was prompted to write this piece for a couple of reasons: One, I have seen

Reflecting on the Cuny cPAR Institute « Cooperative Catalyst

Reflecting on the Cuny cPAR Institute « Cooperative Catalyst

Reflecting on the Cuny cPAR Institute

by Kevin Crouse

I had the opportunity to attend the critical Participatory Action Research (PAR) Institute at CUNY Graduate Center this past week. It was a fantastic workshop, and I met a lot of great teachers, community organizers, and researchers who are heavily involved in PAR work throughout the USA (and even one in Canada). The Institute did bring up a few interesting thoughts and reflections that I thought would be beneficial to share.

If you’re not familiar with PAR, it’s important to note up front that it is not Research on students, but a pedagogical shift in which the students are the researchers (technically, by studying PAR as a teaching method, I am a Participatory Action Research researcher :) ). Throughout a PAR curriculum, it is the students that decide on the topic to research, and then they go through the entire process of forming a meaningful problem statement, designing their methods of inquiry, collecting and analyzing data, forming conclusions, and

SCHOOL-GROWN FOOD FOR LUNCH: Against the Law?

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: SCHOOL-GROWN FOOD FOR LUNCH: Against the Law?

SCHOOL-GROWN FOOD FOR LUNCH: Against the Law? By Karla Hampton |-HealthyCal - http://www.healthycal.org -http://bit.ly/pmmfHu [1] <

BILL SEEKS STANDARDS FOR CHARTR SCHOOLS’ STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS Joshua Emerson Smith |California Watch | http://bit.ly/rlIqeJ <

Who Shut Me Down And Why?

Who Shut Me Down And Why?

Who Shut Me Down And Why?

I have a few Facebook pages. Arrest The Pope is the largest at almost 7800. Then there is Miseducation Nation with about 700 "likes" I started last year when NBC decided to shut teachers out of their discussions on education reform.

Back in March of this year I started Students?First, a Facebook page to counter Michelle Rhee's influence at her Students First propaganda machine.

Remember me? I used to be on Facebook @ Students?First

Well, my Students?First Facebook page is nowhere to be found. I can't find out why it's gone. I suppose regular people can

The Triumph of Illusion and Spectacle: the Rise of Illiteracy in America

The Triumph of Illusion and Spectacle: the Rise of Illiteracy in America

by SOURCE on JULY 11, 2011 · 0 COMMENTS

in AMERICAN EMPIRE, MEDIA

By John Lawrence / Will Blog for Food / July 09, 2011

While the nation is close to a catastrophe of global proportions, the mass media treats us to one spectacle after another. Instead of discussing the jobs crisis or the debt crisis or the worst recession since the Great Depression, we are treated first to the saga of Anthony Weiner’s weiner followed closely by a 24/7 immersion in the Casey Anthony case.

All cameras were on when Nancy Pelosi stepped before them to announce that she was not going to discuss Anthony Weiner but she was there that day to discuss jobs. Immediately, the mass media cut her off and went back to the studio to discuss Anthony Weiner. Jobs was not an important enough topic that we should want to hear what one of America’s leading politicians had to say about it.

No, far more important was to keep the spotlight on Weiner’s weiner. And in a stroke of genius

ASCD 2011 Fall Conference on Teaching & Learning #ASCD

FallConference2011

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Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness = Improving Student Learning
October 28–30, 2011
Rio All-Suite Hotel, Las Vegas, Nev.

Virtually every study that has examined the role of the classroom teacher in the process of educating students has come to the same conclusion: an effective teacher enhances student learning more than any other aspect of schooling that can be controlled by the school.

But that doesn’t mean blaming teachers for low test scores. This conference will show you how schools can support teacher effectiveness in a balanced way that addresses all of the factors research indicates improve student learning.

Whether you're responsible for a single classroom, a school, or an entire system, come to this conference to explore all of the many ways you can increase your personal instructional effectiveness or help your teachers be the best they can be.

Choose from over 90 sessions on:

• Research-Based Teaching Practices
• Teacher Evaluation Practices
• Integrating Technology into the Classroom
• Professional Learning Communities
• Response to Intervention
• Differentiated Instruction
• Student Feedback and Formative Assessment

More

Call for Volunteers! Volunteer for the 2011 Fall Conference.

Download the 2011 Fall Conference Preview and the Registration Form.

TEACH 2011 Live Streaming - AFT - #TCH11

AFT - A Union of Professionals - TEACH 2011 Live Streaming

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• TEACH 2011
• New! Mobile App
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Live Streaming

All four of the conference’s general sessions will be streamed live online so you can follow along. Register now to view these engaging sessions online:

Monday, July 11, at 1 p.m. EDT – You and the AFT – Making a Difference Every Day 

AFT president Randi Weingarten speaks on the union’s role in addressing the critical issues facing public education today; best practices in the United States and abroad that strengthen teaching and improve student achievement; and the importance of building confidence and support for public schools in the broader community.



Monday, July 11, at 4:30 p.m. EDT – America’s Second Gilded Age

Paul Krugman, a Nobel Prize-winning economist and New York Times op-ed columnist, comments on the economic and political condition of the nation, including the widening gap between rich and poor, and the critical role of labor unions in fighting for the vanishing middle class.



Tuesday, July 12, at 3:15 p.m. EDT – The Common Core State Standards

The writers of the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and mathematics explain how the standards were designed to prepare students for success in college and careers. AFT members and leaders who critiqued the standards, and who served on the union’s committee to ensure their rollout doesn’t overlook the classroom, will offer their views on what must be done to keep this standards movement on track.

Wednesday, July 13, at 12:15 p.m. EDT – Together, We Can: The Role of the Community in Public Education

AFT president Randi Weingarten hosts a discussion with representatives from key community institutions that are essential to the future of public education: a faith leader, a state politician, a parent activist and a teachers union local president. Sustaining and improving public education is too big a job for any one sector to accomplish alone. Collaboration and building bridges is the key to improving outcomes for our children.

Register now to view any or all of these events!