8-21-13 Jersey Jazzman Christie Appoints VERY Young Former Wall St. Analyst as Camden Superintendent

Jersey Jazzman:

Christie Appoints VERY Young Former Wall St. Analyst as Camden Superintendent

I am, frankly, stunned: The city of Camden could soon be getting a new superintendent. Gov. Chris Christie announced his selection of Paymon Rouhanifard as the first State Superintendent of the Camden School District.  “Every child in New Jersey, regardless of zip code, deserves access to a high-quality education, and I’m confident Paymon Rouhanifard is the right person to make this goal a rea

100+ by Duke / 5h 

8-20-13 Jersey Jazzman

Jersey Jazzman: Teacher Pensions: The Stupid Keeps On Comin'Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!!! As the Philadelphia School District scrambles to come up with enough cash to open for students in September, a new report suggests the city’s school funding crisis is on par with municipal issues in Detroit, Chicago and elsewhere.  At the heart of it all: pensions.  Payments to retired teachers and public emp

by mike simpson / 3h

8-21-13 Hechinger Report | Informing the Public about Education through Quality Journalism

Hechinger Report | Informing the Public about Education through Quality Journalism:

Tuition starts to fall at private, for-profit colleges

Private, for-profit colleges have joined the march of institutions that appear to be lowering their tuition as enrollment flattens out and families become increasingly price conscious. The average tuition paid by students at four-year, for-profit colleges, when adjusted for inflation, fell from $16,268 in the 2006-2007 academic year to $13,819 in 2011-2012, the independent think tank Education Sec

2 by Jon Marcus / 1h mark as read  //  save

Survey: As Common Core enters schools this fall, it’s still a mystery to most Americans

Despite intensifying political battles over the new Common Core State Standards in many states this summer, a new poll shows that a majority of Americans have never heard of them. The new math and English standards, developed to increase rigor in classrooms and better prepare students for college, have been adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia and roll out in many schools this fall. A

2 by Aisha Asif / 1h 

Most students aren’t ready for college, ACT data show

Education Week Most students are not adequately prepared to face the rigor of college, according to the latest ACT scores, which also show that the average composite score on the college-entrance exam fell from last year. That composite score dropped to 20.9 among high school students in 2013, the lowest in eight years. Since 2006, scores had been relatively flat at about 21.1, on a scale where 36

16 by Caralee Adams / 5h 

8-21-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:

Flaming Fred

The in box. Jim Keating on Illinois penisions.

My friend Jim Keating published this in the latest issue of the newsletter of the Du Page chapter of the Illinois Retired Teachers Association. In 1968 Vietnam a war correspondent saw US troops burning down a village and asked an Army major why. The Army officer was reported to reply, “ To save the village, it became necessary to destroy it.” In 1968 Vietnam the military was telling our reporte

by Fred Klonsky / 4h mark as read  //  save

From the archives. The NEA and Pearson.

  While the delegates to the National Education Association’s national convention last July in Atlanta were not ready to formally criticize the Common Core Standards that had been enthusiastically endorsed by NEA’s President Dennis Van Roekel, they did pass a number of resolutions condemning the use and misuse of the testing that accompanies the national standards. The criticisms of the testing a

4 by Fred Klonsky / 4h 

8-19-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Rahm Emanuel. Worst. Mayor. Ever.  Catching crabs with the grand kids on Block Island, Rhode Island. Jesus Christ, Rahm. Can’t I leave Chicago for a God-damn week without you screwing things up even more? I’m writing this sitting on a bench behind the Block Island library. It’s the only place in town

by mike simpson / 3h 

8-21-13 The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education

The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education:

ASCD Leaders on Reflection: Mary Beth Luttrell

A defining trait of leadership is a passion for success and continuous improvement. With progress comes new vistas and new goals, as well as new challenges to overcome in our never-ending quest for knowledge and excellence. Leaders envision a future, and great leaders shape that future. With that in mind, we asked ASCD leaders to share their thoughts on what reflection means to them as learners, t

by ASCD Whole Child ... / 28min 

Braving the Common Core Waters: Reflection as Our Raft

We, as educators across the United States, are spending precious time this summer reflecting upon the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and our professional practices. Some of us are just now dipping our toes into this new thinking, and others are comfortable wading out a bit further into the water. A number of educators are fully swimming in this transition, some even lifeguarding the waters as

by Celina Brennan / 28min 

ASCD Leaders on Reflection: Sue Kessler

A defining trait of leadership is a passion for success and continuous improvement. With progress comes new vistas and new goals, as well as new challenges to overcome in our never-ending quest for knowledge and excellence. Leaders envision a future, and great leaders shape that future. With that in mind, we asked ASCD leaders to share their thoughts on what reflection means to them as learners,

by ASCD Whole Child ... / 28min mark as read  //  save

Ain’t No Rocky Mountain High Enough

As a classroom teacher, it was easy to take the time to reflect in the summer. Even though I often did curriculum work, taught summer school, or other did education-related jobs between the end of June and late August, I also spent a good deal of down time with my family to decompress. To be honest, I needed it. Badly. Life as a middle school teacher was a thrill ride that is like no other job I'

by Kevin Scott / 28min 

Advanced Placement classes failing students | toteachornototeach

Advanced Placement classes failing students | toteachornototeach:

Advanced Placement classes failing students

By Stephanie Simon

Taxpayers have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years to nudge more students into Advanced Placement classes — but a close look at test scores suggests much of the investment has been wasted.

Expanding participation in AP classes has been a bipartisan goal, promoted by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and by Republican governors including Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and John Kasich of Ohio. In the last five years, the federal government has spent $275 million to promote the classes and subsidize exam fees for low-income students; states have spent many millions more.

Enrollment in AP classes has soared. But data analyzed by POLITICO shows that the number of kids who bomb the AP exams is growing even more rapidly. The class of 2012, for instance, failed nearly 1.3 million AP exams during their high school careers. That’s a lot of time and money down the drain; research shows that students don’t reap any measurable benefit from AP classes unless they do well enough to pass the $89 end-of-

THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: A pack of lies + some truths

THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: A pack of lies + some truths:

A pack of lies + some truths

EXCERPT	SOURCE
Yet [the Gulen movement’s] structure, ambitions, and size remain opaque, making assessment of its impact and power difficult... Fethullahci are often loath to declare themselves openly as such.	“The Fethullah Gulen Movement.”Global Politician, 12/31/2008
The precise number of [Fethullah Gulen Community] members is difficult to estimate since some publicly deny affinity or membership with the movement.	“Gulen Movement: Turkey’s Third Power.” Jane's Islamic Affairs Analyst, 2/1/2009
Erdogan said [Beehive Science and Technology School] is not affiliated with any religious group	"Utah charter school's ties to Turkey draw scrutiny.” Salt Lake Tribune(UT), 7/17/2009
... Mehmet Argin, principal of Tucson's Sonoran Science Academy, says his school's parent corporation, Daisy Education Corp., "has no legal or organic ties" with other schools...	“Objectives of charter schools with Turkish ties questioned.”  USA Today, 8/17/2010
[Ahmet Cetinkaya head of Albuquerque School of Excellence] said his school has no links to Islam or Gulen's philosophy.	"Texas Charter School Chain's Resources Used at Local, But Unrelated, Campus." Albuquerque Journal (NM), 10/11/2010
Karen Fontenot at 3:38 min.: “I’m on the advisory board of the schools, the Gulen schools in Louisiana.” Fontenot is

Poll: Most Americans sick of high-stakes standardized tests:

Poll: Most Americans sick of high-stakes standardized tests

By Valerie Strauss, Published: August 21 at 12:46 pmE-mail the writer

6

Comments

More

(Correcting description of AP poll)

The results of a well-regarded annual poll show that most Americans don’t like the high-stakes standardized testing that dominates education reform today and have never heard of the Common Core standards, which are currently being implemented in most of the country.

One of the more interesting results is a reversal of the majority position on whether to evaluate teachers with student standardized test scores. In 2012, a majority supported the concept. In the 2013 poll, a majority reject it.

The 45th annual PDK-Gallup poll, released Wednesday, has long been seen as a solid picture of where public sentiment lies in regard to public education and specific reform initiatives. (PDK is a professional association for educators that brings together leaders, thinkers and doers.) Some of the results conflict with those of other recent polls — 

Criticizing Common Core Coverage | Taking Note

Criticizing Common Core Coverage | Taking Note:

Criticizing Common Core Coverage

by JOHN MERROW on 21. AUG, 2013 in 2013 BLOGS, COMMON CORE

In the business of journalism, criticism is part of the deal. We are taken to task for leaving out important parts of the story or for getting the facts wrong, and sometimes we get criticized for not doing the story that the viewer wanted to see. That’s the preface to the question of this piece: “Was our 2-part report on the Common Core national standards an infomercial,” as one viewer charges? That was the harshest criticism leveled at us (as far as I am aware), but two other viewers wrote to say that we missed important parts of the story. The harshest critique came from Jamie Gass of the Pioneer Institute, a Massachusetts-based, right-leaning think tank that opposes the Common Core.

This piece really seems like an infomercial for Common Core that doesn’t provide any opposing view or criticism of either the academic quality of the Common Core, the legal issues (three federal law explicitly prohibit the federal govt from funding, validating, or directing national standards, tests or curricula), or the costs to states/districts. For three years, Pioneer Institute has done nationally recognized research on all these topics.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324659404578503561386927962.html
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-03-09/opinions/35449136_1_unesco-laws-national-curriculum

This is an interesting segment, John, I’m just not sure this is actually what I would call 

#StuVoiceStories – Student Voice Initiative Student Voice

Student Voice:

#StuVoiceStories – Student Voice Initiative 

The Student Voice Initiative is a student advocacy organization based in Canada. Article written by Leah Bae, National Ambassador for SVI.
—–

Student Voice Initiative operates on a foundation of support from policy-makers, school administrators, academics, and students from across North America and the world in support of giving students a greater voice in their own education. Through a decentralized network of student advocates across Canada, we have presented before the Canadian Student Leadership Conference, held audiences with staff from the Council of Ministers of Education of Canada, hosted the Canadian School Boards’ Association in a 90-minute plenary at their Annual Congress, and spoke before student leaders, administrators, and US Department of Education representatives at the inaugural Student Voice Live! at Microsoft’s offices in New York City in April 2013. Our core mandate arose from the success of the ‘student trustee‘ position within the Ontario education community, which has fostered a student voice framework ranging from student councils at every school, to student senates and student trustees at the regional or district school board level, to the formation of a provincial stakeholder in the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association.

We act as a supportive network and forum for knowledge exchange to movements being coordinated in BC, Alberta, and Quebec. We support the establishment of a student voice framework and student trustees at every level of educational decision-making in every province and territory in Canada.

If you are a student and want to get involved, or an interested policy-maker

You should contact us at info@studentvoicei.org.

Schools, technology community asked to weigh in on E-rate changes SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources:

Schools, technology community asked to weigh in on E-rate changes
By Kimberly Beltran
Wednesday, August 21, 2013

The Federal Communications Commission is seeking public input on an ambitious plan to recast its E-rate program, created in 1997 to provide funding to schools and libraries for discounts on telecommunications services.

Comments on the FCC proposal – outlined in a lengthy Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published late last month – are due Sept. 16. The commission asks for feedback on a range of possible actions designed to meet three specific goals: Increase Internet broadband capacity, streamline program administration and lower costs.

While the FCC says it started the modernization process in 2010, it was President Barack Obama’s recent call to connect all schools to high-speed broadband and wireless Internet that prompted the rulemaking notice.

“We are living in a digital age, and to help our students get ahead, we must make sure they have access to cutting-edge technology,” Obama said in statement this summer announcing his ConnectED initiative.

To meet his goal of connecting 99 percent of the nation’s schools to high-speed, wireless Internet, Obama called on