Ridiculous Headlines about Public Education
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I’ve been writing about education policy and practice for more than 25
years, in my local newspaper (gratis), for an education nonprofit (paid),
for Educat...
Carol Burris: The Hoax of “School Choice”
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I posted the link to Carol Burris’s terrific article about school choice
yesterday but was unable to copy the text. Carol sent the text to me. Here
it is: ...
Clean Up Time Without Bossing the Kids Around
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In the sitcom *Seinfeld*, the character Elaine Benes is annoyed that a
friend doesn't think she's up to being a babysitter: "I couldn't raise a
kid? C'm...
Back to School with New Laws
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WSMV reports on new laws impacting classrooms as schools head back to
session: A new law, HB2393/SB2310, restricts digital-device use in
kindergarten throu...
These Texans Love Their Public Schools!
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Come listen to Texans who love public schools and who fight for them every
day at the Network for Public Education in Conroe, Texas, September 26 and
27t...
Sandy Rosen, presente
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Still not an obituary. A comment. And an appeal. My mother, Sandy Rosen,
died two weeks ago. It’s my mom – the photos I have been sharing have felt
both ‘f...
Paula Lewis resigns from OKCPS chairperson post
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[image: Paula Lewis resigns]Less than halfway through her current four-year
term in elected office, Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education
Chair...
Threatening Seashells?
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Former FBI Director James Comey urged a judge on Monday
to throw out federal charges against him, arguing that a photo of seashells
ar...
Updates on Seattle Schools, July 27, 2025
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First, as it usually is in the summer, things are fairly quiet down at the
JSCEE.
The calendar reflects several meetings happening in August. The first ...
Turning Back the Clock
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Two years ago my son, Josh, gave me a fascinating birthday present, this
clock that runs backward. He engineered it himself, working with a cheap
battery-...
ICYMI: 170th Anniversary Edition (7/26)
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I have played trombone in our town band since I was in eighth grade. It is
a special kind of treat to sit on that bandstand in the park, playing with
a gro...
MediKids: Sen. Kim’s Vision to Cover All Kids
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The American people do not believe that children should be sick, in pain,
or without preventive care like vaccinations and annual check-ups based on
the we...
Gifted and Talented Education Issues
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By Thomas Ultican 7/22/2026 In California, we call them GATE (Gifted and
Talented Education) students, other states have their own designations.
Whatever l...
NOLA Teacher Charged with 102 Felonies for AI Nudes
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With new, streamlined technology comes new, streamlined criminal activity.
Consider the photo manipulation/ alteration capabilities of AI. Most of
America ...
By One Dishonest Measure
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A loaded question that education reformers like to ponder is: Exactly how
many students in the boroughs of New York City are trapped in failing
schools? In...
Farm to Summer Celebration Week 2026: Post-Survey
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The California Department of Education (CDE) recognizes SMP operators who
complete the three key elements during the F2Summer Celebration Week: 1)
Taste, 2...
1776
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__________
“The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and
conduct of this army…. We have, therefore, resolved to conquer...
Nosotros, El Pueblo, Venceremos
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Siento gratitud hacia todas las personas que, a lo largo de los siglos,
alzaron sus voces y se organizaron para hacer de este paĆs un lugar mejor.
Ahora es...
May’s Parent Engagement Resources
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San Diego Unified Created a System to ‘Empower’ Parents. It Unraveled is
from The Voice of San Diego. Why Those Disengaged Parents in Your School
Deserve a...
The Math Was Within Us All Along
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Now that I finished my second book, let me tell you a story that won’t make
it into the manuscript: A few weeks ago, I ...
Read More
The post The Math W...
Read and Learn from the Past
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I just finished reading “The Boys in the Light” by Nina Willner. This is a
wonderful World War II story of survival, faith, and brotherhood. I highly
recom...
Reflections on America, the world, and life
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I acknowledge that I rarely post here anymore. Folks should remember that I
am approaching my 80th birthday in less than 9 weeks, I am still teaching
ful...
Shutting Down The Site
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Ten years ago, I ran for a seat on the LAUSD School Board of Education with
the goal to *Change the LAUSD*.
I am proud of the campaign we ran. We achieve...
The Company You Keep
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Even though the filing period for the 2026 elections isn't until April,
let's all pay close attention. The candidates lining up to run will tell
you more a...
Blogoversary #19 — Time to Move on
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Times have changed. I had a nice long run here, but let’s face it, it ended
a while ago. So I’ve moved. I’m not writing much any more, but when I do it
wil...
Il Papa ĆØ Morto
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Francis brought a distinct pastoral outlook to his papacy. A simple man, he
lived in a small apartment in the guesthouse. He sought to make the church
acce...
Mike Shulman the ARISE UFT Judenrat
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I was surprised to learn that Mike Shulman has aligned himself with ARISE.
I previously supported him, advocating that the Castle Doctrine could have
bee...
AIN’T IT AWFUL
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As the terrible feelings of dread and angst spread across the world the
great majority of the American people feel powerless before the onslaught
of those ...
Vote NO on the UFT Contract. Here is Why:
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The best reason to vote no on this contract is this: UFT Unity* lied* to us
in 2018. They misrepresented that contract. It was predicated on deals we
wer...
Testimony to the CPS Truancy Task Force
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I prepared testimony for one of two public hearings held by the Chicago
Public Schools Truancy Task Force, a body mandated by state legislation.
The meetin...
There Is A Teacher Shortage.Not.
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THERE IS A TEACHER SHORTAGE. And just to be sure you understand, it’s not
that teachers don’t want to teach. It’s not that there aren’t enough
teachers cer...
Book Banning Turns to Dick and Jane
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Breaking News: Dateline February 4, 2022 - Parents in Dimwitty, Alabama
have asked the Dimwitty Board of Education to ban the children's primer *Fun
with...
Have You Heard Has a New Website
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TweetHave You Heard has a new website. Visit us at
www.haveyouheardpodcast.com to find our latest episodes and our entire
archive. And be sure to check out...
Follow me at Substack
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I've moved. Follow me at Substack
I'm now posting regularly at Substack. You can subscribe for free to my new
Edu/Pol blog at michaelklonsky.substack.com
...
I’ve moved.
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I’m on Substack now. You can continue to receive periodic posts for free.
Or you can read every post and comment for $5 a month, $60 a year.
fredklonsky.su...
Aspiring Teachers Get New Help Paying For College
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[image: colorful classroom pattern]
*; Credit: shuoshu/Getty Images*
Cory Turner | NPR
New rules kick in today that will help aspiring teachers pay for c...
Tips Akses Situs Judi Qq Tanpa Perlu Takut Nawala
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Kegiatan berjudi slot melalui situs judi qq online, sekarang sudah
dilakukan oleh banyak penjudi Indonesia. Tentu, Kamu yang sedang membaca
artikel ini a...
The Threat of Integration
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I have lived in the same house in the Miracle Mile section of Los Angeles
for over 30 years, where up until now I have had little or no interaction
with th...
We fight for a democracy worthy of us all!
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The nation stands at a crossroads, said NEA President Lily Eskelsen GarcĆa
in her final keynote address to the 2020 NEA Representative Assembly and
it’s up...
The Passing Of Chaz 1951-2020 Age 69
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I am the son of Chaz and like to inform you that he passed away this
afternoon from the COVID virus. My father passed in peace beside his loved
ones. We ar...
The Fight For Our Children
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*The number of suicides among people ages 10 to 24 nationally increased by
56 percent between 2007 and 2017, according to a new federal report showing
the ...
Read to Self: Just a Kid and a Book.
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Date: Monday, January 5, 2020 Place: My classroom Student: Mrs.Mims, could
we start doing Read to Self again because I got this great book for
Christmas an...
Reminiscences
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I just finished dumping the rest of my lesson plans. I guess I held on to
the calculus ones for so long because I spent so much time working on them
an...
Just Asking for some Teachers I know.
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Recently Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers stated, We must … recognize that
part of supporting our kids in the classroom means supporting the educators
who t...
Cara Menang Bermain Judi Bola Online
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Bermain judi bola online tentu saja memiliki kesenangannya tersendiri baik
itu mendapatkan keuntungan maupun ketika menantikan hasil skor pada sebuah
perta...
A Critique of Standards-Based Grading
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It first happened to me about ten years ago. I was beginning my third year
of teaching in a new school in Washington, DC. Social studies teachers were
si...
Reduced time for testing? Not so fast.
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NYSED and Commish Elia continue to say that the NYS Assessments are of
reasonable length, I completely disagree.
Here is what NYSED states are average expe...
The World According to Michelle Rhee
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The men behind the curtain fashioning the brave new world of corporate run
education in America! Michelle Rhee is the founder of StudentsFirst, The
New T...
Whose Opinions Matter in Education World?
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It's hard to identify education heroes and sheroes. And perhaps even harder
to pinpoint just whose work is slanted, paid-for and dishonest.
New Local Businesses in Sacramento
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Starting a new local business in Sacramento is a monumental task, but can
be accomplished with footwork, perseverance and knowledge. One must learn
the loc...
Lesson Plan: Rhyme and Rhythm in Poetry
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I’ve started a recent unit on poetry with my class. I’m not a poet, and I’m
not a poetry fan (I don’t hate it, but I’m a prose gal), so this makes it
harde...
The Apotheosis of Betsy DeVos
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Betsy Devos has drawn few headlines in recent months, and that is a good
thing for the Secretary of Education. Her tenure began with Vice President
Mike P...
Education Is a Civic Question
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In their final post to end Bridging Differences' decade-long run, Deborah
Meier and Harry Boyte urge readers to put the energy, talents, wisdom, and
hard w...
Site News: New Home for Education News & Commentary
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Quick! Get over there! The daily education news roundup and education
commentaries that you're probably looking for are now being published over
at The Gra...
Should We Be Grateful?
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In an odd turn of events, and with little explanation, Michigan Governor
Rick Snyder has decided to return the state’s School Reform Office back to
the Dep...
An Open Letter to NC Lawmakers
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An Open Letter to NC State Lawmakers and NC State Superintendent Mark
Johnson: I am a NC native, voter, and public school teacher. I am
addressing you all ...
The Secret to Fixing Schools (My Next Bestseller)
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The Secret to Fixing Schools (My next bestseller) Prologue I just finished
watching a fascinating documentary on Netflix entitled, “The Secret”. The
film p...
Farewell, Sleep
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Today is the official last day of my spring break. I've done a scientific
survey: My natural bedtime is 2 AM, and my natural wake up time is 9:41
AM. Tom...
REPORT: States With the Best and Worst Schools
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States With the Best (and Worst)Schools
By *Evan Comen, Michael B. Sauter, Samuel Stebbins and Thomas C. Frohlich*
January 20, 2017- http://247wallst.com
...
Test Refusal = People Power
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In recent months, social media has been ablaze with talk of regular folk
taking action to resist the Trump agenda. Protests are a daily occurrence,
and ev...
Random Musings and Observations. . . .
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I’ve been gone a while from the blogging scene. Some of my more regular
readers no doubt noticed but did not hassle me about it. Thank you for
that. Sinc...
AB 934: A LEGISLATIVE FIX FOR VERGARA?
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By Michael Stratford | in the Politco Morning Education Report | via email
05/24/2016 10:00 AM EDT :: Two national education groups are backing a
Califor...
MY NEW BLOG
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My new blog will consist of fictitious headlines, meant to be a blend of
humor and satire. I apologize ahead of time if any other satirical site has
simila...
Thank you
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Dear Readers,
Thank you for visiting *The Perimeter Primate*. This blog is being retired
for the time being. Although I no longer post here, I do still s...
I am Retiring
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I have some news: I am retiring from the PBS NewsHour and Learning Matters.
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other
conte...
New Beginnings: Kickstarter and EdWeek Teacher
-
Greetings to InterACT readers one and all! If you’ve been following posts
here recently you might recall that I’m moving my blogging activity to
other loca...
Adelaide L. Sanford Charter School
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*“With Adelaide L. Sanford Charter School closing, Newark families must
move on.”* The Star-Ledger (NJ), 6/25/2013
NEWARK — Bobby and Troy Shanks saw the...
AB 656 will help reverse the skyrocketing fees and tuition at our UC, CSU and community college campuses.
While California is struggling with record deficits and education funding is being gutted, big oil is enjoying historic profits. But California is the only major oil producing state in the country that doesn’t charge big oil their fair share. Alaska imposes a 25% oil severance fee and Texas raises up to $400 million annually through a similar fee.
It's time to make the oil and gas industry pay their fair share to help save our colleges and universities.
Please join me right now in support of AB 656 to fund higher education in California"
The employees of Epstein, a Chicagobased architecture, interiors, engineering and construction firm, have founded the Epstein Community Foundation to partner with communities for improved schools, safe environments and sustainable design.
The first major Epstein Community Foundation project is with McNair Academy, located at 4820 W. Walton Street in the South Austin neighborhood. The K-8 student body of 650 (including 150 special education students) is composed almost entirely of African-American students from low-income households.
The employees of Epstein created the Epstein Community Foundation to help build brighter futures in areas that need help and McNair School was the perfect candidate to partner with. McNair is embarking on positive changes, including significantly improved test scores. The percentage of students who meet or exceed standards for their grades grew from 23% in 2005 to 41% in 2007. Epstein wanted to support the efforts of the principal, teachers, students and the community to continue the momentum of these improvements.
Currently underway at McNair is the Epstein-sponsored program, "Real Men Read." Epstein employees regularly visit McNair to participate in reading sessions with students, aimed at demonstrating that "real men" read and value education. The program aims to encourage and improve literacy skills of students, provide mentoring opportunities, and reinforce the importance of student achievement as well as community
partnerships.
The Epstein Community Foundation has put in place a number of other programs for McNair students, including:
" Letters to Santa (wishes fulfilled by Epstein employees)
" 3,500 items donated in a school supply drive
" Summer Build program, in which students learned design, engineering ; construction techniques at Epstein offices
An examination of how to size up the performance of principals has found that one evaluation method is best suited for judging the effectiveness of school leaders: the Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in Education.
Created in 2006 and just now widely available for districts to purchase, the assessment, called VAL-ED, is the newest of the principal instruments in the review conducted by Matthew Clifford and Christopher Condon, researchers with Learning Point Associates, a nonprofit educational consulting firm based in suburban Chicago. ("Assessment to Rate Principal Leadership to Be Field-Tested," Jan. 16, 2008.)
"A high school student is working on a geometry problem with her tutor, “Jane.” The student solves the problem incorrectly and expresses frustration. Empathetic, Jane shows momentary frustration, too.
Then she responds encouragingly, “Let’s read again what the problem is asking.”
This scene would not be out of place in most educational environments were it not for one important detail: Jane is a character on a computer screen.
Developed by teams of researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Arizona State University in Tempe, the computer tutor in this scenario is part of a growing number of research projects around the country looking to build a social and emotional support system into intelligent-"
Don’t wait for the big annual event to say thanks. We've rounded up a bunch of simple recognition and appreciation ideas that can be used year-round.
by Patty Catalano
How does your group treat its volunteers? Taking the time to properly thank members for their contributions can motivate them to do even more great work for your school. But saying thanks and recognizing your dedicated helpers for their time and talents should go beyond an end-of-year appreciation luncheon. Here are some great ways to make your group’s volunteers feel special and appreciated throughout the whole year.
Incorporate a weekly email blast detailing all of the volunteers who have helped your group in any way and their specific contributions. (A couple of suggested titles: High-Five Friday, Wednesday Wonders.) Be sure to copy your school’s principal on the email.
Let the Family Know
Write a letter to your volunteer’s family letting them know how much that person’s work is appreciated, and thank the family for supporting her efforts.
Hold an Awards Night
One parent group holds an annual GEM (“go the extra mile”) Awards night to honor parent volunteers and supporters from the business community. School faculty and staff members are given nomination forms and nominate up to 10 people or organizations to be recognized. The parent and community partners with the most nominations are named Parent of the Year and Partner of the Year, respectively. All nominees receive a certificate of recognition; the two top honorees are given plaques and gifts. The group receives about 60 nominations each year.
The Philadelphia Inquirer gives us a status report on our embryonic Interdistrict Public School Choice Program, conceived in 2000 as a five-year pilot. It’s been fairly successful within its circumscribed limits and could offer choices for kids stuck in falling schools if the Legislature gives a thumbs-up to move it off pilot-status, where it’s been sitting for the last 4 years in spite of recommendations for expansion. Right now its constraints include limiting receiving districts to one per county and limiting the number of kids allowed to transfer to 2% per grade from the sending school. The new bill would allow more than one district per county to be labeled as a receiving district and expands the quota of kids allowed to transfer to 15% per grade or 10% of a school. In its current configuration the program serves about 900 kids who, because they’re lucky enough to have a receiving district within their county (15 of our 21 districts do) can get out of a failing school and into a higher-achieving one.
As we’ve reported before, sometimes the non-expanded version doesn’t work so well. Each district gets to volunteer (or not) to be a “choice district.” In Mercer County, for example, the only district to raise its hand is Trenton School District. Therefore, all those kids at Princeton High, where 100% pass the 11th grade HSPA, can elect to attend Trenton Central High where 48% of kids can pass the HSPA. In Burlington County, the volunteer is Green Bank, an impoverished K-8 district with a total population of 69 kids. If you want to take advantage of Interdistrict School Choice and you’re a high school student in Burlington, tough luck.
By all reports, the current group of kids who do elect to take go this route are happy, well-adjusted, and eager to take advantage of greater educational opportunity. (The Inquirer piece interviews a mother who exudes gratitude that her daughter can attend a school outside of her home district of Camden.) So why has the expansion been put in suspended animation for the last 4 years?
"This is all about providing opportunity," said NJEA spokesman Stephen Wollmer, "but you have to ensure you're very careful you don't deny opportunity to the kids who stay behind."
This is actually the same argument used against charter schools: if a kid is lucky enough to have proactive parents who show up at charter school lotteries, then this hurts the home school by “creaming off” the best kids and leaving the unlucky ones in an even lower-achieving environment. It’s a strange sort of logic. While everyone agrees that this child might be better off a
"BRADENTON — Allie Smart’s relatives couldn’t make it over from England to watch her school ballet recital at Sarasota’s Ringling Museum of Art.
But that doesn’t mean they didn’t see it.
Thanks to a new service launched recently, viewers can now jump online from anywhere and watch on-demand videos of student performances through the Manatee County School District’s television station, EDV-TV."
How to watch
To view the district’s student and school on-demand videos visit www.edvtv.org and under Watch EDV-TV Online, click watch on-demand videos.
The site is also accessible through http://www.manatee.k12.fl.us/. Just click on the EDVTV link and follow the same directions.
"The mission of EDV-TV is to produce and broadcast television programs supporting the vision of the School District of Manatee County, the core values of EdVantage, and the educational needs of our students, staff, and community."
Below is EDV-TV's weekly block schedule description:
It is that time of the year again. Most of the year, Eduflack can be critical, cynical, and downright combustible about what is happening in the education community. We spend a great deal of time talking, but little time delivering. We get caught up on the 20 percent or so of improvements we don't agree on, thus neglecting the 80 percent that could make real change now. And we regularly fall into a cult of personality, rather than focusing on the substance of both character and ideas.
But Christmas is a special time of year, that time when we all get a blank slate and we all look forward to a new year with a renewed sense of purpose and commitment. As for Eduflack, I don't believe in naughty lists (personally, I'm worried about what all of my general agitation would mean for such databases). And with two little kiddos at home who are the absolute loves of my life and motivations for getting up each morning, I'm all for being generous and giving gifts for both a great 2009 and the hopes of an even better 2010. So without further ado, let's check out what's under the ol' Eduflack tree this holiday season.
To NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, a return to the spotlight. In 2008, Chancellor Klein was the king of the ed reform kingdom. Scores were up in NYC. The city was coming off the Broad Prize, and Klein was on the short list for U.S. Secretary of Education. But a funny thing happened in 2009. The good chancellor seemed to take a public back seat, dealing with collective bargaining agreements, a city council that was trying to take away mayoral control, and other such operational issues. He even seemed to take a back seat with the Education Equality Project, letting Al Sharpton and Newt Gingrich play center stage for much of 2009. But 2010 is Klein's year again. With states and districts desperate to demonstrate sustained student gains on assessments and a closing of the achievement gap, there is no better model than the revolution that has happened in NYC over the last decade. And the NYC experience is one that can serve as a research-based model for many urbans looking to secure i3 grants in the coming year. Klein has always been a force, but with all of the elements coming together, 2010 can very well be the year of Klein.
To Detroit's de facto public schools chief Robert Bobb, a wide berth. By now, most of us have written off Detroit Public Schools, believing there is no hope for America's most struggling urban district, whether it declares bankruptcy or not. But for those not paying attention, Bobb is really trying to do God's work up in the Motor City. With a new mayor and a renewed sense of purpose, Bobb and his team and rebuilding the DPS infrastructure while taking on instructional reforms designed to improving student learning and close the dreaded achievement gap. Bobb has thrown a lot against the wall in the past year. Here's hoping the city (and the nation) the time to see what sticks and build on what works. Improvement is possible in Detroit, with the right time and support.
"The Christmas season began Nov. 28 in Elk Grove: A rescue of Santa from atop an Elk Grove business, caroling, visits to Old St. Nick, a Parade of Lights, Christmas shopping fun and lighting the official Elk Grove Christmas Tree. The Elk Grove Yuletide Season came alive with the Dickens Faire in Old Town Elk Grove.
The spirit of an old-fashioned Christmas, highlighting the era of A Christmas Carol author Charles Dickens was brought to life by the Old Town Elk Grove Foundation.
Co-chairpersons of the event were Kristi Peck and Sasha Gareau. Peck said that preparations for the Dickens Faire gets under way many months before the event actually is held. Elk Grove Boulevard was closed for the events, but shuttles took visitors to featured locations.
A major feature of this year’s Dickens Faire was a free snow park"
Atotal of 62 children at Riverview Elementary School in Rancho Cordova,many of them from families with limited income, received new pairs of shoes and socks Thursday, courtesy of Kaiser Permanente physicians, nurses and staff.
The annual shoe distribution, in its final year due to the school’s scheduled closure, is part of a Kaiser Permanente program known as H.E.A.L. (Healthy Eating, Active Living), which encourages children to exercise frequently, including taking school-sponsored walks on campus.
On December 17th at a special assembly, the 62 wide-eyed students in grades K-2 received wrapped boxes containing new shoes.
“The staff at Kaiser Permanente’s Medical Office Building in Rancho Cordova have been committed to
"Of all the reforms that legislators are on the verge of passing to enhance its Race to the Top application, the most consequential also has been the least discussed.
California is about to commit to junk its decade-old, much ballyhooed system of K-12 academic standards by Aug. 2. Doing so will the require writing new assessments and curriculum frameworks and adopting new textbooks over the next few years– at a cost that easily run in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
What’s amazing is not the state’s consideration of the Obama administration’s push for “common core” standards. The concept of internationally benchmarked academic standards to which students in all states can be measured and compared is certainly sound."
1. University tuition ceiling raised to 240,000 dong
On August 21 the Prime Minister raised university tuitions from 180,000 dong to 240,000 dong per month. The tuition adjustment is part of the National Assembly’s Resolution on renovating education and training finances.
Tuition hikes have brought new worries to students burdened with higher daily expenses, room rents and other study costs. Many question if higher tuitions mean higher quality in education.
2. MOET drafts strategy for education development in 2009-2020
The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) announced plans for education development in 2009-2020, but it was not welcomed. Many believe that the ministry needs to devise a more scientific and feasible strategy.
Experts have pointed out that the time frame is not realistic and planners did not consult prestigious scientists and teachers from universities or education institutes. The plan’s goals are termed both unnecessary and unfeasible.
3. The future of multiple university entrance exams undecided
MOET tried multiple times to end university entrance exams and organize a single test for both high schools and universities, but the public has not supported the measure.
4. Many schools became hospitals to fight A/H1N1 flu
On July 19, 2009, Ngo Thoi Nhiem High School in HCM City became the first school in Vietnam to serve as a hospital to fight swine flu. Other schools followed, becoming makeshift hospitals with physicians, ambulances and medical equipment.
5. Schools try to renovate teaching and learning methods
Many schools have sought to improve teaching and learning methods to replace older approaches that have been criticized as “out of date and ineffective.” Luong Dinh Cua Primary School in HCM City, for example, organised group-based classes to shift to student-centered teaching methods.
The HCM City Education and Training Department supported these changes.
6. Too many school fees frighten students’ parents
Education inspection tours discovered that schools collected too many fees and burdening parents and students. One primary school in Hanoi, for example, had a long list
"It doesn't look like a typical high school classroom, and that's because it isn't.
The Stall High School classroom with the ball chairs and laptops is home to the school's Star Academy, a place where students who are behind can complete eighth and ninth grades in one year. They use the laptops for individualized lessons at their own pace, and the ball chairs allow them more movement than stiff, plastic ones.
'We're trying to meet the needs of nontraditional kids in a nontraditional way because a traditional setting hasn't worked for these kids,' said Anna Dassing, one of the school's assistant principals and director of the Star Academy."
"The city has cheated some special needs kids out of valuable time in school, pulling them from class early to catch their ride home.
Across the city, the Daily News found scores of students boarding school buses as much as 40 minutes before the official end of the day.
'It's not right. They're not helping the kids learn more or get better in school,' said Jacqueline Peralta, 35, mother of two students, Luis Diaz, 16, and Carla Diaz, 14, who attend Public School 79 in East Harlem because they use wheelchairs and have learning disabilities.
On a December afternoon, two dozen students at PS 79 boarded buses at least a half-hour before the end of classes."
"Louisiana may score low in many national education rankings, but the rest of the country is paying more attention to the way the state trains its teachers.
Just this past week, education officials from at least 10 states — from California to Georgia — visited Baton Rouge to study Louisiana’s state’s teacher-prep model, officially called the Value-Added Teacher Preparation Assessment Model.
Studies thus far have shown that, in some cases, new Louisiana teachers are performing as well or even better than more-experienced peers after going through “redesigned” teacher-preparation programs."
David Anderegg, a professor of psychology at Bennington College who puts the "egg" in "egghead," believes he knows one reason why America lags in producing math and sciences whiz kids.
It's because, he thinks, the U.S. has stereotyped the intellectually advanced among us as pocket protector-wearing social misfits. And no teenager worth his or her acne medication wants to be seen as such a retro creature.
Anderegg suggests banning two words from the vocabulary: "nerd" and "geek."
That guy who won't make eye contact because he's enraptured by a new social networking app on his iPhone? Call him a technophile.
That guy who won't read a novel, not even the sci-fi book of the year, unless it's available for the Kindle? He's an environmentally aware, cutting-edge bookworm.
Rochester school board members signed off Monday on proposals for two new high schools, but as enrollment in the city declines, the move means closing old ones.
As state and federal governments push for quick closure of failing schools, the decision to open the new schools — supported by nearly $1 million in public and private grants — likely locks the district into phasing out at least two schools starting this fall. Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard said it could be as many as five.
At a meeting to discuss the proposals, Brizard told board members that the new schools' costs will be absorbed easily into the district's budget.
"Most of the funding is going to come internally," Brizard said. "We anticipate, of course, closing schools to replace these schools. We intend to hopefully operate fewer facilities."
Early College High School, a partnership between the district, St. John Fisher College and Monroe Community College, will be designed with input from the Asia Society, a national nonprofit with school planning experience.
The early college model, which allows studentsto earn as many as 20 college credits during high school, was the subject of
"Lansing -- While lawmakers enacted sweeping education reforms last week in an effort to win up to $400 million in federal Race to the Top cash, they left in place a finance system that some say is failing public schools.
Funding is heavily reliant on retail sales in a down economy that is increasingly shifting toward services. That has left school budgets lean and getting leaner at a time when the state needs to retool to prepare students for a knowledge-based marketplace.
'We have to fix the way education is funded in Michigan,' Gov. Jennifer Granholm said. 'Our funding structure was adopted at a time when the economy was different.'"
"ALBANY -- Education groups yesterday blasted the Paterson administration's decision to approve a $50 million state Capitol renovation at the same time schools face a freeze in state aid.
'The timing of this is really bad,' said New York State School Boards Association Executive Director Timothy Kremer.
'It sends out another one of these mixed messages to the taxpayers that says, 'Do as I say, not as I do.' '
The Post first reported yesterday that the Office of General Services in July awarded bids to begin the final, five-year phase of a massive state Capitol renovation project."
It would be easy to mock a grad student who decides to put down roots with her auto-mechanic boyfriend in a sketchy part of Oakland, Calif., better known for its murder rate than fresh produce.
But Novella Carpenter did and readers should thank her for it. In Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer, Carpenter comes across as the sort of person you’d hope to meet at a dinner party, nutty enough to be captivating and charming enough to draw you in. From her opening sentence, “I have a farm on a dead-end street in the ghetto,” she had me hooked.
No survivor’s tale of crime and desperation, Farm Cityis a memoir based on living off the land with modest expectations. Carpenter writes about establishing and then subsisting on a garden plot located on an abandoned 4,500-square-foot lot next to her apartment building.
In a decaying city suffering from “beautiful neglect,” Carpenter and her boyfriend join a community called Ghost Town, which is composed of immigrants, outliers and miscreants unfit for the slick precincts of San Francisco or the manicured lawns of Berkeley. They befriend Lana — who says that’s “anal spelled backward,” by way of introduction — and Bobby, a junk-collecting homeless resident.
"In a report to be released next month, researchers at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey find that nearly 30 years of violence in Salinas has been intimately tied to education and employment levels, but not necessarily to crowded housing or police staffing levels.
'Although funding will be a problem for any program recommended to help lower violence, education pursuits should be given priority for funding,' the report concludes.
One finding surprised the authors — that Salinas' crowded housing not only did not exacerbate violent crime, but was inexplicably tied to decreases.
An analysis of whether police budgets have an impact on violent crime was inconclusive. But that shouldn't rule out a hard look at the city's approach to policing, the report said.
The NPS research is part of an ongoing effort to understand — and rectify — the city's violent crime rate, which for 14 straight years has been greater than state and national averages. A record number of 29 homicides this year have been blamed on gang violence."
Note: Part One, published yesterday, discussed how one woman’s crusade to eliminate required fees for public school classes and programs has garnered mixed reactions.
Brett Killeen, principal of Torrey Pines High School in the San Dieguito Union High School District, said in an email that the requirement to fund all extracurricular activities at his former high school in San Bernardino resulted in reduced quality of programs in some cases, a fact that sometimes “irritated students.”
For example, rather than allow the cheer team members to buy their own cheerleading outfits, the school supplied them. “It was of lesser quality and could not be customized, because the uniforms were used year-to-year,” Killeen said. “They were checked out to the students; they couldn’t keep them anymore.”
“It’s a tricky line,” said Brian Kohn, principal of Canyon Crest Academy, another high school in the San Dieguito district. “You want to make it clear these programs do cost money. They’re expensive. So you need the donations.”
But Kohn said the school is careful about the language used to solicit funds.
“We say, ‘Here’s what the program costs.’ But it’s very carefully worded to make sure that people understand that it’s not something that affects whether or not a student can participate,” he said.
The Envision arts program at Canyon Crest is particularly expensive. Even so, Kohn said no student whose family cannot