bigeducationape.blogspot.com - More Bullying from Sec of Ed Duncan « Failing SchoolsMore Bullying from Sec of Ed DuncanJUNE 22, 2011by markfriedman1After having returned to FS after an intense few weeks of campaigning, organizin...
nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com - Yesterday afternoon, oral arguments were heard in the UFT/NAACP school closing/co-location lawsuit. State Supreme Court Judge Paul Feinman’s courtroom was packed, mostly with attorneys and reporte...
palmbeachpost.com - AP Photo/Steve Helber, FileIn this Jan. 26, 2010 photo, Virginia Secretary of Education Gerard Robinson gestures during an interview in his office in Richmond, Va. Florida Board of Education voted ...
indypressny.org - Upper East Side A new charter high school proposed for Manhattan has close ties to a for-profit curriculum provider with family links to the chair of the state board that will decide on the school'...
bangordailynews.com - BANGOR, Maine — The number of Maine schools lagging behind federal school improvement requirements will increase drastically this year and might double in poorer areas, according to education offic...
myfoxchicago.com - Chicago - The Chicago Teachers Union protested at school headquarters Wednesday, days after the board denied teachers a 4 percent raise, opening the possibility of a teacher strike. The CTU was pro...
chicagoist.com - The Chicago School Board will meet today to vote for pay raises for Chicago Public Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard and four other school system executives. The vote comes a week after that same Sch...
suntimes.com - BY ROSALIND ROSSI Staff Reporter rrossi@suntimes.com June 22, 2011 4:10PM Chicago Teachers Union officers and members hold a protest, Wednesday, June 22, 2011, demanding CPS negotiates with unions ...
perdidostreetschool.blogspot.com - Al Jazeera has a really good video report on the CityTime scandal:This is the biggest theft in NYC history - the crooks stole $600 million dollars.Mayor Bloomberg shrugs over it all, says the money...
michaelklonsky.blogspot.com - "This is what democracy looks like!" (M. Klonsky pic)I got to march this morning, with thousands of Chicago teachers and supporters who surrounded CPS headquarters to protest the mayor's latest as...
nydailynews.com - Bryan Smith for News Council member Letitia James is one politician urging Mayor Bloomberg to tap into rainy-day funds in order to save community programs from being cut. If Mayor Bloomberg has his...
bigeducationape.blogspot.com - "The Tennessee Waltz" was #1 for thirteen weeks in 1950http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patti_Pagewritten by Redd Stewart and Pee Wee King in 1947, popularized by Patti Page and by Les Paul and Mary Fo...
vidayfamilia.univision.com - La invitada también recomendó las actividades junto con los padres para aprender cosas nuevas como el valor de la nutrición, visitas a museos y lugares de intereses, así como fomentar las conversa...
bigeducationape.blogspot.com - ASCD Inservice: "Tell Me How to Fix This""Tell Me How to Fix This"The Bully Project, a new documentary from filmmaker Lee Hirsch is a heartbreaking look at on-going violence and harassment that pla...
edupln.com - Have you looked at Twitter and wondered what all the fuss is about? Over the last few months I have been showing teachers how to use twitter to build their PLN (Professional Learning Network). Wh...
coolcatteacher.blogspot.com - Organizer HD is the first of a new generation of hybrid planners that is finally bringing some good life management to my iPad. This handy app imports google calendar and allows tasks and even impo...
larryferlazzo.edublogs.org - Jun 22 2011 Larry Ferlazzo Artpad is a great simple application that lets you paint and draw, and then save your creation (not to mention letting you replay your creative process). It’s been on The...
kochwatch.org - -By Marie DiamondJune 21, 2011- In his relentless campaign against President Obama’s health care reform law, Florida Governor Rick Scott (R) has repeatedly proven his willingness to put politics ah...
bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Modern School: Free Speech Loses Again—Irvine 11 Case Will Not Be TossedFree Speech Loses Again—Irvine 11 Case Will Not Be Tossedby Michael DunnA judge last week denied a motion to dismiss charges ...
hispanicallyspeakingnews.com - Published at 5:17 pm, June 22, 2011 Photo Credits: Reports Reveal Minority Men Face Toughest Challenges When Trying to Advance their Education According to two recent reports from the College Board...
kochwatch.org - -By Adam KaderJune 16, 2011- The decline of unions does not mean the end of the labor movement. Indeed, the last few years have seen a proliferation of new kinds of worker organizations and workers...
my.firedoglake.com - The United States has to cut back spending on the Commerce Department or it will bankrupt the country. Okay, I have no evidence for this and it really doesn’t make any sense. The Commerce Departmen...
bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Everything You Wanted To Know About Diane Ravitch…. | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...Everything You Wanted To Know About Diane Ravitch….by Larry FerlazzoDana Goldstein, a talented writer on...
bigeducationape.blogspot.com - A response from Joel Klein on status quo apologists - The Answer Sheet - The Washington PostA response from Joel Klein on status quo apologistsby Valerie StraussEarlier this month I published a pos...
bigeducationape.blogspot.com - NY State backs down on inverse flub; no geometry gaffes until later today « JD2718NY State backs down on inverse flub; no geometry gaffes until later todayby jd2718New York State asked high school ...
It's a common refrain. After all, we knew we wanted our kids in Ms. Brown's second grade class, and tried to steer them clear of Mrs. Foster in the fourth grade.
But sorting teachers in a way that is consistent, credible, fair, and reliable -- particularly when critical decisions like tenure, retention, or dismissal are on the line -- turns out to be devilishly complex.
Apparently, the New Jersey Department of Education does not agree. On June 16 it announced a pilot teacher evaluation program that trivializes the complexity of the problem and puts participants on the equivalent of a forced march.
In brief, the department invites districts to submit applications by July 28 to try to solve instructional and evaluation issues that have evaded "fair" and "reliable" solutions for decades. Not only will the winning districts receive inadequate funding for the scale of the project, but also they must be ready to roll by September -- and get everything done in one school year.
In terms of where we are with the science and art of evaluating classroom teachers, this is akin to
Later this summer, I’ll begin writing a once-a-week blog/column for Education Week Teacher. It will be a “Dear Abby”- like column (without the melodrama ) where educators can ask questions about K-12 classroom management, ELL instruction, professional development, instructional strategies, school reform and any other challenges facing teachers in their professional lives.
I’ll be providing answers, as well as colleagues I invite from around the world and readers of the blog/column. Unlike some in the education world, I’ll be reluctant to prescribe solutions on topics that I know little or nothing about and, instead, will often be relying on other educators to share their thoughts and experiences.
We’re still working out the logistics of it all at the Ed Week site but, for now, it would be great if you can contribute questions by either leaving them in the comments section of this post or sending them to me throughmy contact form.
When you send in your question, let me know if I can use your real name or if you prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind — if I end up publishing it.
Thanks!
I’ll let you know when the date is set for it to go “live” at Ed Week Teacher.
Group of parents also files suit over Douglas County school vouchers
By Karen Auge The Denver Post Posted: 06/23/2011 01:00:00 AM MDT Updated: 06/23/2011 06:17:08 AM MDT
While the American Civil Liberties Union and high-profile faith organizations got all the attention Tuesday for their lawsuit against Douglas County Schools, a smaller group of parents, too, filed a challenge to the district's voucher program. The group calls itself Taxpayers for Public Education and says its attorneys, from the local firm Faegre & Benson, are working pro bono. But like the ACLU's somewhat bigger guns, the parents have in their sights a voucher program that they say misuses public funds. The taxpayers group's suit, filed Tuesday in Denver District Court, contends that the voucher program violates the state constitution and the Public School Finance Act. "You have to use tax dollars for public schools. You can't use tax dollars for private schools," said Anne Kleinkopf, one of the group's directors. The ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Interfaith Alliance of
CASTLE ROCK – It will take a judge or two to settle the legal challenges swirling around Douglas County’s pilot voucher program but Gretchen Immen already has her verdict: “Dream come true.”
Gretchen Immen and son Sam hug Wednesday after learning he's received the last voucher slot.
Wednesday, during a lottery held in a former school here, Immen learned her son Sam was picked for the last available slot – seat no. 25 – for a voucher that will allow him to attend a private school this fall.
“We feel so blessed,” Immen, a Parker resident, said after bursting into a smile and embracing Sam, 15, who
Education historian Diane Ravitch noted some holes in the claims and accomplishments of Urban Prep and several other reform success stories in a recent NYT oped, but Urban Prep head Tim King says Ravitch got it wrong over all (about poverty and achievement) and about Urban Prep in particular: "To be sure, the test scores of our students still have plenty of room for improvement. But Ravitch implies that low test scores mean that our perfect college
Signaling a desire for a higher profile, new directions, and an interest in reaching a larger audience, the board of directors of the research and policy organization EdSourcehas hired veteran California journalist Louis Freedberg as its new executive director.
Freedberg is the senior education reporter atCalifornia Watch, the foundation-funded online investigative reporting news site and blog that he co-founded. He has written extensively about education policy in that job and at the San Francisco Chronicle, where he was a columnist, education reporter, Washington correspondent, and editorial writer for more than a decade.
Louis Freedberg (California Watch photo)
What stood out was Freedberg’s experience in building media partnerships at California Watch and at the California Media
“Power of home visits and caring stressed to teachers”Power of home visits and caring stressed to teachers is an article about the Parent Teacher Home Visit Project and a training they are doing in Montana right now. In fact, the parent engagement coordinator at our school, Elisa Gonzalez, is helping ...
“Communicating With Parents”Communicating With Parents is a nice column by teacher by teacher Gail Tillery. It has just been published in Ed Week Teacher. Its advice is worth heeding…
“Review of Building Parental Engagement in Schools”Terry Freedman has written a review of my book, “Building Parent Engagement In Schools.” You might find it interesting…
“Mayor Booker’s reform plan was presented fully formed, without involving parents”The headline of this post is from a parent quoted in NPR’s story today, Fight Ensues Over Facebook Money for N.J. Schools. I’ve written extensively in the past about Newark’s fiasco with parent engagement and the Facebook money.
“High Performing Community Schools Receive National Awards for Excellence”I’ve written in the past about “community schools,” which are schools that make a particular effort to connect with the surrounding community. Many, though not all, work with local parents and community members as partners in developing effective ...
“L.A. Unified to spend $20 million on parent centers”L.A. Unified to spend $20 million on parent centers is the headline of an article in today’s Los Angeles Times. I generally don’t tend to be a big fan of these kinds of parent centers because they are often well-intentioned efforts to “do to” parents ...
“You have to really believe that parents have something vital to offer”The headline of this post is how Soo Hong, author of *A Cord of Three Strands: A New Approach to Parent Engagement in Schools*, ends a recent interview about her book. Check-out How a neighborhood organization is bringing parents and schools ...
Parent Trigger In The NewsAs regular readers know, I’m definitely not a fan of the so-called “parent trigger” law (you might want to read The Best Resources For Learning Why The Parent Trigger Isn’t Good For Parents, Kids Or Schools). Today, there were lots of news articles ...
New Online Resource To Answer Parent & Student Questions About CollegeEn Camino: Educational Toolkit For Families is a series of free online “modules,” available in both English and Spanish, designed to help answer parent and student questions about college. It was just unveiled a few minutes ago by the National Center ...
“Engagement must not stop at the gate”“Engagement must not stop at the gate” is the title of an op-ed published in the Sydney Morning Herald. Its author is the president of the “Australian Council of State School Organisations.” I’m not sure if that’s the Australian equivalent of the PTA ...
Op Ed News: Inside the Koch Brothers' Expensive Echo Chamber*-By Robert Greenwald * *June 22, 2011-* Documents and interviews unearthed in recent months by Brave New Foundation researchers illustrate a $28.4 million Koch business that has manufactured 297 commentaries, 200 reports, 56 studies and six books ...
RFK, Jr.: How The Middle Class Disappeared
Brave New Films: Will you help Senator Sanders expose the Koch Echo Chamber?
Buffalo Grove Patch: Teen Intern Takes Aim at Koch Brothers*Dold responds to question about Citizens United case.* *-By Steve Sadin* *June 21, 2011-*When a member of Rep. Robert Dold’s (R-Kenilworth) staff asked for “two more questions” toward the end of an Americans for Prosperity (AFP) Town Hall Saturday ...
Ed Schultz: Koch brothers pay to lie about high gas prices
Earlier this month I published a post by Aaron Pallas, professor of sociology and education at Teachers College, Columbia University, that challenged former New York City Schools chancellor Joel Klein’s take on education reform in an op-ed Klein had written earlier this month for The Washington Post.
Below, Klein responds to Pallas.
Pallas writes the Sociological Eye on Education blog for The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, non-partisan education-news outlet affiliated with the Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media. Pallas has also taught at Johns Hopkins University, Michigan State University, and Northwestern University, and served as a statistician at the National Center for Education Statistics in the U.S. Department of Education.
This was written by Michael T. Nettles, senior vice president and the Edmund W. Gordon chair of the Educational Testing Service’s Policy Evaluation & Research Center.
They backed down. But tried to weasel out and claim they had not made an error. Here is the language in theirclarification memo:
“Because of variations in the use of notation throughout New York State, a revised rubric for Question 32 has been provided. Please rescore all students’ responses to Question 32….” And then they allow or or or “An explanation stating that the original function is not one-to-one and therefore there is no inverse”
Surrender? No. They ascribe their error to “variations in notation.” Actually, even if they were right, they have
A new website launched this month weaves together multiple sources of education data into a single place, allowing parents, students and researchers to quickly size up schools.
The site, www.EdBudgetProject.org, includes information for both K-12 school districts and colleges. Every school and district page includes financial, demographic and academic achievement information.
"Despite national calls for improved access to data (by policymakers, researchers and the public, alike), much of today’s education data are still buried deep inside state and federal agencies or available in inaccessible
I thought, when a heard a math teacher from my school ranting white with rage about a question on the algebra Regents, that this was an isolated incident. This particular teacher was so incensed that he was putting together a PowerPoint breaking out every single thing wrong with the question and showing it to his colleagues, all of whom were shaking their heads sadly. Yes, I thought this was an isolated incident, but I am wrong. (Even if you're not a math teacher, click over to take a quick peek at the post from JD2718; it's short and you'll get the point.)
Yet we as teachers are supposed to be just fine with having these tests, and the people who create them, holding the swords of Damocles over our jobs. I've scored both the middle school ELA exams and the English Regents exams at this point, and there are many multiple-choice questions that are ambiguous or can have more than one "correct" or "best" answer choice. Even the
After having returned to FS after an intense few weeks of campaigning, organizing, and of course standardized tests & finals, I came across some political news worthy of attention. Due to stalled negotiations and discussions of revising the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in Congress, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has made a predictably flawed announcement that he is willing to unilaterally take autocratic action and amend the law himself. As stated in US News, “A clause in the law permits the secretary of education to waive certain parts of the act—a power Duncan said he would consider use [sic] if states agree to enact reforms”.
Arne Duncan in Congress
As states desperately clamor to obtain relief from the ominous “accountability” provisions of the federal school accountability law (ESEA), Duncan continues the extortion routine. As Diane Ravitch stated in response to Race to the
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) where educators can ask questions about K-12 classroom management, ELL instruction, professional development, instructional strategies, school reform and any other challenges facing teachers in their professional lives.
find 
. Youch. Teachers across the state yelled and screamed, but most importantly called the testing hotline (I never got through, all busy). What was the response?
notation throughout New York State, a revised rubric for Question 32 has been provided. Please rescore all students’ responses to Question 32….” And then they allow 
or
or 
or “An explanation stating that the original function is not one-to-one and therefore there is no inverse”
