Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Schools Matter: A Movement Too Big to Fail:A Movement Too Big to Failby Jim Horn Julian Assange, the editor in chief of Wikileaks, addresses protesters at the 'Occupy London' Stock Exchange demonstration, 10/15/11. ( photo: Elizabeth Dalziel / AP)A Movement Too Big to FailBy Chris Hedges, Truthdig17 October 11AP/Ted S. Warrenhere is no danger that the protesters who have occupied squares, parks

Generational Divide in Education « My Island View

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Generational Divide in Education « My Island View:Generational Divide in Educationby tomwhitbyIt is my birthday today, so please forgive me for allowing my contemplation once again lead us down a well-travelled path. I have discussed this topic in posts before, but it is a subject that will not go away as long as we have younger people working next to older people. As one of those older folks, I might better state it as the “rookies” working beside the “seasoned ... more »

LET’S JOIN THE PROTESTS « Teachers Fight Back #OWS

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LET’S JOIN THE PROTESTS « Teachers Fight Back:LET’S JOIN THE PROTESTSby alkleenTime for teachers to join the world-wide protests. Let’s all refuse to teach and instead sit around the town squares singing Kumbaya until our demands are met. These are our demands:1. An immediate end to No Child Left Behind. 2. Future teacher evaluations must be based on ALL the factors that make for a great teacher, the least being test scores!3. Pay increases that are reflective of the importance ... more »

Breaking News: Senate takes teacher/admin test-based evaluation off the ESEAtable

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Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Breaking News: Senate takes teacher/admin test-based evaluation off the ESEAtable:Breaking News: Senate takes teacher/admin test-based evaluation off the ESEAtableby adminPassed on from our PAA member Rita Solnet:Senators announced agreement on education lawBy KIMBERLY HEFLING, AP Education Writer – 2 hours ago WASHINGTON (AP) — Signaling some unity in the Senate on fixing the “No Child Left Behind” law, two senators announced Monday an agreement to move forward on bipartisan legislation to ... more »

CHAIN GANG ELEMENTARY | chaingangelementary.com

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The book | chaingangelementary.com:Good afternoon, I think this book will be of interest to you and your readers, since it’s written for parents and educators. You’ll be especially interested in this excerpt, on standardized testing: http://chaingangelementary.com/?p=384. Chain Gang Elementary is a tale of war between the parents and administrators at a fictional suburban public school. It’s funny. It’s not so funny. You could think of this novel as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest for public education. It could also ... more »

Don’t wait for Tuesday! Today’s the day to contact your Senator on ESEA

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Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Don’t wait for Tuesday! Today’s the day to contact your Senator on ESEA:Don’t wait for Tuesday! Today’s the day to contact your Senator on ESEAby adminWe are working on a Parents Across America summary chart and cover letter on the Senate ESEA proposal, but meanwhile this excellent set of suggestions comes from FairTest, which urges everyone to call, write or e-mail TODAY to have an impact on ESEA:Contact your Senator today! ... more »

New money vs. old muscle in education races | WBRZ News 2 Louisiana : Baton Rouge, LA |

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New money vs. old muscle in education races | WBRZ News 2 Louisiana : Baton Rouge, LA |:New money vs. old muscle in education racesA-AA+Posted: Oct 17, 2011 12:05 PM Updated: Oct 17, 2011 1:49 PMShareShare Rating: 123450.0 (0 votes)Topics: new orleans, campaign,election, bese, education,election, wbrz, louisianaNEW ORLEANS - Big money is being spent on campaigning for seats on the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education - unsalaried posts that usually draw far less attention at election time.Candidates backed ... more »

This Week In Education: Thompson: Was Rhee Worth It?

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This Week In Education: Thompson: Was Rhee Worth It?:Thompson: Was Rhee Worth It?by john thompsonBill Turque's retrospective on Michelle Rhee in the Washington Postconcentrates on the costs and the benefits of her "reforms." We can debate whether Rhee prompted minimal or modest improvements, but that misses the point if we ignore trade-offs. Turque reports that about a third of D.C.'s teachers left the district under Rhee. There is little doubt that many deserved to go, but the way she drove ... more »

Want a Real Economic Stimulus and Jobs Plan? Forgive Student Loan Debt!

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SignOn.org Beta:Want a Real Economic Stimulus and Jobs Plan? Forgive Student Loan Debt!By Robert Applebaum (Contact)To be delivered to: The United States House of Representatives, The United States Senate and President Barack ObamaForgiving the student loan debt of all Americans will have an immediate stimulative effect on our economy. With the stroke of the President's pen, millions of Americans would suddenly have hundreds, or in some cases, thousands of extra dollars in their pockets each and every month with which ... more »

This Is What Children Will Learn About Gay History | Pam's House Blend

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This Is What Children Will Learn About Gay History | Pam's House Blend:This Is What Children Will Learn About Gay Historyby Alvin McEwenPopout I have not forgotten that this is LGBT History Month. How very appropriate that some folks in California who tried to stop the teaching of gay history failed miserably in their attempt.Don’t let them or anyone talking about children “being indoctrinated to accept a lifestyle” fool you with their

Local News | Study: Student scores, teacher's college linked | Seattle Times Newspaper

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Local News | Study: Student scores, teacher's college linked | Seattle Times Newspaper:Study: Student scores, teacher's college linkedHow well public-school students perform can be traced, in part, to where their teachers went to college, according to a new study by the University of Washington. But the study's director cautions that the findings are but one measure of effective teacher-teaching.By Donna Gordon BlankinshipThe Associated PressPREV 1 of 2 NEXT Dan GoldhaberTop comments Hide / Show commentsNo comments have been posted to ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Cerf and Murdoch: BFFs!

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Jersey Jazzman: Cerf and Murdoch: BFFs!:Cerf and Murdoch: BFFs!by DukeThese poor, unloved reformy types! I mean, they're just trying to have a nice, quiet conference where they come up with new ways to screw unions, screw teachers, and enrich education profiteers. But the rabble just won't leave them alone, what with their uncivil calls for "transparency" and such:About 50-75 protesters picketed a conference hosted by Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education Thursday in San Francisco. Those protests came in part ... more »

The Barack Obamas [2011, Meet 2008] | The Jose Vilson

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The Barack Obamas [2011, Meet 2008] | The Jose Vilson:The Barack Obamas [2011, Meet 2008]by JoseFor months, possibly years, I’ve been waiting for this Barack Obama to make an appearance to the general public:PopoutHot-damn. The Barack Obama of 2008 made an appearance again at the MLK Memorial today to thousands of people watching in DC and on CSPAN. (For full text, here’s more.) I was not aware that any version of the President would show up to this memorial today, ... more »

School reform discussed at Bronx Education Summit

School reform discussed at Bronx Education Summit:

School reform discussed at Bronx Education Summit

BY CORINNE LESTCH
DAILY NEWS WRITER

Tuesday, October 18th 2011, 4:00 AM

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. (l.) with Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott at first annual Bronx Education Summit, which packed Lehman’s performing arts center.

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The Bronx became the city's No.1 education destination over the weekend when the best and the brightest gathered to propel a strategy for school reform.

The first annual Bronx Education Summit attracted a range of opposing views, with Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott pitted against keynote speaker Diane Ravitch, an outspoken critic of charter schools and mayoral control of the city school system.

Walcott first took the stage, proving to have a calm, easygoing presence, but it was Ravitch who rallied the hundreds of educators, parents and community members into frequent bursts of chants and cheers.

"More students are graduating New York City schools, but most of them are not prepared for college or for the modern workplace,

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… - Uh Oh, Harvard Goal Study Is An “Urban Legend”

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… - Uh Oh, Harvard Goal Study Is An “Urban Legend”:

Photo Galleries Of The Week

by Larry Ferlazzo

Obviously, photos can be great educational tools with English Language Learners and with any students (see The Best Ways To Use Photos In Lessons). I post about many photo galleries, also called slideshows. To do it in a little more organized way, though, I recently began this weekly feature called “Photo Galleries Of The Week.” This post is a “round-up” of online slideshows I’m adding to

What A Great Way To Create Video Quizzes For ELL’s!

by Larry Ferlazzo

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Grockit Answers lets you pick any video from YouTube and create a series of questions about it. The great feature is that you can set the time on the video for each question to alert the viewer when the answer will appear. It’s an excellent scaffold for Beginning English Language Learners (though I’d say

Uh Oh, Harvard Goal Study Is An “Urban Legend”

by Larry Ferlazzo

A short piece I’ve had students read as part of a lesson on the importance of setting goals is about a supposed Harvard study that describes how much more successful people are who write down their goals as opposed to those who only think about them. Even though that lesson is cited countless times if you search the Web, I just discovered that it’s fake.

However, there is another study — one that was actually done recently — that did arrive at similar conclusions. So I’ll be using this summary of that study in the place of the fake one.

Nice Video Of Naturalization Ceremony

by Larry Ferlazzo

Lynne Weintraub of Citizenship News emailed this video of a naturalization ceremony. I’m just going to quote her description. One thing she doesn’t mention is that it has subtitles. I’m adding it to The Best Websites For Learning About Civic Participation & Citizenship.

If you’re looking for a video of a USCIS Oath Ceremony to show your students, there are plenty on YouTube, however they’re mostly home-made, and don’t have clear sound quality or visuals. Here’s a link to an Oath Ceremony that was filmed 9/23/11, by USCIS for their YouTube channel. The video has

Save Seattle Schools Community Blog: Charter Schools; First in a Series - What They Are

Save Seattle Schools Community Blog: Charter Schools; First in a Series - What They Are:

Charter Schools; First in a Series - What They Are

by Melissa Westbrook

I plan to cover:

what they are
history
the landscape today
pros and cons

I do not intend for each piece to be exhaustedly comprehensive - I'm trying to give the broad picture of the issue. If you have additional info or links, please add them in the comments section. If I got something wrong, let me know via e-mail and I will check it and correct it if necessary.

Charters - What They Are

Charter schools are K-12 schools that are public schools receiving state education dollars (although they can, like regular public schools, accept private donations). The difference between regular and charter schools is that charters are do not have to follow all rules and regulations that apply to regular public schools. In exchange

Aww, gee shucks, we're influential

by Charlie Mas

The current issue of Seattle Magazine has an article on Seattle's Most Influential People of 2011, and, well, we made the list.

Here's the blurb:

MELISSA WESTBROOK AND CHARLIE MAS / bloggers, Save Seattle Schools Community blog

Tenacious, persistent and prescient: The bloggers behind one of Seattle’s feistiest public-interest websites (saveseattleschools.blogspot.com) have been called that, and more. Long before anyone was talking about a financial scandal in Seattle’s public schools, Melissa Westbrook and Charlie Mas were digging into public records, asking tough questions and firing off blog entries to keep the public informed. Many credit them with uncovering serious problems that ultimately led to superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson’s firing in March, but that’s not the duo’s proudest achievement. “What I see as our biggest success is that we have become a source used by parents, staff and

What “no excuses” model really teaches us about reform - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

What “no excuses” model really teaches us about reform - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

What “no excuses” model really teaches us about reform

by Valerie Strauss

This was written by Matthew Di Carlo, senior fellow at the non-profit Albert Shanker Institute, located in Washington, D.C. This post originally appeared on the institute’s blog.

By Matthew Di Carlo

“Apollo 20” is a Houston pilot program in which a group of low-performing regular public schools are implementing the so-called “no excuses” education model common among high-profile charter schools such as KIPP. (I discussed it in a previous post, here.) In the Houston implementation, “no excuses” consists of five basic policies: a longer day and year, resulting in 21 percent more school time; different human capital policies, including performance bonuses and firing and selectively rehiring all principals and half of teachers (the latter is one of the “turnaround models” being pushed by the Obama administration); extensive 2-on-1 tutoring; regular assessments and data analysis; and “high expectations” for behavior and achievement, including parental contracts.

Read full article >>

National discussion on Civil War led by Virginia scholar begins

by Valerie Strauss

A national reading and discussion program on the Civil War has just begun at 65 community libraries across the country — including some in Virginia and Maryland — to better understand the conflict’s impact on modern Amerian culture.

The effort, called “Let’s Talk About It: Making Sense of the American Civil War,” was organized by the American Library Association and funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. It is being led by University of Richmond President Edward L. Ayers, a leading scholar on the conflict.

Read full article >>

Dead last in digital ed | Thoughts on Public Education

Dead last in digital ed | Thoughts on Public Education:

Dead last in digital ed
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State rating points out weaknesses, overstates others

Posted on 10/18/11 • Categorized as Technology

By John Fensterwald - Educated Guess

California is a backwater for K-12 online learning, according to a new analysis of states’ policies toward virtual education. Other states are clearing away obstacles and adopting innovative strategies, such as allowing middle school students to take high school courses online and letting students start online courses anytime and complete them whenever they show competency. California is stuck in the past, imposing the standard calendar and student-teacher ratios on a virtual world.

At least that’s the implication of Digital Learning Now! – a project of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, headed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and the Alliance for Excellent Education, a nonprofit headed by former Democratic Gov. Bob Wise of Wes

The Educated Reporter: New York Needs Money to Catch Test Cheaters

The Educated Reporter: New York Needs Money to Catch Test Cheaters:

New York Needs Money to Catch Test Cheaters

by Emily Richmond

A story in the Wall Street Journal over the weekend caught my eye. Education officials in New York are asking for state funds to examine student score sheets for evidence of cheating.

The story is notable for several reasons. First, it's an example of yet another state where -- surprisingly -- this type of post-test monitoring isn't already in place. Second, the story points out that of the $2.1 million the officials say is needed, $1 million would be used to look for what's known as erasure anomalies -- evidence that that an incorrect answer was erased and the correct answer put in its place.

Last year, I interviewed an Atlanta Public Schools spokesman in the wake of the cheating scandal that had swept through his district.

I asked him about a report that had found significant evidence of erasure anomalies. The spokesman told me that nearly 80 percent of Atlanta's K-12 students qualified for free and reduced-price meals, and that many of them

Jersey Jazzman: "Reformy" Reporting

Jersey Jazzman: "Reformy" Reporting:

"Reformy" Reporting

by Duke

I'd like to point out once again that NBC's Brian Williams is accepting an award from a "reformy" group - the Center For Education Reform - that is pro-charter, anti-grass roots, anti-union, and anti-local control. They regularly critique the media, looking for pro-reformy reporting and criticizing anything that may possibly give voice to a push back of their agenda.

Why are they honoring Williams?

Brian Williams – Special Media Award
As the nation’s most well-respected and influential journalist, Brian Williams has thrust the need for education reform into the homes and minds of millions of Americans.
The work of NBC, particularly Williams’ contributions to Education Nation, have made a

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Times slings the manure on New Orleans charters

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Times slings the manure on New Orleans charters:

Times slings the manure on New Orleans charters

Echoing Duncan's comments on Katrina

Not since Arne Duncan claimed that Hurricane Katrina was "the best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans" have I heard more b.s. about charter schools in the Big Easy. The latest to sling the manure is the N.Y. Times editorial board.

An October 15th editorial, Lessons From New Orleans, takes Duncan's crude comment and runs with it, hailing, "the structural changes [that] occurred because the hurricane essentially destroyed the old system, allowing the city to

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Baton Rouge billionaire Grigsby wants to take the "public" out of education

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Baton Rouge billionaire Grigsby wants to take the "public" out of education:

Baton Rouge billionaire Grigsby wants to take the "public" out of education

by Mike Klonsky

Grigsby

Right-wing Baton Rouge businessman Lane Grigsby has decided that public education is the "root cause" of all the state's problems -- even "the traffic that strangles the interstate around Baton Rouge during the weekday commute."

So while he opposes "throwing any more money" into public education, he's created his own PAC so he can put millions of tax-free dollars behind conservative, anti-union candidates for the state school board.

He says he's focused on injecting "free-market principles" into what was once a "state monopoly" over public education.

Grigsby refers to his favored candidates for the school board as "progressives,"

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Tuesday, October 18, 2011

School reform discussed at Bronx Education Summit

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Times slings the manure on New Orleans charters

Dead last in digital ed
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