John Thompson: Why Can't School "Reformers" Listen to Education Experts?

John Thompson: Why Can't School "Reformers" Listen to Education Experts?:

John Thompson

Award-winning Historian, Lobbyist and Guerilla-gardener, and Inner City Teacher

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Why Can't School "Reformers" Listen to Education Experts?

Posted: 11/3/11 02:09 PM ET

This week's debate between Eric Hanushek and Diane Ravitch, exemplifies the tendency of true believers in data-driven policies to refuse to communicate with educators. Hanushek became so preoccupied with name-calling that he forgot that advocates of risky policy gambles have just as much of a burden of proof for their "reforms" as do advocates of more balanced policies.

Based on statistical models, Hanushek argued that the "deselection" of ineffective teachers would be more beneficial than professional development to improve teacher quality. I don't necessarily disagree.

Ravitch would concentrate on improving teacher education and retention. Neither would I disagree.

But why would Hanushek not welcome a synthesis of his theories with Ravitch's realism? After all, Ravitch is one of our nation's premier scholars. As as one reviewer explained, "she's had to learn the hard

Because I'm Worth It? - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Because I'm Worth It? - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher:

Because I'm Worth It?

by Nancy Flanagan

I worked for two years at a non-profit whose mission centered on improving teaching. The first and most important thing I learned there was that nobody--not the most supportive policy wonk, not the most effusive public education proponent--understands the sheer hard work and complexity of teaching, unless they've chosen classroom teaching as a long-term career.

About a month after I started at the nonprofit, one of my managers commented on the difference in work load and environment I must be experiencing--all the late nights and weekends, the quick-turnaround demand for meetings, calls, event planning and policy analysis. "You don't get to go home at 3 o'clock when you work here, or take summers off," he remarked. "The work is non-stop. Quite a change for you."

The truth of it? Responsibilities and accountability at the non-profit were much lighter, urgency greatly

THE STULL ACT & THE ED VOICE v. LAUSD LAWSUIT: Less than meets the eye, more than you wanted to know

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: THE STULL ACT & THE ED VOICE v. LAUSD LAWSUIT: Less than meets the eye, more than you wanted to know:

THE STULL ACT & THE ED VOICE v. LAUSD LAWSUIT: Less than meets the eye, more than you wanted to know

●● S M F N O T E S: The lawsuit it not really called Ed Voice v. LAUSD – that would make too much sense. It is JANE DOE, et al, v. JOHN DEASY, et al. (The filing follows) The Doe plaintiffs are “a half-dozen unnamed parents backed by Sacramento-based EdVoice”, “The parents say they filed as Does for fear of ‘intimidation and retaliation against themselves and their children’." The Deasy et al, defendants are Superintendent Deasy, the Board of Education, UTLA, AALA (the administrators' union), The California Public Employee Relations Board and ten Does to be named later. Hopefully Bambi’s mother is not among them. This is a bizarre dance card. Or fight card.

THE STULL ACT & THE ED VOICE v. LAUSD LAWSUIT: Less than meets the eye, more than you wanted to know

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Cuts have been a disaster for public ed

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Cuts have been a disaster for public ed:

Cuts have been a disaster for public ed

by Mike Klonsky

Cuts have been a disaster for public ed

Huffington's Joy Resmovitz reports that a UFT survey of 900 New York City schools finds that three quarters of elementary schools, 61 percent of middle schools and 59 percent of high schools had increased class sizes.

"What we know is what we feared was happening," [UFT Pres. Mike] Mulgrew says. "Now, all 1 million of our students are ... having their education negatively affected by

Advocates say they haven’t heard from the DOE’s “chief parent” | GothamSchools

Advocates say they haven’t heard from the DOE’s “chief parent” | GothamSchools:

Advocates say they haven’t heard from the DOE’s “chief parent”

by Gloria Medina/EDLP

This story originally appeared in Spanish in El Diario.

The city’s school system has a new person in charge of helping the parents of the 1.1 million children in public schools. The problem is that many have not heard of him since he was appointed last July.

After three months in his role as “chief parent” of the New York City Department of Education, organizations that defend parents’ interests said they have not yet heard from Jesse Mojica and do not have knowledge of his plans to improve the troublesome relationship between the department and families throughout the city.

Mojica was recruited in July by new Chancellor Dennis Walcott to occupy the $138,000 a year position as executive director of the office of Family and Community Engagement.

Placida Rodriguez, from the parent action group Make the Road New York, an organization based in Queens and

Rocketship Responds to Issues Raised « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Rocketship Responds to Issues Raised « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:

Rocketship Responds to Issues Raised

by millerlf

Following the op-ed I wrote for the Journal Sentinel (see Journal Sentinel Op-Ed: Rocketship Charter Schools Need Scrutiny) on Rocketship’s 3 “model” schools in San Jose California I received a “Key Facts” response from them (view at Rocketship Provided Data). They address the issues of attrition and special education.

I find it curious that the number of students with special needs, in all 3 schools, is below the NCLB minimum for constituting a “subgroup”. Is it just a coincidence that in all 3 schools the numbers fall below 20 students identified for special services? If any of 10 subgroups do not make “adequate yearly progress” on a state’s standardized test for 2 years in a row, the school becomes “identified for

HechingerEd Blog | With concentrated poverty on the rise, should ed reformers be worried?

HechingerEd Blog | With concentrated poverty on the rise, should ed reformers be worried?:

With concentrated poverty on the rise, should ed reformers be worried?

by Sarah Garland

The number of people living in concentrated poverty rose substantially over the past decade, according to a Brookings Institution report out today: ”After declining in the 1990s, the population in extreme-poverty neighborhoods—where at least 40 percent of individuals live below the poverty line—rose by one-third from 2000 to 2005–09.”

Education reformers who ascribe to the No Excuses movement have argued that poverty shouldn’t be used an excuse for writing kids off, and the recent release of scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress show that the gap between poor students and their more affluent peers didn’t grow during the recession.

Still, research has found that concentrated poverty is associated with lower academic outcomes, and that more poverty makes the job of educating children more difficult. Kids living in poverty often have to deal with other problems—homelessness, domestic violence, health issues—that make it hard for them to concentrate on their

Occupy Wall Street Adopts a Spokes Council | OccupyWallSt.org #OWS

Occupy Wall Street Adopts a Spokes Council | OccupyWallSt.org:

Occupy Wall Street Adopts a Spokes Council

by OccupyWallSt

This past Friday, the Occupy Wall Street General Assembly voted to adopt an additional coordinating body called a Spokes Council.

The proposal was put forth by the Structure Working Group, which was born out of numerous discussions in the GA on the need for a more accountable body for operational decisions around the occupation. The main challenges the Spokes Council aims to address are: effective coordination between Operations Groups and Caucuses; making responsible, accountable and holistic budgetary decisions; and the ability for the GA to

Shanker Blog » The Impact Of The Principal In The Classroom

Shanker Blog » The Impact Of The Principal In The Classroom:

The Impact Of The Principal In The Classroom

by Esther Quintero

Direct observation is way of gathering data by watching behavior or events as they occur; for example, a teacher teaching a lesson. This methodology is important to teacher induction and professional development, as well as teacher evaluation. Yet, direct observation has a major shortcoming: it is a rather obtrusive data gathering technique. In other words, we know the observer can influence the situation and the behavior of those being observed. We also know people do not behave the same way when they know they are being watched. In psychology, these forms of reactivity are are known as the Hawthorne effect, and the observer- or experimenter-expectancy effect (also here).

Social scientists and medical researchers are well aware of these issues and the fact that research findings don’t mean a whole lot when the researcher and/or the study participants know the purpose of the research

The convicted extortionist William Cellini, Jim Thompson and Ty Fahner. Connect the dots and follow the arrows to TRS. « Fred Klonsky's blog

The convicted extortionist William Cellini, Jim Thompson and Ty Fahner. Connect the dots and follow the arrows to TRS. « Fred Klonsky's blog:

The convicted extortionist William Cellini, Jim Thompson and Ty Fahner. Connect the dots follow the arrows to TRS.

by Fred Klonsky

Convicted felon William Cellini used our TRS to extort money.

When the press reported the story of William Cellini, the convicted extortionist, they focused on the part of the story where he threatened a Hollywood producer in order to get money for another convicted felon, former Governor Rod Blagojevich.

But you have to read down a few paragraphs to find this:

Prosecutors allege that Cellini and his cohorts planned to threaten Rosenberg’s investment company with the loss of $220 million in state pension money from

Radical Scholarship: CALL for proposals: De-Testing and De-Grading Schools (IAP)

Radical Scholarship: CALL for proposals: De-Testing and De-Grading Schools (IAP):

CALL for proposals: De-Testing and De-Grading Schools (IAP)

by P. L. Thomas

De-Testing and De-Grading Schools: Authentic Alternatives to Accountability and Standardization

Joe Bower and P. L. Thomas, editors

Information Age Publishing (IAP)

Focus:

The most recent century of education and education reform along with the last three decades of high-stakes testing and accountability reveals a disturbing paradox: Education has a steadfast commitment to testing and grading despite decades of research, theory, and philosophy that reveal the corrosive consequences of both testing and grading within an education system designed to support human agency and democratic principles.

This edited volume brings together a collection of essays that confronts the failure of testing and grading and then offers practical and detailed examinations of implementing at the macro and micro levels of education teaching and learning free of the weight of testing and grading. The book explores the following topics and

Communique from the Crisis Center « occupy california #OWS

Communique from the Crisis Center « occupy california:

Communique from the Crisis Center

by *

from anticapitalprojects:

Tonight we open the Crisis Center. In this abandoned building that once provided services to those in need, we open the Occupation Crisis Center. Capitalism cannot avoid crisis. Capitalism cannot resist crisis. But capitalism is not the crisis. We are the crisis. Capitalism is not hungry, homeless, jobless, excluded, exploited. We are. And across the globe, across the nation, across borders, across Oakland, we are moving to meet our immediate needs. We are reclaiming space that has been unused, used against us, left empty while we sleep outdoors, while we cook and organize and struggle outdoors. We open this building in this moment of crisis — in our moment — to continue our occupations, continue our struggles, to seize this crisis and make of it a new world in which everything belongs to everybody. We will use this space for organizing, for talking, for making

Oakland General Strike: An Initial Review

by *

from gazuedro:

These are just some thoughts on a still unfolding event. Things might be clarified or updated by the time you read this, so please keep yourself informed. Also, please forgive errors in this text as we write this while still weary and smelling of tear gas and smoke.

We arrived a little before noon to Oscar Grant Plaza (OGP). Other marches had returned already, and still other marches were to come. The atmosphere was festive and joyous, and anyone you spoke to had awe in their voice. With only a week to prepare, there wasn’t a well organized sequence of events – perhaps for the better – so, between marches we looked around and meandered. We spoke with comrades and random folks. We looked to see what we could offer each other, and shared the bits and pieces of news and what we had gathered about the itinerary for the day. We heard the Port of Oakland had already been partially shut down by the sheer volume

The Washington State PTA and the Lack of Transparency | Seattle Education

The Washington State PTA and the Lack of Transparency | Seattle Education:

The Washington State PTA and the Lack of Transparency

by seattleducation2011

As I stated in a previous post, there was a proposal created by Stand for Children backed PTA members Chad Magendanz and Alison Meryweather that squeaked by the Legislative Assembly. Many of the participants have told me that the gap would have been wider if not for the efforts of many of the legislative representatives from different schools who do not want to see charter schools in our state.

This proposal came out of the blue, see Whoa! Where did that come from Washington State PTA?, and was a total surprise to many who are PTA members. When the material was sent out to all PTA legislative chairs and presidents of the different schools in the state, the proposal only provided a pro charter side and no information providing a balanced view of charter schools. The sad part was that the only reference given in this proposal were from the charter franchise websites of KIPP and Greendot with a nod to Wikipedia whose charter school page is well-groomed by the moneyed advocates. Well investigated? Not by my standards.

Then, during the Legislative Assembly, there was no time provided to have a debate during the session

Schools Matter: In New Hampshire, Live Testing Or Die

Schools Matter: In New Hampshire, Live Testing Or Die:

In New Hampshire, Live Testing Or Die

by Jim Horn

There is a zero percent chance that we will ever reach a 100 percent target. --Dr. Robert Linn, former President of the American Education Research Association

The quote above the Washington Post in 2007, and the chart above that is from a Massachusetts study in 2005 (mass_partnersAYP.p65). But as we now know, the enemies of public education had this information when they stitched together the NCLB monster in 2001, as did friendlier though more delusional Dems like Kennedy, who was still as much in denial in 2007 as his brother, Bobby, was in the 1960s when promoting something new

The One Best Way ... Not - Bridging Differences - Education Week

The One Best Way ... Not - Bridging Differences - Education Week:

The One Best Way ... Not

by Deborah Meier

Dear Diane,

Thanks for the news from San Diego. We can use happy stories. One of my favorite educators, Anthony Alvarado, was out there for a while, and it wasn't one of his shining success stories.

Tony was a brilliant, young superintendent of a fairly autonomous New York City district in the 1970s and early 1980s—East Harlem. He launched a "reform" that consisted mostly of encouraging and supporting teachers with interesting ideas—and then freeing them to start their own schools. He used his power to find ways to help them get around foolish rules. It was a decade of creativity and enthusiasm throughout the district. He and his assistant, Sy Fliegel, ran their own creative noncompliance regime, and they extended that mindset down to the rank and file. It paid off. Some of the innovations that came out of that period are still alive and kicking (like Central Park East), outlasting him in New York by several decades and outliving one after another draconian

Rahm Emanuel Leaked Herman Cain Sexual Harassment Story | Washington Times | Mediaite

Rahm Emanuel Leaked Herman Cain Sexual Harassment Story | Washington Times | Mediaite:

Cainspiracy! Washington Times Reports Rahm Emanuel ‘Likely Involved’ In Leaking Herman Cain Story

by Tommy Christopher

The Herman Cain alleged sexual harassment story already has more wrinkles than a shar pei who slept in his clothes, but the latest one is a doozy. The Washington Times‘ Kerry Picket alleges that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel “is likely involved with the sexual harassment accuser attacks” against Herman Cain, on the strength of sourcing so thin, it has to wear snow shoes in the shower to keep from slipping down the drain.

When Politico first broke the news of sexual harassment allegations against Herman Cain, in an extensively-reported and 100% accurate story, the Cain campaign’s response was to call it a “thinly sourced smear,” which

The New(?) Strategy of Charter Schools in the Wild West “Free-Market” System in Texas « A "Fuller" Look at Education Issues

The New(?) Strategy of Charter Schools in the Wild West “Free-Market” System in Texas « A "Fuller" Look at Education Issues:

The New(?) Strategy of Charter Schools in the Wild West “Free-Market” System in Texas

by Dr. Ed Fuller

In Austin, the school district has decided that it does not know how to educate students in some particular feeder patterns in the area of the town serving poor and minority students. The schools on the East Side, as it is known in Austin, have long been ignored, underfunded, or changed on a yearly basis since the early 1990s. Some schools on the East Side do quite well. They tend to have outstanding principals who work to improve the capacity of teachers, involve parents, keep good teachers, and counsel ineffective teachers out of the schools.

Rather than attempt to replicate what works in the existing neighborhood schools, Dr. Meria Carstarphen (the superintendent) has decided to not do the hard work of improving the schools with AISD staff, but to hire a

Senate GOP leader: I have no secret pact with Democrats on education reform - TheHill.com

Senate GOP leader: I have no secret pact with Democrats on education reform - TheHill.com:

Senate GOP leader: I have no secret pact with Democrats on education reform

By Daniel Strauss - 11/03/11 05:15 AM ET

A Senate Republican leader is pushing back against claims that he and Sen. Tom Harkin have a secret plan to pass the Iowa Democrat’s education reform bill.

During an interview on C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers” program last month, Harkin said he and Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) had ironed out a bipartisan strategy to pass a retooled No Child Left Behind bill through the upper chamber.

In October, Harkin, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, said he and Alexander, who sits on the committee, had come up