Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, January 2, 2012

From Whence Come Ideas for Reforming Teaching Practices? | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

From Whence Come Ideas for Reforming Teaching Practices? | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

From Whence Come Ideas for Reforming Teaching Practices?

Over many years I have written about reforms aimed at classroom teachers and how they have fallen flat. Think about major past efforts–and yes, in the present moment also–to alter how teachers taught reading, math, science, and social studies. Or reform-driven decision-makers making enormous investments to get teachers to use new technologies in classroom lessons, past and present. Teachers have selectively adopted bits and pieces of these reforms and, yes, even ignored such efforts. No surprise, then, in this super-heated hothouse of reform, teachers have been called resistant, hostile, and even blamed for failed reforms.

Rather than keep reminding people that there is a long chain that extends from policymakers adopting a new reading program to that third grade teacher working with three groups in a 30-minute lesson or pecking at

“Improve Education; Save Taxpayer Dollars By Abolishing FCAT” | Scathing Purple Musings

“Improve Education; Save Taxpayer Dollars By Abolishing FCAT” | Scathing Purple Musings:

“Improve Education; Save Taxpayer Dollars By Abolishing FCAT”

Writes retired Florida educator Ray Hoffman:

For too many years, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test has ruled what is taught and when it is taught.

Teachers and students are under the gun to do all in their power to do well on the FCAT. Parents have witnessed their children living in fear of the coming test day. Florida taxpayers have invested millions of dollars to establish this extensive testing program which is in constant change.

Now, the State Board of Education has unanimously approved a tougher scoring system for the

Schools Matter: Is overtime schooling worth it?

Schools Matter: Is overtime schooling worth it?:

Is overtime schooling worth it?

Sent to the Baltimore Sun, Jan 1, 2012

Three schools in Baltimore are lengthening the school day based on the “success” of an expanded instruction program in New York (“Three city schools to extend day by three hours, Jan 1).

What success? According to the Sun, New York’s overtime students gained 2.2 percentage points in English Language Arts in three years, more than the city average of 1.5 points.

Please do the math. That’s a .7 difference over three years, about one quarter o

Hechinger Report | A global university rises in one of India’s most remote corners

Hechinger Report | A global university rises in one of India’s most remote corners:

A global university rises in one of India’s most remote corners

A new university intended to draw students from around the world is slated to be built in Bihar near Nalanda, the ruins of one of the world's oldest universities. (Photo by Sarah Garland)

Residents of Bihar, India’s poorest state, often remind visitors that their home was not always known for high levels of poverty and illiteracy. It used to be the cradle of Southeast Asian civilization and a place to which scholars from all over the world flocked. In the next few years, many are hoping that Bihar will regain some of this reputation when the Indian government constructs Nalanda International University, a project that is drawing interest and funding from countries across Asia.

The school is named after after an ancient Buddhist university that operated from the 5th to the 12th centuries A.D., until invaders burned it down. The new Nalanda will open on a 500-acre site near the brick ruins of its


In India, a college building boom

Ravi Sarma, an assistant professor of property law, points out new buildings going up at Chanakya National Law University, one of several new higher education institutions in Bihar, India's poorest state. (Photo by Sarah Garland)

PATNA, India – On the outskirts of this sprawling city in one of India’s poorest states, the whitewashed columns and domes of Chanakya National Law University rise next to a deep and murky swamp. To get there, visitors

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM Posts #ows #edreform


MY ENDORSEMENT OF A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE « Teachers Fight Back

MY ENDORSEMENT OF A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE « Teachers Fight Back:MY ENDORSEMENT OF A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEEby alkleenMy phone has been constantly ringing with calls from the campaign managers of the Republican presidential contenders. Given my large readership on this blog, all the candidates are vying for my endorsement. I’m getting really tired of this harassment, so here goes, these are my thoughts about the candidates and also which one I will endorse.Michele Bachman – Sorry Michele, no endorsement for ... more »

4LAKids LAUSD TEACHERS TOP NATION IN NUMBER OF NEW NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHERS.

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: LAUSD TEACHERS TOP NATION IN NUMBER OF NEW NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHERS.:LAUSD TEACHERS TOP NATION IN NUMBER OF NEW NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHERS.Rose ceremony at UTLA honors the 189 educators achieving the prestigious distinction this year.FROM THE UTLA UNITED TEACHER | HTTP://BIT.LY/TURMBWDec 16, 2011 :: For the first time, LAUSD teachers have outpaced educators across the nation in the number of candidates achieving National Board certification.With 189 successful candidates this year, ... more »

Kimble's Corner: Jack Kimble Lands Game Changing Endorsement in Iowa

Kimble's Corner: Jack Kimble Lands Game Changing Endorsement in Iowa:Jack Kimble Lands Game Changing Endorsement in Iowaby Representative KimblePopoutIn this day and age, it's hard to call any endorsement a game changer, but the Kimble Campaign picked up about the biggest possible endorsement this week in Iowa when God the Almighty appeared to Jack Kimble and threw his support behind him in the Iowa Caucuses. God explained his support for Jack as being based on good

Segregated Charter Schools Evoke Separate but Equal Era in U.S.

Segregated Charter Schools Evoke Separate but Equal Era in U.S.:Segregated Charter Schools Evoke Separate but Equal Era in U.S. December 28th, 2011 | Author: National OfficeComment by RachelPendergraftThe kids in the article below seem to be happy. Parents have been given a choice as to where to send their children and without government interference, many have selected schools with a student population that reflects the race of those children. In addition, many of these schools satisfy the children’s longing to ... more »

Occupy’s Rose Parade Octopus Floats Down the Street Tomorrow! | La Figa #ows

Occupy’s Rose Parade Octopus Floats Down the Street Tomorrow! | La Figa:Occupy’s Rose Parade Octopus Floats Down the Street Tomorrow!Lisa Derrick Sunday January 1, 2012 10:57 am Tweet It’s really freaky to wake up New Year’s Day and not have the Rose Parade on because it’s a Sunday. Oh the tyranny of religion, which also interfered with my ability to grocery shop on December 25. And seriously, on Christmas Day, there’s always something you need at the last minute–duck fat, ... more »

2011: the year Wisconsin fought back. SSWIDTMS's most viewed videos of the year #ows #edreform

2011: the year Wisconsin fought back. SSWIDTMS's most viewed videos of the year |:2011: the year Wisconsin fought back. SSWIDTMS’s most viewed videos of the yearby bluecheddarArthur of the facebook page Shit Scott Walker is Doing to My State is a combination organizer, videographer, and facebook blogger who has traveled across the state and across the country this year to protest. If you’ve watched more than 1 Wisconsin protest video this year, chances are you’ve watched 1 of Arthur’s pieces. ... more »

Professor: Educating New Jersey's impoverished kids costs more - NorthJersey.com

Professor: Educating New Jersey's impoverished kids costs more - NorthJersey.com:Professor: Educating New Jersey's impoverished kids costs moreSUNDAY JANUARY 1, 2012, 12:58 PMBY GEOFF MULVIHILLASSOCIATED PRESSASSOCIATED PRESSPAGES: 1 2 3 DISPLAY ON ONE PAGE | PRINT | E-MAILOne in a periodic series on efforts to remake New Jersey's education system.NEW BRUNSWICK — A scholar who studies and blogs about education finance says improving the state's urban schools will take more money — and that merit pay is not likely to help.Bruce ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: I Take a Day Off On Vouchers

Jersey Jazzman: I Take a Day Off On Vouchers:I Take a Day Off On Vouchersby DukeWhy should I do battle yet again with Tom Moran and the Star-Ledger editorial page? So many others are knocking down today's ridiculous piece cheering on vouchers that I'm taking the day off!Here's NJ Parents Against Christie's School Cuts:The assertion that it's ok to hand public money to religious institutions for education as long as we let parents choose which ones is utterly wrongheaded. Why ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Who Gets a "Superstar" Teacher?

Jersey Jazzman: Who Gets a "Superstar" Teacher?:Who Gets a "Superstar" Teacher?by DukeThe NY Times writes about merit pay in post-Rhee Washington, D.C.:“The most important role for incentives is in shaping who enters the teaching profession and who stays,” said Eric A. Hanushek, a professor of economics at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. “Washington’s incentive system will attract talented teachers, and it’ll help keep the best ones.” Under the system, known as Impact Plus, teachers rated “highly effective” earn bonuses ... more »

Profits before students with charter schools | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

Letters: Profits before students with charter schools | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:Profits before students with charter schoolsKurt Strazdins/McClatchy-TribuneFILED UNDEROpinionLetters To The EditorCharter SchoolsRick SnyderGrosse PointeNow that Gov. Rick Snyder has lifted the cap on charter schools, we can expect to see a rise in for-profit companies running schools under the "authority" of universities.In case anyone thinks charter schools are still "public" because they are run by universities, read the print in Senate Bill 618, which lists the kinds of ... more »

School Tech Connect: Let's Get On With It

School Tech Connect: Let's Get On With It:Let's Get On With Itby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)Jill Sobule and Julia Sweeney last night at Evanston SPACE. Another hilarious show. After the show, I raced back home before the fireworks started because they terrify the dog. Really, throughout the course of the year, there are any number of events that terrify the dog.Now back to another year of calling out Arne Duncan

New Year’s Day links. « Fred Klonsky

New Year’s Day links. « Fred Klonsky:New Year’s Day links.by Fred KlonskyNew York Mayor Bloomberg kisses Lady Gaga. Ball drops. H/T Arthur Goldstein.500 Occupy Wall Street protesters briefly took back Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhanttan last night and this morning. “At least a dozen police officers charged into the park, plowing directly into a crowd of people, some of whom were trying to flee, pushing and shoving. One man was thrown down and pinned to the ground by several officers.”“We ... more »

PWCS “Debt” and Budget « PWC Education Reform Blog

PWCS “Debt” and Budget « PWC Education Reform Blog:PWCS “Debt” and BudgetJanuary 1, 2012 — pwceducationreformEvery year about this time the school division begins preparing its budget for next year. The budget is a little confusing, and with over 100 pages of detail, kind of cumbersome. We’ll try to keep you aware of things we notice as the budget is released. Before we get into the details of the budget we wanted to review one item in particular which is ...more »

What Mayor Bloomberg Kisses When He isn't Kissing Lady Gaga #edreform #ows

What Mayor Bloomberg Kisses When He isn't Kissing Lady Gaga

Missouri Education Watchdog: The Sunday Education Weekly Reader 01.01.12. Lady Gaga and A Possum Greet You!

Missouri Education Watchdog: The Sunday Education Weekly Reader 01.01.12. Lady Gaga and A Possum Greet You!:The Sunday Education Weekly Reader 01.01.12. Lady Gaga and A Possum Greet You!by stlgretchenWelcome to the Sunday Education Weekly Reader for 01.01.12. We are using a different logo today in honor of possums everywhere.Happy New Year! Happy New Year! Happy New Year!Did you stay up until midnight and celebrate the ushering in of a new year? Most folks at home probably had their televisions turned ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM Posts #ows #edreform

Moody Blues - Nights in White Satin (extended version)Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-0 seconds agoMoody Blues Nights In White Satin LyricsNights in white satin, never reaching the end,Letters I've written, never meaning to send.Beauty I'd always missed with these eyes before.Just what the truth is, I can't say anymore.'Cos I love you, yes I love you, oh how I love you.Gazing at people, some hand in hand,Just what I'm going through they can't understand.Some try to tell me, ... more »

Moody Blues - Nights in White Satin (extended version)

Moody Blues Nights In White Satin LyricsNights in white satin, never reaching the end,Letters I've written, never meaning to send.Beauty I'd always missed with these eyes before.Just what the truth is, I can't say anymore.'Cos I love you, yes I love you, oh how I love you.Gazing at people, some hand in hand,Just what I'm going through they can't understand.Some try to tell me, thoughts they cannot defend,Just what you want to be, you will be in the end.And I ... more »

Schools Matter: Protect Your Children's Future by Saying No to High-Stakes Testing

Schools Matter: Protect Your Children's Future by Saying No to High-Stakes Testing:Protect Your Children's Future by Saying No to High-Stakes Testingby Jim HornPlan for National Opt Out Day, January 7thA New Year is upon us. It is paramount that we make the most of it and organize and ACT to end corporate education reform. We must move out into our neighborhoods, our communities, and support others in understanding the absolute destruction surrounding the tactics of the corporate education reformers. Opting ... more »

The Few Like You Are Still The Few Like You « Cooperative Catalyst

The Few Like You Are Still The Few Like You « Cooperative Catalyst:The Few Like You Are Still The Few Like YouPOSTED BY PAULA WHITE ⋅ JANUARY 1, 2012 ⋅ LEAVE A COMMENTFollowing up on Pam’s post, “Once Upon a Time We Put a Human on the Moon,” I have to say I agree with much of what she said. In the “olden days,” there were desks in rows, kids doing worksheets, very little choice in assignments, mostly the teacher ... more »