Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, May 12, 2012

MomsRising Blog Mothers Day Edition

MomsRising Blog:




The Affordable Care Act: A Mother’s Day Gift for Moms Throughout the United States

Jessica Arons at MomsRising Blog - 9 minutes ago
People always say good health is the greatest gift, so let’s make health a priority this Mother’s Day. Now that I am a mother myself, I am even more appreciative that I have health insurance that covers the care I need. All moms deserve the kind of quality, affordable care that I was lucky enough [ ...]

Family Leave – Exclusion of Gay Partners Needs to Change

Janet Walsh at MomsRising Blog - 9 minutes ago
The President’s support for gay marriage is a step in the right direction, but meanwhile, gay families are excluded from basic protections like family leave to care for one another in case of a serious health condition. Check out this op-ed about the issue: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/janet-walsh/gay-in-america-left-out-of-family-leave_b_1507114.html

Sexy Underwear and Other Sundries

Lisa Labon at MomsRising Blog - 8 hours ago
Are you a hot mama or have you surrendered your womanly power to the diaper bin? I have decided to reclaim my whole self and here’s how. I reached the technical linear date of mid-life a couple of years ago (now 42) and at that moment I realized the value of bucket lists. In the [...]

Need a laugh? Tweets encouraging you to start your Mother’s Day weekend right!

Anita at MomsRising Blog - 14 hours ago
“Your mom is so reasonable, all our punishments fit our crimes!” momsdaycard.com — Jake Brewer (@jakebrewer) May 11, 2012 Love this. RT @fissionstrategy: Looking 4 the perfect e-card 4 #MothersDay? @MomsRising has got u covered: momsdaycard.com/index2.php — Jay Carmona (@jaycarmona) May 11, 2012 A funny #MothersDay video from @MomsRising! Watch & laugh here: [...]

This Mother’s Day, tell the Boy Scouts to support ALL moms

Jennifer Tyrrell at MomsRising Blog - 15 hours ago
Mother’s Day has always been a special day for me — a time to celebrate my mother, grandmothers, but most importantly, my children. It’s they, after all, who make Mother’s Day (and every day) a day worth remembering. But this Mother’s Day, I won’t be able to celebrate with all my kids. Well, to say [...]

To the Moms in My Life: Safety Nets Continue to Matter

Thao Nguyen at MomsRising Blog - 16 hours ago
This mother’s day – I’d like to share an oldie but goodie blog post about the importance of moms in our lives, and how critical it is to provide them with the safety nets that they provide their children every day. This year, three of my four sisters are celebrating their first or second Mother’s [... ]

The War On Women Is Bigger Than You Think

Mallika Dutt at MomsRising Blog - 21 hours ago
As you read this, the U.S. Supreme Court is considering key elements of Arizona’s SB1070 — one of the most outrageously harsh anti-immigration laws our nation has ever seen. As the Court deliberates, the rampant racial profiling and blatant discrimination encouraged by SB1070 continue to devastate individuals, economies and communities in Arizona. And though a [ ...]

Moms Get Political: An Interview With Momsrising Co-founder Joan Blades

Martha Burk at MomsRising Blog - 21 hours ago
As with every Mother’s Day, millions of moms will get flowers and candy this Sunday, along with sticky pancakes or burnt toast lovingly prepared by husbands and kids turned cooks-for-a-day. As individuals, we’re pretty fond of our mothers. But as a nation we don’t value motherhood all that much. We lag far behind Europe in [...]

Breakfast in Bed is Nice, but a Seat at the Table is Invaluable.

Miriam Feffer at MomsRising Blog - 22 hours ago
Meet Annie Spiegelman, a Bay Area mom who blogs as “The Dirt Diva” on matters of love, gardening, and cultivating a healthy planet. Just in time for Mother’s Day, Annie shares her interview with Rachel’s Network Co-Director Laurie Syms on the evidence that women in Congress, regardless of party, support the environment at rates that outpace [...]

TIME: Ask the RIGHT questions!

Genevieve Colvin at MomsRising Blog - 1 day ago
TIME Magazine just became another self-appointed arbiter of “Mommy Judgment” by trying to inflame the Mommy Wars with their exploitative cover of a young mother standing like a mudflap girl and breastfeeding her 3, maybe 4 year old. The byline: “Are you Mom enough?” The answer is, as soon as you have a baby, YOU [...]

Toddler Thursday: Kid Crafts and Recipes for Mother’s Day!

Claire Moshenberg at MomsRising Blog - 1 day ago
Welcome to Toddler Thursdays! Every Thursday, visit the MomsRising blog for crafts and recipes for toddlers and preschoolers, as well as news and tips on childcare and early education. This week, we’re celebrating Mother’s Day with easy homemade gift ideas for toddlers! Be sure to visit the MomsRising Pinterest page and our Mother’s Day and [...]

VIDEO: We made something just for you :)

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner at MomsRising Blog - 1 day ago
Do your kids argue? Or did they when they were younger? Here’s a hilarious Mother’s Day fantasy just for you! Click here: http://www.momsdaycard.com/index2.php Happy nearly Mother’s Day!!! - Kristin, Joan, Monifa, Elisa, Ashley, Nanette, Sarah, Julie, Sarah, Anita, Ruth, Claire, Donna, Mary, and Gloria

Moms Help Create a Bully Free World

Laura Kaloi at MomsRising Blog - 1 day ago
When we put our children on the bus or drop them off at school all we really want is for them to learn, to be safe and to return home ready to turn around and do it again – for thirteen years! We also hope they really like it. I don’t think many of us [...]

This Mother’s Day, Stand Up for Expecting Moms

Dina Bakst at MomsRising Blog - 2 days ago
rue or False: 1) A pregnant woman can be fired for carrying a water bottle on the job to stay hydrated and prevent bladder infections. 2) A pregnant activity director at a nursing home can be terminated because she requires help with some physically strenuous aspects of her job to prevent having another miscarriage. 3) [...]

Celebrating Mother’s Day, Networked Moms & Powerful Writing

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner at MomsRising Blog - 2 days ago
This Mother’s Day we’re celebrating the fact that moms are now networked and engaged in ways unimaginable just a decade ago. More than 36 million women are now active in the blogosphere, either publishing or reading blogs. And, by the end of this year, more than 90 percent of moms with kids under age eighteen in our nation are [...]

Good News on Children’s Health for Mother’s Day!

Donna Norton at MomsRising Blog - 2 days ago
Just in time for Mother’s Day, some good news for our nation’s children and their parents: More children have health insurance coverage today than at any point in our nation’s history! Despite the severe economic downturn, continued erosion of employer sponsored coverage, and political stalemate in our nation’s capitol, our children have made significant gains [...]

I Need My Husband’s Permission?!

Holly McCall at MomsRising Blog - 2 days ago
In 1974, Congresswoman Bella Abzug realized something: she could make laws in Congress, but she couldn’t get her own credit card without her husband’s permission. Now, almost 40 years after Congresswoman Abzug fought for – and won – the rights of women to get their own credit, that right is being threatened. Last fall, my [...]

#WellnessWeds: Breastfeeding and Mother’s Day!

Claire Moshenberg at MomsRising Blog - 2 days ago
Happy (almost) Mother’s Day! Many new mothers face the sometimes daunting task of figuring out how to continue nursing and maintaining their supply of breast milk after returning to work. In honor of Mother’s Day, we’re celebrating some new protections and guidelines for nursing mothers in the workplace. The new Reasonable Break Time for Nursing [...]

Tweetchat Thursday, May 10 To Celebrate Mother’s Day! MomsRising Joins Mocha Moms, Mamiverse and the White House

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner at MomsRising Blog - 2 days ago
Celebrate Mother’s Day early on Twitter with us! MomsRising is cohosting a Twitter party with Mocha Moms and Mamiverse at the White House to celebrate moms on May 10 (this Thursday!) at 12:00 PT/3:00ET. That’s right- We’ll be tweeting from the White House and across the country, and we would love to have you join [...]

Tips Tuesday: Green Mother’s Day Gift Tips

Claire Moshenberg at MomsRising Blog - 3 days ago
Happy (almost) Mother’s Day! Celebrate the moms in your life with nontoxic gifts and treats. With these easy tips, you can take toxic chemicals out of your Mother’s Day breakfast, create your own luxurious beauty gifts for mom, and wrap up your Mother’s Day presents in environmentally friendly, affordable packaging. Breakfast in Bed: Treating a [...]

If Mother’s Day Could Last All Year

Valerie Young at MomsRising Blog - 3 days ago
What would it take to make a country where mothers could bear and raise children in the best possible circumstances? How would such a place look? Would it look like the United States? Thanks to Save the Children’s State of the World’s Mothers Index for 2012, we already know a great deal about the building blocks [...]

Mother’s Day Craft Roundup!

Claire Moshenberg at MomsRising Blog - 3 days ago
Mother’s Day is right around the corner! Have you picked up gifts for the moms in your life? If you haven’t yet, and you’re feeling crafty, try out one of these Mother’s Day crafts. There are tutorials for kids of all ages, as well as grownups, and ideas on how to make everything from homemade [...]

Thumbprints Heart Charm: A Mother’s Day Gift Craft Tutorial

Natasha at MomsRising Blog - 3 days ago
This morning I went in to Sam’s class to make these polymer clay charms for the kid’s to give their mom’s on Mother’s Day. It wouldn’t be a bad idea for Grandma gifts either & it’s a relatively quick craft. I gave each child about a 3/4″ square of polymer clay & showed them how [...]

Mother’s Day Card with Drawer Sachet: Craft Tutorial

Caroline Urdaneta at MomsRising Blog - 3 days ago
Mother’s Day is fast approaching and I’m always on the hunt for clever ideas that say,”You are an awesome Mom!” The other day, I started thinking about how teeny-tiny luxuries (like romantic smelling drawer sachets) are something that any mother would enjoy. After all, don’t we all have sock drawers? For this DIY project, you [...]

Back to the Future: Longing for the Recession of the 1990s for Today’s College Graduates

Ann O'Leary at MomsRising Blog - 3 days ago
Cross posted with author permission from the Huffington Post. Ahhh…to think that I dream of the early 1990s when student loans averaged only $10,000 and the unemployment rate for recent college grads was a mere 3.3 percent Last week, I took a week out off of blogging to spend time giving final lecturers for my [...]

What Not to Say About Special Needs

Michelle Noehren at MomsRising Blog - 3 days ago
This blog was written by Kris-Ann Race for the Special Needs Tuesday column at www.ctworkingmoms.com. When Max (my son) was diagnosed with Epilepsy, we went into a tailspin. We didn’t know what our future held and what his development would be like. Of course, everyone who knew us wanted to help and offer kind words. I [...]

Drinking from the hose? Maybe you shouldn’t.

Rebecca Meuninck at MomsRising Blog - 3 days ago
Sometimes nothing in the world can be so refreshing as taking a long drink straight from the hose after mowing the grass or working in the garden. And who doesn’t remember splashing through the spray from the sprinkler? But those simple pleasures might not be so simple or safe, thanks to the lead and other [...]

The GOP War on Women and Immigrants Continues: the Battle Over VAWA

Lynn Tramonte at MomsRising Blog - 4 days ago
Last month we wrote about how Republicans were warring on immigrants and women by opposing revised health care standards for detainees. Now, a new front in the GOP war against both groups is emerging. Last Friday, Huffington Post’s Ryan Grim and Elise Foley wrote about House Republicans’ plan to hijack the Violence Against Women Act [...]

Our “New Economy” Requires a Policy Solution for Care

Valerie Young at MomsRising Blog - 5 days ago
I have copied this post from Cali Yost’s Work+life fit Blog. It is perfectly relevant and could not be expressed better! The Workplace Challenges Political Candidates Have to Address Posted: 02 May 2012 08:37 PM PDT It’s not your grandpa’s workplace anymore, but if you listen to the presidential and congressional candidates, it’s easy to [...]

Women’s Issues in the Presidential Election: A View from Across the Pond

Erina Aoyama at MomsRising Blog - 1 week ago
Having lived in France for the past several years, I am often asked which differences with the US strike me the most. Aside from being able to buy delicious baguettes every few blocks, what surprised me the most were the differences in social services available. As a student, I receive full health coverage and reimbursement [...]

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » How to corporatize a school district from the inside out in 10 easy steps

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » How to corporatize a school district from the inside out in 10 easy steps:


How to corporatize a school district from the inside out in 10 easy steps

  1. Create a system where teachers at one school are outside the seniority structure of the district
  2. Spend a lot of money on training and consultants that promise “miracle” cures to the academic ills of your students – mouth banalities about consistent high expectation, rigor, etc.
  3. Tell teachers that only you and they care about the students, and either state (or imply) any former staff members did not
  4. Give the site administrator complete hiring and firing authority over staff so they can take “decisive action” to “improve the school environment”

Schools Matter: How Will NEA Support Corporate Education Reform This Year?

Schools Matter: How Will NEA Support Corporate Education Reform This Year?:


How Will NEA Support Corporate Education Reform This Year?

In defiance of the core principles of the NEA's Code of Ethics and basic common sense, last year the non-leadership of NEA arm-twisted the member reps into supporting the latest weapon in the corporate ed reform arsenal, which will make teacher pay and job security dependent upon students' value-added test scores. This embrace of testing includes the stipulation that teachers may be terminated after one year of bad scores, which defies human reason--since test scores may swing wildly from year to year, as this piece indicates.

In stipulating that the tests used must be valid and reliable, defenders of the NEA giveaway crowed that NEA had truly outsmarted the corporations that control ED--for the cheap off-the-corporate-shelf tests do not carry that 

Something Scary Happened Last Night « Diane Ravitch's blog

Something Scary Happened Last Night « Diane Ravitch's blog:


Something Scary Happened Last Night

I got an email last night from Leo Casey at the United Federation of Teachers, informing me that the UFT had just received a dump of emails from the New York City Department of Education, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. Leo noticed that Deborah Meier and I were mentioned several times in the emails and so he shared the trove with us.

Pretty ugly stuff. Read it here, in two parts, if you can open a google document:

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B1Ghj5xYLG5Ka0c2RUJLWHhNSmM

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B1Ghj5xYLG5KcjZTem95WjZnUUU

The first thing I noticed was the chummy exchanges between the public officials in change of the New York City public school system and the top dogs of the charter leadership–the Wall Street hedge fund managers, the leader of Democrats for Education Reform (DFER), the leader of the New York City Charter Center, and various others. It comes clear that there is a strong and concerted effort to hand over as much public space as possible to the charters. The charter leaders are not the poor and oppressed of New York City; they are the powerful and monied, and the public officials who are paid to protect and support the PUBLIC schools of New York City are 

Schooling in the Ownership Society: How Klein tapped his "heavy breather" billionaire pals for charter $$$

Schooling in the Ownership Society: How Klein tapped his "heavy breather" billionaire pals for charter $$$:


How Klein tapped his "heavy breather" billionaire" pals for charter $$$

Klein & Murdoch
New York Mayor Bloomberg was forced, following a Freedom of Information request, to release hundreds of email messages which showed the corrupt machinations behind the push for charter schools. In particular, the emails revealed the role played by former chancellor, Joel Klein, who is now a general in Rupert Murdoch's international criminal organization.

They show a desperate Bloomberg and Klein in a “fight of our life," putting pressure on funders to deliver millions