Friday, December 28, 2012

FBI Records: The Vault The FBI has converted many FOIA documents to an electronic format (PDF), and they may be viewed

FBI:

The Vault Index

The FBI has converted many FOIA documents to an electronic format (PDF), and they may be viewed below. In the case of voluminous pages, only summaries or excerpts from the documents are online. Subjects are sorted alphabetically by first name. You can also use your browser's find feature to locate subjects on the page.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

http://vault.fbi.gov/reading-room-index#M

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Technology Embedded Pedagogy | Connected Principals

Technology Embedded Pedagogy | Connected Principals:

Technology Embedded Pedagogy

by Johnny Bevacqua

Popout
This post was originally posted on Figuring It Out by J Bevacqua
I get a little frustrated when I hear comments that continually relegate the use of technology in education as something supplemental to teaching learning. I suppose videos like the one above don’t help this situation – although the idea of “Learning empowered by technology” makes me feel better.
Nonetheless, I wonder when we will stop seeing “technology” as an “add on” to sound teaching pedagogy.
If we agree that we live in a technology and information rich time, then schools, as places of learning

Jersey Jazzman: The Lawsuit That Might Change Everything

Jersey Jazzman: The Lawsuit That Might Change Everything:

The Lawsuit That Might Change Everything

by Duke

I'm going to make a prediction: this lawsuit will change the entire conversation about education "reform":

CHICAGO -- The oft-maligned Chicago Public Schools (CPS) policy of subjecting neighborhood schools to “turnaround” discriminates against African-American teachers and staff according to a federal lawsuit filed this week by the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and three public school educators. More than half of the 347 tenured teachers who were terminated by CPS as a result of the most recent turnarounds are African-American. This is the second major legal action on this matter taken by the union.
The Dec. 26 lawsuit alleges that the process for selecting schools for turnaround results in schools being selected that have a high percentage of African-

Top Ed-Tech Trends of 2012: The Politics of Ed-Tech | Inside Higher Ed

Top Ed-Tech Trends of 2012: The Politics of Ed-Tech | Inside Higher Ed:

Top Ed-Tech Trends of 2012: The Politics of Ed-Tech

December 28, 2012 - 10:07am

By

Audrey Watters

Part 10 of my Top Ed-Tech Trends of 2012 series

Education is political — inherently so and despite the protestations from some quarters when what happens in our schools, in our textbooks, in our brains “becomes politicized.” Education is political not simply because of the governmental role — federal, state, local — in school funding and policies. It is political because of the polis — the connections between education and community. Education is political because learning is at once personal (and, of course, “the personal is political”) and social; it is both private and public.

But I’ll leave a round-up of all that happened in 2012 with regards to the “politics of education” — the U.S. Presidential Elections, the Chicago Teachers Union strike, the Dream Act — for someone else to write. I’m interested here in the “politics of ed-tech.”

Of course, if education is political, then ed-tech must be as well. As such, “the politics of ed-tech” isn’t really a trend; it’s a truism. (And wait, “what is ed-tech?”) So why frame this as the penultimate trend in my year-in-review series? I think it’s because, much like the first trend I examined — the business of ed-tech — we witnessed in 2012 the (education) technology sector discovering, seizing, wielding its power and influence.

The year began with the Internet’s protests against SOPA (the Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA

Miss Lahey’s Epistle to the Romans « The Core Knowledge Blog

Miss Lahey’s Epistle to the Romans « The Core Knowledge Blog:

Miss Lahey’s Epistle to the Romans

by Jessica Lahey
December 28th, 2012

Tags: language, Latin, Teaching, vocabulary
Posted in Curriculum, Education Practice, Literacy, Teaching | No Comments »

When Robert Pondiscio wrote “How to Get a Big Vocabulary,” I knew it was just a matter of time before I my defenses would weaken, and I would have to start spouting off about the beauty of language, Latin, etymology, and classical roots. I can’t help it. I get excited about these things. I teach Latin, English, and writing, and my happy place lies at the nexus of these subjects.

Just when I thought it was safe to take a break from grading my students’ writing assessments and see what’s happening on the internet, Core Knowledge blog reader John Webster had the nerve to ask specifically for a Latin teacher’s opinion on the value of Latin, and Robert had the unmitigated gall to publicly provoke me into a response to John’s comment.

@Robert (comment 30). Here in Minnesota, I know of several public schools that offer – require – Latin. They’re called charter schools, and all of them are also Core Knowledge schools. Yet another reason why some alleged supporters of Core Knowledge who oppose all charter schools are

Questions for Illinois’ so-called progressive Democrats who have chosen to run and hide on Janurary 3rd. « Fred Klonsky

Questions for Illinois’ so-called progressive Democrats who have chosen to run and hide on Janurary 3rd. « Fred Klonsky:

Questions for Illinois’ so-called progressive Democrats who have chosen to run and hide on Janurary 3rd.

by Fred Klonsky

Popout.
The great heavyweight champion Joe Lewis is famous for saying, “You can run, but you can’t hide.”
Thousands of Illinois public employees, teachers included, made plans to talk to state legislators when they were going to meet in lame duck session January 3rd.
Emails were sent out. Phone calls were made. Buses were rented. Vacation plans were changed.
Chicago area’s so-called progressive Democrats like

Stotsky: Common Core Writing Standards Not Linked to Appropriate Reading Standards | Truth in American Education

Stotsky: Common Core Writing Standards Not Linked to Appropriate Reading Standards | Truth in American Education:

Stotsky: Common Core Writing Standards Not Linked to Appropriate Reading Standards

by Shane Vander Hart

Dr. Sandra Stotsky, professor of education reform at the University of Arkansas, wrote a piece for the Indiana Policy Review that critiques the Common Core ELA Standards and called Indiana to re-adopt the standards they had before that were superior to the Common Core. She also pointed out a problem with the Common Core’s writing standards that very few are talking about – they are not linked to appropriate reading standards. Reading and writing go hand in glove with one another. I had written before that I was concerned how a dependence on informational text would impact writing as one learns to write well by reading great writing, but Stotsky points out a problem that is even more basic than that.

The standards are not age-appropriate, nor do the elementary standards adequately prepare older students for what the standards require of them later on.

She wrote:

Common Core’s English language arts standards don’t have just one fatal flaw, i.e., its arbitrary division of reading standards into two groups: 10 standards for “informational” text and nine for

Modern School: Knights of Labor Founded Today in Labor History

Modern School: Knights of Labor Founded Today in Labor History:

Knights of Labor Founded Today in Labor History

by Michael Dunn

The Knights of Labor

(From the Knights of Labor website)

The Knights of Labor (KOL), officially known as the "Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor," was founded on December 28, 1869, when both American capitalism and the labor movement were young and relatively disorganized. It began as a secret society, but quickly grew into the largest and most significant labor organization in the U.S. by the 1880s. The Knights are considered by many to be a predecessor to the more well-known Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Like its more radical cousin, the IWW, the KOL called for the abolition of the wage system and fought to organize all workers into one big union, including women and immigrants. And, like the IWW, one of the KOL’s slogans was, “An Injury to One is the Concern of All.”

Terence Powderly

The KOL was founded by seven members of the Philadelphia tailors' union, led by Uriah Smith Stephens and James L. Wright. However, the Knights’ most rapid growth occurred under the leadership of Terence Powderly, who replaced Stephens as Grand Master, and convinced the organization to give up its secrecy. The Knights originally denounced strikes,

All My “Best Of 2012″ Lists In One Place! | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

All My “Best Of 2012″ Lists In One Place! | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…:

All My “Best Of 2012″ Lists In One Place!

by Larry Ferlazzo

LARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAY

Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers To Classroom Problems.

I’ve posted many “Best of 2012″ year-end lists, and I thought readers might find it useful for me to put them all together.
You might also be interested in:
All My “Best Of 2011″ Lists In One Place
I apparently didn’t do this kind of compilation in previous years, but you can find all 1,050 “The Best…” lists categorized here.
Here are All My “Best Of 2012″ Lists:
The Best Resources, Articles & Blog Posts For Teachers Of ELL’s In 2012 — Part One
The Best Online Learning Games Of 2012 — So Far
The Best Science Sites Of 2012 — Part One
The Best Infographics Of 2012 — So Far
The Best Social Studies Sites Of 2012 — So Far
The Best Articles (And Blog Posts) Offering Practical Advice To Teachers In 2012 — Part One
The Best Articles, Videos & Posts On Education Policy In 2012 — Part One
The Best Videos For Educators In 2012 — Part One
The Best Ways To Create Online Content Easily & Quickly In 2012 — Part One

The Best Places To Find The Most Popular (& Useful) Resources For Educators – 2012 (So Far)

The Best Websites For English Language Learner Students In 2012 — Part One

The Best Theory Of Knowledge Resources In 2012 — Part One

My Best Posts On New Research Studies In 2012 — So Far

The Best “Fun” Sites You Can Use For Learning, Too — 2012 (So Far)
The Best Comic Strips For Students & Teachers In 2012 — So Far
Best Tweets Of 2012

The Best Videos I’ve Shared On Google Plus In 2012

“My Best Posts On Building Parent Engagement In Schools — 2012 (Part Two)”

”The best — and worst — education news of 2012″

The Best “Words Of The Year” Features For 2012

My Best “Pins” On Pinterest In 2012

MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-28-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch

Why the Double Standards?

by dianerav

Arthur Goldstein, who teaches ESL and English in a Queens, New York, high school, writes a consistently excellent blog (nyceducator.com).
In this post, he raises an intriguing question: Why is that reformers can criticize teachers nonstop and say ridiculous things about them but get twisted into paroxysms of outrage if anyone dares to defend teachers or–

Inside Story on Louisiana Spin and Failures

by dianerav

If you are a fan of mystery writing and novels, this will interest you.
If you love non-fiction, it will also interest you.
This is a true-life drama from Baton Rouge about a school that was taken over by the state in 2008 and has seen no improvement. The story involves money, politics, power, hidden agendas, intrigue and data. What could be better?
In trying to get to the bottom of the story, it is mandatory that you read the comments. That’s where the best stuff is.

Time to Crack Down on Cheating

by dianerav

Matthew Di Carlo at the Shanker Institute has a good post about the importance of test security in an era of high-stakes testing.
As long as we have high-stakes testing–which I oppose–we need to guard against cheating.
He points out that the scandal in Atlanta was thoroughly reviewed by independent and well-trained investigators. They got to the bottom of it.
But the other major cheating scandal in D.C. was swept under the rug by officials who wanted to see it

Value-Added Ratings for Our Secretaries of Education

by dianerav

A little known group called Educators for Shared Accountability designed a rubric for evaluating Secretaries of Education. It incorporates multiple measures.
By its metric, Richard Riley was our best national leader.
Check out Secretary Duncan’s value added rating.

Another Way to Crush Teacher Morale

by dianerav

The Louisiana Department of Education is bringing to fruition the acme of corporate reform salary schedules for teachers. It may have been jointly designed by ALEC and TFA.
Neither experience nor degrees count. The only thing that matters is value-added test scores. The LDOE recommends big bonuses–merit pay–of $10,000 or more for the teachers whose students get higher scores.
Bear in mind that the budget for the schools is stagnant. The law doesn’t permit salary reductions, so any bonuses will be funded by freezing the salaries of the overwhelming majority of teachers.
This is a recipe for massive demoralization of the state’s teachers.

I Need Your Help

by dianerav

I am in search of information and I can’t find it by googling.
So I am turning to you to help me answer these questions.
1. In your state, are special education students required to take the same grade-level tests as regular students? Are there exceptions based on IEPs?
2. Are charters in your state required to administer the state tests?
3. In your state, which state regulations are charters exempt from?
When you reply, please identify your state.
Thanks,
Diane

The Ultimate Reform School!

by dianerav

Drop whatever you are doing, and read this. EduShyster serves up a delightful portrait of an award-winning school in Minneapolis that embodies every new reform strategy. And here is the best part: It hasn’t opened yet! It won’t open until next September and it is already a great success!

Chicago Teachers Union Sues District, Claims Racial Discrimination

by dianerav

This should be of interest to readers. The Chicago Teachers Union has filed a federal lawsuit against the Chicago Public Schools, claiming that African American teachers have been disproportionately harmed by school closings. Over the past decade, their numbers have dropped dramatically in the school system.

Chicago Teachers File Federal Lawsuit Charging CPS with Racial Discrimination

CHICAGO – The oft-maligned Chicago Public Schools (CPS) policy of subjecting neighborhood schools to

The Happiest Teachers in America?

by dianerav

A few weeks ago, I spoke at he annual conference of the New York State Music Teachers Association in Rochester. As I was going through the lobby of the conference center, I saw many teenagers carrying their musical instruments, preparing to practice and play together. There was a spirit of happy anticipation in the air–at least, that’s what I sensed. It occurred to me that teaching music must be the most joyful of all teaching jobs. The students come to you with different skill levels. They want to learn to play. They understand that they can’t

On the Transiency of Big Ideas in Education

by dianerav

Diana Senechal has written a thoughtful reflection on the tendency of policymakers to foist big ideas on education. Fads come and go. The ones we live with today, say I, seem especially pernicious because they are backed by the power of the state in alliance with the profit motive.
Yet I remain confident that truly bad ideas will fade away. This is not from a sense of resignation or historical inevitability, but because I believe that educators and parents and school boards will rise up and say “Enough!” It is beginning now, and the roar of protest will grow.

What Is the Point of Reading?

by dianerav

A post about the Common Core standards “No One Opposes Reading Non-Fiction”) was followed by a lively discussion among readers. Among many excellent comments, this one stood out. Written by Robert D. Shepherd, it raises important issues about how publishers will interpret the standards. And even more important, why do we want to read?
Back in the 1960s and ’70s, many educators around the country implemented Phase Elective Programs. Students would take mini-courses, six or nine weeks long, on specific topics like American Transcendentalism or The French Revolution and read a bunch of related materials–fiction, poetry, plays, and nonfiction–on those topics. These programs came under heavy fire from conservatives because many of the topics dealt with popular culture or left-wing politics (e.g., Superheroes, The Literature of Protest, The Haves and the Have Nots). What

Diane in the Evening 12-27-12Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: Chicago Teachers Union Sues District, Claims Racial Discrimination by dianerav *This should be of interest to readers. The Chicago Teachers Union has filed a federal lawsuit against the Chicago Public Schools, claiming that African American teachers have been disproportionately harmed by school closings. Over the past decade, their numbers have dropped dramatically in the school system.* *Chicago Teachers File Federal Lawsuit Charging CPS with Racial Discrimination* *CHICAGO – *The oft-maligned Chicago Public Schools (CPS) policy of subjecting neighborh... more »

Common Core Standards: Sky is not falling, but ground is shifting | Get Schooled

Common Core Standards: Sky is not falling, but ground is shifting | Get Schooled:

Common Core Standards: Sky is not falling, but ground is shifting

by Maureen Downey

Mel Riddile is the associate director for high school services at the National Association of Secondary School Principals. His work in turning around schools in Virginia earned him the 2006 MetLife/NASSP National High School Principal of the Year award. This is his first piece for the AJC Get Schooled blog

By Mel Riddile
To answer a couple of the education questions on the minds of Georgia citizens these days:
Yes, we can expect to see a significant drop in the first year of the new Georgia Performance Standards assessments.
No, the sky is not falling.
But the ground is shifting.
Previous Georgia standards and assessments aimed

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Record Chi-Town murder rate, but not in the schools

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Record Chi-Town murder rate, but not in the schools:

Record Chi-Town murder rate, but not in the schools

by Mike Klonsky

Last night in Austin community

The fatal shooting of a 40-year-old man last night on the West Side pushed Chicago's 2012 homicide toll to the 500 mark. Gun deaths have risen sharply since Rahm took office. Is there a direct connection? I can't say. That's for him to explain.

The Tribune blames it on the weather:

Largely contributing to the spike was the unusual number of homicides that occurred during the

Schools Matter: A multiple choice quiz with only one question

Schools Matter: A multiple choice quiz with only one question:

A multiple choice quiz with only one question

by skrashen

Who said this?

"... the revolution in business ... will, over time, take place in education, too. We will move away from a system that assumes every child of a particular age moves at the same pace in every subject, and develop a system directed to the particular talents and interests of every pupil."

(a) John Dewey
(b) Susan Ohanian
(c) Tony Blair
(d) Robert Reich

The answer is (c), Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the UK, 1997-2007. According to Roland Meighan (http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=305041), it was quoted by Michael Barber in the Guardian,

NYC Educator: Have You No Shame?

NYC Educator: Have You No Shame?:

Have You No Shame?

by NYC Educator

"Reformers" are having a field day criticizing Diane Ravitch. Apparently, she had the audacity to not only call teachers from Newtown heroes, but also to mention they were unionized.

Therefore, she has a political agenda. Therefore, she's saying that non-union teachers are not heroes. Therefore, she's pursuing her own agenda and exploiting this tragedy for her own selfish goals.

And yet, I've been reading everything that crosses my desk about education, and here's what I've learned about teachers:

1. They are lazy. They don't want to do whatever it takes to make sure kids ~~learn~~get adequate test scores. Why won't they work 200 hours a week, like they do at KIPP? If they did, all kids

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Friday, December 28, 2012

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LARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAY