Another Bush Chief For Change, Another Misinformation Campaign | Scathing Purple Musings

Another Bush Chief For Change, Another Misinformation Campaign | Scathing Purple Musings:

Another Bush Chief For Change, Another Misinformation Campaign

by Bob Sikes

It appears that another one of Bush’s Chiefs for Change, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Janet Barresi, is on a similar state-wide tour to advance another Bush policy. And like Robinson in Florida last year, Barresi is spinning to protect his agenda. From the editors of Tulsa World:

You need a scorecard to keep track of the outrages coming out of state Superintendent of Public Instruction Janet Barresi’s office.
The latest is that Barresi has been traveling the state telling anyone who would listen that authors of a new report critical of the controversial A-F grading system for schools have privately recanted.
That, the authors say, is untrue. “I have no idea where that idea on the part of the superintendent came from,” said senior project coordinator Patrick Forsyth, professor of education and co-director of the Oklahoma Center for Education Policy at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa. “We are 

There should be federal money to study how the brain of Representative Robyn Gabel works. « Fred Klonsky

There should be federal money to study how the brain of Representative Robyn Gabel works. « Fred Klonsky:

There should be federal money to study how the brain of Representative Robyn Gabel works.

by Fred Klonsky

A story in the NY Times this morning reports that the Obama administration is proposing a decade-long study of the human brain costing $3 billion dollars.

Composed of roughly 100 billion neurons that each electrically “spike” in response to outside stimuli, as well as in vast ensembles based on conscious and unconscious activity, the human brain is so complex that scientists have not yet found a way to record the activity of more than a small number of neurons at once, and in most cases that is done invasively with physical probes.

I am glad to hear about this.
I have tons of questions about the human brain and how it works.
As an example, when I attended the town hall meeting in Wilmette a few weeks ago, I directly asked State 

Georgia Bill Filed That Would Withdraw State From Common Core | Truth in American Education

Georgia Bill Filed That Would Withdraw State From Common Core | Truth in American Education:

Georgia Bill Filed That Would Withdraw State From Common Core

by Shane Vander Hart

State Senator William Ligon (R-Brunswick) has filed a bill in the Georgia Senate that would withdraw Georgia from the Common Core State Standards.  Senate Bill 167 was filed on Thursday.  It is cosponsored by State Senators Barry Loudermilk (R-Cassville), John Albers (R-Roswell), Chuck Hufstetler (R-Rome), Hunter Hill (R-Atlanta), and Tommie Williams (R-Lyons).

The summary of the bill reads:

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Part 2 of Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the O.C.G.A., relating to competencies and core curriculum, so as to declare certain actions void ab initio relating to adoption of certain curricula; to prohibit state education agencies from entering into any commitments relating to the federal Race to the Top program; to require hearings and public input prior to adoption of state-wide competencies and content standards; to limit the compilation and sharing of personal student and teacher data; to prohibit the expenditure of funds for a state-wide longitudinal data system except for administrative needs and federal grant compliance; to provide 

NYC Educator: The Law is the Law. Except When Governor Cuomo Doesn't Like It

NYC Educator: The Law is the Law. Except When Governor Cuomo Doesn't Like It:

The Law is the Law. Except When Governor Cuomo Doesn't Like It

by NYC Educator

If you've been following the comments on this blog and others, a frequent justification for the collaboration-oriented policies of UFT leadership is, "It's the law." For example, we have to give up our week off. It's the law. Or, more to the point, we have to accept teachers being rated and fired based on junk science. It's the law.

When you read these things, you'd think that UFT leadership had no part in composing the law, and you'd be wrong. The UFT was part and parcel of the junk science mandate, and they rationalize it by saying it's only 20, 25, or 40% junk science, and that other states have a higher percentage of junk science. Therefore, since our law mandates a lower percentage of junk science, it's a better law and we have won a great victory. Of course, the inevitable fired teachers will disagree, but I suppose the defense could cry, "Were it not for us, 20% more of you may have been fired."

Here's the thing, though--when you hear these voices discuss the 

Missouri Education Watchdog: The True Goal of Common Core?

Missouri Education Watchdog: The True Goal of Common Core?:

The True Goal of Common Core?

by stlgretchen

Happiness and Mental Health as decided by the State.

From invisibleserfs.com and Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies: Is This Really Mental Health First-Aid?:

Now some people were relieved and others alarmed since the conflict-laden CCSSO (look at who sponsors it to see what I mean. Hello tech companies and accreditors!) was a co-sponsor of the Common Core State Standards Initiative. And CCSSI is what the states have adopted supposedly to make content consistent. Might P21 influence the implementation? Yes. See previous post. Now we know this CCSSO interest group of the top ed officials from each state have also sponsored several other troubling initiatives that are clearly warping what the classroom 

Testing Boycott Spreads to Portland High Schools and Beyond - High School Notes (usnews.com)

Testing Boycott Spreads to Portland High Schools and Beyond - High School Notes (usnews.com):

Testing Boycott Spreads to Portland High Schools and Beyond

By KELSEY SHEEHY

February 18, 2013 RSS Feed Print

Protests against high-stakes tests spread after a group of teachers refused to give exams they say are irrelevant.

Feigning sickness to avoid a big test is one of the oldest tricks in the teen playbook, buthigh school students atPortland Public Schoolsaim to take it a step further.

Members of the Portland Student Union launched an "Opt Out" campaign earlier this month, urging peers to boycott the Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills exams, a series of state-mandated standardized tests.

While their organized protest may warm the hearts of civics teachers, opting out of the state-mandated exams could '

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 2-18-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

How Charter Schools Exclude the Kids They Don’t Want

by dianerav

Stephanie B. Simon, investigative reporter for Reuters, has written a stunning exposé of the many ways that charter exclude kids who might drag down their test scores.
Getting in to a charter school, she writes, can be a “grueling experience.”
Examples: “Students may be asked to submit a 15-page typed research paper, an original short story, or a handwritten essay on the historical figure they would most like to meet. There are interviews. Exams. And pages of questions for parents to answer, including: How do you intend to help this school if we admit your son or 

Inside the Interlocking Directorate of Corporate Reform

by dianerav

In this installment of her investigative analysis of the National Council on Teacher Quality, Mercedes Schneider reviews the career of Deborah McGriff.
This provides a fascinating insight into the tangled web of the corporate reform movement.

How Mayor Vincent Gray Is Failing DC Students

by dianerav

During Michelle Rhee’s book tour, the nation will hear a lot of claims about the dramatic changes she imposed on the D.C. schools, which qualifies her to export her ideas to the rest of the nation.
What should other states and cities seek to copy? D.C. Schools continue to be among the lowest performing in the nation, with the lowest graduation rate.
Michael Shank faults Mayor Vincent Gray for continuing to follow Rhee’s formula of thinking that firing teachers and closing schools is a substitute for addressing socioeconomic problems. The low education levels of D.C. high school students, he says, show how little Rhee’s reforms changed the quality of education in the schools she ran for nearly four years (and continues to influence through her successor and deputy Kaya Henderson).
Shank writes: “A neighbor of mine in Anacostia, who was interviewed for this article, is a teacher in a Ward 8 

Chicago Will Close Many, Many Schools

by dianerav

Chicago Public Schools announced a list of 129 schools that may be closed. This is what reform looks like. You cure the disease by killing the patient. You bomb the village and reduce it to rubble to “save” it.
Shame on Rahm Emanuel.
This is a message from a CPS parent group:
Raise Your Hand is deeply disappointed that the city and Chicago Public Schools has ignored important 

Indianapolis: Farewell to Public Education

by dianerav

I received a desperate message on Facebook from Tarrey Banks, the founder of The Project School in Indianapolis. TPS is a charter school started with a grant from the Walton Foundation. Greg Ballard, the mayor of Indianapolis, is the authorizer. TPS has low test scores, after four years, and the mayor has decided to close it. Banks and TPS parents are outraged. They went to court, blocked the mayor in a lower court, but then lost when a federal judge upheld the closure. TPS is losing the battle.
To get the big picture of what is happening in Indianapolis, read here. You will encounter a familiar cast of 

Bedford School District Votes to Oppose Overuse of Testing

by dianerav

The school board of the Bedford Central School District in Westchester County, New York, voted a resolution against the over-use and misuse of standardized testing.
Will the Bedford resolution incite other districts to reject the heavy-handed mandates from Albany and Washington?
The board’s resolution criticized both the state and federal governments for its mandates and specifically opposed the use of test scores to evaluate teachers, a main feature of Race to the Top that is much admired by 

Diane in the Evening 2-17-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: What a Good Public School District Looks Like by dianerav Jere Hochman, superintendent of the Bedford, New York, public schools wrote the following for his colleagues among NewYork superintendents: “If you want to see Superman solve the problem of the day with the fix of the day, go to the movies or buy a comic book. If you want to see a student motivated intrinsically with drill-skill learning and a standardized test, go the DMV. If you want to make money off the backs of kids, open a small business that sells video games, not tests. If you want to see aut... more »

UPDATE: “No Excuses” and the Culture of Shame + GERMS Down Under – @ the chalk face

GERMS Down Under – @ the chalk face:

Just for kicks, I mapped the chalk face

by Chalk Face, PhD

I created a map of our authors here to emphasize the diversity of opinion and experience we bring to the table. Interesting, and we have international connections now. But what’s not obvious from the map are the multiple connections we have in NY and MA.
Perhaps other sites have more authors and more geographic diversity. Yet, at the very least, we cannot be accused of some kind of monolithic voice. We have multiple perspectives and independent voices to bring to this conversation.

GERMS Down Under

by Activism in paradise - Voices from down under

Once upon a time, not that long ago, primary school education in New Zealand was child centred, aimed at developing the ‘whole child.’  Our teachers were able to be creative and innovative in developing wonderful learning experiences for all children, as nicely summarised by an educational vision outlined in 1940:
“The Government’s objective, broadly expressed, is that all persons, whatever their ability, rich or poor, whether they live in town or country, have a right as citizens to a free education of the kind for which they are best fitted and to the fullest extent of their powers”.
This statement reflected the philosophy of a great New Zealand educator Clarence Beeby, and in itself was an interpretation of Dewey and other like minded educational philosophers.
This vision underpinned New Zealand primary school education for nearly 50 years. It resulted in an

“No Excuses” and the Culture of Shame: Why Metrics Don’t Matter

by plthomasedd

“Wouldn’t it be refreshing to hear someone say that ‘eliminating poverty in America is the civil rights issue of our day’? Since poverty is the single most reliable predictor of poor performance in school, poor health, poor attendance, dropping out, and almost every negative indicator, wouldn’t it be wonderful to hear some of the politicians addressing the root cause of inequality?” Diane Ravitch

The education reform debate is fueled by a seemingly endless and even fruitless point/counter-point among the corporate reformers—typically advocates for and from the Gates Foundation (GF), Teach for America (TFA), and charter chains such as Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP)—and educators/scholars of education. [1] Since the political and public machines have embraced the corporate reformers, GF, TFA, and KIPP have acquired the

I thought I would add a Brave New Drone of my own, from the @nytimes @pgreenbe @4fishgreenberg

by Chalk Face, PhD

I’m no cartoonist. And I must mention that this entire idea came from an op-art piece from the NYT Sunday Review, courtesy of author Paul Greenberg and illustrator Scott Manchin. I just thought we’d need a new drone in honor of the ubiquitous education reformer. So, meet the PL 110-117 Examinator. 

Judge rules that student’s lawsuit over C plus doesn’t make grade. Should courts ever get involved in grade disputes? | Get Schooled

Judge rules that student’s lawsuit over C plus doesn’t make grade. Should courts ever get involved in grade disputes? | Get Schooled:

Judge rules that student’s lawsuit over C plus doesn’t make grade. Should courts ever get involved in grade disputes?

by Maureen Downey

The Pennsylvania woman who sued her graduate school professors over a C plus lost in court last week. Northampton County Judge Emil Giordano ruled that Megan Thode failed to prove that her grade in a Lehigh University  fieldwork course was the result of any sort of discrimination. (See our earlier blog discussion of the lawsuit.)
In her quest for $1.3 million in damages, Thode argued that the low grade prevented her from advancing in her licensed professional counselor program and forced her to opt for a less prestigious degree that meant a lower income.
The Morning Call, the area newspaper covering this case, has done a great job, including this followup about the prevalence of using the courts to resolve grading disputes.
Here is an except, but look at the entire piece:

Attorneys for Lehigh noted on the first day of the trial that if Northampton County Judge Emil Giordano changed Thode’s grade, his decision would be unprecedented.
They were right, said Philadelphia …

Does the Common Core Demoralize Teachers? | toteachornototeach

Does the Common Core Demoralize Teachers? | toteachornototeach:

Does the Common Core Demoralize Teachers?

by aristotlethewise

Does the Common Core Demoralize Teachers?

It’s a serious question, with serious implications. It’s a question that arises for me all too often when I see tired faces, confused looks, or disheartened shoulders. It’s a question that I feel a responsibility to wrestle with; after all, I’ve spent the last few years working to make sense of the Core, to put it in language that resonates with others, to make it accessible in ways that teachers won’t feel like they’re losing the integrity of their classrooms.
Yet, there’s a commentary beneath the looks of educators who feel like this is just “one more thing” that “takes me away from my students.” And from what I can surmise, the commentary is this.
Teachers already have too many things to worry about and no one will take something away to make room for these standards.
The standards were written by people who aren’t in the classroom; they have no idea how difficult it is to get kids 

2013 Presidents’ Day quiz:

2013 Presidents’ Day quiz

Posted by Valerie Strauss on February 18, 2013 at 1:05 am

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(www.mountvernon.org)

Presidents’ Day is something of an odd holiday, given that there is no universal agreement on which presidents are being honored, on the actual name of the holiday or whether there is an apostrophe in “presidents.”

To the U.S. government, Presidents’ Dayis still recognized as “Washington’s Birthday,” though in some states the day jointly honors the birthdays of Washington, born Feb. 22, and Abraham Lincoln, born Feb. 12. And in other states the day is meant to honor Washington and Thomas Jefferson but not Lincoln — or all of the presidents.

Whatever, here’s the annual Presidents’ Day quiz:

1) Which president was the first to be born as a United States citizen?
a) James Madison
b) Martin Van Buren
c) John Quincy Adams
d) Andrew Jackson

2) Which president had to borrow money to get to his own inauguration?
a) George Washington
b) John Adams
c) James Madison
d) Abraham Lincoln

3) Who was the youngest serving president?
a) Ulysses S. Grant
b) Bill Clinton
c) John F. Kennedy
d) Theodore Roosevelt

4) Which president also served as the chief justice of the United States?
a) William Howard Taft
b) Thomas Jefferson
c) James Madison
d) John Tyler

5) Name all six presidents with the first name of

A Presidents’ Day pop quiz on the presidents’ education | EdSource Today

A Presidents’ Day pop quiz on the presidents’ education | EdSource Today:

A Presidents’ Day pop quiz on the presidents’ education - by Kathryn Baron

by Kathryn Baron

A Presidents’ Day pop quiz on the presidents’ education

February 18th, 2013 | Add a Comment | 
By Kathryn Baron

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With only six months of formal education, this president didn’t graduate from college but later became president of one.

Just because school is out for Presidents’ Day doesn’t mean it’s a holiday from learning something new. We’ve pulled together this short quiz on the education of the U.S. presidents. It’s based on more modern standards of education and therefore the answers don’t include presidents who “read” law or were tutored at home; Wikipedia has its limits. Enjoy and we’ll be back tomorrow with the news.

1.       Which college has the most U.S. presidents as alumni? Name the presidents.

2.       One president founded a college.  Name the president and the college.

3.       How many presidents attended law school?  How many graduated?

4.       Where did Jimmy Carter attend college?

5.       Which presidents never graduated from college?

6.       Who is the only president to earn a Ph.D.?

7.       Which presidents were schoolteachers?

8.       How many presidents were Rhodes Scholars? Name them.

9.       Six presidents were university presidents. Name them and their universities.

10.       Which president had only six months of formal education and married his teacher?

Answers:

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

by Mike Klonsky

Thousands rally in D.C. against Keystone XL pipeline (MANUEL BALCE CENETA/AP)

Evangeline Lilly

“I’m ashamed of what my country is doing. I’m ashamed we’re knocking on your door with dirty oil. I want to stand up here as a Canadian and say I’m sorry to the workers in Canada and the workers in America who have to go home and look their kids in the eye and know that they are damaging their future." -- Raw Story: Thousands protest Keystone XL pipeline in D.C.

Paul Krugman

For today’s Republican leaders clearly feel disdain for low-wage workers...: “takers,” members of