9-20-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL:

Quote Of The Day: “Why Paying Kids to Do Homework Can Backfire”

Why Paying Kids to Do Homework Can Backfire is an article published today at TIME. It doesn’t offer anything particularly new to longtime readers of this blog or my books, but it does provide a good summary of research. Here’s an excerpt:

7 by Larry Ferlazzo / 6h mark as read  //  save

The Late Educator Paulo Freire Was Born On This Day

Image via Wikipedia The late educator Paulo Freire was born on this day in 1921. You can read more about him at The Zinn Education Project’s Facebook page. You might also be interested in a New York Times post I wrote that includes a lesson building on his work, and a post that appeared on this blog awhile back, What Would Paulo Freire Do If He Was A School Superintendent?

10 by Larry Ferlazzo / 6h  

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: September’s (2013) Best Tweets — Part ThreeEvery month I make a few short lists highlighting my choices of the best resources I shared through (and learned from) Twitter, but didn’t necessarily include them in posts here on my blog. I’ve already shared in earlier posts several new resources I found on Twitter — and where I

by mike simpson / 10h 

Changing the Classroom Curriculum: Recapturing How I Taught a Half-Century Ago (Part 1) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Changing the Classroom Curriculum: Recapturing How I Taught a Half-Century Ago (Part 1) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

Changing the Classroom Curriculum: Recapturing How I Taught a Half-Century Ago (Part 1)

I was a 21 year-old novice eager and anxious to become an first-rate high school history teacher at Glenville High School (Cleveland OH) in 1956. Within six months, I discovered that teaching five classes a day with multiple lessons (I taught world history and U.S. history), grading homework from over 175 students, and learning the ropes of managing groups of students a few years younger than me not only wore me out–I was also taking evening graduate history courses at Western Reserve University– but drove me to rely on lectures and the textbook far more than I anticipated.

By mid-year, I had become dissatisfied about how I was teaching my students–who happened to be nearly all minority (Negro was the preferred word then). I routinely lectured, watched maybe half of the students take notes and the other half stare into the distance or try to look attentive. Some fell asleep. I asked students questions about the textbook pages I assigned and got one-word answers back. Occasionally, a student would ask a question and I would improvise an answer that would trigger a few more students to enter in what would become a full blown back-and-forth discussion. It was unplanned and brief but mysteriously disappeared in the snap of a finger. Periodic quizzes andcurrent events one day a week altered my routines but student disengagement persisted. I was wholly teacher-centered in my instruction concentrating my attention upon history content. I was, as I learned in later years, teaching history in the way that it had been taught for decades: the heritage approach. Yet after six months, I realized that I did not want to teach history mechanically drowning students in forgettable facts that left me drained and dissatisfied at the end of a long day. I wanted to break out of that pattern. But did not know how to do that yet.

These were the years before the civil rights movement had traveled northward. Martin Luther King, Jr. was in the midst of his Montgomery ministry; Rosa 

9-20-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:

The in box. Bev Johns: “Special ed class size proposal is dead for now.”

From Bev Johns, Chair of the Illinois Special Education Coaliton. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) took NO action today on the proposal to eliminate all State rules on special education class size, and on the 30 percent limit on students with IEPs in a general education classroom. Action could have been taken at their June meeting, or August meeting, but Board members had significant

1 by Fred Klonsky / 31min  

9-19-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Life in Rahm’s Chicago. Walter Payton High School has plenty of toilet paper and is about to get more. Cut to Les Miz.As parents on the West Side collect toilet paper for their schools – the schools that Rahm has still left open – the selective admission Walter Payton High School near the Lakefront wi

by mike simpson / 9h

9-20-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

Only Two Donors To The "Pro-Lhota" SuperPAC

Well, well. The pro-Lhota "super PAC" has not taken in a single donation beyond the Koch family ones already known http://t.co/lgW7T8o64n— Chris Bragg (@ChrisBragg1) September 20, 2013Each Koch Brother gave $145,000.Total funds raised for the pro-Lhota superPAC - $290,000.Someone else notes that the deadline for filing was 9/16, so there may be more donations then are currently listed.St

by reality-based edu... / 2h 

Using Mayor Bloomberg's Self-Congratulatory P.R. Reports For A Rabbit Cage

The Tweet of the Day:@NYDNBenChapman I can use it 4 the bottom of my rabbits cage it has better use there. Is it January 2014 yet? @NY_GPS @AQE_NY @rweingarten— zakiyah ansari (@zansari8) September 20, 2013I bet there's so much to these self-congratulatory reports from Bloomberg that you could use them to line a few horse stalls. Can't wait for January, either.And then there's this horse hockey fr

by reality-based edu... / 26min 

De Blasio Says Some Nice Things About Labor Unions

In a Politicker article reporting that Bill de Blasio says he will try and do some retroactive pay for municpal employees working years without contracts under Bloomberg but cannot give full retro to workers, we learn that he said this:Standing behind a wooden podium on the fifth floor of the Alhabrama Ballroom, he said would play a far more active role in helping labor recruit new members and pro

by reality-based edu... / 15min 

Bloomberg Says Billionaires Are A "Godsend"

That is actually the word he used:So what if there’s an income gap? Mayor Bloomberg says the glaring disparity between the city’s rich and poor only exists because of the city is lucky enough to attract the world’s super-wealthy.“You picture this income inequality measure, but if we could get every billionaire around the world to move here, it would be a godsend,” he said in his weekly radio show

by reality-based edu... / 9min 

Note To House Republicans: Many People On Food Stamps HAVE Jobs

House Republicans slashed food stamp funding yesterday and claimed the move will help poor people.You see, poor people on food stamps don't have jobs because they get food stamps and don't need jobs.But if the House cuts food stamps, that will force these lazy, welfare kings and queens to go out and get jobs.Only one problem with that theory - many people getting food stamps already have jobs, but

by reality-based edu... / 15min 

Bloomberg Have Any DOE Emails Erased Yet?

The story first showed up on DNAinfo - the Bloomberg administration plans to erase many of their emails when they leave office, including those from the NYCDOE.Diane Ravitch picked that story up with additional details from somebody she termed a "mole" at Tweed who said the data there is all suspect and should be independently investigated.Norm Scott ran with the story yesterday, compari

by reality-based edu... / 0min

Joe Lhota: I'm A Hug-Able Kind Of Guy

From the Wall Street Journal:Mr. Lhota blamed his poll standing on a brutal primary in which his chief opponent, billionaire businessman John Catsimatidis, repeatedly described Mr. Lhota as mean and a bureaucrat. "John [Catsimatidis] was throwing as much mud as he possibly could—I've never met anybody who thinks I'm mean, I've never met anybody who thinks I'm not hug-able," Mr. Lhota sai

by reality-based edu... / 55min 

Bloomberg's Real Estate Policies Drive Increase In NYC Poverty

This must be the fault of schools and teachers:The latest U.S. Census data is drawing a troubling picture of the struggles of many New Yorkers living in poverty.It also shows the number of city residents living below the poverty level is on the rise.According to the data, 21.2 percent of New Yorkers are in households below that level.That includes 31 percent of children age 17 and under.Meanwhile,

by reality-based edu... / 3h 

9-19-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Performance Assessment ThursdayWe are giving the ELA Measures of Student Learning Performance Assessments to students today and tomorrow so that every teacher in the school can be evaluated to see how much growth students make from September to June.Because it makes total sense that social studies, science, art, physical education and other teachers outside of English Langua

by mike simpson / 10h 

9-20-13 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE:

For District Leaders Considering Adopting the New Orleans “Miracle” Model

New Orleans’ Recovery School District (RSD) is being promoted nationwide as a model of corporate reform “turnaround.”  Thus, numerous legislatures, superintendents and school boards across the country are facing the question of whether or not to emulate RSD. In this post, I address school officials who are tempted to believe and adopt the RSD “miracle.”  RSD success is a […]

by deutsch29 / 37min mark as read  //  save

This Sunday at 6PM EST, Diane Ravitch is At the Chalk Face to discuss Reign of Error.

Listen to the show here.  I have to get reading.

1 by Chalk Face, PhD / 2h 

Merrow Vs. Schneider on New Orleans and Rhee

I don’t blame Merrow for wanting more support and for suggesting that folks reach out to the many media people he mentions. I do blame him for: 1) doing it in such a mewling tone – he’d be more effective to suggest not complain with that “Why aren’t people . . . ” intro that […]

by Michael Paul Gold... / 11min 

Innovation? No Thank You

There is a problem with really successful people: They tend to believe they are incredibly capable in every field, and that most other people are not. Success is a deluding experience, and if there is anything that innovators are, it is delusional—delusional that being innovative is greater than having field experience or expertise. In education […]

7 by plthomasedd / 17min 

The Indignant Teacher Reviews “Reign of Error”

  The “nation’s children are on a train that is headed for a cliff“. This sentence, unobtrusively embedded in the middle of the first chapter of Reign of Error, effectively identifies the main idea of Diane Ravitch’s newest book. Like it’s prequel from 2010, The Death and Life of the Great American School System, Reign of Error serves to warn America […]

1 by jillconroy / 34min 

9-18-13 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: Achievement Gap? Nope, parts 1 and 2The term “achievement gap” is misleading and thus one of the problems with the education reform debate. Please see the following posts addressing why: Achievement Gap Misnomer for Equity Gap, pt. 1 Achievement Gap Misnomer for Equity Gap, pt. 21 by plthomasedd / 1min Schools Matter @ The Chalk FaceSCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE: Gates Money an

by mike simpson / 9h 

Education: Our Best Defense Against Ignorance | toteachornototeach

Education: Our Best Defense Against Ignorance | toteachornototeach:

Education: Our Best Defense Against Ignorance

Posted on September 19, 2013

Education: Our Best Defense Against Ignorance 

by Michael Rohrer

Please put your hands together and give a warm welcome to Linda Harvey, the founder of the conservative group Mission America and an all-around good Christian. Earlier this month she said:

Why are we in such a place, friends, where children learn homosexual behavior is noble, that amputating healthy body parts is admirable, but the mention of Jesus Christ during a graduation ceremony is controversial? I’ll tell you how: It’s because not enough of us are calling this lunacy what it is. We need to have a clear idea about what is evil and speak up about it in order to preserve the good. And these actions are pure evil and should be declared child abuse.

The above attack on the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) stunned me into a silence that quickly turned into an angry outburst. No applause for you, Linda Harvey.

Why shouldn’t schools have LGBT-inclusive education (e.g., lessons on the Stonewall riots and Harvey Milk)? In history class children are educated about war, slavery, the civil 

Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:

Friday Open Thread

Well hello there. Back from hiatus and a big thank you (and good job) to Charlie who kept this thing going quite nicely.  I did read from afar a couple of times but true to my word to myself, I did not comment or post. (And by the way, a BIG thank you to all our readers.  Our numbers continue to soar and it's quite amazing.  I like to think that parents are offering this site up as a place for inf

by Melissa Westbrook / 5h 

9-19-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: What is the deal with Spectrum?Thirteen years ago, when I first became an activist in Seattle Public Schools, there were problems with Spectrum. There were three problems:Qualified students could not gain access to the program because the classes were full.There was lively discussion about the student identification process including issues of under-representation

by mike simpson / 5h 

9-20-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

TN Achievement School Distict Official Granted Charter Approval by TN Achievement School District

Posted at Memphis Schools Matter:After Bobby White got national attention on Fox & Friends by enforcing a ban on baggy pants at Westside Middle School in Memphis, where he was principal a couple of years back, White has become the darling of the State-funded effort to corporatize and charterize Memphis schools, per the Bill Gates design.White has his own consulting business, has hired on as Di

1 by Jim Horn / 2h 

The Greed of Big Pharma + Total Compliance Reformer Schools = More Child Doping

From Alternet, a clip from an excerpt of this book:Prices of ADHD meds at the middle dose for ninety pills on Drugstore.com in 2011 were Concerta, $540; Vyvanse, $532; Intuniv, $500; Adderall, $278; and Ritalin, $191. The price of the most common antidepressants, like Prozac, Celexa, Lexapro, Zoloft, Cymbalta, and Wellbutrin, for ninety pills, was around $380. Two of the drugs prescribed to Rebecc

by Jim Horn / 6min 

Innovation? No Thank You

There is a problem with really successful people: They tend to believe they are incredibly capable in every field, and that most other people are not.Success is a deluding experience, and if there is anything that innovators are, it is delusional—delusional that being innovative is greater than having field experience or expertise.In education reform, delusion is rampant. And the key source of all

4 by P. L. Thomas / 21min

Why Didn't School "Reformers" Respect Dunbar High School's History?

Alison Stewart’s First Class begins with her mother, Carol Stewart, as she watches the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Carol, a retired biology teacher, marvels, “What a magnificent display of what Homo Sapiens is capable of in his most civilized state?” That evening, when asked about Washington D.C.’s Dunbar High School marching band, Carol comments, “I can’t believe those girls were swit

by John Thompson / 1min 

  The Unmeasurable, Untestable You

I think you will agree that the following absolutely negates the "value" of the findings of any "standardized" testing in schools (and anywhere else for that matter)...or rather, it encourages us to understand the value of testing as producing outcomes that benefit those implementing the testing.  That is to say, testing does not serve to illuminate intrinsic "failures&quo

by Douglas Storm / 2h 

9-19-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: Alison Stewart's Great History of D.C.'s Dunbar High SchoolAlison Stewart’s First Class brings us full circle. Actually, Stewart guides us through a variety of recurring social, moral, and educational cycles that undoubtedly will continue to repeat themselves in one way or another. Her history of the rise and fall of Washington D.C.’s elite Dunbar High School tells a story that can

by mike simpson / 10h