Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Nite Cap 10-1-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change

James Baldwin said it best:

"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."

A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP

TODAY

The “Magical Me” Ms. Rhee | Seattle Education

The “Magical Me” Ms. Rhee | Seattle Education: The “Magical Me” Ms. RheeThe other day I received the type of comment that I love to respond to. I initially thought I would reply to the angry attack in the comment section of the Rhee-event post. Then I decided that it was time to create a special page on Michelle Rhee posting all of the articles that I have collected on her and her career.After com

by mike simpson / 28min

Gettin' Tough! Or Not. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Gettin' Tough! Or Not. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: Gettin' Tough! Or Not.By Nancy Flanagan on October 1, 2013 4:42 PMThe social media circle in which I travel has been a-twitter this weekend over Joanne Lipman's article, Why Tough Teachers Get Good Results. That circle includes a number of music teachers--my compadres--who were cheering Lipman on, as she praised her old-s

by mike simpson / 1h

NYC Educator: The Smiles on Their Faces

NYC Educator: The Smiles on Their Faces: The Smiles on Their FacesSometimes I evaluate myself. I don't use a rubric. I don't analyze my test scores. I don't videotape myself and rewind 500 times to figure out how I can spend 2 fewer minutes handing out papers.I just look at the kids and see how involved they are. Or not. I see whether they're focused. I see whether or not what we're doing is of in

by mike simpson / 1h

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Breaking -- Oh heavens! Somebody may have overpaid for school desks

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Breaking -- Oh heavens! Somebody may have overpaid for school desks: Breaking -- Oh heavens! Somebody may have overpaid for school desksForget about the great UNO charter school rip-off. That was small potatoes.Forget Rahm's great $150 million basketball arena scam. Puny by comparison.Forget about Rahm's hiring of convicted crook Amer Ahmad as his comptroller. Mistak

by mike simpson / 1h

School Districts Consolidate Only as Last Resort Despite Incentives

School Districts Consolidate Only as Last Resort Despite Incentives: Communities Cling to Local Schools Despite State Incentives By Maggie Clark, Staff WriterStudents gather at Stockton Borough Elementary in New Jersey. The borough recently voted to consolidate school districts with three neighboring districts. The number of school districts continued to decline during the Great Recession. (Warren

by mike simpson / 4h

The Truth about StudentsFirst and Why It Matters | janresseger

The Truth about StudentsFirst and Why It Matters | janresseger: The Truth about StudentsFirst and Why It MattersPosted on October 1, 2013 by janressegerLiving as I do in Cleveland, Ohio, I remember not long ago when the names of companies told you just what they made: Republic Steel, Youngstown Sheet and Tube, Cleveland Twist Drill, and Timken Roller Bearing. I suspect we are the town whose publi

by mike simpson / 4h

Fear and Misunderstanding Grip Many School Districts as Affordable Care Act Goes Into Effect | NEA Today

Fear and Misunderstanding Grip Many School Districts as Affordable Care Act Goes Into Effect | NEA Today: Fear and Misunderstanding Grip Many School Districts as Affordable Care Act Goes Into EffectOctober 1, 2013 by twalker Filed under Featured News, Top StoriesLeave a CommentBy John RosalesThe Affordable Care Act (ACA), which launches today, includes a provision for “shared responsibility for e

by mike simpson / 4h

Answers to Your Top Six Shutdown Questions — Whole Child Education

Answers to Your Top Six Shutdown Questions — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGAnswers to Your Top Six Shutdown QuestionsOctober 1, 2013 by Melissa MellorThe U.S. government shut down this morning because Congress was unable to pass a bill to fund federal programs as the new fiscal year begins. This week's Capitol Connection cuts through the politics and brinkmanship to outline what a shu

by mike simpson / 4h

Head Start hit hardest by federal shutdown, but other education programs face problems in long term | HechingerEd Blog

Head Start hit hardest by federal shutdown, but other education programs face problems in long term | HechingerEd Blog: Head Start hit hardest by federal shutdown, but other education programs face problems in long termFor the short term, most schools will likely be unaffected by the federal government shutdown that went into effect today. But if the impasse in Congress lasts a long time, schools

by mike simpson / 4h

Underlying Issues In The DC Test Score Controversy

Shanker Blog » Underlying Issues In The DC Test Score Controversy: Underlying Issues In The DC Test Score ControversyPosted by Matthew Di Carlo on October 1, 2013In the Washington Post, Emma Brown reports on a behind the scenes decision about how to score last year’s new, more difficult tests in the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and the District’s charter schools.To make a long story

by mike simpson / 5h

10-1-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Tuesday Open ThreadInteresting six-part series on math in the NY Times, Me, Myself and Math.Oh those kids! Looks like LA high school students found it quite easy to hack into their new school-issued iPads.One week after students started receiving their iPads, students attending at least three Los Angeles high schools had figured out how to disarm a built-in securit

by mike simpson / 5h

Arne Duncan Goes After "Armchair Pundits" - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Arne Duncan Goes After "Armchair Pundits" - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Arne Duncan Goes After "Armchair Pundits"By Anthony Cody on October 1, 2013 12:23 PMSecretary of Education Arne Duncan spoke publicly of Diane Ravitch in an interview in 2011, where he said: "Diane Ravitch is in denial and she is insulting all of the hardworking teachers, principals an

by mike simpson / 5h

Former education chief weighs in on No Child Left Behind | K-12 Zone | a Chron.com blog

Former education chief weighs in on No Child Left Behind | K-12 Zone | a Chron.com blog: Former education chief weighs in on No Child Left BehindTuesday, October 1, 2013CommentsEmailPrint0Rod Paige, the former HISD superintendent and U.S. education secretary, attended a ceremony in May 2008 for the new Roderick Paige Elementary School in Houston. (Steve Campbell)Rod Paige, the former U.S. educatio

by mike simpson / 6h

10-1-13 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.: Illinois is broke? Cut teacher pensions and give millions to Archer Daniels Midland.Remember the phony front group that Civic Committee president Ty Fahner set up called Illinois is Broke? He wanted you to think the state was broke because of huge pensions to teachers, firemen and cops. Y’know. That $

by mike simpson / 6h

Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, October 1, 2013

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Education HeadlinesTuesday, October 1, 2013Absenteeism crimps Kern schools' fundingKern County is among the most severely affected counties in the state for public funding lost by students missing school, according to a report released Monday.Early truancy problems spiral statewideCalaveras County has the highest truancy rate for elementary s

by mike simpson / 6h

NEA - NEA’s Bully Free: It Starts With Me – Resources to Prevent Bullying

NEA - NEA’s Bully Free: It Starts With Me – Resources to Prevent Bullying: NEA’s Bully Free: It Starts With MeTake NEA's Bully Free: It Starts with Me PledgeJoin other caring adults and take the pledge today! Read more »123NEXT : "What Can Adults Do About School Bullies?" | »The NEA Bullying Prevention KitDesigned by educators for educators, this kit reflects the best available resear

by mike simpson / 7h

Morning Wink 10-1-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTSTODAY10-1-13 Wait What?Wait What?: Senator Williams/Representative Johnson: Windham’s children, parents, teachers and taxpayers deserve better[A long but important post] Tomorrow, (Oct 2nd) State Senator Don Williams and State Representative Susan Johnson are scheduled to meet with their constituents about the damage “Special Master”, “Special Deal” Steve

1 by mike simpson / 7h

10-1-13 Wait What?

Wait What?: Senator Williams/Representative Johnson: Windham’s children, parents, teachers and taxpayers deserve better[A long but important post] Tomorrow, (Oct 2nd) State Senator Don Williams and State Representative Susan Johnson are scheduled to meet with their constituents about the damage “Special Master”, “Special Deal” Steven Adamowski is doing to their community. The children, parents, t

by mike simpson / 8h

Louisiana Educator: Continued Attacks on Louisiana Public Education

Louisiana Educator: Continued Attacks on Louisiana Public Education: Continued Attacks on Louisiana Public EducationA small private meeting was held in Baton Rouge a couple of weeks ago including representatives of several highly influential power brokers who are dedicated to a major overhaul and privatization of our K-12 education system. These groups were very concerned that much of the Jindal r

by mike simpson / 8h

Our Schools Are Not For Sale is the story of Philadelphia's teachers

Our Schools Are Not For Sale on Vimeo: Our Schools Are Not For Sale from Media Mobilizing Project TV on Vimeo.Our Schools Are Not For Salefrom Media Mobilizing Project TV PLUS 1 week ago / Creative Commons License: by nc NOT YET RATEDPublic education is under attack. Will we learn to live with a two-tier education system where money comes first, or will we come together to guarantee a quality ed

by mike simpson / 8h

Closing Gaps?: Addressing Privilege and Poverty | the becoming radical

Closing Gaps?: Addressing Privilege and Poverty | the becoming radical: CLOSING GAPS?: ADDRESSING PRIVILEGE AND POVERTYNew ways of thinking about public education must occur before the U.S. can fulfill its obligation to the promise of universal public schools:We have failed public education; public education has not failed us.Education has never, cannot, and will never be a singular or primary mec

by mike simpson / 8h

Secret Corbett poll proposing teachers union attack funded by PennCAN :: Blogs :: The Naked City :: Philadelphia City Paper

Secret Corbett poll proposing teachers union attack funded by PennCAN :: Blogs :: The Naked City :: Philadelphia City Paper: Secret Corbett poll proposing teachers union attack funded by PennCANBy Daniel Denvir Published: 06/19/2013 | 0 Comments PostedA secret report, based on a poll of Pennsylvanians, proposing that Gov. Tom Corbettmount a high-profile attack on the Philadelphia Federation of Tea

by mike simpson / 8h

WTF Wealthy donors move schools decision-making behind closed doors :: Blogs :: The Naked City :: Philadelphia City Paper

Wealthy donors move schools decision-making behind closed doors :: Blogs :: The Naked City :: Philadelphia City Paper: Wealthy donors move schools decision-making behind closed doorsBy Daniel Denvir Published: 09/29/2013 | 3 Comments PostedPromotion for this week's "All of the Above" conference.On Monday, wealthy donors interested in the future of public education will gather for atwo-da

by mike simpson / 8h

Global Corruption Report: Education

Global Corruption Report: Education: GLOBAL CORRUPTION REPORT: EDUCATIONCorruption can be found at all levels of our education systems, undermining the right to education.From ghost schools and fake diplomas, to undue corporate influence in university research, explore the many faces of corruption in education, and learn about ways it is being challenged.Let's get started!Press releasesBlog posts

3 by mike simpson / 8h

Our Schools Are Not For Sale | WeArePCAPS

Our Schools Are Not For Sale | WeArePCAPS: Our Schools Are Not For SalePosted on October 1, 2013by wearepcapsYesterday at the Union League, long a bastion of privelege and wealth, billionaires met to further their aims of privatizing education, imposing austerity, and busting unions, all carefully packaged as “school choice” and “reform.” Meanwhile outside students, joined by teachers and paren

by mike simpson / 8h

Mother Crusader: Could The Next Generation Of Philanthropy Actually SAVE Public Education?

Mother Crusader: Could The Next Generation Of Philanthropy Actually SAVE Public Education?: Could The Next Generation Of Philanthropy Actually SAVE Public Education?I've been having a very telling back and forth with some Anonymous Charter Cheerleaders on my blog the last couple of weeks, mostly in reference to a post I wrote back in January about Hatikvah International Academy Charter School, whi

by mike simpson / 8h

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: It's come to this...

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: It's come to this...: It's come to this...Beggar schoolsChicago school children may be able to wipe themselves at school again, thanks to toilet paper donations from Proctor and Gamble. Rahm's budget cuts have left many schools going without. Parents' thanks go out to Ald. Nick Sposato who organized the TP drive after CPS cut about $3 million from budgets for six sch

by mike simpson / 8h

10-1-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: The Assault on Public Education in SC Continues: More Innovation!How much education innovation can a high-poverty state take?Apparently, according to former-general-without-a-second-of-experience-as-a-teacher Superintendent Mick Zais, just a little more.As reported by Patrick Hayes at EdFirstSC (and not reported at the Charleston Post and Courier because the P&C is all about en

by mike simpson / 9h

Democracy Is an 'Idea,' Not a Recipe - Bridging Differences - Education Week

Democracy Is an 'Idea,' Not a Recipe - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Democracy Is an 'Idea,' Not a RecipeBy Deborah Meier on October 1, 2013 8:52 AMDeborah Meier continues her conversation with Michael J. Petrilli today.Dear Mike, The two are inextricably connected: democratic education and education for democracy. But, you are right; they are not necessarily the same. Example: If my a

by mike simpson / 10h

10-1-13 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: The Assault on Public Education in SC Continues: More Innovation!How much education innovation can a high-poverty state take? Apparently, according to former-general-without-a-second-of-experience-as-a-teacher Superintendent Mick Zais, just a little more. As reported by Patrick Hayes at EdFirstSC (and not reported at the Charleston Post and Courier because the P&C is all abou

by mike simpson / 10h

Covered California Your destination for affordable, quality health care, including Medi-Cal

Covered California: Covered California Your destination for affordable, quality health care, including Medi-Calhttps://www.coveredca.com/es/El "Profesor de lo Simple" explica los cambios en el Cuidado de la SaludEl 1 de enero de 2014 comenzará la nueva cobertura médica para millones de californianos. Covered California ayudará a individuos a comparar planes de salud y a elegir el plan qu

by mike simpson / 10h

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-1-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Why VAM Is a ShamAudrey Amrein-Beardsley of Arizona State University is one of the nation’s leading authorities on teacher evaluation. She has the advantage of having taught middle school math for several years. She understands better than almost any other researcher just how flawed value-added measurement is. Next year, her book

by mike simpson / 10h

10-1-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Sleazy Dan Squadron Refuses To Take Responsibility For His Campaign's Anonymous RoboCall Attack Against Tish JamesDan Squadron is a sleazeball.It's one thing to attack your opponent and take responsibility for the attacks.Alas, Squadron doesn't have the courage or the moral core to do that - as Politicker reports here: State Senator Daniel Squadron would not deny tonight tha

by mike simpson / 10h

Affordable Care Act: A Marketplace of Opportunity | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Affordable Care Act: A Marketplace of Opportunity | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Affordable Care Act: A Marketplace of OpportunityBy Tarsi Dunlop on October 1, 2013Healthy kids come to school better able to focus on classroom learning. Having access to quality affordable health care will only increase the quality of life for the nation’s youth, their families and the surrou

by mike simpson / 10h

Diane Ravitch at Stanford | InterACT

Diane Ravitch at Stanford | InterACT: Diane Ravitch at StanfordOCTOBER 1, 2013tags: diane ravitch, Stanfordby David B. Cohen(photo by the author)I had the pleasure of introducing Diane Ravitch at her Stanford University event on Monday night. Below, you can find the text of my introduction, and a few pictures from the event. But first, I love this picture (right), taken backstage just before the e

by mike simpson / 10h

Jindal’s hypocrisy: the saga of St. Helena Parish schools; an interview with Superintendent Kelli Joseph | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

Jindal’s hypocrisy: the saga of St. Helena Parish schools; an interview with Superintendent Kelli Joseph | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: Jindal's hypocrisy: the saga of St. Helena Parish schools; an interview with Superintendent Kelli JosephPosted on October 1, 20130 Reblogged from Something Like the Truth:By Robert MannGov. Bobby Jindal says he's outraged about the U.S. Justice Department's pleading th

by mike simpson / 10h

Leading Innovative Change Series – Learning First, Technology Second | Connected Principals

Leading Innovative Change Series – Learning First, Technology Second | Connected Principals: Leading Innovative Change Series – Learning First, Technology SecondSeptember 28, 2013By George CourosI wanted to try my hand at writing a series of blog posts on “Leading Innovative Change”. As I am looking at writing a book on the same topic, I thought I would put some ideas out there and hopefully learn

by mike simpson / 11h

I Always Want To Be A Teacher | toteachornototeach

I Always Want To Be A Teacher | toteachornototeach: I Always Want To Be A Teacherby Nick MonziLast week, in a meeting with colleagues at my education-based nonprofit, a dedicated volunteer asked me a question that required more thought than I expected.“How do you continue to learn about and evaluate your work?” she asked. “How are you sure that the change you hope to see in the world is going to b

by mike simpson / 11h

Campbell's law in education: test scores vs. accountability - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

Campbell's law in education: test scores vs. accountability - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.: Campbell's law in education: test scores vs. accountability by Joseph Ganem Ph.D. The problem of cheating on standardized tests that was recently uncovered in the Baltimore City Public Schools is apparently another in a long list of testing scandals that have plagued school districts across

by mike simpson / 11h

‘Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress…’

‘Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress…’: ‘Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress…’By Valerie Strauss, Published: October 1 at 4:00 amE-mail the writer4CommentsMore(By Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg)If you somehow don’t know about the utter mess in the U.S. Congress, look here (and start paying attention). If you do, here’s something to help

by mike simpson / 11h

Activists call on Philly schools to limit teacher seniority, unilaterally | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Activists call on Philly schools to limit teacher seniority, unilaterally | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Activists call on Philly schools to limit teacher seniority, unilaterallyby thenotebook on Sep 30 2013 Posted in Latest news="" style="color: rgb(76, 153, 72); cursor: pointer; float: left; padding: 0px 2px;">Share on emailMore Sharing ServicesCOMMENTS (6)PRINTPhoto:

by mike simpson / 11h

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Lessons from the '63 Boycott

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Lessons from the '63 Boycott: Lessons from the '63 Boycott Rachel DicksonTim HorsburghKartemquin Films63boycott@kartemquin.com773-472-4366/ 773-656-8939 (cell)FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:On the 50th anniversary of the 1963 school boycott, activists from then and now will talk about one of Chicago's largest civil rights marches at a screening of in-progress documentary '63

by mike simpson / 11h

YESTERDAY

Two-pronged attack on teachers' seniority planned

Two-pronged attack on teachers' seniority planned: Two-pronged attack on teachers' seniority plannedFile photo: In 2011, city teachers rally outside district headquarters. (Steven M. Falk/Staff)MARTHA WOODALL, INQUIRER STAFF WRITERLAST UPDATED: Monday, September 30, 2013, 2:01 AMPOSTED: Sunday, September 29, 2013, 7:03 PMSeniority for public school teachers is in the crosshairs in Philadelphia and

3 by mike simpson / 17h

The charter school mistake - latimes.com

The charter school mistake - latimes.com: The charter school mistake'Reforming' schools by giving tax money to corporations is a distraction from the system's real problems — poverty and racial segregation.Comments1EmailShare12Students look for their classrooms on the opening day of instruction at the Westchester Secondary Charter school. (Los Angeles Times / September 3, 2013)

4 by mike simpson / 18h

Are These Photos of a Bronx Assistant Principal Provocative and Risque? southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com: Are These Photos of a Bronx Assistant Principal Provocative and Risque?Breaking news has come across the SBSB news desk. The Crack Team has learned that Jessica Cruze, AP at PS 154 in the Bronx and BFF of DR Alison Coviello; PhD. and Principal has a specialtalent. She is a professional belly dancer.We here at SBSB applaud Jessica Cruz of keeping this ancient art fo

by mike simpson / 21h

What would federal shutdown mean for California education? | EdSource Today

What would federal shutdown mean for California education? | EdSource Today: What would federal shutdown mean for California education?September 30th, 2013 | Add a Comment | By Jane Meredith Adams1Federal money for education will continue to flow into California, with some caveats, even if the federal government’s spending authority runs out late Monday.The big ticket federal education programs in

by mike simpson / 21h

Nite Cap 9-30-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change

James Baldwin said it best: "For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAPTODAYGeorge W. Bush's Education Law, No Child Left Behind, Abandoned By TexasGeorge W. Bush's Education Law, No Child Left Behind, Abandoned By Texas: George W. Bush's Education Law, No Child Left Behind, Abandoned By TexasPosted: 09/30/2013 5:57

2 by mike simpson / 1d

2nd Banana 9-28-13 Recap of Last Week's Best Post
2nd Banana 9-21-13 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

2nd Banana 9-14-13 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

The “Magical Me” Ms. Rhee | Seattle Education

The “Magical Me” Ms. Rhee | Seattle Education:

The “Magical Me” Ms. Rhee

The other day I received the type of comment that I love to respond to. I initially thought I would reply to the angry attack in the comment section of the Rhee-event post. Then I decided that it was time to create a special page on Michelle Rhee posting all of the articles that I have collected on her and her career.

After completing the page, I thought hmm, why not make this page into a post to share with all of our Seattle Education readers.

The comment referred to me as being ignorant of Michelle Rhee and that I should stick to issues in the Northwest. Well, you can’t disconnect what is happening nationally from what is happening or might occur in our neck of the woods. It’s all related, this effort at the corporate takeover of our public schools.

So, without further ado, the following post that will be a page on our website:

Michelle Rhee

Ms. Rhee (pronounced “re”)

The “Magical Me” Ms. Rhee has caused destruction in her path from the time she burst onto the scene in DC as Chancellor of DC Public Schools, with little experience in the classroom but a lot of help from Eli Broad of the Broad Foundation. She immediately closed 26 schools and fired 266 teachers with the implication that sexual misconduct was the reason for the firings. As it turned out, one teacher was charged with sexual

Gettin' Tough! Or Not. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Gettin' Tough! Or Not. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher:

Gettin' Tough! Or Not.

By Nancy Flanagan on October 1, 2013 4:42 PM

The social media circle in which I travel has been a-twitter this weekend over Joanne Lipman's article, Why Tough Teachers Get Good Results. That circle includes a number of music teachers--my compadres--who were cheering Lipman on, as she praised her old-school, Ukranian-immigrant orchestra teacher, Mr. K., and his tyrannical teaching techniques, like calling students idiots, making them "rehearse until our fingers almost bled," and correcting "our wayward hands and arms by poking at us with a pencil."

What a guy, huh? Lipman says: "Today, he'd be fired." She then goes on to make eight suggestions about how to fix education (you knew that was coming). The article is excerpted from her book, Strings Attached: One Tough Teacher and the Gift of Great Expectations. Cue the orchestra for a quick chorus of "What's the matter with kids--and, presumably, their spineless teachers--today?"

I'm well acquainted with the blood and thunder school of band and orchestra directing. I've experienced it as student, colleague and observer. And for a time, as a novice music teacher, it was pretty much what I aspired to be: Uncompromising, demanding, a little intimidating. Not

NYC Educator: The Smiles on Their Faces

NYC Educator: The Smiles on Their Faces:

The Smiles on Their Faces

Sometimes I evaluate myself. I don't use a rubric. I don't analyze my test scores. I don't videotape myself and rewind 500 times to figure out how I can spend 2 fewer minutes handing out papers.

I just look at the kids and see how involved they are. Or not. I see whether they're focused. I see whether or not what we're doing is of interest. Usually it is. I can't say whether or not Charlotte Danielson would agree, and I can't promise you they will excel on standardized tests. After all, they've only been speaking English a very short time.

Today I left a meeting to run to my class. One of the girls in my class saw me and said something about being late. I said I wasn't. She managed to walk in front of me and push her friend in front of me whenever I was about to pass her. I'm not sure how she could see me coming, because I was behind her, but every time I tried, she stopped me. At some point, we all started running, and ran all the way to the trailers.

None of us knew exactly why we did it, but it was pretty funny. The kids in my class are mostly happy. I want my class to be a place where they can be happy and learn English at the same time. Because you don't learn language from doing

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Breaking -- Oh heavens! Somebody may have overpaid for school desks

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Breaking -- Oh heavens! Somebody may have overpaid for school desks:

Breaking -- Oh heavens! Somebody may have overpaid for school desks

Forget about the great UNO charter school rip-off. That was small potatoes.

Forget Rahm's great $150 million basketball arena scam. Puny by comparison.

Forget about Rahm's hiring of convicted crook Amer Ahmad as his comptroller. Mistakes happen.

Forget about Arne Duncan hiring a child molester/pornographer to help him run the schools.The guy had a guy.

You can even forget about the current RTA scandal and Mike Madigan's son-in-law who he placed as an RTA top exec and who is now under investigation over allegations involving

School Districts Consolidate Only as Last Resort Despite Incentives

School Districts Consolidate Only as Last Resort Despite Incentives:

Communities Cling to Local Schools Despite State Incentives

By Maggie Clark, Staff Writer

Students gather at Stockton Borough Elementary in New Jersey. The borough recently voted to consolidate school districts with three neighboring districts. The number of school districts continued to decline during the Great Recession. (Warren Cooper/Hunterdon County Democrat)

When then-Gov. John Baldacci signed legislation in 2007 ordering Maine’s 290 school districts to consolidate into just 80 districts or face penalties, the intention was to get as much state money to students in the classroom as possible.

“Our population was declining, and we just had too much school administration,” Baldacci said in an interview withStateline. “Putting (school consolidation) into the budget irritated the superintendents and the school boards, but I wanted to make sure we actually got it done.”

Maine lost 58 school districts between 2007 and 2012, according to the U.S. Census of Governments, not nearly as many as policymakers hoped. Resistance to school consolidation in Maine, just like across the country, was tremendously strong.

“It was a shotgun marriage,” said Doug Smith, superintendent of the Glenburn school district. The district consolidated budgets with two others in 2010, and the unified district was responsible for 1,400 students and five schools.

“We were forced to do it or incur penalties, and there were no incentives,” Smith said.

Maine’s consolidation mirrors a century-long national trend toward fewer school districts, beginning with the move away from one-room schoolhouses. The number of independent school districts shrank nearly 90 perce

The Truth about StudentsFirst and Why It Matters | janresseger

The Truth about StudentsFirst and Why It Matters | janresseger:

The Truth about StudentsFirst and Why It Matters

Posted on October 1, 2013 by janresseger

Living as I do in Cleveland, Ohio, I remember not long ago when the names of companies told you just what they made: Republic Steel, Youngstown Sheet and Tube, Cleveland Twist Drill, and Timken Roller Bearing. I suspect we are the town whose public utility has the most delightful and perfectly accurate name: Cleveland Electric Illuminating. When trees fall on the power lines here in Cleveland, the Illuminating Company comes to get the lights back on.

Nowadays however, company names no longer tell you very much: Halliburton, Archer Daniels Midland, Enron. What does the firm do? Does it make something? If so, who does the work? Does it happen in the U.S. or someplace else? Does the company pay the workers enough? Does it protect them from injuries and toxins? Does it protect the environment? Does it pay enough taxes? Any taxes? Names no longer tell us much, and we aren’t encouraged to ask questions.

Just last week at two social events I found myself in the uncomfortable situation of having to explain how an organization’s name may not really be designed to tell the truth about what the organization does. This time the issue of the name related to a not-for-profit advocacy organization instead of a company. In both instances well-meaning people brought me the same flyer advertising the local screening of a movie. The flyer which depicted cheerful young children was designed in appealing primary colors. At the bottom appeared the logo of the sponsoring organization, StudentsFirst. The flyer provided no information about StudentsFirst, and those who had picked up the flyer—one at a bus stop and the other in a coffee shop— thought it must be a local group, maybe some kind of PTA. These people

porcupine backs into a cactus -

Beware of AstroTurf Ed Reformers

porcupine backs into a cactus

Just Like Michelle Rhee's Students first only BETTER

Astroturf lobbying refers to political organizations or campaigns that appear to be made up of grassroots activists but are actually organized and run by corporate interests seeking to further their own agendas. Such groups are often typified by innocent-sounding names that have been chosen specifically to disguise the group's true backers

Just Like Michelle Rhee's

Students first Astroturf lobbying (only Better)

Fear and Misunderstanding Grip Many School Districts as Affordable Care Act Goes Into Effect | NEA Today

Fear and Misunderstanding Grip Many School Districts as Affordable Care Act Goes Into Effect | NEA Today:

Fear and Misunderstanding Grip Many School Districts as Affordable Care Act Goes Into Effect

October 1, 2013 by twalker
Filed under Featured News, Top Stories

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Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Nite Cap 10-1-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change

James Baldwin said it best:

"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."

TODAY

YESTERDAY

The “Magical Me” Ms. Rhee | Seattle Education

The “Magical Me” Ms. Rhee

Gettin' Tough! Or Not. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Gettin' Tough! Or Not.

NYC Educator: The Smiles on Their Faces

The Smiles on Their Faces

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Breaking -- Oh heavens! Somebody may have overpaid for school desks

Breaking -- Oh heavens! Somebody may have overpaid for school desks

School Districts Consolidate Only as Last Resort Despite Incentives

Communities Cling to Local Schools Despite State Incentives

The Truth about StudentsFirst and Why It Matters | janresseger

The Truth about StudentsFirst and Why It Matters

Fear and Misunderstanding Grip Many School Districts as Affordable Care Act Goes Into Effect | NEA Today

Fear and Misunderstanding Grip Many School Districts as Affordable Care Act Goes Into Effect

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