LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-7-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

“We Are Building a Plane in Mid-Air”

I have heard this expression hundreds of times. Sometimes at staff development, they show cartoon figures building a plane in mid-air. Note that the engineers are wearing parachutes. Note that the passengers–students and teachers–have no parachutes. Bear in mind that the idea of building a plane as it is in mid-air is insane. The next time you hear this expression, do one of these things: Get

by dianerav / 3min 

A Comment from Western New York: Yes, the Tide Is Turning

Protests are gathering steam against high-stakes testing. Parents, students, and educators are organizing to fight the data-driven mechanistic view of schooling that is ruining education. Politicians follow, they don’t lead. Most have no idea of the damage done by NCLB and Race to the Top. They think that “reform” is positive. They don’t know that the language has been distorted to hide the barrag

3 by dianerav / 32min mark as read  //  save

Exiting Teacher on Why Professionalism Matters

A comment on the blog: I have been recently forced out of Education after 30 years – perhaps there’s a truth that I am tired, a bit worn out and old school – I cared as much about the child as their progress. But I still have a child in the midst of it (although not in the US) and am appalled at what is happening. Good teaching is paramount and that means good training and an understanding of ed

by dianerav / 41min 

George Schmidt Reviews “Reign of Error”

George Schmidt is a veteran Chicago teacher and writer. I recall that when my 2010 book came out, wherein I renounced my long-held views on testing, accountability, and choice, Schmidt was unimpressed. He gave me a tongue-lashing for being a latecomer to the issues he knew so well. To put it mildly, he was angry at me and suspicious of my sincerity. In his review of “Reign of Error,” he accepts th

by dianerav / 23min 

My Speaking Schedule for the Next Few Weeks

Here are the events that I have scheduled to talk about Reign of Error, the misguided policies that afflict education today, and what we should be doing instead of the status quo of the past generation. Tuesday, October 8: BROOKLYN, NY 7:30 pm Brooklyn By the Book, Congregation Beth Elohim and Community Bookstore 274 Garfield Place, Brooklyn, NY 11215. (Diane will be in conversation with David Den

1 by dianerav / 16min mark as read  //  save

Reader: Governor Corbett Should Be Prosecuted

This letter comes in response to a post by TeacherBiz, aka Ani McHugh. Dr. Ravitch, I worked for 29 years for NJEA and six for PSEA. I worked with local teacher associations in some of the poorest cities in both those states (NJ and PA), including Chester-Upland. What is happening in CU is nothing short of a criminal assault on the poorest of the poor, led by politicians who have allowed the sta

by dianerav / 31min 

Common Core Tests in NY Spur Opt Out Movement

The most amazing thing is happening. The Common Core tests were made so “rigorous” that most students were expected to fail, and they did. Less than a third across the state “passed” the tests because the passing mark was set very high and the content of the test was so challenging that many students couldn’t finish the test. But parents didn’t get angry at their children’s school or their childre

9 by dianerav / 28min mark as read  //  save

Joanne Barkan: How Big Philanthropy Undermines Democracy

Joanne Barkan has an excellent essay in Dissent magazine that explains how foundations founded by plutocrats use their wealth and political power to damage democracy. She uses the example of public education to demonstrate how a small number of large foundations have captured control of public policy, taking it out of the hands of voters and parents to impose their will and get what they want. S

8 by dianerav / 1h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-6-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: And Now, About My CriticsI have been more than thrilled by the response to my new book. Today it is #10 on the New York Times best seller list, next week it will be #15. My guess is that as more educators and parents read it, they will recommend it to others. I hope they will form study groups to discuss the issues it raises. My ho

by mike simpson / 8h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 10-5-13 #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2

Diane Ravitch's blogLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONGDIANE RAVITCH'S BLOGTODAYIs Free Speech Dead in Oklahoma?I just learned that Rob Miller, principal of the Jenks Middle School in Oklahoma, is under investigation for possibly encouraging parents to opt out of a field test. According to the Tulsa World: Jenks Public Schools participated in and encouraged a movement to opt students out of fiel

1 by mike simpson / 9h 

10-7-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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

Special Edition Of “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t” — October

(Usually, I just post a weekly version of this regular feature. However, sometimes I post an extra “Special Edition” when I have more good links than usual) I have a huge backlog of resources that I’ve been planning to post about in this blog but, just because of time constraints, have not gotten around to doing. Instead of letting that backlog grow bigger, I regularly grab a few and list them he

2 by Larry Ferlazzo / 1min 

Create “Playlists” Of Educational Videos, Websites & Google Docs With HippoCampus

I’ve previously posted about HippoCampus a number of times, and it’s on several “The Best…” lists. It has pretty extensive video collections in a number of subjects, and I’ve often used their U.S. History resources. I’ve just learned from Beth Pickett, a HippoCampus staff member, that it now lets teachers easily create “playlists.” Here’s what she wrote me: OER website HippoCampus.org also allows

3 by Larry Ferlazzo / 19min 

Delicious Unveils New Redesign

I continue to be a fan and regular user of Delicious as a place to save and organize links (though I actually bookmark sites with Diigo, who then a automatically forwards them to Delicious — it’s always good to have a back-up). Delicious has just unveiled a new redesign. You can read about it at TechCrunch and watch a video here (though I’m not sure if it will show up in an RSS Reader):

9 by Larry Ferlazzo / 7h 

Learn About Punctuation Through Soccer

Learn about punctuation through soccer in my latest New York Times post for English Language Learners. It includes a student interactive and teaching ideas. You can see all my New York Times posts for ELLs here.

3 by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h

10-6-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: This Week’s “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t” – OctoberI have a huge backlog of resources that I’ve been planning to post about in this blog but, just because of time constraints, have not gotten around to doing. Instead of letting that backlog grow bigger, I regularly grab a few and list them here with a minim

by mike simpson / 7h 

10-7-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

Mark Zuckerberg: Bill Gates Was My Hero

Down at the end of the NY Times suck up piece to Bill Gates today is this:“When I was growing up, Bill Gates was my hero,” Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, said in a speech at a conference last month. He added: “I think he’s one of the greatest visionaries that our industry has ever had."No wonder Zuckerberg grew up to be a sociopath.

by reality-based edu... / 41min 

Joel Klein On Student Success

He's so full of it.The so-called personalized learning he's talking about is created by algorithms on his Asus/Amplify tablets.Nothing personalized about that.Even if the tablets worked, rather than melted, which apparently they don't, since the first district that bought them has had serious issues with them.Do you know what we need for student success?This kind of school system.That's something

by reality-based edu... / 30min 

Can You Imagine A School Chancellor Who Promoted This Kind Of School System?

An article by Kathleen Cashin and Bruce Cooper for a new style of education reform (reposted in full because it's now behind a paywall):Remaking Schools as Socioemotional PlacesBy Kathleen M. Cashin and Bruce S. Cooper Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org.What do children do in school when they are treated like objects to be shaped, controlled, and rewarded—or punished—for what they said

by reality-based edu... / 2min 

Common Core Is Making Kids Hate School And Learning

This came up more than once at today's school meetings - kids are really starting to hate school and there has been a lot more acting out this year than in previous years.Both math and ELA teachers who are teaching the new Common Core curriculum materials say students hate the new lessons and have grown disengaged with the learning process already (and it's only October!)Guidance counselors are sa

by reality-based edu... / 28min 

Taking Cuomo On Over His Education "Death Penalty" Policies

Fred Dicker reported in the NY Post that Andrew Cuomo is looking to avoid "a head-on clash with de Blasio and the “progressive,’’ or left-of-center, wing of the Democratic Party that de Blasio represents."Dicker says it's because Cuomo knows such a contingent would be crucial to his chances in 2016 if he runs for president.As Cuomo revs up his "death penalty" for schools polici

by reality-based edu... / 15min 

Mayor Bloomberg Spends $1 Million In Cash For Cory Booker's Floundering Senate Campaign

Wall Street shill Cory Booker, ostensibly a "rock star politician" who is supposed to be entering the national stage as one of the great future hopes of the Democratic Party, needs Mike Bloomberg's money to dispense with a Tea Party opponent who should be 50 points down but is suddenly within 12.The Times reports Bloomberg is putting $1 million of his own money in on Booker's side, runni

by reality-based edu... / 29min 

Fred Dicker: Cuomo Won't Give De Blasio Tax Hike, But Will Find Pre-K Money For City

Interesting piece in today's Dicker column:Gov. Cuomo, fearing a clash with a Mayor Bill de Blasio over the poll-leading Democrat’s tax-the-rich plan to fund a universal pre-K program, has directed his staff to explore “alternative options’’ to let the city raise the money without an income-tax hike, The Post has learned. “The last thing the governor wants is a clash with a Mayor de Blasio,’’ a Cu

by reality-based edu... / 3min 

Daily News Shills Play Fast And Loose With Facts On Charter Schools

The neo-liberals at the Daily News have an editorial today supporting Eva Moskowitz's walk across the bridge protest for charter schools.As usual with the DN, they play fast and loose with the facts:The innovative approaches, longer school days and longer school years they offer — almost always carried out by teachers working outside the union contract — are undeniable. Just one example: On the to

by reality-based edu... / 42min mark as read  //  save

Washing Away The Reformers

Here's a comment I left on a Capital NY article about the Common Core test scores:The processes to determine proficiency are political decisions made by humans in the NYSED and at the Board of Regents.  NYSED Commissioner King and Regents Chancellor Tisch would have people believe these so-called proficiency rates were given down from the mount and are objective, scientific measures of what studen

by reality-based edu... / 3h 

10-6-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Science Teacher Complains Common Core Turns Him Into Literacy Teacher, But He Still Supports The CCSSA common complain with the Common Core - no matter what subject a teacher teaches, he/she must become an ELA teacher and teach informational texts:At the beginning of the school year, I start off my class with a quote. In my best orator voice, I exclaim, “We need to teach our

by mike simpson / 9h 

What to Do if Your Teen Is a Bully - High School Notes (usnews.com)

What to Do if Your Teen Is a Bully - High School Notes (usnews.com):

What to Do if Your Teen Is a Bully

By KELSEY SHEEHY

October 7, 2013 RSS Feed Print

Teens who bully may be victims of bullying themselves, so parents should first try to get to the root of the problem.

No parent wants to be called into the principal's office.

The meetings rarely bear good news and instead alert parents to a problem with their teen.

"Your son is failing math." "Your daughter is skipping school." Neither is pleasant to hear, but in most cases, parents know how to proceed.

But one disciplinary problem can be particularly hard for parents to process: bullying.

This is especially true when their child isn't the victim, but the culprit, says Julie Hertzog, director of Pacer's National Bullying Prevention Center, which founded National Bullying Prevention Month, held annually each October.

"Their gut reaction is, 'My child wouldn't do that,'" says Hertzog. "That's a common reaction for parents, and it's a very natural reaction to have."

[Find out how parents may teach teens to bully.]

Nearly 40 percent of middle school administrators and 20 percent at the 

School Safety For America's Youngest Students Means More Officers, More Guns:

School Safety For America's Youngest Students Means More Officers, More Guns

Posted: 10/07/2013 7:30 am EDT  |  Updated: 10/07/2013 8:04 am EDT

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The same week protests erupted around the nation over the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, 800 school police officers attended a training conference on school violence in a nearby central Florida hotel.

The conference, organized by the Alabama-based National Association of School Resource Officers, gave these school officers lessons on safety, advocacy and warning signs in troubled teens. Attendees chose from a wide array of sessions and events, ranging from a gun safety presentation organized by the National Rifle Association to simulated laser-gun training. Defense vendors were there, too, hawking everything from non-lethal munitions to tourniquets to radio transmitters.

How do we keep our children safe from violence? It's a question the country has been asking itself over and over again in the past year, which has witnessed the horror at Sandy Hook Elementary and the fierce debates over Martin's death. For schools that educate even the youngest Americans, the answer, increasingly, is to arm up.

Vendors hawk training munitions to school resource officers.

Traditionally, school districts have paid for guards in middle and high schools. Because, as at Columbine in Colorado and Red Lake, an Indian 

Is Student Privacy Hopeless? | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

Is Student Privacy Hopeless? | Crazy Crawfish's Blog:

Is Student Privacy Hopeless?

Posted on October 6, 2013

0

(This will be a long one, and has some ranting folks, so buckle up.)

Is student privacy hopeless?

Sadly, this may be little more than a rhetorical question after the last week of horrible setbacks on the student privacy front. I’ve been gathering information and leads for months now, researching some, and holding onto others. I was hoping some of these issues would become non-issues if EPIC, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, was successful in their lawsuit against the US Department of Education’s change to FERPA that allows vendors to use student data and resell it as they see fit, for any reason and without parents or students having any rights or say in the matter. Unfortunately the lawsuit was thrown out because the courts did not believe EPIC had the standing to bring the suit.

But Judge Amy Berman Jackson of U.S. District Court in Washington issued summary judgment for the Education Department, ruling that the plaintiffs have not suffered any real legal injuries stemming from the regulations and thus they lack legal standing to bring their suit.

In order for someone to have “standing”, they must first be victimized. When that happens it won’t be one child affected. The data being transmitted and bartered belongs to every child on any DOE 

California GOP Denounces Common Core | Truth in American Education

California GOP Denounces Common Core | Truth in American Education:

California GOP Denounces Common Core

Filed in Common Core State Standards, Education at State Level by Shane Vander Hart on October 7, 2013• 0 Comments

This weekend at the California Republican Party State Convention delegates overwhelmingly pass a resolution opposing the Common Core State Standards, language below:

Resolution ( F2013-2) to Oppose and Eliminate Common Core Education Policies in California

Whereas the federally-promoted Common Core national curriculum-content standards in math and English (and now the related Next Generation national standards in science) water down what has been expected academically of California’s K-12 students;

Whereas the Common Core tests will collect extensive data on students, and the Obama administration has turned upside down federal regulations that previously protected student privacy;

Whereas Common Core is accompanied by federally-funded tests, and the Obama administration’s promotion of national standards and national tests violate federal statutes that protect us against a national K-12 curriculum;

Whereas Common Core and Next Generation are national efforts at one-size-fits-all uniformity and, as such, go against our system of competitive federalism under our American