LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-9-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

Charter Schools Insist: We Are Private, Not Public

Last spring, the founders of a high-scoring charter school in California were convicted of misappropriating over $200,000 in public monies. According to the charges filed, the couple spent, for example, “more than $34,000 on meals, entertainment and gifts that they classified as business expenses or gestures of appreciation for teachers.” Also, “Some charges centered on the lease for the main camp

9 by dianerav / 56min mark as read  //  save

Jesse Hagopian Rocks Education Nation!

Jesse Hagopian was one of the leaders of the teacher boycott of MAP testing at Garfield High School in Seattle last spring. Watch him knock the socks off a question about testing at Education Nation. Well done, Jesse!

4 by dianerav / 1h 

A Parent Writes New York Commissioner John King

This just arrived as a comment on the blog:   Not only have I opted out my child, but I sent back her scores with the following letter to John King: October 1, 2013 Dr. John King Commissioner of Education 89 Washington Ave. Albany, NY 12234 Dear Dr. King, Enclosed please find my daughter’s recent ELA and Math NYS scores. I am returning them to you because they are invalid. The scores on these test

11 by dianerav / 1h 

de Blasio Frightens NYC Charters

For the past dozen years, charter schools have been the golden children of Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He gives them free space in public schools; he trumpets their superiority; he attends their functions; he constantly reminds the public that charters are far, far better than the public schools that he is directly in charge of. A paradox, is it not? In one night, the Robin Hood Foundation raises $80

1 by dianerav / 10min 

Last Night, at CBE in Brooklyn….

CBE is Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn. I spoke to about 700 people who turned out for a book talk. The moderator was David Denby. David inspired me to write “Reign of Error” because he told me–while interviewing people for an article about me for The New Yorker–that my critics said I had no solutions. I said, “but you just heard me speak. You heard my solutions.” And he said, “write a book,”

1 by dianerav / 12min 

Another Scary (and Wrong) Report about the Skills Gap

President Obama has often said that American workers are the most productive in the world. In his 2011 State of the Union address, he said: “Remember -– for all the hits we’ve taken these last few years, for all the naysayers predicting our decline, America still has the largest, most prosperous economy in the world.  (Applause.)  No workers — no workers are more productive than ours.  No country

by dianerav / 0min 

When Testing Becomes “Cruel and Unusual Punishment”

A principal in New York told me the following story. He is reliable. This is a true story. He wrote to tell me that the state is requiring a student with Down syndrome to take the state’s new Common Core test. It is an “alternative” test but just as “hard” as the regular test. She is almost certain to fail. Only 5% of students with disabilities passed the Common Core tests. Then he told me an ev

1 by dianerav / 9min

iPads in Lewisville, Texas, and LAUSD: How Did LAUSD Go Wrong?

This Los Angeles blogger contrasts the successful implementation of the 1:1 iPad policy in Lewisville, Texas, and the mess in Los Angeles. It seems that the educators in Lewisville thought through what they planned to do, how they planned to use the iPads, what might go wrong. And the educators in Los Angeles just bought them. Consider the differences when you look at the graph.

4 by dianerav / 56min 

Mark Naison Reviews “Reign of Error” LINK added

Mark Naison is the tireless advocate who co-founded the BATs (otherwise known as the Bad Ass Teachers). Wherever I go, I find BATs. He has created a genuine force, an outlet for teachers who want to act and feel helpless. As BATs, they are ready to act and they do. Here he reviews Reign of Error. He says that if reformers were serious about choice, they would open more “portfolio” schools, that is

1 by dianerav / 15min 

Mark Naison Reviews “Reign of Error”

Mark Naison is the tireless advocate who co-founded the BATs (otherwise known as the Bad Ass Teachers). Wherever I go, I find BATs. He has created a genuine force, an outlet for teachers who want to act and feel helpless. As BATs, they are ready to act and they do. Here he reviews Reign of Error. He says that if reformers were serious about choice, they would open more “portfolio” schools, that is

1 by dianerav / 25min mark as read  //  save

Mother: My Son Is Not a Test Score

I received an anguished letter from a mother of a child with autism. She here describes–very movingly–her efforts to help him and the efforts of his teachers to help him. And when she reaches the point where he is assessed by New York’s new Common Core tests, she is in a rage. The New York State Education Department says he is a failure. She knows he is not. She knows how hard he has worked to ach

58 by dianerav / 1h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-8-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Geaux Teacher Reviews “Reign of Error”Lee Barrios in a national board certified teacher in Louisiana who blogs as Geaux Teacher. She writes an open letter to the state legislators, recommending the book as the necessary antidote to the fluff they are certain to hear from Bobby Jindal. She begins; “Dear Louisiana Senators/Representa

by mike simpson / 10h

10-9-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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

Do You Teach An English Class Outside The U.S. & Want To Have Your Students Answer Our Questions About Your Country?

One of the variety of classes I teach every year is a Geography course for Beginning and Intermediate students. As we study different countries and regions, my students are videotaping questions they have and sharing them with English classes in those areas of the world. Students in both of our classes get experience with an authentic audience, and my students generate more geography knowledge. O

3 by Larry Ferlazzo / 15min mark as read  //  save

The Best Resources On Malala Yousafzai

The winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday, and Malal Yousafzai, the youngest nominee ever, is considered by many to be the frontrunner. Here are a number of useful resources on her (you also might be interested in The Best Sites To Learn About The Nobel Peace Prize): You can see a lesson on her for English Language Learners that I posted in The New York Times. Last n

5 by Larry Ferlazzo / 38min 

“What’s Your Best Advice On Doing Project-Based Learning?”

What’s Your Best Advice On Doing Project-Based Learning? is the latest “question of the week” at my Education Week Teacher column. Feel free to leave your responses here or there…..

by Larry Ferlazzo / 3min 

Resources On The Hajj

Millions of Muslims make the annual pilgrimage, called the Hajj, to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar based on the motion of the moon, the time of the Hajj is different time each year in terms of the Gregorian calendar. In 2013, it takes place between October 13-18. You might be interested in The Best Sites To Learn And Teach About The Hajj.

3 by Larry Ferlazzo / 23min mark as read  //  save

Higgs Boson Resources

The scientists who first suggested there was a Higgs Boson, also know as the “God Particle,” were just awarded the Nobel Prize. You might be interested in The Best Resources For Learning About Higgs Boson, The “God Particle.”

7 by Larry Ferlazzo / 31min 

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

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: The Best Resources On The Importance Of Saying “I’m Sorry”I’ve written several posts, and discussed in my books, the importance of saying “I’m sorry” to students. I just discovered another useful related article, and thought readers might find it helpful if I brought all of those posts together. Here are my past posts on th

by mike simpson / 10h 

10-9-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

Say NO to UFT Lame Attempt to Derail Opposition to Eval System and Common Core

UFT PRAISES COMMON CORE; CALLS FOR MORITORIUM ON JUDGING TEACHERS, SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS ON TESTS WHILE SAYING NOTHING ABOUT PUNITIVE DANIELSON OBSERVATIONS ... ICE Blog There is so much to say about this reso brought up at the Ex Bd and supported I believe by both Unity and New Action. This is a clear attempt to undercut MORE's initiative in calling for a moratorium on evaluations through its peti

2 by ed notes online / 20min 

What they spent but won't pay rent - Report from Inside Eva's Belly of the Beast

As a school co-located with a Success Academy school we were shocked at the silence we encountered this morning as the entire SA school was noticeably missing (at rally).  Upon their return we were even more shocked at the tremendous financial expenditure put forth for this rally with new bright yellow t-shirts for all staff members stating their roles ie; Teacher and reference to parent choice i

2 by ed notes online / 5h 

10-8-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Tuesday 9AM: Counter Charter School Rally at City HallDon't Forget the Counter Charter School Rally at City Hall This Tuesday Morning @ 9AM.Various progressive education groups and individuals will be rallying at City Hall near Chambers Street to counter the angry Charter School cabal because Mayoral Candidate Bill DeBlasio vows to have charter schools pay rent for their school sp

by mike simpson / 10h 

10-9-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

Obama Reveals How Much He Despises Unionized Workers

Our pal @BarackObama compares GOP hardliners to striking workers who should be fired. Thanks a lot, Prez. http://t.co/bOU2rZZnvH— Arthur Goldstein (@TeacherArthurG) October 9, 2013And here is how Byron York writes that story up:President Obama again compared Republicans in Congress to workers going on strike, telling reporters Tuesday that GOP lawmakers had no more right to shut down the governmen

by reality-based edu... / 41min 

Utica Observer-Dispatch Covers The Problems Parents And Teachers Have With Common Core

We're starting to see more and more media pieces on Common Core opposition that do not marginalize critics as crazy people.Here's one from the Utica Observer-Dispatch: When Nathan Hanna’s sons in first and third grades come home from school, he gives them a 15 minute break. During that time, the Sauquoit parent looks at their homework, usually in worksheet form, then goes online and looks at the m

by reality-based edu... / 4min mark as read  //  save

The Harm The UFT Moratorium Resolution Does

A comment on this post: The resolution is worse than useless, since it gives the false impression, intended to pacify the membership, that the union leadership is protecting our interests in this matter, rather than co-managing the implementation of the Common Corporate Standards and Danielson checklists along with the so-called reformers. -- Michael FiorilloAs usual, Michael gets it exactly right

by reality-based edu... / 1h 

Cory Booker Still Has A Race On His Hands

This special election was supposed to be a Cory Booker blow-out:A new Quinnipiac poll in New Jersey finds Cory Booker (D) leading Steve Lonegan (R) by 12 points in the U.S. Senate race, 53% to 41%. Said pollster Maurice Carroll: "It's still not the predicted blow-out, but with a week to go, Newark Mayor Cory Booker hangs on to a nice, if not exactly comfortable, double-digit lead." Booke

by reality-based edu... / 14min 

Andrew Cuomo Wants To Disband The Moreland Commission To Hide His Own Corruption

Just as Sheriff Andy Cuomo disbanded the Committee To Save New York PAC rather than have to reveal who his corporate donors were, he is planning to disband his vaunted anti-corruption commission now that it has been revealed that he put the kibbosh on their investigating his own campaign donations:Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Moreland Act Commission is discussing the possibility of disbanding after recomme

by reality-based edu... / 2min 

UFT Leadership Still Doesnt Realize The Problem Is The Common Core

James Eterno writes at ICEUFT blog that the UFT Executive Board passed a resolution on Monday night calling for a moratorium on the high stakes part of the new ADVANCE teacher evaluation system.This moratorium call, btw, would be the same thing Randi Weingarten called for a while back.But the UFT Executive Board did not call for an end to the punitive and abusive Danielson observations, did not po

by reality-based edu... / 1h mark as read  //  save

Rookie Teacher John King Pontificates About Teachers "Who Are Getting Great Outcomes"

More nonsense from rookie teacher/NYSED Commissioner John King:“I think one challenge, when contract negotiations happen for the New York City UFT contract, will be to look at the question of professional development and how much time is set aside, how are costs covered, and those kinds of questions,” King said at the time.King reiterated that stance today. But asked after the panel what else he’d

by reality-based edu..

10-8-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Andrew Cuomo Accused Of Corruption Cover-UpSheriff Andy is pointing fingers at all the crooks in Albany - but the crooks are pointing out he's a crook too:ALBANY — When Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo created the Commission to Investigate Public Corruption in early July, he promised a muscular response to bad behavior by legislators that included allegations of bribe taking, favor trad

by mike simpson / 10h 

Admissions Data: the key, missing data to exposing charters:

Admissions Data: the key, missing data to exposing charters

Finally, finally, finally…

The front door clear advantage awarded to charter schools by the Deformists in charge is city wide admissions. [The ejector seat advantage allows them to “counsel” ahem force out low performers.]  Charter schools can selectively admit from a disadvantaged demographic - not freely admit and act as a dictionary-definition neighborhood school.  They aren’t like a magnet school quite yet.  I like the term “privilege school” like “your attendance here isn’t a right it is a privilege.”

Here is an Alderman in Chicago who used a political moment - where UNO needed his support to obtain a zoning change - to extract a commitment that UNO would act more like a neighborhood school and less like a privilege school.  Now let’s see how it plays out.  I suspect The Friends of Juan (Rangel) was the determining admissions factor…not neighborhood address.  Joravsky won’t let this story go I’m sure.

Well, the last year hasn’t been so glorious for UNO. In February, Sun-Times reporter Dan Mihalopoulos began breaking stories showing that 

Privatization Proliferates: Vouchers, Charters, and Portfolio School Reform | janresseger

Privatization Proliferates: Vouchers, Charters, and Portfolio School Reform | janresseger:

Privatization Proliferates: Vouchers, Charters, and Portfolio School Reform

Posted on October 9, 2013 by janresseger

If you live in a small city, a rural area, or even a suburb you may not be watching the privatization of K-12 education in your own community.  But privatization is proliferating; just let us count the ways.  Two articles in the press this week and one new academic report will help.

Privatization is happening mainly in the poorest neighborhoods of our cities, places where test scores reflect the poverty of the children enrolled and where, as a condition for awarding Title I Race to the Top and School Improvement Grants, the federal government is pressing school districts and states to close public schools and open charter schools.  Privatization is also being driven by conservative politicians and political donors who allege that charter and voucher schools will serve children better and cost less.

Writing for PoliticoPro, reporter Stephanie Simon demonstrates that, Vouchers Don’t Do Much for Students. Vouchers and voucher-like tuition tax credit programs are now paying for 245,000 students in 16 states and the District of Columbia to attend private schools at public expense.  “Taxpayers across the U.S. will soon be spending $1 billion a year to help families pay private school tuition—and there’s little evidence that the investment yields academic gains.”  Tracking the oldest voucher programs in Wisconsin and Ohio, Simon demonstrates that students perform no better than their public school counterparts, and in Wisconsin, two-thirds of voucher students never attended the public schools but are receiving public vouchers to cover tuition at parochial or private schools. Simon quotes Wisconsin state legislator Sandy Pope: “The taxpayers are paying for a second, competing school system that doesn’t do as well as the one we already have.”  Simon also notes the many voucher schools across the U.S. that 

CHARTER SCHOOLS: A PRIVATIZING WEDGE Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública

Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública:

CHARTER SCHOOLS: 
A PRIVATIZING WEDGE

The Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Publica's Stance on Charter Schools

The United States of (Non)Reading: The End of Civilization or a New Era? | toteachornototeach

The United States of (Non)Reading: The End of Civilization or a New Era? | toteachornototeach:

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The United States of (Non)Reading:
The End of Civilization or a New Era?

by Susan D. Blum

Just the other day one of my undergraduate assistants reported a friend’s boast that he had not read anything for school since fifth grade. A student at an excellent university, successful, “clever,” “smart,” he can write papers, take exams, participate in class or online discussions. Why would he have to read?

Students sometimes don’t buy the class books. Professors are shocked.

Several years ago a student told me that she regarded all assigned reading as “recommended,” even if the professors labeled it “required.” Were professors so dumb that they didn’t know that?

The idea of assigned reading, as the core activity of college students, is old. Students don’t see it as central; faculty do.

And though I used to, and sometimes still do, spend a lot of energy lamenting this, by taking a broader view of the nature of reading and writing, I have come to understand it and even to some extent accept it.

Student avoidance of reading is not an entirely new problem. When I was in graduate 

Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: Interested in #BYOD? Become a #ConnectedEducator! #CE13

Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: Interested in #BYOD? Become a #ConnectedEducator! #CE13:

Interested in #BYOD? Become a #ConnectedEducator! #CE13

This article originally appeared at Partners in Learning - 1:1 Hot Topics.

So, you’re interested in supporting bring your own device (BYOD) where you work Congratulations! You are not alone, but you will need support. There is no better way to support your students for real-world learning than providing settings they encounter in the real world. One of the best ways to get started and keep going is by developing your professional learning network of others who are also involved in this work.  

Here are some resources to do just that.  

Learning Community
Join a vibrant connected educators learning community for those interested in discovering what it means when we empower students to BYOD that meets all year long in a variety of platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Google). Those interested, can even earn 18 contact hours. Find out more at: http://connectededucators.org/cem2013/bring-your-own-device-byod-connected-educators-learning-community/

Twitter

• Chat
  #BYOTchat
  Online Twitter chat every Thursday from 9:00-10:00 PM (EST)
• Popular hashtags
  #BYOD #BYOT #BYOTchat
• People BYODList
  A list of educators who discuss BYOD / BYOT

Facebook

• BYOD / BYOT K-12 Page A place to celebrate your BYOD / BYOT success with the public.

LinkedIn

• K-12 BYOD A forum for EDU professionals to share their experience with safely and easily on-boarding student and