10-9-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

Tens of Thousands March in Support of Brazilian Teachers

Well-supported: People pack the Cinelandia square during the march in Rio de JaneiroBrazil faces a challenging security situation as it gears up to host the World Cup in eight months’ time.In June thousands of demonstrators, angered by the billions spent in preparations for the event, clashed with riot police near the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte.'We don't need the World Cup,' said Leonardo

by Jim Horn / 7min 

Invest in libraries, not more tests

Sent to the Houston Chronicle, October 9Lisa Falkenberg ("Cutting libraries shows warped priorities," October 9) is right: Spending money on increased testing while cutting libraries and librarians is like investing in precise scales to weigh the animal, but neglecting to feed it.  Decades of research show that the most important factor in developing literacy is self-selected reading, or

by skrashen / 37min 

Corporate Christian Missionaries of Memphis and Many Shining Charters on the Hill

Education historian, Carl Kaestle, developed the thesis that the American ideology developed in the 19th Century from an overlapping and mutually supportive combination of three elements: protestantism, capitalism, and republicanism.  They are so closely linked, Kaestle argued, that a challenge to one often brings defensive reactions from the believers of the others, so that a skeptic of reading t

by Jim Horn / 1min 

Confessions of a "Bad Teacher" Confronting Treachery During an Age of "Reform"

I read Rafe Esquith’s Real Talk for Real Teachers and James Owens’ Confessions of a Bad Teacher during the same week. Esquith described many types of educational malpractice being imposed in the name of “best practices” that I have seen. In fact, he recounts disgusting incidents that are worse than anything I have witnessed. On the other hand, Esquith describes the joys of teaching. He makes it cl

2 by John Thompson / 11min 

10-8-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: ASD and RSD Built on Empirical House of Cards and Mountains of Tax-Sheltered CashThe NEPC has a completed a review of the "documentation" used by corporatists in New Orleans and Tennessee to justify the takeover and colonization of NOLA and Memphis schools.  To say the evidence is slim for such anti-democratic privatization schemes is an understatement.  Here is the link

by mike simpson / 6h 

Big promises with iPads, but where's the research? | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC

Big promises with iPads, but where's the research? | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC:

Big promises with iPads, but where's the research?

Annie Gilbertson | October 9th, 2013, 6:00am

SLIDESHOW

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Grant Slater/KPCC

Second graders Mark G. and Brandon C. play educational games on iPads at a charter school in Huntington Park.

Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy has trumpeted his $1 billion iPad project as transformational. Like many reformers, data is a pillar of the Deasy Administration.

But when asked for evidence that points toward a transformation, Deasy said in an interview that it's all too new. Instead, he listed imperatives.  

“If it's good enough for the wealthiest kids, it’s good enough for every kid” said Deasy, who often compares the project to a “civil rights” issue. “They deserve exactly the same. I’m sick and tired of us being concerned that because of the zip code you live in you could possibly have something less.”

RELATED: Tell us what you think about technology in the classroom

Some parents, teachers and researchers are questioning the district's rush toward equipping every child in every school with the pricey tablets. They said the research doesn't back the hype.

“When films came in the 1920s, Thomas Edison predicted there would be no more textbooks at all,” said Larry Cuban, Professor Emeritus at Stanford 

Notes on the Seniority Smokescreen | School Finance 101

Notes on the Seniority Smokescreen | School Finance 101:

Notes on the Seniority Smokescreen

Posted on October 9, 2013

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Seniority, in the modern reformy lexicon, is among the dirtiest words. Senior teachers are not only ineffective and greedy and never put interest of the children over their own, but they are in fact downright evil, a persistent drain on state and local economies and a threat to our national security! By contrast, “effectiveness” is good and since seniority and effectiveness are presumed entirely unassociated, the simple solution is to replace any reference to seniority in current education policies with measures of “effectiveness.”

If only it was so simple. This modern reformy mantra grossly misinterprets the relationship between seniority and effectiveness, presumes currently available measures of effectiveness to be more useful than they really are at sorting “good” from “bad” teachers, ignores that the proposed solutions have in many cases been found NOT to solve the supposed problem, and is oblivious to the broader literature on teacher labor markets, compensation and the quality of the teaching workforce.

Seniority and Effectiveness

Numerous studies over time have shown that as teachers reach somewhere around their 5^th year, student achievement gains under those teachers begin to grow more slowly and to an extent level off.[1]  These findings, to the extent we believe that these metrics of test score gain adequately represent teaching effectiveness, do not by any stretch of the imagination mean that more 

10-9-13 Wait What?

Wait What?:

The State Department of Education’s NetStat to the rescue!

When in doubt, purchase a new data management system, give it a name that has nothing to do with education, hire more consultants and then hold as many meetings and “training sessions” as possible. All paid for, or course, by the generous taxpayers of Connecticut (while school districts across the state go without adequate funding). […]The post The State Department of Education’s NetStat to the re

3 by jonpelto / 2min 

 

10-8-13 Wait What?

Wait What?: Did Connecticut’s Director for School Turnaround illegally teach in the State of Connecticut?The question has been asked before, but it is worth re-stating… Did Connecticut’s Director for School Turnaround illegally teach in the State of Connecticut? Governor Malloy and his Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor, have repeatedly claimed that Connecticut must improve the quality of its

by mike simpson / 3h 

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