11-27-13 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE:

Education Reform as Collaboration, Not Competition

Education Reform as Collaboration, Not Competition. via Education Reform as Collaboration, Not Competition.

by plthomasedd / 2h 

11-26-13 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: Misreading “Grit”: On Treating Children Better than Salmon or Sea TurtlesMisreading \”Grit\”: On Treating Children Better than Salmon or Sea Turtles. via Misreading “Grit”: On Treating Children Better than Salmon or Sea Turtles.by plthomasedd / 58min 11-25-13 @ The Chalk Face@ THE CHALK FACE: Book Review: John Owens’ Confessions of a Bad TeacherI teach. I blog. I speak publicly.

by mike simpson / 7h 

11-27-13 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University)

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University):

RECOMMENDED: Writing Instruction that Works, Applebee and Langer

RECOMMENDED: Writing Instruction that Works, Applebee and Langer.

by plthomasedd / 0min 

On Broken Door Handles and Butter Knives | Christopher Lehman

On Broken Door Handles and Butter Knives | Christopher Lehman

by P. L. Thomas / 2min 

Education Reform as Collaboration, Not Competition

At This Week in Poverty, Greg Kaufmann offers Anti-Poverty Leaders Discuss the Need for a Shared Agenda. Taking a similar pose, Diane Ravitch offers her reasoned “dissent” to my post, Secretary Duncan and the Politics of White Outrage, explaining at the end: My advice to Paul Thomas, whose sense of outrage I share, is to embrace coalition politics. When the white moms and dads realize they are in

by plthomasedd / 2h 

Education Reform as Collaboration, Not Competition | the becoming radical

Education Reform as Collaboration, Not Competition | the becoming radical

by P. L. Thomas / 2h hide  //  save

empathyeducates – Orwellian Educational Change Under Obama

empathyeducates – Orwellian Educational Change Under Obama

by P. L. Thomas / 3h 

empathyeducates – Misreading “Grit”: On Treating Children Better than Salmon or Sea Turtles

empathyeducates – Misreading “Grit”: On Treating Children Better than Salmon or Sea Turtles

by P. L. Thomas / 3h 

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): Misreading “Grit”: On Treating Children Better than Salmon or Sea TurtlesRob McEntarffer (@rmcenta) Tweeted a question to me about my blog post, The Poverty Trap: Slack, Not Grit, Creates Achievement, asking: “can Grit research (Duckworth, etc) be used as a humanizing/em

by mike simpson / 8h 

11-27-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

Came Home To This

We live down the street, got some smoke into the building, but nothing like people who live on Grove Street, especially those in adjoining buildings.One fireman told me when the fire got out of control they were having a difficult time battling the smoke, so they pulled back from the buildings and went with a "Surround and Drown" strategy.It's a mess - they're still pouring water on it n

by reality-based edu... / 18min 

Parents' Message To De Blasio

An extraordinary video from ParentVoices NY:

by reality-based edu... / 40min 

63% In NY State Back De Blasio To Raise Tax On Wealthy For Pre-K

David Dinkins called fora return to the regressive commuters tax to fund universal pre-K in NYC, saying the measure will not be popular in Albany, but state voters overwhelmingly back de Blasio's plan:Meanwhile, 62 percent of New York state voters back New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio’s plan to raise income taxes on the city’s wealthy in order to fund universal pre-kindergarten. The plan,

by reality-based edu... / 53min 

NYSED Commissioner King Shouted Down At Common Core Meeting In Suffolk

Okay, you know the drill on this already.Hundreds of parents, teachers and administrators criticize the Common Core, the Common Core implementation, the Common Core tests, the teacher evaluation system tied to those tests, and the inBloom data project at the latest Common Core forum with NYSED Commissioner John King.King says he's listening but vows there will be no major changes to the state's ed

by reality-based edu... / 3h 

Chicago Tribune: Illinois Gubernatorial Candidate Full Of Crap

Once in a while, a political figure gets called on his bull@#$% (via Political Wire):Illinois gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner (R) has a new TV ad "showing off his modest watch, a symbol of his down-to-earth frugality," the Chicago Tribune reports. Says his official bio: "Bruce has never let his success change him. He still drives a 20-year-old camper van, wears an $18 watch, an

by reality-based edu... / 6h 

11-26-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Cuomo's Job Performance RatingsAfter a Siena poll showed Andrew Cuomo with a 44%-56% job performance rating last week, a new Quinnipiac poll released today shows a different story:New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who saw his job approval rating drop in Quinnipiac University polls in the first six months of the year, opens his reelection bid with a 62 - 25 percent approval r

by mike simpson / 8h

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Week in Class: Week Twelve 2013 – What’s the Question?

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Week in Class: Week Twelve 2013 – What’s the Question?:

Week in Class: Week Twelve 2013 – What’s the Question?

 

My previous post looked at a badly done task via Common Core. To cleanse my palate and focus on the positive, I’d like to share some of the questions that I’ve heard and asked, in my classroom as part of formative assessment.

I’m going to focus in on a unit the class is doing on Esperanza Rising and human rights. We’re now at the point in the story where Esperanza has lost her father, her family home in Aquacalientes, Mexico, and has fled with her mother to the United States (with a false birth certificate — their originals had burned in the fire) to work in the fields of the Central Valley as the Depression descends. Students have also been exposed to the plain text version of the UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child. Here are two questions, how they came about, and the types of responses I got.

Does Esperanza have a country? A lot of our analysis has focused on how Esperazna’s life has changed since before and after her father was killed. I cannot recall exactly how this question came about but we were looking at rights and privileges she had lost (and understanding the difference between the two being something you should have vs. 

Slow to judge teachers in part by student test scores, Oregon remains at 'high risk' for No Child Left Behind sanctions, feds say | OregonLive.com

Slow to judge teachers in part by student test scores, Oregon remains at 'high risk' for No Child Left Behind sanctions, feds say | OregonLive.com:

Slow to judge teachers in part by student test scores, Oregon remains at 'high risk' for No Child Left Behind sanctions, feds say

The U.S. Department of Education will not reverse its decision that Oregon is a "high risk" of failing to use student test scores to help evaluate teachers, a step it promised to take to get out from the most onerous provisions of No Child Left Behind.

Assistant U.S. Secretary of Education Deborah Delisle wrote to Oregon schools chief Rob Saxton Monday that, despite his assertion that Oregon has done a lot of work on teacher evaluations since he assumed his post in summer 2012, Oregon still hasn't done what it promised.

Oregon's sluggishness to begin judging teachers and principals in part by student achievement gains puts it behind most states and high on the federal radar, the federal department reported.

"In your request for reconsideration, you discuss the work that your staff has already completed and the work it will continue to do in order to satisfy this condition prior to the end of the 2013-14 school year," Delisle wrote. "I acknowledge that the (Oregon Department of Education) has made significant strides" but the Obama administration "stands by its determination to place (Oregon) on high-risk status."

The state must therefore continue to submit to monthly scrutiny from the feds, she wrote, and get the work done by May 1 -- or else No Child Left Behind rules will kick back in.

Those rules require Oregon to give a "needs improvement" label to all 600 schools that 

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress:

Bill Introduced: H.R. 3583: Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act

To expand the number of scholarships available to Pakistani women under the Merit and Needs-Based Scholarship Program.

6h hide  //  save

Bill Introduced: H.R. 3477: Veterans Legal Support Act of 2013

To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide support to university law school programs that are designed to provide legal assistance to veterans, and for other purposes.

6h 

Bill Introduced: S. 1697: Strong Start for America's Children Act

A bill to support early learning.

6h 

Bill Introduced: H.R. 3476: Middle Class College Tuition Tax Credit Expansion Act

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend and modify the American Opportunity Tax Credit, and for other purposes.

7h 

 

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress: Bill Introduced: S. 1704: Affordable College Textbook ActA bill to expand the use of open textbooks in order to achieve savings for students.4h skip  //  saveBill Introduced: H.R. 3538: Affordable College Textbook ActTo expand the use of open textbooks in order to achieve savings for students.7h Bill Introduced: H.R. 3461: Strong Start for America's Childr

by mike simpson / 8h 

NYC Educator: I Don't Know Anything About Medicine, but I Know What I Like

NYC Educator: I Don't Know Anything About Medicine, but I Know What I Like:

I Don't Know Anything About Medicine, but I Know What I Like

I'm watching the news crawl on CBS TV. Apparently some religious groups are going to the Supreme Court complaining their religious beliefs are offended by the notion of providing contraception care. I'm really curious why anyone with such reservations would be in such a business to begin with.

I know there are groups that reject much of western medicine altogether. You occasionally read of parents who fail to take their children to hospitals, preferring to rely on the power of prayer. And sadly, you occasionally read of children dying as a result.

Of course, that's the pessimist in me talking. The optimist says look at the business model. If it's OK for Americans to score millions with cyber-charter schools that work for absolutely no one, why shouldn't people who don't believe in western medicine get into the health care field? We'll take their premiums. When people get sick, we could pray for them. They could pray for themselves.

After all, we have an education system that's pretty much faith-based. There's no evidence rating teachers by VAM has any validity. I don't doubt plenty of teachers are praying it does. We have a Common Core set of 

Computer expert details bogus charter school documents - Philly.com

Computer expert details bogus charter school documents - Philly.com:

Computer expert details bogus charter school documents

By Martha Woodall, Inquirer Staff Writer

POSTED: November 26, 2013

The former business manager of Dorothy June Brown's charter school network admitted in federal court Monday that he was lying to federal investigators when he told them the school boards had approved emergency loans to each other.

In fact, Anthony Smoot said, he lied over the course of seven interviews with federal agents.

But Smoot said he was telling the truth on the stand - he had to, he said, under his plea agreement with prosecutors. He has already pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in the $6.7 million charter fraud case and prosecutors have told him he could be charged with lying to federal agents if he does not say what really happened.

Brown is accused of defrauding the four charter schools she founded and then conspiring with two former administrators to obstruct justice by initiating a cover-up. The trial is to resume Tuesday.

During cross-examination by Gregory P. Miller, one of Brown's defense attorneys, Smoot also acknowledged that he had asked his sister, Myra Corbin, who worked for Brown, to sign some blank checks.

"I was instructed to have the checks signed by Dr. Brown," Smoot said.

Miller asked Smoot why he had not just quit rather than involve his sister.

"I don't know why. I don't know why," Smoot said on his second day on the stand. "I just didn't."

Also during the ninth day of a trial that has featured testimony of doctored charter board meeting minutes, fake resolutions, and 

Hey, kid! How do I get (and keep) your attention? | HechingerEd Blog

Hey, kid! How do I get (and keep) your attention? | HechingerEd Blog:

Hey, kid! How do I get (and keep) your attention?

Much can be said about the lack of access to enrichment opportunities for youth growing up in urban, high-poverty neighborhoods. But what about all those after-school programs that few kids bother to attend, or that never get off the ground to begin with?

Lesson No. 1: Don’t call an arts program an arts program. For tweens, the word arts triggers associations with museums (boring) and arts and crafts projects (for little kids, the identity they’re trying to shed).

Anyone who knows a tween––of any economic bracket––knows how hard it is to keep his or her attention during those vulnerable, pivotal years between ages 10 and 13 when, suddenly, parents aren’t the only ones deciding what to do outside school anymore. Tweens can choose to spend their time in a myriad of ways, whether hanging out, texting, playing video games, shooting hoops or (psst, don’t tell anyone) doing homework. They care about nothing more than fitting in.

Our friends at the Wallace Foundation, seeking to engage low-income young people in the arts as a way of narrowing life opportunity gaps, commissioned a strategic marketing group to find out: What makes a program desirable to kids?

Evidently, they aren’t the only ones interested in the answers. More than 500 people from California to Minnesota to New York tuned in to a webinar Thursday on the resulting study, “Something to Say: Success Principles for Afterschool Arts Programs from Urban Youth and Other Experts.”

On the call were the report’s two authors, Denise Montgomery and Peter Rogovin, who normally 

UPDATE: K-12 Inc., Largest Education Management Organization, Pays CEO $19 Million from Our Taxes | janresseger

K-12 Inc., Largest Education Management Organization, Pays CEO $19 Million from Our Taxes | janresseger:



A Powerful Reflection on Inequality for ThisThanksgiving

The Rev. John Thomas, former General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ, is now a teacher and administrator at Chicago Theological Seminary. His blog post for this Thanksgiving lifts up the research on widening inequality in America and the inequality he observes in Chicago. Thomas explores the implications of growing inequality not only for those trapped in poverty but also for

by janresseger / 1h 

K-12 Inc., Largest Education Management Organization, Pays CEO $19 Million from Our Taxes

Posted on November 27, 2013 by janresseger

This week the National Education Policy Center (NEPC) at the University of Colorado published the fourteenth edition of its report, Profiles of For-Profit and Nonprofit Education Management Organizations.  According to NEPC’s press release, “The real growth in the for-profit sector is with companies that operate virtual schools.  The growth of virtual schools, which is fueled by millions in advertising dollars is astounding because of the sketchy academic results reported by the schools that operate online.”  According to NEPC, K-12 Inc, the largest for-profit Education Management Organization, now enrolls 87,091 students in the 57 virtual schools it operates across the states.

It is therefore appropriate that the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) recently launched a new series of profiles, ”America’s Highest Paid Government Workers,” on itsOutsourcingAmericaExposed.org web page with the story of Ron Packard, the CEO of K-12 

New York Parents and Children Tell Mayor-Elect DeBlasio What They Want for Their Schools

Here is a link to a moving video made by New York City parents. It is addressed to Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio but it could just as well be addressed to every governor, state legislator, Congressman, and mayor in the nation.  The message from parents and children:  I am not a test score. I am so much more.  Educate me. Let me love learning without the threat of a test hanging over my head at every

by janresseger / 1h